Ancient Love Poetry (2021)

Do not get brainwashed by the cancelling culture before you even see it for yourself

I just wanted to address the recent issue of cancelling this drama by netizens. Like why did they had to criticise such a beautiful drama from just a glimpse through without even watching the whole story.

As someone who just recently got into the C drama land (bcuz I accidentally watch The Untamed) early this year, I must say ALP is something fresh to me bcuz I was into BL dramas previously. If they criticized abt the cgi, ALP has much much better cgi compared to the cgi in TU. Like I still cringed when I recalled how fake the Dancing statue & the wolf (which bites weiying when he was locked up) looks like in TU. ?? (no, I'm not hating on TU, in fact TU is my top top C drama like I still kennot move on from it up till now) But yet, it was one of the most successful c drama to this date.

Next, they're hating on the visuals. Hello are they blind? Do they even look at themselves in the mirror?? Xukai looks fat? Wheree? The first time I saw him in ALP, I instantly fall in love with him. Likee omgeee he is soo cool that he can compete with my Weiying. ?
I was a bit sceptical abt the FL at first also. But nooo she was made for the character. No one else can pull it off better than her.

Next, the story line? Some said that it's boring. But nooo. I just randomly watched it at 2am and then it made me wanting for more. I sacrificed my beauty sleep cuz I was curious abt what will happen next. So here I am now. Already at ep 22. And already looking forward for the next ones tonight.

So, in conclusion, if you are a fan of xianxia, you should definitely give this beautiful drama a chance. Trust me, it's worth it!! The eye candy for your eyes and also the top tier heavenly-sound OST for your ears ??

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Absolutely Binge worthy

Solid performance from entire cast, I was pleasantly surprised with how amazing the cinematography was the scene where cut befittingly to suit the storyline. Although it may not look like the two are suited the level of chemistry that developed between the lead characters was amazing they invoked great passion, desire and sadness at the prefect time. Personally feel that it’s worthy of being right up there with the greats deserving its accolades. The storyline takes you on an emotional rollercoaster all sub-stories intertwine with the main core storyline each cast member provides high level performance, leaving you in great admiration. Highly recommend and stick it out after a couple episodes you will be glued to the screen.

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The episodes keep getting better! Watch till 2nd arc!

When I first started this drama, I had no expectation. I think the drama is just somewhere between so-so and interesting BUT it definitely keeps getting interesting and better in the 2nd arc (which is on ep 16). It feels like you're watching different drama with different characters in it. This drama probably has its flaws and definitely NOT the best xianxia drama out there but it definitely worth to give a try (just like i said, 2nd arc is way more interesting). I'm glad that I kept watching this drama despite bad reviews from Chinese netizens. Now, this is one of my weekly looking forward drama and I just can't stop for it (I'm pretty a lot of people agreed with me about Qingmu lol). Last but not least, the CGI, it's pretty cool and somehow it looks like the teaser for online game which is high quality!

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No sub-plots worth mentioning - everything is about the two main leads

I came across the first trailer last year. It was outstandingly enticing, action-packed and beautifully choreographed, with excellent VFX fighting scenes between demons/devils and the Immortals/Gods. It immediately drew me to this series and I penned it down as a must see xianxia c-drama of 2021. It did not hurt that last year, I thoroughly enjoyed “Love and Redemption (L&R)”. The female lead was Zhou Dongyu (ZDY) – an actress who is internationally acclaimed and the top actress listed in Forbes Top-100 Chinese Celebrities. Another reason to watch is that this is ZDY first foray into the small screen costume drama. And the fact that there are not many interesting new releases of costume drama as of late, “Ancient Love Poetry” seemed like a good enough drama to spend my time on complementing another period drama I am currently watching – “Court Lady”.

First, let me say that the choice of Zhou DongYu as the female lead baffles me. This is her first small screen appearance in a costume drama where she is depicted as the most beautiful woman across all Realms/Kingdoms. Her stature and popularity is similar to Yang Mi, Zhao Liying, etc ie she is an extremely famous actress in China and she took up a job that pitted her against an actor – Xu Kai – who is considered solid but not a top notch or calibre material. Xu Kai is not in the same league as say Kris Wu, Wang Yibo, Karry Wang, Xiao Zhan, Lu Han, Liu Haoran, etc (well you get the pictures). There were rumors that ZDY was forced to take up this role as it was rejected by Angelababy when they were at the same agency – Mountain Top Entertainment. I tend to believe in this rumor because this c-drama role does not suit her at all.

No wonder there are a lot of noises from Chinese netizen about the casting of ZDY as Shang Gu in this fantasy romance. To them, ZDY is not pretty enough to play the role of Shang Gu. She does not have the traits or characteristics of classic Chinese beauty. What is significantly clear to me is that ZDY was particularly beautiful when she was Shang Gu on the Ancient God Realm, but 60,000 years later as Houchi, ZDY was pedestrian looking. Did they change the make up artist halfway though this fantasy romance series? The difference in beauty is evident for all to see. To me, ZDY looks like a little girl who has never grown up. She has a teenager’s body – petite and undeveloped. She does not have those typical classical Chinese beauty features like good height (tall), double eye-lids, under-eye bags, etc. I am not body-shaming her, and she is a tremendously beautiful actress and the main reason why I’m watching this chinese series, but she is not suited to play the role of the most beautiful God/person/entity across all realms in 100,000-150,000 years. Luo Qiu Yun (Goddess Yuemi) or Jenny Zhang (Wu Huan) seem like a better choice to play FL.

Now to the real crux of the matter – the storylines – the achilles heel of most c-drama productions. Ultimately, you can’t watch “Ancient Love Poetry (ALP)” without comparing it against “Love & Redemption (L&R)”, “Love & Destiny (L&D)”, and “Ten Miles of Peach Blossom (TMoPB)” because all these xianxia dramas share the same theme and concept – ever lasting love story across millennia, reincarnation, trials and tribulations, unrequited love, sacrifices, etc. This is where I believe ALP absolutely fails its viewers. Where are the sub-plots? Everything is about Zong Dongyu (ZDY) and Xu Kai (XK). There are hardly any sub-plots worth mentioning. There is hardly any character development for the rest of the supporting cast. They are treated with contempt and non-essential to the main plot or story line – which is the love story between the two (2) lead characters. This is the real weakness of this period drama which makes it a torture to complete 49 episodes. 49 episodes of watching ZDY and XK professing their love to one another, having occasional spats like all love-birds do, experiencing flashbacks of the past life’s love story, protecting one another, sacrificing for the greater good, etc is just too much to bear even for a hardcore costume-period fan like myself.

Absolutely no character development at all during the 1st phase of the story up to the Trial of God of Chaos/Shang Gu. It took only 16 eps, and yes I am being sarcastic here to reach the ending of Shang Gu-Bai Jue love story in their first life. Even the 2nd lead Tian Qi (Liu Xiu Yi), who plays a similar role to The Ghost Lord (Vin Zhang) in TMoPB and Jing Xiu (Ethan Li) in Love & Destiny, does not get much mention and Tian Qi is potentially the 3rd most important character in the novel. At least the starting of the 2nd phase, 60,000 years later after the trial of Shang Gu provides some relief to the story. It should be a total reset and the beginning of the second life. But…. But…. You get Houchi pining for Bo Xuan already in Ep 17, the introduction to their second life 60,000 years later. God Gu Jun, one of the only few surviving gods from her first life and happens to be Hou Chi’s father in the second life, appeared once in Ep 17 and reappeared 13 episodes later in Ep 30 to protect Hou Chi from Wu Huan. WTF…. this is all about the two (2) lead characters. Thought that their second life would be a breath of fresh air, but other than the love story sub-plot between Feng Ran and Jing Jian, the rest of minor stories/sub-plots were not explored at all. The writer has a lot of opportunities to introduce support cast in the sub-plots like the triangle love story involving Gu Jun, Wu Huan and Mu Huang. Is this not a huge and significant story line here that culminates in the birth of Hou Chi and forms the basis of the enmity between Heavenly Realm and QingChi Palace? Enough ranting on the story line – the real weakness of this series and reason enough not to watch it.

Now to the positives. The Computer Generated Imageries (CGI) and Visual Effects (VFX) are simply outstanding. This is what draws me to the series from the trailers. The color hues, contrast, detailing, lighting, etc of the special effects and CGIs are among the best I have seen. Maybe the God Realm looks like it is coming out of Star Trek movies, but Gods are supposed to reside at outer space. The fighting scenes between Gods and Qiong Qi in Ep 11 are an excellent example of CGIs intertwined with excellent VFXs. The level of sophistication must have cost the Producers/Directors plenty of money and these are simply world class CGIs/VFXs. But no matter how good a VFX is, it is still fantasy world. I specifically would point out to Ep 29 where Hou Chi and Qing Mu were enjoying the scenery at the Heavenly Realm with water falls nested within clouds. It just feels weird because such scene plays into one’s imagination. I don’t think there is anyway the VFX experts could get it right. Also, the constant overhead shot of the Ancient God Realm in Shang Gu’s first life, and Heavenly realm overhead shot in her subsequent life was too futuristic – looking more like Star Trek rather than the place where Gods, Immortals and Demons live. At least that is my opinion.

The costumes are glamorous, albeit very plain and simple in nature. The Immortals/Gods tend to wear lighter shades, while the Demons are mostly in darker color. As I was watching “Court Lady” at the same time, I detest the Tang dynasty clothing in the Court Lady, the hair-do, etc. Even a beautiful Li YiTong could sometimes look horrendous in Tang Dynasty clothing. That did not happen here with the ladies – they all look elegant, gorgeous and refined.

On the studio set design, it does not have the fake looking and feeling even though the setting is in the make-believe fantasy land. When reproducing a set purely from imagination and fantasy, it is easier to get it wrong. Your creativity could backfire. The setting reminds me a lot of “Ashes of Love”. The God Realm, Heavenly Palace and the Lookout Shelter are especially beautiful. I wish “Legend of Fei” producers/directors could learn a thing or two from this production when it comes to studio set design.

Nothing on the music front draws me to this series. Nothing. I am not drawn to the sound track at all, and there is not a song within this c-drama series that keeps playing in my head. A good sound track will add more interest onto a series. It is like an appetizer before the main course.

When the series is very good, and there are quite a few of them in my book like Evernight Season 1, Novoland Eagle Flag, Nirvana in Fire 2, Joy of Life, etc, you tend to worry when the series are at the end. You keep counting how many episodes are left. When the series are over, you experienced withdrawal syndrome. I am sure it won’t happen to me with Ancient Love Poetry. No wonder Douban rating by Chinese mainland viewers hovers at the pedestrian 5.2 with only 1 out of 4 reviewers giving it a good/fair rating (4/5). While international viewers like those at Mydramalist.com website, tend to be more generous with their rating (8.3 rating at Mydramalist).

Give it a miss if you have not started watching it and go for other c-drama!

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This drama completely took over my life. This hasn't happened to me since... since Word of Honor, I guess? And as much as I adored WoH, not even that drama moved me so deeply.

I wouldn't be able to tell you why exactly ALP touched me so much. I guess it was the theme of self-sacrifice? Of duty and honor and love? And of friendship that lasts hundreds of thousands of years and isn't treated as something, well, less?

Because one of the things that fascinated me was the bond among the three True Gods: Zhi Yang, Tian Qi and Bai Jue. They have known each other for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years, they protected the three realms together and they died and were reborn in their service to the gods, the immortals and the mortals, and they did it with grace and dignity - and not a little mischief. They bickered and poked fun at each other and sometimes they didn't see each other for thousands of years but the warmth they felt for each other never lessened. And that was simply beautiful.

The main draw for me was Xu Kai as Bai Jue/Bo Xuan/Qing Mu - and he did an absolutely incredible job playing these characters who were one and the same person and not at the same time and at no point had I trouble telling the three of them apart. Even when Qing Mu and Bai Jue stood side by side, I knew who was who. Xu Kai is a truly gifted actor and this drama let him showcase that.

Many, many times was I moved to tears. The last two eps I pretty much bawled through. I stayed up way past midnight to finish the drama and I cried so hard that my heart is still aching this morning and my eyes are all swollen. It was so beautiful.

What I must mention and praise is the CGI. The scenery, the fights, all of them looked so amazing and so real that at no point was I torn out of what was happening, thinking "Looks fake." Especially the fights looked truly epic, like fights between gods should.

Thinking back, there were several moments that truly stood out for me:

When Bai Jue was forced to kill Tian Qi
When the True Gods imprisoned Xuan Yi - and when they later on defeated Wu Huan with the same method
When Qing Mu received Bai Jue's spear
When Qing Mu received the 81 lighting strikes and elevated his position to a demi-god
When Bai Jue and Tian Qi battled together at Bai Jue's second wedding
When Gu Jun died for Hou Chi/Shang Gu
When Tian Qi learned about Bai Jue's plan - and then the moment before the battle with Wu Huan, when he realized that Bai Jue was going to die soon
When Bai Jue talked to his son about the meaning of death
When Bai Jue gave himself over to the Doom of Chaos, dying for Shang Gu with a smile on his face because he managed to save her, after all
When Shang Gu came to the Swamp of Netherill and realized what Bai Jue had done...
So many wonderful moments, and that's just off the top of my head.

Also, the score. LAP's songs not only had a beautiful melody, their text was downright heartbreaking, "when she turns to ash, he guards the three realms for her."

This drama was... it was everything I could've wanted and more. I don't think I've ever rated a drama so high but, yeah, it's a 10.

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you thought FIYS was good? this is crazier

A breathtaking revolutionary masterpiece. I finished it in 4 days and am completely tired out, not from boredom but from the amount of emotions that I have invested in this show. Not a single regret because it was executed perfectly from start till end, the timeline clear and concise.

First and foremost, the storyline. It is SO CRAZY interesting, the plot got me hooked right from the start. The concept of there being an ancient god, then true gods, then different realms (before humans come into play) is so refreshing. What surprised me the most is that there are NO FILLER SCENES, sometimes drama adds unnecessary scenes to drag it out but for ALP, this was non-existent. Everything had its own purpose, I didn't feel like skipping. The story follows two of our true gods, Shanggu and Baijue who have to face their biggest villain yet, fate. In this couple, actions speak SO MUCH LOUDER than words. Their devotion and dedication to each other are so touching and so inspiring, sweet and sad moments you name it! The side characters are so FUN, their stories don't seem abrupt and they really add substance to the momentum of the whole show. I really love the divine beasts and disciples. What will we do without gu jun, zixuan, hongri, jingjian, yuemi, fengran :'''(

Secondly, the acting is amazing. They are so devoted to their roles and carried out the emotional scenes so well. And there are A LOT of emotional scenes, I was breaking down every few episodes but of course, there's also enough sweet scenes for healing. Falling in your smile gave Xukai too little room for his acting abilities, ALP brings it up by a big notch. You haven't seen real sadness or pure joy until you see his amber eyes. Zhou Dongyu as expected, is also an incredible actress. From lively and bubbly to weak and hollow to powerful and fearless. You get so much from her despite her tiny frame. There's been a lot of antis who have been bashing the leads for their looks and this is just so screwed up in every way possible. Granted, FL does not look like the stereotypical period drama but she is really beautiful in her own way. Her aura, her acting, her emotions are mesmerizing. These two make an incredible pair with their soul breaking gaze and passionate love.

Thirdly, the CGI slaps. You can tell there was a lot of effort and budget put into this. It was way beyond my expectation despite knowing this was a 'S' level production. The fight with the flying demons and the display of power are mindblowing. The castles and scenic views were so beautiful.

Lastly, music. GOD TIER. Every time 执生念 plays, I know shit is gonna go down. "他为她守护三界/he protects the three realms for her" The tears never stop flowing god damn. There's so many incredible hard hitting songs that bring the memories flooding back it's crazy.

All in all, this show deserves an oscar, a grammy, a golden globe, whatever there is. I couldn't find a flaw even if I wanted to. The only thing I hoped for is a longer ending hahaha cause I was tortured to hell and back I deserve more :D

You won't regret it. Really and you might even stan many new artists after this ;)

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Worth to wait it out!

In Xianxia dramas- this one is properly the LEAST convoluted among the top faves from the recent years (think Ashes of Love, L & R). That's not a criticism in fact, I appreciated a less than complicated and overly messed up triangles and relationships. The beginning didn't start out strong. It impacted me in feeling that chemistry/connection between the main leads. First 15 episodes were the foundation for the rest of the storyline which isn't overly long but with that length- I expected more interaction/obstacles to overcome to flourish this everlasting romance. To no fault of Xu Kai- I don't get how his character falls for Shanggu to the point that he makes a lifetime of sacrifice for her. It wasn't until the 2nd lifetime storyline started that things got interested- there were more incidents to bond the romance between their 'other' lives. It got more complicated as there were more characters involved and the interplay of various realms.

For someone who never read the novel- I found it hard to understand the importance of Shanggu and her sacrifice from the foundation episodes. All I knew was that she was the 'top' person but weak. I didn't understand the mechanics of how true gods were to live, function and to serve what purpose - or the cycle of life for a true god. I'm now rewatching the first 15 episodes after I've seen it all to the end just to be able to understand it better again.

So many haters for this series without reason- I love Xu Kai. Not from Yanxi Palace where he grew to fame but from The Legends. I loved his stoic character, say one thing and do another. I yearned for him to get another role like this. I saw that in Xu Kai's portrayal of Bai Jue. Countless times, Bai Jue had those 'turning around look' expressions that just changes by the second- it always captivates me. Not many actors can nail those microexpressions and yet be noticeable down to the very second by second frame. He really makes you feel for his sacrifices and his agony.

ZDY-I don't dislike her portrayal of his character. I don't find her annoying or hard to watch. At the same time, I don't have a lot of love for her portrayal of this character. I honestly expected more agony or reaction of her mixed feelings after the big reveal. That is, realizing what Bai Jue has done in the last 60,000 yrs and all the misunderstandings she had for him. Face it, he died alone! Whereas everyone witnessed Shanggu's ultimate sacrifice which made it beautiful but Bai Jue's was of solitude. The entire journey was solitude.

The biggest disappointment for me was not seeing Jian Zhou (princess) being punished. Her eldest brother recognized the error of his ways and he was really stubborn about it for most of the episodes and yet he had to atone for his sins. The princess who has equally done bad - corroborating with her mother to kill Bai Jue and even in the very end- tries to curse Shanggu - she didn't get any punishment. The entire family paid for the sins of the mother and the princess just ends up spending her life taking care of her mother with no real meaning.

Overall- I prefer this drama over L&R. CGI is just mind blowing that adds depth to this drama- it's elegant just like their outfits. OST is spot on and not overly played to the point that it's just white noise. Definitely stick it to the end.

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Worth to watch! My best Cdrama of the years

I was really hesitant to watch since I’m not a fan of Xu Kai despite of his beautiful dramas like the Legends, Court Lady, falling into your smile etc. but since I love Wuxian fantasy I tried to watch on the first day of airing. And I was so so so hooked on the first 20 minutes and beginning to fall in love with the two main leads. The beautiful OST lead by the amazing great singers like Yu Ning makes myself to stay in the series. I read negative feedbacks for the ML and FL appearances but it wasn’t true! The lead role, Shanggu was fitted to the female lead. Even though she wasn’t as beautiful as Yang Mi in Eternal Love but her acting skills and cute face give the shows valued to watch. Xu Kai was so so handsome being true God as Bai Jue. He wasn’t fat (omg!) I cried too much from episodes 37 to 49 because Xu Kai really did his best to portray being “a true God and will sacrifice himself for the sake of his loved-ones. This is a 10/10 for me.

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Xianxia of 2021

Well what can i say, i took a break from watching drama's for a few months, thi was my first drama coming back from my little break and i am soooo happy it was, it was just a great experience watching this show.

Cast: Xu Kai i've seen him in other historical/fantasy drama, and i always love his acting, but this one, he played his role perfectly, he was so mature in this that i couldn't believe it was him lol. I love all of his scenes, even the ones hard to watch because his acting and portrayal of the God of war was pretty great, i love this actor because he plays the cold personality, but he isn't mean nor aggressive like others i've seen with this role personality. The FL it was my first time watching her and she was pretty great as well, she isn't annoying nor did she do anything foolish or annoying like so many other FL I've seen, she was strong and she matured really well also. The other cast and characters was great as well, they played there role so well, that's one of the reasons i loved this.

Story: I've seen other xianxia type drama, tbh it became my favorite after my sister forced me to watch TMOPB/Eternal Love, i got so hooked, right after i watched Ashes of love and then that was it... it immediately became my favorite genre, every year there is a favorite to add in my collection, nd this year oh how happy i am that i have fund this drama, the story and the CGI was amazing!. The visual in this show was so amazing, and i love the storyline, it was boring and i didn't skip anything. There is so much, but the way it was all aligned, I wasn't confused about anything.

This show has a lot to offer, its very entertaining, the romance is just soooo good as well, the chemistry between the leads it was really great, it's hard to mention certain things because i don't want to spoilt it, but i'll just say wherever the leads end up, their love and the chemistry you can see it and its sooo sweet. I'll definitely say that this is a must watch, you'll enjoy the story, the cast, the friendships and romance. Also, I'll say that this show is a show all by itself, it didn't give me any feels from other xianxia i've watched, though most of them have stories about other lives, i love how they're all still different and unique, so is this masterpiece.

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A deep story of love and sacrifice

This is the best drama I see this year. Bai Jue manages to go from cold master to boy in love brilliantly. The female protagonist acts very well, she manages to be cute and strong at the same time. The special effects and soundtrack are perfect. I just loved every detail of this drama. Xu Kai was the perfect choice for this role. The script really surprised me in a positive way, we are captured by the plot from the first moment, and the twists are very interesting. I really hate Wuhan for what she has become and the way she wants to harm shanggu. I love how the main couple overcome difficulties together. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for each other. This drama is definitely one of my favorites. It's really satisfying to watch something so immersive.

Some people are criticizing the appearance of the lead actress, and I must say I totally disagree. She is perfect in her role. People are very used to actors who have a very unattainable beauty. She smiles with her eyes, her face lights up completely. And she fits Xu Kai perfectly. Some also criticize Xu Kai's appearance, but I must say he's perfect here. Even in his serious moments, we can see the love for Shanggu in his eyes.

I know the opinion is very personal. Therefore, I recommend that people watch and draw their own conclusions, without sticking to the standards of beauty. Many artists suffer from their own country's haters about this. And they end up putting history in the background. This is a profound story of love and silent sacrifices. A story full of magic that transports you to another dimension. Everyone has their own beauty. It makes me really sad to hear that artists get so much hate because of their looks. While people ignore your hard work.

I really feel sorry for Tian Qi, he really loves shanggu. On the other hand, some people don't understand Bai Jue's plan, but I feel he goes to great lengths to protect his love and makes some troubling decisions, but his character is brilliant at every step. I wouldn't change anything about it. The moment when Quimmu finds out he's going to disappear and when Shanggu finds out that Bai Jue has returned, it's really painful and beautiful. You can feel the real sadness. I really can't hate Bai Jue. I feel your lonely suffering. He does everything for Shanggu and silently endures his sacrifice for her.

This drama was a wonderful surprise to me. I feel the actors fit the role perfectly and there is a lot of chemistry between them.

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