Ashes of Love has become my favorite c-drama of all time. And this is coming from a person who never watches dramas with more than 20 episodes, dramas with heavy cgi, and dramas that are melodramatic. Ashes of Love broke all of these rules, so I was highly skeptical when I started it, but by the time I had completed the series, its effects on me were irreversible, and I experienced the worst withdrawal syndrome in my life. I found myself constantly re-watching the scenes with the OTP, quoting the lines from the drama, and singing along to the theme songs. Ashes of Love was THAT good. It is a roller coaster of emotions, from the heartwarming moments of a blooming love that never cease to bring a smile to your face, to the most melancholic nights of separation and loss that can drive tears down your cheeks. It has the most realistic and genuine portrayal of love, and how different people approach love. There’s one love that never extinguishes even if death does you apart, there’s another love that’s filled with yearning and the desire to possess, and lastly, the love that’s hard to notice but is always there to protect, the love that wishes you eternal happiness with another person.

Story (9.5/10)
The story is beautiful, sad, bittersweet, and at times humorous. Character interactions are fun and witty, and it is easy to resonate with some characters or understand where they are coming from even if you do not agree with their actions. The main couple had overflowing chemistry and all their dialogues are quote-worthy. The plot development and pacing are mostly proportionate, and the story can be separated into several distinct arcs, each serving a good purpose to provide depth and weight to the characters. The only downside is that too much focus is given to Yunyu in the latter half of the story and less on the main couple, causing him to be the most established character throughout. Luckily, most of the important characters had backstories that explained their personalities and motives, and all the main characters either had major character development or were given a good closure by the end of the series.

Characters (10/10)
All the actors did an excellent job portraying their characters, except for the Empress whom I felt was too over the top in her facial expressions (especially her glaring eyes). Whenever the characters cried I also felt heartbroken with them. And since the drama spanned across quite a lot of episodes, I felt emotionally attached to the characters like they were my friends. As for the individual roles, Yunyu was exceptionally well-portrayed and the most 3-dimensional character I have ever seen in a c-drama. The casting of Luo Yun Xi was perfect, as he looked, sounded, and emoted exactly like how Yunyu should be. Luo Yun Xi is not acting as Yunyu, he IS Yunyu. Yang Zi also nailed the role of Jinmi, which if done wrong would have caused the character to become stupid or obnoxious. Deng Lun, in comparison, was more tame in his facial expressions, but his aura matched the character of Xufeng like no other person could. Other side characters like Yianyou, the Water God and the Moon God were also memorable and sparked my interest. The entire cast was very fitting for their roles, and there was no single character that was out of place.

Music (10/10)
The OST kept ringing in my ears even weeks after I finished the series. I now have to listen to the opening song several times a day to move on with my life, and whenever I do, scenes from the drama would flood into my mind and I feel an urge to re-watch the drama again.
Fun fact: The artist who sang the ending song, Sa Ding Ding, also played one of the characters in the drama. She was a funny character and did a good job considering that she is not a professional actress.

Conclusion
This drama is a must watch. Do not shy away due to the number of episodes. A good drama will make time zip by, and before you know it, you will be wishing it to never end.