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This review may contain spoilers
As a viewer who loved the Dong Hua and Feng Jiu couple from Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, I’m so happy that they turned their novel into a drama of their own. STORY
Part 1: Feng Jiu’s Wasted Love (Episodes 1-10)
A young Feng Jiu is saved by Dong Hua. Smitten, she goes to work as a maid in his palace to repay the life debt. She gives up her fur temporarily to save him in the soul locking jade. Pampered by Dong Hua until Ji Heng and her pet came along. Almost dying, Feng Jiu goes back to QingQui.
As much as I love Feng Jiu, it was a struggle to watch these episodes. I hated every time I saw Feng Jiu acting lovesick for Dong Hua, who didn’t even know she existed. But I got through it knowing that Feng Jiu is supposed to be a teenager, probably not much older than 15 or 16. She’s never been in love before and growing up spoiled didn’t help in preventing her from doing something as dumb as try to be a maid in his palace.
Part 2: Mortal realm (Episodes 10-21)
Dong Hua goes to the mortal realm to regain cultivation. Lives his life as Emperor Song XuanRen. Trying to repay the life debt, Feng Jiu goes too and saves him in battle, only to realize she messed with his love trial. Introduced as a new consort, XuanRen and General Ye QingTi fell in love with her. Ye QingTi sacrifices his life to save her and Feng Jiu commits suicide, thus completeing Dong Hua’s love misfortune.
As for the mortal arc, I’m a bit more forgiving. This is the first of their three lifetime love story for Feng Jiu and Dong Hua. Although we only see bits through flashbacks in the book, this is where the viewer needs to see why Feng Jiu goes through such lengths to bring back Qing Ti. Qing Ti’s death helps Feng Jiu realize that her silly crush has disastrous consequences. Her part in being mortal Dong Hua’s love trial misfortune helped her to get over him. She comes back a changed woman.
Part 3: Back to Sky Kingdom (Episodes 21-27)
Feng Jiu officially meets Dong Hua during Bai Qian’s wedding. Dong Hua teases Feng Jiu at the wedding banquet. He hides her when at the hot springs when Lian Song comes in. He saves her from a fire beast and watches as she trolls the suitors that her aunt sets up for her. She goes to Dong Hua to reclaim some jewelry she left behind at the hot spring unknowingly insinuating that they spent the night in front of many people. She transforms herself into a handkerchief to avoid Dong Hua, but he picks her up and takes her to battle when he fights with Yan Chiwu. Both Chi Wu and Feng Jiu fall into Fanyin Valley.
This is when the good stuff begins! It’s also the beginning of the novel, so for those like me who read it, it was particularly exciting. It’s funny to see the more Feng Jiu does her best to ignore Dong Hua, the more interested he becomes in her. And Dong Hua starts calling her “Xiao Bai”!
Part 4: Fanyin Valley (Episodes 27-35)
Chi Wu and Feng Jiu hide their identities and stay in Fanyin valley for six months before Dong Hua arrives. Feng Jiu misunderstands that he’s there for Ji Heng who is also at the valley to purify herself. A competition is announced and the prize is the pimpon fruit which can bring the mortal dead to life. Dong Hua teaches Feng Jiu and she wins the competition. Dong Hua gives the fruit to Ji Heng so she can cure herself instead. Feng Jiu goes to get the fruit herself, but gets stuck in Aranya’s dream. Lian Song informs Dong Hua that Feng Jiu was his missing fox and why she wanted the fruit so badly. With a shaken heart, but steady mind, Dong Hua goes after Feng Jiu.
Feng Jiu and Yan Chi Wu together are lovable idiots. They probably share a brain cell. There are really only four sides to Dong Hua; Ice Face, jealous, shameless, and in love. Dong Hua shamelessly trying to get close to Feng Jiu, his jealousy whenever he sees her with Chi Wu, the look in his eyes and the smirk every time he sees her! It’s so unfortunate that he doesn’t really know how to express his love and it just comes off as Dong Hua teasing her like a child would to his crush. And it’s super satisfying to see Dong Hua chase after Feng Jiu this time!
Part 5: Aranya’s Dream (Episode 36-50)
Feng Jiu wakes up in Aranya’s dream with most of her memory gone. Dong Hua uses this to his advantage and seals her body away so he can find her spirit in the dream world. Her spirit wakes up as Aranya. Aranya’s teacher, Su MoYe knows she is Feng Jiu, but tells her to live Aranya’s life so that they could know how she died and it may be the key to escape the dram world. Dong Hua disguises himself as Xi Ze, Aranya’s husband, not knowing Feng Jiu is Aranya. As Feng Jiu lives Aranya’s life, the tragic love story between Chen Ye and Aranya and the birth of Aranya’s dream are revealed.
These episodes were bittersweet. On one hand we see how much Dong Hua loves Feng Jiu and the lengths he goes for her. There are so many sugary scenes where Dong Hua just cannot keep his hands off of his fox XD. Although the rest of the dream world may see them as Aranya and Xi Ze, they are most definitely Feng Jiu and Dong Hua when they consummate their marriage. On the other hand, we also get to see how much Chen Ye loves Aranya, but unlike their counterparts, misunderstandings have ruined their relationship until death finally tears them apart. It hurt to see how much Chen Ye was grieving over her death and it shows just how far Dong Hua in every life is willing to go for Feng Jiu.
Part 6: The Final Battle, The End (Episode 50-56)
Planning a wedding and building their dream house, Feng Jiu and Dong Hua are very much in love. Feng Jiu has her BingCang ceremony and Nie Chu Yin foolishly asks her to battle. Dong Hua goes back to FanYin valley to help Ji Heng one last time, but never shows up on the day of the wedding. Feng Jiu’s missing memories are returned and she is pregnant. Heartbroken, she leaves to the mortal realm where she gives birth to Dong Hua’s son, Bai GunGun. Dong Hua returns to find his bride missing and closes the portal for mortal to immortal ascension as a way to bring her back to heaven. The demon lords have been putting their powers together to release Miao Luo. Dong Hua gives Feng Jiu a ring which she refuses to take. Dong Hua goes to fight Miao Luo where one must die even though he is poisoned. Everything is revealed to Feng Jiu and she rushes to help Dong Hua. Together they defeat Miao Luo. Dong Hua finally meets his son.
What’s Dong Hua and Feng Jiu’s love story without one last misunderstanding? Even until the very end, they’ve suffered so much. I’ve never hated Ji Heng’s character until this part. She clearly knew that Dong Hua loves and was to marry another woman, but shamelessly uses her father as an excuse to keep him. Dong Hua taking the poison onto himself as a way to finally get rid of Ji Heng? Get yourself a man who’d rather poison himself than be with someone other than his woman. On top of that, he literally makes Feng Jiu a wedding ring from half his heart. Can your OTP say the same thing? The battle was super angsty; there was blood, lovers almost dying together, and Dong Hua saying “I love you” to Feng Jiu first! Oh, I just love pain. During the Father and son meeting, I couldn’t stop smiling and seeing everyone’s reaction to the fact that Dong Hua had a kid was hilarious. The ending was perfect, they all lived happily ever after!
CINEMATOGRAPHY and VISUALS/COSTUME
The cinematography in this drama is beautiful. The sets, the locations, and even the CGI for the most part was so pleasing to the eyes. I didn’t like the overly bright filters used for many of these kinds of dramas, so I’m glad they didn’t do that here. The scenery was amazing. The CGI was definitely more a hit than a miss, my favorite having to be the cute little fox! Can’t blame Dong Hua for not wanting to give it up. And the final battle!! I really cannot stop praising how the editing crew has gone above and beyond for this drama.
Costume wise, they were not as impressive as the ones in Ten Miles as a lot of other people may have commented, however, I found the tulle like fabric made more sense since they seemed more lighter and flowy for the gods while the silk and heavier fabrics were for the demons. All in all, I really have no complaints, I know a lot of hard work was put in, especially when it comes to the little details on their clothes.
MUSIC
Would you believe me if I told you I bought some of them on iTunes? Yes, that’s how much I loved it. Look up the meaning for the OSTs in this drama! It’s crazy how well it relates to the main characters' love story.
REWATCH VALUE
BRB, going to have to watch it again on WeTV, maybe once on the Tencent app, then on YouTube, gotta buy the DVD if they ever make one….
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Although it would be unfair to compare it to TMOPB, it just doesn't compare. The lore in this version isn't so big or exciting. It is only worth checking out if you like the leads or love stories in general. The overall cast in the 1st part was clearly superior and I found myself somehow missing Zhang Bin Bin the most lol.
PLOT:
It's cute but it gets frustrating seeing the female - Fengjiu being hopelessly in love with Dong Hua. I was prepared to go in for some real heartbreak as I knew DH is a sort of cold person. But man, I did feel so bad for Fengjiu who got her heart broken so many times within the first 10 episodes. It seems largely due to her playful but naive self but it does make you pity her. The mortal realm was surprisingly lighter compared to other xianxia dramas. When they got back to heaven all was fine except the Dream of Aranya sequence. I had to do FF after ep 36ish. The ending was better than expected because at least we got back the main leads back in one piece and the 'separation' didn't last long.
CHARACTERS:
Fengjiu's character growth is what made watching it worthwhile. She's awfully immature in the beginning but beomes much better later on. Dong Hua was also pissing me off for a while - there's only so many smirks one can win me over with. Neither of them seem as badass as Bai Qian or Ye Hua nor they did they have the same chemistry. But overall it was pleasant to watch. I feel like this story was more on the redemption of Di Jun/Dong Hua because I wanted to sit and see him suffer some as well. I feel like in the last installment and this one, it was majorly Fengjiu having to suffer and prove everything. When it comes to the baddies, they all fell flat to me. I didn't even like any of their acting. I'd have to rate it meh in that department.
ACTING:
Oh BOY this is where this drama lacks A LOT. Neither Dilraba nor Vengo were excellent. Dilraba was good because her character was basic and didn't have to have Oscar-level acting. I'd rate Vengo lower because he had this awesome character to play but it fell flat. I did like his "ice face" and "romance face" but I was just not feeling it with the sad parts. I didn't think this role was totally cut out for someone of his level of acting. I would say he is charming at best because, come on - there is only one Dong Hua in this world! But there could have been someone better at acting. (I am treading into dangerous category here and must be offending a few fans)
OVERALL:
I was guaranteed sugary sweetness which I got but I wanted more. The plot was ok, acting was ok and the overall experience was ok. I don't think I ever lost sleep over this as I recall being obsessed over other C-dramas that I have watched. I have seem some people say that this drama wasn't required at all. I could somewhat agree but then I never would have seen the growth of the two leads nor the redemption of Dong Hua (yes, I am calling that because he always seemed cold to me in TMOPB and the initial 10 eps of this drama). I also watched because of Dilraba - I love her and she is very cute and gorgeous at the same time.
Take your pick - watch it or skip it. I can't find many reasons to do either.
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If you didn't read the book, please read the book first.
This is different types of drama. No connection between old drama Eternal Love. And this drama follow the real novel.Story: Story is too deep. The novel has promising story.
Acting: overall good. Acting is developing carecter by carecter. Leading role are so good at acting.
OST/Music/Song: Too good. All musics are heart touching.❤️ Better than Enternal love.
VFX, graphics, animation all are good. Better than Eternal love. The fox is quite good. And fox animation is so natural.
Colour gradient too good. This is so charming for eyes. Totally eye catching.
Story, acting, VFX, graphics all over first class. I think leading role will be acting 3 different types carecter. I must say that this pillow book is so good. And I cannot wait for next episodes.
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The costumes are ok, no big deal at least for me. The CGI is really good and the scenery is beautiful, totally different for TMOPB. The scenery in ELOD is more realistic (at least I see it like that) the Fox world ( I know the name bit can’t write well) is beautiful.
The Characters are great, even the news ones. Their acting are really good and make you feel the moment. A’li is adorable <3
I can’t wait for the rest of the episodes, As a one that read the novel 2 times already knows that this drama is worth watching it. Highly recommend.
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I have to say that I did appreciate Vengo's performance the most as he had the biggest journey in terms of character growth. He starts off as quite the ice cube, as Yan Chiwu nicknames him. He is guarded, stand-offish, and proud. That cold exterior is very off-putting for anyone but Bai Fenjiu. Falling in love, therefore, changes him. I like who he became after realizing he had fallen completely under our little Fenjiu's spell. He was more alive in a subdued way. He cried, he showed joy, anger and jealousy--all while staying true to Donhua Dijun's demeanor as an Imperial Lord. Well done!
Another character I liked to my surprise is Yan Chiwu of the Demon realm. He started off as such an annoying peacock with the way he walked, threw his weight around and arrogantly disrespected Dong Hua. But he was one of those unexpected allies that becomes indispensable. Though his wrap-up felt forced, I guess it was the only ending they could think to give him. I would much rather he'd given up and set his sights elsewhere. Wayne Liu did a great job as Yan Chiwu. At first I didn't know how I would feel seeing him come back as a different character than the one he plays in Eternal Love. Even the explanation of this is rather silly and unbelievable, but his character is much more interesting as a demon lord than as the bumbling disciple of Mo Yuan.
My biggest disappointment was the scene between Bai Qian and Bai Fengjiu. I was looking forward to Yang Mi's cameo appearance but the scene between these two actresses was awful. The way the scene was written, the vibe came off they didn't like each other. Bai Qian seems exasperated with Fenjiu and that was never the case between them in the past. Auntie Bai Qian loved her little niece and Fengjiu was ready to fight anyone that hurt her beloved aunt. Here, we have two important characters acting like feuding sisters. The choice to have Bai Qian saddle her niece with suitors is so out of character because she never would have done that. Bai Qian is the queen of the dis and never liked having suitors hoisted on her. Why would her niece be any different? That choice was so unlike Bai Qian and it bugged me. What were the writers thinking? The absence of Yehua is sorely missed, particularly during the climax of the series. I almost expected to see Mo Yuan, Yehua and Bai Qian, fan at the ready, to do battle with the evil Miao Luo. I hear this was the actual ending in the book. It's too bad they had to change the ending because Mark Chao was unavailable.
Music was good. Not as great as Eternal Love but tolerable enough to add to my Asian drama soundtrack playlist.
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This drama is beautiful, touching, and you get to experience love and trial throughout three different lives. Fengjiu and Donghua story can be recapped as a deep love with shallow fate. Bittersweet.
Story:
10/10. Beautiful story following the two protagonists struggles through three different lives. The drama followed closely with the book, though with different sequencing. The mortal realm arc was slightly lengthy, but it was still worth watching. I’d say it has a slow start, but after episode 20, it evolve to become an unforgettable story.
Acting/Casts:
10/10 There are so many casts from Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and the familiar faces makes us feel nostalgic in a good sense. I cannot imagine anyone else playing Fengjiu and Dong Hua instead of Vengo and Dilraba. They are perfect couple with amazing chemistry on screen and offscreen. They portray three different characters so well in three different lives, and if anyone says they can’t act, I hope you take a good look at this splendid drama. Side characters like Siming, Liansong, ChengYu trio also did their roles well, providing comedy relief with right timing. Evil characters like Jiheng was able to stimulate all my hatred, so kudo to the actress. Everyone did an amazing job and Yang Mi cameo was one of the best moments to see in the drama.
Music:
10/10 Splendid music. I feel my skin crawls everytime I listened to the opening and I reminisce their love story everytime I listen to the other OST.
Rewatch Value:
10/10 I will definitely go back and watch my favourite scenes, maybe all the scenes from episode 20 onwards. I might leave out the mortal arc, since it isn’t the most enjoyable.
Overall, this drama is splendid and did not fail my expectations. I’m really glad they used the same casts, I cannot imagine how this drama would have went with a different crew. The cinematography is beautiful and I can put this side by side with Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. This deserves the rating it gets, and it’s a must watch within the cdrama community.
Highly recommended.
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This drama maybe start a little bit slow for some people but for me was cute and funny, not everyone will have the same taste. But if you are patience a little bit you will find the story really interesting. Fengjiu and Donghua story is totally worth and you will melt in sugar every time you watch those two spread love everywhere.
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