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FAVE WUXIA THIS YEAR
Compelling from the very beginning, Love a Lifetime hits all the good parts for me. It sticks to its core plot and does not move away from its theme. The writing nor the editing may not be the best, but its unpredictability and the way it set up the characters truly gives this drama an edge.Wuxia has never been my genre because I tend to lose interest halfway through. But that is not the case at all for this drama. I was intrigued from the start, wondered about the main lead’s identity and was quite confused about the plot which motivated me to keep going. The pace is neither fast nor slow, but rather just enough for the necessary events to occur.
It has less frustrating scenes than the usual Chinese historicals and has taken on quite a few fresh tropes. One, it is filled with multi-dimensional characters. It leaves you thinking what the characters' next action will be. A character may seem to be bad, but they could also have a bit of humanity in them. Secondly, misunderstandings that could have easily been developed from the leads' family conflict did not happen. The trust between the main couple is amazing and did not cause a lot of hiccups in the plot. Yes they doubted each other at some point, but overall? They were solid! I definitely salute Rong Hua’s unwavering trust to Nalan Yue. There were many instances that tested their relationship, but they stood strong, which made this a really good one to watch. Third, there is no third party. Initially i thought the fiancée would cause a problem, but nope! She turned out to be good (even helpful) until the end. This drama also did an amazing job with exhibiting different meanings of love. It could be selfless love towards your lover, your own family, or your power.
Its unpredictability is commendable. It took me along with every character, brought me along with their struggles and somehow felt their pain and dilemma. In short, it made me empathize with them. And so eventually, i get to witness how their characters changed because of certain events. I grew to care for the villain that I initially disliked, but also learned to hate a character that I used to love in the beginning. I got to love Dragon Howl City and even hoped for its survival when they faced some threats. And before I knew it, I was already cheering for another sect halfway through.
Let's also not forget how clever the female characters are presented here, most especially Rong Hua. She may not have the best martial art skills but she's smart enough to execute a plan that has always been helpful/successful. She may look fragile, but she's more than that. She knows how to pick herself up against adversity and think of ways to fight her problems.
Acting wise, everyone did not disappoint. Ren Jia Lun's acting has got to be the best thing here. He did a good job, regardless if it's a funny or a dramatic scene. The fighting scenes are also very gratifying to watch. Even the OSTs are amazing !!! They even get better as you watch more episodes lol.
Overall, this has to be one of the better wuxias out there and a personal favourite of mine despite its flaws. I'm the kind of person who values and loves a fresh plot + multi-dimensional characters, hence i think this drama worked really well for me. It successfully kept my interest and I don't think i even got bored at some point.
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Probably the best drama of all time
After binge watching Yanxi Palace in three days three nights it has done quite some damage to my emotions towards dramas I watched after that. My feelings getting attached to dramas takes time but this.. This drama had me hooked instantly like never before? The romance really saves the drama honestlySTORY: 9.8 It's not face paced nor slow paced but perfectly right in the middle. I feel like if more characters died I would've been more emotional but it's a good thing that the drama didn't lose too much of the characters like xueman and yizhou. Ngl I do enjoy dramas that contains misunderstandings and jealousy. Just brings spice into it, this drama didn't had much but it's still really good. Nothing bad about the story, I'm honestly happy about the ending, still sad that the main couple lost their first unborn child so was wishing to see them have kids or have some scene in the future! (Really really hope they have a S2) in general and overall, no complaints
ACTING: 10 The acting is just *chef kisses* allen's acting did NOT disappoint. I love how he fits the young, free, and funny role to a more darker mature role. He rely suits it, and I'm looking forward to watch Under the Power after this! Zhang Hui Wen's acting is wiite good, may need some more skills and practicing but she has a lot of potential! All the other characters wether its support or the main role did an AMAZING job. not to mention the martial art scenes where they fight is so fucking clean and high quality. It's almost like it's very different from other dramas, its so cleannn. In geberal and overall: 10 would'e took 0.2 points off bc of zhang hui wen's acting but I'll just let it slide
MUSIC: 10 Loveeeee the osts!! Absolutely beautiful!! And the bgm really fits the situations. And the sounds are very high quality too. No complaints honestly
REWATCH VALUE: 100/10 There were SO many memorable scenes I can't even count how many times I've replayed it before even finishon the drama. (Never knew facial expressions would make me replay it 10x tehe) From my journey of starting to watch C dramas actively from 2017 until now, I'd never thought of finding a drama that I get so attached to until now. It's been a while since I've felt like this. Debating if this is #2 or #1 favorite dramas of all time..
Overall: 10/10 It was good, although didn't make me cry from previous dramas (probably because of after watching yanxi palace) Until the final episodes where rong hua got killed and nalan yue running towards her crying just made me so emotional to drop a tear. What really got me was rong su and yizhou. They deserve a happy ending.. (Can we talk about how pretty rong su is in that formal *lady like* costume?? The baby blue and flower pins and that hair downnn suits her so well *ched kiss* She looks so good :() I'm really satisfied with this drama but will take me a few days to get over with. I reay wished to see them with their future kids tbh was really wishing that, then I would've been completed.
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My name is Nalan Yue, you killed my father, prepare to lose your daughter!
Once upon a dark and scary time, jianghu was controlled by Rong Jingfeng, master of the sinister Dragon Roar city. His favorite daughter Rong Hua (Zhang Huiwen) is rescued by Nalan Yue (Ren Jialun) and they fall in love. They uncover the secrets of JIngfeng's dark power over the sects and a continuing blood fued between their families. Evil jianghu dictator, revenge plot, Romeo and Juliet romance... yups, those are pretty much the most overused wuxia tropes out there. And yet this drama takes a very different and often enjoyable approach to these common cliches which is what kept me watching. I won't lie however, the editing is terrible and while there are some really fun parts, the whole thing does not come together that well.The story itself is a simple one that isn't that difficult to follow despite the annoying, often discontinuous editing. The action scenes are exciting and generally well done and is one of the drama's highlights. While it is at times hit or miss, they make a decent attempt at dark comedy, which I love. Unfortunately, as much as I respect Ren Jialun's attempt at taking on more versatile roles, his portrayal of Nalan Yue is not memorable. He takes the character's transition from a lighthearted and chatty young man to a darker, more mature and more burdened character well enough but fails to convey who Nalan Yue is at the core. His comedic timing is just not good and trying to grin while he is talking at high speed is a fatal error that must be as uncomfortable as it looks. That said, I respect and support actors who take on different roles and try to test their limits so I am pleased he didn't try to pull another Lu Yi here. I was wary of Zhang Huiwen because I really dislike her performance in NIF2, one of my all-time favorite dramas. But while not perfect, I definitely saw improvement in her acting and she is surprisingly good at dark comedy, which requires much more subtlety than silly rom-com humor. Her best moments in this show is when she vindictively has a beloved tree chopped down and her hilarious initial interactions with Bai Su.
Where this drama falls down is the two main romances were not properly developed. Both lead couples fell in love so quickly I had to rewind to make sure I didn't miss their courtship. As such, there is no buy in as to how as a couple, they would overcome the dreaded Romeo and Juliet trope - one of the hardest tropes to convincingly pull off a happily ever after with. And Ren Jialun's wife (just kidding, don't start rumors) must run the censorship bureau because there is no lip locking and not much in terms of eyeballing each other either. They just jump right into a mature, trusting and intelligent relationship with limited misunderstandings and only mild noble idiocy at the end. But it is still great to see the romance avoid a bunch of cliches and it is particularly refreshing the way the Xueman triangle is so smartly resolved. I also love how both brothers fall for such different sisters and oddly enough, it is quite clear why Rong Su and Liu Yizhou "click" but less so Rong Hua and Nalan Yue. Despite a lot of screen time together, Rong Hua and Nalan Yue have zero sizzling, squeal worthy moments together. For me, Xuanye and Liuli's romance is the most convincing and endearing one.
There are many very cool and properly dimensioned characters in this show. Even dark characters like Mohuan and Jingfeng have shades of grey and likable sides, no one is just simply black or white. They are all capable of love and doing good but tragically chose to do evil instead. Outside of Meiying, who to me is the most despicable character, I am moved to pity for the vain, lonely and ultimately futile quest for power and dominance that drove our main villains. I also like how the drama explores revenge not as an eye for an eye and is willing to free the next generation from the past generations greivances. I think if this drama went went down the route of "My name is Nalan Yue, you killed my father, prepare to die!", I would certainly have dropped it early on. It is differentiated in new ideas and interesting approaches to cliche tropes and a decent attempt at dark humor. It is a shame it doesn't hang together as well as it should have but I still enjoyed it. To me this feels like a 7.5 or possibly an 8.0 for not boring me with stale ideas.
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When You Live, I Live
This is a long awaited drama of Ren Jialun after Under The Power. Ren Jialun’s characters have normally been cold, few words, serious and somber. In this drama, Ren Jialun plays a totally different character from what he normally does. Nalan Yue (Ren Jialun aka Allen Ren) is chatty, silly, and playful. It’s really fun to watch the other side of the actor and I have enjoyed this face of him.The story is about two young people from two very powerful but opposition sect families falling in love. Her family has annihilated his whole family and he wants revenge, but they’re so in love with each other and they’re in a dilemma. As the events unfold, we begin to see how much the two leads’ love for each other, making the title Love A Lifetime very appropriate.
At the beginning episodes, I was totally flummoxed. I wasn’t sure if I were watching a rom-com or a serious wuxia/xianxia story; I had expected a more somber drama. Things, including deaths, are taken lightly. There are a lot of comedic scenes. As the story progresses, plot holes surface everywhere with low level logic. The plot is in fact quite shallow and predictable, made worse by the poor editing which is disjointed and confusing. I’m utterly confused by the characters. Their actions do not match how the characters have been developed. When the situation calls for seriousness, the people act funny and silly; when it's supposed to be light-hearted, they talk as if they are in mourning. Most of the comic relieves are mis-timed. Their dialogues are shallow and simplistic, lacking common sense and not matching up to the situations. By the end of the drama, I still can’t bring myself to hate the supposedly most vile character – Mo Huan. In fact, she’s my most favorite character. To me, she’s a badass, despite how fearful everyone are feeling towards her and how despicable she is from their mouths. She’s supposed to be evil and atrocious, however her actions on screen contradict that. Even though she has her ulterior motive, she has rescued almost everyone. I would rather she kills or dismembers those who betray her to fit into her fearsome title, instead, we get her telling them to go and whack themselves 20 times.
Until the end of the drama, I still cannot say I love the 2 main leads. Their personalities are simply confusing. I do enjoy watching Nalan Yue – at least he’s everywhere rescuing everyone (everyone seems to have the ability to teleport). But I can’t say the same for Rong Hua (Zhang Hui Wen). Her acting is lacking. Her facial expression is plainly blank, and she’s stiff; she’s so unnatural that her body language is all wrong. Despite they’re lovers, I don’t feel any romance between them. There's no passion and the relationship feels platonic.
I do enjoy a lot of the sword fighting scenes by Ren Jia Lun and Lin Yuan. Their wirefu scenes are very good especially for Lin Yuan, descending from above like an ominous devil in red. I have also enjoyed some of the dark humors.
All in all, I have not relished this drama as much as I would like to have. Though I love the underlying message – power blinds – which applies appropriately even to today’s politics, the plot is all over the place. Poor screen play, poor script writing, poor logic, this drama has failed to capture my emotions, hence, a disappointment for me.
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Powerful drama.. Love versus Enmity
Great storyline and setting. Superb acting by characters especially the hero Nalan Yue. Life and love can be so strong amidst so many obstacles and challenges. However, in the end, love and strength conquers all and evil perished. Hero has a strong character, good looks, powerful martial artist... teamed with a heroine whose love for the hero never fails.. maybe stumbled just one time when she questioned the hero who killed her aunt..great drama.! This drama is full of suspense with lots of fighting, mystery, revenge, hate, deceit, evil.. amidst a love that is so pure between a young man and woman who never give up to fight for the truth. This drama teaches us that intergenerational revenge can bring so much tragedy and pain. Innocents need not pay for the mistake of their ancestors. A drama should have a hero who is strong in character and strong and powerful in martial arts.. like this drama... it is so good to watch. The hero is so good-looking and i love his deep voice. Must watch. Thank you for this wonderful drama!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
The sacrifice of the characters
This series is really a good example for a family because it contains the sacrifices of each person for their loved one...especially the main character Ren Jia Lun's as Nalan Yue's sacrifice for his beloved Rong Hua...He also face many trouble and danger for her...so this series have to watch by everyone....and this story also involve Rong Hua's sacrifice for Nalan Yue with leave her family and her place that she grow since child....Nalan Yue and Rong Hua also have fight against their enemies to find justice for their family mambers...Rong Hua also didn't care about her father because he become reason for Nalan Yue's family destroy...so she support Nalan Yue and get revenge for him..Was this review helpful to you?
Revenge, Revenge and Revenge .....
Firstly, I wrote this review, just to vent my frustrations. Anticipated Ren Jialun x Zhang Huiwen for a long time but what I gained at last were frustrations.Here are some of my opinions:
1.First of all, editing is just terrible. It was like they cut down a 70 eps drama to a 45 one.First two episodes showed very poor editing. Surprisingly though the story got back on track in the mid-eps, it went flat in the later episodes.
2.Writing is very inconsistent. I doubt if the scriptwriter is having mood swings while writing the script. The story is mainly about REVENGE but ML’s mindset doesn’t look like he wants to revenge at all.
They showed FL’s father Rong Jing Feng as an evil villain, but then in the later episodes, he isn’t that evil anymore.
Rong Su (FL’s sister) plotted against FL for dumb reasons in the early episodes but she is always ready to die for FL in the later episodes.
Is it that easy for character to change from being evil to kind-hearted/less evil?
3.Both Ren JiaLun and Zhang Huiwen has already proven that they can act well in their previous dramas but I can’t find any sentimental attachment between their characters. It is not that they can’t act, it is just that they lack chemistry.
4.Tropes are not properly done.We all know that certain tropes are required in a drama but if they are not properly done, the story became a mess.Yes, it was a mess.
My suggestion: If you are a die-hard fan of one of these leads, watch it. If not, it will be a complete waste of time.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a nice period drama with GREAT antagonists and well choreographed action scenes. The drama could’ve been shorter but, overall, as long as you don’t expect a great romance, the drama is entertaining. Although the drama is titled “Love a Lifetime”, the leading couple has no chemistry. Also, the leading lady looses trust in her beloved too easily and her facial expressions don’t show the intensity of her love for the male lead. The OST is nice and the side stories are entertaining also, but there are too emotional inconsistencies among the leading couple (mostly from female lead) to create an affectionate crescendo. Was this review helpful to you?
Not the best of Allen Ren
The story lost me after 3-4 episodes. It was good up till then and then I was wondering what is wrong with this drama. Poor script, fight scenes were better than Winner is Love. The last 8 episodes or so were a bit better with more intrigue but definitely not one for rewatching. Allen Ren was in Under The Power which also was a bit disappointing for me but is in my opinion, better than this drama.It's one of those dramas where the trailer proves more interesting than the drama itself. I didn't really felt that chemistry. I was waiting for that epic fight scene between Allen Ren and the greatest villian - it was reduced to less than a couple minutes and not overly exciting.
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Revenge, Love , defeat the enemy
To me I have lower the bar for wuxia genres, esp when they are 45 ep or longer. I just find them to be a drag. This one I made it without contemplating dropping. I think it started really cute. Kinda like romeo and juliet , where the female and male lead fall in love, but their families have hatred towards each other( esp the male's family)The basic story is the female lead's family leads one city, and then the male lead family is the lead in one city. Male lead fam wants revenge from the female fam ( rong family) because they killed ( na lan family's patriarch) . Then the story leads in a side line , introducing the ultimate evil woman. She is basically the master of the dad of rong's fam and of na lan fam's mom. She is super sinister and looks youthful but she is in fact really old. Everyone gets all caught up about the chi hua zhu which is suppose to be a healing flower? or healing ball thing? Basically if you are sick , it can heal you but theres a price to pay. You get poisoned by it if you dont take it all at once .
I would say the main plot was revenge and then trying to defeat the big boss aka evil old lady.
Romance- like some reviews said, i didnt really feel their romance. I felt in the beginning how they got together was kinda like really? lol that was quick.... to me the female lead's love couldnt pass the test, i mean when something bad happens she would really quietly blame the male lead... but she redeems herself at the end
A cute bit was how each side character got some kind of romantic development which was cute. but not so much for the second male lead :( I cried towards the end because the second male lead dies , he sacrificed his life for the female leads sister. It was totally unrequited love. I liked how the sisters relationship was finally mended at the end ( their relationship was strenuous throughout)
Overall its not a bad watch , but a lot of parts needed skipping lol.
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-villian indeed good at scheming and evil plot but villian have no progress in power up in physical power,so boring to watch mc finally getting strong and fight a weak villian
- acting was good , it just the story make it look so weird , so many part during story make it seem less logic , the writer only focus on main story going doesn't fix small part properly whick me some part look no logic and make me have a question mark on my head during watching show on many episodes (such as rong Jing Feng make nanlan yue as scapegoat that he kill 7 master in flower sea ,lol there no blood on nanlan yue sword lmao during that part on every plot look so mess and confusing
- CGI , effect , swordplay , sword design look great (I really focus on swordplay and sword design ? that the main reason I watch wuxia drama)
-costume look ok - ost of this drama so good
I don't recommend to rewatch it if you are wuxia fan who focus on plot and storyline, it not good
-why new wuxia drama can't compare to old wuxia that have Many version sure as handsome siblings , heavenly sword and dragon sabre their story and plot is so clean an hook up, mc and villian are developing well on power
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