A Journey to Love (2023)

If you enjoy A Journey to Love, then check out Who Rules the World. Male and Female lead were the best martial artists in both dramas.

Liu Yu Ning who played Hao Du and Alen Feng who played Wei Shuyu is in here too. Their relationship, which means their brotherhood, is very good with a lot of fun moments. Alen Feng really suited his role in AJTL, he's the womanizer of the group??Moving on, both FL of these dramas wants revenge, the difference is that the FL in AJTL is much more balanced in her affairs and not just focused in her revenge.

If you are fan of spy × target troupe then this one's a good choice to bag!
- A lots of scheming, dark and intriguing plot.
- beautiful cinematography
- lots of turns and twists
- apparently enhances the skill of self certified detective in each viewer who watched this!
- great unfoldings and unveiling secrets.
- beautifully executed martial arts
Do you actually need any other reason to get this into your recommendation list. Umm maybe the fact that the complete execution of the drama was so good, that it earned lots of viewers without any promotions could get it some brownie points.
But I would surely suggest it a must watch, cause it surely can be categorised as one of the best dramas of 2023!

In both dramas, the FL is a warrior and extremely good in their combat/martial arts skills [PS: In A Journey to Love, technically, she is a spy but a badass one who is much stronger than any army general.] . Both the ML are a leader or heads of an army/hall (basically a man with responsibility).
The male lead in both are caring and there is a real romance in both dramas.

Common points:
- Strong Female lead and solid male lead.
- Both FL recognized the strength of the ML from early on.
- Both ML recognized the strength and singularity of the FL.
- Both have quite some amount of action and romance.


If you liked one, I think you will probably like the other one!

Like ATJL, ????? is a story about a journey--romance isn't even on the foreline of the story, it's about the four main characters, each with their own flaws, character faults, ostracized by society in a varying different amount of ways, coming together and learning, bonding through their journey that started out with the purest motive at heart -- stealing back the gold from a corrupt official to give it back to a dynasty so that the general populace could be saved (even if the king was useless and terrible).

With a great story arc that makes sense and has good, fleshed out characters, there's a good balance of humour, fun times, upsetting moments and splash of romance between the main female lead and male lead. From the start to the finish, although a bit dated and the filming techniques a little tacky due to the age of the show (it was filmed in 2010 and broadcast in 2011), The Vigilantes in Masks is a very very enjoyable film that has high rewatch value due to its palatable story arcs, great fighting and action scenes, plus incredible acting by all of the characters, from the main characters to the supporting characters. You might even notice some of the younger, more current generation of actors in this show (like Guan Xiaotong). This is a story brought to you well fleshed out and wonderfully acted by a great number of China's most well known golden era of actors and actresses (who have all pretty much reduced their dramas and workloads by now), and a highly recommended watch as a whole.

Liu yuning and Alen feng are there in both dramas. The cinematography,snow backdrop, fighting scenes, intriguing plot, background song/music all reminded me of the long ballad while I was watching AJTL.
If you liked the long ballad you will like AJTL and vice versa.

The drama is also talking about a revenge. She comes in and try to seek revenge on those who wronged her

These two carry a very similar vibe. If you like a male lead that is strong, loyal, decisive, and a bit of a kingmaker then you'll like both of these dramas. Romance in both is more of a side plot than the main focus while political conflicts and rebellions take the center stage. Both have female leads that stand on their own and do not need the men to save them. They both also have an obsessive second male lead.

Major differences are that Journey to love is about a secret mission to save an emperor with a cast of the best from their respective strengths. This motley crew operates in the shadows and are smart, resourceful and the brotherly affection is fun to watch. Destined primarily follows a spoiled rich man as he matures through marriage and the downfall of his family. He and his wife become pillars for their country in their shared loyalty and self sacrifice.

While dramatically different plots I do think that if you enjoyed one then you would probably enjoy the other.

both have fighter fl and ml! both encompassing a lot of battle scenes (based on the reuters of legend of the female general)

ML's in both dramas are former heads of assassin organisations that work for the crown. Both have ruthless rules of going against the organisation. ML's in both have superior martial art skills. Both couples have a mature relationship where they innately understand each other.

Both are high quality dramas with a decent mix between seriousness and comedy. Joy of life, i would say has better plot and is focused more on strategy / mind games whilst Journey to love has a better "slow" yet charming romance. Romance in Joy of life barely exist. Still both shows have the capacity to keep you hooked from start to end. The most important, both shows develop characters really well ( the ML and FL develpment in Journey to Love is very well done, even the " princess' " shows growth). What i like the most is that the "typical" annoying character you see in every historical show (typically a princess or some stupid MC) arent present in these shows. Both leads in journey to love are smart, and Fan Xian in JOL is charming indeed. Try one, if you saw the other :)

A very young He Lan Dou is playing a stellar role; someone to look out for! She was not even 20 yrs old at the time.

They both are focus on political drama centered around the strong female lead on a mission, with really strong chemistry and some dash of comedy. The overall vibe of both drama is the same although the plot and character are a bit different.

They both have similar power couple with their unique quirkiness which make them very loveable. Although, there are kinda a SML and even a 3rd one, unlike in A journey to love where there are multiple potential couples one could ship for. (none of mine set sail T_T or reach the destination).

I am surprised no one is mentioning this gem.

In both dramas, the main couple are super powerful and only have eyes for each other throughout the whole series. They also carry the heavy burden of the whole world/empire on their shoulders.

Both dramas have a female lead, that is very skilled in fighting and also capable of tactical thinking, scheming and planning ahead.
Both dramas have a good mix of action, romance and friendship, involving many interesting characters.
Beautiful cinematography, showing many different places along a journey, including a snowy scenery, can be found in both dramas.