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A truly strong FL ,but stupid writers had to ruin the ending
They ended the one show that a actually had a strong FL this badly!!!. LTG and YY has so much potential,only for it to be wasted away ,and show us a watered down version at the end. All this progressive talk about wars and feminism and ruined over them dying for the same pointless war. Also killing of all the people just for shock value.Truly dissaponting ending and what's worse is this show could actually have been a top show because of its wonderful characters ,but no the stupid writers 😡.
I don't think I'll bother with watching the last episode and just delusionaly beleive they all ended happy.
Again stupid writers!!!
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Best set of cast!
Casts are perfect for their story portraits! Liu Yuning, Liu Shishi and the rest really did well in their acting and gave good impression to the story itself! Story is really good, a combination of action, thrill, romance, comedy and a lot more! Would love to see Liu Yuning making more tv series in the future! His mere face tells a lot of stories already! Good luck to the whole team!Would love to see Liu Yuning making more tv series in the future! His mere face tells a lot of stories already! Good luck to the whole team!
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This review may contain spoilers
Ancient custom drama making reference to the Cold War !
This drama is a feast for those who like world history for it took titbits especially from the pages of the Cold War. New interest must had arose in the scriptwriter when in 2017, secret JFK records (US President John F. Kennedy, 1960–1963, assassinated on November 22, 1963—drama specifically aired few days later as remembrance of his 60th death anniversary) were made public by the National Archive.This gave fresh information to make historical conjectures about the past that precisely corresponded to the facts to expound on and comprehend why particular events transpired as they did. A captivating and illuminating drama results from combining some Cold War events with some of its colorful and charismatic characters, a masterful script, and the superb acting of all the protagonists and supporting cast members.Spoiler Alert.
The ML, Ning Yuan Zhou, was a smart and visionary espionage chief who was demoted and sent to safeguard the Wu emperor in the war. He was the composite of 2 historical figures: JFK and the powerful Director of FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, whose 48-year tenure saw the assassinations of JFK and then his brother, Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), who ran for the presidency in 1968.
The FL,Ren Ru Yin, a cool and relentless vice section head of An female assassin espionage group who was frame for killing her benefactor, the An empress. She had to defect to Wu with state secrets, seeked asylum and assumed a fake identity as a Wu princess She was also a combination of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, a benchmark for style and class among wives of presidents, and RFK, who, as Attorney-General in his brother's cabinet was known for his ruthlessness and toughness in combating organized crime.
The opening of episode 1, "The Central Plains was thrown into a century of chaos when the last emperor of the previous dynasty was killed, split into many countries; among them 2 were the most powerful, Wu and An."(The Cold War, which lasted 45 years, began with the competition and antagonism between the US and Russia after World War II.)
The An emperor seized 3 cities from Wu and the war with Wu started. ( Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were invaded under Russian leader.Stalin and incorporated into the Soviet Union)
The Wu emperor listened to ill advisers to lead the war and got captured by An, leading Wu to a state of turmoil.( JFK did not listened to security advisers not to ride in an open-air motorcar in Dallas,Texas and got assassinated which shocked and stunned the nation into national mourning.)
The Wu emperor was captured by an An general with a modern revolutionary principle of fighting to end all wars. ( Che Guevara, with his romantically Latin good looks and long, wavy hair , was a legend for freedom fighters and a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla leader, 2nd in command after Fidel Castro of Cuba in the Cuban Revolution.)
The standoff between Wu and An occurred when Wu emperor was taken hostage by An who wanted ransom for his released.( The Cuban Missiles Crisis ,the standoff when US demanded that Russian removed Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba )
The FL, as White Sparrow, and her friend LingLong were to seduce Wu officials for state secrets in a banquet.LL was betrayed by her secret An lover and killed. (John Profumo, the U.K. secretary of state for war met a model at a party. Unknown to him , she has a secret KGB lover. When the affair was exposed, he resigned but the Conservative Party lost the general election the following year)
Prince Danyang sending his army to ambush and killed the Wu delegation, going to ransom back his brother the Wu emperor. Countrymen fighting against each other. ( The Bay of Pigs incident, when Cuban exiles funded by CIA, landed and attempted to overthrow PM Fidel Castro)
The stunning announcement of unlikely marriage between Li Tong Guan and Chuyue by the An emperor shocked them and everyone else. He was an illegitimate son of a princess, while she was a princess from a powerful tribe. (Jackie Kennedy shocked and stunned the world when she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, just months after the assassination of her brother-in-law, RFK. She was from the upper-class society of New York while he worked his way from telephone operator to tycoon.They lived separate lives, she lived months in America with her children, while he was in Greece with his children. She remarried for a variety of reasons, one of which was probably PTSD following another shooting death. She had sat beside her husband when he was shot,stood beside vice president Lyndon B Johnson, when he was sworn in to replace her husband and endured a two-hour trip back to Washington with her husband in a casket and her dress still smeared with his blood. The princess, depicted as a picture of forced composure with an interior full of agony and suffering, sat waiting for an audience with the emperor for hours on end in that scene, which was brilliantly enacted in epi. 22. )
The princess left the sheltered life of the palace as part of a delegation to An, where she witnessed the hardships and impoverishment her people had endured during the conflict.She was even occasionally thrown stones and rotten vegetables to help her comprehend the animosity and wrath, and she responded by promising to restore peace.(The involvement of US in the Vietnam War with actual landing of troops resulting in heavy casualties, contributed to a great deal of animosity and outrage that its leaders failed to anticipate. The scene where Qian Zhao held his mates' badges and forced the emperor to show respect for them was a poignant way for drama to honor the troops who lost their lives fighting in foreign soil. When Saigon fell in 1975, the Vietnam War came to an end. A few days before, there was a dramatic and massive airlift to rescue US citizens, South Vietnamese government officials,their families, and thousands of others by helicopters to the waiting US Seventh Fleet in the South China Sea.Depicted in the rescue of Wu emperor by aerial lift of cables from his island prison)
The drama dragged many episodes to rescue the emperor.From the tightly guarded pagoda prison with its many booby traps to an Alcatraz like island prison. (A parody of sharp contrast from the ridiculously easy fatal shooting of the lone assassin of JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald, to killing him at close range from another lone shooter, Jack Ruby, when he was being transferred from jail to court in police custody! Done in 2 days after the assassination and live on national TV! Real life is much weirder than friction! )
Betrayal was the drama's theme. The motive of the ML was to clear the bad reputation that his espionage organisation had betrayed the emperor in the war. While the Fl was to clear her name that she betrayed and killed her empress.The Wu and An emperors exploited and betrayed their people for their own greed and ego trips. The An Empress who experienced treachery from her father, son, and husband. The crown prince divulging his father's collaboration with the enemy country.There were innumerable such betrayals in the drama. ( In ancient times the punishment for betrayal was to pull out the roots.The writer put forth brilliant deductive speculation coupled with rumors of a connection to Marilyn Monroe, as both brothers did died of gunshots and JFK's only son died childless with his wife in a plane crash. The 2017 files also established that the Russians was not involved in JFK assassination, as they awkwardly put their defence on high security alert for attacks. The files also indicated that there was more than one shooter, as bullet holes demonstrated that the gunfire originated from multiple directions, confirming the conspiracy theorists' long-held belief. Writer theories were presented regarding the conspirators who ordered extermination with extreme caution in the ML statements of “gains and losses” and Zhong Sang ,Wu PM .This historical whodunit murder mystery can be solved upon all releases of secret files once FBI and CIA lift their blocks.).
BTW, the drama has OE like the JFK files. Is the writer venting on the viewers, or is it an act of betrayal?!!
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I loved the story, but too much death was unnecessary.
Ren Ru Yi is smart, cunning, straightforward but has trust issue, doesn't know teamwork or love, but gradually learns it. 1st time watching Liu Shi Shi. 1st of all, she is beautiful, & also an amazing actor. The way she carries herself, she has shown two sides of Ru Yi one tough, cruel, ruthless & another innocent & seductive.
Ning Yuan Zhou is a cunning, smart, good strategist, with no interest in political power. I love Liu Yu Ning songs, sometimes I watch dramas if I see he is singing in it. This my 3rd time watching him & he did good. As a singer 1st he did his best to portray Ning Yuan Zhou.
Princess Yang Ying is the cutest. She was a weak, scared kitten at 1st who didn't want to go to An. But what a remarkable character development she had. From being a cry baby to a clever, brave & independent women. The way she handles herself in the palace despite being scared & weak is amazing, & also the way she reveled her identity was powerful. He Lan Dou did a great job again. In Tiger & Crane she is a cunning & manipulative character & here she is playing a weak character. She is remarkable.
I loved Yu Shi San. He is a playboy, a ladies man, and loves to flirt. It's The Long Ballad reunion. There they were enemies of each other & here best friends forever.
Qian Zhao is a tough, serious, reserve & all-rounder. Yuan Lu is someone who is treated by everyone as a child.
I hated Li Tong Guang. He is an obsessive character. It would've been great if they had written him differently, like his devotion to his master is because of his master-discipline relationship, nothing else. He is leading a life the way his master taught him & achieving his truthful identity. They would've made a nice love story between Li Tong Guang & Chu Yue or Li Tong Guang & Princess Yang Ying. They would've shown what an outstanding man he turned out to be after his master's death.
Love Ren Ru Yi & Ning Yuan Zhou interaction. The way Ren Ru Yi keeps on seducing him & him running away from her. They look cute together.
Love Ning Yuan Zhou brotherhood with Yu Shi San, Qian Zhao & Yuan Lu.
The way Qian Zhao keeps on teasing Ning Yuan Zhou with a straight face.
Love the sound in the middle of the scenes. The blinking sounds are funny.
Love their comedy timing.
It was funny to see how everyone worked together to make Ru Yi jealous.
Maggie Huang as Jin Mei Niang, It took me a while to recognize that she is the one who played Su Jin in Eternal Love.
Love the scene where they all were throwing flowers at Ren Ru Yi & Ning Yuan Zhou whole they're kissing & Qian Zhao standing as usual 😂😂
I love how Yuan Lu changed the princess's mood & talked to her all night. In Tiger & Crane I thought the characters would be in love, but it became true here. Now I'm trying to recall if they had any scenes together in Tiger & Crane.
It was funny to see how Ning Yuan Zhou, Yu Shi San, Qian Zhao, Yuan Lu & Sun Lang were eavesdropping on Ren Ru Yi & Li Tong Guang.
I liked the fighting scenes, but nothing can beat the fighting scenes in My Journey to You. The way Ning Yuan Zhou, Yu Shi San, Qian Zhao, Yuan Lu & Sun Lang threw garbage back at An people. Loved the way Ning Yuan Zhou dodged the needles.
This is the 4th time I've seen the famous Till the End of the Moon stairs.
I think Chu Yue dreamed the last scene & the cinematography is also shown that way. There is no way Ning Yuan Zhou is alive after being stabbed 10 time at the same time.
Love the OST.
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this IS type baddas female than dilraba
this dráma very interesting i love with this dráma story very interesting malé lead i love his in the long balád samé in this .... im fan strong female mature lead no spoiled ! female definitly that dilraba in the long balád ! finally strong female lead and mi favorit genre badas female ,flirty female , female in love first , All malé in this dráma very interesting .. this dráma definitely my favorite dráma 2023 very good martial arts,,, female in Also in dráma lost love in times i love this dráma .. She IS very good actresWas this review helpful to you?
First 34 Episodes
This drama got me hooked right from the very first episode. I was thrilled to have a FL that was strong, smart, and knew what she wanted. There was never any damsel in distress and she and the ML truly made the perfect power couple.The production was amazing and the whole cast did a great job of making the audience laugh and cry. It had characters that you could really empathize with and root for. Loved the friendships between the characters, but especially the 4 friends with the ML. Also, the OST was stellar, seriously one of the best I've heard and it really elevated certain scenes.
Some minor gripes would be the dead fish kisses (which I kind of thought we were past), iffy acting on some side characters, and how at least 90% of the storyline was centred on one goal and felt like an overly long trip.
But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
However, I'm basing my review solely based on the first 34 episodes. I don't know if I plan on watching the remaining 6 episodes, but I feel like it would be unfair to lower my rating too much even if I did as I really did enjoy a majority of the show.
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One of the standout aspects of the series is the chemistry between the ML and FL (main lead and female lead). Their on-screen dynamic enhances the viewing experience, making the plot more immersive. It's evident that the actors have put considerable effort into developing a believable and relatable connection, adding a layer of emotional depth to the story.
A noteworthy element that sets this series apart is the absence of overacting. Each actor delivers their lines and expressions with precision, avoiding melodrama and allowing the audience to appreciate the subtleties of the performances. This commitment to realism is refreshing and contributes to the overall quality of the show.
The music accompanying the series deserves praise as well. The soothing melodies complement the narrative, creating a harmonious atmosphere that enhances emotional moments and adds to the overall viewing experience. The thoughtful selection of music underscores the series' emotional beats, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
The plot itself is intriguing, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats as the story unfolds. The narrative is well-paced, balancing moments of suspense, drama, and humor. Speaking of humor, some moments in the series provide genuine laughs, showcasing the versatility of the cast in delivering both serious and lighthearted scenes.
Personally, I was drawn to the series because of Liu's involvement. Having enjoyed his previous work, particularly his outstanding performance in the last ballad, I was eager to see him in a leading role. It's gratifying to see him take on the main lead in this series, further showcasing his acting prowess. Liu's ability to portray diverse characters effectively adds depth to the narrative, and his presence is a significant factor in the series' success.
In conclusion, this series is a must-watch for its well-executed plot, exceptional cast performances, delightful music, and the absence of overacting. The chemistry between the main leads adds a layer of authenticity, and the inclusion of moments of humor provides a well-rounded viewing experience. For fans of Liu and those seeking an engaging and enjoyable series, this one certainly fits the bill.
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Hmm…not as good as people claim
But I might change my mind. I started watching because of all the accolades this show has received including recent wins at the Weibo Awards 2024. Maybe my expectations were too high. The dancing of the white sparrows was mediocre. It was more about camera angles than actual dancing. I’ve seen better dancers in Chinese variety shows. It wouldn’t have mattered to me, but the director wanted the audience to be astounded by their dance. The music is all over the place. It ranges from hauntingly beautiful to soap opera bad sometimes within seconds of each other.The characters are okay. The bad guy is the most compelling actor so far. I keep reading how the FL is so amazing. Ah…the best thing about her is that she’s 36 and it’s nice to see that a major production is giving an older woman a lead role, however her martial arts skills are miserable. Her fight scenes contain more cut away camera shots. The only closeups are of her vogueing as examples of her great style. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it’s not. The cinematographapher loves the FL’s face and he gave her AMAZING lighting, but it’s also obvious that the lighting, and heavy pancake makeup, are being over used to make her look younger.
The story is…okay. It’s not awful. It’s not great. Same with the acting. My husband and I aren’t Chinese so the historical elements aren’t always easy for us to follow. We were hoping to get something as fascinating as Princess Weiyoung or The Story of Yanxi Palace. This is definitely no where near the quality of those, although the costumes are fantastic. The acting of the ML and FL isn’t bad, but isn’t interesting either. For ex., the acting of the FL comes off to us as one note. She’s great with an expressionless face during combat scenes. But, she has no other real expression either with her face or her eyes, mouth, etc. The expressions of emotion from her and the ML are completely confined to their voice. There’s 0 charm. At this point, I’ll watch a few more episodes, but I feel like one’s love of this show is cultural. I’ve read that many Chinese didn’t love Princess Weiyoung, but it is a major hit internationally. Similarly, I feel like this show will only be mildly successful internationally whereas it’s adored in China.
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The best squad forever!...
C'est ainsi.37ème épisode et je ne sais si je vais pouvoir le terminer.
Non, non, ce drama possède peu de défaut à mes yeux. Des qualités que je désespère de trouver en ces temps maussades (où est le printemps???).
Et pourtant me voilà, à hésiter à appuyer sur "next".
Si le courage me fait défaut, je reviendrais vous le dire.
Une première introduction. Juste pour vous partager mon immense coup de coeur de 2024. Pour être honnête, j'en ai eu des coups de foudre, des passions, des dramas qui ont su me marquer ces dernières années....Un drama qui aura su me faire pleurer, me faire aimer CHACUN des personnages, me faire croire jusqu'au bout à un happy ending!!!! Un drama qui aura su me blesser autant que me donner un bonheur inattendu? Je peux les compter sur les doigts d'une main.
J'ai terminé récemment un magnifique drama qui a su me faire rire à m'en faire mal au bide (Love endures) , un dama qui a su transcender des relations complexes faisant battre mon coeur à une vitesse indécente ( Lost you forever), un drama qui a su m'émerveiller à m'en décrocher la mâchoire (Story of Kunning palace) ou bien un drama d'une maturité folle dont la romance m'a scotchée jusqu'au bout comme "parallel world"....2024 aura été une année incroyable d'émotion...
Et pourtant, "a journey to love" aura été le seul à réunir (en 2024) autant d'émotions : le rire, la tendresse, l'émerveillement, le coeur qui bat sans retenue, et la souffrance. Alors, je sais que l'amour de ma vie ne va pas tarder à arriver (Joy of life saison 2 !!!!!!!!!), mais "A journey to love" est définitivement un drama que je classerai comme inoubliable, peu importe la fin...
Je reviendrai vous conter la suite dès que mon courage m'aura permis d'appuyer sur l'épisode 38....
Edit :
Episode 40....
Lorsque j'ai commencé ce drama, je le savais. Alors pourquoi grand Dieu, me suis-je lancée dans cette aventure qui ne se cachait pas d'être une tragédie? A vrai dire, je ne sais pas. Juste une envie.....
Ce drama porte bien son nom. Ce fut une sacré aventure et bien que mon coeur n'en soit pas sorti indemne, j'ai apprécié chaque moment de ce drama.
Afin d'éviter de spoiler, je ne parlerai pas de la fin, du moins je vais éviter de citer les noms.
L'intrigue :
c'est une intrigue qui mêle habilement les complots nauséabonds politique et la recherche de vérité de Ru Yi. C'est un vrai délice que de suivre les aventures de Ru Yi d'un côté et de l'autre le sauvetage d'un empereur. C'est donc un scénario qui a plus d'un tour dans son sac et qui sait nous tenir en haleine jusqu'au bout. L'évolution de l'intrigue est assez simple sans pour autant tomber dans la facilité. Je dirais que le scénario suit un schéma classique mais desservis par des personnages incroyablement attachants et c'est ce qui fait à mon sens la force réelle de ce drama.
Mais avant de parler des personnages, un mot sur la réalisation : époustouflante! la mise en scène est magnifique, et bien que parfois on remarque des lacunes surtout au niveau de la décoration qui manque cruellement de réalisme, les scènes d'actions sont superbement orchestrées et filmées! je crois que depuis "Ever night" et "Kenshin", nous n'avions pas autant apprécié la beauté d'une scène de combat! le ralenti est utilisé avec intelligence et donne un dynamisme incroyable aux combats, transcendant ainsi la gestuelle et insufflant un sentiment d'émerveillement à la spectatrice que je suis (et mon mari aussi ). C'était whoa, que cela soit les scènes de Ru Yi ou de Ning ou de Shi San ou de Jiu, bref, de tout le monde!
C'est filmé avec virtuose et sincèrement on en redemande. Les meilleures scènes?? il y'en a tellement, mais je dirais peut-être que la dernière scène de Shi San fut remarquable, cette scène magnifique m'a juste fait comprendre que Shi San était encore plus incroyable que "Kenshin" (fallait le faire tout de même)
Je garde le meilleur pour la fin : les personnages.
La force de ce drama ( et je ne le répéterais jamais assez, des personnages bien écrits et bien joués, c'est une quasi réussite pour moi) est dans l'écriture et le jeu des personnages.
J'ai tout simplement adoré tout le monde....mais sincèrement, il n'y a que "love like the galaxy" et "Joy of Life" qui détenaient à mon sens le " whoa" pour tout le casting.
Honneur aux femmes : Ru Yi est la protagoniste qu'on ne peut qu'aimer. Sensuelle, féminine et redoutable, elle manie avec virtuose aussi bien l'épée que les mots. Sa force de caractère et son amour inconditionnelle étaient remarquables.
Yang Ying n'était pas mon personnage préférée, et au fur et à mesure de son évolution étonnante, elle est devenue un personnage attachante et adorable. J'ai adoré son évolution constante, la force qu'elle se découvre et les actes qui l'amènent à devenir une adulte forte et responsable. Il y a aussi la princesse Chu Yue, Mei Niang, Xiao Yan...des femmes fortes qui ne tremblent pas et qui avancent la tête haute. J'ai été agréablement surprise de leurs rôles car ici pas de femmes larmoyantes, de femmes qui ne piétinement pas l'égo des hommes (malgré les sous-entendus à leur rôle de séductrice en tant qu'assassin), mais des femmes qui vivent de leur force et de leur faiblesse avec sincérité.
Mais si j'ai aimé la place des femmes dans ce drama, l'importance qui leur était accordé, je dois avouer (je reste une femme après tout), que mes chouchous restent Nin Yuan Zhou, Shi San, Yuan Lu, Qian Zhao et Sun Lang.....Alors j'ai prié tous les dieux sur cette terre de ne pas refaire l'épreuve de "Mr Sunshine", je n'ai pas été entendue :(
j'ai adoré ce squad, leur amitié, leur chamaillerie, la force de leur relation, la confiance absolue des uns envers les autres, de don de soi total sans aucune arrière pensée. Leur personnalité unique et propre à chacun a rendu encore plus attachante leur amitié et j'avoue avoir réellement détesté la scénariste pour cette fin horrible qu'elle nous a pondu.
C'est un drama qui va me marquer longtemps, qui m'a rendu heureuse et malheureuse en même temps.
en résumé :
- Une intrigue qui ne s'essouffle pas.
- Une réalisation dynamique et des scènes d'actions impressionnantes
- Une romance principale adorable et mature, des romances secondaires qui m'ont brisé le coeur....
- Une héroïne remarquable, intelligente, magnifique et qui allie force et sensibilité.
- 5 protagonistes masculins qui m'ont fait shipper à fond, définissant pour toujours l'héroïsme vrai.
- Je tire mon chapeau aux jeux des acteurs! Si cela n'était pas déjà fait, je suis définitivement une fan inconditionnelle de Liu Shi Shi (je l'étais déjà avec "scarlet heart"), de Liu Yu Ning et de Alan Fang.
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This review may contain spoilers
Hace tiempo no veía una protagonista femenina tan poderosa.
Nuestra protagonista femenina es lo que andaba buscando en los dramas chinos, ella es absolutamente poderosa en todos los sentidos, tanto mental, fisica y emocional me cautivó totalmente ella, además de su belleza y su elegancia.El actor masculino fue lo que hizo que viera este drama, a este chico lo había visto primero en "The Legend of Ancle" y ya me había sorprendido su belleza, luego lo ví en The "Long Ballad" y quedé TOTALMENTE ENAMORADA DE ÉL, siento que este actor tiene algo en las miradas que da a las actrices que me parece tan genuino, me encantó la idea de que tuviera el papel principal con esta actriz que se volvió en una de mis favoritas.
Pero mi corazón al final quedó con Alen Fang, lloré lloré lloré con él, me encantó su personaje juguetón y conquistador, elegante y coqueto, leal y con un corazón enorme. Me encantaría verlo en un gran drama chino como actor principal con un personaje parecido a éste, quiero verlo en más dramas, es demasiado talentoso (y un deleite para la vista).
La hermandad y lealtad que hay en este drama te va a hacer reir con tanta fuerza como también te hará llorar y largar largos suspiros, la historia está bien construída, todo tenía sentido y los personajes muy bien desarrollados, recomiendo verla pero... Tengo que informar que no me ví el capítulo 40, vi hasta el 39 porque mi corazón ya no podía. No quisiera dar un spoiler que los haga declinar con este drama, pero hay finales que simplemente no puedo verlas, no porque el final esté mal o no tenga sentido, simplemente ya no quiero traumas. jajajaja
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