Fight for Love

A Slow Burn Romance

I watched this for Ding Yuxi so I haven’t had any huge expectations. I started this right after watching Melody of Golden Age because I’m a huge fan of him since Love Game in Eastern Fantasy. I was browsing MDL to see who’s the female lead. I noticed how she looked a bit older than him. When I checked their gap, I confirmed she was older. Anyway, the story starts with a woman in red dancing on a bridge. Her name is Chu Yu. A female general who fought at Fengling city along with her father who died in the war along 30k soldiers. The Wei troops come in after winning a war. The first one to come in was Wei Yun, the seventh son, and one of the generals of the Wei Army. She stops and professes her love for Wei Jun, the first son of the general. Wei Yun seemed to develop an interest in her from the very beginning when he saw her doing a sword dance up on the bridge. He’s always sneaking around whenever Wei Jun and Chu Yu meet. He’s very playful and carefree during this time. Chu Yu is not really in a relationship with Wei Jun. She only wanted his help to investigate the death of her father. She has the piece of mechanism of an octagonal crossbow that was used to kill her father and injured her brother, Linyang. The whole Wei army set off for another war with North Qi. Chu Yu shouted that she’ll wait for Wei Jun’s return. Wei Yun was looking at her when they were on their horses as they left the city gate. They draw sticks and Wei Yun got the rear guard. Of course. He was the one who was left behind while the father and his 6 older brothers go to Baidi valley. It was a stupid move, if you ask me. How did they underestimate their enemies? The battle was intense, and just like that, they all died. Ding Yuxi really delivered a great performance in this one. The emotions he has shown during the funeral procession was amazing. I was crying so much at that scene. Chu Yu came in a red dress saying she promised to marry Wei Jun, and she’ll become his widow of the first branch of the Wei family. She was doing this to get into the arsenal bureau to investigate. That was so wrong of her to do that. But she did help the Wei family by saving Wei Yun from prison. She endured a lot especially when they all knelt down outside in the freezing cold weather. As the episodes go by, I couldn’t really see them as a couple. He was always trying to get close to her, but she remains indifferent. I didn’t really see any chemistry between them. I did enjoy the friendships shared between all of them. The second male lead, Gu Chusheng, earned my respect for being a good official and he knew he was defeated by Wei Yun, so he didn’t do anything drastic to break them apart. He did try to pursue Chu Yu again, but failed. They all worked together to protect the Great Sui. I couldn’t stand the crown prince, but glad he had character development and had ascended successfully as the ruler of Great Sui. I hated his father, emperor Chunde. He tried so hard to separate Wei Yun and Chu Yu because his country needed a god of war, and in order for Wei Yun to be one, he shouldn’t have a weakness. No emotions. He’s so stupid. He even gave Chu Yu a title to trap her in the in the inner chambers, so she can never remarry. In the end, he makes Wei Yun guard the border for three years. He’s really something else. i admit, whenever Wei Yun makes his move to get closer to Chu Yu, it pisses me off when she dismisses him. Like OMG where is the fudging romance?? But then later on I realized, not every love story can be an instalove. Not everyone can fall for each other at the same time. In Wei Yun’s case, he fell in love with her first and was stuck in a one sided romance for quite a bit before romance developed. He decided to go for it. I was squealing with excitement when he told Gu Chusheng, “She could be my wife,” after Gu Chusheng reminded Wei Yun that she’s married to Wei Jun. He was like, “You said it yourself. It was just a cover, why can’t I marry her?” Damn. That was the start of him pursuing Chu Yu. His sister-in-law, Chun, reminded him that fatal knives are not just on the battlefield, but the words of people can kill her. Gossip went around town because their relationship was wrong to them. Anyway, we didn’t get to see a lot of romance, but it was an entertaining story. Episodes could have been shorter. Too much screen time for other couples. I didn’t really cared much about the others, especially her b-tchy sister, Jin. Glad she had character development as well. The most funny character goes to Lu Qiba. He’s the commander at Arsenal Bureau. He helped Wei Yun and Chu Yu so much. Everyone helped as well. The fighting scenes were so good, I love it. Wei Yun’s scenes were always a treat. I never dared skipped his scenes. He always looked like a little lost puppy whenever he was with Chu Yu. Song Shilan was another favorite of mine. He’s the son of a concubine who left his civil career for a military one. He’s comes from a military family, so it’s his deep
ambition to become a well known general. I love how the Song siblings all have a good relationship with each other. It’s really sad that the eldest Princess Chang Ming killed herself because she fell in love with the wrong person. What a tragic love story between her and Zhao Yue. This story tells us a lot of lessons about family, friendships, trust, passion, and love. We didn’t get to see the main couple get married or have any kids at the end which is okay. Not every story needs to end that way. Like I said, I watched this for Ding Yuxi, and that’s all it matters. I wasn’t disappointed with his performance here. There was one quote from Chu Yu that I loved:

“This is not a dead end. We will surely find a way out. If the road ahead is full of thorns, let’s cut through them. You and I are each other’s swords. Even if the sky falls, I will face it with you.”

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Coould have had it all

I admit I was looking forward to watching this series because of ML who I really like and enjoy his acting, and because the story line seemed really good. I was not disappointed in the ML's acting or the storyline, but very disappointed in the match-up of the ML with the FL. I don't like criticizing anyone, but I can't hold back on this one. This actress was absolutely wrong as a FL match-up with ML. He is a good actor anf I have watched him and enjoyed his performances in many series, and I have to say the scenes of him and FL together here were so lackluster that it made me feel bad for him. She brought nothing good to the table. Her negative impact manages to dim his light in my opinion. They truly made me cringe! I enjoyed watching the 2nd leads together much more. I understand the characters the FL and ML were playing, but still find FL was not right match for him and I don't think it's because of their (real or their charcters') age difference either.
As for the storyline, I found it to be good.
Due to my disappointment in the FL, I won't be rewatching this. It was difficult watching it once. (I do rewatch Melody of Golden Era often 😁)

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Stick with it

Great ensemble cast that was well developed. Wonderfully complex story arcs. I loved the ML actor and watch every role of his - but he did not come into his own until episode 30. In fact, the story did not become compelling until episode 30....the very long build-up, the laying out of all the details took far too long, and the romantic on-again/off-again nonsense consumed far too much time. But the last 10 episodes are explosive, clever, and very satisfying. Had the first 29 episodes been more tightly compacted, the pacing quicker, some of the extraneous lingering looks and seeming misunderstandings not so unwieldy and time consuming, I would've given this a higher rating. But it is a worthwhile watch for the last 10 episodes alone. Stick with it.

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some parts rlly good, some rlly terrible

Even though a lot of the exposition is the characters saying what's happening, there are some scenes that are really well written. Its strongest strength is the character relationships and the complexity of priorities--other than that, it's not that much different from other related shows I've watched. Just a lot of back and forth between good and bad plot. They also love to drag out the rom scenes with slow mos in diff angles, like I'm lowkey getting second-hand embarrassment, dude. I much prefer the side character pairs to the main ones. They use a lot of romance tropes, but there are some unique role reversals, just not enough that I would watch it again.

Story: so dramatic ngl. I don't rlly like the sister-in-law with the little bro romantic plot bc like, do either of them see each other as family before?? or like what? I know they're technically not blood related, but it's just as weird to me..And the fact that fl called ml a kid like I feel like that doesn't rlly change even after the fact, and honestly, idek if she was joking/her feelings for his older brother were actually real. Story does get better, though. It always keeps you on your toes and tests you on how well you know the characters + lots of character development. Sometimes the story can be really good with the lessons, but there are many moments where I think it would have been better off not being done. I prefer the side romances sooo much more tbh. My fav pair is the princess and Hanmei. This show can be quite funny, mostly between the siblings--I love the dynamic between them lol. Also, the third-wheeling of SWC and LQB with the main leads is the funniest I've seen yet. Ep 24 has the best story imo and a little bit of 25. And this is probably also because I don't support the leads being together in the first place, buut that they also need time to focus on themselves, and sometimes love isn't the highest priority when facing conflicting issues that relationships can get in the way of. The story falls apart near the end of the last arc, like they should've just wrapped up the conflict w/ North Qi and called it a day. The very last episodes are worth watching just for closure on the character relationships. You will love the crown prince at the end. I think he has the most character development tbh.

Acting/Cast: the audio doesn't seem to fit the acting--that is to say, not very natural. It does get better though. You know it's good acting when the characters can fool the audience.

Music: kinda samey--nothing really spoke out to me. However, some of the bg music is nice to listen to.

Rewatch value: story is too bipolar for me to rewatch all 40 eps.

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Really liked the story, but wished it was longer.

Those first few episodes started out real good. I was already invested into the Wei Family because of their lovely dynamic and knew it was gonna hurt my soul when they all died( which I really did I cried). As it went on, I don’t know why I feel like I expected more arcs in the overall story or I maybe more elements to it or something. A number of the characters did get to be fleshed out and feel like characters, while others didn’t when they probably should’ve. Example of a character that did get switched out was FL Sister, who started out as terribly annoying, but I actually grew to be a better character in the end. It just didn’t feel like it gave as much as it could’ve. I was actually disappointed when I was already reaching the last few episodes.

As for the two leads, not the strongest chemistry on screen, I admit. It doesn’t take me much to get invested, but I feel like the romance needed to be stronger. For my first time seeing Victoria and this wasn’t a bad role to be introduced to. I like to seeing a strong, but controlled FL who doesn’t lose her head easily, or cry as much( not saying crying is wrong. It’s just it would mean that something really important would have to happen to get them to act like that, which means that the character would have to feel so much for this situation or person that they would cry). Usually it’s the guys are like that so it’s a nice difference. I will shamelessly say that I am a Ding Yuxi fan and the main reason I wanted to watch this. He came as usual outstanding performance, with what he was given. He did feel younger in this case, but I guess it makes sense, because technically he was. I’m not usually invested into side couples in dramas for some reason because they never seem to hit with me, but I did like the one with Miss Song and Chu Yu ‘s brother. I actually wanted to see more of them and was a little more invested in them than the main leads.

I’m not always sure what constitutes as the best choreography for fight scenes, but I did enjoy the battles a lot. They weren’t dull, or boring or drawn out too long. Overall, I was invested the whole way through but like I said, I wish there was more.

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Beyond boring

This show is beyond boring. Female lead looks like shes 13 years older than male lead and has no chemistry with him at all. male lead is carying the whole show, side plots are boring so I'm fast forwarding 50%, of each episode. The FL starts off alright but gets boring after like 8 episodes always having the same shocked, confused look on her face in every scene, and never admitting her feelings, she acts like ML is her brother and its so wrong to be with him. It's not that deep. I literally frown evey time she comes on Screen now because she always acts the same in every scene and i can't stand it. I just want to see my man happy when she finally agrees to be with him but once that happens I'm dropping. Not to mention the brother of the FL has the same problem as her about loving someone but not admitting it and torturing himself not allowing himself to be with her...

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Slow Burn Worth Watch and Better Than the Ratings Suggest

I don’t usually write reviews, but I wanted to share my thoughts because the low ratings honestly don’t reflect the drama at all. The plot may be a little different from the usual, and a lot of people commented that the female lead wasn’t acting well or that her character felt shameless. But I actually appreciated that she never let anyone walk over her or force her into something she didn’t want.

I also loved how the male and female leads consistently supported each other. Unlike many dramas where one misunderstanding ruins everything, these two stay steady, communicate, and stand together. The supporting characters also did a wonderful job and added a lot of charm and balance to the story.

The synopsis does not do the show any justice. The drama has much more depth once you start watching it. It is a slow burn, but the title says it all: Fight for Love. If you enjoy relationship growth and characters who genuinely choose each other through every challenge, give it a try. Everyone has their own preferences, but personally, I think it deserves far better than the ratings it received.

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Confused and misplaced FL.

Totally dropped this. really don't like the FL. All she does is playing 3 men. I truly don't hope she will end up with the ML. From new female of the household all trust and follow her to fast. FL is just so annoying and she just gets on my nerve. She has no romantic relationship with the ML. She is way too old for him. I do fast forward when scenes with her comes.

The ML is as always good . His acting is so good. Love all his series. I always looking forward to seeing him.

The series really doesn't work for me. Instead I watch blood river , sword and Beloved 3 and whispers of fate.

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This is a wonderful, and undeservingly underrated series. It's definitely worth watching it

I absolutely loved this series. It's perfect in every way which I can say with outmost confidence having watched my large share of trainwrecks of costume C dramas. I loved everything about this series. beautiful and very, very talented cast, fantastic fight scenes, beautiful scenery and exquisite wardrobe and music. I loved the positive vibe of this show and the friendships of the characters. Ding Yu Xi besides being gorgeous, is a very, very talented actor and his facial acting/expressions are priceless. I also love Victoria Song and her character acting in this show. I think the chemistry between the ML and FL was just perfect and they really looked great together. I don't understand why some people would have a problem with the actors' age difference when in fact they were fantastically compatible in every way. Many thanks for the crew and cast for this wonderful series. Bravo!

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Love it❤️

I love this drama and would willingly watch it over and over again. I’ve written this review to address some comments.

The story follows an unconventional heroine and it’s not all about her. I love that this drama showcases the ML as a strong individual who willingly works together with the FL to achieve joint goals for the country. I like that the ML and FL are intelligent individuals and the story moved nicely along. It balanced a throughly believable plot of fighting for love of country and personal love. Hence the title.

Victoria Song was good as the FL and Ryan Deng was perfectly cast as the younger ML who had to fight for the FL’s love. Ryan Deng was not under-utilised. I would say Zhang Linghe in Pursuit of Jade was. There is so much fighting scenes and it tells the story of a ML who fell in love at first sight but was also suspicious of the FL’s motives. When the ML finally accepted his infatuation with the FL, he chased her intently. This is all amidst war, political and court affairs.

There is a lot of chemistry from the ML but unfortunately, due to the FL’s past experience and circumstances in which she brought upon herself, it was difficult to acknowledge the ML’s love but once she did, both of them were devoted to each other and nothing could stop their love. I like that. Their love was fraught with challenges which they overcame together.

The supporting cast were all intelligent, helpful and loyal as well. I like how they made good decisions and were not deliberately ‘stupid’ in actions and therefore they needed to overcome their circumstances just to create a storyline.

Overall, I have happily re-watched it three times. Good story line, good plot, good cast. It should receive higher reviews merits.

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Victoria Song's Wedding Proposal dance- the best scene in the drama.

Good acting from Joe Chen, but the age gap is quite obvious. If the older brother Wei played Han Mei, the age gap wouldn’t be as noticeable.

The pairing between Wei Jun and Chu Yu is perfect — I can see the brother being attracted to Chu Yu.

However, I really like Ding in this series. He’s so cute and adorable in Episodes 1 and 2. The sudden transformation from being playful and cheeky to a serious young man and the head of the Wei family shows how versatile he is as an actor.

The pairing between Victoria Song and Ding is also brilliant, as their age gap isn’t as obvious.

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