Rhea
Malaysia
Watchable But Draggy!
Ashes Of Love has lots of fans worldwide and many think that it is a top rated drama. I concur that the plot is intriguing. A female who is incapable of love because of an elixir lodged in her heart being fought over by 2 powerful immortals who are half-siblings do make a compelling story. There is a lot of depth to the tale apart from the typical jealousy angle. It is also well-told unlike Love Of Thousand Years which wasted a good storyline.
Furthermore, the main characters grow as the drama progresses. This means they are not so one-dimensional to me but develop as they go through heartaches and bitter experiences. Run Yu is the most interesting one to me although you may have your own favorite Ashes Of Love character. The production team did a good job to make viewers understand and sympathize with Run Yu. It is not easy to make viewers love a villain but I think they managed to do it pretty well in this drama. You can kind of feel his pain.
Acting And Chemistry
I’m fine with the acting and chemistry of the main leads. They did a good job with the casting. Leo Luo shines in his Run Yu role. He personifies the ‘still water runs deep’ kind of character really well. He can appear gentle and kind but also quietly sinister with just his facial expression. I also like his portrayal of Rong Qi in Princess Silver. Leo Luo seems to be very adept at portraying this kind of tragic role. It would be interesting to see him in And The Winner Is Love next.
Allen Deng Lun and Yang Zi are also able to create the right chemistry as a couple. Their interactions with each other flow naturally on-screen especially during their trials in the Mortal Realm. At least, I can root for them despite their character flaws. I have no complaints about Yang Zi’s acting although her character can be kind of annoying in the beginning. Perhaps it is a little overdone by the actress but I’m prepared to fault the character that she is given rather than her acting ability. As for Allen Deng, I think he lacks the dark side aura on-screen to be a convincing demon. He certainly could have done a better job with it in my opinion.
I guess the character everyone hates the most must be Empress Tu Yao. Kathy Chow must have done a good job playing that role if everyone ends up hating her! She is a veteran actress and I guess there is nothing much that she can’t handle. She emits so much hatred and evilness just by her glare which she typically uses for this kind of role. Kathy Chow is also in Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre 2019 and the same expressive glare is present there as well.
What I Don’t Like About Ashes Of Love
Having mentioned what I like about this drama, I should also add what I dislike about it. I don’t like that it is 63 episodes in length. It is too long that the pacing is a little slow to my liking at times. They could have easily reduced it by 5 episodes, if not more, especially in the first half of the story. Jin Mi’s naivete seems to go on endlessly when they have already made a point from the very beginning that she has been fed the Yun Elixir. So, I can understand why some viewers find Jin Mi to be highly irritating. Perhaps the producers have overstretched the fact that she is ignorant.
The other drama that is slightly longer than Ashes Of Love is Legend Of Fuyao with 66 episodes. The difference is Legend Of Fuyao is more than just romance. There is also a lot of palace intrigues and power struggles in that drama. On the other hand, most of the happenings in Ashes Of Love revolve around Jin Mi. So, if you prefer more sub-plots for this kind of epic tales, Ashes Of Love could end up feeling very draggy. The story keeps getting bogged down by Jin Mi’s ignorance.
As for the romance which is what this drama is all about, it still lags behind Eternal Love Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms for me. The love story of the main couple in Eternal Love is more straightforward. In Ashes Of Love, you have 2 immortals fighting for Jin Mi and going to war over her which is kind of over the top. Add in the fact that Jin Mi was having an affair with Xu Feng while still betrothed to Run Yu also stains the romance in a way.
My Verdict
So, is Ashes Of Love worth watching after all? Well, I would still recommend it if you can put up with a very innocent female character for about 20 episodes or so. Some people like to watch decisive and intelligent heroines like the one in Legend Of Yun Xi. You don’t find it in Jin Mi who is more on the cute and innocent end of the scale. But the plot itself is interesting and unique which is why I still recommend a watch for this Ashes Of Love review.
Overall, I would give this drama a rating of 7.5/10. Be prepared for it to be draggy or even irritated by the female character. But it picks up gradually and Jin Mi also becomes more matured as the drama progresses. You just need to sit through it until you get there! Watch it for the story and Run Yu’s transformation but skip it if you really can’t stand naive heroines.
Furthermore, the main characters grow as the drama progresses. This means they are not so one-dimensional to me but develop as they go through heartaches and bitter experiences. Run Yu is the most interesting one to me although you may have your own favorite Ashes Of Love character. The production team did a good job to make viewers understand and sympathize with Run Yu. It is not easy to make viewers love a villain but I think they managed to do it pretty well in this drama. You can kind of feel his pain.
Acting And Chemistry
I’m fine with the acting and chemistry of the main leads. They did a good job with the casting. Leo Luo shines in his Run Yu role. He personifies the ‘still water runs deep’ kind of character really well. He can appear gentle and kind but also quietly sinister with just his facial expression. I also like his portrayal of Rong Qi in Princess Silver. Leo Luo seems to be very adept at portraying this kind of tragic role. It would be interesting to see him in And The Winner Is Love next.
Allen Deng Lun and Yang Zi are also able to create the right chemistry as a couple. Their interactions with each other flow naturally on-screen especially during their trials in the Mortal Realm. At least, I can root for them despite their character flaws. I have no complaints about Yang Zi’s acting although her character can be kind of annoying in the beginning. Perhaps it is a little overdone by the actress but I’m prepared to fault the character that she is given rather than her acting ability. As for Allen Deng, I think he lacks the dark side aura on-screen to be a convincing demon. He certainly could have done a better job with it in my opinion.
I guess the character everyone hates the most must be Empress Tu Yao. Kathy Chow must have done a good job playing that role if everyone ends up hating her! She is a veteran actress and I guess there is nothing much that she can’t handle. She emits so much hatred and evilness just by her glare which she typically uses for this kind of role. Kathy Chow is also in Heaven Sword And Dragon Sabre 2019 and the same expressive glare is present there as well.
What I Don’t Like About Ashes Of Love
Having mentioned what I like about this drama, I should also add what I dislike about it. I don’t like that it is 63 episodes in length. It is too long that the pacing is a little slow to my liking at times. They could have easily reduced it by 5 episodes, if not more, especially in the first half of the story. Jin Mi’s naivete seems to go on endlessly when they have already made a point from the very beginning that she has been fed the Yun Elixir. So, I can understand why some viewers find Jin Mi to be highly irritating. Perhaps the producers have overstretched the fact that she is ignorant.
The other drama that is slightly longer than Ashes Of Love is Legend Of Fuyao with 66 episodes. The difference is Legend Of Fuyao is more than just romance. There is also a lot of palace intrigues and power struggles in that drama. On the other hand, most of the happenings in Ashes Of Love revolve around Jin Mi. So, if you prefer more sub-plots for this kind of epic tales, Ashes Of Love could end up feeling very draggy. The story keeps getting bogged down by Jin Mi’s ignorance.
As for the romance which is what this drama is all about, it still lags behind Eternal Love Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms for me. The love story of the main couple in Eternal Love is more straightforward. In Ashes Of Love, you have 2 immortals fighting for Jin Mi and going to war over her which is kind of over the top. Add in the fact that Jin Mi was having an affair with Xu Feng while still betrothed to Run Yu also stains the romance in a way.
My Verdict
So, is Ashes Of Love worth watching after all? Well, I would still recommend it if you can put up with a very innocent female character for about 20 episodes or so. Some people like to watch decisive and intelligent heroines like the one in Legend Of Yun Xi. You don’t find it in Jin Mi who is more on the cute and innocent end of the scale. But the plot itself is interesting and unique which is why I still recommend a watch for this Ashes Of Love review.
Overall, I would give this drama a rating of 7.5/10. Be prepared for it to be draggy or even irritated by the female character. But it picks up gradually and Jin Mi also becomes more matured as the drama progresses. You just need to sit through it until you get there! Watch it for the story and Run Yu’s transformation but skip it if you really can’t stand naive heroines.
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