brenda91
This review may contain spoilers
A Good Heartbreaking Story
If you were a fan of Ashes of Love and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms then grab a tissue box and settle in for a good, heartbreaking ride.
The styling of the drama was well done with each person looking great in their costumes. No one was too flashy or near comical looking. The CGI and and fight scenes were obviously a higher budget and very well done; it's a real treat to watch the fight scenes. I didn't love the color scheme for heaven since it's been done over and over but it's a minor thing compared to the rest of the sets.
The soundtrack is beautiful. Every track elicits a certain scene is my mind. Shuang Sheng's "Thousand Years of Love" brings me straight to episode 3 when Si Feng smiles because Xuan Ji tells him his smile reminds her of the intoxicating wine she drank. "Lover's Curse" brings me to episode 37 when Si Feng looks heartbreakingly at Xuan Ji after she accidentally attacks him and activates the 2nd part of his lover's curse. Then of course there's Zhou Shen's "Love Like Colored Glass" which makes me think of too many scenes to name them all. The soundtrack will be on my replay playlist for a good while.
The acting in this drama is fantastic. This has been said many times but Cheng Yi is amazing in this drama. I've never heard of him before but I'll for sure be keeping tabs on his future projects. I dare say his portrayal of Si Feng is near equivalent to Mark Chao's Ye Hua of Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Cheng Yi speaks volumes with just his eyes and facial expressions and dramatic roles are truly where he shines. Yuan Bing Yan was not far behind either. She reminds me of Zhao Liying; not so much for acting prowess but because she can play innocence and naïveté well yet she's fierce when her character needs to be strong. If you watch the BTS of this drama (especially the dramatic parts), it'll show the dubbing does not do her acting justice. I know Zhang Yu Xi gets a lot of flack for her acting but her portrayal of Ling Long and her struggle with overcoming her trauma was beautifully done. Her crying scenes made me cry along with her. Overall the casting was very strong and there isn't a weak link in the characters.
This drama is VERY angsty but also very fast-paced once the true problems are revealed. (When watching episodes 37-48, take a 10 minute break between each episode. Those 11 episodes are extremely heavy and may induce hyperventilation from anger, frustration, or heartbreak (in a good way)). You can see the reasoning behind every character's actions and even though Xuan Ji gets a lot of hate, she made her decisions based on the actions of those around her. A lot of crucial information is kept from her both from the main antagonist, Hao Chen and from her love interest, Si Feng. They did it for different reasons but the action was still the same nonetheless. It's nice that this drama has no love triangle/square between the two leads. Yes, you have Hao Chen and Xiao Ying Hua but Xuan Ji and Si Feng's feelings are solidified from the get-go. There's no thinking he/she loves another so the misunderstandings do not stem from that.
There is a twist to the story and I love that the author strayed from the cliche. The author cleverly makes Si Feng a red herring for a plot reveal that would otherwise have been a common trope. Xuan Ji's growth as a character is so excellently well done, especially once truths are revealed. Xuan Ji's background as Luo Hou Ji Du is so beautifully sad and I honestly rooted for him to exact his vengeance on the friend who betrayed him, cut him up, sealed away his heart, and made him kill off his own people.
This is definitely high on my drama list and ranks in my Top 3 xianxia dramas right behind Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and The Untamed. Once subtitles are available for all 59 episodes I'll probably buckle down and marathon this again.
The styling of the drama was well done with each person looking great in their costumes. No one was too flashy or near comical looking. The CGI and and fight scenes were obviously a higher budget and very well done; it's a real treat to watch the fight scenes. I didn't love the color scheme for heaven since it's been done over and over but it's a minor thing compared to the rest of the sets.
The soundtrack is beautiful. Every track elicits a certain scene is my mind. Shuang Sheng's "Thousand Years of Love" brings me straight to episode 3 when Si Feng smiles because Xuan Ji tells him his smile reminds her of the intoxicating wine she drank. "Lover's Curse" brings me to episode 37 when Si Feng looks heartbreakingly at Xuan Ji after she accidentally attacks him and activates the 2nd part of his lover's curse. Then of course there's Zhou Shen's "Love Like Colored Glass" which makes me think of too many scenes to name them all. The soundtrack will be on my replay playlist for a good while.
The acting in this drama is fantastic. This has been said many times but Cheng Yi is amazing in this drama. I've never heard of him before but I'll for sure be keeping tabs on his future projects. I dare say his portrayal of Si Feng is near equivalent to Mark Chao's Ye Hua of Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Cheng Yi speaks volumes with just his eyes and facial expressions and dramatic roles are truly where he shines. Yuan Bing Yan was not far behind either. She reminds me of Zhao Liying; not so much for acting prowess but because she can play innocence and naïveté well yet she's fierce when her character needs to be strong. If you watch the BTS of this drama (especially the dramatic parts), it'll show the dubbing does not do her acting justice. I know Zhang Yu Xi gets a lot of flack for her acting but her portrayal of Ling Long and her struggle with overcoming her trauma was beautifully done. Her crying scenes made me cry along with her. Overall the casting was very strong and there isn't a weak link in the characters.
This drama is VERY angsty but also very fast-paced once the true problems are revealed. (When watching episodes 37-48, take a 10 minute break between each episode. Those 11 episodes are extremely heavy and may induce hyperventilation from anger, frustration, or heartbreak (in a good way)). You can see the reasoning behind every character's actions and even though Xuan Ji gets a lot of hate, she made her decisions based on the actions of those around her. A lot of crucial information is kept from her both from the main antagonist, Hao Chen and from her love interest, Si Feng. They did it for different reasons but the action was still the same nonetheless. It's nice that this drama has no love triangle/square between the two leads. Yes, you have Hao Chen and Xiao Ying Hua but Xuan Ji and Si Feng's feelings are solidified from the get-go. There's no thinking he/she loves another so the misunderstandings do not stem from that.
There is a twist to the story and I love that the author strayed from the cliche. The author cleverly makes Si Feng a red herring for a plot reveal that would otherwise have been a common trope. Xuan Ji's growth as a character is so excellently well done, especially once truths are revealed. Xuan Ji's background as Luo Hou Ji Du is so beautifully sad and I honestly rooted for him to exact his vengeance on the friend who betrayed him, cut him up, sealed away his heart, and made him kill off his own people.
This is definitely high on my drama list and ranks in my Top 3 xianxia dramas right behind Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and The Untamed. Once subtitles are available for all 59 episodes I'll probably buckle down and marathon this again.
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