Reviews

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the drama version of Eternal Love (or Three Lives, Three Worlds as some may prefer to call it) because of the casting. Mark Chao's initial stills were super disappointing. Honestly, even now I still don't think that he is a good visual fit for the character Ye Hua. The cast for the movie [1] is a lot "prettier" in comparison. I won't say that I've changed my opinion totally, but it's not as bad as I thought. In fact, the reason why I decided to watch the drama is because Dilraba Dilmurat is in it!

I think everyone should know by now that the drama is adapted from the novel of the same title written by Tang Qi Gong Zi. The novel is plagued with plagiarism accusations, and apparently there is ample proof of it as well. I don't think it's fair to give the story a low grade because of the plagiarism claims; the production itself is innocent after all.

Anyway, I'm not a fan of fantasy-wuxia dramas. There hasn't been any fantasy drama which caught my eye since Chinese Paladin. The genre simply doesn't appeal to me. This is also the reason why despite being an avid reader I've never thought of reading the original novel. However, according to the book fans, it's a pretty loyal adaptation. I also like how there really isn't any overly cliched plots, though it certainly took time for the villains to get their comeuppance. I really really do wish that they gave a happier ending to Feng Jiu and Dong Hua but I get that they have their limitations [2]. I also wanted a "happily ever after" for Zi Lan and Yan Zhi, which unfortunately also didn't happen.

There are some actors in the drama whom I thought were hopeless in their craft. In particular, Vengo Gao. He was absolutely terrible in Les Interpretes but he improved a lot in 3L3W. Yang Mi too, seemed to have recovered her form from her earlier years. Her double act as Bai Qian and Xuan Nv was impressive. I'm not as awed as everyone is by Mark Chao's acting - he just doesn't look the part, but I guess he must be good judging by the positive responses. I liked Dilraba the most though. It helps that she's stunningly gorgeous and her character is super likable as well. Overall, the casting is incredible because of the visuals. It's hard to find a drama like 3L3W where every single female character is so freaking good-looking.

On the music, I don't skip the opening theme because I quite like it, but I can't say the same for the ending soundtrack. I don't think the music is anything to shout about, I'll say that it's just fine.

There are still some minuses though. First is the special effects. I don't think Chinese dramas right now have the technical expertise to make a xianxia drama look believable yet. So this is not a huge knock, just a disadvantage of the genre itself. Next is the styling. Mark Chao looks like Severus Snape when he lets down his hair. Yang Mi's high forehead (when she's disguised as a man) is also slightly distracting. Also, I'm not exactly sure how the deities "grow". Su Jin looked 6 at age 500, but Feng Jiu is still a toddler after thousands of years. I guess perhaps (nine-tail) foxes don't age as quickly, but it's sure confusing.

In all, it's a pretty solid production. I'm not sure if it's because I've just finished the god-awful G&I, but the comparison did help. It's amazing how a fantasy drama feels more natural than a pseudo-historical drama. The drama has a pretty good rating on Douban at 6.2 and that's despite a lot of people giving it only one star due to plagiarism. I don't love the drama, but I liked bits and pieces of it and I think it's at least entertaining. You'll probably skip some parts here and there but the length of the drama is actually tolerable. They do have a story to tell and the episodes are not merely fillers.

-- Footnotes --

[1] The movie version stars Liu Yifei as Bai Qian and Yang Yang as Ye Hua. Just looking at visuals alone, this is an awesome cast.

[2] Another production company has picked up the rights to the Feng Jiu and Dong Hua spinoff and thus they cannot replicate the story from that novel. Also why you most probably will not see Dilraba and Vengo Gao reprising their roles.

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Well, that was one long drama... First half was so good...(I mean I did cry in the first episode when the girl cried because she thought her own mom didn't believe in her.It was so tear-jerking -_- )
Anyways, I really liked the story. You know, law and order, the boy trying to keep a childhood promise, and the girl becoming lawyer...It is sweet and touching.
No need to mention that all three leads' acting-chemistry was really good. Yoon sang- hyun, I love you! ^^
and Lee Jong Suk, he just cries so good that when I see him crying my eyes become watery,too. -.-
THe only problem is in the second half of the drama, the story kind of loses its' spark and we have long,unnecessary episodes..I think the writers wanted to show us Soo-ha's growing up and I admit that it was necessary for the plot.
But, that murder case and love interests between these three took slightly different twists than I expected so, honestly I had to skip some parts.
I have to give it to them though, I did like the final.....^^
One last thing is....there is one specific OST which I listen to at certain times...It is so emotional that I would love/want to meet the composer so much...That music fits the story so well...*.* Maybe that's why I keep remembering this drama.

P.S. The poster is very beautiful and meaningful,right?

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Probably the first time a drama of this length has me thoroughly enthusiastic from beginning to end. More rare is the case of a drama adaptation not only breathing life to its book, but surpasses the original work in every aspect. The challenge is to stop oneself from the binge to see how this karmic game of fate, love, misunderstanding and tragedy takes three 'lifetimes' to resolve. Even if fantasy is not one's cup of tea, the love/romance here is one everyone can enjoy

*Story (10/10)
This drama has done a wondrous job keeping faithful to the original story while incorporating parts of its spinoff "The Pillow Book" about the secondary lead pairing.The Chinese title of this drama is "Three Lives Three Worlds: Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms" and like its name suggests, tells the story of Ye Hua and Bai Qian - gods who are separated yet bounded by fate to find each other in their lives again throughout the course of three arcs, for a memorable journey of emotional highs and lows balanced with good action and drama. Though there are 58 episodes, it is filled with plots to leave one consistently guessing what the next development is from beginning to end.
Just as one score settles, another rises.

Characters are fleshed out and although the main couple gets the bulk of the focus, secondary characters and their relationships are not cheated out of a good storyline either.

*Acting/Cast: (9/10)
Yang Mi's Bai Qian may be the protagonist, but Mark Chao is the highlight. To express so much with so little is what Mark does wonderfully, and his ability to portray two similar characters (Ye Hua & Mo Yuan) so differently with their set of own characteristics, mannerisms and reactions is impressive. As for Yang Mi overall she did well portraying the different personalities of her characters - from playful,mischievous Si Yin to naive and innocent Su Su and finally the aloof with an attitude Bai Qian - by far her best performance. Together these two produce the chemistry to keep audiences thrilled and satisfied. Overall the cast is well put together with several other memorable faces (Zhang Bin Bin, Dilraba etc) making the drama that much more enjoyable


*Last thoughts?
- All the sets, props, scenery and people are simply eye-catching, which keeps one visually interested all the way through.
- Aside from the visual fest and story, Mark Chao is another reason to rewatch


It's been a while since I enjoyed a romance-fantasy genre this much, this will be going straight into my archive of favorites. No doubt one of the best Chinese dramas have to offer

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Cinderella and The Four Knights is a prettily-shot but very cliched "flower boy" drama, in which our protagonist suddenly finds herself the main interest of three(-and-a-half) handsome, eligible men. We have our main lead male, who must of course be rugged, cold and complete with heart-breaking back story; our second lead male(s) who are utterly perfect for our protagonist, either by being "boyfriend goals" material or having a personality that compliments the lead female so well they may as well have been a main character; a second lead female who adds nothing but angst; and various relief characters thrown in to add cutesy side-plot fluffiness, including the loveable puppy-eyed best friend and family members whose sole purpose in the lead female's life is to cause unnecessary drama.

In fact, so many cliches are gone over in this drama that in the second half of the series, one of the main characters crosses a road and I still think it's a genuine miracle they didn't get hit by a car. Or truck. Or bus. (You know the cliche I'm talking about, right?) Like so many other romance k-dramas, the initial premise is always interesting and the first few episodes are laugh-out-loud. Yet by the time you reach the middle of the series you're left with a soup of the same old misunderstandings, plot twists and never-ending flashbacks that you have to sit through until the final few episodes, where everything is miraculously resolved and the designated bad guys get their just deserts.

It's really a shame, as I've only ever seen one other "flower boy" drama and so I was genuinely excited by the idea of this, and loved the parallels to Cinderella in the beginning. However those parallels are quickly lost, and instead of having anything to do with Cinderella it just feels like any other middle-of-the-road K-romance. It's also a shame on the actors too, who all play their parts incredibly well despite the boring storyline (with some standout performances from some of the supporting cast). The only actor I can fault in any way would be the second-lead female, who I don't feel added anything to the story and seemed very uncomfortable on screen. Her parts of the story dragged dreadfully. Everything else negative about this drama I would say comes from the scriptwriters, and not the actors themselves.

So in conclusion? If this will be the first "flower boy" style drama you'll ever watch, maybe give it a go as I think it's something every k-drama fan needs to see once. I'd also definitely recommend the first five or six episodes, as they're great fun and had me laughing out loud. That being said, this isn't a drama I'd recommend overall as I've personally seen much better, and I was very glad for it to be over once the final episode rolled around.

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It was seven years ago when I first watched this with my friends. I remember back then we all binge watch this after class in the rooftop until 11pm.
It never occurred to me that I'd re-watched this and feeling so 'Yamapi' because like him, I was also with my first love watching this. He told me to finish this drama 2 years ago 'cause I never got to finish this before. I know this may sound so crazy but I bawled every minute of this drama. I thought to myself, I should have lingered every moment before and made better choices so I don't have all these past mistakes that resulted my present situation. However, it all goes down to this: Be wary of your actions, 'cause it'll determine your future someday. I hsould have taken this to heart.

Because right now, who would have thought that we'd never end up with each other.
p.s: I thought yamapi was on running man. hahahaha

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This is a sweet and warm-hearted drama.

Jae In in this version is bad tempred, decisive and cute and a little shy but Jae In in something about 1% (new version) is manly, and he is not childish.

Da Da in the old version is traditional girl, she is a teacher and she acts like a teacher but the new Da Da version is a teacher and she acts like the normal girl. This is the reasons why I love the old version so much.

I love the actors in the old version more than new version. 1% of anything is kind of family drama, it is long but it is worth watching. I love the dialogues and all characters. And the audiences can learn how to love and care for each other through this drama.

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It left me with great Osts and a broken heart....
Hearts, hearts everywhere.. Watch it at your own risk ;)

These hearts, I mean, are quite confusing for the viewer, though.For one thing I can't say IU really could pair up with Lee Joon Gi in the first place in terms of acting as a couple.

I don't like blurry love triangles and this drama has one.I mostly watched it because the first two episodes really got me and I wanted to see Joon Gi playing a character slowly falling in love ^^

But like I said... there is a love triangle after all, and that wasn't really a nice one to watch.

Their poor decisions were really...off. I mean, especially the 8th prince and Hae So, really!! -_-

The best thing about the drama is the OSTs...especially Chen,Baekhyun,Xiumin's heartbreakingly good song (?? ?? - For you- ) totally captured the soul of the drama.
Anyways, get a hold of your feelings as you watch otherwise it maybe difficult to get over this drama and you may have a scarlet heart at least for a while..

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The challenge of the plot line for this majestic portrayal of ancient Chinese military history, Legend of Hua Mulan, must have been the greatest feat in its execution other than the definitively excellent acting of the cast: please, both these challenges were masterfully met with bravado. The simple beauty also of the period costumes, the architecture, yes, the romance of the warring states -- all of this beauty was intertwined so skillfully with the conceptual platform that love and peace can unite warring peoples. However, these are only some of the strengths of the unfolding of a most charming and all-absorbing romance. This is to be an intriguing, moving, even tumultuous romance between a young woman about to achieve mythical stature in war and the noble-hearted, visionary young prince of Rouran. Indeed, Mulan seemingly learns in leaps from her counterpart, the famed fighter, the second prince of Rouran, Duo Lun. In truth and in honor and in courage does she also take lessons in her life from the town elders and General Xie of her state, Northern Wei, in the face of possible and impending war. Although she is but a simple embroiderer who masters truly steep lessons in life from her elders, she is built to take on national stature from such travails. The genius of the character portrayal and developmental dynamism of Hua Mulan herself makes the overall story all too real and convincing. If ever there was a charming, courageous prince who rides into town on a brave steed to take his daring part, it is Duo Lun, played by a most brilliant actor. I must further attribute this stupendously excellent drama to the evolution of my own deeper interest in Chinese language and culture. This interest, cultivated as I was first watching Legend of Hua Mulan, actually resulted in my own efforts to simply learn Mandarin. I am now on the sixth watching of this, my favorite drama, and can now follow much more of the Mandarin than ever before. Still, I have a long way to go in learning Mandarin even yet and must certainly still rely heavily on English subtitles. One sharp point: the portrayal of the war itself and how a man and a woman held apart from their love ties due to mortal battle on opposite sides of the battle line is itself instructive. Please consider that such a polar positioning between two generals on opposing sides in dire war is conceptually nearly impossible in the first instance. This intrigues the audience to no end throughout the drama. This drama is replete with brilliant fighting scenes. These scenes involve colorful warriors whose personalities are critical to the real-life presence of ongoing war. Furthermore, the fights occur not only on the larger battlefield where fine strategy and tactics are portrayed so well, but also as individual martial artists express in fight, using such refined skills, in the forerunner to actual war. Such excellence in martial arts makes this portrayal of that very theme of Duo Lun and Mulan as possibly future husband and wife all the more romantic and pleasing to the deeper sensitivities of heart. I cannot but praise this drama series, Legend of Hua Mulan, for lessons of war and peace therein are its major and compelling messages: it simply teaches all of humanity. Moreover, these lessons are all the more vitally presented in the face of a feminine warrior miraculously self-appointed to the rigors of what is traditionally a man's venture: dire combat. Yet throughout ancient China, did not the great wuxia traditions always include the feminine among humankind? It seems to be definitely so. Perhaps the real Hua Mulan herself drew from that exact vast expanse of mind through the disciplines of martial arts regardless of gender. Perhaps this was so only because Mulan had grown up with martial arts training all around her. Martial arts must have come across generations down to her time. Thus did Mulan come to a higher service in the face of saving both her father according to her deep filial piety and her nation from its recurring, most terrible enemy across decades -- Rouran. Yet in this particular story line, our Hua Mulan started out with no real training before replacing her father in the army in a clandestine manner. Nevertheless, her mind for truth was her first sword, and she idolized the heroic prince for his display of fearless prowess in rescuing her repeatedly. Mulan miraculously drew an example from her prince, wanting desperately to rival him for her nation's survival and victory with no mind for selfish gain or love realization, always accepting possible death as her accompanying destiny instead of the glory of a life of marital love. Such heroism as portrayed by Hua Mulan is beyond any heroism that could be called simple heroism; indeed, Mulan's heroism is absolutely more of the legendary caliber of heroism. This series must be seen if you have not seen it. You cannot delay in watching it. I have been raving about it for so long now. I feel indebted to its very creation. Kudos. I am searching for the beautiful song that is its theme song, as well. Marilynn Stark 02/28/2017

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This drama is great and it’s a lot of fun. Probably the best gender bender I've seen and interesting that the drama chose to ignore some of the usual capitalised aspects of gender benders. e.g. like when people find out that the man is actually a woman....

I like that the characters weren’t unnecessarily mean to each other just to create some tension.
There were some truly beautiful moments of trust and friendship in this drama.

Zifeng – male lead
Everyone thinks he’s some kind of gangsta. He seems to like Yanuo straight away.

I really came to love Zifeng’s expressions especially when he was unimpressed or didn’t like something. He expresses a lot with his eyes.

That motorcycle bit was so hilarious when he thought Yanuo was asking him for something completely different.

Pi Yanuo – heroine

“I don’t think I have the courage to look into your eyes and tell you, we are no longer bros.”

Megan Lai is one hell of an actress. She is so generous with her emotions. Her excitement was always so cute.
I think Yanuo’s expressions and behaviour are very masculine. There’s a roughness to her that is pretty convincing.
I like whenever anyone confesses to her, she has this appalled look on her face.
She doesn’t have that over fussy personality that is often depicted in gender benders. She doesn’t overreact to things. But her responses are also very genuine.
I like her steady gaze and her brooding nature. It’s kind of fun.
She’s very cool. I loved her.
She doesn’t have any airs of a girly girl. And it was awesome. Even her facial expressions are so perfect when she sneers or when she’s angry.
I also love that she didn’t have bravado, she really did have confidence in herself.
Unlike other cross dressers in dramas, she’s really comfortable in her own skin. She’s not pretending to be anything.

Honestly, this actress has chemistry with everyone.

It’s great that she’s so tall.

Romance
For a while it gets a bit boring with Yanuo being all girly and ditzy, but then she jumps back in charge again and it was great.
I like that Yanuo and Zifeng communicate their jokes with a glance. I like how they teased their friends that way too. The drama really shows how well they know each other. And I find that very unusual the friendship they had.

Even though Zifeng sometimes takes his frustrations out on Yanuo, he is quick to amend his ways when he realises what he’s doing.

I like how the drama showed how openly Zifeng loved Yanuo and how Yanuo was always a little little bit closed off because of the secret she kept from him. Zifeng was so relaxed and affectionate but Yanuo always had this invisible line drawn in the sand that she had to keep from him.

Side Characters

The side characters are also quirky and interesting. The poor English made me crack up.
Xiao Jing is so cute and Zifeng’s mother is not overbearing at all. She has her opinions but she absolutely doesn’t strong arm her children. And I really loved what a beautiful character she is as the show goes on. She really has her own personality and story.

I appreciated Zifeng’s functional relationships with his family. They supported each other. They might get in each other’s way sometimes but they knew how to be united and they trusted each other.

The parental roles are surprisingly self-sacrificing. They at first looked like typical elders but the way they backed their children was very dignified.

Also, the themes of the bro-ship extend to the older generation as well and I like how they explored that.

In a way, it’s a bit hilarious how well the family get along.

Dr Chu
Just when I was getting into the swing of this drama. In comes Dr. Chu to liven things up. Sure it’s an age old trope of introducing a guy that knows the girl is a girl but come on, it’s hilarious. And the drama does it well. That hot springs moment...OMG.

Qing Ying

“The onlooker sees most of the game”

For some reason I really connected with Qing Ying’s character. He’s a bit too serious but that’s what makes him fun. Qing Ying is really cute and kind and sexy with his earrings and I know that’s what the drama is trying to shove down our throats, but I couldn’t help but fall for him anyway. He seems really real and he’s probably the first character that I had this impression that I could smell him. Isn’t that bizarre?
His role is a bit funny because he’s often observing but he generally has this look that says, “You guys are so weird/up to something”.
I also like his dress style.
He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t care about people until they are slightly in trouble or concerned and then he has the most gentlest and sweet attitude towards them.

And I really loved seeing Qing Yang’s role in the dramatic stand offs.
His secondary romance is surprisingly engaging.

Korean vs. Chinese Drama Notes
It’s funny how I also feel that in Chinese dramas it’s rude to call someone by their name with no -ssi or anything.

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I am so on the fence about this drama. It had such a strong start with a number of different moving storylines. Yet, I feel like all these story lines kinda trickled out. Even so the majority of the leads did an excellent job. Lee Jong Suk had probably one of the most compelling performances even compared to his roles in W and Pinocchio. His depiction of the lead makes his character very likable and touching in parts. Both Park Hae Jin and Kang So Ra had very notable performances too. I have to say the weakest part of this drama has to be Jin Se Yeon's character. I'm not sure if it's a flaw in the writing or just Jin's acting ability. I think from the beginning of the drama the audience is supposed to question Jin's intentions, but the drama is never able to aptly prove to the audience that they are seeing her genuine feelings ever. So Lee's dedication and love for a character most of the viewership can't trust becomes this drama's fatal flaw. I think this drama missed the mark in the later episodes. I do still think Lee Jong Suk and Park Hae Jin fans should still see this drama, just prepare yourself.

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