Eternal Love (2017)

Assolutamente romantico

Eternal love o Three lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom è stata l’ennesima sorpresa del genere xianxia.
Ne avevo sentito parlare in ogni dove ma non essendo interessata al genere ho sempre guardato oltre.
E ho fatto male, per le romanticone come me è una vera perla.
Il percorso e l’amore dei protagonisti tiene attaccati allo schermo senza mai annoiare, nonostante i ben 58 episodi.
Consiglio: se i primi 12 episodi vi fanno desistere dal continuare, non mollate, le cose si fanno più interessanti e chiare a partire dal 13esimo episodio.
Provare per credere!

Trama
All’inizio può risultare tutto un po’ confuso, non si capisce bene chi è chi e dove si voglia andare a parare, ma superati i primi dieci episodi si inizia la vera storia.
Una delle cose che più ho gradito è la separazione della vicenda in più blocchi: le varie vite che i protagonisti vivono con dinamiche e ambientazioni del tutto diverse.
Questo rende il tutto davvero più intricato e ricco di suspense perché fino alla fine non viene concesso il legame roseo e coccoloso dei protagonisti.
E in realtà il lieto fine non è nemmeno così scontato, risulta una speranza del pubblico dopo le innumerevole situazioni che si vengono a creare tra i due amanti.
Ammetto che molte di queste situazioni non siano proprio di estrema originalità, ma messe insieme nei tempi e spazi giusti rendino la vicenda ingarbugliata ma avvincente.
Senza dubbio poi qui si parla di amore con la A maiuscola, come ben promette il titolo.
Finalmente ho ritrovato l’intensità di un legame che rispecchia le sofferenze e la necessità dei protagonisti.
Oltretutto fino alla fine i colpi di scena non mancano, regalando quell’attesa di sapere che cosa accadrà anche negli ultimi capitoli conclusivi – cosa che non accade così spesso visto che di solito si parla di matrimoni, figli e compagnia bella.

Recitazione/cast
Avevo letto alcune recensioni in cui si contestava la poca avvenenza del protagonista, elemento che, per carità, non incide sulla sua bravura come attore, ma che volente o nolente può incidere sul coinvolgimento di storie d’amore.
Questo è uno di quei casi in cui giudicare un libro dalla sua copertina risulta controproducente.
Mark Chao, pur non avendo lineamenti che spaccano lo schermo (de gustibus…), ha quel carisma sulla scena che ti coinvolge anche nelle piccole cose.
Quindi, anche se di primo acchito non vi attira, vi ritroverete a rimanerne affascinata e a fare il tifo per lui fino alla fine.
Mano a mano che andavo avanti con la storia ho iniziato anche ad apprezzare quella iniziale freddezza del suo personaggio, perché la sua comunicazione non verbale faceva tutto il resto: i suoi sguardi, le sua azioni, i suoi sorrisi, per non parlare dei suoi scatti inaspettati di gelosia, esprimono meravigliosamente le sue emozioni senza tanti discorsi superflui.
Yang Mi, l’attrice protagonista, non è da meno. L’evoluzione del suo personaggio è incredibile e soprattutto non risulta inverosimile, passando da troppa ingenuità e spensieratezza a una maturità troppo marcata.
Le altre coppie sinceramente non le ho notate, troppo concentrata sulla loro vicenda.

Complicità protagonisti
Che dire, evidente.
Pur non essendoci chissà che scene, i loro incontri sono sempre sul pezzo, sanno davvero emozionare con poco.
La seconda coppia personalmente non mi ha coinvolto allo stesso modo.
Skinship: come ho già detto i due protagonisti veicolano una buona intensità, non mancano i momenti in cui entrambi manifestano la necessità che hanno l’uno dell’altro.
Di certo ha aiutato il fatto che (finalmente) gli attori non sono ragazzi appena usciti dall’adolescenza.

Emozioni
Come negare che questa storia, con tutti i suoi alti e bassi, possa emozionare.
Farfalle nello stomaco assicurate.

Musiche
Riconoscibili anche dopo molto tempo. Mi è capitato spesso di ritrovarle nelle playlist mentre ascoltavo altre colonne sonore di altre serie e riconoscerle all’istante, segno che risultano orecchiabili e coinvolgenti.

Love triangle
Presente all’inizio, ma il tutto si è perso strada facendo. Il senso della trama è appunto un amore viscerale, quindi un terzo in comodo avrebbe solo macchiato questo percorso.

Ending
Tutti i pezzi si incastrano sul finale, col sollievo di noi pubblico che volevamo ovviamente un lieto fine dopo 58 episodi di intrighi, separazioni, amnesie ecc.
Spoilero quindi per rassicurare, happy ending aka tutto è bene quel che finisce bene.

Leggi di Più

Unico nel suo genere

Eternal love, o meglio 三生三世十里桃花 - tre vite, tre mondi e un'infinita distesa di fiori di pesco (che in Cina simboleggiano appunto l'amore), è un drama fantastico!
Fantastico perché la storia è molto complessa e fa innumerevoli richiami al mondo di immortali della tradizione cinese, e fantastico perché è davvero bello!
Poco dopo aver visto il drama ho cominciato la lettura del romanzo di Tang Qi, e devo dire che mentre leggo mi immagino i vari attori, le loro voci, le loro battute. Ho più tempo per immergermi con la fantasia in quel mondo stupendo fatto di Verdi colline e Nove cieli. Ho la possibilità di conoscere meglio Zhe Yan, o Migu, o la stessa Bai Qian.
Ma non critico l'interpretazione di questo o quell'attore perché non mi aspetto mai totale fedeltà tra un romanzo e il suo drama.
L'unica curiosità è che il romanzo comincia da metà, ha uno sviluppo temporale della storia molto diverso dal drama e la cosa mi incuriosisce.
Il cast scelto secondo me è stato eccezionale! Yang Mi ha una bellezza così dolce e delicata nei panni di Bai Qian, ma ha anche un portamento ed una fierezza nello sguardo che la rendono a tutti gli effetti una Alta Dea. Mark Chao interpreta il protagonista maschile Ye Hua in maniera così amabile che riesce perfino a mettere in secondo piano il suo rivale Zhang Binbin (per me il sorriso più bello di Cina).
Io ho amato Delireba perchè è una ragazza fantastica e i panni di Feng Jiu le vestono a pennello, credo anche che la sua interpretazione così sbarazzina abbia saputo far risaltare maggiormente la figura di Dong Hua. Non che Gao Vengao non sia un grande attore, ma il suo personaggio all'inizio l'ho trovato piuttosto apatico, e penso che l'ingresso in scena di Feng Jiu lo abbia rilanciato.
Insieme a Feng Jiu non si può non amare la coppia più pazza del drama formata da Si Ming e il Terzo principe, adorabili entrambe.
Scriverei per ore di questo drama che rimane il mio preferito tra i drama Fantasy che ho finora visto, e sarà molto difficile eguagliarlo. Impossibile superarlo!

Leggi di Più

I made a vow to write a review immediately after the show ended and believe me when I say the emotions are still raw. Where do I even start? Eternal Love is such a compelling and beautiful piece I don't think I can find the exact words to describe it.

The story is brilliant in itself and I am honestly sure it did the book justice. I think if you're watching this without reading the book beforehand, you would love the show a lot more because you're watching without expectations plus either way, Eternal Love will blow you away (even if you're not a fantasy/xianxia/historical genre kind of person) Also, If you like The Journey of Flower, you will love this without a doubt.

Everything, every single thing is so stunning from the costumes, to the set and the cinematography. And the most beautiful part is, of course, their love story. The different clans coming together and all the magical elements and all are very interesting. I won't delve into the story too much because its pretty complicated but fear not, you will never be bored of it for a second.

The acting was spectacular. Yang Mi did a fantastic job as always. Although it was my first time watching Mark Chao, his character as either Mo Yuan or Ye Hua is so easily to fall in love with because he is that good at acting. Chemistry was flawless. A transparent love was beautifully portrayed; you could feel their love and pain and share their happiness. Kiss scenes are very good too. They're not exactly rough but tender and deep? I honestly did not expect so many kiss scenes because I was quite disappointed with the lack of intimacy in The Journey of Flower but you're blessed here :')

Every other character was very likeable having their own unique personalities. The other side characters and love stories are also super sweet especially Dong Hua's and Feng Jui's.

It seems like everything about the drama is perfect even its music is so apt. The entire OST is so enchanting played at right timings. The duet is so haunting which really gives Bai Qian & Ye Hua moments that goosebumps. So, so good.

The only problem I have (not with the drama) is that I hate misunderstandings that cause conflicts in a relationship which my heart cannot handle. Ye Hua and Bai Qian's relationship has many 'tragedies' that can really break your heart because they've been through so many tribulations caused by some side bitches but in the end, everything for this drama is worth it.

Rewatch it? Definitely. No qualms about it.

This is truly a masterpiece and I can safely say Eternal Love is my favourite C-Drama.

Leggi di Più

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

Leggi di Più

Generally speaking, I usually have the opposite effect for over-hyped things. The more hype a thing has, the more likely it is for me to not like it. I went into watching Eternal Love with low expectations and as I had predicted at the time, I didn't find it too extra ordinary in the beginning.

STORY:

Eternal Love is comprised of the following three stages:

Episode 1-15:
This is when Yang Mi plays Si Yin and we are mostly being introduced to the characters. Ye Hua and Su Su meet up. It sets the pace of the story. This part doesn't have any wow factors, rather it provides an undercurrent of mild amusement. At this point you're not completely invested in the story but you also cannot let it go.

Episode 16-30:
Now this part was just plain torturous. This constructs the build up towards the main plot. It showcases Su Su's and Ye Hua's love and all the hardships she had to face as a mortal. Even though their sweet moments were heart warming, over-all this is literally the deadest portion of the show. It's not exactly the shows fault, rather the sypnosis's. We already know that SuSu is going to go blind and kill herself and honestly, I just felt like only after that, the true story would kick in which is why I had to fast forward some scenes because the whole wait did get, frankly, very boring. I understood that it was necessary for the character development and it provided a strong basis for the story to continue but that didn't mean that I found the drag-on particularly enjoyable. But since my intuition said that the light at the end of the tunnel would be very bright, I persevered.

Episode 30-58:
And this is when the show sky rockets to its summit. I think Episode 30 was by far the best episode made. From here onwards there are so many emotions; one great scene followed by another and suddenly I went from being half-heartedly interested to full on obsessed.

Acting:
Damn, I think I have a little bit of a crush on Yang Mi. She's such an absolute star to be honest. She portrayed her different personalities excellently. From the youthful and mischievous Si Yin, to the kind-hearted and vulnerable SuSu and finally to the boss ass queen Bai Qian; she simply slayed. There is this utter grace with which she speaks and moves that you can't help but be entranced by her. She was the true embodiment of a Queen and a total badass. Her fighting scenes were so empowering and the way she wields that Jade Purity Fan; just dang. She's a woman of power to her core and when Ye Hua forcefully kisses her once, she doesn't just let it be -nuhhun- she bestows him with a five fingered bitch slap 'cause ain't nobody messing with the Queen of Qing Qiu.

Mark was also a very nice surprise. He expressed a multitude of emotions just with his eyes. He didn't have to speak or show rather even the slightest twitch of his face spoke volumes. To be honest, I really fell in love with Ye Hua's character in the later part of the show. He's so selfless and devoted in his affection for Bai Qian that you can't help but root for him. Mark's delivery of Mo Yuan's character was also very impressive. Mo Yuan is a personality that demands respect and he gave him the elegance and majestic aura that was required.

Their chemistry is sizzling hot and both of them compliment each other to the max. I love how their love story transcends all worlds and they're two people destined to be together. I mean towards the end I was so committed to seeing their happy ending that for the first time in my life, I deliberately went to seek out spoilers just so I could have a consolation that everything wouldn't be in vain. Even though the ending is pretty sappy and the consequent events just turn out to be interestingly very very convenient for everybody, I think I wouldn't have opted for less.

The most annoying part of this show probably has to do with everything that was related to the Ghost Realm. Xian nu is literally the world's dumbest villain to ever grace the screens. I mean sure if you gonna be a negative ass bitch, filled to the brim with inferiority complexes, the least you can do is actually have some brains to execute your deviltry, instead she remains pitiful throughout and besides being an annoyance, doesn't amount to much.
Never fear though, because her husband matches her toe to toe as far as stupidity is concerned. Li JIng has a constant "woe-is-me" expression plastered on. He always acts like he is the most tragic person alive and he's constantly throwing pity parties and pining after someone he wronged. Like really bitch, if you gon' whine about how pathetic your life is and how you're suffering so much you should've thought better when you decided to waste your life being a nuisance and cheating on someone you supposedly loved. Smh. I was very thankful when both of these roaches finally ended up dead 'cause they literally belonged with each other in hell.

One of the best things about Eternal Love are the side stories. I had so much love for Dijun and Feng Jiu. Dijun, with his constantly amused face (as if the whole world was a huge joke to him) and Feng Jiu, with her endearing personality and child like tendencies really won me over. This show has so much character development and attention to detail. With excellent emotional delivery and story writing, I think the hype surrounding it is more or less justified.

One thing that I found hilarious was how little Bai Qian truly cared for her son like, ain't nobody got time for that but A-li is legit a ball of adorableness and the few moments they share together are absolute bliss.

Rewatching a 58 episode show is no easy feat so I don't think that I'd be doing that but there are definitely some iconic moments that I have already watched a thousand times over and will continue to revisit.

Leggi di Più

Eternal Love has gained a lot of fans, love and 10 of 10’s, being one of few who liked the drama but not wholeheartedly loved it, I thought a review could be a good idea.

First of all, Eternal Love is a very good drama. It keeps you engaged and you’re almost never bored. You care for the characters and even if you don’t like some of the characters, others will most certainly capture your interest and heart.

The CGI is pretty awful, especially when it comes to creatures, but after a while you get used to it and you stop thinking about how fake everything looks. You start to enjoy the story for what it is instead.

The storytelling pace is close to perfect almost all the way throughout the drama, except for the ending that is extremely rushed. Major parts of the ending feels like quick fixes and you don’t get a chance to really grasp what’s happening emotionally. For me the ending was to 90% a disappointment.

I also think that the main characters Ye Hua and Su Su/Bai Qian can be rather dull at times and boring to watch. The actors were great and most of the time their story was entertaining enough, but not enough to make my heart beat for them or care.

I know that Ye Hua is a good person, I liked him to some extent, but some scenes when he tries to be intimate med with Bai Qian I think he’s bordering to rape or at least sexual abuse. She tries to leave, he holds her against her will, kisses her even though she tries to stop him and looks incredibly uncomfortable and so on. Some scenes when they’re in bed are the same, he’s very pushy and persuades her to be more intimate with him.

The evil antagonists in the drama are very square, predictable and lack real personalities. It’s okay though because their sole purpose is to make life hard for the “real characters”, but it would’ve been nice if they were at least a little bit interesting.

With all of that said, for me the drama was good. I watched it mostly because of some of the side characters and the story itself, and that was enough to keep me interested to the end. It’s definitely worth a watch!

Leggi di Più

I remember as a young girl watching Chinese historical dramas and thinking how ridiculous it all was, the over acting, the improbable flying martial arts, the bad wigs and costumes, I don't know specifically which they were but that was a general impression I got when my aunt would put it on the TV on weekends. So with that bias I tended to avoid Historical drama as a rule and Chinese Melodrama as I also remember thinking they never ever get a happy ending. Someone always dies. The only Asian output I consistently watched was Anime/Manga. And as an Asian living in the West I never got the appeal of pretty Asian boys/men (My taste ran more towards the cerebral Benedict Cumberbatch and the divine Tom Hardy), hence I surprised myself with this new obsession.

But that all changed when I came across this drama. I know this with certainty...this has the potential to be a successful crossover, Netflix get on that please! If there was ever a content you have to hammer out of China, this is it, right here.

This drama...Kdrama fans don't be intimidated by the 58 episode length, honestly by the time you watch the last episode you will think that its too short and will wonder how you're going to fill your time now?

Story: The synopsis on this does not do it justice and despite all the controversies regarding the original Author and the allegations and law suits with regards to plagiarism this does not detract from how creatively the script writer and director did an amazing job on translating this ethereal story into something amazing on screen. The world building alone was masterfully done.
This fantasy revolves around the story of Bai Qian, an Immortal Fox Goddess/Queen and her trials and tribulations in the framework of the Mortal and Immortal realm. The drama can be split in 3 arcs. First we see her as a young fox princess maturing and getting tangled up in a Holy war and her feelings for 2 different men on 2 different sides. Then her Mortal trial and getting tangled up and falling for Ye Hua and her suffering because of it. Lastly balancing it all out is her journey as a fully grown High God and falling in love with Ye Hua as an equal. So this is a story of her growth and those around her.
But this is also a story of enduring, sometimes obsessive, and faithful love from the whole cast of characters. It will fill you with hope and heartache and you definitely will not want it to end (and the fact that everyone is pretty much immortal does give one hope that there is more to this story).

Production values of this drama is quite high, although there are sometimes bad CGI you end up overlooking it as they are only set dressing for this amazing story. Costumes were amazing and well thought out and the way the it shot and edited was top notch, even the comedic bits felt organic and well timed.

Acting/Cast: Perfectly cast and acted. Massive kudos to everyone involved in this as every single character shone and shone brilliantly, even the most reviled characters. Acting was never ever an issue and whoever made the final call on casting must be praised. Yang Mi and Yu Alan (Fourth Bro) even look like Fox deities (its the long facial structure I think) Yang Mi was a marvel playing 3 different and distinct versions of the same person. She made Bai Qian a character that you can fall for. Unlike in some dramas I care not to name you can see why 3 different and distinctly marvelous men can fall for her. Her chemistry with Mark Zhao (Ye Hua) is sizzling. Off the charts. Enough that I wish they were dating IRL (but alas, both married to other people). There's enough kissing in this drama for one to be annoyed with other drama for their lack.
Speaking of Ye Hua, I'm sure i'm not the only one who fell for him too. I cannot praise Mark Zhao enough. The way he conveyed his emotions, the control he had with his body language and his passionate performance really sold Ye Hua as the ideal man. Ye Hua's growth was full of subtleties and you can't help but love him at the end. The cold Ye Hua, body language cold and controlled and imposing, the quietly suffering Ye Hua with his stoic facial expressions and expressive twitches, the caring Ye Hua with his subtle fond looks and mildly exasperated smiles and playful but strict attitude, the passionately in love Ye Hua who's eyes can melt steel and convey more with his face and eyes than a 1000 page poem could. Kudos to Mark as well for playing Mo Yuan so differently and so well I didn't recognise that he was the one playing both until I read the other reviews. I'm definitely looking forward to more of his work. I also have to mention the child actor playing A Li, definitely a stand out. He brought such flavour and playfulness to an otherwise fraught reunion and subsequently stole the show with every scene he was in.
The whole cast of characters was great, Dong Hua was definitely a favorite (with his perpetually condescending/amused/inquisitive facial expression and that amazing hair!) and even though Feng Jiu got annoying sometimes it was not due to Dilraba's acting but due to the circumstances and script. I definitely teared up at the end of their Mortal Love trial and am consoling myself by reading the Pillow Book. I also fell for the lovely pair Zhe Yan and his Zhen Zhen with their old married coupleness.

Music: Amazing OST, from the most wistful fantasy instrumentals to the Epic drums and the main romantic theme songs. I fell in love with it all and ended up humming the opening tune at work (if I knew mandarin I'd be singing it too).

Rewatch Value: YES, A THOUSAND TIME YES! I cannot recommend this enough and even though I just finished it a week ago I'm planning on rewatching this with my sister who is also a Drama fan though she's pretty exclusive on the KDrama. This raised the bar for all other dramas for me and even though I already am a fan of CDramas (I loved Boss & Me and Love O2O) this really cemented my love for them. I'm really looking forward to more from Mainland after this.

Overall: Perfect. Perfect story, perfect cast of characters and perfectly put together. Dare I say, it's flawless. What I liked was that not only was the Main Male lead swoon worthy, but that the Female lead was someone so awe inspiring as well. She was definitely not just a helpless Damsel in Distress constantly tumbling along needing to be rescued, she was strong and opinionated and for a Fox Queen pretty well rounded as a character. She was strong and smart and though naive sometimes, her empathy really shone through. Such a breath of fresh air from all the other female leads I've seen so far. Also I have to say there's something so appealing about a crying Ye Hua. As much as I like him smiling his fond sly smiles he was so heartbreakingly good when he cried. And he definitely made the fight scenes which usually look silly to me, look awe inspiring instead. Ye Hua is H.O.T. specially when he's staying put and asking Qian Qian to come to him and not doing the patented wrist grab that all Asian Drama think is the height of romance (although there is one pretty memorable scene but he was at the height of insecurity and not in his right mind).
Overall this is the highlight of my year so far (well...until the next season of Game of Thrones comes out anyway) and will always have a place in my heart. I have a feeling this is one I will watch over and over.

Leggi di Più

As a person who initially watched this drama because there was nothing else to watch on the korean side post-goblin, I went into it only knowing who Yangmi was (in the cast).
I have to say, poster/stills wise, the cast didn't look impressive (besides Yangmi that is) so I pretty much had no expectations. Boy was I pleasantly surprised by the end of it.

To be fair, the first few episodes was pretty bland. Definitely needed though, to set up the characters. I recall thinking, this God Moyuan is really easy on the eyes, with his facial hair and all. And that was pretty much it.
Things really picked up when Yehua came into the picture - from the snake/dragon troupe, to him for the first time in his life receiving unconditional affection from another, to him trying to woo the girl as repayment, to him falling in love etc. it was all so innocent and pure... which was all a set up for the incoming storm of angst, pain and tragedy that was coming for our two main leads. I'm not a person who backs away from angst ... I feel that the story is much more complex, worthwhile and a better investment when done right, and I feel this drama was the exact definition of that. Sure, it was painful, but at the same time, I was able to appreciate the acting scope of the actors, and in particular, Mark Chao (I could write a whole essay about how thoroughly impressed I was by him). One of the key moments in this drama, where he is forced to do something so terribly wrong to Susu, was probably the same moment when I realised that this guy isn't the stereotypical chinese male lead (sorry, but not many chinese actors cut it for me - they just do the pretty well ...). He is a true actor with huge emotional range. This was truly confirmed by the iconic bts of the same scene - where it showed him being so affected by the scene that he kept crying after "cut" was called out. From there on, it was the "Yehua show" for me. The guy has a knack for showing various emotions and I still don't know how he does it. Not to mention that as the drama goes on, he became even more and more good to look at. I seriously question myself every moment because I initially was like.. meh ... There was fire whenever he stared into Baiqian's eyes!
Mark also plays Moyuan (if you hadn't noticed haha) and he wonderfully made him so distinct that I never thought that they were the same person. Ever. Seeing some of the little moments from the bts clips makes me appreciate it even more as it seems Mark worked especially hard to maintain this - his thorough discussions with the director about the characterisation of his characters during key moments really impressed me.

Kudos to the rest of the cast as well. Yangmi did a wonderful job in my opinion. I loved her as the haughty Baiqian too. And little riceball A-li. His scenes with Yehua were the epitome of fluffiness.

The romance in this series was of another level. Watched a lot of c-dramas and was never this impressed. Ever. The chemistry was sizzling and the actors really became the characters they played. I cannot even fathom how much pressure is on the movie version of things because the actors here were spot on. A mountain would have to move 10 million miles for anyone to replace Mark as Yehua in my eyes. It's just impossible.

All in all, reincarnations, love across three lives, stellar performances; everything that I love in one drama. A definite re-watch (not that I haven't been watching) and still experiencing major withdrawals even after two weeks. Highly recommended!

Leggi di Più

So... I just finished this drama and I have a LOT to say.

Note: there will be some minor spoilers in here! And, many typos! Because I was very passionate about how I felt about this drama! I have a lot to say! Bear with me!

Before diving into this review, I want to make clear that I'm so happy so many people enjoy this drama! Chinese wuxia dramas go highly unappreciated and are rarely praised to the extent of this drama. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If you love this drama, that's great!

With that being said... I've pulled my hair out trying to figure out what all the fuss has been about for this drama.

First things first, the story of this drama feels incredibly odd. There really is no major "conflict" throughout the entire drama, instead many small ones that sporadically occur and get resolved quickly and get all muddled together. And any conflicts that DO occur happen not because they should. What I mean by this is how the plot fails to connect together, the resulting effect of one scenario loosely ties in to the next. For instance, the beginning involves Mo Yuan... and then he just isn't in the drama for 30 episodes. This causes the drama to feel laggy and have zero suspense, because the audience is just constantly expecting what's inevitably going to occur. Further, when something does happen, or a character triggers something to occur, their motivations should align; that's how a story can make sense. I was expecting a big twist or revelation or SOMETHING for everything to all of a sudden make sense, but that never happened.

Now let's talk about characters. As there's no clear conflict that drives the story, you'd expect the characters to be a major reason you'd want to keep watching... but NOPE.

Let's start with Si Yin/Su Su/Bai Qian. I didn't really have a problem with Si Yin other than the fact that she was pretty boring. Honestly, the entire first "world" the drama takes place in is pretty dull, so it's pretty hard for her to make me care. Then, we move on to Su Su. I probably like her the most out of the three, as she's the only one I really felt emotion for. I truly felt pity for her because of the treatment she got as a mortal. As for Bai Qian, she's probably the biggest disappointment of all. She's promised to be an older, wise, witty, strong goddess who kicks ass and drinks all the time. Unfortunately, we get an immature and feeble character who isn't strong to anyone unless she's bullying other women. Legitimately, she only turns "hard" and "strong" when it comes time to use her power against other women (not that some of them don't deserve it, but we'll talk about the "villains" in a bit). She acts rude to what feels like 3/4 of the female cast. If you don't believe me, look at the fact that she immediately becomes timid, soft, and loses all her characteristics when she's around Mo Yuan, Ye Hua, any of her disciple brothers, the king, her brothers, Li Jing, etc.

What's worse than Bai Qian's character, is the relationship between her and Ye Hua. This is probably my biggest problem with this drama, and I've bumped the rating low to a 6 because of this. I haven't seen any reviews really addressing this, so I'm scratching my head wondering if I watched the same drama. Ye Hua borderline sexually harasses her in nearly the ENTIRE third "world" portion of the drama (in the episodes from when Bai Qian reawakens to near the damn end). Ye Hua will jump on top of her, hug her, kiss her, and flirt while she's literally PUSHING him away, exhibiting uncomfortable body language, or telling him to STOP. Is this some kind of unfulfilled fantasy for some people? Is this just a young demographic? Am I in a simulation? Anyways... it's not until near the last ten episodes this changes, and Bai Qian begins to reciprocate affection. Even though her feelings changes that doesn't excuse Ye Hua's behavior prior, and the type of message this sends makes me disgusted. This easily could've been changed by toning own Ye Hua's actions to stop when Bai Qian says no, or just directing Bai Qian's character completely differently. This may seem like an exaggeration, but with such a large audience, dramas need to be aware of the kind of behavior characters act in, even if this medium is only fiction.

Ye Hua doesn't really have a personality, his sole purpose is really to be in love with Bai Qian/Su Su. He used to have somewhat a personality before he meets Su Su, but this pretty much dissolves. Instead of character progression, this character only reverses backwards.

As for Feng Jiu and Dong Hua, they're... fine? They didn't do much harm, but I don't think they added much to the drama either. It's just a stone-faced Dong Hua being chase by a whiny Feng Jiu.

Now we have the villains. I'll be damned if I ever find a drama where the villains aren't some petty jealous women who are jealous of the main lead because they're not as pretty or they don't have the main lead's man or god knows what other stupid reason. Nonetheless, these villains are dumb as hell, they have a stupid motivation, and they are not menacing at all. A villain should be providing a threat, a conflict, an obstacle that stops the hero. Instead, these villains just fill up screen time and provide a major eye roll.

Despite being nearly 60 episodes long, none of the side characters get very fleshed out. Instead, they remain very one-dimensional and forgettable. They're there for the purpose of providing "plot" to the main characters. Albeit, there are MANY, MANY, MANY side characters, so it's kind of hard to make all of them memorable anyways.

Now, on to acting. I've seen Yang Mi in countless dramas, and her acting isn't really anything spectacular or worth major praise, and here's no exception. I think her performance here is adequate, she pulls off the three different characters and cries when she needs to. Mark Chao was pretty decent as well. He can pull off a large variety of expressions convincingly and you can clearly see him acting two different characters. Honestly, I wasn't really blown away by Yang Mi and Mark Chao's chemistry. I don't think it's bad, but I feel pretty underwhelmed after hearing endless comments over how amazing their chemistry was.

However, one thing that bugged me throughout the drama is how awkward the dialogue was delivered. Particularly with the side characters, they literally feel like they are just flat out reading the script in front of you. This isn't really to the fault of the drama, as these character's voices are dubbed so there's no avoiding of this problem.

For cinematography, this drama looks pretty good some scenes but then looks like completely crap in others. The costumes can be overdramatic and look incredibly silly. The CGI is god awful, I'll just put it out there, but when has CGI in Chinese dramas really ever looked good?

But yes, this concludes my rant review of Eternal Love that probably nobody's reading!

Leggi di Più

Junk food with no calories: highly addictive and binge-worthy.

This is THE drama that revived my love for Chinese costume drama. I was hopelessly addicted and inconsolable after it ended. I hungered for the next Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and was crushed and then frustrated when I realized there is nothing else like it. I still have to restrain myself from binge re-watching my favorite parts. My conscience always struggles with inflicting this on someone else so be warned: TMOPB will connect with you and compel you to fall in love with it but it will also ruin everything else you for a long time.

At its heart, this drama very simply an intense, fantasy love fairy tale that spans three lives and three worlds. The plot is not complex, the CGI and some of the fight scenes are not the best and there are small holes and loose threads but nothing diminishes the utterly spell-blinding love story between Bai Qian (Yang Mi) and Ye Hua (Mark Chao).

In the first part of the story, Bai Qian is disguised as a boy Si Yin, the best loved disciple of Mo Yuan (also Mark Chao), the God of War. The young Bai Qian/Si Yin is a carefree, mischievous and indifferent student. A terrible betrayal by her first love that leads to a devastating war and the sacrifice of her beloved sifu Mo Yuan’s soul leaves Si Yin inconsolable with grief and remorse. If Bai Qian occasionally comes across as dislike-able, it is because Yang Mi did not successfully convey how deeply and utterly wounded Si Yin/Bai Qian was by these events. This transformed her into an aloof, cynical and outwardly cold goddess who closely guards her innately warm and loyal heart.

As for the Ye Hua character, part of his magic is there is no such thing as a Ye Hua - he is the brilliant, invincible and handsome Crown Prince of the powerful Celestial Tribe. He is also a great cook, a wonderful father and he loves only once and unconditionally. But underneath that too good to be true surface, he has his own glaring flaws. His first hopeless love is Susu, a lonely, kind heart-ed, docile mortal woman he meets on a chance encounter. It is an unequal relationship that was doomed to end in tears. As a result of his inexperience and hubris, he makes many miscalculations and ultimately betrays her in a way that tragically ends their relationship. He mourns her and waits for her return for hundreds of years and against all logic and odds. When he discovers Susu and Bai Qian are one and the same, he is elated and goes to extreme lengths to crack the ice around her heart and win her love and forgiveness. But Bai Qian is a much older and complicated woman who is initially dismissive of his puppy love. She is a high goddess and a queen and thus more than his equal. While he was thrilled by this spicier version of Susu, he finds to his frustration and fear that she has a past and her heart is not as easily won.

Mark Chao’s Ye Hua will forever be the defining Ye Hua. It doesn’t hurt that this dude has the best eye ogling motion and is capable of the most unbelievable micro facial expressions. He is not afraid to look ugly when he is terrified or devastated with grief. As Susu’s Ye Hua, he is the austere young prince who discovers love and happiness for the first time. As Bai Qian’s Ye Hua he is darker, more passionate, more aggressive and much wiser. Chao's Ye Hua literally gets better looking as the drama advances. Its an illusion that arises as he compels you with the many faces of Ye Hua; the serious and dutiful prince, the valiant warrior, the besotted bridegroom,the grieving widower, the protective father, the frustrated lover... He is equally persuasive as the stoic Mo Yuan who silently mourns the love he lost while he was recovering from saving the world.

Yang Mi and Mark Chao together are a heady, addictive combination. They are both so gorgeous that it is just a gigantic eye candy feast. This drama unabashedly spams you with steamy scenes of the two of them kissing and rolling around in bed. I suspect Mark Chao was cast as Ye Hua based solely on how shockingly good he looks lying down and his terrific acting skills were just an accidental happy bonus. Their chemistry gets noticeably more intense and you to fall in love with them falling in love. In lighter moments, the dialogue is both hilarious and touching. As a couple they subtly mock many cliche costume drama stereotypes – Ye Hua is the cook, he is Mr Mom, he cross dresses and he turns on the waterworks more easily. She is a much older woman who can drink him under the table, proposes to him and likes to lecture him. While the drama is sloppy elsewhere, Ye Hua and Bai Qian’s scenes are shot with meticulous, loving attention to detail. In each life, they hold each other the same but slightly different way when they sleep, she combs his hair the same but slightly less loving way, and when Bai Qian hugs Ye Hua the way Susu hugged him you just KNOW he has almost wormed his way back into her heart.

All of the emotionally moving scenes are accompanied by one of the four haunting love songs from the OST. The production team had a cheeky sense of humor when it came to Ye Hua’s costumes - they sneaked in a number of really sidesplitting outfits. In the memorable episode when he meets Bai Qian for the first time, he looks like Big Bird in a black feather outfit that highlights his beaky side profile in not the best way. By then, I was so smitten that the thinking part of my brain barely processes this. And then there is the cross dressing.… In most of the love scenes, Ye Hua borrowed my pajamas and copied my hairstyle. I can't explain how I am not bothered that he had the audacity to look so delicious in my nightgown. At the end he even pulls off this black with pink peach blossom flower print dress that I have aptly named Su Jin’s Revenge. None of it matters - he can speak the cheesiest lines, cry, cross dress and still come across as this crazily sexy, hot man beast. Love is blind indeed.

The strong cast of supporting characters brings this story to life - the uncle confidante, the brother and his "friend", the deranged evil concubine and the usual love rivals. There is also Dijun (Vengo Gao) and Feng Jiu's (Dilraba Dilmurat) love story which has charming and heartbreaking moments but the main couple is a tough act to follow.

I will leave to your own imagination the many hidden undertones to this show - from the somewhat taboo to the very naughty. There are many better, more well-rounded shows with more substantive and complex plots out there. This one still wins on the strength of its simple, brilliantly accomplished mission: it forces you to relive all of the joy, passion and pain of an intense love. Like junk food, it appeals to all of your most basic instincts and can result in binge-ing. Don’t ask why - just enjoy it. Over and over and over again if you must.

There are about 60 episodes of very funny bloopers on Youtube on the Croton Mega Hit channel but most of them are not translated.

Footnote: Forget the rubbish Netflix title Eternal Love, this drama is Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms.

Leggi di Più

This drama will forever be in my heart. The most memorable drama I've seen this year so far and one of the best Chinese Wuxia dramas I've seen. I took so many screencaps, I'm saving them. I'll probably post some later cos I'm going thru a major withdrawal right now. >.< I've never in my life watched a drama past 40+ episodes long that's almost an hour long each. It was a challenge I was willing to accept and I did it. I've never loved a drama so much in a long while to the point where I watched all the behind the scenes videos raw, and the rest of the drama raw cos I couldn't wait for the rest of the episodes subbed. I was hoping DF released all episodes in one go and made it premium so I could finish it but then that never happened. Lol~ Still, 2 episodes every weekday wasn't and isn't as bad as 1 or 2 episodes a week like other dramas. I absolutely love and enjoy Chinese, (wuxia/historical/fantasy) dramas like these. I tend to shy away from these cos they usually end up in tragedy and I don't like watching historical dramas that ends in tragedy. That's a two in one combo I CANNOT and refuse to handle.

The story was brilliant! The synopsis sold me when I saw the words: "Immortals, Gods, Goddesses, and Demons". I'm all for those types of fantasies with magical, mythical being who has powers. I'm a huge sucker for genres like this. Everything about this drama was stunning. From the setting/cinematography, to the actors and their costumes/clothing which was mesmerizing. But what was even more beautiful was the love story. My cruise that had set sail.

The acting was superb. Being a huge fan of Yang Mi was what got me to watch the drama in the first place. But then I saw that Dilmurat, Vengo and Vin, and that really got me more into the drama. Their characters were awesome. But that one cast member that surprised me the most was Mark. It's my first time seeing him in a drama and I must say, I was highly impressed with is acting. ? He's definitely on my list of favorite actors. ^^ To be honest, all the actors were amazing, even the supporting actors/actresses. Although I don't mind seeing Yang Mi in modern dramas, I definitely love her in these type of dramas. She definitely does shine in them. She portrayed her characters very well. I loved little A-Li~ How could I not mention little A-Li! A bundle of cuteness. All the actors just made it more memorable and awesome to watch.

The Music/OST is utterly beautiful and alluring to hear/listen to. Absolutely loved it. From when there was sweet moments(you'll hear sweet melody) to when there's an epic battle/fight scenes (you'll hear something powerful that goes along with what you're watching, putting you at the edge of your seat)

I will definitely rewatch this and I'm going to start downloading each episode some time soon. I didn't skip any episodes nor did it feel long and draggy, in fact, I wanted more episodes. Lol >w<

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS! WHOLEHEARTEDLY! NO HESITATIONS, JUST GO FOR IT. I PROMISE, YOU WILL LOVE AND ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF IT.

Leggi di Più

What I liked:

The acting was good enough to keep me watching.
The second leads were the sole reason I stuck with this drama till the end. (Even the reason I started watching.)
Dong Hua and Feng Jiu saved the second part of the drama so much, like ugh I lived for the cute interactions. It reach the point that whenever they were on screen, was the only moment I would enjoy the drama.
First and third lives were really good. I started to care about the leads in the third part of the drama, (Mind you I shipped Bai Qian with Mo Yuan before).
Even thought I always stayed away from fantasy cdramas, this one made me think that the action scenes were for the most part quite exciting. It would be sometime until I watch a fantasy cdrama without cringing, but still a great start for me.

What I didn't like:

OMG the second life was terrible. Like Jesus Christ, talk to each other. Things started to go south for me, when Ye Hua decided to keep lying to her after SuSu assured him that no matter what kind of a creature he was, she'll still love him. I could've taken this more easily if there was a genuine reason for the lies. But no, this was all about him wanting to shield her for everything, even of himself.
SuSu was always in the dark, Ye Hua would even abandon her for long periods of time and guess what? Never did he explain shit.
When she landed in the Celestial tribe, he never bothered to explain to her that she needed to be careful with this guy or that one. He was like "Yeah, don't talk to anyone, don't say a word". Like, dude, Who would believe that every person in that effing tribe has ill intentions? Su Jin was so "gentle" with her, of course SuSu wouldn't think otherwise.
When he took her eyes I was done with him, I had to restrain myself to not drop this. I felt glad, when she "killed" herself.
I get that SuSu lost her memory... but Did you all needed to make her that stupid? She went from mischievous kid to Mary Sue so fast, that I couldn't swallow it.
SuSu never went to talk to Ye Hua about the thing that she was mad about, or to clarify the misunderstandings. No couple can last like that. One hiding things and the other keeping quiet about her pain. It's this the couple of the century? Sadly, Bai Qian does this again when she gets her memory back. never letting Ye Hua said his part of the story, and shuttting down everything. Wich made me more mad, because now she knew how evil Su Jin was, all the plotting she did against her. So Why would she still prefer to care only about what she heard of Su Jin' side?

What could have been better:

The CGI, for starters. LOTS of CGI, I wished they would have used more natural locations instead of this huge amount of green screens.
Sometimes there would be issues with the background. Like that time when the hand of the God of Star suddenly disappeared, when Ye Hua was walking and the castle background suddenly changed. Oh, and how to forget that one time the King of the Sea Tribe (don't remeber clearly), passed through a column.
The would use the same 3 or 4 places to film over and over. They used the cave for the Fox clan, for the Kunlun Mountain, The dungeon of the 4 beast, etc. Same with the palace. All of these things really took me out of the drama.
Apart from Male and female leads, everyone used almost the same clothes in all the drama. All day, every day.

Leggi di Più