Ashes of Love (2018)

I must admit that I found myself skipping through a few scenes. However, as the story unfolded, I was completely drawn in and captivated by the overall production. The attention to detail in the costumes was simply stunning, and I found myself completely immersed in the romantic storyline.

The show had me hooked. The characters were well-developed and the plot was engaging, with just the right amount of twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat.

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Broke Me!

19/01/2023

Love Between Fairy and The Devil awakened me, Ashes of Love totally broke me and Love and Redemption brought me much needed relief and healing.

Taken from Netflix:. "Hidden away by her mother, the Floral Goddess, the naïve Jinmi is drawn to Xufeng, the Heavenly Emperor's son. Yet forces conspire against them."

So, the story more or less is about XuFeng and Jinmi and what others do to keep them apart to never be together no matter what it takes or what is at stake.

And this is all done in the Heaven, Demon and Mortal realms (that order) with so many episodes dedicated to each realm starting with the Heaven realm.

It took me awhile to get into this series and I had to re-watch the first 20 episodes to appreciate the lighter side of it before it got so so so heavy.

Once it hooked me in there was no point of return, however, so I enjoyed each and every moment of it, but especially the human realm and final arc.

The scenes I liked the most were the tomb, puppet show, the betrayal and killing of the "Phoenix", the death of the demon princess's true love, the demon realm wedding and the humour throughout the earlier episodes.

What I didn't really like was the person who betrayed the Phoenix the most so I still find it hard to forgive!

Also, before I forget, Jinmi's character mightn't be for all. I had no problems with her though.

However, moving forward, I don't think I'd opt for any drama series with females depicted as weak and helpless unless it is a baby or child

What else can I say?

Oh yes! I didn't know what my life was missing until I watched all three above, but especially Ashes of Love and Love and Redemption.

Also, since watching these and a handful of others, I have come to the realisation that I prefer dramas with less angst or drawn out build ups to relationships - so for me romance or love is not the main priority, but rather the story telling.

Give me a great story with lots of action, drama, adventure and fight scenes anyday with strong male and female characters!

If you are a person who has watched several dramas, unlike me, either you will be use to 60+ episodes and therefore forgiving of the imperfections and slow burns with some of them or maybe not willing whatsoever because you prefer substance in the first 5-10 episodes as anything beyond that is a waste of time.

Also, if it is a cliched story line it will not be tolerated either.

I reckon this drama series deserves to be given a chance because it does have a great story line and fantastic cast plus the main theme song throughout it takes it to a totally different level.

On hearing that song again when rewatching those first 20 episodes made me feel so sad with this feeling of foreboding. I actually had this knot inside my stomach because I knew what was to come...

I will say that a few series after this one I watched IMMORTAL SAMSARA which has the same female actor cast in the main role of that one only I stopped two episodes short of episode 38 as the story wasn't the greatest at all for me. Giving it a chance was wrong! The actor, Cheng Yi, was superb in it and well worth watching, however, the story for me was quite boring.

Ashes of Love comes highly recommended and is re-watchable, but may not be for everyone especially if some have 200+ dramas under their belts that are flawless and A+ dramas.

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The first half started out strong. I liked a lot of the characters (both main and supporting), then the FL Jin Mi started grating on my nerves. She blames all her actions on others despite apologizing for them and people keep making excuses for her. If she weren't the main FL, she would probably be the same as the villainous 2nd FL. It just depends on perspective. Surprisingly, I liked the good-turned-bad, illegitimate-prince-turned-heavenly-emperor the most. Run Yu is a very complex character and Luo Yun Xi delivers as the long-suffering, eldest brother who was always expected to do the right thing yet his step mother keeps assuming the worse of him. He's like Cinderella, if Cinderella were to exact revenge on those who hurt them. We can't all be perfect. I thought this drama would equal or even surpass TMOPB/EL but it suffered from being too ambitious on the back end of the story and it is no fault of the cast because most of them are amazing.

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My rating is probably totally biased. This was my very first Xianxia, I didn't know what to expect. There were no major flaws, so I didn't look for any either. If I had to complain about one thing, it would be those plastic flowers. I'd rather take bad CGI instead of plastic... But it's a ver y minor complaint, so it's neglectable (and it's probably a thing in C-dramas, so I can't avoid them in other ones anyways).

The story was well woven and well told. It was capable of chaining me to my seat and making me binge this in no time. There were minor and major key scenes all the time, that kept me guessing what could happen next and made me unable to stop. They also built up a captivating amount of tension before every event. To say that certain things were predictable might be right. But it's not meant to sound negatively. It's more like you fear what would happen and wait in anxiety.

The acting of almost everyone was soooo good, I enjoyed it alot (except for SML's mother... that was really bad). What I appreciate the most is that the leads never led me down. Not even once. Maybe they didn't always do things to my liking, but it was always reasonable and just the effect of past events. They stayed true to themselves (as far as that was possible considering the Yun Elixir). They touched me with their love, passion and made me feel their pain and suffering, as well.

The side cast did their job well in supporting the leads and the story. Especially the snake, the fox and the phoenix's guard were my favorites. And what I liked about the ending was that every character, good or bad, got one that fit in regard to past happenings. There's no mysterious incomprehensible happy ending for everyone.

What a ride... I'll definitely re-watch this some day!

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Sad and happy while watching this drama

At first I didn't want to watch it thinking it's not worth my time but I'll give up everything to forget it and watch it all over again. What I like about this drama is

Music:
It's OST is so good that I can't stop listening to it everyday

Story:
The story is nice but I cried a river all through the drama because Jin Mi went through so much and it isn't her fault

Cast:
I must say that I don't know the main leads because I don't watch a lot of Chinese dramas but their acting is majestic. They portrayed their characters effortlessly

There's only one thing that I dislike about this drama is that like other dramas the heavenly empress hates the female lead. Why can't I for once watch a drama where the heavenly empress is good not evil

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I really enjoyed this series. One of the best ever. It is totally compelling viewing from beginning to end. I laughed and cried with the characters, as the acting is just that good.

The fantasy world of the realms is vividly brought to life with breathtaking colour, light and forms. The costumes are stunning. The layers of beautiful fabrics in the costumes is particularly sublime. The cgi adds to the mythical, magical feel.

Every character is complex. As their stories unfold I could better understand why they act as they do, and even be sympathetic to their mistakes. It was good to watch their characters develop over time. Initially some were almost child-like, but experience matures them. The hardships endured are truly heartbreaking so it is quite emotional to watch those moments.

It is refreshing that the realms are presented without the usual perception of being either: good/bad; black/white; heavenly/demonic. Every realm has a mix of people who make either good or bad choices, and who could learn from their mistakes and choose to change their mindset or not.

The main love triangle is between Jin Mi, Xu Feng and Run Yu. The acting is phenomenal and deeply moving. The chemistry between the two main leads is sizzling. Deng Lun is the perfect Phoenix. I just loved all his scenes, and cried with and for him at those big moments. There are several other love stories with the wonderful side characters. The bonds between all these characters were delightful and many types of love, friendship and loyalty are explored. While love triangles are not unusual, there were many twists and turns that were total surprises, so top marks there.

The chasm in thinking between the more upright characters who never scheme when it comes to love, and those who rely on scheming is vast. Both the intended and unintended chain of events that these schemers set in action is often truly tragic for both themselves and for innocent others. I found myself crying out: “NO.o.o.o….” at times when my favourites had to suffer unimaginably cruel circumstances and misunderstandings due to the actions of the schemers.

“The flowers bloom and the leaves fall. Things change and stars shift. But it’s all preordained by Heaven. “
There is that place where fate ends and destiny begins.
Often all that can be done is to let nature take its course…..

I highly recommend Ashes of Love. It’s awesome!

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Plot: Honestly its probably the most entertaining wuxia drama I've watched this year. Technically I guess its almost as good as Ten Miles of Peach blossoms, some might say its even better. The story line was very well written, although I felt bad for RunYu (found him super cute ;) ). SO MANY EMOTIONS, cried so many times during the middle to last episodes (so like GET A TISSUE BOX WITH U). Tbh theres gonna be so many times where u wanna chuck your tissue box at the empress, cuz like HOLY JESUS does she get me angry.

Acting/ Cast: If you've watched any of Deng Lun's other dramas, then u know this ones gonna be good. There's so much chemistry between him and YangZi ( ITS AMAZING!). The actress who played the empress was also super good, cuz u know that when an actress plays an antagonist and GETS U MAD, you know she's good . RunYu (aka Leo Luo) did such an amazing job at portraying his character. His character was honestly willing to do anything for Jin Mi, like he would be willing to die for her. But felt bad for his character because even though he loved Jin Mi so much, she never recuperated the same feelings back for him :( .

Music: Holy cow don't even get me started, CUZ THE OSTS ARE AMAZINGGGG. Mao bu yi has such an amazing voice, his singing shows so much emotion in it. So even if you don't like the drama at least listen to some of Mao bu yi's other song. The second OST of the drama is pretty much a female version of the OST that Mao bu yi sang, but personally I like Mao bu yi's version better. Also if you like the song Bu chou or unsullied (English translation) and Leo Luo, he sings a short cover version that you can find on youtube.

Rewatch: Totally gonna rewatch this, cuz u know a dramas good when its got good OSTs and you don't skip though it :)

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Y’all want something funny and meaningful/unforgettable or if you’re a sucker for romance then this drama Ashes of Love is it.

Story: Love the comical factor from Jin Mi and how the plot is pretty much tight(well written). The only thing that kept me from giving the story a 10 is how the producers decided to give the demon princess a supporting character so much screen time. Like she was okay at first but later on every time she appeared I just ff and some say she plays an important role in matchmaking Jin Mi and Xu Feng like ummmm no we already got our lovely uncle Yue lao. Also I’m so glad the cgi in here was perfect cause lord after this I just couldn’t with some baby crack that some assume is a passable cgi to be used in dramas. Like so far with all the dramas I’ve watched this one is hands down the best cgi ever. Another thing I love is that we get to see how karma do it’s thing in here (:

Acting: the leads Yang Zi, Deng Lun, and luo yunxi did very well imo they surpassed all of my expectations. The best acting would be Yang Zi because we can see that she grew from a naive and innocent girl due to circumstances to a girl who is very determined and caring. Jin Mi May not be a badass as in already having the powers and everyone else to save her but she to me is a badass on how determined she is as one of the users @pinocchio said if I remember correctly is “determined to right her wrongs no matter what.”

Music: Hands down the most beautiful ost I have ever heard. Loved it it was literally stuck in my head.

Definitely would recommend this to anyone out there it’s the best drama ever. And I seriously have rewatched this atleast 5+ times already so my rewatch value will always be a 10. The suck thing about this drama is you just don’t see other drama ps the same due to all the expectations that this drama gave us. Ashes of love wil always and always be my #1 drama, I’m so glad I found this gem and the lovely Yang Zi❤️! Anyways this broke my scale literally blew me away but since the highest is a 10 so that’s all I can rate for this phenomenally amazing masterpiece. Most importantly go watch the bts their interactions are so funny!

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Really loved this drama. I was hesitant on watching this drama, mainly because some of the clips I saw did not really catch my interest. However, after reading some reviews and seeing the interest people were showing for this drama I decided to see what it was about. Honestly I agree with other reviews that you would want to re-watch this drama again. The story has a lot more than what you think and the characters kept it entertaining. Jin Mi (Yang Zi), Xu Feng (Allen Deng) and Run Yu (Leo Luo) were perfect, you fell in love with them, even when you got frustrated or hated them. Highly recommend you watch it.

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I've watched Eternal Love and Story of Ming Lan before this drama but I did not regret my decision. If I was to watch those drama after this drama, my expectation is going to be so high for the other 2 then. Just when I thought that Eternal Love was one of the best Chinese Historical drama that I've watched, Ashes of Love proved me wrong. This drama was so good, beyond amazing. I did not skip any moment. Everything about this drama is perfect. I've cried REALLY HARD, also laughed a lot throughout 63 episodes. It was an emotional roller coaster. If you are hesitating to watch, DON'T just start on it. I was skeptical at first but I'm so glad that I watched it.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
One of the greatest love triangle I've ever seen. I still feel bad for Fish Immortal, but I am glad that he realized what he did wrong and reflected. Leo Luo is such a great actor, I can feel his pain and emptiness :( Also when he was playing the Snake Immortal, he did such an excellent job, I was shook lol

Deng Lun (Xu Feng) and Yang Zi (Jin Mi) had one of the best chemistry on screen!!! You can really feel that they really love each other. Their love for each other is so deep, they made you laughed, giggled, cried, and smiled for them. Their time in the Moral Realm was one of my favorite, like it was so refreshing and depressing at the same time. But at least we really get to see how they starting to develop feeling for each other and I really appreciated the director for their love story in the moral realm. Well done! I was a little annoyed with Xu Feng's character at first but when he explained everything at the end, it made me cried even more.

Let's talk about my favorite second's love story of all time now, the Demon's Princess and Mu Ci. At first I was like ok...another basic love story for the support roles. BUT I WAS WRONG!!! I ship them so hard. I cried so much when he passed away but Princess was such a strong female character. She is a badass!!! I was glad that she was able to gave birth to her daughter hehehehe <3

Snake Immortal and Fox Fairy (Uncle) were my favorites! They are the heros in this drama. Enough said, you gotta watch them to see how they perfectly portrayed their roles. I LOVE THEM!!!

Overall, the rest of the supporting characters did such excellent jobs. The evil ones made me hate them, Heavenly Empress and Heavenly Emperor were match made in heaven lol they are both evil.

Now I can't move on from this drama. The music is perfect btw <3

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Where do I even begin?

I can't believe I actually completed this series. *sigh* From the 1st episode till the last one, I was enraptured in the romance of Fire and Water Immortal for they were my main focus. Goodbye for now HSALF *sobs*

Story: I'm not a veteran on cdramas since I'm still quite new but I must say that I have not encountered this plot before. And me being a lover of fantasy, action and romance, HSALF really sealed the deal. I did, however, skipped some moments that I couldn't be bothered as I anticipated the moment Yun elixir would break completely (as it was cracked halfway until someone actually repaired it. That good for nothing dragon. Hmph *crosses arms*) and bring XF and JM together. I was really hoping for it to break earlier but sadly, the show must go on. Though, when the time arrived and she regurgitated it, it was truly a sight to behold as she finally realized her love for XF.

Besides that, there were moments when the actors would wait for their co-actors to act out their dialogues and the silence present in that moment was really awkward and odd. It wasn't scenes where they were meant to sit still and keep quiet to create such an atmosphere as those scenes would've been quite obvious but instead, it was deafening. The silence made it seem as if the video was paused whilst the scene was actually still running.

Also, maybe it's a trope in cdramas to constantly, without fail, for the main female lead to be a damsel in distress. Why don't they produce female leads that are independent and self-sufficient? Just because you rely on yourself and not others doesn't mean you don't deserve to be loved. Sure, JM said she could depend on herself but throughout the drama, people have been saving her. If you can't face your foe, recuperate and effing learn how to defeat them. Think of a plan, don't just barge into their rooms and challenge them without a thought. Seriously. Like XF said, think 3 effing seconds and yet she's still the same despite her "growth" throughout the movie. One would learn the lesson when it has plagued you numerous times.


Acting/Cast:

Jin Mi: Despite her character's shortcomings, Yang Zi was able to produce such raw emotions while acting out crucial scenes. She was stunning, tbh. I really liked the way she portrayed JM although I would've liked to see her act as a villain. It's good exposure plus, it would be interesting to see how she'll portray the character. I just really couldn't stand the fact that JM would still regard RY with trust while she was suspicious of him. Girl, if you think he's fishy then stay the utter f**k from him! Why you gotta let him touch you and sh*t? Stop letting people use you. Gosh, I find myself wanting to either slap her naive ass out of the drama or just simply hug her to death and shake the living hell outta her to wake tf up.

Xu Feng: Prince Charming right here people! I clap for you. Nah, aside form the sarcasm, I really love his scenes in the last few episodes. He had me crying when he found out JM was actually in his tears and that she absorbed the cold away from his body. Albeit, it might be due to his character's personality but Deng Lun's face when playing Xu Feng was mostly a troubled expression or a smile which really got me frustrated. Though he really outdid himself in the last few eps, still would've liked some variety. You did a good job, mate. His loyalty to his mother was what I truly admired. He understood his mother's actions were dedicated to him be he still tried to reason with her. He didn't treat her harshly or condemned her.

Run Yu (a.k.a F**ker A): Now, I might be in the minority about this but I really hoped he would pay for all of his wrongdoings and not just him resuming the post of Heavenly Emperor while only the Beast of Dreams and Kuang Lu were the only subjects present. He made a lot of mistakes thus he should have gone through a heavier punishment. But really, what he did to JM was the same as the previous Heavenly Emperor which was to force your love onto others despite fully comprehending that they are clearly not into you. If only he would realize that Kuang Lu has been by his side through thick and thin. Geez, stop letting your selfishness cloud your vision.

Sui He (a.ka. F**ker B): She can die in a ditch for all I care. Thank you, next.

Tu Yao: She really was cruel. She really deserved what she got though despite all that, we got to see her before she was downright sinister. Instead, she too was a victim of love and that made me pity her. It softened my heart to understand her more.

Liu Ying & Mu ci: I loved their story and their romance. They represented loyalty, love, care,trust and devotion to each other despite the turbulence that occurred to them. They grit their teeth and held hands to successfully achieve their love.

Yan You & Moon Immortal: The two of them were the highlight throughout the whole drama. They cracked me up when times got too serious, too heavy. They did all they could to save their loved ones from mistakes and regrets. I can say I highly anticipated their appearances to lighten the mood.

Music: I loved it. I can't get it out of my head. It's stuck. Help...

Rewatch value: 100%

Overall: It was so much better then TMOPB and the best historical cdrma I've watched so far. I admired the pure and strong love Xu Feng and Jin Mi had with each other. Finally, they pulled through and had their hea.

P.s. Who in their right mind would tell people to stop fighting while in the middle of a war? Uh, hello? This is W.A.R we're talking about. If this had happened in real life, she would've been dead before she could even utter the first sentence, honestly. *face palm*

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Longer than it needed to be

Honestly, overall this is a good drama, but it definitely felt like it dragged on more than it needed. I did end up finding myself skipping some parts forward, specially because there were some characters I just couldn't stand. One of my favorite things about the drama is actually the OST. There were some characters that made the show more entertaining as well, but there are still a few points that drag the story down other than its length. One of them is the sick "love" relationship, both on Runyu's part and the main characters. Their obsession with each other was just tiring and at some point became straight up annoying. Another kinda bad thing is the awkward acting of some of the characters, but honestly you can look past that. Overall I would go back and watch some parts again for sure. Would only recommend it if you have a lot of free time to spare.

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