A Journey to Love (2023)

Now THIS is a badass Female Lead!

I’ve been waiting for a FL like this for so long but time and time again we get immature, cringy and FLs that are prone to making wacky decisions.

I’m at episode 14 and let me tell you - She is perfect. She is fierce, decisive, skilled, stunning and elegant. Everything she did just made sense. If she keeps this up she’ll be my favorite character of all time.

The leads have amazing chemistry and the team + Princess are SO lovable!! I can’t wait for more episodes.

**UPDATE.
Even with the wonky pacing after episode 34, it is still my favorite Wuxia and Ruyi is STILL is my favorite character of all time. The love story is deep, mature, sexy and romantic. The brotherhood is strong. Character growths were abundant and I fell in love with each of the characters. With this show, it’s definitely about the journey.

Leggi di Più

Drink the finest wines, look at lovely girls, make the best friends, and fight glorious battles.

Spymaster Ning Yuanzhou and his elite Liudao Tang spies are tasked to escort a Wu diplomatic delegation to An to pay a king's ransom for their captured ruler. He encounters the stunning and deadly Ren Ruyi, a vengeance driven assassin nonpareil who defected from An. They have overlapping goals and form a wary alliance. Predictably, these aging-out, disillusioned operatives from opposite sides fall in love and indulge in a mid-life crisis amidst a suicide mission to rescue the foolish Wudi. This is an unexpectedly funny drama and the humor works well but masks the monumental task ahead of the delegation. Its best achievement is it makes us fall in love with a motley crew of unforgettable, flawed characters to the point we root for them against all odds and beyond reason.

This is a rare drama where I am more invested in the supporting cast than the main leads. Written by a feminist writer, Ren Ruyi is literally superwoman; independent, ruthless and indomitable; an indestructible one woman killing machine with fantasy level combat abilities. Ning Yuanzhou also walks on water; a master spy whose machinations decide who sits on the thrones of both states. Together they are so formidable that it seems more efficient to skip the mission or war as they can easily topple any ruler in their way. These over the top character designs with exaggerated abilities and superficial flaws rarely resonate with me. But I did derive petty enjoyment from their bitch slapping, scolding and kicking ass through the two kingdoms.

The casting of Liu Yuning and Liu Shishi in the leading roles is brilliant. While there are better actors, these roles play to their individual strengths and they both executed well. Liu Yuning plays a character that hides in plain sight. A too pretty actor would not work in this role. And Ren Ruyi the stone cold killer is perfectly reflected in Liu Shishi's stoic expressionless face and bright hard eyes. Even as she becomes less guarded and warms up to the delegation, there is bare of relaxation of her taut features; every frown and smile is controlled. Her head is at an exhausting elevated angle that made me wonder if she has frozen shoulder. Even her grief is so beautiful in a restrained way that I was unaffected, even mildly irritated at her cry scenes. Such an aloof portrayal made their chemistry seem decent but did not light up the screen . So it didn't matter to me if they made it out at the other end. As fully realized characters that live and die by the sword, they know the score. Their romance peaks too early, had few true obstacles and repetitive fan service sweet nothings moments . The heavy handed messaging about women's biological clocks annoyed me.

The more interesting characters are the young ones, Yang Ying and Li Tongguang, both on heroes journeys. He Landou delivers a inspiring portrayal of an uncertain young princess completely in over her head, overcoming fear, heartbreak and every obstacle to emerge as a purposeful person with the the courage of her convictions. At surface Li Tongguang appears to be a fascinating character; strong, smart, ambitious and charming. Unfortunately he has a dark side, an odd and creepy Oedipus complex for his shifu. Part of the problem is this narrative doesn't invest in villains; most antagonists are killed off so quickly they leave no impression. Thus Li Tongguang becomes the default fall guy; whenever something bad has to happen to create angst or move the plot along, it is pinned on him. Nonetheless the role is well played enough that I had a soft spot for the character throughout.

Saving the best for last, Fang Yilun's Yu Shisan stole the show as far as I am concerned. I love flawed, humorously self-aware, very mortal characters like this with no special powers or death defying abilities. Hopefully Fang Yilun's amazing comedic expression and timing gets noticed. His shock and aghast at the idea he was falling in love made me shake with laughter and moved me unaccountably at the same time. When he prosaically warns his love not to fall for a rogue like him, I knew she was as much a lost cause as I was. Shisan is the unsung hero of this story. He picks up the slack so that Yuanzhou can rescue Ruyi and was there for Qian Zhou, Sun Lang and Yuan Lu through the last legs of their mission. He remained true to his life's mantra to live fully with no regrets: drink the finest wine, look at lovely girls, make the best friends, and fight glorious battles. / 这辈子就要喝最烈的酒, 看最美的姑娘, 交最好的朋友, 打最漂亮的仗. It is too bad he did not dare to or did not believe he had the right to love and thus denies his heart to finish the job. If I could have changed just one thing, I would have had Shisan leap on to that horse along with his love. The other flawed character I enjoyed immensely is Wudi. After Shisan, he made me laugh hardest, especially during the great escape. He also moved me with his profound regret and intent do better.

This drama has a linear plot that is not well paced; it either advances at a high speed that glosses over logic holes or stalls out to dwell on repetitive romantic or delusional tropes. The harder you look at the plot, the less it makes sense. As it is more of a character story, I am willing to be forgiving as long as important characters are not destroyed along the way. In that aspect, the drama starts out exceptionally well with a fantastic core of well conceived, multi-layered and compelling characters. Unfortunately, the character designs start to break down quite early on, with Li Tongguang. The ending was rushed, had some sloppy edits and packs in an unnecessary Wu arc. Too many characters are destroyed into the finale including Ruyi and Yuanhou. Ruyi prioritizes her personal agenda, bites off more than she can chew (again) and had to be rescued (again); forcing Yuanzhou to choose his love over his mission. Consequently they were not there when Liudao Tang needed them most. Finally, Ruyi makes a decision that is not true to herself or to her beliefs about living well. After investing so much on Li Tongguang, this character has no development and mucks everything up in the finale. The ending was was bloodier than I expected and unnecessarily cruel. I didn't have a huge issue with the outcome in and of itself, just the figurative character assassinations.

As for the ending scene, upon re-watch, I realized it is not confusing, it simply pays homage to the meaning of the drama's title Yī Niàn Guān Shān / 一念关山 or A Thought of Guanshan and closes the drama on a note of finality. It is a line from an ancient poem 却东西门行/But the East West Gate written by Shen Yue during the Northern and Southern dynasties. It is a sad poem reflecting on life, the passage of time and destiny. Guanshan/ 关山 refers to memories spanning the mountains and rivers (meaning the far reaches of the empire); of past events joyful and sorrowful. It is an Auld Lang Syne moment where someone who lived on longs for the bygone years and lost friends. It is unnecessarily cruel to close the story with a character that was meant to move on with their life. The bigger point is everyone they are thinking of did not make it out at the other end. The ending to me is not ambiguous.

I enjoyed many parts of this drama which started out as an 8.5 for me but there were draggy parts, key characters got destroyed, all the holes become obvious with re-watch and the ending is just not good. It is still a wonderful watch with lovable characters, fabulous fight scenes and divine comedy. I am just petty and I won't forgive them for Yu Shisan. My final rating is 8/10.









ENDING SPOILER COMMENTS

The final scene is actually very clear.:

Ten years later, the countries are at peace. He County which was the frontier battleground is prosperous and thriving; children are well schooled but the naughty ones sneak out to play. Chu Yue visits the battleground which with a decade of peace is covered with grass. She takes a moment to think of the past, of everyone that sacrificed and imagines either what could have been or that they are in another place. Her fantasy doesn't have to make complete sense because it is just her imagination. The child she sees on the horse is not the same younger child that sneaks out of school. Ning Shisan on the horse is older, with loose hair in a pure white outfit. Chu Yue should not be in this scene. Shisan denied his heart to set her free. He saved her and meant for her to go on, to love and live life with no regrets. It enraged me that they did this to poor Chu Yue and it would have broke Shisan to see her like this.

Ruyi should have been in that end scene, possibly with a son and a daughter. She could have escaped and remained true to her promise to Yuanzhou to go on without him, that a woman can live well without love. The drama foreshadowed many times that she would be last woman standing and yet they both literally and figuratively killed her character when she chose to blow herself up after assassinating the Beipan king and prince. Ruyi had a choice and the one she made sends all kinds of wrong messages to women everywhere. The only woman who remained true to herself was Yang Ying. She moved on, made the best of her situation and lived well regardless. If Ruyi had to die, the end scene should have closed with Yang Ying instead of Chu Yue.

I also think they should not have killed off Wudi. The team put themselves in harms way to bring him back; he learned some hard lessons and would have been a much a better ruler for it. They killed him off so that Yuanzhou could play kingmaker. It was a rushed, completely dumb, ridiculous and gratuitous Wu subplot that negates poor Qian Zhou and Chai Ming's sacrifice. I could go on but these are some of the main reasons I am so let down by the ending.

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A Journey Through Life

Many people have been saying that for them this is the drama of the year, but for me, it has solidified its place as my favorite cdrama of all time.

A Journey to Love is a story about brotherhood, friendship, romance, loyalty, and growth. The two leads, assassin Ren Xin and spy Ning Yuanzhou despite having started as two players on opposite ends of the playing field, met under the unlikeliest of circumstances and joined hands in helping each other seek justice for themselves and their loved ones from being wrongly accused by their own states. Together along with naive Princess Yang Ying and Yuanzhou's former brothers in arms, they embark on a journey that as cheesy as it sounds teaches them all about life, love, and death.

The acting here is phenomenal and was executed perfectly by everyone from main leads to supporting and side characters. As a long time fan of Liu Shi Shi I have no doubt in her acting abilities and she had been one of the main reasons I had started this drama. But despite knowing how great she is, she really surprised me with her portrayal of Ren Ruyi and blew me out of the water with her performance and solidifying this character as one of my top two FLs of all time alongside Go Aeshin from Mr. Sunshine. The nuances she brought to Ruyi's character and the switch from her being cold-hearted and deadly assassin Ren Xin to someone who has learned to love and follow her own heart is just so wonderfully portrayed. She was such a bold and powerful character but she also had grace, beauty, and intelligence. Her scenes and moments of vulnerability were executed perfectly and well accordingly to her character and not overdone or overdramatic. I have watched Liu Yuning in The Long Ballad and The Legend of Anle, and I never doubted his acting ability. He had made such a impressive portrayal of such a formidable and cunning character that pairs alongside wonderfully with Liu Shi Shi. His manliness and charisma exudes in every scene, and he was a great choice for the role. This is one of those rare dramas where both of the leads are equal in terms of strength and intelligence. They were both supportive and respectful of each other, and neither character's skills or intelligence were diminished at the expense of the other. The romance had also grown gradually and it wasn't superficial or happened abruptly in the slightest. It grew from initial attraction, to admiration and mutual respect, to becoming friends and allies, to accepting that they had grown to care for each other, and to finally realizing that they had completely fallen for each other without knowing it. Again both leads have portrayed each moment and interaction seamlessly and effortlessly in their gazes and in their affections and physicality with each other. Alen Feng and He Lan Dou had both been pleasant surprises for me in this drama. I have watched Alen in The Long Ballad but while his character was forgettable there, in this drama he became one of the most unforgettable ones. I am surprised by his range and ability to bring to life such a lovable and charming character. This is my first time watching He Lan Dou and wow she is a great actress. She had the best character growth within this drama and she was able to execute these moments of growth perfectly and authentically.

From the beginning, I had continuously raved about how great this drama is at fleshing out all of their characters and actually shows the viewers the different dynamics between the differing relationships they all had with each other. It's shown in a way where we can really feel that they are a family and that they truly care and love each other. It is actually believable that they would die for each other. For a drama that's centered around a group of characters, there's always some that kind of fall flat or are forgotten compared to others because the writers tend to gloss over small details. However, in this drama, every character has their own distinctive personality and it really shows in how they act and interact with one another. Unlike other dramas, where viewers are expected to fill in the blanks themselves or were just told how close the characters are, this drama takes it time to introduce us to each character and allow us to connect with them. The characters are written properly and their choices and actions are true to their character from beginning until the very end. The writers here just don't mention details in passing and never touch upon it again. The characters are consistent and are true to how they are initially portrayed. Qian Zhao who was known for his loyalty to his country and brothers had planned to kill the person responsible for their deaths. Yet, in the end he had died protecting that very emperor. Sun Lang known for his empathy and love for animals had died by sacrificing himself to shield his brothers. Yuan Lu who although was born with a ticking time bomb in his chest, was the most optimistic and persevering character who died after pushing through and delivering one final important message requesting military back up for his brother. And Shisan who is known to be a playboy and love beautiful things in life, died by making sure the woman he loves is safe, and making a final stand to fend off the enemies. I love tragedies, but this had been a drama where I desperately wanted a happy ending, even if it's just for the main leads. But despite everyone dying, I am not dissatisfied. Everyone died for a cause and their deaths had been foreshadowed throughout the drama. Nothing happened out of nowhere nor was i glazed over. Their deaths were true to their characters and had given each of them justice along with an honorable and memorable farewell. The story revolves around the familial love and loyalty between the Liudao Hall gang. For the majority of the drama they had rarely been separated from each other, and had went through many trials of life and death alongside each other. It completely made sense that Yuanzhou would follow his brothers in death and Ruyi following the man she had grown to love and the family she had gained to death as well.

The soundtrack in a drama could make or break it for me because it plays such an important role in creating the tone and emotions within the story. The soundtrack here was absolutely phenomenal and every song and bgm score had brought so many scenes to life and invoked so many emotions in me while I watched.

A Journey to Love has everything and it amazes me how such a drama could exist. A great plot, compelling characters and villains, amazing fight choreography which is some of the best I've seen in a while, a beautiful, mature, and healthy relationship between the leads, beautiful cinematography, and even comedy. Even during its air I have continuously rewatched several episodes and scenes and I will no doubt be doing the same thing in the future.

Leggi di Più

Without a doubt, this is the best Chinese drama of 2023.

Amazing series! This has been one of the best series that I have watched in terms of acting, writing, cinematography and strong characters, never a dull moment . The actors and actresses in this series were amazing especially Liu Yu Ning and He Lan Dou.
Characters and character development was very satisfying, that I even feel sympathy towards the villains. Well written script and the musical score/soundtrack is so beautifully done.
It was kind of a bittersweet ending, but a happy one at the same time.
Overall I highly highly recommend this fantastic and very entertaining series.

Leggi di Più

WELL WRITTEN ,WELL DIRECTED, WELL ACTED

I can never miss a drama that has Liu Yunning in it. If diligence of an actor had a face it would be him. (Especially for all the hate that he gets for his looks) I just find him stunning from every angle tbh. He has grown so much as an actor since the first time I saw him in long ballad. Shi shi who is FL in here has also done really very well though she is already a big name in this industry but for me this is her best performance so far. Not just the two main leads but every single actor in this drama has surpassed their previous performances.
Moving on to the story...man this is by far the best written original story of this year. Every single scene makes sense, no nonsense. Everything just holds onto the main plot without putting fillers to make audiance have a humorous break in between which is so common in Cdramas. It is good sometimes but it disconnect viewers from the main plot. But this drama really knows how to keep audiance connected without putting filler episodes. I never skipped any scene. Big applause to the writer who made such layered characters as well.
The most important thing...THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER and not just FL but other characters as well especially the one who plays princess. My god! So good! Her character development, her evolution from weak to strong willed girl is something one should not miss at all. People should really write female characters like that instead of making them some bold girl but damsel in distress the moment ML arrives. These girls are CLEVER and SMOOTH in their actions. No dumb actions at all.
Story, acting, direction, song and production everything is amazing. The cinematography kind of reminds me of old shows especially in fight scenes but I don't know it is kind of nostalgic for me. Apart from some fight sequences which are sometimes little slow and with too many cuts, rest was really good. It is not perfect but that is what makes it real. Especially the dialogues. They pinpoint all those things that we viewers always think like " wait a minute why didn't they notice it?"
Like girl pretending to be a boy. They pointed out the Adam's apple part. There are so many scenes that really questions everything that we sometimes forgive them for.
To conclude it all I would highly recommend this show. You won't regret it for sure.

Leggi di Più

A Journey to Love, to Life, to Freedom, to Growth, and to Loss.

(Review has been edited based on new developments): Watched this solely for LYN's first real ML role and he killed it. I've also seen Alen Fang and several others before but they played different genres and personalities so this was nice. But theoretically the possibility was there that it didn't kill ML's character (I will actually start my review in the pros with explaining the ending as I saw it because there's a lot of confusion it seems there). LYN did fracture his foot during the last few months of filming this last year but that's the extent of his or anyone else's injuries thankfully. The rest of the cast for the most part and the story was very well done. Great story though the ambiguous ending wasn't needed.

Pros: Ok let's get into this ending. Here's why I firmly believe the leads were still alive (even though we now know officially that they aren't). The entire show we were shown of RY's and NYZ's insane skills and internal power. We were also shown RY's GoT version of Game of Faces mastered by Arya Stark. She was able to have a new face, new voice, new everything and the Fab 4 did too. Like the time one of them pretended to be NYZ who's way taller but the face was there. Or when NYZ pretended to be Emperor Wu, who's obviously shorter than him but it still worked. Not to mention, how many times did RY fake her death? 3 at least? Plus the pill to save from all injuries that QZ gave NYZ during their last parting. Also the antidote to that poison from the prime minister; our man had a lot to hold him over. Why would the show give you all of these extra nuisances if they didn't want you to put 2+2 together at the end? Don't forget the son of theirs at the end. 10 plus years had passed. He was not a hallucination because that doesn't make sense. If CY did have one, it would be of YSS and not some random kid on a horse. Then you have the kid himself; his name is Ning Shi San while his sister is named Ren Lu. Only living parents can give their kids their last names; now first names can be used to honor the dead. He goes into so much detail about his family including confirming that mom's last name is in fact Ren when asked by CY and plus dad doting on sister and includes how his mother can perform a beautiful sword dance and we know RY is awesome at them. No, we didn't actually see them all together, but it is beyond inferred at that point both to me and many others.

None of us saw their dead bodies; but I figured out something fishy when NYZ leaped out got harpooned and then just sat there and people assumed he's dead. I figured he hid in the chaos as per their oath and waited for her. Also, think about it, how fast between his fake death and her deciding to go that same route? She could have waited a bit, but no she did it right away because she knew he was waiting for her and it was time for them to disappear. They knew that if they didn't stage their deaths and flee to seclusion, they'd never make it. Neither were military (though NYZ claimed he was a military chef which explains how he's mastered wine making now); one was an assassin and one a martial arts spy. Another thought; the world's best assassin doesn't escape the explosion that she herself set off? Even though she in the beginning of the show was able to find a corpse to replicate her so even the white sparrows thought she was dead for years? That's high grade intelligence you don't just throw away. That's my theoretical logic. So that is why, I firmly believe (even now, that the possibility is very realistic) both were still alive and living in seclusion until their son brought CY home. I think they may be ready to come out of seclusion and maybe tell those that love them like Ah Ying and maybe even LTG, since they finally got along at the end. I'm sure many people will disagree with me but that's ok.

Now let's get into the rest of this review. Losing the Fab 4 and so close together was very hard. Your heart just broke because this series just did such a great job making you fall in love with these clowns and that was their intention; the comedy, the ball busting, each with a personality of his own. They became our brothers so to lose them so heartbreakingly was hard but also understandable. This series wasn't a happy go lucky, everyone survives one; in actuality just about everyone we love perishes. A Journey to Love, to Life, to Freedom, to growth, and to loss. And it was done well. By the way, what happened to Mr. Du? He literally vanished lol; that was a plot hole.

There wasn't a character from the delegation or many otherwise that didn't belong. Until 40 I didn't think the fruit loop aka LTG was able to mature but even he got his redemption arc though this one I understand. That said I do feel that he was partially responsible for the leads deaths because had he not gone all hot head to try to kill the king of Baipen, they wouldn't have put themselves in such danger. All of the fab 4 deaths were tragic but QZ's probably hit me the hardest because he had hid the burden of CM being his younger brother from everyone and how he mistreated him only to have him die protecting the pompous emperor before he had a chance to get close to him.

Most of the story was of the Wu delegation traveling to An state. But it's also mostly the growth of the princess that we focused on too. She went from afraid of everything to being a badass that went toe to toe with that asswipe An dy. Loved her evolution! CY tamed YSS and though that's not a happy ending, he did end up saving her life. Wu dy came to his senses and cleared the names of Luidohall. So much happened both surprised you and you knew what was happening.

I'll praise the storytelling team as for most of it they did very well. Btw Alen Fang is like the Sean Bean of cdramas; only one I've seen him survive in was TLB lol! The OSTs were wonderful, costumes, sets, the fights were off the chain! Phenomenal! I hope that LTG and Ah Ying truly learn how to love each other not just respect each other.

Cons: I gave it a 9 and not higher because there were several things I had issues with like cramming the meat, potatoes, and the kitchen sink into the last 6 episodes. It went from 0 to 100 quick. Should have been more spaced out with the deaths, war, and of course the ending that everyone is fighting over. Had they used 10 episodes instead of 6 it wouldn't have felt so rushed. We lost 3 brothers in the span of like 3 episodes and weren't even given time to grieve before we got hit with the next one. Was the cripple and his scheme so necessary? Seemed like an afterthought in an already robust chunk of events. Could have been done without.

I'm completely unfamiliar with LSS as an actress and thought though 98% of what she did here was awesome; her upper face still didn't move even in the saddest or tragic moments. She cried but eyebrows and forehead went nowhere. Is this normal or just for this role? It just confused me is all and didn't always jive with what was happening. Absolutely nothing against the actress and I feel she did quite well, just that part for me personally was off.

Of course the rushed and unfleshed out ending was lackluster; it's also why it gave many the unnecessary hope of at least someone surviving. Too ambiguous and poorly executed. In my logic based alternate universe, I'm glad to know the leads are well with kids that NYZ promised RY; but it would have been better to have them reunite as opposed to just that image of the Fab 4 and the leads on horses because that did look really out of place and like CY was imagining them. Because the leads named their kids after two of the brothers, it makes sense that their spirits are watching over the family. That whole ending could have been either not added or just had the brotherhood plus leads as spirits riding in a field and it would have made a lot more sense and a fitting end for this drama without the unrealistic CGI, CY, and even the kid.

Would I recommend it? Totally. However, I do ask future audiences not focus so much on the last 5 minutes of the series but on the series itself because that's what made you enjoy it in the first place. Great job overall cast and crew! Thank you very much!

Leggi di Più

I laughed, I raged, I fell inlove, I cried, and bawled some more

From start to finish, there was no boring moment. This is the first Cdrama I watched in 2023 that I didn't speed through. I went through their journey all the way to end, that's why I was so invested on every character. They gave me so much joy and respect.

Their ending was tragic, and I myself am devastated, yet it was something I am able to accept. They gave their all for loyalty. Not to the throne, but to the people they love and wish to protect.

I will not change my perfect score because of the last 6 episodes...because the last 6 episodes were one of the greatest performances of the entire series. It was action-filled and gut-wrenching. I could hear my heart shattering into gazillion smithereens by first strike starting at Ep.35. By fifth strike with Yuanzhou gege, my whole body is numb, tears frozen.

The last 6 episodes were a show of acting prowess from everyone, excellent cinematography, perfectly choreographed war scene, and amazing directing. I would like to thank everyone from the cast to the production team who made this awesome show.

My thoughts about the cast...

Ruyi was the first who captivated me. She is beautiful, scheming, and ruthless, a woman who knows exactly what she wants. You can see her change her perspective on some things as the show progresses. She will come to understand and realize that her initial goals might not be what she truly wants.

Ning Yuan Zhou, oh, that scene at his residence when he stabbed that thoughtless guy and his face covered in blood...for some reason (which is disturbing...a bit?) it looked hot! (Maybe I need some help). But anyway, moving forward, NYZ is a character who is warmhearted to the people close to him and ruthless to everyone else. In a way, he is very similar to Ruyi, the difference is, he actually has people he considers his own, while Ruyi is truly a lone wolf. Thank you Liu Yuning for bringing Ning Yuanzhou to life and giving it soul. Your Ning Yuanzhou will forever be in my heart. A character I truly admire and respect.

Yang Ying was a character you'll probably think is a bit annoying at first because of her naive thoughts, yet she will be the one person who you will come to love at the end. Yang Ying has one of the best character developments I've seen in dramaland. From an innocent and naive princess to embracing everything Ruyi and Ning Yuanzhou taught her. He Lan Dou is such an exceptional young actress. I look forward to her future roles.

Yu Shi San, the person who can make everyone laugh however dire the situation is, a man who seems to be always unserious, but you know you can count on him on crucial moments. I love all his comedic antics.

Yuan Lu is their maknae, the little brother they all want to protect...in the end, it was him who protected them...sob...sob...

Qian Zhao, a man of very little words. He had his own reason for joining the delegation, a deeply hidden revenge plan...yet he gave his life protecting the man he vowed to kill. I bawled at this scene...

Sun Lang, the seemingly clueless brother. He is not much seen as the others, but together with the team, he is also not overshadowed.

My two cents on LTG, such a character wasted.. Maybe they should have cast a better actor, or better gave the character more depth.

With the exception of that one character, everyone is perfect for their roles.

I will probably rewatch this after sometime...or just a compilation of the sweet moments between RY and NYZ,

Leggi di Più

Spies and Assassins Amidst Perfidious Imperials.

This is not a simple love story but a dark complex world of court politics, power hungry Monarchs, treacherous relationship in imperial family amidst revenge, strategies and plots.

:::::::::::INTRODUCTION:::::::::::::

Since the fall of the previous dynasty there have been nearly a century of chaos, constant friction between Northern Province(Beipan) and Central Plains.

The nine kingdoms of Central Plains each hold their own territories but they have been in constant conflict for many years.

Among them, States of An and Wu are the most powerful. The Emperor of An - Li Zhun loves war and is greedy, he has annexed countless cities from neighbouring territories. The Sate of Wu is rich and people are strong. The Emperor of An covets States of Wu.

In the sixth year of Yongyou the Emperor of An launched a military campaign to seize the GOLD MINE in the West of Wu. The Emperor of Wu - Yang Xingyuan welcomed the battle South of (Tianmenguan) Tianmen Pass.

The army of Wu faced a major defeat at Tianmen Pass, they lost three cities(Xu, Cai and Jing). The Emperor of Wu believed in slander and underestimated the enemy. The Emperor of Wu has been captured and taken hostage by the State of An.

With the news of the Emperor's defeat, there is a major upheaval in the state of Wu and struggle for power has started. Prince Danyang the acting regent and brother of the emperor wants the throne, The Empress declares she is pregnant and may give birth to the future heir, The Prime Minister - Zhang Song doesn't care who sits on the throne as long as he can control them and retains his power.

Marquis Changqing of the State of An, Li Tongguang {Chang Hua Sen} sends a messenger on behalf of the State of An demanding a ransom of 100,000 teals of gold to be delivered by a person of The Imperial Prince Status in order to release the Emperor of Wu.

The ignored sheltered Princess Yang Ying {He Lan Dou} volunteers to go as The Imperial Prince Li, fourth son of the former Emperor Jin with the envoy in return of Money and Status conferred, that it would give her some independence upon returning back. She naively ignores the dangers of posing as a male prince, if discovered she is a fake, the consequences will be dire for her. Chief Clerk Du is the person responsible for negotiations, he is a loyal but inflexible person, later proves to be a knowledgeable and compassionate person.

The special team to join the delegation/envoy is formed of the few guards of The Heaven Path including Ding Hui and others as mentioned below:

1.Ning Yuanzhou(Hell path){Liu YuNing} : the former deputy chief of the Liudao Hall. His mind is full of brilliant strategies and unparalleled tactics. Now wants to lead a peaceful life away from court politics, agrees to join the convoy to protect princess Yang Ying and also to clear the good names of The Heaven Path men who were branded as traitors.

2.Qian Zhao(Heaven Path) {Wang Yi Zhe}used to be a former member of Heaven path was transferred to Yulin Army by special order due to his meritorious service. He is now the commandant of Yulin Army. Is very good at medicines and life saving skills. He is versatile. He appears stoic but is most invested in clearing the names of fallen soldiers of The Heaven path especially Chai Ming.

3.Yu Shisan (Asura Path) {Alen Fang}: former commandant of Asura path,who had been imprisoned for abduction of minister Liu's daughter, he seems frivolous and a person only interested in pursuit of pleasure and beauty but is the most emotional, caring member of the group.

4.Yuan Lu {Chen Youwei}, the greatest genius of hungry ghost path whose martial arts skill is average but is great in building mechanical devices useful is spying and warfare. Due to a congenital illness, it is predicted that he will have a short life. He believes in living his life in a carefree manner without worrying about his sickness.

5.Sun Lang {Li Huan} of Human Path is great at defense. A person with tough exterior but abundant love for furry creatures like rabbits, dogs and cats.

**6.Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin{Liu Shishi} - former top assassin of State of An, now a discarded piece on the chessboard, considered dead and believed to be a traitor of Scarlet Guards. She was directly promoted to Purple Emissary from a mere guard, later his Majesty personally named her Left Emissary of the headquarters. She is trying to find the killer of Empress Zhaojie of the State of An of whose assassination Ruyi was accused of 5 years ago. Ren Ruyi joins this delegation group to teach Princess Yang Ying all about the State of An in exchange for Ning Yuanzhou's help to find the real assassin of Empress Zhaojie and on a personal level to conceive a baby with him.



Along the way the group has to face many obstacles & treacheries. Their bonds are tested and new alliances are formed. The weak people have to become strong and The Strong people find others on whom they can lean on. New promises are made and some promises are broken.

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::::::::::::::Review:::::::::::::::

Each person going on this journey is on a QUEST. This is a journey of finding love, getting exoneration for the fallen comrades of Heaven Path of Liudao Hall who are accused of betrayal, hope for a better future and most importantly discovering Self-worth and Self-love.

This series seems so much different than others because all flawed characters are learning to embrace the reality and their shortcomings, all the while striving to live their life to it's fullest potential.
As per my perception, the story can be divided into three major storylines, the main love story, growth & development of Ren Ruyi's disciples and Internal Political struggle within the Sate of An and state of Wu.

The main love story of Ning Yuanzhou(Liu Yu Ning) and Ren Ruyi (Liu Shi Shi) is handled in a very mature manner. Both the protagonists' age in the series is about 30 years and they have been in a prominent position in their respective Spy organization for a very long time and are now tired as well as disillusioned by power hungry Emperors' using their organizations' members as disposable pawns in their political ambition. They find solace and companionship in each other. In spite of their contradictory future plans they respect the other's choice, endeavouring to find a common ground acceptable to both. Their love story is a perfect standard of mutual love and respect in a healthy relationship. Other minor love stories are also quite engaging, there is brief connection between Yang Ying and Yuan Lu; Chu Yue and Yu Shisan.

The other major story arc is the growth and development of two disciples of Ren Ruyi, A shrinking violet, Princess Yang Ying who had initially agreed to be the head of this rescue envoy to free The Emperor of Wu for some wealth and recognition in the court, during the journey under the tutelage of Ruyi gains confidence in her ability, discovers her self-esteem and wants power and glory instead of being happy with her previous mundane existence. Even though she realises the path to acquire glory and fame is fraught with dangers, she chooses to go out with a bang not a whimper if and when her death comes. First disciple, of Ren Ruyi was Li Tongguang. The story also focuses on his rise to power, surrounded by ambitious, duplicitous royals. Li Tongguang is depicted as a peace loving person wanting stability for the country, also is more efficient and capable than the two royal princes.There is brief sub-plot of Li Tongguang transferring his gratitude and affection for Ren Ruyi into obsession to possess. However Ren Ruyi wishes both her disciples' success and happiness like a true mentor.

Final and the most interesting aspect of this story for me was the jostling for power and the depiction of ruthless power hungry Emperors. The Emperor of Wu whose reckless personal expedition ended in the loss of three cities of State of Wu. Due to Emperor's gullibility a hundred thousand people died in the war. The original journey was undertaken to pay the ransom for the Emperor of Wu, however none of the teams members are keen on The Emperor returning back to the power the only thing that is keeping them in the righteous path of saving their Emperor is their honour and hope for the Emperor to exonerate their fallen companions of Liudao Hall. The Emperor of Wu is a selfish, greedy, tantrum throwing grown adult without any sense of responsibility. If the Emperor of Wu would be out of the way; the current acting Regent, Prince Danyang Or the Grand Secretary, Zhang Song would be better ruler for the state. On the other hand there is The Emperor of An who is scheming, plotting, manipulate individual whose soul is as dark as Erebus. He colluded with the Beipan people that led to the heart break of Empress Zhoajie who chose death in face of betrayal from her loved ones. The Emperor of An is a devious ruler who knows his two sons are incompetent and continuously balances power in his court to maintain his position. The only capable person to take on the future leadership is Li Tongguan but the Emperor keeps his ambitions in check by limiting his authority. Both the State of An and Sate of Wu would benefit from change in leadership.

Will the Central Plains get a stable ruler? Will the whole team survive the journey and live to tell the tale?...... That is for the viewers to find out. (If anyone is interested in end spoilers, see my post for episode 35 to 40summary and key points written as comment to THIS review)


Overall: A solid series with a good cast of actors, a minor criticism that I have is for the series is the unexplored direction of both the spy organizations. They were outlined in such detail that I was looking forward to their operations. However the spy organizations faded in the background giving way to the political intrigue.


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:::TWO spy organizations of States of An and Wu:::

FIRST SPY ORGANIZATION:
SCARLET (Vermilion) GUARDS of State of An

The recruited white sparrow members are controlled by the organization through poison, the members have to take an antidote every six months so escaping is not easy. The Scarlet Guards are called by their code names instead of their real names. Their structure seems more Hierarchical Organisational. Their tasks and roles are not quite clear.
_____________________
Hierarchical Structure

*Commander Deng Hui(ep 9)
*Left Emissary - (Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin), Chen Gui(ep4)
*Right Emissary- Jia Ling(ep9)
*Scarlet Emissary
*Red Emissary - Zhu Ji( Jia Ling's trusted) (ep9)
*Purple Emissary - Yue Sanniang (ep1 to 4)
* Flying Flower Formation - assassins (ep 20), According to Liu Li their south west position is the weakest.
*White sparrow(Baique) - adept at seduction and investigation. Ling Long (ep1) , Ren Ruyi/Ren Xin
*Shadow Scouts -
______________________
Organisational Structure(Branches/Departments)

*Head quarter
*Yuheng Branch to investigate police officers and Yue Sanniang's death (ep9)
*Kaiyang Branch (ep 4) sends messages through pigeons. (Has a secret chamber.)
*Tianji Branch (ep3) -
*Guideyuan Branch (ep 22) to carry out the order of murdering Ruyi and to inform Wu's delegation gas arrived in Guideyuan.
*Wu Capital Branch- (ep22) Guideyuan Branch received a message, Ruyi was a traitor from Wu Capital Branch.

1.Jumen and Lianzhen department - investigation of Wu delegation's background. (ep9)


XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXX


SECOND SPY ORGANIZATION:
Six Daoists, LIUDAO HALL - Wudu Six Hall(Six Realms Hall) of State of Wu

It was created by Taizu, it specializes in investigation and espionage. A total of SIX factions are there, THREE considered Good/Virtue Paths, their members called calvaries and THREE Evil Paths, their members called Scouts (chazi) .

:::::Good/Virtue Paths:::::
* Heaven(God) Path ; in charge of protecting Royal family.
* Human Path; monitors officials at all levels.
*Asura (Demigod) Path; engages in bribery and seduction.

:::::::Evil Paths::::::
* (The Way of Aguis) The Hungry Ghost Path ; creates mechanisms
* Animal Path; specialises in espionage.
* Hell Path; is known for assassination. {Ning Yuanzhou has turned this into an intelligence gathering unit, Palace of Hell(Senluo Hall).}





PS: If interested in more details, check out below mentioned posts:
1.Adding general information about the State of An political Scenario as a comment to this review.

2.Also included in the comment section of this review are the Clickable links to SOME of my comments for this drama, if anyone is interested they can read those as well.

3.For End spoilers of episodes 35 to 40, see the comment to THIS review.

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Ignore social media comments, this drama is worth the journey

Quick verdict: This story gets high marks due to its mostly tight storytelling, outstanding cast, great character development, and strong portrayal of women. However, it tried to squeeze too much at the end, and the vague-ish ending didn't help matters. It is tragic, however, that due to the many negative comments on the ending on social media, many people would give this a pass. It is especially tragic because the interpretation of the ending may differ for the viewer.

In this review, I'll argue why it's worth watching, and that the ending may not be what many assume.

Note: I have a much longer and more detailed review up at my blog: http://tinyurl.com/7raa495d

THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ENDING

*Quick summary:* The war left a toll on many; many of the Six Realms Halls men were wiped out, but Yuan Zhou and Ruyi survived, faked their deaths, and lived a quiet life in seclusion. Eventually they had two kids, Ning Shi San and Ren Lu.

--

It's extremely weird to be a part of the minority who 100% believes A Journey To Love ended happily for Ruyi and Yuan Zhou.

Now, I didn't read spoilers when I watched the dropped episodes. When it dropped, I watched it almost immediately because I knew if I was spoiled I'd probably lose the motivation or heart to watch it, and I didn't want them to influence me too.

Anyway, when I saw the ending I was SO relieved. Oh phew, our leads survived and are now happy with their quiet, secluded lives. Then I came online. Oooh boy.

What a weird mind f*** it is to see people 100% believing the opposite.

I read all their reasons for believing that, and it didn't make sense to me at all. (PS: This doesn't mean I think you're dumb for believing that, by the way! Just that our brains are wired to see things differently.) So, I rewatched episode 40 thinking maybe I misinterpreted it.
Nah, I came back even more sure of my theory that they faked their deaths.

I think people are really hung up about how they died. But these things are very easily explained.

Yuan Zhou had a rather public death, being pierced by multiple spears. But to me his survival can easily be explained by:
- The "life preservation pill".
- The snake skin armor that the Pan assassins had worn in episode 20. They were so effective that Yuan Zhou had to instruct everyone to aim for the neck and head. Pretty sure our men would've taken some of this armour! Yuan Zhou, determined to fulfill the promise to Ruyi to "stay alive" would've worn this armour. It would've helped him survive the spears to a degree, but he'll probably be badly wounded.

The one hiccup I could see is Ruyi's internal dialogue when she bombed the Pan leaders. She said that life is empty without Yuan Zhou, when she bombed the bad guys. This could be explained by two scenarios:
- She wasn't sure that Yuan Zhou survived, and decided to kill herself, but changed her mind later. She did promise Yuan Zhou to stay alive, and she also told Yang Ying that she's not the type to kill herself. How did she survive? Uh, this is the same woman who could speed up to the leader of the Beipan troupe, rip out his throat, and return to cradling Yuan Zhou, in seconds. Her survival is easier to explain than Yuan Zhou's.
- It was her way of saying that she'll be joining him in seclusion. Even if there were vibrant cities to visit, life is lonely without Yuan Zhou. Remember, she didn't want to live in seclusion at first, and that was the reason for their break up.

If I were to stage my death, I'd do it this way - in the most dramatic and public way so that will be no doubt left of my demise.

And I think they did it SO WELL that even the viewers were deceived lol.

When it comes to wounds, we shouldn't judge whether a character can survive their wounds by our real-world standards. I know that our other Musketeers had less grave wounds and died, but they probably weren't as determined to stay alive like Yuan Zhou and did not plan for all kinds of contingencies - life preserving pill, snake skin armour etc.

I still remember in one wuxia I watched, a female heroine managed to survive numerous stab wounds because she took a pill that allowed her heart to beat super slowly so that she would not lose too much blood. So, who knows that pill could do for Yuan Zhao?

Some people say that I believe in this happier ending because it's a form of copium. Not really. I would've been fine if they did a "they all died and reunited in heaven" thing.

But based on clues, and the way the scenes in the last few minutes were laid out, it was just far more logical for me to believe that they faked their deaths than it was a dream/afterlife.

It is a far bigger stretch for me to believe that Chu Yue was guided by a random spirit kid to heaven. (For one, that's a rather Western view of the afterlife, and Chinese afterlife is a little different. As far as I know, unless you are an immortal, the dead can't have kids in the afterlife.) Also, the insinuation that she kinda lost her marbles towards the end was insulting to me. And why would she dream up a random kid instead of Shi San?

That scene with everyone on the grasslands riding away? Well, to me, it was Chu Yue's idealistic imagination of how the group was in the past as she yugged Ning Shi San. So, it made sense that scene was dream-like.

I would've been more convinced of the afterlife theory if they showed Chu Yue suddenly appearing in the CGI fields, looking dazed. But she arrived with her men, and we saw a shot of the school before that. Later, we learned that Ning Shi San lived next to the school with his parents. Why show us that unless to indicate that this rooted in reality?

I believe everything took place in the real world, and Chu Yue is about to meet our beloved couple.

Ruyi and Yuan Zhou began their "Journey to Love" coming out of hiding after faking their deaths. Now the story ends with them faking their deaths again. Ending a drama about spies and assassins this way was perfect for me.

It was Ruyi and Yuan Zhou's dream to lead a normal life. While Ruyi didn't want to leave a secluded life, she eventually came around and decided that the "world will be too lonely without him" and joined him in seclusion.

Using Chu Yue instead of Yang Ying in that scene was good, because Chu Yue wouldn't have known all these small details about their plan on how to live their lives in seclusion. Remember how Yuan Zhou said that in their new lives, he would keep Ruyi healthy by hunting and farming? And he did just that, growing grapes and making wine for her. They also named their children after two people whom they loved: Shi San and Yuan Lu.

Would I have preferred an ending where some of our men survived and we were shown Ruyi and Yuan Zhou alive having dinner with their kids? Of course. But well, the director decided to go down this route, perhaps for it all to be "stylish".

But the more I think about it, the happier I am with the ending. Of course I would've done anything to get our men back, but war is shit and awful, and people die. In the end, I thought the ending was poetic and very fitting.

PS: Anyway, if you believe, like most, that they're all dead, it's okay, but if you're going to argue with me that I'm wrong to believe what I believe, I won't respond to you.

I'm just sparing myself the energy because I've read through every single explanation of why the dream/afterlife ending "made sense" and none of the explanations hold water for me. No point arguing about something that can't be verified (yet) anyway!
It's a pity, however, that so many who were spoiled about the ending has said they won't continue with the drama. I think they would be missing out on a lot.

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It's a Journey that will stick with me for a long time.

What an experience The Journey to Love drama was. I don't think I have ever cared so much for so many characters in a drama before like this one. Usually 4 characters at the most lol. The casting is superb. Each character was so perfectly casted and each played the role to their fullest.

What a beautiful drama about love, friendship, loyalty, revenge and power. Their acting of joy, grief, obsession, love, self-confidence, insecurity, you name it, was so so so well done. It was palpable. The music was outstanding and highlighted their good and bad moments. Perfect for the emotional toll I went through watching each scene.

Another strong point about this drama is the character development which I believe added to my caring so deeply for each of these characters. Characters I didn't like, developed into characters that I hoped would stay safe in battle. Highly recommended.

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it gave me whiplash so bad I got amnesia and forgot all the reasons why I loved it - A Rant

FYI: this is mostly a rant on the ending with a LOT of spoilers, please don't read it unless you've watched the drama.

Something light to begin with... the OST was good... until they played it at least four times each episode. Damn, tone it down a bit will ya?! The foreshadowing in the lyrics is another story, lol.

Now let's get to ranting:
If a sad ending is done well within one episode, I'll cry and rate the drama highly because I remember the good times but if a drama gives you whiplash and throws a million plot turns and character deaths your way for 6 hours straight I just get angry and mad.
One could search for the reason, is it censorship that doesn't allow for more than 40 episodes? So they squeezed all of their plot into the last 10 episodes... or is it because in historical c-dramas characters who (visibly) kill a lot on screen, whilst not being a general or something of that sort, have to die in the end? Who knows.

Once again we've gone through hell the last few episodes only to see a weird fever dream-esque scene, that will divide viewers for eternity, debating whether it's some "secret happy ending".
But don't get fooled... we've seen this happen one too many times to know better... to know that (especially) costume dramas tend to have this type of ending when the broadcasting platforms realize that they've got gold in their hand and want to keep the hype alive, even after finishing. Because who would try and find clues about a possible happy ending, if there wasn't this all-so-kind little scene at the end, so that we - the viewer - can ponder about the ultimate fate of the characters we grew to love, for days and months to come?

Frankly, I am sick of this sh't and if you are going to make a sad ending at least have the guts to not ruin it like that.
This drama was wonderful and if the last 2 episodes would have been sad - so be it - but for it to have 9 episodes of war, death and destruction... completely washed away any love I had for it. I'll give it an 8.5/10 regardless, since it ended up on my top 2 2023 dramas list (until today) and for that it deserves some respect.

Some things that angered me a lot :
EP29/30 we suddenly got a new CP, Yu Shisan and Chu Yue. Very surprising and thrown at us a bit like a curve ball. Nonetheless I quickly grew to love these 2 together. Now looking back at it, they rushed it way too much, should have been a red flag right away. Brings me back to my point earlier... I believe because of the 40ep cap, they cut or shortened this CP's story by a lot and just kept the essential... which doesn't work for romance. Especially not if you have a flirty playboy. No way he's gonna get whipped like that so fast. And then they didnt see each other for 8 episodes and guess what? we didn't even see their reunion! They just suddenly stood next to each other... but their dialogue gave away that there must have been scenes in between we didn't get to see. Poor girl didn't even get her father's necklace back.
Then for ep31-32 the narrator suddenly took over and things happened super fast without actually showing the scenes. That was very strange. Sure, dramas speed up at the end but they ALWAYS have a few calm moments in between. Not here. Because even if one character is sitting down for a moment, you can be certain another one is dying on the battle field in this very instance.
Plot armor, oh thy holy plot armor has done us so good for 30 episodes. What happened? Characters dropping like flies left and right. And then the big show down. Can I even call it that? Because by ep40, we've been through at least four show downs in the last 10 episodes. When the last 3 characters die, the scenes speed up even more and while we got 10 minutes to mourn the previous deaths and seen it in slo-mo, that is denied for the final 3. To be quite realistic, non the deaths were important to the story for the way it was going 30 episodes in. You can't tell me all those twists and turns of war and bloodshed was vital to the story. I mean... it even made me forget half of what happened before because it crashed, burned and set everything ablaze. Just as I am writing this rant I start to remember the good things earlier on. Is there such a thing as drama-trauma?

Lastly. No baby making was involved in this drama. That right there is where everything went wrong (if you know, you know)
'enough said. I'm just really let down by this ending. Heck, not even ending! The issue is it was 9 episodes of pure torture!
I watched Goodbye My Princess and The Rise of Phoenixes, but neither of them had such a butchering of main characters.

'since everyone in this drama got stabbed, why not stab the audience too?' - the makers of this drama probably.

post-ending clarity edit: The acting was really good, I loved the character dynamics and the lack of certain tropes. Loved how strong the girls were and the unconventional love story. Just everything after ep30 sucked.
My ideal ending, even with accepting losses, would have been blind YSS & Chu Yue to make it out alive and together… their story was cut short and I felt the most heartbreak about the "the one that got away“ situation. And of course our leads NYZ&RY to get away and live their life.
Or even an action movie type ending where everything settles down and suddenly they get a "call“ to save someone - the end! So their lives will go on and it’s not so final but rather their story continues off screen.

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