Ashes of Love (2018)

Are you bored of watching boring storylines, actors that can’t act, bad cgi, not that great of a costume/design, and most importantly no chemistry, well no need to look anywhere else this show is it, it has none of the factors above, Yay! (:

Plot: You know how most shows are pretty boring in the beginning and only gets interesting around ep15 or more, well HSALF it’s amazing it’ll hook you in right from the 1st ep. it’s very comical but then you have to get your tissues ready since ALL of your emotions will be brought out you’ll get happy, sad/heartbroken, frustrated, anxious and last of all it’ll make you crave for more on what’s happening next. I love how they developed all charcters from how they were in the beginning to their personality towards the end, everyone changed significantly for the better or worse. Also the cgi and costumes were so well done that I’m just so amazed by it especially on ep61 the war scene just blew me away. Okay adding one last thing after finishing the show was I thought we were free from the demon princess but no she still got to appear for the last 2eps. Other than the demons princess thing it ended really well and was so emotional as JM vanished into air.

Acting: Hmmm what’s the word... ahhh it’s phenomenally amazing! If you watch it like seriously the acting will blow you away. I was skeptical if the casts in here can bring the charcters to life since it ain’t a easy task to do all the facial expressions and feelings in here. The leads had such an out of the world chemistry they’re literally the Perfect couple YZxDL. The acting here is so natural nothing felt forced or off.
YZ just stole my heart in this show she perfected her role so well and I’m glad that she was the one who played JM I don’t think anyone else can perfect the naiveness and pain the way she did. She’s the most pitiful charcter out of all like seriously she is, watch it and you’ll know. The cast was just perfect I’m sure some people will say that others can do better but like seriously who can other than this amazing cast from this amazing show?

Music: it’s gooood, especially Sa Ding Ding’s version it was just so emotional to just listen to it. Oh boy when it was played in the show I literally got goosebumps. All the other ost were so good that I had to search them all up and added it to my playlist. Also it’s so cool that one of the version the song were sung by the leads Yang Zi and Deng Lun.

Heck yea I’m definitely rewatching this amazingly true masterpiece many times. I don’t even know what am I suppose to do after it ends like it’s so so so hard to find a show that’s this perfect and I’m just going to say that this show is the best show ever to me it tops anything and it’s my #1 show. Totally, totally recommend everyone and anyone to watch this if they can but don’t feel pressured to watch it bc of my crazy little review.

Also if you’re in a withdrawal like me then I encourage you to watch the bts(behind the scenes) of this it’s so funny and I love how all the casts were so natural towards each other there were no awkwardness. You guys are so going to love the leads YZ, DL, and LYX after watching the bts they have such great chemistry together. To me this show can’t be rated it’s like infinite/10, that’s how good it is. I have never seen any show that tops this and let me tell you guys I’ve watched so many top rated/popular show where its not just as satisfying if compared to this. I’m sad cause after this show like everything other show will seem so bland, not up to par, and Ik for sure I will not be able to stop myself from comparing how well done this was. I don’t even know what I was doing before this show like what have I been watching? All the other shows really cannot be compared to HSALF. Also just to put this out I’m a big fan of the novel and I got to say that the show is better a lot better it went so much more in-depth and we got to know how or why a certain event or certain way someone did somethings.

So yes, overall I do recommend it, definitely do yourself a favor and try out this true masterpiece called Heavy Sweetness Ash Like Frost. 100+/10

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I almost didn't watch this drama because I thought it would be some cheesy fluff with no substance and the synopsis didn't really appeal to me. I'm so glad I took the plunge and gave it a chance.

At 60 (or 63, depending on which version you're watching) episodes, this is quite a lengthy ride but I wasn't bored one single second. It had never happened to me before, especially when watching longer dramas. C-dramas tend to lose steam in the middle, have a couple of uninteresting side-plots and rush to the finish line, leaving you somewhat dissatisfied. Not so here.

The middle portion of the drama which took place in the mortal realm was just as interesting as the main plot, something the very popular Eternal Love, 10 Miles of Peach Blossoms didn't manage to do. The side plots and side quests also kept me interested because the drama made me care about every single character. Everything ended up enhancing the main plot.

I've read a lot of complaints regarding the huge amount of screen time given to secondary characters in the second part of the story. I think that some scenes could certainly have been shorter but on the whole, these additions made the drama a much better piece of work than the book it is based on. It's much more epic and ambitious, with layers upon layers.

The characters are intelligent and whether we agree with their actions or not, we always understand the motives behind what they choose to do. They're all very consistently written and there is no true villain in this piece. No one is just black or white. This is truly an achievement.

STORY:
Don't be fooled by the somewhat fluffy beginning. This is one angsty ride that will have your emotions all over the place. This is primarily a romance drama which depicts a love so strong that it can defy fate and overcome everything but only after a heavy price has been paid by all the parties involved. The romance is nicely balanced with friendship, family bonds, loyalty, power struggles, slices of life and epic battles. It has everything you could wish for. I loved that every single plot line was thoroughly thought-out and contributed to the overall story. The writing was top-notch and it showed at the end of the drama which did not feel rushed at all. Quite a feat for a C-Drama.
9.5/10 (Took 0.5 point away because they could have slightly shortened certain storylines).


CAST:
Ashes of Love has a stellar cast. All the actors shone in their roles whether they played a main character or a minor part. Every role was lovingly crafted and acted and every single character has depth. To focus on the main trio though, Deng Lun, Yang Zi and Luo Yunxi acted their heart out and made me want to watch every single drama they've appeared in. Deng Lun brought a rawness and touching sincerity to the character of Xu Feng. Yang Zi was able to use her broad acting range to successfully portray Jin Mi's journey from a sheltered and naive fairy to a young deity wounded by mistakes and betrayals. Luo Yunxi was able to masterfully convey all the shades of grey of Run Yu's character.
10/10


MUSIC:
The music is gorgeous. No other word for it. It's one of the only dramas where I always watched the opening and end credits. Epic. The only problem is that although what music we do have is superb, we don't have a lot of it. So the same songs and background music are played over and over again. Luckily for us, they're so good that you don't really mind.
9.5/10 (Took 0.5 away because I would have loved a few more songs)


REWATCH VALUE:
Through the roof. This is a timeless story. Love, betrayal, revenge, redemption, acceptance, regrets. It has everything a classic should have.
10/10

OVERALL:
Watch it. You won't be disappointed. It has everything: a great story, great acting, great music, splendid cinematography and great CGI. You will be totally immersed in the world of Ashes of Love.
9.5/10 Perfection.

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