This review may contain spoilers
Renascence Means Revival
There is a reason for this show to be titled Renascence. It’s about vengeance fulfilled, doomed love revived..... and bad editing redeemed (at the very end).Renascence is adapted from the graphic novel, “The Cry of the Phoenix that Reached Ninth Heaven”, but deviates somewhat from the original plot, according to a number of readers. This is a serious historical drama with sombre themes, intense acting, and a largely experienced cast and crew. Director Liu Hai Bo helmed the exceptional The Rise of Phoenixes while the supporting cast comprises some notable veterans. Even the leads like Chen Zhe Yuan had performed so well in Handsome Siblings. I don’t know much about Li Mo Zhi but looking at her filmography, she seems experienced enough leading dramas, so I had a really high expectation on this one.
In most historical C-dramas, we dread the tragic or open endings while constantly hoping for a happier and positive outcome. Here, we were continuously worried that the conclusion, in any form, would not even be given to us.
What went wrong?
The EDITING, primarily. The show was cut from the originally planned and filmed 70 episodes to 36 episodes. We know why it needed to be cut (new industry regulations, I would think rather than censorship reasons), but why 34 EPISODES CUT, only heaven knows. This affected the entire storytelling and pacing, as well as creating plot holes large enough to inspire viewers to glean invaluable answers from various BTS footage. There were scenes that didn’t make sense, characters that appeared from nowhere and story arcs that suddenly concluded without warning (or concluded too quickly without much satisfaction gained).
There were some acting and casting issues with various characters but that would be nitpicking so I’ll leave it at that.
What went right?
The ending, obviously. Fortunately the producers didn’t destroy the one thing left for viewers to hang on to – a happily ever after ending that mostly ties up the loose ends, which thankfully wasn’t edited out. There were real fears that we would only be shown 30 seconds of that, if at all. Although the final episode did feel somewhat rushed, it’s the closure that counts, and what an end it was!
Chen Zhe Yuan is another redeeming factor for this show. His acting was on point, and he delivered a totally different character in Prince Su here as compared to his previous effort – he was restrained and stoic in comparison with his more carefree and laidback character in Handsome Siblings, and that’s due to his versatility and range. His emotional scenes were convincing, and there were many. Although he doesn’t come close to Cheng Yi - who does anyway? - he did deliver a commendable depiction of the tormented lover who had to see the love of his life abandon him to marry his own brother. Twice.
Initially I wasn’t too convinced with Li Mo Zhi as the FL. I felt Eva Cheng was better suited to lead but, she proved me wrong by gradually growing into her role and showcased such remarkable character development as the show progressed. At exactly the halfway mark (ep. 18, 24:05), she dramatically and majestically turned into an epic badass, giving off serious Zhao Yao, Shen Lige, Chu Qiao, Fu Yao vibes in the process. This was truly the pivotal moment where our completely transformed FL was finally unleashed. It’s interesting to note that Li Mo Zhi bears such an uncanny resemblance to Chen Chiao En (Joe Chen). At times I felt like I was watching the Taiwanese drama queen on screen.
The many plot twists were major talking points throughout the show. New conspiracies and machinations kept coming while numerous villainous characters were introduced and deliciously evolved at frightening frequency. The remarkably fast pacing was no doubt a result of the reduced episodes and lack of fillers, which isn’t entirely a bad thing if only they hadn’t cut the important details out as well. Even till the final stretch of episodes, still the screenwriters kept cramming as many new side plots as possible. This drama truly never ceases to amaze at nearly every turn.
The OST here is outstanding. I’m glad the music wasn’t affected by the editing in the show. The opening theme, in particular, is very good. Track list as follows:
1.叶倾君 - 金润吉 (Ye Qingjun-Jin Runji)
2.涅槃 - 陈哲远 & 李墨之 (Nirvana-Chen Zheyuan & Li Mozhi)
3.春知 - 刘美麟 (Chun Zhi-Liu Meilin)
4. 一诺 - 晏紫东 (Yinuo-Yan Zidong)
It’s worth mentioning how captivating the Emperor’s voice has been in this drama. As commented in the discussion board, he was voiced by a notable voice actor, Bian Jiang (边江) who also dubbed Wang Yi Bo in The Untamed.
Confusing elements?
Concerns and confusion were regularly voiced out by viewers regarding the “soul switching” and usage/ abuse of the bodies in question. The horrendous editing and resultant plot holes, as well as the inclusion of an amnesia arc, all added to the uncertainty of what exactly is going on and WHO the FL actually is. With the plot of the drama deviating significantly from the novel, it was left to the screenwriters to then devise an alternative outcome to the story.
My take on this is that from Day One, it had always been Mo Xin who took over Mo Wan’s body. She did lose her memories at one point, but it was still the amnesiac Mo Xin in Mowan’s body. The person whom Prince Su was attracted to and fell in love with (again) had always been Mo Xin in the guise of Mo Wan. And so it proved, right to the devastating end…although I wished it could have played out a little differently without that tragic sacrifice…
Overall
Regardless of the problems this drama faced, and the confusion it caused because of the poor editing, I still enjoyed Renascence very much. The unpredictable twists and turns in the plot kept things interesting, and because everyone was informed of the impending happy outcome at the end, it balanced out the (minor) angst and frustrations from certain events in the show. I would recommend that you give this show a chance, enjoy it for what it is and really suspend disbelief for as long as you can (hopefully till the end).
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Convoluted, Great Plot, Great Scenes
This could have been an intriguing watch had it not been the senseless editing, cutting from 70 to 36 episodes; the drama should have been made into a 2-season series. As it is, many scenes are cut relentlessly, rendering it confusing and disjointed with new characters popping up out of the blue. Without proper background and explanation, the characters seem to be god-like, knowing everything in advance. Having said this, I have enjoyed the overall story.The Story
Two brothers of royal blood fall in love with the same girl. Due to a misunderstanding, the girl marries the older brother who later becomes the emperor and she becomes the empress. As always with palace politics and harems, the empress is poisoned and died, but not before her soul and memory switch with her younger sister’s. Though her body has died, she lives in her sister’s body and vows for revenge. As her younger sister, she meets the younger brother of the Emperor and both fall in love with each other.
Had the story played out as described, it's pretty straight forward and easy to understand. However, this is not it. When Yao Moxin's and Yao Mowan's spirits switch, it appears that Yao Mowan's memory still partially remains within her body. Then the confusion arises: who has fallen in love with Ye Junqing, Mowan or Moxin? It's unclear until towards the end when Mowan confesses that she is indeed Moxin who has fallen out of love with the Emperor due to his evil deeds, and in love with Ye Junqing after all the years of yearning for her. Their love for each other is unmistakable and their bond is enviable.
The Acting
The overall acting is commendable. As having a more mature face, acting as a naïve and funny girl may be a tough sell for Li Mo Zhi portraying Yao Mowan, but as the consort whom she later becomes, she’s perfect – stunningly beautiful, regally elegant and poised. Cladding in dark red garments and somber, she exudes a fearless badass aura and commands respects from all including her enemies. I applaud Li Mo Zhi for her amazing acting.
Chen Zhe Yuan’s acting here renders me speechless as well. As Ye Junqing, he is tormented for the loss of his true love whom he can only view from afar. The yearning and heartache distinctly exhibit on his face and are felt by the viewers. Though having a baby face giving viewers the impression of a very young actor (Chen Zhe Yuan is in fact very young), Chen Zhe Yuan’s acting is mature. He’s able to capture all the essence in his character and has given a wonderful performance.
I must also applaud Zhang Junning (aka Johnny Zhang)’s performance. As a dark, insecure and angry emperor in Ye Hongyi, he is perfect. Good looking and yet devious at times, viewers can totally feel his inner torments and come to empathize with him and at the same time, despise him.
My Verdict
I have really enjoyed this story despite its seemingly randomness and disjointed editing. It doesn’t only just have the usual palace politics and harem fights, it also has dark supernatural witchcrafts as in spirit swapping and face changing, among others. Viewers can never be certain who they are watching and if the characters are who they say they are. Though with all the usual tropes such as memory loss, falling off cliff etc, the production is impressive with good sound effects, epic battle scenes with thundering war horses and soldiers, thick plot with twists and turns, lovable characters, wuxia, great CGI and more.
Though I can’t say this is a must-watch because of the poor editing, this production deserves some praises for its plot and acting, and a very satisfactory ending that viewers love.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you can get past the editing then its fine
First thing you need to know is that this drama was meant to be way longer but they cut it down to 36 episodes. That's why some of the scenes feel abrupt and the plot moves really quickly. If you can get over that then this is a good story that is both unique and interesting. While there is a love story this is really Mo Wan's story. I love seeing her play the game of politics and the game of the harem.I think the writers shouldn't have done the soul switching stuff between Moxin and Mowan and instead have this be a story about a younger sister avenging her older sister. Because the soul-switching along with the memory loss leaves us with the question of who is the person in Mowans body.
Acting/Cast: No disrespect to Chen Zhe Yuan (the ML) but I just don't buy that he is this powerful "god of war" when he looks like a kid. I think they should have casted an older looking actor that could really sell it. I think of someone like Benson Wang who played General Pei in "Goodbye My Princess."
The ML in my view is kind off a weak point in this story. As I said this is Mowan's story and he's just in it. He doesn't really do much until the end. The emperor has more screen time then him. I also didn't feel much chemistry between him and the FL.
The FL (Li Mo Zhi) grew on me- although I do admit that she does look a bit old for a character who is suppose to be like 20. I also hated those bangs she had in the beginning- glad she got rid of them.
I will say that I really liked this character and I admired how dedicated she was to getting her revenge- even going so far as to sleep with the emperor. I know a lot of people didn't like that but I personally thought it was realistic and made the drama stand out to me.
The emperor (Johnny Zhang) was great as the insecure and jealous emperor. I have to admit that I may be biased towards him because he is voiced by Bian Jiang, who has such a soothing voice.
Also the actress who played Yao Su Luan (Natalie Zhang) was a stand out performer.
OST: I like the ending theme
Overall: I wish the show wasn't cut and we could get the full story but alas.
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Revenge is a dish best served cold
Gave it 10 because honestly it deserves, the last time I watch a strong female character was with Weiyelou from Yanxi Palace , adding this drama to my list of re-watch lists. It's all about revenge and she got it all, although she lost a lot but it made up for her finally having her own peace and saving a country. Though she doesn't have martial talents but she made up for it with her cleverness, wistfullness and no nonsense attitude. If you're being skeptical about watching then don't be, watch it and you won't regret it. It's a must watch, the male lead is also good infact the whole casts in this drama deserves, they all nailed it, it's fun at the beginning and then becomes a serious issue right in the middle. The OST is also over the top, lovely songs, the customes also, I really don't know how to describe it because I just love it. Renascence is the best drama from this year so far unless I find another one soon.Currently watching The Song of Glory because the female lead here is also badass like Fuyao.
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Too many illogical things in this series
Once you hit episode 11, its just outright crazy land.Especially when the FL is just so bent on revenge, yet truly loved the ML after finding out how much ML had loved her then.
Still she is willing to marry and sleep with the Emperor just to gain power for revenge when she confirms that the Emperor might had a hand in her losing her child and killing her.
I just really cant bent my brain around this story concept, the soul switching was already weird, but this sort of plot just makes it even harder to digest.
Yet at the end ML will still marry FL, crazy.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you're heartbroken recently because of love, don't watch it.
The overall story is nice if you can see through the editing and keep up with the pace of the story. The ability to read the characters well is a plus point. The first half of this drama will drop your heart to your stomach. It will cause you terrible pain. You will feel like dropping it but don't do that.Ye Jun Qing and Mo Wan's love story will wrench hearts.
The entire revenge plot is crafted beautifully but it also hurts equally.
Princess Ting Ting's death and her love for Ye Jun Qing brought me to knees, crying.
In matter of love, Consort Su Luan was wronged too. But had she not been so sick minded, she would've received love.
Ben Lei and Ting Yue got their tidbit love scenes which will again, eventually break your heart.
Everyone who wronged got killed.
Revenge was successful.
Love persisted. Love died. Love lost. And love won.
You need to prepare yourself emotionally before you watch this drama.
You have to be head strong.
You will regret if you drop this drama mid ways. The plot has a lot to offer.
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Watch this show with an open mind
As the story progresses, we see the intelligence and the compassion of Mo Xin. Her natural wit just shines through. The actress who plays her portrays her to a tee. This is one of the reasons why I love the story so much. The female lead is a strong female who does not take things lying down. She is in love with an alpha male, a God of war no less but she herself is not to be taken lightly.Chen Zhe Yuan is completely believable as a devastated man in love who puts the needs of his people first. As a prince, he knows his duty. As a general, he knows his military strength. As a God of War, he knows that his strike could be lethal.
Also in the last episode, we finally get to see Jun Qing and Mo Xin be lovey-dovey. Except that their kisses had absolutely zero chemistry. They were better off just looking at each other longingly from afar. I could feel the awkwardness from both of them and it was clear to me, at least, that neither one of them took the initiative to make the kiss look passionate enough. Aside from that, there was a tendency from a couple of the actors to overact. Maybe the director wanted them to be a little over the top. Where Jun Qing and Mo Xin/Mo Wan showed tranquility and calm, these ones that I am talking about were the exact opposite.
Link to the full review here: https://thislifehappened.me/renascence/
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Only for hardcore c-drama fans - not a complete dud!
The first thing that struck me was the title – Renascence. Should not it be spelled “renaissance” instead? Regardless of this pointless conundrum, the two words have the same meaning – rebirth or born again – and that is the gist of this whole 36-episode C-drama. A near dying Yao Mo Xin switched body with her younger sister and the born again Mo Xin in Mo Wan’s body plotted her revenge for her purported injustice.While not qualified to judge whether the acting was great or not, there were several scenes that gave me absolute chills. When Jun Qing found out that Mo Xin had died, the wailing was so over the top. Rather than feeling sorry for him for the loss of his true love, I tried very hard not to burst into laughter. Similarly, Jun Qing’s nonchalant reaction when he finally got to meet Mo Xin in the final episode was forgettable and reminded me of a scene from “The Love that Last Two Minds” when Alan Yu – the epitome of bad acting – stood expressionless as he was reunited with Chen Yuqi.
The first c-drama that I watched with Li Mozhi as the leading lady, and her performance has not converted me into an instant fan yet. Like all leading ladies in c-drama, she is a beauty. To be honest, I prefer Eva Cheng (Mo Xin) as the FL. I thought Chen Zhe Yuan’s performance in “Handsome Siblings” was much better with a likeable happy-go-lucky character. Here, he was a miserable soul who engaged in an illicit relationship with his brother’s wife – unabashedly amoral and not cool. No A-list actors here with none featured in the Forbes China Top-100 celebrity list; so straight away c-drama fans knew this is a low-mid budget drama.
This drama lacks character development and depth. Other than the main leads and the Emperor, all other supporting casts suffered from superficial character development and appeared trite. This flaw was probably due to bad editing from 70 episodes to almost half, or the overdependence on the 2 main protagonists. I prefer c-dramas like “Ever Night” or “Novoland – Eagle Flag” where there were various main plots, and screen time is shared across all actors. Significant characters were introduced midway, or some characters were killed half-way like “Nirvana in Fire 2”. As a hardcore historical costume drama viewer, it is easy to get into the drama in the beginning. The story is fresh and you are anticipating plot twists here and there with unexpected turns of events, but as the story matures, it gets harder to keep the interest up. That is why unexpected ending like “Goodbye My Princess”,”Sword Dynasty” or “Bloody Romance” is very much welcome. This story however has an expected banal ending.
This C-drama was filmed mostly at Hengdian World Studio and some of the shots like the high-wall corridor (entrance to Qin Imperial Palace), buildings, parks, etc should be familiar sights to C-drama buffs. When the actions ventured outdoor, the scenery was mostly uninteresting and nondescript. There was no beautiful mountain scenery, breath-taking lake, lush green forest, clear blue river, etc - just shrubs and bushes in secondary jungles. In short, the c-drama setting was average at best and I could hardly remember any scene that could make me to revisit some of the episodes.
Now, to what I consider the weakest aspect of this drama – the storyline. For some reasons, c-dramas always suffer from shoddy writing, disjointed storyline that is short on common-sense, outright ridiculous plots/subplots and plenty of self-sacrificing (suicides). The story relied heavily on the 2 main characters, which meant that there was an over-exposure to them. In my view, a c-drama losses its appeal once the lead couple, who should invariably be in love, hogs the airtime. The main characters fell in love, had a fallout, fell in love again, had a fall out again, (you get the drift) and finally a happy ending. Interject that love dance with a bit of palace drama within the harem motivated by Mo Wan’s revenge, the rebel uprising by the rightful heir (Jun Qing) basically, you get the whole gist of “Renascence”.
For god-sake, the Emperor had plenty of opportunities to kill Jun Qing, but just did not have the brain power to execute the simplest of move. When Jun Qing was stabbed by Mo Wan and was dying, the Emperor inexplicably saved him. The ending was telegraphed from episode 31 onwards after Jun Qing survived a meek attempt by the Emperor to kill Jun Qing with his own hand/sword. The Emperor had countless opportunities to kill Jun Qing easily but chose the most inopportune time when Jun Qing had the protection of his henchmen – Ben Lei and Yin Xue. Talked about stupid timing! Throughout the 36 episodes, the Emperor behaved like a retard; somebody who couldn’t even plan and execute the easiest of move to get rid of his rival, whereas Mo Wan executed all her moves to perfection. With such screen-writing, no wonder I just could not get into the drama, and completing 36 episodes was just a perfunctory exercise. Drop it? Not an option especially after I went past 10 or more episodes.
Don’t get me wrong – “Renaissance” is not a complete dud. If it is, I would not have completed the drama. But I would not re-watch it; I would rather take my chance on a new historical costume c-drama.
Story - 7.0/10
Acting - 8.0/10
Music - 7.5/10
Rewatch value - 5.0/10
Overall - 7.5/10
Overall Verdict 7.5/10. Only for hardcore historical c-drama fans (like me) who don’t have anything better to do.
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low budget
Summary: if you have watched the top 10 historical dramas, then watching this will be a re-arranged same-old scenes of amnesia and power control.What makes it poor quality are the main two actors. The chemistry is ok, and acting ok. There are many mishaps and nonsense.
Pro:
-love the emperor. Good acting
-good costumes,
okey but same old story line.
-the only original is main girl slept with the emperor twice in a lifetime.
Cons
-baby face not so good acting of the main guy
-main girl seems lame
-recycled location, recycled people. Seem low budget. The wedding was weird.
-same old plot, just re-arranged.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Story of revenge!
Not the drama for you if your looking for something light and romance. This drama's main drive is REVENGE!The story starts off weird already... soul swapping the female lead and her sister's soul gets swapped. Except her sister is dead....
Female lead is Yan mo Wan, but technically she is Yan Mo Xin her sister. They swapped souls when her sister was about to get murdered through poison. So her soul is in female lead's body and she runs away from getting chased by soldiers , she meets the male lead Ye Jun Qing. she also lose her memory. After her encounter with the male lead, she starts to fall in love. Finally she finds out that she is the third daughter of the Yan family. She slowly regains her sister's wits and memory and plots for revenge, to avenge for her sister's death.
The female lead's personality is smart, witty, kind , brave and bold. She plots revenge and investigates her sister's death and miscarriage incident. Along the way she is met by the concubines from the royal harem, trying to harm and kill her. Even her own uncle tries to kill her, but they all fail against her wit.
This drama had way too many plot holes. Like how some characters were randomly popped in. Whose who??? The king really started out not bad, he was in love with the sister, but then was willing to sacrifice her if that meant the baby wasnt his. Basically anything that got in his way of the throne, he would kill and began to be very ruthless.
This drama was a disappoint. I was so bored by the last five episodes, and at the end the twist was kinda stupid, like honest how could that happen? it just felt like they squished a lot of content/ wanted to pack a lot. How did her sister miraculously wake up? wasnt she like dead? lol i dont even know !
I wish they would have more cute scenes between the two leads before she gave him up and became the king's empress. There was only like 3 kissing scene, one in the beginning few eps, one in the middle ish and one at the end.
I only recommend to watch is you really have nothing else to watch >_<
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spoilers
this drama start out great till episode 15. then it went down hill fast. i mean like really fast.like: the only thing keep me from dropping this drama after ep15 is to see the 2 lead whether they will end up together.
dislike: this drama could have been so much better. if the writer didnt make mo wan sleep with the king 2x. i still dont see how mo wan can not tell jun qing so they both can plot to kill the king together.instead the writer make mo wan sleep with the king again. i mean what is the use of ploting to kill the king when all she do is sleep with the king so she can kill all the other beside the king. who kill her?
i dont recommend rewatching this. unless u into a lead who sleep with her enemy.
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