I was pretty convinced I won't like it. Now I'm a fan.
Love and Redemption shouldn't have worked with me. It had many flaws. Some were laughably bad. Like, could someone in the production team get better props for dismembered limbs, for example? And the War God's armour was atrocious; Crystal Yuan looked as if she wore something far too big for her. They made a really good one for Rahu Ketu — so I know they were capable of making nice-looking armour, so I'm not sure what went wrong there.The camerawork could also have been better. The colours appear washed out at times.
And while the ending was wonderfully happy, it was also rushed and done in such a slip-shod way that you can't help but go, "Wait, that's it?"
Most of the villains were also one-dimensional, existing to only make lives difficult for our couple.
The acting of the cast ranged from really good (Cheng Yi and Liu Xueyi) to really bad (Si Feng's dad — he was cringeworthy). I found Crystal Yuan okay and not as bad as some people make her out to be, and she was rather good as the War God, but she wasn't as good as I'd like her to be.
And then there's the clumsy way information is conveyed at times. For example, I call Yihuan the "info dump man" because he's either there to explain to other characters what really happened, or to voice the frustration of the audience.
Okay, now that all the bad stuff is out of the way, I can declare that despite the flaws, I still really love the show because it managed to make me feel all the feels. I bought this world, and I bought Si Feng and Xuanji's love.
One of the criticisms lobbed at Si Feng is that he's too much of a martyr. I think this is because we are not given enough background on Si Feng's motivation or his origin with Xuanji.
Another factor that elevated this drama for me is Si Feng and Xuanji's friends: Ling Long, Mingyan, Teng She and Wu Zhi all add color to the plot. They never felt like unnecessary additions but vital parts of the plot. I love how they take care of each other, especially toward the end when Si Feng really needed it. And their stories were quite interesting too — I was invested enough to care what happens to each of them.
So, is Love and Redemption worth your time?
I guess it depends. This is a polarising drama. Some loved it. Some wondered what people who liked it were smoking.
For me, it is a combination of factors: Cheng Yi's good acting and charisma, the fun side characters, the theme of brotherhood and loyalty, and most of all, forgiveness and letting go of grudges: redemption.
I was able to ignore the flaws and simply enjoy the story.
You may not be able to, and that's fine.
I'd say go in with an open mind; let yourself be swept away by the story. You could be surprised where you end up.
Final rating: 8.5
PS: I kept a watch log where I recorded my thoughts on the episodes. You can read it here: https://shorturl.at/bjqG1
I record my thoughts on Kdramas and CDramas at the blog: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/
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Rollercoaster Ride
To preface my review, I technically finished the series, but due to reasons later stated, I pressed skip many many times. Therefore, I watched "all" 59 episodes under 48 hours.Story: I enjoyed how there was a distinct reason for every action and choice; so the characters were well developed and not there weren't any overly cliche characters. Even the villains weren't just pure evil, they had their own past that influenced them to become a villain. The main reason I gave the drama a 9.0 storywise was because of all the misunderstandings I had to watch. As a viewer, I would rather misunderstand certain characters, instead of knowing everything while vividly watching the main lead be in the dark. Also, the misunderstandings were so easily spotted that I question if the writers had any other plan to induce character change. Because of this reason, I often found myself skipping to parts where the main leads reconciled. However, the story itself was interesting and each scene was vital to the story's development. Many historical dramas are only watchable when the main leads are involved, but the side characters in this drama were multifaceted and were just as worthwhile for the viewer's time.
Acting/Cast: I think the actors truly grasped the complexity of each character and represented their ideas and worldview without being overly fake. The male lead's actor was a perfect choice for his role; without being too dramatic, his every smile, gaze, and blood spit was masterfully placed to tug at the viewer's heart. His dedication and trust in the female lead were unmatched. The female lead's actress had to play a more difficult character who often experienced major changes. I applaud how she displayed the female lead's dynamic journey while also staying true to her most basic self.
Music: Usually, I watch dramas and their ost does not stick out. In "Love and Redemption," the music often indicated major battle moves, which I think was an interesting choice. Instead of a full ost with all ballads, there were different genres to complement the dynamic plotline. After finishing the drama, my first action was to go on Spotify and listen to the ost while writing this review.
Rewatch Value: I have never fully rewatched a drama because I don't see a point when I already know what will happen next. That said, I judged this category based on how likely it would be for me to fan compilations of the main leads' love story. I am completely hooked on their moments together, for they did not only experience pain after pain, but there were actually scenes where they were joking around and being lighthearted.
Overall, I think this drama was well produced. The fight scenes were especially gorgeous and engaging. For viewers who can withstand the heavy, dramatic moments, I recommend this. If you enjoyed "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms," this just might be your cup of tea.
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After 20 episode the story went well.
To begin with ,the acting of male lead actor was excellent ,amazing ,fantastic ,totally involved in his acting ,it seemed like actually it all those things were happening with him. In addition story had happy ending and last was good . But story went well after 20th episodes before this story was boring . But believe me it was not time wasting story . Give a try to story.Graphics were good .Second leads story were also good and happy to saw the happy ending of fox and monkey . I like female lead also she also good but male is best in his acting . Their love story was good and their pairing also.
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A love so beautiful
Love and redemption holds a special place in my heart. This drama has the love that is so pure and unconditional and I've never seen anything like this before. I was in awe of the whole story and acting and the ost was really good. I've watched it countless times and find it endearing each time. In this drama I felt the love between the main characters so natural and their chemistry was sizzling. The only thing that I wanted to know was the back story of xuenji and sifeng when they were god of war and xi xuan. I wanted to know the beginning of their love and the reason sifeng would go through so much for his lover. I bet it would have been beautiful to see the love budding and blooming between these two which led to this epic love story.Was this review helpful to you?
YU SI FENG is the best male lead I've ever watched
Love and Redemption is my all time favorite drama now. You won't want to miss out on this masterpiece. It's not even 3 lives, but it's 10 lives we're talking about here. Nothing can beat that!! :) It's like a rollercoaster ride. There are the peaceful nice moments, and then there are the totally angsty stuff. But it's the best ride I've taken!My favorite character from Love and Redemption is: Shy Si Feng, Stuttering Si Feng, Flirtatious Si Feng, Jealous Si Feng, Sweet Si Feng, Sacrificial Si Feng, Masked Si Feng, Blood Spitting Si Feng, Hot and Sexy Si Feng, Angry Si Feng. I love them all. :) Xuan Ji is a very nice girl also. I approve of her for Si Feng.
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A must see great beginning and ending
10+10+10+ What an amazing drama it was full of ever emotion you could think of. Itwas full of betrayal, jealousy, hated, Sad, happy and loving, mortal, immortal. It about the love between a demon and mortal. show that not everyone is created equal,but thru work they can be friends. Due to some circumstances even the best of good people can become evil. In this drama it's about mortal and immortal and the power heaven. Then comes the demon. Sec that was created out of all people who failed heaven tribulation. There are 5 different sec. Each one has it own secret from the past 1000yrs. It's about the God of War aka xuan ji and si feng(prince xixuan of heaven) the golden red wing a demon. They meet by chance and in his Dec you can't have any outside relationship esp. Women so they where mask to cover there faces. Well since xuan ji has no sences she is clueless in life. So she keeps going after si feng and then he gets hurt and she removes his mask in which he is sent for punishment and she is sent to cultivation. 4yrs go bye and they meet again, but due to misunderstanding they start having problems, but it caused by her friendBai Lin. Then she learns she is the God of War when someone hurt sifeng or her family. Then there fighting between 5 sec. Then it's there journey finding out who they are and fighting for good. So much more. A must see. There were some espisode in the beginning I thought were boring, but realize that they are important. Worth it
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Best Drama To Watch For 2020
Love and Redemption is one of the best drama I have seen in years. I have seen Ashes of Love, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and others. Cheng Yi is one of the best ML actors I have seen. He really made me believe that he is Yu SiFeng. This drama is a must watch for anyone that love romance drama. I have personally re-watch this twice already and I cannot get enough of this drama. Every episode is not a drag at all. The script are really well written. I would not mind having 80 episodes and a season 2 too.Love and Redemption is truly a one of a kind drama. All the Actors/Actresses did an awesome job. The drama looks so real. The drama was beautifully composed, and the ending result of the directors, actors and others' hard work is a drama that will make you laugh and cry and wanting to re-watch over and over. This is the kind of the drama that can be enjoy over and over years to come. I highly this drama and if I can rate this a 100 I would.
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This review may contain spoilers
An unexpected wormhole- still haven’t found my way out
This is probably more like a reflection/after-thought from watching this drama, which I really needed to let out more than a proper reviewHOW IT ALL STARTED:
Stumbled upon this series while aimlessly scrolling youtube after unsuccessfully trying to complete several C-dramas.
And turns out I’ve tried watching the first episode previously last year on youtube! I dropped for the shallow reason of: because I genuinely did not like how Ling Long looked. Zhang YuXi has a very exotic and elegant appearance but it was the dang hairstyle. Personally, it looked a bit off on her to me and that didn’t sit right with me. Plus, I didn’t know any of the casts, meaning there wasn’t exactly a reason that was making me stay on (also, fast-forwarding was my best friend at this point of time, so that’s on me for not trying to immerse into the story)
This time round, instead of dropping the drama, I decided to search online and look at some responses from other viewers on MDL. Which turns out, it was pretty well received, and hence I decided to give it another try. Also, helped that I used the fast-forward function more sparingly to understand the story better. (Hao Chen and the Five sect leaders don’t get this immunity though). And of course, good news, I actually got hooked after the first episode!
THE PROCESS:
The first day I got into the drama, I binged as much as I could. Story-telling wise, it was pretty fast paced and had many unexpected twist and turns. It really keeps you on your toes with what could happen next! I loved most of the interactions between Si Feng and Xuan Ji , which I would explain why only MOST and not ALL in a bit.
However, I got super exhausted mid-way through the drama from the side characters, and had to take more than a week break from the show. As mentioned by some, the Five sect leaders(+ that one nincompoop from the heavenly realm, y’all know who I’m referring to) were very much, a blood-spitting inducing bunch: While they were suppose to be the righteous and just groups of “heroes”, cultivating to become deities, they make some of the most questionable decisions. In fact, most of the misunderstandings and suffering our leads had to suffer were due to the decisions made by these group of narrow-minded elders.
It made me wonder if they were deliberately written by the writers/directors, to be this annoying to shed some light on how contradictory some people in real-life could be:
1. While being part of these upright sects/heavenly realm, they showed a great deal of prejudice and discrimination to others that are different from them, which in this case are the “demons”. It gives perspective and further enforces the idea that even in different groups (could be race/religion/country etc.) there would always be their fair share of “good”/“bad” apples. People should be valued as individuals, not generalised to be a certain type because they come from a certain group.
2. Being in position of power equates to “I’m right, you’re wrong”. The thing called PRIDE sure is worthy of some drama. One instance would be with Wu Tong and how the sects decided to deal with him. As much he was an unlikeable person and has questionable morales, SHIFU 101: let’s turn said bad disciple into a wanted criminal, problem solved, bad disciple gone. What happened to making efforts to better nurture and guide him? Also, even in situations where they knew that they could have been in the wrong, they are not willing to admit it and amend accordingly. The lack of accountability for the people under them and their own decisions are appalling, especially when they are in such respected positions
3. To end this rant: Questionable values from these people chosen as leaders. Each of the sect leaders are so set in their way-ward thinking. They are not open to opinions of others, especially of someone who they deemed to be of lower status, like a junior. They also have been shown to be very unforgiving despite the unique and different circumstances.
Now, going back to why I loved MOST but not ALL of Si Feng/Xuan Ji interactions. To be honest, I understand/relate to Xuan Ji’s decisions and actions much more than I could to Si Feng’s. While Si Feng did have to suffer a lot more, mostly physically as well, I resonated with Xuan Ji’s situations.
1. The idea of love in this drama was shown to be the willingness to do, regardless of whether it is considered to be worthwhile or not. Although, I felt that it also showed that sacrificing silently only causes yourself to be in pain, and that’s not what someone who loves you would want. In the name of protecting the love of his life, there were quite a few situations where Si Feng withheld knowledge from Xuan Ji, which became fuel for misunderstandings. The lack of communication, not lying, unintentionally causes her to have doubts in him. At the same time, Si Feng truly believed that withholding those information was to protect her, even if it means at the expense of himself. Again, this was to remind the viewers about Si Feng’s willingness to do anything for his love without considering if it’s worth it or not, not to highlight Xuan Ji’s lack of sufferings.
The amount he had to suffer through those 9 lives though really drives home the message of the willingness to give with no expectation of love in return. However, retrospectively, it makes me wonder what was it that made the difference in Si Feng’s 10th live. Xuan Ji’s missing senses? Or was it for once in this life, he actually wanted her not to just remember? But that he was, rightfully, a little more selfish for himself, yearning for her to reciprocate his love? What do you guys think?
2. While people claimed that Xuan Ji was naive and easily manipulated, I found her to be endearing. She always stood steadfast to her beliefs and values, even challenging the elders at times. With people that she truly trust (but are against Si Feng) there’s where it can get a bit messy. Despite how people “close” to her try to persuade her, she doesn’t falter in her trust for Si Feng, both when she did or didn’t have her sixth senses. In fact, in any given moment, Xuan Ji chooses to side with Si Feng. However, when his actions contradicts his intentions, it confuses her and that gives chance to the nay-sayers to put ideas in her head.
If Si Feng wasn’t in the picture, these people are the ones who have been with her the longest and usually have the “best” intentions in mind for her, although the intentions may be way way way off. Her initial lack of senses meant that she relied on these people to actually show her how to live. Even when it was regained, she needed to find herself again, and imagine how overwhelming it could be all of a sudden, to see and feel so many things. I really don’t blame her for being manipulated by the very people she trust, though she does jump on the bandwagon relatively swiftly at times. That’s why, I felt that I could somewhat comprehend her course of actions and still really like her character’s development.
3. Lastly, every moment that they are blissfully together was like being fed the sweetest candy coated with another inch thick of sugar. The amount of misunderstandings that they had to survive through to be together made each moment of theirs even sweeter and even more precious. The things happening to the pair was what’s keeping them apart, no push-and-pull, no one is playing hard to get here.
The amount of trials that the love-birds had to go through though was what made the story even more addictive. It makes you literally crave and wish for them to be able to have their own little happily ever after, pushing you to complete the series. The drama was kept at such a pace with just the barest amount of reward to bait us on this 59episodes race. The best part of it all is that when the two of them are together, there isn’t a care in the world. They are so bashfully in love and don’t shy away in expressing the affection they have for each other. Even if the realms were against them, even with all the hindrance from trusted people, even while they are told they’re not meant to be, even when they have doubts about the other person’s love for them; Si Feng and Xuan Ji are always true to themselves and their own feelings, wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Which makes me love them even more!
IN RETROSPECT:
Despite many frustrating characters and plot lines, the reason I rated this drama so high was because it was entertaining throughout its entire run. There’s never a dull or wasted moment, each incident keeps the story moving. Undeniably, the actors made a huge impact and all of them did a great job portraying their roles! The villainous ones made me hate them to the core, the love sick ones made me swoon when they received affection, the loyal ones made me commend their beliefs. Some characters though; didn’t feel consistent, lacked growth and were written very flippantly to fit the flow of the story, which was a bit disappointing. BUT I definitely turn a blind eye to that quite a bit of lacking with the much deserved happy ending of our leads. Special mentions of the true MVPs of this series: Ting Nu, Zi Hu and Teng She. They were my personal favourite side characters that consistently made positive impacts in the run of the series. LaR had a solid cast and a solid flow of story, giving you bits and pieces of revelation throughout, with suspense maintained till the very end.
More importantly, the fact that this show still lingers in my mind and on my youtube feed shows how much of an impact it made. I enjoy watching shows that provoke thoughts, allows inferences of what-could-be before revelations, and room for analysing the characters. As can be seen from my review, it left me feeling quite a bit of things as I invested my time and emotions in this series! The next time I decide to re-watch the series, I will be more keen to look out for hints and tidbits that foreshadows on what’s to happen next now that I know the whole flow.
All in all, the show started and ended with making me feel really happy with getting to know Si Feng and Xuan Ji!
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Xianxia masterpiece about true love, friendship, sisterhood and good vs evil
At first I was hesitant to start this drama as it's freaking 59 episodes long and I was afraid there would be dull moments and filler episodes. The first two episodes didn't immediately wow me but were interesting enough for me to continue the show. I'm glad I did continue because the rest of the episodes instantly hooked me up. There was never a boring moment so this drama is truly binge-worthy. The plot is done so well, with lots of twists and turns + tons of romance, angst, mystery and heartbreaking scenes.The male lead stuttering is a bit weird at first but it only lasts 2-3 episodes. The female leads at first, looks like your typical naive, girly girl. However I promise you both are much more than that and have wonderful character development. In fact the male lead is now one of my top favourite c-drama characters. The chemistry between the main couple is off the charts and I truly felt so invested in their relationship till the end. It's one of the most loving and beautiful relationships I've ever watched. The side couples are also very cute. All the characters and I mean all, are great, including the villains.
The acting is top-notch, especially the male lead performance captivated me. Music ties in everything really well and especially during the cool fight scenes is very different and memorable. Special effects are great. Truly I cannot find even one thing I dislike about this drama which is so rare. I don't typically rewatch dramas but I can definitely see myself doing that in the future. In short, this xianxia drama is a masterpiece and I 100% recommend it.
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Another word for Perfection
If there's another perfect word to describe perfection then this drama is that word. Never have i seen such a strong female character and a perfect loving male character. Honestly why King Bailing character was annoying and evil and everyone was calling XuanJi names and all, i completely understand her actions. She is the most pitiful character, in all and all she was really pitiful and heartbroken. Although Si Feng love is admirable, i can't find any flaws in him as well. Both suffered so much, I finished this drama and became speechless, i have a lot of thought going on in my head and as someone who doesn't like to write long essay i also can't find the perfect words to express my feelings. Love and Redemption really stood up for itself, balanced itself as well. The emotional ride was worth it, i didn't cry maybe because i understood their characters. As for WuTong, right from the beginning i thought since he was being an asshole he will be paired up with LingLong, the chemistry was there and i was expecting them to fall in love with each other. Kudos to the writers and the actors,they played their roles so well. I will be watching this drama again in the future because of how awesome it is.Was this review helpful to you?
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Best drama for me
I tried to leave this drama behind for so much but suddenly decided to watch it and so far it's my favorite. It's so much better atleast in my opinion than eternal love and ashes of love. The acting, the story and the romance was chef kiss for me everything was perfect. Like most cdrama usually the girl is highly manipulated but since I've tried my best to see who the actual bad guy in here is not the female lead but hao Chen ? which HE IS THE MAJOR FAULT OF All if you watch the series to an end you'll see why he screwed everything up. The romance between the leads is amazing it can't even compare every single problem that happens between the leads is solved so quickly between minutes apart or in the next episode and this happens like in the first 30 episodes until you reach the point where the female lead is highly manipulated and yes incase you wonder this is a happy ending ❤️ love and redemption made me cry of sadness, happiness and the mostly how sad it made me feel once I finished it cause I loved it so so much.Was this review helpful to you?
