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.

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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.

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