A True Unpolished Gem

This review addresses both the original and fan re-edited versions of this drama. As I'm sitting through my second pass of The Legends, I started an account because of how compelled I am to write a review now. If you had gripes with the ending, hear me out. There is more to it than what you might know.

The Legends, a.k.a Zhao Yao, is a beautifully touching story about how actions, not your birth status, determine true character. This is most prevalent when comparing Zhao Yao (the female lead) with Luo Ming Xuan (the male antagonist) but it's a recurring trait throughout almost all the characters found in The Legends.

There is no shortage of vast character growth, either. Many of the mains, such as Mo Qing, Zhao Yao, Luo Ming Xuan, Su Ruo, Zhi Yan and Cang Ling go through so much growth/change they are simply not the same people as who they start out as. This is good, because decent stories want you to witness progression. As a viewer, you are on this journey as much as they are and it's rewarding to perceive the slow changes. For other side characters, if they didn't completely change, many still underwent trials that grew them in little ways, such as the vigorous Shi Qi, Pavilion Master, Qin Qian Xian, wandering demon Jiang Wu and even Tower Master Shen Qian.

However, if you thought this drama's biggest strong point was character growth alone, you would be wrong. It's actually the chemistry. Hot dang!
The two leads and eventual lovers Zhao Yao and Mo Qing (Li Chen Lan) played by Bai Lu and Xu Kai pull off such a believable magnetism that it will draw you in, completely. Maybe it's two characters written as such perfect opposites they match like puzzle pieces, or maybe it's the natural and effortless chemistry the actors carry with each-other? Either way, Zhao Yao and Mo Qing are ever-endearing and lovable as heck. Which makes the drama's eventual ending so tragic. The more invested you are, the more that ending is going to hurt.

This brings me to my next point. If you read about or saw the last few episodes yourself then you might think everything concluded all happily. But you might also have been left scratching your head. Here's the deal.
The script was worked on by the same author as the web novel, Jiu Lu Fei Xiang. She originally envisioned a shorter drama, with a happy ending, not unlike the book. When asked for more episodes, she changed a bit of the plot for extension. This is why a lot of the filler, even though it was filler never felt out of place. But this new script was written, directed and acted with the aim for an ambiguously tragic ending instead. Then somewhere near the end the decision was made to switch it back to happy, but so late in production meant it would have to be at the expense of Episode 51-55 (or 56, depending), the climactic episodes, making any sense. These episodes were chopped up and re-arranged out of order to fabricate a "happy" ending. The result was more confusing then satisfying and at worst, now anti-climatic.

What do you do with such a drama? Well I was not willing to let that stand, especially when the episodes contained most of the needed events to uncover the true conclusion, they just needed to be put back in order.
So that is what I did, and after two weeks, I discovered that the original intended ending is far more touching and more beautiful than what actually aired. It turns out the author stated fact. It's indeed, 'ambiguously tragic' but that means it is left up to the audience to interpret the very last scene, and for all 'intensive porpoises" it's actually ambiguously hopeful, we just don't get to witness the aftermath.
I liked what I saw (after editing) a lot better. It was fulfilling and dare I say, a perfect fit for the tone of the drama. This is one of the few times I agree with the direction it planned on taking. I want a happy ending as much as the next shipper but I would never request it at the expense of the climax, nor simple comprehension for that matter.

Now that is out of the way, the whole ending fiasco should be a big indicator as to what this drama suffered from the most. It's the editing. It's actually more of a tragedy then the episode finale. It's such a shame because so much about The Legends knocked it out of the park.
Costumes were elegant and double-meaning. Music was impacting and emphasized key moments. Cinematography; gorgeous! Sets were very unique, especially Wan Lu Sect. As stated earlier, characters are likeable, well written, with plenty of growth and the chemistry between Xu Kai and Bai Lu was just exceptional. Props to the actors who brought them to life because it wouldn't have been this good without their skill.
And yet, oh that editing. Why?
Earlier on you'll notice small oddities, such as audio spikes. Then, each episode starts a pattern of teaser sequences; scenes taken out of the timeline and played before the intro. Most times, you'll never see that scene again so you have watch, even if it's a spoiler but you'll probably won't immediately guess where it fits either. You might also be perceptive of scenes where the night filter was forgotten. Like when Zhao Yao appears during the day despite only having the ability to appear at night. Music will also sometimes overlap and play over transitioning tracks and often fade out clumsily, with episodes themselves ending very awkwardly in the middle of conversations. On top of all that, there is multiple cuts of The Legends and depending on what version you watch, some will even have cut content. Episode 37.....

All in all, the editing could have been handled a lot better. This drama did not deserve it, but if you can forgive it that, then you might walk away having a experienced a truly, albeit unpolished, gem of a Chinese Drama.
I will confess, I loved it more then Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. That might make me lose any credibility as a reviewer but it has to due with the important requirements I look for in every story I read or watch. Those three things being;
-a compelling story
-main characters I care about
-banging hot chemistry between the leading couple
Peach Blossoms is all three for most, but I found I loved the secondary couple of Dong Hua and Feng Jiu more then the main couple of Bai Qian and Ye Hua. That is why The Legends, funnily enough, became a bigger favorite. Though it has caused me a lot of grief to even reach that conclusion. Bai Lu and Xu Kai are a lot of what makes this drama work, and it seems they are some-what newbies to the acting business too. You can look forward to them again in Arsenal Military Academy!

If you are interested in the fan-edit cuts I made to episode 50-55 for The Legends, visit this drama's topic at Soompi forums and go to page 56.

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Run Yu Steals the Show

The closest contender so far to top Peach Blossoms. Except the intended demographic felt more targeted towards teens than adults and the pacing sags significantly in the middle. Too much screen time given to uninteresting side stories. The Demon Princess's love being the worst offender.

Still, there is a lot to take-away from Ashes of Love. For one, the overall story is very compelling with sweeping world-building located in a fantasy realm to set it up. Costumes are gorgeous, as most dramas will not lack in this category and the music was not only very suitable, but lovely. You'll be happy to know this drama also does come with a happy ending, complete with a mounting emotional climax between three main characters which eventually spills over into thrilling CGI battle/grudge match, loaded with emotion.

Now, I'm told compared to the book, the two main male leads Xu Feng and Run Yu, were reversed in the drama, in terms of temperament. I haven't read the book, so it's not for me to proclaim, but after finishing I did realize something very interesting. The antagonist love rival, Run Yu/Night Immortal, was, dare I say it... more sympathetic and likable then the leading man, Xu Feng. Now this is usually very detrimental to a story, as you want to root for the hero, not the villain. In the case of Ashes of Love, I would say this fact keeps it from being 10/10.

I don't want to dump on Deng Lung's acting because this may not have been his fault, but Xu Feng's character delivery came across as mopey and inexpressive. This was probably a conscious choice to make Xu Feng more likable compared to the book, which seems to have been frosty but still proactive (a lot like his dad in the drama). By being mopey, he is less threatening than is book counterpart. The problem with this approach is any emotional acting in comparison will stand-out. And that is exactly what Leo did, as Run Yu. He was sympathetic because he emoted so much more. I cared about his plight, because he convinced me of it. Xu Feng, was like the spoiled rich kid where as Run Yu was the orphaned poor kid going through all the suffering. Who am I naturally inclined to be more sympathetic towards?

Now since this drama falls under the romance genre, I'm also most critical of it's delivery. Jin Mi and Xu Feng are a couple much like Romeo and Juliet. The romance is not compellingly deep. It's a young love, filled with passion and a little superficial. It takes a lot of time before I am convinced their love goes beyond surface level. It's also a story about learning to love, mostly from Jin Mi's perspective. Yet, from the very beginning I could never shake the notion that between Run Yu and Xu Feng, it was a first come first serve basis. Jin Mi only fell for Xu Feng because he met her first and her decision to choose him was as immovable and permanent as the gender you're born as. Poor Run Yu. Though, I can't say I think him getting Jin Mi would have been ideal either. Run Yu started with a pure heart but became increasingly more dangerous as he grew obsessive.

It's nice that this drama does end happily, with all three sharing a mutual understanding of where eachother stands. I wanted a happier ending for Run Yu but at least this drama introduced me to the wonderful actor that is, Leo Yun Xi. I would go as far as to state Ashes of Love is worth the watch, for him alone.

One last thought. It might not be worth mentioning but... was it really fair to give Sui He / Peacock Immortal the ending she got? I get it, she was the bad guy. She tries to get between Xu Feng and Jing Mi and commits many foul deeds fueled by muddled obsession to achieve that. She deserves a comeuppance. Still, as the drama is wrapping up and the overall feel is happy, out of nowhere were treated with a scene of Sui He stumbling into a den of crazy cannibalistic brothers. She was already ostracized for her actions, left to die lonely and crazy. Why was our happy ending interrupted by more kicking of her when shes down? It felt wrong. The scene was unnecessary, gross and went too far.

It's been about a year since I gave this drama a try and so much of what I'm writing about is all that stayed with me since finishing. It's not the freshest review, but it's potent with the memories that stuck out the most.

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Painful

When I was looking for another sweeping drama after Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, this title caught my attention. But now that I've made it to the end, I have to say my overall experience with this drama was painful.

The leading man, Bai Zi Hua, is an immovable rock, and not in a charming way. His persistent disciple, Hua Qian Gu, the leading women, suffers continually simply because she was born to be a trial for him.

I wanted to root for the pairing but making my way to the end I had to endure the most confusing editing chops. Vital scenes were cut, (even sexy ones at that, I looked it up after I finished) and random unnecessary character deaths all around. I suppose the last few scenes were meant to indicate a happy ending but... Zanilia Zhao's character Hua Qian Gu, was left in a vegetable state and as for Bai Zi Hua, he was practically a broken man. This drama broke him, I'm sure.

The only character I really gravitated towards the most was Sha Qian Mo. He was quirky and tragic and somehow, the most sympathetic.

I will stick with my overall feelings. This drama is painful. I was hesitant to watch another with Zanilia but thankfully, my opinion completely changed after finishing 'The Story of Ming Lan.' She is incredible in it.

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Something Made in China Worth Bragging About

Beautiful drama.

Slow to start, but my interest immediately peeked when Feng Jiu encountered Dong Hua. (Episode 9)

Story is touching, heart-wrenching and fulfilling. Music is lovely. Pacing was never an issue, and the ending was satisfying, albeit not so much for the secondary couple, but definitely for the main couple. You'll love the costumes and feel deeply about the characters, positive or negative. This drama has set the bar so high, it's hard to find a competitor to top it.

It's only lesser quality trait is the budget CGI, however it was never a deal breaker. If you only wanted to experience a Chinese drama once in your life, make it this one.

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I actually was really enjoying this, until the subtitles stopped at episode 20. Up until that point this drama was quirky, fun and hilarious. Characters were likable and the odd nature of Xia Chun Yu and Ye Jia Yao relationship, suddenly getting married but then slowly falling in love, made for an excellent dynamic.

But then when the subs stopped so I peeked into the next few episodes to see what would come up next. Boy was I shocked. Yes, I was not expecting a full on bloodbath to happen. And then out of nowhere the chef (Ye Jia Yao) looses her sense of taste? What??? I wanted to know what happened but at the same time I was really put off by the changes, especially for such a silly light-hearted drama.

I looked into it later and judging from the last episodes, I think it still manages to pull off a happy ending. I haven't picked this up after what happened, even though I think the subs are in now. Perhaps one day.

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