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This review may contain spoilers
(I've tried to make this as spoiler-free as possible but if there is any spoiler I will indicate it beforehand!)
Story (9.5/10): I love love love the plot in this drama, especially the main characters' love story. In my personal opinion, this is the best love story I have ever seen portrayed! I did not, however, give in a 10 because there were arguably some mishaps towards the 45-50 episode mark of the drama, where the side characters' stories got a little bit too draggy. The production devoted a lot of time to the side characters' background and love story - which, although interesting, takes the focus away from the main couple who were undeniably THE most attractive factor of the drama. Hence, it was a little frustrating, but I just mainly skipped through these scenes to get to my OPT moments. I've read the book for Heavy Sweetness Ash Like Frost (HSAF) so I could still understand what was going on, but I think that even non-book readers can still easily grasp the plot without sitting through all of the draggy scenes. For me though, the best part of the drama was the hilarious beginning, the adorable mortal arc, and the epic finale (I initially doubted this could live up to my expectations because there were only a few episodes left for the final arc, but the drama did a phenomenon job!). These were moments that will forever be embedded into my memories!
SPOILER: The ending is happy!!! This is so rare for an ancient Chinese drama! Honestly, the ending is very satisfying! Jin Mi and Pheonix could not be happier!
Acting/Cast (10/10): Did I say that I love love love Deng Lun in this? Actually, did I say that everyone in this drama was so perfectly casted? But first, we'll go back to Deng Lun because I think he is the BEST Pheonix we can ever ask for! Appearance-wise, he straight up walked up of the novel! His Pheonix eyes are honestly just what I imagined the character to have! (SPOILER: AND WHEN HE BECAME THE DEMON LORD I SWEAR HE LOOKED 100X HOTTER I COULD NOT CONCENTRATE AT TIMES ON THE DRAMA BECAUSE OF HOW HANDSOME HE LOOKED. I PETITION FOR THIS GUY TO DRESS ETERNALLY IN BLACK). Acting-wise, he completely sold the character to me! I actually love how his Pheonix is a lot softer than the novel's, who was more arrogant and proud. Deng Lun's Pheonix, on the other hand, was kind of dense (which earned him the nickname of bird-brain, lol) but he was devoted and gallantry and the God of War in the sense that he fights his battle head-on. Deng Lun's eyes were so emotive and everytime Pheonix looked at Jin Mi I could feel myself melting into a thousand puddles. Deng Lun and Yang Zi have the best chemistry ever and their every moment on screen was electrifying! Yang Zi was also amazing in this. First of all, she is beautiful and I've never doubted her as the daughter of the Flower Goddess. It is actually amazing to watch her transformation from a naive girl into a mature woman throughout the drama, and I thought that Yang Zi did a phenomenal job on portraying both Jin Mi's humour and maturity. I think she is one of the best actresses of her generation. This drama has made me a fan of both Deng Lun and Yang Zi. I will for sure watch out for their future projects (especially if they star in another drama together!). Regarding the rest of the cast, everyone did an amazing job - I don't think there were any bad acting in this drama or anybody who did not suit their characters. The casting for this is pure genius.
Music (10/10): The intro is beautiful, the outro is beautiful, the OST is beautiful!! There is especially this song about a love letter and every time it plays I just melt.... the lyrics are absolutely heart-wrenching! The score used by the production to build up certain moments was also very effective - it was intense and really hype up the action! Overall the OST in this drama was perfectly made and perfectly utilised to enhance the whole watching experience.
Rewatch value (10/10): This drama is perfect for rewatching! Unlike political dramas where you have to utilise mental prowess to understand the nuances, HSAF is a fantasy drama that makes you feel, not think. Throughout the course of this drama, you will feel humour, pain, angst, frustration, joy, happiness, and many more feelings. These feelings are conveyed in such an authentic way that even upon rewatching, they will still impact your heart! I believe that this is a timeless masterpiece that I will come back to many times.
Overall (10/10): Overall, this is honestly one of the best drama I have ever watched, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, etc.. After finishing this, I can't imagine that there will be another production which can leave such a big impact on me and make me so invested in the characters. The only downside to watching such a beautiful story is that I'm afraid everything I watch from now will seem so bland and not live up to HSAF. But honestly, though, I recommend everyone to watch HSAF - this is a must-watch drama that possesses a captivating sense of magic which no drama in recent times have been able to capture, and I believe that it would be very hard for future dramas to replicate this ethereal formula. Truly, watching HSAF, for me, was a rare experience that I don't think anybody should miss.
Story (9.5/10): I love love love the plot in this drama, especially the main characters' love story. In my personal opinion, this is the best love story I have ever seen portrayed! I did not, however, give in a 10 because there were arguably some mishaps towards the 45-50 episode mark of the drama, where the side characters' stories got a little bit too draggy. The production devoted a lot of time to the side characters' background and love story - which, although interesting, takes the focus away from the main couple who were undeniably THE most attractive factor of the drama. Hence, it was a little frustrating, but I just mainly skipped through these scenes to get to my OPT moments. I've read the book for Heavy Sweetness Ash Like Frost (HSAF) so I could still understand what was going on, but I think that even non-book readers can still easily grasp the plot without sitting through all of the draggy scenes. For me though, the best part of the drama was the hilarious beginning, the adorable mortal arc, and the epic finale (I initially doubted this could live up to my expectations because there were only a few episodes left for the final arc, but the drama did a phenomenon job!). These were moments that will forever be embedded into my memories!
SPOILER: The ending is happy!!! This is so rare for an ancient Chinese drama! Honestly, the ending is very satisfying! Jin Mi and Pheonix could not be happier!
Acting/Cast (10/10): Did I say that I love love love Deng Lun in this? Actually, did I say that everyone in this drama was so perfectly casted? But first, we'll go back to Deng Lun because I think he is the BEST Pheonix we can ever ask for! Appearance-wise, he straight up walked up of the novel! His Pheonix eyes are honestly just what I imagined the character to have! (SPOILER: AND WHEN HE BECAME THE DEMON LORD I SWEAR HE LOOKED 100X HOTTER I COULD NOT CONCENTRATE AT TIMES ON THE DRAMA BECAUSE OF HOW HANDSOME HE LOOKED. I PETITION FOR THIS GUY TO DRESS ETERNALLY IN BLACK). Acting-wise, he completely sold the character to me! I actually love how his Pheonix is a lot softer than the novel's, who was more arrogant and proud. Deng Lun's Pheonix, on the other hand, was kind of dense (which earned him the nickname of bird-brain, lol) but he was devoted and gallantry and the God of War in the sense that he fights his battle head-on. Deng Lun's eyes were so emotive and everytime Pheonix looked at Jin Mi I could feel myself melting into a thousand puddles. Deng Lun and Yang Zi have the best chemistry ever and their every moment on screen was electrifying! Yang Zi was also amazing in this. First of all, she is beautiful and I've never doubted her as the daughter of the Flower Goddess. It is actually amazing to watch her transformation from a naive girl into a mature woman throughout the drama, and I thought that Yang Zi did a phenomenal job on portraying both Jin Mi's humour and maturity. I think she is one of the best actresses of her generation. This drama has made me a fan of both Deng Lun and Yang Zi. I will for sure watch out for their future projects (especially if they star in another drama together!). Regarding the rest of the cast, everyone did an amazing job - I don't think there were any bad acting in this drama or anybody who did not suit their characters. The casting for this is pure genius.
Music (10/10): The intro is beautiful, the outro is beautiful, the OST is beautiful!! There is especially this song about a love letter and every time it plays I just melt.... the lyrics are absolutely heart-wrenching! The score used by the production to build up certain moments was also very effective - it was intense and really hype up the action! Overall the OST in this drama was perfectly made and perfectly utilised to enhance the whole watching experience.
Rewatch value (10/10): This drama is perfect for rewatching! Unlike political dramas where you have to utilise mental prowess to understand the nuances, HSAF is a fantasy drama that makes you feel, not think. Throughout the course of this drama, you will feel humour, pain, angst, frustration, joy, happiness, and many more feelings. These feelings are conveyed in such an authentic way that even upon rewatching, they will still impact your heart! I believe that this is a timeless masterpiece that I will come back to many times.
Overall (10/10): Overall, this is honestly one of the best drama I have ever watched, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, etc.. After finishing this, I can't imagine that there will be another production which can leave such a big impact on me and make me so invested in the characters. The only downside to watching such a beautiful story is that I'm afraid everything I watch from now will seem so bland and not live up to HSAF. But honestly, though, I recommend everyone to watch HSAF - this is a must-watch drama that possesses a captivating sense of magic which no drama in recent times have been able to capture, and I believe that it would be very hard for future dramas to replicate this ethereal formula. Truly, watching HSAF, for me, was a rare experience that I don't think anybody should miss.
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