Jasmine
First off, would I recommend the drama? Yes. Rewatch? Potentially, after some time has passed, though personally I'm not one to rewatch many dramas, no matter how great of an impression it left. Did I like it? Of course, and I was hooked like nothing else mattered, which led me to binge all 61 episodes in less than 4 days.
Now, onto the details:
I watched this series on TV at first, then on Youtube, both of which had no English subtitles. It took me a while to decide to continue watching because the first three episodes start very slow, and they're mostly there to set up the main characters' positions. From what I saw in the comments on every episode, every watcher seemed to greatly dislike the female MC, Xu Bi Cheng, to the point where they blamed her (as a character) for every mishap in the story, or claimed she ruined the drama. I have to admit, I didn't particularly like her either at the beginning, nor in the first twenty or so episodes that followed, because she was pretty clumsy (especially considering her job as an agent) and tended to cause trouble for the other MCs, which wouldn't be so bad if she would actually learn from enduring all the dire consequences that others have to suffer from as a result of her own recklessness and selfishness. Throughout the drama, she continues to have other clean up her messes and never loses that vexing everyone-will-take-care-of-me perception - until one certain event becomes her turning point. Thus, this is a bit of a let-down as she IS the female MC so we automatically set up high expectations for her performance and role from the beginning; however, it could also be down to the actress selection, since Zhou Dong Yu, though feminine and petite and perhaps fitting a Shanghainese beauty ideal in that period, has an expression that makes her look 10 years younger and perpetually petrified like a deer caught in headlights (i.e anything but mature, sophisticated, and steady in mind). But worry not, because in the last arc of the drama where things get to their climax, we do see her finally think more rationally about her actions before carrying them out, and manages to play a part in saving others, including the MC: Chen Shen.
Chen Shen and Xu Bi Cheng's relationship? I liked it. I think it was simple, straightforward, and pure. Considering all the manipulating, strategizing, and assassinating that occurred constantly around them, I think their love was refreshing and heart-warming from when it started to the end, regardless of how XBC herself was as a character for the most part. With such complicated plots like the one in this drama, the relationship drama should be toned down to keep it balanced, which imo this drama did perfectly well.
Plot twists: this drama was full of them, and while some were fairy predictable from the beginning (like who "Sparrow' really was), many did catch me by surprise, and I thoroughly enjoyed the guessing/watching process. The drama was also never short of touching moments, where some did trigger some tears, especially towards the end, which you'd expect from the overall vibe of the drama and its intro song.
Music was used beautifully at just the right moments, and the quality of filming is definitely not to be worried about.
The antagonists were truly masterpieces of the drama, for it was a struggle between hating/wanting them dead and loving/wanting them to survive with the MCs the whole way. The relationship between the MC Chen Shen and his closest friend Bi Zhong Liang was unique among all the MC-Antagonist relations I've come across in the dramas I've watched. Just this focal relationship alone should make many people want to watch this drama.
Finally, the ending. The ending is always a huge deciding factor as to whether or not a drama will become a favourite, or an absolutely terrible experience you wish you hadn't set foot upon: because what happens in the end can either ruin everything that has happened till then, or make it all worthwhile. For dramas like these, set in the revolutionary period of Shanghai, I always feel dread towards the end because tragedies have become so common, even as a plot twist in happy-go-lucky dramas, never mind in such a suspenseful, intense drama like this one. I can say that the ending was fitting and well-rounded, and I am satisfied, though I won't say it wasn't bittersweet or that it didn't leave a slight pang in my heart, which was to be expected from the beginning.
A masterful piece that is worth your time; even if suspense/mystery isn't your usual genre, please give it a try.
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This review may contain spoilers
Here's my attempt at writing an informative review without spoilers: First off, I really, really liked this drama. I had been kind of put off dramas around the time this drama was released (last half of 2016) so I'm surprised I actually gave this a shot - but I am so glad that I did.
I would like to point out that I didn't have high expectations for it because Tang Yan's roles in her other dramas at the time were making me apprehensive towards her ability to make her characters at least likeable (ahem - Diamond Lovers, anybody?). Anyway, this drama totally reminded me why I used to love Tang Yan - she does an exceptional job bringing historical dramas to life! Everything about her character in this drama was on point; her strong personality that made her an independent woman, combined with her generosity, loyalty, empathy and grace, sucked all the drama's best men towards her - a typical, yet always enjoyable plot-essential in Chinese dramas.
The story itself was really unique for a Chinese historical drama - usually they reuse and repeat the same clichéd plot involving a palace, the Emperor, and most likely more than a couple Empresses, but this time they introduced a strong female lead, only disguised as a princess in distress in the first episode. I loved how smart she was, because this made her a heroine who the audience would actually feel proud of when she accomplished things.
The drama progressed at a good pace for me; it wasn't too slow (except maybe at the end, but it could be a lot worse) or too fast, and the chain of events were linked really well so it all flowed and there was no room for confusion (which I find can happen quite a lot in historical dramas, as they tend to fit in complicated plots and it ends up clashing or being left unfinished because it doesn't fit with the overall storyline).
The best part about this drama was probably the characters. Each actor/actress seemed to be handpicked to fit their role perfectly, and I feel like every character (even the evil ones) was able to grow on me by the end.
The costuming and design were all amazingly done and looked realistic - definitely essential for a high quality drama.
Although the tag says "tragedy," the story itself is entirely open to interpretation on whether or not it is a tragedy (as all dramas are), so definitely don't be scared by this! Tragedy itself comes in all forms, and it doesn't just mean the story is super depressing and tear-triggering (I can assure you, there are plenty of cute, heartwarming romance scenes between the two main characters.)
All in all, everyone should give this great romance/historical drama a try. If you love a strong, smart, yet loving heroine, good plots, evil characters who do grow on you, amazing character relationships, and visually appealing/eye-worthy images, then this is the drama for you.
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P.s ... don't know why the summary says Sha Xian Mo was a love interest of Qian Gu's... because to Qian Gu he was just her big "sister" and he looked after her with an affection and love seen between siblings.
Anywho, I'm sure you'll all thoroughly enjoy the drama without me hoping you will, as long as you give it a try :) trust me, the heartbreak, agony and tears you will experience throughout will all be worthwhile in the end!
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The story itself had some hope - an overweight girl who becomes skinny and pretty, thus enabling her success sounds like a cliché plot, but cliché plots are always good in that they're safe to work with, easy to understand, and enjoyable for many audiences. However, maybe it was because the producers for this drama were trying too hard to make this a "cliché plot with a TWIST" that actually caused this drama to end up in a downward spiral after the first episode.
To begin, the leading female, Mi Duo, is probably the most self-centered, selfish (oh wait, I said that already), and annoying female character I've ever come across in a drama. The minute she steps out of surgery and becomes a pretty, skinny girl, she begins to have legitimate hopes for winning Xiao Liang's heart, which she could only dream of when she was overweight - i.e even when she was a fatty, she believed looks were the most important and irreplaceable thing to win at romance in life. She has so much confidence (or I would say arrogance) in herself that when Xiao Liang and Gao Wen announce their relationship on TV, she falls into a depressed state, thinking that if it were not for Gao Wen, she could be with him, and throws a fit in denial at her best friend who says that "Xiao Liang is from a different world" than hers. Also, the number of times she treats her best friend like a personal slave is just ridiculous. As a woman in her twenties, she seems to not even know how to take care of herself or handle even the slightest small problems in her own life; the minute she feels remotely uncomfortable about a situation (usually involving her toxic and melodramatic af relationship with the main guy), she's on her phone at the speed of light to call her life support (Lei Yi Ming), who is actually in love with her might I add, so really it's even worse as she's using his feelings for her. What really made me incredulous at her behaviour was when Gao Wen and Yi Ming - her two bestest friends who were always there for her - finally got together, she couldn't even be happy for them! Instead, she acted like a sad spoilt brat who had grown accustomed to being the centre of attention in Yi Ming's world, and didn't like the thought of him actually dating someone and finding his own happiness. Like, are you serious?
Anyway, the poor female lead just about ruined the entire drama for me, and the fact that the lead male was Rain didn't make it better. Of course, Rain's looks are obviously great, but he is Korean, and when the movement of his lips when he's talking don't match the sounds of the words, it's really hard to enjoy his scenes, or like his character.
Now, here's one good thing about the drama: the two "supporting" main leads: Gao Wen (Dilireba) and lei Yi Ming - in particular Dilireba's role. She played the perfect, sassy but kind and fiercely loyal celebrity star Gao Wen, who honestly became the star of the show. In fact, in the last half of the series I found myself sick of the rest of the plot and just skipped directly to the parts with her in them. Her character, polar to how I view the main female character, is probably one of my favourites in all Chinese modern drama. She was refreshing and hilarious (and also very glamorous and beautiful) and if it wasn't for her, I would never have finished the drama.
Overall, I give this a 6/10, which is only so high despite all my complaints because Dilireba pulled me through to the end, and Gao Wen/lei Yi Ming scenes were cute af.
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First of all, I didn't get hooked onto it the first time. As someone who has watched the amount of dramas that I have, it's inevitable that I'm going to be particularly picky about what I devote my time to. Shamefacedly, I mistakenly came up with preconceptions of the drama based on the CGI in the first episode, thinking it was too fluffy and overly cutesy, and even cringeworthy. I thought it foreshadowed some equally as shallow a plot down the line, and never imagined it would present us with such a beautiful story. Good things take time to come, and you best believe that for this drama. Thank the lord I came back a second time and pushed through to step straight into the beautiful maelstrom that was to come.
From beginning to end, most of the actors portrayed their characters pretty well. Of course, extra credit will definitely have to go to our two main sweethearts, Jin Mi and Phoenix, as well as the broken antagonist, Run Yu. Never have I ever felt so much sorrow and empathy for an antagonist; when you can't help both wanting him dead for all that he's done, yet understanding fully well that for what he's been through, his actions are far from cruel and wholly justified, that's when you know this drama succeeded at producing a heart-wrenching antagonist. Don't even get me started on the two protagonists - their love has got to be the single most phenomenal thing this drama brought to life, and it is bound to make your own heart encounter every feeling that ever existed. It is quite literally set aflame by Phoenix's fire the entire time.
As you'd expect, the two protagonists experience huge mountains of obstacles that stand before them, as testaments to their love for one another. No, unlike many other dramas, there isn't just one single, blindingly obvious reason as to why they shouldn't be together. In actual fact, rather than any reasons per se, it's more like the two lovers EXPERIENCE too many misunderstandings and unfortunate events, which ultimately make it harder for the two to trust each other.
As for the storyline, it was masterfully crafted and pieced together in a very reasonable sequence of arcs; the flow of this story was exceptional on the grand scale of all dramas, which made it pretty easy to binge in 3 days. Most c dramas throw at you a hectic number of episodes, and 99% become tedious and burdened with too many desperate plot add-ons, which results in the drama itself losing sight of its initial goal ending with a rushed conclusion. Typically people (including myself) will start to give up around halfway through, unable to spend any more effort in learning how yet ANOTHER unnecessary plot twist will wreck everyone some more. But in AOL, the focus never leaves the main plot, while at the same time also allowing us to enjoy several side characters' stories that become flawlessly intertwined with the bigger story. Due to a certain plot hole you wouldn't understand now, our protagonist Jin Mi has a frustratingly overly happy-go-lucky nature, without much care for anything in the world. This results in the first chunk of the drama being predominantly comical and heartwarming. It is when she's able to slowly come out of that phase that the angst becomes all too real. The time she spends in the mortal realm with Phoenix is my favourite arc in the entire drama; as normal human beings who meet by the red string of fate, we are blessed with a Jin Mi who's truer to her heart, and a sauve Phoenix for king. Although the fight scenes are somewhat diminished by the underwhelming CGI, they're definitely convincing enough to get you by, and most importantly, lives are actually lost from them. I'd take that over countless fight scenes that focus on pretty cameos and melodramatic blood-spitting any day.
Another big concern in many Chinese dramas is the ending, as all too many times we've been left with tragedy and devastation; however, without revealing any spoilers, I can say that if you make it through all 63 episodes, the ending will be the most gratifying reward one could ever hope for. It is 100% worth all your tears that were shed leading up to that moment.
All in all, everyone must give Ashes of love a watch. On the rewatch scale, I know that this is one I will choose rewatch over and over again without a doubt. If you're prepared to go on a journey that's really a whirlwind of feels, angst, heartbreak, euphoria, and every other emotion - one that will take your breath away at every moment and never let you stop to take a break for air - then go right ahead. You certainly won't be left with any regrets.
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