This is a long awaited drama of Ren Jialun after Under The Power. Ren Jialun’s characters have normally been cold, few words, serious and somber. In this drama, Ren Jialun plays a totally different character from what he normally does. Nalan Yue (Ren Jialun aka Allen Ren) is chatty, silly, and playful. It’s really fun to watch the other side of the actor and I have enjoyed this face of him.

The story is about two young people from two very powerful but opposition sect families falling in love. Her family has annihilated his whole family and he wants revenge, but they’re so in love with each other and they’re in a dilemma. As the events unfold, we begin to see how much the two leads’ love for each other, making the title Love A Lifetime very appropriate.

At the beginning episodes, I was totally flummoxed. I wasn’t sure if I were watching a rom-com or a serious wuxia/xianxia story; I had expected a more somber drama. Things, including deaths, are taken lightly. There are a lot of comedic scenes. As the story progresses, plot holes surface everywhere with low level logic. The plot is in fact quite shallow and predictable, made worse by the poor editing which is disjointed and confusing. I’m utterly confused by the characters. Their actions do not match how the characters have been developed. When the situation calls for seriousness, the people act funny and silly; when it's supposed to be light-hearted, they talk as if they are in mourning. Most of the comic relieves are mis-timed. Their dialogues are shallow and simplistic, lacking common sense and not matching up to the situations. By the end of the drama, I still can’t bring myself to hate the supposedly most vile character – Mo Huan. In fact, she’s my most favorite character. To me, she’s a badass, despite how fearful everyone are feeling towards her and how despicable she is from their mouths. She’s supposed to be evil and atrocious, however her actions on screen contradict that. Even though she has her ulterior motive, she has rescued almost everyone. I would rather she kills or dismembers those who betray her to fit into her fearsome title, instead, we get her telling them to go and whack themselves 20 times.

Until the end of the drama, I still cannot say I love the 2 main leads. Their personalities are simply confusing. I do enjoy watching Nalan Yue – at least he’s everywhere rescuing everyone (everyone seems to have the ability to teleport). But I can’t say the same for Rong Hua (Zhang Hui Wen). Her acting is lacking. Her facial expression is plainly blank, and she’s stiff; she’s so unnatural that her body language is all wrong. Despite they’re lovers, I don’t feel any romance between them. There's no passion and the relationship feels platonic.

I do enjoy a lot of the sword fighting scenes by Ren Jia Lun and Lin Yuan. Their wirefu scenes are very good especially for Lin Yuan, descending from above like an ominous devil in red. I have also enjoyed some of the dark humors.

All in all, I have not relished this drama as much as I would like to have. Though I love the underlying message – power blinds – which applies appropriately even to today’s politics, the plot is all over the place. Poor screen play, poor script writing, poor logic, this drama has failed to capture my emotions, hence, a disappointment for me.