10 lifetimes and a love to transcend destiny.

In the hundreds of dramas I have gone through, I have to say, this one buried itself into my heart the most.

Cheng Yi’s breathtaking performance as Si Feng captures a heart-wrenching journey of self sacrifice, altruistic compassion and infinite love. His performance as Si Feng perfectly shows the character’s personality, the tribulations he faces, how much he is willing to sacrifice, and most importantly, the lengths he is willing to go to, to protect the one he loves. Whether in this lifetime, or the 9 lifetimes he has spent loving her before. Cheng Yi will have you crying rivers of tears. The character he portrays is so heart wrenching, when Si Feng hurts, your heart will feel the pain to the very depths of your soul. I also have to add, Ive never seen an actor who could cry that painfully. As soon as he cries, I’m crying too. It’s actually amazing. Another thing, prepare yourself little hearts because he spits so much blood and it happens in almost every episode.

Bing Yan as Xuan Ji, brings to vivid life, the cheerful yet clueless character she is. Bound by a fate she cannot control, but determined to challenge nonetheless, for a love she belated realises. Although I felt that in the later episodes where things come to light, she lacked the emotional depth of portraying the kind of soul rending pain, such revelations would bring. I’m not saying she didn’t have a great performance, just that those scenes should have been acted out with more emotion then she gave.

Now, Cheng Yi and Bing Yan, Xuanji and Si Feng, have a chemistry that is the stuff of romantic dreams. I would purely watch this again and again just for the love between these two.

The pacing of the story was perfect as to allow the audience enough time to enjoy this intricate journey alongside all the characters. The OST touching captures, and adds an element of wistfulness, to the essence of every scene. Zhou Shen and Yisa Yu never disappoint when it comes to osts. Costume design and set were stunning. Absolutely loved the costumes between Si Feng and Xuan Ji. The supporting cast were great and really played their part well. Teng She is a definite favourite of mine!

All in all, the journey undergone by the characters, from youth to adulthood. From innocence to responsibility. From a glass heart to an all encompassing love. Love and Redemption is a drama you do not want to miss. Especially for the beautiful tale of love and sacrifice between Xuan Ji and Si Feng. It makes you wonder how far a persons love can truely go.

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A journey on the bonds which connect friend to friend, family to family and lover to lover.

The story has us witness each character, especially the male lead's, journey and growth through the impulses of youth, his connections with those he grows to hold dear, a heartwarming love story and the gradual discovery of the revelations of his painful past. The male lead lead has been unfairly sacrificed too many times for what others believe as justice. While he is unjustly treated, he does inherently have a deeply rooted sense of good within him. The production team took the sad, but necessary sacrifices needed in order to bring the characters to the end of their journey. While the ending may be unsatisfactory and heartbreaking to most, there were necessary sacrifices that were needed in order for the characters to grow as people and realise themselves and their responsibilities in life. I would say Chengxiao's acting got better as the story progressed and she really has cute chemistry with Arthur Chen. Arthur Chen had a great and emotional performance throughout and really brought to life his character through balancing his representation of a charming, and deviously smart youth and a person who has suffered many times at the hands of others to the point of battling to understand who he is. The OST was just beautiful, it really complimented each scene and wrenched at my heart many times. Whilst the production was low budget, the story line really is lovely and its subtle complexity connects you to the emotions of the characters and in the end you end up really invested in their journeys and wanting to follow it through to the very end. I really recommend it. Be prepared however, for many twists and turns, and while it is not a bad ending, it is also not an entirely a happy one.

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