Love and Redemption (2020)

Love and Redemption remains one of my favourite Chinese dramas to the date. I enjoy how the story progresses slowly but steady but fast enough to keep the story going. Although this drama reminds me of one of the public's favourite dramas The Untamed due to the involvement of clans and how the main leads meet and their personalities, it is also original and sparks so much emotion.

Story 9.5/10 - Original and steady paced, I loved how each situation related to the main conflict and ever episode was so detailed. I do however tend to dislike overly cutesy acting by female leads which may be seen as childish or overdramatic but it was relevant to the story as the FL went through character development. I also thought that the ML was attacked so many times but never died whereas many other characters faced small one-shot deaths which i thought was kind of funny and questionable.

Acting/Cast 10/10 - All characters were played perfectly by their actors and each one was unique with their own touching back stories and journeys. I love how although stunning visuals, the actors/actresses were clearly casted due to acting abilities and not just a pretty face.

Music 9/10 - Although i enjoyed the OST and used to listen to it on repeat in my free time, I don't see it too fitting to the story but it is still a beautiful song. All other music in the drama was perfectly matched to situations and nothing felt out of place.

Rewatch value 10/10 - I have watched this drama 2 times, also recommended to friends and family in which they also enjoyed. After rewatching, all emotions I felt prior were still present and nothing gets old. As the entire series is 59 episodes, rewatching the drama after a few months with a refreshed pallete will continue to be entertaining and you may find details you may have missed the first time.

Overall 9.5/10 - What a beautiful drama with great graphics and an addictive storyline. Costume choices at the beginning of the drama were kind of off-putting as the characters were 'kids' and the ML's bark mask was grotesque-looking but it all got better as the drama progressed. I loved all the plot twists and both the heart breaking and heart warming parts which leaves the audience with an emotional attachment to the story. As mentioned prior, if a fan of The Untamed, would love Love and Redemption.

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I want you guys to beware of all the comments. At first I really liked this drama, but after 38th episode, I wanted this drama to end as soon as possible. This drama broke the stereotype of female lead suffering everytime. How male lead loved was a new definition of true love. He suffered a lot everytime. But his suffering was okay before 38 episodes because female lead was always there with him. But after 38th episode, it's either him or her who had to suffer. There were many true friends. But whom all the audience hated the most was really a true hypocrite bastard. Those sect leaders were also true hypocrites, who would use and throw the male lead, but it didn't matter a lot because female lead was always there for him atleast till 38 episodes.

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De gustibus…

Attratta dalla miriade di recensioni positive ed elogi a non finire ho deciso di continuare questa serie, nonostante non fossi rimasta colpita dai primi capitoli.
Purtroppo sono rimasta dello stesso avviso fino alla fine.
Non saprei dire cosa mi sia mancato nello specifico, non mi sono sentita coinvolta nella vicenda dei protagonisti come altre serie xianxa che ho visto in precedenza.
Forse quell’intensità che tanto ricerco nelle relazioni tra i protagonisti, oppure solo il gusto personale.

Trama: c’è ed è evidente, ma a mio avviso è avvenuto tutto troppo in serie; gli eventi si sono così sovrapposti che mi sono sentita un po’ sovraccaricata di informazioni, il che mi ha fatto perdere anche un po’ di curiosità sul seguito.
Ho trovato degli elementi superflui, aggiunti come al solito per allungare il brodo e che ho saltato senza per questo perdermi chissà che sviluppo nella storia.
C’è come sempre un gran bel percorso da fare con i protagonisti, ma ahimè arrivati ai 30 episodi mi è sembrato un po’ tutto ridondante.
Ecco, dopo il 30esimo episodio mi sono trovata più dentro alla storia: gli eventi si sono fatti più chiari e anche più interessanti.
Il rapporto di amore-odio tra i protagonisti ha dato quel pepe in più che ha risanato il mio coinvolgimento.
Per il resto i colpi di scena anche qui ci sono, ma avrei preferito che fossero stati dosati e sistemati, piuttosto che buttarli tutti di fila verso il finale.
Altro elemento quasi sempre presente è il malinteso, che può piacere o meno.
Personalmente non sono una fan di quei giochi di fraintendimenti tra i protagonisti che possono benissimo risolversi con il dialogo puro e semplice.
Scene su scene di cose non dette alla lunga possono annoiare, come in questo caso.
In compenso la presenza di una protagonista femminile forte e guerriera ha evitato che fosse sempre la solita minestra.

Recitazione: mi è mancata un po’ di partecipazione. Considerato quanto si sono spinti oltre i protagonisti per salvarsi a vicenda, non ho sentito appieno il loro legame.
Molta sofferenza, tutti che sputano sangue (letteralmente, anche troppo), tanti fraintendimenti, ma poi i momenti tra i protagonisti non mi sono sembrati tutta questa profondità.
Con questo non voglio dire che non meritano, gli attori sanno il fatto loro e la sofferenza che provano è tangible; forse però lo è un po’ meno la loro gioia e felicità.
Insomma, mi è mancato qualcosa.

Complicità protagonisti: ho letto molte recensioni che elogiavano a più riprese il rapporto tra Xuan ji e Yu Sifeng.
Devo dire che non mi hanno coinvolto particolarmente. Certo, ci sono scene adorabili che li riguardano, ma mi è mancato sempre quel qualcosa che mi facesse davvero emozionare.
Questo giudizio è rimasto perfino alla fine, dopo aver assistito a tutto il loro percorso insieme.
Sinceramente mi aspettavo molto di più.

Emozioni: rispetto ad altre serie dello stesso genere, come Ashes of love o Eternal love, mi ha emozionato molto meno.
Diciamo che mi sono sentita più esterna alle vicende e mi ha coinvolto decisamente meno dei precedenti.

Musiche: una nota positiva della serie, decisamente piacevole e in linea con le dinamiche della storia.
Di sicuro vi rimarrà in testa.

Love triangle: c’è e non c’è. L’idea sembra esserci, ma fino alla fine non si capisce quale sia davvero il coinvolgimento del secondo protagonista maschile.
Durante la storia è il pubblico che giunge alla conclusione, perché quest’ultimo non confermerà mai di provare davvero qualcosa. Di certo, però, mette per bene i bastoni tra le ruote alla coppia, alla ricerca di una visione tutta sua di pace.
La coppia principale rimane comunque la stessa, e il trasporto di entrambi è ineliminabile.

Skinship: chissà perché mi aspetto sempre di più dalla cinematografia cinese in questo frangente.
Se la complicità sembra esserci, le effusioni che si scambiano i due protagonisti è superficiale.
Mi è mancato un po’ di pathos, intensità che coronasse tutte le loro azioni e sacrifici l’uno per l’altra.
A mio avviso ha poco senso parlare di amore viscerale e eterno se sullo schermo ciò non si nota.
Volendo anche tralasciare i baci a stampo e gli abbracci fraterni, lo sguardo può trasmettere più di mille parole.

Ending: se cercate storie a lieto fine, allora questa serie fa per voi. Ogni nodo si scioglie sul finale e vi lascia il sorriso sulle labbra.
Interessante anche il ribaltamento del pregiudizio per cui bene=angeli è male=demoni; bene e male sono presenti in ogni regno sempre e comunque e non ci sono razze superiori ad altre.

Lo consiglio? I gusti sono gusti, quindi non saprei dire se vale o meno la visione.
Consiglio di provare a vedere se vi coinvolge o se vi fa storcere il naso fin dalle prime battute, come è successo a me.
A mio avviso trovate molta più azione e dialogo e romance più cauto, rispetto a serie come Eternal love.

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The Best Fantasy Romance Drama of 2020

Started this without much expectation to the story and cast because the preview and posters looked like a typical fantasy historical drama but I WAS SO WRONG. The pacing for this drama was just right. The directors just know when to pace up and drag the timeline! First episode got me hooked and I binged watched this in a week!

Every single characters got their closure perfectly in the story without being seemed forced and over explained. The plot flows so smoothly. Especially towards the end when Si Feng was revealed his true identity, everything seems clear on the cause of everything, and what happened with the 10 lives with Xuan Ji. It just makes sense. Even the devil has a closure!!! The lessons learnt are also meaningful about love and redemption (literally)... Si Feng's words also warms my heart. It is not is worth, it is if I am willing. LOVE THIS.

Not to mention, the OST are so apt!! Casts are soooo good. Superb acting, especially to Teng She, he really feels like a snake (and he is)! I am just so amazed and can't wait for the sequel already gyaa!!

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Surprised by its popularity

I watched this after watching IS of Cheng Yu. I was disappointed of IS a little in later episodes despite great actors and great story start. Considering L&R popularity i was expecting this to be much better but was way more disappointed.

What i didnt like
1. ML is there just to get beaten up and saved by FL or get heartbroken by FL. This is reverse of the older shows where FL was there just to be saved by the ML. For gods sake how many times will he get beaten up. Not once was he able to fight back and he is supposed to be a good fighter. uggh.
2. FL is there to be clueless and dumb most time only to become fierce goddess to save ML.
Even her friends and side characters didnt contribute much.
I still managed to watch till end to see atleast once ML doing something but to no avail. Only "redemption" is FL realising her mistake for once at the end.

What I liked
Actors specially ML and FL and SML SFL . they are good . thats it. thats the only good thing about this drama.

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Watch for the Male lead's acting, chemistry btw main couple & some charismatic side characters

Love and Redemption is easy to get into as there is a nice pacing throughout the beginning of the story, accompanied by nolstagic bgm and a strong male lead who is able to convey emotions very well with his microexpressions, leaving no one doubting his pain and suffering in any form- emotional or physical, nor his affection for the FL.

Enter the FL. In my opinion, FL (Crystal Yuan) qualifies to be in the running for the worst actor award in a cdrama with her inability to emote and her excessive use of eyedrops that ironically highlight how poor her acting is than aid with any emotional scene itself . I will say she does have strong chemistry with the ML which is probably one of the reasons why it was easy to get hooked onto this drama if one is able to switch off when she had a crying scene or a scene where she is meant to act betrayed but just looks constipated.

I need to mention the actress who played SFL Ling long did not fare that much better than Crystal and Mingyan had a pretty useless existence in this drama despite being on the posters and all.

Side characters Brother Liu and Tengshe were a much needed presence and comic relief to this drama and helped pushed the story forward with renewed energy and charisma.

As for the narrative itself, there were lots of plot developments that make love and redemption quite an interesting journey, however it's a shame that this drama couldn't be the masterpiece it could have been because logic and character development were thrown out the window, with the story relying instead on misunderstandings to drive it forward.

You can watch this if you enjoy fluff knowing its just fluff and if you want to know what propelled actor Cheng Yi to his current fame. Just know that you WILL need to practice restraint when FL appears (post beginning stage) because you will wonder how she was ever able to become an actress and why nobody in her inner circle had the integrity to stop her from choosing this profession.

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Ultimate displays of true love

I would rate "Love and Redemption" as being almost on par with "Ashes of Love". When it lacks in charm, it makes up for in fantastic displays of feminine heroism. Whether it is trusting the humanity of an outsider, looking for nuance in geopolitical conflict, experiencing betrayal, or facing evidence of lies and deception, "Love and Redemption" puts true love to the ultimate test. Time and time again, the depth of their love is challenged by how far they are willing to go, how much they are willing to sacrifice, how intense they are willing to suffer, how many times they are willing to risk death, or even how much of their morality they are willing to sacrifice for true love. The philosophy of the heroin's deontological morality is juxtaposed against the consequentialist morality of the villain, showing how easy it is for consequentialism to lose its way.

More reviews: https://transcendentphilos.wixsite.com/website/post/the-philosophy-of-chinese-dramas

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Lost of eye candy !!

This show was great loved the majority of it. Great screen, wonderfully cinematography, great actors and acting. It blew me away the first half of the show, however as the show wore on, there were plot holes, there was repetitive and filler episodes. It’s hard to Carry 59 episodes all through however they did make a great attempt.

The tragedy that was their love story had a happy ending. I felt like some of the romances were not fully explored, some characters were under developed. Nonetheless it was great and its a must watch. I can’t lie I skipped some episodes in the middle and forwarded some towards the end due to the poor writing but overall it was worth the watch. Chen Yi is so handsome and he portrayed his characters really well.

What I didnt like, the finale battle was stupid and did not leave the satisfaction i was hoping for. The Heavenly Emperor seemed useless and let King Bailing do what ever he wanted for years with his knowledge.
The lesson was a good one though that ultimately demons are what are inside use and the choices we make will lead to either positive or negative effect so we need to mindful and respectful of others.

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I will say that when I saw so many episodes I was worried. But I always value a show by how much I would want to re-watch it. This show was definitely one I would continue to watch again.

When starting out, you can see right away how much Si Feng cares for Xuan Ji. Then we start to realize why he is hiding something from her. We also begin to see how much King Bailing hates anyone who is a demon, no matter how good they are.

The hardest part of the show was watch how much Si Feng sacrificed for her and her alone. Everything he did was solely for her. That was tough. But then we start to see that he didn't do this in just this life, but in 9 previous lives before, each time giving his all to her by dying, hoping that she would come to appreciate him in even the slightest way. Each time she treated him like he was nothing to her. We also end up seeing that it wasn't just in the lives on earth, but he also defended her when she was in the heavenly realm being punished when she realized that Bailing had betrayed her by making her think the Ashuras' were the "real" bad guys.

Thankfully we got to be introduced to Teng She (Lord Flying Snake) who really is a hysterical figure. His character is so funny that it's hard to describe. Though he is very powerful, he agrees to be Xuan Ji's spirit animal and is one of the few heavenly beings that is actually on Si Feng's side, even at one point, turning against the heavenly realm because he could see how much pain they were causing her.

The best part of the show, thankfully, comes in the last 2 episodes (just my opinion). Everyone is shown how much damage has been done by Bailing thanks to the Jade Emperor's (the father of Si Feng) intervening. He shows Bailing what would have happened had he not been so rash to poison Rahu Ketu's (The Star of Mosha) drink and turn him into the god of war and sealing his soul away.

Though Si Feng has been killed at this point, after Rahu and Bailing die, the Emperor reveals that Rahu put a piece of his soul into Si Feng, which later allows him to come back to life.

In the end we get to see probably one of the best endings with Si Feng and Xuan Ji married with a little boy. They are all celebrating her father's birthday. Everyone is finally together and happy....with the final scene showing the two together standing in a majestic scene holding onto each other.

Definitely a show to watch as one of the best I've seen in quite a while.

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Love Prevails

another lovable wuxia drama that had me smiling in the end.

Positives: Story
the storyline was very interesting .. it was unique and i really enjoyed how it played out especially in the beginning with her six senses and her not having them and all. the storyline will surely keep you hooked because there’s always something interesting happening one after the other.

Negatives: Story
- at certain points it did was a bit of a mess
- too much spitting of blood and the ml dying 💀
- filler episodes

HATED the king and how he interfered .. i made be boiling with annoyance.

Positives: Acting
the acting was nice and decent from the supporting actors although "Yuan Bing Yan" more so "Cheng Yi" was incredible . he always knows how to capture the audience and keep him hooked.

even though the constant spitting of blood got to the point of being annoying and too much along with repetitive, i have to say he really proved how incredible of a actor he is by doing it over and over and over again.

the music was alright .. nothing special in my opinion though i liked "colored glass" it was a nice one.



not sure if i’d watch it in the future especially since there are so many episodes and so many filler episodes but maybe one day ..

i’m really happy they got the happy ending they deserved and that nothing stopped them. one of my favorite cdrama couples :D

overall the drama was a really nice one though i don’t think they needed 59 episodes perhaps 40 but nothing less i enjoyed it. this drama is for you if you love romance and some suffering haha because you will get ALOT of it.

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This is a great wuxia adaptation from the novel The Glass Maiden. The love story is weaved into the world of martial arts with a good dose of revenge, mystery, and action. The actions scenes are very well done and the CGIs are great. Although there are some unnecessary issues among the leading couple, there’s character growth and steadfast love among them. The leading actors are both fantastic but the leading lady has the most growth of all the characters in the drama and she did an excellent job from an innocent and hopelessly bewildered girl to a strong woman who is able to stay true to her feelings and her persona. Even though the love story can be a bit frustrating at times because of the misunderstandings, the leading couple has great chemistry and it is beautiful how the they love and protect each other. The supporting cast did a great job also bringing their characters to life and there are two actors that made the drama much better, Han Cheng Yu (as Liu Yi Huan [Rebel of Li Ze Palace, Si Feng's friend, and Yu'er's father]) and Lu Peng (as Qing Long [Heavenly Beast]). Overall, this is a great drama. Enjoy it!

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Gay story

I felt it was a gay story in the end.. there is good storyline in the beginning but it lost the plot once the star of moshi is unleashed/ revived... In the end writer tried his best but couldn't get the required.... Apart from that story is good for lovers in knowing deep emotions... And also trust of the partner... Story lineup of creating god of war is impressive.. but revealing true identity
Of mosha star made the feel of the story letting down.. could have been edited and tried something
Else like trapping
Female Soul in to body.. but it's different. .. other than that story is excellent
Music is very good...

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