Love transcends deaths

There have been a lot of superlatives being used to describe this drama : amazing, perfect, awesome! There are also some critics who constantly find faults with this drama just because of certain actor or actress. Personally for me, this drama is the epitome of a xianxia done well. If you are able to watch it with an open heart, unbiased and uncluttered with prejudiced opinions from others who may not have completed the drama, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. If you are a lover of xianxia genre, you should not miss this drama.

Ancient love poetry brings a new concept where there is a separation between the God realm and immortals realm, the former being the more powerful and higher in ranking than the Immortal realm. The third realm, the demon realm is depicted as able to cohabit peacefully with the Gods and Immortals. I find these three realms living peacefully a refreshing change from the normal heavenly gods battle with the demons. This lasted in the first arch of the story. There are altogether three arches in the story which brings a roller coaster ride of emotions. And yes this a love story that stands the tribulation of times and deaths (yes, multiple deaths). The story is fresh, with plots that make sense. It keeps you guessing, while dropping hints and nuances along the way. I find myself rooting for all the characters in the drama, (well, except the villain). I should say that the actress playing the villain is excellent. Zhou Dong Yu and Xu Kai gave one of the best performance, with their facial expressions exuding their character’s inner feelings. This is my first time watching ZDY and I have high respect for her after watching ALP. The supporting cast, in particular Liu Xue Yi is convincing as one of their best friend ever. Even the child actor who appears at the last arch of the story is very talented. The relationships in this drama are varied: we have the lovers relationship, father-daughter relationship, father-son relationship and friends relationship. Each of these are very endearing. There are moments that make you squeal in delight and there are moments that make you bawl your eyes out. My trash can was full of tissue papers during the last three episodes. CGI and action sequence are top notch, realistic and done in perfect taste.

This was even better than L&R or AOL for me. Watch it and let love permeates your soul.

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A rare gem

This drama brings forth some authenticity to the life of Wuxia fighters. Instead of glaring bright spot lights at night, we get soft amber candle lights flickering in the dark. Instead of knowing instantly that this is a female crossed dressing as a male, we get to stop and ponder for a second. I like the way the production of this drama tries to emulate how life in a Wuxia world may looked like. The production sets remind me of The story of Ming lan, another drama that I enjoy immensely.

While the plot twists and turns at every corner, I am stuck aware that some plots may be unnecessarily confusing and seems intentionally so to keep the suspense going. I have one or two occasions wonder why these strategies /actions are needed but it’s probably my fault given that my 21st century brain could not comprehend how a Wuxia fighter may behave as our life values are now different. Nevertheless I enjoyed the ride tremendously and I would say that this is a mature drama. Do not expect the popular niche of rom-com in this drama. But expect some mature thinking as the plot thickens. The juxtaposition of political strategy and the pugilistic world is what makes this drama a rare gem.

I like all the cast in this film. I particularly like the actress who played Shen Manching although this is the first time I have seen her acting. While the group started off each with their own individualistic goal, they eventually build a strong bond and cohesively get together to bring down the villain.

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