4 couples, 4 different ways to deal with love, social background and values

First of all, I'd like to say that this drama is really powerful, with very good actors and musics.
At first I came into this drama because of the poster showing three of my favorite actors. I really thought that it was a love story involving 2 guys in love with the same girl.... But there is nothing like that in this drama ! It's so much more interesting !

4 couples with 4 different love stories and different bonds between them. It's all about love, friendship, money, power, social backgrounds, social pressure and achievement. Can you do whatever you want to gain prestige and money ? Can you make people love you just because you want them to love you ? Can you make decison on behalf of others without even discussing it with the peolpe concerned ? Can you forgive ? Can you let it go ? Can you let bygones be bygones ? Can you confess your mistakes and pay for them ? Can you really know your heart and real desires ?
Those are some of the topics that you will find in the storyline. Love is one thing but most important are the decisions you make when you are in love and when things don't go as you wish.... certainly the message in this drama is that love can make you a better person as long as you take the right decisions and spend most of your time to cherish the one you love.

I really enjoyed watching Li Qin and Shawn Dou together again (they were so pityful together in Princess agent because of the onesided love). Are they a much better couple in here ? Well yes definitely, even though you have to wait till the last ten minutes of the drama to find the outcome.
One last word for actor Li Ting Zhe (Lin XiangYuan) : he plays the bad guy pushy and unscrupulous that we love to hate,... this actor is amazing and has got the most interesting role and character.... no spoiler but we finally cannot hate him.

So many good points make us forget script flaws, I recommend this drama because it is never boring and has a good pace : isn't it what we are looking for in any show ?

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Based on Emperor Renzong of Song's real life and historical events, the storyline describes imperial court and harem, political issues and emperor's personnal feelings, values and dilemmas.
The emperor's philosophy is to rule its empire, the court and his personal life following the path of virtue (understanding what is right and what is wrong and acting accordingly) : virtue is supposed to bring prosperity.
This emperor is an intellectual who really cares for his Nation and his people. He tries to promote skilled scholars in order to reform the country. But ancestor rules and taboos are to be considered in politics. Reforming a country is a hard task and any move you make has to follow long term strategies and compromises in order to avoid rebellions and ministers censurship. The Emperor's aim is to bring people peace and serenity. He struggles against poverty and natural disasters. What the emperor will achieve is quite well described in this drama but, to me, it's not the interesting part of it.
What makes this drama a really very good one is how Emperor's Renzong's of Song's is portrayed as a man (Zhao Zhen), as a lover and as a father. In here you get the addictive part of the drama ! Mainly because of Wang Kay's acting ? We really get in understanding Zhao Zhen, his feelings, love interactions and sufferings which are all related to the fact that he became Emperor at 12 years old and had to submit to his mother who ruled the country on his behalf (that was last emperor edict).
At a very young age Zhao Zhen had to act as an emperor following court rules, rites and studying hardly. His teacher was a high scholar with modern political points of view but he was also a Confusius adept. As a child, the Emperor didn't get much love. When, teenager, he was told that the Empress Dowager was not his biological mother, his inner world became a mess but still he had to act as if he was not hurt showing filial pity to the one who was untrue and never show any affection to him. The Emperess never allowed Zhao Zhen to meet his biological mother and this is certainly a key point to his interactions with women.
As a man, Zhao Zhen neglected the only woman, Emperess Cao (Maggie Wang) whith whom he could have had a long lasting happiness... To appoint an Empress is a state matter : she rules the harem and is the Nation's Mother. The best candidate was chosen for him by his Ministers... The Emperor was said that Emperess Cao was ugly, so on the wedding nigth he didn't show up to accomplish his royal husband's duty ! When he first saw Empress Cao, he was very much impressed with her beauty, wisdom and intellectual skills. But she was cold and showed him no affection (she was hurt because of the wedding night...). For 15 years, they had so many misunderstandings and couldn't meet as husband and wife but only as Empror and Empress, hidind their true selves and feelings behind their status. She was so straight and so perfect as an Empress that Zhao Zhen couldn't consider her as his wife, somehow she reminded him of Empress Dowager so much. Finally, events made them speak true to each other and they would become real wife and husband sharing deep love, respect and admiration. The Emperor used to think that she was a much better ruler for the harem than he was for the Empire.
The emperor will get many concubines and a royal consort (his favourite who was quite the Empress opposite, knowing nothing about rules, showing openly her love and acting childishly).
This emperor was really ill-fated as a father. He loved his children, unfortunately most of them died at a very young age. He had many daughters and 2 sons who both died. The emperor thought that her dead biological mother was taking his children to her as a revenge because he didn't show her any filial pity. This culpability of being unfilial made him think that Heavens were punishing him bringing to his country natural disasters, diseases and taking his children away from him. Giving the Nation a Prince became a state affaire.
His oldest and beloved daughter Princess Fukang (Huirou) gives this drama an amazing storyline. This character is not related to historical events but she definitely gives this drama a terrific scheme. Her relationship with the eunuque Hauiji is so beautiful when she is a child and just thrilling afterwards. The last 10 episodes of this drama focuses on these two characters and are among the best parts of this drama. Hauiji is a rare and valuable character and the actor (Bian Cheng) is just perfect.
You may learn a lot while watching this drama as long as you are interested in chinese history and Renzong of Song's achievements. Photogrophy is really nice and scenes are filmed in a very acurate way. But aesthetic can't replace action, nor good actors can replace the slow pace and dragging progression of the whole story. You may find this drama is kind of intellectual with too many political moves reviewed and argued... I admit that I felt like sleeping on some episodes ! But after episode 6, you really want to know more about this Emperor and how he deals with women. Wang Kai and Maggie Yang are terrific actors and honestly I kept on watching this drama mainly because of them and later because of Hauiji character. Finally, this drama is very good. I bet that if you watch it you will also shed a tear before the very last episode. I highly recommand this drama.

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Li Yifeng, what else ?

To Li Yifeng fans, this drama is worth watching ! I really liked the storyline and the actors.
How nice to see in here, so many second lead actors we have already liked in Ashes of love, The Untamed, Evernight and others !
I don't really understand why this drama is underrated. Acting is good, the plot is interesting, the music is nice, so are the costumes and the sceneries. Of course, if you don't like love stories you may think that sometimes the storyline is a bit slow, but to me actions development is just good and main actors interactions'timing is just great. Characters are maybe too much stereotypal with a sens of déjà vu....
Li Yifeng is Li Yifeng : so talended in expressing love emotions, so handsome when he wears a nice wig that suits him ! He reminds us of The legend of Chusen where he was so impressive !
Zheng Ye Cheng is amazing : the 2 characters he incarnates are so different that he can perfectly show how a great actor he is ! 43 Episodes aren't enough !
This Xianxia story is not desappointing, we can only point out a senario not well balanced with sometimes some scenes that would have been better to be cut !!!
Last episode is a bit boring, no surprise..... as expected ???

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Actors misguided and bad staging... but still interesting

I had been waiting for this drama for so long ! I had great expectations and was quite excited when it aired. But now, I am really sorry to say that the most interesting part of this drama is the OST with awesome opening and ending themes ! There is also a good surprise : actor Chen Meng Xi's talent and good looks.

Actually the storyline is quite interesting and brings mystery, but the whole story is a bit messy, the drama itself is really bad staged and actors misguided and/or badly filmed. There are so many mistakes in the staging, some moments are really funny when they aren't supposed to be and leave you really doubtful... There are two directors for this drama, they should have hired a third one !
The pace is really slow, I watched it at speed 1,5 from episode 30 to the end.

So what is this xianxia drama about ? The Immemorial Demon Sword 's 500 years enchantment is about to break up. Demon Sword brings misery and sufferings to the mortal realm. To maintain peace and guard the Demon Sword, Jinhua school recruits talented cultivators and night watchers in order to prevent the Night Clan (demonic sect) to waken up the Sword.

The main plot begins when the regent emperor colludes with the Night Clan and Bai family in order to rule the world. Qin Wenxian ( Peter Sheng) is an adopted son of the powerful Qin family. His real parents are unknown and he has no cultivation capabilities but for some unknown reasons he will be the one who wil carry in his body the Stone of Star Soul which will give him extraordinary powers and makes him a genius within the Jinhua school. This stone is the only weapon that can defeat the Demon Sword. How will Qin Wentian use this stone ? Nothing is sure. Will he join the Night clan and turn evil ? Will he save the world and be loyal to his friends and family ? You'll get the answer on last episode.

Beside the main plot, there are different love stories, shared love, one sided love and unrequested love. Sweet moments and also mean ones, some of them are really good but some of them are are just ridiculous or unexpected...
The love story between the main leads is interesting but there is poor chemistry. Princess Qingcheng (Olivia Wang) is actually the Immemorial Demon Sword's guardian although she isn't aware of it when the drama begins.. She is the one connected to it and may sacrifice her life to keep the enchantment. Qin Wenxian and the Princess are both Jinhua school disciples and of course they are in love and have to face good and bad moments... Will they end together and love for ever even after ? Yes !
Peter Sheng and Olivia Wang's acting is so so. They are good but not at the utmost of their skills. I liked Jerry Chang who played perfectly well his role (vilain, superb and gorgeous at the same time ! ). I won't say much about the actors ( I had a crush for Chen Meng Xi, so sexy when he turns evil...). As I said before actors were not helped by the directors who obviously lack staging skills or just... don't like actors !

In this drama, there is action, mystery and some good scenes. If you are not very demanding you will spend a good time watching this, especially if you are Peter Sheng or Olivia Wang's fans !

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I was not sure to watch this drama because of its law ratings and only one review in MDL.... Li Yi Feng's main role in here made me have a try. Honestly, after watching this drama, I think it deserves to be watched ! The story, characters interactions and staging are just very good. The script writer is imaginative, original and makes the story lively and untertaining even though from episode 30 till the end the story tends to drag. The drama takes place in New York and in Beijing which is quite interesting for actions and sceneries. But too many lines in english make chinese actors sound weird. Non chinese characters in New York are rather secondhand actors and this is damaging the quality of the whole drama.
This drama deals with modern dilemmas : carreer vs love, men's aspirations vs women's aspirations, dreams vs reality. And most of all, it's about life and how you can handle your own dreams and personnal values in a society which isn't necessarily entitled to satisfy any of them. Isn't this too much for a drama ? Also, I think that "Wait in Beijing" is a very bad drama'stitle. Actually "I'm waiting for you in Beijing" would have been much better. This sentence is told by a middle aged man to the woman he loves. She is actually escaping from him because she is unable to accept his feelings, not knowing herself how to face love.
What is love ? How to deal with it when it's unrequested, one-sided, illusional ? How to deal with it when the one you love is your best friend's lover? How to deal with it when the one you love hardly gives you any support and misundertand your inner needs ? How to be brave enough to let it go when love doesn't bring you any happiness but just sufferings ?
The storyline focus on two childhood friends raised in Beijing who share the same dream of becoming famous fashion's designers and going abroad to gain international fame. Sheng Xia (Maggie Jiang) is from a rather rich chinese family and after graduating goes to New York in order to accomphish her dream. She owns a fashion shop in New York while her friend Jia Xia Duo (Jiang Meng Jie) remains in Beijing because of her poor health and lack of money. She tries to make a living selling selfmade designed outfits in streets. She's got a boyfriend who supports her and believes in her talent and dreams. In New York, Sheng Xia meets Xu Tian ( Li Yi Feng) a chinese-american orphan no-name lawyer who tries to help poor and helpless people providing them law support and advice. Those two don't seem to have anything in common but they will actually fall in love. Sheng Xia has been dating Shen Kai ( George Hu) for three years when she meets Xu Tian. Shen Kai proposes to Sheng Xia, but she is not ready yet to get married and wants to spend all her energy in her career. Another important character is Sheng Xia's employee and chinese friend, Jia Xiao Duo (Jiang Meng Jie). Xiao Duo is waiting for her charming prince and dares to date different boys until she'll find the good one. She is the one who makes the first move with boys. She is here to promote girls emancipation and girl's power, but actually she is lost and to her love means sacrifice...
Different kinds of love and different ways of loving are shown in this drama. Happy endings for all ?

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After watching the firts two episodes, I was thinking of dropping this drama. I gave episode 3 a last chance and, unexpectedly, it was very good ! Romance was there : our detective is falling in love with an assassin girl while healing her. This is clichė but the new thing is that the scene was far away from usual chinese historical drama. The hero dares to touch the lady and... even more ! I was thinking that the director of this drama was rather audacious. Will he grant us some other bold and unexpected scenes ? He will.
What about the 2 main roles ? Detective Jian Bu Zhi (Tim Yu) is not a martial artist. He is very smart just like anyone who solves mystery crimes. He is amnesic and tries to get the truth with what happened in his past when his father died. He travels around to investigate his own case and gets involved in crimes scenes. He makes a new friend Zhao Wu Huan (Wang Yan Yang) whose dream is to become a "future" martial hero. These two become sworn brothers (showing their affection in a weird funny scene with long lasting hugs). Zhao Wu Huan is very protective and helpful.
Solving crimes is in Agatha Christie's ways. The sound track is really good and gives strength to the filming, arising your attention, interest and tension. The ending theme song is brilliant and the singer's'voice quite emotional, it will remain in your head all day long !
If you like drama with suspens, odd atmosphere, funny moments and crime mysteries, you will certainly love this drama.
You may find many storyline flaws in its beginning and a lack of interest for the main characters. This feeling will slowly but completely desappear. I had to wait till episode 15 to reallly appreciate the main cast and story and to find the whole thing quite entertaining and captivating. So I can't rate this drama too high, but from episode 15 till the end I woud give a 9/10. Last episode grants a great great unexpected end. I'm looking forward to season 2.
Please give this drama a good chance, you won't regret it.

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I came to watch this show just for the actors and I'm sorry to say that nor the actors nor the storyline was convincing to me. All this story is a fake with nothing tangible and lots of clichés already seen in other dramas. I've been quite disppointed watching this, first of all because of the main actors : even if Xu Kai is quite handsome, he is far away from being the great actor he was in Story of Yanxi Palace, Bai Lu is just not credible in her role : really who can see her as a man in this drama ? Even worse, when Bai Lu is Xie Xian she is even less attractive than when pretending to be a man ! I went on watching this drama till the end hoping for nice moments to come but they never show up ! Honestly, this was a big production but the storyline is awfully uninteresting and the characters just boring. It's such a pity.

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Are you guys serious rating this movie so low ? This action movie, with good suspense, has a thrilling storyline ! The script is so clever, the staging so interesting with very good timing and amazing photography, the acting is so good, what more can you expect ? I enjoyed all of it without getting bored even a single second, I hardly can believe this film last more than 2 hours !
Main character Zheng Kaisi (Li Yifeng) is forced to enter a survival's game where players are expected to show out their deepest animal's emotions at any time of the game (you've got here strange visual effects making humans kind of extraterrestrial creatures). The game has its rules with many chances to loose, Zheng Kaisi has to play smart in order to survive. His childhood trauma showing up whenever he gets too emotional will help him... but also his altruism and straightness.
Li Yfeng gives Zhen Kaisi's character all his sincerity and charisma. It's nice to see him with Mickael Douglas. This movie is just perfect, thank you director Han Yan for the screenwriting, the casting and the filming. It's such a good show ! Hoping for Animal world 2.

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This low budget web serie is nothing else but a pure comedy, a costume drama parody ! You will also find in here high quality emotional and thrilling moments. If you take this drama not that seriously, you certainly will enjoy all of it, even the weird parts of it !
The music is quite good. The director did a very good job staging emotional scenes at their best. I loved every character of this drama (there's no way to dislike even only one of them !).
The storyline is great and deals with men and women relagionships/misunderstandings, and also brotherhood (that may turn into bromance without even being noticed !) Has love anything to do with one's gender ?
How would you feel if all of a sudden you wake yourself up into another gender's body and in another century ? If you don't become crazy, would you be able to accept and face this ? How far could you bear to be in someone's else body, identity and gender ? Would you feel comfortable and act in appropriate ways ? That's what Crystal Zhang's character has to face in this drama (a playboy wakes up in a princess body !) Furthermore, what if the guy who is supposed to be your husband (a crowned prince) tries to kill you and despise you ? What if the crowned prince finally comes to see that you are different from the one he used to know and starts to really appreciate your strong personnality ? What if the crowned prince wants now to live his love story with you and acts like your husband ? What if the husband of yours is an idealistic lover and considers love above anything else and puts his life in danger in order to win your trust and make you surrender to him in a shared love ? Could you accept this and act like a submissive woman when you used to be a macho man ? Knowing that you are now in a female body will this make changes in your psychology and emotions ? Will your inner self turn into woman's sensitiveness and change your former personnality ?
I really like Peter Sheng and Crystal Zhang as main leads in this drama. Second leads even give a better value to the show. There is also a great chemestry between Crystal Zhang and Alan Yu. Every parodic and funny scenes between main leads actors were absolutely terrific, worth to be rewatched several times !
This drama is made for you whenever you feel like laughing loudly, getting moved or even forgetting all of your ordinary life. You'll find everything to enjoy and relax in Go Princess Go... and so much more !
Go, watch this! Go !

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Well, this was a huge production with top actors and great storyline. Unfortunenately, this drama is STILL waiting for further episodes to get a real ending and it's quite frustrating. Obviously, season 2 has been dropped because this epic drama was far beyond the producer and viewers expectations. So, what on earth went wrong with this drama ? Well, I'm telling you my point of view. Sceneries, photography, actors outfits and visual effects were amazing ! Actors were really great ! But the screenplay went on messy while progressing and the slow developpement of too many actions and plots was really damaging this drama. Too much ambition for this 75 episodes, the sciptwriters were exceeded by their task and they missed the main psychological and thrilling points to make this drama an unforgettable one. After watching the first episode, I just thought I wouldn't go any further. It started with epic tribes actions, heavy fightings and looked kind of ethnical/ historical documentary. I was not expecting to watch any of that. But this was the "tribes" part so I was eager to watch the "empires" part of it with Shawn Dou who was such a terrific actor in Princess Agents. And that's why I kept on watching this drama. Honestly, I was quite interested in the different plots and the whole story. But this drama is nothing but a slow tragedy. Main leads are ill fated and related with an unauspicious prophecy which we don't get the chance to know wether it will happen. So, of course this drama is a real storm prophecy also for the viewers.

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A pathetic hero in the name of love

I had no intention of writing about this drama since the hero dies in episode 50 which means to me the end of the drama. Still I watched the 6 further episodes which were full of painful love and sadness. You have no option : love is everything but happiness. Get out your handkerchiefs...
I realised then that I had to share my feelings with you and explain why this drama is such a disappointment although the production did a good job with the sets, the direction, the OST and the actors.
First of all, the hero ( Cheng Xu) is pathetic : who on earth would be stupid enough to renounce his legitimate right to take the title of emperor and just settle for the title of prince regent because of a woman ? Certainly not a general whose aim is victory no matter what ! Who would give up his right to be happy in his mariage just because he didn't marry the girl he was in love with ? Certainely not a prince who can have as many concubines as he wants to ! I really didn't like the way the hero was shown : an outstanding general on battlefields but a simple idealistic boy obsessed with his lost love and unable to live his own life ! How can he be so heartless with his wife who shows him so much love and just wants to be happy with him ? His whole life, he is obssessed with Ming Yu, he can't let her go and thinks that they can still be together... He is just throwing his life away ! Is she worth all the sufferings he is going through ? Is she worth to put his ambitions and goals aside ? Is she worth to be saved by him so many times ? Cheng Xu is the one who makes the great country Sheng where people can find peace and serenity (Chang'an) but he is just the Empress puppet ! How pathetic !
So, the hero is unable to get the woman he loves, nor to revenge, nor to get the emperor status which was originally his. Okay, an ill-fated hero, why not after all ? Still, to me, we can't expect a great storyline out of feminist ideas and idealist romantic love exposed in an unappropriate historical context.

What really bothered me was that this drama was mostly a whole nonsens. Fortunately, nothing is based on historical events, this drama is pure fiction. Ming Yu is a woman more clever than anyone. She actually is this drama's main character. She is beautiful, brilliant and is a war strategist (but not only, she is fated to rule the world). When she becomes the Emperor's consort she thought that the man she loved and whom she promised to wait for was dead. But the man she loved, Cheng Xu the 9th prince, was still alive : she betrayed him. So she depressed and did everything she could not to fulfill her marital duties. The Emperor was so much in love with her that he thought she was homesick. Honestly, we all know that no one can say no to an Emperor ! What he wants he just gets it. l really didn't appreciate her nor couldn't find her interesting. She is manipulative and only use her true love Cheng Xu in order to make her son the crown prince who will become an incapable and pityful immature emperor...

Who else than Cheng Yi could have been the 9th Prince Cheng Xu in this drama ? Without him and his awsome acting I would have rated this drama 6,5. Thank you Cheng Yi for saving this drama !

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Overrated drama

When I watch a good drama I usually tend to watch episodes after episodes and I have to discipline myself not to watch the whole drama in 2 days ! Nothing like this watching "Till the end of the Moon". Quite the opposite! I had to force myself to go to the end of the show after watching the first twenty episodes.

The show starts rather well and we know that we are going to enjoy watching Bai Lu and Luo Yun Xi acting together with talent and good chemistry. We really want to know if the Devil-Lord-to-be will fall in love and feel human emotions. We thing we are going to watch a really good love story. But suddenly the story stops and a new story comes to us. And then a third story comes to us ! Of course everything is linked but I really disliked it. Moreover, I do not like to be watered with the blood that actors spit several times per episode, I do not like the free masochism that we have to endure in love stories where finally nothing is tangible. The 3 last episodes were all messed up and seemed never ending. We were shown hell and nirvana and redemption I guess. Maybe we have to be Asian to understand and appreciate what was supposed to be a rather happy ending.

This love story is disappointing. There is no doubt about Tantai Jin's feelings but nothing is certain about the heroine. She wants to stop Tantai Jin becoming the Devil Lord but for ulterior reasons than love. We are given to see too little idyllic moments between the two lovers, it's hard believing in an authentic love story.

What was interesting to watch ? Acting. Luo Yun Xi is a brilliant devil and very skilled actor. Sometimes his makeup was too noticeable, making him appear a bit ridiculous.
What else ? Outfits. Some outfits and clothes were just gorgeous. They sublimated the actors and actresses.
Is that all ? Scenaries and sets. Some were really nice.
What about the tracks ?The soundtrack was typical of this type of drama. Nothing original.

In summary ? Drama overrated.

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Keeps you on suspense till the end

Maybe, in this drama, the most interesting thing is the chemistry between the actors and how relationships develop. Friendship, love, rivalry, betrayal, patriotism, hidden identities, heroism, undercover agents missions within the Japanese Headquarters : Sparrow is all about these. It’s also about the path you take in life, real love, affection, brotherhood, ambitions and sacrifices to idealism.

Adopted from a novel, this drama is very well staged and directed. The casting is just amazing ! How good Li Yi Feng (Sparrow/Chen Shen) and Edward Zhang (Head of Japanese special forces) are together in this brotherhood relationship ! There is great chemistry, you can feel the two character’s deep affection even when they use each other to achieve their ends. I was eager to know how this relationship would end !
Edward Zhang’s acting is really accurate, just as Yin Zheng’s (Su Sancheng). Su Sancheng is very ambitious and clever. He wants to gain power, unfortunately he is also a psycho, the one you would dislike the most in this drama. Well done Yin Zheng, no one can stand your character !
If Sparrow is above all a series on the espionage of the Japanese invaders in Shanghai during the Second World War, it is also about love. I will just mention the two characters in love with Chen Shen. One is his first and only love, Xu Bicheng, the other one is the so-called « buddy » actress Li Xiaonan. I really liked all the moments where Li Yifeng and Kan Qingzi (Li Xiaonan) were on screen, there was such a great chemistry maybe because of the actress skills or her lively character, I don’t know. There was something stronger and more appealing when they were together than when Li Yifeng was with Zhou Dongyu (Xu Bicheng). I really hoped Li Xiaonan won over Xu Bicheng. Her character is so much more interesting and strong than Xu Bicheng’s. To me, she is this drama’s real heroin, protecting Chen Shen all along.
The ten last episodes are really great in actions and suspense… It’s thrilling : I rushed to watch each new episode and was never disappointed. Last two episodes aren’t easy to watch, you may get tensed… fearing a bad end, hoping for a good one !
Released in 2016, Sparrow is a timeless quality series, you will appreciate the characters, the acting, the script , the plots and the sets. A good production, a good show to watch, and re-watch.

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Sifeng, Xuanji is your demon, are you fated to be a cursed, painful and pitiful lover ? Wake up !

"Love and redemption" is definitely a drama worth to be watched, especially for those who love fated masochist love stories and xianxia dramas with happy ending.
How nice to reunite in this drama some of the actors of Noble aspirations : especially Cheng Yi and Liu Xueyi. They have matured and give their best in Love and Redemption. I was quite surprised to see how Cheng Yi is terrific in love scenes, high in emotion and sincerity. Liu Xueyi is just gorgeous, so elegant, schemeful and manipulative in such a glamourous way, he doesnt act as a Dijun, he is Dijun ! Just want to add that Peer Zhu is awesome too. I didn't know this actor before but I must say that he plays demon Yuan Lang in a perfect and appealing way !
Many reviewers have already said that this drama is awesome with very good and handsome actors, nice sceneries, costumes, OST and filming. I agree. Others think that this drama can be compared to Ashes of love and TMOPB for its quality and even for some similarities in the storylines. Is it just a pure coincidence if Xuanji parents are played by the same actors who were Jin Mi's parents in Ashes of love ? There are also some common points with Noble aspirations and the unforgetable Guili/Xiaofan.
But once you have said this, you have said nothing ! What is really interesting to underline in Love and Redemption is that the God of War is a woman who has to reincarnate to overcome tribulations in the mortal realm in order to save herself from becoming a demon and being expelled for ever from the heavenly realm. When the story begins, it is her last mortal life and her last chance to succeed her trial (overcoming her murdering pulsions and share real love).
In her last mortal life will she manage to love and trust Yu Sifeng who is so deeply in love with her ? This is what we are expecting and longing for but things get more bad in the drama when Sifeng's real identity is discovered on episode 37.
It was so entertaining to see, in the first episode, how Sifeng meets Xuanji, the very first girl he ever met cause in his sect no women were allowed in. He was so confused that he stuttered for the whole episode ! And of course fell for Xuanji who is naive and natural, lacking 6 of the commun's senses ( including love), not minding touching him with no reserve making him turn on... But those charming moments won't last in the drama and soon enough Sifeng will go through too many painful situations, risking his life and bearing so many sufferings in order to protect Xianji and helping her to recover the senses she never had... maybe all this is too much for us and we just feel bored watching Sifeng repeating the same tortured scenes, nearly dying, or crying being so pitiful in masochist hurting scenes and idealised romantic love ( ie episode 20 Sifeng suffers to death because of the cursed love mask effects; ep 27 Sifeng comes to watch his 9 human lives tribulations and we have to bear this with him). To me, if love brings you more pain than happiness, it's not worth it or at least you can't call it love but rather submission to obsession.
Though, this drama has so many beautiful and touching love scenes so well performed and staged. Sifeng and Xuanji are so sincere in expressing love feelings. Sifeng shows so much tenderness and love that you can only be moved by the actor's skills. I have to admit that you have in this drama some of the best love scenes and sweet moments of chinese drama ( for intance episode 15 when Xuanji takes off Sifeng's cursed love mask; ep 28 when Xuanji confesses her love, she knows now what love feelings are and is aware that Sifeng is the one she loves ; ep 30 tremendous episode with high, intense and deep emotions; ep 52 so passionate with a french kiss, so unusual in chinese dramas).
Unusual too the happy ending, well done Sifeng !

I will definitely rewatch this drama not only for Sifeng and Xuanji beautiful interactions but also for those others very interesting characters who bring so much to the drama : Hao Chen, Yuan Lang, Wu Tong, Liu Yihuan and Teng She. No female character ? Come on ! Ok, let's say Sifeng's spiritual pet !

Sure you will enjoy this drama ! I hope you will love most of the actors too !

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Ming dynasty or the story of mad emperors...

With this historical drama we don't know exactly when the storyline sticks to real facts and when it doesn't. We get poor psychological developments and emperors are finally shown in their ordinary madness or worst scheming sides.
Costumes are great, sceneries too. Epic war actions are quite very well depicted and give this drama real great moments. There are also poetic and beautiful scenes.
But finally my feeeling is that this drama could have been so much better ! The first part has funny moments but maybe because of my cultural gap I didn't understand the interest in bringing no relevant comedy scenes to this drama. Those scenes were rather boring and slowed the story progression . The second part of the drama is complety the opposite, quite serious and tragical.
The soundtrack is really really good and brings intensity to this drama.

Lead actors are terrific. Zhu Ya Wen (Zhu Zhan Ji) is amazing. I didn't know this actor before and he really deserves a best actor award ! I love the way he plays and give strenghth to his character : dumb, submissive and
caring as the imperial's grandson, smart, assertive and brave as a royal investigator and finally fearless as a warrior and rather mad as an Emperor. What an interesting character he is ! One can only regret not seeing him in more love scenes with Sun Ruowei. With such a talented actor it's a real pity not having given him more sensivitive and emotial love lines.
I also loved Rebecca Tang, she is so charismatic but her character (Sun Ruowei) is just unrealistic. I really didn't understand her psychology. As Empress Dowager she is just amazing with a perfect acting. Sun Ruowei is this drama's main character but she is too much idealized as a female strong historical persona. Compred to her, Ming's Emperors seem all to be mad, unhappy and finally rather ill fated.

Overall, this drama has very good moments. It's worth to be watched by all historical drama lovers.

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