Episodes: 63
Synopsis:
This historical-fantasy series is based on the novel called Heavy Sweetness, Ash-Like Frost by Dian Xian. The story starts off with the birth of our main character, Jinmi. Her mother, the Flower Deity, predicts that Jinmi would suffer a great love trial in the future and will die from it. Thus, before the Flower Deity passes away, she gives Jinmi an "unfeeling pill" to prevent her daughter from feeling and expressing romantic love. At the same time, she also requests the head leaders of the Flower World to hide Jinmi's identity as the Flower Deity and raise her instead as a little Grape spirit.
This historical-fantasy series is based on the novel called Heavy Sweetness, Ash-Like Frost by Dian Xian. The story starts off with the birth of our main character, Jinmi. Her mother, the Flower Deity, predicts that Jinmi would suffer a great love trial in the future and will die from it. Thus, before the Flower Deity passes away, she gives Jinmi an "unfeeling pill" to prevent her daughter from feeling and expressing romantic love. At the same time, she also requests the head leaders of the Flower World to hide Jinmi's identity as the Flower Deity and raise her instead as a little Grape spirit.
As a result, Jinmi grows up happily and naively. Unaware of her true identity, she believes that she is a little grape spirit with limited powers. She constantly wants to improve her powers so that she could bring her childhood friend, who died in an accident, back to life. Her constant search for prowess from stronger deities leads her to become entangled in a love triangle with the Fire Deity Xufeng and the Night Deity Runyu. Xufeng (aka phoenix) and Runyu (aka dragon/ or as Jinmi likes to call him: "xiao yu xian guan/little fish fairy) are both the sons of the Heavenly Emperor and both treat Jinmi exceptionally well. As Jinmi matures, learns about her identity, and also begins to learn to love as the unfeeling pill's effects fade, she finds herself stuck in difficult situations and making hard decisions in the name of love.
Review:
This drama is absolutely beautiful and it definitely became one of my favorite historical fantasy dramas very quickly. I love dramas that spin-off of mythical stories, fantasy characters, superpowers, and so forth--as long as it is not done in a cheesy way. While some parts of this drama can feel a bit corny, the cinematography, acting, and character developments made it very pleasurable to watch. I watched this back in the winter but to this day I still listen to the official soundtrack on repeat and feel some type of way. I've also gone back and rewatched some of the emotional, aesthetic scenes to relive the feelings I had when I watched this drama initially. This is one of those dramas that has very intense, memorable scenes that stick with you long after the drama has finished. While I really enjoyed this drama, I still want to put out there that this drama may not be for everyone. It is a long series filled with multiple plots, characters with magical powers, and numerous worlds and realms (human world, demon realm, heavens, etc). If you enjoy dramas like Three Lives Three Worlds, this would fit your taste.
The one thing that I really loved about this drama was that the casting for all the characters was so perfect and the acting was top-notch. I didn't expect anything less from Deng Lun and Yang Zi, but I was very surprised at the male second lead actor, Luo Yun Xi. Luo Yun Xi plays the role of Runyu, who is the first son of the heavenly emperor. His incarnation is a dragon and he has a gruesomely depressing backstory. His character is soft-spoken but with an ambition to rise higher and achieve more than what fate determined for him. The way Luo Yun Xi played this character--with softness and sadness in his eyes, confused brows from not understanding love, and eagerness and desire that consumed his spirit to take what should be his--it was absolutely stunning. He really showed how multi-layered Runyu is as a character and instead of antagonizing him, the audience learned to empathize and understand him while not fully agreeing with the decisions he was making.
I also thought Deng Lun was an appropriate cast for the role of Phoenix (the second son of the heavenly emperor). The way Deng Lun's eyes are shaped give off the soft, sad look that one would imagine a phoenix would have, and his facial expressions and mannerisms give off the fire of one that would be able to rise from death. His acting was also extremely enjoyable and he made it so easy to love his character and root for him throughout the drama. He does play a more headstrong and impulsive character compared to the character of Runyu. However, it is that contrast that makes you recognize the pros and cons of each character and who is more compatible with Jin Mi. Now for Yang Zi playing Jin Mi: Yang Zi looked absolutely stunning with her long hair and costume attire. I think this was the drama where her outfit and aesthetic matched her beauty the best. Jin Mi is a very complex character that shows a lot of growth emotionally in the drama and Yang Zi did amazing portraying that. I have to say that she has to be the queen of crying scenes because every time she cried my heart would hurt.
The chemistry between the characters was also all-around amazing. Friendships felt genuine and the romance felt passionate. There are a lot of side characters so I won't dive deep into that, but they did an amazing job as well. I really enjoyed the side romances and friendships that developed throughout the drama. It was also interesting to see how good the chemistry was in the beginning of the drama because Jin Mi cannot feel romantic love because of this "unfeeling pill" inside her. However, that chemistry was undeniable and as the pill's effects wore off, that chemistry and passion only grew. I also loved to see the romance take on different stories such as the first meeting in the flower world/heavenly world, then experiencing a human trial in the mortal world, and then coming back to the heavenly world. It was just funny how many twists and turns there were, and they kept coming back to each other. At the same time, I really enjoyed the ending of both characters individually working to save the other one as fate forces them apart in the cruelest ways possible. This drama definitely gets sadder as it goes but it's so addicting!
It is a very complex drama so this review could go on and on. Instead, I'll just list some favorite scenes and see if it matches any of your favorite scenes from this drama. This drama definitely has a special place in my heart, and I highly recommend this for anyone who wants their imagination to run wild. Also, it is currently up on Netflix under the title: Ashes of Love -- and you can find it on Youtube and other drama streaming sites as well. Check it out!
The one thing that I really loved about this drama was that the casting for all the characters was so perfect and the acting was top-notch. I didn't expect anything less from Deng Lun and Yang Zi, but I was very surprised at the male second lead actor, Luo Yun Xi. Luo Yun Xi plays the role of Runyu, who is the first son of the heavenly emperor. His incarnation is a dragon and he has a gruesomely depressing backstory. His character is soft-spoken but with an ambition to rise higher and achieve more than what fate determined for him. The way Luo Yun Xi played this character--with softness and sadness in his eyes, confused brows from not understanding love, and eagerness and desire that consumed his spirit to take what should be his--it was absolutely stunning. He really showed how multi-layered Runyu is as a character and instead of antagonizing him, the audience learned to empathize and understand him while not fully agreeing with the decisions he was making.I also thought Deng Lun was an appropriate cast for the role of Phoenix (the second son of the heavenly emperor). The way Deng Lun's eyes are shaped give off the soft, sad look that one would imagine a phoenix would have, and his facial expressions and mannerisms give off the fire of one that would be able to rise from death. His acting was also extremely enjoyable and he made it so easy to love his character and root for him throughout the drama. He does play a more headstrong and impulsive character compared to the character of Runyu. However, it is that contrast that makes you recognize the pros and cons of each character and who is more compatible with Jin Mi. Now for Yang Zi playing Jin Mi: Yang Zi looked absolutely stunning with her long hair and costume attire. I think this was the drama where her outfit and aesthetic matched her beauty the best. Jin Mi is a very complex character that shows a lot of growth emotionally in the drama and Yang Zi did amazing portraying that. I have to say that she has to be the queen of crying scenes because every time she cried my heart would hurt.
The chemistry between the characters was also all-around amazing. Friendships felt genuine and the romance felt passionate. There are a lot of side characters so I won't dive deep into that, but they did an amazing job as well. I really enjoyed the side romances and friendships that developed throughout the drama. It was also interesting to see how good the chemistry was in the beginning of the drama because Jin Mi cannot feel romantic love because of this "unfeeling pill" inside her. However, that chemistry was undeniable and as the pill's effects wore off, that chemistry and passion only grew. I also loved to see the romance take on different stories such as the first meeting in the flower world/heavenly world, then experiencing a human trial in the mortal world, and then coming back to the heavenly world. It was just funny how many twists and turns there were, and they kept coming back to each other. At the same time, I really enjoyed the ending of both characters individually working to save the other one as fate forces them apart in the cruelest ways possible. This drama definitely gets sadder as it goes but it's so addicting!It is a very complex drama so this review could go on and on. Instead, I'll just list some favorite scenes and see if it matches any of your favorite scenes from this drama. This drama definitely has a special place in my heart, and I highly recommend this for anyone who wants their imagination to run wild. Also, it is currently up on Netflix under the title: Ashes of Love -- and you can find it on Youtube and other drama streaming sites as well. Check it out!
Some of my favorite scenes:
Episode 11: Drunk bed kiss scene
Starting from Episode 20-21: the mortal realm scenes are so cute such as:
- when she finds out the emperor is YaYa
- When she sees Runyu and says the exact same thing she said when she first met him in the heavens
- Ep 25: Phoneix pretending to be sick
- Ep 26: Asking her to be his queen
- Ep 28: The phoenix lanterns he set up for her; when Pu Chi and the Moon God uses the puppet curse on Sui He so that she would stop ruining things
- Ep 31: The puppet show and kiss -- so aesthetic!
- Ep 33: JinMi's mortal death
-Ep 34: The mortal realm wedding
Ep 32: The demon princess and Mu Ci's scenes
Ep 36: Phoenix and Jin Mi falling in love
Ep 38: "Are you not scared of going to hell?"
"I am a god. I am not scared of hell. Just what you think." --- Phoenix, you have my heart!
Ep 57: Mu Ci and demon princess scenes are so cute and sad
Ep 58: Run Yu and Jin Mi's argument
Ep 59: "你何必为了一只鸟，放弃天下所有的蛇，而投入一只龙的怀抱呢？"LOLOL Yan You (snake god) got me weak! [Translation: Why would you give up on the snakes for a bird and then go into a dragon's embrace?]
Also when Yun Xi acts as Yan You, very good and on-point acting
Ep 60: Wedding... FINALLY
Ep 61: Epic war
No comments:
Post a Comment
FEEL FREE TO COMMENT AND GIVE SUGGESTIONS~^^