A Journey to Love (2023)

Beautiful story with badass FL

Really really happy to watch this drama. Really sad when it's over, I just want to keep watching them, not ready yet to say goodbye... Really hope what in the final scene is really happening.... :(

In this drama we get friendships, brotherhood, maturity of a character & yet the perfect examples of people foolish & selfishness and every character imperfection.

In here we got very badass FL that not often we see in dramaland. Ren Ru Yi (RY) is one ruthless killing machine that usually move by herself, trust no one but once she trust someone she's willing to risk everything for that person.

Ning Yuan Zhou (YZ) as ML on the other hand is a perfect spy & leader that everyone looked up to.

Together with the task on hand, to save the King of Wu Kingdom that's been capture by An Kingdom, start their journey. And in this journey also come YZ's brothers / companion & Princess Yang Ying, who disguised herself as a man / prince.

What i really like about this drama:
+ How RY shamelessly tease & seduce YZ at first. At first, her goal only to have baby with YZ, not make YZ be her husband. Haha... She got a 'task' from Empress Wu to have baby instead husband, so yeah she's try to complete that 'task'.
+ But of course with given time both RY & YZ start really falling in love & have trust with each other. Really like the growth of their relationship.
+ The badass Princess Yang Ying (YY). Oh this maybe one of my most beloved support character. Really like the growth in YY's character. She's really grown from scaredy & childish princess into amazing prince & in the end amazing princess & woman. The aura when she must act as the prince is really something. And I really like how in the end, when she get back home to be with the 'family' she still became herself, a little chilish & spoiled.
+ All the brother of YZ's group. From playboy Yu Shi San, to the stoik Qian Zhao, to the youngest Yuan Lu & the foolish Sun Lang. I really like to see how they interact with each other. How they sometimes act like a woman who like gossip to how they act like boys when they decide to make fun of Li Tong Guang jealousy.
+ The growth of Wu Di [Emperor Wu]. He also grow from selfish brat that doesn't care about everyone else except himself to someone that have remorse & decided to do better.
+ Xiao Yan [Empress of Wu State] & Chu Yue (CY). 2 strong & interesting woman. I really like to see the relationship between CY & Shi San.
+ Alen Fang... I really like Alen Fang as Yu Shi San here... I think this is the best role for him
+ This drama had one of the best sword dance... Haha... Seeing them fighting really like watching sword dance....

The stupid selfish human:
* Li Tong Guang. OMG i don't know what the heck inside his head. He's over and over can't overcome his own feeling for RY. But this is also i feel is the minus in writing his character. He's such fickle human being. One minute he so determined to make RY as his own, but the other minute, after RY or YZ talk sense into him, he just change his mind so instantly. And that's just continue the pattern till the end... UGH!!!
* Li Zhun [Emperor of An State] & his prince. This is the perfect example of apple fall not far from its tree. Like father like son, both are very selfish till the end of the stage they don't care about their country & just about themselves.
* The third prince of Wu (I don't know his name, nor I found in the cast). I know he's been wrongly treated for his entire life. But when ur Kingdom in state of war & yet u still think of urself is really something...

Overall this really good drama to open this year....

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Totally worth it!!

-A journey to love

Based on the title itself, I'm asking myself, whose journey is this? The answer is crystal clear after watching this couple times: Ruyi! It's not about Boss Ning or the other brothers. Ruyi as the best assassin (been mentioned multiple times since beginning till the end) originally doesn’t know what is love. She only knows about killing, following orders, and gets the job done. She is so used to work by herself and doesn't know how to react to NYZ's jealousy except by being angry, leading to their "breakup.” Only later on, she learns that she is not alone. When NYZ is trying to decide for her, what's the best for them and their relationship, it doesn't feel right in Ruyi's heart at first. However, in their journey as a couple, Ruyi learns to trust him and sees his point of views.

A journey to love: love your partner, your friends, your community and most importantly, yourself! Ruyi needs to learn all of that. The whole series show her progress from being alone to be able to accept others.

To me, it's a very deep self-reflection question asked by NYZ to Ruyi about the reasons behind the last messages from Empress of An to her. It's also the beginning of her journey to learn to love herself. NYZ and the bond he has with all his "brothers" are all crucial for Ruyi's journey.

Ruyi's character development is wonderful, making her more like human, not only cold blooded assassin. She feels the pain of losing people who is dear to her. She allows NYZ to deal with LTG. She is afraid NYZ gets hurt during the war, etc.

This drama is 10/10 for me. Lots of wisdoms and lessons learned throughout the drama. Exceptional bonds of the brothers. People come and go in our lives but the good memories last forever. Finding true friends is definitely priceless. All the actors and actresses perfectly show their emotions so we as viewers can truly feel their feelings: the joy/pain/sorrow/love/hope/fear. Kudos to all of them. Then, there's the songs. Each background songs and sounds are perfectly played. Heroic fighting scenes. Cool weapons. Beautiful costumes.

In the last episode, the drama portrays the casualties of the wars. Since episodes 35-40, lots of death. It's really depressing, but that's the reality of wars. The scene feels so real, so sad, and painfully heartbreaking.

Now about the ending: The conversations between CY and the boy are in the real life, not a dream of CY.

Couple main reasons why I believe that:
1. It's obvious that Ruyi believes suicide is for the weak! She will not betray her beliefs. She's been true to herself from the beginning. That clue makes me think yes, she survived the explosion.
2. When the boy mentions his name, CY right away asks if his mother's last name is Ren? She knows straightaway Ruyi is still alive. Her surprise facial expression is more like, "is this real?!" kinda feeling because after so many years, she's surprisingly able to possibly meet Ruyi and NYZ again. Another clues that make me considering she knows that Ruyi is alive is when she stops YY from stopping Ruyi to go to the camp. She knows she can't change Ruyi's decisions. Tbh, I believe even LTG and YY know that Ruyi is planning to fake her deaths and withdrawing herself for good afterwards. Why so? LTG being so devoted to his master will never allow Ruyi to go to suicide mission unless he knows that Ruyi plans to withdraw herself with NYZ who miraculously survived the tower attacks. YY also said she believes Ruyi is the best assassin in the world and will successfully finish the mission.
3. The boy is giving so clear and detailed informations about his family. The boy also mentions his dad loves his sister the most, indicating NYZ is alive too. Last name: Ning. Dad can only be NYZ. Both kids name have Shisan (from Yu Shisan) and Lu (Yuan Lu). For CY to have a dream out of nowhere like some people think, I will have to disagree. The scene where CY sees the rest of the gang behind Ruyi and NYZ, I will interpret that as she believes they're the ones who protects Ruyi and NYZ to survive. The 4 brothers will always on their back. The vast green land (peaceful place) is also the perfect place to think like that as all 6 of them really contribute to the peace they have now.

This series is indeed a journey to love for our main lead, Ruyi. I also think it’s still a happy ending, at least for the main leads and many other people (netizens of both An and Wu).

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You pay for every single laugh you had with your tears

A beautiful drama in every way. It is different from most other historical cdramas that i have watched in many aspects. Firstly, the story's main characters are people who despite being in high positions, have to constantly fight in the frontline, which is something rarely shown. So we see the entire drama from the point of view of a group of spies/soldiers and an extraordinary assassin, who are all mere servants to the higher powers, whose lives don't belong to themselves. It was a fresh take to watch a drama in which the topmost people aren't everything. The kings, princes and other sheltered people aren't the main characters, rather it is a story of how these lower level people have to sacrifice themselves to protect the bigger fishes and citizens in general.

Story and characters: As beautifully it is written is it executed, unlike most cdramas where either the story is trash or is its execution. The story builds up while holding all our feelings in a grip for the first few episodes. The pacing is perfect. It portrayed romantic love, familial affection, brotherhood and friendship in a wonderful way. Also, no character is pure black or white, they all have good and bad in them together, well except maybe the An king. Almost all of them show growth in some way too. The FL is a true badass strong female character worth everything, i didn't expect that Ruyi would steal my heart. She deserved every bit of the respect and love she got from all the characters, including the ml. Nobody was shallow enough to love her solely for her beauty, unlike in most cdramas. The ML is just as strong and endearing. Their feelings develop rather quick, and they stick through thick and thin together and both show growth in areas they lack, they come to trust, understand and rely on each other, make sacrifices and compromises for one another, empower and balance each other, aid and grow together. They are equal, and show mutual respect for each other and their choices and have clear communication the entire time. Both are in tune with each other in every way. They are a mature couple and it helped that they weren't playing teenage characters, rather people almost in their 30s. They were people who had gone through a lot already in their own lives and knew their possible fates. The other main characters Yuan Lu, Yu Shisan were particularly very adorable, Sun Lang had lesser scenes but just as likeable, Qian Zhao was a 2d character who had much growth and different sides to him. Yang Ying was a complicated character who perhaps had the greatest character growth, i grew to like her quite a bit. Li Tongguang was another complicated obsessed to borderline crazy one, he was the typical crazy 2ml, but he wasn't the smartest. He was actually awful and incompetent and i hate him for his decisions which grew more stupid one by one, which led to disasters. I felt so bad for Chu Yue as well, she was so likeable, yet her romance ended before it could even blossom. The wu emperor grew on me as well when he redeemed himself. As befitting as the ending was, it was simply tragic to the point of extremely depressing and those characters didn't deserve that especially when so many deaths could've been easily avoided if the writers wanted to. The series of tragedy began in ep 35 and spanned for 6 whole episodes till 40, there were a few sweet moments in ep 38 though. The pain hit like a truck for real. Those subtle scenes, those reminiscent moments by the characters, them knowingly jumping to their deaths, the realizations of what is going to happen was just so painful. Also, so many deaths could've been prevented, but well that wouldn't cause as much heartbreak then.
This drama made me grow to fall in love with the entire group, with countless hilarious moments, them being like a real family to each other to losing them one by one in a torturous series of 6 eps. And although they showed an open ending, i took it as the logical and rational sad ending as stipulated outwardly by the iqiyi page. So i cried more. But it depends on the viewer about how they want to interpret the ending. At least they are together somewhere.

Production- Cinematography, choreography, editing, soundtrack, costumes and styling and makeup, you name it. Everything was freaking top notch, perfection. I really have nothing to say about the acting of the main cast, they all did phenomenal job. It was LYN's first time being the main male lead and he aced his role. LSS was simply perfect. FYL did a great job with his micro expressions.

They wanted us to cry and they did exactly what was needed. Made us love all the characters then killed them off slowly, prolonging the torture. The heading of my review is what i felt the most watching this. I laughed in 30+ episodes and then spent the last 6 episodes crying, bawling my eyes out. Honestly i don't remember the last time i cried this much over a drama. Do i recommend watching it? Hell yes i do. But maybe stop at ep 34 midway. Else get ready with tissues, chances are your pillows can't soak up all the tears. -0.5 for all the heartbreak it caused me and to the characters who deserved better and an ending that could've been better than this.
This wasn't a drama about all the characters finding love on their way by the end of the show, rather one where no matter what the future held, everyone loved the journey to the end. A journey to be loved, rather than a journey towards finding love. That's how i interpret the title 'A Journey to Love'.

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RuyiZhou, my Heart!!

A Journey To Love is one of the BEST historical drama out there. This is the first time I'm writing a review but this show seriously deserves it!! This show is action-packed, contains such a heartfelt love story you can't help but be encapsulated!! Seriously, a female lead who doesn't bow down in danger and knows what she wants , a rare gem in Cdramas. You can't help but fall in love with the supporting characters, the writing allows each character to shine in its own way, giving the watcher so much information on every individual and laying it out perfectly!! The FL, Ren Ruyi has SO much depth, she kills without remorse and doesn't hesitate, (I might be a little problematic for liking this, but whatever!!) The ML Yuan Zhou, ugh I started not liking him in the beginning but came to love him just as much as Ruyi. His character is so compassionate and genuine, a perfect balance to Ruyi's persistent personality. Each episode had me HOOKED, not a single skip, coming from someone who skips a lot in dramas like this. Please, if you're looking for an attention-grabbing historical Cdrama, this is one of the best, if it wasn't for my personal bias for "Love Like the Galaxy", this would be number 1 on my list.

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The powerful and bad-ass wuxia couple of the 2023!!!❤️

*** Spoiler Alert (PERSONAL FEEDBACK)
Title : A Journey to Love – 2023 (Complete 40 Episode)
Personal Rating : 9.5/10

The powerful and bad-ass wuxia couple of the 2023!!!❤️

Ren Ru Yi / Ren Xin (Liu Shi Shi) is a beautiful, smart and the best female assassin of AN State. She is also the former Scarlet Guard Left Emissary.

Ning Yuan Zhou (Played by Liu Yu Ning) is the smart and powerful leader of the WU State's Liu Dao Hall. He was the former deputy chief of Liu Dao Hall till he was imprisoned and framed by the other Liu Dao Hall leader.
This drama is about Ren Ru Yi and Ning Yuan Zhou falling in love while in a journey from WU State to AN State.
It started when the Emperor of WU State was lost in the war due to his mis planning and underestimating the enemy. The Wu Emperor was taken as a hostage by the AN State and AN state is asking for a ransom, but it should be given/envoy by WU Prince. Princess Yang Ying volunteer to be the envoy and pretended to be a prince. The princess was promised to be given something in return if she fulfilled her mission.

Upon knowing that Princess Yang Ying volunteer to be the envoy and the Heaven Path guards died without dignity and called as traitor, Ning Yuan Zhou re-join the Liu Dao Hall as the Chief. He will escort Princess Yang Ying who she treated as his own little sister and bring the Emperor back to WU state so he can announce that Heaven Path guards are loyal, brave and died at the line of duty. He started his journey by forming his own team of guards from the Liu Dao Hall. ( Delegation Team )
(Yu Shi San – Asura Path , Yuan Lu – Hungry Ghost Path , Qian Zhao – Heaven Path , Sun Lang – Human Path)
Ren Ru Yi was on his way to AN state to revenge the death of the Empress of AN (she treated as mother) and to know who killed all the White Sparrow guards in WU State branch. On her way to AN State, she was asked by Ning Yuan Zhou to assist Princess Yang Ying regarding all information about AN State and on return, Ning Yuan Zhou will help her to get all the information on who killed the Empress of AN. She joined the Delegation Team and has one more wish to fulfill (wish by Empress of AN - to have a child), she wanted to have a child with Ning Yuan Zhou.

Overall, this is one of the best Wuxia dramas for me. I can give it a 10/10 but the ending is so sad, so I gave it 9.5/10. Don't get me wrong it should be 10/10 even it has a sad ending but because they died separately and didn't see each other till their last moment that's why I gave it a 9.5.💔

The story was superb, the actors & actresses embodied characters so well. Each character is unique. I love the brotherhood of the Luidao hall guards. They respect, understand, trust, and support each other till death. (LITERALLY TILL DEATH!) 😭💔
I love the couple too because even though they are both powerful they can still protect each other. Both can rest assured that they have each other’s back, and they can understand each other since they are both leaders. They treat each other as partners/equals.

Honestly, I hate sad and tragic endings but A Journey to Love is different. It was a hell of rollercoaster emotions. I cried a bucket like a baby and laughed a lot throughout the episodes. I recommend it to all the Wuxia drama lovers. Don't mind the negativity because you will missed a GEM. The actions scenes are top notch. I kept on repeating it. Hahahaha! The ending could be better but still it is one of the best for me. 🤎 This is my first drama of both the LEAD now I am a fan. 😍
P.S – I was a bit lost about the ending, I read and asked some viewers about their understanding about the ending. So, I’ll go with this – Maybe it is just coincidence that both kids are named REN LU & NING SHISAN because they are named after famous heroes. (REN RU YI , YUAN LU) & (NING YUAN ZHOU , YU SHISAN).

GENRE – Romance, Wuxia, Drama, Political

OST -- Offer by Liu Yu Ning (Got me hooked and heartbroken at the same time whenever I listen to it)

LEAD CAST – Liu Yu Ning , Liu Shi Shi

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Love it!!

I love everything about this drama. It so good.

Strong FL, that can fight and be independent. Has her own motives and goals - not just falling in love with the ml. She just not a crybaby or dismal in distress waiting to be save. She can fight on pier with the ml, she smart and help the ml push the story forward and achieve their goals (even pointed out by the ml himself to be relieved he doesn't have to watch his back when fighting cause she their fighting with him). Same as ml, he has his own goals and motives not just falling for the fl.

Both main leads compliments each other and love how both don't have a powerful position but still can make a difference - makes the drama interesting. You can feel the chemistry between them. Love how flirty and bold the fl lead is. The acting is good as well. The aesthetic is nice, costume, makeup, accessory, the action packed fighting scenes so well done and perfect. What else can you ask for!!

The bromance between the leads and his comrade are top tier, their interaction are funny and entertaining to watch. Really the highlight of the drama. Made me cry at the end, very touching the length and trust they have/go for each other.

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Powerful and captivating story!!

This story has captivated me since I started, the highlight of the story is the characters and the well-done plot, Li Yuning and Li shishi gave a great performance! In addition to forming a beautiful couple, with so much harmony, fire and passion, that you find yourself rooting for the couple until the end, the other characters are just as charismatic, such as the womanizing Shi San and always in a good mood. This ending didn't leave me with a bitter taste in my mouth like I thought it would, I thought it was coherent, there was no way they could get out of this alive, I was happy because run yu and yuan zhou had children as they planned and everyone is well and happy together on "another plane" I definitely recommend it and would watch it again.

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A wuxia drama with a sad ending.

I just reviewed RISE OF THE PHONEXIES with a sad ending. This wuxia drama focus on spies and behind-the-scenes fighters who gave their lives to fight the war for their kings. The conflicts and theme in this wuxia genre is different from Palace drama.

1. Overall plot is about the struggles and lifes of spies and assassins. Two assassins from two different sects meet, fight, argue about their ideals. Finally, they fall in love, married and carried on their duties, without regret to continue to fight the war. The kingdoms involved can switch sides and be enemies or friends. So volatile.
2. The drama shows the comradeship of the closely-knitted members. And how they solve issues.
3. The 40 episodes can be divided into 3 arcs. First arc focus on the romantic story between the two main characters. The 2nd arc focus on the ways to get good diplomatic relations between kingdoms. With the hope to avoild war. The third arc is about the feelings of the characters when facing possibility of death. When war and deaths are unavoidable. The sad ending with so many deaths shows the desperation of the situation and make me believe in ancient times, this did happen.
4. I gave it an overall rating of 8.5 because of the story and the acting. I like Liu Shi Shi's acting in this drama as she plays a matured adult role. I have watched a few of her dramas, and I like this role the best. Liu Yu Ning has good acting skills. Great supporting casts.
5. Excellent fighting and battle scenes.

Watch out for the last scene of the drama and decide if the ML and FL has descendants or is it just a dream?

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GREAT DRAMA

The best drama of all the dramas I watched in 2023. Every episode is very entertaining and enjoyable. Many episodes are funny too. I like the teamwork, brotherhood & love portrait in the drama. There’s no boring scenes and all 40 episodes ended so fast. I wish it has longer episodes. Thought the ending is sad ending NOT bad ending but I don’t regret watching & didn’t feel sad. Only sad the drama ended.
All the actors & actresses portrayed their roles very very well. The chemistry between them are so good. The main leads Liu Shi Shi & Liu Yu Ning are superb.

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So good!

This is easily one of the best c-dramas of 2023. It does not use the same lame tropes so many other dramas fall victim to. There are no unnecessary plotlines or characters, no continuous cycle of misunderstanding and miscommunication. The drama has meaningful character development, romantic chemistry, and one of the most wholesome and healthy relationships I've ever seen.

There were, of course, some problems. Li Tongguang's (LT) was a terribly written character. His continuous obsession with Ruyi was extremely frustrating . The writers went out of their way to keep him incompetent until the very last episode. His immaturity caused a lot of people to die unnecessarily. After the emperor was killed, it was pretty unbelievable that the first thing he chose to do as the new regent was to poison Ruyi and force her to marry him, just for her to be rescued by Yuanzhou in the same episode, and for Yuanzhou to tell LT for the 100000000th time that he was a creep and a coward. This was especially frustrating because it happened after LT had really good scenes with Princess Yang Ying making it seem like he was getting over his infantile obsession with Ruyi. The show also fixated too much on the Ruyi and Yuanzhou's love story. Yes, we all loved them. They became a couple early and it was refreshing to see them having mutual understanding, respect and love, without falling back on jealousy and miscommunication. But, the writers should've given more screen time to other couples too. I really wanted to see more romantic chemistry between LT and Princess Yang Ying.

Princess Yang Ying was one of my favorite characters who went through the most intense character development. She started as a meek and weak girl just to grow into a strong person taking charge of her life. There was no character regression from better to worse. Everything that happened to her was on point and only contributed to her character growth.

The romance between Ruyi and Yuanzhou was unbelievably wholesome. Yuanzhou was written as every girl's dream man - tall and handsome, strong, kind and attentive, loving and understanding, not obsessive or overly-jealous, intelligent, a friend, a leader, a fighter and protector. The guy was perfect. He let Ruyi handle her business but also protected her when she needed protecting. And, Ruyi didn't magically turn into a damsel-in-destress as soon as a man entered her life.

The message of the show was incredibly meaningful - friendship, loyalty, country, love, and staying true to yourself. I was also impressed by how the characters went out of their way to stress the importance of having respect for women and often said things that we as audience were feeling when someone *ahem* Li Tongguang *ahem* acted like a mentally deranged creep.

I have to say something about the ending. A lot of people hated it, but I thought it was ok. I don't think the main couple died. Some people interpret the ending as symbolic or metaphorical or just Chu Yue's dream. I can't agree. We never saw anyone actually dying, but a lot of suggestive scenes that someone supposedly died. For characters who successfully faked their death throughout the show, they faked it again to be able to walk away and to start a family in seclusion, just like Yuanzhou wanted from the very beginning. And, Ruyi followed him because she couldn't imagine life without him. If it was Yang Ying in the last scene, the death scenario would've made more sense because she was very close with Ruyi and Yuanzhou. Chu Yue - not so much. When Chu Yue saw the boy, she immediately imagined Yu Shisan because that was her last memory of him. Instead, it was someone else who was named after Yu Shisan bearing Yuanzhou's last name. Yuanzhou named his son in honor of his best friend who died. The only red flag was the boy wearing white and riding a white horse, white traditionally being the color of mourning in China. But the idea that death came to reunite Chu Yue with her friends in the afterlife, most of whom she didn't even have a chance to develop a relationship with, looking like Ruyi's and Yuanzhou's son who was never even born, is some crazy mental gymnastics I am not willing to entertain.

The acting was good. I loved Alen Fang's portrayal of Yu Shisan, who was so goofy and adorable. This was such a pleasant surprise after my disappointment with his performance in the Long Ballad. And, of course, Liu Yuning will forever be my favorite.

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Best drama to end 2023 with - make sure you have a tissue box watching the last 5 episodes!

I was so excited to watch this series as Liu Shi Shi is finally coming back after her last drama in Lost Love in Times. Finally watching Liu Yu Ning as a ML was super exciting as well. I first saw him in The Long Ballad as a second ML. He's known for his songs in OST so finally watching him as a ML made me love him more.

This series has so many actors/actresses that you have seen in other dramas so it's really nice seeing everything in another drama together.

Alen Feng and Liu Yu Ning was in The Long Ballad together and they acting was so good in that series, but this series, their acting definitely blew my mind. I honestly fell in love with Yu Ning throughout the whole series and Alen character just made you laugh so much.

Maggie Huang - Jin Mei Niang, you should know her from Eternal Love and also in Princess Agents and Lost Love in Times.

Chen Du Ling - Xiao Yan [Empress of Wu State] who is also in Till the End of the Moon along with Zhang Zhi Xi - Jia Ling [Scarlet Guard Right Emissary]. She was the Phoenix Goddess.

Ye Xiao Wei - Li Shou Ji / Prince He Dong [An State] & Chen Xiao Yun - Noble Consort Chu both from Novoland: Pearl Eclipse

It was really nice to see so many actors/actresses from previous dramas all together.

When I started watching episodes 1 to 34 ,I couldn't believe how good the whole drama has been, whether it's the romance, the plot, or the character dynamics. The cast and martial arts was just phenomenal and shocked my mind that I knew this was the drama I wanted to end 2023 with.

They released the express package for episodes 35-40 today and I watched it in one sitting (make sure you have a tissue box by your side). Last time I cried this hard was in One and Only and holy that was only last 3 of me crying in that drama.

But I'm pretty disappointed on how it was so rushed, it was just one dead after another. We foresaw what would happen to Yu Shi San has it was in the opening with his eyes covered but I didn't think he was going to die. When Qian Zhao and Sun Lang died in the war, I just couldn't stop crying in episode 35.

When episode 36 started when Yuan Lu was going to An and he pasted by where Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou was, I was so sad that Yuan Zhou didn't go out to see if it was Yuan Lu or not. But then Yuan Lu decide to go back and check if it was Yuan Zhou and decided to not go inside to check made me so sad and mad! It would have been Yuan Zhou last time to see Yuan Lu.

In episode 37 where Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou got married and 3 butterflies showed up, I believe it was Qian Zhao, Yuan Lu, and Sun Lang congratulating them on their wedding as at that time Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou didn't know they past yet until later on in the episode.

Fast forwarding to episode 39 and 40, in 39, we see Yu Shi San fighting so bravely but didn't see his death, like didn't even show his body. Then in 40 we see Yuan Zhou stabbed like crazy and then "died" and Ru Yi goes on a suicide mission and then boom 10 years later. -- way to rushed in the last 2 episodes. We see Chu Yue in the field and then a male in a white horse coming towards her. We later find out it's a boy and his name is Ning Shi San and he has a sister name Ren Lu, meaning Yuan Zhou and Ru Yi didn't die.

Ning Shi San also mention the horse was a gift from Uncle Ding, Ding Hui is from Liu Dao Tang and we didn't see him die. Qian Zhao gave Ning Yuan Zhou the life preserving pill earlier, it’s very likely he could have taken it after his stab wounds, either by his own memory or saved by Ding Hui.

In the start of the show both of Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou faked their own deaths as they wanted to live peacefully/Ru Yi wanted to find out the murder of Queen An. It's a fitting end for them to end the show with fake deaths to have their Happily Ever After.

Ning Shi San took his father's surname while his sister, Ren Lu took his mother's surname. Ruyi mentioned she wanted a girl not a boy at the start of the series. It's so cute they name their kids after Yu Shi San and Yuan Lu.

Ning Shi San mention his mother likes swordsmanship while his father is good at making wine. There was a conversation between Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou when they were discussing what they wanted to do after the mission. Ru Yi mentioned how they can go to a small island for a break when Yuan Zhou tire of the world and Ru Yi can practice swordsmanship while Yuan Zhou farm and hunt. Since Yuan Zhou can't farm or hunt while living in town, he turned to making wine instead.

Honestly they should have made done 42 or 43 episodes for this drama or one or two specials to make the fans happy. It was way to rushed in the last 2 and it would have been nice to have a better ending.

Still a drama I would highly recommend!

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Bold, epic with a slight stumble to the end

There is a lot to love about this drama - it is epic in scope and dares to tell a complicated tale not only of love but also of friendship, duty to one's country and respect for your fellow man (or woman). Above all, it features many complex characters that develop throughout, notably several strong female characters including our fearless female lead, Ren Ruyi (played by Liu Shi Shi).

Ren Xin, a former deputy leader of the Scarlet Guards of the State of An, is framed for the death of Empress Zhaojie and forced to reinvent her identity as Ren Ruyi. While on her own quest to avenge the Empress, Ruyi comes across Ning Yuanzhou (Liu Yuning), himself also the former deputy leader of the State of Wu's Liudao Pavilion (a sort of spy organization not dissimilar to An's Scarlet Guards), who is busy trying to leave the world of court politics behind. They find themselves working together and join the diplomatic entourage bearing special envoy Prince Li (who is actually Princess Yang Ying in disguise) to An to rescue the Emperor of Wu.

While the story may sound complicated on paper, it is actually quite easy to follow and watch, a testament to the strength of the show's writing and performances. Particularly in the first half of the drama, with the entourage's long journey as the framework for the show, we get a terrific balance of adventure, exciting fight sequences and character development. Under Ruyi and Yuan Zhou's guidance, Yang Ying (He Lan Dou) transforms from cowardly princess to steely prince in what is to me the most satisfying and interesting arc of the entire show. Along the way, we also get to know NYZ's gang: the pretty playboy Yu Shi Shan (a hilarious Alen Fang), kind and cheerful Yuan Lu (Chen You Wei), stoic and loyal Qian Zhao (Wang Yi Zhe), and lover of all furry things Sun Lang (Li Huan).

At midway, the drama sags a bit when Li Tong Guang (relative newcomer Chang Hua Sen) meets up with the rest of the cast as his character devolves into an injured puppy in what is probably the least desirable arc of the show - his obsession over his former master Ren Xin. I would not have minded a few episodes of this, as I understand what the writer was probably going for. Having suffered a difficult childhood and losing his mother and master during his youth, I can see why he would latch onto his master at their reunion, but 10 episodes of this is overwrought and threatens to undermine his character's development from boy to man and from general to de facto leader of a nation. Fortunately, LTG's scenes with Yang Ying towards the end of the drama somewhat salvage things for me. But it is a bit too little too late.

Then we have the final 6 episodes or so, which zoom by at a more frenzied pace, making one wish perhaps less time spent on obsessive LTG would have translated to a smoother build to the climax and a more satisfying conclusion. And while I enjoy Chu Yue's (and Chen Hao Yu's performance) scenes with Yu Shi Shan, from a writing standpoint the story did not really need her character in there to work. Personally, I would have liked the ending scene to have included YY and LTG instead. Looking at the narrative and characters, these two are the most affected by our main leads, and lacking a conclusion (or at least some kind of denouement) to their story is a disappointment.

Ultimately, however, the many merits of this drama outweigh the downsides, and this is one you do not want to miss for this year if only for the truly great creation of many strong, multifaceted female characters (including villains). If I had watched this before Story of Kunning Palace (to which I gave a 9), I probably would have rated Kunning lower, as this is by far the superior of the two recent costume dramas in terms of story, characters, performances and music.

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