If you have watched Eternal Love Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms and Love And Destiny, it would be natural to make comparisons between the 2 xianxia dramas with their romance stories. After all, one is a spin-off of the other. But which one is better? Well, I do notice that there are a lot of similarities in the 2 productions although they are 2 different stories. I also understand that both are rather long drawn out dramas that go up to 60 episodes for Love And Destiny with Eternal Love just being 2 episodes shorter. So, once you have watched one, it is kind of tiring to start binging on the other. But let me try to change your mind as I compare the 2 dramas.
Which Should You Watch First?
Should you watch Eternal Love before Love And Destiny? The answer is it doesn’t really matter. Eternal Love was aired in 2017 while Love And Destiny only came about more than 2 years later. Hence, most people seem to think that they have to watch the 2017 production first. But both dramas are really different stories that stand on their own. They have no relation to each other although there are similar characters but played by different actors.
Speaking from experience, I went for Love And Destiny first before taking the plunge to watch Eternal Love about 6 months later. I guess I needed the break to forget one God Of War before I start watching another! Furthermore, it takes a while to get over an epic romance. So, my suggestion would be you can watch either one first but give yourself some time before you start the other. The reason being there are many similarities between the 2 dramas. If you watch them one after the other, I think it will take away some of the enjoyment from the second drama. It would be a pity then as both are great productions.
N.B.: For die-hard fans of the drama, there is a DVD version available on Amazon (affiliate link) as shown above.
Comparing Eternal Love And Love And Destiny
The Similarities
- Both are xianxia dramas that are fantasy-driven. Hence, it is all about High Gods, immortals, cultivation, and the different realms. Even the costumes and to a certain extent, the set look similar.
- They are heavy on romance with powerful men bound by duty falling in love with a woman they are not supposed to. In Eternal Love, Crown Prince Ye Hua falls for a mortal while in Love And Destiny, the God Of War Jiu Chen is in love with a fairy with a demonic aura.
- The female lead is loved by more than one man in both dramas. Bai Qian in Eternal Love has the affections of the Crown Prince, a prince from the Ghost Tribe, and even her own master. Ling Xi in Love And Destiny is loved by the God Of War and the Royal Counselor of the Mountain Spirit realm.
- A portion of the female leads’ life involves memory loss when they end up in the mortal world.
- Both dramas have a jealous woman to make life difficult for the female lead. Their love for the male lead goes unrequited and hence, the jealousy.
- In Eternal Love, the evil character is the Ghost Lord. In Love And Destiny, it is the Demon Lord. Both are sealed up after a war. In both dramas, there is this worry that these evil characters will break out of their seal and hence, the need to keep them contained.
- Both the male leads in the 2 dramas are stoic and unemotional individuals until they fall in love with their respective female leads.
- Both Ye Hua and Jiu Chen in their respective dramas would also sacrifice much for the woman they love including the willingness to give up their lives to protect her.
The Differences
- In Eternal Love, the affections between the male and female lead is more or less mutual when they meet. In Love And Destiny, Ling Xi falls in love with Jiu Chen first and slowly softens his heart.
- You don’t have to wait for the male and female lead to meet in Love And Destiny compared to Eternal Love. In the former, they already met each other right at the beginning of the drama while in the latter, they don’t meet in person until Episode 13. You can check out my Love And Destiny episode summary as well as Eternal Love episode summary if you want a full recap of these 2 dramas.
- Jiu Chen as God Of War is far older than Ye Hua as Crown Prince. In that sense, the man is far older than the woman in Love And Destiny. It is the other way round in Eternal Love unless Ye Hua’s soul in the Golden Lotus is also taken into consideration.
- Eternal Love has a more serious tone throughout the whole 58 episodes. Love And Destiny has its comedic and light-hearted moments with more fun characters.
- There is a more room for imagination in the ending for Love And Destiny compared to Eternal Love.
Why You Should Watch Both Dramas
While there are many similarities in the story of Ye Hua and Bai Qian vs Jiu Chen and Ling Xi, my opinion is both are still worth watching. The way the stories are told are captivating in their own way despite them sharing cliches that might seem a little boring. This is because the events that lead up to the common themes of jealousy, duty, love, and sacrifice are unique to each drama. The relationship dynamics of both couples are also different with their own characteristics. Ye Hua and Bai Qian give off a more serious vibe while Jiu Chen and Ling Xi can be a bit more teasing and playful.
Bai Qian vs Ling Xi
Furthermore, Ling Xi’s background in Love And Destiny is very different from Bai Qian’s in Eternal Love. Her background is a bit of a mystery in the beginning and it is also central to the overall plot of the drama. In that sense, the 2 dramas are really not the same. Ni Ni’s portrayal of Ling Xi is also unique in her own way although her character shares the same stages of growth as Yang Mi’s Bai Qian – from young and mischievous to more matured and confident. She gives Ling Xi a liveliness befitting a little fairy character in the early part of the drama and a kind of elegance that goes well for her high status in the later episodes.
On the other hand, I find Yang Mi’s portrayal of Bai Qian is not much different from her role in Legend Of Fu Yao. She is cocky with a high level of self-confidence at times but shy and embarrassed when the male lead gets a little too close. Bai Qian and Ling Xi are very different in terms of personality and I’m glad that both the actresses manage to make them unique. This also means they played a part in giving both dramas a totally different feel.
Which Is Better?
Personally, I prefer Love And Destiny over Eternal Love. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, Jiu Chen and Ling Xi’s love development is more gradual. She serves as his servant in his palace for some time before she eventually confesses her feelings. On Jiu Chen’s part, it also takes some time for him to warm up to her. Hence, I find their love to be more realistic. In Eternal Love, the decision by Ye Hua and Bai Qian to marry happens rather quickly. Moreover, she has absolutely no idea who Ye Hua is.
Secondly, Ling Xi’s inherent character from one stage of her life to the next does not really change. Yes, she does grow and become more matured. But certain traits remain such as her playfulness and optimism. Hence, you will get the feeling that she is the same person throughout the drama. But Bai Qian is different. She is mischievous when young and then timid and humble while being a mortal. Lastly, Bai Qian is dismissive and arrogant at times after she ascends to High God status. To me, she is like 3 different persons when she is obviously not.
Finally, I prefer the second couple’s story in Love And Destiny better. Yun Feng and Qing Yao is more fun to watch than Dong Hua Dijun and Feng Jiu in Eternal Love. I just find Feng Jiu to be highly immature. Her inability to accept no for an answer is kind of annoying to watch after a while.
Opinions Differ
Having said that, I can also appreciate that there are certain aspects in Eternal Love that are better than Love And Destiny. For instance, I think the ending for Eternal Love is more nicely tied up. In contrast, Love And Destiny’s conclusion leaves some questions unanswered. Eternal Love is also more emotionally-moving for me. There are more tears shed for Bai Qian’s suffering compared to Ling Xi’s.
It is natural different people will have different feelings for both dramas. It really depends on what moves you more and which characters you can relate better to. But my opinion remains that both dramas are worth watching. Their stories are beautifully told with great acting, chemistry, and cinematography. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, if you have watched one, keep an open mind to watch the other too. There are similarities but they are also unique stories told through different characters that are a pleasure to watch.
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