Love And Redemption Review

With so many good C-dramas lately, I think Love And Redemption (琉璃美人熬) seems to have escaped the attention of many international audience. But it should slowly gain fans as xianxia dramas that feature undying love through different lifetimes always have the potential to be compelling stories. It is one of the better dramas for 2020 in my books although flaws are also evident. I will give my opinion through my Love And Redemption review below. I hope to provide both the pros and cons for a more balanced view so that you can decide if this will be worth your time. After all, it has 59 episodes in total which means there is quite a bit of time investment needed.

My rating: 8.5/10
Episodes: 59
Type: Romance, Xianxia
Aired: August 2020
Images Credit: Tencent

The Cast of Love And Redemption

• Cheng Yi as Yu Si Feng
• Crystal Yuan Bing Yan as Chu Xuan Ji
• Liu Xue Yi as Hao Chen
• Zhang Yu Xi as Chu Ling Long
• Li Jun Yi as Zhong Min Yan
• Hou Meng Yao as Zi Hu
• He Zhong Hua as Chief Chu Lei
• Han Cheng Yu as Liu Yi Huan / Brother Liu
• Peer Zhu Zi Xiao as Deputy Chief of Lize Palace
• Yang Xi Zi as Lu Yan Ran / Xiao Yin Hua
• Huang You Ming as Wu Tong
• Li Ze as Di Lang
• Bai Shu as Teng She
• Zhou Jun Wei as Ruo Yu
• Fu Fang Jun as Wu Zhi Qi
• Ethan Yao Yi Chen as Ting Nu
• Mickey He Cheng Ming as Chief of Lize Palace
• Li Xin Ze as Star of Mosha Luohou Jidu

Main Characters

Yu Si Feng

Si Feng is a disciple of Lize Palace. He is a young and powerful cultivator favored by his master who is also the Chief of Lize Palace. He is cold and unfriendly and likes to keep to himself. Si Feng wears a mask as is required by his sect which does not allow its member to be involved in relationships.

Chu Xuan Ji

Xuan Ji is an innocent young lady born without 6 senses. Hence, she doesn’t understand love and relationships as she is clueless when it comes to different feelings. Neither can she see colors nor savor different tastes. But Xuan Ji is carefree and helpful. She is a disciple of the Shaoyang Sect and her father is the Chief. Xuan Ji is a weak cultivator due to her lack of senses and own laziness. She also has an elder twin sister.

Supporting Characters

Hao Chen

Hao Chen is Xuan Ji’s senior disciple brother. His master is Chief Chu Lei’s senior. Hao Chen is a powerful cultivator and one of his duties is to protect the Shaoyang Sect’s secret realm. He takes great interest in Xuan Ji and personally trains her to improve her skills.

Chu Ling Long

Ling Long is Xuan Ji’s elder twin sister. They share a deep bond and Ling Long is always protecting Xuan Ji from being bullied. She is a hot-tempered and willful lady.

Zhong Min Yan

Min Yan is a Shaoyang Sect disciple. He is also Xuan Ji and Ling Long’s 6th disciple brother. Min Yan is a righteous man and has been in love with Ling Long for a long time.

Chief Chu Lei

Chief Chu Lei heads the Shaoyang Sect which is an orthodox sect of cultivators. He is a strict father outwardly but cares a lot for his 2 daughters, Ling Long and Xuan Ji. His wife died when their daughters were still young. She was killed by a demon.

Chief of Lize Palace

The Chief is an eccentric man who doesn’t have much interest in the sect’s affairs. Si Feng is his favorite disciple and he has high hopes for him. Lize Palace is one of the 5 orthodox sects of cultivators.

Deputy Chief of Lize Palace

The Deputy Chief is a cruel leader with his own ambitious agenda. He is not particularly fond of his Chief and Si Feng.

Liu Yi Huan / Brother Liu

Brother Liu is a disciple of Lize Palace but imprisoned due to indiscipline. He secretly got into a relationship and has a daughter, Yu’Er, which is against the sect’s strict rules. Brother Liu has a happy-go-lucky kind of character but is a loyal friend to Si Feng.

Lu Yan Ran / Xiao Yin Hua

Yan Ran is Si Feng’s spiritual pet snake. She is very loyal to Si Feng and only wants him to be safe. Yan Ran also has feelings for Si Feng but it is unrequited.

Ruo Yu

Ruo Yu is Si Feng and Min Yan’s friend. He is also a disciple of Lize Palace and takes orders from the Deputy Chief. Ruo Yu also has a younger sister, Ruo Xue.

Di Lang

Di Lang is a member of the Tianxu Sect which is a demonic sect. He a loyal subordinate to Yuan Lang and carries out all his orders. Di Lang’s specialty is his ability to impersonate others.

Wu Tong

Wu Tong starts off as a Dianjing Valley Sect disciple before he is kicked out. He is a ruthless and ambitious man who is also revengeful. Wu Tong has an obsession with Ling Long.

Zi Hu

Zi Hu is a fox spirit who has cultivated for over 1,000 years and has taken a human form. She has an enduring love for Wu Zhi Qi.

Wu Zhi Qi

Wu Zhi Qi was the Left Minister of the Star of Mosha and has been chained up for 1,000 years. He likes beauties and doesn’t like to be tied down.

Star of Mosha Luohou Jidu

Star of Mosha was the General for the King of Asuras. He was a very capable commander but was defeated by the God of War in the battle between the Heavenly Realm and the demons. Star of Mosha then disappeared from the scene and rumored to have died.

Teng She

Teng She is a celestial beast in the Heavenly Realm. He has a duty to keep an eye on the Dinkun which is the God of War’s sword. Teng She likes to fight but is actually a harmless being. He ends up as Xuan Ji’s spiritual pet by chance and is protective of her.

Ting Nu

Ting Nu is a merman and a skillful physician. He is also Xuan Ji and Si Feng’s friend.

Synopsis

There was a war between the celestials and demons 1,000 years ago. The demons were led by the King of Asuras with his powerful General, Star of Mosha. They were winning the war when suddenly, the Heavenly Realm had a savior in the God of War. The Star of Mosha was killed and his stellar soul was sealed and hidden in a secret realm. 1,000 years later, the leader of the Tianxu Sect wants to revive the Star of Mosha to rule over the 3 realms. But he needs the powers of the God of War and some other artifacts to do so. He learns that the God of War is being sent to the Mortal Realm to undergo her tribulation.

At about the same time, Xuan Ji was born. She was a stillborn baby before crying out loud during her burial. Xuan Ji lacks 6 senses in her and 16 years later, she has become a lazy and weak cultivator despite her father being the Chief of the Shaoyang Sect. During a tournament to select the most powerful new cultivator among the 5 orthodox sects, Xuan Ji gets to know Si Feng. Si Feng slowly falls in love with her but Xuan Ji is clueless when it comes to romance due to her lack of feelings.

As a result, their relationship is fraught with misunderstandings which gets worse when secrets are revealed. They are also both caught up in the Tianxu Sect’s ambition to revive the Star of Mosha and re-awaken the God of War’s powers.

Love And Redemption Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Does Love And Redemption have a happy ending? Yes! So, if you are worried that it would end badly after sitting through 59 episodes, you can rest assure that the ending would be satisfactory. Si Feng and Xuan Ji end up together as a married couple with a baby. Ling Long is pregnant after having married Min Yan. It is a happy occasion for everyone as they celebrate Chief Chu Lei’s birthday. Xuan Ji is contented being a mortal with happiness around her. It was her choice when she was told by the Heavenly Emperor that she could be a celestial, demon or mortal. You can check out my Love And Redemption drama recap for more episode details.

Who Is Hao Chen?

Ha Chen is actually Bailin Dijun in the Heavenly Realm. He is a powerful celestial being who is manipulative and obsessed with controlling the God of War. Bailin and Star of Mosha were good friends despite them being in opposite camps. But he betrayed Star of Mosha with the excuse that he did it to save the Heavenly Realm.

When the God of War were sent to the Mortal Realm to undergo her 10th tribulation, he quietly went down in the name of assisting her. Hence, he ended up as her senior disciple brother. In actual fact, he wanted her to pass her tribulation so that he could bring her back to the Heavenly Realm. But in the process, he manipulated her to achieve his selfish ends as he saw her as belonging to him. He didn’t care about what she wanted and how much she hated the Heavenly Realm in the past for what he had done to her.

Is Xuan Ji The God Of War?

Yes, Xuan Ji was the God of War in the Heavenly Realm 1,000 years ago. She had no past because she was created out of Star of Mosha. Bailin drugged Star of Mosha’s wine and then removed 2 of his ribs to make the weapon called Juntian Chehai. Next, he cut out his heart and sealed his stellar soul in a crystal lamp. A small part of the lamp is used as God of War’s heart. The Star of Mosha’s body was cut and altered to give it a new appearance in the form of a female. A female God of War was thus born. Hence, Xuan Ji was both the God of War and Star of Mosha.

Bailin orders the God of War to eliminate all the demons despite them having surrendered and peace brokered. She found out how she came into being and deceived to kill her own clansmen. The God of War lashed out and was punished for rebellion. She was sent to undergo 10 tribulations in the lower realm to ease her resentment. She had failed 9 of them and if she fails for the 10th time, she would not be able to return to the Heavenly Realm.

In the last episode, Xuan Ji broke out from the Star of Mosha’s body as Si Feng was dying after being stabbed in the heart by Yuan Lang. After so many lifetimes, they had become 2 separate entities. The Star of Mosha implanted his heart into Si Feng and disappeared with Bailin.

Si Feng’s Real Identity

The Lize Palace was considered as one of the orthodox sects of cultivators. But in actual fact, they are demons belonging to the Red Golden Demon Bird clan. When the demons lost the war 1,000 years ago and they were hunted down, the clan found a way to suppress their demonic aura to survive. Hence, Si Feng is a demon and he is a powerful 12-feathered Red Golden Demon Bird.

His father was also his master and Chief of Lize Palace. He didn’t know about his identity until he got entangled in the plot to steal the Stone Marrow to revive the dead Hao Feng who was his mother. Hao Feng was the daughter of the previous Chief of Dianjing Valley Sect.

1,000 years ago, Si Feng was a celestial Red Golden Bird in the Heavenly Realm who had taken a human form after 10,000 years. He was the Heavenly Emperor’s son named XI Xuan and his mother was a demon princess. Xi Xuan had always been at the God of War’s side and protected her when she was punished. He willingly gave up his celestial form to accompany her during her tribulations in the Mortal Realm. Xi Xuan had loved the God of War for 9 lifetimes and but all of them ended in tragedy for him. He sacrificed his life for her in all those lifetimes but the love was never requited.

Who Is The Tianxu Sect Leader?

The Tianxu Sect leader is actually the Deputy Chief of Lize Palace. He is Yuan Lang who was the Star of Mosha’s Right Minister. His ambition is to rule over the 3 realms. He wanted to revive the Star of Mosha to help him to achieve his aims. But he wanted to control the Star of Mosha and not the other way round. That was why he needed to absorb the God of War’s powers so that he can control him. In the end, Xuan Ji killed him when he stabbed Si Feng and insisted on causing mass destruction to reset the 3 realms.

Did Bailin / Hao Chen Die?

Yes, he did. He regretted his actions when the Heavenly Emperor showed him the destruction that he had caused because of his obsession and inner demons. Had he let go earlier, there would have been peace long ago. Bailin also lost the wager with Si Feng that the God of War and Star of Mosha did have a heart. He stripped himself of his powers and celestial status. But Xuan Ji refused to kill him despite his request. It was the Star of Mosha who offered him poisoned wine. He drank it and both their spirits disappeared together from the Heavenly Realm.

Wu Zhi Qi And Zi Hu

Wu Zhi Qi and Zi Hu knew each other more than 1,000 years ago when he caught her as a fox. She cultivated and turned into human form after 500 years. Zi Hu loves Wu Zhi Qi and vowed to free him after he was caught and chained up by the Heavenly Realm. Wu Zhi Qi was persuaded by his friend, Yuan Lang, to join the Star of Mosha in the battle against the Heavenly Realm. But he was subsequently betrayed by Yuan Lang which resulted in him being caught.

4 spiritual keys were needed to free Wu Zhi Qi. However, apart from Zi Hu who wanted to do it out of love, the Tianxu Sect also wanted to free him because he possessed the Juntian Chehai which he had stolen from the Heavenly Realm. They needed the weapon to open the crystal lamp in order to revive the Star of Mosha.

Wu Zhi Qi took Zi Hu for granted and felt pressured by her constant request for him to stay with her. But he regretted his nonchalance when she died to shield him from getting killed while going for a battle with the Heavenly Realm. In the last episode, he reunited with Zi Hu just before she was about to enter the gateway to be reborn.

Min Yan And Ling Long

This couple ended up together. Ling Long managed to overcome her depression and doubts about herself after her horrifying experience of being Wu Tong’s hostage. Min Yan married her to make her clear her doubts about his love for her.

When Wu Tong severely injured Min Yan on their wedding day, she tried to kill him and was prepared to die together. No matter how evil Wu Tong may be, he did love Ling Long in his own way. He pushed Ling Long away from him before he was sucked into the gateway of death.

Ruo Yu And Yan Ran

Both of them died. Ruo Yu stabbed Yuan Lang but was pushed off and fell into a hole in the Heavenly Realm. Although it is not shown what happened to him, my presumption is he died. His sister, Ruo Xue, had already died earlier after having been held hostage by Yuan Lang for years so that Ruo Yu had to do his bidding.

Yan Ran died due to severe injuries after shielding an attack on Si Feng from the celestial beasts acting on Bailin’s orders. She did love Si Feng but he only saw her as his spiritual pet and good friend.

The other character who died in Love And Redemption is the Chief of Lize Palace. His lover’s curse took effect when Yuan Lang provoked him with the truth about Hao Feng. The Chief thought Hao Feng loved him even after she found out that he was a demon. But it is the complete opposite. The truth was too much for him to take and he died.

Love And Redemption Review – A Good Story

First of all, I’m giving Love And Redemption a high score of 8.5/10 mainly because I like the story. It is a compelling one that is well-told despite the difficulties in adapting it from a novel to on-screen. For instance, I think they did well when they have to merge 2 characters in one body without making it look awkward or confusing. When it comes to long xianxia dramas, the story does play a big part in sucking viewers in which is very different from watching rom-coms. This can be seen in all the popular xianxia titles including The Untamed and Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms.

Hence, if there is one good reason to watch Love And Redemption, it is the story itself. There is hardly a boring stretch as the pacing is also well done. The plot doesn’t flow along a predictable path as there are a few twists along the way to keep the viewers hooked. There is also some level of suspense and guesswork in the beginning as viewers try to work out who is the ultimate bad guy. This is unlike more straightforward dramas like Eternal Love Of Dream whereby the good and bad guys are already established from the beginning.

Acting And Chemistry (Spoilers Alert!)

The acting and chemistry between the leads may be where I differ from diehard fans of Love And Redemption. I don’t have major complaints regarding Crystal Yuan’s and Cheng Yi’s performance. At the very least, they don’t annoy me compared to the leads in The Twin Flower Legend. But I won’t list them as superb either. Crystal Yuan is convincing as the innocent Xuan Ji but she lacks the aura of a high and mighty God of War. The good thing is those God of War parts are minor in relation to the whole drama.

Cheng Yi’s martial art moves are very smooth and slick. But he appears stiff to me at times as Si Feng. No doubt his character is more reserved compared to Xuan Ji which is why the stiffness doesn’t stand out too much to the point of annoyance. Perhaps the aloofness is just a little overdone that it doesn’t look very natural. Put together, their chemistry is evident but not totally off-the-charts either. To me, they don’t have the same level of chemistry as the Dong Hua and Feng Jiu couple in Eternal Love Of Dream where the 2 leads simply nailed their roles with ease.

Special Effects

Love And Redemption does rely quite heavily on special effects and CGI to bring out the xianxia feel. Most of them look good on screen and the imagery also gives our hero a very majestic appearance when the plot calls for it. The important thing is the CGI does not look cheesy but enhances the scenes instead. This helps to uplift the overall standard of the drama to set it apart from a low budget production.

Is Love And Redemption Really That Good?

Let me now try to balance things out a little with some potential flaws in this drama. Love And Redemption does begin with a clueless heroine akin to Jin Mi in Ashes Of Love. So, if you are a fan of Ashes Of Love, you might like this one as well. But if you can’t stand a naive heroine from the word go, then Love And Redemption will border on the annoying.

Furthermore, not everyone may enjoy the plot like I do because there is an element of it being over the top. If you count the number of times Si Feng vomited blood, stabbed, and nearly died in the whole drama, it might just break the record among all the xianxia dramas to date. This is excluding all those incidents in his past lives. Logically, with the way his body had taken all those hits, he would have long been dead! But that is how the plot is and our hero is saved each time. Whether you can accept it would depend on your tolerance level for exaggerated sacrifice.

Finally, Love And Redemption is fraught with misunderstandings between Si Feng and Xuan Ji. You can say that it is one misunderstanding after another which will create a certain level of angst among viewers. It is natural for romance dramas to have misunderstandings for the main couple. The question though is how much misunderstandings you can take before you start to feel annoyed with the ignorant heroine.

As for the ending, the bad guy’s about turn is kind of sudden and seems like an over-simplification after being so adamant that he is right for so long. So, the ending has an anti-climatic feel when the drama is building up towards a great battle which didn’t happen.

My Verdict

Despite its flaws, Love And Redemption is still one of the better dramas for 2020 for me. My suggestion is watch it for the story. The adaptation and execution may not be perfect but do give the drama a chance to grow on you. Personally, it is easy to root for the couple because of Si Feng’s sacrifice followed by Xuan Ji’s desire to make amends. In other words, I can detect a character growth in Xuan Ji and their feelings for each other deepen over time which makes the romance more realistic. The couple also look compatible on-screen unlike Love And Destiny whereby many complained that the actor is too old for the heroine.

As this is a long drama, there are sub-plots that move away from the romance. However, they don’t stray far off from the main plot and Si Feng’s sacrifice. What the evil guys want to do and the romance part converge at some point in the drama. So, the story is nicely tied up in that sense.

My final warning before you start watching is that you will need to pay attention to the dialogue because certain parts of the drama may be difficult to understand. The overall story is not overly complicated but if you want to understand the details of what happened to the God of War and Star of Mosha and what the bad guys want to do, then the conversations or subtitles are the key. But my recommendation stands for this Love And Redemption review – just watch it!