C-Drama Leads with Hidden Identities
(GIF from Tumbex)
Both Love and Redemption (2020) and Ashes of Love (2018) are popular and well-known xianxia dramas that have often been compared to one another due to their similarity of the innocent Female Lead and powerful Male Lead who is a phoenix deity.
As a fan of both of the dramas, here are the differences and similarities and also the pros/cons. I’ll be sharing my opinion on different aspects of both dramas, too.
Warning! Contains spoilers! If you haven’t watched the two dramas yet, then skip to the bottom.
SYNOPSIS/PLOT |
Ashes of Love63 Episodes Main Cast: Yang Zi, Deng Lun, Luo Yun Xi Four thousand years ago, when Jin Mi was born, her fate was already sealed. She is to be a prisoner in Shui Jing. Mi's mother Zi Fen, a flower deity, abandons her for the afterlife. Near death, Fen feeds her infant daughter the ‘unfeeling pill’ and orders her subordinates to keep her identity a secret from Mi. Four thousand years later, Xu Feng, the second son of the Heavenly King and fire deity, is caught in an enemy trap, leading him to Shui Jing, where Mi comes to his rescue. Over the following century, these fated souls find comfort in one another. (Source: MyDramaList) |  |
Love and Redemption59 Episodes Main Cast: Crystal Yuan & Cheng Yi A thousand years since the battle between the demons and heavens took place, the souls of the Star of Mosha and the God of War are sent to the mortal realm to serve penance. In the mortal realm, Chu Xuan Ji, daughter of the Shaoyang Sect Leader, is deprived of her six senses. At a tournament, she meets Yu Si Feng, a skilled disciple of Lize Palace, who was born on the same day as her, and the two develop a friendship. Promising to meet again, Si Feng returns to his sect where he is punished for breaking the rules and forced to wear a mask that could potentially harm his life, while Xuan Ji leaves her home to train in martial arts. Four years later, their destinies intertwine anew. While traveling together, recovered memories from their past lives surface, revealing secrets and conspiracies involving themselves and the three realms; demon, heavenly, and mortal. These revelations have a profound impact on their relationship, creating an imbalance in all three realms. (Source: MyDramaList) |  |
CHEMISTRY/ROMANCE |
Love and Redemption | Ashes of Love |
I must say, the chemistry between Si Feng and Xuan Ji is elite. Even though Xuan Ji lacks the feeling of love throughout most of the drama, the friendship between them is way better than the romance part. | Romance? I really don’t see much romance in this drama. When Jin Mi meets Xu Feng, it’s not long before Run Yu (Xu Feng’s half-brother) comes into the picture and becomes the third wheel. Though both of them go on many adventures, Run Yu always manages to interfere. Still, they do have amazing moments. |
 (Image from Netflix) |  (Image from Pinterest) |
FEMALE LEAD: CHARACTERISTICS AND ACTING |
Love and RedemptionXuan Ji’s personality at the beginning of the drama is very appealing and not as annoying as Jin Mi’s. Also, the character development of Jin Mi was very good. The only part that annoys me is how Xuan Ji easily misunderstands Si Feng, especially when she’s in her God of War mode, she’s very stubborn and doesn’t want to understand anything - just wants a simple answer. She also didn’t take Si Feng’s feelings into consideration most of the time. However, when she came to her realization, she did regret it a lot. Nevertheless, Crystal Yuan’s acting in this drama was *chef’s kiss*. |
Ashes of LoveJin Mi’s personality was much more childish than Xuan Ji’s and not very mature in the beginning. She was swayed by emotions a lot like Xuan Ji, but when she realized her mistake, she came to understand Xu Feng more. Also, Jin Mi’s no feeling ability really made her trust Run Yu more, which led to Xu Feng being hurt many times. Still, Yang Zi’s acting was also very good in portraying the innocent grape spirit. |
MALE LEAD: CHARACTERISTICS AND ACTING |
Love and RedemptionSi Feng... is just Si Feng. He’s got that cold personality in the beginning but soon warms up, which I believe many viewers like. Also, when Si Feng brought Xuan Ji out to taste different flavors, it was so sweet. I have to admit, Si Feng is very brave when he admits that he has fallen in love with Xuan Ji in front of his dad. The amount of sacrifices Si Feng makes for Xuan Ji are countless. The acting of Cheng Yi was also *chef’s kiss*. Like, did you see how realistic the love Si Feng has for Xuan Ji looks? |
Ashes of LoveYou could see how much Xu Feng loves Jin Mi just by looking at his facial expressions. When he says that he doesn’t love her, you could tell he’s lying. He even helps Jin Mi from dying when she transforms into a little rabbit to go and see him. The amount of times he was pushed away by Jin Mi is also countless. The acting of Allen Deng was also *chefs kiss*. |
OST |
Love and Redemption: The OST in this drama is ELITE. Especially "Colored Glass". Ashes of Love: The OST for this drama is just as good as Love and Redemption. I especially like "Heaven and Earth Without Frost".
(Image from Pinterest) |
SUPPORTING COUPLES |
Love and Redemption Chu Ling Long and Zhong Min Yan are a very cute couple. The couple in Love and Redemption, although they go through many obstacles in the drama, in the end, they end up happily, unlike Ashes of Love. | Ashes of LoveAlthough Mu Ci dies during the drama, he leaves Liu Ying pregnant with a daughter. Oh, and just like the couple in the other drama, Mu Ci and Liu Ying do go through a lot to keep Mu Ci alive. |
 (Image from The Drama Llama) |  (Image from MyDramaList) |
WHICH ONE? |
Both dramas are good. They have their pros and cons. If you haven’t watched either of them, then I recommend you watch Ashes of Love first because it’s much deeper. After Ashes of Love, you should watch Love and Redemption.
Overall, between the two plots, I liked the plot of Love and Redemption better. And that’s only because the love triangle in Ashes of Love was a bit too much to handle for me, whereas the love triangle in Love and Redemption is nothing compared to the main leads' chemistry!
| If we are talking about the FL’s characteristics, then I liked Xuan Ji’s personality better than Jin Mi’s. That’s because in the beginning of the drama, Xuan Ji wasn’t as annoying and gullible as Jin Mi (no offense to those who like Jin Mi). She still had a sense of righteousness. As for Jin Mi, her character development was what I liked about her a lot, but still, I’d go for the FL in Love and Redemption. | Now for the ML. I personally think both Si Feng and Xu Feng are very similar in the drama so I would say both dramas' MLs are very good.  (GIF from Tumbex) |
Both secondary couples in the dramas are amazing. However, I must say that I liked the couple in Love and Redemption better because they have a very good bond and although they argue a ton, it’s enjoyable. The couple in Ashes of Love, I would say, is more serious - it’s just not my type. Also, in Love and Redemption, there are two secondary couples - I just didn’t talk about the other one (Image below). |
(Image from DramaPanda)
THANK YOU FOR READING! |
Make sure to watch both dramas! Love and Redemption and Ashes of Love are a MUST WATCH if you like romantic historical dramas. |
Edited by: devitto (1st editor)
