Ancient Love Poetry (2021)

One of the best xianxia

It has been a while since I last wrote a review, specially a cdrama review. And what better way to come back than writing about one of the best xianxia I've ever seen?!

Ancient Love Poetry is more about execution rather than originality (although they do have some pretty original concepts). I mean, if you're acquaintanced with xianxia dramas, then there's a lot you'll recognize by watching this (the love triangles, the love through reincarnations, the teacher and student romance, bubbly goddess vs ice cold god etc.)

But like I said: ALP excels with it's execution of these tropes while adding some rather interesting things. For example: we actually see how the three realms are formed and on what circumstances, we basically witness how mortals came to be and there's the addition of an extra realm later on, which is basically where the story began.

The first few episodes are, admittedly, a bit boring compared to the rest, but they have their importance and their worth, after all they are our introduction to the characters (although important ones will come later in the story) that will move our plot forward.

At one point the story has a big time skip and then we start a whole new arc. The story evolves from where it started but with others point of views, and we're left in the dark as to how some things came to be, things that will be revealed little by little

I liked the construction of this, although I'll have to admit that it reflected the events of the first arc kinda like a mirror. I just had the feeling that we've seen this before, just with a slight change of how characters behave

Then things just keep escalating until we reach our climax and then at the end everything is solved, although with a lot of angst until we get there. Like many xianxias, really.

It was a really nice story that didn't feel as confusing as other dramas I've watched, although some plot holes and questionable decisions were made. Overall it was lovely, with the right amount of light and sad moments, romance and also friendship and even parental love

Now about characters and actors:

Shanggu just might be my favorite xianxia heroine (so far). I actually really liked her character and her evolution was natural. She goes from this spoiled, lazy and kinda annoying girl to a competent and thoughtful leader. ZDY really did a good job with her, she transmitted well the differences between the original Shanggu and her slightly different reincarnation.

Xu Kai was a bit lost during the beginning. I guess more serious roles don't give him justice, however he could deliver just fine and, specially during his "reincarnation", he proves to be a very charming and devoted love interest. Bai Jue is your typical "ice block" kind of character, rather strict and even petty sometimes, but as episodes pass you can't help but notice his soft side and how much he's willing to sacrifice for Shanggu

One of the strongest points and the reason I gave this such a high grade it's the other characters. Really, this is perhaps the first xianxia that made me actually care and engage to the side stories and romances. Every character was just so unique and likeable.

I liked all, I even liked the villains. Like, for once I felt that one of the villains was actually well constructed. I loved the second couple and also felt so sad for what wasn't with both Tianqi and Yuemi (though I've heard there's a work just for them so I'll probably check that out)

I think all really brought in the feels. I specially liked how not only romantic relationships were the focus, but also friendship, mutual respect, frenemies and also parental love.

And the OSTs were just the cherry on the top. I loved, loved the soundtrack. I even dare to say it's one of the best I've seen (heard actually) so far.

I usually don't really rewatch stuff, but I might do it just because I liked it so much.

Really, all the backlash this drama received was unfair and unwarranted. It's a beautiful love story, full feels but also joy. I absolutely recommend it for xianxia fans.

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Poetry in Motion

Chinese dramas are always hit or miss for me. I often find that they struggle with pacing, overinflated casts, and solid storylines. Ancient Love Poetry, to my extreme pleasure, suffered from almost none of these and is on par with Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms in terms of quality. Nearly everything was perfect from the acting to the sets to the OST. I enjoyed every moment of watching it and will definitely watch again in the future.

The story is relatively simple, but I found that to be a strength. Instead of getting bogged down with multiple side stories or an overcomplicated plot, it pretty well stuck to the main story. And that story is played out very well, with enough action and slow moments to balance things out and keep the viewer engaged. It is, at its heart, a love story, and not just romantic love, but also the love of family and friends and how that love changes and shapes the characters. Pacing, something that I nearly always find fault with in Chinese dramas, was actually quite good. The first few episodes are necessarily slow in order to set the background and build up the characters and story, but I didn't find it boring. There are certainly a few episodes that seemed more filler than substance, but I can't even really complain too much about those as I didn't feel they dragged too much.

The acting is superb, I truly couldn't find much to fault with any of them. Zhou Dong Yu and Xu Kai were excellent in the leading roles. I was very impressed with how they both created such unique and separate character for Shang Gu/Hou Chi and Bai Jue/Qing Mu/Bo Xuan respectively. While they appeared the same, obviously, their characters were so different that there wasn't any chance with confusing one for the other. Jenny Zhang was fantastic as Wu Huan, just every part of her performance was flawless. She made Wu Huan into such a complex character and I really enjoyed watching the character development or devolvement, in her case. I've always enjoyed watching Lai Yi, he's an excellent actor and he just blends into whichever character he plays. While I enjoyed his performance as a younger Gu Jun, I was truly impressed by his acting after the fall of the God Realm. He perfectly played the role of doting father as well as aloof god. His interactions were Zhou Dong Yu were so sweet to watch and I was impressed with the both of them considering there's only a two year age difference. Liu Xue Yi was very entertaining to watch as Tian Qi, I imagine he must have had a lot of fun with that role. As I said before, this was just such a phenomenal cast, from the leads to all the side characters, they all just did such an amazing job bringing this drama to life.

While I often find that Chinese dramas have overinflated casts where there's no possible way to do justice to all the characters, I found that Ancient Love Poetry didn't suffer from this nearly as much. There were a handful of instances where I wondered what had happened to a character since they just seemed to be forgotten, but overall, I was very impressed with how well all of the characters were incorporated and given their own stories. I enjoyed the side couples and was pleased to see that they weren't neglected and actually had solid storylines for the most part. I truly enjoyed each and every character and I didn't really feel that any of them were overly superfluous or unnecessary. I also appreciated the amount of character growth seen, whether good or bad, in many of the characters. Even some more of the minor characters showed significant character growth and I enjoyed seeing that.

Another issue I tend to have with primarily Chinese dramas is their tendency to let off the villains lightly after they've hurt or killed countless people. I have mixed feelings about how Wu Huan was dealt with. On the one hand, her going mad seems to be letting her off easy, but if she was just killed, that would have been too good for her. I also felt like Jing Zhao got off pretty easy with just losing her voice. However, what offsets the disappointment of the villains getting of lighter than I would like, is the fact that nearly everyone who dies comes back. I was so happy to see Hong Ri back there at the end, as well as to hear that Gu Jun and Jing Jian were going to be coming back as well, though I would have really liked to see them reunited with their loved ones.

The OST was gorgeous, the songs fit with the story and emotions of the episodes. I was really impressed with it and have been enjoying continuing to listen to it.

The production was well done, it was obvious that this was a higher budget drama. Despite the extensive use of CGI, for the most part, it didn't look or feel fake. I particularly liked how each location had its own theme in terms of style and how it fit with the characters. The costuming was gorgeous as it always is in these dramas. I liked how the character's costumes changed depending on where they were in life. There's a subtle, but distinct difference between how Shang Gu dressed and how Hou Chi is dressed and the same goes for Bai Jue and Qing Mu as well as other characters. It was all very well done.

I really cannot recommend this drama enough. It captured me from the opening credits and held me until the end credits of the final episode. It was a very enjoyable experience and one I look forward to repeating in the future.

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Complicated XianXia with good CGI, good story but dragging and too long winded

I have quite high expectation on this drama. I love Xu Kai and he performs very well in this drama and can bring the character well. ZDY also performs very well, can depict the innocence of a low power, playful goddess. She can portray the emotions very well through out the story. Playful, naughty, desperate, in love, longing, sadness of separation, all emotions can be seen on her acting.

The CGI on this drama is also quite impressive considering this is a TV series with multiple episodes. I can imagine the creative and illustrator team working on bringing the CGI to live, it must be a tremendous effort to make it flawless.

Now my opinion about the story. The first 15 episodes can make me feel engage to this drama and keep wanting to go to the next episodes to see on how the relationship between ML and FL builds up. However, I was expecting more romance building up, but I don’t feel that I am getting it.

After that, I feel like the story started to be drifted and dragged to side stories of the supporting roles. Starting episode 16 onwards, ma patient ran out and started to be skipping some scenes, pressing fast forward. All because I was eager to see what will happen next between Xu Kai and ZDY. Are they going to be together? When they got separated will they be reconciled and how is the process of reconciliation?

Total of 49 episodes are quite too much for me, the pace is a bit slow and too many side stories. By fast forwarding some scenes, I didn’t lose much of the main story.

So in conclusion, if you are patient enough then you will love it. But is you are too anxious to see what will happen next (like me), then it kind of too slow pace. I am not saying it is boring but skipping scenes will help and may not lose the essence of the story.

But I guess it is fair to say that the story involves more than 60 thousand years lifespan so having a 49 episodes series is understandable ?

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Personal enjoyment with 2X speed

Is it possible ? yeah it is possible.
It is a drama some parts are really addicting,whereas others are frustrating to the degree you wanna pull your hair out.

Xanxia genre itself is the melodramatic one in the setting of Chinese Olympian Gods. (Pain , Betrayal and Reincarnation are essential ingredients)
I have already seen a lot of famous Xiaxias ( Eternal Love , Ashes of Love , Untamed , Love and Redemption )
Out of all the Xanxias I have seen, 'Ancient Love Poetry' has the most tortuous melodramatic Plot .

( Please note that I am emotional while writing this review
For your information , I watched it on Tencent Youtube)

***First ,on a positive note, the series is visually pleasing when you watch it in 1080 P and there is no eye rolling directing or editing moment when you are reminded of the fact, you are in a drama and not in a story.
Another positive point is the Actors can Act .
I won't say their performances here as Award Worthy , but they are decent enough to create the mood.

***For the Plot

As per my viewing experience , and as everyone is saying , the story can be divided into two arcs :
The Arc Four of them are in the God Realm
The Arc after that .

? For me, the first arc was really boring .
I watched almost all of it with 2X speed.

I don't think Zhou Dong Yu fits the image of an adolescent Goddess who is giddy with everything .
XuKai plays well as the cold & handsome Male God character (as acting wise) , but whether it is the writing or interpretation of actor , the character comes out as 'Bland & Boring' .
So I was not really interested in their love story of First Arc.
The Only thing that pushed me to go through the first Arc was ( well ) the Devil Overlord , Xuan Yi & his grand plan.
Especially, the last 3 or 4 episodes of first Arc have series of dumb events that lead to My Favorite Character's Death.

? The infamous Second Arc

This is the part that is frustrating while I am writing this review.
For the first part , it was really boring, so I didn't care about any of it & causally fast forwarded almost everything.

But this part, it really has the potential to be great. However,unnecessary long arcs of melodramatic plots ruined my enjoyment for the story.

ZDY is lovely as the adventurous Princess with an attitude .
XuKai's Qian Mu is colorful as the awkward lord who meets his first love.
This time, he is the pursuer and she is the one being pursued.
And the dynamics of these two characters come out as 'Lovable Couple'.

But in the middle, they have to kill this lovable mood with unnecessarily long Palace Politics created by Evil Phoenix (I wanna pull out her Feathers)
and her Obsessive daughter.
[Every makjang worthy moments of
Forced Marriage ,
Forcing yourself upon the one who refuses you ( in modern drama, it may be virginity ,but it is Xanxia,so Dragon core)
Unbelievable tortuous punishments ]
All you can think about melodramatic 101 happen in those episodes.

For this second Arc, the chemistry of the two main characters is really palpable and it is the strength of the drama.
But , these two rarely have peaceful moments together.

After a moment of their union , these two return to their Original beings in the first Arc where the unnecessarily Long Angst comes again.
( ML pretends to have Amnesia .
Misunderstanding
Noble idiocy ( ML floating in that bubble with the home wrecking third wheeler))

( I said in one of my posted feed was that one of the positive things in early part of the drama was 'There are no hypocrite elders in God Realm. The Four characters are ' True Gods' themselves and they make decisions on their own')

But later in the Second Arc, that positive thing in first arc became irritating to me.

They have the strength of True Gods ,but the story is written in the way they become weaker that Male lead has to do every angst things possible to hurt the female lead , not to draw the suspicion of The Evil Phoenix.
( I know, similar thing happened in the first part of 'Eternal Love' but
here it happens in Second part,which makes me more annoyed )

Overall, I loved the couple in second Arc , but I did have to go through all those tortuous episodes to see them and I seriously hated that.

At the end, I felt like I had to take lots of bitter medicine just to have a moment of happiness.


*****
So you may love this if you are either fans of both leads or fans of highly tortuous melodramatic plot.

This drama may not be bad if you watch it slowly and have a happy drama to watch in between.

At the end,you can't really expect high scores from me when I said I watched almost 2/3 of show with 2X speed for various reasons.
I only give this high because I did love the main couple in Second Arc

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Let me start by saying if you are going to watch this drama, a few thousand boxed of tissues will not be enough!

Ancient Love Poetry is totally my type of drama. Fantasy, historical, heart-touching, heart-breaking and all other deep emotions you can think of. From the beginning you are hooked. I loved the fact that the female lead was the Chief God. This character was so powerful. The fact that she was the only female amongst the true gods and that their relationship was so strong was quiet different. Unlike many other dramas, these four people lived and died for each other and never turned against one another.
Tian Qi was one of my favourite characters as well. Even if his way of doing things were very wrong, he loved the female lead so much and was always ready to do anything for her. Even when she was Hou Chi, he didn't hesitate to protect her. Him bringing up her child was everything.
I get that such dramas always have to kill off some important character but Yue Mi's death was too sudden. She was such a close family to Shang Gu, Tian Qi and even the other two gods.
When Bai Jue and Shang Gu "died" and they skipped 60,000 years, I just wanted them back. I wanted everything to be like before. However, we got Qing Mu and Hou Chi. Their relationship was on another level. Qing Mu was such a loveable person. I loved them but then they just took the 2 of them away. I understand the whole story but I cannot accept this one fact. Although it was a happy ending, for me it was like either a bad cliff-hanger or a sad ending. I am still crying.
Yes, Bai Jue did whatever he did over the 60,000 years for Shan Gu but him taking her memories away, treating her that was just not right. They always think they are doing it for the sake of their loved one but in dramas at times like this, it's better if the truth is revealed and they face things together. The female lead was still upset even after he went so it as the same thing.
This drama had the perfect balance of all the elements that I would want in a drama. All the side characters also had great storylines. Even the little comedy scenes were too good.
I could honestly go on forever and ever but let's stop. I would definitely recommend Ancient Love Poetry to everyone.

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I thought it will be a good drama

Sorry to say till now its totally illogical, Shiggou sacrifice herself to bring peace to God realm, but Xunyi is out why and how? where are the bigger God and his promise that if Shiggou dies there will be peace?
who will be God of Chaos..totally messed up story sorry to say it's a waste of time? It's like director and producer sat with the writer and said ok lets make some series and they went on writing a s it was going. No serious thought was given. Please if u make a drama story is the most imp part, not just actor and actresses.
It cant be saved with great acting
I watched it cause I like Xinxia drama and I like Xu kai
But even Xu kai can't save a poor drama
The female lead is ok she doesn't look powerful to be the God
she is a God but her veins are block but she was chosen as God why and how?
when 70,000 years back Xunyi refused to sacrifice himself did the whole world died??
everyone is trying to protect Shiggou cause she is v cute ( I didn't find her cute)
I don't know if I will go on watching as since 10 episodes I have been watching it on a higher speed Till now I don't feel connected sorry Xu kai. I m watching now at 1.25 speed on Youtube
Can someone tell me why when Tian qi himself had seen Wuhan killing Yu mein so when he comes face to face why he doesn't spill the bean
When Jing Zhao give her Phoenix core to Qing Mu what happened to Qing Mu real core and that thing was for no reason a within 5 min they return it to her
Again and again, it was mention Houchi doesn't have strong cultivation but she is flying fighting with an evil fight with Mrs Heavenly king
Seriously who has written this

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Cant take this noble idiocy anymore than this!!!

I wish the main characters not keep doing things that will hurt their loved ones.
It is understandable that the ML wants to sacrifice himself for the FL but not at cost of the pain of his loved one.
It's almost like he didn't trust her enough to tell all of that, they could've faced this together. She even showed that she would die with him rather than live without him. Some may argue that's y he didn't tell her and had to make her hate him, but I disagree. How can he forget the latter part that she won't be able to continue her life without him? How can he make decisions for her?
Agree she did tbe some in the beginning, so he understands the pain involved in it. More the reason he shouldnt be doing it.
And parental negligence? Sure he disguised as someone to see his son but the son feeling abandoned by his father for a long time is so not ok.
Sometimes living without the soulmate is not actually living, worse thinking he never loved her and betrayed her. That is more painful than death itself. After he dies is she actually living? what's the use of such life? How could they miss this small logic?
She went through soo much pain that I couldn't myself even as an onlooker was not able to forgive the ML though it's all for her sake. What's the use of both of them suffering?
God im sooo irritated for wasting time on this series.
No offense for all who liked the series, just my opinion.

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This show would have been a lot better if the God Realm didn't collapse. I feel like after Shang Gu dies and the whole God Realm dies, the story just starts going downhill really fast.

I felt like I was wasting my time watching the story of Qing Mu and Huo Chi. Like I didn't care about them and it was a waste of my time. I didn't see a point of them.

The costuming for this show wasn't the best. Everyone in the show had like 3 outfits, while Shang Gu had like a dozen. The effects were really nice tho. Another thing to point out is the God Realm closes to fast. It closes around like episode 20 and because it closed a lot of people died. So it didn't make the storyline any better since I had to recognize new faces and more people. Characters like Xue Ying, Yue Mi, Hong Ri, etc. were barley even a part of the show. I really liked them, and after the God Realm closed, there was no point of continuing to watch this show.

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Started ... Put it on Hold and went back to it

Okay this drama really took me a while to complete and like a very long time, and not because it was not good anything, I just was not invested in it as much as I thought I would be.

Firstly the Gods who are supposed to be GODS are just stupid or childish, what a nonsense ! Sorry, I can't take it. Characters are just cliché and I can't see any interest in the story which seems very stereotype to me. I did not feel the chemistry between the actors and it always seemed so busy, like there was so much going for no apparent reason.
The FL was considerably less annoying than I am used to in these Chinese costume dramas. Her behavior is like a bully, not with power you can bully people, but using her intelligence to bully others, even though repeatedly claimed she was bullied. can't sympathize with her at all. The ML was super ice cold, but i guess his character was written that way.

Overall: If you have enough time or bored as this drama is like 49 episodes of which I felt were really unnecessary then go ahead and give it try.

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Visual affects in this drama are the best ever in a Chinese drama. Props to the editing & CGI team. They really did an amazing job!
I think they could have done better with the story especially in explaining stuff. The concept was good but they didn't take it to its full potential. Some places the drama was dragging. More romance would have been appreciated. I don't understand y the romance is so wooden in a xianxia historical fantasy dramas.
Acting i think, the main female lead wasn't the best pick. She smiled unnecessarily at the beginning and had no expressions towards the end. The main casting wasn't the best tbh whereas the support cast was amazing. Loved Tianqi's acting, i have seen him in other historical dramas as well and he didn't disappoint.

I gave this drama a rating of 7 just bcuz of the CGI.

Tbh with such an amazing CGI & editing team, this drama had so much more potential!

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Noble Idiocy done right! The heart-wrenching never-ending farewells left a gaping hole in my heart

After sacrificing my sleep last night, I finished a whole box of tissue for my tears, and oh well, my snots. I got a taste of sweetness that made my skin crawl from Qingmo and Houchi...and loads of heartaches from Houchi and Bai Jue...then Shanggu and Bai Jue. It was truly a roller coaster for the last 15 episodes.

The moments that undoubtedly made this show special were the endless goodbyes. It was the same concept, repetitive even, but the way they were delivered and how the words were phrased was equally heartbreaking.

And since these scenes were the ones I find remarkable, I would like to say a few more words.

1. See You After 100 Years - The day after Qingmo and Houchi's wedding, they bade goodbye to each other. To Houchi, although she was sad, she was also full of hope in reuniting with her husband after 100 years. If you consider that they're immortals, 100 years is nothing to them, so she might have thought that time will pass in a blink of an eye. For Qingmo however; he was full of uncertainty. Having just accepted the fact that he will disappear one day, separating with Houchi at this time was just too cruel. He probably thought there is a chance that this will be the last time he will see Houchi again, but still, he had a bit of hope of seeing her again after 100 years. After all, that's the timeframe Boxuan is supposed to regain sense.

2. I'm Unreconciled - Confronted face to face with another him who will devour his entire being, Qingmo was devastated...for his fears had come true --- not being able to meet Houchi again. I would like to applaud KaiKai here, he made Qingmo's last day on earth remarkably heartbreaking. He was unresigned, devastated, and full of regret...yet nothing could be done about it. His being was full of desperation you would be a total wood if your heart didn't hurt even a bit with this scene.

3. Qingmo, I'm back / Give Qingmo Back to me - I can't decide which line is better so I included them both as they are the main points of this scene. Having seen Bai Jue herself, Houchi has had her doubts. She believes Qingmo still lives within the man who calls himself Bai Jue. But when she was cruelly denied of this fact and was left with a mere cenotaph, she mourned...as she might have truly lost her husband.

4. I love You, My Dear Wife - Oh, the consciousness that Qingmo left for Houchi was full of love and longing. This was my favorite farewell scene. Like Qingmo said, his life maybe was short, but he was able to live it fully. He loved and received love. It was complete. Saying goodbye to his dear wife, he didn't look sad, but content knowing that their love was real.

5. The "Black Wedding" - After seeing Qingmo's farewell, Houchi was desperate to have him back and so he went to find Bai Jue who is in the middle of preparing his wedding. Houchi wanted nothing else but to know Qingmo is still alive. But bai Jue had to be so cruel in always shooting her down. When Houchi demanded a divorce and Bai Jue made the pact right there and then, I couldn't help but lament the circumstances of these two people who deeply love each other to separate just like that.

And in the middle of that, when Baijue said, "don't stop me or you will regret it" and Tianqi said he won't, Bai Jue repeated the same sentence, only then did Tianqi realize what Bai Jue is trying to do. I tell you, this episode was full of so much angst my heart almost gave up.

The heartbreaking separation of father and daughter. This is the highlight of this episode. Gu Jun sacrificed his life, not for anything else but to save his daughter's life. This scene truly etched in my heart, that a parent can do anything for their children just to keep them safe. And for this, Houchi truly fell into a sense of loss. He lost two of his closest kin, a husband and a father. Who would blame her if she will hate Bai Jue enough to kill him? All she ever wanted was to lead a safe and simple life. To be a filial daughter, a virtuous wife, and a good mother. And when she really did pierce his heart, she smirked, for she did not feel liberated. Killing Bai Jue will not bring back the family she lost. This was when she truly accepted that Qingmo is not coming back and this was truly the end of their ill-fated relationship.

6. Shanggu and Bai Jue - Waking up with no memories for the past 60 years, we see Shanggu with a young heart pining for Bai Jue. But she was told he got married not once, but twice and with a son, we see her confusion and disbelief. When she finally bared her heart to Bai Jue, saying how she wanted to tell him about her time in the Netherworld. That she had misgivings of his infidelity (well, we all know he's really not), but she doesn't know that. She did not receive any bit of consolation from him. And so she gave him up for a second time---as Shanggu.

7. You Really Let Us Down - I simply loved this scene for the powerful message that gave a blow to Muguang. When comparing people's lives, how would you weigh which one is more important? Wu Huan killed a truckload of demons and immortals alike, and when she was on the path to execution, what right would Muguang have to beg for the life of his wife? Houchi's words were bullets straight to the heart.

8. Last Dream - Shanggu never stopped loving Bai Jue. She was disappointed in him, yes, but she has always loved him. So when an opportunity presented itself to be with Bai Jue, even if it's only a dream, she embraced it with all her heart, without knowing this was really it, the final farewell.

After everything that's said and done, I understood what mindset and heart Bai Jue had when he made the decision to take the Tribulation of Chaos for Shanggu. There's nothing left to be said after witnessing their journey.

This is a show that I will love for a very long time.

P.S. Special credit to A-Lin's A Thousand Years of Searching for taking the angst on another level. Her longing-filled voice tinged with desperation in the background pushes the emotion at its peak.

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