A Journey to Love (2023) - Final Review

Final review/rating: A Journey to Love (2023) - Wuxia meets politics as a princess, an assassin, and a squad of spies embark on mission impossible

This is 9/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         9 Stars Plot:                       8 Stars Acting/cast:            9 Stars Couple chemistry:   8 stars Music:                    9 Stars Re-watch value:      9 Stars Enjoyment factor:   9 Stars

Based on an original screenplay, A Journey to Love (2023) is an engaging blend of wuxia and politics.  The narrative centres around the journey of a delegation that embark on mission impossible: the rescue of their undeserving Emperor from the hands of a hostile State. Although they (and we) know it is essentially a suicide mission, there is so much thrilling heroics, hilarity, and hijinks along the way that it is impossible not to fall in love with the squad and to be invested in their story.  I found myself fervently hoping that their plot armour would hold forever and that they would all make it home.   

The English title of the drama is serviceable, but I much prefer the Chinese title, 《一念關山》/《一念关山》 "A Thought of Fortresses and Mountains". It is derived from "一念起關山", the penultimate line of Shen Yue 沈约's frontier poem 《卻東西門行》/《却东西门行》 But the East West Gate (which I have attempted a more detailed commentary + translation of 👉here).   

In brief, the line "一念起關山" expresses the poet's yearning for the fortresses and mountains that delineate and protect his country. Given the drama's themes, the choice of title is incredibly apt, poetically evoking the delegation's love of country and their desire to protect its frontiers, as well as their yearning to return home.  

Notably, A Journey to Love (2023) heralds the comeback of veteran actress Liu Shi Shi, as well as the first main male lead role for Liu Yu Ning in a costume drama. Their kickass power couple of deadly assassin Ren Ru Yi and Chief Ning Yuan Zhou blew me away with their awesomeness.  Liu Shi Shi is a delight to watch, especially in her mesmerisingly good fighting scenes, and although Liu Yu Ning's acting is a work in progress, I think he holds his own.  I fell for them, as well as for every member of the squad (especially Fang Yi Lun's Yu Shi Shan) like the proverbial ton of bricks.

Although I enjoyed this drama, it isn't without its flaws. A tendency to focus on characterisation at the expense of plot meant that midway through there was a marked decrease in momentum, and the rush to the ending could have been better conceived and executed. But overall, it is still a drama that scores a solid 9 from me, because there was just so much to love.

   

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

A Journey to Love (2023) - Synopsis

Drama info:

Title:                  A Journey to Love 

Chinese title:     一念关山 / 一念關山 

                          (Eng translation: "A Thought of Fortresses and Mountains") 

Episodes:           40 

Genre:                Wuxia, historical, political, romance  

Original network:  iQiyi

Release date:        28 Nov 2023

Airing schedule:    28 Nov 2023 - 23 Dec 2023

Synopsis:

The State of Wu is left in a politically fraught situation when their Emperor is taken hostage by the State of An. The An Emperor demands a hefty 100,000 tael ransom and also demands that it be brought to him by a Prince of Wu. 

Princess Yang Ying offers to go, masquerading as 'Prince Li', and a delegation is assembled to undertake the dangerous mission of retrieving the Wu Emperor.  At its helm is Ning Yuan Zhou, newly reinstated Chief of the Six Paths Hall, and his squad: the free-spirited playboy Yu Shi Shan, the laconic imperial guard Qian Zhao, the animal loving Sun Lang, and clever youngster Yuan Lu, all of whom have a particular set of skills.       

When Ren Ru Yi, female assassin and former left envoy of the State of An's Scarlet Guards, becomes a member of the delegation, things get...interesting.  Especially when Ren Ru Yi decides that Ning Yuan Zhou would make a good father for the child she plans to have, to the latter's consternation and the delegation's amusement.  

  

The Long Ballad (2021) - Final Review

Final review/rating: The Long Ballad (2021) - A binge-worthy epic journey of love, loss, and growth that does justice to the source manhua

This is 9/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         9 Stars Plot:                       9 Stars Acting/cast:            9 Stars Couple chemistry:   9 stars Music:                    10 Stars Re-watch value:      9 Stars Enjoyment factor:   9 Stars

The Long Ballad (2021) is as epic as I thought it would be when I first picked up the drama. It has been a while since I finished watching this one, but I wanted to give a final review that would do the drama justice.  As I explained in my spoiler-free synopsis (👉here), for once, this is a historical Chinese drama that has an aptly translated English title, because our titular heroine Chang Ge's Chinese name means a long song or ballad. 

So the Chinese title is《長歌行》(literally "Chang Ge's journey") and the drama is her song or her ballad, a retelling of her adventures, so to speak. 

And what a gorgeous song of a drama this is... Love, loss, growth, sacrifice, redemption set against a colourful historical background.  An addictively good, binge-worthy drama indeed with a young and talented cast, which does justice to the manhua on which it is based.  

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

The Long Ballad (2021) - Synopsis

Drama info:

Title:  The Long Ballad

Chinese title: 長歌行 (Translation: "Chang Ge's journey")

Episodes:  49

Genre: Historical, Action, Romance

Original network: Tencent 

Release date:      31 March 2021

Airing schedule:  31 March 2021 - 3 May 2021

Synopsis:

The Tang Dynasty, in the year 626 AD...  Princess Li Chang Ge's entire family is slaughtered after the infamous Xuanwu Gate Incident - a palace coup in which her mentor and uncle Prince Li Shi Min successfully wrests control of power and becomes the Crown Prince, and later, Emperor Tai Zong.     

Vowing vengeance, Chang Ge flees Chang'an city to muster an army powerful enough to overthrow the new emperor.  

  

Jiu Liu Overlord (2020) - Synopsis

Drama info:

Title:  Jiu Liu Overlord 

Chinese title: 九流霸主

Episodes:  36

Genre: Historical, Romance, Palace, Mystery

Original network: Tencent

Release date:  23 October 2020 

Airing schedule:  23 October - 11 November 2020

Synopsis:

When haughty silk tycoon Li Qing Liu meets Long Ao Yi, the beautiful rough and tumble gang leader of the Longzhu Clan, the scene is set for a collision between the upper class/upper jiu liu and lower class/lower jiu liu of Silver City.