There is no other way to say it - I HATED Love and Redemption. My biggest issue was the lack of agency given to Zhu Xuan Ji by almost every male character in the show. I expect the main antagonist to manipulate her actions - it's the Big Bads main purpose after all. However, I did not expect such problematic behavior from her love interest. Most of the later half of the show is driven by Cheng Si Feng refusing to be open and honest with Zhu Xuan Ji. He doesn't tell her about the love curse; he doesn't tell her about his demon lineage; he flat out lies about his identity upon realizing she is the Devil Star; and he misleads her into thinking he is in love with someone else to keep her at a distance once they reunite after two years. All of these lies are in the name of "protecting her," but it essentially amounted to him making decisions for her and their relationship. Why is it I have more confidence in her ability to handle these issues rather than the man who is in love with her (and has followed her through ten lifetimes)?
Homegirl defended him ad nauseum before officially denouncing him. Even when he was openly antagonistic toward her, she would beg him to explain his motives. You cannot make me believe for one second she would have not listened to him with the amount of love and trust she placed in him. She held on from doubting him for far longer than I would have. Even worse was the way his friends talked smack about her behind her back. "How could she doubt you..." Bitch, please. Everyone, INCLUDING HIM, was telling her he was a bad guy. If you're going to criticize and judge her actions, let's side eye the guy who is deliberately misleading her and keeping her at a distance.
Not to be outdone, her father threatens to commit suicide and actually does bodily injur himself if she did not capitulate to his request to break up with her main squeeze. Or how about all the times Hao Chen bullied, threatened, and manipulated her (over and over and over again)? Watching this poor girl constantly not being given any agency in her own story was heartbreaking. I was rooting for her to just walk away from them all and go adventuring with her bestest support spirit animal, Teng She. At least when he tried to manipulate her, she could see through his actions.
I also disliked most of the relationships and romances on the show. Honestly, they were just so unhealthy. Yu Si Feng was obsessed with Zhu Xuan Ji; Hao Chen was obsessed with Zhu Xuan Ji; Lu Yan Ran was obsessed with Yu Si Feng; and Zi Hu was obsessed with Wu Zi Qi. My least favorite was Lu Yan Ran, who did nothing but complain the entire length of the show about how much she hated Zhu Xuan Ju and loved Yu Si Feng. The only romance I supported was between Zhu Ling Long and Zhong Min Yan. Their love and relationship struggles were truly heartbreaking. The scene where Zhu Ling Long attempts to commit suicide was one of the best depictions of how trauma can warp our sense of self. It took her a long time to process the abuse and rape she experienced, but it was done in a realistic and authentic way.
This review is certainly long and perhaps overly nitpicky. Perhaps my tastes are just to rich after watching The Starry Love, Love Between Fairy and Devil, and The Untamed. But I wouldn't be as nearly upset if it had a sub par cast or story. It had all of the elements to make something great, and yet it was such a messy and convoluted story. The one thing I truly liked about it was the thirty minute epilogue. Many of these shows skip over this section, which can be truly disappointing since we spent 40+ hours of our lives investing in these characters.
Watch if you like: ❤️ Angsty romance | ✨ Magic & fantasy | 👥 Political intrigue
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