Love in Flames of War (2022)

Honest Review to Rise Above the Angry Chatter

I got very frustrated with MyDramaList and the reviews/comments on this show because it seems *very* one-sided, so allow me to include my own opinion of the show. I hope this is helpful for those like me who are looking for actual reviews and not angry, short tirades.

**First Impressions of the ML & FL
ML - Actor: Shawn Dou (insert major heart eyes here, because WOW)- Xia Bei Chen - He's charismatic, charming, beautiful, and immature. I can tell his arc will include a lot of growth, and I'm excited about it. He is the spoiled son of a father in high power, and he lost his mother at a young age which, I feel, has both scarred him and impeded his emotional maturity. He has chemistry with his FL in a childish, teasing-bullying way (like kids in a playground), and I can sense a long journey for them both as they mature and experience hardships individually and together.

**FL- Actress: Chen Du Jing- Lin Hang Jing- She's aloof, mysterious, headstrong, and has a low tolerance for Xia Bei Chen's bullshit. I LOVE that; I think it's very complimentary to their dynamic because he needs someone who won't take his bratty attitude and who will also elevate him as he gets his act together. They fit well because I can see how they'll bring out each other's best traits together. I see a lot of hate toward her character, and I'm immensely curious if I'll eventually board the hate train. So far, I like them as individuals and their chemistry as a future couple. As of right now, she's dealing with an impetuous child (Bei Chen) who keeps bullying her to like him while she spends her energy writing articles about abandoned children needing homes. I'd be irritated too.

"But let me ask you, do you even have a dream for your life, society, country, loved ones, or even just for yourself? That's why I said I look down on you."

**Plot: It's very engaging so far. I can sense A N G S T in the future, and I'm ready for it.

**Episode 1:
The episode has a disjointed first half where it's clear (at least to me) that the editors aren't sure how they want to leave their first impressions, so both the music and the scenes start and end a bit jarringly, and it pulls me out of the scene a few times. Set design, costumes, and Shawn Dou's visuals kept me pulled in, though, and I'm glad because the episode finds its footing in the 2nd half of the episode, and I found myself easily engaged.

***Episode 6 Update:
The plot has been interesting so far, and I like the dynamics between the ML and FL. A few episodes ago, a moment in the garden was a clear turning point for the ML in his feelings toward HangJing. However, she is still very much locked in the mindset that BeiChen is just a pompous bully who meddles in her life when he doesn't get his way, so I totally understand why she's standoffish and suspicious of him when he does something noble. How would she know? Only we, as the viewers, understand his mind clearly. Still, when ***SPOILER** his friends take it upon themselves to have her kidnapped, and he's disciplined for it, she defends him; then later, when their group is attacked, her first instinct is to block him from harm, and I can see her eyes softening toward him. There is a much slower but still obvious transition happening for her as well. His friends are dumb and make it difficult for BeiChen to come off likable when they often do fairly despicable things to manipulate HangJing into doing his bidding. She's obviously assuming BeiChen is the reason behind it all, so I'd be irritated too. Despite that, they meet up anyway (she was coerced, and he was tricked) for the first time in a solo outing at the Lantern Festival and have the *cutest* time together. Their chemistry is really fun to watch here, and the lighting makes them both look so beautiful.

***Episode 14 Update:
I love the father/son relationship. It's complex, full of unspoken words, and it's undoubtedly full of love. As imperfect as he is, I think his father really cherishes BeiChen. There has been a time jump of several years, and I like the maturity BeiChen has gained while still being his usual silly self at home. I still have no problem sensing the chemistry between him and HangJing. She admires him and finds him attractive; it's easy to see in her lingering expressions and body language. If anyone is threatened by her relationship with Zi Zheng, I find that pretty ridiculous. He's been kind toward her from the start and has been working with her at the newspaper these years Beichen has been gone. As far as I can tell, she doesn't reciprocate Zi Zheng's feelings (at least not on the same level) and is only reciprocating his kindness. Relax, y'all. I find both the plot and the revolving changes within BeiChen and Hang Jing to be very interesting.

***Episode 20 Update:
The series has had a few major developments in its storyline from each major aspect. The ML/FL doesn't have any shortage of misunderstandings between them. Any forward momentum in their relationship has required some kind of misunderstanding/fight to occur first, and it can be frustrating for anyone watching who can't see the forest for the trees. I think, on a very basic level, the initial misunderstandings occurred because the ML is insecure and emotionally immature within their relationship when conflict arises, and the FL is too passive and prideful (what a terrible combo) to admit her faults or address the misunderstanding. These misunderstandings then spiral into stretches of time where they'll avoid each other and avoid any solution. For example, their argument over the kite in her room could have been quickly smashed had she insisted on explaining her side instead of angrily clamming up and letting him walkout. It's an interesting parallel to watch with Beichen since he holds such a respectable, high position within the military that requires him to see the bigger picture and know how to strategize properly, but when it comes to love, he's still very immature and hotheaded. I'm glad both sides have revealed true feelings, and they understand there is true love and care there. We've also been introduced to the secondary foil (the first being Zi Zheng), the MLs childhood friend (who's also deeply in love with him and wholly toxic as a character), so we'll get more misunderstandings and unnecessary fighting in the future. Still, I'm enjoying this series.

***Finish. Overall final thought:

* This series isn't nearly as bad as some of these commentators make it out to be.
* Shawn Dou as Bei Chen isn't just a delicious snack, he's a whole meal. Not just visually, but as a very impressive and emotive actor. I only wish we could have heard this real (very attractive) voice instead of the dub, especially for his more emotional scenes since I believe there is nuance lost when a voice is dubbed over.
* Chen Du Ling as Hang Jing *really isn't as bad as everyone makes her out to be*. Throughout the misunderstandings, I never suspected that she didn't love Bei Chen. Did she make a lot of unnecessary decisions? Definitely. Could she have been more vocal about her love for him, especially considering he's the type of person that *needs* that vocal confirmation? Most definitely.
* I didn't like the ridiculous amount of death at the very end and Bei Chen losing pretty much everyone around him.
* The series sometimes had a soap opera-y feel to it that I wasn't a huge fan of, but when I was in those thoughts, I just stared at Shawn Dou's face and felt better.
* The music is the most jarring aspect of the series IMO. It starts and ends so abruptly mid-scene to indicate to the viewer a shift in tone, but it's so unnecessary and always throws me off. The selections are also sometimes so melodramatic and corny.
That said, Zhou Shen's song, Shining Galaxy is gorgeous. I also really love the instrumental version of it that's played in scenes with the ML and FL.
* The ending is not open-ended in my opinion. It's very clearly a happy ending for our ML and FL - there's even a photo of them reunited online that was eventually cut, but it exists so I'm firmly rooted in that they end up together as a family at the end.
*I would have liked more lovey-dovey scenes between the ML and FL to at least help counterbalance all of the fighting and misunderstandings. I would have also liked to see a little bit more emotional growth toward each other since their fighting throughout all the years together never seem to improve tremendously.

* TLDR: I wouldn't watch this series again but I don't regret having watched it, and I really hope to see Shawn Dou in more leading roles because he's truly an extraordinary actor and a very, very, beautiful person to watch on screen. His BTS is also super cute to watch, he seems to be a silly and charismatic person in real life, so that's fun to look up if you're into behind-the-scenes footage. I also found it interesting to see Chen Du Ling behind the scenes because their chemistry is even better there. Her dubbing and the way her character is written certainly don't help her much in terms of likeability, but as I said earlier, she's nowhere near as bad as most of these reviews have said.

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