A Journey to Love is one of the best wuxia productions that, even if the screenwriter, producer, and director turned delusional in the last eight minutes of the grandiose last episode, it does not take away from the fact that it is one of the best period legend dramas in matters of cinematography, costumes, writing, and a strong, smart, and passionate cast that has one of the best written dynamics in complex human interactions. This drama is fast paced and due to the fact that it has multiple leading characters, there’s never a dull moment. The audience is pulled into the plot and gets totally invested in the main characters and some great supporting characters as well. Although the plot deals with revenge and justice seeking themes, the story is really a beautiful and bittersweet tale about friendship, loyalty, romance, and the fine line between what is right or wrong in order to achieve justice. The main cast did an excellent job bringing their complex and ambivalent characters into life. And lets talk a bit about the extraordinary leading couple; the strong, smart, stiff, and frigid female assassin Ren Ru Yi / Ren Xin (played by Liu Shi Shi) an the intelligent, enigmatic, and resolute strategist Ning Yuan Zhou (played by Liu Yu Ning) which met by coincidence and found themselves working together for mutual benefits and, in the process of leading Wu's State's escort delegation to save the King of Wu who has been taken hostage by the State of An, formed a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding that leads to a steadfast and beautiful love story. SPOILER ALERT:
Now to the end, what were they thinking? This is one of the rare dramas in which a tragic ending is written in a beautiful and mesmerizing way making it clear to the audience that the leading couple gave their all, saved many lives, and fulfilled their promise to live and die together. [After sustaining multiple injuries, the leading man was pierced all around his waist by nine spears, all at the same time, with blood gushing out while she says in despair: “You broke your promise again.” Then the leading lady goes to the Beipan enemy encampment, gathers all the leaders in a tent and, as she killed the Prince, she closes her eyes and, in her thoughts, she says: “Yanzhou. You’re gone. It’s too lonely for me… in the world.” Then she immediately throws two of Yuan Lu’s bombs and the tent bursts into flames following the blast.] So, why giving the audience the implausible ideas that they survived, had children, and are living their dreamed life? How ridiculous!!!!! If the audience stops at the 40 minute mark of the last episode before they announced: [Ten or so years later], it will avoid ending up scratching its head, in disbelief!