Ashes of Love (Netflix) was quite an intriguing romance to watch. It starts off with the death of the flower goddess after she gives birth to the next goddess. The secret of her daughter's divinity was kept from the 6 realms to protect her from assault. The flower goddess dies as a result of the murder by the goddess of heaven due to her jealousy of her husband's wandering heart. The flower goddess curses her daughter to never experience the feeling of love, under the philosophy that love brings more pain than it is worth.

The two princes of the heavenly realm fall in love with the heir to the flower kingdom, and a bitter rivalry ensues.

Aspects of Buddhist philosophy are explored. Revenge and forgiveness are pushed to the limit. Self-sacrifice for a noble cause is emulated. Love for one another is taken to the utmost extremes in that they are willing to suffer and be tortured on each other's behalf, to atone for each other's sins.

Of the six realms, the heavenly realm takes on the role of the hypocritically sanctimonious hegemony. The demon realm has some unique virtues that destroy the stereotype that all demons are bad - they are the few that are brave enough to stand up against the heavenly tyranny. The floral realm surpasses the others in outward beauty, yet the mortal realm is where inner beauty is cultivated. These immortal gods deign to descend into the mortal realm where they lose their memories and learn how to truly love.

Unique types of magic are explored. Each immortal functions like a human, but they contain the spirit of some unique plant or animal. Their magic is connected to their spirit form and inspires their personalities.

The plot immediately captured me from the first episode, was consistently gripping with complex subplots and schemes along the way, and silenced me in awe at the concluding finale.

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