A transcendental love that knows no bound, a selfish love that destructs lives, an altruistic love that expects nothing in return. These three types of love are interwoven into an epic battle between good and evil in The Flame's Daughter.
The Flame's Daughter is a 2018 Chinese TV series based on a novel of the same title by Ming Xiaoxi. The title is a reference to the protagonist, Lie Ruge's identity as a daughter of the leader of the Flaming Hill's sect and her ability to produce fire in her hands as her martial arts skill.
Prologue:
During ancient times, various sects: The Flaming Hill/LieHuo pavilion, Thunderbolt, and Swordless City set out for a fierce rivalry and power struggle to gain favor and trust from the emperor. And to assert authority in the villages they lorded.
The Lie Huo pavilion, headed by Li Mingjing, opposes Anhe Palace's treacherous practices. Anhe Palace's leader, An Ye Luo, possesses dark magic and he persecutes his enemies without mercy.
The hostility intensified when An Ye Luo's love, An Ye Ming, married a wandering warrior, Zhan Feitian, from the Flaming Hill/Lie Huo Pavilion.
An Ye Ming had a daughter with Zhan Feitian and to protect the child, Lie Mingjing, exchanges his biological son with Zhan Feitian's daughter.
Mingjing named her Lie Ruge while his son, who grew up believing his father is Zhan Feitian, is named Zhan Feng. An Ye Ming killed herself when Zhan Feitian committed suicide.
One of the disciples of the Dark River, Yin Xue, made painful sacrifices to undergo body transformation so that his master will allow him to come back to the mortal world to meet the reincarnation of his great love, Ge'er, who died defending him. Lie Ruge (played by Dilraba Dilmurat) is the reincarnation of Ge'er. Yin Xue is the mortal enemy of An Ye Luo.
Synopsis
The story begins with Yin Xue (Vic Chou) carrying the wounded Ge'er (Dilraba) to the summit of Ethereal sect to beg his master to let her live. However, it was too late, and she dies.
Yin Xue returns to Ethereal sect to acquire immortality so that he could go back to the mortal world and find the reincarnation of Ge'er.
In the mortal world, Lie Ruge and Zhan Feng become engaged. However, An Ye Luo tricks Zhan Feng to believe that the killer of his father, Zhan Feitian, is Lie Ruge's father, Lie Mingjing.
This leads Zhan Feng to break his engagement with Lie Ruge without giving her an explanation, He takes a woman from the brothel house which makes Lie Ruge brokenhearted.
Lie Ruge goes to the same brothel house to find out why Zhan Feng becomes enamored with a brothel woman. However, instead of finding answers, she encounters a mysterious man named Yin Xue, a skilled Guqin (a string musical instrument) player.
Yin Xue was once a skilled martial artist but was punished for his betrayal of the sect when he joined the Dark River. His master welcomed him back to the Ethereal sect but had to give up his martial arts skills.
Lie Ruge finds him intriguing, at the same time annoying, but Yin Xue relentlessly pursues her and even follows her to the Lie Huo Pavilion. Eventually, they become close and slowly fall in love.
When An Ye Luo discovers that Yin Xue is still alive and becomes the hindrance to his revenge and treachery against Lie Ruge's sect, an old rivalry between them is resurrected, dragging them into the showdown of power between good and evil.
Primary Characters
Lie Ruge (Dilraba Dilmurat) is the adopted daughter of the leader of the Lie Huo pavilion, Li Mingjing. She is trained to be the future leader of the sect. She is also the reincarnation of Ge'er.
Hundred years ago (the opening scene) Ge'er was killed for defending her lover, Yin Xue (Vic Chou) who betrayed the Ethereal sect to join the Dark River to be with Ge'er. For a hundred years, he prayed in the summit of Ethereal, waiting for Ge'er to reincarnate.
My review
I love the story of The Flame's Daughter. I am always fascinated to watch a drama that tackles the story of timeless love. Yin Xue's devotion to his one great love, who died fighting for him, is one element that I love in this series.
Although in general, the plot is not really super impressive due to some loopholes and weak points, and some annoying characters, I have fun watching this wuxia drama, and love re-watching it over and over again.
Surprisingly, I find Dilraba Dilmurat and Vic Chou's chemistry in this drama appealing. I mean, I am instantly attracted to their characters and their sweetness. I love the way they interact in the scenes.
Pros:
There are several elements in The Flame's Daughter that I love.
I love wuxia genre and The Flame's Daughter gives a different character of a wuxia story, a more humanized version because it centers not on bloody war but on the romantic adventures of martial arts heroes, which is endearing to me.
I like the concept of Yin Xue's character here. Sweet, protective, soft, but dangerous. He portrays an endearing character but has a deadly martial arts skill, and he is willing to do everything to ensure Lie Ruge is safe.
I like how his character is develop. Mysterious, intriguing and peculiar but never as weird as those Shaolin and Kungfu masters in Chinese movies.
Though he can be playful and humorous, he is not overly bizarre and clown. He is more of a gentle guy preoccupied with love. His smile and protective streak make you fall in love with Yin Xue.
I like the character of Lie Ruge too. She seems so kind, generous and forgiving but emotionally stable who knows what she wants and whom she needs to be with.
Unlike other heroine characters who are easily mislead with lies and intrigues, Lie Ruge stands with her principles and good intentions. Someone who is willing to do everything to keep everyone in her circle, safe.
I like Yu Zihan character too. Despite being bullied when he was still a child resulting to his disabilities, he did not harbor bad feelings towards people.
He portrays as a gentle and affectionate prince who wants to restore peace and order in his father's kingdom. His loyalty to Lie Ruge is one of his endearing characteristics in the story. He gives Lie Ruge's freedom to choose the person she loves.
I also love the production design of the story and the location setting. All the elements of terrific oriental surroundings are there. The trees, wilderness, the relaxing countryside scenery, the beautiful courtyard and its different theme - cherry blossoms, maple courtyard, bamboo forest, home interior, and plants in season.
I love the OST of this series! One of the best in Asian drama ever. It has a sweet vibe of a tranquil Asian atmosphere.
The opening theme song, Ru ge (Like a Song) performed by Jason Zhang and the ending theme song, Yu Huo Cheng Shi (Bathe Fire Into Poem) performed by Dilraba Dilmurat and Mao Buyi are simply harmonious that touched one's soul.
Cons:
As with most drama, The Flame's Daughter has some loopholes too.
I am disappointed how the character of Yin Xue evolved. I consider it as one of the most endearing characters I have watched in a drama but somehow it was not well-written. Despite being the male protagonist, his appearance is very limited and most scenes of him just presented in flashbacks.
His character is a good material in the series but appears to be just wasted with minimal exposure. It could have been developed more and given important part in every sequence or why he is there other than a protector of Lie Ruge.
I find it unclear what's his connection with the different sects. Yin Xue seems like a huge character but poorly utilized in the story. It was not given a chance to progress into important lead.
Another disappointment is the character of Zhan Feng. It is a lead role and he appears to be a strong man destined to become a leader of the Flaming Hills sect.
However, he just shown like a regretful warrior laying down his swords, drowning himself in liquor, and just lived his life in despair and remorse.
He was still in love with Lie Ruge but did not do any move to win her back or at least approach her and settle things between them when he called off their engagement.
Yin Xue and Lie Ruge scenes are also very short and totally lack of affection at some point. It's also a bit annoying to see so many interruptions during their tender moments.
Conclusion
Anyway, despite loopholes and inaccuracies, The Flame's Daughter is still an entertaining C-drama to watch. It's one of my favorite Asian drama ever shown on Philippine television.
I would still love to watch it over and over again because I love the interaction of Lie Ruge and Yin Xue. I love the chemistry of Dilraba and Vic Chou! I am over the moon with their characters and sweet moments.
It's so heartwarming to watch this kind of series in this difficult moment of our time. It brings super good vibes.
Though hesitant to express emotions, their characters are the great embodiment of couples whose eternal love transcends life. Awesome! Wish to watch Vic and Dilraba in another epic drama as a love team.
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