Love of the Divine Tree (仙台有树)

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I started to watch this out of curiosity and was hooked, which was surprising, considering it was another heavy fantasy romance. What was funnier was when I read about the premise of the plot, I laughed and thought it was ridiculous. It indeed seemed ridiculous but when I finally watched it, I thought it was clever and illustrated the characters well.

Main Cast:

• Julia Xiang (向涵之) as Mu Qing Ge (沐清歌) and Xue Ran Ran (薛冉冉). She had to portray two roles in here and I thought she did really well. I was a little surprised she got the lead role but I wasn’t against it. Just surprised they gave her the chance, that was all. I was actually impressed with her ability to distinguish between the two characters and made it different as was essential to various plot points. Mu Qing Ge was very carefree and an optimist, for the most part. She was also quite intelligent and gifted in her cultivation. That caused a lot of jealousy and resentment from some people. Xue Ran Ran was also intelligent and gifted because she was the reincarnation of Mu Qing Ge. What differed was her stubbornness at times. In a way, she and Su Yi Shui reversed roles because he was really stubborn at first and then became calmer later on. In some ways, Xue Ran Ran’s stubbornness also saved her the way it saved Su Yi Shui. Because she wasn’t so trusting of others at times and didn’t take some people’s words for it. She was still kind-hearted and forgiving toward some people, but it wasn’t to the point of being stepped on. Mu Qing Ge, surprisingly, seemed to be too forgiving regarding some people for some reason although she seemed more strong-willed. Or perhaps, she saw no point holding grudges against those who didn’t matter? Regardless, I loved watching her journey throughout and how she overcame all the obstacles and gained and/or regained her power.
  • Su Yi Ke (史依可) as Childhood Mu Qing Ge (小沐清歌).
• Deng Wei (邓为) as Su Yi Shui (蘇易水). What saved Su Yi Shui time and time again was probably his stubbornness. To many, it might be their downfall. But to Su Yi Shui, it was what kept him from falling completely into the depths of evil. Why? He refused to submit to his fate. Or the so-called fate that people bestowed upon him. He just refused to be manipulated. It didn’t matter that Dun Tian successfully erase his past with Mu Qing Ge that one time, forcing him to return to eighteen years ago and make that decision to harness the evil power. Was he upset and wanted to regain his past glory? Yes, but when Dun Tian and the likes of his minions approached him and attempted to recruit him for the cause or convince him even more, he just turned them down or refused to go along with their plans. That had confused them major time and forced their hands even more. Because it was ingrained in him since little that he refused to accept it and be controlled by others. It didn’t matter if Mu Qing Ge existed in his life or not. He was already that way. So, their efforts were in vain. This role of Deng Wei really impressed me and made me pay attention to him more. Sure, it had a lot to do with how the character was written but also the way he portrayed it too.
  • Fu Bo Han (傅铂涵) as Childhood Su Yi Shui (小蘇易水).
• Chen Xin Hai (陈鑫海) as Su Yu (蘇域). Su Yi Shui’s cousin. He met and liked Mu Qing Ge since little. He was ambitious yet was also hopeful toward humanity in general. At least, that was what one was led to believe at first. But when pushed came to shove, he would choose self-preservation. It seemed like he was jealous of the relationship between Mu Qing Ge and Su Yi Shui hence provoking Su Yi Shui to go rogue. However, he planned a lot of things ahead of time and tried to push forth a certain agenda without appearing to be the bad guy. It was explained by Mu Qing Ge near the end when she finally regained her power and her memories. It was easy to underestimate him because he put on a good front. Only after years of struggle that he finally revealed his truth self. Partially, it had to do with the fact that he lost faith in humanity in general and only wanted power. Because he was betrayed by his own brother, the brother who he begged Mu Qing Ge to save that one time. Or maybe that was just a way for him to justify his actions as he was trying to gain even more power. It was funny that he mocked Mu Ran Wu for being despicable but he wasn’t any different. What was surprising though was that they decided to redeem his character in the end. I thought it would be bizarre but it was actually a good twist because he was the key to turn things around. Or at least, partially the key. He chose to turn around because he indeed still have some shred of conscience left in him, not wanting to destroy the world completely to fulfill his wishes.
  • Zhang Jing Yi (张景祎) as Childhood Su Yu (小蘇域).
• Zhang Wei Na (张维娜) as Mu Ran Wu (沐冉舞). Mu Qing Ge’s younger sister. She was really jealous of her sister and never wanted to acknowledge all the stuff her sister did for her yet just focused on the bad. Her top reason was really lame, like wanting the love of the man who didn’t care for her. That was the worst. But I guess she was easily persuaded hence being used regarding the conspiracy of eighteen years ago, etc. Her justifications were ridiculous. Her running away from it all when it got tough said it all. I meant the part where she thought she was going to die during the spirit’s trap. Well, in some ways, it was a way for Mu Qing Ge to regain her power and memories. But that one time proved she was just a coward, only wanting to reap the benefits but never wanted to work for it. Yet she still dared to blame her sister and others. So, she was upset that her sister caused her the chance of cultivation (or so it was told from her side) but it felt like it was just another excuse to justify her actions for hurting her sister later.
  • Li Jia Jie (李佳洁) as Mu Ran Wu in the past life (前世沐冉舞).
  • Chu Jia Xin (储嘉欣) as Childhood Mu Ran Wu (小沐冉舞).
• Zhang Rui (张睿) as Ye Xin (夜心) aka Dun Tian (盾天). At first when I heard of his story, I felt bad for him and thought what happened was so tragic, having to pick, etc. However, what came after was a joke. Well, that was when it was revealed what he had done. He was just someone who wanted fame and immortality yet regretted after he made mistakes and wanted to blame others. In a way, Mu Ran Wu was like him. Well, he did blame himself at various points. But he probably couldn’t take the responsibility so it was easier to blame others. Although he was the one who made the choices.

Supporting:

• Deng Kai (邓凯) as Wei Jiu (魏糾). The leader of the Celestial Sect, known as the best fighter within the demonic realm. Not going to lie, I enjoyed watching him more than half of the cast and that said something. Yes, I knew he was evil. Yes, I knew he was always up to no good. However, his actions were so hilarious at times, it was really hard to hate him completely. It was like he was trying so hard to be evil yet failed miserably. I’m not saying the actor, okay? The actor did really good with his portrayal. It was just the character was too silly at times. But it made all the really intense moments more bearable. He was supposedly the leader of the demonic sect yet was clueless about things at times and could be too hotheaded to think straight in various situations. No wonder his father had to guarantee he wasn’t going to get himself killed before achieving the ultimate goal.
  • Xu Yi Ming (徐一明) as Young Wei Jiu (少年魏糾).
• Cheng Zi (程梓) as Tu Jiu Yuan (屠九鳶). Considered an elder of the Celestial Sect because the previous leader bestowed that responsibility onto her, wanting her to keep an eye on Wei Jiu, aiding him in the grand cause. She was smart and capable yet was held back by Wei Jiu at times. They got along well when they were little but he became jealous of her because she was a better fighter than him, considering how much his father valued her. Yet he had no idea his father was looking out for him by promoting her to a high-ranking position in the sect to save him from himself. I thought she really had some range, having portrayed various roles here and there, from random silly ones to serious and deceitful ones. This one was another level because it contained both of mystery and patience that exuded the vibe of a true leader.
  • Li Yuan Yuan (李媛媛) as Young Tu Jiu Yuan (少年屠九鳶).
• Cao Yu Chen (曹煜辰) as Zeng Yi (曾易). Mu Qing Ge’s fourteenth disciple, specialized in designing and creating weapons. He was very easygoing, laid-back even as how he was seemed at times. However, he could get so upset at times, especially regarding what happened to his master and how upset he was with Su Yi Shui afterwards. Yet he could be quite reasonable at times, understanding the situation and accepting them when he realized the truth of something. He was actually one of the persons who kept Su Yi Shui sane during those eighteen years of waiting for their master to be reborn. I haven’t seen him since The Untamed and this role was tenfold better compared to the other one, lol. Yet, it probably meant he had some range. Because in the other one, he was a spoiled brat who was unreasonable beyond words. This one? He projected of someone who was responsible and was able to withstand challenges throughout. He was a loyal disciple and a helpful elder to his sect.
• Wang Ting Xu (王庭旭) as Yu Chen (羽臣). Su Yi Shui’s loyal servant.
• Hu Jia Xin (胡嘉欣) as Yu Tong (羽童). Su Yi Shui’s loyal servant.
• Hu Wei (扈帷) as Bai Bo Shan (白柏山). Su Yi Shui’s first disciple. He was arrogant and somewhat stingy at first. However, he had a major reflection moment after being conned by a demon and falling into the enemy’s trap. He redeemed himself after he was given a second chance, courtesy of Xue Ran Ran’s pleading on his behalf. He was more thoughtful toward the sect and his juniors. He really earned his place later on as the leader.
• Min Xing Han (闵星翰) as Gao Cang (高倉). Su Yi Shui’s second disciple.
• Ai Mi (艾米) as Qiu Xi Er (丘喜兒). Su Yi Shui’s third disciple. I heard many good things about the young actress and her potential. Now that I finally watched her, she was indeed cute and likable.
• Yu Xiao Ming (于小鸣) as Qin Xuan Jiu (秦玄酒). Mu Qing Ge’s last disciple. Many were surprised how he became her disciple because of his appearance, considering how most of her disciples were known as young and handsome. However, they learned later that she bestowed the task of watching the border to him. It was a quick decision but she made the right choice because he was indeed reliable and loyal, keeping his promise and all. And the funniest thing was he somehow jinxed Su Yi Shui or something. Or could he predict the future? Because at the wedding, he said he wished his master a happy marriage and Su Yi Shui do more house chores for master, lol.

Others:

• Li Ruo Jia (李若嘉) as Wen Hong Shan (溫紅扇). One of the elders of the Eternal Sect. She initially liked Su Yi Shui and even lied about Mu Qing Ge to get Su Yi Shui to change his mind. However, she gave up on her obsession and helped the two later on. She also focused on guarding humans against demons.
• Nie Zi Hao (聂子皓) as Yan Liang Yu (言良玉). One of the elders of the Nine Flowers Sect.
• Ma Jing Han (马敬涵) as Grand Master Kai Yuan (開元真人). The leader of the Nine Flowers Sect. He was portrayed as being a model leader and wanted to protect the human-kind. However, he had alternative goals. He was despicable deep down, even wanting to steal Mu Ran Wu’s power when she accompanied him to the sect to clarify the matters of eighteen years ago. Obviously, he thought she was Mu Qing Ge and saw nothing wrong with trying to steal from her, etc. But that showed his despicable side even more, kept saying evil this and evil that but couldn’t follow those rules himself. I guess it was a case of “do as I say and not as I do” situation. Because seriously, he was so hypocritical that I felt he wasn’t worth being any leader at all.
• Tian Yi Fan (田倚凡) as Wen Yi An (溫易安). The leader of the Eternal Sect, Wen Hong Shan’s master.
• Liu Xiu (刘秀) as Cang Heng (蒼恆). The leader of Zhengyang Sect.
• Liu Zhe Er (刘哲尔) as Lu Yun (陆允). The leader of the Drifting Cloud Sect.
• Wang Rui Zi (王瑞子) as Zhou Fei Hua (周飛花). Su Yu’s wife, Mu Qing Ge’s good friend. She was described by Mu Qing Ge as so innocent and untouched by life’s many complications that it was rare. That was one of the reasons why Mu Qing Ge got along well with her. Because they both had a pure heart, even if Mu Qing Ge knew too well about the many cruel things in life. But whatever it was, she found peace in this friend. Zhou Fei Hua was indeed a very noble woman and proved her loyalty throughout. Her mind never wavered regarding what was right and wrong. Even if she loved Su Yu dearly but still tried to persuade him to do what was right, not going along with his schemes nor stayed comfortable in her cocoon by accepting the madness that was unraveling around her. She was indeed a very admirable character who lived up to her reputation throughout.
• Zhao Huan Ran (赵奂然) as Wang Sui Zhi (王遂枝). Mu Qing Ge’s disciple, Su Yi Shui’s senior. He had the ability to locate and transfer treasures and luck around but it came at a cost, so it was advised he should limit that. It was revealed that he liked Mu Ran Wu after she saved him from some bullies, so he joined the Wester Sect, thinking she was a disciple there. However, he remained kind and nice, hoping to help her to repay her. He was willing to sacrifice himself for her. He seriously didn’t deserve his fate yet I guess it was his choice.
• Xia Zhi Yuan (夏志远) as God of Wine (酒老仙). Mu Qing Ge’s good friend.
• Bai Shu (白澍) as Liang Wu Meng (梁無夢). Mu Qing Ge’s good friend.
• He Zhong Hua (何中华) as God of Medicine (藥老仙). God of Wine’s brother. He was in charge of guarding the magical pool.
• Shen Bao Ping (沈保平) as the emperor (皇帝).
• Zhang Cheng He (章呈赫) as Prince Ping (平親王). Su Yi Shui’s father. He totally earned his father of the year title all right, and possibly father of the century too. Yes, sarcasm here. But he was seriously a piece of work. He was a truly selfish person throughout, only caring about himself and used others as he pleased to achieve his means. His children didn’t even escape from their fates if he wanted to use him. They were just pawns in his grand plans. However, he had no idea that he was also a pawn in the grand plan of someone else.
• Zhang Ying Bing (张颖冰) as Mrs. Jiang (江夫人). Su Yi Shui’s mother.
• Chen Si Yi (陈思佚) as Su Xiao Xiao (蘇小小). Su Yi Shui’s younger sister. She had a similar background to him as in she wasn’t recognized by others because of her mother. So, she formed a bond with Su Yi Shui and they relied on each other to survive since young.
• Wang Jiu Sheng (王九胜) as Prince Zong (宗親王). Su Yu’s father.
• Zhao Zi Qi (赵子琪) as Wu Niang (五娘).
• He Yong Sheng (何涌生) as the former leader of the Celestial Sect (赤门老门主). Wei Jiu’s father.
• Zhao Ke (赵柯) as Feng Mou (鳳眸) / Dragon Goddess (龙神).
• Chen Si Qing (陈思澈) as Meng Zhang (孟章). A green dragon spirit whose duty was to guard the dragon egg of the Dragon Goddess yet had lost it and wanted Xue Ran Ran and Su Yi Shui to help her retrieve as a last wish so she could rest in peace. She felt guilty because she neglected her duty when she met Old Liu and married him.
• Zhang Gong (张弓) as Old Liu (柳老頭). He was influenced by the evil essence to create a curse around the village in order to bring his wife back.
• Lin Xin Ze (李欣泽) as Demon King (人魔王).
• Wang Pei Han (王珮寒) as Rong Yao (容姚). Dun Tian’s wife. She died full of resentment because she blamed her husband for neglecting their family and not saving their daughters. Her spirit supposedly lingered and entered the depths of the evil realm to test and then kill people based on their choices. Dun Tian said the spirit wasn’t her and killed her off, thinking he would find her again in another world where their family was complete and perfect again.
• Lu Yu Lu Fei (刘禹潞飞) as Yu Er (玉兒). Dun Tian’s oldest daughter.
• Zhang Yi Wen (张一雯) as Wan Er (婉兒). Dun Tian’s second daughter.

Likes:

• The equal weight leads formula. Yes, this was one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. Like Fateful Love, the main leads were evenly matched with their abilities and talents. They tried to protect each other at one point or another. Yet they weren’t rendered completely helpless for the other to shine. It was an equal weight. Did they have weaknesses and needed the other’s help? Yes, those moments were spread throughout. But they had plenty of chances to fight alongside one another and prove their capabilities.
• The makeup and costumes. Surprised but liked it that they had their unique designs and techniques for this production and it fitted with characters quite well.
• Effects. Considering how it was fantasy, it made sense that they had those effects. Sometimes, you could see that it was too sloppy or too much. But this one, I thought they paid attention to the details so it wasn’t overdone.
• Plot-driven. Because of the focus on the plot and the characterization being second, it made the pace about right, not too dragging or too fast for that matter.

Dislikes:

• Mu Ran Wu’s downfall. It was too easy and too forgiving. Yeah, yeah, I got her jealousy of her sister and other events weren’t just because of her loving Su Yu. She resented her sister since her sister didn’t accept help and caused her health and strength be to deteriorate to the point that she couldn’t advance her skills. There were lots of resentments and misunderstandings that were hard to resolve with just a few words here and there. However, they’d been with one another for such a long time, how could she not understand her sister? Or even cared? Older sister could be so overbearing sometimes and thought they knew best and might not listen at times. Yet she didn’t want to try to talk to her more than once or twice before going completely nuclear with her choices? To think she wanted to destroy her sister and/or erase her from existence was really scary. Even if she say her sister didn’t care for her, etc. But what about Wang Sui Zhi? He cared for her and was really patient throughout, just wanting her to be happy and safe. He didn’t expect her to accept him either. He was just silently helping her. He was willing to do anything, knowing that he was exhausting his powers and risking his life to provide her with all those treasures. He also knew he was going against the nature for accumulating so much wealth with his power. It wasn’t enough for her. I swear it was just plain greed from her, not knowing when to stop. Sure, she had a harsh childhood so it was normal to want more, to be able to have enough to eat, to have a warm bed to sleep in, etc. However, she didn’t want to work for it, she just wanted to enjoy the benefits. If things didn’t work out, she blamed her sister or the world, etc.

Discussions:

• The editing of the first few episodes that had shuffled several events around. Um, I didn’t even realize this until someone mentioned it on her Facebook page because she paused her progress and then had to watch again because she was confused some details were shuffled. Various answers appeared to be because viewers complained about the details being confusing, so the production team had to change the storytelling chronologically. And I lost all faith in humanity. Yes, I already gave up regarding real-life stuff. But seriously? People thought it was confusing? I thought it created some mystery with the initial scene and then allowed for further explanation later on. Or more like they started with the rumored version of the story and then elaborated and presented the actual version of the events of eighteen years ago before continuing. How hard was it to follow? If Mu Qing Ge was the master, it was the events of eighteen years ago. If Su Yi Shui was the master, it was the events of eighteen years later. Not to mention, she wore red when she was Mu Qing Ge and more blue or green shades when she was Xue Ran Ran. Near the end, she reverted to red shades or similar because she already regained her memories. How terrible was someone’s attention span if they couldn’t distinguish between various details of the whole timeline? I was shuffling between three series and still managed to follow the storyline without problems.
• No one of importance was convinced that Mu Ran Wu was Mu Qing Ge. Yes, this was what happened after Mu Ran Wu was reborn or resurrected. She was so happy to start over that she changed her appearance and then posed as her sister. What was funny was no one that was importance was convinced. It would come out sooner. For one, she wasn’t her sister, so she didn’t know some details. If she had stayed by her sister’s side instead of chasing some guy who didn’t care for her anyway, she might learn a thing or two. However, she didn’t care for that. So she based it on a lot of rumors, thinking she could wing it through. The most important part was because Su Yi Shui was more than glad to hide the real Mu Qing Ge’s identity, so he didn’t care if Mu Ran Wu posed as Mu Qing Ge. I wanted Su Yu to fall for the trick since he wanted to sabotage Su Yi Shui so much, it would have been funny. Yet he wasn’t fooled either. Oh yeah, the first mistake Mu Ran Wu made was saying that she ruined Wen Hong Shan’s face so she would try to help heal the latter’s face to make up for past rash mistakes. Wen Hong Shan actually started that rumor because she was jealous of Mu Qing Ge, so she knew too well that wasn’t true. It was easy for her. What was more, Wei Jiu was wondering why Mu Qing Ge was so evil and boring, lol. Or more like he thought she was like him, so he didn’t like it. He ended up sending gifts to Xue Ran Ran and tried to pursue her, lol. He was so close to the truth yet he didn’t know until later.
• Mu Qing Ge and Mu Ran Wu were actually Dun Tian’s daughters reincarnated? I didn’t read the novel so I don’t know, lol. But I guessed this at one point. It would have been great karma for him. But luckily, it wasn’t so. Because that meant they can’t destroy him. Or can’t fight against him and the plot would have gone downhill because they would have gone all out with the forgiveness theme and tried to get him to turn around, although he had hurt so many people, etc.

Recommended? Yes, I stand behind this 100%. I was surprised too. But I thought it was really good. Both Xiang Han Zhi and Deng Wei delivered their roles flawlessly and their chemistry made it all so addicting to watch. The rest of the cast wasn’t that far behind. They moved the story forward and the pace was just right. Also, the good ending. It was funny but suited their nature, wanting a peaceful life after going through so much. Considering how they united with the others to save the world, they deserved all the happiness and simplicity of life.

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