Angelababy and Ma Tianyu’s Divine Destiny 尘缘 aka Chen Yuan has dropped a new poster and a trailer for us mere mortals to enjoy. After a quiet few months filming the series which wrapped in February 2021, and another year spent sitting in production, we finally get a peep at the pair’s first collab as an onscreen couple. It is also Angelababy’s very first xianxia. Rounding up the main cast are Xuan Lu and Wang Zhuocheng who are reunited once more after playing siblings in The Untamed.
Reception and Initial Impressions
What do you guys think of Angelababy and Ma Tianyu’s couple pairing? Visually, the two seem like a good fit for each other and also for the costume historical genre. However, the versatility of Angelababy’s acting range seems to still be a concern amongst audiences. Take for example the scene where she vomits blood. Folks say her facial expression is quite unnatural considering the gravity of the situation. She’s supposed to be poorly and vomiting blood! Likewise, many have also commented that her facial expression doesn’t change particularly her eyes.
Truth be told, the trailer felt (IMHO) a wee bit underwhelming at times especially for a show touted as a xianxia. I guess the visuals didn’t exactly feel like something you’d come to expect from a genre about gods and immortals. I would’ve loved to see a longer trailer too .. at least longer than the 00:41 seconds and the quick cycle through some of Yinyin’s lifetimes. You’ll see different cuts of Angelababy in different looks including a nine tailed fox version.
Nonetheless, the premise of the story shows a lot more promise beginning with a case of mistaken identity and a love triangle of sorts. As with the original novel by Yan Yu Jiang Nan 烟雨江南 which focuses on the male protagonist’s journey, Ma Tianyu’s character, the orphan Ji Ruo Chen, was mistakenly identified as the banished heir to the immortal realm because of the bluestone in his possession. Because of this, Ji Ruo Chen was brought in for cultivation as a disciple of the head of the Xixuan Sect. Whilst there, he falls in love with Xuan Lu’s character Gu Qing, breaking the heart of Zhang Yinyin who was secretly in love with him. Vowing to win his love, she devoted herself to Tian Hu, the celestial nine-tailed fox who became her mentor.
Source: 1
Anon
I think I’ve seen better special effects from 2008 kdramas. ABB must be clawing at straws in the business now
HL- Hoh Liu
I miss Ma Tian Yu…he is a good actor but I really cannot watch ABB comfortably… she is really not great. She definitely tries very hard..
Lisa
Angelababy should ask Cheng Yi for some pointers on how to spit blood. In all seriousness, I think she’s stunning and looks beautiful in costumes, but I have a hard time watching her in dramas.
Anon
Quite honestly, I feel blood spitting is used a lot cdramas because the actors cannot emote pain. So for me it doesn’t matter how it’s done it’s just disgusting altogether.
Anon
Not ABB haters, but honestly as audience, I think she should try another career despite of acting if she couldn’t improve her acting skill. My opinion, she did good job in RM China, she walked beautifully in catwalk, modelling or shoot MV suit her better. Even other actress who has same acting level with her in the past has improved in present.
Coralie
ABB never struck me as beautiful, even in her heydays when people were hyping how pretty she was. In my opinion, people were more amazed by her before and after looks than her actual beauty, but that’s just me.
So I’m not mesmerized by her beauty and I’m not impressed by acting, and I’m not entertained by her personality, what value does she bring to the table as far as driving traffic is concerned? She really should just stick to reality shows, modeling or support characters. I won’t be catching this drama.
Lisa
Just curious, who do you think is beautiful then? I think she’s quite pretty. She look very good in ads, modeling, etc. Totally agree her acting could use significant improvement. Considering how much experience she has under her belt now, I would’ve expected more from her. She did get praise for that cameo she did not too long ago, but she just doesn’t have the acting chops to carry a drama as a lead in my humble opinion.
Applefish
I have to agree here, ABB is great in RM. she’s funny, easy on the eyes, and at time, quite good at challenges. But acting – nope! I can understand why someone don’t find her pretty, or rather charmed by her look. You need a charming quality to make viewers like you. If you are not charmed by her qualities in RM, you will never care for her look, and hence not finding her pretty. Anyway, I’ll pass this one lol.