Warning: This post contains may contain SPOILERS
Introduction (and synopsis)
Love You Seven Time (七期吉祥), as the name suggests, follows the main characters through seven different lifetimes (because three arcs couldn’t possibly be enough). The God of War (Ding Yuxi) and a fairy of marriage (Yang Chaoyue) messed up the red thread of fate, causing them to go through tribulations together. They eventually uncover the hidden secrets of the past and come to realize that their fates had been connected much earlier than they expected. Today, I will be ranking all of their lifetimes, from the best to the worst, from heavenly immortals to demonic cuties! Yes… there are eight listed (trust me on this one!).
Ranking Of The Lifetimes
Double Purr
This is by far the best lifetime of Chu Kong and Xiangyun… Yes, I am partial towards the costume (I mean… who isn’t?) but that is not the entirety of the reason this lifetime holds a special place in my heart. The dynamic of this arc was quite the trope with a male lead feigning coldness and a female lead chasing after him. Had it been any other actor, I might have been annoyed but I can’t because it’s Ding Yuxi! Lil’ Ryan doing cat-like actions had me head over heels and the chemistry for this arc was insanely shippable!
Don’t worry though, I’m not that shallow. The other part that makes the arc in the Mystery Forest so awesome is the fast-paced action. It leaves the viewers hanging on the edge of their seats as the plot approaches its climax. The fighting between Chu Kong and the brother was amazing and honestly, very overdue.
Tiger x Boar
Yes, I’m ranking this short, animated section higher than all the other lifetimes. Perhaps it’s because we do away with Yang Chaoyue’s acting. There isn’t much to say but this lifetime was cute and short, setting up the perfect dynamic for future tribulations. I think I am biased because this “lifetime” gave me a much needed laugh!
Childhood Sweethearts
As the first complete tribulation that our main characters experienced, I thoroughly enjoyed it and therefore, I am ranking it third! I was afraid that by maintaining Xiang Yun’s memories, the love story would not flow nicely but I was pleasantly surprised. The process of her avoiding Changkong to her falling in love with him to her wondering if Changkong is the same person as Chu Kong was very engrossing.
With that said, I do wish that the lifetime could have been more condensed as many scenes were extra. Song Xiangyun and Changkong’s story had some pacing problems, and it killed the ending of this lifetime as many people were no longer invested. The producers tried to communicate the theme of Xiangyun caring for the mortals around her, but it just felt forced.
21st Century
This is actually not part of the drama but… I included this because my enjoyment from watching this variety show exceeded my enjoyment from watching the actual drama. The interactions between Ding Yuxi and Yang Chaoyue were so cute and natural, unlike some scenes from the drama.
Side note: I don’t mean to pick on Yang Chaoyue, and I admit that she has improved from her previous works. It is simply that a few scenes remain awkward.
If you enjoyed the drama and/or Chaoyue and Ryan’s chemistry, you should definitely check out As You Wish: Love You Seven Times.
The Past Is In The Past!
As fifth on this list, Chu Kong and Xiangyun’s past lifetime only made it relatively high because of the anticipation that was built up prior to the reveal of the events in this lifetime. Several events in the drama make you curious about their past. How did they lose their memories and how did Cang Hai die?
However, in execution, this arc was boring and felt dragged out. At this point in the story, the audience already knows who the ultimate villain is, making it pointless for the producers to make this arc of such length. The flirting was good at first but an overdose made this lifetime a flop.
Matchmaker Turns Bride
Essentially, this lifetime is their original one. Before they were anyone else, they were two immortals with a huge power imbalance. One is the almighty God of War whereas the other is a worker at the Marriage Pavilion that happened to be tasked with the mission to find Chu Kong a bride. The set-up is very cliché and I grew minimal, if any, attachment to their immortal self.
One thing I did appreciate about this lifetime is that it is the life they fall back to when they are done with their tribulations. Their confusion that came with the earlier tribulations surrounding their feelings for each other was truly hilarious and captivating. The male lead was trying to convince himself that his mortal self is different from his actual self while Xiangyun was trying to convince herself that she only fell in love with the mortal, not the god. Ah, the angst!
General x Princess
In this lifetime, both immortals retained their memories, and they specifically went through tribulation in order to investigate the disappearance of their friend. As a result, this lifetime supplied no character growth and did not leave a strong impression on me. In fact, I even forgot they changed bodies (even though it was a prominent aspect of this lifetime) simply because it didn’t resonate with me.
Looking back, this scene is gold but at the time that I was binging this drama, the comedy simply felt repetitive. This might have been caused by the overstuffing of comedic moments.
Master x Disciple
Time for a rant! I generally dislike master and disciple relationships (trauma after The Journey of Chong Zi) and this lifetime was truly a prime example as to why. The appeal of master/disciple romances should be the forbidden love aspect but that was not showcased at all. This pair was openly lovey-dovey, and it seemed as if they had no other responsibilities other than flirting. To make matters worse, this pair was born with half a heart each and one of them must sacrifice themself to save the other person. Talk about trashy plotlines! In fact, this part was so cringe-worthy, even the female lead poked fun at it.
However, all previously mentioned points would have been fine for the sake of comedy. What is not fine though, is the fact that this lifetime created major plot holes. Chu Kong kept his memories during this tribulation, and he previously obtained all the information about the script of the tribulation prior to going to the mortal world. In that case, this tribulation should have been a breeze. Instead, he used this tribulation to further develop his relationship with the oblivious female lead, create misunderstandings, and then sacrificed himself! For those who don’t know, the only way for the tribulations to fix Chu Kong’s primordial spirit, which has been the ultimate goal, is for the other person to sacrifice themselves for love. When we think about it like this, what a pointless waste of time this lifetime was!
Another loophole that was created in this lifetime was the fact that the stone spirit and the demon lord were able to go through a mortal tribulation when it was previously mentioned that the only place to do that was via a specific place in heaven. Additionally, if the God of War kept his memories, why did he not do anything about the fact that one of his sidekicks was in charge of the demons?
Conclusion (and opinions on the drama)
Overall, Love You Seven Times had its ups and downs. Some of the lifetimes were very enjoyable whereas most were disastrous. Often, it felt like the producers were trying to squish as many tropes as they could into this singular drama in hopes of hitting all types of audiences. Final thoughts: MID!
Thanks for reading, what is your ranking for the lifetimes?
P.S. I seriously did not understand the point and logic behind the last 10 or so minutes of the drama. Is that supposed to be another reincarnation?
cdramaqueen 
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