Love Better Than Immortality (Chinese: 天雷一部之春花秋月, Tian Lei Yi Bu Zhi Chun Hua Qiu Yue) also known as Spring Flower, Autumn Moon is the Live-Action Adaptation of the Chinese novel, Chuan Yue Zhi Tian Lei Yi Bu novel by Shu Ke. It's directed by Huang Chun and stars Zhao Lu Si and Li Hong Yi.
The story is set in a futuristic era where the use of VR (virtual reality) can bring about extraordinary possibilities. Chun Hua is discontented with a life without love and subjects herself to an unusual adventure. She finds herself waking up in a completely different timeline where the first man she will see is to become her true love. Chun Hua finds herself entangled in a complicated love story between two men who are mortal enemies: Shangguan Qiuyue, an arrogant and aggressive man who means to wreak havoc in the pugilistic world, and Xiao Bai, a man who is gentle, kind and fights for the side of good. Between love at first sight and a love that is strengthened over time, Chun Hua's love story begins.
It first aired in July 5th,2019 on Youku website (2 episodes every Friday at 8pm, 6 more episodes released for VIP).
It is also available with English subtitles on Youtube
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This show provides examples of:
- Aborted Arc: The whole plot about how Chun Hua was revived without the longevity nut is completely forgotten in both versions.
- Babies Ever After: Played straight and downplayed. At the end of the novel, Chun Hua and Shangguan Qiuyue have two sons and one adopted daughter together. One of their sons will be like Shangguan Qiuyue, who protects his sister and the other son will be like Chun Hua.
- Bittersweet Ending: After Qiuyue sacrifice his essence qi saves Chun Hua's life, he can't use kungku or qi anymore since he uses all of his essence qi in order to cure Chun Hua from her entanglement of love disease. However, this doesn't stop Chun Hua since she wants to stay by his side and promise him that their relationship won't end up like Fu Lou and You Si's tragic death. Although in the novel, his essence qi did come back little by little, but his hair doesn't change back to his original color.
- Central Theme: The self-destruction main theme Chun Hua choose is "When do Chun Hua and Shangguan Qiuyue come to an end?" before arriving in the fantasy wuxia world.
- Chastity Couple: Qin Liu Feng and Leng Ning, they never kiss and hug each other, but they often hold hands. In the series finale, it is reveals they are now engaged.
- Complete Immortality: Chun Hua comes from the future where every human beings will be immortal.
- Forgotten First Meeting: Chun Hua doesn't remember her first meeting with Shangguan Qiuyue at the Baxian pavilion until episode 31 where she recognize his hairpin he wore at the Baxian pavilion.
- Love at First Sight: According to the System, the first person that Chun Hua sees will be her Mr. Right.
- Love Triangle: Shangguan Qiuyue, Xiao Bei, and Chun Hua.
- The Un-Reveal:
- Chun Hua is not her real name and it is never reveal what was real name in her regular time period before talking over Hua Xiaolei's body.
- Chun Hua's past is never explored.
- Time Travel: In the future, the only way for people to time travel to their destination they want to go by sacrificing their immortality.
- Wedding Smashers: In episode 20, Shangguan Qiuyue interrupts Chun Hua and Xiao Bai's wedding by kidnapping Chun Hua and reveals her true identify as Hua Xiaolei and lie that he and Chun Hua had consummated their relationship.
- Wuxia: The main theme Chun Hua choose in order to find true love in the fantasy alternative timeline.
- 20 Minutes into the Future: Chun Hua comes from the year 2169, where every human beings are immortal and physiological reduction of the emotional response to wear the helmet of virtual love to activate the micro-current stimulus program and people can experience the climax of love.
