This review may contain spoilers
For the love of Yue Qi ♡
Although I love the OST of this series, I wasn’t initially tempted to watch it because of its production quality. I only decided to give it a chance after realising that Yue Qi (aka Xing Zhao Lin) was the male lead. Ironically, his look in this drama was so hideous that I didn’t even recognise him much earlier hahaha!Nearly dropped the drama after the fifth episode because the FL was extremely “noisy,” and her acting, especially for the modern personality, was rather poor. But I pressed on for the sake of Yue Qi, as this is one of Xing Zhao Lin's more prominent works.
The FL comes across as uncouth, constantly screaming (her voice brought me headaches), overreacting, and often nonsensical in her reasoning. Even simple scenes, such as screaming after falling off a cliff, were poorly executed, sounding forced and lacking appropriate emotional tonality. I was honestly appalled that the director approved such takes. Unfortunately, I never managed to see the charm of her character. While some of her antics were amusing at first, they became a major turn-off by the second half of the drama.
What kept me going was:
Jing Xin & Yu Hao – Their acting stood out. They were able to express a much wider range of emotions compared to the rest of the cast. I especially enjoyed watching them react to the confusion caused by both leads and the sudden shifts in the FL’s personality. Their performances made the relationship development between the two leads feel more vivid.
The story – To be honest, the plot has many holes. However, I appreciated how it constantly surprised the viewer, often catching me completely off guard and making me burst out laughing. It felt refreshing, and I really admire this kind of quirky creativity.
Mo Lian Chen (Xing Zhao Lin) – I liked Mo Lian Chen’s composure and wit, especially when analysing situations and problems. That said, the character felt quite flat initially. Things became more interesting in the second half of the show (and into Season 2), where we finally see more depth. I wouldn’t say Xing Zhao Lin’s acting was particularly strong in Season 1, but it was still better than many of the awkward performances from the supporting cast. And seriously, the ugly hairstyle was extremely distracting and unflattering. Nonethelss, I’m impressed that he managed to achieve a measure of success at such a young age despite being saddled with such an underwhelming look. This feels like an encouragement for him to keep moving forward and not give up in challenging times.
Overall, this is a fairly fun drama with quirky twists, and many viewers enjoy the strong chemistry between the main leads. I’ll let you be the judge. I can’t comment much more, as I’m thoroughly turned off by the FL at this point (which explains my low score for rewatch value). Lastly, you should only watch this drama if you can tolerate illogical plotting and low-budget production, at least for Season 1.
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Promising start to a 3 seasons series
I am a late comer to this drama. I decided to take the plunge when I heard that a third season of the show has been released without much fanfare.While the show is entertaining, it is also a bit patchy in parts. The whole time travel, soul swapping trope is not new but it was not as prevalent as today so there is an element of originality when it was made. The show did make decent use of that device with the FL's modern spunky persona coming to the fore time and time again to create some funny moments and genre bending twists. It worked better here than the usual modern person trying to role play and blend in approach. It gave the first half of the show a distinct personality.
Having said that, the whole reason why the FL ended up in ancient time was very old school and I don't even want to hint at the overarching plot as it will give the whole story away. This bring on the other issue with this show, the show started as a rom-com and then it got melodramatic and finally moved to full on high fantasy. The show had to do this to bring the current show to some form of conclusion but open ended enough to set up the next season. The problem is that the second half of the show felt very tropey and predictable. The production value seemed to drop as well when they moved to the fantasy land.
I will definitely watch the next two seasons as the chemistry of the CP is great and the show is built upon and carried by their relationship so if you ship them then you will want to find out what happens next.
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The main difference is our heroine Xiao Tan’s body still has the original owner in there, so she switches back and forth. It’s a tug of war between delicate & nice and spunky & spice. Liang Jie does such a good job portraying both characters, to the point you can see the difference in a second - whether it is Xiao Tan or Qu Tan'er.
The chemistry between the leads is so good, it's probably the highlight of the show.
The last few episodes do go a little crazy in terms of wtf but the first half is really good. Would recommend
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The drama turned out to be so cute and it had the right balance of everything. The chemistry & acting was amazing, the storyline was great too despite the cliches, which were made not so cliche. It was one of the few dramas that made me feel warm and genuinely shipped the couple so much and I'm so glad that they have a 2nd season and a 3rd one coming soon. The drama had nice sets and costumes. I will say this, the first season does not have a 100% happy ending, but that's why they have season 2 and season 3.
I watched this a while ago so I don't remember the exact details and I don't want to spoil anything, but if you have the time do watch this and don't be put off by the drab poster. There is a reason why they have 3 seasons.
-Liang Jie and Xing Zhao Lin are also in another drama "You Are My Destiny" based off Fated to Love You, but it hasn't aired yet.
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This review may contain spoilers
If I had to rate the first 15 or so episodes this would be as close to a perfect romcom as it gets in China, i'm not even sure if content like this could even get past the censors these days, there is really just too much emotion and some other things here. Though I do have to mention there are some love shapes around & I'm not a fan of FL's personality 1 & personality 2 loving a different person for so long. Though admittedly if a love square ever made sense, then it's in this drama & I really think they could have made this far more annoying, perhaps the fact that it's only 24 episodes helped a lot too in this regard.As for episodes after 15, we had the finale of the kingdom arc & it was quite strange & then we quickly transitioned to the immortal world / spirit realm, whatever it's called in this show & that part kind of felt as if I were playing Chrono Trigger, but went to the last dungeon while skipping 2/3rds of the story and game content. However since this is a trilogy & there is a chance it will make more sense in the future. Sure the Demon King is a pretty boring cartoon villain-ish enemy, but very little time is wasted on him & the rest of this arc (4-5 episodes) is not really that bad, well not bad not great, but more often than not xuanhuan show endings or rather the final batch of episodes tend to be worse than what we've gotten here. So I decided to rate the show at 8- just barely - and so onto the next one, so long friends..
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It gets really funny whenever Qu Xiao Tan appears maybe because she's from the modern world and have switched with her past self. I also love the lovey dovey parts between her and Mo Lian Cheng. Both have great chemistry.
I knew Xing Zhao Lin first on Princess Agents as Yuwen Yue's guard Yue Qi and never did I thought that he also had the charisma for a male handsome lead! Haha!
Overall, I enjoyed watching it and its worth a try!
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Promising up to the Middle, Boring towards the End
A modern real estate self-proclaimed queen, Qu Xiao Tan found herself waking up into the body of a timid, constantly bullied illegitimate second daughter of Qu Family, Qu Tan’er, living in a strange land called Dongyue which Qu Xiaotan figured was a different realm and time than her own. After awhile, they found themselves taking turns possessing the physical body every time the other lies. While Qu Tan’er was forced into becoming a spy for the 1st prince who is also her ex-lover, Mo Yihuai, by her family by wedding the 8th prince, Mo Lian Cheng, Qu Xiao Tan was eager to escape the marriage and make a full run for it. Although Mo Liancheng was convinced that the wife he married was a spy for his elder brother, he was somehow interested in the vast difference of personality that his wife appeared to have. Soon enough, he realized he had fallen in love with the lively and strange Qu Xiaotan, and while manoeuvring the court politics together, they realized their souls were entangled in a deeper sense that they couldve ever imagined.I was reeled into this series solely due to Xing Zhaolin cuz I loved his role as Yue Qi in Princess Agent. Although the story was somewhat interesting all throughout the 3rd quarter of the show, it somehow fell short and plummeted into oblivion of ridiculousness after the fight for the crown prince arc ended. Took me days to finish even an episode after ep 17 or 18. I could no longer handle the cheesiness and clingy, acting cutesy FL after Ep 23 (didnt even finish it). The FL character was doing great for most of the show, though i admit i was kinda of turned off when she started to get super clingy to 8th prince after they professed their love for each other. I realized this is supposed to be a love story, but it is the kind that i cannot really handle. I am more into tough, stubborn kind of female characters, not super clingy hyper cheesy kinds.
I think the FL needs to polish her acting skills too. She looks horrible when trying to portray the demure, soft-hearted Qu Tan’er, which i cant help but rate it as fake. If her version of acting demure means to act sickly, talk very slowly like a 1yo learning to speak, and fall and pass out every chance she gets, then her range of acting is somewhat limited. I can’t stand the weakling Qu Tan’er, and I definitely can’t handle the super clingy Qu Xiaotan even more. Like seriously, the clingy Xiaotan gives me the creeps. I liked the fiesty Xiaotan before she fell in love, too bad her screentime was pretty short.
I honestly felt that the lead actors had chemistry, it’s just that i couldnt handle how the FL was written to be after 3rd quarter of the show. Some might like it, but not me. Sorry Yue Qi, i couldnt finish this even for you. Your FL character just ticks me off every time she speaks when you guys arrived in Liancheng continent. The plot seems extremely ridiculous and riddled with plotholes too. It looks like the screenwriter was trying too hard to immitate love transcension across multiple lifetimes of the xianxia theme, and failed at it.
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I love both first and second seasons, but have to admit that the second season is more flowing. The main leads are so cute! I ESPECIALLY JUST LOVE THE KISSING SCENES! THE MALE LEAD IS SO SO SO CUTE!!!! I love the apathetic, cold, capable look! I wish the ending was a little longer for both seasons. I am surprised this tittle is not rated higher! I love quantum physics aspect about time travels and parallel universe stuff. I totally LOL in a few scenes! I can't say it enough, but I love this series both season. I can not wait for the third one!!!
The both season are not long and dragged out like others. I wanted a longer ending. Just like other dramas, there are still some of the WTF moments but over all it is GREAT!!!
ACTING:
The acting is on point! I can't complain. The chemistry between main leads are awesome! Love it!!!
REWATCH:
It is the first series I can't wait to rewatch! I would totally rewatch the interaction between the main leads. They are super cute!!
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This review may contain spoilers
First of all, do not watch this unless you can watch Season 2 immediately afterwards. It leaves you with a cliffhanger of sorts that would’ve drove me crazy if I hadn’t had known ahead of time. The villains were a bit cliche and silly at times. But the chemistry between the OTP was the bomb! And the kisses....they were probably the most kisses I’ve seen in a chinese drama ever. Even more than Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. The pairs chemistry saved this drama when overacting and plot holes would have made it a “5” for me. I DID like the original time travel aspect of it. I also liked that the main female was feisty and intelligent. Also that she remained that way throughout the series. She wasn’t perfect. Sometimes needed too much rescuing at times, but otherwise she stood out compared to most Chinese drama heroines. Was this review helpful to you?
The plot has an intriguing premise with the split personality element. But in practice the plot is: Overly-serious protective male lead, with spirited, loud female lead - what fun! (and it was fun - and addictive).
The main leads are what makes this show worth watching. Despite the overacting, they are endearing to watch, show some range, and are very at ease with each other. You believe that they are in a relationship together with lots of little looks and gestures.
I also liked the friendship between the maid Jing Xin and Qu Xiaotan.
The music, surprisingly, is pretty good esp. the end credits song.
Warning: There's definitely some ethical issues surrounding Qu Xiaotan's use of Qu Tan'er's body that are somewhat laughed off.
I score by other criteria as well:
Complex Themes - 3
(There could have been a lot of complex themes regarding two people sharing one body - but they don't really touch on that. There is no real theme besides be a good person and be loyal to who you love)
Character Growth -7
(As the show goes on, the main actors and characters do show some range, and the split personality part is done well)
Nuanced Women -7
(Lots of points for strong female friendship, but otherwise .. what nuance?)
Cinematography/Production Values - 3
(No money was spent, the costumes are terrible, there's only a few sets. The only reason this isn't a '1' is the producers/director seemed to realise their own budget limitations. )
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