Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022)

My first cdrama and my introduction to Dylan Wang!

I found this on Netflix when I was bored over the holiday season. The picture and the trailer of Dylan Wang acting cold, brooding, and demanding along with his outfit and powers had me intrigued. It took only one episode and I was hooked.

As many people covered, this is a fairytale about sacrifice, redemption, and love. You meet our main character, Orchid, who is portrayed as a kind, naive fairy who takes care of fate leaves. Alone, she tends to her garden and thinks about her master who had been banished / punished for a crime she committed (falling in love with someone she shouldn't have). She has a secret of her own - she has fallen in love with a god of war who appears to not care much for her. The god of war is charged with the important task of re-sealing the prison to a mysterious demon king. He was sent into the prison 1,000 years earlier due to a war that left both armies - his and the gods - frozen in stasis. Orchid follows her crush and sacrifices herself in attempt to protect him from falling into the prison. There, she meets the demon king and awakens him with a kiss. ... which causes problems for them and begins the story of their hatred, to friendship, and finally love.

There is a reason why this show has rocketed up in popularity - it is so damn good! They spent 3 - 4 years making sure this project was perfect. It is also said that the FL's father backed this with his money as well. The costumes, CGI, down to the score shows that this is more than just a TV show - this is a phenomenon. The costumes are top notch - gorgeous - from the fantasy world, to the darkness of the Moon Kingdom, to the mortal world. The actors are perfectly cast - from the gods, to the friends, to the leads themselves. Dylan's ability to act with such coldness at first and his thawing due to the kindness shown by Orchid is what sold me on being fan of his, but also what made DFQC work. I think to this day no one else could play him like he did. Same with Esther as Orchid. She plays three different versions of herself - fairy, bodyswapped DFQC, and her final form in the last five episodes (which I won't spoil).

The music is also gorgeous - the opening song, the two various end songs used, and various other songs that pop up here and there through the show. The entire album has become a repeat, and I love finding the actors and the original artists singing the songs live here and there.

Overall, it has a mixture of everything - mystery, comedy, romance, action. Many people who don't finish the show complain because of the main character's voice. While her voice was shocking at first, you get used to it and find it perfectly suited for the character. The fact that Esther could transform her voice into three distinct styles is amazing and worth the pay off if you make it through the show to hear all three.

There is a happy ending, but prepare to shed some tears.

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i survived.

this drama was such a rocky road for me.

let's start with the positives:
-beautiful visuals
so many scenes in this drama were worth a screenshot. i loved the costume designs and how the production team made amazing efforts in setting the mood for either an emotional scene or a romantic one.

-good chemistry
esther yu and dylan wang did so well with their characters and i can't picture anyone else playing as the ear-piercing fairy and the hot emo lord. all jokes aside, the emotions were delivered nicely and i have no complaints.

-addictive ost
listen. the intro, the outro or whatever is in the soundtrack... they're all so dang stunning!!! i can imagine myself coming back to them now and then.

what's my issue with this drama?
i have two main issues that affected my enjoyment of this drama:
-the female lead
besides the high pitched voice and how childish her character was, orchid's backstory didn't hit me that hard. i had to wait for 20 or 30 episodes to wait for her to sort of grow as a character and whew, why did i have to wait so long? i didn’t even feel the character development because of how much the story was stalling.

-the mortal realm
yoooooo this part was so dragged. idk how long i stayed here to the point that it almost felt like a fever dream. i just wanted the writer to cut to the chase and get it over with.

do i hate this drama?
no but i'm sad. i wanted to love this so bad because there was potential for this to be really good. it sucks that only the ml's backstory was interesting enough to get me hooked but it all fell flat in the end.

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Everything In This World Is Ever-changing, Except For Love

What if the fate that brought you together turns out to be the same fate which you had to fight against, in order to change an inevitable ending of separation between life and death?

Will you still fight with all your might despite knowing that the ending would still be the same?

or, let me just ask again...

Would you turn that fate as your own as long as your beloved one could be safe and happy, even if it means your end?

"Love Between Fairy and Devil" is that xianxia/fantasy drama which dwells into such intertwining fate. Who would have thought that the biggest devil of them all wasn't the ancient evil god named Tai Sui, but, the FATE that played a huge part in bringing the both of them together. Yet, such kind of fate has been used as a trope over who knows how many dramas/movies already...and to be very honest... a devil falling in love with a fairy or rather someone from a heavenly good side then ending up to be a good guy with huge character development? oh! that reminds me of the body switching soul stuff! Like these aren't brand new, practically speaking these are the very same tropes which we had seen from the previous dramas/movies we've watched before. I'm pretty sure there are quite a lot more similar scenarios in LBFAD that had been seen before, so why bother watching it right? WELL, if such a question or thought ever pops up in your head. I'm telling you right now, forget it immediately! GO AND WATCH LBFAD! or else you will always be in doubt and left in the dark, not unless you give it a try because this drama is worth every second and every emotion that you will ever spend on. Love Between Fairy and Devil is not only a fantasy, romantic, comedic, and refreshing drama but it is a unique and top-tier quality drama blended together with a beautiful epic storyline (I'm not even exaggerating).

I don't even know where to begin.

In terms of the quality production for this drama, there is no doubt that a high quality budget was spent in not just its CGI effects but with the costumes worn by each different characters in the three realms and not to forget the props that were used too. It's really evident that a huge sum of money was spent here and that includes huge amount of effort and time as well for the crew and actors. The trailer already gave us a glance of how breathtaking the scenes are, and the drama itself totally blasted off cinematic vibes which made every episode that we watch feel as if we were watching a movie rather than a drama. It's actually crazy. When you start to get used to such good quality, you would have this urge to try and find other dramas with such quality as well. This is one of the reasons which makes LBFAD unique, not every xianxia drama we watch would end up with gorgeous effects. My personal favorite places in this drama are: arbiter hall, the ruins of xilan and the moon tribe. For the costumes, Dong Fang Qing Cang's outfits throughout the whole episodes were top-tier for me and following that is when Xiao Lan Hua was dressed in moon tribe clothings. They were definitely eye-catching that I had to not only replay the cute, funny or sweet scenes between DFQC and XLH, but to also see more pretty details of each costumes they are wearing. Another thing I would like to point out is the fact that their depiction of the three realms, mostly between heaven realm and demon realm (moon tribe) were completely different here. Not entirely though, it's more about the costumes and set-up from the usual heaven and demon realm we used to see. So, an excellent job well done for all the production staff and crew behind this.

For the storyline, I have so much I want to write but I think it is best to keep it as short as possible. To be honest, at the very beginning I had no expectations for it because I thought it would be like what I said earlier, be the same as other dramas with familiar or well-known tropes. That was what I initially thought at the beginning. I also confess that during the first episode of LBFAD, I was quite annoyed with Xiao Lan Hua's voice and character because I am one of those who aren't a fan of actresses with cute voices to the point where it makes me cringe. So, I was planning on dropping it. Fortunately though for me, I didn't let my initial judgment about this drama get in the way of me discovering such a gem. As I continued watching at some point, XLH's character naturally grew on me and just like that I didn't find her annoying anymore. I guess this is one proof that no matter the prejudice of an audience, a good, talented, and skilled actor/actress can always find a way to change ones prejudice through their hard work. Thus, I stayed through the entire 36 episodes without skipping any single scene. It was the actors and characters that made me stay but what made me kept going further is the well-developed and heartfelt storyline. Like I said, I won't say much so let me just point out what I had loved most from the storyline of LBFAD. I loved the natural pacing of romance between DFQC and XLH, it wasn't love at first sight or the slap and kiss kind of romance, it developed gradually and naturally from the "from now on, you're mine. your life belongs to me, your breathing belongs to me, your heartbeat belongs to me, every drop of blood in your body belongs to me", to "you are as precious as my life" to "she's the only one who loves me" to "I will change her fate for her". Their romance that was foretold in the storyline itself is so beautiful and warming. Every moment of theirs and the emotions portrayed by each character just pulls through your heartstrings. Then there comes the comedic part, I find the whole body-switching thing so entertaining, it was so funny whenever the both of them switched bodies especially when XLH in DFQC had to attend moon tribe meetings as the moon supreme lord. Though, surprisingly enough, not every funny scene was focused on the body-switch, there were a decent amount of comedic scenes at the right moment so it wasn't dull but entertaining rather, plus the scenes goes well together. Even DFQC's character has his own comedic moments which I loved too. Lastly, the heartbreaking and tragic scenes that made me shed tears and feel pain, this is exactly where I found the gem of this drama. As much as they were hurtful, they weren't pointless and each scenes opened a door for character development and it also became an eye-opener for the deeper emotions and feelings between each of the characters which the human eyes of the audience can't see but rather just feel from the heart. In conclusion for the storyline, as much as it gives you that genuine love feels, it also gives you an inner deep feeling for each character in the story. Despite the ending seeming quite like a rush with DFQC and XLH reuniting on the last few seconds with only just a kiss, no wedding or any thing else, it was satisfactory at some point and it is indeed a happy ending after all.

Before I end this, let me just praise Dylan Wang for his amazing portrayal of DFQC, he ate the character alone especially during his emotional scenes. His emotional scenes where he cried is honestly the best for me apart from his powerful fighting scenes. Ofcourse, Esther Yu had done a great job as XLH and the goddess of Xi Yun. I'm sure a lot is in store for the both of them in the future. I will never get over the overflowing chemistry they showed us both in the drama and when they were shooting the scenes. I would definitely love to see more of them, not just as DFQC and XLH but in a modern drama as well in the future.

Hopefully, one day we can meet DFQC and XLH again.

˖ . ݁❀𝜗𝜚❀. ݁₊

"Do you believe in miracles?
Everything in this world is ever-changing,
except for love. "

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10/10 for a xianxia drama ??? what????

OH MY GOD IT HAS BEEN A RIDE!!!!! If you had ever told pre lbfad me that i'd rate a fucking xianxia a 10/10 i'd laugh. I could never seem to get through even one so I had pretty low expectations starting this. AND NOW IM OBSESSED AND GOING THRU WITHDRAWAL 😭 Anyways if you are looking for an epic love story that'll make you laugh, cry, throw whatever device your watching it on, and laugh some more (+therapy) this is THE ONE to watch!!! I just can't believe it's over like dongfang qingcang and orchid are my parents :( now on to the actual review:

Initially what attracted me to the drama besides the beautiful leads who managed to stun me with their acting (I'll get into that later tho) and the body swap trope. I thought it would be a "silly goofy romcom" and many xianxias don't present themselves like that (going for epic love story, angst, love, palace politics...blah blah in the trailer) and that for me is a turn off because i simply do not care. But as soon as I started lbfad it stunned me with it's beautiful CGI THAT ISN'T OVERDONE. But the humor is just so good because imagine the most powerful demon of the three realms finally out into the world after being jailed up for 30,000 years and immediately being stuck in a low ranked fairy's body. Esther Yu conveyed that so well. Additionally imagine being a fairy who just wanted to save a casual crush and ended up freeing a demon lord but not knowing it.
It was so funny seeing how inconvenient it is for the both of them. then the show adjusts to a more mature theme which fits so wonderfully well, and it never loses it's main message about how nothing can go against fate, except love.
It's not the most original idea especially in dramas but it executes it SO WELL . this show takes an age-old question, "how important really is love?" and tells a gutwrenching and watertight story with it. the writing is impeccable. scriptwriters understand what makes good comedy, and that so much comedy comes from pain, Something your laughing over in the earlier episodes will turn its back on you and stab you with emotion and pain.
Yes It does have the miscommunication trope but communicating WOULD NOT solve the problem the leads face with their love. In fact it would've made it worse, so we the audience have to suffer along. You DON'T KNOW WHO LOVES THE OTHER MORE because of the sacrifices they make for each other.
Some people may not like the FL in the beginning but keep in mind theirs a reason she acts like that and once you get to that point you'll be begging her to go back to her past self. Not gonna elaborate too much bc spoilers.
The MLs development is absolutely heartbreaking because he goes through so much and we see a loss of power as the show progresses which is quite different from the usual trope of "started from the bottom now we at the top" ABSOLUTELY GENIUS WRITING ABSOLUTELY GENIUS . The side characters are fully fleshed out and not just cardboard cutouts each character is fully recognized and make layered and oftentimes painful choices of their own!

Okay now lets talk about the leads! DYLAN WANG HEDI AND ESTHER YU SHUXIN THANK YOU FOR BRINGING MY DFQC AND XLH TO LIFE! They both look so good together and have the best chemistry (cue all the behind videos)! I just can go on and on about how amazing they were AND WE NEED ANOTHER DRAMA WITH THEM
i think why it works so well it because their 'YinYang' acting and their character personalities shuxin in more subtle acting while Dylan in intense acting. You can’t see that they overpower each other. They both highlight each other, and I think that’s also the reason why their chemistry works.
Dylan Wang Hedi his acting man it was just too good! I was familiar with him from MG, and that's also why I underestimated him based on his past performance. He does his comedic scenes so WELL (XLH in DFQC's body) and he fleshes out his emotions so WELL when we first meet him we really see how inconvenient this curse that spellbounds our leads together is an inconvenience for him . Him at his peak of badassery was SO GOOD LIKE STEP ON ME PLS, then we see how his character develops as he falls in love and how they can't be together and let me just say he's a great cryer. He had way more emotionally intense scenes than Esther Yu Shuxin because the story does focus on how love affects him and how that's not always good, but WOW he needs to bag ALL THE AWARDS BECAUSE HE'S SO GOOD.
Esther Yu Shuxin is just made for her role too! When you get through some of Dylan's emotionally intense scenes her acting might seem a little more subtle, but she was right on par with Dylans acting. She played Xiao lanhua with such sass and sunshine it was great! XLH is truly the core of the story and you can really see how much she cares about DFQC. Normally I dislike bubbly and childish FLs and XLH especially at the beginning IS JUST THAT! But she's also very smart and clever also as her character develops into more of a mature lady you'll be begging her to return to her original bubbly self! I know a lot of people don't want to press play just because of her voice, but it's Shuxins actual voice and it fits Xiao LanHua very very well + she's very young compared to the other characters in the show so it's only natural she has a high pitched voice and yes it might seem unusual at first but it grows on you very quickly! She definitely needs awards too.

The OSTs man i've never gotten PTSD from one but once the beginning notes of "Farewell love" start playing I started bawling. They just add so much emotion to the already emotional scenes. I hope they release all of them, because the (siren melodies were so good)

Anyways this review is way to long now so I'd like to end it with saying that Love between fairy and devil is a love story at it's purest form. It's a fairytale. it's about making your choice and facing the consequences and being able to because of love. Love that presents itself in a familial way in a romantic way in a way with friendship. it's about how love can be your demise but also be your savior. Watch this show even if you don't like xianxias because it's so differently orchestrated it really is a breath of fresh air!
LBFAD imo is the peak of xianxia the peak of romance the peak of star crossed lovers the peak of forbidden love

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Underwhelming Plot, Impressive ML and Annoying FL

After watching the drama, it is safe to say that it had its ups and downs. The Male Lead's acting was quite impressive, while the Female Lead's portrayal was annoying and immature throughout the majority of the drama. However, her acting did improve slightly in the last four episodes.

Unfortunately, the story itself was not very interesting, and the FL was often portrayed as a fool. Despite this, the production quality was good, and the visual experience was enjoyable.

All things considered, this drama was average, with some good and bad elements. While the ML's acting was a definite highlight, the FL's portrayal could have been better, and the story itself could have been more engaging. If you are looking for a drama with good visuals and solid acting from the ML, but are not overly concerned about the plot, then this drama might be worth checking out.

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This show had the potential to be so much better.

The initial episodes of this show held great promise, and I was genuinely excited. Finally, a Xianxia series that seemed like it could be a real delight. However, my enthusiasm started to wane as the story progressed towards the middle and end. Like many other Xianxia dramas, it suffered from the same major issues. The plotlines became increasingly nonsensical, conflicts with potential were abandoned, and the narrative took a frustrating turn with unnecessary and ridiculous storylines. The exaggerated drama and soap opera-like moments became eye-rolling. Unfortunately, as the story became more convoluted, it fell apart, losing the coherence it initially had.

On a positive note, the production quality was impressive. The landscapes, costumes, and overall scenery were visually appealing, which is what one would expect from this genre.

However, I found myself growing annoyed with the excessive focus on the guard and the bandit girl's love story, which didn't captivate me. I would have preferred more scenes featuring the main leads together. Additionally, the setup for a second lead syndrome seemed promising, but it was poorly executed and left unexplored. The inclusion of certain irrelevant storylines felt forced and added nothing meaningful to the overall narrative. Some of the plot developments were so disappointing that they significantly detracted from my enjoyment of the show. Notably, the writing for the Orchid Fairy (FL) character was a letdown. She came across as excessively dumb, whiney, and ignorant, lacking the depth of naivety or innocence. It's unclear whether this was due to the actress's portrayal or the directing. The show also fell into the trappings of typical tropes and clichés that plague the fantasy drama genre. The involvement of the 2nd couple (Jie Li and Shang Que) felt unnecessary, and the ending was underwhelming. Moreover, except for Dongfang Qing Cang and his brother, the other characters showed no significant growth or development.

Despite its flaws, I appreciate that the character of Fairy Dan Yin was redeemable and didn't fall into the stereotype of a manipulative and scheming female driven by love.

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Cutest Dark Lord Ever, Amazing Intense Love

Love Between Fairy and Devil has probably given the viewers the cutest and most desirable Dark Lord of the three realms, not to mention a gorgeous God of War of the Heavenly clan as well. Between them, a love triangle ensues. The vivacious little orchid fairy who is kind and optimistic, living with the Heavenly clan, chooses the Dark Lord instead, a love that is forbidden, almost like a Romeo and Juliet romance. Within the first episode, I fall immediately in love with the story, the characters and the acting.

He wants to protect her with all the power he has; she wants to be treated as equal, sharing joy and pain with him. What follows is a beautiful love story of a ruthless dark lord with a gentle and loving fairy who eventually melts the heart of the devil who has no emotions.

This drama is adapted from the novel "Cang Lan Jue" which was also made into an anime. According to many readers, the drama version is more enjoyable and the Dong Fang Qing Cang character is better written and developed. For me, I'm totally sold by this character. Here we have a Dark Lord that tries to save and protect his people, a heavenly realm that swears to kill all those it considers as evil, and a a fairy who heals and wants peace for all realms.

Void of feelings, the Dark Lord Dong Fang Qing Cang (played by Wang Hedi aka Dylan Wang) is such an amazing character. Being the strongest and most powerful of all the characters with his deadly hell fire, he is overbearing and atrocious. Wang Hedi’s acting is so good and convincing here. He has the rare charisma of being cold and authoritative, but not being stiff like a robot that is usually portrayed by many other actors. His facial expression is simply amazing with a hint of evilness (妖气) and yet at times, viewers can feel his resignation and turmoil within. The actor is very good looking. He can look very serious and arrogant, with large eyes that can look devilish, so he looks very frightening when Dong Fang Qing Cang is in a rage. But at a flip of the switch, he can look totally silly and harmless like a hush puppy. At only 23, Wang Hedi's acting is very mature. I really love his portrayal of the Dong Fang Qing Cang character and he has aced his role hands down; no others can match him. Together with an incredible CGI team, the result is a perfect Dark Lord that everyone fears and loves. I don't have enough of his scenes and for once, I wish the drama had been longer.

Xiao Lan Hua, literally means Little Orchid, played by Yu Shuxin, is equally believable. Yu Shuxin has a very girly, pure and innocent look, and with her ethereal beauty, she is perfect for the role as a little fairy. Her acting is natural and convincing, but when it comes to becoming the Dark Lord as he possesses her body, she is lacking a bit; she looks more like a half-sleep dream walker. Luckily there are not that many of such scenes and she hasn't brought the story down. Xiao Lan Hua later transforms into a goddess who has a totally different personality, and Yu Shuxin manages that role very well; she is very convincing. Many viewers also commented on her voice which she self-dubbed. I find her voice suits the role very well as a little girl who is so pure and innocent.

This drama also gives us a gorgeous second male lead, Chang Heng played by Zhang Linghe. The actor made his debut in 2020 in Maiden Holmes and has since made several well-rated dramas. As with Wang Hedi, Zhang Linghe also plays two characters in this drama: the cold, aloof ethereal God of War, Chang Heng, and the warm and flamboyant human character, Xiao Run. Both roles are being executed convincingly and flawlessly.

Everything about this drama is well thought out for most parts – the script writing, the directing, the camera work, the CGI, the costumes, and most of all, the selection of actors and their respective acting. The storytelling is cohesive and intelligent, and the costumes are so well designed that by themselves, tell the story of our characters visually. The dialogues are funny and cute especially those that uttered by the Dark Lord. The music is beautiful, in particular, the instrumental tune blown by the grey character Ron Hao (played by Xu Haiqiao) on the flute. The music brings out the melancholy and yearning for a loved one, with a love story that is sad and beautiful. The plot is easy to understand, and yet, there are twists and turns that sit the viewers up. I really love the conceptual architecture of Xiao Lan Hua's abode which is surreal and aesthetic.

Re-watch? Absolutely! I would never have enough of Wang Hedi's scenes here. The story is dark and serious, and yet it is also tear-jerking and full of humors and very funny. It captures the viewers' hearts and emotions. After the final showdown and climax, the ending seems a bit lackluster and disappointing. Proper justice has not been done for Dong Fang Qing Cang to vindicate him from some of the killings he hasn't done, and another character escapes with impunity. As with most Chinese dramas, the writing of the final two episodes weakens with a lack of imagination, and is not as compelling as the beginning. I wish the production team had been more creative with the final scene, instead of a mere banal line of, "I'm back". Nonetheless, it hasn't reduced my enjoyment. Overall, this is a great watch and strongly recommended. MUST WATCH!

TWO THUMBS UP! BRAVO!

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All the Feels

It seems so simple. Create nuanced characters that don’t slot neatly into standard role types. Give them time to build relationships. Make their choices hard. And yet, it’s rare to see shows do these things, and even rarer when one does them well. And, holy mother of demons and deities, does Love Between Fairy and Devil do them well. It understands that a show about emotions works best if it can make the audience feel every single one of them, and it uses carefully crafted storytelling and skilled directing to ensure just that. Whether it’s a moment of laugh-out-loud humor, sexy skinship, or heartrending grief, this team ensures that it lands, and lands hard. It’s a good old-fashioned melodrama in the best sense – one that recognizes that what we feel is the defining fact of who we are.

The show may be a fantasy, but when it comes to matters of the heart, it gives its characters no magic ways to fix things. Love is not instant, trauma lingers, and all loyalties cannot be honored equally. The cast’s skill levels vary, some of the visuals can be alarming, and the female lead makes a strong case for voice dubbing, but the show gets things right when it counts. While it may cop out ever so slightly in the final seconds, it argues that our real power comes not from what we cling to but from what we’re willing to sacrifice, and that while love may not conquer all, no conquest is worth a thing without it.

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Best Xianxia that I have seen in a long time…

“Love between fairy and devil” has been the best show I’ve seen in a long time. The graphics are SO physically stunning, sometimes it’s breathtaking. The costumes are so beautiful, and have their own style unlike I’ve seen in other Xianxia. The fighting looks so awesome, my son loved when the dragon appeared. The music makes me want to keep turning up the TV, I’m sad I cannot find the opening theme song on YouTube yet. The humor is hilarious mostly because of Dylan Wang and Esthers acting, it’s not cheesy, and is so well done. The story is good and it’s pretty unique combining elements from other fantasy things to make up the “curse”. All in all it’s the first one I’ve seen in a long time that might match up to my all time favorite Xianxia, however only time will tell, so far I’m super enjoying every minute.

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Love between one trope and another trope (but with some nice scenery).

Using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this was a “liked”.

What I liked:
I usually do not watch ‘soul switch’ dramas—just don’t like the concept in the same way I typically do not like ‘time travel’ dramas (“Lost love in times” excepted), but I gave this one a shot. If they had done more with the concept, I think I would have liked it a lot more since it was an out-of-the-box way to do both soul-switching and xianxia. Dylan Wang is developing some serious acting chops and did a really good job portraying two different personalities (the only thing they did not do a great job of was playing each other—in that it was clear they were able to play different people, but they should have paid more attention to how they played the roles and then imitated that more). He also did a good job of portraying someone increasingly experience emotions. I also liked the fact that the set and costume designers went a little bit more outside the box than usual. Design was very cohesive in the different settings.

What I did not like so much:
Okay, I’m done with the stoic, emotionally unavailable, brilliant male vs bright & bubbly but dumb female trope. Can’t we think of something else? It’s such an unhealthy way to portray relationships. For example, at one point when FL was reminiscing about her burgeoning love for ML, it included a scene when he called her stupid or foolish. *slaps forehead* And the whole “she’s mine!” nonsense. *sigh* I’m also tired of male leads and female leads sacrificing themselves for the greater good or each other while lying through their teeth to the love of their life about it. And resurrection at the end… *snore*. I get that that there are only so many ways to write a drama, but one of the things that makes a drama great is when it can be impressive all without using tropes (though, to be fair, it is also risky since tropes are comforting and often watchers are displeased when they’re discomfited). Plus, when it’s a xianxia or xuanyuan, you get so much more freedom to play around! There’s no excuse to get all tropey on us! :)

Watch it if you like xianxia & to see DW growing as an actor and for some neat costumes and scenery. Just don't expect a masterpiece.

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Must watch of 2022

OMG. The show that catapulted my obsession to Cdrama. Where do I begin. I absolutely LOVED every aspect of the show, from CGI graphics, the actors, the OST, character development... im obsessed. Esther Yu and Dylan Wang are just amazing young professionals who performed like a couple of veterans. The movements, expressions and gazes of Dongfang Qingcang were just spot on and took the drama to the next level. He must have improved a lot as many netizens had complained about his acting in previous dramas. The chemistry between esther and dylan was off the charts, and i really enjoyed watching the double dates with supporting leads too. Its another emotional rollercoaster and the script has you caught in the middle between love and service of the greater good. Absolute classic xianxia, best of 2022.

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I do want to kill you very, very much, cut your limbs to feed the crocodiles. But I can’t do that.

Welcome to the hilarious plot about almighty and powerful devil being bound with a weak and dim-witted fairy, whom he wishes to kill very much, but can’t since her pain equals his pain – quite literally.


Plot: 8
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★★★★★ Main idea:
--> Intriguing, pretty original and hilariously funny. I found hilarious the contrast of a powerful devil being grounded by a little fairy and his frustration over this turn of events.
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★★★★☆ Logic:
--> Plot makes sense, there are a few dumb twists, but it can be easily forgiven.
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★★★★☆ Pace:
--> I started to get bored in the third quarter of the story. It was simply dragged for a bit too long by the end and the story lost the continuity, but it can be easily forgiven.
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★★★★☆ Impression:
--> Impressed.
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★★★★☆ Skip rate:
--> I skipped some of the side plots, but not much.
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★★★☆☆ Annoying factors:
--> I hated the love triangle with the war god – for the love triangle to work, the opponents should have at least equally strong personalities. But god of war is weak, backing down from his brother and has a mouthful of bullshit, instead of admitting, he maybe should have taken a strong stand before he had lost what he loved.


Characters: 9,5
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★★★★★ Lead 1 - Dongfang Qing Cang:
--> Loved this character. Although it’s a typical prototype of a strong male lead, who has to give up a lot of humanity to become a strong leader, I like the way he is gradually learning to love and to allow himself being loved.
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★★★★★ Lead 2 - Orchid:
--> Loved this character. She is naïve and child-like, but loyal and strong minded. She is unable of treason and once she makes a decision, she stays strong in her opinion.
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★★★★★ Overacting:
--> Kind of cute.
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★★★★★ Acting:
--> Actors are great, very talented. I particularly loved the job Dylan Wang made in playing the naïve Orchid in the body-swap parts.
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★★★★☆ Annoyance level:
--> Annoyed by some side characters, particularly the heavenly lord and his brother god of war. The heavenly lord should have been a strong and wise leader, but he has zero personality, just forcing his narrow-minded opinions on others.


Background: 10
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★★★★★ Soundtrack:
--> Absolutely loved it.
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★★★★☆ Visuals (camera, scenery, visual effects, ...):
--> Really liked it.
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★★★★★ Wardrobe (costumes, hairstyles, makeup, ...):
--> Absolutely loved it.


Rewatch value: 7,5
I assess this value based on impression, skip rate, annoyance level and overall preference.


Final verdict: 8,5
I really liked the chemistry between the leads. I loved their evolvement and the funny little plots between them. Some of the episodes by the end were a bit boring, since there was an uninteresting plot dragged for too long and the ending was a bit sheepish, but it’s still definitely a drama worth watching.

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