The storyline is overall well written, but I find the fast moving plot blurs out many details that could have been explored had they made this a few episodes longer. The plot also focused more on love story and the big picture instead of the small details. I find the last two episodes rushed with a lot of informations crammed together. When I thought I could savor one scene, they quickly jumped to another scene. Though ends are tied and everything falls in place, I wasn’t really satisfied with the superficial delivery of the story. Also, there are certains scenes that really were just pulled to save the characters at crucial times without sufficient in-depth story to explain why it happened. They had this parents love and protection thing from Harry Potter to help FL save ML, complete with them standing behind the FL. It was cringey no matter how I look at it. They also made the FL have power so easily after reviving without going in-depth to her situation, it’s using her Goddess status to her advantage. Also, I was expecting the ML to showcase his efforts during the last battle or shown us his new highest form of power, but not only he did not even went to fight, they killed him right after he gain his new power.
What draws me to this drama is the ML. His character developed significantly, from someone without feelings to someone who sacrifices everything for his loved one. Compared to him, the FL’s character went through only minor development, which is why I feel her sudden mature, responsible and austere character towards the end is forced upon her just because of her identity as the Goddess. Two thirds of the story she’s just like a spoiled pampered princess who has the ML protecting her from start to finish, and then all of a sudden she changed personality to a completely different person. Sorry, but I’m not feeling the genuity of the changes on her part no matter what grounds given. The FL’s character is like most xianxia FLs, naive and cute, but to me she’s not one that stands out, much less leave an impression. If the writers had gone in-depth to develop her character, I probably would have liked her better, but as of how it ended, she isn’t one that I would glorify.
The cast is good, all of them delivered their roles well. I have to give two thumbs up to Dylan Wang for his portrayal of DFQC. He really nailed it. The vibe he gave out in the drama as the lord demon is phenomenal. He set the bar high and made the character his, it would be hard to find another lord demon like him.
Wardrobe and music are good, made the drama even more enjoyable to watch.
Overall, it’s an entertaining drama if you enjoy fast paced love story. For me personally, I really enjoyed the first half of it, but I’m disappointed towards the end as it did not fulfill my expectations.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Wonderful acting by ML
I started this with no expectation.I had not heard of the story beforehand, did not read comments, just hopped on it.
The ML was phenomenal .. he has really grown.
There were many scenes where his eyes had a whole conversation .. amazing.
His facial features, they way he physically seemed to demand attention at times was wonderful.
That being said .. the FL was not that great .. overall she grated my nerves.
Her voice .. argh ... I came close to dropping it so many times because of her voice alone.
I understand completely her character, but it was 99 percent utter foolishness.
Seemed a bit ridiculous that so many were in love with the FL.
There was no chemistry between the two leads.
As many times as they kissed (even if most were to swap bodies) nothing sparked between them.
All other actors did very well in their roles, even the small parts meshed well.
The best thing to me was the costumes and scenery / visuals.
Some were completely breath taking.
That first dragon ride - wooo!
It flowed pretty well from start to finish.
Was a good watch, but not something I would re-watch.
I hope Dylan continues to grow and have great success as an actor.
He certainly did his thing with this role!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Is it perfect? No. Is it the best? Yes.
Cang Lan Jue, a drama that no one expected to perform well, yet, it broke everyone's expectations. Cang Lan Jue, a drama that everyone assumed would be the same as other Xianxia, yet it is one that has never been seen before. Does it have flaws? Yes. Is it perfect? No. Can it be improved? Definitely. But after watching, do I love this drama the most? Absolutely.As an avid Xianxia drama watcher, I have seen most, if not all, released Xianxia dramas since 2015. Some have a storyline that is more flawless than CLJ, some have a better production and more veteran casts than CLJ. I have liked all of those dramas and praised them, yet, I was never attached to any of those dramas as much as I am with CLJ. Even though CLJ has its own flaws, it brings out so much attachment in me, and that, in itself, is enough for me to rank this drama the top of my list.
So what makes it so good despite flaws?
What I like
- Dongfang Qingcang:
Do I have to say more? He is THE best ML I have seen in a c-drama in a long time. Resolute, not a goody-two-shoes, knows when to be merciless and knows when to show compassion. C-dramas have the tendency to make ML a saint, but DFQC isn’t like that. He is a character that is willing to get his hands dirty, to let go of righteousness, and to do anything for the FL.
However, what really brings DFQC to life is the producers’ choice of casting. They have made the best move casting Wang He Di to play DFQC. I have watched several WHD's dramas, but the roles he took never suit him. With DFQC, he really brought out the character in a way like no other. Appearance wise, he absolutely suits DFQC, and so handsome on screen that even just seeing his face alone might make this drama already worth it. I've never seen such a gorgeous actor,and his look as DFQC is to die for. His appearance isn't the only thing he offered. His acting is also top-notched to the point I was surprised, especially his pained and crying scenes; they were so real and yet somehow, he still looked so hot and menacing in those scenes. I've never seen such good acting, even from veteran actors.
- Xiao Lan Hua:
I normally don't watch idol-actress. I also normally would get annoyed with Xianxia FL halfway through the drama because of forced angst that makes them unreasonable. However, XLH won my heart, entirely. The story started with her being a stereotypical young, innocent, joyful, and childish fairy. But as the story progressed, I realised she is way way more than that. Her character is so different from other FLs, as unlike others, she never loses her childish, pure, and joyful nature and STILL has great development. She learns to love and accept the DFQC for who he is. She is reasonable in every way and would choose DFQC over anything. She is bold about her feelings, her love, her anger, her sadness. It was no wonder even the coldest heart would melt. Idk why most Cdrama seem to believe that in order for an innocent FL to develop, they must lose their happy, joyful self. Well, XLH shows that this is never the case.
This is my first time watching Yu Shuxin's acting, and I loved it! She brings out the innocent character so well, and she is so cute that I cannot hate or get annoyed with her, even when she makes mistakes. And I think DFQC would think the same XD. Her voice also really brought out her character, and makes her so lovable.
- the romance between the characters, especially the well-executed slow-burn development. A typical troupe, yet, I don't think it has been done before in Xianxia drama. The chemistry is brilliant.
- The plot starts strong right from the beginning to end.
- The OSTs are haunting and brilliant and they are in my playlist that I listen to everyday.
- There are so many scenes that really had my heart and I can rewatch them in loop
- the CGI is AMAZING. WOW. The CGI is one of the best I've seen in a while.
What could be better? (subjective)
- Rushed ending. The ending is extremely rushed and could have been better executed. However, they did wrap up everything that should be wrapped up. Everything makes perfect sense in the story, if only with better execution and a more dramatic reunion for the leads at the end, and it would be perfect.
- Because of the rushed endings, several things cannot be addressed. The last three episodes feel like a fever dream ever since XLH turned into Xiyun. I am sure XLH is still in XY, however, they don't have the time to address that because of the rushed end. I wish they display scenes of their life after DFQC comes back so we could see XLH return to herself, because the way XY is, is not XLH, the XLH that DFQC fell in love with. The XLH that we fell in love with
- DFQC deserves more scenes where he showcases his power but this is just me being greedy. What really brings the supreme moon lord alive is the way he is powerful and strong. I wish we get to see him use his glaze fire that has been obtained.
- As much as I love DFQC's development throughout the show, I think he is too soft in some scenes where he didn't need to be and makes me miss his demeanour at the beginning at times.
- I wish we could see them get married ;-;
Despite the subjective what could have been better that I've listed, you can see that they are just nuances that don't matter when all the pros outweigh it. This drama is the gem of the year, and one of the best dramas I've ever seen. Do not hesitate to watch this drama because it is worth it in every way. It is one of the dramas that may not be the best in technical terms but evoke so much emotion and attachment from the audience in a way like no other.
Was this review helpful to you?
A heart's curse that's one of a kind!
You can also watch my entire review here as a video format:https://youtu.be/tm-hfRxYq1o
But if you prefer to read go ahead:
This is a 36-episode top tier Xianxia drama which has turned the genre on its heels. To begin with, the story is a good one and they have executed the script to near perfection. It follows a naïve fairy who unwittingly wakes up the devil. The cute fairy and the domineering cold demon are tied by a heart’s curse and thus begins their journey of love which is a pleasure to watch.
It’s a fresh breath to the genre, because for once you have sensible main leads and a love triangle that does not get on your nerves. There are no fillers and the plot is water tight. Now it’s a typical Xianxia but what it makes it different lies in the execution. Every tiny detail is taken care of and that is a rarity. It’s a mixture of medieval art, modern thought and Chinese aesthetics.
The scriptwriter has written a compelling story with a coherent storyline. It manages to seamlessly combine comedy, romance and also angst in the latter part. Don’t be fooled by the hilarious opening, the last few episodes are tear jerkers. In 36 episodes, this drama is an intense rollercoaster ride, that will make you laugh, love, cry and adore each moment.
Wang Heidi and Esther Yu as Dongfang Qing Cang and Xiao Lang Hua sent sparks flying onscreen. They beautifully unfold a captivating love story that develops naturally and flows seamlessly captivating your heart strings. Their chemistry is electric and they make every moment count with comic, sweet and bitter moments that tears your heart apart. They are both natural and so comfortable with each other that makes the drama so real.
Esther Yu convincingly portrays the orchid fairy, a dynamic character that’s easy to hate because it can appear too fake or flamboyant when not conveyed well but she manages to pull it off effortlessly. She radiates different energy in different situations but still remembers the essence of her character, a warm and bubbly fairy. She also brings out her acting range when she body swaps and pulls off the serious and cold domineer. She has also used her own voice, which I personally find very fitting to the character.
Dylan Wang has greatly improved since Miss the Dragon. His acting is terrific, he showcases a variety of expressions that blend into his character. Despite being the heartless moon supreme, he displays brilliantly how his icy heart sea slowly melts. He gracefully transitions into someone with emotions and gradually makes more micro expressions and gestures to show how he’s starting to fall in love and feel emotions. Wang Heidi as the moon supreme is magnificent and he nails the character; his body and eye language are both great. Not to mention he is an eye candy in all those costumes.
Zhang Ling He as the SML is very lovable and he can seriously give you second male lead syndrome vibes. His performance as the Lord of War who wants to protect his love and can be a friend to his arch enemy is quite endearing. You will also fall in love with the SFL Danyin, a fairy who can love endlessly but can also gracefully give up. For once you don’t have the wicked woman who is obsessed and delusional in love to the point of madness.
Every character is there for a reason, they have their own personal motive, background story and their decisions contribute to the intensity and development of the plot. It’s a happy ending with all the loose ends tied up, except that the last 5 minutes could have been better, showing their return to Cangyan sea or how Dongfang can wield glazed fire but still better than most dramas.
The drama is visually appealing in terms of sequencing, graphics, and cinematography. It’s only a S production but they have used the money in the right places and it shows. The art team needs to be applauded. They have visually articulated a fantasy world where every detail is enchantingly portrayed. The costumes are gorgeous and, in each realm, they have really put in a lot of effort into visualizing how the characters need to look on screen. DongFang QingCang’s outfits are mostly black with a hint of gold, showing his sovereignty as the moon supreme. Xiao Lan Hua’s outfits are in bright pastel colors fitting for a fairy with bright and bubbly personality.
The CGI effects are top notch and rendered so well that it gave an ethereal and mind-blowing result. In each realm, the lighting, visual art, setting and color palette enhances the overall cinematic effect. The combat scenes with hell fire and Dylan Wang’s entry scenes are beautifully done. The scene where Rong Hao and Chang Heng enter a painting is just amazing. Again, well done camera work, really good angles and each shot is epic. The way they have designed the realms shows a lot of research work. It has been a while since there was such beautiful and mesmerizing graphics in a drama.
The drama also has a very beautiful soundtrack and background music score. The soundtracks are great and the lyrics are so meaningful. Almost all of the OST’s are good and the background music score for this drama is exceptional. Some of the BGM’s can make your hair stand up and is a masterpiece.
Usually, Xianxia’s are long but very few manage to leave a long-lasting mark despite that. This drama has set really high standards for a Xianxia. The last time a drama was this close to perfection was Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and long-time drama viewers would know that it was a classic. I would say this drama is no less in comparison. Overall, I would rate this drama a 9 which is something I rarely do because the plot, casting, setting, cinematography, CGI effects, color palette, OST’s and execution are almost flawless.
So do yourself a favor and watch the drama because it’s the best Xianxia that’s been out in recent years.
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best love story!
This drama truly portray classic love story and all the feelings are mutual and it especially emphasis true love do exist which is done beautifully without any cliches and cringeness. That's why many of us feel so in love with DFQC and XLH due to their pure love. Two lonely soul finally become a soulmate and they way the speak/action are from heart which is seldom can be seen in the drama nowadays. We cry, we laugh and fell in love with DFQC and XLH over and over again. Many said XLH is childish and immature but once we lost her after she is reincarnated into Goddess Xi Yun everyone is sad together with DFQC and we want to old XLH that love DFQC with all her heart.They give us peak of comedy, romance, heart break and give us hope love conquer all feeling and makes this drama is truly a gold. Definitely this drama going to be one of the classic fantasy drama love story that should be recommended through generations.
Was this review helpful to you?
This show has consumed me
I never particularly liked romance as a genre. This show made me realize that I just hate badly written romance. I was completely surprised how much I ended up loving this show. It had no right to be as good as it was.Both leads go through so much character development that I was really attached to both of them at the end.
The side characters are also great they all felt very fleshed out to me.
I have seen a lot of people describe it as "your fanfiction dreams from when you were 14 come true," and honestly that's pretty accurate.
This show had me laughing and crying and I already can't wait to rewatch it again.
Was this review helpful to you?
A light-hearted, cutesy story
This show is definitely aimed towards the young adult audience. It has everything from plot, characters, and fan service that would satisfy this kind of romantic troupe. For all those single ladies out there looking for "dreamy, bad boy", this is your love story...STORY/PRODUCTION — 7.5
The plot is quite enjoyable with a lot of comedic, heart-warming scenes and character development. It is fantasy-based so I wouldn't judge it harshly for its illogical elements as we are entering "their" world and cannot compare it to ours or another. The script was designed for a young love-lusting audience so it's sometimes filled with cheesy and silly lines/scenes.
Although the production was pretty high quality, I noticed that the stages were very limited to only a few and repeated backdrops. It got a little boring after a while and I can do without the 3D animations and the obvious copy-paste characters.
CAST/ACTING — 9.0
DongFang QingCang - A pretty solid performance from Dylan. There were some off expressions and oops moments but overall he did a good job. I can understand why he gets a lot of praises for this role; it suits him well.
Orchid - Esther was mediocre... Her expressions felt forced and strained that it was sometimes cringy to watch. I think her chemistry with Dylan is what helped alleviate some of the burns I felt from her performance. I am highly critical when it comes to eye expressions and this was something Esther was lacking. Her facial expressions would display emotions but her eyes lacked the same depth so it looked off. Also, her portrayal of DFQC and Goddess of Xishan were too similar that it felt like she had no range to separate their identities.
Chang Heng - LingHe was mediocre, as well. His performance was often stiff and choppy as if he was afraid to make a mistake. Because of this I couldn't feel for this character and his emotions. I don't think the script help him either.
Rong Hao - Okay, now this is what you would call real star actor quality. This man was flawless, simply amazing! HaiQiao portrayed his character so well that I became much more invested on his backstory than the leading couple. His range and portrayal of Rong Hao was definitely for the mature audience so if you're not in that kind of mindset, you will not appreciate his skills as much. But, wow, I was blown away! He can definitely carry a show. He's the reason why I rated the casting higher.
The rest of the cast was a mixed bag between 'meh' and a good support for the leading cast.
MUSIC — 3.5
Honestly, not very memorable and sometimes annoying to hear playing in the background.
OVERALL — 7.0
This is definitely for a targeted audience, and if you don't fit it then you may think this show is too fluffy or girly. If I watch something angsty and need some heart relief, I'd probably re-watch this. Otherwise, Rong Hao will probably be the only non-fluff part of this show. I really enjoyed the series despite its flaws and acting so I would recommend this to those who are interested in this kind of romantic troupe.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It's worth sticking with the show, even if you struggle with the first few episodes
The second part of this drama is much better than the first. It's yet another example of how a superficial script can lead to poor performances. Once the actors were actually given some nuance to portray, they did a great job. Kudos to Dylan Wang as Dongfang Qingcang and his supporting cast for their emotionally powerful performances. The scene where he cries for his father is still one of my favourites. It made me realise how rare this kind of emotional outburst from male characters is on television!Esther Yu's character(s) were difficult to watch at first. The voice and one-dimensional character of Orchid and later Xi Yun have thankfully undergone some positive changes. Similarly, Zhang Linghe as Chang Heng felt rather flat for most of the show.
I found the concept of the conflict between the Fairy Realm and the Moon Clan quite interesting, although the Fairy Realm lacked some depth. The main villain of the show ended up being quite disappointing and some of the twists and turns were unnecessary. While I won't be re-watching the whole show, it had some really impressive and memorable scenes that I'll be back for!
Was this review helpful to you?
Light Hearted and Funny Fantasy
There are a lot of reviews for this, this review will be another drop in the ocean. Its a light youth fantasy CDrama for Xianxia diehards.Is it mind blowing? No.
Does it have many plot holes? Yes, its Xianxia for god's sake.
Is it entertaining? Yes.
The characters for the most part are entertaining and the acting for some of the actors have improved. Dylan Wang from Meteor Garden and that other dude who was the ML in Maiden Holmes have improved from their wooden performances. Both of those shows had these actors as the ML, I couldn't finish those shows. Esther Yu's fairy character is cute but was super annoying in the beginning. BF repellant annoying, nails on the chalkboard annoying.
The enjoyable parts:
The fairy and the devil have a body swap, it was entertaining to see the performance of the gender reversal. The fairy goes from the clueless naïve fairy to the cold hearted demon and vice versa. It was good they didn't drag it out through the whole show but it was entertaining for the first few episodes. The kissing for the soul swap wasn't necessary, too gratuitous, and was sort of stupid, would have been better if that was cut out.
The mortal realm was probably the most enjoyable part of the series; the storyline is really different from Ashes of Love but for both shows; the best parts were the time they spend in the mortal realm. It was hilarious with the hijinks due to the jealously, how clueless the SML was since he had no prior recollection of his immortal past, and how things just went completely wrong at each turn.
The gradual love which blossoms between the fairy and the devil. The chemistry between the leads is pretty good. Funny banter and face palm moments. They did a pretty good job with that, none of that instalove stupidity. There were some jokes cracked on the fairy's plain appearance and how it was no match for the Demon Lord. It seems to me the Demon King's looks are pretty plain too.
If one is looking to procrastinate from studying or whatever it is, this is a good enough show for that distraction.
Was this review helpful to you?
watch only if you can tolerate the FL
I love Dylan Wang but this is one drama which I actually skipped all the parts whenever the female lead started talking. gosh, her voice is so ANNOYING. Her voice and her acting simply put me off. I understand she is well known for her "cutesy" voice but it doesn't appeal to me. I feel that a different female lead would have elevated the entire show. Thumbs up for Dylan Wang's performance and he is the redemption of the entire drama. I hope there will be a remake with another actress, of course, it's my wishful thinking.Was this review helpful to you?
Just a Romance with no plot besides that
Initially I actually liked it, which was the cute, romantic comedy part that I generally don't like very much, and the part that I was supposed to like, which was tragic, I didn't like.The first "arc" in the protagonist's fairy kingdom was okay, typical cute story and their relationship was good and funny to see, but after that, in the "arc" of the protagonist's kingdom there was a drastic change in the atmosphere of the drama and especially in the relationship between them and that's when it became a turn-down for me and I started to get bored watching it, it cut off the initial flow and became something else... I didn't feel like it was something continuous but rather that the drama was really divided into " arcs" with different vibes.
The next "arc" was in the human world, at this point I was tired of watching this that I couldn't even appreciate, but it wasn't a bad "arc" but rather a slow one, it was where most of the relationships between the characters developed, but other than that I found the story itself completely stupid. The aspect that made me really dislike the drama was that the characters, being immortals who have lived thousands of years, fall in love easily and very quickly, the secondary character fell in love with Orchid in about 3 meetings..... and she in 1 or 2 for him, at the end of the drama she realized that what she felt for him wasn't love, but still she was OBSESSED with the guy at the beginning, their relationship is very superficial.
In the end, the drama revolved around romance and romance and more romance, and the plot beyond that?? There were practically none.
Was this review helpful to you?
Now bacck to story, although some start episodes are funny but if u read the novel then u know how sad drama is and the people who saying shuxin voice is like childish , i am just gonna say the directors give her role because they know she can fit and all the dramas she starring all use her original vice because they know her voice is best for her roles i just say shuxin always get sweet dramas but if u know the song( amnesia ) she sang for drama then u match if the voice is sweet or not u must not .people quikly u know they work so hard to pleased the audience and when audience reply bad about her how hurt she is . The role of shuxin fit for her if u read the novel then u know how perfect she was doing . The plot of drama is perfect . Overall story is soo good and perfect .
The background, graphics,ost is so amzing that it makes people to fall for it.
I hope if someone saw this review must watch this drama .
The haters always say because their actor or actress also got bad comments so they deliberately makes bad comments for other actress or dramas.
Was this review helpful to you?
