First C-drama to Keep me ADDICTED till the end!
let me tell you all that I made an account just to write this review and rate this show ^^I wasn't a fan of fantasy dramas (especially not Chinese fantasy "Xianxia") until I watched this one!!
it's my first Xianxia drama and the first C-drama to Keep me ADDICTED till the end!
Usually it's only k-dramas that make me obsessed
At first I hesitated when I saw Esther (Yu Shu Xin) because I don't prefer girls who act soo cute in a cringe way plus it was still ongoing but I decided to give it a chance (one episode)
from the first episode, I could tell they really worked hard (the costumes, hairstyle, CGI, and OST were perfect) and it catched my attention for real and kept me excited to see the rest!
and let me tell you now, that I can't imagine anyone other than Esther to be little orchid (XLH).. her acting skills are amazing, I was impressed👏
XLH's character is so innocent and adorable
you'll get used to her and kinda like her, I promise😂
as for Dylan (Wang He Di) I've only seen him in meteor garden and his acting has massively improved, no one would've suited the role of Dongfang Qingcang other than him as well.
I fell in love with his acting skills, expressions and was impressed thinking he changed his voice tone then got to know that he had a voice actor, "wang baoshun" (but they did a great job I couldn't tell that it was dubbed! ) plus that voice perfectly fits DFQC and made me fall for him 🙈
and I really liked the chemistry between the main lead it felt real and so natural ... and it wasn't rushed at all, I never get tired of seeing them I even watched their BTS, they became my fav couple 😍
they deserve the best couple award for real 💕
the whole cast was amazing actually they outdid themselves, so proud 👏👏
I've enjoyed this drama and would definitely re-watch it
in brief:
the acting is superb, the chemistry between the main leads is lovely and so natural, each episode is so exciting; Not to mention the costumes, hairstyle, the scenery and the OSTs are all on Fleek ( I was amazed )
if you are looking for something with an actual story that'll make you experience different emotions - laugh, cry, excited and fangirl .. then this is the one for you 😼👍🏻
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it'll change your standard for xianxia/xuanhuan's forever: a delicious fever dream fairytale
The easiest way to describe Cang Lan Jue is as if someone plucked all of my favorite tropes from my 15-year-old brain and added loads of Renaissance and art nouveau imagery, gorgeous hair, fiery chemistry (both on screen and BTS), and a healthy dollop of physical and emotional whump.- The writing:
It's one of the tightest, cleanest (narratively speaking) scripts I've ever seen in a cdrama. There are no superfluous storylines, the pace is engaging and well-thought-out, and there are deliciously written tie-ins and callbacks to seemingly simple gestures and actions written within the drama that consistently add layers of meaning to every little thing. Traditional tropes are written in but are often completely subverted or altered with nuance and creative flair. Those who would traditionally be evil can very well be the golden-hearted heroes. The heroes we're manipulated into believing (even the story at the very beginning of this drama lies to us and misrepresents the facts) can easily be the true face of villainy.
- The relationships and chemistry:
There are many relationships written within this drama that help drive the narrative and shed light on history's past. I fell in love with the people of Cangyan Sea, and those closest to DFQC. There isn't a single person who doesn't go through some type of hardship or self-discovery, and those we meet at the beginning of the drama have often changed several shades. Some platonic relationships are unexpected and some of the most engaging factors of joy, especially in the mortal realm arc. The love story between DFQC (fondly referred to as Moon from here on out) and Orchid is the greenest, most wholesome, and healthy relationship I've ever seen in a cdrama. Hands down (I'm lookin' at you, Cheng Yi dramas!) They fill the holes in places the other lacks, and their relationship is rooted in tacit understanding, mutual love, and an unyielding acceptance of each other's true, most bare colors. I became inexplicably attached to their journey. Their chemistry is palpable, both on screen and behind the scenes. Once their relationship is established, there is nary a scene when they're not hand-in-hand or kissing (and the kisses- oh my god!!! no fish kisses here). I particularly enjoyed the special attention to detail with hands and clothing in terms of a visual representation of their relationship and an outer reflection of their inner selves.
- The AESTHETICS *surpassed by no other cdrama I've ever seen*:
Every realm is uniquely detailed and fleshed out, from makeup to forms of magic used to costumes, interior design, architecture, and customs. I haven't been this impressed with world-building since I first watched The Lord of The Rings. A lot of money and thought has gone into this drama, it's blatantly evident within the first episode, and I couldn't stop myself from pausing scenes just to marvel at the live-action art (literally, there is a scene where two immortals are leisurely enjoying wine on a boat, from within an actual painting, and they've been reduced to brush strokes). Arbiter Hall and the forests within Shuiyuntian gave me a lot of Rivendell vibes, especially with the ethereal coloring and iridescent armor. Cangyan Sea (Moon's realm and home) has rich and sophisticated velvet textures, gilded detailing, and layers of deep colors that represent their people's storied history and Moon's enigmatic personality. I was particularly awe-struck by Moon's entire visual. From head to toe, he's a very carefully detailed and supremely handsome character. He's got the nicest hair in cdrama land (or anywhere), and costumes/armor pieces that are flattering and reflective of his inner self. I particularly love his black and gold ensemble, with the gilded gold flares on the sleeves. Devastatingly gorgeous. None of the artistic styles and set design concepts would have been able to properly live and breathe on screen without the equally masterful cinematography, makeup, and lighting. These departments knew exactly what they were doing.
-Acting and OST:
Beautiful OST. Handomsly lends to every scene, particularly scenes between our CP. I also love the atmospheric OST, especially the incredibly eerie track that played whenever an evil spirit or antagonist entered the scene. It always sent chills up my spine.
Favorite tracks:
1. The Other Side - Jing Long, Jing Di Er *every time this track came on, I was a heaving mess.
2. Remaining Love - Zhou Shen *He can never do wrong.
2. Goodbye Love- Faye
I'm particularly proud of Dylan Wang's performance through Cang Lan Jue. Although I've always been fond of him, he's come a long way since his highly criticized performance in Miss The Dragon. He's able to master his facial expressions with very natural and organic body language within each scene; he's particularly strong with his cutesy moments during the body swap hijinks and comes out *very* strong during demanding emotional scenes. His performance during the angst moments in this drama cannot be overstated. He embodies his role as Moon, and the pain that emanates is visceral, profound, and deep. I couldn't help but cry with and for him in those moments. The behind-the-scenes videos of these moments show how deeply he immersed himself in his role, unable to extricate himself easily after the director says "cut." Truly devastatingly gorgeous work. I hope this drama lands him many new rules; it's well deserved.
Orchid is a wonderfully written character that pairs beautifully with our dark and gloomy Moon supreme. I'm glad I didn't allow Esther Yu's higher-pitched voice to deter me from watching the drama. Her voice may turn off some from watching, but I found her endearing fairly quickly. Her character has a lot of growth and a huge heart; it's easy to find reasons to like her, and her voice does change quite a bit throughout the drama.
This isn't your standard cdrama xianxia/xuanhuan fantasy drama. It's not another Cheng Yi drama (although, lord, do I have a soft spot for our "King of Whump."). This drama is like a cleverly and cleanly written fantasy bedtime story, with whimsical demons and fairies and good and evil from the most unexpected places. It's worth every 10-star review it's received.
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the purest candy you can feel good about!!
cang lan jue is 10000% the best xianxia of this specific celestials branch (gods + immortals + 100000s of years, etc.) that i have ever seen. This show did it and made a genre that i thought i would despise forever actually watchable and ENJOYABLE. yes it’s silly and cringe, i spend as much time laughing AT the show as i do with it, but xianxia is p inherently cringe. it’s exactly as good as it needs to be and sometimes we deserve to indulge in candy!For many years I’ve watched xianxia, always in SPITE of the genre and storytelling, never because I actually enjoyed it. (why would I watch something I dislike? I guess it’s part of my chinese american complex of needing to understand what is popular in mainland right now. C-dramas are something I have easy access to, compared to books and web content since I can’t read Chinese v well.) I thought this whole genre was stupid and goofy as hell. like hello, i’ve lived 70000 years and loved you for 50000 years but had to forget you and reincarnate for 10000 years and it was all because of a miscommunication or something stupid and toxic and now we hate each other!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE BE SERIOUS??? y’all are 100000s of years old and you are suffering whatever fantasy torments of hell because of a miscommunication or patriarchal ideas of ‘strong, noble man’???? seeing the repeated relationship dynamic of an idiot weak innocent emotional baby girl x MOST powerful COLD aloof and uncaring sect leader/war god/whatever over, and over, and over could only be described as a punishing slog to watch. it’s not that i had no hope for this genre whatsoever, but i didn’t think that it could offer anything very great if all we saw was meaningless suffering, male leads who were too cowardly to stand up against authority/orthodoxy/hierarchical order/oppressive ruling class, female leads who are given no logical reasoning and believe lies and miscommunications at the drop of a hat, etc. etc.
cang lan jue took all of these tropes, these character types and plot lines we know so well and they made it meaningful and actually contribute to the story they want to tell. for ex. dongfang qingcang is not just a Powerful Controlling Villain Lord type for the romantic fantasy. he's like that because it's his story the script writer wanted to tell, and every part of his backstory, his arc, his motives and his progress are well thought out in terms of how they inform the themes of the story... AND he's a romantic fantasy! it's a very simple story with simple characters and messages but it does every single aspect near perfectly. its ambitions are not high in terms of storytelling, but what it accomplishes are the absolute best in terms of what it is and what the genre is. the plot is generally agreeable, the pacing is great and easily gets you addicted to what's gonna happen next as the stakes and problems keep growing higher and higher, though it never feels overly convoluted. i of course have problems with it, but that's more in terms of general problems i have w xianxia and a lot of chinese media. i think the issue is that the writing for the show has these glimmering moments that are genuinely really good, smart storytelling, which made me think it could be better than the conventions of the genre but these hopes were dashed by the end. in particular they wrote dfqc and xlh to be a couple whose relationship is built on communication, respect, trust and working together to solve the problems they face. by the end this is all turned to dust in favor of endless self sacrifice as proof of love. they also had a nice theme of defying fate by positing love and identity as a CHOICE built by your experiences and values.... they are still defying fate by the end but only through self sacrifice. i just think self sacrifice is a very cheap and easy writing tactic to show the depth of love, rather than actual work or other ways that build upon character arcs and relationship arcs. AND it's extremely unhealthy and just a pain to see! all that said, i DID cry my heart out though all those scenes because they made me love xlh and dfqc SO much throughout the series, even tho my rational brain was disappointed. ultimately clj is exactly the kind of silly but addicting fun trash that i originally thought it was- and i STILL LOVE IT.
i absolutely adore our main leads, and i was already a fan of yu shuxin from seeing her on youth with you. she’s PERFECT for this role. tbh i never would’ve watched this show had i not heard she would be the female lead. not many actresses can do the silly innocent baby well, in fact i would say i have never in my life seen it done as well as yu shuxin. She is incredibly talented at making it look effortless, charming, and natural. She’s genuinely just adorable instead of annoying. Like i’ve seen many many amazing, highly skilled actresses make their attempts, but at the end of the day, playing the baby is its own thing that is incredibly difficult and out of their comfort zone. yu shuxin embraces and embodies it without reservation, she’s a cutesy idol, like, this is her THING. and i was worried she wouldn’t have the range to play dfqc during the body switching scenes, (as well as the duty bound xilan goddess) but she did it SO well, and she’s surprisingly great in all the serious angst scenes too. xiao lanhua is so wonderfully lovable, if she were only kind and pure she wouldn’t stand out, but because of her resolute bravery and her quick thinking, her emotional wisdom, it absolutely sets her apart and makes her an admirable protagonist. she has so much basic human logic and reasoning that many female xianxia leads completely lack. while i miss her silliness in the beginning, it’s also nice to see her grow and learn from dfqc, as well as from her experiences in Canyan Sea and the mortal realm, to become so confident and self assured, no longer caring about her identity and status background. i was extremely happy with her character arc, so i was of course quite disappointed with her return being full Goddess time even though i know it's still her. in a lot of ways it felt like we lost what a wonderful fate defying, blood and birthright defying, shuiyuntian-familial-class-based system defying, i- choose-who-i-love-and-who-my-people-are-based-on-my-values-and-my-experiences Xiao Lanhua we had!!! idk i think i still need to process the ending more, i just loved our heroine so much.
As for dfqc, i would say not only am i not attracted to his character type, i find it abhorrent. but i guess that completely changes when he’s in the hands of competent writers because i LOVE dfqc. The set up is PERFECT because by making him suffer, by making him the butt of most of the jokes, and making us laugh AT him, it takes away his power because it doesn’t take him seriously. his seriousness, threats, violent intent, domineering presence and murderous energy all become THE JOKE when you make him have to serve xiao lanhua's every whim. i would never have grown affection for him unless they stripped him of his weapons metaphorically as they have done in this show. he is still cruel and powerful, but he can’t do anything to hurt you. because of this set up we get to have our classic toxic relationship dynamic, AND have it all be bearable. there were absolutely times after the first arc where his behavior made me feel uncomfortable, after all at the end of the day, this is still a narrative that sells possessive, controlling and aggressive powerful men as a romantic fantasy. I understood that, but it was never bad enough where it felt like it crossed a line and made me want to stop watching (like every other show). i like him so much to the point that when they played the cringe ass goofy electric guitar during his ‘’’cool’’’ scenes and literally made his eyes glow with goofy blue fire and covered the screen w more goofy blue fire in the most embarrassing shameless final fantasy anime nerd way i literally cheered for him out loud without even realizing it…. i would not do that for any other reason other than genuinely liking a character and it also helps that he’s super hot LMAOO. i like how his general character arc is written too, and i came to actually love his character when he dealt with his father and how he grew. like i know he is a fictional character but i weirdly felt proud of him. seriously kudos to the script writer for allowing dfqc to accept and understand his father, while still standing his ground, and not forgiving or making up with him. seeing every step he takes to become a better person felt difficult and genuinely deserved.
also!! changheng was quite nicely written, with a very clear arc. this guy is basically the ye hua archetype of all these xianxias and yet he surpassed them all by doing what all of them were too cowardly to do - he stood up for the girl he loves and for what’s right in the face of authority and his own social position and duty in the oppressive ruling class!!!!! he even LEFT shuiyuntian and gave up his position and escaped from his brother's oppressive thumb to find his own happiness!!! literally who the fuck else actually did that??? ye hua could NEVER!!!!! AND changheng still wasn’t even as good as dfqc??? the standards for all the main characters in this drama are higher and i just can’t thank the script writer enough. i actually thought it would’ve made for an interesting character if changheng was a straight ye hua type who never goes against heaven, but it’s also SOOOOOOO nice to have a better man than that lmfao. changheng best boy 2 award!!
All in all, it’s not the smartest, or the most complex show with the most groundbreaking things to say. it’s not perfect but it never strived to be nor does it have to be. it’s just incredibly fun, created beloved characters and doesn’t resort to unbearable miscommunications or evil jealous women or other hell tropes to up the stakes or drive meaningless conflict. i haven’t had this much fun or been so consumed by a drama in years (literally have only been eat sleep breathing this show for 3 weeks and kneeling doing the moon ppl's hand clap salute when dfqc shows up on screen) and it made me believe that xianxia is a genre with space and possibilities for good and interesting storytelling and characters!
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Finally, THIS IS DEFINITELY WILL BE GETTING REWATCHED
DON'T MISS OUT ON A GREAT DRAMA BECAUSE YOU ARE JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER.
HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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'i can change him' and she actually did
the plot was genuinely interesting to me and its a good show to binge when you're bored. dont have much complaints on this one except for shangque ,, what a useless character he really gets nothing done. aand also how dongfang qincang's character just ends up being a softie after he fell in love, i guess its part of having his emotions back but it was weird to see how it progressed. the story could have been better but its still very much worth a watch! i understand why this show has high ratings. side characters actually contributed to the plot :D barely any scenes to skip (except the ones with ronghao bc he annoys me)Was this review helpful to you?
Masterpiece.
I started watching this series with not many thoughts in mind, but ended up finishing it with my eyes bawling and feeling that emptiness after finishing a good series/movie. "Love Between Fairy and Devil" is simply a great drama for whoever is a hopeless romantic. It not only changed my perspective in love, but also how Dongfang made my standards in men even higher than before. He is not a green flag, he is a GOLDEN flag. Please watch this chinese drama, you won't regret it. I promise.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.
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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.
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Good drama
At first, I dropped this drama after a few episodes because I detest female characters who are purposely written as clumsy, whinny, and clueless. It's not endearing but really annoying. But after hearing good things about it, I decided to give it another chance and watched it till the end.This drama has amazing character development. It starts off as kind of comedic but later becomes quite dark and emotional. The main characters go through a transformation. She becomes more mature. He gains feelings and empathy. They are star-crossed lovers and this drama really went out of its way to show the type of love that endures. They fought for each other, made sacrifices, had faith in each other and at the end stayed true to who they were. They also made each other better. She matured from a clumsy airhead to a thoughtful person. He developed feelings and was able to form relationships and appreciate others.
The ending felt rushed. One moment she was waiting for him to come back to life, the next moment he was standing behind her "I am baaaack!", they kissed, the end.
The story tended to drag sometimes but it didn't affect the plot too much.
The acting was fantastic, especially by Dylan Wang. The way he conveyed emotion after Orchid died was heart breaking.
Overall, the show has some really good acting, good music, really emotional scenes, and a very touching love story. Recommend!
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Not so fluffy romance.
Loved everything apart from her voice... the pitch drove me nuts at times! All the visuals were great. the moments of suspense kept me interested until the end. Loved the story.Dont really want to write much else here, thought i would write something just so that i could give it a rating.
It was my second watch through, and i dont do thay with many, really enjoyed it.
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Best Xianxia Drama Of The Year.
Honestly Love Between Fairy and Devil is one of the best xianxia dramas I watched in recent years. I went in with low expectations since the recent dramas of that genre didn't really love upto the hype and plus I needed something to kill time while waiting for Love Like The Galaxy episodes. I got curious about the drama after AvenueX told that there will be amazing CGI so I came for the CGI.But I was so blown away by LITERALLY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS DRAMA. First of all Dylan Wang, he was the most unexpected surprise. After the whole Miss the Dragon, I didn't have much expectations but boy he delivered the best DFQC EVER and our Esther Yu was amazing as usual. The whole cast was PERFECT. They all played their role perfectly and to the point.
I thought the story will be not that interesting but AGAIN I WAS SO WRONG. The story is not that complicated but it was so well written (no loopholes) and usually in xianxia dramas I tend to skip the mortal realm part but here it was the BEST. Not overly sad but super cute and sweet.
If there is something I wish that they improved was the pacing of the last 6 episodes. It started to feel a bit rushed to the ending. In my opinion, they could've taken out or reduced the length of the whole twins story line since it didn't really have much of an impact.
Overall it has amazing CGI, costumes are on point, story is well written and acting was delivered perfectly. I can go on and on about the drama but I'll stop now.
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You're going to have to get over the baby voice first
==Breakdown==Background plot - 40%
Romance - 40%
Misc comedy - 20%
Background plot - Excellent
Romantic chemistry - Excellent
Misc comedy - Excellent
Production value - Excellent
As many other reviewers have noted, the character of Orchid has extreme baby voice. I'd tried and failed to watch this series several times, never making it through the first episode, and ultimately deciding a few months ago just to give up because it made me cringe so very, very hard.
If you're like me and this is a big issue, may I recommend watching the show on mute for the first few episodes. I did this with subtitles until I connected with the story, then I gradually increased the volume (very low, moderately low, low, medium, regular) until I didn't notice the voice as much. I'm REALLY glad I did, because this show was fantastic!
Let me stop here and say this is not a criticism of the lead actress. It's a "me problem." I have a hard time when adult men or women affect a child-like voice. It's like nails on the chalkboard for me, and that's 100% entirely on me. I also don't like mayonnaise. That doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong with mayo, it's just a personal preference.
ANYWAY, a month ago a friend of mine strongly urged me to watch this CDrama (my first Cdrama) because I'd just finished Alchemy of Souls and wanted another fantasy. She said this was THE BEST fantasy TV show of it's kind and I'd regret it if I didn't watch. She was right.
The story was good. Not fantastic, but good. The relationship, which started antagonistic because he's a serious bad guy without emotions, actually ended up pretty darn healthy. In fact, I'd say it was remarkably healthy given who the characters were and their backgrounds. It was lovely to see how much they respected and cared for each other from episode 20 to the end.
However, and this is really why this show is so high on the re-watch scale, the chemistry between the leads was off the freaking charts. Esther and Dylan portrayed this epic love story perfectly, and I was able to suspend disbelief and lose myself in their story. The production values matched perfectly (even when the CGI wasn't perfect, it was still perfect for the show). And I loved the costumes, make up, hair-- it all added to and heightened the deep fantasy.
I will re-watch this show again, probably several times, and now that I've grown accustomed to the baby voice, I suspect I'll enjoy those early scenes that I'd originally muted.
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