A pleasant surprise - the black horse of 2022 Cdramaland
2022 is at its peak right now when it comes to Cdramas. The ones with all biggest names and budget have been airing with little gap between premieres and to stand in between all the action is a feat in itself. While I had no clue that something starring Dylan Wang / Wang He Di and Esther Yu would be "struggling" in any way, it seems like everyone had low hopes from this drama including the cast themselves. But they exceed everyone's expectation with it!PLOT:
Although this was marketed as a Xianxia, I beg to differ. This drama for me is just a fantasy one where a Fairy literally falls in love with the "Devil". I was lowkey hoping for a dark romance but the drama has been quite light since the beginning. The first episode was a bit weird and I couldn't really get into it till ep 8 or so. I must say I was writing it off as a silly romance based on its initial episodes and the cutesy and ditzy FL. The ML was also serving as more of a comedy element than a character with actual depth. However, this drama has surprised me on more than one occasion. Every time I thought the plot was juvenile or too cliché - it just kept surprising me and was on a roll.
CHARACTERS:
I have seen some good Cdramas but I must say this is surely one of the better written ones. The characters in this are all well-rounded and their growth is natural. Nothing felt forced to me in the drama. Usually the transformation of a positive character to dark or vice-versa seems like a one-off thing than a natural progression of plot. Here most of the things that happen make sense. The naïve FL grows and the ML is also not one without flaws. The characters all make mistakes, get hurt from some assumptions but in the end manage to pull through. The supporting characters are also fleshed out well and even the villain(s) seem to be morally grey in some areas - which was quite an interesting take.
ROMANCE:
I think the reason Wang Hedi catapulted to fame (although he was already getting there) is owing to the romance in the drama and his Romeo type character. Most people watch xianxia / fantasy romance dramas in hopes of watching a good romantic plot. I must say this drama delivers well on that front. The FL falls for the dark ML and he's so completely devoted to her! The unwavering love the leads have for each other is what progresses the plot and remains the centre. Although I didn't feel like Dylan and Esther had too much chemistry, they looked good together and kisses were ok too (BTS clips were better). The romance will definitely a big pull for the romance genre lovers.
ACTING:
I admit to brushing off Esther as a bad actress, she did a decent job here. I do think someone else dubbing for her would have been a better choice but the different phases for her character were really believable to me. I would say the same for Dylan. While his acting wasn't groundbreaking- he did it well too. The reason I'm most glad for picking this up is because I discovered Zhang Ling He from this and now he's straight to my favourites list. Man can act fine and he's such a beauty! I also liked the other supporting actors and there was no one who was "ruining" the drama for me.
OVERALL:
While I would have been fine with a simpler ending, few things were made complicated for no reason. It does end happily so it's all good. I think the drama is worth investing time in- however, I do not think I would ever rewatch it again.
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JUST WATCH IT!
I started off with not much expectations cause I was bored... But I fell in love with everything about this drama from the 1st episode!! The cast is absolutely wonderful! They all did a beautiful job bringing their characters to life! I laughed and cried throughout the drama!!! DO NOT CONTEMPLATE WHETHER TO WATCH OR NOT! JUST WATCH IT! I can assure you, you will love it just like I did! The OST'S were so lovely! The directing and CGI were so great!!!Also, Dylan's and Esther's off screen chemistry!!! Its unexplainable!!! I enjoyed watching their behind the scenes!!! Cause I watched the drama ongoing, there were so many painful days.... so to fill the void I watched all their BTS clips and enjoyed it soo much!!! Its the best chemistry I have ever seen between main leads....
SO, FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T WATCHED THIS MASTERPIECE YET, PLS GO WATCH IT!!!
Bye now... I'm gonna go rewatch it!! :)
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Grating FL.
This show has the worst female lead I've ever had the displeasure of watching for 18 long, ardruous episodes before dropping this show out of sheer exhaustion.Anything good about this drama doesn't really matter if it exists only to profilerate more scenes involving this screeching female Caillou. Every scene with her is grating to no end.
I read online that the show's supposed to get better. Its been TWELVE. HOURS. The show isn't getting better. I'm not putting myself through any more torture.
I understand the k/cdrama community have an exceptionally low bar for enjoyment so I'm not surprised this trainwreck is getting a great score on MDL. Becoming accustomed to grating trope characters like this seems like a requirement to becoming a longterm drama fan. But I can't do that. I don't want to do that.
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Perfectly done yin and yang romance
Do you think that the love between sweet, naive little girl and a badass, overpowered devil is possible? Is it even possible to write such a story and make it rational and logical?Yes and YES!
First of all, this is not your typical xianxia about 3 lives, reincarnations etc... This drama will surprise you a lot. Even if you watched many other xianxias, this one will surprise you with characters' choices, story developments and turnovers.
MAIN LEADS:
The female lead - Orchid - might seem like a cute, naive, sweet little girl that could annoy you through the whole drama, might ruin your fun to watch endlessly, but not hear! If you feel irritated by her character at first, bear with her, just trust her. She will grow on you. Orchid is one of the bravest and most loyal female lead that are out there - she knows who she loves, she can make a decision and do everything for her loved once. Her love won't wave. She knows that decisions she make are risky, but she is brave enough to do them. Her pure intentions and love can melt even the devil's heart and that's what she does.
The romance between the main lead is logical. Our Moon Supreme couldn't fall for Orchid if he weren't bond to her through the Heart Curse. The evil he is, he wouldn't give her a chance to live longer than an hour knowing his short temper.
She is a pure love. He is a pure evil. A true love between Yin and Yang.
And it works.
Both main actors did splendid job with their characters. Their acting was perfect. They know at what stage what they character feels, what are their motivation, and they act just splendid through the whole drama. You can see so much through their expressions and their eyes - it tells the whole story.
Supports:
Characters developments is one of the point that made me truly appreciate this drama. Each, I mean EACH character had their own story, motivation, character and character development. No one stay pure good or pure evil, whatever - all characters change through many circumstainces. They grow, they change. They don't stay stubborn till the day. They know logic. Wow.
Visual development:
The CGI is once of the most beautiful I've ever seen in xianxias. The world building is full of variety. Each scene was built carefully and thought well through - you can see it in the details. Some really good concept artists sat down and spent lot of time wondering how this and that person live, what would they have in their room, in hwta environment they grew up, what are their people customs, what is the lighting, etc. If you watch this drama, you spend a lot of time just consuming these beautiful, well designed environment settings. Mniah :)
Music:
All OSTs are beautiful and addictive :) And they know the right moment to play them ;)
Ahh, whatr to say more? Just go watch the drama, if you haven't seen it yet and don't give up on it after 1 or 2 episodes. It does get better with each one.
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THE best c drama
I’ve recently got into watching c dramas and honestly, this is THE best one out of them all. The fl voice is the only annoying thing in the whole drama lol, but after overlooking that they’ll are phenomenal actors. I fell in love with Dylan Wang!! honestly it’s been so long since I’ve watching dramas without skipping parts in it to get through the story, I thoroughly enjoyed it.the production value the cgi the visuals.. everything was so mesmerising
every single character had a compelling storyline and I could understand their perspectives well.
I really wanted the drama to last longer so I could feast on this masterpiece, but I’m thankful I got on with it even though I was reluctant to start it and postponed it for a long time.
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Beautiful fairy tale
This Chinese version of Beauty and the Beast is romantic, funny, dreamy, heartwarming and heart-wrenching. The artistic CGI enhances the fantasy feel. I was blown away by the stunning music, beautiful set design and the heartfelt portrayal by the cast.Dylan Wang nails a challenging role of the heartless and ruthless but inadvertently funny and loveable Supreme Lord of the Moon Tribe, Dongfang Qingcang.
Esther Yu as lowly Fairy Orchid Xiao Lanhua is initially annoying with her high-pitched, whiney, babyish way of talking but she eventually grows on you once you realize Lanhua is really a baby immortal, just 1500 years old compared to Dongfang Qingcang who is more than 30,000 years old. And Lanhua does grow up, becoming much less whiney and babyish as the drama progresses. However, she retains a baby's innocence and purity of heart, making her one of the most admirable female leads I've encountered in CDramas. Instead of the usual revenge-driven grudge-keeping CDrama characters, Lanhua sees the best in everyone and is quick to forgive and forget. She does not hesitate to come to the rescue of other people, with no thought of her own safety. Her pure heart, kindness and courage melt DFQC's heart, or rather, restore his emotional tree.
Roc Chen's sublime background music (also featured in Royal Nirvana) soars, a fitting accompaniment to the exquisite artistic visuals. The other musical pieces are equally stirring.
In summary, it's a beautiful and powerful drama that dares to make viewers believe in the supremacy of love.
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Be Prepared For An Immortal Journey of Love, Hate and Redemption!
This series is an absolute marvel of true love in its truest form where our lovers will willingly sacrifice their life for each other. Take one young fluffy minded fairy - Orchid and pair her with the much older, cold-hearted Dongfang Qingcang and watch the sparks fly. After our 38,000 year old Qingcang stomps around frightening the ladies and making babies cry, the Three Realms will never be the same again!Young Orchid - she’s only 15,000 years old, a teenager really, has long had a crush on Zhang Ling He, the God of War and daydreams about him frequently. Poor love was doing something and accidentally lets our resident naughty bad boy Dongfang Qingcang free from the tower he has been locked up in for 30,000 years! He is one mighty pissed off demon with super super-powers!
Dylan Wang was excellent as Dongfang Qingcang , Zhang Ling He as Zhang Ling He too. Both ML and 2ML are handsome and tall. Orchid was pretty and so loveable although her early episodes I found her annoying because of her babyish ways and eternal blabbering! She did grow on me though. Love the series, have watched it twice now. Bawled my eyes out over Dongfang Qingcang, The visuals and technical stuff were excellent. One of my my favourite top five dramas.
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Short and fast paced limits the typical repeatedness.
Here, a lot of the 'hero' formulas are flipped on their head. On one hand, there are highly toxic ideas of what can make a good person and what can inspire change in a person. On the other hand an important lesson for all: that true, genuine sacrificial love - honoring what the other person needs and not what you desire - will always win.
The acting and chemistry here is decent between the main characters, Dylan Wang is excellent when he is brooding and quite adorably childlike cute whilst in love, the melding of the two personas never really settles in properly. Yu Shu Xin is bubbly and earnest but the plot keeps her smart and with agency - not a fool.
Music is fairly good, not sure I'd rewatch.
Themes: 8.0
True, genuine love where you see each other and respect each other, flaws and all is transformative. With shared values, old rules about who you fight for and who you love go out the window. Ego and the desire to deaden your own humanity may allow you to dominate and win as an individual, but will never be the answer to saving your community. Never forget that there is usually a larger common enemy stirring the pot of discord and divide.
Character Growth: 7.5
Dong Fang Qing Cang jumps around between a cynical, deadened soul and a boy who never grew up - while this is an excellent way to portray him at the beginning, and is justified based on his origin story, the final integration never really satisfyingly takes place. Xiao Lan Hua / Xi Yun is not allowed the same time to integrate and is bubbly and earnest 90% of her screen time.
Complex Women/Interactions Between Women: 7.5
There are plenty of women characters but the desire to pair each of them off with a man leaves them with little meaningful interaction. The friendship of Xiao Lan Hua and Jie Li is the exception, but even that relationship it's unclear what bonds them as friends besides Xiao Lan Hua's open heart and gullibility.
Production Values/Cinematography: 9.0
Compared to the CGI in previous XianXia, this is much more flattering. The sets are well-done and I didn't mind that they replicated Little Orchid's home over and over in order to re-use that set. The color palette, costumes, jewelry and make-up are all very pretty - this is true in all the 'realms'/worlds. Action scenes are very simple, but are pulled off well instead of being complicated and clearly fake.
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DYLAN, DYLAN, DYLAN
Y’all. I am SHOOKETH. Let me tell you. Try to get to episode 9… and you will be hooked. TRUST. It needs to build up to episode 9. Dylan Wang as the Moon Supreme carried the entire show to the moon and back. He was PHENOMENAL. He Worked this role like a BOSS. Sexy, masculine, fierce, strong, brave, confident and above all.. he feared NOTHING. He acted his heart out and honestly… one of the best actors of this generation.Storyline: very, very interesting. Ignore some minor flaws (mostly the FL in the beginning) and you won’t regret watching. The FL shows a lot of character development and becomes very lovable.
Love: Their chemistry is fire! When they fell in love, they fell HARD. Like one of those, I will die for you a thousand deaths and flip off all them haters in the process with hellfire. Their love was indestructible. I enjoyed all the romantic scenes and affections.
Second leads: did not disappoint. They all kept their morals strong and no one was evil. Very enjoyable to watch.
OST: for the first time, I really enjoyed the music. Incredibly moving.
Overall, I’m off to watch more of Dylan’s other dramas. Huge fan, now!
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LBFAD IS THE XIANXIA DRAMA OF 2022
Finally we get the ONE xianxia drama of 2022, like every year I usually wait for a xianxia drama that will be the ONE of that year and honesty I've never been disappointed,instead it just keeps on getting better and better with an amazing casts full of chemistry and great storyline.LBFAD is such a good drama that while watching you keep asking yourself if you're watching a fiction story or if you're actually experiencing it with them because of how real the drama was.
Initially it took me two days to finish episode one because of the FL, I didn't like the sound of her voice and almost gave up but I said to give it a try and boy was I hooked.
Right from episode one it was already shown that love will be the the main theme of the drama, what do you expect when you put a soul that's kind, compassionate and know how to love with a soulless being of course it will turn out OK.
The fight on who get to sacrifice for each other is so beautiful and heart wretching. I cried my eyes out when watching this drama. Their love story is like how a woman get pregnant, concoon the baby for nine months, give birth to the baby, take care of it with love and affection from infant to adulthood and watch it makes its own decision.
The supporting casts also did well and I especially feel that Danyin should have been giving more story and well balanced ending to her character, I came to fell in love with her character.
Honestly was expecting Chengheng to finally love Danyin but I guess the writers knew what they were doing and didn't want to make it look like cliché like other dramas do sometimes. Chengheng felt more like a supporting character than a 2nd ML.
The one thing I love most about this drama is the ML, this is my second time watching his drama and to me he is really a good actor. His facial expression and dialogue is amazing, him as a woman and him as an evil being makes him so versatile as an actor. I hope he branches out more with different roles and all.
My first time watching Esther Yu drama, I think she can do more if she stop with the baby voice, it was the main reason while I didn't want to watch the drama in the first place but towards the ending she stopped speaking with the baby voice so I really think she can stop using it if she really wants.
The Ost is such a loving, beautiful and painful songs. Each time I hear a song I find myself shazaming away and guess what it always turn out to always be my favourite singers like Zuo Shen and Lui Yuning. These two together on an ost for a drama then you better belive that drama is gonna be bomb. My Spotify playlist is so blessed because of these two amazing singers.
Xianxia drama is my favourite kind of genre to watch in a drama and that's why every year I always expect something great and they always deliver. The amazing story, the CGI and the Ost is something you don't want to miss. This drama has a great CGI like ALP.
Watch this and you definitely won't miss out.
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This review may contain spoilers
Truly the most gutwrenching AND heartwarming love story, WORTH the watch - lifechanging
I kid you not when I say this drama is LIFECHANGING. I have watched so many c-dramas and xianxia shows and love stories and this one tops it all for me. It's been 3 years and this is still my favourite c-drama of all-time — there is a damn good reason why this show is as popular as it is! I HIGHLY recommend this for those looking for a love story that is actually convincing and emotional, full of depth, and I assure you this is the ONE show where you will fully understand why the characters fell in love with each other, and they prove their mutual love over and over again. There really is no doubt that yes, they LOVE each other, they embody it, they are head over heels for the other, and their love can change and shake the world. Yet while watching it we will understand why they love each other so much that [SPOILER] they are willing to die for the other — it's not one of those shows where suddenly the fl and ml are hopelessly in love and doing ridiculous things for the other at the expense of themselves and we are baffled as to why they're willing to go so far. TLDR — the strongest point of this drama is a very well developed and fleshed-out love story, we see the process of them falling in love, and yes, this is a slow burn, but there are SO many interactions between the two (this show is, at its core, focused on illustrating the journey to love the fl and ml are embarking on) that the slow burn is entirely enjoyable, and there are also lots of lovely moments throughout!This show doesn’t have the most groundbreaking or unpredictable plot — on the contrary, the plot can be more on the predictable side, but imo it’s more of a sidelined thing as the show's main focus is on the fl and ml's love story. Plot-wise it's quite typical of a xianxia drama, but I do think it's also entertaining and intriguing enough to be of substance. So I wouldn’t recommend you watch this for the plot per se, but it is a good enough form of entertainment on the side if you focus on the ml and fl.
Music-wise, this drama is the best one yet (maybe tied with Love Game In Eastern Fantasy) when it comes to the OST line-up and BGM. The music really adds so much to the scenes and the show, it's like the final puzzle piece that elevates the entire scene and just takes your emotions and viewing experience to a whole new otherworldly level. It's really a stab in the heart and a warm fluffy hug all at once, depending on the OST and the nature of the scene. I seriously have no words for this OST line-up but it is simply too great — also, the BGM that plays whenever the ml has his kickass moments is soooo fitting and not corny at all, they did a wonderful job on the music on a whole.
CGI was spectacular in certain key scenes, and the worldbuilding is genuinely so pretty it really makes you feel like you’ve been transported to the world of the show and doesn’t feel like CGI at all. However, there are moments of poorly executed CGI, where it sometimes looks quite fake and flat/2D, but I think they can be glossed over if you look at the big picture — I do think they pick and chose where to spend more budget on for CGI, and I think the moments were chosen very aptly.
This show also has an overarching theme of [SPOILER] love wins all; love is salvation. This is another very strong point of the show, where this theme of love above all is highlighted and consistently embodied by every character in the show, including the side pairings and even the villain. The show does an excellent job of tying all the characters and sideplots together with this theme of love wins all, and it all culminates in a very satisfying ending for every character. I personally also find the side characters very lovable and likeable, and though there is a love triangle in this show, it is done very well and I love the 2nd lead so much — you will find yourself really empathising with him, and yet it is nearly impossible to get 2nd lead syndrome in this show (though you sympathise with and love the 2nd ml, you will STILL absolutely root for the ml and fl). Coming from someone who hates love triangles, I surprisingly liked this one because you can also really feel the love the 2nd ml has for the fl and he doesn’t do idiotic things that gets in the way of the fl and ml, the love triangle isn’t forced nor obnoxious, it actually does have quite a hand to play in driving the plot and it’s all intertwined very seamlessly. The focus of the show is still mostly on the fl and ml though, and the love triangle doesn’t appear as much compared to other shows, it’s definitely there but moreso in the background. So if you hate love triangles, give this one a shot and don’t worry — I would know, I truly despise love triangles with everything in me and this one was absolutely fine, even enjoyable (I’m shocked, too).
Trope-wise, here's the main tropes of the show [SPOILER]:
- grumpy x sunshine
- morally grey ml x pure fl
- bodyswap (will elaborate on this in the next para)
- forbidden love
- ml is the most powerful being in the entire 3 realms
- a little bit of starcrossed lovers?
- little bit of hate everyone but her
- touch her and you die (quite a few scenes of hero saving the beauty in this show and it's not even cliche!!!)
- slow burn, kinda mutual pining, idiots in love
- misunderstandings (but they’re not annoying they’re just so FUNNY)
- forced proximity
Now onto the STRONGEST point of this show: the love story. It's so well done I’m just in genuine awe and shock. My favourite part of their dynamic is the playfulness, the genuine emotional connection they share, the vulnerability, the BANTER... they are so good together and SO hilarious when the miscommunication occurs (but it isn't annoying at all, it's so so so funny). [SPOILER] The ml and fl are connected by the one-heart curse, meaning whatever happens to the fl the ml will feel and experience as well — ie. if she's hurt, he'll get the same scar on his body and feel the same hurt; if she's crying, he'll cry too. Yet the fl is blissfully unaware of this while the ml suffers in complete annoyance and this is just so amusing to watch. BIG kudos to Dylan Wang for his acting because to watch the tears rivulet out of his eyes while his gaze is FILLED with indignance oh my goodness it's HILARIOUS. This is a rather typical all-powerful ml x weak fl, but don’t worry it’s not off-putting at all (even though I typically am not a fan of such tropes) and even though the fl is weak and yes, the ml saves her quite a number of times, she isn’t all quiet and shy and her weakness is NOT the bulk of her personality. You honestly wouldn’t think of her as weak at all because she’s only weak in terms of power, but her personality is strong and bubbly and bright and brave. Even though she has weak powers, she’s really brave and righteous and steps up for her friends, strangers, and everyone in general. She doesn’t let herself get bullied (even though she does — she stands up for herself) and remains steadfast in her beliefs no matter what. She’s a very typical "kind to everyone, loves everyone" Cinderella-esque fl character, but she’s portrayed and characterised in almost an entirely new way, such that I felt that she reinvented this type of character trope to make her so much more likeable and refreshing. As for the ml, I am just irrevocably in love with him. He has SUCH a powerful aura throughout the show, and though he has red-flag-esque behaviour in the first half of the show, we watch him become more human as the show progresses because of her and witnessing his character arc and change is incredible. He turns into the greenest flag ever by the end of the show and I am ALL for it. We really follow his journey of humanisation and learning to live, learning to love; it is a truly gratifying experience. I also really, really appreciate that this show doesn’t turn the fl and ml into brainless fools who would sacrifice the entire world and betray their own moral beliefs and values for each other — the conflict of this show is very much centred around their forbidden love and their differing stances/backgrounds, with her from the Fairy Realm and him as the ruler of the Moon Realm (both realms have been at war for 30,000 years), and neither of them are willing to betray their home for the other, nor are they willing to sacrifice their love for their home. It's a beautiful balance and a very touching story that is excellently executed, and I personally find it quite refreshing in the xianxia genre because though this show is full of old tropes, they twist it in a new, rejuvenating way that perfectly balances the satisfaction of these cliches and also imbues the tropes with a breath of fresh air.
About the bodyswap — I’m not usually a fan of this trope, but it was so well done here that I do firmly believe it’s one of the strongest points of the show too. The actors just did a phenomenal job of portraying each other: watching the bodyswap scenes made me laugh SO hard, but it isn’t done in a cliche corny way either, it feels so genuinely realistic because the actors really brought each other’s characters to LIFE — I truly applaud them. There are also lots of little moments, quirks, and details both actors bring out that elevate the bodyswap to a higher level such that we truly SEE the soul of the fl in the ml's body and vice versa. Dylan Wang and Esther Yu really gave their all into this show and I really truly believe no one could have done a better job, or even come close to delivering the absolute PERFORMANCE they gave us. The main reason why this show was done so well — and WORKED so well with the audience — was Dylan and Esther's electric, off-the-charts chemistry. Watching the behind-the-scenes will show you without a doubt that the pair are EXCELLENT friends and have a wonderful relationship. I think both Dylan and Esther have the phenomenal ability to have chemistry with literally Anyone (I’m an avid fan of both of them, and having watched their other works, I’m rooted in my belief that yes they are just naturally blessed to have amazing chemistry with anyone, so put them together and sparks literally fly everywhere, magic happens). Their irl dynamic is very much playful, goofy, LOTS of banter (like insane...) and bickering, yet also a lot of mutual care and comfort and concern and love. They really are very very good friends and that helped bring their characters to life so much. I think these characters are Esther and Dylan's strongest suits! I could go on forever about the incredibly magnificent job they did bringing SOUL to these characters and I will say again their acting blew me out of this UNIVERSE (especially Dylan!!!!) and they work so so so well together it's criminal that this is their only project together. I have truly never seen a better pairing when it comes to on-screen and off-screen chemistry.
(Also: there's LOTS of kiss scenes between the fl and ml in this show. I think I counted around 13? Definitely more than 10.)
TLDR I just love this show with all of my existence and Dylan and Esther are just absolute talents and the greatest thing to happen to the xianxia c-drama industry in recent years. Please give this show a shot and see it through till the end — the best parts of the show is around ep9-28 imo (personally I found ep20-26 to be the HIGHLIGHT because this is when their mutual pining becomes super obvious and the denial is really cute, it's the cementing of their feelings fr), ep1-8 is mostly quite peaceful (aka nothing much in terms of plot going on) and very focused on the fl and ml building a dynamic/friendship, which I personally found highly enjoyable to watch and not boring at all despite the slower pace because I loved watching them interact. The plot picks up a lot from ep27 onwards and it's honestly quite rushed but seeing as how this show puts its focus on the fl and ml's love story I can gloss that over. [SPOILER] Yes, there is a happy ending, but you WILL cry and bawl and sob and weep from ep30-36, almost right till the last minute (but hold out for the happy ending, I promise it's there). I highly recommend you watch the special epilogue episode(s) (it's around 2-3mins long) — it’s just reused scenes from the show but with a voiceover from the ml illustrating their life together after all the stuff went down in the actual show, and it feels like a much-needed post-credit closure. Watching the interviews Dylan did really shows the WORKKK he put into this role and this show and boy did he deliver!! I also recommend watching all the behind-the-scenes and the interviews Dylan and Esther did together (Dylan also did a lot more alone) because trust me you'll be HOOKED on them and their chemistry after watching this show.
I think this is Dylan and Esther's BEST show, but if you want to see more of them/their works...
- Dylan: Hello Saturday (this is a variety show he's in, not a drama, but his personality SHINES so much here and I just love him so so much so if you want to see more of him definitely go for this — but do take note he’s not in every episode so find those with him in the thumbnail! He did one episode with Esther too to promote this show and it’s absolutely lovely), Guardians of the Dafeng (currently airing), Meteor Garden (for a more boyish, modern, school-type drama)
- Esther: Love Game In Eastern Fantasy (comes second to this show, I wouldn’t call it a close second because LBFAD is PHENOMENAL, but LGIEF is really damn good too — I’ll write a review for this too), Moonlight (modern sweet romance), My Journey To You (her ml in that show is the same actor as the 2nd ml in this show!)
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A weird first episode, a great middle-part and a totally rushed finale
I've only recently entered the Xianxia universe, everything is still fresh and new to me, so bear with me and my totally subjective point of view and rating. My first one was Ashes of Love which I binged within one week (and only two weeks ago at that, hence still present when I started this one), so the bar was set quite high from the very first minute.The story is intriguing and the title itself already hints to what you can expect (even though it sounds a bit cheesy). Two completely different beings fall in love with each other. You can already smell the scandal, the passion and the tragedy. Everyone who's a sucker for starcrossed lovers would take the bait. Me included, even though I didn't want to give in to the hype during its airing time. But the temptation was too big and I didn't regret it afterall. I'm actually glad because I can't be spoilered anymore (the risk was high, believe me).
The first episodes didn't pick me up right away. It was quite slow-paced and the female lead's voice was very high pitched. Many people complained about it. I bore with and got used to it pretty quickly though, until I didn't mind it at all anymore. At some point it started to fit her. It formed her character throughout the drama and became a special trait while she was evolving. It also helped distinguish different sides of her later on. She started off as a somewhat naive young woman who already experienced some hardships, i.e. not being accepted by others but her master, or loneliness. But she also got a sense of responsibility and took care of the destiny books in Arbiter Hall where she lived. Sometimes she behaved a bit childish but at the end she instinctively did the right thing. I wouldn't call her foolish either. She often found solutions on her own, even though those caused inconvenient consequences once in a while and were not always to my liking. But as the story went on, she grew with her tasks. I was really impressed by her resolution whenever she made a life-changing decision. Once she realized her biggest desire, she never wavered. I didn't always know what she was going to do, but I was never let down by her.
Dongfang, the male lead, had a hard time to win me over. But once the ice was broken, it was a pleasure to watch his character grow. In the earlier episodes he was moody all the time, what I could totally understand regarding the situation he was in. Sometimes though I found his expressions somewhat lacking, albeit that part was intended right from the beginning, and got explained later on. The missing emotions had positive effect though. It was quite impressive whenever his cold demeanor unexpectedly burst into fury. In the second half then, Donfang's character also gained a lot more layers and got complexier which made me happy beyond explanation. There was a point that completely changed my impression of the actor himself and allowed me then to fully enjoy his performance while finally wholeheartedly diving into the abysses of the lead.
The God of War, Changheng was never a character, I liked a lot. He was the second love interest which didn't even bother me. But he never thought twice about his implusive decisions. And when consequences hit him or bystanders hard, he rowed back. He decided on his own what was good for others. At some point though, he actually changed to the better, made me like him in some way which I didn't think was possible in the beginning.
The side cast was as intriguing as the main leads, I was invested in their stories alot, esp. Rong Hao's. Without telling too much, his tale was one of the most understandable and heartbreaking ones. On the other hand, Dongfang's brother got a reasonable history on his own. Whether intended or not, he never made me trust him completely though. There were also some loose ends of other people which I had liked to be explored some more, but I guess I can't have everything.
The acting was overall really good, however one or two people still need some fine-tuning, for example Dongfang's ~sidekick. At times he acted really well, in other situations he didn't seem confident at all.
What I really appeciated was that the love story took its time. It was slow-burning and subtle, hence it released a satisfying feeling when it finally bloomed, and got poignant at its climax. Misunderstandings get cleared pretty fast, too.
But as great as the middle-part became, the end itself was a small let-down for me. Alot of things suddenly happened in a really short amount of time. As if the writers didn't have enough time to tell everything. Fast changing scenes and small time jumps that led to a dysbalance of the overall atmosphere. Because it felt so rushed, the tension somewhat abated and didn't touch me as much as previous events in the drama. That part would have been a great finale if they had added one more episode.
As for the framing, beautiful music and CGI, and stunning costumes make this drama a feast for eyes and ears, but my absolute no. 1 highlight is Dongfang's hair. I can't even fathom what spell bewitched me here. I was always in awe whenever I saw it (which happened like... 90% of the drama, yes).
If someone is considering whether to watch this one or not, I'd say yes. It doesn't have that many episodes, the story is easy to understand and the character development is quite presentable. Also, there's a nice shifting of who the actual villain is even though it's predictable (if you include jerks, that damn almighty emperor would get first place, but who asks me).
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