The Starry Love

A different kind of xian xia

This feels different to me than other xian xia dramas that I've seen. The story is okay for me, but I really like the chemistry between the ML and FL as well as the 2nd ML and FL. Acting wise, Chen Xing Xu and Li Landi did well in portraying their character. Chen Xing Xu plays different character with different emotions and I think he can really act and not just a pretty face :) The middle part towards the end gets a bit boring, which is normal for a drama series, but with this it doesn't really bother me a lot. The various side story for the side characters are interesting to watch too, so it's fine. The drama is funny too, so it's not all serious. And the OST is excellent.. I would definitely rewatch this if I have time.

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it was good

I did not like it as much as I wish I wanted to? It was definitely still good but again, another forgetable one. This was the first show where I loved the second leads more, (not their ending tho). Here's what I wrote at the time:

8.5/10. Very solid. I loved it but it left me empty. I felt like the last episode was VERY rushed and it wasn't necessarily a happily-ever-after ending but i guess it was implied.
I would recommend watching it because everything about it was perfect until towards the end. But if you want a good HEA, then I recommend skipping this one.

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It's good...(but not *that* good)

I feel like maybe I watched this with too high of expectations 😅 because everyone seems to be in love with it but I thought it was just okay. Maybe because I've seen 'Til The End of The Moon' and 'Alchemy of Souls' my fantasy expectations are too high? But this definitely isn't 'the best xianxia I've ever seen!'.

Here's what I thought was done well:

- The initial hook and concept are incredible and pull you in almost immediately
- They balance comedy and drama well (for the most part)
- They manage to juggle a large cast and make most of them endearing
- The costuming and makeup (omg you can tell the production had MONEY money, it's great)
- The CGI was also good (again MONEY money, you can tell)
- The actors that were good were insanely good


What I personally didn't like:

- The actors who were not as strong really stood out as awkward and a bit stilted (to me at least)
- Sound and music seemed oddly absent at times, like there were parts of scenes where I was like ??? Where is the dramatic music ??? hello ???
- They didn't follow through on things with consistency
- There was a bit too much time spent on comedy, one section in particular felt overly long to me
- This meant there was less time for plot, which then felt rushed. I get that it's hard to do plot and comedy at the same time, but like, this is why plot usually wins over comedy
- A lot of MAJOR plot points were resolved in mild and unsatisfying ways, like it almost felt like the writer was afraid to commit. Like, don't get me wrong, this would have been great as a comedy, it also would have been great as a tragedy! The fact that they didn't really commit in either direction means it ended up just being... good ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯ .


TL,DR: It was fun, but I wouldn't rewatch it and probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone with other things on their list.


(sidenote: I will definitely be following Chao Feng and Qing Kui's actors into their new projects because they were solidly in the 'insanely good acting' category.)

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Intriguing, fresh story but execution issues hold it back . . .

Every romantic trope is here: from opposites attract, forbidden romance, memory loss, rescues, reincarnation etc. There are fresh conflicts and an opportunity for the women to stand in the rescuing role. I was cheered to see this, but a few things hold this drama back:

1) Too many climactic, should have been the end/resolution moments
2) The acting and chemistry of the main couple is off. Chen Xing Xu (ML) plays a quite stodgy one note character in order to show difference later on - but it makes for a boring first half and a lack of chemistry.
3) Music and production values are sub par. So much so, that I would be taken fully out of the story and clearly could see how they were acting in front of a green screen. When the actors, would struggle or say no - it was really hard not to laugh given it was clear nothing was actually holding them back.

The themes were all over the place as well, though I did enjoy the challenge to an older too rigid generation. This drama is worth a try but just one too many issues to make it into my top tier.

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Ashes of Love kind of drama

I first got attracted to watch this because of the ML (the male lead of Goodbye My Princess). I read two very bad review from this site, so it made me feel a bit apprehensive at first. But oh boy, I love it so much I binge watched the first 18 episodes in 3 days!

My favourite part is actually on ep 2 when our main couple had to cross the love bridge and found out they are soulmates (despite not liking each other at that point).

I love the bond the twin girls have. I was expecting one of them to be evil, but both are good people. So heartwarming to watch the girls protect each other, putting their sister above their love interest. The older sister reminds me of Cameron Diaz, they look like twins born at two different continents LOL.

This show is has a similar background as Ten Miles of Peach Blossom (Eternal Love) and Ashes of Love. Lo and behold, when I checked, apparently it has the same writer as Ashes of Love. So if you like those kind of movie, you'll love this. The best part is that it's only 40 episodes in total!!! The nasty remarks I read in the review here are because they forget this is a lighthearted fantasy drama. Not everything have to make sense! At least this is not a drama where the leads would get stabbed and coughing blood every episodes - THAT I can't stand. But Starry Love is not like that, so it's all good.

I'm halfway through now, hope they can keep the pace. I'm still heart broken that Immoral Samsara started strong then turned rubbish in the middle, then worsen to be ridiculous until the end..

#### UPDATE #### I never ended up finishing this. Can't remember, maybe life got in the way.

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Funny Wuxia/Fantasy drama that is enjoyable, but stupid ending.

Historical costume fantasy is not my genre, so I ended up dropping most of them after watching a few episodes (i.e., the Blue Whisper, Immortal Samsara, Song of the Moon, etc., to name a few). Surprisingly, I liked "The Starry Love" until the last two episodes, which I believe was unnecessary and stupid.

Ye Tan was doing so well then, stupidly, she allowed Su Zhi to take her to resurrect Dongqiu and sacrificed herself for the peace and prosperity of the four realms. So stupid; it could have ended with episode 38 when she chose to forgive her father-in-law and figure out how to bring her sister back to life, but no. I was so disappointed with the ending.

Her father ended up losing both of his precious daughters; I was going to give it an 8.5 rating, but instead, I downgraded it to 7.5 because of the stupid ending. Overall, I enjoy it.

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Refreshing story!!!!

This was such a refreshing type of story!!!! Healthy relationships for the main leads couple!!! Healthy relationships between the siblings!!! I mean, how can this not even have an overall 8.6?????

Well, it is a genre of wuxia, so yes there was that trope of leaving in different realms, but still they brought so much originality to the whole script!!! of course, some people ,in the comments, hating on the female lead or second female lead for no reason at all!!! Siblings are supposed to be different, act differently but as long as there is love and support, it is considered a healthy relationship.

I am giving a 9.5 overall cause I feel like the ending could have been a little bit stronger. Also, the explanation/reconciliation of the father and female lead relationship did not satisfy me. Well, I understand it was the choice of the writers but I would have preferred it differently just talking from experience.

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