Love Game in Eastern Fantasy

Disappointing Otome Isekai, with extra cringe on the side.

WHO RATED THIS A TEN???

Okay, I am a sucker for Otome Isekai, especially those where the MC is reborn as the villainess character. They are one of my favorite subgenres and I would like to think I have watched enough of them to be a bit of an enthusiast. However, this drama was not it for me. The plot is that of a typical mediocre otome isekai story, MC transported to another world into the body of the villainess in her favorite book series. I did have high hopes for this series as the plot description caught my attention. However, the storytelling just wasn't there. The writers made the weirdest choices, and it felt like honestly they were just asking Chat GPT to give them conflicts and character depth. Not to mention, the FL gave me so much second hand cringe. Her acting was so bad, it was difficult to keep watching. I felt like my skin was crawling as I watched her attempt to portray this character, it fell flat and she just seemed like a goofy moron who made the worst choices possible, and needed the ML for everything. (A departure from typical really good villainess otome isekai which is female-centric with a powerful FL.) In her defense, the character isn't that great to begin with, and the script was also really bland. But also, she's just really, really bad at acting. There was not a drop of chemistry between her and the ML and I wondered how they could even end up together. To be honest, it felt like they were more friends than anything, and sometimes felt like she didn't like him at all despite what she was saying. His acting was so much better than hers though, so the balance was off as well - it was like he held all the chemistry and she was just goofy and oblivious, nonchalant and uncaring. The special effects were cool, the music was pretty decent. I will never rewatch this. I barely slogged my way through it the first time.

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The Guide to Conquering a Black Lotus- In its Enthralling,Magical,Whimsical Glory.

I could not look away. My eyes, heart and soul were captured by all Episodes that "Love Game in Eastern Fantasy" delivered. I always had it in my back of my mind to watch this HitDrama ever since i saw it airing on youtube but i never came around to it until now, unsure if it would be to my taste and time. Oh, i should have known better.

We follow the heroine and her group of friends that eventually calls themselves the five Bamboo Masters. Dedicated to capture evil demons and save the world. It is an unforgettable adventure filled with obstacles during their hard journey, but firm bonds get created. Everyone of them connects with their past and deal with accepting themselves.

In the centre of this adventure we have the (Oh so) smoldering romance between the Demon Catcher MuSheng, who despises the heroine MiaoMiao early in this story, not knowing she transmigrated from another parallel universe to change the ending of this novel. So the system decides that MiaoMiao need to conquer the heart of the very ruthless and brooding MuSheng.

(I live for Romance Stories, like this)

I mean, sparks. So many sparks between MiaoMiao & MuSheng that my eyes literally hurt and i could NOT STOP smiling like a love-sick fool everytime they appeared on-screen. Their romance is overflowing and incredibly developed. I mean their charm, their hilarious bickering and banter. To watch the high and mighty MuSheng who cares for nobody and nothing but his sister MuYao TOTALLY FALL HEAD OVER HEELS FOR our sweet heroine MiaoMiao. Esther & YuXi totally won me over with their captivating performances and on-screen chemistry. The way he gazed at her with such fervent longing and adoration.

I mean, my heart could not handle that! Their love-story folks, is absolutely out of this world heartwrenchingly beautiful. MuSheng is a hero to die for, never expected to have my heart stolen by him like this. His stubborn and fierce nature, his hilarious moody features, how he oozed danger and charm in a very APPEALING WAY. I mean i found him so attractive!

Yeah, i am totally gushing and fan-girling! I am gonna miss everyone in Love Game in Eastern Fantasy. When the Ending Credits rolled in the Final Ep my tears just flew down even more.So many memorable memories! Roller coaster of emotions this story gave me, Truly a Gem of a Treasure.

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Truly disappointed

I love both Yu Shu Xin and Ding Yu xi. I have watched most of their dramas. I loved their chemistry in Moonlight.

But!!!!!
Alas! Sigh!
I had so much expectation from this drama. I loved the cast and even the genre. But the story was so bland... Nothing exciting, not to mention direction was often off the track. It started as a game with a mission for the FL but later it just became like normal historical drama where the main leads set off for adventures.
And what was about the amnesia part? Why did they have to put that in the story when it didn't bring any purpose?

The final Boss!!! Don't get me started. It was so rushed... they spent so many episodes on other side characters but when it was the main villain's turn, they didn't even put any effort into the fight. They killed her twice in a single episode!!!

More than the main leads, the story of Mu Sheng's parents was much more interesting. The only two things likable about the whole drama are Mu Sheng's parents and the story of Fu Zhou (Even though the ending was vague)

Lastly, the ending... An Open Ending!!! seriously... why? They didn't wrap up the story properly in the game or even in the real world.

Disappointed... Truly!!!

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i must love myself, before 100% loving someone

i just have to say, this is my favourite chinese drama for 2024. i wasn't expecting much but upon seeing the trailer on xiao hongsu, it caught my attention immediately. what do you mean, travelling into a book being an evil second lead and needing the evil second lead to fall in love with you 100%?!

i would say that miaomiao is actually a gift to musheng, muyao and liu fuyi. she helped musheng to not be ashamed of his identity, allowed him to walk it out and turned him to a softer musheng. she is muyao's best friend where muyao finally found a girl-friend that she can talk to and adore. she informed liu fuyi about his loveline before hand.

i love how miaomiao and musheng's chemistry with each other, which we have the thank esther yu and ding yuxi! the musheng we had, is filled with youth/young energy that i love! the progression of -200% to 99% was such a rewarding process to see as you get to see the change in calling each other such as from "mu gongzi / ling xiaojie" to "ziqi/miao miao"

i love how they didn't downplay muyao's character and continued to give her the main character energy! i really love it when muyao found out about ziqi's identity. rather blaming on him or anyone, she blamed it on herself. blaming herself for not knowing about it. the fact that liu fuyi also tried his best to help was heart-warming to see. hence, the changes in the script was well-written.

the chemistry between the 4 master of bamboos are pleasing to me as well. i want to pack them together so they can be together forever. where-ever the 4 masters of bamboo go, they are so much fun to watch and the way they know what's going online and would just say it out! it is just so funny to me.

and yes, i am waiting for their next work together as 4 masters of bamboo or musheng x miaomiao or liu fuyi x muyao. i am ok with any- please just give it to me

there are so many things i love about this show. such as, ending credits in the first 10 minutes, getting electric shock with the bones and many more. iconic moments such as musheng's beautiful crying scenes, miaomiao's "thank you ah, musheng-er", our 4 bamboo masters. my favourite ep? ep 22, i love how they got together, had each other's back and showing the team spirit.

the outfits are pleasing to the eyes too! i really love each characters' outfit and you can see the design team really put in effort in designing and sourcing for the outfit and hairstyle. usually main characters would get flashier outfits, but over here, everyone is a main character in their own story and the outfit and dressing really prove that statement,
(spoiler!) the ending could be a little confusing but i believe that fuzhou ded -> ziqi went in to his body! + lowkey moonlight call back with the fireworks and bunny apples.

there are some complains about the ost but i personally really love it! to me, i just feel like it hits on the spot. in fact, i love all the tracks for this drama.

a little out of the box, this show really deserved its popularity because the production crew listens to the fans well. you want it, you can have it. i am so glad that that people are able to discover this show. for me, i think it is rather fresh. and i am excited to see their variety show!

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Fantasy, Feels, and a Hint of Missing Logic—Still a Must-Watch

The story? Solid. The OST? A full-on banger—10/10 would loop it in the shower. But that ending? Excuse me, where was my emotional payoff? They didn’t even hug. Not even a dramatic backlit stare with wind blowing their sleeves—nothing! And don’t even get me started on Liu Fu Yi and Mu Yao just vanishing from existence like side characters in a budget cut.

Also, Yu Shu Xin, I love you, I do. You're adorable, you're charming, you're practically a walking heart emoji—but please, I beg you, give us another serious drama like My Journey To You. The talent is there. The face is already doing 90% of the work—just add a little murder and emotional trauma, and it’s perfection.

Still, I recommend this drama. And hey, if you're still craving more, go watch Moonlight right after Love Game in Eastern Fantasy. Ding Yu Xi is an author in both, and honestly, it kind of feels like an unofficial sequel. You’re welcome.

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well found it overrated

so what I liked :
- the friendship
- the acting was good
- beautiful setting, cinematography
- the costumes are great
- romance was still cute, the chemistry was there
- the characters are interesting I guess
- very minimal love triangle, almost nothing, which is good
- mostly centered on the leads
- I like the scene with ML and his hairband and demon moments. I was here for ML, I just like this actor and he’s very handsome to me. FL is a good actress.

but I don’t know :
- this was mostly boring to me. first few eps were interesting, we were setting the plot and the characters, but I was mostly bored from almost eps 8 to 20. I was watching at 1,5x and not always paying attention. I dislike eps 17-20. (i don’t remember exactly, but the eps she was under the bracelet). Got a bit more I interesting after ep 20 for a few eps. last few eps were okay i guess, but i was still not that into it
- the romance wasn’t really giving to me, even if we got some cute moments
- a bit too childish to me
- second couple wasn’t really interesting, but the scene were he was controlled and we learned that he was actually dead, I think that was good and interesting, I was actually sad when he was dying
- classic unsatisfying ending, but I was expecting it. Classic meeting for 2 sec, we don’t see both of them, they don’t even have a conversation. I don’t think I can consider HE, it’s definitely more an OE to me. like they don’t know each other in the real world, (he knows her from childhood, but at the same time, they don’t know each other, she doesn’t know him personally, she knows he is an author) so it’s like meeting for real and getting to be together, she wasn’t interacting with the real him in the dream. Well or maybe he was and I misted something, but I don’t think so. but the backstory with the book was interesting

So, do I recommend, maybe it okay to pass time

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Hello my favs; Did you read the script for the last few episodes?

This is tragic. TRAGIC.
Because I am willing to forgive SO MUCH.

Ding Yuxi and Esther Yu. I adore you both. Your chemistry is amazing. 10 out of 10. No notes. Most adorable couple ever. So very sweet. When you're both on screen I can't take my eyes away, because you hit this amazing harmony. It was beautiful to behold two performers who were being so complementary. You two have such a great vibe with your adopted son as well. I loved it, I was here for it. Was the plot revolutionary? No. But who cares? I can watch some mid-level writing when the chemistry is this good.

Welll...to a point. Mo matter how great this was, I cannot escape from the unfortunate reality that Love Game Eastern Fantasy shits the bed at around episode 19.

Now I still watched, I was never offended, and there were plenty of character beats and story pieces that I liked. The interplay remained top tier. It's just that the plot totally tanks. Virtually everything they already established about Ling Miao Miao is tossed aside in favor of pulling a late stage reveal, and making the entire plot about Mu Sheng.

I almost cried.

Just. WHY. What the hell is the point of a transmigration story if the heroine forgets she's transmigrated?! What's the point of assigning her to 'fix' the narrative if you're going to drop it any way? Why can't this story be about Ling Miao Miao? What even is the point of the first half of the show, if you abandon all of it in favor of--what, exactly? The reveal isn't even that amazing. Why do we have to constantly sideline female leads for male ones?! Instead of writing a smart, competent, and INFORMED heroine, they have to neuter Ling Mia Miao in order to tell the same-ass boring story as the original novel (and every other transmigration thing) tells. It fails as a meta examination, it fails as a transmigration story, it fails being a character examination, if that's even what it was trying to do. I don't think it even understands what its doing, tbh.

Nevermind that a late reveal calls into question the very fundamentals of their own world-building. Seriously. STOP INVALIDATING YOUR OWN PREMISES, C-DRAMA.

I am very frustrated because so much about this is great. Ding Yuxi and Esther Yu are amazing to watch. No, the characters aren't super deep, but gawd that chemistry. Ensemble Cast? Great. The backstory? Tropey, but good. 2nd fml and ml? Actually interesting! Adorable little Bamboo son? SO STINKIN CUTE. Costumes? Excellent. Ancillary characters? Engaging. Yeeeah, some of the demon world-building is a little wobbly, but it's not egregious. Water Demons? SO COOL. It's a solid foundation, so it really and truly is a pity that the whole thing falters in the last act and leaves a skidmark on the landing.

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This drama is surprisingly good, but the ending leaves much to be desired.

Tropes: Book transmigration, hater to friends to lovers, found family

This might be the best idol-period fantasy drama of 2024. The plot and themes of the drama are nothing new; we have seen this story time and time again but what differentiates this drama from others similar to this one is the pacing, storytelling, and acting. The director has done a good enough job of setting up the characters and their background stories so that they feel real and relatable. I like how they have shown bits and pieces of the FL´s life in the real world. It helps us understand her character better and the actions she takes. I also like that they have tried to explain why she transmigrates to the novel world game and it doesn´t feel random.

The best parts of the drama are definitely the cast, music, and CGI. This is the second collaboration between Esther Yu and Ding Yu Xi, and you can clearly see that they have great chemistry. Every scene they have together is just so charming and makes you root for Miaomiao and Ziqi. The SFL and SML have also done justice to their characters. And of course, Cuicui is the most adorable character in the drama.

I am most impressed by Ding Yu Xi´s portrayal of Mu Sheng/Ziqi. He completely embodies the character and his micro-expressions are on point. He is just perfect for the role. Even tho he´s dubbed in this drama I think they could´ve kept his original voice. As for Esther Yu, I personally find this to be her best performance so far mostly because the character Miaomiao is close to her acting style and it´s her comfort zone. I can't imagine anyone else doing this role. Though I'll be honest there are moments where she goes overboard with her child-like mannerisms, expression, and baby voice but for some reason, I was able to get by those in this drama mainly because I was invested in the story.

The relationship development between Miaomiao and Ziqi is quite nice from the beginning but once they are together the director just kinda leaves the romance to the viewers’ imagination and it´s a bit disappointing. There are so many missed opportunities for a nice romantic kiss that never happened. Still, I am most disappointed with how they handled the ending. I would never get why the writer and director couldn't just give us a satisfying ending. Feels a bit sadistic on their part. The stupidest thing they did was to not show us Ding Yu Xi´s face in the end when he calls Miaomiao despite him shooting the scene. like please, make it make sense!!!!!

They totally robbed us of a good ending and ik many people are okay with the ending and consider it HE but I think it´s more of an OE and ruined otherwise a good drama.

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Not terrible but the story lost flavor towards the end...

I watched this for Esther Yu. In LBFAD she started out annoying but grew on me bc she eventually matured. I thought it would be the same with this drama. But she stayed babyish and kind of annoying having very little character growth. Also the main plot is supposed to be about her being in a game and her having to "stay in character" that just stopped after episode 7. That was what made it interesting. And the main couple just wasn't completely convincing. There is definitely chemistry between the two but the romance was just okay. These two were together in Moonlight and I thought they were amazing in that drama. But here, I just wasn't sold. There were cute moments between them but all she did was cry instead of confessing how she felt when the moment came. And then, boom?, we're supposed to believe they're in a committed relationship headed for marriage? And then after that they acted more like buddies than a couple. The best acting and most emotionally moving scene for me was when Mu Yao found out Mu Sheng's true identity. And then the ending was just nonsense. Why make him the author? And then why not show them back together in reality after that or at least meeting? And what happened to everyone else?

What I did like was the friendship theme and how she changed the other character's fates by creating a bond between the 4 of them. Ding Yuxi's acting was fantastic per usual. Mu Sheng is still a great character with great potential. I believe it was simply the loose/lazy writing here that made the story fall flat for me. Not the actors' fault at all. Despite being babyish, I still find Esther hilarious and entertaining and will still watch her any day. She always does a great job with delivering her funny lines and her facial expressions. The 2nd leads were decent. Cuicui was better. The production was great. They did a n awesome job with the costumes, fight scenes, setting & effects and the music tied it all together. Nothing bad to say about any of that either.

Overall it was watchable until the end. No boring moments. But probably won't rewatch it and definitely not a top favorite drama.

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THE BEST CHINESE FANTASY DRAMA IN 2024

*This is my first time writing a review here in MDL*

Although this might contain spoilers, it's actually not that much of a spoiler. But I just stated it here incase you hate 'hints'.

I just want to say how this was created perfectly. They added the explanations I wanted and showed me what I wanted to see. Ranges of emotions bursting inside me (not exaggerating, literally cried then laughed). Even a minute, I don't want to skip but instead, replay it for multiple times. How could I not, it was fascinating to see those scenes. Even as a huge fan of Ding Yuxi, I assure you that this is not a bias review. From the story to the rewatch value, it is exactly 10/10. If possible, it'll be 100%.

Starting with the STORY:
*Take note, I did not read the novel

[I LOVED THE FATHER-DAUGHTER SCENE, IT MADE MY DAY. I WAS ALWAYS IN AWE WHEN I SEE THOSE TWO TOGETHER. ] Actually, I loved many parts especially the entrance and episode 7.

In every part, there's a connection. One huge connection is when MS/ZQ was able to make a swing just by the explanation of MM and it's because it is _____. The story has a nice flow, which you can easily go through. Your questions in mind can be answered in the latter parts. DON'T OVERTHINK. The build of the love story of LF and MY is really lovely. I love how ZQ and LF loves MM and MY. They'll do everything for them. AND LIKE, HOW ON EARTH THEY CREATED THOSE SWEET LINES? Everything in this drama is on point. JUST HOW I WANTED! I really thought that MS would be that ruthless man at first, but bit by bit, we get to see his true-self. The ending part of MM, showed us the reality. This drama did not forget to serve us with the fighting, romance, friendship, and the bond. It's actually fulfilling if you just put yourselves in the shoes of MM, you'd understand the story more. CUICUI, the best cupid out there with his loyal grandfather. -will not introduce the other characters, see them yourselves. The drama is like when you ate something in the restaurant, and you loved the food then you'll say, "Compliments to the Chef". That's what I felt with this one, but instead of singular (Chef), I'll say 'Chefs'.

ACTING/CAST:

ACTING was superb with their micro expressions -- if you paid attention, you'll notice this. They made us feel happiness, sadness, sorrow, disappointment, anger, and etc. They were also funny in their own ways, may it be in acting or in real life. Casting of the actors and actresses were perfect, they match so well together.

MUSIC:

BGM was another way for a drama to get to you. Those background music when they start to 'save the world', it's like I was with them too. Props to the actors and actresses in participating in the making of the osts and also doing covers. They also made a Music Video for this. The effortttt!!! TRUST ME, WITH THE MUSIC, YOUR HEART IS HEALED. SOMETIMES BURNING WITH ENERGY/FUEL.

REWATCH VALUE:

- I seldom see a story like this in a cdrama.
- I also love watching their costumes.
- Fighting scenes is what I live for.
- I also want to focus in looking at their expressions so that I'll feel the story more.

So yeah, no doubt, I'll rewatch this drama.

OVERALL:

THIS DRAMA IS WHAT I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO AFTER A VERY TIRING DAY. VERY THANKFUL FOR THIS DRAMA.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[I really appreciate Ding Yuxi for doing/making the 'easter eggs' for us. It also presents how he really carried his character and how he cares.

You can watch those here:
https://kisskh.at/discussions/black-lotus-tactics-manual/131698-ziqi-s-mini-theater?page=1

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Haveninmuse - for compiling and posting this for us to know. 'Kudos' <3]

Disclaimer: We have different opinions and reviews, if this did not seem up to par with you. It means, you/we have different preference/s.

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