Love Game in Eastern Fantasy

Funny and Addictive.

I am honestly not a fan of Esther, but for this drama she is the perfect fit. She makes the drama fun and so does the rest of the cast, they are all doing a great job. Although the premise of the story is cliche but the exexution of the plot is done wonderfully, it is funny and interesting. I am on episode 18, there hasn't been a dull moment in the drama yet. It has amazing action sequence and VFX is just brilliantly done.

I would recommend that you give this drama a fair chance, It won't disappoint you.

Edit: I hated the ending. Loved the plot. Deducting points for the ending.

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A drama that leaves a lasting impression

I had so much fun in the beginning of Yong Ye Xing He, joining discussions on X (Twitter) here and there but as the show was about to end I couldn't even continue watching. One of the few times I felt so reluctant to part ways with a drama.

Each character was written and portrayed very well especially our 4 main leads. Such chemistry between the 2 pairs and their team including CuiCui could melt any stone heart.

The premise itself is nothing new in cdramaland but for me what set it apart was the revelation in the end. How it was all tied up in the real world, how Ling MiaoMiao and Fu Zhuo are connected - their hardships and courage to keep moving forward...it was very touching.

Also very notable special element in the drama were their acting. This isn't the first drama I've watched from either YSX and DYX so it's very exciting to see so much growth in their acting. DYX especially never fails to make me fall in love with each of his characters. He's just wayyy ahead when it comes to acting. So much commitment, embodiment and respect he has to his roles. I'm sooo happy to witness him finally being seen by a bigger audience, being appreciated and lauded for such wonderful performance.

The OST are also perfect. Pleasing to the ears and can definitely bring so much memories from the drama whenever I listen to them on Spotify. The CGI and SFX are also perfect and definitely sticks to their concept of a game.

Overall, Yong Ye Xing He is one of 2024's best for me. Stood out among the rest due to their own brand of magic, pulling you into its own world and can make you understandably reluctant to leave.

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Highly recommend!!!

I was not expecting this drama to become one of my favs of this year. From the very first episode I was laughing so hard. I was not expecting it to be this funny but the moment I saw credit roll on the screen in the middle of the episode, I knew it this was my type of drama. Their is no dearth of humour in this one. Quite a contrast and definitely a much needed relief from all the open/sad ending dramas and the serious ones that have been in vogue recently.
Acting wise I am very impressed with Esther here. I think this type of role really suits her well. Though I loved her serious role as well (my journey to you) but she fits perfectly in these types of roles. Her chemistry with Ryan Ding is outstanding. After Moonlight this is their second collab and as expected they are amazing in their roles. Their interaction will make you laugh throughout the episodes. Production value from costume to CGI is top notch. I can re-watch this type of drama numerous times and would recommend it to all the reincarnation/transmigration genre fans to watch this one. Storywise if you were a fan of 'Romance of Tiger and Rose' then you would definitely like it. Even if you think the plot has been used so many times in webtoons or anime or in dramas I would still recommend you to watch this one for its amazing cast. Even if you are not the fan of the cast you should definitely watch it for its amazing comedy. You will not be disappointed.

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You know that kind of drama that could’ve been better bou you still liked it? This is one of them

I think those who were active here probably saw me commenting practically everyday about this drama. I was soooo addicted and I found myself anxiously awaiting the episodes every day. The plot is good, the special effects in the fighting scenes was good, I loved all the characters they’re sooo cute and their chemistry was awesome. I was memorized by Esther’s and Yu Xi’s acting and their chemistry was good. I also looooved Esther’s style and hair acessories and YuXi, in special, really captivated me here. He’s so natural with his acting and his expressions are really on point. EP32 was so beautiful…ZiQi/Fu Zhou story was good and his final speech was cute! I think the OST was fine too!


Unfortunately after episode 20 some plot holes and continuity flaws started to appear, and the development of the main couple became a bit strange. I had the impression that the director cut some scenes and because of that some things didn't seem to be connected. I was still enjoying the drama but I can’t totally ignore some things. For example and I believe many will agree with me, when Miao Miao recovers her memory and meets Ziqi again, nothing is explained. She simply understands that he likes her (probably by the flower decoration) and he simply accepts that she likes him (without questioning what happened before with the marriage thing). The whole thing about the bracelet that was important in the story before, was completely left aside later and no one questioned anything. Miao Miao’s and ZiQi’s relationship was simply growing up and I felt like they didn’t really confessed their feelings for each other which even the second couple did. Suddenly they were a thing but I felt like something was kind missing.

Also having a (hidden) kiss in the last minutes when the characters were rewatching their scenes together and making their final reunion in the real world hidden for us was definitely a choice. I mean they met but we don’t really see them meeting like WHYYYYYY? They robbed us for real.

I also felt like 32 episodes was too short as we had a lot of characters and story to explain. But yeah despite all of this, I still enjoyed this drama. It’s a good and excting watch and I agree with people saying that this is one of the best dramas of the year. It’s totally a drama that will make you addicted. I’m already hoping and praying for one more Esther and YuXi drama reunion haha

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Fast paced & binge-worthy storyline . Perfect for romantasy ethusiasts.

My review will be a comprise of what I liked the most and the least in Love Game in Eastern Fantasy.

What I liked :

✅️ Enemies to lovers.
✅️ ML falls in love first.
✅️ Cold ML X Sunshine FL
✅️ Protective & obsessive ML.
✅️ CGI & cinematography : 10/10. Nothing to complain about.
✅️ Ding Yu Xi as a grey haired demon ❤. Made my wish after LYST come true.
✅️ Fast paced, addicting & binge-worthy storyline . I fully enjoyed the first 30 episodes. Only took 3 days for me to finish all 32 episodes which usually it takes me 5 days to 1 week to finish one 30+++ eps drama.
✅️ The acting. Yu Shu Xin as Ling Miao Miao & Ding Yu Xi as Mu Sheng they both perfect for their roles. Could not think of any other actors that can replace them.
✅️ Costumes,hairstyles : 9.5/10. I liked all Mu Sheng's duo color (black + red/blue) costumes with its metal & ribbon appendages . He looked so fine-looking here ❤. His hairstyle also suits his looking the most. Miao Miao hairstyles also so pretty.
✅️  Humor : 9/10. I laughed alot while watching this drama especially in 2/3rd of the story.
✅️ Romance : 8.5/10. Light , sweet and cute. Chemistry : 9/10. I've watched main leads before in Moonlight though I did not finished that drama for a reason but they definitely have good chemistry with each other. Did not mind if in the future we get to see 3rd collaboration between them.
✅️ OST : 8.5/10. My favorite is Reshape by Do Zhiwen. Gotta love the deep voice and its soulful vibe. I've been listening to this song non-stop after finishing this drama🤧.

What I liked the least:

☑️ Storyline in the last 2 eps , there were parts that was quite confusing. The editing also did not help. When you don't really understand what's happening, it made things less enjoyable. My enjoyment meter went down from 100% to 50% in the last 2 episodes.
✖️ The ending... is annoying. The kind that is typical if you're familiar with c-drama. Maybe they could have done it better if we got 1 or 2 more additional episodes.
❌️ I am totally dumbfounded that our main couple did not have even 1 kiss scene in this drama! When even second couple got 2 kiss scenes..
❌️ Towards the end, I think there were way too many scenes of second couple than the main couple. If only they focus more in main couple story at the end...

Overall, I enjoyed this drama alot. Made it to my top 5 favourite c-drama this year. If you like what I liked don't hesitate . Start watching it now.

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The most okay series ive ever watched

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy was such a genuinely mid series its hard to write a good review on it. The bad parts balanced out with the good parts and left me feeling conflicted on whether or not I should finish it until literally the very end.

Acting: Shockingly subpar. The character writing was all over the place with some characters getting such genuinely bad writing, like the literal main character Ling Miaomiao, that no acting could save them but even then most of the main performances felt pretty weak. I literally watched the show for Yu Shuxin and felt like it was arguably her worst performance to date. Ding Yuxi was actually quite good, his character definitely allowing for more emotional range but the other main actors never stopped feeling stiff in their performance. If the entire show was actually framed like they were supposed to be acting as book characters the performances would have made more sense but they were supposed to become more human and their acting alongside that never really got better. However, I do think a bunch of the side characters had spectacular performances and really made it up for me. Gou Xiu, Lu Huai'an, and especially Luiniang's actors all had phenomenal performances.

Characters: The characters were all pretty one note outside of Mu Sheng. Like all their supposed character growth from the storyline's being changed kept happening with such little fanfare that it didn't actually feel like growth. And you had to keep being told they were changing or why what they were doing was so important to the character, it did not add any life into these people. Mu Sheng/Ziqi having all these growths and changes was literally the entire plot of the show so he was well developed but very much at the expense of everyone else. Ling Miaomiao did not escape this side-lining either. Like her character changes were never really about her, they were more about how she felt towards someone else, so you can't call that growth either. I wouldn't say I disliked any of the main characters but they were all kind of boring.

Writing/storyline: STOP PUTTING RANDOM CHILDREN AS A MAIN CHARACTER. I do not care if they were in the book stop it! Its never not annoying! Outside of that the writing was weird. The show was oddly paced and there was a lot of twists/resolutions that had absolutely no build up to them. The overreaching plot of LMM trying to complete the game was disappointingly sidelined like a bunch of times but that may just be my preferences for isekais butting in. The in-game plot of fixing the bad endings and finding the Resentful Woman was decent and well focused on, with the sideplots actually supporting it well even if they dragged a bit. I can see that they wanted to have a "everything is connected" moment in the last couple of episodes but it did not have a strong impact when you weren't given any lead-up to it. The very final twist of Fu Zhou would have been better if there was literally any foreshadowing but it wasn't a bad twist and I like happy endings so I'm not complaining about that. There was also some really poorly utilized plot points that I am guessing came from the book that they just wanted to pigeonhole in. LMM losing her memory of reality was done terribly, as the prime example. They also stopped really incorporating the "game" element of the show after the first episode. There was also weirdly good comedy in it.

Directing/Editing: Terrible editing, like distressingly bad all the time. There were so many cuts in so many scenes that did not need them, with scenes also cutting off at awkward times or starting at random places. All of the fight scenes were also super weirdly edited but that may have been the directing instead, but yeah bad fight scenes. The choreo was uninspiring and with so many cuts it was clear they were not doing anything impressive. The special effects were nothing special despite them trying to be funny about it and I think the director needs to be wacked for some of his choices. There was a scene were there was multiple lines of dialog back and forth between MS and Luinian and Luiniang was not in focus once. Visually the show was fine, nothing special but not ugly.

I realize i wrote a lot for a show I said was mid but it really did have such an odd mix of good and bad that there was a lot to comment on. Would not rewatch and kind of regret actually putting in the time to finish instead of just looking up the ending but oh well. Not the worst show I've ever seen, not even the worst I've watched this month so good for them.

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UMM Actually the ending is GOOD and BASED!!!!!!!

while not a perfect show, i think this is one of the only, not only of the xianxia's i've seen, but of cdrama in GENERAL that stuck the landing. there are weaknesses and flaws 1000% and parts are for sure rushed, but on the whole? the show has a compelling story, is very fun to watch, and despite some typical cdrama plots, there is no loss of logic or grand disrespect for the audience's intelligence. basically all chekhovs guns are covered and explained, and it hits you with a real emotional impact. i don't need the wheel reinvented, i just want characters, plot and themes that are reasonable, follow a logic, and show a basic level of consideration from the writers. this show was able to do that.

plot is highly enjoyable! from the minute it starts, it immediately pulls you in with nonstop comedic meta references, hijinks and esther's natural slapstick clownery. she's all i want in a transmigration heroine! stupid, smart and lovable all at once. i've said it before and i'll say it again. yu shuxin can perfectly perform the silly goofy cute girl like no other! the woman has no shame and her natural charisma makes these characters come to life instead of feeling fake and forced. generally, i enjoyed the pacing, it moves quickly from one arc to the next, and i always end up interested and invested in all the background characters and side plots. even if we don't spend too too much time on these side characters, each of them all get a basic level of character depth, so i end up feeling something for most of them (gotta pour one out for my lesbian QUEEN liuniang). however i do feel that the excitement i had for the show drops after miaomiao loses her memories of the real world- one of the main reasons i watch the show is for her character and when she loses her edge it can be a bit of a slog. also towards the end i do think certain plots feel rushed, like the silkworm cocoon dead village arc... that didn't need to happen at the exact same time as ziqi's finding my identity arc and it was a bit jarring to keep going back and forth between two high stakes plots. Basically it was three episodes for two side quests, when each one could've easily taken the entire three episodes.

my only real and true gripe with this show is the wooden bracelet arc. i hate that shit!!!! please!!! no more!!! especially because this show is coming from the same creators as lbfad/canglanjue's i'm expecting better from them. while it WAS really funny at many moments and i truly enjoyed xiao houye's character and found him very lovable, the emotional shit during it was unbearable. the writers never bothered to give ziqi and lmm real conflict, or a real reason for heartbreak, so they had to manufacture something?? it was just ridiculous seeing ziqi be so upset and triggered over lmm being afraid of him when like... we all know she isn't and this is all just fake. why are we making this character go through this because this is not true growth or development?? only fanfic levels hurt/comfort, 'let's manipulate the audience to feel sad.' honestly, it felt insulting and really took me out of the show. the emotional impact of lmm finding zq's confession flower room was great, but i wish it was because they had a real conflict and a real reconciliation, not information reveal that depended entirely on cuicui being in the right place at the right time. other than this arc however, and maybe a couple other small things i cant even remember, i was very happy with the plot writing.

i'm so sorry so many other viewers hated the ending, because i really, truly loved it. starting with the in-game ending, i thought the plot was genuinely nicely written. nothing actually came out of nowhere. it was all integrated from the beginning of the story, and the twists (yuannu is ziqi's mom, yuannu is in muyao this whole time, etc.) were compelling and well set up- not random and illogical twists for the sake of twists. i LOVED the moment that lmm refused to accept the original ending of zq sacrificing himself for everyone, and forced the system to give them another chance to write a happy ending. LOVE IT!!! i am so fucking sick of cdrama self sacrifice you die i die, we take turns dying for each other bullshit. i hate that!! i refuse to accept that self sacrifice is the highest, greatest form of love and i far prefer yyxh's self love message. yyxh actively creates a narrative that offers commentary on typical xianxia/xuanhuan storylines and rejects them, in fact even criticizes them by saying it's the worldview of a middle schooler LMAO. to sacrifice yourself without telling anyone, trusting anyone, and offering them a chance to help you or work together with you, is not an act of love, it should not be an acceptable ending. while i have at times found the phrase, 'how the hell can you love someone else if you can't love yourself' to be debatable and corny, it is also true!!! how can you love others, trust others, respect others, if you can't give them the opportunity to support you? if you dont care for yourself first, how can you show up for others? that's why zq only finally reaches 100% favorability with lmm when he has accepted himself, and shown himself love and care. and despite criticizing these narratives, yyxh is also incredibly KIND. when the writer of this specific story was revealed to be a suicidal, lonely, disabled middle schooler whose only escape was fiction?? it got me. like, of course this child wrote himself as ziqi- powerful, brave and cool, but also a loner who hates the world and all people in it, fundamentally a misfit and outsider. like, it made me feel so much emotion knowing that this was a depressed child's self insert, and made me think of myself as a child- hating everyone around me and the world, escaping into anime and manga or whatever to imagine a better, cooler, powerful me. and how great is it, to offer that child kindness, to SEE the little, lost and lonely mind that made this story, to love and accept him, and yet simultaneously, refuse to validate that worldview. my friend put it really well, 'it represents middle school fantasies without repeating or reaffirming them.' it analyzes why people have that view with understanding and moves past it, it says, that's not true, this world is also filled with beauty and kindness, we should love and trust one another. you should love yourself. how powerful was it that ziqi's final wish in surgery, was to survive!! he chose to live and fight for his own life, when like, every xianxia tells us, the greatest thing you can do is die for others. and of course, while watching the show, at many moments i became extremely aware i was watching something made for teenagers, or thought something like, 'wow if i was in middle school i would be losing my mind,' so it is also validating to see them say, actually yes, this IS for middle schoolers, but the foresight and analysis to heal your inner child is something only an adult can reach through time spent living life. i think it's also something that i can only truly appreciate as an adult.

i genuinely enjoyed seeing everything lock into place, all of the significant elements of reality- the swing set, the apple, the pen, etc. etc. all be explained in the show. and of course, that lmm was zq's original inspiration, not just as a muse in his work, but inspiring bravery and courage in him to live! i've seen plenty of transmigration/time travel shows at this point, and they always start getting lost at some point and don't seem to know how to end it or bring it back to reality. this one really went against the grain, provided full meta-analysis of the genre AND the author, and so successfully brought me to reality, to the point where i became more invested in the real world than the game one. really wonderful ending imo, also ending on the dedication about the importance of self love and the implication of his real life re-meeting with lmm was great!! i don't need them to remember or see them meet. the emotional development and arc has been completed! i care about their relationship but i'm not here for shipping candy so the fact that they never kissed? honestly? slay. the ending delivered on subversion, themes, meta analysis, character depth, inner child healing which is just adult healing, AND romance!!!

ok so i loved the ending, but i also have to talk about the characters. i think ziqi is chefs kiss* 10/10, no notes. well written and multi layered, lovable whether as a fictional character, or as the author who created his fictional self and the world we see. ding yuxi is an actor who i find does good/bad depending on the role/project/director, and i think this role is a great comfort zone for him where he shines. he's also an example of really good 'idol acting,' - the ability to move your face minimally to preserve idol perfection, while simultaneously expressing the emotion in a satisfactory way LOLL i think unfortunately, miaomiao isn't as well written. i wish she got a bit more depth and we got to see how this experience also changed her real world life for the better, maybe gave her the courage to stand up to her boss? call her mom even? idk. she had a character arc in the first part of the series, accepting her father's death after being able to meet him again etc. at a certain point though, she seems mainly relegated to helping ziqi's journey. but also.... if we see the story from the perspective that it was written by ziqi and a reflection of his worldview and innermost feelings AS A CHILD then like, of course it is no longer her story. he's the protagonist, she's a girl he has a crush on. to him she IS the symbolic sunshine who gave him strength and helped him believe in himself, and therefore, maybe more of a flat character.... because he doesn't even know her.

but i still appreciate what we are given of miaomiao. she started out not caring about the world, seeing everyone around her as an npc, to being willing to give up reality for them. this reflects what it's like to be a reader!! you start out not caring about the characters and the world, and over time, the characters become real to you, you start to root for them, wanting them to win, to be safe, to be happy! i think in this specific story, her as the reader to ziqi's writer is very special- they were able to change the ending together! the reader's participation in interpreting the story from their perspective is also an important part of the experience of consuming media. i wish they went even further, and Showed how much he inspired her and affected her life through his writing, instead of just Telling us how important he was to her. Even just idk, scenes of her being depressed after her dad died and finding solace in his books? so yeah i have my gripes about it, but ultimately i'm not that mad.

mu yao is also a character with a lot of potential, and i think they did a pretty good job with her! she has a lot going on, and some real depth, i just wish they stuck the landing because i thought the point of her character was learning not to be purely self reliant and self sacrificing... in fact it's the point of the show! but she still did it at the end and went to the tower by herself. as for liu fuyi...... bro has almost nothing going on. i thought his plot was so shoehorned in at the end, like they tried? i guess? not really? this character type never interests me unless they do FULL subversion like for ex. changheng in clj or shaodian youqin in starry love. he was just kind of there. ultimately, the only truly fleshed out character in the main cast is ziqi and everyone else is passable...

all in all!! it's a great show! fun, fast paced, engaging plot, clear and important, powerful themes, especially for the genre, and a very lovable leading characters. i truly think this show is special, even though it has some scattered downsides. well worth a watch, and a great update on the transmigration narrative!!

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Interesting Concept

This drama was relatively enjoyable and had an interesting concept, especially for someone like me who enjoys gaming. I really appreciated the game-inspired storyline and the various missions the female lead had to complete—it added a fun and engaging layer to the plot.

The chemistry between the leads was strong for most of the series. You could genuinely feel their affection for each other, which made their interactions feel natural and heartfelt.

However, things started to slow down around episode 25. The focus shifted heavily toward reminiscing about the past, which made the pacing feel a bit dull. The ending also left me wanting more. Instead of a simple forehead kiss, a real kiss would’ve felt more satisfying given everything they’d been through. It would’ve been nice if the final scene had been extended to show them actually reuniting—talking, catching up, and sharing a proper moment together.

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Started for Esther, stayed for everything else.

I actually had no plans to watch this drama. I am not a C-Drama fan but I have slowly started to watch some Chinese dramas here and there. I really enjoyed Esther's performance in LBFAD and I needed to download something to watch for my 1 hour flight back to my hometown so I said "Okay, why not?" I had no idea that this drama would grasp my attention so quickly. I went from a one episode watch to another and another until suddenly I found myself paying for the express subscription on WeTV.

The first half of the drama was amazing. This drama introduced Ding Yuxi to me and WOW what a face and what an actor! I had never heard of him before but I was blown away by his acting especially during episode 7-8 when Miaomiao pulled his ribbon off for the first time. His eyes are filled with a thousand words and now I am a 100% fan. Esther was great as always but this role seemed to fit her like a glove. I actually think that if it was another actress that played this role, they wouldn’t have captured my love for Miaomiao as much. And guys when I tell you about the CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THEM. I was really rooting for them since the first episode.

I think what the drama was weak on was the second half of the drama. I believe it is because Miaomiao loses her memories of reality in the second half so what gave the 1st half of the drama life was suddenly taken away from us. And from a story standpoint, I understand what they were going for. But as a viewer, it did feel like suddenly the drama lost its spark for a moment. They also stopped focusing on the main couple and they’re the reason why this drama was super enjoyable in the first place. This is why I deducted a point off. Now they do bring the magic back as the series nears its end, especially the last 3 episodes but I think it felt like those moment could’ve been more stretched and fleshed out. And I deducted another half point because THEY DIDNT SHOW THEIR REUNION AT THE END LIKE WHAT THE HELL?????

Like I feel like if they did show his face in the end of the drama I would’ve given the story score st least like 9 or 9 and half but NOOOO. Anyways rant over but I really did enjoy the drama. I actually even enjoyed the last episode up until the very last moment.
I am now such a big fan of the whole cast and I hope that Esther Yu and Ding Yuxi will work on another drama in the future (and they need to make out at least once please)

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