Love Game in Eastern Fantasy

Novel meets a game

The novel and transmigration stories aren’t new in CDramas but not many are as good as this one. This was a fun, amazing watch.

The Good

The plot had a strong execution and was written well for about 95% of the drama with the exception of a couple of hiccups. Again, transmigration stories are common for CDramas but what made this one stand out was the integration of a novel into a game format and the acting. The drama had a great balance of story telling, romance and joy/fun and sadness. The characters were all interesting with our main 2 leads shining throughout. Their chemistry was just as good as it was in Moonlight. I also appreciated the production quality. The CGI, visual FX, costumes, sounds, and OSTs were all high quality and stands out from lots of 2024 dramas. Out of most CDramas in this genre, this one had a strong ending for me that wrapped up the story nicely.

The Bad

Had some throwaway episodes starting from around episode 18-26. The show took a slight downturn and had a couple of plot holes during these episodes that made it seem like they cut some scenes or just rushed some of the explanations. It made it difficult to watch especially since it was releasing an episode a day. I stuck it out for the leads.

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a great drama with a bit of a frustrating end

Honestly, I came into this drama REALLY excited, since it has everything I use to love when reading webtoons, so I felt like I found the Holy Grail when I saw this drama that was just like 70% of all the webtoons/mangas I read lol
And I’m glad to say that, despite the ending being a little frustrating and not exactly what I wanted or expected, this drama didn’t disappoint.
I loved the visual effects and the wardrobe of this show which was just on point and everything we expect when it comes to Wu Xia dramas. The soundtrack was also perfect in every moment and I even add the OST of the show to my playlist (that’s a first tbh).
Moving on, I loved the romance on this show! Both from them main couple, but also the secondary one. I loved how each couple had different struggles to deal with while trying to be together and how we get both: a friends to lovers AND an enemies to lovers here.
I’m not really a huge fan of Esther Yu, since I feel like most of her roles are too cutely for my taste, but I came to truly love her in this drama, seeing how much of a great actress she is, specially by the end, when she portrays different characters that share the same face and you can completely see the change happening between them and how none of the three are the same.
I also have a MAJOR crush on Ding Yu Xi now. The man is just… AAAAA I can’t even put it into words, but he’s just captivating and I loved every bit of him on this show.
Overall, I just want to say this is a great show and totally worth the watch, and although the end may be a bit frustrating it’s not like we, drama lovers, aren’t used to that.

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A lighthearted series with great chemistry and cinematography

"When do people love the other 100%? It is not when I love you more than I love myself, but only when I truly like myself and believe in myself, that I can love you wholehearted and truly."

"Follow the wind. In this world, there are many things that we cannot control. Do your best and leave the rest to fate. Strive hard when it's time to fight for something. As for the outcome, we can only make a wish to the wind. If we make a wish to the wind, the bamboo dragonfly might fly back to us. Although many things are beyond our control, if we leave a bit to heaven, it might bring us a little surprise."

"It lies in his nature. As long as he knows where he's from and who he is, he can unify his heart and mind and eventually achieve success. That's the universal law."

I relate to these messages so much. That's why I give this series a 10 out of 10 out of enjoyment and satisfaction, although some parts are quite predictable and the ending isn't what I expected. It felt a little bit rushed. I will be so happy if they make a season 2 or a special episode. I would like to see the leads' love story in real life, as well as the happy ending for all the characters in the novel.

This is a lighthearted series with beautiful heartfelt messages, not just about romantic love, but also about human bonding and relationships as well. The best thing about romance in this series is that there is no love triangle, but there are two separate couples instead. I love both the leads' and the second leads' love stories and they both have great chemistry. There are not many physical intimacy scenes between the leads but I can feel their chemistry through the screen.

In my opinion, the main theme of this series is about found family and human bonding, self-love and self-discovery. We have five people that aren't related by blood but they stay together under the same roof, and consider themselves as a part of a family. The two couples are not just each other's lovers, but also each other's best friend, and soulmate .Together, their love and trust towards each other grow bigger and bigger day by day. "The Four Heroes of the Bamboo Forest" is the best found family in a Chinese drama that I've watched recently. They are an unbreakable team! And the little bamboo demon Cui Cui is freaking adorable!

Other great things of this series are its beautiful cinematography, visual effects, costumes and soundtrack music. Although it's a fantasy world, it doesn't feel fake at all. Every song touches my soul every time I listen to them throughout the series. They fit perfectly with the scenes they appear in. The characters' costumes are bright and colorful, and suit each other's personality.

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Mediocre storyline saved by the leads and good CGI

I have mixed feelings about the drama. It's not too good of a drama but not too bad too. Some things n scenes I really liked specially the starting episodes till ep 12 n then the 5 ending episodes were well shot too. But the story overall is a type of mess n some things don't make a sense but you have to make it make sense🤣. I have still many unanswered questions n like evryone else few complaints. But it ended anyway so no use. So overall I enjoyed it specially becos of Ysx and DYX only. If it were any lesser actors in this drama i would have dropped it when in between the episodes became boring n bit childish. So storywise it's 8/10 for me but becos of both lead actors it's 9/10 rating from me.

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Stick Through Ups and Downs Together

Another day, another review. Just you know, I only finished LGIEF yesterday due to the fact that I couldn’t maintain my schedule properly and FOF was also airing at the same time (you can imagine how messy my life is). Thank goodness, after done with FOF, I picked this show up where I left off and continued through the story. FYI, I’ve been waiting for a year and had read the manga back and forth to grasp the leads’ explosive chemistry and the mesmerizing unique plot.

So, the story revolves around a modern-day girl named Ling Miaomiao, who loved to read fantasy novels by her favorite author, Fu Zhou. One day, Miaomiao was writing an overly critical review about Fu Zhou’s newest book titled Catching Demons when she was suddenly sucked into the book itself. Miaomiao quickly realized that she had accidentally triggered the system and entered the world of Catching Demons. To return to the real world, Miaomiao had to complete the plot and also deal with the enigmatic tsundere boy Mu Sheng, his doting sister Mu Yao alongside her lover Liu Fuyi. As she navigated through this otherworld, Miaomiao decided to change the whole story and rewrite their supposedly bad ending into a good one.

I must admit that LGIEF’s script is a very intelligent one. As we all know very well, transmigration plot has been recycled multiple times especially in mini dramas, however this show proves me wrong about it. It is not your typical old school cliché and also incorporates modern and traditional culture in one go, which adds a breath of fresh air for those who loathe cliché scenes and stuffs like that. I also like the moral lessons sprinkled in this show especially the one that I write above (that’s the life lesson which Miaomiao always emphasizes whenever they’re in perilous situations). My slight complain is that they never explain how Fu Zhou can transmigrate into the novel too and why he doesn’t have any memory of himself, but the memory of Mu Sheng instead :(

By the way, Esther Yu and Ryan Ding’s explosive chemistry is the main weapon which makes the watchers ship them more and more. I love the way they always bicker with each other and the emotional scenes are also heart-wrenching. I personally find that Esther Yu’s bubbly voice doesn’t annoy me and her acting skill has improved a lot too (I’m sorry for dropping Love Between Fairy and Devil tho). This is my first show of Ryan Ding and I must say that he embodies the role of Mu Sheng really well, giving off sarcastic bad boy aura from the get go lol.

However, the same can’t be said to the second couple. I’ve seen Zhu Xudan and Yang Shize back in Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact and I like their interactions there. Nonetheless, in this show, all they do is being poker-faced and never smile. I don’t whether the fault lies on the script (they’re required to act like NPCs cause they’re no real characters) or what, but I can’t detect any chemistry from them.

By the way, special mention to our bamboo kiddo Cuicui – he’s the cutest boy ever and the way he clings to his grandpa… SOOO CUTTTEEEE

Sets, wardrobes, cinematography, OSTs, BGMs are done right too. The ones that I particularly like are the Astronomical Bureau’s entrance and also the piano BGM when they’re forced to make a decision or complete a mission together.

Would I recommend it? YES, you should give this masterpiece a go! You won’t regret wasting your time in this show and my 32 hours is worth it. Good luck and happy watching!!!

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Made my day better by watching it every day

First of all, I don’t usually watch this type of series for a few reasons. I’m not into fantasy and I rarely watch or finish series that are 32 episodes long. But the funny thing is, this series made me like fantasy! The fights were amazing, and I was really impressed by their powers. And as for the 32 episodes—what do you mean? It didn’t even feel that long; it felt short to me.

I’ve watched almost all of Esther’s works, but I’d say this is my favorite because, aside from the fact that her character wasn’t annoying here, she was effortlessly cute. And Ding Yu Xi? Wow, this man can really act! He’s not here to play but to serve. I love the combination of the two, and I’d be happy to see them work together on a third project because their chemistry made this series so much better.

The characters were really lovable for me, especially CuiCui. That kid can make you smile even when he’s doing nothing. I also loved Mu Yao’s character. She’s strong but also has a sweet side, and she’s a great actress as well. However, Mu Yao and Fu Yi didn’t really stand out to me as a couple. Maybe in the later episodes, but their chemistry still felt lacking.

I really appreciate the fact that this series didn’t stress you out. It has some sad moments, but they didn’t linger for too long. There were many events, but each one had a solution.

My favorite parts of the series were probably the first few episodes and the last few. I love that he wasn’t into her at first and was really cruel to her, but they showed how he slowly fell in love with her. As for the last part, I was really impressed because this series doesn’t just give you great chemistry, good laughs thanks to the characters’ humor, good romance, or even exciting fights—it also gives you a lesson in the end. You’ll realize and understand a lot, even though it’s quite predictable, but you’ll still be impressed by it. Usually, I get bored with the final episodes of other series, but in this one, a lot happened without feeling overwhelming. I enjoyed it so much. I'm gonna miss watching this. :(

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RAISED MY CDRAMA STANDARDS DAMN

So good i had to write a review
Non spolier review
Bascially a girl transmigrates to a novel of her favorite author and has to change the affection rate of the black lotus guy who tortures her character and has to change the ending . Very good and every scene is connected to ending so no skips!!
you'll enjoy it very much


So basically i went in thinking this is a cute story and fun transmigration story and it was.. the way she tried to win him and he very slowly fell. The story was spectacular at showing comradeship of 4 main characters and how not all demons are bad how not all humans are good. tbh i am specifically gonna talk about the ending . The ending blew me away. The way Mu Sheng(black lotus) was Zi Qi (Fu Zhou-penname for novel) actually found the way to get out of the novel was to find himself and realise that to love ones beloved is to care and believe in yourself first. he made three specific wishes before his major operation as he was sick , that was to 1 meet her in another world and confess her that he loves her and 2 that she could see his true feelings 3rd to meet her himself and tell her how he has always loved her himself after getting better. The ending message he left was beautiful . The novel talks about capturing his feelings 100% so he wrote

" Can you love someone 100%
loving someone isnt loving them more than you love yourself but
liking oneself and understanding oneself better , then and only then you can love someone truly wholeheartedly"
i fell in love and i might rewatch this after a time i have less memory of this because it is a cdrama masterpeice truly

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BRO THE ENDING??

This drama really deserves top 1 of 2024! The plot, actors and all that was just on top!!! This was literally the best drama that came out this year!! I was so surprised at first went it came out at the end of this year and still became number 1 drama of 2024!!! Love the plot so much and literally this drama made me go read the 小说(book) 黑莲花攻略手册(the book that goes with this drama) I love both!!!! There is so much chemistry between Ding yu xi and Yu shu xin. I want them to do a 3rd collab on another drama! Talking about the drama itself. I WAS CRYING AT THE END😭😭😭 THE ENDING BRO… ITS A OE😭😭🫡🫡 ANYTHING BUT AN OE. I DONT CARE IF ITS A BE OR EVEN BETTER BE A HE BUT NO, OE?!?! NOW I WANT SEASON 2 SO THEY CAN END THE OE AND BECOME A HE. I SWEAR ON MY LIFE… THE ENDING WANTS MY LIFE DEAD. I hate OEs especially when I’m like in love with the drama. (OE means opening ending, HE means happy ending and BE means bad/sad ending). THE ENDING BRO😭😭🙏🙏🙏. PLEASEREEEEE… but overall the whole drama is a 10/10!!!! Everything was perfect! The only problem was that there was NO kiss senes at ALL between the main leads😭🙏 (thank goodness there’s still the drama moonlight where they kissed) and btw if you guys want to watch the main leads and the 2nd male lead act together watch 《moonlight》that’s there first drama together! Love game in eastern fantasy is their 2nd time acting together

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The most beautiful final episode I have and will ever watch

Wow. To be honest I'm not really sure what else to say. I am stunned speechless by the whole of that final episode. I have never come across such mastery. I came into this drama thinking it was gonna be rather average and a time passer rather than a drama I was really really excited to watch and boy was I wrong. This drama was amazing and had me hooked from the very beginning. People say Esther Yu's acting is bad but I think she nailed it. The character is supposed to be that way which just proves that she is a very talented actress. Normally I would find the whiney voice infuriating and yet with her you just get used to it and it's almost as if you totally forget about it because it sounds so naturally fitting to the character. As for Ding Yuxi well his acting just continues to progress. Being a fan of him since The Romance of Tiger and Rose I have seen him progress drama by drama and wow he's come a long way. The fact he can go from angry to scared to upset and then calm and relieved all in the matter of about a 1 minute scene takes talent and he is absolutely filled with talent. The story was beautiful from start to finish with every character having depth and a well built story no matter how big or small their role.

But now I come onto the most important part and that's the true meaning behind the fantasy world. The revelation in the last episode. Like I said, I don't really know what to say except wow. From the writing to the producing to the scenery to the acting, it was genuinely magical and I rarely rave about dramas endings because even when I love a drama the ending usually doesn't match up to the standards of the whole drama but this not only met the standards but elevated beyond what I could have ever imagined. I have never read the novel so this was a huge and honestly overwhelmingly beautiful surprise. I was so touched by it and will probably linger in thought about it for days to come. The whole drama is honestly worth it just for the ending. If you're missing happy ending dramas then not only will you be grinning from ear to ear watching the end but you will be moved to tears by it too.

Genuinely this drama is a masterpiece of production, direction, writing, acting and the emotion and depth each actor brings to each character is just incredible. The whole drama was just amplified by such a creative and stunning ending.

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Cuicui is super cuteee

I love the side characters and side stories!! Special mention to my favourite bamboo shoot Cuicui! He is the shipper of our leads. I also love the marquis cause he is so gentleman and so good to Miao Miao. A walking greenflag although very childish. Honestly, I want to ship him with the princess. They look good and compatible together.
Side story about water demon and that demon catcher arc is so sad. Water demon couple just want to love in peace. All because of that stupid empress. Literally sacrificing eveyone and everything.
Another side story that is heartwarming is Miao Miao's convo with her dad. All about that scene is pulling strings along my heart as I also lost my dad. I keep crying in those times.

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