Love Like the Galaxy: Part 1

A Love/Hate Letter to Love Like the Galaxy

Dear Show,

Is it cheating if I post the same review for both part 1 and part 2 of LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY? Because to be fair, the drama is one whole story to me.

Gosh, this was one hell of a review to write because of the plethora of emotions I feel. I think it’s probably more fitting to call it a Love-Hate Letter to the drama. Part One (episodes 1-27) is a solid, top-notch 10 for me. 10/10 would recommend as a truly splendid drama. Part Two (episodes 28-56 or 1-29) is an 8.5 from me, which is bias because I think that’s a generous score given all the issues I have with it. This does round the entire drama to be a 9 though. It was soo close to a perfect 10, and that makes me sad that we were so close!

The last time I loved a drama like this was in 2015 with LANG YA BANG/NIRVANA IN FIRE. Seven years later with LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY (LLTG), I was ready to tie it to the brilliance of NIRVANA IN FIRE (NIF). For consolation, I guess it’s the romance version in terms of almost phenomenal execution like NIF, but I’ve pegged it down a few notches because of the drama’s ending. I’ll explain my issues with part 2 much later if you’re curious enough or care to read more.

First, I would also like to point out how significant the two dramas, NIF and LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY (LLTG) tie in for me. Wu Lei played Fei Lu in NIF, an ever loyal and martial arts genius bodyguard to the titular character of Mei Changsu. Mei Changsu was a brilliant strategist and military general whose goal was to exact justice for the wrongs that annihilated his family. Here, Wu Lei comes full circle in being the lead as a revered and intelligent general whose goal is to exact revenge for the demise of his maternal family clan.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. Before I dive into details for the rest of my review and ramblings, here’s my non-spoiler review:

As a whole, this is a spectacular, powerhouse of a historical drama with a wonderful romance story. If this is your cup of tea, then I would in this case, 9/10 recommend with a caveat. Historical dramas in my opinion, tend to have little romance, and are often paved with slow burn romances if a love line is there. If you’re just in it for the romance, it may or may not work, depending on your cup of tea or coffee. After all, we all know dramas are so subjective, as such is the case with most things in life.

Zhao Lusi blew me away with her performance. I never really watched any of her previous works only because the story never appealed enough to me. This girl though! She has a knack for delivering the comedic punch from the flicker of her eyes and the expression she is able to capture. We can feel everything on her face even from the tiniest of movements. Yet when she cries, you feel the pure anguish and heartbreak in the way she conveys those. As for Wu Lei, I didn’t care about him before either. I thought he looked good in THE LONG BALLAD, but that was it. In LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY, he didn’t really get comfortable in his role for me until much later, and at times he came off awkward. This kind of worked in his favor though, granted his character was socially awkward at times. The second part of the drama was where I could see his growth as a professional actor in displaying more of his capabilities by bringing a facet of emotions forward through his eyes and lips. A cool tidbit that I also appreciated was the cast dubbed their own voices! That isn’t quite common in Chinese dramas from my understanding, so it was especially great to be able to hear the real voices of Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei as they breathed their characters to life onto the screen.

LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY is the story about our protagonist, Cheng Shaoshang, left behind by her parents who go off to war, only for her to be raised by her awful grandma and 2nd aunt-in-law. Shaoshang grows up resilient, intelligent, with a love of building and understanding mechanisms, and is fiercely independent in having had to survive childhood under awful circumstances. When her parents return home from war, she’s thrust into society and once again, is forced to use her wits to navigate the waters of social and familial norms, etiquette, being filial, and growing into her potential of who she is without losing the essence of what she values and stands for. In the process, she catches the attention of a prominent general, a man named Ling Buyi, who carries with him a deep secret. Having almost lost the chance to pursue Cheng Shaoshang once to her engagement with another man, General Ling Buyi seizes a rare moment and strategizes his way to win her love before she slips from him once more. Their slow-burn romance with the various encounters that build up to show how our male lead falls for our heroine is beautiful.

Look, your girl here has never loved an OTP (one true pairing) as much from a Chinese drama until now. Their chemistry together was simply mesmerizing. Upon finishing the drama now, the hill I will choose to die on is the one where no one else can play the respective roles of Cheng Shaoshang and Ling Buyi the way Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei perfected them.

56 episodes is a major commitment. For some people, time is of the essence where you don’t have enough time in the days or weeks to give to watching dramas, so maybe you’re like me, and you have to choose wisely where you’ll exert your energy. Or if you’re like me, highly judgmental of shows and can drop them like hot potatoes…don’t drop the gem of this one! These dramas are like unicorns, spotted only once every blue moon. Am I right or am I right?

The show picks up momentum at the 6th episode. If after 6 episodes and you find yourself struggling, it might not be for you. However, I truly recommend coming in with an abundance of patience if you’re curious as to why the drama soared to such popularity and buzz in the time it was broadcasted, as I humbly believe the payoff is worth it. I absolutely adored the pacing of the drama, because at the core, it is a story woven by complicated family dynamics backed an equally compelling cast of supporting characters, a slice-of-life, a well-constructed historical but immersive world, found family, surviving in the face of trauma and loss, finding and understanding different forms of love, and a coming-of-age in wisdom, resiliency, and healing. Almost every single character was tailored for their role. Actually, it’s probably the other way around, that the actors and actresses created their roles to be so memorable, I don’t think anyone else could have fit into the shoes of any of these characters. There is phenomenal chemistry not just between our OTP, but throughout the relationships of each character towards one another. If you ever take a step back, you realize that many of these characters would be compelling enough to be the protagonist in their own story.

I loved so many things about the drama. There are wonderful, but heartbreaking narratives of how one can never feel like they’re enough for their parents, no matter what they do or don’t. The complex family dynamics is such a telling story in many Asian households. The protagonist’s view throughout the story of relying on only yourself to get through, because it’s how she’s survived, to the evolution in understanding of finding a way to live a well-meaningful life, even if one didn’t get married, is possible. Yes, it’s against the grain, but the touch on this was nice, and I wish this idealism was something they showed in part 2 of the series. I am all for female empowerment, and how lovely it would have been to see if one chooses to get married, it’s because they want to, not because it’s the expectation to do so. Despite many issues in the later part of the series, one major thing I loved about the drama is the love story between our leads that started off beautifully and will stay with me for the most part. There was something so magical in the way that slow-burn romance had unfolded. It’s a trope that I carry close to my heart.

Part 2 was a turbulent ride, with higher stakes and greater danger at play, and yet it missed the mark on multiple occasions in comparison to part 1. We really be treading rough waters out here in the final stretch of the drama.

Currently, I have a love-hate relationship with this drama. It is the first time I feel so sad and bitter about what could have been, otherwise I wouldn’t have spent such an invested amount of time writing out something so long that encompasses my emotions. I am still scarred from the later parts that I’ve not gone back to rewatch scenes the way I constantly did for part 1 and a huge chunk of part 2 from episodes 28-41.

There are major character inconsistencies throughout and plot holes, GALORE. Shaoshang is shown throughout part 1 to be bold but stands up for herself and is intelligent. Under pressure or on the spot, she flourishes and is quick on her feet. Part 2 was as if there were two different teams writing her character, the A-Team, and the draft-zero team. They dumbed her down, when there was never a need to in the first place. I don’t even want to count through the number of times she needed rescuing and was held at knifepoint. She went from someone so intelligent to regressing here and there in part 2. Not to mention, the sheer number of villains the drama shoved onto our screens near the end of the drama. Characters just seem to be popping out of nowhere. Some scenes dragged on for no reason in trying to gain sympathy, but I felt it was already a botched job. Then other scenes where they should have fleshed things out were sloppily shoved down our throats in an attempt for us to care. It was too little, too late.

Something about the romance and magic of the love story was also lost towards the end of the drama for me. I understand the situations the characters had to go through, but seeing that it was how their love was tested, the way the characters lacked growth from the experience was such a let-down. The show could have done some deep dive into important relationships like friendships between the characters and their growth and healing from trauma. The drama had so much they could have worked with, but instead relied heavily on cheap tropes at the end. There was no set up so the payoff meant nothing. I fast forwarded through a chunk of the ending at times. All the buildup only for this to fizzle out. It hurts, I tell ya!

Let’s go back to the other wonderful things about this drama, so I can momentarily forget the aftertaste of sand still lingering. The production crew and backers of this drama is grand on all fronts. Whoever is also behind the editing of the weekly trailers has also outdone themselves too. Each of the trailers released gives just enough to anticipate and have the audience guessing wildly as they await the release, only to still save all the best moments for within the story itself. There is a talented ensemble cast, show-stopping action sequences, synced musical scores in the first half, flawless comedic timing, and extensive, sweeping cinematography from costume, set of to the world around them for what appears to be inspiration from the Han Dynasty. They really rolled out the big-guns with production on all fronts for this drama. If we believe in drama gods, this production crew from the staff, director, screenwriter, to the cast members, hit the jackpot. The universe conspired to put this team together, and because the drama gods smiled down on this one, we’re so blessed.

I remember even within the first shot where they introduced Ling Buyi, you knew he was a revered and great general...and without a doubt, the male lead of the show. The way the production team filmed the magnitude of the soldiers under General Ling Buyi’s command and the sweeping camera angle as he put on a black and red cape gifted to him for his accomplishment by the emperor, it gives one an inkling of how splendid this story could be. From the costumes to the set, to the cinematography with the perfect camera angles of its inhabitants, to the landscapes and architecture used, I knew we would be in for a rare treat.

That’s it for my spoiler-free review.

(If you'd like to read my super long essay about the drama where I write more on the things I loved and hated about the drama, you can find it at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1czlgKAZpBndsV3JcIyNFm8fdqKBuccFz/)

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Most satisfying drama or series I have ever watched. First drama I ever gave an 10/10.

Just finished with Part 2.

I normally watch only Wuxia/Material Arts/Action focused shows. I also don´t like comedy and almost wouldn´t have watched it because of the silly trailer!
But OMG am I glad I did! Best character writing, directing and acting I have seen... maybe ever!
I really have never seen a Chinese drama with so much depth. The characters felt so real.
And the overall writing was also really good. After the two first episodes only a few more where a bit hard to get through (By comparison = most other Chinese dramas of this length would have been better with 10 or 20 episodes less - not so with this one!).
The humor at the beginning (first 3 or 4 episodes) was sometimes more annoying/exhausting than funny, but it develops a lot and in retrospect I wouldn´t change anything about it.

It really can´t be compared to any other dramas (Disclaimer: haven't watched The Story of Ming Lan) but if I had too: Nirvan In Fires story and character writing was similarly sophisticated. But while Nirvana in Fire (1) gave me chills with it´s political plot, Love LIke the Galaxy`s specialty are the beautiful sentimental moments, the character growth, the beautiful romantic scenes, the joyful momentsand yea the heartbreaking moments too. It´s one of the most realistic feeling historical shows, but unlike with The Red Sleeve it won`t leave you depressed!

Only slight con: The soundtracks for 2 or 3 scenes where weird and didn´t fit at all. + The translation on YouTube isn´t that great in the beginning and they muted and switched out a few soundtracks there, for copyright reasons. We only watched the first and last couple of episodes on YouTube but for the most part we watched on DramaNice.

P/s: First Asian drama I watched with my Mom and I couldn´t have picked a better one.

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‘Da bomb’ leads!

This drama came highly recommended and it’s all over the internet and such. Thus, I decided to catch it! Plus, I’m a fan of grown up Wu Lei after watching him in The Long Ballad. He was cool and manly! I really liked watching him.

What I loved about this drama:
- Wu Lei as the male lead, Ling Bu Yi/ Zi Sheng. So manly. So strong. So omg my heart.
- The female lead is cute in this drama. She is unconventional and a “breath of fresh air” compared to the stereotypical damsels in distress.
- The couple have chemistry and are adorable together.
- The Cheng family members are close-knit and there is no internal rife.
- The acting is top-notch in this drama. All the actors and actresses acted so very well.
- The plot is riveting. (To me, some parts are kind of confusing, but the plot is definitely engaging and interesting.)

What I didn’t fancy:
- The bloodshed but I guess it’s kind of inevitable for such dramas.
- Some “scene to scene” were kind of disjointed / jerky … I think due to the cutting of scenes. As a result, some “scene to scene” parts were abrupt.

Overall, this drama is a Must Watch. It’s excellent. It’s wonderful. It’s very re-watchable! WATCH!

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Masterpiece drama!♥︎

I watched it when this drama was on-going and for the first time I bought the fast track because I couldn't wait to see the ending!!

Ling Buyi, an orphan boy because his parent died during the war since he was a child, lived in misery but was lucky to be adopted by the emperor and empress so he became a general at a young age. His character is very hard, cold, and doesn't think about other people, but then changes when he meets a beautiful teenage girl, Cheng Shaoshang.

Cheng Shaoshang, a smart girl whose parents left for war and only lives with her evil grandmother and aunt so she has to find a way to survive every day. Her behavior was very rude, messy, and unethical because she had never been taught since childhood.

This drama is divided into 2 parts and this part does not show too many problems, it reveals more about the family life of Cheng Shaoshang, Ling Buyi and also the second leads, Yuan Shanjian and Lou Yao.

This drama is really very good, the cinematography is beautiful, their chemistry are extraordinary, and there are lots of life lessons to be learned.

I have rewatched this drama countless times, it has become one of my favorite costume dramas. Congratulations to Director Fei, Zhao Lusi, Wulei, and the entire love like the galaxy team for creating truly masterpiece drama!─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

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An award wining firepiece worth to watch !! ?❤️

I still can't believe that I watched all 56 episodes without skipping a single minute. Instead many episodes I rewatched before going for the next one just to admire each details again. the drama is full of moments you will either burst your heart out in laughter or cry a river. I don’t know if I will find another historical drama so beautiful and exciting like LLTG.

some best things for me :
1. the super supportive emperor family, that was something fresh in this genre!
2.All cheng family members being amazing fighters
3. they not only called Ling buyi god of war but also showed how fierce he is in a battle field.
4. the female lead being so confident in her decisions all the time
5. All supportive roles had a strong story to make you feel their heart
6. and last but not the least, the fire chemistry between the main leads 🔥🔥🥲

How I wish I could forget this whole thing to enjoy it again!

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One of best leads and drama I've came across

Okay so I loved this drama so much ...
One for ml being loyal , straightforward and his words have value. If he says he will do something he does and if he says won't he will not .
Second I loved fl so much obviously because it's Zhao lu si and she's my favourite another reason his her character being so good and she had self respect which most of Chinese female character lack . They forgive easily ml for even cheating on them and let go ow drama . Well it's Zi Sheng so there's nothing to worry about ow because he will only love and cherish one woman and that's niao niao ( fl ) . So I loved how honest they both were with each other about their feelings not about their circumstances because that's what led them to separation but their love for each was commendable. I loved how shao Shang loves herself too and believes in loving someone who cherishes her if they lack in sincerity she will take that opportunity from you and the right to be with her . Nobody can rule over her or order her around she will do what her heart says and she doesn't back off . That's what I loved the most about her . ...
I love Zhao lusi this was her one of best characters she's played .
My personal favorites of hers are
Love like the galaxy
Who rules the world
Oh my emperor .....
I just love her work .
This drama is really good watch .. definitely a hell of roller coaster ride where ml supports her obviously not like she needs his support she can do it her own .
I re watched it so worth re watch ....
You won't regret spending your time on this drama .
It's amazing for me it was 10/10 ....

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Love As Broad As the Galaxies

“Love Like the Galaxy” aired this summer with high expectations from viewers, as the casting for this new drama is much anticipated, with Zhao Lu Si and Wu Lei starring as the main leads.
This drama is about conflict between family, the royal court, and three exceptional young men whose hearts will belong to our main character, Cheng Shao Shang. She was raised without parents, as they have gone on a war expedition the moment she was born, but that was what made her personality so attractive and different from all the other noble ladies. Not only is she extremely smart in her own way, she is brave and reckless and does not back down on her own rights. As she rises in the court, who will she choose? The cold but caring star general, Ling Bu Yi, who’s treated like the Emperor’s own son, the brilliant and handsome scholar Yuan Shen, or the gentle and rich nephew of the Crown Prince’s tutor, Lou Yao? Can she also keep up with all the drama from the royal court?
~~~
I began the drama with excitement as my favourite actors are leading in it. Wu Lei made a huge impression on me when I watched “The Long Ballad”, and Zhao Lu Si has always been my go-to actress. The way they portrayed their roles so well, and made me believe their affection towards one another in the drama was done very well, as I have been hooked to this drama for days. I must also add that the support roles were also very well chosen, as I was completely immersed in the drama.

The fantastic plot was what made me want to binge all the episodes in one day. Once I began the drama, I could barely stop. I loved how “Love Like the Galaxy” had three male leads attracted to the female lead, unlike most dramas. It really added a new level of interest to the storyline. Additionally, “Love Like the Galaxy” just had a lot of drama going on, and rather than it being too extra, I instead enjoyed it all.

I would 1000% recommend “Love Like the Galaxy” to anyone who’s searching for a historical drama with a wonderful cast, a beautiful storyline, and dark circles for days. You won’t regret it, and this drama is definitely worth your time!

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Review for both Part 1 & Part 2

Ah, the heartache that revenge brings! You’ve got to wonder why it’s such a popular pursuit in the Asian culture when it causes so much angst. Yep, that’s right. This is another revenge-based drama, specifically ML is out to avenge his family that was annihilated during some past incident. And a whole bunch of other characters are also engaged in petty revenges and grievances that ultimately become their downfall. These people really need to learn the art of forgiveness. They’d lead much happier lives. Well, let’s get started.

First off, this drama is way, way too long at 56 episodes, and it could have been shortened by eliminating a few characters. We have to watch so much extra stuff with these side characters, and honestly, it’s difficult trying to remember who is who, especially when the princes and princesses are added to the mix. The first 3 episodes are brutal a.k.a. boring as we’re introduced to FL’s family. We have to listen to Grandma Sheng wailing – I recommend ear plugs – and watch ‘never happy with her daughter’ mom show unabashed favoritism toward Yang Yang while scolding and punishing FL. Granted, FL is a sly girl, but she’s only mimicking the behavior she's seen from her granny and 2nd aunt who raised her (if you can call it that). There’s very little romantic interaction between FL and ML in the first 15+ episodes (unless you call removing an arrow from a dude's well defined pec romantic) so we've got us a slow burn romance here. Oh, he’s smitten right away, but FL isn’t interested in him. Instead, we get the story of her first love with the puppy-like A’Yao. ML watches longingly from afar while SML, Yuan Shanjian, watches with sour expressions and snarky comments. The 2nd half of the drama, starting at episode 28, we watch this odd couple (Ling Buyi & Niao Niao) gradually grow closer, but it’s not until the final two episodes that they become a cohesive pair, in the sense that they're finally communicating and working together as a unit. They're finally walking side by side.

Mixed into their relationship progression, we’re treated to a lot of bullying by the cocky chicks, some political intrigue as ML continues to pursue his revenge and, thankfully, some cute moments and subtle humor. I think one of the best things about this drama is that the villains get justice applied fairly quickly. 3rd Princess, 5th Princess as well as the old hag, Princess Ruyang, get their just desserts after only a few episodes of bullying, and honestly, it’s fun to watch these characters go down. With 5th Princess’s takedown, ML also applies discipline to the fathers/brothers that spoiled the girls who assisted 5th Princess in her bullying. I cheered and laughed heartily! Parents who don't discipline their children are largely responsible for that child's bad behavior so yes, they ought to suffer the consequences along with the child. Just an aside, during the bullying of FL by 5th Princess, a snake is released into the pond. Honestly, I think the snake would have swam the other way instead of pursing and biting FL. Most animals just want to get away from humans. Just saying, ok?

Comments on ML – he’s the poster child for the phase ‘still waters run deep’. Most of the time, he looks like a stone statue yet it’s clear that he has some very intense emotion raging beneath those abs of steel for FL. It’s a very subtle change of expression when she appears, but it’s clear he’s smitten with her, and he’s also quite forthright about it. He even tells her earlier on that he admires her. He’s definitely a frightening sort of fellow – I believe it was FL’s dad who says ML gives him chills – and it takes FL (as well as the viewer) quite a while before she starts opening up and drawing closer to him. This is a result of his overall ‘aura’ (he's like a tightly wound spring of steel, if you ask me) as well as her personality. I didn’t love ML like I did Dongfang Qing Cang in ‘Love Between Fairy and Devil’, but I appreciated him and wanted this lonely, intense soul to get the only woman he’d ever love. Unfortunately, fallout from his revenge causes him to lose her for five years (thank God for time jump or it would have been another 20 episodes!). So, how are you enjoying that revenge now, ML? Feels real satisfying, doesn't it? You chose revenge over love, and now, you're trying to kill yourself on the Northwestern front. But dang, he looks hot with that unbound, wild hair! I hope people watching this film will learn that revenge isn't sweet at all. You might feel satisfied for an instant, but it doesn't last, and you're back to hating the world again. One last comment on ML – this guy drives a massive carriage! It’s the ancient equivalent of a Cadillac, the Batmobile or maybe even a tank! I don’t think even the emperor drives such a huge carriage.

FL – it was difficult to like her at first because she is scheming and sly. It wasn’t until episode 8 when she punches the bullying bitch, Wang Ling, in the face that I started genuinely liking her. I get so tired of FLs who just take the bullying instead of fighting back. Then her cleverness in rigging the bridge to collapse with those idiot girls was amusing as well – although doing something like that in real life would be very dangerous. We also see her enacting payback on both 3rd Princess and 5th Princess, the latter leading ML to feel hurt because she didn’t confide her troubles to him. Basically, she’s the type of girl that solves her own problems, and she doesn’t easily put her trust in others because of her family experiences. This, as well as general immaturity, is what her character overcomes as the drama progresses. Her final hurdle is learning how to forgive ML for what she considers the greatest sin of all – abandonment. Just a note: ML really has no moral ground to be hurt for her not confiding in him - he's keeping a lot of secrets from her as well. He was definitely wrong to not share his burden with her, and he was damn scary looking after the massacre, but after five years, you'd think she would have softened a bit, but no, she continues on being righteously stubborn. Heck, I'd be more upset about the massacre than his so-called abandonment.

For a few brief moments, I wanted her to go ahead and accept Yuan Shanjian, our grumpy but patient scholar. He was the last man standing of her trio of admirers, and honestly, I think they were better suited in temperament. I could just imagine them sniping at each other into old age. But, I couldn't damn ML to a lonely life. He was too pitiful a character. So, I was glad in the end that she didn't accept Yuan Shanjian.

Crowned Prince & wife - poster children for why people should be allowed to marry who they want to marry instead of being forced to marry someone else. It's even worse when one or both are in love with other people. Business/political marriages are a stupid tradition in any culture and should be done away with. Now if the children want an arranged marriage, then go ahead and arrange it but don't force them! Thankfully, the multiple wives thing has gone by the wayside; all it does is cause power struggles and discontent among siblings.

Best characters:

1) The Emperor – finally we get an emperor who has a sense of humor and doesn’t act like an absolute tyrant. He was approachable, reasonable and kindly. In many ways, you could say he’s been too lenient since he’s got a pack of rotten kids. He’s also willing to let ML chose his own bride. He nagged, but he didn't force. Honestly, he just wants him to marry; he doesn’t care who she is. The Emperor adds a lot of humor and warmth to this drama. I loved him despite having two wives.

2) Qi Qi – FL’s friend and future sister-in-law. She’s not the typical dingbat bestie. She’s got spunk without being annoying.

3) ML’s chubby sidekick guard, A’Fei. He just provided a lot of humor.

4) Prince Ruyang, the unfortunate husband of Princess Ruyang. He’s so funny because he wants to be rid of his loud, mean-spirited, arrogant wife. I was glad to see him stand up to her bullying for once in his life.

5) Consort Yue – I loved her cynical observations, her disgust with annoying family members and the smackdowns she provided to everyone who needed one. She was the complete opposite of the Empress who was kind to all.

Worse characters:

1) FL’s mom – this woman is a disgrace to motherhood. The best thing I can say about her is she wasn't loud or scheming; she was just overly stern and critical. She shows obvious favoritism towards Yang Yang and is continually disappointed in her daughter. She even runs her daughter down in public with the excuse that she was trying to save her from an engagement with ML. This was such a humiliating scene for FL - to listen to your own mother agreeing with the bullies! Even when FL does something noble (I'll die with the family rather than get special treatment bc of my engagement), mom still isn't happy with her and slaps her. This mom continually uses the same failed methods to discipline her daughter rather than using warmth and acceptance like the Empress, who basically becomes the mother the FL never had. Under the Empress, FL begins to blossom and flourish as her strengths are praised and her faults gently corrected.

2) 90% of all the female characters. This drama is packed full of bitchy, cocky and sometimes delusional women (those who thought they had a chance at marrying ML) that you want to slap. Also, wailing old ladies that split your ear drums - so annoying! By contrast, 90% of the male characters were likeable, which makes me wonder if this is a true reflection of Asian women, or if this is sexism that views men as poor, suffering creatures and women as devils straight out of Hell.

I didn’t like this drama as much as 'Love Between Fairy and Devil', mostly due to its length, so many side characters, and I guess, for me, Orchid and Dongfang Qing Cang were just a more romantic, loveable couple - but despite that, there were a lot of enjoyable scenes so you won’t be wasting 56 hours of your life, if you decide to watch. Also, I think I liked the message of the Fairy/Devil better since it was a message of overcoming hatred with love. I'm not big into revenge-based dramas because I think in the end, revenge only brings more suffering so it's better to forgive. The message I got from this drama is revenge is ok, but make sure you include your woman/man in your plans or they might get pissed at you and make you suffer for five years (or forever as FL was intending to do).

Although the music was mainly instrumental, it was quite beautiful and emotionally stirring.

My one disappointment - I wish we could have seen them married and living together in the house she built along with a couple kids. Maybe a scene showing them playing zither and flute. That, for me, would have been a more satisfying ending.

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Love the actors playing the ML and FL

Really good entertainment. A really long good entertainment. Some parts were a little draggy but never boring.

Lots of character developments all around, not only with the ML and FL but also with the supporting roles. I think each roles were well thought off and beautifully written. The characters were unique but at the same time realistic enough to be relatable.

For example, the FL grew up without the love of her biological parents. She craved love and always had trust and abandonment issues because of these. The ML shouldered a lot of responsibilities ever since he was young.

They're like two parallel lines that were destined to meet at some point. One craved freedom from oppression, the other, freedom from his endless search for justice.

Now, to what I don't like. I don't like the on and off and on and off and then on again kind of relationship. The rest was fine. It gave me a good laugh, it made my heart ache at times, it has good action sequence and plot surprises.

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