Love Like the Galaxy: Part 1

MY BEST DRAMA IN 2022

This is my best drama in 2022. Overall in terms of production, story, cinematography, acting/cast, music and sound, all presented by awe artistic arrange embodiment. The combination of various emotional elements is combined to complement each other with the right portion and timing.

WHAT I LIKED – A BRIEF OVERVIEW

1. I felt engaged right away, from 1st episode, the opening of the drama was grand and heroic. The first appearance of ML is breathtaking with excellence authority. Leo Wu Lei is really powerful with his domineering aura as general Ling. His 'wooden' expression is so distinctive and memorable. Reflects a cold and mysterious personal side.
Zhao Lusi looks stunning both in gesture and expression to play the young Cheng Shaoshang with her nonchalant kid attitude, behind it through her courage and ingenuity dare to face the oppression of her grandmother's maid and uncle Dong's tactics fearlessly. Even though I was still in the midst of getting my bearings in terms of who's who. That's pretty impressive.

2. They are put in a lot of detailed effort to make the rendition of this drama world as authentic and true to the times as possible. With a surge of captivating aesthetic beauteous.

3. Our cast serves up lots of very solid performances, and together with the writing, this made the characters feel like real people. Over time, I really felt like I was getting to know these people, and I eventually grew fond of them too.

4. Cheng Shaoshang (Zhao Lusi) is just the kind of underdog heroine that I can get behind, beneath her young age where by of her 2nd aunt's mis-parenting that she doesn't got proper education to understand standard of manners and almost being illiterate, but in naturally she's quick-witted kid with amazing spatially and mathematically logical intelligence, her ability to analyze a person and/or situation is razor sharp. I also like her bravery and determination to fight for her goal. I loved watching her come into her own.

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I love it

I love this drama, the casting is amazing, beautiful cinematography, and sizzling chemistry between the leads. I really hope it has a happy ending and that their relationship stays strong . It’s a slice a of life and similar to story of minglan, our female lead is cute and didn’t learn proper manners because her parents were off to war and her grandmother mistreated her but she’s very smart and knows how to act mischievous. It made laugh and cry , can’t wait to see more.
I have never seen a good emperor like this in any dramas I’ve watched so far, he’s a fatherly figure and treats the male lead like his own son and chips the Fl and Ml

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Part 1

Quite some time I've not found some drama that really binge worthy like this. This drama make me lack sleeping because I really want to keep my eyes open & continue watch that story. Haha...

I don't want much talk about what this drama about, because from what I've read quite some people already wrote about that & their description quite accurate. So I don't wanna bored you guys with another summary or talk about what this drama about. Let's we just jump to what I like & dislike about this drama... :P

What I like:
+ Adorable young couple. Many historical c-drama talk about young marriage couple, especially the woman, because you know old days they're married quite young, but mostly our FL character quite mature (quiet, composed, calm whatever you want to called it) and we can't really imagine they actually quite young in their supposed age in the drama. Here we can see Cheng Shao Shang / Niao Niao (NN) (age 15) actually quite childish in her nature, like how witty or active she is. But what make her different than other character is how she look at marriage really portray how actually she herself still a child, like her conversation with Wan Qi Qi: "What's it like to be in love? It is better to find a playmate as a husband," she describe marriage like playing house. Or later on we can see how fickle her with her love feeling tpward Ling Bu Yi / Zi Sheng (ZS)
+ How fast Xiao Yuan Yi (NN mom) to eliminate annoying character, which is Cheng Yang's mother. I really think at first she will continue bother us in our drama, but it's false & I really glad they don't took time to eliminate one annoying character. Even the grandmother become quite subdue for the rest of the drama. Haha...
+ The looked in ZS face, especially his eyes when he see NN. Even from the smallest glance we can see that it's love at the first sight. And how gentle his eyes every time he see NN. Haha...
+ The funny king, kind hearted queen & the dynamic of the king family. But more of them at part 2.
+ The adorable sidekick, Liang Qiu Qi and Liang Qiu Fei (QF). Sometimes really funny to see the interaction with ZS with his 2 assistant, especially QF, how sometimes his mouth is just incontrollable and spitting out words.

What I don't like:
- How partial NN mom is & not to NN herself, a daughter that she already left behind for 15 years, yet not get the love from her mother & must witness how partial her mother with Cheng Yang/Yang Yang (YY).
- How stupid or childish Yuan Shen (YS) is. Hey you love NN, yet you do nothing to prove it & what you can only do is teasing & annoyed NN & after that just jealous to see the other get her love & attention. It's not nice & I don't too like this kind of love that YS show.

Overall this part like everybody wrote, mostly talk about family dynamic, the feeling that our couple try to develop & how to shape NN character. Really exciting to looked for answer in the part 2.

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Great style, mood, acting, music.... etc

Overall, great production.
Acting
This series has proven to me that Zhao Lusi is a great actress. She can act like a wise swordswoman from "Who Rules the World" to a 15-year-old girl in "Love Like a Galaxy" Sometimes, I wonder why the female lead acted so rashly and even stupidly, then I have to remind myself she is only 15. Leo Wu plays the cold emotionless general very well. The supporting casts are all commendable as well.
Mood
The mood is well-set and constant throughout the series. Especially the lady's quarter chatters remind me of the 17 and 18th-century Western eras when the ladies and men are separated.
Style
The style is very down-to-earth and not overly exaggerated. The sets are done tastefully.
Music
I swear there were moments of the music reminded me of Downton Abby! I like the opening, just music, not loud singing like some other series.
Directing
Directing is not overly exaggerated. I even forgive the repetitive hugs in a few scenes.

Overall
I think the production value is excellent. The humor is not over the top. I enjoyed the slow pace cinematography. Although there were a few moments I wondered why they made certain decisions, I stuck with it. The ending scenes are too rushed and left some things unexplained. I heard the director had to cut many scenes and he will release a director's cut version. Can't wait for that to come out!

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Rollercoaster with with very range

My first ever review. I have seen quite a few C-dramas before and I went into this show purely because of the ratings and because I had seen zhao lusi work in Hidden love which I found to be very good. Coming to this show the story started very well in scenes where I had to slow down and re read some subtitles to understand whats going on and the ground work to the story was laid very beautifully. The story then progresses very weirdly between the ep 10 to 27 as in female lead acts like a spoiled person who can do whatever she want without consequence or someone who did not cared about the consequences, the main lead acting was good at best and the interactions during early episodes felt forced as there were 2 separate stories going on and they never had to meet each other which was fine with me but the coincidences that happened felt weird overall this part felt like it could have been so much better with better script.

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Romance story

Cheng Shi and Xiao YuanYi left their youngest daughter Cheng ShaoShang (pet name Niao Niao) to the care of her gender-bias grandmother and wicked Aunt Ge when they went to war. She was ill-treated and grew up uneducated, uncouth, rebellious, scheming, distrustful and insecure - all the negatives you could think of for a young girl. But it also trained her to be very independent; by nature she was precocious, intelligent, and kind-hearted.

In this part 1 of the drama, her parents finally returned and her father was awarded the title Marquis. Her mother realised the ultimate nightmare any parent could have with their young daughter and tried to trained her but was met with great resentment and resistance.

Finding it difficult to educate her, the mother sent her away with her paternal uncle and wife as they travelled to Hua County to take up his governor position. This aunt doted on her and the love-deprived Niao Niao was more receptive to learning from her than her strict and military-style mother. Along the way, she developed a very cosy relationship with Lou Yao from a complicated aristocratic family, who pandered to her wishes and spoiled her. Breaking from an engagement to his spoiled temperamental fiancee, he proposed marriage to Niao Niao who was happy to be leaving her family and Yao was keen to leave his as well.

Earlier on, Niao Niao had caught the eyes of the highly educated and talented Yuan Shen and the emperor's adopted son Ling BuYi , a fearless general known for his ruthlessness. Both were handsome, highly accomplished and very popular with the aristocratic and high society ladies. The former was impressed by her intelligence and the latter for her 'righteous' help to arrest her maternal granduncle.

As with a lot of dramas, the story went through numerous twist and turns. At the end of Part I, Niao Niao was eventually engaged to one but she resented the marriage proposal imposed on her. What is going to happen?

What I like about this drama?

- The one thing that made the audiences very happy in this story was the righteous always win and it had no hang-ups on replacing the incapable for the capable.

- Of course, the two main leads - Leo Wu (Wu Lei) and Zhao Lusi - their on-screen chemistry was amazing.

- All the hygiene factors - excellent cast, lovely costume, backdrop, cinematography.

- The grandmother who was both annoying and funny.

- The rivalry for Niao Niao was heart-breaking as well as interesting to watch.


What I do not like about this drama?

- Most of what I do not like about this drama was in Part two, which I will cover next.

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Epic Romance and Coming of Age Story.

This is not a serious drama, but it is seriously well made and beautifully written. It is geared toward a younger audience so there is more casual, light hearted and comedic undertone.

It is set against the backdrop of Eastern Han dynasty where one dynasty just fell, the world flung into chaos and a new dynasty just begun. Despite having a lot going on, the story don’t attempt to be what it’s not. The story is only about the coming of age for our main lead, Cheng Shao Shang. Our main lead is not perfect, and may not be all the likable. She has strengths and her flaws, but the upside is that we can see her improving and become a better version of herself as the story progresses. How she can turns her flaws to benefit others and not only herself, how she turn youthful recklessness into courageous righteousness.

If you are used to having main ML or second ML, be ready to change your mind. This story reminiscent of the older 2010s set up where FL usually have many suitors before she find the one that truly suit her. So don’t be impatient because each guy is his own version of the ML.

The first five episodes are spent on setting up character dynamics and dropping hints about their motivations that will be useful later on. There is a lot to unpack between the family dynamics, the dialogues are at time funny but do pay attention because a lot of them can have double meanings, and characters aren’t what they seems, and their words are not supposed to be taken at face values. There are also interesting changes in regard to gender roles and common tropes. But ultimately it’s a character driven story, that’s why the first five episodes are important. It’s not so much at what happened, but “why” it happened. Most characters have motivations and “personality” that driven them to taking certain actions. And every character is moving at different pace. So just because X character is ready for this, doesn’t Y character is the same. Each character have very well defined personality and choose to act differently despite the same situation so it’s an added layer of fun to figure out the why.

The costumes are simpler with minimal embroideries and accessories befitting to the time period where wars were still going on and frugality were emphasized. Characters are properly dressed to rank and personality. Fabrics are good quality but suitable for the time period, and hair is properly done. Single woman have their hair pin and married women have their hair folded into a knot at the end. Careful attention were paid to each family horse carriages that tell their rank and personality.

The color grading and cinematography are very tastefully done. Some scenes look like CGI but is actually real. For example, the scene where the CSS and LBY met in the backyard with round door. The fire scene where FL was rescued. A lot of horses scenes are done by main leads. Main male leads Wu Lei is actually a prolific horse rider and is good at basic martial art. There are some interesting shot, specifically the showing of the Cheng House, Lantern festivals and Horse Chase Riding.

Overall this drama has a little bit of everything but well produced and well delivered, and a beautifully written story. It don’t take itself too seriously but it was done tastefully.

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Epic revenge saga with bonus romance.

As I'm late to the party, there is no point for me to add to the hundreds of reviews already here. Hence, this will not be a detailed review but rather some thoughts about this series (part 1 and 2 combined).

When I say this show is epic, it is not an exaggeration. The revenge plot spans a generation. It also took years for our leads to complete their romantic journey. This is a long and bumpy ride for all involved.

In many ways, this series is true to its roots. The ML is stoic, brave, overflowing with martial prowess. The classic hero with a capital H. On the other hand, when we first meet the FL, she was a teenager barely 15. She was deprived of a formal education because of a scheming aunt. She is intelligent, feisty, has an affinity for mechanical things but unruly and wilful in the eyes of her elders. In short, the perfect foil for the ML.

Their romantic journey is fraught (of course it is). There are plenty of second leads and naysayers. At one stage, the FL told the ML to his face that he engineered their romance the same way he plotted the downfall of his enemies. The most generous you can say is that he doesn't leave things to chance even though he is 100% dedicated to the FL. He knows what he wants, and he can be ruthless . . . in love and in war.

There are many good performances in this drama. The Emperor and Empress are very understanding and supportive of our leads which is a nice change. Most antagonists are a bit one dimensional but it is par for this genre. At least they don't run amok all the time. All the young maidens are crazy for the ML, but he only has eyes for the FL so the amount of jealous/poisonous looks can power a small town. ;)

Our OTP are the bedrocks this series is built on. While The Romance of Tiger and Rose is the breakout role for ZLS, this pretty much cements her position as a S tier traffic star. The ML has master the stoic, heroic stance. They do have their swoon-y moments which is appreciated.

Nevertheless, the show can feel manipulative as well. For instance, the FL broke up with the ML towards the end of the drama and yet she refuses to forgive him even though he laid bare his soul to her and saved her life repeatedly. Then suddenly, she has an epiphany and all is forgiven. Just in time for the final epic battle and the series conclusion. ;)

The funny thing is after binge watching this show, I felt drained, but I also don't feel that I have much to add to the discord. It is well acted and beautifully crafted with epic scenes and an intricate plot. I could wax lyrical about that, I suppose. However, it is fundamentally tropey in the classical sense. We have seen many examples of this genre before. Aye, few are of this calibre, but it is a well-trodden path nevertheless.

What more can I say? It should be in every c-drama aficionado's watchlist. It needs to be experienced . . once. Peace.

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a bunch of short clip?

maybe those who feel this drama is good, just because of the romance, those who are satisfied with a little romance , so if someone gives a bad rating they will be judged, maybe there are some scenes that make me touched, and sometimes comedy but most of them feel very lame and the romance sometimes is weird


bad editing and bad scene viewing, jumping scene(not complete showing the useful scene,skip and skip)

from the beginning of these 56 episodes, can this be called a drama? I think this is a bunch of short,,, if in Kdrama it's called "special episodes"
why?
since the beginning of the drama, every time they want to do an action, there is see no action, only showing the result


I've never read the novel, but I'm sure the novel has alot of seasons, but in my opinion the scriptwriter is not good at choosing and sorting out what scenes are important so that from the beginning to the end the drama only show a short part and then proceeds to other scenes, too many unnecessary scenes. makes the first 22 episodes feel very long and unimportant,, in part 2, I thought it was getting better, but it didn't, the same misunderstanding happen again and again, in the first 8 episodes there had been about 3/4 times the argue between FL & ML,, character of FL which in part 1 really like, makes me hate it

they focus too much on the FL&ML scene so that they forget about other SUPPORT COUPLES, while the FL&ML romance is very long & very slow burning (FL & ML love story only starts at the end of part 1, and even in part still in the stage FL not have good feeling for ML) and makes the other couple not have enough scenes, and support couples together are very unreasonable, there is no obvious romance between them but directly together, waste of using cast, even though 56 episodes is enough to make the story very very clear plot and help some of the support cast develop the acting for newbie


the unstable voice made me keep adjusting the volume of the drama while watching, because there was no dubbing, when the cast spoke their mouths seemed to be gargling, if there were no Chinese subtitles maybe I really didn't know what they were talking about ,especially the words and language they use very rarely, even though I know chinese, still feels very unfamiliar



a crazy part like short clip and ridiculous scene (just a part, because too much)
1. ep 12, the medic said the arrow's head only appeared slightly on the surface of the body, if you want to take the arrow out, you have to cut the wound, but the medic is not good at sewing, shaoshang use a string, does it make sense? Even hard objects are difficult to put into a wound, but a string?, even though it is the strongest string, its call strong, because not easily broken by sharp objects, and the arrow's head has a sharp side, pulling the arrowhead with a string is like slicing a wound! does this action not need to stitch the wound?

2. ep 15 ,why they suddenly talking about huangpuyi?when huangpuyi send the cart for 3rd aunt?
3. suddenly shaoshang's father was said to be rebellious, during episode 46 I thought there was a scene helping his father, but it's been 5 days, are you serious?!
4. ep 44, shaoshang went tongniu to save her father, and to meet someone in prison, she intentionally stole 2 bread, how she sure that she is who is just a petty thief that stole bread, will be locked up together with important criminals?
5. little yue masquis said , miasma is not toxic, but why do the pengukun still get side effects? and suffering asthma?


大母,granny
大父， grandpa
君姑,mother in law
君舅,father in law
阿父，father
阿母,mother
君公，how to called male?
女君，how to called female?
舅父，uncle from mother
舅母，uncle's wife from mother
姑父,aunt's husband from father
姑母，father's sister
伯父,uncle, father's elder brother
伯母,uncle's wife from father's elder brother
叔父，uncle, father's younger brother
叔母, uncle's wife from father's younger brother
姒妇 ，brother's wife , sister in law
阿紫/阿姐 a zi ，sister

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The Best Costume Drama ever

Zhao Lusi has never failed to impress me. Her portrayal have always been onpoint and has moved my heart and mind and made each charactet she played so unforgettable. And with Love Like the Galaxy she has exceeded all of my expectations and has shown her versatility and how she has mastered her craft. She made Cheng Shao Shang come to life onscreen and made us viewers laugh, cry and swoon . She truly is a gifted actress. Love Like the Galaxy is a must see drama with itMs amazing cinematography, excellent musical scoring, well written script, fascinating story, , wondetful production team from pre , filming-set, prope, stunt teams to post prodcution -editing is very good and what makes it all come together -are the great actors who made the story and the directors vision come to lofe Zhao Lu si and Wu Lei have such amazing acting skills and to die for chemistry . Right from the opening scene u will be hooked with this drama.

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One of masterpiece.

Zhao Lusi is great, Wu Lei is great. BUT THEIR CHEMISTRY IS WONDERFUL. At first, I have no high expectations for this drama because the genre isn't a cup of my tea even I love Lusi's acting in every drama.

BUT I WRONG.

In 1st eps, you may feel boring like what is this... BUT PLEASE KEEP WATCHING, because the plot is like slow burn BUT really good and have so many good value.

This drama isn't just tell about romance between lead, but relationship between your family-relatives, war strategic (I really mesmerized with Ling Bu Yi's strategic war and ofc his VISUAL lol).

Every actors in this drama is play sooooo wellllll I ain't lying and can mix our emotion.

Yes, emotion. Laughing, crying, confused, annoyed OMGGGGG THIS DRAMA REALLY THAT GOOD TSKTSK

(Ps: I think Wu Lei is the best Zhao Lusi's partner from all of her drama projects. Wishhhhhh they could have another romance drama project 😭❤️‍🩹)

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