This review may contain spoilers
Defying Destiny - Follow Your Cracked, Bleeding Heart
I really enjoyed Till the End of the Moon and was swept along with its passionate story telling, gross flaws (misunderstandings galore, deep cuts to make a 40 episode limit), copious blood spitting, makeup mishaps and all! It was a roller coaster ride and highly memorable because of its compelling main characters with their larger than life goals and the blistering chemistry of the lead actors LYX and BL. Their acting elevated the imperfect script and kept me invested to binge the episodes and hoping to see them earn happiness together at the end.Story: 7.5/10
The story has 4 arcs: Hostage Prince, Bore Dream, Jing Kingdom, and Immortal realm. For me, the first arc was the most suspenseful and character driven part of the story. If the level of story telling had stayed at this level, I would have easily rated the story telling 9.5/10. Still there were many twists and turns throughout to keep me engaged in the story. However, it was frustrating to see all the misunderstandings driving a number of plot lines starting from the Bore dream arc, Jing Kingdom and Immortal arcs. This didn't do justice to the intelligence and craftiness that the leading characters showed in the first 1/4 of the story. The characters of TTJ and YXW/LSS had conflicting values and these were not fully mined; instead misunderstandings caused by third parties were too heavily used to drive the plot.
The last 1/4 of the drama suffered the most in terms of inconsistent edits, sharp scene transitions, Li Su Su was missing in action at critical times, and the ending felt rushed. I think that credit is still due for the high level of risk taking the show took in having flawed characters, distinct world building for 3 different realms, complex action sequences, flamboyant costumes and dramatic makeup. The show was not trying to be subtle! The characters dared to love and hate fully, which was a blast to watch their passion!
Acting: 9.5/10
The show toned down both main characters from the novel who were much darker and cruel. Even so LYX was TTJ lifted from the page. He captured TTJ's essence perfectly with a very nuanced performance as a tortured, vicious and dark anti-hero with an eventual redemptive arc. His chemistry with BL as YXW/LSS was blistering and they had incredible push and pull. BL's acting as YXW/LSS was versatile but the meat of the drama's story-telling focused on TTJ's growth and trajectory. This is different from the novel where the story is mainly from YXW/LSS's perspective. The last third of the drama was light on character development for LSS and did not showcase BL's acting as highly.
Music: 9/10
The OST grew on me. It was used effectively in the more dramatic scenes. However, there were parts where the music was distracting.
Rewatch value: 9/10
TTEOTM has numerous highlights and memorable scenes. I've been back to rewatch the highlights. Now if only there could be a director's cut released!
Overall: 9/10
The show is imperfect but overall compelling and deserves to be commended for the risks it took.
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Frustrating till the end
There are many great aspects about this drama, the acting, the music, the costumes, even the CGI. Unfortunately, the plot and pacing are not part of this list. The Good: Luo Yunxi is the perfect ML and really made me care about his character throughout. He brings alive each character he plays and is also very handsome in the costumes. Bai Lu is a great FL, she’s gorgeous and expressive but her acting is somewhat lacking toward the end as I never felt that she truly loved him. In some scenes her eyes almost look bored. I loved the music and the costumes/set. In fact, I feel like the music was carrying the audience’s emotions significantly at times.The Bad: The plot is full of misunderstandings from about episode 10 onward, until the end. I personally hate it when unnecessary misunderstandings are used as the main plot driver. Some misunderstandings seem like they are created for no reason at all except to frustrate you. Regarding the pacing, 18 episodes have been deleted, which would have messed with the pacing. The huge amount of deletion caused confusion as a viewer, there were parts that didn’t draw out my emotions as much simply because they felt out of place, sudden or randomly placed.
Overall, a decent watch with lots of promise but unfortunately falls flat.
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This hurt my soul...in a bad way
First and foremost- I have never made a comment or review on ANYTHING I've watched here on MDL but this drama...man this drama made me feel some type of way to compel me enough to write a review.Before I even start complaining, I want to at least shine some light to the good parts of this show. The chemistry between the actors were great and I've actually seen the other drama (Love is Sweet) that had the same main lead cast :)
The music was amazing and some of the plot was actually really entertaining to see through- especially when they went through the Bo're Life. The outfits and costumes were also just as stunning as the music and some of the visuals. Although CGI is never great in most chinese dramas- I've gotten very used to it haha but this one is not so bad to be fair compared to most!
Now let's get to the crappy part of this show. I was honestly so hyped when a teaser appeared for this show and when it fully came out, the reviews were mostly positive! So I was really excited to watch this but what I ended up getting was severe disappointment. The only reason why I was able to watch through all 40 episodes was because of the cast and the actors themselves but even then, I found myself actually SKIPPING and taking days break from this show (something I almost rarely ever do) because of how terrible it was.
The characters. God the characters...bless the actors for doing so well playing their characters but whoever wrote the script really needs to do a better job in the future because the character development was so butchered- it hurt my soul. Li Su Su constantly and I mean CONSTANTLY repeated her mistakes and didn't bother even trying to "fix" her faults till the V E R Y end which will always and forever piss me off. Tantai Jin was the only character that had a somewhat decent character development throughout this show but even he had many moments where he would also repeat his mistakes to the point of annoyance.
Ye Bing Chang and Xiao Lin we're honest to god a joke. Ye Bing Chang entire character felt like it was thrown under the bus so the audience had something or someone to hate when Li Su Su was literally no better than her half the time. Xiao Lin was a good man as a mortal so why did he end up being so evil when he came back as a member of an immortal sect? Pian Ran and Ye Qing Yu were the only characters that I genuinely liked :/
Moral of the story- I love the actors but holy crap, this drama needs to be redone in SO many ways. For any future watchers, please be weary and don't have your hopes up like I did.
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What started with Tan Tai Jin ended with Tan Tai Jin...or did it
Just finished watching a few minutes ago and decided to write my thoughts while they are fresh.When this started airing I already saw the great potential just like all the trailers showed me. The CGI is on a whole different level, the costumes are absolutely phenomenal and so are the actors (will get to that later)
STORY:
Alright so the story had an interesting premise however just as it is the norm for Chinese dramas it got very intertwines lets say (was gonna say complicated but everything was actually explained very well). I personally find the Immortal arc the best because its where the real show begins, everything else was kinda setting the scene. However after around episode 35, everything fr took a turn. We learned how all the different lives of the characters intertwines with each other (especially Mo Nv, I fr wasn't expecting the twist of her being a devil from the beginning). I have to say that during the Bo Er arc aka dream arc, I thought that the quality of the drama was going down, and many people were complaining about that arc haha. It just felt rushed, but after finishing the show I thoiught: well yes they could have made it longer but at the end of the day the character roles of that arc are more important than the relationship between them. I mean how the Bo Er life connects to the real life world 10,000 years ago. Only complaint is that there was no continuation to Pian Ran and Qingyu's story :(
ACTING/CAST:
Not much to say really, all of the actors were absolutely phenomenal. Well....LYX kinda blew me away again, he just keeps getting better and better. And his duality at playing multiple characters is fr terrifying. Bai Lu was as always scarily good. I was actually not familiar with any of the other cast (CDL, DW, SZN, GYT) But wow they surprised me. CDL slayed her bitch roles. If her character got me infuriated t hen her acting got across haha.
MUSIC:
I am not gonna say anything except for: THE OST AND SOUNDTRACK ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING I FREAKING LOVE THEM AND AM STILL MAD THAT THE SOUNDTRACK IS NOT RELEASED, THE OST ISNT ENOUGH FOR MEEEEE.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Another thing that was done the best in this drama, above the story, is the character building. The characters were SO well built and thereafter SO well executed (this show would've flopped if the cast wasnt as good in my opinion) that the small plot holes, rushed parts were compensated for
And well yea this is kind of it.
Solid 10 for me. This drama went from meeting y expectation to falling a bit on them and at the very end COMPLETELY GOING BEYOND EVERYTHINGN I EXPECTED. It was the Immortal arc for me.........Will rlly miss this show and ABSOLUTELY RECCOMEND IT. oh and do bring some tissues, you will need em.
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Luo yunxi done great job as tan Tai jin ,ming yue ,cang jiu min between all of them tan tai jin...is more connect to my..heart...
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This is really a good drama. It really deserves a rating of 9.
This is really a very good drama, whether it's the beautiful costumes or the heartbreaking yet sweet plot, the compact pacing, compared to other fantasy dramas, it is really special.This drama is based on traditional Chinese culture, with many Buddhist ideas such as the story of "Shibi Jataka Cut Flesh to Feed Eagles" that the Pearl King and Sangju talk about. This is a story from the Buddhist sutras that has infinite Zen meaning, and it roughly means sacrificing oneself to save the world and then being reborn. The Shibi Jataka in the story is actually the past life of Sakyamuni, and this story is actually woven throughout the entire show, implying the fate of the characters and the emotional themes of the series. https://dunhuang.ds.lib.uw.edu/Dunhuang-Exhibitions/exhibits/show/history-and-stories-behind/254intro/254-muralshibi
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Beautiful in the most heartbreaking ways
TTEOFTM is a drama that encompasses an overwhelming range of emotions. It possesses an exceptional quality, an ever-evolving storyline, breathtaking beauty, and heart-wrenching moments. Captivating me right from the first episode, its allure remained consistent throughout its entirety.If I were to offer advice to someone who hasn't watched this drama yet, it would be to dive in with minimal information. When I first watched it, all I had seen was the trailer (which, in hindsight, I wouldn't have watched) and a brief look into the synopsis.
From the outset, I knew that I would inevitably likeTantai Jin, as he was the male lead. However, I didn't expect this bond to form so swiftly (nor did Li Susu, I imagine). His life story, depicted early on in the drama, swiftly revealed the person he was destined to become, making me empathize with him and even root for his revenge against a world that had only inflicted pain and neglect upon him.
One quality I find immensely captivating in characters is their moral ambiguity and shades of gray in their actions. Tantai Jin exemplifies this remarkably, making it impossible to dislike him. As I mentioned earlier, he is extremely easy to sympathize with.
The extraordinary dynamics between the two leads instantly drew me in. Even when they despised each other, their chemistry was astonishing, intensifying as time passed. The development of their romance was exceptionally well-executed. Considering Ye Xiwu's rational standpoint, it was completely understandable for her to despise Tantai Jin after witnessing him kill everyone she knew. Thus, it took her a considerable amount of time to see him romantically. On the other hand, Tantai Jin was utterly incapable of love, and the Ye Xiwu he knew before was violent and cruel.
There were numerous moments of confusion. Sometimes, it seemed like Ye Xiwu was gradually falling in love with Tantai Jin, while at other times, she pitied him. There were even instances when she struggled not to perceive him as the Demon God, despite reminding herself repeatedly that he hadn't transformed into that yet. From Tantai Jin's perspective, a similar duality arose. This complexity mirrored the characters' own feelings and was beautifully conveyed to the audience. I cannot emphasize enough how brilliantly it was portrayed.
The side characters also played an integral role to me, particularly Pian Ran, Ye Qingyu, and Nian Baiyu, each forging intriguing relationships with the leads. Witnessing Tantai Jin's connections with Pian Ran and Nian Baiyu, and how these characters helped humanize him, was exceptionally gratifying. While I did grow fond of characters other than the leads, I must admit that my attachment wasn't as strong as in other dramas. Nevertheless, this doesn't necessarily diminish the overall experience.
Now, there were two specific aspects that bothered me slightly. Firstly, I wished the female lead had displayed a bit more power. There were scarce instances of Li Susu/Ye Xiwu/Sang Jiu engaging in combat compared to other characters, particularly Tantai Jin. Secondly, certain elements felt rushed and underdeveloped. However, I will excuse TTEOTM for this flaw, considering the constraints of a shortened drama and the team's commendable efforts within the limited available time.
Furthermore, I cannot overlook the absolutely incredible soundtrack of the drama. Even as I write this review, I am engrossed in its captivating melodies. Each song flawlessly complements the story and is used masterfully throughout.
It is equally impossible to disregard the astounding performances delivered by Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu. They flawlessly portrayed their respective characters. Luo Yunxi, in particular, convincingly embodied four distinct personas, effortlessly transitioning between the Demon God, Ming Ye, Tantai Jin, and Cang Jiumin while maintaining the necessary similarities that tied them together.
Till The End Of The Moon is undoubtedly the best drama I have watched in a considerable amount of time. The story, well-developed characters, captivating music, and visually striking aspects kept me enthralled to the point where I couldn't stop thinking about it, even during my day-to-day tasks. This drama continues to linger in my thoughts, and I hope it remains there for quite some time.
I am eager to rewatch it at some point to catch all the subtle details that may have escaped my notice the first time around, either due to being hooked by the main narrative or lacking sufficient knowledge of it. However, I will have to wait until I have healed to fully immerse myself in it once again.
In summary, Till The End Of The Moon is nothing short of fantastic!
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Frustrating
I would have given up halfway if not for my favourite het CP. Luo Yunxi and Bailu’s undeniable chemistry kept me watching.It felt like storyteller said let’s take all the suffering every character has ever gone through and give it to Tantai Jin. He endured and endured and endured but the universes said, “Umm, not enough.” Also, “Let’s give the antagonist every misunderstanding we could ever conjure up because Tantai Jin must suffer more. We must break him.” I thought I had seen it so bad when it came to these two themes but this drama set out to decimate my belief.
By the time some things started to come to fruition, I was already exhausted. Angst does not even begin to describe TTEOTM.
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Another masterpiece by Luo Yun Xi & Bai Lu
Don't know why people don't like it so much. Is it because of the sad ending or what no idea? This is one of my favorite series of all time.This is my first time watching a Wuxia series. At first I didn't want to watch this kind of series ( Though I love Fantasy & historical series), but couldn't resist because of Luo Yun Xi & Bai Lu.
Luo Yun Xi as Devil God is so Sexy. His acting was great. Loved him. The way he emoted 5 characters was so awesome. Each character is different to another. From the villain Devil God to Devil God 2.0. What a transformation. Bai Lu also did her best.
The love between Tantai Jin & Ye Xi Wu was pure & sweet. Tantai Jin love for Ye Xi Wu is beyond anything. I loved Pian Ran. Her arguments with Tantai Jin are funny. Also, love the third couple. Everyone should have supportive and trusting masters like Zhao You & Qu Xuan Zi
Hate Ye Bing Chang & Tian Huan. And also hated the second couple.
Shocking & unexpected ending for Xiao Lin. I feel like Gongye Ji Wu ending is incomplete, I would like to know what happened to him afterward, even a few minute scene would have been nice. Would also like to know what Tantai Jin said or send to Nian Bai Yu. Also, I want to know what happened to the real Ye Xi Wu did she die or what? As we know that Li Su Su was the one who was inside of Ye Xi Wu body.
I can watch it all the time.
Have to appreciate VFX of the series. It didn't look bad or creepy.
Songs of the series is 10 out of 10. It's awesome. Listen to its songs all the time.
I want a Second Season.
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Best Chinese drama for me since decades
I really enjoy TTEOM. The ML and FL has top notch chemistry. Story gives a lot of lessons in life.Life lessons from the drama:
1. Your wife maybe the second person in life to love you aside from your mother. Your wife will care for you, teaches you to love and forgive, and she wants you to be a good person.
2. Be kind, love each other, forgive one another, communicate because death can happen anytime. And you don't want to regret.
3. Joy and happiness don't mean you acquire all earthly objects and power. It means you give happiness to others.
I am not disappointed at the story line nor at FL character and the sequences as I understand that each event will lead to the next. So I just let everything be and enjoy the drama's progressing. The story makes sense to me.
Custom: I am not a big fan of hair decoration for male characters. But it's ok since the production wants everyone to be pretty 😍. I love ML most in black and at the beginning where he was wearing simple outfits with less hair decoration. Yunxi is very good looking in black. Love him in black the most especially toward the two last few episodes. FL outfits were all beautiful 😍.
I highly recommend TTEOM to everyone. Not watching it means you are missing the masterpiece of Yunxi and Bai Lu. TTEOM is a very sad, painful, yet joyful drama. ML knows how to make you smile and cry with him. You will learn to love him as you journey through the drama with him. You can actually visualize your as him and being with him through his sorrow and happiness. The he express through his emotions, facial, actions, and tone of voice just make your heart melt and forever remember him in your heart. He and FL are unforgettable. I hope you will not miss this incredible experience as only a few drama can literally portray this into you.
I am hooked on TTEOM when I started watching it. Now I cannot move on. Still rewatching the drama.
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A simple review after finished the drama
Just finished the drama 1 days ago, and I'd like to say that the story is written well and performances of each actors and Actresses is among the best. But I can only give 7/10 rating because although I've finished it most of the time i couldn't get myself immerse in this drama at all. Reasons is as below:1. The make-up of most characters just make me feel "not right". I really love Bai Lu but her make-up when she first become Ye Xiwu is not smooth and i can see all the powder on her face while doing closeup shoot then every time I saw Tantai Jin demon look I feel funny, the eye shadow is just to much. Another thing is Mo Nv make-up when she dress as demon, the eyes thing just doesn't match with the face makeup at all. Oh and the make-up of Pian Ran during the night she meet Ye Xiwu for 2nd time is the legendary " pale face with different body skin color".
2.The customs when they became immortal sect disciples make me have alot of questions. Well I understand that they're main lead, but why their clothes is so outstanding? Like when you see Cang Jiumin, you don't think he is a disciple but a Prince or even the king while compared to other diciples it is just to much gaps.
3. Why those Immortal sect diciples look more like they're some kind of people who do weird cultivation in Wuxia drama rather then immortal cultivation in Xianxia drama? Because in my brain those immortal sect cultivator even if they're not as beautiful as the Heroes and heroine they still look good, but those diciples is just...look out of place.
4. There is some part of the story that when it presented it just make me have questions for example: the Ming Ye and Demon god that just look the same, and the Mo Nv and Tian Huan, another thing is "How come the 12 god is so weak 😅 they can't even seal 1 demon god much less talk about kill him" maybe they're not the main lead 🤔 and one more thing is "How can people go to sleep with full make up like that" or maybe it just me who seem to have alot of questions 😂.
5. The 2nd lead pair sometime make me feel that they're unimportant. Like whether their love exists or not it doesn't effects the story at all. They just overly promoting the CP but there is no chemistry between the two actors.
About the Characters:
1. Bai Lu is good at portraying her characters. I love her more when she dresss as devil/demon (I know her from Lu Zhaoyao, and love her since then)
2. Ye Bingchang/Tian Huan/Mo Nv really ruined Chen Duling image in my heart 🤣. Chen Duling image in my mind is "The well-behaved introverted school belle, who is not very good at talking but very good at observing other" but her expression as Ye Bingchang, Tian Huan and finally Mo Nv make me hate these characters so much that i have to prised her acting as bad person. To say the true I am really expecting this drama because two of my favourite actresses (Dudu and Bai Lu) are the main cast to the point that i have to pay for Youku VIP ( I've never do this before) but I have to pause it many time to settle down my anger on Ye Bingchang and Tian Huan (I almost drop it in episode 12 but somehow the cut scene of Mo Nv with Si Ying help me continues). Mo Nv is a better version of Ye Bingchang and Tian Huan her character development is grate. I can say all the 3 versions of her are smart.
3. Wang Yifei portraying as a white-haired demon look so good! Yes she looked good in the Black hair scene too, but I love her more with white haired, I can't take my eyes of her! And her acting as demoness is great and suit her well. I thought that Si Ying would have listened to Mo Nv and stop being obsessed with reviving demon god, because I don't think him bringing her along to have a home is worth her sacrifice, i mean i really wish her to betray the demon god (she is the demon after all)
4. Mo Nv truly love Si Ying (because Si Ying truly love her too) but her love for Gongye Jiwu is just regrets that she had with Xiao Lin.
My most favourite scene of this 40 ep drama is not the main lead scene, but the scene when Jing Mie was playing with dolls that he thought it referred to himself and Si Ying,he look abit silly and the two of them in this scene is just too adorable for me 😊.
Overall it is recommended to watch for those who don't have alot of questions for director like me.
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Confusing and disappointing.
After waiting YEARS for this drama it finally came out and its... not the best. Despite the fact that the drama has been delayed for years and everyone has been expecting it. Absolutely everything looks unfinished unpolished and cheap. I'm not really sure what setting it's supposed to be in, and some of the costume choices are almost insulting to the eyes. Theres wayyyy too much plastic, fake fur, and feathers.Some of the songs are bangers but everytime I hear an electronic pop song in the BG, my blood pressure rises. After starting off incredibly strong the quality starts to dip after episode 10 or so? I think that the show could have benefited from having it story simplified or a longer run time, so it could have an ending that actually makes sense and is capable of providing closure for a viewer.
The best thing about the show was the explosive chemistry between Bai Lu and Luo Yunxi. They were too hot for words. As an adult I'm glad the drama is not chaste, and showcases some passion.
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