Moonlit Reunion

synopsis is misleading | there are good moments but a lot of meandering

synopsis is misleading, there's no relevance to unique "seeing spirits" for either character, nor do they regularly work together to solve cases. Cases are short, but they're just a backdrop for the characters to interact. They each work separately without knowing the other's identity or capabilities.

Was entertaining up to ep 15, but then you start having other male love interests introduced and the story meanders. The main male lead Mei Zhu Yu gets very few scenes actually doing any Daoism, and any scenes last a couple seconds. It's overall moreso Wu Zhen's story.

The casting for Wu Zhen is perfect, her face looks exactly like a cat, though she has very prominent laugh lines that make her look significantly older. The child actress for Wu Zhen as a child is totally miscast, she looks like she's Indian or something. Would be a much better match for Princess Yuan Zhen.

There's a B-plot romances for Mei Si x Liu Tai Zhen, and Shuang Jiang x Hu Zhu. Mei Si x Liu Tai Zhen does seem to be resolving, but the Shuang Jiang x Hu Zhu doesn't seem to be going anywhere as of ep 19

edit 1: the scheming by many characters sucks, there's rat elder, Wu Zhen's childhood friend, ah Shu, Changxi sect leader, etc. Everybody's scheming, it's so annoying.

edit 2: completed. honestly wtf is the reveal. So Mei Zhuyu is the son of the previous cat lord, making him half demon. And when he went back in time, his dad put the demon core in him instead? But still gave the cat powers to Wu Zhen? So they're both half-demon? But I don't understand the what the bit about the lantern is—how is it important that the Cat powers were in the lantern and why did the evil guy look for Mei Zhuyu?

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A visual storytelling balanced so well with well developed character arcs.

MUST WATCH DRAMA IF YOU ALSO ENJOY WATCHING A DRAMA FOR THE STORY, PERFORMANCES & A MEANINGFUL IMPACT

This is my first time writing a review for a drama here because it is one of those beautiful dramas i would keep going for again and again but seeing it being so underrated (or maybe it is just me who feel so because my social media algorithms dont see it being promoted enough or influencers talking about it) makes me feel sad about the efforts the makers and performers here put in. let me do it point wise.

STORY
A 9.5 for me not because it lacked but because sometimes the editing felt choppy and after watching a couple of C DRAMAS i know how its a rushed finale due to episode restrictions and same happened here as well. But rest assured it still is a beautiful watch.


PERFORMANCES
1. General - the one thing i love about C dramas is they have such fine artists - not only the leads even the suppprt cast and the guests have performed so well.

2. Main leads
XK - i have already watched so many of his dramas and i have loved him in almost every of them because there is something genuine in his eyes when he performs and i dont find that sincerity in so many popular actors, so however long his role is, whatever kind of role it is i always love watching him onscreen. Also a heads up - An emotionally wrecked XK onscreen could be harmful for your eyes, cried so much here. (be it AMA, WONDERLAND OF LOVE, SAHPH, ABAY , my favs of his among all of his works i have watched so far).
TXW - it was for my 1st time watching TXW and she already made me her fan, waiting for Chasing jade feels terrible now :-)
CHEMISTRY - i am already waiting for their next collaboration and that explains the wonderful chemistry they have created for us viewers(hopefully drama makers in china have witnessed the potential here). XU KAI AND TIAN XI WEI made us believe in the story of Mei Zhu yu and Wu zhen, not to talk about the amount of tears i kept shedding for them because even seeing them happy felt so personal.

3. Second Pair
Snake lord and Mei Si, this should be one of those few times i enjoyed watching second couple without feeling the absence of scenes of main leads. Their story was good, at times i waited for them for the fun, banter or even the intrigue of how -they -were- going- to- interact- this-time. Loved their performances.

4. Supporting cast -
Shu -lets just forget the death of SHU , because i loved his performance, the guy was in love with a girl and he just wanted the best for her and the actor performed the softness when he is with Wu zhen and the cruelty when he has to be the bad guy for the world so well... actor is charishmatic and i would sure wait for his next dramas.

Xi huan - The loach snake was such a lovely irony to Mei Si's usually dull life, the guy started off bickering but at the end he just made us love him more and feel for his journey.

Duke Wu, Shuang , Fox lord, Rat Demon, The Changxi palace masters, Mother of MZY, and every other regular or guest character were all so good in their performances.

OST AND BACKGROUND MUSIC

just like so many of fans, i also start noticing the BG & OST as soon as i start a drama because for stories it is one of the most imprtant keys to translate the emotions of the characters to us viewers better and MR didnt lack here, all OSTs are so beautiful and meaningful and they grow on you with time.

CINEMATOGRAPHY, FIGHT SEQUENCES AND VFX
I dont know a lot about these technical things but the colorful decor of Chang'an s night clubs, the subtle dark yet playful aura of demon land and then the secluded Changxi palace together gave off a mysterious vibe, perfect for this genre, the cinamatogrpahy and areal shots made the experience so rich it would take some time to not compare any new fantasy drama to compare with MR.
The fight sequences and the efforts the C dramas put in it , i have always appreciated that.
VFX - they made us believe in every supernatural thing that was happening onscreen and that credit goes to the VFX and the coordination of human and digital craftsmen.

ENDING

i found it a perfect one, the explanations were done right. i am happy there are still some stories where a viewer has to use his imagination and thoughts to conclude the story. (unconvenient but believe me it has a lovely ending).

WHY TO WATCH
-if you love to experience a story through the perspectives of all the characters involved.
-if you love to see the journey of a character and the developement it goes through as episodes roll.
-and if you love to watch a meaningful romance (the romance here was so beautiful and because it left us craving for more is the sign it was developed and performed so well.

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Idol drama to the core

Visually unique with the Demon Market and lavish Tang dynasty on stylish of the ladies but the styles of the men are a bit tacky. The story could hv been dark and mysterious but it turns out childish. Except for TXW and XK, the support roles performance are like school play to me. Mei Zhuyu has too little screen time compared to Wu Zhen and the supporting roles. I know Xu kai is under hot issue right now but it was ridiculous. He's a good actor and that is more important than his personal life. Overall this drama is not great bcs i kept slapping my forehead half of the time. My favourite character is the empress.

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A good comfort drama from start to finish ...although a little rushed hehe

If you're looking for a drama with little to no misunderstandings, good plot , great visuals and a slightly rushed ending that you won't be too mad at? Moonlit reunion is for you.

It started out as quite a slow paced drama which didn't really make sense but didn't really affect the viewing and then slowly it became intense and well acted out. The relationships in the dramas were fleshed out and although it may not be what we expect all in all it was a good drama that you can watch to pass time or if you're not in the mood to handle and usual cdrama misunderstandings nonsense.

Mei zhu Yu and Wu Zhen are really a beautiful couple hehehe

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good but a very slow process

Honestly, I ended up pretty disappointed.
I thought it would be something like FOF; where every 2–3 episodes have their own story that ties back into the main plot, but it wasn’t like that at all. The pacing was painfully slow, the side stories barely connected to the main narrative, and they only dropped real hints in the last 4 episodes while wasting the other 34 on filler.

At first, the short mysteries were interesting, but then it just became endless filler. We didn’t even get to see the leads in a proper battle or showcasing their full power. I wanted the mystery to unfold naturally, but instead everything got crammed together and resolved way too fast.
I really wanted the mystery to be solved together but everything wrapped up way too fast. There were so many unnecessary scenes too. I skipped all the parts with that book demon guy in the last episodes, he was super annoying, added nothing to the plot, wasn’t even a proper villain, and in the end he died in such a lame way.

The final arc was boring and rushed. They had so much potential to make it epic, but instead they filled it with so much new information.

My favs were the Snake Lord and the 4th brother. That’s why I hated the last plot twist where he suddenly got mad and threw all those cruel words at her. Like… why ruin my fav character?? Everyone else had growth, but he went downhill. I just decided to ignore that part so he’s still my fave.

The ending overall was way too rushed and confusing. I’d honestly prefer a sad ending over a messy one. So what happened to the ML? Is he a demon now? Half human, half demon? His dad was the cat demon?? Then how come he never knew he was half demon? He was so good at Taoism too, and there was zero hint about this before. Felt lazy and badly written.

That said… the production was INSANE. Cinematography was gorgeous, every frame looked like a painting. Xi Wei absolutely nailed her role, her crying scenes always make me tear up too, she’s just so talented.

At first I was so hyped for this drama, but in the end it let me down. The story was the biggest issue. Everything else was amazing. But half the episodes felt like fillers, and then they crammed all the important stuff into the last 4 eps.

There were definitely some flaws in the acting, certain scenes felt lacking, but on the other hand, there were moments that were absolutely brilliant. Xi Wei did an incredible job, and Wang Jiayi and Yao Da Qian were solid too.

I still don’t get why they had to kill the Snake guy. It honestly felt like they just wanted to throw in some last-minute tragedy, and it wasn’t necessary at all.

The OST was another highlight for me, after Kunning Palace, this is probably my favorite drama soundtrack. It fit the vibe perfectly.

And again, the production was out of this world. The lighting, camerawork, and overall visual direction were stunning. Especially in the early episodes, the camerawork itself added to the comedy, and it was brilliant. The set design was also so creative and charming, almost like watching a musical at times.

My ratings:
Acting: 8(iykyk)
Cinematography/Production: 10
Plot: 4
rewatch value: 3
OST: 10
Overall: 6

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what a waste ending

The novel is 10 times better than whatever this is.
Here's my quick review
* For those who watch all 38 episodes know best.
* For those who are waiting for the last 4 episodes, here's my best warning: just forget it, don't watch the remaining 4 episodes, only destroy this series for you, nothing else.
*and for those who haven't started watching my opinion skip it look for another series
if you still want to watch here are some tips
stop watching at episode 34 just don't watch the last 4 episodes
* For those who are fans of beautiful Tian Xi Wei and Xu Kai go ahead after all they are beautiful, but just don't let your fanning emotions overpower you and misguide other viewers that it is a good series when it is bad
(This is a whole series review, not some episode ending matters.) THAT'S IT.

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A must watch drama for everyone.

Xu kai proves he can act and maintain chemistry with everyone, god give him such a handsome face, it's the reason that fl fall for him and us too. I loved they kept their secret and worked together. Such a wonderful drama to watch. I feel bad for shu at the end such a cute villian. Anyway the demon and cultivator done their job great. Their is no extended drama to solve in the end, they just show all the plot as soon as possible, it help my anxious mind to relax and enjoy it better. FL and ML don't dwell in the past and goes like why it happened, they are understood each other really well. I loved it.

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