Love Like the Galaxy: Part 2

Loved and enjoy the first part. Loved and enjoyed the second part. It was so sad that it came to an end. All casts did amazing with their character even the support roles. This part made me fall more and more in love with the king who acted like a father to Ling Bu Yi and queen Shen An who continues to love and care for Shao Shang like her daughter. It was so sad to see her life come an end. It would be amazing to be able to watch this again for the first time. It was more angsty in this part, I dropped a few more tears than I did the first part. Again, Wu Lei and Zhao Lu Si did an amazing job!

Read More

An Unforgettable Story

* THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS! *

I initially started this drama because I wanted to watch more of ZLS work! I started Hidden Love first, but dropped it because I personally didn't enjoy it. I started this drama and I am so glad I did.

This was an unforgettable story. I enjoyed every minute and watched all 56 episodes without skipping. Each and every actor/actress played their role amazingly. The Emperor was one of my absolute favorite characters. Zicheng was such a stoic, devoted, brutal character - just wow! Niao Niao was funny, clever and strong.

This drama has it all for me.
- Great story
- Amazing talented actors/actresses
- Made me laugh and cry
- Great character development
- Slow burn
- Action!!! (Honestly one of my favorite scenes was when Zicheng killed his Uncle - holy moly)
- ML is totally devoted and won't let any other girl in his way

My only complaint is that we never got the wedding scene we deserved! I think the ending was a bit rushed and honestly a few more episodes would have been nice to tie the story all together. But a happy ending nonetheless.
A must watch! Quite possibly the best drama I have ever watched!

Read More

One of the best historical drama. Perfect combination of script, director, and actors.

I watched this drama because of the main actor Leo Wu, whom I saw in another drama and I was very moved by his performance. I wanted to see how she does in other dramas and I was not disappointed!

This drama is actually complete in every way:
the cinematography - which was very good - the camera manipulation - the slow, steady movement of the camera and showing the emotions of the main characters was amazing!
Indeed, the director went to great lengths to recreate the atmosphere of the era, taking care of the details, from the costumes, the girls' hairstyles, to the scenography - great!
Casting - very good. Virtually everyone did their job. However, I personally do not like the actress Zhaoo Lu Si, whom so many adore. I watched several series with her and she plays very similarly everywhere, she is too childish for me, although funny and intelligent, but for me she lacks femininity, that something that at the end of the development of each character she plays, what should mature in her is a woman about mature emotions... I don't see it in this actress's game, she's like a spoiled kid... and romantic scenes with her participation are directed with a great distance to the partner... those kisses that should be engaged as the main characters' feelings develop, are the kisses of a 5-year-old child...it spoils these romantic moments. I've never seen this actress have more involved kissing scenes with the main characters ... I don't know if it's the fault of the script, the director or the actress herself, who has some restrictions in the contract about these scenes ...

I liked all the characters of the CSS family, even the annoying grandmother who was obnoxious at first, but in the end it turned out that she is not so bad and cares a lot about all her family members. I must also admit that the character of the emperor, who was very involved in the affairs of LBY and was a very positive character in the whole story, was presented very nicely. Also interesting characters of Empress Xuan and Consort Yue - for the first time I saw in the drama that both wives do not compete with each other, they do not fight, on the contrary, they support each other like sisters, which was great to see. They also did not compete when it came to children, and even the empress was objectively able to admit that her son with his character was not suitable for the future emperor. That's an impressive stance. I liked these two emperor's wives very much.
The opposite were the daughters of the emperor, generally these intrigues of the fair sex were unbearable. These young princesses were always competitive and intrigued - they had nothing better to do. Fortunately, the parents of the emperor and empress and consort did not accept these girls' behavior and rebuked them.

In general, in the Part2, I think that the revenge factor was thrown in again at the end, especially since the main characters were separated for 5 years and it wasn't really shown how they get back together... how CSS finally decides to forgive LBY - here's the scene in the last episode when she thought that he died and she would never see him again and in fact it was the only moment when she realized that she loved him .... and that's it ... you could safely throw away these unnecessary threads of revenge in the end, and focus on the close-up of the main characters of CSS and LBY... At the end of the last episode, they focused on a long scene of the CSS family, and you could not waste this time and show a shot of CSS and LBY's wedding, which scene was missing so much and I was waiting for this finale with wedding for so many episodes, and here the director came up with a pasta-like I'm dying with my family and only verbal information spoken by the emperor that there will be a wedding without his participation .... pointless, that's why I lower the plot to 8.5! I hope they can do an extra twist with that wedding scene!!!

In general, the best character for me was LBY - brilliantly played by Leo Wu - a complex character of an intelligent general whose traumatic childhood experiences made him cold, secretive, distrustful, eager for revenge, but with his heart in the right place, especially in relation to CSS., for whom he changes dramatically by showing love, tenderness, passion, infinite patience and indulgence of her, forgives her every time for her mischief. LBY wanted revenge for killing his family and didn't assume he would fall in love in the meantime and that it would be that young 15 year old CSS girl. However, he fell in love, and from now on he had difficulty balancing love and the pursuit of revenge. In the end, he chooses to take revenge on his "alleged father" or rather uncle and does a terrible carnage - this scene was hard to watch and he sacrifices his love of CSS. He knew that CSS was most afraid of being abandoned by his loved ones and "betrayal", he knew that he would be forgiven, but he chose revenge ... only in exile he realized that it was the wrong choice - he alluded to in the last episode in an interview with CSS. For me, the role was brilliantly played and these hot emotions in the LBY and CSS scenes, including in the first part when she pulled the arrowhead out of LBY's body and their first closeness, when LBY zooms in on his face staring at CSS - great.

CSS as the main character in Part 1 was empathetic and likeable. Shaoshang of Part 2 is immature and frustrating to the point of being dislikeable, but it was supposed to be like that, I suppose. However, I couldn't stand her stubbornness, which stayed until the very end of the series, even though it had been 5 years since the breakup with LBY and she was almost 21 years old, she still had this anger towards LBY and his "betrayal" and digested it constantly without sense not being able to forgive.... the scene when after the death of the empress Xuan they made the empress' favorite juice and talked about the future, when the CSS stated that she was going her own way without him, it was heartbreaking... how can you continue to be so stubborn and anger..she didn't give him a chance, even though he asked her for forgiveness...horrible! He had to almost lose his life again for her to get the hang of it and understand that she couldn't live without him... so here I missed the development of this character... after so many years she should mature and not be guided by anger, stubbornness...

What I really liked about this drama was the very nicely intertwined humorous and comic threads... and especially one scene when LBY, in love, decided to become friends with the CSS family and one day he did exercises for them in the yard - I just cried laughing at the the sight of the CSS siblings and the servants exercising with weights... their faces and eyesight... it was not proper to refuse them, so they gave in to these exercises, which turned out to be very demanding - great scene!
The side characters are well developed, bringing both comic relief.
Rewatching value - 10 ! I already rewatched the first and second season. I recommend it - you have to watch it.

Read More

A bit too much political drama, a bit too little romance - only slight hints at spoilers

I was slightly disappointed with Part 2 of this amazing series. After finishing Part 1, I immediately jumped on Part 2, hoping to get a bit more fluff from the main leads' relationship. But unfortunately, I did not get such satisfaction.

The plot of the series remains to be spectacular, with numerous twists, and exploring difficult themes such as death and betrayal. And the political bit of the series was captivating, with ML seeking revenge, and the involvement of many other high-ranking officials as well. I love how the King, Queen and Royal Consort, always remains to be supporters of LingBuYi and ChengShaoShang, especially loving CSS's relationship with the Queen. I was missing scenes of CSS with her family, as she mainly stays in the palace for training, but this was redeemed with the Queen acting as her mother.

While ML and FL do have their sweet moments, they have always lacked communication. And this issue was never resolved, even until the end of the series. I felt that the ending of the series was too shocking, and let me down quite a bit, as I did not expect such a thing to happen, nor did I want to see such a short reconciliation. Both leads had ideals and beliefs that were too conflicting, even basically opposites, and this conflict was never resolved between them, with neither of them seen to reach a compromise. This leads to a worrying question - if a similar situation arises, won't that mean a certain break-off of their relationship?

While binging all 56eps have certainly kept me on my toes, and I did not feel bored even after finishing the series. I thought the sweetness of the romance was quite lacking. Although romance may not have been the only main focus, it should've been more elevated. And communication should've been established between ML and FL, with mutual trust, which was sadly sorely lacking in their relationship.

Read More

i have a lot to say like so much
this is probably the longest drama ive ever watched and the fact i watched it on a total whim after seeing some humor edits on yt.
there is really no way i could sum up the whole series in a few lines cuz 56 episodes was a lot and i assure u none of them were fillers. every episode had its purpose and even tho it might seem a bit overwhelming to watch all of that it is all so worth it
lets start with the characters. i watched the whole drama for 2 weeks. at first i was determined to finish it in a few days but the number of episodes overwhelmed me and i dragged it around lmao. i still remember vividly the first few episodes. ling buyi and cheng shaoshang meeting for the first time, them starting on a rough path which gradually led to zisheng noticing shaoshang everywhere if she is in close proximity and that evolving to him going everywhere to protect her. their relationship was so pure and full of heartful moments. they might not have been intimate but really everything they went through together put them above everyone else. im not even bluffing i could feel like im growing with them throughout the drama it was so slow paced and their oove was portrayed as such a warm and lovely feeling
my other fav characters include yuan shen, the empress, empress and concubine yue. ugh i love the rulers' trio sm. all 3 of them have their own virtues and talents which led them to be he most powerful trio ugh i loved them so so much. its all thanks to the emperor and empress that shaoshang and zisheng grew up to be so sensible and caring for their surroundings. concubine yue was one of my absolute favs cuz she roasts people day and night like its her side job and we love her for that (she isnt rude she just pricks people with the right words at the right moment and ofc to people who deserve it) the relation between the empress and concubine was also divine. time and time again we were proven people can co-exist if they are good enough.
yuan shen was also one of my most fav characters. he always had that warm "im gonna protect shaoshang like a brother" aura for me. he might've been in love with her but honestly? he was more like a brother / bsf. he used to talk to her whenever she had worries and they used to fight sm ah ill miss them. u get REALLY attached when its a 56 ep drama lmao
last but not the least the cheng family and ofc yuanyi. i would like to say every mother in this drama got to learn parenting by taking caring of others' kids and every mother had a diff approach. yuanyi was wrong on a lot of accounts but i was glad she actually admitted to where she went wrong and tried to reconcile with shaoshang in the end.
i hated the third prince sm cuz i thought he was a bad person for beating up zisheng until i saw the real scene and realised it was all staged. the third prince had the best character development and honestly i went from extreme hate to extreme love for him he is one of my fav characters now lmao
love like the galaxy is one of a kind. it has just the right amount of drama and all a surplus amount of revenge plot. it has absolutely no unnecessary drama and i love it sm. u really cant go in expecting anything. everything turns out to be opposite of what normally happens in other dramas. i used to think romance of tiger and rose was lusi's best drama but this one changed my mind. idk if its lusi's unmatched chemistry with her leads or what but she always has a way of presenting the best. i really went to watch this show for shaoshang and ended up falling for wu lei no kidding.

Read More

A Love That Grows With Time

This review covers both Part 1 and Part 2 of Love Like the Galaxy.

Watching parts of this drama again made me realize I never wrote a proper review for it, and I can’t let that stand — this show deserves it. From the first scene to the last, I felt transported, not just watching the story unfold but living it alongside the characters.

The world feels vast and real, the politics and palace intrigue intense, yet all grounded by the heart of the story: Ling Buyi and Cheng Shaoshang. Their chemistry is extraordinary — every glance, every silent understanding, every shared burden makes you believe in them entirely. Their slow, painstaking journey toward trust and mutual respect is captivating, messy, and utterly human. Much of the yearning is Ling Buyi’s one-sided devotion for a while, which makes sense given Shaoshang’s tender age at the beginning of the drama. So if you prefer romance that blooms mutually from the start, keep that in mind. But it’s precisely this gradual recognition and growth that makes their eventual bond so rewarding.

Side characters added depth and life without stealing the spotlight. Yuan Shanjian, Lou Yao, Wan Qiqi, Yue Fei… each brought charm, humor, or a unique perspective, making the palace feel like a living, breathing place. Emperor Wen is a delight, always nudging Ling Buyi toward marriage with good-natured insistence, while the dynamic between the dignified Empress Xuan and straightforward Consort Yue was refreshingly healthy; seeing such a layered, non-toxic relationship between an Empress and a Consort was a real joy to watch.

Some side plots felt stretched, and a few filler scenes slowed the pacing; I wish the story had focused even more tightly on the main couple and their growth. Issues are sometimes resolved too easily, characters forgive too quickly, or it seems like many “rescues” happen just in time. Yet, even when the narrative meandered, I never lost the emotional pull. The dialogue is interesting, the atmosphere immersive, and the performances solid from both mains as well as side characters. While I would have absolutely loved a proper wedding scene — the kind of celebration that would have truly sealed their story — the private vows beneath a star-filled sky made up for it entirely. That quiet, intimate moment felt like the universe itself was witnessing their promise to each other.
By the end, what stays with me isn’t just the romance, or the palace intrigue, or the plot twists. It’s the way the drama made me feel: transported, invested, carried away.

Rating: 8.0/10, upped up to 8.5 — because despite the writing/pacing issues, if you don’t take it too seriously it’s a wonderful watch; one of those dramas that makes you forgive every filler episode just because it feels that good.

Read More

One of the Best!

I have been putting off this title for soo long cuz I didnt quite like Zhao Lusi in The Long Ballad and I didnt think she would make a good main lead. But she definitely proved me wrong in Love Like the Galaxy. I must admit that this show stands almost at par with The Untamed and The Rebel Princess which are in my top favourite list, and her performance here was spectacular.

The show opened up with 15yo Cheng Shaoshang - FL - finally reunited with her parents who had left her in her grandmother’s care since birth to go for war. On the way home from where her grandmother made her stay, she met with our ML the 21yo great young general Ling Buyi on the hunt for a criminal, which turned out to be FL’s grand uncle (grandma’s bro). She showed him where she suspected the man to be hiding, which was in a strawpile in front of the small hut she lived in. This is where FL caught ML’s eye. It was like love at first sight, though he had only seen her hand at that time.

When she thought her life would be better now that her parents are home, it turned out to be even worse when her tiger soldier mom could not accept the daughter that she turned out to be - illiterate, brash, full of trickery with a loose mouth of rebuttal. The mom tried to make up for those years she lost of raising and educating FL, but it made FL hate her even more due to the harsh educating method. The mom also openly favoured FL’s cousin who was well-read, gentle, and compassionate. As FL traverse her new life with a full family that she couldn’t seem to fit in, she learned to grow into a mature young lady under the wings of the empress when ML asked the emperor for her hand. ML was the last descendent of the Huo clan, which the emperor was hugely indebted to, thus had ML raised by the Empress. With FL, he too traversed his life to avenge the extermination of his clan while at the same time fighting for the woman whom he loved.

I totally totally love love love this show. I love how they are more focussed on the familial affection than romance between the main leads. Although FL had a hard time bonding with her mom, she was on an extremely good terms with her dad, her 2 brothers (1 was actually her twin), and the demure cousin. There was no sibling rivalry at all despite their 15 year-estrangement, which i totally love. Am so tired of sibling fights, bickering and getting jealous at each other all day long. Its non existence in the Cheng Household is totally heartwarming. The only tension would only come from the mom-daughter banter as FL keep stirring up trouble whenever she got criticized by her mom and bullied by other girls outside.

I totally get the FL character. Imagine the emptiness in her heart, she was abandoned as a baby by her family and left in the care of those who doesn’t love her at all. She grew up having to rely on her own self without the ability to love other people. And even when her family returned, she still found herself drowning with her mom’s constant criticisms and complaints of her shortcomings. She was drowning and eager to grab a life line, something that her parents should have provided but failed to do so, and that was why she was quick to accept her first bethrothal and then ML’s, thinking that it was her ticket to freedom.

Although I am not a fan of damsel-in-distress type of character, which the FL is, i totally love her guts. She has no physical prowess, with a body so frail that she would faint at extreme sadness or agitation, but her wit, intelligence and stubborness make up for that. Despite her gentle look, FL is extremely quick-witted, relentless and unyielding. She has no problem talking back to others with a sharp tongue in her defense, against whoever it may be. Her mom failed to appreciate her strengths, but the Empress did, and it is understandable that FL quickly allevated her as a mother figure. I was super satisfied when FL decided to stay with the Empress in isolation, leaving her home without much qualm. Back then, her mom had left her for the loyalty to the emperor, and now when she bade farewell, she said she too chose loyalty to the empress over filial piety. What a great “in your face” moment though FL had not meant it to be a revenge. I loved FL mom’s character because she is a tiger mom like me, but it is still so satisfying to see her take her own medicine. I can’t forgive her for favouring Yangyang and keep denouncing FL in public over and over again.

Leo Wu had proven his talent in The Long Ballad, so I totally know he’d definitely be able to pull off the fierce general look, and a love stricken lover. ML is basically hell bent on taking a revenge on his clan’s extermination, and is ruthless in seeking out the truth. Him being most favoured person of the emperor made him almost untouchable. Although he was busy investigating, he realized he could not miss out a chance at romance too. And so when FL’s first bethrothal was rescinded, he immediately asked for her hand in public, without even asking if she would be okay with it or not. It showed how much confidence he has in himself, and he made sure she could not refuse by shamelessly asking the emperor to do it for him, putting FL’s parents in a tight spot. ML is a resilient soul, very similar to FL, and as they get to know each other, they realized although they very much love each other, they still lost sight of accepting each other’s shortcomings, which had cost them very dearly.

This is the first show ever that I saw where the empress and the concubine got along with each other, and they are not even pretending to be just for the sake of looks. The Emperor is quirky and lovable and I totally ship them three. Their love for the ML and for each other is truly genuine and pure. And as usual, ML’s two sidekicks always get my vote of favourite goofy characters. I don’t know how they do it, but in most of military oriented shows like this, the ML always have two sidekicks with opposite characters, 1 usually serious and 1 goofy and every time, they always caught my eyes and make it to the favourite spot. Ah Qi and Ah Fei, you guys rock!

The fights are excellently choreographed, one of the best I’ve seen without the flying or superhuman sh!t, and this is also the first show that I’ve seen where people don’t vomit blood for every injury they have. In here, even as they were being hit on the abdomen repeatedly, all i see was water or saliva coming out of the mouth, and no blood. Now that is what I call realistic! It is so stupid to see injuries like sword wound or pierced by an arrow or beatings on the butt and yet they vomit blood. Duh 😒🙄 oh and the show doesn’t pull off any poisoning or amnesia trope either. 👍🏼

All in all, the screenplay is so damn good. It is 56 episode long, but it didnt feel like that due to how engaging the story is. And although none of the main and major support roles died, I still cried buckets due to the emotional rollercoaster they put me on. This title couldve gotten an all 10 points from me had they not slacked a bit on the music side. None of the OST caught my ears or stayed in my head, so there goes the music category.

However, this is also the first show that I wished it had a tragic ending. I wished FL died on that cliff on that few last episodes, and ML lived in regret forever. He had not suffered enough for abandoning FL at the earlier cliff scene. Too bad it had a happy ending instead.

Read More

The Drama That Gave Everything—Except the Ending

The second half of this drama shifts into deeper territory—after the characters’ growth and newfound understanding of life, they are confronted with the bitterness and harsh realities it brings. It’s here that the FL and ML truly discover where they stand, learning how to move beyond misunderstandings and finally come together as one.

At times, the very people around them became both the obstacles and the solutions to their struggles, showing just how intertwined relationships can be in shaping one’s fate. Unlike many dramas that leave you hanging, this second half gave us what we were waiting for—it delivered.

That said, I was left a little disappointed by the ending. After all that emotional build-up, the final scene of everyone simply standing together, looking up at the stars, felt underwhelming. The story deserved a stronger, more impactful conclusion to match the weight of everything that came before.

Read More

A bundle of Joy

I liked that this one did not have backstabbing and betrayal by family members. I felt there might be the typical cousin lover fight but there wasn't and the Cheng Family were very good to each other and entertaining to watch. I was damn impressed with Old lady Cheng, she cracked me up each time :) and there was a lot of cunning schemes and revenge done by the FL which gave me story of minglan vibe and the ML quest to uncover the truth of his _____ death was a long journey of 15 yrs it reminded me of yanxi palace in which FL goes from simple servant in the palace to imperial consort with tons of scheming to finally avenge her sisters rape and murder. Overall it's a good watch the only thing I felt it missed was not seeing them having a family of their own. A scene of them living Shang's dream of simple village kinda life or maybe a scene of Qiqi and Song's kids playing around with their Uncle Zisheng (ML). Ah it would have been a perfect ending. We also missed out on their wedding and the rest of the siblings. Those scenes would have made this the best of the best drama IMO.

Read More

Conspiracies!

Everyone she met was conspiring against her and Zisheng all the way to the end. It was obviously their fault for everything bad that happened to the conspirator (sarcasm present).
In the end, only 1 friend, 2 men who loved her, the emperor and empress and her family didn't betray her at some point besides Zisheng and his people. Everyone else, no matter how nice they seemed, had an agenda and wanted to end her life at some point.
Also, the emperor's consort aggravated my soul so much. I understand they were childhood sweethearts and that the emperor was forced to marry the empress by their family, but they didn't have to make her life miserable. The drove her so deep into depression, she later died of a broken heart. And I blame them. With the consort acting like she was so magnanimous and going to convince the emperor because she could, with their constant smiling and looking at each other with love like the empress didn't deserve love too. Even to the end, the empress called this rat a sister.

Read More

Not as good as Part 1

I loved Part 1 but Part 2 honestly didn't quite hit the same way. There are still some great scenes, but I had a lot of trouble with the pacing, and the romance moves to a pretty frustrating place. There's like 3 separate subplots (near-death experiences and all) crammed into the last three episodes alone, and we seem to skip over a lot of important moments to get there.

I will say that with all the dramatic scenes we get, Zhao Lusi and Wu Lei's acting really get to shine. They have wonderful chemistry and even though the plot itself might be frustrating, I can't lie — the angst is very satisfying to watch.

Read More

A Masterclass in Gaslighting and Narrative Sickness

If Part 1 was a struggle, Part 2 is a complete, utter narrative shipwreck. The writing abandons all common human decency. When the ML finally takes rough justice against the people who butchered his family, the story has the audacity to demonize him with foreboding music while his hypocritical parents cry self-serving tears.
The final arc is a horrific soap opera. From the ludicrous cliff-side murder attempt by General Zuo to the explosion caused by Wang Yanji, the plot is purely designed to provoke rage. The 5-year time jump is a disaster, and the FL's cold breakup while the ML is half-dead is the height of heartless storytelling. The most insulting part is the expectation that we accept a "Happy Family" finale where the abusive parents are forgiven with a honey cake and the grandmother is treated with reverence. It is pure sickness to frame this level of emotional neglect as "harmony." Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi give elite performances, but they are trapped in a script that is pure, unadulterated nonsense.

Read More