Moonlight Mystique

Juvenile

It feels like Bai Lu really wanted to shine in this drama but it became Till the End of the Moon 2.0 with her acting here being even worse than the prior production. Her character made no sense from the beginning with her distancing herself from her brother Chang Shao but then right after asking him if he had any useful information. Walking away from him with Fan Yue she gives him a look of condescension and arrogance like 'I won the bet and you're a loser', an expression that seems to be like her default expression for many scenes that required her to convey other emotions but she unfortunately just resorts to a cocky head tilt while delivering her lines.

The directing and script doesnt fare any better and the set designs are horrid with me questioning who okay'ed them all?? The plot revolves the same 4 leads saving each other time and time again with the predicatable plot and unnecessary side characters' stories offering nothing surprising to the stale narrative.

There is no single factor that is to blame for this mess of a production. From the start it seems like the investors were banking on good looking faces and Bai Lus fame to elevate it for ratings, but the overall result is a disappointment to those who wanted a more mature viewing experience. The 2FL at least tries with her acting and Ao Ru peng does a decent job given the circumstances, but nothing can save this disaster of a piece that (have I mentioned?) makes no sense? I sincerely pray this year will only get better as the dramas for 2024 have been unbelievably baddddd.

Chinese New Year is in 2 weeks so hopefully it will be a new start and a fresh wave of more decent dramas will follow and end this cdramaland drought.

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I am disappointed by how the story is told because of bad script.

I’m a fan of Bai Lu and Ao Rui Peng and I’ve been highly anticipated and waiting for this drama since casting. Because of trailers, I had high expectations for this.
But i have to admit that it’s not worth the wait sadly.
Both actors are great. Ao Rui Peng is a little bit off from character at first but he did great in later episodes. Bai Lu is awesome as usual and all supporting characters are also great.
The problem lies in script. Although it’s fact pacing, the comedy lines and scenes the writer putting are awkward. The chemistry between the leads off screen is good normally but because of script, it feel forced on screen. Also there’s so much background music even tho some scenes are not needed it. The story looks like forced to go on.
The directing is second problem. As for xianxia drama, it’s bad.
No memorable scenes, no climax scenes, no captivating writing (story) and it became boring to watch.
As a fan of both lead actors, it’s so sad to see the drama boring and flat (at least for me) even tho it’s S+ production.

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One of my Favorite Watch in 2025, Truly Entertaining!

One of my favorite watch ever, Bai Lu & Ao Rui Peng’s strong chemistry won me over!

I must admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of the prequel “Ancient Love Poetry”. I dropped it midway and never picked it up again. However “The Last Immortal” was a different story,I relished the storyline and enjoyed watching Zhao Lu Si romance Wang An Yu. Bai Lu & Ao Rui Peng live upto the precedent set up by their predecessors and lead the storytelling in a exemplary manner. There are very few shows that actually manage to keep to invested till the finale and “Moonlight Mystique” was one such romance. Everything from the storytelling to cinematography, costumes, settings and direction bears resemblance to the popular fantasy shows that China specializes in. Without wasting much time, let’s delve into the mechanics of this story and its variant characters!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2025/01/26/moonlight-mystique-series-review/#more-1523

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Not the best but enjoyable

Among the dramas currently airing in early 2025, this is the only one I’m still watching. There’s nothing particularly new or spectacular about this drama, but at least it’s not boring. The story follows the typical xianxia format: tragic pasts for the leads, a quest for revenge, a willingness to die for each other, the death of a beloved one, unexpected superpowers, etc. Despite its predictability, it’s still enjoyable if you’re looking for something to watch leisurely.

As for the acting of the main leads, Bailu is decent, as usual, but Ao Rui Peng doesn’t quite have the vibe of a “Demon King.” He doesn’t look intimidating or exude the aura of a king. To me, he doesn’t even seem particularly powerful. While he’s doing fine in other areas, I still feel something is missing in his performance.

The side stories are quite interesting as well. Up until the episodes I’ve watched, the tragic love between Rong Xian and Ling Long has been the most memorable. Some shots and filters used are questionable, but they don’t significantly affect the overall drama. After all, it’s a fantasy drama, so it’s best to shut off your logic and just enjoy it.

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Start a drama off with zombies and you've got my attention!

This drama is very interesting so far. Besides being a Bai Lu fan, the costumes and setting also drew me in. It's kind of giving me a xianxia shot in Ursula from the Little Mermaid's lair vibe. Loving that so far...

Story: All the characters are pretty interesting. I'll admit that I didn't really start liking Bai Shuo until they left her hometown. There wasn't enough emotional build-up prior to make me feel anything when she lost her father. I know that sounds terrible, but forcing this emotional trauma right in the beginning is one of the areas that detracts from my rating. That and I just don't think the bratty daughter image works for Bai Lu. She has a very mature face and voice so I don't buy her stomping around and fighting with her dad all the time. Their relationship just wasn't convincing to me. Anyway, moving on...

I enjoyed the Outlander City arc but from the Fox Clan arc up until the last 7 episodes dragged. This drama could've been 5-10 episodes shorter in my opinion. I didn't start enjoying the story again until Xing Yue and Jing Yuan's romance. And then it was short lived and done in 2 episodes. I actually loved their story so much and wish they had their own mini drama.

Characters: I'm impartial to Ao Rui Peng but there's no denying how cute he looks here. This may be his best looking character to date. As for his acting, both him and Bai Lu are far from terrible, but neither have ever moved me to tears before. I'm more a fan of Bai Lu's modern dramas because I feel her comedic performances are better than her emotional ones. Unfortunately, I'm just not feeling the love between these two yet, which is another detractor for my rating. They both look drop dead gorgeous, like you can't look away from either of their faces when they are on screen, but the romance hasn't grabbed me yet. Which is disappointing because off camera at public events, social media, variety shows etc...they have great chemistry and both look like fun/flirty people. Seeing their clips together is one of the things that got me excited to watch this.

BUT, the 2CP definitely has my attention. I liked Fu Ling right out of the gate. It's been a while since I've actually appreciated a good villain and I'm a sucker for the gorgeous but evil queen trope. Everything about her is captivating from her first appearance. She has this cute, beautiful face, she comes and goes by disintegrating into flower petals, and she has this adorable female baby Groot thing that follows her around. And yet, she is rotten as they come on the inside. Love it. Perfect villain. And now this little spark brewing between her and Chong Zhao has got me fully drawn into their story. It also doesn't hurt that the 2CP is equally as gorgeous as the main CP. I would love to see Chong Zhao as a ML in his own drama because wow is he pretty.

I'm hoping this drama ends as strongly as it started, but mainly I'm hoping the main romance kicks up and the acting improves a little more. Then I would definitely change my rating.

Cons:
-Fan Yue and Bai Lu are very pleasing to the eyes but not very convincing in their roles. I don't find Fan Yue that intimidating. From the start, it's obvious he has a hidden persona that isn't so bad. Bai Lu has too elegant of a face/aura for me to believe she is a bratty young girl. Also, it's pretty obvious from the start that Fu Ling is her older sister. But Fu Ling has a cuter, sweeter face which makes her look like she should be the younger sister.
-The main CP romance is hard to describe...it's not exactly a slow burn but there's also not a lot of passion leading up to them getting together so idk... but it's not doing as much for me as the 2 CP's story.
-The OST is borderline insufferable. These type of songs just aren't my taste and the same 2 are overused.

Funny/Memorable parts so far:
-Xixi (aka female baby Groot) If she's on screen, I'm smiling.
-Bai Shuo always getting the upperhand over Fan Yue and him getting frustrated after being outsmarted multiple times. Her getting bitten by a zombie on purpose was wild and his reaction was hilarious.
-The whole Mu period was great. He was sweet, earnest and adorable. This character had a more believable temperament for Ao Rui Peng. Besides his appearance, I still haven't gotten the menacing vibe from Fan Yue. Regardless, Mu is a definite favorite so far and went away way too fast. Also, afterwards Fan Yue being jealous of himself was too funny.
-Fu Ling. Her story is sticking with me. I feel for her the most. She was the most caring, protective and thoughtful little girl. If she had never been turned evil I truly believe she was a better person than Bai Shuo. Bai Shuo is just fiercely loyal to those she cares about but Bai Xi's actions are more inherently kind. Especially towards Chong Zhao bc Bai Shuo admitted she never cared for him. Even as a friend I always felt that Bai Shuo only prioritized him when it was convenient for her.
-Fu Ling & Chong Zhao's relationship has me fully invested.

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Too many contradictions in behavior

Couldn’t stand the constant consideration given to the worst and main culprit, by her peers and victims family and confidants, the characters Fu Ling and Chong Zhao talked about everyone’s else’s loyalty or lack there of, and the constantly saved each other or allowed or helped one another to escape, while lying to the people they were supposed to be loyal to as to why they helped each other. Then the people after Fuling talked too much and continued to allow her escape or be saved too ridiculous. I started watching this because of Bai Lu and ru peng but the bad script and acting of the 2nd leads was just too much. Dropped this series at the 18 th episode. Looking forward to something else by the 2 leads in the future.

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The acting is so over the top and stiff that it feels like the cast is reading from a script instead of bringing their characters to life. The cinematography is no better every shot is either too dark or too bright, with no sense of artistic direction, making it feel more like a soap opera than a grand historical epic. The CGI is laughably bad I’ve seen more convincing special effects in a 90s video game. And don't even get me started on the casting it's painfully obvious that the actors are way too old for their roles, which completely ruins the believability of the story. Instead of feeling immersed in a historical world, it’s like watching a group of middle-aged people trying to play pretend. This drama fails on every level. Well i don't know if it will be good in the future episode i will still continue to watch this though this was just my opinion no offense to anyone.

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Gorgeous cast, beautiful costume, beautiful makeup/hairstyles but way too many deaths.

I love the cast, one of the rare Chinese dramas where I like all the main cast (Bai Lu, Ao Rui Peng, Dai Luwa and Chang Hua Shen). The costumes and makeup in MM is insanely beautiful, I really want to know the name of the person in charge of it. The story is interesting but also feels forced in many aspects. It also turns repetitive, everyone in this drama is so eager to die, the death counts are crazy, almost everyone died, even Fan Yue died twice, nobody has a good ending except for FY & BS. But it doesn't truly feel like a happy ending when everyone else died imo :(

Love the cast, love the music, LOOOOOVE THE COSTUMES & MAKEUP but I don't think I would ever watch a drama written by Xing Ling again xD

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OK WHAT. This shocked me. I was not expecting this show to be this good. I watched it bc it was one of Bai Lu's highest rated shows and a new 2025 one and didn't expect anything out of the ordinary. But this literally almost deserves a 10. If I could rate it somewhere between 9.5 and 10 I would. But literally, Moonlight Mystique is amazing. Idk where they got that flowery extravagant name from which made me have a little speculation about the show, but it did not mean anything bad. Thankfully. Everything in this show is basically perfect. I thought Fan Yue (Ao Ruipeng) would stay dead and leave Bai Shuo (Bai Lu) to live her life alone in a cottage, but he returned as a real person at least, not a random ahh vision who appears under a tree shrouded in light. At least we get clarification that he's real unlike so many other xianxia dramas that have made me suffer through that typical "died and mysteriously appeared again" endings. The ending of a drama is really important for me tho idk why, but for this drama specifically was maily bc I lowk just needed closure after both Fu Ling/Bai Xi (Dai Luwa) and Chong Zhao (Chang Huasen) died painful deaths and I was expecting Bai Lu to kill her man to save the world which is not something she hasn't done before (cough cough TTEOTM), but Moonlight Mystique is genuinely good. There's no unnecessary drama between the two, the feelings get acknowledged, and the development between both main couples is well thought out. Shoutout to Tian Huo (Zhang Xin) who is dead, and the two ppl who liked her: Cang Shan (Cheng Tao) who is dead too and Mu Jiu (Chen Hongxin) who is dead three. Everyone close to the main couple are all dead. And that 1000 year turtle. Which I lowkey felt bad about. But overall, 100% recommend this show, go watch it now, it's really great.

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