This review may contain spoilers
Pretty Good - to a Point - Still worth the watch
This was really good but not great. To be fair, I’m not a huge fan of Chinese historical/fantasy dramas (I like Korean series like this a bit more), even the ones where a character gets pulled into another world and the story splits time between modern and ancient settings—they’re rarely my first pick. Still, this show was entertaining enough to keep me watching all the way through. The interplay between the characters was genuinely fun, with great banter and dynamics that carried a lot of the episodes. I wish there had been more demon-fighting action spread throughout—like more good guys kicking demon butt against various lesser demons leading up to the climax—and less emphasis on the drawn-out buildup to the one big final battle with the Resentful Woman (the major demon antagonist). The whole story centered on that huge confrontation, which I understand was the big moment, but with the game-like setup (system tasks, bindings, levels), I expected more progressive plot flow with multiple smaller demon battles along the way. As a "Demon Hunter" fan, those action sequences were a highlight for me, and the show’s visuals in those moments were often stunning. Yu Shuxin’s performance as Ling Miaomiao was her usual bubbly, exaggerated, silly style that a lot of people criticize, but it genuinely fit the character—a modern girl who’s suddenly thrust into this serious demon-hunting world and reacts with humor and chaos.
I especially loved Ling Miaomiao’s relationship with the little bamboo demon; it added such a sweet, heartfelt layer.
Mu Sheng’s initial coldness and hardness toward her was compelling; I do love the classic trope of the icy, dangerous male lead who only softens for the female lead, Ling Miaomiao. That said, his constant willingness to murder her was a little tough to fully get past. Yes, it was all within the novel/game world, and she knew the “plot,” but from his perspective it was real, so it made her falling for someone capable of that feel a bit complicated.
I seriously loved Ling Miaomiao’s dad in the novel world—such a warm, lovable character. I wish he’d had way more screen time. I also would have liked if he had somehow still been alive when she came back to reality.
Liu Fuyi (the second male demon hunter) felt a bit flat early on—he didn’t appear much at first, and when he did it was mostly “my master” loyalty with little personality shining through. He became more defined and interesting later, which helped. But I had no attachment for him early on. He felt expendable in the beginning like a character that could have lost a battle and it wouldn't have much mattered. Had he been a developed a little more early on then his relationship in the later episodes would have been all the more compelling.
The humans-falling-for-demons (or demon-related beings) trope was harder for me to buy into. I know Eastern fantasy lore treats “demons” (yao) differently—not always purely evil like in Western stories—so I mentally recategorized Mu Sheng more as a tragic demi-god type to make it work for me personally. Otherwise it is a struggle to accept "nice" demons or just misunderstood demons if I accept them as such. I have to give them another category in my own mind to get past that.
One recurring confusion (shared by a lot of reviewers) is whether this is a book or a game world. It references both constantly—sometimes it feels like she transmigrated into a novel she read, other times the system tasks, levels, and bindings scream otome game. From what I’ve seen discussed online, it’s fundamentally a novel transmigration story with heavy game-like system mechanics, which is super common in this genre and explains why it feels like both.
I recently read that the Chinese government has been cracking down on cold-CEO-marries-impoverished-girl Cinderella tropes for setting unrealistic relationship expectations among young women. If that’s the case, I’m not sure how the completely fantastical idea of a human falling for a kind demon is any more grounded—we all have our priorities, I guess!
No regrets watching it at all—it was fun and well worth the time. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre, loves the actors, or wants a mix of romance, comedy, and fantasy action. I’d probably mention to close friends that the ending is disappointing so they’re prepared, but I wouldn’t spoil it for others. Would I watch it again? Probably not—the ending drags it down too much for a rewatch.
Detailed Spoilers
The biggest disappointment for me—and it seems for a huge chunk of the audience—was the ending. They spent shockingly little time on Ling Miaomiao’s return to reality. We find out Mu Sheng was essentially the author (or the real-world inspiration behind the story), and their brief school interactions hinted he already liked her, but the “reunion” is literally just him calling her name. It felt like the entire romance was being reset without giving us any payoff or development in the real world.
That lack of closure hit especially hard with the little bamboo demon—her relationship with him in the novel world was one of my absolute favorite parts, and seeing him in reality with just a passing moment of déjà vu and no real tie or future connection was heartbreaking.
The water demon scene was a massive highlight for me: the kidnapping, Mu Sheng coming to the rescue, the world literally flipping, and the gorgeous black-and-white world with pops of color in the costumes and scenery—it was visually stunning and one of the most memorable sequences in the whole show. More moments like that would have been perfect. That was what I felt like I signed up for in the whole set up of the premise. Them fighting progressively harder demons. And main girl gaining power over time. It went a bit different than that.
So disappointed that it didn't seem she was going to have real relationships in real time with all the characters she had built connections with in the game/novel. There was that déjà vu moment with the bamboo demons, but there’s no real follow-through. Presumably Mu Yao, Liu Fuyi, and others are based on real people he drew from, but we get zero closure on whether Ling Miaomiao ever reconnects with their counterparts or rebuilds those friendships. The friendships were genuinely fun and added a lot to the show, so dropping them entirely felt like a waste. And what about everyone left in the novel world? It felt so real while she was there. So, it genuinely felt like they were all just left hanging.
Another major frustration: the leads never share a proper kiss until a weird, brief moment in a special/post-credits scene. Without that physical moment, the romance never fully felt “sealed”—they came across more like super close buddies than a couple in love. A little intimacy goes a long way to sell the emotional stakes. Many reviewers echo this complaint, noting that while the second couple (Mu Yao and Liu Fuyi) got actual kiss scenes and more chemistry, the main leads conspicuously avoided it. Speculation points to possible actor preference (Zhang Linghe has had limited on-screen intimacy in some projects), production choices, or censorship—Esther Yu clearly has no issue with kiss scenes in her other dramas. Whatever the reason, it left the romance feeling incomplete for a lot of us.
Overall, a fun, addictive watch with great tropes and characters, but the rushed ending and lack of romantic payoff kept me from feeling it deserved to rate higher.
I especially loved Ling Miaomiao’s relationship with the little bamboo demon; it added such a sweet, heartfelt layer.
Mu Sheng’s initial coldness and hardness toward her was compelling; I do love the classic trope of the icy, dangerous male lead who only softens for the female lead, Ling Miaomiao. That said, his constant willingness to murder her was a little tough to fully get past. Yes, it was all within the novel/game world, and she knew the “plot,” but from his perspective it was real, so it made her falling for someone capable of that feel a bit complicated.
I seriously loved Ling Miaomiao’s dad in the novel world—such a warm, lovable character. I wish he’d had way more screen time. I also would have liked if he had somehow still been alive when she came back to reality.
Liu Fuyi (the second male demon hunter) felt a bit flat early on—he didn’t appear much at first, and when he did it was mostly “my master” loyalty with little personality shining through. He became more defined and interesting later, which helped. But I had no attachment for him early on. He felt expendable in the beginning like a character that could have lost a battle and it wouldn't have much mattered. Had he been a developed a little more early on then his relationship in the later episodes would have been all the more compelling.
The humans-falling-for-demons (or demon-related beings) trope was harder for me to buy into. I know Eastern fantasy lore treats “demons” (yao) differently—not always purely evil like in Western stories—so I mentally recategorized Mu Sheng more as a tragic demi-god type to make it work for me personally. Otherwise it is a struggle to accept "nice" demons or just misunderstood demons if I accept them as such. I have to give them another category in my own mind to get past that.
One recurring confusion (shared by a lot of reviewers) is whether this is a book or a game world. It references both constantly—sometimes it feels like she transmigrated into a novel she read, other times the system tasks, levels, and bindings scream otome game. From what I’ve seen discussed online, it’s fundamentally a novel transmigration story with heavy game-like system mechanics, which is super common in this genre and explains why it feels like both.
I recently read that the Chinese government has been cracking down on cold-CEO-marries-impoverished-girl Cinderella tropes for setting unrealistic relationship expectations among young women. If that’s the case, I’m not sure how the completely fantastical idea of a human falling for a kind demon is any more grounded—we all have our priorities, I guess!
No regrets watching it at all—it was fun and well worth the time. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre, loves the actors, or wants a mix of romance, comedy, and fantasy action. I’d probably mention to close friends that the ending is disappointing so they’re prepared, but I wouldn’t spoil it for others. Would I watch it again? Probably not—the ending drags it down too much for a rewatch.
Detailed Spoilers
The biggest disappointment for me—and it seems for a huge chunk of the audience—was the ending. They spent shockingly little time on Ling Miaomiao’s return to reality. We find out Mu Sheng was essentially the author (or the real-world inspiration behind the story), and their brief school interactions hinted he already liked her, but the “reunion” is literally just him calling her name. It felt like the entire romance was being reset without giving us any payoff or development in the real world.
That lack of closure hit especially hard with the little bamboo demon—her relationship with him in the novel world was one of my absolute favorite parts, and seeing him in reality with just a passing moment of déjà vu and no real tie or future connection was heartbreaking.
The water demon scene was a massive highlight for me: the kidnapping, Mu Sheng coming to the rescue, the world literally flipping, and the gorgeous black-and-white world with pops of color in the costumes and scenery—it was visually stunning and one of the most memorable sequences in the whole show. More moments like that would have been perfect. That was what I felt like I signed up for in the whole set up of the premise. Them fighting progressively harder demons. And main girl gaining power over time. It went a bit different than that.
So disappointed that it didn't seem she was going to have real relationships in real time with all the characters she had built connections with in the game/novel. There was that déjà vu moment with the bamboo demons, but there’s no real follow-through. Presumably Mu Yao, Liu Fuyi, and others are based on real people he drew from, but we get zero closure on whether Ling Miaomiao ever reconnects with their counterparts or rebuilds those friendships. The friendships were genuinely fun and added a lot to the show, so dropping them entirely felt like a waste. And what about everyone left in the novel world? It felt so real while she was there. So, it genuinely felt like they were all just left hanging.
Another major frustration: the leads never share a proper kiss until a weird, brief moment in a special/post-credits scene. Without that physical moment, the romance never fully felt “sealed”—they came across more like super close buddies than a couple in love. A little intimacy goes a long way to sell the emotional stakes. Many reviewers echo this complaint, noting that while the second couple (Mu Yao and Liu Fuyi) got actual kiss scenes and more chemistry, the main leads conspicuously avoided it. Speculation points to possible actor preference (Zhang Linghe has had limited on-screen intimacy in some projects), production choices, or censorship—Esther Yu clearly has no issue with kiss scenes in her other dramas. Whatever the reason, it left the romance feeling incomplete for a lot of us.
Overall, a fun, addictive watch with great tropes and characters, but the rushed ending and lack of romantic payoff kept me from feeling it deserved to rate higher.
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