Cold Devil, Soft Fairy, and Surprisingly Sincere Storytelling
Want a forbidden romance between the dainty and pretty Fairy and a cold-hearted and a handsome Devil? No problem! a fan of xianxia with its own fantasy world and lore? Say no more, because Love Between Fairy and Devil has got it all covered!
To be frank, forbidden romance is something that is overdone so much by now, that I shouldn't have been tempted to try watching it for the nth time.
But watching countless TV shows, movies, and C-dramas has taught me this: it doesn't matter how overdone a trope or a story is; if done correctly; it can still draw the audience and be a gem on its own!
And so is the case with LBFAD. The cute and pretty Orchid is accidentally put in the path of the Moon Supreme (our Devil) and without meaning to, sets him free from his eternal imprisonment. It's a pretty typical setup in C-dramas for making two characters who wouldn't usually and logically meet, stick and go on their journey together. But I don't have any complaints; it was the journey afterwards and their interesting and hilarious interactions between these two leads that made the drama an absolute blast to watch!
The other characters were also well written and the story is well constructed; the stakes are real and interactions between characters feel real and authentic. I never felt any emotion, sadness or happiness, portrayed on the screen fake or any emotional scene was there because of melodrama. And this really impressed me, because not once I was taken out of the story and felt deeply for its characters. It is remarkable, because in a lot of C-dramas (even some of the ones I really like), there's this issue of too much dramatization or a scene being too melodramatic. So with LBFAD it was noticeable and I really appreciated it.
But let's not forget about the cast! Especially our two leads Esther Yu and Dylan Wang, who play Orchid and Dongfang Qingcang, respectively. This is my first time watching them, and based on it alone, they both have the power to draw the audience. Of course, the script is very well written and possibly, the largest contributing factor to its success. But these two basically carry the show, and why not? Having watched my share of C-dramas, I can say without any doubt that Esther Yu has #! spot on being the cutest Chinese actor who can melt the heart of any mortal or immortal in the three realms!
Dylan Wang also perfectly portrays the ruthless moon supreme with a cold and unfeeling demeanor, feared by everyone. And it's this contrast and opposite personalities that make their interactions so interesting to watch. Secondary characters and cast members like Shangque and Jieli, are well cast too. But perhaps if I had one criticism about casting, it is that the actor and actress playing the current and former god of war don't really… look the part? Don't get me wrong, Zhang Linghe is a good choice for portraying the dashing, yet honor- bound immortal (who secretly loves Orchid), but he looks too soft to play god of war. The same goes for the actress that plays the former god of war too. But other than this, all of the cast members perform their roles brilliantly.
The customs, the sets and the overall look of the three realms were spot on and each felt distinguished. For example, you could tell by clothing, set design and hairstyles that who belonged to the Fairy realm, the Moon Tribe and the world of humans.
The songs for this one are not so many, but they're beautiful and convey the overall feel of the drama and the characters.
So, all in all, Love Between Fairy and Devil was a very memorable and satisfying experience for me. It's not flawless and the pacing slows down a bit at some points, but never stops and you always want to know what happens next.
In terms of xianxia genre, it doesn't beat Till The End of The Moon for me, but it comes second place or very close to it. It's not the hard-wrenching tragedy that is Till The End of The Moon. But it is equal parts joy and sorrow, wonder and grief and it is very sincere and authentic in its storytelling and in my eyes, a rare gem.
To be frank, forbidden romance is something that is overdone so much by now, that I shouldn't have been tempted to try watching it for the nth time.
But watching countless TV shows, movies, and C-dramas has taught me this: it doesn't matter how overdone a trope or a story is; if done correctly; it can still draw the audience and be a gem on its own!
And so is the case with LBFAD. The cute and pretty Orchid is accidentally put in the path of the Moon Supreme (our Devil) and without meaning to, sets him free from his eternal imprisonment. It's a pretty typical setup in C-dramas for making two characters who wouldn't usually and logically meet, stick and go on their journey together. But I don't have any complaints; it was the journey afterwards and their interesting and hilarious interactions between these two leads that made the drama an absolute blast to watch!
The other characters were also well written and the story is well constructed; the stakes are real and interactions between characters feel real and authentic. I never felt any emotion, sadness or happiness, portrayed on the screen fake or any emotional scene was there because of melodrama. And this really impressed me, because not once I was taken out of the story and felt deeply for its characters. It is remarkable, because in a lot of C-dramas (even some of the ones I really like), there's this issue of too much dramatization or a scene being too melodramatic. So with LBFAD it was noticeable and I really appreciated it.
But let's not forget about the cast! Especially our two leads Esther Yu and Dylan Wang, who play Orchid and Dongfang Qingcang, respectively. This is my first time watching them, and based on it alone, they both have the power to draw the audience. Of course, the script is very well written and possibly, the largest contributing factor to its success. But these two basically carry the show, and why not? Having watched my share of C-dramas, I can say without any doubt that Esther Yu has #! spot on being the cutest Chinese actor who can melt the heart of any mortal or immortal in the three realms!
Dylan Wang also perfectly portrays the ruthless moon supreme with a cold and unfeeling demeanor, feared by everyone. And it's this contrast and opposite personalities that make their interactions so interesting to watch. Secondary characters and cast members like Shangque and Jieli, are well cast too. But perhaps if I had one criticism about casting, it is that the actor and actress playing the current and former god of war don't really… look the part? Don't get me wrong, Zhang Linghe is a good choice for portraying the dashing, yet honor- bound immortal (who secretly loves Orchid), but he looks too soft to play god of war. The same goes for the actress that plays the former god of war too. But other than this, all of the cast members perform their roles brilliantly.
The customs, the sets and the overall look of the three realms were spot on and each felt distinguished. For example, you could tell by clothing, set design and hairstyles that who belonged to the Fairy realm, the Moon Tribe and the world of humans.
The songs for this one are not so many, but they're beautiful and convey the overall feel of the drama and the characters.
So, all in all, Love Between Fairy and Devil was a very memorable and satisfying experience for me. It's not flawless and the pacing slows down a bit at some points, but never stops and you always want to know what happens next.
In terms of xianxia genre, it doesn't beat Till The End of The Moon for me, but it comes second place or very close to it. It's not the hard-wrenching tragedy that is Till The End of The Moon. But it is equal parts joy and sorrow, wonder and grief and it is very sincere and authentic in its storytelling and in my eyes, a rare gem.
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