This review may contain spoilers
Moonlight Mystique: An Ethereal Masterpiece
Another month, another platform war.
January is yet another month dedicated to the inevitable war between the four major platforms in China, with Tencent banking on Guardians of the Dafeng, iQIYI coming back from the brink through the aid of Moonlight Mystique, Youku maintaining stable position with The Blossoming Love (also a xianxia), and MangoTV doing decently with Flourished Peony.
After much consideration, I decide to pick Moonlight Mystique since I can't binge all shows in one go (badly want to have a look at The Blossoming Love, though). FYI, I've been craving for a xianxia masterpiece since the breakout of Fangs of Fortune back in November. Let's see my thoughts about Moonlight Mystique below. Enjoy the ride...
So, Moonlight Mystique's plot revolves around an ordinary mortal girl named Bai Shuo, who accidentally absorbed a divine artefact under the moniker of Desireless Stone aka Contemplation Stone. Aside from that accident, she also must ally with the cunning master of Haoyue Palace, Fan Yue. Thus, they embarked on an adventure (alongside Fan Yue's two guardians - Cang Shan and Tian Huo) to gather the five contemplations - love, hate, kill, greed, and kindness. However, their journey was far from smooth as obstacles and threats kept coming on their way, especially from Lengquan Palace (Haoyue Palace's nemesis).
To be precise, the plot comprises of 6 different arcs which interconnect with each other in order to build a coherent story. Below, I'll explain the 6 arcs briefly (this is MAJOR spoiler, so you can skip it if you want to)...
1) Ning'an City "Rebellion with Poison" - Kindness
Ten years ago, Bai Shuo and Bai Xi were saved by an immortal, whose identity was unknown. To repay the immortal's kindness, Bai Shuo became obsessed with immortality since then (by the way, Bai Shuo was betrothed to Chong Zhao since their childhood years). Under Temple Master Sun's guidance, Bai Shuo went to the Unbridled Pavilion and encountered Fan Yue for the first time. Initially, they were distrustful of each other and used each other to gain what they wanted. However, things started to become chaotic after Bai Shuo absorbed Contemplation Stone, which was stolen from Lanling Sect by Fan Yue. Worse, Bai Shuo's incident didn't go unnoticed - Lengquan Palace was also aware of this event. To divert Fan Yue's attention, Lengquan Palace used Nether Poison to drug the whole Ning'an City. While the citizens were restless, they would take this opportunity to steal Bai Shuo from Fan Yue. Nevertheless, their plan was foiled due to unwanted circumstances including Bai Shuo's father Bai Xun's sacrifice. His sacrifice contained kindness contemplation, which was sucked into Bai Shuo's body immediately. Bai Shuo was later sent to Lanling Sect to be tutored by the one-thousand-year-old ancient turtle.
2) Outlanders City "Strange Mist" - Kill
At Haoyue Palace, Bai Shuo saw the vision of the second contemplation and concluded that it would appear at Outlanders City. Coincidentally, it was also Tian Huo's birthplace. Thus, they traveled to Outlanders City to find the second contemplation. In the meantime, Wutong Martial Art Contest was also held at the same time, which meant immortals and demons alike could enter the city (which had been sealed for 10 years). Meanwhile, Tian Huo reunited with her family and unearthed shocking secret about her mother's death alongside Hua Yong's sacrifice for her. Still in Outlanders City, Bai Shuo, Fan Yue, Bei Chen, and Mu Jiu found Rong Xian and Ling Long's tomb (the late Saint of Kunlun and Saintess of Fox Clan) and unexpectedly were sucked into Rong Xian's realm of resentment (this will become a vital point in the third arc - I won't explain it right now). It turned out that Tian Huo's father Hua Lin colluded with Lengquan Palace and intended to transform Hua Yong into a deity by sacrificing the guests of Outlanders City. However, Wu Zhao (Tian Huo's uncle) also colluded against Hua Lin and killed him without hesitation. In the Underground Palace, Bai Shuo, Fan Yue, and Chong Zhao were kidnapped by Fu Ling (Zhen Yu's underling) and nearly got killed if it hadn't been for the Outlanders Sword. It helped them to escape the peril and also provided Bai Shuo the second contemplation - kill.
3) Jingyou Mountain "Fox Tribulation" - Love
This time, Bai Shuo and co ventured to Jingyou Mountain to obtain Weak Water Stone, which could suppress the immense power of Contemplation Stone. There, they met Chang Mei - the leader of the Fox Clan and also the younger sister of Ling Long. For the past 1000 years, Chang Mei had been shouldering the heavy responsibility of becoming a ruler and also lost her lover Ah Qi as he sacrificed himself to revive the Emotion Tree. Weak Water Stone was supposed to be buried inside Emotion Tree, but Chang Mei stole it to prolong Mu Jiu's fragile life. Thus, Emotion Tree became a human-eating tree because Ah Qi's spiritual power weakened day by day. Xiao Ba, Ah Qi's sworn brother also gave his life up for the sake of this tree. Unbeknownst to them, Fu Ling sabotaged the Emotion Tree again and this time Mu Jiu offered his life to the Emotion Tree (if it hadn't been for this incident, Mu Jiu would've married Tian Huo and lived peacefully in seclusion). Mu Jiu's spiritual power and blessing made the tree blossom once more, followed by the third contemplation for Bai Shuo, which was love.
4) Stone City "Extinct Race" - Hate
The fourth contemplation occurred at Stone City - Cang Shan's birthplace. Coincidentally, Qi Feng aka Chen Ye (Fan Yue's younger brother and Zhen Yu's underling) also came to avenge his clansmen. During his visit, he managed to kill Cang Shan's parents and several elders. In the end, Cang Shan also sacrificed himself to suppress the Baize Clan's resentment aura (in the past, the Stone Clan used the Baize Clan's dead bodies and crushed their bones into powder as medicine), which then entered Bai Shuo's body as the fourth contemplation - hate. In this arc, Bai Shuo and Fan Yue also endlessly encouraged Qi Feng to abandon Lengquan Palace and dark arts before everything was too late. In the end, bad ending still occurred as Qi Feng took the blow meant for Fan Yue to protect his elder brother.
5) Bodhi Village "True and False Gods" - Greed
Bai Shuo alongside her companions took a trip to Bodhi Village in search for her master, Old Turtle. In the village, they encountered a lotus spirit named Luan Zhu. For some reasons, Luan Zhu seemed to have a deep hatred to Bai Shuo, going as far as to switch body with her to manipulate Fan Yue. Meanwhile, Chong Zhao also reunited with his parents, who acted weird upon seeing their son. Thanks to the power of the Contemplation Stone, Bai Shuo managed to break free from Luan Zhu's restraint and uncovered deadly secret including Luan Zhu's puppetry skill and her collusion with Jin Yao (the head of Lanling Sect). Eventually, the fifth contemplation came out of Jin Yao after Chong Zhao lost control of his hidden power and accidentally killed him in the process.
Major spoiler:
In the past, Luan Zhu granted Jin Yao divine cultivation method and in return Jin Yao must send immortals to become her offering. However, Chong Zhao's parents found out this secret and were sent to Bodhi Village by this cunning old fox.
6) God's Realm Appearance
Bai Shuo were sucked into the Lunar Hidden Sea for the umpteenth time and learnt the complicated love story between the supreme deities Xing Yue and Jing Yuan (Note: Bai Shuo and Fan Yue were their incarnation) from Xiu Yan, Xing Yue's former attendant. It was also where she found out that Chong Zhao acted as the vessel for Hidden Lord Mo Li. In this very arc, Bai Xi died from blocking Mo Li's spear and transformed into Xing Yue Divine Bow. Tian Huo also sacrificed herself to repair the Outlander's Sword and turned it into Xing Yue Divine Arrow. As Bai Shuo and Mo Li prepared for the 'wedding', Fan Yue came in time and launched full-scale attack with Bai Shuo's aid. Chong Zhao destroyed his divine soul to severely wound Mo Li. Finally, Bai Shuo shot Fan Yue as Fan Yue used his last power to suppress the Hidden Heart. Bai Shuo later became a supreme deity and met Temple Master Sun again. It turned out that she was the heaven who overwatched the three realms. In the last moment, she granted Bai Shuo her wish - which was to revive Fan Yue.
Note: This arc is quite complicated to be explained properly. You need to watch it by yourself to understand this arc much better.
In my opinion, the script is beautifully crafted with many meaningful dialogues, drawing you in from the very first glance. Some people might feel this is a recycled xianxia, but for me, it's a different case. It's been long since I watch a drama where I can relate easily to its characters. I also feel the joy and sorrow of the characters, especially Bai Shuo (I literally have similar personality as hers, though not so extroverted). Each character's arc is fleshed out properly to help us link with their current states or personalities and why they have to end up in this way.
An absolute phenomenal acting from both Bai Lu and Ao Ruipeng. It's my first time watching Bai Lu and she captures the essence of Bai Shuo's character in the most exceptional way. By the way, I've been ogling for Ao Ruipeng's next project after The Blood of Youth. I must say he's better off to cheerful and hot-blooded character rather than a stoic domineering demon. He may exude the commanding aura of a demon lord, but he still needs refinement for this kind of role and no worries, there's a lot of room for improvisation. As for the second couple, I need to rave about their equally fabulous performance. Dai Luwa is getting better at her acting skill and she gets a lot of hate for her toxic role, but it means that her portrayal of Fu Ling/Bai Xi is quite mind-blowing. Chang Huasen also embodies the role of the kind righteous Chong Zhao and the cruel malicious Mo Li at the same time, which immediately appeals to the audience (despite his black-flag attitude to Bai Shuo at the earlier episodes). Also, a special mention to the entire assemble of actors who have delivered this engaging fairytale wholeheartedly.
The mellow yet noteworthy OSTs also contribute to evoke the audiences' emotions. I particularly love Sa Dingding's opening OST and some others that I can't mention in this review. For an EDM and pop rock hardcore fan like me, it's very surprising that I love these OSTs despite my preference.
The sets, costumes, CGI, and many other props are stunningly beautiful. I absolutely adore the black and purple palette used in this drama (two of my favourite colours lol).
After the long ride, I want to ask myself, is this drama worth-watching? Definitely a big YES! You won't regret spending every minute for it and soon you'll be engaged into the enamoring storyline that you don't even know how many hours have passed since you tune in to Moonlight Mystique. I'll end my super long essay here, good bye and good luck!!!
January is yet another month dedicated to the inevitable war between the four major platforms in China, with Tencent banking on Guardians of the Dafeng, iQIYI coming back from the brink through the aid of Moonlight Mystique, Youku maintaining stable position with The Blossoming Love (also a xianxia), and MangoTV doing decently with Flourished Peony.
After much consideration, I decide to pick Moonlight Mystique since I can't binge all shows in one go (badly want to have a look at The Blossoming Love, though). FYI, I've been craving for a xianxia masterpiece since the breakout of Fangs of Fortune back in November. Let's see my thoughts about Moonlight Mystique below. Enjoy the ride...
So, Moonlight Mystique's plot revolves around an ordinary mortal girl named Bai Shuo, who accidentally absorbed a divine artefact under the moniker of Desireless Stone aka Contemplation Stone. Aside from that accident, she also must ally with the cunning master of Haoyue Palace, Fan Yue. Thus, they embarked on an adventure (alongside Fan Yue's two guardians - Cang Shan and Tian Huo) to gather the five contemplations - love, hate, kill, greed, and kindness. However, their journey was far from smooth as obstacles and threats kept coming on their way, especially from Lengquan Palace (Haoyue Palace's nemesis).
To be precise, the plot comprises of 6 different arcs which interconnect with each other in order to build a coherent story. Below, I'll explain the 6 arcs briefly (this is MAJOR spoiler, so you can skip it if you want to)...
1) Ning'an City "Rebellion with Poison" - Kindness
Ten years ago, Bai Shuo and Bai Xi were saved by an immortal, whose identity was unknown. To repay the immortal's kindness, Bai Shuo became obsessed with immortality since then (by the way, Bai Shuo was betrothed to Chong Zhao since their childhood years). Under Temple Master Sun's guidance, Bai Shuo went to the Unbridled Pavilion and encountered Fan Yue for the first time. Initially, they were distrustful of each other and used each other to gain what they wanted. However, things started to become chaotic after Bai Shuo absorbed Contemplation Stone, which was stolen from Lanling Sect by Fan Yue. Worse, Bai Shuo's incident didn't go unnoticed - Lengquan Palace was also aware of this event. To divert Fan Yue's attention, Lengquan Palace used Nether Poison to drug the whole Ning'an City. While the citizens were restless, they would take this opportunity to steal Bai Shuo from Fan Yue. Nevertheless, their plan was foiled due to unwanted circumstances including Bai Shuo's father Bai Xun's sacrifice. His sacrifice contained kindness contemplation, which was sucked into Bai Shuo's body immediately. Bai Shuo was later sent to Lanling Sect to be tutored by the one-thousand-year-old ancient turtle.
2) Outlanders City "Strange Mist" - Kill
At Haoyue Palace, Bai Shuo saw the vision of the second contemplation and concluded that it would appear at Outlanders City. Coincidentally, it was also Tian Huo's birthplace. Thus, they traveled to Outlanders City to find the second contemplation. In the meantime, Wutong Martial Art Contest was also held at the same time, which meant immortals and demons alike could enter the city (which had been sealed for 10 years). Meanwhile, Tian Huo reunited with her family and unearthed shocking secret about her mother's death alongside Hua Yong's sacrifice for her. Still in Outlanders City, Bai Shuo, Fan Yue, Bei Chen, and Mu Jiu found Rong Xian and Ling Long's tomb (the late Saint of Kunlun and Saintess of Fox Clan) and unexpectedly were sucked into Rong Xian's realm of resentment (this will become a vital point in the third arc - I won't explain it right now). It turned out that Tian Huo's father Hua Lin colluded with Lengquan Palace and intended to transform Hua Yong into a deity by sacrificing the guests of Outlanders City. However, Wu Zhao (Tian Huo's uncle) also colluded against Hua Lin and killed him without hesitation. In the Underground Palace, Bai Shuo, Fan Yue, and Chong Zhao were kidnapped by Fu Ling (Zhen Yu's underling) and nearly got killed if it hadn't been for the Outlanders Sword. It helped them to escape the peril and also provided Bai Shuo the second contemplation - kill.
3) Jingyou Mountain "Fox Tribulation" - Love
This time, Bai Shuo and co ventured to Jingyou Mountain to obtain Weak Water Stone, which could suppress the immense power of Contemplation Stone. There, they met Chang Mei - the leader of the Fox Clan and also the younger sister of Ling Long. For the past 1000 years, Chang Mei had been shouldering the heavy responsibility of becoming a ruler and also lost her lover Ah Qi as he sacrificed himself to revive the Emotion Tree. Weak Water Stone was supposed to be buried inside Emotion Tree, but Chang Mei stole it to prolong Mu Jiu's fragile life. Thus, Emotion Tree became a human-eating tree because Ah Qi's spiritual power weakened day by day. Xiao Ba, Ah Qi's sworn brother also gave his life up for the sake of this tree. Unbeknownst to them, Fu Ling sabotaged the Emotion Tree again and this time Mu Jiu offered his life to the Emotion Tree (if it hadn't been for this incident, Mu Jiu would've married Tian Huo and lived peacefully in seclusion). Mu Jiu's spiritual power and blessing made the tree blossom once more, followed by the third contemplation for Bai Shuo, which was love.
4) Stone City "Extinct Race" - Hate
The fourth contemplation occurred at Stone City - Cang Shan's birthplace. Coincidentally, Qi Feng aka Chen Ye (Fan Yue's younger brother and Zhen Yu's underling) also came to avenge his clansmen. During his visit, he managed to kill Cang Shan's parents and several elders. In the end, Cang Shan also sacrificed himself to suppress the Baize Clan's resentment aura (in the past, the Stone Clan used the Baize Clan's dead bodies and crushed their bones into powder as medicine), which then entered Bai Shuo's body as the fourth contemplation - hate. In this arc, Bai Shuo and Fan Yue also endlessly encouraged Qi Feng to abandon Lengquan Palace and dark arts before everything was too late. In the end, bad ending still occurred as Qi Feng took the blow meant for Fan Yue to protect his elder brother.
5) Bodhi Village "True and False Gods" - Greed
Bai Shuo alongside her companions took a trip to Bodhi Village in search for her master, Old Turtle. In the village, they encountered a lotus spirit named Luan Zhu. For some reasons, Luan Zhu seemed to have a deep hatred to Bai Shuo, going as far as to switch body with her to manipulate Fan Yue. Meanwhile, Chong Zhao also reunited with his parents, who acted weird upon seeing their son. Thanks to the power of the Contemplation Stone, Bai Shuo managed to break free from Luan Zhu's restraint and uncovered deadly secret including Luan Zhu's puppetry skill and her collusion with Jin Yao (the head of Lanling Sect). Eventually, the fifth contemplation came out of Jin Yao after Chong Zhao lost control of his hidden power and accidentally killed him in the process.
Major spoiler:
In the past, Luan Zhu granted Jin Yao divine cultivation method and in return Jin Yao must send immortals to become her offering. However, Chong Zhao's parents found out this secret and were sent to Bodhi Village by this cunning old fox.
6) God's Realm Appearance
Bai Shuo were sucked into the Lunar Hidden Sea for the umpteenth time and learnt the complicated love story between the supreme deities Xing Yue and Jing Yuan (Note: Bai Shuo and Fan Yue were their incarnation) from Xiu Yan, Xing Yue's former attendant. It was also where she found out that Chong Zhao acted as the vessel for Hidden Lord Mo Li. In this very arc, Bai Xi died from blocking Mo Li's spear and transformed into Xing Yue Divine Bow. Tian Huo also sacrificed herself to repair the Outlander's Sword and turned it into Xing Yue Divine Arrow. As Bai Shuo and Mo Li prepared for the 'wedding', Fan Yue came in time and launched full-scale attack with Bai Shuo's aid. Chong Zhao destroyed his divine soul to severely wound Mo Li. Finally, Bai Shuo shot Fan Yue as Fan Yue used his last power to suppress the Hidden Heart. Bai Shuo later became a supreme deity and met Temple Master Sun again. It turned out that she was the heaven who overwatched the three realms. In the last moment, she granted Bai Shuo her wish - which was to revive Fan Yue.
Note: This arc is quite complicated to be explained properly. You need to watch it by yourself to understand this arc much better.
In my opinion, the script is beautifully crafted with many meaningful dialogues, drawing you in from the very first glance. Some people might feel this is a recycled xianxia, but for me, it's a different case. It's been long since I watch a drama where I can relate easily to its characters. I also feel the joy and sorrow of the characters, especially Bai Shuo (I literally have similar personality as hers, though not so extroverted). Each character's arc is fleshed out properly to help us link with their current states or personalities and why they have to end up in this way.
An absolute phenomenal acting from both Bai Lu and Ao Ruipeng. It's my first time watching Bai Lu and she captures the essence of Bai Shuo's character in the most exceptional way. By the way, I've been ogling for Ao Ruipeng's next project after The Blood of Youth. I must say he's better off to cheerful and hot-blooded character rather than a stoic domineering demon. He may exude the commanding aura of a demon lord, but he still needs refinement for this kind of role and no worries, there's a lot of room for improvisation. As for the second couple, I need to rave about their equally fabulous performance. Dai Luwa is getting better at her acting skill and she gets a lot of hate for her toxic role, but it means that her portrayal of Fu Ling/Bai Xi is quite mind-blowing. Chang Huasen also embodies the role of the kind righteous Chong Zhao and the cruel malicious Mo Li at the same time, which immediately appeals to the audience (despite his black-flag attitude to Bai Shuo at the earlier episodes). Also, a special mention to the entire assemble of actors who have delivered this engaging fairytale wholeheartedly.
The mellow yet noteworthy OSTs also contribute to evoke the audiences' emotions. I particularly love Sa Dingding's opening OST and some others that I can't mention in this review. For an EDM and pop rock hardcore fan like me, it's very surprising that I love these OSTs despite my preference.
The sets, costumes, CGI, and many other props are stunningly beautiful. I absolutely adore the black and purple palette used in this drama (two of my favourite colours lol).
After the long ride, I want to ask myself, is this drama worth-watching? Definitely a big YES! You won't regret spending every minute for it and soon you'll be engaged into the enamoring storyline that you don't even know how many hours have passed since you tune in to Moonlight Mystique. I'll end my super long essay here, good bye and good luck!!!
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