moonheartx

Visual feast with strong leads and engaging plot

Obviously, this is a review for the first 12 episodes, but... this drama honestly blew me away!! And this means something, as I've grown overly impatient and critical of cheaply made Chinese dramas, and I've been dropping many of those I started watching recently. Not only is this a drama for romance fans that fancy a bit of a twist, but also for (super)hero fans, I would say. Cheng Lei is super badass in his role, but so is Song Yi. Best female general I've seen so far. Those who say she constantly needs saving are wrong, and episode 12 proves it without a doubt. Yes, she gets saved by him a lot too, but that is fine, as many of the scenes were created with that intent in mind and include many of his own strategies being used by her, which obviously have him at the centre as the main fighter. Plus, the favour gets returned, and she saves him many times as well.

The acting is great, the side characters are fleshed out and are actually important to the story, the visuals and CGI are STUNNING, and everybody makes well-informed, logical choices, which leaves almost no room for unnecessary drama or plot holes (although the reason why he transformed into a child still needs to be explained BUT it could be argued that he was still recovering from his wounds when he was changing back into a child). Cheng Lei is the highlight of this drama in my eyes. The way he seamlessly transitions between badass fighter and harmless, charming guy is amazing and deserves praise. I'd recommend this drama alone based on that, as it's rare that he gets such a good chance to show his acting range!

If you're a fan of blood pacts/dark magic (vampire style), awesome slow-burn chemistry between the main leads and a solid, intriguing plot- you should check out this drama ASAP!

Read More

Fantasy drama with a fresh feel and romance/chemistry that pulls you in

I have seen 19 episodes up to this point. I would highly recommend watching this drama despite its flaws. The biggest flaw was the illusion/star stone arc for me. The stakes weren't high enough and story/characters in it not engaging enough. Although this side plot ties into the overall plot, it feels unnecessary to stretch it out over 6 episodes. I was itching to fast forward, but didn't. I think it should've been 3 episodes at most.

Other than that, I gave 9/10 for the cast because I seriously cannot understand how Joseph Zeng has landed this role. He has his moments, but he cannot act and should get some training. However, his character works for the story and is interesting enough.

I would say watch the drama for the plot, but I think you should watch this drama for the romance/chemistry of the two main couples. My personal favourite couple is Ji Ling/Lu Wu Yi with Ji Ling being my absolutely favourite character in the whole show. Tian Jia Rui shows a mesmerizing new side of his acting (similar to Cheng Lei in Shadow Love) and he knocks it out of the park. I am also positively surprised by Ju Jing Yi. Known for her bad acting in the past, she flips the table completely. It is like she has finally found her groove. So if you consider not watching it because of her - don't. It's worth it, I promise!

The music can sometimes be a bit over the top or too much, but it is overall a very good OST. But I think the people involved didn't know when to remove or tone down the music as it sometimes contrasted with the stillness of a scene. This is just a minor issue though that only pops up a handful of times and can be overlooked completely.

The story so far unfolds nicely with no noticeable plot holes to me, at least. But I'm not the best judge of that lol. However, the drama is as engaging as when I started it and I think the premise is holding up. It picks itself up again if you can struggle through the illusion arc and it is worth sticking with! I highly recommend this drama to anyone who likes tragic romances/characters and fantasy. The entertainment value remains high despite everything!

Read More