It was better than expected...
The first time I saw the materials when the drama had just finished filming, I honestly thought the project would do bad. Especially because I wasn't a fan of the set and couldn't envision what the production team were planning to do with it, and also because the few costumes that were seen from the reuters where too extravagant for my taste. Also wasn't sure how well the male lead will do or if the female lead Bai Lu could really lead this Xianxia project.
I love watching Bai Lu's dramas as I find them entertaining, even when I watch them hoping to scrutinise everything, I still enjoyed them. But for this project, I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, I was actually very skeptical to give it a chance. But just like her other dramas, I went in hoping to find something I could scrutinize, as her dramas always attract negative comments. But interestingly, from the first episode to the last episode, I enjoyed every bit of it. Definitely better than I had expected.
However, even if I definitely enjoyed the play and honestly thought it was done well, from the plot, storyline, costume, dialogues, line delivery down to sets (I hated the first time), I think there were still some things that needed improving. So here are some points that I thought were weakness and strengths of the drama;
Weakness:
1. BaiLu: Although her lines have improved tremendously, she still needs to work on her lines, especially her intonation (Which it seems she's fully aware of). And I do hope I get to see her in dramas where she doesn't always have to cry, She's a good actress and has the potential to be better than this, but if she has to cry for every project or if every project has to have some angst or sad scenes, it will be natural for audiences to say she's always doing the same thing (although she necessarily isn't always doing the same thing).
2. As for the male lead, the second leads and the other casts, I believe they all did excellent. But the male lead and the second leads had an issue with focusing their eyes. Sometimes they mistakenly looked at the camera when they shouldn't and sometimes because the camera wasn't necessarily on them, it seemed they went off character.
3. The CGI, I don't know if it's because there were so many people involved, it was quite visible that some special effects didn't come out well. For the sets and props, although not bad, but wasn't necessarily the best either (even if I liked them), most of the props clearly were fake, especially the flowers, and the head peices, which automatically gives the audiences the impression that it was a cheap production.
4. The way the original soundtracks were used in some scenes were off. Even if I enjoyed all the soundtracks, I felt the overuse of them in scenes that didn't require them may have weakened the audiences viewership.
Strengths:
1. All the actors were good at expressing complex emotions making it more enjoyable for viewing. When it was a sad scene, the all acted very well with their eyes and facial expressions. When it was a confrontation scene or a happy scene or a romantic scene, even without a dialogue, it was easy to understand and that made it very enjoyable for me.
2. The dialogues were written so well. They put some serious thoughts into every words said by the actors. And I love how there was a message in every dialogue.
3. The action scenes were superb. It wasn't awkward, not one bit. The fight choreography if you've watched the drama you'd notice were a bit tricky, but every actor (even the supporting actors) did exceptionally well. I was extremely impressed.
4. The costumes: I don't think I need to elaborate on this point, as we can all tell how visually pleasing all the costumes looked. The most impressive thing about the costumes for me is the details put into the costumes of every clan and sect.
5. The sets and probs: although I mentioned it as a weakness, I also think it is a strength of the drama. Every set and probs seems to have been carefully prepared. I especially love the fact that it didn't give the typical feeling of Chinese Xianxia sets, and the fact that it helps the audiences understand that it is purely fictional. Which I believe was what they were going for.
6. The music: If you haven't listened to playlist of the soundtracks, I think you should go and check it out. Everyone of them is perfect, just perfect. And the instrumental soundtracks used to highlight the mood of each scenes were also used well. I think it made the scenes more enjoyable.
7. The Plot and Storyline: Usually when watching dramas, it is quite typical for the plot to slow down or the story to go off track, which sometimes goes completely off track, but that definitely wasn't the case with this drama. If you watch the drama you'd understand my point better. There were some complaints about the plot not solely being about the female lead, or about her no longer pursuing her cultivation, but I feel genuine viewers will understand that the journey of trying to acquire each thought was basically the female lead's character's journey of cultivation. The plot twists were particularly satisfying. I also loved that in every journey to acquire a thought, each stories were told beautifully and carefully. I also loved how they explain every process and actions taken by any of the characters.
In conclusion, Moonlight Mystique is a well produced drama. It sure has it's weaknesses, but it is not a bad, boring drama or would it be a waste of your time. You are bound to find something you like, If you're genuinely just looking for entertainment and not to spread hate or scrutinize or find faults. It's production definitely may not be big as the other dramas it competed with, and may lack somethings that those dramas had, but it definitely isn't a flop project not was it a failure.
Thank You
P.s (It is a very long paragraph, but if you've read it to the end, you did well)
I love watching Bai Lu's dramas as I find them entertaining, even when I watch them hoping to scrutinise everything, I still enjoyed them. But for this project, I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, I was actually very skeptical to give it a chance. But just like her other dramas, I went in hoping to find something I could scrutinize, as her dramas always attract negative comments. But interestingly, from the first episode to the last episode, I enjoyed every bit of it. Definitely better than I had expected.
However, even if I definitely enjoyed the play and honestly thought it was done well, from the plot, storyline, costume, dialogues, line delivery down to sets (I hated the first time), I think there were still some things that needed improving. So here are some points that I thought were weakness and strengths of the drama;
Weakness:
1. BaiLu: Although her lines have improved tremendously, she still needs to work on her lines, especially her intonation (Which it seems she's fully aware of). And I do hope I get to see her in dramas where she doesn't always have to cry, She's a good actress and has the potential to be better than this, but if she has to cry for every project or if every project has to have some angst or sad scenes, it will be natural for audiences to say she's always doing the same thing (although she necessarily isn't always doing the same thing).
2. As for the male lead, the second leads and the other casts, I believe they all did excellent. But the male lead and the second leads had an issue with focusing their eyes. Sometimes they mistakenly looked at the camera when they shouldn't and sometimes because the camera wasn't necessarily on them, it seemed they went off character.
3. The CGI, I don't know if it's because there were so many people involved, it was quite visible that some special effects didn't come out well. For the sets and props, although not bad, but wasn't necessarily the best either (even if I liked them), most of the props clearly were fake, especially the flowers, and the head peices, which automatically gives the audiences the impression that it was a cheap production.
4. The way the original soundtracks were used in some scenes were off. Even if I enjoyed all the soundtracks, I felt the overuse of them in scenes that didn't require them may have weakened the audiences viewership.
Strengths:
1. All the actors were good at expressing complex emotions making it more enjoyable for viewing. When it was a sad scene, the all acted very well with their eyes and facial expressions. When it was a confrontation scene or a happy scene or a romantic scene, even without a dialogue, it was easy to understand and that made it very enjoyable for me.
2. The dialogues were written so well. They put some serious thoughts into every words said by the actors. And I love how there was a message in every dialogue.
3. The action scenes were superb. It wasn't awkward, not one bit. The fight choreography if you've watched the drama you'd notice were a bit tricky, but every actor (even the supporting actors) did exceptionally well. I was extremely impressed.
4. The costumes: I don't think I need to elaborate on this point, as we can all tell how visually pleasing all the costumes looked. The most impressive thing about the costumes for me is the details put into the costumes of every clan and sect.
5. The sets and probs: although I mentioned it as a weakness, I also think it is a strength of the drama. Every set and probs seems to have been carefully prepared. I especially love the fact that it didn't give the typical feeling of Chinese Xianxia sets, and the fact that it helps the audiences understand that it is purely fictional. Which I believe was what they were going for.
6. The music: If you haven't listened to playlist of the soundtracks, I think you should go and check it out. Everyone of them is perfect, just perfect. And the instrumental soundtracks used to highlight the mood of each scenes were also used well. I think it made the scenes more enjoyable.
7. The Plot and Storyline: Usually when watching dramas, it is quite typical for the plot to slow down or the story to go off track, which sometimes goes completely off track, but that definitely wasn't the case with this drama. If you watch the drama you'd understand my point better. There were some complaints about the plot not solely being about the female lead, or about her no longer pursuing her cultivation, but I feel genuine viewers will understand that the journey of trying to acquire each thought was basically the female lead's character's journey of cultivation. The plot twists were particularly satisfying. I also loved that in every journey to acquire a thought, each stories were told beautifully and carefully. I also loved how they explain every process and actions taken by any of the characters.
In conclusion, Moonlight Mystique is a well produced drama. It sure has it's weaknesses, but it is not a bad, boring drama or would it be a waste of your time. You are bound to find something you like, If you're genuinely just looking for entertainment and not to spread hate or scrutinize or find faults. It's production definitely may not be big as the other dramas it competed with, and may lack somethings that those dramas had, but it definitely isn't a flop project not was it a failure.
Thank You
P.s (It is a very long paragraph, but if you've read it to the end, you did well)
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