aster

LGIEF is a show that i watched for time pass initially that quickly became a show that I fell in love with. I'm familar with the acting of both lead actors so I knew that it would at least be a fun watch, but I wasn't expecting to actually like the characters as much as I did.
It has a strong and fun first half. and a kind of midling to week last half, with the final episodes feeling rushed. The 2nd leads being fairly bland didn't help also when the story shifted to them. I liked them sure but they felt underwritten. The last episode though i would say is great, in terms of the commentary about stories and writers and how fiction can help people get through some of their roughest times.
In a sense it lacking kissing scenes between the lead actors fits the overall story, with the ending message being the only way to love others is to truly love yourself. Also if you want to see them kiss they have in their previous drama together moonlight so its not the end of the world. Additionally the leads had a fun chemistry that ventured more on being cute than being especially intimate.
i think the acting prowess and ost remain to be a strong point of the drama, i hum the ost here and there because its very catchy. Ding yuxi plays mu sheng excellently and his layered acting made him a joy to watch. yu shuxin also won me over a bit too. while i never disliked her and her acting i could understand why other people did, her voice can be grating and she tends to be type casted into similar roles quite frequently, but here the cutesy and comedic character really works well, miao miao is an energetic character thats wonderful to watch, and her growth through the story felt pretty real. also her playing miao miao, lin yu, the possesed miao miao were all distinct which is a testement to her acting ability.
overall though id say the story in the final episodes being kinda mediorce and rushed is what makes me give it a lower rating, even though i was invested at first. the world also didnt fell that fleshed out(and while you could say its flat in reference to the complaints miao miao had of the story in the first place its somewhat true...but the point of the story was miao miao fixes it and brings the characters to life, which felt only true for the first half and then the second they introduced her losing her memory of the real world, which made her more npc like, doesnt work anymore)
i did have issues as well with the memory loss plotline here since it felt contrived to not have her know some plot twists before they happened.
but nonetheless, love game in eastern fantasy is a good watch thats more heartfelt than one might think
also keep an eye on ding yuxi, hes sure to get even better roles after this considering how wonderfully he played mu sheng