Never laughed this much for a wuxia (in a good way)
When Ling Miao Miao's favorite author, Fu Zhou, publishes a new novel, she eagerly dives into it, but the book "Monster Hunting" ends up being a disappointment with nonsensical plot points, forced dramatic events and an unsatisfying ending. Just as she's writing a negative comment about it, Miao Miao is forcefully pulled inside the story and finds herself in the shoes of the female antagonist, Lin Yu. The mysterious voice of the system then informs her of the mission she must complete: make the male antagonist Mu Shen fall in love with her and make it to the end of the story.
As predictable as the premise might be, I had a lot of fun with this plot. The first few episodes show Miao Miao as she's gradually adapting to her new life as Lin Yu and works hard to make sure that nothing bad happens to any of the characters (or herself), which makes a much more hilarious experience than I had anticipated. I would say that roughly the first half of the drama is pure gold, with comedic and sentimental moments that blend well with each other. Unfortunately the second half (starting from the arc in the city) gets gradually worse as Miao Miao seems to lose her main role in favor of Zi Qi. The pace also gets worse, with many parts that feel draggy and with the last 3-4 episodes that feel terribly rushed.
The characters were all amazing and so was their acting. Esther Yu and Ding Yu Xi were the perfect cast for the main roles and their chemistry is undeniable - their bickering moments, their romantic moments, their heartbreaking moments were all so well done! I didn't have to wait long before feeling like Miao Miao, Mu Shen, Mu Yao and Fu Yi (and Cui Cui later on) truly cared about each other. Miao Miao is not the classic damsel in distress and is actually very proactive, despite being the only one in the group without strong powers to face enemies. I was half worried that the characters of the book would end up feeling cartoonish, but that wasn't the case at all, even for the villains. The supportive roles were well written and I appreciated it, although I wish they used some of the screentime for the main characters instead of exploring the lives of so many random people met along the way.
The fact that Miao Miao starts feeling less like the protagonist and more like a support character in the second half of the drama was disappointing for me. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I really wish they let her keep her autonomy all the way through, instead of moving her to the side.
The production quality is very good. I admit I haven't watched many Wuxia/Xianxia dramas before, but this one is definitely among the ones with better special effects I've ever watched. All the spells felt more vivid and weren't reduced to constant energy beams all around. The fighting scenes looked great too, with good choreographies that made them all look distinct from one another. I liked the OST for this drama and thought it fit all the scenes quite well, despite there not being any track that truly stood out to me.
If it wasn't for the last couple of episodes, this drama would have easily been a 9 out of 10 for me, if not more. I wish they gave the events of the last two episodes more build-up and more room to breathe, instead of cramping everything in 80 minutes or so. Despite this, I really enjoyed this drama and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good transmigration story.
As predictable as the premise might be, I had a lot of fun with this plot. The first few episodes show Miao Miao as she's gradually adapting to her new life as Lin Yu and works hard to make sure that nothing bad happens to any of the characters (or herself), which makes a much more hilarious experience than I had anticipated. I would say that roughly the first half of the drama is pure gold, with comedic and sentimental moments that blend well with each other. Unfortunately the second half (starting from the arc in the city) gets gradually worse as Miao Miao seems to lose her main role in favor of Zi Qi. The pace also gets worse, with many parts that feel draggy and with the last 3-4 episodes that feel terribly rushed.
The characters were all amazing and so was their acting. Esther Yu and Ding Yu Xi were the perfect cast for the main roles and their chemistry is undeniable - their bickering moments, their romantic moments, their heartbreaking moments were all so well done! I didn't have to wait long before feeling like Miao Miao, Mu Shen, Mu Yao and Fu Yi (and Cui Cui later on) truly cared about each other. Miao Miao is not the classic damsel in distress and is actually very proactive, despite being the only one in the group without strong powers to face enemies. I was half worried that the characters of the book would end up feeling cartoonish, but that wasn't the case at all, even for the villains. The supportive roles were well written and I appreciated it, although I wish they used some of the screentime for the main characters instead of exploring the lives of so many random people met along the way.
The fact that Miao Miao starts feeling less like the protagonist and more like a support character in the second half of the drama was disappointing for me. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I really wish they let her keep her autonomy all the way through, instead of moving her to the side.
The production quality is very good. I admit I haven't watched many Wuxia/Xianxia dramas before, but this one is definitely among the ones with better special effects I've ever watched. All the spells felt more vivid and weren't reduced to constant energy beams all around. The fighting scenes looked great too, with good choreographies that made them all look distinct from one another. I liked the OST for this drama and thought it fit all the scenes quite well, despite there not being any track that truly stood out to me.
If it wasn't for the last couple of episodes, this drama would have easily been a 9 out of 10 for me, if not more. I wish they gave the events of the last two episodes more build-up and more room to breathe, instead of cramping everything in 80 minutes or so. Despite this, I really enjoyed this drama and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good transmigration story.
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