enemies to lovers done right <3
In my opinion this drama is one of the few ones that really nails the enemies-to-lovers trope. While most of those storylines start out with the main characters hating each other, there is also the element of physical attraction pretty early on, which I really dislike. This makes it so easy to turn hate into love but it feels flat and forced at the same time.However, I do think this show executes this flawlessly. Because at first, there is just fear and plain hate between Feng Suige and Fu Yixiao, then there is reluctant collaboration, sprinkled with some enmity before they slowly adapt this fierce protectiveness towards each other. This very naturally develops into love and care and as soon as they realize it, it’s a done deal and it’s loud. Even in the quiet, emotional scenes, they support each other and they trust each other deeply. In this drama you get equal sacrifices from ML for the FL AND vice versa. it’s a power couple navigating through challenges full of betrayal, grief, suffering, amnesia and war. AND the best thing: they communicate. No misunderstandings. No unnecessary couple drama. Just them, some amnesia and “ I got yo back” as their couple motto.
Li Qin, the queen of generals. LITERALLY , THE BEST embodiment of a female general. She delivers a powerful performance and convincingly portrayed the firm, determined, strong female general who loves deeply, loyally and with so much understanding. Her costumes and fighting scenes are STUNNING. Man, she must have prepared so much for this role. Additionally, she makes a very beautiful couple with Chen Zheyuan. I think her mature look and sharp features really gives Fu Yixiao credibility as a seasoned general. But I also love how soft she can be with her lover and how vulnerable she was the first story arc. She has gone through hell and still preserved the goodness in her. Loved how the series gives her a fair portion of time dealing with PTSD. It shows realistically that even the strongest characters are human and it shows how much perseverance Fu Yixiao has. Her characteristics really live up to the meaning of her name.
Chen Zheyuan. Man this dude. His eyeliner, his hair, his costume. on point. His best styling so far. He also really shone in this drama because man, this guy can act with his eyes. I felt every emotion in his gaze and tremble, the way his jaw works and how his chest heaves. He pulled off being a cold & ruthless general, a smug prince, a mature and loving big brother, a supportive and vulnerable lover AND underneath all, just someone who has also gone through hell. Feng Suige ftw.
Also his eyeliner does things with me. I would like to appreciate how physically fit he had to be for this role because Chen Zhenyuan just jumped on top of his horse one handed. It looked smooth and very at ease and honestly ALL of his fight scenes just seemed to be that way. That’s how well he did them.
I watched him in Hidden Love and compared to his character there, Feng Suige is a much more complex and layered character. A walking red flag and very morally grey but even though I still had the image of green flag Duan Jiaxu in my head, he really managed to strip himself completely of that role. I am so glad he isn’t getting typecasted.
Generally, I really loved their mature relationship and how fast paced the storyline is. Sa Dingding’s OST has been playing on repeat this week and it fits the overall vibe of the drama.
As for the Jinxiu storyline…I just have to say that while our main couple was red flag turned green flag, the Xia Jingshi/Jingyan/Feng Xiyang arc was just NUTS. I guess it was just red flags everywhere.
It didn’t captivate me all that much. To me the Emperor was some crazy dude, who was violent and the way he was for no reason??? Feng Xiyang was very annoying and stupidly naive. i understood that the whole plot was to server as her character growth story arc though. The OST they play in her scenes suits her incredibly well! i really enjoyed that little detail.
And Xia Jingshi really is a heartless little piece of shsh. He is cruel, a hypocrite and hella obsessed. His backstory is super rough and I somewhat sympathize with him. His revenge felt satisfying for me tbh which is why his whole story and demeanor really made me question if I would have liked him if he were the MC/ if he had the MC POV.
I like Chen Heyi though and really like his styling here, so I have to admit to some occasional swooning.
The ending of that arc made sense to me but unfortunately, Xiyang’s character development was underwhelming and unconvincing to me till the end. I really could not stand her and felt really sorry for Suige. His love and empathy for his sister makes him a good person but when I watched the final scenes I just got sooo angry because she had nobody to blame but herself (like she also correctly realizes).
Many comments criticized how boring the Storm Alliance bit was. I didn’t mind it, it wasn’t draggy and only went on for a few episodes. Albeit they probably were intended as filler episodes to bridge the final arc and serve as a way out for Suige.
I will be rewatching for Fu Yixiao / Feng Suige and for all the loyal side kicks (especially Ning Fei). Please give this drama a chance if you like fast paced, action packed stories, beautiful cinematography and costumes, a beautiful cast ( all of them fit so well), occasional overpowering soundtracks and happy endings. ✨
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"I hope I can wow everyone" - You did!
As a big Bai Lu fan I was stoked to see the IQIYI trailer and have been waiting for Moonlight Mystiques release.And boy, she did not disappoint. Even after watching several of her works (Love is Sweet, The Legends, Only for Love, Till the End of the Moon) where she delivered amazing chemistry with her co-actors and outstanding acting, I have to say Moonlight Mystique is her best work so far. And my favorite. Loved her diverse costumes and her wide range of emotions here. She did the all the crying scenes soo well (and there were many). I think Bai Shuo as a character was well written and 100 % consistent throughtout the whole storyline. Strong, supportive, confident. But also full of love, grief and feeling helplessness.
I have also watched Ao Ruipeng's Wrong Carriage , Right Groom with Tian Xiwei, though he didn't stand out to me acting and looks-wise. But here, damn, he did soo well!! From his eyes to his smiles to the way he spoke to his looks, costumes and movements. I was captivated. They styled him really well and it brought out his defining features! I have no idea H O W they kept making him more attractive after each time he "came back". Fan Yue as a charcter was well fleshed out, had a wide range of emotions and they gave him such a big heart!! He knows what he wants and he goes for it without hesitation. And he communicates well too. Man!!!
Life gave him (and Bai Shuo) many many lemons and they handled it so well together AND individually too!
Bai Shuo and Fan Yue have a really healthy relationship and lots of tacit understanding, which is refreshing to see and already a big difference from the usual xianxia setting. No Misunderstandings, no real love triangle. Just a plain supportive, affectionate (you get plenty of lovely scenes) couple. A BIIG bonus to me is also the fact that they equally sacrifice & support each other. Often you will find a big power imbalance in xianxia dramas where either the Male Lead or the Female Lead sacrifice too much, while the other party barely gets the chance to do something in return.
But where there is a healthy relationship, there is also a toxic one. Or at least at the start it was, because this is how the story of Fu Ling and Chong Zhao began. But unlike Bai Shuo's and Fan Yue's relationship (theirs were good but already really stable), there is quite a progression in theirs. Fu Ling, is cold and cruel. Chong Zhao is idealistic and almost unsure in the beginnings. But then those two had to change their whole world view, healing each other slowly on the way. The result is a relationship that feels so hopeful, it's too pure to bear. I rooted for them so much and was suprised how much I grew to like Fu Ling.
Now, while I have to admit that I was able to guess a lot of big developements in the storyline, the plot kept me thoroughly engaged and entertained. To me, MM is a beautiful story about hardship, growing stronger, perseverance, love (several types!), friendship and sacrifice. It's quite a tearjerker and especially the last few episodes left me crying so hard, I couldn't breathe. I think all the emotional scenes were portrayed very well by the whole cast, not just the main characters. What also helped was probably the fact that the characters were written extremely well with lots of depth and different (most of the times even conflicting) emotions.
The ending istself was quite satisfying to me and definititely conclusive (no open ending), though like most of the xianxia dramas, I would have love to see a little more. HOWEVER! We got a lovely bonus episode which definitely healed the big gaping hole in my heart after watching this wonderful drama.
I think it's hard to find another drama in this year that is as good as Moonlight Mystique (and the only drama I watched so far this year was "Blossom", which was also extremely well exectured).
20/10 for me.
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