7
77
3
Well-Paced and Acted with Strong characters and Healthy romances
Subjective Gut Rating: 8.75
It was a pleasant surprise that I like “Moonlight Mystique” so much, as I came in without much expectations. Having seen “The Blossoming Love” and “Love of the Divine Tree” before this, I never would have thought “Moonlight Mystique” is my favorite out of the 3 (my MDL friends would not have agreed with me). Despite being in the same universe as “Ancient Love Poetry”, you can watch this drama as a standalone.
Story/Pacing
Compared to the other 2 dramas I listed above, I feel that “Moonlight Mystique” has the best pacing and execution of the intersecting plot lines.. I binged all 40 episodes in 3-4 days without losing focus or interest at all. With each arc, the stories highlight strong familial bonds and friendships between the characters. Each supporting character is also given ample time for viewers to get to know them as a person, and their backstories in relation to the overarching plot. All these stories make me cry! When “The Blossoming Love” tells the backstory of the main leads from 10,000 years ago, the execution is boring and draggy. In contrast, “Moonlight Mystique” was able to tell the ancient story from 60,000 years ago in a much more interesting and well-paced way. Moreover, I am a huge fan of fight scenes and I feel they are spread out throughout the drama to keep me interested. There are dramas where the fights all happened in the first half of the drama and then the second half is full of talking with no action. That’s why I was especially pleased to see these fight scenes evenly distributed.
Acting
Such solid acting from the 4 main leads and the supporting cast. I don’t think there’s anyone that I found to be outright awful.
- Ao Rui Peng: What a surprise! I have to say I was not confident in him at all in playing the demon lord based on his previous roles. But I was glad he proved me wrong! I don’t personally find him to be my kind of handsome, but I think he made me fall in love with his character, Fan Yue. Ao Rui Peng has big eyes, and I can see them switching from cold (but not mean) to stern (yet tender). His acting is on par with Bai Lu and they have good chemistry together.
-Bai Lu: Bai Lu is Bai Lu. You know what to expect from her and she delivers. Her role as Bai Shuo started out to be a spoiled little brat, but she grew to be a courageous, independent fighter. Watching her doing the wire work is amazing (both in the drama and the behind-the-scenes clips). Everything looks so effortlessly beautiful. She’s beautiful when she fights, and she’s beautiful when she cries.
- Dai Lu Wa: She was quite a scene stealer in the beginning as the little demon girl. I kinda miss her arrogant and badass personality in the latter half of the drama. In the earlier episodes, she’s just so much fun and you can’t help but follow her around the screen. Her emotional scenes are pretty good as well.
- Chang Hua Sen: His acting isn’t bad either, though might not be the weakest of the four. I was worried that his character will go a different direction and then I worry he might be typecast into certain roles.
Romance
- Bai Shuo + Fan Yue: I really enjoy their romance and how it was developed. The development feels natural and works with the plot. I am actually a little surprised that the feelings and they were a couple before ¾ of the drama. They are such a strong, mature and green couple. They understand each other, support each other even though they may not agree to the decision 100%. They serve as the objective listener and adviser when the other person is dealing with something personal. Their love is strong from beginning to the end with no misunderstanding but honest communication. It’s rare to see this in a xianxia drama.
- Fu Ling + Chong Zhao: I also really like this pair. Their story is very different from the main romance which provides viewers with something different and interesting. They have just enough screen time to make me feel invested without taking over too much time.
Other romance: Throughout the drama, there are several other romances within each arc. They are all beautiful and romantic, yet also heartbreaking. I can honestly say that as a hopeless romantic, I am quite satisfied with almost all the romances in “Moonlight Mystique” (maybe except how Fire Girl falls in love with Wolf boy).
Production Quality
First of all, there are so many different hairstyles, accessories and costumes for all the female leads. I don’t think I’ve seen Bai Lu in so many different outfits in a drama before. Each of the designs complement the location of the current storyline. Bai Lu and Dai Lu Wa look absolutely beautiful! Since this is a xianxia drama, there aren’t many fight scenes with actual martial arts. Most of them are done by CGI and green screens. I absolutely love the purple flowers by Fu Ling (and reminds me of my favorite purple in Ancient Love Poetry). But the special effects and green screen/cinematography could be a hit-or-miss as well. There are times when the scenes seem too fake and computer-generated. But other times, they are colorful and beautiful. On the other hand, unfortunately most of the actors are dubbed except for Bai Lu (that’s why she’s the queen!). The actors sounded fine to me in the BTS clips, and unfortunately, I noticed inconsistency in the lip syncing (mostly in the first half of the drama).
Of course, reviews and ratings are very subjective. But I do really like “Moonlight Mystique” and after finishing it, my gut tells me it's worth between 8.5-9.0. Therefore, I am giving this an 8.75 (rounding up to 9.0), the same rating as “Ancient Love Poetry”. It’s not a perfect drama, but these days, it’s hard to find one that keeps me invested throughout with solid acting, and no annoying characters.
Random Observations:
1. Warning: Do not get attached to any character, you will be heartbroken.
2. It’s lovely to have a drama with all smart leads who you like and can root for.
3. Bai Lu has perfected the shock look when being kissed (I’m still not a fan of that look,no matter who the actor/actress is).
4. Wolf boy acted so well in the last back hug scene. Gosh I cried so hard!
5. So, pink and purple light when the leads first made love (?), reminds me of “Ashes of Love”.
6. Rare to see a wedding proposal in a xianxia and it was sad and beautiful at the same time.
7. I am fine with the actual ending and don’t need more. I might be in the minority, though pretty and sweet, I find the special episode (lines spoken) also cheesy and a little cringe.
Completed: 3/25/2025 - Review #559
It was a pleasant surprise that I like “Moonlight Mystique” so much, as I came in without much expectations. Having seen “The Blossoming Love” and “Love of the Divine Tree” before this, I never would have thought “Moonlight Mystique” is my favorite out of the 3 (my MDL friends would not have agreed with me). Despite being in the same universe as “Ancient Love Poetry”, you can watch this drama as a standalone.
Story/Pacing
Compared to the other 2 dramas I listed above, I feel that “Moonlight Mystique” has the best pacing and execution of the intersecting plot lines.. I binged all 40 episodes in 3-4 days without losing focus or interest at all. With each arc, the stories highlight strong familial bonds and friendships between the characters. Each supporting character is also given ample time for viewers to get to know them as a person, and their backstories in relation to the overarching plot. All these stories make me cry! When “The Blossoming Love” tells the backstory of the main leads from 10,000 years ago, the execution is boring and draggy. In contrast, “Moonlight Mystique” was able to tell the ancient story from 60,000 years ago in a much more interesting and well-paced way. Moreover, I am a huge fan of fight scenes and I feel they are spread out throughout the drama to keep me interested. There are dramas where the fights all happened in the first half of the drama and then the second half is full of talking with no action. That’s why I was especially pleased to see these fight scenes evenly distributed.
Acting
Such solid acting from the 4 main leads and the supporting cast. I don’t think there’s anyone that I found to be outright awful.
- Ao Rui Peng: What a surprise! I have to say I was not confident in him at all in playing the demon lord based on his previous roles. But I was glad he proved me wrong! I don’t personally find him to be my kind of handsome, but I think he made me fall in love with his character, Fan Yue. Ao Rui Peng has big eyes, and I can see them switching from cold (but not mean) to stern (yet tender). His acting is on par with Bai Lu and they have good chemistry together.
-Bai Lu: Bai Lu is Bai Lu. You know what to expect from her and she delivers. Her role as Bai Shuo started out to be a spoiled little brat, but she grew to be a courageous, independent fighter. Watching her doing the wire work is amazing (both in the drama and the behind-the-scenes clips). Everything looks so effortlessly beautiful. She’s beautiful when she fights, and she’s beautiful when she cries.
- Dai Lu Wa: She was quite a scene stealer in the beginning as the little demon girl. I kinda miss her arrogant and badass personality in the latter half of the drama. In the earlier episodes, she’s just so much fun and you can’t help but follow her around the screen. Her emotional scenes are pretty good as well.
- Chang Hua Sen: His acting isn’t bad either, though might not be the weakest of the four. I was worried that his character will go a different direction and then I worry he might be typecast into certain roles.
Romance
- Bai Shuo + Fan Yue: I really enjoy their romance and how it was developed. The development feels natural and works with the plot. I am actually a little surprised that the feelings and they were a couple before ¾ of the drama. They are such a strong, mature and green couple. They understand each other, support each other even though they may not agree to the decision 100%. They serve as the objective listener and adviser when the other person is dealing with something personal. Their love is strong from beginning to the end with no misunderstanding but honest communication. It’s rare to see this in a xianxia drama.
- Fu Ling + Chong Zhao: I also really like this pair. Their story is very different from the main romance which provides viewers with something different and interesting. They have just enough screen time to make me feel invested without taking over too much time.
Other romance: Throughout the drama, there are several other romances within each arc. They are all beautiful and romantic, yet also heartbreaking. I can honestly say that as a hopeless romantic, I am quite satisfied with almost all the romances in “Moonlight Mystique” (maybe except how Fire Girl falls in love with Wolf boy).
Production Quality
First of all, there are so many different hairstyles, accessories and costumes for all the female leads. I don’t think I’ve seen Bai Lu in so many different outfits in a drama before. Each of the designs complement the location of the current storyline. Bai Lu and Dai Lu Wa look absolutely beautiful! Since this is a xianxia drama, there aren’t many fight scenes with actual martial arts. Most of them are done by CGI and green screens. I absolutely love the purple flowers by Fu Ling (and reminds me of my favorite purple in Ancient Love Poetry). But the special effects and green screen/cinematography could be a hit-or-miss as well. There are times when the scenes seem too fake and computer-generated. But other times, they are colorful and beautiful. On the other hand, unfortunately most of the actors are dubbed except for Bai Lu (that’s why she’s the queen!). The actors sounded fine to me in the BTS clips, and unfortunately, I noticed inconsistency in the lip syncing (mostly in the first half of the drama).
Of course, reviews and ratings are very subjective. But I do really like “Moonlight Mystique” and after finishing it, my gut tells me it's worth between 8.5-9.0. Therefore, I am giving this an 8.75 (rounding up to 9.0), the same rating as “Ancient Love Poetry”. It’s not a perfect drama, but these days, it’s hard to find one that keeps me invested throughout with solid acting, and no annoying characters.
Random Observations:
1. Warning: Do not get attached to any character, you will be heartbroken.
2. It’s lovely to have a drama with all smart leads who you like and can root for.
3. Bai Lu has perfected the shock look when being kissed (I’m still not a fan of that look,no matter who the actor/actress is).
4. Wolf boy acted so well in the last back hug scene. Gosh I cried so hard!
5. So, pink and purple light when the leads first made love (?), reminds me of “Ashes of Love”.
6. Rare to see a wedding proposal in a xianxia and it was sad and beautiful at the same time.
7. I am fine with the actual ending and don’t need more. I might be in the minority, though pretty and sweet, I find the special episode (lines spoken) also cheesy and a little cringe.
Completed: 3/25/2025 - Review #559
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