whoissilmoy

So this part is not in the novel, this place he works in the drama has a history once try to eliminate demons. Taoism only seeks harmony I think.

He left the temple. He's not a priest, is he? He works in the imperial ministry, but he still practices Taoism catching demons who harm humans. Perhaps he feels bad thinking about it because a Taoist should have self-control over desires of the heart?

He has such an amazing voice and delivery. I guess we just look forward to the next two modern dramas to hear it, but I really like this historical formal tone in this video. It's really good, I think. His voice and delivery for Mei Zhuyu has the right emotions for the character. I hear Mei Zhuyu's righteous attitude.

Why shouldn't they meet right away or do you mean fall for each other, but they haven't really fallen for each other and it's already ep. 7. Mei Zhuyu has already cultivated his power growing up in the temple, and he continues to cultivate talismans. Cat Lord was swallowed by the previous Cat Lord and merged with his power, so she doesn't need to cultivate it. In the novel, it opens up with she's getting engaged. That's even faster than the drama. No one knows this script what the mystery is.

Everything looks so real in this drama. Even the animated rat looks real, and they use real cats. The insects, spiders, and reptiles shown are real. It was only for a second that big creepy hair spider blown up like looking under a microscope and I'm scared of spiders. Eerie and spooky aura. Also, I think the way the actors act is according to the director, he wants a certain pace, timing, of their movements to complement or enhance the eerie atmosphere, for shock too. Perhaps that's what Xu Kai meant when he said this is a new genre for him. It's Chinese eerie realism. I used to be scared of the dark. When I was a little girl, there was this room I had pass to get to the restroom, and I learned my grand aunt's ashes are in the vase. I was so scared to pass the room thinking ghosts. This drama reminds me of being scared. Now I think about it, Chinese people use that word for ghost, you know white people are called white ghosts The term "white ghost" (bái guǐ, 白鬼) so ghosts is a familiar thing, must be from centuries of folklore or literature?

Oh! I kept thinking I know that face, those expressions, I've seen her before. I think she's the Snow God from ALP, the one who chased Bai Jue? Oh, it is her, Xue Ying Snow God. She's also in WDBTD.

Mei Zhuyu is calm, direct, and unfazed. When things go wrong, he doesn’t react—he just adjusts and moves on. Nothing rattles him. He’s steady, practical, and always focused on the next step. Wu Zhen thinks Mei’s quiet nature makes him easy to manipulate.

Yunhe and Maoyan track online but Kunyun track online and TV and I pointed out that Moonlit Reunion is only online. That’s why comparing it to dramas airing on satellite TV might skew the picture—those titles benefit from dual exposure.

it turns me off that Yunhe and Kunyun blindly count every click

it's the nature of MDL ratings

you make it sound like MDL is really important

I'm a novice at this. I'm just sharing what I think. I really don't know but I think Yunhe is not the same as Maoyan. In fact, if Moonlit Reunion can stay tops on Maoyan, it's good enough for me. I don't follow all those other metrics. If MR can get top 5 on Yunhe and #1 on Maoyan, its' great. For some reason, I like Maoyan metric.

Moonlit Reunion needs greater visibility and click-throughs to boost its reach on platforms like Yunhe. But those watching are sticking with it based on #1 on Maoyan, so far

#1 Maoyan / #7 Yunhe: Loved by viewers, strong retention, but not widely discovered yet.

#1 Yunhe / #7 Maoyan: Highly visible, lots of clicks, but weaker engagement or mixed viewer response (might be sampling, dropping off, feeling lukewarm but Yunhe counts it all).

Yunhe is volume-driven metric. Yunhe tracks how many people show up, Maoyan tracks how many people stay and love it. Maoyan focuses on are people finishing episodes? are they rating it highly? are they coming back day after day?

For blockbuster, it should be high on Yunhe and high on Maoyan.

7th is not bad, it just started, or is it that bad, I honestly don't know. So do you agree Kunyun is not a fair comparison it includes TV and Moonlit Reunion is only web -based. So I agree you want high on both Yunhe and Maoyan. Yunhe reflects reach—how widely a drama is being discovered (counts every click even if it's just for a second and the person never watch it again). In contrast, a high ranking on Maoyan shows depth—that viewers are genuinely engaged and watching through to the end. Moonlit Reunion needs greater visibility and click-throughs to boost its reach on platforms like Yunhe.

If a drama is trending on Yunhe or Kuyun, it means a lot of people are clicking on it—but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re sticking with it. Sometimes it’s driven by hype, and viewers drop off quickly. In contrast, a high ranking on Maoyan reflects real engagement: viewers are watching through to the end. If a drama isn’t trending on Yunhe or Kuyun, it might simply mean it hasn’t reached a wide enough audience yet. Since Kuyun tracks both online and TV viewership—and Moonlit Reunion isn’t airing on TV—its data is less relevant in this case. Then Yunhe becomes the more meaningful metric for gauging online traction.

It ranked #1 on Maoyan charts on 8/18 and 8/19 but it's still too early

#Maoyan ranking 250819
1️⃣ #MoonlitReunion 9731
2️⃣ #ThisThrivingLand 9700
3️⃣ #LegendOfTheFemaleGeneral 9468
4️⃣ #WhenDestinyBringsTheDemon 9251

#Maoyan ranking 250818
1️⃣ #MoonlitReunion 9699
2️⃣ #ThisThrivingLand 9678
3️⃣ #LegendOfTheFemaleGeneral 9588
4️⃣ #WhenDestinyBringsTheDemon 9295

The demon world in Moonlit Reunion exists as part of Chinese folklore, where supernatural beings are naturally woven into the fabric of reality without needing a structured origin. The demon world exists because Chinese folklore treats demons and spirits as a natural part of reality. They don’t need a detailed origin story—they’re just there, like trees or rivers.

Moonlit Reunion, to me, isn’t xianxia (no immortal realm) or classic wuxia. Though it includes a revenge arc (MDL label as wuxia)—demons killed his parents—it leans more into a blend of folklore and fantasy, where humans, demons, and spirits coexist.Both demons and spirits can cause harm to humans, yet some demons like the Cat Lord and Snake Lord, albeit half-demon and half human—also maintain order between the supernatural and human realms.Demons—often called 妖 (yāo) or 魔 (mó) in Chinese folklore—are supernatural beings with power and intent. They’re not inherently evil; many originate from animals, objects, or spirits that gained strength by absorbing energy like moonlight or qi. Some help humans, fall in love, or seek redemption. Others deceive, harm, or disrupt.Spirits are usually remnants of human souls—more passive and emotional. They’re often tied to specific places, people, or unresolved feelings, lingering in the world without moving on.Moonlight as energy symbolizes yin—cool, mysterious, and nurturing—contrasting the sun’s yang energy, which is warm, active, and vibrant. In Taoist traditions, moonlight is a medium for meditation, cultivation, and transformation, with some legends describing spirits absorbing moonlight to refine their essence.

Moonlit Reunion subverts classic wuxia because, although Mei Zhuyu embodies many traditional wuxia traits, his path diverges in a key way:
1) Wandering hero: Mei Zhuyu left the temple and lives as an independent practitioner of Taoism—not merely as a philosophy, but as a way of life. His journey through the martial world is guided by the Dao (the natural order of the universe), and his mission is to battle demons that disrupt cosmic balance. Through talismanic martial arts, he acts as a spiritual agent of harmony—restoring order where chaos threatens to consume it.
2) Martial mastery: His use of talismans reflects deep spiritual discipline and mystical combat skill.
3) Personal honor: While revenge for Mei Zhuyu’s parents is a central theme in the drama adaptation—leaning into classic wuxia tropes—it’s absent from the novel. Even so, Mei’s actions are guided by a strong sense of moral and spiritual responsibility. His commitment to restoring cosmic balance and confronting demonic forces reflects a personal code of honor rooted in Taoist values. It’s not classic wuxia in the direct sense, but it still resonates with the genre’s deeper themes of righteousness, independence, and the pursuit of harmony beyond institutional boundaries.
Subversion of genre: If Mei channels his traits—wandering heroism, martial mastery, and moral conviction—through lawful action, rather than acting outside or against the law as classic wuxia heroes often do, then Moonlit Reunion subverts the genre. He makes independent choices based on his Taoist beliefs and sees the law as a tool for maintaining cosmic balance, not as a barrier to justice. However, if he eventually steps beyond the law to pursue justice on his own terms, the story shifts back toward classic wuxia, where personal honor overrides legal boundaries.
However, it’s still too early to tell what will happen—and whether the law will continue to align with the Dao he serves.

I used to be scared of the dark thinking there are ghosts lurking around the corner, fortunately, I'm no longer, but this drama can make you think about it next time you're in the dark

i don't know why people call it out like it's a disease or something. it's not the first time, usually dramas that want to portray realistic (like war) or raw feeling, in this case, supernatural world, like to show the natural face and even flaws, unless you just want to make them all ghosts with glowing smooth unnatural faces that have no lines.

Mei Zhuyu, in the novel, "a man of few words." You need an actor like Xu Kai who can convey emotions and thoughts with just a glance. Nuances are Xu Kai's specialty! and his are captivating.