Reviews

LingOrm Are Back... To Mixed Results

I'm a bit polarized with this show. On one hand, it's not as downright awful as so many people claim. On the other hand, I still think it could have been so much better.

Only One had a great premise, with an up-and-coming popstar (Orm) being in love with her kickass bodyguard (Ling). It had the potential to be a great blend of action, drama, comedy, and romance. Unfortunately, it just ended up feeling like a melodrama, with WAY too much crying (especially from Orm).

LingOrm have excellent chemistry, and I would argue that it's even better here than it was in The Secret of Us. And while Ling's acting is still quite bad, Orm's acting seems to have improved a bit. I must confess that I do wish that LingOrm would be willing to film more steamy scenes. Their sexual encounters here really don't compare to those of LenaMiu on My Safe Zone.

My biggest issue with the show were their 2 dads, which unfortunately became the main plotline before the 2nd half even started. Them constantly attacking each other while trying to sabotage their daughters' relationship, despite the fact that both of them could tell how much Ayla and Tawan loved each other, quickly became very exhausting to watch. It seemed like every time one (or both) of the dads were finally starting to come around to Ayla and Tawan being together, they completely changed their minds in the very next scene.

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Very bad storyline and acting

I think the male lead is good but the FML, omg i think shes over doing it. Her acting so bad and theres no chemistry between the main roles. Storyline wise, i think this is by far the stupiest series i have ever watched. Its so stupid and doesnt make sense. The FML likes to jump the gun too soon and makes everything about her. And the ML like to lie unnecessarily just to create drama. Both of them are annoying and i cant stand watching this series. I survived episode 11 only. And to be honest the ML and FML are both not good looking especially the FML makes it harder to watch. Thank god the ML has a charismatic aura and he suits to be the emperor but thats about it. The storyline is so obvious and theres no mystery around it. So my rating would 1/10 for this series.

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Soft, Slow, and Sincere

I went into Joy Never Fades at Dawn expecting a simple vertical short drama, but what I got was something far more tender and quietly affecting. From the very first episode, the story pulled me. What truly stands out is the emotional restraint. What struck me most while watching was how much the drama says without actually saying it. The emotions are carried through lingering glances, pauses, and restrained reactions rather than dramatic outbursts. Each short episode feels purposeful, making excellent use of the vertical format—tight storytelling, minimal distractions, and a strong focus on character emotions. The pacing is gentle yet compelling, pulling you in without feeling rushed. As I watched, I felt like the story was unfolding in the spaces between words. This is a warm healing drama with a beautiful loving CP.
The chemistry between the leads isn’t built on grand gestures, but on understanding. It was gentle, slow, and deeply moving. The maturity and calmness between the leads are so good to see.
Finally a normal FL who she isn't overly timid or shy. She carries herself like a normal average woman would. Loved that there wasn't over the top drama going on. They did have a misunderstanding but it got cleared up pretty fast.

Joy Never Fades at Dawn isn’t loud or dramatic—it’s gentle, introspective, and quietly beautiful. Not much melo drama, strong female lead, pretty refreshing and different take of storyline than clichéd & typical vertical dramas.
I have to say that Wang Gege is picking up nice scripts recently and not rage bait scripts.

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A Gripping Historical Drama Driven by Brilliant Performances and Slow-Burn Emotion

This is one of the greatest historical dramas I have watched. Even though the pacing felt a bit slow at times, I never felt like dropping the drama because the cast was excellent and the mystery kept me eager to know what would happen to the villains. There were some characters whose endings I wished had been handled differently, but I understand that the ending shown in the drama was the best possible choice for the story.

The romance is very slow, but it progresses in a meaningful way. The male lead doing everything he could to protect the female lead felt romantic on its own, even when they were not clearly romantically involved. I truly loved all the characters, and the casting was absolutely brilliant.

While I would not rewatch the drama as a whole, mainly because it is a historical drama and once you know the story it becomes harder to watch again, and also because romance is not a major theme, it is still a great drama and definitely worth the time investment.

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Overall, it was a fairly good series about love and friendship. The alternative BL theme was a pleasant surprise.

You can find more of my reviews on Instagram. :D See my homepage about my Instagram account. Some of my reviews are under five hundred words so I can't post them here. (*^▽^)/★*☆♪(*^-゜)vThanks!


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A Pleasant Surprise, Indeed.

I've been in an Asian drama SLUMP for the better part of a year now. Yes, I think it's been at least a year where I haven't been able to get back on the horse with Asian dramas (as a whole), so to speak. I've been jumping from country to country trying to find a drama to pull me out of this slump and nothing worked. However, something compelled me to start watching this. As time progressed, it took me until the middle of the first episode to realize that I'd watched this before. Rather, I'd began watching this once upon a time and I dropped it shortly after. For some strange reason, reading the synopsis and title did nothing to jog my memory. I think I dropped it maybe around episode 2 or 3. I can't remember which.

Anyway, I almost dropped it AGAIN but something told me to skip to episode 6 and start watching from there and that was the single best thing I could have done for this drama. For anyone reading this review in 2025, watch the first episode for some background information but I'd suggest you skip right to episode 5 or 6 for things to really start getting interesting. Unfortunately, the first few episodes of this drama are incredibly DIFFICULT to watch in a painfully awkward way. Then again, if you're someone who has experience watching J Dramas, then you'd be fine with the ridiculousness often found in these types of dramas. If you're not, then you might not like it. J Dramas can be an acquired taste in many different ways and you have to acquire a taste for it. So yes, the first few episodes are 'cringy.' However, once you push through those few episodes, you will enjoy yourself. The unique advantage of J Dramas is the average runtime/length of them. They're short and sweet; you won't have to sit through tens of episodes before you get to the good stuff.

Now, Sakura and Tendo are our main couple. It's hard to conceptualize this couple because they don't fit the typical mold of a lead couple in a drama. There's an age gap. Not necessarily a creepy one, but it does exist. Tendo is your typical tsundere type, so he's going to be quite stone-faced for the majority of the drama. I know some people are into that, so you may enjoy it. But for the people who are not, he's like that most of the time so there's your warning. Their chemistry is slightly nonexistent but existent, if that makes sense. If Tendo wasn't a tsundere type, I think the chemistry would have been a lot more felt. But because his character is a tsundere, it's difficult to figure out if he even likes her or not. There are kisses. But there's always the question of - are you kissing her because you like her and it's what you want to do or are you kissing her to indulge her because you know that she likes you? It definitely affects the chemistry in a big way, in my opinion. Also, Sakura is very very immature. She's the cutesy, childish female lead that most of us are familiar with in this market. Typically, I don't like those types of characters but she experienced a LOT of growth and character development over the course of this drama. We watch her grow and make decisions that are suitable for a fully grown adult. The actress? OMG! She's GOOD. The actress is so good; she will make you cry and I commend her for that.

Also, there are SO MANY love triangles/squares going on outside of the main couple that will make you want to rip your hair out. Unfortunately, I skipped all the scenes with the side characters because I couldn't be bothered to invest any time in that strange game of musical chairs. You can skip those scenes and not miss a single thing. And yes, some of those side characters are interested in each of the lead characters but it's all unrequited/one-sided. The leads only have eyes for each other. It does get annoying watching the side characters chase them despite knowing this, but those scenes are totally skippable.

Again, there won't be many romantic moments between the leads until the last few episodes. But hey, it comes with the territory of a tsundere ML. I didn't expect to like this drama that much honestly because both leads are prime examples of my least favorite character tropes. I'm not a fan of tsundere male leads or cutesy, immature female leads but here I am singing this drama's praises in spite of that. Amazing work from the actors!

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A bl about cheating..?

Let's start off by saying I do not condone cheating under any circumstances 🥲

That being said, this bl is a masterpiece. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. It's raw, real, and I felt the emotions through the screen. It explores complex relationships and real relationship issues.

I loved the complexity of Sei's relationship with his "friend". The explanation at the end was realistic, and it showed that sometimes, for whatever reason that may be, relationships just don't work out the way you wanted them to.

As for the other guy (my apologies, I forgot his name already), I also loved the realness of his relationship with his girlfriend. It showed real issues a relationship can encounter, and that sometimes, it just doesn't work out.

My only complaint is the fact that there was no communication in either relationships, when the problem could've easily been resolved with a long talk. Cheating is never the answer. But I get it, it's for the plot ;)

I also wish we'd gotten more epilogue. I absolutely love the main couple, and I wish we'd gotten to see more of their relationship. But the story did end at a good time. This drama was short, but it said everything that needed to be said.

I'd definitely watch this again!

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Underwhelming

Easy watch, pretty bland. Storyline is not bad and the potential was there to make it into an exciting romance, story but they missed and the story flatlined. I didn't feel much chemistry between neither the first couple ML/FL nor the second couple ML/FL. Actually the second couple was a bit more interesting and funny, however on the romance part, there were visible signs of avoidance of kissing by the actors and you could tell that there was absolutely no physical attraction between the characters. First couple also seemed to lack real chemistry and in fact they were more awkward with each other than anything else. Maybe a better pairing of actors would have made the "love" story more believable. And the final 3 episodes..OMG ..I have never seen a more boring, mundane ending of a supposed double couple romance story. Pretty disappointing.

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No Wonder It's a Cult Classic!

Just like its title, Love Between Fairy and Devil follows the story of a weak flower fairy named Orchid, who accidentally entered the Haotian Matrix where she encountered the infamous Moon Supreme, Dongfang Qing Cang. Legend says he became an emotionless monster in order to wield the great power of the hellfire and take control of the Moon Tribe as the Moon Supreme. As Orchid and Dongfang Qing Cang spend time and work together, fire melts and love sprouts teaching them what it means to sacrifice for love.

Love Between Fairy and Devil was the first Xianxia drama that I was able to be fully engrossed in and finish without ever forcing myself to do so. Before this, I had no interest in Xianxia dramas due to its profound fantasy qualities and thought it was hard to digest. I did give it a try once but found myself cringing so hard and was unable to continue watching that previous drama. After being recommended and seeing the many compliments this drama has, I decided to give it a try and ended up watching this in one sitting.

This drama adopts the popular "enemies to lovers", "I changed you", and "he fell first, he fell harder" tropes, blended with imaginative and fantastical qualities of magic, immortality, and the realm of Gods, fairies, and spirits. Despite the depth of the story, this drama remains easy and entertaining to watch making you blush and absorbed to see how it all unfolds. Although there were some logic gaps, this show did a great job at balancing its sillier bits with its more heartfelt core.

As a naive, kindhearted, and compassionate flower fairy, Orchid has always been nice to everyone including Dongfang Qing Cang, whom at first she thought was just a regular prisoner. Due to their unintentional connection, the emotionless Dongfang Qing Cang was able feel emotions through the expressive Orchid. This was a dilemma for Dongfang Qing Cang in the beginning as he would love to get rid of Orchid yet couldn't because of their connection. To prevent Orchid from having emotional outbursts, the cold Dongfang Qing Cang would try everything he can to make Orchid happy like cooking for her, comforting her, even helping her win the tournament that will supposedly get her closer to Chang Heng, all so she could be happy. This was especially cute considering the Moon Supreme's cold and emotionless exterior, and how he learns to be soft for Orchid (and himself). Not to mention, since he also feels pain whenever Orchid gets hurt, Dongfang Qing Cang also protects Orchid from any danger she was in. Although he meant it menacingly, the way he protected her paired with his unwavering gaze, makes Orchid thinks he likes her. Despite initially feeling annoyed and his attempts to sever their connection, he grew to like how those emotions feel and enjoyed Orchid's presence. It's funny to see how Dongfang Qing Cang is this powerful, dark, evil lord yet Orchid treats him casually like some puppy.

The good things doesn't stop there! As someone who gets exhausted over body swapping plots, I was worried about the presence of that plot in this drama. Fortunately, the body swap antics always ended just before I started to get anxious and weary. This was definitely one of the reasons why I like this drama! The character development in this drama was also well-written. From the start, we can see how Dongfang Qing Cang's character went from being this arrogant, regal, and unfeeling Moon Supreme, who eventually warms up and learns compassion. Orchid was also well-written as a selfless, cheerful, kindhearted, and rather dim fairy who was able to care for everyone, even those who wronged her. She never feared Dongfang Qing Cang, even after knowing his real identity. Orchid's personality remain constant throughout the drama. The way she treats and softens the cold Moon Supreme was definitely something to anticipate when watching this drama. It was also interesting to see how her thoughts and decisions matures after falling in love with Dongfang Qing Cang.

Casting Dylan Wang and Esther Yu for the roles of Dongfang Qing Cang and Orchid, respectively, was the right decision. Dylan Wang exudes the charisma and demeanor befitting for the role of the infamous Moon Supreme. His sharp facial features imposes the cold aloof of Dongfang Qing Cang's character. He did a great job with his cold expressions, deep gaze, and soft smirks, which made his character appealing even as a supposedly ruthless lord who wouldn't think twice about killing. That is not to say that he is only good with his cold expressions and aloof demeanor, but he also did a great job at showing the softer qualities as well. His puppy eyes were scene stealers when he started to fall in love and also when he body swapped with Orchid. It was almost comical to see how this emotionless lord would pull a 180 and turn into this, almost like, stray puppy.

Esther Yu was also magnificent as Orchid. Not only was she awfully cute but she was great at portraying the dim, cheerful, selfless, and compassionate fairy Orchid. Her cuteness comes off natural and not forced. On top of that, her visuals were befitting for the role of Orchid. Her cheeks imposes a soft and friendly allure to her character, and her eyes and lips were almost doll-like, perfect for the role of fairies. Not to mention her voice. The high pitched tone was just enough to support her role as our cute and dim fairy Orchid without coming off as too annoying. Aside from her portrayal as Orchid, she also did a great job with her character transformation in the later parts of the drama where she exudes charisma, elegance, maturity, restraint, and poise, which is a contrast to her personality as Orchid.

Aside from the two main characters, they also did well with the casting of the other characters. Zhang Linghe definitely caught my eye whenever he's on screen. His charisma as Chang Heng was overflowing and his mischievousness as Xiao Run was also fascinating! No wonder he started to make his breakthrough after this. In addition to the great casting, this drama was also well-produced with its beautiful set, CGIs, and most importantly, iconic OST.

The set or CGI in this drama was beautiful and dreamy, befitting for a drama filled with Gods, fairies, spirits, and devils. Although there are some parts that I think could have been done better in terms of CGI, it was enough to say that everything felt almost natural and not cringey. The costumes and hairstyle were 50/50. They definitely did a great job with the fairies costume and hairstyle, as well as Dongfang Qing Cang's. However, I wish they could have done Chang Heng's outfit better. I also find Dongfang Xun Feng's hairstyle funny so that is something worth changing. Although it was not perfect, I do think that the overall look and visuals of this drama was iconic and beautiful enough for me to compliment it. Now, I have to give an honorary mention to the OSTs, particularly Farewell Love by Faye. I've heard it a lot of times in social media platforms and it wasn't until I watch this drama that I realize that song is an OST for Love Between Fairy and Devil.

In conclusion, this drama easily made it to the top of my recommended list for Xianxia dramas. It is a drama that will introduce you to the world of Xianxia genre. Despite the depth of the story and theme, Love Between Fairy and Devil is a Xianxia drama that is easy to digest and entertaining to watch. The plot was not draggy and they did a great job at blending its sillier bits with its more heartfelt core, leaving you a lasting impact!

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Wild and crazy stuff

This was so wild just caution to watch while you let your brain play. The villain in this story was everywhere. There was practically no scenes she wasn’t in. The leads took two days off to spend in a beach town, she went after them. An example. She was everywhere. Magically appeared in all crucial parts of others lives. Writer had a wild but nonsensical creativity that was quite pathetic it just doesn’t make sense. The crucial characters knew she was responsible for all the crimes (nearly killing, attempted kidnapping to harm, etc). They were totally helpless to do anything. Imagine if that’s how in true society that would be. We’d be cooked worse than what is happening even with laws in place. Sorry but I think this is the story where the writer was entertaining that fantasy. I mean the ending solidifies that. Crazzzzzy.

This almost makes me hate Korean culture. The part where parents are so controlling of their kids, knowingly lie to advance a child and themselves , screaming. I mean everyone screams and cries practically it’s an ear and eye sore. The problem with this is that it’s meaningless. They go right back to doing what they cried about. Ughhh.

I liked the female leads brother character. With his disability, he was quite adorable.😊 I hope lead actor gets other lead roles. First time seeing him but I think he did well. Actually, everyone did well with the script given. Just a horrible script. Period!!!

I watched at three minute speed midway for each episode to get to end. I think the long dramas are ridiculously long as obviously writers get tired and come up with unrealistic fillers that start to repeat and swerve everywhere. Save yourself on this one. Not worth it.

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I think the biggest reason for making these short dramas with such story is to entertain your weirdest fantasies, then going back to normality after a couple hours.

They are always hard to rate because you won't find any consistent story, everything is a mess.
For this one the idea of obsession is done well, the ML is really messed up in the head and he is really really weak for the FL, yet he is pushy and slightly violent and forceful, but in a respectful way, like forced sex with permission xD

I mean, I knew this was about obsession and I kinda enjoyed it, do I like these things in general? Nope! Do I fantasies about this type of obsession? Absolutely NOPE ! Never. however! I enjoy when the weaker person is the one in control! Like he can do whatever he wants, like kidnap her or whatever, bit instead he hurts himself because he can't do that to her, that's the power I like and the FL has without even noticing, and she will make use of it to the max once she puts her mindset on that.

Overall enjoyable, heavy on the flirty scenes, but still good ~

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