Finally, THIS IS DEFINITELY WILL BE GETTING REWATCHED
DON'T MISS OUT ON A GREAT DRAMA BECAUSE YOU ARE JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER.
HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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Peak Xianxia Romance
This was such a surprise — I didn’t expect it to be this good 😭 Would definitely recommend this! The acting, plot, script, score, cinematography, everything was on point! A breath of fresh air from the usual xianxia we are used to seeing.I especially love how the show incorporates score and OSTs to highlight particular scenes. Absolutely broke my heart when the opening theme song started playing in the later episodes. I was always crying ><
Xiao Lan Hua, my baby!! She’s so so bubbly and cute, I want her to be my younger sister haha. Dongfang Qingcang is of course so cool. I like the way Fairy Danyin subverts the usual xianxia trope of bitchy villain who’s in love with the God. Fairy Danyin and Jieli scenes were very cute <3 I crud a little at the Rong Hao x Chidi Woman storyline, ngl 🥲
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the drama. Hope to rewatch in the future 🫶
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it'll change your standard for xianxia/xuanhuan's forever: a delicious fever dream fairytale
The easiest way to describe Cang Lan Jue is as if someone plucked all of my favorite tropes from my 15-year-old brain and added loads of Renaissance and art nouveau imagery, gorgeous hair, fiery chemistry (both on screen and BTS), and a healthy dollop of physical and emotional whump.- The writing:
It's one of the tightest, cleanest (narratively speaking) scripts I've ever seen in a cdrama. There are no superfluous storylines, the pace is engaging and well-thought-out, and there are deliciously written tie-ins and callbacks to seemingly simple gestures and actions written within the drama that consistently add layers of meaning to every little thing. Traditional tropes are written in but are often completely subverted or altered with nuance and creative flair. Those who would traditionally be evil can very well be the golden-hearted heroes. The heroes we're manipulated into believing (even the story at the very beginning of this drama lies to us and misrepresents the facts) can easily be the true face of villainy.
- The relationships and chemistry:
There are many relationships written within this drama that help drive the narrative and shed light on history's past. I fell in love with the people of Cangyan Sea, and those closest to DFQC. There isn't a single person who doesn't go through some type of hardship or self-discovery, and those we meet at the beginning of the drama have often changed several shades. Some platonic relationships are unexpected and some of the most engaging factors of joy, especially in the mortal realm arc. The love story between DFQC (fondly referred to as Moon from here on out) and Orchid is the greenest, most wholesome, and healthy relationship I've ever seen in a cdrama. Hands down (I'm lookin' at you, Cheng Yi dramas!) They fill the holes in places the other lacks, and their relationship is rooted in tacit understanding, mutual love, and an unyielding acceptance of each other's true, most bare colors. I became inexplicably attached to their journey. Their chemistry is palpable, both on screen and behind the scenes. Once their relationship is established, there is nary a scene when they're not hand-in-hand or kissing (and the kisses- oh my god!!! no fish kisses here). I particularly enjoyed the special attention to detail with hands and clothing in terms of a visual representation of their relationship and an outer reflection of their inner selves.
- The AESTHETICS *surpassed by no other cdrama I've ever seen*:
Every realm is uniquely detailed and fleshed out, from makeup to forms of magic used to costumes, interior design, architecture, and customs. I haven't been this impressed with world-building since I first watched The Lord of The Rings. A lot of money and thought has gone into this drama, it's blatantly evident within the first episode, and I couldn't stop myself from pausing scenes just to marvel at the live-action art (literally, there is a scene where two immortals are leisurely enjoying wine on a boat, from within an actual painting, and they've been reduced to brush strokes). Arbiter Hall and the forests within Shuiyuntian gave me a lot of Rivendell vibes, especially with the ethereal coloring and iridescent armor. Cangyan Sea (Moon's realm and home) has rich and sophisticated velvet textures, gilded detailing, and layers of deep colors that represent their people's storied history and Moon's enigmatic personality. I was particularly awe-struck by Moon's entire visual. From head to toe, he's a very carefully detailed and supremely handsome character. He's got the nicest hair in cdrama land (or anywhere), and costumes/armor pieces that are flattering and reflective of his inner self. I particularly love his black and gold ensemble, with the gilded gold flares on the sleeves. Devastatingly gorgeous. None of the artistic styles and set design concepts would have been able to properly live and breathe on screen without the equally masterful cinematography, makeup, and lighting. These departments knew exactly what they were doing.
-Acting and OST:
Beautiful OST. Handomsly lends to every scene, particularly scenes between our CP. I also love the atmospheric OST, especially the incredibly eerie track that played whenever an evil spirit or antagonist entered the scene. It always sent chills up my spine.
Favorite tracks:
1. The Other Side - Jing Long, Jing Di Er *every time this track came on, I was a heaving mess.
2. Remaining Love - Zhou Shen *He can never do wrong.
2. Goodbye Love- Faye
I'm particularly proud of Dylan Wang's performance through Cang Lan Jue. Although I've always been fond of him, he's come a long way since his highly criticized performance in Miss The Dragon. He's able to master his facial expressions with very natural and organic body language within each scene; he's particularly strong with his cutesy moments during the body swap hijinks and comes out *very* strong during demanding emotional scenes. His performance during the angst moments in this drama cannot be overstated. He embodies his role as Moon, and the pain that emanates is visceral, profound, and deep. I couldn't help but cry with and for him in those moments. The behind-the-scenes videos of these moments show how deeply he immersed himself in his role, unable to extricate himself easily after the director says "cut." Truly devastatingly gorgeous work. I hope this drama lands him many new rules; it's well deserved.
Orchid is a wonderfully written character that pairs beautifully with our dark and gloomy Moon supreme. I'm glad I didn't allow Esther Yu's higher-pitched voice to deter me from watching the drama. Her voice may turn off some from watching, but I found her endearing fairly quickly. Her character has a lot of growth and a huge heart; it's easy to find reasons to like her, and her voice does change quite a bit throughout the drama.
This isn't your standard cdrama xianxia/xuanhuan fantasy drama. It's not another Cheng Yi drama (although, lord, do I have a soft spot for our "King of Whump."). This drama is like a cleverly and cleanly written fantasy bedtime story, with whimsical demons and fairies and good and evil from the most unexpected places. It's worth every 10-star review it's received.
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Best chinese drama of 2022 for me
Due to my high standard of chinese fantasy drama after watching Eternal love by Yang Mi,I don't really enjoyed today dramas and dropped most of them.But after I watched 1st episode of this,I was like "Woah woah".The story line is indeed refreshing unlike other dramas(you know most cdramas have similar story line).The effects used in this are also great.The actings of both leads are supreme especially Dylan.(I don't totally satisfy his last work MTD so I'm glad to see his other side).I can clearly feel the emotion every scene since they deliever very well.Like I am invisible man being together with them and experiencing their hardships. I cry,I laugh,I surprise while watching this..I thought there will be no drama that like the way Eternal love touched my heart.I am really glad to the production team for bringing this.Over all,highly recommend.I guarantee you will not regret watching this and gradually ,totally fall in love with this.Cet avis était-il utile?
Perfectly done yin and yang romance
Do you think that the love between sweet, naive little girl and a badass, overpowered devil is possible? Is it even possible to write such a story and make it rational and logical?Yes and YES!
First of all, this is not your typical xianxia about 3 lives, reincarnations etc... This drama will surprise you a lot. Even if you watched many other xianxias, this one will surprise you with characters' choices, story developments and turnovers.
MAIN LEADS:
The female lead - Orchid - might seem like a cute, naive, sweet little girl that could annoy you through the whole drama, might ruin your fun to watch endlessly, but not hear! If you feel irritated by her character at first, bear with her, just trust her. She will grow on you. Orchid is one of the bravest and most loyal female lead that are out there - she knows who she loves, she can make a decision and do everything for her loved once. Her love won't wave. She knows that decisions she make are risky, but she is brave enough to do them. Her pure intentions and love can melt even the devil's heart and that's what she does.
The romance between the main lead is logical. Our Moon Supreme couldn't fall for Orchid if he weren't bond to her through the Heart Curse. The evil he is, he wouldn't give her a chance to live longer than an hour knowing his short temper.
She is a pure love. He is a pure evil. A true love between Yin and Yang.
And it works.
Both main actors did splendid job with their characters. Their acting was perfect. They know at what stage what they character feels, what are their motivation, and they act just splendid through the whole drama. You can see so much through their expressions and their eyes - it tells the whole story.
Supports:
Characters developments is one of the point that made me truly appreciate this drama. Each, I mean EACH character had their own story, motivation, character and character development. No one stay pure good or pure evil, whatever - all characters change through many circumstainces. They grow, they change. They don't stay stubborn till the day. They know logic. Wow.
Visual development:
The CGI is once of the most beautiful I've ever seen in xianxias. The world building is full of variety. Each scene was built carefully and thought well through - you can see it in the details. Some really good concept artists sat down and spent lot of time wondering how this and that person live, what would they have in their room, in hwta environment they grew up, what are their people customs, what is the lighting, etc. If you watch this drama, you spend a lot of time just consuming these beautiful, well designed environment settings. Mniah :)
Music:
All OSTs are beautiful and addictive :) And they know the right moment to play them ;)
Ahh, whatr to say more? Just go watch the drama, if you haven't seen it yet and don't give up on it after 1 or 2 episodes. It does get better with each one.
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Beautiful fairy tale
This Chinese version of Beauty and the Beast is romantic, funny, dreamy, heartwarming and heart-wrenching. The artistic CGI enhances the fantasy feel. I was blown away by the stunning music, beautiful set design and the heartfelt portrayal by the cast.Dylan Wang nails a challenging role of the heartless and ruthless but inadvertently funny and loveable Supreme Lord of the Moon Tribe, Dongfang Qingcang.
Esther Yu as lowly Fairy Orchid Xiao Lanhua is initially annoying with her high-pitched, whiney, babyish way of talking but she eventually grows on you once you realize Lanhua is really a baby immortal, just 1500 years old compared to Dongfang Qingcang who is more than 30,000 years old. And Lanhua does grow up, becoming much less whiney and babyish as the drama progresses. However, she retains a baby's innocence and purity of heart, making her one of the most admirable female leads I've encountered in CDramas. Instead of the usual revenge-driven grudge-keeping CDrama characters, Lanhua sees the best in everyone and is quick to forgive and forget. She does not hesitate to come to the rescue of other people, with no thought of her own safety. Her pure heart, kindness and courage melt DFQC's heart, or rather, restore his emotional tree.
Roc Chen's sublime background music (also featured in Royal Nirvana) soars, a fitting accompaniment to the exquisite artistic visuals. The other musical pieces are equally stirring.
In summary, it's a beautiful and powerful drama that dares to make viewers believe in the supremacy of love.
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Short and fast paced limits the typical repeatedness.
Here, a lot of the 'hero' formulas are flipped on their head. On one hand, there are highly toxic ideas of what can make a good person and what can inspire change in a person. On the other hand an important lesson for all: that true, genuine sacrificial love - honoring what the other person needs and not what you desire - will always win.
The acting and chemistry here is decent between the main characters, Dylan Wang is excellent when he is brooding and quite adorably childlike cute whilst in love, the melding of the two personas never really settles in properly. Yu Shu Xin is bubbly and earnest but the plot keeps her smart and with agency - not a fool.
Music is fairly good, not sure I'd rewatch.
Themes: 8.0
True, genuine love where you see each other and respect each other, flaws and all is transformative. With shared values, old rules about who you fight for and who you love go out the window. Ego and the desire to deaden your own humanity may allow you to dominate and win as an individual, but will never be the answer to saving your community. Never forget that there is usually a larger common enemy stirring the pot of discord and divide.
Character Growth: 7.5
Dong Fang Qing Cang jumps around between a cynical, deadened soul and a boy who never grew up - while this is an excellent way to portray him at the beginning, and is justified based on his origin story, the final integration never really satisfyingly takes place. Xiao Lan Hua / Xi Yun is not allowed the same time to integrate and is bubbly and earnest 90% of her screen time.
Complex Women/Interactions Between Women: 7.5
There are plenty of women characters but the desire to pair each of them off with a man leaves them with little meaningful interaction. The friendship of Xiao Lan Hua and Jie Li is the exception, but even that relationship it's unclear what bonds them as friends besides Xiao Lan Hua's open heart and gullibility.
Production Values/Cinematography: 9.0
Compared to the CGI in previous XianXia, this is much more flattering. The sets are well-done and I didn't mind that they replicated Little Orchid's home over and over in order to re-use that set. The color palette, costumes, jewelry and make-up are all very pretty - this is true in all the 'realms'/worlds. Action scenes are very simple, but are pulled off well instead of being complicated and clearly fake.
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DYLAN, DYLAN, DYLAN
Y’all. I am SHOOKETH. Let me tell you. Try to get to episode 9… and you will be hooked. TRUST. It needs to build up to episode 9. Dylan Wang as the Moon Supreme carried the entire show to the moon and back. He was PHENOMENAL. He Worked this role like a BOSS. Sexy, masculine, fierce, strong, brave, confident and above all.. he feared NOTHING. He acted his heart out and honestly… one of the best actors of this generation.Storyline: very, very interesting. Ignore some minor flaws (mostly the FL in the beginning) and you won’t regret watching. The FL shows a lot of character development and becomes very lovable.
Love: Their chemistry is fire! When they fell in love, they fell HARD. Like one of those, I will die for you a thousand deaths and flip off all them haters in the process with hellfire. Their love was indestructible. I enjoyed all the romantic scenes and affections.
Second leads: did not disappoint. They all kept their morals strong and no one was evil. Very enjoyable to watch.
OST: for the first time, I really enjoyed the music. Incredibly moving.
Overall, I’m off to watch more of Dylan’s other dramas. Huge fan, now!
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LBFAD IS THE XIANXIA DRAMA OF 2022
Finally we get the ONE xianxia drama of 2022, like every year I usually wait for a xianxia drama that will be the ONE of that year and honesty I've never been disappointed,instead it just keeps on getting better and better with an amazing casts full of chemistry and great storyline.LBFAD is such a good drama that while watching you keep asking yourself if you're watching a fiction story or if you're actually experiencing it with them because of how real the drama was.
Initially it took me two days to finish episode one because of the FL, I didn't like the sound of her voice and almost gave up but I said to give it a try and boy was I hooked.
Right from episode one it was already shown that love will be the the main theme of the drama, what do you expect when you put a soul that's kind, compassionate and know how to love with a soulless being of course it will turn out OK.
The fight on who get to sacrifice for each other is so beautiful and heart wretching. I cried my eyes out when watching this drama. Their love story is like how a woman get pregnant, concoon the baby for nine months, give birth to the baby, take care of it with love and affection from infant to adulthood and watch it makes its own decision.
The supporting casts also did well and I especially feel that Danyin should have been giving more story and well balanced ending to her character, I came to fell in love with her character.
Honestly was expecting Chengheng to finally love Danyin but I guess the writers knew what they were doing and didn't want to make it look like cliché like other dramas do sometimes. Chengheng felt more like a supporting character than a 2nd ML.
The one thing I love most about this drama is the ML, this is my second time watching his drama and to me he is really a good actor. His facial expression and dialogue is amazing, him as a woman and him as an evil being makes him so versatile as an actor. I hope he branches out more with different roles and all.
My first time watching Esther Yu drama, I think she can do more if she stop with the baby voice, it was the main reason while I didn't want to watch the drama in the first place but towards the ending she stopped speaking with the baby voice so I really think she can stop using it if she really wants.
The Ost is such a loving, beautiful and painful songs. Each time I hear a song I find myself shazaming away and guess what it always turn out to always be my favourite singers like Zuo Shen and Lui Yuning. These two together on an ost for a drama then you better belive that drama is gonna be bomb. My Spotify playlist is so blessed because of these two amazing singers.
Xianxia drama is my favourite kind of genre to watch in a drama and that's why every year I always expect something great and they always deliver. The amazing story, the CGI and the Ost is something you don't want to miss. This drama has a great CGI like ALP.
Watch this and you definitely won't miss out.
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A weird first episode, a great middle-part and a totally rushed finale
I've only recently entered the Xianxia universe, everything is still fresh and new to me, so bear with me and my totally subjective point of view and rating. My first one was Ashes of Love which I binged within one week (and only two weeks ago at that, hence still present when I started this one), so the bar was set quite high from the very first minute.The story is intriguing and the title itself already hints to what you can expect (even though it sounds a bit cheesy). Two completely different beings fall in love with each other. You can already smell the scandal, the passion and the tragedy. Everyone who's a sucker for starcrossed lovers would take the bait. Me included, even though I didn't want to give in to the hype during its airing time. But the temptation was too big and I didn't regret it afterall. I'm actually glad because I can't be spoilered anymore (the risk was high, believe me).
The first episodes didn't pick me up right away. It was quite slow-paced and the female lead's voice was very high pitched. Many people complained about it. I bore with and got used to it pretty quickly though, until I didn't mind it at all anymore. At some point it started to fit her. It formed her character throughout the drama and became a special trait while she was evolving. It also helped distinguish different sides of her later on. She started off as a somewhat naive young woman who already experienced some hardships, i.e. not being accepted by others but her master, or loneliness. But she also got a sense of responsibility and took care of the destiny books in Arbiter Hall where she lived. Sometimes she behaved a bit childish but at the end she instinctively did the right thing. I wouldn't call her foolish either. She often found solutions on her own, even though those caused inconvenient consequences once in a while and were not always to my liking. But as the story went on, she grew with her tasks. I was really impressed by her resolution whenever she made a life-changing decision. Once she realized her biggest desire, she never wavered. I didn't always know what she was going to do, but I was never let down by her.
Dongfang, the male lead, had a hard time to win me over. But once the ice was broken, it was a pleasure to watch his character grow. In the earlier episodes he was moody all the time, what I could totally understand regarding the situation he was in. Sometimes though I found his expressions somewhat lacking, albeit that part was intended right from the beginning, and got explained later on. The missing emotions had positive effect though. It was quite impressive whenever his cold demeanor unexpectedly burst into fury. In the second half then, Donfang's character also gained a lot more layers and got complexier which made me happy beyond explanation. There was a point that completely changed my impression of the actor himself and allowed me then to fully enjoy his performance while finally wholeheartedly diving into the abysses of the lead.
The God of War, Changheng was never a character, I liked a lot. He was the second love interest which didn't even bother me. But he never thought twice about his implusive decisions. And when consequences hit him or bystanders hard, he rowed back. He decided on his own what was good for others. At some point though, he actually changed to the better, made me like him in some way which I didn't think was possible in the beginning.
The side cast was as intriguing as the main leads, I was invested in their stories alot, esp. Rong Hao's. Without telling too much, his tale was one of the most understandable and heartbreaking ones. On the other hand, Dongfang's brother got a reasonable history on his own. Whether intended or not, he never made me trust him completely though. There were also some loose ends of other people which I had liked to be explored some more, but I guess I can't have everything.
The acting was overall really good, however one or two people still need some fine-tuning, for example Dongfang's ~sidekick. At times he acted really well, in other situations he didn't seem confident at all.
What I really appeciated was that the love story took its time. It was slow-burning and subtle, hence it released a satisfying feeling when it finally bloomed, and got poignant at its climax. Misunderstandings get cleared pretty fast, too.
But as great as the middle-part became, the end itself was a small let-down for me. Alot of things suddenly happened in a really short amount of time. As if the writers didn't have enough time to tell everything. Fast changing scenes and small time jumps that led to a dysbalance of the overall atmosphere. Because it felt so rushed, the tension somewhat abated and didn't touch me as much as previous events in the drama. That part would have been a great finale if they had added one more episode.
As for the framing, beautiful music and CGI, and stunning costumes make this drama a feast for eyes and ears, but my absolute no. 1 highlight is Dongfang's hair. I can't even fathom what spell bewitched me here. I was always in awe whenever I saw it (which happened like... 90% of the drama, yes).
If someone is considering whether to watch this one or not, I'd say yes. It doesn't have that many episodes, the story is easy to understand and the character development is quite presentable. Also, there's a nice shifting of who the actual villain is even though it's predictable (if you include jerks, that damn almighty emperor would get first place, but who asks me).
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You're going to have to get over the baby voice first
==Breakdown==Background plot - 40%
Romance - 40%
Misc comedy - 20%
Background plot - Excellent
Romantic chemistry - Excellent
Misc comedy - Excellent
Production value - Excellent
As many other reviewers have noted, the character of Orchid has extreme baby voice. I'd tried and failed to watch this series several times, never making it through the first episode, and ultimately deciding a few months ago just to give up because it made me cringe so very, very hard.
If you're like me and this is a big issue, may I recommend watching the show on mute for the first few episodes. I did this with subtitles until I connected with the story, then I gradually increased the volume (very low, moderately low, low, medium, regular) until I didn't notice the voice as much. I'm REALLY glad I did, because this show was fantastic!
Let me stop here and say this is not a criticism of the lead actress. It's a "me problem." I have a hard time when adult men or women affect a child-like voice. It's like nails on the chalkboard for me, and that's 100% entirely on me. I also don't like mayonnaise. That doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong with mayo, it's just a personal preference.
ANYWAY, a month ago a friend of mine strongly urged me to watch this CDrama (my first Cdrama) because I'd just finished Alchemy of Souls and wanted another fantasy. She said this was THE BEST fantasy TV show of it's kind and I'd regret it if I didn't watch. She was right.
The story was good. Not fantastic, but good. The relationship, which started antagonistic because he's a serious bad guy without emotions, actually ended up pretty darn healthy. In fact, I'd say it was remarkably healthy given who the characters were and their backgrounds. It was lovely to see how much they respected and cared for each other from episode 20 to the end.
However, and this is really why this show is so high on the re-watch scale, the chemistry between the leads was off the freaking charts. Esther and Dylan portrayed this epic love story perfectly, and I was able to suspend disbelief and lose myself in their story. The production values matched perfectly (even when the CGI wasn't perfect, it was still perfect for the show). And I loved the costumes, make up, hair-- it all added to and heightened the deep fantasy.
I will re-watch this show again, probably several times, and now that I've grown accustomed to the baby voice, I suspect I'll enjoy those early scenes that I'd originally muted.
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Grating FL.
This show has the worst female lead I've ever had the displeasure of watching for 18 long, ardruous episodes before dropping this show out of sheer exhaustion.Anything good about this drama doesn't really matter if it exists only to profilerate more scenes involving this screeching female Caillou. Every scene with her is grating to no end.
I read online that the show's supposed to get better. Its been TWELVE. HOURS. The show isn't getting better. I'm not putting myself through any more torture.
I understand the k/cdrama community have an exceptionally low bar for enjoyment so I'm not surprised this trainwreck is getting a great score on MDL. Becoming accustomed to grating trope characters like this seems like a requirement to becoming a longterm drama fan. But I can't do that. I don't want to do that.
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