Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022)

Not your typical XianXia. Incredible romance and storytelling. A masterpiece.

There are seriously very few shows that I can't wait for Netflix to finish obtaining before watching the rest of it. This show, though, was one of them. After seeing the first few episodes, I ended up having to subscribe to another live stream service because it was going to take weeks for Netflix to finish uploading it! Yes, it was that good. Just a fair warning that this is going to be a thesis of a review as I want to gush the hell outta this series because, [insert a Sean Bean meme] one does not simply watch Love Between Devil and Fairy and think they can walk out with just a few "oh, jolly good show, chaps" as a sentiment. For those who haven't seen it and don't want spoilers, all I'm going to say is do yourself a favour and GO FORKING WATCH IT! WATCH IT NOW! WATCH THE HELL OUT OF IT!! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!?!

Beyond this point, there be spoilers...

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First up, there are some stereotypes and common XianXia tropes that are used. Yes, you get the ingenue female protag. Yes, you get a crush on a seemingly too-out-of-her-league male char. Yes, you get some extended love triangles where the competitor for the higher-than-thou male char is the female protag's antagonist and creates angst for her. Yes, you get an overly powerful male protag and yes, you get a sacrifice, from the female protag, who needs to choose between love or duty. But it's not what you think!

The female protag, Xiao Lan Hua (Orchid), is not your stereotypical female ingenue protag. The very first thing I noticed about her was that she was strong. She was strong in knowing what she wanted and unbending in going for it. She knows her power limitations but, to her, it's something that can be remedied with some hard work on her part and she is willing to put in the yards towards it. Although she is bullied she never lets it affect her but instead works around the bullies and just avoids them as much as she can. She doesn't even state, in the narration, that she is bullied at all but thinks the other fairies are her nice friends not because she's too naive to know what they are but because she harbours no ill will towards them. I really respected her for that as it shows maturity and strength. Whenever they call her by other flower names, she is not afraid to correct them. It doesn't change their recall of her name but, to her, what was important was that she stood up for herself and her name. That, again, is true wisdom and strength. Then, and here's what cements her "strong female char" status in my eyes, when the contest to serve in Lord Chang Heng's palace is announced she declares to the other competitors that they should remember her name because they'll be hearing it alot when she wins. The first episode when she did all that really hooked me from the get-go because even though she sported the stereotypically annoying chipmunk voice of XianXia chicks, she wasn't going to be another willowy XianXia chick swooning at someone she can't get only to be continuously rescued by someone she was scripted to fall in love with later. There was some chutzpah to her that was rare in XianXia Cdramas.

I'm not sure why the directors think Xiao Lan Hua is a meek and cowardly girl. To me, her announcement that she will be the winner was convincing evidence that she was anything but a meek and cowardly girl. Because to make that announcement, she had to believe that she was worthy; whether she was able to doesn't matter. What mattered was she believed she was worthy of a chance, a chance at being in close vicinity with the man she loves, a chance even of being considered by him. That is something you don't find in other ingenue Xianxia female protags, and that is something you don't associate with someone who is cowardly. They say courage is when you are afraid but do it anyway. Sure, Xiao Lan Hua is scared of many things, but that doesn't stop her from pursuing what she wants, and believing that one is worthy, to be able to stand in one's own glory despite so much societal rejection by her peers... that does not smack of cowardly one bit. Moreover, her actions after this declaration, as well as her valiant deeds in the examination, have only solidified her strong and courageous image. She has strong principles and values life and is not afraid to do what she deems necessary.

Other things I disagreed with was how Shang Que was received. He is perceived as a dumbass. Fans have commented that where Dongfang Qing Cang was missing a heart, Shang Que was missing a brain. However, if they actually watched the show in the beginning DFQC relied wholly on SQ's intel and knowledge of everything from history, medical healing procedures, politics, everything. SQ's knowledge on topics are wide and he has the pulse on everything that would affect his liege. He would be considered the ultimate spymaster. The FBI and CIA would kill for someone as knowledgeable as him in a similar reality. Certainly DFQC was not ignorant of SQ's intellectual worth and SQ was pretty much his vizier throughout his reign. It's quite short-sighted to think he is without intellect just because he is also very physically strong. It's worthwhile to note that he is not human. He is a dragon and just because he chooses to think the best of people, the opposite of Jie Li's mindset, doesn't mean he's a pushover or a dumbarse for having convictions. I bring this up because I think the directors also commented on how he's not considered a smart char, which the fans might've gone along with. This particular fan disagrees and think they did a fantastic job, more than they realised.

There were other things that defied the XianXia romance troupe that made me love this series. How Dan Yin shows reason and can say that although she's grateful for XLH saving her life, she still dislikes her because XLH is competition for HC's attention. I found this a real insight into sisterhood in that yes, harem-like malicious viciousness has been commonly portrayed by female chars in Cdramas despite the protag saving the antagonist or making some sacrifices for the latter, but LBDF defies this trope by reaching a realistic middle ground. It is annoying to see portrayals of male love rivals giving up their competition for friendship while females don't get this kind of closure. It is also very unrealistic. Surely, in real life, rival women do let things go and just decide that friendship can exist between the "sisters". If honour can exist among men, are we really to believe that it can't exist among women, the main maker of sacrifices in life? Very sadly unrealistic belief, tbh. Anyway, back to Dan Yin. Her char is great. Like with a capital G. She is someone who had ambitions and goals before she fell in love with HC and after going through a trial with him remembers her past dreams and decides to pursue that. She grows out of loving him and decides being friends is the best. Honestly, she is an underrated char and I very much hesitate to say she is an antagonist. In fact, this XianXia is great because there are no real antagonists aside from the evil god, Tai Sui, who can be interpreted as more of the darkness within anyone's soul. I hope to see more of her type of char in Cdramas and XianXias. It is refreshing to have women portrayed not as losers for never having won the love of the man they like because, really, having or losing the love of a man is really like any other life event.

Hua Cheng (update: I mean Chang Heng. Jeezus, kept getting Zhang Ling He's char's name mixed up before finding out he IS going to be casted as Hua Cheng in Eternal Faith!!!)... now... this char too is unique. Zhang Ling He's acting was very good as I was able to pick up early on that he reciprocated XLH's affections and it was a pleasant surprise to have such reciprocation when we are so normalised to the female protag never receiving the love back in these sorts of stories. He was very unique in that it's nice to see the male paramour char acknowledge the female protag's good qualities. It shows a good judge of character (no pun intended) that is rarely portrayed by characters like him. I do feel sorry for HC as his sacrifices were very underplayed and overlooked. He suffered a lot for XLH and I don't think he was really given a fair chance to win her affections. And the misunderstanding about him striking her off his palace duties were never remedied so I felt he was given the short end of the straw in the romance arc. However, I guess ultimately his character arc was about finding his own independence to defy the expectations foisted upon him by an insecure and bully of older brother, not about having his love realised.

Another thing that endeared this series to me was the fact that the love btwn XLH and DFCQ was never insta, as is often portrayed by XX. There was a lot of bonding work that was done that found both chars inadvertently gravitating towards each other that made it very organic and a natural progression. It was a healthy protrayal of love that is rarely encountered in shows and took its time to grow with the characters. The love btwn Jie Li and SQ also felt natural because of the polarity of their mindset despite stemming from similar beginnings. They balance each other and also make up for each other's weaknesses.

Sibling love was also explored between DFQC and his brother, Xun Feng. It's quite often that you see sibling rivalry portrayed in a way that expects viewers to accept that "they compete because they just do, because one is jealous of the other, because one gets more attention than the other, blah blah blah". It's just too lazy and easy to fall back on the lack of paternal attention (more so than maternal attention) as the catalyst to sibling rivalry. It locks the antagonistic sibling into this endless, mindless drone of pettiness and jealousy that can't ever be resolved until the other is disposed of. Here, however, this wasn't the catalyst. It's not shown what XF thinks of their father's affections towards the firstborn, DFQC. There's never a sense that XF was jealous of the time the former Supreme Moon Lord had spent with the older brother. What XF was pissed off about, however, was that his brother cut short his own time with their father and in a very final way. This, I found, was a more mature form of rationale for sibling rivalry because it's not self-absorbed. XF is young and his incompetence as a ruler is alluded to a lot but it was refreshingly nice to not have him be immature. Like Dan Yin, he was mature enough to be reasoned with. He was mature enough to set his old feelings aside and be taught, even by an enemy (ie XLH), because he was ultimately very much motivated to love his brother, as, in truth, he really does love DFQC, and he really does love his people as well.

Another love that was explored was storge love and boy, did it ever. DFQC's patricide pretty much framed the series and defined his character and life in the beginning. However, we find out that it's not as simple as it seems. The writing around why the former Supreme Moon Lord behaved the way he did was nothing short of spectacular. Really, at the end, one can't decide which way is up or which way down. When DFQC is faced with imminent invasion from the celestial fairy clan the enormity and reality of his father's past decisions really bear down on the viewer and leaves us at a lost to decide what should've, could've, or would've been the right decision. As DFQC himself discovers, "Father, [when the enemy was gaining] and you had to remove my emotions, did you feel the same [despair] too?" As a viewer, I couldn't really fault the past Moon Lord's decision and neither could I judge DFQC's actions towards XLH at that point too. It felt like a game of Go where you were locked into the only logical decision to make that would incur incredible, and irrecoverable, costs. The whole patricide angle melts away and reveals this layer to DFQC, the former Supreme Moon Lord and XF's character and r/ships with each other. It is just nuanced work that ate through a whole bunch of tissues.

Last, but not least, is the whole catalyst to the showdown between the fairy and moon clan—the love Rong Hao bears for his master, Lady Chi Di, the former goddess of war. Such a love between teacher and student is strictly forbidden and frowned upon in the WuXia and XianXia cultures, which reflects Asian cultures. In LBFD, this taboo love is portrayed as something that becomes a destructive and evil obsession by Rong Hao that consumes him and the world around him. The most telling line from RH was "why is it that not even destroying heaven and earth can fulfill such a small and simple wish?" And what was that small and simple wish? Knowing that he can't realise his love for his master, all he wants is for her to live, for him to be able to stay in her life and for them to be teacher and student, master and disciple, for eternity. The shortcomings of forbidding such a love are laid bare when it is discovered that she too had unseemly feelings for him, but whereas his love was construed as selfish and self-centred, resulting in centuries of trauma and suffering on Lady Chi Di without her having consented to any of it, her love was considered pure. But was it? In a spectacular twist, we find that she had also inflicted her own selfish desires on Rong Hao, bringing him back from the dead without his consent as well. The question to us then is whether Rong Hao was the real instigator behind everything or whether he was merely the byproduct of Lady Chi Di's unseemly act. Honestly, I don't think Rong Hao cares. In her revelation to him, he finds a soulmate who was just as willing to move heaven and earth, and bring order to its knees, as he was. In this way, Rong Hao's "twisted" love was answered and reciprocated. There had always been a sense in him and to himself that he was irredeemable and so very unworthy of the gift of deityhood she had given him, but in discovering her actions, he realises she was the same as him—just as human and earthly, just as messed up and broken inside, just as irredeemably unworthy of a godhood he was willing to bargain away so that he could have her by her side as she had kept him by hers. It was a tangled, messy love arc but so sensitively written that, by the end, I really couldn't hate on Rong Hao. I mean... aside from the genocide of XLH's clan...

Finally, the ending... I'm not going to mince words—it was rushed. By the end of it, I remembered thinking, "please, just give me a happy ending. Even if it's something stupid and implausibly insulting like what happened in My Only Love Song." I also remembered thinking, "be careful what you wish for", because, lo and behold, something implausible was exactly what happened at the end. At first, I felt cheated of their wedding and their marriage however, when I wound the show back I realised that they had, in fact, been "married". When goddess Xi Yun and Hua Cheng discussed their marriage, she explains that her powers need to be activated and it was believed that it could only be activated by their marriage. However, when she gives DFQC another redemptive kiss (to mirror the first he received in the celestial prison at the beginning) her powers were activated, which symbolises, to me anyway, that she was married and to him. At first, it felt a tad deus ex machina but really, it makes sense. The whole rationale for the ancient marriage contract between Hua Cheng's and Xi Yun's tribes was to protect the three realms. In being soul-married to DFQC instead, this was the best way to ensure the protection of the three realms hence why their match resulted in the needed goddess power activation. What I did find rushed was the very very very ending... when DFQC returns... no, not even that, beyond that... when he just says, "honey, I'm home!" and then the metaphoric curtain falls to The End. WTF. I mean, ok, they were "married" but it felt a bit stingy to cheat the viewers out of the visual affirmation but even so, if we were to accept that, it was definitely stingy to cheat the viewers out of the happily ever after that these two worked so damn hard for. I suspect the production crew knew fans would feel this way and created the final special episodes, but it was cuts of former episodes and filled with so many images from DFQC's dream illusion phase that it felt... weird.

HOWEVER

No stars whatsoever were deducted for this. The whole show was replete with so many amazing subversions of the XianXia tropes that it was well worth investing in all the 36 episodes. I've missed out on some other stuff, like the great sisterly love development Jie Li and Dan Yin and how the Moon tribe finally comes together with the fairy tribe for the common good, led by Xun Feng, and the wonderful Si Ming character. Ok, no, I'll write a few stuff about her because she is truly awesome. Si Ming is fantastic. The wild child of the celestial fairy folks who is ironically in charge of order, who follows her heart even when she believes everything is fated and free will doesn't really exist and, who is an avid drinker! She lights up each frame she's in, which is woefully few. I would've loved a further exposition into her backstory and the production crew could've expanded the series for a few more episodes at least on her, imho. Anyhoo...

Honest, by the end, no one is left behind. Everyone has a growth. There were no cliche NPCs at all which, for me, shows great writing because there was no waste, à la Chekov's gun principle.

Really disappointed it was only 36 episodes but have enjoyed each and every one of them. Recommendation is definitely to watch it if you like character driven shows and layered stories. LBFD was a feast.

Lire davantage

Visually stunning

A wonderful bit of escapism, with some really touching moments, humour and action (of a martial arts/supernatural kind).
The acting was fine and the cast beautiful, with lovely sets and costumes.
The story is entertaining, but it did drag in several places for me. If it hadn't gone off on unnecessary tangents at times (for example some of the focussing on Jie Li, which lent nothing to the story) and stretching out of scenes, the pace would have been improved. I felt the end stories were wrapped up in a somewhat rushed manner, when compared to aspects of the rest of the story.
The opening episode grabbed me and the final episodes were quite gripping (and sad in some cases), but my attention drifted quite often in between.
Dylan Wang was a delight, as were the majority of the cast. However, as is too often the case, the childish way in which Orchid spoke, drove me nuts. It is not necessary to speak like a kid to convey sweetness or naivety.
I would have liked to see a bit more of the dragon in his true form too.
Some of the more modern guitar music I didn't feel was appropriate either and that distracted me.
Overall a decent watch, and if I watched again, certain bits I'd definitely FF.

Lire davantage

A pleasant surprise - the black horse of 2022 Cdramaland

2022 is at its peak right now when it comes to Cdramas. The ones with all biggest names and budget have been airing with little gap between premieres and to stand in between all the action is a feat in itself. While I had no clue that something starring Dylan Wang / Wang He Di and Esther Yu would be "struggling" in any way, it seems like everyone had low hopes from this drama including the cast themselves. But they exceed everyone's expectation with it!

PLOT:
Although this was marketed as a Xianxia, I beg to differ. This drama for me is just a fantasy one where a Fairy literally falls in love with the "Devil". I was lowkey hoping for a dark romance but the drama has been quite light since the beginning. The first episode was a bit weird and I couldn't really get into it till ep 8 or so. I must say I was writing it off as a silly romance based on its initial episodes and the cutesy and ditzy FL. The ML was also serving as more of a comedy element than a character with actual depth. However, this drama has surprised me on more than one occasion. Every time I thought the plot was juvenile or too cliché - it just kept surprising me and was on a roll.

CHARACTERS:
I have seen some good Cdramas but I must say this is surely one of the better written ones. The characters in this are all well-rounded and their growth is natural. Nothing felt forced to me in the drama. Usually the transformation of a positive character to dark or vice-versa seems like a one-off thing than a natural progression of plot. Here most of the things that happen make sense. The naïve FL grows and the ML is also not one without flaws. The characters all make mistakes, get hurt from some assumptions but in the end manage to pull through. The supporting characters are also fleshed out well and even the villain(s) seem to be morally grey in some areas - which was quite an interesting take.

ROMANCE:
I think the reason Wang Hedi catapulted to fame (although he was already getting there) is owing to the romance in the drama and his Romeo type character. Most people watch xianxia / fantasy romance dramas in hopes of watching a good romantic plot. I must say this drama delivers well on that front. The FL falls for the dark ML and he's so completely devoted to her! The unwavering love the leads have for each other is what progresses the plot and remains the centre. Although I didn't feel like Dylan and Esther had too much chemistry, they looked good together and kisses were ok too (BTS clips were better). The romance will definitely a big pull for the romance genre lovers.

ACTING:
I admit to brushing off Esther as a bad actress, she did a decent job here. I do think someone else dubbing for her would have been a better choice but the different phases for her character were really believable to me. I would say the same for Dylan. While his acting wasn't groundbreaking- he did it well too. The reason I'm most glad for picking this up is because I discovered Zhang Ling He from this and now he's straight to my favourites list. Man can act fine and he's such a beauty! I also liked the other supporting actors and there was no one who was "ruining" the drama for me.

OVERALL:
While I would have been fine with a simpler ending, few things were made complicated for no reason. It does end happily so it's all good. I think the drama is worth investing time in- however, I do not think I would ever rewatch it again.

Lire davantage

JUST WATCH IT!

I started off with not much expectations cause I was bored... But I fell in love with everything about this drama from the 1st episode!! The cast is absolutely wonderful! They all did a beautiful job bringing their characters to life! I laughed and cried throughout the drama!!! DO NOT CONTEMPLATE WHETHER TO WATCH OR NOT! JUST WATCH IT! I can assure you, you will love it just like I did! The OST'S were so lovely! The directing and CGI were so great!!!
Also, Dylan's and Esther's off screen chemistry!!! Its unexplainable!!! I enjoyed watching their behind the scenes!!! Cause I watched the drama ongoing, there were so many painful days.... so to fill the void I watched all their BTS clips and enjoyed it soo much!!! Its the best chemistry I have ever seen between main leads....
SO, FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T WATCHED THIS MASTERPIECE YET, PLS GO WATCH IT!!!
Bye now... I'm gonna go rewatch it!! :)

Lire davantage

Surprised with this show

Best surprise here is Dylan Wang. I didn't expect that he will be able to nail the character. Also he looks good all in all.

Esther was okay too. Some don't like her voice but for me, it was tolerable. I do get annoyed sometimes by her and tend to fast forward but I stop getting annoyed when she was in mortal realm onwards. She got more intelligent.

The effects were so good. I love it. Costume was nice too. They deviate from the ones similar to TMOPB. Kinda getting tired of them.

The story was good too. I love the body switching idea. I love dongfang orchid too. Wish for more scenes like this.

It was a nice xianxia all in all. Not too tropey

Lire davantage

crying weeping sobbing etc

-Stefon voice- this show has it all, glorious romance tropes, infuriating politicians, beautiful scenery and vfx, multiple female characters with great depth, at least three hotties with a bodies, and a happy ending.

Okay all jokes aside, every time I started to think maybe the show was lacking a little big or lingering on something a little too long, I was swiftly proven wrong. Dylan Wang and Esther Yu are absolutely amazing in this, though I also want to give a shout out to all the actors playing the other leads and side characters -- truly so many characters felt fleshed out and real in their emotions and reactions. The relationships between them grew over time in a really interesting way, and it's so fun to look back at the start and see how much they've all changed.

Amazing, amazing work. I think one of my only real gripes is that I love Changheng too much for being the other guy in the love triangle :sob: -- edit, I forgot about this but I also didn't love the complete tone shift about DFQC's dad, I'm not against him being forgiven but I wish it had been handled better.

Lire davantage

Love it! It made me laugh and cry a lot. I also love the OST

Love it! It made me laugh and cry a lot.
You'll enjoy watching how litle by little their love for each other grow. The main leads have good chemistry.
I also love the OST. The CGI is also good especially when you watch it in 1080p or 4k on iQIYI

I already finished watching it on iQIYI app, but
It will also be available on netflix by mid-September 2022.

If you enjoy watching xianxia cdramas you can try watching this.

Other Xianxias/Wuxia:
I also want to suggest other xianxia cdramas like Ashes of Love, Love and Redemption, Legend of Yunxi,

Immortal Samsara is also good it is currently airing and it is available on youku and viu app.

Lire davantage

Why love Between Fairy and devil is one of the best xianxia cdrama

I would actually never watch a Xianxia cdrama i just started with love Between Fairy and devil because of the Female Lead she is my favourite actress. But i can tell you this one is now my favourite cdrama i really enjoyed the story the costum the acting how they do the magic even the sad moments where so beautiful i just can tell the people who never watched this Serie that the miss something you will not be disappointed i don't know which Serie you guys like but if you think this one is childish or the actress acting like a kid then you wrong you have just watch more episodes and she isn't childish or anything like this it's just her role and she did a amazing job if she were childish like the most people say then why is she so popular she has so many fans and she is a amazing actress and love Between Fairy and devil serie show that she can be a weak girl but also a really strong woman who will do everything to rescue her husband friends and clan. And about the male lead he also did a great job he will also do everything to make the girl he love happy and do everything just to keep her save the love story that they have is the best love story i ever seen in a xianxia cdrama i would definitely rewatch love Between Fairy and devil i hope you guys also support it and love the serie the way i do.

( sorry for my bad English this isn't my first language but i tried my best to write the review so that you can still understand what i mean)

Lire davantage

Magical Love Story

This was a real surprise for me! I didn’t expect it to be sooo good! 💖 Dylan Wang’s acting has come a long way and the role of Dongfang Qingcang was perfect for him. He plays the powerful, merciless, emotionless Moon Supreme in such an elegant way that it’s hard to keep your eyes off him. Esther Yu as Xiao Lan Hua is someone that I find that will grow on you. She is a typical fairy like in a lot of dramas but she has standout moments that make you want to cheer her on. The 2 leads chemistry is off the charts awesome! Its a Romeo and Juliet/sacrifice story at its best. The development of the leads love story is one of the best I’ve seen yet. Oh and the costumes! Dongfang Qingcang’s costumes are so magnificent and fit Dylan’s look handsomely. They must’ve spent a lot on effects because the CGI in this is probably one of the best I’ve ever seen. Cinematography was excellent and scenery is mesmerizing. While waiting for new episodes I found myself rewatching the already aired ones because I was having trouble tearing myself away. It’ll be a definite rewatch for me and I highly recommend this one especially if you’re looking for fantasy and a great love story. 💗💗💗🥰

Lire davantage

Another boring feminist agenda tv show

What started as a great tv show quickly faded with unnecessary feminist propaganda….lost interest after 15 episodes….
Biggest issues in the show
1. No point in bringing the Devil character down…when he is portrayed as the most strongest in all the world …when you are the number 1 there is no need for you to take alternative option or play games or fool around…it’s like making a Superman and asking him to tell lies and other shit when there is no need.. He does it a couple of times one for his loves life which is at bay …and another to bring down the evil god…he could have told the truth to his love instead of holding it and acting less cool about her godly status …
2. No point in making a strong female lead and making her act like one without powers …or take equal punishments….looks like male character is doing so much in many instances and except for her suicide there is nothing she did
3. Making dragon fall in love with absolutely no reasons…side character which is too fake
4. Flaw when the friend of the female lead brings a cameo of her to villains without clear explanation of the issue to the female lead… she goes and does just for the sale of it… no point in story line except to make the man act for the feminist propaganda…

Lire davantage

the purest candy you can feel good about!!

cang lan jue is 10000% the best xianxia of this specific celestials branch (gods + immortals + 100000s of years, etc.) that i have ever seen. This show did it and made a genre that i thought i would despise forever actually watchable and ENJOYABLE. yes it’s silly and cringe, i spend as much time laughing AT the show as i do with it, but xianxia is p inherently cringe. it’s exactly as good as it needs to be and sometimes we deserve to indulge in candy!

For many years I’ve watched xianxia, always in SPITE of the genre and storytelling, never because I actually enjoyed it. (why would I watch something I dislike? I guess it’s part of my chinese american complex of needing to understand what is popular in mainland right now. C-dramas are something I have easy access to, compared to books and web content since I can’t read Chinese v well.) I thought this whole genre was stupid and goofy as hell. like hello, i’ve lived 70000 years and loved you for 50000 years but had to forget you and reincarnate for 10000 years and it was all because of a miscommunication or something stupid and toxic and now we hate each other!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE BE SERIOUS??? y’all are 100000s of years old and you are suffering whatever fantasy torments of hell because of a miscommunication or patriarchal ideas of ‘strong, noble man’???? seeing the repeated relationship dynamic of an idiot weak innocent emotional baby girl x MOST powerful COLD aloof and uncaring sect leader/war god/whatever over, and over, and over could only be described as a punishing slog to watch. it’s not that i had no hope for this genre whatsoever, but i didn’t think that it could offer anything very great if all we saw was meaningless suffering, male leads who were too cowardly to stand up against authority/orthodoxy/hierarchical order/oppressive ruling class, female leads who are given no logical reasoning and believe lies and miscommunications at the drop of a hat, etc. etc.

cang lan jue took all of these tropes, these character types and plot lines we know so well and they made it meaningful and actually contribute to the story they want to tell. for ex. dongfang qingcang is not just a Powerful Controlling Villain Lord type for the romantic fantasy. he's like that because it's his story the script writer wanted to tell, and every part of his backstory, his arc, his motives and his progress are well thought out in terms of how they inform the themes of the story... AND he's a romantic fantasy! it's a very simple story with simple characters and messages but it does every single aspect near perfectly. its ambitions are not high in terms of storytelling, but what it accomplishes are the absolute best in terms of what it is and what the genre is. the plot is generally agreeable, the pacing is great and easily gets you addicted to what's gonna happen next as the stakes and problems keep growing higher and higher, though it never feels overly convoluted. i of course have problems with it, but that's more in terms of general problems i have w xianxia and a lot of chinese media. i think the issue is that the writing for the show has these glimmering moments that are genuinely really good, smart storytelling, which made me think it could be better than the conventions of the genre but these hopes were dashed by the end. in particular they wrote dfqc and xlh to be a couple whose relationship is built on communication, respect, trust and working together to solve the problems they face. by the end this is all turned to dust in favor of endless self sacrifice as proof of love. they also had a nice theme of defying fate by positing love and identity as a CHOICE built by your experiences and values.... they are still defying fate by the end but only through self sacrifice. i just think self sacrifice is a very cheap and easy writing tactic to show the depth of love, rather than actual work or other ways that build upon character arcs and relationship arcs. AND it's extremely unhealthy and just a pain to see! all that said, i DID cry my heart out though all those scenes because they made me love xlh and dfqc SO much throughout the series, even tho my rational brain was disappointed. ultimately clj is exactly the kind of silly but addicting fun trash that i originally thought it was- and i STILL LOVE IT.

i absolutely adore our main leads, and i was already a fan of yu shuxin from seeing her on youth with you. she’s PERFECT for this role. tbh i never would’ve watched this show had i not heard she would be the female lead. not many actresses can do the silly innocent baby well, in fact i would say i have never in my life seen it done as well as yu shuxin. She is incredibly talented at making it look effortless, charming, and natural. She’s genuinely just adorable instead of annoying. Like i’ve seen many many amazing, highly skilled actresses make their attempts, but at the end of the day, playing the baby is its own thing that is incredibly difficult and out of their comfort zone. yu shuxin embraces and embodies it without reservation, she’s a cutesy idol, like, this is her THING. and i was worried she wouldn’t have the range to play dfqc during the body switching scenes, (as well as the duty bound xilan goddess) but she did it SO well, and she’s surprisingly great in all the serious angst scenes too. xiao lanhua is so wonderfully lovable, if she were only kind and pure she wouldn’t stand out, but because of her resolute bravery and her quick thinking, her emotional wisdom, it absolutely sets her apart and makes her an admirable protagonist. she has so much basic human logic and reasoning that many female xianxia leads completely lack. while i miss her silliness in the beginning, it’s also nice to see her grow and learn from dfqc, as well as from her experiences in Canyan Sea and the mortal realm, to become so confident and self assured, no longer caring about her identity and status background. i was extremely happy with her character arc, so i was of course quite disappointed with her return being full Goddess time even though i know it's still her. in a lot of ways it felt like we lost what a wonderful fate defying, blood and birthright defying, shuiyuntian-familial-class-based system defying, i- choose-who-i-love-and-who-my-people-are-based-on-my-values-and-my-experiences Xiao Lanhua we had!!! idk i think i still need to process the ending more, i just loved our heroine so much.

As for dfqc, i would say not only am i not attracted to his character type, i find it abhorrent. but i guess that completely changes when he’s in the hands of competent writers because i LOVE dfqc. The set up is PERFECT because by making him suffer, by making him the butt of most of the jokes, and making us laugh AT him, it takes away his power because it doesn’t take him seriously. his seriousness, threats, violent intent, domineering presence and murderous energy all become THE JOKE when you make him have to serve xiao lanhua's every whim. i would never have grown affection for him unless they stripped him of his weapons metaphorically as they have done in this show. he is still cruel and powerful, but he can’t do anything to hurt you. because of this set up we get to have our classic toxic relationship dynamic, AND have it all be bearable. there were absolutely times after the first arc where his behavior made me feel uncomfortable, after all at the end of the day, this is still a narrative that sells possessive, controlling and aggressive powerful men as a romantic fantasy. I understood that, but it was never bad enough where it felt like it crossed a line and made me want to stop watching (like every other show). i like him so much to the point that when they played the cringe ass goofy electric guitar during his ‘’’cool’’’ scenes and literally made his eyes glow with goofy blue fire and covered the screen w more goofy blue fire in the most embarrassing shameless final fantasy anime nerd way i literally cheered for him out loud without even realizing it…. i would not do that for any other reason other than genuinely liking a character and it also helps that he’s super hot LMAOO. i like how his general character arc is written too, and i came to actually love his character when he dealt with his father and how he grew. like i know he is a fictional character but i weirdly felt proud of him. seriously kudos to the script writer for allowing dfqc to accept and understand his father, while still standing his ground, and not forgiving or making up with him. seeing every step he takes to become a better person felt difficult and genuinely deserved.

also!! changheng was quite nicely written, with a very clear arc. this guy is basically the ye hua archetype of all these xianxias and yet he surpassed them all by doing what all of them were too cowardly to do - he stood up for the girl he loves and for what’s right in the face of authority and his own social position and duty in the oppressive ruling class!!!!! he even LEFT shuiyuntian and gave up his position and escaped from his brother's oppressive thumb to find his own happiness!!! literally who the fuck else actually did that??? ye hua could NEVER!!!!! AND changheng still wasn’t even as good as dfqc??? the standards for all the main characters in this drama are higher and i just can’t thank the script writer enough. i actually thought it would’ve made for an interesting character if changheng was a straight ye hua type who never goes against heaven, but it’s also SOOOOOOO nice to have a better man than that lmfao. changheng best boy 2 award!!

All in all, it’s not the smartest, or the most complex show with the most groundbreaking things to say. it’s not perfect but it never strived to be nor does it have to be. it’s just incredibly fun, created beloved characters and doesn’t resort to unbearable miscommunications or evil jealous women or other hell tropes to up the stakes or drive meaningless conflict. i haven’t had this much fun or been so consumed by a drama in years (literally have only been eat sleep breathing this show for 3 weeks and kneeling doing the moon ppl's hand clap salute when dfqc shows up on screen) and it made me believe that xianxia is a genre with space and possibilities for good and interesting storytelling and characters!

Lire davantage

Brilliant

This drama I have to say was very very good. The acting was amazing, the Leads (Wang Hedi & Esther Yu) have emerged as a super pairing as a result of this drama.

Both Wang Hedi & Esther are perfect for one another. Both can act and do live performances! The ending was very moving, I felt prescense about the chemistry both Wang Hedi & Esther Yu have, how often can we say that?

I did feel in a way the ending was incomplete but watching so many dramas, this is a common playbook by producers to leave the door open to future dramas & projects, it happens all the time!

The story was good but incomplete
The support cast good but not outstanding, the outstanding performance was the leads as honestly, intended!
Wang Yue Yi is a future star, she was amazing as a support, again give her an incomplete ending to bolster her stocks!

If I have to be honest with myself this drama left me with 3 things!!!
1. Wanting to see more of Wang Hedi
2. Wanting to see more of Wang Yue Yi
3. Wanting to see more of Esther but only paired again with Wang Hedi

The ending was amazing!!!! Can't wait see the 3 names I mentioned again!

Lire davantage