Love When the Stars Fall (2023)

Good story, good pace, and good chemistry between ML and FL

This is my first wuxia drama and I did not have much expectations since I am not really into fantasy type dramas. However, I was hooked after the first two episodes.
Positives:
ML and FL had good chemistry and I enjoyed watching them.
The story is also somewhat funny and entertaining. The plot was entertaining and fairly lighthearted. Good love-thread between the different characters.
ML played 5 different characters and played them well. Overall cast was good but not too keen on the SML and SFL.
Really liked CXY and started following his dramas.
Negative:
Not really impressed with some of the CG effects when ML is flying through space.
Ending was not not ideal - was not the happy ending.

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An unexpected pleasure

I’m not usually a fan of historical fantasy, particularly when the series lasts 40 episode, so this wasn’t really on my radar. But the synopsis intrigued me so I started watching and I couldn’t stop.

It is generally hilarious but often incredibly heart wrenching too (a game of ‘never have I ever’ was particularly heartbreaking).
I liked that they didn’t drag any stories out over too many episodes but they introduced new plots and challenges which helped the pacing. The relationship between the sisters was lovely and it’s great to have two strong independent female lead characters.

I enjoyed the acting, particularly the main male lead. The actor who plays the Third Prince has great comedic skills - avoiding slapstick.

I think it was visually impressive. The music could have been stronger but it wasn’t too bad.

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A Familiar Yet Unfamiliar XianXia Drama

When comedy is injected into a xianxia drama appropriately and smartly, a very unique and fresh drama is born. “The Starry Love” seems familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. The general plot is nothing out of the ordinary. We’ve seen this before: brides switch, someone needs to be a hero to save the world, the Heavenly King as a hypocrite, and everyone from the Demon World is a bad guy.

But what sets this drama apart, and why so many viewers are watching “The Starry Love” is the humor in all this. The drama doesn’t hesitate to poke fun at some common tropes, and have the characters act silly here and there. Because of the overwhelming praise of the comedy, I was initially worried that it might be a little too over-the-top for my taste. Rest assured, it’s not. Funny moments hit you at the right place, at the right time, and unexpectedly. Then it switches gears to other more romantic or serious moments seamlessly. It’s a good mix to keep you hooked right from the first episode. Comedic moments did die down towards the last quarter of the drama when the more serious plot and angst took center stage, and it really wouldn’t be appropriate to be funny here.

I’ve been a fan of Landy Li since I first saw her in “My Huckleberry Friends” and she has improved so much. She along with her co-star and sister He Xuan Lin are the stars of the show. The two female characters, though seem different at first glance, are both smart, caring, loyal and stubborn. I am so glad we have an awesome sisterhood in a xianxia drama, and especially happy to NOT see another naive/innocent girl. The two male actors also did a fabulous job. Chen Xing Xu basically plays 5 different characters. This is my first Luke Chen drama, and though he’s the least experienced out of the main leads, he was able to keep up with the other three. The supporting cast was fine. Although the veterans stood out a little more than the younger cast, I wouldn’t say they’re extraordinary.

For 40 episodes, the pacing is pretty good. There’s enough going on to keep me interested. I like all the strong friendships, bromance and sismance. I don’t think I dislike any character in this drama, and that’s rare as I usually hate one or two annoying supporting characters in a xianxia drama. Even the minor female character who won’t stop annoying ML didn’t irritate me that much. As unique as the first ¾ of the drama is, the last ¼ seems quite predictable. Many are disappointed with the ending. I am not overly disappointed, I am just not surprised as I’ve seen enough dramas to know this could be how it ends. But I understand after witnessing the hardships our leads have gone through, the ending could be dissatisfactory. Because the drama was so unique for the most part, I wish there was a more creative ending.

The pretty CGI sceneries are hard to miss. It evokes a similar reaction from me when I was watching “Love Between Fairy and Devil” back then. There are many scenes that are gorgeous, but the more I see them, the more I think they look fake to me. However, I really enjoy the starry nights and the CGI use of magic and fight scenes. The fight scenes themself are just average to me. Despite the inconsistent CGI, I really like all the costumes, hairstyles, and makeup. The two female leads look beautiful in their colorful costumes. Luke Chen (Chao Feng) looks absolutely handsome and smoking hot in his black attire. I personally think Chen Xing Xu looks better in a modern drama such as “Fall in Love” but I appreciate the different looks he’s in as You Qin, La Mu, Mei You Qing and Wen Ren. I am not sure if this is a big budget production or not, but I find the post-production dubbing to be below-average to average at best. Most of the actors/actresses use their own voices and I appreciate it, but the syncing is off sometimes when the lips are not matching the lips. There’s no live recording at all. On the other hand, the OST is great, despite being too repetitive for most of the drama (maybe a few more songs can help). It might not beat the OST of "Ashes of Love" but each song complements the mood and scenes of the drama appropriately.

This is a really fun drama with good pacing. It’s light-hearted and very romance-focused. I don’t think there’s anything I REALLY dislike about this drama (just mixed feelings). That’s always a good thing in my book. For that, I am giving this a solid 8.5.


Completed: 3/12/2022

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Everything on the drama is the best. After watching it, I cannot really move on. I'm still finding their clips in youtube, watching them in tiktok and even searching them in google. " The Starry love" really suits what I want on drama so it is hard for me to watch another drama again? This is really the best, the OST also got me, I always listen to it. So to anyone who is planning to watch it, give it a try. You won't regret it but I am hoping you will love it. The characters, the plot, OST and everything on the drama is really top tier. I'm just hoping that they will have season 2 or not, the main lead will have drama again. I missed them??

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The New Standard for Xianxia

What a wonderful drama! If you're like me and LOVE xianxia dramas but tire of all the old tropes and angst, this one won't disappoint!

The Story:
The story itself is truly nothing new but while it has the standard formula for a xianxia drama, this one stands out in how it tweaks the usual old tropes and makes it comedic or resolves it almost immediately. I don't think I've ever seen a xianxia where I'm laughing my butt off in one scene and bawling my eyes out the next. As with all dramas of this genre, it's not the goal but the journey that matters.

The Characters:
I honestly cannot sing enough praises for all the characters in the drama! They were all magnificent!

Obviously, let's start with the two lead couples. At the start, it's portrayed as if these twin sisters; one kind and demure while the other is brass and boisterous, have met their match in their complete opposites once their sedans are switched. It seems as if You Qin's firm, no-nonsense self will balance out Ye Tan's free-spirited and mischievous energy while Qing Kui's kind, empathetic personality will taper down Chao Feng's cunning behavior. While this does seem to be the case as paths intercross and feelings are created, viewers can actually see how similar each sister is to their respective "wrong" grooms.

I find that a fault in xianxia dramas is how the free-spirited female lead often refuses to change herself and the male lead, being so in love with the female lead, indulges in her reckless behavior. I love how that isn't the case in this drama. As we get to know the characters, we soon see that the mistaken couples aren't opposites at all. Like Ye Tan, You Qin is rebellious, mischievous, and more harsh in his punishments. He's never just the willing participants to Ye Tan's chaos, he's actually the instigator which makes for hilarious scenes where they can't get reprimanded because of his status. Likewise, though devious, Chao Feng is as empathetic, sentimental, kind, and loyal as Qing Kui is. It's not their differences that drew them to their respective mates, it's their similarities. The only similarity You Qin and Qing Kui have in their optimism in giving others the benefit of the doubt while Chao Feng and Ye Tan are more jaded by life and therefore are more antagonistic.
Another exception to the xianxia trope is how there's no unnecessary drama. You Qin/Ye Tan's relationship follows the cute banter, slow burn romance while Chao Feng/Qing Kui have the more standard outline but what each have in common is the sincerity present in both. Both couples declare their feelings immediately and rush to clear all misunderstandings which allows for so many lovely moments rather than angst. There's also the way the couples are around each other. They are constantly touching whether it's embracing, holding hands, or just standing so close as if they can't get enough of each other. They are also always rushing to get back to the other. It's how you would expect real couples to react to each other and I adore their obsessions with their significant others.

Let's not forget all the side characters too! I've never seen a drama filled with devotion and understanding like this drama. Whether they are on the same or opposing sides, the level of loyalty between characters is awe-inspiring. It makes for a lot of scene-stealing, tear-jerking moments scattered throughout the entire drama. I'd give a special shout out to the Chao Feng-Hai Chao and Ye Tan-Man Man friendship. Both were done differently, but so exceptionally well. I don't think I've ever mourned a side character before Man Man and that speaks to how big of an impact she had on Ye Tan's life. I really can't recall a scene where she wasn't by Ye Tan's side (unless Ye Tan was with another character).
And it's definitely not just the friendships but also the familial relationships as well. The only other sisterly bond I've praised was Li Chang Ge and Li Le Yan of The Long Ballad, but now Ye Tan and Qing Kui have pushed them down to #2. Their loyalty and love for each other is so incredibly beautiful!! I can't get over how wonderful their relationship was and ironically, it was because of this wonderful relationship that served as the rock which caused the ripple effect that created this entire drama in the first place.

The Background:
If there's one thing I'll continuously praise, it's how You Qin is deserving of being the crown prince of Heaven. Normally celestials rule heaven because it's just told that they do. Here, I find You Qin to actually be worthy of his status. He's quite literally the Prince of the Stars. One of his major duties is creating star formations and releasing constellations into the night sky. His very birth is tied to falling stars and his magical powers manifests as strings of constellations. Whoever thought of that detail was a genius! It's so aesthetically beautiful to watch!

I can't sing enough praises for this drama and all it's actors/actresses. Chen Xing Xu and Li Landi have said in an interview that they believe their acting styles to be the same and I feel like viewers can actually see that onscreen. Both actors play off each other extremely well and it makes their characters so much more pleasing to watch when their bickering turns to respect and eventually to love. Li Landi is such an expressive actress and I find myself rewatching scenes to see which of her reactions I could've missed in my first viewing of this drama. I honestly can't wait to see what future projects this cast has in the future!

At only 40 episodes, this drama has no time to waste in its storytelling but thankfully, it isn't to the detriment of the drama as a whole. This drama was definitely a wonderful surprise and a sure re-watch for me for times to come!

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Much better than expected.

I am not sure what to expect when I started watching this drama. Next thing I know, I am binge watch the whole series in about 3 days. Here is my review:

1. Production Value: The costumes feel just right. The OST by Sa Ding Ding is very catchy. For me, the action/fighting sequence is well done and feel very crisp. CGI effects are also very well done.
2. Acting/Chemistry: I don't keep track with Chinese drama scene. However, the Male Lead is an excellent actor. I can feel the chemistry with both Male Lead (ML) and Female Lead (FL). The 2nd ML and FL are also well done. I think the actors/actresses did a good job with their roles.
3. Plot: The story progressed with a very good pace. There is a bit of a drag during the late 20s and early 30s episode to provide more romantic scenes for both couples; but it is not too bad. The story is a wild ride during the last 5 episodes. Overall, I enjoyed the series as a whole. However, I rated the plot as a 9 because of a few plotholes:

a. The conflict between Heaven and Void really never explain beside one is good and one is bad. During the whole series, Void Army never really sack the two weaker kingdoms.
b. Male Lead is super OP. The series depict the Male Lead as a super powerful being and can literally destroy the opposite army if he wants to, yet Void Army still wants to fight him. It is like fighting a nuclear bomb with rock and stick.
c. The Immortal is known for a very long lifespan and recorded many things about their life. Yet, no one gives doubt when a heresy rumor that the tree is a calamity (especially when the tree is seeded by previous Heaven Emperors). Another thing is Guixu (Chaotic Portal) happened and needed to sealed. It seems like the Guixu happened after the tree's destruction and no one thought they made a mistake?

Summary: This is a very well produced fantasy Chinese Drama with a good story. I nitpicked on a few plotholes after I finished drama; but I do enjoy the Starry Love.

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Romantic Comedy-Fillings, Logically Cooked & Baked to Near Perfection

Discover the first and only Xianxia drama of its kind within the genre. As we know, xianxia drama are basically mythical fantasy ties in with chinese gods, immortals and demons or multiple realms of different species and races where almost anyone can cultivate themselves to attain magic power. Writer can make anything possible happen in such a story setting and for this particular drama, they went for the most unexpected and crazy route that none before them had ever attempted - logical character interrelationships and comedy.

For longtime drama watchers, its not uncommon to expect the usual cliches like jealous siblings, backstabbing, misunderstandings, miscommunications between leads/ friends, annoying evil bitches lurking behind every corner, leads that fall prey to their own stupidity/naivety, long angsty arcs, heck or even lives of doom reincarnated romance. In fact whether you're new or old to the xianxia genre, throw those kind of expectations out the window. Those usual draggy tropes don't exist here because this drama handle those problems like a pro, cool and mature; adult-style wisdom with clarity and rationality.

There are reasons behind every characters' behaviors and motivations. Very logical character developments and morally driven interactions that doesn't make you pulled your hair out in frustration. The main circle of relationships are built on unconditional love, trust and hope. They form an unbreakable bond and used their intellect to overcome the many challenges the universe or fate throws their way. Perfect example of human quality done right even when we're talking world altering godly powers or voids devil curse magic.

While this drama is filled with comedy, that doesn't make it light-hearted. Underneath it all, this drama make fun of all the mind-boggling issues we see so often time in a typical xianxia. They turn it into child's play to draw many beautiful and inspirational life lessons from, that keep on giving long after its finale.

Above it, the actors and actresses acting skills deserve high praise with their naturally level microexpressions that are both funny and complex. Every touching, emotional and heartwrenching scenes were carry out so immersively - you can't help but to shed tears along with them. With an undeniable chemistry between not only the main leads but every support characters and casts, this drama has forge a strong and unforgettable foothold in the heart of its audience.

The OSTs are another lovable addition to this wonderful drama. Every song match breathtakingly well and every single one tugged at your heartstrings at the right moment. And when you pair western instrumentals to scenes in xianxia, it produce a surprisingly comedic masterpiece, ensuring impeccable strings of laughter.

There are no perfect dramas but whether its story, characters, music, SXFs, CGIs to costumes and props; the feeling when everything in a drama was done to near perfection, it truly felt good and exhilarating. So good that you can't get enough and had to give it another taste to fathom how truly rich it really is.

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Wow!

I just finished this TSL and I don't know for how long I've cried. My eyes hurts and are super puffy, my nose is so swollen and I have a headache because of my crying. I just have positive things to say about this drama. From the story, to the acting and music. It was amazing and absolutely one of the best cdramas I've seen in my life (and I've seen a lot).

The only negative thing or something I wished they included was when they the sisters regained their human form again. I wanted them to reunite with their lover and live a happy life. It just felt strange how they turned into a sacred tree again - how do you go from a tree to a human?

Otherwise, I literally have nothing bad to say about this drama. I really recommend this drama, but I have to warn you to have a lot of tissues by your side ;)

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I laughed, I cried—no, seriously, totally did. I’m not being sarcastic.

Using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this is a “loved”.

What I liked:

I loved that this was a comedy—and not just slapstick/fart-jokes comedy, but actual, laugh-out-loud comedy (omg, the scene where the SML was pretending he didn’t know how to fight and kept wounding his brother…I was rolling!). I honestly don’t think I’ve ever watched a c-drama before that made me actually laugh out loud with tears in my eyes, rewinding to watch the scene again. I loved that all the relevant characters were very three-dimensional (why did you have to do that to my Man-Man!?), the evil-knievel kings of the Void and Celestial Realm excepted. I was rarely tempted to fast forward through any of the scenes not involving the main couples. I loved that nearly every female character was strong and there was only one b@tS*** crazy jealous woman; she had a minor role (and in fact, was written out about 2/3rds of the way through). I loved that the character who caused all the trouble at the end did out of deep seated trauma and desire for revenge—not because she was hopelessly in love with an ML! Even though the drama threatened to start with the dreaded (to me, at least) stoic ML trope, he turned out to be a very emotive character—and not sure why there were complaints about his real voice, but I liked it (I’ve never understood the dubbing thing anyways…). As someone with good relationships with her own sisters, I loved the relationship between the FLs in this one—cried so hard!

What I did not like so much:

Not much, really. For a very good review of what could have been better about this drama (& all the good stuff, too), please check out AvenueX’s YouTube channel—but I have much lower standards than she does (tee hee). Okay so the ending could have been done better, but other than that, there wasn’t really anything that made me scream wtf!? at the screen.

Definitely going to rewatch. I highly recommend if you like fantasy and/or comedy. And after suffering through Journey of Chong Zi, I’m glad there was another xianxia out there to restore our faith in them.

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Love between the Flower and her Guardian

The Starry Love (2023) is the best Xianxia I've come across in a very long time since most plots have been done to death and it's quite difficult to find something even minutely refreshing. This drama, to my delight, exceeded my expectations in many ways.

Let me start off with what this drama did best- it created an unforgettable romance between two multi-layered characters. Their interactions and feelings for each other blossom into a realm of pure love that consistently upholds the values of trust, understanding and emotional reciprocity. So if you’re tired of angst, betrayals and the overused trope of unnecessary misunderstandings between the primary love interests, you won’t ever regret giving this drama a shot. Their love was mature yet playful, passionate yet deep, challenging yet healthy, tragic yet readily blossomed through all the adversity. The emotional atmosphere created by their connection will swallow you whole leaving you yearning for more.

The main leads Shaodian Youqin and Liguang Yetan are characters that I love with every fibre of my being. Chen Xingxu is perfect for the role of Youqin, who isn't your typical cold Xianxia hero. He would be stern and stiff in the hands of a less skilled actor but Xingxu plays a young, lonely and socially awkward male lead extremely well. Most of the male leads in Xianxia dramas are cold, inexpressive ice blocks who hide their love behind grand gestures. I don't know about you but I found this trope to be quite lacklustre and exhausting to watch. It makes their everyday interactions feel very one sided and at worse, we spend majority of our time feeling sorry for the female lead who is the only one being expressive and completely desperate for the male lead’s affection and attention. Thankfully, this drama takes a wonderful turn away from this cliché.

Yes, the story starts off by painting Youqin as distant and cold but they justify his behaviour with a solid backstory that makes us empathise with him. However, as soon as he realises his feelings for his bride to be, he becomes the person Yetan truly wanted as a romantic partner- someone who puts her first before everyone and everything. He becomes truly consistent in displaying his affections and communicates his emotions very well with her.  As the show progresses, you can actually see how his dedication and admiration continue to grow for her. 

Some of my favourite scenes included Lamu/Fiery calling Yetan "wife". His innocence and devotion left me breathless and turned the butterflies in my stomach into crazy love-struck chimps on steroids. Thank you Shaodian Youqin and Chen Xingxu for revealing to me what I love most in a man.

The female lead on the other hand is an extroverted, mischievous and tough girl. She is funny not to the extent of being too annoying. Her actions whether morally right or not are true to herself, her values and are backed by solid reasoning. Her transformation from a girl who cares only about herself and her loved ones, someone who believed that the world was not worth saving due to her traumatic past breeding within her a wormhole of distrust as a defence mechanism to someone who is taught through love that the world deserves to be protected simply because love and kindness exist is very moving to watch. Through her we learn the negative consequences of revenge and how it can come back to inconvenience our loved ones even if it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Morality, ethics and emotions are complex topics and this drama did a good job of showcasing that.

Li Landi in my opinion is one of, if not the most beautiful woman my eyes ever had the pleasure of gazing upon. I mean, I started this drama because Pinterest randomly decided to drop a gorgeous Yetan in my feed. This drama does not fail to present her in all her vivacious attractiveness- her smile being a deadly weapon you cannot escape from. She looks best in her black and purple outfits as the ‘Devil of the Void’.

Speaking of the drama's other merits, we have to appreciate how the director teases the ridiculousness of ancient times by poking fun at certain recurring themes in Chinese Fantasy Dramas- Yetan being weirded out by the concept of a 2,700 years old immortal getting married to an 18 year old girl or the scene that involves Youqin desperately pleading with his mother to allow him to get married to his beloved quickly as the couple ended up sleeping together before marriage because fuck ancient customs, right? Annoying characters are also kept to a minimum though occasionally I just wanted to wrap my fingers around General Cremation's neck- that son of a b-*coughs*. Additionally to my relief, they refused to follow the predictable plot line of turning the sisters against each other but rather chose to strengthen their bond and deepen their love for each other with each episode. This drama is truly a sismance at its core.

I have to admit that I wasn't as interested in the romance of the side characters even if independently as characters, they were all well-written and shaped with their own individuality and motivations. The reason why the side romances seemed dull in comparison was because the romance between the leads was so profoundly captivating and touching that the insane amount of screen-time allotted to anyone else seemed wasted in my eyes. With each episode, I wanted to see Youqin and Yetan more frequently AND with each other. The side couples merely distracted me from the romance that mattered.

The OST on the other hand, is brilliant. Liu Yuning, Mao Buyi and Sa Ding Ding never fail to deliver and I’ve been listening to them all day everyday since their respective songs were released. The songs are a perfect fit for the drama.

As someone who took a break from Xianxia for 7 months, this drama surprised me in the most wonderful of ways. I hope it does that to you too. I’ll conclude my review by stating what the Empyrean says to the Heavenly Emperor as it perfectly sums up my feelings about this drama- “Forgetting the past may be easy. But forgetting this love is…. difficult.”

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Need to read

Ok after watching this I need a season 2 of with the same main couples as their is some stuff that need to be answered 1 is Do the twins get reborn as babies or adults with or with out their memories
Like would we get a YQ 1.0/2.0 and stuff

Do the twins get a happy ending will they have a true wedding and kids

Plus I need Li LanDi and Chen XingXu as main couple in other dramas together again their chemistry is off the chart on/offscreen sometimes when you watch other dramas they seem kinda forced or cringy but maybe cuz they’ve know each other since 2017 that why they have such an amazing relationship chemistry

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