This review may contain spoilers
Captivating Drama
This drama has gained its well-deserved popularity, and it's easy to see why. The cinematography, effects, storyline, theme song, as well as the performances of the actors and actresses, all contribute to a meticulously crafted production. The overarching narrative, centered around the love story between a devil and a fairy, is straightforward, yet what truly captivates is the intricacy of their journey into love.I acknowledge that some may find the voice of the female lead challenging to appreciate, perhaps deeming it childish. However, considering the character's age and the natural quality of the actress's voice, it becomes understandable. For those who may have initially dropped the drama due to this aspect, I assure you that it improves over time, and you'll acclimate to it. The characters are portrayed with depth, and the chemistry between them is truly exceptional, to the point where one might believe they are genuinely dating in real life.
Expressing my sentiments about this drama is a bit challenging because it's simply awesome. If there were one word to encapsulate the experience, it would be "awe-inspiring." Perhaps, had the female lead's powers been showcased as more potent, aligning with the early hype surrounding the goddess theme, I would undoubtedly rate this drama a perfect score.
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Supreme Moon Lord Fannnnn ??
This show was spectacular!!!!!
I am not one to try traditional or fantasy C dramas, it really took me until episode 5 to get into and understand the story.
I came for for FL’s acting, I’ve loved her other dramas and I left this show as a Dylan/ Moon supreme Fan.
I am so shocked at how young our ML and SML were, they exuded so much power, maturity, sex appeal.
Story is immaculate, world building was absolutely gorgeous.
I am in love with this story I really want to read the book. I could watch another season of Orchid and Supreme Moon falling in love, and fighting for their tribes.
Chemistry was out of this world.
What ever you are doing, give this gem of a show a chance 😍😍😍
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Surprise!
I watched this because I have a love for the lead male Dylan Wang from seeing him in Meteor Garden . Seeing he was a part of the cast made me want to check it out. Much to my surprise, it was wonderful. I binge-watched and stayed up until the sun came up in the morning. I don't usually go for this type of story, but this was a good show. I loved all the actors and the work they did. It had a lot of episodes, maybe a few too many, but it manage to keep me watching and wondering. I look forward to seeing Dylan in more shows. He carried this show just as he did in Meteor Garden. He has the most transfixing eyes and knows how to use them when acting. LOVED IT!Great Job
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Love is the strongest weapon
This is the best drama EVER.(in my opinion ofc)I loved it. Dylan and Esther as so cute together!
DFQC our Moon Supreme, I would've NEVER expected to see a smile on his face. They both love eachother and both had love rivals which was adorable. CH, Most poeple dont like the love rivals but this one wasn't evil at all! I never really hated him!
The cast is great together! When iQIYI dropped bts I couldn't stop watching and Im still watching them everyday!
Alot of poeple dont like the main leads of this drama (for what Ive seen) but this was the first drama I watched of both of them and they left a incredible first impression!
I've been watching drama's for months and Ive watched about 25 and this was the best no doubt.
The ost is VERY addicting.
Storyline will make you fall in love with the actors not to mention that everyone is INCREDIBLY good looking.
The ending just made me cry and thats all I'll say here.A waterfall was running down my eyes.
Its a great drama but at the moment I don't see myself rewatching it! Its something I'll never forget so I don't feel the need to rewatch yet but for sure in a few months!
I watched it on dramacool and I hope you enjoy it!
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Excellent Xianxia with Charming Leads
Friends, I am OBSESSED with this show. While it featured many familiar character archetypes (sweet and innocent female lead; cold and obsessive male lead; boy next door secondary lead; bitchy friend jealous of female lead; etc.), the way they were written and portrayed was refreshingly unique. Donfang’s character arc is utterly transformative as he transitions from unfeeling dictator to a meltingly loving romantic partner, and Dylan Wang delivered a performance of a lifetime. Not to be outdone, Esther Yu shined as she went from naïve fairy to composed regality. The range these two actors had, and the chemistry between them, was literal gold. I can't imagine these roles portrayed by any one else.The secondary cast of characters were just as wonderfully complex as the main leads. The secondary male lead was perfect as the foil to the main love story. I loved him despite not wanting him to end up with the female lead. This show also had some of the best morally grey characters. Even when these characters were doing something morally wrong or problematic, I always understood the reasons behind their madness. Additionally, the general production and scope of the show was also done so well. The action sequence were tense, the cinematography gorgeous, and the camera shots interesting. I adored the OST - its sweeping and romantic score is something I could listen to every day.
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Besides the gradually and ever consistently great build up and character development, this drama also has a great soundtrack and ost. I'll keep it forever in my heart.
I might edit this review later. I have so much to say, but I'm way too emotional right now.
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Going on my all-time faves list
I absolutely adored this drama. I started watching after several friends watched and enjoyed. Thankfully it was finished airing because I flew through all 36 episodes in less than a week. It would have been even faster if I didn't have to work. It was a wonderful mix of humor, epic romance, historical fantasy elements and heartbreak. I won't spoil how the ending but if you're worried about it ending tragically, don't worry. If I hadn't known that little tidbit, the last few episodes would have broken me. They still did to an extent, but they were so beautiful too and so well acted by Dylan Wang and Esther Yu. I'm going to re-watch it at a slower pace so I can savor it. This drama has cemented its place on my all-time favorites list.Was this review helpful to you?
DRAMA OF THE YEAR
I just can't put into words how amazing this drama is, but all I can say is watch this drama and you'll know what i mean. From the beginning till the end of the story, I was never bored at all and always excited, because every episode was full of overflowing chemistry between actors, and that will make you love this drama.Every week, not only waiting for new episodes, but also waiting for new behind the scenes. In this drama, for the very first time, I found sweet yet strong FL. The fact that her opinion matters to ML, and the healthiest relationship in a xianxia drama so far, will make you love this drama even more. Their costumes are just beautiful and unique, especially the moon tribe. I just fell in love with their costumes. The CGI of this drama is on another level. Honestly, at first, I didn't expect so much CGI from this drama, but when I watched the drama, it was beyond my expectations.LOVE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN DYLAN WANG AND ESTHER YU:)
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A light-hearted, cutesy story
This show is definitely aimed towards the young adult audience. It has everything from plot, characters, and fan service that would satisfy this kind of romantic troupe. For all those single ladies out there looking for "dreamy, bad boy", this is your love story...STORY/PRODUCTION — 7.5
The plot is quite enjoyable with a lot of comedic, heart-warming scenes and character development. It is fantasy-based so I wouldn't judge it harshly for its illogical elements as we are entering "their" world and cannot compare it to ours or another. The script was designed for a young love-lusting audience so it's sometimes filled with cheesy and silly lines/scenes.
Although the production was pretty high quality, I noticed that the stages were very limited to only a few and repeated backdrops. It got a little boring after a while and I can do without the 3D animations and the obvious copy-paste characters.
CAST/ACTING — 9.0
DongFang QingCang - A pretty solid performance from Dylan. There were some off expressions and oops moments but overall he did a good job. I can understand why he gets a lot of praises for this role; it suits him well.
Orchid - Esther was mediocre... Her expressions felt forced and strained that it was sometimes cringy to watch. I think her chemistry with Dylan is what helped alleviate some of the burns I felt from her performance. I am highly critical when it comes to eye expressions and this was something Esther was lacking. Her facial expressions would display emotions but her eyes lacked the same depth so it looked off. Also, her portrayal of DFQC and Goddess of Xishan were too similar that it felt like she had no range to separate their identities.
Chang Heng - LingHe was mediocre, as well. His performance was often stiff and choppy as if he was afraid to make a mistake. Because of this I couldn't feel for this character and his emotions. I don't think the script help him either.
Rong Hao - Okay, now this is what you would call real star actor quality. This man was flawless, simply amazing! HaiQiao portrayed his character so well that I became much more invested on his backstory than the leading couple. His range and portrayal of Rong Hao was definitely for the mature audience so if you're not in that kind of mindset, you will not appreciate his skills as much. But, wow, I was blown away! He can definitely carry a show. He's the reason why I rated the casting higher.
The rest of the cast was a mixed bag between 'meh' and a good support for the leading cast.
MUSIC — 3.5
Honestly, not very memorable and sometimes annoying to hear playing in the background.
OVERALL — 7.0
This is definitely for a targeted audience, and if you don't fit it then you may think this show is too fluffy or girly. If I watch something angsty and need some heart relief, I'd probably re-watch this. Otherwise, Rong Hao will probably be the only non-fluff part of this show. I really enjoyed the series despite its flaws and acting so I would recommend this to those who are interested in this kind of romantic troupe.
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Dongfang QingCang and Orchid
It's so good and worth it to rewatch. Maybe people will hate bubbly voice of Esther Yu, but I like it. Her acting is so good. I don't think that combination between Esther and Dylan will be so good and perfectly match. I can't get enough for 36 eps cause I wanna see Orchid and Dongfang Qingcang married and have children. The music is so good too. We can feel the message even though we don't know chinese.The story is about love. Love is about time. You have to be sincere with everything that you had before that "thing" is gone. Dylan is succesfully portrait himself as Dongfang Qingcang. He always get role dominated male lead, but in this drama you'll see another version of him. This drama will make you have high standard on him or another Xinxia story.
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Best Visual Effect this year for Xian Xia Drama
Randomly pick this drama and my first impression from the poster is : oh another Xian Xia Idol drama because it’s only have 36 episodes and have lesser high profile casts. But uh oh… when I watched the first 3 episodes, I’ve changed my mind! It really took me by surprise ! Everything about this drama was so epic : the cinematography, special effect, prop, backsound and what impressed me the most is Dylan Wang’s acting skill! The scenes when he had to swap body with Orchid was very convincing, from his gesture, mimic and reaction it was beyond my expectation. Whether as a Demon King or Orchid in a male body, he really nailed his role and blend well with his characters. All the emotions were perfectly portrayed, from cold and domineering Demon Lord to Timid and cute Orchid. And his dubber voice was perfect, l doubt it will have the same effect if he use his own voice for this drama, his voice is a little bit childish for me lol not suitable for the mighty Demon King. But…. he is slaying hot with his black costume and that magnificent head piece of him. I wonder how many female fans drooling over him now LOL. And for Esther Yu her voice was perfectly fit for her character, cute and bubbly with her pouting mouth LOLAs a xianxia drama lover, what i enjoy the most from this drama is its visual effects and artistic background design. The money really well spent In this aspect, for me it’s useless if you have an A List actor/actress in a drama but the visual effect look cheap. Ofcourse the acting is the key point too, but it will drag a drama down if the visual is bad. The world building in this drama was portrayed so beautiful and mesmerizing with smooth graphics, hands up for the production team to give more attention for this. I hope this will inspire others production house to follow the same road with them.
The story itself is simple and not new for xianxia drama, all the xianxia trope were here : Cold Male Lead, Bubbly Female Lead, one of them sacrificing for others, Hidden Identity of the Female Lead, etc. But what makes it enjoyable to watch is this drama doesn’t have unnecessary filler scenes, except for the twin sister revelation. It feel too rushed and have no point, maybe because the actress who play Dan Yin Role has an issue and all her scenes were deleted from the drama, that’s why we feel it that way.
There is one thing that I think can make this drama more epic : the war scene at the end of the drama, it feels like an anti klimaks for me, it just too low key and quite. Maybe if this drama have more episodes the ending wont feel a little bit rushed. But overall this is a MUST watch drama for Xianxia lover, you will get hooked from the first episodes and get fascinating by it’s visual aspect
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This review may contain spoilers
Love is the Panacea.
Love between Fairy and Devil is a really beautiful package full of charms. This drama is highly entertaining. Every episode is fast-paced. Overall, this drama has its own charisma, and a strong, undeniable charm. This drama definitely deserves international recognition.Yet, the title is a bit misleading. The main male lead is devilish and truly evil only in the first 2 or 3 episodes. After that he transitions to a mild borderline anti- hero for just another twelve episodes, and from episode 16 onwards, the moon supreme ( main male lead) starts to soften up into a gentler version of his former self with occasional spells of bad temper & deception. This is so different from the portrayal of the devilish, anti-hero demon king in the original story, Cang Lan Jue.
The demon king in the novel is completely invincible, and almost invulnerable, and acts, thinks like a proper anti-hero at appropriate moments, most of the time uptill the middle & final sections of the novel. In the novel, the existence of the demon king's powers isn't dependent on some other factors such as removal of emotions. Those powers are always there whether or not he gets emotions. But, when the demon king gets back his heart, his appearance & powers improve for the better( which kind of gives a good feel while reading this part in the novel).
So, as a fan of the novel, watching the main lead portrayed this way with his set of emotional problems & weaknesses, and introduction of a second male lead in the drama version of the story was a bit disappointing. In addition, some adventurous episodes narrated in the novel got omitted. All these modifications kind of took away the beauty of the original story. This aside, little Orchid is more astute & less naive, at times, than she is in the novel. Her love for the male lead is less unconditional than in the novel. So, because of this, I felt the "opposites attract" theme kind of got toned down or diluted a lot in the drama version of the story. Overall, the plotline in the beginning had more potential which could've been fully realized in episodes, 35 & 36.
Despite all this, the drama version of the story is really addictive & gives the viewer feel-good thrills.
Later, as the plot progresses, just felt bad for the tragic character Ronghao and his love story with Chi Di Nu Zi, former goddess of war, but the love story of this master and disciple is ten times better than their love story in the original story, Can Lan Jue. I'm really glad this drama production team gave Ronghao character room for redemption. I just wish the script writers gave Ronghao & Chi Di a happy ending of their own somehow. But still glad to see the small villian making the right choice in the end after being tempted by the big villian. Now that's called character!
I also don't understand why the hypocrite, too strict & rigid heavenly emperor , Lord Yunzhong character was designed & written in a way as to be spared punishment in the story of this drama.
This drama presents a happy ending. The only problem is that the happy moments lasts only for a few fleeting seconds or a minute or two.
It left me wanting more of those happy ending -moments between the main leads. Perhaps a scene could've have also been included towards the end in the drama where goddess Xi Yun shows her little orchid side of her personality towards Dongfang & her friends, and Dongfang returning as Moon supreme with goddess Xi Yun as his moon queen & wife to take over the reigns from his brother, Xunfeng to rule his realm, Canglang Sea.
So I need a short second season. The two epilogue-like episodes are really cute and really sweet, but most of the scenes were already shown in the previous episodes. There was nothing really new, nothing really additional shown in the epilogues. So, the epilogues gave a feel-good vibe, but those were a bit disappointing at the same time.
Watching this drama is truly a charming, magical experience. The way the plot unfolded in the first 32 episodes is absolutely smooth, perfect! Episode 26 is worth a thousand times of remembrance & reminiscence. There is almost an epiphany moment for both the main leads in episode 26 which will shape the nature and tone of story ending --- whether it's to be happy or sad or bittersweet --- from then on.
The only problem is there are a number of events in the last four episodes, especially in episodes 33, 34 & 35 that can put a dampener on a viewer's heightened high expectations & emotions.
Yet, there were lot of epic moments --- of both sweet and serious tone in episode 35 & 36. The visual effects in episode 36 for the battle scene were amazing! And so were the visual effects for the tense atmosphere build-up for the battle preparation scenes in episode 31. The death scene( in episode 31) & resurrection or revival scene of the female lead ( in episode 33) is epic & the visual & special effects used to portray these scenes & the mood of those scenes are epic!
The voice actor who dubbed the voice of main male lead did an extremely amazing job! His voice fits the persona of moon supreme completely!
As for the cast, and regarding choice of the actor who plays the main male lead, personally, I would have preferred some other actor who looks more like a demon king or moon supreme lord to portray the role of the moon supreme lord --- someone who can bring out the cold, demonic , devilish aura & fierce vibe with not just breathtaking lethally handsome looks but also the right body build. Dylan wang has good looks, and all those fierce expressions, fierce eyes apt for the role of moon supreme, but the actor's body build didn't match that of the description of the body build of the demon king in the novel.
However, as I watched episode after episode of this drama, it made me realize how good the acting skills are of the actor who portrays the main male lead in this drama. Dylan Wang's acting skills are excellent in this drama. The main lead actor successfully displayed all subtle emotions on his face especially in episode 18 & in episode 36( when he confronts evil god, Taisui). Also started to notice how naturally fierce his eyes & expressions are --- so apt for the moon supreme role. And I also noticed how handsome Dylan Wang looked in certain costumes in certain episodes. The actor looked really convincing as the sexy, powerful, cold, devilish moon supreme in episode 19! I was taken aback by my own admiration.
There was just one particular black costume worn by moon supreme in the initial episodes & finale episode, the cloak part of which looked a bit funny & made the main male lead actor look thinner and more like a woman.
Had that particular costume & suitable matching hairstyle for that been carefully designed, Dylan Wang would've have looked more convincing as moon supreme and especially more devilishly handsome in every episode!
Yet, I felt the main male lead actor, Dylan Wang really looked quite hot when he made his appearance as evil Tai Sui with silvery white floating hair, emanating a cold, killing, devilish aura, wearing a plain, loose, black costume. I really loved that costume & that cold, devilish aura/vibe very much. I would've preferred to see the main lead actor sport that look throughout the drama.
Another thing that I love about this xianxia drama is its conscious, persistent focus on the theme of love. I really, really liked that kind of focus on the love theme --- how love makes everyone subconsciously change into the best or a better version of themselves. This is an important moral in the drama repeatedly reinforced through the final actions & choices made by both anti-heroes, and heroes, and heroines in this drama. This reminded me of the classic Beauty and Beast western fairy tale. But this drama is an oriental fantasy version of the Beauty & the Beast classic fairytale, and viewers will find it equally good or thousand times better in terms of overall plot.
In addition, the dialogues are all deep, poetic, lofty. A few examples:
i) "Everything in this world is fated except love"
---- goddess of fate, Siming's advice to Little Orchid.
ii) " She has left traces all over my heart"
---- Dongfang Qingcang's revelation to evil god, Tai Sui.
iii) "Let alone these illusions, even if he put you in thousands of identical orchids, I will find you in an instant."
----- Dongfang Qingcang's retort to Little Orchid.
iv) " Even if you run to the end of the Memory Loss river and the edge of the world, I can still find you. "
----- Dongfang Qingcang's veiled threat to Little Orchid, but which sounds more like an epic, intense, classy love line. ☺
I also enjoyed watching the following scenes very much:
1) the appointment on the bridge scene ( I absolutely loved the way the shot was taken to show how steadfast Dongfang manages to keep his promise. The style of that particular shot of him slowly climbing up the stairs really made the surprise event more delightful to watch! On top of that, Faye's ost played in the background as bgm gave an epic vibe to the whole scene. )
2) Dongfang exhausting his primordial spirit to sustain his beautiful dream in episode 32 (The visual effects & the whole sequence of shots had me mesmerized , spellbound)
3) the beautiful, fabricated dream of moon supreme Dongfang in episode 32 (The Other side/Across the Shore ost sung by Jing Long & Jing Di in the backdrop as bgm had me hypnotised).
4) a number of intense, steamy, domineering kiss scenes (episode 13), and a number of epic, soulful, glamorous kiss scenes in episodes 35 & episode 36.
So I shall be rewatching the whole drama especially episodes 1-32, ( and one particular glamorous kiss scene in episode 35 & and all kinds of epic emotional as well as epic battle scenes in episodes, 31, episode 36) when it releases on Netflix .
However, because I'm a fan of the original story, the novel, Cang Lan Jue, I would like to see someone make a beautiful xianxia drama which closely follows the original plot in the novel, Cang Lan Jue without any alterations to the story (and with a different cast this time). If that happens, I would find that drama more satisfactory to watch.
Come to think of it, it would have been more satisfactory to me if this drama had a mix of all the best parts of the original story, Cang Lan Jue, and all the best parts of this drama version of the story too.
Finally, this drama has an influence of diverse cultures --- everything from its West Asian & western style props, costumes, styling, music, special & visual effects right down to bgms.
The different kinds of background music (bgm) are truly worth listening to especially the ones played in the backdrop of epic scenes seem to have a combination of South Asian, West Asian, Western influence & worth listening to.
There should be a separate compilation of bgms of this drama on YouTube for bgm lovers because the bgms are so good!
And four of the osts:
1) The Other Side/Across the Shore by Jing Long, Jing Di
2) Faye's Farewell Love
3) Esther Yu's Amnesia
4) Looking for You by Liu Yu Ning.
are worth listening to. It gives an absolute pleasure!
In addition, I absolutely enjoyed reading & understanding the meaning of the lyrics of the ost, "Looking for You" by Liu Yu Ning.
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