Kind of meh to me
Hmm... I don't know where to begin. I don't hate this drama but at the same time, this drama doesn't really stick to me. I love the CG effects, I love the setups and also the outfits but that's kind of it. The story is not bad, I think the scriptwriter did a good job on storytelling the whole twin background, but it's not impressive at all.Again, this is one of those dramas with never ending resurrections, rising from the dead, plot twists with final redemptions. Probably after watching a few too many dramas of those sort, I am starting to be numb to all these "plot twists". They probably should have stuck with one thing or another - either kill the character off or don't kill the character.
The main characters do not really have good chemistry in my opinion. They seem okay as individuals but when grouped together, there is no chemistry. You know, in some dramas, the main characters vibe so well with the people around them that you enjoy their scenes with their family or good friends in the drama? This drama is definitely lacking in that area. Even the romance chemistry between the main characters seem a bit off. Perhaps the actors are not really experienced? I don't know. I just can't emotionally connect with these characters.
Overall, I did finish the drama. It was kind of a good "background" drama too. Something you put on TV and just let it play in the background.
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It takes a while to get into it but I came to like it
Initially I was not impressed when I watched the first five episodes; I'm not a big Xianxia fan. Since then this it has really grown on me. Patience was rewarded. The special effects are cheesy and the acting for some of the characters were so-so. I started this because I've seen the ML in Goodbye My Princess and the FL in Dreaming Back to Qing Dynasty. The realms in this fantasy are between the Immortals, Mortals, Beasts, and Void. The Immortals and Void are enemies.The ML is an upright and uptight immortal prince destined to save the Immortal Kingdom, he was supposed to marry the FL's sister who is the SFL. The FL is a rebellious princess mortal meant to be married off as a Void bride. The SFL is the proper naive mortal princess who plays by the rules and she was meant to be married off as an Immortal bride. An identity switch happens during the marriage ceremony which leads the sisters to switch identities. The SML is a scheming outcast third prince in the Void royal family; he lies, cheats, and takes big risks to scheme his way with his family members and with the SFL.
I am probably in the minority on this but the SML and SFL's storyline really stood out in the episodes so far, it is a good pairing between the two. In most dramas I don't really get that into the SML and SFL's storyline but for some reason they took the torch in this drama for me. I really slugged it through the first 10 episodes because of that. You will get some slapstick laughs when it comes to the competition for the SFL's affection between the SML and his first brother. One funny scene is when his first brother tries to get the SFL to teach him her special technique to disable an opponent in a fight with her medical skills. It causes the SML to become jealous and the antics to payback his brother ensues. The mortal and beast realm storyline with the ML and FL was good and one of the best between them even though I found myself more drawn to the SML and SFL's story.
It's a light youth fantasy with some comedy, its worth a watch and I plan to finish this one.
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This review may contain spoilers
YIN AND YANG
"The Yin-Yang, an ancient symbol of harmony and balance, challenges the conventional association of light with good and darkness with evil "
One is known as the harbinger of doom, a jinx, and a cunning "evil" person, but fell in love with the immortal who is the protector of the four realms.
One is kind, and virtuous and was born with an auspicious sign, but fell in love with an insidious person who will do anything to satisfy his ambition.
This makes the 2 main couples the perfect example of Yin and Yang, they complete and balance each other.
This drama has the typical Xianxia traits but with a twist, I assure you that. I'll start by praising the CGI, definitely one of this drama's most powerful traits, it looks so beautiful and doesn't look fake or tacky, especially the love bridge scene(which sealed the deal for me and urged me to keep watching) and the battle of Guixu partnered with the beautiful ost's. The 2 lead couples including the side characters' acting are natural and don't look awkward, they did a great job that I cry when they are suffering and laugh so hard when they are being funny. They left such a deep impression on me that I don't think it will be easy for me to forget them for a few years or even more. One of the things I like in this drama is that the ML is different from other Xianxia MLs who are usually cold & unfeeling, the ML here has social anxiety, awkwardness, and vulnerability, something we basically never see in a Xianxia ML. There is so much to SDYQ that looking back at the first 4 ep., having watched all 40 ep. all I can say is that he's one of the most intricately built characters I've seen in Cdramaland, not just in Xianxia.
I also like the fact that each character was given their own time to shine and doesn't only focus on the leads just like most dramas. This drama has 4 couples that are written so well and weren't rushed so you can see the development, especially for the main couple who went from always bickering and can't stand each other to a lovestruck and can't bear to leave each other even for just a few moments couple. Although the 2nd couple's relationship first started with deception, which made me not like the 3rd prince but after all misunderstandings were cleared between them, it made me root for their relationship (not interested in them at first cause it's the typical bad boy-good girl trope but this couple made me change my mind and actually made me like something that I thought is already overused).
The romance development of the main leads is not as fast as the 2nd couple, they were more of like a slow-burn type but still won't make you feel like it's draggy. The mortal realm is where the romance starts for the main couple and it's also where you see the development between the leads. While the 2nd couple started nicely with all the 2nd ML's lies so their romance development was a bit faster. The pacing is also perfect, not too rushed or with a lot of fillers, especially in the mortal arc where it usually gets draggy, but here, it's action-packed that keeps the plot moving, and also doesn't have a lot of inside dialogue.
There's not much of a misunderstanding and they were all easily resolved and didn't cause major fights between the couples when the lies came to light. Might I also add the skyrocketing chemistry between the leads and the sweet, fluffy moments that are enough to give you diabetes. There are also no love triangles (there is a pentagon though HAHA), each character has their own partners which makes it better because there's no 2nd ML or FL who turns dark after they can't get the girl/boy. I also love how this drama's ML is willing to fight against his own father, the rules he has come to know; practically everything, even the whole world, just for the sake of the woman he has come to love. The woman who told him it's alright to be afraid; the woman who fearlessly & verbally fought and insulted his father for him, the woman who risked her own life to descend to the mortal realm and painstakingly looked for him just so she could revive him. It's practically me and you against the whole world.
The FLs here are also not the usual FLs who are naïve and weak. The main FL is smart and cunning but still kind despite all the abuse she received in her childhood, she stayed strong enough to not let her past twist her into someone resentful when she had every right to be. The 2nd FL might be kind and weaker than her sister, but she has a hidden temper and knows how to stand on her own feet and take care of herself when fighting against her opponent in her own way in the dreary Void realm. I just love the unconditional love both sisters have for each other and the way were willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. I also love that they were the ones to propose to their MLs, and not the other way around.
I'm completely smitten by them and their love story. The main couple's relationship has to be one of the healthiest and most supportive in Cdramaland; actually, both the relationships of YQ & CF are, minus the fact that CF wanted to harm QK, YT, and YQ in the earlier episodes. But in the end, both YQ & CF love their women more than anything and would never harm them. Even a memoryless Youqin couldn't bring himself to hurt Yetan. His love is that powerful. The brothers-in-law even came to terms with each other for their wives and eventually became buddies, but still can't help but make fun of each other every chance they get.
But of course, it's not only the romantic relationships that I love but also the friendships the leads have with their friends: Chaofeng with his comedic & partner-in-crime Haichao, Youqin & his loyal sidekick Feichi, and of course, I will never forget Ye Tan & Di Lanjue; I absolutely love their friendship together with Manman. Di Lanjue, the person alongside Manman who stuck through thick and thin and stayed by Tan's side until the very end( I know Manman would have done the same thing, which I absolutely would have wanted to see), I love how he always protectively puts his arms in front of YT whenever he senses danger like he's ready to sacrifice his life, and basically saying that they will have to go through him first to get to Tan. And might I also add that Di Lanjue even locked the 2 Shaodian siblings up after hearing that Tan wanted the 3 shards to have their own lives, even though he knew that Ziwu had the upper hand on him by knowing a secret that he didn't want others to know and was basically using it to blackmail him. YT, DLJ, & MM grew up together; they knew what each of them was thinking without them saying it, and they protected each other even at the cost of their lives. The 3 of them are practically platonic soulmates.
I would also like to praise the acting of the actors, especially our ML who has to act out 5 different personalities that are completely different from each other. He did it so well that you can clearly distinguish who is who and can't help but feel bad for the other shards knowing there are 3 of them and when Youqin 2.0 came back to life, I was able to see shadows of the shards within him. The FL did well in making her character likable even though it's the kind of FL personality that you'll find annoying but the actress here made me love her character with all her snarky remarks and funny personality. Despite being a newbie the 2nd ML did well on acting his part that he made me hate him but also like him at the same time, same goes for our 2nd FL who was able to portray a gentle but still strong character, and let's not forget our Beast realm prince Di Lanjue; the way he cried when Manman died was so heartbreaking; he didn't sob, didn't scream, didn't make a single sound, but the way his eyes were so red with tears in addition to his facial expressions SCREAMED just how heartbroken he was; his acting was superb! He was and still is the reason why I was crying FULL ON at the coffin scene.
All in all, the acting of the cast in this drama is on point, especially in the crying scenes. I don't think I would hate a character this much or love a character this much but they made me do it.
The writers, directors, and actors nailed every single character and scene in this drama. From the OSTs to the acting to the CGI, and not a single episode dragging; side characters well built; tropes revised and reconstructed; & the awesome chemistry between all the couples; the bar is just too damn high that it's more than enough for me to say that this drama is one of the best, not just in the Xianxia genre but in the whole of Cramaland.
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Light-hearted with Laughter and Tears
Watching The Starry Love in the context of today’s discord world of hegemony, I couldn’t help but relate it as a satire of the current world’s geo-politics: everyone wants to be the hegemon. The heavenly and the demonic realms are the two superpowers here in the story, trying to take on each other to dominate. The heavenly emperor is selfish, corrupt, and atrocious (sounds familiar?) while the demonic king is the equivalent but with a different ending (you may ask why).Despite its heavy undertone of geo-politics, this drama is light-hearted. Along with its main plot, it also depicts the issues faced by many parents today: even the god, demon and beast people have parenting problems. Shao Dian You Qin (Chen Xingxu) falls in love with Princess Li Guang Ye Tan (Li Landi aka Landy Li) whom he couldn’t wed because of a bridal switch; he defies his father and runs away (kind of). The Third Prince of the demonic realm, Chao Feng (Chen Hailiang aka Luke Chen), falls in love with Princess Li Guang Qing Kui (He Xuanlin) who is meant for the regent, and they elope. Even the crown prince of the animal realm, Di Lan Jue (Qin Tianyu), constantly defies his father and leaves home. (Therefore parents, you are not alone.)
The ideas of bridal switches and cross racial marriages (in this case, cross realms) are not new. How all these are being put together with heaven switching into hell, or mortal switching into animal realm, takes some imagination, brilliant storytelling, acting and cinematography. As the story develops its characters, jokes almost take over to show the audience the individuals' personalities. It captures various human relationships, such as the kind and loving mothers as in the heavenly queen and the demonic concubine (Chao Feng’s mom) with their sons, contrasting the atrocious fathers as in the heavenly emperor and demonic king, the bonded sisterly relationship, the friendship and platonic love between the main characters etc. The drama is full of funny dialogs (the dialogs between Chao Feng and his side kick are some of the funniest and loveliest) and paradoxes, and yet it also comes with heart-felt wrenching pains in separation and deaths.
In terms of acting, a big applause for the whole cast for putting up a brilliant performance, from the main leads to the supporting. I fell in love with Chen Xingxu (Shao Dian You Qin, Mei You Qin, La Mu, Wen Ren) in “Goodbye My Princess” and here, he lives up to his expectation. He has matured a lot since then (Goodbye My Princess). Playing five distinctive characters, Chen Xingxu aces them all, with the final character an embodiment of all the previous four. As always, he is totally immersed in his roles. Though not listed on the Top 10 most popular Chinese actors, Chen Xingxu is one of the best young Chinese actors.
Li Landi’s acting is convincing and she has an adorable badass charisma which viewers love. As Ye Tan, Li Landi makes the viewers empathize with all her misfortunes and cheer for her courage. She has delivered a very lovable Ye Tan and has an undeniable chemistry with Chen Xingxu.
The second couple’s story is well developed and beautiful. As the ever-loving sister, Qing Kui is graceful and beautiful. I really love He Xuanlin’s portrayal of the character whose love and sacrifice are very convincing. Last but not least, I want to commend Chen Hailiang’s portrayal as Chao Feng. This is his first role as a main lead. He exudes the charisma as a kind, but at times, not so nice, dark prince (like a bad boy), and I love it. This is a complex character stuck in a tormenting environment for survival and Chen Hailiang nails it, with a lot of ironies and humors. Bravo!
My Verdict
The Starry Love is a very enjoyable drama that captures laughter and tears. Most of the characters are lovable and the selection of actors for the roles is appropriate. The costumes are beautiful - ethereal looking for the heavenly realm, dark and gothic for the demon sect, animalistic for the animal kingdom. The use of CGI is heavy but done realistically and appropriately.
Overall, a drama well done for all to enjoy.
Don't miss it. Bravo!
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A Must Watch if You Love Xianxia
Let me get straight to the point, The Starry Love is nothing like other dramas in its category, and for that reason alone it deserves to be given a chance by anyone who likes xianxia. I have never laughed so much while watching a C-drama in my life, not just a xianxia, any C-drama. It has an incredibly addictive narrative style (every moment counts, you won't be compelled to fast forward or skip) and a very strong cast of supporting characters. It all makes for an unforgettable experience that will make you want to binge as fast as possible.Typically, xianxias waste a lot of time belaboring the angst, having characters make decisions that frustrate the viewer and adding way too much filler just to pad each episode. Not this drama. The competently written script treats the audience with the respect it deserves, and to my incredible surprise, almost every single joke somehow manages to land.
The cast itself and the chemistry / acting deserves a special mention. This is a tour de force for Chen Xing Xu, who seemingly effortlessly plays a total of 5 roles giving each and every one its own mannerisms and body language, further establishing him as one of the most brilliant actors in China at just the age of 26 (25 when he shot the drama). Li Landi more than holds her weight against his performance.
Other dramas have supporting characters you care nothing about, here the secondary couple is more than compelling. They shine so bright you will actually look forward to switching to their storyline. Both main couples are lovely, though I definitely prefer the main leads.
Major props to the beautiful relationship between the twin sisters, who far from being annoying and childish, have the strongest, most heartwarming bond...and that bond is the cornerstone of the entire story.
If you like a nice balance of comedy, angst and action, and you wants a cast that's charming as all hell, give this drama a try. Every single character has a strong motivation for their actions and a relatable storyline. I particularly loved Yetan's (FL) strong, cunning and mischievous nature and how bold she was despite her traumatized upbringing. Qingkui, her twin sister, was kind and elegant, yet resourceful, strong and resilient. Shaodian Youqin has set a very high bar for xianxia MLs as someone who will definitely go EVERY length for the woman he loves.
As for the ending...it definitely could have been better had it been more extended, but it still doesn't take away from the strength of the rest of the story, and just how much fun this drama is overall. I hadn't enjoyed myself so much in a very long time and was addicted to the point of obsession waiting for every single episode to drop. Check this drama out, the odds are you won't be dissappointed, you'll fall in love.
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This review may contain spoilers
Suspend Disbelief and Enjoy the Magical Ride
I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I embarked on this drama. But, the first episode blew me away and got me hooked. I'd divide this drama into 3 parts for my discussion.The first 1/3 of the drama was absolutely cute with the twin girls marrying the wrong men who turned out to be the right men for them. There were lies and plenty of deception but everything worked out well. Qing Kui said: I believe your feelings for me are real and that's all that matters. With that, she swept all the lies and deception away and her relationship with Chao Feng as well as Ye Tan's relationship with You Qin made total sense from there. I truly loved that the sisters loved each other and weren't trying to backstab each other. I truly loved that the male leads were also devoted to their female leads and vice versa. The first 1/3 of the drama was all about getting to know the characters and such. Honeymoon period!
The second 1/3 of the drama was about finding three fragments of You Qin to combine him back into one whole again. This part of the drama was full of shenanigans and I laughed so much. I must applaud the actor who played You Qin and all the other men. He did such a good job. I think he deserves an acting award for portraying all the men differently. He was totally adorable as Wen Ren. In this part of the drama, the female leads and male leads also fall more in love with each other.
The third and last 1/3 of the drama was full of angst and frustration. It was very hard to see Man Man die. It was tragic to see how Qing Kui sacrificed herself for her sister and for everyone else. The ending was full of exacting revenge and people dying which was hard to watch.
What I loved:
- The beautiful and sincere relationships between Man Man and Ye Tan + Qing Kui and Ye Tan + Di Lan Jue and Ye Tan etc. They looked out for each other and were true to each other.
- The male lead, You Qin, and good-looking Di Lan Jue really charmed the pants off me.
- The acting of the young stars and everyone else (in general) was superb.
- The music was stellar and I listened on repeat-mode.
- The drama was dramatic for sure. I was kept riveted. I was invested in the show and the characters.
- The CG was done pretty well.
What I didn't like:
- The very ratty heavenly king who was timid and power hungry. He didn't have as much power as his son but wanted his son to obey him like a little puppy. It was painful to watch him. I hated him and his unreasonable actions and crazy thoughts.
- The very strange queen of the void realm seemed to have a sort of incestuous relationship with her son, Ding Yun. It was very odd watching mother and son because the son looked so much older than his mother and their relationship seemed rather weird.
- Hu Sui was extremely hateful. She was a very dark grey cloud just looming over Ye Tan and the rest. Once I spied her, I knew that she would be up to no good. I didn't expect her to have such heinous thoughts and to behave so despicably. How could she ill-treat those who have truly treated her well? She was a devil. Because of her, everything took a turn for the worse.
All in all, the conclusion was still slightly happy because those who lived tried to make the most of things and there was promise that the two female leads would eventually re-appear. I'd rate this drama as a must-watch because of the stellar acting, captivating songs and the engaging plot. This is not to say that the drama does not have loopholes. But, as I said: Suspend Disbelief and Enjoy the Magical Ride called Starry Love! :)
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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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A GREAT SHOW
Most of the reviewers already expressed the beauty of this drama, so I will only put the highlights for those who are still trying to decide if they want to watch it :- healthy relationship for almost all the characters
- yes, much romance
- light, comedic takes with a nice twist of angst here and there.
- ML's "boring" personality is part of his character and will greatly change for the BEST on the next episodes
- FL is not "annoying", and her character has layers just like the ML as you go on the next eps.
- great acting to most of the actors.
- audio problems were coming from VIKI's platform, you can check other sites to enjoy the series more.
- three of the four main leads used their own voice which you will actually enjoy as you watch them.
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A Very Wholesome Series
This is not a so typical Xian Xia. The drama told a simple and straightforward story, full of common tropes but with some delightful twists on them. Here we have the main pairing of a cold, aloof ML with a bubbly FL. However, one of them has social anxiety and the other is brave and smart. This drama also has a good-girl-with-bad-boy type of relationship as the second main pairing, but one of them is not as weak as she seems and he is actually protective and loving to those whom he cares.Side male character who fell for the FL? Yes, but he gave up pretty early in the drama, became a good friend of the FL and found his true love.
Main character having amnesia? Of course, what else can you expect in a Xian Xia drama nowadays? But this got resolved in like 2 episodes.
Misunderstandings? Yes, but all of them got resolved very quickly thanks to the trust and love our main characters have in each other.
Toxic parents? Yes, but this drama also has some of the most supportive parents I’ve seen in recent C-dramas.
Main characters having siblings of same gender? Yes! And they are very supportive for each other.
The healthy relationships, the pace things or misunderstandings got resolved and the COMEDY in the drama are what set this drama apart from other Xian Xia dramas for me.
The plot and script set a good foundation for this drama and the acting and chemistry of the casts brought it to a higher level. Chen Xing Xu’s acting is so good that one could tell the difference in the “shards” he portrayed just by the style of talking or gestures, yet one can also see the “shadow” of each “shard” in Shao Dian You Qin. Li Lan Di was great with her role as well. Ye Tan could be easily overdone and presented as an annoying FL, but she presented it just nice. In contrast to Ye Tan, Qing Kui could be easily underdone and presented as wooden. Of course, He Xuan Lin did a great job in portraying this lovely character without being wooden. Chen Mu Chi, as the least experienced actor among the leads, did an exceptionally good job in portraying Chao Feng, especially in comedic scenes. He isn’t as good as any of the leads mentioned, but he is good enough to not letting me noticing that he is new to acting. The supporting actors, all of them did great job in playing their roles. Honourable mentions to Cao Bo, who played Hai Chao in this drama, he is just soooo good for comedy. One of my most favourite characters in this drama.
The music and songs are on point for this drama as well. My favourites are the opening by Liu Yu Ning and the ending by Mao Bu Yi, but really, all of them are good and memorable.
It’s been long since I last enjoyed a Xian Xia drama. The last one being Chinese Paladin 3, which was aired back in 2009. That being said, this is the best Xian Xia drama in the recent years, for me at least. Definitely worth a rewatch.
Some of the things which I would like to complain about is that the director likes to shine a bright lamp from the background to the actors during kissing scenes. And that he liked to shoot from some funny angles. Quite a few cute scenes which they filmed were cut from the drama as well. And they had quite a rushed ending. However, all these were just minor problems for me and didn’t degrade my experience in enjoying this drama. So, if you are still hesitating on starting this or not, JUST GO FOR IT! It’s almost 30 hours of fun, so why not? Thank you for reading this review 😉
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I am because you are
First time ever to review here.This drama gave me so much joy, laughter, crying, a bit of angst! If you are a fan of xanxia, are open for unexpected tosses and turns, this is the story for you.
The story: the main message - for me - was that the world is a better place when we are looking out for each other, selflessly. Of course like in a proper xanxia, there is good and there is evil, but like often in life, you find the worst in the home of the good and one of the best in the home of the bad. They say they are enemies, but the real enemy is outside of the two opposites and eventually they fight it together.
The power of friendship is strong in this story, and the power of love truly amazes.
Last but not least: there is a fantastic sense of humour and comedy in the storyline. Totally credible and definitely not out of place. As it suits so naturally as a proverbial glove the characters, and it’s just sooo funny! Wait and see!
The acting : I’ve seen the two Mains earlier works and liked it. What I learnt now, is that they are experienced actors, since childhood, properly trained at that. And that shows: emotions are manifested in a convincing manner, there is no overacting; there is generosity, sincerity and genuine nature in everything they do. The same goes for the second couple.
All supporting actors did such a good job, the father of the girls is absolutely brilliant! You’ll see!
The background music: honestly, it took me a few episodes to warm up to it, but then it got me hooked and now I’m listening to it even in public transport! I don’t know the artists but heard there are some big names there; you feel the quality of voice and production.
Rewatch value? Already rewatched is twice. And it’s not that there is no avalanche of other dramas out there at the moment. Nothing beats this one. Not for now. Why don’t you give it a try as well?
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The Sweetest Out of The Trilogy!
"Perhaps in this life, we are destined to have one person shining bright in the sky and the other tainted by earthly dust."First and foremost, the one aspect that made me continue this drama was the CGI. It’s practically seamless! As expected from the team that produced Ashes of Love. Usually, for xianxia dramas that require heavy usage of CGI, it’s easy to mess up here and there. However, this drama did not disappoint when it comes to CGI. It is beautifully and very professionally done. It definitely adds to the experience! Very precise and fine attention to detail, which truly brings the elements on the screen to life. Cinematography is also done very well. The shots and sets where the drama were filmed at were beautiful!
Secondly, the casting is spot on. All actors are natural and immerse into their roles extremely well. I’m especially blown away by Li Landi’s acting. In my opinion, they couldn’t have cast a better person as Ye Tan. I find myself pausing the screen every once in a while and can’t help but squeal at how cute she is! Her mannerisms, facial expressions, and even voice (since she dubbed her own character), match that of Ye Tans so well. She is also one of the best criers I’ve ever seen. All her crying scenes were genuine and immensely difficult to NOT react to. Besides that, Luke Chen, at times, could’ve portrayed his emotions better. His crying scenes weren’t that impactful, and could’ve been improved a bit more.
With the good points out of the way, one concern of mine was how fast some of the romantic relationships developed. Minor spoilers ahead. I’m talking about QK and CF and, most recently, HS and QH. I feel like QK fell a little too quickly and rather unnaturally. Obviously, CF was the one heads over heel for her first, but when he confessed out of the blue, it was almost like QK was like: “Oh! He likes me! I will instantly fall in love with anyone who says they love me! Yes!” In my opinion, their romance could’ve developed for a few more episodes so that it would seem more natural as opposed to a bit rushed. I also noticed this for QH’s and HS’s ship. QH fell wayyy too quickly, so it felt rather unnatural. However, after that, the relationships for both couples developed very well. I am a fan of slow-burn romance, and coupled with the excellent chemistry between QH and HS’s actor / actress, it was exactly my cup of tea!
Regarding pacing, it was a bit dragged at the beginning. I’m just glad that some plot started to pick up after.. like, 10 episodes. However, despite that first half, it was definitely entertaining, which made the episodes go by quickly. Since it’s your usual romcom and follows a lot of cliches, predictability is quite high. But as mentioned before, as long as it’s entertaining, I’m all for it! Plot unfolded steadily after that initial slow start!
Finally, I cannot express how much I appreciate the amount of character development and redemption arcs the scriptwriters gave us. I appreciated how they didn’t just show the good— such as how bad characters managed to turn over a leaf, but also how good, innocent characters became broken over time, and even in death, their resentment against the world couldn’t be quelled.
Everything is not just gray, but rather black and white. Although I applaud characters like Ye Tan who’s the type to "forgive and forget," some people aren’t that strong-willed. Hatred strong enough can engulf all rationality, and not all people can ignore that voice in their heads. It’s a realistic portrayal of both outcomes, and even a bit psychological as well.
All in all, The Starry Love is a must-watch for xianxia fanatics like me. I never considered myself a fan of romcoms, but after watching this, I think I changed my mind! It is fluffy, fun, and definitely sets apart from your usual cdramas. Definitely one of the best xianxia dramas released in 2023!
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This review may contain spoilers
Promising start but fell short towards the last quarter
Despite everyone singing praises for this drama, I felt very differently about it and this drama turned out to be a giant disappointment for me.Let's start with the things I didn't like about this drama. First off, I found Chen Xingxu's character terribly bland in this drama. His character is what I might have expected from a drama from a few years back. All the recent Wuxia/Xianxia drama's male mcs have been so good lately so I felt like Youqin just fell really short in term of character's depth and personality. And this disappointed me terribly because I loved Chen Xingxu in Goodbye My Princess. I loved his character so much I had a Pinterest board for him 😂 So I was looking forward to his performance in this drama. I can't blame him though, I felt like his character was poorly written due to script writing and the directing.
Honestly, the whole time I watched this drama, there was not one moment where I felt like I wanted to root for Youqin or felt like I shipped Youqin and Yetan. All the plotlines that play out to suggest they're experiencing hardships and going through near death experiences together felt very forced. If I compare this drama to Love Between Fairy and Devil or Ashes of Love, this drama falls very short in terms of creating hardships that force the main couple to have a deep attachment to each other. It feels like the writer tried their best to create situations where the main couple would feel a desperate need for each other or create this whole "I can't live without you" thing but failed.
HOWEVER, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the relationship and storyline between Chaofeng and Qingkui because it felt genuine and natural. From the get go, Qingkui is not portrayed as your typical smart, witty, strong female character who has a sad backstory (yes unlike Yetan). So I honestly didn't expect much out of her storyline. But OMG I love her. She's got a heart of gold and I love her genuine nativity. It felt refreshing to watch.
I love the relationship between her and Chaofeng that develops. I'm a real sucker for male characters who think they're super bad boy but when they meet a girl they like, become such a simp. I like how the beginning of their relationship starts with Chaofeng having to lie and manipulate her despite not wanting to as he needs her to take his side. He's constantly trying to convince himself that he's only nice to her because power and the throne is his ultimate goal but eventually realises that he truly loves her. It's such a classic but underrated trope and it's played out very well in this drama. Damn I was soooo whipped for these two. ALSO the costumes for the Void Realm was absolute chef's kiss. Both Chaofeng's and Qingkui's clothes, hair and accessories gave me life!!! I screamed like crazy at Chaofeng's gorgeous wedding gown. Chef's kiss I tell you.
Lastly, this drama is one of those dramas that starts off very promising and intriguing and then falls short by the last quarter. By episode 30 or so, I felt like I was watching filler episodes of an anime. Everything became very boring and surface. There were no longer plotlines that threatened the existence or happiness of our characters. It's a pretty much all lovey dovey happy happy for a really long time. And eventually when there was a threat, I felt like they threw it in last minute just to make the story interesting.
Overall it's a decent drama for anyone who's new to Xianxia or watching this genre for the first time. But it definitely felt like I was watching Ashes of Love all over again with the sets and similar Xianxia storyline. What started out as a 8/10 ended up being a 6.5/10 for me!
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