One of my favorite Rom-Coms!
This Rom-Com really struck a note with me because I'm a writer. I don't write professionally, just as a hobby, and I really found the relationship between writer/editor/publishing house interesting. I learned a lot about editors/publishing. So, first off, the subject matter really struck a chord, and then the lead characters kept my interest.At first, I really found FL's voice/mannerism annoying, but I ended up really liking her as the drama progressed. She seems like a dingbat, but she was really quite smart, easily manipulating those around her with her charm and sincerity. The chemistry between her and ML was a delight to watch as they bickered and bantered with each other. They were one of those couples that just seemed 'fated'. For me, not all drama couples seem like they're meant to be, but this couple did. Even though I loved SML (so mature, so sweet, so sensitive), I was always on Team Mr. Fox/Zhou Chuan.
Now to my favorite character - Zhou Chuan or The Disappearing Mr. Fox. I simply adored this character! He is my 2nd favorite C-drama ML, just below the ML on 'Arsenal Military Academy'. I loved his grumpy obtuseness. I just found him so cute even though he had the unfortunate tendency to be childish and bad-tempered and completely clueless when it came to romance/relationships. I loved how FL could so easily control (or manipulate) this uncontrollable, demanding, prickly author. I loved how they were online 'best friends' before they became a real couple. I loved how ML was always calling SML for advice and then grumpily rejected the advice he got. The chemistry between ML and SML was nearly as good as the chemistry between ML/FL. It's probably not intentional, but ML's voice inflections reminded me of the puppet Reynardo on the old Leslie Caron movie 'Lili'. And oddly enough, Reynardo was a fox.
I didn't have much interest in the second couple's romance and fast forwarded through much of it. I just didn't care for SFL. I adored SML (too bad FL can't have both men!) but found SFL too chic. I just wanted SML to have someone better. But tell me, why does the second couple always seem to sleep together first and have hotter kisses in C-dramas?
I was pleased to see that both sets of parents were likeable although ML's dad was as bad-tempered, uncompromising and demanding as his son. BUT it was a lovely moment when dad presented the award to ML at the end. It brought tears to my eyes. So glad that neither set of parents were opposed to ML/FL's relationship.
The two scheming male bosses in the publisher house were super annoying - I guess this time the men got to be the villains. Usually, it's the women in C-dramas. But FL outcame both. We did have a psycho chick after ML few a few episodes, but she was more pathetic than threatening. ML was on to her antics way before FL and made sure he didn't spend any time alone with her - such a conscientious and shrewd ML (which was amazing considering how clueless he was concerning other matters). As I've said before - men, be careful with your random acts of kindness - you may end up with the a psycho chick obsessing on you.
Overall, I loved this drama, especially the relationship between ML/FL. There was not a lot of angst (which I prefer). The only time ML/FL was separated was when FL found out about ML's online identity and was rightly angry, but their separation didn't last long. There was no bouts of noble idiocy or the 'I love you but I've got to chase my dreams' thing. No serious, scheming love rivals or past loves that suddenly come back from the dead to haunt the future. It was a simple story about an editor's sincere desire to help her writers succeed and the romance she has with one of those writers. Nice ending too! Everything wrapped up nicely.
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light and fluffy but skippable parts
Overall this was a fairly easy going show, no over dramatics that couldn’t be resolved despite the fact the writers attempted a few cliche efforts at this. When it happened it was pointless and added nothing to the overall development of the plot. The MLs are silly and childish for far too much of the show and often the 2nds just plain show them up - seemingly like the only adults actually acting like adults. The friendship between ML & 2ML is the most satisfying thing about this series and they are adorable and funny. Overall it ended satisfyingly, but I skipped so many scenes that dragged and felt boring to watch. Clean up the writing (needs a major edit, which is kind of funny when this show is about editors and authors ?) and we’d have something that trundled along at an engaging pace. Instead we have 36 draggy episodes. One to watch if you need something light and you aren’t irritated by baby voice from FL’s which happens far too often in Cdramas. Not a fan personally- I think strong female leads can ditch the baby voices, pouty faces and childish comments. The 2FL in this show shows how its done, classy, professional independent adult. That is how to portray strong female behavior.Was this review helpful to you?
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mature youth drama
Finally I've watched mature youth drama. Long time heard about this drama, finally decided to watch this. Really happy I can watch this drama.Really like Chu Li (CL). She is energic, kind, pure but not naive & childish. CL is spoiled where she supposed to & mature enough to handle her problem. CL has her own principle that she hold that make her special & attract people to her. If using Zhou Chuan (ZC) word, yeah she's like sunlight but warm enough like moonlight too. If she is my friend, I can see her as one of the people I'll trust to handle my problem too... I also really like how at the end she handle Liang Chong Lang (director Liang), how mischievous she is....
I also really like ZC, even though sometimes he's quite childish. But he can and will learn how to be better himself, especially if it's about CL. Like how he try to communicate better with her, how he try to understand her & how he throwing his ego & apologize to her when he needed to.... And he can really separate himself with the one that he doesn't like, like with Song Xi. Really like ZC & CL relationship with each other. Yu Shu Xin & Ding Yu Xi chemistry with each other really good. Really funny to see ZC reaction when CL is mad at him...
I also like their second couple, Jiang Yu Cheng (YC) & Gu Bai Zhi. Yeah the old flame haven't died yet. A little bit frustrated at first to see their relationship. & because they're not the main couple so we a little bit have to guess what their actual problem at first, they not just tell us what their problem actually is, but finally they tell us. And yeah they have to fixed the main problem first before decided to continue or not, or the story will gonna repeat itself & yeah it did.... But it got fixed & everything smoothly go sail... Haha...
Really like the brotherhood between YC & ZC. It's like they put the phrase: 'bro before ho' into reality. Like when YC said he like CL, even though ZC quite jealous but he still ask for advice & they still brother like before. Yeah2 I know even we can sense that YC is not that serious with CL. But we sometimes see the writer will gonna write they have clash or overly jealous over that simple stupidity....
This is really one good youth drama. This even has the perfect ending... Looking for something romance, sweet but not too much, this is one drama for you...
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Sweetest Romance of the Season
I don't usually write reviews, but this series was way too good to not write a review for it.In short, this series is definitely one that you don't see often, and I truly hope that it makes a precedent for future series to come. It's definitely a sweet romance that brings a smile to your face every episode with how cute the main couple is.
-- MAIN COUPLE --
The only way I can explain this couple is having a healthy relationship, which is so rare to see that it's like a huge breath of fresh air. Of course, they have their own couple spats and issues, but it's so nice to see that they have mutual trust in each other and there are absolutely no unnecessary misunderstandings between them. There's also the fact that although they're editor and author - a sort of subordinate and boss situation - each side's power in the relationship is extremely balanced.
For Chu Li (Esther Yu), she's an extremely smart character and is generally able to stand up for herself and solve her own problems with minimal help from the male lead. There's no damsel in distress - it's clear that she's able to do things on her own. I truly truly applaud this series for this. It's really not every day where a female lead is able to persevere her strong personality till the end.
For Zhou Chuan (Ryan Ding), he's a narcissistic little boy who never got his dad's love, but his heart's softer than anyone's. He's like a little puppy in front of the female lead and his best friend, and it's absolutely adorable. He also knows that while he wants to help the female lead, she has her own way of doing things, and he can't do everything for her. There's also a comparison in the series with the husband of Yu Yao when it comes to how Zhou Chuan handles Chu Li's workaholic side. Where one tries to suppress the female to become a standard "wife", the other supports her, loves her for her loyalty to her work, and only steps in when needed to take care of her health.
Together, they're a stupid cute and funny couple that defies the odds together (key word: together). When problems do arise, there's no one side tries to solve it for the other, but rather they respect each other and take it head-on together.
--SIDE COUPLE (SPOILER)--
I'll keep this shorter because they do kind of irritate me. At first, they play it up so Jiang Yucheng has this hatred for his ex-girlfriend, Gu Baizhi, due to some misunderstanding. But then halfway through his heart softens because he still has lingering feelings, and starts wanting to try again out of nowhere? Nothing, absolutely nothing, was really cleared up about the past, and they just have misunderstandings after misunderstandings. I swear, if I were GBZ, I would've dumped his ass in the sewers already.
Not to mention that they completely ruined Jiang Yucheng's personality for the sake of his romance. As a writer, he's stubborn and sticks to his opinions - same as Zhou Chuan. It's also one of the reasons why he had a fallout with GBZ - because she kept trying to have him write this and that for the sake of gaining better sales. However, when they met with Maurer (a director), GBZ said that JYC would be willing to compromise for the sake of the film - resulting in his loss in the competition with Zhou Chuan - but they didn't address this AT ALL. And then, in trying to get GBZ back, he claims that anything he did wrong, he'll change for her. If this isn't a red flag, I don't know what is.
Overall, they had their cute moments, especially toward the end, but their process was just a mess.
--OVERALL--
[Music - 8.5/10] There's only a few songs in the soundtrack, including one sung by Esther Yu herself, but the ones that do exist are soft and sweet. Esther's voice has improved a lot since her trainee days!
[Rewatch value - 9/10] I don't have a tendency to rewatch dramas since I already know what will happen, but maybe in a few years when I forget details and want to rewatch something, this is definitely one of the dramas on the top of my list.
[Overall - 9.5/10] There's bias in the review of course, but I really didn't watch this series expecting anything. My opinion of Esther Yu has always been pretty neutral, but for the sake of my "May boyfriend" and after finding the trailer pretty funny, only then did I decide to watch this. I can't expect everyone to enjoy it as much as I did, but I do highly recommend watching at least a couple of episodes if you enjoy sweet rom-com series. Especially if you enjoyed Ryan DIng (Ding YuXi)'s The Romance of Tiger and Rose, this series has that romance and comedy feel but in a modern setting.
---
Notes:
- I know there's a bit of dislike for Esther's voice (I completely understand - it's one of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of hers), but for the sake of this amazing series, it is 100% overlookable and you get used to it. Regardless, her voice sounds more natural here than it ever did on Youth With You.
- "May boyfriend" is a joke in the Chinese community. Because Ding YuXi (Ryan Ding) became popular after two romance dramas starring him both aired at the same time last year (May 2020) - respectively The Romance of Tiger and Rose//Intense Love - he became dubbed as 五月男友 (May boyfriend).
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ML is such a MANCHILD!!!!!
This is a rant review so if you like this drama please move on and don't ruin your day.I started watching this drama while waiting for Love Game in Eastern Fantasy´s next episodes to drop because, unlike this drama, that one is actually giving what it is supposed to give, and I literally cannot wait for the next episode huhu?.
That being said, I obviously watched this drama for the CP, but oh boy were they the worst couple in this one.
Where do I even start with this one? The ML Zhou Chuan character is just so insufferable. he is rude, man-child, obsessive, and an entitled prick. The drama makes you wonder how he even stayed alive before meeting the FL because he can't do anything without her. He can't even feed himself or his dog. All he does is sit in his study and sulk all day and wait for Chu Li to return from work and cook and clean for him. On top of that, he is always casually fat-shaming her, getting jealous if she talks to any other man even if it is for work. like wtf bro?????!!!
Am I supposed to root for this a-hole??? Zhou Chuan has to be one of the worst love interests. He is always fighting and screaming at her. I can't I just can´t. I do not like these types of toxic love interests. I hate that this drama is romanticizing his behavior. They want it to be seen as cute. Every time he makes a mistake he thinks he has done nothing wrong and when he knows he is wrong he still gets angry at Chu Li for not forgiving him immediately.
There is one scene where Chu Li has broken up with him and stays with her friend because he lied about his identity as Mr. Fox, who is Chu Li´s online best friend. he basically hides from her that he is Mr. Fox and manipulates her feelings for him. When she finds out the truth and feels betrayed rightfully so…she breaks up with him. And instead of sincerely apologizing to her and explaining his reasons to her, he SCREAMS AT HER…that because she has not returned home for a while he and his dog have become thin because she is not feeding them. and he said sorry what more can he do?
aww poor guy! must be so difficult for him *(eye roll)*
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!????????? that's what you've got? seriously???? ? Why is she even dating him? She literally forgives him after this. like gurlll please have some self-respect.
it's crazy how I didn't get annoyed by Esther Yu´s baby voice and over-the-top child-like acting in this drama because of ML's insufferable character. It´s a miracle.
The whole drama is a miscommunication trope on steroids. OMG please, just talk!!!!!!!
It did not need to be 36 episodes. It's just 36 episodes of nothingness. Unless you are a big fan of the cast I don't see any reason why must you torture yourself with this drama.
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A new heartwarming story
It has been a while since I saw such a lighthearted drama. It is a slow burn. Before you realize it you are already addicted to it. This kind of story was a first time for me. Originally I wanted to see it because the 1st main leads were my favorites. But later on I liked the story and how it was very well depicted. Everyone acted as their character very well. I did not fell like it was boring but maybe the no. of episodes could have been reduced a little. All the cast chemistry is so good. For the first time I am seeing a drama in which there are lot of females in the cast and are very strong. I liked how they depicted the story with so much reality. It is in my top 5 Chinese drama lit now. I wanted a light drama as there have been lot of dark dramas or boring dramas recently. I can't wait for the actors' next projects. The ending given to everyone was also very well written. Maybe after a while I might re-watch it again if my mood is down.Was this review helpful to you?
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Beautiful and amazing drama
I never write a review, but I want to make a special exception to this one.--Story--
For many people probably this will be lke typical romance, but it's unique compared to others dramas. They balanced very well business and their relationship at once like wow. Relationship between leads is beautiful and cute, it's hard to find sometimes good relationship between characters in dramas but in this one it's P E R F E C T. And also theres no "dumb" characters you know in every drama theres always one character that is so stupid or will made so stupid decision that you want to DIE ;-;.
And also i want to say something about FL cause she was the best:
FL - Looks gently and cute and some people can say that shes "weak" but shes really a bad bitch or more like BOSS. If she wants something she gets it, if she wants to achievement something, she will achieve it. She works really hard that she made one of the writers win AWARD in less than 2 years. You can say that shes perfect definition of "hardworking people".
--Acting/Cast--
I can't tell to much about cast because i don't know anyone but i want to say something about them. Im really impressed by their acting especially Yang Shi Ze acting cause he debuted in 2018 and it's only 3 years also Ma Yin Yin. About Ryan and Esther how? just how? They look like a real life couple i really thought that they were maybe dating or something (yeah i know stupid idea) and i even did researched about it LOL.
--Music--
To be honest i don't like OST from dramas but here are beautiful and i fall in love with THE9 Ester – Chu Li is Here that angel voice OMG i listen this on repeat and Shuang Shen – NiūNiū is also good.
--SPOILER AND MY RATING--
I give 9,5 rating because i had only with one thing problem at the end there was one character that girl who suddenly apeart and says that she fell in love with Zhou Chan a long time ago. This was really uncesenery but everything else was PERFECT. So theres chance that i will rewatch this in future :)
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Beautiful and Heartfelt
I absolutely loved this drama! I started watching it because I like the main actress Esther Yu but I fell in love with the whole cast as well. The setting and story was very interesting as I've never watched a drama about and writer and an editor before which made it refreshing to watch. The main couple has great chemistry and their love story is built with care and without frustrating plot points to keep them apart longer. Their personalities mesh very well and I liked their individual characters a lot. I even enjoyed the side characters! My only complaint was that I did not like the second couple that much. I don't know if it's an issue of my personal taste or a fault of the show but I didn't like the sfl that much which made it hard to like them as a couple. This however isn't that much of an issue since their scenes are skippable without missing much. I recommend this drama to anyone who wants a romantic feel good show that has an interesting and simple plot.Was this review helpful to you?
Cute, light-hearted drama with great lead chemistry -- just a smidge off amazing
If you're looking for something that's cute and sweet without much angst/separation/betrayals, this is the show for you. Throughout the whole show, it keeps up its lighthearted atmosphere. All the leads are likeable and the "villains" in the story aren't too bad - they're generally more annoying and disruptive rather than evil and sinister.1) Pros:
Great acting and characters. Ryan Ding and Esther Yu both were amazing in their roles. Although this isn't totally out of their comfort levels, it was still a good display. Ryan Ding was able to play a more bratty/successful male lead while Esther Yu played the foil of being the naive/air-headed female lead, although there are moments where she was able to show off her range of emotions. Second Male Lead and Male Lead have a good relationship; although there is a love-triangle involving them, it never felt angsty or upsetting, but rather more akin to friendly competition. The male leads are friends from beginning to end and its great to see their friendship. Second Female Lead is solid too and had a good performance, but I didn't find her character too much of a stand-out.
Solid plot. The plot isn't anything too special if you read the synopsis but the execution is great if you're looking for something light-hearted. Most of the conflicts are character-driven rather than external villains acting 'evil'. This allows the major strength of the show (the characters) to really shine through since the viewers are able to see their growth. Ryan Ding's character moves from a bratty/self-centered person to a caring and considerate one. Esther's character starts off air-headed and a pushover but really starts to stand-up for things and people she cares about. It's great to see. As it's an easy to digest plot, marathoning this show was very easy and there's a solid rewatch value.
2) Minor Quips:
There really isn't any major cons so I'll only go over some minor things I had issue with.
Last arc was disappointing. Around episodes 28-34, I felt the plot really started to drag. Many cdramas have this issue of having underwhelming final arcs and I felt this one was a bit forced. I felt like it moved away from what made the previous episodes enjoyable and started moving towards "evil villain" and forced-drama vibes (especially with the introduction of another certain character....).
Would've liked to see more of the female lead's thoughts. Although the FL is the "main" character, the story really heavily centers around the point of view of the male-lead. This makes the FL feel like she's in a more passive/static role whereas the ML is one that's in the dynamic role.
A little bit too much focus on second leads. Since the main leads' relationship is relatively smooth-sailing, this put a lot of the drag/boring tropes on the second leads with their back-and-forth. Not too big of a deal.
3) Miscellaneous:
Plot is VERY reminiscent to Love is Sweet. Characters, dog, motivations, cohabitation, etc. Not a con by any means but there's a lot of similarities to be drawn. OST is solid but really only 1 song by Esther Yu that's actually rememberable. Cute FL outfits.
Overall, would definitely recommend.
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This drama is as beautiful as the moon! I'm in love!
I don't want to expect a lot from this drama but I've read a lot of good reviews and this drama didn't disappoint me.I really enjoyed every episodes. The plot includes comedy, romance, life lessons, friendship, family and career. It's very impressive. I love books but not that much as I prefer watching dramas now. Though I still read sometimes. They also showed the works in a publishing company and it is very interesting. Usually work/ business talks are boring but this drama made it interesting.
This is one of my favorite Chinese drama. What I like most on most Chinese dramas is that they don't have the overly dramatic and overly complicated plot. You just enjoy the story and relate to characters experiences. And this Cdrama is one of the best.
Actors portrayed their Characters well. Zhou Chuan (Ryan Ding) is such a childish brat. But I love him and he's so cute. I actually watched this because of the plot and him. Hehe.
There is really a good chemistry between all the Characters. There are bromance, sismance and love-hate relationships and I love everything.
But, as I mostly indicate on my reviews, there is no perfect drama. There are some scenes that you might wanna skip, some Characters you might hate and some scenes you might not relate to but this drama all in all is a good one. I barely noticed that I already finished the 36 episodes as I really enjoyed watching it.
I will definitely miss them and will definitely re-watch. Although I don't know when since I have tons of dramas on my watch list. Hehe.
Side note:
I also want to see a beautiful moon with someone beside me. :')
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A boost of serotonin!
i’m a fluffy romance fanatic and this drama is the boost of serotonin i was looking for! moonlight is a rom-com that hit the nail in the head for me. i watched a few episodes and i was all-in, especially the lead couple and their portrayals. i only recently became familiar with ding yuxi’s works but his portrayal of zhou chuan in ML is by far my favorite work of his.the relationship between the leads is adorable and it was nice to see the ML liking the FL first rather than it being the FL always crushing on the ML. their chemistry was really good and they had many swoon worthy scenes and to contrast, some bickering scenes that made me love them more; zhou chuan is childish but in a way that it only made his character more lovable ( i applaud yuxi’s amazing acting! ). the plot of this story is pretty generic IMO, showing everyday work in the publishing industry; chu li struggles in the beginning of the drama with her work being difficult. but it was so refreshing that chu li had a backbone and never allowed anyone to walk all over her; her determination to do her work proficiently was admirable and empowering. she’s not only reliable but she’s a lovable character that i sincerely grew fond of as the drama progressed. the bromance between zhou chuan and jiang yucheng was lovely and i enjoyed their moments of friendship ( it was hilarious how zhou chuan would get jealous everytime chu li praised jiang’s works and he’d want her attention to himself LOL ). one of my most favorite moments would have to be the way chu li handled the rumors that her BF was involved with another woman — she handled that amazingly and with such maturity it just boosted my respect for her. i simply love it when dramas promote healthy relationships!
overall this drama really exceeded my expectations as i am usually not a fan of dramas with a large amount of episodes as they tend to get dragged out; but this rom-com was entertaining to watch and a sweet fluffy delight; you get invested in the characters that you look forward to seeing what comes next! i can’t quite express wholely why i loved moonlight but it was a complete pleasure to watch, hands down one of my favorite dramas from 2021. i congratulate ding yuxi on yet another incredible project and to esther yu as well! one of the best modern cdramas i have ever seen <3
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