This review may contain spoilers
could be better, but I enjoyed it.
After Lighter and Princess, I was waiting for Chen Feiyu to make a strong comeback. This drama wasn’t a breakout hit, but the chemistry was on fire!It genuinely felt like the leads were real lovers. I enjoyed every romantic scene, even though there were a lot of unnecessary kissing moments.
This was my first time watching the female lead, and she did a great job, especially in the comedy scenes, which made the first part of the drama very engaging. However, I personally didn’t like the plot after she lost her memories. I really hate amnesia storylines. Still, I finished the drama, so it was good enough for me overall.
The drama also has an excellent OST that fits every scene perfectly, featuring many great artists.
In the end, it’s okay,not bad, not great. Just right. Enjoyable for the romance and the vibe, but not for the plot.
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Take all the classic ingredients of the Xianxia in a fresh and highly entertaining.
From the first episode, the high quality of the production is evident. The costumes are marvelous, full of detail and color, which greatly helps immerse you in the story. The special effects are very well done, believable, and add a spectacular touch to the action and magic scenes without seeming over-the-top.Chen Feiyu, besides having an imposing presence and being very handsome, brings his character to life with the necessary depth. But the revelation for me was Wang Yinglu. It was the first time I saw her act, and I was enchanted. She is very beautiful, and her performance was excellent; she managed to make her character comprehensible, not at all heavy, and gave it just the right touch of charisma and strength. And the fact that her character came from the "outside world" and uttered modern phrases the other characters didn't understand created some very comedic moments and a unique dynamic. This clever contrast added a novel twist to the typical xianxia plot. The romance was one of the story's pillars and was very well developed. The chemistry between the protagonists was palpable, and it was appreciated that they weren't shy with their displays of affection. The kisses (and there were plenty of them) were a success, believable, and satisfying for those of us looking for a good love story.
If I had to point to something that left me with a bittersweet taste, it would be the ending. While it's emotional and brings the main arc to a close, I would have liked to see more of their reunion in "normal life." A slightly longer scene showing how they begin their new life together, after so much suffering, would have been the perfect, well-rounded conclusion. I was left longing for a more detailed epilogue.
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Tried Four Times, Still Not for Me
I’m sorry, folks, but this drama was not for me. I tried watching it four times for Wang Yinglu, and finally finished it on my fourth attempt. It’s a fan favorite, so for those who haven’t seen it yet, please keep in mind that my opinion is not the majority.That said, the premise itself was compelling, and I can imagine being fully immersed in the novel depending on how it’s written. The cinematography was beautiful, and the characters, their relationships, and their development were all wonderfully crafted. This is exactly the style and story I enjoy in film. However, the plot execution and writing didn’t land for me, and the pacing felt a bit stretched. I felt that the way the story was presented onscreen didn’t match the strength of the concepts behind it, so I struggled to stay engaged—though I did really enjoy the final four episodes, which made the drama for me.
Still, I’m glad I watched it—Wang Yinglu is one of my favorite performers and although I didn't like the drama, I enjoyed the story.
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Beautiful and funny but...
A 33 episode long journey that felt like 103 episodes. It moved so slow, and yet, so much happened within those 33 episodes, it's kind of surreal. Ibenjoyed the characters and the fantasy world was neat, but there was just too many plot points and overly emotional moments packed in there (kind of like someone had a limit of one suitcase so they crammed everything in, jumped on in, and laid on top of it to zip it closed.) The result was my eyes rolling at yet another life and death scene, a final few episodes that had me tapping my watch to be sure it hadn't stopped, and a very cliche and predictable ending.That said, I loved the cast, loved the music, costumes, scenery, and cinematography.
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everything is great except the ending
I was a HUGE fan of this drama for two reasons: the FL lead is super unconventional and the relationship dynamic is so addicting. Normally, I hateeee time travel/alternate universe plots, but the modern-day FL literally escapes the drone of capitalist society by accidentally transmigrating to an ancient cultivation world. Her mind and memories are still intact, though, so her commentary throughout this process is HILARIOUS. Literally all the FL wants is a vacation. She isn't here for the drama or the theatrics, she literally just wants to eat good food and get good rest.I did start to waver a TEENY BIT around episode 19/20 because of the plot twist that determined the last 13 episodes. It definitely was still interesting and entertaining, but I was not as big of a fan as I was in the beginning. It's a classic case of starting really strong and setting the bar too high, only to struggle to keep up the momentum by the end. I still liked the second half of the drama, just not as much as I liked the first half.
The relationship dynamic is great. The FL is sunny and witty, while the ML is a bit nonchalant (at first). When they start to fall for each other, its soooo satisfying to see their personalities change to compliment one another. I love how obsessed they become with each other too—emotionally and PHYSICALLY.
I didn't like the ending. I don't have much else to say without spoiling. I just didn't like it.
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Started strong but dragged.
May 2026.A modern day office worker finds herself transported into the realms of cultivation, and ends up serving a cold and powerful Grandmaster, sealed in his mountain palace for half a century.
She is a master slacker who just wants an easy life.... which she obviously doesn't get!
There is a lot of humour in the early episodes, but as the story progresses, truths get revealed, and feelings grow, things become more tense, as battles for power and freedom take over.
I liked the cast, but didn't feel the FL made a convincing leader, as the story moved forward.
The ML I thought conveyed his power and frustrations well, but he didn't feel different enough as his character changed.
That is a fault of the writing and directing, to my mind.
I found the earlier episodes flowed better, but got bored with the drawn out feuding.
The supposedly most powerful were often too easily blindsided and overcome.
The story moves through lifetimes; a concept which I liked, but was wasted to an extent, I felt, by not being fresh enough when that happened ~ instead carrying over a too similar plot line.
I was never moved to tears by this story, although there was no shortage of tragedy.
The ending wrapped things up very neatly and on what I felt was a positive note, however.
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I wanted it to end until I didn't want it to end
This drama had all the potential to stand proudly in my top three 2025 cdramas. It even came close to becoming the best (imo) but then the second half of the drama came and what I thought was soo funny and dark became a boring soap series with an unending cycle of drama.When Destiny brings the Demon starts out following the story of Zhou Yan, a girl form the modern days, who gets into a car crash and sinks into the body of Liao Tingyan whom lives in the world of cultivators and demons. She's a disciple to a minor clan and is chosen to be send to the palace of the Grandmaster (Sima Jiao) along with 99 other ladies. Her slacker attitude and lazy agenda intrigues this Grandmaster because everyone in his entire life has been out to get him killed. But she seems to hold no grudge or fear against him and so the two become close. During many attempts of assassination, Tingyan sticks by her master and proves to him she's not among the assassins and that she means him no harm. Her humor and honesty triggers warmth in him and his cold demeanor begins to fall around her. It's the start of one of the most epic love stories I have seen in cdramas so far.
At first I wasn't sure I could stick to the drama due to the bad special effects and costuming. It gave off a cheap vibe and I couldn't look past it when the Grandmaster's snake started to change size every other second. In one shot it was gigantic and the next second it felt tiny in comparison. The budget didn't even allow for Tingyan to hold onto a saddle when flying a crane. It was a green screen, and a pretty obvious one at that. The costuming looked bad too.
Thankfully, it got better. I see now that most of the budget (at least.. I think it did) went to the fights scenes which are done very well when it comes to special effects.
The story contains a couple of very heavy themes such as: cannibalism and human breeders. It got so dark at one point I couldn't believe they actually showed this on TV. I have never seen anything like it before in anything I have ever seen. I'm glad the female lead got to use her humor to lighten up the episodes every now and then. It created a nice balance of utter shock during the darker tones of the series in between the light and hilarious senes with Tingyan. I absolutely loved the show and it kept getting better and better with each episode until the 20th somewhat episode. The main characters end up losing each other during a great battle and Tingyan is swept towards the Demon realm where she undergoes a Soul Cleansing and we enter a long run of episodes with an amnesia trope.
This is where it all goes down hill.
The story just becomes laughable at that point. Most of the plotpoints get dragged out too much, the amnesia takes way too long to fix itself and our beloved couple spends too long apart. And when they do finally meet, Tingyan doesn't recognise him and even wants him dead. Mostly.. And when she does finally remember him she ends up killing him and it just snowballs into more drama. It felt like something straight out of a soap series and I couldn't help but laugh at everything that happened after that. Especially when we entered another amnesia plot but this time turned around. It was his time to forget everything.... I just wanted the show to end and was happy when I got to the last episode. It was finally going to be over, I thought...
But then I started to crave for more.
I liked the ending. I really do, but I wish they could have shortened a lot of the unnecessary plots in the Demon realm and had more time for the ending. It felt rushed, it felt unfinished and now I'm left with wanting more of a show that I wanted so desperately to end.
Positives:
- That chemistry was electrifying!! I adored the main leads and they adored each other.
- The amount of kisses (and more) in this show was amazing. Usually in dramas all we get is a few kisses and most of them not even deep. But this show gave me all the steam I wanted and more.
- The acting. At first I had to get used to some of the cast members and their acting style but they caught me gradually.
- The (dark) humor in the show was a nice counterweight to all the dark themes.
- A romance done right. The couple, although they did keep secrets, were very communicative with each other so less misunderstandings, no real love-triangles where jealousy became a fourth person or breaks-ups. They were devoted to each other and only each other.
- The first half of the show is the best.
- Chen Feiyu is an incredible actor. The way he portrays his emotions nearly ended me.
Negatives:
- The story became draggy in the later half of the show.
- The female lead can come accross as very dull and dumb sometimes due to her lazy attitude. It makes her seem weak. In the later half of the show she's supposed to be this badass powerful cultivator almost equal to the Grandmaster but we only get to see her do some weak magic. In any other case she nearly always faints or gets hured. She's the classic damsel-in-distress. I would have loved to see her protect her man instead of always being the one who needs saving.
- They use a lot of repetitive themes such as amnesia, reincarnation (I stopped caring if anyone died because practically everyone comes back once or twice) and power struggles.
- They should've given us more time in the real world. It's great to know she's found him again in the real world but I would've liked to know if he got to remember her too. (I really hate amnesia tropes)
- There were some major plot holes. Especially with the second time jump. No one can convince me snakey boy waited 19 years to propose to the love of his life. Or that Tingyan managed to rule both the Demon and Immortal Realms for that many years due to the people believing she killed the Grandmaster when she's obviously mourning him.
Overal I did like this drama. It was a fun watch and I do think I will watch it again sometime but I would skip the later half of the show and just pretend Tingyan's first death is the official ending continued by her going back to the real world.
I do recommend this one. Especially if you're in for a more dark toned drama that's still a lot of fun to watch and are not bothered by dumbed down characters.
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Good one
*"When Destiny Brings the Demon - Long For Fish" is a romantic drama. It doesn’t have the flavor of demons and their magic, even though the male and female protagonists are demons.After watching two or three episodes, I felt the drama was boring and wondered why the protagonist had chosen to act in it. However, after watching more episodes, I became intrigued by their chemistry. The love story they portrayed was so emotional that I was completely captivated by their performance, and I continued watching.
I liked the other characters and their performances too, especially the male protagonist’s bodyguard, the serpent, and his love story. However, I felt a little disappointed that the drama didn’t have a satisfying ending. They didn’t include many plots toward the end; the drama only focused on the leads and their story. I still felt that the leads should have had some dialogues before the ending."*
One more thing I want to say about the drama that is it has mesmerising musics and songs.
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It ended up being disappointing
Honestly, I’m not one to write reviews unless I really have something to say. I regret to say that I was loving this drama, I loved both the leads, they had an amazing chemistry and I really liked where the story was going. AND THEN, it’s like someone got hi writing this and decided to make a 180º turn in the story. Out of nowhere she has lost all her memories and EIGHTEEN YEARS passed before they could see each other again, and not only that, they meet and she doesn’t remember him for a while. Then they give him another spirit flame that’s killing him, and when they finally can be together again, ONCE AGAIN, they get separated but only this time the one dead it’s him and again NINETEEN YEARS until they meet again, but now he’s the one that doesn’t remember her. Not five minutes after, time to dieeee AGAIN, and they go back to present time and meet all over again, and again, he doesn’t remember her.Everything was going fine until the memory loss, after that it was honestly challenging to keep watching. I only did it because I kept fast forwarding it to scenes of they together. I would say watch at your own risk. Maybe you don’t hate the amnesia trope as much as I do. I would not watch it again even if I loved their chemistry.
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Great leading couple, everything else is background
Flash review--THE GOOD
The leading couple is everything in this. Their portrayal. Their chemistry. The way they treat each other (except--). Just a pleasure to watch.
Some fun magic.
The FL characterization is just fun.
The 2ML is a cutie both in appearance and his characterization
THE UNREMARKABLE
Pretty much everyone else in this are painted in shades of gray. And it kinda works? Like, it mostly just forces the focus to stay on the leads and that is great because they are wonderful
But seriously, almost any time there's another character, I'm like "who is that" followed by "why do i care" but blessedly also followed by "oh good they're offscreen again quickly, back to the leads"
THE BAD
There is some really unpleasant plot stuff about halfway through. And unfortunately it isn't brief, it drags on for multiple episodes, way longer than it needed to.
Multiple times the FL is sidelined or has her agency removed. Really frustrating, especially when she's carrying the series.
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Not what I expected. At ALLLL!!!
I know I am late for this show, But I plucked up my courage since this is my first ever review of anything : )I went into this drama, without watching its trailer, but by simply stumbling upon this page on MDL.
The synopsis provided there made me curious enough to watch thos show
Dear Godd-I knew C-drama were like a big drama with a string of many mini-dramas within it.
But this was like a whole 3 part novel or movie.
Without giving any spoiler==
Its good.
the drama keeps going so you never get boared.
The romance is definitly the major part.
It remains in your mind even after it ends=in a good way.
recomended to watch on your own ; )
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This review may contain spoilers
Want Overall review go ahead
Without any spoilersHere are some pointers:
*Good series, story is good at least.
*All actors are beautiful and handsome. Did a good job.
* Editing is a little poor in the first few episodes, but after that, it's all good.
* CGI and all other departments did their job well.
* God bless no rush ending.
* for the first time experienced dual cultivation as it is. It's sensual
*The ending makes you want more episodes especially when the male lead is this handsome
If only they added more modern world stories of theirs.
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