Till the End of the Moon (2023)

Dramatic and Tragic Love Story

TTEOTM is like Chips. You know it's gonna destroy you sooner or later but you keep reaching out for more.

Personally, I thought the plot was fantastic and engaging. Across 40 episodes, viewers were offered various dynamics such as the normalcy in Sheng, the power strife in Jing, the war among Gods & Devils in the Enlightened Dream & the life in XY/HY Sect. Countary to some reviews, I fully resonated with most of the decisions made by LSS & TTJ and found it relatable - the conflict in killing a potential threat even though he has not done anything wrong yet & the difficulty in fully trusting the goodness in someone without fear of being betrayed (when your whole life has been a shit show).

Although I thought the pacing was general alright, it is undeniable that the XY/HY sect arc & ending was rushed. The slow phase in the intial arcs really allowed viewers to build strong attachment for TTJ/YXW culminating in the eventually betrayal/sacrifice of YXW. In contrast, I felt the writers did not provide a long enough runway for viewers to build the same adoration for CJM & LSS - which caused the final sacrifice by CJM to not reach the emotional heights of the sacrifice of YXW. Personally, I didn't mind the sad ending but I felt it would have been even more touching if LSS only found out about CJM's sacrifice (that he didn't kill anyone) after she killed him. I wished I could have seen LSS more touched/desparate - much like how TTJ went crazy after YXW died.

TTEOTM was also guilty of overplaying some of the basic CDrama troupes such as miscommunication. Oh my god were some of the characters frustrating - such as Mingye FULLY knowing Sangjiu has no friends in the Immortal realm (since she stayed home all the time) and hence no one to help with her dispelling demonic essence, yet STILL decides to trust an obviously obsessive Tian Huan??? Honestly, I wished LSS & CJM could have worked together in the end rather than always trying to "protect" each other by not letting them know anything zzz. And my god were there an insane amount of blood spitting. I thought some of the reviews were over-reacting but I could hardly get past 1 eps without MULTIPLE characters vomitting blood esp in the last 15 eps.

Casting was definitely the strongest point for TTEOTM. Both Bai Lu & Luo Yun Xi are fantastic in their roles and the chemistry between both is mouthwatering - the loving gazes between them both just gives me shivers all the time. Side characters such as Pian Ran, YQY, XL & YBC were also fleshed out just enough - though their individual endings were a complete mess for me. I personally love the Sisterhood between Pian Ran & YXW and wished they wouldn't have killed off such a strong character so early. XL & YBC's love story could have also been developed better - I felt writers could play much more into XL's conflict between saving Sheng & protecing YBC - XL felt way too one-dimensional, and honestly he didn't do much for XBC anyways...

None of the OSTs were exceptionally memorable besides the one by Huang Xiaoyun.

Overall, I would recommend TTEOTM as a Watch. Despite the tragic love stories, I felt the chemistry and relationship building is worth the pain. Pro tip: If you can't bear the sad ending, just stop at Ep 35!

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Amazing cast with a lackluster story

Overall this drama is pretty good. It's bingable and it might make you shed a few tears. However, it also has some problems that brings it down. The problems aren't that big of a deal, but it still affects the enjoyability of the drama if you don't ignore it. The good does overshadow the bad, but the bad is still quite prominent.

I split the drama into 4 parts. I will be referencing these 4 parts throughout my review.
Sheng kingdom ( the beginning), Jing Kingdom rise to power/Bo're dream (middle pt1), Fall of Sheng Kingdom (middle pt2), Immortal realm (end).

The Good:
1. Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu have amazing chemistry. Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu's interactions are the best part. I loved the way they portrayed their characters. Their expressions convey their emotions very well. Luo Yunxi is absolutely captivating as Tan Taijin. Bai Lu gives Ye Xiwu/Li Susu such a strong aurora.

2. Cast is really good. Luo Yunxi & Bai Lu (the whole cast really) have great chemistry. If it wasn't for them, I might have dropped this drama halfway through.

3. The costumes are stunning. Not a single costume was bad (as a whole). Some props looked iffy (the demon king's mask) but it's easy to ignore. Everything looked immaculate and represented the characters well.

4. The OST has some good songs. The OST had a lot of songs but only 3 stood out to me, but those 3 songs are really good. It fits the mood in the drama.

The Bad:
1. The story has a lot of plot holes and other miniscule problems. Every once in a while you'll see a scene and wonder "Why and how is this happening?" There are multiple spots where something just magically happens because the plot needs it. Most of these are towards the end. I know they had to cut 16 or so episodes so maybe that's why.
The pacing is also not amazing. Sheng Kingdom (beginning) was exciting, but then things slow down dramatically when we get to the Bo’re dream. The Bo’re dream was really lengthy and it felt unnecessary to dedicate so many episodes to it.

2. The conflict is repetitive. The conflict of middle pt 1 and middle pt 2 (around 25-30 episodes in total) is mainly miscommunication from Tan Taijin and Ye Xiwu. They fall out multiple times and then forgive each other because the past is the past (and because Tan Taijin is a sucker for Ye Xiwu). It gets old real fast when I can predict that Ye Xiwu's actions will make her and Tan Taijin fall out. Sometimes the miscommunication is so frustrating because it would have been fixed if one of them just clarified/trusted each other more. Miscommunication, or rather the lack of communication, still happens towards the end (although it was not as frustrating).

3. Character's thought processes are questionable sometimes. In a lot of instances, I question why Tan Taijin isn't more paranoid about Ye Xiwu. Other characters bring this up too but it's just dismissed as Tan Taijin liking Ye Xiwu . I know he lacks love and what not but come on? She tried to kill you (and almost succeeded) and then said some of the most hurtful things to you, when all you’ve done was to try and make her happy. Why do you chase after her despite all this? When they’re in the immortal realm, Li Susu didn't seem to want to associate with Tan Taijin very much anymore, but then after a single episode of minimal development between the two she suddenly loves him. The end felt like I missed 2 episodes of development.

4. CGI is very hit or miss. Sometimes it looks really good (by cdrama standard) but a lot of times it looks terrible. The cgi in the first 1 episode made me laugh. It looked like something out of a 2000s kids show. It does get better but sometimes the effects just look like jpeg images.

5. Voice dub doesn’t always match up with the mouth. I watched TTEOTM on youtube so the quality isn’t exactly top notch. Maybe it’s only a youtube problem but sometimes (rarely) the sound of the actors’ are completely out of sync with the movement of their mouth.

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Addicting but has too many timelines

I honestly didn't expect this drama to get me as addicted to it as it did but the first couple episodes were very good and got me extremely invested in the drama. I really like the cast and the acting, especially Luo Yun Xi whom I've watched in A Life Time Love before and whose character was actually my favourite there. He sure did not disappoint me here either and I do really enjoy watching him whenever he's on the screen. I also liked Bai Lu's role here quite a lot, especially since her character doesn't seem as incapable as a lot of female Lead roles in c dramas often seem to be. Also, since I've started another drama where the following aspect is bugging me enough that I'm contemplating on dropping it, I realized that I'm very thankful to the fact that they didn't give her a high and cutesy voice but a normal one. Another personal favourite of mine is Sun Zhen Ni as Pian Ran. I've never seen her in a drama before, and I liked her role and performance here a lot.

Now on to things I did not quite enjoy: The timelines. There are four of them which is quite confusing at times. I personally needed to give these timelines names so I could make more or less sense of it:
1 The Original (Li Susu)
2 The Past (Tantai Jin and Ye Xiwu)
3 Way Back/Bo're Life (Ming Ye and Sang Jiu)
4 The Changed Original (Li Susu and Cang Jiumin)

Personally, while I've really enjoyed watching The Original and The Past I didn't really like Way Back and skipped most of it, though ended up watching the first two or so episodes and the last one or two episodes (pretty sure it was episodes 16 and 17) while fast forwarding a lot to be able to get the gist of the plot there. The Changed Original I did enjoy a lot at first, but there are some characters and side plot lines that I didn't really like. Thankfully towards the end the reason why these characters and plotlines got screen time became clear though. All in all I did enjoy the drama a lot and I might rewatch it some time.

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Guys don't watch if you have a soft heart like mine ??

I ended this drama in 2 days and lemme tell you something 😭😭 I wasn't ready for the heartbreak I'm suffering I've been crying for the past 2 hours and even rn I'm crying writing this. I thought it was a wholesome enemies to lovers drama and in the end as always they'll have a happy ending but nooooo it didn't the male lead deserved soo much better there wasn't a single person in the whole drama who didn't betray him atleast once ,but the one person who did take his side no matter what he had to kill him by his own hands like why would y'all do him soo dirty 💔😭 all he wanted was to live peacefully with his wife but nooo he couldn't even do that he fully deseeved becoming a villain yet he still didn't and even if you killed him in the let you should've let his wife die with him so atleast they'll both be together in the afterlife but noooo they had to be separated again 😔

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Draggy and a bit corny but...

The series started off at a good pace, where I found myself binging the first 10 or so episodes until the romance scenes began to drag on and then all of the scenes slowly disintegrated into long drags. The remaining episodes were completed through a heavy-hand of time skipping. But there is something to be said for the effort of even making it through to the last episode rather than just dropping it completely and it'll be easier to just highlight the negatives into a list:

- While the acting was average, there was enough chemistry with the ML and FL that the trials and tribulations of their romance will tug at your heart.
- The action scenes/CG effects started off okay and slowly deteriorated (even on the sound effects). And the number of times people will bleed from their mouths in the series has got to be record-breaking.
- They increasingly incorporated way too many flashback moments that only contributed to the drag.
- The plot also increasingly deteriorated with each time skip era.
- The characters started off well and then would bounce around between being out of character and then back into character for no naturally good reason.

However, despite all of the above, there was enough suspense of wanting to know how things end. Unfortunately, the ending was lackluster. The concept of the plot is really interesting and it's a shame they didn't do a better job with the series. It started off with so much potential. If they didn't spend so much time on the drags and focused on diving into the supporting characters and their character evolution, or if they put a little more effort into the details of the events unfolding instead of just jumping into it, or if the cut down on the repetitive romance scenes, it would have produced a far more well-rounded effect.

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Bittersweet personified

I've been wanting to watch this drama since I saw the recommendation for it in any articles that I searched for C-dramas to watch and heard some things about it like it didn't really hv a typical happy ending. I don't regret watching this at all. I just... relieved that it was not heartbreaking, much. Yes I wld recommend to please do watch it once. This drama was about kindness, love, loyalty, how selfless our main leads were and the sacrifices they made for the peace of the world.

ML, Tantai Jin or known as Cang Jiumin, Mingye and the Devil God. First as Tantai Jin, he was born with cold nature (bcs he was destined to be the Devil God) so he felt nothing but there was goodness in him. His life was very very hard coz he was the hostage prince at Sheng Kingdom so ppl there treated him like a dirt until he had enough of it. I think there was very important point from that drama that it is essential to be kind to others. When Prince Lin helped TTJ from his bullies as a kid, he took notice of Prince Lin and strived to copy his manners in hope that ppl wld like him. He was always hounded by the devil god spirit when he was feeling very low and cornered then at one point that spirit made him sucked a demon power to initiate him toward being evil. So far he only used that power to seek revenge against those devious people that treated him cruelly. Then somehow he succeeded to ascend the throne against his evil elder brother. Living the life he had, he was bound to be ruthless. As a king, even though he had demonic powers at his disposal, he was clever, perceptive, hard working and benevolent towards the citizen of Jing Kingdom. Next, Tantai Jin went back to a lifetime where he was Mingye, God Of The War, a totally different kind of man, he was very serious about his role to protect the realm. He got back and changed a bit hvg his tribulation in that life. Then, the next phase was him as Cang Jiumin. His temperament at this life was amazing, he was calm and became wise after experiencing so many things. Talking about his love life, all Tantai Jin ever wanted was someone to love him just as he was, loyal, to treat him kindly and to not betray him. So here came the new Ye Xiwu(Li Susu). She was there for him time after time and that melted his heart but there was still conflicts btwn two of them. He really really loves her that he was willing to forgive her big BIG mistake(it was a misunderstanding caused by others but he was also in the wrong). I really love that period of his love life when he was god of war where he was nursed back to health by Sangjiu(Li Susu) and the life at the cottage was so peaceful. I also love how he changed for the better as Cang Jiumin, he was so serious about winning her back bcs he really loves her and wanted to be with her forever T^T

FL, Li Susu or in other lifetimes known as Ye Xiwu and Sangjiu. She had a bit of a temper but she was passionate and determined to save the world. Tbh there were moments that she annoyed me so much.

Honorable mentions to the loyal assistant Nian Baiyu, the very kind and precious Prince Xiao Lin (never gongye jiwu coz he was annoying), the very dear Qingyu with his badass lady love Pian Ran. Ofc the unserious guy Pang Yizhi. The wise and kind sect leaders, Zhaoyou and Chief Qu.

Cons: the flow of the drama at some parts were a bit confusing, the editing too. I really don't like how they always wrote for Tantai Jin to fight the worse battles and made Li Susu came into the scene very late!

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-This review is still not finished-

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THEY PLAY WITH MY HEART SOOOOO MUCH

If I have to describe this whole drama it feels as if they took my heart and place it on a mixer then turned it on, on a max level. Not gonna lie I was struggling to finish this at first but when I was in the middle of the show (around ep 14-16) I just can't take my eyes off of this and just finish the whole show in just like one sitting. It started with some basic trope about the MC has to kill the ML because of something but then they'll fallen in love at last yada yada yada but NO IT'S NOT SOME BASIC TROPE YOU THINK IT WAS, because they took it on the next level. The plot gets better every new episodes, it just gets better and the effect/graphic dang it was indeed chef's kiss AND THE OST wow it just so good like the placement on some scene is just so perfect, I was a bit picky about the placement of the ost on the scene or which part of the song came out like whether it was the intro part, the reff part or anything but I was pleased about this one since I think music really helped to build the atmosphere and this one is fine I think. I'm not gonna explain that much but my only advice to those struggling to continue this (which I doubt since this drama is just saur good) just trust the process y'all this got some insane plot and graphic that's just so pleasing to watch.

p.s english is not my first language pls don't come at me.....

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There is a small line betweeen god and devil...

Very well made drama. The story really has potential. Impressive acting, impressive portrayal of humiliation, lack of pride and the true hearts of common people. What is portrayed as ultimate evil is actually the most sincere, strong, loving and rational between heaven and hell. The strength of character and greatness, beyond all limits, of this god, this devil god, far surpasses all other gods. His love is purer than any other. All others are indeed ants in comparison, stupid, cruel and weak in character. Even Susu pales in the face of his greatness. In fact, she has always lacked sincerity and discernment. And in the end, he even destroyed himself, needlessly. Sin will always exist. Better to have someone to watch over it and transmute it if necessary. What a loss...

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Star-crossed lovers

I'll keep this short and major spoiler free, a little word of advice I can give is that if you want to leave this drama with a happy ending, end at episode 35, if you would like to see a tragic ending, watch till the end
All in all this is a very well acted story with intresting twists and turns, but I wouldn't recommend anyone to rewatch it since its a little bit predictable. I heard they cut down the episode length of it, which makes sense considering how slighly weird the editing can be at points. I think that its initial premise is good, but it unfortunatley fails to fully deliver after the halfway point. That doesn't mean its bad perse, but that it falls victim to the typical issues that plauge many c-dramas, misunderstandings for misunderstandings sake. Even when the characters are intelligent and could just clearly ask, they just don't because the writers need to prolong the story somehow.
The chemistry between the leads is good and is worth the watch, but the story can hold it back at points. Thats why i'm rating the plot 7 and the rewatch value 5, because while its very well produced, i can't ever imagine someone going through this again.
I already knew that it wouldn't be a happy ending, but I wasn't expecting it to have such a non-ending as it did. Like really? thats how you're going to make use of the final moments of the show?

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At the end it happened as it was predicted

Drama is so cool...

Videography, CGI, fights, songs are way too good... Trust me its a piece of art in the world of CGI....

The story was very predictable but it was refined and it pretty much have alot of things explained. The way they explained everything in full circle is very good.

It also have philosophical touch like both male and female lead were always not thinking straight but at some point they finally started to see the full reality and accept that they were both are loved specially the male lead changed alot. His acting was on point. And his smirk was very attractive. Fl also showed anger so well like her acting is something.

2nd male lead sacrifice in both lifes were so precious but in the end he messed up a little but still understandable but 2nd fl was so evil but she also become good at the end.

3rd leads were so pretty so cute and so innocent i can't believe they will perform this good.

But china is above and beyond with CGI. I have seen good dramas with bad CGI so it was a refreshment.

Btw ML not only got tortured but also got sedated and Ra**ed by FL. And u can't change my mind 😂.

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Similar to Love Between a Fairy and a Devil but falls short of matching its greatness

Luo Yunxi was compelling as Tantai Jin/Devil God, cold, cunning and aloof, yet deep down having a desire to feel and understand emotions. He went through hell “killing” his mother during child birth, being hated and abandoned by his father, only to be betrayed by those whom he thought cared for him most, then cruelly bullied throughout his childhood and early adult years. It could be understood why he embraced the darkness within and chose to destroy the world considering the viciousness he’d experienced within it. Then he met the *new* Ye Xiwu. She defended and protected him. She showed him kindness and taught him love. She challenged and angered him, but she always came back to him - ultimately changing him for the better.

Though the show explored an interesting journey of war, politics, love and layers of past/future lives/identifies of our leads and the supporting characters, the show fell short with the love story which was ultimately driving the overall arc on the show. It was clear that Tantai deeply loved Ye Xiwu. Not only did he tell her, he showed her in his actions. Ironically though Ye Xiwu did many things that would be deemed as loving for Tantai, her feelings were always questionable because her actions were direct by her mission. In the end I did believe she truly cared for him but the show took too long to make this clear.

The past/future/present lives of the characters gave wonderful insight, especially the past, into why these people became who they were. However, I found I enjoyed the present storyline the most when they were in the Kingdom of Sheng, especially when it came to the love story. There was a sexy flintiness between the leads that worked so well and I could see the cold walls crumbling within Tantai. I liked seeing the connection building between them string by string. The special effects were outstanding but the show never used that grandness to create epic and unforgettable moments, which I think it should’ve had considering the content. The only moment that came close to being epic was when Tantai killed Yue Yingxin and jumped off the boat into the river. It was such an unexpected moment that was well acted and written.

One thing that annoyed me about the show was the FL going to bed in gowns she’s worn all day, dangling earrings and elaborate head dresses. No way was she getting sleep with all that stuff on. lol.

The acting was great in this. The leads had really good chemistry. When their character got serious and close there was a heat between them that II wish we’d seen more of. The story was good, not great. The ending hurt and the very last scene was bizarre, but overall this was worth watching.

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