Moonlight Mystique

A XianXia Not Like the Others!!

What a journey this has been—a good one though! What I appreciated is that there were no annoying misunderstandings breaking up the main couple since they had good communication. They were always very open and truly knew the other very well, which is what I hope to see more in future xianxia dramas🥳

I really enjoyed the different arcs, and how you could differentiate them all… If I had to pick my favorite it would maybe be the Outlander and Fox arc? Although the Stone arc was also very compelling. My least favorite was probably the Divine arc, surprisingly. I did not really care for it to be honest.

The styling, OST, sets, etc. were amazing. Bai Lu looks prettier than ever, and Ao Rui Peng looked dashing as our Demon Lord. The whole cast looked really, really attractive and delivered great acting in my opinion. Especially Dai Lu Wa (and her voice actress!! Added great depth to DLW’s performance) gave a very convincing performance, and I really enjoyed how she went from ruthless Fu Ling to sensible yet strong A’Xi😈🌺🌺.

The show may have a happy ending, but the fact that everyone is gone, and that Bai Shuo and Fan Yue have to wait for them to be “reborn” kind of sucks, I won’t lie. For now, they’re practically alone, which is sad😭😅

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Warning: this is a stand alone drama.

As my headline says, this drama is not for someone who wantd tian qi and yuemi to reunite. It's completely different from the original plot. I can't also say that they exist in the same universe of ALP but the characters of jing yuan and xing yue is definitely inspired from tian qi and yuemi.

On the other note, I had a little expectation from Moonlight Mystique due to changes of plot and names. However, it didn't disappoint me AT ALL. Bai shou remained true to herself and didn't let the Divine Mantle to take over her head. She knew she and xing yue are not the same person. She has her own strength and so does xing yue, same goes with Fan yue. That's what makes them a powerful couple.

The cast also did so great with their acting, they're so on point. Bai lu nailed her character once again✨ Though the cgi for hidden power is quite funny to me lol. All in all it's a great drama, just don't associate it with the original characters of ALP or you will be disappointed.

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Had potential, didn’t live up to it

Late to the game as always, and I genuinely thought I’d enjoy this a lot more than I have. Sadly, I have not.

It started off well I think, good at drawing you in and making you want to know more. A really good set up of characters and potential character growth (predictable but hey xianxia’s do be like that sometimes).

Unfortunately, I’m not feelin it at all really. Hot take, I know. I watched it because so many people loved it, and I do like Bai Lu. Either way, I’ll put my positives and negatives below:

Positives-
- Visuals very pretty, good work for CGI team. I actually think they did so good earlier on in the series for scenery (like the sky in Outlanders city) that it did end up leaving the deities scenes a little boring.
- I enjoyed Bai Lu with Ao Ruipeng. This is my first time watching ARP and I liked him. I thought that had a little bit of chemistry. Actually wished I got to see Mumu for a bit longer.
- OST is quite nice.
- Costume and makeup - great work

Negatives-
- The story was baaaaad. Or maybe it was the writing of the show. But it was not good in the slightest. The character growth and relationship development was very jarring. I’m a true sucker for romance which means I can overlook a lot of things. But the love story between the leads felt very sudden with little gradual progression. It just felt like one minute they were cool with not trusting each other (basically wanted to kill each other / at least not caring if the other died) to “You’re the one I want to spend my life with, here let me introduce you to my whole dead clansmen as if you’re my wife”
- Complete overuse of the great OSTs. To the point where I was barely halfway through the show and I could predict exactly what song they were gonna use where and how.
- The baddies were… nothing special. Just a couple of lunatics that did not feel scary in the slightest. Mo Li came close, but still too far away. In fact I found evil Qi Feng & Fu Ling (at their worst) scariest.
- Fan Yue was… weak? Actually I’m not sure if that’s the right word. But all I know is that he kept collapsing, coughing up blood or dying. And each time, Bai Shuo just never did anything, just kept on letting him sacrifice himself.
- The plot twists tried. You can tell the writers tried. The only one that truly got me was the discovery that the stone clan had dug up tombs of the Bai Ze clan, ground up their bones and drank it for medicine. After that arc, the show was on a steady decline.
- The very unique opening that basically revealed the entire story to you.

Characters-
BL as BS -> I wanted to like her. And some moments I did. BL did do a good job, I enjoyed when she was the fake goddess/lotus girl thing. You could tell she was a different person. And she’s always very good with her crying scenes. I remember her tearful kiss scene strongly. But then everytime FY ‘died’, she did not react how I thought she’d react (basically not even a fraction of how she reacted to her dad’s death)

ARP as FY -> I enjoyed his acting. The character started off so strong. Even sometimes reminded me of DFQC from LBFAD. And I think he has a really cute soft face (like when he smiles), but again, I’ve finished the show and all I remember aren’t the sweet, romantic, supposedly heartrenching scenes. It was the fact that he was ALWAYS DYING.

Also just wanted to give a special shout out to Fu Ling and her actress (whose name I have forgotten). I started off absolutely despising her character, but then when she reunited with BS as her sister, I did feel her emotions then too. I feel that what she did was the mark of a good actress.

I will be honest and say that I have just come away from what is probably the best show I’ve ever watched in my life. So I knew that little would come close or even compare, and my review of this might not be totally fair to the show. However, it doesn’t negate the fact that there was bad character development, plot holes, and very annoying things (like the ML constantly sacrificing themselves at the end of c dramas - so sick of that btw) that even great actors couldn’t help hide.

I’m glad people enjoyed it. I just feel that there are way better shows out there. Ones that don’t treat you like a child, telling you every thought/feeling each person has, serving everything to you on an easy platter, doesn’t let you work things out for yourself.

I think I’m just disappointed. So much wasted potential.

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this took me by surprise

I have just finished this, I was so behind, this drama took me totally by surprise.
I had been eagerly awaiting it, but mainly to see Zuo Ye most recent appearance and honestly had I not had him to see I might not have finished this. The first three episodes for me felt lack lustre, the moon lord had no lord to him and it felt like Bai Lu was propping him up, the drama set itself felt a bit clunky, despite its beauty, felt like I was watching a b movie, but then the story began to take me somewhere and somehow all of that became secondary. The moon lord seemed to find himself and his gentler characterisation seemed to grow in strength, Bai Lu didn’t disappoint as she just got stronger and they totally complemented each other as a couple. I liked the pace of their love story no messing about but at the same time it felt natural.
The second couple also were surprisingly strong and at one point I felt the second male lead could have easily played the main lead. The sisters story took me totally by surprise at the end being the bow, yet it was perfect in concept.
The story was mesmerising and the pace was near perfect.
My only slight niggles were the ending, I didn’t need the moon lord to come back but if he had I wanted something more creative than just reappearing, I felt that let the story down which had been so good all the way through and the extra bit again a bit cheesy for the drama imo.
The eternals felt nothingy as a clan, I found myself wanting to fast forward every time they came on screen, just felt no substance to them especially as they didn’t seem to do any protecting which their whole role was supposed to be, in fact they seemed weak.
The clunky fight scenes, I often felt like I could see the equipment used to make it, it was so not natural. It reminded me a lot of Back from the brink, great story, great acting, but just clunky.
Overall though, it surpassed all my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed this. A hard one to rate, if I used my logic it wouldn’t be that high of a score, but the story and the feels would make me score it high. So for me a solid 8.5 out of 10 ❤️

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Not the most unique setting, but really worth watching for the development and acting

The good:
- Really enjoy the opening of the drama with the animated scene
- Acting of the cast is really good, 敖瑞鹏 and 白鹿's chemistry here is off the roof and I hope they get to be the leads together for a future drama again! Even the second couple 代露娃 and 常华森 are super cute together. Everyone works well with their pairing it's definitely a good drama for the fangirls/shippers hehe
- Very solid crying scenes that made me cry along with them, like I could actually feel their pain and emotions. It's not those pretty crying, it's the type of cry where it's slightly ugly (granted they still look good because they... look good haha), where their eyes are all red and they're bawling their heart out. It made me want to give them hugs :( My eyes are swollen right now as I typed this haha.
- Despite the sad scenes, there were really funny ones that I laughed out loud to as well and I enjoyed it :)
- Development of the story is very good as well, as the main cast visit different towns in each arc to gather the 念s (not sure what it's called in English. Emotion? Feeling? or literally "ties" to the world) for the 无念石. My favourite arcs are 宁安城, 狐族, and 月隐海 arc, cried especially hard for these with lots of ~feels~
- I love dramas with a strong FL and 白月梵星 DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I don't want to waste my time on another another drama where the FL always need the ML to save her (the FL here still does but in this case they're always saving each other). It's literally funny at one point the 2 MLs fainted and the 2 FLs are the ones holding them lmao.
- Characters in general are pretty clever and get the obvious e.g., another character is hiding something and they could literally tell unlike other dramas that took another 2-3 episodes or even an entire arc or a few arcs to resolve the misunderstanding. Here they resolve misunderstandings almost immediately so there's (almost) no unnecessary drama.
- Character outfits are super pretty and all the characters look really good! Really love the wardrobe and how they evolved from arc to arc according to the setting.
- I've watched dramas where many characters somehow look alike but that's not the case here - I can always recognise even the side characters who they are and what they do, so good job to the casting director and stylists. Sounds like a random thing but I really appreciate when they took the effort to have unique styling for various characters so it's easy to recognise them, so I wouldn't feel confused like 60% of the time when I'm watching the drama like who's that again?
- The kissing scenes... are good heh

The not-so-good:
- People keep dying and I cried too hard I'm very tired
- No but why does so many characters need to die?! Like they be pulling some game of thrones sh*t idk they trying hard to make me cry and it worked but still, I think we could all make do with lesser deaths
- And if they don't die, they be fainting and almost dying many times maybe that could be toned down on a little
- Not the most unique setting, I'm tired that it's always some demon lord and human/weaker fairy girl setting like... ok. But they did make this up with solid development etc.

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ok xianxia drama but actors CARRIED

ok so first of all, i think the plot leaves more to be desired, i understand the intentions but it didn't pay off for me personally. it also felt small scale for a xianxia drama, and idk why i feel that way. i just do. i know it is definitely not small scale, especially after watching the behind the scenes, but i kept waiting for some big final scene but it never felt as big as i wanted it to be. the actors, however, carried the hell out of this show. bai lu is an S class actor, she drew me in so many times, i love every choice she makes. ao rui peng was a strange casting choice for a character like fan yue in my opinion, but he did well too, and i think his nuance in his acting really sold the character. but also, did anyone else feel like fan yue was sooo sidelined in this drama? he was always out cold, or uninvolved in really large scenes, or just literally cast to the side of a scene. he oftentimes felt like a side character. we rarely got to see his perspective on things and i think that really made his character feel less significant. the creme de la creme aspect of this drama to me, though, was bai xi and chong zhao's relationship. i was so much more interested in their story, the actors had great chemistry together (as opposed to the just ok chem between the leads), and the tension in their relationship was just so good!! i loved the evolution of their relationship as well, it felt very natural to me, and i just kept waiting for their scenes lol. the music was great but they overplayed that one intense song to the point that it didn't carry any weight for me anymore as the show went on. anyway, all this to say- the plot was kind of mid to me. i felt like it could have offered so much more than it did. the actors were amazing. overall 7/10, the costumes and designs were very unique to the drama and so beautiful, i could tell that there was a lot of detail put into this drama. it wasn't bad, it just could have been better!

SPOILER: i think the constant deaths of literally every character made it lose some momentum for me. like the sacrifices near the end didn't feel as impactful because at that point i was expecting everyone to die and i had watched so many people die that i got used to it lol. i understand why they all died, to awaken the sixth contemplation or whatever, but i was getting annoyed that literally everyone died LMAO

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A Mixed Bag

It had all the makings of a captivating series, but unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. While it certainly had its moments, the overall execution left much to be desired.

First, let’s talk about the premise. The concept of a mystical world intertwined with our own is intriguing and has been explored in various forms before. However, the way it was presented in Moonlight Mystique felt rushed and underdeveloped. The plot had potential, but the pacing was uneven, making it difficult to fully engage with the storyline. There were moments where the narrative dragged on, and others where it felt like crucial details were glossed over.

Character development is another area where the show struggled. While some characters had interesting backstories, many others felt one-dimensional and lacked depth. I found myself wanting to know more about their motivations and struggles, but the writing didn’t provide enough substance to make me care. The main protagonist had a compelling arc at the beginning, but as the series progressed, it seemed like the writers lost sight of her journey, leading to a disappointing and unsatisfying conclusion.

Visually, It had its strengths. The cinematography was stunning, with beautifully crafted scenes that captured the enchanting essence of the mystical world. The special effects were impressive, adding a layer of magic that enhanced the viewing experience. However, even the most visually appealing show can’t rely solely on aesthetics to hold the audience’s attention.

The soundtrack was another highlight, with a hauntingly beautiful score that complemented the mood of the series. It successfully created an atmosphere of intrigue and emotion, which made some of the more poignant moments resonate. Unfortunately, this was not enough to save the show from its narrative shortcomings.

In terms of dialogue, it often felt stilted and unrealistic. Characters would deliver lines that seemed forced or overly dramatic, detracting from the authenticity of their interactions. This lack of natural dialogue made it difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper level.

Overall, It had a promising concept and some standout elements, but it ultimately failed to deliver a cohesive and engaging story.

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Watch this cause they said this a story link to Ancient Love Poetry & this also starring Bai Lu & Ao Rui Peng. But after watching I can say this has nothing to do with ALP, in my opinion this is not even in the same universe with it. So whoever wants to link this with ALP, in my opinion better forget it & just see this as a separate drama within its own universe.

Anyhow…

This is a story about Bai Shuo (BS) & Fan Yue (FY). Bs is a human’s race who was saved by a god when she's a child. This event led to BS’s obsession with cultivation & goddesses. At the current time, god has already disappeared, so BS only can gather a little about goddesses. But with her position as mayor's daughters, she still gathered quite a lot about goddesses.

FY on the other hand is a demon king, master of the bright moon palace. BS started harassing FY cause she thinks FY is god & can help her with cultivation. But by accident, BS absorbs the desireless stone. Originally the desireless stone was to help FY with his illness, but FY himself still didn't know how to activate it. But since BS had already absorbed the stone, now she needs to put 5 emotions into the stone; kindness, kill, love, hate & greed. How to…? The stone will give clues to BS by giving her vision.

So, with that BS’s journey accompanied by FS & his 2 right-hand men to collect the emotions begins. And with every journey, their trust, understanding, and feelings for each other also grow into something more. And by the end of their journey, BS & FY also learn about their past selves, who they were before they're reincarnated into themselves now.

Since this is still Xian Xia or Xuanhuan, what tragic story is actually hidden behind all that CGI. Haha… well, you need to watch this urself then. Hohoho…. That's pretty much the story without giving any more spoilers. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ The chemistry between Bai Lu & Ao Rui Peng is not so bad. I can imagine them as couples..
+ Interesting story & great CGI
+ How everybody in the end connected with each other. That's really interesting.
+ How they really separated BS & FY with their past selves. This is a really interesting aspect.

What I don't like:
- I really hope this somehow connected with ALP, like how The Last Immortal. But this turned out to be such a big disappointment in that aspect.

Overall this quite good drama to watch.

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