Alysha Johnson
Larger than life story yet felt deeply personal.
Once or twice a year, C-dramaland will give us a bona-fide drama that hit all the marks. Story, pacing, acting, directing, music, cinematography, customs, set designs, and the ability to make its viewers spent sleepless nights tortured by the wait for the next episode. This drama is such a drama.This drama managed to captivate not only because of its story, but how it made me feel so deeply connected to the main leads. I laugh when they laugh, cry when they cry. My heart is full of pain for them. Sometime I hate them for their actions but still able to understand them, their hardship, motivations, and dilemma. This drama didn't just create two characters that made me fell in love. It show me two fleshed out human beings with real trauma and flaws, whose personalities are shade of grey, who make mistakes and regrets them just like how real people are.
More often than not in drama-land, we have perfect leads, clear motivations, and black and white personality. But in Love Like Galaxy, Cheng Shao Sheng is not just immature and stubborn, and Ling Bu Yi is not just ruthless and cold. It's easier to give them these label, simplify their personalities, and get frustrated when they don't act as how we expected them to.
But what we have on hand are just two deeply broken young kids whose heart has never been healed. Two person, whose in their most vulnerable time when they needed love and protection the most, were left abandoned, betrayed and fended for themselves. As a result, they grew up with hardened heart full of thorns. Although only 15 and 21 and respectively, we have two leads that are deeply broken on the inside even when they imitated a prankster and rebellious exterior, or a stone-cold and ruthless mask. But it is also because of this that they instantly connect and found soulmate in each other.
On the surface, this is a love story between Cheng Shao Shang and Ling Bu Yi against the backdrop of war, family conflict, political maneuvering and revenge. Underneath, like the ocean current that is unseen but powerfully felt, it is a story of two young hurt and lost child trying to make themselves whole again through each other.
In the first part, we saw them got together. All should be well right? But does it? Is love enough?
Soon we will see that love is not enough, attraction itself is not enough, just being together is not enough. How can two people who been so devoid of love know how to love? They are like two broken pieces that came together, but their rough edges still end up hurting one another. So step by step, they learn what it take to truly love the other person, as the other wanted to be loved. They clashes, they tumbled, they fight, they make up an understand the other a little more, make compromises but protect their principle, they cry and laugh, serve and protect one another.
But love is not all that there is in this world. These two young souls love one another, but they also love themselves. Just because two people came together and promised life and death doesn't mean that they cease to exist as their own individual. Love doesn't erase who they are. And the decision they make will end up deciding the course of life. What it stake for them larger than life, but their feelings are personal and relatable.
What I appreciated
- There is no headache-inducing harem fights.
- The drama buckle conventional archetypes. We got mother-hen emperor, fearsome but fear concubine, graceful and generous Empress, doting father but strict mother, brute and strong female warriors.
- No useless subplots. Every plots build on one another, and act as catalyst for the dominoes to push the main story forward.
- No useless dialogues, many subtle parallel situation and saying that can be preference in a later point of the drama.
- Satisfying and quickly resolved conflict.
- No useless misunderstanding. Main couples do fight due to personality conflict but both are very good expressing themselves.
- Not much of a cinematography and music person, but I appreciate some beautiful one shot scenes.
- Male lead, Wu Lei, is a prolific horse rider with good martial art skills. He did his own fighting scenes and horse riding scenes, which are just amazing and swoon worthy.
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Epic Romance and Coming of Age Story.
This is not a serious drama, but it is seriously well made and beautifully written. It is geared toward a younger audience so there is more casual, light hearted and comedic undertone.It is set against the backdrop of Eastern Han dynasty where one dynasty just fell, the world flung into chaos and a new dynasty just begun. Despite having a lot going on, the story don’t attempt to be what it’s not. The story is only about the coming of age for our main lead, Cheng Shao Shang. Our main lead is not perfect, and may not be all the likable. She has strengths and her flaws, but the upside is that we can see her improving and become a better version of herself as the story progresses. How she can turns her flaws to benefit others and not only herself, how she turn youthful recklessness into courageous righteousness.
If you are used to having main ML or second ML, be ready to change your mind. This story reminiscent of the older 2010s set up where FL usually have many suitors before she find the one that truly suit her. So don’t be impatient because each guy is his own version of the ML.
The first five episodes are spent on setting up character dynamics and dropping hints about their motivations that will be useful later on. There is a lot to unpack between the family dynamics, the dialogues are at time funny but do pay attention because a lot of them can have double meanings, and characters aren’t what they seems, and their words are not supposed to be taken at face values. There are also interesting changes in regard to gender roles and common tropes. But ultimately it’s a character driven story, that’s why the first five episodes are important. It’s not so much at what happened, but “why” it happened. Most characters have motivations and “personality” that driven them to taking certain actions. And every character is moving at different pace. So just because X character is ready for this, doesn’t Y character is the same. Each character have very well defined personality and choose to act differently despite the same situation so it’s an added layer of fun to figure out the why.
The costumes are simpler with minimal embroideries and accessories befitting to the time period where wars were still going on and frugality were emphasized. Characters are properly dressed to rank and personality. Fabrics are good quality but suitable for the time period, and hair is properly done. Single woman have their hair pin and married women have their hair folded into a knot at the end. Careful attention were paid to each family horse carriages that tell their rank and personality.
The color grading and cinematography are very tastefully done. Some scenes look like CGI but is actually real. For example, the scene where the CSS and LBY met in the backyard with round door. The fire scene where FL was rescued. A lot of horses scenes are done by main leads. Main male leads Wu Lei is actually a prolific horse rider and is good at basic martial art. There are some interesting shot, specifically the showing of the Cheng House, Lantern festivals and Horse Chase Riding.
Overall this drama has a little bit of everything but well produced and well delivered, and a beautifully written story. It don’t take itself too seriously but it was done tastefully.
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A Xianxia definitely worth your time
I am pleasantly surprised with the story and how character driven it is.First, I am used to Xianxia story having superpower and saving the world. Here in this story, our FL doesn't care about the world. She only seek for peace and love. Every characters are layers, have weakness and strength, clear motivations and desires. At first I was a little skeptical about the multiple suitors. But I am glad each suitors is a person themselves. They are not created to be mere tools or caricature to chase the FL and make our FL looks popular. They are WHOLE beings - who love the FL but also have their own thing. That is why this story has been so engaging. It's not gimmick. There is no misunderstanding tropes. Every action has clear consequences.
I never felt the episode is long. I am never in rush to see what next. Every interaction happens very organically. Every reaction is understandable. The story is pushed forward by the choices each character make - whether you like it or not, you understand WHY. It set in a fantasy, and each character is some kind of bigger than life being. But their struggle, emotions, pains are so all relatable. A very good sign of good story telling.
Costume, sets, music, make up, cinematography, coloring - everything is done with a lot of sense and love. The town in the first arc Qingshui Town, was built from scratch. The actors stayed to film an extra month to make sure they are satisfied with the story. Each actors and actress are doing so well in their character, elevating all the emotions to the next level. All except one (Shiqi) dubbed their own voice. Overall, it's a drama with a cohesive story and you can feel it was made with love and sensibility.
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Casting chemistry: The two leads have AMAZING chemistry. Deng Lun and Yang Zi are friend for a long time, and Deng Lun said in BTS that being with YZ make him feel like he is young and innocent again. They banter sometime but they are mostly very sweet on screen with YZ being lovely clueless and DL being caring but shy like a little boy.
Acting: YZ role of being ditzy is really hard to pull off without being annoying but she deliver well. Her emotional scenes are top notch. All the actors pull their weight and you can’t find anyone who don’t deliver. My special mention is Yan You, the snake immortal.
Cinematography: As this is mythology, it heavily use CGI. But the director said their set is 70% real set with 30% CGI to make it more believable. Although the background of the sky is CGI but I appreciate them doing the prop properly and did not heavily rely on CGI for everything.
The story: It is romance centric but I appreciate the attempt to flush out some characters motive. The novel was a very light read but cover some heavy topics. Novel and drama are two entirely different medium so I appreciate them adding depth to the characters. Some people likes the change and some may not but it’s up to you to decide.
Comparison to Eternal Love: the closest compassion as they both based on Chinese mythology about angsty love. The story are entirely different but to compare, this drama has much faster pace in the beginning, it slow down around mid way but pick up around the last 10 episodes. There are the same side couples that is associated with the main couple, but ultimately have their own arc just like Eternal Love. The story wise I find it a little funnier and light hearted in the beginning. But the topics it deal with in the later half are actually heavier and more twisted. The costumes are quite similar as well. What I love about both that at first they are simple love story, but they leave lasting impression and make ponder about each aspect of the relationship/ events long after you already finished the show.
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