This review may contain spoilers
Love is the Panacea.
Love between Fairy and Devil is a really beautiful package full of charms. This drama is highly entertaining. Every episode is fast-paced. Overall, this drama has its own charisma, and a strong, undeniable charm. This drama definitely deserves international recognition.
Yet, the title is a bit misleading. The main male lead is devilish and truly evil only in the first 2 or 3 episodes. After that he transitions to a mild borderline anti- hero for just another twelve episodes, and from episode 16 onwards, the moon supreme ( main male lead) starts to soften up into a gentler version of his former self with occasional spells of bad temper & deception. This is so different from the portrayal of the devilish, anti-hero demon king in the original story, Cang Lan Jue.
The demon king in the novel is completely invincible, and almost invulnerable, and acts, thinks like a proper anti-hero at appropriate moments, most of the time uptill the middle & final sections of the novel. In the novel, the existence of the demon king's powers isn't dependent on some other factors such as removal of emotions. Those powers are always there whether or not he gets emotions. But, when the demon king gets back his heart, his appearance & powers improve for the better( which kind of gives a good feel while reading this part in the novel).
So, as a fan of the novel, watching the main lead portrayed this way with his set of emotional problems & weaknesses, and introduction of a second male lead in the drama version of the story was a bit disappointing. In addition, some adventurous episodes narrated in the novel got omitted. All these modifications kind of took away the beauty of the original story. This aside, little Orchid is more astute & less naive, at times, than she is in the novel. Her love for the male lead is less unconditional than in the novel. So, because of this, I felt the "opposites attract" theme kind of got toned down or diluted a lot in the drama version of the story. Overall, the plotline in the beginning had more potential which could've been fully realized in episodes, 35 & 36.
Despite all this, the drama version of the story is really addictive & gives the viewer feel-good thrills.
Later, as the plot progresses, just felt bad for the tragic character Ronghao and his love story with Chi Di Nu Zi, former goddess of war, but the love story of this master and disciple is ten times better than their love story in the original story, Can Lan Jue. I'm really glad this drama production team gave Ronghao character room for redemption. I just wish the script writers gave Ronghao & Chi Di a happy ending of their own somehow. But still glad to see the small villian making the right choice in the end after being tempted by the big villian. Now that's called character!
I also don't understand why the hypocrite, too strict & rigid heavenly emperor , Lord Yunzhong character was designed & written in a way as to be spared punishment in the story of this drama.
This drama presents a happy ending. The only problem is that the happy moments lasts only for a few fleeting seconds or a minute or two.
It left me wanting more of those happy ending -moments between the main leads. Perhaps a scene could've have also been included towards the end in the drama where goddess Xi Yun shows her little orchid side of her personality towards Dongfang & her friends, and Dongfang returning as Moon supreme with goddess Xi Yun as his moon queen & wife to take over the reigns from his brother, Xunfeng to rule his realm, Canglang Sea.
So I need a short second season. The two epilogue-like episodes are really cute and really sweet, but most of the scenes were already shown in the previous episodes. There was nothing really new, nothing really additional shown in the epilogues. So, the epilogues gave a feel-good vibe, but those were a bit disappointing at the same time.
Watching this drama is truly a charming, magical experience. The way the plot unfolded in the first 32 episodes is absolutely smooth, perfect! Episode 26 is worth a thousand times of remembrance & reminiscence. There is almost an epiphany moment for both the main leads in episode 26 which will shape the nature and tone of story ending --- whether it's to be happy or sad or bittersweet --- from then on.
The only problem is there are a number of events in the last four episodes, especially in episodes 33, 34 & 35 that can put a dampener on a viewer's heightened high expectations & emotions.
Yet, there were lot of epic moments --- of both sweet and serious tone in episode 35 & 36. The visual effects in episode 36 for the battle scene were amazing! And so were the visual effects for the tense atmosphere build-up for the battle preparation scenes in episode 31. The death scene( in episode 31) & resurrection or revival scene of the female lead ( in episode 33) is epic & the visual & special effects used to portray these scenes & the mood of those scenes are epic!
The voice actor who dubbed the voice of main male lead did an extremely amazing job! His voice fits the persona of moon supreme completely!
As for the cast, and regarding choice of the actor who plays the main male lead, personally, I would have preferred some other actor who looks more like a demon king or moon supreme lord to portray the role of the moon supreme lord --- someone who can bring out the cold, demonic , devilish aura & fierce vibe with not just breathtaking lethally handsome looks but also the right body build. Dylan wang has good looks, and all those fierce expressions, fierce eyes apt for the role of moon supreme, but the actor's body build didn't match that of the description of the body build of the demon king in the novel.
However, as I watched episode after episode of this drama, it made me realize how good the acting skills are of the actor who portrays the main male lead in this drama. Dylan Wang's acting skills are excellent in this drama. The main lead actor successfully displayed all subtle emotions on his face especially in episode 18 & in episode 36( when he confronts evil god, Taisui). Also started to notice how naturally fierce his eyes & expressions are --- so apt for the moon supreme role. And I also noticed how handsome Dylan Wang looked in certain costumes in certain episodes. The actor looked really convincing as the sexy, powerful, cold, devilish moon supreme in episode 19! I was taken aback by my own admiration.
There was just one particular black costume worn by moon supreme in the initial episodes & finale episode, the cloak part of which looked a bit funny & made the main male lead actor look thinner and more like a woman.
Had that particular costume & suitable matching hairstyle for that been carefully designed, Dylan Wang would've have looked more convincing as moon supreme and especially more devilishly handsome in every episode!
Yet, I felt the main male lead actor, Dylan Wang really looked quite hot when he made his appearance as evil Tai Sui with silvery white floating hair, emanating a cold, killing, devilish aura, wearing a plain, loose, black costume. I really loved that costume & that cold, devilish aura/vibe very much. I would've preferred to see the main lead actor sport that look throughout the drama.
Another thing that I love about this xianxia drama is its conscious, persistent focus on the theme of love. I really, really liked that kind of focus on the love theme --- how love makes everyone subconsciously change into the best or a better version of themselves. This is an important moral in the drama repeatedly reinforced through the final actions & choices made by both anti-heroes, and heroes, and heroines in this drama. This reminded me of the classic Beauty and Beast western fairy tale. But this drama is an oriental fantasy version of the Beauty & the Beast classic fairytale, and viewers will find it equally good or thousand times better in terms of overall plot.
In addition, the dialogues are all deep, poetic, lofty. A few examples:
i) "Everything in this world is fated except love"
---- goddess of fate, Siming's advice to Little Orchid.
ii) " She has left traces all over my heart"
---- Dongfang Qingcang's revelation to evil god, Tai Sui.
iii) "Let alone these illusions, even if he put you in thousands of identical orchids, I will find you in an instant."
----- Dongfang Qingcang's retort to Little Orchid.
iv) " Even if you run to the end of the Memory Loss river and the edge of the world, I can still find you. "
----- Dongfang Qingcang's veiled threat to Little Orchid, but which sounds more like an epic, intense, classy love line. ☺
I also enjoyed watching the following scenes very much:
1) the appointment on the bridge scene ( I absolutely loved the way the shot was taken to show how steadfast Dongfang manages to keep his promise. The style of that particular shot of him slowly climbing up the stairs really made the surprise event more delightful to watch! On top of that, Faye's ost played in the background as bgm gave an epic vibe to the whole scene. )
2) Dongfang exhausting his primordial spirit to sustain his beautiful dream in episode 32 (The visual effects & the whole sequence of shots had me mesmerized , spellbound)
3) the beautiful, fabricated dream of moon supreme Dongfang in episode 32 (The Other side/Across the Shore ost sung by Jing Long & Jing Di in the backdrop as bgm had me hypnotised).
4) a number of intense, steamy, domineering kiss scenes (episode 13), and a number of epic, soulful, glamorous kiss scenes in episodes 35 & episode 36.
So I shall be rewatching the whole drama especially episodes 1-32, ( and one particular glamorous kiss scene in episode 35 & and all kinds of epic emotional as well as epic battle scenes in episodes, 31, episode 36) when it releases on Netflix .
However, because I'm a fan of the original story, the novel, Cang Lan Jue, I would like to see someone make a beautiful xianxia drama which closely follows the original plot in the novel, Cang Lan Jue without any alterations to the story (and with a different cast this time). If that happens, I would find that drama more satisfactory to watch.
Come to think of it, it would have been more satisfactory to me if this drama had a mix of all the best parts of the original story, Cang Lan Jue, and all the best parts of this drama version of the story too.
Finally, this drama has an influence of diverse cultures --- everything from its West Asian & western style props, costumes, styling, music, special & visual effects right down to bgms.
The different kinds of background music (bgm) are truly worth listening to especially the ones played in the backdrop of epic scenes seem to have a combination of South Asian, West Asian, Western influence & worth listening to.
There should be a separate compilation of bgms of this drama on YouTube for bgm lovers because the bgms are so good!
And four of the osts:
1) The Other Side/Across the Shore by Jing Long, Jing Di
2) Faye's Farewell Love
3) Esther Yu's Amnesia
4) Looking for You by Liu Yu Ning.
are worth listening to. It gives an absolute pleasure!
In addition, I absolutely enjoyed reading & understanding the meaning of the lyrics of the ost, "Looking for You" by Liu Yu Ning.
Yet, the title is a bit misleading. The main male lead is devilish and truly evil only in the first 2 or 3 episodes. After that he transitions to a mild borderline anti- hero for just another twelve episodes, and from episode 16 onwards, the moon supreme ( main male lead) starts to soften up into a gentler version of his former self with occasional spells of bad temper & deception. This is so different from the portrayal of the devilish, anti-hero demon king in the original story, Cang Lan Jue.
The demon king in the novel is completely invincible, and almost invulnerable, and acts, thinks like a proper anti-hero at appropriate moments, most of the time uptill the middle & final sections of the novel. In the novel, the existence of the demon king's powers isn't dependent on some other factors such as removal of emotions. Those powers are always there whether or not he gets emotions. But, when the demon king gets back his heart, his appearance & powers improve for the better( which kind of gives a good feel while reading this part in the novel).
So, as a fan of the novel, watching the main lead portrayed this way with his set of emotional problems & weaknesses, and introduction of a second male lead in the drama version of the story was a bit disappointing. In addition, some adventurous episodes narrated in the novel got omitted. All these modifications kind of took away the beauty of the original story. This aside, little Orchid is more astute & less naive, at times, than she is in the novel. Her love for the male lead is less unconditional than in the novel. So, because of this, I felt the "opposites attract" theme kind of got toned down or diluted a lot in the drama version of the story. Overall, the plotline in the beginning had more potential which could've been fully realized in episodes, 35 & 36.
Despite all this, the drama version of the story is really addictive & gives the viewer feel-good thrills.
Later, as the plot progresses, just felt bad for the tragic character Ronghao and his love story with Chi Di Nu Zi, former goddess of war, but the love story of this master and disciple is ten times better than their love story in the original story, Can Lan Jue. I'm really glad this drama production team gave Ronghao character room for redemption. I just wish the script writers gave Ronghao & Chi Di a happy ending of their own somehow. But still glad to see the small villian making the right choice in the end after being tempted by the big villian. Now that's called character!
I also don't understand why the hypocrite, too strict & rigid heavenly emperor , Lord Yunzhong character was designed & written in a way as to be spared punishment in the story of this drama.
This drama presents a happy ending. The only problem is that the happy moments lasts only for a few fleeting seconds or a minute or two.
It left me wanting more of those happy ending -moments between the main leads. Perhaps a scene could've have also been included towards the end in the drama where goddess Xi Yun shows her little orchid side of her personality towards Dongfang & her friends, and Dongfang returning as Moon supreme with goddess Xi Yun as his moon queen & wife to take over the reigns from his brother, Xunfeng to rule his realm, Canglang Sea.
So I need a short second season. The two epilogue-like episodes are really cute and really sweet, but most of the scenes were already shown in the previous episodes. There was nothing really new, nothing really additional shown in the epilogues. So, the epilogues gave a feel-good vibe, but those were a bit disappointing at the same time.
Watching this drama is truly a charming, magical experience. The way the plot unfolded in the first 32 episodes is absolutely smooth, perfect! Episode 26 is worth a thousand times of remembrance & reminiscence. There is almost an epiphany moment for both the main leads in episode 26 which will shape the nature and tone of story ending --- whether it's to be happy or sad or bittersweet --- from then on.
The only problem is there are a number of events in the last four episodes, especially in episodes 33, 34 & 35 that can put a dampener on a viewer's heightened high expectations & emotions.
Yet, there were lot of epic moments --- of both sweet and serious tone in episode 35 & 36. The visual effects in episode 36 for the battle scene were amazing! And so were the visual effects for the tense atmosphere build-up for the battle preparation scenes in episode 31. The death scene( in episode 31) & resurrection or revival scene of the female lead ( in episode 33) is epic & the visual & special effects used to portray these scenes & the mood of those scenes are epic!
The voice actor who dubbed the voice of main male lead did an extremely amazing job! His voice fits the persona of moon supreme completely!
As for the cast, and regarding choice of the actor who plays the main male lead, personally, I would have preferred some other actor who looks more like a demon king or moon supreme lord to portray the role of the moon supreme lord --- someone who can bring out the cold, demonic , devilish aura & fierce vibe with not just breathtaking lethally handsome looks but also the right body build. Dylan wang has good looks, and all those fierce expressions, fierce eyes apt for the role of moon supreme, but the actor's body build didn't match that of the description of the body build of the demon king in the novel.
However, as I watched episode after episode of this drama, it made me realize how good the acting skills are of the actor who portrays the main male lead in this drama. Dylan Wang's acting skills are excellent in this drama. The main lead actor successfully displayed all subtle emotions on his face especially in episode 18 & in episode 36( when he confronts evil god, Taisui). Also started to notice how naturally fierce his eyes & expressions are --- so apt for the moon supreme role. And I also noticed how handsome Dylan Wang looked in certain costumes in certain episodes. The actor looked really convincing as the sexy, powerful, cold, devilish moon supreme in episode 19! I was taken aback by my own admiration.
There was just one particular black costume worn by moon supreme in the initial episodes & finale episode, the cloak part of which looked a bit funny & made the main male lead actor look thinner and more like a woman.
Had that particular costume & suitable matching hairstyle for that been carefully designed, Dylan Wang would've have looked more convincing as moon supreme and especially more devilishly handsome in every episode!
Yet, I felt the main male lead actor, Dylan Wang really looked quite hot when he made his appearance as evil Tai Sui with silvery white floating hair, emanating a cold, killing, devilish aura, wearing a plain, loose, black costume. I really loved that costume & that cold, devilish aura/vibe very much. I would've preferred to see the main lead actor sport that look throughout the drama.
Another thing that I love about this xianxia drama is its conscious, persistent focus on the theme of love. I really, really liked that kind of focus on the love theme --- how love makes everyone subconsciously change into the best or a better version of themselves. This is an important moral in the drama repeatedly reinforced through the final actions & choices made by both anti-heroes, and heroes, and heroines in this drama. This reminded me of the classic Beauty and Beast western fairy tale. But this drama is an oriental fantasy version of the Beauty & the Beast classic fairytale, and viewers will find it equally good or thousand times better in terms of overall plot.
In addition, the dialogues are all deep, poetic, lofty. A few examples:
i) "Everything in this world is fated except love"
---- goddess of fate, Siming's advice to Little Orchid.
ii) " She has left traces all over my heart"
---- Dongfang Qingcang's revelation to evil god, Tai Sui.
iii) "Let alone these illusions, even if he put you in thousands of identical orchids, I will find you in an instant."
----- Dongfang Qingcang's retort to Little Orchid.
iv) " Even if you run to the end of the Memory Loss river and the edge of the world, I can still find you. "
----- Dongfang Qingcang's veiled threat to Little Orchid, but which sounds more like an epic, intense, classy love line. ☺
I also enjoyed watching the following scenes very much:
1) the appointment on the bridge scene ( I absolutely loved the way the shot was taken to show how steadfast Dongfang manages to keep his promise. The style of that particular shot of him slowly climbing up the stairs really made the surprise event more delightful to watch! On top of that, Faye's ost played in the background as bgm gave an epic vibe to the whole scene. )
2) Dongfang exhausting his primordial spirit to sustain his beautiful dream in episode 32 (The visual effects & the whole sequence of shots had me mesmerized , spellbound)
3) the beautiful, fabricated dream of moon supreme Dongfang in episode 32 (The Other side/Across the Shore ost sung by Jing Long & Jing Di in the backdrop as bgm had me hypnotised).
4) a number of intense, steamy, domineering kiss scenes (episode 13), and a number of epic, soulful, glamorous kiss scenes in episodes 35 & episode 36.
So I shall be rewatching the whole drama especially episodes 1-32, ( and one particular glamorous kiss scene in episode 35 & and all kinds of epic emotional as well as epic battle scenes in episodes, 31, episode 36) when it releases on Netflix .
However, because I'm a fan of the original story, the novel, Cang Lan Jue, I would like to see someone make a beautiful xianxia drama which closely follows the original plot in the novel, Cang Lan Jue without any alterations to the story (and with a different cast this time). If that happens, I would find that drama more satisfactory to watch.
Come to think of it, it would have been more satisfactory to me if this drama had a mix of all the best parts of the original story, Cang Lan Jue, and all the best parts of this drama version of the story too.
Finally, this drama has an influence of diverse cultures --- everything from its West Asian & western style props, costumes, styling, music, special & visual effects right down to bgms.
The different kinds of background music (bgm) are truly worth listening to especially the ones played in the backdrop of epic scenes seem to have a combination of South Asian, West Asian, Western influence & worth listening to.
There should be a separate compilation of bgms of this drama on YouTube for bgm lovers because the bgms are so good!
And four of the osts:
1) The Other Side/Across the Shore by Jing Long, Jing Di
2) Faye's Farewell Love
3) Esther Yu's Amnesia
4) Looking for You by Liu Yu Ning.
are worth listening to. It gives an absolute pleasure!
In addition, I absolutely enjoyed reading & understanding the meaning of the lyrics of the ost, "Looking for You" by Liu Yu Ning.
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