Part 2: The End of a Rollercoaster

Hi there! This review touches solely on part 2.
**This review does have small spoilers here and there. I do not spoil the ending. It is a bit of a long review. 

Assuming you’ve watched part 1, part 2 isn’t exactly my cup of tea. The story becomes this  dragged out time loop of inside prison to outside prison and dying, saved to dying again. I start losing the rationale behind some of the characters decisions in the drama. Although this drama is heavy on the angst, I wasn’t expecting to still see so much of that and so little character development and change in part 2.

There is so much to unpack in the 20 episodes. There is grief, drama, dishonesty, selfishness, strife, amnesia, etc. It’s almost as if the writer wanted to throw everything at the watcher without giving us a moment to breathe. Chan Yi is a much darker version of himself in part 2 after being betrayed. It made for an interesting couple of episodes because I wondered how he’d face Yun He. It became old after a couple more episodes and I was tired for Yun He of the time loop of prisoner that she has been playing since part 1. If possible, the plot felt even slower than it felt in part 1, the only saving grace was the acting. 

The acting from Dilraba and Allen was as I expected, superb. I love Dilraba’s stage presence and poise, her smile makes me smile and her emotions are easily felt through her scenes. Allen Ren as the merman was also a delight, I’ve only seen him in Under the Power and I’m thoroughly impressed with the changes in character he’s able to portray. The chemistry is also well felt in my opinion.

As for the side characters, I wanted more. I’ve been intrigued about Yi Xuan for a while and while I liked Luo Luo as comedic relief, I felt she was lacking in depth. I wanted more than the quirky and slow best friend trope. Despite this however, I did love her sisterly relationship with Yunhe. The same goes for me with Kong Ming, I was expecting more from him in this season especially given his entrance but he sort of just played into the sidelines as the episodes went along. I really liked the Heavenly King, as a younger actor, he played such a big role with well. The second male lead Hao Ting, wasn’t my favorite but I’m glad he was smarter than I was predicting. He wanted the best for Yunhe even if it wasn’t him and that makes him admirable. I was rooting for Sanyue and Li Shu, with such opposite personalities it was evident that they needed each other. 

On the villain end of things, I loved the actress who plays Fairy Shunde. I felt like she showed the right amount of insane that Shunde could be and it made for an entertaining watch. The immortal master seemed intense at first but also fell flat and became predictable let down after figuring out his motivations for being evil. 

The OST has a whimsical feel to it. I really enjoyed the soundtrack and how it added to the scenes. 

90% of part 2 is hardship and I wish the drama used more time to showcase the characters growth to become stronger and fight against evil together. My advice is if you can handle an angst heavy drama, which is apparent from the first few seconds of episode 1, then you can handle this drama to completion.

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Love that transcends time

I was intrigued by the reviews of this drama being a healthy romance so I decided to give this one a try and I wasn’t disappointed.

I admired and felt the chemistry between the two leads right from the start. This couple was one of the more relatable couples that I’ve ever encountered in dramaland and I looked forward to what the new episode would bring.

However, I was wondering how this drama could be 28 episodes when their feelings progress and showcase rather quickly but I soon got my answer: prolonged drama and misunderstandings. The couple do go through trials and tribulations to be together and avoid hurting each other but thankfully, our leads managed to stick it through and that’s what I appreciated about the romance in this drama.

As for the secondary characters, I didn’t like the supporting lead couple as much as I’d hoped. I couldn’t understand Gu Xiaoman’s pull to Yi Chuan at all especially since he was severely cocky and clueless. I really didn’t understand the pairing and Gu Xiaoman definitely deserved much better. Furthermore, I didn’t care for the SML, he was too obsessive and it really made me angry at times. We also never got to understand what made him fall for our FL in the first place other than the fact that they grew up together.

Something that I wish we were able to see more of was Lin xi’s goals outside of her mothers interference and her relationship. I was happy to see Jiang Zhenghan reach his goals and recognize his potential but we never got to see Lin Xi reach towards what she really wanted or understand what her dream career goals were. It seemed like she was sort of just going with the flow and it’s assumed to be that her dream is helping Zhenghan reach his.

Despite this, I don’t regret watching the show because I got to see some really good chemistry, I watched the characters grow into better/more mature versions of themselves and most of the actors were great in their roles. I’m sad to see this show go, I was really enjoying it. All good things must come to an end.

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Best romance of 2022?

[The last paragraph of this review is the only message that contains a light spoiler]

"I don't care what you are. I only know you are not a nameless grass. You are the most important person, the only person I care about in all the three realms. No one can take you from me."

If that quote alone doesn't make you swoon, I'm not sure what will.

I absolutely loved almost everything that Love Between Fairy and Devil had to give. I was intrigued by the story of how the relationship could work between the total opposites and I was left enthralled by the character progression of both Qingcang and Orchid. Dylan Wang definitely executed his role as Qingcang with ease, I was able to feel all the emotions that Qingcang was feeling and I adored every second of it.

In contrast, while Orchid’s character was a bit harder to love at times, I began to feel differently once I started to take time to understand her character. She was someone who was used to being in her home, alone and away from what's deemed to be evil. Naturally, a person with this disposition wouldn't be the best match for a character like Qingcang. As the show went on, I loved Orchid’s love for humanity and I looked forward to her growing into a more powerful & brave version of herself. When she finally did, I was proud of her and I could see how much she loved Qingcang.

Besides the main characters, I felt like the secondary couple was severely underdeveloped in terms of character progression and background. I also think the "villains" of this drama and I put this in quotations because it's not easy to distinguish what's evil or good in this drama, weren't the best they could've been.

If you're concerned about how the body-switching performs in this drama, I too, worried most about how the body switching would perform. I was pleasantly surprised however, with how well Dylan Wang and Esther Yu played each other’s characters. I laughed a bunch because it was so funny seeing two polar opposites switch positions.

The romance was slow but it really allowed me to understand the motivations and behaviors behind the characters. I had a greater appreciation for their relationship once certain barriers were removed. It’s going to take me a long time to move on from this drama for sure. There are so many quotes I was able to pull from Qingcang's lines that left a deep impression on me about the love between Orchid and Qingcang.

Lastly, the OST, CGI and the wardrobe for this show were top notch. I loved it.

Final note: I was totally planning on rating this drama above 8.5 but I couldn't because the last couple of episodes. I wish they weren't so angst driven. I would've preferred spending the last couple of episodes about the life between Orchid and Qingcang or wrapping up the secondary characters than watching amnesia tropes and half-baked villains. Despite the rushed ending, I still would recommend the watch. You'll get to see great acting, amazing chemistry and beautiful romance.

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