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Moonlight chinese drama review
Completed
Moonlight
2 people found this review helpful
by hamabe
Jun 10, 2021
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

A beautiful love story set in the publishing industry.

Personal review:
I loved this show. I absolutely adored it. The message was simple, chase your dreams and fight for what you want, but very sweetly portrayed. One of my pet peeves with Chinese shows is that they don't know how to wrap up the show. The beginning and middle are good but the end just falls apart; not this show. The last few episodes are one of the best. I loved the ending. The relationship between the two main leads was so good and honest. It felt like I was being given a peak into their lives, rather than just them telling a story. There is no extra drama, so it might not be for everyone , but I loved its understated story telling. No character was wasted, and everyone felt like real three dimensional people with their own motivation, dreams and way of doing things. Just a wonderfully told, simple story.

If I think about it, the story shows different relationship between different people and in different time in their life's, and how they got there. Our main couple were just starting their journey into their lives, professionally and personally. The second couple were people who had already broken up once, because of circumstances, and got a second chance. There were relationships between editors and writers, bosses and employees etc. So, this show is very different from your usual run of the mill Chinese dramas. I could actually empathize these these people and there lives. It felt real.

Pros:

The main leads had amazing chemistry. The acting of everyone was top notch. Many people did find the females' leads voice a little annoying, and her way of talking did bother me in the beginning, but her character is so different from her voice; she is so headstrong, that it became an interesting dichotomy for me; analyzing how she used her voice to throw people off and then get them to do as she wants. She was manipulative, but so earnest and good, pushing forward despite all obstacles, that it was amazing to watch. She never gave up on her writers and used every tool in her arsenal to help them.

The male leads character was also one that could have been very off putting, but this actor knows how to make him seem endearing rather than annoying. It amazed me how two people that could have become so unappealing, both the leads, were wonderfully handled by the actors. They felt like real people, who are actually people you could root for and not caricatures of the traits we like in our drama hero or heroin.

It was wonderfully balanced, especially the main male leads scenes with the second male lead. Their friendship is goals. They sometimes felt like two gossipy ladies, constantly fighting each other, but still the first person the other went to for help. They made me laugh at their antics and I enjoyed every minute they were on screen.

The music was very subtle and beautiful, quite fitting of the story they were trying to tell.

Cons:
The biggest issue I had with the show was that the story of the second couple felt underdeveloped. The only time I was bored during the show, was actually when the second couple was on screen. Their story had so much potential. I understood what they were trying to show, but I had to make leaps of conclusion, which annoyed me (I am not giving more details to avoid spoilers). I could logically deduce what was going in the characters head, but their story needed a little bit of oomph, some details; something just felt missing. I still liked their input to the show, and the second female lead was also a badass, she just felt like two or three people, throughout the show, without me as a watcher being shown the transition between those three personas. Same with the second male lead. He changed his mind and opinions, and they were unable to make me follow his logic.

Other than that, the show is a unique piece of storytelling that might not be for everyone, but one that I loved. What I would suggest is that you definitely give this a try. It is show that deserves being watched.

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