This review may contain spoilers
A romance fantasy with a yearning male lead and a determined female lead
The current reviews are harsh. I do agree, this show would have done better if it came out closer to its production and completion. I also do with we got those seven cut episodes because I do think it would have buffed out some more under explored aspects. That said…I loved it! If LBFAD can have an 8.7/10, I don't see why this show can't hit at least 8.
It gave me Love Between Fairy and Devil vibes not because of the demon lord vs fairy concept but the coloring and overall production — but with an arguably more satisfying ending.
The things about this show I loved:
- Though the romance was overall more lowkey because of Jiang Li Fei’s (rightful) distrust of Lei Xiu Yuan for much of the show, their chemistry and tension carried. Lei Xiu Yuan also did such a great job yearning so I was satisfied with that.
- The group friendship(s) were super cute and I loved them a lot
- I enjoyed the general side characters. I think the antagonists were a bit one dimensional but the various antagonists make up for that. I also liked the different masters than look out for the main leads, they were all so great with distinct personalities.
- I loved the costumes and overall production vibe – pretty pastels and fun energy
- Baili Ge Lin and Lu Li were very cute and I super enjoyed not just their romance but relationship and personalities.
- Ri Yan and Qing Cheng’s friendship was fun but I liked Qing Cheng’s background a lot.
- Some people said it was slow but the pacing felt perfect to me, it’s one the first shows in a long time that I DIDN’T watch at 2x speed. I actually watched 99% of the show at 1x speed which says a lot. While parts of the editing and story continuity were chopping, the plot was always moving forward in a way that made sense.
The things about this show I didn’t love:
- Ji Tong Zhou’s storyline wasn’t unexpected but I would have loved him not not have fallen into the cliche obsessed route
- Miao Qing was a great character but I’m not sure I liked her ending. She dies for a man that literally did not give 2 cents about her. Even before he becomes consumed with evil, he was pretty indifferent to her so I’m also a bit lost as to why her death made him grieve so much and why it’s what does him in. We could say it’s regret for not appreciating her but I just don’t feel like that was well insinuated or built up towards.
- I wish we got more substantial flashbacks of Ye Sha & the Divine Tree in the past.
- She always dies for him to help him but then the calamity is a curse due to the immortals killing her so I feel like there could have been a lot more provided her rather than only the make out and death scenes.
- I felt like I missed something in terms of the demon land and how they got stuck but finally went back but then started coming back again at the end 10 years later
- Someone pointed out that big reveals are glossed over.
- I watch a lot of romantic fantasy and they all follow pretty similar beats so I didn’t think much of it in the moment but I do think the fact that the main leads just casually remember their past without much fanfare holds that fates intertwined aspect back.
- I think they glossed over some pretty big deaths quickly. Si Mo is mentioned and mourned but his head was literally cut off??? Like excuse me?? And then even with the ending IDK if I feel like Ye Ye and Chang Yue’s deaths made sense. Like they did but also didn’t. It all happened so fast. Shao Min’s death was “fine” ig but I hated that she died fr.
- I loved Lei Xiu Yuan’s puppy sick love for Jiang Li Fei but it gets undercut by her stubbornness. She loves him and argued that fate could be changed only to be completely apathetic to his pleas for finding a middle ground and even now I still don’t understand why she doubted him? Like I get be betrayed her when they were younger but we already established his real reason was to save his brother and that he was more or less tricked and she forgave him eventually so I still don’t understand why she suddenly became so cold to him again…I think this links back to those missing 7 episodes.
It gave me Love Between Fairy and Devil vibes not because of the demon lord vs fairy concept but the coloring and overall production — but with an arguably more satisfying ending.
The things about this show I loved:
- Though the romance was overall more lowkey because of Jiang Li Fei’s (rightful) distrust of Lei Xiu Yuan for much of the show, their chemistry and tension carried. Lei Xiu Yuan also did such a great job yearning so I was satisfied with that.
- The group friendship(s) were super cute and I loved them a lot
- I enjoyed the general side characters. I think the antagonists were a bit one dimensional but the various antagonists make up for that. I also liked the different masters than look out for the main leads, they were all so great with distinct personalities.
- I loved the costumes and overall production vibe – pretty pastels and fun energy
- Baili Ge Lin and Lu Li were very cute and I super enjoyed not just their romance but relationship and personalities.
- Ri Yan and Qing Cheng’s friendship was fun but I liked Qing Cheng’s background a lot.
- Some people said it was slow but the pacing felt perfect to me, it’s one the first shows in a long time that I DIDN’T watch at 2x speed. I actually watched 99% of the show at 1x speed which says a lot. While parts of the editing and story continuity were chopping, the plot was always moving forward in a way that made sense.
The things about this show I didn’t love:
- Ji Tong Zhou’s storyline wasn’t unexpected but I would have loved him not not have fallen into the cliche obsessed route
- Miao Qing was a great character but I’m not sure I liked her ending. She dies for a man that literally did not give 2 cents about her. Even before he becomes consumed with evil, he was pretty indifferent to her so I’m also a bit lost as to why her death made him grieve so much and why it’s what does him in. We could say it’s regret for not appreciating her but I just don’t feel like that was well insinuated or built up towards.
- I wish we got more substantial flashbacks of Ye Sha & the Divine Tree in the past.
- She always dies for him to help him but then the calamity is a curse due to the immortals killing her so I feel like there could have been a lot more provided her rather than only the make out and death scenes.
- I felt like I missed something in terms of the demon land and how they got stuck but finally went back but then started coming back again at the end 10 years later
- Someone pointed out that big reveals are glossed over.
- I watch a lot of romantic fantasy and they all follow pretty similar beats so I didn’t think much of it in the moment but I do think the fact that the main leads just casually remember their past without much fanfare holds that fates intertwined aspect back.
- I think they glossed over some pretty big deaths quickly. Si Mo is mentioned and mourned but his head was literally cut off??? Like excuse me?? And then even with the ending IDK if I feel like Ye Ye and Chang Yue’s deaths made sense. Like they did but also didn’t. It all happened so fast. Shao Min’s death was “fine” ig but I hated that she died fr.
- I loved Lei Xiu Yuan’s puppy sick love for Jiang Li Fei but it gets undercut by her stubbornness. She loves him and argued that fate could be changed only to be completely apathetic to his pleas for finding a middle ground and even now I still don’t understand why she doubted him? Like I get be betrayed her when they were younger but we already established his real reason was to save his brother and that he was more or less tricked and she forgave him eventually so I still don’t understand why she suddenly became so cold to him again…I think this links back to those missing 7 episodes.
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