Reviews

Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Did you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? What was it like? Did you leap into the abyss with wild abandon? Lose your heart, body and soul? Was it worth indulging in every lucious, forbidden moment? Find out all about it in Till the End of the Moon, a heart-stopping account of Li Susu and devil incarnate Tantai Jin's scorching entanglement of love, hate and misunderstanding that spans 500 years and multiple realms.

In a desperate attempt to stave off the resurrection of the the devil god, a bunch of grey haired cultivators send an intrepid young cultivator Li Susu back 500 years in time to stop Tantai Jin from turning into the devil god. Yeah, you really have to hand it to these crusty old cultivators - when all else fails, they sacrifice a virgin and hope for the best! Susu assumes the identity of Ye Xiwu and is tasked to kill Tantai Jin after tempting him out of his... uhm... evil bone! I almost choked with laughter at the sheer audacity of such a naughty plot setup!

This angsty xianxia's unique premise is that the main protagonist Tantai Jin is a fiendishly compelling and tragically misunderstood character; literally a prince of darkness. Luo Yunxi is mesmerising in this role - his diabolical crooked smirk, the maleficent glare, the taunting cock of an eyebrow, the elegant devil-may-care gestures and the imperious snap of a finger. But it is his shatteringly wounded expression and how with a moment of stillness he screams silently with pain oozing from every pore that makes me root for the devil and to hell with the realms. My favorite part of this drama is how kindness and love gradually changes the dark, lonely and twisted Tantai Jin into a best yet still flawed version of himself. Bai Lu on the other hand could have delivered a more nuanced performance as Li Susu. Her Susu is so unwavering in her duty to the realms that I could not tell when she fell in love with Tantai Jin or if she ever really did. That said, there is an exceptional spark between the leads that results in both hilarious and smoking hot moments. I could see sparks fly in every direction during Ye Xiwu's seductive dance that tempts the devil in his liar. This drama's greatest hook is Luo Yunxi's portrayal that dimensions his character beyond the screenplay and his searing onscreen chemistry with Bai Lu.

There are four distinct arcs in this drama, the first of which is the strongest and most enthralling mortal arc. I loved everything about this arc and if this drama had held that level, I could have easily rated this over 9.0. By design, the second visually stunning dream arc also shines in many aspects but sags as a result of lazy writing and overuse of tired xianxia tropes. The third and fourth arcs recover somewhat but never quite hit the addictiveness of the first arc. Part of the problem is the second couple is poorly written, has no chemistry and is not empathetic. Their insipid story is overshadowed by that of foxy Pian Ran and unswerving Ye Qingyu's passionate and addictive love story, which ends way too soon. While all of the arcs have good moments, the plot is moved along almost solely by misunderstandings. This is the hallmark of indifferent screenwriting and it undermines the intelligence and agency of the main characters. With a little bit of effort, they could have gotten to the same place without undermining the characters and disengaging the audience.

In terms of production values, this is a big budget drama and it shows but not in the best ways. The make up was often over the top and not flattering. I am visually scarred by the excessive blood spitting that took it to the next level in terms of bloody teeth and the excessively bright contact lenses absolutely ruined many emotional moments for me. I did not at all enjoy the pantasmagorical CGI orgy game world that hijacked all of the clashes between good or evil including the beginning and ending scenes. The over-lit glare distracted from the emotion and the intensity of Tantai Jin and Li Susu's most pivotal scenes.

The way this drama ends is both fitting and inevitable in that both Tantai Jin and Li Susu fulfill their destiny. My problem is with how they get there. It could have been a lot more palatable if it were better written. But my biggest gripe with it is that the drama never convinces me that humanity or the realms are worth saving. Or that there is cosmic justice. After all, Tantai Jin was just jinxed from birth but he was hardly the worst, most evil character. What I resent most is that the hypocrisy of the moral sects is never exposed and that the truly evil characters get outcomes they don't deserve. The original works this drama was based on may have been very good but the adaptation is not. The screenwriters should all hide in shame and do all they can to try to erase their names from this adaptation. Nonetheless I rate this 8.5 because anything less would be an injustice to Luo Yunxi's devilish, simply irresistible and unforgettable portrayal of Tantai Jin.

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Heart warming, touching, admirable.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love ❄️❤️
I finished watching all 30 episodes, last watched ep 30 at 3:15 am and since that moment I've been feeling blank.

This drama made me feel a lot, and taught me quite some interesting points of life too. Their first giddy yet awkward love story may happen to anyone else too. The feelings of falling in love for the first time, the struggle to keep a conversation running, the unsaid thoughts, the sensational skin ship. Everything's relatable.

Not to mention how they portrayed the background stories of each characters and their growth. How they may be immature and hard headed at first but then learnt better of how to get a hold of themselves and think about others. Particular conservative Chinese identity that some character showcased, the importance of respecting others especially elderly, they showed great effort thru all of those. They also portrayed the sport amazingly well even tho there are some flaws still in the real sport terms. The dedication for the sport they love, their brotherhood and the bond they created while striving for a sport that they are proud of are so admirable. From coaches to the team and fans, they legit put on a great sportsmanship.

The actors and actresses blended well in their characters as if the directors hand picked them out from the novel. From main to side characters, they each have their ray of lights. The panoramic views from different location they shooted this, the soothing melodious music background and original song tracks they produced for the show were so brilliant and fit the concept exceptionally well.

Relationship, either with your family, friends or lover, relationship exists everywhere. There might be times where things won't go the way we wanted but surely, patience and tolerance will save us. There's more to relationship than just hugs, kisses, or compliments. Sometimes they can be words of comfort, acts of service, and even the presence alone, of both parties in well condition is enough to link up a relationship.

This drama is truly a relaxing healing drama. Worth the wait, worth the hype, worth the time watching. Surely gonna repeat watching this all over again anytime soon.

Kuddos to the author for writing such masterpiece and to the director, crews, actors and actresses for making such a beautiful series.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, after every snowstorm, there'll sunlight again, and then, you may feel the warmness again.

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A Screenwriting and Directing Masterpiece

It seems people want to criticize this series for being too honest. To me, it’s a depiction of the current social environment around us. Not the most appealing, but never the less, it’s there, and we’ve all seen it. Infidelity is a dirty word to one person and a taste of freedom to another. I think this series tells us that we all view relationships differently. Our thoughts, needs, and values are different. We even view love differently. The story I watched for sixteen episodes was a bitter look into the world of betrayal. It shows us how people justify their actions when faced with diversity in a relationship. It also shows us how fragile marriage can be when you don’t nurture it. It shows us how hateful and desperate people can be. It also shows us the ugly head of temptation. I think this series took a lot of thought and work to put together. It was a raw look at the emotional struggles of human beings trying to survive in a world that pulls them apart.

I thought the acting was perfect. There were two standouts for me. Lee Ga Ryong’s portrayal of Hye Ryung was just fantastic. Playing this type of character and making it seem real is not easy. Another one of my favorite parts was in episode 7 when Hyang Gi (Jeon Hye Won) told her dad what she thought about him divorcing her mom in no uncertain terms. She said everything her mom wanted to say, and it was priceless. Hye Won shined in this supporting role, and it left me with a favorable impression of her acting skills.

The music pulled everything together, and the subscripts were great. I enjoyed this because it was different. Is it worth watching? Cudos to Im Sung Han for her screenwriting and to Yoo Jung Joon for directing a masterpiece.

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No Tale to Tell Indeed

This drama turned out to be a huge disappointment. I was initially excited to start this drama. Fantasy romance is my absolute favorite drama genre. I thought the first 4 episodes were the strongest. They set the story up nicely and I thought we were going to get a descent story. Unfortunately, after the 4th episode, this drama just faded into a nothing burger. Nothing interesting really happened. There wasn't much growth in the characters. The shaman plot was so ridiculous and unnecessary. The other villain was annoying at best. I honestly should've dropped this around episode 7 or 8 but I felt if I made it that far, I might as well finish the last few episodes. Save your time on this one, there are much better dramas to watch.

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A General Without Her Legend

This series had the potential to be a masterpiece, but it struggles with focus and execution. At times, the dialogue and scenes feel truly epic, yet they are quickly undercut by fluffy, love-bubble moments that seem more suited for early teens. With episodes running only 30–45 minutes, the show often downplays serious issues just to insert romance, and these lighter scenes end up taking even more screen time than the plot deserves.

What I had hoped to see was a story centered on He Yan—her legendary reputation as a general, her brilliance as a battlefield tactician, and her skill as a martial artist. Instead, the narrative leans heavily on a childish romance with the male lead, sprinkling in only a few fighting scenes in an unconvincing attempt to showcase her strength.

Despite this imbalance, I still watched through to the end, hoping for redemption. The core story is genuinely strong, but the forced romance, misplaced focus, and glossing over of critical issues hold it back. The true highlight remains He Yan’s fighting scenes, which revealed the kind of depth and power the series could have delivered if it had trusted its own potential.

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Overall 5
Rewatch Value 1
But  I would re-watch this drama 100 times  only for  Jo Jin Woon  as detective Lee Jae Han.  He brought this character to life.


What ruined it for me (and I cannot tolerated it anymore)  is the fact that when they have proof that someone is a criminal (videos, photos, testimony etc)  it's all deemed as circumstantial evidence and on the "he said/she said" basis.  The criminals walk away happy. When they want to arrest the heroes  than they use the most idiotic formula ever, frustrating the audience to no end because that's what they do.  Then the "I said/he said" works in sfavour for the heroes. "becuase someone saw you so you are the criminal". Case close. Other the rules work the same for everyone  and the screenwriters stop writing as if the audience is stupid, or they don't work at all.  I remember "I hear your voice" had the same nonsense thrown into the drama at one point. It's not entertaining anymore when you question your intelligence at watching something that has become ridiculous.  Other things that are annoying. For example: a girl is raped by more than 10 boys, but the semen found is discarded as evidence.  A detective asks a cleaning lady when the rubbish bins have been emptied, but she looks at him very concerned and asks why. He then goes on explaining that he is a detective and he is looking for something...see my budge. The same detective is now looking erratically  for this item in  a rubbish plant.  Someone that works there tries to stop him because frankly the detective is making a mess within the mess. But the detective doesn't show  him his budge nor does he tells him  he is a detective looking for something  important. Like a child he keeps saying "one more minute one more minute." whilst trying to get away from the attendant.
The profiler is arrested. You would think a profiler would come up with something smart and witty to say about "I'm not the killer, why would I want to someone" etc. But no! Like a poor beaten peasant he keeps saying"I didn't do it. I didn't do it" over and over again. And the way he gets arrested is like witch-hunting material.
You know who the villains  are from the very beginning. And the main villain has not a real background story. Why did he decide from the very beginning that he had to act like a loyal dog for the people with power  it's never explained.
All police officers a part from the 3 main characters and their 2 sidekicks are either corrupted, stupid or immoral. Can that even be possible???? Everyone is shouting. Your boss will ask you to solve a case and then he will get angry at your for solving it.  They are all angry and unprofessional.

Please someone explain the end to me. The end is a mess. But you all got it???

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A strong first half that dwindled into the biggest disappointment of this year

For something to 'disappoint' you, you must have had high expectations of it to begin with. And with the way this show started off, many would not have been unreasonable to see its vast potential and expect the show to live up to that potential throughout its duration.

By episode 4, the writer had a rich plot and a set of decently shaded, fascinating characters that were just begging to have their stories told. What started off as a tale of a prickly girl learning to live again with the help of a happy-go-lucky boy-angel dissolved into a hapless mess about two star-crossed lovers being forced apart by a wholly unsympathetic diety whose intentions nobody in this drama understood (not even the writer it seems).

It’s just...GOOD GOD...it had so much going for it you know?!? One of the biggest mistakes this drama made was when it shifted the focus off the female lead’s journey, i.e. her return to ballet, her scheming relatives, her emotional growth, and instead onto the ill-constructed love story between her and the male lead.

Being a romance, a love connection between the two was imminent. But I just wished it had been executed and drawn out better. Not only did it seem to come completely out of left-field, but also Dan and Yeon Seo's relationship was never explored to the extent where it would be believable that they were truly as crazy about each other as depicted in the drama. When does companionship equal passionate love? All I saw was a budding friendship that suddenly turned into a love-or-die kind of affair, which was jarring at best.

Secondary characters had extremely promising trajectories, which were abandoned halfway through the drama in favour of blander plot elements. Ji Kang Woo, a director at Yeon Seo's ballet company was being set up as a noteworthy second lead, and had a fascinating backstory that could've been used to elevate the fantasy aspect to so much more. Furthermore, he had such an intriguing relationship with the second female lead, Geum Nina, that to not expand on it was a disservice to this entire production. Instead, whatever Nina and Ji Kang Woo had soon dissipated into screeching one-sided love declarations from the former, while the latter coldly brushed her off in favour of the forever-pristine main female lead.

All in all, the writer set up some grand goals for herself and failed to follow them through. The lacklustre ending more or less demonstrated this perfectly, as the main couple are reunited in the last five minutes with no explanation given whatsoever. It's almost disrespectful to the characters and the battle they fought to be with each other in the second half of the drama. What writer is shameless enough to build the entire drama around a singular conflict, only to resolve it with one of the most half-assed endings of all time? Other than the writer of About Time, THIS one.

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If you read the webtoon, you already know the next 16 episodes are gonna be full of emotions...

Well, as somebody who read the webtoon, l was already rooting for this to be turned to a Kdrama and they did.... I just watched the first episode and already, l was crying and fuming with anger at the same time, l wonder how it's gonna be for the next 15episodes to come
Marry my husband basically has almost and l just said almost the same plot as Perfect marriage revenge, the difference is if she changes something, something will happen to another person.... A twist right??? I recommend this soooo much... Its a good way to start 2024.....tho Minyoung needs to gain weight later😭😭😭

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I was excited to watch this drama at first based on all the reviews and the high rating, but as I got into it I realized how boring it was and I skipped through most of it. I got to about episode 32 and was thinking to drop it, but didn't because others reviewers said it would pick up around episode 46. I still thought it was boring and kept skipping. 63 episodes was not needed. A lot of the episodes, especially the first 46 episodes could have been concised into 10 episodes. I don't have a problem watching dramas with a lot of episodes, I sat through Princess Wei Young just fine, but when there are so many episodes that aren't moving the story along then I have a problem.

What I liked:
-Most of the women (Liu Ying, Su Hei, Great Floral Fairy, Heavenly Empress, Wind Immortal, Su Li) in the drama were able to hold their own. Now they had their faults and could be annoying at times, but they weren't weak. I loved their fight scenes.
-Run Yu- he had the most interesting story line and the show would have been more interesting if it was centered around him.
-The clothes and landscapes- I started watching this because I wanted to watch something pretty (corny, I know).

What I didn't like:
-It was predictable.
-Jin Mi always needed saving. Whether it was by Xu Feng, Run Yu or Pu Chi or anyone for that matter. She rarely was able to defend herself. The other women in the drama needed saving at times too (Mu Ci saving Liu Ying or Xu Feng saving his mother), but they didn't need it as much as Jin Mi. And Jin Mi was such an annoying and boring character. Her not being able to fall in love story line was held out for too long. Also, she was supposed to be a logical character, but used no type of logic during the wedding scene (of course viewers found out why later), but that scene really annoyed me.
-The kissing scenes- they were comical
-Run Yu- while I felt he was an interesting character, he was also a very self serving character. He cared about Jin Mi, but did not care about her happiness, her feelings, or how his choices would affect her. He was obsessed with her and always wanted her around in spite of the fact that that wasn't where she wanted to be. He knew she didn't love him in that way, but none of that mattered to him. I say he cared because he did not want her to get hurt and would do anything to save her, but he didn't love her because he never, not even once, put her interests or desires above his own.
-I still don't get why Xu Feng and Run Yu would start a war over Jin Mi. To bring in innocent people into your love triangle is the most stupidest thing ever.

I don't recommend this drama if you can't let go of all logic and common sense like me; you will be greatly annoyed.

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fated mates, paranormal, vampire, codified chase/stalker/ seme

AKA I Wanna Bite It, from Moving Picture Company (Wish You, Nobleman Ryu's Wedding, The Tasty Florida, Tinted With Love) so we all expected a classic modern Korean BL.

The leads were perfectly cast, the ideal seme vampire and the ideal uke prey. I like it when a vampire is actually deadly and facing up to the moral quandary of living a very long life. I found the uke actor particularly endearing in this limited role, he was quite soft and appealing without being weak or inactive. I enjoyed most of it but near the end I did start to feel the sparseness and the limited cast, like it was a one act play of a fairytale.

I suppose if you name your BL kissable lips you better end with a good kiss, even if you are Korea. But even a great kiss doesn’t mitigate killing the gay in a BL. Sorry. Not my thing. I’m aware of the history of BL, and I know dark is part of the tradition (even from Korea) but I HATE IT. These days a sad ending isn’t really Korea’s bailiwick (with the possible exception of Peach of Time), and they didn't set Kissable up properly. Right until the last episode I thought they might pull it out and save the couple in some supernatural way. Not that death came entirely out of nowhere, like H3:MODC, but still, it wasn't what I wanted in a vampire BL and I have been waiting for this trope so long for one. *this is my disappointed face*

I also I hate that the sad ending explains why the kiss was so good. It’s the vintage trope of: Sexualize those gays and one of them MUST DIE. How old school of you, Korea. Anyhoozle, if they kill one half of the couple it gets a 2/10 (or lower) from me. Sorry not sorry.

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Growth in youth is often painful, and while love makes it bearable, sometimes it isn't enough

I took one look at the cover photo and synopsis for this show and knew I would love it. I went in pretty much blind and rewatched it twice as it was airing, solely because I couldn't get enough of what I would describe as an immaculately done piece of art. This show carried so much potential and executed it at every point possible.

First, I want to emphasize how much of my heart and soul this drama took. From beginning to end, I could not truly predict anything regarding Minase and Hirukawa's relationship, even down to if they were going to be together at the end of the show. On so many different levels this show represented pure craftsmanship to me. From the cinematography to the storyline, everything I would personally say was done with so much intention, detail, and care that I truly hope it is appreciated by others for the beautiful tale it walks its audience through.

Secondly, the only honest criticism I have is that there were a couple of scenes (literally only twice) where I struggled to believe the "sad" vibe due to the acting appearing a little too strong or inauthentic. Please note that it was very minimal and did not change my view of the show at all because, in the grand scheme of the plotline, I still think it was written with great skill and purpose.

Similar to the series "My Beautiful Man", we get to view both the pureness of a first love and the uncertainty that is often felt by those trying to identify if who they love is "right" because it's "different." Yet, in an important difference to the aforementioned show, this series takes the depth of this love and shoves it into a container carrying much more serious trauma, and then proceeds to shake it up with a whole lot of "I have no way to know how to express love because I've never seen a proper example." There are scenes in here that may be triggering for some. It's not dark like "Happy of the End" dark, but any audience member should be aware this series is not here to waltz you through a peaceful and easy-on-the-stomach love story. It's real, imperfect, and at times, depressing to witness.

On a lighter note, if you're into the trope of "He fell first, but he fell harder," you'll get just as much of a sucker punch to the gut as I did, because my God, the yearning will just yank on your heartstrings. Bonus points too if you get to see episode 11 that I had no clue was coming. The tension in that was WILD and some scenes threw me for a serious loop because of how unprepared I was to see grown Haruki and Jin who were fully aware of their feelings now acting on them impulsively and without reservation. It was more spicy than I was expecting lol.

Overall, a show I'd highly recommend, and a series that I think even the more experienced watcher will appreciate.

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KinnPorsche, close but not quite

Overall: I rated the first episode a 9.5. Unfortunately the series kind of fell apart for me, but there were some really good aspects. Although there's crack comedy (and some stupid comedy) parts, I would label KP as a mature series with major content warnings. Make sure to watch past the credits for the final episode. Watched on iQIYI (watched the uncut La Forte and also several episodes of the cut TV version)

Content Warnings: murders/deaths, attempted murder, suicide, threatened suicide, non con kissing and sex (drugged), dub/non con kiss (drunk), torture, manipulation, violence, fight scenes, blood and gore, kidnapping, pet death, breaking & entering, trauma/past trauma, physical abuse, self harm, drunk driving? 17/18 year old with 22? year old (this personally didn't bother me the way it was presented)

What I Liked
- intro song and the music fit the scenes well
- acting, especially Apo and his microexpressions
- some of the funny moments like that light shining on Porsche in the bar as if he's sent from heaven in ep 1
- really lovely cinematography such as the bathroom scene in episode 7
- beautiful and well thought out lighting
- Porsche and Porschay brother relationship was super sweet
- that Kinn and Porsche were realistically horny after they got together
- a more unique premise (we don't have many BL mafia series)
- fun product placements like that bread in the bed
- the free, shorter TV versions are cut really well and it doesn't ruin the series, they toned down/cut some of the violence and sex/nudity in the shorter versions as well as other parts (like cutting the toilet humor from ep 1 which I appreciated)

Room For Improvement
- disappointed with Porsche's character. In the first episode he's shown as a good fighter and intelligent but then it all goes downhill. He does some of the stupidest things, speaking of...
- really stupid decisions from multiple characters (somehow Tankhun is the smartest brother...), Kinn saying he forgot something - really???
- back to Porsche. It's so odd how the character felt about the mafia in episode 1 to where he ends up in the finale with apparently no internal struggle.
- lack of character growth with KinnPorsche, they are terrible at communicating and trusting one another. I wanted to see them work thru this and grow together. Kinn continued to seek his father's approval and I wanted him to start breaking away.
- stark tonal changes. At the end of episode 10 there was no time to grieve, just farting in the bed. I think humor can go well with a darker tone (like Our Flag Means Death) but going from torture to silly scenes did not work for me.
- non logic: owning an expensive motorcycle and having no money, going clubbing with only 3 bodyguards when someone wants you dead, knowing how to spearfish but not that a small knife won't cut through bone, clean shaven after 3 days in the wilderness, lack of police, no one wears bullet proof vests ever
- the dub/non con with KinnPorsche although I appreciate that it wasn't immediately glossed over, there was apologizing and some selfless acts
- Vegas and Pete needed more screen time. I really wish we had seen Pete have a wet dream with Vegas and Pete as a masochist earlier. Also that he purposefully got caught because he was attracted to Vegas. Their relationship felt Stockholm Syndromey and was very rushed. The sex scene needed less music and more actual sounds from them, a steadier camera and some research on BDSM.
- Kim/Porschay, they needed more screentime as well. I was confused by Porschay's intensity as it seemed they were together for a short time but in a later episode Kim looks back at a bunch of pictures of them together and it made me think they dated for longer than I thought.
- camerawork was a little too shaky during action scenes
- replacing swear words with things like "fudge" WTF? We see multiple murders but using swear words is too much (I didn't take off points for this though as maybe the production couldn't control the subs)
- it felt like maybe too many twists at the end, definitely felt like a set up for season 2

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