Good, but expected more
I finally finished this after a month! Overall, this was good, but I expected a little more. Some parts felt long and draggy because I didn’t care too much about certain characters after a while.The acting of the leads was amazing though. I loved their chemistry a lot, and understand why everyone went crazy over them??. I wasn’t a big fan of our Black Dragon because 1) he was kind of bad at his job, 2) kind of dumb and 3) we never saw him as a dragon except for, like, two times. That’s so annoying. I also didn’t like Jie Li to be honest. Her character was really annoying.
The cinematography and CGI were amazing though. Such a feast for my eyes, I really loved it. The OST is also so beautiful and catchy!!
Now, where can I get a Dongfang Qing Cang for myself?
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Dylan Wang Hedi is destined to be Dongfang Qingcang, the Moon Supreme
my first officially completed watching drama of Dylan Wang Hedi. I subscribe the iQiyi vip to watch the drama, I glad it’s not a waste. Dongfang Qingcang and Xiao Lanhua (Orchid). I love him ever since this drama. Dongfang Qingcang is truly destined to be his character. All the customized costume for Dongfang Qingcang is great. my #1 is black-gold, when he’s at the Arbiter Hall. my #2 is the costume when he takes the punishment lightning. #2(ii), the first outfit after he finally switched back his soul after he resurrected at Haotian Tower, he looks mega powerful with his full costume at that time. the drama is Chinese Xianxia. the mood overall is rollercoaster. I bawled my eyes when Xiao Lanhua choose to free Dongfang Qingcang from the Heart Curse and later, Dongfang Qingcang also choose to change Xiao Lanhua’s destiny. after 500 years, they reunited. love the OSTs. love them <3//side note – hoping for season 2, but the storyline might not be the same anymore. glad they gave special short episodes, 36 ep. + special.
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one of the best CGI in a xianxia drama
I did not plan to write a review for this drama because many people have written excellent and comprehensive reviews already, but I decided to add in my thoughts just for my record in point form while trying not to write spoilers.1. Female lead’s voice sounded really childlike, but by the third episode, I was used to it. Her voice reminded me of those dubbed female lead in Japanese anime. The cute, high-pitched ones.
2. I did not find the female lead’s acting convincing enough at first, but she improved as the episodes went by especially when Xiao Lan Hua became Xi Yun Goddess. I thought she acted well with her changed voice and expressions.
3. It took me months to finish this drama. Just one sentence: not engaging enough. The beginning episodes were draggy, the mortal realm was boring (I was stuck there for weeks) , but after the mortal realm, the story got a little better and I finished it in a matter of days.
4. To be honest, all in all, I was not touched by the love between the main leads. They were not the kind of main leads whom I really hoped they became together and nothing tore them apart. Nothing was wrong with their acting, I guess it was just the chemistry between Wang He Di and Yu Shu Xin. And the kissing scenes, especially those which were supposed to be passionate like the ending ones, were just well...lips touching. However, I do have to mention that I was moved to tears at the bridge when Dongfang Qing Cang confessed his never-changing love for Xiao Lan Hua (Xi Yun Goddess) and Xiao Lan Hua left the bridge with tears flowing secretly. I think the surrounding circumstances made his confession very heartrending.
5. Extremely gorgeous CGI. I think this has been mentioned umpteen times by many reviewers, but it is true. For example, in all the xianxia dramas I have watched, the heavenly main hall in this drama was the most beautiful and heavenly-like I have ever seen, no exaggeration here, I’m serious. What with its numerous dreamlike waterfalls and pamukkale (Turkey)-looking water steps. Watch it for yourself and you’ll know what I mean.
6. The last few episodes and ending felt like the director was rushing to tie the loose ends. Some side characters' stories were not properly shown, explained or developed, at least to me. For example, I would have liked to see more of the story development between Shang Que (Dongfang Qing Cang's subordinate) and Jie Li (Xiao Lan Hua's best friend).
Overall, I may have more negative things to rant about this drama than positive comments looking at the above, but I would still recommend this drama to anyone who wants to watch a Chinese historical drama and even more so a xianxia drama because of its CGI. Yes, because it is a xianxia drama and CGI is one of the most important things in a xianxia drama.
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overrated
I don't get the hype for this drama. It's not bad but also not good, the FL makes me so angry with her voice and personality she never listens and doesn't realise who she really loves until towards the end. She always acts on her own like a toddler it's annoying. But the ML nailed it, i have no idea how he didn't go crazy but anyways the other actors did wel tho.I did love the part where they go to the mortal world it was really interesting and the editing was honestly good.
(happy ending)
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OK if you're bored
I like this series because of Dylan Wang who did a great job as Dongfang Qing Cang. The chemistry between him and Orchid is there. I like their lovey-dovey scene and rewatch a couple on youtube. There is character development for both main characters - Dongfang Qing Cang: learn how to love, Orchid: learn how to be strong.The story line is mediocre and very typical (i.e. you can find this plot in any movie). There is no surprise and not much dramatic - to me, it's a good thing since I only want some light hearted rom-com. Orchid is a bit annoying and overly cutesy but she's strong in her own way. The 2nd ML is rather boring. The 2nd couple should have more screen time as they're adorable.
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Perhaps I'm Not the Target Audience Here
I don't love romance stories. I've really enjoyed them in the past, for example: Crash Landing on You and The Imperial Coroner. Romance or not I'll watch anything if the premise seems interesting enough. That was the case here. The polar opposite characters, the vast room for growth that was possible, and, if I'm being honest, the humorous potential when they swapped bodies. China has a way of taking a story I'd otherwise care little for and making it pleasant.I'm going to drop this one though. Let me explain why:
Firstly, I don't think Esther Yu has the range to be more than the silly orchid fairy. I enjoy the sweet innocence of her starting point, an almost dumb person with a fairy tale understanding of the world who gets forcibly launched into enormously complex situations. However, her cartoon character depiction (and writing) had her refusing any and all development along the way. She was like this bubble bouncing along the plot with no actual interaction with it. As dumb as she was, her persistent stupidity could only be explained by "we need tension here, so she needs to not figure this out" which I hate. I understood her being like that for a while in the beginning, but no matter how the plot developed, she remained like this. Don't get me wrong, she could absolutely maintain her sweetness and her innocence, but that's not what was happening here. Every time I thought she'd take one step forward, her refusal to budge was effectively taking a step back. In terms of character development, it felt like the demon lord had to do all the moving. As if, it seemed, her oblivious, idiotic, self-absorbed beginning state was somehow an ideal perfection she had no need to adjust. I didn't understand how someone so obsessed with her own problems could ever think enough to help with the various situations in which her contribution was crucial. And yet, like a rubber band, after she'd display the maturity needed for these situations, she'd immediately bounce back to being a self-absorbed airhead. And airhead who wasn't particularly unlikable, but still. I wasn't sure if this was bad writing or Esther Yu's acting, or some combination, but it was damaging the story in a big way.
Moreover, and here's where I'm not the target audience, one of my biggest pet peeves is the love triangle. I loathe them. Nothing ruins a story for me faster. Not to mention, here at least, the idea that the two most powerful bachelors in all the realms were somehow in love with her strained credulity strictly in terms of probability. But the way this shoved itself into the story and wrenched it into its own shape was unforgivable. Once the love triangle became more prominent I couldn't tolerate it any more. When I watched the Rebel Princess I was pleasantly surprised by the mature and realistic way in which the writers handled what attempted to be an intolerable love triangle. The main female character had evolved and matured, her husband allowed her the space to make her own choice, accepting that it might not be him (and aware that he had other, larger things to deal with anyway), and the other man was depicted as appropriately childish and petty and selfish. It's hard to view actual love triangles any other way. I lose respect for respectable characters who maintain their pursuit of people who are already with someone else. That isn't romantic to me, it's petty. Maybe it would go away eventually, and maybe I could have powered through had the rest not been so lacking, but as it was it seemed to take over the story.
Additionally, the thing that really bothered me about that was that every choice made by Cheng Heng (the other man, here) was because he was randomly and uncontrollably in love with the orchid fairy. Does he want his brother to stop publicly torturing someone? Yes he does. Is it because public torture of an obviously innocent person is extremely cruel? Nope. It's because he's in love with her. Does he want to risk his life to save someone? Must be because he's a good prince who wants to stop his enemy from kidnapping one of his own subjects. No, actually, it's because he's in love with her. His entire character was cheapened by this. How much more interesting would he have been if he was actually just trying to do the right thing considering the situation and his status. Instead all of his actions, which could have been noble and impressive, were instead petty and childish.
Dylan Wang's acting was excellent. His depiction of the demon lord was at once over the top and completely believable. His development was subtle and well-paced and ultimately more profound than the fairy's. When he was acting as the fairy in the demon lord's body, it was perfectly done. Much, much better than Esther Yu's terrible wooden attempts at severity and seriousness when she was depicting the demon lord in the fairy's body.
Ultimately, I stopped watching once it seemed clear to me that this was another one of those romance dramas where the woman is perfect and the man has to bend to her. There are fewer and fewer romance stories these days in which the writers dare to depict the female as lacking or flawed in any way. What's worse is when she is lacking or flawed but this is depicted as not a problem. And the man has to do all the heavy lifting to make himself worthy of her, to change to suit her, to completely accept her, to renounce himself in order to be satisfactory to her. I'm sick of it. It's terrible storytelling. It's nauseating and embarrassing to watch.
I don't understand why this drama is so popular. But there's my two cents.
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Too Beautiful To End
*SPOILERS*I often binge and finish a series I really like irrespective of the number of episodes. To see the happy ending and breathe a sigh of relief for my beloved characters. LBFAD was a masterpiece. Right from the storyline, casting, acting, chemistry, direction, OSTs till the major character development of of the leads, it was absolutely stunning and the kind of love we yearn for in our lives. It was nothing less than a rollercoaster with the amount of angst and heartbreaks we had for both the Moon Supreme and Orchid.
It became absolutely devastating with Orchid stabbing herself with the sword. This was the page turner for me. In normal situations, I would have rushed and reached the ending to see the leads happy and get over the heartbreak. But here, I just couldn't move past QingCang's anguished face. I have kept it on hold for about 6 months now and I just cannot get myself to continue it further. NOT because I am not liking it anymore. But because I love it way too much to see it end and bid a farewell to these characters. I have been watching the first 10 episodes on repeat (good fluffy starts you know?) It definitely is emotionally draining to leave it on loose ends with no closure to it, but you know how you cannot let go of things you love? This story has been that for me. I know the ending is happy, but that also means it's an end to their story. I would rather grieve the longing than put a shutter on this art.
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Really Good!
Nothing new about this storyline, but I love that they did not let it drag out. Things move pretty quickly and it shows the growth and development of the characters. I love anti-hero stories and this is one of those. The visuals are fantastic and the CGI's better than I have seen elsewhere. You might want to brace yourself for the first few episodes because the female lead needs some getting used to, but by episode 28 she is just fantastic. Many sweet and tender moments. I was really waiting for Immortal Samsara this year but in comparison, it pales to this drama completely.Was this review helpful to you?
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Beautiful love story
I have to say, the drama I watched was great, but I have some points to make. The first few episodes were slow and unnecessary, and the plastic armor and crowns were truly distracting and ridiculous. The makeup was not up to the mark, and the inconsistencies were noticeable. Furthermore, the Heavenly Lord deserved a lesson, which was upsetting. The happy ending was good, but the lack of an explanation for how it happened fell short.However, the music was great and the special effects were well-made. Although the FL could be annoying at times, it was part of her naive and innocent character, while the ML was perfect overall. All the actors were well-cast and played their parts well, enough to make me teary-eyed.
In my opinion, this show is mostly for young adults, and it's a beautiful love story. I would put it on my rewatch list, but these cons need to be addressed.
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Best Devil
I came to watch this drama as a fan of Wang HeDi (ML - Dong Fang Qing Cang). I've been following him since Meteor Garden and have to say how proud I am of his improvements and achievements! Wang Hedi did a phenomenal job playing the ML in this drama. His facial expressions are spot on and he did a great job bringing his 'devil' character to life on screen.Plot-wise, this drama is very different than the usual Xian Xia plots and so, to me, it is very refreshing to watch. A strong overpowered devil gets his fate intertwined with a delicate fairy who thaws his heart and helps him learns to love. This show has the perfect combination of comedy, drama, and romance. Funny at the right moments, but lots of seriousness and cute romance as well. The ML and FL has polar opposite personalities, yet somehow their difference generated a beautiful love. Like the saying "opposites attract", together they compliment each other well.
If you enjoy a badass, cool, strong (overpowered) ML like I do, coupled with a refreshing, fun storyline then this is the drama for you. Romance, drama, comedy, strong ML, lovely FL = best combo.
Also wanted to add that the costume procedure did a great job!! The ML's outfit choices are SO perfect.
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DRAMA IS GOOD BUT........
I'll start by saying this is a very good drama, am not taking that away from it. Love the cast especially Dylan Wang and his personality of thinking he's always right and powerful as in Miss the dragon.The Arbiter hall is something else, it looks fantastic as well as the heavenly palace. The fact that demons or the demon lord, you can say are far stronger than the heavens which stereotype is rarely displayed in such dramas for those who have watched a buch of them.Two or a number of things let me down in this drama; Why are the costumes so weird? I don't understand where everyone's sudden love for them is coming from, really, the God of wars costume looks like a young kid's toy and again why is the moon supreme's costume so bulky? Really tries to get to my nerves but I think I'll get on with it sooner or later.
And finally, the female lead, Oh dear! Why is she so.....? I think the best way to describe her scenes is cringy really, I'm sorry, I know that many of you find her amazing but not for me. That's the script anyway, nothing to do. I'd have dropped this drama by now if not for the ninth episode that kept on and the music and the male lead plus the magic, loved it.
It'd be a nice drama to watch before you watch other xianxia masterclasses because you would be let down by kind of gap in between them.
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Forbidden love
Brilliant storyExcellent cgi
Actress voice and acting is pleasing to watch.
Mail lead acting is also good.
Very funny and excellent series
I have watched many series but I like this series acting+cgi+song.
At first episode I like how female lead introduced her home very ?? funny introduction
And mail lead crying like a small baby. The graphics are SO physically stunning, sometimes it’s breathtaking. The costumes are so beautiful, and have their own style unlike I’ve seen in other Xianxia. The fighting looks so awesome, my son loved when the dragon appeared. The music makes me want to keep turning up the TV, I’m sad I cannot find the opening theme song on YouTube yet. The humor is hilarious mostly because of Dylan Wang and Esthers acting, it’s not cheesy, and is so well done. The story is good and it’s pretty unique combining elements from other fantasy things to make up the “curse”. All in all it’s the first one I’ve seen in a long time that might match up to my all time favorite Xianxia, however only time will tell, so far I’m super enjoying every minute.
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