Moonlight (2021)

One of the Best FL and Main Couple in a Modern C-drama

< Review mostly focuses on the main couple >

STORY
Overall: The absolute best part was how their characters were written and portrayed! The romance for the main couple was gradually developed and felt natural (don't worry, they have their fair share of sweet and romantic moments). Their relationships and friendships with other characters were nicely interwoven. The progression is good and while it sometimes quickly jumped to a month or two later (with a mere mention of it in dialogue), it was a bit more realistic compared to some dramas where a bunch of dramatic events occur in succession and they date/break-up in less than 2 months. Though there were times I wondered where things would go and how, it was never boring and only made me more invested.

Breaking it down,
Beginning: Don't be fooled by the initial tropes like cohabitation, bad first impression, and being online friends because there was so much more to offer. Their acting and reactions during the first third was highly entertaining and fun. It offers glimpses into who the characters really are as well.
Middle: Initially wasn't sure how the story would progress but with additional characters, there was more to the story and relationship development.
End: Changes in setting were somewhat randomly added sometimes in later eps to add more romance, but it helps since they were often in the same setting of either Zhou Chuan's house or the Yuan Yue Publishing Office.

CHARACTERS
1. Chu Li (Female Lead):
Chu Li retains the main characteristic of a typical FL that's bubbly and cute, but she goes beyond the typical damsel in distress that always fails and has to rely on the ML. Instead, she often refuses to! She was smart, thorough, persistent, firm, strong, and confident. She could solve problems on her own and knew how to stand up for herself.
2. Zhou Chuan (Male Lead):
Zhou Chuan started off as a character that had a rude demeanor and was the typical tsundere ML. However, his online persona and friendship with Jiang Yu Cheng showcased his nicer side in the beginning until we could see improvements in how he treated Chu Li.

Chu Li <3 Zhou Chuan as a Couple:
What I enjoyed about the two of them is that they kept this drama light and enjoyable. They gradually became interested in each other romantically until they came to see each other as partners in life. The best part of their relationship was how they were:
1. being mutually supportive,
2. respectful of each other's views/work/decisions,
3. concerned about each other's well-being (physical and emotional),
4. present in each other's happy and sad moments,
5. trusting/confident in their love and feelings for each other
6. understanding and accepting of each other's flaws

Overall, both Chu Li and Zhou Chuan were multidimensional characters that made rational decisions which made sense for who they were and what they wanted to achieve. While each of them had their flaws/weaknesses, they had their own strengths to utilize towards their goals. They weren't perfect but that's what made them relatable. Their efforts inspire viewers to do work hard, grow from our past, and end up stronger on the other side.

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A drama that makes you feel like you've LIVED through it.

The good: 1. Chu li's character sketch -when we first meet her i was foolish enough to make some snap judgments about her character based on her cutesy high pitched voice and fresh from the suburbs to the city innocent look but she's no maiden in need for rescue. We mustn't take her cutesy baby act at face value she's actually a fierce woman who can not take no for an answer and will work till she drops if its for something she believes in. She's also not perfect. She can be hot tempered, impulsive and even rude but she's loyal, kind and sensitive. Despite my original reservations and doubts about her being a cutesy but dumb female lead her character consistently impressed with wit and an iron will. They were able to give us a believable three dimensional character. Esther Yu was able to successfully portray this fiery but adorable young lady perfectly. 2. Ding yuxi's acting- the character of zhou chuan is not always loveable he's very much so a temperamental artist. He can be childish and frustrating but hes been a joy to watch because of Ding yuxi's enviable level of acting skill. He is always enjoyable to watch and all his emotional scenes always come across as very sincere. It was lovely to watch Zhou chuan grow up while watching this show. 3. The pacing - the drama is very quick paced and almost never boring. It always makes you want to click next episode button. The bad- 1. The romantic relationships - both main and second lead relationships take a lot of time to get established. This is likely because the drama is 36 eps and the writers feared if they got together too soon the audience would lose interest which I understand but the way they went about delaying the inevitable relationship between zhou chuan and chu li was stupid to me. Chu li gives zhou chuan multiple opportunities to confess but he coldly rejects every opportunity. He has loved no other girl before him so he has nothing to be that afraid of. Moreover he was the one who started liking her first. The drama doesn't give anything apart form some vague reason as to why zhou chuan doesn't want to start a relationship with chu li. 2. The main "villain" of the drama is deputy chief miao. He was almost cartoonish in the way he went about trying to destroy his own company just to ruin chu li's career. I admit she was rude to him several times but he's so vengeful against her it feels like she ruined his life or something. He just exists to hate her intensely for no good reason i guess. Apart from that I've no complaints about this show. I know some people including me must be wary about the 36 episode run for a modern drama but trust me it's totally worth it. Its not only easily enjoyable but memorable in a way a lot of rom coms aren't. I assure you you will miss them once you're done with the show. Happy watching!

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A classic!!

As much as I love the fluff and flirting with no satisfying conclusion of the main leads new drama “ Love Game In Eastern Fantasy”…

It’s made me appreciate this drama a million times more… a proper beginning, middle and an end.

The story may seem slow in certain areas but with 4 more episodes than LGIEF… you get to see 75% of the cast from LGIEF and you get multiple kiss scenes, confessions and a proper ending with both leads in the scene ?

I’ll still be rewatching my Miao Miao and ZiQi clips from LGIEF but I’ll be forever binge watch Moonlight for its satisfying storytelling.

Please let the drama gods ? pair these two for another Romcom in the future ♥️

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Loved it!!!!

One of my fav ML...love his drama...i saw this because of him but soon i loved all the characters. The story is amazing...i got know more about the writers world and the book publication process and everything.

The couple are cute their on screen scenes are so funny cite adorable and everything. This drama avoids misunderstanding which creates whole new mess thing so thank god for that.

I was hooked from 1 st ep to last ep....its just amazing. It will be worth of your times. All the couples in the drama are sooo cute and i love the friendship/brotherhood between both ML lead and 2 ML lead or second couple ML .
All the actors did an amazong job...the cast picked for this drama is so perfect. The songs are so catchy!!!
I loved the ending...dont worry guys,its a happy ending so go on ypu can watch it!!
I hope you all will like it.

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When pursing your dreams, do not give up

There are a lot to learn in this drama, not only its a very well paced one with great casts. It really teaches you to not give up on pursuing what you want to do. When you fall, it is never to late to get up. With people around you giving you support or not, always do what you believe and want to do.

The romance part in this series was good, you've got the rom-com part and one with regrets but nonetheless everything works well it in end.

As an avid reader, I would also say that I've got even more insights on how publishing work, how important is each and every step.

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Nice to Watch Fun Main Couple

This is a 9.5 for because I really enjoyed the watching Chu Li and Zhou Chan. It made up for all the things that annoyed me.

I liked Esther Yu and how she portrayed Chu Li. There are a lot of comments about her voice and all, but I think it fits with the overall and I didn’t mind it at all. You’d think that she was acting too cutesy, but as I said it just fits with the overall character. She also played well in parts when it called for serious scenes. I liked Chu Li’s character. In the beginning I thought she was going to be the dumb female character who will be a pushover and bullied in the workplace. She turned out to be someone smart and got things done in her own way, sometimes while being cutesy  I loved how she dealt with Zhou Chan’s tantrums; sometimes he doesn’t even realize he’d been had.

I like Ryan Ding so I just enjoyed watching him  but he played Zhou Chan well too. His subtle expressions that tell all.

Their relationship was refreshing to watch, they communicated with each other, considerate and supportive of each other. Even that breakup and getting back together moment was just right, they were both reasonable – “I’m mad at you and I’m showing it. Realize where you were wrong. Sincere apology accepted. Back together.” No unnecessary dragging out problems – what a relief cause that always happens when there are too many episodes.

As much as I enjoyed watching Chu Li and Zhou Chan, it exhausted me to watch Jiang Yu Cheng and Gu Bai Zhi. I won’t go into too many details, just thankful that they finally sorted it out – well during the last two (?) episodes.

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Sweet but long winded

Sweet romance but the leads took too long to confess their feelings. This whole drama have lots of incessant scenes and I found myself having to skip through everything because the second leads are really boring. Story is mediocre but at least the romance is about authors and editors, rather than the typical overbearing boss with clumsy employee. Female lead is smart and naive at the same time. She is very successful and capable but failed to realise that male lead lied to her when she confronted about his other identity. There were so many clues and the reasoning he gave her to brush her suspicion off were not convincing enough and she believed it. It was nice to see the female lead changing the male lead from a hot tempered, weak-willed, lazy, unromantic with zero social skills to someone romantic, heart warming and supportive boyfriend. Female lead is very capable, successful and smart and is a huge pillar of support for male lead. She’s extremely bubbly, adorable and cute. When both of them were at their lowest, both of them stayed strong together and female lead slowly climbed her way up. There were no break ups at all. The dog was really cute. The second leads were boring. Literally skipped their parts out as they were predictable. This drama could have shortened to 24 episodes but they choose to have 36 episodes of unnecessary scenes.

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Wholesome, no misunderstandings drama

Ryan Ding deserves an award for this. He was able to pull off the childish and rude caharcter of a famous writer while making us relate to his emotions. The FL voice was annoying sometimes but it is her batural voice, no dubbing. I also really like how mature she was and how the couple handles all hardships together. Most poeple do not understand the importance of editors in the literature world, and this drama gives a great inspiration for people seeking suchvlesses known careers. In short this drama is like a combination of Full House, Romance is a bonus book, and Love 020. If you liked any of these, definitely watch this!!! If you know "the moon is beautiful tonight" you will love this drama for sure ??❤.

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It's not that I disagree with the positive reviews...

...but honestly I don't have the attention span for this kind of slow-progressing storyline.

The slowburn romance was lovely. Ding Yu Xi absolutely blows it out of the water as the tsundere ML who is clingy and head over heels in love but unable to show it. I love a good grumpy/sunshine setup.

But the majority of the drama revolved around the FL's career in editing and her workplace troubles, which almost immediately got tiring and I started skipping scenes by like 8 episodes in. (Ironic, actually, since I personally have worked in the fiction editing business for years now. You'd think it would be uniquely interesting to me.)

Also, Esther's voice >.< I cannot get over the baby talk, it's just impossible to ignore.

TROPES:
- boss/employee relationship (author & editor)
- grumpy ML / sunshine FL
- ML falls first and is clingy, possessive, jealous, physically affectionate
- cheerful, hardworking but poor FL
- love triangle & eventual secondary couple
- workplace drama set in the publishing industry
- good skinship, great kisses, but be prepared to wait for it

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A dreamy and cute romance!

goodness me, what a delightful watch!

pros:
- wonderfully written characters who developed well as the episodes went on. there was a beautiful balance between romance and plot happenings.
- healthy relationship between the leads. it started off rocky with ZC’s very apparent daddy issues but I love how his character actually grew and matured while still maintaining a playful air! i love the trust and loyalty they had towards each other, with a sprinkle of healthy jealousy. it was so nice to watch <3
- the plot was actually good! i feel that often with cdramas, the romance and story can clash or be incompatible sometimes and i lose interest in one or the other after a bit but i enjoyed both in Moonlight! it was nice seeing some insight into the publishing world
- i loveeeee the beige/warm colour palette and aesthetics. so comforting :)
- the acting was great :D DYX has really nailed the loving gaze (reminds me of Mark Prin’s loving gazes haha) and his kisses are so good lol there were some bits from Esther’s side where i felt was a bit awkward? but overall, everyone did a good job.
- side characters were not jarring and i didn’t feel like they’re screentime was taking away from the leads’ storyline. well written once again!
- the natsume soseki references. ugh will never be soft for ‘the moon is beautiful tonight’ confessions.
- the ending was perfect! beautifully wrapped up :) love it when they end with them becoming a family and not just a wedding :D
- er gou. that’s it. that’s the tweet.

cons:
- i did skip Jiang yu cheng’s storyline and romance, it was so boring to me lol
- it got a *little* draggy near the middle before zhou chuan and chu li got together. they overused the interruption before the leads wanted to say smth trope and it got annoying after a point. nothing a good skip can’t solve though.
- sorry but zhou chuan’s style was horrendous LOL he’s meant 28 year old man they were dressing him like a 12 year old fortnite kids at times (what was with the hoodie + blazer/trench coat combo?!) esther’s styling was nice though.
- i am not a fan of babyish female leads and unfortunately chu li was just that. it took me at least 10 episodes to tolerate the baby voices, sounds, accent and mannerisms. while i still enjoyed her character in the end, i felt like her character could have done without it. it seems she always gets casted in these type of roles since her voice is very scratchy and squeaky and is so unpleasant to listen to when she wails. her acting is pretty good though so it didn’t ruin the drama for me in the end.

overall, a very smooth sailing drama and such a gem! i highly highly recommend it! 9/10

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