This is going to be a long review. There is just so much to say about this excellent drama!

As a longtime big fan of Dylan Wang this was a mandatory watch for me and I could not be happier. Where his acting in Xianxia and Wuxia could use some work before, he's bringing it in this one. Where he could not muster a lot of emotion in his expression before, he is even doing micro-expressions this time and it is a joy to watch him exploring his range. He is regal, cold, majestic when we first meet Dong Fang Qing Cang, and we discover his soft, giddy and happy side when he meets the love of his life. We see his jealousy, anger, uncertainty and deep sadness as the story progresses.
Esther Yu, the Female lead is equally impressive portraying both the child like and happy fairy Orchid (Xiao Lan Hua) and the Goddess Xi Yui, who is much more serious and has a very different demeanor than the fairy, mainly because she needs to act like she does not remember DFQC at all.

The other main roles, as Orchids initial love interest Changheng, Fairy Danyin, Rong Hao, Shangque and Jieli really give the story its cohesiveness and have their own interesting stories and tragedies. I would have liked to see more of the Black Dragon Shangque, but I am certainly not complaining about the visuals of this drama.

The story is told in a direct and dynamic way. Between following the storyline, watching the stunning visuals and admiring the actors, there is no getting bored with this drama. Although riddled with tropes, it never feels copied or easy. Not with the visit to the mortal world, or the body-swaps, or the dying for each other.

Apart from the stunningly beautiful cast, the backdrop of the different realms, with its colored skies, ice, lakes, forests and flowers are breathtaking. Every detail has been considered, everything looks heavenly, ethereal and divine as it should since these are heavenly realms after all. All realms have their own distinct aesthetic, even the mortal realm looks colorful and fantastic

The costumes in this drama are in a league of their own. They are perfection, especially those made for Dong Fang Qing Cang. They start off as mainly black, but gradually more color is added. Blues, Greens, Gold, Brown. All stunningly embroidered and fitted. I found myself distracted by them more than once.

Special attention also went into the soundtrack. Aside from the fantastic theme songs, the score and sounds throughout are perfect. Birds chirping, (cloud)whales singing, minimal music, the beautiful flute sounds of Rong Hao. The story is, although mostly a standard dramatic and partly tragic Xianxia, very well-paced and with hardly any plot holes, loose ends or rogue characters. It all fits neatly together, has a start, middle and finish. There's (of course) a lot of death and destruction, but also a lot of hope and actual sense made out of the messes made.

There was not a detail that was overlooked in this drama, everything was done with so much care and attention, it is almost unbelievable. I would like to believe this will set a new standard for the genre.

Well, was there anything I did not like? Why yes, yes there was. Dylan still needs kissing lessons....