Rubu99
This review may contain spoilers
Defying Destiny - Follow Your Cracked, Bleeding Heart
I really enjoyed Till the End of the Moon and was swept along with its passionate story telling, gross flaws (misunderstandings galore, deep cuts to make a 40 episode limit), copious blood spitting, makeup mishaps and all! It was a roller coaster ride and highly memorable because of its compelling main characters with their larger than life goals and the blistering chemistry of the lead actors LYX and BL. Their acting elevated the imperfect script and kept me invested to binge the episodes and hoping to see them earn happiness together at the end.
Story: 7.5/10
The story has 4 arcs: Hostage Prince, Bore Dream, Jing Kingdom, and Immortal realm. For me, the first arc was the most suspenseful and character driven part of the story. If the level of story telling had stayed at this level, I would have easily rated the story telling 9.5/10. Still there were many twists and turns throughout to keep me engaged in the story. However, it was frustrating to see all the misunderstandings driving a number of plot lines starting from the Bore dream arc, Jing Kingdom and Immortal arcs. This didn't do justice to the intelligence and craftiness that the leading characters showed in the first 1/4 of the story. The characters of TTJ and YXW/LSS had conflicting values and these were not fully mined; instead misunderstandings caused by third parties were too heavily used to drive the plot.
The last 1/4 of the drama suffered the most in terms of inconsistent edits, sharp scene transitions, Li Su Su was missing in action at critical times, and the ending felt rushed. I think that credit is still due for the high level of risk taking the show took in having flawed characters, distinct world building for 3 different realms, complex action sequences, flamboyant costumes and dramatic makeup. The show was not trying to be subtle! The characters dared to love and hate fully, which was a blast to watch their passion!
Acting: 9.5/10
The show toned down both main characters from the novel who were much darker and cruel. Even so LYX was TTJ lifted from the page. He captured TTJ's essence perfectly with a very nuanced performance as a tortured, vicious and dark anti-hero with an eventual redemptive arc. His chemistry with BL as YXW/LSS was blistering and they had incredible push and pull. BL's acting as YXW/LSS was versatile but the meat of the drama's story-telling focused on TTJ's growth and trajectory. This is different from the novel where the story is mainly from YXW/LSS's perspective. The last third of the drama was light on character development for LSS and did not showcase BL's acting as highly.
Music: 9/10
The OST grew on me. It was used effectively in the more dramatic scenes. However, there were parts where the music was distracting.
Rewatch value: 9/10
TTEOTM has numerous highlights and memorable scenes. I've been back to rewatch the highlights. Now if only there could be a director's cut released!
Overall: 9/10
The show is imperfect but overall compelling and deserves to be commended for the risks it took.
Story: 7.5/10
The story has 4 arcs: Hostage Prince, Bore Dream, Jing Kingdom, and Immortal realm. For me, the first arc was the most suspenseful and character driven part of the story. If the level of story telling had stayed at this level, I would have easily rated the story telling 9.5/10. Still there were many twists and turns throughout to keep me engaged in the story. However, it was frustrating to see all the misunderstandings driving a number of plot lines starting from the Bore dream arc, Jing Kingdom and Immortal arcs. This didn't do justice to the intelligence and craftiness that the leading characters showed in the first 1/4 of the story. The characters of TTJ and YXW/LSS had conflicting values and these were not fully mined; instead misunderstandings caused by third parties were too heavily used to drive the plot.
The last 1/4 of the drama suffered the most in terms of inconsistent edits, sharp scene transitions, Li Su Su was missing in action at critical times, and the ending felt rushed. I think that credit is still due for the high level of risk taking the show took in having flawed characters, distinct world building for 3 different realms, complex action sequences, flamboyant costumes and dramatic makeup. The show was not trying to be subtle! The characters dared to love and hate fully, which was a blast to watch their passion!
Acting: 9.5/10
The show toned down both main characters from the novel who were much darker and cruel. Even so LYX was TTJ lifted from the page. He captured TTJ's essence perfectly with a very nuanced performance as a tortured, vicious and dark anti-hero with an eventual redemptive arc. His chemistry with BL as YXW/LSS was blistering and they had incredible push and pull. BL's acting as YXW/LSS was versatile but the meat of the drama's story-telling focused on TTJ's growth and trajectory. This is different from the novel where the story is mainly from YXW/LSS's perspective. The last third of the drama was light on character development for LSS and did not showcase BL's acting as highly.
Music: 9/10
The OST grew on me. It was used effectively in the more dramatic scenes. However, there were parts where the music was distracting.
Rewatch value: 9/10
TTEOTM has numerous highlights and memorable scenes. I've been back to rewatch the highlights. Now if only there could be a director's cut released!
Overall: 9/10
The show is imperfect but overall compelling and deserves to be commended for the risks it took.
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