Black Lotus Tactics Manual (2024)

A pleasant surprise!

This drama exceeded all my expectations. Such drama is usually not my alley abd I only plan to watch this one for fun but oh boy, I was so wrong. I was in for a ride, waiting for the next episodes to come. Honestly, I don't plan to make a review for this one if not for the spamming behaviour.
Pacing is surprisingly good. They didn't dwell too long on that damn bracelet.
Comedic timing is on point. The lightning, fake end credits, dust demon missing a decimal and Miao miao dying several times to offer medicine are funny.
Ding Yuxi is so good! His eyes are enough to express emotions. Yu Shuxin is good too. I cried during the father scene.
Script is the best selling point of this drama. The scriptwriter made changes that I actually appreciate, such as Miao Miao not being too clingy to Fuyi for the mission. I also appreciate how Miao Miao's remarks resonate with me as a viewer.

Leia Mais

The Chemistry is Amazing + Endings isn't for everyone!

I rarely watch any Chinese period / costume dramas ...
This drama drew me in the plot is quite unique.
The story starts off great .We are thoroughly engaged and entertained till ep 19 then the story might go downhill a bit ...
But the story is still quite interesting and worth following.They could hav done better work in terms of the screenwriting ...It could hav been a little more well thought.
I hav no regerts watching this drama ...
But I do wish a few things were better .
Pros:
1. The cast is absolutely outstanding they didn't leave any gaps in their acting ..It's their best work so far .
2.The VFX is totally on point ...this is great when u watch it on TV ...Very beautiful work
3.The plot is quite interesting and unique.

Cons:
1.After ep 19 there can be many NPC like conversation that can cause boredom
2.The romance is visible but there No kiss scenes for our leads .But there r a few scenes for our second leads.
3.The ending is not what u would typically expect.It is still heartwarming when u take a minute and think about it .
4.It has quite an open ending with happiness .
It's not everyone's cup of tea.

It's a great watch ....the ending is quite satisfying if u take a minute and think about it.
It was a nice and heartwarming experience at the end .No regrets!

Leia Mais

Dare I say one of the best of 2024...

I love every minute of the this show. Personally, I thought the ending was really confusing but it still somehow worked. The last 3 episodes was so just so much information for it to be mushed into 3 episodes. The ending felt really really rushed and for that I had to bring down a point. The storyline other wise was amazing as well as the cast of characters; from the main character to the side characters, everyone was very well flushed-out and they're not just NCPs in a story; they are their own characters and have a flushed out story. The ending message was so meaningful: "When can someone love someone else at 100%? Of course it's not when I love you more than I love myself. It's only when I truly love myself, believe in myself, then I can full-heartedly and truly love you."

Casting choices was amazing. Yu Shu Xin and Ding Yu Xi did absolutely phenomenal. Their acting was so well done from the micro-expressions to the emotional scenes to the comedic scenes. However, I wish they would've let DYX use his actual voice in the drama because it suited the Zi Qi so well. He has that youthful rebellious voice that suits him so well. From the second I watched Moonlight, another drama with YSX and DYX as the mains, they've been my favorite duo/couple because their chemistry is so good together. Please, I need another drama with them. I love how this is both YSX and DYX, and Zhu Xu Dan and Yang Shi Ze's 2nd time working with each other as couples. ZXD and YSZ were together in Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red Moon Pact. YSX, DYX, and YSZ all worked together in Moonlight as well.

Overall I really really loved this drama, truly one of the best dramas of 2024, if not only of my personal favorites of all time (it changes a lot, but i think it secured a spot in the top 10).

Leia Mais

I wish I could rate this drama in parts - a 9/10 for the first 20 episodes or so, and an 8/10 for the latter half. The first part had almost everything I wanted in a xianxia, and it was unexpectedly hilarious, touching, and romantic. Props to the cast, but especially Esther and Yu Xi who really played their roles well.

Perhaps because the first part was so good that the latter half fell short for me - the plot moved much slower, and moments between the two main leads lessened a lot as the focus was more on the background of the second leads and ML.

Overall though, this was a really nice, feel good drama.

Leia Mais

A Well-Paced, Heart Warming Watch

I went into this drama, expecting something that would help me pass the time. By no means, did I expect myself to be so enamoured, that I would wake up early every morning to watch the newest episode. Not a single scene had been skipped while watching.

I think many people brush over the real charm of this show. While, yes, there is great romantic chemistry between both lead couples (I giggled through every scene), what stood out to me, and what is severely lacking in other romances, is the platonic chemistry between all five cast members. Yes, I know, you're telling me this is not entirely uncommon. What sets LGIEF apart, however, is that every character is given a chance to shine, WITHOUT taking away from the protagonists story.

To see other characters fleshed out, in my opinion, makes the world feel all the more real.

Finally, while I agree with sentiments that "the latter half was not as enchanting as the first", it remained infinitely more interesting than your average drama. I, personally, enjoyed it completely, and urge others to not be discouraged. On my part, the only reason I've taken away points, is for how explicitly rushed the last few episodes were. Another episode, or two would have been great.

Leia Mais

Favorite drama of this year!

I did not have high expectations for this drama. From the trailers it looked too light and childish for my taste but wow was I surprised at how much I enjoyed this!

The premise is very novel and the 4 mains are perfectly cast. Ding Yuxi is amazing here. His expressions are so subtle and really convey his internal turmoil while Esther Yu is irresistibly adorable! Can't imagine any other actors playing Mu Sheng and Ling MiaoMiao. So many funny and cute scenes. I did not skip even a second of this! Some people didnt like the ending but i loved that they went for a very original end that made sense for this story. Loved this!

Leia Mais

amazing chemistry amazing acting

The drama starts with our female lead Miaomiao who gets sucked into a novel she was reading. However this novel is under the setting of a video game so she experiences multiple deaths and loopholes similar to a game. Our male lead Ziqi/Musheng is the brother of the supposed main leads of the novel but also the love interest of Miaomiao. Miaomiao’s mission was to make Ziqi fall in love with (i.e like her 100%). Initially Ziqi hated her and the number was -200 usually but eventually they became close and he fell for her.

Now this is a highly summarized plot, there is actually a lot more that goes on but it was not easy to understand. Even with English subs I found it difficult to understand the plot at the beginning. However towards the end it became much easier to understand. This had me thinking….what if the complicated plot at the start was something the director aimed for because!! The way miaomiao was sucked into the novel was because she was writing a negative comment about the novel on how this time the plot made no sense and it lacked depth. But when she went into the story she tried to make changes to the plot in a way she believed it would make better sense. The small changes made at the start of course will have a butterfly effect for items at the end. Hence if this was aimed for then it was quite smart.

#DingYuxi was amazing like really insane. His acting his entire aura throughout the drama would just make you wanna keep watching the show. The small details he had with every scene, smirks, anger, tears wow it was really good. #EstherYu initially you may think she has the same cute role again but her character really grows on you cause she is so cute and funny. She made her character very lovable. Their chemistry once again was beautiful! It’s shocking to realize that there was not a single kiss scene the entire drama but it was still very cute. Majority of the viewers are hoping for them to reunite in a 3rd drama together.

A few things that could have been improved. Firstly the romance of the second leads…I couldn’t feel their chemistry much and it was not really that interesting to watch them. Their acting was rather stiff so it felt like there was a huge difference between the main leads and the second leads.

Next, the ending…if you don’t want to be spoiled you can stop reading now…Im really not sure why cdramas can never do their ending nicely or have a proper closure…that’s right once again this drama had an open ending. To be honest, in the novel world there is a ending but when it comes to reality its open..However, towards the end the plot was quite rushed and it felt like they dropped the romance part because once they confirmed their feelings for each other we barely got scenes with them together. It was more fluttering towards the start.

Overall, watching this drama would really make you into a Ding Yuxi fan, his acting was top notch ! I would definitely rewatch this drama just like how I rewatched Moonlight a few times!

Leia Mais

Stick through ups and downs together

Another day, another review. Just you know, I only finished LGIEF yesterday due to the fact that I couldn’t maintain my schedule properly and FOF was also airing at the same time (you can imagine how messy my life is). Thank goodness, after done with FOF, I picked this show up where I left off and continued through the story. FYI, I’ve been waiting for a year and had read the manga back and forth to grasp the leads’ explosive chemistry and the mesmerizing unique plot.

So, the story revolves around a modern-day girl named Ling Miaomiao, who loved to read fantasy novels by her favorite author, Fu Zhou. One day, Miaomiao was writing an overly critical review about Fu Zhou’s newest book titled Catching Demons when she was suddenly sucked into the book itself. Miaomiao quickly realized that she had accidentally triggered the system and entered the world of Catching Demons. To return to the real world, Miaomiao had to complete the plot and also deal with the enigmatic tsundere boy Mu Sheng, his doting sister Mu Yao alongside her lover Liu Fuyi. As she navigated through this otherworld, Miaomiao decided to change the whole story and rewrite their supposedly bad ending into a good one.

I must admit that LGIEF’s script is a very intelligent one. As we all know very well, transmigration plot has been recycled multiple times especially in mini dramas, however this show proves me wrong about it. It is not your typical old school cliché and also incorporates modern and traditional culture in one go, which adds a breath of fresh air for those who loathe cliché scenes and stuffs like that. I also like the moral lessons sprinkled in this show especially the one that I write above (that’s the life lesson which Miaomiao always emphasizes whenever they’re in perilous situations). My slight complain is that they never explain how Fu Zhou can transmigrate into the novel too and why he doesn’t have any memory of himself, but the memory of Mu Sheng instead :(

By the way, Esther Yu and Ryan Ding’s explosive chemistry is the main weapon which makes the watchers ship them more and more. I love the way they always bicker with each other and the emotional scenes are also heart-wrenching. I personally find that Esther Yu’s bubbly voice doesn’t annoy me and her acting skill has improved a lot too (I’m sorry for dropping Love Between Fairy and Devil tho). This is my first show of Ryan Ding and I must say that he embodies the role of Mu Sheng really well, giving off sarcastic bad boy aura from the get go lol.

However, the same can’t be said to the second couple. I’ve seen Zhu Xudan and Yang Shize back in Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact and I like their interactions there. Nonetheless, in this show, all they do is being poker-faced and never smile. I don’t whether the fault lies on the script (they’re required to act like NPCs cause they’re no real characters) or what, but I can’t detect any chemistry from them.

By the way, special mention to our bamboo kiddo Cuicui – he’s the cutest boy ever and the way he clings to his grandpa… SOOO CUTTTEEEE

Sets, wardrobes, cinematography, OSTs, BGMs are done right too. The ones that I particularly like are the Astronomical Bureau’s entrance and also the piano BGM when they’re forced to make a decision or complete a mission together.

Would I recommend it? YES, you should give this masterpiece a go! You won’t regret wasting your time in this show and my 32 hours is worth it. Good luck and happy watching!!!

Leia Mais

The Best Chinese Fantasy Drama of 2024

If you need something light and funny drama with perfect cast and heart touching storyline, this drama is for you. Cast choice is really perfect. It looks like Yu Shu Xin is born to act as Ling Miao Miao and Ding Yu Xi is born to act as Mu Zi Qi. Thier chemistry is perfect. Pacing is also okay, not dragging. Funny elements and new plot twists makes me excited for each episode. Not just main cp, there're many heart touching side stories. Steller Production company 's CGI are really good too. Although it's not perfect 100%, it's undeniable that it's one of the hit drama of 2024 in Chinese Drama Land.

Leia Mais

Best Cdrama of this genre in 2024 and perhaps last few years

Had to create an MDL account just to praise how amazing this drama is. The unraveling of the entire premise of the drama from episode 1 to 32 really couldn't have been done any better imho. This style of giving side or guest roles to prominent actors makes the viewer feel as if the production company is intentionally and sincerely creating a great drama and not just another run of the mill production. The overall aesthetics, costumes and set designs is mesmerizing and of course the drama is full of pretty and handsome characters. The ML and FL chemistry is off the charts and I could easily watch another ten episodes of only their interactions. Have to make a special mention of Cui Cui the little bamboo demon as the brilliant acting of this little fella made me smile with joy every time he was on screen. Pretty much all of the other cast do an excellent job too. The story telling of this drama is just so well done I had to take pause at several moments to appreciate just how good it was. It's also on netflix so can rewatch in one full sitting with English subtitles.

This drama should hopefully sweep the awards of 2024 but had to specifically say for this genre as it's too difficult to choose between this, War of Faith and She and Her Girls.

Leia Mais

DRAMA RAMAH DI MATA

DEMI APA! INI BAGUS BANGETT~

Bagi kalian yang baru coba-coba mau nonton dracin, aku rekomendasiin yang satu ini deh. Dramanya Esther Yu sama Ding Yuxi memang sulit ditolak. Chemistry pasangan ini epic banget nget-nget. Saya juga suka tema ceritanya tentang si cewek masuk ke dunia dalam game. Seandainya si cewe bisa bertindak sendiri pasti dramanya bakalan ngebosenin tapi coy ini tindakan/gerak gerik cewenya diatur sistem coy. Makanya harus pinter-pinter cari jalan keluar dari tugas yang biasa diberikan sama sistem yang terkadang resikonya nyawa jadi taruhan. Ini ramah banget untuk keluarga, semua usia bisa nonton. Ada sedihnya, senangnya, komedinya behh. Untuk visual cocok" aja sih menurut aku dan efek gambar juga keren jempol deh buat yang bikin drama ini. Mereka juga pinter pilih pemain dalam drama ini yang membuat keseluruhan dramanya bagus. HARUS NONTON YAA!!!

Leia Mais