If there is a must-watch Xianxia drama every year, Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀) undoubtedly earns this honor for 2022. The novel with the same name is written by author Jiu Lu Fei Xiang (九鹭非香), who is a proclaimed writer in China for many of her famous novels, a few of which have been adapted into successful dramas, including The Legends and The Blue Whisper, and a few more on the way. The Chinese title of LBFAD directly translates to “The Legend of Cang and Orchid”, which is exactly what the story is about, a romance between the lofty Moon Tribe leader Dong Fang Qing Cang and a girl with the true form of an orchid flower.

However, don’t fret! Love Between Fairy and Devil is not your usual tropey Chinese fantasy romance. Instead, the introduction of a unique plot and characters is wonderful for veteran Xianxia lovers who have begun to become tired of Xianxias with cold and powerful god male leads and naive and pretty much powerless female leads. The love story between Dong Fang Qing Cang and Xiao Lanhua is pretty much a beautiful forbidden love, as there are over thirty thousand years of hatred between the Moon Tribe and Immortal Tribe, where these two lovers are from, respectively. While other Xianxia male leads are busy “protecting the world” and “ensuring eternal peace”, Dong Fang Qing Cang has set his world on destroying Shui Yun Tian, the home of his enemy tribe, the immortals. An emotionless man, he only knows of hurting and killing.

That is, until he meets Xiao Lanhua, a pure soul who believes that every little life is precious. Unfortunately for the timid little orchid at the beginning, fate ties her to the terrifying Moon Lord. One glare from Dong Fang Qing Cang is enough to make her shiver for hours, but even DFQC wasn’t an exception to her immense love for the world. A few viewers have even mentioned that their romance gave off a Beauty and the Beast vibe at the beginning, and I can totally see it, however, Xiao Lanhua quickly became the only person that could make Dong Fang Qing Cang, smile, laugh, and scream his heart out for her.

Even if she was a mere orchid. And this is the beauty of this forbidden romance, how this emotionless man who killed without hesitating warmed up in front of Xiao Lanhua, showing that human relationships can indeed help heal and recover from painful pasts. True love does not have boundaries, nor does it care about status or nobility.

Before gushing about the talented cast, it is crucial to talk about the production of this drama. As with most dramas, the production of a series can either destroy or bring the story to light. The latter was the case for LBFAD. From the ethereal beads that glistened against Xiao Lanhua’s hair to Dong Fang Qing Cang’s golden branch-like crown, it is clear that everything, from hairstyles to costumes to the sets has been meticulously planned to enhance the entire drama experience. The director of LBFAD, Yi Zheng, once mentioned that preparation before filming took more than 4 years, the reason for the gorgeous production quality. Costumes embodied every character’s personality, from the hyper Jie Li with a dark past to Xiao Lanhua’s pastel translucent dresses. The interior of Dong Fang Qing Cang’s Moon Palace is also very appealing to the eyes, including a bit of western influence, as apparent in his grand canopy bed and busy inner courtyard. Although a Chinese drama, the Moon tribe sets surprisingly gave off a rather early European vibe.

Character and location names were added to the side, and were immensely helpful to both new and veteran Xianxia watchers, as we all know, a large majority of Chinese costume dramas tend to have countless characters, and it takes quite a few episodes to remember who is who. That being said, the different locations in the drama each have different feelings for their unique appearances. Shui Yun Tian is home to these supposedly “good” immortals, the vastness of the palaces and hall bereft of friends and family, while the small villages filled with Moon Tribe women are filled with love and care as they grieve for their dead husbands, brothers, and sons.

When I first learned of the cast of Love Between Fairy and Devil, I admit, with full guilt now, that I scoffed at the lead pairing. But please, please do not give up the thought of watching this drama because of Yu Shuxin (Esther) and Wang Hedi. In fact, I believe that Director Yi made one of the best decisions by casting these two talented actors. If you, like me, have watched a few of YSX and WHD’s previous dramas, you will be blown away by how much their acting has improved. Not only have they perfectly embraced Dong Fang Qing Cang and Xiao Lanhua, but they have also truly brought them to life. When they smile and laugh, we follow along. When they cry, bawling their tears out, the audience can’t help but do the same.

Here’s an important heads up: If you’ve watched Yu Shuxin’s Moonlight, you have already gotten a sense of her voice, which she dubs herself. I myself do not find her voice annoying, however, many have expressed their opinions when it comes to her rather high-pitched voice, which is not very appealing to some. Xiao Lanhua’s high voice does not indicate a naive little girl, or what we would call a ‘Sha bai tian’ (傻白甜) in China, but rather shows her character growth in the series, which will become more apparent in further episodes. Yu Shuxin started as a very talented singer, and she was blessed with the talent of being able to change notes and pitches flawlessly. Xiao Lanhua’s higher voice at the beginning is an indication of her carefreeness as an unimportant orchid as she travels on this journey.

The personality contrast between the leads is interesting, but what’s more special about this pairing is how different they are from what one could call your ‘usual’ Xianxia pairing. It’s about time we got a badass evil sexy male lead who was trying to destroy the Three Realms. No more wonderful Three Realms saver! The female lead doesn’t need saving every time, either. Although she is much weaker than Dong Fang Qing Cang, Xiao Lanhua’s broad understanding of love has taken her a long way. As she’s said before, “I love all beings, but I also love one person.”

Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of LBFAD, however, is how much the leads’ have improved with their acting. Wang Hedi and Yu Shuxin were absolutely BOMB in a way that no one saw coming. When DFCQ and XLH swapped bodies, it was still clear as ever who was who. Wang Hedi immediately embodied Xiao Lanhua’s bubbly but panicked appearance, while Yu Shuxin became a stone-faced character in a pastel-costumed girl. Furthermore, as the story advanced and the leads experience more together, their acting drops mouths as our leads smile and laugh, and eventually, cry and scream. It is simply astonishing how much Dylan Wang and Esther Yu have improved that it’s pretty much hard to describe in words. And their chemistry? Hands down a flammable perfect. I’m sure all of us who have watched the entire drama would agree that it wouldn’t be fair for them to not win a prestigious acting award for their roles in LBFAD. This drama is truly their drama breakthrough, winning them millions of followers on social media platforms, not just in China, but all around the world.

It was also nice to see the spotlight on supporting characters in a balanced way. They weren’t given too much screen time nor were they not given enough. All the stories of the more relevant supporting characters were addressed in very well-rounded ways. No matter good or evil, each character showed significant growth, prompting the audience to cheer them on. This is another beauty of the series, how each figure was given a bit of screen time with an understandable and apparent growth in their experiences and personalities. Even the so-called ‘villains’ had their own backstories and reasons. (cough cough, besides Yun Zhong Jun, aka Lord in the Clouds) I myself have a selection of favorite supporting characters, from the ‘stupid’ black dragon Shang Que to even the villainous Rong Hao. Li Yitong even acted as Xiao Lanhua’s master, Si Ming. Although she was invited as a guest role, she has had an immense impact on this drama.

Finally, this review would not at all be complete without a description of this amazing OST. It’s been a long time since a Chinese drama has had such a well-rounded soundtrack. By well-rounded, I imply songs with smaller stories woven in, with a multitude of well-known talented singers. Zhou Shen, Liu Yuning, Faye Chan, twins Jing Long and Jing Di, Shuang Sheng, basically any famous Cdrama singer you can think of. Do you want a song of longing? You got it. A song of the happy romance between the leads? Here you are, sung by our wonderful leads. Each melody was beautifully written and sung, and you probably won’t find a better 2022 Cdrama OST than this one:

1. Finding You (寻一个你) - Liu Yu Ning
2. Remaining Feelings (余情) - Zhou Shen
3. Cutting Off Love (诀爱) - Faye Chan
4. Shore (彼岸) - Jing Long & Jing Di
5. Longing (念) - Shuang Sheng
6. Amnesia (失忆) - Yu Shu Xin
7. Cang-Lan’s Oath (苍兰契) - Li Chang Chao
8. I Still Remember That Day - Shen Yi Cheng
(我还记得那天)
9. I Want To Be With You - Yu Shuxin, Wang Hedi
(想和你)

All in all, if you’re tired of the cliche Xianxias that have been aired over the past few years, you’re in the perfect place. The drama is also ‘only’ 36 episodes, which is quite short for a well-produced Xianxia romance (which tend to be 50-70 episodes long), but is so well-rounded in all aspects that you will be longing for more when you finish the last episode. The romance between Dong Fang Qing Cang and Xiao Lanhua is so pure, yet so beautiful. With a nice little ending, you will certainly fall in love with LBFAD.

“My Xiao Lanhua, there is no reasoning to love. No matter good or evil, immortal or mortal, if you love him, you love him.”

-Si Ming

Update: Btw, check out my article with Cho na about LBFAD!
https://mydramalist.com/article/how-to-make-a-romantic-xianxia-love-between-fairy-and-devil