Cang Lan Jue (2022)

Love Can Melt Even the Coldest of Hearts

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

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Beautiful Forbidden Love

Love Between Fairy and Devil is a xianxia drama, which narrates the story of forbidden love between a devil and a fairy. The drama has everything a xianxia drama has: forbidden love, reincarnation, a cold male lead falling in love with the warm and bubbly female lead making it his only weakness, female lead with hidden identity and more. But what makes this drama stands out from other xianxia drama is that it has a VERY BEAUTIFUL visual sequence, graphics, and cinematography. Love Between Fairy and Devil successfully brought the 仙（fairy） element into their drama, and I think the drama has raised the standard high for the next xianxia drama.

The narrative of Love Between Fairy and Devil is straightforward, about a fairy unaccidentally saving the demon lord and they gradually fell in love. The screenwriter managed to write a very cohesive and compelling story, also with a coherent storyline making it easy for the audience to understand. The drama also manages to seamlessly combine comedy, romance, also angst in the latter part. Every character in the drama also has their own background story with their own personal motive, each character is there not only for the sake of getting the male and female lead together nor just to make the drama plot more lively, but each character is there making their own decision which gradually leads and builds up to the whole drama plot.

What makes Love Between Fairy and Devil distinctive from other xianxia is definitely its art department and how well they articulate it. The drama manages to articulate the vision of the fantasy world and everything that comes with it. It is beautifully and enchantingly portrayed that you would actually believe the presence of such world, where there are pink skies with whales, a pavilion full of flowers, a castle on top of a hill, and more. It has been a while since there is such beautiful and mesmerizing graphics in a drama. You can see that the drama spends most of its budget on its art department, starting from costumes, CGI, graphics, more (IQIYI also offers the drama in 4k quality!).

Firstly, the drama costumes are very beautiful, the costume department puts a lot of thought and effort into their costume. Everyone's outfit is fitting to their character and demeanour. DongFang QingCang’s outfit is mostly black but also with a hint of gold, showing his sovereignty as the moon supreme. Xiao Lan Hua’s outfit is in bright pastel colours fitting with her character and personality as a fairy with a bright and bubbly personality. Other than the main characters, the side characters also have very pretty costumes, such as Chang Heng’s war costume. Moreover, the drama also has very beautiful headpieces, especially for the male characters, which are rarely seen in other historical dramas.

Secondly, the graphics and CGI of each realm, location, and power special effects are rendered so smooth that it resulted in an ethereal and mind-blowing result. Such as DongFang QingCang’s hell flame, when he summoned the dragon, the arbiter hall, and more. The drama is meticulous in every aspect from its colour palette, visual art, CGI, and lighting, everything is well thought. I especially love the scene where Rong Hao and Chang Heng entered the painting, they really ook like they're in a painting, they look 2d, which beautifully reflects the beauty of China's culture.

Thirdly, I also love how the drama sets a certain persona and design for each tribe and realm meticulously. For instance, in the fairy realm, the gods use bright and light outfits and headpieces with overexposure to the lighting. The fairy realm has a very heavy element of the Chinese culture, meanwhile, the demon/ moon realm has a hint of medieval elements in its location, outfits and more. The drama team also paid attention to those small actors/extras like the guards, their outfit is not sloppy, it is fitting to the overall persona they set. Such as the moon palace guards has dark and big outfit which looks intricate!

Yu Shuxin plays Xiao Lan Hua (the orchid fairy), but she’s also Xi Yun, the goddess. I think she did a really good job in acting as Xiao Lan Hua, a character like Xiao Lan Hua can be easy to hate since she might come out as being too fake or too flamboyant, but Esther Yu manages to pull off the character effortlessly. She is able to radiate different energy in different situations but still remembers the essence of her character, a warm and bubbly fairy. Some may dislike her character because she is a damsel in distress, often waiting for others to save her, but it’s understandable since she is only a “lowly fairy” with limited power. Other than acting as Xiao Lan Hua, Yu Shuxin also acted as DongFang QingCang and the goddess, and she's able to pull off the three characters flawlessly. She is versatile, she is able to change her demeanour and articulation according to each character. Yu Shuxin also used her own voice here, I personally love her voice, I find her voice very fitting to the character. I am definitely looking forward to her future work!

Wang Hedi showed tremendous improvement since Miss The Dragon. His acting is much more natural here, he is able to show real expressions and blend into the character. Despite being the moon supreme with no emotions, he’s still able to show slight emotions and show how his icy heart sea slowly melts. I think he did a great job portraying the emotionless moon supreme, DongFang QingCang, through his body and eye language, he is especially good when he is being majestic and when he is attacking others. As he is also slowly transitioning into someone with emotions, he gradually makes more micro-expressions and gestures to show how he’s gradually starting to fall in love, have empathy and more. His crying scenes are also very infectious, you would empathize with him and feel what he's feeling as well because that is how good his crying scenes are.

Moreover, Love Between Fairy and Devil also has a very beautiful soundtrack and background music. The soundtracks are very ethereal and fitting to the drama, it is stunningly beautiful that it will make you think of all the magic, beautiful places and situations in drama. The drama also has notable music scoring, the music scoring used in the drama intensifies each and every scene.

Another special mention to the whole production team of Love Between Fairy and Devil. The actors, production team, and marketing team, all have done a very outstanding job, they are passionate, putting in all their heart into it, thus producing such a best drama! The production team doesn't hesitate to spend money to where it should be spent, such as the special effect, outfits, music scoring and more. The production team also spend a lot of effort and thought on the drama's posters and artwork. The drama soundtrack artwork is STUNNING, unlike other dramas where they just used background or a picture of the couple with some borders and stick the title on it, Love Between Fairy and Devil has some really meticulous and well-thought album artwork. The soundtrack's artwork is paintings of their character with very beautiful scenery, if you haven’t seen it, I am highly suggesting you take a look at it because it will definitely render you breathless.

One thing that I find a pity is that the ending is too rushed, I would love to see more of DongFang QingCang and Xiao Lanhua's happy life :"))

Overall, do give this drama a try! Love Between Fairy and Devil is definitely a top-tier xianxia drama, there isn't any dull moment in it, and the drama will definitely make you hooked and render you breathless.

P.s. do check out their behind the scenes video!

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I'm not even trying to be reasonable about this.

This is the kind of show you get so addicted to you don't even realize hours have passed since you first hit play. While some of these types of dramas leave me feeling sticky like I just indulged on too much sugar, this is one of the few cases I did not regret a minute of the rush. While the romance is captivating, this show doesn't sacrifice its main storyline or logic to keep the tension. Instead, we got a well established conflict that's in line with the characters personalities as well as the world building. At every moment of this show, I understood the motivations of each character and could sympathize with them. Never did it feel like they were stalling or creating unnecessary drama to fill the episodes.

Even though the story is your classic forbidden love tail, the way it was presented and how it incorporated its fantasy elements made it feel fresh and engaging. The world building is one of the things I really enjoyed about this show. Often Xianxias can feel overwhelming and incoherent since they just randomly dump information on you and don't even bother to explain the key points of the world they're set in. While it may not dive too deep into it's setting, it does utilize beautiful and detailed sets as well as costumes to highlight differences between the three realms and its respective residents. It creates an immersive experience which made it feel like these places were more than just pretty backdrops. Apart from the sets, I actually thought the visual effects were surprisingly good, resulting in exciting and impressive fight scenes. I've to quickly mention the OST at this point, which is hauntingly beautiful and still gives me goosebumps when I listen to it after finishing the drama.

Overall I enjoyed the performances of the cast and quite a few side characters won me over. They got developed enough to make me care about them, but I would not have minded if we got more of their stories as well. Fleshing out the other stories might have helped with some pacing issues and added more layers to the romance focused show. The selling point of this drama, though, are our two leads and their relationship. So let me highlight why I loved these two and what made their relationship so special for me.

"I'm a beautiful fairy with a good heart." 
Well, if that isn't the most accurate self-description I've heard in a while. Orchid has to be one of my favorite female leads in recent Chinese dramas. She starts off as a bubbly and adorable fairy that is rather naive and timid. However, throughout the story she develops into a brave and determined person that never loses the essence of her character, which is her compassionate and selfless heart. She brings out the best in people with her unrelenting belief in them. I truly adored her, and Yu Shu Xin is one of those actresses that has something so likable about her, which was really fitting for this character. I know that some viewers were bothered by her voice, I was not one of them. In fact, she did a great job with the transition of her voice as the story progressed. At the begging of the story it's pretty high-pitched and childlike, which indicates Orchids innocence, however as she matures throughout the story her voice also changes and it was so nice to witness this change in her. She also uses a different voice during the body swap scenes, adding another layer to her performance. One of the things I loved the most about her journey was how she starts off seeing the world in black and white, but after meeting different people, she realizes the fairy realm might not be as perfect as it seems. She also learns there are more layers to a person than what you can see on the surface.

"No one ever taught me how to get close to others." This was my first Wang He Di drama, so I don't have anything to compare it to, however he embodied Dong Fang Qing Cang in a way that you can't even imagine anyone else playing this character. I was impressed by his nuanced portrayal, and I believed every gesture and every word he said. He was fierce and domineering as the Moon Supreme, while also showing subtle emotions and changes throughout the story without losing his personality in the process. His transformation felt authentic and genuine, and I especially enjoyed his performance in the more emotional later episodes. Moreover, he sold that body swap to me, which isn't something a lot of body swap shows manage to do. The way he adapted Yu Shu Xin´s body language and mannerism made me believe I was watching Orchid struggle in Dong Fang Qing Cang's body, which was amusing to watch. I also have to mention the voice actor here, because he was amazing and really helped bring this character to life. While watching Dong Fang Qing Cang slowly change and grow, you honestly can't help fall in love with him alongside Orchid. Wang He Di really went the extra mile in this one.

I often have this issue with romance dramas nowadays that I can't get invested in them because I feel somewhat disconnected to the characters and their relationship. This is mostly due to the fact that shows don't take their time establishing those first before they move on to the emotional scenes. Love Between Fairy and Devil does not have this issue. It managed to convincingly tell a romance where both parties felt equally strong about each other. This relationship evolved over time and helped both of them grow as characters. I truly appreciated that this show took the time to establish them individually while also developing their relationship before we got to the angst, since the emotional scenes had way more impact this way.

This show might not be for everyone, however I had a wonderful time watching it. The balance between romance, captivating story and fantastical elements just worked for me and had me hooked until the very last episode. It's one of those shows I'll get back to again and again.

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Don't hate me for being critical & cynical and not giving this a 10

Completed - 8/29/2022 - 8.25 rating

I enjoyed “Love Between Fairy and Devil” but maybe not as much as most of the audience. I’ve watched my fair share of xianxia dramas and usually I am not a big fan of the cute and bubbly lead. I don't dislike the Little Orchid and am OK with her voice. I am just indifferent. It's Esther Yu's real voice so I am fine with it, as I am a strong proponent of actors using their real voices. The heart-breaking romance did not move me as much as I wanted. The lighthearted tone of the first 18-20 episodes took me a while to get used it. I might just be a cynical old lady that takes a little more effort to move me., especially after finishing "Love Like the Galaxy" not too long ago. Please do not hate me for not giving a perfect rating. There are plenty of things I like about this drama as well.

What I Like:
1. Anti-Hero Male Lead - Just like many others, I am a fan of our anti-hero, Dong Fang Qing Cang (DFQC). Most xianxia heroes are either gods or princes, and rarely do we have someone from the devil side as a male lead. Dylan Wang did a fantastic job in portraying the ruthless and heartless devil, and was able to switch gears during the body swap. You can see from his big eyes how his emotions change from ruthless to adorably pouty. Most anti-hero and gray characters in C-dramas are second male leads, so it’s nice to see a change here. I’ve also enjoyed his transformation from beginning to the end. I do have a minor criticism about our male lead below.

2. Lack of these xianxia tropes + fun new things:
♦︎ No annoying female characters who were obsessed with their unrequited love and became scheming bitches. I am so glad Dan Yin remains a good person from start to finish.
♦︎ No misunderstandings/scheming - xianxia dramas frequently have annoying plot lines created just to break the leads apart. And these misunderstandings are usually caused by jealous men and women. I am glad we don’t really have that here.
♦︎ Hanging out inside a painting is fun and creative.
♦︎ For once our main leads are not going through trials in the mortal realm themselves.

3. Costumes and Accessories - Beautiful costumes for both male and female characters. I really like the hairstyles of the male leads, with simple hair accessories (except those flimsy looking war gears which really don’t seem to be made for battles). Our Little Orchid looks beautiful in all of her dresses no matter where she is. I was particularly interested in the wedding fans. I've rarely seen such beautiful and intricate ones with golden accessories adorned on them. Most of the time, they are just beautiful patterns or colors.

4. Overall Acting - I’ve already mentioned that I really enjoy Dylan Wang’s acting. I didn’t watch “Miss the Dragon” so I don’t know how bad he was, but I’ve seen “The Rational Life” and he did fine. But in this drama, his character allows him to showcase his acting skills. I’ve seen a few Esther Yu’s dramas in the past and she is also playing the cute and bubbly roles. I think she met my expectations but not amazing. With the body swap, you could clearly see Dylan Wang did a much better job. Esther’s gazes were not sharp and stern enough. She tried to look serious but it’s not coming off right. Zhang Ling He has come a long way since his first drama, “Maiden Holmes”. This is my fourth drama of his and it’s his best acting yet. Playing two very different characters in this drama provided him the best opportunity to show us how much he has grown. He’s not amazing yet, but he’s going in the right direction. I've been a fan of Xu Hai Qiao since I first saw him in “Lost Love in Times” and he played Rong Hao admirably, especially his sad and emotional scenes. At least I pity him here instead of hating him in “A Dream of Splendor”. The rest of the supporting cast did a decent job. I would not say the veterans outshine the younger generation in this drama. I think Dylan Wang is the brightest star in the drama.

5. OST - I like the songs in this drama and also the background music. 诀爱 by 詹雯婷 is my favorite song.


What I have mixed feelings or don’t like:

1. Male Leads in Love - As much as I love DFQC, I miss his ruthlessness in the later episodes. I have a similar criticism in other dramas. Once you are in love, you seem to lose yourself and become a lovesick puppy and forget who you were in the past. I believe you could be totally in love, yet still don’t lose your former self. Unfortunately, I think both DFQC and Chang Heng fell short in this area.

2. CGI - There are many praises about how beautiful this drama is and we can see the numerous screenshots on the Feeds during the airing of this drama. And I agree that there are many scenery shots that are beautiful and very fairytale-like. However, I also feel that these shots are overused and after a while, the whole drama seems so ‘fake’ because it’s full of green screen scenes. I also find the final battle has the weakest CGI of the whole drama. On the other hand, I really enjoy the CGI in individual fight scenes, e.g. DFQC vs Chang Heng and DFQC saving the Little Orchid and battling the gods. Those were some of the best special effects I've seen used in battle scenes. It rivals my love of the purple CGI in “Ancient Love Poetry”.

3. Cannot avoid some common xianxia tropes - love obsession that started all evil deeds, the story is always about the aftermath of a war thousands of years ago, noble idiocy and sacrifices, Gods always seem to be more evil than the Devils, Love triangles/squares/pentagons, etc.

4. Secondary characters and plots are underdeveloped - Possibly because this is a shorter drama, I feel that the secondary romance between Shang Que and Jie Li is under-developed and quite boring. They could have been an interesting opposites-attract duo, but unfortunately I find Jie Li to be the most annoying character in this drama. Similarly, the truth and reunion between Jie Li and her family are very anti-climatic. Reuniting with her family was so brief that it only serves to move along Rong Hao’s story. I also want to know more of Rong Hao's story with the Goddess of War aside from the same few flashback scenes.

5. Pacing - As a short xianxia drama, the pace is fast. I don’t think you will hear complaints about a slow start. However, I still think the drama focuses too long in the initial 18-20 episodes in the Heavenly Realm and ran out of time in the last few episodes. Those early episodes were not my personal favorites. I didn’t start really liking the drama until they started the mortal realm, and then the story moves along more interestingly for me. However, the ending felt rushed and…predictable?


Other Random Observations:
♦︎ When you are so powerful, I think you could have saved your girl from drowning just by a snap of your fingers, without kissing. Fan service!
♦︎ Had to fast forward the scene when the Little Orchid was crawling in the sand. It took too long. LOL
♦︎ Why do these gods and devils need to give piggy back rides when they can teleport?
♦︎ I need better kisses. They are really not as passionate as I want them to be, especially the ones in the last couple episodes. Some kisses felt like they are just there to please fans of these idol actors. *I’m going to hide now*

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"everything in this world is ever-changing, except for love"

What if the fate that brought you together turns out to be the same fate which you had to fight against, in order to change an inevitable ending of separation between life and death?

Will you still fight with all your might despite knowing that the ending would still be the same?

or, let me just ask again...

Would you turn that fate as your own as long as your beloved one could be safe and happy, even if it means your end?

"Love Between Fairy and Devil" is that xianxia/fantasy drama which dwells into such intertwining fate. Who would have thought that the biggest devil of them all wasn't the ancient evil god named Tai Sui, but, the FATE that played a huge part in bringing the both of them together. Yet, such kind of fate has been used as a trope over who knows how many dramas/movies already...and to be very honest... a devil falling in love with a fairy or rather someone from a heavenly good side then ending up to be a good guy with huge character development? oh! that reminds me of the body switching soul stuff! Like these aren't brand new, practically speaking these are the very same tropes which we had seen from the previous dramas/movies we've watched before. I'm pretty sure there are quite a lot more similar scenarios in LBFAD that had been seen before, so why bother watching it right? WELL, if such a question or thought ever pops up in your head. I'm telling you right now, forget it immediately! GO AND WATCH LBFAD! or else you will always be in doubt and left in the dark, not unless you give it a try because this drama is worth every second and every emotion that you will ever spend on. Love Between Fairy and Devil is not only a fantasy, romantic, comedic, and refreshing drama but it is a unique and top-tier quality drama blended together with a beautiful epic storyline (I'm not even exaggerating).

I don't even know where to begin.

In terms of the quality production for this drama, there is no doubt that a high quality budget was spent in not just its CGI effects but with the costumes worn by each different characters in the three realms and not to forget the props that were used too. It's really evident that a huge sum of money was spent here and that includes huge amount of effort and time as well for the crew and actors. The trailer already gave us a glance of how breathtaking the scenes are, and the drama itself totally blasted off cinematic vibes which made every episode that we watch feel as if we were watching a movie rather than a drama. It's actually crazy. When you start to get used to such good quality, you would have this urge to try and find other dramas with such quality as well. This is one of the reasons which makes LBFAD unique, not every xianxia drama we watch would end up with gorgeous effects. My personal favorite places in this drama are: arbiter hall, the ruins of xilan and the moon tribe. For the costumes, Dong Fang Qing Cang's outfits throughout the whole episodes were top-tier for me and following that is when Xiao Lan Hua was dressed in moon tribe clothings. They were definitely eye-catching that I had to not only replay the cute, funny or sweet scenes between DFQC and XLH, but to also see more pretty details of each costumes they are wearing. Another thing I would like to point out is the fact that their depiction of the three realms, mostly between heaven realm and demon realm (moon tribe) were completely different here. Not entirely though, it's more about the costumes and set-up from the usual heaven and demon realm we used to see. So, an excellent job well done for all the production staff and crew behind this.

For the storyline, I have so much I want to write but I think it is best to keep it as short as possible. To be honest, at the very beginning I had no expectations for it because I thought it would be like what I said earlier, be the same as other dramas with familiar or well-known tropes. That was what I initially thought at the beginning. I also confess that during the first episode of LBFAD, I was quite annoyed with Xiao Lan Hua's voice and character because I am one of those who aren't a fan of actresses with cute voices to the point where it makes me cringe. So, I was planning on dropping it. Fortunately though for me, I didn't let my initial judgment about this drama get in the way of me discovering such a gem. As I continued watching at some point, XLH's character naturally grew on me and just like that I didn't find her annoying anymore. I guess this is one proof that no matter the prejudice of an audience, a good, talented, and skilled actor/actress can always find a way to change ones prejudice through their hard work. Thus, I stayed through the entire 36 episodes without skipping any single scene. It was the actors and characters that made me stay but what made me kept going further is the well-developed and heartfelt storyline. Like I said, I won't say much so let me just point out what I had loved most from the storyline of LBFAD. I loved the natural pacing of romance between DFQC and XLH, it wasn't love at first sight or the slap and kiss kind of romance, it developed gradually and naturally from the "from now on, you're mine. your life belongs to me, your breathing belongs to me, your heartbeat belongs to me, every drop of blood in your body belongs to me", to "you are as precious as my life" to "she's the only one who loves me" to "I will change her fate for her". Their romance that was foretold in the storyline itself is so beautiful and warming. Every moment of theirs and the emotions portrayed by each character just pulls through your heartstrings. Then there comes the comedic part, I find the whole body-switching thing so entertaining, it was so funny whenever the both of them switched bodies especially when XLH in DFQC had to attend moon tribe meetings as the moon supreme lord. Though, surprisingly enough, not every funny scene was focused on the body-switch, there were a decent amount of comedic scenes at the right moment so it wasn't dull but entertaining rather, plus the scenes goes well together. Even DFQC's character has his own comedic moments which I loved too. Lastly, the heartbreaking and tragic scenes that made me shed tears and feel pain, this is exactly where I found the gem of this drama. As much as they were hurtful, they weren't pointless and each scenes opened a door for character development and it also became an eye-opener for the deeper emotions and feelings between each of the characters which the human eyes of the audience can't see but rather just feel from the heart. In conclusion for the storyline, as much as it gives you that genuine love feels, it also gives you an inner deep feeling for each character in the story. Despite the ending seeming quite like a rush with DFQC and XLH reuniting on the last few seconds with only just a kiss, no wedding or any thing else, it was satisfactory at some point and it is indeed a happy ending after all.

Before I end this, let me just praise Dylan Wang for his amazing portrayal of DFQC, he ate the character alone especially during his emotional scenes. His emotional scenes where he cried is honestly the best for me apart from his powerful fighting scenes. Ofcourse, Esther Yu had done a great job as XLH and the goddess of Xi Yun. I'm sure a lot is in store for the both of them in the future. I will never get over the overflowing chemistry they showed us both in the drama and when they were shooting the scenes. I would definitely love to see more of them, not just as DFQC and XLH but in a modern drama as well in the future.

Hopefully, one day we can meet DFQC and XLH again.

"Do you believe in miracles?
Everything in this world is ever-changing,
except for love. "

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Anti-hero Dark Lord Meets Insufferably Stupid Fairy

I finally got through all the episodes. Phew, almost dropped it a few times.

LIKES:
Beautiful sets and cinematography.
Special FX were good, same with CGI use.
Music was appropriate, but nothing stood out.
WRITING: The heavenly tribes aren’t as purely good as they seem. I liked that they showed the heavenly ones as being flawed. Also liked that the dark tribe/hell fire came across as stronger than the heavenly fire. Don’t see that often.
COSTUMES: Embroidery was nice, the dark/devil ML had a better costume than most.
ACTING: ML did very good and has matured as an actor. When they did the body switch parts, ML was good & FL did okay too. FL did best as the Goddess parts.

DISLIKES:
WRITING: Orchid Fairy (FL) is just too dumb and very whiney. It wasn’t like she’s just naive or innocent, more that she’s purely stupid. I found her ignorant too. (That all could be the actress’s fault or the directing, not sure which.) Typical tropes and cliches of this fantasy drama genre. Also the 2nd couple (Jie Li and Shang Que) wasn't necessary and the ending was disappointing. Also for all of the characters, other than Dongfang Qing Cang & his brother, there was no character growth.
PRODUCTION/EDITING: During flying moments or falling, it is so obvious that they are in harness with ropes.
FX: The swords all look like children’s halloween costume props. “Fight scenes” were very lame looking.
ACTING: FL was over the top cutesy and not in a good way. Some stand out performances, but the rest was just average. Even though ML & 2ML (Changheng) tried their best, there was just no chemistry with FL at all. FL (Orchid) had over the top cute fairy acting but just too much and got annoying fast. You can be sweet without a stupid voice, it was like a tooth ache eating cotton candy. Just terrible. From episode 12 and on I had to mute FL’s parts, because I just couldn’t take listening to her anymore. I read subtitles instead.
COSTUMES: The “crowns” or head gear looked laughably plastic. Not very creative in the costume department and if they hadn’t constantly told us she’s from the fairy realm, you wouldn’t know it. [Not by costumes, other than the pastel colours.]

OVERALL: So far very over rated, unless you are just starting out watching shows from this genre. As a starter Fantasy Drama I would recommend it, for those of us who have watched a lot of these types of dramas I don't recommend it (unless you are a child or a teenager). I watched it until the end, but was tempted to drop it often. Dylan Wang did a great job acting as Dongfang, enough for me to check out some of his other roles. (Originally I wasn't impressed but that was after watching Meteor Garden.) I'm glad this drama is over though.

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Worth watching

I have a lot to write about this drama. I have only seen good reviews so far. People are happy with the acting and story but I have few things that I want to point out. So bear me if you have contrasting views.

First of all I must talk about acting. Both the main leads plus second leads were amazing in their characters. The show was roller coaster of emotions for sure. I have problem with certain characters like heavenly god, he was so emotionless and useless at times that I doubted why was he even chosen as supreme god? Most of the time he was just sitting there and punishing people without any reason. I didn't see any character development in him even till the end. There were other gods who were equally unimportant to story except Siming(Arbiter) and the one with white hair( don't remember the name). While former wasn't much in the story the latter was again pretty much weak god like others. The God of War who was supposed to be the most powerful god could be easily defeated by any person. He didn't win any fight in the whole show! Again why was he chosen as god of war??? His human arc was much better than his immortal arc. Atleast that character felt much more real. Then there was black dragon who was at the epitome of stupidity. He was telling important secret and stuff to every person left and right. I mean he was the close aid to moon ruler so why was he so stupid in the entire show? He wasn't there to protect anyone at important times! He was shown quite fearsome in his dragon form which he never used again except in the beginning!Quite a let down I must say. His romance arc with Jeili was as stupid as his character. I didn't get the whole point. She was pretty avarice and manipulative. She broke up with him and then towards the end they were shown together like nothing happened?? And I was like... did I miss something? They were not on talking terms before? How did this happen?
Coming to the story, people might say that it had a great story but I have seen similar stories in many Cdramas. 'Blue Whispers' for instance has almost similar story. A disciple using evil power to resurrect his Shifu( master) who helped him when he was a child, which ends up causing chaos. A powerful person (ml) spending time with naive girl (fl), later sacrificing themselves for others, pretty much Ashes of love and love and redemption storyline.
First half was funny yet so stupid. Especially the female character. I found it hilarious how everyone could easily enter anywhere without much problem. They should just fire their gurads.
The story picks up the speed towards the second half. I loved how they showed the emotions of the characters. The reason behind their actions. Its no doubt that all emotional scenes were so portrayed so well. Especially towards the end. I must point out Dylan Wang's acting was really something in those scenes so does Esther's. I was disappointed in Miss the dragon but Dylan just proved his acting prowess through this show. I heard people criticised Esther's voice. But that's her real voice and really after sometime it grew on me. I ended up loving her.
I liked Dylan's and Esther's costumes the most in the show. Plus the make up. I did not like Changhan's costumes tbh...it really looked like a plastic armour.
I loved the CGI of heaven and universe (where arbiter lived) more than the war scenes.
This brings us towards the end...I wonder why all Cdrama always prefer rushed endings. I mean they can just easily edit out certain scenes of flashbacks which they were showing again and again for no reason and increase the time for the main leads. I am really disappointed with the editing in the whole show the most.
To conclude it, this was funny and worth watching not much for re-watch for me atleast but still lovable for its characters and their acting. I would love to see Dylan and Esther in other show for sure, they had a great chemistry. I really want to watch a show on Arbiter 'a storyline too. I heard there is a separate novel for her character. I loved this actress since Bloody romance. And to have her just for such a small role is really sus. I wonder if they are planning to make another series on her. It would be really great if that happened.

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Preachy with questionable lessons and toddler love story.

Can’t believe I watched a whole show with a cloud of flies as the villain. Why did he do what he did? Because he is evil. Why was the war happening? No one knows, it just was. Why was the leader of fairies wanting to keep the war going? Why not I guess, they just hate each other.

Here’s the thing, if you take 10 random viewers of the show and ask them to describe in detail what was the plot of the show and motivations for all the characters, you would get a description of 10 completely different shows. Why? Because all this drama had was a framework of the plot, but no substance inside it. There was little to no world or character building, no proper set up, no proper conclusion, no details of the magic system and rules how it operates. The drama just lacked… writing.

I could potentially still enjoy it for the romance, if the romance was good. It was not. I just cannot get behind the weird toddler with grown up man romance. Here me out - I have exactly zero issues with childish female leads, there are quite a few dramas with them that I enjoyed, but I am completely against child-like female leads. There is a huge difference between a character behaving in an immature fashion, and a character behaving like a child, and sadly the Fairy was just an annoying toddler.

Possessive and toxic love story? Sign me up, but not when it feels like a romance between a father and his minor kid. I do not care if she matured in the last 6 episodes - too little too late. This whole pairing freaked me out for a good 30 episodes.

Orchid just ain’t it. Girl was dumb, loud, irresponsible, pretentiously good (sorry, but a guy colluding with evil for 30k years and getting so many people dead because of his delusional love was not just a small mistake). While Dongfang Qing Cang was truly hot during many scenes, I still could not enjoy the character to his full potential because of the context of his romance with the little flower. Out of all the characters, the two I truly enjoyed were Die Yi and Dear Daddy Devil’s little brother.

Yes, the performances were strong. Esther Yu was perfect for the role of the most annoying child female lead and delivered all the proper expressions and lines needed. The emotional scenes were great and I actually really liked her in the last 3 episodes. Dylan Wang ate the role. All the pain and suffering, all the confusion about the new emotions he was feeling, all the internal and external dilemmas he was facing. Not to mention both Esther and Dylan did a phenomenal job with the soul switching scenes (even if I did not enjoy them, I am not going to deny the acting skills needed to deliver them).

Production value was great, at least in terms of special effects and most of the set and costume designs. There were few extremely cheap looking additions to few dresses and war armors, but overall - for sure more beauty than trash. Truth to be told, it kind of felt as if they used 80% of the budget on the aesthetics.

As for the soundtrack, can we talk about that one song that sounds like an anime intro that felt painfully misplaced in the story? Too many tracks were completely mismatched, and while they sounded like nice tunes, they did not fit the scenes at all.

Overall, I am just happy I survived this watch. I hated the preachy narration at the end about how love can cure us all, when literally the whole villain story and all the wars happened because of one dude’s delusional love. The writers need to reread their material before they write dumb conclusions, really.

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Dropped it so many times but finished it for Dongfang Qing Cang

The production is stunning, anyone could see this drama had a BIG investment. The cast's visuals are so ridiculous that they look like they popped out of paintings. Costumes and sets are works of art and I can't complain about anything. Dongfang Qing Cang is honestly godly. I wish I could say the same for little Orchid, but she's the reason I struggled to watch it till the end. I'm not fond of innocent and cutesy characters, especially if they were done like Orchid. At first, I really thought they fell in love just cause. They're the titular devil and fairy, of course, they had to fall in love with each other. There are many examples of good stories where a powerful male lead will fall in love with his sweet and kind female counterpart despite the difference in their rankings. That was the story that this drama is selling but surely Orchid has to be special somehow to justify her role in DFQC's life and for me, that's just lazy writing. I came to the finale thinking what does love between fairy and devil means? At this point, I think I missed it and I'm unbothered. I just think this drama is entertaining enough.

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What's more beautiful than the blossoming of flowers of love in his barren tree

As if I have finally regained my confidence in anticipation and I can tell myself that some things are still worth the wait. Love Between Fairy and Devil (chinese: 苍兰诀 / pinyin - Cāng Lán Jué) is a fantasy themed romantic Xianxia based on the popular novel of the same name written by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang that strikes at the right time when I was just finished ranting out my other anticipated dramas. Disclaimer - forgive me this is long, I have a lot to say.

Story [10/10] —
Not best but charming. Amongst the profound depths of the three realms, there was a bossy devil (Dongfang Qingcang) locked up in Haotian Tower for thousands of years but a cheerful fairy (Xiao Lan Hua) mistakenly saves him. Like the beast that meets his beauty. There starts a story between them, they even swap bodies and they fall in love eventually. But "WAIT" they were not meant to be together at first. Because they are from different sides. I didn't even realise when I got so invested in their immortal world, its fun how apart from the romantic tale no one is "EVIL" without a reason, how enemies become sworn brothers and how comedy is one of those main elements no matter how much angst we are expecting soon.

The leads chemistry is something I would recommend this drama for. Cold ML × Naive FL. I was the first one who shouted "SO TYPICAL" yet my heart melted as I watched more. The journey made them more precious with their bonding, bickering, all the tests and sacrifices. For the angst I cried a few buckets too.

The Visuals, CGI and production quality —
I can list hundreds of scenes where I couldn't help but rewatch like two of my favourites are –
1. Dongfang Qingcang's entry scene in Haishi city (the one that has a big moon behind him, he goes to save orchid and he legit looks like the boss of the world)
2. there's a scene with two Gods talking and enjoying fine wine but guess what they're inside a painting on a boat ~ how creative is that!
Then her Arbiter hall, Haotian tower, Cangyan Sea's castle and those northern lights in sky its all dreamy wonderful themes so pretty and this level of creativity in scenes and details is something I would die for. Not to mention, Dylan Wang in the role of the the Moon Supreme, his costume, his looks, his visuals!

And I think I never got bored as things change quick and this was pretty addictive instead. Though some complained of dropping this very early, I think it's just until those first 3-4 episodes where the characters need more time to get introduced and then the plot develops stronger with time. This has used quite a minimalistic approach in depth of characters having a not-so complicated structure unlike other Xianxias.


Characters, Casting and Acting [10/10] —

Dylan Wang (Wang He Di) was one of the best casting choices ever made. I can't even imagine anyone else as the arrogant cum sweet devil Dongfang Qingcang (DFQC). His emotional scenes are as strong as his body-swap scenes where he quickly shifts to a pouting, jumping girl. He is very versatile and an amazing actor.

Yu Shu Xin – the temperament of a playful and easy going Fairy Orchid suits Esther very well, her voice might have affected some audience but I think it was just okay. Esther is usually a bubbly girl (as I have seen her in Youth shows before) so both her and this character was pretty similar. Acting wise I don't really think she deserves so much hate, she played well in both sweeter side and the cold vibe (Xi Yun) in later half. Anyway opinions and preferences might differ.

Other leading casts ~
✡ Zhang Ling He (as Lord Changheng) ~ the current God of War stuck between his responsibilities and love that he has hidden for years
✡ Xu Hai Qiao (as Rong Hao) ~ a disciple who wishes his master to come back
✡ Cristy Guo (First God of War or Xie Wan Qing) ~ a warrior who once sacrificed herself to protect the peace of three realms

All were good in their respective roles.
✡ Special mention to the silly, soft-hearted and adorable Dragon Shang Que (portrayed by Lin Bai Rui).

For dubbing, Yu Shu Xin voiced herself and Dylan Wang (Wang He Di) was dubbed by Wang Bao Shun. supporting actors like Zhang Ling He and Xu Hai Qiao were voiced by Ren Jing Hao and Wang Yong Gang respectively.


OSTs [10/10] —
One of the best parts of this drama is those musical scores. There is one for every situation ;)

◍ "Parting Love" (诀爱) - Faye Chan (the stunning illustrations we get for this intro song and the voice! I have never skipped this honestly, it turns out to be my favorite song from this drama, everytime it's played for the leads, it adds a special magic to their chemistry)

◍ "The Oath of Canglan" (苍兰契) - Li Changchao (the song for both Dongfang hellfire and orchid's first powers as well. I love how the singer shifts to a different pitch in middle and the upbeat music behind is just my style, my second favorite)

◍ "Loss of Memory" (失忆) - Yu Shuxin
◍ "Looking For You" (寻一个你) - Liu Yuning
◍ "Shore" (彼岸) - Jing Long & Jing Di
◍ "Longing" (念) - Shuang Sheng
◍ "I Still Remember That Day" (我还记得那天) - Shen Yi Cheng
◍ "I Want To Be With You" (想和你) - Yu Shuxin & Dylan Wang
◍ "Remaining Love" (余情) - Zhou Shen (smoothly ending every episode with his angelic voice)



REWATCH VALUE [9/10] –
How can you not rewatch a show often when you've absolutely loved most of it. So yeah, going to rewatch. I think I got something good to watch in my drama slumps.

Conclusion [10/10] –
The 8th month - August has almost ended and I doubt if any other Xianxia is crossing this standard for me, so with all my pleasure Love between fairy and Devil becomes my Xianxia of the year 2022! On a side note, I really wish we can get more wholesome dramas like this.

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It started off well enough.

I was excited the first few episodes of this show. Finally a Xianxia I might really enjoy. The first few episodes certainly feel promising but by the middle end of the show, it starts to fall apart. The show has the same major problems of almost every Xianxia I have ever watched. Plot lines that just don't make sense. Conflicts that had a lot of potential that just get dropped, and really stupid storylines in place of better ones. Eye rolling soap and dramatics. The story really starts to fall apart the more nonsensical it becomes.

Production was beautiful. I loved the landscapes, costumes, scenery. Much to be expected from this genre.

I felt a little annoyed that the guard and the bandit girl get so much screen time to try to develop a love line I didn't care for. I wanted more scenes of the main leads together. I also didn't like that they didn't curate a better second lead syndrome, which they set up so nicely and completely destroyed instead of exploring further. Added a few weird storylines that seemed kind of pointless to include. Ugh some plots were so bad, it really ruined the show for me.
I will say, I'm really glad they made Fairy Dan Yin redeemable and did not include a crazy female who plots and manipulates due to love.

The show had a lot of potential to be so much better.

Do I recommend it? If you like this genre, it's worth at least watching. Will I watch it again? I mean, I guess I'd rewatch a few of the first episodes? Where the show succeeds, it is great, where it fails, it fails in ways that's hard to salvage.
All I can really say is, Dylan Wang does a great job for this leading role. The character type suits him.

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