Luar (2021)

Surpreendente

Gostei bastante desse dorama, por ser uma história que, apesar de ter conflitos, não eram conflitos infantilizados ou daqueles mirabolantes, até mesmo com o conflito em relação a Song Yi, tinha uma camada por trás que era plausível.
Adorei que a protagonista (Chu Li t) era bem determinada e corajosa, apesar de inexperiente em sua profissão no início do dorama. Dei bastante risada com as maluquices Zhou Chuan e sua interação com o Jing eram hilárias.
Eu adoro acompanhar doramas que envolvam o dia a dia de editoras, designers e todo esse mundo.
Mas o último episódio eu senti que deixou a desejar em relação aos protagonistas e principalmente em relação a carreira da Chu Li t, mas é aquele felizes para sempre que todo mundo implora nos doramas.

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Protagonista surpreendente

O que mais me atrai ao longo do drama foi que a Chu Li, mesmo sendo muito fofa ainda sim demostra características fortes e não tem aquela enrolação de terminar relacionamento por besteira ou por opiniões de gente aleatória, ela vai coloca sua opinião em jogo e vai atras do que quer principalmente no trabalho. A relação de Zhou Chuan com o amigo/irmão é excelente. O desenrolar e crescimento do casal secundário também foi de uma forma muito satisfatória . Além disso, a relação de pai e filho voltando a ser de família e não mais como "rivais" e desentendimentos. Eu realmente curto dramas que mesmo que seja bem no finalzinho mostrem um pouco mais do futuro e como ficou após os desfechos principais.

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When Perseverance, Confidence, and Strong-Will Work Together

"As long as I'm working as an editor, I will never give up on any author. That's why I became an editor in the first place." -Chu Li

This quote? Chu Li, the female lead, who is also an amazing editor, said it. I admit I was a little reluctant to start Moonlight, as I was watching other airing rom-coms. But I don't regret my decision at all, because it has just joined my favorites list. I was expecting a cute and fluffy rom-com, but not only is Moonlight cute, but it is so inspirational as well.

Moonlight is a unique rom-com. It's not a love story that takes place in high school or even college. It takes place in work, but it's not exactly an office romance-comedy. It's a cute romance between an editor and an author. Moonlight has made me think more about the powerhouse behind an author's success: The editor. From this drama, I've learned that editors contribute more to a book's success more than most of us think, and even if these characters aren't real editors, authors, and publishers. they've certainly shown us the hard work and perseverance needed to be one.

Story-9.0
As this was an airing rom-com, I was scared as to what would happen in the later episodes, because as we experienced Asian drama watchers know, a drama's later episodes can go downhill sometimes. With this doubt, I continued to watch this fluffy drama, and it did not disappoint. When you're watching Moonlight, say goodbye to the stupid misunderstandings and "I'm doing this for your own good" breakups, because there aren't any! We all love relationships with trust and encourage and love and nothing more, don't we? There are jealous scenes, yes, but when it comes to trust, Zhou Chuan and Chu Li is our model couple! They trust each other no matter what, and help each other on their editing and writing journeys.

Why do I keep on mentioning trust? Well, another female is introduced around episode 30 or so. I was totally unprepared for her, and was terrified that she would cause a huge misunderstanding or breakup, but our strong leads were mentally prepared! 500 second female leads could've stormed in and our couple would probably be left unharmed. Perhaps a tiny bit of suspicion, but nothing more than that. The second female lead was a bit unnecessary, but I like how she found her closure at the end. She deserved hate, yes, but also deserved some understanding.

On the surface, Moonlight is an ordinary rom-com, with a few cliches: Cohabitation, a little bit of Hate-to-Love, Male Chases Female First, but these cliches are used in such a cute manner that this drama was an absolute gem of a rom-com. We do have the online and offline connection, as Chu Li and Zhou Chuan didn't know that they were online friends at first, but the trope wasn't boring at all. Not to mention all the lovable side characters, who never stopped teaching the audience life lessons. If there were two things that Moonlight showed me the most importance of, they would be the importance of mutual trust in a couple and the importance of seeking help from the people around you. It's great to be an independent person, but we all need some help sometimes.

As I said before, I really liked the new environment in this drama. Moonlight was adapted by the Chinese novel "Chu Li is Coming", so most of the story can be owed to the author, but it was refreshing to see a Chinese rom-com set in a different setting. This time, in a publishing house. Chu Li starts off as an intern in the editor branch, but through her hard work through the long nights and many troubles, she proved to everyone just how good of an editor she could be.

The antagonist of this drama shows real life so accurately. Sometimes, jealousy can be dangerous, both to the person we target and ourselves. We shouldn't allow jealousy to overcome us, and take it slowly. This drama also showed the different kind of relationships during work, from friendships to almost-enemies. These relationships are all normal, but we should learn to control these relationships well to not learn these overly take control of our jobs.

Cast-10.0
I'm just going to talk about the dubbing first. Some people had issue with the female lead's voice: Chu Li's voice is dubbed by the actress of the character herself, Yu Shuxin (Esther). Yes, her voice is very high, but that's what I love about Chu Li. She is a perfect example of a bubbly but hard-working girl! Ding Yuxi (Ryan) isn't dubbed either, so you're getting the leads' real voices! I've heard some small complaints about Esther's voice, but I had no problem with it at all.

Back to the cast. No better actor and actress could have been chosen for Zhou Chuan and Chu Li. Ryan Ding gives off that seemingly-cold-at-first-but-actually-cuter-than-a-bunny vibe so well. I did not want another ignorant cold male lead, and Zhou Chuan satisfied my needs. He might be a little cold to total strangers, but he knows when to be polite and when to be cute! From the earliest episodes, I had already decided that he was going to be one of my favorite male leads. Zhou Chuan is a successful author, but there is a rocky path before success. With his perseverance and the encouragement of his family and friends, he made it to the peak of the mountain.

I would not have chosen another actress for Chu Li even if the director gave me a chance. Esther Yu as Chu Li is perfect! She is a real cutie pie in real life, with her kindness, generosity and intelligence, which is why Chu Li was acted so well. You could say that Chu Li is almost an exact version to Esther but in another universe. Chu Li is cute and bouncy, but she is (thankfully), a real strong female lead as well. This tag has been thrown around a lot these days, but you have my word that Chu Li is actually strong. When something seemingly fails, she never gives up, but only stands up from the place she fell down and tries again. And just like Zhou Chuan, her perseverance led to success that no one in her publishing house expected from her.

I loved the second couple as well. I don't tend to smile like a donkey when it comes to second couples, but I did for Jiang Yucheng and Gu Baizhi. They did have some on-and-off moments, but they never stopped loving each other even when they thought they didn't. Sometimes, jobs can be hard, but when you manage to balance them with your lover, you will get the perfect combination. I also like how this couple was a little older than our lead couple, giving us a different perspective of love and jobs. (both couples had to overcome difficulties and such, but their journeys were a little different)

And the supporting characters were real concoctions of happiness and frustration as well, depicting different kinds of people in our lives so well. There are supporting co-workers, as well as jealous ones, bosses who believe in us, and family and friends that will always be there for you. No, while Moonlight mainly focuses on Zhou Chuan and Chu Li's love story, it shows the importance of friends and family as well.

Music-8.5
Moonlight doesn't have many songs, but they songs it has are upbeat and cute. Both leads contributed to the ost; Esther Yu, a member of the girl group The9, sang "Chu Li is Coming", which is the ending song and is very cute. I didn't know that Ryan Ding sang songs for his dramas, but his "Heartless Poems" was very well-sung and upbeat. There were a few other songs as well, "Niu Niu" by Shuang Sheng, and another specially used for the second couple scenes.

Rewatch Value-9.0
I don't tend to rewatch dramas, but I am sure that I will rewatch certain episodes of Moonlight in the future, if not all! This journey has been so inspirational and it never hurts to take a look back at your favorite characters once in a while.

Overall-9.5
As a person who has watched almost 40 Chinese rom-coms, I would recommend Moonlight for people looking for a fluffy drama in a heartbeat. With two cute couples, no stupid misunderstandings, and such inspirational stories, this rom-com should not be missed! (Not to mention the extra cute and satisfying ending!) We can't be successful in a flash. Success takes years of dedication and confidence in yourself. These characters failed countless times, but what made them succeed at the very end? It comes down to these things: Perseverance, confidence and encouragement from others. And that, my friends, is how an amazing Chinese romance-comedy is made. Enjoy Moonlight!

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A refreshing journey that won't fail to bring a smile to your face.

What a journey it has been! it initially started with 0 expectations but ended up being one of the most memorable rides. And it actually raised my standards much for fluffy rom-com now, as it has nothing which I truly despair or get annoyed by, but lots of sweet moments and cute fluff that will give you absolute pleasure.. and pain in the muscle of cheeks.

If I talk about the plot or the theme of the drama. It's quite simple without any complexity. Bit or I'll say a lot unrealistic coz of the number of coincidences it has.. or should I call 'Fate' that brought our leads together.. not just together but living under the same roof hehe. Having a bit cliche story I actually liked its pace and the direction with perfect execution from character personality development to the story progression. Being 36 episode drama plus rom-com it had the most chances to become draggy or have unnecessary parts but actually, nothing happened like that, it never left its track consistent till the end. So the story is really cleverly written and stick to its main concept until the last moment.

Now let's talk about the soul of the show its characters. Wow, what can I say about them? I liked the characters more than the story itself. Having three-dimensional human-like characters (Which many writers forget almost all the time) who act like humans, can do mistakes, and not fit in the mold of 'Perfection.' Chu Li at first glance you might feel ah another naive, innocent FL are we getting here? I mean drama doesn't have a 'Strong Female Lead' tag not to forget she is such a cutie pie and adorable, but being badass, rude/arrogant, having power, or physically strong doesn't make strong female leads for me. Hardworking, passionate about their work, strong-willed, having their own goals, principles for life and actually working on them this defines a strong character in my opinion and Chu Li nailed it with being cute and having that bubbliness in her what a balance it was!

Zhou Chuan no I'll say, Mr. Fox, okay I love him.. not him his character lol. Mr. Fox was such a sweetheart and MOOD. I mean there wasn't any moment or scene of him that I didn't enjoy or had good laugh at. He just brightens every moment. He can be a jerk for everyone totally arrogant dude but when it comes to his loved ones he becomes a sweetheart lol...His awkwardness, not able to express what he feels in the starting was felt so natural. The writer did a great job in case of portraying his character as a 'Writer'.. like his stubbornness his passion for his work all things were dealt with in the right way realistically.

So when Mr. Fox and Monkey come together it's a perfect match.. they have quite different personalities but they compliment each other. Their bickering, fights, the development in the relationship with being each other's first love it's quite enjoyable to watch. The chemistry rocks, and how can I forget how much they trust each other and form such a strong bond together... Surely the best aspect of the drama.

Talking about second leads... I'm the type of person who actually doesn't care about second leads at all most of the time I'm not even interested, but honestly, I was invested in the plot of the second lead's story too! they had great chemistry having their own interesting plotline which actually doesn't try to overlap with the main concept of the story.. so yeah I enjoyed their screentime too!

How can I forget the sizzling chemistry between our Mr. Fox and Jiang Yu Cheng... I never craved for the screentime of ML and SML together but I actually did here.

In the acting, they did a really good job portraying all characters I don't think I can imagine this different cast.. and yeah another fact I was glad that dubbing was with the original voice of actors.

So I was engaged to the story from the start to end more than that I was much invested in our main leads who never disappointed me or let me down... for me, it was an amazing drama which I loved thoroughly... I don't rate any rom-com 9.5.. actually never lol, but it was worth it!

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Fall in love with each other online and offline

If you are looking for a cute and refreshing drama with touch of comedy and dream, then this drama is very recommended!

From the beginning, the story is focus on 2 couple, that entangled with each other’s fate.
The main couple bring the story in very cute, sweet and fun romance, and the second couple bring you a bit more mature about love and hate relationship.

Zhou Chuan (Ryan Ding Yuxi) is a popular book author who is known by his fans as warm and gentle as the Jade. He insisted that the role of editors in the internet era is dead, but then he encounters a newby editor who captures his time and attention because of her perseverance: Chu Li (Esther Yu), from Yuan Yue Publishing company.
Both always meet coincidentally in bad timing at first, but as one of fans who admire Zhou Chuan’s book, Chu Li discover that there are two sides of him. He can maintain his cool image, confident and stubborn mind as an author in the public, but actually a cute, childish and indirect person in front of Chu Li and his friend.

Zhou Chuan discovers soon that Chu Li is actually the online netizen “Monkey” who has supported him as L. Jun (Mr. Fox) for many years.
We can see intense chats conversation between the Monkey and Fox who love to quarrel but still maintain their close relationship and sharing many things about every detail in their life like a couple who hide their love towards each other.

I’m still watching this drama now.. but so far I feel excited with the development of the story, especially when a positive, cute & energetic young editor girl is living under 1 roof with the famous author, and slowly fall in love with each other online and offline. Their cute dog Er Gou is a good extras as well.

It’s very sweet to see both leads are chasing their own dream in the same page.. like write a book together, care and support each other in the cutest way. It becomes more interesting with some naughty and cute jealousy scenes and secretly care between author - editor to be landlord - tenant and later.. between boyfriend - girlfriend till husband - wife relationship.

I think the story will teach us about how the male and female lead can grow together while pursue their dream and love.
I’m not really into books, or finish read any book in my life, except comics... But then I feel this drama teach me to respect more about the books production, and I think we really need to appreciate every book author’s hardwork in the world, especially nowadays when people tend to read it online, or even for free. I really wish many people will visit library or book store to buy it and support the authors! :)

The another reason I watch this drama is because I love Actor Ryan Ding and Actress Esther Yu as the main couple!! They are perfectly match to potray the characters that described in the original novel. Love the sweet drama ost (main song) entitled "Here's Chu Li" by The 9 Esther Yu as well.

I wish this drama can be very successful and make their 2nd season! ;)

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LOVE LOVE LOVE ~ THIS IS NOW THE MOONLIGHT IN MY LIFE

This is a beautiful rom-com drama about an editor, Chu li, and a young author, Zhou Chuan. Having been online friends for 3 years, Chu li becomes Zhou Chuan's editor, both unaware of their online relationship. Revolving around a hate-to-love story, their relationship blossoms into a variety of adorable interactions, as a lovely connection is created both online and in real life. And as they grow closer, they work together to become better selves and more passionate individuals.

i absolutely LOVE THIS DRAMA i just finished it recently and haven't been able to get over it since!! Everything about it is just perfection, and i enjoyed watching every second of it. Definitely making it into my top 5 ;)

~ STORY ♥ ~
Starting from the storyline, it may not appear to be the most eyecatching, but trust me, it's so unique compared to many other dramas with a similar topic. The show takes place in a working office, but the story is very equally balanced between business and their relationship. So if you came for either subject, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
And with no doubt, the relationship between the leads is one of the CUTEST IVE EVER SEEN. Chu li and Zhou Chuan's relationship is our aspired COUPLE GOALS. Their character development as they grow closer to each other, added with their mutual trust and respect made them strong and confident in each other, is something not commonly seen in other dramas. I swear, couples from other dramas would be jealous of their relationship as it's just unbreakable.

The FL may seem to be like the classic "weak" or "dependent" type but BELIEVE ME she is absolutely not, and is one of my favorite FL my far! Chu li continues to work hard and improve as she works her way up, making achievements throughout her publishing house that repeatedly astonish and exceed the expectations of all those around her. Proving to everyone that she is not to be belittled!

Additionally, I must make an honorable note on these following points, as it deserves a whole award: none of the characters are "dumb" or "stupidly gullible", and if you've watched a few dramas, u would know what I'm talking abt as I can say with a seething passion that... those characters are the worst. You won't have to worry about any unnecessary cliche misunderstandings, "disapproval from parents", or the "I'm doing this for their own good" breakups, as this drama has none of that! The characters hold a steady and powerful relationship the whole time. THE CHEMISTRY IS OFF CHARTS <33

The second couple was also quite a significant part of this drama as well considering that they had their own storyline. I love the second couple ofc, but i must admit that some of their scenes were a bit dull, which would prolly be the only slight downside to the story. But don't get me wrong, it's probably only because I'm a rom-com person, but if ur someone who enjoys watching more seriously-toned relationships, I'm sure you'll love it~! So don't start watching it with a biased judgment! (the second couple's kisses were sm better than the leads frr) BUUUUT even so... the BROTHERHOOD. ML and second ML's loyal bro relationship is kiiillllliiing me. Fr one of the biggest reasons why i loved this drama so much! And even though the 2nd ML did like the FL for a bit, he backed out right when the ML admitted to liking the FL as well. Like that's a loyal best friend right there, and best 2ML of the year award goes to him 100%.

*SPOILER* ..... although in the last 8 episodes or a sudden new girl popped out of nowhere claiming to have liked Zhou Chuan ever since they were in high school, no problems raised. Im sure many ppl prolly think that she was unnecessary but i think that through her, we can see how strong the lead couples relationship is.

*SPOILER 2*.... cutest ending ever! MDL doesn't let us put emojis on here but I fr would spam crying and heart emoji's right now. The script writers actually spent time making sure that everything was wrapped up neatly, and the last two episodes are just dedicated to following through to the ending MWAHHH. Amazing and satisfying, an ending that ill never forget!
*END OF SPOILER :)*

Although Moonlight is a rom-com based drama, it still carries many inspirational messages and lessons for viewers. We are shown that nothing comes out of thin air, and we must work hard in order to reach our desired goals. Chu li and Zhou Chuan are faced with multiple different obstacles that they must overcome both together and individually, and ultimately maturing into more successful individuals. Along the way, they learn the value of love, anger, emotions, and passion.

~ CAST ♥ ~
I was a huge fan of both the actor and the actress way before i watched this drama, and prolly one of the reasons as to why i loved this drama soo much. I was so happy when i found out they were acting together, and the result definitely didn't disappoint!! Everyone in the cast fit their character excellently, and I am genuinely so thankful that they brought this piece to life for us! Many times i wished that I could see more of some of the side characters as well as they were such an enjoyable part of the show, so thank you for making this masterpiece!

I also heard that many ppl think that the female lead's voice is too high or "childlike" to fit her character, but imo, it fits perfectly. Chu li's voice is dubbed by the actress herself, Esther, which I'm very happy about. Having the character's voice as the actress's adds more of a natural flow to the character.

And of course, Zhou Chuan's character played by Ryan Ding was just flawless - like always :)

~ MUSIC ♥ ~
I honestly don't have too much of an opinion on the songs, they weren't amazing but they weren't bad either. I think most of the songs were used repeatedly throughout the drama, which is okay because it ran quite smoothly with the scenes and everything else in the drama made up for the music weakness.

~ ♥ ~
I personally love everything about this drama from the BOTTOM OF MY HEART. ITS SO BEAUTIFUL AAH. I was giggling throughout the whole drama, and the leads are just too cute. So if your a rom-com lover, i recommend you 101% to give this drama a shot you surely wont regret it :)

♥♥♥♥♥♥

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Typical Contemporary Romance Cdrama

Modern romance drama that revolves around the love story between Chu Li, an aspiring editor, and Zhou Chuan, a highly successful debut author. This was a drama that I had looked forward to ever since they announced the lead pair. I had enjoyed watching Ding Yuxi's "Romance of Tiger and Rose" and really liked Esther Yu in "Find Yourself".

However, what started as a solid 9/10 drama, slowly devolved to 6/10 for me. Mainly because of how absurd the ML's behaviour was. I tolerated his antics in the beginning because I thought he would change for the better as the drama progressed. But, 30 episodes in, he still behaves like a child instead of the 27-year-old adult he's supposed to be. At the beginning of the drama, he treats the FL as his own personal assistant, even his housemaid at times, and no one seems to even point out how wrong this is to the person himself although certain characters do remark upon it. Later, after the leads get together, he continues to demand the FL's attention knowing fully well that she's busy at her job and not ignoring him on purpose. I get that in dramaland this behaviour can pass off as cute but imagine if this happened in real life?

Other than that, my only complaint is that nothing really happens in the drama. This would have been a much better-paced drama if it had been 24 episodes. Instead, we have to wait for more than half the drama, around 18 episodes just for the leads to get together. The drama had nothing new to offer, except for maybe the glimpse into behind the scenes workings of the publishing industry.

Nevertheless, I liked our FL and almost all of the female characters. Their story arcs were much better written, believable and relatable. Chu Li was determined and stood her ground despite how harsh her workplace was to her. Even though I wish we could see Esther Yu in a more serious and not-so-typical role, she played the bubbly and unintentionally funny FL to a tee.

I may be overreacting here, but I'm just really tired of the unreasonable MLs. If you like slow-paced, slice-of-life-ish romances or if you are relatively new to modern cdrama rom-coms then this drama might be for you.

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A cute sugary delight

This is a drama you watch just to get a dose of serotonin. It has a very cute couple with contrasting personalities who make a wonderful whole. The drama is well produced with nice sets, colour grading and overall aesthetics. This show delivers a lot of funny moments and a lot of cute moments. The leads are definitely the main attraction. Both Yu ShuXin and Ding YunXi bring out extremely loveable characters to the screen. The bromance between the ML and SML is GREAT. I absolutely love it. The plot is not the star of the show in a drama like this but it was enough to carry the story forward and let us know our characters better.

I was initially annoyed by the FL's voice and mannerism but quickly got used to it around episode 6. Once I did get used to it though, she was absolutely loveable and I want to carry her everywhere so she can spread happy vibes around. The ML Zhou Chuan is just wonderful and hilarious, the anti thesis of the serious MLs that are all too familiar to us. He just won't stop talking. And he MUST bicker with everyone in the world. Its just great. Love his bickering with Chu Li and especially Jiang Yu Cheng, that bromance was one of the best I've seen in a long time.

The plot itself isn't all that complicated, it is just a cursory look into the lives of editors and writers. It did flow well and did not have too many fillers. Especially appreciated that no unnecessary misunderstandings were created between the leads and there were no breakups or noble idiocy nonsense. In a drama where the focus is to tell a cosy love story, a healthy and strong relationship just works better,

I would recommend this to people who like sweet romances. Please don't watch this if you're looking for a great plot or actual look into the publishing industry. This is a pure romcom which delivers on its promise to give you a calm sweet time.

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DO NOT MISS THIS SWEETEST DRAMA!!!

I have watched 22eps till now as it is still airing rn!
Now I cannot control myself to give the review of this rom-com. .This drama is really very hilarious but interesting and super sweet with a great plot, you'll be hooked to the story after each ep. Leads knows very well how to win your heart by their great acting, sizzling chemistry and the dialogues of this drama will make your heart melt especially the confession part n how can we forgot those super jealousy scenes. This drama regarding being romantic also teaches us in real life that no matter what you should never give up on yourself and people around you, yet there will be people who will try to pull you down but you should always strike back stronger.
In a nutshell you should not miss this amazing drama . xoxo ^ &^
As the drama is airing new eps the stry is getting more n more interesting.

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He is really really in to her she is more in to her job, C-fluff with some rare gems.

This drama is pure C-fluff, a pretty smooth ride with the typical C- icicle who has trouble expressing himself and needs a lesson or two in honesty while the female lead is energetic warm and very good at talking herself in to getting more or less whatever she wants. These two have pretty good chemistry, great humor (reminded me a bit of You are my hero), and you can see that the guy is truly in to her, almost a bit to in to her... while she is more in to her job which is kind of funny yet sweet at the same time.

This drama does reinforce the idea of men wanting to get physical most of the time, while women should want to protect their virtue it does deal with the issue of consent in a pretty good way as well as shows the female lead as a competent person. The drama does deal with the issue of working mothers and some of the struggles they may face for trying to have both a career and a job in a pretty good way.

This drama also deals with the classic money over quality as well as struggles between different generations in a okay, not great, not bad but okay way. What it douse do great is shed light on the importance of finding the right person for the right job stressing the importance of a supportive environment for growth and the dangers of trying to impose ones own idea on some one eases dreams. And gives you the feeling of wee can accomplish anything if we work together.

The second couples characters where great, smart, funny, good looking just not together. Their scenes together where probably the most boring thing about this fluff and is probably what lowered the score.

The bromance here is great, and you will find this really rare thing that I can barely remember seeing in a c-drama, the friend actually giving his/her friend good relationship advice! (I was completely mind-blown and had to rewind the first time, to check that I was reading the subs correctly)

While C-fluff often has at least one character that is kind but annoys me, this c-fluff has not a single one of those characters. Don't get me wrong all the characters are not lovable but what I love to hate about this drama is the presence of the aggravating characters that truly make you curse and want to do things you should not do. Adding to the emotional palett this drama offers.

All in all a decent watch, easy to watch some cringe, some fluff, some anger and some pure happiness and girl power!

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This is How Chinese Modern Dramas Should be Made! Amazing Chemistry from Esther Yu and Ding Yu Xi

I regret that I just know about this drama now. If only I had watched it while it was airing, I would have jumped on the same fun boat with the other watchers of this drama on MyDramaList sooner.
In short, I really adore this drama to pieces. These are the reasons:
- The Story
The story is pretty simple, but it doesn’t mean that the story can not keep you entertained for the whole 36 episodes. The premise of the story is about Chu Li, a fresh graduate from Finance Major but decides to pursue her passion in editing. She applies a job as an editor in a publishing company. Though initially she is rejected because she doesn’t have any background in editing field, but because of her deep knowledge in novels and authors, she’s accepted. In order to pass the probation period, she has to make Zhou Chuan, a best-selling author who is known as not only handsome, but a gentleman, to sign his upcoming book with her publishing company. Unbeknownst to her, Zhou Chuan is also her online friend who has been chatting with her for quite a long time. She finally can persuade Zhou Chuan to sign with her publishing company and she becomes his editor. After living under the same roof, they become closer and closer and then voila, they fall in love with each other. It’s a slow burn romance for sure, but each episode provides you the progress of their relationship bit by bit. From strangers to editor-author relationship to friends to lovers. Ding Yu Xi and Esther's chemistry is great in showing the dynamic of their relationship from the beginning. Thank God that this drama does not provide any cringey and cheesy scenes unlike other usual Chinese dramas which sometimes tend to be over-exaggerated in a way that makes me stop watching them.
- The Acting
Moonlight is the 1st collaboration between Esther Yu and Ding Yu Xi (luckily, we’ll be having them hopefully next year with their new drama, Yong Ye Xing He). I already knew about Esther since I loved Love Between Fairy and Devil and I must say she's a good actress. As for Ding Yu Xi, I was attracted by his acting in Love You 7 Times. Many people feel bothered by Esther’s high-pitched voice. But, I’m not that bothered because at least, she can act. When she’s needed to act seriously, she definitely can act those scenes without any exaggerations. Though I have to admit Ding Yu Xi is better in terms of showing various micro-expressions. He’s a really good actor who can act in love very convincingly and act in funny scenes without fail. Most of the main actors here can deliver funny lines very well and sound very natural. Be it Esther Yu, Ding Yu Xi, and the actor who plays the role Jiang Yu Cheng. So, as for me, not cringey though not all the funny scenes and dialogues can make me laugh. However, I do find their dialogues to be witty. I really like witty banters. In serious and emotional scenes, I find Ding Yu Xi is the best among them. His eyes can emote very well. Esther Yu is best in scenes which require her to show her earnest side.
- The Music
Unfortunately, the OSTs are not memorable. At least, they’re all well-matched with the scenes.
- Rewatch Value
I will watch my favorite scenes on IQiyi Youtube Channel. It provides all the highlights from Moonlight.
To sum up, Moonlight is my current favorite Chinese Drama.

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Awkward rom-com saved by a heart transplant mid run

I know some of you will think that I judged this show too harshly but please allow me to explain.

For a rom-com to be good in my book, I have to care for and want to ship the OTP and the story has to be engaging. That might sound like platitude but the more rom-coms I consumed, the more I felt that this is more elusive than we take for granted. For me, Moonlight missed that mark.

On paper the OTP was a decent pairing. A cute, idealistic new grad in her first job meets a prickly but handsome writer. The issue here is that the setting was very contrived. The FL landed an editor job in a publishing house without an interview and no relevant qualifications, in Shanghai, of all places. Does that really happen in RL? We have seen all the tropey meet-cutes with the ML running over the FL on a bike or the FL trip and fell into the ML's lap with a hot drink, etc but this is the backbone of this script so it needs to be believable and plausible. Of course she overcame every challenge placed in her way. Her storyline was not exactly subtle.

The ML's story was the standard handsome, awkward, egotistical man-child. The writer also threw in a "fated" backstory just to seal the deal. I can accept cliché characters and we all know that Chinese rom-coms have more than its fair share but these were not characters endearing to me. Especially the ML who had a crush on the FL but at the same time did his best to deny this (point blank to the FL's face) and pushed her away repeatedly. Not only was it cliché but the way it was done was wearing. The ML would then pulled a face that said "what have I done?!" and I have to ask that same question too.

The pacing for the first half of the show was glacial. Nothing reached any real highs or lows. Stuff happened and sub-plots came and went. We knew where the show was heading but it just took its sweet time. Honestly, it was just as well that the leads were good looking and they could act. At least they made it bearable. Even then, I was seriously considering dropping it by the halfway mark. Then something happened around ep.19/20. At the start of that "turning point", the plot got so bad that I was having WTF moments. Then it felt like someone sat the writer down and had a "good chat" and the tone, pacing and plot just changed overnight. By the end of episode 20, it was as if a new rom-com was born with the same characters but most of what happened before was a dream.

The last few episodes were sugar sweet and tied up all the loose ends. Just about everyone had a happy ending and moved on in life, love and career. It also meant that it was quite tropey but I can accept that as reward for sitting through the first half of the show. IMHO, if they condensed the first 19 episodes, add it to the last 16 and made it a 20 episodes drama, it would be a decent and very watchable rom-com.

Moonlight wasn't bad, it just didn't resonate with me. Rather than being immersed in their budding romantic journey, I was mostly bored and a little annoyed for a good half of the show. I can't, in all honesty, score the first 19 episode a high mark but the last 16 was a solid 8.5 so in balance, it ended up being a 7.5.

On a positive note, I do like the use of the actors' real voices and ambient sounds. Dubbing can be overused in c-dramas especially if the same voice actor is used for many shows. OST was good. The FL also sang the title song. Rewatch value is low for me. 

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