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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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Will make your heart flutter and your brain turn to mush
THIS DRAMA. I am blown away. First off, I am an avid reader and absolutely love that this is set in a publishing company with authors and editors thrown into our character pool. Chu Li is the most determined, strong willed, main female lead ever. She is someone that just spews girl boss energy.The chemistry between the two main leads is off the chart!!! All the mini story arcs and how they dealt with them/interacted...I am blown away.
Would watch this drama again and again. If I could erase it all from memory and rewatch it, I would sell my soul to do it.
WATCH THIS.
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NOT DRAGGY...SO WORTH IT!
I know many people don't like the voice of FL but trust me, you will adapt and appreciate her character for her bubbly nature.I have to say this drama is practically a visual explosion and everyone acted so well! I'm a dingyuxi fan but the 2nd FL and ML are so so charismatic and good-looking, I really enjoyed their relationship. This is the first time the 2nd leads can rival the main leads in every aspect possible. The constant bickering in the bromance is also chefs kiss.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, it is not draggy!!! Everything moves at a good pace and the character developments are on point! The story plot is really unique as they tapped on the r/s btw authors and their editors which is quite unusual. I'm glad to learn more about this line of work through this drama as well. There are definitely some parts that are a bit unrealistic but tbh I am more thankful for the realistic parts that dwelled on family acceptance, friendship, overcoming obstacles etc. There's this arc the main characters had to face near the finale and I have to say I was SO STRESSED and I truly felt all their emotions, I even cried with them! Kudos to their great acting I felt equally miserable.
To end it off, this is a really good drama for rom com lovers and visual seekers. Not many side stories, everything is well balanced and focused on the 2 relationships as well as the FLs' job, you will be very very satisfied if you like them :)
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"Passion, Sincerity and Hard Work- everything you need to get it done."
"The moon is beautiful tonight."Moonlight is a rom-com dealing with author-editor relationships, publishing companies and maybe a bit of every c-drama element.
TIP- For some who are hesitant to watch this- I'd ask you to fast forward (not omit) the first three episodes if you're curious, but not willing to risk wasting your time on what seems like a potentially horrible drama.
first thoughts- After watching tedious dramas, and due to the stifling atmosphere created by the pandemic, Moonlight, in its first six episodes of release served as a gift of joy as I unraveled through the lives of the characters. As a regular, consistent drama watcher, I'd only hoped for a decent storyline, fair characters and a plot that doesn't involve unnecessary actions.
Moonlight ticked them all. Introduced to characters that at first glance, fit into the stereotype moulds of an average c-drama, I'd expected many things. To my pleasant surprise, Moonlight took many forms, but it definitely waddled away from stereotypical scenarios and thats what kept me going.
while watching- i didn't binge watch this, so my experience wasn't ruined by constant cringing. The slow-mos were potentially cringe-die worthy and I'd wished they didn't overdo certain moments. But true to its comedic nature, the series had its fair share of chuckle worthy shots and cute scenes. Esther Yu wasn't annoying and childish, Ryan Ding wasn't a tsundere, The second leads weren't completely fools.
Despite appearing to fit into a certain type, I liked how each varied in their own ways. Esther has her pouty moments, but she also shows immense faith and perseverance. Ryan Ding isn't a rude, stand offish guy- he's clueless about human emotions but is willing to learn.
Albeit, the acting as a whole felt a jiffy stiff, especially the romance between the second leads felt WAY tumultuous and seemed irrelevant as to why they were separated in the first place. The last couple of episodes did feel weird and forced.
After watching- it was definitely rushed. I would've expected at least one more episode, or two almost to show a little more progress. But at least we got a nice little gift wrapped with a pretty ribbon and after watching many hyper-realistic dramas, it was nice to see a cute ending.
The leads had their 'main lead halos' but they also had their vulnerable moments. What I liked most about the show is that each of them have their own personality. No character was 'canon fodder' for another and had their own talents. There's a lot of which is unrealistic, but it isn't impossible. There was this perfect balance between both positive moments and negative moments. The pace, in my opinion, in the mid parts were PERFECT. It was natural progress and I loved IT.
Its direct, cutely cringey with some surprising elements and a good story overall. There's a lot of stuff that the series broached about, quietly and shortly.
And that's why I loved it. Watching Rom-coms, in its nature itself is sort of illusion. So I'd rather have a drama like this rather than other unrealistic, head aching ones.
Endline- I'd recommend everyone to watch Moonlight. Watch it when you've finished a sad series, or if you don't wish to connect much to characters too much or if you wish to numb yourself and not want complicated storylines. It's light, carefree, minimum effort to understand series. Perfect light hearted rom-com with a strong female lead and a fun male lead.
Have fun watching!
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A short review (with some little spoilers)
Overall it's a good drama, I think it's great. I personally really liked how the protagonist handles her editor work, and the fact that she is cute most of the time, but also serious when necessary. The couple have good chemistry and the funniest scenes for me are the male protagonist being "a concubine in a cold palace".I don't know if I already said it, but one of the tags I like the most is the "hardworking female lead", that is, the protagonists who don't live in terms of romantic love. Well, love can be something important, but it bothers me a lot when some characters are defined by the relationships they have with the male protagonists.
I really liked how there is an effort to demonstrate the relationships that exist between editors and authors, as well as the distinction between "good" and "bad" editors. The emphasis given to the importance of books in general is also worth mentioning.
But there are a few things I didn't like, which I listed quickly and not so organized: 1) The way the protagonist got her job was unusual and seemed a little unrealistic, along with the fact that in her first task she took something very difficult to accomplish, which was to sign a contract for the production of the male leader's book; 2) The delay for her to know that the protagonist was her friend on the internet (wechat, I think), and the fact that he used this identity to find out more about her, seemed a little inappropriate, but nothing to stop me from continuing watching the drama; 3) The number of episodes, which could be a little smaller added to the unnecessary drama in the final part, caused in part by a female character interested in the male leader. This made the final part of the drama a bit tiring to watch, I think 30/32 episodes would be an ideal amount; 4) The relationship of the secondary ones who didn't communicate, didn't talk. The chemistry existed, that's a fact, except that the secondary couple's development was a bit boring, with misunderstandings that could be resolved with a simple serious and frank conversation.
However, these negative points were overcome by the dynamics given by the main and secondary characters. I really appreciated the effort made by the protagonist to help her writers. And finally, I'm glad that Esther Yu's acting has improved significantly.
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Ironically the story is weak even though it is about writers
I made it to 26 and just couldn't fathom how there were still 10 episodes. They drug out some things too long or added more problems where they could have used the time to wrap up existing issues and been done in 24 episodes.Main CP is fine but could have had some better communication. Not the best kisses but they are cute.
2 CP were both gorgeous and had steamier kisses but their relationship was very weak.
Overall, it is cute just didn't hit the right spot for me. More slice of life for many different people than romance and I was hoping for a bit more romance. If you want slow but warm feelings with Esther Yu then I would recommend A Romance of The Little Forest over Moonlight.
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I don't know if you, like me, are looking for something soft and cute and full of accidental kisses and cringe (but good cringe), but this is definetly a worth watching drama.
I must warn you tho (no spoilers) about a few things that may be bad. The female lead is a very childish, even tho she's mature to handle a lot of situations, sometimes I got uncomfortable because of how infantilized she is. But if you can get past this, and if you enjoy the genre, I'm sure you'll fall for every single character (I even cried near the end because one of the supporting characters that appers in 6 or 7 episodes got a farewell).
I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I did.
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not much feels from this drama
after finishing this show, i really don’t feel anything from it, i don’t dislike it, but i don’t like it either, which is rare. while watching, i stopped for a month after watching ep 14, and decided to give it another try and continue it.the acting of the casts are good, but the plot feels very bland. there isn’t much ups and down, even the part where she found out that he lied to her doesn’t make me feel much, i couldn’t really get into the situation…
throughout the drama i kind of just want it to quickly finish, and i cringed at many scenes. the only interesting part is where the female character’s personality is refreshing. she stands up for herself, has good perseverance, and gags when her partner tries to be romantic. i quite like her as it feels new to the many weak female characters.
overall, i did not enjoy the show as much as others, but if you like a cute and fluff drama, you can give it a try!
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A cute, somewhat realistic look into the world of editing, publishing, and writing.
This drama has a cute little charm to it that kept my attention through all 36 eps.What I liked:
1. The acting was surprising good. I have seen Ryan Ding in a few dramas before, but he plays the role of Zhou Chuan really well. Also, Esther Yu fits Chu Li really well too. I haven't seen Esther in any dramas before, so this was a good first impression. The other actors and actresses played their role really well, and there wasn't too many over exaggerated scenes.
2. The lessons the drama talks about are really realistic. Many people look at the editing, publishing, and writing industry and think it's easy, but this drama paints it under a somewhat realistic light. The lessons of perseverance, belief, hard work, and many others are well-incorporated into the story.
3. The chemistry is super cute!
4. The OST is so catchy, I had it stuck in my head for so long :)
5. The story was pretty good. I was really glad that the Song Xi situation was dealt with quickly and the leads didn't break up for some petty reason. Most of the relationships were well written.
What I wasn't a fan of:
1. The pacing of the story was a little slow in the middle, and many eps felt like filler eps. Luckily, the story picked up in the last third.
2. I wasn't really digging the second leads relationship, mainly because they glossed over the reason they broke up in the first place. It kind of felt like "drama magic" where someone dies and they magically forgive each other and everything is back to normal again.
Overall, this is a good drama to watch! It's pretty light-hearted and mostly realistic.
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sweet rom com
I’m kinda sad I finished love this drama gonna miss it especially the leads.If your are into a more complex story line this might not be for you. I wouldn’t say the romance went by super fast but the problems that may have effected the relationship were solved rather quickly and wasn’t dragged too long. What’s different about this from the typical romcom was the female lead was able to solve almost all her difficulties on her own or with little assistance, they went straight to the point and didn’t hesitate to say whatever.
Overall their romance and chemistry was super cute and lovely
Nice warm drama, did get a little slow here and there but totally worth finishing
Acting: Chu li who was portrayed by Esther Yu is pretty similar to Esther herself which I enjoyed about this Drama.
Zhou chuan portrayed by Ryan Ding also love him in Intense love. I think he did a good job portraying his role of being a childish but cold to others ml
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A type of drama that you don't see in a while!
This is a short review!( there are some spoiler )
This is truly an amazing drama, where it follows a somewhat realistic path. There are moments where you think this will actually happen in real life. But also moments that are like "What?!" / "This can never happen" / too fake" This drama has a balance of workplace life and its romance. The main leads get along really well when they are in their relationship and there is no misunderstanding, in contrast to the other drama you see. Where they get in a fight and break up... As for the second lead couple. Their relationship was more complex than the leads, which was really nice to watch. Since I would be frustrated when watching. The mains leads/second leads acting was great. The OST in this drama was so good. Some of the songs were sung by FL and SFL.
That is my comment on this drama! I love it!
WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING!!
HAPPY ENDING
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Funny and delightful
I generally don't like it when the FL has a high annoying voice. HOWEVER, Yu Shu Xin does a great job in this drama and is so funny! She's got some sass to her. Ultimately, the actress is perfect for her role. Her bubbly demeanor suits the character well. Her bantering comes natural and I think she brings out the contrast between the ML and FL well.Ding Yu Xi is a great actor. Some parts felt a bit over the top, but then again, that's kind of his character.
I think the relationship between Zhou and his father is painful to witness. However, it is very honest. I had a similar mother/daughter relationship. I like how the drama resolves their issues.
Overall, the drama was well paced, well developed, and a joy to watch.
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