Até o Fim da Lua (2023)

This show was filled with love, hate, betrayal, action, comedy, and fun.

I didn't really know what I was expecting except I just knew that this drama was a historical fantasy drama with 2 very big stars. I wouldn't say I'm too disappointed with what I got, but there was a lot of areas which were really confusing or made me mad that just didn't belong or make sense in the show at all.

ROLES: To start off, I'm rating this a 9,5 only because Bai Lu and Leo Yunxi starred together as the main leads, I love those 2 and if it weren't for them my rating would have dropped to a 9.0. The chemistry between the 2 leads are really cute but it's not only them, I also really liked Pian Ran and Ye Bingchang's story. I think everyone did great with their acting and the roles were suitable for every character.

COSTUMES: The costumes were great, my only issue is Pian Ran only had 2 outfits the entire show which made me felt like the crew only put all their focus on the main leads and didn't care about anyone else. I also have issues with Ye Xiwu wearing her hairpins , shoes, and outer clothing to bed. In most historical Chinese dramas, when you go to bed, you're supposed to take off the outer layer.

MUSIC: I just want to say they had way too much music for this drama. I honestly think that a drama really only needs 2 or 3 good catchy songs. Especially the same sad songs for those sad crying scenes. Instead we got a handful of a bunch of music which every sad scene had a different song and it made me feel confused so I didn't cry a lot in this drama as I should have.

STORY: The first 30 episodes are really good. The entire story with Ye Xiwu and Tan Taijin really captures my attention and motives me to continue watching. Not gonna lie, even in the Bo're dream, the entire Sang Jiu and Ming Ye dream was also really good and it made me really interested. However, when it came to the the immortal realm, I feel like things kind of take a turn. The story goes down hill and isn't as good as the previous "lives".

OVERALL: There are still lots of confusing stuff for me but I'm not even going to bother. My biggest question that makes me mad the most is: I understand TTJ is the "demon fetus" but he is still a human, he is in a human body. So someone explain to me, how and why he can obtain powers when YXW can't even do that in her mortal body, and why TTJ can live over 500 years even though he is a mortal. I understand why Li Susu can but not him.

Leia Mais

A drama that hooked you in and never let go

I am super lazy at writing reviews in general, but I will give the honour of my first review on this drama, which easily became one of my most favourites.

I would say nearly everything in this drama is perfect:

The cast and acting:
This is the gateway of Luo Yunxi obsession for me. I saw him in Ashes of Love, which showed his excellent skills, but TTEOTM really showcased his potentials. I am so amazed by how he can portray the characters even without spoken words. His movement and mannerisms.. Truly talented actor, and I’d say he was born to play lead in costume dramas.

The story:
Spoiler alert! The ending is not exactly happy ending. You could sort of predict it from the last few episodes anyway. I took 0.5 points for the story because I found that the ending is tragically inconsistent with the novel. I only found out about it because someone translated the last 5 chapters of the novel here on MDL and it sort of healed my broken heart.
Putting aside the ending, the story itself was perfect to me. It was dark at times and full of angst, but also a lot of romance and fluff moments.

Excellent music & rewatch value.
I rarely rewatch things, but somehow I keep wanting to revisit their story, just to get the fluff & fuzzy feelings again. I kept listening to the beautiful soundtrack as well, even weeks after my first watch.

To be fair, there are some flaws that annoyed me a bit:
- There are a lot of blood-spitting. By a lot, I mean amazingly excessive, not just the leads but nearly all characters. In a way, it was kind of funny.. though I wonder if there are some other way to show that someone is hurt, you know.
- Misunderstanding tropes. A lot of them. Thankfully, they were all resolved in timely-ish manner. I'd imagine some people might hate this trope, though.

Leia Mais

My First Chinese Ancient Drama

My review is based on the fact that it's my first chinese historical/ancient drama. I wasn't into these earlier until my friend recommended this to me.

ACTING-

Full points on acting to every actor here. I heard that Luo Yunxi was severely ill and had surgeries right before this drama and he was on a liquid diet. So, some scenes of Bai Lu were shot before him.
Luo Yuxin did a great job portraying all the four characters. (His eyebrows were paid actor)

Bai Lu sometimes felt irrational with her acting and showing too much cuteness but rest in all, she nailed it.

PLOT-

The plot is very different not having the usual romance and actions. It has an open ending which I see as a happy ending but rushed. There are more gloomy, sad, pessimistic scenes than happier ones. It's rather a brutal drama based on a more brutal novel. I liked how they showed TTJ's journey from innocent gloomy childhood to the dark devil god in just 40 eps. How he developed hatred, never received love from anyone, was always betrayed and misjudged; then how he collected all that in his heart, started developing emotions, gained power, ruled a kingdom, burnt in search of his wife, did cultivation, absorbed devilish powers and destroyed the whole world.

Even the side stories and plots were pleasing to watch. They gave us a moment to rejoice and soothe down our pain.

There were three different realms briefly shown, though I felt that the Bore's life in dream was too long. It could have been made shorter (at max covering 2 episodes)

ACTION-

The CGI and Costumes and background scores made the action sequels wayy better. I was worried at the amount of blood they were spitting, they might die from Amnesia. There wasn't a aingle episode without leads spitting blood. lol

MUSIC-

I loved the music!!! The osts are soo good. My favourites are - Black Moonlight, Sending the Long Moon, Black Bird and My World.

COSTUMES-

The costumes were the prettiest. I liked each and every costume of every character. Esp. the all red costume of Pian Ran. The jewellery, Headgear, hairstyles.. everything was superb!!

THINGS I DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT-

Keeping in mind that the series had originally 56 episodes but due to new Chinese policy, they cut shorted it to 40 eps, the ending was rushed. When the last episode ended, I was like "It's just this???"
I'm okay with open endings but not open threads. I am counting it now.

1. When TTJ asked his master why he named him Cang Jiumin, he said I'll tell you later. But then he never explained why. He died like that, keeping secrets.

2. When almost everyone reincarnated from 500 years back, why not Pian Ran?? I legit loved her character. Where did she go?

3. What happened to Xiao Lin at the end? Did he died? Was he alive? Did he reincarnated?

4. What happened to Nian Biayu? Did TTJ killed him? Where had he disappeared?

5. The world didn't know the real intentions of TTJ/Devil God at the end. They still think he was bad and used his power for wrong things. Will they ever know he sacrificed himself for the world? Why he killed his master? When will all the misunderstandings be cleared?

OVERALL-

Overall, it gave me stress, tears, hatred for the world. It's the type of drama which can even depress the happiest person on Earth. Comparing with the novel, they made TTJ a bit softer but Ye Xiwu as it is that's why sometimes her behaviour seemed frustrating. Ep 24-26 were too boring with all gloominess filled. It could have easily been made shorter here and stretched at end to give us a proper ending.

Though this drama has it own shortcomings, it was super addictin to watch. Despite all the gloominess and sorrow, it made a special place in my heart. Kudos to the actors and the whole team.

Hands down Best Chinese Drama of 2023!

Leia Mais

Best drama of the year! ❤

YOUKU we truly want a season 2 of ‘Till The End Of The Moon’ with a happy ending of Cang Jiumin and Li Susu with their daughter. As the novel and the audience states that Tantai Jin would be once again brought to life in the mortal realm after 1000 years after he had cultivated with the help of the Heart-guarding Scale. Please YOUKU we hearby request you to consider making a season 2 with the same cast. We would be patient, audience including me still can't get over this sad ending. We want them to reunite with Cang Jiumin.

This couple of Leo Yunxi and Bai Lu needs to win the best couple award. This drama is so beautiful and full of tradegy which makes it attractive for its viewers to watch. The costumes and the makeup team did a very good job. All the crew members and the cast team did a fabulous job in the making of the drama. The editing team must be included too. The graphics were so beautiful and eternal that would make people fall for the scenes. I thank everyone and YOUKU for letting us watch this heart-touching and heart-wrenching love between Tantai Jin and Ye Xiwu, Cang Jiumin and Li Susu, Xiao Lin and Ye Bingchang, Ye Xingyu and Pian Ran. Thanks to everyone!

Leia Mais

Epic wedding assasination scene! (Eps 26) & Who is the best character?

[Till the end of the moon eps 26 wedding scene]
Assassination in the wedding night is not unusual in C-drama but this scene is so epic for following reasons:
1. Background music: This is definitely the best aspect! There are 4 distinctive soundtracks in one scene: First is the strangely scary sound that is clearly not suitable for a happy wedding night. When the World-overturning Jade and the 9 soul-slaying nails are ready, the battlefield sound starts, expecting some epic boss fights, just like in an anime. But the moment the first 3 nails poke holes into ML’s heart, a quick silence for the ML to realize his beloved one comes for his life, is followed by a painful sad sound showing this is not a fight but a one-sided unjustified traumatized betrayal from FL and sympathy toward ML’s suffering.
2. Acting: Luo Yunxi as Tantai Jin looks sooo naive with a bunch of unjustified questions and his screaming when his heart gets pierced makes viewers really feel his pain. Bai Lu as Ye Xiwu did a great job here, showing no mercy towards the future demon lord as expected. I love the cool-hearted “Farewell…” statement at the end and the painful look when she sees the last 3 nails disappear.
3. Trauma/Tragedy storyline: I know this story means to get the two leads to suffer in the most terrible way possible and this scene is unavoidable. But you know, how crazily inhuman FL’s plan could be, giving the only touch of warmth and love to ML in his world, just to trigger some soul-slaying artifacts and then shred them all with a final cold-blooded blow. This writer must hate this world so much to write this “don’t try this at home” type of story. Of course, because of these emotional abuses, the chemistry between this main couple is distorted into pity, scaredness from FL and obsession, anger from ML.
.
[My favorite character of this show]
To me, the better, wholehearted love and hands down my favorite character is Sang Jiu: Admiration, Affection, Bravery, Sacrifice, and Revenge. A girl dares to lead her life, taking risks to strive for her love, forcefully taking her night with her man before leaving, anonymously taking care of him without asking for anything in return and being able to throw the feelings all away to get revenge for her family… Love and Hate are clearly distinguished which is sooo cool !!!
Unfortunately, she admired an absolute piece of trash, irresponsible, incompetent “God of War” Ming Ye, who should have at least expressed appreciation for his 2-time savior by doing something for her. For example, giving her a clear verbal explanation in person (not a no-brainer promise written in toilet paper), some protection artifacts, something for her to get his contact when needed, and at least distributing some troops to protect his family-in-law and a courier to get updated. This so-called “Leader of the Upper Immortal Realm” just sits still, does nothing, knows nothing, and when bad things happen he could continue his uselessness by fking around FL saying sorry while she gets all the revenge herself..!?

Leia Mais

AMAZING Chemistry Between ML and FL (amongst the pain and angst and blood)

In full disclosure, I'm a Bai Lu fan, have been for years, OF COURSE I was going to watch this show no matter what.
Also, I actually think Bai Lu has good chemistry with most other ML she has worked with, but her together with LYX is near or at the top of the spectrum.

Story - Docked a point here, because as much as I loved this drama, if I'm being a bit picky, I still felt the final arc was a bit rushed and some things left a bit TOO open or w/o closure. Not just with the main couple, but some side characters as well. I have read (ok, skimmed) the original webnovel as well. They are different enough that the stories shouldn't be compared, but I would say the webnovel had a bit more explanation and closure at the end at least. Wish they had made this longer, given it more episodes, even if it would require 2 seasons, and taken their time with the storytelling.

Acting/Cast - its Bai Lu, I'm giving a 10. But in seriousness, the acting carried this drama for me. And despite me picking this drama up for Bai Lu (who was amazing as always, and beautiful of course), you really have to appreciate how well Luo Yunxi did, portraying not just multiple characters, but also the complexity of Tantai Jin's personality and his growth as the story progressed. This role was a tall order and LYX delivered it beautifully. The supporting characters also did their parts well. I might've found the Xiao Lin/Ye Bingchang couple a bit bland but I think it was how they were in the story itself and not an acting issue. CDL did a fantastic job portraying the two-faced little b*tch of a sister, and as much as I wanted to slap her (a sign of a successful villain), she still was able to somehow convey a sense of her motivations/reasons for turning out the way she did. Bai Lu's character Li Susu does not go through AS drastic of a change as Tantai Jin through the story but you can still clearly see her gradual transformation from a more naive girl with this world-saving mission who doesn't yet fully understand all that this mission would entail to someone who has had to make tough decisions, who has sacrificed, who bears the weight of heavy responsibility, who has felt guilt, who has been tricked and deceived, who has had her heart broken--and all the while her unwavering determination to protect the world.

Music - Love LYN's voice. I screeched when I heard the opening theme. Other songs are beautiful too--evokes alot of emotion. Especially when they play certain themes at certain key points. It always reminds of those scenes when i hear the song.

Rewatch - If I DO rewatch, certain parts at least. Lets be honest, there's a whole lot of misunderstandings and a whole lot of angst. I might skip over the REALLY painful parts if I'm rewatching.

Nitpicks - So much blood. Some parts I really wish they didn't vomit blood or toned it down to a small trickle rather than a big mouthful. Makeup was sometimes a bit heavy, especially on Tantai Jin. He looked great but its just very apparent he has a helluva lot more makeup on than the people around him. Besides Tantai Jin, there was a scene where Ye Qingyu gets into a fight with Tantai Jin where Tantai Jin refuses to leave his dead wife's side--I was shocked with his makeup there--but at least the actors knew and poked fun at it too (Ye Qingyu's actor joked he looked more like a corpse than Ye Xiwu who was actually supposed to be a corpse).

Overall - Love the drama, love the actors, love the music, loved the details in the beautiful costumes (although c'mon whats up with the devil world wedding outfits...i know its devil world and costumes are used to portray the state of character/plot to a degree, but can't they have prettier clothes that don't make me want to wish them Happy Halloween). Just be prepared for alot of angst and pain so if you're not ready for something that isn't all light and sweet and fluffy, table it for until you're ready.

Leia Mais

I dont think i can cry for a few weeks after watching this

I started this show not knowing much about it, other than it having a good story from other reviews...
I really fell in love with it, simply couldn't stop watching. Had to get the tissues out as this has really been a tearjerker for me, I love this story.
I highly recommend it but have those tissues ready.
After finishing the show, my eyes need a break for a while, as I Binged all 40 episodes in 5 days...
1. The story overall is quite sad, I wish they would have had more Episodes to flesh it out fully.
2. The acting was very good, but there is something slightly off about it idk why. maybe I'm too used to watching western tv and this is just the Chinese way of acting.
3. Music is a banger and will make me cry all-day
4. Idk if I could rewatch as I cried way too much these past 5 days, my soul is not ready for another round for a good while.
5. overall i highly recommend this show

Leia Mais

Una Wuxia espectacular 1000/10

Considero que va a ser una de las mejores series Wuxia de este año.
Empezamos por ambos protagonistas, tanto Luo YunXi Como BaiLu, un 10. Ambos actores son espléndidos y se ve perfectamente que sus actuaciones relucen. Poco más que decir de ellos dos que no se sepa. Como añadido dire que la química entre ambos reluce.
La segunda pareja me ha faltado un poco más de contenido, no por ello mal, pero me ha dejado un pequeño sabor amargo, eso sí buena actuación, sobre todo Chen Du Ling, ha conseguido que una comunidad entera la odiemos en varios capitulos, espectacular su actuación.
La tercera pareja, de ellos dos sí que quería más, admito que al principio era como, no relleno no, por favor y acabé enamorada de ellos dos, sobre todo de Pian ( Sun Zhen Ni) .
No puedo decir muchas cosas negativas de esta serie, como mucho el final, no lo considero mal final, pero no el que yo quería. ¿Tanto costaba no matar a nadie? Digo, se que es un poco hobby pero no hacia falta, bueno ahora diré que me esperaba un final con ambos, aunque de alguna manera se reencontraran, sobre después de todo lo que lucho Tantai Jin, un personaje que paso de ser el malo al bueno, que solo buscaba su felicidad y la encontró en quien menos se lo esperaba, creo que podían haberlos dejado juntos. A día de hoy espero que por arte de magia o me den algún capítulo extra o que me confirmen una continuación de algo para que le den un final digno.
Como extra añadire que de las mejores cosas de la serie son los BTS, es decir, los detrás de cámara de ambos actores principal son GENIALES, gracias a esas escenas y a como han ido sacandolo ha dado esa chispa a la serie que ha tenido a tanta gente mirandola.
Considero que es drama 1000/10 y las poquitas cosas que no me gustaron no merece la pena ni nombrarlas porque fueron tan pocas que pa que.

Leia Mais

Best Xianxia drama of 2023

These two actors are my favorite for a reason because they are the best at what they do. I was so happy to see them reunite in this drama after love is sweet. This drama had so much pain and sadness yet a perfect mix of romance in there as well, whoever watched this needed a box of tissues in the end. Luo Yunxi is such a gifted actor whose expressions were on point each time he appeared as Tantai jin, Cang jiumin, or Ming Ye. I haven't seen an actor who looked so good in every costume he wore especially the Devil king look. I loved all the actors and actresses portraying their chemistry on screen together, how they were so close like a family working on this together. This drama proves Luo Yunxi is the perfect fit in historical/costume dramas also can't wait to see his upcoming two later in the year. The year isn't even over yet, but i can easily say this is already in my top 5 Cdramas of all time because the director took his time to give the viewers an amazing drama in the end.

Leia Mais

Defying Destiny - Follow Your Cracked, Bleeding Heart

I really enjoyed Till the End of the Moon and was swept along with its passionate story telling, gross flaws (misunderstandings galore, deep cuts to make a 40 episode limit), copious blood spitting, makeup mishaps and all! It was a roller coaster ride and highly memorable because of its compelling main characters with their larger than life goals and the blistering chemistry of the lead actors LYX and BL. Their acting elevated the imperfect script and kept me invested to binge the episodes and hoping to see them earn happiness together at the end.

Story: 7.5/10
The story has 4 arcs: Hostage Prince, Bore Dream, Jing Kingdom, and Immortal realm. For me, the first arc was the most suspenseful and character driven part of the story. If the level of story telling had stayed at this level, I would have easily rated the story telling 9.5/10. Still there were many twists and turns throughout to keep me engaged in the story. However, it was frustrating to see all the misunderstandings driving a number of plot lines starting from the Bore dream arc, Jing Kingdom and Immortal arcs. This didn't do justice to the intelligence and craftiness that the leading characters showed in the first 1/4 of the story. The characters of TTJ and YXW/LSS had conflicting values and these were not fully mined; instead misunderstandings caused by third parties were too heavily used to drive the plot.

The last 1/4 of the drama suffered the most in terms of inconsistent edits, sharp scene transitions, Li Su Su was missing in action at critical times, and the ending felt rushed. I think that credit is still due for the high level of risk taking the show took in having flawed characters, distinct world building for 3 different realms, complex action sequences, flamboyant costumes and dramatic makeup. The show was not trying to be subtle! The characters dared to love and hate fully, which was a blast to watch their passion!

Acting: 9.5/10
The show toned down both main characters from the novel who were much darker and cruel. Even so LYX was TTJ lifted from the page. He captured TTJ's essence perfectly with a very nuanced performance as a tortured, vicious and dark anti-hero with an eventual redemptive arc. His chemistry with BL as YXW/LSS was blistering and they had incredible push and pull. BL's acting as YXW/LSS was versatile but the meat of the drama's story-telling focused on TTJ's growth and trajectory. This is different from the novel where the story is mainly from YXW/LSS's perspective. The last third of the drama was light on character development for LSS and did not showcase BL's acting as highly.

Music: 9/10
The OST grew on me. It was used effectively in the more dramatic scenes. However, there were parts where the music was distracting.

Rewatch value: 9/10
TTEOTM has numerous highlights and memorable scenes. I've been back to rewatch the highlights. Now if only there could be a director's cut released!

Overall: 9/10
The show is imperfect but overall compelling and deserves to be commended for the risks it took.

Leia Mais

I have been waiting for this pairing of Leo Luo and Bai Lu ever since I watched them in “Love Is Sweet,” and their on-screen chemistry was off-the-charts. I am glad this time it’s a historical drama that brought them together, as both were formidable in their past projects, “Ashes of Love” and “One and Only.”

“Till the End of the Moon” lives up to its title, as it tells of the searing saga and intertwined fates of the Demon Lord Tantai Jin and the Immortal goddess Li Su Su, going through several lifetimes and reincarnations until eternity. Here lies my contradictory feeling about the concept of “everlasting” love: while it’s commendable that these two managed to “resolve” their conflicts or despite their opposite goals, and still love each other years and years later; how many times should I see them cycle through different lives in various identities, without getting bored with it?

Back to the story, granted that it’s a complex one, but here we see Tantai Jin as the anti-hero. Was he really born evil or just a product of his cruel environment? Sure that he had the “evil bone” or whatyoumacallit planted inside of him by the spirit of Evil, making him more devil than the evil itself with his evilness. They had to make sure that we know he’s the devil, despite his insistence on the contrary.

But hey, look who’s here: the fairy goddess turning mortal to save the day, like she fell down from the sky, literally. Not only that, Li Su Su is arguably the most beautiful human being that graced the heavens, but apparently, she’s the only one who possesses the power to stop the Devil from destroying the world. Maybe by seducing him with her flawless white skin and virginal attire, will make the almighty Devil shake in his knees.

Throw in five or a hundred supporting characters, then you complete this saga. First, you must always have the jelly-bitch of a step-sister, ala Cinderella. Then you must also have a trusty side-kick or two. Don’t also forget to include the meanie mother, in this case, father, who destroys everything like your hopes and dreams. A comedic-relief character is also necessary in any story, so you have that. Add in an army of villains to do your bidding, and Voila! You have a cast list that is longer than the roll of tissue in your bathroom.

What really made me (or probably you) overlook all the craziness of time- or life- warping back and forth, not sure what is in whose memory of where it takes place is the beautiful cinematography that razzles and dazzles, so you just go with the logic and forget that you stepped into plot holes that you magically come out of. You won’t wonder: did that just happen, because no, it didn’t? It’s just in your dream, in your mind, and you are not supposed to see that rip in the fabric of time.

Aiding in this mesmerization are the two key actors whose job is mainly to act like their lives depend on it. Bai Lu expertly balances between the innocent yet formidable; soft in her expressions, yet firm in her direction while making sure that her hair and make-up is not out of place. For his part, Luo Yun Xi employs micro-expressions to portray his role as the Demon God. In this drama, Leo’s eyebrows made a strong appearance to make sure that you know they mean business. Leo’s lips did a lot of the work too, especially when he coughed up so much blood and making it look as normal as brushing his teeth.

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed this drama. It had its strength and weaknesses. I would follow the pairing of Leo Luo and Bai Lu till the end of the moon, if only the moon isn’t too far and requires three lifetimes of dreams.

Leia Mais