As a xianxia romance drama, as expected, TTEOTM will contain multiple realms, misunderstandings, reincarnation, a war between god and evil, powerful beings, etc. But what makes TTEOTM stand out from the rest for me is their superb acting, beautiful sets, exquisite costumes, and enticing plot.
The acting is S++ for the main leads. This is the second drama with Bai Lu and Luo Yunxi partnering (before they did the romance office drama Love is Sweet). Their chemistry is crazy, and make-believe says they are in love. There isn't any stone-faced kiss, the kiss looks real. They portray every sweet moment really well. Because they're enemies to lovers, you will see a lot of hateful stares, manipulation, lies, and intentions to kill each other.
Bai Lu is really good at intense situations like when she loses all hope (sadness and rage), almost dies, turns evil, and gets badly hurt. She portrays four characters: Li Susu, Li Susu turned Ye Xiwu, the original Ye Xiwu, and Sang Jiu. Every character is done well, but my favorite is Li Susu, she puts her mission above all and is willing to sacrifice for people (even when she sometimes doesn't see through the situations).
Luo Yunxi is phenomenal. He portrays the Ancient/Original Demon God, the Second Demon God, Tantai Jin as the hostage prince, Tantai Jin as the Jing King, the God of War Ming Ye, Cang Jiumin, and Tantai Jin as the Demon God. Every character is distinguishable, and even the small movements and aura are different. You can tell who the character is just by his eyes. He really brings his A game to the table. He is well-rounded in every emotion, and he is really good at playing the microexpression. It's perfect, I can't imagine another person playing TTJ. This is the role that was made for him. My favorite is the Ancient Demon God, he reminded me of Darkling, handsome, sexy, evil, and powerful. But the most memorable is the hostage prince, he seems weak and harmful, but he is manipulative and acts like a kid.
Other cast members are also really good, especially the senior actors like their masters, Jize and Chuhuang. I don't find bad acting, even the newcomers like Sun Zenni and Deng Wei are good and suitable.
The sets are so beautiful, grand, and majestic. It really takes you to another realm. The gods realm with Dunhuang style is so dreamy, the demon realm is dark and scary, the immortal sect is so relaxing with peaceful rainforest and lake, the Mohe Clam River is a cute aesthetic undersea kingdom with a lot of pearl decoration, and the Jing kingdom is lavish with phenomenal landscaping. The CGI for the sets is excellent, and you won't see it again until now.
You also won't find the basic costume, like wearing white if you're a god or black if you're a demon. It's unique, has its own style, and matches the set and character. The gods wear a Dunhuang style that is so colorful. Every character changes costumes multiple times. I even lost count of how many times the main leads change costumes, which is a lot. Every costume is so detailed, with a lot of pattern, various embroidery, and different fabrics and materials. The headpiece is also beautiful and regal. As a sequin dress lover, I really like Li Susu's pink sequin dress, it's so lovely and dreamy. For the headpiece, I love Sang Jiu's pearly accessories.
The plot is tight and fast-paced, you don't want to skip a scene. If you really like enemies to lovers or time travel plots, this will suit your taste. I think the most interesting is how the main lead is an antihero, so sometimes their action is unexpected.
What I also like are their action scenes, they're really cool and well coordinated. The music is suitable, my favorite ost is Mysterious Bird. They also have a lot of unique makeup and cute hairstyles. About the CGI, sometimes it is really good and screams expensive, but sometimes it is messy. Also, sometimes the sequence is not right and I feel glitchy, but it's acceptable.
Only two things that I don't like make me rate this drama 9.5, not 10. First, their editing is messy. I know the problems are because they cut a lot of scenes. It was supposed to be 58 episodes, but they cut it to 40. It makes the flow too jumpy, a lot of conversation is cut, and the dubbing is not matching. It also makes the plot hole worse because important scenes get cut. Second, the ending is bad, there is no further explanation after TTJ perishes, what happens with the others, will TTJ get reincarnated? It is rushed, even though I love EP 40 because it is sad and beautiful. They should add one episode for a proper ending and not do random things.
In conclusion, I really love this drama mainly because of the leads, Yunxi and Lulu, the aesthetic, and the plot. I really love to see if they have a special episode or release a cut scene. My biggest hope is that they will release the director's cut with 50+ episodes without messy editing.
By the way, I'm still sad and still have puffy eyes, but I won't move on from this drama and will rewatch it later. I'm also waiting for YunLu's third drama, whatever the genre is, I will be seated because they are my favorite CP in C-Dramalands right now.