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Fox Spirit Matchmaker (Red-Moon Pact): Spoiler-Free Mini Review

Aug 11
4 min read

Updated: Sep 20

Yang Mi and Gong Jun in a Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact C-Drama poster

Title:

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact (2024)

Platform:

iQIYI, WeTV

MDL & Douban Rating:

7.1 & 5.0

Genre:

Xianxia (High Fantasy)/ Romance

Episode Count:

36

Parental Guidance Rating:

PG: Just don't watch.

Starring:

Yang Mi (Glory)

Gong Jun (Dark River)

Cristy Guo (Love Story in the 1970's)

Miles Wei (Flourished Peony)

Hu Lian Xin (Echoes of Gang City)

RBTS Rating:

3.1/10 Stars: The worst C-drama I have ever completed. Truly. The CGI was good, but everything else felt like I was being punked.


Cast From Left to Right: #YangMi, #GongJun, #CristyGuo, #MilesWei, #HuLianXin


Synopsis:

Tushan Hong Hong, a fox spirit from the righteous Tushan Fox Clan, saves Dongfang Yue Chu, a human youth pursued by his lifelong enemy, by chance. As they spend time together in Tushan, a bond gradually forms between them. Ultimately, they join forces with their loved ones to combat the forces of evil in order to fulfill their shared desire for peace between their two clans. @MDL



Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red Moon Pact was supposed to herald in a new age of blockbuster commercial successes with a shiny, high budget new franchise that boasted a STACKED cast. The production used XR Virtual Technology on a scale unseen before in Chinese Dramas (think Mandalorian), using a large curved LED screen instead of green screen. Essentially, it means that the actors were more able to interact with their environments on set, which begs the question... WHY DID NO ONE ACT? AGGHHHHHHHHHH!


Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact LED curved screen


The drama crashed and burned epically due to the horrible writing and bland AF acting, to such an extent, that the pre-filmed prequel and sequel removed the "Fox Spirit Matchmaker" branding so as to distance itself from this monstrosity. The drama is based on a popular manwha, but deviates so far from the original story, that I'm not even going to bother summarizing what it's about. It's irrelevant.



I've never watched a show I've cared about less. I felt betrayed. A pretty penny was spent and the marketing promised the second coming of fantasy dramas fresh out of the high tech oven, but instead we were served a cold, hard ice cube, while being told we were dining on something special. I don't even know where to begins with my grievances. I guess I'll start with Yang Mi. Gurl. What are you doing? I am genuinely not being hyperbolic when I say that she had no expression throughout the ENTIRE drama. Yang Mi isn't the most authentic actor, but this was next level, even for her. Was it botox? Is her face actually frozen? Did she also think the terrible script was scrap paper mistakenly thrust into her hands so she thought she was saving energy for her actual lines by giving this portrayal nothing? It's a performance that is literally so bad, it needs an explanation. She has less energy than ZLY in Legend of Fei. I'm rendered speechless by it. Truly.


Yang Mi with a frozen face in Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact
This is the most expressive her face gets. It is truly frozen.

Gong Jun as Dongfang Yue Chu had more pep in his step, but his character was annoying and had no chemistry with the Female Lead. I still can't get over it, did they AI her in? Is that a real person? I am truly baffled. I did enjoy Tushan Ya Ya and A Lai as a couple and as characters, but not enough to justify the existence of this drama. I'm aware that this is a pretty negative review, but the fact that this was released feels like an insult, and just sums up the state of the dramas coming out these days.



I only finished this because I wanted to watch the sister story, Love in Pavillion. Don't judge me.


**Edit: Hello, it's me from the future. I watched the much better sister story, Love in Pavillion, and I am back to report that I did not need to waste my life watching this. The stories hardly connect. Spare yourself.


Watch Order of the Trilogy:


Even though Red Moon Pact was released before Love in Pavillion, Love in Pavillion is the direct prequel to Sword and Beloved, which happens concurrently with Red Moon Pact. It's trying to be Star Wars with its numbering, but I say if you have to watch, just go for Love in Pavillion and skip the rest. Red Moon Pact can be watched as a standalone, but it shouldn't be watched at all.


Story=1.5 (Did not make sense), Acting=1 (worst FL I've ever seen-- She is the embodiment of 'Girl, give us nothing'. ), Production Quality=5 (CGI was fire), Rewatch Value=0, Ending=1 (AHHH), Enjoyability= 1 (Didn't exist).



Trailer:


Director: #DuLin (Love You Seven Times)

Screenwriter:  #JianAn (Love in the Desert)


*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images used on this blog. All images belong to their respective copyright holders and are used for commentary and review purposes. All reviews, opinions, and statements expressed on this blog are my own and are intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal thoughts and interpretations and should not be considered as factual.



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