Love Between Fairy and Devil: Spoiler-Free Mini Review
Updated: 4 days ago
Title: | Love Between Fairy and Devil 苍兰诀 (2022) |
Platform: | Netflix, IQIYI, Youtube, Viki, Apple TV |
MDL & Douban Rating: | 8.7 & 8.2 |
Genre: | Xianxia (High Fantasy), Romance |
Episode Count: | 36 |
Parental Guidance Rating: | PG: Scary images (for young children specifically, but this leans younger in tone overall), Minor violence, bloodshed (fake spitting up of blood) |
Starring: | Esther Yu (Love Game in Eastern Fantasy) Dylan Wang (Guardians of Dafeng) Zhang Ling He (Pursuit of Jade) Xu Hai Qiao (A Dream of Splendor) |
RBTS Rating: | 8/10 Stars: A perfect starter Xianxia with oodles of silly whimsy and angst, a swoony 2ML, and a ML you grow to root for.  |
Cast From Left to Right: #EstherYu, #DylanWang, #ZhangLingHe, #XuHaiQiao, #CristyGuo
Synopsis:
According to legend, Dongfang Qing Cang of the Moon Tribe became an emotionless monster to gain immense power, killing his father, seizing the title of Moon Supreme, and leading 100,000 Moon Tribe soldiers on a path of destruction. To stop him, the first God of War of Shuiyuntian sacrificed her primordial spirit, sealing Dongfang Qing Cang's army and locking him in the Haotian Tower. 30,000 years later, a disturbance in the Haotian Matrix draws Orchid, a weak flower fairy, into the tower, where she encounters the Moon Supreme. Their meeting triggers a series of events that could once again threaten the world's fate.
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
This was my first Xianxia and the second Chinese drama I ever watched. I stumbled upon this on Netflix and decided to give it a go, and boy was I befuddled. I had no context whatsoever for what I was watching lol. But after vewing MANY Xianxias since, I have to say this is the best entry point to the genre. It's shorter than the usual Xianxia fare, has more modern CGI and tropes, and has a pretty solid narrative, making it perfect for beginners.
What is Xianxia?
"Xianxia (literally "immortal heroes") is a Chinese fantasy genre characterized by characters who cultivate spiritual energy (qi) to achieve supernatural power, immortality, and godhood. Heavily rooted in Daoism and Buddhism, it acts as a "high fantasy" equivalent to grounded martial arts (wuxia), featuring cosmic stakes, mythical beasts, and flying swords." - Google
For more information on Xianxia, check out this article by Dr. Yu Sang: HERE.
To begin, if you are not a fan of the zany and whimsical, this is not for you. Love Between Fairy and Devil leaned a bit silly and childish, especially with the Female Lead. Esther Yu (the FL actress) does not sound like that in real life. She chose this "baby" voice. And sure, I guess it worked in some ways because her character is a niave Orchid spirit, but it drove me nuts. And she actually uses the baby voice incontemporary shows as well, so reconciling it with her character here doesn't work as an excuse! I have a hard time with her in particular because I hate the infantilization of grown women in media, and her style of acting really leans in that direction. Which is a bummer, because Esther Yu is a great actress. And I know that's not her real voice. AHHHHH.
Love Between Fairy and Devil is very high quality for a Xianxia, and the writers spent over 800 days developing the script with the pre-production period lasting 400 days, supported by 600 cast and crew members, who created over 20,000 art props. Props to the prop people, they did good. Source
Second lead syndrome thy name is LBFaD. BUT. The relationship between the leads eventually won me over, and I was happy with the FL's choice. And I knew who she would end up with from the get go because I can read the drama title.
Side Note: I read this novel (which you can an English translation of at Barnes and Noble or on Amazon, but I don't recommend you do lol) but it was TOTALLY different. These scriptwriters do the lord's work.
Story=4 (Solid), Acting=3.25 (Passable), Production Quality=5 (Amazing), Rewatch Value=4 (Yeah), Ending=4 (Rushed but acceptable), Enjoyability= 3.75 (Enjoyed, some draggy moments).
Trailer: (I recommend a watch of the trailer before starting. If You don't like the vibes of the trailer, you won't like the show).
Director: #YiZheng (Falling Into you)
Screenwriter: #CaoXiaoTian (The Noble, The Glory, Faithful)
*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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