Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022)

***MAJOR SPOILERS***

I was surprised at how young the leads were and would’ve preferred a slightly older cast, but they did very well in their performances, especially* the male lead. He really nails emotional, intense roles. The actor is good at doing facial expressions that make his scenes very heartfelt. He also delivers when it comes to the comedic parts; the body swapping between him and the female lead were the funniest.

Many people dislike the female lead’s high pitched voice, which I understand, but as someone who used to watch a lot of shojo anime, it didn’t bother me as much. I think the real issue is whether viewers want to watch this type of character, which is the usual, innocent female that isn’t really popular with some...so if one expects a more mature, badass female lead like the ones in other martial arts fantasies, this could be a down point. The character of Orchid is meant to be an innocent little plant (literally) who manages, in her own way, to influence events around her. She does get to solve problems- like how she is able to clear up a misunderstanding between the male lead and his brother. She also shows bravery in her immortal examination test when she tries to save other examinees. The actress also did pretty well when she had to act cold during the body swaps- I think the scene where she bit the second male lead was pretty funny!

The chemistry between the main couple was good, even if they were such an odd couple who had IMHO, way too many ups and downs.

The supporting characters were also likable here and experienced character growth. The second male lead, ChangHeng, starts off as flat and boring but he grows into his own and becomes independent. The second female lead, fairy Danyin, is antagonistic at first, but she turns out to be a valuable ally with her own side story that ties well into the plot.

Another good point is that all four characters, not just the main couple but also the second leads, get to play different personalities when they are reincarnated in the mortal realm.

One thing this show does differently from other Xianxias is to take established conventions and turn them around. The character of DongFang QingCang is usually portrayed as a villain but in here, he’s just misunderstood. They needed a different antagonist because of this and while I don't think this substitute was as compelling, he was decent. On the other hand, the character of the Heavenly Lord is always a jerk in these stories but manages to get away with it…it’s the same here, unfortunately. Although one could argue that it is also like that in Greek mythology, where Zeus gets away with too many things when he should have been written as an antagonist.

One downside for me was how, when Orchid finally turned into the Goddess, it wasn’t as convincing. I should’ve cheered at her transformation but instead, I wanted the old Orchid back. It’s normal for characters in this genre to experience different lives but there is always that something that makes them feel the same- like in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, where Bai Qian went through three lives and acted differently in each, yet she still felt like herself. Not so here. The Goddess felt like an entirely different character with no connection to her previous life.

The secondary character, ‘Jeli’, also felt out of place. She wasn’t bad, but she got away with too many things (like stealing treasure in the Ghost Kingdom) which I felt she would have been killed for. They tried to make a story arc for her that tied into the whole ‘fairies vs. devils’ theme but it felt forced. I also couldn’t picture her as fairy Danyins sister.

The ending was also rushed…did DongFang get to keep his throne in the Ghost kingdom? Since he didn’t have hellfire anymore, what did he have in its place? In the last scene, Orchid finally remembers him, so did she finally regain a little bit of her former personality? Maybe having one or two more episodes would’ve explained things better.

Leggi di Più

Beautiful love story!

This xianxia revolves around a powerful "evil" lord, Dongfang Qingcang, and the little Orchid fairy who accidentally frees him from the prison he has been in for 30,000 years, and puts him under a spell in the process. The plot follows them as Dongfang Qingcang does all he can to take advantage of the situation and rise to power once more, and Orchid does her best to hide her new companion from the other immortals, and change him for the better.

What stands out immediately in the story is the characterization of the two protagonists, who couldn't be more different from each other: Dongfang Qingcang is practical, strict, always serious and straightforward, and has little to no care about what others might think or feel; Orchid, on the other hand, is very emotional and innocent and always tries her hardest to make sure that the people around her are happy and at ease, even at her own expense. The two of them grow to appreciate each other from the little things, and slowly grow and evolve emotionally as well. I really liked how the changes in their behavior and their attitude toward each other felt very natural; both protagonists are very different people in the second half of the drama, and I didn't question this change even for a moment. The story takes place in four different "arcs", so to say, each of them very relevant for the evolution of Orchid, Dongfang Qingcang, and their romance.
Overall the plot felt very solid to me. There were a couple of times when I felt like it was getting too slow, and also a moment when I actually wished the events had more time to unfold properly, but it didn't hinder the story.
All the characters were amazing. The two protagonists gave amazing performances and I was very impressed by their versatility to portray such complex characters in particular: the cast was just perfect for all the roles.

The quality of the production was pretty good, I really liked the props and the costumes and the CGI was pretty impressive in my eyes as well. The OST also has to be one of the best I've heard in a drama; I don't think I'll ever be over the opening theme in particular.

There are some elements that might stop people from watching (namely: Orchid's voice in the first half of the drama), but I feel like you should still give it a try if you like the genre. I did and I certainly didn't regret it!

Leggi di Più

It’s a HIT!

It has been a long time that we didn’t have an excellent xianxia. And Love between fairy and devil delivers; scenario, characters, casting, dialogue, ost, CGI, everything is there to make you want more and more. I am definitely hoping for a second season with maybe a Dongfang with the blazed fire, the new god of war Danyin, adventures of Chengheng roaming the earth?
It is a must watch of 2022, and it enters the list of best xianxia a ever made! Dylan Wang’s acting was so good, I’ve cried and laugh with his character.
Congratulations to all the cast and crew! Wishing to all the huge success that this drama deserves!

Leggi di Più

Reminds me why I love CDRAMAS!

I had all but given up on this genre and Cdramas in general until this gem sneaked up on me. It’s a story that has been told many times, similar to classic fairytales like Beauty and the Beast. An yet, this production managed to make it fresh.
Don’t be fooled by the first part of the drama that starts with a whiny, weak female lead and an seemingly stereotypical cold male lead. The character development is truly some of the best I’ve seen in drama land. Once you realize how the story is connecting, you can even go back and recognize how all the pieces were perfectly laid for excellent character and plot development.
Other things to note: beautiful OST that plays at the right moments and great CGI that really adds to the world building. The actors were all amazing, especially DFQC, and plenty of time was spent on our main couple with less time waisted on stupid side plots and fillers, a major issue in most Cdramas. At 36 episodes the plot was tight and I found myself going back time and time again to rewatch as I waited for the newer episodes to air.
This one has cemented itself within my personal top favorite dramas!

Leggi di Più

this drama is on the TOP SHOWS list on mydramalist RANKED 26TH

After a long time I watched one of the best cdramas. I should have watched it earlier, anyways I love this drama. I haven't completed it yet, but ngl this one is my favorite rn. How can a drama lover avoid accepting the fact that this drama is at its peak? Moreover, I liked the body swapping of the fairy and the devil. There are many comedy scenes too because of their body swap. Unlike other dramas, the main lead screen time is more than average. I felt the story never swept away from the main storyline. That's why it's best I guess. If you like 1. BODY SWAPPING 2. HISTORICAL DRAMAS 3. LOVE TRIANGLE 4. JEALOUSY 5. COMEDY SCENES 6. A LITTLE BIT OF ACTION then what are you waiting for? Start watching this. btw the male lead falls in love first. I hope that helps!!


check out mydramalist TOP SHOWS list. It's on the 2nd page of the list. (For those who don't know-- Go to Explore option then select Top Shows.)

Edit: GUYS WATCH THIS DRAMA. There are many twists and turning points in this story.

Leggi di Più

How impactful the story is depends on how you feel about the FL

TLDR: A really well put-together XianXia drama whose story impact depends on how you feel about the FL's character.

The drama is absolutely stunning. From the CGI, writing, costuming, choreography and music - everything showed how much love and care was put into the show. From the acting side, everyone was on point - Wang De Hi, especially rocked his role as the ML Dong Fang Qing Cang and chemistry between the main leads was great. Story-wise, the plot and dialog was carefully crafted with detail and no filler.

However, how you feel about the drama will probably come down to how you feel about the FL's character. While the FL has moments where she does shine, she is cast as the naive, weak and pouty, damsel-in-distress for most of the drama. A lot of the issues that arise in the drama are a result of her (innocent/bad) choices. If this kind of character does not appeal to you, STAY AWAY. As incredible as the rest of the drama is, you will not like it. Even if you can tolerate this type of character (because everything else is so good), be prepared to be a little disappointed.

The whole story hinges on the idea that "Love Conquers All". That in itself is not the problem. The problem was that they won't be able to convince you that love (in this case) was worth it if you're not in love with the FL's character yourself. This is not due to the acting - the leads had great chemistry and their love was believable. Or even the concept of the story - the FL's character matched very against the ML's perfectly, and DFCQ wouldn't have been as great of a character as he was without her.

But the story probably won't hit you the right way if you don't like the FL. The ML takes on the vast majority of the pain and suffering for their love, even taking on blame for things I didn't think were his fault. Anything the FL did for him, he would do for her and more. As a result, I felt that the relationship was too unbalanced - ML gave far more and endured much more pain than the FL.

So then it comes down to, did you like the FL enough to feel that all the suffering ML had to endure on her behalf/because of her was worth it. The answer for me was no. After a re-watch, I appreciated her character for what it was. She was what the ML needed to grow into the person the ML ended up being, she made the right choices when she needed to, and her character made the ML's character much more endearing. But at the end of the day, she's not the type of character I like or would adore. Frankly, I couldn't love her as much as DCQC seemed to, so I couldn't empathize with his willingness to suffer so much for her. The last few episodes before the finale where he kept beating himself over things that weren't his fault were especially difficult to watch.

For those who absolutely adored FL's character, this wouldn't have been an issue because she would have been worthy of it all. But for me, the ending was lukewarm, only mollified by the fact that he earned (through suffering) an even greater power (that never really got to show off) and that the love the ML showed in the last few episodes was soul-crushingly endearing, I still enjoyed the show but I think the first 3/4 of the story left a better impression than the last 1/4. But perhaps I just wasn't the target audience for this drama.

Leggi di Più

What I like about Chinese costume drama (xian xia specifically) is that it defies the standard of good and evil. Black is not always evil and white is not always good. In many cases, the “good” one can be more villain than the villain itself, just covering themselves with white colored clothes that are usually associated with good. While the ones who wore all black clothes can be a good person. They are just assumed evil because they wear all black clothes.

Okay, back to the drama. This is a good forbidden love story. I was initially annoyed with Esther Yu because she sounded like those annoying female that is weak, needy and clingy. But she’s proven her acting throughout the drama. She can be serious, she can be fierce; she just has that annoying tone of voice, but she’s okay. Dylan Wang is excellent in this drama. I’ve become a hardcore fans of Dylan. I thought he portrayed Dong Fang Qing Cang really well. I can see his emotions and feel his pain and sorrow (and joy too). The character is a conflicted soul and he played that well. The series I thought have minimal boring moments. The pace is well and I enjoyed the story of the different supporting characters as well. There are also some funny moments between the two main characters. The OST is great! I love most of the songs in this drama and immediately added them to my listening rotation.

If you like Xian Xia, I would definitely recommend you to watch this drama. Hopefully you will end up liking this as much as I do. This is one of the ones where moving on from the main characters are difficult for me. This is definitely on my rewatch list if time permits. God knows i have a long to watch list that just gets longer and longer :)

Leggi di Più

beautiful love between two individuals

After being recommended by many people, I finally watched this show. It started off slow, and episode one did not entice me. However, the more I watch, the more intrigued I became, and eventually loving it a lot.

It was entertaining, interesting, and constantly making me want to know what happens next, especially during the middle of the plot. Throughout the story, it rarely bores me, except for the second time their soul swopped though I did enjoy the first. It was initially funny, but they dragged it out the second time, and it made her character looks & feels stupid, which I did not like.

Their CGs and sceneries are also so so beautiful, I love the colours and the overall feels of every scenery.

The side characters’ dynamics with the main characters are also very cute, especially Black Dragon’s with Dongfang Qingcang & Xiao Lanhua.

There was a huge character development for both characters, which is what I love the most. Xiao Lanhua evolves from a baby, naive fairy, to someone who is more mature, and protecting the people she loves. However, I love that her character stood up for herself when being bullied.

For Dongfang Qingcang, he was once heartless, being unable to feel emotions, and slowly learn to love, and show kindness.

They both grew together and eventually helped each other to become a better version of themselves, and I love that.

I have watched yu shuxin’s previous drama, “Moonlight” and didn’t really enjoy it. However, I feel that this character suits her, and she has portrayed the character well.

Similarly, it’s my first show of wang hedi, and his acting skills are impressive. He portrayed all the emotions pretty well, and the slight changes in his expressions are interesting.

Their acting skills are especially good during the soul swopping scenes (though I myself did not enjoy the second time they used this plot as mentioned above). Their actions of the other party are quite realistic, making me believe that they really had their soul swopped.

This drama makes me look forward to their future dramas individually.

Their chemistry in this drama was also amazing, i was very touched by many scenes throughout the drama.

The OSTs are sooooo good, I love all of them, especially 诀爱. The different OSTs are also played during different scenes, which are always appropriate, and heightened the emotions they are trying to display during the respective scenes.

Honestly, I would rewatch it for the acting and the plot. Their love for each other is so touching, to the point where they are willing to sacrifice everything for the other party. Dongfang Qingcang also constantly show his love for Xiao Lanhua through his actions and words, which is impossible to find in many people in real life. Truly love this character. Xiao Lanhua has loved him and trusted him despite him hurting her (intentionally so that she wouldn’t sacrifice for him despite it not working). Their love for each other is so real, and it’s something that I envy a lot. Their love is reciprocal, is sacrificial, is sweet, bitter, and beautiful. ❤️

Leggi di Più

A beautiful story

I really loved this drama. To find a drama like Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀 ) is very hard. Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's novel, Demon King/The Parting of the Orchid and Cang, as a drama was something I never knew I loved it. This drama has a beautiful OST. The OST is amazing, it's perfect for the drama, I cannot stop listening to the OST. In the body swapping scenes, Dylan Wang really depicts the character of XLH, the way he crouches down and opens his eyes wider to bring the personality of XLH. It wasn't like a girl in a guy's body, and it was too "girly". Dylan Wang really was immersed in his character, all of his expressions, everything. The pacing went off track in the last few episodes, the way XLH came back as the goddess, it was such a drastic character change that it wasn't satisfied. It made the ending super hasty, not satisfying, like the story ran into a wall and stopped. I feel like some of the later episodes didn't flow well together, I feel like some of the scenes, and such could be taken out. Rong Hao's storyline wasn't totally necessary. And the storyline of Jie Li and Dan Yin of being twin sisters was just thrown out. However, it's a beautiful xian xia drama. Esther Yu was also amazing, very immersed in her character as XLH/Goddess Xi Yun. She portrayed the timid, "orchid", breezy fairy she was. Her acting improved a lot, and whenever XLH would cry, I would feel like crying as well, Esther Yu is amazing at portraying emotion, if you watch her in Youth With You S2, in the acting skit, you could see how well of an actor she was. I feel like if this series had 1 or 2 more episode(s), everything would flow better, it would be more satisfying. Nevertheless, the chemistry Esther Yu and Dylan Wang is what got me into this drama, they match each other's wave lengths. Dylan Wang being chaotic with Esther Yu, vice versa. Chemistry is an important aspect in any drama or movie, and the chemistry was there, and be honest, we all loved it. I personally wouldn't rewatch because I might just be extra picky when re-watching. And I do hope there will be a drama where Zhang Linghe and Esther Yu are the main leads because it was so sad to see the story of the forbidden love yet fated (?) love between the two.

Leggi di Più

Loving someone is never easy yet always fruitful

What is love? What is evil (kinda like Untamed)? these were the 2 major themes in the show

First of all, it is a very modern xianxia and obviously I see that the writers have learned from the mistakes of past xianxia. I loved how there were NO MISUNDERSTANDINGS between the main leads as they just shouted everything out at each other or somehow figured it out lol. I also like how sufferings and sacrifices were not just made my the male lead (like Xu Feng in AOL and Si Feng in LAR), and instead our leads were connected to feel each other's pain and joy.

I also LOVED THE OSTs!! The opening song made me cry every time it was played and of course we had a song from Liu Yuning. Literally every drama with a Liu Yuning OST is my favorite (Long Ballad, LAR, You are my Glory, Who rules the world...).

Finally though, I have to admit the ending felt a bit rushed. I am not a huge fan of SUPER long xianxia shows (like AOL seriously did not need 63 episodes) but 36 episodes were not enough for the ending story. The pacing till later episodes was great, really pleasing, but I honestly feel like the evil spirit thing in the end was unnecessary. (PS: I kept mixing up hellfire with glass from Ashes of love and hellfire later became glazed fire which is glass fire which also is samadhi fire 😂😆)

Overall, I really really enjoyed watching this. I love Esther from Moonlight and of course Dylan from F4.

Leggi di Più