Love Like the Galaxy: Part 2 (2022)

What an AMAZING SHOW !

WOOOW!!!, this drama is one of a kind. I cannot stress enough of amazing this drama is. From the beginning till the end, they did not mess anything up and nothing feel like it was rush. Every week when the episodes come out; you just want more and more. This is that kind of drama if one is going to watch it. The writer did one hella of a job coming out with this drama and shout out to the producer and all the crews as well. Everybody in this drama did an excellent performing, playing their role and doing whatever necessary to perfect their task. I hope this drama get an award for how amazing it is and this kind of drama; you get once every two years or three. I would recommend everyone to watch it.

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Love Like a Half-Baked Cake

I must say that i am quite disappointed with the second part of this drama. The first part of the drama was such a good build-up; you have great characters, interesting relationships, the slowburn is burning so deliciously you are just THIRSTY for another EYECONTACT of main lead..s. All ingredients for the cake are perfect and you are ready for explosion of flavours.

and what u gonna get? NOTHING...

First off, i'll start with what i loved because frankly, i liked a lot of things, and despite my complaints i enjoyed the drama for most of the time. I dont remember the last time i binged a 56 episode drama in one sitting. The production was beautiful - the costumes, music, settings, camerawork. All this was great (aside from odd scene cuts)
I enjoyed many actors' performaces – especially Zhao Lu Si was great as Cheng Shaoshang in her more somber state.
As for the story, i enjoyed the pay off - it was fantastic - once a villain was established they were dealt with (with an amazing bitchslap) within 3 or so episodes which felt incredibly satisfying.
And most of the characters had interesting and likeable personalities I wanted to follow. I enjoyed set up of so many characters here - i wanted to hear their stories!

Thats where my satisfaction with the story ends though.

The "Love" in love like the Galaxy is supposed to allude to not only Shaoshangs love with Ling Buyi, but also to her mother-daugter relationships. But neither of those two main loves had solid foundations for this story to build on. Her relationship with her birthmother was so terribly set up with mothers bizarre and illogical behaviour and cartoonish villainery in the part I so it was impossible for me to take seriously anything that happened in that storyline further the line. No sane person would behave like this towards their own beloved daughter. It just didnt make sense even to me, who is willing to overlook some nonsense in set ups.

Now the love of CSS and LBY. I honestly dont believe they had reason to love each other so much for them to be able to go through all the obstacles together. It wasn't obvious in part I as the buildup was done so nicely - but then it felt like Shahoshang never really felt passionately about him (yet she still overcame months of palace politics and bullying and struggles because LBY just decided he wanted to marry her. smh.)
So the love part of the story was not so galactic for me. What remains, as is uusal in costume dramas, is the politics part which... wasnt really well written. The scheming during the off-palace time was pretty ok and dynamic in part I, but omg... the switch to palace politics during part II was slow and draggy. Its like the author was overambitious and in the end was unsuccesful in writing both "epic romance" and "epic politics".

The foundations for the story that were so carefully built in the part I for most of the side characters were not developed further (i know, i know, they drama got cut down by 10 episodes) which left me downright miserable. I WANTED to watch Wan Qiqi and brother 2 bicker around. I WANTED to see the cousin get close to the Ban guy. I WANTED to watch more of Yuan Shanjian to be just a guy - they fuckign gave him such a redeem arc and then they decided to not give him happy end? Wtf????? They intentionally decided to wreck his character in the part I so LBY looked better in comparison to him but in the end YSJ wasnt given (by screenwriters) ANYTHING in exchange. I demand justice for my guy!!!!

Anways.. I initially wanted to give part II rating of 8 but the last 5 minutes of the drama - the sudden change of vibe from "depression, death and misery of 10+ episodes" to "sun is setting, everyone is here, background characters are clapping, someone said a joke and everyone is laughing" - pissed me so much i decided for 7,5. I am petty like this and I wonder if they ever release the 10 episodes they cut.

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A piece of art. A well written, directed and acted drama.

This drama is well written, directed and acted. Three combos in which are very rare nowadays. It has a great cinematography, costumes, dialogues and humor (Yes your read it right! The humors are so good and on point. You may be crying at one moment and then the next second you could be laughing like a crazy. The humors never failed you make you laugh even after you went through a roller coaster ride of emotions).

Anyway, this is my first time writing a review about a drama. I am still having a major withdrawal and writing this review at 2.30 AM.

I didn’t have much expectation when I started this drama. I watched it purely because of Zhao Lusi is in it and this is my Wu Lei’s first drama (apart from NIL).

It ended up becoming one of the best Chinese dramas I have ever seen in a long time. I love it with my heart and soul. Never have I thought, I would be this invested in a drama. I literally looked forward to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Now I have watched all episodes with no more episodes to look forward to, I feel the emptiness. It will take some time for me to move on. Sounded like a breakup, right?

Story:
The story is a breath of fresh air with a great pacing and character development.
It’s mostly about growing up, family, and love, and little palace politics with a good amount of creative humor!

This drama is partly about the growth of Cheng Shao Sang (CSS). She was left by her parents with her male descendants favoring grandma and evil aunt since birth to go for war for 15 years! She lacks familial love and the abandonment shapes her character. She becomes an independent, vengeful, and smart teenager. As LBY describes her, she dares to love and hate. She’s loyal to those who treat her well and does not hesitate to revenge those who wrong her. She experiences a major heartbreak and grows to become a mature and poised woman.

The romance in this drama is not your typical Chinese drama romance where the leads typically fall in love fast and hard where sometimes you will question what makes they fall madly in love with the other. While the Ling Bu Yi (LBY) falls in love with the CSS quite fast and decides she can be the only one early but he doesn’t pursue her right away since he has higher priorities at times.
However, CSS takes her time to get to know and fall in love with LBY. She is not the one who gives her heart away easily and once she does she’s all in. And she’s not the one who forgives easily once you wrong her.

The palace politics in this drama is so different from the usual palace drama where you will anxiously wait for the consort or empress to turn evil. Because that’s so common, isn't it? But no, that will not happen in this drama. I won’t spoil it too much for you. You need to watch the drama to find out what I mean.


Acting:
Wu Lei - I was blown away by this young actor! He is definitely on another level, a very capable actor at such a young age.

His portrayal of Ling Bu Yi is top notch. Ling Bu Yi is not your typical perfect Chinese drama male character without any flaws. He is definitely a morally grey and complex character. He is ruthless, cunning, scheming, capable, intelligent yet loyal and loving. He carries heavy burden of the past on his shoulder. It’s consuming his whole existence and cost him the love of his life.
Wu Lei brought this character to life! With his portrayal, you will feel bad for LBY for all the things that he went through in life at such a young age. You can feel his pain, his love, his regrets and his despair. He portrays LBY’s dark side so well.

Wu Lei is so good at fighting and emotional scenes. His eyes are very expressive. You can feel his love for CSS through his gaze.


Zhao Lusi - What can I say to this lovely bubbly girl. She surprised me once again.
I have watched a lot of her dramas and become a fan since Who Rules the World. Her acting in this one is on another level. It is definitely her best work so far.
Zhao Lusi successfully portrays CSS’s multi layered character. Through her portrayal, I was witnessing CSS’s growth from a naive, playful, vengeful, stubborn and reckless teenager to a mature, poised and wise woman.
I love the fact that Lusi uses her own voice for this drama. Her line delivery is great. You can feel the difference in her line delivery for teenager and adult CSS.

Her micro expressions, comedic expressions (no doubt for this one) and crying are so good!

The rest of the cast have done an excellent job in bringing their characters to life. As an audience, I was made immersed into their stories. I cried, laughed and smiled along with them.
I have quite a few of my favourite supporting characters. From loyal, clueless and funny Ah Fei, loyal, reliable and serious Ah Qi, the kindest and most graceful Empress, the straightforward and fair Consort Yue, lively and matchmaker Emperor, kickass and no bullshit Qiqi, and strict and strong CSS’s Ah Mu, and many more.

Cinematography:
OH MY GOD! I love the cinematography a lot! It’s of a high quality and definitely one of the best I have ever seen. I will give you some of the best scenes that I like in term of cinematography where I think are captured very well (not in a particular order):
1. The lantern festival when Ling Bu Yi sees Cheng Shao Shang for the first time
2. Gingko trees where LBY bids CSS his first good bye.
3. Shouchun battle
4. Heart to heart talk between LBY and CSS after 5 years separation where they go their separate ways.
5. Bridge scene in Guo village
6. Star gazing in final episode

Hair Styles and Costumes:
Before the drama started, I saw ZLS’s hairstyle and costume from some posters and I can say I was not a fan at first. But I changed my opinion after seeing the drama. The costumes are very well designed and fit the characters. And the hairstyle has grown on me as well.

Make up:
The make up skills are so good with attention to details. They make wounds look so real and convincing. For instance, Ling Bu Yi’s wounds after rescued from cliff, CSS’s fading black eyes, shaoshang string wound on LBY’s wrist.

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I love the ending

It has been long since a show put me to tears due to its wholesome ending.
The ending frame is so good, i cant help but cry.
They two have been through so much and from 24-26 is the saddest part of all especially 24 or 25 i forgot, someone dear to us passed away and i just started bawling.

Story: 10/10
I love the development especially towards the end where everything unfolds at such a good pace and in an appropriate way
The starting to middle [Before start of part 2] was great as well. Starting from part 2, we werent able to see the happy go lucky CSS but instead in part 2 she became more sensible and knowing how to care for her elders and i love that character development the most. The scene where CSS closed herself up for 5 years and receiving news that everyone in her family got engaged and married was such a good but heart wrenching scene. From being the first to be married and then the last to do so [Or maybe the second last] I love the story line, everything except the politics side and the war and villains.

Cast 10/10
I dont have to say much, the BTS speaks for itself.

Music:
There werent much tracks but the background music tracks made up for it and they were very fitting

Rewatch Value:
Honestly, i would if i had nothing else to watch but its a abit long to watch part 1 and 2 consecutively again. Maybe it will be better when split into 2 different time

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A drama aiming at pleasing the young, female demography

So when we see raving reviews about a drama, we tend to build high expectations that it will be great, above the norm, amazing... then we watch it and feel cheated out... this is the feeling I am having right now.

There is nothing wrong about it per se, but at the same time, there is nothing great about it.

This drama clearly aims at pleasing a specific target audience, namely the young, female demography, nothing more.

But let me start with the things I did enjoy in this drama: the cinematography...the shots, the places taken, the sheer poetic backgrounds reminded me the reason of why I am such a C-drama fan. I cannot get over two scenes where they are under the apricot tree and sharing a sweet moment or of that one of two trees interlaced with each other. The major killings parts, when the Shaosheng rides the horse in her wedding gown to pick up and protect the Ling Buyi...these were the highlights of the drama.

In terms of the story flow, I really liked the first part better than the second one; especially the Hua City arc and when Shaosheng decided to marry Luo.

What fell short were mostly the:
1. credibility of plot...What really shocked me was the amount of time and scenes where the Emperor is portrayed as being concerned and even agonising over or intervening to catalyse the feelings between Shaosheng and Ling Buyi... I mean seriously...and that specially in a context when your own children are dreadfully arrogant and behave badly, when your own Crown Prince is so indecisive and not at par for shouldering the responsibilities as a future emperor. Again, I felt that the punishments meted to them were grossly exaggerated considering the nasty tricks they played on Shaosheng or by their own actions while Shaosheng especially was treated overly well and also protected. Then there were the mean girls... what can I say, they were just verbally nasty or their tricks just felt stupid. How I wished to see real plotting and how a budding Shaosheng struggles to deal with them. Also, I felt that too much emphasis has been on Shaosheng while Ling Buyi is a character who deserved more screen time to develop itself. There are so many other flaws that failed to make this a great drama...BUT the main one is, why in the first place Ling Buyi fell in love with a character like Shaosheng when he is on a revenge mission...IT just does not make sense. How or based on what Shaosheng's action made him fall in love with her and how did he imagine that he would be able to combine his revenge and a married life. I mean I am shocked that Zou Yue, who wrote the Rise of Pheonixes did this...
2. capacity of the actors being able to sustain their character development (with the exception of Leo Wu). I enjoyed Zhao Lu Si's portrayal of the young, petty and vengeful Shaosheng. She felt like a natural in the first part of the drama and I had a few good laughs. However, her portrayal of the growing of age and especially, the last part as the heartbroken one felt mechanic, lacked depth and mostly came out as a petulant, sulking child woman. Leo Wu appeared stiff in his portrayal of Ling bu Yi at first, but he pulled the fighting scenes, horse riding scenes and even the tortured ones better than his FL counterpart. However, to say that his character was dark is really an overstatement... I mean he was not given the screen time to really portray the calculating, dark character or of a tortured one between his love and need for revenge. Also, let not even get started on the mother-daughter relationship...it was so caricatural and really lacked depth and understanding.
3. The gross lack of sensitivity and attention to details pertaining to palace etiquettes. I feel that after having watched so many dramas on palace life on Imperial China, there needs to be a certain integrity that need to be maintained. I mean, if a drama will make use of a palace setting, then a minimum of attention should be paid...the love birds are seen to be cuddling in public, the female concubine appearing in the General Assembly, giving Ling Buyi a cup of wine before the Emperor on a same platter... arrrr, I hate such misrepresentations.

All in all, I cannot give more than a very generous 8 for the entire drama.

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The production, the storyline, the characters, the acting (and major emphasis on the acting because Wu Lei and Lusi absolutely knocked it out of the park and more) - all of it was top notch. The way that this drama just pulls the viewers in so easily even when it's a slow burn and has viewers emotionally invested in all the characters so that you can feel all their emotions, from their happiness to their pain. I loved having main characters that are not perfect but where we can still manage to love them despite all their flaws due to the complexities of their characters.

This was one of the top dramas for me and definitely the top 2022 drama so far.

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Hands-down the best Chinese drama of 2022

As the headline says, yes, this is probably the best Chinese drama of 2022. Basically every part of this drama beginning to end was done flawlessly. You will laugh, cry, smile...EVERYTHING. The only bad thing this drama brought me is now that this drama is over I have very bad drama withdrawal. PLEASE DIRECTOR, RELEASE ADDITIONAL SCENES!!!!

One word I have for this drama is *satisfying*. Of course, the cinematography, the music, the costumes, the acting, the characters, etc. etc. was done extremely well (see my pt 1 review). BUT, what makes this drama stand out is how well the plot is executed. Characters act in a way that makes sense. Bad characters//the revenge scenes will bring you A LOT of satisfaction. Everyone gets the ending they deserve (okay...maybe not Yuan Shanjian (**cue the sniffing**) I actually kinda liked him LOL). I know a lot of people were complaining about the ending & how there was no official wedding scene, but I felt the ending was still very well executed. I've watched dramas that were excellent all the way up till the ending, and then the directing team/scriptwriters totally dropped the ball. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY!!!! So for those of you who like to wait until dramas finish airing to begin them (dw, I totally relate), you can watch this drama in peace.

For those of you who wanted more romance, the second part of 'Love Like the Galaxy' definitely has wayyyyyyyyyyy more lovey-dovey scenes (but also lots of angst!!) than the first part. ALSO...Leo Wu Leo Wu Leo Wu <3333333 Literally love this man. I cannot imagine anyone else playing HBY/LBY. ALSO...Zhao Lusi Zhao Lusi Zhao Lusi she did absolutely AMAZING as Cheng Shaoshang. ZLS is actually such a versatile actress -- I am super excited to see her future projects. She's definitely an actress that will go far.

I'm actually so sad that this drama is over. It brought me some of my happiest moments in the last few months, and I am forever grateful to the 'Love Like the Galaxy' team for bringing the world such a wonderful drama. So, do yourself a favor and give this drama a try. I can promise that you will not regret it.

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LOVED IT!!!

Wow this drama really was well worth viewing if not once but more!!!

I loved the characters esp. Leo Wu .... The main leads chemistry was off the chart and I especially loved the fact that after 5 years he did come back looking a bit more mature with a slight Hair growth, that just added to his whole hotness !!!

This drama even though may have been long, and broken into parts, was played out and set out... every time line and the flow of the scenes was well played and in a timeously way... there was not second guessing as to what was happening and why ... the elders in the drama were really good, and we didn't have to go through the whole back stabbing and not good enough for this person etc ... I loved Shangsong grandmother, she was supper hilarious and really made the drama exciting, I also the emperor, he came out as a more understanding and compassionate king then a ruthless one ... This story has everything from power struggles not just in crown but each involved families in its surroundings. I can see the well plan of details as well as story as it keeps us in all states of emotions.

The production was well set out and the scenes were right with timing and plot that needed to showed.

The music was good.

Overall, Part 1 & 2 has nicely wrapped up the love & emotions of the leads as well the historical series, with a gripping plot and lovable characters, both leading and supporting. Character relationship in Love Like the Galaxy is one of the most precious and unique parts of the drama, showing every kind of love, and not just romantic. Through interactions and experiences, Cheng Shaoshang has finally come to accept her position in the world, and Ling Buyi has come to trust Shaoshang as not just the person he loves, but as her own separate person.

It well worth watching ... definitely a keeping drama when you need to rewatch with nothing else to go through.

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Review for Part 1 @ 2

This drama is a GREAT historical production that should not have been titled “Love Like The Galaxy” because their love was not only slow burned, but also full of secrets, lack of confidence, misunderstandings, and, the most tedious part of this drama, Shao Shang’s cold attitude and distrust toward Zi Sheng. How a great love cannot understand Zi Sheng’s emotional pain, turmoil, and commitment?
Having said that, Zhao Lusi (Shao Shang) and Leo Wu (Zi Sheng) did an excellent job portraying their characters and, although their romantic their chemistry was not very amorous, the best intimate interaction in the whole drama happened without an unnecessary awkward kiss in episode 36, really beautiful and heartwarming! The rest of the cast also did a wonderful job bringing their characters to life.
This drama is heavy on revenge plots, palace antics, familial interactions, truehearted friendship, occasional comedic scenes to lighten the darker tones, great action scenes, and amazing cinematography and music.

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Part 2

Wow just wow.... Really long time not find this serious historical c-drama yet full of fun and very binge worthy. I think this is the first one this year. Once again I'll not gonna talk much about character or description, because many already wrote about it. So let's just jump to what I like & don't like about this part.

What I like:
+ All the puppy eye. Oh seeing that lovely dovey sparkling in Cheng Shao Shang / Niao Niao (NN) & Ling Bu Yi / Zi Sheng (ZS) eyes every time they're seeing each other. How every time ZS face became soften when he see NN. And many intimate scene that make me want to scream to my screen "KISS KISS KISS, Oh my God Kiss please!!!" Haha.... I have to say their chemistry really top notch. Maybe one of the best CP for Zhao Lu Si...
+ The best emperor couple. Well the emperor family is far than perfect, with almost every child is spoiled brat or soft as hell, except the 3rd prince of course. But emperor, empress & consort is one of the best in historical c-drama. They each have their own spot without need the feel to snatch the other, no jealousy between empress & consort like usually do. Of course they're not the main couple so I think there's no need to go there. But still, the harmonious between empress & consort not often we see in dramaland.
+ The funny emperor. Oh the emperor so so funny. I still can hear how he scream in last ep, where he shout that the marriage between NN & ZS is not valid without him. Or when he mischievously give 'strike punishment' to ZS, the one supposed to be very touching scene where NN finally admit and cry over ZS become quite funny with his comment regarding the reaction NN give when she witness ZS punishment.
+ The soft & kind hearted empress. The mother figure for our NN. She gives all the love to NN that she never get from her own mother. In return NN gives her all the care, love and attention to her.
+ The quick mouth but kind consort. Oh so funny to see how her mouth handle Princess of Ru Yang.
+ The statement don't judge the book by its cover really materialized in this drama. I never really never expected to see that the crown princess actually have grudge heart, or how crazy Luo Ji Tong will be.
+ Finally all the question about why ZS have that grudge toward his 'dad' answered. Oh one very dark past it is....

What I don't too like:
- You can say this is just my prejudice, but sometimes the emperor is just to kind. Like how he easily persuaded given lighter punishment by NN or ZS toward someone guilty. Correct me if I'm wrong, because quite frankly sometimes I quite confuse with all the names, Haha. Like for examples when Wang family problem, doesn't NN persuade him later on... Or regarding ZS's problem itself, when ZS finally decided to murder his 'dad' (Ling Yi), in the end ZS not really got any harsh punishment. Yeah2 I know we all glad about that. But as an emperor he is just too kind for me.
- Like PeachBlossomGoddess wrote I also feel the written for the bad guy, the key person in term of ZS grudge about the extermination of his family years ago, not as good as all the not so important young woman. There for I sometimes quite confuse why or what his connection with that incident years ago.
- Quite agreed with Kate when she wrote how 'ZS had literally such a huge support system, and he willingly refused to use it.' I mean come on the last act when he decided to murder his 'dad' the night before the wedding is completely out of sense. Toward the drama we can see how biased the emperor toward ZS, yet he still decided to act on his own instead just give the emperor all the fact that he know. Maybe if he believe the emperor like how the emperor believe & protect him, maybe the emperor just can give punishment to his 'dad' regarding everything. In my opinion that's how biased the emperor toward ZS.
- And yeah also like Kate, I also feel the separation & mature NN in the last episode not really taking a big part. If only they shorten few ep regarding the 5th princess or unimportant young woman would be better.

Overall for me this still a very good drama this year, but yeah read some comment & review also make realize how many holes & deficiency this drama has. But in the end I still this drama total score 9 of 10 for both part. :D

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LLTG: BEST HISTORICAL DRAMA OF 2022

I like this drama, I love this drama, it's as if the drama "the story of minglan" is mixed into this. I like the fierceness of LBY and how witty CSS is. I ike how cool LBY is as a general and as a man, lover and friend. Both CSS and LBY are loyal and protective of the ones they love. I like the way CSS matured and became an adult, I like the costume and the way they fetched their wine with a long spoon before drinking, I like the empress and concubine Yue, I like the emperor so much that he is for real my favourite character from the drama, I also like the grandmother too even her biasness to her youngest son(just not the way she treated CSS and separated her from her family) . I like the little villains court ladies before they all got married. I like how every topic is related to the story, the plots that's the massacre intrigue and mystery, characters and scenes in the drama, each were leading up to somewhere . I like how focus the drama is and nothing was messed up or wasn't cleared up, everything done or said were all connected.
I like how LBY never forgot his goal and got his revenge even if it meant losing the one person he loves most. His main focus has always been avenging his family and didn't stray from the part. I super love this drama and all the characters, because all characters had a role and all played it well. I will forever hold this drama dear to my heart because of the amazing leads. I love LBY two deputies that was always with him come rain or sun, death or life saving situation. I also love the grandmother acting, and while I don't like the way the mother treated her daughter, I'm trying to understand her needs of teaching her how to be a virtual lady even though I think she really had no idea how to do it and never really listened or saw her daughter right in front of her or saw her from other people's perspectives.
I like how the ending was similar to the beginning in the sense of their dressing, for the first episode during the lantern festival LBY first saw her among the crowds wearing a red Robe and him with his black robe but this time they were finally together taking a vow. I like how we finally see the parents and siblings fighting in war, we finally get to see them show us why their were really needed and left CSS at home.
Finally I like how in the last scene the emperor reminded me of why I love him. This is a good drama that made me sad that it ended.

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