Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red Moon Pact wows viewers with rich, vibrant colors, gorgeous CGI, an emotional and addicting OST, a beautiful cast, and…that’s it.

While I was hesitant to start this installment because I am not a fan of Gong Jun’s acting, I was highly anticipating the Fox Spirit Matchmaker series as a whole since many of my favorites are part of the cast across all three installments. Who would have thought Gong Jun was going to be the least of my problems when it comes to this show? Certainly not me. The story is slow and tedious to get through. I had serious issues staying awake through most of the episodes unless I was multitasking. The villains were a joke. Their actions are repetitive and tiring. I hated them not because of their villainous nature, I love extra villainous villains, but because I was tired of watching them.

While the side couples oozed chemistry even in the background, the main couple’s love story fell flat. I do not care that Yuechu was a sweet baby angel when he met the much older Tushan Hong Hong. Both Yuechu, and herself, never saw her as a mother figure. So, if I don’t have an issue with ancient gods who are thousands of years old falling head over heels over a human with their short lifespans, I did not have an issue with this. However, they lacked that addictive chemistry I love so much which makes me yearn for love even when I don’t really want it in real life. There were no real fighting scenes, it was all “hand choreography” as some members called it. Dull “hand choreography” at that. Even the last showdown was so… spiritless that it did not feel like there was ever a real build up or climax. In fact, I recently saw a lower budget drama and their fight scenes, while not the best, were still significantly better than Fox Spirit’s. The story simply lacked depth in every aspect, whether it was the plot, the characters, and relationships.

I’m hoping that because this installment flopped, despite it being highly anticipated and featuring many popular and highly coveted actors, it does not affect whether the other two will see the light of day or not. However, I hope it does serve as a learning lesson; not all that glitters is gold.