It’s been almost two months since I wrote a proper review so I may be shooting for the moon when I review this angsty xianxia.
From what little I know about xianxia, it is a special genre in cdramas that involves:
1. immortal characters
They remind me of the gods and goddesses of Mt Olympus in Greek mythology but the main visual difference is that the Olympians gods had more nipples showing. lol.
2. a battle of epic proportions between the supernatural gods and demons, with hapless mortals caught in-between
3. “cultivation”
Remember “Love Between Fairy and Devil”?
The female lead, a young orchid fairy, bemoaned that an accident had destroyed her immortal root. With her root stunted, she couldn’t “cultivate” like the other fairies of the realm. In the beginning, I only understood the word “cultivate” in a horticultural sense, that is, her plant life was truncated. But after the drama, I understood the mythical context of the “cultivation” more. It means that the fairy was limited to performing basic magic and couldn’t master enough mystical arts to acquire divine energy.
In a xianxia, there’s always a theme of cultivation or transformation from an ordinary creature into a superior heroic being.
In this drama, “Till the End of the Moon,” the one being cultivated is the male lead, Tantai Jin. He’s the Devil God, hell-bent on annihilating the world. He attacks the last two bastions of the immortals. He first descends upon the Hengyang Sect because he heard that they’re guarding a relic, the “Mirror of the Past” which will supposedly end his life. When the Hengyang Sect leader flees to the Xiaoyou Sect camp, he follows and kills everyone.
He’s now satisfied that he’s beaten the prophesy.
Though I’ve only watched a few episodes of this drama, my guess is that this powerful relic he’s looking for isn’t actually an item but a person: the female lead, Li Susu.
In my opinion, Li Susu is the living and breathing “mirror” of the past. Not only does she have the remaining fragments of the mirror but as the only surviving member of her sect she’s witnessed the destruction caused by Tantai Jin. She’s a “mirror” because she’s sent 500 years back in time to reproduce the past life of Tantain Jin while simultaneously distorting it so he’ll be prevented from becoming the Devil God in the future. She’s tasked to undo the course of history.
As the true “mirror of the past,” she alone knows the circumstances of his birth, childhood, and youth that made the evil bone grow within him. And since she lives, Tantai Jin has failed to escape his prophesy.
4. deification because the ultimate goal of a mortal character is to become divine. Of course, it goes without saying that deification (or apotheosis) doesn’t come without personal loss and sacrifice. Love is always collateral damage.
Five hundred years ago, Tantai Jin was a weak mortal whose hatred towards those who did him wrong morphed him into a Devil God. Since Li Susu wanted to reset his destiny, she decided to foster goodness in him by showing him a good example.
First, she set herself up as his protector. She ordered him to show some pride and fought his bullies for him. I liked the scene when she tossed away the pig swill that he was about to eat. That was an eye opener for him who was willing to eat anything. To him, survival was more important than his dignity.
Second, she took care of his physical comfort. By making sure he ate well and wore warm winter clothes, she taught him to value himself.
Third, she showed him that the world is an amazing place. I especially like the magic charm called “Sketch” that she taught him. She created a fantastic world with fairy dust and magic incantation and she allowed Tantai Jin to see a new world through wondering and innocent eyes.
Although she originally didn’t set out to be his personal mentor (after all, she actually vowed to kill him to avenge the death of her world), her dual goals of nurturing goodness in him and erasing his bitterness changed him for the better. Whatever happens in the end, he won’t become an immortal without her arrival in his life.
5. aerobatics
The lead actor Luo Yunxi’s background in ballet comes in handy. He may be thin as a rail, but he’s definitely strong enough to perform the wire-flying with real finesse.
6. jet-black capes and cumbersome headdresses
Just like in “Love Between Fairy and Devil,” the costumes in this xianxia were amazing. But…
Being a restless sleeper myself, I can’t imagine how the heroine could ever sleep with an ornate crown. Doesn’t it feel like somebody’s tugging at her hair?
7. reincarnation
8. magical items
I’ve lost count of all the potions, poisons, elixirs, scales of dragon, swords, wands, pins, rings, bones, and relics that Tantai Jin and Li Susu needed on the way to his cultivation.
Most of the time, I don’t mind them. But when they’re introduced late in the plot, they become contrived and arbitrary. I hope I won’t see them in the last episodes of this xianxia.
9. yin and yang
In xianxia, good and evil are complementary and interconnected forces. Though they are opposite of each other, they can and do coexist. Like a circle and square. A circle is the opposite of a square, but they can exist at the same time. That’s the concept of yin and yang.
(Note: in Christian philosophy, evil and goodness are not complementary. Evil exists whenever goodness is lacking or absent. Like darkness and light. It’s only dark when there’s little or no light.)
Now, in the “Love Between Fairy and Devil,” the Devil existed, but he still had some goodness in him which he invariably showed to Fairy.
In comparison, in this drama, “Till the End of the Moon,” the Devil God Tantai Jin and the immortal Li Susu took turns being good and evil depending on who possessed the evil bone inside of his/her body during the reincarnation. In the early episodes, that is, Episodes 1 to 5, Tantai Jin was the brutish one, and Li Susu (or Ye Xiwu, as Tantai Jin called her) was the kinder, gentler soul.
One of the savage moves Tantai Jin made was when he first got to taste his demonic power. He ordered the murder of crows to attack the wedding guests. The way he was swinging his arms to command the birds — like a conductor of an orchestra at a concert – showed that he had no compunction unleashing pain on his enemies as revenge.
He only held back when Li Susu cowered in fright as the crow swooped down to peck her. And then, he was surprised that she defended him from the bird and protected him with her own body.
To me, this was a lovely moment for two reasons. First, when he thought she was about to kill him a sword, he was prepared to counter her with a blast of his own firepower. But he held his ground; he didn’t strike. This indicates that he was willing to take a deadly blow from her and he wouldn’t defend himself.
Secondly, he learned what it meant to protect a loved one.
In later scenes, we shall see him copy this protective stance over and over again. He will take the blow and cover her with his own body to protect her.
And oh! Before I forget, another way that Tantai Jin and Li Susu demonstrated their yin-and-yang complementarity was the familial relationship.
When Li Susu traveled back in time to become the mortal Ye Xiwu, she discovered that she was very much a beloved daughter, granddaughter, and sister of the Ye family. The Ye family doted on her. In contrast, Tantai Jin was hated — and feared — since his mother, the King’s favorite consort, died at childbirth. They called him a monster, and his father gave him up to the ruling emperor to serve as the hostage prince.
But because of their complicated family connections, Tantai Jin and Li Susu also took turns becoming hostage and captor later in the drama.
To be continued tomorrow. (cross fingers)
Howdy everyone! ☺️
Thank you! How are you?
I’m going to watch this but I want to watch them in Love Is Sweet first and I’m also watching Nothing But You as well. 😁
I heard they were cute in “Love is Sweet”. Where are you watching it? On YouTube? I may watch it AFTER this drama… in case I need a happy ending. 🙂
I just finished Dr Romantic 3, Ep 1. Woo hoo! Ahn HyoSeop showed his abs already. 🤪 No shower scene but he was coming out of the shower.
😂 the abs of AHS! I should watch that too but not enough time. 😞 If ever, I need to watch season 2 because I did watch season 1.
I’m only going to watch Love Is Sweet on YouTube. 😃
@packmule3
How have you been? I’m so happy to see a drama commentary post from you after a long time, and more so because this is a drama I am watching and liking too since it started airing😊 I too originally got interested in it because the ML gave me Dongfang Qingcang vibes😝
I’m on episode 27 and it has its ups and downs in the main leads relationship, some sweet moments and then the usual angst. I like the push-and-pull between our main leads, especially the process of the ML starting to show emotions and eventually falling deeply in love. It is cute to watch because he is often confused as he has never felt human emotions before and mistrusts what he is feeling.
I won’t add spoilers but will just say there are lots of actual or imaginary reincarnations and finding and loving each other over and over again. I read the novel has a happy ending and so am continuing to watch😃
Great to see this @Packmule3! I have also been watching this show. I’ve been watching a number of shows at the same time and your insightful comments are inspiring me to engage afresh this weekend.
@Phoenix I do hope it is a happy ending.
So true about our male lead’s ballet background – see too ‘Ashes of Love for this being so evident. His facial expressions, posture and, theatricality in places, and as you say, advantage with wire work.
I enjoyed ‘Love is Sweet’ – in fact I’ve seen it twice! It’s a fun romantic show. Bai Lu and Luo Yunxi gave a great interview about how they approached the romantic moments and he embarrassed her by saying he had been looking forward to the kissing scenes!
@Kate Great to know you are watching this too 😀
@Phoenix… ditto!
@Kate, I believe there’s lots and lots of kiss scenes in Love Is Sweet yeah? And a baby at the end. 🥰
@packmule3, I thought the same thing about the head-dresses worn by Li Sisu. They would be painful to wear to bed.
I liked the family scenes with Li Sisu and how she cared enough for this 2nd family to want to post a letter to them to keep them from worrying when she was away. Did she manage to keep some money on herself despite nearly drowning?
There are some amusing costume and prop inconsistencies: an entire fresh and extravagant outfit for LS, including earrings, after she nearly drowned and found herself in a wilderness. Also, the mortar and pestle she used to grind herbs for Tantai Jin in the wilderness. It must have been a well-stocked wilderness, or I missed something with the subs.
@agdr03 -yes to the kiss scenes – and good ML-FL chemistry!
I can’t remember the baby…I have a memory of a cute pet dog… but it’s a while since I watched the show.
@Kate, my memory is worse but I get excited when the couple gets a baby in the end or pregnant. 😁
I only saw clips on youtube.
@agdr03 – I find that very sweet…you’re making me want to watch this again too! haha.
Off topic…@agdr03
There is a super cute series just out called ‘The Love You Give Me’. I recommend it to you because of a really lovely little boy in it who plays a key role. I don’t go for cutesy kids in shows …but this little chap is genuinely adorable. It’s a light fluffy c-drama.
https://www.viki.com/tv/39764c-the-love-you-give-me
Waaaaa! The trailer is cute @Kate! Thanks! That little boy is cute. He reminds me of another little boy from another cdrama but I forgot the title 😂
There’s so many cdramas out that looks good so hopefully I’ll have time to watch them. ☺️
@agdr03 -he has some great scenes – including the first time he meets the ML.
This show could perhaps do without so many romantic sub-plots – but hey ho!
@Kate I watched a few episodes of this drama too and will continue watching because the main leads are the same who were in a romance I watched earlier and found cute,’Once We Get Married.’ I like their pairing and they complement each other perfectly. The kid in ‘The Love You Give Me’ is the star of this drama though, simply adorable 😍
@Pheonix – ditto .. I enjoyed the leads in ‘Once We Get Married’ too!
They work very well as a team. He’s Bejing Drama Academy trained – I think – and she was at the Dance Academy there (if I remember correctly). They’ve both had quite rigorous formal training but make these lighter roles work very well and bring to them light and shade.
Agreed – the kid is the star of ‘The Love You Give Me’ – and has some of the best lines!
@Phoenix @Kate, I loved the leads in ‘Once We Get Married’… just them. I had to ignore the other couple and the troublesome ex. The production value was not great, and there were flaws, but the leads together were so lovely!!
@GB and @Phoenix,
Yes, they do have something special and very natural – you are right @GB and, as you say, you forgive/overlook the not so perfect aspects of the show as a result.
@packmule3
About ‘Till The End of the Moon’, I was reading discussions where those who have read the original Chinese novel mentioned how the drama has changed Tantai Jin’s character by showing him less cruel than in the novel. That’s why his innocence and unawareness of basic human emotions stands out more in the drama, because I guess the writers are trying to make him worthy of the audience’s sympathy.
I feel for him because noone has ever shown him kindness, so when Ye Xiwu starts showing him care (for ulterior motives to stop him becoming the Devil God), he is desperate to believe her. It’s almost painful to anticipate his eventual disillusionment that she was pretending to care. Hopefully at some point, Li Susu will genuinely start caring for him, but I understand that will take time because she saw him as the Devil Good from 500 years later who murdered her whole family.
The costumes of this drama are quite elaborate, especially in latter episodes once Tantai Jin becomes a ruler. His dark royal robes remind me of Dongfang though Dylan Wang looked more menacing than Luo Yinxi in them😝
By the way, have you reached the Attack of the Crows episode yet? I thought that was well orchestrated😄
@packmule3
I am liking Tantai Jin’s character more than Li Susu’s in the drama, because he comes across as starving of human kindness and affection. Some of his surprised gestures at Ye Xiwu showing him care are so innocent that I feel for him, especially knowing that Li Susu has ulterior motives for doing all that (to stop his evil bone from developing). I read on forums that Tantai Jin’s character in the original Chinese novel is much more cruel and ruthless but the drama writers have changed some parts to make him a more audience sympathy worthy character.
I like the costumes of the drama, very detailed, especially in later episodes when Tantai Jin becomes a king. His all black flowing robes are totally Dongfang Qingcang style, though I have to say Dylan Wang looked more menacing in them.
Watch out for the ‘Attack of the Crows’ episode, I thought that was well orchestrated!
Oh my…just reading through this thread, I’ve added five dramas to my watch list!
@packmule3
I think my comments got posted twice. I’m not sure what happened – when I tried to post both times, it showed me a ‘Gateway Timed Out’ error, and I didn’t see my post up there. So I rewrote the whole comment twice, which is why the second one is just a rephrasing of the old one.
I hope I am able to post this one at one go.
Haha @Welmaris I know that FOMO feeling – too many dramas that sound like my type but too little time😝 I’ve been trying to multi-watch dramas (like multi-task😝) but I still need to go catch up on ‘Call It Love’ and ‘Meet Yourself’. The problem with Cdramas are their length but now the Chinese board has made a rule that no dramas can be more than 40 episodes (unlike in the past where dramas like ‘Love Like the Galaxy’ went on for 50+ episodes). 40 too is too much for me though, I have to skip parts to fast-track while watching 😝
@pm3, Compared to Love between Fairy and Devil which do you enjoy more? I was almost wanting to watch Till the End of the Moon but I read bad reviews on it so I have been hesitant. I have also seen a lot of people going wild over the “chemistry” of the main leads and this show so I’m not sure.
Of late I watched a few dramas where I found the story plot boring or inconsistent or not logical enough for me (looking at Dreaming back to The Qing Dynasty and Forever Love).
But I look forward to read your reviews! I may decide to step into it as I just finished another xianxia drama Starry Love that I enjoyed a lot.
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I watched the first two episodes of this drama and then stopped, because I didn’t like seeing all the cruelty heaped on some characters by others. But I picked it up again last night and watched eps. 3-6. I found the dream demon’s nightmare flower farm an interesting method of story exposition, but it wasn’t clear if we were getting events as they actually transpired, or a subjective view. For the most part, the nightmares seemed to have a third-party viewpoint, even showing events and conversations that took place when the nightmare dreamer wasn’t present when they happened in real life.
The English title of this show is a play on words, and I wonder if that’s the case with the original Chinese title. The first word, till, can mean until. But till can also mean to cultivate. Clever, huh?!
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@Welmaris you are so funny LOL
Enjoyed your play on the word “till” NIIIICE!!
And that you added 5 dramas to our PTW list .. ha ha ha
Which were the 5 dramas?
UN-EMBARRASSED DISCLOSURE I have watched this behemoth of an operatic scale DRAMA THRICE .. with FULLY harnessed attention in almost binge watch mode.
It’s also my first XIANXIA genre drama.
Well I did watch EVER NIGHT part 1 and LOVED it.
18 y.o. Chen Fei Yu left a mark with his portrayal of Ning Que which Dylan Wang NO WAY could fill in for, in part 2, and therefore I couldn’t bear to watch it ALTHOUGH I was DYING to know what happened after the cliffhanger ending of Part 1. So EVER NIGHT for me wasn’t HEAVY DUTY Xianxia .. being part Wuxia .. if I learnt the distinction correctly ;-p
And EVER NIGHT actually ended up being a pretty good entry into the Xianxia genre .. try to visualise me going and scurrying through Google looking for definitions and explanations and word meanings etc. exploring this new world .. I was so tripped up over ‘CULTIVATION’ ~ Potter magicking minus brooms and wands LOL ..
I didn’t know that I had already tasted Wuxia more than 20 years ago when I watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ;-p
Looking forward to nibbling through these posts and comments IMMENSELY ;-p
IT WAS A GRAND GRAND experience worthy of being on a LARGE opera stage with Cirque Du Soleil level of production.
And thank goodness this thread is still open ;-p
@Bosuji, I can’t remember what I was thinking while posting almost a year ago, but since I was inspired by reading the comments before mine, perhaps you’ll also be inspired as you read through the thread.
I don’t know if you’ve previously commented on threads in which I’m not involved, but since this is my first time encountering you, @Bosuji, let me say welcome to BoD!
@Phoenix @Kate @agdr03 @GrowingBeautifully(BG)
OMG I am not the only one who fell in love with that Child Lead (CL?) ;-p more than with the ML and FL in THE LOVE you GIVE ME. The leads are so sweetly matched.
LOL
It was an adorable light watch .. the kind you cuddle up with a cuppa chocolate milkshake in bed and feel all oomph-y and warm.
I enjoyed “Once we get Married” when it started but lost interest half way when it kind of started feeling icky .. I have to return to it to recall what went icky.
@packmule3
Did you get around to watching Love is Sweet?
LOVED it.
One of the BEST, natural (real life quality) couple chemistry I’ve seen between these two .. other than Chen Fei Yu and Zhang Jing Yi in L&P
You might mistake these to be BTS clips .. they are THAT natural and therefore squee and flutter for the viewers with grins broad as the jawline.
@Fern
Well stocked wilderness LOL
Fresh change of clothes post drowning scene .. LOL
Those made me chuckle indulgently as would a granny looking at her fave naughty grandchild whose messing around .. I LOVED the show too much to see it with any eyes but that of something like ‘blind love’ ha ha ha
The way this Drama works for me is watching it as a GRAND OPERA .. costume atmosphere music loud makeup .. SO stylised .. and just a gorgeous spectacle
I have been wanting to watch this show , but do not have experience with this genre. Thank you for your review And this discussion.
@MM, Here’s something on Chinese Period Dramas, on the other terms used with this genre besides Xian Xia, ie Wu Xia and Jiang Hu. Have fun!
@MM Here’s something else on the difference between Xian Xia and Wu Xia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw7kpCFJkuY
This young man is pretty good in his explanation, and he has several videos out on language and dramas Chinese.
@GB TY