Till the End of the Moon (2023) - Final Review

Final review/rating: Till the End of the Moon (2023) - A xianxia trolley dilemma and a Devil God that will break your heart

This is 9.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         9.5 Stars Plot:                       9 Stars Acting/cast:            10 Stars Couple chemistry:   10 stars Music:                    8 Stars Re-watch value:      9.5 Stars Enjoyment factor:   10 Stars

It's fair to say that Till the End of the Moon (2023) (TTEOTM) opened to sky-high
expectations, jumping from 1 million reservations on Youku in September 2022 to 5 million by 5 April, 2023, just prior to its premiere. After all, it is a S+ production, headed by the incomparable Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu in their second collaboration, in a no expenses spared extravaganza of a xianxia drama.  It's also based on a deliciously dark source novel 黑月光拿稳BE剧本 "Black Moonlight holds the BE script", with a deliciously dark anti-hero.

So between censorship and expectations, it was probably never going to be all things for all people.  But from the moment the strains of a gothic-esque organ started blasting and the voice of Lu Yun Ning began to sing the opening theme, I was ready.  So, so ready.  

Is TTEOTM perfect? No. But is it entertaining? Hell yes! What a feast for the senses!  It will surely be hard to beat for sheer spectacle, state of the art CGI and special effects, and the rollercoaster of angst and anguish that it delivers with gorgeous leads who act their hearts out and share off-the-charts chemistry. Indeed, the truly god-level acting from Luo Yun Xi, who gives an intoxicating, heartbreakingly good, multi-faceted performance is worth the price of admission alone. That, and the way he rocks perfect eyeliner and his xianxia couture wardrobe with 360 degree perfection. And his voice... 

It is probably best to watch TTEOTM with the heart rather than the mind as there are way too many artefacts, parallel timelines, avoidable misunderstandings, and unanswered questions about predestination and free-will that are not always neatly resolved in the drama.  Just sit back, and let the addictive bitter-sweet angst of TTEOTM wash over you. It may break your heart, but I for one, do not regret letting it do that to mine.   

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

Romance of a Twin Flower (2023) - Final Review

Final review/rating:  Romance of a Twin Flower (2023) - Cute chemistry squandered by a patchy and unevenly paced plot 

This is 6.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         6.5 Stars Plot:                       6 Stars Acting/cast:            7 Stars Couple chemistry:   7 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      6 Stars Enjoyment factor:   6.5 Stars

Romance of a Twin Flower (2023) is what happens when you have great leads with great chemistry who are handed a bland script that is not particularly well plotted or paced.   It starts well, but drags in the middle, and limps to a rather predictable ending. In my view, there was probably only enough plot to satisfactorily fill a 24 episode drama, so 38 episodes was always going to be a bit of a stretch.  

That said, Peng Xiao Ran's plucky Ji Man and Ding Yu Xi's boyishly attractive Ning Yu Xuan had me rooting for this CP right from the start, so this may be one to watch if you are fans of both or either.      

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

The Trust (2023) - Final Review

Final review/rating:  The Trust (2023) - A delightfully funny body-switching drama on the importance of love and mutual trust 

This is 8/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         8 Stars Plot:                       8 Stars Acting/cast:            8 Stars Couple chemistry:   8 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      8 Stars Enjoyment factor:   8 Stars

The Trust (2023) is a delightful gem of a drama. I have always thought that the body-swapping premise can be hilarious if done right, and I am happy to report that this drama does just that 😆  

As well as providing laughs aplenty, this second-chance romance explores the importance of love and mutual trust.  It posits that to love is to trust (as aptly put by the poem from which the drama's Chinese title takes its name). 

But not to worry, this drama is not preachy or didactic in tone - everything is handled with a light touch and a nod to the whimsy of a modern imagination.  Highly recommend! 

SPOILERS AHEADS