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

Arc 1: The mortal arc and the trolley dilemma in a xianxia context

Ah, where to start on the plot?  For a spoiler-free simple synopsis, see mine 👉here. For a deeper dive, into each of the arcs, keep reading...

Ancient Devil God (Devil God v 1)

TTEOTM does not travel in chronological order.  If it did, we would start with the Ancient Devil God's destruction at the hands of the 12 true gods, led by God of War Ming Ye but with the certainty of resurrection.  That's because Devil God v1 leaves behind artefacts that operate like horcruxes (the sky-slashing sword斬天劍 created from his hand, bone-refining seal洗髓印 created from his heart, and the god-slaughtering crossbow屠神弩 created from his eyes) and of course a handpicked Devil foetus 魔胎 complete with his evil bone 邪骨, to reunite the whole. All of this backstory is in arc 2, the dream arc.  

Instead, TTEOTM starts arc 1 in a world where no true gods remain and the Devil God's resurrection has already happened. Tantai Jin (played by Luo Yun Xi) is Devil God v2, and rules supreme over a helpless world, wrecking havoc and destruction in the three realms.  The immortal sects/cultivators 仙門 are powerless to halt him. 

You can't die just yet...

To save the the world, Li Su Su (played by Bai Lu) travels 500 years back in time and assumes the identity of Ye Xi Wu, with the aim of destroying Tantai Jin before he can become Devil God v 2. But as Ye Xi Wu, she is married to the young Tantai Jin, a mortal hostage prince from the Jing kingdom whose tortured past and painful present give her pause. She knows, but he doesn't, that he is the Devil foetus with the evil bone, born to misery and despair so that the Devil God can ultimately use him as a vessel for resurrection.  Her quest becomes complicated when she develops feelings for Tantai Jin (and let's be honest, who can resist a suffering Luo Yun Xi)?  

Ep 8: Possibly the most seductive dance in xianxia 

It's the trolley dilemma in a xianxia context.  Does Li Su Su/Ye Xi Wu stay true to her mission and save millions of future lives by gaslighting Tantai Jin into loving her and using that love to create the weapons that will destroy him, knowing that he is predestined to become the Devil God?  Or does she gamble on his humanity, as she begins to see signs that Tantai Jin can change and has changed of his free will? The stakes are perilously high. 

A utilitarian approach would say this is a no brainer, but its a testament to the addictively good set up and the fantastic acting of the leads that the dilemma exists and is very real in Li Su Su/Ye Xi Wu's mind and ours.  

And so, in arc 1, we see Ye Xi Wu and Tantai Jin squaring off with mutual suspicion and an undercurrent of sizzling attraction (remember that oh-so-sexy dance on the boat at episode 8?!😅💗) It is all mordantly humorous as Ye Xi Wu saves Tantai Jin at every turn with a view to killing him later (or at least that is what she is telling herself) while he is both wary of and attracted by the first sunlight in his miserable existence to date. At the same time, Tantai Jin gets his first taste of demonic power, and ruthlessly wields this to exact vengeance on those who have tormented or betrayed him... 

Devil God energy as a conductor of ravens

Let's just say that the man is keeping a list, can conduct an orchestra of demonic ravens to carry out a Red Wedding, and has any number of ways to administer a lethal injection via poisonous insect should you betray him.  All that, and yet I felt he was fully justified (at least in drama logic terms).  

Hell, if I was Tantai Jin I would have gone over to the dark side in a heartbeat.  He does not have a love thread 情丝, and is therefore incapable of normal love and emotions, but I probably grew several in sheer sympathy.  The gradual reveal of each torment, each injustice, each betrayal in his life is relentless and had me flinching for the ultimate betrayal to come. Luo Yun Xi really knocks it out of the park with his portrayal of Tantai Jin - there's a heartbreaking vulnerability that will have you railing against the injustice of it all, as well as a leashed sinister magnetism that screams danger and (sexy) Devil God in the making. No wonder Li Su Su/Ye Xi Wu is conflicted!

Foxy Pian Ran and Ye Qing Yu💕

Arc 1 also introduces us to the largely forgettable 2nd CP pairing of Ye Bing Chan (Ye Xi Wu's insecure older sister, played by Chen Du Ling) and Xiao Lin (the too-good-for-this-world Crown Prince of the Sheng kingdom, played by Deng Wei).  I was way more interested in the 3rd CP, the much hotter pairing of sexy nine-tailed fox demoness Pian Ran (played by Sun Zhen Ni) and principled and loveable General Ye Qing Yu (Ye Xi Wu's brother, played by Geng Ye Ting). 

By episode 10, Tantai Jin has ascended the throne as Jing Emperor, but he and Ye Xi Wu are at an impasse. He's fighting his growing attraction to her, whilst she doesn't know how to extract his evil bone.  At that juncture, the essence of Ji Ze (one of the true gods) tells Ye Xi Wu that three keys hold the fate of completing her mission: a dream, a teardrop, and a single love thread...  

Arc 2: Enter the Dragon - Dream arc as backstory, cautionary tale, catalyst, and foreshadowing 

In arc 2 (episodes 11 - 18), we literally enter the dragon and see through his eyes, as the four leads relive the "Fleeting Life Dream 般若浮生" of Dragon God of War Ming Ye, set some 10,000 years before, in an age where the Ancient Devil God and the 12 true gods still exist.  

The dream arc is the tragedy of Ming Ye and his clam princess wife Sang Jiu, but it also serves as backstory and foreshadows later events, and of course it unlocks the keys to Ye Xi Wu's mission (how to remove that pesky evil bone and so prevent Tantai Jin's destined reincarnation as the Devil God). There are also breadcrumbs for later plot developments.  

Chen Du Ling as Tian Huan

The dream's premise is that one is a thought away from becoming a god or from becoming a devil (一念成神 一念成魔), so free-will over predestination, but ironically, the leads have no agency within the dream. They relive Ming Ye's past through his eyes and in assigned roles, so that each can make what they will from the destined experience.  Thus, in the dream, Tantai Jin becomes Ming Ye, Ye Xi Wu becomes Sang Jiu, Xiao Lin becomes Sang You (Sang Jiu's older clam prince brother), and Ye Bing Chan becomes Tian Huan (a ruthless immortal with an obsessive and unrequited love for Ming Ye). Incidentally, I found Chen Du Ling's acting uninspired for every other part of TTEOTM, but in the dream arc, her Tian Huan set my teeth on edge and had me baying for blood, which is the sign a villainess is playing her role well.   

Ming Ye and Sang Jiu

Watching the dream arc is like watching a beautiful train wreck.  

The innocent Sang Jiu starts with so much hope and love in her heart for Ming Ye, and he, slower on the uptake, nevertheless begins to reciprocate. They have all the sweetness of first love but unfortunately all the defenceless naivete of the pure of heart as well.  And Tian Huan is the serpent in their precarious Eden, insidiously fanning the growing misunderstandings between them.  Throw in a rage-inducing amount of noble idiocy, lack of communication, and the weighty task of keeping the realms safe from an all powerful Devil God into the mix, and Ming Ye inevitably drops the ball. 

Paradise lost: Sang Jiu

Then the sweetness of a second chance is held out in the idyllic bamboo forest scenes (arguably some of the sweetest in TTEOTM) before these are brutally dashed by Tian Huan's genocide of Sang Jiu's clan, which sets off tragic and irreversible consequences. Sang Jiu becomes demonic to avenge her people (and her revenge arc against Tian Huan is so satisfyingly), whilst Ming Ye is forced to realise that there are no do-overs in life, even if he is a true god willing to exchange his divine essence to save his beloved. Ah, these two broke my heart!💔

One thought away from being god or demon, Ming Ye leaves behind a fragment of his soul in the dream, so that he can relive his memories of Sang Jiu for the next 10,000 years and to provide some illumination for the future Devil foetus's path.  

And as the dream arc concludes, a single teardrop falls from Tantai Jin's eye, and the beginnings of a new love thread starts to form in his heart...

Arc 3: Love, angst, betrayal, and heartbreak

In arc 3 of TTEOTM (episodes 19 - 29), the leads awaken, but clearly their memories from the dreamscape come for the ride. 

Sizzling OTP chemistry💗

It's a kaleidoscope of emotions.  The set up is fraught with tension as Ye Xi Wu now knows exactly how to extract the evil bone from Tantai Jin now - she has to get him to fall in love with her so that she can use that love to create 9 soul slaying nails滅魂釘 to stab his heart with.  

But even knowing that Ye Xi Wu has a secret agenda, there's still the sugar rush of sweetness that is Tantai Jin falling head over heels with Ye Xi Wu.  There's hilariously bad cooking, both of them cluelessly seeking love advice from foxy Pian Ran, correspondence via disgruntled ravens, couple costumes, gifts and fireflies, trips home to see family, and gloriously romantic date nights...  

Tiantai Jin looking mighty fine

All the while, Tantai Jin is genuinely making attempts to change and to become a better person and Emperor (one, for eg, who takes in refugees from the Sheng kingdom that was unforgivably cruel to him, and who is not above taking unvarnished advice from Ye Qing Yu). You've also got to love the peak sibling energy he shares with Pian Ran and his playing cupid for her and Ye Qing Yu. And then he can be so endearingly, cluelessly, sincere - I mean, who takes the object of their affections to the family burial crypt and asks them to pick a spot??🤣🤣🤣 

Is it any wonder that Li Su Su/Ye Xi Wu starts wavering and seeing Tantai Jin as Tantai Jin alone and not as the predestined Devil God? 

Ah the xianxia trolley problem rears its ugly head. 

The cards are firmly stacked against Tantai Jin. But somehow, he and Ye Xi Wu are still building a precarious house of cards from their feelings, and you are rooting for them even though you just know heartbreak is around the corner. 

Sisterhood: Pian Ran and Ye Xi Wu

Before plunging us into angst and betrayal, arc 3 of TTEOTM also provides us with the delight that is Pian Ran and Ye Xi Wu's sisterhood, as well as the gorgeous love story of Pian Ran and Ye Qing Yu, which goes from a fling to forever. (Honestly could have done with a lot more of both)!  

But from episode 24 onwards, you really wonder if Tantai Jin and Ye Xi Wu learnt anything from their stint in the dream arc, because their house of cards is just one misunderstanding away from crashing and burning. It's all priced into the toxic underpinnings of their love, Tantai Jin's suspicious nature and inability to tolerate betrayal, and the fact that he really does have something to suspect about Ye Xi Wu, even if he arrives at the wrong conclusion. 

Thus, Ye Bing Chan's poisoned congee (previously doctored with knockout drugs by Ye Xi Wu) has Tantai Jin convinced that Ye Xi Wu is trying to kill him for Xiao Lin's sake. In retaliation, he allows her to 'rescue' Xiao Lin, but uses dark magic to make her a puppet and uses her to stab Xiao Lin, hoping to force her to return to him.  In the meantime, Ye Bing Chan kills Grandmother Ye with the same congee, and when Ye Xi Wu wakes from Tantai Jin's puppetry, she despairs, thinking that he has killed her grandmother to punish her.  And all her tentative hopes that he might choose goodness over predestined evil shatter. (Although it's not entirely clear exactly what she feels for Tantai Jin, the level of her devastation surely shows that she cares?) 

My stars, if they would only communicate with each other! Or investigate the mystery of the poison congee! But no, Ye Xi Wu returns, in episode 25, convinced that there is no rewriting destiny and no cause for hope, and in episode 26, asks to be Tantai Jin's Empress, armed with 9 soul slaying nails. It's heartbreaking - Tantai Jin goes to wed Ye Xi Wu with such hope and love in his heart, personally embroidering her veil... and on their wedding night her 'gift' for him is 9 nails to the heart.  Only, 3 break because of the heart-protecting scale护心鳞, and Ye Xi Wu/Li Su Su breaks as well - she has failed the world. And wanting death, pushed beyond endurance, she says some of the cruelest lines in the drama to Tantai Jin. Honestly, I was flinching with every word - they might as well have been soul slaying nails.   

And then at episode 27, we lose gorgeous, brave Pian Ran, who sacrifices herself to save Ye Qing Yu who has just done the same for her... and the horror and sorrow is just unrelenting. 

Episode 28 cranks the angst to maximum voltage for the 'tower' scene (a bit of a misnomer in the drama as it takes place in the skies). Ye Xi Wu/Li Su Su invokes the power of the world destroying jade傾世之玉 in excruciating pain to cultivate immortal essence神髓 knowing full well it will bring on a lightening tribulation.  As Tantai Jin is powerless to stop her, she shows him exactly what he will become (the Devil God from episode 1) and tells him he is the Devil feotus. 

Then, emulating Ming Ye before her, she exchanges her immortal essence for Tantai Jin's evil bone, and asks only that they never meet again in any lifetime (只願生生世世，不復相見). She escapes him in death, leaves him with nothing, not even her true name, and it completely breaks Tantai Jin. Hell, Luo Yun Xi's portrayal of soul deep grief just about broke me. And he spends the next 500 years in the toxic waters of the river of souls, trying to find her soul, not knowing that this is an exercise in futility. 

Arc 4: The immortal arc and the weight of destiny 

Cang Jiu Min - debonair in blue

Arc 4 (episodes 30 - 40) of TTEOTM has to do a lot of heavy lifting, as there is just so much more story to tell and not enough time to do it in. It's sadly obvious that much of the 18 episodes cut from the original drama to comply with regulations came out of the last arc, which makes it hectic in pace and somewhat disjointed in narration and editing.      

In arc 4, the themes of predestination v free-will are explored further as Tantai Jin is rescued by Zhao You 兆悠真人, leader of the Xiao Yao sect 逍遙宗, becomes his cultivation disciple, and is given the new alias Cang Jiu Min. While still desperate to find Ye Xi Wu's soul, Cang Jiu Min experiences love and acceptance for the first time from his fatherly shifu and his older sect brothers, and chooses to reject his destiny as Devil feotus by loving the world that Ye Xi Wu loved. 

Of course, Li Su Su is actually so near and yet so far from him, having ascended to immortality, and the frissons of their near meetings in episode 31 are quite delicious.    

When they do finally meet face-to-face in episode 32, it is bittersweet, as Li Su Su refuses to acknowledge the past (he has to trick her into admitting she is Ye Xi Wu) and when he does, she says that the past is best left behind as she is to cultivate the heartless way無情道.

Cang Jiu Min is not deterred - this time round he will do all the chasing and he will prove to her that he has the freedom to choose and that he will never become the Devil God. And of course she is hiding a secret -  Li Su Su has the evil bone within her and is struggling to contain it.  As the last descendant of the true god Chu Huang, she must master the heartless way so that she can ascend to being a true god and protect the realms.  (Does the girl ever catch a break? I mean, mission number 2 already??)

No doubt, this is not assisted by choppy editing, but I almost got emotional whiplash from Li Su Su's rather abrupt transition from denial of their tangled past to wholehearted trust and love for Tantai Jin (he is always Tantai Jin to her). But in fairness, who can resist the debonair Cang Jiu Min in pursuit? And for once the two actually communicate clearly with each other. A nostalgic trip to Jing country has Cang Jiu Min gently flirting with a Li Su Su who acknowledges that she does not fear him, that she knows he will never hurt her, and that he will never choose to become the Devil God.  And he in turn tells her that he is afraid of being outed as the Devil feotus, that the god-slaughtering crossbow is currently inside him, but that he will never let the Devil God dictate his destiny because she has given him the gift of choice by removing his evil bone. 

Tension is ratcheted up as Cang Jiu Min is forced to go back on his word in harnessing the powers of the Devil God to save the innocent, but this leads to the death of the horrible son of one of the Sect leaders seemingly but not at his hand, and the outing of Cang Jiu Min as the Devil feotus.  Satisfyingly, Li Su Su is the one to ride to Cang Jiu Min's rescue when the immortal sects are all baying for his death (well aside from his shifu who trusts him unreservedly and Qu Xuan Zi, Li Su Su's adoptive father, another of the good guys), and she reveals her mission of 500 years ago, and how she removed Tiantai Jin's evil bone. Ergo, he can never become the Demon God.

And in the aftermath, how wonderful to have them communicating with each other, no secrets!  Episode 35 is sweet, so very sweet, as Li Su Su and Tantai Jin reaffirm their love for each other - and yes, there are kisses aplenty, including the famous kiss that leaves a phoenix seal over the scars left by the soul slaying nails.💕 The infusion of sweetness is clearly designed to ready us for the pain to come, because from episode 36 onwards, the pace and angst are unrelenting. 

In episode 36, demon Di Mian, Li Su Su's ratbag of a biological father, murders Qu Xuan Zi and takes the evil bone from Li Su Su whilst she is in a coma, and she awakens to the news that her adoptive father has been killed by Tantai Jin for the evil bone. (The news is relayed by Gongye Ji Wu, the decidedly inferior reincarnation of Xiao Lin, whose unrequited love for Li Su Su and insecurities about being a substitute for Xiao Lin have turned him tediously evil.  Incidentally, his plot line in arc 4 with demoness Mo Nu, from which Ye Bing Chang existed, adds little value and is largely skippable).  

There's hope though, because Li Su Su does not immediately jump to conclusions. She wants to talk to Tantai Jin first, and also (wisely) suspects Di Mian of treachery, and joins hands with Zhao You to unmask him in episode 37.  But when Di Mian, possessed by the Devil God, opens the All-Distress Way同悲道, it is the beginning of the end. 

Devil God v 3

Tantai Jin tries for a self-sacrificing formation, but is stopped by Ming Ye's voice from the heart protecting scale, which reminds him that his death cannot stop the life of the Devil God, only his life can start the death of the Devil God.  Cryptic, but clearly Tantai Jin understands what Ming Ye means. 

And so, in episode 39, when Li Su Su comes for an explanation, Tantai Jin goes it alone, removes the 9 soul slaying nails, takes all the Devil artefacts, and becomes Devil God v 3, after overcoming the Ancient Devil God... Because as his shifu explained to him before his death, now that the All-Distress Way is open, only the Devil God himself can close it with his death.  It's gut wrenchingly sad because his shifu knew all along that Tantai Jin was the Devil feotus, yet thought he deserved love and to be able to choose not to be the Devil God. But now, and with love for Li Su Su and her world in his heart, Tantai Jin's only choice is to become the Devil God as destined. Honestly, is it even free will when the only choice is to choose what is predestined??

And because the Devil God cannot be destroyed except by a true god, Tantai Jin must fool Li Su Su into thinking he has truly become demonic and assist her to true godhood, so that she can kill him. With that, he decrees she must marry him in 3 days time - it's not a proposal, more of an order, and designed to engender her hatred.   

But before that, he gives her the gift of this Devil God's version of "Fleeting Life Dream 般若浮生" -  sweet memories of her family and their love at the Ye mansion in arc 1, with a view to leaving her some beautiful memories when he is gone. And Li Su Su kisses Tantai Jin in farewell and they have their wedding night. So much sorrow and sweetness combined because each say their goodbyes for different reasons under the shadow of parting. Honestly, TTEOTM gives us some of the most intense chemistry and passionate scenes I've seen since Ye Hua and Bai Qian in Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (2017) and that is saying something.    

A discussion on the ending 

At the time of writing, I am still recovering from episode 40.  

In the last episode, the demonic wedding of Tantai Jin and Li Su Su takes place. Li Su Su then uses a self-sacrificing formation捨身大陣 to try and take Tantai Jin with her, to no avail.  The rest of the cultivation sects join in the fight, led by Gongye Ji Wu, who has resorted to the forbidden formation星閥之陣 to defeat Tantai Jin (uncaring that this will kill Li Su Su too and uncaring that he is consuming the soul essences of all the cultivation sects).  

Tantai Jin then pushes Li Su Su into the lightening punishment and saves the fast demonizing Gongye Ji Wu, before Li Su Su emerges from the pain having ascended to true god status. And Tantai Jin allows himself a small, sweet smile of content to see that.

Then, in a quiet otherworldly space still untouched by the evil of the All-Distress Way, all is understood... Li Su Su tells Tantai Jin she knows.  He wanted her to ascend to true godhood so that she could kill him and close the All-Distress Way once and for all. There's no other way - the Devil God's existence is intrinsically linked to the All-Distress Way. And besides, Tantai Jin's life has been unmitigated pain, so, so much pain. It's heartbreaking because they both understand there is no other way.

But, she says, when the Devil God dies, there is also no need for a true god, meaning to die with him. As they kiss in final farewell and Li Su Su loses consciousness, Tantai Jin fools her one last time, placing the heart protecting scale on her and sending her away, before destroying himself...  When Li Su Su wakes, she is at the burial crypt of the Jing kingdom, where her heart breaks once again, reading the tombstones inscribed by Tantai Jin for himself and Ye Xi Wu, in the place he once asked her to pick a spot💔      

500 years later, by the river Mo He where Ming Ye and Sang Jiu's story began, Li Su Su sits with her young daughter A'Mi, and tells her their tale.  In her hand is the heart protecting scale, and inside that scale?  A fragment of Tantai Jin's soul, at ease... Finis.

So, the drama's ending.  At first I was inconsolable - surely Tantai Jin and Li Su Su deserve a happy-ever-after with little A'Mi after the emotional wringer that TTEOTM has put them (and us) through?  After all, there's a gorgeously satisfying reunion in the source novel, when after 1000 years of searching, Li Su Su finally finds Tantai Jin in the mortal world after their imp of a daughter finds him first, and they marry.  This time she embroiders her veil, and she tells him she has loved him all along, and they return home together.  So a happy ending is canon!   

But instead, Youku opted for a choose-your-own-interpretation open ending in the drama, which is arguably happy if you consider that anything is possible with fragments of soul in xianxia). Also the drama stops at 500 years later, so there is technically another 500 years of searching before the bliss of reunion if we go with the source novel timeline.  It's less than satisfying, but I guess I ought not to be surprised given Youku's recent antics (case in point, The Starry Love (2023) and that ending, which I wrote about 👉here). Open endings must be in vogue at the moment. Perhaps Youku will give us a special episode, but at this juncture, I'm not holding my breath. I'm also not counting the short Youku audio clip as a true special episode - surely with 18 cut episodes, they can give us an epilogue clip that we can see as well as hear? *Sigh

Final thoughts 

🐼: How to sum up TTEOTM? 

It is a splendidly, gorgeously, flawed masterpiece, which will break your heart, but is worth experiencing nonetheless. Preferably on a big screen that will do it justice.  

  

It is certainly not perfect.  

Editing wise, the fact that the drama was heavily cut down to comply with the 40 episode limit shows. Even considering TTEOTM's longer 55min episodes, we are still talking about roughly 3 normal episodes of cut content. Much of the cuts appear to have been made in the final arc, at a cost to cohesion and quality.  It is also evident that TTEOTM intended to give us more of Pian Ran and Ye Qing Yu having left breadcrumbs earlier, but opted to give us more Gongye Ji Wu and Mu Nu instead. (Bad move, as the 2nd CP consistently lacked chemistry in all of the arcs, whereas the 3rd CP gave Tantai Jin and Ye Xi Wu/Li Su Su a run for their money). 

The excessive and distracting blood spitting must be mentioned as well.  According to sharp eyed netizens, Tantai Jin's x60 blood spits beats Si Feng's x56 record. I know it's xianxia, but to put it in context, TTEOTM has 19 less episodes than Love and Redemption(2020). It's all a bit much😅...

As for characterisation, TTEOTM presented a more vanilla version of Tantai Jin to make him more palatable to censorship while retaining enough of the original to make him dangerously attractive, but did not make corresponding adjustments to Li Su Su's role.  This meant that even Bai Lu's acting could not save the character from being less relatable.  The choppy editing did not assist in that regard either.  As I've already mentioned, Li Su Su's rather abrupt transition from aloof denial to undying love in the final arc almost gave me emotional whiplash.  

That said, Tantai Jin and Li Su Su still work as a CP, mainly because of Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu's palpable, off-the-charts good chemistry.  

So while TTEOTM is not perfect, it is an emotional rollercoaster of exquisite angst and a gorgeous feast for the senses. I could not help becoming immersed in the story and becoming emotionally invested in the characters and their fates. It had me trying to work out the mobius strip that is free-will v predestination in the drama's logic for crying out loud.  It also had me heartbroken at almost every turn for Tantai Jin and wishing desperately for his happiness with Li Su Su and some relief from the weight of his destiny.  

Without a doubt that is due to Luo Yun Xi's phenomenal acting. He is perfectly casted in TTEOTM. I think it fair to say that he carried the drama with his intoxicatingly good, multi-faceted performance as Tantai Jin, Ming Ye, Cang Jiu Min, and every version of the Devil God. He has such remarkable range: seductive darkness, haunting vulnerability, murderous rage, soul-deep crazed grief, playful flirtatiousness, elegant etherealness, to name but a fraction of what he portrayed... Every microexpression is made to count.  

I am also thankful TTEOTM gave us Luo Yun Xi's real voice - there is no substitute for the subtlety he conveys. And as if to prove that perfection is indeed possible, the man moves like poetry in motion as befits an ex-professional ballet dancer, rocks perfect eyeliner and his xianxia couture wardrobe with effortless glamour, and is just so damn beautiful from every angle.  

Luo Yun Xi's poem 

I first fell in love with Luo Yun Xi as Run Yu in Ashes of Love (2018), watched Princess Silver (2019) for a glimpse of his heartbreaking Rong Qi, and watched the otherwise tedious And the Winner is Love (2020) (👉review) for his flirtatious Shangguan Tou.  But TTEOTM? Tantai Jin is his best performance to date - Luo Yun Xi at the height of his considerable powers. I hope he has plenty more in store for us.  

I am not quite ready to say goodbye to TTEOTM. But I read Luo Yun Xi's farewell to TTEOTM on weibo, and it seems fitting to leave with a translation of the poem he signed off with, as he said he was also not yet ready to say goodbye because Tantai Jin, Ming Ye, and Cang Jiu Min had not gone far from him. 

Honestly, the man has the soul of a poet (and any flaws in translation are of course, my own):

今日一別身歸天地   來日縱化作    山巔冰雪    溪中卵石   岸邊垂柳     我們總有相逢之時

In parting today, my body returns to heaven and earth. In following days, to become the icy snow on the mountain peaks, the pebbles in the brook,  the weeping willows beside the shore. There will be a time for us to meet again.

9.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮