The Starry Love (2023) - Final Review

Final review/rating:  The Starry Love (2023) - Hilarious and heartfelt xianxia take on "wrong carriage, right groom" tale 

This is 9/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

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

The Starry Love (2023) is brilliant! 

What I thought would be yet another cookie-cutter xianxia turned into an enchanting and very funny watch. This drama has well-written relatable characters that will tug at your heartstrings and a witty script that deftly moves between side-splitting comedy and pathos.  

Be prepared to go on an emotional rollercoaster - I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with the characters time and time again while laughing and crying. I have honestly never laughed so hard watching a xianxia.   

While I think The Starry Love (2023) doesn't quite stick the landing in the final episode, that does not detract much from my considerable enjoyment of the drama overall.  And boy am I impressed with the leads: Chen Xing Xu, Li Lan Di, Chen Mu Ci, He Xuan Lin - these four are definitely on my radar as young actors to watch!       

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

The Starry Love (2023) - Synopsis

Drama info:

Title:  The Starry Love 

Chinese title:  星落凝成糖 (Eng translation: "Falling Stars form sweetness") 

Episodes: 40

Genre: Xianxia, romance, fantasy, comedy

Original network: Youku

Release date:      16 Feb 2023

Airing schedule:  16 Feb -  11 March 2023    

Synopsis:

Twin girls are born to the mortal realm's Emperor.  

The elder sister, Princess Qing Kui, is beloved by the Emperor and betrothed to the heavenly prince. She is gentle and kind. The younger sister, Princess Ye Tan, is loathed by the Emperor for being inauspicious and betrothed to the demon prince.  Although she is also kind-hearted, Ye Tan has survived the last 18 years on her wit and cunning, and her prickly exterior hides a vulnerable heart. 

Despite their upbringing, the sisters share a close sisterly bond.  

On the day they are due to be married off to their respective grooms, a mix-up occurs and Qing Kui ends up in the demonic void realm, whilst Ye Tan ends up in the heavenly realm.  But perhaps some mistakes are meant to be as Qing Kui finds herself falling for the devilish 3rd Prince Chao Feng, while Ye Tan finds that sparks fly between her and straitlaced heavenly prince Shao Dian You Qin.