The light to my darkness,
To my night you are that fallen only star,
Dearest Yin to my Yang,
I’ll stay with you, Till the End of the Moon.

I’ve been through the journey of TTEOTM from the time it was announced that Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu will be pairing up together once again and that too for a Xianxia. For all the ‘Love is Sweet’ fans this is more than a treat. I shall rightly say, I trespassed my time with the flow of this drama. The day I knew it was an adaptation of a novel, I read it ardently which only made me more and more impatient to witness it with my eyes. This drama is not completely the same story but I’ll say, the pleasant changes will only please. The drama version took me into it irrevocably deeper. All the clips of the efforts that went into this drama only made me feel like this is my child. I just wished that this succeeds and it did. The talk is real. TTEOTM deserves it.

“You alone, livened up the entire world~”

To the audience now entering into this whole new world of Tan Tai Jin and Li Su Su, this might be a story of a Devil God who was once fragile and a Heavenly immortal who is up for making all the wrongs right. But what you are going to experience is their world of love. A love that’s deep, filled with care and concern, filled with hate and resentment, heart wrenching, miserable, toxic yet still being its own tonic to that toxicity.

“This is the world that loved you, loved by you~”

If not because of Li Su Su, the world might’ve ended in the hands of Tan Tai Jin. It’s his love for her that took away the devil in him. Being born with the Devil Bone was not his choice but how to lead his life, to some extent, was. It was a very difficult path as it’s not easy to change fate. But he was resolute to change it for the good and Li Su Su was the catalyst. TTEOTM depicts how love can make this world beautiful.

The story moves fast, it doesn’t loosen the grip. I watched it while it aired and couldn’t resist myself for the days but as you watch it now, I bet you’ll binge watch the whole thing. This one gets you sleepless.

However, I do wish that it could’ve come a while early before all these censorship issues. I would’ve been too happy to watch it for a longer time without all the cuts that this drama has to go through. Which was pretty brutal to say cuz it, sometimes, feels rushed and ended abruptly. How can I complain it on the drama when I know that it’s the biggest victim here. Anyway, TTEOTM still wins for me.

“I wanna borrow the moon that’s about to fall from the edge of the sky. I wanna hang a glittering butterfly there~”

This beautiful love story has so many many good things to talk about and to name a few, they are…..

Story. Fast. Not at all boring. Unique. I love the connection of all dots from here and there which runs through all the three supposed worlds. It’s an intelligent writing in my opinion. Moving away from the the original novel also brought in fresh changes which are, I think, satisfying. The story gave a lot of scope for debate and discussion of Why? What? How? This is worth binge-watching.

Closure. Something that I really appreciate in this drama is the closure. Misunderstandings do happen, more often a lot. Characters change but the fate seems the same. There is immense love hidden deep in their hearts but constantly their trust is broken. Yet they try to hang on and still stay with each other. However, when question arises, “Until when?”, this beautiful mirage they created for themselves breaks. Albeit, they realise. The do’s and don’ts that would’ve been done and avoided and the forces that led them to the way they ended up. The story ends but with a licit knot. Properly wound. Closed. I hate dramas with a lot of misunderstandings and more if they were not solved. Here, though misunderstandings exist, they are realised and an effort is made to stop from the repetition and I appreciate it a lot.

Characters. Here, the characters possess the story. The story creates the characters. A perfect blend.

I’ll not tell more about Tan Tai Jin and Li Su Su. I’m emotional. I have no words. They have my heart. A world was made for them, I got a free ticket to that world and I’m not coming back. No way. I just wanna stay here with them. That’s it. Rest, you watch!

One character that stole my heart would definitely be Pian Ran. That little fox demon is no less an angel. Be it the best partner for Ye Qingyu or the best friend for Ye Xiwu or the best assistant to Tan Tai Jin or the best Cupid for the latter two…. All of her acts were as beautiful as she is. Pian Ran deserves Ye Qingyu. Not me, but a majority has fallen for her through this drama. I wish she shines brighter in the future.

Ye Qingyu. A righteous man till his end. He is smart, handsome, and not someone who lets unworldly principles to rule over good. He stays obedient but also knows the line and extent. At the end, all he wants is goodness. He strives, he strides, he succeeds. Family is his responsibility, love is his passion, valour is his strength. An impressive unshady character. Ye Qingyu deserves Pian Ran.

P.S: I wished that I could see more Pian Ran and Ye Qing Yu.

Like the majority, again, we agree upon who is that one character which was a sore to the eye and no doubt it is Ye Bing Chang. She deserves the ‘Bitchang’ title! In all the three lives with all the three names, she was always the thorn and the real devil. How I wished that I could punish her with all the worst punishments in the world, I swear I’d become a devil to bring her down. Hate her.

Xiao Lin. Sigh! A character with great potential but completely ruined. He is one character I felt like was the writer’s fault. He was portrayed to be this unconditional lover, a pure Pearl like character who is so patient, so heavenly. For a while that was still believable. I think the leniency he had towards Ye Bing Chang irrespective of her acts made his character less interesting. And this is only about the mortal realm era, mind that! Cuz in the dream arc and immortal realm, his character was just negligible. At least as Sang You he seemed sweet and good irrespective of the less screen time but as Gong Ye Jiwu, he just made me angry. What was Gong Ye Jiwu’s character even? A Fool? I guess! All of his actions were just so foolish. His intelligent image seemed fake. Boy was ruined. I think it is the character I have complaints about in the whole drama.

I loved Zhao You and Qu Xuan Zi. Their little bromance was cute. I love how great of a father Qu Xuan Zi is. He let Su Su live her life the way she wants. He believed in her and knows that she is an adult enough to take the right choices. And I love love love Zhao You. The best master! After Su Su, It was only him who trusted Tan Tai Jin and gave him a new beginning as Cang Jiu Min. He was not that conventional master. He was funny and sweet.

Si Ying, Jing Mie. Devils but cute ones. Though their unnecessary efforts in the name of bringing the lord back were making me frustrated, I shipped them together. Haha. They came like wind, vanished with the wind.

Ye Xiao a great dad, grandma Ye was so cool, Ye Ze Yu… might have been the grey one but grew to be a man, Chuntao… a cutie. The Ye family (ofc except that stupid Ye Bing Chang), though had a very less screen space, saved some seats in the heart.

Nian Bai Yu…. Thank you for the loyalty. Throughout the drama, I kept wishing for good people to accompany Tan Tai Jin and make him feel loved. And all the people who chose to do that are my favourites.

Costumes. Oh my my! What shall I even say about the costumes in this drama? One word- Stunning! The Devil God’s outfits are my favourite! The details on the black outfits are soooooo good! Tan Tai Jin as the Emperor of Jing had another set of splendid outfits. The intricate detailing was so good. Ye Xi Wu had outfits that fit her character very well. The Jewellery needs to be particularly mentioned. How alluring! The chain like jewellery in the mid partition of Ye Xi Wu’s hair was so nice and beautiful on her. Sang Jiu’s wedding dress is so unique but cute which suits her adorable image very much. The Devil God marriage outfit is just out of this world. The BTS shows how much time and effort went into creating so many beautiful costumes and how carefully they are made. All of them need to be put in a Museum or an Art Centre for sure! The last outfits of both of them are chefs kiss?.

Makeup. Very pretty. Perfect. You can argue with the walls if you are not on the same page as me in this. Periodt. The Clam clan makeup in the dream arc is so dreamy and cute. The pearls, the shimmery eye makeup, wow! Very delicate. I just loved the sleek thin winged eye liner on Luo Yunxi so much. His eyes looked more extensive which indeed helped him to portray his minute emotions more through his eyes. And also the different eye lens colours determined the different Devil God versions. The makeup definitely helped in determining who is who. The devil turned Sang Jiu was just so nicely done. Her makeup emphasised the deep hatred and her desire for revenge. Special appreciation is to the Huadian (the art on their foreheads). It made all the complex makeup come together very well. The red detailing on the Devil God, the white on Ming Ye, the white and yellow one on Su Su and Gong Ye Jiwu are so delicately done. Bai Lu as Li Su Su looks so fitting with the ‘Lady of Spirituality’ title. She looks calm and serene as she should. I felt like I was in heaven with a Goddess! The space buns are hella cute! Ye Xi wu also looked so good. The nice airy bangs look very good on Bai Lu. Bai Lu in costume dramas is always so incredible. All in all, just by the makeup and costumes, you can easily determine in which character they are. Each so different.

Weapons. One fact about the weapons used in this drama makes them unique is the dynamism. I like how even the weapons have a character and were so well designed accordingly. The Devil God’s all three weapons and their forms are so unique to the costume drama screen. They are not conventional and the transformations of them is so good. The God Slaughtering cross bow, the devil bone and the Demon God sword woahhhhhh!!! Spectacular! But my favourite is actually Su Su’s Jade sword. Though it appeared very rare, I love the way it looks. I mean, it’s so unique! It transforms into a harp, a pendant, a jade….all hearts!

Sets. Huge! Splendid! Jaw dropping! Just what such a high budget Xianxia requires. The palaces, the war places, the realms are very nicely designed.

CGI: this drama was shot in few months but the CGI took years! Man, look at the drama, every detail…. It’s evident! Turning a green screen into something so amazing is pure art. And more than anything, you believe! I am transported and I don’t wanna comeback. The Devil God’s Spirit thing looked so magnificent. The Demon Artefacts and the visual transformations is majestic. The art of the realms is so elegant. CGI stole the show. Also, respect to the actors for imagining all of this in their heads and delivering such outstanding performances. It is not at all easy!

OST. All those beautiful lines I used in my review are from the Drama’s OSTs. I love them. They gave drama to the drama. I- I- I LOVE THEM! No words, just beautiful and close to my heart. Love the lyrics, love the composition, love the instruments, love the drama in them and I love how each song was rightly played at the right scenes.

This drama isn’t perfect folks. A few rigs and rags are still there. Nonetheless, what’s called perfect if imperfections don’t exist?

The dislikes for me in TTEOTM:
1. The abrupt cuts: ?
2. Bad lip-syncing: is it because of the cuts or was it shot that way? Especially in the Immortals-Devil God world. Idk?!
3. The rush: the story is complicated. It needs to be explained well with its own time. But because of the rush I didn’t understand several parts. I read the novel but the story started drifting away from the novel so it’s new to the ones who read the novel too but it gets very confusing. It goes on so fast that at one point I felt like, “yeah.. let’s see what happens I’ll understand it eventually”and was left confused for a long while. (You’ll understand however!)
4. Chen Du Ling as Bing Chang: it’s true that she made us believe that she is Bing Chang and made us hate the character as it should but…. Sorry to say this honey, your acting needs more polish. Her face, at many parts of the drama, had literally no expression.

Whatsoever, TTEOTM is a brilliant, regal, grand and an epic drama! Flaws can be ignored with the flow. You don’t want to miss witnessing such grandiose for the mere cons. My dislikes are only to be transparent about it but honestly, deep down, I don’t think they even matter to me in anyway. So I recommend you to watch it no matter how fuzzy you feel about this. It’s worth your while.

“In the past, I was a blind man living in the dark. I was trapped in a void for twenty years. Everyone say the sun is bright and warm. But I didn’t know what exactly true brightness means….. until I met you.” - Tan Tai Jin to Ye Xiwu

He was ill-fated, lonely, miserable, misunderstood and mistreated so much that all the little things Ye Xiwu did, sprouted seeds of love in him. In him, who was a desert. So the trees of love that grew in him is his greatest treasure, his only companion, his only faith, his only belief. He won’t let that love go, he won’t let that tree die…. To the extent that he even doesn’t care about his existence.

I can watch a thousand more seasons of TTEOTM with the same cast and never be tired of it.
I only wish that the Chinese industry stops thinking of anything else and cast Bai Lu and Luo Yunxi in another drama together. Their chemistry is just off the bounds. I already feel sad that I won’t have them together on the screen. So just please pair them up for another one!

Anyways, Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, get them their Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Couple awards! I’m now not a fan but an AC to them?. LOVE THEM!

The end……..Season 2? Epilogue? Special cut? I bet there is some sort of drama extension for the way that ended! So, I’m just patiently waiting!

Wow, I wrote a whole book as a review?. I love this drama so much, I think I’ll miss it so much, I think I want another season of it so much…. I wanna cry?
You people better watch this!

Love will always find its way people. Love is the curse, it’s the cure. TTEOTM is love!

“Actually, the sun and moon can shine together,
Light and darkness can overlap with each other,
Love and hate have blurred boundaries~ “

I cried a Mohe river in this drama!

From now on, for me, it’s not “I love you to the moon and back”. It’s “I love you TILL THE END OF THE MOON!”