I initially expected to drop this drama by the second episode since I'm not huge on romance, not to mention I'm not overly fond of Esther Yu. But color me surprised, I actually ended up enjoying it! Not only did I enjoy watching it, it was all I could watch for the past week! I'm still not a fan of Esther Yu's, but she did manage to convince me that she can act (unlike some of her peers) because of this drama. She can actually speak without her usual cutesy “aegyo” voice and knock her dramatic scenes out of the park. But even with her childish mannerisms and squeaky voice, I somehow became less annoyed with her as the drama went on.

The real revelation in this drama is Ding Yuxi, though. I tried to watch two of his other dramas, Love You Seven Times, which I dropped (I don't even know why I considered watching it), and White Cat Legend, which I put on hold. They didn't pique my interest and I thought he didn't quite have that leading man charisma. Boy was I wrong! Mu Sheng is definitely his breakout role and he even stole the spotlight from his co-stars. Let's just say that I'm totally giving White Cat Legend another go after this.

Storywise, Love Game In Eastern Fantasy is pretty much an isekai reminiscent of series like Re: Zero and The Rising of the Shield Hero. One of the reasons why I decided to check this out is because I do like this subgenre of fantasy. True enough, it did grab my attention from the get-go. It follows an ordinary girl named Ling Miaomiao who somehow finds herself inside a novel written by her favorite author. And in order to return to her world, she must play a game of love and win the heart of the crabby and standoffish, Mu Sheng. She must maneuver her way into this world, join the demon hunting team led by Mu Yao, and learn how to fight demons to survive. The story within this world is nothing new, though. I've seen a lot of xianxia and xuanhuan dramas and read fantasy books that follow similar plots. But I have to give credit to the writers for making it seem fresh and entertaining. For an idol drama, it's actually pretty good.

In terms of production value, I can't say it breaks new ground, though. It looks and feels like every other idol C-drama I've seen. Even the sets are the same. I know I saw those exact same sets in The Double and probably from other dramas I can't recall right now. The music, for the most part, is good. But again, the song choices are pretty much the same as other idol dramas I've seen. I feel like one of the reasons why people liked this is because it's familiar. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel or do anything innovative. It relies solely on its well-established story, which was adapted from a popular novel, and the acting prowess and star power of its actors. I read somewhere that this is an S+ drama but I was disappointed to see the same production quality I normally find in other dramas of its kind. I expected it to actually have better CGI, costumes, cinematography, color grading, and set designs, but it doesn't.

I was also disappointed with the second couple. I'm sorry but they are sleep inducingly dull. Every time the main CP weren't on screen, I dozed off. Zhu Xudan is actually not bad as Mu Yao, but her partner is just plain meh. The actor who plays the second male lead looks half-dead throughout the drama. Sorry, but I think if they had gotten a more capable actor for that role, who actually has an ounce of chemistry with the second female lead, the second CP would've been far more interesting. I found myself getting bored every time the story focused on them. That rarely happens to me as I often find the second couple more engaging than the main couple. I just wasn't invested in them at all. The rest of the cast are great, though. The kid who plays Cuicui is so cute! And of course the veteran actors excelled in this.

Now for the ending. I can't say I liked it but I can't say I hated it either. I know many viewers complained that it ended abruptly with no real resolution or explanation. But I do get why they ended it the way they did. They don't need to show Miaomiao and Mu Sheng reuniting, it's already implied in that last scene. Of course we all want to see that happen, but the writers left the ending to our imagination. And in my book, they found each other again and they got their happy ending. That's what I choose to believe. I guess I'm used to open endings in Japanese stories that it didn't bother me one bit. I do understand the frustration of some of the viewers, though.

All in all, this is a cute romance drama that'll take you on an adventure in a magical world filled with demons and demon hunters. It'll make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with the first male lead. Oh wait, that's just me! Hahaha! I give this a solid 8 out of 10.