Love When the Stars Fall (2023)

Light-hearted with Laughter and Tears

Watching The Starry Love in the context of today’s discord world of hegemony, I couldn’t help but relate it as a satire of the current world’s geo-politics: everyone wants to be the hegemon. The heavenly and the demonic realms are the two superpowers here in the story, trying to take on each other to dominate. The heavenly emperor is selfish, corrupt, and atrocious (sounds familiar?) while the demonic king is the equivalent but with a different ending (you may ask why).

Despite its heavy undertone of geo-politics, this drama is light-hearted. Along with its main plot, it also depicts the issues faced by many parents today: even the god, demon and beast people have parenting problems. Shao Dian You Qin (Chen Xingxu) falls in love with Princess Li Guang Ye Tan (Li Landi aka Landy Li) whom he couldn’t wed because of a bridal switch; he defies his father and runs away (kind of). The Third Prince of the demonic realm, Chao Feng (Chen Hailiang aka Luke Chen), falls in love with Princess Li Guang Qing Kui (He Xuanlin) who is meant for the regent, and they elope. Even the crown prince of the animal realm, Di Lan Jue (Qin Tianyu), constantly defies his father and leaves home. (Therefore parents, you are not alone.)

The ideas of bridal switches and cross racial marriages (in this case, cross realms) are not new. How all these are being put together with heaven switching into hell, or mortal switching into animal realm, takes some imagination, brilliant storytelling, acting and cinematography. As the story develops its characters, jokes almost take over to show the audience the individuals' personalities. It captures various human relationships, such as the kind and loving mothers as in the heavenly queen and the demonic concubine (Chao Feng’s mom) with their sons, contrasting the atrocious fathers as in the heavenly emperor and demonic king, the bonded sisterly relationship, the friendship and platonic love between the main characters etc. The drama is full of funny dialogs (the dialogs between Chao Feng and his side kick are some of the funniest and loveliest) and paradoxes, and yet it also comes with heart-felt wrenching pains in separation and deaths.

In terms of acting, a big applause for the whole cast for putting up a brilliant performance, from the main leads to the supporting. I fell in love with Chen Xingxu (Shao Dian You Qin, Mei You Qin, La Mu, Wen Ren) in “Goodbye My Princess” and here, he lives up to his expectation. He has matured a lot since then (Goodbye My Princess). Playing five distinctive characters, Chen Xingxu aces them all, with the final character an embodiment of all the previous four. As always, he is totally immersed in his roles. Though not listed on the Top 10 most popular Chinese actors, Chen Xingxu is one of the best young Chinese actors.

Li Landi’s acting is convincing and she has an adorable badass charisma which viewers love. As Ye Tan, Li Landi makes the viewers empathize with all her misfortunes and cheer for her courage. She has delivered a very lovable Ye Tan and has an undeniable chemistry with Chen Xingxu.

The second couple’s story is well developed and beautiful. As the ever-loving sister, Qing Kui is graceful and beautiful. I really love He Xuanlin’s portrayal of the character whose love and sacrifice are very convincing. Last but not least, I want to commend Chen Hailiang’s portrayal as Chao Feng. This is his first role as a main lead. He exudes the charisma as a kind, but at times, not so nice, dark prince (like a bad boy), and I love it. This is a complex character stuck in a tormenting environment for survival and Chen Hailiang nails it, with a lot of ironies and humors. Bravo!

My Verdict
The Starry Love is a very enjoyable drama that captures laughter and tears. Most of the characters are lovable and the selection of actors for the roles is appropriate. The costumes are beautiful - ethereal looking for the heavenly realm, dark and gothic for the demon sect, animalistic for the animal kingdom. The use of CGI is heavy but done realistically and appropriately.

Overall, a drama well done for all to enjoy.

Don't miss it. Bravo!

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Hilarious Treat!!!!!!!

I wasn't sure before starting it whether I should continue or not. But after watching only first episode I knew it I was in for a treat. What a hilarious drama. It's been a while after LLTG when I enjoyed historical drama. In few episodes I laughed so hard that Ihad tears in my eyes.
Every moment of the show is pure bliss. There are no overwhelmingly sad scenes. Even if you get one emotion scene it will definitely be followed by some comedic parts. But first of all hands down for all the actors and not just the main leads but even the extras or side characters. The cast is not only beautiful to look at but they also portrayed their characters so well that you will think that this role was made for him/her. I never skipped any single scene of the side characters. Their arc was as good as the main one's.
Moving on to the story, there are two sisters born with good and bad omen to marry in particular realm. They get swapped and for the rest you need to watch. Till episodes 10 the drama is entertaining but it becomes hilarious when the mortal arc begins. I always loved DID sort of dramas. You can see real prowess of an actor who portrays many characters at the same time. But here it is totally different scenario yet shows how great ML is in each of his roles. He played 4 characters here. FL is so cute and cunning amd reminded me of Zhou Lusi a lot. I loved her acting. Second ML looks a bit annoying and you would feel like why I am watching his parts sometimes but but BUT...you won't be able to skip his scenes. They are the most hilarious ones.
Hahaha... Beast prince and bird are also one of my favs. They made me laugh so much with their silly gestures. Special mention for mortal king. I won't forget that ceremony episode for sure. ;P

It is still ongoing and I am sure whether you are a fan of historical drama or not. It is worth watching.
Just don't skip this hilarious treat.

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Only problem with the story was it didn't have a proper happy ending.

I thought it is a story about a girl( who had lived her whole life as jinx)and a deity (whose responsibility to protect the four realm for which he kept hime away from all worldly emotions.)
But slowly I realised it was more than that . Actually story had three stories which ran parallelly. It was a story about two girls , who had born with a purpose . They had fallen in love with two guys .As their life was going on smoothly ,a tragedy happened and it disclosed the actual story of the drama .
I liked the drama ,I liked the chemistry with leads as well I liked other supporting characters.
Only thing I don't like is the ending .
Please give season 2 to the drama or add two- three episodes to the drama.

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A GREAT SHOW

Most of the reviewers already expressed the beauty of this drama, so I will only put the highlights for those who are still trying to decide if they want to watch it :

- healthy relationship for almost all the characters
- yes, much romance
- light, comedic takes with a nice twist of angst here and there.
- ML's "boring" personality is part of his character and will greatly change for the BEST on the next episodes
- FL is not "annoying", and her character has layers just like the ML as you go on the next eps.
- great acting to most of the actors.


- audio problems were coming from VIKI's platform, you can check other sites to enjoy the series more.
- three of the four main leads used their own voice which you will actually enjoy as you watch them.

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A Very Wholesome Series

This is not a so typical Xian Xia. The drama told a simple and straightforward story, full of common tropes but with some delightful twists on them. Here we have the main pairing of a cold, aloof ML with a bubbly FL. However, one of them has social anxiety and the other is brave and smart. This drama also has a good-girl-with-bad-boy type of relationship as the second main pairing, but one of them is not as weak as she seems and he is actually protective and loving to those whom he cares.

Side male character who fell for the FL? Yes, but he gave up pretty early in the drama, became a good friend of the FL and found his true love.

Main character having amnesia? Of course, what else can you expect in a Xian Xia drama nowadays? But this got resolved in like 2 episodes.

Misunderstandings? Yes, but all of them got resolved very quickly thanks to the trust and love our main characters have in each other.

Toxic parents? Yes, but this drama also has some of the most supportive parents I’ve seen in recent C-dramas.

Main characters having siblings of same gender? Yes! And they are very supportive for each other.

The healthy relationships, the pace things or misunderstandings got resolved and the COMEDY in the drama are what set this drama apart from other Xian Xia dramas for me.

The plot and script set a good foundation for this drama and the acting and chemistry of the casts brought it to a higher level. Chen Xing Xu’s acting is so good that one could tell the difference in the “shards” he portrayed just by the style of talking or gestures, yet one can also see the “shadow” of each “shard” in Shao Dian You Qin. Li Lan Di was great with her role as well. Ye Tan could be easily overdone and presented as an annoying FL, but she presented it just nice. In contrast to Ye Tan, Qing Kui could be easily underdone and presented as wooden. Of course, He Xuan Lin did a great job in portraying this lovely character without being wooden. Chen Mu Chi, as the least experienced actor among the leads, did an exceptionally good job in portraying Chao Feng, especially in comedic scenes. He isn’t as good as any of the leads mentioned, but he is good enough to not letting me noticing that he is new to acting. The supporting actors, all of them did great job in playing their roles. Honourable mentions to Cao Bo, who played Hai Chao in this drama, he is just soooo good for comedy. One of my most favourite characters in this drama.

The music and songs are on point for this drama as well. My favourites are the opening by Liu Yu Ning and the ending by Mao Bu Yi, but really, all of them are good and memorable.

It’s been long since I last enjoyed a Xian Xia drama. The last one being Chinese Paladin 3, which was aired back in 2009. That being said, this is the best Xian Xia drama in the recent years, for me at least. Definitely worth a rewatch.

Some of the things which I would like to complain about is that the director likes to shine a bright lamp from the background to the actors during kissing scenes. And that he liked to shoot from some funny angles. Quite a few cute scenes which they filmed were cut from the drama as well. And they had quite a rushed ending. However, all these were just minor problems for me and didn’t degrade my experience in enjoying this drama. So, if you are still hesitating on starting this or not, JUST GO FOR IT! It’s almost 30 hours of fun, so why not? Thank you for reading this review ?

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I am because you are

First time ever to review here.
This drama gave me so much joy, laughter, crying, a bit of angst! If you are a fan of xanxia, are open for unexpected tosses and turns, this is the story for you.

The story: the main message - for me - was that the world is a better place when we are looking out for each other, selflessly. Of course like in a proper xanxia, there is good and there is evil, but like often in life, you find the worst in the home of the good and one of the best in the home of the bad. They say they are enemies, but the real enemy is outside of the two opposites and eventually they fight it together.
The power of friendship is strong in this story, and the power of love truly amazes.
Last but not least: there is a fantastic sense of humour and comedy in the storyline. Totally credible and definitely not out of place. As it suits so naturally as a proverbial glove the characters, and it’s just sooo funny! Wait and see!

The acting : I’ve seen the two Mains earlier works and liked it. What I learnt now, is that they are experienced actors, since childhood, properly trained at that. And that shows: emotions are manifested in a convincing manner, there is no overacting; there is generosity, sincerity and genuine nature in everything they do. The same goes for the second couple.
All supporting actors did such a good job, the father of the girls is absolutely brilliant! You’ll see!

The background music: honestly, it took me a few episodes to warm up to it, but then it got me hooked and now I’m listening to it even in public transport! I don’t know the artists but heard there are some big names there; you feel the quality of voice and production.

Rewatch value? Already rewatched is twice. And it’s not that there is no avalanche of other dramas out there at the moment. Nothing beats this one. Not for now. Why don’t you give it a try as well?

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Much ado about ... not much.

Despite all the rave reviews about this drama, I was underwhelmed and disappointed in the lackluster job that the writers & director did. Certainly, there were moments of comedy and touching moments as well, but the story arcs were not as interesting or as intriguing as I had hoped. I hoped that they would tie up the 40 episodes nicely and neatly, to reward the viewers for their commitment to this series. Unfortunately, they did not deliver.

Can we talk about the actors in this series? They did a great job bringing their characters to life. You loved them, you hated them, you felt sorry for them, you despised them. You were happy with them, in love with them, sad with them, grieved for them. They all did a wonderful job of making their characters real - whether in the Heavenly Realm, The Beast Realm, The Mortal Realm, or (my favourite) the Void. I really can't single out one particular actor - they were all so good. They are the reason for any high rating!

To be honest, if I were to rewatch this drama, I would only be interested in the Void Realm. There were great possibilities there and those characters had depth and potential that sadly was not given enough screentime or attention. It will be interesting to see if there is a second season (the fans would definitely support it), but hopefully the writers/director will do a better job.

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Kind of meh to me

Hmm... I don't know where to begin. I don't hate this drama but at the same time, this drama doesn't really stick to me. I love the CG effects, I love the setups and also the outfits but that's kind of it. The story is not bad, I think the scriptwriter did a good job on storytelling the whole twin background, but it's not impressive at all.

Again, this is one of those dramas with never ending resurrections, rising from the dead, plot twists with final redemptions. Probably after watching a few too many dramas of those sort, I am starting to be numb to all these "plot twists". They probably should have stuck with one thing or another - either kill the character off or don't kill the character.

The main characters do not really have good chemistry in my opinion. They seem okay as individuals but when grouped together, there is no chemistry. You know, in some dramas, the main characters vibe so well with the people around them that you enjoy their scenes with their family or good friends in the drama? This drama is definitely lacking in that area. Even the romance chemistry between the main characters seem a bit off. Perhaps the actors are not really experienced? I don't know. I just can't emotionally connect with these characters.

Overall, I did finish the drama. It was kind of a good "background" drama too. Something you put on TV and just let it play in the background.

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Best Xianxia drama of 2023 for me <3

I never posted a review to any C-drama I've watched before even if they were on the list of my top C-dramas to watch and this drama made me!!!

I have 3 points to say: Actors, Story and CGI/OSTs

Actors:

I've seen a few of Li Landy's dramas, but this one has the most varied and realistic performance I've ever seen. She is able to convey a lot of emotion just through her eyes. When she cries, you will also cry; when she laughs, you will also giggle; and when she is in love, you will also experience the love! She perfectly captured Ye Tan's persona, making you believe that Landy endured these experiences as a child but stayed on the right road thanks to a caring sister. We all know from whence she got her "not backing down" attitude, but she did a great job of portraying Ye Tan. She is innocent (despite being mostly imprisoned in her room) and brave (despite all the murder attempts), but she still receives all of her sister's love and righteousness (QK dote on her like a mother dotes on a favorite daughter). She was definitely the best candidate for Li Guang Ye Tan, despite your views about this evaluation being biased.

I've only seen snippets of Chen Xing Xu's dramas previously, but this actor was too handsome! Looking back, I can't think of another actor that could represent five different personas simultaneously! He perfectly captured the icy and upright Shaodian Youqin version 1, the innocent but protective LaMu, the money-lover yet selfless Mei You Qing, the beauty lover but is willing to love only 1 beauty Wen Ren, and the combination of these as the Shaodian Youqin version 2. (Chao Feng calls him the Fifth ahaha) The way he expressed so many different emotions with his facial expressions—especially his smirk!—left the crowd thinking about him for a while. I was surprised to see that even while all three of the shards' personalities are shown at once, you can still tell them apart individually depending on the perspective, area of his face, or action you're observing! The shards were all very distinct, but when I saw how CXX switched between them in a matter of seconds behind the scenes, I was astounded.!!! Because of this drama, I'll see his other film!

In terms of fighting scenes, Luke Chen was an expert rookie! I'd like to see him in more action-packed films! I also adored the fact that, although being new (I believe he is new considering his first drama was in 2021), he can cry and express his pain. He performs better than other veteran actors I've seen, lol.

I watched He Xuan Lin in GO Into Your Heart with Landy and I can say she matured! She nailed the righteous-big sister-mother role for Ye Tan! In this drama, she is totally different. She seems to have grown up to the point where you might actually believe she is Landy's sister. She also perfectly captured the essence of Li Guang Qing Kui! She is understanding yet won't hold back from correcting you if you are wrong. She was the main factor in Ye Tan's upbringing and choice of path. If Qing Kui wasn't there, I don't believe Ye Tan would be the Ye Tan we are familiar with.

Story:
Although I haven't read the book, the drama storyline was excellent! The plot flowed easily, and I enjoyed being taken on this drama's emotional roller coaster. I can't help but squeal with glee at the romantic sequences, chuckle during the comedic scenes, and sob hard during the sorrowful scenes in every episode. I don't think the film was rushed, which is a testament to how effective I find this drama to be. I enjoyed how three to four emotions were felt in one episode! Or if the first two episodes are filled with joyous moments, the next one will have me sobbing nonstop, and so on.

I appreciate how the author presents the FL; she is smart, cunning, willing to go to any lengths to defend a loved one, even if it means giving up herself, naïve but not stupid, and full of optimism despite being labeled as a jinx. I enjoyed the values she learned, from standing her ground to knowing when to give in (when he was bullied by the supervisor dean). I adore growing and mature characters! Ye Tan was made to experience the worst sensation a person can go through when she witness her sister's death in front of her, her only light growing up. She felt the pain on her neck but when she opened her eyes she's the only one alive :( If that were me I'd rather die or will instantly die of heart attack >_<. This was the part that really gave me goosebumps!

I believe that portraying the ML is one of the most difficult. 4personas in one, all very distinct from one another! I adored the way the ML was written; ready to give up the world for the FL, ruthless but not cruel, and prepared to act silly only to make the FL happy. <3 From the 3 shards, I loved La Mu the most (the only shard to get a kiss from Ye Tan), all shards are lovable but the pure and innocent La Mu captured my heart <3

Another thing to consider is whether the drama's author has a problem with fathers. LMAO hahaha this is the drama where I witnessed the worst fathers in c-drama history >_< Thank goodness Emperor Tun found forgiveness and the Void Tyrant/Heavenly Emperor received their just retribution!

This isn't your standard Xianxia drama where a certain portion drags on for too long (like when ML loses memory for at least 5 episodes or FL prepares then exacts retribution for 7 episodes). The characters' maturity impressed me. Except for Emperor Tun's action, they will discuss any agreements as quickly as possible. The FL never gives up on the ML. The FL adored her sister dearly and never carried any anger toward her. I really appreciate how they use foreshadowing! Damn, they turned the spectators into investigators! It's the kind of drama that makes you want to hold out until the very final episode but unable to do so due to impatience.

I already expect a happy ending, but whatever the ending is, it won't change the fact that the previous episodes are well written and my views with the drama (will still love it even if it's bad ending).  I am aware that the last episode can make or break a drama for certain people, but I like the way the plot is going thus far (but still fingers crossed for a happy ending)

Even though it isn't flawless, it beat out Love and Redemption/LBFAD as my favorite Xianxia drama and Love like the Galaxy as my all-time favorite drama. It's worth seeing again!

CGI/OSTS:
CGI and OSTs were just as outstanding as LBFAD's! It's kind of magical, and I love how they use constellations to demonstrate YQ's power! It's too beautiful! The outfits were straightforward, but if I had to pick one, I would go with Void's. My eyes couldn't handle the richness of the purple and black with gold or red highlights. If Liu Yuning and Sa Ding Ding perform the drama's OST, expect high-end drama content! My go-to music for weeks has been the OST playlist:)

My review was quite long and looks like ranting but this is what I feel about this drama :) It's also my first time to do a drama review so please bear with me >_<

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A Must Watch if You Love Xianxia

Let me get straight to the point, The Starry Love is nothing like other dramas in its category, and for that reason alone it deserves to be given a chance by anyone who likes xianxia. I have never laughed so much while watching a C-drama in my life, not just a xianxia, any C-drama. It has an incredibly addictive narrative style (every moment counts, you won't be compelled to fast forward or skip) and a very strong cast of supporting characters. It all makes for an unforgettable experience that will make you want to binge as fast as possible.

Typically, xianxias waste a lot of time belaboring the angst, having characters make decisions that frustrate the viewer and adding way too much filler just to pad each episode. Not this drama. The competently written script treats the audience with the respect it deserves, and to my incredible surprise, almost every single joke somehow manages to land.

The cast itself and the chemistry / acting deserves a special mention. This is a tour de force for Chen Xing Xu, who seemingly effortlessly plays a total of 5 roles giving each and every one its own mannerisms and body language, further establishing him as one of the most brilliant actors in China at just the age of 26 (25 when he shot the drama). Li Landi more than holds her weight against his performance.

Other dramas have supporting characters you care nothing about, here the secondary couple is more than compelling. They shine so bright you will actually look forward to switching to their storyline. Both main couples are lovely, though I definitely prefer the main leads.

Major props to the beautiful relationship between the twin sisters, who far from being annoying and childish, have the strongest, most heartwarming bond...and that bond is the cornerstone of the entire story.

If you like a nice balance of comedy, angst and action, and you wants a cast that's charming as all hell, give this drama a try. Every single character has a strong motivation for their actions and a relatable storyline. I particularly loved Yetan's (FL) strong, cunning and mischievous nature and how bold she was despite her traumatized upbringing. Qingkui, her twin sister, was kind and elegant, yet resourceful, strong and resilient. Shaodian Youqin has set a very high bar for xianxia MLs as someone who will definitely go EVERY length for the woman he loves.

As for the ending...it definitely could have been better had it been more extended, but it still doesn't take away from the strength of the rest of the story, and just how much fun this drama is overall. I hadn't enjoyed myself so much in a very long time and was addicted to the point of obsession waiting for every single episode to drop. Check this drama out, the odds are you won't be dissappointed, you'll fall in love.

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Beware: If This Is Your Cup Of Tea, It Can Make Other Xianxia Dramas Pale In Comparison

This is the first time I'm writing a review here, so I'm just going to write down what I like about this based on years of being a drama watcher. For me, this is the BEST (comedy) xianxia I've ever seen.

The greatest things about this drama:

1. Perfect cast. Not just the four main leads, but the chemistry with the side characters are also excellent.
2. Great pacing. No skipping, no fast forwarding (like what usually happens with other xianxia dramas I've seen).
3. The writing gets me so hooked that I can forgive any plot holes.
4. Great OST songs.
5. The acting!!!!!
6. The way it enables me to root for SO many characters and couples. There are so many loveable characters, even the smaller side characters. I've never seen a drama where I'm missing these many smaller side characters when they haven't appeared in a while.
7. The comedy aspect in this drama is A LOOOOOTTTTT and the timing of the comedy is always perfect.
8. Tropes/cliches done right with lots of hint of comedy and very minimal repetitions. Even one of the most annoying tropes for me (spoiler: amnesia) is done in such a clever way that made me realize the importance of it for the story.
9. CGI is great, too.
10. Despite the many comedic scenes in this drama, it's peppered with beautiful life lessons, such as:

- Embracing your inner child or inner feelings instead of repressing them (this one is portrayed so beautifully that I'll probably remember it for the rest of my life)
- Sisterly love/bond that is just so beautiful and heartwarming
- Loyalty in love/friendship
- Setting boundaries: even parents can be wrong and they should be reminded about it (whether they accept the reminder or not is another thing, but I like the fact that the main characters don't act like doormats)
- That putting out fire is easier than putting out hatred

I was watching this drama ongoing with some other airing dramas and I must admit, the other dramas felt bland or less cohesive or the pacing felt unstable or slow. It will probably take me a while before I can let go of this high standard after watching this drama.

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Good story, good pace, and good chemistry between ML and FL

This is my first wuxia drama and I did not have much expectations since I am not really into fantasy type dramas. However, I was hooked after the first two episodes.
Positives:
ML and FL had good chemistry and I enjoyed watching them.
The story is also somewhat funny and entertaining. The plot was entertaining and fairly lighthearted. Good love-thread between the different characters.
ML played 5 different characters and played them well. Overall cast was good but not too keen on the SML and SFL.
Really liked CXY and started following his dramas.
Negative:
Not really impressed with some of the CG effects when ML is flying through space.
Ending was not not ideal - was not the happy ending.

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