Love Like the Galaxy: Part 2 (2022)

Best Emperor ever

I started watching the drama because of the high reviews. Now i am grouping part 1 and part 2 together. Part one dragged. We got to episode 10 and I persevered. We got to episode 16 and I deceided to drop, how can we be halfway through and the female lead still doesnt like the male ( yes I am mainly here for the romance. At this point I did not know there was a part two). I came back after a few weeks simply because I wasnt ready to invest in another drama and at this point I knew the characters in this one. Got to 19 and decided to drop again. Came back to the reviews and found out there was a part two and a lot of comments that things pick up in part two. Skipped to episode 27 so I could jump to part two. Things between the leads finaly picked up. The drama was still dragging. Decided to give up for good at episodes 40. I would not have bothered to write i review but I wanted to give kudos to the emperor's character. He was hilarious and honestly what kept me watching. I also liked the relationship between the empress and consort. It was refreshing to see a portrayal of two women married ro the same man and not scheming against each other. So yes, my review is to praise the side characters.

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Angst, and More Angst and Crazies

I had major second and third male lead syndrome.

I really hated the male lead character. He really does not deserve the female lead. I don't know why everyone loves this couple.

His actions were despicable. WHY doesn't he tell the emperor what he found, and instead hunted for the murderer on his own, when the emperor throughout this whole drama has been acting like a father to him?

I can see that he holds things in, if he does not trust the emperor. But after he found out who was behind it all and all the conspiracies, why does he take justice in his own hands and commits murder?

And....there really was no repercussions for his actions.

We had way too many episodes of the couple being angsty and honestly I think she can do much better. Fine if she doesn't like Yuan and also says she wants to live a fulfilling life and invent things, wtf doesn't she follow through and do that, instead of hiding herself in this "cold palace" - she's not even the empress' child?

The characters motivations don't even make sense.

Towards the end, I find myself glazing over the character's actions because I don't understand any of it. Also, the ML has a huge protagonist halo. It seems to be impossible to kill him. Also, just how many crazy people are on this show??

Anyways, I ship the FL with Yuan, A'yao or she can just remain solo, but I really don't think she should marry Zi Sheng, who acts deranged quite a few times in this drama.

As for the acting, Wu Lei needs to work on his "intimidating" facial expressions. I think he was overacting in those scenes. Everyone else was fine.

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Spectacular Cinematography, Some Amazing Scenes and Star Power Ruined by Heavy Handed Moralistic Treatment . .

Can we talk about this ending? I want my hours back.

The first half of part 2 gets more violent and cinematic more Godfather or Infernal Affairs or Oldboy than a romantic drama. There's highly interesting framed scenes, and you often feel the visceral thrill of violence and revenge as Ling Bu Yi pursues his goals.

Where is Shao Shang in all this? Struggling. Realizing that she may be living her worst nightmare and desperately trying to stop it. This completely undermines the whole premise of Shao Shang as some sort of equal partner to Ling Bu Yi and robs her of her charisma. It does, however, create adrenaline and drama and compulsive watching, and there are some excellent plot twists.

Then the drama completely flips for last half . . . just a terrible horrible last ending

All the strategy, all the planning, all the intelligence drops out of the plot. Rescue scenes are repeated - Shao Shang is under threat in the exact same way as she has before. She always stumbles into a situation, bravely tries and fails to get out of it on her own, and then gets rescued. The rescue scenes just get more unhinged, and unrealistic and flat out nonsense each time. Just the browbeating lesson that Shao Shang is VERY SILLY TO THINK SHE CAN MAKE IT WITHOUT LING BU YI.

And then it just . . . . ends. With them all just staring at the sky - no last words of poetry, or aching love, or triumphant end nothing. . . Some might say the implication is they are all stars in the galaxy together now - all the family including Ling Bu Yi - no longer one moon or sun pulling the focus - but that is not said - or illustrated in any real way - I'm just making that up.

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Leo Wu was allowed to show more acting range in the second half but it really feels like he has only a few switches, bad ass killer, face twisted in remorse/sadness, and eager puppy. Zaho Lu Si was given very little to work with in the second half. Their kiss at the end was one of the worst chemistry kisses I've ever seen.

ALSO huge credit to Li Yun Rui as Yuan Shen | Yuan Shan Jian. He absolutely stole the show and the producers kept cutting his plot lines and not knowing what to do with him. He was highly charismatic and just kind of left to hang around and show how he couldn't do rescues like Ling Bu Yi (indeed he had to endure being rescued by Ling Bu Yi himself).

Music still has that one excellent piece of instrumental that is wistful and sad. Could potentially watch some individual scenes, but the rest I want to burn. I want my hours back.

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I grade on other criteria:

Themes: 5.0
Be honest with your partner and trust them to support you in supporting the state. In times of turmoil, devoting your life to the state and the people is the most rewarding thing you can do. Who wants some foppish thinker, or kind obedient boy, when you could marry a highly intense, compulsive liar, military man who can rescue you?

Character Growth: 7.5
Ling Bu Yi suffers the humiliation of realizing and despair of making a life changing error and it makes him become a bit more flexible and human. Shao Shang becomes almost frozen - the vibrancy gone.

The most touching character growth (more in the next bit) was Shao Shang's mother.

Complex women: 9.0 (A highlight!)
Shao Shang, her mother and her cousin have a really interesting well explored relationship on the dangers of favoritism and rewarding obedience. The only time I was touched to tears was when Shao Shang's mother realizes that the very things she was trying to suppress and beat out of Shao Shang, were what made Shao Shang special - and she wishes she could take months of undermining her. Also the frank exploration of difficult relationships between the grandmother (mother in law) and the other women in the family and how difficult the grandmother could be in her worship of her sons was excellent to see as well.
There was also Shao Shang's healing relationship with the Empress. How both Shao Shang and the Empress got to attempt the mother daughter relationship anew and how it healed them both.
Shao Shang also starts relating to her cousin better and makes strong female friendships.

I'd really like to give a 10 except the amount of jealous, delusional, back-stabby minor characters was really abnormally high and started to detract from the rest.

Cinematography and Production Values: 8.0
Cinematography was extremely strong, especially in fight scenes, certain wide and tracking shots. Some of the best larger battle scenes/fight scenes I've seen in dramas. Lots of production value was put into the fight scenes generally. Costuming and other sets were a bit subpar in comparis.

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Plot holes

Before I start - let me say that Zhao Lusi and Leo Wu make an awesome pair and I definitely will look forward to their future collaborative ventures.

The drama overall was poorly edited, had inconsistencies, and lacked logic. The cinematography/Direction was awesome. Now for the rant -

The king greatly favored the ML character (Ling Buiyi) and treated him as his son. Had Ling Buiyi informed the King about his real identity and the person who killed his family and clan, there is no way the king would not have supported him in his quest for revenge. Moreover, Liang Buiyi himself revealed to the King in the last episode that he had so much power that he could easily usurp the Crown Prince. Why did Ling Buiyi decide to avenge without informing anyone and choose to abandon his relationship with FL (Shaoshang/Niao Niao)? This in itself was the biggest plot hole in the drama.

The main characters had very good chemistry, but this was not properly explored in the drama. I thought Shaoshang forgiving Ling Buiyi was rushed and almost emotionally forced - she was too upset over the fact that he did not survive the fire. There was angst in their separation, but I felt that Ling Buiyi did not make any attempt to regain her trust. This meant that even though he was dishonest in their relationship, he was still forgiven without any effort on his part to forge and build trust.

Too much screen time was given to the actress playing Empress Xan - the scene where she requests the king to depose her, and her death scene was exhausting to watch - the scenes should have been cut short to less than 5 minutes instead of almost 30 minutes of airtime.

Ling Buiyi literally falls from the cliff edge and STILL survives and lives to see another day. How? Magical wings...I mean strings?? A pregnant woman (He Zhao Jun) in labor falls almost 10 feet below - no harm to either her or the baby. It felt like I was watching an old irrational movie.

The story dragged in part 2 - Unnecessary plots such as Lou Ben's crime and subsequent death and the last episode where Shaoshang saves the Guo village - she would not have survived had her family not come to save her. By the way, how did they know that she needed help??

Why they had to show that Shao Shang gives up her family/friends for 5 years and lives a secluded life with the ex-Empress? Her character was that of a strong woman who never backs off from a challenge that life throws at her. I hated to see her mellowed and lifeless. To top it off, wasn't 5 years of separation way too long?

Throughout the drama, Shao Shang's character is that of a smart, intelligent woman but after 5 years of living a lonely life, she loses all her senses and brain cells - she travels with Luo Jitong and Lady Lou on 2 separate occasions even though she knew that one lied about her relationship with Ling Buiyi and the other bullied her in the past.

Last episode - I would have preferred if the drama had ended at episode 51. However, in order that Shao Shang forgives Buyi, there were unnecessary last-moment illogical tracks. Not to mention, the main characters gazing at the stars and gushing long boring dialogues made the last couple of minutes a drag. There was no display of passion when they meet again after 5 years of separation.

On the acting front, they could have got some good actor playing the role of Lou Yao (the actor looked like a kid who is obsessed with his teacher), the Actor playing Crown Prince Yuan - whether it was the actor or the character, he was irritating to watch - no personality at all - maybe it was intentional, but I did not like both the actors and hence skipped through their scenes. Many did not like the character Yuan Shen as he was the third wheel - I thought the actor played his role well. I read some comments on the ML having a blank expression throughout - I agree he does carry deadpan expressions in a few scenes, but I believe he made up for the shortfall with his body language. Kudos...for such a young lad, he sure has a bright future and time for improvement.

I would have normally given an overall rating of 5 or less. The only reason I scored it 6 was because of the main leads.

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Why so overrated?!

I hardly write a review for dramas that I am not interested in rewatching. But, I am just surprised how many reviews were rated 10s and very few (like me) who were disappointed. There were a couple of touching scenes but then the story went nowhere with that touching/sad feeling built up from the very beginning. I found myself disappointed again and again. The scene where he was about to die and jumped/flew off the cliff...I was like "OH NOOO" and then he survived (in a not very realistic way). I was expecting the FL to shed tears and care for him once she found out that he did not die...but then, she stood outside and said "him and I are no longer together..." I was like: "Where is this going, MY GOODNESS!!!" She was angry that he chose to die or revenge and that she wasn't his first priority but...this ML loved her so much and had always protected her with no hesitation... I am so confused where the story was going... They separated for 5 years and I was waiting for that touching scene to come back to me again...but then, nothing. He sacrificed himself and then FL regretted and said I have forgiven you already...Then he appeared out of nowhere and then back together... Mmmhh... I don't know why everything seemed so disconnected where I just can't feel the emotional part of the story... In the end, all I felt was "I guess that's the ending?! What was the story about again?" Part 1 is pretty entertaining but Part 2 is kinda boring I think...Still worth watching...the ML is really, really cute!! Just don't expect too much from the last 4-5 episodes...

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The Best among the rest for 2022!

Love like the Galaxy was based on a Chinese novel but it is not what attracted me to this drama. I’m a longtime Lusi watcher, so I will watch anything that she is in and was looking forward to this drama after WRTW. I was also excited to see how she will fair with Wu Lei. But I didn’t expect how much I would love this series beyond Lusi. The production, casts, storyline and even the director made me love this drama even more. And I can even say that this community is the best and it was wonderful to find people with the same passion as me.

I also am a binge marathon watcher, in which I never watch a drama until it finishes airing. However, this drama caught my eye and I could never look back. Each character was meticulously written and each episode is never wasted. Issues within the episodes are solved then and there and plots are not lost in translation. I also loved that you can relate somewhat, somehow to any of their experiences and feel for them, and why they act a certain way. This is one of those dramas that you will not skip any scenes and will see something new when you go rewatch the series.

Of course, the main characters Shao Shang and Ling Buyi take the main plot, but you will fall in love with the people around them (the Cheng family, the Wans, the people in the palace, etc). What I enjoyed most about this series is that the character’s decisions are valid and not mind-bogglingly stupid. The flaws are there and the characters are developed well. I definitely have my favorites like the Wendi and Consort Yue, Shao Shang, etc. but you will still like the other characters in their own way.

The music is also beautiful, and it grows in you that I have it on my playlist now. I could repeat it over and over. The ending ost is so rich and haunting that it lingers in your mind after you've watched the episode.

I'm so thankful for this drama and I guarantee that you will not regret starting this series! And now I'm sad that it's over. T___T. Don't forget your tissues and towels or even your buckets! This is one of those dramas that you will enjoy watching and even hope for 100 episodes and even more! Thank you director Fei for Love Like the Galaxy! ❤️❤️

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Got tired of it. A part 1 would have been enough

I have a live/hate relationship with this drama. All the actors (except Leo Wu to me) acted really well and I cried and laughed mostly with Shaoshang’s adventures and along her roller coaster’s emotions.
Now …. This drama is really well rated, but I’ll go against the trend. I appreciated the Part 1, with the same screenwriter than Rose of Phoenixes, it made a lot of promises and you can enjoy the complex plot, the stories within the story, and the dialogues.
The Part 2 is unnecessary long. 29 episodes, when the first 21 episodes are just a repetition of the same feelings already explained between the 2 main characters “I trusted you, but you don’t” and vice versa, the hatred in Ling Buyi’s heart and his revenge that fuels the main storyline is dragging (example with Shaoshang’s father missing and accused of stealing copper, it took 2 episodes that were completely unnecessary to the whole story). Furthermore, i started to grow tired of Leo Wu’s acting that was lacking to me; he only shows 2 & half emotion the whole 56 episodes; anger / sadness that looks like anger and cute love.
Finally, I’m not happy with how the culprit of the Gu city plot was revealed. Ling Buyi actually knew all along that it was his uncle (as when he was a child he witnessed him killing his father, Li and even hanged his own son on the city wall). We thought that all these episodes, he was looking for clues, etc, when he just went to kill him and could have talked to his majesty who always defend his father, general Huo.
That fast forwarded moments of each secondary characters in episode 52, the whole episode 53 with Luo being a sudden enemy. Then, episode 54 it’s Lou Li but it’s wang yanji (wife of Lou Ben) is “resurrected”…. to get her revenge out of nowhere. All these stretched scenarios are built just for the 2 main characters to get close again …

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ONE OF THE BEST CHINESE DRAMA 2022

I've been on mydramalist for quite a while, but this is my first time writing a review, and i'm going to write it as honestly as how i feel.

Love Like The Galaxy is a very good drama❤️?✨, and actually i'm gonna go with 9.8/10 for this (cause this is a slow-burned romance drama, i would give another 0.2 points if only they gave more of scene between Ling Buyi and Cheng Shaoshang like how the novel was written, maybe not all of them but i think it's way better if they added that, because i think there are some of crucial part in the novel -but did not make it into the drama- which in my opinion is quite important for build-up their relationship). And also more scenes for Shaoshang's twins, Cheng Shaogong, because when i read the novel i felt like he is also one of the important character, maybe in the same level like A Yao and Yuan Shen...but anyway i still like this drama as the way it is^^ :)))

Honestly i've seen historical-romance Chinese dramas very often, but for some reason this one really gives a different impression than all the dramas i've seen before and obviously it's in a good way✨

Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi's acting is really good, their chemistry is unquestionable?. This CP is probably one of the most compatible with each other. The drama storyline is also easy to understand. Their OST is also great to listen to...... and +1 point, i'm glad they don't do dubbing that often, because their natural voice is already good.

Overall, this drama is WORTH TO WATCH! They also deserves an award!!! Very recommended drama!

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Full of Surprises!

Watch this because of Zhao LuSi, and was hook after part 1. Not conventional FL, instead her flaws were fully presented in the series. Similarly the ML’s character is also not perfect. However their growth became significant as the revenge plot unveil. The
Second part shown how FL’s perseverance in finding her love for ML again and reconciling what they had left off or never broken bond for each other. Surprised by some of the twists in the plot, the great acting and the whole filming sequences, plus the high production value.

The whole team deserved a good rating.

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Larger than life story yet felt deeply personal.

Once or twice a year, C-dramaland will give us a bona-fide drama that hit all the marks. Story, pacing, acting, directing, music, cinematography, customs, set designs, and the ability to make its viewers spent sleepless nights tortured by the wait for the next episode. This drama is such a drama.

This drama managed to captivate not only because of its story, but how it made me feel so deeply connected to the main leads. I laugh when they laugh, cry when they cry. My heart is full of pain for them. Sometime I hate them for their actions but still able to understand them, their hardship, motivations, and dilemma. This drama didn't just create two characters that made me fell in love. It show me two fleshed out human beings with real trauma and flaws, whose personalities are shade of grey, who make mistakes and regrets them just like how real people are.

More often than not in drama-land, we have perfect leads, clear motivations, and black and white personality. But in Love Like Galaxy, Cheng Shao Sheng is not just immature and stubborn, and Ling Bu Yi is not just ruthless and cold. It's easier to give them these label, simplify their personalities, and get frustrated when they don't act as how we expected them to.

But what we have on hand are just two deeply broken young kids whose heart has never been healed. Two person, whose in their most vulnerable time when they needed love and protection the most, were left abandoned, betrayed and fended for themselves. As a result, they grew up with hardened heart full of thorns. Although only 15 and 21 and respectively, we have two leads that are deeply broken on the inside even when they imitated a prankster and rebellious exterior, or a stone-cold and ruthless mask. But it is also because of this that they instantly connect and found soulmate in each other.

On the surface, this is a love story between Cheng Shao Shang and Ling Bu Yi against the backdrop of war, family conflict, political maneuvering and revenge. Underneath, like the ocean current that is unseen but powerfully felt, it is a story of two young hurt and lost child trying to make themselves whole again through each other.

In the first part, we saw them got together. All should be well right? But does it? Is love enough?

Soon we will see that love is not enough, attraction itself is not enough, just being together is not enough. How can two people who been so devoid of love know how to love? They are like two broken pieces that came together, but their rough edges still end up hurting one another. So step by step, they learn what it take to truly love the other person, as the other wanted to be loved. They clashes, they tumbled, they fight, they make up an understand the other a little more, make compromises but protect their principle, they cry and laugh, serve and protect one another.

But love is not all that there is in this world. These two young souls love one another, but they also love themselves. Just because two people came together and promised life and death doesn't mean that they cease to exist as their own individual. Love doesn't erase who they are. And the decision they make will end up deciding the course of life. What it stake for them larger than life, but their feelings are personal and relatable.

What I appreciated
- There is no headache-inducing harem fights.
- The drama buckle conventional archetypes. We got mother-hen emperor, fearsome but fear concubine, graceful and generous Empress, doting father but strict mother, brute and strong female warriors.
- No useless subplots. Every plots build on one another, and act as catalyst for the dominoes to push the main story forward.
- No useless dialogues, many subtle parallel situation and saying that can be preference in a later point of the drama.
- Satisfying and quickly resolved conflict.
- No useless misunderstanding. Main couples do fight due to personality conflict but both are very good expressing themselves.
- Not much of a cinematography and music person, but I appreciate some beautiful one shot scenes.
- Male lead, Wu Lei, is a prolific horse rider with good martial art skills. He did his own fighting scenes and horse riding scenes, which are just amazing and swoon worthy.

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