This was one of the most highly anticipated dramas of the year, and the first one to set off the Fox Spirit Matchmaker Universe that has at least 2 other dramas in the pipeline. They have either finished filming or close to wrapping. The drama or the universe is based off of a very popular Chinese Man Hua of the same universe.

It had everything going for it. The drama has the extremely popular Yang Mi 杨幂 back as a Fox Spirit Tu Shan Hong Hong paired with the very handsome Gong Jun 龚俊. They are surrounded by a star studded young cast of Guo Xiao Ting, Wei Zhe Ming, Zhu Xu Dan, and others who haven’t appeared yet in the drama including Zhang Ling He, Chen Yao, and Mao Zi Jun. All of them can and do individually headline their own dramas. The drama is produced by Heng Xing Ying Li – the company behind the smash hit Love Between Fairy and Devil and the drama is airing at a prime summer slot. It should be going toe to toe with Joy of Life 2 right? Unfortunately, it has struggled to compete with Joy of Life 2 庆余年2 and hasn’t breached 9000 on the iQiYi index. The buzz just isn’t there.

This is one of the most gorgeous Chinese dramas ever. The set, the CGI, the costume, and the makeup are all top notch but I personally struggled getting through the first 6 episodes because there just didn’t seem to be much urgency in the plot or much stakes at all. The Fox Spirits living in Mount Tu seem to have a great system going so why mess with everything? There was a trending post on weibo about the drama stating that it’s childish and it is. The bad guys are off trying to enact their evil schemes but are rather easily dispatched by the Fox Spirits and Dong Fang Yue Chu.

For this drama, there are chapters within the story as Tu Shan Hong Hong must accomplish several missions. I’ve only watched the finale of the first mission. The stakes finally do pick up towards the end of the first chapter and the drama has picked up the pace significantly. I’ll keep watching to see if the subsequent 2 chapters fare better

The drama was an overall dud with its weak plot, odd pacing, cartoonish villains, and stale acting. My initial thoughts continue to prevail even though there were a few highlights, especially in the second act. Funnily enough, I could see a much better drama attempting to emerge, but the final edit really quashed any glimmer of hope for a better drama.

The drama limped to its conclusion being completely overshadowed by Joy of Life 2 and The Double. A drama, even if it’s not great, needs to be in the thick of conversation. There just wasn’t any with this drama. This was a disappointing turn for all parties involved, especially Yang Mi who hasn’t had an outright hit in several years. IQiYi was betting on this to be a solid hit to kick start its Fox Spirit Matchmaker universe but this will be an uphill battle after this outing.

What I liked

• Gorgeous Costumes and Makeup: I’ve mentioned this several times already, this is a visual treat (I mean, look at the screenshots) across the board. The costumes are lavish and representative of the different characters. Even the minor characters all had unique costumes, which is pretty rare. I absolutely love several of the costumes Tu Shan Hong Hong wears, especially the blend of red and white for several of them. They’re all intricate yet well designed for the character. Yang Mi also wears them extremely well. The makeup for these characters (especially the female characters) add individuality and don’t seem messy. This was one of the main driving forces for me to continue watching. I’d just focus on the costumes rather the meandering plot
• Stunning CGI: This is probably one of the uses of CGI I’ve seen in a Chinese fantasy drama. The drama does an excellent job presenting the world and locations within it including Mount Tu, Kingdom of Yu Yao, and the Bitter Feelings Tree. The powers emanating from each of the characters are individualized to his or her respective powers. The battles are quite intense when it turns into a CGI battle. I recommend just watching vignettes of the drama just to enjoy those visuals. You can tell a ton of money went into the CGI and the makeup / costume design.
• Extremely beautiful cast: This is one of the most beautiful group casts to grace the small screen in some time and a pleasant sight for my eyes. The 3 additional couples also fit splendidly with the main cast at Mount Tu. Even though the actors and actresses weren’t always supported with a great plot, the handsome pairings and individual actors / actresses were enough for me to speed through the drama
• Second Act: Of the three subplots, the second one involving Lu Jian Wen and Yan Ru Yi was the strongest one. We actually spent time with the characters to see them fall in love, proclaim their love, and try to navigate their differences between a Spirit and Human. I was rather puzzled by a few of the other romances. I bought this romance much more than all the other ones in the drama. I’m also glad to see Chen Yao and Mao Zi Jun back on screen, it’s been a while since they’ve been (individually) in a big production
• The Fox Spirit Clan: I thoroughly enjoy the vitality that is portrayed on screen on Mount Tu. Tu Shan Hong Hong rules with wisdom and turns a blind eye to some of the shenanigans from other Fox Spirits and Dong Fang Yue Chu. Tu Shan Ya Ya is a bit strong-headed but everyone knows she is a huge softie. Tu Shan Hong Hong chases everyone for their debts but isn’t a tough landlord. The other smaller spirits are also very personable, cute, and rather naive. I’d rather watch 30 episodes of life on Mount Tu.

To be continued!

Cathy