“Love Game in Eastern Fantasy” Has the Ending Credits Rolling in 10 Minutes?! First Impressions

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy 永夜星河 makes waves right at the start, not because of a shocking cliffhanger or character reveal, but because it ushers its “ending” just ten minutes into the first episode! Just a day since its premiere on November 1, the show has risen quickly to hit 27,000 on Tencent heat index and seems on track to eventually hit 30K.

Ending Credits Start Rolling

Esther Yuxin Yu’s latest fantasy series reunites her with Moonlight co-star Ryan Ding Yuxi. In this quirky new series, we follow Ling Miaomiao, an avid fan of the fictional novel Monster Catcher, who’s frustrated by the story direction from her favorite author. Suddenly, she’s sucked into the novel’s ancient fantasy world, where she finds herself now as Lin Yu, the notorious villainess. The premiere surprises fans with an abrupt “The End” screen and the ending credits rolling right before the ten-minute mark. This is because our heroine who resists her role as Lin Yu, storms outside, and is “killed” by a dramatic thunderclap. But don’t worry—the story isn’t actually over! The heroine who “dies” from trying to escape the novel world simply resets the plot, so she’s still very much alive as the storyline continues from there.

First Impressions: A Fun and Quirky Kind of Show

If you expected something cute, that’s exactly what you get. Our heroine being sucked into a novel world is handled with humor and charm, making it a fun watch, and it’s kind of a given that Esther Yu’s made for such roles. It’s also a big reunion for fans of 2021’s Moonlight, as Yang Shi Ze, is also back as the second male lead. The first episode sees the leads facing off against a mirror demon, with a cameo from Chen Duling, who looks stunning here and also has Fangs of Fortune airing nowadays. It’s Bambi Zhu and Yang Shi Ze teaming up to fight, with Esther Yu offering insights thanks to her character’s knowledge of the novel’s world. The costumes, most with vividly rich colors, suit the cast perfectly, and the special effects, especially with the mirrors shattering, are a visual treat.

Our Main Couple and Second Leads

The male lead’s dramatic entrance, complete with classic “boss music,” while cheesy, fits the concept of the show that has no qualms about making fun of itself. It make sense too since Ling Miaomiao is basically a modern day girl who knows the ins and outs of the novel world and gets stuck as the second lead “villain” girl who will end up being tortured by Ding Yuxi’s second male lead out of spite (hence, her intention to avoid this fate at all cost). After all, his character’s kinda obsessed with his Ah Jie (big sis), the “heroine” played by Bambi Zhu Xudan who’s paired with Yang Shize’s male lead. It’s actually flipped for us viewers since we know the main couple of the story are Ling Miaomiao and Mu Sheng.

As with any new drama, the real question is: will you keep watching? For me, the answer is yes. The episode draws you in with a humorous take on the fantasy time travel genre and ends on an emotional moment between Ling Miaomiao and her father, giving it enough heart to make you want more.

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