As 2025 begins, we can look forward to a whole new set of dramas. The first to kick off was The Blossoming Love, but we all know that two highly anticipated costume dramas—Flourished Peony (国色芳华) and Moonlight Mystique (白月梵星)—are following suit. The former announced its release date much earlier while the latter confirmed only recently, but both are definitely set to premiere simultaneously this January 7, 2025, across their respective streaming platforms. It’s obviously intentional. After all, it wasn’t long ago that The Story of Pearl Girl and Love Game in Eastern Fantasy went head to head. For what it’s worth, this strategy seems to be working, drawing double the buzz, as viewers may be inclined to check out both or at least keep tabs on which one does better.
Flourished Peony, starring Yang Zi and Li Xian, follows the legendary journey of female merchant He Weifang, blending emotional depth with entrepreneurial challenges set in the Tang Dynasty. Moonlight Mystique, starring Bai Lu and Ao Ruipeng, is a fantasy romance set in the same universe as The Last Immortal. Both shows are thematically so different. Xianxia dramas can get a bit repetitive, but they’re also irresistibly addictive when done well—while Flourished Peony has Yang Zi and Li Xian. Now, I feel the need to watch both.
Which journey will you embark on this January 7?
Photos: Flourished Peony, Moonlight Mystique / Weibo
iamannon
flourished peony bc i want a female lead with a more mature outlook on life. I absolutely loved story of minglan and this is giving me the same vibes so i might enjoy the one. Moonlight mystique i will keep in the back burner for now but will revisit one day for sure!
Joy Emmanuel
thank God you use the word matured. those two lead look too old and boring slow drama. Nothing model at all. Moonlight mystique is a new model fantasy drama and Captivating with cute leads pairs.
Coralie
I’m really not a fan of li xian’s skinny aesthetics. he used to look better when wider, but nowadays just too thin. the sharpness doesn’t suit him.
I’ve always been a fan of fantasy, so I’m sure I’ll tune in for Moonlight, even when I’m not the FL’s fan lol.
basically each of the series has someone I’m not a fan of, but also has someone I’m a fan of, so it’ll come down to who has better script. if Yang zi’s series has more realism and coherent plot (e.g., not story of pearl girl and more like love like the galaxy), then I’m all game.
Yue
I am a fan of Bai Lu, Yang Zi and Li Xian (although I didn’t like Go Go Squid), I haven’t watched anything with Ao Ruipeng yet. So I will be watching both of the dramas. Anyways it is just 1 or 2 episodes per day for both of them. I can just watch it when eating, cooking, walking on treadmill, winding down before sleeping, etc
XZF
I will watch both also. I never understand the hype about “Go Go Squid”, too.