Moonlight Chinese Drama Review

Moonlight (月光变奏曲) is my third Ryan Ding drama after Intense Love and The Romance Of Tiger And Rose. He is a very likable actor which was why I didn’t mind giving this rom-com a go although I much prefer plot-driven dramas these days. And with 36 episodes in total, I was expecting this to have at least some meat to the story rather than just pure fluff to get my interest going. So, how did it fare? My Moonlight review below will reveal more about this romance drama.

My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 36
Type: Romance, Co-habitation
Aired: May 2021
Images Credit: iQIYI

The Cast Of Moonlight

• Esther Yu Shu Xin as Chu Li
• Ryan Ding Yu Xi as Zhou Chuan
• Yang Shi Ze as Jiang Yu Cheng
• Ma Yin Yin as Gu Bai Zhi
• Wang Ting as Yu Yao
• Zhou Pu as Miao Jiang Ping
• Jing Ru Yang as Du Niao Niao / Xiao Niao
• Hua Tong as Ah Xiang
• Paul Chun Pui as Chief Editor Xia
• Zhu Yong Teng as Liang Chong Lang
• Ye Xiao Wei as Gu Yun Fei
• He Xin Lin as Suo Heng
• Tian Miao as Mrs. Chu
• Li Hong Quan as Mr. Chu
• Zhou Ling as Mrs. Zhou
• He Yun Qing as Mr. Zhou
• Xiong Yu Ting as Song Xi

Main Characters

Chu Li

Chu Li is a fresh graduate with a major in finance working as an editorial intern in Yan Yue Publishing House. She dreams of becoming an editor but faces objection from her mother. Chu Li is a determined and idealistic editor who wants to bring out the best in her writers. While she appears cute, she also dares to be vocal when bullied by others. Her idol author is Jiang Yu Cheng.

Zhou Chuan

Zhou Chuan is a talented up-and-coming author who writes fantasy novels. He is an egoistic and straight-talking man who is hard to get along with. He can be immature and temperamental. Zhou Chuan cannot get along with his father who is also an author.

Jiang Yu Cheng

Jiang Yu Cheng is an author who writes detective series as well as a bookshop owner. He was a best-selling author before his works took a dive and his last 2 books couldn’t achieve much sales. Jiang Yu Cheng is a polite and reserved man but with an unresolved past involving his love relationship. He is also Zhou Chuan’s best friend and old neighbor. Their fathers are friends.

Gu Bai Zhi

Gu Bai Zhi is the Content Director at a big publishing house called Xin Dun Books. She is an ambitious and practical woman who would chase after deals with popular authors. This means she and Chu Li are business rivals as they represent different publishers. Gu Bai Zhi and Jiang Yu Cheng are ex-lovers.

Supporting Characters

Yu Yao

Yu Yao is head of the editorial section at Yan Yue Publishing House. She is a workaholic and responsible leader of the team. She is also supportive of Chu Li and recognizes her talent. Yu Yao is married with a kid.

Miao Jiang Ping

Miao is the Deputy Editor of the editorial section at Yan Yue. He likes to play office politics and practices favoritism among his subordinates. He reports to Yu Yao but often bypasses her to report to the Circulation Manager. Miao is also Chu Li’s immediate superior but he hates her guts. He has little concern for the authors under his care and is only interested in landing deals to secure his own position.

Du Niao Niao / Xiao Niao

Xiao Niao is an editorial intern at Yan Yue. She joins the publishing house together with Chu Li and sees her as a rival. She is not as talented as Chu Li but has Miao’s support.

Ah Xiang

Ah Xiang is an illustrator at Yan Yue and becomes good friends with Chu Li. She is a timid young woman who is also Zhou Chuan’s big fan.

Chief Editor Xia

Chief Editor Xia is a senior in the publishing industry and respected by many. He is the Chief Editor at Yan Yue and Yu Yao reports to him.

Liang Chong Lang

Liang is the Sales and Circulation Manager at Yan Yue. While he is a loyal employee, he is also vying to be the Vice President of the publishing house. He ropes in Miao to work with him in order to fend off Yu Yao and magnify his own contribution to the company.

Gu Yun Fei

Yun Fei is an author under Gu Bai Zhi’s care. He loves Gu Bai Zhi despite being younger than her. He boldly pursues her although it is a one-sided affair.

Suo Heng

Suo Heng was a bestselling author but has since lost confidence and direction in her writing. Her works are not getting any recognition under Miao as her editor.

Mr. & Mrs. Chu

Mr. and Mrs. Chu are Chu Li’s parents. Chu Li’s father is supportive of her career choice but not her mother who prefers that she works in a bank near their home. But they are both loving parents who want the best for their daughter.

Mr. & Mrs. Zhou

Mr. Zhou is a literary legend and author. He and his wife are Zhou Chuan’s parents. He doesn’t get along well with his son as they do not know how to communicate with one another given their different values and opinions. Mrs. Zhou is more understanding of Zhou Chuan and often plays the role of a peacemaker.

Song Xi

Song Xi is a celebrity who is interested in buying the copyright to Zhou Chuan’s book to be adapted on-screen. She is also in love with him.

Synopsis

Chu Li is working as an editorial intern at Yan Yue Publishing House. One of her immediate tasks is to get Zhou Chuan who is a popular author to sign a publishing contract with Yan Yue for his upcoming book. Zhou Chuan is not interested initially until he finds out that Chu Li is his online friend that he has been communicating with for the past few years. Hence, he signs with Yan Yue and picks her to be his editor. He also hides from her that he is her online buddy.

However, as Chu Li finds Zhou Chuan to be egoistic and unreasonable, she has much complaints about him. Then, circumstances forced her to move into his place as his tenant. Zhou Chuan starts to develop strong feelings for Chu Li but keeps denying it. With his constant denials, his best friend, Jiang Yu Cheng who is also an author, then starts to court Chu Li as well which makes Zhou Chuan jealous.

In the meantime, Chu Li also has to face problems at work due to office politics and her petty immediate superior who hates her guts and talent.

Moonlight Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Moonlight has a happy ending. The last few scenes depict a fast forward 2 years later. Zhou Chuan and Chu Li are married with a little girl. Chu Li is still working at Yan Yue but is now the head of the editorial department. Xiao Niao is now a senior team member and reports to Chu Li. Yu Yao has been promoted to be the Executive Editor. Chief Editor Xia has retired 2 years earlier just after Zhou Chuan managed to win a prestigious literary award for his book which was published by Yan Yue.

Jiang Yu Cheng and Gu Bai Zhi are also married. Gu Bai Zhi is pregnant and running her own company. She is into buying copyrights of books for screen adaptation which opens up opportunities for collaboration with Chu Li. The 4 of them remain good friends.

When Did Zhou Chuan And Chu Li Get Together?

Their feelings for each other are already pretty obvious after 10 episodes especially for Zhou Chuan. But they keep denying their feelings towards each other until Chu Li drunkenly kisses Zhou Chuan in Episode 19. The couple officially get together in Episode 21 but keep it hidden from her colleagues until Episode 29. Zhou Chuan proposes to Chu Li in Episode 36.

There is no breakup for this main couple in this drama. However, there is a serious misunderstanding in Episode 23 when Chu Li finds out Zhou Chuan is Mr. Fox and has been hiding it from her for some time. He subsequently apologizes and tries his best to placate her to resolve their misunderstanding.

Why Did Jiang Yu Cheng Break Up With Gu Bai Zhi?

Jiang Yu Cheng was going through bad times in his career as an author a few years back. At the same time, he found out that Yun Fei who was also one of Gu Bai Zhi’s authors under her care, was writing a similar story. He thought Gu Bai Zhi had betrayed him by passing the ideas for his book to Yun Fei. With this mistrust, Jiang Yu Cheng broke up with her.

However, they have never really been able to forget each other. Although Jiang Yu Cheng tries to court Chu Li and confesses to her in Episode 12, he knows she is not interested in him. He gives up wooing her in Episode 17. Thus, there is no love triangle visible in Moonlight. Jiang Yu Cheng and Gu Bai Zhi get back together in Episode 25 but split up again in Episode 26 when he thought she is merely using him to get a promotion.

When Jiang Yu Cheng learns that he has been wrong in distrusting Gu Bai Zhi, he tries to woo her again. They reconcile in Episode 33. Jiang Yu Cheng is all ready to propose to Gu Bai Zhi in Episode 36 but she suggests that they get married just before he pops the question.

What Happened To Deputy Editor Miao?

Miao quits his deputy editor post in Yan Yue after making a deal with Director Luo of Xin Dun Books. He anonymously divulges all the juicy internal workings of Yan Yue to the public which causes problems to Zhuo Chuan’s and Chu Li’s image. He also promises Director Luo that he will bring over some of Yan Yue’s authors to Xin Dun. In return, he will be offered a senior position at the company.

However, the plan fails when the authors choose to remain with Yan Yue through Chu Li’s efforts and Chief Editor Xia’s influence. As a result, Director Luo refuses to employ Miao who becomes jobless. He ends up selling books at a roadside stall.

How Did Zhou Chuan Reconcile With His Father?

When Zhou Chuan is accused of hiring ghostwriters, his image takes a dive for being a fake author. His father goes on an interview to defend him. Zhou Chuan is surprised that his father is willing to do so given their strained relationship. His father also appears to present him the prize for the literary award night which moves him deeply. Zhou Chuan finally manages to get a compliment from his father which he has yearned for all along.

Moonlight Review – Tolerance Needed

The first thing that struck me when I started Moonlight is the female lead. She has a very girlish voice and that really takes some getting used to. The character that she plays is also the cute type which I supposed fits that kind of voice and manner of talking. But I have the feeling that not everyone will be able to stand the way she talks and immediately drops the drama after one or two episodes. For me, it took me more than 5 episodes before I got used to her voice.

While the voice and talking manner will give viewers the impression that Chu Li is kind of dumb, this is hardly the case. So, there is a dissonance there which will surprise you as the drama progresses. Chu Li may appear naive and dumb but she is actually quite vocal and shrewd. Sometimes, I had to be mindful of my prejudice as I tried to reconcile the girlishness with the smart professional that she is as I watched the drama. The character is indeed unique but as mentioned, you really need to get used to her. If you can’t, Moonlight will be an annoying rom-com to watch.

A Flawed Male Character

As for the male character, Zhou Chuan is not a perfect man either. Hence, if you are looking for a nice guy like the male lead in You Are My Hero, you will not find him in Moonlight. Personally, I’m not particularly fond of Zhou Chuan as he seems childish to me especially in the first half of the drama. The way he acts is a very juvenile way of getting a girl’s attention. He can be unreasonable in his demands like asking her to come back to cook for him. Yes, it is about wanting her time and attention but it is just not how a matured man will act.

I supposed that is how Zhou Chuan is – a man with a huge ego and pride who is hard to get along with. His character looks fun in a drama but I’m not so sure how far a woman will tolerate his kind of antics in real life. Hence, if you find Zhou Chuan’s behavior towards Chu Li as cute and romantic, then Moonlight will be enjoyable because there are plenty of those moments. But if you find him childish, the attraction of this drama might just drop a few notches.

While I don’t fancy Zhou Chuan, the bigger issue for me is the repetitiveness of the plot.

The Constant Denials In The Plot

The drama begins with them meeting with Chu Li ending up as Zhou Chuan’s editor. He is obviously interested in her after finding out that she is his online friend. But he keeps denying and denying and denying for half of the drama. I just find it tiring after a while as there is nothing new to add to their relationship. So, he will keep denying his feelings for her while they bicker and she complains about his unreasonableness. It goes back and forth this way that I could only take this in small doses with little urge to binge-watch.

The happenings facing Chu Li at work help to relieve some of the boredom but they are not the main focus of the drama. I guess if you like first love romances with characters that are shy about their own feelings, perhaps Moonlight will be relatable. For me, I’m just glad that the story picks up in the second half of the drama after they get together. The second couple too begins to get more screen time to offer variety to the plot then. In fact, theirs is a better story to tell than the main couple for me.

Acting And Chemistry

Both Esther Yu and Ryan Ding played their roles well in Moonlight. While not everyone will be able to tolerate Esther Yu’s voice and mannerisms, I think she did manage to make the character unique in her own way. Chu Li is very different from the usual female leads in romance dramas as the first impression that she emits does not reflect her actual character in terms of intelligence and guts in the drama. Thus, it is a nice surprise as you continue to watch her progress through the episodes.

Ryan Ding plays a very different character in Moonlight compared to his cool doctor role in Intense Love. He managed to make Zhou Chuan likable despite the character being a difficult person. I guess his looks and facial expressions help to soften the egoistical nature of Zhou Chuan and even make him adorable at times. Otherwise, it might well be hard for viewers to accept this character. So, credit to him for his ability to make the character resonate with the viewers.

Putting the two of them together makes them a matching couple on-screen. They generated enough sparks in their interactions to give the romance a boost. Without the chemistry, the drama might just be a flop especially with a thin plot in the first half. Moreover, they could have improved on the kisses if they decide to make these scenes. As it is, they lack passion and intensity compared to the side couple who could really show their yearning for each other during those kissing sessions. Hence, don’t expect any hot kisses from the main couple like those found in Love Scenery and My Little Happiness.

My Verdict – Enjoyable For Most

Many people have regarded Moonlight as an amazing drama. Yes, it is if you are into bickering and cuteness. The couple’s relationship is not as toxic as the one in Hello Mr. Gu despite the male lead’s egoistic nature. The tone of the drama is also generally lighthearted. It offers a peek into the publishing industry which is something new compared to the more common background themes on gaming and fashion as can be seen from Go Go Squid 2 and Sunshine Of My Life respectively.

However, to enjoy Moonlight, getting past the female lead’s voice and speaking manner is still the key. If you can accept her, you would most probably enjoy this love story. But if you find her annoying, you will just end up dropping this eventually. My recommendation is to give it a try for about 5 episodes. Hers is a type of character that slowly grows on you rather than being instantly lovable.

For this Moonlight Chinese drama review, I would give it a score of 7/10. It is good but nothing amazing to me. Most will find the leads’ antics to be sweet. For me, I just find the first half of the drama to be slow. The bullying-to-get-her-attention type of storyline gets old for me rather quickly but they take up a substantial part of the 36 episodes. The first few episodes will actually be able to offer you a glimpse into the main couple’s relationship dynamics. If you enjoy it, then Moonlight will indeed be amazing. If not, it will just be another rom-com among many.

==> Moonlight is available on Amazon Prime (affiliate link)