Love like The Galaxy

Episodes: 56

Synopsis: Cheng Shaoshang (nicknamed Niao Niao) is a lively, strong-spirited girl who was left behind by her parents when they went to war. Growing up under the malice and ignorance of her aunt and grandmother, Shaoshang leaned into her strengths to fight back in secretive ways and also learned to build herself up to be independent. The story begins with Shaoshang living in a rural village with limited resources as a form of punishment from her relatives for misbehavior. With her parents returning home from war, Shaoshang is brought back to the manor with high hopes her parents will avenge her mistreatment and that her life will improve upon reunion. However, years apart from her parents made it difficult for her to bond and she soon found that her parents were not reliable sources of security when it came to getting her justice. In fact, she is chided for her tit-for-tat behavior; and her resistance to open up to others further pushes Shaoshang to rely on herself. As the story progresses, she becomes entangled with the emperor's adopted son, Ling Buyi (with varying names like Zisheng, eleventh prince, etc), whom she views as a cold individual and often butts heads with him in the process. As she continues to interact with Ling Buyi and open up to love and vulnerability, she becomes involved with the mystery surrounding his family and identity - and eventually experiences the pain revenge-seeking brings.

Review:

This drama changed my brain chemistry for the better. 

I was going through a transitional period in my life and needed an escape and "Love Like the Galaxy" aired at the perfect time. The chemistry was overflowing and I am a big fan of Zhao Lusi's acting and her ability to create compatibility with all her male co-stars. After watching her in "The Long Ballad" and "Who Rules the World", I recognize it is a strong skill she possesses because I root for her with every male lead she is associated with. Wu Lei is also impressive as well. He fit into the General/Warrior role with ease and his dedication to acting really shows. There are many clips that show how much he has trained over the years to perform his own martial arts stunts in the dramas he acts in. 

As Shaoshang and Ling Buyi's relationship blossomed, I couldn't help falling for the protective general and siding with the hard-headed, independent young girl. The two were very similar in how fiercely loyal they were to those they cared about and how vengeful they could get when people did them wrong. Their desire for revenge or to be tit-for-tat is what leads to the ultimate angst and tragedy this couple has to endure. While you can argue that a lot of the angst makes for a fairly unhealthy relationship between the two, I found their honeymoon period to be so beautiful. They gave each other the space to be independent and taught each other how to lean on the other - it's very refreshing to know that the two leads trust each other to handle themselves in trying times. For instance, toward the end, the two split up to ensure they can cover all their bases when fighting against the enemy. 

The cinematography and OST of this drama is also amazing. The festival, the massacre, etc were all shot with beautiful aesthetics and flairs. I will say the one thing I wish was different was how they brought the couple back together toward the end - the plot felt a little messy in how they brought them back together when in reality they both needed to let down their pride and communicate. I don't like how they relied on a fake death trope to truly bring out the real feelings when we knew they were there.