Love Game in Eastern Fantasy.

This is a review of the cdrama Love Game in Eastern Fantasy with some slight spoilers.

Just like our main heroine we are whisked away into a fantasy story where she had to, through her sheer optimism to escape the game that she has found herself in. It’s a fun off-kilter way to introduce us to the world and the stakes there, although I wish the drama would have explored that a bit longer than it did. And with fun characters, quirky storytelling, gorgeous costumes and sets we do get whisked away into a fluffy fantasy that is easy to watch and delightfully entertaining – even if the drama starts of by warning us that the story ended badly, and she needs to change it if she can.

The plot does carry with it this whimsical, easy-going and quest-like nature of a YA fantasy novel or a tv show where things get resolved quite quickly, without too much difficulty even of the problem feels like it’s the greatest doom these characters have faced thus far. Nothing feels too serious and practical, but it is on purpose, and it works with the inner logic of that world relatively well.

That problem of the plot comes really apparent in the second half of the drama which is riddled with pacing issues as the plot ether meanders too much and drags or is resolved just a little too quickly which leaves very little buildup to things and for the characters to linger with the problem at hand making everything feel quite rushed and not too well thought out. It just became a bit directionless.

But the fun offbeat sense of humor of the show, the sort of charmingly off-kilter and cuteness of the main female lead manages to be not too annoying, the found family and the consistency of the characters who always feel earnest, realistic for the story that is being told to us and grounded in that particular reality, truly do carry the drama on their shoulders when the plot starts to truly show it’s weaker side and make it a fun and entertaining watch despite it all.

But it’s the main couple who are the true stars of the show and manage to portray the loveliest grumpy-sunshine dynamic where it makes sense and works for the angst and for the story and doesn’t feel like it was shoehorned in for the trope alone. He is a feral, half-demon with an identity crisis and a truly tragic past who slowly starts to rely on this bumbling optimist that is so well equipped to deal with all his issues because while she is at times naive, she has a heart of gold that just wants the best for everyone. And it truly is heartwarming to watch.

You can tell both actors are giving it their all for their performances and you can also tell that they are having a lot of fun with this drama which truly does shine through when you are watching it on your screen. So, while the plot might lag at times it always manages to be entertaining at least, and each episode ends in a way that you kinda want to know what mess will be unfolding next.

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy was a light and earnest little fantasy show that tried so hard to deliver the theme of loving you for who you are and the people around you with so much heart and off-beat humor that it becomes so sweet and fluffy that it almost manages to mask the pacing issues and the lack of direction of the story in the later half.