Flourished Peony with Yang Zi and Moonlight Mystique with Bai Lu Off to Similar Solid Viewership But Differing Level of Viewer Reviews
The same day premiere of two period but very different C-dramas Moonlight Mystique and Flourished Peony is now one week into airing and time to check in on the initial results. MM is airing solely on large streaming platform iQiyi while Peony is airing on terrestrial Hunan TV with streaming on Hunan owned smaller platform so it’s hard to compare apples to apples streaming numbers. Both are doing well on viewership and buzz but the reviews are much stronger for Peony focusing on flawed characters with serious takes on period conflict and female struggles, while MM is mostly getting bad reviews for how Bai Lu is playing the exact same character and the plot is so derivative and been-there-done-that in terms of xianxia. MM won’t help or hurt the careers of Bai Lu or Ao Rui Peng but its second female lead Dai Lu Wa who has been getting breakout buzz for her character and performance. And for Peony, Wei Zhe Ming playing the bad ex-husband is getting a tad more attention then male lead Li Xian while Yang Zi remains praised for her performance and her character is fleshed out and nice to root for.



YZ and LX are beautiful together in FP. I’m enjoying this pair so much. The chemistry is chemistrying.
Currently watching Flourished Peony in addition to Guardians of the Dafeng, not interested in Moonlight Mystique for now as there’s too many on my plate currently plus I’m tired of Xianxia.
I’m good with Flourished Peony so far as a female empowerment drama, though it still contains some same old “overcame obstacles with the help of the male lead” trope which I disdain, it has relatively fewer of that. I do like how this drama truly shows the plight of how women suffered in those times (even now as well). But contrary to what you’ve said, I find Yang Zi’s acting to be the weakest link in this drama while Li Xian and Wei Zheming did an absolutely good job. Will continue watching, I hope the plot stays as good till the end.
I agree about the underperformane of the FL such that I can’t relate to her plight. Additionally the ML is not good and probably other actors/actresses. I tried to watch “Peony” but got bored. I don’t know know whether it is the acting or the story. It seemed too draggy for me. The sets and costumes are beautiful but something lacks.
Peony has solid casting and beautiful setting but something is missing for me as well.
I am tired of Xianxia too…
Ohh wow peony is really doing well in terms of viewership and I can totally see why. The characters aren’t one dimensional, they are fleshed out and complex, it’s not the same ML helps FL out all the time like some other female empowerment dramas, I love the factthat he helps her but only when she asks for it, FL is witty, not goody 2 shoes and is adaptable, yang zi too is surprising me with this being one of my favorite role and drama of hers after LYF, lixian too is pulling off his comedic but undercover persona well, Miles Weiis doing a really good job cause sometimes I pity him and sometimes i just want to *unalive* him even Zhang Yaqing is doing a really good job. The cinematography is so beautiful, the OST is so good. All in all this is a really great start to 2025 cdrama and hopefully this drama maintains this same rhythm till the end *fingers crossed
I’m sad to see the also currently airing “The Blossoming Love” isn’t getting more buzz; it has a great script (an admirable feat, nowadays), great characters and acting, good production values, and a great love story.
I’m watching this one too in addition to the other 2 mentioned here. Definitely am enjoying TBL more than MM despite having a soft spot for Bai Lu.
Yeah, unfortunately it is not airing at the best time. Though, I’m not sure how well it is doing in China. It’s rare to have a good script these days and more rare to have that in a xianxia which have many run of the mill stories.
Peony drama is interesting yet so annoying at the same time with such annoying and obnoxious characters that definitely get under your skin. Thank God there is some humorous undertones because if not it would be a real turn off. Bai Lu is a good actress but moonlight mystique just feels lacking and slightly nothing different to stay in tune to watch. Her character is a bit annoying though and did not draw me in but her acting still good.
There is another new drama called Under The Moonlight, it’s nothing extraordinary but still pretty interesting. It’s about investigations and not bad. I’m watching Dafeng and browsing Peony and watching this drama for now.
I do enjoy watching Peony. Alongside Under the moonlight (new drama). Hopefully, it’ll get more popular. Peony deserves it.
Love Yangzi’s acting in this drama. The same with Li Xian and Miles Wei. Both actor are sooooo good looking. Fast pace, good acting, combine with amazing chemistry… ah love it.
I just dropped the blossoming love at ep 18, simply bcuz i dislike the FL’s character and Zhang bing bing’s acting is meh. Prefer both 2nd lead actors. The story is sooo frustrating.
Yang Zi is really blossoming in her acting career (no pun intended). She really emotes in the last few dramas I’ve watched her in and this is no exception. She’s much improved. When she first started her career, she used to be stoic and bland, now her acting has range and depth and to say I’m impressed, is no exaggeration. I am also more impressed by Miles Wei’s performance who plays her sympathetic reformed husband than I am with Li Xian’s performance, but it’s because of the way the characters are written. In another drama it would be the viewers rooting for the reformed husband to reconcile with his runaway wife, but this drama, the in-laws were written too evil, their sins too egregious to be forgiven, and besides, the ML is Li Xian.
As for Moonlight Mystique – I’m loving Bai Lu’s performance as always, it’s always nuanced and on point for me, so no surprise there. But surprisingly, I’m not loving Ao Rui Peng’s performance at all. It’s serviceable, he does all the right emotions at the right times, but it doesn’t have an impact on me as a viewer. I’m not rooting for them at all as an onscreen couple. Which is a shame, because some of the BTS clips of them are more interesting to see than the drama itself. The second couple, though, has some possibilities and there are some sweet side couples that are also nice to watch.
I put The Blossoming Love on hold, because I fell in love with the second male lead and can’t justify watching a drama where he doesn’t get the girl (LOL). Seriously, though, he’s wasted as a second lead. The actor’s performance is so enigmatic, so nuanced, that it’s a shame he’s not the lead. You could do a whole story about his character.
Im enjoying peony very much too but I have to say I’m enjoying 2nd ml storyline much more than ml in peony , I want to see how he is going to end up at the end. I want to hate him but at the same time I can’t.
Now the three catchwords abused in Cdrama titles: Love, Moon-ish, and Blossom(-ish). LOL
Back to the topic! FP has been the first drama of YZ since Go Go Squid that I give a positive review of her acting. She nailed the role. Period. Her costar LX, however, had weaker presence as the ML. His onscreen aura was pedestrian and how I wish he were more charismatic, either visually or acting-wise. Agreed that the 2nd ML was more impressive (to me). FP is solid but the pace, like most of the C dramas, was oftentimes too slow to my liking. I followed FP until ep 10 and was distracted to more interesting Kdramas that has happened to me all the time LOL. But I plan to pick up FP again later hopefully able to finish through.
Nothing to say about MM cuz I dropped it after ep 1. It’s same old same old Bai Lu and Xianxia. LOL.
Tried MM. The writing feels like something out of those low budget web-only costume dramas featuring actors just getting their start. I don’t think better actors could save it. Pretty much every character feels shallow and annoying except the 2FL. I felt disappointed since the directors have done stuff I liked before.
Even though I don’t like it, I’m still glad it’s doing well in viewership for the sake of the hardworking actors.
There is a reason that Moonlight Mystique has been the #1 drama on iQYI since it’s first day of release there. Bai Lu always delivers nuanced performances in all her dramas. She also has the ability to produce the illusion of sizzling on-screen chemistry with her leading men and in MM, her and her ML scene partner, Ao Ruipeng deliver spectacularly. I love the Demon King’s costumes – in fact all the cast have great hair, makeup and costumes. CGI is awesome too.
Cannot comment on Flourished Peony – because I do not have that streaming platform.
MM is much better! Way way beyond Peony
I love story of Flourished Peony. Both main actors are great 👍 I don’t like unrealistic drama and I haven’t watched it anymore.
I have to admit I love Flourished Peony the most right now. I always look forward to watching the leads interact and there are many other characters that are likable and fleshed out. The story also never gets boring and feels interesting.
MM started good, I thought, but totally lost me with the Fox Clan arc. The story went in complete cicrles for so many episodes that I felt my head spin and after about every single on-screen character was either volunteering or forced to sacrifice themselves for that darn tree, I just kind of lost interest in what happens to any of them. Neither lead’s acting is anything to write home about, but the script writing is really what’s lacking here. The writer keeps beating a plot point until I as a viewer no longer care. Plus somehow my emotions are absolutely not invested even though either of the leads could possibly die. That should definitely not be the case.
I have mixed feelings about the Blossoming Love. I was about to drop it at around episode 18 too, like someone else above did, because both lead characters were completely one-dimensional and boring. The way the FL couldn’t say even one word without being flirty and feeling up the ML really got annoying and it didn’t help that the ML’s character was barely talking and stoic. Out of boredom I powered through and the most recent episodes are a bit more interesting. Though I have to admit I’m kind of wishing (possible spoiler!) for the ML to turn into that evil dude already (forgot his name) of whom he is apparently a fragment. That looks like an interesting character I would like appearing on my screen.
I’m really enjoying MM, I think all the actors are doing a great job, especially Bai Lu and aoruipeng. I love their cp chemistry