What to watch when there aren’t any standout dramas? That was the question we grappled with recently. In this pod, we discuss 3 current Chinese costume dramas we checked out to see which would be worth our time. Surprisingly, the cheesiest romance, Everlasting Love, outshone the other two, Kill My Sins and Love of the Divine Tree. Listen as we share our thoughts about what worked and what didn’t across these stories.

(00:31) Introduction
(02:38) Everlasting Longing
(13:55) Kill My Sins
(27:19) Love of the Divine Tree

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@JuniperandElle
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2AduAS26DSekKPO0zA7TwL?si=5e2615385c294083

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#EverlastingLonging #相思令 #KillMySins #掌心 #LoveoftheDivineTree #仙台有树 #cdrama #asiandramapodcast #juniperandelle #podcast #chinesedrama #cdramalover #cdramafans#dramareview #asiandrama #asiandramalover #costumedrama #costumedramachinese #Angelababy #杨颖 #SongWeilong #宋威龙 #LiuShishi #CeciliaLiu #刘诗诗 #ShawnDou #窦骁 #DengWei #邓为 #XiangHanZhi #JuliaXiang #向涵之

Juniper and Elle decided to check out earlier dramas starring Ao Ruipeng after enjoying his performance in Moonlight Mystique. As a result, we watched the romcom “Poisoned Love” 恋爱吧，食梦君!. While it looked silly on paper, the show was a delightfully sweet and fun ride, with endearing characters, a joyful romance, and hilarity throughout. Don’t miss out on this show if you haven’t already seen it! If you’ve already seen it, share your thoughts with us in the comments.

(00:31) Introduction and story overview
(03:05) What makes the show so enjoyable
(19:19) Support characters
(26:39) Positive comparisons vs. My Boss
(30:10) Nice, funny, memorable things
(42:48) Final ratings and wrap-up

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@JuniperandElle
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2AduAS26DSekKPO0zA7TwL?si=5e2615385c294083

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#PoisonedLove #恋爱吧食梦君 #cdrama #asiandramapodcast #juniperandelle #podcast #chinesedrama #cdramalover #cdramafans #dramareview #asiandrama #asiandramalover #AoRuipeng #敖瑞鹏 #MaMengwei #马梦唯

Since it’s Valentine’s time, Juniper decided it’d be nice to cover another classic Hollywood movie with a romantic theme. After watching “Now, Voyager”, Elle questioned whether Juniper had lost her marbles recommending this movie for the occasion. This is why we spend much of this pod delving into whether this film is truly fit for Valentine’s and how the psychology stuff came across.

(00:31) Intro and synopsis
(04:57) Is the story even appropriate for Valentine's?
(13:00) The psychology stuff - is it realistic and appropriate
(16:18) Love as savior and other things that make it romantic
(22:37) Decrypting the toxic mothers and the gender divide between the roles
(34:40) How about the way the story ended?
(42:21) How other actresses would’ve fared vs. Bette Davis in this movie
(44:55) Brief tangent on costumes
(45:47) Final ratings and wrap-up

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@JuniperandElle
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2AduAS26DSekKPO0zA7TwL?si=5e2615385c294083

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#nowvoyager #classicmovie #juniperandelle #podcast #blackandwhitefilm #blackandwhitemovie #classicmoviereview #classicfilmreview #moviereview #oldmovie #bettedavis #paulhenreid #clauderains #classicromance

Join us as we wrap up our discussion of “Moonlight Mystique” 白月梵星, a xianxia drama full of poignant characters, lovely romance, healthy physical affection, and nonstop entertainment. It’s now Juniper’s favorite xianxia drama, and she can’t stop talking about it. Continuing from where we left off last time, we cover the story from its third arc to its grand finale in this pod. Hold on tight and let’s go!

(00:00:32) Introduction and story highlights
(00:07:55) The Bodhi Village arc - focus on our lovely couples
(00:14:43) The God Realm arc - a jam-packed finale with star-crossed romance
(00:24:04) The actors and their characters - Bai Lu / Bai Shuo / Xing Yue
(00:33:01) The actors and their characters - Ao Ruipeng / Fan Yue / Jing Yuan
(00:38:43) The actors and their characters - Chang Huasen / Chong Zhao / Mo Li
(00:45:08) The actors and their characters - Dai Luwa / Fu Ling / Bai Xi
(00:51:44) Two memorable characters among many - Chen Ye / Qi Feng and Mu Jiu
(01:03:51) The ending and epilogue, Fan Yue’s poignant death scene #1, the true villains, the OST, funny tangents
(01:20:26) Favorite versions of Fan Yue
(01:23:00) Final ratings and wrap-up

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@JuniperandElle
Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/show/2AduAS26DSekKPO0zA7TwL?si=5e2615385c294083

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#MoonlightMystique #白月梵星 #cdrama #asiandramapodcast #juniperandelle #podcast #chinesedrama #cdramalover #cdramafans #dramareview #asiandrama #asiandramalover #costumedrama #costumedramachinese #BaiLu #白鹿 #AoRuipeng #敖瑞鹏 #BaiShuo #白烁 #FanYue #梵樾 #DaiLuwa #代露娃 #ChangHuasen #常华森

Juniper decided to check out “Moonlight Mystique” 白月梵星 on a whim despite misgivings about Bai Lu dramas and how this Chinese drama looked on paper. She’s so glad she did, and so is Elle. This is an unexpectedly refreshing and engrossing Xian Xia story, well cast and well executed. Join us as we embark on the first of multiple pods talking about our impressions of the show, starting with episodes 1-15. Enjoy!

(00:31) Introduction
(08:31) Story set up
(10:58) Healthy couple dynamics
(19:40) Setting the tone of the show
(21:31) Other characters
(28:41) The first two story arcs
(36:21) Mu Mu and memory loss
(40:52) Fan Yue vs. Dongfang Qingcang
(42:56) The casting - why Bai Lu and Ao Ruipeng work
(48:46) Some minor nitpicks
(51:23) Other thoughts - future arcs, more comedic things, the theme of love and tough realistic choices, the weapons, other Ao Ruipeng dramas

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@JuniperandElle
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2AduAS26DSekKPO0zA7TwL?si=5e2615385c294083

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#MoonlightMystique #白月梵星 #cdrama #asiandramapodcast #juniperandelle #podcast #chinesedrama #cdramalover #cdramafans #dramareview #asiandrama #asiandramalover #costumedrama #costumedramachinese #BaiLu #白鹿 #AoRuipeng #敖瑞鹏 #BaiShuo #白烁 #FanYue #梵樾 #DaiLuwa #代露娃 #ChangHuasen #常华森

Navigating the recent spate of Chinese dramas with “Blossom” in their titles was bound to confuse us at some point. And so it happened when Elle mistakenly watched “In Blossom” 花间令 while Juniper pursued “Blossom” 九重紫. That doesn’t mean we can’t have a meaningful chat about both and have a good laugh over our mishap!

(00:31) Introduction

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#花间令 #inblossom #九重紫 #blossom #cdrama #asiandramapodcast #juniperandelle #podcast #chinesedrama #cdramalover #cdramafans #dramareview #asiandrama #asiandramalover #costumedrama #costumedramachinese #刘学义 #liuxueyi #鞠婧祎 #jujingyi #孟子义 #mengziyi #李昀锐 #liyunrui

For our first Hong Kong drama discussion, Elle thought it’d be cool to spotlight the 2024 TVB show Darkside of the Moon. While echoing the setup of other contemporary revenge dramas, this show puts a distinctive Hong Kong spin on things. Elle is a seasoned consumer of TVB dramas, so she takes us through the twists and turns and shares her knowledgeable critique. Juniper brings the perspective of a less initiated viewer based on a sample of early episodes.

(00:31) Intro and overview

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#黑色月光 #hkdrama #tvbdrama #港劇 #cdrama #asiandramapodcast #juniperandelle #podcast #chinesedrama #cdramalover #cdramafans #dramareview #asiandrama #asiandramalover #楊茜堯 #杨怡 #王浩信 #林夏薇 #taviayeung #vincentwong #rosinalam #tvb

To mark the most wonderful time of the year, Juniper convinced Elle to watch a holiday movie she has enjoyed many times, Christmas in Connecticut from 1945. While not an extremely well-known classic, Juniper watches it every time it’s on TV and even owns a DVD copy. Since Elle has never seen it, this was a perfect opportunity to get a fresh perspective on an old favorite. If you’ve never watched this movie, listen to our pod to discover what may or may not appeal to you. If you have watched it, share your sentiments with us in the comments.

(00:31) Intro and overview

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#christmasinconnecticut #christmasmovie #christmasclassic #holidaymovie #classicmovie #juniperandelle #podcast #barbarastanwyck #dennismorgan #blackandwhitefilm #blackandwhitemovie #screwballcomedy #classicmoviereview #classicfilmreview #moviereview #oldmovie

When Chinese drama “Moonlight“ 月光变奏曲, a romantic comedy set in the publishing world, first came out in 2021, Elle loved it while Juniper gave it a pass. Watching Ryan Ding and Esther Yu in Love Game in Eastern Fantasy 永夜星河 recently sparked Juniper’s renewed interest in the show. Although she finds it a tad long and some bits less than stellar, it turned out to be a pleasant romp overall and a great complementary drama to watch with Love Game in Eastern Fantasy. Listen to Juniper and Elle discuss the good and bad in this episode of the podcast.

(00:31) Intro and overview

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#moonlight #月光变奏曲 #moonlight月光变奏曲 #cdrama #asiandramapodcast #juniperandelle #podcast #chinesedrama #cdramalover #cdramafans #dramareview #asiandrama #asiandramalover #虞书欣 #丁禹兮 #estheryu #yushuxin #ryanding #dingyuxi #杨仕泽 #yangshize #romcomdrama #马吟吟 #mayinyin

Chinese comedy fantasy drama Love Game In Eastern Fantasy 永夜星河, starring Esther Yu Shuxin 虞书欣 and Ryan Ding Yuxi 丁禹兮, hooked us early on. Somewhere in the middle, however, it took a turn off course. In this episode, we diagnose what happened, its impact on the show, and some wacky lessons learned. We love the characters and actors regardless. In addition, watching this show has made Juniper watch and discover the charm of the Chinese drama Moonlight - a modern variation on the show with the same cast - which she had dropped when it first came out in 2021.

(00:32) Intro & overview

Disclaimer: Our podcast chats are intended to be casual banter in the name of good fun. There may be jokey remarks and tangents. Don’t take anything said too seriously, and no offense is ever intended!

You can catch us on the below platforms:

Music by penguinmusic - “Better Day” from Pixabay

#LoveGameinEasternFantasy #永夜星河 #cdrama #asiandramapodcast #juniperandelle #podcast #chinesedrama #cdramalover #cdramafans #dramareview #asiandrama #asiandramalover #costumedrama #costumedramachinese #虞书欣 #丁禹兮 #estheryu #yushuxin #ryanding #dingyuxi #凌妙妙 #lingmiaomiao #慕声 #慕子期 #musheng #muziqi #祝绪丹 #zhuxudan #bambizhu #杨仕泽 #yangshize