Love Like the Galaxy is an Historical Chinese Drama lead by Leo Wu and Zhao Lu Si.
It follows Cheng Shao Shang, a smart but uncultured girl, raised by an uncaring grandmother after her parents left her behind to go take part in the war, struggling to reconnect with the rest of her family once they come back for her; and of Ling Bu Yi, foster son of the Emperor and feared war general, who falls in love with her at first sight.
The story spans multiple years, during which Cheng Shao Shang matures and slowly grows to understand and fall for Ling Bu Yi, while he moves to take revenge against an enemy from his past.
In my opinion, a very good romance drama with charming characters who make you feel every kind of emotion: from laughing at the antics of the female lead’s family, to tearing up at yet another misfortune striking the main couple.
However, I find that it suffers from a rushed ending and too simple resolutions to the issues the leads encounter (this will be expanded on later).
I would rate Love Like the Galaxy 8.5/10.
Let’s now get into a spoiler filled review.
Warning: I consider myself a bit of a complainer, so if anyone finds the list of positive things I have to say about this drama to be too short, don’t get offended. It’s just my nature to rant about what I dislike.
The Characters
First of all, what I think is the best thing about Love Like the Galaxy: its characters.
Cheng Shao Shang, our female lead: smart, cute, bubbly, albeit a bit naive. I loved her. She was outspoken, didn’t stand for unjustice, was very tricky and had a lot of love to give to the people close to her.
However, she was too naive. And yes, she is young: it’s normal for her to think the best of everyone, and not considering the consequences before acting; and we do see a change in her behaviour, her becoming more mature, as the story progresses and she ages.
But if she wasn’t surronded by the people that loved her, our male lead in particular? She wouldn’t have lasted until the end of the drama. She was too thoughtless in antagonising people with higher status than her. Yes, she is young, but growing up in the environment she did, abused by the members of her household, she should have had a higher level of maturity from the start.
Moreover, she forgave way too easily: the grandma, her mother, after how they treated her? No way I would have even been civil with them after all that.
Ling Bu Yi, the male lead… he wasn’t my favourite. I loved him for how he loved and protected the female lead. But his decisions? Lying and keeping information from Cheng Shao Shang? Questionable, done with the sole purpose of making their relationship more dramatic.
Also, no hate to the actor: I understand that he was supposed to play a character used to hiding his emotions, but I felt he was wearing this stiff expression for the majority of the drama, and it kind of put me off. Nothing much to say about his backstory or his identity twist, it was ok, but similar to majority of other male leads out there.
Emperor, Shipper Extraordinaire: my favourite character for how entrateining he was…but as an Emperor? Not a believable politician. It’s not a story focused on politics, but I felt he was more interested in love affairs than in ruling his country. But enjoyed the representation of not evil, good guys emperors. We don’t see many of them.
Yuan Shen, my dear, I rooted for you. Let’s all remember the night when Cheng Shao Shang and all of her love interests met.. he was the first to make his attraction to her known, but like every second (or third?) male lead, he was not taken seriously.
I got spoiled by some comments early on, saying in latest part of the story he would get engaged to her, and seeing how funny their banter was, I waited for that moment. To say I was disappointed doesn’t even scratch the surface of what I was feeling, after anticipating it for 50 episodes, to have their engagement be over so quickly (did it even start?).
I have a chronic case of second lead syndrome, so it was obvious from the start he would have been one of my favourites characters.
His bragging and smugness, that Cheng Shao Shang repetedly shot down, I loved. His one sided love, which he took ages to acknowledge, and never gave up during those five years, I adored. Him stepping back so easily, realizing she never would return his feelings, made me wish he had a happier ending.
The Rushness
Issues being solved too easily, people being forgiven too quickly, and the final happiness wrapping up too soon, is what I consider the worst part of Love Like the Galaxy.
For a drama that is on the longer side (56 episodes), with a story that progresses slowly and gives plenty of time to the eploration of main and side characters, it had no need to rush.
Whenever an issue arose for our main characters: if Cheng Shao Shang was in trouble, Ling Bu Yi was sure to show up and save her; if Ling Bu Yi was in trouble, the Emperor would save him; if some side character was up to something, their plan would be spoken aloud where someone could overhear and the Emperor would take care of it. Overall, not satisfying.
We already talked Cheng Shao Shang forgiving too easily, but let’s mention it again.
In the last couple of episodes she forgives the male lead way too quickly!
She opens her heart to him, they get engaged, she makes him promise not to hide things from or lie to her anymore. And he does, hides things, lies to her, and abandones her.
Five years go by, and after vowing you would not take him back, in a couple of episodes all is forgiven?! Why did you not make him grovel more?! And the final scene, the happy family, as I said before, with how her mother treated her in the first part of the drama, no way I would have stood there smiling at the stars next to her.
Lastly, Ling Bu Yi revenge? Spent his life investigating and plotting his revenge, and that’s when it all comes to a head? Right before the wedding? Talk about perfect timing to have a five year time jump and extend the story a little bit more.
The Romance
For being a romance drama, I have very little to say about the actual romance. I liked them together on paper, I could understand why they loved each other, I thought the actors had good chemistry, not the best, but good.
However, I didn’t feel it. The love, the butterflies in my stomach at them interacting on screen, the silly smile on my face at their cuteness…nothing. I don’t know why, I could not get into their romance.
He fell in love at first sight. 0 to 100 way too fast.
Cheng Shao Shang went from being friendly, but kind of intimidated by Ling Bu Yi, to him being the love of her life. I understand why she fell in love, he helped her and supported her, but I did not feel her fall in love.
I liked them as a couple, even with his questionable decisions. They had plenty of supportive conversations and cute and comedic scenes, but I thought the road to becoming a couple was too foggy; with the amount of time spent on the scenes of them interacting before becoming a couple, something still felt missing to me. I can’t exactly explain what, and it might be only me thinking this, but their romance could have being better.
Random things that I liked
To conclude, I want to mention a couple of scenes thet still pop up in my head days after finishing the Drama:
- The Crown Princess and all she did to the poor girl the Crown Prince was in love with. I was not expecting that level of cruelty and it shocked me, the extent she went to, ten years of torture to someone that did nothing wrong, all because of her jealousy. It was expected for the Crown Princess to end up being rotten, but I never thought she would be that twisted.
- That scene of Ling Bu Yi getting his revenge. The shot of the house from the outside while it gets painted by blood. Loved it.
- When Cheng Shao Shang and her father go to Ling Bu Yi mansion to thank him for saving her life. I was dieing, it was so funny: him trying to get close to her while she and her father where scared out of their mind.
In conclusion, a solid romantic historical drama, with the right balance of comedy and emotional moments.
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