Moonshine and Valentine (Chinese: 结爱·千岁大人的初恋), also known as The Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love, is a 2018 Chinese streaming television series based on the novel Jie Ai·Yihe Fenghuan (Chinese: 结爱·异客逢欢) by Shi Dingrou. The series was directed by Leste Chen, and stars Victoria Song and Huang Jingyu. It aired on Tencent Video from May 9, 2018 and ended on June 13, 2018.[2]
| Moonshine and Valentine | |
|---|---|
 Drama poster | |
| Also known as | The Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Jie Ai·Yihe Fenghuan by Shi Dingrou |
| Written by | Freddie Shen |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Composer | Tina C. Wang |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Production locations | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Running time | 45 mins |
| Production companies |
|
| Budget | ¥ 140 million[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Tencent |
| Release | May 9 – June 13, 2018 |
Synopsis
editGuan Pipi (Victoria Song)'s life was normal and peaceful until she meets a man called Helan Jingting (Huang Jingyu). Helan is an alien "fox" who has lived for a millennium, while Pipi is a seemingly normal human. It is revealed through flashbacks that in Pipi's first lifetime, she (named Hui Yan then) was a sacrifice to cure Helan's health issues. As a result, she never lives beyond 25 years old. Unexpectedly, they fell in love, and now Helan searches for Pipi in each of her lifetime. In modern day, Helan searches for a cure for Pipi's curse.
Cast
editMain
edit- Victoria Song as Guan Pipi / Hui Yan
- An intern at a newspaper publishing company. She is the reincarnation of Hui Yan, Helan Jingting's beloved wife.
- Huang Jingyu as Helan Jingting
- Right priest of the Fox clan. He is the son of Princess Xiyan and a human. As a result, he was born with an eye condition that rendered him unable to see until he drinks a liquid containing the liver of Hui Yan. He disguises himself as an antiques collector.
Supporting
editFox clan
edit- Li Jiaming as Kuan Yong[3]
- Helan Jingting's sidekick. He is calm and composed, and is considerate toward others.
- Li Shen as Xiu Xian[4]
- Helan Jingting's sidekick. He is bubbly and talkative.
- Jiang Qilin as Zhao Song[5]
- Left priest of the Fox Clan. He has a one-sided love for Qian Hua. He is at odds with Helan Jingting, whom he considers as his rival.
- Zhang Baijia as Tushan Qian Hua[6]
- A distinguished lady of the Tushan family. She has a one-sided love for Helan Jingting, and would do anything for him.
- Su Ke as Qing Mu[7]
- Ruler of the Fox clan. Helan Jingting's father.
- Wang Xin as Bo Zhong[8]
- Princess Zhaoyan's subordinate.
- Yang Kaidi as Su Mei[9]
- A woman who ends up befriending Guan Pipi and gives her advice.
- Wang Jianing as Fang Jinxue[10]
- A mysterious celebrity who used to have a crush on Kuan Yong.
- Yang Zishan as Princess Xiyan
- Helan Jingting's birth mother.
- Li Yijuan as Princess Zhaoyan
People around Guan Pipi
edit- Liu Yongxi as Xiao Ju[11]
- Guan Pipi's close friend. She becomes involved in a love triangle between Kuan Yong and Xiu Xian.
- Xu Kaicheng as Tao Jialin[12]
- Guan Pipi's first love. He later betrays her by becoming romantically involved with Tian Xin behind Pipi's back.
- Xu Fangyi as Tian Xin[13]
- Guan Pipi's close friend. She later betrays her by becoming romantically involved with Tao Jialin behind Pipi's back.
- Ma Xiaoyuan as Wang Xuan[14]
- A nosy reporter who becomes involved in the affairs of the Fox clan.
Production
editThe series was filmed at Bangkok, Thailand from September to December 2017.[15][16]
Reception
editMoonshine and Valentine received positive reviews for its high quality production, tight plot and fresh characterizations.[17] Both leads, Song and Huang, were praised for their performance and use of original voices.[18] The series also garnered more than 2 billion views in Tencent before the series ended.[19]
However, the later episodes received criticism for its abrupt change in plot direction and decreased screentime of the leads. In response to this, the scriptwriter published a written apology on Weibo, asking the viewers not to blame the director and the actors for the collapse in narrative.[20]
Soundtrack
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Glance at a Thousand Year Old Romance (一眼千恋)" (Ending theme song) | Chen Weilun | Ling Jing | Fang Yuan | |
| 2. | "The Love Knot (结爱)" | Chen Weilun | Shen Yadong | Zhang Yangyang | |
| 3. | "Suzaku Street (朱雀街)" | Song Bingyang | Song Bingyang, Zhi Mo | Song Bingyang | |
| 4. | "Goodnight Goodbye" | Song Bingyang | Song Bingyang & Huang Shuhui |
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24th Huading Awards | Best Actor (Modern Drama) | Huang Jingyu | Won | [21] |
| Golden Bud - The Third Network Film And Television Festival | Top Ten Series | Moonshine and Valentine | Won | [22] |
| 12th Tencent Video Star Awards | Won | [23] | ||
| 30th China TV Golden Eagle Award | Outstanding Television Series | Won | [24] | |
| Audience's Choice for Actress | Victoria Song | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "《结爱》25集投入1.4亿 口碑没崩主要靠编导". Sina (in Chinese). May 16, 2018.
- ^ "《结爱千岁大人的初恋》定档 宋茜黄景瑜甜蜜开虐". Netease (in Chinese). April 18, 2018.
- ^ "李嘉铭《结爱》收官，宽永结局引粉丝惊喜". Netease (in Chinese). June 14, 2018.
- ^ "李燊出演《千岁大人的初恋》 与黄景瑜主仆情深". Tencent (in Chinese). September 8, 2017.
- ^ "《结爱·千岁大人的初恋》海报公开 江奇霖手拿纸伞演绎极端爱恋". Netease (in Chinese). May 4, 2018.
- ^ "《结爱·千岁大人的初恋》张柏嘉化身千花大人". Netease (in Chinese). May 10, 2018.
- ^ "《千岁大人的初恋》9日播 苏可黄景瑜父子飙演技". Netease (in Chinese). May 8, 2018.
- ^ "王鑫反派强势助攻结爱千岁大人 千年虐恋震撼来袭". Netease (in Chinese). May 9, 2018.
- ^ "《结爱·千岁大人的初恋》杨凯迪助攻身份成疑". Netease (in Chinese). May 4, 2018.
- ^ "王嘉宁《结爱》饰演神秘角色方近雪 引发剧情悬念". Netease (in Chinese). May 31, 2018.
- ^ "《千岁大人的初恋》开机 刘泳希助攻宋茜机智过人". Sina (in Chinese). September 7, 2017.
- ^ "《结爱·千岁大人的初恋》曝海报 徐开骋温柔亮相". ifeng (in Chinese). May 2, 2018.
- ^ "许芳铱参演新剧《结爱·千岁大人的初恋》". Tencent (in Chinese). September 7, 2017.
- ^ "马小媛摇身变杂志社时尚达人 新剧热播犀利怼宋茜". CCTV (in Chinese). May 15, 2018.
- ^ "《结爱》曼谷开机 宋茜黄景瑜上演千年绝恋". Netease (in Chinese). September 7, 2017.
- ^ "《结爱》曼谷杀青 李燊化身狐仙宿世纠葛反差萌". Sina (in Chinese). December 8, 2017.
- ^ "热播剧解锁圈粉新方式 细节要精准情感表达要真挚". Sina (in Chinese). June 5, 2018.
- ^ "宋茜黄景瑜《结爱》获好评 导演坚持用原声". Sina (in Chinese). May 22, 2018.
- ^ "《结爱》迈进20亿大关，腾讯视频"剧阵"表现惹眼". Xuehua (in Chinese). June 21, 2018.
- ^ "《结爱》编剧回应结局争议：向失望观众表示歉意". Sina (in Chinese). June 8, 2018.
- ^ "张嘉译陈数获华鼎奖最佳男女主 "魏璎珞"摘奖". Sina (in Chinese). November 9, 2018.
- ^ "罗晋戚薇获封年度品质男女演员 宋祖儿谈大学生活". Netease (in Chinese). January 13, 2019.
- ^ "腾讯视频星光盛典：Baby美杨超越萌，老戏骨们最有范儿". Tencent (in Chinese). 18 December 2018.
- ^ "第30届金鹰奖提名名单：易烊千玺入围最佳男演员，蒋雯丽赵丽颖争视后". ifeng (in Chinese). September 15, 2020.