The market for historical costume dramas, primarily targeting young audiences, has always welcomed the arrival of dramas with higher attractiveness, fresher faces, and more sophisticated costume and set designs. Even before the arrival of summer, various types of historical costume dramas based on IP have flooded the market. Leading the charge is “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact,” the first live-action adaptation of the popular anime “Fox Spirit Matchmaker,” produced by iQIYI.
Starring Yang Mi and Gong Jun, it is an eastern fantasy drama. The strong appeal of A-list actors, magnificent scenery, and exquisite costume design have become the magic weapons for attracting attention and winning over fans. With top-notch production values, the series delivers a visual feast, presenting a dazzling array of beauties and scenery imbued with Eastern charm, immersing viewers in its splendor. Many have predicted that “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” will surely secure a place on the hot drama charts at the end of May.
As expected, the drama's premiere attracted attention, with its popularity on streaming platforms surpassing 8888 within 19 hours. It quickly climbed to the top spot on popular drama charts on platforms from the second day of its TV broadcast. Various trending topics on social media platforms continue to generate buzz, making it fastest drama to surpass most views in 2024. With the enthusiastic support of female viewers, analyses of the main actors' appearances and makeup tutorials have proliferated across the internet.
“Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” brings together various high-topic romance elements. It spares no effort in the early episodes to construct a unique and expansive world for the demon clan, meticulously crafting the lives of demons from different classes and personalities. While fox spirit stories are not uncommon, everything takes on a new dimension with “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact.”
Family Strife in Fox Spirit Matchmaker
In contrast to many dramas that focus solely on the romantic storyline between the main male and female leads, “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” starts by depicting the ecology of Tushan, which grows in nature yet remains isolated from the mundane world, along with its charming female characters.
The righteous leader of the fox clan, Tushan Honghong (played by Yang Mi), is dedicated to maintaining peace between humans and demons. Many years ago, she saved the creatures of Tushan from the ambitious Stone Ji (played by Wen Zhengrong), putting an end to the endless war between humans and demons that had lasted for three hundred years. Over the years, she has continuously suppressed the dark power eroding the Sorrowful Tree with her magic, sacrificing her own spiritual bones to protect her family.
Despite being the head of Tushan, Honghong exudes no demonic aura but embodies true goodness and beauty. She believes that “true strength lies not in conquest but in protection,” showcasing her benevolent nature. Tushan Yaya (played by Guo Xiaoting), the second-in-command, is both powerful and innocent, while Tushan Rongrong (played by Hu Lianxin), responsible for managing the fox clan's finances, is the strongest support for Honghong. Together, the “Tushan Sisters” form a dazzling landscape of the demon clan whenever they appear.
The costume and set designs in the drama are top-notch, setting a new standard for historical costume dramas in recent years. Every detail, from color coordination to design, is meticulously crafted. The eye-catching Tushan eye makeup that adds radiance to the actors' eyes has quickly become a popular makeup trend across the internet. The transformation of Dongfang Yuchu (played by Gong Jun), a human orphan raised by demons, is also a focal point of the drama. On one hand, he has been influenced by the demons since childhood, possessing a kind and cunning personality. On the other hand, he carries the secrets of various races and bears the responsibility of uniting humans and demons.
Besides the great love that saves lives, there is also room for small acts of love that fill the soul. The evolving relationship between Dongfang Yuechu and Tushan Honghong, from initial rivalry to becoming trusted comrades, is a delight for viewers. Despite their differences in status, they cannot hide their genuine affection for each other and their soulful connection. Yuechu once risked his life to enter Honghong's dreams to save her, and in return, Honghong willingly sacrificed her spiritual bones to rebuild the heart of the Sorrowful Tree for Yuchu. This bond between the stoic elder sister and loyal younger brother, has kept viewers hooked, with the storyline focusing on key plot developments rather than rushing to add sweetness.
In the vast world of Fox Spirit Matchmaker, most of the story in the Red-Moon Pact takes place in the realm of Tushan. How to present this magnificent and dreamy imaginary scene posed a major challenge. Through advanced post-production special effects, the series presents breathtaking fairyland-like scenery, complemented by meticulously crafted costume and set designs that resonate with the core audience's appreciation for Eastern fantasy aesthetics.
After the premiere, many viewers noticed that the drama's timeline is set in ancient times. Director Mai Guanzhi stated that while the storyline of Tushan Honghong and Dongfang Yuechu occupies a smaller portion in the anime, “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” focuses on this part, making the drama version more like a prequel to the anime in terms of timeline. He believes that the Fox Spirit Matchmaker anime series has drawn a magnificent and grand Eastern fantasy world, creating images of humans and demons with strong Eastern characteristics.
“The story's world is divided into inside and outside circles. In the inner circle, the Sorrowful Tree continues the love between humans and demons, possessing the ability to continue fate across reincarnations. In the outer circle, the Black Fox tries to amplify the dark side of sentient beings, gradually devouring everything inside the circle.” Under the supervision of the copyright owner, the creative team of the series adheres to the principle of not deviating from the core of the original work, making appropriate adjustments to the timeline of the Sorrowful Tree's continuation of fate between humans and demons. Combining different stories from different eras into the same timeline and expanding the backgrounds of various characters in each unit story was also the biggest challenge of this adaptation.
The story of Fox Spirit Matchmaker, whether in the anime version or the live-action version, explores mutual understanding and tolerance under different perspectives and conflicts between different races. It can be said that it begins with “What is love?” and extends to seeing all living beings and aiding the world.
Powerful Cast and Well-suited Characters
Countless examples have proven that when beauty, scenery, and exquisite makeup come together, they can unleash tremendous energy, not only boosting local cultural tourism but also influencing a generation's aesthetic standards. If in recent years, historical costume dramas have dominated the realm of beauty economics, then the role of the cast in fantasy historical dramas is even more significant.
“Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” features precise casting, with actors like Yang Mi, Gong Jun, Guo Xiaoting, Wei Zheming, Hu Lianxin, and Zhu Xudan, who are either A-list stars active in the market in recent years or promising newcomers with exceptional looks. Their appearances and character influences in historical costumes have been rigorously tested in the market, making them outstanding players in the historical drama arena.
Therefore, when actors' images are paired with exquisite costume and makeup, they can present a synergistic effect that exceeds the sum of its parts. For example, the representative colors of the Tushan Three Sisters, namely red, purple, and green, not only match the temperament implied by their names but also closely reflect the characters' personalities.
Tushan Honghong exudes dominance and charm, making red the perfect match for her; Tushan Yaya, with her formidable combat skills and proud appearance, is best complemented by purple to highlight her aura; while Tushan Rongrong, with her rounded appearance and calculated inner nature, is symbolized by green, pure yet misleading to her opponents.
Dongfang Yuechu's blue attire emphasizes his elegance and youthful innocence. Princess Bu Tai (played by Zhu Xudan), brave and passionate in love yet longing for peace, is best accentuated by gold to highlight her noble status. The use of costume colors in “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” not only gives the series a strong visual impact but also accurately summarizes the personality colors of each character, reflecting the production team's understanding and expression of the traditional cultural significance of colors.
In addition to focusing on the characters, the scenes, special effects, and artifact designs in the drama all incorporate Eastern aesthetic characteristics, creating a fantastically beautiful fantasy world. The mountain formations in Tushan are inspired by ancient paintings, with majestic and towering peaks exuding a grand aura. The Sorrowful Tree, hanging upside down on the mountain top and filled with spiritual energy, is meticulously crafted and serves as a major setting in the drama. These visual elements draw inspiration from Chinese scenic spots such as Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Mount Lu, and Mount Huang, while the composition is inspired by the “window views” and “borrowed scenery” of ancient Chinese paintings and architecture.
The color system of light effects in the series still employs traditional Chinese colors, such as cyan, agarwood, reed, bamboo moon, lilac, and camel brown. In the design of the magic array, motifs from traditional Chinese artifacts are used for inspiration, and the intangible cultural heritage of the Zhang family's paper folding art is introduced. In the drama, a delicate paper crane serves as a letter for communication among humans.
“Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” incorporates traditional Chinese aesthetics into the work, from large-scale scenes to the costumes and accessories of the main characters, all reflecting the inheritance of China's intangible cultural heritage. Externally, it embodies the grandeur of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, blending and coexisting, while internally, it contains traditional Chinese etiquette, ethics, and psychological structures, revealing the continuation of tradition in the contemporary era.
Fresh Exploration of Oriental Fantasy Work
In terms of genre development, Chinese fantasy dramas in the early years mostly revolved around male protagonists. However, nowadays, these dramas focus on portraying progressive and highly individualized female characters. There has been a shift in the portrayal of protagonists and the expression of emotions. From the simple narrative of a hot-blooded young hero adventuring in the world, the genre has expanded to encompass the entire family, with a broader scope in the conflict between good and evil and the realization of female self-worth. The emotional storylines have become more diverse, no longer confined solely to romantic relationships.
In terms of scene composition and costume design, there has been a trend towards increasing refinement, personalization, and realism, leveraging advanced technology to fully restore the elegance and literati sentiment of Oriental aesthetics. This includes both the expression of traditional values of truth, goodness, and beauty, as well as the call for a new generation that breaks through conventions, transcends constraints, and bravely fights for love.
“Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” creates a brand new Chinese strange world. While in the past, works like “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio” mainly depicted spirits entering the human world and experiencing human emotions and desires, influenced by human society and emotional rules, conveying a sense of wildness and innocence to the audience, in “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact,” humans thrive in the world of spirits, completely breaking down the barriers and boundaries between the two. Presented from the perspective of a human youth, it paints a panoramic view of a fantastical world of Chinese supernatural fantasies.
Here, spirits also collect rent and debts, plan their daily lives, and maintain their daily necessities. This anthropomorphic worldview, coupled with an immersive experience, is more in line with the aesthetic tastes of contemporary audiences. The bustling atmosphere of the human market contrasts with the ethereal atmosphere of the spirits, and these playful and realistic details create unique spaces and textures for each character in the drama.
Overall, “Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact” has made further explorations in the production of Oriental fantasy dramas through innovative character portrayal, meticulous setting, lighting, and costume design, integrating cultural intersections and regional characteristics into the broader category of romanticism. The romantic love story transcending ethnic groups will undoubtedly lead to intriguing developments, and the chemistry between the male and female leads with their new identities is something audiences will eagerly anticipate as the story unfolds.