Review: Moonlit Reunion (2025) 子夜归
Summary: A distant member of the Mei family, Mei Zhu Yu (ft Xu Kai 许凯) arrives in Chang An as a new member of Xuan Jian Si, the Supernatural Investigation Bureau. He encounters the beautiful yet apparently arrogant Wu Zhen (ft Tian Xi Wei 田曦薇). Mei Zhu Yu is determined to uncover the mystery of the Sky Fire that killed his parents 18 years ago, believing it has connections to demons. Wu Zhen is a half cat demon who gained her powers 18 years ago and is now the powerful Cat Protector of the Demon Market. She, along with the Snake Protector Liu Tai Zhen (ft Wang Jia Yi 王佳怡) maintain peace in Chang An. Unfortunately, there continues to be those who strive to disrupt this peace for nefarious reasons.
Platform: Tencent
Episodes: 38
Airing Date: Aug 18, 2025
Initial Rating [after 25 episodes]: 6.7/10 – A whimsical and gorgeous period fantasy romance about demons and celestial priests. Tian Xi Wei effortlessly embodies the Cat demon and steals the limelight. Unfortunately Xu Kai delivers a flat performance. The drama also unnecessarily drags with extraneous plotlines and characters
Mei Zhu Yu 梅逐雨 Xu Kai 许凯
New member of Xuan Jian Si and relative of Noble Consort Mei
Wu Zhen 武祯 Tian Xi Wei 田曦薇
Protector of the Demon Market and embodies the spirit of a Cat demon.
Liu Tai Zhen 柳太真 Wang Jia Yi 王佳怡
Protector of the Demon Market and embodies the spirit of a Snake demon
Pei Ji Ya 裴季雅 Zhu Zheng Ting 朱正廷
Cousin to Wu Zhen with his own motives
Wu Zi Shu 无字书 Wu Jun Ting 吴俊霆
Book demon and key member protecting the Demon Market
Mei Si 梅四 Yi Da Qian 易大千
Cousin to Mei Zhu Yu and betrothed to Liu Tai Zhen
Hu Zhu 斛珠 Fan Shi Ran 范诗然
Fox demon and key member protecting the Demon Market
Shuang Jiang 霜降 Chan Jing Rao 单敬尧
Fellow disciple with Mei Zhu Yu who vows to find and destroy demons
Plot Overview
According to legend, a mysterious Demon Market exists within the city of Chang An. This Demon Market is jointly managed by a Cat Protector and Snake Protector to ensure demons do not enter into the human realm to cause chaos and to protect them from destruction at the hands of Celestial Priests from Chang Xi Palace. Humans established Xuan Jian Si, the Supernatural Investigation Bureau to destroy demons. Humans and Demons now live in relative peace in the two dimensions.
By day, the Cat Protector takes the human form of Wu Zhen (Tian Xi Wei), the Empress’s sister. By night, she secretly oversees the Demon Market, a refuge for displaced demons. When a wave of new demons enters the human realm, Wu Zhen and her demon allies work to capture them and guide them to safety within the Market. Meanwhile, Mei Zhu Yu (Xu Kai), a poor cousin of the influential Mei clan, arrives in Chang’an to serve in the Supernatural Investigation Bureau. Tasked with tracking demon rumors and investigating their destruction, he frequently crosses paths with Wu Zhen, who also happens to be acquainted with his cousin Mei Si (Yi Da Qian) through social gatherings. As Wu Zhen and Mei Zhu Yu pursue the same cases, their paths intertwine again and again. Through perilous encounters, they grow closer, yet both conceal secrets that could change everything.
Initial Thoughts
Tian Xi Wei is easily the standout of this drama. She shines in Tang Dynasty inspired costumes and brings a graceful, feline charm to her role, effortlessly capturing the essence of a cat demon. By contrast, her co-star Xu Kai turns in a disappointingly flat performance that drains energy from his solo scenes.
The overall premise of kindhearted demons managing the Demon Market while racing against celestial priests to rescue misguided souls has real potential, and the drama is most compelling when it leans into these supernatural storylines. Unfortunately, the narrative often meanders, bogged down by lengthy detours into supporting characters who contribute little to the central plot.
As a lighthearted fantasy romance, the drama is visually gorgeous, with a strikingly attractive cast and lavish costumes. Yet it ultimately squanders much of its promise.
Its reception of the drama has reflected this missed potential. The series has struggled to cross 270,000 on Tencent’s popularity index and faltered against summer heavyweight This Thriving Land (生万物) right from its debut. The situation was further worsened by Xu Kai’s cheating scandal, which broke just five days into its run, leading to his complete absence from promotions and social media. Unfortunately, this overshadowed what should have been a breakout moment for Tian Xi Wei, who remains the brightest part of an otherwise uneven production.
What I Liked
- Tian Xi Wei as Wu Zhu: Whoever decided to cast Tian Xi Wei as a cat demon deserves a lot of credit. She is an absolute delight as Wu Zhen, bringing a surprising amount of charm and nuance to the role. Her performance feels both lively and intelligent. As Wu Zhen, the human sister of the Empress, she has the wealth, status, and beauty to be highly sought after in Chang An society. Yet Tian Xi Wei imbues her with a playful irreverence, gliding through the elite with a subtle air of disdain that makes her irresistible to watch. It also helps that the story is set in a fictionalized Tang Dynasty era, where women enjoy more social freedom than in other dynasties. As the Cat Protector, she is tasked with showing strength and authority to command respect. Tian Xi Wei delivers well in these scenes, though I do wish she projected a bit more of a commanding aura in her demon form. Still, she looks stunning in her Cat Protector outfits, which feel both elegant and distinct, perfectly capturing the individuality of the character’s feline spirit.
- Sisterhood with the Snake Protector: One of the drama’s greatest strengths is the bond between the Cat and Snake Protectors. Their sisterhood feels genuine, full of playful banter and mutual respect. They watch each other’s backs, aren’t afraid to challenge one another, and radiate an easy camaraderie that makes their scenes a joy to watch. As two of the most powerful demons, their partnership feels both natural and empowering. Honestly, I’d happily watch an entire drama centered on just the Cat and Snake Protectors and their circle of demon friends.
- Liu Tai Zhen and Mei Si’s Relationship: Among all the romantic pairings, Liu Tai Zhen and Mei Si stands out. Mei Si may be a kindhearted idle rich youth without real skills, but he pours earnest effort into his engagement with Liu Tai Zhen, always respecting her boundaries. In turn, Liu Tai Zhen communicates clearly and refuses to let romance overshadow her identity as the Snake Protector. Their relationship works precisely because it is balanced. He is supportive and persistent without ever being overbearing, while she remains her own person with a compelling backstory. Mei Si’s comedic charm and sincerity make him one of the rare male characters not consumed by love or prejudice, and this ship is a quiet highlight of the show.
- Beautiful Costumes and Sets: Visually, the drama is stunning. From the lavish sets to the Tang Dynasty–inspired costumes, every frame feels like a feast for the eyes. Each demon’s wardrobe reflects their character traits especially the Cat and Snake Protectors, whose costumes cleverly weave their animal identities into the design. The result is a world that feels textured, stylish, and alive. The CGI is sometimes uneven but it doesn’t detract from the overall viewing experience.
What Didn't Work
- Xu Kai as Mei Zhu Yu: Xu Kai is unfortunately one of the weakest aspects of this drama. His performance is wooden and flat, with very little emotion showing in his eyes. Most of the time he stares blankly at someone or something and mechanically recites his lines. At best, he occasionally furrows his brow, but otherwise he just stands stiffly with minimal movement. In his scenes opposite Tian Xi Wei, the burden of creating chemistry clearly falls on her. He merely reacts while she carries their interactions. They certainly make a visually striking couple, but it’s hard to root for them when one side isn’t bringing any emotional depth.
- Demon Catching Falls Flat, Powers Ill-Defined: For a fantasy drama that revolves around demons and celestial priests, there’s surprisingly little actual demon-catching from the priests. When demons are confronted, conflicts resolve far too quickly and without impact, leaving everything feeling muted and anticlimactic. In the first fifteen episodes, Mei Zhu Yu shows his powers and engages in martial arts maybe three times. When Xu Kai finally gets action scenes, he looks good but the script sidelines him far too often. To make matters worse, one of his sect members is portrayed as almost entirely useless when it comes to celestial abilities, which makes it hard to believe in the supposed power of the Celestial Priests at all.
- Meandering plot lines and bloated scenes: The drama introduces a host of human and demon characters, but many of their storylines lead nowhere. It often feels like characters are introduced simply to justify screentime. Several episodes pad their runtime with flashbacks, replaying earlier scenes rather than moving the story forward. The pacing is inconsistent: while certain arcs rush by, others drag interminably. I understand that this at it’s core is a romance drama so there will be a lot of scenes pushing the romance but even then, the pacing is inconsistent.
- Scene stealers for the wrong reasons: To add to the point above, many characters get a lot of screen time for the wrong reasons. Two male characters in particular eat up an excessive amount of screentime without adding much value. One spends episode after episode brooding and descends into villainy, constantly lamenting his lost love. We get it, but dedicating half an episode to the same monologue grows tedious. The other character showcases his incompetence and prejudice again and again, with little growth to redeem his behavior. He’s not a bad guy, just ignorant and it’s obvious he’ll eventually be rewarded with a romantic pairing, but slogging through his storyline was frustrating and unrewarding.