Here’s my update on my drama schedule this month.
I’m watching “Love Like a Galaxy” but I’ve decided I’ll mimic the way most drama viewers watch shows, and not bother to understand the plot. The impressions I got from this pseudo-historical are that a) all Chinese mothers are the real power behind the throne, b) Chinese young ladies are shallow fangirls, and c) independent thinkers like Shao Sheng — and Bitches like us — have an uphill battle.
For you, @Fern, I’ll check out “A Dream of Splendor.” I’m moving it up on my queue but I downgraded Yang Yang’s “You Are My Glory.”
I’m also watching “Today’s Webtoon” because it’s light-hearted and it’s only 12 episodes long. @GB, I’m halfway done with Ep 2. There’s one scene that touched me. It was when the Master Artist was talking to his wife about his great disappointment.
He said,
“I guess it’s time to step aside. But the part that shocks me more is that, while I was drawing all this time, the messages I wanted to deliver was never delivered at all. The fact that humans and life are precious and beautiful. That tenderness is actually strength. None of that was conveyed. Not to the readers. And not even to someone next to me all this time.”
I get him. I keenly do. There have been times when I just want to auto-destruct this blog and start all over again elsewhere.
I’m seriously considering dropping “Alchemy of Souls.” I haven’t watched Eps 13 and 14.
This drama has 30 episodes. To compare it to chess, we’re done with the opening (Eps 1 to 10) and we’re now well into the middle game (Eps 11 to 20), and the end game will be in Season 2 (Eps 21 to 30). I don’t like the slow drip-drip-drip of revelations on soul-shifting and soul-shifters. For two reasons:
One, in my opinion, the Hong sisters are protracting the subject of AoS, making it into a long-drawn-out mystery, and teasing the viewers to keep them interested. At this point, who hasn’t been involved in the AoS? Park Jin?
Two, I get annoyed when viewers can’t keep up with the story, and use feelings for discernment, instead of thinking things through.
Judging from @Cleopatra’s updates (thank you, dear!), I might just wait till the Hong sisters get their act together and binge-watch this. Saves me the aggravation.
New for me this month.
1. Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist
It’s a genius Royal Physician who gets kicked out from the royal court because of some conspiracy.
Pros:
a. It has Kim MinJae (Dali and the Cocky Prince).
b. It’s only 12 episodes long!
c. It believe it’s a romcom. I expect a happy ending.
d. It starts today, Monday, August 1.
e. It’s on Viki. I already have subscription. I don’t have to sign up for Disney+.
Cons:
a. Then, again, it’s on Viki. Subs will take longer.
b. Dunno actress.
2. Good Job
The fans of “Bossam: Steal the Fate” will want to watch this show since the two leads are back together again.
Pros:
a. Jung Il Woo and Kwon Yuri are back together!
b. It’s 16 episodes.
c. It’s a romcom. If I’m reading the synopsis correctly, Jung Il Woo plays a typical chaebol dude by day, then he moonlights as a detective after office hours. Kwon Yuri plays a nerdy girl with special abilities to help him with the cases.
d. It’s on every Friday and Saturday Wednesdays and Thursdays, beginning Aug 24.
Cons:
a. I still don’t know who’s picking this up. Viki or Netflix?
b. This already had a change of directors so not everything is a “good job” on the set.
3. A Dream of Splendor
For my Chinese drama fix, I’ll check this out.
Pros:
a. It’s finished. All 40 episodes are up on Viki.
b. The actress, Liu Yifei, is really pretty to look at. If I’ve to spend 40 hours watching the female character, I’d rather have someone who’s pleasing to the eye. Similarly, I wouldn’t pick something like Munch’s “The Scream” or Basquiat “Untitled (Skull)” to hang in the bedroom.
c. The actor isn’t bad looking himself.
d. It’s recommended by @Fern.
Cons:
a. It’s 40 episodes.
b. If this doesn’t work out for me, I’ll blame @Fern. Haha.
Happy drama watching to all of you this month!
Kalimera @Packmule3 and have a nice month everyone!
Since I will be on vacations pretty soon, I am not going to start watching anything new.
I will continue to watch “Alchemy of Souls” and “Cafe Minamdang” in order to finish them both.
Then, I will definitely watch “If You Wish Upon Me” that is on Viki. It starts 08/10 and Ji Chang Wook and Choi Soo Young are the main OTP. It is a healing drama
More Info : https://asianwiki.com/If_You_Wish_Upon_Me
and If I have time I will binge watch “Today’s Webtoon”.
There is also good feedback about Ji Sung’s “Adamas” and Lee Jong-Suk’s comeback with “Big Mouth”.
I feel like that JOMO is so needed so I will just do that. New series can wait!
P.S. @Packmule3, I will continue to write my thoughts on AoS’s upcoming threads, so you will be updated regularly! I will do my best! 😊
Thanks, @Cleopatra. I’m relying on YOU and the other regulars.
My inbox is flooded with posts from newbies wanting to join the blog, and I simply do not have the time, energy or inclination to wade through them and monitor people once they’re in to see how they interact with the oldies.
I’m on vacation. I’m JOMO-ing.
And I’m happy with the personnel we’ve already got.
@Packmule3,
Relax and enjoy your vacations! I know how important is to have some days off everything that you have nothing to worry about. You need to recharge.
I might be MIA myself when I will go on vacations as well, but I will post when I have something to say and mostly if I want to check how everyone is going. <3
Have a great vacation, @Cleopatra!
I’ll work on my list of WRTW for you tomorrow ok. I’ve actually started it already. Sorry. 😬
True, Niaoniao will have a very uphill battle especially with the palace politics. I wonder how long they’ll survive that. I thought the plot is to get revenge on the massacre of Guo City and finding love like the Galaxy. Cheesy? 😂 what episode are you on now?
I have a feeling you’ll like ADoS just like @Fern. 😉
I think I’ll stick with AOS and Cafe Minamdang for now. I won’t start on anything else yet but thank you for the list. 🙇🏻♀️
I totally understand you about re-setting but please please if ever, is it possible to get a warning at least? 😬
Thank you @Packmule3,
I just want to be at the beach for some time. I have missed that tranquility…
Enjoy yourself too!
@Packmule3 and @agdr03, I wasn’t the first to enjoy ADoS – @Kate reminded me that she and some others discussed it earlier on one of the threads. I just fell into it more recently via a recommendation by Soompi.
May I join @agdr03 in a wish that if you reset, you will let some of us know? I’m sorry that you are feeling burdened.
“The soft overcomes the hard. Make a world where people help each other.” This was another message in the first two episodes of Today’s Webtoon, but it is a feeling that I get in many of the threads here and it lifts me up – a recent example being the thread about @OAL. Please don’t be discouraged.
@agdr03,
Don’t worry. I’ll tell you where I am when I do a great restart.
But you may not want to stay if I’ve a political and/or legal blog. 🙂
@Fern and @Agdr03,
I second that. I would like to know as well, if @Packmule3 decides something like that…
Happy August all. My list for the month is:
Mid-way:
– AoS
– Extraordinary Attorney Woo
New ones I’ll start:
– Poong, because like you PM3 I enjoyed Kim Min Jae in Dali and this story looks interesting.
– Today’s webtoon
What I’m dropping/waiting for them to finish running before watching:
– Jinxed at First. The manic pixie dream girl quasi 12-yr old-Esque FL is too off putting. I like Na in woo but it just feels a bit like watching an adult romance a child (too horrific)
– Cafe Minamdang: I only watched 3 episodes, may pick it up once it’s done. I picked up Korean Odyssey in the middle and am super anti that FL now and her terrible acting. Couldn’t bear to watch her again onscreen hence paused Cafe Minamdang.
– Korean Odyssey: Dropped at 6 episodes. Can’t stand FL. Or how Mawang overacts.
While I have a Disney+ subscription, I don’t have a VPN subscription and not looking to set one up. It’s so annoying that all the good new releases are somehow going to Disney+. I hope they start to release them here soon or Viki picks them up eventually.
Was it @Kate who recommended ADoS to the blog, @Fern? I wasn’t following the conversation until @agdr03 mentioned ADoS.
Sorry, @Kate!
But what’s the point of having a Great Reset if you’ll all follow me again, @Fern? I may not do kdrama. Kdramas were supposed to be my outlet.
I may go back to my roots, politics and law. But then it’ll be a slugfest.
Or I may start a blog about gardening. Gardening is so relaxing, don’t you think? I don’t have a green thumb but I like fussing over my plants. My canna flowers are blooming right now — or at least they were before we left for vacation. I hope they’re deer resistant. The sunflowers should be out, too.
Maybe I’ll do a blog about restoring old homes. My husband and I had so much fun doing a restoration on a brick townhouse that we bought. It would be interesting if we restored an old Victorian house this time. I just love the patina of old wood. I won’t get clicks/views because it’ll be interesting only to a niche crowd.
MrsRJH1,
I laughed at your comment about Jinxed at First. Yes, that actress there reminds me of antique Victorian dolls. My aunt had a china cabinet full of them. Their porcelain heads with the painted expressions always gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Same thing with “Jinxed at First.” I’m glad she has fans who’ll support her acting no matter what. But she’s wooden to me that even her aegyo strikes me as grotesque.
@Packmule3
Politics and law sounds like (tiring) fun to me but I am game to be a lurker 🙂
All things aside: I am sorry that you feel burdened. Even when it is love, it can still be tiring. I hope you get a chance to rejuvenate. And here I will borrow a line from Kim Do Joo: “You will always be our precious to us irrespective of how competent or incompetent Durineem you are!” (of course this needs to be tweaked to our current context: You will always be precious to us irrespective of whether you decide to shut this down or no… life is about processes and this is a beautiful process — whenever I think of kdrama communities, I think of your password protected posts 🙂 )
I get why you would want to drop AoS and it is true… the final set will be played in season 2 and I hope that they finish it asap and release it in September or October 😀
I made a mess of her quote, sorry. But you know which scene and dialogue I am talking about. But the tweaked quote isn’t that bad 😀
Stay safe and happy holidays.
@packmule3, I’ll follow you wherever you go.
Some effluvia-You Are My Glory is now on Viki. Disney+ for K Dramas in the USA to use the vernacular but sucks without a VPN. I don’t care about Marvel universe even though I am curious to see Park Seo Joon’s role(rumor has it that he plays a gender queen role).
Chinese dramas are fun but have too many episodes for me-I s,ip a ,ot of them.
I am going to watch some older dramas like Descendants of the Sun. I am watching Gangnam Beauty now and .ikong it. Am also watching Money Heist Korea-love the cast including Kim Yunjim-late of Lost and a former Staten Island resident and product of NYC public schools(she went to Laguardia-the great performing arts Hugh school before she went to college in Boston).And I think Yoo GiTae is so handsome. So much for shallow island.
All of these dramas serve as great distractions for our current challenges and serve to re-energize me. And BOD discussions with the inimitable pm3 and the regulars keep me sane. You all don’t know how great you are. Thank you.
@noone such a perfectly apt Kim Doju quote here. +1 to that @packmule3. You’ve created such a special and unique community.
I’d follow along to whatever new interest takes your fancy, since with your in-depth POV I’m sure I would find it deeply fascinating too.
And literal lols re: creepy dolls with painted on expressions.
Hello everyone! Since the end of Yumi’s Cells, I have not been actively watching any new k-dramas. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Since just before the beginning of Covid I’ve had a new k-drama or two to keep me going. But I can’t seem to get started on or continue anything new with much enthusiasm.
–I didn’t find AoS compelling so I dropped it in the middle of Episode 2. My problem with it was that, from the get-go, I found it hard to root for a main character who is a murderer (cough-cough–Hotel de Luna). Perhaps, like @packmule3, I’ll binge AoS when it is done.
–Same with Café Minamdang. I almost got to the end of Episode 3 and then never went back. I don’t know what to make of it. I read someone’s comment here that there is an unexpected murder (in what I thought was supposed to be a comedy), so that makes me even less eager to pick it up again. If any BOD-er sees my comment here: can you tell me, after it has finished, if it’s worth watching all the way through?
–I recently convinced my hubby to watch Money Heist: Korea with me (his first k-drama!). It was entertaining but instantly forgettable. I’m not sure we’ll watch the second season. For one thing, some things happened that weren’t explained and/or believable (For example, I’ll try to not make this a spoiler: one character is being chased by the police and jumps into a canal, emerging unscathed several hundred feet away, and manages to escape; there is no reason that so many police wouldn’t have run to both ends of the canal to look for him. I found that sloppy writing/plotting).
–I occasionally watch Tomorrow while I’m working out or eating lunch (I’m only on Episode 8) because I’m interested in their version of the afterlife as a bureaucracy, and the back story set in the Joseon era intrigues me somewhat. But I am turned off by Rowoon’s limited acting skills, and I find their depiction of the lives of depressed people in SK really depressing and ultimately exhausting/boring (I get it, I get it, they led a sad life, but I don’t need to see every tragic moment re-enacted). There is one episode in this show that I would recommend though, which I think you could watch as a stand-alone: Episode 6, about a Korean war veteran. The ending was quite moving.
–I am thinking of watching some older/already finished k-dramas that I’ve missed, like Kingdom (with my hubby, who can tell me when not to look!), Misaeng, Pachinko (finally), Dr. Romantic, and Move to Heaven. In the meantime, I have been re-watching some old favorites, k-drama and otherwise. My daughter and I re-watched the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice this weekend (we’ve seen it so much we played a game of guessing the next line). And I’ve been re-watching Crash Landing on You on my iPad while I work out. It’s so different to see it now, when I better understand k-drama tropes, than when I first watched it since it was my first k-drama!
–I will look into Today’s Webtoon, Good Job, and (maybe) Extraordinary Attorney Woo; I’m usually not a fan of the FL but I’ve heard she’s good in this role. But, mostly, I intend to spend the month of August reading more books. Now that the world doesn’t seem to be in the midst of a world-wide pandemic, I seem to have regained the ability to concentrate so I can actually sit down and read! (Hope Monkey Pox doesn’t prove to be the next big thing…)
@BethB, Speaking of Jane Austen, I watched the latest version of Persuasion. I wanted to like it but I came away with disappointment. It wasn’t the verbal anachronisms but the pacing, the chronology, continuity and the general affect that I felt was flat. The whole denouement where Ann realizes that Wentworth truly loved her was not as dramatic as I thought it should be. The show wasted Richard E Grant and Henry Golding. I also thought that the actress who played Lady Russell who was good, was not given enough to do to round out her role and purpose. She is supposed to be a snob and concerned with money but it didn’t come through. And the whole thing about sexualizing the European tour was downright unseemly. I still like the Amanda Root/cuarin Hinds version best with the Sally Hawkins/Rupert Penry-Jones version second. I would say don’t waste your time
(I also felt that Gwyneth Paltrow was the worst Emma. She didn’t hold a candle to the young Kate Beckinsale who was also great in Cold Comfort Farm). So now you know how I spent my time before K Dras-lol…
@OAL thanks for letting me know about Persuasion. I couldn’t even get through the trailer for the new version! I, too, really like the C. Hinds/Amanda Root version (though I found him a little too old for the part). I think it captured the intense melancholy of the book.
I have mixed feelings about the recent PBS adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sanditon. It was hard to like the ML in the first season. I did find the actress who played the FL winsome, which is why I did watch the second season. I think there is a third season yet to come, which I will probably also watch.
Speaking of classics, I’m a little curious about the upcoming k-drama version of Little Women with Kim Go-Eun… Of all the recent adaptations (in English) of LW, I preferred the Masterpiece/PBS version over the Greta Gerwig movie. To be honest, though, after seeing both of those versions in the last few years, I’m not really looking forward to seeing another one.
Hi @Packmule 3 and @Fern,
It was in fact @Dramaluvr who recommended ADoS in the June ‘What are we watching?’ discussion. She was excited about the lead actress’ return to the small screen after 16 years,
I’d seen some excitement about it too in the specialised C-drama blogs and she was so enthusiastic that I had to try it.
@Fan of TKEM was also watching and loving it and added some background to the show – female director etc
I think there is another discussion somewhere with someone else who is/was watching it… can’t find it!
Hi @Packmule3 and @Fern,
Just posted and it seems to have disappeared. This may double post.
Actually, in June’s ‘What are we watching’, it was @Dramaluvr who recommended it because of the lead actress returning to the small screen after 16 years.
I began to watch. Had seen some on-line buzz including very high ratings. @Fan of TKEM was watching too and we discussed briefly – female director, themes, female empowerment.
I thought there was another small discussion but can’t find it. I think someone else also got into it at this stage.
Don’t know why it went to the “Trash” box, @Kate, but I found it and ok’ed it.
No problem at all @Packmule 3!
I will follow you too @pm3. 🙂. I started Today’s Webtoon and will probably just keep watching. Waiting for Little Women. Otherwise kinda just trying to find good books to read to occupy my spare time. Finding novels a bit of a hit and miss.
@Old American Lady, are you a fan of ‘Cold Comfort Farm’? I was given the book by an English Lady who worked with me when I lived in Seattle. The book was so funny and the film did all of the OTT characters justice. Another charming book she recommended was ‘My Family and Other Animals’ by Gerald Durrell.
The English lady had a novel-like life herself – by training she was an architect, but she had worked in the war offices in the underground maps room in London during WW2 when she was in her late teens/early twenties. You know the maps of England with pins and incoming planes – that were moved constantly based on messages received there?
@BethB,I can’t see how the Korean version can even compare to the American versions
First of all the US version took place during the Civil War. There are only three sisters in the K version (Meg, Jo and Amy). Is Kim GoEun Jo? I am curious about how they adapt Marmee, Aunt March, Laurie and the Professor. My thought is that this adaptation will be very broad and probably unrecognizable from the original source. I also read that it will be contemporary. I’ll watch it because it probably will be a new concept. I will watch anything with Kim Go Eun.Ti me, she is incandescent. She pushes the envelope.
@Packmule3, Victorian houses are everywhere around here. They aren’t even listed unless they belonged to someone important or had some extraordinary architectural value. What you really want is Georgian or Regency. Lol.
We used to live in an older stone farmhouse that had been thatched until the 1800s, when it was roofed in slate. It was interesting, but a nightmare to keep in good condition. It was listed and any repair had to be submitted to the council which would only permit like-for-like repairs when whatever was faulty had been patched up to 80% (wooden windows for example). It’s nice now to live in a townhouse that’s only 172 years old and needs just the normal sort of permits for changes.😉
@Fern,I lived Cold Comfort Farm.I loved that quirky movie. Young Rufus Sewell was such a hottie. But the best were all the side characters. I love these people. There is something to be said about a group of eccentric people for humor and pure joy.
I have a lot of the Durrell books in my e-reader library. Your English friend certainly recommended books of great pleasure and charm. In these days pleasure is something we all can use today.
Oh the machinations of Flora Poste. Yes, how Sewell played Rufus as a local Don Juan but somehow an innocent hick as well. (Well, I’m always a bit of a fool for pretty eyes.) The names of all of the characters are a laugh in themselves. Even the cows – Aimless, Feckless, Graceless and ?Pointless…
I am watching Alchemy of Souls and an old C Drama “Legend of Fei” (staring Zhao Li Ying and Wang Yi Bo) when waiting for the new episodes. I have been thinking what makes a good love story. Does it need to be happily ever after? As the story progresses, I just don’t think Alchemy of Souls can end well when it involves using an object to “manage” souls. I think it is romantic to try very hard to save your love, but what if it requires drawing on a power that shouldn’t exist in the world? I am midway in ep 14.
I haven’t finished the Legend of Fei but more than halfway through. I enjoyed it more than AoS.
* Spoiler ahead*. I will go straight to the romance part. The character setting of the male lead is rather tragic. A sole survivor of the previous dynasty, he was not free to do what he wanted. He was a symbol, a hope to revive the past glory of that foregone dynasty. Throughout his life, his dearest died for him to “guilt” him to do the duty or help him survive but still, he is still dying from a deadly poison. Naturally he didn’t want to burden the female lead. However, the female lead embraced that and never gave up trying to find ways to extend his life and looked for that non existed antidote to save him. Again, I don’t see how it can end well, but I cried a few times seeing how they tried their very best to comfort each other with the remaining time. Their lines beautifully capture the sentiment. If there are other Legend of Fei viewers, you may understand what I meant. *spoiler ends*
Going back the AoS, I haven’t got any theory and just waiting for the story to unfold. I do admire Uk’s attempt to save Naksu, but I come to a place that I wish Uk would choose the right path. So what is a good love story? I am thinking the ending I want to see is not Uk managed to get the ice stone but do the right thing and show us the art of trying hard, but also know when to let go.
To me, a good love story can be sad, for the right reason. I think, a make sense sad ending will lock us in that “what if” position. Allow us to mourn that imagined happiness that they never could have. It may be better than a happy ending that may not make sense.
I saw Yang Zi and Cheng Yi’s “Immortal Samsara” is on Viki. Will anyone watch it?
The next thing I am waiting for is Xiao Zhan’s “The Longest Promise”. Some said it will be released in China’s summer holidays but not any more news.
Thank you. ☺️
I’ll follow you alright. I think I’d love the gardening one because I don’t have a green thumb as well but I do care about the flowers especially when it blooms. 🥰
@pkml3 Thanks for this.
You said about Today’s Webtoon:
I know what you mean. Getting a message across… being understood fully is one of the hardest things. Finding persons who read/listen properly is difficult too.
The thing about putting out a message, is that it has to be open to as many as will read, and invariably there will be many who will not ‘get it’. Whether here or elsewhere, if the aim is to reach all or many, the ‘result’ will be the same.
To be fair, I figure that I’m also on the giving (or is it the receiving) end from time to time … and if I just don’t get it, either I ask or wisely hold my peace LOL. That, I believe, and avidly hope, will not add to your stress.
I like the positive vibe in Today’s Webtoon so far, and the character driven plot. I was also touched by the same scene, and extremely gratified to come to the end of the episode, knowing that there were individuals who did put tenderness into practice and that Writer-nim was on the receiving end of it.
Same here @pm3, if you allow me I will follow you too! We always have a super tiny garden but I’m not into gardening until the pandemic happens. Now I’ve discovered the world of the plants as well as the insects.
@Viva, I agree with your idea of what makes a good love story. I really like a happy ending, but what if the only way to get there is through a misuse of power or some other unethical way? Also, I suppose that the more powerful the means is, the shorter the good times will be. This is what I anticipate with AoS part 2.
I’m watching AoS, A Dream of Spendor (slowly), EA Woo. I have some criticisms of each of them, but for the moment, they seem the best I can do. I’m also watching from French language dramas on Netflix.
Regarding AoS, I sometimes get whiplash while going from some well-acted thrilling or beautiful scenes to the very unsubtle afternoon matinee panto aspects of some of the side love scenes. Those seem geared to a totally different and juvenile audience. Somehow they clash like sashimi with a side of frozen pizza.
Happy August dear friends! Greetings from Taiwan.
@Packmule, thanks for your openness and honesty. I am so thankful for this blog and the people here. BOD has given me comfort, insight, laughter, community and joy during some of the hardest moments of my life over the past nearly three years. Thank you all! Arigatogozaimasu. Xie xie!
I’ll follow you if and when you start another blog if you allow as well, whether it be gardening or politics…speaking of which we are a little tense right now (in Taiwan) because of what is going on…praying for peace around the world.
Life is full of changes, and I have been taking a break from work to reflect, recharge, re-evaluate my choices and re-prioritize. I no longer what to spend so much time letting a job take over so much of my life, so chose not to resign my contract and am taking a break from my demanding and intense job to focus on my family and health and work part-time instead.
I am currently watching “Today’s Webtoon” and look forward to seeing the characters develop. I might start “If You Wish Upon Me” later since I hope it will be a “healing” drama.
Watched “Beautiful World,” a Kdrama about school bullying and a family’s response to it on Viki in July and it was thought-provoking and touching. Highly recommend it!
Please take good care and stay happy, healthy and balanced everyone! 🙂
@Hatlady – thinking of you and sending prayers your way at this time.
There’s been a lot in the news over here.
I do like your personal strategy too, btw – intuitively, it sounds very wise!
@Hatlady –
This may end up being posted twice but sending you prayers at this time.
There is a lot in the news over here about what has been going on concerning Taiwan.
I like your personal plans also – sound very wise!
@Hatlady, MY GOOD WISHES HO OUT YO YOU IN Taiwan. As an oldie I remember all of the issues surrounding Taiwan, Quoy and Matsu during the time of Mao. Taiwan is a light of democracy and human rights in the region
Taiwan alsoKes greatiburs and Dramas.
I pray that you have peace and only good on your personal and professional life
@Hatlady, I’m hoping and praying that the political situation improves.
@Hatlady thinking and praying for you 🙏🏻. That the situation will de-escalate soon.
@Fern, I know right. I suspect it may be a build-up of a sad departing for greater good? If I look at it objectively, when a soul has left the body, does it mean a person is effectively dead? Anyway…
Both Legend of Fei and AoS involved saving a partner. I have internal conflicts with AoS and so I can’t fully enjoy the romance. Whereas I can feel and resonate the sentiment when watching Legend of Fei. Gave me the motivation to finish the story which I did!
Legend of Fei
I have the benefit of watching it after 2 years it was aired. As I like it I went and googled it. Turned out a fair bit of negative comments about this drama! I didn’t know about Zhao Li Ying and Wang Yi Bo back then so I had no expectation. With no expectation, I found the strength of this drama:
Beautifully captures the sentiment when one lover is dying. The female lead has this can-do attitude when there is no obvious cue. Brave, hopeful and do not give in. It is very touching when I watched her fighting for him and embrace him as he is . The male lead, despite life gives him a raw deal, didn’t complain. He understood his duties and made choices on his own terms. A very sensible, balance character who tries to make fun of everything to make life more enjoyable.
Most of the martial art moves are nice to watch. Some weak CGI, but I found there are more good than bad. Wang Yi Bo and Zhao Li Ying are very nice to look at. Their moves are elegant to watch – when Yi Bo is “flying” and when Lin Ying is fighting with her blade.
As for the negative comments – I wonder if people may have very high expectation because of both leads previous popular projects? Is Wang Yi Bo acting as bad as they said – I don’t think so in my view. At least there is no over acting. I felt it is watchable and I can get the emotions of the character. *** light spoilers start**** In my view, he and Li Ying handled a few goodbye scenes midway of the drama well. It is touching and I cried. ***** light spoilers end. *****
I also compare the drama with the original novel. Some modifications are good. But towards the end, there is a fair bit of “add on” that the original novel doesn’t have. The plot and character behaviours feel not as consistent. By then I like the couple so much and I am just happy that the ending is better than I thought so I let it pass.
I am glad that I watched this without the media frenzy and comments (JOMO!!!) so I can enjoy this on my own terms. No drama is perfect, but I do like this story especially the “can do” and “no complain about tough life” characters settings!
I have started A Dream of Splendor and Love Like the Galaxy. Will see how they go. Love like the Galaxy starts off a bit slow? I am just waiting for the romance to start! (Very shallow here, mostly watch it for the romance). So I was doing other things when the mean girls or tough mum were around or the fast forward button….
Kalimera Everyone,
I have great news to share! You are My Glory is on Viki!
Hi, ASAP I have some time, I’ll watch “Big Mouth” of course.
I ended Yumi Cells 2, but alas didn’t have time to comment, it was wonderful.
I hope you are all well and have good time and good life, see you soon.
Hi @WE, I found this on the fringe review of Big Mouth. Not sure if I’ll watch it.
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3187406/disney-k-drama-big-mouth-lee-jong-suk-returns-cocky-lawyer
Thanks @Cleo. YAMG was a totally stress-free watch as far as I can recall. 😂 😚 😋 😉
Kalimera @GB Unnie,
Yes it was! I am glad that is on Viki! 😊
,@Cleopatra, It is also on Amazon for those people without Viki.
My dear @OAL,
In Europe it is not open for us. I have also Prime and I cannot see anything except Amazon’s productions.
I do hope you are okay! @OAL
@Cleopatra, I hate the geographical restrictions on programs. I have Disney+ but have very little content except for Snowdrop. No Wooga Squad Variety Show it other programming. Try Hanks for reminding me of these restrictions. I know Netflix does it too.
I hope all is well with you and that you are having good weather. I love to look at pictures of the Agean Sea and it’s beautiful blue waters. I hope that you are getting only pleasant weather now.
@OAL,
The same applies to Disney+ for us as well…
We have currently 33 degrees C. It is not the 36-37 degrees C we had the past week.
If it is bearable? You get used to it. I totally understand you though.
I watch some pictures of beautiful and picturesque places in Greece as well. It makes you feel relaxed somehow.
@Hatlady, that’s a big decision you’ve made, and it sounds like the right one for you. De-stressing when and where you can is vital. Without being stretched thin by work, you’ll have more flexibility in other areas of your life. And I join all the commenters above in hoping the political and military situation in your region de-escalates soon.
I’ll be wrapping up this week:
–Jinxed at First
–Why I Dress Up for Love (Japanese romcom, 10 episodes, on Viki)
What I’ll be continuing:
–Alchemy of Souls
–Cafe Minamdang
–Extraordinary Attorney Woo
–Today’s Webtoon
–Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist
What I want to watch:
Wedding Season – Film on Netflix. English language, but starring some Bollywood greats. Fake relationship…I’m always a sucker for that plot setup.
I can maintain a heavy watch list because I’m at a stage of life where I’m often home alone with few responsibilities. At the moment, heavy shows aren’t appealing to me.
# Welmaris, The beauty part of this blog is that we are not forced to e gage inane discussions and that we pick and choose or choose not to choose what we watch. We also get to learn a lot about the genres, a torn, directors, writers from various countries and traditions. We learn when we lurk and when we engage. And I think all of us have occasion to take vacations from watching.
And oh the tangents here-like all the recipes sparked y watching Love in the Kitchen. Or @pm3 giving g us a college level film course.
And how there are warm, supportive people here who help usour troubles..
I don’t know when this will become available, but the date seems to be later in 2022: “First Love/Hatsukoi”. For fans of Takeru Satoh, this will be on Netflix.
Of course I’m not interested. Just passing on the information. 😉 😊
@Kate, @WEnchanteur
I’ve decided to post my thoughts on Big Mouth here, rather than in the other thread.
Impressions of the first 2 episodes of Big Mouth (with slight spoilers)
I wonder why the opening credits mix images of the sacred with the secular. It always bothers me to see the signs of Christianity used in dramas when they do not add anything to the theme or worse, are misused.
After showing us a plethora of gold bars falling, we see the top view of a labyrinth that turns out to be prison grounds. A cross made of light on the courtyard turns out to be the cover of a Bible but the bookmark in it is the Magician card (tarot card).
According to Wikipedia, “When the Magician appears in a spread, it points to the talents, capabilities and resources at the querent’s disposal to succeed. The message is to tap into one’s full potential rather than holding back, especially when there is a need to transform something.”
Before long we’ll see the need for our protagonist Chang Ho to do a lot of transforming.
Anyway the credits continue on to return to a lone figure in the prison courtyard, but this turns out to be a picture on a pane of glass that is broken to reveal another Christian or Catholic image of the Virgin Mary statue, giving us the eye! Something is glinting in her eye. Going into it we return to the top view of a lone figure walking out of the maze/labyrinth, ending very dark and stark. The title has a broken net or web as part of it, with what might be halves of a broken baseball?
Wikipedia puts this show under the genre Hardboiled, Noir, besides Legal and Crime. I had to look up ‘Hardboiled’ and ‘Noir’ because I have only the faintest idea of what the latter may be.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardboiled
Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre’s typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence of organized crime that flourished during Prohibition (1920–1933) and its aftermath, while dealing with a legal system that has become as corrupt as the organized crime itself.[1] Rendered cynical by this cycle of violence, the detectives of hardboiled fiction are often antiheroes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir
Though film noir is often identified with a visual style, unconventional within a Hollywood context, that emphasizes low-key lighting and unbalanced compositions,[9] films commonly identified as noir evidence a variety of visual approaches, including ones that fit comfortably within the Hollywood mainstream.[10] Film noir similarly embraces a variety of genres, from the gangster film to the police procedural to the gothic romance to the social problem picture—any example of which from the 1940s and 1950s, now seen as noir’s classical era, was likely to be described as a melodrama at the time.[11]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noir_fiction
Noir works, …whether films, novels, or short stories, are existential pessimistic tales about people, including (or especially) protagonists who are seriously flawed and morally questionable. The tone is generally bleak and nihilistic, with characters whose greed, lust, jealousy, and alienation lead them into a downward spiral as their plans and schemes inevitably go awry. … The machinations of their relentless lust will cause them to lie, steal, cheat, and even kill as they become more and more entangled in a web from which they cannot possibly extricate themselves.[3]
Based on the description of hardboiled and noir I can say:
Organised crime – check
Hero is an anti-hero – check
Noir visual style – yes from time to time… check
Protagonist who is seriously flawed or morally questionable – check
Being in a web they cannot extricate themselves from – so far up to Ep 2, yes –check.
More from the article on Noir Fiction: Regarding ‘Hardboiled’ – “At the end, everything is a mess, people have died, but the hero has done the right thing or close to it, and order has, to a certain extent, been restored.
Noir is different. In noir, everyone is fallen, and right and wrong are not clearly defined and maybe not even attainable.[6]”
I want to see how much hope this show holds out for us viewers. I believe that being a kdrama with LJS, it will not be overly dark for long. IE I expect it to be more hardboiled and less noir towards the end.
There was another description which I cannot find now, about how this genre of show has the protagonist trying ways to succeed in whatever situation, but his attempts repeatedly fall flat. This too is evident in the first 2 episodes, sometimes comically.
It is different to see our suave LJS as a morally ambivalent lawyer, not above breaking the law and often making bad choices. The fun will be when he continues to try valiantly to do something ‘wrong’ for a good reason, and keeps failing, but the failures are not seen as such. Instead he gets to survive under some terrible conditions.
I mentioned Im Yoon Ah before. I was never impressed by her in the few shows I watched her, but she’s been given more meat to her role here, and is doing well. I guess she is the good girl foil to her husband’s anti-hero nonsense.
The question that is now raised is who is the real Big Mouse?…As long as the right people think Chang Ho is Big Mouse, he will ‘stay alive’. It looks like the real Big Mouse has been stashing loads of gold, money, drugs exactly where they would get Chang Ho into trouble. This rather points the finger at one person, but we shall have to wait and see.
I expect red herrings and unexpected humour as we continue the series.
@GB – this is interesting. Thank you for a very helpful introduction in relation to BM as genre and in more detail.
I found the definitions helpful as well.
I may try – based on this – a quick dip into this series to see if it hooks me in a couple of episodes.
I have never been blown away by Yoon Ah – somewhat bland – so I hope she does extend her range. She’s incredibly popular because of Girls’ Generation, of course, so will bring in a lot of fan viewers. She was ok in ‘The King Loves’ when I think about it.
@GB – it has an interesting cast. Just read a review that said LJS has raised his acting game and that this is far more of an ensemble performance than, say, ‘Again My Life’ which was a vehicle for Lee Joon-Gi.
In between episodes of Love like the Galaxy… ‘Love between Fairy and Devil’ has taken my fancy.
You have to be able to deal with cutesy Esther Yu… but her role looks like it has layers and will get more and more interesting. I like Dylan Wang as the ML and there is a good cast including the first fiance from A Dream of Splendour -Xu Haiqiao – who is an accomplished actor.
It has all the usual Chinese fantasy elements but I am also finding it quite fresh and I like the central story line between the fairy and the devil. There is comedy and adventure and romance to come.
Hi @Kate,
You’re most welcome. I too am taking a look-see approach here and if my interest does not grow with the subsequent episodes, I may well drop the show, LJS or no LJS. I go in for shows for their plot and character development, and if these don’t hook me, I will complain bitterly LOL.
I didn’t watch ‘The King Loves’, but I’m willing to give most actors more than once chance. Even those whom I found particularly repugnant in some way. It might have been the character they played that bothered me more than the actor himself.
Thanks for your note on the ensemble performance of Big Mouth. I can imagine that Chang Ho’s character will gather a few adherents and that father-in-law and his wife too will play an important role (at least I hope so!) therefore the ensemble is entirely likely.
I found the FIL – Son-in-Law bromance quite amusing. They work together and are in cahoots over stuff that they know will bring the ire of daughter/wife upon their heads, and they are both terrified of her. LOL.
I fear we may not get anymore of those cute scenes except in flashback, since events have swiftly changed the situation Chang Ho is in.
As for ‘Love between Fairy and Devil’ – since you mentioned it I took a peek at Episode 1. At least Esther Yu’s character gets a complete replacement with the body swap. Glad it happened in the first episode! It will be interesting to see how she carries out her ‘manly’ role as a mean devil in a girly-girl’s body. LOL.
I wonder if we have already been given a glimpse of the love triangle since the deity is concerned about the fairy and may try to rescue her.
Yes, this one has more adventure and romance to come, and it’s all good as long as we do not look too hard at details and wonder why some scenes are edited that way.
I will continue to watch a few more episodes to see if I get sucked in. 😉
@GB – great. I will also look at Big Mouth on the same basis.
‘Love between Fairy and Devil’ has some intriguing plot developments and a back story which make me want to keep watching it. I have raced through to Episode 8. If you do keep watching let us know! I really like the opening and closing credits too. Very nicely done and lovely swoooooshy music.
@Kate
Love Between Fairy and Devil
Yes, I went on to Episode 2. I took some time to watch the opening credits too… hoping for more clues. I’ve still not really paid attention to the closing credits, though.
I felt that it’s a pity the fairy couldn’t keep being in the devil’s body a tad longer. However it is interesting now that he can feel on his body what is happening to her.
So she falls into the soul transformation cauldron… a transformation will again be fun to watch.
@GB – correction – it is the opening credits that are lovely and I like the song for the closing credits.
Yes, agreed re the impact on the devil of his encounter with the fairy. Such a good central plot driver.
Hey @GB, @Kate @WE,
I have also started Big Mouth too! Two episodes so far. I thought it is dark, but not too dark that I can’t bear. The added bonus is the cast. I got to see a lot of characters I like all at once but out of their usual roles. Like the guy from Crash Landing on You in a serious role with abs! Or the bad CEO from Happiness as a loving father in law.
****spoilers start***
So – the show has enough questions to discuss. How quick someone can put all the money, drugs and gold in Lee Jung Suk’s office? How long does it take to plan that? I thought the timeline of the mayor hiring him as a lawyer was just 7 days. The father in law has the key. How did they do that quietly?
Lee Jung Suk would be sleeping in the office during those days. Therefore
1. I can only guess they chose Lee Jung Suk before the Mayor chose him.
2. OR did a quick job after he was arrested.
Is Big Mouse a person? Or a network of organisation? Judging from the conversation between the Mayor and the Prosecutor, sounds like they are a pack, trying to fight against the rich and powerful who look down on them.
****spoilers end
@GB, I meant to write about Oath of Love. I did finish it. I feel this is a show for watching Xiao Zhan and Yang Zi. Other than that, I fast forward the romance of the second leads and the one-sided crushes for our main leads. I also skim watched the soul searching and character growing part. I guess the hardest part for me to fully enjoy the romance is I have the code of ethics question at the back of my mind. I am not sure how it works in the medical field, but the male lead is the doctor of the female lead’s dad. I am not sure if romance should/is allowed to happen during the treatment period.
I also spotted Love Between Fairy and Devil on Viki and thinking about it. I recently am very fond of XianXia drama ever since WRTW!
@Kate, I like both the opening and closing credits. The Chinese brush strokes in art are so soothing. I agree the music is not bad. I don’t mind listening to it.
What I like about the ending credits is that it’s a long continuous scroll, slightly animated, presumably giving us the chronological events from left to right. I’m on to Episode 3 so far.
Hi @Viva!!!
Thanks for coming back on Oath of Love. I did not watch it yet, but if I do, it will be for Xiao Zhan and Yang Zi. Noted on ignoring the side love stories.
Great to know that you’re watching Big Mouth too. I find it both strange and cute to see actors who were ‘villains’ in new roles as bumbling good guys and vice versa.
You’ve got a sharp eye for faces. I know many looked familiar but I didn’t check which shows they were in.
*SPOILER*
*SPOILER*
Yes, the amount of stuff stashed away without anyone knowing, seems to indicate that someone was doing the stashing long, long ago. Yes, it was all in just a few days that CH was hired. Not much time at all to put all that stuff away.
Conjecture 1 is the same as yours: Chang Ho had long been selected to be used by the bad guys
or
Conjecture 2: It was fortuitous that the stash was there and was not meant to be found at all.
BUT the thing is that someone gave exact directions to the guys who took the office apart. They knew exactly where to break the wall and cut the ceiling. Someone in the know told them.
My bets are on FIL for now. He had access for years, working there. He could be hiding his real self under a most unassuming, subservient persona. He might be ‘making’ CH to be Big Mouse, so as to save him from certain death by any number of parties.
The question on whom Big Mouse is, is one of the tantalising details that Show will hold on to, I’m sure, likely to the bitter end. It could be a group/cartel or a most unlikely individual.
I laughed at all the imaginary descriptions of whom Big Mouse could be. When we get dreams, flashbacks, thoughts and imagination, we know that it’s for some fun in this otherwise darkish show, or that something significant is being revealed to us, or it just adds a lot more relatable stuff, or gives us the much needed backstory. I like that this drama, does this instead of giving us exposition.
If you give Love Between Fairy and Devil a go, let us know!!!
Hey dear GB 🙂
Big Mouth ep 1-2
**SPOILER***
**SPOILER***
Yes to give us the maximum plot twist BM can’t be the Mayor. FIL being the loving one would give more effects. I remember the FIL was a former policeman. He has the potential to be connected to a group of angry people who want some sort of revenge. Although we are in early days, so they can introduce more characters as the show progresses.
So far the people who lost money are the bad ones. Like the media boss, the corrupted doctors that I remember.
Although BM dealt with drugs so they can’t be Robin Hood. Like you said the police knew exactly where to find the items. The police and the prosecutor are the ones who want to make CH to be BM. They can easily be the one who planted the evident to a scapegoat.
OK better not think too much. Otherwise it will be another “Grid” disaster. lol.
I too am ready to drop it if it’s getting too dark or too sad. If it is getting too twisted like Yoona dies and Lee Jung Suk gone crazy I may just abandon ship and switch to XianXia stuff again (where ppl can easily come back alive!)
***** SPOILER ends**
@Viva True about introducing more characters later. I was thinking that now, if BM is a man, there are many suspects. If it is a group, there will loads more suspects. Fewer suspects if BM is a woman. But they could still introduce more female characters.
Yes, the ones who want CH to be BM are the law enforcers. It could be that they just want to say they’ve got their man to win some medals/promotion. And they don’t want to catch the real BM who is possibly funding/bribing them.
I’ve happily forgotten ‘Grid’. No point wasting cells on that show.
In my current state of tired brain, the more light and undemanding a show is, the better. XianXia works well for me too. 🙂
@Viva – yes do let us know if you give ‘Love between Fairy and Devil’ a go!
It is getting good reviews as an engaging fantasy drama that people don’t want to fast forward on and are enjoying unexpectedly.
@GB will re-check the end credits!
@GB and @Viva,
Love between Fairy and Devil – really hotting up in Episodes 8 and 9! I am officially hooked. Love this type of story line.
Hi @Kate, I’m enjoying the Love Between Fairy and Devil (I call it FD for short) too.
I’ve watched up to Episode 10 and now that the truth is out, the relationship part can come to new footing. However I expect that the progress in any romance is going to be hampered by all kinds of battles and betrayals, so it’s going to take 30+ episodes and more than 1 lifetime or something to get the couple together. LOL.
I must say that the elegant artistry of these Xianxia shows is always lovely to see. So much beauty, in every scene. Even the fight between Moon Supreme and Chang Heng was so beautifully wrought. They looked great even when beaten by the other LOL.
I also always like the Chinese rendition of dragons. The mythical flying dragon with super long body, plus a long tail, but with only 4 legs is impossible in real life but with CGI works so well. I used as a child, to watch dragon dances, but they never looked as good. I like how this show’s dragon is faithful to the image I have of it from my childhood.
So we gather that the Moon Supreme had as a child, been robbed of his emotions (or emotional intelligence) in order that he should not have any attachments or weakness. Getting accidentally tied to Fairy Lan Hua with a Heart Curse, he gets to remember what emotions are like. Although he cannot recognise his emotions, he has already developed a strong attachment to Fairy, and is going into denial that he cares for her, from now on.
I, too, like the conceit that it’s all out of self-aggrandizement that Moon Supreme does those great boyfriend things for Fairy. Both of them are so adamant that they do not care for each other. I will enjoy watching them eat their words.
There’s still that little complication of Chang Heng getting married to Fairy in the future. I expect these Xianxia stories to have all kinds of plot twists.
From the fact that several of the characters have 2 names, I guess that they will leave the immortal realm and become humans for a spell, possibly in a few episodes time. Somewhere along the line we’ll come to find out that Fairy’s true body/soul or spirit is that of a goddess of some kind. The villain, Rong Hao has already figured it out, but of course the good guys will be the last to know.
At the end of Ep 10, our Fairy’s machinations to get Moon Supreme to visit her in order to get him into a … err … compromising position heheheh! I wonder what she’s thinking. Does she hope to engineer another body swap?
@GB – great! I will catch up and then read your comments in detail.
It is fun to watch with you.
I hope you are feeling ok today.
@Kate, I’m feeling better, thanks! It’s just become horribly hot and humid again, especially today. No fun isolating at home.
It’s usually more fun watching with company. We can share the parts that got us in the heart or the gut LOL.
No fun at all I would imagine @GB. Stay hydrated and as cool as to you can.
Yes indeed to sharing our reaction! This is an unexpectedly enjoyable series!
ps glad you are feeling better!
ps I got the shivers when she went into the fairy kingdom version of the sorting hat to determine her true form and was greeted by this god (of sorts) as ‘Old Friend’. Then all the drama that followed…
Most excited about the unfolding story of her true identity – tingle!
Will write more this evening @GB
p. p. ps I need to put spoiler alerts on these posts! Half of the fun is the mysterious back story.
@GB and @Kate, I don’t know if I’ll follow this, but episode 2: “It’s all gone. I can’t braid my hair anymore.” 🤣🤣🤣
@Fern…hahaha!
@GB and @kate you all got me interested in FD. Will go catch a trailer or something tonight. Probably my next cdrama to embark on.
Meanwhile I’m watching
1. Love like the Galaxy
2. Alchemy of Souls
3. Extraordinary Attorny Woo
4. Poong, the Joseon physician
Hoping to start on Webtoon but as it is watching 4 ongoing dramas is already busy enough!
@Grace – it’s frothy and fun + some deeper stuff. A nice counterbalance for meatier shows.
@Kate, @Fern @Grace LOL… glad our chatter about FD sounds interesting. As usual, I end up doing more ‘work’ than should be necessary to get to the bottom of the plot. I ended up re-watching Ep 1 and 2 again. Here’s what I have gathered, most of which I missed when I was just watching casually.
Basically, Fairy Lan Hua (Fairy for short) says practically all of it ie she gives us the full premise and a good hint of the conclusion.
*SPOILERS for those who have not watched the first 2 episodes*
In voiceover by Fairy: “Legend has it that in order to acquire ancient forbidden skills, Dongfang Qingcang, the Moon Supreme of the Moon Tribe, became a monster without any feelings. He killed his father, took the position of the Moon Supreme and led 100,000 soldiers of the Moon Tribe to burn, kill and loot. The fairy realm (Shuiyuntian), the Moon Tribe (Cangyan Sea) and the mortal world (Yunmeng Lake) were in grave danger.
In order to save the common people, Chidi Woman, the God of War of fairy realm, even destroyed her primordial spirit to die with Dongfang Qingcang and sealed 100,000 demon soldiers of the Moon Tribe.
But the primordial spirit of Dongfang Qingcang didn’t die. Once he is resurrected, the three realms will be in danger again. Legend has it that only the Goddess of Xishan (Xi Yun) can defuse this catastrophe. But she disappeared.”
No prizes for guessing who the Goddess Xishan is. LOL. Show blatantly drops clues.
*SPOILERS for those who have not watched beyond Ep 2*
The handsome Chang Heng who is much loved by all fairies, is bethrothed to be married to the goddess… yup… THAT goddess.
For reasons unknown to us, goddess is not making herself known ie our dear heroine is the last person in the world to figure out who she really is. In the meantime, she’s going to be continually bullied or in danger. The irony is of course, that people want the goddess to return but they might be killing her in the person of Fairy because no one knows it’s her. So frustrating!!
Similarly frustrating for Chang Heng, since he does not know that the girl he likes really is one and the same as the one he is to marry, he separates himself from her to protect her from the wrath of his brother. He wipes her memory so that she does not recollect that they were close friends before. All she recalls is that he saved her from being tossed out by the drunken Arbiter who careless damaged her immortal root.
All this gets clarified only some episodes in.
I’ll be back to add more thoughts later. 🙂
@GB – this is fun. I’ll watch this evening and then read your commentaries in more detail.
Thank you!
@GB – you have beautifully scene-set here! Thank you.
I have nothing to add at this stage.
SPOILERS coming up if you haven’t seen the FIRST 10 Episodes
I am loving the interplay between our initially naive and occasionally gormless heroine and her far more interesting backstory and destiny.
I loved the way she ‘accidentally’ or so we thought got sucked into the ML’s vast 30,000 year prison and all the transformative and funny stuff that happened and is continuing to unfold.
I was really excited when baddie fairy gave her the Goddess test.
Also – shiver me timbers! – when she was surrounded by ‘hellfire’ in the great gathering of the Fairies on the day of task assignment. It was both a mess and rather clumsy of ML to protect her in that way – he did want her to graduate after all (sweet) – and exciting because she was breaking through all the norms and expressing something of the power she will have.
@GB – does the Goddess hail from the Moon Tribe? Here I am unclear. If she does, why is she Lord Ch’s intended?
Also, why don’t the senior Fairy leaders use their intelligence rather than moving into barbaric torture here when she spends too long with the ‘sorting hat’ God? Why does the ‘sorting hat’ God greet her warmly and then give her absolutely no information that can save her from suspicion?
Are any other fairy leaders secretly on the dark side?
I am also asking myself about our little Orchid’s romantic destiny. Pros and cons with both guys eh? I hope our ML doesn’t decide to do something noble so she can happily end up with Lord Ch… on the other hand, I also like Lord Ch…
Ep 10 when he builds her a replica home… didn’t you get the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ theme coming through? Even though our ML is darkly handsome – he is still part of a dark dynasty.
You’re welcome, @Kate, I’ll respond to your post after I post these couple of thoughts.
Love Between Fairy and Devil (FD for short)
Note on Fairy’s plans and how karma works: She repairs Destiny Books – a complicated task. “A man’s fate can be affected by any small thing. One mistake can make a great difference. A man’s life is doomed. Everything is circulation of karma. The karma will never be depleted.” One assumes that if karma means that the good done by one comes back to one, just as the evil done by one returns to one, presumably in multiple reincarnations, then can we hope that the bad guy who is forced to be nice may be storing up good karma somewhere? LOL. Yes, don’t we love an anti-hero from time to time?
*SPOILERS*
She says: “I can repair 50 books a day. 1,500 each month. When I reach 50,000 I’ll write a letter of resignation to master. At that time, my Lord Chang Heng, my savior, will come back. (All this seems to be wishful thinking on her part, but it seems not too far from what happens.)
She has repaired 42,699 books ie she expected to resign in about 5 month’s time. And Chang Heng had already returned to the Fairy Realm.
There are 3 missing fairies/deities:
1) The Arbiter who was supposed to have gone to the Mortal Realm 500 years earlier. We might have caught a glimpse of her in one of the episodes but it was a quick blink and you’ll miss it scene of a fairy and a master. Maybe we’ll see her in the Mortal Realm. I’m assuming that we are going to get to the Mortal Realm but I may be wrong.
2) The Chidi Woman who died 30,000 years earlier, but whose fragments and Destiny Book/primordial spirit can still be found in Fairy Realm. She’s the one the bad guys want to resurrect or something so that they can unseal the 100,000 soldiers for whatever battle they want to wage.
3) Goddess Xi Shan/Xi Yun who disappeared 30,000 years earlier. We need the backstory to this one, but the time of disappearance cannot be a coincidence in these sorts of dramas.
We know that Chidi Woman’s Destiny Book is with Fairy, so we expect that Chidi will make an appearance sometime in the future when the book can be repaired.
Meet Cute?
In what could be a Chinese Drama version of the kdrama childhood sweetheart trope, the ‘good guy’ has a backstory attachment to the girl who holds his heart enthralled. Not to be outdone, (and because this story IS about Fairy and Devil … not Fairy and good guy), Show has also given us … it can hardly be called a meet-cute, but there it was in the space-like Haotian Tower, a romantic link through accidental kisses between Fairy and Devil. I fancy those coloured lights that threw her into MS were the primordial spirits who wanted him to wake up.
What I took for strange editing, on second viewing became clear was a metaphor for what happened in MS’s cold heart when the first accidental kiss took place. His heart was a frozen over tiny island with a dead tree on it. Fairy found herself on the island, touched the frost encrusted tree, and it began to thaw. Before we could see that it might turn green with leaves, Fairy sneezed, LOL. Her sneeze brings us not only to a body swap, but also Devil’s being affected by anything that happens to Fairy physically or emotionally. This would later be referred to as a Heart Curse.
@Fern, the whole hair cutting and hair pulling thing seemed strangely extraneous (My hair! I can’t wear pretty hair pins anymore! LOL) but may have greater relevance later if they go to the Mortal Realm (ie maybe that’s the way she’d look as a mortal). However it served to show that what he did to her, and what she did to herself, affected him in her body. It didn’t matter that their bodies were swapped or not, he would always feel what was happening to her, and her destruction meant his own. Such a reasonable excuse for protecting her and for romantic shenanigans. LOL And for all the romantic lines he spouted, about how he’d die if she died, that got her thinking he was in love with her. I laughed so much, because he was just being literal and he had not yet developed his romantic bone.
Along the way MS notes that Fairy has some Moon Tribe traits, but I could not cotton on to what he was referring to, except that she was clever enough to retort and defend herself. However, I feel this is not a throwaway line but something to note for the future.
I noticed with amusement, that would-be forced kisses (a no-no in most cases) happens in this show but again ‘reasonably’ as in to save a life or it’s the girl who is initiating it, but not necessarily succeeding either.
@GB – this is great. You are on a roll.
We do see Chidi woman in baddie fairy’s home – asleep? – I think. He makes his unfortunate servants take on her form.
The Arbiter is played by a leading lady star but is down as a cameo role so it looks like we won’t see much of her.
All this stuff about the meet-cute is fascinating. I missed all that visual detail.
I did LOVE the whole sequence though as Fairy Orchid was carried towards
ML in the Haotian Tower. It was so well done – almost 2001 Space Odyssey!
@Kate
This part is still a mystery. There was something Moon Tribe like about her, or her way of thinking. As for the marriage arrangement, it’s possible that the Realms wanted to bridge their differences somewhat through marriage. The usual stuff of royal weddings where people marry for political reasons.
LOL I always take this lack of logic to mean that the writers have to eke out the suspense. Several times it was said that the good of the Shuiyuntian/Fairy Realm was hypocritical. As in all period dramas, the so-called justice is arbitrary. Lower ranks are treated as guilty before they can state their case.
Yes, this drama has really given us a difficult ‘shipping’ task. Both the guys are delish LOL. In the end, it will be up to the girl to choose. I like how she’s been honest from the beginning about liking Lord CH. She never wanted to string MS along. He never caught her drift though, having no romantic bone in him yet.
I felt that the backstory of how he was robbed of his feelings as a child was a clever device to get us to accept it when he does have a more human heart. Just as his attachment to people was forcibly removed from him, so will sincere regard remind him of what he lost and get him to regain it.
Oh yes, that’s why it felt so familiar. I knew he’d not understand why it’s looking the same would not make her happy. He has not yet figured out that a replica can never be the same as the actual thing, and that attachments to real living things matter.
I really wanted the time when Dylan Wang played the role of Fairy to last longer. He was cutely so full of expression then, compared to being so austere as MS now. But he still manages flickers of expression whenever he feels what Fairy feels. I believe those body swap scenes must have had the cast doubled up in laughter.
This thing about liking the bad boy,… I suppose Show will have to give him a nice, convoluted redemption arc, so that we can root for him without any restraint. LOL.
@Kate…. Ahh, yes, I forgot about the ‘master’ of Rong Hao. She was supposed to be dead but they kept her hidden there as if sleeping, and they had her Destiny Book. So if she’s Chidi Woman, who sacrificed her life to save others, why are her disciples the Haishi bunch, who are creating evil spirits? Rong Hao seems to be rather demented over her. Probably he’s going his own way instead of following the path Chidi set.
Again this thing about the lack of logic… how can his good friend CH see Rong Hao in that mask but not recognise his mouth and chin? Even his voice was not different. *eyeroll*
@GB – I know!
Yes, also unclear about why heroine Chidi Woman is now with dark-world Fairy. More to come here, clearly.
Re the recognition… yes, even we audience members could see the similarity of ears and mouth! I was obsessively freeze-framing different shots just to test out the theory by comparing jaw line and ear shapes!
@Kate, speaking of space odyssey, it was interesting that falling into Haotian Tower was like breaking through space portals with colourful lights swishing around. It was actually rather pretty, if it wasn’t a prison.
Something else came to mind… this is the 2nd drama which showcased a whale swimming in the sky. And conversely, while fairy falls down into space!
And the time when they were really supposed to be in water, looked more like they were in the air with wind blowing rather than with their clothes floating around them. It’s topsy turvy physics logic with this drama!
Oh @GB – I thought of our discussion of EAW too!
Enjoyed the whale cloud scene.
I like too the fact that we hear random whale sounds – I think – at various points.
Yes, it is a very interesting confection of places and dimensions!
@GB and @Kate, in the first episode, just before Orchid is sucked into the tower, she has a flashback of her mentor telling her that “The Master of Destiny Books can neither tell anything about it to it’s owner nor change anyone’s fate. Otherwise he would have to bear the wrath of God and die out.” But Orchid interferes by flying in front of Lord CH to protect him. So is she doomed? Also, it seemed to me that his rays were hitting her from behind even as the energy from the Haotian Tower was hitting her from the front. The primary coloured lights didn’t appear until she was involved. It’s a wonder that a mere fairy wasn’t annilhilated.
@Fern, the same thought struck me. Fairy changed CH’s destiny. By rights she should be in trouble. Her only possible excuse is that his senior god destiny should not have changed in the first place.
Yes that’s another illogical thing. He’s the god of war but can’t protect himself from those light beams, but she can survive after serving as a shield, although her powers are weak.
Hi @Fern and @GB,
Did she change his destiny? I am wondering …
We’ve seen that he is destined to marry etc (however that plays out) later on.
Does defence of another being automatically mean the changing of that person’s destiny or could it be that, because of her unique role and history, she is bringing about destiny, however random it looks when she is sucked into the tower?
@Kate, @Fern, my wish came true…Episide 11 … Dylan is back to being the Fairy LOLOL. How’s ‘she’ going to extricate herself this time!!! I’m supposed to be sleeping but this is so funny!!!
@GB – I have been wondering about your sleep patterns! But so glad you are being entertained!! Just what the doctor ordered eh? LOL
@GB, As this is a Disney+ drama, it us current,y o5 available in my region and I hesitate to watch it using a VPN. I suspect that LJS is looking to stretch his acting chops in this role. It us on my eventual ,ist.
@OAL, You’ve put Big Mouth on your To Watch list? Yes, it is a different sort of outing for LJS. He’s sort of taken bits of all his roles and added anti-hero to the pot. He’s victim, hapless, foolish, first rather child-like then he grows up and becomes a force to contend with. However, he’s playing with fire, since he’s still in the dark about whom he’s dealing with in the real Big Mouse.
@Kate I take a break whenever I feel like it, but something (could be the medication) kept me from my usual uninterrupted slumbers. However it was better yesterday and I woke up not too early, which was good.
Watching Ep 11 of FD (Fairy Devil) was such a hoot. I laughed out loud a few times. Fortunately I’m in isolation and didn’t disturb anyone.
Hey @Kate @GB #Fern @Grace,
FD
I made a start! I fast forward a bit so I am up to ep 4. I haven’t been able to read all your comments yet so hopefully I will increase productivity to catch up with your pace.
First impression – easy watch. Nice clothes, nice CGI. It is the traditional well like formula – cold, powerful, handsome bossy male lead is forced to look after the kind female lead who likes someone else.
Easy to like. No need to think much.
I found the female lead a little over acting? Perhaps at the back of watching Zhao Lusi (Love like Galaxy) and Zhao Li Ying (Legend of Fei) who are quite subtle in their roles. But it’s OK. I will adjust. It just a fun watch so I don’t mind.
@OAL – how are you doing?
I am lucky that I have Big Mouth in my Disney+. I figured they must class us as Asia Pacific so we got the K dramas fast here. Agree. LJS probably wants to break away from the main stream well like genre. A bit like Kim Soo Hyun in that sense.
@Viva – great! It is a fun watch. Esther Yu was a support character in that romance with Victoria Song and attractive younger male (Find Yourself (?) and played a similar cutesy character. I am hoping that the story will allow her character to develop a bit + great comedy contrast, anyway, with Dylan Wang’s Moon Supreme – and when her cutesey character is in his body!
@GB – glad you had good (ish?) sleep last night. I laughed too – DW must be enjoying this role!
On FD Episodes 3-4
@Kate is it the grand love trope that true love can tame the wild beast, that you like? I do too, although I know it works mostly in fiction. This show has got this as its main premise, and it’s loads of fun seeing how Dongfang Qingcang gets played by the weak, sincere damsel.
* Minor SPOILERS*
I was thinking about the great illogical lapse in the security of the high immortals of the Fairy Realm palace, when no one can sense invisible evil beings among them LOL. I kind of like MS’s great powers that he wields so effortlessly. The best is that he could wipe out any number of fairies if he wished and no one would have even seen him!!! Anyway, I feel like telling the fairies they might as well save all those guards, guard duty in the face of MS’s repeated comings and goings to the Yunzhong Water Pavilion.
I also like just how easily MS devastated the Haishi Court. But even he cannot break the Wulan curse (or the curse of the Wulan/Xilan Holy Seal) as he stands like a fool to count the flowers in Fairy’s garden, LOL. Even without being aware of the Xilan Curse, Fairy played MS like a fool. He fears that once she find out, he’d end up as her maid… (which pretty much happens in Episode 12.) Heh!
So with the accidental kisses in Haotian Tower, not only do their bodies get swapped, but the hidden Wulan/Xilan Holy Seal that was in Fairy, is duplicated in MS. She still does not seem to know that she bears the seal (it’s hidden on her chest, did she even notice?) and that she’s a member of the ‘extinct’ Xilan clan.
What I gathered is that 30,000 years earlier, the clan was exterminated and the Xilan goddess disappeared. Unfortunately Shang Heng was engaged to this goddess.
Fairy, who in her true form, is the goddess had been left out of the list by the ‘Sorting Hat’ god. Quite remiss of him. He should put her back on the list!
As a by-the-way sort of thing, a question is raised about fake news…. Fairy tends to exaggerate as she ‘reads’ her history to the flowers. She adds or absorbs all kinds of false frills to make history more vivid. But she gets her history wrong. When it is pointed out to her that Chidi Woman killed herself with the sword and not that she killed Dongfang Qingcang with it, she considers this just a minor detail. However she is foolish (and possibly somewhat irresponsible) because what the true history means is that Dongfang Qingcang was never defeated. They cannot be so complacent. It is fortunate that she is also the one who is slowly taming Dongfang Qingcang. LOL.
FD
*Possible SPOILERS*
The other theme that show seems to be raising is that of seeing the point of view of one’s antithesis. Much to my high amusement, the guys and girls (yes more than 1 set) swap bodies and are literally in each other’s skin. So far it has not made either party any the wiser about how to deal with the other.
There is also the theme of allowing for change and giving even the most evil a second chance. Fairy’s belief is that Dongfang Qingcang is not really all evil, and she has the core of truth because, Dongfang Qingcang had been tampered with when a child before he lost his ‘humanity’. By contrast we find that the ones who are considered enlightened, just immortals are the ones who are most judgemental, already condemning Fairy as a spy before any trial or investigation.
@GB –
brilliantly observed! We are the better for your enforced isolation – it is making it such fun to watch this show.
General SPOILER alert
My main excitement is about our Orchid Fairy’s mysterious identity which is leading (Harry Potter style) to her achieving things and affecting things beyond her apparent capability. I love the fact that our MLs have fallen for or are falling for someone whose secret essence is so powerful! She is their equal – and no-one knows it yet. Shiver me timbers! If the romance ended up being completely lopsided without her discovering her identity and purpose and power – for me it wouldn’t be as crunchy and exciting.
I also do love the fact that our ML is being humanised by this ‘weak’ Orchid Fairy. She may be weak but she exercises the power of virtue as we saw in the Fairy trial where she saved the lives of others.
What is strength and what is weakness?
Thank you for the background on the Xillan goddess. Helpful.
Also for your observations re the slightly flawed way Orchid records and passes on key historical facts which, as you say, are critical to our understanding of what is happening.
She has the broad brush approach of naive youth! That played out beautifully at the ceremony where she blythely got around the need to execute a fairy spy.
@GB, @kate @fern @viva,
I will hope to start FD soon! I don’t mind spoilers! Helps me pay attention to the details better when I watch.
The trailers are beautiful. I first watched Dylan Wang in the China version of Meteor Garden 3yrs ago, and he feels a lot more mature now. I caught a bit of the Super Idol he was in and it was so so tough for him, there were clashes, he got upset, and the biggest critique one of the judges had for him was for that he lacked confidence. Anyway he won the Super Idol title and was the ML for Meteor Garden that shot him to fame.
This was the episode i speed watched, they really get scolded badly by the teacher :O
https://youtu.be/4241SCQqGB8
He always has this bad boy look which is perfect for FD drama isn’t it?
@Grace,
The Meteor Garden was the first c or k drama I watched. I found it so different from anything i had seen – strangely different with this odd F4 group of elite students etc – that I was mesmerised and of course DW was at the heart of its success along with Shen Yue. He really has developed as an actor. He was also perfect for that original role of course!
@Kate on another topic, you have Viki right? I saw Wang Yi Bo and Chen Xiao’s Being a Hero was released overnight. I searched in Viki and it said it is not available in my region. Is it available over at yours?
Thanks!
@Viva – interesting! According to the show page Episodes 1 to 4 are available today.
I’ll let you know when the Episodes are subbed.
@Kate and anyone watching FD.
FD up to EPISODE 14
You will be able to tell that I scoff at the so-called good guys. Let the baddies take over, I say. They are probably more interesting.
It never fails to make my eyes roll when anyone in Shuiyuntian claims that they are so well guarded that it’s impossible for sinful immortals or members of the Moon Tribe to infiltrate their realm. They have their greatest enemy running loose and free all over Shuiyuntian, to Canyan Sea and back and none of them are the wiser.
The Shuiyuntian bunch are the most mistakenly self-congratulatory lot. Shang Heng who is supposed to be the God of War can’t hold a candle to what both his Haishi friend Rong Hao and Moon Supreme can do single-handedly, and yet Fairy mistakenly states over and over that Shang Heng can protect her (but from what?) and even Rong Hao of Haishi says they need Shang Heng to defeat MS.
I fancy everyone is indulging in wishful thinking and deserve what they are going to get for being so complacent.
And @Kate mentioned that at least in cdramas, we get resurrection and death is not the end… so true, in this drama too.
*SPOILERS*
From EPISODE 7 and 8
The Start of the Change in Moon Supreme
MS and Shang Que go through a lot of trouble to keep Fairy safe during the Immortals Exam, like knocking out the monster, Ying Zhao, who’s possessed by an evil spirit. Fairy is shocked to find MS is right there (when he’d been invisible before) and his excuse is that he just happened to be passing by. LOLOL. That was so lame, given with that straight face.
MS does not understand why Fairy won’t kill Ying Zhao after it almost killed her. He offers to remove her human emotions which make her weak. She says without emotions they are like trees without leaves, a flower that never blooms, a bird without wings. “We’d be disabled.” I bet MS never considered himself disabled before LOL.
Fairy says of the cooperation among the fairies: “Because we took pity on each other and didn’t want to see any of us die, we faced our fears and worked together to win time for survival. So emotion is not a burden. It’s the reason we survived this time.”
MS remembers how as a child his emotions or his link to his emotional root had been painfully removed from him. MS thinks about the differing views on emotion and strength. His father’s view versus Fairy’s. He’s told by his father that the 7 emotions: Joy, Worry, Sadness, Pity, Love, Hate, Jealousy will be stumbling blocks in making decisions. (In other words only a psychopath would be strong.)
In the midst of one of these memories, we get a quick review of how Fairy’s words had already started to take root in MS’s heart. We see again the frozen tree (his heart tree) and how her touch had started the thaw.
Fairy says that no matter how dark MS’s past had been, he should believe that there are still more good people in this world.
This is more or less the start of MS’s redemptive arc, as he slowly becomes aware that his way of thinking can be challenged.
FD continued…
Immortals of Shuyuntian
At the Immortals Exam, the senior Immortals finally come to save Fairy from the possessed monster, but are more interested in interrogating her than in thanking her for saving the lives of the other fairies attacked by Ying Zhao.
When they saw what was taking place, all they kept saying was: “Why is this happening?” They have to work on their security a lot more. Not only do they have a Haishi member and his Minion illegally visiting their realm, while tossing evil spirits about, but also the most feared Dongfang Qingcang and his dragon invisibly walking among them.
They discover the evil spirit that changed the monster, and since only the Moon tribe and sinful mortals rear such evil creatures, it finally dawns on them that they may not have rounded up all the sinful mortals who escaped from Haotian Tower. Strange that they should miss checking on the main tenant of the tower!!!
We learn that refining evil spirits requires a lot of primordial spirits of the dead, and the Soul Transformation Cauldron which was lost. (Obviously they haven’t checked Haishi City). They ask themselves, why evil spirits had disappeared in the 3 realms but were now they appearing in Shuiyuntian … hmmm could it be because it’s run by incompetent immortals?
FD continued …
Rong Hao
Meantime, evil-to-ambivalent Rong Hao and Minion (the evil butterfly) put their heads together (they are smarter than the rest of the Immortals) with the added clue that Minion had been burnt by hellfire.
RH has figured out that the mysterious being who disrupted Haishi was really Dongfang Qingcang. Thanks to Rong Hao we learn: “His body cannot be destroyed and his primordial spirit cannot be reincarnated. He is the real immortal. In the past the immortals scattered his primordial spirit and sealed him in the Haotian Tower.”
He even guesses correctly that possibly when they tried to reinforce the Haotian Matrix, a little fairy was sucked into the tower. Could that little fairy break the seal and gather the primordial spirit of Dongfang Qingcang? But in order for that fairy to have succeeded to bring back Dongfang Qingcang, she would have to be the Goddess of Xishan. Only the Goddess of Xishan can restore souls.
Rong Hao designs a simple test to see if Fairy can purify the evil spirit in the dead plant he asks her to heal. Since she successfully purified the evil spirit and brought it back to life, she had proven to be the Goddess of Xishan, but she herself is not aware of this.
Rong Hao goes to his Master’s Chidi Woman’s side. She killed herself but appears to be sleeping. RH claims to be suffering everyday without her, and is determined to find a way to save her. So Fairy’s ability to bring life back to the so-called ‘dead’ will be useful to him.
FD continued …
Chang Heng
He has no clue that his best friend is preparing to use him to get rid of their common enemy so that Haishi City will gain the upper hand in the 3 realms. He continues naïve and clueless, and foolish over the girl that he thinks he cannot marry anyway. Pity the girl likes him.
By Episode 14 we see that Chang Heng has been carrying a torch for Fairy for some 500 years. He had returned from war in a bad state, and she’d nursed him and been his friend. She had considered him her first friend. He had been sad to leave her. We presume he wiped her memory of this period because he didn’t want her to be sad as well, and perhaps because he was engaged to marry someone else.
When he returns to Shuiyuntian, he endeavours to give her the Firefly Stone, without making it obvious that it’s a gift. This seems an unwise move, since he seems to know that if a fairy is found to have this stone, it would appear that she had an affair with him, and they would both be in trouble. Therefore I question his thinking when he not only left that stone for her to find. He even deposits the firefly that could go into the stone for her. And then he has to totally undo all this when another fairy, Yu Lu? replicates the stone, and claims that he gave it to her. Not very smart, these Immortals.
@Kate Thanks! I checked again and it also said available in one day. Hopefully it means my region gets it too. I think I will give this show a go. It has that Hong Kong Police vs organised crime show feel. Remind me of Tony Leung and Andy Lau’s Infernal Affairs. I haven’t tried a C drama in this genre and I heard that it was stuck for approval for two years. At the end it can only be released online and not TV. It will be interesting to see how C drama production deals with potential police corruptions, underlying cover mission gone wrong, and will the good guy really be the good guy at the end.
This would be a good show to sandwich between FD. A shot of not so glamourous side of the society and a shot of fairy tale romance.
Kalimera Ladies,
I do hope you are all okay.
I have started “If You Wish Upon Me” and it is very touching so far.
@Viva – I will take a look as well.
The last C-drama police thing I watched was very carefully choreographed to avoid the type of problems you describe. ‘Storm Eye’ with Yang Mi.
@GB
Enjoying your commentary and laughing too at your deconstruction of the goodies! This is great stuff!
Rong Hao – what a mixture!
Now, we see more ambivalence in Rong Hao who gives sacrificially of himself to save Lord Ch’s life after the first trip to try to save Fairy Orchid. RH is, in some ways, the biggest baddie because he is duplicitous. But he also loves Lord Ch as a brother. Rong Hao claims it is a strategic move but that is hard to believe in view of the great cost to himself.
The baddies who are goodies
Too many examples too count of the Moon Tribe, DQ and his loyal dragon friend demonstrating fairness and loyalty and making ethically sound decisions!
Moon Supreme and women
Why are the women of the Moon Supreme court surprised when our ML (who is really our FL) refuses their attentions? Dragon comrade says that Moon Supreme doesn’t have dealings with women. What is the deal here?
Moon Supreme and feelings
Because of having all his feelings sucked out of him our ML tells FL he can’t love her and manage ‘hellfire’ correctly.
But he is experiencing feelings such as jealousy and concern and is still handling ‘hellfire’.
I am puzzled about this unless there is a ‘tipping point’ where his love for our FL becomes too defined for him to have mastery of ‘hellfire’.
Another puzzlement is the number of times people are blasted with ‘hellfire’ and seem to just pick themselves up and walk away! Just how powerful is this stuff?!
Puzzled of Viewer Land
@Kate, you raise good questions… the sort I used to raise but when it comes to cdramas LOL I’ve given up asking. I take it as “oh, there’s another one of those pesky illogical things characters say which don’t play out as said.”
Yes, we don’t know to what extent love will upset MS’s ability to control hellfire. And yes, it gives a nasty burn but not much else. Of course it’s to do with magnitude as well. That time MS saved Fairy in Haichi, he used a lot of ‘special effects’ power. I’m not sure that hellfire was one of the weapons, but likely. I was impressed that he made swords and soldiers disintegrate… but that was probably not hellfire.
The other illogical thing… they can most of them magically appear and disappear… so why do they do so much walking? LOL. I guess using magic is energy consuming. But imagine how many times they’d have surprised and killed all their enemies!!! What’s taking them so long to kill off characters?
You have a point,… RH probably does have some brotherly feeling towards SH. I actually don’t like the actor’s face and expressions, but he’s ok as an actor, at least in this show.
As for Moon Supreme and women, one assumes that his brother Xun Feng must have dallied with the ladies. It was expected of any ‘master’ in that realm. Dragon knew that MS, having no feelings, hardly cared for female company. In any case 30,000 years alone might qualify as not having dealings with women. Heheheh!
I’m cynically enjoying the show. It can be heaps of fun. I watched one of the videos of the OST, and it gave away spoilers…. but I endeavour to forget LOL. I do like the OSTs… like the one that played when they ….err…. shared oxygen underwater. 😉
@GB,
Helpful conversation.
Heaps of fun indeed. I think you should write a piece on it!
Yes, that’s interesting re ‘hellfire’ deployment and its impact. Does seem to depend on many unknown factors!!
I don’t like that actor’s face either! Incidentally, he plays an ambiguous role turned baddie in A Dream of Splendor too. He does have proper acting chops which is why he gets these nuanced roles I think!
FD…
@Kate, Speaking of ‘hellfire,’ I just rewatched Ep 9. That’s where we really get to see a lot of hellfire and what it can do. Still it didn’t seem to really hurt anyone, just kept up a shield of sorts and was able to take off the top of a tower. We assume MS wasn’t aiming to kill. He controls it like it’s a snake of blue flame.
I liked the rather lackadaisical way MS tossed his hellfire around. It looked relatively effortless for him and all the Immortals couldn’t do a thing to him.
The dragon ride to Wind Plain should have lasted longer with more clear images. It also raises the question… with a dragon in tow, why bother with a slow boat? LOL.
@kate @gb —I’ve flown through FD in the last few days and reading all of your commentary has added much enjoyment to the whole experience. It’s not a hate watch at all for me, I truly do like it, but it’s definitely not one that takes itself too seriously.
*Some spoilers for eps 1-14*
1. Ive never seen the FL before and the ML only in meteor garden. Making it past Esther’s voice was my first hurdle.
2. During their first body switch, when there was the suggestion to do what they did in order to switch back, the ML caresses his lips in wonderment and bewilderment I knew I would be sticking around to see how all of this played out. Their second switch was even better. When Esther plays Dq in the fairy body she looks much more beautiful and Orchid inside DQ brought many laughs. The way “he” did the hair toss, rolled on the bed, got tangled in his robes..all of it was perfect. When it came time for the fairy bloodshed, I was full on LOL. I liked the way they handled the bath. One question, do they not have to use the bathroom in this world? I think that would’ve come up before bathing had ever been an issue. As far as the women not knowing DQ didn’t have relations with women, I assume they must have come to be sometime during his 30000 year absence.
2. The rulers of Shenyiun —wow, could they be more obtuse? Thankfully the fairies seem to have more wits about them and I need their bullying of orchid once she saved them.
3. Cheng- his character is great for SML. He’s powerful-but not AS powerful as the main lead- humble, honest, handsome, a good friend, and a previous relationship/meeting with the FL that he nobly erased from her memory.
4. When the bodies were still switched and DQ was questioning cheng about what would happen if he took Orchid back to Shenyiuan, I think she realized he will never be better, stronger, or more powerful than DQ, but she still stuck with the answer that Cheng was better when DQ asked her while he was eating her flower cookies-though it was obvious bravado.
5. I’m hoping Dq and his brother reconcile.
6. R has a redemptive arc -It seems all of his “bad” deeds have been done for the sake of saving Chidi. And goodness knows he seems to be the only one capable of connecting the dots of orchid as goddess Xichin. It is off putting when he makes his servants take on the form of Chidi though… as far as people not being able to recognize him, I have the same questions for the people who can’t recognize Bruce Wayne as Batman and Clark Kent as Superman—-you can still SEE them 🙄
7. Although it’s easy to dismiss all of the scenes as just poor production/prettiness, you’re right GB. On a second viewing you are more aware things actually do have meaning to the story—like his emotion tree thawing and gradually spouting leaves.
8. I think the make up is really well done and I love all the beaded pieces in the women’s hair.
9. From what I gather, the main point here is that emotions don’t make you weak, they make you better and stronger. Even if he’s not able to control hellfire (which as Kate pointed out, it seems not to be that damaging anyway since they keep bouncing back), he can still defeat the “baddies” with a collective effort. And no one is meant to be an island and we are all better off for making connection to others.
LOL!! Another question re the whys of this and that mode of transport.
The mystery of the slow boat.
For low visibility entry into the region?
Apologies—I meant to go back and correct the spelling of the names and places but I forgot. Hopefully you’ll be able to figure out who/where I mean
@birdie007 – so glad you are also enjoying this fantasy romp! I really enjoyed your thoughts on the show thus far. Responding to one or two:
1.Esther Yu’s voice iS a challenge and I don’t think it is the dubbing, sadly. I agree she is far more attractive when in DQ mode! I think it is testament to the appeal of the storyline and other factors that we got over that hurdle!
3. Re Cheng as perfect second ML… yes …that makes sense! I was wondering whether DQ would do a very noble thing for Fairy Orchid to end up with Cheng. But if he is the lesser option, as you suggest, that doesn’t compute as a good ending.
6. Laughed about the Batman parallel. I hope RH is redeemed too in this story. A lot of suffering here. Perhaps his redemptive arc will be sacrificial in the end…?
9. Yes… that makes sense of the whole.
I want to add too that when people break ‘the rules’ and follow their hearts, they are led to the deepest truth and the best relationships and out of ‘stuckness’. That’s what I loved about the big upset in the Fairy ceremony… Orchid’s deepest truth upsets the whole shebang!
ps should have added that that final comment was in the context of this storyline rather than being a life motto!
Hi @birdie, wow, you’ve caught up fast. Yes, it’s a very light, fun watch. No real tension to speak of.
I love every scene where Dylan W plays fairy. Sooooo good. Such dainty steps, so much head tilting and expression, the way he holds up the robe and got his headdress caught in the curtain LOLOL. The higher pitched voice alone should have given the game away.
Yeah, I noticed too that no one needs the bathroom LOL. One wonders why they need to even eat or sleep.
It’s interesting that you say
Perhaps it was her loyalty speaking, but I always felt that Fairy was rather blind when it came to Chang Heng. She hero worshipped him on top of having a crush on him. I also tend to feel Fairy is truthful, so she’d express what she really believes.
I usually want siblings to reconcile, however I strangely do not care for dear Xun Feng. I guess show will go that way though.
Rong Hao and his obsession … I’m not sure Chidi Woman would want to be resurrected to be part of the evil of Haishi City. It seems RH took it upon himself to make a quest of bringing her back to life, but although he had the Destiny Book and Chidi’s body, he never thought of getting the Destiny Book fixed, in all 30,000 years. *shakes head* He’s still smarter than most but at the moment MS seems to be a little ahead.
MS took 1 look at the Destiny Book and figured out what to do.
About the makeup… Show has really made MS’s face very white, for a guy. He’s like an alabaster statue when he just stares woodenly. I like that he does not mind Fairy calling him Wooden Head.
Yes, the set up for growth by regaining emotions and becoming more human has been put in place. I want to see MS as an ordinary mortal, before he goes back to becoming a true immortal. Hopefully his stint as a mortal will make him a better immortal, and yes, with loads of connections with others, for united strength.
In Episode 11 he says he only trusts himself, but we see that after this, he considers what Fairy says about trusting Shang Que. It’s good to see him developing a warmer heart.
@Cleo – how is your vocation so far? 🙂
Does “If you wish upon me” require a fair bit of crying? I like Sung Dong Il. He can play a character that gives people some wise insight of life. He can play a character that sees it all.
FD
Include spoilers up to ep 9
Haha @GB! Yes with a dragon in two why the boat? I do love this CG dragon! It is fearsome but not evil type scary. A very good looking Chinese dragon! The best thing about this show is its CGI, the colour palette, the fairy costume. Warm colours around Orchid, cold blue around MS.
I thought it was very funny when the two moon tribe guys couldn’t spot love! Is it in episode 8? When MS felt jealous to see Orchid and C Heng married later in the mirror. They thought it was a tricky spell. Really he has fallen in love.
So how to show “true love” according to this show? It is when you can feel exactly the other person feels. She dies, you die. She is sad, you are sad. So you want to protect and keep her happy with all you can so you don’t need to die and feel sad. With this in mind, all you do and say turn out to be touching.
They also did a good mask this time. It does cover the Rong Hao’s face well enough that it makes it hard to guess his true identity in the earlier episodes.
@Viva,
Yes, the CG dragon is wonderful.
I was wondering whether the boat on the sea/river of forgetfulness was the only way through from one kingdom to another and then you need Dragon transport! But may be overthinking! haha
Re Moon Tribe guys and their blind spot…yes!
Re how you show love… Fairy Orchid gets more ‘aha moments’ re love and DQ but it is in later episodes so won’t spoil that for you.
@Viva, Yes, although I’ve got other shows to watch, I find myself wanting to go back to this one. It’s very beautiful, as you say. The CGI and the colours, not to mention the austere beauty of Dylan W. LOL.
I’m sure MS will be in long denial about being in love with anyone. He protests that he cannot fall in love, but we see by Ep 16 that his Heart Sea and Love Tree are becoming thawed out and starting to bud with green leaves.
I laughed at all the romantic turns of phrases about when she dies, he dies etc… she took it to mean that he really cared about her, but he was just being literal LOL.
All the fanciful masks in period dramas are terribly creative, but not very practical for soldiers, LOL. They can’t see anyone sneaking up on them.
Yes, Rong Hao’s mask is a bit better for hiding his identity. I’d normally look askance at people who need to wear masks. It’s like they lack confidence or have something to hide. RH of course needs to keep his best pal from finding out that he’s a double dealing immortal with his own agenda.
Hi @Kate, I’m still enjoying this fluffy FD show. I’m in for the romance but I like the magical, fantastical fights too!
FD EPISODE 13 – the Romance so far
*SPOILERS*
CH (and later RH) come to rescue Fairy from the Moon Tribe. Fairy in the body of MS, gives up her chance to return with CH to Shuiyuntian. Instead she chooses to swap back to her own body, so that MS would not be killed by RH. MS back in his own body, nonchalantly tosses CH and Rong Hao away and kisses Fairy for good measure in front of CH to spite him. *Tut tut* (Lots of delicious kissing in this show!)
When Shang Que reports that Fairy has gained status in the eyes of the Silent Moon Palace for saving the master, and that this shows her desire to be a loyal subject, MS was obviously hopeful it would have been a sign of more… like perhaps that she liked him enough to want to save him for himself. He rescinds the order to have her restrained. She’s free to go about safely and even have a banquet in her honour. All the time that he’s alone, he’s fingering his Jade Ring… the one that keeps him from feeling Fairy’s emotions. It’s obvious that he very much wants to know what she’s feeling and thinking, especially regarding himself.
Although he won’t officially attend the banquet, we see that he goes secretly and makes the petals fall like snow around the ladies to augment their joy. He finally removes the ring while hiding behind a tree listening to the delight of the ladies, and smiles to enjoy experiencing Fairy’s innocent joy, secretly, together with her. He’s well on the way to being half human, without the Jade Ring.
FD EPISODE 14 up to EPISODE 16 on Jie Li
*SPOILERS*
We are re-introduced to the scamming shop keeper, Jie Li. I thought she was a throwaway character when we first came across her, but it’s interesting that Show is making more of her. It seems that Fairy’s stealing of the Destiny Book has brought the wrath of Haishi upon Jie Li as well.
She is on the run and in Cangyan to get her money back from Fairy. She seems to be someone very much in the know about the latest news and ancient lore, and it seems she can work both for good and for ill. She has her own stock of magic and lots of potions, (stolen) treasures, and magical things that can come in very helpful.
She turns up dressed as a Silent Moon Palace maid to accost Fairy. She’s a good plot device to bring lost treasures into the open, to get Shang Que to reveal more about MS and to lead Fairy into more foolish shenanigans that require MS’s saving her and to push the plot along. She will also be the one who starts off as an anti but becomes a fan of the ever good-hearted Fairy, and possibly a very important character later, plus a love interest of one black dragon(?)
Kalimera my dear @Viva,
I am okay. Enjoying the sun and the sea for the most part.
How are you?
Well, it has some touching stories and I think that the next one will be a more emotional one.
It makes you teary in some scenes that is true. Let’s not forget that the plot has to do with the last wish of a terminal patient.
Ji Chang Wook is pretty good in his role. His character had lost his road in life and he is suffering.
I really like Choi Soo Young a lot and she is perfect for her role, as for Sung Dong Il what can we say? He is a chameleon.
@GB
Thank you. What fun. Glad you are still enjoying. I am too.
Episodes 13 – 16
I had forgotten what the jade ring was – aha- all makes sense now!
There were some super sequences in this episode and the flower petal party was lovely! Our ML couldn’t help but go and enjoy Orchid’s exuberance while standing behind a tree. And, of course, she was looking for him too! He is very tender when he is not on guard.
They are very sweet together in this tentative romance.
She calls him ‘Wooden Head’ to keep things informal! haha. He doesn’t mind!
Enjoyed the involuntary laughter and tears scene with ML unable to prevent Orchid’s emotions magically transferring to him during that meant-to-be serious court scene. What was funny too was the 2 courtiers trying to make sense of it in a way that was respectful to the great Moon Supreme!
Agreed on your proposal for Jie li.. Isn’t it interesting that our Dragon has such high moral values!
I am now intrigued about the real story of the killing of DQ’s father.
Someone bad has had to interfere. All those lovely football playing memories and then that change in the father and young DQ, apparently, killing him in cold blood!?
Also, poor Lord Ch! He is a genuine guy. He is very brave too. What IS his brother doing? His brother has got to be dodgy or is he just a representative of the Fairy Immortals being behind the times?
@Viva and @Cleopatra, I am anticipating some teary moments. I have been moved, but haven’t had any in episode 1, which is as far as I have gone. Being a drama, I anticipate that one of the main characters will get a terminal illness. Perhaps I’m saving it up for then?
What do you think of the tattoos on Seo Yeon-joo the nurse and on the ML Yoon Gyeo-ree? I tried to read hers but my screen isn’t pixilated enough. Was it in Latin? And he has a rather delicate (compared to his other gang tattoos) rose on his wrist. I am theorising that this is a common bond between them?
@Kate, I too forgot what the issue with the Jade Ring was. When I go through the episodes one after the other, the details get lost. The thing is that to get a better idea of what’s going on, I need to rewatch, but I won’t have time to keep doing that.
I like your use of the word ‘tender’ for MS. The flashback of him as a child carving the wooden statue of Yanny, adds a note of pathos for what could have been, had he not been the son chosen to be MS. Between him and his brother, it seemed like the father wanted Xun Feng to become the MS. There were memories of the old lady and MS himself of good times hunting, playing, with his father. I, too, wonder where that all went.
There seems to be missing scenes of the brothers playing together as well. I’d have thought it was more natural for the boys to spend time together.
Yes, it’s surprising that a Supreme person does not mind being called Wooden Head. At least he’s not always so full of himself. I fancy it’s more that he engenders fear in others that they trip over themselves to appease him, but he personally does not seem too much of a diva. He did give leave for the cook to return to his family and just sighed over the food he didn’t want to eat.
Yes, together with Fairy, I’m also curious about what happened about the public killing of MS’s father. You may be right. Just as now, the Haishi bunch interfere, perhaps in the past, someone else changed the attitude of the father for MS.
In my notes on FD EPISODE 15 I had …Chang Heng goes off half baked to Cangyan to rescue Fairy (a likely suicide mission but fools must). Of course his ‘Eye in the Sky’ brother locates him immediately and he ends up in good old Haotian Tower for a spell.
Yeah that constipated looking Yun Zhong doesn’t do a thing to fix the problems. He just wants the rules to be abided by. Even the Four Water Pearl Tower thing was fixed by CH and not YZ or any of the other senior Immortals. They just stand there judging others, while not doing any work.
Also in Ep 15, Jie Li and Dragon have a great chit chat. We find that though both were orphans and mistreated by those who cared for them (with lies and scheming), Jie Li is out to take advantage of anyone she can and exact revenge if possible, while Dragon swears he will not be like his tormentors. Instead he would be upright and trustworthy. They argue about being foolishly warm-hearted or self-centred and cold hearted and can’t agree. What polar opposites and of course they’ll be great together.
@GB –
I re-watched the first 2 episodes but haven’t done as you have and tracked back for more detail. I think I may do a complete re-watch when all the episodes are out. They are packing the plot with interesting stuff eh?
I love your take on the senior Immortal Fairies ‘constipated looking’ Yun Zhong! Haha.
Yes Lord Ch. has lost some of the restraint and wisdom of his high office in his desperation. Agreed. He’s not strategic at the moment and is vulnerable to constipated brothers and other dangers!
Yes, agreed MS is no diva. He prefers courage to cowering before him.
His deepest truest self is a sweetheart! Sniff.
Big Mouth Episode 5
*SPOILERS*
I must say it’s getting interesting. Now everyone is confused. Is he or isn’t he Big Mouse? The mystery has increased because he’s knowing things he shouldn’t know and doing things in a whole new way. Also someone died at just the right time… something that only Big Mouse could engineer. The only thing I can think of is that the real Big Mouse is in cahoots with him now.
Poor Mi Ho, she wants to believe in the kid she married, but it’s suddenly become hard.
It’s becoming more obvious that the missing Paper of the dead doctor is to do with unlawful experimentation on humans. Yes, it’s conspiracy theory time!
FD EPISODES 17 and 18
Just couldn’t resist watching both Episodes. Show is doing a good job of moving along with revelations and other good stuff. Most satisfying. So unlike Shows which used to tread water to make up 50 episodes or something. I hope the Show does not lose pace.
About the ‘romantic’ aspect…
I somehow don’t think Viewers will consider cinnabar (or blood!) drawn on a person’s face as thanks, all that romantic!!! LOL.
I feel to us, the most obvious way to solve the Shuiyuntian versus Moon Tribe debacle is the political marriage. It’s practically in place, except for that little issue of the girl supposedly being meant for a fairy guy, which won’t wash with the Moon guy. Yes, we can see the conflict from miles away.
Loved these episodes @GB!
Both were moving, especially 18!
And I rather liked the unique way our ML said thank you to Fairy Orchid… rather swoony. He was holding her face in his hands -and there was vulnerability and trust between them. Give me the cinnabar in that way say I!
Interesting theory re how to solve the stand-off. I suspect someone will make a sacrificial move – what about RH in his own redemptive arc??
os he was marking her has his own with the cinnabar symbolic of his own blood. Hmmmm
@Kate, I expected that if he had to mark her face as a note of thanks, that it would be a dot on the forehead and not a smear on the cheek. He is tender, though, so that was sweet.
I was amused that the great Lord didn’t mind appearing with mussed hair before his favourite fairy. He obviously trusts her completely. If he suspects that she has other loyalties, he will be so upset. Still, she’d always told him from the start that it was CH in her heart and not him.
It was a nice respite, not having CH meddling. He’s taken a big risk and lost a lot for his love. He is no longer the God of War, so what will that make him? I don’t know if it has any bearing on his powers, or just that he gets demoted.
Yes, good idea. Someone ambivalent like RH would make a good sacrificial subject later on, out of love for his long-time friend, CH. Show is careful that we don’t get attached to characters who might get the axe before the end. 😉
Yes… I am wondering too about CH… we are due a status update on him or perhaps someone will go on a journey to break him out of H tower…
I am wondering if there will be an alliance in the end between the good Moon Tribe members and the enlightened Fairies.
FD
Ep 17 – 18
I’m up to date now! I laughed when MS still needed Orchid to walk by him but stood up right away after hearing his brother has turned up.
Yes me too @GB, I kept choosing this drama over the others on my watch list. The romance is getting lovely to watch. The kind girl helping a lonely guy to reconnect with his emotions is nothing new, but still captivating to watch.
I too like Dylan Wang’s version of Orchid. Thankfully he hasn’t overdone the cuteness so makes it funny to watch. I’m getting used to Esther now.
@Kate, I went and looked at the trailer. If you are looking for spoilers/status of CH. Actually the trailer has a fair bit of spoilers on everyone.
Poor CH, I have nothing to fault his love for Orchid. He really has tried.
MS and Orchid are so in love now! What missing is acknowledgement now.
I do expect one of Orchid or MS to die to make us cry. The question is if they get to come back to live. 🤔
I think the CG is well done here. I watched Yang Yang’s Martial Universe before and the CG there gave me a headache. None of it here! It adds to the story and does what Xian Xia does the best.
@Viva –
Yes, MS is learning how to get the attention he needs – haha!
Thanks for the tip on the trailer … I’m making up lots pf theories at the moment.
Does anyone else wonder whether constipated-looking Lord Y may be more than just constipated? I’ll bet there is another reveal about the real story 30,000 years ago and I’ll put money on RH being deluded into playing his dark role.
Yes, MS and Fairy Orchid have been through so much and the closeness and love are there.
She did a great job of not saying anything during the conversation between MS junior and MS senior! She has a wisdom, at times, which points to a far greater essential identity.
Loved her resolve as she bravely dived into the ‘sea’ to visit MS senior!
Does anyone else wonder whether constipated-looking Lord Y may be more than just constipated or short-sighted? I’ll bet there is another reveal about the real story 30,000 years ago and I’ll put money on RH being deluded into playing his dark role by another dark entity.
ps sorry I moved the paragraphs around and left an almost duplicate.
Hi @Kate and @Viva,
You won’t believe what I’m doing now. Decided that waiting until 10:30pm to get my fix of this FD show was a bit of a long wait, and am checking out another Dylan Wang outing called ‘Miss the Dragon’ (2021). Neither as pretty and the colours are mostly muted whites and pastels, nor a plot that’s so interesting as FD, but it is cute in that the hero, a Dragon King, is trying to pay back the maid’s good deed by following the plot in a risque book LOL. It’s set in the human world with mythical beings of other realms coming and going like nobody’s business.
FD – yeah, MS was trying to play at being pathetic but had already recovered his strength. Fairy was not impressed.
I’ve been avoiding the music videos and trailers to avoid the spoilers, but I can guess what happens. Truth to tell, I don’t miss CH at all. Yes he did try to be the man in Fairy’s life, but now the reverse has happened and she has another person in her heart instead of CH. It will take quite a bit of convincing to get CH to believe that she’s happy at Moon Palace, though.
Yes, we can expect a couple of lives to be suffered through before more resurrection takes place. The first we are hearing off now is that Chidi Woman is going to be reborn as Wan Qing in the human realm, and her primordial spirit is to be taken (by Xun Feng) to revive the Sword that will unlock the soldiers. So a foray into the human world is up soon.
I agree the CGI in this show is very good.
@Kate
I guess we may get more backstory on Yun Zhong, although show has him there as the usual god plot device and I’m not particularly interested in him. There were probably other things at stake in that 30,000 years ago war.
The thing is that we hear Yanny was betrayed by some lover of hers, from the fairy kingdom and that caused a rift between the Moon tribe and fairy folks. So what was the war between Chidi and Moon tribe about?
Yun Zhong and the senior gods were around but CH had been too young. It seems that the fairies and Chidi had ganged up against the Moon tribe and sealed MS in H Tower.
Separately there’s RH, who is an immortal fairy too, but for some reason he considers Chidi his master and is obsessed with bringing her back. To do so, he created a new place, Haishi City where he’s playing with dark magic.
I’m not sure he was tricked. He has a choice, but he chose an evil way to get what he wants.
I find it cute that these ‘weak’ characters will claim that they don’t have much power, but they are the ones who do all the courageous things. Yes, ‘her resolve as she bravely dived into the ‘sea’ to visit MS senior!’ was most inspiring.
@GB – I do believe it! I can relate to the need for the closest equivalent of the current show I am watching. Will take a look later at the alternative DW show. [I am also obsessive about Love Like the Galaxy – so am bouncing between two very different worlds].
As you and @Viva said – this show really pulls you in. I am so happy when the episodes are subbed. I get my evening meal and I watch happily!
Yes, good point re Lord Y – maybe he is just a figure who performs a role in this story. That said, we never see what is going on in his head… and why does he act so quickly to imprison poor Lord Ch? I’m just bearing in this in mind… in case…
Yes to the strength of the ‘weak’ characters!
I still reckon RH has swallowed some story that has kept him in thrall to Chidi Woman and will be devastated when he discovers that all is not as he thought. I just think there may be another puppet master and it isn’t him. He isn’t benefiting enough from the current status quo. Who is?
Kalimera my dear @Fern,
Yes, it will become more emotional as the time passes by.
He has a lot of tats on his body. I think that he seeks the “pain” of the needle, because he was abused as a child.
As for her, she has indeed a phrase, but I didn’t pay attention to the message the first time.
@GB Unnie,
I am going to start “Big Mouth” when I will be back. I have heard that Lee Jong Suk is brilliant in his role.
Hi @Cleo, let us know when you start on Big Mouth. Although LJS is good, I find that I see a flash of some of his ‘W’ character cropping up in scenes. By contrast, I don’t notice this when I watch an actor like Lee Junho in his various roles. Perhaps KJH’s roles are sufficiently different that there’s little overlap in character style.
@Kate, ‘Miss the Dragon’s’ early episodes are nothing but Dragon trying to figure out how to get the maid to accept his returning her a favour. He thinks he has to marry her or something LOL so he’s learning the hard way how to be a boyfriend. Other than that, it’s pretty boring. Can’t hold a candle to FD.
I just watch to enjoy Dylan’s face. I’ve watched him before in a few episodes of Ever Night 2, but never cared for that show (dropped it) or for him in that role. But his face is very outstanding… unusual and therefore memorable.
@GB –
I loved him in ‘Meteor Garden’… he took the central role – and whatever you think of this – coming of age/arrogant, cold heir to vast fortune awoken by feisty poor girl – show, part of the charm was his playing of that role and the wonderful expressions on his face! He brings a wonderful intensity to his roles – when they work for him!
ps I am not recommending you watch MG… was wanting to make the point re what he brings to his roles.
He is only 23. Loads of room to grow as a performer still.
@Kate, thanks for giving your quick review of Dylan in Meteor Garden. Sometimes, just because it’s sort of a ‘classic’, I feel I ought to check it so that I know what the references to it are about. Perhaps I will when I’m in the mood. 🙂
Gosh, Dylan Wang must have been a teenager when filming Meteor Garden. Interesting.
Kate, is it hot again or bearable? We are in for a hot day here. I had been hoping for some rain, but it’s going to the north.
Hi @Fern,
We are heading up to 33/32 degrees today but after that Monday onwards should be much nicer. At least it isn’t the sweltering heat of a few weeks back! Are you similar temperature wise?
I know DW was very green and young in that role!
Of course Sheng YUe’s performance was also very fresh and unforced in MG. They worked very well together and, of course, got on well in real life.
I watched Boys over Flowers after this and loved Lee Min Ho but, like many people, found the FL a tad overacted. Still enjoyed it. My introduction to K-dramas.
@Kate, I tired Being A Hero. Watched 2 episodes. Not bad! A lot more serious than FD. Subtitles aren’t out yet so I paid extra attention to listen and can have time pay attention to the actor facial expressions and their emotions in their voice. It’s another form of appreciation! Just raw acting without the usual help of voice actors. No attempt to present the actors at their best looks. No fancy clothes. No filter.
The fighting and chasing scenes can really take one’s mind off. Tense.
I will try more episodes to get into the story more.
@GB since I’m also watching Big Mouth, I compared them. Both taps into crimes but very different story telling styles. One from a wronged policeman, one from a framed lawyer. Seeing how crimes affect society through different eyes.
@Viva – will check it out when the subs come out in that case..sounds interesting!
@Viva, enjoy the show. Let us know how you find it as you go along, and also when the subs are out. I may not watch it since Big Mouth is enough of that genre for me.
@Kate, I like Dylan Wang since MG. 🙂 That’s my first drama with him and he did great there. I thought the whole drama was good except for the last episode. After watching it, I was like, ‘what happened?.’ hehehe
I’m trying to do catch up with my kdramas but things are just busy but I’ll see if I can catch up with you ladies for FD. 🙂
@agdr03 – ahh… glad you enjoyed MG too and like DW!
It would be great if you can catch up with us for FD! I think it is 36 episodes in total. So we are at the half way point.
I’ll definitely try @Kate. ☺️ I think I’ve finished with my families milestone birthday celebrations.
Hoorah!
It was 33C here as well. I’m just trying not to do anything too taxing. I’ll wash the dogs after supper and take them out for a walk when the sidewalks/paths have cooled down. At least we have a breeze.
@agdr03, I’m only on episode 11 of FD, so I’m behind everyone else.
I looked at episode 1 of If You Wish Upon Me because I so much want Ji Chang Wook to have a good drama for a change. My problem is with his stylist who can’t make him look like the ex-jailbird thug that he is supposed to be. His hair and clothes seem wrong – he’s just too good looking like this. Shouldn’t he start out with an extreme fade haircut and some bling at least? 🤨😆
Hi all,
I’ve just had very sad news. My beloved Mum of almost 90 has died, unexpectedly. As you can imagine, I will occupied with this for the next few weeks.
Would value your prayers as my brother and sister and I deal with this.
@Kate
@Kate,
I am so sorry for your loss. Yes, I will you have you in my prayers…
Dear @Kate, Sending you and your family prayers your way on the loss of your beloved Mom. One is never ready for the loss of a parent. I hope you give yourself the time to grieve and are comforted by the fond memories you shared.
@Cleo and @OAL.
Thank you so much. Yes, it feels untimely and we are caught off guard.
But we loved one another and she knew herself loved by her children. That’s a deep comfort.
I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your mother, Kate. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.
@Kate, sending you and your brother my deepest condolences. May your dearest Mom Rest In Peace. 🙏🏼
I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers. Hugs.
Sorry, sending my condolence to your sister too. I’ll keep you all in my prayers. 🙏🏼
Thank you @Fern and @agdr03 – much appreciated!
@Kate
I am very sorry to hear that. Sending you love and care. We are here to support you whenever you need to talk to us.
@Kate So sorry to hear about your mum. It’s especially hard when we lose our mothers. There’s no one else like her in our lives. Thinking of you
My deepest sympathies to you and your family @Kate. We’ll definitely be praying for you all and for your mum’s soul.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may perpetual Light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
@kate
So very sorry to hear the news but I am relieved to know you’re finding comfort in the love you shared. Take your time and we will be ready to revisit the episodes of FD and Galaxy anytime you feel like it-tomorrow or months from now. Sending prayers for your family.
@Viva, @BethB, @GB, and @birdie007,
Thank you for your understanding, kind comments and prayers at this time.
All greatly valued. Although Mum was of a good age, our focus had been on our Dad who has had many health crises – so this is a genuine shock.
But we are grateful that she lived out her life in her own home and on her own terms with no long spells in hospital. That is a blessing.
@Kate, something similar happened with my parents who both became ill at the same time, but we had more time to prepare ourselves. It’s damnable either way – time to prepare includes drawn out illness and all that entails. We had the time to grasp the situation, but my mother had always said she wanted to go very quickly. The thing is, there is nothing we can or could have done about it. It’s not in our hands. I’m glad that she and you had the comfort that she lived in her own home on her own terms. That’s definitely the best.
It’s my belief that the weather of the last week has been very hard on our elderly. We keep checking in on my husband’s parents – it has been hotter where they live than here.
@Fern – you are so right. We would have been prepared, had she had a long drawn out illness and been in and out of hospital! Yes, this is kindest to her.
I spoke to Mum on Saturday evening and she was not liking the heat and wanted just to go and sleep. Lots of nagging from me about fluids etc etc But I think as you say that the heat helped matters at all. She’s in a cool house with a cool living room but has never coped well with heat.
ps I should have added — I will lurk at times and enjoy your conversations re FD etc!
Hope to be able to actively enjoy the discussion with you again in a few weeks or so.
@Kate oh my deepest condolences to you and your family. May you all find comfort in the beautiful memories you have shared with her. Sending prayers to you and your family too.
I will try to keep Love like the Galaxy thread alive 😀 and now that I have started Love between Fairy and Devil, I feel like i’m in a cdrama spree esp without AOS this weekend.
I’ll be there with you @grace at the LLTG thread. We’re almost near the end of the drama so I can’t miss it. ☺️ Hopefully it won’t be too angsty.
Hi @Kate, @grace, @Viva, yes, we’ll keep this thread alive with our comments on FD and Big Mouth and other shows. So we can all come and have some fun lurking from time to time.
Ad Hoc Thoughts on FD Episodes 18-22
*SPOILERS*
Now that we’re in the mortal realm, we have added relationship complications.
I’m wondering if we’re going to have a love hexagon or heptagon. It’s getting confusing. Our couples are criss-crossing and an issue of complexity is added by Dan Yin who is now a boy???
Dan Yin – Chang Heng – Fairy Orchid might have been 1 triangle, but we have to add on Moon Supreme/QC, which makes it a quadrangle. And in the mortal realm we have to add on Chidi, which makes it a pentagon!! Of course RH will not be far behind (hexagon) and Die Yi (RH’s Minion) will not want to be left behind (heptagon?)
Was I mistaken but did Dan Yin as a ‘boy’ interest our Jie Li a bit? (octogon) LOL. Then our Black Dragon/Shang Que will not be pleased (nonagon)
And all this time we’ve had the unacknowledged and much denied Fairy Orchid – MS/QC romance, and the long destined Fairy Orchid – CH wedding.
The Chidi mortal arc is messy. Of course when MS/QC was looking around for Mr Right, we just knew he was a dunce! It was him there at that time, afterall.
Rong Hao – Chidi – Moon Supreme/QC a pretty complicated triangle since RH wants to save Chidi and MS wants to take her primordial spirit. I feel that everyone has forgotten that in the end the goddess will be able to restore life/heal even without primordial spirits. I’m holding out hope that this fluffy war-cum-romantic comedy will end off with everyone mostly alive and people brought back from the dead.
In Episode 16, it felt like MS was trying to regain his reputation of being mean and cruel. Previous to his wanting to execute Jie Li immediately, he’d been a veritable teddy bear.
SIGNS THAT HE’S NOT AS MEAN AS MADE OUT TO BE
– He lets Jie Li steal repeatedly without caring and let’s her off.
– He let Fairy rescue Jie Li even after threatening her with imprisonment the first time.
– He did not punish the old lady for demanding to know why the sons and husbands did not return, when MS did.
– He took more than half the lightning strikes meant for his brother upon himself.
– All his Hellfire never killed anyone.
– He never revealed to his own people what he went through and why he did not return for 30,000 years. I was kind of surprised that the common people did not know.
In Episode 16, Fairy asked why MS never revealed how hard he worked for the Moon Tribe to the people who did not understand why he had disappeared. “Why didn’t you explain back then. You didn’t mean to abandon them. And you work so hard for the whole Moon Tribe. You’ve never slacked off. Why?”
Up to Episode 18-20
MS says he has no reason why he didn’t tell his people what happened to him, and throws back Fairy’s words about people being allowed to keep secrets. With him wearing the Jade Ring and her wearing the Heart-Hiding/Hidden Hair Pin, they are going to end up misunderstanding each other a whole bunch. At the moment he will still experience her physical wounds, but we see that his brother YF is out to fix the Chen Ying sword. That will sever the Heart Curse that binds them.
😂😂😂. Shape shifting…question is…chicken or dog?
https://www.soompi.com/article/1540755wpp/astros-cha-eun-woo-in-talks-for-webtoon-based-romance-drama
https://www.soompi.com/article/1540583wpp/ryu-seung-ryong-joins-astros-cha-eun-woo-in-talks-for-new-drama-by-extreme-job-director
@nrllee, those plot lines! 🤣🤣🤣 I think I’ll be missing those. A proper live chicken would be funny, though.
FD
Thanks for the write up @GB! I found eps 18 to 22 a bit of a filler. Also Orchid and Dong Fang are going through a patch of not being honest with each other. So naturally less swoony moments. It’s a phase of ‘please grow out of it’ in the drama.
On the positive side, I like their styles as mortal. Particularly Dylan’s. Very neat without the extras when he was in moon supreme mode.
Ep 22 is informative and reveals the power of Orchid holds. That explains more how she can give lives. It’s funny to see the one sided bromance from CH to Dong Fang. As mortal CH is really doing everything he wasn’t as a God. Irresponsible, and being best friend with his enemy!
@GB, I feel RH and butterfly lady will die and they should? After all the crimes he has done and also they are side characters 😂. So turn out Dong Fang is Chidi’s Mr Right after all. That’s a plot twist. I guess that’s the hardship she gets after sealing him for 300000 years?
@Packmule3: i am a lurker (mainly because i live on another planet :-)) but i was thrilled when i discovered this blog where exchanges between participants are respectful and/or interesting,funny, insightful whether be it about dramas or life so yes it would be a pleasure for me to follow them even if this blog were to fold and it would be my loss if it were not the case
@Viva, yes, Episodes 21 and 22 were mostly filler.
The only points I got out of them:
– RH plays the flute well and Wan Qing recognises the music from her past life. No one else can hear the flute. Not even MS.
– By going to Life Ending Pavilion to save CH, fairy gets involved in his hardship experience. He recognises her as the fairy in his dreams and is unaware that he’s correct when he says that heaven destined them for each other.
– Fairy is jealous that Wan Qing is crazy about the mysterious Mr Right who is MS.
– Fairy and MS are becoming more aware of each other or of their attraction for each other.
– We get the backstory of how RH and Evil God come to a mutually beneficial partnership.
Over and over again, the problems faced by all the protagonists is due to their inordinate attachment to someone or something. RH is willing to become evil because of his attachment to Chidi.
If someone chose to die, let them go, for heaven’s sake. But he must force her to remain in limbo while he colludes with evil. She may not appreciate that at all.
FD Episode 23 and 24
More filler, but there were some noteworthy bits.
*SPOILERS*
The to-date or not-to-date episodes where MS and Fairy refuse to acknowledge how they feel about each other, while they wallow in jealousy. It’s fortunate that Fairy and MS had so many romantic moments before, that no activity Xiao Run can offer her will take her mind off MS, who did all those things with her already.
One good thing we learn is that MS loves Fairy enough to respect her privacy. He does not exchange the Heart-Hiding Hairpin or remove his Jade Ring. So he remains in ignorance of Fairy’s true feelings.
Yun Zhong shows himself to be as bad as the Moon Tribe family since he tells Dan Yin to kill his own brother in the mortal realm, risking his primordial spirit.
So when Dan Yin returns to Yun Meng, will she remember everything? I guess so. Her hardship experience will be much greater than expected.
RH and Die Yi kill all the poor border guards, presumably to refine more evil spirits for Evil God.
@Grace – thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers!
Welcome to delurking @claudia guiso. We are happy to have you with us, enjoying our researched/fun/cynical/smarty-pants comments. I hope you will delurk from time to time to say ‘Hi!’ 🙂
@claudiaguiso, Welcome and don’t be shy if you are moved to communicate. As you know this is a pretty respectful group even if we are Bitches. There is a lot that we learn and when troubles strike there’s vlits if compassion here.And we sometimes venture to shallow island to appreciate the talent of favorite actors(ahem).
Welcome @claudiaguiso. Just pipe up and join the conversation when you feel compelled to.
Welcome @ClaudiaGuiso on Β.ο.D.
Feel free to write thoughts and join the conversation. 🙂
thank you for welcoming my delurking 😊
smarty-pants and shallow are not beneath my dignity 😏
i am not used to intervening on forums -even forgot to use an alias hehe – but trust me i’ll be there 😎
Welcome @claudia!
I lurk and come out to comment when i can. There is so much going on and I can only delve deeper into only that many things. Meanwhile, I enjoy and appreciate the many views and thoughts from fellow BODers.
I’m at episode 10 for FD and am so so loving it. Gonna read @GB’s summary as I go along.
Also, to sidetrack on the Love between the Fairy and Devil, production went into a long post production period which explains the high quality of the cgi. They had many special effects companies to design the setting, and even the styling for the various clans are consistent and well colour coordinated. Anyone remember the two guys who went into the Chinese painting? It was so interesting, real and unreal.
And then I got crazy and started watching the interviews. In China they will “炒CP” (frying the couple) which means to hype up the couple. It sounds weird when directly translated. This helps to bring attention and popularity to the drama. Actually they deliberately do things, and ambiguous actions to create misunderstanding and cause fans to want to “ship” them. Sounds like quite an art eh?
Of course then it lead me to discovering that Dylan Wang has a long time gf who is not in the entertainment circle…together for 6 yrs, they say and the “Frying Couple” actions has been discussed with his gf and he does keep a respectful distance from his FL off camera.
I mean this goes to show that what you see out there is as much as an act as what we see in the drama. Still, I don’t know how these actors and actresses can manage their emotions when they act, it is so grey. Interesting nugget to share.
@grace, it is interesting to hear about the “炒CP” (frying the couple). It’s good to know that he and his gf talk about it and go about it sensibly. I wonder if Chinese actors have less pressure from the fans than in Korea. It seems like we hear about many Chinese actors who marry or date openly. It seems like Korean actors are more reluctant to marry until after they are ready to give up romantic lead parts. That could be my imagination, but fans of Kdrama actors and idols seem unable to picture them in those roles once relationships are confirmed. It was a shock to me when I first knew about fans who couldn’t forgive a relationship.
Gosh if Dylan Wang has had a gf for 6 years, their relationship started when they were teens, right?
@fern sounds like it. If it is true, their r/s sure stood the test of time. They have been photographed many times already so it seems like it is an open secret. he acted with Shengyue in Meteor Garden, and ppl are still shipping them after so long. All I see wrt Dylan’s r/s is with Shengyue 😅😅 the desire for ppl to want them together is really strong.
Thanks for the info @grace! I was just watching AvenueX’s early review of FD and I agree what everything she says. This is a simple show that sticks to the basics of Xian Xia but it does it so well. Here’s her review and it’s a very positive one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51sYIdxE-bk&list=RDCMUCAJa5VlzzRq7Ebr-IQbXqyA&start_radio=1&rv=51sYIdxE-bk&t=992
Nice to know that Dylan has a girlfriend. I hope it can stand the test of time and all the pressures of work.
FD eps 23 24
@GB, yes I agreed. More fillers. If I have all the episodes ready I probably will fast forward a bit for this patch. I think my favourite parts of this drama are when:
-the couple spend time together (no prolong misunderstanding please! which I felt we spent the last 4 episodes on this)
-Dong Fang saved Orchid when she was in danger, usually came around with BGM and spectacular CGI
-the fancy CGI on fighting or flying etc.
Ep 23-24 felt like a bit of jealousy test. Probably to show us the difference in their statuses and their conflicting values. However, may be the jealousy will make them realise that each other is more important than anything else.
@Grace thanks – interesting to know!
@Fern depends – I think when Zhao Li Yin got married and the fans weren’t that happy about that but didn’t stop her career. Yang Mi were still very popular after she was married. Both actresses are divorced later. But yes, a few married actors are still very popular, and fans are OK about that. I can think of Allen Ren who is married with a kid.
Although I saw some fans can be active in social media to object their idol to act with another idol if they disapprove. Or the infamous Xiao Zhan incident back in 2020 Local regulators are currently promoting fans should be sensible when following their idols.
That’s why it is good to hang out here in BOD :), we can sensibly discuss and dissect dramas without those.
I had a go at reading the FD novel. I only started from the second half and finished it last night. It is quite different from the drama. Dong Fang’s character is way more calculative and wants to use Orchid for his secret agenda. There were still swoony parts but plotlines seem very different. I didn’t came across a few characters in the novel. I think the drama and the novel can be treated as two different stories.
Hi @Viva, did you manage to get the next two episodes of FD yet? It seems to have taken a break at Episode 24. I will have to wait for the subs. I didn’t see news that they would delay the next uploads, or is it the iQiyi thing about getting viewers to pay to see the last 12 episodes earlier?
I forgot to mention, that there was this little tidbit about a livestream argument between FD’s leads. Fortunately everything is pre-produced and completed so it does not matter how they disagree now, however it gives us an idea that there must have had a lively time on set.
https://38jiejie.com/2022/08/16/dylan-wang-and-esther-yu-quarrel-on-livestream-over-interpretation-of-their-characters-in-love-between-fairy-and-devil/
@GB – now you mentioned I went and checked. No I don’t have eps 25 and 26 on Viki. It says available in 3 days so will have to wait! I did a quick search in google and I think IYIQI members get it on Sunday 21 August as well.
I guess I will use this time to catch up on Being A Hero.
@Growing Beautifully, they sound like a couple of hot-heads! It’s actually refreshing to see celebrities interacting like real people. I really don’t believe much of the bts footage we get normally because even though it’s not scripted, the actors and actresses are very aware of the camera.
@Viva and @Fern
Yes, good idea. Time to catch up on EAW and I do have stuff to do before next week, so it’s all good.
Yup, these 2 ‘kids’ I call them… being natural and all is nice, but they need to also be a bit more circumspect since no editing is possible on livestream!!! Long silences are most uncomfortable for the audience. At least Dylan kept trying to fill it by making Esther speak, but she was probably just controlling her temper LOL. Saying that she was just trying to get through the last 10 minutes of the stream was a bit damaging, though.
They have not learnt the art of not reacting too quickly or of changing the subject quite completely to something more palatable to both.
I feel we could have quickly sped through the next 4-6 episodes and returned to the immortal realm for the great denouement. So it feels like a long wait for the ‘earthly wedding’ scenes.
@Growing Beautifully, it makes me think that their managers need to be a bit more proactive as well, if they want a smooth project.
The ‘kids’ are surprisingly not very media savvy yet, or the FL just wasn’t in the mood to play along. Reminds me of some people I know, actually. It seemed as though she quickly switched from responding to criticism of the character to criticism of herself personally. Or did I misinterpret that?
@Fern, Yes, I believe that you’re right. She identified with Orchid… if it’s said that Orchid was being ‘dramatic’ then she took it to mean that it was she herself that was being commented upon. But I feel that Dylan meant her character, and couldn’t get her to come around to understanding that. I felt she was being unnecessarily fault-finding and childish.
In one interview, Dylan said that the first time he met her, she was ‘fighting’ with a friend and although he was a stranger, I think he mediated between them. So being her natural self may be quite fraught for others around her.
@GB @Fern I watched the last 10 mins. It makes me a bit uncomfortable seeing the FL’s reaction. Luckily in FD the lines are scripted, I don’t need to watch a response like this.
With us not knowing the FL in real life,I feel it is a bit of gamble of her to show an angry face like this. It certainly doesn’t makes me like the show more.
Or, perhaps all publicity is good publicity? At least it gets people talking and people who hasn’t watched the show getting curious about it?
@Growing Beautifully and @Viva, it does make her seem childish. I think she’s old enough to know better, being in her line of work. But it’s a realistic way of reacting for some people. Her reaction line repeating ‘You’re right!’ was strange for someone of her age and stature.
Regardless of the ‘bad’ behaviour, I was interested that they did it live. If anything it would make her sugary (at the early episodes anyway) Orchid character seem really false. I could imagine it more if she were playing someone nasty – she would be keeping in character. Perhaps that’s her next role? Lol.
@GB @Fern @Viva, I watched the video and she felt like Esther was going to burst out crying, I agree with @GB that she identified too much with Orchid. In their interactions it feels like they ‘quarrel’ like siblings.
@Fern, Esther Yu is very good at 撒娇-ing aka act cute or aegyo, and it comes naturally to her which is why her role as Orchid in FD is perfect for her. She is kinda acting as herself. She is 26 already…not young nonetheless, of course you could say she’s young at heart.
I can’t help but compare the interactions of ZhaoLusi & Esther Yu with her male co-actors. ZLS feels less cutesy and emotional, although she looked like she got angry with Yangyang for saying that she didn’t have good coordination here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxbkxNrV3QA
@grace, I haven’t seen the video of Dylan and Esther but I’ve seen all bts of YangYang and Lusi and all I can say is they did get along well. I think YangYang is right to say that she’s childish but cute. I feel Lusi brought out the childishness of YangYang. 😂 On that video they both laughed when the emcee asked why are they quarreling? 😁
I didn’t know about Dylan having a girlfriend of 6 years. I’m happy for him if true. ☺️
@grace, thanks for that video of Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang. She warned him in several ways – she knew what he wanted to say but he said it anyway. If someone did that to me when I asked them not to, I would feel let down by them. She looked exasperated, but she didn’t lose her cool. I’m with her here – he is a highly trained dancer so it’s a bit unfair of him to criticise her movement. In this particular interaction I think she came off better than he did. I haven’t seen the entire Live. He may have been asked to relate some funny things and that was all he could think of.
@agdr03, I’m glad that they got along well on the whole.
@pm3 – when you have time can you make a separate thread for the Fairy Devil show–and pull out all the comments here on it? I never watch Chinese dramas (it’s hard enough keeping up with k-dramas and occasional J-dramas) so I don’t want to wade through the comments.
@bethb hopefully I speak for most everyone when I say this is just a hobby for PM3–not her job. We are all just thankful for the outlet. If she feels like separating them she will, but I think that’s for her convenience. I feel like we are all on thin ice with this platform so wading through comments really isn’t that much of an ask.
@birdie007 – you’re right. Sorry. I know @pm3 is super busy.
The problem is that I’ve set Yahoo mail to receive each email separately so the comments on the C-dramas were filling up my Inbox. I’ll see if I can adjust it so that I get a digest format/all comments stacked into one daily email. Or I’ll at least filter it into a separate folder.
Pingback: Love Between Fairy and Devil: Open Thread – Bitches Over Dramas
Hello ladies 🤗🤗🤗🤗 hope everyone is in their pink of health. I am sorry for not coming in as frequent as before. Haven’t been watching recent kdrama lately. Too tired from office dilemma to pick up anything. I dropped WYW at ep 10. I disagree with what the writer and PD intended for that ep and onwards. Just like how I dropped Oh Soo Jae. Yesterday I started binge watching and ffwd through hot stove league to get some motivation for work issue😂 but…hmmm ending did not give the satisfaction I hoped for.
Looking forward to my year end long leave and forget about work.
Take care ladies and stay safe! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
@miracle23 good to hear from you again. I got a bit further with EAW. But I agree that the plot seemed to lose its focus past the half way mark. The added side plots about the cancer diagnosis, the stalker(?), Jeju trip, sudden turnaround for mean male rookie lawyer…which led to female rookie lawyer suddenly falling for him – all made zero sense to me and felt forced and unnecessary. I wanted more of her with dad. But that aspect of her life dwindled. And the whole rival law firms (women CEO) bad blood just didn’t get developed either. It got ordinary very fast. Not going to tune in for S2. I lost interest in OSJ very early on as well. I just couldn’t buy the main couple. It just always felt wrong. The only drama I have finished of late is Link. I am still watching Today’s Webtoon but I am not hooked. It’s just a pleasant watch. I don’t look forward to when the next ep drops.
Hi @nrlee!!🤗🤗🤗🤗 Sejong is cute but I can’t seem to sit through a romcom to the end, for ages now.🤧
I took the time to check on the upcoming dramas the other day… I might tune in to Adamas, Good Job, One Dollar Lawyer & Good Detective 2. Too many new dramas that don’t catch my interest. Patiently waiting for Suriname and UoL though.🤭
I’m watching “Good Job,” @miracle23. It’s premiering this Wednesday, isn’t it?
We’re already almost done with first week of September! I’m watching several dramas, but because I’ve been bingeing Love Like a Galaxy, I’ve not taken the time to come here to read or leave comments on other shows.
I finished Love Like a Galaxy last night. I much preferred Zhao Lusi’s acting in this over Who Rules the World, although she was probably doing exactly what the director told her in WRTW.
Still on my current watch list: Today’s Webtoon; Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist; If You Wish upon Me. I started Good Job, but am not impressed with the scriptwriting, at least through the first two episodes, so I’m putting it on hold.
Last night I watched the first episode of Little Women. Wow, what a powerhouse cast it has! The script is tight. I can’t wait to see what clues pan out to have significance. @Packmule3, if I were to presently take the time to discuss a drama, this would be it.
Once I’ve whittled down my current watchlist, I plan to start A Dream of Splendor.