The Fragments of Kylin

Quick and Uncomplicated Watch

I started watching this on a whim because I have been watching short(er) dramas lately and this seems to fit that category. Plus, I like shows centered around demons and all that jazz. The Fragments of Kylin was a short, mostly enjoyable watch, featuring a sweet and noble male lead, bubbly female lead, and fun side characters. I am neither amazed nor disappointed by this show because it wasn’t one of my highly anticipated ones and I wasn’t expecting much from it. While the female lead being bubbly did not bother me, I preferred her attitude and personality when she was in the demon’s realm. The Demon lord version of the female lead promised angst and pain, which I very much wanted, but sadly never got. Despite it being a lower budget show, they had some pretty costumes and even some of the CGI and OST songs were decent.

If you want a quick, easy, uncomplicated story with some funny moments, this is it. It’s perfect if you commute to work and just want some mindless fun while making sure no one talks to you.

Read More

I expected an angst-ridden mess, it has some angst but the love between the leads is ever present.

I didn't expect much from it because it seemed like one of those mini dramas with no coherent plot just focused on putting the leads together. Something like the drama "Lost You Found You", which had a decent cast but a flimsy plot. The actors are wasted on such productions. They need better written scripts. Fortunately, The Fragments Of Kylin doesn't have that shortcoming. Actually it is kind of perfect in this range of dramas. It has just the right mixture of everything.

I did think that FL was brutal to ML when he gave up everything to be with her but she left him. We get the noble idiocy but for me it is a stupid trope that gets everyone in trouble instead of keeping them out of it. It is hurtful to the other party no matter which one of the leads decides to be that noble idiot. But this was pretty tame, and the FL is pretty likable apart from that silly part. The ML is also a decent person. They are all just a bunch of likable characters.

Mo Lan's prejudice did not make any sense to me. In fact, he should have been the one to understand Shi Si and someone who fought against the prejudice everyone had against demons. I did not understand his character. But at least he wizened up.

Read More

A non-fussy romance drama with the right amount of every other things; angst, action, comedy, etc.

Acting skills: FL is slightly better than ML
Visuals: both look lovely and here comes my biased comment; ML is tall and handsome with warmth and grace in his personality which is enough major reason for me to complete the drama within 48 hrs
OSTs: not bad - there are probably only 2 songs and i like them
Overall: fun and interesting plot. adorable support roles. no love triangles (thank goodness). no redflag male leads (many thank goodness lol i need a break)

A cozy drama for literally anyone who wants to just chill inside when the autumn weather takes place :)

Read More

A popcorn drama. Cute, light, and requiring absolutely nothing from the viewer.

It's a pretty easy watch overall, with a world so firmly of its genre and a plot so straightforward that I was able to put it down for weeks at a time, then pick it back up when I had time again without any confusion or difficulty.
Truthfully the plot and world are pretty thin but this is one you watch for the romantic couple, not the plot.

The main leads are adorable together. Their relationship is sweet and fluffy like cotton candy. There are no love triangles, the only secondary love interest that pops up is a blatant comedic Jarjar Binks type character whose declarations of affection are an obvious gag.
Even the couples angsty moments don't come across very bitter. Throughout the entire drama they remain obvious about being absolutely head over heels for each other. And I don't mean obvious to just the viewers either, the supporting cast comments on how gone they are for each other constantly. Not always positively granted, but these two set off everyone else's love radar like a 7.0 earthquake.

One interesting thing I enjoyed about this drama was while the leads seemed pretty typical at first glance, they actually have a subtle gender role reversal thing going on.

Minor Spoilers below for what I mean, though they're mostly vague and about the tropes you can see in the characters.




The female lead has quite a few of the standard male lead tropes. She's the one who is more physically affectionate in their relationship and is often the one to initiate their intimate moments. At first you assume it's because she just doesn't understand the implication, but once she cottons on that physical intimacy is on the table she doesn't fluster or flail about being confused. She goes after her man. In once scene he's trying to chivalrously resist his desire for her and she not only pulls him back but literally says the words 'I want to have sex with you' . Then later on when we run into the conflict arc of the drama and the male leads reputation is in danger, she's the one who pulls the male leads typical 'I will give you up for the sake of your happiness while silently protecting you from the shadows' move.

Meanwhile the male lead starts off seeming like the cold and powerful type that softens because of the female leads bubbly nature. But once we get a few episodes in it turns out the guy is full of female lead romance tropes; he's struggling with (very light) harem drama at home, he's deeply attracted to his arranged marriage partner and mortified about it to the point of going to bed fully dressed and clutching quilts protectively against his chest, there's one scene where he can't stop his family from attacking the female lead and begs them to spare her. And then later when the female lead is having her 'distant but protective domineering CEO' arc he gets her to admit she loves him by playing 'damsel in distress'.

So yeah, they're completely playing into the tropes, just with a gender reversal which was actually a lot of fun to watch.

Read More