Unsatisfying Ending

I understand fate, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. It's logical, and I accept it grudgingly.

The main conflicts of the drama were never resolved: would the orchestra be saved, who would the FL end up with, what happened after deafness, what would become of 2ML, and would ML ever let down his walls?  It wasn't just open-ended—it barely had an end. All the striving through 18 episodes of drama left only questions, no answers.

Still, the two male leads did a commendable job creating unforgettable characters, and the music was on point. 

I can accept vampire doctors, but I can't wrap my mind around that bizarre ending. 

The dreaded time skip appears at the end of the drama. ML and FL break up. Years later, she opens an email from him. End scene. What the what?

Once again, the writer left the country before finishing the drama. There is no other explanation for the travesty of the last episode. I understand the artistic choice of open endings, but this had no ending. It's one of those "figure it out for yourself" endings. If it weren't for the creepy portrayal of the ML, I'd feel cheated for the time I spent on this drama. His acting gave me shivers and redeemed the drama, somewhat. 

I hate time skips at the end of a drama when it's done stupidly. It's like the writer(s) couldn't figure a way out of their plot dilemma. Anyone showing up FIVE years after making their loved ones grieve their death isn't romantic or considerate. ML should have remained dead. Get that man a body bag!

I was enjoying this right up to the last episode, when there was a freaking three-year time skip. FL had been in a one-sided puppy love with ML all this time, and he'd been mostly distant. However, when FL learned from his best friend that ML was leaving the country that night, she sped to the airport to tearfully thank him for all he meant to her. He told her he didn't say goodbye because he didn't want to confess he loved her before leaving. She was wagging puppy dog tail happy, and they kissed goodbye as he left for the USA.

He promised to keep in touch, and he faithfully sent her his vitals (romantic, right?) every day for three months. Then his emails and phone calls stopped, and he couldn't be reached. When she called his research clinic, they told her he was busy. After weeks (months?) of trying to reach him, she gave up.

Now came one of those immensely annoying time skips of three years.  THREE YEARS!!! ML showed up at FL's hospital and said "hi." She asked when he had returned to Korea, and he told her he'd been back for a year. A year!  He didn't explain anything, and FL left to care for a patient. So three years without contact, and one year living in the same city and not bothering to reach out. If my loved one froze me out of his life for three years, I don't think he'd be my loved one any longer. But ML later explained that he'd been sick and didn't want to return until he was healthy, and FL wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug and forgave everything. If my beloved ghosted me for three years, my hands would be around his neck, too, but it wouldn't be in a hug!

It amazes me how a Chinese drama can have double, no, triple, the amount of episodes of the average Korean one, and still get the pacing wrong. GYH had 35 episodes. I enjoyed the drama, but there were some slower episodes with misunderstandings that lasted way too long and dragged the drama down. 

So, we're driving slowly at 20 mph (must be children playing nearby) when the last episode appeared. All of a sudden, we went into high gear, pedal to the metal, and screamed down the highway at 200 mph, with the scenery blurring. The ending was rushed and cheated me from that endorphin/dopamine hit of happiness I expect from a drama well done. Only one villain was punished; the others are left unscathed, with all their nastiness and deceit unknown for the most part. 

The ML and FL had conflicts; he prioritized time with his ex-girlfriend, spent the night with her, and hugged her in front of the FL.  He basically abandoned the FL at a crucial time in their careers for his ex-girlfriend, even when he KNEW the ex was lying to bind him to her. But, magically, because he won the game and FL broadcast it, somehow none of that mattered. I had to rewind to see if I missed something. Without any conversation, apologies, or new boundaries installed, ML and FL were standing on stage beaming at each other. Why would anyone accept that? 

Due to the end, this will never be a rewatch for me, even though the Pei Xi character was adorable. I want to take up his habit of handing out lollipops to people who talk too much to shut them up!

There isn't an ending; there's a stopping place, but practically nothing is resolved or answered. Obviously, there is supposed to be a season 2, but had I known this drama was unfinished, I wouldn't have invested my time in watching 40 episodes. Bless the Japanese who can successfully complete a story in six episodes!

Worth watching for Hyun Bin's performance. I know I'm supposed to be happy Jekyll survived and Hyde disappeared, but I wasn't.

Cute and fluffy dramas should end happily. ML was too kawaii to become an old, ugly man, and what's the point of a sweet romance if the two parties don't stay together?  Suggest skipping the last five or ten minutes of the drama and rewriting the ending in one's head.

It's as if Season 1 never existed. Love triangles are one of my least enjoyed tropes, and this drama did it extremely poorly. Too much angst and nonsense.

Me: It's over? Did I miss something? (Rewinds and rewatches) Is this the last episode? (Checks) I must have missed something. (Rewinds and rewatches) Dang. Was there a holiday, and the writer left early for vacation, because that was no ending.  And it was so good up until then!

According to the rules set forth in this fantasy world, the ending was illogical.

Life is hard, and then you die.  There was no softening the blow with a tiny bit of hope. I enjoyed the costumes, the actors, and the OST, but this is a hard "no" for rewatching. This was pure angst with a side of bleakness. But it's beautifully done and made sense.

What was the purpose of me watching this? What was the purpose of writing, acting, and filming this? Ugh.

The story was disjointed, and the ending seemed to be a last minute idea that needed explanation. Questions were left unanswered, and the viewer was left to decide what everything meant. Did the Grim Reaper make a bargain with another person? How did FL end up where she was? Isn't the story about to get very messy? And how is ML in a better position than his desperate beginning of the drama?

This was a low-budget affair, and the Powers that Be expected to have a second season, so it became even more of a mess. Alas, the next installment was not to be, so none of the big questions were answered. The viewers were introduced to the five potential husbands, but we were left hanging, because they promised to let us know who the princess chose in the second season that never happened. Even so, I was amused often enough to not regret my time spent watching.

The last episode was a confusing mess. The two assistants gave their life essence to help ML and FL fight evil, and they got old. But when ML and FL returned, they were young again. How? There was no antidote for ML's poisoning, so how did he live? I assume FL gave up her immortality, but nothing was explained. And they got insanely happy about a plant sparkling; what was that all about? It was totally unnecessary to have a time skip to the present to see the ML and FL reincarnated and meeting again. To go from pure fantasy/wuxia to everyday modern life made no sense. I would have given another half star in the rating if the last episode had been coherent. 

It's not a bad ending; it made sense. It was just very unsatisfying.

Unfortunately, censorship likely caused the last episode to be terribly disjointed.

This drama needed to be about 60 seconds longer. It was brilliant until the ambiguous ending.

My hatred of many time skips at the end of a drama was invoked even more heavily when the viewer was "treated" to a freaking 50 year time skip. 

Fate dictated the end. It's logical. But I don't have to like it.

I loved this drama right up to the last episodes when it switched from upbeat, sweet nostalgia to an ugly, dark reality. It took me awhile to accept the ending, but I've come to terms that it's a logical outcome. I still dislike it and have written a future outcome in my head: after retirement, FL and ML find one another again and live out the remainder of their days happily.