WM

I do the same, and have also the same tactic regarding anime; if something is read/watched, it happens after completing Drama.

After re-watching "Are you the One?", I really want to watch a drama with Wang Chu Ran as a kickass heroine, even when I know I will hate some standard tropes appearing, like amnesia or long-term injury, so the female lead wouldn't appear too strong, and ML candidates saving her over and over again to push romance forward, making her look even weaker.

But, I still want to watch it, damm it!!!

How does it compare to "Generation to Generation"?
Is the ML as toxic as there?
Is the FL as smart/capable as there (minus blind spots for ML, obviously)?

So, question to the folks who finished it - I understand the "Mo Li" is a pretty unique show, but does it have any resemblance in your eyes to any other C-Drama ?
Maybe by acting, storytelling, power coupling, pace, or anything else?

Well, no matter how it happens, I find Douban score to be much more realistic and diverse than MDL's, with people here giving 9s and 10s left and right, especially when they like ML's cheekbones or/and abs.
It gives me a similar nonsense vibe to playing the NBA 2k series, where half the league has 90+ ratings, lol :).

Thanks a lot.
I...don't know how I was looking :(.

Many dramas and overrated "strong female lead" later, Balsa remains one of the most badass female leads ever created in the drama world.

Many dramas and overrated "strong female lead" later, Balsa remains one of the most badass female leads ever created in the drama world.

Yeah, I couldn't buy it the 1st opinion to that degree that she allowed everyone to kick her,
I understand trying to not force things and stay true to the principles/beliefs, but if you are smart, there is a barrier where you start to defend yourself before hitting rock bottom.
Actually, Ming Lan is like that, and it's one of the best aspects of her.

Also, not sure if you watched it, but the female lead in "Are you the One" is quite spectacular (and not dumbed down later on; just some things from her past are difficult to believe).
The drama overall is good too, just so, so, so, slow ;). And it has way too much, mostly awkward, romance. But it has Wang Chu Ran playing the FL, so as a guy, it's just such a difficult call to FF any scenes with her in them.

Ming Lan is exceptionally smart for 2/3 of the Drama, albeit much more cautious compared to Yingluo; but then there were some things/decisions I had a problem with and found them highly unrealistic.

I don't buy people suddenly getting smarter/dumber/stronger. That's why I also disliked the Rise of the 2nd Empress in the "Yanxi" from the total doormat to all-powerful killing strategist.
Even, if I could buy her transformation following the family's tragedy, the fact that she did it all without a single mistake is extremely unrealistic.

Well, Yinglou's worst moment was when she told Brother Yuan the secret about drinking an abortion soup AFTER they split, while he told her that he would be her enemy starting now.

But it's pretty much the only big one with her, at least in my eyes.

Well, people can complain about NiF regarding a lack of romance, not many exciting moments, too many characters, lack of character development (which is understandable, as the main event as the catalyst, happened before the drama started, so both sides are mostly set within their camps), and more, and in some way, it's all true.

But, the years go by, and nothing comes close regarding storytelling, execution of it, acting, music, etc...
It's also so nice to watch a drama where "good guys" are winning 95% of the time; it's like an opposite to "Nothing Gold Can Stay", lol. "Empresses" were quite negative in this aspect as well, but definitely not as bad as "Ruyi", for example.

Personally, I never watched a Drama as good as NiF, and as every year dramas get worse and/or more repetitive, I don't see this changing.

So, any theories why "Mo Li" doesn't have rating at Douban published yet? Typically it happens around 2/3 of the drama.

However, recently while watching some other things, I realised some decision-making late in the Drama by Minglan and her husband (to a lesser extent) bothers me a bit, especially Minglan was dumbed down to give villains/storyline a chance (but Yingluo also was once or twice; I guess it comes with the territory).

Also, romance is always in the lowest category for me, but Minglan and Gu Tingyue are possibly my favourite couple in the C-drama world. For example, his proposal is an all-time amazing moment.

It's on a similar level to both of them - it's a non-Palace story, more serious and slower-paced than Yanxi, but less serious and similarly (slightly slower?) paced to Empresses.

I would say all three are equally in Tier 2 of C-Dramas for me, only below Nirvana in Fire sitting alone in Tier 1.

Why do you think so?

If the ML and 2ML were not so obsessed with protecting her, she probably would kill him with the arrow during the spring hunt.

- I should be used to it after watching countless Dramas, but the silliness in the main couple's romance is seriously putting me off. And misunderstandings, cheap conflicts, ML doing stalker-ish things because he is the ML, etc...
- Also, not a big fan of the ML's acting, especially not in serious scenes; it would be so great to see someone like ML from the "Story of Ming Lan" in his place.
- However, I enjoy watching them working together, discussing strategy, plotting; probably my favourite "Power Couple" ever, when misunderstandings aren't ruining things.
- On the other side, the Emperor and Empress's serious and slow progress with so many constraints around them is an amazingly done, must-watch, don't miss moment storyline. Would love to watch more of them instead of the doctor-merchant couple.
- Liu Miantang is amazingly capable, even if, in a few short moments, I was surprised she didn't do something obvious.
- After Prince Sui sent assassins to her mansion, and they were all caught or killed, with his right-hand man getting shot by her and arrested by ML, a few episodes later, he is again by Prince Sui's side to cause more trouble. Even including "good guys" typically being stupid, it's a next-level stupidity, not killing him directly.
- I realised it makes no sense that Miantang had her tendons destroyed by Cao guy, as in flashbacks it looks like 1 on 1 fight, and in all other moments of the drama she is presented as a superior fighter, including their next confrontation when she caught and killed him.
- When I watched it for the 1st time, I thought it had zero re-watch value. But now, with Miantang's badassery (and obviously, Wang Chu Ran's beauty) the moments when she is on the screen doing her stuff (so, minus romance with the ML) is a great watch, at least for me.
- It always bothers me when the main madam of the major military family is dumb/weak, so ML's mother was really difficult to watch.

Edit: Just read that Drama was supposed to be 53-56 episodes long, and especially Miantang/Lu Wen story was butchered because of the cuts. Highly dissapointing, but explains some of the things not presented properly.

I'm in the process of re-watching it, and some of my views have changed a bit, mostly for the better, but some for worse:

I don't care much about Romance, so can't say much, besides that I was using FF on the way less than usual.

However, among the C-dramas I watched, it has the most emotional and intense final Rebellion.

I can only copy myself from the Part 1; I'm not a fan of cultivation dramas, but this one was easily watchable.