KSM4

Yes, he's very awkward and unconvincing in the most important scenes.

Reading the book, and I see now that my complaints about the series are justified. They really changed the character of LJ a lot, and they failed to show their developing romance properly. The book might not be written very well, but LJ is a bright, lively, confident person who does a ton of things for BJ. They actually get to know each other and do a lot of things together. LJ doesn't believe some baseless rumors, he actually looks for facts, and he has many real reasons to accuse BJ of lying to him. I found these aspects lacking in the series. I don't think LJ is compelling in any way, and it feels like they knew each other for like two days before all the rumor-fuelled drama.

I'm a fan of romance-focused stories, but I don't think Knot has any of it, to be honest. So far, the romance is very weak and just not interesting enough, with a ton of useless secondary characters, weird scenes that bring nothing to the story, and abysmal dialogue.

I laughed so much at You Shulang having to remind Fan Xiao to be good twice within the first 10 minutes :D Also, if you haven't seen it, check this tiny follow-up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjUgVPGODWk&t=2s

Glad you finished it! I really love the redemption arc here because I feel like it's very realistic. Fan Xiao didn't fully change, not in general (he's still a stalker, still obsessive and possessive), but he finally wanted to try and change, and he started doing it out of his love for Shulang and realization that Shulang deserves better. I would understand if Shulang never forgave him, but as long as he loves Fan Xiao and is willing to give him a second chance, and as long as Fan Xiao is committed to change, I believe in their happy ending.

Unfortunately, this scenario of a character agreeing to terms and then immediately acting like they're about to die and fighting back is very common. I struggle to recall a single exception.

It certainly almost pushed me out! Good thing PJ keeps saving the situation.

Well, bad acting aside, I'm glad that LJ finally showed some love for BJ in the second half. I've been waiting for it.

The acting is becoming worse and worse, to the point where I struggle to keep watching. Except for the PJ's actor, of course, he's absolutely phenomenal. But almost everyone else makes me cringe so hard, especially during emotional scenes. I've never been this conflicted over a series: I love one half as much as I hate the other half.

Haha, he's a tamed psycho, but a psycho nonetheless! He still stalks Shulang heavily during his redemption arc, spying on his windows; he forces himself into his apartment and keeps pushing at his boundaries repeatedly. Threatens him with rape right in the last 10 minutes of the last episode, admits to spying on him, and warns not to provoke him because he has to keep reminding himself not to go crazy all the time.

In the book, after their reconciliation, Fan Xiao keeps stalking You Shulang until You Shulang has to invite him to sit in his office where he can actually see him. He's still unreasonably jealous, to the point of being controlling (even if unsuccessfully), and he acts forcefully during their sex sometimes.

Fan Xiao looks even worse in the series because of the change of locations: in the book, they spend more of the time in China, so all the characters are from there; in the show, they mostly live in Thailand, and move to China only in the end. It implies that Fan Xiao had to move little Tian Tian and his sick mother, as well as Bai Tin and himself, into Shulang's city in China to make sure he runs into them one day :D That's so wild.

It bothers me too. He's okay in some scenes, but very bad in others, especially the crying ones. And I don't like his characterization either, but that's the complaint for the writers. He's much brighter and more interesting in the book.

Yep. A psycho from start to the end.

Same. In fact, I don't think they are even in the same league. Fan Xiao had malicious intentions from the start, and I think he did everything Lu Feng did and much more. Lu Feng was mostly physically aggressive and explosive, and this was always related to Yichen; Fan Xiao is a psycho on every level, with or without You Shulang, and even after his redemption.

I think we can actually measure how special LJ is using objective facts. I'll list the ones I think you might be referring to, and you tell me if I missed something:

1) Not fearing BJ. That doesn't make him special, though, because he doesn't fear him only for as long as he doesn't hear the rumors. You and I and everyone else would act the same. The more of them LJ learns, even though they all are very generic and shallow, the more worried and scared he becomes. By E3, he's snooping, is scared to see him, and looks ready to bolt during their kisses, even though objectively, the only bad thing he still knows about BJ is that a lot of people despise him. There are zero facts indicating that BJ actually did something wrong.

2) Helping the girl. Let's look at it this way: do you think he's the only person at their school who would try to help? They were mostly surrounded by other girls in that scene, who didn't risk stepping up. How likely do you think it is that out of many thousands of male students, only LJ would dare? The chances are slim. It's good that he helped her, but it's just one little scene. Besides, BJ didn't even witness this.

3) Taking care of BJ. That's sweet, but it was only at first + it's not special to take care of your SO. Literally 99% of people do it when they start dating.

4) Not wanting to make a deal. I agree, this is what elevates LJ above others, but again, I really doubt he's the only single person in the world who rejected BJ's help.

So, what out of this makes LJ special and helps him stand out enough to catch the attention of someone like BJ? I think point 4 is the strongest. I can't count point 3 because it's typical behavior; point 2 is mostly good, but not that relevant because it's an isolated incident + BJ didn't see it, and point 1 makes LJ the opposite of special as he acted like everyone else in the end.

Ah, that's the curse of charismatic red/black flags! You hate them but you root for them anyway. I think Fan Xiao is a total psycho, but when I was watching with my Mom, she kept falling for him again and again and urging You Shulang to forgive him already :D

Let us know what you think later, I'm stalking this page because I'm so curious about other people's impressions :D I was totally floored when watching TMS for the first time.

Wow, thank you so much! Finally going to read it now.

Sure. It seems like every character in this series except for the leads doesn't have a life or personality beyond making deals with PJ, fearing PJ, and warning LJ about PJ.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really mind this, I'm watching for the leads, after all, but I think the writers messed up a bit with LJ, too. He's definitely kinder and more interesting than this sea of bland secondary characters with no depth, but when you compare him to PJ or to the objects of obsession from other series (KinnPorsche, Revenged Love, To My Shore, Stay with Me, Desire, etc.), he really pales in comparison.

He treated PJ normally as long as he didn't know the rumors. When he began to learn them, he quickly became mistrustful. When he talks to friends, he believes them; when he talks to PJ, he believes him, and this cycle keeps happening until the majority win in and the rumors become too much. Even the facts he learns in E3 don't really paint PJ in any bad light. So what if he sent the thief to prison? It's a good thing. So what if he didn't help the stealing girl? It's not a crime. So what if he was expelled for organizing this network of favors? It's fishy, but a smart, devoted person would just talk about it normally and openly instead of trying to spy on their partner, jumping from the slightest movement they make, and so on.

Basically, LJ treats PJ better than others by about 20%, and most of it happens when he's still clueless and thinks he's a normal person. You say he's kind, but the way he acts toward PJ isn't very kind. Giving him gifts at the start of their relationship is just typical, normal dating behavior; later, when he has a chance to prove his kindness and devotion, LJ chooses to fall for rumors and refuses to treat PJ with openness and trust. For 3 episodes, nothing LJ learns about PJ indicates that he's some criminal who's only toying with LJ, yet LJ refuses to give him the benefit of the doubt. What other people tell him is more important.

That's not to mention that the show doesn't really focus on his other qualities that could elevate him above others. He's just a normal gullible teen; it's not a bad thing, but in fictional stories about obsession, I expect the objects of this obsession to shine way more brightly. The examples of series I provided above do it very well; if LJ was at least half as formidable, this would be one of my most favorite series ever.

He's portrayed as a very ordinary, weak-minded person who believes rumors left and right and changes his mind depending on who talks to him. If they wanted to show him as worthy of obsession by a character like PJ, they failed. But then again, all characters except for the main duo are basically cartoons, so maybe PJ just didn't have anyone else to choose from.

As a huge fan of the novel who's read it 4 times already, I think the series is brilliant. It's one of the most faithful adaptations I've ever seen. Minimum scenes removed; whatever new stuff they added is great. There are some key moments missing from the last 2 episodes because of time constraints, but even that doesn't break the flow, in my opinion. And the characters feel like they walked right from the pages, especially Fan Xiao.