Ana

Hope you find something you enjoy! :)

I've also been trying sagueks lately. The Crowned Clown and The Red Sleeve we're both really well done, and even though I don't normally like comedies, I really enjoyed Mr Queen. I'm so glad to see historical kdramas coming out with historical dramas that have power struggles and gaming and not just a ton of focus on romance.

I know, and the few good ones that come out don't get subbed. I've been looking everywhere for The Imperial Age. Legacy is now available on HBO in the us, so hopefully it will be uploaded somewhere. I don't expect it to be as good as like Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan of Nirvana in Fire, but I think it has potential.

Thank you so much!

What region are you in? I've been wanting to watch it from the US but could only find it on HBO Asia.

I've looked really hard for that one with no luck, rumors that it was actually banned, :/ I hope that with the lack of current historical people will start selling the older ones though!

On Viki it shows that people rated it a 6, is that possible for an unlicensed show, or does that mean it's licensed in some region?

In Zhen Huan both MLs are alive for most of the story,

Also the YouTube version only partially subbed, and it uses French names for the characters and their titles which can be very confusing, especially if you're following outside material — the Chasing Dramas podcast goes through and explains the cultural, historical, and literary aspects, they're working on Ming Lan in the current season. Do you want to comment I can pm you instructions on how to download subtitles. :)

Glad I could help! It's definitely an exaggeration, she is out for revenge but against people who very much deserve it, and her worst actions are to protect herself and people who are too weak to protect themselves. She's definitely morally grey at the end but very far from
evil. Even the villains in this drama are very humanized, it shows that you have to compromise your moral ity to survive in the harem.

Ahh I'm so sorry I never saw this. Story of Ming Dynasty actually has a big arc at the end where she's the empress dowager, I loved it. Also, in Firmament of the Pleaides the character is the Empress Dowager the entire drama. Check the MDL comments for the GDrive version in HD. I love when they're Empress Dowager as well, I'll post anything else if I think of it. If I don't reply in like a week or so, feel free to tag me again because I probably missed it.

Sorry for the late reply. If you want a really uplifting ending, Marvelous Women (listed asMarvelous Woman on Vikie) is my top pick and imo one of the best dramas in the genre. Has a really similar aesthetic to Yanxi and the same team, I think you'll really like it. Ming Dynasty also has a happy ending, but make sure to watch it on Viki because the translation is unbearable anywhere else — this drama is the most underrated out there, great pacing and awesome banter between the characters. It's lower on the harem drama then the others, but what's there is really juicy. The Story of Ming Lan also has a traditionally happy ending, and so does Sword and the Brocade, though I wouldn't put it on the same level of the other dramas I mentioned, watchable but Marvelous Women and Ming Lan do that type of story better. Oh, and Mr. Queen, I don't like comedies normally, but it's also got a lot of harem drama and is a great satire of the genre. Also, while it's not happy in a traditional sense, the end of Concubine Zhen Huan is really satisfying, and I loved it, can go into more detail if you want. :)

Thanks!

Thank you so much for subbing lesser known dramas like this! How many eps are in this version? I've seen some that only have~45 and some over 50. Thanks again, so excited for your future subs!

Thank you so much! I'd almost given up hope that we'd ever get subs.

If you liked Ghost Bride, check out Tientsin Mystic. It's a similar setting but with even quirkier characters and a blend of mystery, folk magic, science, and a touch of humor.

Sell Your Haunted House captures the feeling of Hotel del Luna but instead of a hotel, the focus is on a badass shaman/exorcist/real estate agent who crosses paths with a con man with untapped abilities.

Also, if you're looking for a more classic historical drama, 2019's Ming Dynasty is a great, fast-paced binge filled with eccentric and quirky characters who bring some dry humor to the plotting and intrigue. For something lighter, Mr. Queen is is an excellent blend of genres that completely lives up to the hype.

I went through my insanely long list and marked them by priority, moving the highest priority to my currently watching (might not work for everyone but I usually only watch one drama at a time). I also added them to lists based on category, so if I feel like watching a palace drama or a modern thriller, I only have 20 or 30 dramas to look through instead of 300.

If I'm in a mood where nothing is grabbing me, I'll go through and watch the first 20 minutes of some of the dramas that I rated low priority — either I won't be interested and will delete them from my list, or I'll find something surprising that is a bit different from what I usually watch.

It's not nearly as efficient as what the writer of the article did, but I mostly watch historical cdrama which are super long, so I don't think I whatever get to watch a new drama if I finished off the list first lol.

I think you'll have to use a VPN to change your region to Southeast Asia for iqiyi. In the US, Viki is releasing 2eps a day, and on Huanyu's official YouTube channel they released two subbed episodes the first day and will release one episode every day after that.

https://youtu.be/o8oBzzQm2ho

Link for anyone interested, it really is beautiful! Does anyone know what the release schedule is like or how Eng subs will be released?

I sent you a message :)