Su_Ramen

You need the right mindset. Don’t expect an original captivating story. Don’t think about MLFAS. Just watch it when you want a funny fluffy drama to laugh, melt and destress. It’s perfect for that job.

I watched both back to back and indeed I got bored with the second series that I watched. I watched MLFAS after LOTBS and found LOTBS better. I’m the minority here of course. Most people prefer MLFAS.

Lolll her extra silliness is for comedic effect! Don’t take it seriously. I don’t find her eating with hands strange. She lives in the ocean slurping fish. You expect her to find table manner important after a couple of meals? Also, She doesn’t listen to him at all. She erases his memory even though he told her not us, following him around when he told her off, saying things contradicting him. She only changes her clothes because he said he would kick her out and he bought those clothes anyway. The thing about you die I die is about her heart hardening. The plot is such that she would physically die. Lastly, I think he likes her because well she’s a mermaid, mermaids are super hot and alluring, that’s how it is from the folklore I suppose. Also he’s a conman and he uses people’s greed to trick them. He probably Feels bad for tricking her because she’s naive rather than because she’s greedy. The reason why FL likes ML is like this. Imagine you’re in a new exciting country. Some hot guy is very nice to you and shows you around. You had some special memories together, Would you like him? Hell, yeah.

I have nothing to say about reincarnation. Yes, it’s cliche. I skipped all chaebol parts too. That’s what watching a popcorn drama is like. Great for de stressing.

Yup! Sweet ending

Urggg I’m so annoyed with drunken girl scenes in K-Dramas. When will they stop these? This one has so many!!!

I absolutely love this drama. Okay, I fast forward all the chaebol parts but I’m rewatching it again now. To those who badmouthed Jung JinHyun, go watch the behind the scene. She has a tough job filming under water! I’m not even her fan but I love her in this drama

I did. It was not very sad, just entertaining. Ruyi was more depressing.

I'm watching Ming Lan the first time right now, at ep 17. Although I really love it and also like the slow pace, most of the supporting characters are so so mean. It can be a bit difficult to watch sometimes because I can't stand seeing all the meanest and oppressiveness. I understand that it was like that in ancient China, but it feels suffocatingly oppressive sometimes. In some way, it's even more depressing than harem dramas, although the tone looks lighter. I hope things will get better for ML.

For those who are considering watching this drama, I'd say go for it, though you should be mentally prepared a couple of things to maximize your watching experience
1. Don't ship any couple.
2. The characters can be dumb, just convince yourself that they are teenagers. REAL HARD.
3. Don't think too much about politics and all, just go with the flow and & enjoy the action.
4. Be prepared to fast-forward, esp in the first 20 eps.
Then you're good to go! xD

Here is my full comparison review of Eagle Flag vs Tribes & Empire:
https://invisibleasia.com/2019/11/11/comparison-review-novoland-eagle-flag-vs-tribes-empire/

Although I found Xu Kai really good looking, it's hard for me to activate my fangirl mentality while watching this drama. Chinese war dramas reek of cheesy propagandas....

I'm up to the latest episode I can found, ep25 now. As of ep 25 she got her divorce paper and the 2 guys are pursuing her. So the mood has become more positive. For me, the drama feels like a mixture of a chick flick and some dramatic big family fight type. It's watchable and addictive if you don't mind the occasional depressing mood and slow pace. If you're a fan of Deng Lun (and like myself Li Yitong), I still think it worths watching though you may want to skip all the boring parts, like the second male lead parts, or the scheming by the rival businessmen. I couldn't care less. If you don't even like Deng Lun, maybe skip this drama.

I don't understand the complaint about the sudden marriage as a plot hole. Yuexuan is adopted and he was pressured by his family to trick Haitang into marrying his brother. He also feels responsible for his brother's scar. Haitang likes Yuexuan and her mother accepts the betrothal gifts so she has no choice but to go ahead. She thinks the proposal is too sudden and fishy herself so everything is part of the plot, not a plot hole. This is also a time where children follow their parents' decisions, people get married by arranged marriages. It makes sense to me. People who think this doesn't make sense have never faced any tough decisions or made conflicting decisions in their life I suppose? Humans are very conflicting... Whether this is an interesting story setup is another story though, and a matter of subjective opinion.

By the way, Viki has Deng Lun's own voice version from ep 1 now. I just started this drama today. I think they changed all eps after the complaints. So far so good for me. It doesn't feel that draggy yet for me. But I'm so biased, I'm happy just watching Deng Lun and Li Yitong.

I just lodged a request on Viki. Everyone, please also do that! I know they are seeking licensing but having lots of requests can help I suppose!
https://support.viki.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034633713

Welcome to 2019. Goodbye my Princess has another really scheming male lead

Yeah you're right. It could just be because the drama has a lot of advertising budget. Personally, I think the fact that it's not talked about much in forum means it's not that well-received among fans, and that it doesn't have as many hardcore international fans though. But oh well, the Untamed is an idol drama so....

@Tricia Pan: I heard the same rumour too though. It's a new regulation currently being drafted. It's not a lie. You're a little too harsh on your comment although you didn't research yourself. https://supchina.com/2019/09/09/china-finally-acknowledges-its-tv-shows-are-too-dang-long/

This drama is so underrated. It's really good. Don't believe all those bad comments! They are the people who don't watch this drama properly. Sure, Wan Mei is kinda annoying for not killing people but the drama is still really good. It has an open/positive ending. People who drop such a great drama just because the Wan Mei/Gong Zi ship has sunk are crazy too. Obviously, they won't end up together. It's like asking Yan Xun to be with Chu Qiao in Princess Agent. It won't happen, incompatible personality.

I wrote a review comparing Bloody Romance vs Princess Agent for those who would want a more balanced view:
https://invisibleasia.com/2019/10/31/comparison-review-bloody-romance-vs-princess-agent/

No, the plot is not about that. It's a story of her standing up after being so stupid, giving up everything for a guy who just used her. Throughout the story, the protagonist learns to live for herself, and starts pursuing her dream.

If this drama feels crap to you, check out other political dramas set in similar periods, like the Advisor's Alliance, Three Kingdoms which seem to have better reviews.
Check out my post for a complete list & some brief history: https://invisibleasia.com/2019/09/11/the-ancient-dynasties-of-china-through-chinese-historical-dramas/

I can totally relate to this drama withdrawal symptom. The worst I experienced was actually The Rise of Phoenixes, also starred by Ni Ni. It has a sad ending though, which was very devastating for me.