Faith Black

1. How many 2023-release dramas did you watch?
I am a lightweight. Completed released 2023. Maybe 10...lol Blame Kocowa soap operas and older drama releases. I literally watched hundreds of episodes this year.

2. What country did you watch the most in 2023?
Dramas...China. They are not playing around. Historical or fantasy...they can't be beat. They also have a huge range.

Soaps...Korea. This makes me laugh but I truly couldn't help my self.

3. What is your top drama listed in this article?

It's not finished but Lost You Forever S1. I truly thought cdramas lost this quality of work but it's up there with Ashes of Love and other greats.

4. What is your top drama NOT listed in this article?

Stand or Fall. Can't help it. I am a sucker for entourage dramas. Especially when they get the camaraderie right. Plus it made me laugh like crazy.
...I forgot Gen Z with Zhao Lu Si. One of her best works to date. Her back and forth with Wu Gang is incredible. This drama truly showed her incredible range.

5. How was your drama journey in 2023?

Be honest somewhat lackluster...hence soap operas and older releases. It seems like they are trying to meet a quota. It's great to translate a book to screen but books are vast and varied. Try something new. Even soundtracks fell off except for a few. I love soundtracks...they put me unto singers I never heard from before.

6. What is your wish or plan in dramaland in 2024?

First...pls stop having FL sing soundtracks put the professional singers on. Professional singers are amazing. Open the door for them internationally.

Second...don't be afraid to bring older actors into the fray. They bring depth and great young actors become greater actors. It's what I love the most from cdramas. Older actors incredible charisma combined with eager upcoming youth.

Third...cdramaland finish your sequels for goodness sakes. We are waiting.

BTW...love your website. Keeps me abreast of all available platforms. Whether we agree or disagree on a drama...we all share the love of asian cinema.

This drama is about Wu Gang and Zhao Lusi. China has incredible veteran actors and their dialoge was magnificent...hands down.

We do love our young romances but the foundation is not there without the elders. I always love the antics of elders in asian dramas. Grandpa and Grandma interaction was just as good. Love love grandpa who is senior brother to Tuo Tuo. You can come for the romance but that is to draw you into something great. You have to stay for senior nephew and Tuo Tuo. Its a beautiful relationship to watch. This drama is food for the soul.

Cdramas have more to offer than romances. They are trying to show another side to themselves. A drama that is similiar to this is the kdrama Born Rich...which everyone. adored. Try something different.

The happy ending is in the introduction thats not a spoiler. There is a twist during his proposal that surprised us all. Thats what I am refering too

So I know why you might drop it. Turning point for me was when the FL stands her ground against false accusations. BTW...its the same time Zhang Lu Rang truly sees who she is. Its when we all see who she truly is. She is worth sticking with...she has a backbone and strong resolution. Her and SuSu become great friends too.

Our ML has the patience of a Buddha but he never tries to change the FL...ever. Not once. He accepts her and some how their two worlds work.

The storyline also has great moments...which will have you cracking up. The school sports competion overall was hilarious. The school academic competion was good too. If you think that she is annoying him...the end tells you what he is thinking which was the surprise for the audience. You have to make it to the end to find out.

Following the crowd with this one, its an overall great story. You will love them. I swear I watch the high school cdramas for the prerequisite group fights...which they had. Its always hilarious. Production must laugh all day filming those scenes...lol.

BTW...the ending surprised me and no its not the happily ever after. The relationship is through the POV of the FL. However, the director flipped it on us and showed us the ML POV. You must watch to know how. Damn near had me crying...those scenes where the FL saw how he felt over their 10 year relationship. You got me. Its why we keep coming back to cdramas. Good job...nah great job.

I need to know...what does Elvis Han character do for a living...lol. I never watched a cdrama or kdrama without knowing what the male lead does for work. Its hilarious.

Thanks for the reply...I picked up another kdrama 120 episodes ...so I won't be long. Its true Season 2 lacked action and thrills. I wasn't looking for sword fights and massive spells. That would have been nice though. What I was looking for was Naksu cunning demeanor. She is a master of people and situations. They removed that from season 2 which completely disappointed me. The best assasin knows how to make the situation work to their favor. Naksu spent alot of time in new dresses and lamenting about how her husband didn't like her. This was not his master and of course he didn't recognize her.

Jin Beyeon the ancient priestess who she shared bodies barely manifested but she had ancient wisedom at a young age. I expected this to manifest more in Season 2 as well. They skimmed it to concentrate on her mother...Why? True season 2 was more romantic and about recognition as a couple. However, we must also face ourselves as individuals and our past. Her past should not have been glossed over. She's an anti hero. We needed closure. I love a good love story ...I pressed rewind on Start Up kdrama ...way too many times. However, I expected more depth to her and Jin Beyeon story ...for me it wasn't there.

I had no problem with the actress change because she was established in Season 1 as Naksu. I am surprised how accepting some are of Naksu depowering. She is described as one of the most powerful mages ...prodigy which led her to be the most powerful assasin. If you saw her face, that was the last thing you'll see. Season 1 gave us a ruthless, witty and intelligent Naksu who was deeply frustrated that she was consigned to a weak body. Most of us fell for her when she poisoned Jank Uk without mercy just to get to the objective. No apologies necessary...just thank her later. Without her body her machinations were legendary, people were shocked by her actions and she didn't understand why they couldn't see things her way. She was right...and she was. Season 2 this Naksu was nowhere to be found. What happened?...

So we go to Jin Beyeon, the almighty priestess...also a childhood prodigy. A sage that the world hasn't seen in hundreds of years. Her powers are so divine that she can end the world as we know it. Fine Naksu now is Jin Beyeon...her powers also nowhere to be found. None...what happened?

This is the elephant in the room...the greatest mage assasin...the greatess priestess was NOT great at all. Why? ...Why mention how powerful she is every single episode and never give her any power at all. I stuck it out hoping desperately we would see something of Naksu and way more of Jin Beyeon...even if she laid down her sword and retired ...just something to acknowledge her years as a warrior. Nothing. I expected more ...Naksu/Jin Beyeon are the great mages in a room full of great mages. So what happened?...

Do we just let it go because it's a kdrama and their dramas suck? Nah...I'm not letting them off the hook for such bad character development . That was bad. Kdramas are better than this. We saw it in Season 1. This is not the actors fault. They were great. They worked with what they had and they did well. I hope to see them again...just not this drama. It's done.

I love that years later this drama is still taking over the world...lol

I think Liu Yifei would be mad at her ranking...lmao

You're completely right...lol

So I honestly can't wait for this to end...sigh. I'm bored... Who knew I would miss an old fashioned Empress dowager? The Empress should be shamed her scheming sucks...no wonder her sons are dumb. So when are more people dying?...Just saying the show lacks morbidity. It's not menacing at all. BTW...healthy competition is good for the soul but incessant competition is a sign of insecurities...hmm When will they be comfortable enough with each other to stop competing? He's revealed his innermost desires and she can't even tell him who she is...

This is about a future Emperor and Empress that unite the six states...right? If not...then what the heck are we watching? So far no one is willing to bend the knee. To conquer the states he has to kill 6 kings and 4 princes including his family. It can be done. Emperor Qin did. As of now I just see romance and subpar scheming. Fuyao did this better and was more fun and better written. Yang and Zhao are holding this script together with their sheer beauty. Even if they are crowned King and Queen of the six states in 20 plus episodes...I won't believe it...hmm Too bad

Their counterparts Dilraba and Allen also have a wuxia out...I'm checking that out as well. Right now I'm leaning towards a Fish called Allen...

25. First kiss is in a flashback scene

This is my second Chinese special forces drama. They are trending...so expect more. It was very good in the mental health POV which is extremely current. A soldier's mental health cannot be ignored. Military tactics...hmm. Very different from Western special operations dramas...ie Americans or British. It was even different from the other cdrama...hmm

However...can we truly say they gave a current and factual view of their special ops tactics. They tend not to be too revealing. I guess we'll see with the other similar cdramas. What I do love is the camaraderie. The last few spec ops dramas...great casting...good job.

Hilarious...so many comments. So I know Jeremy Tsui from Legends of Dugus. He was brilliant in that drama and the villain. His presence was amazingly powerful. He stole the show. Since then, he's everywhere. However, female leads tend to become overshadowed by him. Wallace Hao had the same problem until they placed him with alpha females.

I will say this is the first FL since Ady An I liked...However I could be biased because I really liked her in Miss Truth. It's all about the eyes. Some of these leads have no emotion in their eyes....vapid look. This FL has strong intelligent eyes...so I will like whatever she does. She's another Zhou...how ironic. I think she'll be fine.

Does the drama run long...yes? However, when Ming Wei acknowledged her brother I couldn't help tearing up. They are a beautiful extented family flaws and all. Plus this is the best chemistry I've seen from Jeremy. Great job...whether you liked or hated it. At least you've seen it unlike some of his previous works.

I think most of us are disappointed. I love Yang Mi and William Chan but this was boring. It had so many elements to be better...way better. 20 episodes of shifu this and that. Was that necessary? We know disciples are devout. I expected more. It felt like 30 filler episodes...lol

Yang Mi still brings in the crowd...lol. I find it hilarious that people didn't recognize Yang Mi's voice. She rarely dubs her voice in movies...so I knew it. Yes...it's what I call squeaky. It's too funny because she's this flawless beauty. It's actually kind of charming. She has to work hard to modulate it. Good to know ...she recognized the "shifu" issue. However, unless she saw the final cut...actors don't see the whole thing. That was purely the director's fault and he should have fixed it.

What is peoples issue with William Chan's looks? He always looks like this. I've seen most of his dramas. He has a strong distinctive look. Watch his variety show appearances. I don't agree with his accent. He has a beautiful voice and speech. I was surprised when I heard him on Happy Camp. His acting was the best from him I've seen. Why?...He usually plays the cold to hothead. Cold one minute...blow up the next. He played cold too too well...never saw him crack.

I almost dropped this drama because of Xu Kai Cheng and his twin love story. First, I hate twin or doppelganger love stories. They will always come off weird no matter what you do. Eternal Love was the only one I accepted because in the romance genre world...twins are used to determine true soulmates. If they don't look alike to you then you are this person's soul mate...blah blah. One author wrote a whole generational series using this method.

Back to the point...The Emperor and shifu relationship surprised me. I actually liked Xu Kaicheng and William Chan conversations. They were actually interesting. This drama was so restrained or just boring.. I felt they were playing it too safe. Things should have really been blown up or they should have kept to the book. Historicals cdramas 4 years ago are far more interesting with tons of scheming, arranged marriages and lots of death. Take the gloves off.

I didn't mention the Empress because despite playing two characters...she came off as a supporting character. I honestly didn't care how it ended.

Zhou Rui (Chen Kun) is a regional director of corporate sales for Jieke. East China to be exact. Lou Jia (Xin Zhi Lie) is director of corporate sales for Huikang. They are known as Zhou Rui of the South and Lou Jia of the North. Huikang is in a take over for Jieke and the companies send them to Beijing to battle. They have never met beforehand.

It's love at first sight. One problem, they are on opposing sides. They are brilliant and semi ruthless, so the decisions they make going forward will determine the future of their company and their relationship. However, there are force at work which keep making things worse.

I watched this without reading any synopsis...really. It's Chen Kun and Xin Zhi Lei, it will be hard for you to find more melodramatic actors than these two. The level of acting on this drama is strong for everyone. The bar is high.

I think some STEM females had high hopes for this drama. In Asia, the middle East and the West, female STEMs are 1 to 10 if not more. In my day, 1 to 50 there is no way we could lack confidence. We would have been destroyed and I mean that. I had a boomer, a machine design professor once say women just dont think this way. Even though computers (female computer analylists) existed since WWII. I'm from the West, btw. If you're not a female STEM, you dont get the frustration .

The other stuff lacks common sense, if you go to boy girl college for computer science or relateble field. You would know how boys dress, because you're observant. Look one of my favorite STEM couples is of course Sheldon and Amy (Big Bang). Amy was never a push over even if she lacked social graces and her science was fierce. They challenged each other. Cute doesnt have to mean shy and goggly eyed. Felicity was cute but confident (Arrow) . Who could forget Abby (NCIS) she inspired many female scientists today, she played it cute but confident.

Many will watch and say just another cdrama but don't understand how many people were looking for a cdrama that didn't undermine women in STEM field. It matters...

Squid Games popularity stems from relating people all over the world. It's not the game of death scenarios that has people hooked. It's the children games. Across all discussion boards...no matter what country, culture, race, gender, age or class, most of us has played these games. How can some of you miss that?

It's amazing to hear the different versions of Red Light Green Light from across the world and yes I know that's NOT whats it's called in Korea. Some are specific to Korea but like the old man said he was trying to bring back some of the feelings of his childhood. Game of death would not have been my choice but it was a game for corrupt people so to speak. Most of us who watched this was suddenly thrown back in time to when we were kids. Most of us yelled at the TV, telling people to get up or don't you dare move. That's how it differs, thats why 90 countries are watching it. So no... it can't compare to other game of death films. BTW...I dont look at tempered glass the same way anymore...lol