Nam Gonzales

I super agree with you @sulkytofu. After watching Cdramas fro several months now, I think a good rule of thumb is to remove all your expectations so you can enjoy the dramas freely and start at 0. Lol. I watched legend of jinyan because of the good looking leads, kabby hui and cheng jin ke. They also have great chemistry which I think is plus 3 points for this show. Then the writers gave us a lot of hijinks between otp and also these eyebrow raising “romantic” scenes giving another 2 points, and the last 2.5pts for me is the slightly less complex plot and just the right length of eps (vs the 54eps that most cdramas have). So I think 7.5 is the right rating for me coz my main priority for this type of rom-coms is the chemistry, romance, and comedy which loj did provide.

Now I just realized my ratings for the show do tend to be on the bias and more forgiving side. Since I think loj is better than Honey don’t runaway and chang an youth because chemistry. But Vs Tang Dynasty tour which had better prod quality and script, I still scored TDT lower because the ml irritated me for marrying the other girl first. Lol

Also I get that the fl does a diservice to females everywhere, but I think sometimes we need these kinds of characters and plots where it’s better to not take them too seriously and just enjoy the fluff. A lot like junk food and cotton candy. Hahaha

For other dramas where the female lead doesn’t go after the ML, try:
- General and I - Bai Ping Ting definitely made her ML follow her to the ends of the continent
- Romance of Hua Rong - Hua Rong was kidnapped but that didn’t stop her from making her ML follow her to land just to get her hand
- Story of Minglan - Minglan definitely didn’t feel any romantic feelings for his ML, he wasn’t even her first choice
- Girlfriend (2020) - Nuannuan led our ML through some hoops before he could even court her
- Eternal Love - Susu kept her ML hanging through generations

Stay away from:
- It starter with a kiss and they kiss again- best example of the FL going after the guy she likes
- You'rE my destiny - FL falls for the guy first but sort of got her “revenge”
- My Fantastic Mrs. Right - FL right of the bat stakes her claim on ML
- Eternal Love of Dreams - Feng Jiu is the ultimate fangirl that goes after her ML

I’m so happy for you to be able to finish this drama! The drama gods haven’t been as generous to us non-Chinese speakers and we’re still left waiting for ep25-36 to be subbed.T.T I’m sorely tempted to do my own self sub of the last episodes but already started Your Highness 2 so...

Maybe I’m biased but I’m giving the crown to the Chinese version because the ML is less of a jerk than the Taiwanese version. And I appreciate how much more “realistic/natural” the scenarios/acting are that I can see this story happening IRL to some real life sticky notes girl. Of course chemistry of the two leads are way realistic than those below.

Second would be the Taiwanese version because original story, and had the most poignant scenes that really stuck a chord on me. Loved the FL acting there but still hated How the ML acted.

Third would be the Korean Version. The story and also the characters where just too makjang/over the top it kinda distracted me from the whole plot. Then they added a very cliche subplot (not the truck of doom but the next fave problem). Interactions between Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk were cute, they complement each other but again Jang Hyuk’s voice and speech pattern really weirded me out.

Haven’t watched the Japanese and Thai Version yet.

I just finished this drama and I must say that it is better than what you’d expect with all the negative comments I’ve been reading about.

First, CHEMISTRY between JiaXin (Liang Jie) and Xiyi (Xing Zhao Lin) is as STRONG AS EVER! Fans of the ZhaoJie ship will not be disappointed as our fave onscreen couple is still delivering all the giddy feeling we felt in The Eternal Love 1 & 2. I’d also say that I love ZhaoJie’s chemistry more than the recent pairing of Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara because ZhaoJie had a more natural and fresh chemistry while the Jang’s had a very “practiced/too perfect” chemistry.

Second, this Chinese version is the more realistic and natural “feeling” storyline with no over the top acting/scenarios (looking at you Korean version) or super jerk ML (Taiwanse version). I also liked that they gave more episodes to hash out how the ML grew to love our FL and vice versa. For FTLY fans, give this version a chance as the cinematography and OST is very refreshing.

What I didn’t like is they spent little time in the reconciliation part which felt like ripping a band aid so fast, you couldn’t even feel the sting before you blow on the wound. I cried buckets at the ending but the resolution didn’t have as big impact as in the Taiwanese version. The ending also didn’t have as much as fan service as the Korean version which had like 4 episodes of fan service.

Lastly, to those who’d never watched the original Taiwanese version and the Korean version, yes the whole premise of this show is about LOVE THAT STARTED with a one night stand. Yes there is cheating in different degrees based on which version you’re watching. If you don’t like any show with cheating involved and you’re close minded about that, then you will never like this show. Save yourself the heartache and move on to lighter, romcoms.

Me too I’m still hoping the ML will be Li Hong Yi! We need our 3rd Lusi HongYi ship to sail! Her other 2020 dramas already have ML. Drama gods please let it be Li Hong Yi!

I get what you mean about Playful Kiss. As a pair I liked Seung Jo and Ha Ni had great chemistry but if you look at them individually, you’ll notice their weaknesses. Kim Hyun Jung who plays Seung Jo/Naoki actually has a very “plastic” face? Like it doesn’t move? He’s not the most good looking among the Naoki’s for me but he’s also not the most emotive. Even the subtle quirks that ShiZhu should have, KHJ still missed something.

Watch their BTS on Youtube. Their chemistry is intense off and on screen. That’s why I keep on leaving comments on YT for them to have another drama together.

Goodbye Princess has got to have the most sadistic ML. Sad ending but I heard the chemistry between FL and ML was also very good.

I think a lot of people missed the crucial first part of Episode 1 where Chun Hua’s real self in the future specifically went to a place to find her true love in exchange for her immortality, hence the title? And also the part where the administrator mentioned that the first person she sees is her true love? With this premise, where love is scarce or rare in the future, you can’t really blame Chun Hua’s character for floundering about with her love life in the past when in the first place she doesn’t know what true love is.

If you missed those parts, you’ll definitely see Chun Hua’s character in Episode 1 as a “useless” example of the female species (I feel bad for regular women who chose love and family over career and be seen as weaker than women who are businessmen or professionals).

If you managed to give Chun Hua a chance, and somehow reached the middle episodes, you’ll appreciate Chun Hua’s character growth. From naive time traveler, to a person who learns to trust her feelings instead of what was “destined” for her.

I’m biased for LBTI because I think Qiu Yue is the most enigmatic and intriguing male character lead of Zhao Lusi’s character. He balances out Chun Hua’s cluelessness about love. Lol. A lot of people are hating on LBTI because Lusi’s character tended to be too naive? But I just saw it as part of her character arc since her whole point of going to that world is to find love hence Love Better than Immortality.

Actually all of our comments here will probably be just assumptions. I haven’t read the manwha that inspired this drama. I imagine our answers are there.

I compared some of the dramas you mentioned and I think you’re having issues with the script for most of them. So I recommend Watching Unexpected 2018 which also had Nan Zhen as the script writer (same as in TROTAR). This writer has great pacing and nice characters.

I just finished TROTAR after 3 sitting. After watching almost all of Zhao Lusi's period rom-coms (Cinderella Chef, Oh My Emperor, Prodigy Healer, Love Better than Immortality, and TROTAR), I must say that what makes this drama so special is the great script. We must give credit where it is due - writer 南镇 / Nan Zhen (who also wrote the script for another nice time-traveling rom-com Unexpected 2018) really has a knack for writing stories that don't have repetitive plot devices and competent FL & ML. If I were to rate Zhao Lusi's drama based on Female Lead likability, Male Lead likability, Chemistry, and Script:

Zhao Lusi's Female Lead competence and overall likability:
Oh My Emperor (Fei fei) > TROTAR (QianQian) > Love Better than Immortality (Chun Hua) > Prodigy Healer (Yun Shang) > Cinderella Chef (Yiyi)
** Fei fei is the most purpose driven heroine (saving a whole world not only a city) while Yiyi is the most useless, sad courtesan/entertainer

Male Lead competence and overall charisma:
Love Better than Immortality (Qiu Yue Gege) > TROTAR (Han Shuo) > Oh My Emperor (Tang yi) > Prodigy Healer (Xing Chen) > Cinderella Chef (Chun Yu)
***Qiu Yue is the most enigmatic male lead of any of Zhao Lusi's period character. They tried to create a connection with Chun Yu but it was so bland

Chemistry on and off screen:
Love Better than Immortality (Li Hongyi) > TROTAR (Ryan Ding)/ Prodigy Healer (Li Hongyi) > Oh My Emperor(Jason Koo) > Cinderella Chef (Bie Thassapak Hsu)

Script - how the story evolved, how the characters were written:
1. TROTAR (Nan Zhen)
2. Oh My Emperor (Yu Hai Xia/Yin Hang)
3. Love Better than Immortality (Shu Ke)
4.5. Prodigy Healer (Fang Mo Qi/ Yu Ying Nan/Zhang Jie /Xue Hui)
4.5. Cinderella Chef (Lin Wei Rui/Yang Zhi Li/Yu Ge/Liu Yuan Yu/Qiu Jun Jie) - ***Zhao Lusi was a supporting character here
***TROTAR story was the least draggy while Prodigy healer has the fewest romantic scenes between FL and ML and the most irritating 2nd FL.

All episodes are now released but no English subs for ep 25 onwards. I think people just gave up on this. T.T I saw the white haired couple in the YT trailers.

With all the screen time the 2FL is getting, could there be a bts production issue/drama? Similar to what happened in Cheese in the Trap where they gave more screen time to 2ML because the producers were backing him so the writers needed to chance the script drastically?

Full season is now available for weTV Vips.

I think it’s because of the better written script for TROTAR. You can prove this because the series Unexpected written by the same scriptwriter also have great pacing. But if you remove the script, look at the chemistry of the leads and their bts, I think Lusi had the best chemistry with Li Hongyi.

I’ve been reading the comments about The Tale of Nokdu and here are my takes or answers to the most popular negative comments:

1. Kim So Hyun has no chemistry with Jang Dong Yoon. I don’t like Dong-ju she’s so hard-to-get.

This is proof that KSH played Dong-ju’s part spot on because some people actually hate her because of how “cold” she was to Nok-du’s romantic gestures. It’s already 2020 and I hoped that by this time we would have given more credit to female characters that they are more than just the love interest of the hero. Dong-ju is not only Nok-du’s girl, she is also an orphan trying to avenge her family, alone in the world trying to earn her living, a person learning to be a kisaeng against her will, and an intelligent woman that knows how to build gadgets and machine and not so good in the entertainment arts. So don’t take it against Dong-ju if it took her 9 or 10 episodes before she can fully express herself, because girl has got priorities.

2. I don’t get why the king just let Neuhyang get the throne but was willing to kill his son. What happened to his undying greed for the throne?

If you watched last 4 episodes closely, you should’ve come to 3 conclusions. First, the king finally accepted that it was his delusion that he could keep being king forever. A lot of people have been telling him and he also knew that his people didn’t trust him and would gladly get rid of him. What sealed in this truth is the scene where the king and Yool Mu was in the throne room with the king asking where Nok-du is, the king had an epiphany that Yool Mu really wanted the throne and Yool Mu being the only other person with legitimate claim to the throne with enough backing, he knew that he will get deposed sooner or later. Second, the king actually wanted to protect Nok-du as the least he could do as a father. In the scene where Yool Mu asked the king why he didn’t kill him 9 years ago, the king said that he didn’t kill Yool Mu because if he did he would have to kill Nok-du for the second time because of the prophecy and also the Grand Dowager’s charge of treason. Since Yool Mu’s faction feels they’re safe and they got the throne, they had less reason to hunt Nok-du. And lastly, it finally sink in to him that he was tired being lonely and dead inside so why keep on fighting for the thing that made him lonely? We’ve seen that all the bad things he’s done for the throne have isolated him from those he love and it is also taking a toll on his health. So if you’ve been fighting for the throne for 29 years and all you have to show are dead bodies, paranoia, loss of your loved ones, nobody wanting you, wouldn’t you have released the throne?

3. The ending is so bad. Why did Nok-du return to the island? He should have been king!

If you understood who Nok-du is, you would’ve known that above anything else all he wanted was to find his identity and love. And being king or crown prince is not who he is. He may be the son of the king and queen, but he is a simple person who wants to protect those around him and be with the person he loves. He never wanted power or money to begin with so why would you think he would be happy as king? Even when he left the island he just wanted to know why people tried to kill them, but he never dreamed of not coming back to the island. So the ending is the perfect one for Nok-du and Dong-ju because he knew where he came from but he was also happy and living a simple life with the people he loved and cared for.

Just finished this drama and I must agree that this is the Best Drama of 2019 for me!

After the 20+ Chinese dramas that I’ve watched since this lockdown, it only tookThe Tale of Nokdu to make me remember why I love Korean Dramas!

Visually stunning production and cinematography, great acting for all the cast, great chemistry between the lead, story that revolves around the main lead and his life, no overly political side plot, and most of all it didn’t drag to 24-60 plus episodes!

Kudos to Jang Dong Yoon and Kim So Hyun for bringing life to Nok-du and Dong-ju!

Spoiler below about my personal take on the king, the ending, and Dong-ju’s misunderstood character: