MagnoliaCream

Another great analysis. Should you teach a course on Unchained Love, I would like to take that class :) One thing I like about this drama is how it inspires us to dig deeper into what we're watching. I think it's because of its subtleties.

Another thing, this drama makes us laugh at the most unexpected times, like when XD pulled the arrow making the already flustered BYL scream. Her answer to his question of why she screamed is typical ditsy BYL :)

This also makes us swoon at the most unexpected times, like when BYL is trying to stop the bleeding, XD looks more interested in how close she is and attempts to put his arm around her.

I really love the subtle ways XD and BYL's relationship develops. I wonder if that is one reason some explicit romantic scenes were cut - to keep things subtle. Them exchanging nicknames is, for me, one of the most intimate scenes in the drama, as they are now declaring each other as their closest person. And the way he makes up his nickname to tie up with hers is so endearing.

lol i was wondering about that too 😅 Well, sabotaged or not, Unchained Love is a certified hit. Those interested in how well it performed, please see Discussion topic entitled "Unchained Love's Achievement Stats in China" above Comments section

still rewatching UL :)

LBFAD is a fantasy drama and has a fairy tale vibe. UL is a historical drama, so more realistic. imo, the chemistry is at the same level.

I felt that this story runs on subtlety. The humor is subtle, i.e., most of the humor. Some are endearingly slapstick, like BYL's imagination. Even the main song, Moonlight Song, turned out to not be a love song as I thought it was, or maybe it is, I probably just haven't understood its full meaning yet. But this is what I like about it. It makes you think or remember. In real life, saying "I love you" or kissing does not mean as much as actions to prove one really cares. And both of them showed with their actions how much. My most romantic scene is actually the most devastating one, when BYL tried to push him away. By doing that, she hurt herself but she did it to protect him. And, after all the hurtful words she threw at him, his response was, "Let me help you".

great, many thanks for this info :) good to know they have implemented a rating system that is immune to click farming

I actually like your analogy :) But in ep 12, XD already told her he cares and pulled her sleeve, an action tantamount to begging her to stay with him. From then on, the ball was on BYL's court. When BYL kissed him in ep 16, she answered his offer of love.

Is the rating related to the number of views or number of new subscriptions?

For me, it's definitely worth watching. I'm watching it for the 3rd time already. It's a happy ending.

I did not watch the cut scenes while watching the drama and understood the story just fine and loved it. The cut scenes that viewers complained about the most show the leads in passionate and wild romantic settings. If you are fine with sweet romance, you do not need to watch the cut scenes to understand the story and feel the chemistry between the leads.

Having said that, scenes were cut in the ff episodes (note: there are probably others):
- ep 2 when Xiao Duo gave Bu Yinlou pear soup and pointed out a food particle in her lip
- ep 5 when XD ingested the aphrodisiac
- ep 15 in the hut, a passionate kissing scene in a dream is cut, but I prefer how the drama made the scene funny instead of steamy; it's just a dream anyway
- ep 20 when XD revealed his secret and when they were in the pink field
- ep 25 in the boat

it was on Twitter. I guess not a lot of people know the scenes were cut due to censorship. But I think if the production team planned to leak the scenes anyway, they should not have released the drama at all because some people won't help feeling robbed after seeing those scenes and those who don't mind the scenes being cut also feel wretched at seeing a beautiful drama being unfairly treated, beset by complaints and getting low ratings it doesn't deserve. I wish now that the production team took its time to edit it. I wouldn't have minded waiting for several more months to watch the drama.

I guess we can agree to disagree. I'm a fan of subtlety, though I don't find lying down holding hands and hugging together subtle, especially during their time.

I just read comments in another platform saying they would never forgive the production team for cutting certain scenes. So, would it have been better for the drama not to have been released at all or at least carried the warning, "Those who cannot tolerate not seeing passionate and wild lovemaking should not watch this"?

As for me, I would like to thank the production team for letting me see one of the greatest love stories of all time. The passion between Xiao Duo and Bu Yinlou is so palpable you could feel it even when they are just looking at each other, even without the cut scenes. Their anguish at being in a forbidden love is heart-wrenching. So when they run jubilantly out of the chains of the Imperial City, free to love and live as they want, it is glorious. This drama is a work of art, not just a crowd-pleasing cookie-cutter historical drama.

from ep 2 when Xiao Duo knew she was smart showing how in-tune he was with her from the get-go, through ep 3 when they collaborated spontaneously to move the crown prince out of Fengyi palace showing how synchronized their brain waves were, through ep 4 when BYL took him to the tea garden and compared him to a daylily showing she understood him, through ep5 when he started to fall in love, through many more interactions, where they got closer with each interaction, the drama showed the progression of their romance until in ep 16 when BYL kissed his lips and they slept holding hands and hugging together, there was no doubt of their mutual affection. A kiss was not necessary to confirm it.

I totally agree. We get not only one, but three happy endings, with the two extra ones being extension of what was shown in the drama, not alternate.

It's a happy ending for the lead couple

I hope you'd be able to get to the bottom of this, and that Dylan would be able to overcome these challenges to his career.

That would be great if they are together. I just want him to be with somebody who would support him wholeheartedly as he navigates the shark-filled waters of the Chinese Entertainment industry.

That rule about real-life couples not being allowed to film together is kinda funny. This will give the public an idea of who are not together in real life :)

I was the same with Love Between Fairy and Devil. Every time I saw the FL being cutesy and sounding like a baby, I would wonder whether I should drop it. Boy, was I glad I watched to the end. LBFAD is now among my favorite cdramas and the FL has become one of my favorite cdrama characters. In Unchained Love, I also didn't like the FL that much at first, but she sure showed her acting chops here. I now admire her a lot.

One scene shows the ML stealing a kiss on the cheek, another scene with the ML stealing a kiss on the lip, a scene with the FL stealing a kiss, a scene where they actually kissed and several scenes that suggested they at least kissed, including a scene showing the ML with several lipstick marks on his face and at least two scenes suggesting they went all the way. The cut scenes explicitly show them being the passionate and wild couple that they are. Their removal probably kept the drama from being rated Restricted but did not affect the story.

I found the ending poetic and consistent with the unique tone of the drama. From the get-go, the drama has set itself apart from common themes - the ML being a eunuch and the FL an ex-emperor's concubine is as unique a pairing as can be. Their courtship steers clear from cheesy tropes, so I had expected a non-cheesy ending as well. It did not disappoint and I love it.