WandereR

Oh ok. I was under the impression from your feed postings yesterday that it was very good and you wanted to counter the bad review on this one...

Huh?! You downgraded your rating?! 😱

I thought you would rate this a 10 since it's a masterpiece 😊

Great write-up of possibly the most common trope in historicals/ period productions, especially in K-dramas and C-dramas. Even as we speak, there are quite a number of currently airing dramas depicting this trope eg The King's Affections which incidentally appears to be one of the best depicted crossdresser so far, in my humble opinion. I've seen a lot worse lol

The reverse crossdressing (male disguising as female) is also an interesting concept. I haven't seen the whole drama but from the snippets I've seen from The Tale of Nokdu, the ML appears fascinating indeed!

I don't mind comedic or more serious portrayals of crossdressing, as long as it fits the concept or plot. As far as the realism is concerned, obviously this trope is unlikely to be historically accurate except for perhaps Republican or Korean Empire era where Confucianism beliefs and practices have eroded granting women a bit more autonomy, along with the fashion of the period. But I think the biggest complaint I've come across so far is that the crossdresser does not look convincing 😅

Anyway, you've summed up this aspect very nicely indeed and I've enjoyed reading your insights. Good job, Shiro!

Speaking of wigs, Shawn Dou certainly has form for it. I swear it's the same braided style in Legend of XC too 🧝‍♂️

There's discount on group therapy, you're missing out on the party! 😜

Have fun with the book, which should be a less frustrating experience 😉

Fantastic summary and welcome to the club - of those who enjoyed the drama and suffered the trauma at the same time 😂
I've long suspected this was actually two dramas adapted by different screenwriters that eventually combined into one production lol.

Totally feel you, it's very surreal sometimes 😅
Humans, we're a complicated bunch lol

I noticed too, I think most folks are displeased with the lack of originality in the script.
Jirisan is written by the same screenwriter of Kingdom too!

That's a great point you made. I have noticed more time travel / alternate reality storylines lately. Maybe I should give a few of them a try one of these days. I only watched Love is Sweet last year. Some of my friends tell me Rational Life is outstanding, and it does have Qin Lan whom I love. Seems like a mature story with noona / jiejie romance 🤔

Congratulations on another fantastic article, good job!

I don't watch many modern romcoms in general but from the list, I did watch Love is Sweet last year. I do relate however to your observations and well aware of the usual tropes being featured in the genre.

In any case, really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this fascinating subject matter 😊

Thank you so much! It's true that bit of skinship at the end felt rather circumstantial and that final face off... It's certainly not flawless, which is why I didn't rate it a '10' but all in all, it was still quite spectacular. Compulsive viewing indeed!

Me too, I feel exactly the same way. Hopefully in the near future we'll get more of such similar productions and quality 😊

Thank you so much, glad you found it helpful and that we share the same thoughts about this drama 😊
I'm watching The Veil too and I know what you mean. We need more of such productions indeed!

Yes, I remember reading that too which makes sense. It's a genre that I don't watch a lot of, romcoms lol. Oh well😅

Fantastic observation article! Here are my watching stats from the lists you provided
4/10 - All-time
6/10 - Historical
1/10 - Most popular
2/10 - Most Popular historical
1/5 - Republican (But its actually watching in progress, Detective L)

I haven't watched any modern C-dramas that are on all the lists while I've of my favourite, The Rebel didn't make it to the Republican lists lol.

To answer the question, my top 10 favs from my own list:
1. NiF
2. Yanxi Palace
3. The Untamed
4. L&R
5. Ever Night
6. Fu Yao
7. Princess Agents
8. TRoP
9. Imperial Doctress
10. Advisors Alliance
11. TLB
12. The Rebel
13. O&O
14. Stand by Me

Interestingly majority are historicals, which is exactly as you mentioned the charm of C period dramas.

Love your feature image of Guilin and absolutely share your concluding thoughts - watch what makes you happy regardless of the hype and popularity 😊

Totally understand. I'm interested in something different and unique as well with a concept that's rarely done so that one looks appealing at the moment.

Oh ok, here's the link to find out more:
https://kisskh.at/57749-jirisan
The trailers look interesting but I'm looking forward to the cast as well 😊

Yes, I really enjoy watching him too! Ah Squid Game, that was a fun ride lol
The one I'm looking forward to now is Jirisan. I'm super excited for it 😀