Hang_in_there

The novel was written some time ago, before many recent dramas were made.

After seeing Dylan in 2022, the producers could not see anybody else playing Xie Jing Xing. Even after he rejected the role, they offered it to him again.

In fact, while reading the novel, I was struck by how Xie Jing Xing reminded me of Dylan - supremely handsome, arrogant, kind of naughty, but soft for Shen Miao, like how protective and gentlemanly Dylan is to his female co-stars. Dylan's marked similarity to XJX was most likely the reason the producers have been trying to get Dylan to play XJX since 2022. After he rejected the role, they offered it to him again.

A subplot has an explosive and bittersweet, though justified, ending. The extra scene after the credits of the last episode promises a second season.

Check out the reviews with ratings of 8 or over. It will be noted that not everyone who loved this drama reviewed it. I didn't. Also, check out the discussion topic below as there are comments that can help other viewers better understand this drama:
https://kisskh.at/discussions/ask-the-stars/134194-calling-only-the-people-who-are-enjoying-this-drama?page=6&r=notif&_nid=175398074#p3265672/

Haters gonna hate. But a lot of people love it

On a high level, both are sci-fi and thought-provoking. I would love to talk about how morality and humanity, or lack thereof, are at the core of the problems in both dramas, but I hate wasting my time.

Repeating a comment I agree with fully, this masterpiece is wasted on such an unworthy audience. Netflix, can you, maybe, remake this as a Chinese drama? I think cdrama audience might be more receptive to sci-fi and thought-provoking stories. After all, they love the equally superb Three-Body. As you can see in the comments and reviews, many kdrama fans just want to watch the same boring romantic/revenge/suspense/zombie dramas they are used to and have no interest in expanding their horizons.

Great points. Unfortunately, beyond the grasp and care of normal kdrama viewers. More so, of haters. I agree with your previous comment. Masterpieces like this are wasted on such an unworthy audience.

That was my understanding of their fate as well, though both the book and drama were vague about it.

I think an adaptation that NEVER strays from the source is uninspired and boring. What's the point in adapting the book to another medium if everything is the same? Might as well just read the book. What thrills me about adaptations is seeing how they depart from the source and analyzing whether the departures add or subtract from the source or whether they stray too much that they render the book reference useless. So far, I'm liking the changes this adaptation has made from the book, especially making Hansu three-dimensional.

The stabbing was a blessing in disguise for Yoseb. Being thrown into the truck saved him from the bomb's worst effect

Episode 5, like ep 7 in season 1, tackled a heavy topic. Ep 7 season 1 also didn't feature the intro. The bombing of Nagasaki is one of the darkest periods in history.

Thank you 😊 I really like how the series gave depth to Hansu with the Kanto earthquake episode. His character in the novel is not likeable at all. The series humanized him, making viewers hope for his redemption.

When a well-known actor was cast for the role of Hansu, I assumed the character's screen time would be expanded. And the most probable area that may be expanded that would please drama viewers would be the romance angle. So I'm expecting a long courtship between Hansu and Sunja. The big question is: who will buckle?

They're mostly fairy tales indeed. But I guess that's the draw. And that's the reason dramas like Pachinko would not appeal to viewers who are after the fairy tale filter. Having said that, I hope this adaptation of Pachinko would sprinkle a bit of fairy tale in it

The ending of "Memoirs of a Geisha" was confusing and troubling for me. I kinda liked that she "got" the guy, but he was married! Everything I knew from Sunday school to fairy tales told me this wasn't how things are supposed to be.

Being exposed to stories like MOAG might be the reason Hansu's duplicity didn't shock me. I had gathered that mistresses are somewhat part of the structure of Japanese society (?), same as in rich and/or aristocratic circles in other countries where marriages are arranged for business and other reasons than love. But is a loveless arranged marriage enough reason to engage in illicit affairs?

Though Sunja is now free, Hansu is still not. They're back in the same situation they were in before, when she found out he was married.

It's intriguing to see how steadfastly she will hold on to her principles.

It's among the most watched shows on Apple TV. Since Season 2 started, it has always been in the Top 10. I'm sure most of those who are watching this drama don't know MDL and probably don't have the habit of telling the whole world what they are watching.

The Hansu arc in the book is one of the most disappointing for me. When a well-known actor got Hansu's role, I had hoped the adaptation would have a better ending. Isak himself told Sunja before he died he wanted her to find another guy to love. And the kiss happened too quickly before Sunja could collect her senses. Her instinctive response is not surprising, After all, she loved Hansu before. This is not a kdrama that will be dictated by kdrama rules. This features characters with more dimensions, meaning not black and white. It's the struggle between darkness and light that gives depth to characters and dramas. And I like dramas that are unpredictable but consistent to the theme.

I think so too. Which is why I think he's not all bad. Underneath that gangster facade, the idealistic young man before the Kanto earthquake happened still lurks. He likes Sunja because she reminds him of what he used to be, of a happier and simpler life before he got sucked into a world of dirty money. She reminds him of what he could have been if he had more courage to stick to his principles.