Anoif

SAME! It’s soooo much better than S1…. Like the plot is so much more meaningful and much more depth…. I fast-forwarded a lot in S1. I was so hesitant to watch S2. Coz I realised the acting/cast just annoyed me in S1…. I’m so glad I decided to give it a try…..

Definitely closer to SSS and JoL’s screenwriting + production standards, around the same level as Douluo Continent… The comedic moments are a lil’ awkward and random esp at the start, but almost everything else is substantially better than S1 (the higher budget is apparent). Everyone’s acting is so much better, so muchhhhh more natural (partially because all the actors have matured, more experienced, no longer newbies, stronger chemistry, Fu Wei Lun’s acting is more consistent as Ya Nei, so glad they casted a very solid, multidimensional Emperor YuanHao. The most impressive + surprising thing about Hai YiTian is actually his action scenes, he was so believable as a formidable general, no idea how he managed to naturally portray having double/triple the strength of average men but the actor is like 52yrs old 😳😱)…. Only character I really miss is Yuan Zhong Xin’s brother; Yuan BuoQi

Plot wise it’s at the same level as S1, just a very different direction/type. S2 is straightforward, tightly woven, shorter but with a deeper meaning on wot life means/purpose in life which should be discovered + actively pursued during teens/youth….

Actually found S1 pretty taxing to watch because it was such a drag….. The flow and editing of S2 is better, it’s actually pretty exciting from the get go…. But it really starts to suck you in after 7-8 episodes…. The plot thickens and pleasantly surprises as it progresses…. Kudos to Wang Juan for picking up a relatively interesting piece of China’s history to weave fiction into….

The romance here is also SOOOO much better, so much more natural + realistic…. Definitely no longer annoying… I found the romance very cringeworthy in S1. 🤣

With everything said, the biggest difference being S1 is an entertainment/casual watch but S2 is a lot deeper, serious, thought-provoking plot…. Though I have to say that a lot of the things that didn’t make sense/weren’t fully explained in S1, we finally get closure in S2…. And the way Wang Juan did it was so logical and sensible…. That you get many “ohhhhh…. Woah, that’s so smart” kinda moments…

LOL! I can’t… the plot feels very…. Uhh…. Angsty… not angst actually, more of it’s filled with misunderstanding, frustrating kinda love… but I liked the first couple of episodes. The mid-high quality production defo helps….

Ah, it’s coz I watched the ending OST credits roll… it looks ultra dramatic… 🤣 I don’t think my poor heart can deal with all the waiting… my mind might lose itself. 🤣🤣🤣

Ok. This is totally meant for binge watching…. lol, I sense many twists and turns to come. Going to stop and wait until this fully airs….

I still love it as much as I’m annoyed…..

For anyone looking for this (it’s produced nearly 2 decades ago, most platforms don’t have it)… found a HD version….

https://ww1.m4uhd.tv/watch-movie-marathon-2005-262407.html

The girl is ultra annoying……… why…… 😒 does this always happen in C-dramas……

lol, I felt Trace was the only “normal”, more logical one which he is in…. The rest that I’ve attempted….. are just strange. I never continue. This one is……. Ok…. Acceptable. I think it being so short saved it, otherwise I’m pretty sure the plot would have been all crazy and weird again.

I don’t know, somehow all the dramas he stars in never gets you hooked/really obsessed…. But he has been paired with relatively famous actresses though. I don’t know. All the plots he stars in are not great to begin with…..

But why though…. lol, do you know how difficult it is to be consistently casted as the main lead in a bad TV series…….? 🤣🤣🤣 I felt the only one I’ve actually completed the entire series from him was Trace. It’s actually a modern drama….

I don’t think he actually has any dramas above 8 on MDL. Maybe like 1-2….. 🤔

Someone below posted March 15th….

Oooooo great pairing!! She’s gorgeous. Hope filming begins soon!

I wonder why Jeremy Tsui is in so many bad series as well… like at least almost all of his historical ones are bad….. I almost never watch his series because I know it will be bad 9 outta 10 times….

But I find him supeeerrrr charming though.,.. esp in Maestra.

I was super disappointed in the romance bit…. Was really childish and cring-ey… I loved the theme though… it really surprised me on how they weaved the whole technology bits to GPS and office politics. It’s the first for me whereby I really only enjoyed the non-romance storyline….. perplexed on how this is rated 8.3 on MDL….

I wish I met a “Kate” in my teenage-early 20s…. She’s awesome!

This is a rather unique series…. It’s a realistic slice-of-life + coming-of-age Mainland version of Sex in the City…. I believe all young females should watch this….. There are dramatic, exaggerated bits (I.e, she’s just unbelievably lucky with regards to whom she meets……) but there are a lot of valuable albeit simple life lessons which are surprisingly often overlooked whilst growing up….

I love that the FL’s EQ is incredibly high (she knows she lacks in many ways but she’s assertive, never jealous of those better than her, always full of energy AND she never burns bridges)….. She always picks herself up, moves on, running towards her goal in life (beautifully 😜)…. Reiterating the fact that the most important thing in life is to have a dream/ambition/goals regardless of gender….

I think the actress playing the lead is so-so, her acting is neither bad nor good but it’s great that they casted an average Jane in terms of physical appearances so that her whole transformation because of money and experience; hair, makeup, wardrobe etc…. Really shines through. This bit is super realistic because she is someone you’d likely meet in everyday life…

Another thing worth commending is the nuances and details embedded within the production…. Each holding a deeper meaning, some metaphorical (I.e the big reveal of the time capsule in the last episode, taking only half the money offered by one of the ex-bfs etc), some literal (i.e the “trade-secret” regarding Microsoft Excel at work etc)…

Other points worth noting:
- Luckily this is a mid-high budget production, was apparent from the outdoor wedding scene, would have been a big fail if otherwise
- they used original dubbing, I’m pretty sure… because even Joe Ma’s broken/flawed Mandarin was included…. 🤣 oh, as well as those spoken English, matches their lip movements…
- quirky OST

So many things I love about this series, underrated, likely also because there are no English subs, it should have been closer to 8 to 8.5 per MDL’s gauge.

She is really good! Esp in Ep.16…. Like her role is a role that could have easily gone wrong in a million ways, like….. can easily come off as annoying esp in the earlier episodes… even when she was playing the whole naive, childish, dumb bits I was never annoyed with her…. I actually thought her acting was quite natural, like even her voice…. But I don’t know if it was her own dubbing or if there’s a voice actress.

I went back to rewatch…. It was done in a very unnatural manner coz it had to be cross stab… and yes, the knife was underneath the jacket. Not only that, the stab was actually very high up his chest…. So it would have made more sense if it was in his stomach area.

Ah…. Right… ok, rather than shock factor, it gave me a “?!?!?” factor instead…. It was kinda shot/edited a bit oddly. Like it came off as improbable rather than surprising…. Not to mention that the hand with blood wasn’t actually on Ma Kui’s side, he held on to the hand with the gun

Yes, I defo noticed the blood. But there was no action from that hand at all though, and the way that Ma Kui was faced downwards just made the whole thing really strange/improbable. Coz there was almost no time for that to happen… they each pranced towards his hand individually…. I’m just baffled.

I was quite confused actually, where did the knife come from? Was it from the Jia dude? So he had a gun on one hand, but I didn’t see the knife in the other though!! Did I miss something?