CKDramaddicts

Came here to read the reactions to the ending. 😅 This is one of the most progressive costume dramas I've watched in terms of female empowerment and social commentary. So many great things about it, and yet --!!
As far as disappointing endings, egregious redemption arcs, villains "getting away with it" go, this is actually NOT the worst I've seen by far, tbh! I could've rolled with all of it -- even the noble idiocy -- had they just given us a longer, more satisfying, happy reunion. Even the OTP actors knew it was unsatisfying! 😂Thanks to _xingyue_ for sharing this in an earlier comment below, but re-upping in case it gets lost in the flurry of comments, as it's a bit of a balm to the disappointment, lol. https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cayb8fhlZU9/?utm_medium=copy_link

I haven't watched, but my friend said he was good in Dugu

If I'm not mistaken I thought I heard the FL tell the publisher that the manuscript is the culmination of some ten years of effort. (It was translated to "years" in the subs). But it's a bit unclear if that's how many years since she left or if she is including the early years when she was already a big fan of these types of stories.

Wow, *SEVEN* NRTA reviews!!! That sounds positively exhausting for the people in charge of that drama and whatever changes they are required to make.

The FL announces she will resign and tells the ML that he clearly doesn't want to see her anyway. She says, "The situation is my fault anyway and has caused a lot of difficulties. I'm deeply sorry. You don't have to feel bad. I will go submit my resignation letter right now." ML says he simply asked her to take a leave of absence/vacation, nothing more, why does she have to go overboard? "Take 20 days off, and the gossip cycle will naturally die off. You're still being paid. Are my actions so wrong?" FL: "I don't care how I am viewed at work, I only care about what you think, whether you believe me, whether you still want to see me." ML: "Can't you be more rational?" FL says her being rational means resigning immediately. ML says he would never approve it. FL asks, "Why not? Seeing me bothers you and seeing you bothers me." ML: "It doesn't bother me -- what is there for you to be bothered about?"

Giving the translation even a 5/10 would be generous, sadly. The translation is excrutiating, but also very unfortunate because (so far) this is one of the best modern C-Dramas I've watched and really deserves a wide audience. If only Viki was able to pick it up or something.

Just finished ep 1 and love it already. Gan Hanyu and Jade Cheng are really great and it's refreshing to have more mature leads. The production (warmer colour palette, direction, cinematography) also feels more movie-like and definitely not like your usual Mango release. The 75 minute format and cutting out the 1:30-2min opening credit also feels more like a K-drama. Unfortunately I had to ignore the subs, which seem mostly/all automated and was very distracting. (I think some people complained how they needed to wait weeks for MangoTV subs, but wondering is it really better to have subs right away if the quality is so poor?)

The most amazing and hilarious product placement I've come across that also feels bit criminal is the Pizza Hut one in Ever Night (a fantasy xianxia C-Drama!) where the characters (wearing period costumes sitting in a rustic/historical setting) are seen eating pizza, fries, and spaghetti.

Just here to warn people interested in this drama that unfortunately the subs on this are terrible and half the time do not reflect the actual dialogue or meaning at all and makes no sense. All the fun and exciting elements that makes it binge-worthy are completely lost and must seem very confusing and even boring for those who don't understand. Mango TV subs used come out super slow (and weren't always that great, but at least got the general gist), but pretty sure this was a machine translation. I really hope they eventually come out with proper subs for international audiences because they are doing a disservice to the show and viewers are missing out on a really entertaining drama.

Yes. An unusually satisfying, non-rushed ending with an extra scene just before credits role.

Everytime I come across this title and see the 8.1 rating on it, I get so annoyed that I want to write a review, and I'm so glad someone did and highlighted everything wrong with the ML. The show is INCREDIBLY problematic and it's genuinly disturbing knowing how many impressionable young girls are getting the wrong message from this drama. He absolutely did not respect her agency and was far too controlling. I also could not stand how grabby he was -- it was as though she was regularly being pulled or jerked around like a rag doll, and the agressive face grab kiss was just gross. Regardless of whether you like your kisses sweet and romantic or hot and agressive, it was neither. And finally, that hotel scene was WTF from start to finish. The bribing, the fact that the hotel guy didn't even blink at the implications, her clear messaging that she was not ready, the lines she drew that he kept crossing. She clearly did not want it, but he "persuaded" her. It doesn't matter if "she was just fine" the next day. If this was a real world situation, a lot of women might pretend to be fine after even when they are not. Don't be swayed or fooled by a pretty face. Actions matter. In this case, it's all toxic underneath.

Update: completed the drama and thankfully her character improved/matured significantly after the first third and made the rest much more watchable (but this may be a relative thing...). There were other annoying side characters, but after how frustrated I was with the FL during the first 9-10 episodes, those felt pretty minor in comparison, lol.

Thanks, I will persist and see where it takes me :)

Ha, okay. I have been duly warned and will proceed at my own risk....!

Ah, thank you! The version I watched didn't have the Chinese text, so I wasn't 100 percent sure I heard correctly which words they used, but interpreted as just saying he's not a player.

Sorry, not sure I understand your point? A person can have had sex while in a relationship and then be celibate after, choosing to abstain from sex when not in a relationship. Someone could have been sexually active at one point in their life and then chose to abstain at another point, like nuns and priests, who become celibate once they enter service. Abstinance, by definition, is choosing not to indulge in something pleasurable, separate from whether they are a virgin or not. In any case, in this particular instance, "celibate" is also a translation issue, since that's not what she said. If I heard correctly, in Chinese, she actually said something along the lines of, "he's all pretense" -- referring to his "playboy" image and how that is not who he is in reality.

Does the FL get better at all? I am only on episode 10 and find her insensible behaviour almost intolerable and her friend/maid almost as bad. I have never dropped a drama, but am coming pretty close with this one...

If you like that relationship, you might like My Fated Boy, which has a similar feel, but much better, imho. Healthy, non-toxic relationship, supportive and awesome parents, no annoying obsessive third party, etc.

She didn't say that. The subtitles translated it to "celibate" which is completely different from virgin. She's basically saying the ML is not a player who toys with people's emotions, despite the "list" of names in the bar, which is just joke among their circle of friends. This is important to the FL, because she had serious feelings for him, but did not want to get involved if he just wanted to have fun.

Yikes. I am already finding her immature and intolerable in episode 5 and 6! How can she not grasp the basic and obvious fact that she is a distraction to everyone at the military base and is putting them all at risk despite everyone spelling it out for her like basic ABC's?! I also don't drop dramas but have seriously considered it here. I read the synopsis thinking it was a really smart sensible fL, but she is the complete opposite. The contrast is especially glaring having just watched Rebirth for You (which, for all its own annoying flaws has a very intelligent, rational and sensible FL). I'll keep muddling through this as a background watch with the hope that it will get better and she will grow up soon...(Aside: also, the way she proclaimed her love so quickly and believes the ML loves her reminds me of the annoying, obsessed third party to the OTP in every other drama, lol.) I like cute, but so far, this is not it.