Chinese Empress

well i'm not a scaredy-cat being afraid of depression and anxiety and needing comedy and lighthearted things to keep living. it's adults' choice to decide, and their perspective. Children and immature people should not watch dramas, because they can't stand reality and being stupid to avoid reality. what's the point in avoiding reality and problems? that's why i can't stand weak people

they are petty a scaredy-cat, they can't stand depression and anxiety like adults.

kdrama obsessed petty fan are downvoting because they know this remake is far superior than the original

THIS. I agree with you. the kdrama toned it down a lot, i could not be moved. Chinese one is heartbreaking, even more the novel

the downvoting of petty kdrama fans here is ridiculous. I suppose they can't stand a drama without comedy or without depression.

i don't thik the original can top this remake, since it's too shallow with comedy

If he is divorced, why keeping the photo of his son together with his family? it makes no sense cutting only the wife. That's why i think they live with their own choices and little contact, but still married.

of course to each its own, but i can't understand people justifying comedy in this kind of plot

the photo of An An is on his desk...

in the scene with the folder and the glimpse at the café you can see a sort of light on his finger

Not really true. He does not show his hands in the timeskip and he has the photo of his son. He always had the behaviour of having hands in the pocket...

rewatched the original comparing to the remake. For the second time i was annoyed at the exaggerated unbalance of comedy vs seriousness, i felt not even moved for the second time. I absolutely agree with the downvoting being stupid and childish. I rated it low because i was disappointed. I was expecting a more serious drama and more balanced, more depressing without comedy moments which i find unnecessary and childish. In my opinion, the plot of this drama deserves a 10++ no matter the remake or the original, and no matter if another nation try to have a remake. It's what can make strong people more and burst them into tears that matters. If you are too sensitive you don't notice a lot.

i don't think they divorced because when he cries he has the ring. Then the timeskip but he has the photo of his child on the desk. More probable they decided to live the life they want, being married but choosing independently. She did not force him to move, he did not force her to stay.

i am pointing this since episode 1 because it's quite clear.... i still can't understand how people cannot notice it

THIS. I think exactly the same. I like the original a lot in terms of plot, but it did not engage me in any possible emotion, i was only annoyed to the comedy. This remake is expanding everything and going beyond

As always, I am analysing each episode pointing at those important frames, dialogues, scene which are meaningful to properly learn what the drama conveys as a message, comparing to the original.
I will prepare a detailed review about this series later.
Episode 25. "You're the first one to be good with me more than three times". The scene on the phone makes you go directly in their feelings. In the original they were both outside on the phone booth, here i'm satisfied they kept it only for her. She is the one in despair here, she is the one in real danger more than him. I'm glad they subtly highlighted this, which was not in the original. They are stressing differently ML and FL's feelings, being on parallel waves more than same length.
Jiaqi's smile when he is elected is on another level, he is so bright even if it's not wide, because he is finding himself now.
Episode 26. Here we go again with Gu Chen and Jiang Jiaqi's confrontation in which Gu Chen is projecting himself and his own self to Jiaqi. The remake point out even more than he is envious of him about everything, he knows Jiaqi is the only one at his level, but he has one thing more: moral integrity. Gu Chen knows Jiaqi can surpass him, not only because he is his senior but because of real capability.
"My heart hurts more than I can endure". The whole dialogue between Jiaqi and Yu'An is not out of romantic love, but out of soulmates. They understand each other, two trapped souls grasping air together and trying to stay alive together without really being together. "Il life collapses, let it collapse. I will not fall apart". THIS is the whole point of being an adult, the whole point of the drama. Being an adult means you can be destroyed completely to build your life again. Growing up is beautiful and important exactly because from destruction it comes a new life. The whole scene has a deep meaning because their bond is more than love in any sort of love, whatever sort it is. And i'm glad this remake point out at how to be a proper adult rather than being a frightened child scared to grow up. None of the characters is childish here, they are mature and adult, even Yu'an being the youngest in age. Yu'an bursting into tears is because of this realisation, growing is putting aside infantry without losing it. The scene is so perfect, light is on point.
I want to point out something. How many people has to live travelling on the train for work? waiting, running to get in time, working late and running again? Always the same. And yes, this is another side of what being an adult means. The melancholy, the repetitiveness, the sorrow more than some kind of joy. Even if you love your work...
Episode 27. The wife is showing her good side here, with sincerity, the way they portray the whole thing is fitting. I want to highlight they modify the scene between Yu'an and Chen about the recordings, cutting the explicit sentence and changing in plot situation and reason.
But this is another strong point, growing means losing something, sometimes. It's a reality adults have to face. The more you age, the more this is the reality you have to face in front of you. I LOVE how this remake slaps you in the face with this reality, with rawness and raw feelings without mellowing the impact.
I like how this remake gave depth to Chen too, when in the original he was a scu***bag and nothing more.
Episode 28, final episode. Karma hits and gives retributions equally, and this episode is what karma is. Gu Chen's sly expression is exposing his true nature and his own lies and I LOVE how the drama stresses the importance of following the laws, being a good citizen and giving the right retribution or sentence for crime. Kudos to Zhifeng for her portrayal because throughout the episode you can see how she has matured in a different way, more than changed. This is her true nature.
The scene when Jiang Jiaqi cries is heartbreaking and well developed. From the appearance of being calm and collected, with starting to get well with the wife again, he shows his deep sorrow inside, in solitude. Another side of being an adult is being strong, particularly if you are used to deal with everything on your own. And when you burst into tears is when you are alone, because you have enough of enduring. Kudos to Zhao Youting because he was very very emotional, relatable in the scene, gradually moving with subtle details. Even his confy and sporty attire talk for him. The power of his cry and the strength of his expression together with the depth but sweet side of his voice is emotional and shows raw emotions and feelings. I want to highlight that in this episode he still has the ring on his left finger.
And i can confirm, same ending with different feelings from the original. The open ending is for the audience to decide, but i am convinced they kept the original ending: he did not divorce, they only start living in the way they want.
This story is not for romance search, it's for finding a similar soul to heal yourself, a soulmate that can understand you not necessarily to fall in love with. It's not because of the age gap, but because of what they found in each other to heal themselves, to become a better version of themselves.
And yes, I can confirm this remake is way far superior than the original to the point it overshadows the original completly from every point of view. Same plot, difference outcome and different choice, but the original goes to a wrong shallow path compared to this.
My piece of advice: weak people should stay away from this kind of plots that needs depth, sorrow and depression.
Thank you Zhao Youting and Zhang Zhifeng. Thank you Jiang Jiaqi and Zhou Yu'An.

"The original inserts comedy in an attempt to lighten up the depressing tone it conveys" THIS is exactly when the original sucks at 100% and fails completely, because it's a waste of intelligence and waste of time for audience. It's a modern world and a drama made for adults, who has the need to lighten up the depressing tone? Is the audience 5yo, the ones watching the original? I was disappointed because due to the useless, unnecessary and anticlimatic comedy there was void, and the drama execution is reduced to a school recital, not a drama. It was the reason why I rated the original 3 because of IU only or I would have dropped after ep 1. It SUCKS to see those immature and childish behaviour in a drama clearly rated for adult audience.
I am currently watching the last ep of this remake, and yes i can confirm it's way far superior exactly because it dives deeper into depression, the proper way to make dramas for adults.

agree to disagree. I agree with you only for the first sentence. The original is terribly good in terms of plot, but i was not moved at all. They did not even balanced things nor even cut useless scenes...

Ranting and discussing later, but I confirm this remake is way far superior than the original. Considering acting, microexpression in acting, script, feelings and message Korean original failed, and this remake gives everything you need to have. Every cast member was far superior and way better than the original, even the cameraman preparing the scene and choosing the light and setting.

I love Chinese production because they are superior. Remakes are made to be compared to the original, but in this case the original failed completely because of weak people. Weak people should not be shallow and immature to watch dramas to sleep on the sofa, to relax, for entertainment. If you are so childish to look for it, don't bother watch dramas. Dramas have a mandatory purpose, to teach. My Mister failed in this purpose when putting anticlimatic scenes rather than heavier ones. This drama should be heavy, makes you questioning, makes you developing the willing to live, you cannot have laughter or lighter moments in a drama like this. Life is not easy like weak people think