Deirdre19

I started it twice already, and somehow I'm not feeling it. I like both lead actors individually and I really want to like this drama, but given that I interrupted watching it twice to start something else does not really scream "compelling drama".

Haha, you're correct about My Sassy Princess. I watched it because I like ZYC, but to be honest, other than the fact that he looked good in that flaming red uniform I cannot remember much from it...

Yes, I only watched the Guqin episode yesterday (it was in part 2). It looked surprisingly real (at least to me as a non-musician).
Usually they cut between the actors face and the fingers, so that a professional can take over, but not in this one!
If in contrast you want so see some really awful fake Pipa-playing, A Dream of Splendor stands out by miles! The actress is supposed to be a professional Pipa-player, but her movements were totally out of sync with the music. I found this incredibly irritating, especially in a drama where The Arts play a major role.

Ok, you "sold" this to me now...
Will give it a try so it'll better be good because I feel spoilt now after watching LLTG. 😃

Well, compared to other dramas the romance is definitely lacking. I'm on ep. 37 now and so far it is still rather one-sided. The FL remains unsure and emotionally non-committed. Her agreeing to marry ML and to take an interest in his life seems more like a rational decision. Up to this point she is scared of her fiance (seeing his psycho behaviour I can fully understand her) and feels suffocated by his "caring".
This may change further down the line, but so far I don't see the galactic love that we were sold in the title...
Don't get me wrong, I like the drama, but if you watch it expecting fluffy romance you will surely be disappointed.

On ep. 37 now and rather grated by ML's actions. He really sets a new standard for psychopathic behaviour, having people killed just to send a message. In which worldview would this ever be ok?
When 5th Princess claimed it was ok to kill people like flies because they don't matter everyone was scandalised, how is having her "advisors" killed just to punish her any different?

You have to eat a hamburger to appreciate the steak 😜
Same for me re. Immortal Samsara, I don't like the main actors, so not even going to start.
If you're looking for something remotely similar to soothe your withdrawl symptoms I can recommend "A Girl Like Me" - it's not as classy, but the setting is quite similar. I found it surprisingly good despite the stupid title.

And another thing that makes it stand out is the fact that the ML seems to be able to actually ride a horse!
As an equestrian, I find nothing more annoying than these fake horse-riding scenes where you only see the person's upper body and their movements don't match the sound of the horse's gait.
Of course, it is normal to replace the actors with stuntmen for break-neck chases on horseback, but some of them look like they'd even fall off a slow-walking horse.

Episode 27 had me in stitches! There were so many funny moments!
The bit with the martial arts training reminded me of my own experience with it. You may think they exaggerated in the show, but they really didn't...

I put this on hold after two episodes... why is everything so dark all the time? I could barely see people's faces (no, there's nothing wrong with my screen...) and fell asleep during both episodes.

If you still have 3 episodes to go it's too early to know, but I hope you're right... So many good dramas have been ruined by a blotched last episode...

Almost finished with part 1 - it fortunately picks up a bit of speed after the first 10 episodes... I just hope the end won't be a hurried mess because they've wasted so much time on those early episodes.
I quite enjoy Leo Wu's acting as the stony-faced general - he actually made me laugh a lot.

As they say: you can shoot the rooster, but the Sun will still rise.
Banning BL adaptations will achieve absolutely nothing (other than irritate fans). It will not stop people from reading the novels, using their imagination to picture the scenes with their favourite cast in mind. It also won't turn gay people into straight people just because they can only watch straight dramas.

By the time this airs, I'll probably be so old that my eyesight can no longer spot bad CGI, so no worries here...

Yes, it's quite different. Some of the changes are due to simplification, some to create a more dramatic storyline in the TV series. In the novel, the Gu Xiang character is far less prominent. I found her a bit annoying in the series. Also she and her boyfriend get killed some time before their planned wedding, which is of course far less dramatic.
The Ye Baiyi character is even more abrasive in the novel but his story and motivation is explained in much more detail. There is a lot of very funny flirty banter between Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu which for obvious reasons didn't make it into the filmed version.
The end is also less melodramatic, Zhou Zishu is healed by the Great Shaman without Wen Kexing having to sacrifice himself.
Piecing together the novel from several translators is a struggle though, so if you're going to read it I suggest running a glossary from the beginning to keep track of the ever changing names.
Just as an example, the pieces to open the armoury are variably called "Crystal Armour", "Lapis Armour" or "Whorl Crystal" - there's probably not right or wrong as a translation is always a form of interpretation, but it is confusing nonetheless.

Faraway Wanderers.
I wouldn't re-watch The Untamed - once was enough :-D

OMG, this is sooooo slow going! Now on ep. 16 and I already feel like I've travelled through half a galaxy at walking speed...
I'm not saying it's bad, but the first 6 episodes could have been cut down to max. 2.... Two brief scenes would have been enough to establish that the granny is hysterical and the mother emotionally illiterate. If I wanted that much family drama, I could just go home.

On ep. 20 now and so far I'm enjoying it. Divers female characters and interesting plot line...

I initially started reading the online translation, but it's going too slow...
The official translation is coming out sometime in October it seems (according to Amazon.com) - so I'm waiting until then...
Maybe if the book sales are good that'll be a HINT to whoever is blocking the airing of the series.

It seems that nowadays tolerance has completely disappeared. Tastes are different and if someone thinks an actor/actress isn't the right cast for a role they should be allowed to say so without being called names by hysterical fans.
The same goes for critisising an actor's performance...