Eleison

At last! The rating dropped... can we now PLEASE move on from the rhetoric that the ratings for this on MDL are rigged/fixed? Upvoted by bots? Or that only immature, dumb, horny or superficial teenagers like this drama?

It's all getting very, VERY old.

Again, from my experience, it takes time for the drama to drop in rating. I was following this while it was airing and it was definitely a 9.1 the last weekend it aired (I think it was even 9.2 right after or sometime around the end, actually, for a bit).

It's also possible for some people's concept of "good" to be different than others, and possibly different than the majority? (For instance, when I visit the Goblin page these days most comments I see now are along these lines, "This is creepy," and "This is boring." People seem to think it hasn't aged well. My point is just that not everyone agrees about what's good, even about the "classics"). That doesn't mean the people that dislike a drama are wrong or have bad taste, their experience maybe just doesn't align with most people's experience who have watched it.

Anyway, maybe I'm missing something about how the ratings work and I could be completely wrong. 🤷‍♀️ These are just some of my thoughts in response to your confusion.

Also, if you think the rating is fake or rigged due to bots, maybe you can try to take it up with the platform and complain about the fact that it's misleading, if you really do think it's sus?

Or if you're just here to scare off potential watchers, then do your thing. You're entitled to your opinion. 😏

How is it going higher? It's been 9.1 since it ended, hasn't it? Sorry if I'm missing something, but I'm confused by your comment. 🤔

But keep in mind, these dramas have all been out for years. My Lovely Runner is pretty recent and will go down, too. 😉

It's fine to have your own opinion, and you're right, it is valid to believe the writing is poor, but it's also totally understandable for others to bristle at your opinion because you began by attacking others' opinions.

I mean, you started your post with, "How long are you guys going to keep lying to yourselves?" Um, you immediately devalued everyone else's opinions who like this show.

"You have to respect my opinion, but I don't have to respect yours."

Thank you!

Also, what is the relationship between the Emperor and Nihuang? I'm cinfused by how they're connected. Why does he have such a soft spot for her? Are they related somehow?

Soooo... does Mei Chang Su die at the end? I saw the 'tearjerker' tag so I kind of want to know. I regret not knowing who died by the end of Mr. Sunshine, and I want to mentally prepare myself. And if he does die, is there at least something happy or hopeful about the end?

I didn't finish but based on spoilers I know she survived. :)

The only other drama I can think of is Reply 1988, and obviously Queen Of Tears.

If you accept them as a friend, they show up in your profile as "friends." It's usually people who've liked your posts or you see eye to eye with when it comes to dramas or vice versa. I find it helps me remember and keep track of people whose thoughts/views I respect or enjoy reading and then I'll also recognize them easier when I see their usernames again on a comment thread.

Yep, that's why it's such a beloved story and has many versions done by other countries, mainly due to the character development. Watching Gu Jun Pyo become human is such a fun journey!

The Thai version is my favorite, but this version has a special place in my heart. And isn't the OST still great?!

Thanks for the suggestions! :)

Unfortunately, I don't have Hulu, either. I subscribe to two streaming platforms (Viki and Netflix (which now has ads for the basic plan 😑🤯)) and I can't justify adding more. It's ridiculous there are so many! 😭 Besides, Disney/Hulu/Prime and Netflix are basically just making western TV shows with Korean actors (they're feeling less and less "Kdrama"), so I have to remember that most of their shows I probably wouldn't watch anyway. But it's a bit frustrating for the random off-chance I will enjoy one of them. The OTT platforms haven't completely westernized YET, but they're moving swiftly and confidently in that direction, and I'm NOT here for it.

Yep, cause The Double is hard to beat!

I stumbled on some YouTube edits of episodes (haven't watched the drama) and it bothered me how often he made a move to get closer to her and she would always shy away and get coy with him. C'mon, FL, do you like him or not? 😅 I get that this might happen a bit at first, but it was even happening when they were dating; at some point that's got to get old and frustrating, right? 😅

Depending on who you ask, the reviews are deserved, but in my opinion, the ratings are a better indicator of how many people enjoyed a drama and to what extent. I think for some reason a bunch of people nit-picking decided to camp in the reviews for this one. 🤷‍♀️ I don't know where the intense expectations came from.

I think reviews are mostly helpful for people who follow reviewers they agree with and whose tastes align with theirs, and then it's helpful because if someone you trust (and their taste and judgment) and tend to agree with doesn't like something there's a good chance you won't either. Besides that kind of scenario, I never check them. The comments and rating are good enough for me to usually judge if I'll like it or not.

Even the fans probably wouldn't say it was a perfect drama, but it's certainly sweet and enjoyable with lots of heart. Like is true for every other drama, it won't be for everyone. 😉

I've stopped noticing the comments where people are extreme when I visit drama threads (either extreme love or extreme hate) since they're usually too polarizing to be accurate. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle. 😏

Just hearing about the content and reading the comments I realized it experimented too much with the genre for me, and I assumed I probably wouldn't like it. Relieved I didn't start it now!

Nothing can top Reply 1988 which had hour and a half episodes!! And 18 of them, I think. 😮

I made the mistake of starting with the super highly rated Cdramas, so now the lower rated ones definitely come up short in comparison! 😅

I mean, the ending wasn't terrible. Some characters died that made me sad, and it was rushed and felt a bit like propoganda, but it was decent. I would have loved to see more of everyone happy at the end, but it was good enough. There were definitely arcs that felt more interesting and engaging than others, and I did skip a decent amount (especially the step sister and step mom, never liked their scenes), but definitely some interesting stuff in there! Xuan Lin was pretty awesome, and the leads' partnership was sweet. The rating feels appropriate. It's no Double or Love Like The Galaxy, but it has its merits.