Eleison

Haha, you should check out the My Demon page. It makes the contrarians on this thread look tame. The gangster drama that censored a BL also had a pretty frustrating environment in the thread for a while, too (don't remember the name of the drama).

I've heard people say it was the most unrealistic part about dramas: that people would run into each other in Seoul (cause that's always happening in dramas). Not in my experience! I visited Seoul and saw several different sets of tourists in different locations around Seoul multiple times (they're noticeable because they weren't Korean), so it's not unrealistic. You can run into the same people! It does have a weirdly small-town vibe despite being huge.

Good luck! 🫡

That's true, Kdramas do have longer episodes! Exposure was the key for Kdramas for me, too, so it will take time, I guess. 💁‍♀️

I love BGMs (I care way more about that part of the soundtrack than the OST with lyrics and pop music (that also took time to get used to because pop music is not written for American TV shows or movies, except maybe in the end credits to play as background; I know film score composers better than actors 😅)). I even know which Kdrama composers I like now because they consistently do the best melodies for BGMs.

And I was devastated to find that there are no BGMs for Cdramas on Spotify! 😭 Because some of the LLTG BGMs are SO LOVELY. I will try to share one of my favorite tracks from it if I can find a YouTube snippet.

Haha, okay! I'm definitely going to give it a shot.

And I would highly recommend LLTG and The Double. I love Zhao Lusi the most in LLTG (she's stellar), but I loved the romance and characters of the main leads in The Double even more than in LLTG. The Double is also shorter and easier to get through. 😅 It's so hard to find a watch rhythm with these Cdramas. They're SO long that they're impossible to binge (but you want to), and yet if you wait too long you forget stuff because they have such intricate plots and confusing names (still not used to the Chinese names yet). Any tips? 😂

They both have beautiful music, too (LLTG in particular).

Thanks, @ShortCircuit. Helpful and informative as ever! I appreciate it. Can't believe you even remember I don't watch BL. 😂 Thanks a bunch!

Quick question; would you say this is more like Love Like The Galaxy or The Double in that sense, then? Those feel more "historical."

Oh! Whoops, well, that extra stuff would have been nice! Clearly some of us (me) were too dense to get the idea, I guess. 😂

I found it kind of a confusing watch at times, to be honest, and thought a lot was left unexplained, but it's still enjoyable if you don't mind some mild horror genre elements. I particularly enjoyed the first few episodes and the last few.

Ji Ah is only in like two flashbacks and comes in at the very end, but she's mentioned by Yeon without him saying much about her or saying her name (stuff like, "A fox's first love is their last love and they only ever love one woman"; he's understandably tight-lipped about the future when he's in the past) and she's the driving force behind Yeon's decisions because he gets stuck in the past. Despite being around Rang again, he desperately wants to be able to return home to her when his task is accomplished in 1938.

Yeon time travels because he goes to get back a guardian stone that was used to keep the barrier between the living and the dead which was stolen and taken to 1938 for reasons that get revealed as you watch.

Thank you! I definitely think they could have done a better job showing how the three mountain gods came to be what they are, instead of focusing over and over on the same three flashbacks of their friendship as children, but oh well. It was enough while not being completely informative. I appreciate you giving me your take!

No, this happens after they're married, probably some months after Lee Rang dies in Season 1.

Yeah, not like Barbie. The only thing I think it indicates is that the story is focused heavily on children and childhood, and has a cutesy, cartoonish humor that is often found in rom-coms that characterizes much of the comedy.

That's a much healthier progression and more realistic, for sure. :) He was certainly a cute ML!

Thanks, so why is he listed as a main lease then? Does it mean they'll have a lot of flashbacks or take a while to kill him off, I wonder?

The King of Five Paths I think woke him up (?), and it seems like the writers were going to connect him to the original mountain god for a Season 3 (who Moo Yeong woke up, thinking it would be his brother), since they never tie up these threads or fully answer the questions they raise for us. 🤷‍♀️

I like how her character fit into Rang's arc, and she was very important for his character, but I thought she was a little forgettable as a character in herself. And there were so many moments she could have used that mermaid scream but never did. It drove me nuts that they failed to utilize it more! 😂

It was probably to leave the door open for a Season 3 if it worked out to do one?

Taluipa mentioned near the beginning that each era progressed on its own, so the past they went to wouldn't affect their future. It's apparently a multiverse! 😂

I'm confused by the mountain god powers/mystical animals and their status. Moo Yeong was a Siberian tiger, Yeon a gumiho, and Hong Joo an eagle-owl. So, do they have powers as these creatures apart from their god status or did they get them when they became gods?

And by 1938, it seems all four mountain gods are no longer protectors of their mountains; why do they still have their powers that they had as mountain gods?

I kind of know why Moo Yeong got turned to stone (because he was mad his brother died and in anger and grief burned his mountain, right?), and I know Lee Yeon had to relinquish his job because he fell in love with a human, but why did Hong Joo lose her status?

I feel like some of this was addressed in Season 1? But I've obviously forgotten.

Also, I wish they had explained why Yeon never saw Hong Joo in 2023. She should still be alive because she's immortal, so I felt like that was a loose thread since they were such good friends.

Lee Yeon is just THE COOLEST. And he's the best big bro EVER, and a deeply devoted friend.

I felt like this season wasn't as cohesive as Season 1, and a few times I got lost with who was doing what and why since there are so many troubled souls in this with conflicting agendas 😂 (Yeon had his work cut out for him in this season fighting friends and baddies and healing old wounds; he had some characters he had to stop and yet also protect--a much harder task than doing just one or the other). I also felt for a while (in the middle, which felt the weakest to me) like these mountain gods were sometimes weaklings. I felt cheated of true mountain god glory. But then I got to the end, and it all made sense. I finally understood why I felt like their fights with EACH OTHER were all kinda lame. 😅

So, while I think this season had its fair share of issues (e.g. so much suspension of disbelief, an obvious fake set for ALL the 30's era, horribly anachronistic costumes/hair, confusing gaps, questions I had that never got answered, loose threads and some plot holes) and was maybe a bit more all-over-the-place than Season 1, this still delivered a solid, enjoyable watch that made me laugh out loud, giggle, go "Awwww!" and at times almost cry.

Yeon's endless friendzoning of Hong Joo was always so adorable, playful and respectfully done, and Rang and Yeon steal the screen whenever they're together. Lee Yeon and Moo Yeong had by far the coolest powers. Lastly, I love that they make Lee Yeon "as sly as a fox." He manages to surprise you with all his smart antics, and I love it. I honestly just can't get enough of Lee Yeon and his dearly bought but somehow breezy victories. I just love, love, love his character. He lounges earnestly through life, steady-as-she-goes, the anchor for everyone around him, and never fails to deliver.

I enjoyed Rang's arc, too, and the way things got wrapped up in 1938. So, overall, a fun watch (as long as you don't mind some creepy moments and zombies)! It was refreshing to have a drama that focused primarily on friendship and brotherhood and the strength that comes from a community of friends and people who will love you no matter what.

Also, if possible, the soundtrack improved from the already stellar Season 1. They had so many lovely BGMs that, paired with last season's BGMs, made for a beautiful, heartfelt backdrop for our characters and their stories.

P.S. I also loved the little Gaksital reference with the red and white mask, especially since that drama used this set as well and took place in the same era; oh, the nostalgia!

The questions I never got answers to are below:

So is JCW the husband that dies or one of the younger brothers she might marry...?