Even though in some ways I liked some of the characters more in this than JOL (I loved all of the martial arts masters, the friends Fengnian made along the way, and the Xu family had such a sweet bond), this didn't feel quite as thrilling/intriguing as Joy Of Life.
That drama kept up a breakneck pace and this drama had parts that were definitely slower (like the homage to Lao Huang at the end was just so drawn out, I thought!).
But what I did like about this was the slow and steady build up to a pretty great two part finale (there was what felt like a finale, and then another kind of came out of nowhere at the end--on further reflection, though, the plot had been building to it slowly, subtly). The plot also moved forward steadily as you learned more about the characters and their intentions, meeting fascinating side characters along the way. It also doesn't end on nearly as much of a cliffhanger as JOL season 1 (or 2!), and I liked that.
Xu Fengnian comes a long way by the end, martial arts-wise, but he still felt like the weakest link among his crew (though they set up that he has great potential, and it's also offset by his brilliant mind which makes up for his lack of skills with, as several in the drama say to his face, "meticulous planning.").
I got so tired of the way the ML in JOL got perpetually outsmarted by the Emperor and Ping Ping, so it was refreshing to have Xu Fengnian break out of the chess game to become one of the players.
It has a lot of similar elements to JOL (though in this we never see the Emperor even once!), and I think the romance in this is definitely better. I liked Jiang Ni, and actually enjoyed their veiled affection hidden under outward antagonism that was built up over years of having to act like enemies (which was an act they both implicitly and intuitively knew they had to put on, even though it was never verbalized between them; they both knew where the other stood deep down).
A good watch! Recommended if you like camaraderie, mentorship, martial arts skills/exposition, and smart MLs.
I also realized I love plots where characters are not what they seem and they reveal their true colors/unique talents as the story progresses. If you like plots like that I think you'll like this drama!
This also feels like if Blood of Youth and Joy Of Life had a baby--this drama is it (though I liked this better than Blood Of Youth 😉)! 😅
When people are being rude, mean or inappropriate in their comments or responses:
1) Expect it. MDL gets more traffic than it used to and as a result, more weirdos.(There are a lot of weirdos on the internet!)
2) Report and ignore or report and block. No need to engage. It just feeds the contrarians and the chronically negative and accusatory users when we respond to them.
Those who want to truly dialogue and exchange ideas and those who just want to stir the pot and get a rile out of people are not the same. A closer inspection will reveal the difference. 😉
If you say something reasonable and someone goes way too far in their reaction to your point, again: report and ignore or report and block!
P.S. Or, which feels weird, be unexpectedly nice back without being passive aggressive. I've had some users get completely befuddled by kindness. It comes out of nowhere and they don't know what to do about it. 😅 Some even apologize!
After Xu Fengnian watches Xuanyuan ShingCheng defeat the Grandmaster, he remarks to Jiang Ni, "I'm becoming afraid of Xu Xiao." Puzzled, she probes further and he says, "I'm afraid he's becoming too old."
What do you all think he means by that? That he's becoming amoral like the Grandmaster as he ages or that Xu Xiao's growing weak in his old age? Any theories?
The music that accompanied it was ominous, I'm just not sure what kind of ominous it's supposed to be. 😅
OMG happy to see fans of Teresa Li's Jiang Ni. I loved her too! I loved her dynamics with Xu Feng Nian. I don't…
And the romance is WAY better than the romance in Joy Of Life (same author (or screenwriter? One of the two😅)).
I think SSS so far (almost done), seems to be the drama that would come about if Joy Of Life and Blood Of Youth had a baby. 😅
It's less thrilling than Joy Of Life, with less of the high stakes political intrigue, but has lots of fun locations and world building and fights with different types of masters and sects and families like in Blood Of Youth. Both series (SSS and JOL) have lots of memorable characters, but I think this one has more likeable ones. That said, the romance is just better here. I also like Jiang Ni; she was cute and I enjoyed Feng Nian's soft spot for her. Their relationship has a lot more substance and basis for it than what JOL shows for the leads.
if you find the age Gap uncomfortable, that's totally fine. however, why is it that no one ever mentions the age…
And they show that he's not into her in any way when she's young/growing up; it's not until he truly gets to know her and learns to enjoy and respect her company that he starts to fall for her. In fact, he blows her off repeatedly before starting to soften as they grow closer. I think that also made it feel not creepy to me. She was the one pursuing him and wanting to be around him and, as you say, he never uses his power/age to manipulate or control her.
If I were to watch this, which episodes could I safely skip so as to enjoy what's worth watching of this? If I just stop it halfway and just skip to the end will that be satisfying enough? 😅
Started watching this today. As a Brit I am used to constitutional monarchy and a class system. So I can go with…
Viki is very good compared to Netflix and Prime and all the others. I haven't used Disney for dramas but with Viki I feel like I get the biggest bang for my buck. Don't have iQIYI--have to draw the line at subscriptions somewhere! 😅
Here I see some slightly silly comments ☺️ so let me say this:If you’re watching Perfect Crown like it’s…
Some people still seem to not get the idea behind Kdrama rom-coms. That doesn't mean they can't be bad, but some elements that people gripe about are literally here to stay, and as far as the genre is concerned, are going NOWHERE. 😅
modern royalty is throwing me. but I'm enjoying it. it's different
I'm a sucker for them, too; biding my time with this one until it's completely released so I can binge it with a free Hulu trial (if it doesn't take a nosedive in the 2nd half, which Kdramas tend to do, especially recently), but I love several of the other dramas like this (The King 2 Hearts and Goong)!
That drama kept up a breakneck pace and this drama had parts that were definitely slower (like the homage to Lao Huang at the end was just so drawn out, I thought!).
But what I did like about this was the slow and steady build up to a pretty great two part finale (there was what felt like a finale, and then another kind of came out of nowhere at the end--on further reflection, though, the plot had been building to it slowly, subtly). The plot also moved forward steadily as you learned more about the characters and their intentions, meeting fascinating side characters along the way. It also doesn't end on nearly as much of a cliffhanger as JOL season 1 (or 2!), and I liked that.
Xu Fengnian comes a long way by the end, martial arts-wise, but he still felt like the weakest link among his crew (though they set up that he has great potential, and it's also offset by his brilliant mind which makes up for his lack of skills with, as several in the drama say to his face, "meticulous planning.").
I got so tired of the way the ML in JOL got perpetually outsmarted by the Emperor and Ping Ping, so it was refreshing to have Xu Fengnian break out of the chess game to become one of the players.
It has a lot of similar elements to JOL (though in this we never see the Emperor even once!), and I think the romance in this is definitely better. I liked Jiang Ni, and actually enjoyed their veiled affection hidden under outward antagonism that was built up over years of having to act like enemies (which was an act they both implicitly and intuitively knew they had to put on, even though it was never verbalized between them; they both knew where the other stood deep down).
A good watch! Recommended if you like camaraderie, mentorship, martial arts skills/exposition, and smart MLs.
I also realized I love plots where characters are not what they seem and they reveal their true colors/unique talents as the story progresses. If you like plots like that I think you'll like this drama!
This also feels like if Blood of Youth and Joy Of Life had a baby--this drama is it (though I liked this better than Blood Of Youth 😉)! 😅
P.S. My favorite character? Li Chungang! 🥰
1) Expect it. MDL gets more traffic than it used to and as a result, more weirdos.(There are a lot of weirdos on the internet!)
2) Report and ignore or report and block. No need to engage. It just feeds the contrarians and the chronically negative and accusatory users when we respond to them.
Those who want to truly dialogue and exchange ideas and those who just want to stir the pot and get a rile out of people are not the same. A closer inspection will reveal the difference. 😉
If you say something reasonable and someone goes way too far in their reaction to your point, again: report and ignore or report and block!
P.S. Or, which feels weird, be unexpectedly nice back without being passive aggressive. I've had some users get completely befuddled by kindness. It comes out of nowhere and they don't know what to do about it. 😅 Some even apologize!
What do you all think he means by that? That he's becoming amoral like the Grandmaster as he ages or that Xu Xiao's growing weak in his old age? Any theories?
The music that accompanied it was ominous, I'm just not sure what kind of ominous it's supposed to be. 😅
I think SSS so far (almost done), seems to be the drama that would come about if Joy Of Life and Blood Of Youth had a baby. 😅
It's less thrilling than Joy Of Life, with less of the high stakes political intrigue, but has lots of fun locations and world building and fights with different types of masters and sects and families like in Blood Of Youth. Both series (SSS and JOL) have lots of memorable characters, but I think this one has more likeable ones. That said, the romance is just better here. I also like Jiang Ni; she was cute and I enjoyed Feng Nian's soft spot for her. Their relationship has a lot more substance and basis for it than what JOL shows for the leads.