Eleison

One aspect I couldn't understand was why Ling Bu Yi was so vengeful for having his uncle killed and clan killed. I get it's awful and sad, but it just seemed over-the-top for someone as calculating and rational as Bu Yi. Finding out he was actually General Huo's son explained everything that confused me!

I just finished My Lovely Boxer and it is a lot like this one but less cutesy and fluffy and not quite as much romance. A little grittier, but heartwarming all the same. About boxing rather than weightlifting, but still a lot about athletes and the challenges they face. It even has the FL like the SML for half the drama like in this one!

100%. Give this fantasy religion a new name so you don't spread all kinds of ridiculous ideas about what Christianity is, cause this is NOT it.

Something about this one just did not jive with me, though the leads did a great job (this drama made me try to find more dramas with Kim Myung Soo, and he really gives a great performance in this!). I was also turned off by the abysmal representation of "Christianity" or whatever the religion was supposed to be in this. If they were actually going for any kind of accurate aspects of a religion that exist in the real world, this was an epic fail. Please, if you're not going to portray a religion properly, just make up a new name for the fantasy religion you invent.

Yes, the ML's brother has autism. Are you worried about the mannerism they give him and stereotypes about those with autism, or that he won't feel fleshed out and well-developed? I think the three main characters (FL, ML and his brother) are all quite flawed at the beginning in their own unique ways and all three go through arcs (specifically healing arcs) and grow together to become better, healthier, more stable versions of themselves. I thought it was well done, but I totally understand if it would be hard to watch.

How was it like a makjang?

I have a friend who's a boxer and she's very slight and thin. But she does have more muscle than these actresses, so in that sense I agree with you.

How would you describe a sports drama? Once I know that I can answer better. :)

ML doesn't die; he eventually gets his revenge, and KS gets to retire and she's happy and content. The ending with the main leads is short, but implies they are together, and there's even a small peck and a cute scene with them being happy together. It's literally in the last three minutes, though. Everyone gets a highlight of how their stories end.

Yeah, this screenwriter has a good track record, with her last three or four dramas being major hits (and all very different from each other); also, Kim Soo Hyun picks dramas very carefully, and it's been a long time since he was in a drama that wasn't a hit (hard to know if it's because he/his agency has a good eye for scripts/dramas or if he just makes the dramas a hit, haha; maybe it's both). These two things make me hope this will be a good one.

And I agree with the other comment on here, the premise for CLOY sounded dumb to me when I first heard it, and this screenwriter's other famous dramas (You Who Came From The Stars (KSH was the lead in that one, too) and Legend Of The Blue Sea are about an alien and a mermaid 😂; so far this drama's premise is an upgrade, though the main couple being married already is unexpected! So I'm intrigued).

Oh, and about the peck at the end: I remembered from zee22's comment below that KS admitted to TY she wanted to experience a kiss. Even though she did end up kissing the SML after that conversation, I think the peck was a nice way to tie things together and bring closure to their arc. 😏 It wasn't salacious nor was it stiff; just sweet and wholesome (which this drama has been from the beginning).

P.S. The part with the little celebratory explosions when she saw he read all her texts was pretty darn cute.

Definitely more of a bittersweet ending than a happy one. After some time went by I reconciled myself to it, and now I don't mind it and can rewatch it pleasantly, but I remember the first time being frustrated when the credits rolled, and huffing at my screen, "Seriously?" I was so invested. 😂

I've been to Albania and Kosovo! I thought the language was beautiful, and I enjoyed all the brightly painted buildings in Albania that I heard became popular after communism fell. 😊 Mirë pafshim!

Also, I enjoyed the episodes with the leads bickering the most, so I think I liked the first half the best, but I still enjoyed the whole thing!

What about the ending? That's it's happy or sad, or more specific than that?

It's very subtle and gradual, but I'd say the last three or four episodes. After Kim Hui Won dies.

And I kind of love that KS lost. She was a great sport about it, too! She boldly faced a thing she had devoted her life to, and left with no regrets.

Yay! I'm satisfied. I didn't know how they were going to squeeze the main leads' story into the remaining 3 minutes, but somehow it passed muster. I would have liked a bit more showing the leads together at the end (as others have said), but it still was a solid ending. I'm okay with it because the romance was subtle throughout, anyway, and it was never the focal point; more of an implicit undertone. It was always more about how he supported her, how they grew and changed, and less about their romantic moments together.

...Yes 😏. If you watch to the end you'll know what I mean.

I'm at about the 16th episode and am actually really enjoying this! I've only done two Cdramas before this, and this is my first period Cdrama. So far the pacing, script and acting (and sets/scale, my gosh, these sets are huge? Especially compared to Kdrama sets; are they stationary sets/villages, like the historical towns/palaces in SK that are just always there?), have all been quite good, and it seems like very good production value. The ML is a little wooden (up to where I've gotten to, at least), and I feel like they repeat to (and about) Niao Niao, "You were raised without parents which is why you're so unruly and will be our excuse to make allowances for you," WAY too often, like a broken record. If I were Niao Niao I would just scream with frustration at how often they repeat the (painful) obvious. Instead of making it about Niao Niao (like it's her fault, which it isn't), say "It's my fault" instead (which it is; the adults made/allowed her to be what she is), move on, and try to see the positives in the midst of the negatives. I know mom really cares about her, but gosh darnit, why can't she show it better? It's not like Niao Niao can mind read. Unless you TELL her you love her and SHOW her that you do and explain why you do things that you do, how is she supposed to know? 😤 I know some of it is that Niao Niao sees things from the perspective of a young person who still sees the world without as much nuance as a more experienced adult might and much more black and white. As smart as she is, she can't see past the overt treatment her mother gives her to see the factors at play in her mother's mind and intentions; hopefully this will be something she'll come to understand better as she matures (and I hope the mom does some maturing, too, by learning how to communicate better and make sure Niao Niao knows her heart). It still bothers me, and while I thought the mom had some valid points early on, I am now fully Team Niao Niao. She's irreverent but compassionate and fiery, and only makes trouble when she believes people deserve it. She's usually spot on, and her clever antics are so fun to watch. (The mother/daughter dynamic actually reminds me a lot of the Pixar movie BRAVE.). While these two women's interactions in this drama annoy me, I also find their chemistry and interplay really interesting, since they're both so intense and intelligent. Well-written female characters! Also, can I just say, Zhao Lusi is ADORABLE.