Eleison

I'm not sure what they'd be referring to. If they used AI with/on the baby, it's been very slight and played for laughs or comedic effect with cute little sound effects to go with it (as Kdrama rom-coms often do). I didn't notice anything (so far) to warrant all of the backlash. If the intro is what's making all the fuss, then it doesn't bother me. I never watch intros.

The king doesn't really love any of his wives/concubines (and vice versa), but he does have respect for his wife, the queen (if you watch the drama, you'll see why). It's not a romance drama in this sense at all (the relationship of the king to his wives is not romanticized or portrayed in a positive light), but it does have a cute romance between one of their (king and queen) sons and one of the minister's daughters (they're very cute).

All of this is fictional.

After I got to episode 4 I was completely invested. It's an excellent drama, and the highest rated sageuk on MDL for a reason. I'd say give it a chance. The beginning is heartwrenching, but it's a lovely story about a mother and her sons. The Queen Dowager is insufferable, but she's a great actress. There's honestly so many great performances in this. and it's great to see an amazing female lead who is a queen and strong and smart. She's a match for the Queen Dowager's scheming and it's fun to watch them play their game of chess: the Queen Dowager, always angling from a place of self-protection and self-interest, and the Queen, fighting with all she has to protect everyone she loves while championing the good and the just.

Highly recommend!

Haven't watched this yet, but she was disappointingly lifeless in Hierarchy (I'm kind of ashamed to admit I watched it, it was so bad; I don't think I added it to my watch list because it was awful), but she was actually good (and lively abd playful) in Our Beloved Summer. She almost stole the show! Don't know what happened to her after that? 🤷‍♀️

But when people want to save money... they will cut corners. People think this way about SO many things. And actual artists are obviously more expensive! Not saying I approve, but when money is the bottom line, we can't expect anything else.

I'm sure the world will be having a lot more convos about this in the coming months/years as it's going to become more of an issue, especially as AI improves.

Then never watch a costume Cdrama. 😬

This had SO much potential! The music was great and there were some amazing scenes; I think it is perfect material for a remake that improves on the weaknesses (which are fixable) and keeps the fascinating premise while spending more time building the bromance/friendship before separating the besties into different camps. I loved the concept of the guy with an alias trying to successfully keep his identity under wraps, but it could have been executed better here.

They also need WAY less torture. Too much of it in this! I get they're trying to show the Japanese were brutal, but it is possible to go too far and 'beat a dead horse.'

Yeah, I think I'd frustrated I spent 35 episodes on something with a sad ending. They're not usually my thing.

"You have that 'dating glow' "...

A 'dating glow' is totally a thing. 😅

It has Lin Geng Xin in it! Loved him in Legend of Shen Li.

The Korean version already sounded too sad for me, so I can't imagine I could stomach the original with a Cdrama sad ending. 😅

I picked up on the same thing (and not just in this drama, but in other Cdramas; I've noticed the government is always portrayed well and never critiqued or corrupt. There definitely seems to be less freedom for media to critique the Chinese government in Cdramas (that I've seen). And I think the media's ability to critique the government, while messy and unproductive sometimes if the media is unethical and trying to sell a lie, still speaks to the freedom of a place to be able to critique its leaders. How are the crooked mucky-mucks supposed to be held accountable if no one can breathe a word about their faults in media narratives without being shut down by censorship? History tells us humans do shady things when they have lots of power and influence (anyone who doesn't is an exception to the rule). That's not a country specific problem, it's a human nature problem. 😉

The police are still shown in this as heroic and hard-working, even if not always the brightest (I saw that as a way of drawing a contrast between the ML and the rest of his coworkers so he looks more brilliant).

This is one way to look at it. 😉

Haha, I meant that real guys (who are as awful in real life as some MLs in old Kdramas) won't grow that much. 😉 There is no such thing as a guy who's nice "deep down" while treating everyone around him like crap.

I also think it's possible for someone that awful to change, but I don't think it's done. Can they change? Yes. Will they? No. I would love it if they did, but a sweet girl loving them certainly won't do the trick. That's the part that I keep in mind is fantasy. And the part that's dangerous if not taken as fantasy (what I meant by "should not" be replicated in reality) is a girl thinking she can be the one "who changes him."

Kdramas (unless they're made by Netflix or other streaming platforms) are still WAY more conservative than anything else you'll see in media unless it's Hallmark or something media adjacent. 😅

And for your last point, I see what you mean, but Kdramas do manage to make unconventional or "scandalous" scenarios work with conservative values (e.g. Fated To Love You), and people who are used to Kdramas doing this will expect it to some extent. I'm just saying that for nonconservative viewers (who think abortion is a medical procedure on tissue), a story like this wouldn't be very compelling. Whether or not a foetus should be kept after a woman gets pregnant with a complete stranger would be a moot point. Drama, crisis, guilt, angst and scandal around such an event would not exist because there would be no baby these strangers would have to find a way to build into their lives. And it's not like people with conservative values don't engage in one night stands. They would just be more likely to see them as accidents or mistakes, not normal behavior to engage in with strangers you got drunk with/went out with. And the way they would deal with the aftermath would potentially be different (if pregnancy was the outcome) than someone who who did not have conservative values. I think Kdramas like this, by nature of even having a premise like this, establish their more conservative starting points. Hopefully that makes sense.

I think if you curate some Cdrama choices carefully, you might be surprised. I was!

Yes, Kdramas are definitely improving in some way! I'm a sucker for those massive character arcs of male leads in old Kdramas but only when I keep in mind that such stories are pure fantasy which could not (and should not) be replicated in reality.

Law and the City? Reply 1988?

Well, you're running into pro-lifers because pro-lifers tend to be politically or personally conservative, and many people with conservative values like Kdramas because they show restraint in ways other western media does not. So, if you're coming to a place where all these people hang... you're mostly likely gonna run into them. Being surprised by that is kind of like being surprised to find people in bathing suits at the beach. 😉

Try costume Cdrama Flourished Peony and its second part In The Name Of Blossom. It surprised me in this area in the portrayal of the FL.

There are some pretty decent costume Cdramas that are way more progressive than Kdramas in their portrayal of women. Not so much the modern dramas (though some are getting better), but oddly the costume Cdramas are sometimes featuring some really awesome FLs.

Haha, this is funny! Yes, so true.

Haha, you're probably right. After the first time she enters the mechanics of the VR component is never mentioned again. 😅 The level of VR immersion portrayed in this is still highly fantastical.

There's also kind of a pre-dating breakup when the FL gets tired of the ML showing interest but not acting definitively on his interest, so she creates some distant between them to show him she's displeased. They mostly play it up for comedic purposes to show the ML getting increasingly jealous and concerned about her to the point where he can't deal with the distance and takes the plunge. 😅