Eleison

Me, too!

I don't know why I didn't respond with this months ago, but revisited this page and realized I never responded. I started liking Goong after (I just went to look up the episodes on Viki, only to discover it's no longer available 😣) he gets back from the trip with the 2FL. I saw the glimmers of chemistry and cuteness the night they were forced to sleep in the same room (can't remember if that happened before or after his trip), and then it really picks up when she runs away and he eventually finds her in a wood that overlooks the city. They make up, and really start to get seriously kind of cute after this. I just rewatch those parts and skip all the boring adults and angst. There's something cozy about them once they hit their stride; apparently their kiss near the end of the drama became kind of legendary, too (maybe because it's very much a real kiss and back then you couldn't always rely on Kdramas to have real ones). 😅 Like BOFs, it's a toxic mess that I still somehow enjoy! (Cause I'm a sucker for character arcs, so I enjoy watching jerks become endearing and lovable).

It does lose some momentum in those last two episodes. I watched this as it was airing and I was bummed by them and felt kind of jipped of a strong ending. That said, it was more consistent than most Kdramas that take a nosedive in the entire second half of the drama. 😉

There is one scene in Episode 15 (I think? It's been a while since I've seen it 😅), where they kiss in bed and it slowly escalates but the scene changes before more is seen. They are fully clothed in the scene, though it is a bit suggestive (I would say it's on the tame end of bedroom scenes in Kdramas now). They do kiss a few times, too.

Our priest, Father Kim --> Vincenzo (both are not what they seem, with incredible fighting skills and clever strategies who fight for what is right, but in a morally grey sort of way)
Female lawyer, Park Kyung Sung --> Hong Cha Young (also a lawyer who starts out as a moneygrubber but reforms after her father is killed, as this character does after Father Lee's murder)
Father Lee --> Hong Yu Chan (a saint-like, good character who catalyzes the story with his death)
The bumbling, sort of increasingly endearing cop, Koo Dae Young --> Jang Han Seo (similar role in that he gets slowly courted by Vincenzo into being on his side, as with this character)
The parishioners of Father Kim/Lee's church --> those who live/work in Geumga Plaza

Hopefully the ending of TFP will be different from Vincenzo, as I found the ending of Vincenzo gratuitously violent and, in my opinion, Vincenzo (the character) went too far. I know both of these dramas are critiquing a corrupt system, which is how they justify this kind of vigilante justice, but it's still hard for me to get behind when what the villain is receiving is not justice but over-the-top-cruel vengeance.

I'm surprised how similar the components in this are to Vincenzo. The premise and setup is exactly the same (there's even an almost one-to-one comparison of specific characters' roles in each show), just a different setting. I was a little disappointed by the amount of copying and pasting. See below for the breakdown:

I think the second leads as individuals are a bit too slippery for me, and therefore hard to root for on their own and as a couple. I got a bit stuck with this drama so I'm not super far into this yet.

Hopefully some day I will get to see it. :)

It's probably more poetic in Mandarin? 😉 Or they're trying to replicate a phrase we don't have in English?

I've heard Six Flying Dragons is fabulous (with lots of politics). Haven't seen it, but seen people rave about it for years (it's just not legally available anywhere in my country to stream).

If you're up for a Cdrama, Nirvana in Fire is known for being one of the best palace intrigue/revenge dramas made in Cdramaland (it's from 2015) and it's FABULOUS. It takes some time to get into the story, but it's incredible, and there is strategy, outwitting and intrigue galore (VERY light on the romance, and has more bromance for sure. ☺️ The second season is fabulous, too). If you go to the page, you'll see everyone speak highly of it. It still has a 9.1 rating despite being 10 years old. It's very rare for a drama to maintain a rating in the 9s on MDL for that long!

I find Cdramas have palace intrigue on a level unseen in Kdramas (their production value is quite small by comparison, and the scale cannot be compared); they're not all a good watch, and there are a lot of genre types in the costume Cdrama category, but if you like court drama with strong female leads, then you might want to give costume (psuedo-historical) or wuxia Cdramas a shot (Nirvana In Fire is one if these), as they have all that in spades. (Joy Of Life (another Cdrama), has crazy amounts of intrigue and plotting, too, and is another very popular Cdrama (it currently has two seasons, though)).

In the review section, I have a cheat sheet of sorts for keeping characters and their titles straight if you find the beginning daunting and are having a hard time keeping track of people. Give it a glance as it might be helpful because I don't want you to be scared off by the number of names and faces and miss out on this gem. 😉

I love her character. 🥰

Haha, it takes some time to keep track of everyone as the first episode is a dumpster fire of faces and titles. 😅 I think it took me twice as long to finish the first episode because I kept replaying confusing parts.

Yes, Landi! She was so lovely in Starry Love.

I might! I have historically struggled with office dramas, but maybe I'll give a shot!

It's a reunion! But missing the FL from Starry Love, who's my favorite. 😔

The Heavenly Emperor!

Qingheng even admits it, to everyone's surprise. (Why do despicable dads still have to be respected? Not something about filial piety I will ever understand.) And if you just started this drama, and you're wondering how he can be the worst after the way the human emperor is portrayed, keep watching.

In fact, here's my assessment of where the dads rank (from worst to best):

1. Heavenly Emperor
2. Void Tyrant (a REALLY close second)
3. Emperor of the Beast Realm
4. Emperor of the Human Realm

I found the dads, overall, pretty frustrating.

And Huisui also drove me nuts. Yetan only ever treated her kindly and compassionately (even though she never cared about the sisters from the start, and only saw them as tools for her own ends--and she was the one who ultimately put them at risk!), but Huisui had to let revenge blind her into backstabbing our beloved heroine (literally). I could not stand her!

Because I am a twin, this drama now has a special place in my heart.

I have never seen a drama that featured twin sisters like this, and I just adored them. These two remind me so much of the relationship I have with my sister (to the point where members of our family get jealous of our connection, too! Shaodian and Chaofeng: I know, it's hard. 😉). She is the person who will always be there for me, and who I can always count on to say what I need to hear and support me no matter what. It was lovely to see that kind of relationship portrayed on screen. I also loved watching the way the men in their lives all had to learn to put up with each other because there's no separating these two, and they know it. 😉 I wish everyone had a twin--they're just the best!

It did make me laugh out loud at points, and one particularly cathartic moment was near the end (comedy is very thin on the ground in the last 8 episodes, so be warned) after they establish who gets the worst dad award in the four realms (more on that below 😏); Qingheng then defends Youchin to Di Lanjue (who just said something negative about Youchin) as being "one hundred times better than me... except--" he pauses, and begrudgingly admits that the only problem is Youchin keeps forgetting his memories. Lanjue pounces on this by quipping back, "Yeah, so much for being the most powerful being! It doesn't do anyone any good when he keeps losing his memories at all the most crucial moments!" After quite a few episodes of SAD (which sounds typical of the genre from what I've seen), this was a little breath of fresh air that reminded me I was still watching Starry Love.

But speaking of Youchin losing his memories... while I tend to find amnesia tropes deeply frustrating, after the torture of watching it in this drama, I was won over by the ML's ability to take all the various Youchins he portrayed to eventually make someone quite endearing and beloved. These were my favorite episodes (the ones with all the Youchins combined into one). It was at this point that I was sold on his character (though his selfless nature is admirable from the start). I loved the FL and ML's antics in the Heavenly Realm during their dating era. 😏

But it was the FL who I adored. Not only is her character super fun and entertaining to watch, she brings something fresh to the FL persona. She didn't feel plasticky or stiff, relying on her jaw-dropping, plastic-surgery-looks to sell her character (in fact, her more natural beauty was in stark contrast to some other characters' looks, which was painful to observe); instead she had genuinely fabulous acting. She has to be one of my favorite FLs I've seen in a drama to date.

I also loved the mirroring of the FLs with their love interests: the 2FL is paired with a guy who is a male version of her sister: mischievous, a little slippery, plucky, inventive, and deeply loyal. The FL is paired with the male version of her sister: gentle, steady, selfless to a fault, good-hearted, and always there for those who need them (the rock that holds fast in the storm). The banter between all four were some of my favorite parts.

Thankfully I was prepped on the ending and it didn't crush my soul. In fact, the very, very end was actually quite light-hearted and delivered in such a way that made it hard to feel sad. It's a hopeful ending, if nothing else.

P.S. I also think they missed out on an opportunity at the end for Chaofeng to call Youchin "Old 7th." Iykyk

P.P.S. If you want a relatively angst-free version of this drama, watch up to about twelve minutes into Episode 32, you'll get a very happy sense of closure and avoid all the sad episodes that follow. You won't have the twin flower arc resolved, but it features almost zero in the plot up to that point so I doubt you'll miss it (unless you don't mind sad stuff).

P.P.P.S. Want to know who gets the title of "Most Detestable Father Of The Four Realms"? Keep reading:

"Hot mess" is probably the way I'd describe the characters in this show. 😅

I thought so, too!

The ML's sister's story and the ML's best friend was so cringe, hilarious and also kind of my favorite. 😅 He wouldn't be the first guy who matured through taking responsibility for where he dropped his sperm on a whim. 😉

But outside of Kdramaland, most guys who are like him won't change that drastically so marrying him is probably not a good idea, even though it's the traditional approach because he is the baby's father. Might be better off staying single so she doesn't end up taking care of two infants! 😂