Eleison

Not quite! Episode 27.

P.S. Duan Jiaxu is much too shy and awkward (though appropriately gorgeous) to be anywhere near as rizzy as the ML from Hidden Love, but I like what they did at the wedding by portraying it from a different angle, focusing in on Yifan and Sang Yan in this rather than Sang Zhi and Jiaxu (though hardcore flirting happens at this wedding between each pairing of leads in each drama 😅). This wedding scene was one of my favorite scenes from Hidden Love when Jiaxu is finding out that he's Sang Zhi's crush. Sparks were FLYING. 😅

Okaaaay, I admit it, Sang Yan grew on me. Not because I got used to him, but because, as the episodes progress, he improves.

AND, I came to respect his patience with Yifan (he's still a little manipulative in his flirting and suggestiveness for my taste, but I think where it's most important (for the most part), he does a very good job of respecting her boundaries and privacy). He lets her initiate everything (especially after they're moving towards being an item) and only takes initiative when he knows she's ready.

It was pretty cute to see the transition of listless Yifan wafting through life, numb and depressed to the smiley, gentle and playful Yifan. She does indeed de-frost under San Yan's steady presence of care and love. It's like he's drawing out a scared cat from under the bed; his steady care for her helps her rediscover her confidence and joy.

I don't think there's any way a real person could fixate so intensely on a person they admire like this while also being patient and undemanding at the same time (it helps to be drop-dead gorgeous, of course). Sang Yan truly is a fantasy lover, but that's not to say he doesn't showcase what love offered without expectation of return can do in another person's life--it's deeply powerful!

I thought the same about her! 😅 So confused by that casting.

Gotta love the way Koreans transliterate English words. 😅

This is adorable and clever!

Someone else said BJT's Cantonese was pretty awful as well, haha, but that's where I wouldn't notice. 😅 If Mobius is focusing on their own country's viewers, Maggie will sound just fine, I imagine! 😅

Also, I like that the actress for Zishang seems to have kept her natural features largely intact unlike most other Chinese actors (I'm used to seeing a lot of the following: the thin, prominent nose, large double eyelids with poochiness under the eye, and luscious, thick lips, a defined jawline and high cheekbones). I respect that kind of confidence and determination from her in an entertainment industry like China's. And anyway, she's lovely!

Can someone help me out with the Gong family tree or structure? 😅 I thought at first that Ziyu was siblings with Huanyu and Zishang, but now that does not seem to be the case. Does that mean Shang Jue and Yuan Zhi are not brothers either? Are they all cousins? 😅 And then there's the people on the Back Hill, the Xues and Yues. And also, what does "Yu Lineage" and such really refer to? I get that the second first name "Yu," "Jue," "Shang" and "Zhi" refer to roles/special knowledge groups within the family and don't seem to have anything to do with family ties, but the rest has me all confused. 😂

What a complicated family, haha.

There is a 40.5 episode that aired afterwards and separately. A user suggested I stop Episode 40 halfway, and then just watch the ten minute bonus episode instead. It was brilliant advice, and everything ended perfectly for me. 😅 I'm not sure where to find that 40.5 episode, though; it wasn't officially posted on any of the legal streaming sites so you might have to dig a bit to find (but I think it's worth a watch).

All your gripes are valid, but I've found most costume Cdramas have a slough of their own versions of these kinds of moments and writing (except Nirvana In Fire 😉). They often come with the genre.

I didn't know anything about the actors before watching (nor do I know anything about them now), and I still enjoyed it very much.

And there's a certain level of suspension of disbelief for things in costume Cdramas that are just specific to the genre and the way they're stylized. In my opinion, you can't enjoy them (Cdramas) without accepting that these unrealistic elements are inextricable from the genre.

Thanks for the rec!

I can do some of those dramas, too, but only when the situation is too unrealistic to be believable (like in BOFs), to the point where it's almost fantastical relational dynamics. 😅 Maybe I'll get into it and appreciate him more as I continue. 🤷‍♀️ We'll see! I'm not that far yet.

In real life I think he'd be rude and kind of mean. 😅 A truly nice guy wouldn't treat people like that (imo)? I'm gonna try to hang in there and see if it grows on me, but I'm losing a tad bit of steam.

But he did see guys literally chasing her down, and in addition to that found out that her flatmate tried to SA her. He did know that, right? I mean, that in itself is all VERY traumatic. He knew that and still was sometimes so petty, brusque and impatient. I don't know, I see what you mean by being guarded, but you can be guarded AND kind.

I take this comment back now that I've watched the whole thing. Shen Yi didn't miss a thing, he just made us think he did cause he had to make Du Cheng believe he fell in with Fang Kai.

Sorry I doubted you, Shen Yi. 😉

Got it! Thank you!

There were things I liked about TBOY, but also some things I didn't. Is there as much exposition about everyone's martial arts in this? That's what I had a hard time tracking with. It was like getting introduced to a niche superhero with unique abilities every episode. 😅

And hopefully they steer clear of romance. The romance in TBOY was terrible. 😅 None of the couples had chemistry to speak of!

Is this drama in the same universe as Blood Of Youth?

Some gripes, though.

I kind of want Sang Yan to stop being so confusing? He acts all brusque and cold, but then does these thoughtful things while saying he doesn't care. And he's not like the typical tsundere. Instead of making a slow and steady progression of change, finding out he's misunderstood, or thawing out into a more personable softie, etc. (the only types of tsunderes I can get behind), he's giving me whiplash! If I was Yifan, I'd be so annoyed (and SO confused). 😅

I'm having a hard time finding it romantic so far. For instance, he gets all jealous of her around other guys, but it's not like they're dating. And then he'll act petty, like she owes him something; but dude, you're the one that's choosing to be around her again after she ran away from you, and you don't own her affections or attention. You don't have to pretend to be cold while being nice; you can also just be... nice. So, be nice or be rude, but not both at the same time. 🤦‍♀️

He seems to be someone (especially his high school self) who does a lot for those he cares about, but he doesn't seem to understand that Yifan is in such a poor mental and emotional space that she can't reciprocate much. Also, all I can tell he's seen of her is she's pretty, mild, sweet and gentle, with a sad life; it seems he feels bad for her and wants to make it better, and that is the basis of his affection then and now. But that's a benefactor, not a partner. Is she his equal, or his compassion project?

I was never a big fan of Sang Zhi's brother in Hidden Love because of the softness hidden too far beneath his gruff nonchalance (and the way he came and punched Jiaxu like some protective brother (instead of trusting his friend and sister), but then just magically got over being mad (???)? I found it so weird.). I hoped BJT would do a slightly different (*cough* um, better) take on him. And he IS better than the Hidden Love character, but he's (so far) by no means my favorite BJT character.

I keep running into these issues with the MLs of modern romantic Cdramas. Maybe I should stop trying new ones hoping they'll be different. 🙄 It's just that a good number of the costume/pseudo-historical dramas just keep making the modern Cdrama romances look like they are taking place in 2009 when aggressive, petty, cold, controlling and jealous MLs were all the rage.The irony! 😅

About 10 episodes in or so? But I appreciate that the people and places feel rooted more in what feels like real life in China. Hidden Love, while sweet and cutesy, felt like it took place in a rom-com fairlyland that doesn't exist in the real world because everything and everyone is beautiful and pristine.

Du Cheng kind of pulled off the poker face at the end of last season, but it wasn't quite the same kind of situation. That said, I think you're spot on. It never occurred to me that Shen Yi might have been pretending the entire time. It totally checks out, though, and now it makes me want to go back and watch it again, with that knowledge going into it. 😅 It was his interactions with him at the art museum and after buying his painting that kickstarted it, huh? Oh, I love that interpretation!!

I always enjoy @PeachBlossomGoddess's takes on things and reviews, and she raved about Tan Jian Ci's performance in Lost You Forever, but I don't think I can stomach the rest of the story (I like largely happy/satisfying endings 😅).

But I love that Shen Yi lured Fang back to the light. He's so winsome and good with people and they can't resist his earnestness. I loved the moment at the end with the two layers od paintings, too, and it was a great moral as well. We can all choose darkness or light--it's in every person's power, and owning that responsibility and using it well is so crucial to bringing good into the world.

Definitelt one of the more thoughtful buddy cop dramas I've seen!

As for other thrillers, I'm not sure. Under The Skin definitely helped assuage the itch. 😅 We'll see!