Eleison

My worry is Chen Ying in the cast list is a guest role, and there's a teenage actor for him as well. There must be a time skip? So far his part seems larger than a guest role, though.

I would not use the word coherent to describe POJ. Well-acted and gorgeous, I will admit.

Yes, that's true, though in England, if William and Charles passed while George was a child, he would have a regent "rule" mostly for him until he was 18. Maybe they have something like that here, too (his mom?), they just haven't shown that person?

I just feel like it's also kind of a missed opportunity for the story, since having a brother as king who's an adult provides lots of fodder for a story (loved the dynamic between the brothers in King 2 Hearts). But hey, maybe it will end up being really cute and sweet this way? 🤷‍♀️

Of course, but in the modern era it feels weird, since very few people anymore see any relevance to preserving "bloodlines," or believe in the connection between bloodlines and the right to authority. We know that the ability to "rule" a country is not a genetic trait that gets passed down. 😉

"... even though for once she is the rich girl!" 😅

I second this! Skip him until he becomes relevant to the plot, which is the last 1/3.

Define "terrible" in this case. 😅

I loved it; though, if you mean by it terrible, that it's a flawed drama, then I agree with you. But all these old Kdramas had issues (like BOFs or Princess Hours!), and yet I just loved them. There's something cozy about them that allowed me to look past their flaws to enjoy them.

The first 1/3 is rough to get past, but it is where we see bits of growth begin and groundwork laid. I also ended up really liking the FL after getting used to her portrayal. I am a sucker for character arcs, so I ended up loving the ML's arc. I also love alternate universe Korean monarchy dramas, so... I ended up enjoying more than I anticipated.

I just mostly skipped the villain's scenes (I also found the ML's sister a little tiresome) until he became important to the plot. His scenes are so cringey, over-the-top weird.

Most portrayals I've seen of Americans or the U.S. in Kdramas are not very flattering to the U.S. I figure the portrayal of the U.S. (government) probably deserves it (and more)? Though, to be fair, Koreans are also REALLY hard on their politicians/government, too.

Interesting that the king is a child. I suppose it doesn't REALLY matter here since the monarchy doesn't hold much power in a modern setup like this?

I guess we'll see if it's any good, but the filming locations look SO fun and everything looks so visually interesting.

Hmm, maybe I'll wait to see if it's any good, and then bat it out in a weekend with a free trial! 😉

"... a girl who wants to shout, 'Dobby is free!'" 😅 The narrator of the premiere was so... dramatic!

So, there are no legal platforms that are streaming this in the U.S.?

It's the trend in East Asia to have eyes like that right now. I think they get that effect through face work, like injections and plastic surgery and such. I mean, the actress playing Qian Qian, her nose has obviously had significant work done on it, so I think it's probably partly filters/editing on the director's part, and then plastic surgery and such on the actors' parts.

I don't believe so!

Did Yun Weishan get the flies treated from the medicine at the market before she goes to the second trial with Ziyu? And the medicine was just treatment, right, not a cure? So when Ziyu's second trial is to cure the fortnight flies/devouring moon, this would mean he would find a cure for her (and as a result, inadvertantly release Wufeng's hold over her), right? But she did eat the flies again (when Yue forced thek down her throat before the trial), so she's got a double dozen dose of them, right (I haven't gotten to the part where/if he finds the cure)?

And why did Ziyu get sick from them so much faster? She has been mostly fine for presumably weeks (months?), why did he get laid low in a matter of days?

I'm confused by something for Gong Ziyu's second trial:

I think the random BGMs (that are overused and abruptly shift from scene to scene) make the shift from the comedy to the serious parts feel like whiplash (or at least, the music doesn't help the abrupt shift in tone). Some of the BGMs themselves are really lovely, but the fact that I notice when they change from scene to scene is a bad sign. 😅

And yes there are some VERY long chats and talking scenes. In Nirvana In Fire (which also has a lot of talking, too) I never felt like those scenes were boring or tedious, but I do feel the passing of time in those talking scenes more in this drama.

But I got a good dose of motivation to finish after taking a break when I realized it's only 24 episodes. It's basically half the length of most costume Cdramas, which is quite rare!

I definitely want it to come down from that 9.2 also. I'd like to think a drama that primarily rides on stunning visuals would not get a score that high... I've been a little disappointed by the number of thirst comments and people who only seem to care about how steamy the romantic scenes. If you just want that there's other types of shows you can watch! 🙄

I also agree that the early arc teasing XZ's amazing martial arts hyped him up too much and the later episodes did not deliver on the expectations those early episodes set.

True, it is in its own category. 😉

I am almost positive the rating will go down (I don't think it deserves a 9.2, personally). It probably will stay fairly high, though, because it's a beautiful watch and has a lot of spicey scenes that people liked. I think the plot/editing/pacing could have used some work, but no denying the visuals are stunning.😉

I personally got to Episode 28 and waited after the rest got leaked online. I'm a bit hesitant to finish because the story seemed to get less tight, more confusing, and a little more illogical as the episodes progresses (from what I've been reading).