Eleison

Ohhh, their past connection was spicier than I anticipated! 😅

I totally understand why she's annoyed with him for "forgetting"! (And why she thinks he's a "sleazebag" at this point). Because this is a Kdrama; there is of course a reason behind all the misunderstandings. I'm looking forward to seeing how they'll explain this one away. 😉

P.S. I liked the expression An Ju Hyeong made as she walked up the first time (cause he 100% recognized her) that said: "Ah... no, no, no...
I'm toast." 😅

Yeah, they should be a bit more suspicious as lawyers, yes? The drama showed that they definitely weren't walking in with their eyes closed, but something will most likely be off and it seems they fell for it. The landlord has a story in there somewhere, and more ulterior motives, I think.

It's definitely giving slice of life vibes! And reminds me of Resident Playbook vibes and friend group dynamics (haven't seen HP).

Under The Microscope also has the actor who played Fan Xian's friend who dies at the beginning of JoL, and he's great. He has a great arc, and you'll like him. Don't get scared off by the math jargon--it's not as bad or as much as it appears! 😅

I haven't! But I've seen it mentioned. I'll consider it! Dream of Splendor was quite good, too.

That's happened for me a bit, too, but I realized it's because I watched all the famous Kdramas first (because they were the ones consistently recommended and that had good ratings as I got started on my Kdrama watching journey, haha, and now I only come across really good ones every now and then because... I've seen most of them already), and now I'm doing the same with Cdramas (starting with the highly rated ones; Cdramas are really pumped out so it will take a long time to make my way through them; I just find the values of Chinese culture harder to access than Korean culture; it's less westernized and more of a learning curve. I still can't get into xianxia, either. I think it's too... abusive? Everyone suffers so much, it just seems gratuitous, almost slightly voyeuristic and just so agonizing. I haven't been able to stomach it).

And while Korea clearly values image and beauty and places lots of pressure on their actors (more than I'd like), China feels even worse to me that way; in most dramas, there's nary a hair out of place and everything is made to look PERFECT and sometimes it's unsettling (I liked Under The Microscope and Reset because they feel much more down to earth and people in it (and the world they're a part of) feel more real). They also treat horses badly in the costume dramas and don't seem to have laws like the U.S. and Europe have now for the treatment of animals, and it just makes ke worry for the actors, that they're not overworked. 😬

Joy Of Life is very good! I just wanted to see Fan Xian be the cat instead of the mouse (I liked Season 1 a bit better than 2, though I loked the part in the middle with him and Wuzhu breaking into the palace). By the end of Season 2 he's still getting caught in the king's and CPP's traps.

Zhang Ruoyun is a great actor, though. Have you seen Under The Microscope? He's great in that, too.

Cdramas recently do seem to be landing better than Kdramas, but when it's a good Kdrama, it's very good. There's just something about them that I prefer over Cdramas if I had the choice. I do enjoy the massive scale of costume Cdramas, though. Sageuks can't get anywhere close to the scale and scope of a costume Cdrama (they have Hengdian to thank for that!), so costume Kdramas feel a bit low stakes in comparison to costume Cdramas.

Haven't gotten into as many modern Cdramas. Prefer Modern Kdramas to modern Cdramas (when the Kdramas land, of course 😅).

It got super low ratings at first and didn't hit the trendin list like I expected to which is why I missed it at first!

So, they're really dating? Would be interesting to see them star opposite each other. I just don't picture them together! 😅

LJS has definitely opted for a delicate (not fragile), beautiful look rather than hunky and traditionally masculine (he's also just built that way: tall, lanky, and slight). I got used to his unique features pretty quickly, like I eventually got used to Zhao Lusi's voice. 😅

You get past it to enjoy what great actors they are. LJS always does a great job with his roles (imo)! He has historically picked great scripts/projects (or his agency does--whoever decides these things has done a great job!). Curious to see if he has another one in the bag! 😏

It certainly reminds me a bit of Resident Playbook (haven't seen HP yet). It's feeling kind of slice of life, like a Reply drama or something similar, with lots of scenes with friends together bantering and doing life together (with work peppered in here and there). 😉

Same! He did right by her every time. I think that's why people liked him with the stepmother, because their scenes were actually interesting to watch. The FL's scenes were just him saving her all the time and trying to help her discover the world (not as interesting).

I would say it's the second main plot, and does drive much of the story and action forward (but more as a plot device than because it's the purpose of the drama).

This is one instance where I agree with those who say JCW did have better chemistry with the FL's mom. 😅 That's not to say I rooted for them, but the FL is just written very flat and damsel-y.

😅

Just remembering how stupid and fun this drama is.

A word of advice for anyone taking the plunge: just enjoy the ride!

That said, JCW'S actions scenes are some of his best (imho).

I think they have different strengths (Seasons 1 and 2), but I agree the villains lacked in this season, and I think the actor playing Yuanqi was miscast. But this season was a lot more emotional for me, and hit me in the gut a lot more. This season also had a more accessible, even pace from the get-go, and more action and war (which I liked); it honestly took me 25-30 episodes to really get hooked on Season 1, but Season 2 had me invested much faster, AND it introduced characters much more slowly, which was vastly helpful. 😅

I loved the main characters in Season 1 (though up to the end the two besties that drive the plot still had some distance and strain between them after all they suffered (Jingyan and Chang Su)), but I adored them in Season 2 (particularly the Changlin fam; couldn't get enough of them! Their interactions were warm, close and convincing as family (like Jingyan and Chang Su probably had before Meiling); they were so charming and heartwarming).

I don't know, I found I loved Season 2 just as much, but for different reasons. I loved that the story picked up from Season 1, but with mostly new characters, and didn't try to do the same thing again.

I wish this writer would give us more great stories!

Oh, and Joy Of Life; the romance is not what makes it good, but the two seasons (Season 1 ends on a cliffhanger just so you know, and Season 2 is clearly setting up another season) that have been released you might enjoy. I thought they were super entertaining, and quite fun (a lot of intrigue and the ML trying to outsmart people out to get him and discovering how he's part of something way bigger than he could have ever imagined).

Guardians of the Dafeng is also a good, fun, ride, but it also kind of ends on a cliffhanger, but with this one, no word on a 2nd season yet. 😐

Will second New Life Begins (though it's more satirical (it caricatures men at times to make a point about how they treated women historically) and even slice of life at times; it's very cozy!); Dream of Splendor had super good chemistry with the romantic leads (I was quite taken with them, especially in the first 6 episodes), and Who Rules The World has a couple that works well as a team and as equals, and they're super lovely to watch together (actually, it's something all three of these dramas have in common!). I think they're actually higher quality dramas than PoB, even though PoB is undoubtedly an enjoyable drama (it's got some sloppy, low-budget elements to it, though).

Love Like The Galaxy is just on another level and scale. Beautiful music, and so many interesting characters and story arcs. I ultimately had a few gripes with the ML and revenge plot of LLTG, but it is a stunning ride, and worth a watch (but very long! 😅).

If you're looking for some good action and intrigue, Nirvana in Fire 2 might also be enjoyable to you (Nirvana in Fire is considered one of the best Cdramas ever made, but it requires patience, and is much different than PoB; Nirvana in Fire 2 has a more accessible pace, and is just beautiful (and in my opinion, it's super underrated)), as well as Ever Night (more wuxia/fantasy, though, and people have mixed feelings on it (particularly the romantic element (which is fairly slight compared to PoB)), but the fighting is VERY, VERY well done, the music is amazing, and the world building and characters are lots of fun and super interesting).

Enjoy!