Here is my question: did the censoring of the BL was too harsh or can we still get the feels?
In my opinion the "censoring" or how it was dealt with is definitely enhancing the feels. Without explicit resolve the tension never drops! Also, there is so much more emotional depth when the aim is not just physical relief. To me this show has managed to set a new standard for romance (either BL or straight).
This is totally no bromance, but the real BL thing! Took me till the last episode to realize, but in the climactic fight Dong Soo is absolutely unable to hurt Woon with his weapon, so when Woon lets go of his and jumps right into Dong Soo’s sword in order to die (happily) in his arms it’s obvious (GREAT symbolic scene). It probably will need another burning house trap until Dong Soo realizes that there is no point in getting out with no Woon waiting for him, he will have to go through death to reach him.
In retrospect the love was there from the beginning when they were kids, Dong always tries to beat Woon in order to own him, while Woon just deflects trying to tell him: „No need to beat me - I’m already yours!“ Also he’s directly asking him out: „Can we be friends too?“
The adult Dong Soo cannot even embrace his cute nun girl properly, instead he needs to ask Woon if they could join „as before“ (like when they were sleeping in one bed as kids lol).
Lil nun girl is probably secretly shipping them, she makes no real attempt to decide. The way this young love triangle reflects the other, mature love triangle with Ga-Ok, sword saint and Ninja master in a broken mirror is really awesome.
The first half of the series is nearly unwatchable because of bad script, bad acting and very bad cinematography. Only Jeon Kwang Ryul performs consistently well as sword saint in this drama.
Just finished, a very addictive, enjoyable and recommendable drama! Though I don’t like the main lead (arrogant brat) and his promised princess (no chemistry) at all, the story is very awesome and got me hooked till the end. The acting of the older cast is really top notch and makes everything feel realistic. The combination of modern with ancient timelines is very interesting, can’t wait to see how that’s going to be resolved in the coming seasons.
As a huge LOTR fan, I can relate to so much of what you wrote! So glad all these amazing shows exist ;_;
@Summer fouad I guess the costume designers from LOTR chose hanfu / asian style clothing when they designed the elven realms (hairstyle too). Have the extended DVD set but I'm too lazy ATM to dig into the extras to find out if they actually admit to it :-)
While this is wonderfully crafted in many ways, I totally dislike how the important historical background (feudalism and rebellion) is discarded in favor of a melodramatic love story.
I like the open ending a lot. While Murong Li started as an irredeemable monster he managed to regain some humanness in the end. Now I can imagine a favourable outcome instead of being given a fabricated plot solution I probably wouldn't like.
Wow. I’m in the middle of watching this and I’m still stunned at Murong Li’s beauty. I literally started…
Same here. An irresistible combination of sadness and beauty. I finished both seasons without getting interested in any of the other characters and now have 1000+ Murong Li screenshots on my desktop that need to be converted and stored away lol.
After reading the original novel, I appreciate the leads' relationship more in the drama. Idk, I feel it was much…
I couldn't agree more! When WWX sacrifices everything in order to save the innocent remnants of the Wen sect from extinction while everyone else is unconcerned, LWJ who was observant but still irritated with his own affection finally gets hooked (or even locked in).
These guys do not bond over good looks or sympathetic personalities but because of the trust they gain when sticking to their moral convictions.
Also I'm convinced WangXian works so effectively because YiZhan is the real thing and this helps a lot with the audience.
For the novel, after three quarters I quit because the intimate scenes seemed to evolve into a top-bottom thing which throws me off.
Can someone recommend me dramas like the untamed and where male leads were handsome like this one and chemistry…
Men with Swords (both seasons) has a bunch of handsome couples and the male lead is an outstanding beauty but for the WangXian chemistry there is nothing alike.
Also, there is so much more emotional depth when the aim is not just physical relief.
To me this show has managed to set a new standard for romance (either BL or straight).
Took me till the last episode to realize, but in the climactic fight Dong Soo is absolutely unable to hurt Woon with his weapon, so when Woon lets go of his and jumps right into Dong Soo’s sword in order to die (happily) in his arms it’s obvious (GREAT symbolic scene).
It probably will need another burning house trap until Dong Soo realizes that there is no point in getting out with no Woon waiting for him, he will have to go through death to reach him.
In retrospect the love was there from the beginning when they were kids, Dong always tries to beat Woon in order to own him, while Woon just deflects trying to tell him: „No need to beat me - I’m already yours!“
Also he’s directly asking him out: „Can we be friends too?“
The adult Dong Soo cannot even embrace his cute nun girl properly, instead he needs to ask Woon if they could join „as before“ (like when they were sleeping in one bed as kids lol).
Lil nun girl is probably secretly shipping them, she makes no real attempt to decide.
The way this young love triangle reflects the other, mature love triangle with Ga-Ok, sword saint and Ninja master in a broken mirror is really awesome.
The first half of the series is nearly unwatchable because of bad script, bad acting and very bad cinematography. Only Jeon Kwang Ryul performs consistently well as sword saint in this drama.
Though I don’t like the main lead (arrogant brat) and his promised princess (no chemistry) at all, the story is very awesome and got me hooked till the end. The acting of the older cast is really top notch and makes everything feel realistic.
The combination of modern with ancient timelines is very interesting, can’t wait to see how that’s going to be resolved in the coming seasons.
I guess the costume designers from LOTR chose hanfu / asian style clothing when they designed the elven realms (hairstyle too).
Have the extended DVD set but I'm too lazy ATM to dig into the extras to find out if they actually admit to it :-)
While Murong Li started as an irredeemable monster he managed to regain some humanness in the end.
Now I can imagine a favourable outcome instead of being given a fabricated plot solution I probably wouldn't like.
An irresistible combination of sadness and beauty.
I finished both seasons without getting interested in any of the other characters and now have 1000+ Murong Li screenshots on my desktop that need to be converted and stored away lol.
When WWX sacrifices everything in order to save the innocent remnants of the Wen sect from extinction while everyone else is unconcerned, LWJ who was observant but still irritated with his own affection finally gets hooked (or even locked in).
These guys do not bond over good looks or sympathetic personalities but because of the trust they gain when sticking to their moral convictions.
Also I'm convinced WangXian works so effectively because YiZhan is the real thing and this helps a lot with the audience.
For the novel, after three quarters I quit because the intimate scenes seemed to evolve into a top-bottom thing which throws me off.