Onceuponatime

Sigh. I'm happy yet disappointed with so many things. It's a mixed feelings at this point. I'll write a more detailed review later, but what's with that rushed ending? Yunhe deserved better. Changyi deserved better. WE deserved better than this ending.

But to say, I'm not totally surprised. I had a feeling it was going to be rushed, but while I'm happy everyone got their happy ending, I can't shake this disappointment feeling.

I'm definitely going to miss Yunhe and Changyi. They are special.

I haven't watched the newest episodes yet but I've seen the previews. I don't see a mark on Yunhe. Did they skip the part where Changyi gives Yunhe his mark again?

Oh that's slightly disappointing. I hope the scene they replace it with is just as strong and impactful.

One of my favorite scenes in the book is the underwater scenes with Yunhe and ChangYi, after she regained her memories and they finally become a couple. Their longing, kisses, little talks, promises to each other and the intimacy between the two of them is everything! There is no past or hate between them, just love and acceptance.

I hope we get to see that in the drama, or at least something close to it.

Part 2 is basically divided into 3 arcs.

Arc 1 --> Pre-Aji, Yunhe is ChangYi's captive.
Arc 2 ---> Aji, Yunhe's reincarnation and meeting ChangYi again.
Arc 3 ---> Post-Aji, Yunhe regaining her memories. ChangYi and her are officially a couple, as they protect the North together.

I wonder how many episodes will be dedicated to each arc.

Part 2 is basically divided into 3 arcs.

Arc 1 --> Pre-Aji, Yunhe is ChangYi's captive.
Arc 2 ---> Aji, Yunhe's reincarnation and meeting ChangYi again.
Arc 3 ---> Post-Aji, Yunhe regaining her memories. ChangYi and her are officially a couple, as they protect the North together.

I wonder how many episodes will be dedicated to each arc.

I liked cute and innocent Chang Yi, but I am too excited for The Lord of the North. Cold and serious Chang Yi is coming!!

I'm wondering if the end of Part 1 will be Yunhe's death or it will be the part where Chang Yi rescues Yunhe from Shunde's prison. If option 2, in that case, they will be following the ending of the book 1 (volume 1)

I don't remember this scene in the novel. It was added 🤣 There is a scene though where something hot water is accidentally spilled on Chang Yi legs, and Yunhe goes to help him... but Chang Yi shifted back and didn't let her touch him there. Like I said before, "reserved and modest Chang Yi" compared to the drama. Here is the snippet from the book:

Ji Yunhe reached out to wipe them with her sleeves. “Does it burn?”

He shifted his body back a bit.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yunhe asked him. “Do your legs still hurt?”

“No…” Changyi looked at Ji Yunhe, tilted his head, and hesitated for a moment. Ji Yunhe felt puzzled because he rarely hesitated. She was still wondering if she had said something wrong when Changyi asked, a bit indecisively, “Do you like me?”

Once these four words came out, Ji Yunhe also hesitated. This big-tailed fish…was taking her seriously again…

“Like friends,” Ji Yunhe explained. “You matter to me and I care about you.”

Changyi nodded, indicating that he understood. “There is friendship between you and me, not the love between a man and a woman, so we should watch what we say and do.”

In the novel, Chang Yi is very reserved and modest. Even after he mated with Yunhe as per his culture, he still didn't want to consummate their relationship until they were married as per Yunhe's tradition. He was holding himself back but Yunhe got impatient and she eventually convinced him to consummate their relationship two days before their wedding.

The funny part is — drama Chang Yi is less modest and reserved. I bet if it was up to him, he would be ready to consummate his relationship with Yunhe now. But drama Yunhe is the more "reserved" one now 🤣🤣

That scene in episode 10, if you know what I'm talking about, is pure comedy. I can't stop laughing!!

Messaging you 🥲

I can't stop laughing at Loulou getting zapped back into a butterfly by Yunhe in episode 9

I just saw a clip on Twitter where Yunhe is making their wedding dresses with her own hands but then I remembered THE ABSOLUTE PAIN THAT COMES THE MORNING AFTER THEIR WEDDING. And now I'm already crying.

In fact, the novel already has a misunderstanding and lack of communication trope. So it'll make sense for the drama to follow the same. Chang Yi will most definitely feel deceived by Yunhe and he will take her as a "prisoner" and keep her locked in the North as revenge. While Yunhe could have told him the truth, she doesn't and continues to let Chang Yi believe that she betrayed him. But in reality, she was saving him and sacrificing her own life for Chang Yi's freedom.

I'm a psychology student, so I love analyzing things, haha! Thank you for reading, I know that was very long.

Yunhe's character analysis (as of episode 8)

First of all, Dilireba is an exceptional actor at portraying emotions. With her eyes, especially. So, I just want to say that she really delivered Yunhe's character flawlessly.

As a novel-reader, there were a few changes to Yunhe's character in the drama. But I actually find that a good thing! Why? Because character development is so important.

While some viewers would describe Yunhe as manipulative and I can definitely see where they are coming from, Yunhe in the drama is actually both a complex and quite a simple character to understand. Her emotional connection to Chang Yi is what derives the complexity in her character.

At the beginning of the drama, we saw that Shunde labeled Chang Yi as a "savage" demon who attacked her (now, I might be wrong but I think that's what the machine-translated subs mentioned) and Chang Yi was sent to Demon Valley to be tamed.

Yunhe as a demon master has no "emotional" connection to the demons that she tames. Yes, she uses a caring and affectionate tactic to tame them, compared to other demon masters. BUT that emotional connection is missing from her side. To her, she is just doing a job. Just another demon to tame. Therefore, you could say she is manipulative.

When Chang Yi enters the picture, he is simply just another demon for her to tame. A competition against Lin Hao Qing and her ticket out of Demon Valley. We see just how painful it is for her to stay in that forsaken place and just how desperate she is to leave. She didn't form any bond with Chang Yi... and when Yunhe realizes just how loyal and faithful Jiaoren can be, she realizes how she can tame Chang Yi. By giving him affection as a lover. At this point, she is still treating Chang Yi as a demon and she is simply doing her job as a demon master.

And I think I especially love that development from Yunhe's character. She is not perfect. She is filled with flaws and she learns from her mistakes. Now, that's interesting. We need a character that perfectly balances right and wrong, evil and goodness. A character we can connect to and recognize ourselves in her. In our desperation, how many of us have done something that we probably regretted later on? When it comes to the psychology of a person, it's not black and white And this is exactly the representation of Yunhe's character in the drama.

In just a short period of time, in only 8 episodes, we've already seen her development. Where she went from treating Chang Yi as a demon, to realizing that he is more than that... to feeling guilty for deceiving him. Especially the moment when she realized that Shunde lied and that Chang Yi is innocent. That was the moment her character switched gears and it really cemented the fact that she has now formed an emotional connection with Chang Yi.

And while she, herself, hasn't realized that yet... while acting as being in love with Chang Yi, she has slowly fallen for him in reality. Her character development from Episode 1 and till now is exceptional and I love that change from novel to drama. Not only because it added a bit of flavor to the drama but Dilireba did so well in portraying Yunhe's dilemma.

While I think manipulative might be a strong word to describe Yunhe's character, I think the more appropriate word would be "complex". She is not a stagnant character, but in this case, Yunhe is dynamic. She undergoes significant internal change throughout the drama. It's subtle but the closer you pay attention, the more you see it. She is layered and with each situation she is put in, you see a different side of her. From fierce to emotional to dramatic and to loving. You soon emphasize with her because she resonates loud with our own psychology. And all that change comes from the environment she is in and the people she is surrounded with. And the one person who changed her perspective of life? It's Chang Yi.

No worries, it was just my assumption. And I thought in case your post was directed towards my own analysis, I wanted to explain myself! Thanks for clearing that up :)

Yunhe's character is slightly different from the book, but I wouldn't say she is manipulative. I saw that post below and I think manipulative might be a strong word. But I'll be doing an in-depth analysis of her character later. Her character is so complex and I love Dilireba's portrayal of her!

I just want to say, no hard feelings toward you. I just want to give another perspective of things. Because you might not be seeing it from a reader's point of view since you didn't read the book. And that's fine. But I think we should be listening to the readers' criticism too :)

I have a slight feeling this might be directed to my post below, but I just want to point out a few things.

"If the original novel writers are not concerned about it (the changes), why should we?"

As a reader who has spent hours and hours reading the book over and over again while waiting for the drama to air, I should be able to be concerned about the changes. And my feelings of disappointment should be valid and not so easily disregarded. If the author is happy with the changes and don't mind it, that's great! I'm glad for her.

I understand you didn't read the book, but those of us who have read the book were already much more emotionally invested into the story and drama than those who didn't read the book. Therefore, we had certain expectations.

Also, I just want to point out (since your post came after mine, I can assume it was directed to my analysis of things) -- I never said the drama wasn't "great" and that it's "inferior" to the novel. The drama is great and as a fan of Dilireba, I'm following the numbers and how it's doing on the chart. I'm so happy at how successful it is, even though it hasn't been released internationally yet. And I'm sure once it releases internationally, the success is going to be explosive. The actors deserve nothing less and I'm glad they are getting the utmost recognition of their talents!