Gudrun5

yes, totally agree. Especially with SSS having a strong focus on the main character who is very intelligent.

Thank you, I agree with those I've watched, I still have to see the Zhong Kui and Plough Department ones.

I feel exactly the same way! It's so nice to see new dramas come out that have the depth of character and quality storylines, with a good ending.

Right?? One thing I like about the show so much is that around the main character are all these other interesting characters who come and go, without staying their welcome, so I'm interested when they come back.

The other one that gave me a similar warm vibe toward the main character is Ancient Detective. Also Sword Snow Stride is one that I love, though the atmosphere and tone in that one are more contemplative, I would say.

I'd never seen anything with Li Hong Yi before, but now I am hooked! this drama soon became one of my top c-dramas, amidst The Untamed and Sword Snow Stride, and Ancient Detective. His character is so interesting here. There's something about the martial arts stories that I find the most satisfying, especially in the main characters, action, and plots. I especially love very intelligent characters, or intriguing characters, and this has it all.

I remember following along on the English translations of the novels from either that page or another. I was really invested in the story but I didn't get to the final book because it was just a summary which seemed a really hard way to read the climax of a story. Still I've always wanted to go back and read the full story - I was hoping it would be picked up for an official English publication.

who knows - maybe if the drama does well it might be picked up for an English publications years in the future.

You're right!

They got the valuminous sleeves right! I just heard about this production today and now I"m going to be stalking it like others.

Thanks for translating the Korean aphorismes, otherwise I might think this was a fantasy or something!

Wait, wait wait - I watched the first four episodes positive I knew which brother character Ji Chang Wook was - only to realize the roles were switched when we fast forwarded to the present day! I had totally cast them opposite with my expectations of Ji Chang Wook and Jo Ji Hoon's other roles, so I don't know how I can get over my shock.

Thanks!

Yeah, I actually like conflict and politics and dislike light and fluffy stories. But right now I can't stomach regular people looking on at casual cruelty and just shrugging their shoulders like "I'm glad it's not me." Which admittedly a lot of the background characters in these dramas tend to do, so I may continue at some point. I really like the political dramas with smart characters.

Intriguing. Untamed is my favorite c-drama ever, but I couldn't get through AOL or Ten miles. I decided xianxia isn't really for me, but I still keep trying them since I love fantasy. It depends on the logic of the character's relationships with each other.

Thanks, that is very helpful.

Can someone give me an encouraging push to get me into this? I really like Luo Yun Xi's elegance and charisma. I started the first episode, but I came to a screeching halt when Bai Lu's servant girl was heartlessly telling her all about the tortures her character put her husband through. I know it's a trope, and the servant girl is a trope, but the careless cruelty is just so ever-present.

So where does the story really pick up?

I hope this will be available on Viki or some other N American release. I'm looking forward to this.

I agree with you on Signal! I loved the main characters in that but every cop aside from our main guys were terrible terrible. This show got to nearly Signal-level corruption of cops but our main squad seemed decent and really helped the show. It's so weird to me when a senior cop will tell a subordinate to clearly break the law "because I said so and don't question me", and the subordinate never says "that's breaking the law, my duty is to the values of the organization NOT you", etc etc. Though I guess we saw a little of that at the very end here, which was frankly shocking.

I'm so glad you put into words what many of us were thinking during that scene. But actually a lot of these dramas seem to have the "bystander effect" whenever anything shocking or disastrous happens, even our main heros, just stand in place and watch in horror at whatever is unfolding. It's always irritating to me because I feel like the professionals should always be ready to leap into action in the midst of chaos because that's their job.

Wow the actors did a great job. Jang Hyuk and Choi Sooyoung were great, and thee lady chief Jin Seo Yeon has a particularly difficult role. This was a lot more violent than I expected though, it seemed more like an R rating and was more disturbing than Flower of Evil and Taxi Driver which both were R (and didn't seem too bad). Just a forwarning to those who like the PG 13 thrillers like me.