Gudrun5

The K2 was an absolute masterpiece. Though I credit the writer with the overall flow of the story, the outstanding fight scenes and general pace of the entire show must be attributed to the director. Are any of his other dramas similar with fight choreography and political tension?

I was thinking while watching that scene that even Hana must subconsciously trust him. She's just trying to make trouble all the time, but isn't actually afraid for her safety until Ru-il gets mad at her.

Wow. The fact that Jo Chang Wook wanted to bring this character to life makes me admire him so much. He portrayed such wide emotions. The story gave me feelings of Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, and Miracle on 34th Street.

I love your recounting of exactly how you fell in love with XZ (and Wei Wuxian) in the Untamed. I was blown away with the opening episode from the get-go, but I remember especially the scene of him walking through the countryside on the donkey, crossing the river - and I thought "I love this character, I'll follow his story wherever it goes. I love him!" Such an amazing feeling.

Oooh, that's very interesting. In rewatching I went back and forth on whether Jian Buzhi (the one we know) could be the real son who became the maniac due to being manipulated, or if he is a totally different person who was being controlled by that pill. I had mostly concluded the real Jian Buzhi had died until I remembered that someone mentions he's off in other regions.

But on thinking over that final end scene, I was relieved to conclude that if our hero was being controlled by a Soul Absorption Pill when he was acting as Wang Hua, it means that our Jian Buzhi's personality is his real self. There are a lot of layers to unpack even now!

Agree one hundred percent! I loved all the characters., and the main hero especially. I would have watched this much earlier as it showed up as highly recommended from many other dramas, but the name "Ancient Detective " seemed too prosaic. It's like calling Sherlock Holmes "Victorian Detective", lol. So I like to think that is has another, better name out there.

You're right, I forgot about that little tag at the very end. Also Wang Hua didn't act like a person with real goals or desires, he was just killing everyone in the martial world, so it would make sense that he was not in his right mind. I expect that Jian Buzhi would feel heartbroken to learn the truth about what he did. But I assume the story would continue with him finding out the full truth, confronting the mysterious person behind the scenes, and hopefully forgiving himself for what happened.

I really hope a season 2 will happen (Young Blood is finally getting a second season after years, so there is hope), but I like that I'm so invested in the characters and plot that I can imagine exactly what other adventures and perils the group will have. A good story can leave viewers with enough information to imagine all the future adventures of our heroes. This is truly a gem.

MAJOR SPOILERS. I'm thinking about Jian Buzhi's personality now knowing who he is. He seems innately kind and good-hearted. Doesn't it seem like an evil person, even having forgotten all of it, would start to demonstrate that inner life again even as a new person? So, I'm wondering if there is more to the story of the past life of our hero and how he got to killing all the good martial artists and innocent people, as we see in the flashbacks.

It makes me wonder if he was driven mad by outside forces to do what he did, or there was a misunderstanding much like the guy who carries all the fingers around. This second time around I'm seeing hints that indicate there could be a mystery behind the villain. Or, the story could be demonstrating how people can have a totally pure and kind personality if they grow up in different circumstances. Jian Buzhi was heavily influenced by reading his "father's" notes, but I still think his inner kindness has to come from somewhere. I really hope there can be a season 2 to explore more of his past personality.

I'm watching this for the second time because I adore it, and putting some spoiler thoughts below for those who have watched to the very end.

I would say it's a total happy ending! Definitely room for a season 2, but not a cliffhanger either.

I've seen pretty much everything I could find with subs....Legend of Awakening, Evernight, his short film about the astronauts. I thought he had a different kind of presence when I first saw him in Legend of Awakening, then I saw Evernight and he was perfect there.

I'm a fan of Chen Fei Yu and I'm excited to watch this soon, it's been on my list for months.

Wow, thank you ! I had Swords of Legends on my list (it's on viki) but since he's a support I wasn't sure it was worth watching. I'll give it a try. I liked the music video.

I've read good things about Young Sherlock but it didn't look like it was available anywhere with Eng subs.

I'm really really excited for the upcoming Chen Yuan. the funny thing is that a year ago I looked it up because of the Untamed actors, but now they will be a bonus reason to enjoy the show along with Ma Tian Yu. Hopefully it is a good story.

Oh man, not only is Ma Tian Yu the main in a costume drama again, but it also has Lulu and Wang Zehr cheng! I really really want to love this.

Guys, I just discovered Ma Tianyu ... he was mesmerizing in Secret of the Three Kingdoms. I really want him in more historical dramas because I can't get through modern ones... I watched Ice fantasy and he was outstanding, and currently watching My Mowgli Boy (which has bad reviews), and will watch Strange Hero.

Are there any of his dramas (with eng subs) that you can honestly recommend for someone who prefers fantasy or historical/costume dramas?

In Ep 2, when Miss Lin has set up meeting another doctor and it turns out to be Dr. Gu, I love how he deals with their tension: he simply points out why she has a mistaken aversion to him, and gets right to the issue of her dad's situation. In fact, he's not even addressing her false impressions of him at all, but instead pointing out why she has a reason to distrust him. It shows his quick intelligence, but also makes his point without unnecessary words.

This drama was astonishingly good. I adored Asule, the kind-hearted and traumatized hero who always tries his best in the face of varied and complex situations. Seeing the other low ratings, I guess this comes down to taste. I held my breath to see if the end could pull it off, and it did - to me. Others clearly disagree. This was the closest thing to Lord of the Rings I've ever watched - even more than The Untamed, which was similar but this was closer in scope.

People can read other reviews and comments here to see if certain points may disappoint them, but I managed to enjoy all the character's stories, especially Asule's, and I see a future past the end of the series and can imagine a lot of continuing plots. If you liked Evenight, this was very similar.

Congrats to Lulu, so excited for her! Loved her acting in Stand by Me and I want to see more roles for her.

Exactly. Modern dramas (or 20th century dramas) aren't really interesting to me, but I was thinking that this is more different being set in the 70s. By the time period alone it might gain additional appeal to audiences. Since I know XZ picked this role entirely himself, I am really interested to see what drew him to the story.

Yes, I liked it so much and the best thing is that is had satisfying conclusions to all the story threads and characters arcs. There are some tears, but I liked how it treated all the characters with respect.