ItsAMe

Yeah, they are both single parents, they obviously like each other, their children like each other. I'm wondering if we get more information on their relationship in the next episodes. Maybe there is a reason why they are not dating each other.

It is quite common for people with traumas to be wary of relationships. For example, if your partner cheats on you, you usually cannot trust them anymore, but you also cannot trust your next partner either because they COULD cheat on you as well. Obviously, it's not the new partner's fault that the ex cheated. This cannot be approached or healed with reason, though, because it's about emotions. Human emotions.

In my opinion, that scene where ML talked about his daughter was excellent: an intimate scene, great writing, perfect acting. FL loved her dad dearly, and he died around this time, so she remembers the good time, and she misses him. We could see how much she was already suffering. And then there is her "enemy" in front of her, telling her how much he loves her daughter, and she's shocked because she realises that her "enemy" has not just a family but a family similar to the one she once had. She immediately identifies with his daughter even thought she doesn't know her. Of course, as a very proud person, she cannot allow herself to cry in front of ML or anybody who could harm her. In one scene, we can see that she checks his CV, and the camera rests on the line about his daughter. That's no coincidence.

Afterwards, she treats ML a bit less hostile, and obviously gives him a chance as her(?) employee. She knows: If she fires him, his daughter will also suffer, so I'm sure she'll be much nicer to him in the next episodes. And thanks to the nice ML, she'll learn to trust people again, especially the nice hot ML.

Her treating ML nicely immediately would rob us of many interesting scenes such as the one in the restaurant and of character development. It's good story telling so far.

I think she already likes him but doesn't allow herself to do that. The scene where they met in the archive was quite telling. Or just wishful thinking on my side. ^^

The resource bottleneck also exists in communism.

If an actor wants to be famous, he needs to act in movies that gain people's attention. This means that a role in a movie is a resource to generate fame.

If the number of actors who want to be famous is greater than the number of movies gaining people's attention, there must be somebody who decides gets the main role. That somebody could easily request something in return (sex, for example).

It doesn't need money to exploit people. There are other currencies such as time, sex, attention, main roles, and so on.

For everybody who knows how fiction works, it is very obvious the writers wrote FL this way, so people become annoyed by her. The rules of fiction demand that hot MLs must not be treated badly. Obviously, the story will be about ML "healing" FL, and FL will become a better person who will treat the good looking ML better. Being annoyed by FL (intended) is different from "sick of the narrative" (makes no sense if you want to watch dramas based on this narrative).

If the writers had written the story as you'd preferred it, this drama would consist of 2 episodes: "I don't like you, ML." - "Sorry, FL." - "Thanks, now I like you. You are hot, nice, perfect. Let's be a couple." - "OK." - Happy Ending.

The business partner might have hired him but he's not working for the business partner. He enters FL's office (without being invited), he touches her stuff (without being asked to). Yes, that's his job but FL didn't ask for it. ML knows that but he keeps pushing because he wants to keep this job, which probably pays better than working at some restaurant. He's not some poor slave who cannot escape and is being mistreated by the evil FL. It's his own decision to work for FL even though she doesn't want him (for now).

Ep1 was a bit draggy but ep2 was really promising, in my opinion.

I wished I had discovered this drama later. Now I have to wait for the next episode. :(

I couldn't enjoy the main couple because FL looked way too cute and young for ML. I'm probably too old to enjoy relationships where one partner resembles a child. I mainly kept watching this drama because of ML's brother-in-law who was such an interesting character, and the actor did an excellent job. This drama had a crime story that was surprisingly interesting and quite dark for a romcom. All in all, it was a decent watch albeit a bit draggy because whenever something relevant happens, the characters are like "no, let me sit here for 1-2 episodes, then let me tell them, so the story can proceed".

The fanbase is completely irrelevant because fans usually expect something in return: dramas, movies, nude pictures. Otherwise, most of them don't give money to actors. Or would you transfer 100s of dollars to Zhao Lusi's account each month even if you don't see her ever again? Probably not. If she does not deliver, she'll quickly become forgotten by most people. And that means that her career as an actress would be over. (This is true for most people in the entertaining industry in all countries on this planet.)

Also, her international fanbase is international. She doesn't have enough fans in a single country (apart from China) to convince producers that she could be a profitable main lead for more than 1-2 dramas/movies. Making movies and dramas is very expensive, so you need a REALLY big fanbase that is willing and able to pay.

A Chinese actress speaking Chinese has the best chance for roles in China. She'll very likely never have such a career in other SEA countries because those countries have lots of famous and beautiful actresses themselves, actresses who speak the local language without any accent.

That's what I meant.

You are right about the banning. That's an additional problem.

You won't miss anything if you don't watch this. It's a low budget drama with a lot of bad writing. The premise was interesting and somewhat unique, though: "old" rich female patron sponsoring "young" poor aspiring male actor. It could have been a really intriguing story if the writers had been better.

I think they made him wear those ugly suits on purpose to show that he's as awkward as FL, who isn't a fashion queen either. ^^

What do you mean by "decent"?

Unfortunately, like in many romance dramas, a kiss happens, then ML and FL are a couple and basically never kiss again. The one or two kisses were not that exciting, in my opinion.

They don't show the explicite details but even I who grew up with horror movies felt sick to my stomach. You know exactly what is happening to the children. And the actors, especially the child actors, are really, really good. It's probably the only movie where I'd have preferred bad acting skills. :(

Yes, the system failed the children but not many people even knew about their suffering until this movie got released. We all know that people love scandals and forget about them when the next scandal pops up. However, this movie is so disgusting that it is not easy to forget it. At least, not for me. I'll hate it forever but I don't regret watching it.

No, I'm afraid you misinterpreted my post completely. I wasn't addressing your personal taste. Feel free to hate this drama and similar dramas, and share your opinion about those drama. I couldn't care less. I was addressing the insults towards people who do not share your taste.

By the way, according to your logic, only perverts enjoy "Alchemy of Souls" because it's full of kitsch, and the FL is a hen of the walk surrounded by multiple hot males. You rated that drama 9/10.

It's FANTASY, not the real life. Most of us watch these dramas for entertainment, not because we need such flawless virgin millionaires as boyfriends or husbands in our lives. Calling us perverts for liking harmless fantasies is like calling men serials killers just because they play egoshooters, or rapists because they watch animu.

Most Kdramas are cringe when it comes to sexuality. Especially the popular new ones seem to promote "chastity" which does not even reflect the reality at all. The grownup actors often look like kindergardeners touching lips in kissing scenes, and once their characters are a couple, you never see them kiss again.

Let's not forget: Kdramas are made to make people with money earn more money. At the moment, female harem fantasies seem to sell. In Japan, harem anime and harem manga with male virgin protagonists and looots of thirsty females are popular.

If you don't like Kdramas like this one here, that's fine, but it would be great if you could refrain from calling those who do enjoy such dramas perverts. In my opinion, words like "perverts" should be reserved for people who enjoy, for example, children being molested.

My ex bf would approve that fantasy. He was totally into the male "hard to get" fetish where there was some pure, innocent man surrounded by lots of horny women. It would be fun to write such a story where the male protagonist is such a "pure and innocent" character and has to run away from looooots of thirsty women who track him down via items.

I think the giant buttefly net is a brilliant idea. We could catch all (hot) men, so only women live in that city. Since there are no men around anymore, it comes a lesbian enclave like the famous island Lemnos. Hot lesbian sex scenes all day, including rape (no, wait, only males can rape; this is butch-femme non-con mating!), but no male gaze, of course.

Then, one day, an ugly random male appears, and women's lust explodes. Half the female population immediately throw themselves onto him. Unfortunately, he doesn't survive the impact. The desperate women then look for the males that were caught with the butterfly net but it turns out that those men who survived are so traumatised by females that they turned gay, so hetero sex won't happen anymore, and humans eventually become extinct.

You are absolutely right. Since there is no difference between fiction and reality, women cannot "consent", so it would be the best to ban all fiction, especially romance, which is rape because the actors are not really a couple. And since women cannot "consent", all approaches by males are rape by definition. I'm glad there are still pure justice fighters like you left who teach women that a woman's pleasure is disgusting and unpure unless she follows the approved pleasure checklist. If women and their disgusting pleasure get banned, they won't get raped anymore. And without available women, men cannot produce rape porn anymore. Afghanistan shows us how feminism works by protecting women in the most efficient way. I hope the rest of the world will adapt soon. No woman must be exploited anymore. Please keep fighting for us! :)

If you did some research, you'd realise that lots of women love their rape fetishes. Look up "bodice ripper". If you are are able to understand women, you'd understand why many of us love rape stories: It's about exploring a fantasy in a safe environment. In real life, we usually don't meet hot millionairs/billionairs/CEOs but, in those stories, we do. Intelligent women are able to distinguish between reality and fantasy. What we consume is not necessarily what we want in our everyday lives.

The problem is that she's a nobody outside of China. Only in China, she can make a living as an actress. If she leaves China, she'll leave the industry, and there are dozens of beautiful young aspiring actresses who could replace her within seconds. That's why the abusers have so much power over her and people like her.