Johanna Linnea Karlsson

Did you try Love Between Fairy and Devil? That one surprised me too.

I wonder if they knew, when filming this, that it would be a solid Xianxia.
Midnight Mystique sadly doesn't hold a candle to Ancient Love Poetry or to this, and here I'm on ep14 and it's still not lost it's grip, Vin is in a role that FEELS like his and Wang Duo is also in his best element and his best role since Bloody Romance.

I'm hoping FL, in her other reiterations that she will find her groove as well.

I'm still interested, but Moonlight Mystic has turned in to a right sleeping pill.

How the tides have turned.

See, I dropped Back From The Brink, And The Winner Is Love was terrible. He's directed some silly stuff, but then there's THIS, Siege in Fog and some other decent tatt, so maybe it's just better source material?
I know people love BFTB novel, but that was one edit mess of a drama, and the side quests were done the same way as back in 2016 - I realise this is why I don't like Midnight Mystique, it feels like something I've seen before, back pre covid/Blue Whisper s2 or something.
It's seamless in TBL, yes the formula is old, but it's not following the exact linear pattern as all the others.

I have to say, it was generic until ep8 which is when the major shift happens and we're in a proper Xianxia.
I'd urge people to not judge the drama on the first boring 7 episodes, because the drama doesn't begin until ep8.

Hey, ep 8 is really good!
Episode 8 is really all the potential this has, there's some substance there.
I'm enjoying this more than Mystique, which is something I never thought I'd say. I was soooo looking forward to Mystique and I feel a little let down at this point.
I LOVE Wang Duo as an actor, ever since Bloody Romance I was enraptured.
I can't explain how happy I am to see him get more screen time roles.
He should be the anti hero lead in something great.

This drama has a lot going for it, FLs previous character had more charisma and better writing, but I'm hoping it improves as we change lanes.
Vin was such a gem in the all time Xianxia 10 Miles of Peach Blossoms, I guess you only get a role like that once or twice.
Please let the second time be soon.

This is the best writing he's been a part of since TMOPB in my opinion. I haven't liked much since, other than Flames Daughter and King's Woman, so it's ben YEARS for me.

Listen, listen, hear me out, lend me an ear....

There are SO MANY absolutely, positively BEAUTIFUL men,
but then why oh why can't I B R E A T H E when he's on screen?

The filtering is on a whole new level.
His wardrobe is insane and I'm not a Ao Rui Peng fan, but he brings out the Vixen, I want to dominate this demon.

All the big stars have been in slave contracts. At one point Lusi was doing nothing but filming for YEARS. She can be choosy now, but she couldn't then.
It was the same for Dilraba and Bai lu.
It's the same for the men too, unless you have seriously connected family, they cannot easily abuse Esther Yu.

Season 1 was so many years ago, I can't remember what it ended at.
Am I to assume that the opening fight happens exactly where season 1 left off?

Just watched the final ep of the first season, so it doesn't pick up from the end there, but from half-way through.

Yes, but you may not like the new cast in s2 if you do.

I am unclear about the rating.
This is better than Pearl Girl and Kill Me Love Me, by a safe and measured country mile.
The plot, although not unique isn't as pedestrian as either of those dramas, the editing isn't in shambles and the direction isn't terrible.

I'm actually consuming ep24 at 1 AM and wish to watch more. I watched all these eps in 3 days, which means something brings me back.
Is it captivating? No.
Are the leads sizzling? No again

Maybe it's the way nobody looks perfect and you can see skin irregularities, the clothing is above average and I like the disgusting second and third male leads. The second male lead is so damned disgusting that I nearly forget his AI face, even when it's right there on the screen.. aimlessly eye wandering, staring at some unseen que marker off in the distance.

There are redeeming qualities about this drama and I've carnally wanted ML for YEARS.

It's absolutely watchable.

The Long Ballad was just so good, and they were a great second couple. Wasted talent on Pearl Girl, I feel that drama need not have been made at all. It felt like they had no chemistry, possibly because their roles were badly directed? Maybe the chemistry ended up on the editing room floor?
Neither suited their roles, which is a funny thing to say, Lu Si can act the phonebook and I'd watch.

This drama was a mess too, wasted talent and bad direction/editing.
The shots were not captivating either.
Somehow made it seem the leads have no charisma, which is funny considering either actors past roles.

About time ML has the leading role. He always gives me a bad case of second male lead syndrome. He's fine and his characters have an attractive sassiness, definitely dressed as a character flaw but it's always charming.
Always cast as the man who reluctantly gives his whole heart away when he wasn't looking.

I sure be dropping a lot of C Drama this year.
I love the leads, just like how I love the leads in Pearl Girl, but I couldn't stand the stories in neither, the scripts were just trashy.
I mark as completed, because once I drop dramas somewhere in ep 20-30, I do watch the roundup's on Youtube, just to get all the important bits and the ending squirreled away.

These are just two in a long list of 2024.

The Double blew me away, it was electric beginning to end.
This should have been too.

I Bai Lu's Mystic sucks too... then I don't know what to do, where is it anyway?

His people were not looking after him properly. Because of the culture, Korean celebrities are so fragile. If there is something happening online, his people should be keeping him offline and busy elsewhere, in therapy and close to loved ones.
There is multi level failure here, just as with Go Hara, Sulli etc.
The care is not greater than the malice, which is essential in Korea.

This is just everybodys best performances ever.
Cheng Xiao, not necessarily included of course.
But Neo and Yan An, CDL and TJR are acting their pants off, it's just astounding.
So much good acting!
grblgrblgrblgrblgrblgrblgrblgrlgrblgrrbl

It't been since Lost You Forever since we had a cast like this.
And the guest roles? WHAT IN TARNATION.

How rare, a drama with a FL that I LOVE.
Her role as Pian Ran was ELECTRIC.

I was actually getting bored until Miao Feng turned up at the Apothecary.
Then the drama got a better pace.

All 3 male leads are very attractive, this is a disaster haha.
Somehow second male lead is just sexy fire and the city lord is just gorgeous. ML, Alen, is more like a pure beauty.

These Uyghur actresses are just so gorgeous.

I love Ma Tian Yu, I keep waiting for him to land his next Ying Kong Shi strength of character and charisma.

I didn't like ep1 but now that I'm on ep7 I'm really a bit invested.

XL and XY also supposedly spend a night together, although I'm not sure if sexual intimacy is implied or simply left open to interpretation at some point. They never have one of those scenes together in s2.
They left XL and XY emotional intimacy less explored in the drama, in the book they are not this perfectly rolled up ball of yarn, but a messy, twisted pile of emotions that they dare not speak.

They always just needed a reason, just a push and unquivering support and choices would have been different.