Jungshooky

Unknown - Lilis storyline is apparently very different from the novel (based on what I’ve seen in the comments)

Wow, only 2 episodes in and I'm already so enthralled! This is such a beautifully shot drama - love the stylistic choices so far.

For me, I give Kunlun some slack because it apparently got really hard hit from the censors. After they had filmed the drama, the government essentially decided to ban all 'tomb raider' esque shows for whatever arbitrary reason they had at the time. Like banning time travel and such.

So they had to cut like 10 episodes worth of content to pass apparently - and I guess rather than scrapping the show in it's entirety they tried to make it work and recoup some money . . . and what we got was . . . well THAT. It's worth the watch at least to see XK in 20s era three-piece suits and for the outrageous martial arts but yeah - it was lacking in a lot of respects. I think even without censorship issues, there were other problems.

As for SAF, I actually really enjoyed that show and thought it was well written . . . because I looked at it like a video game. From all accounts I've seen, fans and the actual creators of the original game absolutely loved it (with some minor criticisms). Again, the government recently passed much stricter laws regarding video games and adaptations of games - which is why no new esports dramas have been produced recently - and why SAF could not be promoted much at all. So I think the production knew this and just decided to make a very faithful adaptation to the video game rather than a drama that would sit well with average drama watchers. The way the plot unfolds, the characters, script everything is very faithful to the game . . . which didn't necessarily translate well over into a drama for drama viewers. Having played multiple RPG games myself, I found it fairly easy to just slip into that mindset while watching SAF, but for most drama viewers that don't play video games or don't want that type of experience in a drama I can see how that would detract from their enjoyment of the show. It's all subjective really!

I also quite enjoyed SEL - but again, I also really enjoy manga and anime, and it was like watching a live-action comic book - weird plot devices, strange animal-human hybrids, and OP villains galore. Like Naruto or Bleach but with a hella fine looking Xu Kai, so I just enjoyed the ride with that one XD

Everyone has different preferences and no one will 100% love every thing I like and vice versa

Yeah from what I’ve seen the mods of this site literally give no f*cks about anything that could improve the site (like refusing to ban or even punish accounts that harass others) and have even seen them be outright antagonistic to people trying to report or raise issues

It’s rotten from the very top 🤷🏼‍♀️

I heard LYF2 isn't airing new episodes this weekend, so ABAY doesn't have that particular competition so hopefully the Heat Index will continue to rise this weekend!

I know right? The preview I saw had me blushing up a storm XD

And I've watched shows like Game of Thrones with much more explicit content and been largely unaffected . . . I think it's just not expected in most Asian dramas so when even PG-13 scenes happen it's a lot haha

That oily CEO dude, however, is bad news bears and I really want someone to kick him where it counts. Does't Han Yuan know that if she works with him and her family finds out, she'll likely be cast out completely? You can tell she genuinely loves her grandpa - he would be so disappointed in her for turning to the competition for help (who is only doing this to sabotage her family's company) rather than relying on her own merits - just like he expects HT to make his own way. Anyway, I know it's not a drama without some . . . well drama haha

Just watched episode 19 and gosh was I not grinning like an idiot for so many scenes. The flirtations between our two leads is just *chef's kiss*

Hah I kinda block out Zheng Di so I'm not entirely sure what she was sniping about at JX, but it led to HT basically scolding ZD after JX left and later advising JX to not raise to the bait if I interpreted things correctly

If I had to guess it's because they're working with heavy metals and breathing in metallic fine particulate matter is really bad for you lungs, and exposure of skin to certain chemicals and particulates can also cause injury

Although we don't see any hazardous chemicals, the way 3D printing works probably involves a lot of harsh chemicals within the machine itself, which can expose workers.

The attire they're wearing is "personal protection equipment" or PPE. In my line of work, we also wear pretty hardcore PPE when dealing with anything possibly zoonotic (I'm a vet) - so COVID, old world monkeys and great apes, etc.

I've noticed that in a number of modern c-dramas and k-dramas. Characters wearing various US university attire - and random ones too, not just Ivy Leagues like Harvard and Yale

They rely almost entirely on fan translations/subs so that’s probably why they’re delayed compared to other sites. It’s still frustrating, I agree, but the teams that do subs are entirely volunteer-based so we can’t really demand/ask more of them

Viki is already releasing this faster than their usual dramas. They’re usually more than just 1 episode behind. I’m also watching Princess Royal and they’re 10+ eps behind what’s aired 🤷🏼‍♀️

If they don't rush post-production and don't hit any bad censorship walls, my prediction is 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2025

It was the same in BCE with the FL and her first boyfriend. It's kind of an unwritten rule in c-dramas (and k-dramas too I think) that the FL doesn't kiss anyone except the ML. I've heard this is mostly to respect the actress' modesty by not asking her to make out with multiple people. As well as not disturbing audience members - many Asian cultures are still more reserved than the West when it comes to physical affection (kiss, hug, sex, etc). While I don't personally ascribe to the notion that "purity" is anything more than a social construct, not every person or culture feels the same. Different cultures, different values.

And so, you will almost never see a FL kiss a man who is not her co-lead.

Lol now that I’ve passed my Masters defense I can relax and enjoy dramas again - I haven’t watched a new drama in over a month 🥲

No idea. If they do, it’ll likely be after ABAY is done airing

MDL doesn’t use straight averages. They have an “algorithm” they use that takes into account more than “fan votes” but they don’t publish their criteria and many dramas on here (not just XK dramas) have very questionable ratings compared to user ratings.

For instance, there are a number of BL dramas that have very high user ratings (>8.5) but their overall MDL rating is in the 7s. It doesn’t make sense and honestly, the fact that MDL is so cagey about how they determine rating is extremely fishy and should not be trusted as an accurate reflection of user opinion 🤷🏼‍♀️

It’s advertised on Viki as being a “Viki Exclusive” so I’m assuming they negotiated exclusive streaming rights outside of ASEAN (or at least in the US)

I’m not sure they will . . . It’s advertised on Viki as a “Viki Exclusive.”

If WeTV does make it available in the US they probably won’t do so until after it’s done completely airing

It does amuse me when I see people complain about modern dramas being cliche and full of the same tropes . . . when xianxia, wuxia, and historical dramas may have different tropes/cliches but the vast majority are packed full of them too 🙃