Jungshooky

haha that's why I've been saving ALP for last . . . it looks like my exact cup of tea XD

I just can't really focus on more than one or two dramas at the same time - i don't know how a lot of people here seem to watch 5-10 shows at a time @___@

Starting Court Lady . . . wish me luck. I have mixed feelings and expectations about this one based on the various things I've heard, but I'm going through XK withdrawal and am saving ALP for last haha

I’m really hoping for XK and ZLS. I haven’t watched the movie they did together (doesn’t look like my cup of tea), but would kill to see them in a drama (costume or modern)

An official airdate still hasn’t been announced for either ABAY or BCE. I’ve seen rumors that one or both will air in April, hopefully not at the same time . . .

MR is shooting through April into early May I think

Like what Draco mentioned, this drama has been rated super low by a lot of people who haven’t even watched a single episode probably. It got hate from multiple fronts - and it’s not set up like a traditional drama plot wise, so I think a lot of people also give up on it after only a couple episodes and then rate it low. I don’t think the ending has much to do with it at all - most people who finish this drama think it’s at the very least decent or love it based on the comments/reviews I’ve seen here and on Viki

*triggered* T____T

Emotional instability aside, that entire fight sequence is one of my favorite scenes in the entire drama. It wrecked me so bad the first (and second) time I watched, but the pacing, cinematography, fight choreography, music, acting - all of it is just *chef's kiss* in my opinion

I'll try not to explicitly spoil anything - but people have interpreted the ending in different ways.

Based on what I've seen in the comments here, most people consider this a happy ending. A smaller number don't agree, and think it's more of a sad/bittersweet/open ending.

I see it as an open ending, but hopeful and leaning heavily toward the happy end of the spectrum . . . and probably the best outcome we could hope for and still make sense with the overall themes of the show. Hope this helps even if just a little!

Oh! We may be talking about the same rumored drama if ZLS is rumored to also be attached! Honestly, I really want to see them in a drama together - costume or modern - because I’m a fan of both of them 😊

But we shall have to see!

There are a lot of similar videos on youtube that spin rumor as straight up facts for both c-ent and K-ent. So I’d wait for an official announcement regarding any future casting news. I saw a rumor on a blog that XK and Yang Yang are both vying for the same role in another drama . . . but even though this blog seems to report more substantial drama news/rumors I won’t believe it until an official announcement haha

XK will be filming MR until May anyway, so he’s booked for the near future!

It’s very strange because the ratings breakdown really hasn’t changed much at all - like less than 0.1 points in either direction . . .

This drama definitely doesn’t deserve such a low rating. I read somewhere that this is expected to turn into more of a cult classic, which I can definitely see happening

So for anyone debating whether to watch, don’t pay attention to MDL ratings. I don’t find them very accurate at all (for most shows, not just this one) 🤷🏼‍♀️

Not to mention that if ABAY and BCE air close together or at the same time, we likely won't have another new XK drama for about a year . . . unless his next drama is a modern one with a short post-production period.

Ah yes - thanks for filling in more of the details! I think Zhu Yu being affected by human souls was a major concern and why they took Qi. Zhu Yu was a benevolent being before, so I think she also probably knew the risk, hence why she let them take Qi as insurance.

I want to rewatch so I can watch this in a more concentrated way and not piecemeal like while it was airing. I do think stories like this are best binged than drawn out haha

Oops, internet was having issues and must have posted twice!

It's been a while so a lot the details are fuzzy, but wasn't it because Zhu Yu was basically holding Mist Soul hostage? She bound herself to it in order to heal her people even though she wasn't the official guardian - which is why Hengdao Sect got involved, and why they took Qi away as their own hostage in a way.

I could be totally wrong though lol, I'm planning to rewatch soon

This show has a slow burn plot. It’s based on a video game and very faithfully restores the gameplay . . . So it’s set up very different than most c-dramas, and more like the RPG it’s based on. You know about as much of what’s going on as the main characters do which is nothing since they have amnesia at the beginning.

As they continue on their journey to find answers about themselves, a bigger and pretty neat plot starts to develop. The first quarter to third of the drama is focused on character development, world building and setting things up for the plot. So if you’re expecting this to be similar to most other contemporary c-dramas that basically hand the audience the plot from the very beginning, you may be disappointed or confused.

The wait is worth it though - I recommend enjoying the light-heartedness and cute puppy love between the mains as things get pretty serious once the plot really develops

Hopefully not at the same time so that XK's dramas aren't competing against each other . . . but then again, given Tencent's history handling XK dramas, I wouldn't be surprised if they do exactly that

I felt the same way before I watched this. I started it for Xu Kai to be honest - even if the drama was bad, he’s still nice to look at 🤣

But jokes aside, I was really pleasantly surprised! Stylistically it’s very much like an anime or manga brought to life and I thought it was fun. It’s not the best drama ever, but I also don’t think it warrants all the negativity I’ve seen. So I hope you also enjoy it, even if just a little 😊

If people actually believe that utter nonsense, I pity them for their sheer stupidity 🙄

Lol so does this mean we might have two XK dramas airing at once? 🙃

I live in the US