um, i love your energy. first off, thank you for reading my reviews [or was it just this one]? i appreciate you…
I tried to resist but ultimately fanatics wore me out... This account dates back to 2021 but the truth is I've been on MDL since 2014, that's quite a long time fighting idiots though this website used to be more friendly. I guess its the unavoidable consequence of a site becoming a bit too big. I used to have another account but then wanted to change by nickname... Turns out when you do, when people go to your profile the link still shows your former nickname so I had to completely erase my account...
Reason is, I used to comment with the name I'm using as an artist... given how internet is, I gathered it was more safe to give my opinion under another penname than the one I'm using professionally, though I still sadly haven't officially launched my own project.
I totally get your comment regarding 180 degrees so I won't insist. I myself avoid the news because it really makes me in a foul mood and I tend to avoid discussions on subjects that trigger me... This world is making me sick. I'm seeking dopamine and positive feelings through dramas. Honestly I admire people who fight against injustice...Me? I'm tired. I used to be more of a fighter when I was in my early twenties, but I've turned 40 this year and honestly life wore me out. Sadly this world is becoming worse every minute... I just want to retire in the countryside with a hot cocoa dramas and books and forget real life... Sadly I probably won't ever unless I change country, I've lived in the countryside before... Well let's just say my childhood wasn't the best due to not being born with the "right" skin color so to speak. Given the current climate - in the figurative and literal sense - who knows if this will ever be possible anyway. Sadly I'm not an evil multi-billiionaire so I don't have enough money to build a private bunker while I'm ruining the environment, people and whatever else to accumulate more wealth.
I'll be happy to follow your other reviews though. Will be checking them out. In the meantime I've just followed you ^^ ( I don't do friends on websites but I do follow when my interest is picked). See you in another review maybe ^^
um, i love your energy. first off, thank you for reading my reviews [or was it just this one]? i appreciate you…
Yes sadly I get you... The BL fan community is one of the most toxic on MDL... also one of the reason I've stopped commenting. Feels like everybody is in some kind of fanaticism everywhere and it's difficult to find a place where one can just give their own opinion without the opinion police coming on your back. It's also really annoying whenever you get insulted when you criticize a character and some members take it personal as if you insulted their favorite actors. Anyway I'm too old for this sheep.
Ah and no, I actually read a couple of other reviews but yours was the one I aligned with the most. Basically I mostly enjoyed the show but my enjoyment was thoroughly dampened once they started to put the political aspect forward. I wish Vasin had been written more nuanced. Apart from being an entitled piece of filth - sorry, I don't know from which country you're from but this comment:
"i can see the reflections of the world, like most may be able to, in this piece of work. this made me think that world needs a collective revolution against the elite of the world. i live in a "developed" country that is suffering immensely because of those at the helm."
also rings true for mine - I couldn't have any empathy for him... He was just a walking villain caricature and so I couldn't even enjoy hating him... Chat for instance was just as entitled and nasty but at the same time, you could give him some slack and even pity his character given how his father constantly berated him. Not that he didn't do wrong, but if his father had been a better person, he would have kindly told him that he was glad his son was trying to do better but that he needed to go about it in another way. I'm currently 23 minutes in episode 11... Still a long way to go but I hope I'll finish it by Thursday... Rating is probably also going to be a 7... If it wasn't for the annoying characters I'd probably give it between an 8 and a 9 but I'm just too annoyed so a 7 seems fair.
Regarding the other drama I mentionned... I think it's the type of show that you really need to be in the mood to watch. First it's tagged as romance but it's actually not really one though both the main leads indeed fall in love with each other. It feels more like a theater play that was put on screen than a drama... Apart from the first and last episode, most, if not all the action, happens in only two rooms and it's mostly a back and forth between characters exchanging lines.
At first, you start with only the two mains but soon the mother comes in... And this is where through their three people conversations the whole truth is unravelled... Not gonna say more but again... It's not what I would call a BL... Because a BL would focus on the romance even if the ending is tragic... but here it's really more a display of homophobia and its terrible consequences in all its perversity. It's not a "in your face" type of homophobia but rather a "read between the lines type of homophobia"... In fact, I wish this was shown to more people especially those who don't consider themselves homophobic but in reality are. I know a couple of those in my own family and you can't discuss with these people because they're blind to their own flaws. They just don't want to see themselves as such. Just because you don't throw stones and don't insult gay people overtly doesn't mean you're any better just saying. This show just throws their own hypocrisy in their face. It's incredibly well written. No lines are wasted.
This show left me pretty depressed though I'd say the end is hopeful for Pond's character... Pond's mother is nasty, the guy he loves... Well you'll have to watch it to have an opinion... not gonna say what I think, but it's not a positive opinion as far as I'm concerned though I understand where he's coming from, and Pond is definitely the MVP. It is I think the performance I've seen him in. I can't recommend it... and yet it received lots of praises from viewers and it's totally understandable...
I consider my "enjoyment" as the most important criteria when rating a show so for this particular show, I objectively can say it is good, BUT I really didn't enjoy myself AT ALL which is why I ended up giving it an 8... Which is still a lot if I'm being honest... I think the show deserves a 9.5 or 10 but my enjoyment level was a 3... But I didn't want to give this show less than 8 because I think it's one which deserves to be watched.
Anyway, I understand the curiosity so yeah... better hold it off if you're not in the mood. It does make one very upset. The mother is... I have no word. Nual and Vasin next to her are nothing ( now that I think of it, I shouldn't be as annoyed with these characters but I can't help it) I also think it's better to be warned before watching it... I wish I knew myself but I watched it as it aired... The opening song is great though... Pond is singing it.
Interesting reviews... 100% agree with your analysis and feelings regarding all characters. I actually binged episode 1 to 6 but then all the characters issues you mentionned made me slugg my way to the end... I'm currently finishing the last episode... by watching by bits of 20 minutes... because I just can't stand Vasin for the life of me.
Nual was is a close second on the hate department, though she didn't have as much screentime... The funny thing is that this actress actually acted with Pond in another drama a couple of years ago:
If you hated her in here, and you haven't watch this one yet... Well let me tell you, the character she played in this drama is on another level of hateful... I was so pissed off during the whole thing to the point of wondering why I bothered, though, at least Pond who was acting as her son found peace at the end... This is not a "romance drama" by the way... it's more a realistic take on what it is to be gay and the social pressure that leaves people utterly unhappy. Won't rewatch this EVER though arguably it is a good show.
Anyway back to the main topic... I spoiled myself the end so I know what happens though I haven't reached that point yet. I think Vasin got way more than he deserved. The "communists" are still gonna feed his ass in prison... He should have been given the same amount of mercy he wanted to give Phob i.e NONE in my opinion. Would have been great if he ended up dead... OR if Tin died.
That would have been better. Him causing the loss of the son he was so proud of. As a viewer I'd probably have hated this ending but seeing Vasin wallow in self-hate for the rest of his miserable life would have been a treat.
I wanted to avoid commenting but I have to say the two last episodes are some the most stupid I've ever had the unfortunate "chance" to watch. The FL who was already really annoying goes totally out of character and the "tragic story" of the antagonist just doesn't make any logical sense. It's South Korea in the 2000s not in 1900, local police stations exist if you've lost something or if you find something. This is utterly laughable.
Anyway, show was pretty mid with annoying characters all around (but the FL takes the cake) and utterly predictable ( which is saying something given I don't watch lots of thrillers myself but it's such a used trope that once they said the word " apartment" I already could predict where this was going... Stop it honestly, it's so overdone) so I was going for a 7...
But the two final episodes were the final straw. Waste of time. I'm giving 5 for the actors and the cinematography.
The trailer looked so good though... Talk about disapointment.
I'd say the series is better than the novel, and many people here who had already read it before this aired agreed.…
I've read quite a lot of the novel but not ALL the novel from page 1 to the end so I can't argue with you on that point. Though yeah I did see the rapist wasn't punished which was annoying, but the novel makes it clear these characters aren't all right in the head either notably with the epilogue where Gao Zhun has developed a sex addiction, so I don't think the novel brushes off what he went through either. He's not fine in his head but his partner isn't either. They're both broken people... This co-dependency relationship is definitely not healthy, but compared to the drama that gives both couple a happy ending, this somewhat happy somewhat weird ending is more fitting in my opinion.
I can understand the casting choice given the reasons you mentioned but in that case, that makes it complicated to see a 20 year old supposed to be a psychologist.. It just doesn't work... he's too young, but then again the whole story would have to be changed and that would probably be too complicated so there's that.
Really enjoyed this one but I'm glad I didn't check the novel first. Once you know the original characters are in their late 30s you just can't undo it and the actors appear terribly miscast, they're just too young... At least take actors in their 30s. It's particularly true for Shu Yuan in my opinion.
Both actors are too skinny but Zhang Zhun who is acted by Shu Yuan is supposed to be thin but muscular... I would say, think Bruce Lee though probably not as muscular. Skinny asian but does martial art so beautiful body overall, pretty firm and solid... They mention several times in the drama about how beautiful he is... It's only when I checked the novel (which is much more graphic but also gives way more in terms of the psychology of the characters) that I understood why they were always talking about Zhang Zhun's beauty... He's got a very beautiful face very "uke" like, so beautiful that he attracts men but also is the reason why he doesn't get lead roles as his face is a bit too pretty, too feminine.
However Shu Yuan... Well face is all personal preference so I won't go there but he is JUST skinny. Not muscular skinny... Just skinny, his body which should be lean and honed by years of martial arts isn't there... This is not the body of somebody who exercises...
The vibe is also too youthful. The novel sells mature characters, you get two baby faced actors.
In fact, apart from the height and acting ability, they're just wrong for the role... No matter how good your actors are if their physique doesn't fit the roles given it's gonna be a hard sell.
Now... Was it bad... No it wasn't... One of the best BLs I've watched... I'm gonna stick with my 9 ratings BUT ... I would recommend to anyone interested in the novel, to read it AFTER watching the drama... Otherwise you won't be able to appreciate it for what it is.
The novel is way better though... It goes darker but both love stories are also more heart-wrenching. Truly beautiful... AND you get epilogues for both stories so that's also great.
I don't think they could have gone farther than what they did in this adaptation though, so overall, well done China.
Well I'm very much the minority here, but I've written a long comment about it below... Had to put the spoiler…
This is what I already talked about in my comment. This show has a good romance but it has completely failed in showing how much turmoil the country and how unfair the whole system was.
Well I'm very much the minority here, but I've written a long comment about it below... Had to put the spoiler…
Well I slightly changed my comment so that it's clearer. It just irks me how everybody's rambling about Phob's betrayal when Tinn did exactly the same thing. The only thing is Phob's survived by luck because they ended up changing the date of the revolution... and that's it.
If it had gone as planned, Phob would be dead now.
So everybody's lamenting on poor Tinn and everybody's forgetting that Phob almost ended up dead when Tinn gave…
This is a very Disney like series where the suffering of the people over the hands of the royals is barely shown. Even if Tinn's family wasn't the worse of the lot, the simple fact that they support this regime is a sin in itself. It's easy to be "nice" when you've been born with a diamond spoon in your mouth and act all and mighty and generous when in fact you shouldn't hold that much privilege in the first place.
Are we supposed to be grateful for foundations or whatever goodwill these rich people grant us when they barely pay any taxes?
Look at what happened in other countries, when the people revolt, it never happens without bloodshed. They should be happy, the military didn't just off their heads.Tinn's father is acting all high and mighty when he just ordered to shoot Phob two episodes earlier, what a joke.
Tinn is collateral damage and it's normal at this point that these two can't be together but let's be clear, it's only sad on an individual level. On the grand scale of things, this would never have happened if the royals were truly serving the country as Tinn's father likes to pretend. People don't like political instability even if the regime is shitty as fudge because it makes it hard to plan for the future. They only revolt when things have taken such a dark turn that they can no longer survive.
As much as the romance in this drama is good, they've only shown servants in "privileged situation", It failed to show in how much turmoil the country was before this revolution happened and how the lack of education of the population helped maintain the country in poverty.
But hey, education?
Never a good idea. Once people get educated, they start to see how incompetent and selfish these elites are, and it becomes difficult to control them... Hence the fact that you only give education to a few, who will pledge loyalty to your ass and contribute to maintain you and your descendants in place... And make them be grateful for it. As Phob said, why the f*** should he feel grateful for getting scraps? The Prince should never even hold the power to choose who is or isn't allowed to get an education in the first place.
It's a whole lot of talk about how the country needs to change but they failed to show the brutality of the regime in place or how much people had it hard. The scene were they interrogate the two soldiers is pretty laughable. As if they were questioned like that. Both dude were tortured, let's be real. It wasn't a nice chitchat in front of a table but the drama has no balls so it doesn't show how nasty it was behind the scene.
Is it because it has to remain family friendly... or because the monarchy is still part of the fabric of the political system in Thailand?
Anyway, this is why everybody is crying over Tinn and Phob's betrayal instead of how this regime just had to go. Most of the empathy goes to Tinn, when it should go the people.
In my country, royalty hasn't existed for centuries, yet these nobles' descendants are still wealthy, still holding properties still building wealth thanks to the wealth their ancestors got from exploiting others.
They only cry because they no longer have as much as before. Cry me a river.
Right now, losing Phob seems like the end the world. Neither Tin nor his family has ever experienced any hardship, let them taste even a hint of what the people of this country have been through and you'll get that your little love story is but a vague souvenir when there's no food on the table and your children are condemned to suffer the same fate generations after generations because unless your "masters" are nice enough, you'll never get any education to rise above your condition.
I like Tinn as an individual, but he is so into his privileged life that "poverty" or "harship" are just concepts in his head. He understands their meaning but they don't carry weight. Otherwise what Phob did wouldn't appear like a "betrayal" but a necessity.
'Course Phob could have told him... but in that case either he helped him and if it failed, he would have been implicated at some point and executed for betraying the crown, or he would have betrayed Phob...
WHICH... he actually did. I don't remember if Tinn ever admitted to Phob giving him a fake schedule for whichever day they'd initially planned the revolution... He knew it was fake... AND YET he gave it to Phob. He had doubts about Phob's stance and YET HE GAVE IT TO HIM.
Everybody is playing the amnesia card on that. Now he was forced by his father? Sure. Well Phob didn't want to use Tinn either... Sadly he's not doing it for his personal privileges but to build a more egalitarian system.
Thankfully they didn't go with the plan that they had initially designed, otherwise Phob would actually be dead and Tinn would be the one crying because " Oh I should have understood him..." or whatever. The mere fact that Phob is still alive is sheer luck... while the military's coup has been made to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. Not to say they're saints but still the Royalty executes rebels , the Military doesn't kill the royals.
Anyway, neither of them has been the perfect lover in this mess so nope sorry. Tinn is not the most wronged party here. Your father and your brother are always treating the man you love like sh***, I'm still waiting for you to tell them that Phob is not an animal but a human being that deserves respect.
As for Phob's mother... The royal brainwashing worked wonders on you. Go lick their feet if you want, I'm glad your son has managed to get the pride and dignity you lack.
I was so busy picking my shattered heart up off the floor yesterday, that something suddenly occurred to me. Myself,…
Well I'm very much the minority here, but I've written a long comment about it below... Had to put the spoiler tag though because it's too long, but it does develop that point and others a bit more.
Is it wrong to laugh out loud at the bullies getting a dose of their own medicine?
I can't help it but on the other side it makes me feel like I'm a bad person to rejoice at their sufferring. I mean... They definitely deserved what they got... But it just feels like I should be "satisfied" but not "happy" about it... But... well. Can't say I'm not happy about it... Gah... I don't know...
Xie Wei has the nastiest temper ever. I watched shorts online full of red flag romantic tension... but my God watching the show, even I couldn't root for him. Well I'm sure spending most of your life being raised by a tyrant threatening your life after being raised by a snake can mess with your head... But any sane woman would have fled in the other direction...
I think he deserves happiness so I'm glad Ning'er is nuts enough to embrace him... But I don't necessarily approve of the whole process.
Hopefully "off camera", he learned to control that nasty temper of his.
On the other hand the death of *insert character* was completely unnessary. I got "The Prisoner of Beauty" trauma... Do I now have to consider that in these C dramas, because now they're mostly avoiding tragedies and giving us HE, they feel required to kill the most likeable characters?
I'm tired of getting attached to characters that are bound to die near the end due to the "we need to give them a bittersweet ending" rule.
EDIT: AH! I forgot... I know Chinese love their dramatic scenes but come ON' guys! The last episode is ridiculous! You have several things happening at the same time near the same place, yet one side has thunder and rain POURING with an overall completely grey and cloudy sky and the other has a bright blue sky...
Not even grey... Bright blue... I was like WTF? Sometimes it happens, two places next to each other have different weather but hey, there's no walls in the sky... If it's raining here and not there, usually the sky is a uniform grey everywhere, not bright blue here and grey there.... Suspension of disbelief has its limit you know?
Also I REALLY want to know what type of fiber Ning Er and Xie Wei bodyguard's clothes are made of. They were literally drenched as if they had swam in a swimming pool but a couple of minutes later, they're all perfectly dry like nothing happenned. That's fantasy level at this point. I happened to be drenched myself a couple of time and sadly when you're still wearing the clothes in questions, it takes a couple of hours to be completely dry (especially the underwear) so I WANT TO KNOW, what kind of magic is this? (On a side note there's also Ning Er's make up but well at this point...)
The spidey sense: Well you have a point here. I myself have forgotten it. Maybe it only works on physical danger…
Well actually not a fight for me either, but nobody knows how to talk on MDL anymore obviously. People get offended for no reason. I've given up walking on eggshells to talk. If disagreeing or pointing out the fact that it's a bit unusual for somebody to seek out a comment made a week ago hurts your feelings, just block me, I don't care.
The drama never explicitly explains what's happening. I don't think the reincarnation theory is proved or disproved.…
Well I 'm not saying the reincarnation theory is wrong. My take is it's a mix of reincarnation and time-travel. I think personally that the simple fact that Se Gye dreams about his past, proves that he is indeed the reincarnation of the Grand Prince.
I personally think people are being overly dramatic in the comment section. Sure, it could have been more explicit in the explanations, but I don't think the whole drama should be thrown under the bus because of the last 4 episodes... I personally wish we had gotten a bit more silliness in the last 2... and it was mostly contemplative for sure but no it doesn't deserve a 5. But again that's just my opinion.
I don't think the writing was sloppy but some things could have been done better for sure.
Hmm... I had this wild theory when 4 or 6 episodes were out that Seo Ri and Dan Shim had switched place in their childhood and that the Prince had fallen in love with Shin Seo Ri... not Dan Shim... The theory went like this. Shin Seo Ri was indeed the reincarnation of Dan Shim but their souls were " in the wrong time", they both had switched when Seo Ri had "the event that happenned in her childhood" ( at the time we didn't know her parents had attempted to take their and her life, we just knew something traumatic had happened and she had lost her acting ability) but thanks to the commet, both could return to their "own time"... It didn't really matter if the Grand Prince fell in love with Seo Ri instead of Dan Shim because ultimately, they share the same soul hence they're the same person. So if it ended like that, it was coherent with that theory and the end was fine.
It ended up being slightly different, as Seo Ri travels to the past AGAIN, saves the Grand Prince and by some weird magic goes back to the present AGAIN. And for some mysterious reasons, Dan Shim back in her own time remembers she has befriended the Prince? That's a bit... err nonsensical? While the Prince falls in love with Seo RI/Dan Shim it makes, sense he's in love with her but it doesn't make sense that Dan Shim is in love with the Prince or that she acts like Seo Ri with the same spunk... After all though they share the same soul, they don't necessarily have the same personality but whatev'.
But since everybody was insisting on the reincarnation thingy, and there was nothing that proved my theory was more plausible than the classic reincarnation trope... I gave it up at some point... There was also some strong arguments playing in favor of the reincarnation trope, so I caved in. Only to find that my "wild theory" that I had written weeks ago, vehemently argued against by some members ( not complaining here, we're here to discuss different ideas) was indeed the "right theory".
Well... Lesson for the future: Next time, I'll only trust myself instead. I might be completely wrong, but better be wrong because I guessed wrong than be wrong because I followed everyone. Especially since it gives a satisfying ending on my part, though this ending might be understandably frustrating for some viewers.
Anyway I really loved most of the show, but I do think it lost some steam for the last 4. Still, a solid 8.5 for me in spite of some plot points given up halfway and some illogical nonsense. It was still mostly entertaining so I'm giving it a pass. It was great for 10 episodes... Mid for ep 11- 12 and some good and meh for ep 13-14... Didn't finish with a bang but still left me with a smile.
"Nah Se gye is fighting... They've hinted at it when we see him being questioned at the police station. He's hinted that somebody is behind his misfortune and proposed a deal with the policeman... We've never seen the aftermath of that. Also, a couple of episodes again while talking with his secretary they mentioned the fact that they're gathering evidence but that now wasn't the right time to use them or that they didn't enough at the moment. "
So exactly what hapenned. Not that Se Gye wasn't doing anything. The show had already hinted that things were happenning in the background,.. unlike what you wrote actually, saying Se Gye wasn't doing anything... So I don't really understand this answer of yours... It's got nothing linked with the spidey sense you talked about... and for the other part you were actually wrong.
2. I haven't watched the last two episodes yet and have avoided this page to avoid spoilers so far. Fortunately, I don't remember which comment you're talking about . Could have been a big spoiler on your part... I can deduce you were disappointed though...
Well. I'd argue that the show was overall pretty nice in spite of a less than stellar ending. It wasn't enough to ruin the whole experience ( or so I hope since at the time I'm watching this, I've yet to watch the end).
Honestly I liked that for once I didn't have to commit to 40 episodes for a C drama and also the fact that appart from the two first episodes, each episodes is around 30 minutes, opening and ending included (except episode 8 which is 40mn if I remember well).
It's a solid 8 for me... Most ratings on MDL are inflated but this is one instance where I think people have been pretty unfair with the show ( to be fair 7.6 isn't a bad rating per say, but given the ratings habit of the MDL community, no drama which overall rating is below 8 can be considered "good").
I liked it though I'm removing 2 points for episode 10 to 12... Too rushed, had to rely too much on suspension of disbelief with one character taking weird decision given their profile, another surviving God knows how etc. I felt that for these 3 episodes, they should have made the episodes longer, or add 2 or 3 to make it more coherent...
I also didn't like the fact that one character was carrying guilt they weren't responsible for. One such guilt was never truly clarified with the other so their stance at the end was a bit weird.
All in all, for a 12 episodes drama, they did pretty well but the drama would have been better with a slightly longer length.
Still it was different from your usual C drama fare, so just for that, I would recommend it if you're craving something fresh and short.... Just be aware that although it ends with a hopeful message, most of the stories in this show are pretty tragic, so don't watch this when you're feeling a bit blue.
Well just started this one so I'm holding judgement until I've completed it. It's been a long time since I no longer bother with MDL ratings esp. on C dramas.
I love my C drama historicals and wuxias but it's nice to get something different from time to time. It's sad China doesn't produce more of those but I guess it's more difficult to navigate censorship with that genre.
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Reason is, I used to comment with the name I'm using as an artist... given how internet is, I gathered it was more safe to give my opinion under another penname than the one I'm using professionally, though I still sadly haven't officially launched my own project.
I totally get your comment regarding 180 degrees so I won't insist. I myself avoid the news because it really makes me in a foul mood and I tend to avoid discussions on subjects that trigger me... This world is making me sick. I'm seeking dopamine and positive feelings through dramas. Honestly I admire people who fight against injustice...Me? I'm tired. I used to be more of a fighter when I was in my early twenties, but I've turned 40 this year and honestly life wore me out. Sadly this world is becoming worse every minute... I just want to retire in the countryside with a hot cocoa dramas and books and forget real life... Sadly I probably won't ever unless I change country, I've lived in the countryside before... Well let's just say my childhood wasn't the best due to not being born with the "right" skin color so to speak. Given the current climate - in the figurative and literal sense - who knows if this will ever be possible anyway. Sadly I'm not an evil multi-billiionaire so I don't have enough money to build a private bunker while I'm ruining the environment, people and whatever else to accumulate more wealth.
I'll be happy to follow your other reviews though. Will be checking them out. In the meantime I've just followed you ^^ ( I don't do friends on websites but I do follow when my interest is picked). See you in another review maybe ^^
Ah and no, I actually read a couple of other reviews but yours was the one I aligned with the most. Basically I mostly enjoyed the show but my enjoyment was thoroughly dampened once they started to put the political aspect forward. I wish Vasin had been written more nuanced. Apart from being an entitled piece of filth - sorry, I don't know from which country you're from but this comment:
"i can see the reflections of the world, like most may be able to, in this piece of work. this made me think that world needs a collective revolution against the elite of the world. i live in a "developed" country that is suffering immensely because of those at the helm."
also rings true for mine - I couldn't have any empathy for him... He was just a walking villain caricature and so I couldn't even enjoy hating him... Chat for instance was just as entitled and nasty but at the same time, you could give him some slack and even pity his character given how his father constantly berated him. Not that he didn't do wrong, but if his father had been a better person, he would have kindly told him that he was glad his son was trying to do better but that he needed to go about it in another way. I'm currently 23 minutes in episode 11... Still a long way to go but I hope I'll finish it by Thursday... Rating is probably also going to be a 7... If it wasn't for the annoying characters I'd probably give it between an 8 and a 9 but I'm just too annoyed so a 7 seems fair.
Regarding the other drama I mentionned... I think it's the type of show that you really need to be in the mood to watch. First it's tagged as romance but it's actually not really one though both the main leads indeed fall in love with each other. It feels more like a theater play that was put on screen than a drama... Apart from the first and last episode, most, if not all the action, happens in only two rooms and it's mostly a back and forth between characters exchanging lines.
At first, you start with only the two mains but soon the mother comes in... And this is where through their three people conversations the whole truth is unravelled... Not gonna say more but again... It's not what I would call a BL... Because a BL would focus on the romance even if the ending is tragic... but here it's really more a display of homophobia and its terrible consequences in all its perversity. It's not a "in your face" type of homophobia but rather a "read between the lines type of homophobia"... In fact, I wish this was shown to more people especially those who don't consider themselves homophobic but in reality are. I know a couple of those in my own family and you can't discuss with these people because they're blind to their own flaws. They just don't want to see themselves as such. Just because you don't throw stones and don't insult gay people overtly doesn't mean you're any better just saying. This show just throws their own hypocrisy in their face. It's incredibly well written. No lines are wasted.
This show left me pretty depressed though I'd say the end is hopeful for Pond's character... Pond's mother is nasty, the guy he loves... Well you'll have to watch it to have an opinion... not gonna say what I think, but it's not a positive opinion as far as I'm concerned though I understand where he's coming from, and Pond is definitely the MVP. It is I think the performance I've seen him in. I can't recommend it... and yet it received lots of praises from viewers and it's totally understandable...
I consider my "enjoyment" as the most important criteria when rating a show so for this particular show, I objectively can say it is good, BUT I really didn't enjoy myself AT ALL which is why I ended up giving it an 8...
Which is still a lot if I'm being honest... I think the show deserves a 9.5 or 10 but my enjoyment level was a 3... But I didn't want to give this show less than 8 because I think it's one which deserves to be watched.
Anyway, I understand the curiosity so yeah... better hold it off if you're not in the mood. It does make one very upset. The mother is... I have no word. Nual and Vasin next to her are nothing ( now that I think of it, I shouldn't be as annoyed with these characters but I can't help it) I also think it's better to be warned before watching it... I wish I knew myself but I watched it as it aired... The opening song is great though... Pond is singing it.
https://youtu.be/hmBwoPFI6sk?list=RDhmBwoPFI6sk
Anyway sorry for the long reply 😁
Nual was is a close second on the hate department, though she didn't have as much screentime... The funny thing is that this actress actually acted with Pond in another drama a couple of years ago:
https://kisskh.at/719361-180-degrees-longitude-between-us
If you hated her in here, and you haven't watch this one yet... Well let me tell you, the character she played in this drama is on another level of hateful... I was so pissed off during the whole thing to the point of wondering why I bothered, though, at least Pond who was acting as her son found peace at the end... This is not a "romance drama" by the way... it's more a realistic take on what it is to be gay and the social pressure that leaves people utterly unhappy. Won't rewatch this EVER though arguably it is a good show.
Anyway back to the main topic... I spoiled myself the end so I know what happens though I haven't reached that point yet. I think Vasin got way more than he deserved. The "communists" are still gonna feed his ass in prison... He should have been given the same amount of mercy he wanted to give Phob i.e NONE in my opinion. Would have been great if he ended up dead... OR if Tin died.
That would have been better. Him causing the loss of the son he was so proud of. As a viewer I'd probably have hated this ending but seeing Vasin wallow in self-hate for the rest of his miserable life would have been a treat.
Anyway, show was pretty mid with annoying characters all around (but the FL takes the cake) and utterly predictable ( which is saying something given I don't watch lots of thrillers myself but it's such a used trope that once they said the word " apartment" I already could predict where this was going... Stop it honestly, it's so overdone) so I was going for a 7...
But the two final episodes were the final straw. Waste of time. I'm giving 5 for the actors and the cinematography.
The trailer looked so good though... Talk about disapointment.
I can understand the casting choice given the reasons you mentioned but in that case, that makes it complicated to see a 20 year old supposed to be a psychologist.. It just doesn't work... he's too young, but then again the whole story would have to be changed and that would probably be too complicated so there's that.
Both actors are too skinny but Zhang Zhun who is acted by Shu Yuan is supposed to be thin but muscular... I would say, think Bruce Lee though probably not as muscular. Skinny asian but does martial art so beautiful body overall, pretty firm and solid... They mention several times in the drama about how beautiful he is... It's only when I checked the novel (which is much more graphic but also gives way more in terms of the psychology of the characters) that I understood why they were always talking about Zhang Zhun's beauty... He's got a very beautiful face very "uke" like, so beautiful that he attracts men but also is the reason why he doesn't get lead roles as his face is a bit too pretty, too feminine.
However Shu Yuan... Well face is all personal preference so I won't go there but he is JUST skinny. Not muscular skinny... Just skinny, his body which should be lean and honed by years of martial arts isn't there... This is not the body of somebody who exercises...
The vibe is also too youthful. The novel sells mature characters, you get two baby faced actors.
In fact, apart from the height and acting ability, they're just wrong for the role... No matter how good your actors are if their physique doesn't fit the roles given it's gonna be a hard sell.
Now... Was it bad... No it wasn't... One of the best BLs I've watched... I'm gonna stick with my 9 ratings BUT ... I would recommend to anyone interested in the novel, to read it AFTER watching the drama... Otherwise you won't be able to appreciate it for what it is.
The novel is way better though... It goes darker but both love stories are also more heart-wrenching. Truly beautiful... AND you get epilogues for both stories so that's also great.
I don't think they could have gone farther than what they did in this adaptation though, so overall, well done China.
If it had gone as planned, Phob would be dead now.
Are we supposed to be grateful for foundations or whatever goodwill these rich people grant us when they barely pay any taxes?
Look at what happened in other countries, when the people revolt, it never happens without bloodshed. They should be happy, the military didn't just off their heads.Tinn's father is acting all high and mighty when he just ordered to shoot Phob two episodes earlier, what a joke.
Tinn is collateral damage and it's normal at this point that these two can't be together but let's be clear, it's only sad on an individual level. On the grand scale of things, this would never have happened if the royals were truly serving the country as Tinn's father likes to pretend. People don't like political instability even if the regime is shitty as fudge because it makes it hard to plan for the future. They only revolt when things have taken such a dark turn that they can no longer survive.
As much as the romance in this drama is good, they've only shown servants in "privileged situation", It failed to show in how much turmoil the country was before this revolution happened and how the lack of education of the population helped maintain the country in poverty.
But hey, education?
Never a good idea. Once people get educated, they start to see how incompetent and selfish these elites are, and it becomes difficult to control them... Hence the fact that you only give education to a few, who will pledge loyalty to your ass and contribute to maintain you and your descendants in place... And make them be grateful for it. As Phob said, why the f*** should he feel grateful for getting scraps? The Prince should never even hold the power to choose who is or isn't allowed to get an education in the first place.
It's a whole lot of talk about how the country needs to change but they failed to show the brutality of the regime in place or how much people had it hard. The scene were they interrogate the two soldiers is pretty laughable. As if they were questioned like that. Both dude were tortured, let's be real. It wasn't a nice chitchat in front of a table but the drama has no balls so it doesn't show how nasty it was behind the scene.
Is it because it has to remain family friendly... or because the monarchy is still part of the fabric of the political system in Thailand?
Anyway, this is why everybody is crying over Tinn and Phob's betrayal instead of how this regime just had to go. Most of the empathy goes to Tinn, when it should go the people.
In my country, royalty hasn't existed for centuries, yet these nobles' descendants are still wealthy, still holding properties still building wealth thanks to the wealth their ancestors got from exploiting others.
They only cry because they no longer have as much as before. Cry me a river.
Right now, losing Phob seems like the end the world. Neither Tin nor his family has ever experienced any hardship, let them taste even a hint of what the people of this country have been through and you'll get that your little love story is but a vague souvenir when there's no food on the table and your children are condemned to suffer the same fate generations after generations because unless your "masters" are nice enough, you'll never get any education to rise above your condition.
I like Tinn as an individual, but he is so into his privileged life that "poverty" or "harship" are just concepts in his head. He understands their meaning but they don't carry weight. Otherwise what Phob did wouldn't appear like a "betrayal" but a necessity.
'Course Phob could have told him... but in that case either he helped him and if it failed, he would have been implicated at some point and executed for betraying the crown, or he would have betrayed Phob...
WHICH... he actually did. I don't remember if Tinn ever admitted to Phob giving him a fake schedule for whichever day they'd initially planned the revolution... He knew it was fake... AND YET he gave it to Phob. He had doubts about Phob's stance and YET HE GAVE IT TO HIM.
Everybody is playing the amnesia card on that. Now he was forced by his father? Sure. Well Phob didn't want to use Tinn either... Sadly he's not doing it for his personal privileges but to build a more egalitarian system.
Thankfully they didn't go with the plan that they had initially designed, otherwise Phob would actually be dead and Tinn would be the one crying because " Oh I should have understood him..." or whatever. The mere fact that Phob is still alive is sheer luck... while the military's coup has been made to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. Not to say they're saints but still the Royalty executes rebels , the Military doesn't kill the royals.
Anyway, neither of them has been the perfect lover in this mess so nope sorry. Tinn is not the most wronged party here. Your father and your brother are always treating the man you love like sh***, I'm still waiting for you to tell them that Phob is not an animal but a human being that deserves respect.
As for Phob's mother... The royal brainwashing worked wonders on you. Go lick their feet if you want, I'm glad your son has managed to get the pride and dignity you lack.
But I'm not commenting on this website.
So nope, neither of them is worse in this relationship... More on that below.
I can't help it but on the other side it makes me feel like I'm a bad person to rejoice at their sufferring. I mean... They definitely deserved what they got... But it just feels like I should be "satisfied" but not "happy" about it... But... well. Can't say I'm not happy about it... Gah... I don't know...
I think he deserves happiness so I'm glad Ning'er is nuts enough to embrace him... But I don't necessarily approve of the whole process.
Hopefully "off camera", he learned to control that nasty temper of his.
On the other hand the death of *insert character* was completely unnessary. I got "The Prisoner of Beauty" trauma... Do I now have to consider that in these C dramas, because now they're mostly avoiding tragedies and giving us HE, they feel required to kill the most likeable characters?
I'm tired of getting attached to characters that are bound to die near the end due to the "we need to give them a bittersweet ending" rule.
EDIT: AH! I forgot... I know Chinese love their dramatic scenes but come ON' guys! The last episode is ridiculous! You have several things happening at the same time near the same place, yet one side has thunder and rain POURING with an overall completely grey and cloudy sky and the other has a bright blue sky...
Not even grey... Bright blue... I was like WTF? Sometimes it happens, two places next to each other have different weather but hey, there's no walls in the sky... If it's raining here and not there, usually the sky is a uniform grey everywhere, not bright blue here and grey there.... Suspension of disbelief has its limit you know?
Also I REALLY want to know what type of fiber Ning Er and Xie Wei bodyguard's clothes are made of. They were literally drenched as if they had swam in a swimming pool but a couple of minutes later, they're all perfectly dry like nothing happenned. That's fantasy level at this point. I happened to be drenched myself a couple of time and sadly when you're still wearing the clothes in questions, it takes a couple of hours to be completely dry (especially the underwear) so I WANT TO KNOW, what kind of magic is this? (On a side note there's also Ning Er's make up but well at this point...)
I personally think people are being overly dramatic in the comment section. Sure, it could have been more explicit in the explanations, but I don't think the whole drama should be thrown under the bus because of the last 4 episodes... I personally wish we had gotten a bit more silliness in the last 2... and it was mostly contemplative for sure but no it doesn't deserve a 5. But again that's just my opinion.
I don't think the writing was sloppy but some things could have been done better for sure.
It ended up being slightly different, as Seo Ri travels to the past AGAIN, saves the Grand Prince and by some weird magic goes back to the present AGAIN. And for some mysterious reasons, Dan Shim back in her own time remembers she has befriended the Prince? That's a bit... err nonsensical? While the Prince falls in love with Seo RI/Dan Shim it makes, sense he's in love with her but it doesn't make sense that Dan Shim is in love with the Prince or that she acts like Seo Ri with the same spunk... After all though they share the same soul, they don't necessarily have the same personality but whatev'.
But since everybody was insisting on the reincarnation thingy, and there was nothing that proved my theory was more plausible than the classic reincarnation trope... I gave it up at some point... There was also some strong arguments playing in favor of the reincarnation trope, so I caved in. Only to find that my "wild theory" that I had written weeks ago, vehemently argued against by some members ( not complaining here, we're here to discuss different ideas) was indeed the "right theory".
Well... Lesson for the future: Next time, I'll only trust myself instead. I might be completely wrong, but better be wrong because I guessed wrong than be wrong because I followed everyone. Especially since it gives a satisfying ending on my part, though this ending might be understandably frustrating for some viewers.
Anyway I really loved most of the show, but I do think it lost some steam for the last 4. Still, a solid 8.5 for me in spite of some plot points given up halfway and some illogical nonsense. It was still mostly entertaining so I'm giving it a pass. It was great for 10 episodes... Mid for ep 11- 12 and some good and meh for ep 13-14... Didn't finish with a bang but still left me with a smile.
EDIT: OK. Now I remember the comment in question and that I told you I answered below and what did I wrote? :
https://kisskh.at/788412-brave-new-world#comment-26449640
"Nah Se gye is fighting... They've hinted at it when we see him being questioned at the police station. He's hinted that somebody is behind his misfortune and proposed a deal with the policeman... We've never seen the aftermath of that. Also, a couple of episodes again while talking with his secretary they mentioned the fact that they're gathering evidence but that now wasn't the right time to use them or that they didn't enough at the moment. "
So exactly what hapenned. Not that Se Gye wasn't doing anything. The show had already hinted that things were happenning in the background,.. unlike what you wrote actually, saying Se Gye wasn't doing anything... So I don't really understand this answer of yours... It's got nothing linked with the spidey sense you talked about... and for the other part you were actually wrong.
2. I haven't watched the last two episodes yet and have avoided this page to avoid spoilers so far. Fortunately, I don't remember which comment you're talking about . Could have been a big spoiler on your part... I can deduce you were disappointed though...
Well. I'd argue that the show was overall pretty nice in spite of a less than stellar ending. It wasn't enough to ruin the whole experience ( or so I hope since at the time I'm watching this, I've yet to watch the end).
Honestly I liked that for once I didn't have to commit to 40 episodes for a C drama and also the fact that appart from the two first episodes, each episodes is around 30 minutes, opening and ending included (except episode 8 which is 40mn if I remember well).
It's a solid 8 for me... Most ratings on MDL are inflated but this is one instance where I think people have been pretty unfair with the show ( to be fair 7.6 isn't a bad rating per say, but given the ratings habit of the MDL community, no drama which overall rating is below 8 can be considered "good").
I liked it though I'm removing 2 points for episode 10 to 12... Too rushed, had to rely too much on suspension of disbelief with one character taking weird decision given their profile, another surviving God knows how etc. I felt that for these 3 episodes, they should have made the episodes longer, or add 2 or 3 to make it more coherent...
I also didn't like the fact that one character was carrying guilt they weren't responsible for. One such guilt was never truly clarified with the other so their stance at the end was a bit weird.
All in all, for a 12 episodes drama, they did pretty well but the drama would have been better with a slightly longer length.
Still it was different from your usual C drama fare, so just for that, I would recommend it if you're craving something fresh and short.... Just be aware that although it ends with a hopeful message, most of the stories in this show are pretty tragic, so don't watch this when you're feeling a bit blue.
I love my C drama historicals and wuxias but it's nice to get something different from time to time. It's sad China doesn't produce more of those but I guess it's more difficult to navigate censorship with that genre.