Kannadin

So... editing an article initially published in November, wiping all previous comments and posting it as if it's something new?

Well done MDL. It keeps getting better.

Next time just create a NEW article, even if it's just changing the pictures, at least the posting date will have changed.

And yeah I clearly remember my comment from a month ago with Jun Ji Hyun having a normal picture and Ji Chang Wook having on the most bleached filter ever clearly making his skin glow like a ghost. Guess changing colored pictures for black and white ones just remove the problem all together.

OH come on'! You're being a bit unfair here. He initially didn't want anything in return. He just wanted her to be safe.

I'm currently seeing him turning dark but honestly... Still can't hate him. Given his background i.e a life literally being trampled by everyone, it's no wonder he became obsessed with the first person who gave him something and didn't treat him like dirt.

Ming Yi might not want anything in return for her actions, but as Ming Xian, she got fame and glory something this poor dude hasn't tasted at all.
His brothers walked all over him, his father doesn't care and is plotting nefarious things on top of trying to ruin the woman he loves. There's literally no light anywhere for him... except for the moth lady. Could have been great if he could see her, but she's a moth, and moth belong to the night, not the light, which might explain why he's so blind to her devotion.

Doesn't excuse whatever he's gonna do later (I'm on episode 29 ) but that just can't make me hate him. He's far less despicable than Mu Qi Bai who didn't care for innocent people's lives to achieve his goals.

🤣🤣🤣
I'll see if I feel like you by the end of the show 😂

I think it's great though. I prefer that type of villain over those who just make me want to break my screen 🤣

I've just finished episode 27... Not a lot of episodes left to make me hate him but we'll see 😎

Oh... Well the thing is... He's not that annoying is he?
I mean yes he's completely delulu for sure, but if it wasn't for him how many times Ming Yi would have died?

I'm more annoyed when we have a delulu guy that is basically making the FL's life difficult by plotting against the ML to create some misunderstandings between the leads but him?

He always helped her... even helping Ji Bo Zai at times...
Maybe he's turning dark later I don't know, but if he does, honestly, I don't see exactly how I could even be remotely annoyed. He's gone through so much for the FL, no wonder he's accumulated too much frustration. He's bound to explode at some point.

Of course, he can't take no for an answer... But if it was the case, there wouldn't be any DRAMA so this explains that.

From which episode am I supposed to hate Situ Ling exactly? I'm at episode 27 and the only thing I've felt so far for him is utter pity.

He's the most pathetic third wheel I've seen in a while. Usually third wheels in C dramas piss me off but given the number of times he's put his neck out for Ming Yi, more even than Ji Bo Zai, honestly I feel for him.

The heart wants what it wants and it's not like she's not clear regarding where she stands but man... poor dude.

EDIT: I forgot the fox lady as well. She's even more pathetic.

I mean as long as they don't feature any such scenes I'm fine with it but that's also my issue with this casting.

Personally I don't need anything too graphic, but I do enjoy a couple of intimate scenes here and there. It's like they're building some romantic tension but there's never any "release" onscreen. Why cast someone so young if it limits the type of things you can do?

It reminds me of one drama I heard about which aired this year, forgot the title. Apparently the actress had explicitly written in her contract that she wasn't going to kiss in the drama.
Except she was cast as a lead in a ROMANCE drama in which she was supposed to play a girl who moved from one guy to the other until she met "the one". Needless to say, people complained and rightfully so.

Anyhow, I think this casting is a bad choice. Sure they're probably going to work around this problem... Its not like directors are not used to deal with sometimes unpredictable censorship rules in the first place, it's just that as I wrote, I like my romance with a tiny bit of spice, and sadly I already know I have to make peace with the fact that there won't be any spice here given this poor casting choice.

Doesn't mean I think the drama will be bad... But I will always miss what we could have had, had they cast an older actress.

The responsibility lies with the ADULTS hence her parents, the production company. Whatev'

But from your answer, you're hell bent on convincing yourself everyone is out here to get your favorite actor so you're trying to UNO card people to put the blame on the girl where basically none of them need to bear any responsibility in the first place as discussed by other commenters below.

You're obviously not worth answering to. My bad.

What the fudge are you talking about?

I scrolled down, haven't seen a single comment bashing the Male Lead for doing his job. Everybody is talking about the casting choice i.e the people who are working IN the production.

Some of you really can't take any criticism with a cool head, anything is always taken personally as if people are always out there to troll your favorite shows or actors. Most people don't give a sheep about all your fanwars.

Also your last sentence is totally ridiculous. Young people are known to NOT be aware of their own actions, that's why they're targeted by companies and manipulators: Most famous example is obviously smoking and/or vaping. Very important to hook them while they're young... But actually anything goes: Gambling, Plastic surgery and make-up ( seriously teenagers these days using anti-aging creams...), showing sexy dance on TikTok to sell your butt on Only Fan as soon as you're an adult etc...

Until the age of 23 for girls, and 25 for boys, the brain is not fully developed (i.e notably your FRONTAL lobe including the prefrontal cortex responsible for decision-making) and even then, you need a little bit of life experience to make sound decisions.

Doesn't mean they can't make any, but as long as they're not 18, it's the production company's responsibility to avoid these type of situations.

Stop seeing hate for your favorites where there's not, take a step back and read with a cool head.

Lots of us here are ADULTS, real ones, not even YOUNG adults but OLD ones and we're way more aware of how disturbing this is.

In hindsight, you realize there's lots of situations you were put in when you were young, especially when you're a girl, that were never really a choice but more subtle manipulation to get you where people wanted you to be. ESPECIALLY when it comes to sexuality for that matter, though that's not the subject here.

So... Currently watching Love in the Clouds and thoroughly enjoying myself so I came here to take a look at some of Hou Ming Hao's next dramas and I'm like... I think I must have seen this actress before but wasn't she very young?

Turns out I saw her before in My Journey to You and in The Double... and well...

What to say. She's only 17 so from what I gather still a minor... And she was probably 16 when this was filmed.

Teenage dramas exist that features kiss scenes between teenagers but I personally can't watch a grown-ass man kiss a girl that isn't even legally an adult.

In fact even at 18, that would have been a problem to me... There's a difference between an 11 years old gap between a 30 year-old woman and a 41 year-old man who both have lived so to speak... and an 18 year-old girl who's just out of childhood ( or not because honestly you're only an adult on paper as far as I'm concerned) and a 29 year-old man who's got more than 10 years of adult-life under his belt.

But... it is acting and in the world of make-believe, so even if I'm a bit err... not at ease with the whole thing, at least if she was 18 years-old that would have been mildly ok.

SADLY, SHE'S NOT.

Which is... complicated. On one side, I don't see where is the problem as long as there's no intimate scenes.
On the other side... err What's the point of a romance drama without intimate scenes? I mean Chinese dramas are already very tame in that respect but here I'm left a bit puzzled.

I'm sorry, but even if there's not a lot of them, when there's ROMANCE, I need a couple of kisses here and there or at least some skinship... But how can they show any skinship here given this disturbing casting?

Truly, some people smoke some weed casting this girl as main. Couldn't they wait 2 more years seriously?
This is beyond ridiculous.

EDIT: Ah... And of course, I'm going to completely men-in-black myself the age of this FL and totally watch it, because I'm trash, and can go on a full discourse about how disturbing this is... all the while not being able to stand by my own principles.🙄🙄🙄

This guy is never coming back ever. He probably loves acting but hates all the hassle that comes with celebrity.

Or maybe he's waiting to come back when he's 60 or older to be sure he's not stalked by some sasaeng fan.
Can't blame the dude. Glad I haven't watched any of his project... Not a fan so I don't care but I truly feel for those who enjoyed watching him on their screen.

How I wish I could just binge this but sadly real life is getting in the way 😭😭😭

Best C drama I've watched this year so far. Already made it to my favorite list.

Also side note: Quan Yi Lun is too gorgeous, he's wasted as a side role. Please give this guy a lead role ASAP in a MAJOR drama, you're wasting his pretty face!

Can't really say because Bad Buddy is another genre all together. Lots of people loved it, I, though, Bad Buddy was just Ok.
Not Me does contain romance but it's much more politically oriented. It's a show that tries to tackle social issues in Thailand ( within the limits of censorship). Some of the issues talked about in it, such as gay marriage, have changed in Thailand since then, but the show still resonates today.
The only caveat is GMMTV's jarring product placement, but apart from that, as far as I'm concerned, it was great from start to finish.

Bottom line, It's not all fluff though the romance is also pretty great in my opinion.
Gun in particular is stellar in it. By far OffGun best series yet. I'm still waiting for something to top it.

I watched it 3 times and will probably keep watching it.

Well just started episode 9...
There's some good, there's some bad.
The pace is pretty consistent throughout. In episode 9, there's quite a lot of revelations but pace-wise it doesn't change. It's a show that is just slow. It moves at its own pace.

Personally right now, I would rate this one between 7.5 and 8.5. Jury is still out but it certainly won't be as high as the overall ratings of this show though I understand that I'm part of the minority.

On paper the show should have been great, and visually it is quite pretty, but I find the writings for some characters to be lacking... It's especially the case for Khemjira ( more on that by another commenter below who as usual got attacked by the opinion police).

I wish I could love this as much as everyone but I just can't connect with most of these characters. So far my favorite character is Peem but sadly he's paired with the most dull character ever, so one of the main draw of the show falls flat to me.

I feel the pace is sluggish, the mystic and religious/cultish vibe is great but the romance is subpar ( for the life of me I just don't get the first couple. The second couple is OK though).

Anyway, can't tell you to do drop it because I do think this show has lots of good qualities... But can't tell you not to, because I get your comment about the pace.

Mind you, compared to most BLs (especially GMMTVs), this one is so unique and different that it deserves to be given a shot just for that.

At the end of the day though... We watch dramas for entertainment... If you're not entertained，what's the point of sticking with it?

3 episodes is already a quarter of a series... I think it's a pretty good number to see if a show connects with you or not.

I never said nor thought you made in personal. I understand your answer though, given the answers above. MDL is filled with people who are taking personally any criticisms regarding their favorite shows and/or actors.

The concept of "we can agree to disagree" without having to trade insults and/or personal attacks seems to be a foreign concept for lots of members.

Fortunately, there's a quick solution for that called the "Block button"... of which I'm particularly fond of.

I wouldn't have phrased it like that... But let's just say that I get your point and I agree with it. Khem is just terribly bland. 8 episodes in and I just don't get why Peem has feelings for him. The character he is reincarnated from , Khemmika, had more spunk than him.

I like the whole concept but I just can't connect with this character. I'm not familiar with this actor so I don't know if it comes from the way he's acting or the writing...
Probably a mix of both.

Bottom line... I don't like this show as much as everyone else and it's mostly due to his portrayal... But it still a cut WAY ABOVE most Thai BLs out there, so I've just decided to try not to be annoyed at how bland and lifeless this character is.

Side Note: Also I have to say that at least you're one of the few members that own up to their own opinion and doesn't create a fake account to post controversial opinions so just for that, you get my thumb up.

Yeah well comedy shows are a specific branch... It's more one episode - one story... It's not really my thing, but yeah. I guess that's one genre where the multi seasons format works fine.

Yumi's Cells, Study Group and Weak Hero Class One are all webtoon adaptations so having several seasons is normal since one season just can't cover everything...

My point is more regarding series specifically made for TV... Though again that doesn't mean I'm always against it.... but honestly most of the time, I am.

I was a bit on edge regarding the second season of Alchemy of Souls but at the end of the day, it worked with the plot. They didn't change the actress for no reason... Though I've got to admit... I wish they had taken another actress... for some reason I couldn't connect well with the new one. But plotwise it was fine imho.

Lol also... I like action scenes... I don't like things which are gory... These are two different things.

I have absolutely no issues with Chinese costume dramas and there's often lots of fighting scenes in those, well -choregraphed. It's almost like watching a dance show. But you're not going to see gory details such as an eyeball being taken out, a guy being beheaded, a wound with pus coming out or whatnot. If it's graphic, they're going to cut it at the last second. We don't need to see more.

K dramas used to be like that ( I mean in the early 2000s they would even blur knives) but a couple of years ago, a shift happened and here we are.

THANK YOU very much for the link!

Always a nightmare to find anything on the platform... I usually try with the title in Pinyin or the name of the author but both methods didn't work this time...

I don't mind a bit of violence... But I don't like when it feels gratuitous or when it's too graphic. I don't really see the point of showing an eye out of its eye socket, a detached arm or whatever...

It's not like I avoid violence all together... But again, It feels to me that people are increasingly desensitized to it due to being overexposed and so when I talk about my concerns , sometimes I get strong reactions from people telling me I'm too sensitive or whatnot (not talking about you, just saying globally).

I was planning on watching "Walking on Thin Ice" at some point though... Is it really graphic?

I have yet to watch Weak Hero Class One... I'm interested but this one is like "The Glory". I read it's about school bullying and as someone who's gone through that myself in Middle school ( and I'm old btw, turning 40 next year - these things don't ever disappear from one's head sadly) the bullying part always gets to me. I really need to be in a good state of mind to watch shows that deal with this particular issue.

I'll get around to watch both eventually though.

I'm not too much into political heavy shows either but I do enjoy straying from my favorite genres from time to time... This being said in that area, I'm more interested in "The Art of Negociation".

Also planning on watching Death Game at some point as well.... My TBW list is ridiculously long: K, C, Thai Dramas + Anime and Donghua.
And life is busy... Maybe when I'm retired I'll manage to make them shorter, but sadly for the moment, these lists are getting longer each year.

Especially since I'm also an avid reader.

I was planning on watching The Defect but I've fortunately been warned by another watcher earlier this year, so didn't bother.

Finally on the topic of multi-seasons... The issue for me is that a story should have a Beginning, a Middle and an End.

The issue with that system is that these multi-seasons shows are not here to tell you a complete story. They're made to hook an audience. They often have a strong 1st season to get you hooked and attached to the characters and then they pile up seasons after seasons after seasons not to get to an end but to keep their audience ( and sell subscriptions/ads or both).

Each season the story gets worse... because again, the idea is not to complete the story but rather to make it last as long as possible.

You keep on watching because you're always hoping the spark of the first season comes back... which never happens.

Still, in spite of the overall quality going downhill, you still stick to it because you've invested so much time, it would be a complete waste to drop the series without knowing the end...

Sadly at some point even that twisted reasoning doesn't work anymore when you're past season 9, and you end up dropping it, cursing yourself for not having dropped it earlier.

Once lots of people have dropped said show and it no longer brings enough profits compared to the money invested, finally these scriptwriters bother to conclude their series...

And usually the end is pretty shitty because obviously it's not like they planned it in the first place and with all the twists and turns to milk the series' potential until the last drop of milk, even if the ending had been planned in the beginning, it just no longer make sense by the end of the series' run.

So yeah nope. Not a big fan... I see Netflix and Disney + are trying to change the K drama landscape with their BS and I'm not happy about it... But at the end of the day, that will just make me watch less K dramas... Which is not that bad given the number of dramas from other countries that I want to watch.

Yes, I always look at things on the bright side 😎

EDIT: Of course there's some exceptions such as Alchemy of Soul or Signal but in both cases. I'd say it's more Part 1 and Part 2 then Season 1 and 2 if you see what I mean.