Finished! It took me 2 years to watch and I'm glad I finally did.
I loved the story, the characters, the cast, the acting was brilliant, the music fitted well, etc.
The story was a mind game from the beginning till the end. We never know who's with who, as they constantly change side, or we get a twist and changes everything. Or I think that the story will go into that direction and they change it. It kept me on edge from the beginning till the end.
To be honest, in the beginning I felt it a bit too heavy for me, especially the first episode. For me it was too cruel, that sweet couple and their unborn baby and how they died was too much. I really cried, and the first episode felt like forever. Also, I did take breaks and watched something light.
However, as the story got along, it got interesting and I got into the story. We see Na Yi Je who took 3 years to plan and go against the ones who got him in jail. Also, he wanted to get justice for the sweet couple and their unborn baby, for his mother, Han Bit and other people who were innocent but were used as scapegoats for the powerful to hide their sins.
It was also interesting because we see the characters who are against each other plan and do things to each other contansly. It was from the beginning till the end, an ongoing battle. Most of the time, I did not guess.
Also, I was going to write it is a battle of good vs evil, but who is good and who is evil? Ok, Lee Jae Joon is totally evil.
Meanwhile, Na Yi Je is right to get revenge and I totally understand his reasons, but is he totally good? For me, not totally. That's why it is interesting and more realistic. This is not the Power Rangers, Marvel, DC, the Hero Academio or other superheroes, who manage to always save the day and do it by always taking the good path.
This drama shows us that to take down the ones who are more powerful than you, have more money than you, have connections, bribe lots of people, etc, you need to play dirty. So, Na Yi Je, yes ok, he tried his best to do good, but sometimes he failed and the things he did were not totally right, somtimes crazy and questionable. The good thing is that he he never resorted to murder intentionally at least.
Also, this drama is kind of heavy, but they at least gave us some happy moments. Like Prosecutor Jung Ui Shik and Oh Jung Hee were totally cute together. I enjoyed their sweet moments.
Also, Lee Jae Hwan was a total jerk, violent and needed a good hit, but he really changed his ways throughout the drama. So, I totally found him hilarious in prison. In my language, we have an expression that says ''Sab kappell jiġih''. It literally means ''He found a hat that fits him.’' But, it actually means that he found his match or he found someone who stood up to him and get what he deserves.
Like yes, Lee Jae Hwan contributed to get rid of the main jerk of all, Lee Jae Joon, but I still cannot forgive him about that sweet couple and their unborn baby. And then to make it worse, he went into the surgery room and demanded for Na Yi Je to treat the small scar of his sister. I totally cannot forget that scene at all.
I also enjoyed the battle between Na Yi Je and Sun Min Shik. Sun Min Shik is a greedy jerk, and I totally enjoyed watching Na Yi Je win against him each time till the end. It was satisfying.
Anyway, definitely worth a watch. I recently heard that there will be a second season. The drama kind of had an ending. But it kind of seemed that Lee Jae Joon still has tricks or plans up his sleeve. I don't know if they will use a new villain or keep the same one, but I will look forward to it.
I loved the story. Yes, it is nothing new, like the fight for the throne, enemies everywhere, trying to kill each other, etc, but I enjoyed it and kept me watching.
To be honest, I decided to watch this drama, mostly because of the female lead, Han Shi Yi / Han Yuan Niang who disguised herself as a guy and also she has a reason for it. She is similar to Hua Mulan, who took her brother's place to protect her family.
I really like her character. She is intelligent, witty, clever, knows martial arts, knows how to get along with people, kind, generous, always keeps a promise, knows how to be resourceful, is fair and just, knows a personal revenge will bring more harm, etc.
Yes, she may have lied, brought trouble, acted a lot, acted as a playboy, acted stupid and naughty in the imperial college, etc and this is mostly in the beginning of the drama, but she did it all for a reason. You can say the reason for it all was because the Emperor was afraid that the Han family would rebel and use their army to go against him.
Yes, they could have, but Han Shi Yi's father was a good man, loyal and could never have done that. So, Han Shi Yi had to act stupid, indifferent and brought trouble, etc around the Capital and in the Imperial College, in order for the Emperor to think that her family would never go against him and his throne.
I really feel sorry for her, her Han family and the people in her army who died for nothing. Like, all her efforts were for nothing. Anyway, the Emperor, the Wang family and probably other officials felt threatened by them, and probably would have found another excuse to get rid of them and damn they succeeded.
The story may have started light and comedy moments, but in the middle, there was a change and started to get dark. You can say it got worse, when Han Shi Yi went back to the northern border, where her family is at and while Chen Yang Yi / 5th Prince went to the other border because of an attack from their enemies. Then because Wang Zhong Yu's father sold information to their enemies, and the Emperor did not help them in any way, the Han army got wiped out.
For the ending. To be honest, I read some of the comments below and said that they ruined the ending. From this I assumed that Han Shi Yi and the 5th Prince would not get a happy ending together. I kind of prepared myself for the worst.
What makes me a bit angry, is that they gave us hope that they would end up together. We see this the moment Han Shi Yi jumps of the cliff and gets amnensia (I guessed that this would happen) and we finally see her dressed as a girl. This happens from episode 20 onwards. She meets the 5th Prince again and although he lies to her, we see sweets moments together and we kind of hope that they have a happy ending. Though, deep down I knew it was wrong for the Prince to lie to Han Shi Yi. It was a temporary fake happiness.
The last episode made me cry a lot. I knew that there was no hope for them, especially when Han Shi Yi misunderstood Chen Yang Yi / 5th Prince. She thought that the 5th Prince used her, her family and her army as a stepping stone to become an Emperor.
Also, to be fair, I knew that if the writers wanted to make this right, they would never make Han Shi Yi the Empress.
Why? As Wang Zhong Yu said, Han Shi Yi is an eagle who is free and is her best when she soars up in the sky. She would never be happy in the palace as Chen Yang Yi / 5th Prince would trap her inside as he kind of got obsessed with her.
Also, she may be a woman, but she was raised differently from women from that time. She was raised with ideals, raised as a warrior, raised as a leader and to take over her family's army, raised with a duty to protect her people and her country, raised with expectations from her father who trusted her a lot and was proud of her, etc.
The Imperial Palace would limit her and make her go crazy. The politics, the harem, the stuff that goes in the palace are stupid for her and she would prefer to roam around the world and be free if she did not have the responsibility of her family, and she did say so herself.
I wrote all this, but I still feel sad for Han Shi Yi and Chen Yang Yi. I still wish that in some way they had their happy ending.
However, since she later on discovered that she misunderstood the Prince, she may have felt that it was not her place to go back to him and also the other reasons I mentioned.
Moreover, we kind of know she decided to let go, because she gave away the necklace the 5th Prince gave her.
At least Wang Zhong Yu had the guts to tell her that it was his father's doing and the 5th Prince was innocent. That at least, Han Shi Yi cleared her misunderstanding.
It is sad for the leads, but I think it's the right ending and with all the things that happened in the story, it makes sense for it to end that way.
After all, life is not always a happy ending and yes ok this is a drama, and we all love a happy ending between the leads.
But I'm realising that sometimes we need endings like this to remind us not to take anything for granted, keep our loved ones close, keep our friends close, try to not fight because of useless stuff, try not to be selfish or greedy, be happy for what we have, try to not get jealous for what other people have that you do not, etc.
Yes, it is difficult, we are all humans, we sin, and life is unfair, etc. But if we take a little step towards the right path, we hopefully can make the world a better place.
Ok, I totally did not expect to get this deep from this drama and sound all righteous as I'm the last person in the world who should say all this, but I felt that way and wrote it.
Anyway, great acting, the leads were cute together, but the kiss scenes were a flop. I liked the cast and characters, the martial arts scenes, the background and places, the costumes, the music and the story overall.
Btw, they really made the actress playing as Han Shi Yi look as a man, well done! They made her hair like the men, less makeup and even her behaviour was like a guy. It really made us believe she was a guy. She was handsome as a man and she was also pretty as a woman.
I still recommend anyone to watch, although the ending will definitely not to be liked by everyone. It depends on what you are looking for, what you want to watch and the mood you might be in to watch. In my experience, that affects a lot. Anyway, I'll stop her and still sad about the ending.
the whole series is subbed on yt (GMMTV's official channel). Here you have the playlist c:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Vx_d5R3dk&list=PLo8dqgdBbe4Xfui6BMAdVqkCeGJKzdUoW&index=6
As a thai BL drama, for the story, it is really a huge improvement. For once, the story does not focus on high school or university romance only. It focuses more on the ''suicide'' of Jane and as they dig in her case, they found out that she was actually murdered and find out that there is more to it than just murder.
Then we see the romance of Doctor Bun and Teacher Tan, which is more to the side really, and we mostly see them investigate the murder of Jane and they get help along the way.
I really enjoyed the story. It kept me on edge and I kept watching to see what will happen and if my guesses were correct.
Also, I need to mention this. The story made sense, one thing lead to another and we as the viewers get to guess and discover stuff with Doctor Bun, Teacher Tan and other characters involved. As sometimes, in thai BL dramas, the plot tends to get lost, or does not have any point at the end of the drama.
Back to the story. To be honest, I guessed who most of the villains were or the people involved in this huge mess (they were involved in human trafficking, prostitution, drugs, murders, violence, rape, abuse, etc), so the story wasn't the most original or had the most shocking twists.
Also, I kind of guessed that Jane might have been killed by her sister, Rung. But to be fair, I got the hint at the party, where all the people involved were sitting on the same table. So, since Jane's sister was sitting there as well, I had the ugly gut feeling that she killed Jane. I kind of hoped that she didn't, but we finally get to see that she did kill her and also killed Pued.
I still cannot get over it. I cannot get why Rung did that to Jane. Rung claimed that she loved Jane, but her jealousy towards the relationship of Pued and Jane, her focus for her career to succeed, her thirst for revenge and power, the pain she went through (as apparently, she was used as a prostitute for powerful people) and whatever reason she came up with, made her deviate to the dark path.
For the actors playing Doctor Bun and Teacher Tan. Their acting and chemistry really improved a lot from the drama 'Together with Me'. Yes, they had more kiss scenes in Together with Me and their kiss scenes were awesome, but I felt something off. Their acting and chemistry wasn't that great, in my opinion at least.
In 'Manner of Death', yes, they had less kiss scenes and their kiss scenes are still awesome, but I liked them more in this drama. Their acting really improved a lot and their chemistry is much better.
Although the actor playing Doctor Bun still needs to improve. He tends to scrunch his eyes a lot, and from his expressions, he does not convince me the emotions he acts. Especially when he was crying. But to give him credit, he really improved.
For the rest of the cast, great acting. Especially, the actors playing Jane and Rung. For me, they were the greatest. I also liked all the characters, they were all involved and useful in the story.
Moreover, I loved the place they filmed in. Thailand does really have beautiful places. I wish to visit someday.
Btw, for the ending. A happy ending for Doctor Bun and Teacher Tan. The way Tan proposes to Bun was really unique. I would have hit him instead for scaring the heck out of me.
For Jane and the journalist Pat. A sad ending. At least, the villains got what they deserved, so their deaths weren't in vain. For Peud, I do feel sad for him, but he was at fault as well, but he didn't deserve to die either.
A huge clap for Jane, for doing her best to expose the congressman, the head of the police, the judge and her sister. I'm assuming that she knew that she would get killed or had back up in case she got killed.
She kept the evidence in 2 ways. One, when she returned the fairytale book to Bum. She wrote her email and password in it, and in this email account she saved the evidence. Two, she gave the SD card with the evidence inside to Pat.
For Pat, it might have been a faster way, for the evidence to get out and expose the villains, but that failed. So, her backup, the more subtle way, worked.
Anyway, I liked this drama. Definitely worth a watch! ^_^
Currently watching......and on episode 22 (30/03/2021 at 4pm)
The main couple, Shen Jin and Chu Xiu Ming are cute, have awesome chemistry, love their kiss scenes (which are a lot <3), love their relationship, love how they are sweet to each other, etc.
However, the story is kind of pointless, somtimes boring and leads to nowhere. It is like based on their misunderstandings towards each other as they tend to hide things from each other, jealousy of Shen Jin towards her husband, then sometimes jealousy of Chu Xiu Ming towards his wife, etc.
Yes, there is a little ongoing plot about the mysterious death of Chu Xiu Ming's Aunt and her husband, the palace, about Shen Jin's family, etc, but it's kind of really on the side.
Also, some people commented below about the behaviour of Shen Jin (female lead). Yes, in the part of when they were living together in the manor near the barracks, she was at times, a little annoying and immature. However, you can say she was like that because of her husband, as he mostly never told her anything at all. Yes, ok he thought she was a spy and did not trust her immediately, but as he fell in love with her, he could have opened more to her and talked to her more.
Also, you can say, that the writers made her that way, since she literally had time on her hands, and mostly spend her time doing nothing and waits for her husband who come back at the end of the day or does not come back at all, and so her time could be filled by nick picking things on her husband.
Now, currently in the part where they went to live in the capital, I'm glad she decided to open up a business and she is more mature, trusts more her husband and understanding. And please note, she mostly tells her husband everything and discuses things with him, while he still does not tell her everything.
Yes, it's palace work, political work, etc, and may not be her business. But by now, he should know that Shen Jin is intelligent, is more street wise, is really social and knows how to get along with people and knows how to pick locks. She really can be a good adviser. Also, by now we see that when he hides things from her, it turns into a huge misunderstanding and a disaster.
Moreover, what I'm really mad about, is everyone around her is discouraging her because of her business, and saying that her main duty is to be a wife, takes care of her husband, raise children, etc. (Her husband though is the only one who supported her a lot and even gave her money to start with).
Ok, the usual thing we see in historical dramas and that the point of women is stay still, be pretty, be a puppet, or be a trophy, raise kids, take care of their husband, etc. Yes, I know, but for some reason in this drama, it is really bothering me and I'm getting annoyed at that. Ok lol, I got that out and continue watching......
EDIT: (30/03/2021 at 9.30pm)
Finished! A happy ending to everyone, expect for the main villain.
We find out what happened to Chu Xiu Ming's Aunt and the 8th Prince, and along the way, we get hints and I kind of guessed that the old man was suspicious and then realised he might be the 8th Prince.
Moving on, Shen Jin got kidnapped. It was kind of obvious where Shen Jin was put when she was kidnapped. In the beginning of the last episode, I immediately said that she was in the secret room and it took most of the last episode to find her. Anyway, Chu Xiu Ming found her and happy ending.
It was really hilarious when the emperor did not want to be one anymore, since his brother the 8th Prince was still alive. Since the 8th Prince did not want it either, Chu Xiu Yuan and Rounan became Emperor and Empress, definitely the ideal persons to become :D
For the bonus scene, we got a surprise. I totally did not expect this to happen!
This is actually a drama story and written by Shen Jin in the modern world. Then she meet Chu Xiu Ming in the modern world, took a liking to him, asked for his name and change the lead's name in the story to his <3
You can say it is like a parallel world, where they are destined to meet and fall in love as well <3
Anyway, this drama is not perfect, at times the story got me annoyed and I did some fast forward some scenes. But, overall, I liked it and the last episode, and the main couple made up for those annoying times.
Also, I liked the rest of the characters, the cast, the acting, the martial art scenes, the background and the costumes :) I also loved all the couples <3
Ai and Ni Kiss scenes were a major problem Like they kiss 3 times all all three times the kiss would have meant…
I did not read the novels, but I agree with you, they should remove toxic scenes instead of including them. I don't know why but thai lakorns love to include that type of scenes.
Yes, for Cherry Magic, I watched it recently. I loved it a lot <3 They were so cute <3 <3 I hope they continue making similar BL dramas ^_^
Thank you for the recommendation. If you happen to know other similar BL dramas, tell me please :)
Ai and Ni Kiss scenes were a major problem Like they kiss 3 times all all three times the kiss would have meant…
Yes, I agree. My expectations were high, as I loved them in 2gether and like it all came crashing down when they censored it.
It would have made sense for a Chinese BL drama, but this is a Thai BL drama and I always expect more. I see them as the founders of BL or they kind of opened up BL romance in live-action dramas and movies (as originally BL begain in japanese manga and then anime).
Also, it's like you said, in live-action dramas and movies, even Korean BL is getting much better. For me, Taiwanese BL (specifically the history series) are the best and even Japanese BL are slowly improving as well (although japanese portayal of romance still needs improving).
I watched this one without watching the parent story and it was kind of confusing and really fast paced.
Anyway, I thought Princess Zhao Hua wasn't really that smart, but she fooled us all. At first, I thought she was possessed and then I thought her trauma manifested into a split personality. However, later on she confessed to her new husband, that it was all an act to get her revenge on Princess Si Wan and Fu Kang An.
I kind of wished that Fu Kang An and Princess Zhao Hua would get a happy ending, since they loved each other. But Princess Zhao Hua seems the kind of person that once you betray or hurt her, she would not forgive you and honestly, I cannot blame her. In the palace, if you cannot step up your game, you will die. Fu Kang An is pitiful as well. He got lied to and aimed his revenge on the wrong person.
This is a shame, I was looking forward for this drama to finish airing and then watch it.
I cannot understand why they can cancel a drama because of historical inaccuracies. This is a fictional story!
They should rename the characters and invent other names that are not listed in their history, so not to offend anyone or invent a parallel world or time period.
It was a light, cute and fluffy drama. But it was too predictable, nothing memorable and boring.
Yes, Mei Wei Wei and Mai Si Chong are cute. Their relationship was nice to watch and developed in a healthy way. Also, the other couples are cute too and I liked their friendship. However, that is what the drama only revolved around.
Even the bit of supernatural, where Mei Wei Wei has a high voltage frequency in her body was nothing special. I think that should have been the highlight.
I love watching light stuff, but for me this was too boring. Even the cliches were too overused. Like the female lead has to fall over like almost all the time and the main lead happens to catch her most of the time. It was too much. And she had to be protected and saved most of the time, uhh! I found it cute in the beginning, but then I started to roll my eyes.
Then, all of a sudden, they introduced a ''villain'' to hurt the main lead and then changes to sunshine and roses again since it's nearly the end for the drama.
It's the plot I hate. It's all over the place.
Anyway, thankfully it was short + lots of fast forwarding = ended it quickly. To be honest, it's not that bad, I have seen worse, but it could have been better.
It's the first time I watched an asian GL drama. Despite it's flaws and a very short and fast forward story, I enjoyed it and they were cute together ^_^
It was nice to see Kurosawa's thoughts for a change and they're so cute as always <3
I thought that Rokkaku realised that they are together, but he is totally clueless and thought that they are helping him become a great sales man, lol xD
Aidachi and Kurosawa were so cute together! I loved their chemistry <3
Also, Tsuge and Minato were cute as well ^_^
I loved the flow of the story and it gives us enough to understand it, although it was brief.
We also get to see that Aidachi and Kurosawa worked in a company that designs and produces stationery items.
Moreover, we get a supernatural element of mind reading which apparently happens to men who are still virgins at the age of 30. This made the drama more exciting, interesting and cute to watch! <3
It took me 2 years to watch this, but I'm glad I finally did ^_^
For the last episode, I cried so much when Hotel Del Luna was slowly closing down and everyone was leaving.
I mostly started crying when it was time for the scholar, Mr Kim to leave. Then when Ji Hyun Joong left with his sister. Then Ms Choi left as well.
Finally, it was time for Hotel Del Luna's owner, Jang Man Wol who lived there for 1,300 years to leave. It was a really sad moment.
I kind of hoped that Jang Man Wol and Goo Chan Sung would meet again soon, but they left us with the wish that someday that would all meet again in the same life time. It's the right, fair and expected ending, but it's sad. Again, you feel glad that they resloved all their pain and resentments and they all could take the path to be reincarnated again.
I've got really mixed feelings about the ending. I really love it and hate it at the same time. Anyway, I loved this drama. It's really worth a watch!
Ok, I wanted to talk about the ending first, now on the rest of the whole drama.
It felt kind of slow and boring in the beginning, but I started to fall in love with it, the more I watched.
Also, I really compared it to Goblin and Mystic Pop-Up Bar (yes this drama came out in 2020, but I watched this one first). It really has similarities, however it is still different.
I really loved the idea of a hotel for the death and the idea that there is something after we die. I loved the idea how the death can resolve their resentments, can do things they always wanted to do in their life but never could, can resolve things they left behind, can talk to the living through their dreams, etc. It was a really interesting and original story. We also get to see the grim reaper, different deities, good ghosts and evil ghosts. It was very interesting. I loved it!
I really loved all the characters. We get to see the pain all the dead characters went through and how the Hotel Del Luna main team (Jang Man Wol, Goo Chan Sung, Mr Kim, Ms Choi, Ji Hyun Joong and later on Yu Na) helped them. We got to laugh, smile, cry, be sad, be serious, roll our eyes, sympathise, agree with the pain the death went through, be happy when the wrong ones get what they deserve, etc. It was full of roller coaster of emotions.
Then near to the end of the drama, we get to see the pain of the Hotel Del Luna's main team (the death ones) and why they stayed in the living for a long time (for Mr. Kim = 500 years, Ms Choi = 200 years, Ji Hyun Joong = 70 years and Jang Man Wol = 1,300 years). It's sad that they had to leave, but I'm glad they could move forward. We also get to see the pain of the living and those who are left behind. The ones left behind are Goo Chan Sung and Yu Na (although she was supposed to be dead but took her killer's body).
Whether you believe in reincarnation or believe in other things; this drama is the hope and wish, that we will meet our loved ones who departed before us again. At least that is my opinion.
Anyway, I loved all the cast, acting, chemistry between the leads, the family feel of the Hotel Del Luna's team, the story, the music, the outfits for Jang Man Wol, the set for the Hotel, the scary ghosts, the good ghosts, etc. I loved everything.
Conclusion:
Yes, it does begin slow and boring, but give it some time and you will warm up to it. At least I did ^_^ Also, I cannot promise a happy ending, it's the right ending.
That's the end. I will miss it.
Btw, for the ending of the drama. There is a new hotel owner and a new name called Hotel Blue Moon. Is it possible to get season 2 with different characters? I don’t know since it’s been 2 years already, but it would be interesting if they continue it with different characters and a different hotel name.
Finished it one week! ^_^ I really liked it! <3 I watched it all with no fast forwarding and no distractions ^_^
To be honest, the beginning was a bit slow and it felt boring. Also, since the main leads like fell in love with each other like from episode 1, I felt annoyed when they forgot each other when Xiao Wei travelled 300 years back to the past.
However, as the story went on, it got interesting and I started to like it. I fell in love with the characters, the martial art scenes, the costumes, the Forbidden palace, the drama in the harem, the politics, the fight for the throne, the fights between the prince brothers, the revenge, the misunderstandings, etc.
I really liked how everything made sense, one thing led to the next and we get to see that Xiao Wei managed to remove the seeds of hatred that would have spun for over 300 years+
Also, happy endings to all the couples and they met again after 300 years ^_^
For the characters, I really got attached to Ming Hui. Yes, she killed many people, harmed many people, lied, used others, spread rumors, manipulated things in the palace and manipulated people, etc, but, we get to find out why she did it in the first place.
I really compared her to Cinderella, who also her step-mother treated her badly. However, the difference is that instead of she waited for her fairy godmother to come and save her, she decided to take matters in her own hands.
Yes, she took the wrong path, got blinded for revenge and took it all out on the original Qiang Wei, who did nothing wrong towards her. Even so, I do not blame her. She did her best to survive and protect herself the best way she could. You can say that was her fighting mechanism to cope, after the original Qiang Wei's mother locked her up in a cold and scary shed. She did not want to pass through that trauma again and so she lied, smiled, acted good and pleased her father and step-mother.
I really pitied Ming Hui. Even when the 14th prince really fell in love with her, she could not believe it. Honestly, neither could I, as he went from being cold to being the perfect loving gentleman.
However, we as the viewers, could tell that he fell in love with her after she went to save him as he got lost in a battle. This was because, she helped him fight off the men who wanted to kill him, she dragged him all night as he was injured and refused to give up. She is really courageous and even with all the hate and revenge that blinded her, the 14th prince was the ray of hope for her and she really loved him.
Also, I was convinced that they would probably would kill her off and was shocked that they send the 14th prince to kill her. However, I'm glad I was wrong. Xiao Wei insisted that she and her unborn child should live. Thanks to that, Xiao Wei killed off those seeds of hatred and completed her mission.
I'm glad that the 14th prince and Ming Hui had their happy ending in the past and even after 300 years.
Also, I'm glad for the ex-Crown Prince and Zheng Chun Hua could meet and be together in the present.
Moreover, for Xiao Wei and the 13th prince, I loved that they had a journey together, with 300 years apart. Then, after that ended, she met him in the present. A happy ending ^_^
This drama made me feel all kinds of emotions. I laughed, I smiled, I cried, I felt sad, angry, scared, etc. Definitely worth a watch! ^_^
1 
I loved the story, the characters, the cast, the acting was brilliant, the music fitted well, etc.
The story was a mind game from the beginning till the end. We never know who's with who, as they constantly change side, or we get a twist and changes everything. Or I think that the story will go into that direction and they change it. It kept me on edge from the beginning till the end.
To be honest, in the beginning I felt it a bit too heavy for me, especially the first episode. For me it was too cruel, that sweet couple and their unborn baby and how they died was too much. I really cried, and the first episode felt like forever. Also, I did take breaks and watched something light.
However, as the story got along, it got interesting and I got into the story. We see Na Yi Je who took 3 years to plan and go against the ones who got him in jail. Also, he wanted to get justice for the sweet couple and their unborn baby, for his mother, Han Bit and other people who were innocent but were used as scapegoats for the powerful to hide their sins.
It was also interesting because we see the characters who are against each other plan and do things to each other contansly. It was from the beginning till the end, an ongoing battle. Most of the time, I did not guess.
Also, I was going to write it is a battle of good vs evil, but who is good and who is evil? Ok, Lee Jae Joon is totally evil.
Meanwhile, Na Yi Je is right to get revenge and I totally understand his reasons, but is he totally good? For me, not totally. That's why it is interesting and more realistic. This is not the Power Rangers, Marvel, DC, the Hero Academio or other superheroes, who manage to always save the day and do it by always taking the good path.
This drama shows us that to take down the ones who are more powerful than you, have more money than you, have connections, bribe lots of people, etc, you need to play dirty. So, Na Yi Je, yes ok, he tried his best to do good, but sometimes he failed and the things he did were not totally right, somtimes crazy and questionable. The good thing is that he he never resorted to murder intentionally at least.
Also, this drama is kind of heavy, but they at least gave us some happy moments. Like Prosecutor Jung Ui Shik and Oh Jung Hee were totally cute together. I enjoyed their sweet moments.
Also, Lee Jae Hwan was a total jerk, violent and needed a good hit, but he really changed his ways throughout the drama. So, I totally found him hilarious in prison. In my language, we have an expression that says ''Sab kappell jiġih''. It literally means ''He found a hat that fits him.’' But, it actually means that he found his match or he found someone who stood up to him and get what he deserves.
Like yes, Lee Jae Hwan contributed to get rid of the main jerk of all, Lee Jae Joon, but I still cannot forgive him about that sweet couple and their unborn baby. And then to make it worse, he went into the surgery room and demanded for Na Yi Je to treat the small scar of his sister. I totally cannot forget that scene at all.
I also enjoyed the battle between Na Yi Je and Sun Min Shik. Sun Min Shik is a greedy jerk, and I totally enjoyed watching Na Yi Je win against him each time till the end. It was satisfying.
Anyway, definitely worth a watch. I recently heard that there will be a second season. The drama kind of had an ending. But it kind of seemed that Lee Jae Joon still has tricks or plans up his sleeve. I don't know if they will use a new villain or keep the same one, but I will look forward to it.
I loved the story. Yes, it is nothing new, like the fight for the throne, enemies everywhere, trying to kill each other, etc, but I enjoyed it and kept me watching.
To be honest, I decided to watch this drama, mostly because of the female lead, Han Shi Yi / Han Yuan Niang who disguised herself as a guy and also she has a reason for it. She is similar to Hua Mulan, who took her brother's place to protect her family.
I really like her character. She is intelligent, witty, clever, knows martial arts, knows how to get along with people, kind, generous, always keeps a promise, knows how to be resourceful, is fair and just, knows a personal revenge will bring more harm, etc.
Yes, she may have lied, brought trouble, acted a lot, acted as a playboy, acted stupid and naughty in the imperial college, etc and this is mostly in the beginning of the drama, but she did it all for a reason. You can say the reason for it all was because the Emperor was afraid that the Han family would rebel and use their army to go against him.
Yes, they could have, but Han Shi Yi's father was a good man, loyal and could never have done that. So, Han Shi Yi had to act stupid, indifferent and brought trouble, etc around the Capital and in the Imperial College, in order for the Emperor to think that her family would never go against him and his throne.
I really feel sorry for her, her Han family and the people in her army who died for nothing. Like, all her efforts were for nothing. Anyway, the Emperor, the Wang family and probably other officials felt threatened by them, and probably would have found another excuse to get rid of them and damn they succeeded.
The story may have started light and comedy moments, but in the middle, there was a change and started to get dark. You can say it got worse, when Han Shi Yi went back to the northern border, where her family is at and while Chen Yang Yi / 5th Prince went to the other border because of an attack from their enemies. Then because Wang Zhong Yu's father sold information to their enemies, and the Emperor did not help them in any way, the Han army got wiped out.
For the ending. To be honest, I read some of the comments below and said that they ruined the ending. From this I assumed that Han Shi Yi and the 5th Prince would not get a happy ending together. I kind of prepared myself for the worst.
What makes me a bit angry, is that they gave us hope that they would end up together. We see this the moment Han Shi Yi jumps of the cliff and gets amnensia (I guessed that this would happen) and we finally see her dressed as a girl. This happens from episode 20 onwards. She meets the 5th Prince again and although he lies to her, we see sweets moments together and we kind of hope that they have a happy ending. Though, deep down I knew it was wrong for the Prince to lie to Han Shi Yi. It was a temporary fake happiness.
The last episode made me cry a lot. I knew that there was no hope for them, especially when Han Shi Yi misunderstood Chen Yang Yi / 5th Prince. She thought that the 5th Prince used her, her family and her army as a stepping stone to become an Emperor.
Also, to be fair, I knew that if the writers wanted to make this right, they would never make Han Shi Yi the Empress.
Why? As Wang Zhong Yu said, Han Shi Yi is an eagle who is free and is her best when she soars up in the sky. She would never be happy in the palace as Chen Yang Yi / 5th Prince would trap her inside as he kind of got obsessed with her.
Also, she may be a woman, but she was raised differently from women from that time. She was raised with ideals, raised as a warrior, raised as a leader and to take over her family's army, raised with a duty to protect her people and her country, raised with expectations from her father who trusted her a lot and was proud of her, etc.
The Imperial Palace would limit her and make her go crazy. The politics, the harem, the stuff that goes in the palace are stupid for her and she would prefer to roam around the world and be free if she did not have the responsibility of her family, and she did say so herself.
I wrote all this, but I still feel sad for Han Shi Yi and Chen Yang Yi. I still wish that in some way they had their happy ending.
However, since she later on discovered that she misunderstood the Prince, she may have felt that it was not her place to go back to him and also the other reasons I mentioned.
Moreover, we kind of know she decided to let go, because she gave away the necklace the 5th Prince gave her.
At least Wang Zhong Yu had the guts to tell her that it was his father's doing and the 5th Prince was innocent. That at least, Han Shi Yi cleared her misunderstanding.
It is sad for the leads, but I think it's the right ending and with all the things that happened in the story, it makes sense for it to end that way.
After all, life is not always a happy ending and yes ok this is a drama, and we all love a happy ending between the leads.
But I'm realising that sometimes we need endings like this to remind us not to take anything for granted, keep our loved ones close, keep our friends close, try to not fight because of useless stuff, try not to be selfish or greedy, be happy for what we have, try to not get jealous for what other people have that you do not, etc.
Yes, it is difficult, we are all humans, we sin, and life is unfair, etc. But if we take a little step towards the right path, we hopefully can make the world a better place.
Ok, I totally did not expect to get this deep from this drama and sound all righteous as I'm the last person in the world who should say all this, but I felt that way and wrote it.
Anyway, great acting, the leads were cute together, but the kiss scenes were a flop. I liked the cast and characters, the martial arts scenes, the background and places, the costumes, the music and the story overall.
Btw, they really made the actress playing as Han Shi Yi look as a man, well done! They made her hair like the men, less makeup and even her behaviour was like a guy. It really made us believe she was a guy. She was handsome as a man and she was also pretty as a woman.
I still recommend anyone to watch, although the ending will definitely not to be liked by everyone. It depends on what you are looking for, what you want to watch and the mood you might be in to watch. In my experience, that affects a lot. Anyway, I'll stop her and still sad about the ending.
As a thai BL drama, for the story, it is really a huge improvement. For once, the story does not focus on high school or university romance only. It focuses more on the ''suicide'' of Jane and as they dig in her case, they found out that she was actually murdered and find out that there is more to it than just murder.
Then we see the romance of Doctor Bun and Teacher Tan, which is more to the side really, and we mostly see them investigate the murder of Jane and they get help along the way.
I really enjoyed the story. It kept me on edge and I kept watching to see what will happen and if my guesses were correct.
Also, I need to mention this. The story made sense, one thing lead to another and we as the viewers get to guess and discover stuff with Doctor Bun, Teacher Tan and other characters involved. As sometimes, in thai BL dramas, the plot tends to get lost, or does not have any point at the end of the drama.
Back to the story. To be honest, I guessed who most of the villains were or the people involved in this huge mess (they were involved in human trafficking, prostitution, drugs, murders, violence, rape, abuse, etc), so the story wasn't the most original or had the most shocking twists.
Also, I kind of guessed that Jane might have been killed by her sister, Rung. But to be fair, I got the hint at the party, where all the people involved were sitting on the same table. So, since Jane's sister was sitting there as well, I had the ugly gut feeling that she killed Jane. I kind of hoped that she didn't, but we finally get to see that she did kill her and also killed Pued.
I still cannot get over it. I cannot get why Rung did that to Jane. Rung claimed that she loved Jane, but her jealousy towards the relationship of Pued and Jane, her focus for her career to succeed, her thirst for revenge and power, the pain she went through (as apparently, she was used as a prostitute for powerful people) and whatever reason she came up with, made her deviate to the dark path.
For the actors playing Doctor Bun and Teacher Tan. Their acting and chemistry really improved a lot from the drama 'Together with Me'. Yes, they had more kiss scenes in Together with Me and their kiss scenes were awesome, but I felt something off. Their acting and chemistry wasn't that great, in my opinion at least.
In 'Manner of Death', yes, they had less kiss scenes and their kiss scenes are still awesome, but I liked them more in this drama. Their acting really improved a lot and their chemistry is much better.
Although the actor playing Doctor Bun still needs to improve. He tends to scrunch his eyes a lot, and from his expressions, he does not convince me the emotions he acts. Especially when he was crying. But to give him credit, he really improved.
For the rest of the cast, great acting. Especially, the actors playing Jane and Rung. For me, they were the greatest. I also liked all the characters, they were all involved and useful in the story.
Moreover, I loved the place they filmed in. Thailand does really have beautiful places. I wish to visit someday.
Btw, for the ending. A happy ending for Doctor Bun and Teacher Tan. The way Tan proposes to Bun was really unique. I would have hit him instead for scaring the heck out of me.
For Jane and the journalist Pat. A sad ending. At least, the villains got what they deserved, so their deaths weren't in vain. For Peud, I do feel sad for him, but he was at fault as well, but he didn't deserve to die either.
A huge clap for Jane, for doing her best to expose the congressman, the head of the police, the judge and her sister. I'm assuming that she knew that she would get killed or had back up in case she got killed.
She kept the evidence in 2 ways. One, when she returned the fairytale book to Bum. She wrote her email and password in it, and in this email account she saved the evidence. Two, she gave the SD card with the evidence inside to Pat.
For Pat, it might have been a faster way, for the evidence to get out and expose the villains, but that failed. So, her backup, the more subtle way, worked.
Anyway, I liked this drama. Definitely worth a watch! ^_^
The main couple, Shen Jin and Chu Xiu Ming are cute, have awesome chemistry, love their kiss scenes (which are a lot <3), love their relationship, love how they are sweet to each other, etc.
However, the story is kind of pointless, somtimes boring and leads to nowhere. It is like based on their misunderstandings towards each other as they tend to hide things from each other, jealousy of Shen Jin towards her husband, then sometimes jealousy of Chu Xiu Ming towards his wife, etc.
Yes, there is a little ongoing plot about the mysterious death of Chu Xiu Ming's Aunt and her husband, the palace, about Shen Jin's family, etc, but it's kind of really on the side.
Also, some people commented below about the behaviour of Shen Jin (female lead). Yes, in the part of when they were living together in the manor near the barracks, she was at times, a little annoying and immature. However, you can say she was like that because of her husband, as he mostly never told her anything at all. Yes, ok he thought she was a spy and did not trust her immediately, but as he fell in love with her, he could have opened more to her and talked to her more.
Also, you can say, that the writers made her that way, since she literally had time on her hands, and mostly spend her time doing nothing and waits for her husband who come back at the end of the day or does not come back at all, and so her time could be filled by nick picking things on her husband.
Now, currently in the part where they went to live in the capital, I'm glad she decided to open up a business and she is more mature, trusts more her husband and understanding. And please note, she mostly tells her husband everything and discuses things with him, while he still does not tell her everything.
Yes, it's palace work, political work, etc, and may not be her business. But by now, he should know that Shen Jin is intelligent, is more street wise, is really social and knows how to get along with people and knows how to pick locks. She really can be a good adviser. Also, by now we see that when he hides things from her, it turns into a huge misunderstanding and a disaster.
Moreover, what I'm really mad about, is everyone around her is discouraging her because of her business, and saying that her main duty is to be a wife, takes care of her husband, raise children, etc. (Her husband though is the only one who supported her a lot and even gave her money to start with).
Ok, the usual thing we see in historical dramas and that the point of women is stay still, be pretty, be a puppet, or be a trophy, raise kids, take care of their husband, etc. Yes, I know, but for some reason in this drama, it is really bothering me and I'm getting annoyed at that. Ok lol, I got that out and continue watching......
EDIT: (30/03/2021 at 9.30pm)
Finished! A happy ending to everyone, expect for the main villain.
We find out what happened to Chu Xiu Ming's Aunt and the 8th Prince, and along the way, we get hints and I kind of guessed that the old man was suspicious and then realised he might be the 8th Prince.
Moving on, Shen Jin got kidnapped. It was kind of obvious where Shen Jin was put when she was kidnapped. In the beginning of the last episode, I immediately said that she was in the secret room and it took most of the last episode to find her. Anyway, Chu Xiu Ming found her and happy ending.
It was really hilarious when the emperor did not want to be one anymore, since his brother the 8th Prince was still alive. Since the 8th Prince did not want it either, Chu Xiu Yuan and Rounan became Emperor and Empress, definitely the ideal persons to become :D
For the bonus scene, we got a surprise. I totally did not expect this to happen!
This is actually a drama story and written by Shen Jin in the modern world. Then she meet Chu Xiu Ming in the modern world, took a liking to him, asked for his name and change the lead's name in the story to his <3
You can say it is like a parallel world, where they are destined to meet and fall in love as well <3
Anyway, this drama is not perfect, at times the story got me annoyed and I did some fast forward some scenes. But, overall, I liked it and the last episode, and the main couple made up for those annoying times.
Also, I liked the rest of the characters, the cast, the acting, the martial art scenes, the background and the costumes :) I also loved all the couples <3
Definitely worth a watch ^_^
Yes, for Cherry Magic, I watched it recently. I loved it a lot <3 They were so cute <3 <3 I hope they continue making similar BL dramas ^_^
Thank you for the recommendation. If you happen to know other similar BL dramas, tell me please :)
It would have made sense for a Chinese BL drama, but this is a Thai BL drama and I always expect more. I see them as the founders of BL or they kind of opened up BL romance in live-action dramas and movies (as originally BL begain in japanese manga and then anime).
Also, it's like you said, in live-action dramas and movies, even Korean BL is getting much better. For me, Taiwanese BL (specifically the history series) are the best and even Japanese BL are slowly improving as well (although japanese portayal of romance still needs improving).
Anyway, I thought Princess Zhao Hua wasn't really that smart, but she fooled us all. At first, I thought she was possessed and then I thought her trauma manifested into a split personality. However, later on she confessed to her new husband, that it was all an act to get her revenge on Princess Si Wan and Fu Kang An.
I kind of wished that Fu Kang An and Princess Zhao Hua would get a happy ending, since they loved each other. But Princess Zhao Hua seems the kind of person that once you betray or hurt her, she would not forgive you and honestly, I cannot blame her. In the palace, if you cannot step up your game, you will die. Fu Kang An is pitiful as well. He got lied to and aimed his revenge on the wrong person.
It was a short drama, but a sad ending.
I cannot understand why they can cancel a drama because of historical inaccuracies. This is a fictional story!
They should rename the characters and invent other names that are not listed in their history, so not to offend anyone or invent a parallel world or time period.
Yes, Mei Wei Wei and Mai Si Chong are cute. Their relationship was nice to watch and developed in a healthy way. Also, the other couples are cute too and I liked their friendship. However, that is what the drama only revolved around.
Even the bit of supernatural, where Mei Wei Wei has a high voltage frequency in her body was nothing special. I think that should have been the highlight.
I love watching light stuff, but for me this was too boring. Even the cliches were too overused. Like the female lead has to fall over like almost all the time and the main lead happens to catch her most of the time. It was too much. And she had to be protected and saved most of the time, uhh! I found it cute in the beginning, but then I started to roll my eyes.
Then, all of a sudden, they introduced a ''villain'' to hurt the main lead and then changes to sunshine and roses again since it's nearly the end for the drama.
It's the plot I hate. It's all over the place.
Anyway, thankfully it was short + lots of fast forwarding = ended it quickly. To be honest, it's not that bad, I have seen worse, but it could have been better.
It was nice to see Kurosawa's thoughts for a change and they're so cute as always <3
I thought that Rokkaku realised that they are together, but he is totally clueless and thought that they are helping him become a great sales man, lol xD
Aidachi and Kurosawa were so cute together! I loved their chemistry <3
Also, Tsuge and Minato were cute as well ^_^
I loved the flow of the story and it gives us enough to understand it, although it was brief.
We also get to see that Aidachi and Kurosawa worked in a company that designs and produces stationery items.
Moreover, we get a supernatural element of mind reading which apparently happens to men who are still virgins at the age of 30. This made the drama more exciting, interesting and cute to watch! <3
Off to see the specials!
For the last episode, I cried so much when Hotel Del Luna was slowly closing down and everyone was leaving.
I mostly started crying when it was time for the scholar, Mr Kim to leave. Then when Ji Hyun Joong left with his sister. Then Ms Choi left as well.
Finally, it was time for Hotel Del Luna's owner, Jang Man Wol who lived there for 1,300 years to leave. It was a really sad moment.
I kind of hoped that Jang Man Wol and Goo Chan Sung would meet again soon, but they left us with the wish that someday that would all meet again in the same life time. It's the right, fair and expected ending, but it's sad. Again, you feel glad that they resloved all their pain and resentments and they all could take the path to be reincarnated again.
I've got really mixed feelings about the ending. I really love it and hate it at the same time. Anyway, I loved this drama. It's really worth a watch!
Ok, I wanted to talk about the ending first, now on the rest of the whole drama.
It felt kind of slow and boring in the beginning, but I started to fall in love with it, the more I watched.
Also, I really compared it to Goblin and Mystic Pop-Up Bar (yes this drama came out in 2020, but I watched this one first). It really has similarities, however it is still different.
I really loved the idea of a hotel for the death and the idea that there is something after we die. I loved the idea how the death can resolve their resentments, can do things they always wanted to do in their life but never could, can resolve things they left behind, can talk to the living through their dreams, etc. It was a really interesting and original story. We also get to see the grim reaper, different deities, good ghosts and evil ghosts. It was very interesting. I loved it!
I really loved all the characters. We get to see the pain all the dead characters went through and how the Hotel Del Luna main team (Jang Man Wol, Goo Chan Sung, Mr Kim, Ms Choi, Ji Hyun Joong and later on Yu Na) helped them. We got to laugh, smile, cry, be sad, be serious, roll our eyes, sympathise, agree with the pain the death went through, be happy when the wrong ones get what they deserve, etc. It was full of roller coaster of emotions.
Then near to the end of the drama, we get to see the pain of the Hotel Del Luna's main team (the death ones) and why they stayed in the living for a long time (for Mr. Kim = 500 years, Ms Choi = 200 years, Ji Hyun Joong = 70 years and Jang Man Wol = 1,300 years). It's sad that they had to leave, but I'm glad they could move forward. We also get to see the pain of the living and those who are left behind. The ones left behind are Goo Chan Sung and Yu Na (although she was supposed to be dead but took her killer's body).
Whether you believe in reincarnation or believe in other things; this drama is the hope and wish, that we will meet our loved ones who departed before us again. At least that is my opinion.
Anyway, I loved all the cast, acting, chemistry between the leads, the family feel of the Hotel Del Luna's team, the story, the music, the outfits for Jang Man Wol, the set for the Hotel, the scary ghosts, the good ghosts, etc. I loved everything.
Conclusion:
Yes, it does begin slow and boring, but give it some time and you will warm up to it. At least I did ^_^ Also, I cannot promise a happy ending, it's the right ending.
That's the end. I will miss it.
Btw, for the ending of the drama. There is a new hotel owner and a new name called Hotel Blue Moon. Is it possible to get season 2 with different characters? I don’t know since it’s been 2 years already, but it would be interesting if they continue it with different characters and a different hotel name.
To be honest, the beginning was a bit slow and it felt boring. Also, since the main leads like fell in love with each other like from episode 1, I felt annoyed when they forgot each other when Xiao Wei travelled 300 years back to the past.
However, as the story went on, it got interesting and I started to like it. I fell in love with the characters, the martial art scenes, the costumes, the Forbidden palace, the drama in the harem, the politics, the fight for the throne, the fights between the prince brothers, the revenge, the misunderstandings, etc.
I really liked how everything made sense, one thing led to the next and we get to see that Xiao Wei managed to remove the seeds of hatred that would have spun for over 300 years+
Also, happy endings to all the couples and they met again after 300 years ^_^
For the characters, I really got attached to Ming Hui. Yes, she killed many people, harmed many people, lied, used others, spread rumors, manipulated things in the palace and manipulated people, etc, but, we get to find out why she did it in the first place.
I really compared her to Cinderella, who also her step-mother treated her badly. However, the difference is that instead of she waited for her fairy godmother to come and save her, she decided to take matters in her own hands.
Yes, she took the wrong path, got blinded for revenge and took it all out on the original Qiang Wei, who did nothing wrong towards her. Even so, I do not blame her. She did her best to survive and protect herself the best way she could. You can say that was her fighting mechanism to cope, after the original Qiang Wei's mother locked her up in a cold and scary shed. She did not want to pass through that trauma again and so she lied, smiled, acted good and pleased her father and step-mother.
I really pitied Ming Hui. Even when the 14th prince really fell in love with her, she could not believe it. Honestly, neither could I, as he went from being cold to being the perfect loving gentleman.
However, we as the viewers, could tell that he fell in love with her after she went to save him as he got lost in a battle. This was because, she helped him fight off the men who wanted to kill him, she dragged him all night as he was injured and refused to give up. She is really courageous and even with all the hate and revenge that blinded her, the 14th prince was the ray of hope for her and she really loved him.
Also, I was convinced that they would probably would kill her off and was shocked that they send the 14th prince to kill her. However, I'm glad I was wrong. Xiao Wei insisted that she and her unborn child should live. Thanks to that, Xiao Wei killed off those seeds of hatred and completed her mission.
I'm glad that the 14th prince and Ming Hui had their happy ending in the past and even after 300 years.
Also, I'm glad for the ex-Crown Prince and Zheng Chun Hua could meet and be together in the present.
Moreover, for Xiao Wei and the 13th prince, I loved that they had a journey together, with 300 years apart. Then, after that ended, she met him in the present. A happy ending ^_^
This drama made me feel all kinds of emotions. I laughed, I smiled, I cried, I felt sad, angry, scared, etc. Definitely worth a watch! ^_^