I read the novel and it's hands down one of the best of its genre. The depth of the characters and the complexity of their relationships are unmatched. The portrayal of female friendships and familial ties in all their ambiguity, mutual support, mutual misunderstanding, resentment, codependence, and competition is truly literary, like something out of Ferrante's novels. I hope the drama keeps this nuance and focus on the women in the story instead of flattening them out into mere plot devices.
The romance develops slowly for most of the story and gets a bit frustrating after the halfway mark, but the resolution in the final act is very satisfying and makes up for it. The leads like each other a lot, wait for each other, and ultimately take active steps to be together, instead of one person doing all the work and the other passively going along with it, which happens all too often in Asian dramas and usually saps my interest in the ending. Again, I hope they hit the same notes in the drama and don't change the details/gestures/love declarations to something more cliché and less impactful.
All that said, Zhang Jingyi is getting a bit long in the tooth for these high schooler roles and Zhou Yiran doesn't have Mu Sheng's charisma and manly good looks IMO. Zhao Jinmai and Wang Xingyue would have been more suitable for these roles, even though they're also a bit too old.
Honestly, the cast is great, but the source material is a little lacking... The romance in the novel is very underwhelming. I hope they change some things in the drama to make it more engaging.
Weirdest thing about this show is how everyone treats Wichai like a leper, including his own mother and Anong's brothers. He's a tall handsome judge who's always helping other people and being a goody two-shoes! He is the definition of a desirable match for any woman: kind, attractive, stable, considerate. Are we truly supposed to pretend he's not a good marriage prospect? It's obvious the rogues' gallery of scammers and losers Anong's brothers tried to set her up with can't hold a candle to Wichai, yet he and all the people around him seem convinced no one would ever want him.
What's wrong with that? Not only they highlighted his next project but also complimented the brilliance of both…
The site is free to use and the people who write these articles are most likely volunteers. If they want to call an actor brilliant—which is a compliment, not even an insult—they should be able to do so without randos getting offended and abusing them.
If you don't like this website, the exit is down the hall and to your left.
I've been skipping around and multitasking while watching this drama, so some details have flown over my head. Can someone please remind me how old Anong and Wichai are supposed to be? I feel like Anong should be around 25 and Wichai around 31-32, but I'm just going off vibes here.
Unrelated to the story: Diid Zhao Lusi have plastic surgery?Couldn’t recognise her on her latest insta posts.
I also noticed her face looks different now. I'm sure she's had work done because absolutely everyone in the Chinese entertainment industry does it under pressure from their agency. In her case, I think she looks good. She just needs to put her foot down if they ask her to get more surgeries because Chinese execs LOVE to ruin beautiful women's faces with too many nose jobs and excessive eyelid interventions.
Why would so many people prefer them to go on their separate ways while the two literally couldn't get over each…
For the same reason there are always weirdos screaming "SECOND MALE LEAD SYNDROME, THE SML IS SO MUCH BETTER FOR HER" in the comment sections of dramas where the FL doesn't have any feelings for the SML... because a lot of viewers project on the FL in romantic dramas instead of watching the story on its own terms, and have no interest in how the characters actually feel about each other.
So a male character being like this is okay but when a women is like that it is somehow misogynistic... get a…
Not every drama needs a super cool and strong independent woman, no, but when the story explicitly tells us that's what we're getting, it creates expectations.
So a male character being like this is okay but when a women is like that it is somehow misogynistic... get a…
A male character being "like this" would also be annoying? My point was that women are EXPECTED to be whiny and selfish and boy-crazy and scheming in fiction, due to sexism, so making the most powerful and accomplished female character in your universe a sexist caricature is quite the statement.
I can't tell if Luo Mei was intended to be so unlikable or not, but her characterisation is quite misogynistic regardless. She's supposed to be a great general, but she's motivated entirely by petty childhood fixations like wanting to prove herself to her crush or being told that women aren't good at fighting or whatever.
Her personal motivations boil down to her thinking she should be able to do whatever she wants, which we're supposed to sympathise with because she's a woman who chafes against society's expectations. However, no one is free to do whatever they want! Especially not if they're a high-ranking noble or a military commander in ancient China! Murong Jinghe, for example, has sacrificed his reputation, principles and happiness and years of his life because he feels responsible for the army he lost ten years ago. Mei Lin herself is also ready to do or become whatever it takes to avenge her hometown. By contrast, Luo Mei doesn't seem capable of putting any greater purpose or value above her pride/personal ambition, even if she can act righteous when it doesn't cost her anything.
Her obsession with beating the two princes in spars and archery contests, her constant whining and angst over conversations she had with Prince Jing when she was a child, and the fact she's always styled like a k-pop idol prevent me from taking her seriously, which is unfortunate. She acts and looks like a spoiled princess whom all the most powerful men in the empire indulge by playing soldiers with her.
I wonder if we're supposed to feel this way about her or the production team thought her styling and characterisation would actually project an air of power and competence. In either case, I find her portrayal quite sexist; a female general could/should have a lot more gravitas, just like any other general, or if she's supposed to be flawed and weak, her flaws don't have to be so gendered and stereotypical.
That said, she's a perfect match for the crown prince, who's also immature and driven by personal grievances.
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The romance develops slowly for most of the story and gets a bit frustrating after the halfway mark, but the resolution in the final act is very satisfying and makes up for it. The leads like each other a lot, wait for each other, and ultimately take active steps to be together, instead of one person doing all the work and the other passively going along with it, which happens all too often in Asian dramas and usually saps my interest in the ending. Again, I hope they hit the same notes in the drama and don't change the details/gestures/love declarations to something more cliché and less impactful.
All that said, Zhang Jingyi is getting a bit long in the tooth for these high schooler roles and Zhou Yiran doesn't have Mu Sheng's charisma and manly good looks IMO. Zhao Jinmai and Wang Xingyue would have been more suitable for these roles, even though they're also a bit too old.
If you don't like this website, the exit is down the hall and to your left.
Her personal motivations boil down to her thinking she should be able to do whatever she wants, which we're supposed to sympathise with because she's a woman who chafes against society's expectations. However, no one is free to do whatever they want! Especially not if they're a high-ranking noble or a military commander in ancient China! Murong Jinghe, for example, has sacrificed his reputation, principles and happiness and years of his life because he feels responsible for the army he lost ten years ago. Mei Lin herself is also ready to do or become whatever it takes to avenge her hometown. By contrast, Luo Mei doesn't seem capable of putting any greater purpose or value above her pride/personal ambition, even if she can act righteous when it doesn't cost her anything.
Her obsession with beating the two princes in spars and archery contests, her constant whining and angst over conversations she had with Prince Jing when she was a child, and the fact she's always styled like a k-pop idol prevent me from taking her seriously, which is unfortunate. She acts and looks like a spoiled princess whom all the most powerful men in the empire indulge by playing soldiers with her.
I wonder if we're supposed to feel this way about her or the production team thought her styling and characterisation would actually project an air of power and competence. In either case, I find her portrayal quite sexist; a female general could/should have a lot more gravitas, just like any other general, or if she's supposed to be flawed and weak, her flaws don't have to be so gendered and stereotypical.
That said, she's a perfect match for the crown prince, who's also immature and driven by personal grievances.