Meari21

Theater is different from TV or movies though, the acting style is different too. I would still consider this his first acting gig. And with the way he acts, it doesn't look like he only has three years' worth of experience. He's better than most actors who have been acting longer.

So I finally got to watch My Journey To You and holy moly, this kid is all that! Hard to believe that it was his first ever acting gig. From the way he walked, talked, and smiled devilishly, he clearly had the presence and acting chops of someone who has been doing this professionally for decades. I loved him in Fangs of Fortune as Zhuo Yichen, but I think Gong Yuanzhi is more unforgettable despite being only a support role.

Happy 30th, Pengpeng!

In fiction, Lucifer, who is a fallen angel and the devil in Christian religion was portrayed as a hero in several stories and one of them was in a very popular TV show called Lucifer. He is the literal king of hell and yet he is portrayed as good in that show, he even fell in love, saved lives, and was written as a misunderstood son with daddy issues. As a Christian, I didn’t take it seriously because it’s a fictional take on Lucifer. But I think there’s are cultural appropriation issues in this drama because of the Islamic roots of the character. I find it weird that Iblis is portrayed as Korean. If they wanted to borrow elements from your religion then they could’ve just changed the names. Genies or jinn are not new to pop culture and literature but I don’t remember seeing them portrayed by East Asians and incorporated into a culture that is vastly different from their origins. I don’t know why they had to use lines and circumstances presented in the Quran when they could‘ve just made things up and turned it into a dark fantasy romance that happens to have jinn in it. It would’ve been more acceptable, I think.

The demons in Chinese mythology are called Yao and they’re not like how demons are portrayed in the Christian bible. They’re more like spirits that are capable of both good and evil. This is the same in Japanese mythology. Their demons are called Oni which are a type of supernatural beings that can be either good or evil.

It’s a Korean channel. It might be available on YouTube soon.

I came here to ask that same question.

Came here to check the reviews to get an idea about the plot but the reviews don't contain any real hints as to what this drama is about. They seem like they were written by ChatGPT. Any one of them could be a review for any fantasy romance story because of the lack of details or specific criticism. "Shallow, repetitive, flat, predictable." But why? None of them care to explain their criticism. So I'll probably just go in blind and see how it goes.

I'm a little disappointed with the ending. They should've given this one more episode or made a 30-minute special episode at least to wrap things up more properly. The epilogue just can't make up for that missing piece of the story. I would've given this a higher rating if they actually stuck the landing. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good watch. Definitely more enjoyable than other K-drama rom-coms I've seen of late. And it made me look forward to each episode no matter how cheesy or farfetched it got. lol

There are plenty of actors who do well in wuxia roles but nobody does it like Cheng Yi imo. I don’t know why but he really sells the badass martial artist. He makes me believe he really can do all those impossible moves with very little effort. I know he works doubly hard to execute these fight scenes so I salute him for that.

Just trolls. Don’t let them get to you. Sometimes I like engaging with them and challenging them just for kicks. But when I don’t have the energy to argue, I just ignore them and move on. I had the same issue in another page. MDL is a cesspool. So many immature folks that don’t know the meaning of proper manners.

Kinda like Reset which also stars Bai Jingting and is also available on Netflix.

I just stumbled upon “spoilers” online. Not sure if they’re real but it seems like she changed the past and stopped the purge. Those responsible were punished. I guess my prediction was wrong. 😅

That’s usual for K-dramas though. I used to complain about the length of their dramas that they’re almost movie-length. 😆

The writing is flawed, I admit that. To me, this is more like a live action adaptation of an anime that doesn't take itself too seriously so I can suspend my disbelief and carry on. If I nitpick, it'll just drive me crazy. lol But I don't think the characterization is off. I would've thought that they messed up the characterization if the king all of sudden flew into a rage in the middle of the series with no preceding scenes that depict his tendency to act nonsensically. From the start, he is portrayed as a smart but aggressive king with serious mommy issues. He can be highly illogical and unreasonable when he's emotional to the point that he loses self-control. Consort Kang needed to calm him down with a powder-form sedative (most likely opium) and that was why she was his favorite. Later, it was Cook Yeon's cooking that made him less temperamental and that's one of the reasons why he fell in love with her. But when the Chinese envoy threatened to take her away, he almost started a war and was admonished by his grandmother for his carelessness. When she was imprisoned, he almost killed his stepmother until she brought him back to his senses. That's just who he is.

Yes, he can. Real people are complex and not logical. Not everything they do or think
make sense. I have a friend who can’t stand watching anything pornographic because it grosses her out. But she loves to read smut. It doesn’t make sense to me but it makes sense to her because that’s her nature. There are people who can eat raw beef but can’t eat raw fish and not because of the fishy smell. People don’t add up into a perfect equation. There are plenty of plot holes and suspend-your-disbelief stuff in this drama but not when it comes to the characterization imho. The king’s volatility is his flaw. If he were so perfectly calculating, they would have a hard time manipulating him into launching a bloody war.

But that's the thing, he's not consistent. He has a very volatile personality. He's not emotionally and psychologically stable. When he's thinking straight, yes he can strategize. But when he's not, he's like a rabid animal, a bomb waiting to explode. He has psychopathic tendencies. It was pretty clear to me in the beginning that he can be unreasonable, childish, and petty. He threw terrible tantrums, refusing to eat, threatening to kill people, and throwing things like a child. A truly calculating strategist would be calm in these situations. He has a wild temper that even he can't control.

Childish and immature doesn't equate to being dumb. He's not dumb, but he can be naive and fooled. If he were truly calculating, he wouldn't have trusted anyone and would be privy to everyone's secrets instead of taking some things at face value. He also has the tendency to lose his cool and do things without thinking like headbutting the Chinese envoy and throwing a tantrum in front of Consort Kang like a 5-year-old. Just because someone shows signs of intelligence doesn't mean they can't be deceived and controlled. Also, he has the protection of the Hans, his grandmother's family, and his loyal officials who do his every bidding. People are also scared of him because of his psychopatic tendencies. He has survived that long because of many factors not because of his wits alone.

Wow, you're telling me to shut up when I'm giving my opinion. That's rude of you, don't you think? That was not the purpose of her traveling back in time because I don't think she will change history. The original webtoon ends with her not changing anything because she wasn't meant to. The trip was for her and her own character growth, and to meet the love of her life.

He is not calculating and careful, though. He's childish and easily manipulated. That is why Prince Jesan has gotten away being the idiotic relative and Consort Kang, who is the daughter of a slave, was strategically placed to become his consort and keep tabs on him. He knows there's a traitor but he doesn't know who because practically everyone wants him dethroned and his only allies are the Hans whom he alienated with the poisoning of the young prince. Cook Yeon didn't understand the message of the Ming chef as he spoke in riddles. Would you have understood it? She only knows there are people out usurp the king's throne and that the purge will happen, making the king the worst tyrant who ever ruled Joseon. She's also not the type to bow down to anyone. She, after all, became one of the youngest self-made Michelin star chef. She's prideful and pride makes people do stupid things.