Meari21

Exactly! That is precisely why I am loving this. I think they balance the comedy and darker stuff well, but that's just me. I mean, I am a One Piece fan and that anime is the king of tonal shifts.

I don't mind the tonal shift. Most Asian dramas and Japanese anime have this and it's been a tried and tested formula. I actually enjoy the comedic aspects of the drama, it shows that they're not taking things too seriously. The plot progression is a bit slow, and honestly, the story itself is not that intriguing, so putting some comedy makes it a lot less boring than it would've been. I would like to see a legit dark fantasy horror drama in the future, though.

Alright, after 5 episodes, I can honestly say that I am loving the vibe of this drama so far. My expectations just went way up! I love the demon-hunting team, especially Bai Ju, the overreacting medical prodigy. I went into this blind only knowing that it's a Hou Minghao-led drama. But I ended up discovering Tian Jia Rui. His character is so dope! The fact that he has to stain his sword with his own blood to make it more powerful is very anime-ish. As an avid anime-watcher, that excites me because it's like watching a really cool live action adaptation. The action choreography is cool as well. The soundtrack is so lit, especially Liu Yuning's song that plays when Zhu Yan and Zhou Yichen first encounter each other. And of course, Hou Minghao is delightfully devilish in this. I never thought I'd see Minghao portray a dark, flirty, and mysterious character and nail it! As I said in my previous post, he would make an excellent vampire. Hahaha

Agreed! The lovable ensemble cast and anime-ish elements are also reminiscent of I Am Nobody.

This drama convinced me that he would do well in any kind of dark fantasy role where he plays an immortal anti-hero type.

I still can't comment much about the drama itself as I've seen only one episode so far, but this I can say, Minghao is great in this! I've always thought he looks like an AI-generated image with perfect features. His character design and styling makes him all the more ethereal-looking, which is perfect for the role. And the way he speaks adds to the dark aura he exudes. I can't help but think he would be great playing a vampire. Yes, give him a vampire role please!

This has been getting a lot of negative reviews from fans of the game because they claim it's vastly different from the game they know and love. I'm glad I'm not familiar with the source material because I enjoyed the first episode.

From the first review of hers that I saw years ago, I have never agreed with anything she has to say, so I've never taken her seriously. I watch some of her videos every now and then just for kicks and I always end up chuckling because she sounds like an idiot half the time when she talks about the technical aspects of a drama. It's one thing to have preferences but it's another to criticize something you don't really understand to begin with or spread hate simply because you don't like something. She acts like she's an all-knowing holier than thou reviewer who can make or break a drama. But having said that, I do appreciate her inside knowledge about certain practices in the industry and the source material, and of course, her Chinese background. Seriously though, I don't trust C-drama reviewers in general because my tastes don't normally align with theirs and most of these reviews are very subjective. Not to mention almost none of them have film backgrounds, so to me, they're not really reliable reviewers.

This is one of the best dramas I've ever watched, period! I'm hoping for a season 2. They certainly can write more stories since it's an episodic type of drama. Plus, the drama has won a ton of awards and is massively successful in Taiwan.

He is classically handsome. Definitely one of the most good looking and talented Asian actors ever! But criminally underrated.

I think I would know whether I can understand the plot or not, don't you think? So far, I have no idea about the history between the characters and how Yanbing got his primordial spirits. Those parts I know nothing about because I didn't watch the prequel. I may have to watch it if I feel the need to do so, or if I can't find a complete plot summary. But for now, I'm good. I'm not confused... yet.

Ruipeng does have a deeper and more masculine sounding voice, his Lei Wujie was dubbed by someone else in fact. But I'm not sure if this is actually him voicing Cao Yanbing. It has a slightly different tone from his real voice.

Probably not. I don't think this is a direct sequel. If it is and I need to understand some parts then I'm going to watch the prequel.

I agree with you on the lack of chemistry part but I think Kim Young Dae is alright in this. I just do not like how he supposedly falls in love with Shin Min Ah's character and yet we are never really shown how, we are just told. We are given "lovey dovey" cutesy scenes between the couple, and yet they feel forced and unearned. I'm watching this drama mostly because of the second couple. I lose interest whenever the scenes go back to the main couple. I also think Shin Min Ah should have played a character her own age. A much older independent woman who didn't want to get married would've been far more interesting imho. I hate that they made her 33 years old in this. There are very few K-dramas that revolve around much older characters. They do cast actors in their 40's but they give them younger roles. I don't get it. It's as if they're afraid people won't watch if the story centers around an ajumma.

I just realized this has only 12 episodes. Now I understand why they made a two-episode spin-off with the second couple.

Only two episodes?! They should've just turned it into a TV-movie.

His profile picture doesn't do him justice. They should update it.

I found my next drama!

Yes, South Korea has specific agencies that are tasked to promote and export their movies, dramas, and music. They established these agencies about two decades ago if I'm not mistaken. I read an article about Japanese TV networks trying to make deals with foreign TV broadcasting companies for distribution rights, but have difficulty doing so because of the relatively short length of their dramas unlike their Korean counterparts that run for at least 16 episodes. I think the Japanese government is starting to pay attention, though. Yamazaki Takashi of Godzilla Minus One recently attended a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister after news of the movie's meager (less than) 15 million USD budget shocked Hollywood. There were concerns about the staff not receiving appropriate compensation for their work, and the fact that the Prime Minister himself invited Yamazaki and other Japanese filmmakers to talk about this issue is a sign that they're starting to care about their entertainment industry. Godzilla Minus One was a certified hit despite the limited theatrical release. House of Ninjas entered the Netflix global top 10 even though it's not based on a popular IP unlike Alice in Borderland and Yu Yu Hakusho. Clearly, there's a market for their dramas and movies. They just have to make the effort to produce better content.

I think they're starting to realize that their exclusivity is affecting their economy as well. One of the reasons Korean culture has gone global is because of their entertainment industry and it has brought a lot of revenue to the country. C-entertainment is also picking up because they actually have dedicated international streaming platforms that release a variety of content per month. Only Japan has remained reluctant to aggressively export their dramas, movies, and music. Heck, I still have difficulty ordering J-rock merch because most sites have no international shipping and require Japanese credit cards to purchase. TBS has already signed a deal with Netflix to distribute their dramas and Fuji TV has followed suit. It looks like NHK is doing the same as well. I heard a drama of theirs is going to be released on Prime Video globally. So, I think they are now looking to compete. I just don't know if they can still catch up or if they are willing to change their production quality.