Meari21

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.

That's even worse! Not wanting to change is rejecting progress. It's one of the reasons why they're getting left behind by their East Asian counterparts and they have difficulty importing their dramas and making them more palatable to western audiences. Even the filmmaking styles are so outdated. It's like I'm still watching J-dramas from 2004. I only watch J-dramas that are produced by giant streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video these days because I can't get past the production quality of their network TV dramas.

Where? The episodes available on YouTube have horrible subs. I stopped watching after one episode. I'm still looking for better subs.

Rumor has it, Moonlight Mystique will be released this December.

He is so dreamy in Dashing Youth. That drama has the best looking cast of male actors I've ever seen! Even the older actors are quite handsome.

Ye Dingzhi lived a life of woe indeed. He lost his family and social standing because of politics. He wanted a woman who was married to another man, the future emperor at that, and conceived a bastard son with her who was abandoned by his mother and grew up with the shame of that coupling. He was a victim of politics and his desire to take back what was once his. He cursed his life by nurturing his hate and pining for a woman he could never really have, and he let people use him to destroy an empire, which also led to the demise of innocent people, including the ones he cared about. He made one mistake after another, never thinking about the consequences of his actions. A life like that could only end one way.

Her role is basically just to be Wuxin's mom and one of the main reasons why all went to hell. She's a political tool used by those around her and her stubborn and rebellious nature makes her more easily manipulable.

🤣🤣🤣 She looks like a little kid to me even though the actress is actually the same age as He Yu. I thought she was a lot younger. He Yu actually looks at Hou Minghao with more fondness. They look more like the romantic pair. She absolutely has zero chemistry with He Yu! I wish this was a BL drama instead. 😅

I read somewhere that she's the Helen of Troy of this story. I am inclined to agree. She caused so much chaos simply because she refused to accept her fate. If she really didn't want to marry Ruojin, she could've killed herself way before the wedding. But no, she wanted to be saved by a knight in shining armor so she waited for him even though she knew he would die trying. If she really cared for Dingzhi, she wouldn't have encouraged him, she would've sacrificed herself for his safety. Some say her father was in the wrong for setting up that marriage alliance, but there was a legit reason for that alliance and Ruofeng explained that to Dingzhi. Political alliances were the norm. In fact, noble people very rarely married for love in those days. They just refused to understand the validity of that marriage because they wanted to be together and couldn't care less about the consequences and the lives they would destroy. Ah, the carelessness and stupidity of youth. lol

I'm glad there are other people who can't stand her character. I thought I was the only one stressing out because of her. lol There are so many who ship her with Dingzhi and think she made the right decision by leaving Xiao Yu and her duties behind. And then after living with Dingzhi for a time, she decides to go back to her husband and eldest son whom she abandoned, abandoning Wuxin and Dingzhi in the process. What a horrible horrible woman!

She destroyed four lives including her own. Xiao Yu grew up to be a real dirtbag because she abandoned him and he felt unloved by her, while Wuxin grew up thinking he was abandoned by his own mother because she left him in the care of someone else. I think at some point he suspected her of causing his father's death. Yes, she was raped, but then again most women who married for political alliances at that time were raped because they were forced into marriage. That is the fate that most women had at that time. She could've been happy if she had doted on Xiao Yu and allowed herself to be loved by Ruojin instead. He's a complete prick but he genuinely cared for her, she was his favorite consort, after all. Dingzhi could've lived to old age if she had let him go. He would've found someone else and could've been happy if she had told him to move on. Xiao Yu could've grown up to become a decent human being if she had been there for him since the beginning. But these things needed to happen in order for Wuxin to be born. I just can't condone her behavior.

Any chance of this getting re-released on iQIYI any time soon?