Meese

The way I want this to go on Netflix so bad. I just feel like it could blow up even more if it was more readily available on there. I don't know how much people on here are into Booktok, but the way I would describe it is June First meets Culpa Mia meets TSITP.

I've followed along on a couple different Reddit pages where they give updates and it sounds like there have been a lot of hate campaigns against her that have been ongoing for months. Stuff from harassing companies she announces brand deals with to even her most recent concert earlier this month where there were people reporting her being "problematic" so the Haidian District Culture and Tourism Bureau had to say she hasn't violated any rules and then people throwing insults about the concert after the fact. And that's not even touching on the alway present insults about her voice/acting/face/etc.

I just think it works out in her favor (and HY's) that this was an international success and they're both able to capitalize on it amongst people who aren't as likely to be influenced by all that noise around her by the more brutal CNetz that has been ongoing for months.

It's interesting. I've just gotten more into the more day to day of how CDrama entertainment works and a lot of what I have read is how it's a cold market and there just aren't many hits. I do think the drama having international success could actually be a blessing in disguise in that if it's a struggle in general to attract the Chinese audience, particularly with a more idol drama and with how weird it sounds like people can be with Esther right now, there are still plenty of people out there to grow their fanbase which this show seems to be doing and they should be more neutral on any "controversy" people try to generate.

Esther and Mike are hilarious together. You can tell they're friends IRL. It's cute.

The different reenactments of the stair scenes were too funny.

Agreed with this! I also like how they had Pan Kai who was interested in Mumu be an actual friend to her. I grew such a soft spot for him when he was the only one from Thailand who was willing to tell her that JZ had come back and gave her his contact info.

I think overall, this series supporting cast while small, they all played important roles in their own rights without interfering with JZ and JM's story too much. I think they could have been developed a bit more to add some depth to their characters and the story, but overall, I was happy with their contributions.

The lack of explored depth to JM is my one big issue honestly with this story tbh. The show touched me in ways a show hasn’t in a long time, but I just can’t give it a 10 for this reason plus the bad script/editing.

However, from my understanding, the novel itself is very male centric. One person said it felt like a story for the reader to drool over JZ. When I continued on with the mentality it was a male centric story, that helped a lot more for me personally and let me sort of look at the story in a different light and where they sort of go with it and how they portray the two characters. It’s not going to be for everyone, but just wanted to give you my perspective.

I want to say underground fighting and racing but maybe somewhat connected to the Alliance. Patrick Finkler’s character who was somehow connected to Lin Sui (were they related?) was shown to be the mole in the Alliance, correct? So Lin Sui may have been aware of the Alliance but I don’t think it was ever shown he was actually part of it.

People can feel free to correct me if they remember something else.

I got Boys Over Flowers Yi Jung/Ga Eul confession vibes from the sun and moon reunion scene and I saw a post that pointed out the grocery store scene with Lin Sui and JZ reminded them of Goblin so I would be curious how South Koreans take this show. Would love to see more YSX/HY promo activities for the show in general.

I still have fingers crossed this could end up on Netflix because I just see this being a good Netflix drama for people to stumble on and then binge.

Yeah, I agree, an extra couple episodes could have helped a lot with really delivering the emotions. I personally would have loved to have seen more interactions between JM and her dad to make that noodle scene have more of an impact.

I’ve started my rewatch from the end and already, I can appreciate parts a lot more. I mentioned it down below, but I thought it was funny they used JM being a picky eater and late sleeper to do the joke about how JZ told his employees JM was both his wife and kid. I also think the theme of JZ wanting to spoil JM and take care of her also sort of makes her childish behavior at the beginning make a bit more sense. I had forgotten about it, but I had read someone who loved the novel mention part of spoiling JM also had to do with JZ wanting to make her depend on him so she wouldn’t abandon him which also adds some depth to JM and JZ.

I also loved the Nanjing arc. The Thai arc gave me that young love/giggly feel but the Nanjing arc made me tear up multiple times and is where I think the depth from the story really comes to fruition. Some of the quotes about love during the last five episodes were really beautiful and I think that’s where HY and YSX both shined.

I gave it a 9.5 and agree that being objective, it would probably be more in the 7-8 range if I take my emotions out of it because the editing was so choppy and there were a lot of plot holes. It's been YEARS since a show or book has made me feel like I did after finishing the last episode, and like you mentioned, if you look deeper, this show has its own unique depth that I've been thinking about a lot the last couple days.

I'm totally convinced the chemistry between HY and YSX is the main reason this drama amounted to much honestly. The script and editing were terrible in a lot of places, but JZ and JM pulled you in so much you are willing to overlook the script and/or get parts filled in from the novel. I know Nanjing wasn't as exciting as Thailand, but the emotions hit so hard during that saga.

Regarding Esther's character, I sort of had a thought, and some of this might just be projecting. My understanding is the novel is very male centered and in the book JM can come across even more childish than in the show, but she grows. I think a theme with Esther's characters in general is that they can be underestimated, but in the end, they all have an inner strength. JM's character's inner strength seems to be her steadfastness and loyalty to her loved one. I think it's easy to overlook this because of how she comes across as so childish and spoiled. In this drama, it's a lot more subtle because how it's used more for JZ's development, but it's there. I too was sort of annoyed at how childish and helpless at times JM was, but sort of looking at the overall story arc, it's actually sort of more beautiful in my head of this idea of the character of JM coming off as someone people dismiss but in the end, she was the one you could argue fought the hardest for their love. She made JZ realize love isn't just about self sacrifice, but two people weathering the storm together. Esther mentioned something about how she saw strength in JM when she got the script too in the live she did for the finale so I think there's something to that idea.

I also sort of laughed at how they incorporated her being shown to be a picky eater and late sleeper in the scene where the assistant mentioned JZ said he had a wife and kid to his employees and JM realized she was both of those. It's a really subtle way to sort of make fun of her character while also having a way to show how deeply JZ cares about JM in that he wants to spoil her and indulges those sort of behaviors.

Like I said, I might be looking way too deep into stuff right now as I continue to think back on this drama. The way it all came together and made me feel so much in the end just has me thinking of a lot of the stuff had happened and if there are deeper meanings in stuff. Honestly, it makes me love the drama even more where a sort of "fast food" drama can have a much deeper meaning if you want to look at it that way. I want to do a full rewatch with more of this perspective and see if I notice any other little tidbits to make me appreciate the story more.

I'm SO bummed they didn't seem to do more promo together outside of Thai Sweet (which HY didn't even get to stay all the way through for) and the lives. I was really looking forward to a HI6 episode.

I'm confused too because I went back and in EP 27 and Crazy mentions it made sense when JZ didn't let JM drink when she was 18 (or at least that's what IQIYI's subtitles are) which I'm assuming is referencing when they were all in Thailand together.

When I listen to the OST, I just get flashbacks of all the touching scenes throughout SAL. I wasn't the biggest fan during my first listen at the beginning, but now this OST hits so hard and it's on repeat.

Also, if it tells you anything, this drama moved me in a way so much, I created this account just to be able to talk about it. I definitely understand if it is not everyone's cup of tea, but the more I think about, the more I look back at this drama fondly. Thank you YSX and HY for giving us this beautiful drama.

I'm REALLY bad about actually finishing shows or just skimming through them. I was excited about this project since last year around when it was announced as someone who likes YSX the person from her variety appearances primarily. The concept of this show intrigued me as someone who grew up on fanfics/Wattpad, and all the Reuters clips along the way just got me more invested.

I honestly don't remember the last tv show in general I have been able to finish outside of some documentary. This was my first ever CDrama I made to the end. These last couple weeks waking up early in the morning to get my daily dose of JM and JZ were so nice. There are definitely flaws with the script and editing that can deeply annoy viewers (including me) at points and I think you the viewer need to make a few conclusions on your own to reconcile some of those gaps to fully appreciate the story being told at its core.

The chemistry between YSX and HY was what carried the show to the end for me and made this something I'm going to think about for awhile and one of the few shows I will rewatch all the way through. I really think if you can stick with this drama and are willing to look at this as a story of two people who yearn for each other in different ways and learn how to be brave for one another, it's really quite beautiful and for me, makes up for most of the flaws in the plot. As someone who has just been ruminating all day about the last couple episodes and learning more about the novel to help bridge some gaps and think about some small additional scenes to really flesh out more of JM and JZ, I think this was a great love story at its core.

I had the thought this would be a great Netflix drama honestly.

Same. I think this is the first tv show in general that wasn't a documentary that I finished this year.