Same haha I gave the drama a 10 rating since it really touched me with how well the leads' motivations were fleshed…
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've been scrolling through weibo and xhs, seeing the amount of scenes that were deleted was such a shame because…
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.
This is an unexpected case for me.The beginning was very Wattpad-esque, very short series-code. I even wondered…
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.
Can we get a special episode?? I still can’t get over this. 😖
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.
Sooo I thought Jiang Mu was 26 years old by the time she came back to Nanjing and officially back together with…
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.
I'm REALLY bad about actually finishing shows or just skimming through them. I was excited about this project…
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.
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 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.