PeachBlossomGoddess

It was so bad it was good.

Hope the ML's bad hair day ends at some point.

I think he won - at a great cost no doubt. But now we know the father loves the son.

Looks like a bad lipstick job. They are using a red purple tint which is different from his natural colour. Looks odd when it comes off a bit in the middle.

Its a good but messily produced story. Most people watch it for the OTP - they really have excellent chemistry.

She is one lucky girl - they are both such awesome dudes she couldn't have gone wrong either way. Both roles are played by the same actor if that is any consolation.

Lots of bromance. Engrossing.

Yeah I was expecting that so am just gonna watch slowly. I generally like happy shows but I am also drawn to the complex and it is hard to have both. This one is particularly hard because it feels like there will be suffering from start to finish. The only thing that keeps me going is the sliver of hope I feel whenever I see the two cranes in the opening scene but that darn girl she seems only to know how to paint one.

I know someone who watched it 29 times... heheh

Try watching something happier at the same time and just switch in between. It helps. My China friends finally got me Youku VIP so I can really binge this but I had to slow down because its so sad. I am watching other stuff for awhile.

Viki has great quality and the English subs are probably the best but unfortunately on Apple TV you cannot watch with the Chinese subs on which is what I prefer so I rarely use it.

Upper right hand corner click on Edit and then go into Primary Details.

That dastardly Luo Jin is indeed appallingly good at making you cry along with him. I am forced to take a short break from this show to mend my heart.

Yeah it was kind of cheesy but this Ning Yi character is my kind of lead - devious, ruthless and complex. Not one of those typical unrealistic, stiflingly honorable goody two shoes male leads we get most of the time.

Ah, ok that would explain it as well. I did have a strong impression that LYT's character was in love with "that man" and had a romantic past with him and there was a part where it was implied with Ye Celang as well. After that I started to roll my eyes whenever any of the women used that term.

Indeed the ladies are great until they start raving about "THAT MAN". From what I saw I don't know what the fuss was all about... Do they all have collective bad taste in men??? Or am I missing something here?

Jia Yibo is the best!!!

I loved Jiang Ziya, he was my favorite character.

This show strays far from the classic novel - probably a reason why it was never allowed to fully air so the book may confuse rather than clarify things. In the classic novel Yang Jian appears much later and I don't think he even meets Daji or if he does it is only briefly. After his investiture he becomes Erlang Shen, one of the mightiest war gods with a third eye in Chinese mythology. There are several myths about him that somewhat contradict each other. He has a gigantic black dog for a sidekick in other versions of this that I think they turned into Li Er in this adaption. You are right her backstory is a loose thread - probably got cut somewhere along the way.

The original novel is huge and one of the most often adapted for dramas. I believe Zhao Ge is currently in production which focuses on Wu Ji's story. It is bound to present a different take on this novel.

It is complex and very well written throughout and the purpose is different - ROP is mostly a power struggle whereas in NIF it is to unravel an old conspiracy and seek justice. It is the best drama I have seen by a wide margin.

I like this but don't love it. Its funny in. a good way and a pleasing way to pass time but hasn't won my heart.