Phroggies

Yes! I’m only on 6 but I’m leaning towards your take. Obviously, this is a deeply weird premise and I’m not sure it can ultimately be pulled off, but the present-day characters are getting increasingly complex and interesting—the path from what they wanted as children to what they’ve become adds a surprising depth.

That commercial is amazing! Thanks for the link.

Ep. 35…I don’t know where this cliffhanger with Charley is going, but man, does YiZhi have a good point. Doing the wrong thing for love is only going to corrupt the relationship. Caving to someone’s desires is not always the same thing as promoting that person’s good. Hope Charley can see that before it’s too late.

Hear, hear! I have zero problems with Liang Jie but I was a bit relieved when the shipper’s chorus subsided and we could focus on what a great job Elvira is doing. I’ve found her totally convincing as a young student, as a broken schemer, as a brilliant banker, and now as a woman who has truly learned the selfless care of those she loves. I’ve hated Lizi and I’ve loved her and I’ve cried for her. Elivira has done so well conveying the richness of this growth.

Well, it was a pretty dramatic episode, but what moved me repeatedly was the incredible loyalty shown by the employees, former friends, the other shareholders, and especially Lizi. This is all being shown at a time YiZhi is at his absolute nadir, convinced of his absolute worthlessness and unlovability, waylayed by Huang acting like Satan at the crossroads…so yeah, I started tearing up every time someone stood up for the poor guy. 🙂

I’m on 30 and still loving it. But then I never really thought it was dragging. Not sure if this makes a difference, but it probably helps if one doesn’t see it as primarily a romance.

Wow. I cried about four times during episode 30.

I mean, he still kind of is. When he first mentions the singer, he points out how unusual it is for women to be singing that kind of role. I think we’re pretty much meant to see that through the thin veil of censorship she could just as easily be a man.

Just wanted to say that one of the many things I admire about this drama is the representation of a Japanese citizen as a sympathetic, well-rounded character. I’m not addressing the political questions here one way or another, but as much as I love the Republican Era setting, it is often an artistic weakness in such dramas to portray Japanese characters as villainous caricatures. So I really appreciate this (though admittedly he’s half Chinese and I also have a bad feeling about how his story is going to end).

I hope to be proven wrong, but I feel like the writing slipped a little. Lizi wants a divorce because she feels so guilty—okay, but that’s not consistent with her talk about making it up to him. Yizhi has definitively decided he doesn’t trust her but then makes her his business partner? And most frustrating is his apparent willingness to be blackmailed. He has encouraged others to just come clean in the past, and it’s not like he’s actively tried to cover up his background before, so why is he courting fraud of his own bank to keep the secret now—a secret that surely he must realize is in Huang’s hands already? I really hope he’s doing some higher level scheming because as it stands this is disappointing and out of character.

That said, I’m enjoying the dream team and Mrs. Lan is really coming through!

Episodes 19-20…

Agree. The writers are really pushing her as close to the moral edge as she can go—she’s about to become an unredeemable monster, and it’s painful to watch, but I can’t look away (thinking especially about how she at least implicitly threatens that man’s daughter). Her character is really different and really has me on edge (in a good way, artistically speaking).

I also find her manipulative ability fascinating because it both parallels and contrasts with Yi Zhi’s abilities—he has that strategic lateral thinking so beloved in Cdramas, but he’s able to leverage it for the good, mainly because he draws out the best in people. She, on the other hand, is working away at people’s weaknesses and corrupting herself in the process.

Definitely finding this to be a fascinating drama.

Ack. 9 and 10 were very emotionally tense for me…

Thanks for posting this. I’m kind of bogged down in episode 13—suddenly it feels like the tone shifted, and not in a good way—but your takes have been pretty trustworthy for other dramas, so this is giving me the push I needed to keep going 🙂.

Okay, I’ll watch without fear 🙂. I do think the overall drama has a nice aesthetic and was tempted to watch the intro already on that basis!

Does it spoil anything? I’ve taken to skipping the intros and credits for that reason.

Yes! I don’t usually literally laugh out loud when watching dramas but I was giggling like a dork during that one.

For what it’s worth for those worried about the synopsis spoiling things, a good 50% of what it describes seems to take place in the first two episodes …

Employee ownership is hardly specific to communism—there are cooperatives even in very capitalist systems. I think you’re not wrong to see this as ideologically compatible with especially Chinese communist thought which, in my observation tends to emphasize “the People” rather than “the State”, but this drama is more about a corporation trying to be faithful to its founding ethics than about state ownership of anything. I may be hair-splitting, but I would hate for someone to miss this excellent drama because they thought it might go against their political principles. Not trying to convince you to want a second season! But I did want to offer a different take for the possible benefit of future viewers.

At least it’s not 50 anymore …

I had the exact same thought!