Platinum Fox

Yes, for me, that is what he started out as, but by the end of FP he was well on his way to having redemptive and revenge arcs and those just disappeared, and there were no scenes to say why he went over to the dark side. He reminded me of the second male lead in Brocade Odyssey. I actually loved his character because they were making him into something different than most second male leads, but that didn't happen.

See, for me, The Double was a parody on historical dramas in particular those with Zhao Lu Si and Leo Wu. The second male lead was like the second male lead in A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College. The main couple was like the reverse of Love Like the Galaxy and Princess Wei Young (XFF). The princess was the central plains princess in the Long Ballad (I am guessing at this because I only watched the Zhao Lu Si's story). Duke Su's story is Nirvana in Fire. I read part of the novel of that drama and most of the first half is made up. Don't know about the ending.

You don't have to agree with me. That's okay. Just tried to tell you why they put that scene in the drama. By the way, you are not the only one who has felt uncomfortable with scenes in this drama. Many others have had uncomfortable feelings as well.

Thank you for the discussion and happy drama watching.

LIng Bu Yi's family is a complicated one. But in a nutshell, LBY and his mother were separated from the father and husband in Lone City after the massacre. For two years LBY and his mother wandered around trying to get back to the capital to talk to the emperor. When they arrived, they find out that the father and husband has remarried a cousin of the mother. This drives the mother crazy and because their entire clan (on the mother's side, except for LBY and the mother) perished in the Lone City massacre, the emperor, who was besties with LBY's uncle (mother's brother), adopts him until he is of age.

Hope this helps and makes sense.

No, the first brother, the first sister, and the second sister never appear in the drama. They are just mentioned. Second sister isn't even mentioned. We just know that Yang Yang is third sister and Shao Shang is fourth sister.

They get engaged around 25 if I remember correctly.

I agree with you. You responded exactly how the writers wanted you to respond. At the beginning of that interaction, DJX places a bottle of milk on her cheek (symbolizing a kiss). They talk about how he will never get a girlfriend if he is late, etc. When he drops her off at school, he gives her a letter. At the end of it, he writes something to the effect that he is happy he got to see her again. She is shocked and surprised as she is not a minor when it comes to having a full blown relationship (including sex). She is only a minor when it comes to marriage (20 for females and 22 for males) and business matters (18 years of age). The fact that he hides his interactions with her suggests that he has different intentions. Does this mean he is pervert? To some yes, to others no. It depends on your comfort level of the age gap and whether you perceive his actions as a brother or him wanting her to be his girlfriend.

So I get where you are coming from and understand what you are trying to say. As I said before this is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It is a cautionary tale. That scene is meant to show that girls need to be cautious of older males. jmo

For me, it isn't what they did to the main characters that disappointed me. It was what they did to the wonderful Miles Wei character.

I agree with you. I personally did not feel that it was grooming. However, it depends on your definition of grooming and what acts you would consider grooming acts. Groomers, both positively and negatively, are teachers/tutors. When she is 14 and 17, DJX becomes her teacher/tutor in the game of life. This is represented through the giving of the fox toy (a present he gives her with no strings attached). DJX does this through the guise of being her brother and through these interactions she falls in love with him. Is this grooming? To some people it could be, to others not. It depends on your definition of grooming.

Also, DJX's actions and speech are that of a groomer. In order to gain the child's trust, a groomer does something big for the child and both agree to keep it secret. Doesn't him going to the school and swearing secrecy afterwards constitute as something big to gain Sang Zhi's trust? Even after the first temporal node, DJX reminds her of the great favor he did for her when she was fourteen. She feigns forgetfulness, but we know that she has had a crush on him since that time. Groomers do this. They remind the child that the child owes them something for keeping this big event a secret. It is after this that DJX keeps his interactions with her a secret even from Sang Yan. Why do you think Sang Yan continues to punch him even after he finds out the two are dating? We find out in episode 23 that DJX has liked her since she was 17. Sang Yan is now okay with this. In episode 25, we find out that DJX is not really a groomer because Sang Yan had given DJX permission to go to the school. Until then though, I have to agree with those who saw grooming behavior on the part of DJX.

But because of the purpose of the drama (a social commentary on the age of consent law and others), all of this is acceptable. This is a cautionary tale. Not everyone is going to be a green flag male like DJX, so I can overlook this behavior or let it slide. But I must say that him going to the school (before I found out that Sang Yan had given him permission) disturbed me a great deal.

Happy drama watching.

You and others have felt the same way, so I am not going to say that you are wrong or attack you for these thoughts. What you are feeling is very intentional by the writers. Many viewers see this drama as a simple, fluffy love story. It is, but it goes way beyond simple, especially when she is 14 and 17 and he is 19 and 22.

In most countries the age of consent is 16 with the age of an adult being 18. So in many countries if he had, had a sexual relationship with her when she was 14 or even 17, it would be classified as statutory rape. So for viewers outside of China, this drama looks like DJX is a pedophile or at least a groomer. However, the age of consent in China is 14. This means that Sang Zhi is mentally and physically ready to have a relationship, including sex, with anyone above the age of 14, so DJX and Sang Zhi could legally carry on a relationship when she is 14 or even 17. The Chinese people are trying to get the age of consent law changed to 16, but haven't had any luck. If you can't change a law, change the people's mindset. This drama says fourteen year olds are still children and with 17 year olds, it is a gray area.

What's interesting is in the novel she is 13 (a minor) and he is 20/21 at the beginning. Within the first eight chapters he is already caressing her hair and buying her presents. Red flag. They turn him into a green flag male in this drama to get the message across that 14 year olds are not ready for a mature relationship.

I apologize for the other lengthy response. Hope this helps. Happy drama watching.

I read your analysis. Glad you enjoyed both seasons. I did finish both seasons. You might enjoy Nothing Gold Can Stay. It is the story of a woman who becomes an influential business person during the Qing dynasty. The woman is based on a real person.

Happy drama watching.

Loved the symbolism at the end of the game. The baby was the only innocent person in that whole game.

Zhao Lu Si has a historical drama called A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College about this same topic.

If I remember correctly, after he comes back from his soul being scattered, Mo Yuan explains why Ye Hua "woke up". Mo Yuan says something to the effect, it makes sense that she would fall in love with Ye Hua as she watched over him while she was the school.

Also, Bai Qian is the one who touches the golden lotus. This is the first world that Bai Qian and Ye Hua were together in. There are scenes of Ye Hua wondering who she is and comforting Bai Qian. Then, he says something to effect, "I have to go now, it's time for me to be born." This is after Mo Yuan dies.

When Ye Hua and Mo Yuan were supposed to be born something happened during birth to Ye Hua's fetus and only Mo Yuan was born at that time. The Heavenly Father was able to save Ye Hua's fetus by placing it in the lotus to be born at a later date. Mo Yuan places the lotus in the pond at the school. When Bai Qian goes to the school, she takes care of lotus by talking to and touching it. Ye Hua answers her back, but she can't hear him. If I remember correctly, when Mo Yuan's soul is scattered after trapping the demon lord in the bell, Ye Hua's fetus is given to the eldest son of the Heavenly Emperor because his wife was unable to have children. When Ye Hua was born the same phenomenons occurred when Mo Yuan was born, so everyone thought Ye Hua was the reincarnated Mo Yuan.

Hope this helps.

This movie reminded me a great deal of The Young Warriors about the Yuan Army and in the end when they were all slaughtered in battle. You really have to ask is the glory of war really worth the cost?

Who would have thought that Detective Dee is a romantic! What a fun, entertaining movie.

If you want a deep mystery, this is not it. It is a fun, entertaining movie. I love seeing what they come up with to explain human combustion (fire beetles).

I apologize for being so negative. Other viewers have watched it and enjoyed it. Myself, I watched the first 12 episodes, dropped it for a month and went back to it to clean out my currently watching list. In the first half there is a story arc about her mother, the other concubine, the discovery of oil, and the completion of the love story for the king and his consort, and several misunderstandings between the main leads.

Happy drama watching. Did you ever watch When Life Gives You Tangerines?

Hello, how are you? If I were you, I would skip In the Name of Blossom altogether. It added nothing to the drama. If you want to see the romance part just start watching at episode 17/18 as that is when the political part comes back into the story. For me, ItNoB was a superior let down as most of the wonderful themes and rich characters disappeared.

Even though I love Maggie Q, this movie had no plot, was choppy (as all Hong Kong dramas and movies are), and poorly acted. This has to be one of her honing her acting skills movies.