Platinum Fox

You really don't want to know how I think this will turn out, but yes, I think everybody will get what they need and deserve.

I understand what you mean about romance in this drama. For me, I am more interested in the spirits and what they stand for, but I am also curious if they will allow Yeo Ri to move on from her past life and into a new one with Gang Cheol. It appears that that is were they are heading. I don't think either one will have to sacrifice anything. I think that is the point of having Bibi.

By the end, I think Gang Cheol will achieve his ascension because I don't think ascension will mean the same thing in this drama as it does in other dramas. It is why he didn't get to ascend in the first place and is stuck in Yun Gap's body. jmo

Thank you for the discussion. Happy drama watching.

Interesting that you would say that Chinese dramas lack warmth. I think that is starting to change as two years ago I watched a Chinese modern drama called Hidden Love. It is full of warmth. Also, a historical drama named Flourished Peony is quite warm with a touch of traditional dark. More and more cdramas are moving away from the girls being witches with b and more towards having them work together. It makes for nice change of atmosphere.

Thank you for explaining marriage yoga. It really does make sense for this drama. Happy drama watching!

No teacher, male or female, should be having a romance with a high school student when they are in high school. I don't think anyone here had a problem with it being an older woman and younger man. The problem they had was the inappropriate relationship she had with him in high school. For that, she should have been fired. Now, after he graduated, go for it.

However, this drama set it up that even when he is of age that he still does not understand the consequences of his actions as she is going in to testify about the corruption that took place at the school. Her reputation was already ruined due to the sex scandal. It was why she didn't stop to comment at the press conference. She realized that what he said was a lie. She had fallen love with him when he was in high school.

At first I thought as you because we all thought the events took place 13 years ago rather than 100. But for 87 years Gang Cheol wandered the earth to find a suitable person to help him ascend. He couldn't find one as he felt all humans were the same. One day he comes across Yeo Ri playing in the stream. At that moment she is pure and one with nature. She is different from everyone he has ever come across. She doesn't judge people or spirits. When she is 13, she says that she will help Gang Cheol ascend, but grandmother says no, that Gang Cheol is evil. Being a kid, she believes her grandmother. Grandmother gives Yeo Ri a stone to protect her from Gang Cheol. GC follows her to get that stone away from her, so that he can convince her to help as she must do it willingly.

Notice that once the stone is not on her, she changes her mind about Gang Cheol. She is all grown up and thinks for herself. She realizes that throughout her life he has been the one protecting her. Where as Yun Gap has been in the capital and only comes to get her when he needs her for something. Which tells you that what he told that girl in episode 1 that he only thought of Yeo Ri as a sister was true.

Hope this helps. Happy drama watching.

My question to you is this, are they really fighting against evil or something that has been branded as evil?

Remember Yeo Ri and Gang Cheol hated each other while she had the stone. Her grandmother pressed upon her that he was evil. At that moment, grandmother was right. He was evil as he only wanted her for one purpose, so he could ascend. He was selfish. During the 13 years that she was growing up, he only protected her because he wanted to use her to help him ascend.

After Yun Gap's death and Yeo Ri sees Yun Gap's spirit, does she agree to help Gang Cheol ascend, but only if he helps reunite Yun Gap's spirit with his body. Both at this moment are acting in a selfish manner to get what they want. It is only through the power of love for each other that they can both get what they want. Throughout the drama the reason they are helping each other changes. Now they both are doing it out of love and not for selfish reasons.

You're right at this moment the romantic love does seem kind of forced, but that's because it has yet to play out to the fullest extent. The reappearance of Yun Gap's spirit is the final part of the story. Will Gang Cheol and Yeo Ri's newfound love and bond, stand against this past connection. Yun Gap needs to tell her to her face something to the effect of I only liked you as a sister, go ahead love Gang Cheol. She already seems to have mourned Yun Gap death and is clearly ready to move on. Gang Cheol must make a decision does he want to ascend or stay on earth with her. Can he do both? The answer comes with the decision she makes about Yun Gap.

This whole drama personifies the past and how we need to change from past practices in order to move on in the future. This is why I ask, are they really fighting evil or something else? Romantic love in Korean dramas seems to play out with the old winning over the new. Not always, but most of the time. Maybe that is why you feel the romance is forced? Just a thought, but understand.

Wow, love your thought process. Now let me add even more to your thoughts. In the past kings felt they had the right to be king because the gods willed it. Now by a human spirit eating a deity's power, the power of the gods is not given to the royalty, but to the people. The place where it should have been in the first place.

Thank you for your thoughts on this subject. You have helped me understand this drama so much. Happy drama watching.

You're right. But Gang Cheol is on a journey to understand humans. He cultivated in a pool for a 1000 years, but still doesn't understand humans. It is only when he fails to ascend and literally becomes a human that he grows as a deity.

Romantic love is a part of the human experience. To have someone care about you, love you for who you are, and have your back is a very powerful and important part of being human. To not allow him to experience the full impact of romantic love deprives him of understanding the total experience of being a human. Romantic love is awkward as you don't know if the person you love will love you back. Tradition says that family has to love you no matter what. Romantic love is different, the person who loves you doesn't have to, he/she is doing it of h/she own free will. That is very powerful feeling.

In Chinese fantasy dramas, I have always found it silly when they say that falling in love is a calamity. Why? True love makes us better people.

Happy drama watching.

Every time Si Eun uses a weapon, hasn't he crossed a line? Yet, people are okay with him using a weapon when he fights. When Baek Seom wanted to use the mic, Suho stops him. For Baek Seom, the mic would have evened the playing field against his previous bullies.

Let's play out the scenario, if Baek Seom would have been allowed to fight with the mic and beat up his previous bullies, Baek Seom's story would have been over as everything would have been wrapped up for him. He would have accomplished what his father wanted him to do. He would have friends who really and truly cared about him and backed him up, and he wouldn't be a minion of Suho. He would be able to fight his own battles which is what his father wanted him to do.

Now, since Suho did the beating himself, he treated Baek Seom as an underling who needed to be protected. Baek Seom wanted and needed to feel powerful and wanted to do things on his own. Suho wouldn't allow him to do that. Thus, Suho betrayed the belief system that Baek Seom had grown up with, fight your own battles. I think even if Baek Seom had lost fight with his previous bullies, his confidence would have risen, and then the next time he may have been able to beat them. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

When Baek Seom changes to the other side, he fights exactly how Suho taught him, use other people. Something the rich do anyway. Baek Seom's money allowed him to do that. In the end, Baek Seom's money protected him. He was shipped overseas. Suho didn't need to protect him at the karaoke bar. Baek Seom's money would have done that.

Hope this helps. In dramas, viewers want a villain. Baek Seom is their villain, but actually it is everyone in the drama as they believe the only way a boy can grow up tough is by being beaten up. Whoever comes out on top wins the prize.

Thank you for the discussion. Happy drama watching.

You're right. After a while when the Celestial General is no longer needed, the spirit will be weakened, but it will always remain. The Celestial General is the personification of progress (change). In certain moments it will be very strong, but when the change has solidified it will weaken and return when it is needed again.

The blind shaman has two spirits in him: the Celestial General and the Colossal Shadow. The Celestial General kills people using bugs. It is dressed in clothing that looks like the person who was holding the child when Gang Cheol ascended. It is the one who took Yeo Ri's grandmother and Yun Gap's souls to feed to the Colossal Shadow. It doesn't kill the crown prince or the present king, why, because they want change. The Celestial General's spirit personifies decay (bugs), but from decay comes new life.

The Colossal Shadow seems to be the spirit of all the people who have been affected by the decisions of the royals. All leaders should be possessed by the spirit of the people. Every decision a leader makes should be seen through the eyes of the people. What will help them most?

The present king has to make a decision to either continue the old ways or change the way things are done. The king wants to change the way things are done. The Celestial General is helping him by killing the royals who don't want change, but only after being given the chance to change themselves. The present king must make a decision in the end, will he fight against the voices of the people or will he be possessed by them?

This is a very well done drama and represents the fantasy genre well.

Remember Bibi is an imugi, a heavenly deity. The spirit is a human who has died. The ball feeds the spirit's energy.

Okay, then it needs the imugi's power to fight whatever it is going to fight. I think you will find your answer in episode 12 at the very end.

The fire spirit is not the one who got the imugi's pearl. It was the Celestial General that is a bug spirit.

Depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for lots of hugs and kisses. It has a few. If you are looking for none, then I would have to say, don't watch because the whole drama really is about love.

He plays Yun Gap, the archivist, but dies in the first episode. He plays Gang Cheol, an imugi, for most of the drama. Hope this helps.

You must have watched The First Frost. I was going to suggest it as it answered all my questions.

Yes, it can because it is an imugi spirit ball. Remember Gang Cheol boosts the power of the one legged spirit to get at Yeo Ri at the very beginning?

Because the 8 ft. creature is not the fire spirit. It is the bug spirit. The fire spirit seems to be the Colossal Shadow.

I disagree. The Celestial General has done nothing but help the royal family by eliminating the royals who are considered irredeemable: the prince who raped the well spirit. The prince had a chance at redemption, but didn't take it. The grandfather had a chance at redemption, but didn't take it. He was plotting another rebellion. Presently the blind shaman is three personalities (the Colossal Shadow, the Celestial General, and the blind shaman. The Colossal Shadow seems to be angry at the present king. Why, because of a decision that his ancestors made.

The Colossal Shadow started the moment the great-great grandfather took the throne. He must have been the first king from that branch of the royal family.