Platinum Fox

You're right this cdrama is not everyone's favorite and that is okay. Also, the 14 year old Sang Zhi actress is actually 11 at the time of filming. They needed her for her height, so they could show how Sang Zhi "grew up" in height between the ages of 14 and 17. There are other reasons why they needed the 11 year old's height as well. It has to do with the doorway scene and the dad references throughout the drama.

Fun fact: the same actress plays the younger version of Zhao Lu Si's characters in Who Rules the World and The Story of Pearl Girl.

Lynn and I were just posting about the second male lead. This is the second time I have felt bad for a second male lead. He was a good guy and didn't deserve the life he was forced into. I don't know why writers do that.

Yes, I always cringe when something happens to the horses. I try not to watch battle scenes or carriage wrecks. I am always afraid the horses will get hurt.

I wonder why writers feel like it is more interesting for a good person to go bad, rather than let a bad person get what they deserve. I am talking about second male leads. This is like the fifth drama that I have watched where the second male lead starts out a good guy and then when for some reason he doesn't get the girl he turns evil. It just seems weird to me.

How would the people outside of the capital know what the king and crown prince look like? There are no newspapers that have drawn pictures of them. I am betting even some of the people in the capital do not know what the king and the crown prince look like. That is why they can go disguised as commoners and get away with it. Watch Jewel in the Crown.

I agree with you. This is the second time I have felt bad for the second male lead. he did not deserve what happened to him.

The general vibe of this drama is light-hearted, but it does have a heavy/dark side. The romance is slow burn.

Many posters have complained the romance falls off as soon as the couple get married. However, the director has said that love should be shown, and he makes every effort to do that, even a kiss on a horse. For me it dragged when her sister gets killed.

The romance begins in episode 1, but then changes when her new life begins. I can't remember when she gets married around episode 19.

The female does not have a twin. The male has twin body guards and so does she. It was really kinda cool to watch.

Hope this helps and happy watching.

Yes, transmigration is still allowed in dramas as long as the person is not transmigrating into a real historical time or person. Joy of Life is not modeled on a real dynasty. You can tell by the fabrics used in the clothing and the head pieces of men. I have never seen any head pieces so intricately geometric. However, the sci-fi genre uses a futuristic world to make a social statement about the present world. So it seems the old ways need to be reexamined and new ideas put into place. Happy watching.

Yes, I did end up watching the first episode of season 2 and I love how they refer back to all the gadgets the 3rd division gave him. I am waiting for Fan Xian to get a decked out carriage (James Bond). I have enjoyed the sci-fi genre in a historical setting rather than in a futuristic world, even though it is a futuristic world. I think I can now see where exactly they are going with this drama.

It seems to me the writers are making a statement that the old ways of thinking need to die out and new ones need to grow and blossom. Life should be enjoyed, not full of plotting and scheming for power.

Thanks for the review. I just finished Season 1 today and was wondering if I should begin Season 2 right away or hold off for awhile. It sounds like I can hold off for awhile.

Yes, in China, dramas cannot do any kind of time travel where a modern person time travels to any known dynasty. If it is a made up dynasty it is okay. To make sure the drama wasn't censored for time travel, the undergraduate student is writing a thesis on how modern views clash with historical views. So instead of having a modern person actually time travel, the author writes that a modern person is getting a second chance at life.

The reason the Chinese government does not want time travel to certain dynasties is because the modern character ends up changing history in some way. The Chinese government did not want people getting confused about how Chinese history went. You can google China and time travel.

Time travel is still okay in books and magazines.

Thank you for the explanation. I understand that this is not a reincarnation story, but a do over story. However, I have to ask who feels and makes it happen for the two to get the do over, Ji Yong. My question is why did he have the book? Who gave it to him? Why does he now understand that Song Mo and Dou Zhao belong together? Why does he play so much of a role in the story, especially in the second life? For me, this seems a little much for just reading it in the stars. Ji Yong is the director. He plays both sides to manipulate the outcome into a happy ending. The last scene with the daughter and the man with multiple story endings says it all.

This drama seems to be about fate and free will. Are our lives predetermined (fated) or do we have free will? The first one was the fated one, but the two did not get together until the end and were killed. The fated life brought about a tragic ending. In their second life, she builds her fortune before becoming involved with him. She takes a vow of never marrying. Yet, once fate puts them together, her choice to change the future is her free will. When her life is determined by her own choices, does it end happily.

Thanks for the discussion.

I went back and watched the first episode again as I read a comment about Ji Yong not knowing the future in the second life. I have to disagree. Upon watching the first episode again, it clearly shows that Ji Yong is the one who hands Dou Zhao the Chronicles of the World and says that Song Mo and Dou Zhao are fated to be together. How does he know this and why would he give her the book in the first place? It is through him that she is able to go back and redo her own life. It seems to me that Ji Yong has been following her throughout out her many reincarnated lives hoping that one life she will fall for him. jmo

Fei Liu is the body guard of Mei Chang Su. Because of his metamorphosis, Mei Chang Su is unable to do martial arts, even though he is the head of the martial arts world. Fei Liu is also there to provide comic relief when things get really serious. He is also an orphan that MCS trained, so he is quite essential to the story. People underestimate his ability. Thus, he makes a great spy.

They prepare you ahead of time for the sad ending and it is not shown. But there is also a happy ending as well. If you love chess, this is the perfect drama for you.

Do you mean Shen Yu Rong? For me, that is what you are meant to believe. However, appearance vs. reality plays a huge role in this drama. Princess Wan Ning (PWN) appears to be a very evil person and a dominatrix. Since I don't know how far you are, I don't want to spoil it for you. You will understand the reason PWN is the way she is in later episodes.

As for Shen Yu Rong and XH, fate has a way of bringing the right lovers together.

Think of it this way, if they had a younger version of DJX, then they would have had to have a younger version of Sang Yan as well. Actually, Sang Yan is one year younger than DJX. Most people are fully grown by the age of 19.

But, the reason for the height difference is for the scene in the doorway. Sang Yan is teasing her about how she looks like an elementary student when she is 14. Sang Zhi fires back, "You are so tall everyone thinks your my dad.". She later says to DJX, "I will grow taller," meaning I will grow up. The reason why the age of 14 is important is because it is the age of consent in China. This is why the height difference and dad reference at this time are so important. DJX looks old enough to be her dad if they were to start dating when she was that age.

The dad reference will mean something else when she turns 17 and again when she turns 18. Many people think this drama is a simple love story (and it is), but it goes way beyond that with all of its easter eggs.

Hope you are enjoying the drama or did enjoy it.

Just wait, the romance heats up. There is a behind the scenes video of the director saying, "Love needs to shown." and it is.

You are not the only one to comment on this. However, DJX is 19 when they first meet. He is considered an adult (age of majority 18). So for the male lead to play him at this age is appropriate. Also, the height difference between DJX at 19 and SZ at 14 is used for another reason. Fourteen year old Sang Zhi could not be played by Zhao Lu Si because she could not have "grown up" in height between the ages of 14 and 17. Remember at the very beginning of the drama, Sang Zhi narrates, "Time has its own kind of magic. It brings us closer in height and distance."

The actress who played young Sang Zhi was actually 11 at the time of filming. The same actress played a younger version of Zhao Lu Si's characters in Who Rules the World and The Story of Pearl Girl.

I haven't finished season 1 yet, but I am far enough to understand where you are coming from (episode 42). It is my understanding that FX is the emperor's son. His mother and the emperor had an affair in the house where the emperor often goes to relax. FX is hidden away because someone tried to kill him, but Uncle Wu Zu saved him and brought him to the family he has now per the mother's request. Chen Ping Ping has tried to get his hands on him as well. Don't know if Chen Ping Ping knows he is the king's son or not. I don't think he does.

The beginning of this drama said that it was about what would happen if modern ideas came into contact with ancient ideas. The belief that everybody was miserable in ancient times, especially the higher ups as their lives were planned out for them from day one, plays a huge role in this drama. FX's life is different, he is the king's son, but doesn't live in the palace why because the mother didn't want him to be just another prince fighting for the throne. However, fate has a way of stepping in, hence he is now living in the capital and is the pawn of the two most powerful men in the country (the emperor and Chen Ping Ping). FX is just trying to enjoy life.

This is just my take on the drama so far. Since I am not done with the first season, my ideas might change. Yes, I agree why have walls that can just be jumped over by the very people you want to keep out. I read this is a parody and am beginning to see it.

Thanks for the discussion.