Raisins

I am trying to catch up on the episodes (on 18 now) and it is so hard because NOTHING is skippable in this show. This show is so riveting and the revelations are unexpected. Also it seems even the "baddies" seem to have layers and not one dimensional. Unfortunate that this came out when it did since I believe it would have had much more acclaim if it was judged only on its work.

The actor who played Wu Shan in Blossom did a fantastic job as Rong Xian. That episode was so heart breaking. I hope he gets more roles in the future.

This SML is interesting. He seems to be missing something. Like he's a sociopath, needing to analyze if his feelings are fear, love, etc. It makes me wonder if he was always like this because he could divine the future at one point or whether his emotions broke when he was attacked and lost his perceptions. He seems driven by finding new and interesting things and experiences. It is not hard to see why he would eventually take a darker path because MXL is the one who evokes the strongest emotions for him.

Episode 17 spoiler

I did not expect that guy to be Bao's dad. But this makes sense as to why he's working for them since he is married to a Spirit Clan person so he wants to bring about changes. But it also looked like the Fu family knows him? So why didn't they recognize him at the Snow City gathering I wonder. 🤔

This is also one of my favorite scenes as well! Her absolute smug and unrepentant expression as he outlines her faults and his small smile when the elder says she's a bad influence. The bed part just sealed the whole thing.

I'm not sure whether SFL's mom could hide a pregnancy and then marry again and then have another kid but maybe SQ and her already had Mu Xuanling beforehand. It is also possible both may be SQ's kids (twins?) since it sounds like SFL's mom married the leader of Moonlight Heights really quick after betraying SQ and cutting off his arm. Since they said SFL's mom died while giving birth to her, she must have been killed by her husband Gao right after to somehow "nourish" the Chaos Pearl because she has some kind of special celestial body. Anyway this kind of explains why her sister is super bitter about all of this and displacing the blame wholly on Sang Qi.

But not just that, she can also be earnest, proud, empathetic and truly love to the point of self-sacrifice. She is charming and can seduce people but she is also honest with herself and what she wants which makes her likable and the actress is doing a great job portraying it. As just an audience she has that je ne sais quoi that makes me want to root for her.

They are probably twins and dad is probably Sang Qi. The age seems about right, since both seemed about 10 when Moonlight Heights got attacked. I would guess one came out more Spirit Clan and the other more Human. Maybe Sang Qi recognized her as his daughter so he spared her and brought her back to the Dark Abyss or feels "something" for Mu Xuling because he went through a lot in my opinion to bring her back alive.

I'm pretty sure this is actually the guy who played Prince Qing in Blossom. He Yu didn't play Prince Qing in Blossom, he was the young emperor.

My understanding was that his final pleading to give his life for his city was actually answered by the heavens (unknowingly through his daughter) and that this was his sacrifice freely given so he would not be able to return.

Banger of a start with Ep 1-5. Went in blind since I never watched ALP or TLI but I was able to understand what was going on although there were scenes that were a little confusing (like it is clearly our purple guy who saved the sisters but why does the other fishing immortal/deity (?) also have the same token). I also liked the FL in that she was outwardly powerless but her actions and thoughts made sense and she was fairly clever in her own way. Also they seemed to have nixed the love triangle pretty quick which was a pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately I get the sense that this will not end well, another bittersweet tragic ending because the demons are seen as pretty evil and ruthless and there is always a price to pay for such things in balance. (I hope not though!)

The few times Sang Qi is on screen I also thought wow the guy looks majestic. I hope he has a complicated motive and background because it would be a shame if he is a one dimensional villain.

Agree on all points and that fight scene. I liked the black/white contrasting outfits and swordplay versus fan. Yes it's been done before and it's not original but I fall for it every time it's done well 😁

Youku also does not unfortunately have the skip intro/end option (as far as I can tell) so I watched a little too much of the spoilery ending credits too.

Ah so the trick to exceeding expectation is to add "Blossom" somewhere in the title. 🤔 The eps are moving pretty fast.

It's because the current empress was really smart and good at governing. He feared that after his death she'll maneuver to take power away from his weaker crown prince. I think it was a reasonable fear but also a self-fulfilling prophecy because until that moment it seemed like she was a good wife who honestly wanted to help him and the kingdom and this was a betrayal to her so that's when she became the master villain.

This is a minor spoiler from episode 33. But there is a scene between them where he admits he was also actually internally freaking out during their first meeting/deadly confrontation at her home but had to make sure he was calm and collected on the outside. Then there is a scene of him drinking water and her drinking massive amount of tea after they part in peace. I love how the scenes tie back and now you know how he was feeling at that time. Small scenes like this really shows how every scene has intention and care from the start.

DZ had the utmost faith in her friend. In prior episode she said she knows of all the people in the world, Ansu would never betray her. And she never did. There is a lot of love about this drama but I also loved how there was no trope of the romantic love turning one of them as a traitor; their friendship was solid till the end I really really loved that.

Yes the emperor's decree was going to be that she die with him and for Duke Ding to quell his second son right away if he plans to go against the crown prince. Honestly I kind of saw where the empress was coming from. I mean yes she was bad and killed a lot of people but it looked like she initially really are about the emperor and helping him so it seemed like a big betrayal of her and her son, all because she was so competent and smart.

Ahhh this show!👏👏👏👏
Finally finished the show and feel like I just had a great meal and now patting my tummy happy 😄. Maybe some dishes weren't as great but overall it was so good and satisfying! This show deserves all the praise 👏

To those who woke up before sunrise to check the ending, thank you! I woke up to see some good hints and now I can complete my breakfast and the remaining episodes in peace. 😁