RouteVenus

I know I am in minority here but I think that both "strong women" dramas: Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (that are often compared to each other) are overrated.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is for me a drama that tries to combine like 4 different genres and fails at most of them. Also, there were just so many problematic elements that didn't sit well with me.
I rated it only 6.5, despite the cuteness, I was left with a bitter aftertaste after finishing it.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is a drama that I was very excited about: a college/slice-of-life drama with lots of fluff? Sign me in! But I was unpleasantly surprised with how much simpler and childish the actual drama turned out to be. I guess, it's my own fault, I expected something more mature. Like...there were so many interesting themes there, but the writing didn't dig deep enough and instead we were treated to scenes that were more of an elementary school variety than suitable for college-aged characters...
I rated it 7.5: it's a slightly above average drama, sure, completely acceptable to pass the time with, but it didn't leave a deeper impression on me.

Hi! I haven't watched The Eternal Love 1+2 yet, but just to know what I might be potentially getting into: the story of the leads continues throughout the sequels and they still don't have their (final) HEA as of the end of The Eternal Love 2? Which is why there is The Eternal Love 3 in works?

I just like dramas that end in a satisfactory way, so I am hesitant to start watching EL1, since the OTP will continue to suffer in the subsequent seasons (third one not even filmed yet)...

In other words, if the season 2 has a happy ending, as I see in the comments, are you expecting more/new trials and tribulations for the main couple in the season 3?

Good for you! :) (maybe try Maiden Holmes instead? it has clever leads, fluff and actual plot, you might enjoy it)
I am still trying to get through Love by Hypnotic, at least to episode 18, where they're apparently supposed to get together. I still hope it gets better then, in the second half.
Currently, I finished episode 10 and the ML is still treating the FL like sh*t with no good reason...I haven't encountered such a terrible ML in a while. * shrug*

Right?! I am SO happy that I am not alone in this. I will try to manage more episodes this week and let you know if it gets better.
It's not like that I am a hard-to-please viewer. Give me two idiots in love doing cute things and I am usually sold. I don't mind the stupid hypnosis plot device either, I don't mind the cliché villains. But the behaviour of the OTP, especially the ML, is a big turn-off for me....
Currently, I have like 5 c-dramas on my "currently watching" list and none of them really grabbed me so far lately (except The Rebel Princess - but it's a bit more angsty, so I put it on hold...). So far, my only great watches this year were Eternal Love of Dream and Maiden Holmes. I just want to find a drama that would be as good as these two and it seems so hard?! I guess this is called a drama slump...
Sorry for the rant!

My main issue is that the writers don't really seem to know what to do with the main couple...if it's supposed to be enemies->allies->friends->lovers, the writers should slowly stop it with the animosity between them by now.

The FL using hypnosis/magic on the ML without his consent, which is unethical, true, but....I can't help but sympathize with her? She is completely alone in a strange country and her husband treats her like a disobedient child? And then he starts caring about her, saves her life and then crowns it by being mean to her again?!
Or when they had a little heart-to-heart by the fish pond and then continued with petty attacks the next day...

It's like the writers keep rewinding their relationship to point zero over and over again. There is no lasting progression so far.

I can only hope their relationship will move forward soon, I don't know how long can I last...

btw I am fastforwarding the scenes with the SFL and the villain. Although, you've got to admit that the villain's plotting is so stupid, it's actually kind of hilarious. (physically attacking the FL on the palace grounds in broad daylight? :D)

I am at like episode 7 and I have a hard time making myself continue. Please tell me that it gets good between the leads soon!
(somewhat spoilery comment for episodes 1-7 below)

Does anyone who read the novel know whether it has HEA please?

My two cents regarding The Story of Ming Lan (even if you decide it doesn't sound like your cup of tea, it's a great show and I think that you might like it):

FL - extremely clever, scheming expert, you never have to worry about her (despite her being in a bad position in her own family) cause she plans everything in advance and *vague spoiler* single-handedly avenges her mother's death in untraceable way even before marrying the ML and rising in rank
ML - extremely clever too, is aware the FL is a badass who only pretends to be harmless and gullible, manipulates people and events for months just to get her for his wife

The FL and the ML are not each other's first loves, but once they get together, they have the ultimate power couple dynamics (also, great chemistry; but don't expect excessive skinship)

Second ML - sweet boy who wants to be the FL's knight in shining armor; doesn't fight hard enough for them to be together, later regrets it and adds to trouble for the ML because he's jealous (never becomes evil, but is annoying); at the very end (final episodes) he accepts that he and the FL were not fated and moves on

The Story of Ming Lan is a rather slow moving show, especially at the beginning, it's dialogue-driven, not really an action show, but the payoff is worth it. Fantastic writing, unforgettable, multi-layered characters. The genre could be defined as historical slice-of-life, with everyday family problems and realistic situations.

<3 * sorry for long comment, it's my favorite drama and I can't recommend it enough*

Thank you!! Now I can safely add it to my list, so glad it's HEA because this drama looks great!

Is anyone else anxiously hanging around here, reading the comments and waiting for the ending spoilers, so we know if it's HEA for the main couple and therefore safe to watch? :D This series looks really cool and could be my cup of tea but if it's not HEA, I'll pass cause I couldn't bear a sad ending.

Thank you :). The beginnings are always the worst for me. I know that I need to get through the first 10 or so episodes and then through the mortal arc (which I am actually looking forward to) to get to their first meeting as their real selves. Can't wait for it, but I know that the first two arcs are necessary for the character development... It just pains me to watch very young Feng Jiu obsessively run after Dong Hua in the first episodes, after watching it in TMoPB already :).

Just finished TMoPB and the only two times I cried a little while watching the drama was during Feng JiuXDong Hua scenes. Hopefully this spin-off (which is actually canon book #2 story) will heal my torn up heart. Can't wait to start it! (even if I'll have to watch Feng Jiu embarassing herself...again; the payoff will hopefully be worth it!)

:) No problem, feel free to ask me any questions about the drama; I looked up the ending in advance as well when I was watching the show (because we all know that dramas with time travel/alternate realities do not always end happily...) :) *SPOILER FOR THE ENDING, OBVIOUSLY* It's a happy ending! She goes back to reality and discovers that the actor who plays the ML in the drama she wrote (they are played by the same actor) actually has memories of the ML, he remembers what they went through in the fantasy world. So they get together in real life as well <3. It's short, but sweet.

Hi! The Romance of Tiger and Rose is not a typical drama, not even a typical fantasy cdrama, because it subverts the tropes and expectations by taking place - literally! - in a drama world.

The main heroine is a screenwriter who finds herself right in the script she wrote and wants to find her way out. You asked about the FL being weak: no, I definitely do not think it is the case. However, the FL is a bit silly at times, after all, TRoTaR is mostly a romantic comedy. Nearly everyone is a bit silly here :D.

She cleverly uses her knowledge of the world and characters to save herself and to help the story progress. She is definitely an active character! However, her presence in the story inadvertently changes the course of events. The princess she became used to be an arrogant, spoiled girl (according to the script), now when the writer became her, she is compassionate and kind. Without realizing it at first, the writer girl in the body of the Third Princess slowly becomes the heroine of the story. She discovers flaws in the story she wrote and that she didn't give a real substance to many of her characters, so they start to behave in unexpected ways. And the world itself seems to operate under drama rules - with tropes and happy coincidences present.

For the first half of the series or so, she tries very hard to set the story back to tracks, which can seem annoying (she is pushing away the ML cause he is not supposed to be with her character) but she has her reasons and her actions are mostly logical. Only, it never works the way she expects.

There is some noble idiocy near the end of the series, but it is resolved fairly quickly.

I enjoyed the series very much personally, I like its clever writing, trope subversion and honestly: it's just really fun, cute and fluffy show. Don't expect anything life-changing, but I can safely recommend it! Happy watching!

Glad I could provide new info for you :). I think I might like the books, but I will probably watch the both series (TMoPB and ELoD) first and then I'll look them up. I've heard some not very good things about the official English translation of TMoPB (aka "Sky Kingdom" in ENG distribution), so I think I will go for the circulating fan translations. Btw, this blog: https://threelivesthreeworlds.tumblr.com/ seems to have many resources and the admins often respond to various asks regarding the series and the adaptations, so it might be worth checking it out for extra info! <3

Thank you for the answer! I didn't want to search for spoilers and too much info at first, but then I relented and looked everything up :). I admit I am not really enjoying the story in TMoPB, but I like the world, the mythology and the side characters (Dong Hua, Feng Jiu, Lian Song, Yan Zhi...), so I hope that ELoD will work better for me, I've seen some gifs and it looks so cute!!!

To add to what you kindly confirmed, for any newcomers:

- When they shot TMoPB, the producers didn't own the rights for Dong Hua and Feng Jiu's story (2nd book in the author's series). So instead of leaving them out altogether from TMoPB (or featuring them as minor characters only) and waiting for acquiring the rights, the writers instead opted for creating a new story for them. So their story in TMoPB has some elements from their canon story but there are many differences (in characterizations as well) and their ending in TMoPB is NOT according to book canon either.

- ELoD is not 100% accurate adaptation of the 2nd book either, but from what I've read, it's still pretty faithful to the book story, major plot points stay the same, the ending in ELoD is HEA and book canon

Thank you again for your help! I need to finish the TMoPB quickly, so I can get to ELoD...

Hi! I am watching TMoPB (I am at ep30 currently) and I am naturally considering giving this spin-off a try, since I like Dong Hua and Feng Jiu in TMoPB (and honestly because I am a bit annoyed at Dong Hua's constant stone expressions in TMoPB, I need to see him actually expressing his love for Feng Jiu....The downside is that I don't know if after TMoPB I'll have energy to watch another drama full of angst and misunderstandings.)

Anyway! Please let me know if my understanding is correct: Eternal Love of Dream takes some events from TMoPB (Feng Jiu being Dong Hua's maid, mortal arc in the middle...), but many things are changed, so the the stories don't complement each other seamlessly. ELoD is NOT 100% same story (just more detailed) as in TMoPB. Some things stay the same but many are changed, including the ending (which is HEA here from what I've heard).
Is that correct?

And are other events from TMoPB (e.g.Ye Hua and Bai Qian's story) canon in ELoD?

This is incredibly helpful summary, thank you so much for writing it! <3

Thank you for your reply :).
Regarding Chae Soo Bin - I've had A Piece of Your Mind on my to-watch list for ages as well, I hope that this year I will get around to watch it :D (too little time, too many dramas to watch). I loved her performace in I'm Not a Robot, which is a drama I can safely recommend by the way. Yes, the premise is silly (FL pretends to be a robot and ML believes it because of plot reasons), but it's still surprisingly thoughtful drama and once the truth about the FL is revealed, the main couple starts a very healthy, mutually supportive relationship, which is still not a norm in dramaland.

Thank you for the article and the summary!

I am not as well-versed in dramas as many of the other fans here, but Park Min Young hasn't disappointed me yet, she is amazing. I loved her in Healer and her recent romantic dramas (What's Wrong With Secretary Kim and Her Private Life) were both pretty cool and proved that she has excellent comedic talent as well.

I also adore Kim Ji Won, she looks like she could take on any challenge anytime, be it DotS or Fight for My Way, I just want to be friends with the characters she portrays.

Yoo In Na and Gong Hyo Jin are both wonderful queens of romantic comedies.

As many others, I enjoyed Kim Seul Gi's performance in Splash Splash Love and I wish she starred as a FL in romantic comedies more often!

(one actress that I wish was more popular on MDL is Chae Soo Bin, she is a promising young talent and I feel happy and recharged every time I see her!)

On the other hand, I still fail to understand the appeal of Song Hye Kyo. I've seen her in Full House and DotS and I couldn't help feeling that this lady can't act. This is just my opinion of course, no hate here, but I don't think I will ever pick a drama with her as FL ever again.