ShortCircuit

I am not sold on the superpowers thing (looks like it won't be the focus of the story), but the swindler family keeps me glued to the screen. Them and the daughter. It's on :D

There are two timelines - present (eps 1-2 then 33-50) and the long flashback to the past (3-33). Don't skip, the flashback is the most dramatic part ever (the second half of it anyway) and it's so worth it :D

Also, lots of clues already in the first 2 eps about who, why, what they did in order to get WWX back... *wink*

In the novel, 2nd Joe is younger (and closer to Ming's age), while original Joe is quite a bit older (and more mature, emotionally, too). The interraction between the OG charas was kind of iffy for a bit because of that (IIRC Ming is under 18 originally, though he obviously acts just as arrogant as he always does, no matter the age). But in a story so red-flagged you could believe it's a Red Army display... what's one more red flag? :D

But obviously, you don't SEE them in a novel as you see them in a drama... I guess they'll just keep Poom as Joe even if they follow the novel - they did so far - and have his original body found later on.

He doesn't come back. His original body is dead. He's now in the second Joe's body and should remain there. (2nd Joe's soul is now gone, too).

Then again, the drama can do its own thing...

I needed more KSH after QoT and finally bit the bullet and started this drama. TBH, I like it while watching but it's EXTREMELY easy to get distracted from it.

The best thing about it (so far, 6 eps in) is OJS's acting, and the only relationship I want to see more of is the two brothers' relationship. They're a bit like the charas from Rain Man, LOL (though obviously MKT is a lot more involved and caring than Tom Cruise's character in that movie). I am getting REALLY tired of the SFL and even of the FL's constant chasing of the ML - what, are all men from Earth already taken? - and I hope it's not going to go on for the rest of the series, because it's going to make it a very long watch...

The sex scenes are kind of off, so to speak. I'm watching the uncut version (and BTW why the hell are there two versions on MDL?!) and it's not really sizzling anything between them. Knowing what Ming is doing, it's not a bad choice, TBH, to have them be in a more mechanical-like relationship so far, but it's not really selling why is Joe so fascinated with Ming, either.

(He's in love because Ming is pretty hot - model hot, which is his official profession, though in the novel he's not out from college yet in the beginning so not really looking for a job anyway. And even if he's usually a gong, he likes being a shou with Ming. And that's what the drama is missing so far.)

I'm all ready to move on to the betrayal and realisation that Ming never really saw "him" for himself, then to the second life. I want to see the mom and son relationship T_T

Still keeping close to the novel, I like that. But I just want to have a long discussion with the music director because what the heck. That cheesy music keeps ruining the atmosphere.

The guy playing Sol is hot. I can totally see him as a wannabe Korean idol, LOL. And the MC and him have more chemistry so far than the main 'ship, LOL, the director must be smoking something.

Anyway, it looks like they're going to move on with the story now, after we've all seen and been convinced Ming is an a**hole (which he definitely is) and that Joe can be a fool (which he was.)

PS The actress playing Ming's sister looks a bit like Bai Lu, I like her a lot :D Tong doesn't deserve her character's love.

I give up. I found myself trying hard to motivate myself to start the 4th ep, but this isn't doing it for me.

He didn't do it for the greater good. He did it because he loved his big brother (seriously, TU is a story about three pairs of brothers AND a trio of blood-bound brothers). Each pair has their own dynamics and deep bonding, and the blood-bounded ~should~ (in theory) be just as good to each other as real brothers.

So when Meng Yao betrayed and killed Nie MingJue, he also betrayed a bond of brotherhood.

... And there's the extra that NMJ dying makes NHS clan leader and basically forces him to either become a laughingstock (the "Head Shaker") or take up the broadsword (which WILL definitely make him mad and have him also die a violent death). NHS chose to become the fool clan leader nobody really respects - but again, he IS clever, very much so, and does not want to kill anyone, directly, himself, or die.

Meng Yao is clever too, and a very good actor to boot (he fooled everyone), but not as good as NHS. If he had realised earlier on what NHS was about, he'd have gotten rid of him. That's why NHS needed the biggest "villain" the cultivation world feared, WWX, to come dispose of Meng Yao, LOL. And it worked.

*** The three pairs of brothers are, obviously, LWJ and LXC (who love and respect each other and mutually understand one another), NHS and NMJ (who also love each other, but the age difference is too big, so that NMJ is treating NHS more like a father than an older brother, and NHS worships him while fearing him, too), and WWX and Jiang Cheng (not birth brothers, but more brotherly than anyone else around. Their relationship is fascinating - because you have to admit it, while WWX basically sacrificed his whole future in the cultivation world for JC, he's also the source of almost all tragedies that befell the Jiang Clan, even if he never intended them to happen.)

And then there's the blood brotherhood, with Meng Yao, NMJ and LXC, of which LXC trusted and treated MY as his own soulmate (not in a romantic sense, but still a soulmate). His own heart is broken by MY's acts, because he's seeing him in a mirror and that makes him wonder who he, LXC, really is.

LOL, I get wordy when it comes to MDZS/TU. I love good books, and the novel is amazing. The drama does it justice. If you want to and are interested, you can find it somewhere - it's been officially TLed and published in English, but the fan TL is still around somewhere, because the internet never forgets. (The title is The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation - Mo Dao Zu Shi, by author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu).

Well... this is a censored adaptation of a danmei novel, after all. What people mean when they say you could read about it is that all spicier moments are to be found in the novel and its extras :D

Otherwise, the drama tried to tone it down to get it past censorship... but if you're into BL, it's not easily ignored. If you're not, you could pretend it's just the most amazing bromance (where people make love to each other with their eyes :D)

NHS instrumented, planned and executed everything. Meng Yao was made brothers with Nie MingJue and Lan XiChen, but because he thought NMJ had slighted him (when he threw him out of the sect when he found out about his past and his present behaviour), he specifically learned and twisted the Lan music technique that was supposed to calm the madness of the Nie Clan cultivation, and used it to make NMJ get a qi deviation and die.

(The movie The Fatal Journey has the moment when NHS realises what Meng Yao is really like, and the part where he decides he'll take vengeance.)

NHS is not strong in sword techniques, though, nor respected, but he's among the brightest there are (along with WWX - no wonder they were fast friends in the Lan Clan school, LOL). So he decided to turn Mo XuanYu toward the path of self-sacrifice and call WWX back from the dead, then he placed certain amulet-tainted items in his and LWJ's path, and let them go from there, because he knew that LWJ will NOT let it go, and he trusted WWX to find out all the clues and solve them.

And in the mean time, he put everything he had gathered in the right places at the right times - he sent the letter to Meng Yao to make him attack the juniors and run away, then made sure all the seniors were made aware of Meng Yao's network of villains and their deeds, got the witnesses to the death of the previous Jin Clan leader that Meng Yao orchestrated, distracted everyone when it needed done (like when he came ~drunk~ at the banquet just as Meng Yao was about to probably expel Mo XuanYu/WWX from it, etc). He knew LXC had told Meng Yao not to try ANYTHING or he'd strike first, so he pretended Meng Yao WAS going to attack him from behind, and basically tricked LXC into killing him.

He is SNEAKY and crazy smart. Also, quite devious and pretty ambitious himself, too, which is why WWX is cautioning him to not over-reach, LOL.

NHS is the unsung (and rather gray/dark) hero of The Untamed, LOL. If you think about it, he played everyone (WWX and LWJ included) as puppets.

Then again... the end result is a reborn WWX and him and LWJ being soulmates for their whole lives again, which is why we all forgive NHS's tricks :D

LWJ doesn't speak much in general. And he always intended to tell WWX the truth about A-Yuan, he just didn't find the right moment.

It's now May 2nd here too, and this is my (very) sad face.

... Well, maybe not that sad. I never put much faith in the melons LOL.

For modern day rebirth - definitely Rebirth of a Movie Star. It's (way too) short, has a nice progression (MC is not stupid and while he wants to get revenge, he's not obsessed with it, and the ML is going from FWB to soulmates rather fast, LOL), the kid is pure fluff (I think the kid is just as much a main character as the lovers, LOL), and there's a HEA. It's basically my favourite modern day danmei ever. And the TL is pretty good and smooth, too.

For modern day teen/heartbreak/realistic story - then definitely Sa Ye. I'm not sure if the fan TL was finished (it's pretty close about done), since the official TL is being released soon (in a few volumes). I love the MCs of Sa Ye. It's also kind of long(er), so maybe for future consideration?

For ABO - Accidental Mark has a good flow, lovable character, a VERY competent ML (and the cutest MC, LOL, while the ML was concerned he's pushing too fast with the MC when he was trying to make himself available at all times of need, the MC was already picking the names of their children, LOL). The novel is the right size, and it's also concerned with the film industry as a background (as is Rebirth of a Movie Star, LOL. I might have a picking bias here).

For scifi... it's a bit more complicated. Most scifi danmei I did read is either long(ish) or not really what I'd recommend. Maybe First-Class Lawyer (but it's long). I like the writing style, it's very refreshing and no-nonsense, LOL. But there are others that are much more dogblood (and still way too long). And if we include modern day fantasy, then maybe Seizing Dreams (a lot of the plot is about the fantastic part, but the romance is pretty sweet and realistic - considering the setting.)

For wuxia/xianxia... they are ALL long. But if you haven't yet read hyx/2ha, it's one of the best (and longest, and bloody, and abusive, and rebirth, and transmigration among paralel worlds and everything you wanted and some extra, too) of all of them, LOL. And then there's Bring in the Wine (absolutely delicious - again, long, because wuxia takes its time getting anywhere, but OMG, what a progression!)

But for a shorter xianxia... maybe start with Copper Coins? There's an immortal dragon trapped and left to die, and a mysterious monk who NEVER tells him his intentions (which drives the dragon right out mad) and a pretty intricate plot, and revenge, and some redemption, and a HEA! (And the author, Mu Su Li, is one of my favourites, too - she sure can write!)

Or if not that, then How to Survive as a Villain (danmei transmigration, ML goes between the real world and a novel world, there's no System as in SVSSS, though). The MC is hilariously trying to push the ML into his shining role as an over-powered main character while keeping himself alive, since he incarnated as the main villain, LOL. Just as in SVSSS, the ML just falls for the MC instead :D (It's not all fun, though, there's a lot of dogblood into this one.)

So, in short... Rebirth of a Movie Star. You can't go wrong with this one :D

True that, LOL, Ming as in the novel is irredeemable. I guess they'll white wash him here, but I do remember him as total scum. I'm here for Joe :D

The child actors carried the whole drama, ML could only woodenly stare at them being awesome.

I'm not the only one who reminded you but...

A drama needs a plot and its characters to develop over time. You can't expect to have everything in it served on a platter in its first episode. There are 12 eps to this drama, the story will be told throughout those episodes.

You said - how are they going to explain it (the premise)? They (probably) will. It takes time.

I mentioned the novel because the drama IS based on the novel. It's not an original story that you could say is too tropey or has a bad premise or anything. It's not like the adapted script could just veer off and do its own thing. There is a plot and a development - you might not like the subject, or the way the plot is (will be) done, but they don't have to cater to any one's single watcher's wants. Yours, mine, anyone else's.

As for if the novel's good or not... Every one has their own opinion. It's not the best I've ever read, and not even in its niche it's not the best (and the main relationship is abusive and definitely not my cup of tea). That being said, the drama will probably make changes, and even if they don't, we're still one episode in. I'm not going to bash it just because the relationship is not wholesome (and at this point there's basically zero relationship anyway). I like the production values so far, I like they stay close to the source material (that's rare in drama adaptations), and I am interested to see how it's going to go.

Give it a shot yourself (or not, I don't really care.)

We already are legen - wait for it! - DARY! :D

I wasn't worried they'd separate, were you worried?! I mean... BHW showed us how determined he was to make that happen. And it was clear HHI was determined too.

I don't mind the kind of HEA (or HE til death did them apart and THEN they reunited in death too, LOL) they decided to show us. Though it's kind of depressing having BHW go through a walk of memories alone. They could have made it even better having them BOTH old AF and walking through memory lane together.

But there are a lot of plotlines they could have spent that tiny bit of detail in tying up, just saying. I like the drama, but some things could be even better.

Also, where the heck is the OP song?! I like that one the best, I hope they finally release it.

I decided I don't like the ending because there's actually no raccoon LOL.

But seriously, a lot of the last ep was spent speeding through plot lines that were presented as important and took a lot of time to develop in a not so short drama (each ep was at least 1h20mins, some 1h30mins, and the final ep was 1h50mins, they HAD time), and then we were presented with AWESOME Sans Souci views (that they could have incorporated somewhere else just as well, not just as old BHW is going through all alone, which might completely colour those shots), and a throwback to the man-visiting-his-wife's-tomb thing that HaeIn saw in that park with the cemetery, and a quite long scene of old BHW alone at 85 (and then some) with his wife gone. And the poor guy doing that didn't even get to show us his face.

I'd have rather they left it at the reunion and cute proposal... though TBH I think they really, really wanted the Titanic final reunion, LOL (they even mention Titanic as a romantic story once), when the MCs are young again after death and going into eternity together.

Mainly, I'd rather they had kept it more into the tone of the series overall instead of doing a dramatic (or should I say, even MORE dramatic) romantic ending.

But the drama is still good - while very, very tropey, but they did them all pretty well so that counts for a lot - the acting was great (I really bought the whole love story, line, hook and sinker), some of the support characters' stories were also very good, and the music was also great (a good selling point for me).

... But there's no raccoon :D