Taz-mania

Thanks!

Thanks!

Wow - shockingly low rating - is it that bad?

Thanks!

Seems like a lot of Fei Wo Si Cun novels don't have happy endings, so before I start watching this drama does it have a happy ending? Thanks!

This is a very old drama that was filmed before the Chinese government in 2016 banned Korean actors from appearing in Chinese TV dramas. Several dramas filmed with Korean actors have been in censorship limbo for years. I think Park Min Young appeared in 2 Chinese dramas that were completely filmed but have never aired in China. Her Chinese drama Castle in the Air was recently allowed to air in Japan (but not China). Ji Chang Wook also has a drama that's hanging in China censor limbo. China has also banned Korean dramas from streaming in China.

Thanks! I do hate when we are offered a fake out wedding instead of a real one

So what was that wedding scene supposed to be about? I didn't see cameras or production crew for it to be a scene from a drama the FL was starring in...

Finished watching Twinkling Watermelon and really enjoyed it. The 18 year old Ha Yi Chan was by far my favorite character - so lovable.

But I have a few questions about Yoon Cheong Ah that I don't remember the drama explaining or I just missed the explanation:
1) Why did Cheong Ah's mother leave. The mother appeared distraught when she left like she was being forced out. I originally thought it was because the father was bringing in a new wife but he acted indifferent to Lim Ji Mi and she always treated him as a boss and not a husband (she always called him Mr Chairman...) and introduced herself to Cheong Ah as a tutor not stepmother...
2) Was Lim Ji Mi actually married to Cheong Ah's father? My Drama List calls her Cheong Ah's stepmother but she acted more like a hired teacher and in the end Cheong Ah's father told her she was "fired."
3) Did Cheong Ah's father adopt Lim Ji Mi 2 children. The father indicated that he was removing them from his register, implying that maybe he had adopted them... Were they the ones in the original time line who inherited the father's business?
4) In the original time line Cheong Ah said she was like an orphan...how did she lose touch with her father - did she run away from home? And why did she never try to contact her mother...
5) Lim Ji Mi said one time that Cheong Ah needed to use lip reading not sign language so she would not be considered disabled but I'm not sure I ever saw any evidence that Cheong Ah could actually read anyone's lips (Ha Yi Chan did ask her once why she was looking at his lips but that seemed to be the extent of any lip reading that I remember).
6) Just an observation - but not sure how Cheong Ah avoided flunking out of school - never saw any indication that she actually knew what was going on in any class other than her art class.

Looks like there are no plans to complete this drama. It seems like they should have planned for a season 2 before than even began season 1. As it is, I don't recommend this version to anyone as it's only half the story. There are several other good versions of this drama that include the full storyline. The Taiwanese version is the the classic, while the Korean version was also good (great ML and FL) but added a few angsty twists.

Having watched a lot of historical palace dramas, one of the best things about this drama was the lack of backstabbing or pettiness between the two wives of the Emperor. Neither one ever fought for power or tried to destroy the other or their children. Very refreshing.

I was disappointed with the ending to Mr Queen . While it was better than the ending in the Chinese version (Go Princess Go!), neither were the happy ending given in the novel. In the novel the Queen remained in the past where she and the King had 5 children together. After the oldest son was old enough to become King, the King faked his death then came back to the Queen to live rest of his life as just her husband. In the novel the Queen was always a little hesitant towards the King as she saw their relationship as unequal (as King, he had life or death control over her). So in the end, they became equal partners...

I watched the Chinese version on Viki as it aired back in 2015 (this version was a complete hoot, even wilder than the Korean version). (I think this drama was an on-line drama, not a TV drama so I think censorship happened after it aired not before.) People were so unhappy with the original ending that a second ending was filmed. While somewhat better than the original ending, it still wasn't very good as a third ending was filmed. Not sure it this drama in its original form is still available or if either of the alternative endings can be found (I don't think they were on Viki, just Youtube).

I also liked the original Korean version of A Class of Her Own, named Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010). The cast included Park Min Young, Song Joong Ki and Yoo Ah In.

I also really enjoyed Story of Kunning Palace

Listing of some of the various types of Chinese dramas that I have enjoyed:

Historical
Story of Kunning Palace
The Long Ballad (with Leo Wu as ML and Zhao Lu Si as SFL)
General and I
The Story of Ming Lan
New Life Begins
Maiden Holmes
Sound of the Desert
Story of Yanxi Palace
One and Only (but have to watch Forever and Ever to get happy ending)
The Princess's Man (Korean)
Under the Queen's Umbrella (Korean)

Historical/Republican Era
Fall in Love (2021 version with Chen Xing Xu)
Arsenal Military Academy
Rookie Agent Rouge

Historical/Fantasy
Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (Eternal Love)
Who Rules the World (FL is Zhao Lu Si)
Ashes of Love
Love Between Fairy and Devil
Alchemy of Souls (Korean)
The Legends

Modern Day
Lighter and Princess
You Are My Hero
You Are My Glory
Le Coup de Foudre
Memory Lost
When I Fly Towards You
My Little Happiness

Just finished watching this - overall a fun, fast-paced, twisty drama with a fantastic hero.

While I am enjoying the drama and the lead couple, I wish certain scenes from the novel had been incorporated into the drama.

I think the novel did a better job in explaining why the ML didn't like the FL. In the novel the ML had a very bad relationship with his mother and his mother tried to fix him up with the FL. The ML's mother and the FL's mother were friends and the ML's mother really liked the FL. So the ML's actions towards the FL was more in response to him fighting his mother than anything to do with the FL herself. It seems that this entire story line from the novel is not included in the drama.

Yes! I hope the drama does a good job in capturing this!

Yes, I hope the drama does a good job on capturing this as the ML's realization of what he had just done and how he tried to redeem himself were the best parts of the novel.

My favorite parts of the novel was the ML's shock and horror when he realizes that he has reject the person who he has a crush on and his inept attempts to win her back. Hopefully, the drama will be as good as the novel...