So about 13 or so years ago I started reading Blazing Sunlight, with its leads (or so we were initially led to believe) Nie Xi Guang and Zhuang Xu and was finding it somewhat similar to Gu Man's other novel Silent Separation (drama My Sunshine) with a bubbly female lead chasing a cold male lead. Zhuang Xu was somewhat similar to He Yi Chen with most of his interactions with the heroine taking place during their college years where Xi Guang pursued the seemingly indifferent Zhuang Xu. However, after an incident Xi Guang gave up on Zhuang Xu and intentionally moved away while the clueless Zhuang Xu was working hard to improve himself to be on an equal basis with Xi Guang. In the novel there were lots of miscommunication and misunderstandings between the two. In addition, a lot of their interactions occur prior to the beginning of the novel making certain actions by Zhuang Xu unclear and murky, especially since all of information about their interactions were based solely on Xi Guang’s point of view.
But surprisingly, halfway through the novel, a new male lead, Lin Yu Sen, suddenly appeared and our first male lead was no longer in sight. Lin Yu Sen was somewhat similar to Feng Teng from Boss & Me with most of his interactions with the heroine taking place at work. Lin Yu Sen had met and fell in love with the heroine years prior and had taken a lesser job in order to be near her. Their interactions were fun and adorable and I was firmly on the Lin Yu Sen/Xi Guang ship and was happy that the novel ended with Xi Guang in a relationship with Lin Yu Sen.
But we were told that a second novel would be forthcoming and would complete the story. So for ten long years we were left dangling, waiting and wondering how Gu Man would wrap up all of the open/unresolved storylines, especially as it related to Zhuang Xu and Ye Rong.
Rumors abounded that Gu Man was struggling with how to complete the storyline and whether the second novel would be like her other novels with first love winning out or if it be about growing up and moving on.
So, after 10 long years of waiting, we were finally rewarded with the second novel of the series and as I had always hoped Lin Yu Sen was the end game.
I am loving the drama and believe it’s a case of the drama being better than the novel (which doesn’t always happen). I also love that the drama is always clear that the male lead is Lin Yu Sen, unlike the novel where we had to wait 10 years for closure.
Gu Man along with Zhu Yi and Mo Bao Fei Bao are my favorite authors for growing up/youth storylines.
Why is this drama called an idol drama? Asking because I don't know how the categories are divided
Per our friend Google An idol drama (偶像剧 - ǒuxiàng jù) is a genre of television series, primarily from East Asia, that features young, attractive actors (often K-pop or C-pop idols) as leads, focusing on romance, attractive visuals, and fan appeal over complex plots, targeting teens and young adults with glossy production, trendy stories, and relatable themes like wealth gaps or celebrity life. They emphasize the stars' good looks, creating buzz and catering to fandoms, with variations like modern "현偶" (xiàn ǒu) and historical "古偶" (gǔ ǒu).
A couple (Love O2O and My Sunshine) also have movie adaptions but they aren't as good as the dramas. Also, My Sunshine has a Director's Cut which condenses the 32 episode drama into 4 episodes and replaces the college actors (Luo Yun Xi and Janice Wu) with the main actors (Wallace Chung and Tiffany Tang)
So far, an outstanding adaption of Gu Man's novel, Blazing Sunlight. I've loved all of Gu Man's novels and their drama adaptions, hopefully she is out there writing another novel for our enjoyment (and please don't be a 2 parter where we have to wait 10 years for the conclusion!).
I remember thinking when I read the first novel that this drama is based on about 10 or so years ago that Zhuang Xu reminded me of He Yi Chen from My Sunshine and Lin Yu Sen was like Feng Teng from Boss & Me. So far, not getting that vibe when watching the drama...
Not sure which Zeng Hui and Han Yu Tong drama this is but unfortunately it's not Prince of Beijing Circle (despite what the caption on the YT video says).
No, I don't think the love triangle was the major storyline (the ML & SML for the most part did not intersect at all in the first novel) and the FL had completely given up on the college crush when she left college but the novel hinted that the college crush had not given up on the FL.
However, since Gu Man had made it clear at the end of the first novel (well over 10 years ago) that a second novel was forthcoming, there was always the potential that the college crush might be end game (those first loves are always tricky). I had read that the reason Gu Man took so long to write the second novel was that she struggled with how to end the story and was ok with who the the FL was with at the end of the first novel.
I love Gu Man's novels! Hopefully this drama will be a good. We had to wait about 10 years for the second novel to get written in order to get the conclusion of the love triangle.
But surprisingly, halfway through the novel, a new male lead, Lin Yu Sen, suddenly appeared and our first male lead was no longer in sight. Lin Yu Sen was somewhat similar to Feng Teng from Boss & Me with most of his interactions with the heroine taking place at work. Lin Yu Sen had met and fell in love with the heroine years prior and had taken a lesser job in order to be near her. Their interactions were fun and adorable and I was firmly on the Lin Yu Sen/Xi Guang ship and was happy that the novel ended with Xi Guang in a relationship with Lin Yu Sen.
But we were told that a second novel would be forthcoming and would complete the story. So for ten long years we were left dangling, waiting and wondering how Gu Man would wrap up all of the open/unresolved storylines, especially as it related to Zhuang Xu and Ye Rong.
Rumors abounded that Gu Man was struggling with how to complete the storyline and whether the second novel would be like her other novels with first love winning out or if it be about growing up and moving on.
So, after 10 long years of waiting, we were finally rewarded with the second novel of the series and as I had always hoped Lin Yu Sen was the end game.
I am loving the drama and believe it’s a case of the drama being better than the novel (which doesn’t always happen). I also love that the drama is always clear that the male lead is Lin Yu Sen, unlike the novel where we had to wait 10 years for closure.
Gu Man along with Zhu Yi and Mo Bao Fei Bao are my favorite authors for growing up/youth storylines.
An idol drama (偶像剧 - ǒuxiàng jù) is a genre of television series, primarily from East Asia, that features young, attractive actors (often K-pop or C-pop idols) as leads, focusing on romance, attractive visuals, and fan appeal over complex plots, targeting teens and young adults with glossy production, trendy stories, and relatable themes like wealth gaps or celebrity life. They emphasize the stars' good looks, creating buzz and catering to fandoms, with variations like modern "현偶" (xiàn ǒu) and historical "古偶" (gǔ ǒu).
MV of My Sunshine with Luo Yun Xi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-KJyQz5AI
Your Are My Glory
https://kisskh.at/62337-you-are-my-glory
Love O2O
https://kisskh.at/15031-love-o2o
Boss & Me
https://kisskh.at/8996-boss-me
My Sunshine
https://kisskh.at/9137-my-sunshine
A couple (Love O2O and My Sunshine) also have movie adaptions but they aren't as good as the dramas.
Also, My Sunshine has a Director's Cut which condenses the 32 episode drama into 4 episodes and replaces the college actors (Luo Yun Xi and Janice Wu) with the main actors (Wallace Chung and Tiffany Tang)
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1960218147897213
However, since Gu Man had made it clear at the end of the first novel (well over 10 years ago) that a second novel was forthcoming, there was always the potential that the college crush might be end game (those first loves are always tricky). I had read that the reason Gu Man took so long to write the second novel was that she struggled with how to end the story and was ok with who the the FL was with at the end of the first novel.