Green Flag Enthusiast

Did you ever finish it?

This isn't to you specifically, OP. The first part of this comment is in response to some of the other comments reflected here. Someone else has already stated it, but it bears repeating. I don't understand the notion that the "Western influence" is why KDramas have devolved into what it's currently become. If that's what you wholeheartedly believe, then I'd hazard a guess and say that you probably don't watch as many current Western dramas as you think. Of the most recent KDramas of the past few years, NONE of them are even remotely close to what you would see in Western dramas. This is not to say one is better or worse, as that's a matter of personal preference; it's simply an observation. It's overexaggerating the "sexual" material often found in Western dramas and leaning into an interesting stereotype of pretending as if Asian countries are mostly asexual and "chaste", which we know is categorically false.

Overestimating Western influences on the current state of KDramas is doing this entire industry a huge disservice, in my opinion. Can we say these dramas are attempting to appeal to a wider audience? Sure. That's the point of most dramas, regardless of where they're produced. However, the home team still has the advantage. The Western influence may cause a slight issue, but Korean audiences are still the primary demographic being catered to when it's all said and done.

I've watched some KDramas here and there but I wouldn't call myself a huge fan by any means because I've always felt that most of them are too polished, too toned down, too sanitized, too redundant, and not gritty/complex enough to be interesting. I've always been more interested in CDramas, JDramas, and Thai dramas. If you're a foreigner using this site to discover new KDramas, you're going to be disappointed. Most of these sites have been overrun with fans inflating the ratings, mostly because their favorite actor stars in it. Or mainly because they don't care about the cohesiveness and pacing of the plot. Don't get me wrong - I don't want to beat down and bully KDramas for this because the CDramas on this site fall prey to the same issues. I'm currently experiencing a CDrama slump right now as we speak, which is how I stumbled upon this article after reading your previous article discussing how to overcome the drama slump.

To circle back around to connect to my original point - there's no objectivity when it comes to how these dramas are rated, which I'm aware is unrealistic to expect. However, what we see with the rating system and reviews on this site is indicative of what KDrama fans prioritize and are interested in. If these respective fans are prioritizing the ML's attractiveness level, rating these dramas 9.0 or above due to his attractiveness & not due to the drama's actual plot, and driving up the social media engagement with dramas that produce the same material, same tropes, and same plot, then why wouldn't the Korean TV industry continue to release those types of dramas? KDrama fans have proven that this is what they want, based on what dramas they give attention to. They're not going to stray away from what's proven to bring in the most profit. There's no variety; it's the same old thing over and over again, and that's one thing you don't have to worry about in Western dramas. It's sad to say, but you don't have to worry about watching the same actor/actress play a version of the same character in every newly released drama. I wish it wasn't like that because there's clearly some hidden gems that can be found in KDramas; they just don't get as much attention or praise as they deserve, so they fall through the cracks.

Did you ever finish it? Or did you end up dropping it like you said?

That's an incredibly valid point! The drama could have some of the best writing with the tightest, well paced plot but all that means nothing if you don't like the characters. If there's nothing magnetic or electrifying about the characters, then you won't care about them or how their story ends.

Where does this drama fall on that spectrum for you? I only saw your original comment because I was trying to figure out if I should watch this or not.

I think this will vary because people have different preferences, you know?

However, I personally prefer a show with interesting and compelling characters with a bad plot honestly. I don't care about a good plot if the characters are entertaining enough to keep me watching. I tend to drop dramas that fit the first description because I don't watch dramas for the plot; I watch them for the characters and their complexity. I find dramas with great plots and lackluster or bland characters to be rather dull.

I wasn't planning on reading the comments after finishing your review but I had the misfortune of reading one singular comment and that was more than enough to make me want to send you a can of bug spray to get rid of the roaches! Anyway, this comment is NOT gonna be a bashing session because that's stupid and immature and I actually hadn't watched this drama yet. I like to read through the reviews of most dramas BEFORE I start watching them just to make sure I'm not wasting my time.

But anyway, you said something in your review that I found incredibly poignant:

"I’ve seen too many heavily plot driven dramas with pretty good acting get bashed on MDL and other platforms because the leads are not attractive or don’t fit societal beauty standards. It’s sad the world is shallow like this but it’s a fact that visually stunning leads sell a drama more than the overall production, strong plot and great acting."

This entire paragraph is probably why I've been in an Asian drama slump for the past six months. Aside from the current month of August, I think the last time I'd watched and enjoyed a drama was possibly around January (?) and it was an older drama that I hadn't seen before but I digress. So, I think this paragraph is essentially the perfect description of the Asian drama landscape currently (Korean, Chinese, Thai, etc.) I've started and dropped a ton of dramas this month alone because nothing seems to have any sort of substance. All these newer and more modern dramas seem to be all glitz, glam, and polish but no real substance. There's no substance; it's just a beautiful cast of well-known and popular actors with an underwhelming, lackluster, shoddy plot and story. Not to mention the fact that just because an actor is popular and attractive doesn't necessarily mean they're talented. I was gonna watch this one but then I read your review and realized that that would be a mistake. I love the lead actress; she's a doll! However, I won't say you're wrong in how you feel about her performance because those are your personal feelings and you're entitled to it.

Seeing as though you wrote the review that you just wrote, I can honestly say that you'd appreciate how long and drawn-out I am. Hopefully, you're able to see this but I wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't because this site does NOT like when people break away from the herd and form their opinions. Anyway, I fully appreciated this review and I want to thank you for helping me dodge a bullet. Take care!

Two of my favorite people are coming together. Let us rejoice!

I ALMOST dropped it. I was seriously contemplating doing so wayy back during episode 5. I finished it, but I don't feel good about that choice, unfortunately. The ML WAS entertaining but I didn't fall in love with him nor his relationship with the FL, which was the whole point of me finishing the drama. Alas, that was a waste.

Although I did contemplate dropping the show altogether because I don't find the palace politics & intrigue interesting enough, I've decided to see it through to the end.

At this point, I'm mostly curious to see how the relationship between the leads develops and if it's worth this incredibly long and drawn out wait. That's what's keeping me going at this point. Everything else is meh but I do want to see how and IF the writers deliver on a fiery romantic relationship.

I've decided that I'm gonna stick with it because I have a strange aversion to dropping shows. I don't like dropping most things, especially once I'm somewhat fully immersed in it. I think the pay-off is mainly what's keeping me going because I really want to get over the slump and get to the other side, so to speak.

I know it's there and it's coming, but it takes some time to get there so we'll see how I feel about it in a few weeks.

I saw someone else mentiom that things don't really take off until episode 30 (or closer to where you mentioned) and that made me take pause. The show has a 38 episode count and the majority of it isn't exciting until it's almost over? I found that to be concerning for obvious reasons.

I hate dropping shows, so I'll probably keep watching while taking breaks in between. It may take some time to finish it but that's okay too.

In my case, it's more like I'm having difficulty remaining interested. The story is pretty cut and dry but I keep losing interest whenever I try to watch it. The story isn't difficult to understand; it's just not keeping my interest in the way that I would like.

I'm on episode 5 and I'm struggling to get through it. I'm tempted to drop it but I don't want to. The political espionage is so boring and I'm waiting for something, anything, to happen and it hasn't yet! 😩

I don't mind the boogeyman of a toxic ML. That would be more entertaining than anything going on right now. I want to love this show. 😭

" I felt this a bit with the Bai Lu's character too - she can act fairly well but for some reason it just felt like she was doing what was required rather than putting in an outstanding performance. "🙌🏿

THIS! I'm only on episode 5 but this is what I'm starting to notice here. Some of the reviews on the first page were very positive about Xue Ning. So seeing that, I was expecting to immediately fall in love with her like I did with Ye Xiwu in TTEOTM. However, I'm not feeling that. Bai Lu is amazing but this character is really one-track minded and kind of dull, if you ask me. She's not enjoyable and dynamic enough for me. I could be too harsh on her because it is still early and that could change but this character pales in comparison to Ye Xiwu. Sure, it can be said that Xue Ning is far more cunning and intelligent than the former. But she's less emotional and feeling too, which I'm not a fan of at all. 😩😭

Xue Ning's only motivation was to undo all of her misdeeds, but there's not room for anything else. I don't feel any chemistry with her and any of her love interests yet either and I'm disappointed honestly. Does it get better?

Thank you! I just needed that little bit of reassurance from anyone who has finished the show.

So, I'm a new watcher and I've gotten to episode 20. But from the things I've seen floating around on here and on Tumblr, I'm unsure if I want to finish it. Or at the very least, watch it up until episode 35 and end it right afterwards.

I'm not a fan of tragic/ambiguous/open endings, so I'm not so sure I want to watch all 40 episodes. In fact, I actually hate those types of endings if I'm being honest, ESPECIALLY if one half (or both) of my ship dies. 😬

But the show is absolutely amazing and I'm definitely enjoying it. However, that's the only thing I'm worried about.

Watch it, if you must. I won't say that it's not entertaining because it certainly is. You will be entertained, but I feel the only way to fully enjoy this show is if you suspend belief for most of it. It's like you said - it's like the Superman/Clark Kent situation. Their 'disguises' aren't believable enough to make me believe that no one recognizes them. They look exactly the same; their entire face didn't change. In the case of this show, the girl simply added make-up but she didn't look any different.