Vespertyne29

I agree. I ONLY checked out this drama because I was so impressed by WXY (acting, voice, and yes, looks!) in The Double. I've been "watching" it for 2 weeks now, and haven't managed to get past the first 5 episodes. Every time I start watching I almost immediately get bored.

It looks so pathetically low budget, and although I find WXY the only attractive actor out of the 4 main characters (FL, and 2nd FL and 2nd ML), his styling and makeup is still pretty bad, and is not flattering to him at all.

The story is not interesting, the plot is all over the place, I don't like the FL's character, and I don't like the actress who is playing the FL. I agree there is no chemistry. I also am completely uninterested in the second leads' romance, and I think the prince is boring and the 2nd FL is even more unlikable than the FL.

To sum things up, there is nothing about this drama that engages me, from the characters to the plot to the aesthetics. It's all substandard. I just can't finish it.

OTOH, I very much enjoyed Scent of Time.

I am TRYING to watch this drama, because after being introduced to Wang Xingyue in The Double, I wanted to see more of him. The child is only 22, so it's not as if he has a huge resume of adult ML roles! I very much enjoyed Scent of Time - I loved him and the FL is one of my favorites - but I am really struggling to get through this drama. It's just not a very good drama, and I do not like the con-artist FL, and I don't like her older co-criminal 2nd FL or their master. Both romances are boring, none of the actors - other than WXY - are very attractive, and I don't like any of the characters except for WXY, who is rather pitiful.
As much as I want to, I don't think I can finish this.

The only HE is if the ML dies. I don't care if it's a drama. This type of violence against the FL is unforgivable.

I'm not sure about his role in her family's death and the death of the previous CP, but what we have clearly seen is him unlawfully imprison her so she can't leave the palace, order a physician to physically maim her body so that she permanently loses all of her martial arts power (while she cries and begs him not to do it), give her a drug that causes her to lose her memory so that she has no idea what he has done to her, murder her childhood friend (and a very important military leader for the country) in front of her, and forcibly and violently rape her as she screams and fights him.

There is no redemption here. Anyone who thinks this is "love" or "romantic" needs therapy.

I dropped this after episode 20. It is worse than the DV glorifying Cdrama Uncontrollably Fond, which also romanticizes domestic violence against the FL, and which I also dropped after watching about half of it in disbelief.

Finally, a director who respects both the source material and the viewers and gives our couple the happy ending - with zero ambiguities - they and their viewing fans deserve! Bravo!

I enjoyed the last episodes of the drama. The annoying, bitter sister getting slapped by CXZ's mother was soooooo satisfying! And it was also good to see Binglan finally stand up to her horrible mother and realize she could have a life of her own that didn't involve constantly humiliating herself just to try to become an unloved, unwanted concubine to CXZ. I liked that he placed the blame where it should be, and supported Binglan standing up for herself, and finding out who she was and what she wanted (since he'd made it very clear that neither she nor any other woman besides LMT would ever have him). Although part of me really wanted CXZ to berate and put her in her place, he always avoided being mean to her, which shows he is, indeed, a nice guy.

I loved the way the director devoted a good half of the 36th episode to CXZ's and LMT's wedding. It was both playful and serious, and showcased their personalities and love for each other.

My one minor dissatisfaction is in the wedding night. This drama had very little "skin-ship," and after the very, very long wait for these two to sort out their differences, get engaged, and finally get married, plus their charming and sweet wedding, I wanted a romantic wedding night scene, where they kiss, fall on the bed, kiss some more, and then the curtain falls, or the camera moves away, or the room fades to black. The drunk and silly CXZ and the somewhat motherly (in dealing with her drunk husband) LMT was not what I expected, and I confess I was somewhat disappointed. We don't even get them snuggled together the next morning, so it was a total bust when it came to romance. At least for me. And considering how the rest of the drama progressed, there was no opportunity for another romantic scene. Even at the end they are on a boat being surreptitiously watched by the bodyguards and Nanny Li (although Nanny Li at least scolds the 2 men for watching the newly married couple, but it's clear they are not having a moment alone).

Other than that, I found this drama very satisfying and enjoyed it from start to finish. I personally love palace politics and power struggles, so I enjoyed the 2 former opponents and LMT joining together to outwit the bad guys. (And although I didn't know how the emperor, CXZ and LMT figured out the poisoning bit, I was immediately fairly certain that ZiYu and the empress were not poisoned. I was 100% sure when they announced that the empress had died. That was a huge clue that the poison was fake. I thought it was rather clever for the poisoning to be actually entirely instigated by the 2 main couples as a set up for the Bad Guys).

Both Zhang WanYi and Wang Chu Ran were new to me, and I thoroughly enjoyed them both. Both are beautiful, both are good actors, and both did a great job of bringing their two loveable, interesting characters to life, and showing their growing love for each other.

Are You the One is definitely one of my favorite Cdramas of 2024.

I think the drama showed that he respected her, but despite the fact that in the end the emperor and CXZ cooked up an excellent and deep scheme to outwit their opponents, ZiYu was still infatuated/obsessed with LMT until close to the end of the drama.

I always got the idea that he respected and very much related to his empress, but he did not seem to be in love with her.

The other thing that constantly went through my mind every time I saw the empress in a scene was that she was going to be really, really fat ! All she did was eat!

The 5th brother looked older than CXZ. In the novel is he older or younger, and is there an explanation for his disability?

I really thought he was going to be a major bad guy and betray CXZ and LMT, because that's what the older or younger brother, including quite a few who are handicapped and bitter about it, usually do in Cdramas. So it was actually kind of a pleasant and refreshing surprise that he was a decent guy in the drama. But his character was really so unnecessary and unconnected to the story that I had to wonder if he was supposed to be a bad guy and the script writer just didn't have time to fit it in, so he made him a completely unneeded but nice character.

For me it was a bit different, but not that much - I paid $5.99 US dollars for the "express" package, and while the drama was airing I would get 1 to 2 express episodes per day (I think usually just one), and then I got the last 4 episodes yesterday, all at once. I think I usually get the last 6 episodes in the last express grouping, but this time it was only the last 4 episodes. Which is strange because most of the other dramas where I got more of the final episodes via express, have been 24 to 28 episode dramas, and this one was 40.

One of the more satisfying moments in the drama for sure!

JoL 1 is in my top 5 Cdramas, along with Nirvana in Fire 1. I loved JoL 2, but did feel that the comedy that was so organic - and surprising, since the novel (which I have now read 3 times) is far less humorous - in part 1 was at times a bit too forced in part 2. But I loved it still.

I think Zhang Ruoyun is an amazingly talented actor, and I do love the story as told in the novel, and I think the writers have done an excellent job adapting it, keeping the spirit of what is a very complex, extremely lengthy novel.

The drunken poetry recitation in part 1 is one of my favorite scenes ever, in any drama!

It is (or was) an 8 on Duoban. I've seen it reported in several drama blogs, one of which included a screen shot of the 8.0 rating, with 24679 raters.

There is far less emphasis on concubines and harems in historical Cdramas and Kdramas because although they were a factual reality, these dramas are tailored to the social values of a 21st century audience.

Historically, kings and emperors (as well as noblemen) had concubines to ensure many children were born, because the deathrate of children was very high. Read almost any Joseon king's bio and see how many end up dying with no heir even though they have had dozens of children, many of whom are sons, but end up with no heir because no children survive infancy/early childhood, or the only survivors are daughters who couldn't inherit.

The societal values of the patriarchal Chinese (and Korean) dynasties were very male-centric, and women had very few rights. Thus, fictional historical dramas are rarely realistic representations of "real life."

I actually thought that one of the most unrealistic things about this drama was that the king was depicted as not having a sexual relationship with ANY of his concubines or his empress.

The brother in the wheelchair was the villain. If so, that's interesting - I kept waiting for him to be evil, and was actually surprised that he was just a nice, happy to be second fiddle and handicapped brother to the ML. I mean, the role really had that "vibe" to it, and it's definitely a very common trope, so having bro be a good guy was actually a refreshing surprise!

I agree - this was the first drama I'd seen of both Zhang WanYi and Wang CurRan, and I became an instant fan of both. Can't wait to see them again.

This was actually one of the LEAST "forced ending" Cdramas I've seen in the 6 years since I discovered Cdramas, and then Kdramas, after Netflix kept shoving "Meteor Garden 2018" in my face and telling me I'd like it.

I LOVE this drama!! But I do not trust Cdrama directors. They think their dramas will get way more social media traffic if millions of angry or desperately hopeful fans are ranting and/or speculating about what the ending means (like they did in The Double). They’ll ignore a novel’s happy ending to try to create drama over the ending. It’s infuriating and disrespectful to both the novelist and the viewers.

I am hoping the director’s ego and misguided “artistic” whims don’t take him in that direction.

I got episode 36 as an express today.

I also think that CXZ initially fell in love for those reasons, but he is even more intrigued by and committed to being with her after he finds out she is Lu Wen. He said, so many times throughout the drama, that Lu Wen was someone who he thought was like him, and he was intrigued by the game they played with each other. That's why what looked like Lu Wen's betrayal was so upsetting to him. They had a relationship and rules they played by, and respect for one another, so having Lu Wen go back on his word and attack was seen as both a personal and political betrayal. Of course Lu Wen had nothing to do with it. It was Prince Sui and Yun'er who went behind Lu Wen and Ziyu's back (although perhaps Ziyu knew of and just didn't stop it?)

In the scene where CXZ and his sister visit Prince Sui and LMT is there posing as a merchant, and Prince Sui's wife starts speculating about CXZ getting married, his sister stops her and says that he is in love with someone already. CXZ says WTTE of how she is his equal in every way, while looking at LMT. He loves her exactly as she is. And I love his character for that!

The things you are asking about are explained in the drama. You just have to pay attention. The director doesn't spoon feed the viewers - but it's all there if you pay attention.

If I really like a drama, I will rewatch scenes and/or large parts of episodes if a lot happens, or if I feel like I missed or don't completely understand something that seems to be important to the story. (And in period dramas with dozens of characters, I sometimes make a chart of the various characters and their connections. This is especially helpful with all those left and right ministers! And their sons, who often play important roles outside the court).

This drama is so good that I want to read the novel. I wonder, though - is the novel as comedic as the drama? I remember reading Joy of Life after the first part aired - I love the novel and have now read all 5000+ pages 3 times, but it is definitely not as hilarious as the drama is!

Not only was he aware, but he actually told her not to hand over all the money, but to secretly keep it.

Excellent job of summarizing the plot. I love people who actually pay attention to the details of the plot, and don't FF everything except the "romance" scenes. Many who post here are good drama watchers, but the comments on Viki make me want to scream, "did you even watch the last X number of episodes?? How can you miss the key plot developments??"

But you can see that ZiYu is going to end up falling for her.
Personally, I find her character boring, and wish this couple had less screen time, but I do appreciate the way the director is showing the emperor's growing affection for her.
But I have to admit, every time there is a scene with her eating - which is practically every scene she is in - I can't help thinking that she is going to be a fat empress!