WK1

Ok. I think my views will be interesting, precisely because I did not read the novel. I am going to judge this drama totally from the drama itself, without any help from the novel.

And I expect differences in views between those watch the drama, having read the novel, and those who are like me (who watch it without having read the novel).

I do not think there will be right or wrong views. Probably different interpretations of what we see. And those different interpretations will be extremely interesting and may well generate some discussion. But, since the screenwriter and the novel author are the same person, even if there are differences, I do not expect too much. This is why I think YAMG will not generate as much discussion topics compared to TLB.

The TLB is rather different. It was based on a manhua yet to be completed. The manhua ended just about 2/3 of the way (compared to the drama), and the drama changed lots of the stuff, causing some initial unhappiness among the manhua lovers. It was only when the drama has ended that viewers understood why the screenwriters made those changes, i.e., principally to inject more romance into the drama.

After hanging around MDL page of TLB for more than 2 months, and seeing the kind of questions that people come to that page to ask, I have become an amatuer film or drama critic. Most people want a happy ending. Lots of people want kisses between the two main leads (and were sorely disappointed there weren't any in TLB). We had to spent hours and hours explaining to people that it was indeed a happy ending and why there were no mouth-to-mouth kisses between the ML and FL. Even today, a full 2.5 months after the completion of that drama, people still go to that page and ask, why no kisses between the main couple? It is still a marvel to me how people are obsessed with kisses or equate love and romance with kisses.

Here in YAMG, there will be kisses. I think Yang Yang, in one of his interviews with regard to YAMG, already mentioned that there will be. We saw this in the latest trailer, there will be. And there will be a marriage scene, so no one will doubt Yutu and QJJ were married and had a happy ending. So I think viewership for YAMG will be very high. The screenwriter, the director, Dilraba and Yang Yang will give viewers what they want: Romance, kisses, happy ending, with a nice plot that hang all those elements together.

I didn't watch King's woman, so I cannot really commend on it. I watched Flame's daughter mayb 2-3 times. But that was like years ago? But I can vaguely recall that she still needed lots of help from the male lead to subdue the villain. That was not even a pure wuxia drama, because there are some fantasy elements.

Same thing with Eternal Love of Dream. She got into trouble and still needed help from the male lead Donghua Dejun.

Here in TLB, the plot is totally believeable, because at the beginning of the drama, she was only 14 years old. You can see the comment by Ahead above, who thinks that she was about 17 years in E1. At a young age, 3 years make a huge difference.

She has lots of book knowledge concerning military strategy, but she lacks in practical experience, especially regard to handling the people from the grasslands. At the grasslands, she was only about 14 years and a few months, and she had to deal with Princess Yicheng, who by then must have been in her late 30s or earnly 40s. She gave away more than 20 years' deficit in experience to YiCheng.

That is why at the grasslands, Ashile Sun had to come to her rescue many times.

But the drama is totally realistic, in that once she understood how Princess Yicheng operates, in later episodes, from about E38, she will out-wit and out smart her.

I have been in this forum for more than 2 months now. Heard every kind of arguments and lots of views from people who have watched lots of Reba's dramas. And just about everyone agrees that this is her breakout role. And by the time we come toward the end of the drama, Li Changge is just about the strongest and smartest FL in Cdrama land. That is why in the ending scene you do not see her together with Ashile Sun. She was able to speak the language of the Turks and many of the dialects of the tribes. She knew martial arts and was able to protect herself. She does not need Ashile Sun to be her bodyguard.

You joined this discussion group a bit too late. If you joined earlier, you would understood all these points.

We sure do. But even for romance, YAMG will be interesting. From what I understand, after reading comments from people who have read the novel, it is not the love at first sight kind of romance. She has to deal with rejections from him. He has to deal with his career. So it is not going to be pure romance, but romance in the context of relationship and decision making issues, which is the kind that really appeals to me, as compared to those dramas which feature love at first sight.

Please scroll down to about 5-6 days ago on this comments page. There is a series of discussion on this issue.

I think they will shine very brightly in this drama and, together with all the other cast members, bring us a lot of great viewing experience over the next 5-6 weeks.

Very happy to read this comment. I am not into gaming. Period. So, knowing that gaming is just a plot device is great (for me at least)! And I am not even heavily into romance, but I can tolerate that stuff far more than I can tolerate gaming.

I am more into decision making, and how the characters deal with other real life issues. As long as the drama has lots of those, I will be really happy.

Her growth is very similar to our growth. If we think about it, in life, all of us make many mistakes too. I agree with you. At the palace, she led a very sheltered life, as a princess. She was used to getting her ways. And even at the grasslands, she was still trying to shed that personality, of getting whatever she wants.

But slowly, you will realise, by the time you hit episode 27, she will learn to reflect upon her actions and realise her mistakes. Thereafter, she will be more and more mature, wiser and wiser with each episode.

By episode 38 she will so wise, she will outwit the main villain in this drama. From then on, she will be even wiser than the ML. If you listen to the dialogue carefully, many of stuff toward the end were planned and executed by her

The writer of the novel is same as the screenwriter of this drama? She will not change it much. Here is what I suspect. When was the novel published? 2017? And YAMG was filmed in September 2020? There is a three year gap. The author would have gotten feedback on her book. In the drama, she will just use those feedback to improve on things in the novel, but leave the main plot largely untouched.

By the time YAMG airs, there should be at least 20-30 people from TLB migrating here. But I doubt the interaction here will be similar to the one in TLB. Historical dramas tend to have more complex plots and TLB has one of the most complex ones around (as it is intertwined with real history). That resulted the crazy thing that happened in that forum.

YAMG will be more straightfoward. I very much doubt it will generate the same amount of discussion.

Dilraba and Yang Yang are both 29. They are both at the stage of their career where they are done with rom-com or fluffy dramas. We can be sure that YAMG will spin the storyline toward the slightly older age group.

I am not saying younger folks will not enjoy this. Just that older ones will find it more relatable. Or, like you say, able to empathise with characters more.

I am not sure you could call me a fan of the FL. I do not watch much of her modern dramas. I do not even watch all of her historical dramas, just about 4. I am intrigued by the fact that ethnically, she is an Uyghur; yet she managed to fight it out with all the top notch Han Chinese actresses. You could say I am keen to know her career progression and see her suceed against the odds.

Like you, I only focus on historical dramas, because of all the beautiful production sets and costumes, and ancient Chinese cultural practices. So I will watch lots of historical dramas, not just those with Dilraba.

But her role in TLB is absolutely fascinating, because it is both age and gender bending against the cultural backdrop of those days.

I did not read the novel, so I will watch the drama like a blank sheet of paper, and just let the drama tell me the story. All I know, whatever Reba touches, it will turn to gold.

That would indeed be nice! But I am not sure the schedule would allow them. And if the TLB team does come together for dinner and they take a picture, and post that on twitter, wouldn't that be wonderful?? It would show how much the drama really meant to the four of them.

Lots of TLB fans are already here!! If you scroll down this page, you will see many familiar names.

And more will soon be coming over. We just have to be careful not to overwhelm Yang Yang lovers who are here. I don't think we will. Eventually, we will support Yang Yang and Reba as a couple, just as we love Li Changge and Ashile Sun.

Just looking at both the trailers (the latest plus the earlier one), I do not think this is going to end up as a gaming drama. They will target this drama at the older audience, to differentiate it from the other gaming dramas. They are more likely to position this as a romance drama, or something even deeper.

It should be a very big hit. Reba and Yang Yang are already something of a super power (based on their fandoms in China). And Janice Wu and Gina Jin are very successful actresses in their own right. That they are willing to guest star in this drama will add even more star acting power. I cannot imagine any reason why this drama will not be a mega hit in China and internationally.

So you are here too! We will share this page with all Yang Yang lovers. If the gaming portion of the story is watered down, hope it will not disappoint those who came here primarily because it is a gaming drama.

I am passionate about it, because of the complexity of the character, particularly the FL, and because some parts of the plot is embedded in real historical events.

99.9% of the drama out there don't need much analyses. You watched it once, and you don't ever need to watch it again.

I had to watch TLB a few times and cross check with history to understand some of the stuff better. I guess the cross checking part got me immersed in it even more.

But I am good. Being around here for more than 2 months. Understood everything that is be understood about TLB. Discussed this drama with dozens of people here in this forum. Already reached the point of diminishing returns quite a while ago.

Dilraba's next drama will be out by next week. And I will be here less and less often.

Dilraba and Yuning are there filming The Legend of Anle. And yes, it seems Zhao Lusi and Leo Wu will be there to film Love like the Galaxy soon. Whether they will have time for dinner together, we do not know. But Leo Wu better not have dinner with Dilraba just the two of them, or it will set off some rumours again.

Don't feel bad that you did what you did. Whether you intend it or not, it will just help to build more excitement for the drama.

Yes, even apart from the wedding scene, having both of them as leads will be a visual feast whenever they are on screen. And they don't just look good visually, what's important, both are great actors. So, starting from next week, till the end of the drama, we will be exposed to visual and emotional experience of the highest calibre.

So, your theory is, the wedding scene is one of their dreams? Either Yutu or QJJ's dream?