XLoveW

So, we're 16 episodes in and the most physical affection shown by ML was a pat on the shoulder... Eh. I watch wuxia's without romance all the time, but this series was billed as romance. And the first few episodes set up the foundations of a romance beautifully. I had high hopes. But now the connection feels platonic at best. I don't know if this is intentional or bad directing, etc, but I'm starting to fast forward. Not usually a good sign xD. Just a little warning for anyone who goes into this wanting a romance.

This! I have to say I find it weird that they haven't even held hands... I suspect the ML was meant to be 'pure' while in the alliance. But he isn't in it anymore, is he? Haha. And the FL has also been shown to be very sweet and innocent. But right now, their connection is coming across as almost sibling vibes (IMO). Like the ML has shortened his lifespan dramatically and taken 10k swords for this woman, but he won't give her a hug? A peck on the forehead? I wonder if that's just the vibe for this whole 3-show arc... Perhaps I've missed something.

This is what makes a show a big no for me in rewatch value. Frustrating, because I love the actors!

It's the lack of imagination for me. 27 episodes where the main leads are separated by a misunderstanding? That's pushing it even for the old 60 plus series format. Because usually we'll get arcs, and the conflict will change from internal to third parties trying to break them up etc. This show is just static. I honestly think the writers didn't have enough source material or time to come up with anything better. I don't mind the side characters. But again, it's the same pattern over and over. I actually feel the mother/father relationship has a better arc, at least there's some back and forth.

Same... In other dramas we'll get misunderstandings, but there's usually some progress or shift from internal to external conflict to keep things fresh. This is just one misunderstanding stretched over 23... potentially more episodes. I could be wrong, but it felt like the writers didn't have enough source material or time to write a better script, so they just did this... :/. On the plus side, I love both the main lead actors. A fan of both of them.

Completely agree. Everything looks awkward. At times, the kiss scenes are just painful to watch. Ignore the person below saying it's fetishizing. Super childish. When the kisses are awkward, it's almost always a symptom of the romance in general being off. That's important because this is tagged as romance and we want to feel connected/buy into this as a real relationship.

Yeah... I appreciate he doesn't want to kiss other women. But if you're a ML actor in a romance, being paid a lot of money, then I think you should be ok with pretending to be in love with someone else. Otherwise, why act in romances at all? I know there will be always be the odd person who says they don't care about kissing or chemistry, but I think most people prefer their romances to feature some level of realism. That's why I adored DBTD. It felt... mature? Such a breath of fresh air! I'm getting a bit tired of some of these dramas that have their couples dying for each other, defying the heavens, etc, and they're too shy to even smooch each other. Haha.

I hear you. It does get really frustrating to watch as an observer. But I will say... I've known lots of couples, even therapists who have misunderstandings with their partner. In the moment, self-defence mechanisms and emotions ride too high to say the right thing. I mean, how many of us have said things we don't mean in the heat of the moment? Add in the fact that WSW is quite young, isn't he? And this is his first same-sex relationship... actually, never mind that--this is his first relationship with someone who really loves him. He's also been shown through the show to be street-smart, but not the most articulate person. That was the persona he tried to project for CC right?

All that being said, I also find it annoying xD. Understandable, but annoying.

This sort of stuff happened to Yibo and Xiao Zhan back in the day. And their careers are going strong. Of course, that doesn't make it okay in terms of what it might've done to their mental health. :(

I completely agree. It's understandable, but also selfish to deny WSW a chance to spend more time with his mom. And CC can't be keeping this from his bf. I can't even imagine how I'd feel if my partner knew about my mom dying and said nothing.

I've noticed this happening a few times in J-dramas.

What other ones would you recommend?

Are you talking about nsfw scenes or non-con scenes? If it's the former... please don't shame others for something that's normal. A lot of people enjoy the kisses etc because the plot is about two people falling in love with each other. RL is also based on a novel with intimate scenes. The cast and crew of RL have shown that, and I'm here for it. I definitely don't want things censored.

I wondered the same thing. 'That' scene doesn't really fit in ep 10 if the trailer is anything to go by.

Oh no... I don't. I'll look it up. Thanks!

As far as I know the 7th of July is a Chinese memorial day (Marco Polo Bridge incident.) So, the lack of trailer could be due to that. However, if that was the reason--why would they release the episode today?

I hate it, but I think we will start to see cuts--even if they haven't happened yet. This show has gained so much attention, and that will make certain political parties unhappy. Remember all the insanity around Untamed. The crack down on BL content happened after the success of that show--and that was censored.

Even if it's aired outside China, stuff might get removed to protect the actors. And while, I don't want anything to happen to them because of this... I also feel like saying it's okay without the kisses, and we don't need them, is a disservice to the show and the book. I want everything they've filmed because that's what they chose/dared to film. It's not okay, because I don't accept that the censorship of same-sex relationships is okay.

Everyone has their own preferences. I was iffy about this up until now because of the FL's choices. Character building/consistency is important to me. But in this drama, it felt like it was all over the place. For instance, the FL is very kind but then will randomly do something cruel and thoughtless and laugh about it afterward. Her choices felt like a way to drive the plot forward, instead of being true to her character. That's it. It has nothing to do with review bombing. I like both actors. In fact, the reason I've kept watching until now was because of TJC. We don't all have to love the same drama, and neither should every review be glowingly positive. It's good to have a combination of constructive criticism and positive reviews because then viewers can decide based upon lots of different opinions. If we never express our options, both positive and what we wished was different, we'd all be watching the exact same drama over and over again.

Haha. Ok, I will. Thanks for the link!

Oh wow... that sounds amazing. I can understand why people compare the drama with the novel so much then. Does it have an english translation?

It isn't a bad thing for people to condemn others for being cruel, though. It doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman. They'd be trash either way.