Xiang83

It is brotherhood-centric and of the four major relationships (all male-centric) important to Tang Lici (who keeps secrets of his own), one of them is with his former sect brother whereby their love-hate dynamics are on display throughout this drama. Bromance is something you can decide for yourself as you watch, given different opinions. He develops a good friendship with at least one female character. There are multiple reasons why this is the drama in C-Ent history that broke never-before multiple records for Migu, state-owned platform predominantly constituted of male sports subscribers. This drama also hit 1 billion views in Thailand alone according to Monomax.

Here is the official opening song, with scenes from the drama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn9_a762jU8

Brotherhood and brothers not by blood in wuxia is a strong theme here, An unusual protagonist with key themes of brotherhood, camaraderie and conflict are buoyed by a delicately-woven map of Taoism and Buddhism philosophy studded with Confucian elements.

As to the three schools of thought I mentioned above and why the wuxia theme is very strong, I have touched on three literary references utilised for this drama and explained with translations: https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24569086

Tang Lici as per the synopsis is drawn into unfolding a complex conspiracy which he is confidently capable of countering as a chess master and best martial arts warrior of the world ie Shenzhou, unlike many protagonists in typical C-dramas who must cultivate and slowly go through trials to develop capability.

With this approach, the central plot is focused on plans and developments increasingly cementing crucial necessity and evolving symbolism of his adventures and existence, via numerous subplots. Viewers are primarily engaged in figuring out finer details and plans from antagonists versus the philosophical enigma of Tang Lici, not bogged down in concerns for a weak still-developing protagonist.

Tang Lici in the novel flirts with anyone, male or female. In the drama, Tang Lici has chemistry with everyone but above it all, he makes friends and forms healthy friendships. This drama made many fans of one actress in the supporting cast unhappy (there is only one lead for this drama), and you can see why in the official MV above shared by China's official Huace channel because it reflected her screen time plus significance in the drama. I strongly advise anyone expecting CP and two-way romance to not watch "Whispers of Fate" because you would be very unhappy due to ML prioritising brotherhood and friendships and the fate of Shenzhou.

There is a forum post titled "Group Collective Contributions: Details, trivia, insights across 40 episodes of "Whispers of Fate" created while the drama was airing, which contains collated insights from multiple mandarin-speaking viewers who are also MDL users:

https://kisskh.at/discussions/755725-shui-long-yin/146454-group-collective-contributions-details-trivia-insights-across-40-episodes-of-whispers-of-fate

Older mandarin-speaking viewers who have seen at least 20 to 30 years of C-Ent media will appreciate this drama. I am one of them. If you want to find out why this is the drama of 2025 that aired late in October yet broke 1.8 billion views on the Maoyan charts in less than 5 weeks (and according to CSM data, hit 2.838 billion views across all channel categories by 30 December) and is an international success whereby it is the only drama of 2025 nominated for CPOPwave 2026 by this point, check it out :)

Arrogant pop idol by day and vigilante at night sounds interesting. Hm. That could be cool!

Not so sure about vampire and vampire slayer angle.

The ending of episode 22 gives me chills. Halfway through this drama, I'm tense yet hyped and giddy with it all. Whether it is the Americans advancing towards the Doolittle Raid, Japanese politics and subplots, or the Colonel and Ye Biying and Sanzao islanders- Juggling of balls has been nothing short of spectacular. Woah.

Sorry about the delayed reply! MDL was lagging terribly for me for at least 2 days and nights, which meant I returned to a pile-up of notifications.

You have an interesting watchlist :D

Evil is evil, and you don't have to be a descendant of tragedy to have a greater standing than someone else when it comes to choices of standing against evil. German Nazis are the most-talked about and globally taught about for World War II, but they had international counterparts whose atrocities were greater.

You mentioned Italian Nazis. Other than those, Stepan Bandera and the OUN were terrible, whereby the genocide of 1.5 million Jews in Ukraine is a horrible record of history not taught in most history books because the actual details would be more terrible than what the German Nazis did to Jews which Eduard Dolinsky expounds on here (I also add that parts of modern Ukraine has a Nazi problem which is terribly inconvenient for international news, but not mentioned in the link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JLlC6zqywU

I am curious to hear what you think about Italian Nazis, but that is best taken in DM and not this page.

Druze of Syria are now fighting for their survival. There is a lot of on-going conflict right now, but the news is woefully activist for more than 20 years and tends to be one-sided, lacking in details, and an insult to journalism. If the news reported fairly about Africa, that would be too heart-breaking.

Very cruel events happen when one ethnic group thinks they are superior to all others. Imperial Japan during WWII is one apt example. I don't hold what was done then against Japanese descendants, but I can understand the surviving comfort women in South Korea and other countries demanding sufficient justice with apologies.

Happy watching of all visual media, to all of us!

CP stands for couple. Tang Lici doesn't wind up with anyone, and a certain episode was very disappointing for fans of a certain actress. In fact, I'd say the screenwriters were notably wonderful to drama-Tang Lici, granting him novel-Tang Lici's wish for the woman dearest to him. The Celestial Realm arc resonated greatly with me.

Heroism-focused is what at least one producer claimed, way before the drama aired. There is no romance hashtag for this drama. If you want to see the statistics for this drama, scroll down to the sixth comment underneath my reply to you here :)

You're welcome. This is actually one of those very rare dramas that manages to walk a tightrope. A big age gap and infidelity are taboos and hugely frowned upon. In the original, Dong-hoon is morally upright and when he is on someone's side, he is totally for them. A certain character in the original K-drama said Dong-hoon is attractive to women. If Ji-an was older, Dong-hoon would never buy her a meal. He starts out seeing her as a child in comparison to him (hence his emotional guard is down) but he is also aware of proprieties.

His marriage was over in everything but technicalities by episode 6, when he discovered his wife knew about him being framed by a certain dude but she did nothing. I started out the original and remake not being enthusiastic about the MLs in their characters, given it's all part of the writing. The dysfunction in the marriage of the ML isn't totally his wife's fault.

One could watch the original and claim it's all platonic love. But given all the hints that Dong-hoon didn't realise what was emotionally happening to him as the episodes progress, his actions and choices had me chuckling, especially the slippers.

I won't approve of a romance that has infidelity. There is no romance as the screenwriters wrote it. There is a time-skip in the final episode, after Dong-hoon and Ji-an part. In the minutes of the final episode after the timeskip when Dong-hoon talks about the kid and the kid's mom before Ji-an finally meets him again as she walks towards his voice, we have two healthy individuals able to reconnect as equals and soulmates. Platonic or not is up to how you want to interpret it. He offers to shake hands and after he releases her hand, you can see how tightly he held her hand to leave an imprint. That was the confirmation for me of all the hints I had been seeing: Truly a powerful love story of soulmates finally healthy and finally ready to try a new beginning together.

To be able to incorporate all sorts of love in a story is amazing. I have friends who fell in love and got married, all in ways that people don't deem romantic. One couple I know reminds me of Dong-hoon and Ji-an. That's all I will say :)

Here is what I can say about romance and a love story of the two leads: https://kisskh.at/748667-wo-de-da-shu#comment-24805186

tvn Asia airs media from South Korea including dramas. They aired "My Mister". If you're going to insist on your perceived version of "My Mister", you have to brush up your reading comprehension when you're disagreeing with someone.

[ A significant number of viewers will say there is no romance in the original K-drama. There are also a significant number of viewers of the original K-drama who say it's ultimately a journey of two very different people overcoming their personal hurdles and becoming friends to finally be free and resolve issues they each needed to tackle, resonating as a rare love story without romance (in the sense of romantic portrayals and tropes commonly expected by viewers for romance). ]- That's what I said. Try rereading. I backed it up with the English-version recommendation from tvn Asia (btw, 2:56 for at least three seconds in the stills makes reference to "Goblin").

Less than ten episodes of "Loving Strangers" has aired. I won't claim I know how everything is turning out for this remake. I'm enjoying the differences for the original and remake, and also enjoying the attention to details. You're coming across as annoyingly condescending ever since you've dissed the Korean ML and the Korean original drama to multiple viewers on this page.

I've said this isn't a competition. Nobody has to choose to like only one drama and dislike the other. Oh yes, your answer to me on my other comment less than 12 hours ago:

[ Comparison is necessary, but it should be done in every kind of aspects, so acting, portrayal, character development, settings and conveying the message. I like My mister plot in general but this remake is moving me more in the portrayal of the characters and the message conveyed. I see better the whole idea, the whole deep meaning and teaching the original has glimpses of it. ]

You 10000% prefer this remake? Cool. You can continue the way you're going on about your 10000% preferences of completely dissing "My Mister" and the Korean leads as if you're smarter than everyone else on this page.

I'll be surprised if your approach on this page doesn't eventually backfire on you in the same way as your approach to viewers on the "Man's Inhumanity to Man" page.

This is all I can say about romance and love story for the K-drama original: https://kisskh.at/748667-wo-de-da-shu#comment-24805186

Here's my answer to the dynamics and romance of the leads for the original K-drama, which the original OP seems to be unaware of: https://kisskh.at/748667-wo-de-da-shu#comment-24805186

Here's a question viewers will ask: Is there romance in this C-drama remake? Did the original K-drama have romance?

A significant number of viewers will say there is no romance in the original K-drama. There are also a significant number of viewers of the original K-drama who say it's ultimately a journey of two very different people overcoming their personal hurdles and becoming friends to finally be free and resolve issues they each needed to tackle, resonating as a rare love story without romance (in the sense of romantic portrayals and tropes commonly expected by viewers for romance).

Here is the tvn Asia English commercial feature segment of over 6 minutes which aired on 18 March 2023 before the premiere of "My Mister", describing "My Mister": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMmSP2bUSw8

I quote from 2:56 onwards:

[ If romances with a large age-gap make you shout "OH!", add in Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Ji-eun aka IU to the factor will probably make you scream "Oh my god!" That's right! This pairing is the most unlikely and most exciting romantic duo in the history of Korean dramas. Lee Ji-eun plays a part-time worker in her 20s ridden in debt. She falls... ]

At 3:00 in the commercial feature I am sharing from tvn Asia, they inserted a caption stating "An intriguing age-gap romance between Lee Sun Kyun and IU". tvn Asia is operated by Warner Bros honouring a license agreement with CJ ENM, and CJ ENM is a major South Korean Entertainment and retail company.

How the C-drama remake differs from the K-drama original is something I'll enjoy watching to find out. There will definitely be understandable differences, given the cultural differences between China and Korea. 4 episodes in, I can see why the MLs in "My Mister" and "Loving Strangers" have differences in portrayal, given the domestic audiences. This production paid attention to certain details, and I'm happy that Zhang ZI Feng is at home in her role as Yu'an. Enjoyed the ending for episode 4 :)

For those asking about a love story or romance, I hope this helps.

I want good remakes (drama, film, etc) even if the original is very good or superb, because I get to have double the pleasure of immersing in similarities and differences (especially if I understand one or both of them language-and-culture-wise). Evaluating each drama on their own merits is one thing I can do and will enjoy. Making comparisons is another thing I will likely do, but not necessarily in a who-did-better manner.

I want to see how the slippers detail will be conveyed, if adapted completely here. I also want to know if we're going to get that magical 5 minutes in the final episode for the remake, as seen in the original. There are so many little details done well for the original. I'm keen to see how all this turns out for the remake, being faithful yet with certain differences.

Devdas the movie of 1955 versus 2002 remake is one I also enjoy. That Bengali romance novel has been adapted for film 20 times.

Since we've got Mark Chao and Zhang Zi Feng, I believe the pressure will be greatest on the screenwriters, as you've pointed out. Viewers will ultimately benefit from the efforts of two creative teams for two unique dramas, and what could be better than that? XD

People can compare whatever they want. Some will prefer one over the other, be it the remake or the original. Some people also cannot bring themselves to watch this remake now, because of how the first episode recalls certain details for them. Some people have never watched the original and are starting out from here. My post is to give some insight into the original K-drama and why it resonates with many viewers.

Everyone has their own conclusions. This page is for discussion, not gushing. But what isn't polite or fair is when someone goes around ramming their opinion as fact to other viewers as if one drama has to be a winner and the other drama is a loser, since only four episodes have aired.

What you're telling me is understandable. I respect your stance. Those who come to this drama after watching the original will usually make comparisons (it's a natural reaction). Remakes have it tough, especially when the original is very good or outstanding to begin with. My biggest concerns are the script and execution for this remake, because that's usually a fundamental determining factor.

I'll be finishing episodes 2 to 4 shortly after this, and I will also be able to have a preliminary conclusion.

Too bad Youku won't give an updated version (simply altering the wording on it would be enough) of that official poster shared in 2023: https://kisskh.at/photos/2wQQKP_4

나의 아저씨 (My Ahjussi) ie "My Mister" is the original drama which now-airing "Loving Strangers" is an adaptation of.

What makes this 2018 drama of 16 episodes so special, resonating with many viewers inside and outside Korea?

Sometimes likened as the darker version of "Reply 1988" (that's a K-drama classic to watch with an OST to match: https://kisskh.at/13544-reply-1988) with different tones and themes, "My Mister" is generally described as 3 middle-aged men and a 20-year-old girl dealing with the hardships of life and helping each other in a painful transformational journey. It is initially very bleak to begin with, but that description does not do justice to a powerfully-nuanced kaleidoscope of experiences and interactions constituting the stories involving multiple people about the resilience, graceful devotion, and kindness of the human spirit centred around two leads.

Dong-hoon (Lee Sun-kyun) and Ji-an (IU) are the pivotal leads which Mark Chao and Wendy Zhang Zi Feng assume in this drama as Jiang Jia Qi and Zhou Yu'an. The original leads turned in understated incredibly powerful performances of rawness alongside subtleties, and there are no better artists in C-Ent than these two to do justice to the C-drama remake of the K-drama original.

Below is a review from someone about "My Mister", sharing images and their thoughts about why "My Mister" as a drama and the lead characters are unforgettable, in the little details and scenarios (spoilers for the K-drama in the link below).

https://thefangirlverdict.com/2018/07/13/review-my-mister-my-ahjussi/

Lee Sun-kyun passed away on 27 December 2023. In "My Mister", his firmly gentle and doggedly persistent ability to open emotional doors and remind the viewer how the strength of kindness can truly melt and transform the most wounded hearts and souls will always be preserved... RIP.

What does it mean to be human? Is there hope in the bleakest of circumstances? How do we choose what to do, when we face cruelty and evil? What is a new beginning? How do you define a resolution? Jiang Jia Qi and Zhou Yu'an are supposed to show us what they discover, how they change, and why we want to be there for them. All it takes is one person who understands you, and the meaning of life becomes a melody you will never want to forsake or regret.

Enjoy "Loving Strangers"! This is not a competition between dramas or leads. Should this C-drama remake draw in new viewers curious about the original drama, that would be wonderful. Should the original K-drama make viewers curious about this C-drama adaptation, that's also wonderful. The bottom-line is to enjoy what you watch, perhaps share what you discover with fellow viewers in small and big details, and go with the flow.

For those finding it difficult to watch now due to emotional resonance of memories from the original K-drama? Each of us watches what we do, circumstances and moods playing significant parts. If you're not ready, come back another day when you want to do so. Have a great weekend!

Youku released all official stills, trailer and posters with less than 2 hours to airing only yesterday. As a result, multiple viewers have only been able to do edits yesterday. It takes time for the MDL staff vet everything, and they are probably not finished doing so because only some of the edits have gone through.

"My Mister" was a hit, yet some viewers didn't like certain things about the original.

Here's to hoping this remake adaptation is fundamentally faithful, also uniquely wonderful and resonates well. Screenplay and its execution also has to be good. The two leads here are known for being able to micro-emote well, and I'm excited to see what they bring. Should this drama gain new viewers and fans who also becomes curious about the original K-drama but never seen that and want to find out, I'd say it's a win-win situation for everyone :)

A significant number of edits are waiting for the staff to approve, for this drama page.

Starts broadcasting today at 12 noon. Yuchen has shared trailers, stills and more just now :D

Yes. Today, in less than 1 hour's time at 12 noon CST.