Yoongibbies

TBW is a typical xianxia with classic tropes, such as noble sacrifices and keeping secrets for 'the greater good' which can lead to a lot of misunderstandings and angst. That being said, I feel like TBW was able to execute these tropes well through a variety of different aspects.

These aspects include stellar acting, great OSTs, a beautiful script, great visuals and cinematography, and great characterisation, which all work together to deliver that emotional impact where needed. The characterisation was quite nicely done IMHO. Eg. the good characterisation made the villains a lot more interesting and multifaceted, which I appreciated a lot. Especially Immortal Teacher and Immortal Princess. It really has been a while since I last enjoyed a xianxia to this extent.

Although I can understand Chinese, I am pretty bummed how there isn't official subs for this. I feel like the momentum--of everyone gathering in the comments section discussing the episodes--was lost or at least downplayed by a lot. This is in addition to the fact that the leads are popular, and a lot of people have been anticipating it since the drama was announced.

Really feels like an opportunity lost for TBW, but tbh when you think about it properly, China's market is big enough for the casts to excel, they don't really need the traction from international viewers hahahaha

She was so amazing in Blue Whisper that she caught my attention! I love her acting! I look forward to her future projects and hope she will get more main roles!

Yes his character improves towards the end of the drama

I am still waiting for S2....... the waiting time between seasons is way too long I wished I discovered JOL once all 3 seasons were out lmao

I wanted to watch that but didn't because of the reviews and comments. Am I missing out?

I'm glad you still enjoyed the show despite those jarring unanswered questions!! You're right, the producers went the safer route and chose to focus on the characters and action. I feel if they tried to explain more things, the experience of the drama for sci-fi fans like yourself may become ruined hahaha.

Right, i thought he was going to die, but then they saved everyone and the loop ends and he just goes to sleep and wakes up next morning all fresh like he wasnt coughing up blood the day before... it was a "what that was it?" moment for me. And yes now that you mentioned... we never got to know what she whispered to him... oh goshhhh

Why did Xiao Heyun's body grow weaker with every time loop? Why did he even get dragged into the time loop in the first place? And how? How did Li Shiqing even get caught up in this time loop anyway? Well, I guess the drama really wanted to focus on how the leads got out of this time loop, and considering they only had 15 episodes, I wouldn't call the omission of these details as a negative point of the drama. In fact, including these details could ironically do more harm than good, because then there may be potential loopholes as the writing of sci-fi and time loops in itself is already difficult to do, and experienced sci-fi fans would easily be able to detect these loopholes too.

Sci-fi cdramas are rare, but boy am I so glad that this one was mostly well-made and therefore very well-received by the public. Hopefully, this could encourage other writers and producers to create more sci-fi cdramas in future. It was so engaging and literally kept me immersed that I always felt like I got slapped whenever the ending song would suddenly start and I'd go "Wait, it's already the end of the episode? No! More! Next episode now!". Although the drama was splendid, I do wish more of the sci-fi-esque parts of the time loop could be unravelled... such as...

The last sageuks that I remember enjoying as much as TRS was Six Flying Dragons (2015) and The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012). Dang TRS is really THAT good huh. I don't know how to explain it but TRS excels in part because it perfectly captures that "sageuk"-esque melodramatic angst and bittersweetness. I wonder if anyone can relate? Haha I cant seem to express myself well. Perhaps because TRS is simply too good for words.

An easygoing drama with wholesome relationships (romance, family, friendship, boss-employee). Also I reeaaallly loved the cute flashbacks of the ML and FL as kids at the start of every episode lol they were so cute!!! And they also helped explain the relationship and actions of the FL and ML so that's a huge bonus besides the cuteness!!

Yes, all we can do now is wishfully imagine a cdrama version of the manhwa, while hoping it gets adapted TT

Yes, the LA scammed me real good... >:( I was happily imagining how beautiful and unique the costumes would be before the drama aired, since the styling in the manhwa is quite different from your usual saeguks. And at that time I hadn't discovered historical cdramas, so I was really intrigued! I thought it would definitely be a major hit if it tried to stick to the original material since it could easily attract viewers by its stunning costumes at the very least! But alas... :') ha ha...ha. :')

I thoroughly enjoyed this article! Thank you Chibi for this.

I used to be a fan of the manhwa many years back, and was so excited to know it would get a live kdrama adaptation. But then it was such a disappointment, from styling to plot, that I dropped the drama within the first few episodes. I had forgotten about this until this article happened, and now I'm desperately yearning for a cdrama adaptation since one of China's drama fortes are their historical dramas and I love them!!! TT__TT Now I'm in pain imagining about everything the live adaptation could have been but could never be since China itself has a lot of domestic light novel material to adapt so the chances of buying rights to this manhwa are low...

1. I would say the criminal aspects of the plot is nothing new, it is heavier on the emotional aspect since the drama is character-driven. Not too much of politics.

2. Yes :)

I just became a fan after Beyond Evil. Please give him more roles that let him show his spectrum of acting abilities!!! Hes so good!!!

I started this drama on a whim and am SO THANKFUL for my randomness!!! I found a gem of a drama, and a gem of an actor that is Shin Ha Kyun. I enjoyed this slow-burn drama, the slower pace of revealing clues and building everything up before the big reveals have made this drama that much more impactful. I also really love all the emotions portrayed which made everything feel more real and raw. Shin Ha Kyun who plays Lee Dong Sik is such an amazing actor, including the rest of the cast. I am so happy this drama won awards, including Shin Ha Kyun who won Best Actor at the Baeksang :)

Now I shall proceed to shove this drama in my friends' faces because I would be doing them a disfavour if I don't let them experience this masterpiece.

Maybe this is why I have a strong urge to drop it at episode 14? Because I didn't watch it while it aired and am currently binging? ><

Ahhh I see! No, please dont apologise. You did nothing wrong! Thank you for the information though :)

I happened to come across a clip where it seems like the ML and FL are on a mission in a hotel but the ML just kept going closer to the FL and trying to initiate skinship with her. Is this one of those moments? LOL

LOL the way you put it about the romance sounds very funny!!