"I haven’t watched Smile Code yet, but in Derailment, Lin Yi portrayed his complex and emotionally layered…
How is the vibe of the story? Will it be lighthearted like HL or heavy and gloomy like TFF? How long is the story timeline? Do they know each other since highschool? Excuse me for asking a lot
"I haven’t watched Smile Code yet, but in Derailment, Lin Yi portrayed his complex and emotionally layered…
I haven't read the novel yet, so can you tell me how are the personalities of the ML and FL? Is the ML as cold and quiet as Sang Yan and have complicated past like Wen Yifan/Duan Jiaxu? Also, I saw the tag - social anxiety disorder, is it FL or ML? Thanks!
The guys shown in the drama that she's wary of are literally the shady coworkers or housemate who attempt to touch…
He's a junior intern and is not graduated yet. She probably sees him just as a kid/immature young adult. I'd like to believe she won't casually let others into her apartment if it's the same-age or older coworkers, unless she knew them well enough
They show her wary of most guys due to her trauma but when it’s a cute guy she is not as apprehensive…? Can…
The guys shown in the drama that she's wary of are literally the shady coworkers or housemate who attempt to touch her. If she doesn't sense any danger, she's usually fine with interacting with guys that she knew have decent character.
Despite her past trauma, most of the time she's a very brave and resilient person. She protects herself well and fends for herself when necessary. Whether in the past or in the present time. She lives her life well not depending on anyone else. She can be wary and apprehensive but stillive her life normally and courageously. Courage is not the absence of fear, it's about triumphing over the fear and the ability to act despite feeling fear. It doesnt have anything to do with cute guy, it's really more about the character.
Mu Chengyun is annoying but they have been working together for some time, even travelled to Hong Kong for work trip with just the two of them, so she's aware of his character and probably feel safe enough with him. Given her lukewarm character, it's understandable she chose not to say anything and just let him take a brief look at the apartment especially when he's already waiting downstairs, although she's not planning to let him move in.
She's surprised ML is home bc ML always works overtime and gets home late. She literally said "Why did you get off work early today?" And she doesn't want the ML to misunderstand her for bringing her coworker home. Especially the ML is someone she cares about deep down inside.
The scene of her letting Mu Chengyun into her apartment is precisely bc the writer intend for her to establish boundary and let him know she doesn't plan to to have a male roommate and that the ML is an exception bc he's someone she has known for long time and used to be close with.
Every time I come here, most of the comments have been rushing for the leads to get together SINCE ep 10 like…
One thing I particularly love about cdrama is how natural the dialogues and conversations between all the characters are. Despite long, they're often filled with substances. Sometimes you just know when the writer made research and know the topic they're talking about.
In this drama context, I find the plot about Tang Yang's job very interesting. Although I know to certain extent that one can make a bank loan to grow your business, I didn't know that bank employee would oversee how the loan is used and monitor the growth of the small enterprise closely like that. With all the follow-up presentation and cases study. I thought such relationship only exist between private investor and the investment recipient. I find that interesting and cool seeing how small enterprise grow very well under the guidance of responsible bank employee
Also, knowing how livestreaming is a multibillion industry in China, it's just kind of interesting and enlightening to see how they work because product livestreaming is not really a thing in my country. The way I see it, the Yixiu company pretty much work like marketing company or retailer where they help promote and market clients' products except it's done through livestreaming by popular online influencers, where the sales/profit is almost guaranteed within an hour or so of livestream. No wonder the company looks big in scale. They made millions in just a day.
Idk if real life is anything close to what the drama portray but I love learning something new from the industries that I'm not particularly informed of (bank and food livestream)
I also love seeing the festive moments of family and friends gathering shown during the Chinese New Year arc. It's simply so heartwarming. Everyone in this drama is simply likeable. The writing of each character has been very consistent so far, so I personally find it easier to empathize with them and understand why they behave certain way.
Every time I come here, most of the comments have been rushing for the leads to get together SINCE ep 10 like is this y'all first time watching cdramas or?
Mind you, this drama has THIRTY EPISODES, each episode last around 45 mins. This is not the typical 16-episodes kdramas (which last more than an hour) or the usual 24-episodes youth cdramas for you guys to expect the leads to become couple by ep 10-15. Everyone watching Asian dramas should have known already once the leads confess and officially date, that's when the story would usually end or nearing the end. If they become official by ep 15 or way way earlier, what stories are they gonna fill the rest of episodes with? Think for a second. Don't say "the drama should have been made shorter then", you can argue that for future productions, but this drama has stated it has 30 episodes. So by now, as you continue to watch, you should have adjusted your expectations that they would get together near ep 20 or in the last quarter of drama. There is no need to complain daily since ep 10 "why are they not together yet?" "when is the confession!! this is frustrating!!" "this is so slow" and I'm here like ??? the hell you expect for the leads to date by ep 10-15 in freaking 30 episodes drama. Be serious??
I seriously wonder, if you want the leads to get together earlier, are you guys saying you prefer to watch longer episodes filled with pure fluff + conflicts of OFFICIAL COUPLE.. than what we have now: the feel-good friends and family moments plus with the conflict and struggle between two friends on the brink of becoming lovers.?
Sorry but I always prefer the latter. Having watched many dramas especially kdramas, it's not easy to watch episodes filled with only couple fluff because they always turn flat, unnatural or is not done well, likeee the amount of dramas I've dropped around ep 10 once the leads get together is uncountable. They either become too cringe or boring after that... very few dramas manage to make the post-dating relationship as interesting and heart-fluttering as before they date. And more often than not, the couple conflicts are more annoying to watch than conflict between two friends/strangers. Idk about you but the best part about watching romance dramas is the the pining process, the banter, the push and pull, the subtle moments and how the relationship is gradually developing.
I really don't get why some people here are in hurry for them to date. The way their relationship is progressing is very organic and realistic to me. There's nothing about how it is developing where I wish could be done any faster. Their initial dynamics are almost brother-like, sibling-like, family-like, cousin-like. Obviously it would take time to make the transition.
Besides, in real life, even if two friends do have feelings for each other, it doesn't necessarily manifest into becoming couple. In fact, there are many two people out there with mutual feelings for each other that don't actually end up dating because of certain circumstances like timing, distance, different values or busy with works, or simply the feelings are not strong/serious enough to declare anything official.
For some people, once you turn close to 30 especially, love is not really everything or major part of your life. It's not the be-all and end-all. There are more to life than romantic relationship. Even if you want to have one, there are also more factors to consider than just having feelings of love.
In this drama context, both Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan are two sensible, accomplished and self-sufficient individuals. They have nice jobs, they both made a lot of money, they have good family and they have friends they can hang out with on the weekends. This kind of happinesses sometimes are enough for grown adults. For individuals like Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan, they are not necessarily in a hurry to change the nature/course of their relationship.
FRIENDLY REMINDER, this is a drama that literally focuses on the transition process from long time friends to lovers, so obviously the plotlines are gonna be centered around how they navigate their friendship, their relationship and the struggle that comes with it. If they already become couple by now, what's the point of the drama?
Just because they have been friends for many years, doesn't mean it's been long, excruciating wait for them, specifically for Jiang Shiyan. You only feel long because you're watching their relationship from outsider POV, third POV. From their perspective, they're simply just friends being friends. It's not like they're pining for each other for 10 years. Their relationship has always been platonic, they seem themselves as brothers, as best buddies. Even if there is feeling involve, it's one-sided, fleeting and not matter enough to jeopardize their long-time friendship over. Only after Tang Yang return to their hometown city, they started to hang out and meet each other more frequently and have proper chance to assess their relationship and the kind of bond they have had over the years.
The drama also have iterated several times the fear and struggle that are central to the friends to lovers trope. First, theres the difficulty to gauge what the other party feel towards you. Is it love or pure platonic? Is it safe to confess? What are the chance of your romantic feeling being reciprocated? Will you regret the confession?
And then you also have to worry about possible rejection and what comes after that: Can you stay being friends after confession? Would that make your relationship awkward? Can your dynamics return to what it was? Will you be okay with possibly losing your close friend?
Even after successful reciprocation, there's still fear of losing years of friendship once the love disappears. It's even mentioned in passing through the story of Tang Yang's ex-boyfriend, who are also friend of both leads. Once they broke up, they lost touch just like that. They're no longer lovers, nor are they friends. So getting close perspective from their own personal experience on how it could pan out, it's understandable that both Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan is fear of any slight changes to their relationship.
It's the fear of many unknowns. The concerns are valid because can they guarantee love doesn't change after getting together? Even the closest highschool/college sweethearts can have ugly breakup irl. You'll never know. Romantic relationship comes with more commitment and responsibility — there may also many things you are expected to tolerate with each other regarding values or certain aspects of your routine or your life once you share a life together, which is something about being friends may not make you know or realize it because you only meet them once in a while. Couple usually tend to see and contact each other more frequently and is expected to be more involved in your life than friend do. I think it's a realistic and understandable concern and is why they are very careful about the transition from friends to lovers.
For me, this drama is more of slice-of-life than romance-centered drama because the story revolves around the leads, their families, their friends and the life at their workplace. It's as if you're getting a peek into someone else's life real-time, how mature adults are navigating their life, friendship, relationship with family and work colleagues, which I really appreciate because I find them interesting, inspiring and heartwarming. They have their life together, it's everything I aspire to have. The stories arcs so far have been very well-written, and the lead relationship is well-developed. I hardly have any complaints about how this drama is progressing because I understand the gist, the intention and the message of the drama. I only wish it stays this good and engaging till the end.
So be patient, they're so close to get together. At this stage, they're pretty much a couple without official title yet. More than friends, less than lovers. If you don't have anymore patience left, I say just drop it already because slow-burn romance in friends-to-lovers trope is clearly not your type of drama. Stop torturing yourself and ruining the fun for the people who enjoy it. If you guys are eager to watch people dating or being sweet, you might as well watch dating reality show or Western TV show where you can get the leads make out and have sex from early episodes without getting into proper relationship.
I swear people here wouldn't survive watching another slow-burn romance slash slice-of-life cdrama (Meet Yourself, which is also great drama) where the leads only get together around ep 30 out of 40 episodes. I assume those who are rushing for the leads to get together are teenagers or young adults because I refuse to believe grown adult near 30s and above are not capable to appreciate the essence of the story and empathize with the realistic concerns and struggles experienced by the two close friends as they transition to becoming lovers.
"AT THE SEASIDE, A PLACE WHERE THE WIND BLOWSTHERE IS A MAN WHO REALLY LIKES YOUUNDER THE WITNESS OF AFTERGLOW…
I'm in love with this couple so much you don't understand. Both of them are very charming characters. On top of that, their dynamic and their vibe and the many meaningful conversations they had really reminds me of Celine and Jesse from BEFORE SUNRISE, which is my favorite romance movie of all time.
The way they just be talking, exchanging perspectives, spending time together, strolling around the small village and slowly falling for each other's charms.. Everything was just so natural it's something that I totally see would happen in real life. I love the mature, calm temperament they exude <3
"AT THE SEASIDE, A PLACE WHERE THE WIND BLOWS THERE IS A MAN WHO REALLY LIKES YOU UNDER THE WITNESS OF AFTERGLOW AND SUNSET"
Sobbing like crazy cause that's like one of the most beautiful confessions I've ever watched in dramas, despite a little heartbreaking TT__TT (the angst was chef's kiss). The entire dialogues were just so well-written it made overwhelmed that I had to express here. The atmosphere, the acting, the OST was literally perfection!!
I've been meaning to say this for a while, esp to people who haven't started this, if you were looking for drama…
From the beginning, Asule/ Lv Guichen was introduced as a frail and sickly character, since he was born all the way until he grew to teenager. As a protagonist, indeed he doesn't have anything to him, even moreso when his 'power' was subdued by Lei Bicheng. But he has admirable inner strength of wanting to protect the people he cares and loves. He's a very kind, gentle, empathetic and righteous character who had witnessed lots of murder during his teen life. He doesn't like massacre, war and conflicts, hence he doesn't like to kill but he's forced to pick up sword so he can protect more people.
The earlier times he killed were when he was provoked and enraged upon seeing his loved ones in danger and those happened when he's in subconscious state. His very first kill when he's in a conscious state happened when he wanted to avenge for Suma. The aftermath hinted the loneliness, sorrowfulness, incredulity and disgust felt by Asule over his first kill while also felt contented that he was able to avenge for his loved one. It was a huge step for a gentle and soft-hearted character like him to take.
Even during war, he asked General Xi Yan "Must we do this?" showing that if there's other alternative beside war and killing, he'd choose it. When he saw a lot of people were died and sacrificed at the battlefield, it was clear how devastated he was at what happened. He unintentionally sacrificed some of his Qinyang Iron Futu army while trying to save Ji Ye, and because he felt responsible and regret over his recklessness, he commanded them to go back to Northland as a way to protect their lives. When Ji Ye kept saying sorry to Asule for being late and not returning with back-up army troupe as he promised, he just smiled and said he'd rather Ji Ye didn't return if that could assure his safety from being sacrificed in a war.
And, there were a lot of people who desired to have their hands on the Iron Chopping sword for their own goal and purpose. However, Asule, the one with the least desire, was the one that ended up inheriting the holy sword, but even so, he was still hesitant to be its master/ sword bearer. Since he's the holy sword master and has special bloodline, a lot of people wanted to pursue and bring him to their side including Chen Yue as he can be useful for their motive. He was brainwashed by Chen Yue into believing that he has little inner demon in his heart.
Before he arrived in Xiatang, he once said to Suma that he hopes to go to and live in a place where no one else is around and bring sheep and horses there. He's that kind of person. He wanted to be an ordinary person and lived in peace but the bronze blood of Pasur family he inherited didn't allow him to do so. He's pushed into being a hero by a fate which need to be accomplished by killing.
However, he's the kind of protagonist who believes things can be overcome with kindness and genuineness . If he could save more lives and prevent deaths, he would. This principle is also shown in EP18 when General Xi Yan told Asule a story about two young masters who used two different strategies to solve their conflicts. I'm not sure if this is the history of the existence of Tianqu and Chenyue or just a metaphor to describe them. This kind of 'passive' character isn't necessarily equal to flat protagonist/writing. To me, it's a unique and complex character with a a lot of inner conflicts going on. It's subtle and not obvious but Asule actually grew a lot since his old self in Northland. He's becoming a lot more firm and determined to preserve his principle while retaining his gentle characteristics. He's the combination of tenderness and stubbornness, fragility and tenacity, desolateness and sincerity. (I also share the perspectives of Liu Haoran and Linmon VP on what kind of protagonist Lv Guichen is in a different comment below.)
I think some of the quotes in the second trailer highlight well what the essence of the drama is about. It's all about the choice one's make. Most of characters in this drama are neither black or white. They all have their ways to fulfill their motives and realize their ambitions. They're what they're based on the choice they make. (credits to Viki - https://www.viki.com/videos/1154646v-trailer-2 )
"Everyone contains darkness and evil, everyone also contained courage and brightness, but whether you become a saint or hero or a bandit or maniac, is determined by the choice you make."
"Sometimes you don't choose your fate, fate chooses you"
"In this world of chaos, who can stand alone in righteousness?"
"Whether you kill millions or save millions is determined by one's choice"
"What's most important to you is to kill without hesitation."
"Must I kill thousands of people for the sake of one person?"
"You're holding the sharpest sword in the world, but you don't want to use it."
"The one who inherits the Iron Chopping Sword must protect even more people."
I've been meaning to say this for a while, esp to people who haven't started this, if you were looking for drama with invincible and flawless protagonists that will succeed numerous times, or one which their journey will be smooth and satisfying from early till the end of the drama, then this drama might not be for you. It may frustrated you if that's what you want and hope to see. Because I heard even in the original novels, the two male leads experience a lot of failures, tragic and dejected moments before they get to what they want to accomplish, though it appears that those moments have been toned down for the drama.
This is the type of drama where a grand narrative is slowly unfolding and the repercussion will probably be revealed in the later end of story. (From the second trailer, it seems like there will be another huge and epic battle, so I'm looking forward to that!)
Below is my understanding on what kind of protagonist Asule/ Lv Guichen is but since it contains minor spoilers, I separate the comments.
EP 30-32, that's probably one of the most heartbreaking death I've seen. Asule was literally on the way to meet…
Thought I'd share this about what kind of character Asule/ Lv Guichen is from the perspective of Liu Haoran and Linmon Vice President. He's indeed not your typical protagonist and it's such a breath of fresh air to see this type of character written as protagonist. (credits to liuhaoranintl)
Q: The character of Lv Gui Chen is not an easy one to pull off, right?
LHR: "That's correct. This type of character is usually described as being too "passive". A lot of people feel that it's very clear what Ji Ye desires and what his goals are, and that Lv Gui Chen doesn't have anything that he wants. But the truth is, he probably has the most ambitions. He wants world peace, and to create an utopia. Indeed, this type of character isn't easy to play. Because the conflicts within the drama aren't that explosive, and at least on the surface, the retaliation might seem a little underwhelming. If you don't balance it properly, people will feel aggrieved. Because audiences would rather see stories about revenge, where the male lead is invincible. But I personally feel that the unbeatable hero archetype is too similar and we see it often, and that this type of character (Lv Gui Chen) is a lot more interesting. Making him likable and appealing to the audience is a challenge in itself."
(Interview with Xu Xiao Ou, Linmon Pictures Vice President and Exec Producer of NEF)
"We didn't want to create a story where the hero defies all odds and changes his fate - there are too many stories like this. We wanted an Eastern (shows East Asian traits) male (as the protagonist), so chose Lv Guichen. To be honest, for Lv Guichen, aside from Liu Haoran, there was no one else that we considered. We felt his appearance is very East Asian, that he has that quiet inner conflict.
So we persistently pursued Liu Haoran. Jiang Nan (original author) also recommended him, so for us, he was our first, and only, choice. We never considered anyone else. After the collaboration was agreed upon, we were very thankful, and felt he gave us a perfect Lv Guichen. Lv Guichen is incredibly hard to play because he doesn't have a lot of movement. Most of it is through his eyes and demeanor.
EP 30-32, that's probably one of the most heartbreaking death I've seen. Asule was literally on the way to meet his good friends, and was excited about it, even waving his hands when he saw them on the bridge, with sparkly eyes and an innocent smile on his face before he was stabbed cruelly few seconds after that. He was killed in bustling crowd that is filled with laughter and happy moments. My heart broke and Liu Haoran was so good at this scene. TT__TT
Even though he was resurrected later on, the kind and gentle Asule was gone. His eyes no longer shine the way they used to be. He just wanted no conflicts and killing and treated everyone with kindness but the person he trusted betrayed him. Everyone doesn't deserve him. He's too good for the world.
Wow ep 11 seriously gave me chills. First of all, Ying Wuyi is such an interesting character. He's like a villain…
Agree, Yi Wungyi is neither a black or white character. He has heroic characteristics while still not being a clearly good guy. I like his daughter, she's so pretty in her red armor! Liu Haoran and Li Guangjie also look great in their suit of armor. It's like they're born to wear them, very good looking and charismatic.
Random thought, if I were the writer, I would make Lv Guichen and Yi Wungyi's daughter a star-crossed lovers. Pairing of gentle guy and fierce girl from two conflicting countries would be so interesting to see. It can't he helped that I love angst stories lol.
Despite her past trauma, most of the time she's a very brave and resilient person. She protects herself well and fends for herself when necessary. Whether in the past or in the present time. She lives her life well not depending on anyone else. She can be wary and apprehensive but stillive her life normally and courageously. Courage is not the absence of fear, it's about triumphing over the fear and the ability to act despite feeling fear. It doesnt have anything to do with cute guy, it's really more about the character.
Mu Chengyun is annoying but they have been working together for some time, even travelled to Hong Kong for work trip with just the two of them, so she's aware of his character and probably feel safe enough with him. Given her lukewarm character, it's understandable she chose not to say anything and just let him take a brief look at the apartment especially when he's already waiting downstairs, although she's not planning to let him move in.
She's surprised ML is home bc ML always works overtime and gets home late. She literally said "Why did you get off work early today?" And she doesn't want the ML to misunderstand her for bringing her coworker home. Especially the ML is someone she cares about deep down inside.
The scene of her letting Mu Chengyun into her apartment is precisely bc the writer intend for her to establish boundary and let him know she doesn't plan to to have a male roommate and that the ML is an exception bc he's someone she has known for long time and used to be close with.
https://x.com/EmbraceMusic_/status/1841396469682864557
Posting the lyrics here. Translation by the edit owner.
You just do not see
This friend by your side
You do not notice
How he is always staring at you
We have been together for many years
Together we dreamed
Yet my only dream in life is to be with you
I try not to confess
Because you may be shocked
And start changing
I have been trying to hold back
This confession for so long
You don't know that
I love you more than life itself
If only you will accept me
But I can't bring myself to tell you these feelings
I will not be able to take it
If your answer turns out to be..
"We should keep our relationship as it is"
In this drama context, I find the plot about Tang Yang's job very interesting. Although I know to certain extent that one can make a bank loan to grow your business, I didn't know that bank employee would oversee how the loan is used and monitor the growth of the small enterprise closely like that. With all the follow-up presentation and cases study. I thought such relationship only exist between private investor and the investment recipient. I find that interesting and cool seeing how small enterprise grow very well under the guidance of responsible bank employee
Also, knowing how livestreaming is a multibillion industry in China, it's just kind of interesting and enlightening to see how they work because product livestreaming is not really a thing in my country. The way I see it, the Yixiu company pretty much work like marketing company or retailer where they help promote and market clients' products except it's done through livestreaming by popular online influencers, where the sales/profit is almost guaranteed within an hour or so of livestream. No wonder the company looks big in scale. They made millions in just a day.
Idk if real life is anything close to what the drama portray but I love learning something new from the industries that I'm not particularly informed of (bank and food livestream)
I also love seeing the festive moments of family and friends gathering shown during the Chinese New Year arc. It's simply so heartwarming. Everyone in this drama is simply likeable. The writing of each character has been very consistent so far, so I personally find it easier to empathize with them and understand why they behave certain way.
Mind you, this drama has THIRTY EPISODES, each episode last around 45 mins. This is not the typical 16-episodes kdramas (which last more than an hour) or the usual 24-episodes youth cdramas for you guys to expect the leads to become couple by ep 10-15. Everyone watching Asian dramas should have known already once the leads confess and officially date, that's when the story would usually end or nearing the end. If they become official by ep 15 or way way earlier, what stories are they gonna fill the rest of episodes with? Think for a second. Don't say "the drama should have been made shorter then", you can argue that for future productions, but this drama has stated it has 30 episodes. So by now, as you continue to watch, you should have adjusted your expectations that they would get together near ep 20 or in the last quarter of drama. There is no need to complain daily since ep 10 "why are they not together yet?" "when is the confession!! this is frustrating!!" "this is so slow" and I'm here like ??? the hell you expect for the leads to date by ep 10-15 in freaking 30 episodes drama. Be serious??
I seriously wonder, if you want the leads to get together earlier, are you guys saying you prefer to watch longer episodes filled with pure fluff + conflicts of OFFICIAL COUPLE.. than what we have now: the feel-good friends and family moments plus with the conflict and struggle between two friends on the brink of becoming lovers.?
Sorry but I always prefer the latter. Having watched many dramas especially kdramas, it's not easy to watch episodes filled with only couple fluff because they always turn flat, unnatural or is not done well, likeee the amount of dramas I've dropped around ep 10 once the leads get together is uncountable. They either become too cringe or boring after that... very few dramas manage to make the post-dating relationship as interesting and heart-fluttering as before they date. And more often than not, the couple conflicts are more annoying to watch than conflict between two friends/strangers. Idk about you but the best part about watching romance dramas is the the pining process, the banter, the push and pull, the subtle moments and how the relationship is gradually developing.
I really don't get why some people here are in hurry for them to date. The way their relationship is progressing is very organic and realistic to me. There's nothing about how it is developing where I wish could be done any faster. Their initial dynamics are almost brother-like, sibling-like, family-like, cousin-like. Obviously it would take time to make the transition.
Besides, in real life, even if two friends do have feelings for each other, it doesn't necessarily manifest into becoming couple. In fact, there are many two people out there with mutual feelings for each other that don't actually end up dating because of certain circumstances like timing, distance, different values or busy with works, or simply the feelings are not strong/serious enough to declare anything official.
For some people, once you turn close to 30 especially, love is not really everything or major part of your life. It's not the be-all and end-all. There are more to life than romantic relationship. Even if you want to have one, there are also more factors to consider than just having feelings of love.
In this drama context, both Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan are two sensible, accomplished and self-sufficient individuals. They have nice jobs, they both made a lot of money, they have good family and they have friends they can hang out with on the weekends. This kind of happinesses sometimes are enough for grown adults. For individuals like Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan, they are not necessarily in a hurry to change the nature/course of their relationship.
FRIENDLY REMINDER, this is a drama that literally focuses on the transition process from long time friends to lovers, so obviously the plotlines are gonna be centered around how they navigate their friendship, their relationship and the struggle that comes with it. If they already become couple by now, what's the point of the drama?
Just because they have been friends for many years, doesn't mean it's been long, excruciating wait for them, specifically for Jiang Shiyan. You only feel long because you're watching their relationship from outsider POV, third POV. From their perspective, they're simply just friends being friends. It's not like they're pining for each other for 10 years. Their relationship has always been platonic, they seem themselves as brothers, as best buddies. Even if there is feeling involve, it's one-sided, fleeting and not matter enough to jeopardize their long-time friendship over. Only after Tang Yang return to their hometown city, they started to hang out and meet each other more frequently and have proper chance to assess their relationship and the kind of bond they have had over the years.
The drama also have iterated several times the fear and struggle that are central to the friends to lovers trope. First, theres the difficulty to gauge what the other party feel towards you. Is it love or pure platonic? Is it safe to confess? What are the chance of your romantic feeling being reciprocated? Will you regret the confession?
And then you also have to worry about possible rejection and what comes after that: Can you stay being friends after confession? Would that make your relationship awkward? Can your dynamics return to what it was? Will you be okay with possibly losing your close friend?
Even after successful reciprocation, there's still fear of losing years of friendship once the love disappears. It's even mentioned in passing through the story of Tang Yang's ex-boyfriend, who are also friend of both leads. Once they broke up, they lost touch just like that. They're no longer lovers, nor are they friends. So getting close perspective from their own personal experience on how it could pan out, it's understandable that both Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan is fear of any slight changes to their relationship.
It's the fear of many unknowns. The concerns are valid because can they guarantee love doesn't change after getting together? Even the closest highschool/college sweethearts can have ugly breakup irl. You'll never know. Romantic relationship comes with more commitment and responsibility — there may also many things you are expected to tolerate with each other regarding values or certain aspects of your routine or your life once you share a life together, which is something about being friends may not make you know or realize it because you only meet them once in a while. Couple usually tend to see and contact each other more frequently and is expected to be more involved in your life than friend do. I think it's a realistic and understandable concern and is why they are very careful about the transition from friends to lovers.
For me, this drama is more of slice-of-life than romance-centered drama because the story revolves around the leads, their families, their friends and the life at their workplace. It's as if you're getting a peek into someone else's life real-time, how mature adults are navigating their life, friendship, relationship with family and work colleagues, which I really appreciate because I find them interesting, inspiring and heartwarming. They have their life together, it's everything I aspire to have. The stories arcs so far have been very well-written, and the lead relationship is well-developed. I hardly have any complaints about how this drama is progressing because I understand the gist, the intention and the message of the drama. I only wish it stays this good and engaging till the end.
So be patient, they're so close to get together. At this stage, they're pretty much a couple without official title yet. More than friends, less than lovers. If you don't have anymore patience left, I say just drop it already because slow-burn romance in friends-to-lovers trope is clearly not your type of drama. Stop torturing yourself and ruining the fun for the people who enjoy it. If you guys are eager to watch people dating or being sweet, you might as well watch dating reality show or Western TV show where you can get the leads make out and have sex from early episodes without getting into proper relationship.
I swear people here wouldn't survive watching another slow-burn romance slash slice-of-life cdrama (Meet Yourself, which is also great drama) where the leads only get together around ep 30 out of 40 episodes. I assume those who are rushing for the leads to get together are teenagers or young adults because I refuse to believe grown adult near 30s and above are not capable to appreciate the essence of the story and empathize with the realistic concerns and struggles experienced by the two close friends as they transition to becoming lovers.
The way they just be talking, exchanging perspectives, spending time together, strolling around the small village and slowly falling for each other's charms.. Everything was just so natural it's something that I totally see would happen in real life. I love the mature, calm temperament they exude <3
THERE IS A MAN WHO REALLY LIKES YOU
UNDER THE WITNESS OF AFTERGLOW AND SUNSET"
Sobbing like crazy cause that's like one of the most beautiful confessions I've ever watched in dramas, despite a little heartbreaking TT__TT (the angst was chef's kiss). The entire dialogues were just so well-written it made overwhelmed that I had to express here. The atmosphere, the acting, the OST was literally perfection!!
The earlier times he killed were when he was provoked and enraged upon seeing his loved ones in danger and those happened when he's in subconscious state. His very first kill when he's in a conscious state happened when he wanted to avenge for Suma. The aftermath hinted the loneliness, sorrowfulness, incredulity and disgust felt by Asule over his first kill while also felt contented that he was able to avenge for his loved one. It was a huge step for a gentle and soft-hearted character like him to take.
Even during war, he asked General Xi Yan "Must we do this?" showing that if there's other alternative beside war and killing, he'd choose it. When he saw a lot of people were died and sacrificed at the battlefield, it was clear how devastated he was at what happened. He unintentionally sacrificed some of his Qinyang Iron Futu army while trying to save Ji Ye, and because he felt responsible and regret over his recklessness, he commanded them to go back to Northland as a way to protect their lives. When Ji Ye kept saying sorry to Asule for being late and not returning with back-up army troupe as he promised, he just smiled and said he'd rather Ji Ye didn't return if that could assure his safety from being sacrificed in a war.
And, there were a lot of people who desired to have their hands on the Iron Chopping sword for their own goal and purpose. However, Asule, the one with the least desire, was the one that ended up inheriting the holy sword, but even so, he was still hesitant to be its master/ sword bearer. Since he's the holy sword master and has special bloodline, a lot of people wanted to pursue and bring him to their side including Chen Yue as he can be useful for their motive. He was brainwashed by Chen Yue into believing that he has little inner demon in his heart.
Before he arrived in Xiatang, he once said to Suma that he hopes to go to and live in a place where no one else is around and bring sheep and horses there. He's that kind of person. He wanted to be an ordinary person and lived in peace but the bronze blood of Pasur family he inherited didn't allow him to do so. He's pushed into being a hero by a fate which need to be accomplished by killing.
However, he's the kind of protagonist who believes things can be overcome with kindness and genuineness . If he could save more lives and prevent deaths, he would. This principle is also shown in EP18 when General Xi Yan told Asule a story about two young masters who used two different strategies to solve their conflicts. I'm not sure if this is the history of the existence of Tianqu and Chenyue or just a metaphor to describe them. This kind of 'passive' character isn't necessarily equal to flat protagonist/writing. To me, it's a unique and complex character with a a lot of inner conflicts going on. It's subtle and not obvious but Asule actually grew a lot since his old self in Northland. He's becoming a lot more firm and determined to preserve his principle while retaining his gentle characteristics. He's the combination of tenderness and stubbornness, fragility and tenacity, desolateness and sincerity. (I also share the perspectives of Liu Haoran and Linmon VP on what kind of protagonist Lv Guichen is in a different comment below.)
I think some of the quotes in the second trailer highlight well what the essence of the drama is about. It's all about the choice one's make. Most of characters in this drama are neither black or white. They all have their ways to fulfill their motives and realize their ambitions. They're what they're based on the choice they make. (credits to Viki - https://www.viki.com/videos/1154646v-trailer-2 )
"Everyone contains darkness and evil, everyone also contained courage and brightness, but whether you become a saint or hero or a bandit or maniac, is determined by the choice you make."
"Sometimes you don't choose your fate, fate chooses you"
"In this world of chaos, who can stand alone in righteousness?"
"Whether you kill millions or save millions is determined by one's choice"
"What's most important to you is to kill without hesitation."
"Must I kill thousands of people for the sake of one person?"
"You're holding the sharpest sword in the world, but you don't want to use it."
"The one who inherits the Iron Chopping Sword must protect even more people."
This is the type of drama where a grand narrative is slowly unfolding and the repercussion will probably be revealed in the later end of story. (From the second trailer, it seems like there will be another huge and epic battle, so I'm looking forward to that!)
Below is my understanding on what kind of protagonist Asule/ Lv Guichen is but since it contains minor spoilers, I separate the comments.
Q: The character of Lv Gui Chen is not an easy one to pull off, right?
LHR: "That's correct. This type of character is usually described as being too "passive". A lot of people feel that it's very clear what Ji Ye desires and what his goals are, and that Lv Gui Chen doesn't have anything that he wants. But the truth is, he probably has the most ambitions. He wants world peace, and to create an utopia. Indeed, this type of character isn't easy to play. Because the conflicts within the drama aren't that explosive, and at least on the surface, the retaliation might seem a little underwhelming. If you don't balance it properly, people will feel aggrieved. Because audiences would rather see stories about revenge, where the male lead is invincible. But I personally feel that the unbeatable hero archetype is too similar and we see it often, and that this type of character (Lv Gui Chen) is a lot more interesting. Making him likable and appealing to the audience is a challenge in itself."
(Interview with Xu Xiao Ou, Linmon Pictures Vice President and Exec Producer of NEF)
"We didn't want to create a story where the hero defies all odds and changes his fate - there are too many stories like this. We wanted an Eastern (shows East Asian traits) male (as the protagonist), so chose Lv Guichen. To be honest, for Lv Guichen, aside from Liu Haoran, there was no one else that we considered. We felt his appearance is very East Asian, that he has that quiet inner conflict.
So we persistently pursued Liu Haoran. Jiang Nan (original author) also recommended him, so for us, he was our first, and only, choice. We never considered anyone else. After the collaboration was agreed upon, we were very thankful, and felt he gave us a perfect Lv Guichen. Lv Guichen is incredibly hard to play because he doesn't have a lot of movement. Most of it is through his eyes and demeanor.
Even though he was resurrected later on, the kind and gentle Asule was gone. His eyes no longer shine the way they used to be. He just wanted no conflicts and killing and treated everyone with kindness but the person he trusted betrayed him. Everyone doesn't deserve him. He's too good for the world.
Just putting it here, if people want to see the clips
https://weibo.com/3986147355/I0RK9pA9g
https://weibo.com/3986147355/I10Pwlki9
Edited pics and gifs
https://weibo.com/2165201985/I0Ycn3qbM
https://weibo.com/5266367592/I10YjvV0j
https://weibo.com/1300171373/I0YYItxnh
Random thought, if I were the writer, I would make Lv Guichen and Yi Wungyi's daughter a star-crossed lovers. Pairing of gentle guy and fierce girl from two conflicting countries would be so interesting to see. It can't he helped that I love angst stories lol.