any_anka

Oh, the dynamics between Xifang Tao and Master Puzhu are one of my favourite aspects of this drama and I can't believe I forgot about them while writing the no-romance part, cause I'm seated for their tragic sort-of-romance.
I think Liu Yan might be the least difficult to analyse, though not necessarily the easiest to help considering this therapy session of yours. I think the poor guy crossed the point of no return, where - even if somehow FZ could be brought back to life - he wouldn't be able to live with himself and everything he did... (I'm on ep 28 btw).
I actually thought the pacing has been real good and pretty consistent (once again, that's from the POV of someone who have not read the novel).
The creators surely did a fantastic job with fan service and instigating ship-wars. TLC has at least *one* ambiguous moment with almost every character on the show ;) (And yes, despite that, I actually view his entanglement with Liu Yan or devotion/obsession with Fang Zhou through a platonic lens too :))
Agreed 100% on the visuals, this is probably the prettiest cdrama I've watched - the choice of colours and this overall visual as if the scenes had been painted with a brush looks stunning.
I probably don't get a lot of cultural references, aside from those buddhist ones and all the talk about obsession and stuff.

I don't really pay that much attention to how the cast on MDL has been edited to be honest ;) What I do care about is the story itself and just based on this, alone I would say FZh is definitely the most important person in TLC's life (and after Fan Zhou it's probably Liu Yan; among the current group of TLC's companions, I actually feel he has the most affection towards Chi Yun, but that could be my bias bcs I really like his character myself).
As far as I'm concerned, I'd love the story to proceed without any romance at all, but for the viewers who need to pick a clear love interest for the main character, I guess A'Shui is the most evident choice among all female characters :P
I haven't read the novel though, so it's all drama-based observations.

I came into this drama being familiar only with Alen Fang and Luo Yunxi, but she really got my attention with her acting.

Actually, I don't think this drama has a female lead per se.
If we talk love interest, out of all three main female characters, she does have the most romantic-ish moments with the ML , but there's still very little of it. So far (and I'm on ep 28), he cares way more for a person from his past, who was like a mentor/older brother to him than any woman (or any one to be precise) on the show (at least in my opinion).

I enjoy those flashbacks a lot and I kinda look forward to Liu Yan and TLC's confrontations ;) To each their own I guess ;)

I think MDL comment section is for people to discuss and share their opinions about a show. At the very least that's why I'm here, so... Yeah :)

The entire show's focus on fashion underlines how clothes can affect people's moods or behaviours too, to some extent.
I think Japanese dramas like to present this concept. I suppose probably bcs students there wear uniforms and salary men have pretty strict dress code at work too, so once people get to wear what they want on their days off, the outfits they chose get a stronger... meaning.
But I mean, it's not uncommon for women to get a confidence boost once they wear high heels, get a new haircut etc., so ofc if the change is as dramatic as in Enaga/AE's case, the change in behaviour will be more extreme too.

Personally I like to think that Enaga is his core/original personality, and he gets confidence boost and changes once he "wears" AE image. I wouldn't necessarily separate them though. Ultimately it's still the same person and after "doing" AE for so long, I'm sure both sides started mixing to some extent.

I don't know what I said to deserve this praise, but thank you ;)

He's putting an entirely different persona on while dressing up as AE. Kinda similar to some people who are shy introverts but become charismatic on stage - it's like you're tapping to a completely different person which allows you to act the way you normally wouldn't I guess. It's almost a performance.

Well... come to think of it, I probably like Enaga only (excluding AE). Still, the drama itself has been a lot of fun so far! :)

Originally I thought the whole identity thingy is a case of audience having to suspend their disbelief in order to go on (kinda like while watching Superman movies or Sailor Moon ;)), but the more I watch, the more I am willing to believe it's somewhat possible :P

- First of all, AE and Enaga have completely different vibes. They talk different, they walk different, they have the same physique but literally everything else about them is very different.
- Secondly, who would actually assume they'd meet their celebrity crush in regular daily life? It's way more likely to just assume someone resembles a famous person than to actually believe it's the same person.
- Also, just the idea of having a friend who has a secret identity is so outlandish, if I was in Chiaki's shoes I would never assume that about anyone I know :P
- Finally, Chiaki's crush about AE is more about his confident aura than anything else (e.i. he's not fanboying over his face or eyes or body, but over how he moves/how he "shines" - thus, he clearly focuses more on these things).
- Some people are just really bad with faces lol

I really enjoy this drama, but I might need some advice on *how* to survive the princess, her self-entitled behaviour and constant harassment of the dude she married? istg

Why is it not listed in here though... 🤔

In my impression it was strong all along, hence my original comment, but if you enjoyed it at first and find it a bit slow now, I suppose there's hope you will like it again ;)
They do talk a fair amount of time tbh. But all this talk, TLC strategizing etc. is part of the fun for me.

Aaah, it is! I didn't notice! Added to my watchlist. Thank you :)

Drop. This is not the case of a drama that starts underwhelmingly and later gets better. The pacing is pretty even throughout the whole story and the vibe is consistent. I'd say, if you don't enjoy it at this point, it's very likely it's just not your cup of tea.
Unless you're watching with some messed up subtitles and bcs of that can't follow the story... some ppl seemed to have that issue.

Would be lovely if Taiwan thought of selling some streaming rights to international platforms to dramas other than just BLs... Here comes another show that I'd love to check out because of the cast alone, but will have to pass cause have nowhere to watch it (sigh).

Journey To Love.
In my humble opinion, you won't find a better example of both actually strong and smart FL and ML.
Only it doesn't have fantasy elements. However, there's still plenty of adventure!

I don't want him to die either :)

Only that I sort of like his character (or like his presence in the show might be more accurate). Though I agree with your point abt TLC and LY's redemption too.

Aaah, I wouldn't know then. I watch it with English subs and these on Viki seem really good (I feel they catch the "essence" and mood of the dialogues - not that I understand much of Mandarin, but they just seem to work better for me ;) They maybe over translate at times, with switching "da ge" into "mr." etc., but overall they're really good.

Either way, to your original point, I think this drama does require a bit of brain work (probably not something you'd wanna watch while doing chores and just glancing over from time to time, especially with flashbacks and riddle-like conversations). Luckily, Chi Yun is usually clueless and gets things spelled out for him by someone of the group (usually one of the girls), so the audience can always count on those explanations ;)
Still, I feel like enjoying Tang Li Ci's strategizing and conversing with others is half of the fun, so good subtitles are essential to follow the story and enjoying the drama.