BikiLee

None of the links work anymore :(

All links broken T-T

None of the links work but ty for posting them! I always appreciate your links.

I don't know how you do it but thank you for always posting links of engsub!

I don't know if there's an official print in English but here's an online translation https://www.midnightscrolls.com/2024/08/have-soft-spot-for-her-list-of-chapters.html

Arrgh, when will the OST be available on iTunes. I wanna buy legit copies to support the show and artists.

@MissKathy - Gimme those spoiler deets! Wish the novel was fully translated in English.

Give The Story of Yanxi Palace a try!

Yeah, haha, I was agreeing that everyone has their own preference. Sometimes it's just a case of 'it's not for me'. That's how I feel about Breaking Bad and Mad Men. I can see objectively they're great shows but I couldn't get into them at all. (It doesn't seem that extreme for you with Story of Ming Lan but just using that as an example)

I think it boils down to a difference in preference. This hit just the right spot for me in terms of slice-of-life/family dramas but even more interesting because those tend to be contemporary and this is a historical setting so the conventionally 'boring' parts were all even more interesting to me and helped ground it even more.

Ah, yes, I feel you there. Sometimes you just can't connect. I feel the same way about Breaking Bad and Mad Men. I can tell they're great shows but I can't get into them because I couldn't connect with any character enough to be interested in their 'life'.

Hmm.. So I think Yanxi Palace would either be a great hit or a great miss for you based on the romance. I will explain but it will be a little spoilery.






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Yingluo experiences two major loves in her life. The first is the show favorite but things align against them. The second... I'm still unsure if she truly loves him, but she definitely cares for him. Some people dropped this show after it wasn't going to happen with the first love. I think her relationship is very interesting with the second but you have to finish the show to appreciate that relationship.

For me, the romance is secondary. The relationships between the female characters is amazing for the good relationships. I looooove her relationship with the Empress. Think of it like Minglan and her personal handmaids times a thousand.

If you do end up watching it, I would love for you to PM me your thoughts!

Interesting. What didn't you like? Do you watch family/slice-of-life dramas at all?

I recently rewatched the first episode and it was eye-opening how much more you get out of it.

Let me know your drama preferences. I would say some people find the romance upsetting in Yanxi Palace sometimes but I don't want to spoil too much. I would say it's feels real. Wei Yingluo is /very/ pragmatic but also understands what she herself values and is willing to fight for it.

Yanxi Palace has a lot of palace intrigue so there's a lot of scheming but it comes from both the baddies and the goodies. It's why I see a lot of Minglan in Yanxi Palace and Yanxi Palace in Minglan. The female leads are both... uh, don't want none, don't start none. Except Minglan is more cautious and concedes more before her marriage to GTY. Wei Yingluo is more... hm, ruthless?

Both dramas are completed. Yanxi Palace is on VIKI and Youtube and Secret of the Three Kingdoms was on Dramafever and is on Youtube (but unsure if english subbed).

Romances in both are slowly developed but they're not like Story of Minglan in romance. Honestly, I would give Yanxi Palace a shot.

Have you tried Story of Yanxi Palace or Secret of the Three Kingdoms? They're both Chinese historical dramas with strong/smart female characters.

The trailers below are... spoilerly. Definitely not vague like Minglan's trailer, haha.

Story of Yanxi Palace
Great sisterhood (downside is sooooo much scheming from baddies but the relationships between the females are so good/interesting). Great female lead! In a way, I consider Wei Yingluo as the flipside of Minglan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4xLnxser7s

Secret of the Three Kingdoms Trailer EngSub (dear lord, it's 10 min. long;)
Great brotherhood, great sisterhood, solid and developed female characters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctAzzCsGsac

Burning alive is a pretty terrible way to go though. She definitely would've been executed considering her crimes. Or maybe not. I thought deceiving the Emperor was punishable by death and the Wang Family Head guy was just sent to... exile? or servitude?

Wait for 73! I remember you made a couple of comments wondering about this resolution. :)