Richel

If you didn't like Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, then you might want to take caution with Ashes of Love. The two are very similar in terms of genre. But even while I enjoyed TMOPB, I think this show tops it in almost every aspect, so you might like it better! It's definitely worth a try.

I've heard of actors who have to receive therapy during or after taking a particularly difficult role because they could not separate themselves from their characters, but I never knew there was an actual name for this phenomenon. I'm kind of glad there is; it seems like something that more people should know about. Whether you're an aspiring actor or merely a fan of the film and entertainment industry, the side effects of being a "good" actor in this way can be frightening.

Good article! Thanks for writing.

I get the feeling that his relationship with Hee Won isn't going to be as bright as he wants. Marriage does crap to you, lol; and if they're married now, I can't imagine it's going to be all sunshine and daisies.

It seems like Joo Hyuk just misses the times when Woo Jin was innocently happier. Both of them don't fully understand how much two people have to work together in order to make a relationship function. That's not going to change for Joo Hyuk just because his wife is literally a different person now.

I'm very interested to see how they plan to resolve everything now that Hee Won has been dragged into the equation. A shaky first two episodes, but it's usually hard to find any drama that starts off with engines blazing, so I have good expectations!

I think it says something about the foundation of this story, that this drama would absolutely fail without a male lead that starts off this horrid. That being said, setups like this are a harder pill to swallow, especially in 2018, and if you haven't sat through the original as a primer.

Gonna play some devil's advocate with most of the replies here.

If this were any other drama that wasn't using the classic "Meteor Garden" story, would you be so accepting of a male lead that slams food in the female lead's face? Not even gonna mention some of the other things he does.

I'm constantly making comparisons between versions too, but just because he's not as bad doesn't mean that he's that much "better," persay. Hopefully that makes sense, lol. But I think it's understandable that some people are still uncomfortable with the way he is presented in this version.

Shan Cai's mom from the original Taiwanese version in ep 11! I thought I was getting punked LOL, but it's her with her awesome bob hair and all.

Yay this got approved!! So excited to see Steven Zhang again, and in historical is going to be great!

Was not aware that they're releasing a non-dubbed version, but that sounds like it would make it better for me! I hope I didn't make it sound like I hate dubbing in general, because I definitely don't. Most Chinese dramas are dubbed and I'm fine with them, but I just don't think it's done well in this case.

I agree, Taiwanese was on the draggy side, but this feels on the opposite extreme. I'd have to watch more to see about the pacing, but as of now (on episode 2) I still think it's weirdly fast. I'm hoping this means they're going to be adding new things to the plot instead of just recycling. Time will tell!

First episode impressions: not sure how I feel about this. Atrocious dubbing aside, the story feels really awkward and almost like it's in a rush to do...something? And I'm not getting the same sense of Shan Cai's strong character as I did in every single rendition before this one.

I do like the production quality and the changes made to make F4 not as cruel. But the overall writing is subpar at best, which is strange considering they have so many adaptations to look at for reference, lol. I don't know if I'd keep watching if my childhood wasn't so attached to this story.

What do you guys think?

I hate watching dramas while they're airing, but it's Ji Sung and Han Ji Min...and the writer for WFKBJ and Oh My Ghostess! Can't suppress my excitement ack.

Understandable, as they're longer dramas! I'm excited to watch the ones that you did recommend though, since I haven't seen them before, despite my love for school dramas :D

I'm surprised to see neither With You nor My Huckleberry Friends under the Chinese section, especially the latter. It was well-written, well-casted, and altogether just such a good depiction about youth and school. Highly recommend!

Basically that watching Yang Mi act is a horrifying experience. There are also a lot of people who read the original novel and are really disappointed in the technical aspects, like the dubbing and CG.

Interesting input! I'm still on the fence of whether to watch this. I loved TMOPB, but I'm otherwise frequently put off by high episode counts and historical-style Chinese dramas. They tend to be very gruesome hahaha...I can usually only get through them if they have A++ acting.

I'm glad that people here seem to have positive views of this show, though. I was reading comments on Douban (I guess the Chinese equivalent of MDL?) and they're having a heck of a time spitting toxic comments alllllll over Yang Mi. Regardless of whether or not I'd personally like the drama, it sucks to see people rate it 1/5 stars on there just to hate on the actress instead of focusing on the show.

Sigh. I digress hahaha. Thanks for writing!!

The more Xiao Xiao tries to deal with Ying Ying's stupidity, the more I love her ;~;

Interestingly I like Andi the least lol. She's just so boring compared to everyone else.

Every time I see Ying Qin, his punchability meter seems to fill just a little bit more.

Ying Qin is a freaking asshole. I feel bad things in the future involving him. I hope Ying Ying will learn to not bat an eye if he comes back for her.

Any of you hopefuls, I'd read this: https://www.reddit.com/r/goodmorningcall/comments/5y11y6/psa_gmc_instagram_account_is_not_official/

Seems possibility for season 2 is bogus, as the only mention of it on instagram is from a possibly fake account.

Concurred w/coffeerox. I wouldn't consider her arrogant; she's just naive and has yet to develop a sense of independence from those around her.

I think you also have to understand that her luck with men has been horrifyingly bad at best, and for someone who's legitimately dependent on others, that can be scarring.