I watched two Wu Lei dramas back to back, TLB and LLTG, and now I am having a hard time watching any other actor. Which one of his other dramas should I watch next?
Whether it's true or not, I'll support them regardless. I am so looking forward to this drama. I can't believe people actually think actors can't have personal lives. Those who are leaving them or bashing them don't deserve to be called fans. I really hope they aren't too much affected.
Although people who only drool over cold man x warm woman don't find their chemistry fascinating but Chang Ge…
Yes, some people only like those kind of tropes and many people often complain about not seeing healthy relationships being portrayed onscreen, but when they are actually given one, they can't appreciate it. The chemistry and dynamic they have is very rarely seen in not just cdramaland, but all of Asian dramaland. I can't remember the last time I saw such a couple, or if I ever saw such a couple, who are comparable to Changge and Asun in that aspect.
I don’t understand why people keep saying the main cp have no chemistry. Changge and Sun have the best healthiest…
This. If you ask them why they think these two don't have chemistry, many of them will actually tell you that it's because WL is younger than Reba in real life and that's why they don't have chemistry. It has nothing to do with the cp itself but everything to do with these people's own prejudices.
I watched TLB with my family and when I told them they were seven years apart irl, they were shocked because they just couldn't tell at all. They actually thought WL might be older because Asun is older than Changge. Moreover, WL actually exuded a very mature aura as Ashile Sun and had such strong charisma and presence and Reba actually looks 20-21, so one who doesn't know can't figure it out at all. They actually end up looking same aged. Reba and WL easily make one of the best looking onscreen pairs. They just look gorgeous together. And yes, Asun and Changge have the healthiest relationship.
I am actually on a rewatch and right from epi one, the chemistry is so palpable. I mean they are just playing that cuju game but one can already feel the sparks flying. Even though the drama never shows much physical intimacy between them, their scenes are full of intensity. It's just amazing.
I feel interested in your review of the elements in the drama such as pacing, storytelling and even the related…
Hey dear, the purpose of the community is for everyone to share their insights, so no need to apologize. The genres on MDL can a be a bit confusing and misleading. Anyone can edit this if they can provide some source behind their info as far as I am aware.
Of course, I agree that love can be of all different kinds and that the title need not be absolute but it does give an impression on what the basic premise of a story is and provide a sort of an overview. In that respect, I fully understand that even the title of this drama itself doesn't necessarily speak of just CSS-LBY's love for each other.
I did not read the source material, someone only just started translating it, so I was strictly speaking in terms of the drama. I did however read some excerpts and based on that and the drama itself I did decipher that the story is about CSS life which is perfectly fine with me. When a novel is adapted into a drama, it need not follow the source material 100%. The screenplay writer can often leave things out or incorporate new elements and I also read that the screenplay left some things out and made quite a few changes, even with the characterizations. I am curious to know how the whole scenario of the revenge track plays out in the novel as well as how LBY's backstory is told in the novel. A story told in a novel can be adapted into various ways on screen and what we see onscreen is a combination of screenplay, direction, editing and acting. I am fully satisfied with the acting though.
For some viewers, they may be content with only the mention of Peng Kun and the limited appearance of Ling Yi, for others, they may have wanted more prominence of the those characters in the drama in contract to characters such as Lou Li and Luo Jitong. It all comes down to individual expectations from a drama and our reviews are also, our individual critique of the story we witnessed on screen.
Regardless of everything, this is still a great drama and worth watching. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and the links with me.
I feel interested in your review of the elements in the drama such as pacing, storytelling and even the related…
Ok I'll try to explain why I mentioned those things. Well first of all, there are as many genres for cdramas as for kdramas or jdramas..maybe a few more such as wuxia, xianxia, republic era etc. But wuxia, palace intrigue, republic era can all be termed as historical dramas because they are set in the past. While they can be generalized as historical dramas, they can be easily divided into those other categories depending on the setup. But a wuxia, xianxia or any other type of historical dramas can have romance, bromance or mystery in them as sub-genres. So if let's say a drama is set in Jianghu/martial arts world. Then it's a wuxia and that the main genre. But other historical dramas which are not set in jianghu can also have wuxia elements in them. But then they may not be referred to as wuxia dramas, but still have wuxia as a sub genre.
As for this drama, it is firstly a historical drama and the title suggests that it's a love story and we can all agree that love between our two lead characters was instrumental to this story and that the mystery was also integral to the story. But a major part of the drama was dominated by family drama and comedy. At times, I felt that the love story and the mystery was pushed to the back and too much screentime was given too all those conniving women in the drama whether it be the princesses or Wang Ling. Wang Ling's husband is one of the villains in the story but he was hardly given any screentime. The drama just showed him when it was time for him to get caught by LBY. The Huo family's back story was so important and we were told LBY didn't have a good relationship with his father(uncle). But this is what we were told, not shown. At least not enough. In that respect, Ling Yi was actually a very important character but was hardly ever there. I personally felt that the revenge arc would be more powerful if we were given a bit more of the strained relationship between the father and the son. The drama kept bringing the villains to the forefront when it was time for them to get punished without much buildup for their characters. While those arcs were crucial to the plot, I felt that they weren't given the treatment they deserved. I also felt that despite being the ML, WL had less screentime time. I don't think the drama should have eliminated the comedy or the family drama, those parts were fun and had their importance, but to me it felt like they dominated the story more than they should have. As for Tian Shuan (hope I got the name right), who is revealed as the final villain, he just suddenly pops up in the end and that's why the whole final fight between him and LBY didn't really look impactful. I mean he was there, we knew he was a lackey of the bad guys but that was just it. He just seemed more like a plot device than an actually bad guy.
What I liked I loved the cast, acting, characters, storyline, humor, cinematography, dialogues and bgm of the show. WL and ZL were both superb in their roles. They captured the different layers of their characters perfectly and delivered nuanced performances. Much of the supporting casts were very good. I loved how layered the two leads were. Along with that, the Emperor, Empress, Consort Yue, YS, A Qin and A Fei stood out for me. CSS dad and brothers, Qiqi, AYao were endearing characters too. The plot was very interesting and the cinematography was fantastic. Pretty much all the scenes between LBY and CSS were a treat to watch and I loved the dialogues between them. The Bgm was fantastic and I especially loved the ending theme by Shan Yichun. I really loved the relationship dynamics portrayed in the show between and depth and complexities shown in various characters. The trio consisting the Emperor, Empress and Consort Yue were a surprise element in the show that I ended up loving very much. Although the fighting scenes were far and few, they were well choreography and WL was fantastic in them. There were times the drama had me exhilarating, especially when the major plot twist was being played out and I kept watching one epi after another and just couldn’t stop.
What I didn’t like The first four were episodes were painful to watch and the drama really gets better after that. There were too many unlikeable characters in the show and they often had too much screentime. The pacing was very slow at times, some important parts were rushed, some less important parts were dragged and the editing towards the end was so poorly done, it just felt choppy and rather incomplete. In the terms of storytelling, this made the drama look inconsistent. Another issue was that it didn’t have a definitive genre. A drama can have multiple genres in them but it should have at least one primary genre besides having other sub-genres. It’s obviously a historical setup but other the being a historical, it left me confused when it was meant to be love story, a family drama, a comedy or a revenge drama. It just kept jumping from one genre to another without a smooth transition quite often.
Conclusion Overall, I enjoyed the drama and I loved both CSS and LBY very much and enjoyed their journey for that alone I should give it a 9. But the inconsistencies in the show took away some fun sometimes made the drama less pleasurable to watch. The reunion deserved as much time as it was given for the separation and considering how important a role YS played in CSS life in those five years, he deserved more screen time. Overall I felt part 1 was better executed than part 2 though much of my favorite scenes and arcs take place in part 2. It’s an 8 from me.
Done watching epi 56. It was obviously very much rushed in the end and I also felt like their was too much talking from HBY with the enemies, especially with that Tian 'whatever his given name is' dude. Like why even bother talking with the baddies and waste so much time? When was HBY so chatty in the first place? But at least there was plenty of action in the last two epis and it's a happy ending. I loved the final scene of Yishang, it was both reminiscent of the lantern scene as well as the city wall date and the whole Cheng family was there too. HBY and CSS both finally have the family they wanted. But why did Yang Yang's hubby disappear? I don't mind this ending though a wedding would have been cherry on top.
I really loved YS to bits. I wish we could have seen more of him, especially in the five years when he kept CSS company. It was great that he took things positively and wasn't all miserable and sulky in the end. And do I see a friendship forming between him and HBY? But what happened to AYao and Zhaojun? Did their baby survive? I still can't understand how she fell down twice and wasn't badly hurt. If nothing else, she should have been screaming in pain. Anyway, I guess things ended well for them too.
I wholeheartedly agree with Wendy. Without him, the wedding doesn't count. I mean he's a dad too. Both set of parents should be there. Why rush and get married in Hua county when they'll come back to the capital anyway? Yishang did him dirty.
@lilan has already explained why Ling Yi was suspicious. As to why he said those things to wife, it was made clear…
You're welcome. Initially, that's what I thought too, so I was little bit surprised as well. But as you said, he orchestrated the whole thing and LBY directly accused him regarding Peng Kun, so he had to be suspicious.
1 
I watched TLB with my family and when I told them they were seven years apart irl, they were shocked because they just couldn't tell at all. They actually thought WL might be older because Asun is older than Changge. Moreover, WL actually exuded a very mature aura as Ashile Sun and had such strong charisma and presence and Reba actually looks 20-21, so one who doesn't know can't figure it out at all. They actually end up looking same aged. Reba and WL easily make one of the best looking onscreen pairs. They just look gorgeous together. And yes, Asun and Changge have the healthiest relationship.
I am actually on a rewatch and right from epi one, the chemistry is so palpable. I mean they are just playing that cuju game but one can already feel the sparks flying. Even though the drama never shows much physical intimacy between them, their scenes are full of intensity. It's just amazing.
Of course, I agree that love can be of all different kinds and that the title need not be absolute but it does give an impression on what the basic premise of a story is and provide a sort of an overview. In that respect, I fully understand that even the title of this drama itself doesn't necessarily speak of just CSS-LBY's love for each other.
I did not read the source material, someone only just started translating it, so I was strictly speaking in terms of the drama. I did however read some excerpts and based on that and the drama itself I did decipher that the story is about CSS life which is perfectly fine with me. When a novel is adapted into a drama, it need not follow the source material 100%. The screenplay writer can often leave things out or incorporate new elements and I also read that the screenplay left some things out and made quite a few changes, even with the characterizations. I am curious to know how the whole scenario of the revenge track plays out in the novel as well as how LBY's backstory is told in the novel. A story told in a novel can be adapted into various ways on screen and what we see onscreen is a combination of screenplay, direction, editing and acting. I am fully satisfied with the acting though.
For some viewers, they may be content with only the mention of Peng Kun and the limited appearance of Ling Yi, for others, they may have wanted more prominence of the those characters in the drama in contract to characters such as Lou Li and Luo Jitong. It all comes down to individual expectations from a drama and our reviews are also, our individual critique of the story we witnessed on screen.
Regardless of everything, this is still a great drama and worth watching. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and the links with me.
As for this drama, it is firstly a historical drama and the title suggests that it's a love story and we can all agree that love between our two lead characters was instrumental to this story and that the mystery was also integral to the story. But a major part of the drama was dominated by family drama and comedy. At times, I felt that the love story and the mystery was pushed to the back and too much screentime was given too all those conniving women in the drama whether it be the princesses or Wang Ling. Wang Ling's husband is one of the villains in the story but he was hardly given any screentime. The drama just showed him when it was time for him to get caught by LBY. The Huo family's back story was so important and we were told LBY didn't have a good relationship with his father(uncle). But this is what we were told, not shown. At least not enough. In that respect, Ling Yi was actually a very important character but was hardly ever there. I personally felt that the revenge arc would be more powerful if we were given a bit more of the strained relationship between the father and the son. The drama kept bringing the villains to the forefront when it was time for them to get punished without much buildup for their characters. While those arcs were crucial to the plot, I felt that they weren't given the treatment they deserved. I also felt that despite being the ML, WL had less screentime time. I don't think the drama should have eliminated the comedy or the family drama, those parts were fun and had their importance, but to me it felt like they dominated the story more than they should have. As for Tian Shuan (hope I got the name right), who is revealed as the final villain, he just suddenly pops up in the end and that's why the whole final fight between him and LBY didn't really look impactful. I mean he was there, we knew he was a lackey of the bad guys but that was just it. He just seemed more like a plot device than an actually bad guy.
I hope this explains my POV better.
What I liked
I loved the cast, acting, characters, storyline, humor, cinematography, dialogues and bgm of the show. WL and ZL were both superb in their roles. They captured the different layers of their characters perfectly and delivered nuanced performances. Much of the supporting casts were very good. I loved how layered the two leads were. Along with that, the Emperor, Empress, Consort Yue, YS, A Qin and A Fei stood out for me. CSS dad and brothers, Qiqi, AYao were endearing characters too. The plot was very interesting and the cinematography was fantastic. Pretty much all the scenes between LBY and CSS were a treat to watch and I loved the dialogues between them. The Bgm was fantastic and I especially loved the ending theme by Shan Yichun. I really loved the relationship dynamics portrayed in the show between and depth and complexities shown in various characters. The trio consisting the Emperor, Empress and Consort Yue were a surprise element in the show that I ended up loving very much. Although the fighting scenes were far and few, they were well choreography and WL was fantastic in them. There were times the drama had me exhilarating, especially when the major plot twist was being played out and I kept watching one epi after another and just couldn’t stop.
What I didn’t like
The first four were episodes were painful to watch and the drama really gets better after that. There were too many unlikeable characters in the show and they often had too much screentime. The pacing was very slow at times, some important parts were rushed, some less important parts were dragged and the editing towards the end was so poorly done, it just felt choppy and rather incomplete. In the terms of storytelling, this made the drama look inconsistent. Another issue was that it didn’t have a definitive genre. A drama can have multiple genres in them but it should have at least one primary genre besides having other sub-genres. It’s obviously a historical setup but other the being a historical, it left me confused when it was meant to be love story, a family drama, a comedy or a revenge drama. It just kept jumping from one genre to another without a smooth transition quite often.
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed the drama and I loved both CSS and LBY very much and enjoyed their journey for that alone I should give it a 9. But the inconsistencies in the show took away some fun sometimes made the drama less pleasurable to watch. The reunion deserved as much time as it was given for the separation and considering how important a role YS played in CSS life in those five years, he deserved more screen time. Overall I felt part 1 was better executed than part 2 though much of my favorite scenes and arcs take place in part 2. It’s an 8 from me.
I really loved YS to bits. I wish we could have seen more of him, especially in the five years when he kept CSS company. It was great that he took things positively and wasn't all miserable and sulky in the end. And do I see a friendship forming between him and HBY? But what happened to AYao and Zhaojun? Did their baby survive? I still can't understand how she fell down twice and wasn't badly hurt. If nothing else, she should have been screaming in pain. Anyway, I guess things ended well for them too.
I wholeheartedly agree with Wendy. Without him, the wedding doesn't count. I mean he's a dad too. Both set of parents should be there. Why rush and get married in Hua county when they'll come back to the capital anyway? Yishang did him dirty.
I'll give my final review of the drama later.