gemwendz

I really tried to see your POV here but try as I might, I couldn't come to terms with the similarity of what the uncle did and what Sang Yan did. I don't think Sang Yan is stalking her. He never forced his way into her nor evade her space in any way even when they were already a couple. Him following her in Yihe is him fulfilling his promise to be there for her no matter what, even if she wouldn't know about it. His respect for her is sky high which is something stalkers don't do.

I love Xiao Bing Chih's "I Want To Quietly Slip Into Your Soul". Having LSS with 🎶 I'll find you, I'll protect you, I love you 🎶 This is my fave OST ❤️🥰❤️

https://open.spotify.com/track/6cehUR1n5NC7u2EwC09qmt?si=9Rowd5R_RRSm2oFIsHth5Q

Yeah. And she's more trashy as the story progresses.

The aunt sees WYF as a cash cow because of her beauty. The reason why she wanted to introduce rich men to her.

It's not mentioned how the kids survived after both parents were dead. I suppose the grandparents took over with the custody.

"How could such a supportive bf turned into a negligent father?" - Azan never recovered from his PTSD even after they got married. He fought with all that's left of him. He was sick physically and more so mentally. He wasn't negligent at all. He fought for 10years which is already long considering what he'd been through.

Ranran only left to another war torn country after Azan died. Never did she left his side when he was still alive.

If you treat epilogue as the book's ending, then it would be this:

Azan and RanRan had 2kids. Ten years after marriage, Azan took his own life using a homemade pistol. Ranran died after being shot while protecting a child in another war torn country.

A bullet severly damaged the liver and kidney. Pffft!

As someone who read the novel prior watching the drama, I am delighted with the book's screen adaptation. There were brilliant scenes that were awesome and portrayed more than what I imagined those to be. Great job to the TWOT family for a job well done!

I'll start with the parts that truly impressed me.
✨ The way Song Ran was thrown backwards during the live broadcast of the war that erupted a few miles away from the hotel where she stayed at - EP.1 This is just pure art and is brilliantly executed, giving me a glimpse of the dangers in a war correspondent's life.
✨ Azan and Ranran's first meeting. I remembered I squeed that time because the main leads' chemistry is just like that bomb - explosive.
✨ Introducing Rina, Sia and Zoro in the drama. These characters were not present in the book but adding them in the drama brings more depth into the story. Rina's death is a good reason for Saxin to become a soldier. In the book, Saxin played a minor character and it just mentioned that he became a soldier (from a journalist) because if he doesn't, then the younger ones will be the one to do it. Sia and Zoro being the kids in the photo CARRY is just perfect. It's beyond my expectations really. And that photo was powerful as just as how it was described in the book.
✨ Acting. I absolutely love Chen Zheyuan's acting here. I've seen him in other dramas but nothing compares to his performance in this drama. He is top notch! Liang Jie also performed excellent in most parts. Though there are scenes where I think she can do better but overall, it's a powerful performance from her.
✨ OSTs. This drama boasts of great soundtracks that gave me LSS throughout but Te Amo is just on another level. It's gold!
✨ Cinematography. The scenery, the lighting, color, visual effects, everything just blend perfectly justifying its tag as an S-drama.

Now, here are the reasons why this drama is only a 9/10 for me. Some storylines fell short of my expectations. This is a problem with me as having read the book first because I can't turn off my filter all the way. I know there would always be differences between the book and the series but there were things I wished were included in the drama such as follows:
🤦 Azan and Ben's competitive fight. In the book, Azan requested to join the Special Joint Force but to do so, he needs to pass the training at the American training ground. Btw, Ben is described as an American in the book. Caucasians, having natural advantage in body built and height, were looking down on Azan, Ben particularly. Azan was given a "special treatment" all throughout the training and by the end of the day, he was forced to duel with Ben where he emerged victorious. That's how he earned Ben's trust and respect and they became brothers from then on.
🤦 The school bullying arc. It fell flat for me because this story was supposed to show us the power of a renowned journalist's words, that it could have a ripple effect that's beyond her control. I think there could be a better way to portray that scene.
🤦 The September 26 event. I wish the drama sticked to the original material, i.e. Azan threw the suicide bomber inside the house where a family of six were hiding which is eventually the cause of his first trauma. It is more powerful and will effectively support the later episode's scene about a family inside the dungeon trapped with explosives and how Azan overcame his trauma by saving that family.
🤦 There are a few scenes that are just not making sense like in episode 1, Song Ran removed her helmet and threw it away while running for her life as the bomb was about to explode. Why did she remove the helmet??? 😭 Another one is her going to war sites without wearing any protective gear like helmet and a PRESS bulletproof vest. The battle at Mt. Matuman, it should have been done at nighttime because they were planning a sneak attack on one of the terrorists' strongholds. Why in the daylight when you will clearly be visible from the enemies??? And lastly, Ben's death. Ben died in the book when he tried to save Azan. He was captured and tortured to death in front of Azan's eyes which added to his severe PTSD. In the drama, it's just unacceptable that they killed him just like that. If he already escaped and got back to the base whole, he should have survived by all means. If the plan is to kill him in the drama, then they should have done it in a very convincing way. It's so anti-climactic to be honest.

Anyway, these flaws didn't hinder me from enjoying the drama. It's one of the best I've ever seen and would still recommend it though with caution since it could trigger negative emotions for those unprepared. I, myself, cried a lot the first time I read the book. And even after reading it for the third time, I still feel deep pain inside. It's truly a wonderful masterpiece with a powerful performance from all casts and staff.

Congratulations TWOT family!

Yeah. It's a pity. I love the novel. A lot. But I know it's impossible to make the drama in the same way the book is written because it will really be traumatic for the viewers. They have to tone down the gruesomeness by about 75% I guess, enough to pass the restrictions. I still enjoyed the drama to be fair.

Yeah, I'm sorry it traumatized you. I was able to read the book so I kinda expected this. The book is much more tragic than the drama. It's the best book I've ever read in ages. And I have read it 3x already.

I didn't like how the drama handled the bullying situation. It was so flawed tbh. Also, the Jiang Yu plot was not explored in depth. There's no really closure in that. So, why did they have that arc in the first place? That is not in the book. And Jiang Lin didn't even die. He's a very minor character in the book, only mentioned twice or at max thrice.

It's what happened in the book. Azan was tortured beyond imagination. He was kept barely alive by the terrorists because they want to use Azan's expertise in making bombs. Ben was tortured and killed as well trying to save Azan. I think it's a realistic ending for soldiers who fought in the war and survived. The book mentioned if it would have been better to die with honor than to survive in that state? Sadly, it's the reality of a war.

I don't think so. It's too brutal to pass China's restrictions.

Hope you can handle this one. I tried to make it as concise as possible without omitting key points in the story. This is what happened in the novel.

The terrorists attacked the hospital where most of the Special Forces soldiers were treated (Azan included as he was stabbed earlier by a child terrorist). Azan discovered a series of bombs enough to blow up a big portion of the hospital inside the ward and when he was about to diffuse it, one of the terrorists held Ranran at gunpoint telling him he's gonna kill her if Azan will cut the wire. Ranran told him to not listen to the terrorist and that "It's okay" implying even if she die in the process. Azan left with no choice, cut the wire at the last second then proceeded to fire at the terrorist but the terrorist already pulled the trigger and the bullet grazed on Ranran's throat. The terrorist then used Ranran's body as a shield and escaped to their base, the Cangdi Temple. Azan followed the terrorist to their base in hopes of getting back Ranran even if it's only her body (he thought Ranran was dead at this point). Azan successfully retrieved her body with Ben's help but Azan was captured by the terrorists and there, he was tortured for six months. Unimaginable torture enough to make him mentally incapacitated. Ben, after they were discharged of military duty, went back to East Country alone to try saving Azan. But in the process was captured and tortured to death in front of Azan.

Nope. The book didn't even mention of any interaction between Saxin and Benjamin. It's only in the drama.

I think if that hospital scene didn't happen, Azan will really get his redemption. I'm talking about the novel here, not the drama. Azan and RanRan were already counting the days when they will come back to China, i.e. 6months mission is completed. They even talked about their future. That incident in the hospital changed everything. Sad.

I can understand RanRan why she sent that text. She's in a difficult situation as well at that time with her having a depression and compounded by her mom's illness. And now, Azan's going back to East Country leaving her at the time she needed him the most. She wasn't in her right mental state. After she calmed down, she regretted sending that text though. But she didn't expect Azan to really not keep in touch with her anymore. And she was so ashamed to be the first to contact him when she was the one who cut ties first.

Azan needs to go back to East Country so he can overcome the lingering issue he had with what happened in 9/26. For him, he can't be with RanRan if he is not whole because what future can he give her if he's trapped inside his trauma. Going back to help defeat the terrorists is his form of redemption so when he comes back to China, the void in his heart isn't there anymore.

Yes, they didn't. Because the drama certainly wouldn't pass China's restrictions if they did. It was awfully gruesome and would certainly disturb our peace, lest our mental health. The drama is far gentler than the book but the book offered the best insights about war and PTSD. You can try reading it if you want.

Yes. That's exactly the cause of his trauma - his tinnitus. It happened during the terrorist attack in the orphanage where Song Ran's photo of CANDY was captured.

To be specific, what he threw was the suicide bomber inside a supposedly empty house since he has no time to diffuse the bomb not knowing that a family of six where hiding there. At the last second, he saw their eyes and he couldn't react fast enough that's why he was badly injured during the explosion.