Finally finished! Overall I really enjoyed it. I can see where some of the complaints are coming from, but as someone who went into this drama completely blind, I didn't really think they were OOC since by the second part their situation had changed drastically, and the whole Xiyan thing was kind of foreshadowed since the beginning. I do agree the first arc was better though, and some of the pacing near the end could've been a bit better. LXY AND WJY TOTALLY CARRIED. Their acting came through even when the writing was a bit weak. Lesser actors could not have made this show as good as it is, even though we had fantastic support cast as well. I hope LXY and WJY get to work together again in the future, they work together so well.
I'm only on ep 12 but I gotta say it's really nice that the 2 leads are both capable actors, both carry the scenes they're in together or separately. They're also the same age/generation and have similar maturity so they feel quite well matched. <3
I was kinda sceptical when they first announced Strange Tales would be getting a sequel, but somehow this season was even better than the first one! Every episode was so fun, all the actors have amazing chemistry together. Male-led dramas don't always treat their supporting female characters that well, but the girls here WORK and are indispensable to the team! At this point the main cast functions like a well-oiled machine, and I can't wait for S3.
I feel bad for the Princess that she was tricked so badly with the pregnancy thing, but every time she talks so emotionally about her phantom child with that despairing woe-is-me music in the background it makes me feel a bit sick. She COERCED the father into having a relationship with her, basically turned an idealistic scholar into her personal rent boy, because she was in an extreme position of power, it's not some child born out of pure love. Like girl I feel bad cus the trick was kind of dirty, but I do not feel pity for you whatsoever.
One of the reasons I believe for the general bl ban is kinda Untamed and the fans ( AO3 incident). So.....
Anyone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the thing between the actors is an actual ban, only the actors and their management probably think it's best they don't publicly interact in case they rile up the fans again. They're both extremely popular and have crazy antis who would probably LEAP at the chance to cause another scandal at that level.
If you wanna know about the AO3 incident you can find some vids about it on yt. It's WILD.
A comment before said this will likely look super outdated if they release it, and that's most likely true, but I'll be happy just being able to see CWN and MR on screen. Plus this won't be the first time I watched an old drama. :')
On the bright side if this eventually fades into obscurity from the general public maybe they can actually release it hehe.
Every time I see flashbacks of Shen Yurong and Xue Fangfei as a happy couple my heart hurts because they obviously loved each other a lot. What could have been if SYR had a spine and didn't let the toxic women in his life push him around until he lost the only person who genuinely supported him.
In Blossom was great! very different plot from The Double.
I hear ya! So many good dramas spend 30+ eps developing good characters only to get completely destroyed in 5 minutes in the ending. In Blossom actually does have an "open ending" of sorts - the main story is closed, they just left a thread open for a possible S2. It's minor enough that I don't think anyone was really bothered by it since people still got closure on the main plot, and it just gave people hope for S2 if they wanted one.
In Blossom was great! very different plot from The Double.
In Blossom was less clever but more tightly written than The Double, imo. It focuses on very specific things from beginning to end without biting off more than it can chew, and delivers pretty much exactly what it advertises, both romance and suspense in spades. No super ambitious ending that gets weird either.
Don't you think it a game of power? On episode 2 or 4 Jiang Li said that the garden was a demonstration of power.
Well yes, but the lengths she goes to to destroy Jiang Li seems excessive, like a death grudge. When she started Jiang Li was a kid who actually liked her a lot, there was no reason to do any of that to her if she just wanted to have Jiang Li under her control. Which is why I'm asking if the stepmom is compelled by something a lot bigger and much more personal, and I just somehow missed it in the early episodes lol.
(On ep 12) Why does the stepmom want to ruin Jiang Li so bad? Is it because she's afraid Jiang Li will usurp her power in the household? Is it explained in the early eps and I just missed it, or is it something explained later?
CY fans must be so tired trying to defend him from his own drama crew. It's a shame because this story seems so interesting, they must've been so happy when it was announced.
I haven't watched the first of FSMM yet but can you tell me why you dropped it? I wanna know if I should start…
This is all personal opinion but I found it super generic with generic characterization and very mediocre acting that I ended up with zero will power to continue watching. Didn't help that I was watching Joy of Life at the same time, the difference was like night and day. That said, I still suggest you give it a try yourself, what didn't work for me might be your cup of tea. :)
If you wanna know about the AO3 incident you can find some vids about it on yt. It's WILD.
On the bright side if this eventually fades into obscurity from the general public maybe they can actually release it hehe.