hyperbutterfly89

I like the type of characters Ha Ji Won chooses but I just hate her as an actor. For some reason, her intonation and the way she speaks her lines always makes me personally feel like she is patronizing and mocking her scene partners. But I do appreciate that she almost always pick strong female characters even if I personally dislike her.

Yes, there's a romantic story-line, but I don't think it will be the main or even a major focus.

I didn't think of Baek Jin Hee but I could definitely see her as Ming Lan

Jung Kyung Ho is absolutely hilarious in comedy like One More Happy Ending with Jang Nara. I recommend watching it for him and their chemistry, although it does drag a lot in the middle. I would love Ji Chang Wook in any role he plays though :D

Although PBG is not my first choice for Ming Lan, I do think she can play shy and inconspicuous, which she did in Oh My Ghostess really well.

Park Bo Young might work as Ming Lan. I haven't watched all her work but I think the role would definitely be a new one for her and challenge her as an actress.

I agree that illogical/uninteresting plot can and does happen in all dramas regardless of the country producing it and that I was biased in my assessment. It just seems to me that way because out of the 32 C-dramas I started, I was able to finish 7 of them (most of which finished with a LOT of fast-forwarding), and I only truly loved 2 of these dramas. Maybe the really good quality dramas are dramas that don't seem to appeal to me in general like historical drama heavy on war and politics and very little to no romance like Nirvana in Fire. While The Story of Ming Lan had politics and war, it was mostly about daily life. Maybe each country excels in different genres (K-drama more with romance and C-drama with historical and Wuxia)?

I didn't think of Kim Tae-Ri and Kim Nam Gil but now that you mentioned them, I can definitely see them as Ming Lan and Gu Ting Ye although I'm biased towards my choices since I absolutely love Go Ah Sung and Jung Kyung Ho and their chemistry together.

That's why I added it to my PTW. After watching Ming Lan, I wanted to check the write's other work and it has Wallace Huo who I love.

I have Battle of Changsha on my PTW. I usually check if the dramas are dubbed or not and on what level of annoying is it if it is dubbed (from a hard slap on the face annoying to I'll grit my teeth and ignore it annoying :D). But I'll check the ones you recommended :) Thnx for the rec!

As someone who had and still have a strong aversion to C-dramas, The Story of Ming Lan is a gem. I watched ifor the first time around 5 months ago, already rewatched it (which I have never done for a C-drama and for long dramas in general), and I'm still obsessed with it. I highly recommend it! I would love to have Go Ah Sung and Jung Kyung Ho reunite in any drama ( I trust their choices in projects).

I know!!! I'm completely obsessed with it! I'm curious to see who would be your Korean Ming Lan. We each have our own vision of who would be perfect to favorite drama characters so it's completely fine to disagree with my choices :)

Although in most cases remakes of great dramas are not successful, there are case were it is (like Liar Game, Good Wife, Mother, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes). A Korean remake would also bring it to a new audience like people who don't watch c-dramas. Even when they are not a perfect replica or just perfect in general, they do offer something new and great. Although I agree that it would be heartbreaking if they remade it and it was a complete misfire.

I tried to (mostly) make it realistic by not casting leading actors/actresses in supporting or minor roles with one or two exceptions :)

I partially chose Go Ah Sung & Jung Kyung Ho because they're my bias and I adore them in whatever role they take. I kept imagining Jung Kyung Ho doing the drunk fight scene (essentially begging Ming Lan to love him) and got goosebumps :D But I'm curious to know who would be your pick Ming Lan and Gu Ting Ye!

The drama is perfect to me as well. I can't imagine it being told or retold perfectly in fewer episodes and there isn't any part that can be trimmed out. I haven't read the novel so I'm curious to know if there were any major differences.

I couldn't get into Bloody Romance either, although I liked the ML a bit. Maybe I'll check the Big Boss out! Thanks for the rec!!!

Not only is it my favorite C-drama (by a mile), but my favorite Asian drama in general. It would be heartbreaking if they remade it with a great cast and then botched the story.

I felt that the drama felt more realistic here than the drama/histrionics in some of the most popular Wuxia & fantasy dramas but obviously no drama will be loved by everyone. To each their own :) It would be great to get a K-drama with this cast in general!

It was mostly coincidental that most of the cast turned out to look almost identical to the original cast :) I chose Go Ah Sung because her portrayal in Heard It Through the Grapevine had a lot of commonalities with Ming Lan. I also like that she is soft spoken and has a soft voice which provides contrasts with the strength of the character. I also felt that she showed sass and spunk in Life on Mars. I haven't seen IU in My Ajushi so I can't really tell if she can carry the role.

It was also frustrating when a drama had really high ratings and I'd watch it and find myself unable to find any redeeming qualities about it. It felt like there's something wrong with me. A major turn off is female dubbing voices. I tried watching a drama staring the actress that portrayed Ming Lan but then he started to talk and the dubbed voice made me want to slap her in the face (despite the fact that her character was strong and intelligent). I can get over dubbing in general but the squeaky, infantile voices they use for most female characters is infuriating -_- and that's just the start of my problems with C-dramas.

I've generally struggled with Wuxia and fantasy Cdrama. I don't think I finished any of those I've started. Mostly because they are so heavy on CGI and fantasy fights which I personally find extremely eye-roll worthy and cheesy, and because of dubbing with especially female voices (and characters in general) ranging from mildly irritating to infuriating and obnoxious. But that's my personal opinion and I choose not to lose hope :D This is why I loved The Story of Ming Lan, no dubbing, it's not overloaded with CGI and flying mid air fights. I still check out a few episodes of Wuxia and fantasy dramas if they seem interesting.

I know! I did a double take and looked up the actress to make sure that she was not in fact Elliya

I can see how this drama can appeal to people who don't even watch Asian drama. It's such a rare gem. I looked up the writer of The Story of Ming Lan to see her other work because of how much I loved the drama and Battle of Changsha is definitely high on my to watch list. I'll check out All Is Well too!