KingC

You really explained well the very same reasons I have against LSS's character. I felt that she took TTJ's feelings for her very lightly, she acts on impulse multiple times to the point that I didn't trust a single one of her actions in the mortal realm.

And well, LSS doesn't bother looking for TTJ cause there isn't anything there to look for. Gods in this drama die for good and the last bit what we see is just a sliver of his soul replacing Ming Ye's place in the scale. He isn't coming back.

I think she expected the baker to be a regular friendly dude. Which was why she gave away his name so easily. (Though, I don't understand why she never questioned him appearing all the everywhere.)
But, then again, he never asked her anything suspicious and even helped her with the case.
He was a purposefully written character that got tied up waaay too neatly.

This drama is one of those gems that I'll remember for a long time. The last episode was it's peak, both in terms of the circle finally closing as well as the performance by every single actor.
Here are my jumbled thoughts:
1. The baker dude story and his involvement seemed too much of a coincidence - that too, in two cases. As if the script was carefully planned to wrap up all ends within the exact duration. It was excellently done, but what exactly was his problem?
2. I expected that Grandpa will wake up by the end, but I think old age did catch upto him, finally. It was nice to see him smile as if his story was over.
3. The Old Lady. This is the main reason why I think getting a second season (unless the writers had a clear idea about what they were planning) might be a bit difficult because to me, she is akin to those deities. Like... there is an unnatural aura around her. As if she wasn't human to begin with. Or was she misery personified?
4. The Dad. I knew something like this was going to happen right from the first episode after that opening scene. But, the whole conversation was heartbreaking. Although, I was beyond happy that Yi Yong got to see his dad again.
5. Cao Guan Yang going insane when Chu Ying and he were trying to revive Yi Yong on the ground. I did not expect him of all people to scream that way. It was excruciatingly painful and gut-wrenching.
6. Every single supporting character in this drama. They were plain fantastic. The sequence before Yi Yong wakes up ending with the zombie was heartwarming.
7. How many years was Yi Yong in coma? Guan Yang mention that he was interning. So... another two years?
8. Glad to see that his friends from HS are still there for him.
It's not everytime that we stumble across dramas that manage to give you both the sad and happy moments in a perfect balance.

His performance in 'Oh no! Here comes trouble' (particularly in the finale) was unforgettable. Hope he gets more roles!

I saw many explanations, but its bad ending for me cause of this reason: Because TTJ became a God in the end right before he disappeared. And Gods can't resurrect in this drama. They vanish for good. And just like how a fragment of Ming Ye's consciousness was trapped in the scale, now TTJ is in his place. So... he exists in a permanent way unable to resurrect, forever just a fragment.
Usually in Xianxias, even a small belonging of the leads makes it hopeful enough for them to come back. But, this is the 1st time I'm seeing a drama that just shut that door.
Or else, like in the novel (which has a happy ending) and what happened in Ashes of Love, they are reborn in the mortal realm.

The moment they added the fact that DG literally pre-planned a life of hell for TTJ, I knew where the drama was heading. The good thing? He succumbed to his fate in a brave manner and used it for the good.
The bad thing? He didn't get a proper closure. Not even from the person he loved. Which just makes me mad. (Him being present as a sliver of soul who is unable to cultivate into a full formed individual is not my definition of a happy ending. Even Jin Mi managed to return after her soul disappeared in Ashes of Love. )
In the end, he was the hero. He ran the extra mile while everyone else paled in comparison, even Li Su Su, whom I expected to have a much more profound role. That's what makes me even more upset.

I have the same question. But... I think by the way LSS held it, it has TTJ.

The drama's most powerful weapon are the actors, CGI and costumes.
Unfortunately, I absolutely loved the Bo're Life arc which I sort of guessed had a lot of mirror imagery and foreshadowing. And what's a xianxia without a God of War around?
But, the last few episodes seems to pale in comparison to how that arc concluded. It almost seems to drag out unnecessarily.
I, for some reason, feel disconnected to the plot as a whole. The lead actors are convincing enough to make me feel for the characters, but the story sort of lost its power.

Yes, but the God of War appears at the very, very end of the drama. {The daughter's father.}

If there is a genre called Dark Xianxia, this one should be on the top. There is this constant ominous feeling everywhere.
And I feel that TTJ did recognise Li Su Su in the beginning. Why does it seem like he was after the Mirror to prevent her from going back to the past? If the rules of time travel apply here, then maybe LSS is the reason for all that happened?

I think it might also be triggering to some who has gone through it. That might be the reason it was deleted.

I do get you. We have enough sadness in real life, which is why most people want dramas to have happy endings and smooth storylines.

Well... the directors did say that they wanted to seriously reflect on current issues faced by people of this age. In that aspect, The Eighth Sense definitely won. I've seen people go bonkers after breakups to the point that it scared me.

This relationship between Ji Hyun and Jae Won has more hope, especially since Ji Hyun is empathetic and knows when, where and how to react. Jae Won is not exactly in his right state of mind. But, I think the writers will pull an 'Orange (2016)' at the end.

I'm not sure if you'll get what I'm trying to say, but considering that Jae Won has been suffering from depression and seems to have once again had a serious regression in his mental health...

He is not thinking 'anything' at all. He might've never even gone upto Eun Ji and asked her to reconcile with him or something. It's clear from his actions that he is dissociating himself from any sort of emotions.
Including Ji Hyun (he talks about how his selfishness caused him to almost lose his life) and Eun Ji. (She does all the talking and he just let's her go with it. He doesn't even respond to her advances. Plus, she doesn't really seem to like him emotionally. More like how they are good together for her aesthetic value.)
Even during that disciplinary thingy, he was ready to get suspended and did not defend himself at all. He isn't looking for a job. All in all, he is just floating about and keeping himself from drowning for now. That's what I gathered from his actions.

He keeps pushing Ji Hyun away in particular cause he is the one who sort of knows him and cares about him the most. He is terrified of hurting him once again.

The last two episodes had particularly contrived writing - I love to see He Ran happy…. If it was a 36 episode drama with plenty of filler. Not when it was destined to be 24 episodes long.

I can see why the Douban ratings took a downward journey, but anything above 6 itself is a greenlight. Though, I'm sure it would've stayed above 7 had this had a neat denouement.

Personally, I prefer a warm ending, not just for He Ran and Xiao Han. But, for two reasons:

● Because there are too many dramas involving the same illness that lead to death. I recently came across someone who cheated death several times.
For once, I want a clean ending which sparks hope instead of sadness. Dramas are usually either reflective or plain fantasy. For Xia Hua, I prefer fantasy. As to why:

● He Ran in the novel was at a point where she was too weak to even talk, support herself and her final moments are lethargic. She personally makes a choice between love and life. The drama stayed clear of such dangers, having her mother play a significant role in dealing with her. How it managed to get confusing at the end, I do not know.

Everything was laid out for it to be a satisfying ending, but I seem to expect too much from Asian writers. Also, in a way, the poetic ending is fitting. [There are multiple extended versions and scenes, but I've lost energy trying to find them all.]

No. He originally had a fake copy. In EP4, we see He Ran get the real painting with the writing behind it out of the safe.
A comment on Viki went 'now he has two of the same painting' during the scene where she is lugging a frame to his house later in the same episode. She tells that it's a frame, but most viewers assume that she somehow made up an excuse to give him the original and switch out the fake. Though we are never shown anything.

Elder Jian did have a son who had left for Japan. The old beggar who first recognized Jian Bu Zhi as Wang Hua narrates at the end about wondering how he ended up calling himself Elder Jian's son as the real Jian Bu Zhi was in Japan. He later finds out how from Bu Zhi's conversations as @paxxie mentioned. (Wang Hua who lost his memories found Elder Jian's diary and assumed that he was the son.)
Santong Security boss did say that Jian Bu Zhi looked familiar.

I began a slow watch of this drama this year. Not yet to the point of head over heels hooked, but it's definitely one of the funniest and unique Chinese Dramas I've watched. And this is another excellent and beautiful article! Thanks for this!

That's an excellent observation. Maybe you are actually, right. She might've been cured. The novel ends with her mom and Yuan Qi. The major issue I have with this drama was how they treated He Ran's relapse. It could've been a 100% happy ending, but they never mention her return.

Well, the original novel ended with the girl's death. And the last scene seems akin to a dream or fantasy.
Three versions of the ending were shot. And comparing it to several other older dramas with the same kind of plot, it seems to have ambiguously ended in tragedy despite not directly stating that to the viewers.
But, if you interpretted it as a happy ending, it's totally fine.
(In my opinion, the last two episodes were hastily written. Otherwise, I would've believed that it was a happy ending. I created my own version out of it anyway.)

Either that or he died a few years after her. Like, they showed him closing his home as if it was for one final time. We see the fish and their things together. Then, we see the dream like sequence. But, it looks like he is dead too. The end credits have them reuniting. Pretty sure that implies that they reunited in the afterlife.