a female gazing

Took until Episodes 15+16 for the main leads to actually converse. I'm hollering at the way they structured the pacing. Something is missing. I love a good slow burn, but this is positively glacial—and there simply isn't enough expressive dialogue going on to keep me engaged.

I've said it before, but it's crazy to me that even this far along, I don't feel I really know either Zheng Shu Yi or Shi Yan AT ALL. Qin Shi Yue feels very fleshed out, for example. I can isolate her flaws, her strengths, the little quirks, what makes her tick. I can't say the same about the leads. Idk, but that feels like a pretty big missed hurdle to overcome at this stage lmao. Whaaaaat the heck.

A character having a constantly-running inner monologue (as Zheng Shu Yi does) is not the same as character and relationship development....she and Shi Yan barely interact in a tangible way even when they're touching, and poor Dylan is not a strong enough emotional actor to be virtually silent every episode while still generating impact.

I seriously hope the script starts giving these two something to do, and soon. We're already almost halfway through!

oh my god, the more scenes we get of xue ning and xie wei together, the more i want! their chemistry is heating up at JUST the right pace for this drama—it wasn't meant to be love at first sight (clearly), and they have a long way to go. but every single time they share screen time i get exponentially more excited for how their relationship is going to develop. that's super impressive tbh.

it's gonna be physically painful waiting for new episodes of this one...

I am genuinely enjoying this one, and am trying to be patient with it, mainly because it feels very polished and un-rushed.

That being said, I'm pretty surprised that we are 12 episodes in already and the two leads have yet to have an ACTUAL conversation lmao. Not an exaggeration; they haven't actually talked about anything besides work and quip exchanges. What even draws them to one another? Am I supposed to be able to tell? I can't help but feel like I don't actually know either of these characters at all, and they don't actually know each other—which makes the tension they are trying to build between them fall a little flat.

Again, I'm still enjoying this because it's clearly a higher quality production than many other romcoms, and I generally have faith in Bai Lu & Wang Hedi's project-choosing capabilities. We'll have to see what the next few episodes bring, but hopefully we reach some sort of catharsis ASAP and get moving, because this little dance these two are doing is not as engaging as it could be.

Been looking forward to this one for ages but so far the pacing, cinematography, and story progression makes the whole production feel like a first draft. Plus, tbh the chemistry between leads just ISN'T there. Disappointed.

Legit dropped this at episode 98 when it became clear that Seol Ah was ACTUALLY going back to her cheating ex-husband instead of living in simple happiness with Tae Rang, the wisest and most patient SML in history lmao. Absolutely unbelievable decision by the writer to have this woman reverse all of her character development to appease this spoiled manipulative stalker of a man...I'm repulsed and revolted. Huuuuuuge waste of time.

Absolutely incredible pilot. I've never cried (multiple times!!!) during the first episode of a drama before, but this one was so sincere and heartbreaking.

Wasn't as big a fan of episode 2, but I'll definitely be sticking with this one regardless.

i literally cannot believe how attractive this cast is. like visuals so unbelievably gorgeous i almost find it unappealing.

operative word here being "almost" ofc, i'm gonna simp so hard for this when it's airing lmao

I love this show. But not having a single one of the main characters present at that explosive fire-y building collapse straight up die, or at the VERY LEAST receive an extremely serious injury, stretched the limits of my disbelief into almost parody territory

This was very much like a historical Chinese Mr & Mrs Smith lmao. Really short, cute, and fun, and the leads have great chemistry—they were also wonderful together in Ru Hua Ru Tu!

Agree wholeheartedly with all your points. I could totally see why King the Land would be enthralling for a newbie in Dramaland, but for us veterans, it really didn't make a mark.

If you want to dress up drama cliches in brand new packaging and make it consumable, it had better have some damn good acting, chemistry, and a dreamy OST. May I please recommend to all who may see this: The Forbidden Flower, with Jerry Yan and Xu Ruo Han. Stunning and moving even with all the cliches it utilized. It was the absolute PERFECT blend of nostalgia and freshness. Easily my fav drama of the year.

i am going to be in a nursing home by the time this lakorn drops istg

Lin Lu Xiao organizing the snack table at the dance studio was SO WHOLESOME tbh....he is absolutely bringing sexy dad energy. Like I'm picturing him doing this exact thing but with children's toys. Can anyone else feel it or is it just me??

If we don't get an epilogue scene at the end of this show of them with kids, I am rioting

I really wasn't expecting such fantastic chemistry between Johnny Huang and Zhang Jing Yi, maybe because of the age difference or difference in experience levels?? Well, I was worried for nothing because they are simply electric together. Perfectly matched. The vibe they bring to the screen is so much more sincere and real than I could have hoped for. I can't get enough of them! I have my fingers tightly crossed hoping for no noble idiocy breakups, lmao.

This is by far Huang's best performance—he is very understated in this role, just effortless and in his element. I'm shocked and super excited at how much I'm enjoying this tbh. It blows FOMH out of the water, no question.

curious, are you actually a bot? you've provided no actual rebuttals besides strawman arguments and calling me "aNti-cHiNa!!" (incorrect, childish, absurdly reductive). if this is the only thing of meaning you have managed to parse here then it isn't even worth interacting with you.

p.s. accusing me of spewing political propaganda is the most exquisite irony...

peace out ✌️

lmao what you are saying is objectively false, but sure. nice strawman though.

i absolutely do not "hate" china. this is such a vacuous and dramatic statement. unlike you, i simply have an adult grasp of nuance and can critique governmental policy from a balanced perspective rather than through anti/pro goggles. i already mentioned above that i enjoy some chinese media but i watch it with a critical eye rather than blindly consuming content.

who is the 'literally, insane' one here tbh? anyway, good luck evolving!

the point i'm making is that the results of these kinds of data are often extremely skewed because of government control and censorship, and that grand institutions—yes, even harvard university, who FYI receives a whopping 13% of its total spending from chinese sources—are not exempt from bias and improper survey methodologies.

it is absolutely not anti-china to be cautious when using statistics like the one you cited. china is not its government—it is its' people, and they are far from a monolith.

for further reading regarding the criticism of harvard's endowments from china:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2023/08/07/house-committee-wants-harvard-endowment-foundation-money-out-of-china/?sh=f61e2db60f20

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/09/congress-targets-harvard-yale-and-top-universities-with-china-linked-endowments-00038625

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/13/805548681/harvard-yale-targets-of-education-department-probe-into-foreign-donations

lmao. okay. OP is correct, and this statistic is not a reliable metric to use to assume the positive impact of the CCP on the chinese population. most especially in the case of the PRC, this kind of data is virtually guaranteed to be skewed and biased for an amalgam of factors like government control and censorship, as well as deeply questionable—and pretty unethical—survey methodologies.

chinese citizens are legally obligated to only speak positively about the government. expressing dissenting opinions or critiquing the CCP in any way can literally land you in prison or worse. keep in mind that in china the internet is monitored, citizens have tremendously limited access to news sources outside of state-sponsored organizations, and there is no lawful free speech or freedom of assembly.

the chinese 'approval' of their government is manufactured by an authoritarian bureaucracy under threat of incarceration and/or the dropping of social credit score. you can—and should—be responsibly critical of the chinese state and their propaganda when consuming cdramas and other chinese media.

ohsweethaven is subbing it! https://ohsweethaven.com/currentproject/lppdao/

There are dozens of us!!!!

I was thinking the SAME EXACT thing. I already felt their fire way earlier in the show, and kept having to tell myself "Stop it, this is a crack!ship, you are doing your crack!ship thing again."

But then the way he looked at her when she was displaying her martial arts technique in the main hall!!! And then when he caught her during that fight!!! I was clutching my chest and my pearls

Yes please, (1) twin each for GSJ and GZY in the second season lmaooooo