kaister

Sure the drama has its good enjoyable moments but it's too deeply flawed to be considered good. I think most of us, or at least me, is more forgiving of the drama because of the actors/actresses on it. However, these actors/actresses are simply in other productions with clearly superior roles.

The chemistry is there for leads from moment to moment...to me it's the characters and the character's actions that's lacking. Like there's no way the actor could save them without hiring a competent writer and rewrite them completely. For example MY is a better written and a more intriguing character that either SGT or CXZ could ever be despite MY being a secondary role. That's crazy.

Lord Lu is simply a shallow token villain character. His plans was convoluted and lack logics...for example, he does too many things for the sake of being evil than actually coming up with a well-crafted plan to accomplish what he wanted, which is still confusing for me. Like what exactly was he REALLY trying to do? His action is so reckless and crazy to be effective in any sense at all. ALL characters are deeply flawed.

It's frustrating because I want it to be better than what it ended up.

Yea a lot of similarities but at the same time there are lot of differences between the two. Unfortunately, it's simply not as good as Moonlight, imho.

Haha...some of her "male" disguise looks so much like her female ones, I sometimes wonder why even bother.

I don't mind recycled themes or plotlines at all. It doesn't bothered me. What I do care about is an engaging and compelling storyline. The ability to tell old stories in a fresh way.

Unfortunately, this drama is simply not that. Although it has its enjoyable moments sprinkled here and there, its story has tons of flaws with cliche characters and cliche plot device. There are flaws in all aspect of the production; storylines, characters, filming, music, etc.

I'm not sure if I would change your mind but I'll tell you this. The drama is weird because it has two separate tones: 1. a light hearted comedy 2. a heavy court drama. To me, they couldn't be more different. I think the idea is that they want to balance the heavier side with lighter stuff. As for the female, she'll have her sobering moments but unfortunately for you she'll definitely would still have her annoying moments throughout the rest of the drama.
The drama is sprinkle with a lot of good moments that I enjoyed. Unfortunately, it's filled with tons of stuff that I hated....like bad drama cliches. Ugh. If you're good at tuning out flaws in a drama, you might be able to enjoy this for most part.
Would I recommend it? Overall the drama is just ok. I definitely did enjoy the earlier half of the drama better than the latter half. My suggestion is that if you're itching for a drama and have time to check out the first 5-6 episodes and enjoyed them...go ahead and watch the rest of this drama. However, don't expect a lot out of this drama...it's clearly a low budget production with an inexperienced team and it shows.

Just finished it. It's alright. It was decently enjoyable in the beginning. However, it's average to below average by the end. Good thing is it's relatively short for a cdrama so it doesn't suck up too much time if you do decide to watch it.

Yea that's how I feeling about Leo Lou here. When I saw the earlier episodes, I immediately could tell this is not as gonna be as challenging of a role compare to his previous roles. Rongqi and Runyu...despite not being lead...are far more complex and interesting character than Shangguan Tou. Again you can't even put the blame on Leo, it's really how the character is written. This is simply not Leo's best role.
Chong Xuezhi is also not that compelling of a character either. I have nothing against Yukee as an actress but her character is just not likeable. Again you can't really place the blame on the actor's hand. They're really handicapped by the writing.
I agreed. Zhou Ting Wei did well on Mu Yuan. Which is kinda funny if you think about it considered his character is the type of character Leo usually plays. lol

This is a drama where I truly enjoy the behind the footage WAY more than the actual drama.

Overall it's an ok-ish drama but coming in I was expecting more the just ok. I like the 3 leading actor/actress and don't mind watching their upcoming dramas.

However, I am having serious doubt on the production team and this is gonna affect what I'm gonna think about the upcoming Immortality. I hated that stupid blurred background effect that they overly abused throughout the drama. It sucks because otherwise it's a very good looking drama. Like who the hell think it's a compelling idea to blurred the background practically EVERY single scene with characters on the foreground. Beside that, they seriously need better writers...ugh...

It is disappointing. The story is a big letdown. Extremely sad because I like most of the casts. Unfortunately the production team apparently just didn't spend any effort on a good story/script. Ugh. I say skip it unless you really really like the cast and have nothing better to watch.

Respectable opinion. I've seen all of the trailers for it and though I'm not sure the entire storyline but the trailer seem to almost give most of it away.

Like one of the funny thing is there were a lot of kissing in one of the trailers. AND 16 episodes later, guess what, they haven't even kissed once -_- lol.

I think the previous poster is just suggesting that option to you in case you really feel like giving up on it. Trailers is just a few minutes so it wouldn't be a terrible waste of time.

Whoa I thought I was crazy for thinking YZ and DL pairing was a little off when everyone seems to be raving about it.

Romance in cdrama is always a little off for me. Part of the reason is that writer, I think, just simply expect you to buy into the romance. As a viewer, sometimes you can do it easily and sometimes you can't. I get it, it's not easy writing good romance but still sometimes it feels unfulfilling.

Truthfully, I feel it's easier to just let yourself buy into romance sometimes regardless of its flaw. Then and only then can you really enjoy the show. At the end of the day, it's entertainment after all.

I actually don't have an issue with either of your opinion but since you guys are talking about chemistry I just want to throw this out there.

IMHO Leo and Yukee actually have better chemistry off-screen than on-screen, as crazy as that sound, for this drama. I've seen some of the bts clips for this drama. Leo in real life on set is actually a very playful person whereas Yukee is quite bashful...and they are amazing. I almost wished they could've translate their actual personality onto their on-screen counterpart...lol
SGT is flirty but sentimental but Leo is not flirty but playful...kinda like a big kid. This is also why admire Leo's acting ability because his real-life personality is so different than Run Yu or Rong Qi (I'm not familiar with his other works).
CXZ kinda naive and innocent almost to a fault, whereas Yukee is bashful but don't act like a little girl. Again some defended that as part of her characterization but at the same time I can see why some doesn't like the character.

Part of me wish they would be able work together again perhaps in a modern sweet rom-com in the future. Because I actually quite like both Leo and Yukee and their off-screen chemistry.

There's nothing wrong with dropping the series especially if the lead couple doesn't work for you. I'd seen drama where lead couples just never works out for me so I know how it feels. If something doesn't sit right for you it's really difficult to continue. Sometimes I would follow secondary couple instead but unfortunately for this drama...the lead couple is pretty much it. So if you don't buy into the lead couple...then I honestly feel that it's pretty pointless for you to continue.

The first 12 or so episode is really just mainly a bunch of flirting, a confession, rejection, then separation and reflection. So they're not truly an established "couple" yet and still not an item even after 16 episodes. Because so far, you can tell she loves him but he is still conflicted and still searching for his emotion. They won't be a true couple until they BOTH understand and acknowledge they love each other. Maybe that's why it's not working out for you...hence your second lead comment because second leads are often in unrequited love. However he is coming around with his emotions...so we don't know yet. I think the drama is trying to at least build out their romance, laying out groundwork (based on first 16 episode + trailers), their romantic journey, their trails and tribulation to deliver the most emotional impact based on what they're trying to doing; but it's kinda on a slower pace. At least a pace that I thought is kinda slow but some people here actually like the slower pace. Very often drama just drop you in and tell you a couple are in love and don't really give you why. So kudos for them to at least trying to lay down and build out a romance storyline. As for whether or not this all works out, I can't say for sure until maybe when the drama is finished or near finish.

As of now, the drama is not even done yet. So dropping it and maybe revisiting it after it's complete might be the best for you.

There's an eng-sub version of the interview they did for this drama:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzXQ44CGobI

Posting here so people can check it out. I'm hoping we can hear more about this drama soon.

Here's the behind the scene video of that scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lamVqp4bqXI

(edited: switched to a video with english sub. btw that channel has a few other subbed bts videos)

You raised a very good point. I do remember being burnt by drama that have really good initial 10-20 episodes and then just dropped off the cliff. I'm not sure what it is with cdrama and their high episode count. A lot of time, it felt like they're just full of fillers.
Although ATWIL is on a slower pace than other drama, things are moving and initial quarter of the series seems like built-up. I'll reevaluate after the mid-point. There is enough there for me to keep going.
I did read some c-netizen dropping it cause they think the story is too bland, slow, and boring. Kinda sad, imo cause it seems like if it's not going at a breakneck pace with constant intrigues it's simply not worth watching to some people. I feel that a well-paced cohesive story is not valued to drama viewer because sometimes i feel like script writer sacrifice storyline to keep up withe the intrigue. Again, hard to say whether this drama will have a quality storyline...but as of right now it's not bad.

I think you're too harsh on her. She hasn't impressed me as an actress either but her acting is fine. If your grief is why she's landing on one lead roles after another, fair enough I guess. But this seems to be more of a testament on the ability of her agency. Can't really fault her for having a good agency. Besides, seems like there are people who like her.

Yea I mainly watch this for Leo. He's definitely the biggest draw for me here. And he's doing a good job here. The guy haven't really disappoint yet in his roles. Though this is probably not his most challenging role or anything.

I'm still following this drama because honestly there's not much going on. Kinda disappointed with Legend of Awakening

Oh yes...don't worry about it. I think I know what you're trying to say.

I feel the same way with Yang Zi. Yang Zi is probably one of the biggest actress in which I don't hate but at the same time don't like either. And I couldn't really explain why because I actually think she's a pretty good actress overall. There's just something off about her and I dunno what it is. But I just marked that down as a preference thing and moved on. Maybe someday she'll click with me, I dunno.

Oh ok. Yea I'm mainly following this drama because of Leo Luo. Like a lot people, I was also impressed by his role in Ashes of Love. Never heard of him prior. I'm not as enamored by his look or acting skill as some other....lol. I have no big complaint about his look but I find him a little too skinny and ummm feminine lol. But I've seen enough of his work to know he's a wonderful actor and seemingly a great person irl. Enough for me to be following his work.

Though he has a few leads recently, this one just happen to be the very first one out. I'm actually looking forward to his modern role in Love is Sweet more. Because it's well...a modern role and has Bai Lu haha.

I've seen a few behind the scene clip. And on this press promo talk show thing, I was actually a bit taken back by Yukee there. I don't really follow her or anything. I'm surprised at how mature her voice actually is in real life. People kept on complaining about Leo voice being dubbed but Yukee's voice is even more drastic. I've always always rather hear the actor/actresses' own voice and hated the fact dubbing is so common in Chinese drama. But it's something I just have to live with for now. :/ The point I'm making is that she feels like a completely different person behind the scene compare to the role she played.

Oh to Yukee's credit, I'll mention this. I think she's actually pretty well casted here. I'm not sure how much you've seen this drama...I think just the first two episodes is fine...and just pay attention to the character she's playing.

Although there are stronger actresses out there that I like in general, for this particular role...who would you rather have in this role instead of her? Honestly I couldn't think of any. Perhaps there might be a few but I couldn't think of any right now so someone help me...lol. Sometimes finding the actor/actress that fits the role is more important than finding the strongest actor/actress you can think of. Because I would rather those actor/actress take on a stronger character/role instead.