About miscommunication in the middle of the drama:
I come from a place where I try to understand Ming Yi for not telling Ji Bo Zai about her identity and the poison. The more I think about it, it comes down to this: she loved him. Very much. She was willing to withstand torture to keep his secrets. But she didn’t trust him with her life. So she took the search for the cure into her own hands instead of telling him and relying on whether he would give it to her or not.
No it's a very happy ending and the way they wrote their relationship is very enjoyable even if it has usual tropes…
Interesting! I think I might have missed this pattern, but I haven’t seen many C-dramas. Now that I think about it, in The Prisoner of Beauty, the FL was quite accountable for her actions.
Somehow, I feel that in Love in the Clouds they both used each other. He also used her and technically put her in danger. His plans just unfolded earlier in their relationship, and the FL was clever enough to realize he was using her. Since we got to hear her thoughts, there wasn’t really a need for a formal apology from his side. He gave her gifts instead, and she jokingly said, “are you apologizing?” So she gave him an easy way out, because she understood his actions.
He knew she was lying about her identity, and she even asked if he poisoned Ming Xian twice I think. So honestly, I was surprised by how big of an issue he made out of her wanting to take the cure. He knew she had approached him for a reason and was smart enough to see it coming. I was also surprised she didn't communicate and also that it seems she would rather die but communicate. But I think I can understand her having her pride and not wanting to be weak and him wanting to trust.
So, I didn’t feel like it was a dynamic of a righteous ML and a cunning FL — more like two smart people who started off using each other, but her actions hurt more because they had fallen in love by then.
better than prisoner of beauty and all the blockbusters?
I would say better than prisoner of beauty, but they are also quite different. Also fwiw, fighting scenes in love in the clouds were better than other xianxia I saw
No it's a very happy ending and the way they wrote their relationship is very enjoyable even if it has usual tropes…
I actually don’t remember if she technically apologized or not. Honestly, I don’t think there was a need for that between them. He figured things out, understood, and forgave her — and that was enough for him and for their relationship to move forward.
I have to say, Ji Bozai, has really one of the most tragic backstories of all. He deserved an apology from several…
Yes, he grew up with a very strong moral compass despite the horrible environment. It’s hinted that Bo Yulan had a huge influence on him after she saved him. But their relationships were kept vague, and the deeper connection between them wasn’t explored much.
From what I understand, he was poisoned with Heavenly Grief and this is how he gained spiritual veins. But this…
My understanding is the same. What I didn’t get was why not many people used Heavenly Grief to gain veins and compete in the tournament. Of course, I understand that there is no cure, but given how some were willing to do anything just to gain power, it seems strange that only JBS has spiritual veins from Heavenly Grief.
It’s funny everyone annoyed that she was lying to him, but when he was lying to her later on about his relapse…
I love how well you put it, thank you for your comment.
I think she behaves so at ease in the first episodes that we almost forget about the environment that shaped her into who she is. She indeed had to be very strong, keep to herself and also didn’t trust anyone. And the scene with her father indeed was a good indicator of that.
"says to him at one point that Ming Xian isn’t the type of person to let anyone see that they were weak" - yes I remember that. At some moment, I though she felt as if she would rather die than seem weak.
Not all dramas with high ratings can be liked by everyone, so don’t worry if you don’t like it. I found it…
It sounds layered and itneresting. Now I am very curious how they used memory loss part in plot. Thank you again for recommending it! I will give it a try.
Somehow, I feel that in Love in the Clouds they both used each other. He also used her and technically put her in danger. His plans just unfolded earlier in their relationship, and the FL was clever enough to realize he was using her. Since we got to hear her thoughts, there wasn’t really a need for a formal apology from his side. He gave her gifts instead, and she jokingly said, “are you apologizing?” So she gave him an easy way out, because she understood his actions.
He knew she was lying about her identity, and she even asked if he poisoned Ming Xian twice I think. So honestly, I was surprised by how big of an issue he made out of her wanting to take the cure. He knew she had approached him for a reason and was smart enough to see it coming. I was also surprised she didn't communicate and also that it seems she would rather die but communicate. But I think I can understand her having her pride and not wanting to be weak and him wanting to trust.
So, I didn’t feel like it was a dynamic of a righteous ML and a cunning FL — more like two smart people who started off using each other, but her actions hurt more because they had fallen in love by then.
I think she behaves so at ease in the first episodes that we almost forget about the environment that shaped her into who she is. She indeed had to be very strong, keep to herself and also didn’t trust anyone. And the scene with her father indeed was a good indicator of that.
"says to him at one point that Ming Xian isn’t the type of person to let anyone see that they were weak" - yes I remember that. At some moment, I though she felt as if she would rather die than seem weak.
FWIW, I’m not defending her, just trying to understand the character in case there was more depth to it rather than just making things angsty for us