Can anyone enlighten me on who Prince Chang's mother is? I know she was a concubine but was she ever named? I assume she died because the first Queen adopted him.
I really like this drama, love the cast, love the writing, love the chill, happy vibe. It's nice to see a well paced slow-burn relationship that veers on the chaste side without being overly juvenile. First couple of episodes were a bit shaky but it gets so enjoyable after that. It's rare for me to like not only the main couple but ALL couplings and I do here, both as pairings and as individual characters. Well done!
Feel like I should post something about the show itself for people who want to check it out but aren't sure. Have watched up to ep 10, previously read the book. VERY good adaptation. Visually, A+. I'm actually a bit surprised by how high quality the production is. It feels premium, is lovely to look at. Cinematography is polished, soundtrack works very well for the vibe of the show.
The leads are beautiful and look good together and suit their roles to a T. The romance feels natural and moves at a nice pace, never forced. It's a high quality entry into the genre - there are the usual tropes here and there but they are tempered by characters who feel real and have relatable problems.
Yu Tu is one of my favourite characters of all time - he is a realistic rendering of the "perfect male lead" in asian drama: the quintessential high school genius heartthrob EXCEPT his life didn't turn out the way he expected it to. Yu Tu isn't an asshole. He's not toxic. He's a normal person who struggles to live up to expectations (both internal and external). He's not perfect, but he works hard to learn how to be a good boyfriend. I enjoy the casting of Yang Yang and feel like I am watching a parallel universe to Love 020 (both written by the same author, both starring the same actor), in a "what if Xiao Nai was a real person with failings and depth and growth?" sort of way.
Dilireba as Jing Jing is lovable and luminous. She provides lightness and love and her steadfast convictions and willpower carry both the show and the romance. Not much more to say except she's gorgeous and I like her.
It's probably not for everyone, but for people who want a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance that doesn't lean heavily into comedy and is grounded and sincere, this is it.
Despite the very hit-or-miss low production quality and rather slow pacing and plethora of sometimes annoying, sometimes irrelevant side-characters, I absolutely love this drama. I'm not even sure why I like it so much.
I love the Ah Fei x Xie Yun romance, I love Chu Chu, and I love hot grandpa and the trail of lovelorn ladies he left in his wake 20 years later. Super fun and enjoyable if you don't come in with high expectations.
Of course, many people would not like added female character since the original novel is not tagged romance even…
There definitely isn't a love triangle. The romance is light so far (ep 12), it's very much puppy love, not serious or dramatic at all. They kind of just have a crush on each other and it doesn't really detract from the main story IMO.
Of course, many people would not like added female character since the original novel is not tagged romance even…
Understandable that fans of the novel wouldn't like a big change like an added character, but I haven't read it and can only judge based on the drama itself. If it helps at all, I don't think Mu Qing's character overshadows the second male lead in terms of storyline or screen time. I do like her more than I like him, but that's due to my personal preference towards the actors rather than the characters. You might feel differently if/when you check it out yourself.
This show has a really interesting concept and the art production/sets/costumes are wonderfully designed & rendered. The story is a little convoluted and the script/dialogue is a bit amateurish but it is very, very watchable. I didn't like the first episode but by the end of episode 3 I was hooked.
Neo Hou is the standout. He's charismatic and fun to watch. I'm surprised so many people don't like Bambi or her character. I find her quite likable and enjoyed Mu Qing's arc through eps 10-12. On the contrary, for me it's the second male lead who is the weakest out of the trio. The character is stereotypical, which isn't the actor's fault - but so are the other two roles, and yet I find he struggles more in delivering lines without being awkward/unconvincing than Neo or Bambi. Moreover, the supporting cast is really hit-or-miss. Some of them are downright terrible (the foreign actors, for example, and the girls at Mu Qing's college) while others really tugged at my heart (Mu Qing's brother, the elderly horologist).
This does remind me a lot of My Roommate Is A Detective, and objectively it is more creative, with better "cases" so to speak, but it falls short in terms of cast experience & the script lacks polish. It's worth checking out if you are curious at all, you might really enjoy it.
Dr. Cui needs to get his license revoked for REPEATEDLY divulging confidential patient information to random dudes like ??? When he talked to Shi Yi about Fang Yan's situation I was like ALRIGHT THIS SEEMS ETHICALLY UNSOUND BUT MB SHE GAVE HIM CONSENT given they believed Shi Yi could help her - but I couldn't believe he just told Shi Meng everything... like... what.
Confession episode was one of the best I've seen in a drama in a long time. Super adorable and funny. I found eps 3-6 a bit slow to get through but it's picked up a lot from ep 7 onward. Really enjoyable!
This opposition "daring fighting fun girl" vs "rich competent stucked up boss " is so cliché. So far ep 6 there…
I think what's missing is a little bit of sweetness between them. The romance is developing a bit too slowly and their bickering doesn't feel like attraction but annoyance with each other. Hopefully it gets better once their history is fleshed out a bit more.
I watched the first episode and liked it. Looking forward to more. People who enjoy second-chance romance + high school crushes reuniting should give this a chance. TBH I'm ambivalent towards both leads but maybe this will be the drama that changes my mind about them :)
Hey, do you guys think the male lead did some surgery or something?He is so damm handsome here compared to the…
Some minor work is possible, but I also think he's simply matured a lot since filming MG. 3 yrs makes a big difference for someone when they're in their early 20s. Plus the styling is better in this drama, he has much better hair.
There's almost no logic piecing together this drama's storyline whatsoever... it's scientifically unsound... but the heroine breaks the fourth wall to tell us these events happen in her manhua and not in real life so... I guess I'm fine with that? Basically watching this requires a huge amount of suspension of belief from the viewer BUT the leads have chemistry and the rate at which tropes are flung at us is dizzying. I kind of love it. Am 3 episodes in and want to watch more.
The leads are beautiful and look good together and suit their roles to a T. The romance feels natural and moves at a nice pace, never forced. It's a high quality entry into the genre - there are the usual tropes here and there but they are tempered by characters who feel real and have relatable problems.
Yu Tu is one of my favourite characters of all time - he is a realistic rendering of the "perfect male lead" in asian drama: the quintessential high school genius heartthrob EXCEPT his life didn't turn out the way he expected it to. Yu Tu isn't an asshole. He's not toxic. He's a normal person who struggles to live up to expectations (both internal and external). He's not perfect, but he works hard to learn how to be a good boyfriend. I enjoy the casting of Yang Yang and feel like I am watching a parallel universe to Love 020 (both written by the same author, both starring the same actor), in a "what if Xiao Nai was a real person with failings and depth and growth?" sort of way.
Dilireba as Jing Jing is lovable and luminous. She provides lightness and love and her steadfast convictions and willpower carry both the show and the romance. Not much more to say except she's gorgeous and I like her.
It's probably not for everyone, but for people who want a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance that doesn't lean heavily into comedy and is grounded and sincere, this is it.
I love the Ah Fei x Xie Yun romance, I love Chu Chu, and I love hot grandpa and the trail of lovelorn ladies he left in his wake 20 years later. Super fun and enjoyable if you don't come in with high expectations.
Neo Hou is the standout. He's charismatic and fun to watch. I'm surprised so many people don't like Bambi or her character. I find her quite likable and enjoyed Mu Qing's arc through eps 10-12. On the contrary, for me it's the second male lead who is the weakest out of the trio. The character is stereotypical, which isn't the actor's fault - but so are the other two roles, and yet I find he struggles more in delivering lines without being awkward/unconvincing than Neo or Bambi. Moreover, the supporting cast is really hit-or-miss. Some of them are downright terrible (the foreign actors, for example, and the girls at Mu Qing's college) while others really tugged at my heart (Mu Qing's brother, the elderly horologist).
This does remind me a lot of My Roommate Is A Detective, and objectively it is more creative, with better "cases" so to speak, but it falls short in terms of cast experience & the script lacks polish. It's worth checking out if you are curious at all, you might really enjoy it.