SML is absolutely the villain (or one of many). The way he ends reinforces that. If he had any intention of not being that, ML/FL/SML could have talked everything out thirty episodes before the end.
the fact that this drama got a Douban 3.2 with 69% hating it just shows that Xu Kai charm connects more with viewers…
Other Xu Kai shows don't do that though 2023 Wonderland of Love: 6.9 (37k ratings) 2019 The Legends: 6.0 (82k ratings) 2019 Arsenal Military Academy: 6.6 (68k ratings)
I'm just on the 8th ep but it's hooking me. However I'd like to point it's super similar (but not 1:1) to "Love…
At times, you get the same "cruel ML" as in LLTG, but it's actually much less in this show. The ML's style/appearance/attitude is a bit similar especially early on in The Double.
And in Who Rules The World, that ML operates even more of a spy network.
The Double never engages in "pointless" slice of life stuff to the degree that Love Like The Galaxy does.
The leads have a strong bond and a healthy, drama-free relationship. WRTW is very suitable as a show without misunderstandings and draggy triangles.
What starts with the promise of an interesting empire-level power conflict quickly shifts focus to palace intrigue in just one of the empire's six states, the type of endless (endlessly repetitive) squabbles in which the baddies can never be stopped for good. (From other comments online, I've learned that this was added by the drama writers, and in the actual novel there are "only a few paragraphs" of the palace intrigue that makes up a big portion of the show.)
Since she's an excellent fighter, little Lusi doesn't always need to be rescued. Except when she needs to be rescued. Most of the time she's just hungry, which is terribly unimaginative. (Eventually the writers forget that. Just like they regularly forget the whole 'falcon' technology.)
95% of the show, FL and especially ML are super mega smart. The only times one of the leads is in serious peril, it is because they devolve into truly moronic drama leads that make nonsensical decisions without consulting the other – otherwise the writers have no way of plausibly getting them into danger. Every time this happens (admittedly rarely), this is somewhere between disappointing and infuriating.
The villain(s) and the "token" plotline don't make a lot of sense to me. I don't know how much of that is because of Netflix's usual so-so translation quality, or how much stems from the drama adaption vs the original work.
I feel it must be mentioned how unpleasant Yang Yang's hairstyle he wears for most of the show is ("hair up" doesn't work with his face), and how poorly the matter of double identities is handled, especially with regards to revealing them.
Why does the swarm of butterfly slaves beeline for the female lead to kill her? She's not yet revived via irresistible…
The "mastermind" we are offered is the ruthlessly killed leader of the Yilan clan remnants who had infiltrated the city. From the middle of EP 08:
Stop putting on airs in front of me. You are the young master of the Yilan Clan. You had been scheming and hiding in our city for years before planning this New Year's Eve incident. You are truly sinister and insidious.
(Then in exchange for his supposed life, he reveals the Pearl Princess™ is the source of magical unicorn blood, before being killed anyway.)
It's a bit far fetched, trying to insert Christian themes into a definitely danmei-(censored)-adaptation. I particularly…
"It was never WWX's intention to bring ruin to his foster family and clan, but that IS what happens due to WWX's actions - JC's clan, his parents, his sister - they all die because of something WWX did." In the drama, clan/parents die because the later-impotent Wen guys want to kill everyone else. It has absolutely nothing to do with WWX. Specifically, - Madam Yu incapacitating WWX with the Zidian prevents their presumably strongest warrior from fighting - JC's lack of focus on the mission lets Wang Lingjiao alert reinforcements (he instead ineffectively runs into Wen Zhuliu)
The death of the sister has many people to blame, but what do you want to blame them for, not making a battlefield safe for passersby?
If he had any intention of not being that, ML/FL/SML could have talked everything out thirty episodes before the end.
2023 Wonderland of Love: 6.9 (37k ratings)
2019 The Legends: 6.0 (82k ratings)
2019 Arsenal Military Academy: 6.6 (68k ratings)
While this is 3.3 (420k ratings)
If so, it would be a complete waste of time for me..
And in Who Rules The World, that ML operates even more of a spy network.
The Double never engages in "pointless" slice of life stuff to the degree that Love Like The Galaxy does.
(Obviously spoiler & ending content.)
And of course watch episode 40.5, even if it feels cheaply tacked on.
On further reflection, the novel's ending and the drama's ending are terribly dumb and misplaced in their own unique ways. I really don't understand.
The potential second couple(s) are squandered as well.
What starts with the promise of an interesting empire-level power conflict quickly shifts focus to palace intrigue in just one of the empire's six states, the type of endless (endlessly repetitive) squabbles in which the baddies can never be stopped for good.
(From other comments online, I've learned that this was added by the drama writers, and in the actual novel there are "only a few paragraphs" of the palace intrigue that makes up a big portion of the show.)
Since she's an excellent fighter, little Lusi doesn't always need to be rescued. Except when she needs to be rescued.
Most of the time she's just hungry, which is terribly unimaginative. (Eventually the writers forget that. Just like they regularly forget the whole 'falcon' technology.)
95% of the show, FL and especially ML are super mega smart. The only times one of the leads is in serious peril, it is because they devolve into truly moronic drama leads that make nonsensical decisions without consulting the other – otherwise the writers have no way of plausibly getting them into danger. Every time this happens (admittedly rarely), this is somewhere between disappointing and infuriating.
The villain(s) and the "token" plotline don't make a lot of sense to me. I don't know how much of that is because of Netflix's usual so-so translation quality, or how much stems from the drama adaption vs the original work.
I feel it must be mentioned how unpleasant Yang Yang's hairstyle he wears for most of the show is ("hair up" doesn't work with his face), and how poorly the matter of double identities is handled, especially with regards to revealing them.
Stop putting on airs in front of me.
You are the young master of the Yilan Clan.
You had been scheming and hiding in our city for years
before planning this New Year's Eve incident.
You are truly sinister and insidious.
(Then in exchange for his supposed life, he reveals the Pearl Princess™ is the source of magical unicorn blood, before being killed anyway.)
In the drama, clan/parents die because the later-impotent Wen guys want to kill everyone else. It has absolutely nothing to do with WWX.
Specifically,
- Madam Yu incapacitating WWX with the Zidian prevents their presumably strongest warrior from fighting
- JC's lack of focus on the mission lets Wang Lingjiao alert reinforcements (he instead ineffectively runs into Wen Zhuliu)
The death of the sister has many people to blame, but what do you want to blame them for, not making a battlefield safe for passersby?