lurker

Sorry to say but F the mei mei storyline lol, finger automatically goes to forward button :D

Couldn't agree more. I'm still not sold on the romance part because except the ML, everyone considers them siblings, including the FL.

Also, let's be honest, even after knowing they're not siblings, it would be very difficult (weird even) for the FL to look at him romantically. I'm hoping the show takes its sweet time to give them some distance and then restart the romance part.

I find ML's makeup so unnatural and distracting 😅

I don't think it suits his character.

I wish they improvised a bit on those part (without changing the story essence).

Last few eps has been frustrating, i see a glimpse of tropey stuff from last decade shows.

I've never watched the previous ones and I'm loving it so far.

Maybe you made a mistake? Qi Gong's role is played by Ming Dao.

Yes, those were good scenes. I also liked their interaction with Qi Gong as well. In short, I kinda like most things so far :)

I've never watched the originals/remakes. Below is my opinion based on the first 13 eps:

Likes:
1. Overall acting is good, zero annoying characters so far IMO
2. Really liking the FL's acting/portrayal. C drama tends to make FLs overly bubbly which I can't digest.
3. Leads have good chemistry. ML being simple/honest and FL with her wit is a nice combo.
4. Bad people are not bad for the sake of it.

Just a couple of nitpicks:
1. Fighting choreography is not the best, not all were bad though.
2. Despite their name, "The seven freaks of Jiangnan" didn't look very strong :D

Really looking forward for the rest, hope quality remains the same throughout.

Nothing as such

Yes, in case it was not clear from my comment, that's what I said as well :)

My interest tremendously shot up since the imperial exam started. Since then, till the last episode, it has been an absolute "Joy of Life" quality.

I wish they condensed the few initial episodes.

Eagerly waiting for S3. Hope my hair would still be black by then :D.

Bro/gal, a spoiler would be appreciated LOL

Till before the exam, it was okay. But since the exam, it has been extrememly good, S1 level goodness.

The alive part understandable, but the death part is something to look forward to. Maybe YQM trusted FJ.

The last few episodes' focus moving away from prince LCZ is such a breath of fresh air. Not saying it was bad, just that it was too stretched out.

Yup yup, fingers crossed :D

Fair points and observations.

I guess my expectations were geared towards the secrets and mysteries with a healthy amount of political side.

Ah, thanks for the heads up.
Is there any news if S3 will continue immediately or is it going to be another long wait?

So far, in comparison to S1, I "loved" S1, I "like" S2.

S1 had so many memorable/re-watchable moments which I think is lacking in S2. But still half season content is yet to come, so I'm hoping for such moments.

Also, the fight with prince LCZ is going on for too long IMO & it's getting monotonous. Or at least sprinkle other aspects of the story, for e.g. mom's secret, underwater facility secret, bei qi grandmaster, etc.