We really jumped from a fake FL subplot immediately into a fake ML subplot. And apparently no one is smart enough to tell the difference. :')))
This is some of the goofiest writing I've encountered. YY spent years with his fake family and didn't even spare a glance when they disappeared. I know they were fake, but in his mind at least (however temporarily) they were real. It's like the writer actively wants us to hate the ML at this point bc they constantly show his character in an unflattering light.
It's a little hard to answer this without spoiling anything, but I would say that it's technically a happy ending? The leads do end up together, but the circumstances are a bit sad, if that makes sense.
I feel like they should've just leaned all the way in and made this a thriller because that revelation near the end was way too wild to just casually brush over. Legit did not see it coming though so I'm both disturbed and impressed.
As someone that likes makjangs (absurdity and all) I enjoyed this, but I have to agree with others that said it felt like there was something missing. I'm glad that some dramas have started trimming unnecessary fat and giving us more condensed stories, but it almost feels like they trimmed too much here.
It's one of the rare instances where I feel like it might've been better suited as a 16-ep drama because it didn't feel like the 8 episodes we got were enough to properly flesh out the characters and their motivations. For instance, I really liked the woman in charge of Rex, and I thought we would learn more about her backstory and why she gave the FL the advice that she did early on, but we just sort of got a vague blurb about her past at the very end.
I also feel like they could've done a better job with the romance, because it felt like they kept trying to tell me that something was there without actually putting in any effort to convince me. Maybe it was due to the FL's more subdued acting, but she was constantly telling others that there was nothing between her and the CEO and I believed her every time. (also how on earth did they convince the mom to come to the wedding? because she was dead-set against them being together, and then next second she's smiling at the chapel...)
It wasn't a bad drama. I just feel like it could've been a much better one.
If you're thinking of starting this because it seems like it might be a romance as the title and genres suggest, you might want to reconsider. There are a few incredibly vague moments, but they don't really end up meaning anything in the end. If anything, those moments are even more annoying in retrospect because it feels like the writers knew exactly what they were doing and simply inserted them into the story without any actual plan to follow through. They wanted viewers. so they did what they thought was "in fashion" and then bailed tf out in the end.
I really loved this drama... up to a certain point. The chemistry? Amazing. The ending? Not so much. There were two places in the drama that felt like they would've made for a more natural conclusion rather than the nonsensical one we got.
Also looking forward to the day that writers stop using rape as a motivation for a female character's descent into villainy. Qiu Min annoyed me to no end, but the writers just randomly sprinkling that into the plot annoyed me so much more. I can think of at least 4 other historical cdramas off the top of my head where this happens and it feels cheap and insulting every time.
god knows I love these two leads, and I was super excited to finally see a disabled main character, which is so rare in dramaland, but... they handled it terribly.
The last episode in particular erased nearly all of the good feelings I had left for the series. The ML would rather die than live life using his wheelchair? Who thought that was a good idea and/or nice way to round out the ML's journey? And that was on top of the way the topic of disability was handled in general. I thought we were finally making progress mid-series when he was ready to face the FL in his wheelchair, but at some point after that we took several major steps backward and he decided that death was better than treatment.
What could have been an inspirational journey of him learning to accept himself only ended up reinforcing the messed up idea that life is only worth living if he can be like ""normal"" people. I can't believe that was the approach they decided to take.
I actually enjoyed this goofy drama -- except for the end, which just annoyed and depressed me. Generally I don't mind when dramas go for a realistic ending, but when the rest of the plot has varying degrees of absurdity and other makjang elements, it doesn't really make sense to suddenly opt for gritty realism in the end. The only saving grace of dramas like this where literally everyone is terrible is for the bad guys to get their inevitable comeuppance, so if that's what you're hoping for, I would strongly advise skipping this one.
I don't think he's listed in the credits, but it's Li An/Doctor Wu
oop, i nearly forgot about her. She ends up finding out that the previous emperor was killed by the fake father and that her hatred and scheming toward the ML has basically been pointless/misdirected. (She had also given the ML a poison when he was a child that would activate and eventually kill him if he ever fell in love, which is why he has those bouts of weakness early on in the drama around her, but they're able to cure it with a rare flower that the FL finds.)
There had also been a secret edict left by the former emperor that appointed the ML as the crown prince, and the current emperor is willing to give up his position so he can take his rightful place, but the ML tells him to remain the emperor.
I don't think he's listed in the credits, but it's Li An/Doctor Wu
No problem! Eventually the fake father ends up getting the power stone and uses it to start a war with No Magic village. Qing Qing's father is killed. - The crown prince shows up and reveals the truth - that the fake father is the one who killed the previous emperor and has basically manipulated everyone into destroying the village for his own purposes/grudge. - The fake father dies using the power stone to seal off No Magic village with a magic barrier, separating the FL and ML. - The FL and ML use up their powers to break the barrier, the brothers reconcile, the fake sister sees the error of her ways, and the two regions are declared equal and have peace restored.
That's probably more info than you wanted haha but it was a happy ending. :'D
I don't think he's listed in the credits, but it's Li An/Doctor Wu
The fake father was in love/obsessed with the magic girl, but she loved the FL's father. She ended up jumping off a cliff with her infant child in her arms because the fake father was trying to force her to come back and be with him. The mother died but the fake father found the baby and raised her.
My memories are a little fuzzy here, but if I remember correctly he wanted some sort of power stone that the daughter might have inherited in order to increase his own power, which is why he ends up raising her. I hope that helps! ^^
I enjoyed this, absurdity and all (even if my blood pressure did not). What I didn't like was how the drama treated the couple involving domestic violence as a comedy bit. Nearly every time they were on screen together, quirky music would play and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. It felt like the writer wanted to sprinkle that subplot in since other dramas like this have done the same, but they treated it almost like a joke rather than taking it seriously.
This has been such a pleasant surprise! I just wish they would stop casting Deng Wei in secondary roles ((where he outshines the ML :'))) and give him a lead role already.
NGM was phenomenal as always, but the scenes with the product placement were some of the most hilariously out-of-place clips I've seen in a while. (Asking him about his bowel movements?? I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.)
This is some of the goofiest writing I've encountered. YY spent years with his fake family and didn't even spare a glance when they disappeared. I know they were fake, but in his mind at least (however temporarily) they were real. It's like the writer actively wants us to hate the ML at this point bc they constantly show his character in an unflattering light.
It's one of the rare instances where I feel like it might've been better suited as a 16-ep drama because it didn't feel like the 8 episodes we got were enough to properly flesh out the characters and their motivations. For instance, I really liked the woman in charge of Rex, and I thought we would learn more about her backstory and why she gave the FL the advice that she did early on, but we just sort of got a vague blurb about her past at the very end.
I also feel like they could've done a better job with the romance, because it felt like they kept trying to tell me that something was there without actually putting in any effort to convince me. Maybe it was due to the FL's more subdued acting, but she was constantly telling others that there was nothing between her and the CEO and I believed her every time. (also how on earth did they convince the mom to come to the wedding? because she was dead-set against them being together, and then next second she's smiling at the chapel...)
It wasn't a bad drama. I just feel like it could've been a much better one.
Also looking forward to the day that writers stop using rape as a motivation for a female character's descent into villainy. Qiu Min annoyed me to no end, but the writers just randomly sprinkling that into the plot annoyed me so much more. I can think of at least 4 other historical cdramas off the top of my head where this happens and it feels cheap and insulting every time.
The last episode in particular erased nearly all of the good feelings I had left for the series. The ML would rather die than live life using his wheelchair? Who thought that was a good idea and/or nice way to round out the ML's journey? And that was on top of the way the topic of disability was handled in general. I thought we were finally making progress mid-series when he was ready to face the FL in his wheelchair, but at some point after that we took several major steps backward and he decided that death was better than treatment.
What could have been an inspirational journey of him learning to accept himself only ended up reinforcing the messed up idea that life is only worth living if he can be like ""normal"" people. I can't believe that was the approach they decided to take.
There had also been a secret edict left by the former emperor that appointed the ML as the crown prince, and the current emperor is willing to give up his position so he can take his rightful place, but the ML tells him to remain the emperor.
- The crown prince shows up and reveals the truth - that the fake father is the one who killed the previous emperor and has basically manipulated everyone into destroying the village for his own purposes/grudge.
- The fake father dies using the power stone to seal off No Magic village with a magic barrier, separating the FL and ML.
- The FL and ML use up their powers to break the barrier, the brothers reconcile, the fake sister sees the error of her ways, and the two regions are declared equal and have peace restored.
That's probably more info than you wanted haha but it was a happy ending. :'D
My memories are a little fuzzy here, but if I remember correctly he wanted some sort of power stone that the daughter might have inherited in order to increase his own power, which is why he ends up raising her. I hope that helps! ^^