maryxiah

Episode 11 now. What's a wuxia courtship without Lantern Festival and wardrobe makeover? I like and empathize with ML and FL individually but I don't feel them as a couple yet, so Qing Ci's declaration to help Yun Luo and then to live an idle life with her kind of threw me off, they're not even officially together or heck, confessed, yet he's jumping ten steps ahead with a proposal. I like it when a character is clear of his own feelings, but he is getting way ahead of himself.

On the other hand, I'm really enjoying the secondary couple's interactions. I get butterflies when he offered to make the butterfly lantern for her, aww, now I want one too. I'm aware his heroic move to save Man Qing has to do with his deal with Qing Ci but I feel like it's more to do with his growing feelings for her. On that note, I'm having trouble understanding what Wen Si Yuan is getting out of his deal with Qing Ci. All these deals on top of deals are kind of confusing and don't really make sense.

Also, I'm getting a serious BL vibe from Chang Ge, is he in love with Zhu Yan?

I did check that out recently, watched the first 7 minutes, stopped, and then totally forgot about it. Not a great start nor memorable. I'll try it again when I have the time. I love bunny teeth but not many people can pull it off, I didn't even notice it when the male lead was talking.

I've only started exploring C-dramas in recent years so I don't have much exposure either, but Ting Wei did have a happy-ish ending in Ashes of Love, he got his girl albeit dying and leaving behind his girl and their daughter. He doesn't seem like a nice guy here so maybe there's hope for happy ending? Haha

That's a relief because I like seeing him on my screen, although the male lead isn't so bad himself but I he's a bit too cute for my taste.

LOL My sister is my drama buddy but she's veryyyyy slow and has short attention span so she can't binge watch more than 3 hours at a time. I had to bribe her on numerous occasions to binge watch dramas with me during quarantine lol. We started And the Winner is Love together but she insisted on waiting for subs (she understands Chinese but not fluently) and refused to be spoiled so I finished it without her and she lost interest. She wanted to watch this for Ting Wei but gave up after the first episode, I'll admit I was a little lost with the many characters as well. So my dad, who came home around my third episode, ended up watching it with me till episode 8 hahaha. Now I'm stuck waiting for him lol.

I consider myself a laid-back viewer so I don't mind any trope in dramas, including childhood connection but in this case, the kidnapping is what's bothering me. Even Qing Ci's sifu pointed it out to Qing Ci. I feel like Yun Luo is trying to make it up by agreeing to some of Qing Ci's requests but the unaddressed issue about the kidnapping is leaving me unsatisfied. It's clear to me Qing Ci is partial to Yun Luo because of their childhood connection, maybe not love yet (I'm still in episode 8) but he's definitely fond of her. It gives me the impression that the behavior is slightly romanticized and that doesn't sit well with me, so I'm hoping for fewer childhood flashbacks but more buildup on the present.

I'm not quite there yet but in episode 8 where I am now, I'm seeing flirtatious banter/interests masked with dislike between Wen Si Yuan and Shen Man Qing and I'm enjoying it. According to the ending credit, it's going to be a tragic love between the two, I can't wait to see things unfold between them. Sadly Ting Wei barely shows up and he is the reason that I came here.

Glad to see you too! And the familiar people here. A bit late to the party because I'm starting a few shows at the same time to see which one will stick. I'm enjoying this for now and my dad is actually watching it with me. I was trying to get my sister to watch with me but she hates watching dramas without English subs. I feel like this is a show you just have to have a companion to talk to and share with.

"ML are made for FL, and 2nd lead are made for everyone who watched. Thats why many 2nd lead are good, kind and makes us pitty for their characters and story."

I don't appreciate that because then the second lead gets all the character development and side story, while the main leads' characters suffer from lack of growth and relegated to lovesick fools.

He couldn't save it because his character went down the drain.

I'm a fan of angsty or melodramatic romance but willing to watch any type of romance even mindless, fluffy ones as long as done tastefully and believable. I also prefer a romance that takes its time to develop and mature, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief over love at first sight if I can relate to the characters and their love but I generally don't appreciate it.

One thing that bothers me slightly with the main pairing here is the fact that she abducted him during their childhood and he came to like her because he felt like she saved him by begging him to live, it's rubbing me the wrong way because I feel like it's sending the wrong kind of message, so I appreciate that the romance has yet to develop and hoping that they'd tone down the childhood flashback. I am, however, very much invested in Wen Si Yuan and Shen Man Qing loveline, I can literally smell their angsty romance, ugh, I hope they won't torture me too much.

Haters gonna hate. Block him/her. End of story.

Is it just me or does the female lead resembles Zhao Wei? I love Zhao Wei so I find myself drawn to her a lot, not during the male disguise though, her stubble was distracting and I feel like her face was flat. And Man Qing's face is like a female version of Che Qu from And the Winner is Love, lol.

I'm up to half of episode 8. The story is very engaging and I'm loving the band of misfits and the main characters, especially the lead guy, something about him just breaks my heart. I guess it's a trend now that the male lead suffers from abandonment issue and leads an idle life, while the female lead is the one with responsibility/duty baggage. The killings are a bit brutal for my taste, I literally screamed when they killed the two devils (I don't remember their names), and the shortie is giving me the chills. I'm having a hard time following the story or the many characters introduced in the span of 2 episodes so I'm slowly trying to remember them and their story/purpose. Ting Wei barely shows up and I was kind of disappointed as I enjoyed the very little scenes he had. All in all, solid start. Oh, and the OSTs! I love the opening and ending themes (especially the opening credit, very beautiful), they have very melancholic feel, I love sad ballads.

She grows up much later in the drama and gives up on her obsession.

Yeah, it's sad that they cut the wedding scene short, I wish it was longer so I can enjoy their beautiful wedding attire. I was wondering if Tou's scenes were significantly affected by Leo's injury because I saw Leo being propped up using table in Yu Chu Zhi first appearance and the wedding BTS. If yes, that's a huge shame because that definitely affected his character as well as the plot.

Xue Zhi went to Fairyland Winehouse to seek intel on Lord Lu, so I feel like she was keeping her priority straight even though she was out for vengeance more than justice. And I think it's natural that she was out to prove Yu Chu Zhi isn't who he claimed to be because there can't be two person that much alike unless they're twin, I'd be more baffled if she let it go easily and went ahead with her plan, this is the second time in the drama she tricked Tou revealing his true identity and I feel like that was kind of smart of her. And that slap, YES GIRL! SLAP SOME SENSE INTO YOUR MAN! Leo's acting is awesome no doubt but Tou is..whatever.

I wouldn't want Feng Zi to die with Qing Mei cuz that would be a very sad ending for her and Lin uncle, I'd rather they lived and Qing Mei able to recover from his craziness. Sad one that girl.

Well if they can't all be in one drama, at least give me another chance of Yukee and Leo reuniting in an awesome wuxia or xianxia. I am not satisfied with this. I heard Leo's screen time is less in Princess Silver too so that's what holding me back from watching it. I do not want to go through 50 episodes of angst just to see him in a fraction of the story. I tried a little bit of Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber and all I can say is, they look like little kids to me lol, Yukee looked so young! Maybe I should rewatch the first 10 episodes of this drama to flush the rest of these out of my system.

LOL @Tou ge ge. I thought I was the only one uncomfortable with that. I mean I wouldn't call my love interest ge ge, maybe it's a thing with wuxia cuz that's how I remember it in my childhood. I enjoyed this a lot in the beginning precisely because of the romance, which seems to be its main plot, till it lost itself in the middle and then just fizzled out. Sad.

In all honesty, I don't even know where to begin lol. I have A LOT to say but I feel like this isn't the right place to dissect it. So, I'm gonna keep this brief:
Likes:
-Obviously the happy ending.
-Xue Zhi's character growth. I have to disagree that Xue Zhi is only chasing Tou around. If the middle arc is any indication, Xue Zhi is a proud lady that when faced with rejection, is able to accept it and move on. She is able to bounce back quickly and focus on her priority, which is the Hall of Flames whenever her attention is called for. I think rebuilding/restoring Hall of Flames is not and should not be one person's effort but every one of the Hall of Flames members, so I didn't mind her getting all the help she needs. By the end, I could even see her stepping up and assuming leadership in their battle strategy against Lord Lu (although the plan ultimately failed because Lord Lu was one step ahead of them).
-Tou and his father's moments. I was almost always in tears when these two were talking, strategizing, and bonding. I was literally sobbing when Tou mourned for his dad. Ugh, my heart can't take it when Leo's character cries over a dead parent.
-The many inter-relationships in this drama that I actually am fond of, aside from the obvious ones, Lin uncles (when they met each other again after so many years, ugh, I can feel the love), the crown prince and Lord Lu (yeah, I feel for their love for one another, I can't explain it).
-Oh, and the OSTs!
Dislikes (whoa, this is gonna be tough because I might start an essay here which is exactly what I'm trying to avoid):
EVERYTHING ELSE!
-Tou's character practically goes down the drain.
-Too many unnecessary and pointless deaths, i.e. Mu Yuan, seriously kill off the guy with respect, not like this!
-Lord Lu's doesn't get his comeuppance.
-Feng Zi marries a guy she doesn't love, ends up being widowed, and doesn't even know it while raising her child on her own. I feel like she got the short end of the stick, more tragic than Mu Yuan.

I can't recall more at the moment because I have since calmed down after finishing the drama. Despite all the flaws and obvious bad writing, I did enjoy some parts of the drama and the OTP, which remain my favorite part of the show. Admittedly, this couple has some issues especially in communication, but I still feel for them every step of the way and rooting for their happily ever after. I thought this drama would make up for the heartache in Ashes of Love, but it's actually tickling my nerves because Leo, Yukee, and Ting Wei are wasted in this. Maybe better project together in the future because I really like their chemistry here.

Side note: I can't decide between Princess Silver and Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre to watch because I am having serious Leo and Yukee withdrawal. Both seem equally depressing and long, which ugh, I cannot deal with right now.

Yes.

Hahaha, as much as I'm smitten by Leo's smile, I have yet to dream about him. That wouldn't be so bad. Hope to see you in other dramas!

I'm done and always lurking if you're up for discussions still lol.