Just finished this - I really really enjoyed it! One of the better modern dramas I have seen. The main couple were likeable - i was unsure of him at the start but he grew on me.
There are 2 main things that could have improved it for me: 1. I would have preferred the ‘scripted murder game’ to have been more integrated into the main plot and for the characters to interact within it more - they were hardly in it towards the end - such a wasted opportunity because it was such an interesting plot device that was almost made insignificant.
2. The stepbrother Pei Zhen - so beautiful and so tragic. I think that his obsession with Hu Xiu was more about beating the stepbrother than anything else - but it was portrayed more as genuine unrequited love which was unnecessary and ineffective. He broke my heart - I genuinely felt for him and I would have loved something for him in the end - not love necessarily, but at least a connection or even a friendship. Instead, he walked off into the distance with nothing and that broke me. He deserved better.
I finished episode 3 and it could go in so many different directions from here - wherever it goes, it will need to be pretty interesting because there are still 7 episodes to go - here’s hoping it can sustain a good level of intrigue for the rest of the series. It has done well so far, with Tobina and Nara being the standout characters (and actors).
There are 2 main things that could have improved it for me:
1. I would have preferred the ‘scripted murder game’ to have been more integrated into the main plot and for the characters to interact within it more - they were hardly in it towards the end - such a wasted opportunity because it was such an interesting plot device that was almost made insignificant.
2. The stepbrother Pei Zhen - so beautiful and so tragic. I think that his obsession with Hu Xiu was more about beating the stepbrother than anything else - but it was portrayed more as genuine unrequited love which was unnecessary and ineffective. He broke my heart - I genuinely felt for him and I would have loved something for him in the end - not love necessarily, but at least a connection or even a friendship. Instead, he walked off into the distance with nothing and that broke me. He deserved better.