John Smith

The article makes for interesting reading, and an even more engaging discussion. I do have a few suggestions that might have improved the overall article, mainly concerning the questionnaire. I think that you could have clearly defined the term villain. For example, a villain can be the antagonist, but not all antagonists are villains. Some villains may simply be antagonists and not villains, which might skew the results if you are particularly interested in just villains. Some of the questions, particularly question six, could have been phrased in a more neutral way to avoid bias. I think that your discussion section really showed how complicated such a simple question really is, and how as viewers, our perception is just as important as what the drama seeks to get across.
Keep up the good work.

The main leads' acting even seemed like they were confused by what they were saying and doing.

I have not heard that quote before, but I have not seen the show either.

I am picturing some sort of scenario that caused that particular script to be used. I think it might have been a decoy script meant to throw off anyone looking to spoil the final episode, but instead it got used to film the final episode. Somewhere in a recycling center is the real joyful and happy ending that this drama deserved.

Choice or choke?

The three years and three months were very kind to all the female characters.

I still do not understand what happened to the drama that caused episode 16 to be so different from episodes 1-15. I thought that Monthly House Magazine was a "play it safe" drama until 16. Very mild and predictable. It had the usual tropes of a romantic comedy. The few sad or unfortunate events were either glossed over, or wrapped in enough comedy to almost not feel them. That is okay. Most dramas will not be some sort of transcendent event or change my view of the world. Unfortunately, episode 16 has changed my view of the drama world in a negative way. How long will I be holding my breath for last episodes hoping that they do not pull another MMH?

This is one of the few times that I feel the writer and/or drama crew needs to explain what happened. Was episodes 1-15 playing checkers, and episode 16 playing chess? The ending was not really an ending, but not an open one as well. Not happy, but also not sad. It is like something unexpected that you have to try to deal with, but end up just having to accept it.

Was the final episode a result of losing a bet, or agreeing to a drunken dare? That might explain what happened.

After episode 16, you can call off the search for the missing half a point rating. Apparently the early sharp raters knew something I did not. I really thought this drama was just as good as My Roommate Is a Gumiho (both Korean dramas streamed around the same time on IQIYI), but I guess Monthly Magazine Home forgot their drama was 16 episodes, not 15. I just got through finishing it awhile ago, and I am trying to process my feelings about it. I think for now I am disappointed. The last episode was either so poorly written or so poorly directed (or both), that not only has tainted the previous 15 episodes, it also now makes me wonder if the next Korean drama I watch will have another episode 16 like that.

I really do not understand how a final episode like that gets made, especially when it must have been the same people who worked on the previous 15.

I think it would either be fan fiction, or some sort of animated or written work. I do not sense the buzz for a drama around the backstory of the ZGDX team, as interesting as it may seem.

What about Liberty Patriot Washington?

I think you should have left out the words "major breakthrough" in the title and article. There is nothing wrong with writing a public fan letter and sharing it, as there are probably many readers who are fans of these actresses. I also think waiting until the last sentence to state that the article presents your personal opinion while trying to pass false or misleading statements as truth does everyone a disservice. No one is entitled to their opinion, but if you share it, you should be able to defend it. Some of your statements are just personal choice like Moon Chae Won is the most beautiful actress you have seen. No one can really tell you different. I think she is very beautiful as well. To call 2020 a breakthrough year for her because of Flower of Evil is simply not true. You even mention The Good Doctor as a more popular work, and it is one that earned her awards. Moon Chae Won has been nominated and earning awards since 2008, twelve years before Flower of Evil. I also think that the female empowerment idea is one that should have been separate from the fan article itself. I have not seen some of the dramas mentioned but I feel that an article devoted to female empowerment in dramas is one that should stand on its own. It is like you tried to find something to tie the three actresses together, but the impact was lost amidst the fan letter.

You should not be discouraged by empty criticism, but rather encouraged by constructive criticism to write even better articles in the future. I like Zhang Yu Xi and Moon Chae Won, so I will not pass up an article about them. I do not know the other actress, but now I have a point of reference for her. I think you have the start of a good article on female empowerment in Asian dramas. I think the more you write, the better you will get at it. We are on a site for drama lovers, so being passionate and writing passionate is a given. So is the heated discussions that often follow. Thanks for sharing your writing with us.

The lack of any significant backstory or history is usually one of the main reasons why I do not get second lead syndrome or get too invested in support characters. It is especially true in romance based dramas where even more time is taken and given to a main couple, often at the expense of having their story overshadow any sort of plot.
I would not mind watching a pre-FIYS movie or web short, and have it be more like The King's Avatar. I also would not mind a season 2 with more Tong Yao and Chen Jin Yang. I actually enjoyed Chen Jin Yang's character the most and thought she was the most dynamic character.

Without knowing the dynamics of the time before the drama, it did seem like Yu Ming was the only one that Lu Si Cheng considered an equal. Everyone else just kind of fell in line, and they all seemed to have a role to play just like in the game. I am not surprised about Tong Yao's behavior since she seemed to idolize Si Cheng. I just thought there were quite a few instances where he went overboard in his treatment of Tong Yao. Again, the drama did not seem to give the sense that she nor anyone else felt it was improper. I do wonder how things might have turned out if she had joined another team.

The nature of dramas tend to exaggerate everything. I will definitely not look to them for advice, but do enjoy them as entertainment.

Lu Si Cheng was dominant and aggressive, especially towards Tong Yao. She also happened to be submissive and complaisant. From what I have gathered, the novel was a bit more mature, so perhaps this did not translate as well into the drama. I think viewers might be more accepting because on the outside, we can see they both like and care about each other. You could write it off as sweet, cute, playful, innocent, manly, or shy actions by both of them. I did not like the way he treated her sometimes, but just about everyone in the drama did not seem to care, including Tong Yao. Did it depict a realistic relationship? No. But I could say for just about every other drama I have seen.

Cheng Xiao made it work for her. It is hard to imagine anyone else portraying Smiling.

It can be a noun (or adjective) as well. As a noun, is the action of the verb.

Did you read all of the comments with the title added too?

I can see how some viewers think she is pretty, stylish, and strong. She possesses qualities that make her likeable. Just as many to make her unlikable too. I thought it was pretty easy to understand both points of view. I do think that romance based dramas tend to romanticize just about every problem and issue possible. Romantic comedies can create humor at the expense of more serious issues as well. I started this drama because of Seo Ye Ji and stayed because of her. If I am to believe this drama deserves the 9.0 rating it has on MDL, then she is responsible for at least 2 of those points in my opinion.

I think I will refer to this drama as Deserter Pursuit.

Season 2 picked up where Season 1 left off and finished the drama in a way that was satisfying. The things that made Season 1 so good was still present in Season 2. Cinematography and chemistry. I was not a fan of the Abyss plot being so long, and how the evil mastermind must have had a dozen good luck charms because he got a lot of help from the universe in his quest to destroy it. At the end of the day, good triumphed.
I do have have a few issues with the drama as a whole. If the standard for ascension to immortality was shown, then Zhan Yan should have been an immortal several times over. I also wonder what was up with the lack of diversity in Penglai. It definitely should have had more females.
Overall, one that everyone should at least check out a few episodes to see if they like it. I did.