Does Joy Of Life end on a cliffhanger? Also, have they started filming JOL 2? Or has it been shelved?
JoL ends on a major cliffhanger. Major. So proceed at your own risk lol. Personally I think it's still very worth it despite that (I'm even currently rewatching it!).
As far as we know it hasn't been explicitly shelved, but it hasn't started filming yet. It keeps getting put off. There's rumors that it was to start filming this month (?) or next month (???) but Ruoyun started filming something else in July so (??????????).
The discussion thread "JOL Season 2: casting, filming & broadcast/air dates discussion" will be your friend.
LoA is mediocre at best, but that doesn't mean it's not worth watching. If you're someone who's into character dynamics and how they interact with each other -- this show might be for you. Not all of the dynamics are good, mind you (one particular wet cardboard female lead comes to mind). But enough of them are fun to watch and analyze that it's worth it, IMO. The characters, even the least interesting / worst written ones, are at least generally consistent in their writing.
A lot of this show is goofy. This includes the fight scenes. If you take this in stride, and treat it like a popcorn show, you'll have a lot of fun. It may even elicit tears, if you're a crier (can confirm: I'm a crier; I cried). The romance, overall, is pretty bad. Two of the three couples have little to no chemistry. The main couple feels a little better toward the end, but not enough to make up for my suffering through their earlier solo scenes lol.
(Su Tang / Mo Lin forever; I will FIGHT on this.)
Don't take it too seriously, and honestly? You'll have a good time. It's nothing new, and the pacing DOES lag in the middle (especially 20-30ep ish), but overall it's fun. The ending is good -- it ties up all the things it needs to.
Maybe watch it between other shows, if you're worried about the pacing. It's not so complicated you couldn't do so!
She stole every scene she was in in Legend of Awakening. Such a minor character, but really hard not to love to bits. I would love to see her in more historical dramas. She has so much charisma!!
As far as we know it hasn't been explicitly shelved, but it hasn't started filming yet. It keeps getting put off. There's rumors that it was to start filming this month (?) or next month (???) but Ruoyun started filming something else in July so (??????????).
The discussion thread "JOL Season 2: casting, filming & broadcast/air dates discussion" will be your friend.
A lot of this show is goofy. This includes the fight scenes. If you take this in stride, and treat it like a popcorn show, you'll have a lot of fun. It may even elicit tears, if you're a crier (can confirm: I'm a crier; I cried). The romance, overall, is pretty bad. Two of the three couples have little to no chemistry. The main couple feels a little better toward the end, but not enough to make up for my suffering through their earlier solo scenes lol.
(Su Tang / Mo Lin forever; I will FIGHT on this.)
Don't take it too seriously, and honestly? You'll have a good time. It's nothing new, and the pacing DOES lag in the middle (especially 20-30ep ish), but overall it's fun. The ending is good -- it ties up all the things it needs to.
Maybe watch it between other shows, if you're worried about the pacing. It's not so complicated you couldn't do so!