whoissilmoy

Your observation reveals that the plot appears simple but there’s a hidden complexity beneath its surface, sparking different interpretations and occasionally leaving viewers puzzled, invites engagement and discussion. Some audiences may appreciate the layers of depth once they delve beyond the surface. Different viewers engage at varying levels of depth. Each person’s interpretation and exploration can be unique, and your comment encourages a richer understanding of the story and foster thoughtful discussions.

I'm finally at episode 37. WoL is a meticulously crafted drama that weaves its narrative with finesse. Each episode, like a petal in a blooming flower, contributes to the overall harmony of the story. As intentions unravel and twists deepen, the complex human emotions and relationships are thoughtfully explored. The drama takes viewers on a captivating and engaging journey, delving into the very essence of the human condition. What sets it apart is how it allows ample episodes to unfold, leading to a beautiful and satisfying closure that resonates long after the final scene.

By episode 37, the movie masterfully brings all conflicts to a closure for the finality. Cui Lin and Li Ni’s love blossoms and deepens, bringing them into an intimate oneness. This deliberate buildup prepares the audience for the final tragedy: Cui Lin’s poisoning, her inability to awaken, and Li Ni’s anguished heart.”

WoL is a captivating drama that delves into the human condition, portraying the diverse and nuanced aspects of relationships and emotions. Its complexity and thoughtfulness invite the audience to interpret the situations from different perspectives. False accusations from someone who is very important in your life can have a significant impact on the accused person’s mental health. . The human heart is vulnerable yet resilient.

At that point in the confrontation, Cui Lin believes that Li Ni still despises her for betraying his army, even though she had not done so. Li Ni had said that he would not hesitate to kill her the next time he sees her. She knows that he was watching them get ambush and letting them all get killed. She's basically telling him that hey I saw that you and your men were watching us for a long time getting ambushed. You could have come to save us, but you would rather we all get killed because you think we betrayed you, well why didn't you come later, after I'm killed too. Li Ni wants her alive to bargain with her father, but I believe that deep down, he would not be able to bear to let her die, although he nearly did let her die watching the ambush. It was LCF who took the blow for Cui Lin, yet I'm sure Li Ni would have been able to shoot the arrow to save her again.
Cui LIn was not asking to be saved but asking to be killed with master. She saw master take the blow for her. In that moment, she felt guilty that she should have died not him or that she should have died along with him. This movie deals with complex human emotion across different relationships and different situations

it's whatever you want it to be.

my point is that the movie is subject to interpretation, so you can interpret it any way you want. It doesn't matter what anyone else says, including the actors or even the script writer because they left it unclear, it's now up to the audience to decide for themselves. If it were clear, then there wouldn't be so much chatter about it. If someone decides that it, is HE, then it is HE for them, and if someone decides it is a SE, then it is a SE for them.

It is subject to interpretation. You have to judge it for yourself. Someone I know thought it was obvious the main leads survived and had two kids. To him, it was happy ending but that it was a stupid to not make it clear to the audience.

I came across some blatantly hateful comments about Xu Kai’s acting skills in MDL page for Dance of the Sky Empire. Other actors get criticisms that are debatable, but Xu Kai gets pure hate that is unjust and uncalled for.

On another note, AvenueX won't review WOL despite some begging her for past few weeks is an indication that WOL is solid movie with no flaws worth mentioning or its strong points outweigh the bad. All she can say is that it garners a landmine/goldmine but is a boring movie.
AvenueX is known to criticize Xu Kai at every opportunity she gets. She gave SEL worst special effects of 2023 for how the actors move their hands to cut through time and space in a purely fantasy world. She might as well not watch any drama that people can fly through space with no devices because that is a total impossibility for humans on Earth unless the characters are from another planet like in Superman. She did a very negative review on The Last Immortal that aired recently and linked it to ALP engaging in bad faith criticism with intention to create negativity on ALP which she already criticized negatively back when it aired. One of her criticisms was the colors were bland. It's a good thing I watched ALP before I saw her review and was not influenced by her. Before I heard her criticism, I liked the pale pastel colors and found them beautiful, soft and reflected the mood of the movie and the music. I thought the costumes were very nice. I understand criticisms are subjective, but she seems to have intentional biases (conscious) as opposed to implicit biases (unconscious).

Cui Lin is very astute person. She has amazing instincts.

Despite sharing the same objectives, Cui Lin and Li Ni have different approaches. Cui Lin relies on intuition, while Li Ni uses logic. Yet, they are not immune to the inner conflicts and feelings that come with being human.

Written history of China goes back to over three thousand years. The earliest Chinese characters were carved on shells in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC).

The Chinese character for sickenss is 疾 (jí) which signifies a person lying in bed with injury from an arrow, a common surgical condition in ancient times. 疒 (nè), which means “sickness,” and 矢 (shǐ), which means “arrow which depicts a person being hit by an arrow and is associated with the idea of being struck by an illness.

The Chinese character for arrow is 矢 (shǐ). 石 (shí), which means “stone,” and 寸 (cùn), which means “thumb.” Together, they form the character 矢, which represents an arrow made of stone and is used to describe the concept of “arrow".

It's a fictional movie so Li Ni can survive. It was done for visual and emotional impact. I can just assume that miraculously, the arrows did not strike any critical organs. Arrow injuries were common in ancient China surgical procedures. It seems natural medicine and medical procedures were quite advanced in ancient China.

There are cases where people have survived arrow penetrations. For example, in 2018, a man in the United States survived an arrow that penetrated his skull and lodged in his neck 4. The arrow was removed, and the man made a full recovery.

if you like children you should watch all the way to the end.

It's really hard to explain what each of us see in art because it's subjective to personal tastes. When an actor is just putting on an act, I can see the emotions being acted out on the face, but I am not moved. When an actor is so immersed in the emotion that it seems like it is flowing out of her across her face and body and movements but naturally instead of forced, then I don't even think about the acting, instead I'm thinking of the characters' emotions. Celia Liu eye expressions to me are intense, alive, and seem to speak. It's all subjective. We all have our preferences.

in ep 30, she glided swiftly across the ground of sharp lose rocks over to him, caresses his head with both hands, then the cameras show her bloody right hand behind his head. I wonder if she cut her hands to control her gliding. Li Ni cares so much about Cui Lin, any sight of injury or pain to her would cause him pain. He knows her injuries were because of him. I supposed they're trying to make a connection between how she rushed over to him and how he is deeply moved by her act of love toward him. Or perhaps it is because earlier in the day, she was professing her love to him, how she wouldn't let go of him no matter what, that she couldn't live without him which moved Li NI deeply and it triggers his crying again. Later that night, he gets up and first thing he sees is Cui Lin by his side, sharing his pain, sees her bandaged hands (symbol of her love), it triggers him to cry again knowing how much Cui Lin truly loves him; in the midst of his grief, he can still find love. There is still hope. His crying is not just about her, but it triggers him to cry, as he is overwhelmed by deep and complex emotions.

Some audience prefer forced acting over natural acting because it is more obvious that there is acting going on, while others find the subtle expressions of the eyes. mouth, body language, etc. to be more meaningful, authentic, exquisite, and true to the character. Those who prefer forced acting may find natural acting to be bland while those who prefer natural subtle expressions can appreciate its art. For serious, passionate, and emotional scenes, I prefer natural acting. I want to see deep emotions, not acted out emotions. I like acting that is subtle and expressive especially use of the eyes and then the entire face and body movements is expressive too. For me, forced acting is obvious and natural acting is mesmerizing. When an actor has to play a bland, cold, emotionless character, then natural acting is more effective in my mind and when done well. you can feel the coldness, indifference, and boredom emotions of the character. I enjoy Celia Liu acting. Her eyes are so expressive. I feel her emotions because it's written all over her face, every line of her face. I feel the character, not the acting. I turn off the sound to observe facial expressions. She definitely has an aura about her, expressive eyes, expressive body movements that make you feel the character is strong, composed, competent, etc. She adapts her movements and gestures to portray the character's personality. These are very subtle things that I notice some actors are good at, not just line delivery, but they put their whole being into the character based on their interpretation and so they try to portray it from head to toe

Acting is an art form that require different sets of skills. Different actors have different styles and abilities. Some actors may prefer one type of acting over another, or use a combination of different techniques, depending on the role and the situation (serious, emotional, passionate, comedy, humor, zany, mood of the film, etc). Some actors are better at one style of acting than other styles. All styles have own merits and can be effective in different contexts. Audiences have own personal preferences.

Forced acting involves exaggerated expressions and over the top emotions, which can be easier for some audiences to recognize as acting. Forced actors use emotion memory or sense memory to bring up past experiences that can help them portray their character’s feelings.
Natural acting uses own emotions and experiences to bring the character to life, without exaggerating or overdoing them
Method acting is immersing oneself into the character’s life and circumstances, living it even when not on stage.
Classical acting is rigid as the actors use voice, movement, and gesture instead of emotions to bring character to life.

Cui Yi reasons to retire Cui army:
1. Li Ni is even more capable than him to annihilate Jieshuo, Yingzhou sworn enemy for generations.
2. Cui army is useless to Cui Lin as a dowry if she is to become crown prince consort.
3. Court is against separate army that is so mighty, then Li Ni would have to go to war against Cui army if they don't disband. Cui army has no loyalty to the throne.
4. The biggest reason in my mind is that he wants Cui Lin to lead a happy life, just like he had wanted for his own wife. He did not want to separate Cui Lin and Li Ni because they love each other, just like he and his wife were in love since young. He was married to his wife for dozens of years, yet his wife stayed with him in Yingzhou and did not have a prosperous life. So now, he wants Cui Lin to have what he could never give his wife.

Cui Lin was reluctant to retire the army. She would rather not marry Li Ni. The army had been in their family for generations to protect them from enemies. It was the Invincible army, the pride of the family. Her own mother died protecting Yingzhou. She was taught growing up that it was her family responsibility to protect the people. So, the Cui men had children early and died early in life.
This mentality of Cui Lin to keep living, to fight, to save lives stuck with her and explains her strong and tough personality.

Great Quotes from WoL perspectives on life:
General Cui Yi: "I even failed to see her before she died. That's my biggest regret. Tell me, what's the use of making great achievements?"

It is a poignant reminder that life is fleeting and that we should cherish the moments we have with our loved ones. It also highlights the importance of prioritizing relationships over material success. While achieving great things can be fulfilling, it’s important to remember that our relationships with others are what truly matter in life.

they both have other movies coming out in 2024 but this one is apparently most anticipated. Besides the actors, esp. Yang Zi, the story of family and young girl's growth to become independent is appealing to audiences. It seems to be a heart-warming, funny, sweet movie from the trailer. It may seem trivial but in the trailer the table is wobbly, the man slides a cardboard underneath it, that right there makes me love the movie, such a humble, real-life, and funny thing to do. Then there is a sweet grandma next to a sweet XK face, how sweet is that to look at. For me, I'm looking forward to Xu Kai modern dramas using his own voice. I love the sound of his voice which is not used in costume dramas, so for me, there is that bit of anticipation too. Yang Zi is of course excellent award winning actress.

Li Ni left for the army at a young age of only 13 and hadn't seen his father and brothers since. He didn't realize his adult brothers could do such evil deeds. Even though he didn't get along with them growing up, they are still his own blood relatives. He treats his brothers well out of respect for his brothers' mother and his older brother's wife, both of whom showed much kindness to Li Ni when no one else did.
But Cui Lin is on the outside looking in, and she trusts no one. She has strong instincts. She sensed his brothers are bad. She told Li Ni that, but he rather gives the brothers a chance first. Was it naive of him? Should he have the attitude "kill or be killed" which is pretty ruthless to just kill people without evidence?

Now I understand whoever said that they edited out too much of the bathtub scene, although it was beautifully done. How did they make it appeared as if he threw her into the bathtub instead of gently placing her there. Li Ni had been drugged. He felt like he was on fire, consumed by a desire that he couldn't control. The drug had heightened his senses, made him intense, passionate, sweating. He had to get away from Lady Gu to find Cui Lin. As soon as he saw Cui Lin who was preparing for her hot bath, he had to have her, right there and then. His entire being was focused on her. He swooped her up, threw her into the bathtub like a wild animal, then jumped in himself and wanted to devour her.