seungverse

Changyang took that time to get trained in a hunter school, which was a matter of life and death. At first, he went there to grow stronger and be able to protect Qinglang from the harsh industry and people. He also wanted to present himself as a capable person in front of Qinglang, rather than being a tea farmer or a nepo kid living off his parents' money while Qinglang was a huge celebrity without anyone else's help.

But when he went there, he got promoted and became a permanent soldier. The academy didn't allow the use of phones, and even if they wanted to, the soldiers couldn't communicate as they were placed in the middle of nowhere. However, they still had gap days in which they got handed their phones. They also had to sign an application confirming that anything that happened to them during the training was not the fault of the academy... IT WAS THAT SERIOUS. So, when Changyang got promoted again and was supposed to get more life-threatening tasks, he retired and went back to Qinglang. I think that context makes the wait of five years more romantic and angsty.

same!!! I dropped it at episode 3 as I felt really bored. You could call me someone who HATES and finds every little fault in something which gets a lot of attention. I couldn't complete pursuit of jade because of the same reason.

So while I was watching, I started to get annoyed by littlest things, Changyang's hair, the pacing was slow, at first I thought someone other than Changyang was the ml, I wondered why Qinglang wanting to eat termite mushroom has anything to do with his look at Changyang and thought it was a cringey and out of box thing to say, I hated how they were moving so fast with their relationship in the first ep, I didn't understand why Changyang took his shirt off and thought it was a very random thing to do and dropped after third episode but then I didn't find anything to watch for a whole week so I thought of watching it again from where I left off... after that, I have binged it for 7 to 8 times now and I'm someone who never rewatches anything even if I liked them a LOTT like Love in the clouds, I loved it a lot but I never rewatched it, even The Untamed, I rewatched it two to three times now and I'm a literal goner for it so Idk why I have rewatched this one so many times now.

And everytime I rewatch this, I find something new. Now I know why Changyang took his shirt off... It wasn't random, it was because Qinglang tugged on it, Qinglang said he wanted to eat Ji Zongjun which means termite mushroom but Ji Zongjun is also Changyang's username in the app they were talking so basically Qinglang meant to say that he wanted to eat Changyang. I was so confused but now it all makes so much sense and it involved all of my senses to understand this drama... now I can't back away. I'm an avid fan now.

Exactly... and those same people are here hating on this drama and its plot. I don't understand when green-flag, soothing, feminist dramas started being considered 'boring.' It feels like audiences are becoming more misogynistic and would rather consume toxic media instead. When did consent become unsexy?? In fact, consent, this plot, and everything else about this drama IS SEXY.

you should definitely!! Although qinglang is unpredictable and emotionat times... it's still true that Changyang really didn't ask Qinglang before uploading that audio which indirectly caused Sister Lan's death and although blaming Chanyang wasn't right... I get that he did it because he was broken and mourning for Sister Lan. But don't worry... he's still a green flag.

Also. spoiler alert,

but if you continue, you'll find it more and more angsty which might make you want to stop watching but when you stop, you'd yearn to watch them. Saying from a personal experience for the fact that it's already been a month and I still cannot forget this beautiful drama

While I would really love for everyone to appreciate this drama because it handles so many taboo topics beautifully and intricately, I completely respect that you're entitled to your own opinion. But, I'd still suggest giving it one more try with this new context in mind (what I explained), just to see if it changes your perspective.

The problem isn't that you're defending the drama... the problem is that OP doesn't seem like a hater questioning the author's talent. They just seem lost, which is why they're skipping it and questioning the plot. You could have explained it calmly without throwing around insults like 'unintelligent' or 'stick to your Thai series.' That just makes you come across as elitist, acting like this drama isn't for everyone. In fact, this drama IS for everyone... people just need a little help grasping its core.

I was exactly like OP... I didn't like the plot at first, even though I loved everything else. It wasn't until I took the time to understand the nuances (because someone else was patient enough to explain them to me) that I considered it an all-time classic. If I had commented like OP and gotten a reply like yours, I would have turned into a hater because instead of having things explained to me, it'd have felt like I was getting belittled. And A Winter Sun would have lost a die-hard fan.

Yes, I feel that's a toxic pattern I've noticed on Instagram too. Instead of actually explaining why they like the show, some people immediately get defensive and hurl insults like these. They don't seem to realize that acting this way is an insult to this AMAZING drama itself.

Exactly... I understand this POV, and that's why I don't support their 'unintelligent' insult. They could have explained the drama wayyy better instead of just showing off their superiority complex.

@burnot While I partially agree that the drama isn't poorly written at all, calling OP "unintelligent" is just a cheap insult... You could have defended the show much better. Honestly, your choice of words makes the drama look bad, when in reality, it's a masterpiece. Many viewers are just casual watchers who don't want to invest the time to dive into a really complex plot, and that's completely fine. Not everyone needs to understand every underlying nuance. It’s exactly like how a casual listener of Seventeen isn't going to understand all the inside jokes the way Carats do, simply because Carats have invested their time and effort into the lore.

We cannot compare a drama to tangled headphones in the first place. This drama was made complex DELIBERATELY... that was the exact decision of Zelia (the director, who also wrote the screenplay and the original novel). If it hadn't been so complex and was instead simple to understand, the creators, crew, and actors would have been in trouble by now. Not only is it a BL (already a taboo in China), but it also touches on highly sensitive topics like corrupt politicians and scheming rich investors. Speaking out against those elites could have easily landed the whole crew in jail and made them a target. This is the EXACT reason why Zelia also based this drama in the future, just to better ensure their safety. This drama was made really carefully, yet it somehow exposes the darkest side of China (which is a HUGGEEE issue and happens a lot, but NO ONE has EVER made a series on it for the exact reasons I mentioned).

So, I hope you understand that it's an insult to compare the complexity of this drama to a tangled pair of headphones. ALSO, the person who commented "unintelligent" was wrong so, I apologise on their behalf. I hope you won't dislike and miss out on series like this because of comments like that.

that was a very shallow thing to say and doesn't specify anything. Doesn't even feel like you've watched it since you kept repeating the same thing for all your replies but don't specify why. SInce you're just being a hater, I'd rest my case here and stop engaging with you while I waste my scarce leisure time.

Art being subjective means you're allowed to dislike it. But claiming its philosophy has 'coffee mug depth' and calling it 'overhyped' isn't just stating a preference... it's shading everyone who considers it their favourite, and doing it WITHOUT A SINGLE VALID CRITIQUE. A real critique requires evidence... Which aspect did you dislike? What made you feel like it's overhyped? Which 'philosophical posturing' made you feel like it had no depth? But since you’re not providing any of that, we can just leave it here and say that you're just a hater.

Also, that wasn't your thesis, because a thesis actually requires evidence.

Girl, I actually study film so I could proudly say that I've watched a lot of works and critiqued, analysed, researched and wrote theses on them. My standards are shaped by classic masterpieces like  'Days of Heaven', 'Hero', 'The Fall', and many more BUT I still consider this drama, 'A Winter Sun Wakes The Wind In Spring Hills' Dream', a CLASSIC MASTERPIECE that would go down in history. I did like ' Your Name Engraved Herein' and 'The Untamed' as BLs before this and they were my top bls ever... But this topped them. Also, if YOU didn't connect with it then that's fine coz art is subjective... But completely discarding other people's opinion on it and using terms like 'charitable', 'overrated' and 'overhyped' without giving a valid criticism on what MADE you FEEL like it was in the first place just makes you seem like a hater.

I'm sorry to break it to you but it's UNDERRATED, UNDERHYPED for EVERYTHING AND EVERY ASPECT OF IT. BEST DRAMA OF THE CENTURY.

he didn't off himself but instead was mauled by a bear. You can see that he had no intention of committing suicide because he asked Wenshu to wait for him... Also, spoiler alert tag pls

I can't spoil to you but just know that it won't be as sad and it would be worth the watch

He did, and although it was heartbreaking, it is a direct critique of how the entertainment industry in real life operates. Powerful investors can make or break an actor with no background or backup. So, even though President Jin didn't physically coerce him into it, he created circumstances that left Han Lu with no choice. So, it was actually r*pe.

exactly... it's easy to understand if you just pay attention to it

watch it and it will make sense... if you don't understand anything, you can ask here

Yes... and I'll be right here if you want some help to understand