TamzinMillemni

Man, Xiao Zhan can act. I binged this in 4 days. Either he chooses gripping stories or he makes stories gripping through his portrayals. It’s a testament to his acting abilities that he can play two very similar characters (Wei Wu Xian and Zhang Hai) on very similar paths, so differently. Where as Wu Xian had an innocent and mischievous way about him throughout, Zhang Hai is pensive and withheld. They both are on a mission of vengeance but Wu Xian reminds me of the avenger in his youth, full of innocence and never loses the light in his eyes; whereas Zhang Hai is like the avenger who has matured and has become the father of his young innocent self. He is more muted, pensive and the pain behind his eyes has dimmed the light inside him. It’s so fascinating, it’s like watching the evolution of man between the two characters. Bravo Xiao Zhan!

Side note: I rarely recognise actors from one role to another but I think I finally realise why I remember and can recognise the few I do. I think I tend to recognise the actors who have great ‘facial acting’. Because they are acting their faces off, I tend to examine their faces more and thus their faces become more etched in my memory making it easier to recognise them in other roles.

With that being said, I knew Zhang Jing Yi looked familiar but I couldn’t remember where from. I was very VERY impressed with her acting here, so much so I had to go look her up. Turns out she was the fl in Lighter and Princess, and as much as I liked that series, I wasn’t particularly blown away by her portrayal of the character. That character didn’t seem as rounded and full as here role here. Here she is phenomenal, showing so much range and making the character feel like a whole person and not two dimensional. Bravo to her too.

I picked this series up on a whim and I’m so glad I did. I had no expectations going in, didn’t know anything about it before hand and definitely didn’t think I would watch all episodes (I rarely watch or finish 40 episode historical c-dramas).

Well done to the cast and crew. 👏🏽

This series was a breath of fresh air for me. While all the other ongoing BLs were making me pull my hair out, this one got better and better with each episode. I'm so happy I took the chance and watched it. The story turned out much more substantive and full of depth than I thought it would be going in. Boom is a revelation. That man can act.

This was hilarious. Bravo :)

Same

Bummed that Choi Hyun Wook won't be making a re-appearance but beyond excited for this sequel. :)

Yup, agreed. His character is so charismatic. It had a very 'a star is born' feel to his performance.

I was also hesitant. This is my first 24 episode Thai bl that did not drag and that I did not drop. It feels like it went by so quickly. 24 episodes and it's still not enough. lol

Ok, I can call it now - Faifah is my favourite character. He has the most depth and thought out character development. I also love love LOVE the portrayal. Junior plays Faifah so charismatic and full of rizz, his character makes me laugh and blush lol.

Each couple had a story I liked and parts of their portrayals that were my favourite.

Faifah and Wine were the couple that seemed the most comfortable with each other, and their non-sexual intimate moments (and now since episode 23, also their sexual scenes) were my favourite.

I loved Arc and Arm's chasing/hitting on phase the most.

I loved Yotha and Gun's sexual chemistry in their intimate moments the most (until episode 23 when Faifah and Wine stole the title).

*Side note - Santa is a solid actor and has the ability to come across so comfortably on screen. I think this is a huge reason why his pairing with Perth worked. This is the most comfortable I've seen Perth since LBC days.

I am pleasantly surprised with this series and reminds me of when GMMTV produced solid series. I could easily watch another season of these characters.

Park Eun Bin’s character is everything I wanted and more. The sweet attorney Woo dissolved the moment Jung Se Ok smirked.

I'm not crying you are. 😭😭😭

This is actually how I feel. I had the realisation while watching that even though I had certain thoughts like: Boss is not super strong during emotional scenes; he is very charismatic and both he and Noeul can carry a series regardless. I liked the concept. Overall not bad. I enjoyed it.

I am intrigued to see Park Eun Bin in this kind of role.

After I initially watched the finale, I for some reason though Joker was in purgatory at the end and it was a sneak peek at their new series. That's why it felt like such a heart wrenching sad ending for me. Once I got over my melodramatic self, I realised that he was likely rescued by someone.....maybe a character that didn't show up in the finale......who has a penchant for playing game perhaps *wink wink*. Ngl, I now feel conflicted about the finale because in some ways a lot of the emotional weight was undone by the reveal even though I had been praying to see Joker in the last 20 minutes. I think the emotional weight and suspense could have still been achieved if they had him resurface at any point before the wedding scene and time skip. Idk, the message about moving on, which seemed to be a lesson for the audience as well as Jack; felt sort of void once the extra credit scene came on.

It'll be really interesting to see her in this new role. I was one of the viewers who was especially impressed with her micro-expressions in Pyramid Games. I'd like to see if she can take on a different kind of character just as well.

Was it really necessary?! 😭😭😭😭😭 I kept looking at how much of the episode was left because I was sure - positive even - that they would take pity on us. I was not prepared. It’s just so sad. Why…😢

Same here. This k-drama and a few others from the 2010s, made me fall in love with k-dramas hook line and sinker.

I have no tears left after watching this.

I picked up on this too, especially on the part of the girlfriend and they also hinted at it with the pregnant friend's husband too.

This explains so much. I know some people critique MPW a lot but I personally loved the writing (what was said and unsaid) and so much of that was lost from the Japanese to English translation.

Oh man, so much of this is done so right. They get you to appreciate the characterisation of each character without it delving into the cliche' "well everyone's at fault here so it justifies his or her actions." It's just so full of nuance. No justifying anything but also allows you to see these 4 humans and their own situations. I don't feel salty towards any of these characters and I think that's a huge achievement on the part of the creators to pull that off inspite of the characters' actions. You don't have to root for them or against them to understand them. You don't have to pretend that their actions are not wrong (or even criminal) to appreciate the characterisations. Most of the time cheating and abuse storylines from Asian dramas fall short imo, not because the audience is afraid of realistic depictions or shitty characters. It all comes down to having a good amount of nuance in the writing and good characterisation. You can tell when creators understand their characters and the story they want to tell.