AleksandraSucur

You are wrong, it's the opposite. S2 has the very same vibe, humour and quirkiness, sudden and unexpected twists and turns, but it's the storyline that have changed. For the half of S1, the plot was dealing with his background and basic (family, friends, frenemies and potential enemies) relations, while the other half dealt with his first mission as an imperial official which took place in a rival country where he learned that "the greatest enemy is usually hidden in our own countries".
The plot in S2 will test FX's capabilities to deal (and solve problems) with this latter kind of threats (internal enemy) and till this point we see he still preserves the same out-of-the box way of thinking and dealing with problems. So, it's a different storyline (I don't care about the change of two actors in side-characters roles or the change of OST, they are not important for the story or how it is told), but there's a great continuity because the vibe remained the same and I think this very fact should be (and actually is) greatly appreciated.

That been said, there is actually, in the storyline of S2 - I don't know how to call it - "not very smart decision", probably, to dedicate 4 and 1/2 starting episodes to his districation from his "fake death". It simply took too much time and some of the dialogues (eg. when FX, the Beiqi princess and WQN were trying to convince the members of the delegation in order to orient their messages to the capital) also suffered, but I remember there were such moments even in S1, but they didn't come after four eps, that's why they were not a big deal. For the story like JoL, the audience expects it to flow through "course of actions" (standing for right/good things and beating/outsmarting the evil), you can't waste 4,5 eps/36 for some side-dish which doesn't even make an arc on its own, so, yes, this "not very smart decision" was basically an error, I've also immediately pointed it out.

I've tried to understand the reasons for this error (because the main crew is always the same), so, I've browsed the novel... with more than 700 chapters, I can only say the author tried to compete with Tolstoi's War and Peace with his 580 characters in it - a terror of every high school student since the times when this novel was introduced as obligatory literature in the schools. But the author is definetely not Tolstoi, he arranged chapters with Chinese-boxes technique of writing as if his (or hers) intention was to be transfered on screen, so, scriptwriter (who is the same from S1), cherry-pick at your liking. Chinese-boxes technique is a story-telling method from ancient times (used eg. in Thousand and One Night, with continuous narration in which one of the characters narrates its own story, then one of the characters in his/hers story starts to tell side story and even in that side-story some character starts a second.side story and so on, which reminds Chinese boxes of different sizes put inside bigger ones), it's a collection, "a drugstore of stories" many of which are similar to each other and are not original either (pirates, merchants, local powers, eunuchs, prostitutes... just browse, and you will understand, it is not a high literature but a drugstore in which the scriptwriter must make "a wise choice" between "products" which will make FX alive).

was it from a preview?
Unfortunately, in Europe we are banned from JoL2 on we-tv, but if you share a link maybe we bypass the ban. I don't mind being spoiled. 😍

As expected, The Idiot totally chickened out.
But the whole picture of "family dinner" is: The Good, The Bad, The Worse, The Bully and The Idiot. Chinese version of spaghetti-Western, lol, love it. 😂

It looks like FX is coming to know his four brothers: The Bad, The Worse, The Bully and The Idiot

it's ok, I'm glad I've clarified 😊

It was me, but I didn't say it was dragging (because it was not). Imo, it took a bit too much time in the plot for FX to districate from a fake death. If you focus just on the plot, on the "course of actions", you'll probably notice that this "course of actions" relating just to a "districation" took 4 eps.
I didn't say these eps were draggy or bad, I've even said I've appreciated the same vibe from S1, it's always the same JoL's humour, with its twists, wittiness (who will outsmart who), metaphores (FX on his knees in front of the emperor while watching a bug lying on its back and desperatly trying to turn around) and unexpected or weird details (even in soundtrack, who would expect yodeling?).
But, remember, JoL S2 has its own purpose and its own story to tell and the "real" (I didn't say "serious") story started only in ep 5.

Finally, I never rate any drama before it finishes (and I manage to watch it till the end, I never rate any drama I drop), so I'm not among persons who downrated it.

I refer to the pleasure house arch, the courtisan, the new prince... even the very twist to outsmart LCZ was not gripping and convincing enough.

Well, this season finally aired and my only complaint is: the new plot for this season starts only in episode 5, the four eps to explain how Fan Xian districated from a false death are a bit and unnecessarily dragged too much. And when it finally started, the subs were 🤮
On a brighter side, the JoL vibe is here again, lets hope the C-production didn't forget their "original intention"....

I agree all three of them are too stick to the past against the overwhelming tide, but would like to add two elements to your discussion about these characters in this historical environment, which support my opinion this drama contains elements of wuxia, despite not being a wuxia:
1) All of three are so stick to the past and their principles because they are deeply resented, They were all hurt by some kind of "systemic injustice" they try to overcome or overturn, that's the reason why they are even pitiful. Instead of fighting the system in decay, as Tongmenghui, they try to fight for their principles within the system, being a part of the system which wronged them (MSD as an imperial official, WJL as a rigid constable, ZBF as a sect leader who works for the prince who wants to overturn the existing establishment).
2) ZBF is not a "running dog for the court", he is aware that the court and prince Qi are not on the same side and that this alliance is only temporary. Sect people were Han, they were differently dressed, refused Manchù imposed pigtails (ZBF makes remarks in that sense) and perceived the Manchù-led officials as foreigners in the same way as they perceived Japanese or Western people. So, fighting "for the country & people" meant also overtrowing the ruling class (and the empire itself). The empire will collapse because the revolution was a national uprising (against "foreign domination"), too, that was the geist of the time.

Once I've tried to explain to a friend (who doesn't like him: too simple plots and flat characters, too much blood, fightings, cheap comedy...) that the world is divided in two: Tarantino's fans and the snobs. 😎

So, it seems another thing we have in common is that we both like Tarantino... 😎

(W)an(g)-di-stroyable 😂😂😂

that's possible, yeah... 😁the authors like to play with such subtleties, lol
Transferring someone's anecdotal traits and then... who knows, laughs.

Yes, of course - that's valid for fictional characters inspired by real characters. But Sun Wen, the historical one, is already part of this drama, he is a person whom South Shaolin master wanted to convey the treasure, he is important for the treasure-hunting plot because he is an "original destinatary" of the treasure, that's the purpose why he is included in this fiction story. Lucky may be linked to him, but can't be the same person.

Yes, of course - that's valid for fictional characters inspired by real characters. But Sun Wen, the historical one, is already part of this drama, he is a person whom South Shaolin master wanted to convey the treasure, he is important for the treasure-hunting plot because he is an "original destinatary" of the treasure, that's the purpose why he is included in this fiction story. Lucky may be linked to him, but can't be the same person.

Ah, ok. But I disagree this is a "small liberty". If he is Lucky, then it isn't only closing an eye on a fact Sun Wen was abroad (because he was exiled), but they also made him being disguised as some talkative travelling seller. Transforming a real historical person who could have normally lived with his profession (doctor and farmacist) anywhere into a fawning travelling seller isn't a small liberty, such a writer would certainly be heavily criticised... That's why I don't believe it's him

I doubt that. The historical setting is few months prior to Wuchang rebellion and Xinhai revolution, historical Sun Yat-sen was in the USA when it started, he returned only after he heard it started. We have a clear reference of the time (like in ep.8, "5th day of 4th month 1911, Magnzhong is 35 days away). Your granpa must have met him later.

Thank you for this, I was wondering why they've changed Sun Yat-sen's name. So, he was also called Sun Wen. Why Chinese can be called with so many different names?

I found a link to an article talking about the exhibition in 2012. https://www.ilogo.it/2012/02/dalla-cina-a-treviso-una-mostra-sulla-dinastia-guerriera-manciu/

yeah, but I'm not that much interested: I like to see them not necessarily to possess them :))) The curator of the exhibition I've mentioned (titled "Manciù") was a sinologist Adriano Madaro from Venice, who was also a permanent member of the Steering Committee of The Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture and all the artifacts, including the throne, were lend directly by the Chinese government (as part of the celebration of 40 years of IT-China diplomatic relations but the interest here was so great that the exhibition travelled Italy for years). He died last year.
Returning to the book of the French author, it will jump out when I paint and properly clean my house😁 before summer holidays, then I can tell you. Fortunately, we see each other often here