Omega17

it was entertaining enough that I watched all 24 episodes. But I felt like they missed out on telling a better story. Hey stayed enough out of the gray and red/black to keep the heroine likeable. Bit I think they missed the opportunity to send her down a blood thirsty path that was alluded to in her fission of her dark self. That is the character I wanted to see. They should have gone down that path and then rehabilitated her later. I wanted to see a blood thirsty, vengeful queen behind the curtain before going soft.

I thought it was a good start with a good premise. Im Jiyeon has good comedic timing. But she can also be scary as well.

The we politics of Cdramas. It’s definitely a real thing.

The 100K was not his fault but he did kill or try to kill enough innocent people to cover up and control the throne. So he’s not crazy evil like Qi Min. He’s more like a US president doing morally questionable things that he believes is for the greater good.

You just have to assume she learned it all off camera. Although at her reading level, I’m not sure the the time adds up. She would have probably needed more time than what actually passed on the show.

That’s not really what happened. Yhe conversation between the grand tutor and Wei Yan explains the motivation. It was the emperor who was ultimately responsible. Wei Yan did make enough poor choices to get others killed though.

In case of spoilers. I have to say that up to ep 20 I was at a 9.5 on the verge of giving this show a 10. From 20 to 25 the editing got a bit choppy. From 26 to 29 the writing got a bit questionable. From 30 to 35 you can tell they were rushing to finish it up and the story suffered. At that point I’m in 8.5 territory. But I will say, the last few episodes were very intriguing. It really made me wish the palace story was given more episodes and time to breath. I wish we got more than quick flashbacks to resolve the story of uncle, the general and the emperor. There was so much story that could have been mined but we would have needed at least ten more episodes. That whole Wei and Xie plot with the emperor could have been the basis for a second season. Maybe even dig into Qian Qian as a “traveler” plot. We could have even jumped ahead to see Boer and Ning Ning get married. The little “what if” post credit was cute. That was nice fan service. Anyway, it was a great series with late flaws I attribute to lack of time. But we have to give credit to the amazing actors and the director. Overall it was an enjoyable ride. This will be one I watch again.

Finally finished ep 40. Overall a really enjoyable Cdrama. I think I ended up settling at a 9.0 for my final score. Definitely my favorite Cdrama of the year.

Yes. When he forced himself upon her. There is no intimacy when it’s one-sided. Call it what it is and let’s not romanticize sexual assault. Deng is doing a great job as a psychotic villain. I’m sure he would agree that we shouldn’t romanticize what’s happening to Qian Qian. She is a victim.

Tbh I was not a fan of Love Like the Galaxy because of the overpowered ML. As far as Changyu goes, there wasn’t enough time to develop her into a believable general. We knew she was a physically strong character from the beginning. I don’t think that’s an issue. But her rise from commoner to general was quickly done and felt inorganic. This series could definitely have used ten more episodes. It is what it is though.

Are you watching the same show. She clearly hates him and doesn’t want to be with him.

Hopefully tomorrow.

Yeah, they have run the Qian Qian kidnapping story into the ground. I’m just ready for Qi Min to die now. I wish we had more episodes to deal with the palace intrigue properly but based on previews it’s coming to a quick end.

Our Unwritten Seoul was one of my favorite Kdramas from last year. I do see a resemblance.

Wow! It makes so much more sense for XZ to kill Prince ChangXin. He is tied more to XZ’s story than hers. Her killing the other general was fine or even having her kill Sui Yuanqing would have made more sense.

I was thinking she almost looks like a different actress with her current styling. Definitely loved village styling for her a lot more.

And that’s what I hate about it. You can be feminine and strong. Why does a woman need masculine traits to be strong? That’s what made her character great early in the series. She was feminine and strong. She was soft but a strong provider. She was caring about of others. The problem with most dramas when trying to make a tough female character, they just copy what they think a strong male character would be like. That’s not what made Changyu attractive. They have fallen into the same “tough guy” FL trope that is overly used in Cdramas. Few get it right. This show had it right earlier. Now we are in Mary Sue, girl boss territory.

I did not read the novel so I can’t make the comparisons. Was she not super powered in the novel?

Is Love Beyond the Grave any good? I was thinking of making that my next watch.

Actually in that time period, respect wasn’t earned at all. It was based on what family you were born into and your rank in society. Talking like she was talking could get her whole family executed. I guess we can just chalk it up to this state having a weak emperor.