Just finished this drama! š Overall, it was good, but I wasnāt a fan of the Hao Tian story arc... Introducing a new "big bad" in the last few episodes felt unnecessary. We already had such compelling antagonists with depth, so why insert such a one-dimensional villain?! The final episodes ended up feeling a bit too chaotic and confusing for me.
I was really hoping for a "Demon Lord" arc, but instead, we got the less exciting Hao Tian arc. My expectations didnāt align with the direction they chose for the story. I genuinely thought weād see the Demon Lord slowly falling for the current Mu Xuan Ling/A Zhu and becoming "good" again.
The dramaās description even says: "Mu Xuan Ling used love to awaken the demon god, dispelling the catastrophe and bringing peace to the world." But nope, we didnāt really get much romance in the final stretch.
The scenes in the Forest between the Demon Lord and Mu Xuan Ling were such a delight! Mu Xuan Lingās raging outburst and the Demon Lordās startled reaction had me laughing! They had such a fun dynamic. I wish weād gotten to see more of that! An advanced love story exploring a merged Zhao Ming/Xie Xue Chen/Demon Lord falling for Mu Xuan Ling while grappling with A Zhuās memories could have been incredible.
The potential for emotional depth and complexity was right there! I know it wouldnāt have been easy to pull off a love line with merged personalities, but imagine how compelling that couldāve been! Definitely more exciting than what we ended up with š
That said, I truly loved this drama for most of the journey. Episodes 1ā33 are a solid 10/10 for me! The last stretch? Maybe a 7/10. But Iāll be generous and give it an overall 9/10! š
The CGI is hilariously bad... I couldn't stop laughing at that speeding wolf in ep. 2! š And the dubbing? Absolutely atrocious š I really expected better production quality from this. Looks like I'll have to switch off my brain to to enjoy this lol
For now, I'll keep watching for the story and plot. Nothing else is winning me over, but I do like the overall story and the tribal setting.
I prefer Mu Dan with Liu Chang, much better chemistry
What?! I really hope you're talking about the actors' chemistry and not the characters'... because the only "chemistry" between Mu Dan and Liu Chang is pure poison lol
Tbh all the business stuff, politics and an endless suffering FL isnāt exactly my kind of cup, BUT the slow-burn romance? Oh, Iām living for it! This reeeal slow development is so my thing!
Watching them go from strangers to acquaintances, then business partners, now friends... and eventually lovers. Itās just so satisfying to see it all unfold ā¤ļø
I enjoy the past storyline, but I canāt help feeling anxious that itās taking up so much time, leaving less room for the present š Theyāve even delved deep into the side charactersā backstories in the past, which is great but makes me wish the drama was longer to balance everything out. The past alone could easily fill an entire drama.
At this rate, Iām worried there wonāt be enough time left for the present storyline with the Demon lord, Xuan Ling, Qiu Min, Fu Lan Sheng etc.
How are they gonna squeeze all of it into 7 episodes....
Also as much as I like A Zhu, I really miss Mu Xuan Lingās badass and unhinged personality š She would be unstoppable. If she wanted to see her lover, nothing could stop her. Sheād just break into his room like a queen! š
Just finished episode 4 and honestly, Kang Hee really needs some serious mental health therapy. Sheās nowhere near ready for a healthy relationship. Her past pain has made her so self-focused that all she sees is her own suffering. Instead of addressing her emotions, sheās trying to shield herself by hurting others first. Itās like sheās blind to anyone elseās feelings.
She disappeared for 10 years and yet her old friends are still quite kind and welcoming. Meanwhile, sheās acting like sheās the most miserable person in the world. Sheās stuck in this victim mentality, constantly wallowing in her misery and itās clear there are deeper issues sheās not dealing with.
And donāt even get me started on her telling people her very alive father is dead ..thatās just bizarre. If she had a bad relationship with him, I could maybe understand, but thatās not the case. Sure, the village is full of gossiping busybodies, but not everyone is like that. her dad and old friends genuinely care about her. Yet she treats them all with the same cold, dismissive attitude. It's hard to sympathize with her at this point.
Why is she acting pissed, hurt and jealous seeing him with another woman, after SHE rejected him?! I sincerely hope they don't get together, when he is doing all the courting and chasing... I want her to be the one chasing and actively trying, after she rejected him >_<
I really can't root for such an unbalanced relationship.
I'm starting to ship FL with 2ML and ML with that female hoobae of his lol 2ML matches FL crazy vibes haha I like them together. And ML really should meet someone better...just saying
Just binged the first two episodes and now Iām on episode 3. Really enjoying it so far! :D
I can't fully grasp yet why she despises everything about her hometown, but Iām guessing thereās more to her story that hasnāt been revealed yet.
And about the whole appearance dilemma... sure, she has lighter eyes and a few freckles, but itās not like her look is dramatically different. But people are sometimes insufferable to the slightest difference, so maybe it's not too far-fetched...
And oh man, I felt so bad for Cheon Yeon Su. Heās too good of a person. He honestly deserves someone better... I donāt dislike Ji Gang Hui, but I canāt say I particularly like her either, at least, not yet š Letās see how things unfold! :D
I love him, the crazier the betterš¤. But I get why others can't take him tooš„“.
@Mileruichi Your perspective on his character is so beautifully written and insightful. It perfectly captures what I felt but couldnāt express so eloquently!
I think, if it was a secondary female character who is breaking up the main couple just because she couldn't handle…
Ah, okay! "Hate" is a strong word, after all. Weāre just watching for some entertainment, right? š
Iāll definitely keep your point in mind when watching dramas. But can you actually think of any FML second leads who were written as complex as TM and still received a lot of hate?
While weāre diving into this, I feel like many FML second leads are often written shallow, which makes them easier to dislike. Male leads tend to be written with more depth in general. So, while I do agree with your point, I think this might be another root cause of much of the hate. Itās often the stereotypical ānice second 2MLā and the āevil, jealous second 2FL,ā where the character is almost designed to be hated.
In TMās case, though, heās written as a complex, multi-layered character and I canāt really recall a second FL with that level of complexity who still gets so much hate.
Just rewatched some scenes from ep. 31 and I'm still whole-heartedly enjoying this drama. Itās such a treat to find one this good and I also like our passionate and lively comment section hehe
We all have different opinions, but that's what makes the discussions so enjoyable! Even when things get heated, I've had nothing but respectful exchanges. Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you and I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday ā¤ļøš
I was really hoping for a "Demon Lord" arc, but instead, we got the less exciting Hao Tian arc. My expectations didnāt align with the direction they chose for the story. I genuinely thought weād see the Demon Lord slowly falling for the current Mu Xuan Ling/A Zhu and becoming "good" again.
The dramaās description even says: "Mu Xuan Ling used love to awaken the demon god, dispelling the catastrophe and bringing peace to the world." But nope, we didnāt really get much romance in the final stretch.
The scenes in the Forest between the Demon Lord and Mu Xuan Ling were such a delight! Mu Xuan Lingās raging outburst and the Demon Lordās startled reaction had me laughing! They had such a fun dynamic. I wish weād gotten to see more of that! An advanced love story exploring a merged Zhao Ming/Xie Xue Chen/Demon Lord falling for Mu Xuan Ling while grappling with A Zhuās memories could have been incredible.
The potential for emotional depth and complexity was right there! I know it wouldnāt have been easy to pull off a love line with merged personalities, but imagine how compelling that couldāve been! Definitely more exciting than what we ended up with š
That said, I truly loved this drama for most of the journey. Episodes 1ā33 are a solid 10/10 for me! The last stretch? Maybe a 7/10. But Iāll be generous and give it an overall 9/10! š
For now, I'll keep watching for the story and plot. Nothing else is winning me over, but I do like the overall story and the tribal setting.
Watching them go from strangers to acquaintances, then business partners, now friends... and eventually lovers. Itās just so satisfying to see it all unfold ā¤ļø
At this rate, Iām worried there wonāt be enough time left for the present storyline with the Demon lord, Xuan Ling, Qiu Min, Fu Lan Sheng etc.
How are they gonna squeeze all of it into 7 episodes....
Also as much as I like A Zhu, I really miss Mu Xuan Lingās badass and unhinged personality š She would be unstoppable. If she wanted to see her lover, nothing could stop her. Sheād just break into his room like a queen! š
She disappeared for 10 years and yet her old friends are still quite kind and welcoming. Meanwhile, sheās acting like sheās the most miserable person in the world. Sheās stuck in this victim mentality, constantly wallowing in her misery and itās clear there are deeper issues sheās not dealing with.
And donāt even get me started on her telling people her very alive father is dead ..thatās just bizarre. If she had a bad relationship with him, I could maybe understand, but thatās not the case. Sure, the village is full of gossiping busybodies, but not everyone is like that. her dad and old friends genuinely care about her. Yet she treats them all with the same cold, dismissive attitude. It's hard to sympathize with her at this point.
I really can't root for such an unbalanced relationship.
I can't fully grasp yet why she despises everything about her hometown, but Iām guessing thereās more to her story that hasnāt been revealed yet.
And about the whole appearance dilemma... sure, she has lighter eyes and a few freckles, but itās not like her look is dramatically different. But people are sometimes insufferable to the slightest difference, so maybe it's not too far-fetched...
And oh man, I felt so bad for Cheon Yeon Su. Heās too good of a person. He honestly deserves someone better... I donāt dislike Ji Gang Hui, but I canāt say I particularly like her either, at least, not yet š Letās see how things unfold! :D
Iāll definitely keep your point in mind when watching dramas. But can you actually think of any FML second leads who were written as complex as TM and still received a lot of hate?
While weāre diving into this, I feel like many FML second leads are often written shallow, which makes them easier to dislike. Male leads tend to be written with more depth in general. So, while I do agree with your point, I think this might be another root cause of much of the hate. Itās often the stereotypical ānice second 2MLā and the āevil, jealous second 2FL,ā where the character is almost designed to be hated.
In TMās case, though, heās written as a complex, multi-layered character and I canāt really recall a second FL with that level of complexity who still gets so much hate.
Iād be curious to hear your examples :D
We all have different opinions, but that's what makes the discussions so enjoyable! Even when things get heated, I've had nothing but respectful exchanges. Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you and I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday ā¤ļøš