BearFightingFanBackAgain

All are good! Hurry up and air the show😭

Only children make choices. I like every version of Cangcang (although martial arts world Cangcang seems super cute😂).

There’s finally a closeup couple poster! Happy 5/20, y’all 🥳
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5168317595127447

Xiao Huan’s 520 clip
Which side of Xiao Huan do you like?
The dark and deep-bellied Emperor of Da Qi vs the chivalrous knight who enjoys the rivers and lakes?
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5168332694887318

Cangcang’s 520 clip
Which side of Cangcang do you like?
The free and unrestrained Fenglai Pavilion Master or the dignified and generous Queen Daqi?
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5168335214871082

I think there’s materials tomorrow!

I still got to finish it but I feel like this is the dark fantasy Cdrama that I’ve been waiting so long for.

Ashes of Love and Eternal Love are both happy endings.

Is the animation’s story good? I’m thinking about watching it in full to understand the changes in the adaptation but I can’t get past the visuals every time I see a clip. If the story is good though, I want to give it another go.

"our hate toward evilness, is also an evil potent/tendency/act".

Yes, I think this was one of the core messages of the show. Meeting evil with evil will only beget more evil. I felt that this is what Hongye was trying to get across to other families in the Yiqi Alliance. And the cause and effect of it is shown in Jialan’s development.

Buying the express package will let you access all the remaining episodes all in one go.

The question about the origin of evil is a good one and it is also tied up in the concept of Predeterminism and Nature vs Nurture. Are people truly born evil? Or is it that everyone is a blank slate and there are just some people who are more susceptible to becoming evil? And are those individuals unexpectedly pushed towards evil by the very same people trying eradicate evil? Does mistreating them actually end up nurturing their evilness?

Jia Lan is said to be born evil but it seems that it is only when her evil is “nurtured” through attacks against her does it come out. Her younger worldview might be a bit strange but seems harmless compared to her later worldview. In fact, her evilness feels more of a survival mechanism more than anything else.

I think another question/theme this drama raises is “Is love worth it if it is a weakness that can exploited?”. The drama seems to ask this repeatedly in the form of Bad Huaizhu and Jialan and I think it takes this concept to the extreme in the second instalment and I’m wondering if the third instalment will answer it.

I thought so. I thought this was one of the key and most important changes.

Also didn’t Hongye die in that first future scenario or did I read it wrong?

Because tragedy doesn’t put off some people. For me all that matters is the ending is appropriate. This ending seemed pre-determined too. Tbh, I’m not sure why the group thought they could take on the Black Fox Lady when they could barely handle a weakened Jiu Huo. Jialan was already stronger than Jiu Huo before she was captured, 500 years of nothing but stewing must have made her power immense.

Their pairing was really good. The screenwriter praised both of them. They managed to portray a villainous love without it feeling over the top or fake.
I’m excited for her MYM too. This character is also a new attempt from her. She’s never played a charming or most “beautiful woman in the world” type character better. Thank goodness she’s finally made it to better productions. And chosen to take on cameos. More people can see her range now.

He’s a villain but kinda one of circumstance. If the Beast Kingdom never messed with him and Jialan, the only ones he’d be tormenting would be dragons.

Here’s the lead screenwriter’s Weibo account. It’s very good for understanding the context behind the characters:
https://m.weibo.cn/u/1940885260?luicode=10000011&lfid=1005055116121403

I think Jia Lan and Jiu Huo’s story shows the stakes if things aren’t cleaned up on the human side. A massive villain was created through human interference so if it’s not stopped who knows what kind of evil could be next.

I didn’t watch RMP so I don’t know the degree of change but I think the overall script of LiP is decent. I feel like the screenwriting team is okay at the overall framework of the story. They can create the world view, set the stakes, and write interesting characters with a complete storyline in a short time. In fact, I feel like this team does a decent job of showing each characters motivations, and that’s really key in a situation as grey as this show - the audience doesn’t have to like a character or their actions but they can understand their reasons for doing something.
The problem with this team seems to rest in the details. They don’t have someone who can firm up the story logic to make sure that there’s no plot holes, all actions make sense, and that events occur organically and believably. But maybe that’s the side effect of the revisions.