... unless they want to milk the cow and have a season 4 and all filmed together, which would be a smart decision if they want to keep the same crew of actors...
BUT I hardly think so because I read the spoilers, and it truly seems to coincide with the last 2 books of Mao Ni.
Who knows? Season 2 was vastly different from the novel. They promoted the crown prince and second prince, as well as Li Qin, so they could get major screen time. Giving them screen time is totally fine: it is a TV drama, after all. It is the way the director and the script change the essence compared to season 1. That was my nono. I expected the same level of awe.
The other option is possibly the story of the Divine Temple and his mother. That would be absolutely fantastic (with a different director), because this would be a completely new story. In the novel, her story is hardly mentioned: she has transmigrated, and she was a scientist... she refused to marry the emperor and was assassinated by (NOT SAYING BECAUSE MEGA SPOILER). So, a short 16-episode series about her before Fan Xian would be the cherry on top of the cake!! (only a few actors would remain cast, either)... yeah yeah, dreaming out loud here 😜
My expectations for season 3 are not high (same director as S2). I read they doubled or tripled the budget from S2. Since the last 2 books are all about battles, I expect either incredible CGI or many guest actors. Because of that, I am unsure what would justify the budget. I will keep an open mind nonetheless. If I can see shirtless actors fighting, all will be worth it. 🤣
Sadly, the same director as Season 2 (Sun Hao), with excessive yodeling music/sound, and turning the main character more into a puppet than an extraordinary, complex and cunning character.
Season 1 was so good with the director Gao Han... It sucks that he was not picked for season 3...
I am SO SO SO glad that they removed the number of episode restriction. It was a major frustration of mine to fail to connect with most dramas because the emotional parts are/were not developed enough for me. This drama is an excellent blend of drama and documentary about Chinese culture. Truly excellent. I am also expecting an award for the lead. I cannot imagine how much training they went through.
The bad reviews are because of the actors scandal. Not the show. If you want to watch it, it's good
Ah! Thanks, that makes sense. MDL tends to be influenced by whether the MC is famous—fans will likely give a 10—and by haters, for whatever their issues, privacy concerns, or tax issues, who might rate a 1. This phenomenon isn't new. In my opinion, the most honest ratings are found on DOUBAN (Chinese platform), IMDb (international platform).
Here, the rating is average with a majority of 3 stars and 4 stars. However, Douban is Chinese and not S-Korean, so should be taken with a gran of salt 😏
Record-Breaking Ratings: The series concluded with a historic 24.9% nationwide rating in South Korea. It officially surpassed Crash Landing on You to become the highest-rated drama in tvN network history.
Global Appeal: Media tracking from The Korea Herald revealed the show accumulated over 373 million viewing hours on Netflix, consistently dominating international Top 10 charts.Asian Market Dominance:
On Filmarks, Japan's largest review aggregator, it maintained an exceptionally high user score of 4.5 out of 5.
Same old, same old. Novel versus drama... of course, it is different!
Novels are long-form narratives written in prose to be read, relying on descriptive narration and internal monologues.
Dramas are scripts structured around dialogue and stage directions, explicitly designed for live performance by actors in front of an audience.
So far, I have only seen one drama identical to the novel, and that was not Chinese but Twilight (the vampire saga). It was truly shocking how closely the drama matched the details. lol
Keep in mind that there are so many things that make the drama different:
- actor and actress contracts: how much screen time they must have, how much 'intimacy' they have, how much 'action/stunts' they have, etc. -- every single contract is extremely detailed to protect careers and give maximum exposure
- budget. Low budget often means low quality unless the director, actors, and script are genius as well. It is rare. It happens, but very rarely. Big budget means more actors, more CGI, more crew, etc., so some scenes from the novel can be included.
- script. If the scriptwriter is a fan of the novel, the drama will likely be close to the novel. If not, it is up to the scriptwriter to change events, move them around, exaggerate, delete, etc., and this can make the drama completely different (ex, Joy of Life, season 2... Rebirth (Princess Agents), and more)
- choice of actors and actresses. If you include popular S+ stars, the drama will likely become popular, but it does not mean it will reflect the novel
NOVELS ARE ONLY INSPIRATION. Nothing more. Everything in dramas should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, I completely understand the frustration and comparison. I am a huge novel reader, but I enjoy dramas, animations, and manga for different reasons. But I am human, and of course, I will be upset/frustrated watching dramas completely butchered (ex, JOL S2, Rebirth (PA) 😜
ETA: "butchered", aka bad casting, bad directing, bad acting, bad script, bad chemistry, bad martial etc. (you may read my reviews on both if you want to know more). I never give a bad review because the dramas are not identical to the novels. I have consistently held the same opinion on this. 😁
Ultimately, everyone has their own tastes. If those dramas exist, it’s because there’s an audience for them. Where there’s an audience, there’s revenue. Platforms do not produce dramas unless they expect to make money.
Director: Yang Yang Written by: Wang Yuen Genre: Fantasy / Old Fashion Country of production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Release: 2028 (undecided) Seasons: 2 Number of episodes: 30 Also known as: Human Xiu Xian Legend Season 2
I watched the first and last episode to get an idea of the drama, from the very get-go — the characters, the…
That's generally how I approach every drama. I especially want to know if there's a happy ending, particularly in Chinese costume dramas. Recently, I've been more interested in South Korean modern dramas because I find the actors more mature and funny—that's just my preference. Thank you for your comment. Due to the negative reviews, I wasn't sure whether to add this to my watch list.
1 
This series is a must-watch not only because of the topic, but also because of the great actors/actresses, director, and scripts.
Each episode has a happy ending, and each tackles a different kind of bullying.
MUST WATCH!! 10/10
https://baike.baidu.com/en/item/Joy%20of%20Life%20Season%203/935847
... unless they want to milk the cow and have a season 4 and all filmed together, which would be a smart decision if they want to keep the same crew of actors...
BUT I hardly think so because I read the spoilers, and it truly seems to coincide with the last 2 books of Mao Ni.
Who knows? Season 2 was vastly different from the novel. They promoted the crown prince and second prince, as well as Li Qin, so they could get major screen time. Giving them screen time is totally fine: it is a TV drama, after all. It is the way the director and the script change the essence compared to season 1. That was my nono. I expected the same level of awe.
The other option is possibly the story of the Divine Temple and his mother. That would be absolutely fantastic (with a different director), because this would be a completely new story. In the novel, her story is hardly mentioned: she has transmigrated, and she was a scientist... she refused to marry the emperor and was assassinated by (NOT SAYING BECAUSE MEGA SPOILER). So, a short 16-episode series about her before Fan Xian would be the cherry on top of the cake!! (only a few actors would remain cast, either)... yeah yeah, dreaming out loud here 😜
My expectations for season 3 are not high (same director as S2). I read they doubled or tripled the budget from S2. Since the last 2 books are all about battles, I expect either incredible CGI or many guest actors. Because of that, I am unsure what would justify the budget. I will keep an open mind nonetheless. If I can see shirtless actors fighting, all will be worth it. 🤣
Season 1 was so good with the director Gao Han... It sucks that he was not picked for season 3...
Here, the rating is average with a majority of 3 stars and 4 stars. However, Douban is Chinese and not S-Korean, so should be taken with a gran of salt 😏
Douban Rating 6.9 - 129,360 reviews
https://movie.douban.com/subject/35861696/
5 stars - 16.3%
4 stars - 30.9%
3 stars - 39.1%
2 stars - 10.6%
1 star - 3.1%
IMDb rated it 8.2 which is good.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27668559/
Rotten Tomatoes scored it at 74% (their platform) which is also average and 8.2 on IMDb
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/queen_of_tears
------
Audience and Industry Impact (google)
Record-Breaking Ratings: The series concluded with a historic 24.9% nationwide rating in South Korea. It officially surpassed Crash Landing on You to become the highest-rated drama in tvN network history.
Global Appeal: Media tracking from The Korea Herald revealed the show accumulated over 373 million viewing hours on Netflix, consistently dominating international Top 10 charts.Asian Market Dominance:
On Filmarks, Japan's largest review aggregator, it maintained an exceptionally high user score of 4.5 out of 5.
---
My conclusion... I will give it a try! 😁
But I am human, and of course, I will be upset/frustrated watching dramas completely butchered (ex: JOL S2, Rebirth (PA)) 😜
Novels are long-form narratives written in prose to be read, relying on descriptive narration and internal monologues.
Dramas are scripts structured around dialogue and stage directions, explicitly designed for live performance by actors in front of an audience.
So far, I have only seen one drama identical to the novel, and that was not Chinese but Twilight (the vampire saga). It was truly shocking how closely the drama matched the details. lol
Keep in mind that there are so many things that make the drama different:
- actor and actress contracts: how much screen time they must have, how much 'intimacy' they have, how much 'action/stunts' they have, etc. -- every single contract is extremely detailed to protect careers and give maximum exposure
- budget. Low budget often means low quality unless the director, actors, and script are genius as well. It is rare. It happens, but very rarely. Big budget means more actors, more CGI, more crew, etc., so some scenes from the novel can be included.
- script. If the scriptwriter is a fan of the novel, the drama will likely be close to the novel. If not, it is up to the scriptwriter to change events, move them around, exaggerate, delete, etc., and this can make the drama completely different (ex, Joy of Life, season 2... Rebirth (Princess Agents), and more)
- choice of actors and actresses. If you include popular S+ stars, the drama will likely become popular, but it does not mean it will reflect the novel
NOVELS ARE ONLY INSPIRATION. Nothing more. Everything in dramas should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, I completely understand the frustration and comparison. I am a huge novel reader, but I enjoy dramas, animations, and manga for different reasons. But I am human, and of course, I will be upset/frustrated watching dramas completely butchered (ex, JOL S2, Rebirth (PA) 😜
ETA: "butchered", aka bad casting, bad directing, bad acting, bad script, bad chemistry, bad martial etc. (you may read my reviews on both if you want to know more). I never give a bad review because the dramas are not identical to the novels. I have consistently held the same opinion on this. 😁
Ultimately, everyone has their own tastes. If those dramas exist, it’s because there’s an audience for them. Where there’s an audience, there’s revenue. Platforms do not produce dramas unless they expect to make money.
https://movie.douban.com/subject/37490937/
Director: Yang Yang
Written by: Wang Yuen
Genre: Fantasy / Old Fashion
Country of production: Mainland China
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Release: 2028 (undecided)
Seasons: 2
Number of episodes: 30
Also known as: Human Xiu Xian Legend Season 2