I understand you because I've watched so many times and every favourite scenes i repeat again and again recently…
I was just thinking of my favourite scene where they both trust each other and that music played in the background as they flew. And of course the steamy kiss on the bath. The walk on the bridge like that's my favourite couple right there. The chemistry was chemistrying!
I usually HATE rewatching shows. I already seen it, like why would I want to rewatch it again? Especially if it's not been even at least 2-5 years but I want to watch this again..I miss my parents. I'm actually shocked that I even want to rewatch this when it haven't even been a year. I need a friend to grab so they can watch this with me again.
I was on twitter when this first aired and the hate it was getting over there was excessive. I thought, how bad can it be? I watched it and the show was more enjoyable than I thought. It's very rom-com style. I think the problem lies with the fact it's very one dimensional.
So I guess I'll give a mini review on my thoughts so far:
[Plot]
The show takes a caricature of what a monarchy is, slapped modernization to it and called it a day. It shows in the politics. The reason why royal feuds are entertaining to watch it's because it's bloody. Siblings, uncles, etc will kill each other for power and to ensure there is no civil war. In here, there is no risk of death. If the nephew abidcated the throne nothing happens. You would think the motivation of the characters is power yet the show doesn't put any emphasis in it. The Queen Mother is fighting to keep the throne, her motivation? Not clear. From episode 10, it didn't even seem like she wanted power, she was just forced on that seat. So what exactly is the whole fight for power about? We don't know. It just exist for entertainment.
The same thing with the class system. They introduced that there are commoners and nobles (funny how they brushed aside the slave system). What are doing with it? Almost nothing. Again, another caricature.The female lead still gets an education, still gets to own a business, she is just there to be "I'm lower in rank" in special events. That's the only privilege (or should I call it luxury) that she gets stripped off. Oh poor you, oppressed by being the last to walk in royal events that even most nobles can't attend. The commoners are sooooo oppressed by not marrying some nobles maybe?
It's obvious the writer just wants to create Classism Hierarchy without the classism. It's just there to make you want to root for the female lead because she doesn't have any real issues. I mean that's very rom-coms writers style. They don't want to build a world with real consequences. They just want to use oppression to push romance somehow without there being any oppression. Nothing new here. I'm sure this will go around winning awards regardless of the lack of thought that went through it.
I would say the writer strength here is the romance. As long as the romance is refreshing and leans into cliches well, it will do well. It's the type of drama you can enjoy because you want light hearted drama and nothing serious. The script is very hollow otherwise. It doesn't explore motivation, other characters dynamics, or why are things are happening the way they are. They don't explore her dynamic with her father, her brother, etc. you can still enjoy the surface level characterisation they try to do however.
[Actors]
If anyone knows me, they would know I support BWS from back from Strong Woman Namsoon days. I even have a review speaking about him. However, the criticism is valid. The show doesn't allow for range. Really good actors, even with bad scripts, try to show range regardless. I feel like the criticism were harsh because his role geninuely sucks. But I hope he read the criticism he is getting from this show and improve his craft so people never tear him apart like this. And I hope he pick better scripts because he doesn't suit this roles at all.
IU, at the start, it was lackluster but you can see after 3 episodes she actually trying to bring a refreshing performance to this bland script. She was showing range and it was actually entertaining when the script is this bad.
And of course, Gong Seung Yeon gets all the praises. She is the example of an actress who's character also got no range. Her scenes are only crying and getting angry and she was putting in that work.
I'm rewatching and remembering that it took me a long time to get through this, the first time, precisely because…
I'm surprised to find more people who didn't like the male lead. Guess I was not as alone as I thought I would be. I thought because this is so popular, people would actually disagree more.
Exactly, he doesn't give any motivation, he just strict. Sometimes you want to understand why the female lead will like him so I was hoping the future episodes will be different but someone else said it doesn't get better so I'm keeping my expectations low.
I definitely already like Shawn Dao tbh. He just have more life to him so I want to see more of him and I believe we will.
Lol let me see this ending that had everyone sad. I'm going to try to catch up.
yeah tbh I don't find the ML interesting and I've already watched 40+ episodes. The main story falls around the…
I was hoping I will change my mind since I have 52 episodes to go too but I kinda already didn't like how he refuses to give the FL the praise she deserves knowing she is exceptional at every way. He would call her weak in his private moment (not even publicly) even when his bodyguard would point out how it took her mere days on training that took him a year. His personality is just too rigid.
I'm surprised to hear you say that they only end up together at the very end... I guess this is one of those frustrating storylines where there isn't any scenes to help support the romance and they expect you to accept the ending. This is kinda cursed.
With old production like this one, I like to see how much everything changed. 9 years later, there is such a big improvement in production, sound quality, CGI, make up, even the acting (not that much but I see more depth in terms of storytelling to help the acting) so it never bothers me that things are outdated. A good story will always exist even if it's old. But it's so interesting to reach a level where it's so noticeable.
Nah, I'm not dropping. A lot of older dramas had older actors and I want to see them. I also want to see Rebirth (even though it's getting torn apart by everyone lmao haven't heard anything good but I'll let myself be the judge) so I would like to catch up with this one and see what makes this show so beloved by older fans.
I don't like the male lead. I'm trying because I know Li Yun Rui will play him but he is just not doing it for me. The sound engineering really shows how outdated it used to be. It so interesting seeing the older dramas now because it's so obvious they are lipsync. I can genuinely see the improvement now in the sound and even the storytelling. It feels way different. I enjoy how much effort they used to put in the Wuxia scenes in almost every episode. However, the acting is kinda average. I've seen people say the acting is much better but I think nostalgia is blinding you guys.
Yes!!! Im beginning to believe star stone actually hold grudge on him because of the past.
It does feel like it but he was all like, "I never hated you." Okay then you know how much this meant for him? He wanted to kill himself knowing he was torturing his clan.
The male lead lawyer friend is hilarious! "I have two documents to sign." Just to mute the conversation for some advice because he doesn't know how to deal with the conversation. He was hilarious and the acting was really good because you can tell he immediate switched from naturally talking to it feeling like he was reading off a script.
What a cruel lie? I'm not sure exactly how did he think it's a good idea to lie to him by saying there is a way to undo the petrification spell??? It's one thing to tell lie if he was looking for a way to undo it himself but to know there isn't a way and still lie??? The cruelest punishment. Not sure how did he think this was mercy. Crazy! I actually can't wrap my head around that he thought this was a good thing. Tell me I'm not the only one who thought this was insane? It was better to tell him the truth and have Chi Wen destroy them from the start!
I was so excited to watch this especially with Li Yun Rui being there but I heard it continues the story from season 1? I thought it was going to be more of standalone with a different direction or within the same universe but I heard there are spoilers what happened in the prequel to remind you where the story left off? I thought of giving the prequel a try but the worst thing to do is watch a prequel and get attached to the first cast just to immediately jump into a new cast. It won't feel the same and I might start comparison against my will. I'm stuck trying to make a decision.
At first I pitied him. But I thought he was forced to sit on the throne and don't care even if he's not an emperor.…
I've watched so many dramas and I believe he simply can't abidcate his throne. If he does, they need to kill him because he have royal bloodline and is considered a legitimate heir. Not sure if that's just dramatised for drama or if there is some truth to it
I agree. It started good but missed the mark mid-way. It's very immature to call people haters for sharing their…
The military arc had a lot of highs but also lows. It doesn't help that a lot of the editing felt very choppy and cuts into a different scene quickly while they are trying to squeeze as many important details as possible.
I don't want to be called a hater since I was looking forward to this drama since last year and immediately started it the moment it dropped, watching daily even though I wasn't commenting. Calling any different opinion as hate is very common with popular dramas so I know how things operate here. And it gets harder to comment because many people also have similar issues so negative feedbacks are coming more now that most of the story is finished and people are getting the full view of the drama.
Currently on ep 33 (I'm not watching leaked version so I'm going slow)
I really enjoyed this drama. So many nice dymnatics and I like a lot of characters and it started off so well but at the current point, it's been disappointing in a way. I want to share some of my thoughts but I decided against it because one thing about extremely, trendy, popular dramas is that they have worshippers. Any criticism is always seen as hate and just "stupid people who don't understand anything and want to ruin the vibe for everyone else" so I'm not going to bother.
Overall, it had the potential to be one of my favourites and I absolutely adore Changyu.
If they had given the SML fewer scenes, more people would probably have second lead syndrome
Not sure if people would have had second lead syndrome but I'm sure he would have been likeable. Second lead syndrome usually happens when the second lead is just much better than the male lead not someone who have fewer scenes.
I'm wondering if I should blame my disappointment in kdramas on myself or the writers because when I started this show, I had this expectation that it will tackle family dynamics, unexpected first time parenting, hardships of raising a kid when you didn't settle yet, trying to balance life and work, what it means for a child to lose his parents, the unexpected roommate relationship while slowly falling in love, female lead struggles to maintain herself because she didn't foreseen herself as a guardian, the male lead coming in terms with his past (which they did cover her) but like I expected more baby/parenting dynamic. Yet I just ended up with a boring love triangle.
1 
So I guess I'll give a mini review on my thoughts so far:
[Plot]
The show takes a caricature of what a monarchy is, slapped modernization to it and called it a day. It shows in the politics. The reason why royal feuds are entertaining to watch it's because it's bloody. Siblings, uncles, etc will kill each other for power and to ensure there is no civil war. In here, there is no risk of death. If the nephew abidcated the throne nothing happens. You would think the motivation of the characters is power yet the show doesn't put any emphasis in it. The Queen Mother is fighting to keep the throne, her motivation? Not clear. From episode 10, it didn't even seem like she wanted power, she was just forced on that seat. So what exactly is the whole fight for power about? We don't know. It just exist for entertainment.
The same thing with the class system. They introduced that there are commoners and nobles (funny how they brushed aside the slave system). What are doing with it? Almost nothing. Again, another caricature.The female lead still gets an education, still gets to own a business, she is just there to be "I'm lower in rank" in special events. That's the only privilege (or should I call it luxury) that she gets stripped off. Oh poor you, oppressed by being the last to walk in royal events that even most nobles can't attend. The commoners are sooooo oppressed by not marrying some nobles maybe?
It's obvious the writer just wants to create Classism Hierarchy without the classism. It's just there to make you want to root for the female lead because she doesn't have any real issues. I mean that's very rom-coms writers style. They don't want to build a world with real consequences. They just want to use oppression to push romance somehow without there being any oppression. Nothing new here. I'm sure this will go around winning awards regardless of the lack of thought that went through it.
I would say the writer strength here is the romance. As long as the romance is refreshing and leans into cliches well, it will do well. It's the type of drama you can enjoy because you want light hearted drama and nothing serious. The script is very hollow otherwise. It doesn't explore motivation, other characters dynamics, or why are things are happening the way they are. They don't explore her dynamic with her father, her brother, etc. you can still enjoy the surface level characterisation they try to do however.
[Actors]
If anyone knows me, they would know I support BWS from back from Strong Woman Namsoon days. I even have a review speaking about him. However, the criticism is valid. The show doesn't allow for range. Really good actors, even with bad scripts, try to show range regardless. I feel like the criticism were harsh because his role geninuely sucks. But I hope he read the criticism he is getting from this show and improve his craft so people never tear him apart like this. And I hope he pick better scripts because he doesn't suit this roles at all.
IU, at the start, it was lackluster but you can see after 3 episodes she actually trying to bring a refreshing performance to this bland script. She was showing range and it was actually entertaining when the script is this bad.
And of course, Gong Seung Yeon gets all the praises. She is the example of an actress who's character also got no range. Her scenes are only crying and getting angry and she was putting in that work.
Exactly, he doesn't give any motivation, he just strict. Sometimes you want to understand why the female lead will like him so I was hoping the future episodes will be different but someone else said it doesn't get better so I'm keeping my expectations low.
I definitely already like Shawn Dao tbh. He just have more life to him so I want to see more of him and I believe we will.
Lol let me see this ending that had everyone sad. I'm going to try to catch up.
I'm surprised to hear you say that they only end up together at the very end... I guess this is one of those frustrating storylines where there isn't any scenes to help support the romance and they expect you to accept the ending. This is kinda cursed.
With old production like this one, I like to see how much everything changed. 9 years later, there is such a big improvement in production, sound quality, CGI, make up, even the acting (not that much but I see more depth in terms of storytelling to help the acting) so it never bothers me that things are outdated. A good story will always exist even if it's old. But it's so interesting to reach a level where it's so noticeable.
Nah, I'm not dropping. A lot of older dramas had older actors and I want to see them. I also want to see Rebirth (even though it's getting torn apart by everyone lmao haven't heard anything good but I'll let myself be the judge) so I would like to catch up with this one and see what makes this show so beloved by older fans.
I don't like the male lead. I'm trying because I know Li Yun Rui will play him but he is just not doing it for me. The sound engineering really shows how outdated it used to be. It so interesting seeing the older dramas now because it's so obvious they are lipsync. I can genuinely see the improvement now in the sound and even the storytelling. It feels way different. I enjoy how much effort they used to put in the Wuxia scenes in almost every episode. However, the acting is kinda average. I've seen people say the acting is much better but I think nostalgia is blinding you guys.
The male lead lawyer friend is hilarious! "I have two documents to sign." Just to mute the conversation for some advice because he doesn't know how to deal with the conversation. He was hilarious and the acting was really good because you can tell he immediate switched from naturally talking to it feeling like he was reading off a script.
What a cruel lie? I'm not sure exactly how did he think it's a good idea to lie to him by saying there is a way to undo the petrification spell??? It's one thing to tell lie if he was looking for a way to undo it himself but to know there isn't a way and still lie??? The cruelest punishment. Not sure how did he think this was mercy. Crazy! I actually can't wrap my head around that he thought this was a good thing. Tell me I'm not the only one who thought this was insane? It was better to tell him the truth and have Chi Wen destroy them from the start!
I don't want to be called a hater since I was looking forward to this drama since last year and immediately started it the moment it dropped, watching daily even though I wasn't commenting. Calling any different opinion as hate is very common with popular dramas so I know how things operate here. And it gets harder to comment because many people also have similar issues so negative feedbacks are coming more now that most of the story is finished and people are getting the full view of the drama.
I really enjoyed this drama. So many nice dymnatics and I like a lot of characters and it started off so well but at the current point, it's been disappointing in a way. I want to share some of my thoughts but I decided against it because one thing about extremely, trendy, popular dramas is that they have worshippers. Any criticism is always seen as hate and just "stupid people who don't understand anything and want to ruin the vibe for everyone else" so I'm not going to bother.
Overall, it had the potential to be one of my favourites and I absolutely adore Changyu.