Divine Aria

That's little Yuan. She's the daughter of governor Gongsun Heng of Shuozhou in the drama. She's so adorable and has some cute scenes with the two leads.

It's so gorgeous! Thank you for sharing.

The bromance between Ashile Sun and Mujin...!

Hao Du was actually in the manhua, though his role was quite minor. Only Leyan was a created character for the drama. I guess they either felt they needed more female characters, or put her in there just to give Hao Du a love story, too, since they made Hao Du's role so much more important in the drama.

Glad to hear you finished it. I love this drama, though Hao Du and Leyan were the most boring part of it for me(they were bland, a bit pointless, and disconnected from the main plot of the drama, which was the war between Tang and Ashile). I also enjoy inspiring and healthy relationships that have more dynamic to them than just two people who romantically like each other, so I personally Ioved Changge and A'Sun's partnership+romance relationship...but each to his or her own. And I don't know that the scenes done in drawings was necessarily a budget thing because it could simply be a homage to the drama's original source since it was a manhua/comic by Xia Da. I honestly didn't mind that they fast-forwarded all those long, pointless army battles with comic. I enjoy the live action battles for the more personal fights(which this drama did do), but actually think live battles are unnecessary for all the long, repetitive sieges in this story.

I'm not miserable at all, just pointing out your contradictions. If you don't like it, then you don't like it, and you should prob just move on to a different drama. Watch something that won't make you freaked out or miserable

How is my reading bad? You said that he stares at the female lead like he's going to eat her alive. Then you proceeded to say that they give off sibling vibes. I was just saying that a sibling won't stare at his sister like he's about to eat her alive. Only a love interest will do that.

...siblings vibe...lol. If him looking at her like he's going to eat her alive is siblings vibe...well, dang.

Welcome to the club. I think it's the one drama I've watched that has made me so keenly aware of how single I am.

Thanks for sharing! Some say they didn't like the first 4 episodes of AASOL, but I enjoy the first four so much. I think I've rewatched those episodes the most, haha. Like, I always enjoy the relationship itself, of course, but the chase is some of the most interesting to me when it comes to romances. I actually really like the whole entire first half of the drama a great deal. Maybe it's just me.

And Shuyu is supposed to be willing to help her, both as her friend and as someone loyal to her family. Didn't even bother trying. He betrayed her. At that point, he basically became an enemy, so it's fair game. Nothing stupid about using your smarts to survive at all costs against your enemies. Ridiculous that you're expecting Changge to feel sorry for Shuyu and to help him and his family out by not stealing the fish token, but think it's totally fine for him to abandon her. He's choosing to be selfish as well. They're each doing what's best for themselves at that point, so it's fair game. If Shuyu is outsmarted, too bad for him.

Mimi dies in the comic/manhua too. Maybe they decided to keep her death consistent.

There are two things going on at the same time. Yes, there is war with Ashile Tribe(which is why Ashile representatives are in Chang'an). They plan to attack but are there pretending that they are seeking peace through marriage. That is just a coverup for why they are truly there. Ashile Sun(Leo Wu) is a powerful general of Ashile Tribe, and he is actually there doing spy work, seeking Tang's weaknesses, so that they can have the upper-hand when they eventually attack. The other thing going on is that there is family conflict between Li Jiancheng, the current Crown Prince and father of Changge, and his brother, Li Shimin(Changge's uncle). The two brothers have never gotten along and see one another as political foes. Even though Changge's father is the current Crown Prince, back in EP1, he indicated that he felt he was being betrayed by his brother, and that it was the last straw for him. Obviously, what you watched was one brother, Li Shimin(Changge's uncle), assassinating the other, Changge's father, and taking over as the new Crown Prince. Currently, Changge is an exiled Princess on the run. All of this is happening while Ashile Sun and his men are working in the background and taking advantage of the royal family's conflict to create more problems for Tang. Li Shimin, after taking over as the New CP is trying to figure out how to deal with the soldiers and men who've always been loyal to his brother. He's also dealing with Changge's anger and desire to kill him in return for slaughtering her family. That's the story so far after 3 EP.

And Changge is a tomboy character who is more stoic, practical, and not very comfortable with her feminine side, so Dilraba is doing a great job of portraying her character. She's not supposed to be overly emotional.

Really? When???
Thanks in advance, if anyone has any info.

My point is, the only thing the main leads lacked was the bedroom intimacy and skinship. They definitely had emotional connection and support. That was where they shined the brightest. The way they supported each other, understood one another, viewed one another as equal partners, respected, admired, and protected one another despite their loyalty lying with different nations is beautiful. Unlike the second couple, their relationship was actually much better developed. They had an actual foundation for a proper relationship(mutual admiration, respect, and understanding), proper reasons why they fell for each other(Changge falling for A'Sun because he was there for her many many times/willing to go through thick and thin with her, A'sun falling for Changge because he was impressed with her knowledge in battle tactics, her abilities, and her bravery). It's actually quite unclear to me why Hao Du ever fell for Princess Leyan. What attracted him to her??? One minute, he was obsessing over/chasing Changge while completely ignoring the fact that Leyan went missing under his watch. He didn't even go looking for her. Then, he was suddenly running around frantically searching for her as if he'd always been concerned. He found her, brought her back for, like, a day, and was suddenly in love with her. And Leyan was in love with someone else for a major part of the drama and really only accepted Hao Du because she was rejected by the guy she couldn't have. It's a pretty minimal love story that felt rather forced on both ends.

I mean, if you're talking physical intimacy, really, none of the couples had much of that in this drama, not even the second leads whom you claimed was more romantic. The second leads didn't have a lot of screen time at all, actually. I would also argue that it's not true that they had more romantic moments. It's what people remember them for because their roles were pretty much limited to a love story. They were very disjointed from the main plot of the story, which is the war between Tang and Ashile. The main leads, on the other hand, had roles that encompassed not just a love story between them but being involved with politics, major battles, and saving their world, so they're not as tied to just a love story. However, if you actually counted the number of times they went on dates, kissed each other(including forehead kisses), one putting their head on the other's shoulder, ML carrying FL, one writing a romantic note to the other, talking to one another about marriage, etc., etc., then they had more romance scenes than the second leads did. I can assure you that they were also together for a lot more longer than the second leads ever were. The second leads were separated for literally half the drama and then just didn't have much screen time in general.

If the two main leads didn't feel romantic enough for you, that's fine. I was simply saying that there is definitely romance in the drama, maybe just not the kind you were looking for, and I was just correcting you on the facts as far as who had more romantic scenes. I get that different couples appeal to different people. I personally did not care about the second leads at all. They put me to sleep and were, again, very disjointed from the main plot of the drama. I thought both had very bland personalities that led to dull interactions, which were even a bit cheesy, and spent more time just being awkward with each other(one following the other around town) than anything that was actually all that significant or meaningful. Because they were so disjointed from the main plot, they didn't necessarily even need to be in the drama, IMO. In the original comic/manhua, the second female lead didn't even exist. She was created specifically just for the drama(maybe because they needed more female characters and prob also a love interest for Hao Du's character). I watched them the first time and have been fast-forwarding their parts each time I've rewatched the drama. Luckily for me, they don't have much screen time anyway so I don't ever have to do too much skipping.

I didn't care that the kiss between the actor/actress wasn't real. The two characters still kissed. Also, that didn't negate the fact that Ashile Sun and Changge have one of the healthiest and most beautiful relationships ever. There wasn't any of the usual, annoying long, drawn-out misunderstandings, blaming, or grudge-holding. Their relationship wasn't merely about two people who liked each other romantically, but they also had something like that of a partnership where they mutually respected, admired, and believed in each other's capabilities. No toxicity.

Let me correct you: Romance story is great. The leads have one of the best and most healthy relationships I've seen in a while. Their love for each other is shown through the way they respect/understand one another and the amount of sacrifices they make for one another throughout the drama. But if your definition of romance is only skinship, bedroom intimacy, and lip-locking then, sure, don't waste your time.

She endangered her friend? She was fighting for survival, and all alone, dude. Your friends are the ones you're supposed to be able to rely on when you have no one else. If the roles were reversed and Shuyu needed her help, Changge is the type who would have risked her own neck for him. Shuyu is spineless and indecisive. There's a reason why Changge ends up falling for Ashile Sun and not him. Her conversation with Shuyu towards the end about how she can't imagine herself spending the rest of her life with anyone aside from A'Sun, because he was the one willing to go through thick and thin with her, says it all. I haven't even mentioned the fact that Shuyu and his father are supposed to be loyal to her family. It was basically an act of betrayal when he was hesitating and indecisive about whether to help or not. Shuyu's own father, who was willing to die for what he believed in, is more of a man than he is.

Personally, I don't really understand how anyone can think that Changge is self-centered. It is completely understandable that anyone who've had their entire family slaughtered, is being hunted, and has immensely been emotionally and psychologically traumatized would want revenge. She didn't just have one thing taken from her. In a span of a few hours, her entire world was destroyed by what Li Shimin did. And the minute she stepped back into the palace, they were out for her life as well. I think she's ALLOWED to feel betrayed, angry, and to want revenge. It's even worse when that act of betrayal is committed by someone that you loved and trusted with all your life, someone you believed could never harm you. He was like a second father to her and, yet, he destroyed her life and threw her into harm's way. Anyone in her shoes would be filled with hatred and, understandably, would seek revenge. Is she self-centered though? I don't see it. She started off naive and not knowing much about the world around her, but based on Li Shimin's act of betrayal, she also believed that he wasn't a good person, wasn't to be trusted, or fit to be emperor anyway. As she started realizing how much her country needed him, that even people who weren't necessarily loyal to him(like Gongsun Heng) could respect him to a degree, and that he was someone who was genuine about helping the people of Tang, she prioritized helping him survive over her own personal vengeance against him. If she was truly self-centered, that would have never been possible. To me, she's quite the opposite of self-centered and selfish. She's a better person than I would have been.

Also, she had to think that she could do everything and anything. She had no choice. After all, she had no one else to turn to or to rely on, and she wasn't about to start trusting any random person when she couldn't even trust the one person whom she was closest to. The only person she could trust or rely on was herself, so she had to do her best with whatever she had. As far as doing nothing...not true at all. Some people don't give her enough credit for all the things that she successfully did or at least initiated in order for change to happen. Aside from Ashile Sun, you won't be able to name anyone who did more than her. Some claim that she was useless and didn't do anything. Others claim that they made her too invincible and too capable at everything to be realistic. It's kind of funny that people have such polarizing views about her.

I'm not triggered, hun. I genuinely like having conversations and asking questions when things don't make sense. You were very polite about it? Well, so was I. You're the one obviously getting all triggered over being questioned. I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to respond to you just like how you've been responding to others. And if you don't care enough to respond back to me, then don't. Why do you feel the need to type back in capital letters?