Wang yibo should not have done this role. He's like supporting character in this series.
I don't agree with that assessment at all. He's so obviously not a supporting character. He's in just about every single episode. The fact is that he's part of a large ensemble and still is a key figure.
Frankly I think he chose well for himself. This is a quality production in every way, underpinned by a good script. He could do a lot worse.. A lot.
Ah... a Justice Bao story. Thought so from the mention of Kaifeng.
Edited: Yeah, I'm not impressed. It isn't just the female lead. It's the whole jolly script and the production values are really low. For Bao Zheng, supposedly one of the great sleuths of Chinese history to proclaim the female lead intelligent and a worthy sidekick for Zhan Zhao after one single encounter where she mucked up big time is not just implausible but completely garbage writing.
Although I'm well aware that the show presents an unrealistic picture of the therapeutic process (and it is acknowledged before the end credits), the watchability factor for me is high due to the main characters. I sense an awkwardness in the script in trying to integrate all the moving parts and I think nowhere is that clearer than the inclusion and execution of Ye Jiahui. His revenge arc doesn't sit that well with the rest of the storyline -- it's almost as if he's in his own drama. He's not a particularly likeable or compelling character and he's absurdly ubiquitous. The actor doesn't do much for me either which compounds the issues. I understand that he's being depicted as an antithesis to the leads but his bad guy plot doesn't really mesh well with the actual aims of the show. of de-stigamatizing mental health problems in that society when he's intentionally and actively using deceit to undermine the work done by He Du et. al.
All up to date and I am thoroughly enjoying this show with a fantastic array of characters. I've always thought that when the mainlanders get their act together and take the trouble to put together a good historical drama with a decent script, they're unbeatable. It's clear that they can do this far more often except that they don't. Unfortunately. The magic of the show comes from the fact that despite seeming plot driven, it is actually an intricate character-driven show. Aside from the main trio, the other individual that I'm most intrigued by is Lord Chu a kind of ancient Walsingham.
Still I keep wondering where Di Renjie is in all of this. :D
It's not bad. I'm enjoying the cases and the friendships. Gets better as the show progresses. Yang Zi is fine in the titular role but I really like the male lead who's new to me. He does really well as the broadcaster.
It's obvious Bibyoung is bad news all round. On some level I agree with everyone's perspectives but sooner or later someone has to show him the door or make sure that he doesn't work any more except as a freelance music teacher. He is very bad not just for the agency but for the entire industry. In the long run if he's actively undermining his own company then he's very bad for business regardless of his talent.
The second half of this show is definitely better than the first half.
It seems that the writers chose the lazy way to explain everything on this drama.And that because the adoption…
I don't think we should assume that the laws for adoption work the same way then that it does now. We already know that the police force was corrupt and the adoption agencies did underhanded things in overseas adoptions. Would it be beyond the pale that that the lawyer was able to adopt Hyo-kyung without going through official channels especially if a few lies were told? The 1980s seemed like a different world.
Both Longest Day and this series adapted from the same author, different production teams. Longest Day is directed…
Well, to each their own but I thought the Longest Day was great. It kept my interest all throughout. Tribes and Empires would have been good if they actually finished it.
I am really watching this for Kwak Si-yang (one of the highlights of Alice) because he is so good in this. Hot, cool, badass and adorably funny. Although I like my underdog stories this one relies too much on histrionics especially in the early episodes. Thankfully they've toned that down in the more recent ones.
Ah... I thought that there was something familiar about the production values and my brain immediately reached for The Longest Day in Chang'an. So it's the people responsible for that that's behind this. Good stuff.
It's fascinating twist on the old psychic-medium story. All of this is predicated on the assumption that the human brain is just a highly sophisticated hard drive with electronic circuitry with information that's transferable from one receptacle to another. Reminds of me of Johnny Mnemonic.
It's a decent watch if you're fan of police procedurals so don't let the rating fool you. (Although on MDL sometimes high ratings don't tell you anything about the quality of the writing) It is a bit of a slow start but the show begins to hit its stride around Episode 6.
I've finally caught up with the last two episodes which turned out better than I had expected. I'm enjoying all the agendas at play but frankly and oddly to me... the romance is probably the least compelling part of the show. I liked Ji-un as a character better when he was the radical, progressive royal tutor than he is as the love interest. I wish we had much more of that before the show succumbed to rom com tropes. Just my 2 cents.
Episode 10 exemplifies my love-hate relationship with cross-dressing dramas in general. I like this drama enough and I like the leads to keep watching but the need to prolong the charade is always a double edged sword. Being romance-centric doesn't mean that the push and pull has to go on needlessly. Moreover the whole thing about Lee Hwi's sudden resolve to find a Crown Princess seems more about playing hide and seek from Ji-un rather than a realistic long-term strategy to evade notice from the powerbrokers. It's a distraction quite frankly. To drag another person into the secret defeats the purpose of why she became the Crown Prince in the first place.
Part of the problem is also the fact that the show hasn't determined with any clarity if being the Crown Prince is really that important to Lee Hwi. She's constantly in survival mode and I have to pose the question -- does she really want to rule as the next monarch? Because I don't see it. She doesn't appear that ambitious. And that's perhaps the price the show pays for focusing on her budding romance with Ji-un.
4 
Frankly I think he chose well for himself. This is a quality production in every way, underpinned by a good script. He could do a lot worse.. A lot.
Edited: Yeah, I'm not impressed. It isn't just the female lead. It's the whole jolly script and the production values are really low. For Bao Zheng, supposedly one of the great sleuths of Chinese history to proclaim the female lead intelligent and a worthy sidekick for Zhan Zhao after one single encounter where she mucked up big time is not just implausible but completely garbage writing.
I can tell this isn't for me.
Still I keep wondering where Di Renjie is in all of this. :D
Kwak Si-yang is a hoot. Honestly. His exasperated gestures has me laughing out loud.
The second half of this show is definitely better than the first half.
What's the point of the sageuk backdrop if they're not going to take the historical side of things at least somewhat seriously?
Haven't seen Huang Xuan in anything for a while.
Pretty good so far.
Reminds of me of Johnny Mnemonic.
Just my 2 cents.
Part of the problem is also the fact that the show hasn't determined with any clarity if being the Crown Prince is really that important to Lee Hwi. She's constantly in survival mode and I have to pose the question -- does she really want to rule as the next monarch? Because I don't see it. She doesn't appear that ambitious. And that's perhaps the price the show pays for focusing on her budding romance with Ji-un.