The first trailer was giving mild horror/suspense vibes. Along with that, people are saying the FL has multiple personas in her head/people in her imagination--is this kind of horror-y, then?
Yes, very good. It's probably my second or third favorite sageuk of all time after Under The Queen's Umbrella, and neck and neck with Sungyunkwan Scandal (I really liked/agreed with @xXabsintheXx's review).
It's definitely a bit slow, especially in the second half. I'm not sure the writer/director did as much research as they could have to make this believable, but I love BJT and the FL did fine, too (but what was up with her styling? 🤦♀️), though they felt more like close friends than lovers. That said, there were some great scenes/moments and very cozy parts, but I think it felt kind of drawn out overall. The best parts were Xing Kelei's missions when he and Mi Ka's skills/work overlapped.
It took FOREVER for the 2MC to get together, and the 3MC (Shao and Keyao) also felt more like close friends than lovers.
I got a kick out of a comment from Kelei when Keyao was telling him about the Allen Research Center (which I assume the implication throughout was it was in the U.S.) and how awful the working conditions were and the crazy hours, and he said, "Those evil capitalists." 😅 The irony of this scene was not lost on me: this was said by someone who wasn't ever able to take a day off without being on call, and who could get summoned at a moment's notice to do work at any and all hours. 🤔🧐 (And to be fair, she did say afterwards that those who graduated became coveted doctors, but that whole scene was demonizing a work ethic that is shown in literally every single modern Cdrama I have ever seen. Couldn't come up with a better jab at the U.S. than that?🤦♀️).
This was a lovely watch, overall!I loved the development of the characters, and I liked how they gave plenty of…
Also, the Emperor! He was great, and I loved him. Better than many adult Cdrama emperors by far. He knew who the trustworthy people were, and I could have watched a whole spinoff with him planning and plotting and cleaning house with Ye Xian and Chen Yan Yun. 😅
It's honestly really silly that Xing Kelei gets called on his time off to help with hostile situations. Does a city that big not have enough elite SWAT members to give their guys who are off-duty... time off? If you think about it too much, it's laughable (Descendents Of The Sun was more convincing in this respect because they were in the military, which makes it feel more realistic when they get "called in" because they're a special team who respond to a military crisis, not SWAT members responding to a domestic one).
It'd be like calling a fireman in to handle an emergency while he's off duty and at home or something, which is actually ridiculous when you think about it--it's already too late at that point for him to be of any help since emergency situations must be addressed VERY quickly.🤦♀️
Man, this took such a nose dive after episode 30, what a disappointment. It just proved Jin Zhao first instinct…
I'm not sure I'd describe what Jin Zhao felt initially (or later) toward CYY was instinct or a lack of feeling safe. I think it was fear (not of him, but of how things could go wrong; and this, especially after what happened with her parents).
Both for Jin Zhao and her half sister, both softened at the prospect of marriage when they felt safe around the men who wanted to marry them--that they wouldn't abandon them, that they wouldn't use them, and that they truly cared about them, not just what they could get from them.
I also liked that the drama showed that the other types of relationships: those built on desperation/settling to escape their family (Wan Xue), puppy love based on more superficial qualities (Xuan Qing, Jin Zhao (as well as her half sister's crush on Ye Xian)) and a relationships built on looks/status (Gu Lan) all fell apart/never materialized. I think that was interesting.
CYY wasn't at his best when he found out about Xuan Qing and Jin Zhao, but I think it was more complicated than you make it out to be (but I'll admit, he was being petty and stubborn/possessive a bit, too).
I think it's also important to remember how differently he acted toward Ye Xian than Xuan Qing, and that had a lot to do with how differently those two characters went about their relationship with CYY and Jin Zhao. Ye Xian was not furtive or secretive, not trying to hide and sneak and infiltrate back into Jin Zhao's heart.
The Xuan Qing/Jin Zhao stint had the added element of CYY realizing she had liked Xuan Qing, and that came as a complete surprise to him and he was hurt she never told him (I wondered if he also felt bad for tearing them apart--like he had potentially ruined Xuan Qing's and Jin Zhao's puppy love; he broke the bro code, but didn't know it. I liked that the show didn't tell us ALL the reasons he was angry--there was DEFINITELY more to it than what he admitted to Jin Zhao when they made up).
But I think it'd be boring if they bring the same villain back.
"Thief Who Stole The People."
Such a great subtitle.
It's definitely a bit slow, especially in the second half. I'm not sure the writer/director did as much research as they could have to make this believable, but I love BJT and the FL did fine, too (but what was up with her styling? 🤦♀️), though they felt more like close friends than lovers. That said, there were some great scenes/moments and very cozy parts, but I think it felt kind of drawn out overall. The best parts were Xing Kelei's missions when he and Mi Ka's skills/work overlapped.
It took FOREVER for the 2MC to get together, and the 3MC (Shao and Keyao) also felt more like close friends than lovers.
I got a kick out of a comment from Kelei when Keyao was telling him about the Allen Research Center (which I assume the implication throughout was it was in the U.S.) and how awful the working conditions were and the crazy hours, and he said, "Those evil capitalists." 😅 The irony of this scene was not lost on me: this was said by someone who wasn't ever able to take a day off without being on call, and who could get summoned at a moment's notice to do work at any and all hours. 🤔🧐 (And to be fair, she did say afterwards that those who graduated became coveted doctors, but that whole scene was demonizing a work ethic that is shown in literally every single modern Cdrama I have ever seen. Couldn't come up with a better jab at the U.S. than that?🤦♀️).
I also liked some of the OSTs!
It'd be like calling a fireman in to handle an emergency while he's off duty and at home or something, which is actually ridiculous when you think about it--it's already too late at that point for him to be of any help since emergency situations must be addressed VERY quickly.🤦♀️
Both for Jin Zhao and her half sister, both softened at the prospect of marriage when they felt safe around the men who wanted to marry them--that they wouldn't abandon them, that they wouldn't use them, and that they truly cared about them, not just what they could get from them.
I also liked that the drama showed that the other types of relationships: those built on desperation/settling to escape their family (Wan Xue), puppy love based on more superficial qualities (Xuan Qing, Jin Zhao (as well as her half sister's crush on Ye Xian)) and a relationships built on looks/status (Gu Lan) all fell apart/never materialized. I think that was interesting.
CYY wasn't at his best when he found out about Xuan Qing and Jin Zhao, but I think it was more complicated than you make it out to be (but I'll admit, he was being petty and stubborn/possessive a bit, too).
I think it's also important to remember how differently he acted toward Ye Xian than Xuan Qing, and that had a lot to do with how differently those two characters went about their relationship with CYY and Jin Zhao. Ye Xian was not furtive or secretive, not trying to hide and sneak and infiltrate back into Jin Zhao's heart.
The Xuan Qing/Jin Zhao stint had the added element of CYY realizing she had liked Xuan Qing, and that came as a complete surprise to him and he was hurt she never told him (I wondered if he also felt bad for tearing them apart--like he had potentially ruined Xuan Qing's and Jin Zhao's puppy love; he broke the bro code, but didn't know it. I liked that the show didn't tell us ALL the reasons he was angry--there was DEFINITELY more to it than what he admitted to Jin Zhao when they made up).