Eleison

This is next-level rom-com cringe and... I'm kind of loving it. 😅

For the first few episodes I was almost literally covering my eyes and curling my fingers at the cringe and then after I got to Episode 3 or 4, I was thoroughly invested in this ridiculous premise and story (the closest thing to it is I'm Not A Robot, but while that premise is fantastical, they go to more pains to sell the premise and make it believable than this drama--the FL in this literally has mascara and eyeliner on every day AS A BOY; if she was a kpop member, maybe, but not as a hockey star). 😅

It's dorky overall, but the beginning was especially so, and calibrated my expectations and made the rest more manageable once I got into it a bit more (it also doesn't take itself too seriously). The FL is just okay and has GIRL written all over her mannerisms, but Wen Bing has great expressions and boy does he know how to flirt and craft--as Flynn Ryder says--the "smoulder." 😅

Side Note: Does he play the 2ML who loves the FL in Meteor Garden (aka BOFs)?

I do have a question, though, for those who've seen this:

But you now what, I'm on my laptop right now (don't usually use my laptop as I'm rarely on it), and it DOES have ads in the comments. Yuck.

It's why I prefer the app because the ads are much less annoying on there than on a browser.

I can see how that would be frustrating. I just reached the parts where he left the Void so I haven't seen him back in the mortal realm yet for long. I was responding more to the power imbalance, but after you explained further I see what you're saying. I'm starting to wonder if drama scripts get pitched and funded by releasing only the first 1/3 of the drama because that's often when they shine the most (Cdrama or Kdrama). It's always the danger of watching something currently airing, and recently I keep getting burned when I try; I am kind of waiting on this one to see how it ends as I lost a bit of steam in the Void.

Oh yes, they just get someone who's white and can "speak" English. 😅 I guess nonEnglish speakers can't pick up on the accents?

I had someone explain to me (from Ireland) how they did this with The Quiet Man (with Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne) where the Irish characters speak in English but with Irish grammar structure (he said that in Irish/Gaelic, you'd speak that flowery, but not when Irish people speak in English). 😅

I'm quite proud of the fact that I can pick up on accents in Kdramas now. Know pretty quickly if a character is from Busan or somewhere other than Seoul. 😅

Worse than Heirs and The King 2 Hearts? Those dramas had terrible English-speaking actors in them. 😅

I think watching this means signing up for the leads to be on an unequal footing, to some extent. No amount of writing (as long as you have this premise) could really change this reality (maybe unless having the deliverance sword magically makes the bearer have the power of an immortal?)

The ML will never rival the FL's power, so he will always be relying on her in a way that she doesn't rely on him (except for when he gives her his senses, of course).

I see, that makes sense!

Another drama that did this in a "historical" setting was Flourished Peony/In The Name of Blossom. Did all kinds of commentary in reversing gender roles in relationships or exploding stereotypes with MLs and FLs in that costume genre specificallg (like the ML swooping in to rescue the FL that fills the screens of every drama known to man? Not a thing; he never did 😅). The ML tried a noble idiocy stint near-ish to the end and the FL was like, "Heck, no. You're not getting away with that kind of garbage behavior. Not if I have something to say about it!" 😅

Only see ads in the app up by cast info and plot synopsis, not in the comments.

I wonder how much these companies actually see a spike in revenue from a Kdrama featuring their product? It must work because Subway's been featured in Kdramas for YEARS. 😅

Awww, LOBS is a nostalgia fest for me. In my first roster of Kdramas when I was on a Lee Min Ho kick when I found dramas by watching dramas with leads I liked. 🥰

I had some issues with LOBS, but it's decidedly cozy and a comfort drama. 😅 Just didn't like the amnesia at the end.

I think in the UK it's more "acceptable" for royals to marry other nobles/aristocrats (like Kate Middleton) (and prestigious in that sense more than in the financial sense, unlike in SK where prestige has to do with money); obviously Harry married Meghan, but they both got annihilated by the media, so clearly that kind of prestigious (as in famous) is frowned upon in the UK.

I don't know if England has a very good equivalent to "chaebols" in South Korea because Korea is much more capitalist than the UK and has societally elevated chaebols in a way that's unique to them (at least in Kdramaland 😉).

As an American who loves many things about England, this is crazy to me that this is still a thing. How do the citizens of England not riot? 😅 Is it merely because "it's always been done that way"? I wonder how much the tax percentage per person would decrease if they had no royal family to put money towards? It would make me so mad! 😅

So, does Wen Jie ever side with the police and decide to help them or does he just straddle the tension between the cops and thieves the whole time? If the second, that makes me less inclined to keep going...

Does he eventually reveal everything to Captain Luo?

That's helpful. 😅

If it's the quote from the trailer, then I believe it's quoting Sherlock Holmes (aka Arthur Conan Doyle), "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

They still haven't answered how Duan Xu got back to being the official Duan Xu after his stint as a kidnapped assassin? I would have thought they'd have explained that by now...🤔

I believe it's because the romanization of the Korean word doesn't always capture the pronunciation nuance (like the name "Lee" is a romanization of a last name that's pronounced more like "Eee" or "Yee," and "Lim" is pronounced "Im," and "Park" is pronounced more like "Bahk," with a soft "B" that sounds similar to a "P" in English and there's really no hard "r" like in English). Sometimes the translators try to replicate more of the authentic sound in the romanizing of the word in English, so there is some variety in how it's written.

Also, a few Cdramas I've really liked and that you might also like based on your own completed watchlist: Meet Yourself (a really cozy, slow-paced (but still super enjoyable) slice of life Cdrama that's well-paced despite not much "happening," poignant, thoughtful, and just lovely); Legend Of Shen Li (I didn't think I could like xianxia, but this drama proved me wrong; the beginning was a little rocky but I ended up really liking it); Guardians of the Dafeng (kind of a wuxia/xuanhuan, I think, and lots of fun; the romance is nothing great but Dylan Wang is lots of fun in it (it does end on a cliffhanger and hard core teased a second season)); Ever Night (has some controversial parts (the romance) and feels a bit dated and has confusing world-building, but the fight scenes are AMAZING and the OST/BGMs are glorious); Joy Of Life (both seasons; this is a wuxia/political thriller and very twisty with strategizing galore; very well-acted with lots of super fun characters; only two seasons so far and season 2 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger (I guess the original novel was monstrously long and it's been broken into parts and it's still not done)); A Dream Of Splendor (it has some confusing politics and some miscommunication between the leads in the second half which was a bit annoying, but it's a good romance with great chemistry and a well done pseudo-historical costume drama); Nirvana In Fire, seasons 1 and 2 (especially the first season is hard to get into, and the first few episodes throw so many characters at you, but these are top shelf Cdramas; the best I've seen. They rival the best Kdramas I've seen; I put them in their own category, though, because they are genre-wise and in terms of scale, nothing like what Kdrama does so it's hard to compare. They are magnificently beautiful, poignant, and powerfully told). Those are some of my recs for Cdrama based on your own list; some of your ratings are similar to mine woth other dramas we've both seen. :)

I don't remember if I saw Rurouni Kenshin on your list, but I have a feeling you'd like all those, too (though you've probably already seen them).