Eleison

Yes, I watched them back to back because after Mobius I wanted to scratch the crime thriller itch. 😅 But yeah, he totally does! I think I might already at times get those plots mixed up. 😅

I definitely see that it's more Shen Yi's story, which I'm sure I'll still like when all is said and done; they seem to be trying really hard to show this is a similar kind of story about the same characters while also trying to do something new/different, which I appreciate, but I'm still kind of mourning the loss of Season 1 Du Cheng. 😭 It's always the danger of starting another season! 😅 I'll keep going and trust the process as best I can, though.

The thin-faced guy who wears glasses who sliced up Shen Yi's painting is already giving me the heebie-jeebies, though. I know he does not bode well for oh-so-sensitive Shen Yi. 😬

But aren't the different ways Du Cheng's actor and Shen Yi's actor act and even look, interesting, though? I could tell the actor for Shen Yi had been in a costume drama, and the actor for Du Cheng, never. It's like two types of actor/acting colliding into one world. I felt the disparity more in season 1, and I found it intriguing.

I'm watching the second season now! It's definitely a little less enjoyable than season 1, because I'm not as into the psychological focus as much, and Du Cheng seems way more... passive? He was way more energetic and go-getter in season 1. The pacing is also slower/more contemplative, without the crisp (but somehow still very artistic) editing and breakneck speed of season 1. I loved the twist at the end with Du Cheng in Season 1. A hard culmination/synchronization between Du Cheng/Shen Yi to beat/follow-up. They were like operating a detective/buddy cop duet. 😅

I'm about halfway? Losing a little bit of steam, but I will see if I can hold on. Not a huge fan of watching on YouTube, either. 🫤 Their friendship is very sweet, though!

There are still some cool people on here! Just got to sift through the contrarians and crazies to find them. 😅

It would have been fine to be a part of it back then. :) But I'm admittedly one of the cats that got dragged in with COVID. 😅

I just think it's because the site is getting way more traffic and a wider audience. That means more opportunities for people who aren't serious or thoughtful to rate dramas.

Haha. It's still scaring me off, though. 😅

I foresee that the preferred mode of referring to this drama will be YYY. 😉

Haha, thanks! I figured it was a bad translation, but wow, oh so bad! 😅

A lot of screenwriters of dramas are women, so it makes sense that they'd be they're largely writing from the female vantage point.

Also, from what I've heard, domestic abuse/dating violence is also a massive issue in South Korea. Just like they have a lot of dramas about corruption in business/law/the police force in SK, I think these are all recurring issues/themes in dramas because many wish to critique their persistent presence in society; they are reinforcing over and over that these issues need to be changed. And one of the best ways to bring awareness is to depict it in media.

The last decade or so in media is making up for a lot of lost time in depicting the unfortunate reality for many women after decades of little to no representation of what women face in media, and even at times in the past romanticizing toxic/abusive relationships. They've probably swung too far in some ways and at times, but they are making up for centuries of women being portrayed without much dignity. It's not surprising when I think about it.

Lastly, many drama watchers are women; drama audiences will resonate more with a story about women being abused than men being abused. People in the entertainment industry follow where the money leads, and that's probably the biggest factor, honestly.

I think these are some of the reasons contributing to what you notice. I'm sure calibrating your search differently will help you find dramas more suited to your taste.

He was great in The Good Detective. I loved him in Seasons 1 and 2.

This is an egregious title. 😅 Really?

I've loved Kim Min Seok since Descendents Of The Sun. How is he in this?

I also can't get into Jdramas or Thai dramas! 😅

The only Thai drama I felt inclined to watch was F4 Thailand. It was more low budget than the typical Kdrama or Cdrama, but it was actually really good. They actually (in my opinion) improved on all the problematic (but somehow still highly enjoyable?!) BOFs adaptations and made what I think is the best version yet. 😅

Wonderful! I think the one that really got me thinking and surprised me the most was Flourished Peony/In The Name Of Blossom. The dynamic between the FL and ML is very unique, and it was fascinatingly progressive in some really thought-provoking ways. People thought the 2nd season (part 2) was unnecessarily angsty and had "filler," but I think it was an important extension of the arcs started in Season 1 and was not superfluous at all (just time-consuming and at times frustrating to watch). I also had lower expectstions going into it, since so many were griping about it, which helped me claibrate expectations. 😉

And by the way, many of the costume drama's relationship interactions between the leads makes some (most?) of the modern Cdrama romances (that I've seen) feel "old-fashioned" and "outdated," which is ironic if you think about it, haha, and also why I prefer them. They often have smart FLs who can plan and calculate as well as the MLs (and give them a run for their money! These girls aren't pretty damsels in distress), and often MLs who are sensitive, kind, compassionate, thoughtful, observant and even gentle. They are not romantically aggressive, pushy, petty, or controlling, and I love that. The leads often team up to work together in their mutual intelligence and sensitivity, and it's so fun to watch. There's definitely a formula, though, and I'm sure after years of watching them, they'd get old. Anyway, enjoy!

I feel like Kdramas for some reason, especially some of these older ones, have a lot of supporting characters and scenes with them that are just not interesting. There's rarely a Kdrama I'll rewatch (because I loved it) where I won't skip scenes, and it's almost always the scenes with the side characters (like in CLOY; love that drama, never watch the second couple or the gossipy North Korean ahjummas or the FL's family when I rewatch. Kdramas love those side stories for some reason!).

He does improve, but he's kind of an oblivious bulldozer at first (he just loves teasing her and giving her a hard time) until he starts to see the FL fall for his brother. Then he starts to realize he actually likes her, and would not like them (the FL and his brother) to end up together, but his brother is even MORE clueless and that helps him gain some sensitivity and compassion for her feelings. 😅

This is 100% a "he fell first, and hard" sort of rom-com drama. 😅 It's got a very slow, gentle pace, though. In some ways it almost feels slice of life as far as pacing goes because it's pretty uneventful. :) But still really cute.

Because the leads were dating in real life at the time, their chemistry has become legendary. 😉 There's a sparkle in the ML's eyes that does not seem acted when he interacts with the FL, cause he doesn't have it in other romantic dramas. 😏

I thought it was kind of silly that the president of a cybersecurity and technology company would have "close2u" as his password (even with a bunch of planted cues/suggestions in his subconscious). That wouldn't even pass as a strong password for Gmail. 😅

This was a great watch!

I love a good buddy cop show, and this didn't disappoint, but it also added a unique twist with the artist turned policeman character, Shen Yi. I loved watching what he did with drawing faces. And because it was about an artist, they clearly took care to film the drama more artfully than the typical police procedural/action/thriller.

This was my first Tan Jian Ci drama, and he did a wonderful job capturing earnest, sensitive, brilliant Shen Yi, as Jin Shi Jia did with tenacious, brilliant-in-his-own-way Du Cheng (while watching JSJ, I thought, "I can't picture him in a costume drama or wuxia AT ALL," and, sure enough, not a single period drama in his whole filmography--interesting!).

It doesn't seem like Cdramas are maybe allowed to critique the police force or show them in a bad light due to censorship (quite different from Kdramas, which frequently have some corrupt mucky-muck policeman or lawyer at the top who needs to be brought down), but I don't mind, because it's refreshing to have police shown as smart and as justice-loving, with integrity. I enjoyed the way they won over Captain Lu at the end, too. (Du Cheng--you smarty!)

Speaking of censorship, I found the case near the beginning about the two girls poorly done; they were clearly trying to imply things but because they had to tiptoe around the topic, it just ended being confusing, vague, and honestly just plain weird/unrealistic. I actually preferred the last 2/3s of the drama because the later episodes did a better job balancing the cases with developing the main team's dynamic (especially the dynamic between Du Cheng and Shen Yi, who were just adorable by the end). The beginning was very case-heavy, and they jumped in fast before we really started caring about the characters, which is why it took me a while to get fully into it.

It definitely has the investigations happen VERY separately from the trials and outcomes, so it was kind of disappointing we never heard how things went down for the culprits, even those who you sympathize with.

P.S. I thought Shen Yi looked really cool in his artist/pre-policeman styling. He had a totally different vibe in those clothes. I liked how they show his perspective/lifestyle shift even in what he wears.

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me; I was comparing her to the "man in the arena," not comparing you to the critic. Notice I set up that comparison before quoting? I was just praising her pluck, and it reminded me of her. Maybe this drama is far worse than her other dramas, but my point was just that maybe this was one of her fails, "while daring greatly."

Just because I wasn't completely agreeing with you doesn't mean I was automatically insulting your intelligence (even though you certainly insulted mine). I tacked on that last part with the wink emoji as a callback to you calling me a genius, not because I was serious about actually thinking I'm a genius. 😅

In The Name of Blossom? Angsty, but a good ending to Flourished Peony, in my opinion.

Right, and if it was all Koreans watching this drama instead of international fans, there never would have been a fuss about the way the fantasy was handled. 😅 I bet Koreans somewhat miss the days of Kdramas written for Koreans. That said, Netflix and Disney+ originals are the worst offenders for westernizing Kdramas. And this is one of those, so it makes sense it feels like the Kdrama formula has been messed with.