Great first half

The first half of the series was interesting and addictive but the second half of the story was lazy and the writers tried to squeeze in as many tropes as possible. I assume the writers are trying to normalise mental health and encourage mental health discussions by making it as palatable to the general public as possible. Nevertheless, I enjoyed binge watching the series over the weekend and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a decent series to watch.
Pros
- Sang Tae. My favourite character in this series. A fully realised and inspiring character played with sensitivity.
- Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun. They really immersed themselves into their characters and I cried for their characters several times. And they are very good looking which enhanced my viewing experience. Good chemistry. Would have loved a few more kissing scenes.
- The OST.

Cons
- The villain. Unnecessary.
- side characters were more like plot devices. I want backstory.
- the unoriginal weepy mess in the second half. Why do Korean melodramas all have the same storyline?
- the depiction of KMY and MGT’s relationship/courtship is problematic to me. I say this based on my experience with someone with a personality disorder.

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Recommended drama if you like xianxia

Solid drama with sweet romance. I found the beginning boring at first but now really enjoy those episodes. I really enjoyed the middle but found climax a little unsatisfying. The fight and the sfx/cg where the FL defeated those giant flying lizards was amazing and I wished they had done something similar for the final fight.

I really like ZDY’s acting and she does the restrained, sad scenes well but I also enjoyed her as the innocent but naughty and arrogant Shanggu. I also like LXY and this is my favourite role (Tianqi) he’s played to date. The rest of the cast were enjoyable and acting was on par with other xianxias but there was just a gap between ZDY and the cast.

Of course there are the usual tropes. The idiotic self sacrifice plot, the stupid idea that if you make the other person hate you then then they won’t be sad when the other person dies. I also don’t get obsessive females.

ALP doesn’t have that big emotional payoff like some other dramas but I’ve just rewatched this drama and will most likely go back to it when I need something sweet and lighthearted to watch.

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