Meari21

From the first review of hers that I saw years ago, I have never agreed with anything she has to say, so I've never taken her seriously. I watch some of her videos every now and then just for kicks and I always end up chuckling because she sounds like an idiot half the time when she talks about the technical aspects of a drama. It's one thing to have preferences but it's another to criticize something you don't really understand to begin with or spread hate simply because you don't like something. She acts like she's an all-knowing holier than thou reviewer who can make or break a drama. But having said that, I do appreciate her inside knowledge about certain practices in the industry and the source material, and of course, her Chinese background. Seriously though, I don't trust C-drama reviewers in general because my tastes don't normally align with theirs and most of these reviews are very subjective. Not to mention almost none of them have film backgrounds, so to me, they're not really reliable reviewers.

This is one of the best dramas I've ever watched, period! I'm hoping for a season 2. They certainly can write more stories since it's an episodic type of drama. Plus, the drama has won a ton of awards and is massively successful in Taiwan.

He is classically handsome. Definitely one of the most good looking and talented Asian actors ever! But criminally underrated.

I think I would know whether I can understand the plot or not, don't you think? So far, I have no idea about the history between the characters and how Yanbing got his primordial spirits. Those parts I know nothing about because I didn't watch the prequel. I may have to watch it if I feel the need to do so, or if I can't find a complete plot summary. But for now, I'm good. I'm not confused... yet.

Ruipeng does have a deeper and more masculine sounding voice, his Lei Wujie was dubbed by someone else in fact. But I'm not sure if this is actually him voicing Cao Yanbing. It has a slightly different tone from his real voice.

Probably not. I don't think this is a direct sequel. If it is and I need to understand some parts then I'm going to watch the prequel.

I agree with you on the lack of chemistry part but I think Kim Young Dae is alright in this. I just do not like how he supposedly falls in love with Shin Min Ah's character and yet we are never really shown how, we are just told. We are given "lovey dovey" cutesy scenes between the couple, and yet they feel forced and unearned. I'm watching this drama mostly because of the second couple. I lose interest whenever the scenes go back to the main couple. I also think Shin Min Ah should have played a character her own age. A much older independent woman who didn't want to get married would've been far more interesting imho. I hate that they made her 33 years old in this. There are very few K-dramas that revolve around much older characters. They do cast actors in their 40's but they give them younger roles. I don't get it. It's as if they're afraid people won't watch if the story centers around an ajumma.

I just realized this has only 12 episodes. Now I understand why they made a two-episode spin-off with the second couple.

Only two episodes?! They should've just turned it into a TV-movie.

His profile picture doesn't do him justice. They should update it.

I found my next drama!

Yes, South Korea has specific agencies that are tasked to promote and export their movies, dramas, and music. They established these agencies about two decades ago if I'm not mistaken. I read an article about Japanese TV networks trying to make deals with foreign TV broadcasting companies for distribution rights, but have difficulty doing so because of the relatively short length of their dramas unlike their Korean counterparts that run for at least 16 episodes. I think the Japanese government is starting to pay attention, though. Yamazaki Takashi of Godzilla Minus One recently attended a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister after news of the movie's meager (less than) 15 million USD budget shocked Hollywood. There were concerns about the staff not receiving appropriate compensation for their work, and the fact that the Prime Minister himself invited Yamazaki and other Japanese filmmakers to talk about this issue is a sign that they're starting to care about their entertainment industry. Godzilla Minus One was a certified hit despite the limited theatrical release. House of Ninjas entered the Netflix global top 10 even though it's not based on a popular IP unlike Alice in Borderland and Yu Yu Hakusho. Clearly, there's a market for their dramas and movies. They just have to make the effort to produce better content.

I think they're starting to realize that their exclusivity is affecting their economy as well. One of the reasons Korean culture has gone global is because of their entertainment industry and it has brought a lot of revenue to the country. C-entertainment is also picking up because they actually have dedicated international streaming platforms that release a variety of content per month. Only Japan has remained reluctant to aggressively export their dramas, movies, and music. Heck, I still have difficulty ordering J-rock merch because most sites have no international shipping and require Japanese credit cards to purchase. TBS has already signed a deal with Netflix to distribute their dramas and Fuji TV has followed suit. It looks like NHK is doing the same as well. I heard a drama of theirs is going to be released on Prime Video globally. So, I think they are now looking to compete. I just don't know if they can still catch up or if they are willing to change their production quality.

That's even worse! Not wanting to change is rejecting progress. It's one of the reasons why they're getting left behind by their East Asian counterparts and they have difficulty importing their dramas and making them more palatable to western audiences. Even the filmmaking styles are so outdated. It's like I'm still watching J-dramas from 2004. I only watch J-dramas that are produced by giant streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video these days because I can't get past the production quality of their network TV dramas.

Where? The episodes available on YouTube have horrible subs. I stopped watching after one episode. I'm still looking for better subs.

Rumor has it, Moonlight Mystique will be released this December.

He is so dreamy in Dashing Youth. That drama has the best looking cast of male actors I've ever seen! Even the older actors are quite handsome.

Ye Dingzhi lived a life of woe indeed. He lost his family and social standing because of politics. He wanted a woman who was married to another man, the future emperor at that, and conceived a bastard son with her who was abandoned by his mother and grew up with the shame of that coupling. He was a victim of politics and his desire to take back what was once his. He cursed his life by nurturing his hate and pining for a woman he could never really have, and he let people use him to destroy an empire, which also led to the demise of innocent people, including the ones he cared about. He made one mistake after another, never thinking about the consequences of his actions. A life like that could only end one way.

Her role is basically just to be Wuxin's mom and one of the main reasons why all went to hell. She's a political tool used by those around her and her stubborn and rebellious nature makes her more easily manipulable.

🤣🤣🤣 She looks like a little kid to me even though the actress is actually the same age as He Yu. I thought she was a lot younger. He Yu actually looks at Hou Minghao with more fondness. They look more like the romantic pair. She absolutely has zero chemistry with He Yu! I wish this was a BL drama instead. 😅