PeachBlossomGoddess

Well I would say keep watching bc the novel is too dark, there is no way they let them go that far in the drama. It just would never pass censorship so it just depends where they draw the line. The fact they didn't make Fang Jianming a eunuch and are making Tilan a potential love interest for the emperor is a reason for optimism.

If it follows the novel she becomes his concubine and has his child.

Well she starts hating him too, in fact she and the emperor only turn towards each other bc of their mutual love hate for him. It is the most tortured triangle I have ever come across. but I think the drama will put Haishi in the middle of it to avoid the BL undertone.

Yes he is doing a decent job wrt Haishi but his relationship and chemistry with the emperor is lacking. He actually has considerable power over the emperor it is not just one way but its not coming out. This is a very complex character but it doesn't seem like that yet in the drama. There is still time, I personally don't think he is doing a terrible job and its hard to evaluate fairly bc I am not sure how much they changed.

He is one of those who think of the greater good and is willing to sacrifice himself and others to achieve that. The drama is also getting flack bc people feel Chen Weiting has not captured the essence of Fang Jianming .

Fang Jianming is the main puppet master and protagonist in the novel. Both the emperor and Haishi resent him but are helplessly enthralled by him. He is the center of the triangle and he forces them together. In the end Haishi bears the emperors child and raises him to fulfill Fang Jianming’s vision of an empire with a wise ruler. To make it any different would be to ruin the novel.

The two men die more or less together while the mermaid rescues Haishi who gives birth to the emperors son and rules as regent until he grows up. She still cherishes her shifu’s ring.

It’s not just YM haters Chen Weiting is getting roasted for his acting as well.

I think the novel is so dark they almost have to tone it down and to some extent they already have but I am not sure if that means they will go for a HE.

Oh totally Nini cross dressing in TRoP was gorgeous and convincing at the same time but she is also naturally much taller than YM.

Tbh large age gaps in ancient settings usually don’t bother me but I think 20 years is too much.

Of course they had to narrow the age gap. I was trying to point out that the grumbling is as much over how shifu wasn’t properly aged - like turning the catfish whiskers into a man bun is too subtle.

I kind of get why the c-netizens are so incensed about the casting - Haishi is 20 years younger than Fang Jianming and 22 years younger than the emperor in the novel!!! I know the drama wrote them to be in reality quite close in age but...

This is far from YM's first rodeo in that kind of role, you could even say her cross dressing is one of the things that made her famous. And yes for sure, I think the voice and possibly the eyelashes are a bit OTT but let's be honest here - who wants to watch a very manly looking actress play a girl pretending to be a man??? Not me and that kind of casting would for sure flop. Not that they couldn't have toned it down a little bit in this case.

Her strategy of just letting herself be captured was oddly edited and just not brilliant. Can't believe she got rewarded and promoted for it when it was Fang Jianming that had to clean up her mess.

I don’t think it is meant that way it was just sloppily written.

You never know... maybe that is how they also get their HE...

How so?

Its early, there is time for the Douban rating to go up with good episodes. Many viewers haven't voted yet. Now that I skimmed a few chapters of the book, I can also understand why some of the book readers are not that happy although I think there is time for the actors to get more into character.

A bunch of reasons from mocking YM's fake Japanese eyelashes to how she always looks and acts the same in every role and some worse stuff I won't repeat. They also make fun of WC's styling and don't like his acting either. Some think the story is boring and/or they are tired of the cold male lead. Dramapotatoe also didn't give it a good review/first impression.
https://dramapotatoe.com/c-dramas-first-impressions-nov-6-marvelous-women-nov-12-novoland-fall-in-love-love-at-night/