Platinum Fox

If you want a more lengthy explanation, read my spoiler post above.

My suggestion is not to read all of the comments on that drama. Watch it and form your own opinion. It is very well done.

I disagree with you. This show illustrates the different stages of love and the many ways love can be hidden. The main characters do not go through these stages at the same time at least on the surface. She develops a crush at age 14. If he had kissed her at this age, her parents and brother would have kicked him to the curb and possibly filed charges. Had our male lead been 14, everybody would have said, "Ah how cute, puppy love." Remember she does have a boy who likes her at this age, but she doesn't like him. The age difference at this stage in their relationship is huge in terms of societal beliefs. They go their separate ways, but he becomes her brother because this is an acceptable way for him to act.

Upon meeting again when she is 17 the romance begins. Under the guise of being her tutor and brother, he gives her gifts, flirts with her, and goes on "dates" with her. Her feelings for him changes into deeper feelings of love. She wants to see him, be near him, etc. But again, because of the age difference and his relationship with the family, he cannot openly express his feelings for her. Also, because of her age there are many misunderstandings on her part, thus leading her to hide out from him, yet he still sends her gifts. Her biological brother doesn't understand why she ignores DJ. DJ doesn't understand either, but accepts it.

Once they meet again when she is 19, coincidentally, the program that she wants to go into at college just happens to be in his hometown where he presently lives. Now she is old enough to date him openly. The age difference doesn't matter. Notice it doesn't take them too long to go from living in separate quarters to "playing house". They already act like a married couple because they have already gone through the puppy love stage and the dating stage. Misunderstandings have been cleared up, etc. The only reason they can't fully be together at this point is because she is still underage to get married. When they split up again, it is so they can both develop their own careers, but now they are openly a couple.

The age difference is definitely a big issue in this story based on societal beliefs. If this had taken place a 100 years ago, they would have already been married, had children, and lived in a house during the time span of this drama. As far as the different ways this love was hidden that is a different post and explanation.

A Class of Her Own, Miss Truth, Love Like a Galaxy, Under the Power, A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College are all romance mixed with mystery.

I think it was to show the juxtaposition of the characters ages at the time their romance started and when she could legally get married. He proposes to her the minute she graduates from college and she is now of legal age.

I think they are referring to when she is 14 and he is 19 and then again when she is 17 and he is 22. When she is 19 and he is 24 there really isn't that big of a deal and that's when they get serious about their relationship. I think it was to show that they couldn't get married until she was of legal age at 21.

It depends on what you are looking for. If you give me what you like and dislike, I could be of more help. This is a political drama. It plays out like a chess game. It has a very graphic war scene as an opening scene. Light-hearted ones A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College, A Class of Her Own. More serious ones: Fights Break Sphere, Martial Universe, Love Like a Galaxy, and Who Rules the World ( I started with this one. However, many have said that it is too politically dense).

I have to agree with you on some points. Episode 55 was really pushing it, but they had to get the two back together some how. Episode 56 had to be there to wrap up the Gao City story arc. Also, there needed to be something that would show how HBY and SS worked together for the good of the country (reflection of how SS's parents went to war together). Plus, grandma finally realizing that she did not do right by SS. NN and HBY finally feeling like they belong to a family. Their tribute to HBY's family and the empress (who are looking down on them from heavens). Finally, they had a beautiful wedding. General Huo decked out in black cape and NaioNaio in her red cape. The outfits they were wearing when they met at the lantern festival. They were in a military camp out under the stars (to reflect the title of the story). Their vows start at about 33:00. It is just them with their family. The way it should be. The audience got to see them in traditional wedding garb in season 1. What more of a wedding do you need? If they would have had a traditional bowing wedding, then it would have been meaningless as this is not a traditional couple.

No, actually they were trying to tie everything together and give the audience a wedding as well. People have missed the wedding part because it was not a traditional wedding sequence. There is nothing traditional about this couple why ruin their relationship with a meaningless traditional wedding.

What are you talking about? They had a wedding. A traditional wedding of bowing to everybody would have been pointless. Nothing about this couple is traditional and to make them go through a traditional wedding ceremony would have ruined what the writers fought so hard to accomplish to take all the tropes and turn them upside down.

I understand.

Yes, as crown prince he is very ineffective and needs to be given a role that is right for him. But to follow palace protocol at the time, he is crown prince.

However, I would be interested in what you have done on this. I, too, am very interested in that type of analysis of a story.

I get your point. Is it just her accomplishments or also LBY's? Remember he is 21 years old and already a high ranking general. She tries so hard to accomplish something on her own, but when she does the emperor gives the kudos to LBY. This is part of the reason why she is rebellious. She wants to make a name for herself, not for her husband which makes her seem a little selfish at times. I do agree with you though there are some scenes where I feel she is a bit childish and selfish, but I also have to account for her age and experiences outside of her home. She is young and not very worldly. However, she has probably seen more in one year than most people see in a life time. And at times don't we all feel the woe is me syndrome when something bad happens to us. She is a very realistic character. I think the writers wanted us to think about how mature are teenagers and people in their early 20s are they really ready to make the commitment of marriage and what that entails? There are some very thought provoking issues going on in this drama. This is just one of them. When I think about LBY and SS I think about the concept of love found in Romeo and Juliet. Is what they have really love? Yes, LBY cares about her and is there for her, but is that enough to create a lasting relationship? If he can't tell her things that are important to him, but he wants her to tell him every thing how is that fair to her?

I agree that the relationship as it was was doomed from the start. Hence why the parents were against it in the beginning. Both main characters had many flaws, and she was very socially immature. Yes, even up to the point where they broke up. But I have to agree with her on her choice of not to marry him right then. She was by far not ready and neither was he. I also agree with her reason for not marrying him. At that moment she did a very mature thing.

Who would you have wanted to help the villagers then? Why do you think the writers had her character do it?

I am not talking about that. I would not be able to tell you that as I am not up on my Chinese culture or names. What I am talking about is the structure of the entire story itself.

He nor she are ever implicated in the first tiger tally incident. However, he uses the tiger tally on the night of his revenge to safe guard the streets. He is like SS in he tries to plan ahead and make sure only the right people get what they deserve. She tells her family what she suspects and her parents, knowing what they know about Gao City, help her protect the last witness to the incident.

Kinara, I have to agree and disagree with you on some things. I have read all of your posts about this relationship between LBY and SS. First, I agree it is a very flawed relationship and neither one really understands what love is and what it means. Both are self-centered because they felt powerless to control what was going on around them, especially in their personal lives. Secondly, I also agree that she should have stayed out of the political mess. However, when you love someone you try to help them as much as possible. She loved the crown prince and the empress. Neither are bad people; they are just not cut out for politics which is what Shen'en tried to explain to the emperor when she stepped down from being empress. Third, SS called off the wedding, not for selfish reasons, but because she felt they did not have the same definition of what love is. If you love someone you tell them everything. You do not hide things. Remember LBY and the emperor come up with an elaborate plan to get her to confide in someone and to trust other people with her issues. Yet, LBY uses what she did to further his own agenda and doesn't tell her anything about his personal life. He keeps her just out of reach. So this is where I disagree with you. At first she is very rash and headstrong. However, by this point, she has truly experienced everything he has experienced. She knows who he is. She understands the importance of Gao City to him and even says so, yet he still tells her nothing. She could have given him a different perspective if she had known all the facts. Throughout the two seasons they stress the importance of Ling Yi and the second wife. Something SS stresses time and time again. It is her who realizes something else must be going on and brings things to light because this is considered a woman's issue.

Thank you, I understand what you are saying. I do not understand or read Chinese, so I am only going by subtitles and previous background knowledge.

The first crown prince is the first born son of the empress, so they are following the laws of the country. However, the first crown prince is ineffective, thus the 3rd prince and LBY try to get him out. They only succeed when Shen'en steps down as empress and Consort Yue becomes the empress.