larami

Yeah I obviously get that it is supposed to be a light hearted idol drama and I too enjoy cheesy stuff like that. Its just some of the reviews claiming this to be one of the best dramas about the republican era or the sky high rating makes me feel as if I'm missing something.

I didnt dislike how it got serious. It just never was serious enough or rather the acting of the characters weren't on par for the serious parts. The writing also didn't allow for a good transition from lighthearted to serious, there are plenty of dramas that do it well. They should've just kept up the fluffy teenage plot without delving too much into war/Japanese occupation if they couldn't do it properly. But that's all just my opinion and its great that you and many other enjoyed it. I just don't get the hype.

Wow. That's quite a scouting story. Something straight out of a manga.

Overrated imo. Despite its title and poster, its not really a good action romance drama. Think of it as You're Beautiful/Hana Kimi but set in early 20th century China. All the militry and the fight scenes are just backdrops to the romance and there are many plotholes.

Another drama I do not get why it has such a high rating. Like it's such a confusing drama. It never decides what it wants to be. A light-hearted gender-bender tale set in the military? A wartime action story about patriots? The moment the romance is going well, they'll switch to something serious and in the middle of the serious moment, they'll start throwing in campy stuff. Its just another gender-bender romance involving teenagers but they take themselves so seriously that its almost laughable.

The main romance was actually pretty sweet but was derailed by plotholes and the sorry excuse of a love traingle. The SML and the FL had no chemistry whatsoever for there to even be a love traingle. Bai Lu's male disguise just looks awkward af. They keep saying she's a strong independent character but I don't see any of that? I know she is a girl but you have to be like strong or have some fighting techniques to last in the military, no? All she does is stand around during the fight scenes. Show, don't tell.

This is a very loooong, very boring drama about an annoying girl and her emotionally constipated teacher. The story itself makes no sense whatsoever. Men are in love with the FL for no reason and everyone is in unrequited love with someone. The CGI is horrendous and its just not worth it.

I think that's where a lot of historical drama watchers divide. There's ones who like realistic and angsty dramas like the Princess' Man while there's those who prefer Moonlight Drawn by Clouds types. I like alternating between the two but tragedies are more my thing. It is a bit more realistic imo but doesn't hurt me the same way modern dramas with sad endings do. The ancient setting helps me distance myself from the story and it is easier to rationalize why an emperor couldn't make a commoner his empress and live happily ever after.

I think the last point you made about how tragedies make historical dramas more romantic and impactful is very accurate. There's also the angst of how while a CEO and a poor girl marrying in modern times is difficult but can be done (most of the time its just the family opposing), an emperor falling in love with a commoner and making them concubine, let alone a higher ranking consort/empress has stakes of life and death.

Also, they take way too long to establish the backstory. I just skip all the childhood nonsense in the first couple eps. And they always pull the "FL is actually a noble" plot device along with the "FL and ML are actually childhood friends" bs just to prove they are destined or something (to be fair, a lot of modern kdramas do it too). Its completely unnecessary to the story most of the time and makes things unromantic and draggy, the opposite of what it was trying to achieve.

I prefer historical cdramas bc they get straight into the action despite their long format and the longer format actually allows for more nuanced stories. The few sageuks I like are Dong Yi, Empress Ki, and Yi San bc they're actually long dramas following the life and times of a historical figure rather than two teenagers following in love in ancient times (which to me arent really historical dramas, they're just like Birdgerton and those "the Emperor Dotes on Me" novels.) China has their fair share of those, to be fair but people generally acknowledge they arent as good as Story of Yanxi Palace/Nirvana in Fire, while the most popular sageuks here are Moonlight Drawn By Clouds/Moon Embracing the Sun, which to me aren't any different than modern kdramas about the most popular guy in school following in love with the poor, unpopular girl.

I made the same mistake but with another Japanese movie called River's Edge. I just started it thinking it was an indie coming-of-age film only to get full-on nude scenes. There is definitely something in the water in Japan.

I'm so intrigued by the comments. Goats, someone getting their genitals bit off?
One part of me is like don't watch it but another part is like "you already watched Boys Love, how can it be worse?" I'll report back if I decide to see it.

Fan subs both on personal websites and on Viki are much more detailed bc they are being made by fans who are really passionate about the drama and want other fans to enjoy it as much as they do. The same can't be said for corporate translators.

Its honestly a lot better. Korean dramas are generally short in format so there were a lot of story cut off from Chinese novel both versions were adapted from. Without a lot of the story, it didn't really make sense why the characters acted the way they did at times. Like the FL's strong attachment to the princes and vice versa. The longer format of the Cdrama (which is also called Scarlet Heart, but without the Moon Lovers part,) allowed for more character development. That coupled with the skills of the FL (played by the beautiful Cecilia Liu) helped illustrate her transition from a clueless modern girl to a wise court lady much better. IU's skills during the filming of this drama was not really on par with the complex emotions required of the heroine or that of her leading man IMO.

We also got to see her gradually developing relationships with the princes so it didn't seem like she just started going after her sick sister's husband after being transmigrated (and the husband lusting after his sister-in-law at first sight). A lot of the supporting characters had time to flesh out and have their own stories too, so when the tragedies during the final part of the plot came, it was more impactful whereas the Kdrama version just seemed like they were introducing random people and then killing them off a few episodes later.

Overall, both versions have their own merit. While the Kdrama version is like The Vampire Diaries, cliche but has surprisingly deep moments, the Cdrama version is truly very poignant and feels more similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They're both cliches, about vampires and involve love triangles on the surface, but one is something you watch and like even though it may not be the best quality while the other is critically acclaimed and leaves a deep impression on you long after. I still haven't found better transmigration/reincarnation drama since. Its not just a silly "oops i traveled back in time and now get to be with these hot guys" story. Both Buffy/Chinese version of Scarlet Heart also has a better portrayal of an emotionally strong, independent, wise female lead. You might not like the Cdrama version as much since everyone has a different taste but objectively it is very well made.

Couldn't agree more. It's even more surprising that they messed up on the writing when you consider there is a ready-made Chinese version of the story they were adapting from. Like they could have simply followed the novel's plot or worst-case scenario, taken inspiration from the Chinese version of the drama (Bu Bu Jing Xin).

I love how half of these are Netflix originals. Really one of the downsides of Kdramas becoming Americanized.

Also, why would you want a second season to Heirs? Its a genuine question. Like what would even be the plot? The same goes for Scarlet Heart: Moon Lovers? Both stories were wrapped up...decently for lack of a better word. They both became really draggy and I honestly breathed a sigh of relief when they ended.

i guess its different for everyone. the short format and dividing one drama into two seasons are also not my thing. but thank you for just expressing your opinion instead of denying others' like many other people here.

This is the first time I understood why people say cringy sh*t like "she can step on me."
This woman can step on me and I'll be forever happy. Hope she gets more complex roles instead of the evil second female lead. Like a "Its Okay To Not Be Okay" type of wealthy heiress with a tragic backstory role.

The evil step sister was the best character. I would just elope with her tbh.

There's nothing wrong with liking "shallow" romance dramas anyway. Instead of just talking about the merits of action dramas, they chose to generalize all romances as shallow and the people who watch them as surface level.

I'm sorry that I don't regularly watch murder mysteries and cop thrillers. It doesn't make me any less smart than those who do. Some people just like to escape from reality.

It tells a lot about a person and their refusal to face their emotions when they label all dramas talking about love and feelings as girly and shallow. Do they feel like their masculinity is being threatened or do they want to be "not like other girls" so bad? Geez.

Some users are so concerned over what other people like and don't like that they would rather put words in people's mouths and make up this whole conspiracy theory about romance fans hating on action/thriller dramas.

This is a comments section. people are going to express it if they don't like something. You can respectfully disagree but to start your reply with "this comment ain't it," or "this is so stupid" because you don't agree with their view is plain immature.

Bridgerton comes to mind as the latest Netflix romance hit and it's totally as formulaic as some Korean dramas and is pure escapism (costumes, the cast, the politics of the era, etc.) The acting aren't all that great either.

A lot of Korean dramas are less formulaic and more grounded these days. Even Netflix has made those ala Run On, Hometown Cha Cha Cha, etc. To say K-dramas are still doing the "mid-twenties couples pretending seeing someone shirtless is the most scandalous thing" is just false. It might've been true a few years back but it's not the case anymore. Even then you had dramas like Que Sera Sera, Miss Korea, I Need Romance, etc that definitely went beyond the cookie-cutter romantic dramas. I know it's not your intention but people still bring up BoF (which came out 12 years ago) and the Heirs (2013) to generalize all romantic dramas.

Now K-dramas are just like dramas here in America. There are your Bridgertons, a cheesy over-the-top show about a "normal" girl falling in love with the most eligible bachelor and there are your Stranger Things. I will even go as far as to say that there aren't many cheesy romantic kdramas anymore that I've started watching cdramas just to get my fill of the so-called "formulaic" romances.

You've just actually described how Korean dramas are like these days with action and thriller dramas with a little bit of romance growing in popularity and sometimes even surpassing romances in viewership. Its isn't the 2010's anymore.

"but generally, sappy romances a la K-drama style aren't that palatable to western audiences."

A hard disagree seeing as I'm a westerner on a site with a lot of other english speaking people where sappy Korean dramas are the most popular. Crash Landing On You, Goblin, and My Love From the Stars are all sappy romantic dramas that have blown in popularity even those who dotn watch dramas know about it or seen it. If western audiences didn't already like sappy kdramas, then Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus alike wouldn't be making ones of their own. Its not that western audiences arent open to that kind of melodramatic romances (50 shades of grey? Twilight? the hundreds of cheesy romance novels with a cliche title like "the CEO'S Lost Bride" in Barnes and Noble? Hallmark movies?), most are just not willing to open up to foreign content much less ones acted by Asians. The ones who have are the lucky ones cause people are missing out on a lot.