Seizing Dreams oh ,, I've been dreaming of its release for years now
It's been two years since they said they finished filming, so if it takes so long it's either the special effects (presuming they have enough budget to film or CGI most dream sequences), or the crackdown on danmei adaptations. I think it's both, combined.
SD is pretty special, one of the few modern fantasy danmei I've read that's really complex and interesting and centered around the fantasy and not necessarily the BL part, and Yu Hao is precious. I hope they do the story justice. Keeping fingers crossed.
(Then again, 2ha has also been completed since forever ago, and no news either :( At least the cast looks amazing, one of these years we'll see what's up :D)
Just started this on a whim - it has an amazing soundtrack so far, including the BGM. I think I'll keep watching even if it doesn't turn out to be stellar (I can see some raw acting and what the heck is it with this kind of new trend of dressing up young people in clothes their grandparents would wear?!)
But it's not that bad, and I like mysterious characters. This promises a few mysteries :D
PS Bi WenJun will be Yu Hao in Seizing Dreams, if it'll ever get released... He looks pretty good for it. I'm keeping fingers crossed they lift the quasi-ban on danmei and release it already.
She says (in a memory from S2): I recognized you first. You're my husband.He says (in her memory, from S1): I…
It's supposed to be far, far away (in another galaxy LOL), so Uk wouldn't have had time to reach it IMHO. And it's supposedly populated with vengeful ghosts, so...
Or maybe Jin Mu fkkd up the opening of the door, LOL, and managed to transport them (artefact, girl and turtle) somewhere at random, and then it would make sense :D
Omfg , why are the writers doing this????!So Uk will have to make a choice whether to Kill Buyeon soul to keep…
Want to bet there will be a catch-22 thing, like he CAN choose to remove Bu-Yeon, but that also ejects her whole energy and that makes his ice stone implode thus killing him. But hey, that would leave Naksu alive to mourn killing him TWICE LOL.
(No, seriously, I hope they don't go that way. I'll take Bu-Yeon doing the energy dance to calm the drought caused by the fire bird, and that drains her away leaving Naksu in her place. Or something.)
Oh, now I can see some kind of ending, though. Also, that TL in the beginning of the episode...
She says (in a memory from S2): I recognized you first. You're my husband. He says (in her memory, from S1): I recognized you first - you're my master. And THEN she says (in real-time, in the scene): THIS TIME, I recognized you first.
This time?! It's before she remembers she's Naksu, and he doesn't have any reaction to it. Is it a lost-in-translation thing, or a Freudian slip?!
Then of course she remembers, etc. I was neutral about Ms. Heo before, now she's really obnoxious, I guess they needed someone to carry some dark aura now So-I is dead.
The plot (whatever you call that) is extremely weak. There's nothing going on but the amnesia game, for 8 eps now. I wonder if Uk will finally realize who she is, now she shows the marks. But if it's in Gwido, maybe he's not there at all. Who knows.
Anyway, here's hoping they do a lot of ass-kicking in the finale episodes.
PS And no, don't take the turtle away from CP! He needs it. He can't play the undercover game for so long, he's too stupid - cute, but stupid - for it. I hope he and Uk really did some planning in that meeting, though you can never know...
The first 10-15 minutes of ep 7 were fire, I don't even care if it leads anywhere at this point. But...
... then they went right back to the senseless non-questioning renewed falling in love with someone they don't recognize. Oof.
At least the CP-Uk cp is back, LOL, they're re-bonding over the freaking turtle. I love that turtle. It really brings good luck :D
As for the plot (what plot?!) of the drama - IMHO they're gonna have both Uk and Naksu die together in a scheme that somehow involves the fire bird (because why not?) and they're going to be like the previous Songrim Mage (he with the invisible poem) and his priestess. Or they're going to become immortal spirits or something. I don't care. The time seems too short to have it make sense in the end.
But I did appreciate the first few scenes - and the BGM too, it reminded me of the first scene of S1, but also seemed different somehow. I liked it. I'll be waiting for the instrumental OST when it comes.
The preview for tomorrow doesn't promise much... and sadly it looks like Uk is going to be the very last one to learn who she really is.
Eps 9-10 almost recovered some of the things I liked about it in the beginning, but then there came eps 11-12…
The girl wasn't dead, but the captor did a Stockholm on her, and then he turned out to be someone they all knew. I guess it's probable, though JHG's reaction was kind of understated for such a sea-change - I mean, his whole drive is finding out what happened to her.
And then he completely doesn't bother about either her or Seol and goes on revenge like he's part of the last scene of The Last of the Mohicans. WTH was that, LOL. It was kind of underwhelming - and his dad and everybody else coming in to a crime site to destroy any and all evidence wasn't making it any better either.
And then the final case - it's obvious they're making Bulldozer's childhood friend into the arsonist, whyfor all the fuss? And all of the sudden, Bulldozer is buying engagement rings for this girl he loves but never really-really talked to about matters of the heart? Puh-leeze.
For an extra, NONE of the TRAINED, PROFESSIONAL firefighters go into the blazing building, but they all stand around and allow JHG to enter... because of reasons?! This is hosing-down-the-heli-levels of stupid.
Of course there's a cliffie, none so exciting as it's obvious they're all going to survive because they're smartTM and courageousTM and also they both love the girl. Which I really didn't need a reminder this turned into a triangle, boo. I had hopes what with the forensics girl and Bulldozer being claimed by her. Oh and also because the stupid bad guy gets a chance to go to Miami, and set up JHG's demise on the way. Though I did love JHG's dad's expression when the politician died/was killed off, LOL.
I won't really be holding my breath til July. If I remember it and have time... dunno. But it won't be on my to-do list.
Eps 9-10 almost recovered some of the things I liked about it in the beginning, but then there came eps 11-12 to completely smash everything up again...
Okay, it's (almost) completely different than NiF, but very much still enjoyable and addicting.
The character I loved most is definitely Xiao PingZhang, I can't help it, He and Xiao TingSheng ruled the first half of the drama, no contest, despite the quietly blossoming romance between PingJing and Lin Xi. On re-watch, I might stop halfway, when XPZ makes his exit (at which point I did cry, because dammit, that effin' timing. Talk about catastrophic timeline.)
I would've loved to see more of that family's dynamics, they were PERFECT as a trio. PingZhang exited way too fast, IMHO, and then, after the northern victory, so did PingJing. I couldn't care less about YuanQi's hero-to-villain arc, because he was way too ready to find someone else to scapegoat his own situation to. And he did manage to find just the right wishy-washy woman to get married to, LOL. (I give her the redemption act, but still... she really couldn't find much to do but fall ill every time something happened?!) In a drama with so many women with actual power (starting with the Empress and ending with Lin Xi, An Ruo really was... useless.)
The very few Lin Shu/Mei ChangSu scenes they played were like knives stabbing right in the heart, LOL. To figure out TingSheng still held to what Lin Shu taught him, so many years later, yes, that's the filial/master-apprentice attitude I want to see.
And can I say that ALL the little boys in this drama were AMAZINGLY CUTE? They were sooo cute. Little PingZhang, little Ce'er, little (and younger) YuanShi, all of them were SO CUTE. I want to see them all again, the little panda tribe they were :D
As for the story - well, it was pretty tight up to and a bit after PingZhang's and TingSheng's arcs ended. I can kind of guess who were the characters Hai Yan really loved writing LOL. But the final third was a bit less exciting for me, anyway, given how PingJing and basically nobody much were involved in stopping YuanQi or at least recognizing what the heck was going on. He would've made much more sense with a foil - or maybe not, given his personality. As it was, he didn't really impress me as a character and I couldn't care less what happened to him and his now-amazing wuxia. At least there was Yue YinChuan there for a few eps to liven up the place LOL.
The music was pretty much meh. The very few times they played themes from NiF, it still evoked a lot of emotion - the OP and EDs of this one... not so much. Oh well. Can't have them all.
Still, a very good drama, excellent production (LOVED those battles, oof, all that blood and so much fierceness!), but emotionally, other than XPZ and XTS's respective stories... not so much. Though I did like the romance and loved Lin Xi :)
At least that woman is gone, so yay for that, I guess.
So it seems they're redoing the history of 200 years back, with the original mage and priestess. Or at least they're hinting at a sad ending.
TBH I don't mind either way at this point. CP's turtle is all that's keeping me engaged and now I guess, the question of Yul's survival - or not. As for the main cp, meh. Kind of late and kind of sudden by now...
I have seriously HAD IT with the previews promising things and delivering them (PARTLY) in the final 5 minutes of the second weekly episode. That's very much demotivating for me. I don't watch dramas for the sake of the cliffhangers.
Yes. The first high-octane reveal and confrontation comes in 23, and then it's going to move way too fast because…
It really isn't an action drama, despite the sequences of wuxia fighting. So no, indeed, it won't pick up speed. But that's what I liked the best about it - it has its own rhythm, and the strategising attacks and counterattacks are what made it the best for me. And the question of their connection being recognized.
IMO, it's one of the best dramas I've ever watched, but yes, it definitely fit my kind of historical/alternate history taste. It might be a case of right time, right mood, but if it's not your cup of tea, then it's not and that's obviously OK :D
How can you take their love so lightly that Jang Uk could fall for any girl? Uk's transforms into a "hard-to-approach"…
I had higher hopes because the teaser at the end of the last S1 episode promised a darker Uk, and darker side-characters, and so far it's the same Uk, with a bit of a more emo approach and black clothing only, a not that impressive FL (she made a much bigger impression in those few minutes she got to play Naksu in the first ep of the previous season), and lots and lots of unwarranted romance and not much plot otherwise - and it's almost half-point.
The time difference actually worked, since it clearly divided the original Mu-Deok from the Naksu this time, but giving her amnesia has truly erased any hint of personality. If she IS supposed to be the same person... even in a different body, she'd have the same tendencies. So far, she almost does it better with CP than with Uk, so that's at least one thing that isn't working for me.
I guess once the reveal comes, they'll muddle through somehow, but again, it's been almost half the series already and Uk is not even close to wishfully thinking she was Naksu, they're still total strangers.
The JinMu plot hasn't moved, the CP plot hasn't moved, the Queen's plot was pathetic (and the actress is doing a pretty raw job of it IMHO), it feels like everybody's just phoning in their parts and Lee Jae Wook is supposed to carry the whole season with his attractiveness and coolness factor. It doesn't feel enough.
TBH, I feel they're half-heartedly preparing to kill off Yul for some extra womp, maybe Dang-Gu and Cho-Yeon will finally marry (as will Madame Kim and ex-master), and maybe CP gets to replace the bum king. And obviously a HEA for the main characters. But for all the glamour and cool-looking stands and walk-aways (that I appreciate from an esthetical POV), there seems to be a lot of shiny wrapping and not a lot of meat, so to speak.
I definitely wish I'm wrong. I'll be waiting and hoping to be proven wrong. But I don't know if the remaining playing time is enough...
Currently at ep 12. The whole plot advances only bc people don't communicate or share their important pieces of…
They aren't normal people. Wife can't tell husband, and husband can't confess to wife (he's not neuro-normative), the wife's police colleagues aren't the husband's friends, the sister and brother have been separated for almost 20 years, there's no one he can confide in.
They do eventually decide to share info, when they find the trust. But it takes time.
3 
SD is pretty special, one of the few modern fantasy danmei I've read that's really complex and interesting and centered around the fantasy and not necessarily the BL part, and Yu Hao is precious. I hope they do the story justice. Keeping fingers crossed.
(Then again, 2ha has also been completed since forever ago, and no news either :( At least the cast looks amazing, one of these years we'll see what's up :D)
But it's not that bad, and I like mysterious characters. This promises a few mysteries :D
PS Bi WenJun will be Yu Hao in Seizing Dreams, if it'll ever get released... He looks pretty good for it. I'm keeping fingers crossed they lift the quasi-ban on danmei and release it already.
Or maybe Jin Mu fkkd up the opening of the door, LOL, and managed to transport them (artefact, girl and turtle) somewhere at random, and then it would make sense :D
(No, seriously, I hope they don't go that way. I'll take Bu-Yeon doing the energy dance to calm the drought caused by the fire bird, and that drains her away leaving Naksu in her place. Or something.)
He says (in her memory, from S1): I recognized you first - you're my master.
And THEN she says (in real-time, in the scene): THIS TIME, I recognized you first.
This time?! It's before she remembers she's Naksu, and he doesn't have any reaction to it. Is it a lost-in-translation thing, or a Freudian slip?!
Then of course she remembers, etc. I was neutral about Ms. Heo before, now she's really obnoxious, I guess they needed someone to carry some dark aura now So-I is dead.
The plot (whatever you call that) is extremely weak. There's nothing going on but the amnesia game, for 8 eps now. I wonder if Uk will finally realize who she is, now she shows the marks. But if it's in Gwido, maybe he's not there at all. Who knows.
Anyway, here's hoping they do a lot of ass-kicking in the finale episodes.
PS And no, don't take the turtle away from CP! He needs it. He can't play the undercover game for so long, he's too stupid - cute, but stupid - for it. I hope he and Uk really did some planning in that meeting, though you can never know...
At least the CP-Uk cp is back, LOL, they're re-bonding over the freaking turtle. I love that turtle. It really brings good luck :D
As for the plot (what plot?!) of the drama - IMHO they're gonna have both Uk and Naksu die together in a scheme that somehow involves the fire bird (because why not?) and they're going to be like the previous Songrim Mage (he with the invisible poem) and his priestess. Or they're going to become immortal spirits or something. I don't care. The time seems too short to have it make sense in the end.
But I did appreciate the first few scenes - and the BGM too, it reminded me of the first scene of S1, but also seemed different somehow. I liked it. I'll be waiting for the instrumental OST when it comes.
The preview for tomorrow doesn't promise much... and sadly it looks like Uk is going to be the very last one to learn who she really is.
But...
And then he completely doesn't bother about either her or Seol and goes on revenge like he's part of the last scene of The Last of the Mohicans. WTH was that, LOL. It was kind of underwhelming - and his dad and everybody else coming in to a crime site to destroy any and all evidence wasn't making it any better either.
And then the final case - it's obvious they're making Bulldozer's childhood friend into the arsonist, whyfor all the fuss? And all of the sudden, Bulldozer is buying engagement rings for this girl he loves but never really-really talked to about matters of the heart? Puh-leeze.
For an extra, NONE of the TRAINED, PROFESSIONAL firefighters go into the blazing building, but they all stand around and allow JHG to enter... because of reasons?! This is hosing-down-the-heli-levels of stupid.
Of course there's a cliffie, none so exciting as it's obvious they're all going to survive because they're smartTM and courageousTM and also they both love the girl. Which I really didn't need a reminder this turned into a triangle, boo. I had hopes what with the forensics girl and Bulldozer being claimed by her. Oh and also because the stupid bad guy gets a chance to go to Miami, and set up JHG's demise on the way. Though I did love JHG's dad's expression when the politician died/was killed off, LOL.
I won't really be holding my breath til July. If I remember it and have time... dunno. But it won't be on my to-do list.
I would've loved to see more of that family's dynamics, they were PERFECT as a trio. PingZhang exited way too fast, IMHO, and then, after the northern victory, so did PingJing. I couldn't care less about YuanQi's hero-to-villain arc, because he was way too ready to find someone else to scapegoat his own situation to. And he did manage to find just the right wishy-washy woman to get married to, LOL. (I give her the redemption act, but still... she really couldn't find much to do but fall ill every time something happened?!) In a drama with so many women with actual power (starting with the Empress and ending with Lin Xi, An Ruo really was... useless.)
The very few Lin Shu/Mei ChangSu scenes they played were like knives stabbing right in the heart, LOL. To figure out TingSheng still held to what Lin Shu taught him, so many years later, yes, that's the filial/master-apprentice attitude I want to see.
And can I say that ALL the little boys in this drama were AMAZINGLY CUTE? They were sooo cute. Little PingZhang, little Ce'er, little (and younger) YuanShi, all of them were SO CUTE. I want to see them all again, the little panda tribe they were :D
As for the story - well, it was pretty tight up to and a bit after PingZhang's and TingSheng's arcs ended. I can kind of guess who were the characters Hai Yan really loved writing LOL. But the final third was a bit less exciting for me, anyway, given how PingJing and basically nobody much were involved in stopping YuanQi or at least recognizing what the heck was going on. He would've made much more sense with a foil - or maybe not, given his personality. As it was, he didn't really impress me as a character and I couldn't care less what happened to him and his now-amazing wuxia. At least there was Yue YinChuan there for a few eps to liven up the place LOL.
The music was pretty much meh. The very few times they played themes from NiF, it still evoked a lot of emotion - the OP and EDs of this one... not so much. Oh well. Can't have them all.
Still, a very good drama, excellent production (LOVED those battles, oof, all that blood and so much fierceness!), but emotionally, other than XPZ and XTS's respective stories... not so much. Though I did like the romance and loved Lin Xi :)
TBH I don't mind either way at this point. CP's turtle is all that's keeping me engaged and now I guess, the question of Yul's survival - or not. As for the main cp, meh. Kind of late and kind of sudden by now...
I have seriously HAD IT with the previews promising things and delivering them (PARTLY) in the final 5 minutes of the second weekly episode. That's very much demotivating for me. I don't watch dramas for the sake of the cliffhangers.
IMO, it's one of the best dramas I've ever watched, but yes, it definitely fit my kind of historical/alternate history taste. It might be a case of right time, right mood, but if it's not your cup of tea, then it's not and that's obviously OK :D
The time difference actually worked, since it clearly divided the original Mu-Deok from the Naksu this time, but giving her amnesia has truly erased any hint of personality. If she IS supposed to be the same person... even in a different body, she'd have the same tendencies. So far, she almost does it better with CP than with Uk, so that's at least one thing that isn't working for me.
I guess once the reveal comes, they'll muddle through somehow, but again, it's been almost half the series already and Uk is not even close to wishfully thinking she was Naksu, they're still total strangers.
The JinMu plot hasn't moved, the CP plot hasn't moved, the Queen's plot was pathetic (and the actress is doing a pretty raw job of it IMHO), it feels like everybody's just phoning in their parts and Lee Jae Wook is supposed to carry the whole season with his attractiveness and coolness factor. It doesn't feel enough.
TBH, I feel they're half-heartedly preparing to kill off Yul for some extra womp, maybe Dang-Gu and Cho-Yeon will finally marry (as will Madame Kim and ex-master), and maybe CP gets to replace the bum king. And obviously a HEA for the main characters. But for all the glamour and cool-looking stands and walk-aways (that I appreciate from an esthetical POV), there seems to be a lot of shiny wrapping and not a lot of meat, so to speak.
I definitely wish I'm wrong. I'll be waiting and hoping to be proven wrong. But I don't know if the remaining playing time is enough...
Warning: spoilers to everything.
They do eventually decide to share info, when they find the trust. But it takes time.