ShortCircuit

Going back to the FoF soundtrack because it's been raining for days...

I am... Jiang Cheng? No I'm not. This is random LOL.

You're looking at it through BL-used eyes. This is NOT BL. This is danmei. There's a whole bunch of differences in the genres, and yes, in the end it's still men being in love, but there are subtleties related to Chinese culture and norms.

1. The plot line was MUCH straightened in the drama compared to the novel it's based on, LOL. The novel jumps back and forth in time multiple times, the drama tried to get it to be easier to follow for non-novel readers or new non-danmei watchers. IMHO, they did make it much easier to follow, even if they also had to change some of the events' order.

The way it starts it's the way the novel starts, up to the beginning of the first flashback. This is one of the best known danmei stories out there, and I promise you - if they dared change anything more, there would have been riots in the fan circles LOL. (Actually there WERE riots in the fandom when some leaked photos made it look like there might be some straight relationship in the story, involving the MC, and not the canon relationship).

2. Not all romances need PDAs. As a matter of fact, the novel itself lacks PDAs (unless subtle and not hyped on), so right up to the final chapters there's nothing much too in-your-face, first and foremost because WWX is Captain Oblivious (yes he's teasing LWJ but he doesn't even realise what he's doing to the poor man, and LWJ is a stoic and not used to let his feelings show. It's only in their second lifetime together he finally learns how to not be so icy and reserved and act out his love.)

And YES this is heavily censored but ANYWAY the love came through LOL. That should tell you something about how strong that love is, if they couldn't manage to leave it all off (because you can see the story would definitely work well already, even if there wouldn't have been love, but just strong friendship and all) and despite the censorship, some of it shines very brightly through. Including the proposal, LOL - yeah, that chicken offering is also in Chinese ancient rituals in some parts, they're so married hahaha~.

3. Err, Jin Ling is a lonely and troubled boy (nobody in his clan likes or hangs out with him, his numerous uncles are... complicated, his bio uncle - Jiang Cheng - wants to kill any cultivators that even breathe the same air as WWX and think to become demonic cultivators, LOL, WWX has killed his father (indirectly), his other uncle (illegitimate but blood-related) also wants to do away with him, he just hasn't figured out yet, etc). Meeting WWX is like getting hooked on crack BUT then he gets a circle of new friends who DO like to hang out with him, so while staying in WWX and LWJ's circle he also has new people to go around with.

In the aftermath of the story, he and all the other ducklings keep going around with WWX and Wen Ning, night-hunting monsters. So it's not like he never met WWX again, LOL.

Wen Ning is the show's cinnamon bun, LOL.

PS If you liked the story, I highly recommend the novel (it has all the uncensored bits) and the donghua (a lot less censored than the drama), the audio-drama (basically gets everything right) and the manhua :D This one's a danmei phenomenon :D

Taiwan doesn't censor them, if you're into the PDA kind of danmei, the Taiwan-made series are going to cover that. For example, "Unknown" is based on Priest's novel Da Ge, The On1y One is based on (half of) Mu Su Li's novel A Certain Someone, then there's also the We Best Love duology, the whole HIStory series, First Note of Love, etc, that aren't based on novels (that I know of) but are still BL.

From mainland China, you're going to get mostly censored danmei adaptations of wuxia//xianxia/xuanhuan, and the best of them in no particular order are: The Untamed (MDZS), Word of Honor (SHL), The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (14th Year of ChengHua), Returned Master, Meet You at the Blossom (Blooming Flowers Silent Sorrow), Wuliang. Then there are the modern era/supernatural danmei (that tends to be a bit more courageous) like (also in no particular order) - The Spirealm (based on the novel The Kaleidoscope of Death), ABO Desire (based on the same-title novel, IIRC), Revenged Love (Counter Attack), Addicted (Addicted Heroin, dropped mid-series), Stay With Me, Advance Bravely, etc.

Then there're the dramas that get foreign-made, but based on danmei, like the Thai-made My Stand-In (the novel is a c-web novel called Professional Body Double, same author as Meet You at the Blossom).

AND THEN come the actual bromances, some of which are un-matched, like (xianxia) Fangs of Fortune, (supernatural) Oh No! Here Comes Trouble!, (police/psychological) Under the Skin, etc.

So for a short best of the best rec' list -

1. The Untamed. THE masterpiece. No other compares (and we won't ever have 2ha to compare it to).
2. Word of Honor (broke the censors LOL. Most PDAs in any censored danmei ever).
3. Fangs of Fortune (because of the beauty. And the chemistry. And the music. And everything.)
4. Oh No! Here Comes Trouble! (because it's so pure).
5. The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (because it's giggly cute. The cutest MC that ever walked the Earth in a wuxia LOL).
6. My Stand-In (because Joe is precious - but dumb - and Ming needs to be hated by more people.)
7. The Spirealm (because it stays with you. Oh - it's also a bit horror. If you're into horror, go watch Goddess Bless You From Death).

For starters.

Give it a try. If danmei (BL) is not your cup of tea, they censored it enough that it might be taken as pure bromance, but if you can read innuendos... it's all there, despite the censorship.

But most of all, this isn't only a love story, it's a story about heroes and villains, redemption and loss, revenge and the power of the human soul. It's one of the best dramas (not even counting the love story) China ever made, IMHO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ldvydu34Is (no spoilers, put subs on).

It's worth it.

There are a lot of power plays, involving lots of politics, but the core of it is a human drama. It's about revenge and justice and friendship and last chances. Don't expect a lot of romance, it's not really the point of the story.

Give it a try.

Like seriously, please stop changing dramas' titles on MDL YEARS after they aired!! I just did a double take at the title since I rated it so high and I didn't even remember the name - which I obviously would not, since I watched JUST BETWEEN LOVERS, not Rain or Shine (a worse title anyway IMHO).

This is the second or third time I've seen these title changes in MDL, please leave off already. It's been almost 8 years already, why be so finicky?!

Coming this year, D+ announced it, it's linked above. Lucky you, we all had to wait for two years for it LOL.

IMHO one of the BEST scenes ever written (and cinematographed, and scored) is the confrontation in ep 23. It's such a good first climax of the drama. You'll know when you get to it. It's perfection.

Both faves, this'll be on the maybe-watch.

There's a time skip between WWX leaving and him playing the flute above the Cloud Recesses cascade (and the reunion with LWJ). So in the drama, they separate for a while, WWX does some world-wandering then comes back and LWJ comes to him when he hears the flute.

It's a reworked ending though. The original version of the ending (it's in the OP sequence LOL) doesn't include a separation. If you watch the ending of the last Special Edition episode you'll see how it was originally planned out - the final scene is the two of them sitting on that rock in the middle of the water, WWX with his bottle and LWJ indulging him in his wants.

For whatever reason, the TU team decided they wanted a separation. (IMHO, I like it BUT I also read the novel so now it doesn't give me a heart attack anymore LOL).

What if the dad was involved with the case since Atikun first escaped 15 years back? He seems way too chill with a serial killing IMHO.

ETA Nah, I'm pretty sure the sgt. is Thursday.

Narin (and Sey apparently) was/were born on Wednesday. Thup and Sing are born on Saturday. They were wondering who was the Thursday victim and then when the sgt went missing Mek told them he was born on a Thursday.

Mon was the girl, Tue was the kid he just killed, Darin is Wed, the sgt. is Thur, I didn't remember who was Fri (thought King was Sun, I don't mind letting him go before Thup LOL), Thup is Sat, and I don't remember if there's a Sun already caught/killed.

When does the week start in Thailand? We always start on Monday, but I've seen it Sunday in some other places.

Was Sey also a Wed candidate? Or was he a Thur? Sing can't be a second for Sat, since they got Thup... Maybe Bom is Sun himself LOL.

People don't mind it so much in Singsalatai because the guys are all a lot more handsome LOL - I'm being subjective here, but they do look more handsome to me than the other crew, and Pavel takes top place :D - AND it's a tried-and-true trope that once main leads get in love (and usually precisely after they have some sexual relationships) they tend to lose brain cells and all logic leaves the story... for reasons.

TBH I look the other way when they do start behaving like unruly kids because 1. I grew used to it in Thai dramas (they have cops SO young and looking SO unexperienced being presented as vets in the force, LOL, ALL THE TIME), 2. Did I mention they're really cute? :D, 3. If they get too smart, the villains never get a chance to kidnap the kidnapee of the day. Let's give villains a chance! (After all, they now have King. Let's not rush it. On the other hand... they now have Darin. GET THERE AT ONCE!!! :D)

This is actual bromance (not romantical). The Spirealm is based on danmei (censored) so that got through anyway. ONHCT is not based on a danmei story, they're just friends.

But it's a beautiful friendship and that's not even the best part of the story. Try it, you'll love it.

They're kind of doing an illegal investigation though, right now. The case was officially closed, if they come out with what they've been doing, they'd be the first restrained and/or arrested, and then there'd be a lot of wasted time, ensuring the victims all die before being eventually found, if ever.

Anyway, IIRC, the sgt. is Thursday. I don't remember if King is Sunday or another day, but the sgt. is Thursday.

Nobody likes him LOL. So they just wait - after all he's just Sunday, right? He can wait to be found.

Because Darin wasn't there - he's Wednesday. They went in the regular days' order. The missing sgt isn't necessarily dead - neither were Monday and Tuesday until their day came.

Like, don't freaking leave the Saturday victim alone dammit!!

Also, you just got the signal from a missing person, go there at once, don't go have a romantic moment at home!

Also, two cops are missing, freaking sound a five-alarm at once!!

Also, one of them went missing from the freaking monastery or whatever that's called, freaking COMB IT WITH A FLEA COMB FOR CLUES!!

What do you mean, Wednesday's victim - who's scared out of his mind, for good reason - gets to stupidly choose to go to the restroom alone, then what's the point of an armed guard?! (ISTG if they let Darin's mouth be sewed or otherwise anything damages that frail beautiful kid, I'm booking a ticket to Thailand to have words with the team.)

Also, OMG the scare jumps are back. I approve. But I did look away, hair in the mouth is so gross eeeck.

What the actual F!, did they all become orange tomcats and simultaneously lost their one braincell?!

"As long as I'm alive, I won't allow my BF to be hurt" - those sound like famous last words right now LOL. And they made sure to repeat them twice in the BTS, just so we know how full of it Sing is, LOL.