ShortCircuit

Wow, this is really very complex. Thank you for the detailed explanation, any new knowledge is appreciated!

I stand corrected. I thought editing was the arrangement of scenes in an official order according to the plot and/or director's choice, after all the filming is done. I would have imagined they had a logical plot or at least an order to shoot the scenes that would need the least money/time expenditures LOL. At least that's how I would do it, were it my job.

Oh, that's such a wonderful idea - Mu Deok's eyes being the actual mark of soul shiting. It would explain how come she's suddenly seeing (if the original was really blind), and also establish that Wook is also good at some things magical, because nobody else has (yet) seen it.

Maybe they need perfect soul-shift mates to not go crazy, who knows. Maybe it'll be part of the magic system later on. And yeah, other than being mad that the king inflicted a rape child on his family, maybe the mage decided a soul-shifter's soul-son is too dangerous to live AND practice magic too.

I wonder how come Wook isn't the king's adopted son or something, though, since the king said he'd need to swipe bodies exactly because he couldn't have kids of his own... Definitely more plot to cover this is needed in the future :D

There's a second part/season planned?! I'm getting bad Arthdal Chronicles vibes whenever I hear about kdrama seasons on Netflix :(

There's a lot of time to add to the story, obviously. Jang Wook's dad who is a vagabond now (according to the rumours) couldn't be the rapist king, though, and he'd be the one who sealed off Wook's power. So he was alive at least until the child was born.

Poor (actual) Mu Deok, LOL, though, If her body juuuuust happened to be the right one for the assassin. She's gone :( Oh well, we never met her anyway :D

I'm going to keep watching for Mu Deok, myself.

The editing AND the genres. You have the intro with the horror soul shifter (which I don't mind, they add some more horror stuff later, or at least it's horror for me, since some things out there look like zombies, LOL), then the soul switch with the intention-to-rape villain added in, then the action sequence with the fearless assassin, then the fantasy with the soul shifting assassin, then the rom-com, then the bits of childhood memory, then the origin of the assassin's obsession with the four main mages families, then again some rom-com harem, then some more action, then a chase (but is he really wanting to harm her or just wants to find out about the whistles from his childhood?), then the dramatic declaration of Jang Wook etc.

I got whiplash, a bit. So it's settled - this is a mash up of rom-com and fantasy, with a background of horror, let's see how well they make it work in the end. But it would really help if the transitions are bit more smooth, at least for me. I see now it's by the Hong sisters, which I didn't really watch before (because of cast and genre, mosty), so it might be a hit-and-miss in the end for me anyway, but I'm willing to give it a go at least for a few eps.

Edit

PS, you added some more, so I'm adding a bit too, LOL. I DO understand what is going on, actually, while I haven't watched Hong sisters' dramas in the horror mash up genre before, I am WAY too familiar with fantasy of any kind, including horror rom-com fantasies, even if only in books. I also HAVE watched a lot of fantasy dramas - Western or Asian - and so I am not a newbie scared off by a new-to-them genre LOL. This added for background.

What I'm saying is that the first episode is interesting (even for someone who didn't watch the writers' previous work so is unfamiliar with their preferred tropes - which is a good thing) but that the tech details could use some help. Particularly in editing and music, come to think of it. But also, yes, despite the cast's previous work, some of them are still not yet convincing, hopefully because they didn't yet have any time to be settled and properly introduced (which brings me back to editing, but let's give it a rest there).

This is a long drama, they'll have plenty of time to iron out any problems, hopefully. Let's see and enjoy then, shall we? :D

Why would Jang Wook's dad reject him? I mean, okay, it was the other dude's SOUL who was inside his body doing the thing and getting his wife pregnant, but the BODY was his. Would the magic system imply that when there's a transferrence of soul, something changes in what that inhabited body does to the world in return (aside being under another soul's operation, LOL). I mean, the genes are the same right? If Jang Wook is going to have some magic powers, he got them from his father's body, not the soul.

Also, is it implied that ALL soul shifters eventually go mad and need to attack people to retain their human aspect? Then wouldn't Mu Deok sooner or later become a zombie-look alike and lose herself too? Why would she actually want to soul-shift and REMAIN there until she gets her power back? What then? Would she shift again?

The editing is all over the place, there are parts where I wondered if it'll be a reverse-harem comedy, then they added some sprinkles of horror, one of the main female characters hasn't even put up an appearence yet, LOL, I see why they need 20 eps for this one. Add that some of the cast (support or main, even) are acting a bit raw, like they're not certain on how to actually move, talk or even express emotions. I hope they'd grown into it, this is a pretty long series, and they'd have had the time to get it right.

On the plus side, though, this really looks to be an actually original fantasy drama (well, nevermind the tropes), I love the sets and costumes (no more hanboks for the scullery maids, yay!), the beginning is really intriguing - because seriously, I'll use a spoiler on this later - and there's the comedy. The FL manages to convey the comedic aspect rather well so far, and it's not her fault I keep thinking about Zhang Zi Yi in Hero (CN, 2002) when I see her face, they look so much alike! (Or is it just me?)

The effects are amazing for such a long drama, I hope they didn't spend the whole budget on just the first eps and there's going to be some more magic in the future eps. The music also could stand some upgrading, but it's the first ep only, there's time to improve.

Overall, I'll watch the next one, and maybe a few more after that, until it either shows they'll keep up, or that they're spent, and then decide.

She has only been dying for these eps. Does the plot move somewhere else and soon, please? He's the still the whipped puppy, err, fish, from part 1, she STILL treats him like he's an idiot (I mean, he's the prince of North Abyss, people go to war to die on his command, but she doesn't tell him anything important, DESPITE knowing theirs is supposedly a lifebond and he'll end up alone forever soon enough.)

What kind of love is that? Is he supposed to be inferior because she's a Spiritual Master and he's a ~big-tailed white fish~?

I still love the songs, the cinematography is still pretty good (it was amazing in the first part), but TBH I'm pretty fed up with the lake prison house setting, the butterfly girl is getting much more annoying than in the first part, and the story really needs to move on. Soonest, please. I'm almost in the second half of the season, and things haven't moved an inch from where they were at the end of part 1.

I think there's going to be some rebirth involved, given the OP song, and I love a good rebirth story, I just wish it happens soon enough things aren't expedited in the last 2-3 eps for the sake of a HEA/HFN.

PS Li Shu, while also a whipped puppy, is getting much more interesting every moment. Ci Sha's are the only honest reactions / convincing emotions I've seen from a lot of the actors, in this second part.

PPS The cat lady's cousin, the troublemaker, is a complete and total idiot. Who TF decided he should still be a military leader?!

After 7 eps of this second part...

No, it's not, but the leads, who happen to be both male, have great chemistry.

This is such a great rom-com, why wouldn't you watch this? :D

Don't believe me, watch the trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt0PFf2CWCI

If those looks LWJ gives WWX when he isn't looking are appearing as bromance, thank the powers that be we never got the full-on romance, LOL. The Earth can't stand to be so scorched :D

The last episode is a take on se7en and nobody can change my mind. I am not sure I liked it as I would have liked it in 2015 had I watched it then but it was a decent drama with way too many coincidences, genius-level computer nerd (I'm in - type), annoying cop + guaranteed sad ending from dark OCN drama.

So... yeah. That's it.

No. 10 is right. He is perfect. In order of appreciation, based on only the dramas and movies of his I've watched so far, WWX is still my most favourite character (because I actually do love an untamed hero), and then, equally, Dr. Gu and Ji Chong. It's extremely surprising to me to learn he played Ji Chong even before TU - he already had the acting chops, as they say, and he very much saves the day in that drama, given the way the post-production and repeated censoring destroyed its original story flow. (Also, that 183.6 cm height really shows in that drama, LOL, because I sure did notice the long legs :D, ChoNa will know, I linked some YT FMVs in a comment about it in a previous article :D)

I'm looking forward to TLP, and any of his dramas or movies, my only complaint being there are too few of them still... Here's hoping there'll be more XZ content in the future, including more songs, and even more appreciation from the rest of the world :)

PS I love he loves his cat, too. There's no instance of BTS or interviews he's asked about her, and he wouldn't start giving detailed explanations of her everyday life and habits. That's what any catlover does, LOL, they rule our lives :D

Thank you for the article!

It's actually a tactics of NingQue, it's not because he's resenting SangSang or whatever. He's just trying to protect her - I mean, they have to have a lot of cliches there, and what's more cliche than the "I'm pushing you away because I want you to be safe" trope? :D She's going to do it in return too for good measure :D And in his favour, NingQue looks like he really likes ShanShan too.

The ending of S1 is not really a cliffhanger, though obviously the story isn't finished. And they changed so many actors in S2, not just CFY but Zoey Meng too (the Sword Saint) and a lot more, maybe due to time restraints, I don't know (she most probably was already preparing for The Untamed, and he's been trying really hard to make it into the big screen movies... and was SO young at the time - he's only 22 now, LOL, and this was filmed more than 4 years ago). But there's something going on between CFY and Ireine Song that isn't there between her and Dylan Wang, so after I gave it a try for a few eps, I dropped S2 too. The story itself also changed from doomed-world-waiting-to-perish (and AWESOME atmosphere) to something like okay-now-what?! once the prophesized dark child is revealed. The fighting is there, the FX are there... but the soul of it seems to be gone (for me anyway.) It goes from something new and fresh and always interesting to something more xianxia/wuxia regular, and I really didn't like the switch.

I myself went in (S1) for the bromance, the mystery and the great fighting scenes. The rest followed. You'll probably end up liking it anyway, as I did, LOL (though it didn't hit too hard with me in the beginning, I still think about it from time to time, and revisit the soundtrack). So I hope it'll be worth the watch :D

The mains are NingQue and SangSang, all the rest are there for the giggles.

Pay some attention - not too much - to the Saints, the Calligraphy Master (just because he's a hoot!), LongQing (because he acts like he's the main villain, but his story isn't done by the end of S1), and the Brothers in the Academy (for the bromance).

As for the rest, just enjoy the romp, the special FX and the music, because it's great.

(Darkness in particular, I love that theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3eG63ktTAk)

And oh, all the epic battles and fighting scenes!!!

1. MinSoo is supposed to provide a twist in the later eps. Sadly it's not the twist we were all hoping for - as in, he's also from another timeline like KHW.

2. No he's not.

3. No he doesn't.

4. He ends up - somewhat - with Hee-Ah, in the last two or three eps. Nothing obvious but suddenly they're into each other or something.

5. Some of the small fry end up in prison, some with suspended sentences, main villain dies off somewhere (he goes missing, presumed dead.)

So he woke up from being concussed and set up as if he had killed the snitch, and what does he do, FIRST THING? He destroys evidence. I mean, it was obvious he was being set up, but he was SO by the book before, hating on SY just because he provided the aged portrait of his former colleague, never ever bending the law... and in one hot second he turned and became almost a crooked cop.

I mean, what good cop EVER destroys evidence, even if it points at him? He had the whole team behind him, he had Shen Yi - who was trusting him with everything, including his life (he had at some points in that ep and the following ones til it's cleared away, a face like his whole world was going to crumble. Just because he was ONLY beginning to think that DC was involved in the whole mess.)

And they never even addressed it, either. They found the real culprits, solved the case, and nobody just went - oops, but what about DC destroying evidence, investigating by himself when he was actually one of the main suspects (admittedly just suspected, but HE and basically SY too knew the truth), and he's never punished for it...

That first instinct to hide or change evidence and then to go looking for new clues.... that did bode fairly bad. We're lucky China doesn't allow many crooked cops in their dramas, or we'd be left without a hero and/or SY would have to point the finger at DC.

There are no erotic scenes in the novel OR the extras (usually that's where the 18+ scenes are hidden.) There is clear flirting but more on the romantic side. Unless it's by WKX. The only small part where it's implied they actually get down to business is in one extra where the emphasis is on how they decided who gets to top, but no details beyond that.

AFAIK, there are English TLs, look it up on novelupdates. Though some (or most) TL sites might be under lock by now, given the crackdown on unauthorised TLs that happened in the beginning of this year.