So 2nd male lead teased the FL, hugged the FL, Kissed the FL, married the FL, slept with the FL on the same bed,…
I spoiled myself to the last few eps because how could I NOT?!
Re: Ji Chong pushing Xing'er on Wolfie and her NOT taking it, I mean, have you SEEN Xiao Zhan? :DDD (JK, I know you're a fan, while I was stalking this drama waiting for its release it was your updates keeping the hope alive, so thank you!)
I kept looking at him and trying to find WWX inside, and while they're very similar (same person, duh!), they're also so different that I can only praise XZ's acting skills. I am so happy Ji Chong (can't shorten it to JC :D) got his happy end, and I really like that little feisty girl lol. The height difference is huge, lol, but they play so well together, it's extremely cute.
Sadly, watching it raw I still can't get over my initial dislike of Wolfie as a character, I guess I'll have to see what gives with some context.
Also, the ending reminds me very much of "Hero" the 2002 movie with Jet Li, with a pretty similar ending, and I love that movie. This drama's ending is okay with me. As long as Ji Chong's okay lol.
So, from the 4 episodes eng-subbed on YT (MZTV), I can tell that I'm going to like this drama. I can guess where…
No Xiao Zhan / Ji Chong yet by the end of ep. 4. But I'm quite relieved this won't be a bust, because the first 4 eps are good together and have a good flow. I'm pretty sure they won't do him bad.
There are plenty of mysteries to unfold - like how did the emperor "train" Wolfie? He looks to me like he got a full-on education in the 8 years the emperor had him. And I want to know more about his underlings. Please don't be killing them off, show!
Is Zhou You Gui the guy who logicked out the butterflies-in-the-box thing? Because he's so cool. I hope he has a good part to play in this. Loved how he came in and the servant girl lied to his face about the princess being undisposed when he could see her right there in front of him playing with the flowers, lol. There are quite a few comedic moments that aren't forced in just these few eps that were translated. I'm hoping for more to come.
I had a great moment recognizing Hu Xiao Ting, who played Jin Zixuan's mother in The Untamed - instant recognition, lol. She's here playing Xing'er's step-mom (not for long). She does have that kind of caring-mom face, lol, and so far her sons were so-so hahaha.
So, from the 4 episodes eng-subbed on YT (MZTV), I can tell that I'm going to like this drama.
I can guess where cuts were made (basically anywhere there's narration, I think), but the CGI isn't that bad, plus the music (especially the atonal BGM music) is awesome so far (minus the ending song, I really don't like that song.). I also don't like Wang Talu's character, but that leaves room for improvement. I absolutely LOVE the way this is filmed, there's a lot to praise in the cinematography. I would have loved it for that alone, there must have been something in the water in 2018 and 2019, for costume dramas to get such great cinematography in the dramas I've watched that were filmed then.
I didn't expect to like Li Qin's character quite so much, so far she's carrying it.
TL;DR: I have a very good feeling about this drama.
Oh-Aew is the bravest kid to ever be in love in a series (that I've watched so far). He had the guts to confess first, to cut ties first, to make the first moves to become involved again.
All hail to him. And I'm going to follow up on PP's career - he has all it takes, the looks, the emotions, the charisma, to make it big. Wishing him all the best!
Will wait for the second season in March. Hopefully they have time to plan it well and give us another masterpiece. Go, team!
There was an entire debate on this topic months ago, though I did not participate in it, and therefore could not…
LOL, the SML syndrome is so real :D
I put Start-Up on hold because of it - I couldn't care less about the leads and their probably love affair, because I can totally empathize with the SML and he probably will end up thrashed by the plot. So I'm sparing myself the pain, ha.
BTW, I had no idea who Leo Wu was, so I couldn't place him. But Crossfire was on my Plan-To-Watch list and I started it last night, after finishing some of my other dramas, lol, and it turns out he's one of the leads. I can't say if I'm impressed or not yet by his acting, but he definitely wouldn't be my first choice for Mo Ran, based on looks alone. I much more prefer CFY (he looks the part, but based on his performance in Ever Night too). As you said, better someone who actively wanted to get involved than someone who would take such a role reluctantly.
The Heiress was going to go on my PTW list, lol, but some initial reviews weren't great, and there are so many other dramas to watch, I guess it'll take a back seat for a bit.
Yup, diving in C-dramas through the TU/CQL portal wasn't great for all the following dramas, lol, because it really did set a high standard, but I don't care - I'd rather the awesome entry than a longer exposure that might have turned me off a bit. I was lucky in that part :D
I got your message, I need to think a bit on it. Thank you for all the interesting background info and the detailed POV on JMY's path :)
- True!- Not really... But they are sometimes visited for advice if they have been senior officers or had tons…
Not really... But they are sometimes visited for advice if they have been senior officers or had tons of experience in a particular field. No classified information is disclosed to them, usually.
WHAT!? You mean to tell me that if there's a retired Special Forces agent somewhere there they DON'T usually let her join in on searches, or have her interfere with ongoing ops? LOL
Must happen only in SKorea... And only in the DMZ obviously, whenever some presidential candidate wants to send in some mercenary troop LOL *wink*
Things I've learned from this (and other) show(s): - the military everywhere really, REALLY likes their greens…
But, everybody but the villain and their original victim - plus two, and the rest of the baddies - makes it out, so that's okay. And the doggie is fine and retired so that's okay too.
The little girl is cured and soon to grow in order to pester JDY in other dramas, lol.
Though, even if I really liked the way those uniforms fit those people (I didn't mean to let that be known, oops) I sure hope that is NOT the way the military acts. I mean, disobedience, crass idiocy (what was LJS hoping to achieve by going in that building basically butt-naked?!, Also, LH shoots at JMG who is already NOT THERE ANYMORE and two unthinking idiots - two, not just one - get in the way of the bullet. How stu... Okay, I'm going to leave it at that.) And then a president-wishful brings in a whole MERCENARY troop and the army is okay with that, in the freaking DMZ?
But all that aside, it's was a nice, fast-moving, idiot-plot-hole-too-many-coincidences-plus-deus-ex-machina ending drama, that still managed to entertain. And after all that's the main thing with a drama.
My favourite characters (other than the dogs) in this drama: Capt. Song (at least HE was consistent) and the NK defector who became the second mutant (he really sold it in the mid-drama).
My least favourite characters (other than the villains): LJS (be a USEFUL idiot, instead of a necessary victim one, why not?) and SYR (if she were anyone else, even the ex-elite female soldier, it wouldn't have had any impact on the drama).
Cons: too many coincidences, no actual fullfilling resolution, useless love interest (why was it there?) and too many suspension of disbelief moments.
Pros: still entertaining, the good guys get a win, beautiful cinematography (particularly in the first few eps; come to think of it, the first ep is still the best one), great opening sequence (promised me more than I got, but I still really like it) and JDY in military uniforms. Over and over and over. Yes please. I'd have loved a more serious tone and plot with it but eh.
Things I've learned from this (and other) show(s):
- the military everywhere really, REALLY likes their greens and blues (particularly in lighting). Well, so do I. - the civilians who once were in the army are allowed to interfere with military operations because of reasons. - army stuff is complicated, so there's no reason to try and understand it. - also, army stuff is complicated so if there's any SNAFU, it gets shoved under the carpet faster than you'd say WHAT?! - even if there are mutant zombie werewolves around, nobody bats an eye. I guess they've already seen things worse than that. Can't wait to watch THOSE series, lol.
There was an entire debate on this topic months ago, though I did not participate in it, and therefore could not…
Haha, I've "caught" a few Mandarin words here and there, and I've already started recognizing some actors (other than leads, obviously), so I can say that watching a drama raw wouldn't be so bad NOW, that some time has passed. But TU was my first Chinese drama (that I remember), so I would have been lost in the raws. And it's not even the raws (because I would watch it for all the pretty, lol) but the waiting. The waiting is killing me. I've learned the hard way, through Korean dramas, that it's better to wait for it to be finished in order to binge it - more so if it's one of the most fan-favourites drama of the time. Not the I had ANY idea what TU/CQL was at the time, or even that it was a huge success, lol. One FMV on YT was all it took.
But I've learned, well, SOME, lol. I plan on waiting for Immortality to be over, too, when it starts airing, just in case. But I'll probably be unable to stop myself, if it turns out to be good. I just hope it's a success, too, and that they make the best of it while keeping it safe enough for passing censors. Even if there's no open romance, I can take it - as long as there's something THERE, as in CQL.
I haven't watched Love of Siam yet, I might, in the future, thanks for the rec! I've been trying to catch up on dramas from actors that caught my eye - like LYX, Xu Kai (loved The Legends, and Bai Lu is among my favourite actresses right now, lol), XZ and WYB, obviously, and so on. There are so many new (to me anyway) actors, dramas and stories, I feel like a glutton in a patisserie, lol, trying hard not to get a sugar rush :D
There are a few subtle and not so subtle BL-tinted Korean dramas lately, - among my favourites is "The Boy Next Door" (which is NOT tagged as BL-interest, lol, but it definitely IS), and a great comedy to boot: https://mydramalist.com/22187-the-boy-next-door So they are trying, lol.
But I highly recommend - if you haven't watched it yet - that Thai drama I already mentioned, "I told the Sunset About You": https://mydramalist.com/55651-bkpp It's ending this week, hopefully with a happy ending, or at least on a hopeful note... Can't wait to see it. It's incredible, so far.
Re: WYB - I watched him in Gank Your Heart (made me look up gaming wording and whatnot, lol), he's good with comedic timing, and while GYH was filmed before CQL, I think, he already grew a lot. So LOF might show his skills even better :) Waiting for LOF, DuoLuo Continent, Immortality, Oath of Love... So many dramas to look forward to!
Have you seen these? I don't know if they've been shared before, and I actually don't watch very many of CQL FMVs…
To be honest, I didn't despise JMY from the beginning, since he was so pitiful. I could totally see how he would try to better his standing in life, particularly as he's of no importance in the cultivation world, his father is at best indiferent toward his bastard sons and daughters. and his (JMY's) cultivation is so low, since he started pretty late in life.
But then all the scheming and plotting really did get to me, probably as intended. I mean, not a lot of people would just decide to pick a target and make him into everyone's hated person, just so his own actions would seem to be justified. And while his hatred of his father is very much deserved, what JMY did was no better - toward his own wife, his own (legitimate, even if incestuous) son, toward Nie MingJue, who hadn't done much bad to him. Seriously, what was his problem with NMJ? Was he afraid NMJ's straightforward attitude, power and suspicious nature would cause his downfall?
... In which case, they totally did, though indirectly, through NHS. I love NHS - he's just as much a snake as JMY, but his actions are calculated to get revenge, not blame innocent bystanders. He bests the schemiest schemer of the TU 'verse, and still manages to get away with it, as WWX and LZ would not do anything to change it.
The one really innocent victim in this whole mess was LXC, though. Even in the novel, where there's absolutely no hint of romantic interest, learning that he's taken up seclusion from time to time, in order to make sense of having killed his best friend, hurt. It's what his father did, in order to deal with their mother's unspecified crimes, but to see LXC reduced to it, when he doesn't have much of a support system... *sigh*
So no, I don't mind the drama made them more than friends, but that friendship only highlighted how lucky LZ was in picking the one honest and true-hearted scoundrel of the whole bunch to set his heart on. WWX is no angel, but his conscience is clear and that makes it all worth it.
I want to re-watch this drama with erased memories of it, lol, I could enjoy it all over again with no idea what comes next. I envy newcomers their lack of info, lol, it's going to take a long time to get over it, if ever.
It's a question of who, by now - YDJ's dad, YDJ himself or Lee Hyuk. I'm glad LH's son turned up to be a good…
Nobody thought to check up on Soo-Young yet, after she went missing in the DMZ, got abducted (as far as they know) by the original mutant, AND got a suspiciously-looking rash that reminds me of radioactive disease.
I mean, seriously, show? If SY turns out to be the link to the next season by turning into a child mutant, I'm going to smash things around here.
Edit: PS Also doggie. Don't you dare hurt the doggie, show.
It's a question of who, by now - YDJ's dad, YDJ himself or Lee Hyuk.
I'm glad LH's son turned up to be a good guy after all but he's heading into an active firing zone with no protection and weapons, what's this idiotic action?!
I guess it's either YDJ and SYR get infected too and we'll be moving into second season territory, or JMG kills LH in poetical justice and both die, the end. I don't see JMG turning back to anything human-like after 20 years...
There was an entire debate on this topic months ago, though I did not participate in it, and therefore could not…
I'm one of those impatient ones, lol. I binged CQL in a a week or so (because while I was obssessed with it, there was still work to be done, and sleep to be had unless I wanted to become a fierce corpse myself, lol), but I seriously could not have resisted waiting. So I am glad to have been able to binge-watch it, even if it meant not partaking in the general enjoyment over it.
Also, in these parts winter means snow, so watching it in the cold, with the snow falling, was an extra pleasure for me - my favourite scene is the one where WWX and LZ are in Cloud Recesses, in the Jingshi, and WWX acknowledges that having LZ as a soulmate throughout his troubled life was enough. That symbolic separation - he in the falling snow, LZ under the awning, and then joining him outside - I can't even begin to tell you how happy it made me. Beautiful scene, beautiful characters, I fell in love even more if that was possible at that time.
I am VERY aware that XZ is in no way at fault for the AO3 problem. As a matter a fact, I had read that the Chinese gov't cracked down on AO3 and there was a great ruckus about it, but I had no idea it involved XZ fans until later. Fan behaviour can be extreme at times, but I think this time they served as only a reason for the gov't to do something they probably intended to do for a long time and it was just very bad luck XZ was caught, innocently, in the crossfire. So I hope people get sane again - particularly as this year sure wasn't lacking in extremely serious problems - and leave off. I wish he was working on more dramas than what MDL is showing, and that he's just keeping it secret. It would be really too bad if he couldn't bank on his well-deserved glowing performance in CQL... *keeping fingers crossed it passes completely soon and he gets all the luck he deserves*
Actually, no, I'm not a newcomer to m/m. I've been watching anime, reading (and watching) yaoi, reading m/m Western-world novels, watching Thai BL dramas and whatnot, for a long time. I appreciate a lot of them, some of them not so much (some Thai dramas for example are pretty formulaic and don't stand on plot but on cute boys having some steamy scenes). But there are some gems from time to time - like SK "The King and the Clown" (that made me become a Lee Joon Gi fan instantly, lol), Thai "Theory of Love" (I know the two ML were established in the industry, but I first saw them there, and I really liked the way the story moved), and now also Thai "I told the Sunset About You", which depending on how they pull it through, might become a favourite too, and Japanese "30-year old Virgin Magic", which is also pretty cute :)
But none of them seriously compare with CQL. Not in terms of plot, of production values, of music, of fleshing out side charas, of chemistry between the leads and most of the crew... I couldn't believe there could be such a great full-length drama - and a Chinese one, to boot, so pretty much fully censored - to manage all these things basically perfectly and deliver on all promises. They couldn't have made it better if they were allowed to use the full novel, up to and including the sexier scenes. For my fujoshi soul, I'd have loved to see a kiss, but it is perfect as it is, without it, lol. The audio drama supplies all the steam I'd have wanted, too :D
As the time approaches, I am getting tense for "Immortality". I know the actors can do it, but I hope the script - and the rest of the production - delivers, too. I don't know when they started preparing, and if the producers wanted to ride the CQL wave, but I hope they took the proper time to block all things where they should be, and not make a rush out of it.
LYX was perfect in "Ashes of Love", wasn't he? I kind of didn't care about the main couple, after their stint in the human world, lol, and focused mainly on Run Yu's story. He's perfect for tragic roles, and strangely, for comedy too. Are you watching "Love is Sweet"? It started like a kind of trope-filled office romance but then they unleashed the LYX smile, lol, and there we went. Bai Lu is great as a counterpart, so I'm having a lot of fun watching them together.
As for CFY, I haven't even started "Legend of Awakening" - I'm still flowing with the "Ever Night" vibe, and I think he did a great job there. I couldn't keep with the second season, without him, because it didn't even feel similar (and about half the cast was changed, too). He could be MR, if given a good chance... Here's hoping nothing goes wrong.
But in the meantime... They have at least three dramas with XZ. We should have at least one of them air this year...
Pretty please with a cherry on top, Chinese drama TV stations! :D
I've been thinking about this drama for a while now. I've seen some great reviews. But can someone tell me from…
I looked at your watched-list and the ratings you gave them. Based on that, you're probably going to like TU.
What's the story about? Well, it's a romance, very subtle at times and completely in your face at other times, depending on how you choose to accept it. It's a tale of revenge and it's a tale about what family means, it's a story about friendship and sacrifice and redemption. It starts out like a friendly school-setting comedy and then quickly turns to tragedy - but it's so worth it to watch it to its eventual happy end.
I've watched a lot of Chinese dramas lately, from the newer batch, that is, and I can tell you this one stands out as the best of them all. There are a few aspects that might seem not up to what other dramas offer - maybe a few FX here and there - but none other can match it in terms of consistence of plot, development of characters, side-plots tied up and watcher's satisfaction. And some of the best characters I've ever seen in a drama.
As for production values - as I said, maybe a few of the FX might have been better, but they don't matter at all in context - it has beautiful cinematography and sets, great costumes, extraordinary and haunting music, perfect cast chemistry (not just the leads), and a certain tone of realism that I didn't find in other wuxia/xianxia dramas.
Give it a try, the sooner the better. If you make it past the few first episodes, where things are being set up, you'll go down the TU rabbit hole with the rest of us :)
There was an entire debate on this topic months ago, though I did not participate in it, and therefore could not…
Thank you, thank you so much for the links to the TLs! I have so many bookmarks for TLs and MTLs and Gdrive folders, lol, it's been a chore searching and remembering where I was before. And they're pretty long novels too. I have to read on my laptop, I can't make heads or tails of them on a phone screen, lol.
I know all about going down the rabbit hole with CQL, lol. I watched it this past December, after watching a FMV on YT completely randomly, and out of the blue I was forgoing sleep and holidays prep and whatnot, and only watching CQL. I am lucky I found it when it was already finished :D
But then... reading the novel, watching the donghua, watching the chibi donghua, following all FMVs and BTSs and CQL crack videos, and watching basically all I could get of WYB and XZ's past dramas, lol, even if they weren't leads... and then the AO3 thing happened, and I get stressed waiting for it to completely clear, and have XZ be recognized again for his talent.
As I said, it's been a (pretty long) while since a story and its charas caught me so completely. In fact, I don't quite remember when it happened before. I didn't even realize I needed an epic m/m love story and a tale of vengeance and redemption so badly, until I watched the series.
Which is why I have such hope for Immortality... Please be good, show! It all depends on the script and what they did with the story, but as I didn't finish the novel yet, I have no standards to judge them by and I am basically okay with random changes that enhance the tale. Just as long as they keep the spirit of it alive.
Aaaand it helps, IMHO, that LYX is so good-looking and I think if the script does him justice, he'll be great as CWN. I am even ready to grow to like Mo Ran, lol, though his beginning in the novel doesn't endear him to me. I said before, CFY's smirk fits MR's personality, he might be perfect for the role. I wonder if they'll dub over, too - I guess it's safer...
3 
Re: Ji Chong pushing Xing'er on Wolfie and her NOT taking it, I mean, have you SEEN Xiao Zhan? :DDD (JK, I know you're a fan, while I was stalking this drama waiting for its release it was your updates keeping the hope alive, so thank you!)
I kept looking at him and trying to find WWX inside, and while they're very similar (same person, duh!), they're also so different that I can only praise XZ's acting skills. I am so happy Ji Chong (can't shorten it to JC :D) got his happy end, and I really like that little feisty girl lol. The height difference is huge, lol, but they play so well together, it's extremely cute.
Sadly, watching it raw I still can't get over my initial dislike of Wolfie as a character, I guess I'll have to see what gives with some context.
Also, the ending reminds me very much of "Hero" the 2002 movie with Jet Li, with a pretty similar ending, and I love that movie. This drama's ending is okay with me. As long as Ji Chong's okay lol.
There are plenty of mysteries to unfold - like how did the emperor "train" Wolfie? He looks to me like he got a full-on education in the 8 years the emperor had him. And I want to know more about his underlings. Please don't be killing them off, show!
Is Zhou You Gui the guy who logicked out the butterflies-in-the-box thing? Because he's so cool. I hope he has a good part to play in this. Loved how he came in and the servant girl lied to his face about the princess being undisposed when he could see her right there in front of him playing with the flowers, lol. There are quite a few comedic moments that aren't forced in just these few eps that were translated. I'm hoping for more to come.
I had a great moment recognizing Hu Xiao Ting, who played Jin Zixuan's mother in The Untamed - instant recognition, lol. She's here playing Xing'er's step-mom (not for long). She does have that kind of caring-mom face, lol, and so far her sons were so-so hahaha.
I can guess where cuts were made (basically anywhere there's narration, I think), but the CGI isn't that bad, plus the music (especially the atonal BGM music) is awesome so far (minus the ending song, I really don't like that song.). I also don't like Wang Talu's character, but that leaves room for improvement. I absolutely LOVE the way this is filmed, there's a lot to praise in the cinematography. I would have loved it for that alone, there must have been something in the water in 2018 and 2019, for costume dramas to get such great cinematography in the dramas I've watched that were filmed then.
I didn't expect to like Li Qin's character quite so much, so far she's carrying it.
TL;DR: I have a very good feeling about this drama.
Spoilers follow.
Hang on for a second, I'll go die in a corner for a few minutes.
Where is it available? I can't believe this, I've been waiting for so long, with so many postponements, I can't believe it's really airing, lol.
I see comments that people finished watching it - WHAT?! Did they air it all at once?... It's so confusing...
All hail to him. And I'm going to follow up on PP's career - he has all it takes, the looks, the emotions, the charisma, to make it big. Wishing him all the best!
Will wait for the second season in March. Hopefully they have time to plan it well and give us another masterpiece. Go, team!
I put Start-Up on hold because of it - I couldn't care less about the leads and their probably love affair, because I can totally empathize with the SML and he probably will end up thrashed by the plot. So I'm sparing myself the pain, ha.
BTW, I had no idea who Leo Wu was, so I couldn't place him. But Crossfire was on my Plan-To-Watch list and I started it last night, after finishing some of my other dramas, lol, and it turns out he's one of the leads. I can't say if I'm impressed or not yet by his acting, but he definitely wouldn't be my first choice for Mo Ran, based on looks alone. I much more prefer CFY (he looks the part, but based on his performance in Ever Night too). As you said, better someone who actively wanted to get involved than someone who would take such a role reluctantly.
The Heiress was going to go on my PTW list, lol, but some initial reviews weren't great, and there are so many other dramas to watch, I guess it'll take a back seat for a bit.
Yup, diving in C-dramas through the TU/CQL portal wasn't great for all the following dramas, lol, because it really did set a high standard, but I don't care - I'd rather the awesome entry than a longer exposure that might have turned me off a bit. I was lucky in that part :D
I got your message, I need to think a bit on it. Thank you for all the interesting background info and the detailed POV on JMY's path :)
WHAT!? You mean to tell me that if there's a retired Special Forces agent somewhere there they DON'T usually let her join in on searches, or have her interfere with ongoing ops? LOL
Must happen only in SKorea... And only in the DMZ obviously, whenever some presidential candidate wants to send in some mercenary troop LOL *wink*
The little girl is cured and soon to grow in order to pester JDY in other dramas, lol.
Though, even if I really liked the way those uniforms fit those people (I didn't mean to let that be known, oops) I sure hope that is NOT the way the military acts. I mean, disobedience, crass idiocy (what was LJS hoping to achieve by going in that building basically butt-naked?!, Also, LH shoots at JMG who is already NOT THERE ANYMORE and two unthinking idiots - two, not just one - get in the way of the bullet. How stu... Okay, I'm going to leave it at that.) And then a president-wishful brings in a whole MERCENARY troop and the army is okay with that, in the freaking DMZ?
But all that aside, it's was a nice, fast-moving, idiot-plot-hole-too-many-coincidences-plus-deus-ex-machina ending drama, that still managed to entertain. And after all that's the main thing with a drama.
My favourite characters (other than the dogs) in this drama: Capt. Song (at least HE was consistent) and the NK defector who became the second mutant (he really sold it in the mid-drama).
My least favourite characters (other than the villains): LJS (be a USEFUL idiot, instead of a necessary victim one, why not?) and SYR (if she were anyone else, even the ex-elite female soldier, it wouldn't have had any impact on the drama).
Cons: too many coincidences, no actual fullfilling resolution, useless love interest (why was it there?) and too many suspension of disbelief moments.
Pros: still entertaining, the good guys get a win, beautiful cinematography (particularly in the first few eps; come to think of it, the first ep is still the best one), great opening sequence (promised me more than I got, but I still really like it) and JDY in military uniforms. Over and over and over. Yes please. I'd have loved a more serious tone and plot with it but eh.
- the military everywhere really, REALLY likes their greens and blues (particularly in lighting). Well, so do I.
- the civilians who once were in the army are allowed to interfere with military operations because of reasons.
- army stuff is complicated, so there's no reason to try and understand it.
- also, army stuff is complicated so if there's any SNAFU, it gets shoved under the carpet faster than you'd say WHAT?!
- even if there are mutant zombie werewolves around, nobody bats an eye. I guess they've already seen things worse than that. Can't wait to watch THOSE series, lol.
But I've learned, well, SOME, lol. I plan on waiting for Immortality to be over, too, when it starts airing, just in case. But I'll probably be unable to stop myself, if it turns out to be good. I just hope it's a success, too, and that they make the best of it while keeping it safe enough for passing censors. Even if there's no open romance, I can take it - as long as there's something THERE, as in CQL.
I haven't watched Love of Siam yet, I might, in the future, thanks for the rec! I've been trying to catch up on dramas from actors that caught my eye - like LYX, Xu Kai (loved The Legends, and Bai Lu is among my favourite actresses right now, lol), XZ and WYB, obviously, and so on. There are so many new (to me anyway) actors, dramas and stories, I feel like a glutton in a patisserie, lol, trying hard not to get a sugar rush :D
There are a few subtle and not so subtle BL-tinted Korean dramas lately, - among my favourites is "The Boy Next Door" (which is NOT tagged as BL-interest, lol, but it definitely IS), and a great comedy to boot:
https://mydramalist.com/22187-the-boy-next-door
So they are trying, lol.
But I highly recommend - if you haven't watched it yet - that Thai drama I already mentioned, "I told the Sunset About You":
https://mydramalist.com/55651-bkpp
It's ending this week, hopefully with a happy ending, or at least on a hopeful note... Can't wait to see it. It's incredible, so far.
Re: WYB - I watched him in Gank Your Heart (made me look up gaming wording and whatnot, lol), he's good with comedic timing, and while GYH was filmed before CQL, I think, he already grew a lot. So LOF might show his skills even better :) Waiting for LOF, DuoLuo Continent, Immortality, Oath of Love... So many dramas to look forward to!
But then all the scheming and plotting really did get to me, probably as intended. I mean, not a lot of people would just decide to pick a target and make him into everyone's hated person, just so his own actions would seem to be justified. And while his hatred of his father is very much deserved, what JMY did was no better - toward his own wife, his own (legitimate, even if incestuous) son, toward Nie MingJue, who hadn't done much bad to him. Seriously, what was his problem with NMJ? Was he afraid NMJ's straightforward attitude, power and suspicious nature would cause his downfall?
... In which case, they totally did, though indirectly, through NHS. I love NHS - he's just as much a snake as JMY, but his actions are calculated to get revenge, not blame innocent bystanders. He bests the schemiest schemer of the TU 'verse, and still manages to get away with it, as WWX and LZ would not do anything to change it.
The one really innocent victim in this whole mess was LXC, though. Even in the novel, where there's absolutely no hint of romantic interest, learning that he's taken up seclusion from time to time, in order to make sense of having killed his best friend, hurt. It's what his father did, in order to deal with their mother's unspecified crimes, but to see LXC reduced to it, when he doesn't have much of a support system... *sigh*
So no, I don't mind the drama made them more than friends, but that friendship only highlighted how lucky LZ was in picking the one honest and true-hearted scoundrel of the whole bunch to set his heart on. WWX is no angel, but his conscience is clear and that makes it all worth it.
I want to re-watch this drama with erased memories of it, lol, I could enjoy it all over again with no idea what comes next. I envy newcomers their lack of info, lol, it's going to take a long time to get over it, if ever.
I mean, seriously, show? If SY turns out to be the link to the next season by turning into a child mutant, I'm going to smash things around here.
Edit: PS Also doggie. Don't you dare hurt the doggie, show.
I'm glad LH's son turned up to be a good guy after all but he's heading into an active firing zone with no protection and weapons, what's this idiotic action?!
I guess it's either YDJ and SYR get infected too and we'll be moving into second season territory, or JMG kills LH in poetical justice and both die, the end. I don't see JMG turning back to anything human-like after 20 years...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLLumzo__GA
There are so many good FMVs out there, for both the drama and the donghua, it's hard to choose from :)
Also, in these parts winter means snow, so watching it in the cold, with the snow falling, was an extra pleasure for me - my favourite scene is the one where WWX and LZ are in Cloud Recesses, in the Jingshi, and WWX acknowledges that having LZ as a soulmate throughout his troubled life was enough. That symbolic separation - he in the falling snow, LZ under the awning, and then joining him outside - I can't even begin to tell you how happy it made me. Beautiful scene, beautiful characters, I fell in love even more if that was possible at that time.
I am VERY aware that XZ is in no way at fault for the AO3 problem. As a matter a fact, I had read that the Chinese gov't cracked down on AO3 and there was a great ruckus about it, but I had no idea it involved XZ fans until later. Fan behaviour can be extreme at times, but I think this time they served as only a reason for the gov't to do something they probably intended to do for a long time and it was just very bad luck XZ was caught, innocently, in the crossfire. So I hope people get sane again - particularly as this year sure wasn't lacking in extremely serious problems - and leave off. I wish he was working on more dramas than what MDL is showing, and that he's just keeping it secret. It would be really too bad if he couldn't bank on his well-deserved glowing performance in CQL... *keeping fingers crossed it passes completely soon and he gets all the luck he deserves*
Actually, no, I'm not a newcomer to m/m. I've been watching anime, reading (and watching) yaoi, reading m/m Western-world novels, watching Thai BL dramas and whatnot, for a long time. I appreciate a lot of them, some of them not so much (some Thai dramas for example are pretty formulaic and don't stand on plot but on cute boys having some steamy scenes). But there are some gems from time to time - like SK "The King and the Clown" (that made me become a Lee Joon Gi fan instantly, lol), Thai "Theory of Love" (I know the two ML were established in the industry, but I first saw them there, and I really liked the way the story moved), and now also Thai "I told the Sunset About You", which depending on how they pull it through, might become a favourite too, and Japanese "30-year old Virgin Magic", which is also pretty cute :)
But none of them seriously compare with CQL. Not in terms of plot, of production values, of music, of fleshing out side charas, of chemistry between the leads and most of the crew... I couldn't believe there could be such a great full-length drama - and a Chinese one, to boot, so pretty much fully censored - to manage all these things basically perfectly and deliver on all promises. They couldn't have made it better if they were allowed to use the full novel, up to and including the sexier scenes. For my fujoshi soul, I'd have loved to see a kiss, but it is perfect as it is, without it, lol. The audio drama supplies all the steam I'd have wanted, too :D
As the time approaches, I am getting tense for "Immortality". I know the actors can do it, but I hope the script - and the rest of the production - delivers, too. I don't know when they started preparing, and if the producers wanted to ride the CQL wave, but I hope they took the proper time to block all things where they should be, and not make a rush out of it.
LYX was perfect in "Ashes of Love", wasn't he? I kind of didn't care about the main couple, after their stint in the human world, lol, and focused mainly on Run Yu's story. He's perfect for tragic roles, and strangely, for comedy too. Are you watching "Love is Sweet"? It started like a kind of trope-filled office romance but then they unleashed the LYX smile, lol, and there we went. Bai Lu is great as a counterpart, so I'm having a lot of fun watching them together.
As for CFY, I haven't even started "Legend of Awakening" - I'm still flowing with the "Ever Night" vibe, and I think he did a great job there. I couldn't keep with the second season, without him, because it didn't even feel similar (and about half the cast was changed, too). He could be MR, if given a good chance... Here's hoping nothing goes wrong.
But in the meantime... They have at least three dramas with XZ. We should have at least one of them air this year...
Pretty please with a cherry on top, Chinese drama TV stations! :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzdtZiuwChM
Have you seen it? :)
What's the story about? Well, it's a romance, very subtle at times and completely in your face at other times, depending on how you choose to accept it. It's a tale of revenge and it's a tale about what family means, it's a story about friendship and sacrifice and redemption. It starts out like a friendly school-setting comedy and then quickly turns to tragedy - but it's so worth it to watch it to its eventual happy end.
I've watched a lot of Chinese dramas lately, from the newer batch, that is, and I can tell you this one stands out as the best of them all. There are a few aspects that might seem not up to what other dramas offer - maybe a few FX here and there - but none other can match it in terms of consistence of plot, development of characters, side-plots tied up and watcher's satisfaction. And some of the best characters I've ever seen in a drama.
As for production values - as I said, maybe a few of the FX might have been better, but they don't matter at all in context - it has beautiful cinematography and sets, great costumes, extraordinary and haunting music, perfect cast chemistry (not just the leads), and a certain tone of realism that I didn't find in other wuxia/xianxia dramas.
Give it a try, the sooner the better. If you make it past the few first episodes, where things are being set up, you'll go down the TU rabbit hole with the rest of us :)
I know all about going down the rabbit hole with CQL, lol. I watched it this past December, after watching a FMV on YT completely randomly, and out of the blue I was forgoing sleep and holidays prep and whatnot, and only watching CQL. I am lucky I found it when it was already finished :D
But then... reading the novel, watching the donghua, watching the chibi donghua, following all FMVs and BTSs and CQL crack videos, and watching basically all I could get of WYB and XZ's past dramas, lol, even if they weren't leads... and then the AO3 thing happened, and I get stressed waiting for it to completely clear, and have XZ be recognized again for his talent.
As I said, it's been a (pretty long) while since a story and its charas caught me so completely. In fact, I don't quite remember when it happened before. I didn't even realize I needed an epic m/m love story and a tale of vengeance and redemption so badly, until I watched the series.
Which is why I have such hope for Immortality... Please be good, show! It all depends on the script and what they did with the story, but as I didn't finish the novel yet, I have no standards to judge them by and I am basically okay with random changes that enhance the tale. Just as long as they keep the spirit of it alive.
Aaaand it helps, IMHO, that LYX is so good-looking and I think if the script does him justice, he'll be great as CWN. I am even ready to grow to like Mo Ran, lol, though his beginning in the novel doesn't endear him to me. I said before, CFY's smirk fits MR's personality, he might be perfect for the role. I wonder if they'll dub over, too - I guess it's safer...
Can't wait for it!...