Ok. The story loses me with the "I'll abandon her and have her own family deceive her, because she'd be happier without me" trope.
I'd cut off relations with every single person involved in this deception, once I found out. They can never be trusted and they're all patronizing. If Jin Zhao wants to ghost her, that his choice, but asking others to lie is unacceptable. Them agreeing to lie is unacceptable. Be real and tell her that he's decided he doesn't want to see her and has asked that they not share his contact info.
As for him, I'd never want to be with him again after what he was willing to put me through. What an asshat. Taking all of her agency away from her and treating her like a child whom he needs to make decisions for. Just f*ck right off.
This is one to take slowly; pay attention; let things sink in. It's not pretty or uplifting, per se. It's a study of the cost of vengeance over time, and whether the cycle can be broken or all those caught in it must expire.
Enjoying this, but when they swap which actor is playing which part in the middle of a conversation, but leave the other character's costume on them, it is super confusing. It's not working for me. I'll get over it, but why do it this way?
TV shows are like that. One episode per week is the norm. All episodes dropping at once is not.
As someone older, it's funny to me to see people expecting more than one a week. I grew up in an era when those once per week airings were family events; because we wouldn't get another chance to see it. Being able to binge watch is a new, and wonderful thing, but there was something magical about having to wait and watch things together.
1. NJL was in some kind of womb underneath that 'river'. How did she get there? And why doesn't everyone who falls into the river end up there? Xing Chen, for instance.
2. Xing Chen and the science guy figured out that the fiends were originally humans who had been transformed by the extraterrestrial substance. And that the "new" fiends represented some kind of reversion back to human form, by deleting some of the "fiend" DNA. Hinting that, it may be possible to revert all fiends to being fully human again. But, this is only mentioned and he never told the rest of the hunters. Wouldn't it totally change the fiend/human dynamic if this were the case, though?
3. Why can't they forge more of those swords? They've been fighting these creatures for thousands of years, but there is only one weapon which can kill them? How does this make sense?
4. Why did they think that all the fiends were gone? There were clearly lots of them running around in the cave. I didn't see any actions which suggested that they killed all of them. In fact, they said there were too many for them to kill. So, why are they all calling things concluded and going off to stop being hunters?
5. Why would anyone think that Xirou was the only "new fiend" to have emerged? Or that the ones they knew of were the only ones who existed?
6. The fiends are simply a species trying to exist. After thousands of years of fighting, no one has thought to see if there is a way for them to exist without eating humans? Or, determined that, hey, humans eat other species and we consider it acceptable to have a certain percent of those species killed for our food. So, why isn't it acceptable for the fiends to see their food source that way?
I'm at ep 23 where there's supposed to be major tension/rescues happening, but the writing/direction/pacing is…
this was my take, too. Also, I kept wanting it to be exposed that the fiends were originally human and that these "new fiends" were a reversion trajectory. So, figuring out how to help them, without the need to endanger others would have been the righteous thing to do. The hunters are so monochromatic and feel so disconnected from the rest of human society. Meanwhile, the fiends are running a pharmaceutical company. While, yes, they are using that as a front to figure out their own survival - and not always in ethical ways - they are also supporting an orphanage and making cutting edge medicine. Plenty of humans harm other humans and pursue unethical business practices, so what makes these "villains" so villainous that their species isn't allowed to survive?
At this point, more people like Ms. Lin as opposed to Xing Shen. At least, she’s kind of fair and honorable…
he's also small-minded, driven by jealousy, where she has a vision for her kind is devoted to that big picture. she seems to really care for her people. where he seems detached from his.
Imo, FL doesn't look stupid at all. She seems to be quite capable: experienced in travelling and trade, she is…
I am watching thinking, "finally, a c-drama with a capable and sensible FL, who falls for a man but isn't clingy and doesn't have her whole sense of self wrapped up in that."
I mean, did we see her wield a bow and arrow from horseback in a battle scene?
Are there ways in which she's "childish"? Not in any way that would be unexpected, given that she's young and was raised by a pack of men.
The story is centered around a person who goes from being exiled to becoming a magnate. As long as the side characters don't annoy me, I don't care about them. Here, I actually like the potential romantic interest character, which is so unusual.
At ep 23. Have been thoroughly enjoying this. but, they lose me with really twisted logic of why she won't just ask him for the medicine she needs. "I don't want him to have to choose." Being able to choose is called having agency. She'd rather hurt him profoundly than let him make his own choice? It's better for him to hate her than to break a promise to a dead person? So, now, he's grieving and likely to become more cynical than ever. The cat sacrifices himself to buy her a few more days.
I have a hard time empathizing with her loss and, likely, will just not care about her character going forward. She opted for sowing hatred rather than partnership. wtf?
why do I feel like he's an actor who is going to have some breakthrough role in his early 40s? Some amazing script will finally come his way. I think he has a range we just haven't been given the opportunity to see, yet.
the old guy that works for the CP's household is a poorly written character.
He's been in the palace for decades and he still flies into a frenzy any time anything happens; and behaves like a nag constantly. Absolutely zero adaptation to the context of the palace and the person he serving? Seems very unrealistic.
Ok, this is about royals. But why is "Nirvana" in the title?
This is just relentless misery.
Also, a very sado-masochistic relationship. Why would anyone want to be in relationship with the CP? He is ferociously suspicious of everyone. He's cruel - having her tortured or tormented, at times, when he knew she was innocent, and finding it entertaining. His affection can't be trusted, as he turns on a dime.
And why would he ever trust her. She is river rapids of lies. It's always a different update about who she is or what she's up to. Just f*cking tell him the truth and get it over with. She seems glutton for punishment. I get that because her father and brother were executed, she's afraid to reveal her actual name. But, she could have vaguebooked an explanation, as she finally does sometime after episode 40 (my father was a convicted minister. I entered the palace trying to save him.) That could have been said about 25 episodes earlier.
the acting is good. and, if you like tragedy, it's an active volcano of it, spewing one deadly misunderstanding after another.
Don't even get me started on the sadistic father/emperor. wtaf?
I'd cut off relations with every single person involved in this deception, once I found out. They can never be trusted and they're all patronizing. If Jin Zhao wants to ghost her, that his choice, but asking others to lie is unacceptable. Them agreeing to lie is unacceptable. Be real and tell her that he's decided he doesn't want to see her and has asked that they not share his contact info.
As for him, I'd never want to be with him again after what he was willing to put me through. What an asshat. Taking all of her agency away from her and treating her like a child whom he needs to make decisions for. Just f*ck right off.
These tropes really piss me off.
1. NJL was in some kind of womb underneath that 'river'. How did she get there? And why doesn't everyone who falls into the river end up there? Xing Chen, for instance.
2. Xing Chen and the science guy figured out that the fiends were originally humans who had been transformed by the extraterrestrial substance. And that the "new" fiends represented some kind of reversion back to human form, by deleting some of the "fiend" DNA. Hinting that, it may be possible to revert all fiends to being fully human again. But, this is only mentioned and he never told the rest of the hunters. Wouldn't it totally change the fiend/human dynamic if this were the case, though?
3. Why can't they forge more of those swords? They've been fighting these creatures for thousands of years, but there is only one weapon which can kill them? How does this make sense?
4. Why did they think that all the fiends were gone? There were clearly lots of them running around in the cave. I didn't see any actions which suggested that they killed all of them. In fact, they said there were too many for them to kill. So, why are they all calling things concluded and going off to stop being hunters?
5. Why would anyone think that Xirou was the only "new fiend" to have emerged? Or that the ones they knew of were the only ones who existed?
6. The fiends are simply a species trying to exist. After thousands of years of fighting, no one has thought to see if there is a way for them to exist without eating humans? Or, determined that, hey, humans eat other species and we consider it acceptable to have a certain percent of those species killed for our food. So, why isn't it acceptable for the fiends to see their food source that way?
and our villains just seem like a species trying to survive. it's kind of a strange story.
The hunters are so monochromatic and feel so disconnected from the rest of human society. Meanwhile, the fiends are running a pharmaceutical company. While, yes, they are using that as a front to figure out their own survival - and not always in ethical ways - they are also supporting an orphanage and making cutting edge medicine. Plenty of humans harm other humans and pursue unethical business practices, so what makes these "villains" so villainous that their species isn't allowed to survive?
I mean, did we see her wield a bow and arrow from horseback in a battle scene?
Are there ways in which she's "childish"? Not in any way that would be unexpected, given that she's young and was raised by a pack of men.
The story is centered around a person who goes from being exiled to becoming a magnate. As long as the side characters don't annoy me, I don't care about them. Here, I actually like the potential romantic interest character, which is so unusual.
I have a hard time empathizing with her loss and, likely, will just not care about her character going forward. She opted for sowing hatred rather than partnership. wtf?
Who are these "enemies"? Why are they attacking? What does the uncle have to do with it?
In the convo between ML and the uncle what does he mean, "You shouldn't...."? And what does the uncle mean, "So, you should?"?
What the hell is even going on?
He's been in the palace for decades and he still flies into a frenzy any time anything happens; and behaves like a nag constantly. Absolutely zero adaptation to the context of the palace and the person he serving? Seems very unrealistic.
This is just relentless misery.
Also, a very sado-masochistic relationship. Why would anyone want to be in relationship with the CP? He is ferociously suspicious of everyone. He's cruel - having her tortured or tormented, at times, when he knew she was innocent, and finding it entertaining. His affection can't be trusted, as he turns on a dime.
And why would he ever trust her. She is river rapids of lies. It's always a different update about who she is or what she's up to. Just f*cking tell him the truth and get it over with. She seems glutton for punishment. I get that because her father and brother were executed, she's afraid to reveal her actual name. But, she could have vaguebooked an explanation, as she finally does sometime after episode 40 (my father was a convicted minister. I entered the palace trying to save him.) That could have been said about 25 episodes earlier.
the acting is good. and, if you like tragedy, it's an active volcano of it, spewing one deadly misunderstanding after another.
Don't even get me started on the sadistic father/emperor. wtaf?
Do we ever get an understanding of why the emperor is such an a-hole to the CP? Is he really just a sadistic creep? Why treat anyone this way?