XLoveW

ML, Hong Ye, is awesome. I love the demon realm so far. Beautiful world building and music. But I'm finding the plot/relationship development inconsistent. I understand HY feeling muddled when it comes to XY, but it feels like they went from strangers to friends or something else really fast. A couple of episode the FL was treating HY as annoying, then she was suddenly head over heels. And I've no idea how we got there. I think this might have suffered from an editing issue. I'm also coming straight from Vendetta of An which is a masterclass in story development, so my expectations might be a bit high xD.

My guess is you don't actually know any software developers. Software developers use AI to code with now. My best friend, who works in the industry, literally said that if he doesn't learn how to use it, he won't have a job in two years. Also chatgpt isn't going to sponsor some obscure teen k-drama. That would be a waste of their time and resources. This isn't Subway we're talking about. It's estimated to be a trillion dollar+ industry. Brainless comments.

I totally get what you're saying. But I'm not expecting them to suddenly have an out-out smoochy relationship. I'm just a touch confused atm. As for the 10k scene, I agree! But given ML's personality, I'm not totally convinced he wouldn't do that for someone else. This show is still on-going, and I'll keep watching whatever. But currently, it really does read as platonic to me. I'm glad you felt the burn though ;)

Interesting! Thanks for the info.

It might not be for you, and yes, everyone has their preferences. Fair enough. I personally don't see any problem with an 8 year age gap. There are obvious exceptions to this, like someone in their teens etc. But honestly, 40 and 48? 28 and 36... who cares. Also, would people bat an eyelid if the roles were reversed, and the guy was nearly 40 but the woman in her mid-20's? Maybe, but probably not. I think there's so much bias against woman who're over 35. It's like people expect them to stop expecting romance or love. They shouldn't even pretend xD. I'm not saying you're saying this btw. But that general bias does get exhausting as a woman.

So, we're 16 episodes in and the most physical affection shown by ML was a pat on the shoulder... Eh. I watch wuxia's without romance all the time, but this series was billed as romance. And the first few episodes set up the foundations of a romance beautifully. I had high hopes. But now the connection feels platonic at best. I don't know if this is intentional or bad directing, etc, but I'm starting to fast forward. Not usually a good sign xD. Just a little warning for anyone who goes into this wanting a romance.

This! I have to say I find it weird that they haven't even held hands... I suspect the ML was meant to be 'pure' while in the alliance. But he isn't in it anymore, is he? Haha. And the FL has also been shown to be very sweet and innocent. But right now, their connection is coming across as almost sibling vibes (IMO). Like the ML has shortened his lifespan dramatically and taken 10k swords for this woman, but he won't give her a hug? A peck on the forehead? I wonder if that's just the vibe for this whole 3-show arc... Perhaps I've missed something.

This is what makes a show a big no for me in rewatch value. Frustrating, because I love the actors!

It's the lack of imagination for me. 27 episodes where the main leads are separated by a misunderstanding? That's pushing it even for the old 60 plus series format. Because usually we'll get arcs, and the conflict will change from internal to third parties trying to break them up etc. This show is just static. I honestly think the writers didn't have enough source material or time to come up with anything better. I don't mind the side characters. But again, it's the same pattern over and over. I actually feel the mother/father relationship has a better arc, at least there's some back and forth.

Same... In other dramas we'll get misunderstandings, but there's usually some progress or shift from internal to external conflict to keep things fresh. This is just one misunderstanding stretched over 23... potentially more episodes. I could be wrong, but it felt like the writers didn't have enough source material or time to write a better script, so they just did this... :/. On the plus side, I love both the main lead actors. A fan of both of them.

Completely agree. Everything looks awkward. At times, the kiss scenes are just painful to watch. Ignore the person below saying it's fetishizing. Super childish. When the kisses are awkward, it's almost always a symptom of the romance in general being off. That's important because this is tagged as romance and we want to feel connected/buy into this as a real relationship.

Yeah... I appreciate he doesn't want to kiss other women. But if you're a ML actor in a romance, being paid a lot of money, then I think you should be ok with pretending to be in love with someone else. Otherwise, why act in romances at all? I know there will be always be the odd person who says they don't care about kissing or chemistry, but I think most people prefer their romances to feature some level of realism. That's why I adored DBTD. It felt... mature? Such a breath of fresh air! I'm getting a bit tired of some of these dramas that have their couples dying for each other, defying the heavens, etc, and they're too shy to even smooch each other. Haha.

I hear you. It does get really frustrating to watch as an observer. But I will say... I've known lots of couples, even therapists who have misunderstandings with their partner. In the moment, self-defence mechanisms and emotions ride too high to say the right thing. I mean, how many of us have said things we don't mean in the heat of the moment? Add in the fact that WSW is quite young, isn't he? And this is his first same-sex relationship... actually, never mind that--this is his first relationship with someone who really loves him. He's also been shown through the show to be street-smart, but not the most articulate person. That was the persona he tried to project for CC right?

All that being said, I also find it annoying xD. Understandable, but annoying.

This sort of stuff happened to Yibo and Xiao Zhan back in the day. And their careers are going strong. Of course, that doesn't make it okay in terms of what it might've done to their mental health. :(

I completely agree. It's understandable, but also selfish to deny WSW a chance to spend more time with his mom. And CC can't be keeping this from his bf. I can't even imagine how I'd feel if my partner knew about my mom dying and said nothing.

I've noticed this happening a few times in J-dramas.

What other ones would you recommend?

Are you talking about nsfw scenes or non-con scenes? If it's the former... please don't shame others for something that's normal. A lot of people enjoy the kisses etc because the plot is about two people falling in love with each other. RL is also based on a novel with intimate scenes. The cast and crew of RL have shown that, and I'm here for it. I definitely don't want things censored.

I wondered the same thing. 'That' scene doesn't really fit in ep 10 if the trailer is anything to go by.

Oh no... I don't. I'll look it up. Thanks!