celestialocean

True, but even in the original series, some of her targets had done nothing wrong prior to her leading them in that direction. Nanno sees the potential for darkness in them and exploits their weakness. Even in cases where her targets are already committing wrongdoings, her punishments are disproportionately harsh; I don’t usually feel that they deserve what they get.

It's been a while since I watched this drama, but I recall Jae Wan being more antihero than standard protagonist. He's a morally gray character in large part due to his upbringing, which is reflected in his actions and decision-making overall, not just in that one instance. Her reaction is ridiculous and unbelievable for sure, though.

I guess it is meant to demonstrate how morally lost Jae Wan is, but the fact that he is willing to do such a thing to Mon Ne does damage the integrity of the relationship.

Thank you, I think this review saved me some time.

Thank you! :)

At this point, I've only watched a few episodes of the second season. I haven't been watching dramas as much lately since I've mostly been hyperfocusing on The Untamed (/MDZS) this past year. I intend to continue watching at some point, but so far, I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed in the casting changes. It almost feels like watching a completely different drama. I don't think what I've seen is enough to judge it fairly/accurately, though. I hope it gets better.

Oh, I get what you mean. I think there were some sweet, romantic moments toward the end of season 1, but it was more of a subtle change. Their former dynamic was still very much present. Their relationship is more mushy now, but I would be willing to attribute the increase in affection to the fact that Ning Que nearly lost her once (or thought he did). I haven't read all of the novel, though, so I don't know what his thoughts were about it or how true the drama is staying to the source material.

I'm glad to hear it gets better. I love the characters and story too much to give up on it at this point, so I will definitely keep watching and try to keep an open mind. :)

I've only just started watching, so it's a bit early to tell for me, but I still feel like I could grow to like Dylan Wang's Ning Que. He mostly felt like a different character to me, but I was happy that there was at least a couple of quick moments that felt very much like the original Ning Que. I'm so glad Sang Sang wasn't replaced, though, because she is my favorite. I'm a little disappointed so far, but I'm still hopeful that it will get better as the season progresses.

Did you not finish season 1...? There were hints throughout the first season that there was a romantic attraction between them, and by the end of the season, they were engaged.

I agree. Watching this reminds me of way back in the day, when an anime dub tried to hide the dynamic between a lesbian couple by making them cousins. (I was like, nice try, I guess, but now we got incestuous cousins...)

The dynamic between the main characters of this drama is really too flirty and intense to buy as a bromance. It’s played down, but romantic/sexual interest is still intentionally implied. I really can’t see them as platonic friends, even without taking the source material into account.

I think so. It’s based on a BL novel, but it’s not exactly BL itself. The romantic feelings between the main characters are implied, but the expression of them is restrained due to censorship. (There’s too much subtle flirtation and discussion about the nature of their relationship from other characters for them to pass as friends with only a platonic interest in one another, but there’s no kiss or anything overtly sexual.)

You probably can’t be outright homophobic and enjoy this drama, but if it’s just that BL as a genre isn’t your thing and you don’t mind the suggestion of romantic love between two men, then it wouldn’t interfere with your enjoyment of the drama since it’s played down so much.

Ah, okay. lol :D

I know many people preferred Ning Que with Shan Shan, which is fair. However, there were indications early in the series that Ning Que and Sang Sang both had romantic feelings for each other that they weren't quite ready to express, and it was him bringing Shan Shan home that forced them to be honest with each other. The development in their relationship felt inevitable to me, but I guess it really snuck up on a lot of viewers.

lol. I'm not sure how to interpret your comment, but it seems like you may find the concept confusing? If so, I didn't make up the term or concept. :p From Wikipedia (Romantic Friendship): "A romantic friendship, passionate friendship, or affectionate friendship is a very close but typically non-sexual relationship between friends, often involving a degree of physical closeness beyond that which is common in the contemporary Western societies. It may include for example holding hands, cuddling, hugging, kissing, giving massages, and sharing a bed, or co-sleeping, without sexual intercourse or other physical sexual expression."

Basically, I was saying that I feel like the dynamic between the three of them seems to have the intimacy of a romantic relationship that would feel strange or uncomfortable to most people in their friendships.

Currently, I'm about fourteen episodes in and I can't decide whether I really want to keep watching. Since I've enjoyed MMORPGs as a hobby (on and off) for a long time, I like the premise and was hopeful to finally watch an enjoyable MMORPG-themed story... but as some other people have said, it's pretty boring. The few minor conflicts that there have been thus far have consisted of a few characters acting petty, jealous, and passive aggressive towards Wei Wei, almost always from a distance or anonymously; this doesn't really faze her much or have a significant impact on the plot.

I'm not really loving the main relationship at this point. Xiao Nai is subtly controlling and Wei Wei tends to give into whatever he wants. It doesn't seem to me that this is really being presented as a problem so I'm guessing that this is just how it's going to be with them. There are some aspects of their relationship that I do like, but so far, they're just a bit too bland. (And awkward. So awkward. Mostly because Wei Wei still has him up on such a pedestal and he's not the most expressive guy ever.)

When I started watching this, I didn't know Vin Zhang was in it; I've enjoyed his performance in other dramas so I was pleasantly surprised by this. I'm intrigued by the dynamic between his character and Hao Mei... and yet I know not to expect anything from it because I've read some people's comments about it. (Not surprising, but still disappointing.) So, that basically leaves me with some mild interest in what will happen with some of the supporting characters, but I don't know that I care enough to keep watching just for that. Probably not.

I would have enjoyed more substance to the MMORPG aspect of the drama - perhaps showing the characters move through the main storyline, acquire new skills, and take on new challenges together. That would have probably required them to be lower-level players, so they couldn't come across as being as "perfect," but at least it would have been more interesting.

Great article. I haven't seen the drama the first character is from, but I've seen the other two. It's been a good while since I watched Cunning Single Lady, but I don't remember having an issue with the female lead. As for Ji Eun Tak - I thought she was great. Like you said, despite her difficult life, she is vibrant and sweet, but also flawed enough to feel genuine. I thought Kim Go Eun's acting was on par with her co-stars.

I get that no drama or character is going to please everyone; we all have different perspectives and different tastes. That's fine. Still, it really is grating to see pretty much every female lead be harshly criticized when the male characters are adored no matter what they do. It would be nice if female characters were given the same leeway the male characters are given.

Thank you! I can't say I blame you for dropping it. Had it not been for the actors, I would most likely have dropped it, as well. I hate that the drama that reunited them ended up being such a mess. Although it's probably not likely, I'd love to see them work on another project together at some point. :)

I didn't really ship Sunny and the Emperor, but their scenes were always pretty interesting to watch. I enjoyed their dynamic after she returned to the palace even if it wasn't the healthiest one. I agree that it would be hard to accept them as a couple after everything he did, particularly to her, but it was both fun (because the actor is surprisingly great at comedy) and sad to watch him strive for her affection. He clearly enjoyed the normal family dynamic that he got a taste of with Sunny and Ah Ri... it's a shame that he ended up being so warped by his upbringing/environment.

I kind of shipped Sunny and Wang Shik but he generally wasn't the most interesting character to me and I didn't miss him much in the last few episodes. It would have obviously been better for him to be in them, but given what the writers had to work with, I don't think it was the worst ending for the character. He went out in an honorable way, and he protected Sunny from harm once again. It would have been nice to see more of a reaction from her afterwards, though... perhaps her paying her respects to him and his mother in the last episode.

Based on what you wrote, you seem to think he was written out of the story to make room for a romance between Sunny and the Emperor? But it was only because Choi Jin Hyuk had other commitments and could not appear in the final few episodes. They had to adapt accordingly. I think that if the actor could have appeared in the last few episodes, there would have probably been more to the romance between Sunny and Wang Shik, because they were clearly leaning in that direction. Even though he had to be written out somehow, there still was nothing between Sunny and Lee Hyuk. She cared about him on some level, but definitely had no intention of being in a relationship with him.

Of the dramas I've seen on this list (My Strange Hero, Ashes of Love, Ever Night, What's Wrong With Secretary Kim), I pretty much agree with your assessments and I rated them similarly. I actually did manage to get through What's Wrong With Secretary Kim but I found it to be very mediocre overall; although I'm a fan of the main two actors, I really don't get the hype. I've tried reading/watching Hana Yori Dango, Boys Over Flowers, and Meteor Garden; I haven't been able to complete any of them. It's so popular that I've really wanted to understand its appeal, but I guess it's just not for me. A couple of other dramas I thought were pretty good from last year were The Legend of Fuyao and Secret Of The Three Kingdoms.