I'm just on the 8th ep but it's hooking me. However I'd like to point it's super similar (but not 1:1) to "Love…
At times, you get the same "cruel ML" as in LLTG, but it's actually much less in this show. The ML's style/appearance/attitude is a bit similar especially early on in The Double.
And in Who Rules The World, that ML operates even more of a spy network.
The Double never engages in "pointless" slice of life stuff to the degree that Love Like The Galaxy does.
The leads have a strong bond and a healthy, drama-free relationship. WRTW is very suitable as a show without misunderstandings and draggy triangles.
What starts with the promise of an interesting empire-level power conflict quickly shifts focus to palace intrigue in just one of the empire's six states, the type of endless (endlessly repetitive) squabbles in which the baddies can never be stopped for good. (From other comments online, I've learned that this was added by the drama writers, and in the actual novel there are "only a few paragraphs" of the palace intrigue that makes up a big portion of the show.)
Since she's an excellent fighter, little Lusi doesn't always need to be rescued. Except when she needs to be rescued. Most of the time she's just hungry, which is terribly unimaginative. (Eventually the writers forget that. Just like they regularly forget the whole 'falcon' technology.)
95% of the show, FL and especially ML are super mega smart. The only times one of the leads is in serious peril, it is because they devolve into truly moronic drama leads that make nonsensical decisions without consulting the other – otherwise the writers have no way of plausibly getting them into danger. Every time this happens (admittedly rarely), this is somewhere between disappointing and infuriating.
The villain(s) and the "token" plotline don't make a lot of sense to me. I don't know how much of that is because of Netflix's usual so-so translation quality, or how much stems from the drama adaption vs the original work.
I feel it must be mentioned how unpleasant Yang Yang's hairstyle he wears for most of the show is ("hair up" doesn't work with his face), and how poorly the matter of double identities is handled, especially with regards to revealing them.
Why does the swarm of butterfly slaves beeline for the female lead to kill her? She's not yet revived via irresistible…
The "mastermind" we are offered is the ruthlessly killed leader of the Yilan clan remnants who had infiltrated the city. From the middle of EP 08:
Stop putting on airs in front of me. You are the young master of the Yilan Clan. You had been scheming and hiding in our city for years before planning this New Year's Eve incident. You are truly sinister and insidious.
(Then in exchange for his supposed life, he reveals the Pearl Princess™ is the source of magical unicorn blood, before being killed anyway.)
It's a bit far fetched, trying to insert Christian themes into a definitely danmei-(censored)-adaptation. I particularly…
"It was never WWX's intention to bring ruin to his foster family and clan, but that IS what happens due to WWX's actions - JC's clan, his parents, his sister - they all die because of something WWX did." In the drama, clan/parents die because the later-impotent Wen guys want to kill everyone else. It has absolutely nothing to do with WWX. Specifically, - Madam Yu incapacitating WWX with the Zidian prevents their presumably strongest warrior from fighting - JC's lack of focus on the mission lets Wang Lingjiao alert reinforcements (he instead ineffectively runs into Wen Zhuliu)
The death of the sister has many people to blame, but what do you want to blame them for, not making a battlefield safe for passersby?
The Untamed was one of my very first historical C-dramas to watch. I really enjoyed it the first watch. And I…
"Plus, these are the only historical C-dramas released (at least well-known ones) so far, like that's it?" There's like one bazillion wuxia and xianxia shows.
🗺 In episode 09, what is up with the Wan Song Bai map plot? 🗾 Wan Song Bai has a map of the Shu region.…
So "he wants the treasure for himself" is the explanation, and the only hint given for that is the word 'treasure' used in one sentence in the episode? o.O
Is the rating high mainly because of the BL between the leads?I am at Episode 11 and honestly aside from decent…
Per the reply to you above, I made it to 15 and past. But even through ep 17, nothing improved.
Story: not able to judge yet, but it's not really promising. Acting: a few actors do a good job, but most are really one-note. Production: full of silly mistakes. Fight scenes: largely laughable (1990s Power Rangers style).
There is something I really don't understand about EP 09.
🗺 In episode 09, what is up with the Wan Song Bai map plot? 🗾 Wan Song Bai has a map of the Shu region. He denies this, and refuses to hand it over, despite that this can supposedly get him, his family, and even the Cheng family killed. He fakes being drunk to seem harmless and preoccupy Ling Bu Yi. Why does he do this? I've tried really hard to understand.
His mother knows about all of this as the keeper of this map, and she makes sure Cheng Shao Shang takes this map and gives it to Ling Bu Yi. Afterwards, speaking to her son, she "thanks Ling Bu Yi on behalf of the Wan family", and then gives him a substantial beating.
Is there some additional back story to this plot arc that did not make it into this TV adaptation?
+ - Much like in The Long Ballad, you pretty much need a map of characters and relatives to follow everything.
+ + There's clearly a lot of effort put into everything from communication rituals to the words used. Fight scenes are decent and satisfactory. Villains are dispatched quickly instead of lingering for many hours.
- - Half the show happens off screen, including resolving cases, finding clues, war expeditions, and the happy end. At the same time, so much inconsequential stuff is filmed. Some of it has a Reply-like slice of life quality to it, and additionally there are subplots that either go nowhere, or are resolved very suddenly with the involved characters never seen again. Some of the villains and their motivations are very far fetched. The writer's attempts at comedy virtually never hit the mark and semi-frequently cheapen the characters in unfortunate ways.
+ - Much like in The Long Ballad, you pretty much need a map of characters and relatives to follow everything.
+ + There's clearly a lot of effort put into everything from communication rituals to the words used. Fight scenes are decent and satisfactory. Villains are dispatched quickly instead of lingering for many hours.
- - Half the show happens off screen, including resolving cases, finding clues, war expeditions, and the happy end. At the same time, so much inconsequential stuff is filmed. Some of it has a Reply-like slice of life quality to it, and additionally there are subplots that either go nowhere, or are resolved very suddenly with the involved characters never seen again. Some of the villains and their motivations are very far fetched. The writer's attempts at comedy virtually never hit the mark and semi-frequently cheapen the characters in unfortunate ways.
And in Who Rules The World, that ML operates even more of a spy network.
The Double never engages in "pointless" slice of life stuff to the degree that Love Like The Galaxy does.
(Obviously spoiler & ending content.)
And of course watch episode 40.5, even if it feels cheaply tacked on.
On further reflection, the novel's ending and the drama's ending are terribly dumb and misplaced in their own unique ways. I really don't understand.
The potential second couple(s) are squandered as well.
What starts with the promise of an interesting empire-level power conflict quickly shifts focus to palace intrigue in just one of the empire's six states, the type of endless (endlessly repetitive) squabbles in which the baddies can never be stopped for good.
(From other comments online, I've learned that this was added by the drama writers, and in the actual novel there are "only a few paragraphs" of the palace intrigue that makes up a big portion of the show.)
Since she's an excellent fighter, little Lusi doesn't always need to be rescued. Except when she needs to be rescued.
Most of the time she's just hungry, which is terribly unimaginative. (Eventually the writers forget that. Just like they regularly forget the whole 'falcon' technology.)
95% of the show, FL and especially ML are super mega smart. The only times one of the leads is in serious peril, it is because they devolve into truly moronic drama leads that make nonsensical decisions without consulting the other – otherwise the writers have no way of plausibly getting them into danger. Every time this happens (admittedly rarely), this is somewhere between disappointing and infuriating.
The villain(s) and the "token" plotline don't make a lot of sense to me. I don't know how much of that is because of Netflix's usual so-so translation quality, or how much stems from the drama adaption vs the original work.
I feel it must be mentioned how unpleasant Yang Yang's hairstyle he wears for most of the show is ("hair up" doesn't work with his face), and how poorly the matter of double identities is handled, especially with regards to revealing them.
Stop putting on airs in front of me.
You are the young master of the Yilan Clan.
You had been scheming and hiding in our city for years
before planning this New Year's Eve incident.
You are truly sinister and insidious.
(Then in exchange for his supposed life, he reveals the Pearl Princess™ is the source of magical unicorn blood, before being killed anyway.)
In the drama, clan/parents die because the later-impotent Wen guys want to kill everyone else. It has absolutely nothing to do with WWX.
Specifically,
- Madam Yu incapacitating WWX with the Zidian prevents their presumably strongest warrior from fighting
- JC's lack of focus on the mission lets Wang Lingjiao alert reinforcements (he instead ineffectively runs into Wen Zhuliu)
The death of the sister has many people to blame, but what do you want to blame them for, not making a battlefield safe for passersby?
There's like one bazillion wuxia and xianxia shows.
Edit: Ah, you mean BL.
Story: not able to judge yet, but it's not really promising.
Acting: a few actors do a good job, but most are really one-note.
Production: full of silly mistakes.
Fight scenes: largely laughable (1990s Power Rangers style).
Wan Song Bai has a map of the Shu region. He denies this, and refuses to hand it over, despite that this can supposedly get him, his family, and even the Cheng family killed. He fakes being drunk to seem harmless and preoccupy Ling Bu Yi. Why does he do this? I've tried really hard to understand.
His mother knows about all of this as the keeper of this map, and she makes sure Cheng Shao Shang takes this map and gives it to Ling Bu Yi. Afterwards, speaking to her son, she "thanks Ling Bu Yi on behalf of the Wan family", and then gives him a substantial beating.
Is there some additional back story to this plot arc that did not make it into this TV adaptation?
Much like in The Long Ballad, you pretty much need a map of characters and relatives to follow everything.
+ +
There's clearly a lot of effort put into everything from communication rituals to the words used.
Fight scenes are decent and satisfactory.
Villains are dispatched quickly instead of lingering for many hours.
- -
Half the show happens off screen, including resolving cases, finding clues, war expeditions, and the happy end.
At the same time, so much inconsequential stuff is filmed. Some of it has a Reply-like slice of life quality to it, and additionally there are subplots that either go nowhere, or are resolved very suddenly with the involved characters never seen again.
Some of the villains and their motivations are very far fetched.
The writer's attempts at comedy virtually never hit the mark and semi-frequently cheapen the characters in unfortunate ways.
Much like in The Long Ballad, you pretty much need a map of characters and relatives to follow everything.
+ +
There's clearly a lot of effort put into everything from communication rituals to the words used.
Fight scenes are decent and satisfactory.
Villains are dispatched quickly instead of lingering for many hours.
- -
Half the show happens off screen, including resolving cases, finding clues, war expeditions, and the happy end.
At the same time, so much inconsequential stuff is filmed. Some of it has a Reply-like slice of life quality to it, and additionally there are subplots that either go nowhere, or are resolved very suddenly with the involved characters never seen again.
Some of the villains and their motivations are very far fetched.
The writer's attempts at comedy virtually never hit the mark and semi-frequently cheapen the characters in unfortunate ways.