song

oh dang she's born in 2009 what the hell 😭 and i thought ai mi was so young already

y'all... i dropped this drama long ago but i heard that the ending is not good? so don't you guys think the cover photo on MDL here should be changed? it's very pretty but it's also a major spoiler!!

I completely understand where you’re coming from. I’m just stating my honest opinion, that I prefer a bit more realism than what we’ve been shown so far.

Since the story starts off with Duanwu's harsh experience at the pearl farm, I don't think making her look like a "plain Jane" during that time is a bad thing. In fact, it would actually make us more compelled to root for and empathize with her. We the audience would feel proud seeing her transformation from a plain Jane to a beautiful princess-like character, you know?

You pointed out that the main character should have something special to distinguish themselves from other characters. I don’t completely disagree, but if they look drastically different, it can be distracting and make the audience focus more on their appearance rather than their personality and skills, which hopefully isn’t what the writers want… They’d want us to root for Duanwu because of her beautiful heart and growth, not (just) because she’s physically beautiful.

But let's just say we go along with what you said. In that case, they could've at least done it more subtly. Like for example, instead of giving her a different outfit or hairstyle from the other pearl hostesses, they could give her just one unique accessory that draws the audience’s attention but still enough for her to blend into her environment. Then, they could use lighting and camera techniques to highlight her during moments where she’s like dancing or talking, to further ensure she stands out from the rest.

Oh there is? No wonder why that lady treated her just a bit better than the others, giving her medicine and not rejecting her request to let her friend Lala join as well. I guess I'll find out once I get to ep 2!

Very true! Tbh I was first only interested in this cuz of the beautiful aesthetics lol (it's what I loved most about MJTY) so I didn't really have any expectations. If I like it then I like it, if I don't then I don't. I didn't expect to get pulled in right from the first episode and love the drama as much as I do now, not just the story but also many of the characters.

Yes! The soundtrack is just stunning, so majestic and nostalgic at the same time. It's no wonder the drama constantly plays music even for a short moment. They knew the songs were too good to go to waste 🤣 I'm most obsessed with Yan An (Li Lun)'s song at the moment

In the winter too 😭 I'm glad they decided to go the realistic route, but I also know it's not easy to act and film underwater. Props to ZLS and the team.

The water was so cold but she didn't seem bothered at all. I love how she wanted to make it look like Duanwu was free in the water. She succeeded cuz that was my first impression when I saw the ep. She looked like a mermaid, one with the water. Truly a great actress!

Just finished ep 1. It's a pretty nice drama so far. I was rooting for Duanwu's safety the entire time! So glad she was able to make it out of that awful place. But I have one major complaint....

I really wish the stylists weren’t so focused on making Duanwu stand out. We all already know she’s the main character, they don’t have to constantly shove it in our faces, especially given her backstory.

At the pearl farm, it drove me nuts seeing her hair down while everyone else had theirs tied up and looked like they’d been through hell. Then when she became a pearl hostess, everyone had their hair up but only Duanwu had side bangs. They wore sashes over their shoulders but Duanwu didn’t. And her top? Cropped and had different designs from everyone else’s. Unless I missed a scene where the higher-up characters decided to give Duanwu special treatment out of all the pearl hostesses, it’s painfully obvious they just wanted her to stand out as the lead.

Why is this such a big deal? Because we’re supposed to root for Duanwu and empathize with her after seeing her suffer at the pearl farm, but how are we supposed to do that when she looks like she had it well since the beginning? It doesn’t feel genuine at all. Thankfully Zhao Lusi’s acting saved the day. She made Duanwu’s struggles feel real, even if her styling didn't. And yes I know this is an idol drama so things like this are expected but still 😐 I'm still looking forward to the next episodes though, I just had to let that out.

Anyway, sorry if this sounds like a dumb question LOL can someone inform me if they really filmed those water scenes underwater? Sometimes they look real but other times it looks like CGI or possibly some other filming technique to make it look real. If they truly were filmed underwater then I must applaud the team! It must've been a struggle to act and film underwater that many times.

GJM = Guo Jingming / Edward Guo. He's one of the directors for this drama, and a lot of his works lean toward melancholic or tragic themes. Have you've seen My Journey to You? If so then you'll know it wasn’t a very bright drama. GJM is the screenwriter and director in there too.

the chances are pretty low since we saw what happened to a similar character (Fei 🥺) and this is a GJM drama after all, but i do hope ZYZ gets a good ending. he doesn't deserve to suffer for something he couldn't control 💔

YES thank you for saying that! It's one of the reasons why I love this drama. It's so much more interesting and meaningful when the story is about morally gray characters wrestling with tough choices, instead of a basic good vs evil plot.

fangs of fortune, come back sooner. it's only been 2 days and i already miss youu

lmao 🤣 don't worry, I'm in the same boat as you LOL. Anyway, two sites I recommend are kisskh.co and watchasia.to (basically dramacool but has more dramas than the regular dramacool site).

I prefer watching on kisskh because their videos are high quality compared to other sites, but the subtitles have issues sometimes (ex: lyrics overlap with the translation). That's when watchasia/dramacool comes in clutch because their subtitles are already embedded onto the video before being published on the site.

wow, your comment is so beautifully poetic i love it. i enjoy strong and complex leads so i will give this a try. thanks for your opinion!

thank you! yes i was surprised to see a pretty cheap trailer since i heard this was an S+ or at least a highly anticipated/ranked drama? i will give it a try

If you are asking whether there is a romantic relationship between the leads, then yes there is between Zhao Yuan Zhou and Wen Xiao. They are still developing their feelings for each other stage as of right now but their interactions are full of romantic tension and they low-key flirt with each other lol. Also, some of the side characters have their own romantic story lines too.

I will say that this drama is more about love and hatred in general though, at least in my opinion. It not only portrays romantic love but also platonic love like familial relationships and friendships. Just something to keep in mind in case you prefer pure romance-centered dramas.

The way that mountain god Ying Zhou died was just wow. Something about seeing his soul leave his physical body was so tragically beautiful, not to mention that beautiful music. I loved that scene ☹️❤️

thanks! i'll do as what you suggested and see if the first two eps are to my liking

how is this drama so far? the trailer and some clips didn't really captivate me but i'm still considering watching just for ZLS and LYN. any honest opinions are welcome