sulkytofu

I just read your comments! They were SUPER helpful, and I think it's helped me a lot to manage my expectations when getting into this one. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it, and I have a feeling that if I go in with no/low expectations, I may really like this one!

And thank you for reading my reviews ^^ I'm glad to have read yours for this drama, and have put it on my watchlist for when it's subbed!

I watch A LOT of cdramas instead of kdramas, because they are a lot lighter, but the tradeoff is that sometimes the fluffier romantic ones can also be less introspective. For good youth campus dramas with a "friends to lovers" relationship, I'd probably recommend The Best of You In My Mind (2020), Skate Into Love (2018), or Le Coup the Foudre (2020).

For a doting and nice ML, the historical drama The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020), and the modern-day drama Intense Love (2020) both have quite popular followings. I couldn't finish these because I didn't like the ML that much, but for a kinder male lead who is very wholesome and unproblematic, these would probably suit your tastes.

The one drama which is a lot older and a bit more melodrama is definitely Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy (2010) starring Han Hyojoo and Lee Seung Gi. Both the ML and FL work together as enemies to lovers, and start from the being at the bottom, to working hard and achieving their goals.

Something I think that really works about this drama is that it has a nice ML, except my issue is that sometimes this can be boring, especially when we see the ML continuously (and unrealistically) dote on the FL as if he is a perfect person. In this drama, this isn't the case, which is what I really appreciate. Honestly I really love how both the ML & FL call each other out when they think the other is doing something wrong, support each other during times of hardship, and empathize with each other's struggles.

"I don't want you to misunderstand," "I know that you don't want to take the easy route," and "I know that's not what you would do." While this drama is hilarious and has so much comedy, there are also so many of these scenes where you just see how wholesome the relationship is between Gong Myung and Se Ra. Both are on each other's side, but also are willing to challenge each other for the sake of their shared values and beliefs. Most importantly, issues don't get dragged. Both of them confront their feelings and their problems head on, and straightforwardly communicate with each other.

I therefore think one of my all time favourite lines in this show is when Se Ra says (paraphrased) "you protect/keep my heart in check, and I'll protect/keep your heart in check as well." Both Gong Myung and Se Ra look after each other's hearts, but also work together to make sure both are doing their best to stick to their own morals, even when it has consequences on themselves. I just love how naturally the relationship between them develops, and I think the romantic progression is excellently done in this drama. This has definitely been one of my favourite and most refreshing watches this year, and I'm going to be so sad as we near the last couple of episodes because they have slowly become one of my favourite drama couples.

Sounds good to me, I think this is great advice especially when it comes to picking up a drama. Agree that as all eps will be out, I'm really excited to be able to binge this one. Thanks so much for your comments!

Sounds good! It happens to a lot of dramas, and I think this will help me a lot to know what to expect and to lower my expectations a little bit. Thanks for your great comments, and can't wait to start watching!

I was really, really looking forward to this because of Yan Xi, but now am a little wary because of some of the comments here. Will hold off for now until I can binge-watch this one (especially as I'm waiting on other dramas to update), and am really hoping it goes up on IQiyi soon!

I've heard that while Song Weilong and Seven Tan have a love line, the line between Seven Tan and Steven Zhang is purely platonic and that of siblings. Hopefully Steven has his own separate loveline in this drama (that would make it much more fresh, and I honestly don't think I could handle having these three in a love triangle.) I have high hopes as the scriptwriters also did Find Yourself, which did a lot of refreshing things with its script.

The only reason I can't re-watch Sungkyunkwan Scandal is because of Yoochun's own personal scandals, and while this is my own preference I generally can't watch dramas where actors have faced serious allegations. This is not the same for everyone, and I can completely understand from that point, but it's also the reason why I was pretty excited when In a Class of Her Own came out.

On the other hand, I really have to agree that something about the original kdrama felt a lot more intense and difficult to drop, and the pacing was incredibly well done. I remember constantly being worried that the FL would get exposed, not knowing where the script was going to go, and always looking forward to the next episode.

With In a Class of Her Own, however, while I like the more modern milieu and the production sets a lot more, I find myself sometimes being rather bored, and the chemistry between the main cast to be lacking compared to the kdrama (even if it's still quite good). There are some changes, especially in the romantic undertones of how Le Xuan and Lei Ao treat the FL, that I didn't like as much since the original never really had these connotations. While I'm still enjoying the ride and I think it's still a solid watch, I've also commented a couple times on Song Weilong as an ML as well. I have to agree that Sungkyunkwan Scandal is for me the better story, but I think this is a fun and well-produced adaptation too that is still worth a watch.

I've been a bit scared to look through the comments section because of unmarked spoilers, but I'm wondering what are some expectations one should have when going into this drama? Any pros/cons at the moment? I've heard so many good things so far, and want to adjust my mindset so that I don't over-expect! (Been really loving how lively the comments are though, and it's definitely one of the reasons I'm thinking of picking this one up!)

Oh my god, this drama is so well-written and hilarious, and Nana and Park Sunghoon do an amazing job at bringing the FL and the ML to life!

For one, there's so many scenes where the comedy isn't from the dialogue, but rather the little actions and personality traits of our main characters. I've laughed so much, from when Sera tries to give Gongmyung an orange and he slaps it out of her hand, to when the camera zooms into Sera's mother's clothing which is a campaign outfit for her opponent. There are so many hilarious scenes like this that I could list on and on, but the important thing is that these are such naturally acted scenes that almost verge on slapstick humour, yet they are also just so well integrated. These instances all only take up a couple seconds of each episode, but the balance between this comedy element and the introspective/more serious aspects of the script is really well done.

Also, the chemistry is really cute! I love how the FL & ML subvert a lot of common drama tropes (i.e. ML is cold and distant but is cowardly in front of the FL), while also adhering to others (i.e. childhood romance) at the same time. It's really fresh and the pacing right now is perfect, and I really love how wholesome the relationship between the two main leads are. For sure I've been really surprised by just how great the drama is so far, and I really didn't expect this at all going into this!

The character posters and released stills for this drama are absolutely gorgeous. Huang Shengchi's costuming is dark and beautiful, while Zheng He Huzi looks so pretty. Can't wait for this to air!

From the current summary, it oddly enough sounds like the emperor Xu Kai Cheng is the ML, even though I'm pretty sure William Chan will be the ML for this one? Reminds me a lot of how in the first Novoland drama, it was often difficult to tell who exactly was the ML until the later stretch of the show. Will be interesting to see how the romance develops, and I'm really excited for this one based on casting alone!

It's out it's out! This was my most anticipated cdrama of this year, especially as I've been waiting for another xianxia to come out! I'm not going to lie, but seeing the episode length (especially after coming from a bunch of much shorter historical romcoms) is a little daunting. But so far the posters and trailers look amazing, and I can't wait to start!

Oh no ⁠— I really love Lei Ao, and I am definitely getting really bad second lead syndrome! Personally my biggest issue with the drama that I'm not really feeling the chemistry between Feng Cheng Jun and Wen Xi. It often feels like the drama is "forcing" this as the main couple, when I really do think they have a more brotherly chemistry together.

Surprisingly, I think both Lei Ao and Le Xuan have MUCH more sparks with Wen Xi, which I don't recall feeling at all in the Korean version. I think part of this is because in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, the respective characters (Goo Yong Ha and Moon Jae Shin) kind of had the implications of a BL love line together, and I also feel as if the ML & FL in the Korean version had really strong chemistry. In this version, I think it was made a lot more obvious how Lei Ao and Le Xuan both have potentially romantic feelings for Wen Xi. In any case, my heart is currently aching knowing how much I love Lei Ao, yet also seeing how obviously the drama is focusing on the Wen Xi and Feng Cheng Jun CP.

I'm also finding that a lot of the plot is being driven by Lei Ao and Le Xuan, even though I know this will connect more to the broader overarching story in the latter stretch of the drama. But I do still find Song Weilong's character to be quite stale so far as a ML, and it's hard for me to really like him or find him interesting since he doesn't really go through as much personal or character development. Maybe this will change as we near the final weeks of the drama, but so far I've found myself skipping all the Wei Xi and Feng Cheng Jun scenes.

It's hard. It's complicated because many producers of BL series are also fans of the IPs themselves, and it's always a balance between censorship restrictions (which are never fixed and instead always changing) and the series' marketability towards fans and a broader audience. Sa Ye is also very renowned amongst BL circles for featuring a couple that subverts the gong/shou dynamics as well, and its broader commentary on notions of family (especially your "chosen" family). That it was one of the titles slated for adaptation was a huge surprise to me, but considering the rise in BL drama adaptations I feel as if this is also part of a broader trend to tap into BL as a consumer market.

I think your comments too also echo my conflicting feelings. I'm happy that the series is being adapted, and ironically in a way censorship sometimes can in fact bolster/re-affirm queer representation (i.e. similar to how in real life people are restricted from expressing their identity in public), especially when a BL relationship must use alternate ways of expressing homosexual love (i.e. through expressions, actor's performances, etc.) that are not always explicit. But I agree that for sure censorship will impact the adherence to the source text, and we won't know what that will turn out to look like until the drama is released.

Just started watching! In terms of first impressions, I do agree with some of the early criticisms of Song Weilong's role, especially as I think it's quite difficult for Feng Chengjun's personality to stand out. This is particularly the case when Bi Wenjun's portrayal of the manipulative and opaque Le Xuan always keeps you guessing, while Richards Wang does a great job at showing Lei Ao's unconventional way of challenging existing social norms. Both side characters have quite meaty backstories and complex personalities, and sometimes it can make Feng Chengjun feel a little bland compared to the others.

One thing that I do appreciate, however, is that Feng Chengjun is in fact quite nice and "doting," which I liked a lot more compared to the more abrasive ML in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I also really should be hating Han Zhi Sheng a lot more, but Chen Yilong is so good looking and handsome that at this point all of his scenes to me are just additional eye candy.

Surprisingly, I think Ju Jingyi's acting has actually improved quite a lot and I find her performance to be a lot more natural in this drama. I actually find Song Weilong, while absolutely beautiful to look at, probably one of the weaker acting links in this one (whether that's because of his performance or the role itself will be a question to see for the later episodes). While there are some areas that I think the drama is a little weaker in, considering how I initially put off the show because of my wariness at the main actors, I've been pleasantly surprised with the series so far!

Honestly, it's pretty devastating. I have no idea why since affirming disabled characters (especially in Chinese webnovels) are already rare enough, but having well-developed and dynamic ones are even harder to find. It's really a shame since this was what I loved so much about the novel in the first place.

Wow, I'm going to be really honest here but Lin Yushen actually looks REALLY great in the drama. I was pretty wary of the age difference at first and almost passed this one because of the age gap alone. But he and Zhao Lusi have quite solid chemistry together from the first teaser, and I love how the drama really builds off of Zhao Lusi's brand of comedic wackiness. So far I've been really impressed with the first trailer so far, and I'm actually really excited for this one!

There's a Goodbye My Princess special which features Chen Xingxu and Peng Xiaoran in a cute modern day setting together that's around 4 episodes long. It's available on Youtube (I honestly think it's the closest that we'll ever get to see them together in another drama setting together!)

Yep! If it's any help, all the "secret identity" stuff doesn't get revealed until much later on. I can see that this may be a point of frustration, but they basically both are completely oblivious of each other's real identities until the mid-stretch and the last sections of the drama.

And I totally agree. This is a drama that basically has almost 0 plot. Enjoy the ride for all the bickering and cute fluff, but I definitely think that lowering your expectations and knowing that this is going to be completely unrealistic and illogical will be important. Have fun watching!