swagata

Tbh everyone is praising ollie. I have to admit that I didn't knew him before this. But the actor playing ZZ he is actually good in acting. There was one scene in ep1, where he after interview just feeling his inner actor and showing chinese theatre/ play. That was good. Because i have seen in lot of historical cdrama their voice is loud so that everyone can hear. And expressions are also loud so that everyone can see. But when ZZ did. His expressions and movements was clear yet gentle. Like u can read his expression even if he is not saying a story.

Plus those doctor and victim scenes. Those are intense. Those are talks related to expectations from mother, nightmares etc. As first role of actor it's a good way to show how wide his acting range is.

I see just one issue here. I have known that patient often in these kind of treatment gets attached to their doctor blurring ethical lines. The doctor also is expected to not show strong reaction or emotion towards their patient. Which i know these are expected things in this drama as per synopsis. It just come down to the fact how well series will handle this. Not up for morality and ethical war again. But that director he is so non chalant 😅🤣. He just care about his actions and chemistry.

That's Entertainment industry for u. As glamorous as it is in front as dark as it is behind the scenes. But i liked how ZX answered to that rich investor. And he totally didn't gave him chance to even take audition. He made sure it's only ZZ with whom he is acting.

I am not following up series in much detail. But i remember they said shooting will start in 15 days. And next thing i saw is them shooting. What I was not aware is that someone can actually try to influence and push the idea to take that person as ML opposite when shooting has already started. Generally, these things happen before finalisation and start of shooting.

So i have one doubt. So far. ZZ in suite spent time with ZX and he is habituated of him asking for rehearse scenes. So he felt jealous in ep2 because someone else has kissed ZX? Then in ep3 ZZ sees ZX as Fang chi. So, is ZZ mixing fang chi and ZX? It's like ZZ is attached to fang chi as a character because it's his first role it's understandable he can get confused about his feelings. But at this point does ZZ has any feelings for ZX? All i feel is little bit attraction and admiration from his side.

Also- I felt little bad for ZZ gf. It must be hard for her to see that someone she love is slowly drifting away. Like she can feel ZZ emotions and him being slowly getting distant towards her.

Another doubt ZX said to his gf " come fast. Otherwise I might fall in love with someone else". Is he not? Because it looked like he is aware of his feelings and his actions. Then why he said like that?

That's why coming to the conclusion. On hold. Not in correct energy to recieve this drama. Maybe some other time.

Interesting. Actually I do want to say i like novel version more. I loved CA. WSW was funnier there. U urself said the way he think was soo funny. The brick hitting. I laughed like crazy. Then his stingy nature was done soo well. That he is rich now but because of hard bg and people looking down for that adds extra layer. He was not ready to spend even one yuan or coin in other stuff. The way CC has to look at WSW for getting money to buy ice cream was soo hilarious. That's why when WSW said to CC in jail that he spent all his money to just meet him. CC hated it. He hated himself and WSW. He cried how because of him WSW stingy nature which he secretly adored was gone. It was such a emotional scene. Did I felt that in drama? No. So adaptation of even romance was bad for me to connect with RL.

Now main thing. Snake scene drama version didn't even explained how? What? Nothing. U urself said it added to "main plot" because that's where they both are trying to outwit each other and trying to get into the zone of strangers to literal lovers. How they fell in love? How Revenge arc became love arc neither drama explained nor novel. That's why I till now don't understand how they just fall in love. I mean there are scenes in novel where it is mentioned that CC eating in small restaurant and not complaining made WSW unintentionally compare to yue yue that she wouldn't do this much. The way CC bombarded WSW mother with gifts and love and respect, yue yue would never. But drama didn't told it. It just reduced emotional depth. The "main plot" itself was not plotting for me. If i have to ques when how of their relationship.

Coming to partner sharing part. The novel is toxic( i see racism, emotional manipulation even after they get into relationship the wang shuo part, CC being the toxic person who was violent and the reference where he was using brothel/ bar where people are screaming because he used to use torture as a form in sex) but drama is not. There is a difference in marketing. It changes everything for me. If toxic novel marketed as toxic I will still give author benefit of doubt to include these scenes just to throw around cruelty. But rom com marketing and including partner sharing and having comic bg which make sense but still...u can say that here comes the role of fandom to differentiate that this is rom com but still wrong. But did u find that level of maturity in 80 percent of RL audience??? No. They never even discussed these things. Rom com drama throwing serious themes and audience never pointing out is more concerning that DH being toxic novel adapted to toxic drama and marketed as toxic genre. ML never got romanticised in novel or drama. Audience for 1000th times said we don't romanticise these. Show trying to make attempt to fix the mess diff from source material. People still come and complain oh u call this love? This is tooo toxic?? I mean what are u expecting then?

This is my problem that u are reducing toxic bl to victim and perpetrator and going all around to who watched it and understand the layered characters saying that they are sick. Like we don't have moral grounds. Personal attack. Giving low rating to actors. ( RL acting was below average for me. Here ayden did well in acting) Why this hypocrisy in DH but not in RL.

I am not here questioning and comparing two dramas and their plot. I am calling out the double standards of audience who don't ques in one but ques in another the morality.

I like ur pov here. I think I need to re read the book. During my first read i was way too emotional to think like this.

One thing even I will agree and it's a downside of this drama that this drama don't really ever show how much yichen loved lufeng. Allow me to put words into this.

In the novel. Yichen's love for lufeng was explained soo beautifully. The feelings. The conflict where he went to his office after 20 years separation. He went there to have personal convo. He still loved him. He deep down wanted lufeng to have some kind of feeling. During his house capture era, he was more hurt that he has to see lufeng everyday with someone new than capture itself. He was always comparing his 40 year old body with young people which lufeng brings. During bullet shot. The sentence " i should be hating you but why I can't. What's the feeling deeper than this hate. Ah, now i realise I have always loved you" was sooo powerful in novel. It took my heart. But in series, they reduced it to just "i hate you". Which again as u said reduced intensity.
Then after bullet shot, it was yichen's comfort also to share same path, same roof nothing grand just each other's presence and their care. After yichen went back to lufeng saying no to his brother. The way novel depicted the emotions of yichen that sometimes he want to be closer to lufeng. He is also remembering those old school days. The way he is giving hints. His dilemma that he is too old for romance. But the way lufeng also controls his actions. The valentine day when he mischievously and in yearning stole a peck from his xiao chen. And then said i have to wait another year. The way yichen also wanting to give back the ring. That he also hold dear these feelings after all these hurt. The way yichen this time took step and said " i want to be with u" the realisation " i have never said sorry for wasting his youth. When I was growing old he was also. He has maintained body perfectly but one can see his face has aged due to loneliness" the way he realised was soooo emotional. The way yichen looked at lufeng that how much just how much it was hurting lufeng to let go of yichen with his brother but he can't do anything. He is dying by just even seeing and thinking. His body is collapsing. Yichen is seeing him from the car. The way yichen realised about lufeng " he is hurting. He is still in love with yichen and he is still expecting the luxury to see each other and just be together". The book explained 1000th time better. Drama did reduced emotional depth in this regard. Afterall 20 years separation and yearning but still having love is completely on diff level than 5 year gap.

But novel didn't showed that lufeng has problem. His redemption came from realisation that one more act of toxic and control and he will loose yichen forever. So he restrained it. Completely opposite of drama where he was shown as sick. Sick because he never got his inner child healed due to family bg, years of separation, fighting world for his love and even yichen whom he loved so much for literally begging to not leave him. I sympathise lufeng in drama more. Maybe because i haven't read complete novel or read second half better. But it is also because somewhere lufeng in novel didn't had strong redemption arc for his actions. But his 20 years separation made my heart wrenched.

The drama tragedy is their " happy ending" look i get the idea that leads are together= happy ending. But in drama it's not. I don't see it as happy ending. It's very bittersweet. Lufeng lost himself as a person. He lost who he was. He lost his ability to smile that brightly( actors fault for making me fall in love with his sunshine smile in ep1-2 that even today lufeng= his smile), his eyes shining so brightly. What I got in the end was lufeng who has pain in his eyes and smile. Loneliness scarred his soul. His eyes tired in shaving cream scene. He is at peace that he don't need to chase yichen anymore but the cost was high. Peace is a subset of happiness not happiness in complete. Both yichen and lufeng has to work hard in their fictional world to make good memories, have stable environment and giving assurance that no i will not go anywhere. Because bipolar disorder although mentioned " cured" in drama ( not possible irl) but there also doctor mentioned to keep giving lufeng stable environment. Stability in his life and mind and heart that someone is there for him.

But in novel ending, i genuinely felt it as happy ending. Because although they have bumpy journey. They had 20 years of separation and yearning ( can u imagine 20 years? tragic. That's why I think hate was stronger in novel). But at the end when their scene end like " if nothing let's just kiss" and the way they just got consumed in their kiss that nothing mattered. They lost more but somehow lufeng in novel for his physical and sexual abuse and the level of pain he gave to yichen by hurting his close one like his son didn't made me feel sympathised more than drama lufeng.

So long story short. My pov emotional toxicity more in drama. Toxicity as in pure toxicity in novel. More depth of emotions from yichen side in novel. More emotional depth in drama from lufeng. More sympathy for lufeng in drama. More sympathy for yichen in novel.

This was long.

About DH, what u said is exactly correct. But still I prefer drama version. For me, this whole logic of appealing made drama more toxic and unbearable. They showed lufeng very loving in ep1-2. They showed lufeng snf and yichen loyal always and no children part. No sending video to their son and getting intimate in front of son. Trust me I would have gone crazy if they showed lufeng like this and still give us happy ending. I would have straight up treated lufeng as criminal with no empathy. But drama changes made me feel sympathise about his sufferings and in black flag era the toning helped me a lot to forgive him ( except rape). Then by showing and trying to make attempt in showing that hey!! He is sick and we don't romanticise this. They added extra layer of emotional torture. How can u not feel bad about bipolar disorder and not want a person dealing with it to have happy ending( not cancelling but understanding actions). This is exactly why I felt more toxicity here. As an audience I genuinely felt more trapped here. I felt intensity of toxicity because of emotional attachment and love here more than in novel. Because novel lufeng was easy to hate. So when yichen chose lufeng it's his choice. But in drama it's diff. Hurt was there, love was also there. They didn't adapted lot of black flag era actions from novel which made me think "two broken person in love who now one of them has turned into a monster".

Sometimes when u try to appeal masses u make story more toxic not in the way of toxicity as actions. But toxicity in sense of feeling trapped between emotions. Between love and hurt. Between not able to let go because of love but have to let go because of hurt. Having feelings but not able to be together. But staying is also a lot of work. Soo emotional toxicity is here more. That's why for me toning down didn't made intensity less but more here.

Thanks for clarification. See this is why sometimes I love MDL. Diff pov.

Now to ur comment. RL author toned down ok. But u can't deny the fact that RL did showed partner sharing Convo in comic sense and they actually never addressed it. It's not about toning down. More about filtration of pointing out the audience "are we promoting/ romanticising partner sharing?". Because if u see DH comments it's filled with people who loved it= romanticisation of rape. Plus RL was supposed to be toxic which its not all credit goes to u for clarification why? ( I genuinely didn't knew this) But fandom treat RL as rom com u throw partner sharing topic and not deal with it is more concerning. But i get it counterattack was written long back and even changing that would have impacted the story to the point that it would be completely different from source material.
Also, I want to say i am not comparing RL and DH. I was taking RL as example and pointing out the filtration of issues in one but not in another.

Hmm. That's actually understandable. Tbh i totally get ur point. With soo many dramas airing right now with most of them dealing with dark and serious themes. This one is not heavy lifting. Just watch like a comfort place to breathe. But overall this drama is nothing new.

Agreed. Even i thought this. Even ABO desire was set up in diff world. When u set a diff world u need to tell audience what is real ,diff and what is normal. World building basically. But point here is not realism. I am expecting a good plot. A good acting here. I don't want to reduce it to fan service. Because honestly synopsis looks good. It has to be a very conflicted story. It should portray the characters feelings well. The dilemma and how the gaps between their real life and reel life blurs. I admit i have watched only ep1 so i am still too early to comment on actor's capability but other aspects of drama clearly is not helping me here. The direction and storytelling looks on light hearted level kind of unserious. Which again I don't have a problem just deal with characters dilemma part well.
And I agree the problem here is me. Maybe i am not in the zone or mindset to recieve the drama openly with how it is as it is.

I thought fanfiction coming from china should be of high quality. There are lot of examples. I don't mind lack of good plot. But if the only thing this drama is going to give me is fan service then no. I need a plot. Even if it's cringe I need it. That's why I will wait till ep 3-4.

Don't start with this drama please for CBl To my shore is a masterpiece. This drama can never even come close to To my Shore in any aspect.

Ep 1, Once upon a time in magic City a boy who never did any acting roles in any drama( not even playing dead) he get to the audition( where I can only see him and no one else but lot of people came for audition as per him) and he got selected. Based on what??? (Kiss scene because who cares about whether a person with no prior acting experience can actually act or deal with emotional scenes or tension? Because the only thing that matters is their chemistry and their tension with motion). Mind u no workshops, no time to connect straight intimate scenes in 10 min prep and that too our ML never let zhang zhun prepare. Because who cares? Logic? What's that? Who cares about whether an actor can potray his emotions just put 10 layers of makeup and take the shots closely so that people will be like " oh wow sooo handsome". This drama speaks nothing but strong fan service. Ep 1 was a strong disappointment. Will give chance till ep3 if they show no character or emotional depth then sorry this drama is not my cup of tea. Rant over.

That explains. But as long as I enjoy toxic dramas but I don't understand why these dramas almost never cover the harm they did to other people? Why it's always when they see their loved one being broken only then they realise and then happy ending. Why no drama ever covers the redemption arc of all the people they have hurted before their love? The girl must have some kind of deal with him but she dies. Can someone's life has no value even when they made deal? I hope they cover how their actions and stupid deals have impacted the person and the people close to them.

I kinda smelled it. But black flag? That I didn't knew. One thing confuse me why big jane want to trap little jane? He never asked or offender big jane.

The whole point is that actors already gave hint in the first ep. While little Jane was having his first puppy love. Big jane's all act of service and his smile looks like a trap so that little jane fall head over heels for him. His smile doesn't speak love or crush to me. More like a predator. Like a pitcher plant.

But u know what he does seem to be the person who will cage little jane after he make him fall in his trap. He is going to be very very very big red flag. I can sense it.

But will he be like Lufeng? Or worst than him? Because i am still healing from lufeng. Need to know what i am commiting myself to so that I can book therapy in advance.

1st ep was sooo good. Their chemistry didn't disappoint me. This is the first time I am so well aware of the characters stand wrt each other and saw in their relationship as well.

The way little jane was shown always prioritising others happiness. He seems so pure of heart. He just got attached, attracted towards big jane in no time when he made little efforts to please him. Just showing smile and be there and noticing his small actions was enough for him. The way he felt special and valuable was so just pure from little Jane side.

Big jane. He is the main person here. He is the complex and red flag. He is hard to read but easy to read also. I just don't understand what major happened for him to decide to make little jane as his prey? He is clearly attracted towards him. He thinks little jane is unique and just soo good from heart. His special means he is diff from his other prey. His smile looks just a smile without any warmth. Like he is trying to set traps for Jane to fall for him and make him the most trusted person so that he can ask something from big jane and big jane being red flag can trap him using this..big jane is going to be the most obsessive person I can foresee that. This kind of person make people fall for him by using their vulnerabilities (when in reality they are also falling for them) just to cage them. His behaviour kinda reminds me of the ML from dark romance( straight cdrama where he was PUA).

But the ost is bang on. They poured everything correct in this drama. Just hoping everything goes smoothly till the end. The wait was worth it.

Not watching didn't helped me much.

🫠

Talk about problems. I didn't watched and reward was "exam didnt launched" due to technical issues. Now need to give explanations to my leadership. What a life!!! Lol

In dilemma should I start today or tomorrow. I want to watch today. But I have exams tomorrow 🥲