purplenight

tbh at first I wasn't feeling the comedy so much. i thought there were more cringe moments and very few jokes hitting, and the novelty of early 2000s nostalgia was wearing off. but at the last stretch, that climax had me crying tears of laughter! it pulled up my rating by like 2 points, it was too hilarious. fun performances all around and catchy songs too.

Exactly! Glad I found someone who understands. I don't really like skipping scenes especially with this drama because I could barely follow the political context lol! Tbf the pacing was ok to me. But yeah I just wanted to finish it to see how the characters ended up, not because I was invested but just out of curiosity. And by the end I thought that the visuals, cinematography, etc. wasn't enough to cover the weak storytelling

can i just say, bihira ako makakita ng tagalog comments dito sa mdl😂benta yung dramarama btw😅

So I do get the hype and how the rating is so high. The cinematography is stunning, the acting is great all around, the fight scenes were shot well, the costumes and visuals were gorgeous and the chemistry between the leads (and the rest of the cast) is strong. But still overall, it didn't meet my expectations given its hype and high rating. Main issues were: the story telling was lacking particularly the political aspect, some of the plot was repetitive (particularly the lin-an arc so I didn't like the first half as much as everyone else), the character choices were frustrating at times and some of the romantic and intimate scenes were off to me. The romance is supposed to be one of the main draws of this drama and I really wanted to get invested in them but sadly I became disinterested in them by the end.

So my rating will be below the 9.1 rating here. I expected it to be better than it was. But I'm also glad to see POJ brought a lot of new viewers to cdramaland and to cdrama costume genre.

Can't believe how they translated that otter stew scene in the live action, so wild and unhinged lol. So glad they put this one on netflix too! now I need the continuation of this movie like yesterday!

Forgot the exact words and which part, but there was one scene where she defends him by saying that he never hurt or harmed her. I was like, no girl, I distinctly remember that scene where he choked her, strong enough to hurt her. For me it was frustrating to watch Manman herself (like maybe some viewers too) glossing over some of his jerk behavior (especially at the start of the drama).

It was a good ending but one thing bothered me. They showed how everyone grieved for Wei Liang but not Da Qiao? I mean they did have a montage of Bi Zhi and Da Qiao but I didn't see how it affected Manman and her family. It was doubly sad, she didn't deserve that ending

Finished this last weekend and I see why its rated high and also the hype. The storytelling and pacing was really well done, the acting was great, and the character development was there. I thought they did well with the political part, it wasn't confusing like in other dramas (ahem PoJ). However, I couldn't get invested in the romance. I just didn't like their dynamic and their chemistry was so-so. What I didn't like specifically was I felt that the FL glazed over the ML too much, like she kept defending him every two scenes, which I didn't think he deserved (and I didn't find him likable). Although they did try to show how she was this smart, and strong character, it felt like the FL made the ML her whole personality. Another thing I disliked were the multiple deaths and how some of it was handled. So it was a good historical drama and it met a lot of the high expectations, but not all, especially the romance part, it just didn't work for me.

I don't get it, how is it downright disrespectful to compare this with LITC? I mean it’s just another drama geez (albeit from a different genre). And btw, they also used the miscommunication (or lack of communication) trope in POJ

right! i had a similar reaction. the elements were there: the build-up of their relationship and the growing chemistry between them. but then the circumstances of those intimate scenes felt off, even forced. so i couldn't completely buy into the romance...it's kinda disappointing tbh

ngl i didn't like it better that he was drugged. she still kept pushing him off until she relented. it made me somewhat uncomfortable (and it just wasn't this scene, there were others)

Already spoiled myself but the last episode was still confusing😭but i'll just chalk up all of the messy bits to the plot twist that its supposed to be a dream sequence. Especially when that side character's death wasn't even acknowledged properly. But I'll accept this open ending more rather than a sad one

I've heard of both live actions but didn't know they were connected at all. Interesting! But I prefer watching live actions than the animated versions, even if they're the original😅 But thanks for the recos! I'll consider it if I want to watch something different from my usual. Btw, is the Lookism LA also a korean adaptation?

Oh ok wow thanks for outlining it clearly for me! If they do a season 2, it looks like it would be completely original with new storylines and characters. They'd have to have the go-signal from the writer. Which sounds unlikely since it would be too different from the original webtoon. I would've wanted to see more of the main leads' story as a continuation though!

Happy birthday! It's been ages since he was active, I miss seeing him on screen!

Tbh I don't mind spoilers because I'm not going to watch the webtoon but I might not really get the details even if you give the spoilers. But thank you for taking time to explain! It's clearer to me now how the drama differs from the webtoon. I really felt the 6 episodes were too short and that it was intentional. If there's a season 2 maybe they'll completely have an original story lol or maybe there won't be another season. I guess we'll see

I feel like they set up the drama to have a 2nd season. Does the webtoon have enough material to have a season 2 with like 6 episodes? Or did the webtoon and the live action have the same final fight?

The people is me, I liked this more than Lovely Runner, which I dropped at ep 10. As someone who also loves happy endings, I didn’t care if LR had a happy ending, it was unbearably cringe-y to me so I couldn’t finish it. But yeah, the ending for this one was open-ended and not for people looking for a happy conclusion. I dont know if it will somehow improve your opinion of this drama but the movie version of this ends with a continuation of the umbrella scene. It was probably less than a minute scene but I felt it made up for all the angst from the drama.

What a beautifully written and eloquently said review! Even after watching it 3 times already, you pointed out many details that I hadn't noticed before. Ngl its a long review but it's a thought piece I'm glad I read since it brought me back to when I watched it and now I'm feeling all the feels again!

This was one of those shows that I didn't have much expectations going in but it surprised me by how good it was! I have to say Ouji Suzuka absolutely killed it, so charming and endearing as Soma! And Honoka Matsumoto as Kanoko was the perfect, capable and sensible partner, they complemented each other so well. As everyone is commenting here, it is a rare, hidden gem, which I hope more people can discover! Such a unique, mystery plot in a period setting and the duo's chemistry (wishing there was romance but not necessary) was chef's kiss! Give us a season 2 please🤞🏻