Reviews

usually when there is a 1 sided love &…

usually when there is a 1 sided love & the one in-love just ghosts his friend, cause they haven't realized this fact or cause they haven't developed similar feeling's... i get really annoyed & justifiably so - cause the unaware friend loves their friend in a platonic way & didn't chose to ignore their friends feelings, they for sure weren't trying to deluded them & tricked them into falling for them - they an innocent if oblivious bystander. so losing their friend, isn't fair or right. BUT in this case i am all for Minato cutting Wataru out of his life, like come on - this dude is really pissing me off. *********************************************i get that he is scared & that's why he keeps pushing Minato away, but u can't tell someone "i love u but..." u for sure can't decide for them what is better & Minato has the patience of a saint - he is just waiting Wataru out. ******************************which i get given the fact he himself said that he tired putting distance between them, with the hopes his feelings would die down - they only got stronger. so maybe for him this is him doing his best & trying. so can't get mad at him for giving it a shot. but Wataru's behavior is really annoying & i keep wishing Minato would just walk away without a backward glance - cause sorry, but Wataru doesn't deserves Minato even as a friend.

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YuCi’s three amigos

Even in YuCi’s dreams LiangLiang stays true to herself. This episode shows the three mentors that helped YuCi when in hospital first time. This made for good storytelling about how she learned the techniques that serve her so well, but it really is a stretch in the believability of the story. As doped up as inmates are kept, how did they keep their wits enough to draw her in with math? And they just happened to be the very type of people she would need to give her the hope and skills needed to combat LiangLiang and work her way out. This was too convenient but still better to have a reason behind her abilities rather than she just innately had them with no training or assist. YuCi’s mother’s trust in LiangLiang is so heartbreaking. She still sees them as the two little girls that are absolutely best friends. This rings true and how LiangLiang intercepted the call that would have eased the mom’s heart. She had no worries about YuCi contacting her dad. His contempt for her was already established and he fell right into place denying any assist other than whatever LiangLiang planned for her. The last thing that rings very true is how easily she took MuRan’s place and has poisoned the gma towards YuCi. This is a much bigger enemy to contend with. LiangLiang is very like a cat with nine lives and always landing on her feet. She has always kept the determination to make her own fate by changing the fate of others. Too bad their changes are always for the worse and she always benefits. I think she tends to consider this negative impact on others as a fringe benefit of her success.

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Reminder That Xie Zheng Is Only Soft for Chang Yu

Episode 32 of Pursuit of Jade really said “hope you like emotional whiplash” because tell me why my tiny ship for Li Huai An and Chang Yu almost set sail again, only for him to immediately dock it by declaring they are just sworn siblings. I get that it was a quick fix to silence the army’s gossip, but the way Chang Yu just went along with it while Li Huai An looked lowkey conflicted had me side eyeing him like… sir, regret is knocking already? Meanwhile, Xie Zheng reminded everyone that the so called “green flag Marquis” label only applies in very specific lighting, because the moment that eunuch showed up with the emperor’s decree about his betrothal to Qi Shu, he went full menace mode and sliced off the guy’s ear without blinking. I had chills. Marquis Wu’an is not here to play nice, and honestly it explains so much about his reputation because we usually see him soft around Chang Yu and Yin Gong Sun, but outside that bubble, he is terrifyingly efficient. I was also clowning myself again thinking we would finally get a proper action scene when Sui Yuan Qing confronted Xie Zheng, but nope, the action drought continues and my Zhang Ling He warrior dreams remain in the drafts. What we did get instead was pure angst cinema when Xie Zheng and Chang Yu crossed paths at the crime scene, her keeping him at arm’s length with the formal “Marquis Wu’an” while he looked like his heart just got nerfed, and that failed attempt to stop her from leaving… chef’s kiss, I ate that pain right up. But then the drama said balance is key and served us one of the softest moments right after, with the reveal that Xie Zheng already knew about her being Wei Qilin’s daughter and had quietly investigated everything himself. No anger, no betrayal, just understanding and trust, and that hug? Instant emotional healing, my crops are watered, my skin is clear. The tension that had been looming between them just vanished like it paid its debts and left, and the scene itself was beautifully shot too, like a visual sigh of relief. On the other side of the chaos, Sui Yuan Qing continues to be the king of bad decisions and even worse takes. He is basically a walking tantrum who gets played by everyone, and the hypocrisy is almost comedic at this point because him going “he’s no hero, how could he kill a woman” about Xie Zheng had me laughing out loud… my guy, did you not go on your own rampage in Lin’an? Please be serious. And then Li Huai An siding with Qi Min caught me off guard too, because even if he thinks it is for justice, it feels like he is stepping onto a very slippery slope. Ever since General He’s death and his fallout with Chang Yu, his vibe has been off, like a ticking time bomb wrapped in good intentions. Overall, this episode was a rollercoaster of angst, softness, and questionable choices, and I am both nervous and excited to see who is about to spiral next.

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Elephant in the Room, Tears in the Heart

Episode 31 really said “stress first, laughs later” because the opening had me sitting there like I just drank three cups of coffee with no warning. Watching Chang Yu pay respects to General He and General Xie with that mix of guilt and confusion was already heavy, then you add in all the generals subtly pointing fingers at Wei Qilin while Xie Zheng stands there, and boom, anxiety level max. There is such a huge elephant in the room it might as well have its own screen credit, because we know Wei Qilin is Chang Yu’s father and he was wronged, but no one else does, and Chang Yu is just stuck in the middle of this emotional chess game. The tension spills right into her relationship with Xie Zheng when she starts calling him Marquis Wu’an again, creating that painful distance, and that divider scene with their silhouettes was beautifully frustrating in the best way possible, like romance but make it emotional damage, so yes Zeng Qing Jie, I see your vision. Then the drama suddenly does a sharp turn when the Pig Butcher Squad barges in to celebrate her killing Lord Changxin, and I cannot lie, the shift felt abrupt, especially when Man Di’s death barely gets acknowledged beyond the battlefield scene. It almost feels like he got quietly written into the void, which is such a pity because that loss deserved more weight. At least we get some closure with Li Huai An apologizing for lashing out, even if the delivery felt a bit extra dramatic to my modern brain, but hey, reconciliation achieved. The Emperor’s decree scene then comes in like a full comedy skit, with Xie Wu literally dragging Chang Yu away from cooking, her confusion about kneeling etiquette, and her randomly running off to check on her stew mid-decree had me laughing out loud. Everyone’s reactions were pure gold, and moments like this remind me why the drama’s humor hits so well. The dynamic between Li Huai An and Qi Shu also adds a soft, wholesome layer, because even though they are betrothed, they both know where their hearts truly lie and still support each other like professional wingmen, especially with Qi Shu trying to spark some jealousy in Yin Gong Sun while Li Huai An plays along like a seasoned actor. On the visual side, the scene of Li Huai An teaching military rules to Chang Yu and the Pig Butcher Squad was surprisingly cinematic, with smooth transitions and polished shots that made strategy talk feel almost aesthetic. And just when you think the episode is done, it ends on peak comedy again with every tutor, including Li Huai An, completely failing to teach Chang Yu strategy and practically falling sick from frustration, which honestly made me laugh way more than expected. So yes, this episode is a chaotic blend of anxiety, unresolved grief, political tension, and top tier comedy, and somehow it still works like a hotpot of emotions that should not mix but tastes oddly satisfying.

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Reminder to myself as a woman

In this episode, her grandson told Oshin he wished to marry someone like his grandmother. I think the screenwriter meant to praise her as a wife material, because Oshin was kind of a perfect woman who was both perfect at cooking, doing chores and working to support her husband while never complaining about her husband, but always being understanding and soft towards him instead. If they wanted to encourage women to be more like Oshin, I would never accept that encouragement. I’d rather be not good at anything and watching my dramas forever instead of getting married. My mother is kind of like Oshin, except for the understanding and encouraging attitude towards her husband. She is hot-tempered and considered ‘not feminine enough’. My father always takes her for granted and disrespects her, like Oshin’s husband. I don’t want to be like Oshin in this situation. Also, the grandson mentioned that nowadays women would divorce her husband if they were in Oshin’s situation, and he said the reason was about money. Well, I would divorce the guy at the moment I met his father and heard what he talked bad about his son’s mother behind her back in front of his daughter-in-law, or never got married in the first place.In the previous episode (episode 92), the cafe girls also discussed how Oshin’s life was hard after her marriage and all of them said that she should’ve stayed single and lived on her own instead. From what I saw, she totally had all the skills she needed to support herself, instead of having to take care of a male adult kid who was a controlling hypocritical loser.Anyway, that’s not the main point of what I was about to say. I mean, Oshin told her grandson that she was mistaken about what love was and didn’t know how a man felt. If this was really a message the screenwriter wanted to give their viewers, I would refuse to learn that lesson. Oshin did nothing wrong. She had done everything for the man she loved. What’s wrong is that she met the wrong man, who was an insecure patriarchal narcissist. I will leave some words here to strongly remind myself to never be like Oshin in this case, if later on this turned out to be the message the screenwriters wanted to tell us women.

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Finally, the ML seems to have crossed the threshold

Gang-Tae finally seems to have been able to understand and move past contrived guilt and instead to rational responsibility as a reason to care for his brother. The latter state of mind allows him room to also be responsible to others and, most importantly, to himself. Loved the scene where he talks to Sang-Tae about what it really means to be a family by using the example of the cartoon character Gil-dong's inclusiveness. His years of learned skills working with patients and his understanding of his brother are on full display as he walks through this conversation. This episode is perhaps my favorite so far because it is crystalizing real growth in several characters. Obviously Gang-Tae, but also Sang-Tae, Ju-Ri , Sang-In and Jae-Soo. Oh, and I have to give another shout for how much I love the character of Kang Sun Deok . She's just the best mom.

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It's hard not to be exasperated by the ML

I get it. He's clearly got his own deeply ingrained mental issues due to the trauma of how his mother put so much responsibility on him. But man, he is just so frustratingly self-destructive and oblivious to how his penchant for self-flagellation harms others as well as himself. At any rate, as irritating as he is, I can't fault the performance of the actor or the fact that it is a necessary aspect of the plot. On the flip side, my favorite character of this drama is officially Kang Sun Deok, Ju Ri's mom. She is just wonderful. She is the mom that both Moon Gang Tae and Ko Mun Yeong should have had. Then perhaps maybe both wouldn't be so traumatized and scarred.

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