Lan Ling Wang 《兰陵王》 - Feng Shao Feng, Ariel Lin, Daniel Chan

[AcrossTime]

The ending was meh... At least it tied some knots together. I'm feeling evil, if Yu Wen Yong can't be happy why should Lan Ling Wang, with that said at least he didn't die and had a son. Like adjani said, Xue Wu did paid a huge price for peace but I don't think the ending was necessary seeing how the Zhou army was outside of the city already, Zheng Er and Gao Wei would have been killed regardless. Though I guess this further illustrates that peace is not an easy achievement and it requires many sacrifices to obtain.

Two cry-worthy scenes. First being Gao Wei & Zheng Er's deaths, as panda-pop said, I wish they showed more back story on why Gao Wei was willing to go to such lengths for her. I think his story would have been cute. Second one was when Yu Wen Yong told his warriors/subjects to face the other way and not utter a word, and he broke down. The flashbacks were mighty fine to evoke his history of love with Xue Wu. It really did show how much of an impact she made on his life to be able to break down 'infront' or more like 'behind(?)' his subjects. Definitely not a Yu Wen Yong characteristic, but it shows that he is indeed made of flesh and blood.

I think I quite like the ending. I didn't see how else they would have ended it. Any thoughts on alternate endings?

[Fairytale_Angel]

AcrossTime I like your thoughts on YWY ending. When I was watching it throughout the whole thing i got teary for XW death but I ended up crying for YWY. To be honest I felt more sad for YWY compare to LLW. YWY barely get an ounce or few months of happiness with XW and it was taken away from him but LLW got plenty with her. YWY won the war, won the people but in the end he ends up dying not having one thing he long and love the most and ends up dying alone.

For me it seems like Zheng Er didnt regret what she done or anything or maybe she still has that evil look on her face haha but I felt a bit tad bad for the king. He was like a puppet in her hand and the other bad dude hand n was controlled and persuade to do evil things. If he was taught right he probably made a better king.

Can somebody explain to me what An De Wang told YWY when he was at the city gate? he seems pissed off and all and what i dont get is why LLW left ADW alone i mean aren't they brothers unless LLW jus want to isolate himself from the world then yeah i get it.

What I like to think is that in life LLW got XW but now that she's dead XW and YWY can be together.

[AcrossTime]

AcrossTime I like your thoughts on YWY ending. When I was watching it throughout the whole thing i got teary for XW death but I ended up crying for YWY. To be honest I felt more sad for YWY compare to LLW. YWY barely get an ounce or few months of happiness with XW and it was taken away from him but LLW got plenty with her. YWY won the war, won the people but in the end he ends up dying not having one thing he long and love the most and ends up dying alone.

For me it seems like Zheng Er didnt regret what she done or anything or maybe she still has that evil look on her face haha but I felt a bit tad bad for the king. He was like a puppet in her hand and the other bad dude hand n was controlled and persuade to do evil things. If he was taught right he probably made a better king.

Can somebody explain to me what An De Wang told YWY when he was at the city gate? he seems pissed off and all and what i dont get is why LLW left ADW alone i mean aren't they brothers unless LLW jus want to isolate himself from the world then yeah i get it.

What I like to think is that in life LLW got XW but now that she's dead XW and YWY can be together.

An De Wang said that the Gao family has failed the Qi's citizen (in regards of protecting/providing for them). He wishes that when YWY conquers Qi, he can treat the citizens well and become a good king. That's what his fourth brother told him to tell YWY. YWY then asks where LLW is and ADW tells him he's already left. YWY then says, he has won the world (in this case conquered Qi as well as Zhou) but LLW has won XW, the outcome of their wins and losses has been settled. ADW then says he (LLW) didn't get her, XW went into the palace to make Gao Wei give up the throne and in the process lost her life to protect LLW, killing the evil queen (ZE) to stop this war. YWY draws his sword and says that if ADW dares to lie to him, he'd kill him. Angry ADW gallops away~ I don't know why ADW looked mad either, he should've looked sad because his Si Sao died o-o

Andddd this is why I'm not a translator, I suck. Sorry.

This drama is full of dying for one's love. Xiao Dong died for Xue Wu. LLW 'died' for XW. XW actually died for LLW. Gao Wei died with(?), in a sense for ZE. YWY died for XW. Oh and one more thing that just popped up. One of the king's/LLW's loyal advisors said that this is what being stupidly loyal to a bad king lead to after Gao Wei killed the old general. Talk about late realization.

At the very last scene. I feel sorry for their child, not getting to see his mother. I'm on the same boat with adjani, I don't get why LLW said he couldn't stay in the end. Is it like time for dinner or something?

[coricori]

what a shocking twist, I never thought XW died, I cried for YWY, I don't liked the ending. I would prefer that LLW and XW died together and their son was taken to XW' village to be cared for by his grandmother, if her grandmother wasn't dead.
In this show, the character I liked most was definitely YWY, it was well developed and Daniel' performance was amazing, the character XW was well too, I didn't like character LLW, just don't make justice to the real LLW, I didn't like job the director, scriptwriter, the costumes (excep some times when Ariel looks gorgeous) and the edition.
It was so much fun to see LLW thanks to your comments guys. I hope in the futuro another show of LLW, but this time much better scriptwriter and performance of LLW.
panda-pop always enjoy your comments, sometimes make me laugh, and I like the quote you posted.
it was a sad ending, XW died, YWY died, ehrrrrr... why didn't died LLW?
until another show...guys.

[adjani]

Across Time: I think your translation is fine. There are some plot issues I reckon like that weird, I need to go now bit, I am assuming its because his son said its time to go, if they have finished talking!

As for ADW: I think he was trying to convey, rage and loss (both of his country and sister in law) and the audacity of YWY telling him, if you ain't telling me the truth, I will kill you. He probably thinks, why would I lie to you about that! And YWY's statement of killing him also is a way to mask his shock and rage.. typical YWY... when all he probably wants to say is "NOOOOOOOO".

All the subjects are stupidly loyal, the only person who saw GW for who he is, was his own father, who had reservations but were swayed by LLW and the 2 advisors. Who of course had their positions. Afterall anarchy was frowned on in those days, vs respect for even blind and stupid loyalty to a bad king! :P

As for both the actors, I think both Daniel and FSF did decent jobs, depending on your own feel, one might have done a better one than the other.

I think this was the only possible ending, she dies because she wanted to save him from his fate (her mission from the start, especially from EP 45, she kept saying that) and that her love for him includes his love for his people and for peace. And we always knew there was a price to pay, in the prophecies, he would bring her death and/or he will die (unless there is someone to save him as a "gui ren") YWY knew he would never win her heart, but he loved her and respected her. He also respects and cares for LLW obviously. So he would have to be satisfied with conquering the world, which was also his initial ambition (and one he wanted Xue Wu for initially).

I suppose the good thing is, all the people and subjects of both countries clearly loved and respected Xue Wu and LLW for their contributions and good deeds done for either country and that is great... at least the people and even the Zhou Court are not blind.

A bit empty now that the drama has ended... which show shall we reconvene on? :P

[CuteBabyAngel17]

im still curious as to why gao wei killed XW... did he hate LLW so much that he had to put him through the same suffering that he himself is going through??? or did he just miss? haha.. jk.. i doubt that he missed.. but that would be funny if he did.. not funny haha... but stupid funny.....

its so sad... i was so addicted as this drama began... but then the drama just got worse and worse.. i think the drama ended for me on ep 20..

[AcrossTime]

Haha adjani I only have the feels for Daniel

[redenzione]

Really should not have watched the ending when I was slightly hung-over...makes one more emotional than she should be.

It was a nice ending - and I loved the contrasting reactions by LLW and YWY to XW's death. Both very gut-wrenching in their own ways. Still can't believe this is over, kind of stuck in limbo wondering which cdrama to watch next.

[panda-pop]

Episodes 45-46: Everyone dies. The end.

Kidding, but barely. Episode 46 is still playing as I'm typing this, but I've more or less tuned out. Zheng Er and Gao Wei are dying together on my computer screen at this very moment and I'm just sort of "meh" about it all. Now Xue Wu is dying in Lan Ling Wang's arms (live recapping!), and I'm slightly less meh because it is Ariel Lin.. but not by much. If you're wondering about what their last conversation entails, here's the gist of it--

Xue Wu: I'm dying, I'm scared.
LLW: You can't die without my permission!
Xue Wu: Sorry. Please don't find someone prettier/kinder/smarter/etc than me after I die.
LLW: *Tear*
Xue Wu: Don't forget.. the warmth.. of my hands.. *dies*
LLW: NOOoOOOooOOOoOOOo!!

Yea, you're not missing much even if you don't understand Chinese.

I'll rewind a bit. After killing the two old guys from Lan Ling Wang's posse (both of whom are like, "dang, we really should have helped Lan Ling Wang become king instead" before dying), Gao Wei gets the brilliant idea to set fire to the entire city the Qi palace is in so that the incoming Zhou forces will think Gao Wei and Zheng Er have died. That way, Gao Wei and Zheng Er can run off and be a "normal couple" together. Most normal couples I know aren't mass murderers, but sure, why not, sounds like a plan. This is what finally forces Lan Ling Wang into action. He wasn't concerned with Yu Wen Yong's forces taking over Qi cities because he knew Yu Wen Yong had ordered his soldiers to be kind to Qi citizens, but he's unwilling to watch an entire city die by Gao Wei's hand.

All of this makes some sense. What happens after is all irrational melodrama to me. Xue Wu asks Shi Shen to keep Lan Ling Wang and An De Wang from entering the palace to kill Gao Wei and Zheng Er. Her logic is: Qi needs Lan Ling Wang to lead them, I'll kill Gao Wei and Zheng Er and sacrifice myself instead. Twenty episodes ago, this might have been an admirable decision. At this point, there's no Qi for Lan Ling Wang to lead. We also know Yu Wen Yong wants to do right by the Qi citizens he conquers, so it's not like Lan Ling Wang needs to defend Qi against him. And finally, Xue Wu? Kill people?? Even Zheng Er knows that's an impossibility. She literally forces her throat against Xue Wu's sword and Xue Wu still can't do it. If I had to bet whether Lan Ling Lang or Xue Wu would have done a better job with this mission, I'd put my money on Lan Ling Wang every time.

Then there's the matter of Gao Wei killing both Xue Wu and Zheng Er with his bow and poisoned arrows. In and of itself, not a bad storytelling decision. Gao Wei being the one to kill Zheng Er could have been an awesome plot move. The bummer is that there was no logical build up to this moment. Gao Wei has known about Zheng Er's treachery for episodes-- why would he suddenly give up on that foolish dream of living a normal life together now? If the drama had played it so that Gao Wei didn't realize Zheng Er had been poisoning him up until the moment Zheng Er is being held captive by Xue Wu, that would have been much more believable. I could see a devastated Gao Wei realize for the first time that he has nothing, not even Zheng Er's love, for which he gave up his whole kingdom. I could see that Gao Wei going a bit bonkers and shooting everyone in sight. I can't see this Gao Wei, who's been resigned to his fate for a while, decide to take these actions.

So I guess what I'm saying is, these death felt like fixed outcomes. Zheng Er and Gao Wei have to die because they're the bad guys. Xue Wu has to die because of all the foreshadowing about her decision to love Lan Ling Wang resulting in bad things happening to one of them. The endings of great stories feel inevitable because you see how each step, each action, each decision and each personality inches us toward that destination. This ending reminded me that these are only characters in a story, and a poorly written one at that.

Phew, feels good to get all of that out. I'm glad we all stuck it out till the end, though! Reading your thoughts on the show has been more fun at times than actually watching Can you believe we've been consistently watching and writing for 2+ weeks?? I won't be following the BBJX sequel, but I'll be waiting for Da Mo Yao to come out so we can chat again about a new drama!

[thisisablackout]

The drama ended. I feel like my life just ended with it.

I really liked the ending. At first I thought this was going to be one of those happily-ever-after dramas, considering the lighthearted mood at the beginning of the story and then they went through all that poo to be together. But I was wrong.

I thought that if anyone was going to die it was going to be LLW, you know, hero who sacrifices his life for his people and stuff, but it turned out to be wife who sacrifices her life for her husband and their people kind of thing.

But anyway, lets start at episode 45:

- I cannot stand the freaking queen! As much as I am annoyed at how useless the king is, I felt so bad about how he gave up everything for her but she just keeps feeding him those freaking pills.

- I was almost convinced LLW was about to die when they made all those post-death preparations. I really admired YXW's bravery and not being one of those women who cling to their husbands legs and beg them not to go.

I know many people may disagree with me, but I kind of wished that the King of Qi was going to live. I mean, even if he was going to be lonely and poor, I felt like watching him die was like watching a child die.

I honestly cried more when GW died than when YXW died. I was like screaming "NO!" when he swallowed those pills. I was glad that at least the queen showed some sympathy at that point.

By the time YXW died I pretty much ran out of sadness to cry for her. I shed a few tears when she was telling him about finding another girl that can't be prettier, smarter, or more useful than her because she is afraid he would therefore forget about her. I can't take those flashbacks because they made me cry so much.

Our third and final death is that of YWY. I was so disappointed with his death because he just...vomited and died. No flashbacks...nothing. Ugh, and he was one of my favorite characters! Than man-boy king and the evil queen had a better death than him.

I am currently at a loss of what to do with my life. At least I can say that LLW was definitely worth my time and I am going to have a hard time finding another drama that can come in comparison with LLW.

[Nukaew]

So I guess what I'm saying is, these death felt like fixed outcomes. Zheng Er and Gao Wei have to die because they're the bad guys. Xue Wu has to die because of all the foreshadowing about her decision to love Lan Ling Wang resulting in bad things happening to one of them. The endings of great stories feel inevitable because you see how each step, each action, each decision and each personality inches us toward that destination. This ending reminded me that these are only characters in a story, and a poorly written one at that.

totally agree with you about the outcome.YXW has to die because her action twist the fate of LLW. However, I don't understand why she has to get rid of Gao Wei by herself when LLW can.

Phew, feels good to get all of that out. I'm glad we all stuck it out till the end, though! Reading your thoughts on the show has been more fun at times than actually watching Can you believe we've been consistently watching and writing for 2+ weeks?? I won't be following the BBJX sequel, but I'll be waiting for Da Mo Yao to come out so we can chat again about a new drama!

On the contrary, I will follow BBJQ for one of my idols, Nicky Wu, but probably not for DMY.I have already read DMY novel and appreciated it so much. I think some plots of the novel will be changed on screen to get approval from SARFT so there is a chance that my good impression to DMY and Tangren's production will be destroyed.

[adjani]

Hahha babe, I know *hugs* as did the million fans he conquered in 3 days on weibo alone

[adjani]

Pandapop and Across times, as always I loved your posts. Panda pop: yeah I think you are right, death was the "one" ending that would be satisfactory for most of the characters, if it was a very happy ending then it would be good but perhaps not as impactful.

Thanks for the ride and yesh for me, looking forward to both BBJQ as well as Da mo yao

[AcrossTime]

Adjani loved your posts as well as everyone elses during this time. It was fun. I must say I was amongst the sea of his fans on weibo.

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Now I need some new drama. What's everyone watching lately? Or else I'm going to go watch Huan Zhu Ge Ge again. Such a classic! TVB dramas aren't keeping me satisfied anymore! Also I think Da Mo Yao only changed the names of the characters because of the SARFT, not the plot. Fingers crossed though!

[Fairytale_Angel]

Now I need some new drama. What's everyone watching lately? Or else I'm going to go watch Huan Zhu Ge Ge again. Such a classic! TVB dramas aren't keeping me satisfied anymore! Also I think Da Mo Yao only changed the names of the characters because of the SARFT, not the plot. Fingers crossed though!

I read that they change the title of the drama and the names of the character in the drama and also most historical reference and facts in order not to pissed off SARFT. I gave up watching tvb too lol the storyline is repetitive and jus nonsense. I'm waiting for "Loved in the Purple" that has Michelle Ye and Raymond Lam. Those two are my favorite couples but i already know the ending but still waiting to watch their scenes lol

[coricori]

ohh!! such cute dolls, I would like to have the cute doll of LLW. I loved the drama. Now, I feel a little empty.

[adjani]

Across Time: honestly although this drama isn't epic, it was a great ride. The only I am watching or watched recently are : Just You (Taiwanese Idol show) and 花木蘭傳奇 (http://www.maplestage.com/drama/%E8%...2%B3%E5%A5%87/) That version. I actually really like Yuan Hong as well from BBJX but did not like his version of Mulan. But well clearly neither of these 2 dramas inspired me to the "madness" of LLW hahaha.

Coricori: I know how you feel about the drama ending. I am waiting for my OST and novel to arrive to "re-live" the madness :P

[redenzione]

What I'm looking forward to watching after the end of LLW... well BBJQ and DMY - but I also really am looking forward to Secrets Hidden Through Time. It's probably one of the few times that I hope they don't follow the original source material! Blasphemy I know!

[adjani]

Oh just to let everyone who avidly loved this drama know, LLW became the most popular historical drama in Taiwan in this year. Also broke the online records for PRC China for the final episode and basically in terms of royalty, they earned 80,000 per episode and the full series cost 4.6m to acquire. So we all have "good taste"... we can imagine that Ariel, FSF and Daniel's stars all will rise as well as their paychecks! So hopefully this also means we can see them again in other dramas either together or apart

[Nightingale]

Just wondering did anyone noticed how similar Mao Lin Lin looks to Pan Ying Zi? Although I think Pan Ying Zi looks better overall...

Pan Ying Zi
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Mao Lin Lin
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