xx

here lies several thoughts.

[xx @notmntl]

2025.

[xx @notmntl]

xo kitty s2 (2025)

it was "the" season for mooncovey. the telling between them from mutual hating to actual friends (and in love) was well-turned. hope that they could wrap the next as good as this with a happy ending in mind to all.

[xx @notmntl]

hence why i'm both sad and glad with the changes in the drama. the conflict is not that complicated in the novel which i feel sad about (no failed wedding, runaway together arc), but they put more depth to lu xixiao. he's more thoughtful, more passionate and gentle.

[🌷 fei @rosyluluzi]

reading the novel from chap 54 onward made me realise that adult lxx was an absolute freak. though understandable, his obsession with zw was very unhealthy. the forced kisses, the tie scene, etc... let’s not romanticise nonconsensual behavior :)

#neverendingsummer

[xx @notmntl]

reading i live in your time as we wait for the drama to come through. five chapters in, i feel so invested in their banter. wdym, ji qinghe can recognize shen qianzhan by her breathing. man is down bad

[xx @notmntl]

@untamedyouths they are?? at least, we have another drama to tune in after nes end

[xx @notmntl]

@mercibocukeu got to the part where they broke up just now. truth is out, grandpa knows. so, he asks her to leave lu xixiao.

[xx @notmntl]

zhou wan in the novel is also a bit timid and shy at times whereas in the drama, she's more straightforward. we could see how guilt and anger consumed her at the same time in the drama more than in the novel.

[xx @notmntl]

currently reading #NeverEndingSummer. they change a lot in the drama (from first meet till their entanglement), but keep important ones & make their ver. love that they soften lu xixiao's character without taking away his backstory. cause boy is such a smoker playboy in the novel

[xx @notmntl]

perfect crown (2026)

they had such compelling backstory, but instead badly executed it. truly a shame it fell short because we could see the first half was amazing and magical. iu and wooseok chemistry, seungyeon's acting, and sanghyun's cunning gaze were what saved me.

[xx @notmntl]

people we meet on vacation (2026)

wouldn't say it's great, but it is good. tom & emily's portrayal as alex and poppy have me wanting more. i scream, "this should've been 2 hours & half" at every turn of their present summer. we need them happy more than just a quote at the end.

[xx @notmntl]

can this love be translated? (2026)

i do love a drama with eye-pleasing scenes, good chemistry (hats off to younjung & seonho), and gripping narrative. they gave me all the feels. simply, it speaks, you're worthy of love. to know the best, you just have to learn their language.

[xx @notmntl]

you know it won't be a start of summer without high school cdrama. so far, #NeverEndingSummer brings back the freshness of youth and pure love. at least, before the doom happens. let's enjoy our happy 2016 zhou wan lu xixiao while it lasts.

[xx @notmntl]

but stupid song and maggots for brain would also be the topper for this album, honestly. or maybe just the rest of this album, cause they're so insanely good after first listen

[xx @notmntl]

my top three so far for 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love':
1. drop dead
2. honeybee
3. what's wrong with me

[xx @notmntl]

honeybee by olivia is like a girl sitting by the window seat feeling hopeful about everything especially love. that silent night where you couldn't because you're thinking about him.

[xx @notmntl]

WE CHEER!

[Netflix @netflix]

Pip Fitz-Amobi alert 🚨

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Season 3 is coming!

[xx @notmntl]

@whatonnetflix they should've promoted this show. make them go to interviews and so on. bcs fans and new viewers will tune in if they join the hype to promote

[xx @notmntl]

that belly conrad edit with the cure on youtube is truly life-changing

[xx @notmntl]

history has always been a sensitive topic for them. i remember the backlash for mr.sunshine over the portrayal of japan and us. i get their point, but this has escalated to attacking the actors behind it when this kind of thing should've been on the mind of production team.

[Filipe @filipe910910]

1. 《哲仁王后》 (Mr. Queen, 2020)
​The Backlash: This drama faced one of the most intense historical witch-hunts in recent memory. Because it was a comedy about a modern chef's soul trapped in a Joseon queen, critics went ballistic. They claimed it "ridiculed" Korean history, targeting a line where a character referred to the strict Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty as "just a tabloid."
​The Outrage Level: Over 7000 formal complaints were filed to Korea's broadcasting regulator. Corporate sponsors panicked and pulled out, and there was a massive online mob demanding the show be canceled entirely.
​The Reality: The production team apologized, changed some historical clan names to fictional ones, and kept the "FICTION" narrative strong. The show went on to score a massive 17.4% finale rating, becoming one of the highest-rated cable dramas in Korean history. Today, it’s remembered purely as a comedic masterpiece.
​2. 《宮》 (Princess Hours, 2006)
​The Backlash: Because it set up an alternate timeline where the Korean Imperial Family still existed in the 21st century, strict traditionalists hated it. They complained that the royal court protocols, the hybrid modern-traditional imperial clothing, and the casual way the young royals spoke violated traditional court etiquette and "cheapened" the dignity of the royal family's memory.
​The Reality: The show completely ignored the complaints, lean into its gorgeous, stylized alternate reality, and ignited the global Hallyu wave. It launched the careers of its young cast and remains an untouchable classic.
​3. 《永遠的君主》 (The King: Eternal Monarch, 2020)
​The Backlash: This was a pure sci-fi, parallel-universe fantasy, yet netizens paused trailers frame-by-frame to find things to attack. They claimed the fictional "Corean Empire" royal emblem looked too much like the Japanese imperial seal and that some fictional wooden palace buildings used a traditional Japanese temple architectural style rather than Korean structure.
​The Reality: The production team quietly used CGI to adjust the graphic designs in later episodes. Despite the loud internet noise, the drama was a massive international smash hit on Netflix, dominating charts globally for months.
​4. 《大長今》 (Jewel in the Palace, 2003) & 《朱蒙》 (Jumong, 2006)
​The Backlash: Even these untouchable, legendary pillars of Korean television history faced heavy academic and netizen criticism during their runs.
​Jumong was heavily criticized for compressing historical timelines and completely altering the geopolitical maps of ancient Gojoseon and Buyeo to make the story more dramatic.
​Jewel in the Palace took massive creative liberties with the sparse historical records of Royal Physician Jang-geum, altering medical procedures and court dynamics for television tension, which led to endless complaints from traditional historians.
​The Reality: Both dramas blew past 50% viewership ratings domestically and were exported to nearly 100 countries, single-handedly introducing Korean culture to the entire world. The "inaccuracies" became completely irrelevant footnotes in history.
​The Playbook Never Changes
​Every single one of these examples proves that controversy is temporary, but a masterpiece is permanent. The critics always use the exact same playbook: they take a piece of art, apply rigid, real-world academic rules to an explicitly stated "WORK OF FICTION," and try to ruin lives over props, architecture, or line interpretations.
​But history has already decided how this ends. Perfect Crown setting a historic 13.8% benchmark means it has already joined the ranks of these legendary shows. Decades from now, people will still be raving about IU and Byeon Woo-seok's acting, while the bitter commentators counting beads on a crown will be completely forgotten.
#아이유 #IU #21세기대군부인 #PerfectCrown

[xx @notmntl]

seeing this kind of edit makes it feel it's really coming to an end

[dep 𓇼 @165daily]

#perfectcrown perhaps love ₊˚⊹♡

[xx @notmntl]

now, let's not throwing hate. both are equally good

[sho @iu_thestandard]

And that cooking show actually took Daesang over this masterpiece… 😒

[xx @notmntl]

what i always think whenever i watch perfect crown, they will end in three routes.
1. i-an takes over the throne to end the constitutional
2. i-an takes over the throne before returns it back to his nephew
3. i-an takes over the throne and stays as royal