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Didn't quite make it to episode 10 as I got distracted by the BTS Winter Package that I finally had delivered. 😁

Did get to the end of episode 7 which meant a delightful mix of drunk shenanigans, lots of Lan ribbon stuff, Lan Yi and bunnies.

Our intrepid lead characters are so shiny and righteous that they practically glow with youth and innocence. So much angst to come, oh my.

Also forgot quite how much the Lan secret keeping of 100 years and Lan Yi's major oops actually set in motion. Makes the overwhelming blame heading the way of a particular young cultivator with a twinkle in his eye even more vexing.

I keep reminding myself that the angst to come is required so things can be fixed. 😂😁

Been a while since my last update.

The Untamed has been completed again. I am delighted to say this means I can start viewing it again from the beginning and I shall start this and Guardian at some point next week.

Oh! My Emperor is now up to episode 20. I swear I can feel my brain cells dying when I watch it but Xiao Zhan remains pretty. I hate 97% of the characters so I don't know how much longer even his presence in this show can make me continue. Only other plus is each episode is less than 30 minutes.

Almost Human is only up to #3. Good few years since I watched this but I do like grumpy Karl Urban.

Also watched the Jade Dynasty movie which was fairly fun, if a bit confusing, but it had Xiao Zhan, a dragon, a monkey and a dog. It was a pleasant enough way to pass the time.

Also watched episode #1 of Joy of Life. I liked some of the characters so I will stick with it for a bit longer.

No change to any other shows I have been watching.

I am now up to episode 5 of Royal Sister Returns/The Princess is Back. It still makes not much sense but the lead female character is not annoying me too much and ZYL remains adorable and funny.

I am also up to episode #44 of The Untamed because I just can't seem to stop watching it.

Currently the only other thing I watch religiously each week is The Repair Shop on BBC1. It is relaxing viewing and the talents of the craftspeople who do the restorations are engrossing to see.

I judged enough of a pause in my viewing to go back to the beginning of Mo Dao Zu Shi and start again. Now up to the start of #8 and definitely into new territory. I am not as intensely focussed as I was with the tv drama but I can definitely appreciate the pretty, pretty animation. Lotus Cove is prettier in this, IMHO.

As for the drama, I am about to start episode #23 I my re-watch of The Untamed via Netflix. Sunshot is now done and gone and the aftermath is starting. Still want to slap most of the Cultivation world about their heads at this point.

I think the last three episodes of Guardian are next up. I was saving them for the holiday weekend.

Netflix and Amazon Prime continue to be helpful in providing things to watch.

I am still paused at Guardian #38 and I think I shall leave the rest of that for the Easter bank holiday in lieu of a chocolate egg.

In no particular order, I am now at the following:

Oh! My Emperor #6 - still makes no sense, still don't care. Xiao Zhan is pretty.

Itaewon Class #3 - intrigued so far.

The King's Avatar #18 - catching things I missed on my first viewing, still makes me smile.

The Untamed #15 - tortoise is now done which means more bad things to come. Quicker I get through to #33 again, the better. I much prefer the latter portion of the show to the middle.

I have also watched all of season two of Well Intended Love. I don't know if it is a regular thing in Asian dramas to do a completely different version of the characters getting together but that is basically what they did. I quite enjoyed the first season so I went with it and watched season two. Still slightly creepy, a bit saccharine and silly and not very sensible. That seems to be my preferred viewing choice in this current climate. I liked it.

The UK Netflix blurb starts off by saying 'Stuffed full of idols...' or words to that effect.

I know about Xiao Zhan & Wang Yibo. Who else would be classed as an idol?

I have watched snippets of various episodes of The Untamed just to refresh a couple of things in my mind and can honestly say I am not totally enamoured with the first half of the show.

I love anything involving the two leads, I adore the bunnies and like a lot of the interactions of WWX with the supporting characters. I cannot work up any intense feelings about Lotus Pier or the wider campaign against the Wen clan.

It looks ridiculously pretty, I love the soundtrack, I like the overall storyline enough because I know if I persevere I get to the episode where things start moving forward again. I really like episodes 33-50, I could honestly watch them on repeat.

I will do a full re-watch once I stop avidly reading fanfic for the show. I get over-saturated after a while and slow down the reading pace, based on past experience that will be in another week or so. I know my reading habits too well. 😂

Thanks to Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan I have now listened to Chinese pop, as well as k-pop and j-pop, though solo gets the credit for the last one. As I type, the Best of KAT-TUN is playing in the background.

I genuinely don't care if I don't know the language people are singing in, if I like the music then I like the music. If I have a song title/artist name then I can always try and track down a lyric video if I am really desperate to know the translation. I cannot retain song lyrics in English so it is not like I ever expect to memorise them. Never, ever, ask me to be in your team for a music quiz. I am hopeless at remembering titles, lyrics or recognising a tune after 3 notes are played. I applaud people that can do that, I am definitely not one of them. 😁

Having had a great weekend hanging out with solo and watching lots of The Untamed, listening to the music and generally waxing lyrical about the show, I decided to check Spotify for more playlists.

It is slightly terrifying how many there are, I am just stating that for the record. 😁

I have the OST from iTunes (because I nearly always buy instrumental soundtracks if I like them), I know there is supposed to be some form of extended soundtrack and I presume the anime has its own OST too.

Life was so much simpler when you could just buy the CD.

First and foremost, the casting director that put Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo together deserves a gift basket of *all* the chocolate as a thank you.

Characters that I adored:
Wei Wuxian
Lan Zhan
Lan Sizhui
Wen Ning
Wen Qing
Apple
The bunnies

Characters I grew to like:
Lan Xichen
Jin Ling
Jian Cheng
Jin Guangyao
The assorted baby cultivators

I am not overly fond of backwards jumps in time in tv shows but I will admit it worked for this show. Having to wait until episode 33 to get things moving again was a touch much, I felt.

I loved all interactions between WWX and LZ and would probably watch another entire series of them looking after baby cultivators and being long-suffering while doing so.

I am aware that WWX and Jian Cheng's sister is missing from my list of characters I liked and that is because I found her very bland. The most rocking sister in the show came from the Wen clan, at least as far as I am concerned.

Overall bad guy (JG) was slimy and tricksy and horrible. As such, his character revelations as the show went on worked for me. He was a much more interesting bad guy than the head of the Wen clan.

The other clan leaders I could cheerfully have slapped for their double standards, sheer stupidity and generally existing and upsetting WWX and LZ.

I liked that there were still recriminations between WWX and Jian Cheng but that things were made up between them (and Jin Ling) as much as they ever could be.

I liked that LZ's brother was able to listen to the unthinkable regarding a person he thought of so highly and not immediately dismiss listening to bad news he didn't want to hear. Showed a marked distance from any other person in a position of authority within the clans.

The show was gorgeous, the music sublime and it had an ending that seemed appropriate for the tale.

Now about to start episode 44.

I would take it as a personal favour if people would stop stabbing WWX or doing otherwise mean things to him. It upsets LZ and this in turn upsets WWX more than the actual mean things done to him.