Susan

So I am fairly new to Korean dramas/romances. From what I have read, the audience members who didn’t like “The Bride of Habaek” in my opinion just didn’t stick with it long enough to allow the characters to develop. The characters struggles and search for the right thing to do, the explanations for the intangibles in their conversations, were all beautifully written, acted and filmed. There also was a good use of humor illustrated to lighten up heavier issues that were being suffered beneath the surface. An excellent life skill to learn. If you loved “Eternal Love”, “Ashes of Love”, & “Crash Landing on You”, I really think you will love “The Bride of Habaek”. I actually think I loved it more than “Twenty Five Twenty One.”

Xianxia dramas have replaced my former favorite genre of science fiction. But romance does not feel like an accurate description. The main characters are usually chosen/destined for a task that is necessary to correct a wrong turn in the development of a civilization toward the peace that is necessary for all individuals to have the opportunity to develop. The main characters are well developed to illustrate their individual struggles and maturation process obtained through their sacrifices. Deep connections of hearts occurs as sacrifices are shared. In The Long Promise, the use of the symbols of the Snowy Rosa petals and the Jade Bone Artifact throughout the story makes it clear, at least to me, that when Shi Ying achieves “the real state” of consciousness after a lifetime of selfless choices, a representative materialization of his consciousness, primordial spirit, remained in the petal that Zhu Yan carried with her. The petal was nurtured over time since Shi Ying had shared “his essence” with Zhu Yan to heal her in episode 4, so was able to develop to his former human shape, to fulfill his promise to ZhuYan, but not so much “to travel the world together” but to fulfill the much deeper connection to guide ZhuYan to also achieve “the real state” as she continued her selfless work. If the story continued, their example would illustrate to civilization how “the real” life is lived.