Haoyan

Why do I feel like a proud mama whenever I read glowing comments on Leyan and Haodu haha but honestly, thank you for this! I have finished all eps and must say that although the plot and story could have been better written here and there it's still a much needed change from the romance-heavy dramas and provides a platform where the actors can feel challenged and step out of their comfort zone. I hope all four leads will walk out of this drama with meatier roles in meatier stories awaiting them. Their performance (esp. Reba's, Wu Lei's and Lusi's) has all ranged from nicely surprising to phenomenal (I'm especially impressed by WL - he's still so young but he pulls off that maturity very convincingly) and I really can't wait to see them grow and advance further as actors. I feel that Alen Fang is shortchanged in this: the writing for his character sucks and there's not much he can do to change it, so I hope he will land a role that is more deserving of his talent and can catapult him later. I'm a newly converted fan of Liu Yuning but if I'm being brutally honest there are still a few scenes at the beginning of the drama where he still seems a bit green, but my 1m9-tall baby boy has said in a recent interview that he has finally found his passion in acting and wants to treat it with utmost care because he treasures the opportunity. He says for that reason he will not take on main roles until he has bettered his craft, so I'll be happy watching him making gradual improvements. I think the opportunity to join this production and work alongside seasoned and professional actors like Reba and Wulei will be valuable for him in the future.

Tomorrow marks the final week for The Long Ballad. I’m not ready for this yet :(( How can I handle the withdrawal? The gap Haodu and Leyan has left in my heart is just too big to fill. Let’s hope for an awesome finale. I don’t know but I’ve got a good feeling this is going to be an HE. We might have an rpic fight against the last baddie i.e. Little Khan’s mother (what’s her name again? XD) and there might be some heartache in store but it would probably to drive the conflict to climax.

Yesssss he nailed that scene! so much emotion packed in just one scene and his pain, disappointment, insecurity pent up to breaking point then followed by realisation, love and elation was so palpable I can feel it all! Yuning did the role and that particular scene justice! @Tofu Hope you have a productive meeting! I can relate to that (watching their clips). I feel like I’ve been annihilating the replay button on Youtube because of them XD

I actually have and I’m still having trouble getting my heart rate back to normal.... You nailed it! It’s indeed a heartfelt confession from both sides. I’m fangirling over it so much because since he met the the Princess again after she was lost he was always like a second lead thinking her heart belongs to someone else. That’s why that scene feels so satisfying to me ahhhhhh.

Hi yes that's my main gripe with the video's cover image too, but now that I've memorised the lyrics I just keep my eyes shut and insert Haodu's face there lol Perhaps the video maker couldn't find a couple image of Haoyan at that moment. The translation is so good I'm willing to "forgive" everything else haha. I haven't read the manga. I just read snippets of it from fans in online discussions. Since the major sentiment is deep disappointment and some even say the drama has dumbed down lots of characters and butchered the original work I think I'm going to finish the drama first before reading the manhua. That way my good impression for both works can be preserved. There are rumours going around too that considering how the publisher was so money hungry and the production team has ruined the essence of the original work it is very unlikely that the author would ever finish the novel, which would be a bummer if it really happens. At the same time I know I can't fault her though; if she chooses to stop updating on the manhua although it's sad for fans it's completely justified. I think the OP meant the Crown Prince who was killed in Li Shimin's coup (so he is Changge's father, that is), but I stand corrected. I love the dynamic between Leyan and Changge too. In my humble opinion theirs is the best sisterhood/friendship in the drama and I admire how both of them keep looking out for each other. It kind of saddens me to think that they will have to part because there's no way Changge would remain in Tang for lots of reasons.

Please don't take what they say to hearts. I would say those people would need to go through some serious "character growth" and development of their own. While I can empathise with feeling hurt and miffed when others don't like what you like (understandable, because when you like something or especially someone, it means you see something in them that embodies either your own qualities or the qualities you value, and having others feel the same would validate your feelings and hence boost your self-esteem, while having others not sharing your opinion might naturally pose a "threat" to those), and while I also empathise with not being able to control how you feel, I am firmly of the opinion that we can control how we act. Attaching hater or anti labels to you just because of difference of opinions is a very low move. We can still love our own bias, feel a bit hurt when others dislike them, without hurling insults at each other. Not gonna lie, I would still feel a bit hurt when my fav character doesn't get loved, but I've been there so many times that what others think bears less and less impact on how I personally feel. After all, we can agree to disagree in the end and move on. So don't feel you need to apologise because you don't feel as enthusiastic about the main leads. You owe no one an apology if you express your opinion so politely and haven't so far resorted to bashing the looks of the actors (which I think is a very typical hate act). It's those people's loss not being able to accept that people are different and have different tastes, and that there's nothing wrong with that. Btw here's the translated OST I've found. I want to share it with you and other Haoyan fans because it's so beautiful and poignant and ... well, is essentially Haodu in a nutshell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFGLtMcnz3s And while we're at it, I agree that Haodu is characteristic of a tsundere male lead, and Leyan is depicted at first as a typical Candy character, but I love how he is not aggressive to and possessive of Leyan, and Leyan has also grown to be more assertive, has been able to stand up for herself, as evidenced by Ep 41 and 42.These characteristics have set them apart from the other tsundere-Candy pairings I have seen, and perhaps because I've deviated a bit from this type of pairing in the past many months seeing one that is not toxic feels refreshing and that's why I got sucked into their relationship. So to pick up where I left off re. Leyan. Of course there are things that are completely out of her control given the era depicted in the show, but she has spared nothing (within her power, that is) to save herself, and even acts as the catalyst for Haodu's change (ep 42 during that confession scene - that is by far my fav scene of theirs and one which I think is worth all my wait for). Perhaps unpopular opinion here but I personally appreciate it that their story doesn't take centre stage in this show. They might have limited scene time but that only amplifies the impact their story has on me. I'm not sure I would enjoy their stories as much if there is a whole lengthy drama dedicated to only them. It might be true that the screenwriter originally added Leyan as Haodu's love interest, and though she got development of her own her story might not be woven well into the main story, but Haodu is an original character from the manhua and his growth in this show has also been tied to Changge. His letting her go when they lost that battle against Ashile Sun speaks a lot about how Changge's devotion to the country triggers an "awakening", sort of, in him and shows that he's also capable of empathising with others but for his obsession with fulfilling his duties. In this regard I think both Haodu's and Leyan's growth is well connected to the overarching theme of "patriotism" and "challenging and letting go of own preconceptions". The latter might not be as pronounced in Leyan's case (she mainly lets go of her prejudice against Haodu), but it's very prominent in both Haodu and Changge. The former because he now learns that things and people are not all either black or white as he has always been taught by his adoptive father; the latter also because of the very same notion: that one might be a criminal for what he did to her family, but it doesn't mean he is a tyrant as the king, esp. with the people's interest in mind. They both have choices to make: either to go with their deeply ingrained personal beliefs (that they originally perceive to be the ultimate truth and good for everyone else as well) or to shed them, make peace with them and move on. I think "love as the catalyst for changes in one's preconceptions" is one of the main themes in this drama and all romances here fit to some certain extent to this particular theme. If we remove this then, in my humble opinion, we can do without all the romances of Mimi-Mujin and Shiba-Xufeng as well.

thank you for saying this!! I’m also on board the Haoyan ship here <3 Usually I have very low tolerance for Mary Sue type of characters but there’s something about Leyan and Zhao’s portrayal of this character that resonates with and appeals to me a lot, almost on a personal level. I personally think Leyan is not made to be stupid. I’m not going to say much in case you don’t want to be spoiled, but please keep watching until ep 42. I’m at that point right now and it’s been a roller coaster of emotion for a single but extended scene but it’s so worth it. P.S.: I’ve also lost interest in the main story and some side characters, but I’m staying for Haoyan and am not regretting it. For me their chemistry is so palpable and I personally find their trajectories interesting. Like, I can’t take my eyes off them whenever they’re on my screen. P.P.S.: I’ve also discovered a really beautiful and poignant translation of the theme song for Haoyan. It’s literally what Haodu has to say to Leyan and my heart never fails to bleed a little whenever I hear that song played. I just love this pairing too much.