#kdramacommentry

*I DO NOT HATE WANG SO, NOR IS THIS A POST CRITICISING HIM. IT IS BASED ON MY OPINION , AND IT AIMS TO POINT OUT AND EXPLORE  HIS “VILLAINOUS SIDE” THAT SHAPES HIM THROUGHOUT THE DRAMA.

I just wanted to point this out because I’ve noticed people have two reactions to it. Either there’s people denying it or people heavily emphasising on it.I would like to clarify,that Wang So is very much a character that is caught in crossroads, stuck between both his selfless heroic nature and his ,beastly savage side.

The show never denied his villainy, not even for a moment.He was always dangerous,scary and he himself, usually acknowledges his crimes and extreme personality.

The only difference is , he had the scope to be a better person. He realises he is in the wrong and understands the consequences of his actions. But even then , he never changes. Murder is always a full forged solution in his book.

But what made his personality more flawed was his anger, pride and this ability to listen to only himself. It’s what made him into a powerful king too, but it’s also what affected his relationship with Soo towards the end.

It’s hard to discern whether his impulsive , suspicious nature is the result of his environment and circumstances that he grew up in or just his personality. His Nature. But Wang So has always been pragmatic, opportunist and suspicious of those around him.

When we see him enter the palace, he kills of a horse. When Jimong offers him the opportunity to protect the crown prince , he questions his intentions. And he never opens up to anyone and is always on guard, full of excuses and masks. Which is why when Yeonhwa suggests he learns with the princes, he says he prefers being alone with his hunts. We all know he wants to live in Songak,but he says this because he doesn’t want her to know his intentions. And even Yeonhwa,can see through it.

He isolates himself from people.And it’s this exact combination of stubbornness, impulsivity and constant suspicion that makes it so easy for him kill anyone quickly and justify it. And since he isolated himself, there’s no one to stop him or make him think on it.And hence, he grows up, used to his extreme actions and not reflecting on it. Though he has his moments of regret, it’s not something he dwells on a lot.And he will never admit to it too,because he has pride.

All this makes it all the more easy for him to justify his actions.

It makes him either invincible or impossible and stubborn. Quite possibly both, but that doesn’t mean he is not bound to face the consequences of his actions. He is human after all, and if he chooses reckless actions one after the other and defend it, he’s bound to face the consequences. It doesn’t matter if he has a good reason or not. General Park points that out to him , clearly.

But he doesn’t think it through , and just ponders it for a while. But this moment, pretty much sets the stage for his inevitable end. All throughout his life he has to kill to survive, but the more he kills, the more enemies he creates and the more he has to cover up his path. And hence , the lonelier he becomes.

Meanwhile his relationship with Soo blossoms,and he finds it hard to explain his feelings for her.She shows him empathy and never judges him in his worst state,and tries to understand him. She treats him with kindness and like any other human being. He finds it easy and comfortable to talk to her and be around her.He opens up to her easily and listens to her easily. He also thinks about her and willingly incorporates what she says into his thoughts and actions. In other words , he has a crush on he doesn’t realise it. It’s quite hard for him to understand his own feelings, given how lonely he grew up.

And when he does,he is confused yet thrilled. But he still doesn’t possess complete understanding of his emotions, and he is not completely comfortable with having a person who sees right through him. Like when she sees right through his insecurity of his scar.And he punishes her for that by silence , and reprimanding her when she makes his favourite tea.

He ignores her, and it’s not until she reaches out to him after the rain festival does he put his defences down. But then, this was only achieved through her own efforts.In order to help him,she creates a foundation that conceals his scar,and she helps him succeed in the rain ritual.

He pretty much sets his heart to her after that and chases her and focuses on getting her for himself.He never listens to her rejection or her refusal and is quite insistent with his ways.He seeks her out and is quite determined to have her and he uses all means possible to have her by his side. Like he asks the King for her, then he takes her out of the palace ,drinks poison to protect her and stands by her side.

But little does he realise that this puts her in danger more than anything else. Because the more he chases her the more jealous Wook gets, the more worried his father becomes and the worse her reputation becomes ,because everyone calls her “bad luck” and blames her for how he turned out. But thing is , he does not realise it. He never sees the damage he’s unintentionally caused to her because in his mind he’s doing the right thing, choosing the right thing. He won’t listen to anyone who disagrees and he defies anyone who tries to stop him and that includes the king. In his mind, he already sees himself as the Knight in shining armour, who fights for the woman he loves.

And as his feelings grow, he also finds himself getting easily jealous. He has this habit of just assuming things and sticking by it, and it makes it hard for him to communicate.When he has to marry someone and is aware that is a deal breaker to her, he never reveals to her the reason behind it. Fans say this better than making up a excuse but I don’t see how this is better as it just leaves her alone without an explanation.All because he assumes she would hate him anyway.At the end of the day an explanation is better than an assumption or an excuse. He gets jealous when Baek Ah gets her the best present. His emotions have now become completely besotted with her,and is eager for real romance .So it’s not much of surprise to see his reaction after he discovers Jung hid in her room,it’s clear that he’s suspicious and doesn’t trust her easily.But this time , he goes to her asks her. He communicates and clears his doubts and reaches a deal. And it’s all sweetness for once.

Soon, their loyalties are tested, and they both hesitate to sort it out on their own. Wang So tries to sort it out all by himself and Hae Soo is hiding the people he’s searching for, eventually confesses to her , she holds back since she has too many warnings and supernatural visions that hold her back, but she does trust him . But it’s too late,and he ends up killing a brother and that haunts him. But that’s what pushes him to realise his place and finally steer him towards his path of being king.But for that when he’s asked to sacrifice Soo, he understands and breaks up with her in the cruelest way possible,by blaming her for his brother’s death.

The thing is, while saying those cruel words, he is also venting his anger out to her. When he returns he is still cold to her , but she still chases after him.She is burdened with guilt,and he cannot deny his feelings. Soon this leads to reincoincillation But thing is, Soo know he left her for the throne, but listens to his other reason anyway.She is beyond the point of no return, desperate to be with him. Hence gets what he wants, the throne and the girl.And they’re happy , for a while.

Until the issue of their marriage comes up,and everyone around Soo reminds her that she cannot marry him and be queen.The whole court urges So to marry Yeonhwa and he holds back, stubborn and he refuses to listen to them.Again Hae Soo ,has to give her approval and seem weak or the bad person.She is willingly talking the burn out for their relationship, both publicly and personally. Meanwhile , So grows more powerful.And he doesn’t back down this time.

He gets more stubborn and set in his ways,and refuses to listen to anyone else, especially now that his word is practically the law.He distances himself from Soo because he’s failed to live up to his promises of marrying her and starts channeling his anger to the Court and Jung .So he doesn’t hold back and starts unleashing his power and vengeance , beginning with Jung when he opposes him, and forbidding him to see his mother.When his mother protests , he forbades him to see her , which causes the queen to go on a hunger protest, asking to see her Jung.

We see Soo try to stop it , yes out of concern for Jung. But only because it’s in her character and she foresees the disastrous consequences, that it could possibly haunt him in the end and it did, in a way he never saw coming. When she sends for him ,he doesn’t reprimand or argue with her,he directly threatens her with punishment , proving he’s finally become the King he’s destined to be. Everything that was Wang So has already submerged into his conscience and only Gwangjong remains.

How could anyone expect her to understand him, when the man who loves her and risked his life for her is now threatening her with punishment, while instilling fear in her ?He’s being a King more than anything else. Jung arrives late and the queen dies.He later berates her for not taking his side, and walks away before she has the chance to apologise or provide comfort. He’s broken yes, but he is also unwilling to listen.Then, he proceeds to kill Chaeryung without an explanation, probably expecting her understanding in that matter too. People still blame Hae Soo , like they do for everything. But it was too much of a shock for her, just watching as she is beaten to death,without any anticipation or explanation.So explains his reason, but it’s too late, the graphic images of what she saw still reel in her head and no excuses can properly apply, because he really did kill her without warning. The reality of the palace becomes clear to Soo, and she makes up her mind.

Meanwhile, Wang So is furious and he blames Wook for all this,and when he goes to his room.He finds Yeonhwa , sitting there trying to trick him into consummating the marriage,but he sees through it.He makes a deal with her to get his revenge against Wook and it involves making the same promise he made to Soo.

So executes his plan to stand up to Wook, but he’s shocked to see Soo stand up to him. He states that he doesn’t like it but he listens to her this time, only because she doesn’t give him the opportunity to walk away by kneeling and she comes up with a good reason.

People point out and sometimes even write lengthy metas defending his actions, romanticising it and citing it as the greatest example of love to ever exist. But they fail to understand why this is considered problematic.It’s problematic because it’s so twisted and it’s bound to have consequences. He’s out here framing his brother, using consummation with his sister as colleteral, and is deriving pleasure out of momentary revange using his position of authority.As if that’s not that’s not bound to have consequences.

As viewers, we have an idea of how conniving Wook is. But the  idea Goryeo’s society has of Wook is he is a wise scholar an benevolent individual, a brother in law of the king who would be gracious enough to marry off his sister to him. He has the ministers in his fingertips, and if the King were to kill him over a bird, it would just prove what they and history have been thinking : That he’s a tyrant and a wolf dog who’s only good at killing people. He’s early into his reign and it would certainly build up a reputation that would not get him respect from the ministers.On top of that this was a guy that blamed himself for killing his brother for years.

And that’s exactly why Soo stops him. Sure she doesn’t want Wook to die, but also doesn’t want So to be remembered only as a bloody king. But this riles up his suspicion and Jealousy and increases his paranoia more than anything else.Next we have Jung , who finally has a chance to use his decree. He goes to Soo, who basically says what she’s been saying all along.  That she wants to leave and there’s no hope for their relationship.She’s honest with him and even confesses her hate.He again doesn’t listen to her and walks away, vowing he’ll never let her go.

And it finally allows Yeonhwa to execute her plans meticulously and for Wook to have his revenge. Wook confesses his past relationship with Soo, and it literally turns his brain upside down.He cannot believe the woman he loves used to love his enemy and she still sticks up for him. And it’s all it takes for his paranoia to sweep in and convince himself that she has never loved him and it was all Wook. He says he’ll never see her again and agrees to let her out of the palace.

I guess his actions after this split truly exhibit the many layers of his characters: his insecurity, his hypocrisy, pride ,vulnerability and jealousy. Insecurity in his feelings for Soo, that she loves someone more than him. That she never loved him and has abandoned him.Jealousy in the fact that she loved and married someone else.I guess these overwhelming emotions make him really vulnerable, and that’s what makes him cry, and still keeps tabs on her, because despite all the anger and hatred , he cannot forget her.

Besides, we cannot discuss his aspects of villainy without discussing his childhood, which is really the cusp of where it all begin. Personally, I think he only survived because he’s Wang So. He Fought back.He never let anyone disrespect him,and he found his own way to derive respect.  I think he deliberately improved on his skills, from combat to education, he improved because he wanted to prove to everyone that’s he much more than what they think. He doesn’t care for people. He only cares for his people. He’s only selfless towards those he cares about.

And that’s where his final and most darkest qualities surface: his pride and hypocrisy.All of his actions, from the beginning to the end, have been influenced by his “pride”. There’s no denying that it’s a big part of his character and the writer made it clear from the get go. We cannot say if it’s because of his traumatic childhood, and how he was treated as a hostage or it really is a underlining element of his personality, but Wang So is all about proving thing this to people. Proving that he is someone who’s much better what they think and getting back at them for putting him through what they did. It’s Soo that makes him see that power can be something more . That it can be used to do something more and help people. It’s she who makes him selfless.

But with that pride and pent up anger, he has this side of him that’s bit of an hypocrite. Why else do you think he’s able to continuously make excuses for all his actions, from the beginning? I’m not sure if it’s because he’s him or hypocrisy is a dominant gene that gets passed on to every member of the Goryeo Royal family and runs fresh in their veins , but just like all of them, he’s an hypocrite. He only sees his side of things.

He blames Soo for leaving him , but he left her as well. Two years prior, and even now. He accuses her of not trusting him and not understanding him , but as we can see , he’s the one with trust issues and he’s the one who misunderstood her feelings. He spies on her and assumes she never loved him , and really, this time he cannot blame anyone else but himself for his actions. It’s because of these actions that they have such a painful separation. He’s so involved with himself at this point , that besides seeing only his side of things, he views himself someone who’s wronged, but he never sees how much he’s actions hurt and affect the ones he’s loved .

There’s no denying that that throne makes him very vulnerable that his insecurities and guard go up times higher , making him isolate people even more. But it’s what makes him such a hypocrite , because he can only see his side of things and excuse anything he does. Especially now that he’s a king , he believes his judgement is better than everyone. Besides, anyone in a position of power, have to be a bit of an hypocrite to begin with. The trick is to not let it completely consume you. But it does and it isolates him, and its what causes him to shut himself from everyone.

In retrospect, I still vehemently hold on to my view that it was best for Hae Soo to leave the palace.With his tunnel vision, once again he never sees the danger he puts Soo in. He tells Soo that she would be his only Queen, but he says the same thing to Yeonhwa to make her give up on her brother. But he doesn’t see that she expects to have him all to herself and be  his “only queen”. So when he plans on making Soo his “second queen” and she has a child on the way, how did he think Yeonhwa will react? With open acceptance and genuine Joy? He’s so blind to her problems and caught up in his struggle, it does not even occur to him how there’s no hope for her in the palace.

All of this problems arise because of all the reasons that I’ve discused in detail. I’m not denying Hae Soo has a part in it, but this is a post focusing on Wang So’s flaws. It’s because he’s possessive, stubborn, arrogant and ignorant that he reaches the conclusion that she never loved him, believes the words of a random spy and spies on her and sees what he wants to see.

There is this thing where people always compare his love to Jung’s and argue that Jung loved better, because he didn't expect anything in return.I would like to remind them that there was a time and Soo didn’t reciprocate Wang so’s feelings and he was ready to sacrifice everything for her. He would drink poison for her. But it all changed when she started loving him back. It’s hard predict how Jung would’ve been if she reciprocated his feelings, but I’m sure he wouldn't’ t have been the same. But where his love triumphs  over So is in the respect he had for her as a person. Jung respected Soo. He respected her choices, her likes and her personality. Whereas,So only agreed with aspects of her personality and disagreed with the rest. He never respected or understood her as a whole. There was no acceptance of her as whole. His love is great but it’s also very suffocating, because there’s no space for her as a whole , flawed person. In his love there’s only space for the Soo he wants her to be: kind, understanding, fun, naive,loyal, and smart. But the stubborn, arrogant, independent, impulsive Soo that can argue back and make her own decisions ? Let’s just say there’s a reason her never listens to her in the first place.

Which is why when the news of her death reaches him and he reads the letters,  The consequences of his actions finally hit and the reality is so cruel he cannot handle it. Which is why he is in so much denial,that he is rushing in the hopes of seeing her one last time. But this time, he’s simply too late.

And this was partly a consequence of his own actions, but it finally hits him: He’s all alone now.He finally understands Hae Soo and longs for her.

The thing is, it wouldn’t have ended up all like this if he had listened to her or apologised. But like mentioned above, all his insecure,dark qualities come together, and bring out his worst self.

But ironically, that’s exactly what Goryeo needed at the time.They needed a king who’s stubborn, not easily influenced and full of pride that will withstand till the end.A king who is powerful enough to push his law through, despite opposition from noble families. And now, he has more than enough reasons to influence him and push him through those decisions. From his horrible childhood to Soo, everything stood as a reason for shaping him into who he is set to become: The powerful 4th King of Goryeo.

But its sadly it’s exactly those qualities destroys his relationship with Soo. As long as he is king, she will be used as his weakness.

My main point in writing this lengthy, tedious post is because to be honest, I’ve seen way to many Wang So stans in this app, who in order to support him, bash and blame other characters for his actions, and look at him through dreamy, swoon worthy glasses. They overlook his flaws and make defences for it, but the things flaws are very much a central point of his character.

He is a passionate lover and an astute King. But he is also is an experienced and skilled warrior, a possessive and jealous man who has no problem with scheming or giving out harsh punishments.He is childish, with trust and mommy issues and he has never recovered from the scars of his childhood. All of which eventually shapes the man he becomes.

Though it’s romantic that he states he will find her wherever she is, even if he does, it won’t bring him the romance or closure he desires. Why? Because, he still has to face the consequences of his own actions. He has to answer why he never came to get her, why he thought she never loved him etc..

He has to learn from his mistakes and understand Soo better.He needs to learn to differentiate love, and to trust her more.He needs to handle his anger properly and not confuse and channel it towards Soo. He needs to respect and understand Soo better, and all of that takes time.And space. And lots of conversations and privacy.

It’s ironic but once again through on his own words, he’s set to prove himself all over again. For all the discussions on “fate”, it seems like he’s deciding his own “fate” now. Again, very heroic but the road to it is very difficult, and there’s no Hae Soo to bear the brunt of making difficult decisions anymore.

But the real question is, whether is the same qualities that drew them apart, will it lead him to her now?

•This is solely the opinion of one person.

With everyone condemning the drama I thought I would give my two cents on it.

I will start of by saying that I’m not someone who condemns female sexuality or girls chasing men and embracing their desire and chasing men . I’m all for it. But this is not it.

Female sexuality is not seeking to control men, it’s about being in control of your own desires.And in this case,she and her friends are blatantly approving him because they find him easier to control. So it’s not about her desire to explore as much as it’s her desire to seduce and control him. I don’t approve of women getting into relationships just to control men.

And the women in the drama give me serious men writing women vibes.As they constantly belittle other girls by their looks, get threatened by them or combat them. And the trope using sexuality to manipulate men is tale as old as time,often used in male narratives in which they place blame on the women for heartbreak and “ruining them”.

I’ve seen most say that the female lead is strong ,badass and “knows what she’s into”.Let me just start off by saying that,she was a minor. And that physical strength,verbal insults and pushing for what you want is not strength ,nor is it maturity.Strength is will,conviction,endurance and survival.Maturity is awareness,understanding and responsibility.And our female portogonist seems to posses none of that.Her strength is surface level,and the fact that many call her a “strong female character” makes me question how deep general perception really is. I’m know she looks out for her sister, but to me it just seems like her sister is emulating her behaviour and she still recklessly seeks the male lead out,and gets drunk on her job. To me, it appears that what I percieve to be her weakness or flaws, is sold as strength.

I’m aware that is written completely by my pre conceived notions, and that she probably has a backstory that can prove her strength,but we shouldn’t jump to quick conclusions just by seeing this execution of her characters as “strong”. I think a strong character is defined by vulnerability and flaws,until I see the drama treat that ,I will hold this judgment. And No, smoking,swearing and beating people is not mature behaviour.Its delinquent behaviour. I will argue it makes her immature. She doesn’t know what she’s clearly getting into and being confident about seducing him to control him shows how unaware she is , as it’s bound to back fire.

Which brings me to the men of the drama.Let me just start of saying that the male lead of the drama is not “innocent”, that he is a Grown Ass Man. He knows what he’s doing since he hires her and gives her his number and worries about the consequences of his action. He knows and it seems to me ,every men in the drama, though they seem to be controlled by women,what they are all controlled by really is their uhm... Horny desires. There, I said it. Whether it’s our lead getting excited about spending the night with his girlfriend or his horny webtoon creator friend ,whose laughable quirky trait seems to be blatant racial appropriation,that’s degrading at its finest. And no , the fact that he saves puppies or is dumped doesn’t drive away from the fact that he still gives her his number and is attracted to her.

I assume (again ,just assuming) that it aims to relate to male audience by appealing to their base desires ,cuz all dudes loves sex, am I right? And it’s female audience by “strong,independent” female lead.

But what worries me , is that most seem to agree that its female lead that’s in control,but the basic premise of the webtoon involves two women fighting over the male lead ,and how our male lead can’t resist the minor because she’s so sexy ohmygawd.

Which brings me to the execution,as it seems to suggest we shouldn’t take this drama seriously,which is the most troubling part. Because at the end of the day it’s a controversial romance,and romanticising it doesn’t take away from the fact it appears predatory. It shouldn’t be a light ,family drama and it will only succeed if it’s bold in its treatment ,delving into its dark nature. We need to see them face the consequence of their actions, him with his irresponsibility and perversion and her with her innocence(yes making the first move or seduction doesn’t make her mature either )and immaturity.Giving it the age old easy rom com treatment doesn’t make it endearing at all. I fear many naive young girls ,will see this as “empowering” and get hurt. Because no,seducing old men doesn’t end well,usually.

Hopefully,it will focus more on the reality of it. And if the various case studies from 90 day fiancé where older men seek out young women prove to be true, it’s usually the women that end up getting hurt. Hopefully,this is not a show that is written solely for the purpose of audience wish fulfillment, specifically, older male auidience wish fulfilment. I would love if it takes a more mature,tragic route instead of landing on the sweet happy ending.

In my arrogant opinion, I think it’s easy to root for the male lead because it’s played by a man with an angelic face.

It’s a story about murder and how it affects , changes and impacts a family.

The Do’s were probably a bit normal before the truth was revealed and it shattered them.I dont think they were normal to begin with but the truth shattered them and the way society perceived them.Hae Soo was considered “normal” until the day her father’s crimes were revealed then moojin broke up with her, village foreman committed exorcisms and tried to take advantage of her given her ostracised status. Hyunso probably thought no one will suspect her since she’s nice. He learnt that from her I think so he took the blame since he’s bound to be suspected anyway and left , getting rid of evidence.

But they were still family in a way. She was like a mother figure that he still listens to and cares about. They cared for each other growing up and their father probably only used Heesung. And hence , that dynamic still remains.

Which is why it will interesting to see how the truth will shatter the lead couples family . Will they keep lying to each other ? Or will they confront and go on from there ? What’s clear is they won’t be what they were anymore.

We see that lies impact , change and torture the Baek family where one gets exhausted and the other keeps holding on the truth. The lies change them and twist their personalities in a way there’s only bitterness left. In their marriage and their interaction with anyone else.

We see Park Kyung Choon turn sloppy , messy murderer in the name of getting revenge for his wife and became a worse murderer than the ones he’s chasing. We see him go beastly and irrational in his quest for truth..

The question is what’s in the store for Ji Won and Hyun So? Bitterness? Murder ? Separation ? I think the best solution is honesty but they both refuse to come clean and confront. They both want to protect the lie more than anything else and it’s has already started creating cracks in their perfect facade.

• This might trigger some.

1)I’ve always wanted to ask,why are people so hard on the female characters and have too much expectations for them?

Like I get it,we all want a “strong,female lead that depends on no man” but I feel like the strength we search for in them comes at the cost of their vulnerabilities. We only root for the female lead if she is strong,independent,kicks guy’s faces and has strong verbal retorts. But if she’s none of that,we easily dismiss her as weak. Even if she has proved herself to be a woman with strong will,convictions and a kind,cute personality, who shows character consistency.

Case study 1: Hae Soo/ Ha Jin . A Morden woman stuck in Goryeo who is a cosmetic expert. She has her flaws : she is naive, unaware,trusts people too much and is stubborn.But her strength is solely defined by her will to survive and protect those around her,and though she is not physically strong or sassy,she sticks to her convictions ,learns from her mistakes and moves out of the palace to protect her sanity and her unborn child.But she is dismissed as weak,wishy-washy ,blamed for the break up and is called so many things.Her suffering is often very overlooked, though she suffered a miserable life in not one but ,two lifetimes:One in modern times,one in Goryeo. With people just assuming she has it easy,though she clearly puts in all the effort required.

2)Why is it always the woman who’s blamed for the breakup? Why is it considered fine for the men to find happiness after the breakup since “he deserves better” but not the women and why do we always turn them into villains who broke the lead’s hearts after the breakup? Not to mention,we rarely make an effort to see things from their perspective?

I’m aware I could Wang So and Hae Soo to illustrate this point as well but I will use another example.

Case study 2: He Fanxing and Yuan Song: He Fanxing is a strong ,level headed capable woman who wants to be a dutiful daughter more than anything else.She makes many mistakes in her relationship with Yuan Song and is anxious due to parental and societal pressure. She breaks up with Yuan Song after realising how naive he is for forgoing his education for the sake of their relationship.She pushes herself to date Luming and is manipulated by him but she eventually realises her mistakes and makes effort to reach her happiness. But she is always blamed and called out, even though the men in her life clearly display various flaws and make mistakes.

3) Why do we always blatantly choose to defend the men and not hold them accountable for their actions ? Why do we only see their positive traits and label them into “selfless heroic boyfriend” and overlook their flaws and disturbing behaviour?

Case 3: Wang So : A skilled ,witty prince who used to be political hostage and suffered horrendous amounts of emotional and physical abuse. He proved to be kind ,selfless partner to Hae Soo but years of abuse has skewed his perception of love&intimacy which gets worse in the face of power.He becomes distant, possessive and jealous and assumes the worst of the women he loves,just because she leaves him.He never hears her perspective and regretfully only understands her character after her death. Illustrated clearly in the drama and even the actor who plays him confirmed his jealous ,possessive personality. Fans still defend every inch of his actions, and they cite his suffering as reason for him to happy and “deserving better”.Even if it’s at the cost of suffering of others and his lover and they very blatantly overlook his flaws, reducing him to be “selfless and heroic”.

Case study 4: Daoming SI: Our hot,rich arrogant boyfriend Doaming SI is many things but perfect. He exhibits so my troubling behaviour in his relationship and he is jealous,possessive and stalkerish. He can be forceful ,degrading and sometimes he even has a hard time respecting the choice of the women he loves.But people still defend him and don’t hold him accountable for his actions and are quick to hate the female lead because she doesn’t easily accept him.He does evolve and become kinder but he is never freed from his flaws.

4) Which brings me to my final question ,Why do we only Judge the male characters by their positive traits ,overlooking the negative and define the female characters by their flaws and mistakes,overlooking the positive?

I mean, what’s the point of asking deep, strong female characters if we easily define them by their mistakes?

What’s the point of asking for deep ,male characters if we blatantly overlook their flaws and mistakes and quickly defend their actions?

A character without flaws,that doesn’t make mistakes is no character at all,but is simply a narrative device created for audience wish fulfillment.Theres nothing intrinsically human about them.

A character should be analysed by both traits and flaws and not held to extreme standards or judged solely by their mistakes .That’s my take on it.

As an aspiring writer,it makes me anxious to create female characters if they are bound to be judged similar way.Hence I’m asking this ,answer me if you can,but don’t get too mad. I used “we” because I used to do this too.

I know this is a lot ,but I will be happy if u answered at least one question