Quick spoiler question about A Step Into the Past

[dangermousie]

OK, I read something on wiki which, if true, means I am ditching this.


...the main character doesn't have an OTP but an OT3, as in he happily hooks up with two ladies and lives in a blissful polygamous marriage with them?

Yes, I know it's fine during the relevant period but it's extremely off-putting to me.

So, does it happen? If so, I am skipping because gross gross gross.

ETA: OK, maybe not skipping. Haven't decided. But a good thing I was 'warned' - I'd have had a coronary otherwise.

Comments

[ockoala.livejournal.com]

It's true, but really historically appropriate and acceptable.

As a Chinese, I accept that the men in my cultural history had many wives, when I watch certain dramas that are set in those times.

It's up to you if you want to ditch, but a fair warning that plenty of dramas will have the OTP be an OT4 or even an OT7 (like Duke of Mount Deer).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know it's historically accurate and in both my religion and my ethnic heritage, polygamy was the accepted thing back way when as well (I am Ashkenazi Jewish) - all the patriarchs had more than one wife.

I think it depends on a number of things - if it's a serious historical drama about politics with any shippy stuff being tertiary at best, then go at it. But any time travel drama is by definition 'fusion' (to use kdrama terminology) and so my standards on it are different. To use my own cultural examples, I don't mind if there is a novel about a friend of Jacob's who has three wives. If, otoh, some modern-day student travelled back in time to hang out with a Biblical person and ended up having multiple spouses - iffy.

More importantly, at least from wiki, it seems that he loves them both and they love him and they are happy in the arrangement. And this is where my brain breaks. Once you bring romantic love into it, polyamory just becomes not tenable in my head. I don't have a problem with Mt Deer (about which I knew the whole plethora of wives thing) because (a) guy is product of his time (b) from what I got he liked them but passionate love of any sort wasn't in the drama or even a tertiary focus.

[katranna.livejournal.com]

Um I know several people iRL who have that sort of arrangement... it's quite tenable, as long as all the people involved in it are all equally involved in the relationship decision-making. My new local best friend and her long-time boyfriend/lifepartner are polyamorous, and are totally in love with each other even as they date other people.

[phoenixbasilisk.livejournal.com]

You know that other time traveling cdrama thats coming out soon?
Bu Bu Jing Xin?

I found this:

http://chloeplus.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-wont-wanna-miss-c-drama-moving.html

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Sounds good. (Also, oh boy, am I glad they upped the age from 13. Historically accurate but really not acceptable for modern audience).

In this version of the triangle I am all for Four btw - have you seen those abs? :)

[phoenixbasilisk.livejournal.com]

Yepp, I agree. Need an older character.

Hahahha, I've seen those abs. I think Four is the OTP? Since Eight loves another?

Waaah. I need a seperate space in my brain for JPLH and BBJX now.

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

WAIT. WHAT? WHAT?

I'm sorry, a canon OT3?

POINT ME WHERE.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

A Step Into the Past, a 2001 drama starring the very hot Louis Koo who time-travels back into Qin Dynasty and ends up in happy polygamous marriage with two very different ladies, one of whom is played by a much younger concubine Xi from JPLH :)

It's on yellowcinema and am.

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

Is it for-real happy? Like all parties are happy with the arrangement?

[cantfillthevoid.livejournal.com]

I hated the fact that he ended up with two, but I still love this drama despite that, or at least the parts with Jessica or Joyce.
I believe he only truly loved one of them and only married the other one because of some spoilery reasons...

butting in...

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

OMG ICON.

LOVE.

Re: butting in...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's a scene in ep 11 :P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, makes me feel better :)

[fishncake.livejournal.com]

He loved Sonija(s), Jessica and Michelle Saram in different way. Joyce is another story because they are more like I trust you with my love friendship.

Jessica screentime was reduced because she fell sick midway filming and had to be hospitalized for weeks if I remember correctly.

[fishncake.livejournal.com]

Lol... yes it's true AND he did struggle with the idea of polygamy. SPOILER Quite funny coz he was so troubled but other ppl around him were like, what's the big deal?

TVB cut down the number of wives and lovers Louis have in the series.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

This is something I am never getting used to.

*sticks hands in ears, proceeds to run around clutching her ROCH dvds*

[fishncake.livejournal.com]

Oops, I mean trust you with my life. Hehe... sorry.

A Step Into The Past

[elizabennet69.livejournal.com]

The novel is very racy and comes off as a romance/adventure novel for men. Equivalent of the ones for women. Shaolong has sex in every opportunity (usually before or after beating evil men both by brain power and by his superior fighting skills) And all the women around him are ready to make love to him all the time, 24/7.

Here is a decent translation of it (the link has decent translations of good martial art novels too)

http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showthread.php?23962-A-step-into-the-past-寻秦记-by-Huang-Yi-(Unabridged)



On an unrelated note, I do like Louis Koo as an actor and think him very handsome but I like him better when he does comedy - he has natural comic timing but his dramatic scenes are not as effective.

Re: A Step Into The Past

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links!

[karened.livejournal.com]

haha yes, he does and that's why I said my OTP was ruined. garrrrh. Tell me which pair you ship after you've watched half of it!! Or maybe both?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The polygamy thing is soooo odd to me.

The Ending (Obviously A Spoiler)

[chloeplus.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Hi mousie! Wanted to reply earlier because I remember this show but unfortunately could not remember the details for the life of me.

BUT! Today at dinner I ask my mom about "that Louis Koo show where he time travelled" and guess what? She does remember! (Which is surprising 'cause she barely does remember past shows we've watched before)

She says she does 'cause the show was very funny and she loved it. Here're the points:

-He likes Sonjia Kwok not Jessica Hsuan, but ended up marrying both 'cause Sonjia and he agreed that they should not hurt her (or maybe Sonjia persuaded him, not sure)

-The era which he went back to was before the Romance of The Three Kingdoms period, where they were many small kingdoms. He'll have a son bore by Jessica (no offspring from Sonjia) and when they gave him a name it turned out to be one of the future leader of a kingdom.

-Yeah I don't like it when they do the more-than-one-woman ending but it was not distasteful or anything. You should watch it for the laughs, I don't think it was heavy on romance anyway. Although I think I rooted for Jessica (no apparent reason accept that I like her in real life).

Re: The Ending (Obviously A Spoiler)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Btw, I only lurk there but I adore adore adore your blog. It was my sanity saver during the Secret Garden days.

[happahaole.livejournal.com]

umm eww...
it's even worse considering that he's actually from the future

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yup, exactly.