Joy of Life: Season 2 (2024)

I forgot all that happened in Season 1 and I still had a GREAT time watching Season 2

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.75

The long-awaited season 2 of “Joy of Life” did not disappoint. Props to the novel writer and the scriptwriter for coming up with such an engaging plot and witty conversations. The humor in this drama is top-notch. This drama shows that you do not need to have over-the-top acting to make people laugh. If I have to list ONE good thing about this drama, it would be its comedy/humor.

As the title said, I did not rewatch season 1 and I forget almost everything. Is it still worth watching season 2? ABSOLUTELY! However, I do think that if you forget what happened and have the time to rewatch season 1 or the shortened (LOL) 25-ep recap, you should do it. There are times I really wish I could remember what happened in Northern Qi. There were very few flashbacks to season 1 and when they were reminiscing about what happened, they did not go in-depth.

Just like in season 1, the acting is spectacular. Zhang Ruo Yun plays a more mature but still funny version of Fan Xian. Fan Xian’s journey is central to the plot and the second season shows his growth and character development as he learns more of her mother’s legacy and influence. Everything revolves about him and the people around him. You feel for him when he becomes unsure of who he can and cannot trust. There are layers and layers of schemes over schemes. The emperor is even more omnipresent than before. After a while, I automatically assume he’s behind everything and can’t be trusted at all. The veteran cast continues to impress. The elder trio of the Emperor, Chan Ping Ping and Fan Jian (ML’s father) has some of the best scenes. I also like the witty banter and animosity between Fan Xian and the Second prince, and the friendship between Fan Xian and Wang Qi Nian. I am also so proud of Fan Si Zhe and Fan Ruo Ruo growth in this drama as well. Having said that, at one point, I wonder if this drama is ever going to end (not because I was bored). It feels like the stories revolving around Fan Xian can go on forever. There doesn’t seem to be a main plot with a beginning, middle and end.

On a shallower note, Zhang Ruo Yun lost a lot of weight this season. He’s looking more handsome than before. Li Qin is still beautiful, but the 5-year wait really shows Li Qin’s more mature look. But I guess it’s OK, since Lin Wan Er is not the little girl with the chicken leg anymore. I still find Wu Gang (Chen Ping Ping) and Chen Dao Ming’s (Emperor) faces very botox-like and a little distracting. If we have to wait another 5 years for season 3, I am afraid all the cast members might become too old!

“Joy of Life” obviously has a pretty decent budget. They might not be able to bring Xiao Zhan back, but it still has a star-studded cast and many supporting and guest roles. The production quality is great with beautiful costumes and accessories, (how elaborate and detailed was Lin Wan Er’s wedding headdress!!!), sets and props. The CGI of the fight scenes are just OK though. I know this is not a wuxia drama, but I wish there were more fight scenes.

A couple of my minor criticisms have to do with the writing of the female cast. First of all (and it might only bug me) is the romance between Fan Xian and Lin Wan Er. I know romance is only a very tiny part of this amazing drama. I still feel that there aren’t enough of the two of them together throughout the drama. The majority of their scenes are towards the end of the drama, and I need some sooner, so that the impact of their wedding and confrontation in the latter half can be more impactful. Additionally, the drama introduced several female characters in the first half, e.g. Northern Qi’s princess (Mao Xiao Tong), Sang Wen (Wang Chu Ran) and Yuen Meng (Wang Xiao Chen). What happened to them in the latter half? They just disappeared? I thought I would see more of the 1st Prince with the princess, similar to the story of the 2nd Prince and Ye Ling Er.

Having said all that, “Joy of Life 2” is really worth the 5-year wait. There are a few scenes that I enjoy so much that I actually jot them down in my notes:
1. Seeing Chen Ping Ping with his hair down in his mansion is a weird sight. What is up with the extravagant lifestyle!??!
2. The conversation between FL’s brother (Da Bao) and father also breaks my heart. It’s a sad reminder that people change one day and those who like him now, may not like him in the future. That whole side story of the two is so touching.
3. Fan Xian and Wan Er’s teary confrontation also broke my heart. I have to say, Li Qin was excellent here and that’s a huge compliment when she’s playing opposite Zhang Ruo Yun.
4. All of the different conversations Fan Xian and his family have between each other are touching and meaningful.

I go back and forth on whether to rate this an 8.5 or 9.0. I think part of my wavering is because I don’t remember much in season 1. That doesn’t seem fair to downgrade my rating because it’s a me problem. Objectively, “Joy of Life” is very deserving of its high rating with great writing, excellent acting and a controlled yet smooth pace, even though they are some loose ends that might or might be resolved by season 3. I hope we don’t have to wait long to find out!


Completed: 7/14/2024 - Review #460

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EL MEJOR DRAMA CHINO DE LA HISTORIA

Puede que el título de esta reseña parezca exagerada, pero no lo es. Si aún no fuiste a ver la 1era temporada, te recomiendo que prepares un fin de semana, snacks, café, mascarillas y le des play a esta serie, IMPOSIBLE QUE TE ARREPIENTAS!

Todo en esta historia es atrapante, desde el 1er capítulo vas a querer saber más y más, la historia es tan atrapante, los personajes son tan intrigantes, tan divertidos (hasta los villanos son divertidos), tan estratégicos. Te muestran sus facetas de Leales, filiales, empáticos, estrategas, sarcásticos, y NADA está sobreactuado, todo está en su punto.

Me impactó mucho el nivel de sentido de justicia que tiene nuestro protagonista, la lealtad y lo protector que es con todos. Hace mucho tiempo que un drama no me impactaba tanto, hace solo unos dias terminé de ver la 1era temporada y ya inicié con la segunda, no sé como voy a entretenerme mientras espero la 3era temporada (espero que Cheng Yi estrene dramas durante el año).

Este es un pequeño spoiler, pero es sólo para que vayan a ver el drama: La combinación entre la historia antigua y el moderno siglo XXI les hará explotar la cabeza, especialmente por la mamá de Fan Xian y por el Maestro Wuzhu, estos dos personajes les hará pensar una y otra vez. Para que vean, no solo los protagonistas son interesantes en este drama, cada uno de los personajes es intrigante.

Aun quedan algunos días para que esta 2da temporada termine, pero no aguanté las ganas de contar lo EXCELENTE QUE ES ESTE DRAMA.

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An exceptional and rare gem of cdramaland

This season was great. The character development, the story progression, the revelations, the tying up with S1 was impeccable. This season was many shades darker than the first season and as per some novel spoilers it is going to be the darkest in S3.

One thing to keep in mind before watching this season is that this season focuses more on power struggle, scheming, politics, corruption and unfairness in the world. Therefore, it is more dialogue heavy than action heavy. If people sitting and conversing in a room while sipping tea is not what interests you then I suggest you watch something else. Many people went in thinking this was going to be an action filled drama but were disappointed because that is not what it is. It still has its action moments but they are not the center of the story. The story is mysterious, suspenseful and exciting because the dialogue is intelligent and the schemes/plans that characters come up with are brilliant.

Also, there is comedy and many silly, goofy moments which I really appreciate because the overall tone of this season, as mentioned before, is quite ominous and foreboding.

I enjoyed this season tremendously. Definitely Top 3 drama for me from cdramaland. After 2 brilliant seasons, I trust this drama's team. They know what they're doing and it is visible in the drama that all the people involved care for the project.

If you are hesitating whether to watch this or not, please just go watch. Do not pay heed to criticism or even praise from fans like me. If you have even the slightest interest in JOL, then give it a try.

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S3, please come quick!

Mainly writing this review to express my love for the OST. The intro and outro were both so good but I loved the outro from the first episode and never skipped it everytime the episode ended. Apologies to my neighbours for the weeks of me screaming “话谢过，路借过，你是你，我是我”, but this outro put me on to Zhou Shen and I'm obsessed!

Aside from this, JoL S2 delivered the same amount of enjoyment I had watching S1. This show is just top quality. What I love about the series is how much it makes me immersed in the story with the acting and plot. All the plotting, politics and dialogue pull you in and I was able to enjoy it more because, as a viewer, I felt I also had to deduce what was going on and what was not being said. All the plot lines and dialogues are not laid out so directly and obviously, so it makes you feel engaged with Fan Xian and the gang in trying to uncover the mysteries around them and connecting the dots with clues we get throughout the series. I appreciate that the writers do not undermine the strengths of all the characters, like everyone is so smart and cunning so it becomes a battle of wits watching Fan Xian go up against various characters.

Another thing that made me immersed in the story was the acting. Everyone is on top of their freaking game. Cheng Ping Ping, the Emperor, Wang Qi Nian, Fan Xian - the actors for these characters were probably my standouts because of how often we see them, but every actor did a fantastic job.

Also, this is one of the few series I can watch and enjoy without caring much about the romantic story lines. Wan Er and Fan Xian were good together but I didnt really care much for their romance. It was great having a couple moments of them together here and there but my main attention was attached to the political aspects, so it was a great balance.

Overall, great series that I already know I'll rewatch again in the future, before and after S3 finally comes out.

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Fan Xian is a Prince

The second season felt like it ended too quickly. I can say that it was lower than the first season. The events have been simplified a little and many unknowns have been made known. Great masters are brought in one by one. I think the future in the North will come in the third season. There will be a Fan Xian who can challenge every master. The episodes were full of humor. It was alive. That's why I love this series. Additionally, it had many intriguing features. It was full of mystery. However, I looked for the excitement of the first season. I couldn't find it this season. The most important feature was that, as we predicted, Fan Xian was the King's son. It was his marriage to Wan Er. However, Wan Er appeared in very few episodes. In the episodes he received, he learned that Fan Si Ze was the one who killed his brother and declared his hostility towards him. I could not understand the feeling of revenge of a character who did not object to his brother killing Fan Xian and could not convince his brother about this. If he didn't, his brother would kill Fan Xian. Does this mean that Wan Er loves her brother more and wants him to kill Fan Xian? This understanding of hostility is similar to this. So it didn't work for me. It's the scriptwriter's mistake. He had to find a more suitable excuse or something else to organize it. I do not agree. I didn't like it either.
The king is strange, we are used to his tricks. Also about things related to his sons. The strangeness continued in this episode. However, the queen was also a very strange person, she did such things that were unforgivable, but the strange King forgave her too. In other words, these were some strange oddities of unknown origin. These things don't suit the series. If the king was consistent, he should have at least taken away the Queenship. It's simplistic. It didn't happen.
I can say that this season was mostly about Cheng Ze's plans against Fan Xian and his responses to him. So this season has been focused on this. He restricted himself. In the last moments, they tried to make the conspiracy theories even bigger by including the Princess, but this turned into an attitude that made the series shallow and unable to break out of its mould. More precisely, I would like to see new things while watching. Let there be more popular things. Let there be other faces. Conspiracies should not be limited to princes. Let's open up a bit. Let it be diversified. The ability to cope with difficulties should be increased. In other words, Fan Playing. The incident has been made like this. I hope we will watch different variations in the third season.
Even though I criticized it, I must say that I enjoyed watching the series. As I said, it was a purely serious series, not a series with conspiracy theories. It was funny. Zhang Ruo Yun is a funny actor. It suits comedy. Tian Yu supported him well. When they do this, they approach events accordingly and bring liveliness and excitement to the scenes. I love this. I watched it without getting bored. I would recommend it to everyone.

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And the award of the most hilarious drama goes to...

'Joy of Life' garnered high viewership and was a great hype back in 2019. To tell you the truth, I only watched two episodes of the first season, right before the season 2 started airing (the rest episodes have been blocked as VIP). You see, I only have slight knowledge about this series. Aside from Fan Xian, I only know Uncle Wu Zhu, Fei Jie, Grandma Fan, Fan Ruoruo, Teng Zijing, Yan Bingyun, the map seller Wang Qinian, and the young version of Chen Pingping. Despite my slight knowledge, I still enjoy the season 2 wholeheartedly. I'm ROOTING for every character regardless of their sides (good and evil). So, now let's see my take on this show and here we go...

I'm sure that the first season ended in a cliffhanger and that Fan Xian was dead. But the answer is a big NO! He faked his death and resurrected again! Later, he returned to the capital again, dealt with numerous crises that involved the commoners, and even solved the royal palace's cases such as kicking out corrupt officials, dealing with money embezzlement case, exposing the royal family's crimes, and blah blah blah. Fan Xian is the type of a person that couldn't stand injustice - he will do his best to ensure the commoners' safety and expediency and will not let any officials harm them. However, not many people want to take Fan Xian's path and prefer to be indifferent towards the commoners.

One more thing, he also changed the emperor's mindset and won his trust! In the latter episodes, it is revealed that the emperor was Fan Xian's biological father, and the name Fan Xian was designated by his mother, Ye Qingmei. Logically speaking, Fan Xian's status was equal to that of the princes, and that's why the emperor passed down the Imperial Treasury to Fan Xian, believing that he could take care of his mother's old asset.

The plot is craved intelligently with a lot of riddles hidden in the dialogues; you can never guess who the ultimate villain is - whether it is the second prince, the crown prince, the empress, the officials, Chen Pingping, and even the emperor himself. Everyone has their own side to defend and they're all SUPER GREY characters! 'Joy of Life' combines the dark palace politic with funny humor *thumbs up*. I feel concerned to the characters when they're at the lowest point of their lives and laugh uncontrollably when they start to banter. I can list all sort of the funny things they did - Fan Xian's bickering with the four princes, Fan Jian and Chen Pingping's silly arguments, the emperor's handmade gunpowder, Fan Xian's chicken dance when trying out his new clothes, Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo complicated relationship in which everyone was fond of, Wang Qinian's little family, and many more.

Not only is the plot beautifully woven, but the acting is also top-notch. Everyone casted in the season 2 is experienced and can act well according to the script. Despite the minor fighting scene, it is executed very well, especially Fan Xian and Shadow's duel and also Uncle Wu Zhu's qinggong. I know a lot of people have been complaining about the few fighting scenes, but to me, it doesn't matter. As long as the script isn't messed up, everything will be alright.

I literally skip the opening and ending OSTs, but the BGM is quite nice. I especially like the comedy BGM and just keep humming to myself haha.

I highly recommend this show - you won't regret watching every single minute of it! I'll be waiting for season 3 (don't know when it will air though, haha). See you in season 3, Fan Xian! You're the best!

Three best quotes from JOL Season 2:
- Fan Xian to Fan Sizhe
"You will only be mature if you leave your home."

- Chancellor Lin Ruofu to Fan Xian
"People's hearts will always change so don't trust people easily."

- Chen Pingping to Fan Xian
"Revenge is the most stubborn force of a man's life. This force will grow strong and stronger as time passes."

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Season 2 is boring and stripped down to nothing but talking

What a BORING season 2. I loved Season 1 and was looking forward to this after years of waiting.

What a complete waste of time.

This is nothing like Season 1. It's like you are watching a completely different show. There is nothing that made Season 1 interesting in this Season 2. Gone are interesting characters and characters with special skills. His protector never again appears. There's no fighting or martial arts. This show is for old people who love palace gossip shows.

What the hell happened to the original team? What a disappointment and disservice to fans.

I watched up to episode 7 and found it so boring so I skipped ahead to 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22 just to watch some scenes and guess what, it's all just chatting and palace intrigue.

If you liked Season 1, it's best you just avoid this disastrous Season 2 and save yourself the heartache of watching a much inferior product. I would rate Season 1 a 9/10 and this is 3/10. That's how far the gap is.

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The replaced actors fell short

I love JOF very much and I am glad I waited long enough to watch the first season. This season started out a little slow and the vibe was off, but it picked up by episode 4.

I love Fan Xian, Old Wang and second prince. I like that I know the characters well enough to know what they can and can't do. Like I could tell the second prince was innocent of certain crimes, just cause I know he isn't that sloppy and obvious ?. The crown prince was a crazy in the first season so even though I am only on episode 7 and just found out he framed the second prince, I was not surprised cause I knew he was guilty and still evil the moment he told Fan Xian about the burned village.

As for the new actors, Ye Ling Er and Yan Bing Yun's characters are different not just as cast but their roles had particular personalities which do not translate well in this season. Yan Bing Yun was very robot like in season 1. He portrayed an injured man that was paranoid but very patriotic. He was emotionless and somewhat arrogant. This new Yan Bing Yun even flinched at his father yelling at him ?. Ye Ling Er isn't any different , she was brazen and tomboyish in the first season.

what happend to Lang Tao? The guy is acting friendly in this season. He was scary in season 1 and not talkative.

Overall the story itself is going well so I hope the ending won't disappoint.

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To FX: is Guo Baokun a joke to you? :/

In spite of its flaws, JoL is still one of the best cdramas this year. I admit there are many things I was not a fan of but can't deny I enjoyed every episode (except maybe the arc with the Ming family) and I even cried a couple of episodes (ep9 with DZ and ep32 with Wang'er). JoL has so many endearing characters that every time we had a comeback of someone familiar I was like "Fei Jie!" or "Uncle Wuuuu!". Even with the Royal Princess, who has a much better hairdo this season XD

Of this season, I like that FX does not feel so much like a Gary Stu. Yes, he is loved/hated by many, but also many are just using him. And I like the difference between young FX and older FX.. he is not that cocky and arrogant as before; he matured and has seen the dark side of the world and of the people, of course he will be more serious and less playful. I love to see a MC that witness injustice and does something about it; he would have been besties with Wei Wuxian.

I also like that this season it does not feel like a harem like in S1. I am a fan of Wang'er-FX pairing, I think they match perfectly and while I adore Haitang DuoDuo, she feels more like a buddy, a best friend kind of gal.

As for its flaws, the pacing was all over the place, each arc takes a couple of episodes and then it is forgotten, like what was the point? Except maybe for S3. But the brothel arc, the examination arc, the court arc, there are so many arcs and then the main characters of that arc kind of disappear (like the princess from Northern Qi, hello?). And not only that, what was the "mission" of Guo Baokun and FZ? As much as I love FZ, his travel to Northern Qi took like a day for us audience, so it was a puzzle that he changed so much and "experienced" the lives of the people there. And frankly, I feel a bit sad fo GB because the whole S2 ended and FX STILL did not freed his father :(

The OST is ok, nothing memorable unlike S1. But what bothered me the most was the change of Ye Ling's actress. This one was so bad and nothing like Ye Ling at all. I didn't like the new Prince Li and new Yao Bingyun either (he wasn't as serious and rigid as the 1st one) but it was acceptable, unlike the change of Ye Ling.

I also didn't like the PP... I was unpleasantly surprised by it. Yoghurt in JoL? Are you kidding me -_-

But still, the acting + the mystery of the grand-masters and Uncle Wu and the awesome cliffhanger at the end left me very satisfied IN SPITE of having more questions than answers.

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To be continued

While this is an entertaining follow up to season 1 of Joy of Life, the story and themes do not resonant as well this time around. There are simply too many threads and characters to follow that much of the season can feel like going from one plot point to another. The set up from the end of the first season is that the main antagonist for this season should be the Second Prince. And while the schemes and back and forth between Li Chengze and our lead Fan Xian can be interesting to watch, ultimately it all feels somewhat inconsequential since not enough time is spent on fleshing out our antagonist's character. He simply begins and ends this season the same person, and the audience does not learn any more about his motivations or see his struggles (if he has any). He, like the Eldest Princess, is simply crazy bad. Other characters are sorely underused such as Yan Bingyun or woefully underdeveloped (and unfortunately miscast) such as Ye Ling'er.

The more interesting character is that of the Emperor of Qing, Fan Xian's true biological father. I suspect (as I have never read the very lengthy novel) that he will be the main antagonist in the final chapter. Chen Daoming as usual gives a masterful performance of the very complex character who keeps his true intentions close to himself.

This is all not to say I did not enjoy season 2 - I certainly did. Some of my favorite episodes involve the Spring Exam and the downfall of Prime Minister Lin and the scenes Fan Xian shares with the emperor. The middle chapter of any story can be challenging to adapt. There is no real beginning or end, and I feel that lack of narrative focus when I watch this. Everything deeper was already said quite well in season 1, and I was hoping for its own story to tell in this season. I get the sense that this season is more of a set up for the final one to come, and hopefully we all get a satisfying conclusion.

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Let's continue the journey of Fan Xian...

This season is heavier than the last season. Fan Xian (FX) fall deeper into the Emperor's web of plan.... As usual really like Jeana & PeachBlossomGoddes writing. For deeper thoughts read their writing....

Now let just discuss what i like & don't like about this drama...

What I like:
+ All the important cast is back!!! Hope remain the same in the season 3
+ The beautiful growth in FX character. Really like what Jeana & PeachBlossomGoddes wrote. Yeah this season more focus how "FX embraces his mother's legacy with a sense of purpose and a clear vision of what he means to do with it. & how the way "his thirst for justice and fairness builds up in every episode."
+ The next level in FX & Lin Wan Er (WE) relationship. Let me be a shallow girl & be exciting about their new status....
+ Every character keep surprising me with their hidden layer... I feel I need to learn about them every time they plan / act something....
+ How FX brutally honest with WE. Even when she ask him about her brother.
+ The joke & all the question that's been ask by FX's teacher in real world. Haha... That's the exact question I want to ask the writer...

Well nothing I really don't like, so let me just add too in here... Haha... What I don't too like:
- Woman sometimes really can't lie about their face. Although we see almost no different in the man face, but the woman (WE & Fan Ruo Ruo) we can see their older. Haha... Especially Li Qin, make up can't hide this fact, or maybe the make up indeed a little bit different from season 1
- I don't like the changing in Yan Bing Yun (YBY) & Ye Ling Er (LE) cast. No i don't complain how they can't act. But I don’t think both actor/ess fit to play the role. Wu Xing Jian can't even come close to Xiao Zhan serious face when come to YBY character, his face is too cheerful maybe to play the serious face of YBY. And vice versa with Gina Jin as LE, her face is way too serious....
- This season a little bit too heavy for my plate. There's a time I kinda bored with all the scheme the emperor plot....
- I got more and more confused about the mysterious temple & FX's mother.
- The ending. Although not really a cliffhanger like season 1. This season still leave us hanging in the edge of the cliff...

Overall I quite happy this drama can have season 2. quite exciting for season 3. I really hope I don't need to wait too long like season 1 to 2 & all the important cast remain the same...

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