Warning. Do not click on this post and watch this MV unless you have tissues ready and don’t have an appointment tomorrow. In all my years of drama watching, the time-travel C-drama Bu Bu Jing Xin (Startling with Each Step) adapted from the same name novel by writer Tong Hua is easily one of the most tear-inducing watch experiences I’ve ever gone through. Starting from episode 20 onward, I was pretty much crying through each episode off and on. By episode 30 until the ending, I was watching in a state of fetal position pain and sobbing so hard I had to press pause on a regular basis. I think episode 40 was a seminal experience where the most amazing story built up for 39 episodes burst open into an ending that was magnificent for every character in this sprawling romance epic. I have actually never been able to re-watch BBJX, mostly for fear that it’ll never live up to my memory. When the modern day sequel Bu Bu Jing Qing (Startling Love with Each Step) was announced with only half the cast returning and without a Tong Hua penned story as the script basis, I figured it was a sell out attempt to milk the love for the original. I still planned to watch it, but there was no expectation that it would be anything like the original. None of the trailers or MVs released for BBJQ have changed my opinion until now. The latest official MV for BBJQ dropped last week accompanying a new theme song for the OST called “I Cannot Help It” by songstress Della Ding.
Within seconds of clicking play, I started crying and cursing BBJQ for sucking me back this quickly. I read the synopsis for BBJQ and the short of it is this: Ruo Xi dies in the Qing dynasty and wakes up in the hospital as Zhang Xiao again, she sees the portrait of all the Princes with Emperor Kangxi and her which confirms she did travel back in time and had a heartbreaking love story with 4th Prince, she meets the modern day 4th Prince now named Yin Zheng, she is unable to deal with all her memories of their love but he doesn’t know who she is, she goes to work at his company to stay close to him to find out if he could be 4th Prince, which is when she loses her memory. Once her memory is lost, it’s gone for the majority of the drama and she is no longer burdened by memories of the past, and ends up falling for Yin Zheng all over again. I can dig this. Really this MV got me good with the screencap above of Zhang Xiao walking outside the Forbidden City in modern times and the camera split screens to Emperor Yongzheng (4th Prince) walking inside the Forbidden City in the Qing dynasty, both of them thinking of each other. It kills me each time to think that he lived for years after she died, long enough to send 13th Prince off, to marry Princess Chenghuan to Mongolia, and to wait until his son future Emperor Qianlong was old enough to take over. And then he was finally free to go find his Ruo Xi. *sobs*
So far none of the songs for BBJQ can hold a candle to the magnificent OST song for BBJX such as “Three Inches of Heaven”, “A Persistent Mind” or “A Season of Waiting”. But the quality of Della’s song aside, this MV is everything I wanted from any sequel to BBJX. If the entire cast can’t be back, but Nicky Wu and Liu Shi Shi are back, then the sequel needs to focus on the only thing anyone cares about, namely the modern day fate of reincarnated 4th Prince and back to modern times Zhang Xiao/Ruo Xi. I always thought that it would be unbearable for Zhang Xiao to live in her own time but burdened with all the memories of the 20 years she spent as Ruo Xi in the Qing dynasty. I think the memory loss works actually in this sequel and isn’t just an overused plot device used to generate angst.
Official MV for Bu Bu Jing Qing “I Cannot Help It” by Della Ding:
I thought I’d seen all the popular 4th Prince-Ruo Xi MVs out there, but found this awesome one that is scored to one of Nicky Wu’s famous songs from when he was still an idol singer. He was part of the Little Tigers, but he also went solo for a number of years. I loved this song “Flying Together” when it was released in his solo 1994 album. This MV captured all the amazing moments happy and sad. But once it got to the end, when 4 finds out about Ruo Xi’s past with 8, when he finally finds her letter that 14 had put in his handwritten envelope, when 4 breaks down to read Ruo Xi saying “In Ruo Xi’s heart there is no Emperor, only the 4th Prince who took my soul”, when 4 sees that all she did was practice her calligraphy so that it looked just like his writing, when modern Zhang Xiao sees Yin Zheng in the museum and he asks her “Do you know me?” ARGHHHH GO WATCH AND CRY WITH ME!!!
4th Prince-Ruo Xi MV set to Nicky Wu’s “Flying Together”:
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I'm like the freak who hasn't seen BBJX, but OMG. Chemistry. So Much Chemistry. That whole scene in the rain - both in the past and present was amazing. Maybe I'll watch BBJX some day, since now we can expect a happy ending through BBJQ. What with all the praises I keep hearing for it, I feel like I've deprived myself of something amazing.
Also - Love Della Ding. I love the song and her voice; I think she's so awesome as a singer although admittedly, I've only heard her breakout songs in Autumn's Concerto. They were so awesome, and so was that drama.
You need to watch the second MV, it might tip you into watching BBJX. :-)
Ugh omg... I can't wait for it to come out. I loved BBJX, so I'm just gonna be satisfy with that and not expect a lot out of BBJQ. I'm still really excited for it though haha.
When does it premiering again???
Sometime in 2014.
Nooooo that's like forever.
When I watched the MV, I didn't even realize I was holding my breath the entire time! It's amazing how I can get sucked back into the BBJX world in less than 4 minutes. I was already HOOKED before the MV even ended. Like many others, I wondered how their chemistry would translate into the modern world....but now I'm sold! Even without the full cast returning (grumble, grumble) now I feel invested in BBJQ. I was gonna watch it anyway -with detached curiosity, but (modern) Ruo Xi and 4th Prince pulled me back in again.
Koala - if you decide to watch & recap, then count me in!
I hope they don't hop into the losing memories part too early in the sequel, but I thought it would be interesting to see her inner conflicts when facing this modern Yin Zheng with the face of her 4th prince, but without the memories they shared.
Is the Zhang Xiao's face twin plot line still going on/a major part of the story? That's the only thing that may stop me from watching the sequel...
Agreed, that's part of the plot that really bothered me as well.
Wow. I was cautiously excited for the sequel on principle (how badly do I want to see Ruo Xi and 4th prince have a happy ending together - in any era?) but the official MV actually looks good. I may have cried. And then cried some more when I watched the second music video you posted. The visual of modern Ruo Xi walking along the wall with 4th prince on the other side is absolutely heartbreaking. Thanks as always for the news! When is this drama supposed to air? I feel like we've been hearing about it for ages.
God BBJX scarred me I couldn't come back to dramas for a while...I positively sobbed throughout the entire 2nd half of the show. That ending with Yin Zheng asking "Do you know me?" was just...oof...
Up till now I've been pretty confused by the BBJQ plot - so the main OTP and storyline will now be Zhang Xiao and Yin Zheng? Is the "twin" thing still relevant? And the other guy - is he with the other Liu Shi Shi character? Cos I really only care about the OTP and was pretty bummed to have to sit through some corporate makjang and stuff...
I think what will happen is that the drama will be split into two arcs. The first is RX dealing with the new life, going to work at his company, hurting every time she sees him etc. The second will be probably after she looses her memories which is where the twin and all the company shenanigans will come into play. Finally the drama will end with the two of them living happily ever after because anything else is just unacceptable and too painful to process.
Wow! I didn't expect much but the videos make me want to watch the sequel. I fear i'll be sucked in like BBJX.
Meeeeen, i wish I watched BBJX instead of Palace: Lock Heart Jade, which was okay, but I felt it could've been better. It seemed like it ripped off Boys Over Flowers in a lot of scenes so I was disappointed at that. I'm sure there's no comparison between BBJX & Palace. Rdg about how BBJX is a tear-jerker, that there's going to be a sequel, and seeing the chemistry between the two leads has drawn me in. I'm gonna check it out. ^_^
Yes, yes!! Watch ig!
BBJX and Palace are completely different experiences.
You CAN watch both without being spoiled.
BBJX delivers so much more emotionally and the men are gorgeous despite the half bald thing. You don't so much watch it as live inside it for some hours.
That was so beautiful. I hope this time around there is a happy ending because I won't be able to go on if BBJQ tears my heart out like BBJX. That drama seriously took a piece of my heart.
I've rewatched it two times since I first saw it, the last time about a year ago and every time I watch it I end up with puffy eyes the next day.
I know!! I'm almost afraid to watch because I think if they don't get a happy ending in the sequel, I might not be able to recover.