What the Shell Lounge Bar (Xiang Liu's Underwater Luxury Lounge)

 liddi:

Very surprised when the conceptual song from the Three-Body music album "不要回答 Don't Answer" was released today, with TJC rapping and 朱哲琴 Zhu Zheqin on the vocals. The song is markedly different from the Three Body drama's instrumental soundtrack of the same name by composer 陈雪燃 Chen Xueran. This song (including lyrics) is composed by 高晓松 Gao Xiaosong. I was really blindsided by this as TJC was not associated at all with Three-Body S1 (nor was Gao Xiaosong by the same token). Is this an indication that he would be involved with S2 The Dark Forest? Dare I hope?

Wow. It has season 2?

 liddi:

Very surprised when the conceptual song from the Three-Body music album "不要回答 Don't Answer" was released today, with TJC rapping and 朱哲琴 Zhu Zheqin on the vocals. The song is markedly different from the Three Body drama's instrumental soundtrack of the same name by composer 陈雪燃 Chen Xueran. This song (including lyrics) is composed by 高晓松 Gao Xiaosong. I was really blindsided by this as TJC was not associated at all with Three-Body S1 (nor was Gao Xiaosong by the same token). Is this an indication that he would be involved with S2 The Dark Forest? Dare I hope?

It doesn't look like he has anything lined up following his concerts, so maybe he will join a new drama production? A fan page read his lips (I know, I know. LOL) during his conversation with someone at the Weibo Night Awards, and apparently he said that he will start filming something after his concerts.

2.5 months later, but better than never, I guess. :-)

 liddi:

As someone said on Weibo, "We waited a year to to say farewell to an old friend", which had me tearing up when I first read it, because it's exactly what it is - waiting an entire year to watch him die in the end. Your reluctance to continue watching is very understandable.

Still have not finish LYF S2. I thought about it and thought about it and couldn't find the motivation to. Part of it is because I don't want to watch anymore drama XY so that I can retain my goodwill and sympathy for book XY. It's the only way I can keep some of that lingering affection for YaoLiu. 

 liddi:

The casting is problematic - I don't find any chemistry between Shao Hao and Qing Yang either, or Qing Yang with the rest of his siblings.

The casting really was not good across the board. HXM, in theory, should have made for a good Chi Chen except his acting kinda ruined it. I did not like Victoria Song as Ah Heng and her chemistry with HXM was also not there. She and Shen Yi Lun also had zero acting chemistry. 

 liddi:

To be honest, I don't feel that Shao Hao is callous in the novel.

The thing with Shao Hao is that while he's not an inherent cruel or callous person, he is capable of being callous to reach his objectives. The way that he care for Ah Heng and Xiao Yao showed that at his core he is a decent, kind man, because not every man would be able to love a child that was not his the way that he loved Xiao Yao. (Incidently, the way that XY react to CX's invasion of HL was one of the thing that I really disliked about the character).

 liddi:

Nonetheless, we as readers understand him, even if we do not necessarily agree with his choices. For all the changes to make his decisions less shocking, I feel the drama loses the part of Shao Hao that makes him the fascinating character that he is - or perhaps that is in part due to the delivery as well.

Shen Yi Lun lack of acting ability certainly wouldn't have helped, but the script/characterization needed to be there first. It's a shame that censorship reasulted in watered down, less interesting characters. I liked Shao Hao for similar reasons to Meng Jue - morally grey characters whose questionable choices didn't get excused or glossed over. I can understand them without feeling like I'm being forced fed to accept/liked them. 

 liddi:

As for the Yellow Emperor, he is nothing to write home about either. What little I've seen so far seems to indicate that he is definitely more whitewashed compared to the novel.

As far as I'm concern, he's the main villian of the story. His ambitions and ruthlessness are what resulted in tragedy for all of his children. The way that he used his children as pawns, manipulating them and essentially sacrificing them to satisfy his ambition was too conveniently glossed over and forgiven in LYF.

 liddi:

Did you read Once Promised before or after Lost You Forever?

Knowing me, I would have follow the reading order and read LYF after Once Promised. Bu Bu King Xin was the first THua novel that I read and that was after watching the television adaptation. I would have read her other novels after that.

 liddi:

I find that having read Once Promised, there is newfound revelation in my re-read (or in this case, re-listen) of LYF - whether it is the world that is being described, inner monologue or dialogue.

I know that for people who read Once Promised, was devastated by its ending and waited the agonizing few years for the released of LYF, it impacted their experience of LYF. At least initially. I chat to one particular reader who said that she was just so desperate to see a happier conclusion for the offsprings of these characters that she was very lenient towards LYF and XY when she read the novel when it was first released. 

 liddi:

Honestly, Chi Chen is not the type of character I gravitate towards, and I much preferred Shao Hao, for all his faults. Nonetheless, I felt that he changed for the better as a character over the course of the novel, and there is clear growth, which I truly appreciated, making me root for them when they finally could make plans for the future, and ache for them desperately when it was all torn down the next moment.

Shao Hao was also more my cup of tea as well. Chi Chen aggravated me so bad with his abrasive, hot-headed way. The amount of time that I wanted to smack him and yell at him to Wait, Stop, Think were too numerous to count. LOL. And yet, I didn't root for Ah Heng and Shao Hao to be a couple. I think it was because it was clear that Chi Chen was Ah Heng's "once in a life time love". If Shao Hao had wanted a real marriage at the time that she had offered it, I think she would have tried her best to make it work with him and they might have had a good, loving, respectful marriage, But it would have been affection between 2 people who liked each others and who is committed to making thing work. It's a far cried from what she felt for Chi Chen. Very much like XY/XL vs. XY/Jing (except Jing is not 1/100th of the man that Shao Hao is :-)). 

 liddi:

And of course, Once Promised had me tearing up from the end of Vol 1 pretty much to the end of Vol 2.

It's that impending sense that no matter how hard these characters tried to break free, to have a modicum of the peaceful life that they wanted, they're like animals caught in a snare and can't escape. It's like Ruo Xi and her inevitable defeat by history.

 liddi:

I had been burnt so many times by poor adaptations of Tong Hua's works with the exception of Scarlet Heart.

Did you watch Song In the Clouds adaptation? I steered clear when I knew it was a Yu Cheng's production. That man butchered The Smiling Proud Wanderer so badly with his atrocious changes that I did not trust him to adapt anything else ever. 

I can't say that I'm all that happy with LYF adaptation either, it's not on par with Scarlet Heart adaptation, but I think part of that is LYF is not as strong a story overall compared to Scarlet Heart. TJC's XL is by far the best thing about the adaptation for me. Not like I'm bias or anything :-).

 Kokuto:

I have started A Lifetime of Love.

Did you manage to finish this, Ko? Will we be getting a review?

 liddi:

Very surprised when the conceptual song from the Three-Body music album "不要回答 Don't Answer" was released today, with TJC rapping and 朱哲琴 Zhu Zheqin on the vocals. The song is markedly different from the Three Body drama's instrumental soundtrack of the same name by composer 陈雪燃 Chen Xueran. This song (including lyrics) is composed by 高晓松 Gao Xiaosong. I was really blindsided by this as TJC was not associated at all with Three-Body S1 (nor was Gao Xiaosong by the same token). Is this an indication that he would be involved with S2 The Dark Forest? Dare I hope?

Omg yes that’s what I thought when I saw the post!! Maybe he will be in season two!! Let’s hope together!!!

Finally!!!  UNDER THE SKIN 2 is going to start on December 10!!  New trailer:

https://weibo.com/7571082223/5108221616326842

With English subs provided by the lovely AwkwarDerp:

https://x.com/syublush/status/1864571289282736389?s=46

 liddi:

That is awesome news indeed! Can't wait and fingers crossed that it is as good as, if not better than S1.

Exciting!  But now I have to put what I was watching onhold and rewatch season 1.  At least it is only 20 episodes.

Yes, but the trailers look pretty good.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

 Kokuto:

Finally!!!  UNDER THE SKIN 2 is going to start on December 10!!  New trailer:

https://weibo.com/7571082223/5108221616326842

With English subs provided by the lovely AwkwarDerp:

https://x.com/syublush/status/1864571289282736389?s=46

Wow thats great! 

Im in china now and a few days ago ShangHai Airport, i was greeted by a huge TJC Debeers poster. My heart skipped a few beats. Too bad it was at customs and no photography was allowed. :((((