The Bondatmospheres:
This show is not bad, you guys should give a try if you are into family drama. Has Zhang Wanyi and the Hou Wenyuan (the other main guy in LMLMV)
Most of my fav shows are from Daylight Ent
and wow, i need to keep up with pages here about LMLMV while I'm still in XL mood. The pain.
MySiFeng:
This show is not bad, you guys should give a try if you are into family drama. Has Zhang Wanyi and the Hou Wenyuan (the other main guy in LMLMV)
Most of my fav shows are from Daylight Ent
and wow, i need to keep up with pages here about LMLMV while I'm still in XL mood. The pain.
I'm into family drama. I just need to know if FL has yk the typical horrible wig that scare you away from watching Youth dramas in this one. They all have the same im having trouble wt it :(
nathsketch:
Someone please let AH know that I may be ready to watch Scarlet Heart. That's some character development I was not expecting to go through :D
When I stopped by the main comment section today I felt like I should pop by this forum too. I caught a mention of scarlet heart and I was just like "uh oh" and traced it back to this page. I swear it feels like I sensed that you posted this! ^^
You're an adult of course and you can watch whatever you like, but I did try to warn you! I feel like you'll hate Scarlet Heart a lot more than I did. (I felt like the ML chose power over the FL so I didn't like him very much and wasn't that invested in his relationship with the FL, so I didn't find the tragic ending all that heartbreaking). But sometimes you just have to satisfy your curiosity I guess.
Sound of the Desert on the other hand, I think you'd probably like (you might even find it cathartic) if you can get past the first part.
It's a strange feeling seeing some of you here say that LMLMV is not your cup of tea... because I actually have the same opinion LOLsong:
Yeah, hmmm. It's sad to be saying this because you guys know how much of Tan stan I am, but this one... oof. It's a mix of cringe and second-hand embarrassment lol
All I could think of was how bland the story was - if you could even consider that as one lmao - and the whole relationship power imbalance. The comments on the novel's site even had me wondering if I was the crazy one.
I don't know, it's like, it's missing a lot. Even the power imbalance could be used in a more interesting way. Him being older is not really a problem, in my humble opinion. Just, maybe some more meat. So much food but the meat was left out :/
But the whole thing already starts with zero impact. The love story begins in the first second of the drama, and everyone is super happy about it. There's so much happiness everywhere that any unhappy person in the street will be singled out and taken into custody because how dare they be gloomy in this very joyful setting? Depressed people should be paying a fine for existing. No crying allowed unless there are tears of joy hahahaha
All the side characters are very happy-go-lucky and hold no jealousy or ill intent towards MQC and/or GS so no conflict there.
I'm legit sounding like a hater. And I hate it. :D
I hope they'll surprise us with something interesting because if we're just gonna get 33 episodes of fluff after fluff...
Apparently, they'll focus on the side characters as well. Oh joy.
If not for him and the very beautiful OST, I wouldn't even watch LMLMV or any show like this at all.
I'll have to do what Kokuto suggested. Look at the pictures and listen to the soundtrack :)
So, are they also an agency? Cause I've noticed that some agencies basically make movies and cast all their stars in them, so you'll see some of the same actors together in show after show. I feel, whether rightly or wrongly, that an agency plays a very big role in an actor's career in China. Cause it seems some actors just start out with big shows and / or main lead roles.Kokuto:
I'd definitely love to see Tan Jian Ci in more quality productions ... though I do prefer costume dramas to modern ones.
Daylight is not an agency, but you're right about agencies being important in China. For example, Zeng Shunxi and Cheng Lei are repped by Iqiyi's agency division (Super Up) so they get cast in a lot of Iqiyi productions (Zhang Linghe signed a multi-project deal with Iqiyi so that's why he's also in a lot of Iqiyi's shows). Zhou Ye is being pushed hard by her agency Hesong Media -- they have a lot of money and power ever since Bona Film Group (a big player, especially in the Shanghai film/tv circle) bought a large stake in them a few years ago.
TJC hasn't had a ton of luck in the past with agencies. He was with Youhug and then he left and formed his own studio so he is an independent.
Basically, most of the idol actors that you see in everything (especially if their acting skills are...developing) have really good resources -- they are backed by wealthy and powerful agencies and investors that have put a lot of money and effort into creating a hype machine around them.
C-ent is not the only film/tv industry that does this though. American talent agencies also do what is called packaging -- they have deals with production houses so that they cast entire films and tv shows with actors from the same agency, they get like a package deal.
Daylight also does costume dramas, and theirs are some of the best -- Nirvana in Fire series, Story of Ming Lan, Serenade of Peaceful Joy, and the upcoming one with Zeng Shunxi and Jing Tian.
He was offered and signed on to LMLMV and Love Has Fireworks on the heels of his breakout with Under the Skin -- that was a pretty popular show domestically and he got a big boost from it. So actually LYF is not his breakout show domestically (although internationally I think it was, in that it was the show that introduced him to a lot of international fans), it's UTS.
Well, glad to see I wasn't off with my math and analysis.
Idol dramas don't have mass public appeal (most aren't even aired on tv) and are not going to better his prospects at being offered serious, prestigious work, in fact it will work against him if that's what he wants -- the more idol dramas he does, the less seriously he will be taken and considered for serious prestigious work. Idk if that's even what he wants though, it's what a lot of his fans want for him because they -- myself included -- feel like his acting skills are kind of wasted on idol dramas. I think right now he wants to elevate his status from a mid-tier liuliang to a top-tier one and make the bigger paychecks that come with that. And idol dramas pay well, especially modern ones for 2-3 months of work.
Wow. I didn't realize that idol dramas weren't popular. I thought they were. Why do they make so much money, then? I thought the money was mostly made from endorsements, cause the liuliang were popular in popular shows. Regardless, I can understand why he'd want to make the big bucks while he can.
As a fan, I literally only have one wish for his career in the next two years -- I would love to see him cast in a Daylight Entertainment show. To me, that would show that his talent is being acknowledged by the right people and his career is going in a direction that will give him longevity and creative success as well as prestige. As comparison, Zhang Wanyi has already been in a few Daylight shows (The Bond, has been cast in Nirvana in Fire 3), when people in the industry talk about future major awards winners, his name is always included in that group. And imo, TJC is a better actor than him (although I'm willing to concede that they have very different acting styles so it could just be that I vastly prefer TJC's acting style).
Yes! I'm hoping for a very long career for Tan Jian Ci.
Zhang Wan Yi seems to be trying to straddle the line too. He goes back and forth between the idol dramas, like Rise of Ning and that logging show he did. I don't know what the Fantastic Doctors counts as.
I swear it feels like I sensed that you posted this! ^^AH :
Oh wow, we're like having a psychic connection hahahah
The context for my comment is that I think I discovered that I'm not really into happy endings as much as I thought. Love Me Love My Voice made me realize that. So I figured that Scarlet Heart, being considered the ultimate tearjerker, could be my trial by fire. I like IU and I have no particular attachment to Lee Joon-gi, even though you said he reminds you of Xiang Liu.
And I think I've made my peace with his ending. Xiao Yao is too problematic for him anyway. He deserves better. I just wish he didn't have to die in such a way. It's unfair when all the others remain alive. It's the only thing that bothers me.
liddi:
@nathsketch
If you do plan to watch Scarlet Heart, I recommend watching the 2011 cdrama with Liu Shishi and Nicky Wu rather than the kdrama remake. I personally feel the cdrama is the definitive version, very true to the source material. The kdrama attempted to combine too much and resulted in massive pacing issues. Just my 2 cents.
Ahh ok, good to know! Thanks liddi!
Wow. I didn't realize that idol dramas weren't popular. I thought they were. Why do they make so much money, then? I thought the money was mostly made from endorsements, cause the liuliang were popular in popular shows. Regardless, I can understand why he'd want to make the big bucks while he can.
The shows are usually not popular with the Chinese general public, but they are popular with liuliangs' very devoted fanbases that will buy anything and everything their idols wear, promote, star in, etc. Top-tier liuliangs have immense fandom backing and all the money that goes with that -- they don't need to be popular with the general public although most top-tier liuliangs will become very well-known to the general public just because their faces are plastered everywhere due to their endorsements but many of the general public may not have watched anything they've been in or even be able to name their shows, but they have face recognition.
Zhang Wanyi, imo, did things the right way, a credit to his management. He went from serious prestigious work and transitioned into doing some idol dramas (for the money). Yang Zi did the same -- started off in more prestigious serious work and then to idol shows. This direction allows you to go back and forth between the two more easily -- if you have proven yourself in the serious work and been critically acclaimed for it, you can more easily move into doing idol shows, however the other direction is much harder. To go from idol dramas and trying to transition to serious work that could be up for major awards contention and do so successfully doesn't happen that often and takes a lot longer. Yang Mi and Zhao Liying are trying to do that, Zhao Liying has mostly succeeded in making that transition. Also, there is a bias against casting actors who didn't graduate from one of the big 3 acting schools in serious work. Personally, I think these days that should be almost meaningless because I don't know what they're doing at those schools, I've heard they are more competitive to get in than they've ever been, but you wouldn't be able to tell with the caliber of some of their graduates that they've churned out recently.
Yeah, plenty of people are enjoying it! The majority is, actually, so keep being happy <3
Definitely. It's healthier, you know? For example, Only for Love. I really really like Dylan, but that drama was all sorts of underwhelming nonsense.
Omg!!!!!! Do not get me started on Only for love....
....what was that? heh? what was that?
What was wrong with the whole production team, so they actually thought they did something heh?
From the very first episode I was so shocked I thought I was stupid....what happened to Dylan's acting? what was he trying to portray? I don't even want to talk about the female lead, her actions were that of an infant
You got such high traffic stars and still manage to create garbage.....
I love you Dylan, just not this project
Kikinaki:
Omg!!!!!! Do not get me started on Only for love....
....what was that? heh? what was that?
What was wrong with the whole production team, so they actually thought they did something heh?
From the very first episode I was so shocked I thought I was stupid....what happened to Dylan's acting? what was he trying to portray? I don't even want to talk about the female lead, her actions were that of an infant
You got such high traffic stars and still manage to create garbage.....
I love you Dylan, just not this project
Yeah that whole thing saddens me. The glasses, the CEO vibe who just doesn’t work. The usual FL nonsensical behavior. Such a shame. Dylan is usually awesome and so is Bai Lu. But that was a big mess.
I’m starting to dread modern cdramas.
Daylight is not an agency, but you're right about agencies being important in China. For example, Zeng Shunxi and Cheng Lei are repped by Iqiyi's agency division so they get cast in a lot of Iqiyi productions (Zhang Linghe signed a multi-project deal with Iqiyi so that's why he's also in a lot of Iqiyi's shows). Zhou Ye is being pushed hard by her agency Hesong Media -- they have a lot of money and power ever since Bona Film Group (a big player, especially in the Shanghai film/tv circle) bought a large stake in them a few years ago.
Hmmm. Okay. I need to find a website or someplace that lists their productions. I found a producer for them on drama wiki, so that's a start on a list.
Ah, that's kind of how I saw the agencies in China. Sort of like the old Hollywood contract system, where the studios basically tried to build up actors into stars, with a lot of support and using them in their movies. And Zeng Shunxi and Zhang Linghe were kind of what I was talking about. Where they seemed to get some really good breaks and support and roles. And with some actors, you can look at their resume and almost see where they must have switched agencies, by the roles and shows they were getting.
Hesong is doing a good job with Zhou Ye, that's for sure. :)
TJC hasn't had a ton of luck in the past with agencies. He was with Youhug and then he left and formed his own studio so he is an independent.
Basically, most of the idol actors that you see in everything (especially if their acting skills are...developing) have really good resources -- they are backed by wealthy and powerful agencies and investors that have put a lot of money and effort into creating a hype machine around them.
Wow. Did not know that he had left Youhug. That makes it even tougher for him, with his own studio. Though it gives him more choice, I imagine.
C-ent is not the only film/tv industry that does this though. American talent agencies also do what is called packaging -- they have deals with production houses so that they cast entire films and tv shows with actors from the same agency, they get like a package deal.
That's true, but I think mostly for the biggest agencies, like William Morris and CCA, where they have a big enough roster and are always trying to build up talent too -- plus those guys can represent writers, so they really can package up a deal.
Daylight also does costume dramas, and theirs are some of the best -- Nirvana in Fire series, Story of Ming Lan, Serenade of Peaceful Joy, and the upcoming one with Zeng Shunxi and Jing Tian.
Well crap. I was hoping Heart of Sky hadn't been cast, and could have been a possibility for Tan Jian Ci. Didn't know they had already cast Zeng Shunxi.
The context for my comment is that I think I discovered that I'm not really into happy endings as much as I thought. Love Me Love My Voice made me realize that. So I figured that Scarlet Heart, being considered the ultimate tearjerker, could be my trial by fire. I like IU and I have no particular attachment to Lee Joon-gi, even though you said he reminds you of Xiang Liu.
I think I've mentioned this before, but I quite like angst and sometimes I feel like a less-than-perfectly-happy-ending can be better than a perfectly happy ending. Sometimes a fully tragic ending feels right (like The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - given the context, the leads dying together felt quite satisfying and like the best possible outcome they could've had). Sometimes an intensely bittersweet ending feels right (e.g., the ML in The Princess Wei Young dies in the end, but it's one of my favourite dramas / one of my favourite endings of all time). Sometimes an 11th hour death and a last-minute revival or reincarnation (e.g., Love Between Fairy and Devil and Gu Family Book) or the promise of a future revival or reincarnation (e.g., Till the End of the Moon) strikes the right balance.
And then there are the dramas that have tragic endings that aren't satisfying at all. Quite the opposite. We've mentioned The Rise of Phoenixes in the LYF threads before and nothing really tops that as an example.
I personally would not put Scarlet Heart in the "tragic, but in a satisfying way" category.
For your consideration, my favourite type of drama is probably: "full of angst but has a mostly happy ending". Like Crash Landing on You, Just Between Lovers, Love Between Fairy and Devil, My Dearest, Sound of the Desert, and Story of Kunning Palace.
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