xiaolongbao

the double, rise of the phoenixes

oh did he! I didn't know that but it's so fitting! when was this?

It's too much to list out T_T. But I watched this alongside someone who doesn't speak Chinese and I was constantly pausing to explain jokes, puns, phrases, pronouns. To start off with all the characters have different ways of calling each other and themselves according to etiquette and familiarity and this says a lot about their individual characters in different situations. Sometimes it's just part of emotional development and jokes but sometimes it's also important to the plot. Like Qi min refers to himself as Gu (royal) pretty early on when he's introduced, so for any Chinese viewer his story is obvious since like ep 12, like my mum immediately guessed that he's Chengde Taizi's son. Also with Yan Zheng, he's so sassy and makes so many jokes and really educated references that don't really translate that well, so often the full meaning or rudeness of what he's saying doesn't really come across. Then there's the Magistrate, who is absolutely hilarious, he says that one phrase 'When the court farts, by the time it get's here it's not smelly anymore' which wasn't translated well enough to be funny. Then the Zhaos are also hilarious and had us Chinese speakers roaring with laughter and my friend who didn't understand could tell it was funny but not really why. Then there's thousands of jokes around Changyu being illiterate and getting every single phrase completely wrong, as well as the Bengong joke from the princess. Also for Sui Yuanqing, everything he says is always watered down a bit. I think even if you don't speak Chinese it's still very enjoyable of course, but there are just too many. fun things everyone missed out on. One of the big ones is in the scene when Changyu Changning and Yan Zheng are practicing for the magistrate, when he orders her to get beaten she didn't say 'nonsense' which is how it was translated she says 'you're farting!' which is why yan zheng is so scandalised. Anyway there is many many more...

I mean it will be toned down a bit, but it is one of the darkest periods of chinese history and in principle nrta are comfortable with media portraying that, it works for their narrative too. Yes he will still have to be a fundamentally good character, that does some bad things. I just mean that zlh himself said (and it's clear from his work) that these dominating male characters that do bad things are not his strong suit and he cringes at himself. Especially the director for Overdo is not as good as Zeng Qingjie who did Pursuit of Jade, I just hope they pull it off somehow.

Yes, she's a pleasure to watch!

ARGH I'm so glad someone noticed we stan chen pi tang

I think the reason why they're skewed is because typical MDL user enjoys dramas anyway so the rating is naturally higher, on Douban everyone's rating, and very big popular dramas reach crowds that don't typically watch the genre so ratings are naturally lower too. All I can say about Pursuit of Jade is that it was 100% enjoyable and I wished for even more, I just feel bad for international viewers because I feel like they miss out on 50% of what's going on

yes haha

I totally agree, the crew work is above average, the supporting cast is above average, the direction is above average, so overall it creates something that is a lot more than the sum of it's parts. I'm a fan of zlh and I've seen every drama he's been in, he's dedicated, sincere and charismatic, but I won't pretend like he has the most raw skill and talent in the industry. But when he's opposite a good partner, in a role that suits him, with a good director he can deliver a good performance and I enjoy it. As for Tian Xiwei, she is just outstanding here, I find myself replaying a lot of scenes to rewatch her performance and she really carried all 40 episodes of highs and lows, she's brilliant. I first saw her in New Life Begins and I thought she was great, but I didn't see many of her dramas since due to not being drawn to those scripts. She's on par with other actresses at the top of the industry and I hope she gets even more opportunities from now on, maybe even a reunion with Zeng Qingjie and Zhang Linghe! I'd love it

I also enjoyed Kunning Palace and Xie Wei, but I also hope there's some substance not just love hate pull over and over like a lot of republican dramas

Tian Xiwei is fantastic

This drama is so good but I see alot of comments about not understanding the plot etc, I can't help but feel that the subtitles are largely responsible for this, because if you speak Chinese, there are so many things that are more obvious earlier on from the language. Unfortunately it's really hard to translate because there's a lot of personal pronouns that make for really clunky reading if you translate all of them.

After seeing Zhang Linghe himself say that he's more suited to the gentle studious type and seeing him in Pursuit of Jade and The Best Thing, I don't know how it's going to be for him to portray a more toxic red flag character man. I mean it's Zhang Linghe so I'll enjoy it anyway but I'm so attached to Yan Zheng right now 😭

I mean this is your opinion... but the fact of the matter is that the Xianxia genre is enjoyed by a younger audience. I started watching them in China when I was like 9... gore and kissing and all. All age groups enjoy it true but it's pretty known in China that the Xianxia genre skews younger than something like Rise of the Phoenixes, which kids wouldn't understand anyway.

Also I don't know why everyone thinks I'm hating, what I said isn't negative. I like the darker and mature storylines and I think it's good. All I'm saying is that it's in sharp contrast to the vibeee. Because the vibes are so cute and the couple makes me kick my feet and all of sudden we are drinking blood again... it's hilarious.

I don't mean it as a negative! I don't mind violence ! I like the themes, it makes the story interesting! It doesn't affect me at all. I don't know why everyone thinks I'm hating 😭😭 I said *appreciate*

Can we take a moment to appreciate how brutal some of these Xianxia dramas are? They are considered to be aimed at a younger audience but thousands of people are becoming cannibals and harvesting and consuming a family's blood and flesh to gain their power *literally terrifying*

I 100% agree with this! Sometimes when the look of everything is too refined (especially in Xianxia drama) they neglect the important stuff. At the end of the day I'm here for the cat and mouse game between the leads, the chemistry and the humour. I love the campy chaotic nature of the production it's so fun too.

Noooo not at all! Even if the budget is super high doesn't necessarily mean the production quality is. I'm saying this drama has 2018 chaotic messy drama vibes and I'm obsessed with it! I love the drama especially the leads.

Is it just me or does Chen Feiyu have the nicesssst voice? I didn't expect him to have such a deep toned voice! Him and Wang Xingyue both have very masculine voices.

Guys, the production quality of this drama is so poor and sh**ty it's bringing me right back to my nostalgic 2018 drama watching days... it makes me giggle a lot. I pretty much gave up on the Xianxia genre, the only two I've ever enjoyed are Love and Destiny and Love between fairy and devil. I didn't know who either of these actors were... but

GUYS ITS SO ADDICTIVE GO WATCH OKAY. Everytime these 2 people open their mouths the most out of pocket insane lines come out and I'm absolutely obsessed. The leads both suit their roles very well and they have a good chemistry and rhythm together. Some of the more emotionally charged scenes feel really genuine and make me kick my feet a little.

All in all I'm very satisfied. So far this year every drama I've watched has disappointed me. Last year we were blessed with Blossoms in Adversity, the Double, Love Game in Eastern Fantasy and Blossom. Each of these was iconic in their own right and every anticipated drama has been a let down for me so far.

This however, is scratching my nostalgic xianxia drama itch and I love it.