AleksandraSucur

Oh, finally some "fighting" 😍
Not a ballet as in PA, more like a tango, what do you think?

thank you! 👌😁

Unfortunately, Zhang Yimou's latest films are not distributed where I live (Italy) and are not available on netflix either. It's a pitty considering the huge success of his internationally produced movies. But I found Full River Red on YT, hopefully Under the Light and Article 20 will be there soon.

I agree that line was on spot, but the camerawork, spinning around them, was very annoying, it riuned the moment. Who knows why C-directors stick to such cliché takes of romantic moments? They are good in shooting fights, but terrible in shooting intimate scenes. Unless they are called Zhang Yimou, that dude can shoot truly anything and create art.

Exactly. I've already noticed the ZLY+LGX magic works differently on the audience who have seen and the audience who haven't seen PA. A denial of feelings may make (sexual) tension stronger than a show off. I've recently seen a K-drama The Knight Flower in which the lead couple never kissed once but their interaction was the hottiest thing I've ever seen in a drama (tnx to the excellent dialogues, fighting and comedy, too, the authors truly smartly put all the serotonine-boosting ingredients into it).
The author of Shenli chose a different path, with a FL recognizing and confessing loudly how she feels about Xing Yun, but for her at this point of drama the person she fell for is dead and she must still figure out who is this Xing Zhi and the latter must find the answer on his question: "what's wrong with me?". Imho, discovering-explicating emotions is better than any kiss, this simple fact should be recognized by people who haven't watched PA (which had many flows, but was also a memorable drama for many more other reasons). This one is: so far, so good. If a person like me, who drops 99% of dramas, actually enjoys it, I suppose it deserves some credit.

p,s. Lmao when saw your short on YT 😂

Why would anybody ask for their kiss? It's thousand time better (=sexier) when they fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BmIA53G70w

had the same thought when they were talking about the seals and elements.

yes, the two succeded in creating a sort of a specific couple archetype we still remember, it's enough for them in this drama to look at each other and the magic is there. And looks like they are doing it effortlessly, like "a walk in the park and not acting", as you've said.

ah, ok. So, when you say he is a big fat liar, you mainly intend he hides he developed feelings for her.

it makes sense, yeah. And when he saw her powers, he didn't want to let her leave because he planned to use her powers as to set free his friend from a messy love triangle that blocked his mortal path of ruling that place.
And she is still instrumental to him for reasons we don't know, otherwise he wouldn't insist on her being his guide in the Abyss, right?

you probably haven't watched Princess Agents.
The main leads are similar characters to Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao from PA. This story was probably chosen because of this fact (ZLY is the executive producer of this drama, too), pressed by the fandom of PA and impossibility to have a S2 of PA (legal issues on plagiarism, too long story to conform with the new censorship rules, too many characters and sublots awaiting for closure and, I would add, not all of those plots and characters were either convincing or necessary in PA, a drama which still remains - for me, too - one of the best in its fictional-setting spy-genre).
The chemistry between the two actors is not a simple chemistry, it's pure magic in both dramas, they are en-par couple in terms of plot value, morality and heroism, the only differences are: genre and the directness of the FL in expressing her feelings.
In PA, namely, they both hide/deny their feelings for each other for a long time, the FL has her "sly & calculative arch" (being a slave to the ML), but the similarity with Lord Baicang is so obvious: they are both tough and straithforward generals ready to sacrifice themselves for the right cause.
At the beginning, the ML in PA also has this "emotionless" vibes, it takes some times for him to realize he'll do whatever it takes for the FL.

do you think he lied he didn't know anything about the persons he (mis)matched?
In that case, he intentionally matched her with a womanizer to provoke her escape to the mortal realm. I don't know what to think, his first words in episode 1 (while she was falling down) were: "Something is wrong" (it means he didn't expect her), yet, the morning after he went to the market in a way I felt he was searching for her...

Did he fake he arrived late because he "got lost", too?
Maybe he was somewhere nearby, observing her fighting Chimei but ready to intervene to help her out? That would make sense too, if she didn't fight personally she would still think sealing beasts is not such a big deal.

right, there's that messed up guy, too. If those two gonna play a dumb&dumber, the drama should be tagged as a comedy. 👌

marriage-arraging in "any which way," even confusing who's the bride and who's the groom, getting lost when called to fight btw. on the path to that Abyss where he himself sealed those Chimei beasts... should we wonder why the ancient gods have become extinct? 😂😂😂
Jeez, if this one survived for being the least muddling among them... I wonder how were the others😁

yup

I watched both '94 and 2010 version and agree with PeachBlossomGoddess's short description of the differences but - if you can get well along with older cinematography - I suggest you to try first the '94 version. It's true it appears "more fictionalised" but paradoxically, it's more faithfull to Luo Ben's original novel (which contained phantasy elements, too, it was normal to mix truth with invention like Zhuge Liang's invocation of the wind, the writers of the time had a hard time to check out their - more ancient - sources: if you read Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis, an ancient encyclopedia on biological sorts, you'll find mythical and invented creatures/animals mixed together with real ones) and it's more comprehensive of all complicated subplots the original contained, in particular, both the Yellow Turbants quelling and the Red Cliff Battle are rendered more intelligible.
I didn't know there were disputes between '94 and 2010 version fans, I am a fan of both versions 😁. Now, knowing about this fandom dispute, I would instictively say: do you prefer Liu Bei's (and Zhuge Liang's) or Cao Cao's stories? If you prefer Liu Bei, go with '94 version.
Unfortunately, that version represent Cao Cao too superficially, he is a flat image of a bastard villain & usurper. On the contrary, the 2010 version strongest point is how it described Cao Cao: he is an antihero here, too, but this antihero is a ML, who displays so many shadows of humanity in all things he undertakes or opposes to. It is mainly due to the Chen Jian Bin's convincing performance, it is this brilliant actor who made Cao Cao flesh and blood, because the scriptwriting is very unstable in this version: hillarious moments (like incidental killing of his ally and friend who provides him a refuge) are exchanged with unconvincing, boring or dull scenes in a series consisting of 95 episodes. Neither Chen Jian Bin's brilliance can keep the audience that long, because it's humanly impossible.
Conclusion: there are strong points for both dramas, as well as they both have their flows. But they are both better than anything I've seen in recent years.

So, let's return to today: why Chinese dramas don't produce such a good stuff any more? Last year, I didn't drop only four dramas: Ripe Town, Mysterious Lotus Casebook, I'm Nobody and My Journey to You (the latter only because of the aesthetics, interesting directing and playing, not because the plot was smth. special). This year I've endured Detective Dee, only because van Gulik's novels were among my childhood readings but the drama delivery is quite dissapointing.... To console myself, I've rewatched Ming Dynasty 1566.
I think I'll drop this one, too, but will give them a chance tomorrow

thank you

Can someone please tell me what is written under the "2016" in Chinese characters in the opening intro?
Tnx

Di Ying? Heiyan is an antisystemic organisation founded by the remnants of previous dynasty, not a person. But I think you are right, his brother can be related somehow to Heiyan

I can't tell that, but I remember Diao Xiao Guan (or Gan or Chan, depends on transliteration) helps Di to resolve crimes in Chinese Lake Murders, one of RdG's most known novels, with the plot (mistery on a floating brothel boat, murder of a bride on her wedding night, replaced in her coffin by another murdered person) which was used and re-elaborated in so many other c-dramas... It would be silly if the authors missed to use it.