Shui Ze Mu Lan

If you get what I'm saying, it's not that I dislike him as an actor. I just feel he's not ready enough to take on roles that demand subtle emotional depth. When he portrayed characters like GZY or XW, I couldn't really see the required emotions in his eyes, which are crucial for a character like PWX. If he couldn't convey those emotions convincingly, PWX's character gonna be failed. I genuinely hope he can make himself more familiar with conveying emotion before reaching out to more complex characters.

I watched MJTY and SOKP partly because of him. I even gave TAG another shot, though I ended up dropping it after 4 eps due to the unbearable story.

I don't really blame his performance in MJTY and TAG because I feel like most of the issues came from the design of the characters themselves, which I can understand. However, in SOKP, he's pretty much turned the XW character into a true villain. Especially in the scene where he killed GYC, he basically just looked like a villain instead of the ML. I couldn't see any other emotions in his eyes besides hatred and jealousy. And I'm not the only one who feels this way; if you watch reviews from professional film critics, you'll find they have the same thought.

So, once again, I don't have any hard feelings toward him, nor do I dislike him as an actor. In fact, I enjoyed his performances in LBFD and as a supporting role in BEITD, where he seemed to have done so much better there.

If you ask me who I consider great, I actually tend to go with older-gen actors/actresses.
Younger gen that I will continue to watch their drama, probably
Zhang Ruo Yun, Chen Xiao, Liu Xue Yi (He's portraying Luo Zi Shang character so much better than the novel described. While reading the novel, I initially found this character to be quite irritating. However, through his portrayal, I gained a deeper understanding of the character's pain ), Tan Jian Ci (Only watched him in LYF, but he captures the emotions of XL's character so genuinely, he didn't have too many facial movements but each of his movement are just what is needed), Cheng Lei (his performances in short drama Familiar Stranger and MJTY really impressed me, hope he doesn't disappoint in his debut as the ML in bigger production drama, portraying the Xiao Jue. ), Wu Lei (His new drama as LYY didn't really satisfy me, feel he's not very natural when trying to be a seducer, but in LLTG, I really like how him deliver LBY's character who I feel in some way is pretty familiar to XW. I can sense a lot of emotions in his eyes: the anguish, the sorrow, the sense of helplessness, and the emptiness after seeking vengeance).
Imo some actor/actresses are just born with acting talent, some are need to slowly learn and take the time to grinding themselves to achieve the level. That's how things used to be back in the day with the older generation.

Agreed! I also enjoyed his performance in LBFD. Actually, I watched MJTY, SOKP, and even TAG partly because of him. In MJTY and TAG, the character designs were pretty weak, so I kind of I understand why his performance didn't really pull off. In SOKP, I pretty enjoy watching him in the earlier episodes, but during the scene he killed GYC, I felt like he could have shown more emotion instead of just sporting a villainous expression.

I think he has done so much better as SML/ supporting roles. I was pretty satisfied watching him in BEITD as well.

ZZY is so much better when playing the villain, Shangguan Zhi. She should accept that kind of role instead, because ever since her "comeback," the original YCW character seems to no longer exist. Now, YCW just feels like ZZY herself, from her posture to her eye movements and even her trademark pouting, everything it's identical in every single drama she's in lol

Yeah, that's become quite typical in c-dramas these days. Only the top-tier productions with a high budget will really put in the effort to research and stay true to historical accuracy, down to the smallest details like clothing and hair accessories. But for the lower-budget productions, they tend to overlook these details. Some are crazy enough to mix elements from different dynasties, making the Chinese audience so upset.

I'm hoping he pulls it off, even though JH isn't my top pick. But I'm still excited to see how this drama turns out.

Probably because in the novel, the storyline is set in Da Xia. So they just randomly add Xia dynasty tag lol

I've expressed all my thoughts above, and if you still feel he's very good at conveying subtle emotions with his eyes, then I have nothing more to add haha.

Why would I hate him? lol I'm just talking about his acting, not attacking him personally. I still enjoy seeing him as a guest on variety shows tho.

I guess you either don't understand what I'm saying or you're just being stubborn. I didn't start comparing him to anyone else until you brought up how great his acting is, how well he portrays his emotions, and how deserving he is of all the hype, lol.

I just wanted to tell you what conveying emotion in acting looks like, using examples like WL as LBY and WDX as MYC.

My initial point was that he struggles to really immerse himself in his roles, failing to bring out emotion through his eyes and lacking that deep connection to the character.

Initially, I thought maybe the characters he portrayed in MJTY weren't well-designed by GJM, which led to his underperformance. However, after watching SKOP, which I read the novel before watching the drama, it became clear to me what his problem is.

Isn't it funny how you're praising a newcomer like him to the skies, while big stars like Zhang Zi Yi still faced criticism in her early days because her acting didn't meet the director's requirements. But people do grow and learn when their weaknesses are pointed out, hoping they'll improve and bring out a better performance in the future, not just by blindly praising.

And if you really want to compare him to his peers, as you suggested, let's compare him to WXY, who's actually younger. At least WXY in O&O, SKOP, and SOT knows what he's doing and gives off the vibes that the character needs.

But well, if you're really a die-hard fan of his, I guess you'll get angry no matter what people say. But we're all entitled to our own opinions, right? So, if you don't agree, then simply leave out the comment.

Well, I suppose it's not about politics, it's more about the fact that they tend to cast actors and actresses from their own agencies. For example, XK and WJY are from Huanyu, which is owned by Yu Zheng.

Are you sure it's because of his acting skills and not just his good looks? Haha.

"ZLH is very good portraying his emotions with respect to his experience and if I compare him with his peers, he definitely one of the finest one and worth of all the hype."
I suppose you're just a hardcore fan of ZLH and don't really care about whether he's a good actor or not. So yeah it's up to you.
If you really want to compare him with his peers, Wang Xing Yue, who stars alongside him in SOKP, still outperformed him. It's just that he isn't as good-looking as ZLH, so he doesn't get as much hype as ZLH.

Of course, every actor has room to improve, but what I'm talking about is really the fundamentals of acting. Delivering lines without emotion just really not count lol.

"if your fav unable to get the hype, he/she should concentrate on their skill, showing bitterness on someone will not help them lol"
Ah, I'm a fan of actors/actresses who can actually act well, not just those who are hyped up because they're good-looking.

I guess we just have different tastes, lol.

Because his acting is really basic, it lacks the necessary emotion. I don't see anything in his eyes, no soul, nothing. He literally just reads the scripts as requested and does not really understand the character.
I can't quite put it into words, but if you've watched other actors like Wu Lei in Love Like The Galaxy as Ling Bu Yi, or Wei Da Xun in Fireworks of My Heart, or Hu Ge in his younger days, you'd get what I mean.

Haha, let's wait and see. But I still feel he's really not worth the hype. If you're a big fan of his, you might be biased and think he's a great actor. But if you look at it objectively, you'll notice his acting lacks emotion. Especially when you compare him to other great actors, there's really no comparison at all. He still need a few more years to grinding himself.
Great acting doesn't mean happy = laughing, sad = crying, angry = moving your mouth like a villain. You need to have emotion in your eyes; you at least need to understand the character, feel it and not only just wear the costume and read the scripts.

Ah, that's true, it's not really her problem. After looking at the director and the team, I understand why her.
Royal Feast, Song of Youth, Scent of Time.
They always go for good-looking actors/actresses but can't really act. XK, ZY, WJY, they're just playing themselves in every drama.

You should really check out her other projects then. She was so popular as Concubine Ling in Yan Xi Palace back then, but everything she's done since then has been kinda meh. It's like she's just playing herself in every role, doing the same thing over and over.

I've read the novel, and honestly, she didn't feel like JL to me. I dunno how to explain that but if you've seen her other dramas and then compare her as JL, you might get what I mean.
But well, since I love the novel, so I'll still give it a shot. Plus, I'm really looking forward to seeing WXY as JH. Fingers crossed she nails it this time.

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of his work, and Blossom gives off almost the same vibes as Butterflied Lover. I can't wait to see it!

Nah, I don't think he can nail PWX's character. After watching his recent dramas, he's just not gives the vibes of PWX from the novel at all. 😢

Fingers crossed for ZLH. Hopefully, he's not ruining this drama. I'm a fan of the novel and expect so much from this drama.
Pei Wen Xuan's character requires handling subtle emotions, something that might not be ZLH's level yet. Honestly, I'm just tired of his performances in MJTY and SOKP 😢

Well, it's not just the lighting and camera moves, but the slow-mo too. omg, he literally made Zhang Ling He look so bad during the slow-mo punching scene. lol

Yea, I've checked out Ashes of Love and and I didn't even noticed they had the same director. Not sure what's up with him lately, but it seems like his directing skills have getting more and more weird.
I can still enjoy The Starry Love despite of the camera movement and the dazzled lighting. But then he added slow-mo in SKOP. I can't take it anymore lol

nahhh WAY not close as JXJ at all. Did they even read the original novel before picking up the actor?

luckily you mention, SOKP was so bad that I dropped in the middle. The director just a weirdo.