phoenixfrost

that is a big problem in Chinese web sites, and it has overflown to the rest of the world. The Chinese government has been trying to control it but seems unable to. The discussion topic "Who still believes in Douban and other drama scoring sites" talks about this in more detail.

As with OFL, FOMH was also produced by MangoTV/HunanTV that does not give in to blackmail from yxh (netizens that are paid to blacken celebrities/dramas). That is the reason both dramas got much lower than deserved douban scores.

Despite being bashed to pieces, they triumphed 🥰

a lot of people love this drama. It got attacked by Chinese netizens paid to defame celebrities/dramas as well as netizens with other agenda, e.g. antis of Bai Lu, Dylan and their pairing. The attackers' comments were propagated throughout the internet, people got swayed by the comments but thankfully, there are still viewers who think independently and appreciated this drama

Only For Love is #1 Maoyan Hot Series for November 2023 🥰

The Top 10:

1️⃣ #OnlyForLove
2️⃣ #StoryOfKunningPalace
3️⃣ #WonderlandOfLove
4️⃣ #SouthSeaTomb
5️⃣ #LoveIsPanacea
6️⃣ #ChasetheTruth
7️⃣ #Fearless
8️⃣ #TheQueenOfNews
9️⃣ #ThereWillBeAmpleTime
🔟 #RisingWithTheWind

https://twitter.com/Natapori/status/1730548522158903373

keep watching and you'll find out why. the FL is a really interesting character

you're welcome 😊 even before they get together in ep 19, there are a lot of cute, funny, titillating scenes between them, so i thoroughly enjoyed the flirting/courtship period 😊

they first get together in ep 19, break up in ep 27, get back together in ep 31. there are many cute, funny and heart-fluttering moments throughout the drama. Episodes 31 to 36 are full of sweetness between the two of them and the side couples too

they first get together in ep 19, sorta break up in ep 27, get back together in ep 31. i hope you don't skip scenes coz OFL is much better watched fully from start to finish

Shi Yan loves her whole self, including her career. He has such high self-esteem he does not feel threatened by her success. Unlike her first boyfriend who felt inferior to her thus gaslighted her, as Shanshan pointed out. I like how he supports her writing even if the topic runs counter to his business interests. And he didn't mind working with Yi Yang to serve both the interests of Dark Horse and Lean Tech. He has such high EQ, the best person to help Shu Yi have one too.

well said!

This drama has flaws just like any other cdrama. They just got exaggerated. Please see discussion topic "Who still believes in Douban and other drama scoring sites" for a more detailed explanation of what happened. In summary, drama producers face extortion from yxh (netizens paid to defame celebrities/dramas) that they (yxh) would defame the dramas if the producers don't pay up. Apparently, MangoTV, the producers of OFL, did not give in to blackmail so the drama got defamed in Weibo and Douban, among other sites. The criticisms got picked up by international netizens. I heard a sorta famous drama critic repeat those criticisms. Then the bandwagon effect took place with netizens parroting what they heard, criticising this drama as if all other cdramas are flawless. I think the other reason the fans of the drama had a hard time dealing with the influx of criticisms was because the fans of Bai Lu could not fully support this as they were also supporting SOKP that was airing at the same time. That's why Bai Lu's character, Shu Yin, got a lot of hate. There was hardly anyone who defended her quirky behavior.

i totally agree. It's visually appealing, the chemistry between the leads is explosive and the acting is commendable. It's a rom-com but has substance, giving us a glimpse into the world of finance journalists, where competition among reporters for the cover story can get dirty, where the business and technological struggles of interviewees can feel insurmountable, where visionaries who push through with their ideas overcome challenges. It also invites viewers to dig deep into the psychology of flawed but likeable characters, to ask why, say, a seemingly smart woman would do unethical deeds and get relationship advice from a friend who is in a messy relationship herself or why a handsome, rich CEO would fall for a quirky girlwho does not seem to be as much into him as he is into her.

It is a most delightful watch.

Who cares about drama scores indeed. They're easier to tamper with than raw traffic like those in Douyin, Tiktok and WeChat.

Been wondering if ranking systems like Datawin, Maoyan, VLinkage, Weibo, Yunhe, Aiman and Dengta consider Douyin, Tiktok and WeChat data.

I just read that young people in China now depend on WeChat for recommendations on what to watch, more than douban. And WeChat is #1 web app in China, Douyin is #3 and I don't see Douban in the top 10.

I now understand one reason why Dylan's dramas are more heavily censored than normal. He is so sexy he can make the heart flutter even without him doing anything 😊

Before OFL, my most memorable kissing scene ever was the one after Ye Hua and Su Su's wedding in Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Very sweet and heartfelt. I always thought that all cdrama actors should take lessons from Mark Chao. 😄 It appears Dylan developed his own style that could compete with Mark's 😄 The kisses in ep 34, 36 and the wedding are oh so sweet 😊

OFL is produced by MangoTV; iQiyi got international airing rights. I got the impression the awards were iQiyi's apology to Dylan and Bai Lu for playing dirty against OFL. OFL was topping all the charts (Datawin, Maoyan, VLinkage, Weibo, Yunhe, etc) the first few days after it came out. It had the makings of a blockbuster, one that could have been as big as The Knockout. Before OFL, MangoTV had a market share of around 3 or 4%, about 7 times lower than iQiyi's market share of around 28%. When OFL started, MangoTV was suddenly propelled to the top, with OFL consistently garnering a higher market share than iQiyi's drama Fearless. Then iQiyi unleashed SOKP, a drama OFL would have had difficulty competing with because it also stars Bai Lu plus a male lead who was rumored to be her boyfriend, or at least to have had a fling with her, thus fans' anticipation was sky-high, generating a record-setting 7 million reservations. By pitting OFL against SOKP, iQiyi effectively crippled OFL, taking a majority of the fans of one of the stars away. Not only SOKP, but now Fearless was also able to compete against OFL.

It was a brilliant move by iQiyi businesswise, but a dick move against Dylan who was instrumental in putting iQiyi in its top position now.

Aside from the revenue impact, losing the support of Bai Lu's fans also caused OFL to lose half the ability to fight off the drama's haters that include the yxh (netizens paid to defame celebraties and dramas), water armies (netizens paid to propagate the negativity started by yxh), haters of Bai Lu and Dylan, those who prefer Dylan with other female leads and those who prefer Bai Lu with other male leads. The fact that Bai Lu's Shu Yi got a lot of hate is proof that there were not many fans left to defend her. After SOKP came out, Shu Yi hardly featured among the top 5 drama characters in ranking sites Maoyan, VLinkage, etc. while OFL was airing.

OFL is definitely successful, but it could have gone to the top for the year at least.

There are more discussions about yxh and water armies in the discussion topic "Who still believes in Douban and other drama scoring sites". It explains why OFL got more hate than normal and why losing the support of the majority of Bai Lu's fandom had a tremendous impact.

I like the finance and technical aspects of the drama. I'm an engineer so I was interested in the discussions about chips production. The drama hardly poked at the subject matter; the technical talk was very very very high-level overview but it adds depth to Shi Yan's work as a venture capitalist. I was impressed with his delivery of his lines during meetings with his business partners as well as in his interview during the chips conference though he did not delve into the techical details. It was just right for his position - all about business and politics. Another thing that interested me was the work of finance journalists. It didn't occur to me before how much finance journalists need to know about finance, business and technology.

You're right, this is more than rom-com. It has substance. Aside from the finance, business and technical aspects, the characters are complex and multi-dimensional, encouraging deeper probe into their psyches.

It's not just the haters, the innocent viewers who were swayed by the negative comments would have joined in too. Black propaganda can be pretty convincing. The government has been trying to stamp down yxh and water watermies but obviously with little success.

I just found out that Fireworks of My Heart also aired at HunanTV/MangoTV. What happened to it is consistent with the report about yxh blackmailing studios. So it seems HunanTV/MangoTV never gives in to blackmail thus their idol dramas get targeted. For Dafeng, Dylan's fans should be prepared to tackle a deluge of black comments. Perhaps they can also employ helpers to weed out fishy comments. International fans can help fund this counter-attack. Do you have an idea how we can reach out to Dylan's xdh in China?

that's what this drama is about, the journey of the FL and, to a lesser degree, the ML towards that grown-up state that would ensure their lifelong happiness

Shi Yan was giving her space to make up her mind about who she loves. He thought to himself after finding out about the niece/uncle issue that "it wasn't me she wanted". He was terribly hurt of course and may be another reason he did that, but i don't think he meant to block her for good.