I'm very happy this is a melodrama and not a regular rom-com. I feel more attached to the characters that way, even if it's painful.
Also, Cheng Yi should be in more modern dramas. I didn't know him before (I don't watch period dramas, not my thing), and he's really a good actor. Can't believe I'm discovering him only in 2023.
Ah, I see, so it's propaganda day from January to December in Hollywood.
Chinese propaganda is more obvious and unhidden than in the rest of the world; that is the difference. It is not subtle at all, and it is annoying for the viewer.
I understand that each country uses the media to push political messages, but others tend to do it more subtly. When I watch a Korean or Japanese drama, for example, I don't feel like its sole objective is to push a political message on me (they sometimes do, but it's usually not the main point of the story, as it is in this drama).
I mean seriously ... read the plot of this drama. It's sole objective is to tell viewers that the forestry and ecological reform of the chinese government have, I quote "improved people livehoods" and "lead the people towards a better life." The whole story was designed to explicitly push this.
No needs to deflect "muhh other countries... ". I complain as much about american "US good vs Russia/China/Arab countries bad" stuff. It's ridiculous and shouldn't exist, same for this drama.
Ah, I see, so it's propaganda day from January to December in Hollywood.
I don't watch Hollywood stuff, so I have no idea.
Assuming what you said is true, it still doesn't invalidate the fact that it's propaganda season in China and that will get only stuff aiming to praise the government until late november/early december.
Like this drama, written and produced with the sole goal of praising the "ecologicial policies" and "forestry reform" of the Chinese government.
The issue with this show (both seasons) is that there is zero character developpment. The characters act the same in the first and last episode. Zero growth.
So, is the upshot to the whole argument here that I cannot watch this show with English Subs because I do not…
Yes, I have the same issue as you; I don't use social media.
It's really sad to see what many Japanese fansubs have become nowadays. They require viewers to provide a full resume and personal information just to watch a 15-minute episode because they can't tolerate people reuploading their work.
What's even more hypocritical is that they lecture others about "stealing" when they themselves use raw videos ripped (stolen) from legal streaming platforms or DVR recordings from Japan TV, which are then illegally uploaded on the internet. This clearly violates copyright laws, but it doesn't seem to be an issue for them. Apparently, "stealing" from NHK is deemed acceptable by them. Hypocrisy at its best. As a reminder, the lack of non-Japanese official source does not make it legal to pirate the content, less risky yes, but not legal.
To make matters worse, some even demand payment (e.g., through Patreon) to unlock subtitles, which is borderline illegal since they don't own the intellectual property of the content. They seem to forget that the subtitles they made is not an original creation but the transcript of an existing one. It is called a derivative work and is subject to approval by the copyright holder before publication.
Admittedly, their work is helpful, and I am genuinely grateful for it. I am more than willing to use their website instead of platforms like dramacool, etc. However, they should not act greedily by requesting money or personal information, such as social media accounts when they themselves are flirting with the laws. They are not entitled to that level of intrusion.
The first episode was incredible. I had very high hopes. But the rest of the series did not go the way I expected. I got bored. As someone pointed out in another comment, there is too much "slice of life" filler in episodes, you end up pressing the fast forward button very often to skip to interesting parts.
Guys with one is best to watch the japs series or the Korean series of the Liar Game?
Both are excellent and should be watched. They offer a different experience tho.
Japanese version is more manga-like with exagerated characters, a specific color scheme, etc. Main focus is on the games and the mindblowing strategies to solve them. I prefered the 2 main characters in this version.
Korean version is more of a suspense thriller, with realistic characters, deep psychology and unlike the japanese version, the backstory of the characters and the game is more developped. You see the perspective of the game makers too which add tension. Production value is higher too.
They both shine in what Korea and Japan do the best. I watched both and I can't rank any above the other.
Thus they don't need to pass censorship.
Also, Cheng Yi should be in more modern dramas. I didn't know him before (I don't watch period dramas, not my thing), and he's really a good actor. Can't believe I'm discovering him only in 2023.
I understand that each country uses the media to push political messages, but others tend to do it more subtly. When I watch a Korean or Japanese drama, for example, I don't feel like its sole objective is to push a political message on me (they sometimes do, but it's usually not the main point of the story, as it is in this drama).
I mean seriously ... read the plot of this drama. It's sole objective is to tell viewers that the forestry and ecological reform of the chinese government have, I quote "improved people livehoods" and "lead the people towards a better life." The whole story was designed to explicitly push this.
No needs to deflect "muhh other countries... ".
I complain as much about american "US good vs Russia/China/Arab countries bad" stuff. It's ridiculous and shouldn't exist, same for this drama.
Assuming what you said is true, it still doesn't invalidate the fact that it's propaganda season in China and that will get only stuff aiming to praise the government until late november/early december.
Like this drama, written and produced with the sole goal of praising the "ecologicial policies" and "forestry reform" of the Chinese government.
Come back in november for interesting shows.
The characters act the same in the first and last episode. Zero growth.
So much wasted potential.
It's really sad to see what many Japanese fansubs have become nowadays. They require viewers to provide a full resume and personal information just to watch a 15-minute episode because they can't tolerate people reuploading their work.
What's even more hypocritical is that they lecture others about "stealing" when they themselves use raw videos ripped (stolen) from legal streaming platforms or DVR recordings from Japan TV, which are then illegally uploaded on the internet. This clearly violates copyright laws, but it doesn't seem to be an issue for them. Apparently, "stealing" from NHK is deemed acceptable by them. Hypocrisy at its best. As a reminder, the lack of non-Japanese official source does not make it legal to pirate the content, less risky yes, but not legal.
To make matters worse, some even demand payment (e.g., through Patreon) to unlock subtitles, which is borderline illegal since they don't own the intellectual property of the content. They seem to forget that the subtitles they made is not an original creation but the transcript of an existing one. It is called a derivative work and is subject to approval by the copyright holder before publication.
Admittedly, their work is helpful, and I am genuinely grateful for it. I am more than willing to use their website instead of platforms like dramacool, etc. However, they should not act greedily by requesting money or personal information, such as social media accounts when they themselves are flirting with the laws. They are not entitled to that level of intrusion.
References:
https://fossbytes.com/are-subtitles-illegal/
https://thenextweb.com/news/fan-made-subittles-copyright
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/04/fan-made-subtitles-for-tv-shows-and-movies-are-illegal/
But the rest of the series did not go the way I expected. I got bored.
As someone pointed out in another comment, there is too much "slice of life" filler in episodes, you end up pressing the fast forward button very often to skip to interesting parts.
This is really good so far and the teacher is badass. Hope it continues like that.
Also, thanks god, the episodes are 50min, not 20min like many jdramas.
Japanese version is more manga-like with exagerated characters, a specific color scheme, etc. Main focus is on the games and the mindblowing strategies to solve them. I prefered the 2 main characters in this version.
Korean version is more of a suspense thriller, with realistic characters, deep psychology and unlike the japanese version, the backstory of the characters and the game is more developped. You see the perspective of the game makers too which add tension. Production value is higher too.
They both shine in what Korea and Japan do the best. I watched both and I can't rank any above the other.