Meari21

It makes you really think about how much effort he put into the stoic and cold portrayal of Fan Yue. I really didn't think it was possible for him to do these types of roles because he's the most unserious actor I know. I always thought he was more suited for comedic roles because he's such a goofball. From dorky Lei Wujie to swoonworthy Fan Yue! lol

Yes, it is. Xianxia usually have deities, immortals, and demons.

Agreed. I like him. I just recently watched him in Under the Skin 2.

Xuanhuan is usually dark fantasy with elements of wuxia. One example of a xuanhuan drama that aired recently is Fangs of Fortune.

Yes, he's quite short in China. Just 174 cm. I have a male Korean friend who lives in China who told me that if you're an East Asian guy and you only stand 165 cm to 170 cm, you should just kill yourself because you'll be criticized for your height your whole life. I found that very shocking. But then a female Chinese friend of mine told me that women tend to prefer dating guys that are at least 180 cm. Apparently, that's like a beauty standard for men there.

I believe Wang Hedi is 6 feet tall, Ao Ruipeng is more than 6'2, which are ideal for men in East Asia. I guess that's why most male actors/idols are at least 180 cm tall (which is 5'11). Luo Yunxi is only 5'9 and Tan Jianci is 5'7 which are considered short there. But they're both very talented and good looking so their height hardly matters anymore.

I actually saw the news on Weibo via the Super Topic. I don't quite understand how it works, though. But that was early Saturday. Maybe because it was Weibo Night so the hot searches focused mainly on the event and the stars attending.

Really? Not sure about this because both Bai Shou and Fan Yue have been topping the Douyin character list. I think yesterday it was Fan Yue at the top with Bai Shou coming in a close second. The day before that, it was Bai Shou at number 1 then Fan Yue on the third spot.

Any idea how their characters are doing on VLinkage?

I try not to get bothered by it. I read manga that have been ongoing for years and some events are often explained hundreds of chapters later. For ongoing manga that are released weekly or monthly, you can say that the manga authors sometimes fix plot holes as they go along, especially when there are complaints from readers. But these dramas were written and completed months or years before airing, we cannot call them plot holes simply because the explanations came later. Sometimes things aren't revealed until later because that's what the writer wants and there might be a purpose for it. Like the revelation about how the Cloud Spring Demon King got into the Outlander's territory was supposed to show the extent of their betrayal and give it more impact. If they had revealed it earlier on, then the deception would've been revealed too early. The audience are not supposed to find out until later. We could only speculate about it until it is confirmed. I normally don't complain too much about the writing until I've seen everything. But yeah, I get why it can be frustrating sometimes.

Their VIP can enjoy 4K resolution now. That must be the reason why.

It's not a plot hole when there's an eventual explanation for it. It becomes one when the drama ends without explaining that bit at all. So for long series such as this one, I normally reserve judgment until I've seen everything before I conclude that there are plot holes, retcons, suspend-your-disbelief stuff, and such because some of the things that don't make logical sense at first might not be so illogical later on.

He normally does comedic and playful roles. He displays a range of facial expressions in these roles. I was beginning to think he was getting typecast. I wasn't quite convinced he could pull off the stoic tsundere type but he proved me wrong. I didn't think he could make effective use of micro expressions.

Oh well, I will use that time to catch up on my other dramas then.

He, Neo, and Zhiguang were the real love triangle there. Just saying. lol

I just ended up watching that drama for them. I took one look at the promotional photos and that was it, I was sold!

Ah yes, I liked his bromance with Xin Yunlai's Mofang. They were the only ones I enjoyed in that drama tbh. I really don't like xianxia, but for some reason I like Moonlight Mystique. lol

Not related to your post but I just realized your profile pic is He Yu. lol Loved him in Dashing Youth. I gotta send you a friend request!

He is exactly that. He seems to be the reluctant leader who didn't really want the responsibility. But court politics is brutal and many would want to overthrow him as well as other demon kings eyeing to conquer his kingdom. So he has to put up a cold and ruthless front to give the illusion that he's not to be messed with. He is formidable but he's not like the other kings. He cares about his people and his subjects are clearly loyal and devoted to him. I mean, he got a powerful and idealistic princess to work for him as his personal guard. That counts for something. As others have said, he's like the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Formidable and intimidating but a big softie deep down. That's why he never tried to break Bai Shou's spirit and completely dominate her. In fact, every time she opposed and defied him, you see admiration in his eyes. You never see him becoming furious by her audacity. He only got angry when she was being reckless.

This is not the same story, though. The characters are not the same either. They didn't even use the same names for the gods because of copyright restrictions. This is meant to be a standalone story. You don't need to watch Ancient Love Poetry to understand this. As much as I love Liu Xueyi, I do understand the need for them to change the actors as they are merely reincarnations of the characters in ALP. Not to mention that they probably wanted to get a bigger name for the female lead and a fresh face for the male lead. To me, it makes sense that they chose different actors here. It's not like they're recasting the roles as they are actually different ones.