Michelle Topham

Yep, saw photos of Cheng Yi recently in day clothes and Ye Gods, very thin. Although he's another one who, reportedly, eats an apple and thinks that's "a meal".

Don't think I"ve seen Tan Song Yun in anything although her face looks SO familiar? Will be interesting to see how it turns out as, yep, the premise of this one sounds really unusual.

And yep on either Lu Yu Xiao or Song Zu Er. Song Zu Er does the BEST ugly cry I've ever seen from any actress - regardless of nationality. So talented :)

It's amazing how people still don't realize the foundational nutrition you get as a child and a young adult affect you for the rest of your life, isn't it? And sorry to hear about your grandmother. WWII and its after effects damaged tens of millions of people for life.

Thanks, although my mother is now 86, looks like she's about 70 and probably hasn't sat down for more than 10 minutes for about 60 years. :) My dad and I call her "The Energizer Bunny" and we're convinced all that housework /yardwork she does every day has helped counteract some of the malnutrition. She badly broke her collarbone when she was 17 tho, and even back then the doctor said the break was likely so bad due to malnutrition. She's suffered from shoulder pain ever since.

And no, didn't do ballet long enough, and I love my food waaaaay too much to ever be malnourished - hahahaha.

Might want to tell that to Napoleon :) (just teasing you :)

So many amazing looking Cdramas. So little time.

Way I'm going it will be some time in 2026 before I get to this :)

Hahahaha, it's great isn't it :)

Yep, ballet dancers are generally undernourished worldwide, especially the women. Danced for a few years in my teens, and it's crazy the amount of pressure you get even from dance teachers to remain dangerously undernourished. I stopped when I was about 16 as I was sick of feeling like I was starving all the time :)

It's sad, because malnutrition is a thing. Even for mega stars with huge amounts of money. Saw a video last year about one Asian actress (sorry, can't remember who?) who lived on a few apples a day for a while due to a part she had just been given. Didn't do her any good, as it wouldn't do anyone any good who's literally surviving on around 500 calories and missing out on important nutrients.

My mother was dangerously malnourished as a child (not my grandmother's fault, scumbag grandfather disappeared after WWII and married another woman -- as a bigamist - left my grandmother with ZERO money to bring up 3 kids). So my mother and her brothers grew up always hungry as my grandmother, even working 2 jobs, could only afford so much food and clothing.

My mother is in her 80s and still suffers from ill effects of malnutrition (bone issues etc) that she likely wouldn't have had had she been able to eat nutritious meals. Some of these actors, IMO, will see the same ill effects as they age. Sadly.

I will say, while I am absolutely loving the series as usual, the acting in it is TERRIBLE. Almost every actor dramatically over the top, with Yang Xu Wen even worse than normal in the series.

No sense of subtlety to being a bit dramatic whatsoever. LOL.

Yes, I'm sure, it's a director's choice as the drama is meant to be a spoof on similar historic detective series to some extent but, Ye Gods, it's hard to watch in some scenes, and I'm only on Episode 3 :)

Settling in to watch more episodes tonight :) But now so excited since you told me Yu Yi is back. He was my absolute favorite supporting actor in Season 2. Loved that whole arc. Will let you know what I think when I get there!

Don't worry, he'll gain weight eventually. :)

My grandfather used to describe my dad as a "running hound" he was that thin :) Now, in his 80s, he's definitely gained the weight he should have had on his body from age 10 to age 70 - LOL.

My mother has gone from telling the story about my grandad calling him a greyhound to talking about him as 'The Buddha' - ROTFL.

Liu Xue Yi has a habit of being paired with poor female leads, but the scripts he gets are his worst downfall.

Desperately hoping Against the Current turns out to be a fabulous scripts, as he's one of my all-time faves, and I'd hate to see him get another one on the level of The Princess's Gambit or Kill Me Love Me (which I'm still in the middle of and still enjoying, primarily because of him and FL Wu Jin Yan who is decent, but the script is terrible).

Still only on Ep 2 (got flooded with work :( -- Can't wait!!

Yep. It's industry standard sadly. I have ZERO problem with naturally skinny men, but when so many of these actors are all but forced to keep their calorie intake under a healthy amount just to be this thin so they look a certain way on camera (as that's what many of them have to do, men and women) it's not a good thing, IMO.

Sure, it's a problem in the west as well, but it's often taken to an extreme in Asian entertainment. I lived in Asia for 15 years, saw some of these people on the street, and always found it shocking.

On the same subject: I remember watching a video/reading an interview (?) with one Korean actress about actor Kim Jae Wook (one of my Top 5 of all time) and she was asked about possibly falling in love with him.

Her response was something like "Ooooh Ye Gods, NO, he's waaaaay too thin. I could fit my hands around his waist" -- hahahahahaha. So yep, even some of the actresses think these guys are a bit too delicate :)

Hahahaha, thanks for the laugh. :) And I think that's the problem with a lot of Chinese actors though (not that I don't love them!). They are actually very thin and delicate, while they're supposedly playing incredibly powerful characters -- (if you saw them in real life without those voluminous robes, half of them are the size of a reasonable sized twig :) A handspan would fit around some of their thighs. :)

And don't forget the camera adds 10 lbs.

I think that's the first time I've ever seen almost an entire family wiped out in one battle during a drama. Horrible. But an interesting plot choice. (A pity too as, man, the actors are incredibly hot :) Some of my absolute faves in that group.

Agree 100%. So many Chinese actresses are pleasant enough, but nothing special. Compared to Korean and Japanese dramas, both of which feature a slew of incredibly talented actresses, I would say the vast majority of Chinese actresses just don't stand out for their acting skills only for their looks.

But... I don't think this is the fault of the women themselves. I think it's the Chinese drama industry, where most of their actors (male and female) are expected to look a certain way and, especially the women, behave a certain way. That makes for bland and same old/same old after you've watched as many C-dramas as many of us have :)

IMO, it will change if the Chinese ever decide they are serious about competing with K-dramas internationally (the Japanese obviously haven't decided that -- yet).

As it stands right now, with so much of what the Chinese produce being fun enough but very 'cookie cutter' in substance, they don't stand a chance in dominating the international stage.

It's a shame, as the Chinese are phenomenally talented in aesthetics -- their cinematography in an average C-drama blows the Koreans and Japanese out of the water. Now if they can just get their performances and scripts to the level of the Koreans and Japanese as well, they could eventually dominate the market. I wouldn't mind seeing them succeed :)

You must have missed the scene about 15 minutes into Episode 1 about the arranged marriage between the ML and Yoo Ha Yeong.

This week -- https://baozibuns.com/wallace-huos-why-is-he-still-single-gets-premiere-date-and-poster-looks-adorably-cute-and-fun/ -- and so exited about this one.

Big Wallace Huo fan, and been waiting SO long :) Trailer makes it look even more fun.