PeachBlossomGoddess

Well I did notice in Young Blood that his nose is slightly crooked but that is what I found charming and saves him from having just a handsome but forgettable face. Its kind of sad that he felt the need to fix it like that... its like Jennifer Gray from Dirty Dancing who got a nose job and faded into obscurity after that. So when you mentioned it I was like OMG NO!!!

Yeah thanks so much for the watch recommendation. I absolutely loved the ensemble cast - not as polished an effort as Joy of Life but I actually like the team dynamic better than just revolving around one character. And for young actors its the best way to get them started - a lot of times they are in roles they cannot carry yet.
I will keep 舞乐传奇 for a rainy day - the location looks interesting.
I still can't stop laughing over Wang Kuan's nose job I even went and googled it. wipes tears.

From the cast list it looks like he won't be back. I am fine with it either way- his portrayal of his character made no impact on me from S1 and he is not what I am anticipating S2 for. There is a rumor that Liu Xueyi is replacing him in S2, which is great bc that kind of complex role is the kind of role Liu Xueyi excels in. But its so far still just a rumor unfortunately.

Lol - Its really fun I can't believe I took so long to watch it! But with this I am pretty much blowing my way through all the good stuff I stashed away for a rainy day.

Yes I think it is realistic that young people tend to get swept away by the movement itself more than any deep rooted ideology. And in any case iQiyi and New Classics Media are out to make money with this and ideological themes a big yawn for mainstream Chinese audiences today. It looks more likely they will appeal to the rising tide of nationalism to make this just about Chinese people uniting to expel foreigners (not just Japanese) from their country. Performance is outstanding but the characters are not as colourful or as interesting as other dramas from this period.

I believe that it is quite well accepted and understood that sadly the Kuomintang did not cover themselves in glory during this period and it is one of the reasons for their downfall, ideology notwithstanding.

I think it’s fair and accurate to say at the time the young were inspired by many ideas but I am not picking up a communism is cool vibe from anything presented so far.

I agree, the characters here are much more well developed. I also noticed Wang Kuan and Prince An are same archetypes.

Of course, history is written by the victors.

So far, I haven't seen any gross Chinese communist propaganda. In fact, the book the main CP bond over Leaves of Grass is the greatest work of Walt Whitman, widely regarded as America's greatest democratic poet and that work captures some of his most praised democratic ideas. It rather surprises me that the scriptwriter, who is obviously very well read in Western literature wrote the character of a "stupid communist FL" who seems to be inspired by the works of O'Henry, Walt Whitman and Victor Hugo, none of whom can be described as communists.

CMQ and LNS are both Kuomintang and they are in charge, especially in Shanghai where this is set. Everyone else is CCP. The Japanese will enter the picture soon.

I like her much better in this. Her personality is not so at odds with the character she is playing and she has good development.

Surprisingly enjoyable flaws, low budget and all. Really like that none of them are really good people... except maybe the wife.

"and I feel my IQ has dropped few points"
rofl... what can I say, I needed to lose some weight!!!

It used to be very popular - one of the villains in Legend of Condor uses it and of course it is the iconic weapon of Gu Long's Chor Lau-heung or Chu Liuxiang. But that series hasn't been remade recently so you will have to watch some really old stuff.

Very fair comments, you should add this to the reviews.

Yeah the last two episodes were much better but sadly most people got off the bus before getting there.
Bambi Zhu is a great actress she does the villain very well but her character here is written to be blank.

Wonderful article - you hit all the important points in a clear and efficient manner. As someone who really appreciates great acting, I love how Liu Yuning made me hate him in the beginning and love him at the end.

Yeah I haven't loved anything I just been watching stuff to pass time. The Rebel is very intense and its very good. I am watching it also. :)

Lol - its is actually pretty terrible, its so bad it made me laugh. That's why I was generous with it. And in all seriousness the second couple's story is great. What are you watching now or are you just gonna chill on the mountain?