Wenxia

This drama is not safe to watch in public. I just got weird looks for showing two middle fingers to my screen, specially reserved for Shen Yurong and his stupid face in front of the prison in ep33. He totally deserved it for that bs plan.

“My hand is cramping”😭 A-Li and her perfect timing lol.

Nope, it's only half the show. I was also confused and had to switch to netflix for the rest. There's also apparently a bonus ep which Netflix doesn't have, so I'll have to go looking again for that one🙄

The short of it is BL adaptations have been blacklisted in China since policy change in 2021 and it doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. When in Jan 2023 ‘A League of Noblemen’ aired successfully people were hoping maybe things were changing. That drama isn't based on a BL novel but was always included in the big wave of projects that came after the success of the Untamed. Then shortly after that drama ended Youku aired 8 episodes of jitd with zero promotion and that was that. There is a lot of speculation about what happened but nothing was officially confirmed. Maybe they wanted to test the waters. There were also some controversies and disputes with the production. But since no BL adaptation has aired normally in China in the last two years, I'd say it was the ban. As to why it was further censored, my guess is they wanted to kill any CP feeling so it's less likely to blow up and start trending in China🤷

Did I just watch Duke Su pouting because A-Li is partying without him in ep 25? Awww, their flirting is adorable. I gotta agree with her, his sulking face is indeed very charming😁

18 episodes in and this is addictive. I started it randomly on a train a couple of days ago and have been losing sleep since. Face-slapping novels are my guilty pleasure but I have a much lower tolerance for melodrama on screen, so I usually abandon such dramas at the first hint of high-pitched wailing;) I feel like this one has the right balance of everything - it's emotionally engaging without crossing into ridiculous or depressing. I also think it's quite romantic in both visuals and dialogue but that's coming from someone who doesn't watch romance dramas. Plus, it's fast paced, well-acted and doesn't sacrifice logic (too much;)) for more spectacular face-slapping. Anyway, I'm super excited to continue.

I guess I'm okay, because I no longer get emotionally involved in c-dramaland. If I worried about every great scene that was cut from my favourite dramas, my hair would be totally white by now. Plus, I still hope that the production crew retained some power and fought to keep this as close to the original for us as they could.

Exactly (×_×)

But you see, this is what I don't get - why do you jump to the conclusion that the rest of the show will be gutted, just because they cut 1:20min from one episode? Other scenes showing their changing feelings for each other weren't edited. What I'm saying is, let's at least wait for 7&8 to air before sounding the alarm bell.

You guys are so dramatic, I swear. Usually a 'heavily edited' c-drama would be cut by 10 or more episodes, not a single scene! Almost gave me a heart attack;) I mean, I'm also disappointed. I was hoping for more, not less PeixLuo scenes. But we're still getting 30 eps, so let's wait and see. The production is really good and Zhang Xingcheng's acting is mesmerising, so I still have high hopes.

Same, I'm watching on 0.95x speed. I think it's both - they speak crazy fast but also the subtitles have unnecessarily long sentences. I mostly listen to the dialogue and had to slow it down so my brain had a chance to work out the meaning;)

I did finish it. I like tragic heroes and at some point got attached to Li Lianhua, the compulsive liar that he is;) But I still didn't like the direction. I also think Di Feisheng's arc was criminally underdeveloped. Overall, it was a good story with a slow start.

I just rewatched the first episode and kinda wish I hadn't read the book. I remember being so fascinated by Pei Su and his dark energy vibes the first time I watched it, wondering what he's plotting and what's hidden in his past. I think this character has a more sinister, mysterious aura in the series compared to the book. So I'd advise any fellow suspense lovers to first watch the series, otherwise you'll rob yourself of part of the enjoyment:)

I agree the romance was a fail. But I actually liked how it started off, with them feeling torn between suspicion and attraction. For me, it made the story much more interesting and intense vs if they completely cut it out. I just think they should have kept it at that initial attraction level because there was too little buildup to make anything more serious believeable.

Thank you, I'll try it when the new eps are out then.

So the Wowow app is region blocked and my TV isn't supported.
Did anyone try playing the episodes on windows pc with a VPN? Did it work?
I'd like to know if there's a way to watch it legally?? ...before I go surfing the dark reaches of the internet;)

You're right, one-dimensional is an overstatement, but there really wasn't a lot of character development in the first 7 episodes. It doesn't help that there are only two characters I can get attached to, because the rest keep dropping like flies 0.o I do hope I'll like them better when the duo becomes a trio.

By action I didn't mean fighting, just more showing and tension building vs telling. Long-winded episodes make my mind wander and I keep losing track. The second case was ..er lethal for 80% of people in it;) I guessed who the kid was but the final twist with the tear was cool!

I guess my expectations were just too high because of the hype. I will give it a few more episodes in the hope something grabs me.

I'm on episode 7 and feel rather underwhelmed. So far there's been a lot of standing around talking and very little action. Plus, one-dimensional characters. Visuals and acting are decent and the cases are interesting but nothing is grabbing me. Also, if you introduce a cute pet, then why not let him accompany your characters?! The dog got 30 seconds screentime in the last 3 eps. Ngl I'm scratching my head rn wondering why this is so popular and highly rated.

The first half was much more entertaining. Yanei and the rest of the group got too little screetime in the last two arcs. The main couple was fun interacting with the group but a bit boring with just the two of them. Also, the espionage stuff was way too dragged out. After 9 episodes and 15 thousand twists, I was too exhausted to care about the real traitor at the end. Still, a superbly written and fun series. Definitely recommend!

I don't know if I'm more smitten with Yanei's bitchy raised eyebrow or those disarming dimples🤨😁

Thank you for the recommendation! I already have it on my list, but not enough time to watch. Pity I missed it when it was airing. It's always more fun to watch with others:)