No wonder I felt something was off with the drama despite the hype of many viewers. I couldn't point out what…
Sorry to hear about your grandfather's situation. I am glad he has you. This drama is worth watching for all the noteworthy points as per your observations, but until which episode will depend on the viewer (as per what I listed in my comment to complete the review involving spoilers).
The acting was a bit uneven from the actors for Zhuo Yi Chen and Bai Jiu as you pointed out. Tian Jiarui did a good job overall considering his character was expected to go from one emotional extreme to the other while remaining stoic.
As to the cutting and pasting that you observed very astutely, this boils down to the number of original writers for the original script, number of screenwriters, number of directors, and final edits.
For the original script, four writers including GJM was involved. For the directors, three directors including GJM were involved. Six people were involved in the screenwriting, but I don't know the influence distribution for the various components including screenwriting.
With all this in mind, that's a key reason for why I praised the interpretation of characters by cast members such as Neo Hou, Chen Duling, Yan An and Xu Zhen Xuan. Since GJM gets the final say, I can fault him for his indulgences.
And elsewhere, a fair number of viewers observed what I observed but couldn't be as precise due to a language barrier. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of non-mandarin speakers who only wanted me to confirm if their guesses were true, so I provided the necessary in translations and context since IQiyi subtitles are so misleading for dialogue (especially between Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yi Chen).
There's a discussion post of certain details posted more than 10 days ago above.
I can also see why your comments rub people the wrong way. And then of course, you seem to be quite unaware of certain details (such as the Director whose first movies as lead director was not romantic but serious), so let me help you by C-and-Ping one of my comments to another poster:
[ Your point about the age gap between actors and actresses is appreciated.
That said, there are several people complaining about Ai Mi being a minor in this drama, while projecting their beliefs about what they see as necessary romance in a drama onto this drama and conflating their beliefs as necessary to portray a non-platonic relationship while ignoring everything else vital about this project... Such as the director, the script, Ai Mi's widely varied body of hard work ever since she started acting as a child to get to this role, or the fact that it is possible to have a good or excellent drama without overt romantic gestures. Given the first choice was Huangyang Tian Tian followed by Ai Mi, Ai Mi and Huangyuan Tian Tian cement the fact that the FL has to look a certain young age, which the likes of Li Landi or Ju Jingyi cannot carry off.
I am glad this director is in charge because he gives me the best hopes for a historical C-drama that I am used to: Conveying the impact of strong bonds in different types of relationships, without kissing, skinship or groping. This also means tradition plus inventiveness is required, to portray two individuals holding zero trust into becoming a strong true bond between husband and wife.
The Empress of China at 82 episodes of 45 minutes each was at least 55 episodes of a main plot, subplots and mostly-commendable acting without PDA. I don't know about the people slamming this drama because their primary complaint is Ai Mi as a minor, but there was a time in C-dramas (modern and historical) when a good or excellent drama didn't involve all the overt Western PDA gestures that I and others prefer to be kept out of C-dramas (unless it is comedy or serves a vital plot point).
I also know that happens to be the preference among certain older generations who don't want this in C-dramas. How does face-mashing/skinship/groping empower the script or enhance the story or deepen connections between viewers and the characters? Great fanservice for some fans, huge turn-off to other viewers. That is why a good solid story, a reliable experienced director, and a capable screenwriter are as primarily vital as the cast.
I'll hope this director doesn't disappoint me. So far, he's zooming in on the small details that I expect.
The historical drama "Su Ji" was directed by him and finished in July 2021 starring Li Landi and Zhu Zheng Ting, but not yet released. It provides an insight into his work, which I summarised in a comment here:
I can't understand some people, I think some of you confused the relationship between the actors in the series…
Your point about the age gap between actors and actresses is appreciated.
That said, there are several people complaining about Ai Mi being a minor in this drama, while projecting their beliefs about what they see as necessary romance in a drama onto this drama and conflating their beliefs as necessary to portray a non-platonic relationship while ignoring everything else vital about this project... Such as the director, the script, Ai Mi's widely varied body of hard work ever since she started acting as a child to get to this role, or the fact that it is possible to have a good or excellent drama without overt romantic gestures. Given the first choice was Huangyang Tian Tian followed by Ai Mi, Ai Mi and Huangyuan Tian Tian cement the fact that the FL has to look a certain young age, which the likes of Li Landi or Ju Jingyi cannot carry off.
I am glad this director is in charge because he gives me the best hopes for a historical C-drama that I am used to: Conveying the impact of strong bonds in different types of relationships, without kissing, skinship or groping. This also means tradition plus inventiveness is required, to portray two individuals holding zero trust into becoming a strong true bond between husband and wife.
The Empress of China at 82 episodes of 45 minutes each was at least 55 episodes of a main plot, subplots and mostly-commendable acting without PDA. I don't know about the people slamming this drama because their primary complaint is Ai Mi as a minor, but there was a time in C-dramas (modern and historical) when a good or excellent drama didn't involve all the overt Western PDA gestures that I and others prefer to be kept out of C-dramas (unless it is comedy or serves a vital plot point).
I also know that happens to be the preference among certain older generations who don't want this in C-dramas. How does face-mashing/skinship/groping empower the script or enhance the story or deepen connections between viewers and the characters? Great fanservice for some fans, huge turn-off to other viewers. That is why a good solid story, a reliable experienced director, and a capable screenwriter are as primarily vital as the cast.
I'll hope this director doesn't disappoint me. So far, he's zooming in on the small details that I expect.
The historical drama "Su Ji" was directed by him and finished in July 2021 starring Li Landi and Zhu Zheng Ting, but not yet released. It provides an insight into his work, which I summarised in a comment here:
BTS has a lot of things happening.Bingyi is pawing Li Lun's chest here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pB42167S1/While…
Dearie, please separate your thoughts into sentences and put a full-stop between each sentence. Could you do that for your confusing comment above?
I strongly believes it makes a difference for understanding this drama, wrt Mandarin. That said, I was quite surprised by the number of non-mandarin-speaking anti-Zhao Yuanzhou fans all picking up on certain details quite apparent to me but less apparent to them only because of a language barrier.
I discovered that via comments to my fanfiction for this drama XD
I posted my review above, and the review includes a link to a comment that answers why I see Zhao Yuanzhou in a certain manner and frankly, it is GJM's fault.
BTS has a lot of things happening.Bingyi is pawing Li Lun's chest here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pB42167S1/While…
I am not blaming GJM for the beauty of his efforts. Where GJM screwed up was his refusal to have limitations on self-indulgences. For the original story, four writers including GJM were involved. For the directors, three directors including GJM were involved. Six people were involved in the screenwriting. I am certain GJM had the final say.
I am about to post a review above, but the spoilers relevant to the review will be posted below because I don't want them to be shown in the review.
~*~*~*~*~
Spoilers to complete this review (if you have watched until Episode 30 or don’t mind spoilers beyond Episode 1, then continue reading)
…. … .. . .. … …
Kudos to the cast, especially the performances and efforts of two main leads whose interpretation of a script was not given more deserving screentime in the final editing decisions. Neo Minghou turned in a wonderful performance with a spot-on interpretation of a character which could have been a mess given the director’s flaws, while Chen Duling made the best of a character poorly written after her strong opening in the first episode of this drama.
Yan An’s performance was enthralling considering the ambiguities of his character Li Lun. Xu Zhenxuan as Ying Lei was much-needed charm and practicality, his presence brightening the screen with his portrayal of ideas such as throwing a unique spice mix on a certain demon and thus enabling him to smell and find that demon regardless of where the demon hides.
As someone who is not a fan of any actors or actresses in this drama, the director’s seemingly favourite actor (judging by screentime) was unfortunately more limited in character development for this script than a standout portrayal as Gong Yuanzhi in My Journey To You by the same director. Screentime involving this actor would have benefitted from at least ten minutes being allotted to Chen Duling, to better illustrate her character and help viewers understand her importance as the glue of the team. One example is her time spent in the sundial, whereby seeing her struggle to grow the Divine Wood would have helped the audience connect with her character as the Baize Goddess.
IQiyi’s subtitles have always veered between being somewhat decent to atrocious (atrocious, for leaving out key context and details). This primary factor leaning towards the latter for conversations is why (for example) a scene between two male characters in Coroner’s Diary to thoroughly address a significant mistake made by one of them became completely misconstrued primarily as a dirty joke and would result in totally missing the emotional weight of that conversation, if you relied only on the subtitles to understand dialogue.
This also helps enable all sorts of shipping to occur between various characters of this drama from the viewer, which helps this drama to have a larger international reach and is good for IQiyi plus all actors involved.
In episode 8, Zhuo Yichen gives a jade piece to Zhao Yuanzhou, which Zhao Yuanzhou praises as beautiful. Despite scenic beauty of this seemingly touching exchange, Zhao Yuanzhou in his teasing alludes to humans have a saying, "亲兄弟，明算帐" (even between brothers, accounts must be settled). The full meaning is not conveyed in the English subtitles of IQiyi, as one example. Needling Zhuo Yichen on this debt is embarrassing and infuriating to Zhuo Yichen. If I was brought up with rules of honour as per my clan and I hate owing people especially a demon I want to kill for murdering my older brother and father and clansmen, and this demon did not give me any face by reminding me of the extent of my inferiority to him and what I owe him… Only makes one more determined to kill him. Not romantic by a longshot.
The first four episodes of this drama (based on the mandarin title alone, I could already guess most of the cast would perish and hence awaken from a temporary dream of unique shared preciousness) made for uneasy viewing about the two main characters of Wen Xiao and Zhao Yuanzhou, relative to Li Lun. Episodes 4 to 6 in the first viewing had me wondering why Zhao Yuanzhou was behaving as if Li Lun had betrayed Zhao Yuanzhou in some unforgivable manner and whether Zhao Yuanzhou had done something wrong to Li Lun.
Pagoda Tree Demon Li Lun of Huaijiang Valley is sealed by Wen Xiao’s predecessor for killing humans, and this was only possible because his childhood companion White Ape Demon Zhu Yan of Mount Xiaoci intervened and prevented the Baize goddess from being swiftly murdered. In episode 1, Zhu Yan now known as Zhao Yuanzhou shows no hesitation or remorse when telling Zhuo Yichen he will kill the guards if Zhuo Yichen does not sheath his sword, then proceeds to easily explode the heart of one guard to make his point.
How can it be acceptable that Li Lun deserves to be mortally wounded by his best friend of more than thirty thousand years and sealed for eternity, due to being incredibly furious at finding beasts and demons enslaved underground for experiments or worse and hence making a mistake of killing humans, but Zhao Yuanzhou’s freedom despite killing many more humans than Li Lun is acceptable because Zhao Yuanzhou has been remorseful and wants to die? What if I believe that Zhao Yuanzhou doing so in episode one is because he wants Zhuo Yichen to promise to kill him with the Cloud Light Sword in order to try to break the cycle of a unique vessel for malicious energy? Zhao Yuanzhou intentionally chose to kill a random guard who might have had family and loved ones, including other humans when he was unable to control himself during a blood moon until he learned to do so. Li Lun intentionally chose to kill humans after what he witnessed of demons and beasts in cages underground enraging him.
How is it acceptable to excuse Zhao Yuanzhou with the ends justify the means" in killing a human yet deserving of freedom to roam all these years, because the Ever-Burning Wood made him lose control during blood moons? Because Zhao Yuanzhou is supposed to be the male lead and has half the Baize token in him? Why is Li Lun considered irredeemably evil and should be sealed forever, for getting enraged at what Li Lun sees as deception from humans? When we do a body count, Zhao Yuanzhou killed more people than Li Lun. How is the Great Demon supposedly more emotionally mature and favoured by the demon hunting team supposedly more morally excusable than the Great Demon being a plant demon understandably of slower emotional growth who mistakenly thought humans had deceived demons and beasts, only to end up badly betrayed and abandoned by his so-called best friend without any explanations or apologies?
Zhao Yuanzhou’s treatment of Li Lun is impossible to accept. Li Lun is the individual that Zhu Yan spent more than 99% of his life with. The main hero lies about Li Lun and minimises Li Lun’s significance to himself with the demon hunting team, until he cannot do it anymore in episode 30.
This main male lead extends understanding and compassion to people whom he has known for less than several days or weeks or years including the likes of Qinggeng, but denies such kindness to his friend of more than 34,000 years. He also favours humans over demons to the point that he looks unfair. Li Lun’s skills involve being able to parasitise humans, and doing so will kill humans. But how is Li Lun supposed to stay sane, when imprisoned for eternity within a cave only to live through cycles of semi-darkness and darkness? Did Li Lun’s most trusted friend ever visit him to apologise for the fatal wound inflicted via the Ever-Burning Wood, during those eight years of imprisonment? No.
In short, Zhao Yuanzhou does his best to bury history and avoid facing his mistakes with this precious friend whom he fatally wounded and only preserved that one’s life by awarding a fate worse than death. Should Li Lun thank Zhu Yan for being literally buried alive for all eternity, only to find out Zhu Yan seems to have easily replaced Li Lun with a new bunch of friends without looking back? Without being able to parasitise humans, Li Lun would have gone completely insane. Anybody who wants to live will find a way to free themselves, in Li Lun's circumstances.
Li Lun's behaviour is not excusable for what he does to demons such as Ranyi and Qinggeng, but the extent of PTSD due to experiencing a bond of 34,000 years being fundamentally betrayed would be devastating and can drive one half-mad. Such cowardice from the main lead of this story towards a bosom childhood friend since existence is completely distasteful to me. I felt sorry for Wen Xiao falling in love with the main character, when Zhuo Yichen was a much more-fitting candidate for her love.
Neo Hou gave a stellar performance significantly making tolerable the distaste I had for the main character throughout more than 20 episodes, whenever I found myself by turns pitying and disgusted with Zhao Yuanzhou. The humour was also spot-on, to lighten a dark drama laden with a fundamental theme of inevitable karma. But in rewatching the drama a second time, I could understand why Zhao Yuanzhou would have to adopt such an approach: Being too sentimental while emotionally not an example Li Lun or any other demon should emulate, to fully comprehend the depths and extent of his betrayal and cowardice towards Li Lun would be too much for Zhao Yuanzhou to face.
Sealing Li Lun to keep Li Lun alive with the curse of the Ever-Burning Wood even if he knowingly consigned his closest friend to a fate worse than death for eternity, using the primordial root to keep Li Lun alive- He could willingly delay his own death, but not if he witnesses Li Lun leaving him behind to die first. Not addressing the necessary with Li Lun led to Li Lun’s karma creating his karma: Watching Li Lun leave him behind to face Wen Zongyu, then being hit with the full impact of finally realising what you have irreversibly lost and how dear that person is to you.
My issues with Zhao Yuanzhou as a character can be attributed to GJM’s choices of self-indulgence. In the case of Li Lun and Zhao Yuanzhou, GJM allotted much of their shared limited screentime to:
1) Zhu Yan wants a paper windmill he views as very pretty and mistook for a hair ornament, to insert into Li Lun’s hair. In ancient China, when does an adult go around easily inserting a hair pin or hair ornament into another adult’s hair? Hint: Not usually platonic.
2) Zhao Yuanzhou being very emotionally reactive and/or defensive when exchanging words with Li Lun or tearing up with Li Lun. What percentage of their shared screentime resulted in such reactions from Zhao Yuanzhou, when compared to other characters with Zhao Yuanzhou?
3) Zhu Yan gave his Illusion-Dispelling Eyes of Truth to Li Lun to make Li Lun happy. Li Lun is the equal of the most powerful demon of the Wilderness, and does not need such protection. In return, Li Lun gave his primordial root to Zhu Yan. Episode 30 has Zhao Yuanzhou alluding to all this, in that order. Under what circumstances do gods or demons give away parts of their primordial form? Hint: In Ashes of Love, Jin Mi gave one of her six petals to the god she chose to marry as her life partner.
4) Since Zhao Yuanzhou is willing to lie to the entire demon hunting team and himself about Li Lun’s significance and history to him until it is inevitable (even if I overlook all of GJM’s non-platonic carrots and go with Li Lun as “挚友” according to Zhao Yuanzhou in episode 30), how much truth can I put in Zhao Yuanzhou’s usage of “知己” from himself towards Zhuo Yichen? How much self-honesty do you have and what can someone believe, when minimising dearness to people you have barely known for days or weeks, about someone that you spent at least 99% of your life with (for more than thirty thousand years)?
5) If the deleted lines from the original script involving Li Lun and Zhu Yan had been included, the premise of Zhao Yuanzhou being in love with Wen Xiao for this drama would become obviously questionable, given how Wen Xiao’s character was portrayed and then sidelined throughout this entire drama after episode 1. Thankfully those lines were not used because the strong chemistry and included lines between Zhao Yuanzhou and Li Lun for this drama was baffling to be considered completely non-platonic, even while Zhao Yuanzhou and Wen Xiao behave like a long-married couple. In episode 4, Wen Xiao resembled a clueless third wheel between two demons having a very uncomfortable conversation.
Overall, I preferred Li Lun flying solo before the final episode given all that transpired beforehand, which was a most fitting choice. The flashback by GJM where Zhu Yan uses the umbrella to stop Li Lun from moving forward and not leave Zhu Yan behind also helped me understand how Zhu Yan might perceive Li Lun freeing Ao Yin from the cage and telling Ao Yin to follow, while leaving Zhu Yan behind. Zhao Yuanzhou’s behaviour and words in episodes 4 to 6 towards Li Lun became understandable, once I saw this flashback. To Zhu Yan, Li Lun betrayed Zhu Yan when Li Lun left him behind and asked another demon to follow. Zhu Yan takes being equals with Li Lun very seriously, as you can see from the flashback of Li Lun smiling and telling Zhu Yan that he doesn't mind Zhu Yan being number one alongside him.
And when Li Lun leaves Zhao Yuanzhou behind for the last time to face Wen Zongyu, Zhuo Yichen finally sees Zhao Yuanzhou’s true feelings towards Li Lun to the point that he has to stop Zhao Yuanzhou from ruining Li Lun’s sacrifice. The camerawork panning to Zhao Yuanzhou's face as he wakes up after being given half of Li Lun's energy, followed by realisation of what Li Lun has sacrificed to heal him and enable him to be able to fight and what Li Lun is about to do, followed by Zhao Yuanzhou scrambling to get up- Part (or all, depending on whether you realise how well it applies) of one of the songs for this drama seems to be solely dedicated to Li Lun and Zhao Yuanzhou: 《大夢歸離》 by 李宇春
The exact portion includes the Bridge section followed immediately by the chorus.
Bridge: [ 总有一天我会回到老故乡 穿着旧衣裳 但眼睛亮着光 1 右手紧握着锋芒 咬紧所有慌张 2 左手擦去风霜 我终于抬头望 3 你在我前方 挡着伤 4 ] - (One day I will return to my roots wearing old clothes but with bright eyes [ 我会回到老乡] is fundamentally similar to 落叶归根 and should not be taken literally here 1) (Right hand grips the blade tightly Tightly biting back the panic 2) (Left hand wiping away the wind and frost I finally raise my head 3) (You stand before me Blocking wounds 4)
followed directly by->
Chorus: [ 谁哭红眼睛 斑驳的心 5 走走停停 追着你的声音 6 ] - (Who cries with reddened eyes and mottled heart 5 Stumbling {=walking and stopping}, chasing the sound of you 6)
[我会化成雨滴 古老的歌曲 7 奔向你 寻找你 8 ] - (I will turn into rain, An ancient song running towards you, searching for you)
When Zhao Yuanzhou once told Wen Xiao he would turn into rain, did Wen Xiao say she does not like rainy days? Who would Zhao Yuanzhou be searching for, as rain? Makes no sense for the song to keep switching POVs within lyrics... But this entire song can be viewed solely from Zhao Yuanzhou's perspective.
Li Lun's theme song sung by Yan An already gave me a gigantic clue as to what would happen to Li Lun. The lyrics of FoF tend to give big hints of what is to come. There are a significant number of listeners who cottoned on to the above lines being solely from Zhu Yan's pov in that song, so is it any surprise the accompanying footage from episode 32 became an FMV using the drama theme song: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1n7CiYJEdV/
There was a short 2024 interview of Yan An and Neo Hou in-costume together, where Li Lun is wearing only white with his hair down for a dream scene. That interview was interesting, when Yan An broke through his diplomatic mode to reveal in a few words what he thought of Zhao Yuanzhou's behaviour towards Li Lun (his answer indirectly referencing the paper windmill, being intercepted with umbrella, being given the Illusion-Dispelling Eyes of Truth etc). Since Yan An probably also saw the deleted lines from the script judging by his answer, his portrayal of Li Lun was what GJM originally wanted.
Ying Lei’s death in Episode 30 was the confirmation for me that GJM decided to hold true to karma and rules as per “Green Snake” and “Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain”. Karma meant Ying Lei would die for running away from his duties as a mountain god because he also has divine blood, Bai Jiu would die from love for his most precious Xiao Zhuo-ge and being punished for betrayal because he has divine blood, Pei Sijing only has her brother A-Heng for a while and must suffer him dying again because of her foolishness in wrongly killing him, Zhao Yuanzhou must experience the agony of helplessly watching Li Lun truly die and not get any proper closure beforehand… But what did Zhuo Yichen do, to deserve losing so many precious friends and live like a walking coffin to suffer for a best friend, while looking for a shred of that one’s soul?
Mostly likely as the reincarnation of Bingyi needing to face karma for his best friend Yinglong dying on his sword after everything Yinglong sacrificed for him, even though it was not his fault.
If you believe GJM was slaughtering characters senselessly to milk the tragedy angle, I disagree. Just watch those two Tsui Hark movies while aware of the boundaries and rules for 神人鬼妖 when understanding how karma works, which will be harsher for those with divine blood or those aspiring to divinity where the rules are stricter. As to the bond between Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou, it reminded me of the bond between Yizhen and Mingqi in “Zu Warriors From the Magic Mountain”, by turns funny and endearing and eventually 心灵相通 in a non-platonic sense, although one might suspect something potentially non-platonic from Zhuo Yichen’s end by episode 34 depending on your viewpoint. “心灵相通” does not necessitate non-platonic feelings. It requires not having significant negative thoughts and feelings for each other which would interfere with achieving that state of togetherness.
Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou is not canon. Fanservice from GJM is one thing, but when Zhao Yuanzhou is telling off Zhuo Yichen as a elder would tell off a youngster in episode 30 in Li Lun's birthplace of existence (once again, don't rely on IQiyi subtitles to truly understand the entire scene)....They are not equals. And would you really want Zhao Yuanzhou to have something for Zhuo Yichen or be in love with another character other than Wen Xiao? That makes Zhao Yuanzhou a horrible character for a male lead. What is GJM trying to go for?
In the world of Tsui Hark for wuxia and xianxia before 2000, remaining alive is not necessarily a happy ending. Being alive and happy at the end is a rarity, if it happens for a character. I salute GJM’s ambitious attempt to pay homage to Tsui Hark, but this drama would have benefitted significantly from Tsui Hark’s input on limitations and edits before being released.
Scenes between Bai Jiu and Zhuo Yichen before episode 33 were very touching, and I always enjoyed them. Episode 34 was truly heartrending for Zhuo Yichen. Tian Jiarui was splendid at conveying devastation and loss, to find Xiao Jiu dead. Between Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen… Given everything Zhao Yuanzhou had done for Zhuo Yichen, to end on such a note would haunt Xiao Zhuo forever if he cannot make amends.
Tian Jiarui’s performance in episode 34 was the perfect anchor to end this episode. Rewatching this drama a second time did not change certain conclusions. Despite the flaws, certain scenes and music will always be rewatchable, even when a new year comes around. The dream ends. The memories will continue on IQiyi or fanfiction.
BTS has a lot of things happening.Bingyi is pawing Li Lun's chest here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pB42167S1/While…
The drama has its good points and bad points, and I am sure certain uncomfortable details whizzed over the heads of many non-Mandarin speakers. There is a segment of anti-Zhao Yuanzhou viewers whereby what ZYZ did to Li Lun is hypocritical and cowardly when contrasted with how ZYZ treated the members of demon hunting team, and these viewers also believe ZYZ should suffer forever and Li Lun was right to go out the way he did. I don't believe ZYZ should suffer forever but I don't have a good opinion of ZYZ for what is understandably viewed as hypocrisy and cowardice from him, even though I also feel sorry for ZYZ who is a victim as well.
BTS has a lot of things happening.Bingyi is pawing Li Lun's chest here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pB42167S1/While…
Your initial exclamation was "OMG these BTS are so good why I haven't seen them", so I simply took it as a question of why you can't find them, and answered accordingly.
BTS has a lot of things happening.Bingyi is pawing Li Lun's chest here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pB42167S1/While…
Because in order to find them easily, you need to understand mandarin well enough. That's why I can find fan edits and videos of KTTPH to share which cannot be gleaned just from hashtags.
Here's a fun BTS of Yan An with Lester Lin, posted on the various sites during November 2023. I'm using the one from bilibili.com:
Romance isn't the key focus of this drama. The best pairings for a drama will be about whether the individual…
No idea. That said, you can imagine Neo Hou as the male lead in this BTS for Su Ji, whereby the male lead is showcasing his horse-riding skills in a regal manner:
Are there any updates on this drama? It's been four years. I checked weibo and a few other sites. I doubt it is cancelled judging by the article "李兰迪十部热播剧霸屏，古装悬疑到现代励志全面开花"... Unless the article is wrong.
BTS has a lot of things happening.Bingyi is pawing Li Lun's chest here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pB42167S1/While…
I watched this drama when it first came out. I watched it again recently, because I want to write a review for this drama after having experienced two different timeframes across two different periods.
This drama will divide people into love or hate for it, and I can see why.
Romance isn't the key focus of this drama. The best pairings for a drama will be about whether the individual…
苏记 is a drama also directed by this Director, starring Li Landi and Zhu Zheng Ting. It wrapped up filming on 8 July 2021, but might never be released. You can find the description here: https://mydramalist.com/58983-su-ji
From the production clips, you can get a sense of how the director tackles small details and military angles for a historical drama featuring royalty with romance, from a sample of these clips:
P4 as per the description in that weibo post is about HMH conveying longing and restraint in that scene with Ai Mi. His fingers are twitching, and his eyes follow her... Love withheld. Matches the lyrics of the song very well.
Before i was against this pair you all know the reason they call him old he'll turn 27 August 3 imagine they are…
Romance isn't the key focus of this drama. The best pairings for a drama will be about whether the individual actors can pull off their roles while having natural chemistry, primarily aided by a director and screenwriter excelling at their responsibilities for a good or excellent script plus characters being well-executed. The director clearly had certain ideas about the visual age of the female lead, when they initially cast Huangyang Tian Tian who nearly got herself cancelled over fake earrings.
I wouldn't know how others think but as someone who grew up with C-Ent (movies and dramas for more than 25 years), the best chemistry with couples for me doesn't involve skinship and kissing and groping, which I mostly consider to be a turn-off in C-Ent unless the plot necessitates it... Such as the 1993 movie Green Snake.
My primary concern is whether the leads and important secondary characters can each pull off their roles, and my biggest concern is Riley Wang as Li Mao. Peter Ho and Ma Qiu Yuan will not have issues, from what I see. The Reuters at least has the two main leads very comfortable, even when arguing with each other. Definitely helps that they have acted together before.
What's most important is that in the end, actors and actresses earn fans through their talent and grit. Ai Mi and Neo Hou have strong work ethics. Under this director who had a mostly-strong cast providing stellar acting in "The Empress of China", I'm sure he'll bring out their full potential. I'm not a fan of any of these actors yet, and I'm looking forward to the final result.
I have something for you and TheNostalgicType. Given all the BTS currently out, fan edits are inevitable. Weibo user Elispeth posted a mini-collection by different fans for Xiao Wuyi and Xie Jiayu, and she's not the only one doing so. P3 and P4 in this collection are my current favourites. See which ones of the 9 FEs you like.
I am curious as to how elaborate the sets will get, when it comes to mechanisms and warfare. Don't suppose there's…
I believe being multilingual and also fluent in at least two fundamentally different languages is important. Being fortunate to have that enables a better grasp of nuances when looking to a new culture or different culture, history, etc
I can easily see why Ai Mi would not turn down this drama. It's a great opportunity to launch her career as a female lead. Of all the dramas Neo Hou has to this date, excelling in this would be enough to have him break through to a mandarin-speaking audience that frankly, isn't interested in younger actors and actresses easily dismissed as mediocre at acting. I know, because those belong to my generation and those older than me. If it wasn't for FoF, I would simply have continued thinking his acting is just like it was in Dashing Youth: boring and one-dimensional.
In terms of C-Ent for dramas, He Lan Dou is someone whose work I would be interested to see this year. Sadly there are a large number of people who think Ai Mi is pretty but lacks talent. They don't see how hard one would have to work, to accumulate what she now possesses.
The likes of Li Hongyi have difficulties in terms of getting a unique script being well-directed. I am waiting for The Dragon's Chant (now renamed as Whispers of Fate) because the main lead is about an anti-hero learning to be... himself. Luo Yunxi is the lead. There was a four-way bust-up going on in the comments section of that drama as to romance or no romance and even though there is supposed to be no romance (the main character will flirt with anyone), I will not be surprised if the director makes it such that at least one or more female characters fall for the lead only to have their hopes squashed before the end... If there is a commercial consideration of covering as wide an audience as possible.
Many dramas bore me when it is primarily romance or standard scripts of nowadays. I couldn't stand the Untamed for what I considered to be flat dullness from Wang Yibo or terrible one-dimensional over-acting from Xiao Zhan, even if the storyline was decent. That said, I understand the allure of these charming young men to other viewers.
I shall hope the director and screenwriter for "Key To The Phoenix Heart" hold true to the dramas they have been responsible for, as hits. Then they will produce a drama to floor detractors. I am waiting for Xie Huai Gui (his officials should give Neo Hou's character some headaches). Peter Ho should do well in the role. Riley Wang for Li Mao is a concern because I don't know if he can pull off the role. The secondary roles of friends/neutrals/enemies contribute to the strength of the drama. I have yet to enjoy a movie or drama whereby the secondary roles were not as well-executed as the leads. Azumi the movie is an example. Straightforward enough story, but the secondary roles all had their own stories portrayed well. Same thing with Zatoichi by Beat Takeshi.
When you have the time, DM me. I am curious (also curious about which three actors or actresses in C-ent you are interested in). I also recently wrote a review for the 1993 movie Green Snake, and decided to add a few details which would escape the average viewer such as the inspiration for the costumes and abode of the two main female leads. Casting is important, alongside art direction, screenwriting, etc
I'll probably alter the synopsis, because whoever wrote it clearly has no grasp of the language and culture and fundamentals of the movie.
If you are going to watch any of the two dramas that I linked for the discussion topic, I would advise starting with the Empress Of China. In terms of dryness due to focusing on details minus the romance, that would be less dry. By the standards of viewers who cannot survive without a kiss for at least 50 episodes, that would be difficult. I have no issues because those are the types of mandarin dramas I grew up with, and Coroner's Diary featured too many kisses for me after having more than three between the two main leads.
I can't remember the last time I watched a recent Hollywood movie. I watched part of the first Dune movie and dropped it, since I prefer the novels.
I enjoyed "Here" by Bas Devos last year, a Belgium film about a Romanian construction worker who has an unexpected encounter with a Belgian-Chinese bryologist. Between borscht and moss, an unexpected friendship blossoms in overlooked corners of the city. The invisible becomes magic, mundane no longer cold and lonely. Two strangers learn about how they each see this city. Curiosity becomes a bud with roots. I would gladly rewatch it again.
And that is enough of me going on about me. I have strong opinions, but I am always open to changing those when shown additional or new details and angles. That said, I like my classics, be it music or visuals. "Chess" by Faye Wong is an example, and she sounds amazing live in 1994: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYvKG-H_k7Q
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The acting was a bit uneven from the actors for Zhuo Yi Chen and Bai Jiu as you pointed out. Tian Jiarui did a good job overall considering his character was expected to go from one emotional extreme to the other while remaining stoic.
As to the cutting and pasting that you observed very astutely, this boils down to the number of original writers for the original script, number of screenwriters, number of directors, and final edits.
For the original script, four writers including GJM was involved. For the directors, three directors including GJM were involved. Six people were involved in the screenwriting, but I don't know the influence distribution for the various components including screenwriting.
With all this in mind, that's a key reason for why I praised the interpretation of characters by cast members such as Neo Hou, Chen Duling, Yan An and Xu Zhen Xuan. Since GJM gets the final say, I can fault him for his indulgences.
And elsewhere, a fair number of viewers observed what I observed but couldn't be as precise due to a language barrier. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of non-mandarin speakers who only wanted me to confirm if their guesses were true, so I provided the necessary in translations and context since IQiyi subtitles are so misleading for dialogue (especially between Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yi Chen).
I can also see why your comments rub people the wrong way. And then of course, you seem to be quite unaware of certain details (such as the Director whose first movies as lead director was not romantic but serious), so let me help you by C-and-Ping one of my comments to another poster:
[ Your point about the age gap between actors and actresses is appreciated.
That said, there are several people complaining about Ai Mi being a minor in this drama, while projecting their beliefs about what they see as necessary romance in a drama onto this drama and conflating their beliefs as necessary to portray a non-platonic relationship while ignoring everything else vital about this project... Such as the director, the script, Ai Mi's widely varied body of hard work ever since she started acting as a child to get to this role, or the fact that it is possible to have a good or excellent drama without overt romantic gestures. Given the first choice was Huangyang Tian Tian followed by Ai Mi, Ai Mi and Huangyuan Tian Tian cement the fact that the FL has to look a certain young age, which the likes of Li Landi or Ju Jingyi cannot carry off.
I am glad this director is in charge because he gives me the best hopes for a historical C-drama that I am used to: Conveying the impact of strong bonds in different types of relationships, without kissing, skinship or groping. This also means tradition plus inventiveness is required, to portray two individuals holding zero trust into becoming a strong true bond between husband and wife.
The Empress of China at 82 episodes of 45 minutes each was at least 55 episodes of a main plot, subplots and mostly-commendable acting without PDA. I don't know about the people slamming this drama because their primary complaint is Ai Mi as a minor, but there was a time in C-dramas (modern and historical) when a good or excellent drama didn't involve all the overt Western PDA gestures that I and others prefer to be kept out of C-dramas (unless it is comedy or serves a vital plot point).
I also know that happens to be the preference among certain older generations who don't want this in C-dramas. How does face-mashing/skinship/groping empower the script or enhance the story or deepen connections between viewers and the characters? Great fanservice for some fans, huge turn-off to other viewers. That is why a good solid story, a reliable experienced director, and a capable screenwriter are as primarily vital as the cast.
I'll hope this director doesn't disappoint me. So far, he's zooming in on the small details that I expect.
The historical drama "Su Ji" was directed by him and finished in July 2021 starring Li Landi and Zhu Zheng Ting, but not yet released. It provides an insight into his work, which I summarised in a comment here:
https://mydramalist.com/790870-que-gu#comment-22893982 ]
Thank you for the compilation! I wonder how many can open douyin versus opening tiktok.
That said, there are several people complaining about Ai Mi being a minor in this drama, while projecting their beliefs about what they see as necessary romance in a drama onto this drama and conflating their beliefs as necessary to portray a non-platonic relationship while ignoring everything else vital about this project... Such as the director, the script, Ai Mi's widely varied body of hard work ever since she started acting as a child to get to this role, or the fact that it is possible to have a good or excellent drama without overt romantic gestures. Given the first choice was Huangyang Tian Tian followed by Ai Mi, Ai Mi and Huangyuan Tian Tian cement the fact that the FL has to look a certain young age, which the likes of Li Landi or Ju Jingyi cannot carry off.
I am glad this director is in charge because he gives me the best hopes for a historical C-drama that I am used to: Conveying the impact of strong bonds in different types of relationships, without kissing, skinship or groping. This also means tradition plus inventiveness is required, to portray two individuals holding zero trust into becoming a strong true bond between husband and wife.
The Empress of China at 82 episodes of 45 minutes each was at least 55 episodes of a main plot, subplots and mostly-commendable acting without PDA. I don't know about the people slamming this drama because their primary complaint is Ai Mi as a minor, but there was a time in C-dramas (modern and historical) when a good or excellent drama didn't involve all the overt Western PDA gestures that I and others prefer to be kept out of C-dramas (unless it is comedy or serves a vital plot point).
I also know that happens to be the preference among certain older generations who don't want this in C-dramas. How does face-mashing/skinship/groping empower the script or enhance the story or deepen connections between viewers and the characters? Great fanservice for some fans, huge turn-off to other viewers. That is why a good solid story, a reliable experienced director, and a capable screenwriter are as primarily vital as the cast.
I'll hope this director doesn't disappoint me. So far, he's zooming in on the small details that I expect.
The historical drama "Su Ji" was directed by him and finished in July 2021 starring Li Landi and Zhu Zheng Ting, but not yet released. It provides an insight into his work, which I summarised in a comment here:
https://mydramalist.com/790870-que-gu#comment-22893982
I strongly believes it makes a difference for understanding this drama, wrt Mandarin. That said, I was quite surprised by the number of non-mandarin-speaking anti-Zhao Yuanzhou fans all picking up on certain details quite apparent to me but less apparent to them only because of a language barrier.
I discovered that via comments to my fanfiction for this drama XD
I posted my review above, and the review includes a link to a comment that answers why I see Zhao Yuanzhou in a certain manner and frankly, it is GJM's fault.
I am about to post a review above, but the spoilers relevant to the review will be posted below because I don't want them to be shown in the review.
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Spoilers to complete this review (if you have watched until Episode 30 or don’t mind spoilers beyond Episode 1, then continue reading)
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Kudos to the cast, especially the performances and efforts of two main leads whose interpretation of a script was not given more deserving screentime in the final editing decisions. Neo Minghou turned in a wonderful performance with a spot-on interpretation of a character which could have been a mess given the director’s flaws, while Chen Duling made the best of a character poorly written after her strong opening in the first episode of this drama.
Yan An’s performance was enthralling considering the ambiguities of his character Li Lun. Xu Zhenxuan as Ying Lei was much-needed charm and practicality, his presence brightening the screen with his portrayal of ideas such as throwing a unique spice mix on a certain demon and thus enabling him to smell and find that demon regardless of where the demon hides.
As someone who is not a fan of any actors or actresses in this drama, the director’s seemingly favourite actor (judging by screentime) was unfortunately more limited in character development for this script than a standout portrayal as Gong Yuanzhi in My Journey To You by the same director. Screentime involving this actor would have benefitted from at least ten minutes being allotted to Chen Duling, to better illustrate her character and help viewers understand her importance as the glue of the team. One example is her time spent in the sundial, whereby seeing her struggle to grow the Divine Wood would have helped the audience connect with her character as the Baize Goddess.
IQiyi’s subtitles have always veered between being somewhat decent to atrocious (atrocious, for leaving out key context and details). This primary factor leaning towards the latter for conversations is why (for example) a scene between two male characters in Coroner’s Diary to thoroughly address a significant mistake made by one of them became completely misconstrued primarily as a dirty joke and would result in totally missing the emotional weight of that conversation, if you relied only on the subtitles to understand dialogue.
This also helps enable all sorts of shipping to occur between various characters of this drama from the viewer, which helps this drama to have a larger international reach and is good for IQiyi plus all actors involved.
In episode 8, Zhuo Yichen gives a jade piece to Zhao Yuanzhou, which Zhao Yuanzhou praises as beautiful. Despite scenic beauty of this seemingly touching exchange, Zhao Yuanzhou in his teasing alludes to humans have a saying, "亲兄弟，明算帐" (even between brothers, accounts must be settled). The full meaning is not conveyed in the English subtitles of IQiyi, as one example. Needling Zhuo Yichen on this debt is embarrassing and infuriating to Zhuo Yichen. If I was brought up with rules of honour as per my clan and I hate owing people especially a demon I want to kill for murdering my older brother and father and clansmen, and this demon did not give me any face by reminding me of the extent of my inferiority to him and what I owe him… Only makes one more determined to kill him. Not romantic by a longshot.
The first four episodes of this drama (based on the mandarin title alone, I could already guess most of the cast would perish and hence awaken from a temporary dream of unique shared preciousness) made for uneasy viewing about the two main characters of Wen Xiao and Zhao Yuanzhou, relative to Li Lun. Episodes 4 to 6 in the first viewing had me wondering why Zhao Yuanzhou was behaving as if Li Lun had betrayed Zhao Yuanzhou in some unforgivable manner and whether Zhao Yuanzhou had done something wrong to Li Lun.
Pagoda Tree Demon Li Lun of Huaijiang Valley is sealed by Wen Xiao’s predecessor for killing humans, and this was only possible because his childhood companion White Ape Demon Zhu Yan of Mount Xiaoci intervened and prevented the Baize goddess from being swiftly murdered. In episode 1, Zhu Yan now known as Zhao Yuanzhou shows no hesitation or remorse when telling Zhuo Yichen he will kill the guards if Zhuo Yichen does not sheath his sword, then proceeds to easily explode the heart of one guard to make his point.
How can it be acceptable that Li Lun deserves to be mortally wounded by his best friend of more than thirty thousand years and sealed for eternity, due to being incredibly furious at finding beasts and demons enslaved underground for experiments or worse and hence making a mistake of killing humans, but Zhao Yuanzhou’s freedom despite killing many more humans than Li Lun is acceptable because Zhao Yuanzhou has been remorseful and wants to die? What if I believe that Zhao Yuanzhou doing so in episode one is because he wants Zhuo Yichen to promise to kill him with the Cloud Light Sword in order to try to break the cycle of a unique vessel for malicious energy? Zhao Yuanzhou intentionally chose to kill a random guard who might have had family and loved ones, including other humans when he was unable to control himself during a blood moon until he learned to do so. Li Lun intentionally chose to kill humans after what he witnessed of demons and beasts in cages underground enraging him.
How is it acceptable to excuse Zhao Yuanzhou with the ends justify the means" in killing a human yet deserving of freedom to roam all these years, because the Ever-Burning Wood made him lose control during blood moons? Because Zhao Yuanzhou is supposed to be the male lead and has half the Baize token in him? Why is Li Lun considered irredeemably evil and should be sealed forever, for getting enraged at what Li Lun sees as deception from humans? When we do a body count, Zhao Yuanzhou killed more people than Li Lun. How is the Great Demon supposedly more emotionally mature and favoured by the demon hunting team supposedly more morally excusable than the Great Demon being a plant demon understandably of slower emotional growth who mistakenly thought humans had deceived demons and beasts, only to end up badly betrayed and abandoned by his so-called best friend without any explanations or apologies?
Zhao Yuanzhou’s treatment of Li Lun is impossible to accept. Li Lun is the individual that Zhu Yan spent more than 99% of his life with. The main hero lies about Li Lun and minimises Li Lun’s significance to himself with the demon hunting team, until he cannot do it anymore in episode 30.
This main male lead extends understanding and compassion to people whom he has known for less than several days or weeks or years including the likes of Qinggeng, but denies such kindness to his friend of more than 34,000 years. He also favours humans over demons to the point that he looks unfair. Li Lun’s skills involve being able to parasitise humans, and doing so will kill humans. But how is Li Lun supposed to stay sane, when imprisoned for eternity within a cave only to live through cycles of semi-darkness and darkness? Did Li Lun’s most trusted friend ever visit him to apologise for the fatal wound inflicted via the Ever-Burning Wood, during those eight years of imprisonment? No.
In short, Zhao Yuanzhou does his best to bury history and avoid facing his mistakes with this precious friend whom he fatally wounded and only preserved that one’s life by awarding a fate worse than death. Should Li Lun thank Zhu Yan for being literally buried alive for all eternity, only to find out Zhu Yan seems to have easily replaced Li Lun with a new bunch of friends without looking back? Without being able to parasitise humans, Li Lun would have gone completely insane. Anybody who wants to live will find a way to free themselves, in Li Lun's circumstances.
Li Lun's behaviour is not excusable for what he does to demons such as Ranyi and Qinggeng, but the extent of PTSD due to experiencing a bond of 34,000 years being fundamentally betrayed would be devastating and can drive one half-mad. Such cowardice from the main lead of this story towards a bosom childhood friend since existence is completely distasteful to me. I felt sorry for Wen Xiao falling in love with the main character, when Zhuo Yichen was a much more-fitting candidate for her love.
Neo Hou gave a stellar performance significantly making tolerable the distaste I had for the main character throughout more than 20 episodes, whenever I found myself by turns pitying and disgusted with Zhao Yuanzhou. The humour was also spot-on, to lighten a dark drama laden with a fundamental theme of inevitable karma. But in rewatching the drama a second time, I could understand why Zhao Yuanzhou would have to adopt such an approach: Being too sentimental while emotionally not an example Li Lun or any other demon should emulate, to fully comprehend the depths and extent of his betrayal and cowardice towards Li Lun would be too much for Zhao Yuanzhou to face.
Sealing Li Lun to keep Li Lun alive with the curse of the Ever-Burning Wood even if he knowingly consigned his closest friend to a fate worse than death for eternity, using the primordial root to keep Li Lun alive- He could willingly delay his own death, but not if he witnesses Li Lun leaving him behind to die first. Not addressing the necessary with Li Lun led to Li Lun’s karma creating his karma: Watching Li Lun leave him behind to face Wen Zongyu, then being hit with the full impact of finally realising what you have irreversibly lost and how dear that person is to you.
My issues with Zhao Yuanzhou as a character can be attributed to GJM’s choices of self-indulgence. In the case of Li Lun and Zhao Yuanzhou, GJM allotted much of their shared limited screentime to:
1) Zhu Yan wants a paper windmill he views as very pretty and mistook for a hair ornament, to insert into Li Lun’s hair. In ancient China, when does an adult go around easily inserting a hair pin or hair ornament into another adult’s hair? Hint: Not usually platonic.
2) Zhao Yuanzhou being very emotionally reactive and/or defensive when exchanging words with Li Lun or tearing up with Li Lun. What percentage of their shared screentime resulted in such reactions from Zhao Yuanzhou, when compared to other characters with Zhao Yuanzhou?
3) Zhu Yan gave his Illusion-Dispelling Eyes of Truth to Li Lun to make Li Lun happy. Li Lun is the equal of the most powerful demon of the Wilderness, and does not need such protection. In return, Li Lun gave his primordial root to Zhu Yan. Episode 30 has Zhao Yuanzhou alluding to all this, in that order. Under what circumstances do gods or demons give away parts of their primordial form? Hint: In Ashes of Love, Jin Mi gave one of her six petals to the god she chose to marry as her life partner.
4) Since Zhao Yuanzhou is willing to lie to the entire demon hunting team and himself about Li Lun’s significance and history to him until it is inevitable (even if I overlook all of GJM’s non-platonic carrots and go with Li Lun as “挚友” according to Zhao Yuanzhou in episode 30), how much truth can I put in Zhao Yuanzhou’s usage of “知己” from himself towards Zhuo Yichen? How much self-honesty do you have and what can someone believe, when minimising dearness to people you have barely known for days or weeks, about someone that you spent at least 99% of your life with (for more than thirty thousand years)?
5) If the deleted lines from the original script involving Li Lun and Zhu Yan had been included, the premise of Zhao Yuanzhou being in love with Wen Xiao for this drama would become obviously questionable, given how Wen Xiao’s character was portrayed and then sidelined throughout this entire drama after episode 1. Thankfully those lines were not used because the strong chemistry and included lines between Zhao Yuanzhou and Li Lun for this drama was baffling to be considered completely non-platonic, even while Zhao Yuanzhou and Wen Xiao behave like a long-married couple. In episode 4, Wen Xiao resembled a clueless third wheel between two demons having a very uncomfortable conversation.
Overall, I preferred Li Lun flying solo before the final episode given all that transpired beforehand, which was a most fitting choice. The flashback by GJM where Zhu Yan uses the umbrella to stop Li Lun from moving forward and not leave Zhu Yan behind also helped me understand how Zhu Yan might perceive Li Lun freeing Ao Yin from the cage and telling Ao Yin to follow, while leaving Zhu Yan behind. Zhao Yuanzhou’s behaviour and words in episodes 4 to 6 towards Li Lun became understandable, once I saw this flashback. To Zhu Yan, Li Lun betrayed Zhu Yan when Li Lun left him behind and asked another demon to follow. Zhu Yan takes being equals with Li Lun very seriously, as you can see from the flashback of Li Lun smiling and telling Zhu Yan that he doesn't mind Zhu Yan being number one alongside him.
And when Li Lun leaves Zhao Yuanzhou behind for the last time to face Wen Zongyu, Zhuo Yichen finally sees Zhao Yuanzhou’s true feelings towards Li Lun to the point that he has to stop Zhao Yuanzhou from ruining Li Lun’s sacrifice. The camerawork panning to Zhao Yuanzhou's face as he wakes up after being given half of Li Lun's energy, followed by realisation of what Li Lun has sacrificed to heal him and enable him to be able to fight and what Li Lun is about to do, followed by Zhao Yuanzhou scrambling to get up- Part (or all, depending on whether you realise how well it applies) of one of the songs for this drama seems to be solely dedicated to Li Lun and Zhao Yuanzhou: 《大夢歸離》 by 李宇春
The exact portion includes the Bridge section followed immediately by the chorus.
Bridge: [ 总有一天我会回到老故乡
穿着旧衣裳 但眼睛亮着光 1
右手紧握着锋芒 咬紧所有慌张 2
左手擦去风霜 我终于抬头望 3
你在我前方 挡着伤 4 ] -
(One day I will return to my roots wearing old clothes but with bright eyes [ 我会回到老乡] is fundamentally similar to 落叶归根 and should not be taken literally here 1)
(Right hand grips the blade tightly Tightly biting back the panic 2)
(Left hand wiping away the wind and frost I finally raise my head 3)
(You stand before me Blocking wounds 4)
followed directly by->
Chorus: [ 谁哭红眼睛 斑驳的心 5
走走停停 追着你的声音 6 ] -
(Who cries with reddened eyes and mottled heart 5
Stumbling {=walking and stopping}, chasing the sound of you 6)
[我会化成雨滴 古老的歌曲 7
奔向你 寻找你 8 ] - (I will turn into rain, An ancient song
running towards you, searching for you)
When Zhao Yuanzhou once told Wen Xiao he would turn into rain, did Wen Xiao say she does not like rainy days? Who would Zhao Yuanzhou be searching for, as rain? Makes no sense for the song to keep switching POVs within lyrics... But this entire song can be viewed solely from Zhao Yuanzhou's perspective.
Li Lun's theme song sung by Yan An already gave me a gigantic clue as to what would happen to Li Lun. The lyrics of FoF tend to give big hints of what is to come. There are a significant number of listeners who cottoned on to the above lines being solely from Zhu Yan's pov in that song, so is it any surprise the accompanying footage from episode 32 became an FMV using the drama theme song: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1n7CiYJEdV/
There was a short 2024 interview of Yan An and Neo Hou in-costume together, where Li Lun is wearing only white with his hair down for a dream scene. That interview was interesting, when Yan An broke through his diplomatic mode to reveal in a few words what he thought of Zhao Yuanzhou's behaviour towards Li Lun (his answer indirectly referencing the paper windmill, being intercepted with umbrella, being given the Illusion-Dispelling Eyes of Truth etc). Since Yan An probably also saw the deleted lines from the script judging by his answer, his portrayal of Li Lun was what GJM originally wanted.
Ying Lei’s death in Episode 30 was the confirmation for me that GJM decided to hold true to karma and rules as per “Green Snake” and “Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain”. Karma meant Ying Lei would die for running away from his duties as a mountain god because he also has divine blood, Bai Jiu would die from love for his most precious Xiao Zhuo-ge and being punished for betrayal because he has divine blood, Pei Sijing only has her brother A-Heng for a while and must suffer him dying again because of her foolishness in wrongly killing him, Zhao Yuanzhou must experience the agony of helplessly watching Li Lun truly die and not get any proper closure beforehand… But what did Zhuo Yichen do, to deserve losing so many precious friends and live like a walking coffin to suffer for a best friend, while looking for a shred of that one’s soul?
Mostly likely as the reincarnation of Bingyi needing to face karma for his best friend Yinglong dying on his sword after everything Yinglong sacrificed for him, even though it was not his fault.
If you believe GJM was slaughtering characters senselessly to milk the tragedy angle, I disagree. Just watch those two Tsui Hark movies while aware of the boundaries and rules for 神人鬼妖 when understanding how karma works, which will be harsher for those with divine blood or those aspiring to divinity where the rules are stricter. As to the bond between Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou, it reminded me of the bond between Yizhen and Mingqi in “Zu Warriors From the Magic Mountain”, by turns funny and endearing and eventually 心灵相通 in a non-platonic sense, although one might suspect something potentially non-platonic from Zhuo Yichen’s end by episode 34 depending on your viewpoint. “心灵相通” does not necessitate non-platonic feelings. It requires not having significant negative thoughts and feelings for each other which would interfere with achieving that state of togetherness.
Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou is not canon. Fanservice from GJM is one thing, but when Zhao Yuanzhou is telling off Zhuo Yichen as a elder would tell off a youngster in episode 30 in Li Lun's birthplace of existence (once again, don't rely on IQiyi subtitles to truly understand the entire scene)....They are not equals. And would you really want Zhao Yuanzhou to have something for Zhuo Yichen or be in love with another character other than Wen Xiao? That makes Zhao Yuanzhou a horrible character for a male lead. What is GJM trying to go for?
In the world of Tsui Hark for wuxia and xianxia before 2000, remaining alive is not necessarily a happy ending. Being alive and happy at the end is a rarity, if it happens for a character. I salute GJM’s ambitious attempt to pay homage to Tsui Hark, but this drama would have benefitted significantly from Tsui Hark’s input on limitations and edits before being released.
Scenes between Bai Jiu and Zhuo Yichen before episode 33 were very touching, and I always enjoyed them. Episode 34 was truly heartrending for Zhuo Yichen. Tian Jiarui was splendid at conveying devastation and loss, to find Xiao Jiu dead. Between Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen… Given everything Zhao Yuanzhou had done for Zhuo Yichen, to end on such a note would haunt Xiao Zhuo forever if he cannot make amends.
Tian Jiarui’s performance in episode 34 was the perfect anchor to end this episode. Rewatching this drama a second time did not change certain conclusions. Despite the flaws, certain scenes and music will always be rewatchable, even when a new year comes around. The dream ends. The memories will continue on IQiyi or fanfiction.
Here's a fun BTS of Yan An with Lester Lin, posted on the various sites during November 2023. I'm using the one from bilibili.com:
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ow411p7Vh/
https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5185308847245559
This drama will divide people into love or hate for it, and I can see why.
From the production clips, you can get a sense of how the director tackles small details and military angles for a historical drama featuring royalty with romance, from a sample of these clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sr6LpZfdgM
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pGp4eFEqU/
This is P4: https://m.weibo.cn/status/5192614276238805#&gid=1&pid=4
The song used for P4 is "Dense Fog" by Zhang Yi Qiao, and can be heard here (found a mostly-decent translation for you): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9gzNn5_9UM
P4 as per the description in that weibo post is about HMH conveying longing and restraint in that scene with Ai Mi. His fingers are twitching, and his eyes follow her... Love withheld. Matches the lyrics of the song very well.
I wouldn't know how others think but as someone who grew up with C-Ent (movies and dramas for more than 25 years), the best chemistry with couples for me doesn't involve skinship and kissing and groping, which I mostly consider to be a turn-off in C-Ent unless the plot necessitates it... Such as the 1993 movie Green Snake.
My primary concern is whether the leads and important secondary characters can each pull off their roles, and my biggest concern is Riley Wang as Li Mao. Peter Ho and Ma Qiu Yuan will not have issues, from what I see. The Reuters at least has the two main leads very comfortable, even when arguing with each other. Definitely helps that they have acted together before.
What's most important is that in the end, actors and actresses earn fans through their talent and grit. Ai Mi and Neo Hou have strong work ethics. Under this director who had a mostly-strong cast providing stellar acting in "The Empress of China", I'm sure he'll bring out their full potential. I'm not a fan of any of these actors yet, and I'm looking forward to the final result.
https://m.weibo.cn/status/5192614276238805
I can easily see why Ai Mi would not turn down this drama. It's a great opportunity to launch her career as a female lead. Of all the dramas Neo Hou has to this date, excelling in this would be enough to have him break through to a mandarin-speaking audience that frankly, isn't interested in younger actors and actresses easily dismissed as mediocre at acting. I know, because those belong to my generation and those older than me. If it wasn't for FoF, I would simply have continued thinking his acting is just like it was in Dashing Youth: boring and one-dimensional.
In terms of C-Ent for dramas, He Lan Dou is someone whose work I would be interested to see this year. Sadly there are a large number of people who think Ai Mi is pretty but lacks talent. They don't see how hard one would have to work, to accumulate what she now possesses.
The likes of Li Hongyi have difficulties in terms of getting a unique script being well-directed. I am waiting for The Dragon's Chant (now renamed as Whispers of Fate) because the main lead is about an anti-hero learning to be... himself. Luo Yunxi is the lead. There was a four-way bust-up going on in the comments section of that drama as to romance or no romance and even though there is supposed to be no romance (the main character will flirt with anyone), I will not be surprised if the director makes it such that at least one or more female characters fall for the lead only to have their hopes squashed before the end... If there is a commercial consideration of covering as wide an audience as possible.
Many dramas bore me when it is primarily romance or standard scripts of nowadays. I couldn't stand the Untamed for what I considered to be flat dullness from Wang Yibo or terrible one-dimensional over-acting from Xiao Zhan, even if the storyline was decent. That said, I understand the allure of these charming young men to other viewers.
I shall hope the director and screenwriter for "Key To The Phoenix Heart" hold true to the dramas they have been responsible for, as hits. Then they will produce a drama to floor detractors. I am waiting for Xie Huai Gui (his officials should give Neo Hou's character some headaches). Peter Ho should do well in the role. Riley Wang for Li Mao is a concern because I don't know if he can pull off the role. The secondary roles of friends/neutrals/enemies contribute to the strength of the drama. I have yet to enjoy a movie or drama whereby the secondary roles were not as well-executed as the leads. Azumi the movie is an example. Straightforward enough story, but the secondary roles all had their own stories portrayed well. Same thing with Zatoichi by Beat Takeshi.
When you have the time, DM me. I am curious (also curious about which three actors or actresses in C-ent you are interested in). I also recently wrote a review for the 1993 movie Green Snake, and decided to add a few details which would escape the average viewer such as the inspiration for the costumes and abode of the two main female leads. Casting is important, alongside art direction, screenwriting, etc
https://mydramalist.com/6491-green-snake
I'll probably alter the synopsis, because whoever wrote it clearly has no grasp of the language and culture and fundamentals of the movie.
If you are going to watch any of the two dramas that I linked for the discussion topic, I would advise starting with the Empress Of China. In terms of dryness due to focusing on details minus the romance, that would be less dry. By the standards of viewers who cannot survive without a kiss for at least 50 episodes, that would be difficult. I have no issues because those are the types of mandarin dramas I grew up with, and Coroner's Diary featured too many kisses for me after having more than three between the two main leads.
I can't remember the last time I watched a recent Hollywood movie. I watched part of the first Dune movie and dropped it, since I prefer the novels.
I enjoyed "Here" by Bas Devos last year, a Belgium film about a Romanian construction worker who has an unexpected encounter with a Belgian-Chinese bryologist. Between borscht and moss, an unexpected friendship blossoms in overlooked corners of the city. The invisible becomes magic, mundane no longer cold and lonely. Two strangers learn about how they each see this city. Curiosity becomes a bud with roots. I would gladly rewatch it again.
And that is enough of me going on about me. I have strong opinions, but I am always open to changing those when shown additional or new details and angles. That said, I like my classics, be it music or visuals. "Chess" by Faye Wong is an example, and she sounds amazing live in 1994: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYvKG-H_k7Q
Have a good weekend!