Xiang83

I had three concerns, one of which is allayed by eva's answer.

The second concern occurs in episode 3, whereby there is a face-swapping issue reminding me of episode 1 of "Jun Jiu Ling" whereby FL the princess gains a new face belonging to her friend ie Peng Xiaoran. Still undecided on that subject.

The third concern is when our ML gets stabbed in the side of the neck. Yikes. Neck injuries tend to be fatal or very serious. I don't want glaring plotholes. I'll get to episode 6 and see how I feel.

Li Lianhua was about letting go and wrapping things up. Xie Huai'an holds on because that is the honourable thing to do, to avenge his family. He is clearly a mixture of different emotions balancing different aspects of himself, and he isn't sorry about being this way (which at this point, is preferable).

He and Ye Zheng can make me laugh. Tong Meng Shi was under-utilised in Dashing Youth and he is much better suited to these types of dramas.

That's an excellent start. Thank you.

My friend's question was whether Xie Huai'an can fight (as in martial arts) compared to other previous roles of Cheng Yi (where his character can convey martial arts with swordplay or other types of fighting styles), and not about Xie Huai'an's physical fitness or lack of.

Based on my assessments of certain movements, I answered accordingly.

Don't be an angel. Just get through the first 7 episodes and we'll see XD

Xie Huai'an is unapologetically bloodthirsty. Which is fantastic. He also shows flashes of emotional balancing, but his emotions never get in his way of handling what he considers to be blood debts. This is a very balanced character.

He isn't a sociopath. He's simply being human, given what he went through back then.

The ML is not going to be plotting all sorts of ways to do things nor create a chessboard, before he is in position to make his moves. The ML is literally along the lines of "How do I finish laying out the rest of my chess pieces on the board and canning six of them?"

Of course, things will happen that cause setbacks to his plans. The final three will be harder to kill. But that's part of the fun. This is definitely male-centric adult-territory C-drama, not for romance or fluff.

Yes. Here is my summary: https://mydramalist.com/769667-chang-an-er-shi-si-ji#comment-24459676

Yo, can you spoil me about it?

It might be a wee bit more difficult to have tea parties for this drama, but Mizuhira-san and you always surprise me XD

I posted a recent comment up-top to summarise the strengths of this drama in terms of approach, but I haven't said anything about camerawork or cinematography. I'm grateful that at least the issues for TJOL of greenscreens and colour composition is not happening here.

In Legend of Zang Hai, I believe Xiao Zhan's ML character would need other female cast members to save him, whenever fighting broke out. I'll probably need 10 episodes here to be certain.

And I hope Xu Lu's character as Huai'an's sister gets more shades of grey :D

It's totally weird and sad in C-Ent. I think it is sad when fans of another actor or actress attack other actors or actresses.

I believe it is even sadder when such fans go to great lengths to try to drive away people from watching a drama, by misleading new viewers in different ways.

We could have some awesome collaborations in C-Ent, if fans of different actors and actresses encourage people to watch a drama as per the drama's actual strengths and focus. I think Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo might never work together again, which is sad because I was thinking if both of them and Neo Hou were in a C-drama as modern rookie cops-in-training down on luck in love and trying to cope with life (and dollops of comedy) while supervised by a senior leader of their squad being a senior actor who can really pull off that role (such as Francis Ng or Ricky Chan)- With the right director and screenwriter? That drama would be a massive domestic and international hit.

By this point, those of us who know about Douban and Yunhe also know not to take anybody seriously who uses Douban or Yunhe to try to drag down Whispers of Fate.

Lin Feng should have more say as one of the two main directors, because the other director is Li Lei. Li Lei's background includes being an action stuntman and action director. For the 2019 drama "Candle In The Tomb: The Wrath of Time", he was the action director.

Let's hope she improves in the drama, and isn't there primarily as a plot device to move things along.

Of course I am here. Who wouldn't be here, when we share similarities? :p

There is definitely no romance for Xie Huai'an, which main screenwriter Shuang Cheng makes clear in this interview excerpt: https://weibo.com/6502685025/QhLs6dR7v

Except for maybe some other characters later in the drama.

Tong Meng Shi who acts as Ye Zheng is the guy he'll turn to, for when fighting gets furious. Right now, one does not see any of Huai'an's moves as per martial arts for the first four episodes, but his usage of a shovel near the end of episode 4 has me thinking he might not be a complete dunce in the fight category. If you want to know more, you need to ask someone who has watched episode 5 onwards. Do note that as of all episodes airing yesterday, Xie Huai'an has already offed 3 of the 6 targets on his list.

Cheng Yi is a mature protagonist who is at the level of chess master and not chess piece, fundamentally similar to Luo Yunxi as Tang Lici in "Whispers of Fate", which means many shades of grey. Fantastic. Strategist and executioner. Realistic ready-to-change-more-than-one-neighbourhood protagonists are my type.

Unlike Tang Lici, Xie Huai'an is not merciful.

4 episodes in, this is the role for Cheng Yi which I have been anticipating.

Xie Huai'an in "Vendetta of An" is the role that Cheng Yi naturally maximises, after his previous filmography.

Vendetta of An is refreshing to me because the lead protagonist is mature, fully-formed and galvanised to achieve his goals. He is a "I will burn down everything and remake all in my image" cool-headed strategist with a list of targets, and he is ready after ten years of preparation.

Since the protagonist doesn't need to go through trials to gain strength or cultivate or level up, viewers do not have to exhaust energy and concerns on the development of the protagonist (which is typical in historical costume dramas). Instead, we can focus on the plans and moves of every party and their ulterior motives and beliefs, such as aiming to advance objectives and counter each other. This is revenge being direct and hands-on and unapologetic, without needing 2000 layers of build-up. Instead, we need to see the onion for what it is, and enjoy unpeeling the layers including the emotional core of this drama, which our mature protagonist possesses in spades. Whether he cooks or uses a shovel or expresses himself through the subtlest nuances, he is completely in charge and a compelling enigma.

This is not Mysterious Lotus Casebook, and Cheng Yi is definitely not Li Lianhua. Wise, resourceful, carrying heavy responsibilities- Xie Huai'an versus Li Lianhua is like night versus day. He is conveying a completely different character, and not having to cater to any romance nor doing the must-level-up-youngster definitely aids in him being able to fully emote and hence command the scenes.

A strong ensemble cast here versus the cast of TJOL definitely enhances the tension and intensity of this drama.

I had so many things to do, and my long-awaited Xie Huai'an has finally appeared. I happen to share certain aspects of that character in "Vendetta of An" 😇😇

But for all extents and purposes, I mostly prefer being adored like Xiao Xue Fu on MDL 🤣🤣🤣🤣

WOOHOO!

Sorry, I nearly fell off my chair when reading this. So excited!

The tail end of Whispers of Fate will be stronger than TTEOM, which I was quite sure of by the time WoF finished airing.