Charlie C

Can I come back after I finish it? I'm also around 10 episodes behind the finishing line. When I finish, I'll come back, re-read your review and maybe we can discuss a bit further?
Doesn't help that right now I'm... preoccupied with "The Odyssey" after watching it last week. And then, there's "Spider-man" coming out too ;_;

I was intrigued by the beginning but couldn't sustain my interest. It's a long drama. So, I dropped.

What do you like about this drama?

I agree with some of your points here.

But I see that you wrote this 9 days ago. Any changes occured? Given all the episodes are just out today. Or maybe you made edits to your review?

Why, how, that's so Aussie! I consider it to be one of the OGs, if not the OG. I think, Ja'mie can be problematic, but still funny, ridiculous and reflective of society.
I thought of mentioning it but went against my better judgement thinking you might not know haha.

When it comes to younger kids watching Australian mockumentary series, I highly enjoy "Little Lunch" and "Inbestigators". (Watched with my relatives' kids again. I recommended them because I wanted them to have good taste haha).

I finished "The Long Ballad" twice.
First watch, I skipped the hell out of it towards the end. Because I was getting impatient with the last part (around 2/3 or 3/4 of the series).
Second watch, I tried my best to stay until the very end. Just to finish it properly.
Third watch, I did after a long time after the first two watch because I missed the manhua. I completely disassociated the live-action from the source materials. I focused mainly on the lead couple, instead of getting more entertained by the second couple (it's distracting). After which, it still didn't sit well with me. So, I re-read the entire manhua series and lamented even more.

It's a love-hate relationship, really. It's funny how I complain about it but it still sucks me in. I think the chemistry is there. The political intrigue is there. Non-manhua readers and drama lovers might like it a whole lot.
The manhua is just superb. Another big reason why I love the manhua, not just the characterisation and development or political intrigue but also, it addresses and handles so well intricate and sensitive subjects of identity, nationality, political tools and agenda.

Oh, I saw "Otoyometagari" on your profile. I adore that manga also. I put it on hold for a couple of years now because of the slow release. People who like "Otoyometagari" also like and recommend "Chang Ge Xi", and vice versa. If you read comics, please check it out :D
I think you might have read or heard of "Emma"? Also from Kaoru Mori, the author of "Otoyometagari". Her art style is gorgeous and her story-telling is heart-achingly lush. I had a feeling it'd be of your taste!

I haven't seen "Legend of Xiao Chuo" or "Novoland Eagle Flag". Have you? I can only guess from the looks of these, they might not be similar.

Okay, I'm half-way into "The Double" now. I think, if you enjoyed "The Double", "The Long Ballad" might really interest you. I kept thinking: I need to watch "The Long Ballad" again while watching "The Double". I think these two are different. But maybe, even though "The Long Ballad" was getting on my nerves and making me cringe, "The Double" kinda doubles (or tripples) that hahahahaha. Wang Xing Yue and Wu Lei have this weirdly similar vibes too, imo.

Again, please take some of my comments on "The Long Ballad" for a grain of salt because I'm very much influenced by the manhua. I'm just being honest. Try it for yourself. Don't miss out a potentially good series for you. And if after you watch it and some of it aren't to your liking, please share with me. It'll be my absolute pleasure :D

Hahaha, your comparision is both funny and imaginative! I'll try to give it another (quick and skip-forward and selective) go :D

I meant the "face culture" applied to all, not just the actors or the production but the series itself. They want to sell this product, right. So, better make it look good. Professionalism and industry relations can sometimes be part of it, imo. The nitpicking might be attributed to these things, but can be the mismatching of the participant and/or the production or something behind-the-scene, viewers like us don't know about, generally speaking. Interestingly, I read up on Li Meng (the princess in "The Double") and she was/has been labeled as difficult too. Some people are justified. But some can be victims.

I followed the link and got it google translated but didn't find Barbie Hsu complaining about Shan Cai in her 20s. But the translation wasn't applied to the pictures or screen shots. Maybe I missed that. Thank you for sharing!
"Hana Yori Dango" is full of dramas and problems since the get-go (OG manga). But it has always been popular. I think, if done well, it can served as good case study.

It also doesn't help with the tradwife... spiral. Even though, progress has been made, I think, deep down, there have always been underlying issues, predicaments, and things that will surface or dive in due time. Our ideologies and systems work, allow and thrive on those.

I'd never know about Barbie Hsu's complaint or Wu Jin Yan, if it weren't for you. Thank you for sharing. I'm impressed how aware they were and still they delivered their roles! (I'm not sure at which age did Barbie Hsu make that comment. But Wu Jin Yan in her 30s makes sense.)

I get the "face" concept across Asian cultures. (And who are we kidding, it's a world culture, it's everywhere if we look at it.) I still hope, it's less restrictive and agenda-driven. For example, US actors can talk about how a terrible character is terrible, even if it's the main character, don't idolise them, etc.

I also feel icky with how they must make "perfect", OP characters. It feels like the bare definition of "propaganda" (there are layers). Or how they must always win. As a kid, I liked that kind of simplistic story-telling. But as a grew older, I like my characters flawed, making mistakes, learning from them, grow and imperfect. It's rare in Cdramas.

Hey, we both didn't like/enjoy "The Rise of Phoenixes" (that much) but still thought highly of its production value :D

I watched "The Double", saw that biting scene and remembered your list!

Quite an interesting choice of... body part: the web area between the thumb and the index finger. It looked excruciatingly... imaginative for me. Since the FL was experiencing torturous level of hallucination and pain, I doubt that the bite was anything less than vicious for the ML. I suspect it would have been pretty bloody and mushy in real life.
Could have used, maybe, the arm with the sleeve, in my humble opinion.

"What We Do in the Shadows" IS super funny. The Kiwi humour and quirkiness are chef's kiss! It even got a TV series in the US, which I am meant to check out... some time... in the near future...

I heard that some of the Australian soap dramas are broadcasted and popular in the UK too. Whew!

I watched most of the series you mentioned. I liked "Mortified" than the others though cause comedy haha. The Aussie humour works so well on me, especially the mockumentaries.

Wow, you know "Gruesome Kids"! Yes, scary but it still sucked me in. I liked the quirky animation too. It really stood out.

I think, if you liked "The Double", you will likely enjoy "The Long Ballad". So, give it a try.

And yes, the OST of "The Long Ballad" is something else. It's great in the drama and on its own.

My first and foremost reason to watch it was: It's the live-action adaptation of one of the best manhua/comic book series I've read "Chang Ge Xing".
The manhua, unfortunately, got discontinued due to the dispute between the author and the publisher. Until this day, no one knows what could-have-been.
Because "The Long Ballad" got the blessing from the author, I thought, maybe they got something for the ending we readers might never get. So, I was excited.
Everything was fine, really, even with the new characters, rearrangements and expanding plot lines, at first. But then, it started to feel like a drag and lose focus - even when I disassociated it from the original work. I got quite frustrated with it. Somehow, I came back to it three times. And every time, I lamented and anogised like an idiot (please laugh with me here).

Still, I think you should try it for yourself! Especially, given how you like angst, drama, high production value. Many viewers love it, too.

Writing this, I feel like, I might come back to it some time in the future. But I know what I like, so I'll likely just watch those. My highlights in this series are still the first episode and around episode 20-something, where Wu Lei acted that emotionally charged and chock-full scene. It was poignant and beautiful.

I legit also had these thoughts. Thank you for writing this. I feel seen hahaha.

I'm clapping for your rage.

After watching Cdramas for a while, I notice a pattern of misogyny, apparent in many if not most, especially costume/period ones. But "The Double" really gave me that pressure, not angst but unjust and anger feeling I got watching earlier Cdramas in my early days. Those earlier ones were made decades back! Yet, cliche stories like this here are still... here and relevant somehow.

Throughout the portion that I watched, besides some few positive things, key words like patriarchy, female hate, unrealistic standards, unattainable forced idealism kept popping in my head.
I stopped feeling engrossed with the story or sympathy for certain characters. Instead, it went on to be worrying, concerning and disturbing that it... lost me.

I'd like to also add that these female-centric (as in female as the protagonist, not that it's "for" or "with" the said female characters) revenge stories only consolidate the unimaginable burdens, loads and hurdles "belonged exclusively" to... females. If they want to become something outside of their designated female role, they have to work extra, extra, extra hard to attain it while still upholding the "three obediences and four virtues" - those that bind them to the males and box them in all aspects: conduct, appearance, speech, and comportment. It's evidently less challenging given a nice, understanding, supportive for-some-reasons-or-others male lead. A fantastic fantasy, performative one at that.
It's frustrating. Worse, disheartening.

I understand, people watch dramas like "The Double" for entertainment, escapism and relaxation. I still hope, there can be critical looks, like yours, not just on the series itself, but society as a whole. Maybe, some would find this a caricature? An irony?

Oh, I know the actors tried their best with what they are given and they need to make a career too. I do wonder: What do they make out of when they receive scripts like this? (As clear as it gets, I don't get actor interview access like I do with English-speaking films.)

Thank you for the review and sharing your thoughts!

"Schemes succeed through destiny-level convenience." = The plot armours only thicken.

What a well-written review.

In my viewing experience, though, "The Double" gradually felt emotionally empty. That emptiness, it was so much. It not only overwhelmed, it consumed. To the point, I stopped forgiving and wanted to forget. So, I dropped.
Admittedly, I thought, the cast was really good, at first, more than many prettier idol dramas. But I kept debating: are they really though? When the story is too bad, too unfortunate.

Oh well, they tried. I heard it was really, really popular.

Yes, I watched "Young Dracula". It's pretty funny. But I didn't watch a lot of live-actions, so I skipped "Wolfblood". There were some pretty rad Australian live-actions too, so I watched those.

If I said "Peppa Pig" is one of my favourites, would you believe me? I even watch it from time to time with my relatives' kids hahahaha.

Do you know "Grisly Tales for Gruesome Kids"? I was a little scared of it but cannot stop watching it. It's a bit under-the-radar, but absolutely memorable for me!

Speaking of "Young Dracula", have you seen this movie called "What We Do in the Shadow"? If you haven't, I highly, highly recommend it. It's total chaos that one LOL.

Most Ju Jing Yi's series are gorgeous. But story-wise, I don't think anyone can say the same. Skipping out "The Eternal Fragrance" is a wise choice haha.

I really hope you enjoy "How Dare You" and "Reset", if they suit your taste :D

Speaking of good first episodes. One of my all-time fav first episode belonged to "The Long Ballad". That series is damn angsty too... And "The Double" is so angsty! I didn't expect this level of angst...

My gahd, it gets annoying how these people know nothing but greed that they take turn to make other lives' miserable. They are also absolutely unreasonable, self-centered, cruel and pathetic.

But well, if everyone lived the hermit's way, minded their businesses and in peace, it wouldn't be called a "drama" anymore. I just need to turn off and go to sleep for now.