Footnoted

Yeah there's soo much of mu yao, HRZ and ZYL... all 3 of whom I'm not interested in. Wanted to see more of WXY and his character zhong xi wu's development but there wasn't much if any. The main couple are rarely seen together as well. I oddly liked this drama and found it very rewatchable I guess cos nothing really happens.. it's slow and not high-drama and not political. The FL spends alot of time laying in the sun tho yes HAHA

I agree! It takes skill to hold an audience's attention and have them remember that piece of work yearsss after. Sadly, I don't see many good movies these days. Haven't even stepped into a cinema since the last terrible Transformers instalment.

Yes, I do think C-dramas are trying to cut things short - probably explaining the rise of short verticals which are wayy too tropey and makjang-ey for me - but their dramas at 40 eps is still way too long for me. They end up with alot of weak scenes and filler stuff in order to fill up those 40 or so eps when they could have done away with alot of those. I always think cdramas' set designs, cinematography and costumes will always always be top-notch - but they are still lacking quite alot in the writing dept for a country that is so cultured and creative, and produces so much of content per year.

I do hope LIRD is good for him though looking at his FL and the cast - i don't think it's a very high budget film and am not confident about the writing and general acting, though I'm sure he will always bring his best to the table. I'm just hoping YZ doesn't bind him in some nasty long drawn-out contract that makes it difficult for him to leave.

OMGGG i've been looking for someone to spazz about Beloved with!! It takes alot out of me to watch it haha cos it has this really suspenseful, eerie vibe and I needa focus on the scenes, but goodness what I've seen of it has been wonderful. Just superb acting all around! Are you finished with it?

Apologies for the late reply btw, life has been a bit crazy!!

Yesss they are a very dull bunch, quite different from what I was sold via the teasers and stuff. The mum is also insufferable. I'm a constant dropper of dramas tho haha, I used to hang on much more and just drag it out. But due to the lack of time and so many things to watch and read, I just can't justify the time spent 😂 I actually finished alot of dramas just cause my mum had it on - including the double, I paused quite abit in the first arc - haha and would discover many nice ones that way, including MLC (yes some scenes are filler but the chemistry is soo good it just doesn't bother you heh).

I really liked the Duke Su character too and I don't think I can picture anyone playing it with such gravitas and flair like WXY did. I could see his potential in earlier roles but this was made for him. The character was abit camp in some parts tbh haha and feminine and theatrical in some ways, but he played it so well, it didn't come off forced like you said. I just wished he had more screentime haha. Oh him as the lone swordsman I'd love so much! I actually thought Wanted Detective might have abit of that heh, but I liked it as it is nonetheless.

He kinda reminds me in some ways of Luo Jin and Chen Kun, in terms of style and presence on screen, both of whom are amazing actors and had some really nice roles. Hoping his career goes in a similar nice path too and that yes, he leaves YZ's agency in time lol.

Yeah I saw the OG pics and it was a brightly lit area with alot of people around. Hmm. While I think western media culture is similar somewhat I think there are stark differences though cos of quite a few factors tho. Just the sheer amount of online discourse that can never be controlled - on weibo/xhs/douyin etc, the undercurrent of money and manipulation behind alot of dirty tactics, the emphasis on data and the such, an emphasis in the c-culture on celebs being 'pure' and 'virtuous/lack of transparency around many things and putting up a certain image means the fallouts from scandals are huge, the incredibly systematic, organised fan culture and insane parasocial relationships all the above creates. Also a real lack of verifiability/authenticity of anything online in c-ent, anyone with an online account can post anything they want, which creates ripples of unfounded rumours, nonsensical theories and the like. In western culture, you at least get a semblance of which sources tend to be more authentic, and the media culture doesn't punish celebs for having a life/being real/dating/marrying/hanging out with friends/being a jerk etc. Having dabbled in fan cultures in china, korea, and the west I find c-ent to be the most toxic of the 3. 🤷‍♀️

I think I dropped PM around ep 9 or sth - i can't even remember, but just everything about it isn't nice - the plot, the way the men are written, the relationships etc. As a huge fan of Little Women and Pride & prejudice - it felt abit insulting to see this drama constantly compared to those 2 classics lol. And i totally agree - multi-lead ensemble type shows is a precarious thing usually as they usually dont quite get the balance right, or they focus too much on all the characters and the plot suffers.

Oh gosh i just love mysterious lotus casebook and i agree with the great chemistry! now why have I not heard about wild ambition bloom before this?! it looks amazing! no idol actors. sth up my alley. it seems we have similar taste as I unintentionally binged light on and really enjoyed it. c-ent does crime/police procedurals really well.

lemme know if you ever finish PM and how u find it 😅

Ah same thoughts! i wanna see him go all out playing an intense scheming villian.

OMG. I was thinking the same when i was watching tan jianci in under my skin - where he was really good in - and at the same time watching wanted detective and thinking hmm. wxy would totally fit that sort of junior detective, all brash but clearly talented and then learns something. here's hoping there's a role for him like that soon. tbh i don't quite enjoy his romance dramas - PM, probably LIRD also and i dont think i will enjoy XZW lol. but i do like the other roles he's played. the rumoured upcoming one he's about to film sounds really good!

Im very curious about c ent online culture in general tho. It seems so easy to just.. say anything without much backlash. Like i can just go around talking trash about any of these celebs with nothing to stop me. The chances of getting sued is also slim.. im always never sure what infor is real or who to believe. There are so many melon accounts, hater/black marketing accounts, agencies n individual actors' teams trash talking other actors, cnetz just saying whatever they want.. fans posting rumours and untrue things..fanclubs distorting the narrative..how does one even get any sort of real infor or verify anything omg. I cant be bothereed with all the "activity" these days and just watch the dramas.. not even the promos or interviews.. i just find it all too much and i sometimes wonder how the celebs even survive in such an environment. It's insane on all levels

Wow seriously? Why would they even push that agenda lol?! Yesss the only times ive seen him drunk are yes precisely, those post work events. And precisely with how freely he goes about in his free time there would be more evidence by now 😆

Hes getting hate? From c netz? Wow. I like the story, his acting is always good and he suits genres like this so well. I do think he acts much better alongside veteran actors though, it really brings out the best in him. Im not interested in cp shipping, his FLs or billing order tho, could care less. Yho since the double i preter him paired with more experienced actresses. He did well with wjy, those after not so

Haha i think I saw pics of this hangout somewhere..looked abit like a bar or sth.. is he not allowed to talk to women at all 😆 I dont think him or any of these stars - if smart and i trust that he is- will be hanging out with their partners in public places where ppl can easily ID them. There are lots of places to have private dates.

Precisely and its so obviously from a work thing.. so i dont get it. I dont get i fans alot of the times tho so 🤷

ooh is the violent tiger drama a modern one? sounds really good on paper. he did mention on some livestream awhile back this year that he's quite tired of costume dramas. hoping this is true so he can take on different, more challenging roles.

I found the rumour quite amusing the minute I saw the source video. The paps were clearly there why would he holding hands with anybody out in the open lol.

Didn't enjoy the perfect match either, I dropped it early on. Tbh alot of YZ dramas are meh, every few years sth like yanxi or the double will really top the competition, but other than that - meh. I'm hoping he gets more work like wanted detective or something villian-like, like his role in one and only. i think he plays both types well - smart detective types and two-faced ambiguous villians. alof of YZ's agency talent have stagnant careers after awhile and it seems hard to get out of his agency. hope WXY can do a chen xiao in future and leave

totally agree. at least she's portrayed as a female, like literally a female general. not as a male general - making the LOFG completely ridiculous to even watch. and yes i love the bow and arrow scenes, it's more about deftness and agility than the other one - using complete brute strength for heavy spears and swords which the actress cant even carry to fight multiple men in the middle of a warzone - just really unbelievable to watch.

Love me some Song Yi so I'm gonna be binging this. She shows up as a way more mature female general. and Although I've always seen her as very dainty and demure, she has the gravitas of a general down pat. She and CL have alot of chemistry as well, so am excited for this. Can't wait to see how it unfolds though i'm usually not a fan of wuxia.

Love me some Song Yi so I'm gonna be binging this. She shows up as a way more mature female general. and Although I've always seen her as very dainty and demure, she has the gravitas of a general down pat. She and CL have alot of chemistry as well, so am excited for this.

Haughty is how she comes across to me in general, she's a weak actress either way and yes lacks charisma. She's just lucky to be under hesong media, and the founder li bingbing pushes her alot. there are plenty of these kinda actors/actresses in c-ent - cant really act but pushed by their agencies/investors.

indeed - it's one reason i can never connect with her on or off cam - she has the same strange haughtiness in interviews as well

just shut up and let ppl have their own pov, misogynist.

Idgaf abt the book and aint gonna read it. People like you alw think as long as man/woman stand beside each other, then there's chemistry - such a low bar. Nah stop projecting on others, YOU are the misogynist attacking other women who voice their opinions on this forum and who also hates men because you can't get a proper date and feels a need to your fantasies through c-dramas. Writing 2 comments to my post, please get a life/touch grass