9lives

My bestie said the drama passed review a few days ago 🙏🏻 now please the airing license so we can finally see this beauty.

What a darling drama, hoping it sticks the landing so I can put it on my list of nonstop rewatch treasures 🤏🏻✨

Oh that’s a good approach for these ratings!

The funny thing is that sometimes terrible, insufferable dramas in my opinion have high ratings too 🤭🤭🤭

7.7 just shows MDL really can’t be trusted at all pfff

These tiny episodes are such torture helppppp I need hours and hours

Congrats on that 9.0! Hope it gets higher. Haven’t started this one yet but standing in solidarity with these guys and their fans.

I think so too :(

🤝

The thing here is that not always the fans are the only ones to blame, as you said. In some instances, the actors more often than not have the power to control their fandoms when things get out of hand. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. However, that's another issue.

The second point is: why would I be discussing this kind of thing on Chinese social media when it's not even a place where I can write long essays about it in English, considering Chinese isn't my native language. We have a forum here for each drama with a comment section to leave our thoughts about it. I don't have Douban, for example. Is there a similar website in China like MDL where we can have discussions about the dramas and movies we watch?? Where exactly should I leave my thoughts on every drama I watch? I use my accounts for different purposes. My Chinese accounts are made to divulge my art, not engage in fan wars. What benefit does that bring?? If I make drawings or not, what exactly is the issue here? I don't have to go be "disrespectful" in the UTS comment section, for example, because at least here on MDL, we don't have the shipping crew demanding a happy ending or a second collaboration ONLY because they want to keep milking the CP stuff. If they do that in China, at least it hasn't bled too much on this side of the world. People here are actually concerned about the plot, especially because BL is not even allowed over there.

Anyway, I don't know what these likes and comments were, but it's concerning that you keep track of what I like. I can like things related to a drama, but not the drama itself. How is that hypocritical? In only three months, you were able to read my comments and feel distressed by them?? Why? People here on this site can be absolutely vile, but my "disrespect" is what is preventing you from enjoying these dramas in peace?? Who even am I to be influencing your drama-watching so much? You said it's really hard for people like you to simply enjoy those dramas. People like you? What kind of people are you? I'm very confused by this. I feel like your discomfort is clashing with my right to like or dislike whatever I want, and I have no idea why.

So let me answer your question once again, since it was not clear the first time around. My issue is that shipping real people invariably causes problems that end up bleeding outside the drama. And who are those real people? Random people on the streets?? No, just so it happens that they were precisely some of his co-stars. That is my issue. I was answering OP's initial question of what we think about her being unable to move past her shipping stage.

Now you claim I'm being disrespectful. Pointing out that this or that performer isn't really the best at acting isn't a disrespect. It's called a subjective opinion based on the works they present to us on-screen. If they were journalists or writers, I could present an opinion based on their written works. I would say this person can't write novels, or this journalist can't write a coherent article. Some actors can act, some can't. You may think some actors are terrible, while I may think they are the best at their craft. If you consider this kind of thing as disrespect, then I'm sorry, but there are way crueler things to be said. You are a new fan, so you may want to inevitably watch some of his older works. You will see that among the cast, there will be good actors and not-so-good actors. Not sure why this became equal to being disrespectful. Not everyone is good at what they do. I suck at painting with watercolors for example. And if I say I wouldn't like him to play with this or that actress or with this or that actor (like many people do), at the end of the day, it bears no weight on what the final decision from him and his studio will be. As fans, all we can do is HOPE further problems will not happen again after witnessing firsthand how bad things can get when there are certain individuals involved. And no, not just fans. To be honest, now that you mention it, the possibility of a third season of UTS worries me because I don't know if the problems will get worse or not. So if you're bothered by not being able to enjoy these dramas in peace, so am I.

Oh, and lastly, not sure if you’ve been following the latest news, but his Studio has been suing accounts making up rumors dating back to 2023, when LYF first aired. Not only that, but there have been recent issues even related to the UTS CP. Under the Skin (!) of all things, so I guess not only women are the problem. Shouting stuff at his face, chasing after their cars. Turned out to be CP fans. You know about that, right?

So be careful when being so vocal about his “shippable” status. If you are concerned about his co-stars, then I suppose you should know how many times their teams and their fandoms have been causing him trouble. I can bring you some links if you’re interested in reading more about the instances of when these issues have occurred.

The funny thing is that lately, some issues with co-stars in some of those beloved romance dramas that have been overlooked for a while are now popping up again on Weibo. So don’t worry because the Chinese fandom would be happy to know there are people here on MDL who oppose this kind of thing.

If you’re a fan of those other co-stars, good for you, but I’m not, so the hypocrisy here would be for me to pretend I care about any of them. Do you see me making drawings about them? Do you see me taking part in their fandom? No, so rest assured, because I’m pretty consistent about what I enjoy and what I don’t.

First things first, I think you might be confusing me with Avenue X. She usually knows what she's talking about, so I suppose you are calling her delusional and desperate? Sure, folks like to criticize her opinions as well, but that is unavoidable when their faves get called out. But I digress. If you’ve been a fan for a while (which I'm guessing you are not), then you must probably know how much the fandom despises this shipping thing, which is what this thread is about. It’s not even just the fandom, but one of his main rules. Not relying on CP to promote his works. If you’ve been on Chinese social media, as you said, you must probably also be aware of the mess his co-stars usually cause for him, be it for first billing, rewrites of scripts that end up being detrimental to the plot, or other issues that end up in fan wars or lawsuits. At the end of the day, it all sounds ridiculous, but that's the reality of c-ent when I started following news about this. There's a little something called 唯粉. That means "exclusive fan". So for me, this has never been a problem, because I couldn't care less about other artists. It's time-consuming enough appreciating only one person.

My conscience is clear. I’m sure you’re aware of all the issues that arise when people can’t separate the drama from real life. But I suppose you might be new to this fandom or not even a fan at all if you’re not grasping the situation. Fans are even relieved that Winner is King may never be released because it might "taint" his image or give ammunition to his haters, and you're here asking me to sympathize with what OP said about shipping, questioning why I'm against this kind of thing?? After all the mess other actors have been embroiled in because of these CPs being carried on to real life?? And I'm the delusional one for not wishing his downfall? If the audience was able to watch dramas normally without the real-life shipping creeping in, this would all be a moot point, wouldn't it? But that's not what normally happens.

The irony is that he has been accused by haters of only becoming famous because of a particular ship when the reality is that the character itself was great enough by itself to have become praised as one of the highlights of that specific drama. He was also dragged because of that btw. Being accused of getting preferential treatment by the network, of being given more importance than any of the other actors. I never name any names in any of my comments, so if the shoe fits, there's nothing I can do about that. The facts speak for themselves.

For your information, about Filter, I hate the fact that once again his character is a sort of a prop to elevate women by making the man seem weak, obsessed, clingy, all the things it would be unthinkable if the roles were reversed. Torturing her MLs is a staple in the author's writing, which I'm not obligated to appreciate. I'm not Chinese, I don't have to share their views about everything. But since he delivered that role like a pro and there were no fan wars over who was the most important character or who the protagonist loved more, and considering this time he’s not being called names and being dragged for outshining everyone else, it might as well be considered a win. July/August 2023 was a mess. 2024 was no different. There are many reports if you are curious about it.

Btw, good job stalking me everywhere and even creating an account especially for me. I have nothing to hide, so be my guest to go find anything you can about me. But to be completely honest, no, I don't love all the attention if it means being interrogated here for having opinions. Since when does the requirement for being "a dedicated fan" mean condoning certain behaviors? This whole conversation started because OP wanted to know people's opinions about shipping people beyond the drama and the characters that they play. I gave my opinion on it. The majority here agrees that shipping real people is a no-no. Not just for him but for any artist.

The problem is that some so-called fans do not seem to understand this. There's fanfiction to help cope with the ending of some dramas, but mind you, some careers were on the verge of being ruined because of fanfics taken to the extreme. You want me to condone the possibility of TJC's career being put at risk because of something he doesn't take part in? Let's see what the Chinese fandom would say about that. No CP is one of the first rules people learn about the fandom when they start knowing more about it. I like my romance with fictional characters, not with real, living, breathing people, thank you very much. That's why I like Disney movies. And while I like to consider myself a sweet person in general, I have my opinions on what is right and what is wrong. I comment on a variety of themes, but since you created this account just now proves you have no idea of how many comments I have made in the two years I've been here on MDL. Also, why are you so bothered by my comments to begin with? I'm not any official page representing anyone or a paid bot, I'm a person, and I have the right to say whatever I want to say. If you're not used to people disliking things and not lapping them up blindly, then I don't know what to tell you. I guess having preferences still is something allowed in 2025, isn't it?

That being said, and considering how incensed you were about my "awful" comments, I'm guessing you must not be one of his "truly dedicated" fans. On the contrary, if you were, you would have known that he has been mocked and cyberbullied for quite some time by the fans of some of these same ladies you are now so vehemently defending. So I'm supposed to be quiet about it? Some actors have nothing going on for them other than relying on CP to attract the audience and the investors. It's not the case here, and I can't believe I'm even having to type all this to explain such a thing.

I know most folks here seem disappointed with the ending and the third season as a whole, but creative choices aside, I think the ending was very fitting considering what the Squid Game represents. As an allegory for our society, we can’t really expect evil to be defeated just like that and the powerful to be brought to justice for all their evil deeds.

The games might have been over in South Korea but they will carry on in another continent. Same as wars keep happening in many parts of the world. Same as how the billionaires of this world in a way keep playing games with people’s lives, how they meddle with governments and other institutions they have no business meddling with. Even if one of them was obliterated, there will always be another one to take their place. So we put our efforts in the new generations (the baby and Gi-hun’s daughter) with the hopes that they might be able to change the future for the better.

Also the police, always arriving too late or not arriving at all, unable to help who needs them the most.

All in all, while not as solid as the first season, and despite the rewriting of the script, I think they were able to end this chapter of the story in a satisfactory way.

Finally, if the American version is confirmed, hopefully it will be helmed by David Fincher. He will have to face this challenge of preserving the essence of what made Squid Game so successful in the first place.

Yep it’s super weird and borderline psychotic. Be careful with one X account that was suggested to you in the other comment section. That account is a complete cuckoo. Guess she needs a hobby or a patch of grass to go touch 😄

But seriously, this kind of thing brought some really big trouble to two famous actors in China and nowadays they can’t even attend an event together without causing a massive war between their fans. Their careers were almost ruined because of the shipping stuff getting out of control. Not a very fun experience.

Just the other day I went to Douyin and the level of insanity there is out of this world. Accounts dedicated to decoding "signs" and symbols on every post the actors make, even hoping for an official announcement, betting on these people's lives as if they were their playthings and whoever gets the "right" ship can brag that they were right all along. It's sad how people have so much time to be this delusional.

It's a pity you're not into animation because it's an art form where people can make their fantasies become reality in a healthy way.

Anyway, so now you know why there are seldom any videos. Even if other actors have many FMV with their co-stars, as you put it, it doesn't make it right, but the entertainment industry has this way of feeding people's delusions and profiting off them at the expense of real human beings, not animated characters. But that's a whole other story and not really the point here.

So, since it's your choice and perspective, put that energy into something creative like writing a fanfic, for example, to get it out of your system. It will pass, and soon you'll be entertained by a new drama and new characters. Just remember to enjoy the make-believe people put so much effort into to be able to bring to us. ✨

We think it’s better to watch a drama and when the credits roll, leave the drama inside the drama. He’s a good actor, hence the perceived on-screen chemistry, even with a skull. You won’t find videos because one of his guidelines is no shipping. He ain’t a courier service.

You want something good to ship? Try Rumi and Jinu aka Rujinu. Trust me, get invested in that and you’ll be happy.

Also the 7th collab with 葡萄, who plays Fang Jin :)

Nothing good, unfortunately 😞

So never? Sad sad state of affairs. Unfair world.

Yes! It’s a nice story even for me who hates romance in anything 🤭