Bravo đź‘Ź I like your analysis! Finally, someone understands what’s truly going on with the production. They…
Like I stated, this novel was made to target a niche audience, who likes gore and sadistic characters. As such, it would never pass censorship. I understand that you wanted to see the re-enactment of the story, but as a S+ drama, that would never happen. That could have happenned if it was a web serie...Maybe. But, even those can be censored after release.
As for the side stories, yes. Some satisfying side stories would have benefited the drama. Unfortunately, these side plots were not developed. Is it because they did not have the time to do so with only 32 episodes. It appears to be the case. This is a pity. I would have prefered a 40 episodes drama with good side stories.
I will not discuss the artistic choices of the writers of the drama because like I said, writers often transform novels to make them acceptable to a larger audience. They often, change character traits, deleted characters, divide character in 2 individuals to serve the plot they modified. So I am not surprised they changed some elements of that sadistic and dark story. And I was waiting for them to do so, because it is very rare for novels to be faithfully adapted into dramas. The only case I remember were : "Love O2O" and "Love Like The Galaxy". Which were scripted directly and faithfully from the novel.
No there is no love triangle : Jiang Ci used to admire Pei Yan but she never loved him. (from episode 3 up to…
No, it is not. The love traingle means that someone loves in 2 directions. At some point the character should be seduced by 2 characters. This would be a love triangle.
Imagine if Pei Yan was a stalker and a rapist whose love for Jiang Ci was rooted in obsession. Would you call this situation a love triangle? I mean there is a couple and the 2nd guy is conveting the girl.
=> I would have call this harassment and not love triangle.
A love triangle takes place between three (or more) characters. We’ll call them character A (the protagonist), character B (one suitor), and character C (the other suitor).
Characters B and C both love character A and compete for character A’s attention and affection. Character A LOVES BOTH suitors (B and C), but can only choose one to b with.
Bravo đź‘Ź I like your analysis! Finally, someone understands what’s truly going on with the production. They…
Your comment : "I agree with all the points you brought up in your comment, and I'm touched to see someone else disappointed with the side characters' direction, especially with what they did with a young, promising, talented actor as Bi Wenjun.
I saw his dramas, and I was impressed to see someone as calm, sensitive and young bringing so many different characters to life. His acting is subtle, but deep and never the same. He feels what he plays, and even with so few screentimes with Yue Qin, I felt what emotions he wanted to express as the character living trough that mess of a story.
I strongly agree with the point you brought about feeling more empathetic for the side characters, especially Yue Qin. He had everything against him: the writers and camera completely favorising their "more popular/trendy" leads who had everything for them and were glorified as pseudo martyrs by the dull angsty plotline. The productors were betting on what they thought would bring them money, neglecting everything else as a result and turning the drama into a cheap cliche angsty soap opera with budget. It would have benefited the leads too if the other characters were better developped (I think of Yue Qin but also his sister, Luo Mei, and absolutely Baron Chen's character!)
Yue Qin seemed to have been used in this drama as a classical underdevelopped secong male lead third wheel in those infamous horrible love triangle. I was glad to see Bi Wenjun casted in a more mature, dark, psychological drama, but also worried. A lot of promising/ talented actors and actresses are stuck as secondary characters and negletected in stories as accessories for the leads, due to promoting choices.
The Yue Qin from this drama seems to have been created just to be humiliated, suffer and has no right to have a story of his own, which could have benefited everyone in the process. Good point about how he could have just dated someone else in 10 years, especially with his look but also political title. Isn't he a prince? Why does it never matters what he is aside of a third wheel to push fake tensions between the leads???Everything he did was for the sake of putting in highlights Mei Lin (as if not enough characters were glued to her already!) He lost his dignity, his childhood friend, his sister, had to endure his father's madness, and none of this was shown respectfully but tossed aside to make him a hatred magnet for those blindly shipping the leads. It's sad. And despite the cut scenes where were put 6 months of efforts, lost, the few times where Yue Qin was in, it brought me a smile. Not because of the writing, but because of Bi Wenjun's quality of acting which only improves with time.
I honestly hoped, and prayed for him to have better written roles in mature shows (Wuxia, Xianxia, Thriller, Psychological series like Link Clink) as a lead, because I don't think Bi Wenjun should be sidelined in villains and second male lead roles. I mean, it's hard to miss a 188 centimeters tall prince boy with great acting skills like him!"
Bravo đź‘Ź I like your analysis! Finally, someone understands what’s truly going on with the production. They…
Reading your comments, I understand that you are a die-hard fan of BWJ. There is no need to mistake the actor for the character he plays :
"especially Yue Qin. He had everything against him: the writers and camera completely favorising their "more popular/trendy" leads who had everything for them and were glorified as pseudo martyrs by the dull angsty plotline. "
I did not hear BWJ complaining about the cut scenes or the way his character was written in the drama. But your dismissal of the quality of the drama with the purpose of defending BWJ who did his job and never trashed the production he was in, is disturbing to me. Because, you are down grading the quality of a work he was involved, and this may cause him to lose opportunities in the future. If fan wars or internnet controversies start because of it . Who do you think hires him? Aren't they production companies? Your argumentation is counter-productive.
Regarding my opinion : The novel was too sadistic and dark and gore to be enacted faithfully. It would have never pass censorship. You should not be surprised that S+ dramas whitewash the story to make it watchable by a mainstream audience.
No there is no love triangle : Jiang Ci used to admire Pei Yan but she never loved him. (from episode 3 up to…
I understand your point of view, but this is not a love triangle. This is Pei Yan trying to seduce a woman who is paired with another man.
If this, was a love triangle every time someone tries to flirt with a woman in the street , in case that woman is married or betrothed. If he kidnapps that woman and forces her to marry him. Would that woman be in a "love triangle"?
No, Pei Yan was just pestering her and she did her best to flee him.
I just don't understand the tags. Is this a love triangle please, if so then with who and who?
No there is no love triangle :
Jiang Ci used to admire Pei Yan but she never loved him. (from episode 3 up to episode 9).
Meanwhile, she was teasing Wei Zhao, her fear of him slowly disappeared. (up to episode 10).
Once Pei Yan's behaviours put Jiang Ci off ( on episode 10).
Jiang Ci began to show love interest for Wei Zhao and he responded. ( episode 11 and following).
We cannot say that Wei Zhao ever tried to seduce her. He wanted to kill her. And she only showed her love to Wei Zhao. She had a friendship with Pei Yan. Although Pei Yan wanted more. So, in my opinion there is no love triangle.
I answered you questions about the satisfying ending below : desert scroll - ruo wen - Ge xin wei - quicksand..
Thanks. Yes, we never knew if Na Zhan was illegitimate son or an adopted son. We only know that he is an impostor. True. However, most on the plot points were answered. So I was satisfied :)
I don't think it will plummet that much. But...if it does: it doesn't matter. This drama has so much value and…
Yes the audience like happy endings and this one is a little confusing. You have to interpret it . It is a beautiful drama but a lot of people died. That's a pity.
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https://mydramalist.com/680797-chun-hua-yan#comment-19251588
I understand that you wanted to see the re-enactment of the story, but as a S+ drama, that would never happen.
That could have happenned if it was a web serie...Maybe. But, even those can be censored after release.
As for the way they adapted the novel. They used tropes and clichés to make it appealling to a mainstream audience. Production companies use tropes like basic recipes to speak to mainstream viewers. This is not the first time this happens to a novel, and this will not be the last time either.
As for the side stories, yes. Some satisfying side stories would have benefited the drama. Unfortunately, these side plots were not developed.
Is it because they did not have the time to do so with only 32 episodes.
It appears to be the case. This is a pity.
I would have prefered a 40 episodes drama with good side stories.
I will not discuss the artistic choices of the writers of the drama because like I said, writers often transform novels to make them acceptable to a larger audience.
They often, change character traits, deleted characters, divide character in 2 individuals to serve the plot they modified.
So I am not surprised they changed some elements of that sadistic and dark story. And I was waiting for them to do so, because it is very rare for novels to be faithfully adapted into dramas.
The only case I remember were : "Love O2O" and "Love Like The Galaxy".
Which were scripted directly and faithfully from the novel.
PS : I don't mind long messages, don't worry.
At some point the character should be seduced by 2 characters.
This would be a love triangle.
Imagine if Pei Yan was a stalker and a rapist whose love for Jiang Ci was rooted in obsession.
Would you call this situation a love triangle?
I mean there is a couple and the 2nd guy is conveting the girl.
=> I would have call this harassment and not love triangle.
https://storygrid.com/love-triangles/
What is a love triangle?
A love triangle takes place between three (or more) characters. We’ll call them character A (the protagonist), character B (one suitor), and character C (the other suitor).
Characters B and C both love character A and compete for character A’s attention and affection. Character A LOVES BOTH suitors (B and C), but can only choose one to b with.
"I agree with all the points you brought up in your comment, and I'm touched to see someone else disappointed with the side characters' direction, especially with what they did with a young, promising, talented actor as Bi Wenjun.
I saw his dramas, and I was impressed to see someone as calm, sensitive and young bringing so many different characters to life. His acting is subtle, but deep and never the same. He feels what he plays, and even with so few screentimes with Yue Qin, I felt what emotions he wanted to express as the character living trough that mess of a story.
I strongly agree with the point you brought about feeling more empathetic for the side characters, especially Yue Qin. He had everything against him: the writers and camera completely favorising their "more popular/trendy" leads who had everything for them and were glorified as pseudo martyrs by the dull angsty plotline. The productors were betting on what they thought would bring them money, neglecting everything else as a result and turning the drama into a cheap cliche angsty soap opera with budget. It would have benefited the leads too if the other characters were better developped (I think of Yue Qin but also his sister, Luo Mei, and absolutely Baron Chen's character!)
Yue Qin seemed to have been used in this drama as a classical underdevelopped secong male lead third wheel in those infamous horrible love triangle. I was glad to see Bi Wenjun casted in a more mature, dark, psychological drama, but also worried. A lot of promising/ talented actors and actresses are stuck as secondary characters and negletected in stories as accessories for the leads, due to promoting choices.
The Yue Qin from this drama seems to have been created just to be humiliated, suffer and has no right to have a story of his own, which could have benefited everyone in the process.
Good point about how he could have just dated someone else in 10 years, especially with his look but also political title. Isn't he a prince? Why does it never matters what he is aside of a third wheel to push fake tensions between the leads???Everything he did was for the sake of putting in highlights Mei Lin (as if not enough characters were glued to her already!)
He lost his dignity, his childhood friend, his sister, had to endure his father's madness, and none of this was shown respectfully but tossed aside to make him a hatred magnet for those blindly shipping the leads. It's sad. And despite the cut scenes where were put 6 months of efforts, lost, the few times where Yue Qin was in, it brought me a smile. Not because of the writing, but because of Bi Wenjun's quality of acting which only improves with time.
I honestly hoped, and prayed for him to have better written roles in mature shows (Wuxia, Xianxia, Thriller, Psychological series like Link Clink) as a lead, because I don't think Bi Wenjun should be sidelined in villains and second male lead roles. I mean, it's hard to miss a 188 centimeters tall prince boy with great acting skills like him!"
There is no need to mistake the actor for the character he plays :
"especially Yue Qin. He had everything against him: the writers and camera completely favorising their "more popular/trendy" leads who had everything for them and were glorified as pseudo martyrs by the dull angsty plotline. "
I did not hear BWJ complaining about the cut scenes or the way his character was written in the drama.
But your dismissal of the quality of the drama with the purpose of defending BWJ who did his job and never trashed the production he was in, is disturbing to me.
Because, you are down grading the quality of a work he was involved, and this may cause him to lose opportunities in the future.
If fan wars or internnet controversies start because of it . Who do you think hires him? Aren't they production companies?
Your argumentation is counter-productive.
Regarding my opinion : The novel was too sadistic and dark and gore to be enacted faithfully. It would have never pass censorship.
You should not be surprised that S+ dramas whitewash the story to make it watchable by a mainstream audience.
PS: I am not here to argue.
Cui liang was never interested in Jiang Ci. He liked the former fiancé of Pei Yan.
If this, was a love triangle every time someone tries to flirt with a woman in the street , in case that woman is married or betrothed. If he kidnapps that woman and forces her to marry him. Would that woman be in a "love triangle"?
No, Pei Yan was just pestering her and she did her best to flee him.
Jiang Ci used to admire Pei Yan but she never loved him. (from episode 3 up to episode 9).
Meanwhile, she was teasing Wei Zhao, her fear of him slowly disappeared. (up to episode 10).
Once Pei Yan's behaviours put Jiang Ci off ( on episode 10).
Jiang Ci began to show love interest for Wei Zhao and he responded. ( episode 11 and following).
We cannot say that Wei Zhao ever tried to seduce her. He wanted to kill her.
And she only showed her love to Wei Zhao. She had a friendship with Pei Yan. Although Pei Yan wanted more.
So, in my opinion there is no love triangle.
I am on ep 3 and I can't stand the sight of this cheating husband.
However, most on the plot points were answered. So I was satisfied :)
https://mydramalist.com/profile/unbeliebubble/reviews/400704/
https://mydramalist.com/profile/unbeliebubble/reviews/400704