Historical Dramas Club

I completed The East Palace; in my very own opinion there's many plot twist I can't predict and the action + the visual were great, but the chemistry between the two leads felt off, the acting... well the emperor was really great (as expected of a veteran). The empress dowager and the crown prince (the third prince) were great too. I was once read that these days in Korea not many young actors can act (on Lee Chae Min and Roh Yoon Seo upcoming drama comment). I think it happened everywhere these days because people only think about pretty face and model body, so even the actors put more efforts on their outer appearance more than their acting ability. Won't casually mention a name since I don't really mind at times. I mind more if a public figure stop caring about their appearance, don't want to see him anymore then. And the plot was flawed. I think because they wanted to put too many story into the script that it became like that. If there's S2, I'll skip it. Give the same point as mdl hehe.

Hi @ElementalStar, I'm unable to quote your post directly since it's a long one (not allowed 😄), so I copied your spoiler-tagged post for "Back from the Brink" below:

Also my favorite scene in BFTB is way later when he has to be reborn as acts like a child. I don't know how he managed to go from super hot to adorably cute but that's what happens. 😆

I've reached that part, and yes, I so agree with you here! Neo Hou is so versatile! 😍

amdream_weaver:

OMG! Thank you! Somebody on the same page as me, mostly. After all the raving about the drama, I failed to really enjoy it. There was no chemistry between the leads, and yes I wasn't looking for romance necessarily but even the shared common goal and brother in arms (so to say) angle felt flat, given that they both know that they are both likely to be killed if they cannot solve the mystery, one would think there would be some bonding. The little cutie patootie demon got more response from me. I may watch S2, just for the sake of it, but I need more!!!

As an aside, I am having the same reaction with The Apartment Job. While I love Ji Sung and he always delivers a great performance, I am not getting why everyone is raving about it. Sorry its not a historical, but I just had to get it outta my system!

Ahaha, I think many people feel the same about The East Palace. But some of them want S2.

I also skip The Apartment Job. Initially I want to watch since it gives Spy x Family (anime) vibe and someone sell it as a funnier Vincenzo. But my cousin and my friend watch it and say it was boring. So I skip it too. Korean drama is always tricky, I rarely watch them. Chinese costume drama is similarly tricky, I rarely watch before more than half episodes out.

I'm now into Japanese slice of life, so comforting yet so emotional. Ptw 20 titles for a watch challenge. Orange Days (2004) was so good! It's on Netflix. I also watched Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju E5 (the only episode I previously can't find) on Netflix. For historical drama, I'm still stuck at Gochisosan 65/150 (I think I'll watch it raw for several episodes I can't find after I finish the drama). And I'm going to start Huang Jing Yu's currently airing drama Zhong Qi (set in 1983-2001) today. Still going with Ou Hao's Nobody Knows (set back and forth between 2003 and 2022). Love both actors. And will watch Unsettled Case (set in 1997) after Nobody Knows.

I finished "Back from the Brink" a few days ago. This drama got stuck in my PTW list for quite some time and I wish I had started it sooner! I like the drama's story, the characters and their development, relationships (romance, friendship, etc.) and other themes. Neo Hou and Zhou Ye are convincing as Tian Yao and Yan Hui, respectively. They are the right fit for the roles and I love their chemistry! Overall, this is an enjoyable watch for me 💖.

Poppy1234:

I started Overdo and I have to say I have some really negative opinions on the FL. I don't know what it is with her but something really goofy is going on in her head. Has anyone else watched Overdo yet?

I think with Overdo, just enjoy it for the visual not the plot.

I never plan to watch it from the beginning (not a fan of both leads, but hey Fu Xin Bo, the cute husband of Ying Er was there to join the love triangle) but the gossips and the shorts/reels were everywhere. Even before it started, there's someone said that the story was remade (as not similar to the novel, I don't know if it's true or not, but it's a common practice to buy the right to adapt big IP to borrow its popularity then only used small parts of it. Iirc it's adapted from Fei Wo Si Cun's novel who's popular for torturing her readers with angsts and bad endings like one of the leads ended up dead and the other leads regretted for a lifetime) to give the male lead time to shine maybe. I also saw the complaints about FL's characterization. She'd change like near the end like after ML and his family members being trapped in the fire or similar.

Its douban rating was 5.0 and its mdl rating was below 7.0. So just enjoy the visuals; the actors looked pretty, the clothes looked pretty, and the setting looked pretty. They even posed a lot. My maternal aunt said it's good, but she's a Zhang Ling He fan.

Oh! So what I watched on shorts was really the ending. That's rare, giving a drama bad ending in these days. I don't dislike bad ending but many people hate it.And yes, I checked the trailer too and I did understand why so many people plan to watch it.

Oh you'll make good friends with my aunt and several of my relatives. They're all Zhang Ling He's fans. As for me, I'm Yang Yang's fan ever since I first saw him on The Left Ear where he's acting as Ma Si Chun's model student boyfriend that turned into a bad boy who's cheating on her after living together with her while they're studying for college in another city. He looked the most fabulous on that drunk scene where he iirc wore a checkered red black T-shirt with front buttons illuminated with (maybe) purple colored lamp. TMI and maybe wrong 😅

Or maybe they'll make a special episode? Several dramas with open ending and bad ending usually release special episodes. For example: Goodbye My Princess, Immortal Samsara, and The Double.

Looking at Yang Yang's mdl actor page, I may not count as a fan at all ahaha. I completed 7 dramas, dropped 5 dramas and skip the rests ahaha. I wish I could be like a proper big fan who watch just whatever my favorite artist in. Let's say I'm just a casual (but loyal) fan.

Yang Yang only filming 1 drama project per year since ehm well I forgot when, my cousin (who's into Zhang Zhe Han) once told me about it. The last drama of him I completed and I rated the highest was The Immortal Ascension/A Mortal's Journey to Immortality that aired in 2025. Just like its title, it was a xianxia drama about a mere mortal's journey to reach immortality through cultivation with many cheats available exclusively for him (and kinda harem), a sequel has been confirmed but I think the sequel has not start filming as Yang Yang just concluded the filming for Bu Rang Jiang Shan in mid-2026. Talking about Bu Rang Jiang Shan, that looks very promising. But it may be focused on 3 main characters, rather than Yang Yang's character alone. Hoping it could air asap, but the queue is long.

Poppy1234:

YES! I feel the same but with Zhao Lu Si! I really admire her as an actor but the only ones I've watched are really old ones like, Love In the Kitchen, The Last immortal, etc. I do also wish I can be that fan that's always on top of things and know's exactly which drama is coming out next and is a seasonal watcher of that actor or actress! 🥲

But thank's for the recommendation's, will look into them! :)

I used to like Zhao Lu Si before she did cosmetic procedures (that I didn't know if it's surgery or just injection or something) anyway she looked different. Zhang Miao Yi also changed. What a pity.

I also completed 7 dramas (9 if 2 seasons counted as 2 dramas) and dropped 5 dramas of her. I dropped the one she lead together with Yang Yang. It felt bland though the story was good. Maybe because they recited the dialogue like it's story reading? Her latest released modern drama Love Ambition was very popular to the point she left her agency without paying any compensation and moved to a bigger agency backed by (oh wow, I forgot the detail) Tencent?

I love reading news about upcoming dramas and will excitedly waiting for them to arrive. Sharing some of them; I'm currently waiting for the official release date for Ou Hao and Feng Shao Feng's The Awake, Peng Yu Chang and Ou Hao and Wang Kai's Jiao Feng and Cheng Lei's The Lament of Autumn for republican dramas. Seems like they'll be released between August to September. Since The Awake and Jiao Feng will air on CCTV, baidu already put the release dates on uts page but it may change under special circumstances. I'm also waiting for Peng Yu Chang's Wan Gu Zui Qiang Zhong/The Greatest Sect in the World (may be mispronounced) that may be released this October or next year. I'm still considering to watch (19?) August release Ao Rui Peng's Pull Strings/The Senior Brother is Too Steady (I don't like FL's visual in costume drama and Ao Rui Peng is not suited for romance, but maybe it's more on the comedy looking at its latest trailer) and supposedly (December?) 2026 release Wang He Di's Live Long and Prosper (I have prejudice towards Wang He Di's acting but it's comedy so maybe it's okay). But I'll wait until they're concluded before deciding to watch them or not. If you like republican drama or xianxia drama, make sure to check them out.