Big_Red_1011

Thank you for the explanation about episode cut. I naively thought it was because regulators & platforms finally realized most dramas (especially, in modern setting) don’t need to be very long. More episodes just gives screenwriters opportunity to use tired tropes that make everyone frustrated. One of my favorites is “When I Fly Towards You” and it’s 24 half-hour episodes (so about the same length as 12-episode hour+ K-dramas).

Wow, I had read your review of Rebel Princess but didn’t realize it was sort of a vanity project for the main actress. Back to business: once a drama is complete and is soliciting funds pre-release, is it mainly about selling ad inventory/sponsorship or do existing stakeholders (studio/platform/early investors) try to hedge their bet by selling a share of the project?

Another candidate is this “scandal” from 5 years ago — headline: “Chinese Actress Yang Zi Slammed By Netizens For Donating "Too Much" To COVID-
19 Relief Efforts” [supposedly there was an agreed upon maximum donation amount for celebrities and YZ exceeded that] 😳

They are kind of like siblings, always teasing each other :)

Official YOUKU app

I bet they totally made merch with the mouse companion 🐭

I think people like the novel/donghua/drama in part because it’s like reading/watching a video game. Here we meet an NPC who makes things for us.

That’s going to go in the Hall of Fame of most ridiculous things ever. Another candidate — offline & online campaign accusing IU of being a spy for North Korea 🙄 🤡

The wedding is going to go great. Nothing bad is going to happen. Not all all 😒

Dumb question — who pays for the initial shooting and expenses? The platform? I am just learning about the business side of Chinese dramas. In the Western industry, shooting usually doesn’t start until financing is lined up. So it’s a sunk cost and the only reason for something to NOT get released is if a studio can get a tax break and make more money like that. For example, some superhero movies got permanently shelved because of that (studios took tax write-off). Very sad because everything had been completed and it’d cost $0 to release it.

I meant what happened in Ep. 12 (and the demon was dead, so no threesome, lol).

I accidentally learned that some vocal Zheng Shuang fans are anti-Yang Yang because he committed a grave sin — he did not marry her after they co-starred in Love O2O.
Apparently, if he did, she wouldn’t have married her husband (now, ex-husband) and wouldn’t be involved in various scandals 🙄

He was stronger than the small bad guy who dropped the token (that guy was weak). Those tokens are an item that hardly anyone knows about (last seen 100? years ago), so the small guy didn’t realize what he had. For the battle with the other guy, our hero’s tier was lower but he had purchased/acquired better items and learned useful skills. So he’s fighting smart using other methods not just being dominant in cultivation.

It’s pretty epic. Pretty sure it covers what will happen after today’s episodes 14 & 15, but don’t know how episodes are covered. But definitely no wedding for ML & FL 🤣🤣🤣

The green vial actually has a legimate explanation for appearing (explained in the novel much later). Many other things are just items he purchases to improve his abilities (like buying a better item in a game).

It’s a bit like a video game where the main character has to complete tasks before acquiring an item and then moving into the next mission.

OG is still really good (well, I have 4 episodes left because watching on Viki). With regard to TIA, Jin Chen’s character is the most important of all the female characters (when it comes to plot overall and relationship with ML). Just don’t expect this to be like LBFAD-level romance ;)

Honeslty, many times it’s just better to stay ignorant of all the drama/gossip. I only stumble upon it accidentally when Google pops up something on the front page or when people comment (like was the case with OG). And, honestly, with OG I don’t even care about scenes being cut (even though I like him overall and him & FL in The Princess Royal). That character’s actions were always going to be questionable (unlike FL in TFF).

Surprise episode is a preview/trailer of what’s to come.

Based on what everyone has said so far, the novel and donghua focus just on the ML. Even the drama so far is very ML focused (not a typical drama with romance and clear ML+FL). So, despite what YOUKU may claim, only Yang Yang is a true lead. Everyone else is playing supporting characters or guest stars.