Chibi

Ah yes, Kung Fu Panda was 💖 Agreed on the white-washing. No wonder most of East Asia was and still is, fiercely protective of their own creative products! :)

Woah, woah, woah! I feel like I'm not getting the context of what you're saying... have C-netz sabotaged a Korean based IP before this? :O Also, I do not see any questionable premise in the manhwa that the censorship in China would disapprove of. For starters, the OTP is very much heterosexual and there isn't a concept of wishful time-travelling (as in the case of censoring post Scarlet-Heart); and these are the two no-go areas, which btw, have many a times been worked around about.

Also Netflix? I would keep Netflix away unless they impress me with Bulgasal. I will scream if they put an immortal in a grey overcoat.🙄 And I think a lot of us are tired of Korean costume dramas where they cannot even bother to do men's wigs right.

Okay, about Habaek appearing as a 14 y/o boy by day.... uh, I do not see why censorship should have a problem? Is the age-difference icky with a 'minor' involved? Sure, but Soah and the 14 y/o Habaek have a very annoying sibling-esque relationship and do not ever get physically intimate. It's tricky though, I agree. But it can be done. I can think of the Korean Drama 'Beauty Inside' where it was the EXACT same dynamic, except the female lead kept transforming. And k-netz are equally wild with criticism, so if that could be accepted, Habaek (14) and Soah (18?) can be accepted too. Depends on how well the script sells it!

I agree on Lusi though. How the c-ent power structure stands today, no way in a million years her studio will let her pick any role other than Soah. xD I think Lusi is stunning, she just hasn't been styled womanly enough before. Sure, girly and feminine, but not womanly. Unmarried Princesses, yes but not a married Concubine.
(for ex. Dilraba in tmopb looks very different as a celestial maid, to when she was Donghua's Concubine in the Mortal Realm arc)
I'm curious to know which pair of actresses would you pick for Soah/ Nakbin? Because they need to be picked in a pair, and be similar aged as they need to pass off for dopplegangers.
A pair I can think of is Bai Lu and Li Qin. And even Zhou Ye and Zhang Jing Yi (though personally, they do not fit the visuals!)

Thank you!! I too thought Lin Yi x Lusi x Song Zuer would make a lovely love-triangle! :) Esp since I find both the ladies look quite similar! ^^
Luckily Xianxia episode count has come down from 60/70+ to 40+ lately, one good result of the 'censorship'. I'm sure they can refrain from diluting tons and splitting into 2 seasons, cuz that's cheating! xD

Dubbing..... well, needs an expensive production. Sure, if they have money, they can get the actors back to dub themselves! Luoyang is a recent example (historical costume drama) where thank heavens, none of the three main leads are dubbed! ^^ It's doable! :)
As for CGI, they do have the best of the best. I do not doubt their technical expertise. Most of the result we see on, say the recently aired ALP (one of the well-done examples) is because of cultural aesthetics. Afterall, the team was gaming developers and artists! I would keep Hollywood (and Netflix) out of this. Look at what they did with Mulan! -_- Caricature is the last thing we would want! :)

Aww, I love long comments, you can see how verbose my article, as well as my replies are. You're good! :')

I think you have pretty much addressed all the grievances most of us have with the k-ent industry, (as much as I love their fairy-tale modern romances)! For one, they refuse to expand their fantasy genre into costume territory. Modern-fantasy just doesn't do it for me, I cannot take another 400-year old God dressed in a grey overcoat, brooding on Seoul streets, seriously. And of course, in addition to everything you mentioned about Saeguks, they cannot even get men's wigs right. Sigh.

Yeah, having just one peaceful dynasty ruling your country throughout, is kinda sad for the wardrobe design department in 2021. Korea had the 3 kingdoms era, Goryeo and Joseon (which is like a fraction of what China had). Also, I assume Joseon never shifted its capital, so every drama is always situated around that singular royal palace... T_T

Aww, thank you! I'm super glad this got you to at least check out the artwork! Mission accomplished! :P Afaik, it's getting remastered in full-color! ^^
Yes, like you said, easy-peasy for China. I honestly wish they had picked it up instead of the k-drama team. Maybe, it's still not too late?! :')

Since I'm not Chinese, I cannot comment on cultural norms that might have to be altered. Based on my little knowledge of Xianxia though, most of the plot is standard stuff you see in China these days! And besides, the Celestial Realm was modeled after Ancient China, from the clothes, to the wedding customs, to the musical instruments they played (the lute), to the food they ate (Joseon Exorcist's mooncakes, I'm looking at you!) xD They played baduk, but that exists in China too (Go). Though, the manhwa has tons of classical Korean poetry from famous, real-life people like Hwang Jin-yi, so that might have to changed. I'm sure China has no dearth of classical poetry! <3

Ah yes, the parents. For the longest time I had this dilemma if young 20-somethings can do the characters justice. So I had late 20's for the younger generation cast (the likes of Gong Jun, Xiao Zhan, Dilraba etc) but then that would put the 'older' generation onto veterans like Gong Li. Heck, Gong Li would make a KILLER Suh-Wang Mo! I would shiver in her presence! :')
I decided to age down the younger gen, therefore had to go with 30's for the parents. Ni Ni as a Mom! 😭
And Yuan Hong!!!! How time flies! Though I remember him on Happy Camp, talking about his IRL baby. I felt attacked! 🤣

I do think Korea spends a ton of money on their modern romance dramas, especially in the post-production dept, which is why things always look polished, sophisticated and rich. Japan, on the other hand exclusively produces modern content for their domestic audience, thus, doesn't need to spend highly on the aesthetics dept. I'm sure some of their cameras are from 2000's. They have their own sweet, nostalgic charm too!

I assume you're asking about the historical/ fantasy costume genre scene? And by 'quality' you mean the hardware part of drama production, because most scripts coming from China, isn't exactly 'quality'. No shade, it's a widely accepted fact. However, if you throw in a 'Rebel Princess' or 'Longest Day in Chang'An' or 'Luoyang' from China, not even the budget of 100 saeguks/ or Taiga dramas thrown in together would compare. And Xianxias, well are a whole different territory. It would be unfair to mention 'Ancient Love Poetry' next to the likes of 'Goblin', or 'Bride of Habaek' or the upcoming 'Bulgasal' (which has some Netflix money behind it, I believe)... because Korea/ Japan doesn't do Xianxias.

China has something called Hengdian World Studios. I don't think anything similar of the scale exists in either Korea or Japan, although they do have smaller, themed film-villages. Also, a lot of the money involved in production comes from mega-giant holdings. All major Wetv productions have the Penguin Tencent as their chief investor. Their gaming subsidiaries usually supply developers and artists from their designing teams to do the CGI. In-house support and talent counts for a lot of GREAT stuff that you can get done for cheap, which sadly just doesn't exist in elsewhere. The scale of investments (private or businesses) pouring in is also enormous.... you could look into the Rebel Princess, and the kind of money they shelled out on hiring the best of the best: director, cinematographer, wardrobe designers and stylists, set designers. It's crazy. This is in addition to the huge chunk that's going out to an A-list cast btw. 🤣🤣 More than people, it's the kind of money that's going into productions, and not all of it, through very legal and explicitly mentioned terms... which is why, China seems to be doing grand & quality productions!

Absolutely, in 2017, LSH would have made an excellent Habaek! ❤

I trust they are remastering it in full-color? The artwork is GORGEOUS! and i liked the story too! I really wish to see it, in its full glory, in 3D. I wish drama-gods make it happen soon! 🥰
Ps. How far along are you caught up? 😊

Indeed, the sky is the limit!! Like who are we kidding, Zhao Lusi in a supporting/ antagonist role? Her studio wouldn't allow it in a million years! 🤣
Many thanks for your appreciation! ❤

Yeah, I think the drama is pretty okay as a stand-alone, but sad, as an adaptation! MDL does show a relatively high rating, and we fans didn't like it one bit!😅 I'm sure there were many who weren't aware of the manhwa's story... at least should the c-drama version ever happen, it would be a completely new experience for viewers such as you! 😁

Yes, a BIG yes to everything you said! 🥰 the manhwa finished its run in 2013 i believe, and c-drama industry has come a looong way since, so i hope they give it a second shot! ❤
And thank you very much for your encouraging words on the writing, made my day! :)

In true spirit of keeping up with the actual legend, she continues to remain a human (lady yu hwa's mother was a human after all). They also have two more daughters, and you're right, afaik, Habaek gives up his God-hood. I too didn't manage to keep up, as fan translations became erratic! 😭 so my final updates were from fan-blogs! Thanks for your comment, yes fushigi yuugi and Yo-Na are ❤🔥

Wow, I found somebody else too who thinks along similar lines! :'D :'D

Possible reasons: Maybe the Author is fiercely patriotic, or the IP rights were being negotiated, but dropped last minute because of the Hallyu ban? Funny, the reverse scenario is going on right now (with the Golden Hairpin adaptation being likely dropped by Korea).
But maybe China can still do it? I mean they do not need to make up some fictional God-of-Wars because Hebo is very much their own Legend! 'Bride of Habaek' is almost like a mother of all xianxia web-novels/ web-comics that we see being adapted now!

Sometimes I wonder if the Manhwa has been an 'unofficial' source of 'inspiration' for many such stories...? From wardrobe-looks to all the way to common tropes/ plot-devices we see in xianxias these days, I wouldn't be surprised if the story had elements ripped-off! ^^

Ps. Glad you agree on Lin Yi! He's 💖💖💖 Him and Ni Ni are two actors I wouldn't trade on, rest everybody's replaceable! (sssshhh!) :P

I feel sorry for the immensely talented Author/ Artist.
And lmaooooo! xD xD

This drama was nothing like the manhwa. Not even 10% sadly. The parent work was lit! 🔥

Ps. I prefer other C-actors too (hehe, my watchlist is a looong list of biases!) :P
I'm glad we agree on the C-team doing fantasy the best among all of East Asia! ^^ I also get super annoyed whenever Korean Saeguk teams cannot bother to do men's wigs properly, like hello, we can see their 2021-haircut edges peek out around their necks! xD

Pps. I would love to hear about the actors if you have any particular in mind! <3 Spoilers/ inbox is always welcome! 😇

I hope so too! ^^ Ps. I watched a super-cut of the k-drama version, couldn't stand it either! xD

I would, in a heartbeat, for free! I don't even wish to receive compensation for the idea. It's free territory now, C-ent can come and claim it happily! ^^
Much thanks Bunny! 🤩 Fingers crossed it happens someday! 🤞🏽🤞🏽

I'm living for the free-therapy in form of the green-boxes! <3 Hilarious article btw. I think I lost it at:
"But for all you who were disappointed I shall whisper Doom at your service, Doom at your service, Doom at your service just to help you find that inner anger, can you feel in bubbling yet?"
xD xD XD

Yes, it's been longgg! It took me forever to conceptualize the post, though I still think I could have done a better job on structure! xD
You're absolutely right on the pfp! <3 I was a huge fan of the artwork back in the days, and I always wished it got remastered in full-color. And then I randomly thought how *well* the story would do as a Xianxia.. sad it never got taken up by China despite the huge fanbase. In fact, BotWG is like a mother of all the xianxia web-comics/ web-novels that got released post 2010. Like tgcf, mdzs, and the tmopb trilogy before that!
What surprised me even more was why they passed on it, despite the story being very much a domestic existence...I think China just had a lot of their own works to adapt from, and even if they did buy the IP back then, I reckon it would have got released because of the Hallyu ban that followed soon after! TT
Not to say it can't happen now... I hope it does. Fingers crossed! <3