WandereR

Hehe, totally agree. We need to fill the holes any way we can and those plot holes are huge! Loving this addictive drama too :D

No wonder it sounds familiar. There are some seriously talented voice actors in C-dramas. He has probably the nicest voice in this show.

Ohhhhh....
That voice is not meant for a villain! lol
So unfortunate, but still a good job by the voice actor though.

Ah yes, I saw your post on feeds about Barrack O'Karma - I've watched it and it's really intriguing, I enjoyed that one. Will give Threesome a try since it comes highly recommended :)
Thanks again and really appreciate your efforts in spreading the love for Asian dramas through this series! <3

Great sharing and love your thoughts on HK dramas :)
By the way, I just noticed from your profile - Happy birthday to you!

Thank you to Tine and the team for this nostalgic stroll down memory lane :)

I grew up with HK (TVB) dramas so it'll probably forever be like "home" in Drama Land geography.
I remember watching Chow Yuen Fatt, Simon Yam, Tse Yin, Liza Wang and the veterans in the 80s, before the era of the 4 heavenly kings with mainly Andy Lau and Leon Lai in the 90s. After that, I think there were another 3 or 4 cycles of evolution, the latest of which I've probably lost touch because sadly, I no longer follow HK dramas as much as I do with C and K dramas.

The thing with HK dramas is the familiarity. The sets, plots and acting are all pretty formulaic, which can be comforting. There's not a lot of surprises or unpredictability so fans tend to focus on the cast more rather than any groundbreaking themes or storylines. This is particularly true up until maybe around 2010-ish, when TVB underwent a "revolution". There were more joint productions especially with China, there was a new batch of talented actors and actresses, and the producers significantly upgraded the filming sets, and revolutionized the themes and storylines of its dramas. In short, they injected more realism and stylistic influences over its productions. I guess TVB had to evolve, in the face of intense competition from K-dramas and C-dramas.

I noticed some iconic dramas in the list of favourites by the panel, and I've enjoyed watching them as well. The ones Tine chose are much newer so I haven't seen them yet :P
Although the selection choices in HK dramas are not as extensive compared to other MDL countries, there are some genres that HK excel in. Dramas about the police, triads (mafia), martial arts (not wuxia but kung fu), supernatural themes, slice of life and comedies (especially slap stick or "mo lei tau" e.g. think Stephen Chow).

These days, I'm more selective and usually watch the so-called TVB grand productions because they tend to be more epic and feature star-studded cast. But HK dramas, especially the classics, will always hold a special place in my heart.

Really love your "Why You Should Try" series of articles. It's been a fun and wonderful read :)

(Apologies for the long post. Guess this article brought a lot of emotions)

Ah ok, so Jun Yi likes Mo Wan, not Jun Qing? If that's the case, then it shouldn't have been censored for any "breaches". It's a pity though, because it would make the story link better.

Thanks for the info, mirrorgirl!

OK, I re-watched that scene in ep 25, 29:56 - Jin Yi said he only supported ("rooted for" was used in iQiyi sub) Jun Qing with Mo Wan because he thought they were genuinely in love. This is correct as I understand Mandarin and that was the message conveyed. He didn't say he "backed out".

So probably a mistranslation somewhere. But as far as that scene is concerned, there is no indication that Jin Yi is in love or ever was with Jun Qing.

I haven't watched Dance of the Phoenix but oh my, those spoilers in your feeds...hmmm lol

Yes, and it's amazing! I really can't wait for the upcoming new shows. Keep posting updates, really enjoy reading the news :)

Thanks! Really appreciate the updates :)
I'm a bit behind in episodes but still watching this show.

Spoke my mind, girl! :)

Loving it too!

Sounds exciting! Thanks for the update :)

OMG! If this is true, then the cut scenes are even more shocking than what's actually shown to us!
But wait, it was never implied that Jin Yi had a thing for Jun Qing! :O

Good point! Still worth a watch though, and at least it's about Yao Mo Xin with Eva Cheng.

Wonderful article! C-dramas are my comfort food as well :)
All the tips shared in the article as well as in the comments below are really useful for beginners.
3 things that I totally agree on and must be reiterated:
- Watch the trailer instead of relying on the synopsis. Some folks get turned off by the write-up or sometimes, it gets too detailed and exposes too much. Get the feel and the vibes only through the trailers.
- Historicals are done really well, in terms of the source material and the production sets. Big budgets are not an issue generally for C-drama historicals.
- Martial arts choreography. Some people like it, some people don't. But if you're a fan, there's such variety to choose from (Wuxia, Xianxia).

88 (make that 87) more comments to make it 10K!
This is great! Our lovely L&R fraternity is still going strong :)
Love all the snippets of BTS posted by users and news of upcoming projects and sequels, as well as the translation of the original novel. This comments board is the most comprehensive all-in-1 resource centre for all things L&R, Cheng Yi And Bing Yuan.
LOVE IT!

Just like in Legend of Yun Xi, Merxat has been friend-zoned.

At least the Prince is more honourable - he looks the woman in the eye while he karate chops the neck to knock her out. Efficient and no mind alteration stuff.

Agreed. I can't imagine what other plot twists that might've been cut out.
This show really is addictive fun. I'm enjoying the unpredictability, without it this would just be boring.