Just started watching and I gotta say, the first episode took me by surprise. It had everything all condensed into 56 minutes. The first half was frantic and fast paced with so much action and intensity. Then it slowed down in the second half giving room to breathe with quieter tender moments. The closing scene was very moving too. This is a great start to a really well made series. I like the characters and the acting is on point. Hope it sustains through to the later episodes.
Just started watching and wow, I'm really mesmerized! Everything about this drama is simply beautiful. The story, visuals, the people, places, sweets... just takes my breath away :)
Yup, everybody recalls Bai Lu in The Legends which wasn't too bad for a Xianxia but was interesting because the FL overshadowed the ML completely for a change (actually the supporting males there were better). I then saw a different side of her in Arsenal Military Academy (again with the same ML) which convinced me of her versatility and talent.
I think given experience and exposure, actors and actresses usually peak around the late 20s to30s mark. Unless they are exceptionally talented, then they would peak earlier.
You're referring to Zhou Xun. She belongs to the previous generation of talent that I mentioned, who are in their 40s. The industry has changed since the days of people like Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun, and Zhao Wei. The current trends in C-dramas tend to favour style over substance. There are a few good actresses of the post-90s generation but again, it's the emphasis on aesthetics rather than depth of acting especially for FLs.
I actually have hopes for the likes of Bai Lu, Zhang Xueying and Li Qin of the current gen to at least give us some stronger portrayals of FLs, given the right script as well. There's potential for the future of C-dramas.. I hope.
Lol. I feel you, I really do. Honestly speaking, I see better actresses in K-dramas more often than C-dramas, which could be due to the different approach in the industry.
A huge portion of the blame goes to the script/ plot/ directing, where women are consistently portrayed a certain way. It's so frustrating because it downgrades the potential of female characters onscreen.
As far as actresses are concerned, I think the current batch isn't as strong as the previous generation of fantastic talents who are probably in their 30s-40s now.
I'm really looking forward to all the upcoming shows you mentioned, especially Broken Clouds which has a really interesting storyline (based on what I could find on Google).
The thing with YBY, as you rightly pointed out and I also wrote in my review of L&R, her acting tends to be overshadowed by CY. With ZYX as CLL, there was such a huge transformation in her character development that it made CXJ's own character growth less impressive. In fact throughout the entire L&R, CLL's torment arc persisted longer than CXJ's intermittent burst of pain (the same goes for her other dramas). It makes me want to see more of ZYX, tbh.
In that case, I'll skip the original. Was thinking of doing some research into this original plot.
From day 1 when I started watching this drama, I already had serious reservations about Sarah Zhao. She's great in a supporting role or as SFL, but to carry this show, I'm sorry but I don't think so. Maybe it's the production budget or agency rep or both, but this role requires a really talented actress to make it work.
Yup, he's the reason we're all here in the first place, rooting for him. The Promise of Chang'an's plot is not doing him any favours (so far), but his talent is there. Hope to see much more from his future projects and with better quality FL's alongside to enhance the character portrayals.
I don't believe the actress can pull this off. This role requires someone with more experience and range. Otherwise the entire story will fall flat, because it is driven by the FL.
I haven't seen how the original was done but there is a huge problem with pacing in this drama. It's trying to be so many things without actually attempting to get at least one element properly done.
Unless it drastically improves in the next 30+ episodes, this show would be deemed a massive failure.
Just finished watching until episode 18. I am so late in discussion .... Will try to start watching by Friday…
Spot on. Eps 1-10 especially moved too fast with too many elements condensed into them. The chemistry between everyone (not just the leads but even amongst the FL's siblings and ML's brothers) wasn't properly developed. The story resorted to brief flashbacks throughout in the attempt to fill in the gaps which affected the flow.
Some of the problems highlighted could be due to compaction of the story (because of the shortened episodes) as some of the editing especially at the end of certain episodes felt abruptly cut off.
I also feel that the actress is a bit lightweight for this challenging role. Her limitations adversely impacted the portrayal of what is supposedly a complex character. Just my humble opinion.
I couldn't agree more with your evaluation. It's hard to empathize with the CP when they haven't established much foundation for their apparent "love" for each other. There was minimal romance, only a series of chance encounters here and there, resulting in a total lack of tangible chemistry between them. At least, that was what we saw within the first 9 or so episodes.
I feel the forbidden love plot is challenging and tricky to be played out in the imperial court setting, but you're right, it is an alluring theme, if done properly.
Yu Ying is a version of Xiao Yin Hua that successfully married CY, so this sibling affection actually materialised into something more. The main difference is YY's character doesn't endear herself to us as much as XYH did in L&R. This is no longer passionate love, as you mentioned, but becomes an obligation.
I'm amazed with CY's acting talent. In L&R he does seem more polished, compared to some rough edges shown here, but he gave us glimpses of versatility in adding more dimensions to his portrayal. There are so many layers to his character's growth that I'm convinced there's more from him that we haven't seen.
Thanks for the info on Meng Xing Chang An, I'll be sure to check it out (and hopefully it'll have a better plot than this).
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The first half was frantic and fast paced with so much action and intensity. Then it slowed down in the second half giving room to breathe with quieter tender moments. The closing scene was very moving too.
This is a great start to a really well made series. I like the characters and the acting is on point. Hope it sustains through to the later episodes.
Everything about this drama is simply beautiful. The story, visuals, the people, places, sweets... just takes my breath away :)
I think given experience and exposure, actors and actresses usually peak around the late 20s to30s mark. Unless they are exceptionally talented, then they would peak earlier.
I actually have hopes for the likes of Bai Lu, Zhang Xueying and Li Qin of the current gen to at least give us some stronger portrayals of FLs, given the right script as well. There's potential for the future of C-dramas.. I hope.
A huge portion of the blame goes to the script/ plot/ directing, where women are consistently portrayed a certain way. It's so frustrating because it downgrades the potential of female characters onscreen.
As far as actresses are concerned, I think the current batch isn't as strong as the previous generation of fantastic talents who are probably in their 30s-40s now.
The thing with YBY, as you rightly pointed out and I also wrote in my review of L&R, her acting tends to be overshadowed by CY. With ZYX as CLL, there was such a huge transformation in her character development that it made CXJ's own character growth less impressive. In fact throughout the entire L&R, CLL's torment arc persisted longer than CXJ's intermittent burst of pain (the same goes for her other dramas). It makes me want to see more of ZYX, tbh.
From day 1 when I started watching this drama, I already had serious reservations about Sarah Zhao. She's great in a supporting role or as SFL, but to carry this show, I'm sorry but I don't think so. Maybe it's the production budget or agency rep or both, but this role requires a really talented actress to make it work.
I haven't seen how the original was done but there is a huge problem with pacing in this drama. It's trying to be so many things without actually attempting to get at least one element properly done.
Unless it drastically improves in the next 30+ episodes, this show would be deemed a massive failure.
Some of the problems highlighted could be due to compaction of the story (because of the shortened episodes) as some of the editing especially at the end of certain episodes felt abruptly cut off.
I also feel that the actress is a bit lightweight for this challenging role. Her limitations adversely impacted the portrayal of what is supposedly a complex character. Just my humble opinion.
I feel the forbidden love plot is challenging and tricky to be played out in the imperial court setting, but you're right, it is an alluring theme, if done properly.
Yu Ying is a version of Xiao Yin Hua that successfully married CY, so this sibling affection actually materialised into something more. The main difference is YY's character doesn't endear herself to us as much as XYH did in L&R. This is no longer passionate love, as you mentioned, but becomes an obligation.
I'm amazed with CY's acting talent. In L&R he does seem more polished, compared to some rough edges shown here, but he gave us glimpses of versatility in adding more dimensions to his portrayal. There are so many layers to his character's growth that I'm convinced there's more from him that we haven't seen.
Thanks for the info on Meng Xing Chang An, I'll be sure to check it out (and hopefully it'll have a better plot than this).