WandereR

Yup, exactly. I think it's the state of mind of certain people. If they're determined to hate, there's no other way to turn their heads.

She could be wearing her Reebok's the entire show for all I care, that still doesn't detract from what has been a stellar acting performance. It's a fictional setting anyway (although they did quote Zhuge Liang so I suspect this is some sort of pseudo Northern and Southern Dynasties era judging from the fashion) and the men are wearing armour more akin to Game of Thrones' House Stark.
These folks should get a grip.

Yes, it's amazing!! I can't wait for this to start :)

This is very well thought out. I love the way you differentiate between A'wu and Wang Xuan with regards to her love for the two men. Nice, sis!

In other works, she projects differing intensities and it's dependent on what the scene calls for. It's true this drama has many quiet and tender moments that requires subtlety. For instance, I've seen ZZY employing a stronger and more authoritative tone towards the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li, Tony Leung and even Jackie Chan among various other casts previously.

Would you be so kind as to please check the spoiler box? Many people have not watched up to that stage (including myself).

Thanks for sharing the trailer in the comments below. The 9-minute version is available on YouTube now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz8rWt11_aE&feature=emb_logo

Cheng Yi looks refreshing in a contemporary setting here!
Can't wait for the drama to air :)

Sure, you can PM me any time to talk dramas :)

There is one other drama that I've put on hold for quite some time, due to lack of time (would you believe it! Too many shows and so little time) and also because the fully subbed version finally came out pretty late on WeTV - Love in Between. I've seen enough from the first few episodes to know that this is another pretty epic wuxia.

I did read comments about how it went downhill towards the end, presumably due to lack of budget or something along that line, but that doesn't detract from what a great production from what I've seen. I'm not sure if it's an adaptation, might need to do research on that, but I like the plot. It's a different take on the wuxia theme and the characters seem interestingly written. And, intriguingly, it also features a weaker ML and stronger FL. I'll need to pick this up again, along with so many others on my PTW and On Hold list.

Ah, Rebel Princess! Omg, talking about setting the bar high. This show has really set the bar way up there for historical dramas. I'm only up to ep 15 but I cannot stress enough, how fantastic this show is. Although again there is some debate on the age of ZZY and the character that she plays at the initial stages, it isn't something that bothers me. I would say so far, every other aspect of the show has been extremely well done. I've been praising it almost daily on my friend feed post so I'll just add you on my friend list so you can check out, whenever you have the time. This show, I dare say, is a masterpiece!

That's a good point. I haven't seen Guardian but I was put off by all the criticism. Maybe I should give it a go and see what the issues were.

Handsome Siblings is visually stunning and the adaptation is very impressive. The source material is legendary as well so probably that helped but the overall production was very well done. But it's an interesting point to ponder, how it would've turned out and the impact on the romance and chemistry... I wonder too what other problems they might have had behind the scenes. The pandemic truly impacted many other productions as well so perhaps this could be a major source of the problem. But anyway, I guess no one will ever know except the people involved in the project.

That's a lot of books and potential adaptations! You've got your reading cut out for you :)
I'm really curious to see how they will turn out. Looking forward to your thoughts after you're done with the novels!

Spot on. I thought I was the only one who noticed that. Even the scene in ep 12 as she was casually sipping tea while radiating in absolute power and authority over the head steward Mrs Lu.... she looked utterly mesmerizing and more than 10 years younger. House of Flying Daggers/ The Banquet vibes!

The trailer looks amazing, as do the production values of this movie. I'm definitely intrigued.

Thank you, Andiana :)

I'm really thankful for your insights into Priest's novels. The two adaptations that have been done coped with a fair bit of criticism so I was curious as to what might have gone wrong (re: Guardian which I haven't watched) but your feedback today provided some clarity and answers to the questions I had.

Regarding the drama, truthfully my expectations going into it had probably soared having seen the trailer and also due to the long wait for ZLY's return to the small screen. In some ways, I got what I wished for, though there certainly was potential for much more.

I'm looking forward to your review of her other books as well, as we watch the anticipated adaptations later this year!

Me too, I think the transformation really is impressive and she brings a much needed touch of class to this genre which lately has been frankly mediocre, at best. Glad to see you've finally kickstarted your journey for this show!

Frankly I couldn't give a s*** about what she thinks, which she is entirely entitled to and as part of her job (is that her full-time job btw? I've only ever heard of her the past week). But personally I don't need her, or anyone else's validation, to enjoy what I'm watching :/

Great links, thanks for sharing!

As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with bias. It's ZZY's own money that's bankrolling this production so why couldn't she cast whoever she thinks fits the role? He's doing a heck of a job so far, that's a great casting success already!

There are so many in the series! Yes, should check out some of them this year :) Sisyphus sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to the Korean version :D

Totally understandable - there's just so many dramas out there to choose from.
Looking forward to reading your historical segment. It covers Ancient detective and QQZJ which I watched but didn't complete (because there was a long delay during airing due to some long holiday in China that resulted in the show losing momentum but I watched a significant portion of it and Kris Fan was pretty good in it).
In a Class of Her Own is a remake of SKK Scandal, that's correct. I didn't watch the original but even without comparing, I just enjoyed the show as it is.
I wanted to watch some of the Light On series and actually watched the first episode of Bad Kids. I will probably try to pick it up again. From the first look, it's obviously an award-winning potential, I think probably at that point in time I wasn't in the mood for "realism" lol, but yeah, will give it another go.
Youkai Sharehouse is nothing like The School Nurse Files. It's more....normal (despite the premise) and coherent. Nurse Files is... extreme and utterly out of the box (for me at least, just my humble opinion). But both are entertaining in different ways (Youkai was somewhat poignant as well).

Great article and I love the focus on friendships. I haven't seen the dramas highlighted here but will be sure to check them out over time :)
I enjoy watching all kinds of friendships, whether it's a group or just a duo or trio. Some bromance and sismance blended would be great too. As for my fav group and drama, here are some recent ones that I love:

- Man to Man: Park Sung Woong and Park Hae Jin
- Stranger series - Cho Seung Woo and Bae Doona
- Ancient Detective: Tim Yu and Wang Yan Yang
- Young Blood: The entire gang
- In a Class of Her Own: The 4 students of the academy
- Psych-Hunter: Of course the friendship of the 3
- Unsung Cinderella: Byoin Yakuzaishi no Shohosen : The team in the pharmacy department
- Youkai Sharehouse: Aoi Midori and her monster friends

Keep up the good work!

ZZY's voice is definitely hers and so is ZYW. Not entirely sure about the rest but for the main cast I would think they're dubbing themselves. Which is another reason why this show is fantastic!

Yup, that's true. That was quite a good show and despite the stellar cast, ZYW held his own. Even in Longest Day in Chang'an, his scenes were more compelling than the other main cast. Great actor, but now I want to see him in a different era setting for a change lol.
The Message and New Face would be a good place to start.