What happened to YOUKU COSTUME DRAMAS? 🥲 I hope youku will broadcast two major dramas at the same time like Tencent did. So we will get both Costume dramas and Modern dramas.
I think Youku wanna keep their high momentum after The First Frost. Then they decided to release another potential modern drama hits "Ski into Love" with Esther Yu and Lin Yi.
I am waiting this drama from last year. But I also want to watch MORE Costume dramas.
Love this show, it’s better in my opinion than the last two with the ML. His hair is styled in a way that showcases…
It's a subjective matter. For me, Are You The One and The Rise of Ning are better than Si Jin. Zhang Wan Yi chemistry was also better with Wang Chu Ran and Ren Min. Si Jin also has slower paced and less exciting moment as Rebirth/Reborn theme drama. It's very different with fast paced and exciting events from Story of Kunning Palace, Blossom, Lost Track of Time, and even The Double.
I agree with Zhang Wan Yi styling is good in this series. There is many hairstyles here for ML, the ponytail, long hair, and the bun.
Si Jin is still on going at March 17th. I don't think it's possible. This is a major drama category. From the…
The Double is S rated production from Youku. It's NOT lower budget drama. They casted Wu Jin Yan, Wang Xing Yue, and many well known supporting actors and actresses.
Also you should take a look for its beautiful cinematography and production designs. Like other period costume dramas, they used real filming locations and beautiful landscapes. The camera works are incredible to capture those beautiful moments. Even Xue Fangfei in red hanfu dance under the (iconic) white pear tree was so beautiful and stunning.
Also, Dark Horse is a term for unexpected situation. It's not related to budget. They expected The Double to be a "normal" hit like other dramas. But it turned out to be a SUPER HIT during 2024.
Even Netflix bought MORE n MORE other Chinese dramas because of The Double booming era. Before that, Netflix already bought some licenses of very popular chinese dramas like Who Rules The World, Love Between Fairy and Devil, The Untamed, Ashes of Love, Eternal Love, many of Zhao Lusi dramas like Hidden Love, The Last Immortal, etc. But after The Double, Netflix buy the licenses for MORE chinese dramas from both Youku and Tencent. I think almost all Youku popular dramas are in Netflix for some regions.
Si Jin is still on going at March 17th. I don't think it's possible. This is a major drama category. From the…
I think Perfect Match (2024) is A+ Production. They have 5 multiple couples here and it's so different with the expensive looks of The Double, Kill Me Love Me, Love Like The Galaxy, The Princess Royal, and other S/S+ dramas.
That's why I guessed that Perfect Match is A+ budget drama. They also need more money to cast multiple leading roles here.
For comparisons, Blossom (2024) and The Glory as A+ productions have more expensive production designs, dramatic, and serious looks than Perfect Match. It's how about they manage and maximize the budget to make the final results like S and S+ productions.
Blood of Youth and Dashing Youth are A+ productions as well. They have many popular young actors here + some actresses as leading roles. They have friendships, romance (between men and women/multiple couples), and brotherhood. Ofc this multiple leading roles are also required more money. They used the money wisely for good production designs, nice costumes, hairstyles, & sets + CGI for fantasy elements.
Fangs of Fortune is S/S+ production drama and they have multiple leading roles here. The production designs are more expensive with stunning cinematography and gorgeous and elegant costumes, hairstyles, n sets + CGI for fantasy elements + MULTIPLE ROMANCE STORIES WITH POPULAR GUEST STARS (+ main couples romance). Ofc it's required very high budget money for productions.
Watch Hard to Find. It's very great. But WZX is the villain. He played the role so well. I also love Zhao Yi Qin…
The Girl Inside Me is different with another body swapped themed dramas. I actually enjoy watch "normal" body swapped dramas when two souls of opposite sex exchanged the body because of particular situation/accident.
But The Girl Inside Me is like showing the inner debates/conversations between two souls in one body.
Si Jin is still on going at March 17th. I don't think it's possible. This is a major drama category. From the…
Word of Honor is B+ category. It's not the lowest budget because they casted Zhang Zhe Han (he was so popular back then) and Gong Jun. So WoH is around B to B+ (Low to Middle budget). But I think it's more like B+ productions. Wulin Heroes (Li Hong Yi, Huang Ri Ying) is also B+ productions from Youku.
The Untamed is A budget production. It's middle budget but they have nice costume, sets, cinematography, and production designs.
Blood of Youth and Dashing Youth are A+ productions from Youku. It's pretty high budget because they casted many popular actors there.
Si Jin is still on going at March 17th. I don't think it's possible. This is a major drama category. From the…
Budget.
B production - Low budget production
B+ production - Low to Middle budget production
A production - Middle budget production (Les Belles, Love in the Dessert, etc)
A+ production - Middle to High budget production (Blossom, Everlasting Longing, In Blossom, The Glory (upcoming), Melody of Golden Age, etc)
S production - High Budget production (The Double, The Last Immortal, Si Jin, Story of Kunning Palace, Blossoms in Adversity, Kill Me Love Me, The Princess Royal, Flourished Peony, My Journey to You, Fangs of Fortune, Love of Divine Tree, Moonlight Mystique, etc many more)
S+ production - Super High Budget production (Love Like The Galaxy, Who Rules The World, Till The End of The Moon, Ancient Love Poetry, Love Between Fairy and Devil, Fox Spirit Matchmaker Series, The Rebel Princess, Guardian of The Dafeng, etc many more)
ALL top major Costume dramas are A+, S, and S+ productions. They cast many popular and traffic actors and actresses to leading the dramas. Also, the production designs are so high and expensive. The costumes and sets are so grand and beautiful. The quality of long hair wigs/hairstyles are so great and natural. The camera works and cinematography are great, beautiful, and stunning. For fantasy or Xianxia dramas, the CGI effects are so good. That's the results of high budget productions. You can find many examples in this category. There is so many top Costume dramas that you already watched.
But some of B,B+,A productions (low and middle budget) are also great in the hands of production teams who can manage and maximize their budget and resources wisely. I give you one example : The Romance of Tiger & Rose.
That's for FULL LENGTH DRAMAS category (30-50 mins per episode)
Short/mini dramas (10-15 mins per episode) have different budget systems (low budget and middle budget). It's another category. But usually they have MORE budget (middle to high budget) for short dramas with popular/well known actors and actresses with duration 15-25 mins per episode. The cinematography, production designs, costume & sets, hairstyles and long hair wigs, etc are also good like full length dramas. For example Hard to Find, Dawn is Breaking, Fortune Writer, Love & Bid Farewell, Butterflied Lover, Provoke, etc.
If you need more examples for each of budget level + more questions about dramas, feel free to reply me again.
I think Youku wanna keep their high momentum after The First Frost. Then they decided to release another potential modern drama hits "Ski into Love" with Esther Yu and Lin Yi.
I am waiting this drama from last year. But I also want to watch MORE Costume dramas.
I agree with Zhang Wan Yi styling is good in this series. There is many hairstyles here for ML, the ponytail, long hair, and the bun.
IN THE NOVEL THE BROTHER IS EXTREMELY GOOD LOOKING? ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
THEN ACTUALLY WE SHOULD GET ANOTHER HANDSOME ACTOR AS 2ND LEAD ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
Also you should take a look for its beautiful cinematography and production designs. Like other period costume dramas, they used real filming locations and beautiful landscapes. The camera works are incredible to capture those beautiful moments. Even Xue Fangfei in red hanfu dance under the (iconic) white pear tree was so beautiful and stunning.
Also, Dark Horse is a term for unexpected situation. It's not related to budget. They expected The Double to be a "normal" hit like other dramas. But it turned out to be a SUPER HIT during 2024.
Even Netflix bought MORE n MORE other Chinese dramas because of The Double booming era. Before that, Netflix already bought some licenses of very popular chinese dramas like Who Rules The World, Love Between Fairy and Devil, The Untamed, Ashes of Love, Eternal Love, many of Zhao Lusi dramas like Hidden Love, The Last Immortal, etc. But after The Double, Netflix buy the licenses for MORE chinese dramas from both Youku and Tencent. I think almost all Youku popular dramas are in Netflix for some regions.
That's why I guessed that Perfect Match is A+ budget drama. They also need more money to cast multiple leading roles here.
For comparisons, Blossom (2024) and The Glory as A+ productions have more expensive production designs, dramatic, and serious looks than Perfect Match. It's how about they manage and maximize the budget to make the final results like S and S+ productions.
Blood of Youth and Dashing Youth are A+ productions as well. They have many popular young actors here + some actresses as leading roles. They have friendships, romance (between men and women/multiple couples), and brotherhood. Ofc this multiple leading roles are also required more money. They used the money wisely for good production designs, nice costumes, hairstyles, & sets + CGI for fantasy elements.
Fangs of Fortune is S/S+ production drama and they have multiple leading roles here. The production designs are more expensive with stunning cinematography and gorgeous and elegant costumes, hairstyles, n sets + CGI for fantasy elements + MULTIPLE ROMANCE STORIES WITH POPULAR GUEST STARS (+ main couples romance). Ofc it's required very high budget money for productions.
But The Girl Inside Me is like showing the inner debates/conversations between two souls in one body.
This one is also WZX as a lead. But i am sure this is a "normal" historical romance drama.
The Untamed is A budget production. It's middle budget but they have nice costume, sets, cinematography, and production designs.
Blood of Youth and Dashing Youth are A+ productions from Youku. It's pretty high budget because they casted many popular actors there.
B production - Low budget production
B+ production - Low to Middle budget production
A production - Middle budget production (Les Belles, Love in the Dessert, etc)
A+ production - Middle to High budget production (Blossom, Everlasting Longing, In Blossom, The Glory (upcoming), Melody of Golden Age, etc)
S production - High Budget production (The Double, The Last Immortal, Si Jin, Story of Kunning Palace, Blossoms in Adversity, Kill Me Love Me, The Princess Royal, Flourished Peony, My Journey to You, Fangs of Fortune, Love of Divine Tree, Moonlight Mystique, etc many more)
S+ production - Super High Budget production (Love Like The Galaxy, Who Rules The World, Till The End of The Moon, Ancient Love Poetry, Love Between Fairy and Devil, Fox Spirit Matchmaker Series, The Rebel Princess, Guardian of The Dafeng, etc many more)
ALL top major Costume dramas are A+, S, and S+ productions. They cast many popular and traffic actors and actresses to leading the dramas. Also, the production designs are so high and expensive. The costumes and sets are so grand and beautiful. The quality of long hair wigs/hairstyles are so great and natural. The camera works and cinematography are great, beautiful, and stunning. For fantasy or Xianxia dramas, the CGI effects are so good. That's the results of high budget productions. You can find many examples in this category. There is so many top Costume dramas that you already watched.
But some of B,B+,A productions (low and middle budget) are also great in the hands of production teams who can manage and maximize their budget and resources wisely. I give you one example : The Romance of Tiger & Rose.
That's for FULL LENGTH DRAMAS category (30-50 mins per episode)
Short/mini dramas (10-15 mins per episode) have different budget systems (low budget and middle budget). It's another category. But usually they have MORE budget (middle to high budget) for short dramas with popular/well known actors and actresses with duration 15-25 mins per episode. The cinematography, production designs, costume & sets, hairstyles and long hair wigs, etc are also good like full length dramas. For example Hard to Find, Dawn is Breaking, Fortune Writer, Love & Bid Farewell, Butterflied Lover, Provoke, etc.
If you need more examples for each of budget level + more questions about dramas, feel free to reply me again.
I thought the new drama today is between Dai Gao Zheng and Chen Fang Tong AGAIN. That's why I think that they are very similar in features.