phoenixfrost

Black comments against GOTD are again circulating in social media, apparently because it's still topping the charts, such as for the longest ad-duration, triggering some people's envy. It's truly tiresome. Don't people have better things to do with their lives than spread negativity? Can’t people just be happy with their favorite dramas and leave GOTD alone? Can’t they drop their ENVY?

Sharing a twitter post about Didi's currently-filming drama that also applies to GOTD:
"... these people, unable to find real flaws, were making things up, spreading rumors just to satisfy their dark thoughts."

https://x.com/peachblossom300/status/1930969015180231009

You can tell a classic by how multi-dimensional the characters are. Take Lin An for example. It's understandable that she's spoiled - she's young, with a mother who doesn't seem to make an effort to understand her, a brother who does seem to care for her but is painfully insecure of his position in court, a formidable half-sister who she's been compared with throughout her young life and a father who only likes her because she's not political. But when she was tested with her cousin Ping Yang's case, she showed her mettle. And how she grew! She was the only royal who stood up to her father in the highly sensitive Chuzhou case. And for this, I forgive any youthful shenanigans she engaged in at the start. Growth is what I admire most in characters, which is why I avoid judging a character or drama until I've watched it fully.

I agree 👍

If it’s proven that this is a set-up, ksh’s team would look much worse than Saeron’s. The former would look evil while the latter would look gullible. I’d much rather be gullible than evil.

I also normally don’t like the mistaken identity trope. But in this case, due to the playful nature of both Xu Qian and Lin An, I found it amusing and looked forward to the unveiling. And I was not disappointed. The revelation was a riot 😁 I don’t mind characters being disappointed with each other. In real life, being able to handle disappointments in relationships strengthens the bond.

He learns Princess Lin An's real identity in ep 18. Personally, I thought it was funny and reveals something of Lin An's personality which, actually, is not unlike Xu Qian's - they're both naughty and have a lot of growing up to do which they do.

Over 4.3 million viewers on Tencent have rated GOTD and, with a rating of 9.2, GOTD is now the 2nd highest-rated male-lead-centric drama in Tencent's history, with the #1 spot barely ahead by a mere 0.1. Unlike Douban that allows even those who have not watched dramas to rate them, Tencent only allows those who have watched at least 20 minutes of dramas to rate them.
https://x.com/WangHediFolder/status/1919686339009605974/

Among its glorious achievements, it's the only 2025 cdrama so far that has exceeded 2 billion views on Yunhe and Kuyun. It has the longest total ad duration in cdrama history in all platforms.

Similar vibes here. For a long time, I considered Nirvana in Fire to be the best cdrama I've watched, but I have a new "best" now. While I still think no cdrama can beat NIF in its political sting, GOTD is much more entertaining - funnier, warmer, more romantic, more passionate, more heartbreaking and the political intrigues are competitive with NIF. Even if there's no season2, I'm delighted knowing an ancient realm named Dafeng where transmigrant Yang Ling became Xu Qian and had fantastic adventures.

Congrats, Dylan Wang, for being the new brand spokesperson for Gatorade! 🥰

Princess Lin An is far from unnecessary. Without her, the drama would have ended early and tragically - she saved Xu Qian's life. She's as annoying as Orchid in Love Between Fairy and Devil whose fake cuteness and baby voice almost stopped me from finishing the drama. But both grow on you eventually and their characters grow wonderfully in the end. Lin An adds color to Xu Qian's life. I enjoyed their romantic scenes very much.

Please see my post above

Please see my post about season 2 above

There are many questions about season 2. Here are my 2-cents:
The author of the novel has recently talked to Dylan about the latter's inputs for season 2. I think the main consideration now is that Dylan is about to shoot another drama that is scheduled for 150 days and his team is tight lipped about his future projects, as a rule. Considering the success of GOTD (it's the most streamed cdrama in Q1 2025 and has the longest total ad duration among all cdramas in history in all platforms), the likelihood of having a season 2 is high. Note that the extra scene at the end of ep 40 promises one. Those who enjoyed Joy of Life, which had a second season after many years, should find no reason not to watch this just because of concern of having no season 2.

The world building in GOTD is spectacular and there is an amazing closure for a major subplot, as well as satisfying closures for several other subplots, such as his dream of becoming a guardian, cases he solved, bullies he fought off and his breathtaking battle with a titan, that make this totally worthy of anyone's time. Plus, the quality and entertainment value are topnotch.

For me, it's like watching Starwars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Princess Agents and any other show where I was left with questions at the end but still enjoyed watching it.

Everything you said makes sense.

Yeah. If a main reason of the hatred is competition, then it seems either roles or fans of post-95 actors are more competitive than in other age groups.

Last news about S2 was that the author talked to Dylan about it. But Dylan is about to start shooting another male-centric drama that is rumored to take at least 5 months and Dylan’s team is cautious about commenting on his future projects. So I guess we won’t hear about S2 until after 5 months

I agree with your comment that the “hatred is (also) caused by competition and desire to eliminate a more successful and popular competitor using tools to manipulate public opinion”

Perhaps he did, perhaps he self-studied. But whatever he did for GOTD was effective as he nailed all his scenes. And not only in GOTD. He did so well in Love Between Fairy and Devil he made Dongfang Qingcang iconic. He also did well in The Rational Life, Unchained Love, Youth In the Flames of War, Never Give Up... actually, in all his dramas except for Miss The Dragon. But MTD's mess was mostly caused by production problems due to covid, e.g. the original director was replaced by the martial arts director who never directed a drama before. But Dylan's haters put all the blame on him, and he is too good hearted to pass the buck of the drama's mess to anybody else, so he took all the blame unto himself.

Haters will use any ammunition available and acting talent is how they try to undermine those who have not graduated from drama schools. Try to read comments to Youtube videos that falsely claim certain actors to have no acting talent, as if going to drama schools is the only way to acquire such talent. In fact, one reason I like Dylan's acting is because his face and eyes mirror the sincerity and passion coming from his heart that probably benefitted from having not acquired affectations acting lessons might have inculcated. Though he did not graduate from drama school, he is not only naturally talented but is also willing to learn and is learning fast.