Geez I started this because the comments are positive.They used the correct words for a xianxia drama ie cultivation…
I guess I just read trash because I've known what "dual cultivation" is code for for a long time. They make references to it in "Ashes of Love" (it's a running joke in the novel but it remains in the drama in a scene where Jinmi embarrasses herself in front of the Heavenly Empress) and they reference "group cultivation" in "Once Upon A Time on Lingjian Mountain" and to underline the joke Nvlaoban's fox ears and tail end up on another person (they weren't actually doing anything of the sort, of course). I've read a lot of trash BL where they talk about two people in a sect becoming "cultivation partners" and of course tee-hee they will "dual cultivate" (xiang xiu -- pair practice). So it's definitely not the first time this sort of concept shows up in a drama. BTW esoteric sex magic isn't that much of a secret, you can even find "manuals" where a certain position and "reversing your orgasm" (whatever the hell that means) can cure just about any ailment under the sun. You can even unlock immortality. Actual Asian monks do practice semen retention but I don't think you can get fluids to go the opposite way. Also, people only achieve immortality this way in legends. If you're familiar with the Chinese legend of the Eight Immortals, one of them is often depicted with a young lady because sex is his preferred form of cultivation. So you can see there are ties to religious and spiritual practices, philosophy, legend, and culture. It's not something people just made up to write porn.
lmao of course chinese viewers, why am i even surprised. Chinese viewers doesn't know how to enjoy a good show…
Seriously? Have you never watched idol dramas before? For us international fans, we have to struggle mightily to find non-idol dramas from China with subtitles in our language (and if they exist they might be botched or MTL). Sometimes I can only find certain dramas in Cantonese even though they were originally filmed in Mandarin. But crappy idol dramas are pushed on us, and yes, the acting standard is low!
Well, I can't edit the page because I don't have the link but it is on the iQiyi international app now under the title "Lion Dancer Girl" with English subs.
FL was in Miss Chun Is A Litigator, where she was delightful. I also share the feeling she is more dull in this role. Actually in that drama I didn't really feel the chemistry with ML (and I liked the 2ML better anyway). It was just something I had to accept that the script says she goes for the "unconventional guy". Thankfully the plot and story is good and the romance is really only peripheral (there's a conspiracy plot but it doesn't eat up too much running time).
I also share your dislike of the Gongyang Maocai antagonist character. He's just flimsy and seems to be jerked around like duckweed according to the needs of the plot.
The ML seems fine in his workplace role but out of his element at home with FL. Instead of ML and FL's domestic scenes being funny and awkward they're boring and awkward.
She looks way too feminine and way too pretty and way too skinny .
In Rise of Phoenixes, for one thing, she's tall enough that it doesn't look odd. CEnt loves really short women versus really tall guys so the pair look ridiculous when cross dressing. I mean how many couples in real life have such a height difference? It's over the top. (Also this is short guy erasure. Some of the short character actors in CDramaland are more appealing to me than the tall guys, but they'll never get cast as the lead.) The other thing is that in Rise of Phoenixes she posing as a scholar. A scholar being skinny or even entirely underfed, as well as pale as a ghost, just wasn't that remarkable. But a soldier should be buff and tanned by the sun.
I actually think it’s possible for her to pass as a man, especially in historical contexts. Back then, both…
In all fairness we know of quite a few cases of "passing women" who served in armies, and in those days they allowed boys to serve. However, I think the typical case would be someone like Bree in Game of Thrones who is naturally stocky. In the novel this drama is based on the MC is very skinny and struggles physically, so I give the drama a pass, but I'm kind of tired of this sort of unconvincing casting where they take an exceptionally beautiful and delicate woman and try to say she's going to pass as a man.
I appreciate your review. Feel the same way about Ren Jialun. I call him the Stern-Faced Yama Destroyer of Dramas. I'm baffled by other reviews saying the drama is beautifully shot and has a great OST. First thing I noticed was atrocious sound mixing and synthesizers! The music in a battle scene sounded like a video game from the 1990s, which certainly didn't lend the scene any gravitas. I like melodramas and I was surprised to see Ren 某 actually emote, plus Bai Lu seemed okay in the first scenes and I'm willing to give her a chance here since she didn't have the "permanent jaded face" she has in her dramas now. I am baffled by all the 10/10 reviews and I appreciate it when someone like you brings it and keeps it real.
I also share your dislike of the Gongyang Maocai antagonist character. He's just flimsy and seems to be jerked around like duckweed according to the needs of the plot.
The ML seems fine in his workplace role but out of his element at home with FL. Instead of ML and FL's domestic scenes being funny and awkward they're boring and awkward.