S+ is basically top-tier production. It’s the biggest projects a platform has. Very large production budgets, high-end cinematography, costumes, and sets. Big marketing as well.
Have you seen his Xiang Liu / Fang Feng Bei in Lost You Forever? That's generally considered his break out costume…
Yeah, I’ve heard of Lost You Forever. I haven’t watched it myself, but I’m familiar with it and know it’s quite popular. From what I’ve seen, Zhang Wanyi seems to be the male lead who benefited the most from the drama’s exposure.
I also feel like international audiences, like myself included, tend to gravitate more toward costume, historical, wuxia, or xianxia dramas than other genres. Shows like Pursuit of Jade really blew up on Netflix is not surprising to me, for example. My feed has been full of dramas currently being filmed (like edits of dramas that are ‘anticipated’), and he popped up on my algorithm, which is great, I’ve seen other people being interested and curious.
So, it seems fair to say he’s quite big in China, but international audiences might not be as familiar with him. It’s a shame Winner Is King wasn’t released, I feel like it could have boosted the actors the same way The Untamed and Word of Honor did.
As someone who isn’t deeply into C-ent, I usually just watch a drama and move on. Tan Jianci popped up on my TikTok feed because of his new drama Dancing with the Tide, and it made me realize I’d seen him before, but I couldn’t recall a standout drama right away.
After looking here, I’m surprised to find that while I do recognize him (and then it clicked, it was from Under the Skin and Winner Is King), he hasn’t actually had that many roles in costume dramas as a lead. I think that’s why he might fly under the radar for viewers like me.
So I’m really looking forward to his role in Dancing with the Tide, I think it could change that.
I don’t know, I love WDH, but personally I think he shines more in complex roles than in predictable romance…
Yeah, the blockbuster of actors in MIK is just way too much to have anything centered around him. I’m really impatient/excited about his next project, I know Bloodhounds S3 might happen but in the meantime I just wanna know what he will do (and hopefully no guest/secondary roles).
Perhaps it may come across as an unpopular opinion, but I think WDH is tailor-made for the Noona-Romance and BL…
I don’t know, I love WDH, but personally I think he shines more in complex roles than in predictable romance dramas. He doesn’t have to play a psychopath, he’s done that before and nailed it (though I wouldn’t mind seeing it again) but his rom-com dramas aren’t his most memorable. With his physique and presence, he really fits action and darker-toned stories.
I really liked him in Bloodhounds, where he plays a sweetheart in tough situations, and in My Country: The New Age, where he portrayed a very tragic and complex character. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a BL though, I think he’d do great, but I’m not sure he’d go for it (nor any big actors TBH). Plus, most Korean BLs are smaller productions, and for an actor of his standing, you’d expect a full-scale drama.
I actually saw him in my mind for Solo Leveling, but they went with a more trending actor, I guess. I’d love to see him in something like Dear Hongrang, a dark romance mystery in a historical setting, where he could also show off sword fighting and that kind of intensity.
I just hope his next project is something really interesting.
Why is the rating so bad is everyone watching brain dead?
I popped up because I saw Woo Do Hwan on the S2 lineup for Netflix, so I'm going to watch this first season, but yeah the season seems so low rated for some reason...
I also feel like international audiences, like myself included, tend to gravitate more toward costume, historical, wuxia, or xianxia dramas than other genres. Shows like Pursuit of Jade really blew up on Netflix is not surprising to me, for example. My feed has been full of dramas currently being filmed (like edits of dramas that are ‘anticipated’), and he popped up on my algorithm, which is great, I’ve seen other people being interested and curious.
So, it seems fair to say he’s quite big in China, but international audiences might not be as familiar with him. It’s a shame Winner Is King wasn’t released, I feel like it could have boosted the actors the same way The Untamed and Word of Honor did.
Very excited for Dancing With the Tide.
After looking here, I’m surprised to find that while I do recognize him (and then it clicked, it was from Under the Skin and Winner Is King), he hasn’t actually had that many roles in costume dramas as a lead. I think that’s why he might fly under the radar for viewers like me.
So I’m really looking forward to his role in Dancing with the Tide, I think it could change that.
I really liked him in Bloodhounds, where he plays a sweetheart in tough situations, and in My Country: The New Age, where he portrayed a very tragic and complex character. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a BL though, I think he’d do great, but I’m not sure he’d go for it (nor any big actors TBH). Plus, most Korean BLs are smaller productions, and for an actor of his standing, you’d expect a full-scale drama.
I actually saw him in my mind for Solo Leveling, but they went with a more trending actor, I guess. I’d love to see him in something like Dear Hongrang, a dark romance mystery in a historical setting, where he could also show off sword fighting and that kind of intensity.
I just hope his next project is something really interesting.