I actually thought this was really good…. Totally didn’t think it was weird esp in Japan with the whole sex trade thing being so prominent. Manga, sex toys etc… I mean if you step back to think about it afterwards yea it is kinda weird…. But the movie was very relatable esp throughout watching it.
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting…
Haha, fair point. Good idea on organising them. Ah, you didn’t like The Long Ballad… interesting. I don’t like Ashes of Love and those you mentioned after as well. Didn’t watch most of them actually. I don’t think I finished Ashes of Love. Not interested at all.
Oooo you discovered Crush….. that is hardly mentioned…. Like totally under the radar. I was super surprised after I finished it. It was really good except for one bit which was not developed/written well. The ML was good and the production quality wasn’t too bad. You do like some under the radar stuff though… Mysteries of Love, I came across that. Didn’t watch it…
I thought WoH was epic man…
Wot… you haven’t watch Story of Ming Lan and JoL…. Sighs… I wish I was you. Super Envious. I still can’t get over how good JoL is. 🤣 Ming Lan as well.
Eh you didn’t mention Forever and Ever and Sword, Snow, Stride…. I thought Forever and Ever was such a good and unique series. More and more do keep coming BUT….. have to say C-dramas quality control isn’t as high as K-dramas… they release soooo many productions every yr, but not many are worth watching in terms of %… but I spse there are still many when it comes to numbers. Haha
But based on your lists I don’t think you’d like The Rebel Princess 🤣🤣🤣
Lao Zi/ Lao Tzu is the founder of Taoism, not Confucianism. Both are different philosophies. Changge's whole journey…
Ah…. Taoism, it sounded like Confucius quotes to me. I see. Yes, I really didn’t realise there was the whole Taoism thing embedded in The Long Ballad, coz the whole monastery arc there were a couple of scenes… The Tao one was easy to catch even like translated to just “path” that was fine….. and in a way kind of obvious as their journey, self-realisation….
But there was a separate one whereby they discussed about that whole Wu Wei… that was deep man. Lol. I’ve never heard of it before…. So it was mostly her wanting to change things, and to fight and to control things… etc. I never knew there was something called “inaction”… that Chinese phrase above, Netflix translated it to something else….. and apparently it is a philosophy explored in both Confucianism and Taoism.
Yea because the phrases they use aren’t the ones people use in daily life so I actually didn’t realise that Netflix didn’t exactly translate everything precisely. It’s only rewatching this time round I paid more attention and realised they were definitely talking about more than just finding your own path…
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting…
Hahahah. I watched it backwards…. So I think the first time I watched Leo Wu was Tomb of Sea but I didn’t really think much about it then. It was in The Long Ballad which I first noticed him…. And I was like, woah…. He…… actually looks very compatible/good with Dilraba…. Which I personally thought wasn’t easy. He became so tall! And broad! But it was also via this series that I realised how cautious producers are due to the sensitivity around the whole age thing in China…. So I really really wanted to watch them kiss on-screen…. 😥 but due to their age gap there was none…. Because of the fear of backlash… 😭.
Lol. And his facial features changed a bit more in LLtG coz I think he’s like a year older or something… only very subtly. You will be in for a ride coz Fei Lu looked like baby Keroppi and…… him in LLtG is one fine dashing man. 🤣🤣🤣
So LLtG has a similar theme/notion going on with NiF but it’s more balanced as a series with a lot more other themes explored and the characters have a lot more depth to them. But of course it’s not really in the same genre, the focus isn’t exactly the same… because LLtG is a blend of a few genres. Strategy not as intricate. Please do watch it soon. lol. And remember to watch it. maybe because I rated Story of Ming Lan very highly… and I still think highly of it.
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting…
But it wasn’t a very satisfying watch for me. Yea, all his helpers were very helpful…. In terms of actions…. So they helped him to just execute…. But it was a very sorrowful series because there was only him…. Yeap. His goal was very clear. Defo would have been very long if they gave the series more layers and added more depth… really? I didn’t find any of his opponents formidable, there weren’t many push and pull exchanges of schemes hence why I felt it was very monotonous… for sure they were all rather evil, greedy and selfish though…. and actually even the LangYa owner commented about it at the end….. like why the poor dude is so tired all the time 🤣. Coz there is literally only him… ah there was one. The girl, that strategist working for the other prince. I enjoyed watching her counter some of his schemes. At least it wasn’t like just watching a single person playing smart chess on his own the entire time. And her acting+physical appearance also suits the role….
Yea, the plot was defo very intricate, the whole revenge plan was the main centrepiece.
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting…
Ah I see. Interessstinnnggg….. ok. I watched NiF and thought it was overrated and it left me disappointed. ☹️ I thought it was good but then I felt it was very monotonous though. I probably had my expectations up too high. Coz I’ve known for yrs now that it was an acclaimed series and it shot Hu Ge to fame.
Like I wondered why I watched the series after the whole series ended….. lol. I felt very depressed and sad for that dude and actually it shouldn’t be called NiF, should have been called MeiChangSu. So it was just a very intricate plot and very smart revenge plot. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, although I can completely understand why he did that. I didn’t find any of his opponents half as smart as him…. Which almost feels like he was playing a game of very smart chess….. with himself… that was the analogy I felt after I finished the series…. And I was sad that even his friends/partners weren’t his match…. He was so alone….. So I had this expression…. 😳😥 like the entire series only had one smart person…. Ah the guy who manages LangYa, but it’s so sad that he almost has no screen time.
Ooooo… so did you watch the more recent Love like the Galaxy then?
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting…
Wells. I would think just give it a try and then perhaps could drop after if it doesn’t suit your liking.. but this isn’t like NiF though…. The good thing about this drama is you can quickly tell from the first 10 episodes itself on whether it suits you… if it isn’t don’t even need to persist… they did it quite well in the sense that there is no long wait for background introduction, buildup etc…. So they followed the format of newer series in the sense ZZY complements it with verbal narratives.
Uhhh maybe the pacing is similar to NiF and the tempo as well. But not the rest 🤔.
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting…
Btw, I actually thought Master of My Own was one of the best modern C-dramas I’ve watched… but look at the poor Douban rating…. 🤣 because it doesn’t really fit into the typical formulaic hits for C-dramas regardless of how realistic it is…. Or how well the story was told….
I'm on episode 4 and so far I am completely disliking the ML, he's giving early 2000's drama toxic male lead and…
Lol, btw this drama is super realistic…. I was just discussing with other MDL members when it started airing that it really reflects the culture of the finance sector. Also they got a lot of tiny details and niche technical terms accurately… it’s likely that the author herself is/was in corporate finance or she is very close to someone who is. I personally thought it’s one of the best modern C-dramas I’ve watched…..
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting…
Yea, it was tastefully done but they still maintained the realism to it. So the costumes weren’t the most beautiful ones I’ve seen for for females…. coz this one has no wuxia or xianxia elements to it. I liked it though coz I think they paid attention to the colour palettes of everything, so it all comes together very nicely on-screen. Like the make up matches the costumes and they match the colours of the sets and also all the side characters regardless of male or female… even the soldiers armour was very cool and it actually looks believable.
I thought it was a great drama!! Just I don’t think the centrepiece theme is a mainstream hit kinda thing, so she took a risk there I spse. Not everyone would appreciate it but I think it’s underrated…. Because in reality it kinda applies to modern times now albeit in an indirect manner. Think women nowadays have very conflicting identities and roles to play amongst other stigmas.
For example Story of Yanxi Palace follows the formulaic hits whereby it is about women fighting, harem schemes, and stubborn FL which had other similar predecessors over the years. While the more recent hits have very young casts with a lot of romance as it’s main theme with just pure strong FLs. Who Rules the World, The Long Ballad, LLtG, etc. This is unlike any of those, and neither is it revenge driven like NiF. She is very brave but not invincible, strong but unafraid to compromise, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt even if they have wronged her… but it wouldn’t suit audiences. So she isn’t like the popular FLs over the past 2-3yrs…. Her character is a lot more complex which is difficult for the younger female audiences to relate to. Ah… I realised all the gaming related ones always make it big esp in China. Nearly all of them, but it’s unimaginable for ZZY to star in something like that 🤣. Maybe she should have starred in like a female-centric Joy of Life kinda thing. That has never been done… 🤔 and I think it would work actually. Unfortunately most modern dramas are neither as popular nor highly rated in China. Think the best one is probably Ode to Joy? I’ve never watched it too, somehow even I’m not intrigued. There are only certain types of dramas/formulas that work for Mainland audiences, and the censorships limit them even further…. Hence the douban rating… The MDL rating is closer to reality and also gives a better benchmark when you compare it to other C-dramas.
Have you started watching? I was basically like another person below who commented coz when I started watching I basically couldn’t stop. 🤣like eyes glued to the screen. I have to say I still find ZZY mesmerising on-screen. I think it’s coz of her perfectly proportioned face as well…..? On top of her demeanour. And of course, it’s obvious she got talents in acting. But I discovered Zhou YiWei via this series though, apparently he is like an underdog… he’s good, but nobody really knows who he is. Hope he has a lot more dramas…
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting…
No idea why she chose this novel adaptation as her first TV series. It wasn’t bad, I actually liked it a lot but it was obvious that the plot was never going to be a massive hit because the main themes have been used too many times in C-dramas and I’m not so sure viewers are interested in the females’s perspective. It could have been because of the script, it was a very well written script esp versus the novel. She received a lot of flak/criticism because of the original novel’s FL being a 16-yr old, but they altered the drama a lot to tone it down which I felt was right…. They did maintain that she was 16-yrs old though. In the novel they really highlighted the fact that she is still a child, a teenager… like very childish, sheltered and fragile. I actually found the novel version of her quite annoying….. Also, choosing a younger actress first also doesn’t make sense because the entire time span of her novel was only about 10 yrs I think if I remembered correctly.
There was nothing unique but I have to say I found it very well executed, dialogues, screenplay, storytelling and the plot was very logical + reasonable albeit purely fictional. However also likely because of this, it ended up being very long, because it was actually very easy to follow the plot, no loopholes. They could have shortened it if they wanted to but with C-dramas editing standards it might have been disastrous. Also they had a big budget so the casting was done well for nearly all the supporting characters making it more than just about watching the leads… The only thing which was unique is the dilemmas faced by the FL because of things that she was born with which she can’t change and also how things were set up after….. so perhaps ZZY also noticed this as being a centrepiece of the drama which has never been explored in other C-dramas before, at least not that I remember, not from a female’s perspective. There’s actually more to it than just being a strong female and invincible. In reality, back in the day when royal families and noble classes existed…. it becomes a mess for women esp if you are a blend of both… and the plot further complicates that identity…. and also sadly this was the part that faced criticism because the recent expectations of viewers are like the tough FLs regardless of whether it makes sense or not, just pure strong FL, feminism etc.
And thank goodness, for the first time it doesn’t have some revenge theme going on…. Like recently everything I’ve watched and rewatched has been about revenge…. Which I mostly can’t relate to. I mean I can for something like NiF…. But like geez man, wot on Earth is up with all these revenge themes…. 😒
So basically all the motivation and rationale behind the schemes of the antagonists and protagonists were sensible which is quite rare for C-dramas. I can actually relate to it and understand why someone would have acted that way. This doesn’t always occur for C-dramas actually…
Think the synopsis here is a bit odd and messy. Try reading the one in Wiki before you decide I spse. I’ve watched this multiple times because there are many likeable characters and solid actors… even the antagonists… I thought ZZY did really well.
How's this one? I saw reviews in douban where they requested Zhang ziyi not to act in a drama ever again
😒😒😒 how ridiculous, just because she is much older than the original character but it’s called acting for a reason…… Also, the original novel itself wasn’t exactly great, the drama was actually very well written… an improvement and enhanced version of the source material.
Everything else aside… the sets, backdrop and props are really very beautiful…. They were intricately put…
It’s the first time I felt they made a sad ending for the sake of it…. But why though, so damn weird… at the very least she would have survived, and everything could be easily explained by the merits of the Shen family, all the males are generals and even she contributed so much to the state.
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Oooo you discovered Crush….. that is hardly mentioned…. Like totally under the radar. I was super surprised after I finished it. It was really good except for one bit which was not developed/written well. The ML was good and the production quality wasn’t too bad. You do like some under the radar stuff though… Mysteries of Love, I came across that. Didn’t watch it…
I thought WoH was epic man…
Wot… you haven’t watch Story of Ming Lan and JoL…. Sighs… I wish I was you. Super Envious. I still can’t get over how good JoL is. 🤣 Ming Lan as well.
Eh you didn’t mention Forever and Ever and Sword, Snow, Stride…. I thought Forever and Ever was such a good and unique series. More and more do keep coming BUT….. have to say C-dramas quality control isn’t as high as K-dramas… they release soooo many productions every yr, but not many are worth watching in terms of %… but I spse there are still many when it comes to numbers. Haha
But based on your lists I don’t think you’d like The Rebel Princess 🤣🤣🤣
But there was a separate one whereby they discussed about that whole Wu Wei… that was deep man. Lol. I’ve never heard of it before…. So it was mostly her wanting to change things, and to fight and to control things… etc. I never knew there was something called “inaction”… that Chinese phrase above, Netflix translated it to something else….. and apparently it is a philosophy explored in both Confucianism and Taoism.
Yea because the phrases they use aren’t the ones people use in daily life so I actually didn’t realise that Netflix didn’t exactly translate everything precisely. It’s only rewatching this time round I paid more attention and realised they were definitely talking about more than just finding your own path…
I can’t access Viki in my region…. 😔
Lol. And his facial features changed a bit more in LLtG coz I think he’s like a year older or something… only very subtly. You will be in for a ride coz Fei Lu looked like baby Keroppi and…… him in LLtG is one fine dashing man. 🤣🤣🤣
So LLtG has a similar theme/notion going on with NiF but it’s more balanced as a series with a lot more other themes explored and the characters have a lot more depth to them. But of course it’s not really in the same genre, the focus isn’t exactly the same… because LLtG is a blend of a few genres. Strategy not as intricate. Please do watch it soon. lol. And remember to watch it. maybe because I rated Story of Ming Lan very highly… and I still think highly of it.
Yea, the plot was defo very intricate, the whole revenge plan was the main centrepiece.
Like I wondered why I watched the series after the whole series ended….. lol. I felt very depressed and sad for that dude and actually it shouldn’t be called NiF, should have been called MeiChangSu. So it was just a very intricate plot and very smart revenge plot. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, although I can completely understand why he did that. I didn’t find any of his opponents half as smart as him…. Which almost feels like he was playing a game of very smart chess….. with himself… that was the analogy I felt after I finished the series…. And I was sad that even his friends/partners weren’t his match…. He was so alone….. So I had this expression…. 😳😥 like the entire series only had one smart person…. Ah the guy who manages LangYa, but it’s so sad that he almost has no screen time.
Ooooo… so did you watch the more recent Love like the Galaxy then?
Uhhh maybe the pacing is similar to NiF and the tempo as well. But not the rest 🤔.
I thought it was a great drama!! Just I don’t think the centrepiece theme is a mainstream hit kinda thing, so she took a risk there I spse. Not everyone would appreciate it but I think it’s underrated…. Because in reality it kinda applies to modern times now albeit in an indirect manner. Think women nowadays have very conflicting identities and roles to play amongst other stigmas.
For example Story of Yanxi Palace follows the formulaic hits whereby it is about women fighting, harem schemes, and stubborn FL which had other similar predecessors over the years. While the more recent hits have very young casts with a lot of romance as it’s main theme with just pure strong FLs. Who Rules the World, The Long Ballad, LLtG, etc. This is unlike any of those, and neither is it revenge driven like NiF. She is very brave but not invincible, strong but unafraid to compromise, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt even if they have wronged her… but it wouldn’t suit audiences. So she isn’t like the popular FLs over the past 2-3yrs…. Her character is a lot more complex which is difficult for the younger female audiences to relate to. Ah… I realised all the gaming related ones always make it big esp in China. Nearly all of them, but it’s unimaginable for ZZY to star in something like that 🤣. Maybe she should have starred in like a female-centric Joy of Life kinda thing. That has never been done… 🤔 and I think it would work actually. Unfortunately most modern dramas are neither as popular nor highly rated in China. Think the best one is probably Ode to Joy? I’ve never watched it too, somehow even I’m not intrigued. There are only certain types of dramas/formulas that work for Mainland audiences, and the censorships limit them even further…. Hence the douban rating… The MDL rating is closer to reality and also gives a better benchmark when you compare it to other C-dramas.
Have you started watching? I was basically like another person below who commented coz when I started watching I basically couldn’t stop. 🤣like eyes glued to the screen. I have to say I still find ZZY mesmerising on-screen. I think it’s coz of her perfectly proportioned face as well…..? On top of her demeanour. And of course, it’s obvious she got talents in acting. But I discovered Zhou YiWei via this series though, apparently he is like an underdog… he’s good, but nobody really knows who he is. Hope he has a lot more dramas…
There was nothing unique but I have to say I found it very well executed, dialogues, screenplay, storytelling and the plot was very logical + reasonable albeit purely fictional. However also likely because of this, it ended up being very long, because it was actually very easy to follow the plot, no loopholes. They could have shortened it if they wanted to but with C-dramas editing standards it might have been disastrous. Also they had a big budget so the casting was done well for nearly all the supporting characters making it more than just about watching the leads… The only thing which was unique is the dilemmas faced by the FL because of things that she was born with which she can’t change and also how things were set up after….. so perhaps ZZY also noticed this as being a centrepiece of the drama which has never been explored in other C-dramas before, at least not that I remember, not from a female’s perspective. There’s actually more to it than just being a strong female and invincible. In reality, back in the day when royal families and noble classes existed…. it becomes a mess for women esp if you are a blend of both… and the plot further complicates that identity…. and also sadly this was the part that faced criticism because the recent expectations of viewers are like the tough FLs regardless of whether it makes sense or not, just pure strong FL, feminism etc.
And thank goodness, for the first time it doesn’t have some revenge theme going on…. Like recently everything I’ve watched and rewatched has been about revenge…. Which I mostly can’t relate to. I mean I can for something like NiF…. But like geez man, wot on Earth is up with all these revenge themes…. 😒
So basically all the motivation and rationale behind the schemes of the antagonists and protagonists were sensible which is quite rare for C-dramas. I can actually relate to it and understand why someone would have acted that way. This doesn’t always occur for C-dramas actually…
Think the synopsis here is a bit odd and messy. Try reading the one in Wiki before you decide I spse. I’ve watched this multiple times because there are many likeable characters and solid actors… even the antagonists… I thought ZZY did really well.
Also, the original novel itself wasn’t exactly great, the drama was actually very well written… an improvement and enhanced version of the source material.