BearFightingFanBackAgain

She did. And Qiao Zhenyu came after her. And Kong Xue’er should be above Zhang Shi’an. I don’t know why it was changed after over a year.

It’s really ridiculous. They rejected my request too. And the answer unfairly focused on Mu Yumo when I had sorted the cast list up until Geng Le and did it according to the Youku app’s order so I could get billing right past just the main cast. I might be a fan of Mu Yumo but I respect the whole cast of this show and part of that is billing order.

Lu Wuyi terrorising the Shilin Sect was everything. Absolute peak fox demon energy. Love it😂
Still getting throttled by the sound design though.😅

I think returning to hosting/participating in conversations about creative industries is a really smart move. It not only gives Xiao Ran high quality work and exposure when she’s not filming dramas but allows the public to get to know how talented and smart she is through her thoughtful and entertaining responses.

04.04.2026
Here’s the link to a BtS vlog from the Beijing Film Festival's charity livestream day supporting small and micro enterprises Xiao Ran participated in on 03.04.2026.

https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5283939347334244

Same. I felt like that was the biggest selling point. There are so few of these types of stories and everything I’m reading on Empress Feng sounds really interesting.

I swear my blood pressure would rise every time I thought about it. As someone who likes female characters and chooses shows based off actresses and knowing how tough they have it in the industry, I really couldn’t stand how it was downplayed. I watched FoF for Xiao Ran’s cameo but thought I could stay for the rest of the show because of Wen Xiao only to clock in the first episode that she was going to be sidelined. As a result, I never made it past episode 8.

I think has a non-conventional method but I think the show will be the 4 character storylines converging into one once a common enemy/motive appears. The first few episodes are establishing/exposition episodes to build the world, introduce the worldview/theme, and the initial identities of the main characters.

Tbf, one of the chief criticisms of GJM is his plots (which is wild because he was originally a writer…) but I think VoS is coherent. There’s just a lot of moving pieces and some nonlinear storytelling so I think if someone is not familiar with his style or studied storytelling, it can be confusing at first.

I like Wu Wangyan too. She seems like a really interesting and complex character.

I feel like GJM finally did right by Chen Duling by casting her as Wu Wangyan. I’m not even a fan but I was so annoyed by what he did to her character in FoF that I thought I’d die mad🙂‍↕️Now I can rest in peace😂

"Every film and television drama that meets the audience embodies the hard work of so many people. I believe that the audience's evaluation and choices are certainly free and sincere, and what I can do is, within my control, fully enjoy the filming process and wholeheartedly create the character."
—————
Love this quote from Xiao Ran’s livestream yesterday. She really seems to respect the people behind the scenes. Her understanding that a drama takes more than just one person or function is what made me a fan. In one of her events earlier this year, while being interviewed on the red carpet, she even brought up the artistry and craftsmanship behind the construction of her wedding crown from the drama, Love and Crown.

He does! He’s actually been around for a while and has acted in a bunch of different genres but I don’t think he’s usually the male lead.

Her comments on AI were really great. They gave me the final push to change my thinking on it.

Chen Ruoxuan? I was really happy to see him in this. He’s a very good actor and he’s a good photographer too.

There seems to be a lot more sound effects/ quicker changes in music in this show than in FoF. I also feel like the timing of the sound effects might be slightly off too. It’s a bit awkward because it’s obviously been designed to increase the emotional intensity of a scene and sound design should increase the immersive experience of a show but if it’s too noticeable or heavy-handed then it sometimes has the opposite effect.

Xiao Ran is live broadcasting tomorrow at 5pm BST (I think). The site shows the time. The link is below:
https://m.btime.com/item/535rp5600bm9p3bg6ohnnvqb3bf

I can see why his fanbase likes it. It’s kinda like a personal signature which makes him stand out. I don’t feel it was as strong in his previous ones but maybe I didn’t watch enough or pay enough attention. But yeah, once I started noticing it, it was hard to ignore.

Gave this a curiosity watch partially because of the mixed reviews I saw on Weibo and partially because I wanted to see if there were elements of Painted Skin in it and I think it’s okay so far. The FL(s) doesn’t seem to be sidelined like in FoF and GJM’s skill for world building is still peak. I just don’t get why the filming is so deliberate and the sound design is so overbearing-at times it’s oddly pretentious. I feel like it messes with the performances and makes them feel less natural. It affects immersion too. There’s obviously a rich world being built but it’s hard to get immersed in it because of these two elements.

Apparently MDL doesn’t follow billing order which is news to me as it is a generally accepted industry standard 😅 It’s strange to want to be out of sync with the official channels.