I don’t think I’ve seen a single republican era drama that had a happy ending… they always left me with…
I think most Republican Era dramas - the short length ones at least -- have revenge, but not all of them are super toxic or have the love/hate dynamic. Quite a few have happy endings. I enjoyed Miss Mystery, Provoke, Stand By Me (bromance) if you like the era but don't like the bittersweet/sad endings.
A friend was speculating it probably dropped because of LYN, but no publicity or promotions because the ML and…
Anything is possible with C-dramas, lol! I think people are just surprised it dropped out of nowhere with no warning or promotion. ZME's issues were more recent though and his last drama dropped out of nowhere too.
For what is essentially a long-form cosmetics ad (in the guise of a cheap melodrama), this wasn't entirely terrible. (Yes, the eye cream is real, haha!) You have to park logic and expectations at the door and enjoy the ridiculous ride (although I wish they explained why the ML took the child instead of just coming forward. ) Both leads are very watchable and the kid is super cute. I was amused by the moral disclaimers (剧情需要 无不良引导) that popped up at least twice -- once when the OTP was kissing after the FL got drunk at a bar and once when she was kidnapped and tied to a chair. (The disclaimer essentially said the scene was not intended to be a bad example for viewers, with the second one containing an additional "please do not imitate." 🤣) I was also amused by the sister landing a major role in the drama because her dad is a major investor in the film's production -- that stuff really does happen in Dramaland. 😂)
A friend was speculating it probably dropped because of LYN, but no publicity or promotions because the ML and 3ML were both involved in scandals/negative publicity a few years back.
I don't understand why they release 9 min/ep drama rather than releasing same as 2-3 hrs movie.
They are meant to be something people watch during commutes to school and work or lunch and coffee breaks - low commitment, quick hits that are enjoyed in short spurts. While this article is about the business side of these mini dramas, it does touch a bit on the history and context: https://jingdaily.com/posts/could-chinas-short-drama-boom-create-lucrative-ip
She is clearly suffering from really serious PTSD due to the abuse she endured as the crown prince's wife, so the sane part of my brain thinks the right way to end this story is if she leaves the palace and finds her happiness with the much more deserving 2ML. But this is Dramaland, so my bet is on either she stays and they get their unrealistic, sends-the-wrong-message happy ending, or she dies and he becomes a lonely and regretful emperor. If she stays, at the very least I hope she makes him grovel properly for many years! I'm glad she is making it somewhat clear that too much has happened and things can never be the same. Deng Kai is very good in these grey character roles though, so it's hard not to root for his second chance redemption despite everything.
Is anyone watching it on an official site? Is the editing and sound quality as inconsistent as they seem on the "grey' sites? The production quality itself (direction, cinematography, costume, sets, effects, acting, etc) seems pretty good for a mini drama, but some of the editing appears pretty rough. I'm on ep 19 now and for the last couple of episodes, everyone sounds like they inhaled a mild dose of helium, lol.
That makes sooo much sense.. I couldn’t figure out how the British were involved with them. I kept thinking…
Haha, glad I could help clear that up. I was trying to ignore the English subs since they were so jarringly bad, but I kept seeing references to the British, so I started paying attention to the Chinese subs as well to see what the heck was being translated, lol.
My reading isn't as good as my listening, but is it just me or are the Chinese subs also automated (at least in the version I'm watching)? For those trying to make heads or tails of the English subs, this may explain why they are extra bad. The Chinese subtitle errors make the English translation even more nonsensical. One example is the subtitles use the incorrect "yin" character for Yin State, so it translates to "British". Based on the Chinese site descriptions, it should be 殷国, not 英国. I also noticed at least a couple of instances where a character clearly says one thing, but the Chinese subs show something that sounds similar but means something completely different.
If you like the general mood and Republican revenge setting -- Provoke and Miss Mystery are good. There is also My Everlasting Bride. They're all varying degrees of grabby alpha males though. Maid's Revenge and Bride's Revenge (same male casts) are especially grabby and unless I am mixing up my dramas, both need a trigger warning for rape too. Circle of Love is super toxic with a love/hate dynamic. If you like anything in the Republican setting, Stand By Me (2023) is a surprisingly fun friendship/bromance.
All of these are short-length mini-dramas with strong to scorching chemistry between leads, despite the unfortunate abundance of red-flag MLs.
I'm surprised by the 7.6 rating here -- I'm about half way and really enjoying this drama and the way the mystery is slowly unravalling. Wang Zihao is a natural -- this is only his second role, and at just 21, he is able to effortlessly convey the maturity and gravitas required of his character. (Also given the "so-called" taboo topics that's touched on in this drama, it's interesting this show made it past the censors at all. I wonder if that's why they decided to release it all at once...)
This is a small silly thing, but I'm finding it so distracting! As far as I can tell, the ML and FL wear a different winter coat every day (aside from their Varsity jackets)! I've counted probably close to a dozen different winter coats so far -- each!! Who has that many winter jackets to rotate through, especially students?! Canadian winters are long and cold, and even I only rotate through one or two and I'm way past my student days, lol.
Just finished this --- there aren't many dramas where I am absolutely invested in soooooooo many characters!!!! I loved the entire crew so much, nobody was boring or annoying or useless (villains don't count 🤣). I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more, and cried some more. Now I need to go digest everything slowly because the last few episodes were a lot....
All of these are short-length mini-dramas with strong to scorching chemistry between leads, despite the unfortunate abundance of red-flag MLs.