CKDramaddicts

Oh, I'm sure there are haters, just like every other platform, but in my personal view/experience, there are just as many (if not more) supporting fans who give everything a perfect score, so for me, most of the time the two extreme sides usually even out, especially when balanced with the rest of the people who just judge on (their opinion of the) quality.

Sometimes you can see the haters hard at work trying to pull down a high score, but they manage maybe by just 20-30 basis points (0.2 to 0.3), because the overall number of users giving it a rating is so great on Douban. (On MDL, the ratings don't mean anything to me until at least a few hundred people have weighed in - just math/stats). And if you read into the comments, Chinese viewers can get picky about certain things that international audiences might not pick up on, like historical details.

I also find sometimes people automatically assume that a lower or higher score than they like is because of haters or superfans, when I think it's a perfectly reasonable rating. Like, even if I personally think something is worth a 9 or 9.5 on MDL, but the overall average score is an 8.5, I still think that's pretty good.

Douban scores are generally lower for C-dramas (but unlike other platforms, it's based on 10Ks+ to 100Ks+ user ratings, not just a few dozen, a few hundred or a few thousand), so you have to look at them on a relative scale, which I find surprisingly consistent across various platforms for the most part. e.g. For me, I consider anything over a high 6/low 7 usually worth checking out on Douban, which often translates to around 8 or higher for MDL, and over 9.4-9.5 for Viki. Of course, there are variations within those ranges, and there are always exceptions too, and differences around domestic vs international audiences, so I'm generalizing a bit, but for me, there is still enough consistency overall. And despite what some people are saying, Douban is still widely regarded as a less biased review site (overall). Propaganda dramas probably skew a bit higher, and Youth/Idol dramas likely skew a bit lower, but again, it's on a relative scale.

Sorry for the lengthy reply! At the end of the day, of course, ratings are interesting and helpful in gauging whether to check something out when there are so many dramas out there to sort through, but ultimately, we enjoy what we enjoy and that's the most important thing! I have totally checked out a drama and subjectively loved it for the cast, but objectively recognize that it's not good, lol.

I trust my friends. I am simply surprised by the huge discrepancy, since with a few exceptions, Douban more or less usually aligns, on a *relative* scale. I didn't say I wasn't going to check it out.

Douban is basically China's all-in-one IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes/GoodReads/social networking site for films, TV, books, music, and more, and has upwards of 300 million active users.

Haha! 😂

I was thinking about checking this out for the cast and because I used to be a business reporter (and my friends are enjoying it), but Douban just released the ratings and eeek....4.8/10 by 41K users so far. Even by Douban's tough/high standards, that's just...ouch.

Edit: This whole discussion has prompted me to start watching, lol. 😄

I really liked Falling Before Fireworks, where he played the ML. If you don't mind dramas that are a bit more "quiet" and less about excitement, it's a beautifully shot romance about healing and forgiveness.

(The Familiar Stranger easter eggs here were kind of interesting/fun. The clothing the FL and 2FL wore in the flashbacks were from FS, and outfit she wears in the final episode when she is filming is also from FS, even though the directors are different for both mini dramas.)

He appears very very briefly in the second half of the final episode. (S2E10)

There have been a number of shows where the epilogue episodes make a huge difference on my overall opinion of a show. They often tie up loose ends, and can turn what appears at first to be a sad or bad ending into a happy one. If I commit myself to taking the time to watch 26,30,36,40 whatever number of episodes, then I want an ending that is complete and satisfying. A lot of epilogues serve that purpose.

For some reason the very specific genre of "Republican era mini dramas" really test the censorship boundaries -- and somehow pass!! -- depicting scenes and acts you would *never* otherwise see in C-dramas ... I was surprised how far they went in the scene with one of the villains and the mayor's concubine being photographed, and the photograph shown after. They allowed all that to air when other dramas have been forced to take a hatchet for far less. And while I was just okay with the casting of the OTP, I definitely can't deny the absolute chemistry between them -- there was so much smoldering heat I was surprised my screen didn't spontaneously combust in every episode. And the innuendos! I kept wondering if I was really watching a C-drama, lol.

I'm keeping an open mind as I was interested in checking this out regardless of the rating, but a 9.1 on Viki to me is very low by Viki standards, since all the good dramas that everyone loves usually get around 9.6 and above...anything that's rated below 9.3 or 9.4 enters so-so territory in my personal experience. So on a relative scale, the Viki and MDL ratings actually seem to correspond pretty well.

The ML also reminds me of Wang Ziqi...

Just checking this out, and am I the only one that's really bothered by how they more or less glossed over what was essentially sexual assault (even if the ML was "under the influence" of some drug or aphrodisiac that was secretly put in his food)? Okay, I can pretend the FL somehow bounces back immediately from being kidnapped multiple times, but no matter how "fluffy" or campy a drama is, this is one topic that should be treated with a lot more care and sensitivity, and C-dramas minimize it far too often. Even if the FL was understanding of the circumstances of the situation, it's all very traumatic and the ML should still apologize and ask if she is okay at a minimum. (Edit: omg, and the number of times the disgusting executive tries to attack her too!)

I would have loved to have seen more of their love story, even if it would have made everything even more heart wrenching than it already was.

Yeah, I was hoping for a bit more angst and development in the second chance redemption romance department. 😅

Yes, both of them have two of the most distinctive voices among the C-drama actors I've watched.

His best feature!

NOOOO! That's really unfortunate. He has one of the most distinctive and recognizable voices in C-dramas, up there with Jeremy Tsui (who also gets dubbed over a lot).

For those who are interested, they completely changed what TY says at the end in the voiceover on the Viki version. The original/earlier version (which you can find on Dramacool) is more beautiful and touching, in my opinion. Interestingly, the English subs for the original voiceover actually match what he says on Viki, not what he was actually saying in the earlier version. This suggests to me that maybe the Viki voiceover was the intended version, and that the wrong one was initially released on Youku?

Finally checking out this mini drama since I like both leads and I'm dying of laughter. Great balance between action/bromance/comedy. Wang Zuyi is so perfect for this role, and it's great to see Deng Kai in protagonist roles, since he's always playing the evil prince in full-length dramas, lol.

That's a fair point! I'm always making stuff up in my head to explain away nonsense in C-dramas, and your reasoning is more believable than most things I come up with. 😅 If I was carrying it like that in my purse though, it would've been pretty chewed up by now... 😂

Yes, I always carry a large, printed non-wallet-sized copy of my kid's graduation photo in my purse too, lol. 🤣🤣