I love the pacing and balance in this drama ... we'll get a quieter episode that sets the scene perfectly for the more exciting stuff that comes next, we'll get episodes where I'm smiling, laughing, crying, and stressed all packed into 40 minutes. Plus the character development and evolution of the OTP are so well done. And they do all of this without the usual annoying tropes like frustrating misunderstandings and terrible communication. 🤌
I submitted a new synopsis, adapted from Baidu and iQiyi. We'll see if it's accepted...(I found the iQiyi synopsis…
Mine got rejected, but I see a better one up already 👍🏻Still don't love the playboy bit though, as it still doesn't quite fit who he is, so gave it another try and submitted another edit, lol.
" But she realizes that her husband despises her, as he thinks she's only a gold-digger, and would rather spend…
I submitted a new synopsis, adapted from Baidu and iQiyi. We'll see if it's accepted...(I found the iQiyi synopsis a bit too spoilery for me though, so removed some of the details)...
For the colossal romantic drama category, this is probably the best of the year, but it's still halfway through,…
oh yes, these dramas can be notorious for butchered endings, but this director has an excellent track record in terms of the last half dozen dramas he has helmed, so 🤞it continues
This is shaping up to be favourite drama of the year so far. I've loved everything, especially the main couple, the way they have both grown and the way their relationship has evolved. The respect, selflessness, mutual support, trust and faith they have towards each other. I don't even need grand declarations of love -- their actions and the acting by BJT and SY clearly show just how deeply they absolutely love and adore each other.
You could probably start here for a quick easy overview --- there are links to fuller articles about the historical…
oh totally, haha. When it comes to Asian dramas, I figure "anything goes" is the default setting. 😜 Sometimes I excel at rolling with it, other times I get inexplicably hung up on the minutest details. 🤦🏻♀️
You could probably start here for a quick easy overview --- there are links to fuller articles about the historical…
Yes, I assumed as much for WRTW since there was references to things that existed in very different time periods, lol. (Went back and clarified that a bit in my original post. 😅) The erotic novel that was mentioned in passing, for example, was only written within the last 2-300 years I think, a bit newer than whatever time period WRTW is supposed to be set in. 😂
YANGZHOU is supposedly roughly where modern day Jiangsu, Anhui, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, provinces and parts of Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong are located, according to one historical text, but it seems like the credibility of all the existing historical texts are in dispute, so it's hard to pinpoint it's the exact geography. Modern day Yangzhou falls within these boundaries, but would fall in the northern part of the estimated region.
QINGZHOU is supposedly roughly where modern Shandong province is located
YOUZHOU at one point covered roughly Shanxi, Shandong, parts of Hebei, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia provinces. As it shrank over time, it apparently became roughly where modern Beijing would be located.
So essentially, GJS and LYR travelled from the south to the north over the course of several months. Given how far north Youzhou stretched and assuming they fictionalized (or at least weren't being super precise with real-world geography), I'm guessing they were crossing the equivalent of the Gobi desert.
Someone more knowledgeable, please correct me if I am wrong...
In both dramas, from what I can tell, they took names of real places in ancient China, but fictionalized the historical context (number of states ruled by the emperor/who ruled/how it was governed, etc.) Someone more familiar with the history and geography would probably have a better idea if they used similar geography or if they completely fictionalized the location as well. My sense is that they approximated the geography, but took some liberties as well. (WRTR is highly fictionalized from what I can tell, since they really mashed together things from very different time periods in Chinese history.)
(Unrelated/related...the same director did both dramas (he also directed BoY, L&R, ALP, etc.))
Oh no! I know what you mean though. I was the same with LBFAD and came so close to dropping it for the exact same reason, but somehow stuck with it for the story. Thankfully she got less annoying for me later on. 😅
8.3?? Isn't it too low? I think this is underrated frr.
Very underrated, but New Life Begins, which was one of my favourtes last year -- and I'm enjoying this one even more -- started in the low 8s, and jumped once it finished airing...
you are so good. You literally understand herlike on the Chinese internet everyone is praising her perf and the…
That's very interesting and cool that Chinese netizens familiar with the original work are loving this adaptation. I'm curious about the novel now. I hope the next 3/4s of the drama are as awesome as the first quarter!
I agree with you. I can't imagine anyone else playing this part. I am not familiar with SY, as the only drama…
oh right! I forgot about JoL, but I don't remember much about her in it. But yes, I am otherwise not familiar with her work either, but she is great here.
A lot of people aren't quite feeling SY's acting yet (this is my first time watching one of her dramas), but I feel like she does a great job acting simultaneously demure yet strong. I actually think this can be a hard combination to pull off.
She's playing a character who has spent her life trying to be the perfect lady to ensure her and her mother's security, without being a pushover. She behaves in a very demure way (the way she talks, the way she carries herself, even the way she cries is very restrained) because that is how "well-bred" ladies are supposed to comport themselves. I think this makes her seem a bit aloof or reserved and perhaps difficult to connect with emotionally. Yet you can tell she has a steel core -- she has proven she can withstsand enormous change/obstacles, isn't easily defeated, and manages to make people fear her (in an affectionate way of course). Conveying that contrasts convincingly isn't easy, in my view.
I also think it makes for a striking contrast with BJT's character who is basically a dandy with a heart of gold and a big softy. But he's had an easy life and male, so it's easy for him to be more relaxed, open, opinionated and unreserved in his actions.
I think both leads are doing a really great job, but I think it's easy to mistake SY's restrained and carefully balanced portrayal as somehow lacking, when in fact, it can be challenging to pull off well.
So many different angles and shots, and most still don’t look like him. Sorry, it’s not the hair. I know it’s…
I think his face is softer here; in previous roles, his cheekbones are usually more pronounced. Also, I think the side of the hair/wig goes a bit lower next to the ears compared to others, but the combination gives his face a slightly different shape and makes him look a bit different.
I love the pacing and balance in this drama ... we'll get a quieter episode that sets the scene perfectly for the more exciting stuff that comes next, we'll get episodes where I'm smiling, laughing, crying, and stressed all packed into 40 minutes. Plus the character development and evolution of the OTP are so well done. And they do all of this without the usual annoying tropes like frustrating misunderstandings and terrible communication. 🤌
YANGZHOU is supposedly roughly where modern day Jiangsu, Anhui, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, provinces and parts of Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong are located, according to one historical text, but it seems like the credibility of all the existing historical texts are in dispute, so it's hard to pinpoint it's the exact geography. Modern day Yangzhou falls within these boundaries, but would fall in the northern part of the estimated region.
QINGZHOU is supposedly roughly where modern Shandong province is located
YOUZHOU at one point covered roughly Shanxi, Shandong, parts of Hebei, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia provinces. As it shrank over time, it apparently became roughly where modern Beijing would be located.
So essentially, GJS and LYR travelled from the south to the north over the course of several months. Given how far north Youzhou stretched and assuming they fictionalized (or at least weren't being super precise with real-world geography), I'm guessing they were crossing the equivalent of the Gobi desert.
Someone more knowledgeable, please correct me if I am wrong...
In both dramas, from what I can tell, they took names of real places in ancient China, but fictionalized the historical context (number of states ruled by the emperor/who ruled/how it was governed, etc.) Someone more familiar with the history and geography would probably have a better idea if they used similar geography or if they completely fictionalized the location as well. My sense is that they approximated the geography, but took some liberties as well. (WRTR is highly fictionalized from what I can tell, since they really mashed together things from very different time periods in Chinese history.)
(Unrelated/related...the same director did both dramas (he also directed BoY, L&R, ALP, etc.))
She's playing a character who has spent her life trying to be the perfect lady to ensure her and her mother's security, without being a pushover. She behaves in a very demure way (the way she talks, the way she carries herself, even the way she cries is very restrained) because that is how "well-bred" ladies are supposed to comport themselves. I think this makes her seem a bit aloof or reserved and perhaps difficult to connect with emotionally. Yet you can tell she has a steel core -- she has proven she can withstsand enormous change/obstacles, isn't easily defeated, and manages to make people fear her (in an affectionate way of course). Conveying that contrasts convincingly isn't easy, in my view.
I also think it makes for a striking contrast with BJT's character who is basically a dandy with a heart of gold and a big softy. But he's had an easy life and male, so it's easy for him to be more relaxed, open, opinionated and unreserved in his actions.
I think both leads are doing a really great job, but I think it's easy to mistake SY's restrained and carefully balanced portrayal as somehow lacking, when in fact, it can be challenging to pull off well.