Cioran

Wish I could say yes, but nope. The editing is still trash and the plot becomes even more brain-dead.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHgnXLWgcG8

From what I remember, those were full episodes that had already surfaced online beforehand. In the case of Go Go Squid!, right in the middle of the drama’s run, the complete set of the remaining episodes appeared all at once on pirate sites. The ending is the peak monetization period, so the financial loss can really hurt. Once the viewership data becomes available, we’ll find out whether the leak actually did any damage. As of today, there’s still no clear drop in viewership visible.

In the world of C-dramas, full episode leaks before the official premiere have happened before. For example, it occurred with Go Go Squid! and The Story of Yanxi Palace. Paradoxically, those pirated leaks actually helped boost the popularity of both dramas and viewership on legal platforms ended up increasing even further as a result.

Allegedly, the case Go Go Squid was reported to the police and they were looking for an internal leak source. And that’s it. After the leak, viewership on legal platforms actually went up, and the drama broke viewership records. There have been several similar cases before.
A very similar situation happened with The Story of Yanxi Palace. Piracy + leaks definitely helped the drama go viral outside of China. It’s quite possible we’ll see a comparable effect here. Especially on Netflix, the viewership might end up increasing even more because of this. Streaming platforms make the most money from accelerated/premium access packages, so financially they do take a hit. However, even before the leak this series was already a massive financial success. So either way, they’re still going to make very solid money from the drama. I suspect it’s mostly the loyal viewers and the fandom who are taking this much harder than the producers and distributors.

Yeah, they'll probably take a financial hit in the short term. But in my opinion the chances of breaking viewership records haven't been ruined at all. I feel like the platforms are probably prepared for this kind of thing since leaks like this have happened before and usually haven't killed off a major hit. If anything they've often ramped up the buzz and boosted global viewership even more. I'm betting they'll weather this storm just fine and it won't damage the drama's overall success as badly as some people here are predicting. Of course these are just my guesses, we'll see how it actually plays out.

They’ll probably suffer some financial losses, but the drama has already brought the producers massive profits. The show’s popularity is unlikely to take any real hit because of this. Paradoxically, the leak might even boost online interest and increase viewership. A hit remains a hit. The hype is already there, the fandom will watch it legally anyway and use quality sources. The illegal versions are only in Chinese so far, and since the drama has strong international appeal, everyone else will just wait for the English-subbed versions (e.g. on Netflix). It’s also worth remembering that many people who watch pirated copies wouldn’t have paid for it anyway. So overall, no real tragedy here.

On illegal Chinese websites, all episodes are available with Chinese subtitles.

I also really like this track, it's so unusual. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RM2VZHoMBU&list=RD6RM2VZHoMBU&start_radio=1 Instrumental version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spzcy2q-dGs&list=OLAK5uy_kAR_WZyYfes2FYhKVOhJZliRarlT6G6To&index=6 And here's the entire OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpvG_XC3gVM&list=OLAK5uy_kAR_WZyYfes2FYhKVOhJZliRarlT6G6To&index=1

Thanks for sharing your different perspective. When critical opinions dominate, it’s refreshing to read comments from people who like the drama and find pleasure in watching it.

Can I ask what you like about it? I’m genuinely curious about a different perspective than my own. Honestly, I can barely find anything good in this drama myself. If anything, I tend to overrate things rather than look for flaws. I’d be really interested to read your reasons.

What I especially love about this drama is that every actor, even those playing very minor roles, gets their own moment to shine and can really show off their acting skills, grabbing the viewer’s attention. The director doesn’t treat anyone as merely a plot device or just a tool to move the story forward. Instead, he allows each character (and actor) to truly exist and stand out. Excellent direction of actors.

The strangest thing is that even visually, this drama looks so "poor," as if it was shot on a shoestring budget. The costumes, makeup, and sets are extremely modest and sloppy. C-dramas (including short-form ones) are usually known for being aesthetically polished above all else. Here, there's neither decent form nor substance. Nothing blooms here at all. The director seemed absent from the set; the actors are basically directing themselves, and the scenes often feel like they follow each other randomly. Zero tension or sparks between the FL and ML. And yet four screenwriters "slaved away" over this outdated plot, which basically boils down to the ML hiding the truth about her family's fate from the FL "for her own good," preferring her to hate him rather than burden her pretty little head with matters of state importance. It's scary to think they'll drag this out for 24 episodes. Abysmal production quality overall.

That’s exactly why I pointed out that I’m “spoiled” by short-form dramas. I’ve probably become so used to scenes like this that they no longer create any dissonance for me, unlike for viewers who haven’t been exposed to them as often. In mini-dramas, this is pretty much the norm. However, it seems that bolder erotic scenes are appearing more and more often in full-length dramas as well, and this might be a new trend, which I enthusiastically support.

The bathtub scene was quite surprising for a full-length drama. Usually, they only hint that the male predator also sexually exploits his victim. Here, they actually showed what most productions don’t dare to depict. I think a large part of that is thanks to the director, who specialized in exactly these kinds of shots in his short-form dramas. Just think about how inventive and bold the erotic moments were in Butterflied Lover! I’m probably just desensitized from watching so many micro- and mini-dramas where steamy scenes are basically the entire plot, but I genuinely don’t understand why some viewers (probably the more “innocent” ones) are so disgusted by this scene or accuse it of romanticizing violence. This is a C-drama, after all. Visual aesthetics almost always take center stage here. The visual effect often matters more than strict narrative realism. The story needs that painterly, picturesque framing. To me, those "bathtub antics" were simply there to please the eye. They don’t hire unbelievably good-looking actors only to portray even scenes of sexual violence in an intentionally ugly or off-putting way. How could they possibly make it look repulsive when the perpetrator is Deng Kai? This is a drama meant to attract the masses, so expecting gritty realism here is, in my opinion, the height of naivety.

Therefore, they’ll probably go for the safest compromise. He sacrifices his own life so she can finally be free of the greatest danger - him. They don’t end up together, but for once he does something genuinely good for her and their son: he leaves their lives for good. At the same time, his previous vile actions don’t go unpunished. He murdered relentlessly until he himself met the same violent end. A similar fate befell the ruthless and debauched emperor and the princess in Fated Hearts.

What an absurd demand to forbid people from admiring supporting characters in a drama!
“Please can we put comments related to the drama” - excuse me, but they ARE in the drama, they have significant roles and screen time. Talking about them in no way takes away any glory or appreciation from the leads. And by writing the same kind of comment for the umpteenth time, ironically you yourself are the one hyper-focusing on the supporting roles.
No one is stopping you from posting praise for the main characters. Let people pay attention to whatever aspects of the show matter to them, even if from your perspective those things seem unimportant or unnecessary.

Everything seems to be heading in that direction. He will most likely die saving Yu Qian Qian, because he understands perfectly that his death is the only thing that can truly set her free from him forever. This is the one way he can let her go and give her a life without fear.

Deng Kai actually almost never plays clearly good characters. In fact, he specializes in portraying perverse, complex male leads. One of his best roles, and a rather positive one, was in The Maid. It’s a very well made short drama with strong performances. He had excellent chemistry with his co star there. One of his more famous roles is in Broken the Heart. However, in that drama he mistreated the female lead and relentlessly tormented her. It’s more of a drama for viewers who appreciate sadomasochistic themes and enjoy watching darker desires.

As for me, the drama wasn’t bad. Just a typical story, not particularly emotionally engaging, but visually very attractive. The ML and FL had no chemistry, but they looked gorgeous. They’re also talented, it’s just that in this project they couldn’t really show their full potential.