You’re on point. Regarding point 1, I guess viewers tend to accept things on xianxia and historical/costume…
I agree with this point.
Speaking of the budget, I have no idea where the rumor came from that this drama had a huge budget and that its production quality somehow proves the money was laundered.
The reality is that the budget was never particularly large. Republican-era dramas have always been a relatively niche genre, and when filming began last year, even the director believed the platform didn't place high expectations on this project.
I feel like the online discussion surrounding this drama could be turned into a case study in social psychology.
I've studied some psychology myself, though I'm by no means a professional. These are just my personal observations for reference.
1. Selective perception
Many xianxia and historical dramas have far worse CGI than this one. When people watch those dramas, they often ignore it as if poor CGI is completely normal. Ironically, CGI is usually where the biggest portion of those dramas' budgets goes, yet they receive very little criticism for it.
But with this Republican-era drama, which only uses CGI in only a few scenes, people suddenly started claiming that the CGI ruined the entire show and immediately dismissed it because of that alone, even though visual effects are not where the main budget of this production went.
2. Selective promotion
Many of the videos and screenshots circulating online deliberately choose the least flattering scenes, creating the impression that the entire drama looks like that.
At the same time, discussions focus almost exclusively on the CGI and editing while deliberately avoiding topics such as the casting, how well the actors fit their roles, the actors' appearance and performances, and the story itself—even though those are arguably far more important and worth discussing.
3. Escalating the topic
Because of the AI-generated opening sequence, some people suddenly began strongly opposing AI itself.
However, AI has already been widely used in television production since 2024. That makes the timing and intensity of this backlash feel rather unusual.
4. The dilemma of the minority
Because companies representing Zhang Linghe's competing male actors purchased large numbers of trending topics to shape public opinion, they attempted to create the impression that this drama is terrible.
As a result, many people who have never even watched the drama are gradually influenced by the online algorithm and information bubble, absorbing that perception without realizing it.
Meanwhile, viewers who actually watched the drama and thought it was quite good may begin to feel like they are in the minority, or even question whether their own opinion is wrong. Eventually, many simply choose not to speak up.
5. Unpredictable targets of attack
When *Pursuit of Jade* aired, one of the main criticisms from haters was that Zhang Linghe was "too handsome" and that a general "shouldn't be wearing foundation."
This time, only one day after the premiere, the scale of the attacks was already enormous. To me, that strongly suggests an organized campaign, and many ordinary viewers have also been influenced by it.
At this point, it's impossible to predict what the next target of criticism will be. Every new episode may bring another detail that gets examined under a microscope and exaggerated into a major flaw.
Right now, some people have shifted their attention to attacking the director. While I don't think this director is as strong as the director of *Pursuit of Jade*, I still think he is better than many other C-drama directors. Overall, the directing standard in C-dramas isn't particularly high, and in my opinion, the director of *Pursuit of Jade* is exceptional and quite rare.
Those are just my thoughts.
If you have other perspectives, feel free to share them. And if you disagree, that's completely fine too. There's no need to argue with me or waste your time.
Started Overdo. Though compared to POJ, it's seriously lacking, but then for me after POJ no cdrama was even appealing…
Because when POJ aired earlier this year, there're 99 fan groups joined forces to attack him. The only one didn't do dirty is his fandom. It's a popular joke in chinese entertainment.
🎉🎉🎉Congratulations to Overdo for ranking No. 1 among all currently airing dramas, with a 16.4% viewer market share! (The lastest data today) And these are the very numbers some people call "a flop" .
Well I just watched the episodes. Saw the comments and ratings. To me, it's a 10 ⭐a great start. Not only the…
I agree, I think it's really good too. I've actually dropped quite a few dramas since POJ. If I'm not enjoying a drama, I usually don't rate it because I don't want to affect its score.
After 20 years of watching dramas, seeing the reviews and ratings on this page since last night has honestly question my eyes. 😂
I've seen all those comments before. They mostly come from Weibo, right? They're pretty much the same talking…
Thank you for ending the conversation on a friendly note. If I came across as rude at the beginning, I sincerely apologize. English isn't my first language, so I may not always express myself the way I intend to.
My only reason for responding was that I felt some of your "objective" reporting could be misleading, especially for international viewers who have never watched a Republican-era Chinese drama before. This genre has a very different storytelling style and aesthetic from many modern C-dramas, so it's easy to misinterpret certain choices if you're unfamiliar with it.
We don't have to agree on the drama, and I respect that everyone has different tastes. I just hope international viewers can make up their own minds after watching it themselves, rather than judging it based on one perspective alone.
I've seen all those comments before. They mostly come from Weibo, right? They're pretty much the same talking…
I said your reporting was misleading. I never said you were being paid. Please read what I actually wrote before accusing me of something I didn’t say.
I’ve followed the Chinese entertainment industry for many years, and advertiser numbers are an important indicator of a drama’s commercial performance. More advertisers generally means brands believe the drama has a large and valuable audience. If viewers truly disliked it and stopped watching, why would advertisers continue placing ads in it?
Platforms pay very close attention to advertising numbers because that directly affects revenue. Once advertisers start pulling out of a drama, it usually signals that its performance is falling short and the platform risks losing money.
Honestly, the reaction of advertisers and platforms is often a much more reliable reflection of a drama’s actual performance than a handful of negative comments online. Capital follows audience attention and revenue, not fandom narratives.
I've seen all those comments before. They mostly come from Weibo, right? They're pretty much the same talking…
Personal attacks don't add anything to this discussion. I watch dramas for the story, not fandom wars.
The fact is that many viewers in China have been praising this drama's script and storytelling. Its commercial performance has also been strong—each of the first five episodes reportedly carried nine advertisers, while several other dramas airing this summer lost advertisers because of weak viewership. That's one of the reasons the platform prioritized releasing this drama. Reports about the broader trend of advertisers pulling out of underperforming dramas have also been covered by Chinese media.
You're free to dislike the drama, but that's still an opinion, not an objective fact.
1
Speaking of the budget, I have no idea where the rumor came from that this drama had a huge budget and that its production quality somehow proves the money was laundered.
The reality is that the budget was never particularly large. Republican-era dramas have always been a relatively niche genre, and when filming began last year, even the director believed the platform didn't place high expectations on this project.
I've studied some psychology myself, though I'm by no means a professional. These are just my personal observations for reference.
1. Selective perception
Many xianxia and historical dramas have far worse CGI than this one. When people watch those dramas, they often ignore it as if poor CGI is completely normal. Ironically, CGI is usually where the biggest portion of those dramas' budgets goes, yet they receive very little criticism for it.
But with this Republican-era drama, which only uses CGI in only a few scenes, people suddenly started claiming that the CGI ruined the entire show and immediately dismissed it because of that alone, even though visual effects are not where the main budget of this production went.
2. Selective promotion
Many of the videos and screenshots circulating online deliberately choose the least flattering scenes, creating the impression that the entire drama looks like that.
At the same time, discussions focus almost exclusively on the CGI and editing while deliberately avoiding topics such as the casting, how well the actors fit their roles, the actors' appearance and performances, and the story itself—even though those are arguably far more important and worth discussing.
3. Escalating the topic
Because of the AI-generated opening sequence, some people suddenly began strongly opposing AI itself.
However, AI has already been widely used in television production since 2024. That makes the timing and intensity of this backlash feel rather unusual.
4. The dilemma of the minority
Because companies representing Zhang Linghe's competing male actors purchased large numbers of trending topics to shape public opinion, they attempted to create the impression that this drama is terrible.
As a result, many people who have never even watched the drama are gradually influenced by the online algorithm and information bubble, absorbing that perception without realizing it.
Meanwhile, viewers who actually watched the drama and thought it was quite good may begin to feel like they are in the minority, or even question whether their own opinion is wrong. Eventually, many simply choose not to speak up.
5. Unpredictable targets of attack
When *Pursuit of Jade* aired, one of the main criticisms from haters was that Zhang Linghe was "too handsome" and that a general "shouldn't be wearing foundation."
This time, only one day after the premiere, the scale of the attacks was already enormous. To me, that strongly suggests an organized campaign, and many ordinary viewers have also been influenced by it.
At this point, it's impossible to predict what the next target of criticism will be. Every new episode may bring another detail that gets examined under a microscope and exaggerated into a major flaw.
Right now, some people have shifted their attention to attacking the director. While I don't think this director is as strong as the director of *Pursuit of Jade*, I still think he is better than many other C-drama directors. Overall, the directing standard in C-dramas isn't particularly high, and in my opinion, the director of *Pursuit of Jade* is exceptional and quite rare.
Those are just my thoughts.
If you have other perspectives, feel free to share them. And if you disagree, that's completely fine too. There's no need to argue with me or waste your time.
And these are the very numbers some people call "a flop" .
After 20 years of watching dramas, seeing the reviews and ratings on this page since last night has honestly question my eyes. 😂
My only reason for responding was that I felt some of your "objective" reporting could be misleading, especially for international viewers who have never watched a Republican-era Chinese drama before. This genre has a very different storytelling style and aesthetic from many modern C-dramas, so it's easy to misinterpret certain choices if you're unfamiliar with it.
We don't have to agree on the drama, and I respect that everyone has different tastes. I just hope international viewers can make up their own minds after watching it themselves, rather than judging it based on one perspective alone.
I’ve followed the Chinese entertainment industry for many years, and advertiser numbers are an important indicator of a drama’s commercial performance. More advertisers generally means brands believe the drama has a large and valuable audience. If viewers truly disliked it and stopped watching, why would advertisers continue placing ads in it?
Platforms pay very close attention to advertising numbers because that directly affects revenue. Once advertisers start pulling out of a drama, it usually signals that its performance is falling short and the platform risks losing money.
Honestly, the reaction of advertisers and platforms is often a much more reliable reflection of a drama’s actual performance than a handful of negative comments online. Capital follows audience attention and revenue, not fandom narratives.
The fact is that many viewers in China have been praising this drama's script and storytelling. Its commercial performance has also been strong—each of the first five episodes reportedly carried nine advertisers, while several other dramas airing this summer lost advertisers because of weak viewership. That's one of the reasons the platform prioritized releasing this drama. Reports about the broader trend of advertisers pulling out of underperforming dramas have also been covered by Chinese media.
You're free to dislike the drama, but that's still an opinion, not an objective fact.