Eleison

I'm still getting used to the way idol fandoms work with dramas. Working backwards from an actor's looks to like their character (no matter what it is) is a very... unique way of approaching entertainment. I've noticed it makes viewers drool over villains or problematic characters frequently and I find that a little unsettling. I've watched quite a few Cdramas now, but not that many while airing so I think that's why I'm noticing this dynamic more. I have an aversion to thirst comments in general because I think they're sexually objectifying (imo), but when it's applied to villains it feels even more confusing.

I think actors should be praised and enjoyed for doing their job well: playing their roles and characters convincingly. Anything beyond that seems to go a little too far, and feeds an unhealthy focus on looks and the physical, which actors largely have no control over unless they get work done or the filmmakers use filters/touvh them up? It's making me start to see why all these idol actors get such extensive work done to their faces. 😭

Please hear me, this isn't shots fired at any individuals, it's the industry or system or whatever mechanism is behind this that's clearly feeding and fueling this approach to viewers' experience of dramas (and actors) that's starting to frustrate me.

This is probably not a good place to verbally process this as I have a feeling I'll get eaten alive, but it is so puzzling to me... 🤷‍♀️

Below is a critical rant on what I am discovering is "idol fandom," so those who might get triggered or offended do not have to read it. 😅 I'm putting it in a spoiler tag so you only have to look at it if you want to:

LOVED Flourished Peony. Season 2, In The Name Of Blossom, gets more angsty, but it makes sense if you think about the story as a whole and the arcs the characters are on, starting in season 1.

I don't think the whole thing was terribly written, but some parts were absolutely abysmal. 😅

I wonder if it will be the timeframe when Chen Ying goes from the child actor to the teenage version? Just guessing since two actors play him. 🤷‍♀️

The ML and FL had a lot of makeout sessions in the last 1/3 of You Are My Glory to the point where I got to saying, "Again!?" 😅 I don't remember thinking she was restrained in those scenes. Some of the early parts are a bit bogged down by the gaming stuff, but once they get to the gaming competition I think it picks up.

Okay, I assumed so so that's good to know! Thanks!

"Chogiyo"! ☺️

Didn't know that one! Some of the English-y Korean words are quite funny to hear.

You're right, "fun cai" and "fun cai wa" I definitely know. 😅 "Thank you," obviously, and a few others, like "let go," and "useless wretch" (they used it so much in Ever Night I couldn't help but pick that one up 😅). But still much less than Korean.

When I was in SK a few years ago my friends and I were visiting Yonsei University (my friend studied abroad there for a semester about 8 years ago), and a girl dropped something as she walked by several hundred yards away. On impulse, without evening thinking about it too much, I shouted in Korean, "Hey!"--what they always say when they're getting someone's attention--and I was tickled pink when she turned around and looked my way. I was able to point out that she dropped something, and I felt so proud that she understood me. 😅

I assume they'll explain later how Duan Xu reunited with his father who abandoned him?

These are all great points; Cdramas have really seemed to up the ante for Asian entertainment (and have made things pretty accessible, too, while Kdramas are now getting harder to access on just one or two legal platforms; if you want to see the new stuff you have to be on all of them or reduce to illegal sites which I just avoid). Kdramas came a long way from 2013, and really started pumping out some fantastic stuff for a few years, but they do seem to have hit a rough patch for a few years now and are struggling to consistently good stuff out. A bummer because I love how they write character arcs (another thing I think they do well that I'd add to your short list of things Kdramas do well/better than Cdramas (or at least historically they did); Cdramas can do this, too, but it's one of the things that endeared me to Kdramas).

I also prefer listening to Korean than Mandarin, but that's probably partly due to the familiarity. I also still recognize so little of what's said with Mandarin compared to Korean. The language is much harder to pick up, I think. I recognize words but can't always place what they mean exactly, whereas I can do that better with Korean for some reason.

At least in this, the general actually generals (intelligently, innovatively and effectively and without needlessly sacrificing lives). 😉

For all those wanting to see an epic Marquis Wuan, look no farther. He's embodied in Duan Xu's generaling. 😉

Yeah, I think Cdramas are sometimes more closet edgy than Kdramas, too, and I think many viewers like the subtlely robust and spicy romantic tension Cdramas seem to be very good at building. And, despite censorship's overweening presence, in some ways it seems they take more risks (unless Netflix or Disney made the Kdrama 😅)?

It reminds me a little of Legend of Shen Li but with the roles reversed (the ML couldn't technically be with the FL), but there was clearly attraction and attachment on his side that came through which turned his measured and intentional restraint into tension.

I'm watching this on Viki which is behind in episode release, but so far I haven't seen too much to indicate the FL falling for the ML, at least not in a way she's consciously aware of. 😉Though I'm not sure I'd say the plot is unengaging. I'll wait a bit longer to see if the FL starts get more invested in him as some more time passes to decide what I think. I think they have chemistry, though, at the minimum.

This is interesting, I wasn't familiar with the idol vs. serious drama reputation with Cdramas.

That's why it's in a spoiler tag. 😉 So you don't have to read it if you don't want to, and so it doesn't clutter the thread.

So, I wrote a lot, be warned! 😅

I have watched more Cdramas of late than Kdramas because the Kdramas are hit and miss if you've caught up with all the good ones and don't want to risk trying a currently airing drama. There are so many Cdramas I have yet to see, and many of them seem to stick the landing more consistently than Kdramas (particularly of late).

I'll start with the cons.

Some of my gripes about Cdrama is they're impossible to binge (WAY too long) so you have to find a way to get through them in pieces but also not have huge gaps between viewings because then it's hard to keep track of the plot (if it's a period Cdrama, in particular, as they have a lot of moving parts, characters, politics and scheming, usually). Some of them are also a little less progressive or healthy in the way they portray relationships (sometimes they feel more like Kdramas from the early 2010s with the toxic male leads), but this really depends on the drama, as some dramas are very progressive and healthy in the way they portray relationships (I would say it's more common in xianxia to get dark, toxic relationships, and at times wuxia, but the costume/pseudo historical romance dramas that focus more on stories around the imperial court or nobles close to the emperor tend to have very progressive female/male lead dynamics to the point where it feels anachronistic often (in a way I don't mind!).

Wuxia are largely pseudo-historical storylines that have a lot of martial arts featured; Joy of Life, Blood of Youth, and Nirvana in Fire (ish--this is also a costume drama and more realistic than most period Cdramas in some ways) and dramas like this are wuxia, and everyone featured in the story is usually exclusively human/mortal and about students of a particularly martial arts sect studying under masters of their sect and cultivating their unique and/or high levels of kung fu, while xianxia (which I have struggled to get into), leans more heavily into the fantastical and mythological, featuring mortals, immortals, demons (not really in the Western sense), monsters, spirits, etc. and different realms where mortals, immortals and demons dwell; xianxia has a lot more CGI, pain and suffering of the leads (but especially the ML), and often features reincarnation of some sort. They are more of an acquired taste, and can feel a little over-the-top for me. I watched Legend of Shen Li (quite good, actually) and Starry Love (kind of a parody of the xianxia genre), and I enjoyed them both a lot; they gave me hope I can like xianxia if I can curate which ones I watch. This drama I believe is technically xianxia-ish (since it has the FL as a spirit in the demon realm, essentially). I'd say xianxia is a tough "first watch" Cdrama.

Another gripe is there is an even greater emphasis on/glorifying of overwork (present in Kdramas, but much more obvious in Cdramas), and the government is almost never portrayed negatively (if you think Kdramas are censored, Cdramas take the cake for a high level of censorship). Sometimes I don't mind since it's nice to not always sees stories about corrupt leadership, but I just have to keep in mind that this element is most likely fantastical. Humans (the government) are just not that good-willed when they hold power, so any portrayal of that kind is largely unrealistic.

Those are my main gripes. The positives are that some stories are beautifully told, and highly enjoyable and consistent from start to finish. Because of censorship they are also very "clean," largely, like many Kdramas, and the acting is often very good with high production value. They write epic, immersive pseudo historical costume dramas that are just on a scale you never get in a Kdrama. I tend to like more of the costume dramas (that are not fully wuxia, nor xianxia, but which feel vaguely "historical"). Some of the modern romance dramas feel too pristine and perfect or everyone overworks or the guys are too aggressive for me. Those are my main gripes with them.

My top recs off the top of my head to try:
-Reset (a 15 episode drama, which is very rare in being so short. This is modern and a suspenseful mystery/sci-fi-esque drama; very light on romance; Mobius is similar, but not QUITE as well done; still a good watch; Under The Skin is also good and kind of similar in vibe but more of a buddy cop drama, with a twist)
-Nirvana in Fire 1 and 2 (wuxia/costume drama; these are maybe not a good first watch, but they are BEAUTIFULLY written; the first season takes some patience, but it's the closest thing to a masterpiece I've seen in drama form, and season 2 is also just rich, poignant and powerful)
-Joy Of Life (1 and 2) (wuxia/costume--very popular due to it's great martial arts and twisty, well-acted plot); some similar wuxia dramas that are pretty good: Guardians Of The Dafeng, and Ever Night (great score, AMAZING fights scenes, controversial romance))
-Costume romance dramas that have strong female leads and somewhat anachronistic relationships as well as some wuxia elements: A Dream of Splendor, Who Rules The World, New Life Begins, The Double (kind of soapy), Love Like The Galaxy, Flourished Peony (and its second season, In The Name Of Blossom), and Blossom, to name a few. All highly recommended!
-Meet Yourself (romance, slice of life; cozy, adorable, and will make you want to travel to Yunnan Province 😅)
-Modern romance which are super popular but for me just okay (not my all-time favs since modern romance Cdramas I sometimes have issues with (gripes specific to each drama 😅)): Hidden Love, First Frost, You Are My Glory, Go Ahead, When I Fly Towards You, and Love Me Love My Voice, The Love You Give Me (Love Between Lines--I actually really liked this one).

Cdramas also do a lot of bromance and borderline censored danmei (same-sex) romance so if you're not into that check the comments and tags and that can help you curate which are just friendship dramas and which are closet BLs. 😉 (Untamed, for instance, is widely popular, but a censored BL, essentially. I hear it's not present enough to pass censorship, but definitely enough for viewers to sense and enjoy for those that are into that; it's really common, just fyi. BLs are deeply frowned upon as acceptable forms of media in China, but many creatives writing Cdramas seem to manage to get some version of them past censorship to many people's extreme delight; there seems to be a significant viewer demand for it).

Those are my extensive thoughts on Cdrama! 😅

Arthur Chen does have a kind of solid presence as a convincing military figure. He doesn't just look pretty (though I admit his poofy wig on top is a little too poofy for me and could come down in height an inch or so 😅), he convinces as someone athletic and agile. I felt the same about his role in Ever Night, which made him a tough act to follow in Season 2 when Dylan Wang tried. After I got used to his way of acting he really embodied the character and I was sold. I also like that he's got some of that same confident, playful, cheekiness as in Ever Night as he does it well.

And they're both listed as guest roles. 😬

I felt like there was a lot of CG in POJ as well. Shots were beautiful, but very little (imo) looked "real." It was really obvious what was a set/CG and what wasn't.