Lilly1008

Honestly, hair, costumes and make-up are the least I care about because, they are amongst the few things that remained on constant high quality level.
Dylan Wang does a good job, I didn't say anything else, all the other actors try, too, but to me, this has nothing to do with "Ever Night" anymore!
As I said before: How is this supposed to be the same story if so many important characters got new actors and actresses?
The chemistry and the charme of this series are gone, its credibility is gone and the whole production lost its impact.
This is a drama series, not a live on-stage play or a live opera, where it needs a second or third cast to replace someone, who might get sick etc.
A drama series planned for three seasons needs a cast being present for three seasons, otherwise its a joke...

Repetitive, boring, draggy...
None of the cast members replacing the original cast managed to convince me, yet, neither does the writing, sorry, but that's not what I "signed" for...

That's meant with "season one had its flaws"...
I could have lived pretty well without the 20+ episodes wasted on Ning Que and Mo Shan Shan...
The first season included a lot of movement and action, too, though, driving the plot forward, while it now seems to barely move at all...
The one, I miss the most is Hu Jun as Xia Hou. His presence in every scene he appeared in was enourmous.
And then the fight scenes, choreographed for Andy On, Chen Feiyu and Hu Jun...excellent!
Season two feels as if it's a totally different story not even related to season one at all. If not for the characters names telling me it's "Ever Night" it could be any other average show...

What the hell did happen to the writing and to the stage choreography???

Season one had its flaws (in particular, the overly stretched out Ning Que drooling over Mo Shan Shan part) but it was at least dynamic and with the characters being active, not to mention numerous thrilling duels of which the final one was even the wekest...

Ten episodes into it, season two had one or two nice fight scenes - the rest was static standing around and spooling dialogue off.
And this is supposed to go on for 33 more episodes and another season???

Has anyome ever thought about turning a story like this into a movie trilogy like "Lord of the Rings"??? THAT would surley add to being less draggy and to being way more vivid and dynamic!!!

Fully agree!
I'm with you at 100%
(I just didn't want to rant that early, again... lol)

I think Hu Yi Tian really played a double role, here, which, I think, is ok, but it actually weakens Chen Zhe Yuan's part. Who will ever understand a director's decision...

That they already started with dragging out the scenes and with water injection during the first episodes is pathetic, but seems to be common, especially with the new drama series.

I guess, we'll get to see the parent's backstory in many loooong flashbacks, which will also add to dragging out the story. Why didn't they simply use the first episode as a prologue, explaining what the relationship between the two sisters and the two lovers is about and why the couple takes flight. That would at least have made some sense.

Oh yes! The slow-motion! Someone started to use it and everyone jumped on the train as if they found a new toy to play with... Blergh!!!

Seems, I'll add this to my long list of disappointments.
Poor Gu Long!
He'd be sad if he could see what they did to his novels in these new adaptations of "Handsome Siblings", "The Lost Sowrdship" and also "Bordertown Prodigal"...
*sigh*

Just finishedwatching episode two. Not sure what to think of it, yet.
What I know, though: The same annoying, boring voice actors like always, sounding the same boring and annoying like they did in a felt 1000 drama series before...blergh...

I downloaded all episodes that I can watch them without limits.
Normally, I watch series or movies when I have the time.
If the weather is fine, I prefer hiking tours over watching TV or Streaming channels. That's why I'm not always up-to-date.

I'm waiting for the last episode of "Joy of Life" to air, tomorrow. Then, I can finish the first season without any further delay. :)

What I always find sad: The blame goes to the actors, who replace their colleagues from the previous season. That is unfair and hurts the wrong people. It's the production and casting team that should take the blame and it's obvious, they didn't give a damn about thinking whom to cast.

One example: Emperor Li Zhongyi of Tang
I like both actors, Leon Lai and Bao Jian Feng, but, what the hell, did the casting team think??? That time flows backwards???
Leon Lai got born in 1966, Bao Jian Feng in 1975...so, the Emperor gets younger, then, while every one else gets older when the story continues???
Poor Bao Jian Feng gives his best, he's a good actor, handsome, too, but even tons of make-up cannot hide the fact that he's almost ten years younger than Leon Lai!!!
I think, the casting team should get fired, because they didn't spend a single thought on making the right decisions and the actors get the blame others should be faced with...

And, yes, I really hope, the casting and prodution teams for "Joy of Life" have more brains!!!

At least that is what they have in common with Hollywood... ;)

A sad truth gets obvious: The quality of season one is gone.
The whole thing looks cheap and worked on like having been in a rush to just bring up season two as quick as possible.
The scenes where NIng Que and Sang Sang meet Master Qi Shan are so easily to recognise as to be filmed in front of a green screen that it hurts the eye and, sadly, the new season even started to drag after just a few episodes into the show.

As for the cast:
Ireen Song and Dylan Wang are really tried to show the chemistry between their characters, but the whole try fails to convince, it looks wooden and forced, the playful and natural chemistry betwen the characters is gone...
Don't get me wrong: It's not Dylan Wang's fault, he does his best to fill out the character, but it simply doesn't work. He looks like cosplaying Ning Que and not like playing Ning Que...
And then the exchange of so many important characters: Ye Hong Yu, the Emperor, the Empress, the Princess, the Flower Addict, the Emperor's brother and so on - the list is long...
How could they think, it would work???
Did they care at all???

I already said it a few months ago in an earlier post:
This project was planned as a three season production from the very beeginning, means, the production team was aware that they'd need the same cast for all three seasons when they started the casting sessions - and they weren't able to get this done!!!
THAT isn't just non-professional it's worse than non-professional - it's simply not giving a f..k about the production!!!
Didn't they tell the cast that they'd be needed for three seasons???
That's how it looks to me...
And if some of the cast members realised that they'd be needed for three seasons and decided they'd not be willing or able to do it (for what ever reasons), it's similarly non-professional.
If I don't want to do a multi season project, I'll leave the auditions to actors who ARE willing to do all three seasons...

For me, the magic and quality of season one went "poof" and not even the soundtrack is able to bring back the feeling and the goosebumps of season one...

There is a reason, why great productions like "Star Wars", "Lord of the Rings", "Star Trek" and others are great: They managed to keep their cast together and not only for three movies/seasons but for decades!!!
Sadly, there's still a long way to go for Chinese High Fantasy series and the first step should be: Make sure to keep your cast together...

Nothing to add...!!!

Instead of having exchanged the actresses for Ye Hong Yu and the Flower Addict, they rather should have changed that boring Mo Shan Shan...
Does Yuan Bing Yan have more than one facial expression...??? Of the three girls in season one (Meng Zi Yi, Huang Yi Lin and Yuan Bing Yan), she was by far the most tiring one...

You speak my mind at 100%.
Li Xian was super cool in "Medical Examiner Dr. Qin" and Li Yi Tong is amazing in "Bloody Romance". It could have bcome a great wuxia/xianxia story, but in the end it's the same old stew we got served a 1000 times before with the same boring dubbing voices we've heard a 1000 times before...

Totally agree!
I think, many complain, because none of their fave idols star in this new adaptation. I, for my part, really like the cast and the way, the changes made add to the story and give it more depth.

You speak my mind at 100%...

Thanks for the link!!! I'll check it out!!!

Oh, it's not so unusual that actors use to work on different projects. I could bring up a full list of names, who work on two or three drama series during a running year. Especially when they are young and catch mainly supporting roles. Xiao Zhan is no exception. He caught a one-in-a-million role performing for "The Untamed". The years to come will proof, what he's able to make out of it.

That's exactly, why I don't like "idols" and how they get pushed to fame.
Seems, I'm pretty old-school, prefering actors, who went the long way to fame.
Interestingly, most of those actors are still asked for in busisness even if they are 30+. 40+ or 50+.
Idols will be pushed aside as soon as another toy-boy shows up, having a higher screem-factor, while actors are like good wine: getting better while getting older...

What's wrong with small and supporting roles at the beginning of a carreer?
Even the biggest stars of the movie world all around the world started small.
Sometimes, one can only wonder...