Lilly1008

Yep! If there was a big flaw in "T&E" it was the incredible amount of useless flashbacks. Cut them out, and add some proper episodes to finish the series. That would have added a lot to the otherwise amazing series.

It's different from "Tribes and Empires", that's for sure.
Personally, I'm not that carried away as I was with "T&E", but I think, everyone has his or her own taste.
I'd say, try the first episodes and find out, if it's your cup of tea.

Definitely! Normally, I do my 'first impression' comment after 10-12 episodes - so, still some time left.

Yes! Especially as the adoptive father raised him, taught him, loved him, even died for him.
As we're talking about the adoptive father: Jin Song in that role was one reason why I waitied for this (seems, we'll get the grassland story fed in flashbacks???). He was such an impressive Lu Zhishen and he looks great. That they didn't even show the battle in the beginning, having one amazing actor there to portray a warrior of the grasslands like no other, I take personal. lol

Yes, cutting out useless stuff is much better than blowing up or water injecting a series. "The Longest Day..." is the best example how well it can work.
The diference between TLD and EF is: TLD got worked over over months, EF took five or six weeks which was obviously too short. And then, there are those stories that need 60 or more episode to get told...

When the June-release got announced, they were still at 68 episodes, but obviously, they got blackened by some overeagerly correct citizens, who made the censors interfere. That even got assumed not only be angry fans. Seems, the censors found a lot, they rated as being subversive...
As long as censors control the arts, we'll get more of these poor decisions.

That song is beautiful beyond words. The longer it lasted the more I wished it would not end. Do you know, if the soundtrack is out, already? I'd love to listen to it not only as part of the show.

Ohhhhhh!!!
Seems, we'll get some "Princess Bride" (1987) too:
They obviously copied the amazing Inigo Montoya scene: "Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father. Prepare to die!"
I wonder, what else we'll find...
When do we get new eps. of "The Longest Day..."? Tomorrow???

Why did it look like Bilbo defending Thorin Oakenshield against the wolves and Azog in episode 2...??? We're in Novoland, right, not in Middle Earth??? Or did I miss a thing???

Yes, I hope so as well. Would be a pity.

Feel free to think, what ever you like. If it makes you laugh I'm done with my good deeds for the day, right...?

But, still, no matter how, the feeling that cutting out content of full 12 episodes harms the stroyline and the storytelling and that they didn't take enough time to edit this series properly after it's delay in June and after the cuts, is still there.
The first episode looks like a whole mess to me and you can SEE that things are missing. That's through bad editing after cuts.
So, I, for my part, expect more than this from what's meant to be a series created by professionals. And if they were so much in need to broadcast a counterweight to "The Longest Day..." they should have done it better...

You speak my mind. It seems, they didn't manage to compensate the loss of 12 episodes or they didn't take enough time to make it fitting.
My opinion: Three weeks are not enough to work it over. They should have worked on it properly and choose an air date in Winter or in 2020. With a profound recut.

Yup, I agree! They can go on like this. Next series to pop up out of the blue: "Peace in the Palace, Peace in Chang'an", please... :)

Well, I guess, I made a big mistake. I watched the first episode of "Eagle Flag" right after the new "The Longest Day..." episodes...
Not a good idea.
My first impression: I liked the way T&E started, way better than the way EF started.

The way, the T&E team created tension and the way they built up the story dragged me way more in:
The stranger on his way through the wilderness, the hunters on his heels, the peaceful life in Shuofeng Heye's village before the Muru riders arrived, the clan searching for a new place to live in, etc.
You could feel the tension rise and it glued you to the screen.
Also the boy, who played the young Shuofeng Heye: Even though he was 15 or 16 only when he played in T&E, he already delivered a way more passioante performance compared with Liu Haoran.
But, of course, this is my personal feeling about the first episodes of the two Novoland series. I don't say, others have to agree to it.

Done with episode one.
First impression: "Tribes and Empires" did the way better first episode.

In case, you don't need subs: eps. 21-23 are up too. :)

Let's face it:
If a drama doesn't have (1) one or more hotties to swoon over, (2) one or two female leads fangirlig over the hotties and (3) any kind of romance, it's almost impossible to get more than a 6, perhaps a 7, with a few exceptions like "The Longest Day in Chang'an", "Nirvana in Fire", "Tribes and Empires" or a few older series.
It's like: Oh, there is romance, let's hit 9, oh, no romance, let's hit 5 or 6...a sad truth...

Twins of the same gender only look alike if they are monovular. If they are biovular, twins of the same gender look totally different. Being biovular also makes it possible that one twin is a girl and the other a boy. That's simple genetics.

Everything looks as if they got green light, this time.
Seems, they will air two episodes every Tuesday to Thursday every week, starting tonight at 22.00 local time.

Well, that's almost like a gathering of classmates. :D

But I really like that he follows this recipe from the great directors.
Some might say, it's boring to have always the same faces, I think, it's great to see them in different roles and to see how they develop their skills over the years.

What I also like about Cao Dun:
He works with a main cast that contains of actors able to stand their ground and who make a character believable.
The new trend of casting babyfaced newbies for all the leading roles doesn't work for me.
Don't get me wrong:
New young actors and fresh faces are always needed and should get their chances to show their skills.
What I find a bit annoying, though:
Not only are the stories of most of the new series are exchangable, also the faces of the young actors and actresses are.
They don't have memorable faces anymore, look like cloned, instead.
Then, they get pushed on the audience, performing in one series after the other and when they did their 10 to 15 series they get replaced by another bunch of similar looking guys and girls.
I mean, what makes the actors from the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s so remarkable?
They simply don't look like being cloned.
Jet Lie, Donnie Yen, Andy Lau - no one will mix them up, Zhang Han Yu, Li Zong Han, Chen Long...they are individuals with individual looks.
The young ones are one amongst others. Sad, actually, and pitiable.