Meari21

Is it just me or is the number of people watching this drama actually rising? Well, at least internationally. I mean, I'm seeing new people in the comments talking about the earlier episodes.

Yep. He's a cutie pie. Another rising star added to my long list of C-ent actors to watch out for.

Their male actors are pretty AF! I have never seen such beautiful men in my life. Hahaha

That too! Such a shame.

The Chinese entertainment industry has the prettiest male actors I've seen in Asia imho. Their BL genre would've blown up worldwide if they had allowed it to exist.

Ahh... if only BL was not banned in China... tsk tsk tsk

Why did Yichen sound so jealous when he asked about the "unresolved conflicts" between Zhao Yuanzhou and Li Lun? lol

Somebody actually said he resembles Kim JimKwon. I'm inclined to agree.

Indeed! While I do watch dramas featuring actors I like, I don't watch all of their dramas simply because they're in them. I still choose what to watch and I do prefer non-romance centric dramas. I sometimes watch dramas with synopsis I find interesting while casually browsing through my streaming app subscriptions with no idea who the cast of actors are. Heat index, Douban ratings, Yunhe views, etc. I couldn't care less about those. Idgaf about what Chinese fans think. lol The only really popular actor in China that I like is Cheng Yi, the rest are not considered top stars at all. But I became his fan back when he wasn't a huge star yet.

I think he was recruited because he has the talent and the looks to boot.

The usual reason why certain talents are recruited as K-pop trainees is the fact that they fit the Korean beauty standards, though. So what the original poster said makes sense. He does look like a K-pop idol. When I first saw him I immediately thought he has the kind of face that Koreans would find attractive.

Wasn't he a K-pop idol at some point? I'm not sure if he debuted in Korea but he was an SM entertainment trainee. I do believe he can speak Korean because he spent some time in South Korea before coming back to China and joining an idol group with Joseph Zeng.

Right! With each side story, the writers specifically draw parallels between the side characters and the leads, and it all comes down to one thing - choice. The great mountain god himself said that the greatest wish of every demon is to have a choice, something he made sure his grandson had because demons are usually born without one. They are nothing but slaves to their nature and fate. Like Fei, Zhu Yan has no control over his own nature. They both didn't want to harm humans but ended up doing it unintentionally anyway because of who they are. Fei is a calamity demon who ironically fell in love with the mortal world and would never wish ill will towards another, and Zhu Yan is a vessel of powerful malicious energy that urges him to destroy and wreak havoc, but he is probably the kindest and gentlest of demons who would rather die than hurt others. Ran Yi fell in love with a mortal woman whom he believed he never would've met if he wasn't chased and injured by demon hunters that day. But their fates are in fact intertwined, and in a way, he didn't have a choice but to do everything in his power for that woman and even die when she could no longer stay with him. Zhu Yan fell in love with a mortal woman too and he might share Ran Yi's fate if he doesn't find a way to change it. Cheng Huang and the first goddess had a similar dynamic as well. Their cursed love could also be how things will end for Zhu Yan and Wen Xiao if they're not careful.

Thank you! The drama actually has a lot of depth if you care to listen to the dialogues. But some are quick to dismiss it as shallow because of the pretty visuals and drop it because they get bored watching people talk. I read similar comments from people who didn't like the first season of Game of Thrones because the plot progression was slow and all the characters did was talk or have sex. But that series went on to achieve phenomenal critical and commercial success despite its disastrous final season. Don't get me wrong, I'm not comparing Fangs of Fortune to Game of Thrones, I'm simply saying that people tend to complain and find things dull when you try to tell a story that delves deeper into philosophical topics and human nature. Some people prefer conventional storytelling styles with exciting plots and epic romances. And I get that because I sometimes just want to watch something light and fluffy so I don't have to use my brain too much. 😄 But there are times when I want dramas that force me to contemplate my own existence. This drama does that to a certain extent.

Bai Ju! 😅

Only his second drama?! Seriously? My god, that boy is going places! And he reminds me of Cheng Yi for some reason.

I give dramas I find lacking low ratings too. I think that's alright as long as you have legit criticisms. But I don't go to fan pages or forums dedicated to those dramas to spread hate. I would probably express my honest opinion with those who ask for it or with friends who also enjoy C-dramas, but openly criticizing something I didn't even bother to finish and try to convince others to think the same way is not my style. You can like what you like and I can like what I like. After all, nobody is forcing me to like something I don't.

When I first started watching C-dramas, I used to wonder why the fandoms could be so toxic, more toxic than the other fandoms I've joined before. But I've long learned that when a drama or movie attracts as many haters as fans, it typically means that it has actually succeeded in getting the attention of a significant number of people and some do not like that one bit, so they're hell-bent on making others feel dumb for liking something they don't and choose not to like.

You hate non-linear storytelling then.

It's not the pretty actors that got me hooked but the human element to it. As I've mentioned in my other post, the dialogue-heavy scenes where the characters simply talk and ponder about life are the ones that drew me in. It's a kind of slice of life type of drama with a straightforward overarching plot. Others have made the same observation. That kind of depth is never present in any of Snyder's works no matter how hard he tries to make his stories "dark and complex". 300 was a good popcorn flick and that was his best work. Not to mention it was a panel for panel adaptation of Frank Miller's classic comic, his original works are turds embellished with gold plating. He does better with adaptations. Guo Jingming, based on this drama alone, is better in my opinion. I'm not a fan of his, but I find this drama enjoyable from the camaraderie to the thought-provoking lines. But like I said, for some people, this is a waste of time. Not to me. You don't need an elaborate tale of scheming characters, epic fights and romance that's full of twists and turns to make something worth watching.