Unless I've missed it, I don't think people in this comment section have openly spoken about the strong political messages in this drama about racial discrimination, immigrants, and illegal aliens. The demons wanting to live in the mortal world can be compared to immigrants looking for greener pasture. I made a joke with my friend the other day that the Baize Goddesses are basically immigration officers and those marks given to demons when they get permission to travel to the mortal world are like passports and visas. lol I wonder, though. Do mortals also travel to the Wildnerness? And if they do, do they also need to get permission?
Funny, that long flashback in The Untamed was the thing that irked me the most about that drama. I thought that…
The thing is, the relevance to the story that you mean is subjective. For you it may not be relevant, but for others, it is. This style is often used in manga and anime. I've often referenced the anime Frieren when it comes to the storytelling style that was adapted for this drama. The flashbacks in that anime are about characters that have long perished and an adventure that happened a hundred years before. Some of those are no longer relevant to the present story and yet they add more context to who Frieren is, what her motivations are, and what may occur in the future. The side characters in Fangs of Fortune are meant to show what could possibly happen to the main characters as they supposedly share their fate. As someone else mentioned, the drama's central theme is about the freedom of choice, something that most demons do not possess because they are slaves to their own natures. It's a cycle that repeats and something that the main characters must break, and that is why it seems repetitive.
As I told the original poster, that long flashback in The Untamed screams lazy writing to me. Unlike others, I had no issues understanding the narrative. In fact, I would've preferred they told the story in a more non-linear way instead of doing one long exposition dump in the form of a flashback, it would've made it more interesting for me. That's one of the reasons I didn't enjoy The Untamed as much as most people did. I got a lot of flak simply for thinking it's overrated. But that's just me.
As for Zack Snyder, I beg to disagree. Most of his known works are adaptations of popular comic books like 300 and Watchmen so naturally they would have to get permission from the publishers and authors. Frank Miller was not too happy about those movies, though. But his original works do not give credit to the popular IPs referenced. One very good example is Rebel Moon. That movie has references to several IPs including Star Wars, Dune, Seven Samurai, and even the video game Warhammer. The Star Wars reference is obvious because he actually pitched that script to Disney but was turned down because of how bad it was. But the rest, he didn't even admit to taking inspiration from those. And Zack lingers, oh yes he does! Rebel Moon part 1 and 2 would've been only one film if the slow motion scenes were cut out. The scenes are so slow you practically see how badly the action sequences were executed. The plot progression is even slower despite the fact that the whole thing is held together by a flimsy plot stolen from Akira Kurosawa. He has 6 movies planned for his "Star Wars for adults franchise", three of those are extended versions that he claims are completely different from the cut versions. WTF?! He likes to stretch out his plots, putting in filler scenes after filler scenes and call them "relevant" to his tale. And I always find plot holes in his stories. Always. He's the kind of filmmaker who needs 4 hours of runtime to tell a decent story. Some of the best filmmakers in the world could do it in 2 hours or less, why can't he? Every time he tries to make something seem deep and complex, it comes across as pretentious and contrived. I did enjoy 300 for what it was but it was the best he could do. He had to adapt Frank Miller's comic panel for panel to make a decent piece of cinema. Synder would've made an excellent cinematographer, but he's a subpar filmmaker. At least, for me, Guo Jingming has the ability to create a dramatic atmosphere that doesn't seem forced or meant to play with your emotions. But again, that is subjective. People see things differently as we enjoy different things as well.
In terms of the plagiarism accusations, some Chinese fans cited similarities to The Legend of Exorcism, a popular danmei novel/donghua. I can't really be sure as I only saw the first season and that was a long time ago, but the only similarities I could find are the demons and demon hunting aspects. But that sort of plot is common in many Asian stories. The idea for the Cloud Light sword that they say was taken from that series can also be taken from Flame of Recca, Mikagami's ice sword. That is a common trope in anime as well. Those are not enough to call something plagiarized. While it's true that he was found guilty of plagiarizing a book many years ago, we don't know how much he actually copied and how similar those books are as we haven't read them. But this I know, in China, if someone with power wants to destroy you, they can. Also, we don't know how the law works there and what they would consider plagiarism. I mean, Snyder is still working and getting millions to make his passion projects but he has blatantly copied plots and elements from popular works. If he's a Chinese filmmaker, he would have a worse reputation than Guo Jingming.
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.
It's giving, current lover jealous of the ex lover
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.
It's the first time I see a drama's viewers need to explain why it is popular, just because it doesn't center…
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.
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.…
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.
Hou Ming Hao is so handsome. He knows how to style like a korean kpop idol. I like how he smiles like an innocent…
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.
It’s really great. People are writing really thought provoking essays on even the side stories.
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.
On the topic of some comments that the drama is not interesting enough - the thing is that this drama is more…
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.
As I told the original poster, that long flashback in The Untamed screams lazy writing to me. Unlike others, I had no issues understanding the narrative. In fact, I would've preferred they told the story in a more non-linear way instead of doing one long exposition dump in the form of a flashback, it would've made it more interesting for me. That's one of the reasons I didn't enjoy The Untamed as much as most people did. I got a lot of flak simply for thinking it's overrated. But that's just me.
As for Zack Snyder, I beg to disagree. Most of his known works are adaptations of popular comic books like 300 and Watchmen so naturally they would have to get permission from the publishers and authors. Frank Miller was not too happy about those movies, though. But his original works do not give credit to the popular IPs referenced. One very good example is Rebel Moon. That movie has references to several IPs including Star Wars, Dune, Seven Samurai, and even the video game Warhammer. The Star Wars reference is obvious because he actually pitched that script to Disney but was turned down because of how bad it was. But the rest, he didn't even admit to taking inspiration from those. And Zack lingers, oh yes he does! Rebel Moon part 1 and 2 would've been only one film if the slow motion scenes were cut out. The scenes are so slow you practically see how badly the action sequences were executed. The plot progression is even slower despite the fact that the whole thing is held together by a flimsy plot stolen from Akira Kurosawa. He has 6 movies planned for his "Star Wars for adults franchise", three of those are extended versions that he claims are completely different from the cut versions. WTF?! He likes to stretch out his plots, putting in filler scenes after filler scenes and call them "relevant" to his tale. And I always find plot holes in his stories. Always. He's the kind of filmmaker who needs 4 hours of runtime to tell a decent story. Some of the best filmmakers in the world could do it in 2 hours or less, why can't he? Every time he tries to make something seem deep and complex, it comes across as pretentious and contrived. I did enjoy 300 for what it was but it was the best he could do. He had to adapt Frank Miller's comic panel for panel to make a decent piece of cinema. Synder would've made an excellent cinematographer, but he's a subpar filmmaker. At least, for me, Guo Jingming has the ability to create a dramatic atmosphere that doesn't seem forced or meant to play with your emotions. But again, that is subjective. People see things differently as we enjoy different things as well.
In terms of the plagiarism accusations, some Chinese fans cited similarities to The Legend of Exorcism, a popular danmei novel/donghua. I can't really be sure as I only saw the first season and that was a long time ago, but the only similarities I could find are the demons and demon hunting aspects. But that sort of plot is common in many Asian stories. The idea for the Cloud Light sword that they say was taken from that series can also be taken from Flame of Recca, Mikagami's ice sword. That is a common trope in anime as well. Those are not enough to call something plagiarized. While it's true that he was found guilty of plagiarizing a book many years ago, we don't know how much he actually copied and how similar those books are as we haven't read them. But this I know, in China, if someone with power wants to destroy you, they can. Also, we don't know how the law works there and what they would consider plagiarism. I mean, Snyder is still working and getting millions to make his passion projects but he has blatantly copied plots and elements from popular works. If he's a Chinese filmmaker, he would have a worse reputation than Guo Jingming.