Michelle Topham

You're correct that travel/living in other countries really does open your mind to different views and ways of living. I notice that with my friends who have spent years/decades living overseas. They just look at the world differently.

I've lived in six countries so far (UK, U.S., Thailand, Malaysia, Spain, Austria) with the longest being 14 years in Thailand. Currently in my 10th year in Austria but getting itchy feet to move somewhere else. :) Probably back to Asia at some point :) The deep traditions/culture/superstitions/customs of that continent interest me like no other countries. Life always just seems richer, and more vibrant there than anywhere else I've lived.

And yep, let's sign up for that anger management class together - hahahaha.

Exactly. They're both equally strong. I guess that's why the Chinese title is "The Perfect Match" :)

I grew up in the UK (England) where we have around 40 different accents, some of them are very strong. So strong, even I have a problem understanding British movies nowadays and have to use subtitles as I left the UK decades ago :) But yes, I still love hearing them.

I also love hearing the Chinese dialects, as they add such a strong personality to a character. Same when I lived in Thailand - I always loved the "upcountry" Thai accents instead of the Bangkok accent, as they always sound so welcoming and friendly.

And yep, that's very nasty for a streamer to criticize actors' accents. Personally, I think every Chinese actor should dub their own voice, as many of the voice actors they choose don't "fit" the actor or their character. It would add an extra layer of authenticity to a character, IMO.

And I know what you mean about anger management classes. I feel the same way sometimes :)

It's literally a romance drama/novel. Chinese title is 佳偶天成 (The Perfect Match).

Ah thanks for the correction. I don't use the app, so didn't realize it didn't have that. They should add it. It's very useful :)

"Main character syndrome" -- Yep, very true :)

It's weird, isn't it? It's like people who downgrade dramas they're not even watching. Not even Episode 1. What is the purpose of that, and what possible good does it do to anyone? Including the people wasting their time doing it. Weird.

Same. I went to an all-girls high school in the UK and got a superb education (I didn't realize at the time how good it was). I went to university in the U.S. and realized quickly American students were still studying subjects in university that my high school in England had taught when I was 12 and 13 years old. We were even mandated to learn Latin for 5 years :)

So much so, my understanding of Physics, Chemistry, Geography etc. was higher than a huge percentage of American freshman at my school. I knew it was bad when a Geography MAJOR told me "You speak excellent English" and I asked "Why?", and she said "Don't you speak French in England?" -- a GEOGRAPHY major thought that -- LOL.

It's a shame as, IMO, American students aren't any less intelligent than anyone else when they start out, but their "education" system doesn't properly educate many of them like it does in other countries. I currently live in Austria, and have met average Austrians with average jobs who speak 4 or 5 languages fluently, have in-depth knowledge about world politics, and know more about the U.S . than an average American.

Where American education does excel, however, is at Masters and PhD level. I taught high school in Thailand for many years, and I always recommended my students to attend undergrad university in Thailand, and then do a Masters or PhD in the U.S.

I love the U.S., and love being American, but it's such a shame the education system spends most of its money on sports and on promoting "woke" ideology that isn't benefitting the students its teaching.

There's a time counter that runs at the top of every MDL drama listing. Easy to see how long it will be before the next episode drops.

I'm holding out great hope for Against the Current too :) He is such an incredibly talented actor, but most of his dramas have been "meh" and don't get me started on the awfulness of The Princess's Gambit -- ROTFL

I even attempted to watch an older drama of his last week -- Love at Night -- and it's so bad, I couldn't get passed Ep 4.

Again he was an absolute standout in it, but the writing is garbage.

Tan Song Yun is his co-star in ATC too, and she's always superb.

I also liked how they had the school reunion group speak earlier in the drama. I don't understand much Chinese, but I loved the way they all ended almost every sentence with "La".

BTW, can I just point out what an amazing job Jia Nai Na did as the centipede/Madame Flower. Just a small guest role, but such a standout in just the few minutes she was on screen. Loved her in Love and Sword (such a horrible person with no redeeming qualities), but she was even more mesmerizing in this one.

That drama had some negative commentary, but I enjoyed it. Superb ML and FL too, and one of the few Liu Xue Yi dramas where he actually GOT a good script :)

ROTFL. No, you obviously haven't watched it as that isn't the FL AT ALL. I mean why even comment about something you're not watching. So bizarre.

Screenwriter was on social media saying it's an HE. So Yay! :) Someone linked to her post below.

This is explained in the first MINUTE of Episode 1. Just listen to the opening narration -- takes about a minute -- and it explains the entire world, who the demons are and what happened to them.

Happy to see the rating of this slowly rising. It deserves at least an 8.6 to 8.8 at this point -- beautifully written, gorgeously shot and performed, with a stellar cast, phenomenally well-cast ML and FL, and a fascinating story. Six episodes in, and I cannot find fault with anything about this yet.

Perfectly explained. And yes, it's the subtlety of his performance, the minute changes in his expression that signal his displeasure, the flick of an eye, the almost imperceptible movement of his body,. He's one of a small number of Chinese actors who doesn't need the camera to pan to his shaking, clenched fist to show his anger (why DO Chinese directors do that!!!!! Hahahaha).

His characters always stick in my mind, as he is markedly different in every drama he performs in. He's the embodiment of that saying "he wears the character like a glove".

Yep. The screenwriter and the director have done an excellent job. Even the first minute of Episode 1 succinctly explains exactly what you need to know to understand the plot if you haven't watched the other two dramas. Or if you need a quick reminder about that particular world.

It's one of the most well-explained dramas I've watched in a while. Haven't needed to rewind once so far.

Yep. I see people on MDL all the time saying they "watched a drama, but skipped every scene except the ones with the main leads" or "watched a drama but watched it while doing homework, or "watched a drama but skipped Episode 20-35 and just watched the last episode".

Newsflash -- you did NOT watch the drama, and your supposed "397 DAYS of drama watching" are a joke. :)

You see it as well in younger people's intelligence levels, as a sizeable number (not all) fall far short of people in their mid-30s and beyond. It's because many of them have never been taught to concentrate, never been taught to ask questions, never been taught to think for themselves, never been taught to solve problems, or to read anything more than a couple-hundred-words X post, so even watching a drama and understanding the subplot is confusing. They don't seem to be able to comprehend subtle hints in a drama, as that level of thought and deduction seems to be beyond them. (Again, NOT all, and if you're in that age bracket and you can do all those things, good for you. Seriously. You're miles ahead of a huge percentage of your peers!)

You rarely see it in some countries (China, for instance, where the amount of social media use is limited daily for those under 18, and where education is very strict (read some Douban posts about dramas -- light years ahead of many posts by non-Chinese in intelligence and in language skills), which is why the Chinese are now ahead of most western countries in their education of scientists, mathematicians, engineers etc). But you do see it in most western countries (I've lived in 6 of them, it's the same in all 6).

I mean, hell, I've been in stores in the UK where the cashier can't figure out the correct change when a bill is £19.51 and I've given her a £20 note. How do you get through life with your brain unable to do simple math?

It's a shame what education has become in many western countries -- the U.S. spends more money on education than most other countries, but American schools don't educate children but instead indoctrinate them in "identity politics", "diversity, equity and inclusion" and "all whites are racist" bullshit.

I can easily see how China, for instance, will eventually pull away from the U.S. and take over the world. A huge percentage of their people are better educated than Americans (and I'm American but, thankfully, wasn't educated in the U.S.)

Sorry, you set me off on a tangent :) But Ye Gods, I despair for the west sometimes.

Yep. No need to watch the other two dramas to be able to understand this one. Everything you need to know is explained in the narration in the first minute of Episode 1 :)