Michelle Topham

Wow, the cast on this is incredible. And a very cool first couple of episodes - extremely well-written and acted. Love having a drama I'm watching that's short episodes too.

This is excellent. A stellar cast of superb character actors, a very funny, quite touching story, and a fascinating look at China in the 1990s - right as things were beginning to take off economically and societally -- and all through the eyes of a man who was once the most intelligent student in his class, but has never had the opportunity to make much out of his life.

Fascinated to see where this one goes.

Excellent 4 main cast members, and the donghua is brilliant, so hopefully this will be just as good.

It's not just you :) Half of China thinks she can't act as well. You should see all the comments from the Chinese on social media, Douban, Weibo etc. They are even more brutal about her inability to act than most westerners. LOL.

ROTFL. Why is it fangirls always act as if no-one else's opinion is valid but theirs, and THEY have the right to tell you to stop talking? Go away.

Yep. 100% agree.

It's an odd one. I'm a huge fan of the YaShe donghua, but this one is beginning to try my patience. Loved the first 3-4 episodes, but I hate the Su Bei Lu character in this (not the actor, the character) as, unlike in the donghua where he's a cool guy, in this one he's just a hyped-up idiot (he's really NOT intelligent, which is so different than the donghua character). So he's hard to watch in so many scenes.

I'm sticking with it for now, as I like everything else about it. It's just disappointing that the production company/writer have chosen to completely change a character. And not for the better.

Ratings mean absolutely nothing on MDL. I've watched dramas lower than a 7 that I've loved, and HATED dramas that are a 9. Never make a decision about YOUR likes or dislikes based on someone else's.

Oh, I've nothing against the actor, he's doing a great job. It's the character I cannot stand so far.

It's because she cannot act, but is obsessed with 'looking pretty'. So even when she's falling off a cliff or about to be stabbed, same blank look on her face as being pretty is more important to her than showing any emotion and possibly 'looking ugly' on film.

Sadly, after The Princess's Gambit, which she absolutely destroyed, I've given up on anything she's in. Annoyed about this one as I like He Yu, but I can't watch one more drama with her in it and have to stare at her blank face. Hell, you can even look at almost every promo visual that's released of her = same blank face.

I read something recently from a Chinese viewer who absolutely decimated her after she got SLAMMED in China for her terrible performance in The Princess's Gambit, so it's not just non-Chinese who can't watch her.

I've watched dramas for over 3 decades, and in all that time, there are a couple of actresses/actors I don't really care for, but Meng Zi Yi is the only one who makes me want to put my fist through the screen. So decided to stop torturing myself and avoid her at all costs from now on :)

Well you'll have to deal with him in this one with a female lead who CANNOT act. Good luck with that :) Sadly, as much as I like He Yu, this one will be a 'no watch' for me.

Getting very tired of Chinese production companies changing major parts of novel/donghua adaptations. Whether it's the plot, a character's personality or the ending.

In this one, Su Bei Lu is an idiot. I've just finished Episode 5 and his scenes are becoming increasingly difficult/annoying to watch.

In the donghua, he's such a cool, low-key guy. In this, he's an absolute idiot, who does everything Bi Zhi tells him NOT to do. Still enjoying the drama, but my enjoyment will rapidly decrease if Bei Lu doesn't stop acting like a 5 year old child. And soon.

It's so bad, he's even in a 5-star restaurant in one scene and acting like a clueless, low-class fool shoveling food in his mouth, and pointing across the restaurant while shouting in a loud voice about another customer. Such a stupid guy, and so unlike the donghua character.

It's not BL though and it never was. The novel isn't BL. The donghua isn't BL. So it has nothing to do with 'Chinese censorship'. It's just a bromance.

That's pretty low though, Unfortunately, if it doesn't get up to at least 22,000 or 23,000 it's an official flop.

It's sad they've written the character like this, as he's completely different in the donghua. Unfortunately in the C-drama, he's an idiot, which really detracts from the plot and from the friendship of the two men, which is far more believable and more interesting in the donghua, IMO.

I'm still really enjoying the Cdrama, but must admit I'm getting tired of Chinese production companies changing characters, plots or endings of stories that are massively different in the books or donghua they appeared in first.

The minute we saw the YaShe shop travel to another moment in time, Doctor Who was my first thought. I'm British, and grew up with the iconic Doctor Who and the Tardis :) So yep. :) (And yes, after Capaldi left the show, it went completely 'woke' and, like most of the fandom, I'm no longer interested in it.. A real shame, as the show was brilliant before that).

All superb. Watch it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I know! YaShe is one of my favorite more recent donghua, so was ecstatic when I suddenly saw the live action pop up. And, only 4 eps in so far, but it's very very good.

Loving this so far (Episode 4).

I'm a huge fan of the YaShe donghua, but this is just as good in a different way. The story is far more developed than the donghua, as it's about 3 times longer, the male leads are excellent (well, Su Bei Lu is an idiot, which he isn't in the donghua, but he's growing on me :), I really like that the stories from the donghua are much more developed as there's more time for the writer to do that as the episodes are longer and there's waaaaaay more of them.

Cinematography is beautiful, the special effects are very well done, and the characters, including the side characters, are all interesting. The writing is very tight too, so it's never boring.

Very happy with Gao Wei Guang being cast as Bi Zhi, he's perfect. Not so much with Leon Leong, but that's not really him, but more the character being markedly different than the donghua which makes him more jarring, so I'm likely to enjoy his casting more as the series progresses and I begin to like his character more. Good chemistry between the two men as well.

All in all, definitely recommend this. It's a very fun watch, with every episode whizzing by as there's so much going on.

It's quite a bit different than the YaShe donghua (which I love!) as the stories are much more developed. I'm at Episode 4 and absolutely loving it so far. Cinematography and special effects are superb, the two male leads are excellent (well, unlike the donghua, Su Bei Lu is an idiot, but he's growing on me :), and it's very very fun watch.