Michelle Topham

Yep. It's industry standard sadly. I have ZERO problem with naturally skinny men, but when so many of these actors are all but forced to keep their calorie intake under a healthy amount just to be this thin so they look a certain way on camera (as that's what many of them have to do, men and women) it's not a good thing, IMO.

Sure, it's a problem in the west as well, but it's often taken to an extreme in Asian entertainment. I lived in Asia for 15 years, saw some of these people on the street, and always found it shocking.

On the same subject: I remember watching a video/reading an interview (?) with one Korean actress about actor Kim Jae Wook (one of my Top 5 of all time) and she was asked about possibly falling in love with him.

Her response was something like "Ooooh Ye Gods, NO, he's waaaaay too thin. I could fit my hands around his waist" -- hahahahahaha. So yep, even some of the actresses think these guys are a bit too delicate :)

Hahahaha, thanks for the laugh. :) And I think that's the problem with a lot of Chinese actors though (not that I don't love them!). They are actually very thin and delicate, while they're supposedly playing incredibly powerful characters -- (if you saw them in real life without those voluminous robes, half of them are the size of a reasonable sized twig :) A handspan would fit around some of their thighs. :)

And don't forget the camera adds 10 lbs.

I think that's the first time I've ever seen almost an entire family wiped out in one battle during a drama. Horrible. But an interesting plot choice. (A pity too as, man, the actors are incredibly hot :) Some of my absolute faves in that group.

Agree 100%. So many Chinese actresses are pleasant enough, but nothing special. Compared to Korean and Japanese dramas, both of which feature a slew of incredibly talented actresses, I would say the vast majority of Chinese actresses just don't stand out for their acting skills only for their looks.

But... I don't think this is the fault of the women themselves. I think it's the Chinese drama industry, where most of their actors (male and female) are expected to look a certain way and, especially the women, behave a certain way. That makes for bland and same old/same old after you've watched as many C-dramas as many of us have :)

IMO, it will change if the Chinese ever decide they are serious about competing with K-dramas internationally (the Japanese obviously haven't decided that -- yet).

As it stands right now, with so much of what the Chinese produce being fun enough but very 'cookie cutter' in substance, they don't stand a chance in dominating the international stage.

It's a shame, as the Chinese are phenomenally talented in aesthetics -- their cinematography in an average C-drama blows the Koreans and Japanese out of the water. Now if they can just get their performances and scripts to the level of the Koreans and Japanese as well, they could eventually dominate the market. I wouldn't mind seeing them succeed :)

You must have missed the scene about 15 minutes into Episode 1 about the arranged marriage between the ML and Yoo Ha Yeong.

This week -- https://baozibuns.com/wallace-huos-why-is-he-still-single-gets-premiere-date-and-poster-looks-adorably-cute-and-fun/ -- and so exited about this one.

Big Wallace Huo fan, and been waiting SO long :) Trailer makes it look even more fun.

Unfortunately, there just aren't that many Chinese actresses who have superb skills and can play a strong character like this. Many of them are wishy-washy, IMO, and sort of all blend into each other as they look similar (pretty but bland) and act similarly :)

And yep, I'm not a particular Dilraba fan myself. I can watch her, but wouldn't choose a drama she's in just because it's her. I just think she's a little more 'standout' than many other Chinese actresses as, at least, she looks different.

Then again, I've been watching Chinese dramas for over 20 years, so maybe I'm just a bit jaded :)

ROTFL. Love Rom coms. Watched hundreds of them (I write about Asian dramas, among other things, for a living so, yep, probably watched more rom coms over the last 30 years from all over Asia than you've had hot dinners), but this one is nothing new with different actors. Seen it over and over. Know exactly what's coming in every new scene.

Anyway, I'm not wasting my time negatively commenting over and over about something I personally didn't enjoy. Too busy. Enjoy it if it's your thing.

Weirdly, thought this would be awesome from people gushing about it, but barely finished Ep 1. Won't be watching any more. Same old same old. Nothing new. Usual tropes (yet another boring arranged marriage trope, for one). Not interesting. Not funny. Don't particularly care for the characters. Love Ahn Eun Jin, but this one is a 'No' for me.

Sadly, Meng ZiYi cannot act. She's worse than Victoria Song. I wouldn't even have started it if she had been cast as the FL. She destroyed The Princess's Gambit -- had one facial expression in every scene. Even when her life was being threated or when she was falling off a cliff -- blank, but very pretty. Because heaven forbid the camera doesn't show "just how pretty I am". Easily the worst actress coming out of China.

Zhao Lusi. She has a huge personality on screen, and very big balls. Doesn't put up with shit from anyone either, as we've recently seen in real life. She's younger than DYX, but could easily play someone older. Her presence would do that for her alone.

She's one of the few Chinese actresses who is larger than life. So many of the others just blend in to the background (I can't tell the difference between 3 or 4 of them -- same blank looks, same boringly pretty faces, same terrible acting skills). She stands out in every scene she's in, and can best any actor she's paired with.

IMO, she's more Korean in her sensibilities as she really kicks ass. So many superbly strong Korean actresses. So few Chinese.

Zhao Li Ying (38) would also have been a better choice -- phenomenal in The Legend of Shen Li. Especially in the fight scenes.

Or Dilraba Dilmurat -- 33, nice onscreen presence. Kickassy when she wants to be.

Or maybe (?) Tan Song Yun - 35. Decent acting skills.

Or Yang Mi (39).

Overall though, the Chinese excel with their male actors. Actresses? I could easily pair 10 Korean actresses with DXY -- Chinese? Far more difficult, as so many of them are the same of the same.

Same on Meng Zi Yi. One of worst actresses I've seen coming out of Asia, have to either avoid everything she's in or play her scenes at 2x speed her acting skills are so poor. Her terrible skills also came to a boiling point in The Princess's Gambit. Doubt I'll ever get over them. And neither will poor Liu Xue Yi :)

Meanwhile, up until VS, I've only ever had 2 actresses I cannot watch --and both are Chinese (same poor skills, same blank expressions), but it looks like I will have to add a 3rd to my list going forward.

Honestly, will never understand why a substantial number of Chinese actresses are "pretty but bland" first, and portray the actual character second. In this regard, the Koreans and the Japanese do a HELLUVA lot better with their actresses.

BTW, have only seen Victoria Song in a couple of other dramas before, a long time ago, and don't remember her performances being this bad. But in this, she's the standout as she's the only person in the entire drama who is struggling to portray a character authentically.

Yep, Victoria Song is horribly miscast.

Only 7 episodes in, went into it with an open mind as I couldn't care less about age gaps (stupidest thing ever) and.... I'm older than her and have dated men a fair bit younger than me so.... whatever, but the way she plays Chu Yu is so bland and dull. She's also a bit like Meng Zi Yi (although nowhere near as bad) in that her facial expression rarely changes from 'pretty but uninteresting'.

All of that is made much worse by the horrible plasticky make up every main actor has been subjected to.

Throw in she has no chemistry with Ding Yu Xi, and I'm already at the point where I watch all of her scenes on 1.5 speed.

If they'd cast an actress 20 years older than DYX, if she fit the part, I couldn't care less. VS just doesn't, and it's jarring as the rest of the drama is so good, and the cast (especially the male cast) is superb.

Make up is horrible in this one. Not just for VS but for every main actor. They all look like they've had their make up slapped on with a spatula so it's 3 inches thick, and then fired in a kiln so it's baked on and shiny. Love the drama. Hate the make up :)

And yep, agree with you 1000% on VS. She's not a suitable fit for the part.

She's bland in just about everything she acts in. A very pretty face (although too plasticky with the make-up in this one, but almost EVERY character looks like that including the ML), but just an empty personality.

Chu Yu is supposed to be fiery and wild and not caring about what anyone thinks. She plays her like a repressed schoolmarm with a stick up her ass. Play every scene she's in on 1.5 speed as I love the drama, but she's miscast.

For me it has nothing to do with an age gap (stupidest thing ever), they have ZERO chemistry, don't mesh at all, and I Victoria Song is an extremely bland actress. Could have cast a female actress 20 years old, couldn't care less if she was a fit for the part. VS isnt'.

ROTFL, of course they're not. Hence the tag 'historical' drama. And if that's how you're going into Chinese dramas with that mindset, you're going to be severely disappointed.

Not only are they a drama based on Chinese historical values, they are the last thing you should probably watch if you want something that features the social norms of today.

Honestly, I am always amazed at how many people (especially younger people) think THEIR values, THEIR morals, THEIR culture should take center stage in everything they watch. If that's what you want, go and watch something that fits with that, and not complain when a Chinese HISTORICAL drama doesn't.

Hahahaha, yep. :) Honestly, I've been so incredibly disappointed with several MDL-user high rated dramas and, conversely, been surprised that low rated dramas were ones I enjoyed.

I think the big problem with MDL, though is, rather than rate a drama on its own merits, a huge percentage of users here give it a high rating if it features their favorite actor or a low rating if it's an actor they don't like, or an actor who (supposedly) has "offended" them with something they've said/done.

Hell, we've even had idiots downrating a drama because it was BASED on an Israeli drama. Not written by an Israeli, not acted by Israelis, not directed by an Israeli director, or produced by an Israeli company, but BASED on a popular Israeli drama from a few years ago.

You can't fix stupid. I don't even try. But I do make up my own mind about the dramas I like or don't :)

And, btw, if you haven't watched League of Nobleman yet, you should. It's very nicely done.

Oh that's definitely true :) And really wish MDL would stop giving people the ability to watch episodes that haven't dropped and they obviously haven't watched. Annoying.