MyLangyaList

What a pleasant surprise! I'm just watching for the comedy and not really expecting/needing a conventionally good story. But good to see the show also pulling off the sweet and heartwarming.

It's from a Chinese idiom 'smashing a rock with an egg' . Basically analogizing the futility of an effort. It's referenced in several convos in the show and lampooning some of the MCs.

It's awesome, just watch it. And while the payoff of most shows depend on the whole story and ending, this show you can just watch for the laughs in each episode.

It doesn't even need a coherent plot. Though so far (ep8) underneath all the silliness, there actually is a consistent plot line.

It's awesome, just watch it. And while the payoff of most shows depend on the whole story and ending, this show you can just watch for the laughs in each episode.

It doesn't even need a coherent plot. Though so far (ep8) underneath all the silliness, there actually is a consistent plot line.

Yeah the show is emphatically not serious, which I think actually helps it to be more restrained in the silly humor.

Yeah you are right! It does have some of that Stephen Chow feel. This show is antics and absurdity first, and I love it.

😂😂😂 ep9, almost there. All the idol costume drama tropes is such a goldmine for parody, I'm surprised more shows don't do it

yeah, seems to be intentionally silly in big neon signs. I find it quite funny though

The good news is that if you liked this show. There are 2 more shows you'll like even better 😃. I recommend you watch Sword Snow Stride first, then Joy of Life. They are from the same screenwriter and has a similar vibe but even better execution compared to Young Blood 1&2.

Both of these excel at depicting a fleshed-out world with dimensional and intriguing characters. The plot twists are revealed in a way that's even more integral to the story and with the proper buildup and pacing. And best of all, there is plenty of humor (especially JOL) delivered by veteran actors.

Though unlike YB, where the story revolves around a team of main characters, SSS and JoL is much more focused on the journey of the ML. Though if you liked Yuan Zhongxin, the MLs dials up the 'good-hearted rogue' character even more. And there is still camaraderie between the ML and his team of funny/intriguing support characters.

In the quantum sense, yes anything is possible. But practically speaking, it's extremely unlikely as it's intended to be the conclusion of the story. And one of the good things about Cdramas is that they don't drag shows out into infinite future seasons.

I think this is perfectly reasonable route for this story, though I think the buildup and execution could be improved as it was very abrupt and wasn't wholly congruent with the episodes leading up to it.

There was also many perfectly reasonable ways to end the shows on a happier note that still preserves the theme of the story (letting go, etc.) and resolves the tensions (emperor issue, poison issue, quitting Jianghu issue, etc.).

I think Douban rating reflect the sentiment of Chinese natives or those who are linguistically/culturally fluent, with a broader age range. Most idol dramas languish in the 4.0-7.0 range as they are derivative and the audience have an idea of what exceptional shows should look like. 8+ is considered a very good rating as unfortunately the 8+, 9+ shows have become scarce in recent years.

There's still manipulation and upvoting/downvoting campaigns, but generally I find it a much better indicator than MDL. Where there is significant overrating on Douban is actually for foreign (US) dramas. It mirrors the overrating situation on MDL--because Chinese audiences also like the novelty of foreign shows and have less cultural acumen to be very stringent on quality. So a you have the likes of 2 Broke Girls rated 9.1, the same level as Breaking Bad, and much higher than most Chinese shows.

In many ways the lack of cultural fluency is also a gift, as it allows MDLers to enjoy many shows that natives find bland or trope-filled. Though that creates a situation where even the worst shows get avg rating of 7+ here. Older shows and culturally inaccessible shows are underrated, and there's little numerical differentiation between shows of varying quality in the top range.

I don't remember too clearly, but I think the image was uploaded to a cloud drive in the previous loop, and accessed for the final reset. If the upload time was before the start of final loop, I suppose there wouldn't be a direct contradiction.

Oh I see. I can see some merit to this policy as I'm sure many show would have no problem trampling all over history just to make money from shock value. At the same time, this could get really restrictive and hamper creativity.

Makes me kinda wonder about the Longest Day in Chang'an ending and whether this played a role.

Is there a hard, or soft historical requirement to pass review? Or more due to audience preferences?

Not sure how you came to this conclusion from the books or the show, if you actually read or watched at all. So much for defending authoritarianism and inhumanity when Book 1 literally puts the ghastly insanity of Cultural Revolution on full gory display. It's also written as the genesis of Ye Wenjie's pivotal decision to betray the location of Earth.

If you want to get really political about it, a far more reasonable reading would be that Liu Cixin wrote his magma opus on the anniversary of Cultural Revolution, and indicted CR for the destruction of humanity. And in the sequels, he repeated reflects on the destructive capacity of being too authoritarian alongside the sobering reminder that in desperate times some authoritarianism is needed for survival. So much for being a groveling misanthrope.

Does that mean his political views will completely align with yours? Or that he will go out of his way to put himself in political crosshairs? Of course not. But by having the courage to enshrine the Cultural Revolution in the Three Body Problem he will have already have done infinitely more for humanity and justice than a hate review on a book you didn't read, about a human being you don't know, regarding subjects you don't understand, using the time/effort you didn't invest.

If anything, your moral grandstanding is just perfect for authoritarianism. Go join the cultural revolution, you will feel right at home.

there's not much romantic entanglements, because there's not much romance. If that's really important to you, this might not be your cup of tea.

Correction, a bit of romance, but it takes a backseat to a lot of other things.

On ep7 and I'm actually liking S2 quite a bit. S2 may not have begun with as much humor as S1, but many aspects have improved. The acting is much better for both the younger actors, and older supporting actors. Production quality is better and I like the serious color grading to match the serious tone of the drama.

If you are nostalgic about the funny moments from early S1, it's not there yet but rumored to be coming in later episodes. If you finished S1 recently and is a little hesitant due to the limping finish in S1, definitely give this a shot.

IMO the best thing for me in S2 is that they quickly put the story back on solid footing.

To be fair, it might have been an upgrade. Even machine dictation might be more compelling and doesn't come with the permanent 'Droopy' (from Enigma) look.

CDL should get best supporting actress award for minimizing her own appearances in the show--addition by subtraction. I kid, I kid, she wasn't awful but also didn't bring much dimension or presence with her role.

Mostly because of a disappointing ending or were you already underwhelmed throughout?