RSMasterfade

Also remember the water flask Long Bo gave Cao Poyan in ep12 to help the local ruffian to lure Zhang Xiao Jing away? I had the feeling Zhang Xiao Jing might have recognized the flask, and that's why he chose to follow the ruffian.

I begun to suspect when Long Bo kept on saying, like Zhang Xiao Jing did, Wen Ran was his 'family'. I became almost 100% sure when Zhang Xiao Jing told Tan Qi about this weirdo soldier in the 8th platoon. Remember the soldier on the top of the fortress whom as Zhang Xiao Jing told Tan Qi, went to the West after the war? I'm pretty certain that's Long Bo.

Yes I was being a bit too harsh. I do like Xu Bin's death better in the show than in the novel. In the novel, the death was something done to him (well he was a bit too careless), but in the show the death was something he chose because of who he was (trying to save the Archive instead of just running out), so it had a lot more meaning and impact than the original.
By itself, the first 'death' of Xu Bin was handled well. I've been told if one looks careful at the end of episode 16 there were hints of body moments when Xu Bin was supposedly dead, I couldn't see it but maybe I just need to look harder. In any case episode 17 begun with Xu Bin being alive. So I imagine there must have been debates on the false death, so they chose to reveal it right at the beginning. So alone this is fine.
As for Wen Ran's 'death', there were some hints, Cao Poyan moved very quick to cover the well, which was a bit suspicious, but then Yu Chang did take a look down the well. Yes Ma Ge'er and especially Cao Poyan were reluctant to kill her, and probably chose to force her jump instead of stabbing her so at least she had some chances to survive.

(BTW, I never thought I would tear up for a terrorist, but I was really moved by Cao Poyan at the end of ep13. From what I read online I wasn't alone in this. Great performance by Wu Xiaoliang! In case it's not obvious from his name, Wu Xiaoliang is Mongolian Chinese. Looking at the credit, all Wolf Guards were played by actors of Mongolian descent. The casting director was serious.)

So individually both 'death' was handled fine, it's just that they happened in rapid succession was problematic, for me at least.

Xu Bin's first death was badly handled, a serious flaw in the script. I haven't read the novel, but I've been told he died right there in the novel. While I do like that he died later in the show, I think having two false deaths (Xu's and Wen Ran's) in the span of a few episodes was too much, it's going to make the viewer doubt all later death and weaken their impact.
If I were the director/editor I'll have the 'preview' part at the end of episode 16 showing Xu Bin surviving the strangle and the 'preview' part of episode 12 showing Wen Ran's survival too. I hope there's going to be a director's final cut or something and to remedy this.

So there is a 4K version on Youku. I'm paying Caravan's Youtube channel 5 USD a month for a single show and they didn't even bother to upload a 4K version. Just wow.
I hope there's going to be a 4K blu-ray release.

Yes in this era of peak TV in the U.S., airing yet another American crime/action/superhero show is probably the safe choice for a lot of stations.
The Longest Day in Chang'an was marketed to the global market, the international distributor (Caravan) took the show to both the 2018 and the 2019 MIPTV event in Cannes. So it's not that the Chinese wasn't making an attempt to market and sell the show. I guest stations were reluctant to buy because they didn't know what to expect. It probably will takes some years of consistent quality content to develop a brand.

I think this version of the first end credit song has the best sound quality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW-KR6akZhc

I think 'get fed' is the key here. When I wrote 'Asian drama watchers' I had in mind people who actively sought out Asian dramas. I have no doubt the show can be successful outside China if people can chance upon it on TV or if there's some effort at promoting it to the general public. The quality is there. But it cannot bet its success on people actively seeking it out on streaming sites. There might be some great New Zealand red, but lovers of NZ wine tend to prefer white, they will just pick up yet another bottle of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

I was curious about how AstroTV is handling the show, because of the show's inherent conflict - the show is made for streaming with variable episode lengths but its overseas success will likely depend on TV. I wonder if there's going to be a TV cut.

I kinda disagree. I think the characterization in the show is strong right from the start. One of my preferred ways to characterize a character to characterization through action: put her in a difficult situation with deep moral conflicts and let her make meaningful choices. This show is just excellent at this. Most major characters were constantly making choices that reveals their character.

This show also does well in characterization via characters manner of speech. In the second episode (or third) I was struck by Li Bi's uses of the phrase "you and me" in referring to himself and Tan Qi when he said "you and me will put a stop to it" (or something like it) instead of "we will put a stop to it". Remember he was the master and she was his slave. This just reveals the respect he has for her and the depth of their bond. This part was unfortunately obscured by poorly thought-out translations in the English subs. Another example: the Right Chancellor almost always used honorific when he spoke of Director He Zhi Zheng, but his overeager lackey often used He's full name, showing the difference in their characters. Yet another example: in ep 9 when Cui Qi charged toward Cao Po Yan, his battlecry was "for my brother and for Chang'an". The order of words was demonstrative of Cui's character (again, unfortunately the poor English subs reverted the original order and changed it to "for Chang'an and for my brother", thereby ruined the scene).

The show is also good at characterization via characters' appearances. A great example is Long Bo's earring. You don't see many characters wearing earrings in this show . That's because body-piercing was seen in China as violating filial piety (your body was given to you by your parents and should not be mutilated), so wearing earring were considered taboo. Long Bo claimed he's from Central Asia but had a Chinese name and spoke fluent Chinese without any accent, that he chose to wear earrings is revealing of his character.

So the characterization didn't just start after episode 10. And this show's combination of intricate plot and explosive actions with infinite subtlety in characterization and world-building is just mind-blowing.

Glad you bought up characterization. I just don't understand the claim some people made that this show has good plot but poor characterization. Both aspects are incredibly strong.

Honestly I don't expect this show to do well in the West, even if we were to have properly done subtitles (I know I know). The intersection between Asian drama watchers and watchers of suspense/political thrillers/gritty actions is likely small. Not many people outside New Zealand drink New Zealand reds.

Fortunately, the show is very successful in China. It's the 'it' show now and the city of Xi'an is experiencing a huge spike in tourists bookings. It's a legitimate cultural phenomenon. This is despite the show being exclusive to Youku, the smallest of China's big three on-demand video streaming services. This is their first super hit show since 2017, I think. Youku is reporting record numbers of site visits.

It's also on Malaysia's AstroTV Shuang Xing. I'm curious how it works on TV, as the show has varied episodes length, from 35 to 45 mins. Can anyone with access to Shuang Xing comment on this?

I don't think the soundtrack is released as a whole yet. The end credit song for ep1-3 is available on streaming services.

Caravan has uploaded a few highlights of the show on their free YouTube channel, including my favorite, Xu Hezi's singing in ep9:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFP3orfooF0

I actually teared up the first time I watched this scene. A remix of the song is the new end credit theme for the last few episodes, and the way she sings the line "ma gu chui liang bin, yi ban yi cheng shuang" (very unpoetically, "The Goddess of Long Life wears her hair down, half of it has already turned into frost") always gives me goosebumps.

The lyric for this song, like all songs from this show so far, is based on one of Li Bai's poems. In this case, the poem is "Duan Ge Xing" ("A Short Song"). For those who enjoy Western Classical music, the first song in Mahler's the Song of the Earth is partially based on the same poem.

Li Bai's poetry were featured heavily in the more recent episodes as well, which was fitting as poetry played a major role in Tang life. I know that by now I'm just beating on the 100th incarnation of a dead horse, but it's a great shame the production company didn't hire a specialist to translate these poems. Thanks to Pound (and others), it's not an exaggeration to say modern American poetry can trace parts of its DNA back to Li Bai, and there are many American poets and scholars who translate Li Bai well.

The following is a translation of Li Bai's famous Chang Xiang Si, the first half of which appeared in the end credit song for ep8).
http://poemsintranslation.blogspot.com/2016/03/li-bai-yearning-in-changan-from-chinese.html
The song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T41hUSTRa-U

Just imagine if we have English renditions like this in the subs for every poem in the show.

Yeah that's what I do for every novel adaptation whose original I haven't read. There are millions of novel fans and if 0.1% of them cannot resist the urge to spoil it's enough to ruin the experience for others.

CGTN interviews the Longest Day in Chang'an's art director (English subtitles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f6PpyPrxOc

I think he's a bit too modest when he was asked to make comparisons with Western productions.

That makes a lot of sense. Shuang Xing specialize in Chinese language content so they probably have experienced professionals doing the subtitles, either in-house or on long term contract. So they have their own genuinely professional quality subs.

Episode 14 is not behind others though, Viki is at 10, Amazon at 13 I think? Same for Caravan channel's English subs.

Thank you for the recommendation. Shaolin Wendao's now on my watchlist. Zhou Yi Wei's a great actor.

Since we're discussing the Longest Day in Chang'an, I will also recommend the 2006 drama “Zhen Guan Zhi Zhi” (贞观之治). Thirteen years later it is still the best Tang era historical drama ever made(by the Chinese classification the Longest Day in Chang'an is a costume drama not a historical drama, as it does not follow actual historical events).
A movie-level production of its time combined with uttermost respect for history and an art for art's sake attitude, the show stubbornly resisted dramatization but it's very rewarding for the patient. I'm afraid there will never be another show like it. The cast too was magnificent, Ma Yue's Emperor Taizong is my favorite portrayal of an emperor in all dramas. A must watch if you're thirsty for Tang era drama while waiting for new Longest Day episodes.

Here's a clip with a beautiful 3+ minute long take:
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av25792585

A fan-made MV:
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av20900579

Yes the last part of episode 13 was very impressive. I would say minute for minute this drama is better than Tsui Hark's Detective Dee movies (except the first one, perhaps).

Couldn't agree more on the rating. This is one of these sublime pieces of storytelling that make you glad that you're alive. The last time I experienced something like this from a drama series was Ming 1566 more than ten years ago (and Ming 1566 was nowhere nearly as polished).

The release schedule has been updated to 3 new episodes on Mondays and Thursdays. The latest episode (episode 23) was so stunning it left me utterly speechless.