SandGirl_Nicky

To be fair, the new GOT and LOTR (which isn’t even based on the books) aren’t worth watching anyway. I’m a fan of both, especially LOTR but I can’t be bothered. The storyline in Cang Lan Jue is already better than in those two shows lmao

I’m fan of nobody in particular. I’m a casual watcher. Instead of watching dramas, get a book on basic manners and read it.

I have no idea what you’re talking about. About 90% of what you wrote is entirely alien to me. Having respect for quality doesn’t make me a snob, perhaps you should go research what that word actually means?

Creating sets is pretty expensive, so a lot of the time, CGI is used to compensate for that, as it’s cheaper by comparison. Nowadays loads of films use it as a substitute for stunt work, set creation, etc (I.e. latest Thor has appalling CGI use). I do agree that without the actors pulling their weight, as well as a good script, it would be impossible to enjoy a story. Yet the CGI, even if not top-notch, shouldn’t distract me from the show as I’m watching it, but unfortunately it did :(

Watching ep 29 right now. Wang Hedi’s acting is so on point. The shots of him writhing in pain are very good, super impressed. Didn’t expect that

I actually don’t expect amazing CGI either tbh, just good enough that it doesn’t take me out of the story as I’m watching it. An example of pretty amazing CGI is Love Like the Galaxy, and quite good - Cang Lan Jue (though it does have its so so CGI moments once in awhile)

I’m also watching on my phone tbh, but in HD, so it’s pretty obvious when the CGI is not done that well, to me anyway

No worries, I’m glad we understand each other. I am continuing watching it, but I must say I can’t wait for the two to get together already. This whole “you can’t fall in love” business is tiring after so many reiterations :D

Wu Lei smashed it out of the park with his portrayal of Ling/Huo Buyi. He acted so well, when his face was full of confidence, those eyes were so full of pain and vulnerability. The scene at the Ling banquet was just wow… the cinematography alone is worth an ovation. Of course, his prowess at stunt work and radiating the murderous aura required to play a general who’s seen much blood shed, truly added depth to his character. His physique looked very on point as well.

Zhao Lusi has improved LOADS! I was fully emerged into her pain, her abandonment issues, her laughter and joy, her tears and sorrow, her dreams and hopes. She looked so pretty too in the latter half of drama, with her whole being alternatively radiating joy and grief. It’s like from the moment she truly fell in love with Ling/Huo Buyi, she truly came into her womanhood, full of confidence that she’s good enough, that she’s cherished unlike in her previous relationship experience with her family and Lou Yao.

All of the actors have done really well, especially the Emperor, Empress Xuan, and Consort Yue. They were so good, it was a treat watching them on screen. Empress Xuan in particular looked and acted exactly like the”Mother of an Empire” should act.

I loved the plot points touched upon in the drama in addition to the love and character growth of the ML & FL, including the establishing of a new dynasty and how precarious its foundation is in the first generations, becoming a royal overnight and all of its consequences for the people involved both internal and external, the Officials’ ambition and the lengths to which they’re prepared to go to achieve their goals, no matter the collateral damage. It was truly great.

Rated 10/10, will definitely be watching it again.

XKC, playing the ML, didn’t look like he was trying to act properly, that super narrow forehead coupled with some weight gain certainly took away from his charm and created weird proportions on camera. ZLS, playing the FL, was quite enjoyable, at times her acting was a bit overboard, but wasn’t too distracting. I certainly liked the costumes and sets. As I fast-forwarded loads (the plot was getting boring) I don’t think I’d watch it again, though I did like some scenes very much.

There’s a difference between bashing and providing criticism, it seems that you’re not acquainted with that notion. Please read the edited comment and see if you’re able to ultimately understand said difference.

I’ll assume that you’re somebody very young who hasn’t watched much great cinematography given your comments. If not, my apologies.

Please read the edited comment and perhaps you’ll understand what it means to have realistic looking CGI. All the best.

The moment you resort to personal insults because you can’t take the constructive criticism for a tv show you like, you have lost the debate and the other person’s respect. I hope in the future you’re able to express yourself without recurring to such unseemly methods.

I agree, the CGI at times was absolutely awful, and sometimes quite good. I look the special effects used when she uses her Lotus breath to heal him, I was entirely absorbed into that scene. The Wangchuan river set is good, definitely.

Yes, the CGI got better, currently the humour and the acting is what makes it worth it for me to watch it. I do like the plot involving the main characters, however I haven’t yet watched it all.

The point of a film/tv show is to absorb you in its story, rubbish acting as well as rubbish CGI will take you out of the story. I do agree however that rubbish acting is by far the worse. And yet, given the drama budget, they could’ve done a much better job. It’s a disservice to the actors’ efforts to have subpar visual effects in their work.

Awful CGI. Most sets looks super fake… couldn’t they at least try to make them more realistic? Sigh…

Edit: wow, to all of those who don’t understand the art of cinematography, I’ll try to explain what it means to have super fake looking CGI.

When you add CGI to a scene, it’s very important that it looks organic with the real parts of the motion picture. Here are two cases:

1. Actors filming in an entirely CGI-ed set: the actors will stand in front of a blue screen (for scenes where less light is needed) or a green screen ( for scenes that need more lighting). When done properly it feels like the actors are truly there, the shadows, the actors’ presence affect the setting they’re in. When not done properly what you get is a few people are just playing pretend in front of a projected background, examples:
- FL & ML on the rooftop, it’s obviously 90% blue screen, the real thing is the bit of roof they’re sitting on
- FL & ML’s trip on the heavenly whale, it’s very obvious that the surroundings are fake, about 99% blue screen, the only real thing is the bottle FL is holding
- The Tree in the Forbidden land, due to lack of texture layering, colour depth, and proper shadowing it looked beyond fake. It looked entirely animated.

2. Actors filming in partially CGI-ed sets: the actors are surrounded by 3D objects but the background is still entirely CGI-ed. Again, if there’s no depth to an image, or it doesn’t have the correct texture and shadowing, we’ll definitely know it’s fake.
- Most palace interiors are fake except for a few objects that are real such as writing tables, beds, generally objects the characters interact with.

This is a fantasy drama, so obviously it’s not real, but using the right methods of layering the filming of real sets with CGI can achieve the harmony required for the viewer to be absorbed in the story. Unfortunately, the first few episodes of the drama kept taking me out of the story by reminding me just fake it all is.

For those people who don’t see the issue, I’m glad you’re able to be absorbed in the drama. For those who could and commented that it got better, you were right, the CGI did indeed get better in later episodes.

That first kiss was so hot, I endeavoured to ignore the CGI as much as I could and see more of the actors’ chemistry. So far, the script has been kind of slow and repetitive(a few issues are being depicted in a going in circles way, when you thought it’s already been dealt with, it crops up again) but its comedy elements have made it fun to watch.

This was such an incredibly cute drama, with realistic characters. I loved it to bits.

A complete mess.
It tried to mesh together really good dramas What’s wrong with secretary Kim? and Beauty Inside, only to get a mediocre drama at best.

I don’t remember the exact episode number, but that would be when the brother gets sucked into a different reality that feeds on his fear.