Shrimpy

No problem, stuff like this is really difficult to dig out without access to Chinese sites, like Douban or even Weibo. And yes, cnetz disliked this intensely which could be seen in TV ratings too - hockey shows up, CCTV viewers switch the channel.

Unfortunately, cent is very corrupt and priorities are often illogical because money talks. XZ is not the only one affected by this, many big names got shafted in the same way. Scripts are changed after signing, things are filmed separately and edited without the primary crew knowledge, oh the stories are really ugly. Actors really can't control this, especially those like XZ who don't have big money backing them. We can only hope that in time, he will at least have some more power in negotiating as he establishes himself even more but unfortunately as I said this has happened to even bigger names than him.

The hockey guy is new YBY in JOL2. He is a Xinli actor so as JOL2 is also a Xinli production and XZ played YBY in JOL they did this to push him by riding XZ coattails. People tune in to see XZ and in return they got flooded with this guy because he needs exposure for the future show. Of course they also get to use this once JOL2 starts broadcasting, for more leeching. That is why we got so much hockey.

Where we will cry until Tsui Hark decides he is done with the ultra secrecy and starts promo. Maybe we should just jump to TSO lmao because it's possible that will give us something first 😭🤣

Not done yet. The most important thing are the TV ratings and we have two more days to go. The current CVB average is 1.076 which is excellent (everyone dreams of breaking 1, that is the goal for big names). WDB was higher, 1.5+ but the hockey storyline really killed this (lots of antis who attack this drama should remember their faves have 0.1 on theirs). Still, even with all this trouble, that it is holding above that milestone of 1 is amazing. It's about to get a rerun on CCTV 1 from September 18th so that should tell you enough. Cross your fingers that it stays above one, just 2 more days.

Everyone is hugely complimentary of XZ's acting, SY as a character from modern drama is top, etc. That he was on CCTV again, and is about to repeat with the rerun really helps his visibility but the ratings also show they like him a lot because the second he shows up, they go up. So while it could have been better, people also have unrealistic expectations of him, usually because they have other, unpleasant agendas. This drama, despite all the problems, is actually doing great 🤞

Probably not! Tibetan Sea is all set up already, just waiting and since he is all out of stock , next year is probably going to be tiring.

I am so torn with this one. I cannot pretend the hockey trio doesn't exist because they absolutely lowered the quality of it and disrupted the pacing of the drama. Too many things were crammed into the last quarter while it could have been spread out without them wasting time. Even the last episode was ridiculous due to how much went to anyone but the leads.

On the other hand, there is the absolute delight of SY and JB, and the secondary PR and SC plus Sheng parents. The office plot was excellent. Both XZ and BBH did a great job, had great chemistry and were supported well by this part of the cast.

TL;Dr I have no idea what to rate this.

Members of the illiterate fandom can't tell the difference between IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes while inventing having seen an ending that hasn't been broadcast yet? I suppose it fits.

I was so annoyed by his mother at the beginning of 34 I simply turned it off. Sister? Best friend? What the hell. This interfering in their relationship, it's disgusting to me. I will watch tomorrow when I can simply finish it all together.

What about Douban? If you mean Douban score of this drama, it hasn't been released.

When you run out of decent ideas.

I know it is going to be short so I am enjoying everything from the time they have now. I do wish they actually didn't have any skinship because watching adults behave like 12 yo is ridiculous. If CCTV is that strict then better nothing. Their chemistry is strong enough to push them through anyway.

It's disheartening watching his mother right now. It makes me really angry so I am just enjoying them for what we can. It is going to end up super rushed because they gave up too much time to hockey trio (Fang is in full creep territory now) when they should have been developing their relationship. Typical cdrama. Wish it wasn't just this once because we don't get two main actors so in sync that often.

That is totally fake.

Tags are not genres.

I have certainly watched all his dramas unlike you because if you had, you would have known what genres they were and apart from OOL, they are not romance.

You are going to have to cope with the fact that romance almost always exists in dramas and that it's going to be in his next drama Tibetan Sea and in his next movie, even if neither is romance in terms of genre. Yes, with a woman. Sorry, he won't be fulfilling your gay fetishizing needs.

Neither Ace Troops, Douluo nor Where Dreams Begin are romance, apart from already mentioned TU🤷

The only pure romance drama he has as the ML is OOL. Not sure where you got the "always" from. I suspect the issue is that they contain straight romance but that's a you problem.

I cannot believe it's episode 30 tomorrow and look where we are, both with the leeching hockey trio and tbf, SY's mother. I cringed so hard.

Please have mercy and allow us a measly 6 episodes at the end out of 36 without this. Please.

Yes, they are going to tie them together and start yelling about new Xiao Zhan for the duration of the JOL broadcast. Leech data, leech heat.

That's what this is. They are both Xinli and of course Xinli is the production company for JOL as well. It's to make sure that XZ carries them here into visibility and then they will also use him once JOL2 starts, especially the kid, to leech.

I would have to check again but iirc they get together in either ep 30 or ep 32. The calendar has a heart next to 30 and then the sketchbook next to 32. Still very late.

I absolutely support this!

I think we are supposed to sympathise and we are supposed to understand him. Classic there is no black or white etc. It's why he gets so much screen time and why we have to sit through his conversations with LSS. We are supposed to understand him so that by the end, he can be washed into a good guy and have a HE with LSS.

I would be absolutely ok with him if he were fully shown as a negative but I don't think he is.