I never watch PA so I cannot compare, but even then when you compare to other drama of recent year... for example…
I'm pretty sure in rebirth, Chu Qiao dies in the final war and Zhuge Yue lives and carries on her wishes. The scene where she had children seemed to be a dream sequence from Yan Xun. In the end, to me, it just showed 2 guys who never got what they truly wanted.
The biggest disappointment for me was the final episode. It made all the previous episodes feel pointless. Those “what if” montage scenes basically implied that every choice the characters made was stupid. They took characters who had been written as smart and strategic and turned them into complete idiots.
I’ve watched the most recent episodes, and it really has improved a lot. I still haven’t rated it, because I never rate a drama until it’s fully finished and I’ve seen every episode. The acting pace has slowed down, so the lines feel more natural now. They’re also spending more time on each scene and fleshing out the characters, which makes it easier to connect with them.
The low rating so far does feel unfair. Rebirth didn’t start strong at all, but honestly, neither did PA. The original actress was small and mousey too, and even though she was older, she looked about fifteen. The original PA also started off a bit cheesy before it got darker. This show is worth watching for PA viewers. Once you get through the first 6/7 episodes I feel like you can reconnect with the story.
I do feel sad whenever Li Ce appears though. I miss Deng Lun/Allen so much 😭😭😭😭😭
Charles Lin, He was the sweet dragon in Love between fairy and devil. He mainly does support and guest roles but did have a more recent main role in Romance with Blind Master.
Demanding more screen time for your fav only makes sense if the story is being wasted on filler but it’s not.…
I get what you mean. Honestly, I think the screen time has been pretty balanced. If the story only focused on the two main couples' scenes, it would get repetitive and lose momentum. The mix of scenes and characters helps move the plot forward and keeps the pacing interesting. Both couples have had about the same amount of screen time, and their relationships are developing as intended. LWY and JL’s dynamic is meant to be angsty, and it works. He’s clearly protecting her by keeping his distance and trying to keep his feelings on the down low, which fits the tone of their story.
guys does it mean yxz and ywh aren't actually twins?? but in stead it's ywh and li jie ??
I think the butterfly demon was a single entity expressed through two people. When it devoured YXZ, the demon’s mind, consciousness, and memories took on YXZ’s appearance and became WYH, while the other part of the butterfly demon became like a true newborn, essentially the original YXZ reborn as Li Jie. So, they are essentially real twin brothers now, both born from that cocoon. The real YXZ did save Ji Ling and was like and older brother to him and LI Jie may have some memory from the original YXZ. I hope that makes sense.
As someone who watched season one, Princess Agents, I have to say this follow up feels uneven. The very beginning was off putting, picking up right where the first season left off but with him standing on a mountain of corpses, came across as cheesy rather than dramatic. The story still feels quite chaotic, even though the latest episodes show some improvement. The pacing is rushed, the acting lacks flow, and the editing feels rough. The cinematography is strong, but the transitions between scenes could be smoother. I will keep watching since there has been progress, but I hope the pacing slows down and the storytelling becomes more coherent. These are only my first impressions. Many dramas I ended up loving did not start out strong.
Stylized makeup and softer aesthetics are not new in Chinese performance culture. Traditional forms like Peking Opera and Kunqu used symbolic makeup and often had men performing female roles. These practices were respected parts of the art, not signs of cultural decline.
Wuxia and xianxia dramas also belong to fantasy genres. They include unhuman strength, lightfoot skills, and other elements that are not meant to reflect real history. Because the stories are already heightened, the visuals naturally follow the same approach.
Many actors also look very good without heavy makeup, as seen in interviews and behind the scenes clips. The issue is usually about styling choices for specific productions rather than a cultural problem.
Fantasy dramas have always used idealized visuals to match their imaginative worlds. They are not intended to be realistic portrayals of historical life.
Who is the fl and who is her ml?? I so prefer beautiful Chen Du Ling over insufferable Ju Jing Yi...
Not usually a Ju Jingyi fan, but credit where it’s due, she nailed it here. Totally broke free from her usual typecast, much like what Guo Jingming pulled off with Esther Yu in My Journey to You. Her acting, line delivery, styling, make up and wardrobe are fantastic.
Shadow Love was a disappointment and here's why in my opinion. Major spoilers in the below comment.
I genuinely cannot believe what I just watched. This show took a strong, capable female general and spent 38 episodes slowly stripping everything away from her for a man who did NOTHING to deserve it. Prince Duan tried to kill her adoptive father twice. The second time he had ALL of his memories back and he knew exactly what he was doing. And then it comes out that his whole revenge plot was pointless because his brother was never even dead. So her adoptive father suffered and died for absolutely nothing. And she can't even get justice for it because killing the Queen would kill Prince Duan's brother. So because of HIM, she can't even avenge her own adoptive father. He cost her everything and then became the reason she couldn't fight back. What did Prince Duan actually lose? Yes he gave up his title but let's be clear about why. He gave it up out of guilt for what he did as Jin An. That is not a sacrifice for her, that is a man feeling bad about his own actions. He was not excommunicated or shamed for it. He still has his brother, he still has the Linglong Jade, and he still has his dignity. Meanwhile Li Shuang lost her adoptive father, her career, her relationships, ditched her own brother, and literally requested her own execution from the Emperor. Let that sink in. She had to "die." This woman had to actually "die" before he chose her. Not fight for her. Not sacrifice for her. Not even apologize to her. She had to be "gone" for him to finally make up his mind. She gave him everything while she was alive and it still was not enough. "Death" was the price of his commitment. And he never not once did anything to earn her forgiveness or her love. No real sacrifice, no real accountability, nothing. Which brings me to something that genuinely broke my brain. Can somebody please explain to me why she was so moved and happy that he collected her "corpse" but completely unmoved when he looked her in the eyes in that carriage and said "What if I wasn't Prince Duan?" That man was handing her an opening and she shut it down. But collecting her "body" after she was already "dead"? That did it for her? What changed? Did she just need a nap? And her poor brother. She refuses to tell him she is alive or even see him. But she left him a basket of pastries after her "death" like a ghost dropping off snacks. Meanwhile he is out here loyally serving the Emperor who he believes poisoned his sister. It is morbid and the show does not even acknowledge it. And I want to be clear about something. Li Shuang is not a role model. The show wants you to see her as noble and devoted but what it is actually depicting is a textbook case of pathological self sacrifice, a pattern where a person compulsively abandons their own needs, relationships, and even their will to live in service of someone else. Wanting to escape responsibility is a very human feeling and completely understandable. But what Li Shuang displays goes far beyond that. She exhibits suicidal ideation as a response to emotional pain, engages in social withdrawal by completely severing bonds with the people who love her, and participates in a deeply codependent dynamic where her entire sense of purpose is tied to a man who gives nothing in return. That is not devotion. That is self destruction dressed up in romantic lighting. The ending is wildly lopsided and the relationship is a textbook example of an imbalanced trauma bond. By the time the credits rolled I was not moved. I was nauseated. I have never eye rolled so hard at a drama in my life. Do not let the pretty cinematography fool you. The writing is a mess and the heroine deserved so much better.
Nangong Wan lost her power because she lost her Dao Heart, the part of her spirit that keeps her focused and strong…
I'm sure she'll be fine, she just needs to get herself on the right track and make peace with herself, like Han Li's master said. If you go back into ep 13 while Han Li's master is lecturing his disciples, the answer is there.
The low rating so far does feel unfair. Rebirth didn’t start strong at all, but honestly, neither did PA. The original actress was small and mousey too, and even though she was older, she looked about fifteen. The original PA also started off a bit cheesy before it got darker. This show is worth watching for PA viewers. Once you get through the first 6/7 episodes I feel like you can reconnect with the story.
I do feel sad whenever Li Ce appears though. I miss Deng Lun/Allen so much 😭😭😭😭😭
Wuxia and xianxia dramas also belong to fantasy genres. They include unhuman strength, lightfoot skills, and other elements that are not meant to reflect real history. Because the stories are already heightened, the visuals naturally follow the same approach.
Many actors also look very good without heavy makeup, as seen in interviews and behind the scenes clips. The issue is usually about styling choices for specific productions rather than a cultural problem.
Fantasy dramas have always used idealized visuals to match their imaginative worlds. They are not intended to be realistic portrayals of historical life.
Prince Duan tried to kill her adoptive father twice. The second time he had ALL of his memories back and he knew exactly what he was doing. And then it comes out that his whole revenge plot was pointless because his brother was never even dead. So her adoptive father suffered and died for absolutely nothing. And she can't even get justice for it because killing the Queen would kill Prince Duan's brother. So because of HIM, she can't even avenge her own adoptive father. He cost her everything and then became the reason she couldn't fight back.
What did Prince Duan actually lose? Yes he gave up his title but let's be clear about why. He gave it up out of guilt for what he did as Jin An. That is not a sacrifice for her, that is a man feeling bad about his own actions. He was not excommunicated or shamed for it. He still has his brother, he still has the Linglong Jade, and he still has his dignity. Meanwhile Li Shuang lost her adoptive father, her career, her relationships, ditched her own brother, and literally requested her own execution from the Emperor.
Let that sink in. She had to "die." This woman had to actually "die" before he chose her. Not fight for her. Not sacrifice for her. Not even apologize to her. She had to be "gone" for him to finally make up his mind. She gave him everything while she was alive and it still was not enough. "Death" was the price of his commitment.
And he never not once did anything to earn her forgiveness or her love. No real sacrifice, no real accountability, nothing. Which brings me to something that genuinely broke my brain. Can somebody please explain to me why she was so moved and happy that he collected her "corpse" but completely unmoved when he looked her in the eyes in that carriage and said "What if I wasn't Prince Duan?" That man was handing her an opening and she shut it down. But collecting her "body" after she was already "dead"? That did it for her? What changed? Did she just need a nap?
And her poor brother. She refuses to tell him she is alive or even see him. But she left him a basket of pastries after her "death" like a ghost dropping off snacks. Meanwhile he is out here loyally serving the Emperor who he believes poisoned his sister. It is morbid and the show does not even acknowledge it.
And I want to be clear about something. Li Shuang is not a role model. The show wants you to see her as noble and devoted but what it is actually depicting is a textbook case of pathological self sacrifice, a pattern where a person compulsively abandons their own needs, relationships, and even their will to live in service of someone else. Wanting to escape responsibility is a very human feeling and completely understandable. But what Li Shuang displays goes far beyond that. She exhibits suicidal ideation as a response to emotional pain, engages in social withdrawal by completely severing bonds with the people who love her, and participates in a deeply codependent dynamic where her entire sense of purpose is tied to a man who gives nothing in return. That is not devotion. That is self destruction dressed up in romantic lighting. The ending is wildly lopsided and the relationship is a textbook example of an imbalanced trauma bond. By the time the credits rolled I was not moved. I was nauseated.
I have never eye rolled so hard at a drama in my life. Do not let the pretty cinematography fool you. The writing is a mess and the heroine deserved so much better.