Nepeta 22

Culture change can take time, so yes it would be nice if that type of 'deal' behaviour is shamed and discouraged, and governments will normally stay clear of these areas for fear of being labelled controlling.

This is no different to trying to control people's eating habits through measures such as higher tax on higher sugar products or carrying extra warning signs or simply slapping the industry with more tax or restrictions on when and where they can advertised. Alcohol is controlled to some extent through age and responsible selling.

As for alcohol being the source of issues, yes, like drugs, it can be, but there is a fine line between abuse of it and like in this drama, clearly used as a veil to do some dubious things and deliberate criminal activities.

My view is, if someone has a criminal mind, they will find another way to get what they want. But peer pressure on drinking is a form of bullying and that needs to change and more people talk about it, the more people will rise up and speak up. I hope this drama is one example of that.

I part disagree with that comment, but I don't think used, but more respect to her position. Like Chen Duling, she had roles and even main roles years back but for some reason she had not had a steady flow of work or works that become more popular. But, guest roles or a role like this can help to slowly establish her like with Chen Duling taking smaller or guest roles.

In The Knock Out, Li Yi Tong was billed FL but like here, was not figured in many scenes at all, but that drama lifted off, and now you are seeing her in more higher profile roles.

Sadly in China, visibility is often in respected dramas by more well known directors, or idol style dramas. With so much competition, many good actresses exist, but not always taking up the column inches and limelight. It's a fickle business and fandoms buy the character than the actor/actress sometimes, so luck should always be put into the equation.

Whilst I agree with what you say, it's really accepted around the world that throughout history, making alcohol is part of a rich history. It won't be easy to erase that, even in China there would be resistance. Apart from very strict religion controlled countries, it's still not outwardly banned.

The subtitles go too fast so I have to keep pausing bits or rewinding bits. Unfortunately this is a common problem with me, and on this drama, it's not the type of drama where you can just take conversations for granted. But, it's OK, it is what it is.

I don't get it myself. He's playing impish here which suits him down to the ground but in A Journey to Love, he played a soppy disciple that's had a mad crush on his sifu. It was a bad character that made no sense in that drama, and I was shocked to see he had made an impression on others. I felt his acting was very ropey there. But, I guess, viewers like this boy-band look and I am not a good judge of what is classed as good acting.

Just jump to this. I dropped DY after suffering up to episode 17 and I really tried but couldn't continue. I don't feel I need to watch that, everything is sort of making sense. I'm lucky in a sense that I know someone who has watch the 2 other dramas so easily helps me connect anything should I need it, but this is a good standalone drama.

Yes, that's a marked difference. I saw a few not liking this, but personally, I think this makes the fight sequence feel more real.

I'm more old fashioned in a sense that if I'm watching something like this, I want to see more proper combat rather than have lots of spinning and so-mo shots of endless sliding about and a few up-close clanging of swords. That's not the spirit of these dramas. Here, they have cut that down and put more emphasis on martial arts.

I dropped DY even though I tried so hard pushing myself up to episode 17. The style is aimed at children. The editing was awful. Characters all over the place and trying to be too many things at once.

This drama is heads and shoulders above that one. Every scene, the dialogue are all important. I don't feel there are any filler parts. They also chose to speed up fight sequence instead of the trend to slow mo most scenes which normally takes away the feel of any sort of fighting happening. I think after this drama, many other dramas will be copying this style more. It's more impactful.

Did you really drop it? This drama is ranked as one of the best growth dramas. You need to sometimes push past irritating and even triggering scenes to soon realise there is a reason for some characters' behaviour.

I think a lot of this was rooted in the history of seedy deal making when everything was not regulated much and many deals were done restaurants or night bars. I think China is not like that anymore. This is more a portrayal of a smaller city with old guards that may have had a seedy past.

What is a problem is after work dos where there may be peer pressure to drink alcohol. This figures in a lot of dramas like Imperfect victim.

I disagree. She has those feelings but she's unable to act them out. This is why in the latter stages she starts to come out of her shell. She questions herself and that's growth and change. Part of this is due to her relationship with her husband. She needed a rock by her side to push herself into believing herself and he was that rock. I know it's a bit cliche, but it's also quite real.

Yes, she is ranked one of the worst mums in all Chinese dramas I have seen so far. Very tough watch. Sadly for me, this is all too familiar and after watching many dramas that feature bad parents, especially mothers or mother in laws, I realised I have come from a very very toxic upbringing so watching this, & can see how easily the daughter is unable to stand outside.

She's done well, but she is also a product of her upbringing. Thanks to her mum and society, she is battled down to keep her voice and opinions to herself. This is a story of growth and realisation. Very nice drama indeed. I really hope there will be some recognition for it.

I see a lot of love not hate from your comments, but you are fighting your love. Just like your comments saying you are not 'nick picking' after listing a list of issues. You care about the drama, and you cannot admit that you are warming to GJ either, but it's OK. It sometimes need outsiders to break through your fighting comments. I know you will watch this drama to the end even if countless others will tell you to stop if it's upsetting you. You are secretly enjoying the 'bad CGI' and bad' choreography' 😉

Yes, at least try 1-2 episodes to see if it is for you. MDL tends to be populated by users that prefer romance and idol-style dramas so ratings are a little biased towards those dramas whereas these types of dramas tend to be rated lower. I ignore the ratings here as they are normally not reliable.

Thanks for letting me know. I was seeing changes already on episode 10 and I saw his first smile! Suddenly he seemed much more relaxed and natural. I'm really enjoying this drama. It's everything I imagined. Maybe even better so far!

Unless the director wants him to look like a computer generated game character where expressions are normally limited and movements slightly stiff and jerky, it comes across like that in some scenes.

I do think he need to fix his focus rather than stare through things. It makes him look a bit robotic. This is odd since he is acting against such a lively bunch of characters, it's almost like he's not in the same scene with them.

Maybe in the latter episodes, he softens up, and that will suit his puppy-like sad eyes more.

I'll assume many of the watchers here would most likely rate after the drama's done rather than vote on the go like many idol style dramas. Try to ignore these ratings. They are usually done by other fandoms. It's now sadly normalised behaviour and not really good for the general community. It is what it is.

I can boldly say this because where dramas don't have a presence of an idol style actor, the ratings are usually steady and never unusually high or unusually rock bottom. MDL ratings should just be generally ignored. It's just a glorified fan site.

That drama relied on a larky style persona and that suits him well. Brooding, dour and mean characters are just not suited for him. He has sad puppy-like eyes. The director here has told him to stare into thin air to deal with that, and that is just not helpful. Coupled with telling him to keep as still as possible whenever he opens his mouth is also a mistake. It's making him look awkward and stiff.

I hope not as I am not finished yet. Just because a parent's ignorance does not mean they are excused for giving out terrible advice. But, the family dynamics are plausible and realistic. She is a product of their upbringing.

From watching Imperfect Victim, I think this drama tackles this subject better although I would have not like the love/husband element in it because it sends out a damaging message like First Frost, with the presence of an understanding partner that the FL can move on and heal. This is unfair for other victims, especially the younger audience to think that is the only way of healing.

I think the point of her character is she is more bubbly and light against ML's dour and cold demeanor. The contrast makes it more attractive in the story. Looks wise, that's individual's opinion. She sort of reminds me of a more wide-eyed version of Zhu Zu Dan.