Nepeta 22

I didn't want to be so blunt, but I have to admit that this actor brought out something else in me. His emotionless acting, deportment and expression made me mad! I'm sure others may feel he was doing fine. He needs all the wind and hair adornments in the world to distract from the blankness he's displayed for 1/3 of this drama.

Let's just say FL is narcissistic, but that was probably just 10% of the drama, the rest, she's respectful, fair and caring. Oh she's feminine from my point of view, rocking all those flowy robes.

It's draggy because these bits are predictable. We know he will get better but have to go through all the bits to get him better. I agree it could have been shorter as it's a weak part of the novel/drama.

It doesn't help with the director consistently zooming into his blank stare and the same 1 dimensional glaring eyes. It's the first time I have seen this actor, and cannot see energy in how he plays the role. I get he's a weasel, but even they need to put their back into that performance.

100%. In historic dramas, it's always that pulse that diagnoses the pregnancy 😉

He was very good in Ancient Love Song if you want to see his other works. It was that drama that brought him to the wider attention.

There is a typo from MDL. Her birth date is actually1998 and not 1993. I have asked MDL to change it but sometimes it takes ages. She is often confused with Huang Riying...

Thanks for confirming. I thought it was him, but that must point as you mentioned to something bigger happening further up. Doesn't seem like case closed, for the police anyway...

Yeah, pretty sad it's gone a bit downhill at the moment. Hopefully, this tropey memory loss will be quick and I fear this arc is just a clumsy way of talking about this special place that heals people and no doubt a connection with his mother. Let's see. Also agree, FL's character has remained level and mature. It's almost as if she's nurturing the ML in these latest scenes. He's the emotional wreck.

Tell me about it! I agree that the romance with all these twists and turns seems too much. They are trying too much and in such a short space of time. That is being over ambitious.

All these character development seems a bit off too. We have the Murongs (father and son) swapping from each others' behaviour in one move. Then ML just striding back to see his father without checking or noticing anything odd or even thinking cautiously. Considering his smart alec behaviour before, this doesn't match with his personality.

That celebration and then cutting between scenes to see his father being murdered seems a little contrive. Why? Because he just wouldn't normally be celebrating like this. That scene felt like it was only put in there for contrast.

It's being too ambitious here. Trying to add too much in a costume romance drama I think. Just reading your post gave me a headache. Perhaps they think messy and toxic sells. There is something modern about the dynamics. It's a cross between car crash TV and a fast paced soap opera. I feel too much has been crammed in a short space of time and character development seems to have gone awry.

What have I started. Now you'll get your magnifying glass out on the other actors 😛

A bit technical here. That's because they both have a slight under-bite which positions their lips slightly higher up on their face. This makes them both have a youthful appearance.

It's had a Douban rating of 7.3 from around 11K raters.

In my opinion , deserved a lot more. And a lot more love. I never saw the Korean version so cannot compare, but this drama as a standalone is well paced, with a gripping storyline running through it.

So effortless and so natural. I was worried at the beginning that it would try to pay too much tribute to old HK film/dramas with a 1990s settings. Luckily for me, it didn't feel forced. In the end it was like a very condensed version of The Knock-out simply because it was filmed in one of the Guangdong provinces I suspect.

Stand out performance has to be Nicky Cheung without a doubt, followed closely by Myolie Wu.

Thanks for that. I couldn't find out who or how Huang Xiao / Mr Ong died. Does anyone know? Or is this left open?

This will be my last comment on the matter. The charts and data are put out for everyone to enjoy and also measure where things are. It is not just for fans, it's also for the industry to see who, what, where they can use for future projects. Fans naturally use that as confirmation or gathering info to help know where they are in relation with other stars/dramas/groups.

Platforms are more than happy to see fans telling others how to increase the viewerships because they see or know other fandoms are doing it, which is why I mentioned the treadmill comment. But the rest is choice, and some will also say, fans are also victims of the system around them. I see it cuts both ways. The key bit is choice.

Where the blame lies will never get anywhere. If the industry has chosen profit first and foremost, everything we see now follows suit. The companies know the fans' weaknesses, and they will make sure fandoms do half of their legwork for them for free (promotions, buying products). That is how it works right now. This is all before we even look at the drama quality, the storyline and the performance. It's no longer the content of work but more who's on the project that is priority.

Well, I am not naming which fandoms that do bully other fans within their group by shaming those that are not a good enough fan by not bulk buying enough magazines etc. It's just a small example of how some fandoms work within their group.

But in the end, it's the competition that creates the behaviour within fandoms. Then that feeds the endless cycle of toxic behaviour. Anyway, it's good to hear that HMH fans follow the rule of only defending.

No worries. The Demon Hunter's Romance comes highly recommended. Beautifully done with tight plots/cases and overall characters that are impactful to the bigger picture of the drama. It's ranked as my top drama of this year so far.

I don't blame just the fans. As you say, they are much the victims as the star themselves. Maybe I should have been more detailed rather than just talk about fandom alone. Yes, all these companies want to make money in whatever way, from platforms to all these data companies. It is what it is. Whatever the situation, someone will always be there to make money from it.

So long as fans are happy and they spend responsibly for their groups and no one is bullied or pressured into spending, then it's fine. But I have seen shaming and bullying behaviour within fandom groups before, and the unhealthy behaviour towards those that are deemed not to be a good enough fan. Usually relating to ones not spending enough buying magazines etc. There should be an independent group to monitor this sort of behaviour. Just my opinion.

No problem, I have not delved deep into all the stars' background stuff. I was just giving Naksu_aos a bit of background because the word scale was mentioned in the post. Sorry to hear that the agencies are not doing what they are meant to do.

Yes, bigger fandoms will obviously mobilise more & create a bigger buzz. It is unfortunate that nowadays, these types of dramas have become a tool for some fandoms to use as a kind of sport. Rather than sit and just enjoy the star's work, more energy seems to be put into trends, indexes and hashtags.

When more and more fandoms do the same, it turns into an industry in itself 'outside' of the drama. For me, it's a shame as it distracts from the drama and the star. But it is what it is, China is vast, and competition is fierce, so I guess if you don't stay on that treadmill to compete with others, there is fear you'd be lost in mass.