Normally dramas with no strong romance links or without the most recent traffic actors will start low because…
I understand, but just a scan around this whole site, it's quite dominated by groups of fandoms and heavily influence by what is happening on Weibo which is usually dominated by fan groups and sadly some are actually copying some of their traits and tactics. I'm afraid I have seen so many great dramas ignored or have lower ratings against dramas that barely have storylines and are often novel adaptations of poor quality. It is what it is.
Does anyone know the reason for such low ratings, drama is good, it deserves higher ratings
Normally dramas with no strong romance links or without the most recent traffic actors will start low because the general viewing audiences are less likely to vote during the drama whilst it is running, but tend to vote once the whole drama ends, unlike ones with fervent fandoms that consistently tell others to vote per episodes.
The other reason is, the voters are being honest with the drama and voting as exactly how they feel whereas on many idol-led dramas, a large chunk is actually inflated voting by fandoms regardless of the storyline and acting. This is why you see on MDL, a big portion of of high ratings are given to dramas with traffic stars. The bar has shifted so much that some question 7.5-8 as being too low. But reality, out of 10, that's quite decent to high.
She is. They have her listed under the Guest Role (bottom).
Yes the cast page does not have what China terms as special guest star role or friend guest role, which normally means it's a guest role by rank (an established actor invited to play a high support role).
That's correct. From Japan if I'm right. They then tried to change the character names to get round it, but looks like that's not working at the moment, so not sure what's going to happen.
Yes, the villains are the weak areas, and it makes the whole drama unconvincing with the rest of the storylines when it just revolves around the usual trope of jealous sister or brother with stock villains and then revealing an overall villain in the last few parts.
You mention a project being shelved due to copyright issues (I know which one), and this is the issue. They keep re-hashing old novels, then realising it's infringing and then try to re-write desperately to cover their backs, but this is after the whole crew has filmed the drama! Why not just start fresh and not think about adapting that old novel in the first place?
This director has form. He was also the one that created the super draggy and boring ending to Destined. He has mass appeal in China for some reason, but to me, his issues are the way he tells the story. He also likes the black and white style characters with very little in between for characters. Reality is, if you take out the SML and the classic jealous sister, you have a very thin storyline that will end at 20 episode max.
Xianxias and older novels are getting tired and almost impossible for scriptwriters and directors to make interesting and refreshing. In my opinion, Yin Tao is definitely not the one to do it.
the cutesy and childlike character always being forced on the FL is also getting tiring and creepy
Well I have just dropped it and it was not due to the FL, but the side character plots and the very obvious storyline that is not appealing to me. Maybe this one is not for you. Hope something right will come for you.
the cutesy and childlike character always being forced on the FL is also getting tiring and creepy
I get your point, but how they arrived at this culture may not necessarily be the same as how your country's culture arrived at that point. From what I see, this innocence and purity thing is still a big thing in asian culture and if we are looking at a drama that is loosely set 1000 years ago, it is not at all odd.
BTW, China has moved on from this type of behaviour and you will see that there are a vast portrayal of grown women across the board. But you may not be seeing it because you might be funnelled idol style dramas.
I am not a big fan of all these adaptations of novels, I think they are quite low-brow and not at all forward thinking. They rotate, rinse and repeat stories that are going back decades. They offer nothing outside the box. This one being one. But it is what it is.
I would like to see more original scripts, but it seems the dramas loosely termed as "romance" tend to come from these web novels that sometimes are written with audience participation, therefore not at all logical at times.
the problem is renmin’s acting isn’t that great, her look isn’t that outstanding either, yet she keeps having…
No one is saying you can't, it is your opinion, feel free to voice it.
BTW, Dai Lu Wa may be getting her main role with Dylan Wang soon, so don't be that negative. Just waiting official confirmation.
As for Zhang Ya Qin, she has had main roles in the past, but the truth is, many of them have not made a dent. The Chinese drama industry is vast and with so much competition, it really is sometimes luck who suddenly ends up popular.
Also, something you may over-look. Visuals are like fashion, they come and go. Ren Min is more edgy and China is going through a phase of sourcing actresses that are unconventional and more left-field at the moment, so the actresses you mention are just a bit out of luck, just as in the male actors have their version. The swing has moved onto smooth faced K-pop ideals with elongated body lines inspired by Dong huas/Manhuas which means men looking beefy and broad will be sidelined for main roles, especially idol dramas.
that's why popular handsome actors don't accept rules that super lovey dovey with their female lead coz fans gets…
I get what you are saying and in China that might be so, but here on MDL, I feel there are a small portion of viewers unable to accept asian culture to some extent.
This dislike of child-like innocence and acting style grates and some label it as creepy which I understand, but ultimately, these viewers are bringing their own countries' culture of child like innocence with young women into it,(projecting) and not watching the drama with an understanding of the culture from the country.
There are two camps I can see. The first I mentioned in my post and the ones that simply feel she's not good enough for the role, whether that is her acting ability or her looks. And yes, women can be critical of women but less so of men. That is sometimes linked to their upbringing and culture of the country. The media is mainly controlled by men who have shaped the way women view women, and mostly it's a very narrow band of acceptance of what is just right.
the cutesy and childlike character always being forced on the FL is also getting tiring and creepy
These comments are common. It could stem from childlike innocents equals purity and goodness in some asian cultures, rather than how some countries view child-like attitudes with adults, especially a possible relationship. Your views are influencing you and you are projecting your views onto the storyline. I think this is the issue.
Have a check of the word "aegyo" and you may get an idea. We should always think about other cultures first when watching these dramas instead of immediately enforcing our own onto it in the first instance.
1 
The other reason is, the voters are being honest with the drama and voting as exactly how they feel whereas on many idol-led dramas, a large chunk is actually inflated voting by fandoms regardless of the storyline and acting. This is why you see on MDL, a big portion of of high ratings are given to dramas with traffic stars. The bar has shifted so much that some question 7.5-8 as being too low. But reality, out of 10, that's quite decent to high.
You mention a project being shelved due to copyright issues (I know which one), and this is the issue. They keep re-hashing old novels, then realising it's infringing and then try to re-write desperately to cover their backs, but this is after the whole crew has filmed the drama! Why not just start fresh and not think about adapting that old novel in the first place?
Xianxias and older novels are getting tired and almost impossible for scriptwriters and directors to make interesting and refreshing. In my opinion, Yin Tao is definitely not the one to do it.
BTW, China has moved on from this type of behaviour and you will see that there are a vast portrayal of grown women across the board. But you may not be seeing it because you might be funnelled idol style dramas.
I am not a big fan of all these adaptations of novels, I think they are quite low-brow and not at all forward thinking. They rotate, rinse and repeat stories that are going back decades. They offer nothing outside the box. This one being one. But it is what it is.
I would like to see more original scripts, but it seems the dramas loosely termed as "romance" tend to come from these web novels that sometimes are written with audience participation, therefore not at all logical at times.
BTW, Dai Lu Wa may be getting her main role with Dylan Wang soon, so don't be that negative. Just waiting official confirmation.
As for Zhang Ya Qin, she has had main roles in the past, but the truth is, many of them have not made a dent. The Chinese drama industry is vast and with so much competition, it really is sometimes luck who suddenly ends up popular.
Also, something you may over-look. Visuals are like fashion, they come and go. Ren Min is more edgy and China is going through a phase of sourcing actresses that are unconventional and more left-field at the moment, so the actresses you mention are just a bit out of luck, just as in the male actors have their version. The swing has moved onto smooth faced K-pop ideals with elongated body lines inspired by Dong huas/Manhuas which means men looking beefy and broad will be sidelined for main roles, especially idol dramas.
This dislike of child-like innocence and acting style grates and some label it as creepy which I understand, but ultimately, these viewers are bringing their own countries' culture of child like innocence with young women into it,(projecting) and not watching the drama with an understanding of the culture from the country.
There are two camps I can see. The first I mentioned in my post and the ones that simply feel she's not good enough for the role, whether that is her acting ability or her looks. And yes, women can be critical of women but less so of men. That is sometimes linked to their upbringing and culture of the country. The media is mainly controlled by men who have shaped the way women view women, and mostly it's a very narrow band of acceptance of what is just right.
Have a check of the word "aegyo" and you may get an idea. We should always think about other cultures first when watching these dramas instead of immediately enforcing our own onto it in the first instance.