Nepeta 22

OK, thanks for clarifying. I think Julia Xiang has done very well on some very difficult character portrayals here. Definitely would watch her in other dramas. Before this I only saw her in a small role in Ripe Town.

Hope that comment about spreading hate was not directed at me. Yes I dropped it, but nothing to do with the FL.

The issue for me is the storytelling and unconvincing side characters. I get Xianxias follow a set of formulas, but how it's told, the pacing and most importantly, the baddie villain should be interesting to make it worthwhile to follow. That's an opinion. I'm critiquing the drama. Hate is something else and far more serious.

I think to some degree, the characters have to go through some kind of growth in dramas that are more idol-led, and we're just dissecting which stage each of these characters are at. But ultimately, whether she is helpless or not, we are mixing our modern day thinking with a character that's possibly 1000s years ago, so it will not likely match the average viewers' ideals.

It's just a balance of where that mix works when it comes to the FL character and resonating with the modern audiences' taste and expectations. Judging from here, a small portion are just not liking childish innocence based on her age. And using a voice actor that's possibly over-egging the high pitch tone.

I like Wang Xing Yue as well, but I didn't even venture into that one! Multiple couples are not that interesting for me. His best performance for me, was for Scent of Time . Great chatting with you. Hope the drama goes well for you. Happy drama watching!

I'm actually too pre-occupied to watch 2-3 dramas on the go right now. For now, this drama is a no for me. Maybe I am going through a phase right now. Especially coming off a superb Xianxia, and a small cast and production (The Blossoming Love), this one just doesn't work for me, it feels like it's been done before. I feel the side characters need to be more meaty with more experienced actors in order for me to watch Xianxias, because the main characters tend to be quite predictable in a sense.

I will continue to watch Kill My Sins for now, but waiting to see what Les Belles will bring since I like the two leads and also the two support casts which also helps 😉. But if that's not grabbing me, I will drop that one I guess.

As long as others enjoy the drama, that's a good thing, and less of the targeting appearances. More emphasis should be on dissecting the actual character that's been written by someone else.

Absolutely. I often think how the drama industry will like be if directors and money backers constantly listen to what the fan-base want. Will we see less creative storylines, actors and more dramas created for their fan circle. I feel this is already happening on some dramas. On those that ignore the noise will still see a portion of viewers targeting stars they simply don't like regardless just to voice their anger, and this will be the usual attack on appearance first.

As for balancing ancient dramas against a modern day audience, it's been a tricky one for many dramas. The most recent one Flourished Peony is a clear example of trying to mix reality with some areas catered towards a modern audience. But I think some viewers are still not satisfied and demand their FL to be more closer to the modern day woman, and that's where issues arise.

It would be nice if viewers could be more open minded and tolerant at best since a drama is a drama. We can't expect someone 1000 years ago to be street smart, which is what I saw someone write here about not resonating with the FL. What's street smart in ancient times anyway? The ability to conjure a meal using foraged weeds from the forest?

It's a mixture of too much and overwhelmed by so much choice. The competition is so stiff that audiences are bombarded with so much choice. Because of the competition, some good dramas easily fall by the wayside with the bigger budget ones able to use their money to promote which is a big part of some successes.

Xianxias can easily go stale with the limited frame of morals, timeline and sacrifice. The only way to stand out is to add tongue in cheek comedy, able to laugh at their own tropes and make good characters more subversive to stand out. Those that continue to go with the old formula will be easily forgotten.

I only see these types of shallow comments on mainly idol dramas so I am of the thinking a portion of viewers come to look at beauty over the actual story. And from that, the more militant ones will voice their dissatisfaction on some actors' appearance because for them, that is more important and will spoil their watching experience. On dramas free of idols or traffic actors, I don't see these types of comments much. I think how ridiculous the comments might be, this portion will always be there saying same things again and again.

Yes, it looks like that. I notice that a lot on MDL. I think there could be a culture clash too. Her character may resonate from another era free from 24 hr news and social media making young people grow up faster. The viewers often do not come from that type of social background. They reject this type of wide eyed innocence. I saw someone write streets smart which most will understand it and what it means, but in this fairytale drama set in god knows how many thousand of years...their type of street smart might be knowing how to conjure up a meal from foraging in the woods.

It's all so obvious that a core portion of viewers tend to not like characters that are wide eyed innocent. Could this be some audiences' backgrounds that is affecting their opinion? I notice at least on MDL, this type of character tends to get people's backs up. All dramas where FL are dominant, knowing and sassy and even overtly assertive sexually are liked more.

In Melody of the Golden Age, the FL (played by Deng Enxi) also suffered from constant criticism on MDL, but it really transpired like here on this drama, it was the script of the novel and not the actress that is the real issue. Perhaps some cultures like to see innocents turning to mature adults more than other cultures? This journey is critical to show how FL arrives at the final stages of her storyline.

All very normal, but perhaps it's not as well received in today's world and belongs to another era that is free from 24 hour news and social media (children maturing and growing up fast due to influence). That's my take.

I just dropped this on episode 8 because the support casts are not dynamic and too many filler scenes and episodes that is just to pad out the episodes, but doesn't add much. It's almost as if they hand picked the least experience support to ensure the main leads don't get over shadowed in any way. For me, these types of dramas are more interesting if the side characters grabs your attention, because most of the time the main cast stories are quite generic & formularic.

Well, I dropped on episode 8...it's not because of actress and her portrayal of Ranran, although I blame that on a subpar story which falls into all the classic tropes of role reversal and lengthens the time too much on the FL who has to act like an idealistic untarnished being. This jolly persona is so forced and black and white.

The side characters are very weak and with no notable meaty actors taking these roles, makes the whole story feels uninteresting. I feel the casting has been deliberately hand picked to make sure the leads do not get out-done by any other characters. That's a shame. In the end, the drama has a very lightweight feel to it. Deng Kai and Chen Xin Hai are doing their bare minimum, the sect leaders are all not interesting. Very sad.

Maybe I'm the only one seeing this but when she laughs, she reminds me and looks a bit like actress Lu Yuxiao.

I'm not that far ahead yet so, sounds like a cutting/editing issue. For me I hate the sister or brother has to have stark contrast. Typically the lead character is the good one leaving the other sibling the evil one. Cruel father or mother is another one for me. Self sacrifice ties in with all the angst, so I will forgive this. So far, nothing exceptional.

Sorry about the figure of speech. It was not meant as an attack, but more of how I approach dramas from a different time or different culture.

These are your personal values, I get that, but my interpretation of that act was it was funny. Others might not, but I'm sure the writer or the director probably thought that trick was funny, and not offensive. Unless later on down the line this act becomes more prominent when the ML suffers immensely. But obviously, on a serious note, it could put some off due to the deceptive nature.

Thanks for clarifying, I thought it might be the case. It's reassuring to know.

I think Fangs of Fortune is Xianxia, but the styling goes into pixies and fairies territory and that appeals to a wider audience because outside of China, the international audiences can relate to the styling, especially the male characters.

Xuan Huan are dramas like Eternal Brotherhood and the Novoland series.

And that's where you must put your modern day head somewhere else because in Xianxias and Wuxias, it's a tough and cruel world out there! None of all the niceties needed, they get to the point sometimes.

I think ironically, novels written for these genres tend to do that more because they know too well, women didn't usually have the upper-hand, so it's a sneaky way of inserting a bit of balance so modern-day audiences can enjoy. Obviously, a small number in the name of equality or fairness may fight against that. I'm not one of them, but I understand.

I agree with your assessment. I have only seen Julia Xiang's one performance in Ripe Town, and that was too small to see her range. Her Ranran performance seems too Jolly to the point of looking like it's an act within an act, until I saw later episodes, it wasn't. Her MGQ performance is much more relaxed and natural.

As for the drama storyline, pretty standard and in no way refreshing. Coming off a much less promoted and appreciated The Blossoming Love, this drama's format looks dated. The dialogue very staid and basic.

The problem is MDL cannot win. They can stop any voters until after episodes have released, but truth is, those that partake in voting per episodes tend to be the extreme types.

The camp that votes religiously excessively high regardless of storyline, acting and overall production, because they are just staking their claim on their own favourite star. No matter what they say, they have a filter. Then the rival fandoms come along and do the opposite by voting low. All silly but some are acting like it's a kind of sport.

That's why I disregard ratings on any dramas with big traffic stars or rising stars that have more a reputation on their looks than their acting.

Sounds like you like these tropes? I just wished for a more fresh approach. Even though I'm not far ahead, everything so far seems quite predictable and dated. A bit more tongue-in-cheek wouldn't go amiss where baddies go especially if they are not very good. After seeing Deng Kai's portrayal of the stock 2-dimensional villain, I'm so turned off. Surely villains need to have more depth.

I asked a question of who is Dun Tian earlier and no one has answered. On the cast list, Deng Kai only has one name so either the synopsis is out-of-date or the cast is not full.