Nepeta 22

No problem, I was curious because it just looks like a choice the drama makers made because the build up of sweetness and the FML's past experience, they perhaps felt the need to tread carefully in just this drama. I don't feel it's anything to do with censorship.

Do you mean, the production decided to do this themselves? Like some sort of self-censoring? I didn't mean the original comment in a nasty way, I am honestly curious, because I don't see this as censor as I have seen plenty of more graphic scenes and of course violent scenes in other C-Dramas. The one I listed is a 5 year old drama.

May I ask what type of censorship? In The Long Night, scenes showed a man humping a dead body and it was not hidden in any way.

Sadly the problematic fandoms are the ones you describe in the latter half of your comments. They bombard directors/scriptwriters into how and what to write so they get the "fan-service" they want, and of course put their fave in good light. That's where artistic control can be diluted if the production teams listen to them too much.

I feel there needs to be a line, otherwise they just keep crossing it and pushing further. From moaning about how marketing is done to how they edit promotional material, it's non stop harassment from some fan groups.

A portion as you say are not interested in the dramas at all, it's more about working on how to get high viewerships and doing data. it's sad this happens but I guess it is what it is. What I don't like are some fan groups tell others to write negative comments on other dramas' stars. Sometimes, within the drama their faves are on. That is just plain wrong.

In the end it's driven by competition in general, and as the industry grows, I think it will get worse. This is why we are seeing more and more stars making statements on Weibo every now and then to send a polite message to their own fans to "act responsibly, and within the law". At times, the fans can be a liability to the star. It's just a vicious circle.

I agree. Sometimes, I often wonder whether this is a form of sport. Like supporting a football team for instance. It certainly feels like a type of team building set up via online activities. It's fierce rivalry rather than friendly rivalry sometimes. Definitely, on a superficial level, bragging rights.

Fandoms in China are run like a smooth business. Group colours, nicknames and of course setting a management structure that can set rules and be thrown out of the group. Some larger fandoms have daily tasks and it's really run like military precision.

Perhaps this is what happens when you have strong social media presence, the bonding can lead to a lot of parasocial relationships. Financial aspects are more like a pyramid scheme, and you are right, some stars are encouraging fans to "buy" spend more money due to this. It's through these activities "official fan-clubs" are set up, so they get first dibs for fan meets and roadshows to promotions of dramas.

I would say it's very equal. But it is not immediate. It builds up bit by bit throughout the drama.

Agree and disagree a bit. China is vast and the volume is big. There is a system in place to weed out dodgy ratings with a lot of security measures in place and generally, it's well known that dramas aimed for younger audiences like rom-coms and idol style costume dramas are where silly actions happen (voting 1 or 10), but the passerbys tend to have a lower view of them, where as international viewers tend to see more of these idol led dramas, and the ratings are quite generous because it's unique content for them.

This is seen on MDL. Idol style costume dramas tend to have quite high ratings especially ones with bigger current stars and the ones that don't have romance as priority or crime dramas tend to be rated lower. That's not to say the latter is inferior, the voters tend to vote realistically rather than fan-voting (rating regardless of story/standards). An 8 or 7.5 rating is not all bad at all. The bar has shifted so much that some say anything below 8.3 is not good, but that's coming from fans clearly voting for their stars rather than the actual drama. This is where the issue comes from.

Absolutely agree, especially the last 2 sentences of your post. It's nice to see some dramas coming along with this type of message, especially coming off Les Belles, where amongst all the great comedy, the message running through is clear, like in this drama.

Think Arsenal Military Academy storyline with Bai Lu disguised as a male, the 2ML's interactions. Nothing deep, it's just a typical plot to show he fancies the pants of her regardless of any disguise but he doesn't know it. Nothing to do with gay...

You will get it. But lots of small mishaps and misunderstandings, but all very sweet.

It's comedy romance, so plenty of that. Not angsty and a good feel-good drama with a dose of strong female empowerment message running through. Beautiful locations, lovely costumes and hair, what more can you want. I loved it.

If you haven't watched her in Love of Nirvana, then I recommend that. She is one of the few actresses that can pull off characters that are idealistic and strong, but with a hint of innocence so well.

If you can stomach the days when old dramas lasted forever, I recommend Tribes & Empire Storm of Prophecy.

Yes, I know he is a decent human being who loves her unconditionally, but this fairytale ML who refuse to be battled down or pushed away is that example of hand picking 1 instance out of hundreds of others that are unlikely to be this patient is in itself fairytale and not realistic, which is why I say such a plot was misplaced and used for romance when the two are difficult to mold together. I stand by my original comment that this is over ambitious and it doesn't feel right.

That type of comment is common in China because of their socialist backbone, but truth is, BJT like a growing number of "celebrities" like Wei Daxun have been coached on how to gain recognition in an over saturated industry. The key is through the reality TV circuit. Through that, the audiences get to see their personality shine.

Both have enjoyed their popularity through their real-life persona. This has helped them get wider recognition which obviously opens more doors for them all-round. This is a good way for MLs with more average looks to get into the mainstream drama world, and maybe not a bad thing. Many of their fandoms are about their natural persona in a real-life setting. They have good EQ skills and that's quite important in the Chinese entertainment industries.

Sometimes, I notice international audiences have less understanding of this and are not aware of the big fandom some of these actors have due to their variety show appearances. Also, most prominent agencies are dying to get their stars into these shows because they know how this can sometimes propel them from a mediocre actor to a sought-after actor.

It's taste, I didn't like both Guardians of the Defang and FoF due to the terrible humour. FoF has got to be one of the most strewn out excuse of a music video that had very little plot, zero sytery & loads of slow talk, music and endless crying that carried no feelings after you've seen 8 episodes of crying. It's basically fan service.

With that in mind, how can a drama expect good Douban ratings? It also has nothing to do with fandom wars as none of the actors command such acts. International fans simply like different things and that's fine too.

If you read my original comments on this forum then you will know my stance. This drama was ambitious in thinking they can squash both romance & trauma/abuse into one. It's a filler. a storyline for another romance drama. In short, it's not really a piece dedicated to awareness of such subject, but a "plot" to add for some friction to the relationship.

I have said previously, this should have stayed in the novel and never made out for a wider audience, because it will be exposed as problematic, done in a Disney-esk way it diminishes the true nature of real life victims. It has nothing to do with me wanting to see someone suffer and not get better nor part of a crime plot.

This simplistic love conquers all misses the mark, because it says that a portion of victims need a partner (knight in shining armour) to rescue and to put them right. That's just unrealistic and even putting the ML on some pedestal like he's some saviour. What is wrong with my opinion? Is that so offensive as an opinion? It's not laced in hate or bitterness. It's coming from a place where I care about these subjects and I also think it's typical of some posters trying to down-play this rating into some childish playground for some novel fans unhappy with the adaptation.

Douban is a harsh place, but think about it. Are you sure 80% of novel fans can sway the vote to such an extent? Why are some unable to admit - it has exposed this adaptation for what it is, a drama that tried too much and failed because they tried to cover up abuse cracks with an over simplified romantic setting and used as a plot to create friction. It's poor taste, especially when done badly like this.

BTW, I am not totally against romance and victim of sexual abuse/rape. But it has to be well thought out. Example I will be watching Zhang Bin Bin & Mao Xiao Tong's next drama that will tackle a similar subject. I notice how so few people flock for that one on the list. Be honest, most of those here are not here for the FL's plight, but here for just romance and possibly the FL/ML. Here, it might be the right message, but from the wrong messenger.

This is my last post on this drama since we are discussing another drama on this page, and it's not the place to discuss this. The posts I make are my take and what I got from the drama, just as you too also got another feel of it.

It's glamourising toxic behaviour and relationships. Tough love has a time and place (parenting), but in a romantic setting aimed for a younger audience, it's saying to women, it's OK to let a potential partner make fun of you, belittle you in front of your peers and also have someone mock you and your class because you are privileged. That's not funny or right.

And I agree with their views. In case others jump on and say C-Netz moan which ever way, it's true they do, but they can appreciate a drama that handles delicate matters like sexual harassment to rape as seen with Imperfect Victim and The Long Season. This drama is badly done and poorly researched.

I think your view is more narrow than that of the people you write about. C-netz are very capable of understanding these issues, or why else have Imperfect Victim won numerous awards and gain recognition? Why else did The Long Season get recognition and high douban ratings? They are also not as "closed" as you think. Did you not see them mock Barbie movie as fake female empowerment?

The ham fisted approach here shows how shallow the drama makers have gone, just to grab people's attention. That's a cheap way to get attention. Layering it on can do the opposite of the true message.