Nepeta 22

Civil conversations are what it should be instead of all the aggressive language I see more and more of. Unless someone has insulted me, I would do the same back, but I am just posting a viewpoint. We have different views on some aspects of Douban and the reasons behind a possible low score on Douban. Sometimes there is no rhyme and reason. Some of my favourite dramas score around 4 so as I say, it's sometimes to do with what's happening at the time and also what I like others hate.

Regarding screen time, fans are very territorial because their star is like their own child, it's an extension of themselves, even their egos. So if a star has been categorised as ML of FL, that will be their starting point for staking their claim as having the most screen time.

However, in China, they label by rank which means, some lead roles can be a small guest star type role based on their legacy (historic fame) and that is something international audiences are not able to get. This is why we are seeing more multiple lead roles labelled to cut out this type of fan-war going on, but ultimately even that will still cause problems, because the fans will get out their microscope to eek out fragments to differentiate between a "real" lead role.

It's a bit sad, and unfortunately when I see this behaviour, I just wonder if this is just 'first world problems', and people are finding things to get stressed about! Anyway, I'll leave it on this. I hope you enjoy the rest of the drama without all the outside drama...

If what you say is true between TJR & HMH fans, that's very short sighted and they have effectively helped to sabotage their own fave's drama. That to me seems very out of character since to me both actors are not that well known yet and the fan behaviour should be more supportive.

Anyhow, this is all GJM's own doing since he is the one choosing the stars and he has clearly chosen fresh meat with fervent fandoms that are insecure and have to resort to in-fighting.

Finally, I find it interesting that international fans keep looking to China for approval for ratings which to be honest does not make sense. Inside China, they're highly populated and are not interested too much what international ratings are or do . I have heard some have even mocked and have found it a novelty on MDL's voting in the past. They clearly have their minds made up just as some are on here.

So as you say, it's what the individual's opinion that counts. What I don't like on MDL is the growing culture of bullying others and shaming others on the forums for holding a minority view. Very often the word "hate" has been mis-used and bandied about to shut down what the forum was originally for. Opinion sharing and putting out views whether good or bad. I have been told to sling my hook a few times for just forming an opinion. This is an open forum, not some little club for those that want to create a bubble to protect their drama.

On the whole, Douban ratings tend to be low compared to say, MDL. That might be because domestic audiences in China have been brought up on their dramas so have different standards to international audiences. The fanwars between ML and second ML will not have caused issues as both would be on-code when the drama airs.

Either way, I see people often bringing up Douban when it's a high score, but then resorting to bashing Douban when the score is low. If you haven't already, read Chen Lu's very measured response to Kaddie's post up in discussions about Douban ratings and all the going-ons in China on the people who post there. It's not as easy to pin-point it all to just fan wars and pure hatred.

HMH and TJR are not a threat to other traffic stars at the moment. The drama was just not as dark as those anticipating it to be. Then the jaunty music and lame comedy added more confusion. I'm afraid first impressions are important in Chinese dramas because there are too many other dramas to watch. This short attention span is what GJM did not factor in.

There are no fan wars regarding this drama. In order to gain recognition the drama needs to appeal to a wider audience (passerbys) and break out of the fan circle. This drama is classic fan-service and only appeals to the small fan groups. Visuals may be nice but there must be a coherent plot line for people to follow.

FoF has not been picked up because the plots are all jumbled and clearly GJM hasn't adhere to the "less is more" motto yet. By doing too much, he has just created a drama appealing to teenagers with a very strong in-yer-face moralistic/righteous tone that does not sit well with older audiences.

International audiences, especially those that don't watch much C-dramas will find it a bridging of west to east since the influence is more western than eastern. There's the big grand strings BGM. Some of the casts are styled like pixies and fairies, even the ML looks like a wise wizard. Chinese domestic audiences can see through that.

This had been addressed by another forum user earlier and I agree with it entirely. Makes for uncomfortable reading. Those that do, and most unlikely to know that they have been heavily influenced by ideals set in a patriarchal society.

It's so deep, they can't see, they're just vessels for their ideals. The recent BL wave is another example of this manifested. The answer in their world is to write women out of the picture and just have male characters and fantasise without any female interruption. They are essentially living their lives subconsciously through men. Basically, the only female is themselves, like they're the chosen one, putting men up on a pedestal.

My Journey to you is better if you like dark, adult & moody visuals. This one is lighter, plot-wise. It's hammering a righteous message throughout, with a lot of so-mo, music and forced humour.

Absolutely agree. From how fandoms work in China (getting fans mainly female fans, to pool money into uplifting 1 star through marketing for other companies) to every day things, women are very much still under the control of big companies mainly owned by men. It's good to see that you are cleared-eye with this.

I just hope for a start some viewers can be more open with their views on what a female character could be, and yes, it includes female characters that are frail, weak and sometimes have to lower themselves to get on in life whether modern or ancient. This rose tinted ideal that a woman should be aping a man's trait to get on is definitely not the right way to go forward.

I agree with everything you have said. The influences on the face of it may look like women being independent and having freedom, but that has been controlled by men in influential positions.

Many clothing designers, hair and make up artists for women are held by men in top positions. Therefore the beauty standards are mainly written by men.

Women were traditionally the cooks at home and got little recognition for it, but when men do the cooking, they turn into top chefs at high end restaurants and it's a proper profession.

So some female audiences may think they are independent in thought, but are actually being used to enforce a narrow ideal of what a female character should be.

Yes, much of what you say is true. Not very sisterly at all. Because a lot of the idol dramas are watched by mainly females, some directors are tailouring their story-lines for them, such as FL roles that are more independent in historic roles.

FL that have a modern demeanour in costume dramas, FL that are quite brash and outspoken. FL that can fight/kick ass. All fine to some degree, but in reality, females may not be like that in ancient times.

There is now this intolerance to see FLs that are demure, meek, quietly spoken and unable to fight as weak or useless. Quite sad.

CDL also looks like one of those old scroll paintings you see in traditional Chinese art, and that also adds to this rejection of old and staid ideas of beauty. Seeing her and the role she's playing simply annoys them silly.

It's pretty obvious those that are moaning more or less know how the story unfolds through the many reuter leaks (deliberate and part of marketing) throughout the filming time. This was FoF's marketing strategy and is designed almost as a fan service. This is why droves end up saying the same kind of things because the fan clubs put out what to expect per episode.

Many of these fans are not actually watching the full drama as a whole, they are here for the actor's bits. Many of the fandoms (mainly ML & FL) will already know what they wear, roughly how the scene looks and some more or less know what to expect. When the episodes don't transpire, it's a snooze fest for them because they are not really watching the drama as a whole. Other characters and their design simply don't figure in their minds.

These classic tropes have been done and dusted. Unless GJM has something up his sleeve, this storyline of the old and ugly (very ageist) as the villain will be disappointing. Another one that is prime candidate for the arch villain will be Wen Xiao's father. I don't I have high hopes.

The story so far is running high with all the morals and Disney-like storylines of goodness prevails and not judging those that are marginalised (demons). It can't be one of the young and above average looking roles that will be the arch villain. Those ones are always temporarily trapped and hood-winked by the old and nasty ones.

This kind of stuff would be mostly classed as Nu-metal.

These types of characters are targets for criticism because many (mainly female) viewers enforce their modern day ideals on a character. They cannot relate nor even accept characters that are designed of that time.

However, the criticism here are not related to that. They are of fandoms that cannot separate a character with reality. There are the BL crowds that try to write-out the FL characters telling themselves it's due to censorship they need to put up with female roles, or ML fans who cannot accept any story line that harms their main man, even how trivial it might be.

I would consider her role here very similar to Haimo in A Lonely Hero's Journey. In both roles, she's like a rock around the ML. CDL probably excels in these types of roles because there she has this air of calm and coolness in how she carries herself. She's quietly confident against a setting that probably don't allow her to. Whether character-wise or social setting.

I'm just about getting used to seeing endless plum blossoms against summery scenery. I cringed when they started eating plums in the depth of snow scenes knowing full well, the plums cannot be ripe until late summer. But, in the name of scenery and perhaps classic symbolism, we are to ignore these small gripes!

Apart from the sundial mystery which I noticed a few other convenient "let's use the possessed angle to spice up the scene and add an extra layer of suspense" did nothing but annoyed me more that this trope would be used. It's possibly the most obvious and convenient plot to use for such a drama, and this went on for too long. I feel they are just fillers and adds nothing to the story.

I agree, it cannot be that... the fact that she plays some tune over the 300 years to the the tree is to emphasis the time she physically and emotionally was there that time, yet "conveniently" for the plot , she doesn't age, but the tree does. How odd.

The scene she has with ML when he says you've changed, she sort of smirks which shows, the director wants us to feel she has been away for a very long time hence finally being able to be more emotional. I get that in the real time, it was probably a day, but what went on inside that sundial is just a rushed job and not clearly thought out.

I already side-eye the scenes where there was numerous opportunities to kill the prime minister but the arrow just conveniently hits his side kick. Then the arrow meant for Wen Xiao really should have been used for ML, but of course, director wants the scene where he is seen damaging himself just to save her. Which of course will move it onto the next arc of saving ML.

I could be in the minority here, but I found the ending of MJTY one of the better endings in C-dramas. I felt the first 18 episodes were stretched out fillers filled with dimly lit rooms with people whispering to one another. I couldn't keep my eyes open half of the time. The drama kicked off in the last 5 episodes. I guess we all see things differently.

It's fine, I'm only responding to your comment about urging other directors in putting more emphasis on lighting and colour grading.

GJM is very good at this sort of stuff which is why he's earned the nickname of being the music video man. He's good with stylised shots and scenes. As for the finer details on plots and story lines, I think he is weaker.

I still can't work out why an important block of wood would just be lying on the floor for the ML to touch by accident. Surely such important things would be locked behind one of those caves where you have special access to. But, in the name of moving the plot along, no one questions that.

You urge other caliber of directors to put same level of effort in? The aerial shot of the scene with all the bow and arrows going off clearly shows a dull cloudy day with wet floors. Pan to the close ups in the next shot, their faces are lit with harsh sunlight. There are glaring continuity issues.

In the snow scenes a few episodes back, a plate of plums were offered twice when clearly this fruit would never be served in the depths of winter. Just as we see endless shots of plum blossoms about, it would be late summer when you have ripe plums. Spare me the talk about it being some fantasy where anything goes.

No problem, you vote and score what suits you. If MDL allows a vote per episode, then that is something they feel works for people. But for me, I find it best to vote once I have seen the full drama/film.

Regarding LBFDAD & TTEOTM, I'm told by a friend the latter was very tiresome and serious. The blood spitting and crying sent them over, and I suspect in China, there's a bit of fatique with these Xianxia tropes and unlike the international audiences, they're probably a bit ahead of the curve compared with us. Maybe they're moving on and looking at an alternative.

LBFDAD is that bridging drama which paved the way for things like Starry Love which centres on parodies and pokes fun at the classic tropes seen in costume dramas. You can also see this with the most recently aired LGinEF, where the audience prefer that sort of humour. Not the type of dated and forced humour seen here with FoF.