TheNostalgicType

Lol. Yes, casting matters. It's funny, actors can't save a bad script, but they can ruin a good one. 

TSROIO hit some turbulence towards the end. Hopefully, they right the ship and have a good landing. It deserves to finish well. Overall, it's been a great show. Far better than Feud. I won't be purchasing the express on this one, so I'll finish it at the regular rate. Since Youku makes you pay extra each new drama for the express, I'm quite selective about the shows I choose to purchase it on. I essentially have two lists when it comes to Youku. Shows on my wider WL and shows circled for the express purchase. I should find out in about a week how it finishes.

Yeah, initially, Leopard was good. Dark, mysterious with a sinister look and foreboding presence. I was really feeling it. At 27, it was a little bothersome, but I was still hopeful and enjoying the aesthetic. Then, at 28, it was simply too much butchered dialogue. They killed the mystique. After that, trailers 29 and 30 revealed it was entering the realms of farcical. That pointing and laughing scene was Power Rangers Tier. Lu Yuxiao speaks English with better elocution and tone of voice. And I don't believe LYX boasts about her bilingual abilities. Leopard is a strange casting choice considering they wanted her to talk so much.

There seems to be some weibo drama regarding this. Do some of his fans in China not want him to work with her again? I haven't seen Scent of Time. I want to watch it, and it's on my WL. But, it is almost impossible to find. For those that have seen it, were they good together? I saw an interview, and I saw some shorts. I thought they looked good with each other. But shorts can be misleading.

Korean is most probably her first language. I'm also assuming they wanted an English aspect in this drama. Perhaps to give it an authentic feel. Adventure stories often take you to exotic destinations (places where the world meets). So, they really had two options after casting her. (1) Dub over her with talented voice actors (both Mandarin and English) or (2) Limit her dialogue. They didn't have to limit her screen time, just the speaking requirement. If they used her better, it could've worked. But by giving her a large speaking role it is becoming a bit cartoonish.

Her look is good, and she is certainly menacing in combat. But her English is way too poor to have such a large speaking role. The creative team should've done a better job managing her. I've just seen the upcoming trailers, and the more she talks, the worse it gets. Sometimes less is more. The director needs to understand this.

I just wrapped up 28. It's weird that even the European-looking actors speak in bad broken English (of course, they could be non-English-speaking Europeans). I looked into the actress playing Leopard, and it says she is bilingual. She actually went to school in the US and holds British citizenship. I thought she was badly dubbed, but maybe it's her voice we hear speaking both Mandarin and English.

Her aesthetic is great, particularly without the sci-fi monocle. The let-down here is too much dialogue; her English is simply not good enough to carry such a large speaking role. The trailers for 29 and 30 were especially cringe 😬 with all that bad English being thrown about. They should've managed her better and gone with a less talk more action approach to her character. You can still be a great villain and not be the best actor. Schwarzenegger in The Terminator was a great example of this. Leopard should've been executed in a similar fashion. Mysterious and seemingly unstoppable.

Lol. They should have dubbed her with a combo seductive and menacing English accent.

Good idea. They often lead you up the garden path.

Wonderful summation. However, I'd go as far as to say that the supporting cast was extremely underwhelming, too. And I know some of them can act. I wasn't even remotely impressed by their performances here. It really was a mess of a production. Lulu really needs to start turning down these lazy scripts. She proved in Northward that she is above this stuff now. I'm not saying BL should never do CDs again, just that the script needs to be worthy of her talent. JZ deserves better as well. I can't believe they had him acting like a child. There was also far too much idiotic comedy taking up space where character development and story-driving events could've been taking place instead. Overall, I found myself just going through the motions and consuming the show as little more than light entertainment to pass the time. That's not how I like to watch dramas; I like to become immersed in the world and invested in the characters. No chance here. I actually found the side characters irritating, distracting and often pointless to the story.

Hmmm. New trailers for both of Mai Mai's upcoming romance dramas just dropped. Maybe there is truth to the rumours she will be competing with herself.

That's how most people feel. They'll celebrate her demise. I always develop a soft spot for a good villain. Yes, I felt the death of Marquis PJ in LOZH, and I secretly hoped for a reprieve for Chen Duling in TTEOTM. Lol.

Yes, let's enjoy her for a bit longer. But, I know she's a villain of the irredeemable kind. She's going to get her comeuppance soon.

LHC is doing great in TSROIO. She has good chemistry with SWL. She's very talented and a terrific actress. Her background in dance makes her seem like a natural in a martial arts role. So, perhaps she was simply miscast in that romance drama that has made people doubt her. However, I will say that apart from the split personality scenes, the role isn't as demanding as her role in Derailment. The ladies playing the villains have been incredible. But, the standout has been ARP. His role asks a lot of him and he delivers effortlessly.

27 done. Um, I actually love Leopard. Lol. I'm gonna miss her 😭. I always fall for the charismatic villain / villainess. I even love her AI tier English.

Lol. Fox Demon Zhenni. Where we all became fans 🦊 😁.

I've got three of her upcoming dramas on my WL. Two costume and one modern. Blossom in Darkness (w Hongyi), Pull Strings (w AiMi & ARP), and Summit of Our Youth (w CJK). So, I'm hoping for positive things from those dramas. It will be good to see her take off the costumes and do something different and modern in SOOY.

Our Generation (AKA: Cherry Amber). The Jinmai & Linghe romance / life drama.

Yes, I think the end of next month is most likely for OG. Youku actually fast-tracked a drama for once. Lol.

I've been doing the rounds checking the pages of various Youku dramas that might air (including a number of shows on my watchlist. Hidden Shadow is one of them). This is what I found...

Youku's confirmed and possible line-up for late June / July...

1) Confirmed: In the Name of Justice (ITNOJ) ~ Crime Drama ~ 36 episodes ~ airs in 2 days ~ Youku + CCTV

2) Possible (strong rumours): The Immortal Ascension (TIA) ~ Fantasy Drama ~ 34 episodes ~ Youku + CCTV

3) Possible (strong rumours): Our Generation (OG) ~ Romance / Youth Drama ~ Episodes still listed as 40, but I believe they've been cut ~ Youku + CCTV

So, next month's Youku line-up is essentially...

1) ITNOJ
2) TIA
3) OG

All three dramas will also air on CCTV 👍.

The Seven Relics of Ill Omen