Eek! PJ keeps sadistic souvenirs 😨. These villains are officially Drifting Away tier. XZ was absolutely brilliant in that scene. Outstanding acting. Take a bow 👏👏.
On a side note, I have a sneaky suspicion he may taste that whip again.
Completed. I loved this sci-fi drama. I enjoy things that are a bit different, and this is one of them. The show might not be for everyone as it has unusual tempo changes throughout the story. But if you can adjust to these, and get in sync with the flow, there is something quite captivating about this drama.
The story is engrossing with many twists and turns. The romance is mysterious, sweet, deep, frustrating at times, but overall beautiful and resilient. Their chemistry is electric. LY (ML) plays his role to perfection. He brings an array of masculine energy / traits to the role. Some good, some bad, but mostly good. LHC (FL) simply lights up the screen. She is such a powerful actress. The drama takes her (and us 😁) on an emotional roller-coaster, and she takes it in her stride. It's hard to take your eyes off of her. The show's acting in general is very good. Overall, I thought the story was quite clever and well-constructed, and they did a good job of meshing the tempo changes with the story's progression.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who perhaps likes their storytelling a little non-linear.
PS... That OST is a little special. It really hits every time it plays.
Whenever someone asks which pair up I'd most like to see in cdrama. This is literally what I think of 😁.
A role where they pretend the be the same person, but swap given the circumstances would be perfect. Lol. Hongyi can be the bigger stronger version. CY the clever version. Both can fight, but have different styles. Personality changes would be a must, too. This needs to happen.
The early human toll per challenge is staggering. May ZH / ZN's revenge be the sweetest in all of C-drama. Love the first real taste of it delivered to YZ. Once again, his limitations make this drama all the more exciting. It adds an element of realism and struggle to everything he does. ZH simply can't just flip a switch and activate physical abilities superior to everyone else, and there is no cheat in the form of another character who possesses these abilities and conveniently pops up to save him.
I'm also enjoying the layering. The individual tasks consisting of puzzle rooms / booby-trapped tombs in many ways are a microcosm of his wider objective of overcoming the prevailing power structure. He's engaging in short-form games while simultaneously participating in a larger long-form game. In both cases, he must assess the mechanics of the structure, discover system vulnerabilities, navigate cautiously, position himself in safe spaces and avoid setting off deadly traps while moving forward in the hopes of defeating the system and achieving a desired outcome.
XZ is totally nailing his role, and the show is hitting all the right notes. Hopefully, it will continue throughout the duration of the show. 👍
They look so good together. It has to be said that few people look better in costume than Hongyi. His big frame…
Yes, you have to work, but China produces theses shows at lightning speed. Sometimes, if the market is slow, you slow down your production as well. Market trends may also need to be considered. For example, is the demand for dramas down across the board, or are certain types of dramas performing better than others? Then, perhaps you shift your priority production focus to the types that a performing well (i.e. modern, costume, romance, action, sci-fi, life drama, longer, shorter, big name, emerging talent. Etc).
They look so good together. It has to be said that few people look better in costume than Hongyi. His big frame…
Could be the reason. It's strange. If holding them is their strategy in a down period, why bother to produce so many shows. LHY, WXY, TJR, and ZLH, to name a few, pretty much have been beginning new productions as soon as they wrap one up.
They look so good together. It has to be said that few people look better in costume than Hongyi. His big frame…
Yes. And with the HS delay there will be very shortly another Hongyi drama in the queue before Youku releases any of his dramas they've been holding. Lol.
They look so good together. It has to be said that few people look better in costume than Hongyi. His big frame and broad shoulders are perfect for this style.
So good. I love a good battle of the minds / brains v. brawn drama. Also, I'm enjoying that he's not overpowered (i.e. being a truly gifted mind while also being the best fighter). His vulnerabilities add to the suspense. I always love proper villains, too. It makes it all the sweeter when they get their comeuppance.
Youku logic. (Step 1) Drop promo & build hype for a show. (Step 2) Postpone it. (Step 3) Release another drama…
I really hope that one does happen. I'd love to see them together 🙏. I really like SZN and believe she has a lot of potential (she's so expressive), but I do worry about her doing too much of the same thing. The GJM drama with TJR is listed as historical, so it should be something a bit different for the three of them. She has a modern romance and a historical rom-com in her inventory which should be good. Hopefully, we'll see more of it.
Yes, I was hyped about TBL. The trailer gave me Zhenni the vamp femme fatale vibes. The reality made me reconsider my drama rule. The halfway point is my point of no return. I tell myself I must go forward. Let's just say that the final twenty eps were truly excruciating. Lol.
Mai Mai is so fun to follow, you never know what kind of project she is going to do next. Not to mention, she has a real elegance about her. She's lovely.
Yes, I noticed TSOPG comment section was getting trolled quite heavily while it was airing. I think it still is to some degree. I feel bad for the fans who were just trying to enjoy the show and have good discussion.
Not unhappy about this. LOZH is on my watchlist. And if they put Love and Crown or IA on after, well, they're…
I was keeping my eye on LAC, waiting for the trailer to drop. And when it finally dropped, it didn't disappoint. Hoping Youku goes crazy and just starts releasing all their big IP back to back. They need to make up for a sluggish start to the year.
Youku logic. (Step 1) Drop promo & build hype for a show. (Step 2) Postpone it. (Step 3) Release another drama…
Yeah, you're right. It's a tough one, but sometimes you've just got to take the pushback.
I have a drama rule: If I make it to halfway, I finish it. So, tbh, I have yet to drop a drama. I'm generally pretty good at choosing dramas that fit my tastes and don't suffer too many disappointments. I've only come close to dropping one drama and that was TBL. If a drama was on my WL, and it was one I deemed to be highly anticipated. I'll eventually give it a review after it has finished airing (I owe a few 😓). If it was an already aired drama that I watched in the gap between upcoming dramas, I'll just post my thoughts in a comment. I tend to be of the belief that if I finish a drama, I should provide an opinion or review on it. If I hated the drama, I would've dropped it. But by finishing it, it means there were clearly aspects I enjoyed. So, I like to post some constructive feedback regarding the show on the drama's homepage. I avoid posting opinions that purely ridicule the drama, and instead post comments that point to both the drama's strengths and weaknesses. Balanced reviews and thoughtful constructive comments help me make decisions about dramas, so it's good to leave them for someone else.
Agreed. He has one more with SZN to come, but after that they should probably take a break from each other. They can always come together again at a later date. But it's important for TJR to mix it up for his development as an actor. His republican-era drama and the comedy he is filming are a good start. This is something I really love about Jinmai's role selection, it's so varied and she's constantly challenging herself.
Yes, they use him well. Looking forward to hopefully more modern dramas as well for WXY. Talented actors, great scripts, and good casting are always a winning combination.
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On a side note, I have a sneaky suspicion he may taste that whip again.
The story is engrossing with many twists and turns. The romance is mysterious, sweet, deep, frustrating at times, but overall beautiful and resilient. Their chemistry is electric. LY (ML) plays his role to perfection. He brings an array of masculine energy / traits to the role. Some good, some bad, but mostly good. LHC (FL) simply lights up the screen. She is such a powerful actress. The drama takes her (and us 😁) on an emotional roller-coaster, and she takes it in her stride. It's hard to take your eyes off of her. The show's acting in general is very good. Overall, I thought the story was quite clever and well-constructed, and they did a good job of meshing the tempo changes with the story's progression.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who perhaps likes their storytelling a little non-linear.
PS... That OST is a little special. It really hits every time it plays.
I'm also enjoying the layering. The individual tasks consisting of puzzle rooms / booby-trapped tombs in many ways are a microcosm of his wider objective of overcoming the prevailing power structure. He's engaging in short-form games while simultaneously participating in a larger long-form game. In both cases, he must assess the mechanics of the structure, discover system vulnerabilities, navigate cautiously, position himself in safe spaces and avoid setting off deadly traps while moving forward in the hopes of defeating the system and achieving a desired outcome.
XZ is totally nailing his role, and the show is hitting all the right notes. Hopefully, it will continue throughout the duration of the show. 👍
https://h5.video.weibo.com/show/1034:5090624450265105
Yes, I was hyped about TBL. The trailer gave me Zhenni the vamp femme fatale vibes. The reality made me reconsider my drama rule. The halfway point is my point of no return. I tell myself I must go forward. Let's just say that the final twenty eps were truly excruciating. Lol.
Mai Mai is so fun to follow, you never know what kind of project she is going to do next. Not to mention, she has a real elegance about her. She's lovely.
Yes, I noticed TSOPG comment section was getting trolled quite heavily while it was airing. I think it still is to some degree. I feel bad for the fans who were just trying to enjoy the show and have good discussion.
I have a drama rule: If I make it to halfway, I finish it. So, tbh, I have yet to drop a drama. I'm generally pretty good at choosing dramas that fit my tastes and don't suffer too many disappointments. I've only come close to dropping one drama and that was TBL. If a drama was on my WL, and it was one I deemed to be highly anticipated. I'll eventually give it a review after it has finished airing (I owe a few 😓). If it was an already aired drama that I watched in the gap between upcoming dramas, I'll just post my thoughts in a comment. I tend to be of the belief that if I finish a drama, I should provide an opinion or review on it. If I hated the drama, I would've dropped it. But by finishing it, it means there were clearly aspects I enjoyed. So, I like to post some constructive feedback regarding the show on the drama's homepage. I avoid posting opinions that purely ridicule the drama, and instead post comments that point to both the drama's strengths and weaknesses. Balanced reviews and thoughtful constructive comments help me make decisions about dramas, so it's good to leave them for someone else.
Agreed. He has one more with SZN to come, but after that they should probably take a break from each other. They can always come together again at a later date. But it's important for TJR to mix it up for his development as an actor. His republican-era drama and the comedy he is filming are a good start. This is something I really love about Jinmai's role selection, it's so varied and she's constantly challenging herself.
Yes, they use him well. Looking forward to hopefully more modern dramas as well for WXY. Talented actors, great scripts, and good casting are always a winning combination.