Wrenne

A character having a love interest doesn't make something a romance when that's not the genre of the story being told or what the plot is about. I know that's the crucial element for many people but not all dramas need it to tell a story.

Just FYI - I got a reply from Youku to my feedback about their app and being forced to use it.

They said - "We recommend that you purchase an app membership instead of a Youtube membership, so that you can watch SDC5 and Being a Hero at the same time.

And we have received your comments, and the app TV screen casting function is expected to be launched in September."

I mentioned Being A Hero and international Wang Yibo fans in my email - I didn't mention SDC5. LOL

Where were you looking? They are on the Youku app. They aren't posting subs to Youtube past the first 4 episodes. Though it's not very friendly that on the app they write 'English' in Chinese under the list of subtitles - how does that help people who can't read the Chinese and need English?

But only the first four episodes. Youtube is a tease to get you to move to the app where there are now 6 episodes released.

that's what I meant about investigating how it would work between whatever devices you have. There are apps that can do it for you too. I started to look into them then I found the mirroring option on my phone.

I may check out Viki but I usually find their subs try and cram too many words on the screen at the same time to have a good balance between reading and watching. I know some translators want to be be super word for word accurate but it does often make you need to keep pausing to take everything in and read multiple lines of text. But I'm hoping a drama like this isn't as dialogue heavy and it might be fine.

I was very upset about being forced to use a phone app to watch the drama till I investigated and realised that I could mirror my iphone screen on my computer. So I'd recommend those who want to watch it on a decent screen to investigate the options for their phone type. And the VIP 1080 resolution does give me full screen viewing on my 4k monitor.

I was exactly the same till I realised I could mirror my iphone screen on my computer - and having paid for the discount month of VIP I can watch it in 1080 as well. Mind you I have also written to Youku to complain about this backward step for both the drama and SDC5.

So they just repost the episodes that Youku is posting to Youtube? For $4 a month I'm happy to get the official HD version and show that I'm a viewer,

That's a pretty low bar to make it good. It's certainly not my favourite BL because each episode just seems like a fanfic trope and one that is in need of a beta reader to give it overall consistency. And I know it has a mafia trope but they have to be some of the most incompetent mafia types I've ever seen depending on what the trope of the week needs.

I just finished the drama, which I loved, and watched the review video by avenuex on youtube - according to her the cases are all based on real cases and many are even more weird than the ones they used. She also talked about the fact there are only a small number of artists with a real ability very much like Shen Yi and quoted a case where an artist drew a very close portrait of a kidnapper based on a very low quality image.

From what I understood they did research on his past and found a phrase that meant something to him, then they planted many visual cues to that phrase all around him on his way there that influenced his change of password. It's apparently a technique that is used by mentalists to influence the responses from their subjects. And does work.

I did enjoy the last few episodes more than some of the others but it felt like the writers kind of gave up on explaining developments and just went for the bullet point (readers digest version) of many scenes. They seemed to forget it was a visual medium and there were just too many things that ended up as tell not show. So much happened off screen that I wondered if the writers even knew what actually happened, they just wanted to get to the outcome without bothering with detail.

I rolled my eyes hard at the scene where your fiancee comes over to give your dying father a check up and he wonders if his daughter knows he's sick. Also the fact that the writers just didn't even bother to find a way to write around returning home after finding out the truth. Was that the point of all the lying practise she did in earlier episodes. How long was that medical montage that followed - a day, a week, a flashback?

The stuff with the cafe was a joke though unless the subs were really bad. How would it be that easy to get a 'mortgage' and why was it such a disaster when there was no debt to begin with. Also that's another point where the writers didn't have any ideas about what actually happened, just that they needed to get to point B in a hurry.

I was amused though at how the wedding used western tradition but only bits and pieces of it. Like the bride has a bouquet but she doesn't walk down the aisle with it, it's just for throwing at the end.

And I never need to hear Xiao Zhan say the name 'Frank' again.

Is it a real wedding or one of the FL fantasies? She's had plenty so far.

Wow It's very amusing that there's now media claiming that Hunan TV has extra episodes because their episode count is now 32 - only because they've been cutting the episodes short and have to play catch up. I've been tracking this and they have fallen about an episode behind for every ten DVD full length 45 minute episodes. So 3 extra episodes would make sense.

But I see it actually being reported that there is extra additional 'fan' episodes on Hunan TV. What a mess the screening plans for this drama have been.

I also just noticed that episode 19 on the tv version was only 30 minutes. I think perhaps the details for this drama need to be updated for the episode length for each version though the tv version lengths are all over the place.

Just finished watching DVD ep 20 and I've realised what it is that really bugs me about the set up for this relationship. They introduce us to the FL who has serious 'daddy' issues and then hook her up with a man 10 years older. She and her friends act like they're still in high school (and junior high at that) and he kind of treats her like an indulged pet.

And what happened to her parents? I gather they'll only appear next to be some kind of road block because she seems to come and go, come home late and drunk, and go away on a whim cos the script needs that to happen. Plus what happened to this concert she had to spend day and night rehearsing for?

And I guess it's a cultural thing but I'm way past finding endless weeping over being ugly or too fat to be even the slightest bit amusing.

Ah maybe they're making the tv vers episodes longer now to try and make sure they only need 29 episodes after all.

They haven't cut scenes in the tv version they are just showing the episodes in shorter chunks. So right now ep 19 of the dvd version is at the same point as ep 21 of the tv version

The difference in schedule is because the TV vers is the official one used for the show, it's rankings etc, and Hunan TV have first rights to air it, so anything on Tencent/WeTV has to have been seen on Hunan TV first.

But ultimately there really isn't any difference, one is just doing 45 minute episodes and the other is doing 35 minute episodes. And I'm guessing they're both there because there were some messy contract negotiations and this was the best WeTV could do.

My issue is not at all with his acting which is why it's so frustrating that the stories themselves are the issue. I totally understand that not only did he need to do OOL especially coming off a BL drama, but I also see how there would be many script offers for him to be a romantic lead. (The age difference in OOL might be less of a factor if her friends weren't acting like they were all still in high school.)

I also think Ace Troops was something he was 'required' to do in the wake of the scandal that was happening that year and probably one of the reasons that after using his popularity to get funding for the project his storyline was cut to pieces.

I have enjoyed his roles before these last two dramas both of which have been problematic in their own ways in their production and getting to air.

So all I can do is hope for the future, though the mention of army service in the synopsis of Where Dreams Begin gives me bad vibes - though to be honest I didn't think Ace Troops actually did much to make the Chinese military look good, so they're probably even more of a mess in the 1970s.

Ah I'm struggling. I love Xiao Zhan but I'm just not enjoying his choice of drama work. I didn't enjoy Ace Troops and Oath of Love is the kind of romantic comedy that doesn't hold my attention. He's great as always but I don't want to feel like it's a chore rather than a joy to support his work. sigh