I'm only half way through of the You""be documentary and noticed how alike the real American aviators…
Glad you are enjoying the documentary! The realism in this C-drama is highly laudable and respectful on multiple fronts, such as the American aviators and other details related to army officials. The fact that one can watch a WWII C-drama without needing the history background (My review of "The Guardians" necessitated inserting history of the KMT, CCP and other details: https://kisskh.at/profile/Xiang83/review/508286 ) is marvellous.
This drama clearly had a lot of big and small technicalities considered before being well-sorted/planned and prioritised, when it's actually too easy to screw up. Sterling production this far.
Episodes 9 and 10 are wonderful examples of interweaving high stakes, tension, emotional bonds and humour while constantly advancing the plot and subplots. The sad history of the current situation pertaining to number of villagers on Sanzao Island is heartrendingly unforgettable, captured and conveyed through poignant stark camerawork.
FL could easily have turned out to be very annoying, over-simplified and over-dramatic if the acting was any less stellar, but Janine Zhang (also known as Chang Ning) is doing a splendidly realistic job of eliciting mixed emotions from me while demonstrating nuanced understanding of her role. Her evolution over episodes is organic. By episode 13, she is truly her father's daughter, but she will still need perspective with the ever-changing situation.
Gary Sinise is great at narrating and he's a phenomenally wonderful humble gentleman helping veterans for decades. His courage and compassion in the process of losing his son and fighting personal battles, while helping frontline workers- I only have deep respect for him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND3bAyuWdKc
It's both sad and assuring that Qi Sizhe (Luo Yunxi) posted in reply on weibo with "老万放心，剩下的路交给我们。"And…
In FoF, I felt Liu Huan as a villain was too caricatured and stereotypical (GJM can be uneven for characterisations and wastes his villains). Here Liu Huan gets to really exercise his acting chops in micro-emoting and be pushed to the maximum (he was also in 2025 Republican-era espionage thriller "The Guardians" as a different sort of villain against sterling actors too and I also enjoyed his performance there), and he still has room for improvement when it comes to the most melodramatic scenes of snapping.
I usually don't root for characters in a drama or movie to have a romance unless they act well and they have great chemistry in their individual roles. This was a pleasant surprise for me and I'm happy if Han Feng is only at the level of seeing Qingyue as a good friend or possibly starting to see her in a different non-platonic light, but no actual romance for this series. The ability to portray such subtleties at most as hints is a pleasure for me, because any of them can easily pull it off if it happens. That's not the case in a large number of idol dramas where it becomes painful for me to watch because the leads' ability to micro-emote is lacking and cannot deliver. That's also a large reason why I usually go for non-romance dramas because the delivery I am used to and expect isn't there. HK stars of the 80s and 90s have spoilt me XDs
I really like Jiang Qi Lin in this drama, and he delivers as expected. Because of this veteran cast, Luo Yunxi can finally do what he comfortably does once he has grasped a character: He's just as capable of micro-emoting well in a modern drama as with a historical costume drama. Qi Sizhe had doubts in the first half of the drama coupled with not yet acknowledging how he needs to be aware of the lingering effects of PTSD from what happened to him and his GF, and Luo Yunxi had to portray that obsession with restraint due to doubts about himself. It's difficult to peg him. After he makes a certain mistake, he's more cautious and grounded yet also passionately professional due to his convictions growing with certainty. Not easy at all.
Great emotional buffet for me! I am a happy camper XD
Whoever you're referring to may not have done translations (yet) for this OST (plus I typically use bilibili and other mediums for C-Ent music). But the above channel has done so. Enjoy!
It's both sad and assuring that Qi Sizhe (Luo Yunxi) posted in reply on weibo with "老万放心，剩下的路交给我们。"And…
I don't think Chen Chuchuan anticipated that his own reaction to what he'd been told by Hu Jie was to kill her. I have mixed feelings, because I'm also wondering at what point did he lose sight of what he'd been taught by his teacher and how did that happen?
I didn't expect to feel sorry for him. But given how often I've seen Liu Huan as a villain, I'd be surprised if he was the ultimate villain because Director Zhuang Xuanwei likes to keep people guessing. I like that for once, he's been given a role with a background that makes one ponder.
And biggest surprise: Never thought I'd want Han Feng and Qingyue to get together. Jiang Qi Lin and Liu Ya-se have done so well individually that I believe they would be such a cutely awkward and endearing couple. Jiang Qi Lin is a totally different character in "Man's Inhumanity to Man" and he's turned in one of my favourite portrayals of a cop in C-drama here.
Looking forward to how Qi Sizhe evolves for these final 4 episodes. In terms of emotional buffets of micro-emoting, these four characters mentioned here have kept me well fed and very happy, with episodes 15 to 17.
Goodbye Chen Chuchuan, you will not be missed. Lao Wan, though... T__T It's interesting that we kind of got an…
It's both sad and assuring that Qi Sizhe (Luo Yunxi) posted in reply on weibo with "老万放心，剩下的路交给我们。"
And Han Feng (Jiang Qi Lin) is, "老万 🫡 放心"
Cya Liu nailed her emotional scenes, and what a spectrum of subtleties. All the emotional scenes from episodes 15 to 17 were brilliant, between the three leads plus Liu Huan. I have mixed feelings for Chen Chuchuan, and I also felt sorry for him.
Given how well the acting has been going, I was thinking at least twice if only Han Feng and Qingyue would get together! I believe they would be sweet, awkward, funny, and the team would be YES! And that's how good their acting is. Nothing romantic implied whatsoever, but their individual portrayals... Rooting for two characters to get together in a drama I know has no romance was unexpected.
Not-yet-aired final 4 episodes have me trying to decide whether to ready snacks, a towel or lots of hydration.
Episode 15, from 23:05 to 25:04, our three leads.... Their interactions and chemistry between each other is spot-on. Tension and all else is perfect. And episode 16, when Qi Sizhe is one on one with- Brilliant. This is the emotional intensity I've been waiting for between four characters, building up masterfully to these episodes.
Thank you for the summary. After weeks of SLY data collection and compared them to TTOETM (I did an even more…
Luo Yunxi is amazing. He's primarily first and foremost about his craft of embodying a character with psychological depth and precision.
His role as Runyu is unforgettable, already revealing hints of TTJ and Tang Lici. Demon Kings are actually very difficult to portray convincingly because they require a lot of micro-emoting and precise nuancing anchored by a certain amount of presence, and mature actors are best for carrying this role. Tan Tai Jin catches you within the first five minutes of episode 1 in TTEOM to continue watching. In Tang Lici, C-Ent has an unusual protagonist who insists he is the solution, and he will prove this truth.
I don't admire an artist based on their looks, but their talent and hard work. He has both, and he understands the importance of the latter to further improve the former. I'm also happy for many of the cast after SLY, such as Xiao Shunyao starring in "Origin" with Wu Jinyan and still filming. This drama has given them exposure to a very wide audience, and it's up to each of them to build on that :D
I'll start this now as all episodes will be out tomorrow ✨ It's time for some crime thrillers... (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞
Enigma05 asked for translations, so I found translations for the five songs and shared those above. You can check them out (the other five songs on the OST are instrumentals of those songs).
I'll start this now as all episodes will be out tomorrow ✨ It's time for some crime thrillers... (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞
Enigma05 asked for translations, so I found translations for the five songs and shared those above. You can check them out (the other five songs on the OST are instrumentals of those songs).
I'll start this now as all episodes will be out tomorrow ✨ It's time for some crime thrillers... (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞
You're here! Yay!
I have something for you :) Here's one of the songs sung in English, and check out the cool way they match the mandarin highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZEb0wDE0Cs
Thank you for sharing your personal stories that resonate. Your godmother is a very strong woman, and may she…
FL is very good at taking on different personas ("Empress of China" is one apt example where she out-acts Fan Bing Bing with a superb nuanced performance as a sweet-to-scheming-psycho-with-regrets without breaking a sweat) but unfortunately right now, the character she is realistically portraying is not easily likeable as a self-unaware greenhorn and quite different from FLs in those dramas.
人间之味 is a drama she is in with Ou Hao, but it's been at least three years since the drama was filmed. "River Sunset" gives me hope for that drama to air.
For the history buffs, this drama is set against the backdrop of the impending Doolittle Raid after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, affecting China, USA and Japan.
When people talk about the loopholes in this drama, I can’t help but wonder if they’re even watching the same…
It's been a glorious drama. I watched it with several others when this drama aired, and we enjoyed it so much that binging couldn't happen because we impatiently waited for more new episodes, hence we rewatched episodes as well.
There are many notable issues to think about, as I raised in my review praising many of the cast members and the positive aspects of the drama:
[ What is a father? What is a mother? Are parents always supposed to be honoured with filial piety? How do you define filial piety? Is there a limit which would make someone snap? What are the traits necessary to be a capable ruler? If and when someone claims revenge, is revenge justified? How do you reconcile what you know, with what you see and experience? Can fate be defied? What is destiny?...
... As Murong Yao, Zuo Ye deserves a bigger role in future dramas for his depiction of being more than a filial son. This same recognition also applies to Qin Tian Yu, whose performance as the Emperor of Jinxiu is stellar. The Titans splendidly anchoring the supporting cast in micro-emoting and maintaining varying degrees of tension for their key roles are Zhao Bin, Eddie Chuang and Lu Xingyu as Emperor Feng Pingcheng, Prime Minister Zhuang and Murong Zhong. Due to these three veterans forming a crucial core across many episodes, the court intrigue and their impacts as fathers and leaders will capture and sustain your attention, while doing all sorts of oddities to your heartstrings.
Just as Liu Shishi nailed the badass attitude of a seasoned assassin at the top of her game, Li Qin spears the viewer with an unforgettable performance balancing fieriness, restraint and subtlety. Her intimidating icy glance and fearsome aura, combined with excellent fighting movements being deft and economically fatal, embody a seasoned warlord general as an almighty pain-in-the-ass against Susha publicly known as a formidable enemy for Feng Suige. If you want to recommend a female lead in a historical period C-drama as a convincing veteran of war to your military buddies, Li Qin is your practical go-to warrior queen who will also make you melt in later episodes. Also a sterling example of getting to the point and not accepting nonsense.
Buoyed by a mostly-terrific ensemble cast alongside an experienced leading lady who encouraged him with helpful tips as per the revelations of multiple BTS clips, Chen Zheyuan is the biggest pleasant surprise for me in this drama... ]
Fun, furious, infuriating, unforgettable. It was a high point of 2025 for me XD
He did not start the death camp as a child. The camp already existed. Senior figures ran it first. He later took…
The poster @Dacream2017 has an age gap issue with Fated Hearts lead couple but not Prisoner of Beauty lead couple, which I have just raised in a reply. I thought I should point it out:
Victoria Song is 27 years of age while Liu Yuning is 8 years older than her at 35 years of age. Li Qin is 35 while Chen Zheyuan is 28 years old. Wow, you have a problem with Fated Hearts lead couple age gap but no problem for you with Prisoner of Beauty lead couple age gap! I see no issues with the ages of the leads for both dramas, because all four leads did well in their roles.
If anyone's going to read your comments, I believe they need the context of your comments.]
Thank you for sharing your personal stories that resonate. Your godmother is a very strong woman, and may she…
Yo! Take it easy. This will possibly be the easiest of the World War II dramas you have seen this far, in terms of how the plot unfolds through excellent storytelling without you needing to know historical background :D
2 
8 
3 
5 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
This drama clearly had a lot of big and small technicalities considered before being well-sorted/planned and prioritised, when it's actually too easy to screw up. Sterling production this far.
Episodes 9 and 10 are wonderful examples of interweaving high stakes, tension, emotional bonds and humour while constantly advancing the plot and subplots. The sad history of the current situation pertaining to number of villagers on Sanzao Island is heartrendingly unforgettable, captured and conveyed through poignant stark camerawork.
FL could easily have turned out to be very annoying, over-simplified and over-dramatic if the acting was any less stellar, but Janine Zhang (also known as Chang Ning) is doing a splendidly realistic job of eliciting mixed emotions from me while demonstrating nuanced understanding of her role. Her evolution over episodes is organic. By episode 13, she is truly her father's daughter, but she will still need perspective with the ever-changing situation.
I summarised the main context here of Ye Biying, for the first 6 episodes: https://kisskh.at/27149-sunset-in-glory#comment-24687478
Gary Sinise is great at narrating and he's a phenomenally wonderful humble gentleman helping veterans for decades. His courage and compassion in the process of losing his son and fighting personal battles, while helping frontline workers- I only have deep respect for him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND3bAyuWdKc
I usually don't root for characters in a drama or movie to have a romance unless they act well and they have great chemistry in their individual roles. This was a pleasant surprise for me and I'm happy if Han Feng is only at the level of seeing Qingyue as a good friend or possibly starting to see her in a different non-platonic light, but no actual romance for this series. The ability to portray such subtleties at most as hints is a pleasure for me, because any of them can easily pull it off if it happens. That's not the case in a large number of idol dramas where it becomes painful for me to watch because the leads' ability to micro-emote is lacking and cannot deliver. That's also a large reason why I usually go for non-romance dramas because the delivery I am used to and expect isn't there. HK stars of the 80s and 90s have spoilt me XDs
I really like Jiang Qi Lin in this drama, and he delivers as expected. Because of this veteran cast, Luo Yunxi can finally do what he comfortably does once he has grasped a character: He's just as capable of micro-emoting well in a modern drama as with a historical costume drama. Qi Sizhe had doubts in the first half of the drama coupled with not yet acknowledging how he needs to be aware of the lingering effects of PTSD from what happened to him and his GF, and Luo Yunxi had to portray that obsession with restraint due to doubts about himself. It's difficult to peg him. After he makes a certain mistake, he's more cautious and grounded yet also passionately professional due to his convictions growing with certainty. Not easy at all.
Great emotional buffet for me! I am a happy camper XD
I didn't expect to feel sorry for him. But given how often I've seen Liu Huan as a villain, I'd be surprised if he was the ultimate villain because Director Zhuang Xuanwei likes to keep people guessing. I like that for once, he's been given a role with a background that makes one ponder.
And biggest surprise: Never thought I'd want Han Feng and Qingyue to get together. Jiang Qi Lin and Liu Ya-se have done so well individually that I believe they would be such a cutely awkward and endearing couple. Jiang Qi Lin is a totally different character in "Man's Inhumanity to Man" and he's turned in one of my favourite portrayals of a cop in C-drama here.
Looking forward to how Qi Sizhe evolves for these final 4 episodes. In terms of emotional buffets of micro-emoting, these four characters mentioned here have kept me well fed and very happy, with episodes 15 to 17.
And Han Feng (Jiang Qi Lin) is, "老万 🫡 放心"
Cya Liu nailed her emotional scenes, and what a spectrum of subtleties. All the emotional scenes from episodes 15 to 17 were brilliant, between the three leads plus Liu Huan. I have mixed feelings for Chen Chuchuan, and I also felt sorry for him.
Given how well the acting has been going, I was thinking at least twice if only Han Feng and Qingyue would get together! I believe they would be sweet, awkward, funny, and the team would be YES! And that's how good their acting is. Nothing romantic implied whatsoever, but their individual portrayals... Rooting for two characters to get together in a drama I know has no romance was unexpected.
Not-yet-aired final 4 episodes have me trying to decide whether to ready snacks, a towel or lots of hydration.
His role as Runyu is unforgettable, already revealing hints of TTJ and Tang Lici. Demon Kings are actually very difficult to portray convincingly because they require a lot of micro-emoting and precise nuancing anchored by a certain amount of presence, and mature actors are best for carrying this role. Tan Tai Jin catches you within the first five minutes of episode 1 in TTEOM to continue watching. In Tang Lici, C-Ent has an unusual protagonist who insists he is the solution, and he will prove this truth.
I don't admire an artist based on their looks, but their talent and hard work. He has both, and he understands the importance of the latter to further improve the former. I'm also happy for many of the cast after SLY, such as Xiao Shunyao starring in "Origin" with Wu Jinyan and still filming. This drama has given them exposure to a very wide audience, and it's up to each of them to build on that :D
Stop Falling by 小阿七 (Original is English, paired with mandarin translation XD):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZEb0wDE0Cs
Translation of《诱》(Temptation) by 杰克wilven here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVG1YyLfQB0
Translation of 《坏，理由是爱》(Bad, Because of Love) by 潘法海 here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-hYSWeYfLU
Translation of《悔》(Regret) by 郭筱莹 here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlbQUA_cdVE
Translation of 《剥》(Peel) by 洪智函 here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmN_YckYhkk
I have something for you :) Here's one of the songs sung in English, and check out the cool way they match the mandarin highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZEb0wDE0Cs
人间之味 is a drama she is in with Ou Hao, but it's been at least three years since the drama was filmed. "River Sunset" gives me hope for that drama to air.
Here's the official douyin account: https://www.douyin.com/user/MS4wLjABAAAA3zGHvrsDQJbyaORy9o6ul3ISkJeYPPxBJSTlgw-RntscvZVS3rlElttEp7v7IHt5
1.《Stop Falling》 – Stop Falling (小阿七)
2.《诱》 (Temptation) – 杰克wilven
3.《坏，理由是爱》(Bad, Because of Love) – 潘法海
4.《悔》 (Regret) – 郭筱莹
5.《剥》(Peel) – 洪智函
6.《Stop Falling》(伴奏) – Stop Falling (Instrumental) (小阿七)
7.《诱》(伴奏) – Temptation (Instrumental) ( 杰克wilven)
8.《坏，理由是爱》(伴奏) – Bad, Because of Love (Instrumental) (潘法海)
9.《悔》(伴奏) – Regret (Instrumental) Monkey (郭筱莹)
10.《剥》(伴奏) – Peel (Instrumental)( 洪智函)
https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1942/halsey-doolittle-raid.html
Documentary of the complete history about the Doolittle Raid, narrated by Gary Sinise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt2MBEpM9vg
There are many notable issues to think about, as I raised in my review praising many of the cast members and the positive aspects of the drama:
https://kisskh.at/profile/Xiang83/review/503570
[ What is a father? What is a mother? Are parents always supposed to be honoured with filial piety? How do you define filial piety? Is there a limit which would make someone snap? What are the traits necessary to be a capable ruler? If and when someone claims revenge, is revenge justified? How do you reconcile what you know, with what you see and experience? Can fate be defied? What is destiny?...
... As Murong Yao, Zuo Ye deserves a bigger role in future dramas for his depiction of being more than a filial son. This same recognition also applies to Qin Tian Yu, whose performance as the Emperor of Jinxiu is stellar. The Titans splendidly anchoring the supporting cast in micro-emoting and maintaining varying degrees of tension for their key roles are Zhao Bin, Eddie Chuang and Lu Xingyu as Emperor Feng Pingcheng, Prime Minister Zhuang and Murong Zhong. Due to these three veterans forming a crucial core across many episodes, the court intrigue and their impacts as fathers and leaders will capture and sustain your attention, while doing all sorts of oddities to your heartstrings.
Just as Liu Shishi nailed the badass attitude of a seasoned assassin at the top of her game, Li Qin spears the viewer with an unforgettable performance balancing fieriness, restraint and subtlety. Her intimidating icy glance and fearsome aura, combined with excellent fighting movements being deft and economically fatal, embody a seasoned warlord general as an almighty pain-in-the-ass against Susha publicly known as a formidable enemy for Feng Suige. If you want to recommend a female lead in a historical period C-drama as a convincing veteran of war to your military buddies, Li Qin is your practical go-to warrior queen who will also make you melt in later episodes. Also a sterling example of getting to the point and not accepting nonsense.
Buoyed by a mostly-terrific ensemble cast alongside an experienced leading lady who encouraged him with helpful tips as per the revelations of multiple BTS clips, Chen Zheyuan is the biggest pleasant surprise for me in this drama... ]
Fun, furious, infuriating, unforgettable. It was a high point of 2025 for me XD
[ And then you raise age differences between the leads as an issue of chemistry: https://kisskh.at/768987-wan-xin-ji#comment-24616984
Victoria Song is 27 years of age while Liu Yuning is 8 years older than her at 35 years of age. Li Qin is 35 while Chen Zheyuan is 28 years old. Wow, you have a problem with Fated Hearts lead couple age gap but no problem for you with Prisoner of Beauty lead couple age gap! I see no issues with the ages of the leads for both dramas, because all four leads did well in their roles.
If anyone's going to read your comments, I believe they need the context of your comments.]