There is definitely no romance for Xie Huai'an, which main screenwriter Shuang Cheng makes clear in this interview excerpt: https://weibo.com/6502685025/QhLs6dR7v
Except for maybe some other characters later in the drama.
So basically in this drama, heβs more of a strategist as opposed to martial artist and executioner? Or is he…
Tong Meng Shi who acts as Ye Zheng is the guy he'll turn to, for when fighting gets furious. Right now, one does not see any of Huai'an's moves as per martial arts for the first four episodes, but his usage of a shovel near the end of episode 4 has me thinking he might not be a complete dunce in the fight category. If you want to know more, you need to ask someone who has watched episode 5 onwards. Do note that as of all episodes airing yesterday, Xie Huai'an has already offed 3 of the 6 targets on his list.
Cheng Yi is a mature protagonist who is at the level of chess master and not chess piece, fundamentally similar to Luo Yunxi as Tang Lici in "Whispers of Fate", which means many shades of grey. Fantastic. Strategist and executioner. Realistic ready-to-change-more-than-one-neighbourhood protagonists are my type.
4 episodes in, this is the role for Cheng Yi which I have been anticipating.
Xie Huai'an in "Vendetta of An" is the role that Cheng Yi naturally maximises, after his previous filmography.
Vendetta of An is refreshing to me because the lead protagonist is mature, fully-formed and galvanised to achieve his goals. He is a "I will burn down everything and remake all in my image" cool-headed strategist with a list of targets, and he is ready after ten years of preparation.
Since the protagonist doesn't need to go through trials to gain strength or cultivate or level up, viewers do not have to exhaust energy and concerns on the development of the protagonist (which is typical in historical costume dramas). Instead, we can focus on the plans and moves of every party and their ulterior motives and beliefs, such as aiming to advance objectives and counter each other. This is revenge being direct and hands-on and unapologetic, without needing 2000 layers of build-up. Instead, we need to see the onion for what it is, and enjoy unpeeling the layers including the emotional core of this drama, which our mature protagonist possesses in spades. Whether he cooks or uses a shovel or expresses himself through the subtlest nuances, he is completely in charge and a compelling enigma.
This is not Mysterious Lotus Casebook, and Cheng Yi is definitely not Li Lianhua. Wise, resourceful, carrying heavy responsibilities- Xie Huai'an versus Li Lianhua is like night versus day. He is conveying a completely different character, and not having to cater to any romance nor doing the must-level-up-youngster definitely aids in him being able to fully emote and hence command the scenes.
A strong ensemble cast here versus the cast of TJOL definitely enhances the tension and intensity of this drama.
He is a costume designer's dream, when he knows how to conduct himself and move in them. Huang Wei would have…
I had so many things to do, and my long-awaited Xie Huai'an has finally appeared. I happen to share certain aspects of that character in "Vendetta of An" ππ
But for all extents and purposes, I mostly prefer being adored like Xiao Xue Fu on MDL π€£π€£π€£π€£
Ep 15 .. did we just go into the world of Star Wars??? What is that high tech sand battle ship that shoots LASERS??Also…
That's the inspiration from the second instalment of the Star Wars franchise ie the Tatooine desert.
As to A-Shui (A Shei is the literal pronunciation), you'll find out after episode 30. Zhong Chunji and her make a wonderful heartwarming duo. Everyone has different favourite characters, and all the female characters are quite different in their own ways. I happen to like multiple characters for different reasons, such as Gui Mudan who absolutely caught me more than 40 days ago, when episode 14 aired.
Shen Langhun is my favourite jianghu therapist assassin. I want Chi Yun as my younger brother, because he would be great for my actual younger brother to laugh lots :p
Xue Xianzi is the wise-cracking Taoist sage who mostly stays out of secular affairs, unless he decides he has to intervene. I've got at least a few others, including Xifang Tao, but only after you watch episodes 27 and 28 might I expound on them :)
He is a costume designer's dream, when he knows how to conduct himself and move in them. Huang Wei would have…
I would encourage anyone to watch TTEOM plus Whispers of Fate!
They are very different categories of dramas. Whispers of Fate is the mature conspiracy-driven philosophical heroism-focused drama with a well-formed protagonist that is ready to change the world and doesn't need romance.
TTEOM is romance, relationships, and how one demon god can change because of the efforts of others, especially due to someone who loves him.
We got our first glimpse of Yan Anβs full costume... his new drama look π Absolutely stunning! https://youtube.com/shorts/PMQqYpYRmo4?si=WXq9dnp7eMlH5vOwhttps://x.com/heartyanxn/status/1999398615748636831?s=20
I really like his music by the way someone told me yanan is under gjm company ZUI but I didn't find any information…
They have been very secretive about the sets for Yan An and Tian Xiwei's new drama. Did you see all the tarpaulin they are using to seal off any chances of peeking from outside the sets, unless one can climb over the walls (and get arrested) or gain access?
I think Yan An's a bit nervous. This is going to be a pet project of Youku. See you on that page!
Riley had excellent eyeliner yet looking very natural when he was in that scene with Fang Yilun that I can't forget: A good mix of menace and playfulness, Fang Pingzhai never losing his cool when given an ultimatum.
I like Ai Mi's make-up being minimal, so her micro-emoting came through very well. Perhaps I should go find out what the inspirations for her headgear are from.
Rating China (CVB), the most authoritative rating body in China has issued an article praising SLY title A Madman…
I don't know how you're going to add this into the thread, but everytime you share details of WoF's unique domestic and global impact and achievements, I am in awe of your skills.
He is a costume designer's dream, when he knows how to conduct himself and move in them. Huang Wei would have…
Hong-guniang made quite an entrance! Her walk, her attitude- I had the sudden thought that she should be the third snake spirit in Tsui Hark's "Green Snake" movie. She'd be right at home with Joey Wong and Maggie Cheung: sensuous and menacing and almost inhuman. Just like how she plays with the strings of her harp.
You're right to be fascinated with her, given how much detail she displays. I enjoyed you sharing about the α α±α¬ααΊαΈαα±α¬ααΊ and its history, the phoenix-head harp which she uses to fight and linger upon. A bodhi leaf topping the curved neck of a boat-shaped resonator, very distinctive sounds, and a musical work of art given the attention devoted to its external design. Yes, I can get a bit carried away at times with string instruments, since I also play the guzheng XD
Possibly the best red robes on a female that I have seen in C-dramas!
He is a costume designer's dream, when he knows how to conduct himself and move in them. Huang Wei would have…
Tantai Jin is a very difficult Demon God to top, and watching him in TTTEOM is unforgettable. Fortunately for us, LYX is a great actor who carries out his roles so well that they are all distinct from each other.
Tang Lici's archetype as the main protagonist is very different from typical formulas, where he is capable and ready to deal with foes right from the start. As Tang Lici who will break the cycle of rebirth and rewrite his destiny, I enjoyed all the ways he reminded us that he can be so endearingly, heartbreakingly and confidently mesmerising on-screen to watch. His fighting scenes are full of heart, and his wire work!
Aero as Shen Langhun and Ao Ziyi as Chi Yun always made me want more of them as a trio, because they build very beautiful dynamics between each other. Everytime Shen Langhun and Tang Lici had one-on-one scenes, just quiet woooah or WOOOOOOAH~ I swear my mouth was always slightly open when witnessing the poetry of their interactions. Chi Yun and Tang Lici easily make me smile. Chi Yun knew how to push the buttons of our Tang-huli in a way no one else could and still get warm smiles from Tang Lici.
You have to see this fan art on weibo! Drawings became an animated video, and here is he in my favourite outfit for Whispers of Fate (end of episode 25, episodes 26 and 27): https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5240800156060559
ππππTime for more celebration, and props to TaraVerde~πβ¨
Aw... I am very glad to have met you. I reckon you should enjoy Micha's wonderful cheeriness on the TTEOM page first! She's doing a great job with the 2025 End of the Year Drama Challenge.
Data Queen Kwanto is always here to wreck haters!!
Dude, that troll has at least eight sockpuppets and doesn't enjoy this drama and hence is still stuck at episode 20 or 21, if one considers finishing an episode as essential before going to the next one.
They eternally promote a "romance" as integral but is fundamentally misleading to new viewers wherever they go (but never inform these people that they are far from finishing), while avoiding the painful reality of watching Luo Yunxi create chemistry in multiple scenes across multiple episodes with other female characters in the drama that increases from episode 23 onwards, especially the most important woman in his life that only appears after episode 33. Add in the chemistry he also generates with some male characters, and it becomes a very painful drama for such trolls to continue watching.
Talking to oneself via sock-puppetry is a very sad situation to see, especially when one uses multiple accounts to resort to all sorts of remarks and insinuations to trash female actresses and their characters and drive away fellow viewers during the entire time the drama was airing ( multiple attempts claiming "Whispers of Fate" is inferior to TTEOM already happened, and also claim a preference for any other works previously acted in by any of the supporting cast being better acted in those other dramas instead of "Whispers of Fate") but cannot go into any depth about this drama, because the art and literary references and history and philosophy fuelling the creation of this drama is wasted on them.
One example of obvious sockpuppetry is the θιΈ‘θ account I politely schooled on 3 November shortly after episode 14 aired 40 days ago, because that eggnumbersomething account clearly knew nothing about the culture and history and art of China plus Jeremy Tsu's character, to label "Ghostly peony mask guy" as appearing stupid and tasteless:
[ "Liu Yan to Ghostly peony mask guy- 'leader you seem to have forgotten that I don't enjoy opera. May you cut to the chase'
Me too Liu Yan, me too. I feel your pain. May be someone should hide all these masks. Ghostly peony looked much more sinister and an effective antagonist with his real face and voice. All those masks chnages make him look a bit stupid."
"However, I did not find it to a good taste in the scene where he and LY are talking. Every-time he spoke as himself he was good, but with all those mask changes and vanishing act it looked more like mocking. I mean after a while he wasn't really reciting lines from a work of literature but singing lines likes 'why are you late' etc. Did not find it tasteful or even sinister. it downgraded the villain in an instant. It made a possible serious villain non- serious and stupid for no reason."
A large chunk of domestic viewers and mandarin speakers will feel the pain of immense stupidity and complete ignorance to witness these comments.
Nobody would label Gui Mudan stupid or anything remotely clownish or tasteless, if they actually watched the episodes they claim to have watched. Then again, they obviously needed MTL. They know nothing about Chinese opera which Gui Mudan most-heavily symbolises of all the characters conveying at least two of the major Chinese opera forms within China, yet have zero humility or self-awareness to realise what their ignorance displays.
Given this level of astounding observational failure, best to take their claims and criticisms with a mountain of salt when they continue on this page also using that sockpuppet account to talk to themself within these 3 days, to claim all sorts of nonsense about Tang Lici and so-and-so drama is better than this drama π€£π€£π€£
I deeply appreciate you and Azure being here for this drama, and for being graciously helpful to other viewers who were asking questions (I know Enigma05 is very grateful).
There was an FMV on douyin in November that cracked me up because Tang Lici was punching out/knocking out/blowing out everyone who deserved a good smacking, coupled with apt music. If I find it again, I'll share it here. Made me XD (there are also posts on douyin celebrating getting a ticket to the concert)
2 
7 
1 
3 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
Except for maybe some other characters later in the drama.
Cheng Yi is a mature protagonist who is at the level of chess master and not chess piece, fundamentally similar to Luo Yunxi as Tang Lici in "Whispers of Fate", which means many shades of grey. Fantastic. Strategist and executioner. Realistic ready-to-change-more-than-one-neighbourhood protagonists are my type.
Unlike Tang Lici, Xie Huai'an is not merciful.
Xie Huai'an in "Vendetta of An" is the role that Cheng Yi naturally maximises, after his previous filmography.
Vendetta of An is refreshing to me because the lead protagonist is mature, fully-formed and galvanised to achieve his goals. He is a "I will burn down everything and remake all in my image" cool-headed strategist with a list of targets, and he is ready after ten years of preparation.
Since the protagonist doesn't need to go through trials to gain strength or cultivate or level up, viewers do not have to exhaust energy and concerns on the development of the protagonist (which is typical in historical costume dramas). Instead, we can focus on the plans and moves of every party and their ulterior motives and beliefs, such as aiming to advance objectives and counter each other. This is revenge being direct and hands-on and unapologetic, without needing 2000 layers of build-up. Instead, we need to see the onion for what it is, and enjoy unpeeling the layers including the emotional core of this drama, which our mature protagonist possesses in spades. Whether he cooks or uses a shovel or expresses himself through the subtlest nuances, he is completely in charge and a compelling enigma.
This is not Mysterious Lotus Casebook, and Cheng Yi is definitely not Li Lianhua. Wise, resourceful, carrying heavy responsibilities- Xie Huai'an versus Li Lianhua is like night versus day. He is conveying a completely different character, and not having to cater to any romance nor doing the must-level-up-youngster definitely aids in him being able to fully emote and hence command the scenes.
A strong ensemble cast here versus the cast of TJOL definitely enhances the tension and intensity of this drama.
But for all extents and purposes, I mostly prefer being adored like Xiao Xue Fu on MDL π€£π€£π€£π€£
Sorry, I nearly fell off my chair when reading this. So excited!
The tail end of Whispers of Fate will be stronger than TTEOM, which I was quite sure of by the time WoF finished airing.
As to A-Shui (A Shei is the literal pronunciation), you'll find out after episode 30. Zhong Chunji and her make a wonderful heartwarming duo. Everyone has different favourite characters, and all the female characters are quite different in their own ways. I happen to like multiple characters for different reasons, such as Gui Mudan who absolutely caught me more than 40 days ago, when episode 14 aired.
Shen Langhun is my favourite jianghu therapist assassin. I want Chi Yun as my younger brother, because he would be great for my actual younger brother to laugh lots :p
Xue Xianzi is the wise-cracking Taoist sage who mostly stays out of secular affairs, unless he decides he has to intervene. I've got at least a few others, including Xifang Tao, but only after you watch episodes 27 and 28 might I expound on them :)
They are very different categories of dramas. Whispers of Fate is the mature conspiracy-driven philosophical heroism-focused drama with a well-formed protagonist that is ready to change the world and doesn't need romance.
TTEOM is romance, relationships, and how one demon god can change because of the efforts of others, especially due to someone who loves him.
It's a super-long article, and it's good of you to take up @Yulsa on her suggestion of asking people to translate and summarise any of it.
I think Yan An's a bit nervous. This is going to be a pet project of Youku. See you on that page!
Bai Shu and Ao Ziyi in this BTS against the snow (both their outfits look great): https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5226671533723643
Live poses galore: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5228958565271196
I forgot where I saw a closeup of his eyelashes.
Riley had excellent eyeliner yet looking very natural when he was in that scene with Fang Yilun that I can't forget: A good mix of menace and playfulness, Fang Pingzhai never losing his cool when given an ultimatum.
I like Ai Mi's make-up being minimal, so her micro-emoting came through very well. Perhaps I should go find out what the inspirations for her headgear are from.
You're right to be fascinated with her, given how much detail she displays. I enjoyed you sharing about the α α±α¬ααΊαΈαα±α¬ααΊ and its history, the phoenix-head harp which she uses to fight and linger upon. A bodhi leaf topping the curved neck of a boat-shaped resonator, very distinctive sounds, and a musical work of art given the attention devoted to its external design. Yes, I can get a bit carried away at times with string instruments, since I also play the guzheng XD
Possibly the best red robes on a female that I have seen in C-dramas!
Tang Lici's archetype as the main protagonist is very different from typical formulas, where he is capable and ready to deal with foes right from the start. As Tang Lici who will break the cycle of rebirth and rewrite his destiny, I enjoyed all the ways he reminded us that he can be so endearingly, heartbreakingly and confidently mesmerising on-screen to watch. His fighting scenes are full of heart, and his wire work!
Aero as Shen Langhun and Ao Ziyi as Chi Yun always made me want more of them as a trio, because they build very beautiful dynamics between each other. Everytime Shen Langhun and Tang Lici had one-on-one scenes, just quiet woooah or WOOOOOOAH~ I swear my mouth was always slightly open when witnessing the poetry of their interactions. Chi Yun and Tang Lici easily make me smile. Chi Yun knew how to push the buttons of our Tang-huli in a way no one else could and still get warm smiles from Tang Lici.
You have to see this fan art on weibo! Drawings became an animated video, and here is he in my favourite outfit for Whispers of Fate (end of episode 25, episodes 26 and 27): https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5240800156060559
They eternally promote a "romance" as integral but is fundamentally misleading to new viewers wherever they go (but never inform these people that they are far from finishing), while avoiding the painful reality of watching Luo Yunxi create chemistry in multiple scenes across multiple episodes with other female characters in the drama that increases from episode 23 onwards, especially the most important woman in his life that only appears after episode 33. Add in the chemistry he also generates with some male characters, and it becomes a very painful drama for such trolls to continue watching.
Talking to oneself via sock-puppetry is a very sad situation to see, especially when one uses multiple accounts to resort to all sorts of remarks and insinuations to trash female actresses and their characters and drive away fellow viewers during the entire time the drama was airing ( multiple attempts claiming "Whispers of Fate" is inferior to TTEOM already happened, and also claim a preference for any other works previously acted in by any of the supporting cast being better acted in those other dramas instead of "Whispers of Fate") but cannot go into any depth about this drama, because the art and literary references and history and philosophy fuelling the creation of this drama is wasted on them.
One example of obvious sockpuppetry is the θιΈ‘θ account I politely schooled on 3 November shortly after episode 14 aired 40 days ago, because that eggnumbersomething account clearly knew nothing about the culture and history and art of China plus Jeremy Tsu's character, to label "Ghostly peony mask guy" as appearing stupid and tasteless:
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24049694
[ "Liu Yan to Ghostly peony mask guy- 'leader you seem to have forgotten that I don't enjoy opera. May you cut to the chase'
Me too Liu Yan, me too. I feel your pain. May be someone should hide all these masks. Ghostly peony looked much more sinister and an effective antagonist with his real face and voice. All those masks chnages make him look a bit stupid."
"However, I did not find it to a good taste in the scene where he and LY are talking. Every-time he spoke as himself he was good, but with all those mask changes and vanishing act it looked more like mocking. I mean after a while he wasn't really reciting lines from a work of literature but singing lines likes 'why are you late' etc. Did not find it tasteful or even sinister. it downgraded the villain in an instant. It made a possible serious villain non- serious and stupid for no reason."
"They could have stuck to his natural demeanour (like in the restaurant scene with TLC) instead of all those masks, singing regular dialogues. It broke the essence they were able build in the restaurant scene, and already made me as a viewer to not take him seriously."] - ζη倩ε!
A large chunk of domestic viewers and mandarin speakers will feel the pain of immense stupidity and complete ignorance to witness these comments.
Nobody would label Gui Mudan stupid or anything remotely clownish or tasteless, if they actually watched the episodes they claim to have watched. Then again, they obviously needed MTL. They know nothing about Chinese opera which Gui Mudan most-heavily symbolises of all the characters conveying at least two of the major Chinese opera forms within China, yet have zero humility or self-awareness to realise what their ignorance displays.
Given this level of astounding observational failure, best to take their claims and criticisms with a mountain of salt when they continue on this page also using that sockpuppet account to talk to themself within these 3 days, to claim all sorts of nonsense about Tang Lici and so-and-so drama is better than this drama π€£π€£π€£
I deeply appreciate you and Azure being here for this drama, and for being graciously helpful to other viewers who were asking questions (I know Enigma05 is very grateful).
There was an FMV on douyin in November that cracked me up because Tang Lici was punching out/knocking out/blowing out everyone who deserved a good smacking, coupled with apt music. If I find it again, I'll share it here. Made me XD (there are also posts on douyin celebrating getting a ticket to the concert)