Xiang83

I notice you shifted the goalposts about what I mentioned, since you clearly did not understand what I wrote and you don't want to confess to being wrong.

I look forward to your insights on this drama gracing this page, since you have described yourself so highly while insulting everything about "My Mister". I shall presume you have at least 30 years of experience watching C-Ent just like me, so everyone on this page can expect you will be giving stunning intellectual insights comparing how this remake is superior in every single way to "My Mister" because you insist on comparing everything.

To help you, here's an example of my superficial summary for recently-airing "Glory" after watching episodes 1 to 4: https://kisskh.at/772283-ming-men-shi-jia#comment-24642016

I'll be expecting much better dissections about 'Loving Strangers" from you, unlike what I have shared as a superficial take.

No doubt your self-purported stunning intellect will stun fellow viewers on this page, depending on the aspects you decide to showcase so anyone can clearly see what you are going to stun people with. So far I have not seen anything beyond blanket statements from you, hence I and multiple viewers are unconvinced by your opinions. It seems you've managed to enable multiple viewers to decide not to talk to you when less than half the episodes of this drama have aired, given how you answer them. That is a stunning achievement in itself.

Repeating an opinion ten times a day doesn't create reality. Thanks.

I've watched C-Ent for close to 30 years. And in my experience, I totally agree with your earlier comment to me that this remake must be assessed completely on its own merits.

People who watch the original would struggle with this remake. I definitely had to make a significant effort to assess this drama on its own terms to have enjoyment, even though I like the actress for the FL whom I'm a fan of.

I have at least one mandarin-speaking friend who has dropped this drama, and I don't fault them for their comparisons to the original and favouring the original. Too much BGM for this remake, which affects the rawness in bleakness of the overall tone for the first few episode. The OSTs have a different focus.

I also believe they should have kept the original setup of the three brothers in the 40s. All three males represent different aspects of the ego as per Sigmund Freud (this is not explained but demonstrated well in "My Mister" such as how each brother reacted about/to ML's wife after knowing ML found out about his wife's affair): Id, ego and superego. Id is ML's younger brother. Ego is ML. Super-ego is older brother.

~*~*~*~

As to Chinese Empress, here's a viewer on "Scarlet Hearts" drama page answering them:

[ I see you comment on almost every post here. You don't not need to play defense for a TV show. I am allowed to have a differing opinion from you. ]

and

[ @Chinese Empress So we are not supposed to have opinions on anything until we have seen it in its entirety? If you do this for everything then I commended you, but for most it is unrealistic. I plan to finish the series, and I will be sure to give my final thoughts. I will NOT reply to you any longer though as it is a waste of time. ]

https://kisskh.at/2969-scarlet-heart#comment-24593736

Is Chinese Empress dissing the Korean original in multiple aspects to multiple viewers, when remarking on the C-drama remake "Scarlet Hearts"?

[ i think exactly the opposite, in the Korean remake there is no chemistry but in the original Chinese there is so much chemistry they got married in real life] - https://kisskh.at/2969-scarlet-heart#comment-24216042

[ let me tell you. Korea version is not angst at all compared to Chinese original one. Everything is on another level. Depth, acting, angst, love.
With the Korean remake i laughed so hard until the end, i had no emotion at all from them. Chinese original one makes me cry a river ] - https://kisskh.at/2969-scarlet-heart#comment-23920336

Remakes can be handled differently due to different angles and intentions and changes from the original, but Chinese Empress clearly must compare everything and the Korean version is always inferior in every way. You can scroll down the drama page to see it all.

Then again, the profile of Chinese Empress states: Jdramas and Cdramas are life, the only real drama in this world (bold and underlined).

Chinese Empress doesn't reserve her disdain only for anything South Korean, and also mentioned Westerners on another drama page:

[8.6 on DB, more than 13thousand people rated it, becoming the most high ranking drama in 2025. Western people are sleeping on this, but I'm glad people are recognising it and the great work cast and crew did. My heart aches for Chinese people who had to endure all this.
Jiang Qilin, Zhang Yu and Yin Zheng are doing a great job ]

https://kisskh.at/785144-731#comment-24544162

Meanwhile, I see in a comment to Bill Dew four days ago on this drama page "Loving Strangers", she also stated:

[ I like IU as actress in the original too, but her characters was too shallow and bad i did not like it. This remake is far more realistic, intense, depressing because it's the real tone of the drama.]

https://kisskh.at/748667-wo-de-da-shu#comment-24840054

Multiple viewers took issue with her comments on more than one drama page. I believe that says enough about any kind of engagement with Chinese Empress, and I hope this helps.

You and LoveDemonGodTTJ want him to consider a drama option of being a vampire :D What's your take on that, meaning what are you thinking of him achieving in his role as a vampire?

Let me help you understand what I wrote:

[ A significant number of viewers will say there is no romance in the original K-drama. There are also a significant number of viewers of the original K-drama who say it's ultimately a journey of two very different people overcoming their personal hurdles and becoming friends to finally be free and resolve issues they each needed to tackle, resonating as a rare love story without romance (in the sense of romantic portrayals and tropes commonly expected by viewers for romance). ] - This implies that viewers of the original have different views, including the fact that a love story happened but without romance, as per the descriptions I expounded on.

You can have a love story without romance. This is important because if people expect romance, then they will have the wrong idea.

There is a love story for "My Mister", only it's not what a lot of people would expect for a love story especially if you are the type to link romance as a must-have to be considered a love story (I don't know if you're that type).

tvn Asia is run by Warner Bros agreeing to adhere to the license agreement of CJ ENM, CJ ENM being a South Korean entertainment and retail company.

I will also quote the caption that tvn asia's commercial feature featured on-screen for the commercial feature at 3:00. It states for everyone to read "An intriguing age-gap romance between Lee Sun Kyun and IU)". You can watch their entire youtube segment that I linked in my original comment.

If you disagree with the official commercial feature by tvn Asia being aired in line with their parent South Korean entertainment company to promote "My Mister" before airing as I have shared from 2018, you can take it up with them but I'm sure they know what they were doing.

Also, the ending for episode 16 of "My Mister" was perfect. The ML had broken up with his wife, which we see from the photos being displayed and more importantly, what he said. At 1 hour 25 minutes, he said "my kid and my kid's mom" when speaking about his son before he got cut off. He used "ae-umma". During the previous episodes, he had saved his wife as "chib-saram" on his mobile phone. One can say "wife" in multiple ways in hangeul, such as chib-saram (집사람) in a traditional manner, a-nae (아내 ), manura (마누라), waipu (와이프), etc

"ae-umma" in a casual context says it all about what Dong-hoon's situation is, when he meets Ji-an again after a one-year time-skip.

This remake has to be assessed solely on its own merits, to match the title of the remake drama (I don't know why they used "Loving Strangers" when that's not what the mandarin title means).

Hope this helps you.

Episodes 32 and 33 airing today will have me on edge. The previews alone were already making me go "Hold my beer" D:

Why vampire? I am now psychologically intrigued at hearing your answer.

I was going YES! and then er wait, how are we going to get out of this?

You know you're hooked when I forget that I'm not in the drama XD

Episode 25 makes me very happy with so many little details to history. Episode 26 was full of one-on-one heartfelt exchanges, many different types of motives both touching and scheming. Episode 27 dashed my hopes for a certain attempt to succeed. Episode 28 is full of questions and how to counter questions. Episode 29- Will 15 remaining episodes be enough to wrap things up wonderfully?

You're welcome. Before MDL massively lags again and prevents some of us from being on this site for hours, here is what I'd say a semi-lazy attempt at PR looks like (and you'd have to brush up, because you're nowhere close :p): https://kisskh.at/772283-ming-men-shi-jia#comment-24642016

Your initial post (https://kisskh.at/760693-ya-xi#comment-24834520) was pretty clear to me about Dai Xu's performance relative to Pei Zhen and nothing about 2ML Syndrome except mentioning the term, but I believe different users are interpreting the term differently in their minds, hence misunderstandings can occur upon seeing that term.

I wouldn't consider your observations to be at the level of a PR post, simply a well-phrased opinion. You did the same when posting a recent summary about several of the cast doing their own ADRs: https://kisskh.at/760693-ya-xi#comment-24841970

Thank you for your observations. If and when you write a review for this drama, I would be interested to read :D

2ML Syndrome appears to be a phrase interpreted differently by different people. So as to aid in clarification, 2ML in my understanding (as per K-dramas) refers to viewers rooting for the 2ML to wind up romantically with FL in a drama instead of ML with FL.

If you're praising Dai Xu's performance as Pei Zhen and not intending a romantic angle as per that definition, then you don't have 2ML Syndrome. You can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say praising a performance of an actor for being good/nuanced/excellent and explaining why isn't offensive, unless someone wants to take your opinion personally in a negative light for whatsoever reasons. If a viewer cannot differentiate between an actor and the role being carried out as a performance and hence takes offence, the problem isn't yours but the viewer who needs a reality check.

For me, Jiang Qi Lin is the strongest in emoting overall, for "The Truth Within". He's a veteran in modern dramas for certain supporting roles, and he nailed what he needed to be as a cop with a chip on his shoulder. Non-mandarin speakers wouldn't know much about Jiang Qi Lin's abilities. Liu Ya-se easily matched him, as an award-winning actress. Luo Yunxi had been given a character role with doubts and PTSD that could only be clearer for portrayal in the second half of the drama, but also matched them when the scenes primarily relied on micro-emoting to create maximum tension and history. In three episodes, I got a wonderful emotional buffet of micro-emoting. Super happy.

I always need my leads or SML/SFLs to have a certain skill acting level. If they can't nail it, I don't care if they win popularity awards because that means zilch in long-term concerns they might have about the impact of their craft and filmography being timeless, when they eventually leave the industry. Xing Fei gave a fantastic portrayal as Ning SuSu in "This Thriving Land", and I adored her as the younger sister to Yang Mi's character.

I would like to see Chen Xing Xu as a complex villain at some point, because that would be intriguing. Dai Xu has shown he can do this well enough. You'll enjoy both of them not getting along XD Frankly, just like them both. I'm happiest when I'm enjoying performances of the ensemble cast being dimensional with depth (good and evil characters), just like "The Guardians" and "River Sunset".

There's a discussion about Dai Xu's performance here, if you want to decide whether to roll your eyes again or not: https://kisskh.at/760693-ya-xi#comment-24834520

Hehehehehehe.

Both are swoon-worthy, be it Chen Xing Xu or Dai Xu. I'm on a modern drama/period drama kick, so not in the mood for historical dramas. The stepbrothers in this drama (Xiao Zhiyu and Pei Zhen) look good in glasses and are executing their differences well.

Dai Xu is doing a good job with his acting: https://kisskh.at/760693-ya-xi#comment-24839670

Dai Xu is definitely getting attention on weibo (haven't checked out douyin yet), as I pointed out to someone yesterday earlier on this page. I label his character Pei Zhen as charming yet repellant, and I haven't decided whether 2ML Syndrome will apply.

He's been professional yet underhanded within the boundaries of what a guy in his position would do (red-flag upbringing?). His obsession is centered on ML, not FL. The car incident is one example, where he did what he did because FL was driving ML's car. Previews for next episodes seem to emphasise this. This far, he hasn't been a cartoonish clown or an exaggerated dumb villain, which easily drags down an entire drama.

The reality is that an actor is not his role. However convincing or unconvincing their portrayal, conflating an artist doing his job to the best of their abilities (also primarily with the input from screenwriting and directions from the creative crew) as offline reality to take it personally (or on behalf of a favourite idol) isn't fair to the actor or actress. People praising or gushing over Dai Xu's performance doesn't mean people are dumber than other viewers for appreciating Pei Zhen's role in this drama as a foil that isn't stereotyped and boring yet.

"This Thriving Land", "Fated Hearts" and other dramas that succeed usually require a strong ensemble cast to go with the plot and directing. Leads alone don't carry the success of a successful drama except for specific situations, such as it being a vertical drama or the longform drama has significant flaws needing compensation. Ni Dahong, Qin Hailu, Lu Xingyu and Jiang Qi Lin are sought-after supporting actors who automatically elevate any drama they are in because their performances are realistically strong and captivating onscreen. Nothing to do with looks. Ni Dahong was repulsive yet commanding and well-nuanced in "This Thriving Land" and if you think Pei Zhen is damn annoying to the point that a fictional character is affecting you offline, be prepared for a lot of disgust and losing more than your temper with Ni Dahong for TTL, which no one would deny he executed very well.

As Pei Zhen, Dai Xu "lost" where he needed to in portrayal to Chen Xingxu but when he needs to level up his screen presence, he did so, as seen in episode 14 when they have one-on-one scenes. Pei Zhen doesn't irritate me because in RL, I've met far-worse people in all sorts of shades and had to handle them accordingly. Very curious to see how the drama will allow all supporting characters to turn out. I'm more interested in the evolution of the supporting characters than any romance for them, when it comes to the supporting cast.

In fact, I would prefer Pei Zhen not to fall for FL because I prefer to see how he will deal with achieving his goals or failing in them and changing as a person. Some of us do not automatically pair up single characters in a drama just because they happen to be under the age of 40. We don't think being in a happy romance is the ultimate happiness for everyone. In terms of dimensionality writing characters for this drama, a well-written character for leads and supporting cast is what I want. I like that this far, ML and 2ML are allowed to showcase nuancing and dimensionality as individuals which makes their current dynamics interesting, because what happened from the time they were kids until now?

Maybe someone's already done this much earlier, but I shared my thoughts on the title of this drama yesterday (I only came to this page yesterday):

[ The term 轧戏 (gá xì) originates from Peking opera, whereby an actor could take on multiple roles in the same performance during different parts of the same play, or two or more actors taking on two or more roles in the same performance. In the Golden Age of HK, 轧戏 was a symbol of the popularity of an actor or actress eg. Andy Lau. After 2017 from a mainland China POV given today's regulations, the term has a negative connotation of unprofessionalism due to abuse of substitutes in dramas and choosing work conditions resulting in not sufficiently understanding a role to portray it with the attention it deserves.

In this drama being inherently meta, certain characters take on multiples personalities in more than one reality. The VR reality is akin to a Chinese live-action game of role-playing to solve a fictional murder, hence known as 剧本杀 ((jù běn shā).... ]

https://kisskh.at/760693-ya-xi#comment-24832946

Trivia tip: The fox plushie I mentioned is also a wordplay on the FL's name ie Hu Xiu (胡羞) and fox (狐), and it's very adorable to remember the context of how and why this fox plushie affects Xiao Zhiyu because of FL. And that's all I'll say. If you want to know, you'll have to watch this drama :p

In the meantime, I leave you with an enchanting dance between the leads: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5255090562930936

Ps. 2ML Syndrome is definitely smouldering on weibo XD but I have not decided yet. I hope he stays a gentlemanly villain (if he's going to fall into that definite category).

Fun facts: The term 轧戏 (gá xì) originates from Peking opera, whereby an actor could take on multiple roles in the same performance during different parts of the same play, or two or more actors taking on two or more roles in the same performance. In the Golden Age of HK, 轧戏 was a symbol of the popularity of an actor or actress eg. Andy Lau. After 2017 from a mainland China POV given today's regulations, the term has a negative connotation of unprofessionalism due to abuse of substitutes in dramas and choosing work conditions resulting in not sufficiently understanding a role to portray it with the attention it deserves.

In this drama being inherently meta, certain characters take on multiples personalities in more than one reality. The VR reality is akin to a Chinese live-action game of role-playing to solve a fictional murder, hence known as 剧本杀 ((jù běn shā) . The settings of that fictional reality is Republican-era since episode 1, so you get old-school glamour and one of the best-looking visuals of an actor in a uniform.

This drama is not about incisive social commentary or some arthouse deep-dive into a niche topic or a bleak Master Rubik cube of mysteries shattering you with highly-distressing situations to unsettle you and make you stew for half the night. The Director knows what meaningful angles this drama ought to be through utilising specific scenarios and realities, hence weaving an architectural game of curiosities, comforts and consequences engaging specific emotions within the viewer to connect to. It would be impossible to grasp basic fullness in layers of a very tasty cake without understanding everything I have pointed out in this post. "Love Between Lines" is brilliant for understanding where it wants to be, which intentionally includes overall being as comforting as a bowl of cream to a cat. You might find yourself ODing on this unique cream full of schmaltzy grounded surprises XD

Libra_Aries is a CXX fan. Here's one of their versions utilising BTS in the VR world: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1BHidBGEt8/

Let me help you further. There are ten songs for the official OST. This user matched scenes from various episodes with short segments of each song, using all ten songs for this FMV: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pVrwB2Eks/

It's so sweet that you might get cavities after finishing this XD

That's what you get for sucking me into Pro Bono, heh!

Oh, given the tech involved here, an AI-generated duet makes me think of Zhiyu and Hu Xiu in this drama (Adele and Jungkook = "Without Words"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWHkQm7xNB4

Hahahahahaha! We can multi-task together.

These scenes with the night lights, neon city vibes backdrop and our ML were giving me K-drama feels: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV18GrMBrEDE/