YiyanMeng

Long comment coming, so I'll put it in a spoiler tag~

That makes sense. I rarely watched dramas during airing, but I remember watching this and falling in love with it from the beginning. Knowing you're Chinese, it makes more sense that you'd have higher expectations for this kind of stuff. I also get the humor part. A lot of people may not like it. Dare I say my first impression of the comedy is that I also felt it was quite off; nonetheless, I was still enjoying the drama a lot. I'd say they watered down the comedy which I think was a good thing considering the events that occurred later. In the end, I got used to it and find it now unique to the drama.
I also didn't realize about the tears at first... I guess we can consider this drama melodramatic bc of the amount of crying there is, esp in the latter half. I'd definitely agree with you that it doesn't always seem exactly "sad" and it seems to be more realistic in the later episodes. I also found that those sad scenes (that don't look like sad scenes to you) would be given a reason for later episodes (if that makes any sense). I get you though. I have felt this for other dramas in general, how some sad scenes may not really make me feel the emotions for some reason, so yeah. It's pretty subjective!

But I was invested. I loved the story. I didn't think about it, but maybe it also has a lot to do with the character dynamics as I fell in love with the relationships between the characters and each of their back stories that made them become who they were. I read someone mention how the plot wasn't really the greatest but rather the characters and the relationships they built that made them stay. So while I enjoyed the plot, I can tell it also has to do a lot with the characters. Maybe this could also be why you weren't into it which makes total sense.
Since you didn't like the acting (which I found to be great actually) and the storytelling (which I didn't think much about or minded), I get it. For me, the ones who stood out to me are the two male leads. Is it that you didn't like any of the acting? I noticed that you liked MJTY which has a lot of the same cast as this, so I'm quite curious! Maybe it's generally more about the story and direction, or I guess, the kind of characters they played here? For me, I find Tian Jiarui to have excelled even more in his acting by playing a completely different character who later displays more emotions, as well as Lin Ziye who plays two different characters in the drama (the other where he is possessed by one of the major characters).

By the way, I didn't get into costume dramas until the beginning of 2023, so to be fair, I still have a lot to watch along the way lol! Maybe I'll look into some 2022 dramas to watch as I found to not have watched enough of them. My most favorite is definitely The Blood of Youth. I found that one to be really good. All in all, it's definitely pretty subjective mostly of how we enjoy dramas. So I totally get you!

2024 was already a few months ago but I've been wondering why you dropped Fangs of Fortune (since I love it lol but ofc people have different tastes which is understandable). Is it the comedy, the slow pace in the episodes you watched, or what is it? I have read many different thoughts and reviews on FoF, so I get it when some people may not like it! But I also seemed to have found some people who were able to get into it after the drama picks up a bit more starting episode 15 (which I know is a long ride, so it's understandable if you don't have the patience lol). So after seeing what might be the reasons, I did encourage someone to continue who dropped after watching 8 episodes who wanted to like it, and they came to love it. You could totally be different from them though. So I'm curious!

But all in all, I totally agree with you that 2024 was a disappointment in dramas. In fact, I didn't really watch dramas in that year until the end of the year, which is the year I started watching a lot of C-dramas (costume dramas in general), and found myself watching mostly 2023 dramas since I found those to be one of the best years for costume dramas. I'd say 2025 has been a great start so far in comparison and have some in my watchlist that I haven't got into yet! I think this year will have much better dramas~ Well, at least I'm looking forward to a lot of them (compared to last year)!

It's been a year. Any updates about this drama at all? I see no one talking about it :/

Hai everyone~ It's been awhile! Let me share smth for Yuanyi fans 🫶 Can't you believe it? 🫣🫠 (If you know, you know...)

https://x.com/dramaticath/status/1874262894290100369?t=3w-wqX0Psuzmh2Jaz5wlnA&s=19

Wow, this is so interesting... Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to read the novel. Look forward to all these little details. Also, they really went thru 12 doors, that's fun. The ones we saw in the drama, is every single one in the novel? Would've been so nice to actually be able to see every door in the production, but it's prob due to the episode limit unfortunately :( But anyways, thanks for this!

So I think from my perspective (I've also calculated all the days he's worked), it looks to be about a month actually (I lost track, but somewhere around there). I've been looking forward to whenever he filmed too since I'm a fan. But you're right. It seems more like a support role to me.

You're right... I never expected a guest role could film this long... I'm nervous for Guang bc of this... I hope he's given a lot of screentime and that the guest role label is just for a surprise later on... He deserves it after filming for this long 🫠 And I didn't realize he's still filming omg he better get the screentime he deserves 😭

But question. Do you know any past experiences with the director where a guest role filmed for months like him? I'm curious now... 🙃

I can't believe Guangguang wrapped up filming today! Filming since December, so 3 months... and you're telling me he's a guest role? 🤨 I hope he gets a lot of screentime seeing how much he's been filming 😭 But whew, it's been a long 3 months... I'm so proud of him for getting thru this! I hope he can rest well shortly afterwards~ Can't wait to see him as Liu Weixue! 🥹🥰

https://x.com/xianguang0104/status/1903871157574725901
https://x.com/xianguang0104/status/1903974183136309546

P.S. How can the cake and bouquet be sooo beautiful?? 😍
https://x.com/xianguang0104/status/1903738134321619275

Our Guangguang wraps up filming for VoS today! I hope to see him get lots of screentime since he's been filming quite a lot! Let's look forward to his role in this~ 🥹🥰

https://x.com/xianguang0104/status/1903871157574725901
https://x.com/xianguang0104/status/1903974183136309546

I know at least Lanzhu in the novel is the 12th door. I am not sure exactly much about it apart from that. If there's more to it, well... Tbh, I spoiled enough of the novel bc I was curious about the differences from the drama. So you can give a vague breakdown if you want. I don't mind it!

There is no Gao Dawei in the novel. I just wished he was Lanzhu. It would make more sense for me since both characters are played by the same actor. This is why they never clearly showed us his face. And I even had a theory about Lanzhu being him that seems to fit in well with the narrative (which you can see in my above comment). But I suspect they changed it up due to censorship. I could be wrong tho. Also, Lanzhu isn't actually an NPC in the novel, making it better. He just lives in an alternate world from Jiushi. In the end, they live in different worlds. But they have a much happier ending in the novel. So I'd love to def try reading it to make myself feel better LOL.

That does make sense, but I think it would've been cool if they went into this route. And I do find it strange that they never showed his face. Normally in times like this, their faces would get eventually get revealed. I think they did the same to that 10th door dude who was then revealed to be the X leader. It's strange but cool that they used Xia Zhiguang as the actor for him which makes it confusing. But that's all! Won't think about this too much!
But woah, so is it like an alternate universe or smth of the sort? I did learn that Lanzhu was from a different world as him. That is super cool! Makes me wanna read tbe novel even more! I love these kind of concepts!

Yes, have fun! If you want to buy it, then def do it asap as it looks like it's low in stock just in case! I already bought my set but still have yet to look at it. I was even thinking of trying to use ChatGPT for this, tho it's def gonna take a lot of time to do that LOL. Will prob at least try to compare the first parts using ChatGPT to the manual translation I linked to you to see if it's good.

Throughout the whole drama, I was always suspicious of Lanzhu hiding smth from Jiushi... Like there were those moments of the way he looked at him, as if there was smth in their past that he was full of regrets for and was hiding from him.

This was my theory throughout the drama (and I'd rather like to think of it this way lol):
Lanzhu is Gao Dawei, but Jiushi lost his memories, so even if he remembered Gao Dawei as his best friend, he didn't remember what he looked like exactly, so he didn't think about Lanzhu possibly being his "best friend" from high school. It was Jiushi that made the game originally, or Lanzhu, and Lanzhu didn't want to tell him the truth because of what happened between them in the past, or because of the game that ended up killing a lot of people, which was originally created in their hands. For what happened between them, it is about the separation after he would save others from the earthquake rather than Jiushi. Because of this, Gao Dawei (or Lanzhu) regretted it a lot, so he wanted to stay by his side silently while Jiushi doesn't have his memories, and make up for the things he regrets, so he never told him the truth. He wanted to find the right time to finally say it.

Gao Dawei always had his hood on, making it easier for us to believe / theorize that he was Lanzhu / Xia Zhiguang. After looking at a shot where Gao Dawei's face was shown more clearly, it was even more clear that he was Xia Zhiguang. Even just by one flashback, his side profile was so Xia Zhiguang. So guess what I thought the big reveal would be? Of course it's that Gao Dawei is Lanzhu, but there was no reveal of that. Makes no sense. A very huge plot hole. So my theory is that Gao Dawei is Lanzhu (or, well, originally was supposed to be). It also doesn't make sense that they use Xia Zhiguang, and Jiushi doesn't recognize Lanzhu looking like his best friend if he actually had memories of what his best friend looks like. Also, where did Gao Dawei actually go? The whole thing about him feels like it's been thrown under the bus lol. Oh well. I believe censorship is the problem.

This is why I wanna read the novel. I'd rather think the novel's ending as the original ending to make myself happier lol. I just wanna erase my memory of that 50 year time jump lmaooo I only want to think that after they part ways in the 12th door that they reunite after one year later, and that's it! I don't want it to be a reunion in the virtual world tbh... I'd rather in reality... It's so much better that way. I imagine Jiushi reuniting with all his friends and Lanzhu in reality... A much better ending... I just wished they didn't make Lanzhu an NPC and stuck with the original plan (my suspicion) that Gao Dawei is in fact Lanzhu / Lanzhu is in fact Gao Dawei, bc it makes a lot of sense.

Nah I don't think it's a dream. My theory is that the door he saw in his car accident in the first episode, is the same as the last door (reality of death) he entered. That leads to the theory that he was always in the doors since then. This goes in line with the novel.

But yeah, I really hate the 50 years time jump... Like he doesn't get to really spend time with Lanzhu when he was in his 20s and up? He had to be 70+ to reunite? Like it's too sad of an ending bc Jiushi doesn't really live a happy life of those 50 years... I don't even wanna think about how Lanzhu is an NPC atp lol the novel is better bc at least he really exists there (just in a different world, but it's better) AND it's only one year of separation until they reunite again!

Some may call it happy, but for me, I don't consider it... But don't let that stop you from watching! The rest of the show is sooo good! If you want to end at a good ending, then maybe stopping about halfway thru the last episode (when they enter the last door, don't continue that door) will do the trick. But honestly, it's your choice. Do you mind if I spoil it at all? To make myself happier, I take in the ending of the novel instead since it's much happier for me, and since it's an original work, why not, right?

Nah it's an original work so in the end it's up to our interpretations. However there is a novel which comes from the original script and most likely has the deleted scenes we didn't get to see.

https://cpop-universe.com/products/fangs-of-fortune-2024-merch-novel-set-drama-postcards-posters-wudoll-official

Unfortunately there are no English translation for the novels, but there is someone trying their best to translate it, though it will take a lot of time.
https://loveliestranslations.wordpress.com/fangs-of-fortune-%E5%A4%A7%E6%A2%A6%E5%BD%92%E7%A6%BB/

Updates for translations:
https://lovelies-translations.tumblr.com/post/769941601745354752/fangs-of-fortune-official-novel-adaptation

Frrrr... ML has a more lively personality while 2ML is more serious. Love how they complement each other so well. I think of it as a censored BL too ngl... 100% agree about the OSTs too... My favorite!

Yes to The Spirealm! I literally just finished it recently and omg I miss it so bad! I wanna watch it all over again! I also see you're currently watching it rn? I'm jealous!! I wished I was still watching it lol! Have fun as you do!