antiherodiaries

I'm reading the novel and Duan Xu is not submissive...he's flirty and naughty. And sonfsr the drama is portraying that, but I am behind on the episodes so I hope they don't change this aspect.

Brah....there are already high quality dramas that never go viral being produced under censorship, that isn't going anywhere.

I agree and I understand. I just think that the most concise and well-told narratives come from strong directors who are very involved in the script. Many of the more well-known and, in my opinion, better works are by directors who have significantly more control. I also think Chinese dramas suffer from this lack of creative control.

I agree. the storytelling is pretty balanced right now.

I don’t know exactly how film school is structured in China, but when I was in film school in the U.S., students were generally required to write and direct their own projects in order to graduate. So most directors have at least foundational writing skills and the ability to shape a script into a workable narrative. Many do revise scripts as needed—whether they take writing credit or not often depends on their contract.

That said, I personally think directors who don’t engage with the script are being lazy—because how are you going to focus primarily on performance, visual storytelling, and production if you have no idea how the story is unfolding, or if it’s unfolding in a way that doesn’t work with your creative direction?

Guo Jingming’s work is amazing. Aside from the technical aspects, he has a distinct style when it comes to dialogue. I think that because he writes his own scripts, he has more control over this element. Having control over the conversations also helps ensure that only what needs to be said is said, and that each line moves the story forward. I wish more directors wrote their own scripts or were more involved in the screenwriting process—I think this would help solve many of the storytelling issues prevalent in Chinese dramas.

I’m not even a fan of his, but I can still look at the drama as a whole and say this is his best work—and they cut his character down to the point where he became a plot device. An actor can still perform well in a poorly written story; those two things can coexist.
And I don’t buy the “not enough episodes” excuse either. Again, I know I sound like a broken record, but using limited episodes as a justification for poor writing is so overdone.

I sound like a broken record, but having a female-centric story doesn’t mean you should forgo a character-driven narrative or create a world that doesn’t make sense within its own world-building and character setup. The novel may be female-led, but it was still very balanced in its storytelling.

Using “female-centric” as a reason a story sucks does a disservice to the genre. It lowers the standard in a way that audiences shouldn’t accept. A strong story still needs coherent world-building, consistent character motivations, and meaningful development—regardless of who the lead is. When people use “FL-centric” as an excuse, it often masks deeper issues like weak writing, poor pacing, or underdeveloped characters. It also reinforces the idea that female-led stories don’t need to try as hard, which ultimately hurts both the genre and audience expectations. Viewers should expect the same level of quality, depth, and narrative payoff as they would from any well-written story.

I just took my kids to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is male-centric, but the writing is still well done. It balances Mario’s journey with Princess Peach’s role in a meaningful way. There’s inspiration for both boys and girls, despite the title centering male characters. My sons and daughter all walked away happy and fulfilled, seeing their favorite characters come to life.

I agree. ZLH’s acting is the best I’ve seen in POJ, and it’s seriously wasted. There’s a real need for balanced storytelling.

There are plenty of female-centric stories with weak male leads—whether physically, mentally, or socioeconomically—and they still manage to successfully carry the narrative. Filter and Glory (both the K-drama and Neo/Nezha) are prime examples off the top of my head.

And no one should use “not enough episodes” as an excuse for poor writing. Seriously—ask any writer or filmmaker, and they’ll tell you the best storytellers can tell a story in the shortest amount of time. K-dramas and J-dramas have been doing it for years, and even limited series of 6–8 episodes on Netflix prove that it’s possible.

I get my point. I don't understand where you're getting your point from. The government is NOT against female led stories. The criticism is not about this. So your talking points are out of scope for my observation above.

🤣 you know you love the chaos.

NO WHERE in this statement I said I'm against female led stories. 🤣🥴

This statement is a true observation of the political environment of China though. So TRY AGAIN ...

Lmao! That's not even my argument. 🥴 Try again.

My critique isn’t against female-led stories or generals—it’s about how POJ handled the characters and the script. Xie Zheng, and the story overall, were reduced to eye candy and fan service instead of being developed with depth and narrative purpose. You can have strong female or male leads, but they still need to be written and portrayed in a way that respects the story, the characters, and the context they’re in.

There are several things happening here. When POJ first aired, it showed so much promise and genuinely beautiful filmmaking. Then it all went downhill. Anyone with a brain and a pair of eyes can see that the script and characters were butchered (pun unintended) to cater to face value and CP fans. So the call for more script- and character-driven storytelling is very welcome.

China is also in a position where it needs to bolster its military image, and POJ sidelining Xie Zheng became problematic in that context. If it had aired several years earlier, it probably wouldn’t have been an issue. But in today’s environment, it simply didn’t pass the “vibe check” with military officials. It’s not even about the makeup. If Xie Zheng had been portrayed on the battlefield the way the novel originally wrote him, or if the script had given him more combat scenes, this wouldn’t have been a problem.

And while China has made progress in its feminist movement, it is still fundamentally a patriarchal society. I’ve seen plenty of arguments saying it’s not about the beautiful faces, but about the portrayal—and that’s exactly the issue. Xie Zheng was reduced to little more than eye candy instead of a fully realized military figure. You could also argue that the character lost narrative authority; instead of driving the story, he was repositioned to support visual appeal and romantic dynamics, which undercuts how male leads are typically framed in more traditional, state-aligned storytelling. In that sense, POJ pushing against those norms—intentionally or not—ended up clashing with that structure.

In conclusion, the pushback POJ is a cautionary example: no matter how beautiful the filmmaking or actors, undermining character integrity and narrative purpose, especially in politically or culturally sensitive contexts, will ultimately alienate audiences and officials alike. Story and character must come first, or everything else falls apart.

If anything just watch the village arc, it's a preview into what Chinese drama can be in terms of technical aspects. as for storytelling, POJ definitely failed miserably in the second and third act, but the first act was chef's kiss. LYF also had this same problem, the Qingshui town arc was also the best.

The lighting and cinematography in the village arc was beautiful...and winter can have beautiful days. It's not all grey and depressing lmao. Have you ever woken up to sunny cold day with blue skies and white fallen snow, frost on trees? Because it's a freaking wonderland.

Well she ain't wrong. There is something lacking and much to desire from the cinematography.

The biggest difference between cdrama and kdrama (aside from the obvious cultural heritage) is that Chinese dramas has two kinds of dramas, and have a somewhat unspoken hiearchy to what's considered good. For example, there a thick line between idol dramas and serious dramas. Many idol actors are considered luiliang...and even Alist idol stars are only taken seriously for thier marketbility and not for thier talents. Kdramas I think the line between idol stars and serious actors are little bit more gray, and because of this idol dramas are taken at the same artistry as serious dramas.

In terms of storytelling, Chinese idol dramas have alot of storytelling issues (lacking thematic or depth), and over the years are being restricted even more.

The more serious and in my opinion better Chinese dramas are less accessible, and also has less international following, and rarely goes viral. But what I find is these dramas becuase are better made and has depth, are less easier to binge. If you would like some good Chinese dramas, I can recommend. As for idol dramas, they come a dime a dozen and usually has high ratings on MDL.

Lmao...you deserve a crown for the most dedicated hater of all time.

Omg his aura on the battlefield is chef's kiss. 🤌

谢却山，你拿什么输！！！ http://xhslink.com/o/40RZVnHoi3B