Apple Eye

So typical of K- and C-drama, those self-absorbed fans venting their emotions online from the silence of their obscure little bedrooms. Selfish too of the studios that encourage these emo-fandoms to boost their stars, while it can never be good for the actors themselves to read horrible things about themselves online

Relax. I can assure you that I have no shares in any production company, nor am I a fan of any of the many actors appearing in The Pursuit of Jade. I couldn’t care less whether iQiyi will turn a profit today, tomorrow, or ever. What I do see is that internationally on Netflix this series is performing well, and that I myself have been following the series with great pleasure so far. That’s something that hasn’t happened for me in a long time. There are also series that slowly build in popularity. We’ll see.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Since when has C-ent been fair? It’s all about publicity and promoting investments. On top of that, producers also have to deal with the unpredictability of censorship and the hyped-up cancel culture in China. It’s a wonder that any decent results still come out of this circus.

Exactly. It’s all about personal taste. This editorial, however, points out supposed manipulation of viewer ratings. The idea being that high ratings influence people’s taste. If that’s true, that says a lot about us.

Impressive!

Good that you bring up two other examples — I immediately took a look at my notes to see what I thought of these dramas myself.

Blossom had me hooked right away, but towards the end my interest fizzled out. The Double started out very romantically but in the end was only about revenge, which isn’t really my taste. Apparently I wasn’t the only one, because the overall scores on MDL for both Blossom and The Double are lower than those of The Pursuit of Jade right now.

My gut tells me that the general audience appreciates a clearly defined story about one couple and their shared journey more than multiple storylines or other couples running through each other. The fact that Jade didn’t begin that way I find refreshing — I’ll take the slow-motion and repeated snowfall shots as part of the deal. That said, the drama is still airing, let’s see how it all plays out.

Interesting to read that Chinese netizens seem to get very worked up about viewership ratings. If I understand correctly, a series in China becomes popular when everyone watches it, and if the ratings don’t add up, nothing about it seems good anymore? I think that’s different internationally.

On Netflix you can find all kinds of genres, and you choose a series because you like it yourself, not because your neighbors do.

So far I find this a very stylish production. A breath of fresh air after all those years of historical dramas filled with cardboard sets, costumes in garish colors, and childish CGI. That the actors are easy on the eyes doesn’t hurt either. Time will tell whether this Jade will in hindsight turn out to be a gem among C-dramas.

Kindred spirits 😊

Ditto. Your comment is so lame. This is a forum to discuss drama, not a cat fight for idol stans.

I don’t know, perhaps? There’s a new historical BL drama produced in Thailand that is a co production with Taiwan and China https://kisskh.at/765387-meet-you-at-the-blossom That seems to bypass the ban.

Tencent’s license of this drama has expired meaning this production can’t be broadcasted anymore since the Chinese government has issued a ban on new online BL productions in 2021 http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2021/0902/c1001-32215990.html
The CCP hopes to ‘correct’ women’s sexual orientation and save them from the ‘toxic’ Japanese cultural invasion, so that they will be more willing to have children.

https://epaper.gmw.cn/gmrb/html/2021-04/07/nw.D110000gmrb_20210407_1-14.htm

https://www.sohu.com/a/487384585_163278

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%80%BD%E7%BE%8E/98052

I don’t know if Tencent’s hands are tied to ship their BL drama off to international bidders

She delivers good material for Xu Kai and Bai Lu to act on, both modern and xianxia; also for us drama watchers to dream on 😆 strong FLs who spread their wings thanks to ML’s support

No, this was meant to be a Harry Potter meets Xianxia fantasy; based on a video game.

It seems this C/Hong Kong drama has never been edited. First there was the outbreak of corona, then came the student protests, then a censor edict came out in 2021 that put a stop on fantasy, idol, BL and time travel drama.

Let’s agree that actors should be actors, not party stooges, and no one has to see this movie. Two words: Blackface 2024

Again, so many words. Do you mean “The West is bad, and now China can misbehave as well? “ or “Now it is China’s turn to enjoy a Saviors Complex”
Either way,
congratulations

So if someone has an opinion that doesn’t suit yours, you call it cyberbullying? That’s strong coming from you who bombards us with so many words to whitewash the black face controversy, it’s like drowning in verbal diarrhea. It’s my right to be angry and tell about it and of course you can do the same. Just don’t mention words like “unfair”, because you’re not a judge.

It’s the whole shebang that I dislike, the way how c-ent works with propaganda movies. Actors must do what their studios tell them to do. I’m mentioning Yibo because he has the lime light. He’s worldwide famous, a cultural ambassador of China, he has lived abroad in South Korea with access to free internet. He loves hip hop, popping, locking, shouldn’t he have been more aware of their origin in black American culture?

Another question: why do you keep mentioning this movie is UN approved solely based on a source you picked from weibo? Don’t you recognize propaganda? Let me give you some other piece of information. According to the BBC there’s a report by a UN sanctions committee that claims Chinese peace keeping actions are more about doing business in Africa than keeping peace: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34976580 Just to keep an open mind.

And yes, Yibo lives in my head. I love his drama work, general appearance and manner of dancing. However, since his studio joined forces with the party his output has become increasingly dull and highly regulated. In short, I’m not an anti but an angry fan, there’s a difference.

Il timed for whom? Wang Yibo or his audiences? He’s an idol who benefits from black culture from the west, someone who’s ambassador for international brands. So, ill-advised for sure.

So far this movie is only released in Thailand and China. Being a CCP ambassador comes in handy, most people will buy a ticket anyway for a movie that has bought up every evening time slot in the local theaters. I can almost hear WYB’s studio think: “Just put him a racecar for a while, things will blow over, after that right up to the next production.”

Are they right? This I know:
Whatever the political climate, WYB didn’t attract his audiences because he acts like an agent, pilot, blue helmet or the next party approved stereotype. Time will tell if the CCP is killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

This crap movie is silly. Who in his right mind can think that Africans would see a bunch of Asians with black face and dreadlocks as their own people? Just think about it. Imagine Bouboo and his French dancers would show up in hanfu during Street Dance of China with yellow paint and taped slanted eyelids and Wang Yibo and others would think they were Chinese. Moreover people in France would piss their pants because of their silly outfits. bahaha
The worse thing is that the makers know this. The whole scene is meant for Chinese entertainment, a disservice to the real UN team. I don’t know what’s more sad, the rabid fans who refuse to see anything wrong in this as long as they can get their Yiborgasm or the fact that they really miss the point here.