Apple Eye

Scary indeed and true. The actors you mention aren’t victims of public opinion though, they have become chess pieces in the image building of a national party that embraces Confucianism as "the cultural soil that nourishes the Chinese people".
It means that everything that doesn’t fit in that ideal will be eliminated.
The method they use isn’t confucian at all, more Machiavellian:
* divide and rule
* better be feared than loved
* deal with the devil if neccesary

Zhang Zhe Han is a great actor. Good for him and his agency that his Thai concert is sold out.
I see a a pattern here. Male superstars in China famous for LGBT/fantasy roles go patriotic style since 2021: think soldiers, doctors, space-and aircraft engineers, pilots, police officers. Those who stick to art are seriously hindered by delay of their productions, rumours, made up scandals. I sincerely hope the hundred year anniversary terror will subside to save our souls from an untimely death of boredom.

So good of him to break the silence. There’s greed in the entertainment industry everywhere, Hook Entertainment is just the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps he can use the money to found an institute of law for beginning artists to protect them against foul play and slavery contracts.

Thank you for this editorial. What's in a voice indeed! Like you said Chinese voice actor Bian Jiang makes my knees buckle whenever I hear his version of Lan Wang Ji, or Ye Hua.

They say The Devil's Voice is Sweet to Hear, and it's a fact when I hear Lee Soo Hyuk as the evil vampire Gwi in The Scholar Who Walks the Night. Co actor Lee Joon Gi isn't bad either, but his voice is near perfection as the cruel prince in Moon Lovers. Same with Woo Do Hwan in Secret, I just love to hate him with that dark, sensual voice.

Agreed about the shrilling female voices that are used for dubbing, they get on my nerves too. There are a few exceptions though, like Gina Jin's voice in Meng Fei Comes Across, or Ni Ni's in The Rise of Phoenixes. Their characters aren't meant to be angels, so perhaps that's why.

Well, I'm not saying WYB isn't capable of playing a character like Wei Ying. I think he could surprise us with his acting skills if he would put his mind to it. But it looks like he prefers to be an idol with a penchant for dancing and fashion, and he's fully booked/owned by his agency as it is. Zero time for method acting ¯ \_(ツ)_/¯

Me too! I’m glad I’m not imagining things 😊 they have to pass censorship though, that’s why they also hint at chemistry between him and Han Wen Fang

Up till episode 7 now, I’m really enjoying this 👍 still I wonder how the novel is, they seem to drop hints in the episodes that Gao Zheng has a bit of a crush on Xu Qing Jia, IDK

You’re welcome. Ikr 😅

As stated in this editorial Cho Na took a screenshot of the top-MDL Flowerboy list at January 27th, added future productions to their names and made some remarks about their trademarks. It works if it makes us think about our own favorites, if we start discussions about our drama preferences . Vive La Différence 😀
Agreed, a flower list, or any other popularity poll, doesn’t say sh*t about actor’s performances. It just reflects the range of actors whose names are frequently mentioned in the media on a day to day basis.
To accentuate the positive, lesser ratings can be strangely freeing for actors and their loyal fans, because no matter how popular you are, the day will come somebody else becomes the new It Boy. Just celebrate the beautiful drama milestones and forget failures. People’s attention spans can be refreshingly short.

The whole Archive of Our Own-incident has been exhausting for Xiao Zhan; good for him to make a move to the theatre to enjoy acting again. It made me think about what happened long ago in the western idol history: The stellar rise to fame from both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Both bands had clashes with the authorities caused by their own fans. That’s why The Beatles stopped touring after just 5 years. See: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/why-did-the-beatles-stop-touring-beatlemania/
The Rolling Stones however decided to go on, because performing on stage was their life purpose. Mick Jagger, always the business man, made sure to stay on the good side of the authorities. The Fab Four survived because they were multi talented and found other arts to excel in. So that’s how the West could enjoy both legendary groups at the same time, and I sincerely hope this will be the case for both idols from the Ao3 incident as well :)

I second that. It has been a long time since I longed to see the next episode that much. Enjoying every minute of it.

@FireFly88 commented earlier in this section that the real crown prince Chen Ji ( Li Chengqian) had a male lover nicknamed Chengxin who was later put to death.

Just watched episode 7. It’s strange, but I’m feeling a throwback here, a mix of Lee Joon-gi’s shows; the romance of Arang and the beginning of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, where people started complaining about the actress, with low ratings at first, and a quirky balance between campy humor and serious business.
I’m hooked 🙂

Me too hahaha. I was glued to the screen for Musa, The Warrior and his long haired-bearded-braided opponent, the Mongolian general.

Here’s another long hair fan! I think it stems from my longing for the past or otherworldly stories, from Native Americans, Vikings and Mongolians to Elves and Pirates. I’ve got long hair myself and I also admire actresses with long wavy hair. Especially female leads in modern K drama can be very stylish.

Chinese and Korean hairstyles in ancient drama are cool, but not all of them. I don’t like visibly glued hairlines or shaved heads with long braids. Ditto for the Korean noble style, or pop idol style, with those ironed bangs and horse tails.

I don’t know the meaning of the white hair color, but the examples I’ve seen stood for sickness, sorrow, witch craft or gods.

Now that you mention Doctor Phil, hilarious choice btw, my hair kink is so strong that I can adore or abhor the looks of an actor, depending on his hairstyle. I know, it’s pathetic. Take Wang Yibo. I can watch him as Lan Wangji any time, but I’ll skip the series where they gave him a pop idol wig or soldier hair cut. Sure, there are male leads who look terrific with short hair, but they must have fine features, like Xu Kai or Xiao Zhan. It looks not good on everyone.

Do I see men with long hair in real life? Yes, there are the yoga, hipster and Rasta types or pop stars on stage. I could definitely look all day at them, but that would be rude. So, I’m happy to stick to Dramaland. My absolute faves are the super long haired, natural styled heroes from:
Musa The Warrior https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTVmNTg4Y2EtNDNiZS00ZmFmLWIwNjctODlkY2NiYWUyMGQ5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjIyNzU0OA@@._V1_FMjpg_UY380_.jpg
Rise of Phoenixes https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7c/8d/67/7c8d6725c8ec5326a868192a1de010b8.jpg
Ten Miles of Peach Blossom https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kHAsxdmRySg/VuO5fd76oLI/AAAAAAAACVk/AZ_dAEFZbZQETW69SuZNro6o7tI6uYyXgCPcB/s1600/Three%2BLives%2BThree%2BWorlds%2B4.jpg

Thank you for this great topic. I wonder why the MLs in C-drama have to be cold and serious. Are their character traits attractive, because a cold heart won't give in to other alluring people, or a steady character means a steady relationship? IDK. Did somebody write a paper on that? I would love to read it.

I really like the characters in your article. Especially Wei Wuxian who finds his match in the cold and serious Lan Wangji. The playful characters can be found with the hashtag Nice Male Lead; they are funny, extravert and full of shenanigans too, so I should add your new hashtags to this series:

* Nin Que in Evernight
* Gu Yan Zhen in Military Academy
* Su Yu in Fake Phoenixes
* Tao Mo in Love is More Than A Word
* Wei Wu Ji in Sound of the Desert
* Emperor Qianlong in Story of Yanxi Palace

IKR. I'm ardently awaiting the follow-up of The Untamed, "The Gusu Diaries" or something along those lines 😂 but I'll have to make do with this historical whodunit. It isn't bad, though

Nope two times. It's exactly like the tags in the details tab above: investigation, conspiracy, Wu Zhou Dynasty and a touch of romance between the ML/FL and SML/SFL.

Same here. He's a man of many layers; good at playing characters you love to hate

It’s here https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0PsHrQxhYwR2KQfwYxKEVf3h-66xsPKO
and this list is complete with triple episodes pasted together in every episode