babepiggie

Someone is trying to rain on my TBW parade! Nope, not working! 😛 No gloom or doom on this page as fans look forward to Reba's Ji Yun He, Allen's Chang Yi, their romantic journey with kisses to boot! 🥰😘

For sure! The excitement here is palpable and love reading everyone's comments and helpful posts. This page will be even more lively and kicking in a few days! Always look forward to your commentary and can't wait for many familiar (TLB) names to pop in and share their thoughts!

I disagree that xianxias and Chinese fantasy dramas are around because people need jobs. The entertainment industry will adapt to the audience’s viewing preferences so if viewers no longer wish to see xianxia dramas, those CGI experts can move onto the gaming industry and those who construct costumes for this genre will move onto to working on wuxia productions. But my point is that xianxias are still being produced because viewers still have an appetite for them. You’re not wrong to say that the interest has probably dwindled over the years but it’s unfair to expect present xianxia viewership numbers to be as high as the days of TMOPB and Ashes of Love. The novelty was fresh at the time and people would naturally clamor over something shiny, new and different during the xianxia’s height of popularity. However, it does not mean that people’s desire to watch this drama genre decreases so significantly to where it’s a dying genre. And using the comparison of Mirror Twin Cities as an indicator is not a fair comparison because I believe it wasn’t the genre or the CGI that caused it to disappoint but the script, acting and editing. In fact, I think editing is the root cause of many issues with dramas in the past year as it impacts the flow of the storytelling. In the past before the current 40-45 episode restrictions, xianxia dramas were typically 50-60+ episodes with the extra 10+ episodes likely providing better continuity in scenes and probably better foundation for the story. One of the criticisms of MTC was that the leads fell in love too quickly at the beginning making their grand love to be unconvincing but more episodes might have addressed this issue as the relationship became more developed. The editing team for xianxias and historical probably found it very challenging to condense a complicated plot (as these genres are more complex than modern dramas) into 40-45 episodes so I think some dramas suffer from it (MTC being one and also Court Lady). I have ventured to the Mirror Twin Cities (MTC) MDL page and the predominant complaints were plot related or the acting performances, not the CGI. So in my opinion, great script, great acting and average CGI can still be a great xianxia as most audiences do not assign the same lofty weight to CGI to love a xianxia drama. It’s always my belief that great acting, great script and great directing will trump any areas that are aesthetic-related because at the end of the day, if you love the story and the actors were convincing in telling the story, viewers will love the drama regardless of these aesthetic shortcomings.

Regarding Novoland Pearl Eclipse (NPE), in my opinion, it’s unfair to label the drama as under performing based on expectations of having two well known stars translating to higher viewership numbers. NPE has similar viewership numbers as You Are My Glory, which aired earlier and starred two popular Chinese artists in Reba and Yang Yang, and for all intents and purposes, we consider YAMG a hit. Also Sword Snow Stride (SSS), with one star, did really well because it has a compelling story with respected scriptwriter who also helmed the megahit Joy of Life. The male lead is also a very accomplished actor and this is only one season, with possibility of one or two more seasons to come later so the script has the flexibility to fully tell the story of its main character and his adventures unlike MTC with a one and done season. Because of its multiple seasons, I believe editing is not as much of an issue in SSS because it has ample time to fully relay the plot and flesh out the characters to viewers’ liking. In season one, SSS has done a phenomenal job in that aspect.

Reba’s choice of future dramas should not be based on how long or short post production will take to air her dramas. For this to be a valid concern, she must worry about her visibility in the eyes of her fans as she must get her dramas out as soon as possible. We both know that she is assured of her place as one of the current top C-drama actresses at this point of her career. If she were worried about being a constant in the public’s eye, she would have churned drama after drama nonstop with limited regard to what kind of roles she takes on. The fact that it took her almost three months to agree to Prosecution Elite is an indicator to me that she is being highly selective over her next script, that she is looking for parts that challenge her and that she wants to assume characters that resonate with her, regardless of the genre (from my perspective). I can see her doing wuxia, xianxia, dramas and thrillers if the character and script are interesting and compelling enough for her to consider. What her next role may be remains to be seen but I do like that she is open to taking on different types of characters and wanting to improve and be a well-rounded actress. I have complete faith in her choice of roles and she’ll be thoughtful and deliberate about it. So far, she has done an admirable job and as her fan, I am very happy with her drama picks since TLB; even in the future if she selects a script that I don’t agree with, I will be respectful of her choice.

I don’t believe we can reach an agreement on these topics so let’s just agree to respectfully disagree.

I can understand the dilemma. I am a binge watcher and prefer all episodes to be released and subtitled before starting a drama. However, I don't think I can wait for this one. From all the promotional materials and having read the novel, I'm too excited to watch it onscreen! My discipline to wait is too weak 😊 and by watching while it airs makes the discussions here much more fun and lively for me to participate!

To start, let me celebrate with a virtual fist pump after learning the news of the airing date! Just two more days! Can’t wait and very excited to start the visual journey of Ji Yun He and Chang Yi’s love story! 😊

I do want to give an enthusiastic shoutout to The Blue Whisper team based on some initial impressions! I absolutely adore the new drama poster as the colors just pop! Simply love Reba and Allen in dark clothing with her fox tails and his scaled merman tail in the background. The dark colored costumes are so different than most attire in xianxias and Chinese fantasy productions which typically favor lighter and ethereal colors (pastels and whites). So beautiful, I just can’t help admiring this poster every time I venture to this page.

The character stills are also wonderful with vivid colors and individual touches to the backgrounds that described the TBW characters. Princess Shun De’s images are so so gorgeous! The hair style and the beautiful embroidered dresses, wow, she looks amazing (and so fitting of royalty) but overall, I’m very much charmed by all the characters’ costumes in this production. The clothes and styles are very unique to the genre and make the drama feel more luxurious, in particular Allen’s Lord of North looks are completely swoon worthy.

I also enjoyed the additional trailers and saw noticeable improvements to the CGI as compared to the first trailer release. I finally caught glimpses of Chang Yi’s tail too and it looks good from the limited views. The extra time spent on post production did do wonders and improved the overall quality of the drama IMO. I’m not too bothered by the one light-hearted trailer; there is slight humor in the novel too, in particular how Ji Yun He reacts to Chang Yi’s brutal honesty at the beginning of the novel and her sisterly relationship with Luo Jin Sang. I’m glad the drama highlighted their friendship because it’s one of my favorite relationships in the novel.

Most importantly, Reba and Allen’s chemistry is great from the trailers! They are very believable as a couple and really embody their characters. So very excited to see more footage of them together, especially the few epic scenes that I am expecting from the novel (sniff). I think their performances will give the emotional depth needed to tug at our heart strings. I should stock up on tissues before I start my TBW viewing.

I listened to Zhou Shen’s ending theme and this singer’s voice is beyond amazing! At present, his name is synonymous with big drama productions and his vocals did not disappoint. His song (as instrumental piece) will make an amazing background music too. Now I am curious about the opening theme. Hopefully it’s just as good.

The details and care shown thus far leave me feeling quite optimistic and reassured that the production team will give justice to the novel. Hopefully, this drama will appeal to audiences domestically and internationally, scoring record breaking views and receive heaping universal praises by critics and viewers. I, for one, can’t wait to watch! 😊

Exactly! The character, Ji Yun He, has a good sense of humor and some of her inner monologue in the novel is so amusing to read and provides the levity needed to balance this angst filled drama. I like that the drama is trying to give us some light-heartedness and sweetness at the beginning before the storm. From the glimpses of the two other trailers, the emotional, heartbreaking and pivotal moments will come so I am very much prepared for the tears that will follow as the episodes progressed. So very anxious for their beautiful journey to begin! 😊

She is special indeed! First noticed her in Eternal Love too and have been following her career since. It’s very exciting to watch how her acting career has taken off and how much she has improved over the years. 😊

Welcome aboard! 😊 Please don’t by shy and comment as the episodes air! I love reading people’s opinions and we all can learn from one another!

Completely agree! Zhou Shen has a heavenly voice and am so impressed with his vocals. I also heard water in the background and felt the song is so fitting for this drama. I’m very impressed with the details given to this drama from the poster, the stills and now this OST. Definitely a top-notch production and hopefully the drama is a splendid success, reflective of the efforts of the entire The Blue Whisper team.

Promising start! It’s good to read such positive feedback to the beginning episodes. I just wish that I am also lucky enough to watch the first four episodes.

Also thank you for all your updates. Because of you and many posters’ diligence, I’m all caught up in TBW airing info. 😊

I’m unfamiliar with most of the cast members (other than Reba) but I agree that Princess Shun De is a dynamic character and the actress certainly stands out with her costume and look. The actress Cristy Guo must be happy to take on such a meaty role and she can leave a deep impression to viewers if she portrayed her character well as written in the novel. I’m very much anticipating her performance, as well as the rest of TBW cast.

I’m not a fan of xianxia genre nor watch a lot of this type of dramas, but I think xianxia and fantasy productions are still quite strong in the Chinese drama market. IMO, the last few years, the market is oversaturated with xianxias but I’m biased in that I’m not a fan to start with. However, I think it will always be popular because of how beautiful they are visually and there’s more creative leeway in terms of plot. CGI will always be a point of consideration for xianxias but China is the leading country in producing amazing CGI productions, so while fans expect more, the industry will probably improve to meet the demand of the audience. I don’t think CGI will necessarily suffer as time progresses.

I read Mirror Twin Cities performed below expectations but the drama was riddled with many issues, from editing, acting, the ending and lack of chemistry from the two leads. However, the story is described to be very good according to fans of the novel so it was an execution of the plot (script, directing and acting) that made it weaker than it really should be. As for Novoland Pearl Eclipse, I thought it did quite well, no? I think the drama exceeded 3.0 billion views. The shortcomings I have read was the overused trope of master-student relationship and the excessive focus on the second couple as well as the open ending. Most fans enjoy happy outcomes so perhaps that might be also the reason why this drama was met with criticisms but based on view counts, I think it’s one of the top dramas of 2021.

I think xianxia/fantasy novels will still be in demand and will continue to be adapted. For any novel to drama adaptation I think the script and acting have to be on point to truly tell the essence of the story. As drama history has been proven, if it’s not done well, it will consider to be a bust in spite of how good the original story it is as detailed in the novel.

I believe you're right that it's because Reba is a natural beauty that it lends credence that her beauty is unparalleled to the general population. I have seen photos of Reba when she was young and yup, it was obvious no work was done on her face and that she was naturally blessed. The only difference comparing her photos over the years was that she lost all her baby fat! 😀

From the interviews I have seen of Reba, she appears to be quite eloquent in her speech so I think her role as a prosecutor will be convincing. Personally, I'm looking forward to her performance in Gong Su Jing Ying. She needs to expand to other genres as well as collaborate with other actors to improve her skills as an actress. The male lead in this legal drama has many years of acting experience so I'm hoping Reba can learn a lot from him.

I'm anticipating Legend of Anle very much and also The Blue Whisper. I will be the first to confess I'm not a big fan of xianxia dramas but I have read the novel for The Blue Whisper and really love the story. I'm just hoping the drama remains faithful to the novel but yeah, really looking forward to all three upcoming Reba dramas.

Agree! For newbies, it might be hard to decipher what might be truths and what are speculations. Do you know of any reputable sites that offer interviews or articles that you can share in regards to Reba? I am not a new Reba fan but I do rely on Reba drama pages here at MDL for her updates but it can be challenging to sift through comments as some posts present them as facts when they are mere rumors.

It's never too late to comment on this great drama! Every time I visit this page I love reading comments from newcomers who love this drama as much as I do! 😀

I honestly do not see the disrespect here. WeTV celebrated International Women’s Day by highlighting a list of popular actresses and their dramas from 2021. Out of the three ZLS dramas of 2021, Li Leyan was definitely her most popular role (some even defined her breakthrough role as a serious actress) so it made sense to identify her for her part in The Long Ballad. With that being said, those who have seen TLB irrevocably knows Reba is the female lead, those who believe otherwise are simply delusional; it was Reba’s performance of this titled character that would make or break this drama and to her credit, she acted the heck out of the role Li Changge! She carried the burden of this drama’s success and thus she had received the most recognition for her role. It’s a testament to Reba that in 2021, she had two well received dramas with memorable, strong female leads. If WeTV only wanted to credit her for You Are My Glory in this tweet, so be it. In WeTV’s defense, I have seen many of its tweets recognizing Reba as Li Changge, so I see no need to stress about it or get testy with other fandoms. We, Reba fans, have bigger fish to fry and are too busy celebrating the success of Reba, the artist and person.

As her fan, I’m so anticipating her dramas for 2022, which look just as promising! We are finally seeing the fruits of her labor. She’s given challenging scripts and more importantly, she can be selective about the dramas she wants to assume and the types of characters she wants to depict. She’s riding high and it's just great to see her achieve so much professionally. I’m so proud of her and think the best way to reward her is to support her works positively. 😊

Ironically the video attached to the tweet by WeTV ended with a footage of Reba’s Li Changge. Was that added recently to appease Reba fans or was it blunder by WeTV?

I have to say, I’m so used to reading judgmental comments about Reba that say “She’s beautiful…but can’t act”. This is the first that I have read of the opposite which is so unexpected that I’m surprisingly taken back. I interpret it as she has come a long way since her early acting days that to some, she is currently not ONLY known for her looks. 😊 I have no issue if you do not find her that beautiful because I agree, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and this is one person’s (your) assessment. I do want to comment that while beauty is subjective but there is usually a general consensus of beauty that the masses would agree with - that’s why there are most beautiful lists because there is a basis for judgment for one to rank or compile that list. In my opinion, I think a good testament of Reba’s beauty is evident in neutrals’ reactions to her physical appearance and to say that her beauty is unique is not a stretch at all. From the many videos and articles of Reba, on more than one occasion, male costars (while in her physical presence) had commented on Reba’s beauty being a distraction during filming or when appearing on variety shows or red carpet events, men voiced or had looks of admiration once she entered the scene. Also the media (who is usually so critical) has touted her attractiveness numerous times and she constantly graces magazine covers, endorses tons of beauty products and tops many beautiful Chinese / Asians rankings. How many Chinese actresses have been given such frequent praises or accolades based on their physical appearance? These publications and remarks from industry experts and media outlets that are accustomed to seeing ALL kinds of beauty further confirm to me that Reba is THAT physically beautiful in many people’s eyes.

I found more baffling are your comments that she was not beautiful enough to complement Yang Yang. I’m not sure why her looks are even in question to her character portrayal or pairing with our male lead. In my opinion, most Chinese actresses are attractive (that is a requirement of most entertainment artists due to the heavy competition in the industry) and not once in any of my drama viewing experience do I judge an actress’ physical looks or think an actress is not pretty enough to convincingly portray a character (unless the artist’s physical appearance is a major plot point). While Qiao Jing Jing is described as beautiful but her looks were not the overwhelming factor to QJJ’s likeability or how Reba embodied the personality traits of her character. In my eyes, the basis for an artist’s performance is his/her acting, how well the artist understands the character and if he/she convincingly portrayed these sentiments on screen. In the opinions of many drama critics and critical novel readers, Reba (and Yang Yang) personified their characters physically while delivering the right emotions as described in the novel.

Ironically, I confess I was not blown away by Yang Yang’s appearance before watching the drama. YAMG was the first drama I had seen of Yang Yang and I thought he was good looking before but nothing earth shattering. However, all that changed when I saw him onscreen because he has a killer smile which literally lights up his face and I just love Yu Tu’s character development and Yang Yang’s interpretation. After YAMG, I concluded that Yang Yang has this natural male lead aura that makes him very watchable in a modern romantic drama. Because of these favorable impressions, I now find Yang Yang to be quite attractive (definitely top 5 Chinese actors in terms of looks). My point is our perception of physical beauty can also be influenced by the positive qualities or inner traits of the individual or the roles they performed. So it’s almost futile to bring physical beauty into a discussion (as a criticism at that) precisely due to the fact that it’s so inherently subjective that any sort of meaningful conversation to be had will be difficult. Although I don’t agree with your stance, you are certainly welcome to voice your opinion on Reba’s appearance but those who believe otherwise are also allowed to respectfully refute your claims by providing evidence to the contrary. I have written all I wanted to say on this topic. We can’t all agree but glad everyone can be civil in this discussion. Good day!

Thanks for sharing the video! I have read of a smitten football player who held a poster of Reba, expressing his admiration for her but have never watched the video. I love the audience's chants of Dilreba!!😄😆 Honestly, it was (and still is) not surprising to me that she garnered so much attention from males around the world!

I’m not sure if Reba fans believe that she is the most beautiful woman in the world or put her on an unmatched beauty pedestal (I certainly don’t) but I do find her exotic looks to be unrivaled in the Chinese entertainment industry because she is easily recognizable. What is more amazing is that her looks are natural while many Chinese actresses possibly had plastic surgery to achieve their good looks. I have no beef with plastic surgery because looking attractive is part of their job and if going under the knife helps them further their acting career, it’s their choice. My only issue is that the current crop of actresses looks very similar to me and it’s probably because they want to achieve the “ideal” features/look, resulting in very similar facial features. So in the end, while they might look beautiful, but many lacked that unique look that make them stand out. I’m glad Reba is comfortable in her own skin and does not feel a need to conform to the masses (looking more Han Chinese as that was a prevalent criticism of her physical appearance) because it’s precisely her striking looks that make her distinctive.