babepiggie

So glad to read another person's point of view who has read the novel. It's good to know that the main theme and content of this novel differs dramatically from TLB and that the role of Ren Anle will still offer a different and possibly a refreshing take of a character that Reba has to portray. Thank you for your comments!

Thank you! As you can tell, I was delighted with the story and couldn't hold back my enthusiasm. 😀 I know pesky work is always getting in the way of our drama viewing 🤣 but I do hope you can still post your thoughts here and there throughout the airing of the drama. I truly enjoy reading other people's thoughts and I know many visitors here have read the novel multiple times so they will also offer their insights as well. From past experience, I find it enjoyable when everyone can engage, share their thoughts freely and offer constructive comments. I find that I always learn something new and I'm looking forward to conversing with fans of other cast members and learn more about their favorite artists too.

To be honest, The Blue Whisper will be my first Allen drama and I'm looking forward to the discovery of him as an actor. I know he has an extensive body of (acting) work and I have read many positive remarks of his dramas this year, particularly One and Only. I have read the novel translation of Beautiful Bones (novel name to the dramas One and Only and Forever and Ever) years ago and according to many viewers, he slayed this character by giving a nuanced and layered performance that I have no doubt that he will give justice to the character, Chang Yi as well. I still plan on watching One and Only but it's one of those tearjerker dramas that I feel that I have to emotionally prepare myself before starting. I'm sure I will be a blubbering mess throughout my viewing. Also, as a Reba fan, I have confidence that she will give a heartfelt performance as our female lead. When reading the novel, I pictured Reba's facial expressions as I moved from one chapter to the next and I think she's perfectly casted as Ji Hun He. If the drama adaptation is faithful to the novel, we viewers will be blessed with stunning visuals but more importantly, a beautiful story.

Hi WK! I have yet to master the art of short comments here at MDL but glad that someone enjoy reading my long winded thoughts! 😂 I was beyond thrilled after completing the novel that I could not contain my excitement. 😀

I really hope TBW air date does not coincide with the Beijing Winter Olympics. I will still watch the drama regardless of the premiere date and personally I could care less about viewership numbers in China but I do understand that they are indicators of how successful a drama is in China. For that, I do hope for the best for the TBW crew; hopefully it will air before or after the games to feed my current obsession and setting up the drama for the best viewership results. I have complete faith in the story and TBW production team so I'm very much looking forward to the visual journey of Ji Yun He and Chang Yi!

I just finished reading The Blue Whisper novel (in anticipation of the drama airing soon), and absolutely love it! Many thanks to the author for crafting this beautiful fantasy story and much gratitude to the translator for bringing it to life (in English). The first half of the novel was so torturous, yet painstakingly beautiful. I love the relationship dynamic of our two leads, Ji Yun He and Chang Yi, and their pure love, sacrifice and their willingness to forsake their freedom and life for one another. Both characters are strong and compelling individually but also just as captivating as a couple. I know the character Ji Yun He will be another favorite Reba character of mine. I absolutely adore her resilience, her unyielding attitude to her fate and the humor she displays as she tackles the obstacles in front of her. Chang Yi is the type of male leads I love – direct, sincere, passionate and supportive of the one he loves. I am very much anticipating Allen’s portrayal as he brings this ethereal character to life.

The supporting characters are also well written. I ended up really enjoying Lin Hao Qing as his character development was pleasantly surprising and very much layered. I love the female friendships as well, in particular between Ji Yun He and the “slow” Luo Jin Sang. Luo Jin Sang is adorable in the novel.

I simply cannot wait for both Reba and Allen to showcase their interpretation of their characters onscreen! Praying that the rumor air date of January is true! I am so looking forward to seeing how this beautiful story unfolds and hope the drama gives justice to the novel!

Hi! I have been so busy with the Christmas coming up and can only sporadically check in but have been wondering what will be Reba's next project. I am glad she has time to rest but highly curious the next drama she will choose to film. Hopefully we will know soon! I will definitely venture to TBW page when it airs! I'm very excited to see Reba on screen again. Can't wait! 😁

I wish this novel is fully translated. I don't have patience for google translations and I think with historical novels, the meaning can be lost in the translation so I was hoping to read the fully translated novel by someone who has read the original source. I still have to read The Blue Whisper novel before it airs. The rumor floating around is that it might release in Q1 2022. Yikes! I'm excited but I'm also running out of time! 😥

I beg to differ in your assessment that Dilraba is being typecast to revenge theme storylines. This will be her second historical piece with revenge as motivation, the other being The Long Ballad (TLB). Even with TLB, I would consider it at its core a character growth drama than a true “revenge” drama as many characters undergone individual growth, with the biggest progression in the character Li Changge. The series outlines her journey from an innocent girl bent on justice for her family to a woman who realizes her talents and comprehends the bigger picture for her country and her people. In my eyes, it’s the self-discovery of the character Li Changge that makes the drama so to classify it only as a revenge drama is being shortsighted IMO. To me, typecast refers more to the characterization of characters, not so much to the similarities in the storylines. The truth is that many dramas (not just Chinese) have very similar plots because penning down a creative, one-of-a-kind story is very hard. If you were to tell me that Li Changge is written to be very comparable in temperament to Ren Anle and Reba did not have much variation in her acting for both characters, then yes, I’m disappointed that she played alike characters based on those two performances. However, I don’t believe that is the case. Even though I have not read the novel Legend of Anle (LOA), but from the synopsis, Ren Anle planned her revenge since young (her family was beheaded 10 years ago, so she must be 8-10 years old, perhaps younger when it happened). I also read that her character, Ren Anle, is the female version of Mei Chang Su (lead protagonist in Nirvana in Fire) and from Hua Ge’s performance, I can allude that a similar Ren Anle is likely a calm, smart, methodical and calculating woman and had 10 years in planning her revenge. That is the complete opposite of Li Changge, a sheltered princess who lashes out in her grief and is a lost soul trying to find her purpose in life. Li Changge is a flawed character, very smart but can be impulsive and stubborn, not realizing her actions lead to unexpected consequences. If Reba portrayed Ren Anle as I believe it should be portrayed (as described above) then viewers will see the clear distinction in her character in LOA in comparison to TLB.

As others had stated, the details of the revenge element and how their characters go about avenging their families are also different so both dramas in terms of female lead’s characterization and plotlines will share very little resemblance. The only common ground is their motivation (revenge) but that is a component that persists in many period dramas, just as females disguised as males tend to be a commonplace in historical productions. So I’m hard pressed to think Reba is being typecast based on these two dramas when she portrayed a fox immortal three times (Eternal Love, Eternal Love of Dream and The Blue Whisper) and a celebrity actress twice (You Are My Glory and Diamond Lover). Out of 20+ dramas, she has two dramas with the revenge narrative. If she were to assume another revenge-focused storyline, then perhaps I can re-evaluate the term “typecast”. I don’t believe being “different” means taking on a completely different genre because within each genre, the characters she portrays can be vastly different in personality from one story to another and there is variation to the plot. If a drama genre (your reference of modern crime drama as an example ) is a measure of being “different” then almost all Chinese actors can be considered typecast as many actors have multiple historical or xianxia genres under their belt as these two are the most popular genres in Chinese dramaland. To me, as long as Reba is convincing in her depictions by making the characters (Li Changge and Ren Anle) credible and distinctive from one another, then I feel she has done her job as an actress.

For now, I’m willing to withhold judgment until Legend of Anle airs so I can personally witness Reba’s performance and evaluate the plot and execution. I urge others to do the same before concluding that Reba is portraying similar characters and not giving LOA a fair shot. The cast is incredible and the production quality is top notch based on the BTS footage and it will be a shame for others to miss out based on some preconceived notions.

Thank you for posting! From the sound of it, collaboration between Reba and Gong Jun went really well BTS. I'm sure it will translate well to their onscreen chemistry. 😍 I really can't wait to watch this drama after seeing the amazing trailer! I echo this crew member's sentiment. I hope LOA is a smashing success! 😀

Wonderful news! Congrats to the YAMG team on its recent win! Let's hope for more accolades to come! 😊

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I’m sure many fans here enjoy reading your insights and I agree that The Long Ballad is not a perfect drama. There were minor areas I wish could be tweaked but overall, I think it’s still a highly engaging production that appeal to audience of all types. At its core, I view it as a character growth drama with many characters undergoing life changing events and being the best versions of themselves, with the biggest change to our titled character, Li Changge. Reba gave an extraordinary performance and made me fell in love with her character. I simply love her journey of an angry, flawed, vengeful downtrodden princess (with due cause) to a forgiving woman who fully realized her talents and found her purpose in life. Her development was so wonderful to behold and I felt Reba breathed life to her character as one that was strong, yet vulnerable who was ruled by vengeance yet realized her motivations were in conflict with her country’s best interests. This transformation was rewarding and beautiful to see. Of course, her story was made possible by the wonderful characters surrounding her as with each story arc, we were introduced to meaningful individuals that were impactful and influenced her path in life. Amazing supporting cast! TLB had so many memorable characters that I cannot list with one hand. And the relationships with each other, they were simply incredible! We have romance, familial relations, sisterhood, brotherhood, friendships of all types, ruler-subject dynamics (I love the Tang advisors with Li Shimin). I’m sure I can write an essay (don’t tempt me!) of how the various relationships in this drama serve their purpose.

Like all dramas, TLB is not without its shortcomings and I do agree the ending arc was lackluster and the last episode felt rushed. I really hate the fire scene at the end when Changge and Khatan were trapped. The CGI was awful and the parrot kissing scene was also one of the many complaints by viewers. I wish the parrots were omitted because I for one did not think a kissing scene between our lead couple was necessary to convey their love; having the parrots appear only called to attention the lack of mouth-to-mouth kisses. If we did not see the parrots, viewers would hardly think twice about it. The focus on Khatan at the end would have been worked in my opinion if this villain was more interesting (not sure if it was the actress or the writing). I honestly did not care for her plight so I was not invested in her character. I did like the surprise of She’er not being a villain. At first glance, he was primed to be the anti-hero as his jealousy of Ashile Sun was very evident at the beginning and his unrequited love would usually lead to a character going gray in most Chinese dramas. However I was pleasantly surprised the writing did not follow the usual tropes but instead gave his character layers and made him sympathetic and relatable. His tremendous growth was also one of my favorite parts of the drama.

All in all, I agree with your assessment that the positives definitely outweigh the (minor) negatives the drama presents. Its rewatch value is high. I already watched it twice and the second time around I noticed details that were missed and some scenes made me evaluate the characters differently from my initial impression. Once again, thank you for your comments. Very interested to read another viewer's perspective!😀

There has been a lot of discussion about Allen’s reservations in doing kissing scenes and the trailer showed the touching of lips between Reba and Allen. I’m not sure what other kissing scenes will be in the drama but personally, I’m fine if the kissing is mild and tender as in the trailer (unless the story specifically calls or needs it) rather than fiery. I have seen my fair share of enthusiastic and explicit kisses in American productions so I appreciate the subtlety of physical intimacy in Chinese dramas. There are many ways for a couple to exhibit love and affection other than passionate kissing. Dialogue between the couple, body language (hugs and hand holding), facial expressions, pecks to the forehead and cheeks, any of these combinations if done well, can persuade the audience of a couple’s deep love. This has already been demonstrated in TLB where I was assured of Reba and Leo’s romantic chemistry and I believe most viewers were fine without any lips kissing. The silly scene with the parrots was maddening because TLB production thought it was cute to include this scene but it only brought to the forefront the lack of mouth-to-mouth kisses between the main leads. Without the parrots, most viewers would not think twice about the lack of smooches or question the leads' chemistry and it would not be a hot topic of discussion.

Besides, I’m sure the industry is very aware of Allen’s hesitation for ardent kissing scenes due to being married so during casting, this matter was already considered. The director was probably most concerned if Allen was able to convincingly portray the characteristics of the male lead and felt that both Allen and Reba could express the chemistry needed for the pairing. So I will not pass judgment if his kissing reservations would be a detriment to the drama until I actually watch the scenes myself. Perhaps he will surprise us and the romantic chemistry between Reba and Allen is strong and just right as described in the novel. Let’s all hope for the best.

Such a lovely compliment and most definitely, I also see improvements in Reba’s acting with each new drama. All the recent Reba and GJ content makes me anxious to watch the drama. 😊 2022 cannot come soon enough for me! Thanks for sharing!

I can’t believe the drama is almost finished filming! Come on! Let’s go! Wrapping up early hopefully means the drama will air earlier too! Here is hoping for a quick release next year! 😊

Thank you for providing the link to the translation of the interview. Gong Jun looks handsome in the photoshoot, really like the styling of his clothes and overall youthful appearance. More importantly, I enjoyed the interview and am happy to read more about him on a personal level. I like his humble attitude and his comment that he is not a talented actor (debatable) but is willing to work hard and improve. I admire artist with this mindset because an actor should always want to be better. He reminds me very much of Reba in that regard! Han Ye will be completely different from his WOH character but I anticipate seeing the different sides of Gong Jun.

I believe you’re right, the list probably is most searched dramas in 2021. It’s still an amazing feat for Reba that her two aired dramas in 2021, The Long Ballad (#8 on the list) and You Are My Glory (#7 on the list) have prompted more people to search her past dramas (Eternal Love of Dream #9 and Eternal Love #19) and her upcoming projects (The Blue Whisper #13 and Legend of Anle #17). Allen Ren has a lot of dramas on this list too but the most impressive one is Xiao Zhan. The top five on this list are all his works! He has a huge and very active fan base so it’s not too surprising that his dramas are high on this list.

Can you disclose how the top series are determined? I saw Oath of Love on the list (#4) and The Blue Whisper (#13) and neither drama has aired.

About Wu Jing Yan, it’s unfortunate her career hasn’t taken off after the popularity of Story of Yanxi Palace. I might have issues with some of Wei Ying Luo’s antics in the drama but her character is very interesting and Wu Jing Yan delivered a great performance. She’s a very good actress and perhaps her current acting rut is due to her agency not managing and capitalizing on the height of her popularity by selecting good roles for her? I went through her drama list and some of her subsequent dramas consist of costars from Story of Yanxi Palace so that might hinder her as well. An artist should be exposed to different costars so there can be growth in his/her acting. In contrast, Xu Kai’s fame has exploded and he has done very well since Story of Yanxi Palace. Just this year alone, he has three dramas released and two are rated highly on MDL. I know Xu Kai and Wu Jing Yan will have a collaboration coming up so perhaps that will be the spark to right her acting career. There are plenty fans of this pairing from Story of Yanxi Palace and she definitely needs a successful drama while he is doing very well on his own.

Fortunately since Love Designer, Reba has worked with other non Jaywalk artists as I was tired of seeing the same faces in all her dramas. I’m glad she has her own studio now and she can select roles that appeal to her because the projects that she assumed recently are amazing. If she were still under Jaywalk sole direction, I’m not sure what dramas we will be subject to. To be successful in an entertainment industry, so many things have to happen. I believe Reba forced Jaywalk’s hand to have more input and control on what roles she takes and has a very good team to manage her projects. Sadly, other artists do not have this benefit so it goes to say just having talent is not enough but having the right resources to make the most of his/her opportunities is also very important.

I’m fine with Reba playing a villain as long as the character is multi-layered and dimensional. I don’t want a cookie-cutter antagonist and if written well, a villain can also be appreciated in a drama or written work. For Reba to even consider such a role, the drama has to be told from her (villain) perspective so she’s still a lead character. I think that would be the best way for the audience to understand the motivations of the character and why she would feel justified to commit questionable or immoral acts. Her beautiful face can be the best weapon in such a role. The old Chinese saying about a beauty bringing down a nation was not said without merit so I’m all for it and find it believable that her beauty can cause men to lose their minds and adhere to her wicked plans. 😛😜

I think in 2-3 years, Reba needs to consider roles beyond strong female leads in historical dramas. She will have three similar roles of strong female leads under her belt: The Long Ballad, The Blue Whisper and Legend of Anle. She cannot revert to cutesy roles due to age so she does need to consider mature characters and possibly different genres. I feel that her current role selections are prepping her to move into this direction. She is heavily rumored for Ball Lightning which I’ve been told is sci-fi with very little romance and I commend her for that. Hit or miss, the fact that she is contemplating such a part is an indication to me that she wants to expand her acting horizon, wants to be taken seriously as an actress and does not want to be typecast into playing certain roles in particular genres. With that being said, I think modern dramas are very difficult to be successful unless the drama is heavy on romance. The general Chinese audience favors romantic comedies or romantic dramas so to be outside this box, the script and acting have to be outstanding to be wildly popular. There are exceptions and I think with a well written script, a modern drama can still be fresh with a different twist. For instance, I am curious to watch a modern drama with Reba playing a character with a disability ( ex. blindness) or with a terminal illness. The subject matter might be too serious and depressing so viewers might be turned off by it but I would enjoy a drama if the storyline is heartfelt and well acted.

True, established older actresses like Yang Mi and ZLY have ventured into mature roles in modern dramas but I don’t believe their mature dramas have been as well received (correct me if I'm wrong). The highly anticipated Yang Mi modern drama is She and Her Perfect Husband is romance oriented, telling a tale of woman with a younger man and her dramas (including modern ones) have not made waves this year. I’m not familiar with ZLY’s work but she recently resumed acting so it remains to be seen how her mature modern dramas performed, though it appeared Legend of Fei received mixed reviews and her collaboration with Wang Yi Bo was not a homerun as anticipated.

Reba is soon approaching the point in her career where she has to make a choice about how she wants her acting career to proceed. If she wants to be taken as a dramatic serious actress, she should take risks and consider roles and genres that are outside her comfort zone and show that her acting skills have broadened and that she is multi-dimensional. If her roles are similar going forward, critics will remark that she has not improved. It’s a fine line to walk because she wants to remain in the public eye so she might be more inclined to act in roles that are generally favored by the viewing audience but might be similar to her past roles and not as challenging. Since she typically films two dramas a year, I hope that she might take one drama that is more mainstream (a strong female lead in historical dramas or romantic modern drama) and the other drama, she might be adventurous and explore characters that are very different from other characters on her drama list. I think that would be a good balance for her. Her fans have opinions about what direction is the best for her but ultimately she dictates her acting career and selects roles that appeal to her. I just wish Reba the very best and continue to support her in whatever her next role may be.

Interesting! I am very open to Reba playing a gray or evil character as you had suggested but for a sociopathic role to be successful, the script has to be so well written and clever as to leave the audience guessing till the end. It will definitely be challenging for Reba (or any other artist) to successfully exhibit these psychotic tendencies but it has to be almost the perfect script for Reba to even consider such a role. I am not opposed to see her in such a role but I doubt her agency would allow her to take on such a character.

I’m thinking another possible gray character is for Reba to play a sort of vigilante who exacts her own brand of justice. She will only kill heinous criminals and her methods for exacting revenge will be how the criminals commit the crime. There will be a Hao Du-like investigator who is determined to bring her to justice. I envision the ML to also be in law enforcement who in contrast, is somewhat disillusioned with the criminal system and accepts her methods. He is also determined to uncover her actual identity (some cat and mouse interaction) without realizing they are already acquainted in real life. For a bit of drama, her character accidentally kills/causes a death of an innocent person which she has to live with the guilt. This can be further explored into her psyche and her background as to why she started her killing spree. I can see this scenario playing out in a period drama (where the killing is more justified and no character bats an eye when someone is killed) or in a modern drama which will be tricky to cover up. If well written, the cases can be interesting, Reba can be badass but still gray and if told from her perspective, the audience can still relate to her character.