babepiggie

Reba would look amazing in the Qing dynasty period and this period is one of my favorite historical eras. The beautiful colorful costumes and the headwear always leave me in awe but the storylines for this period typically revolve around royal family intrigue and harem politics so if Reba were to take on a role in this era, I prefer the storyline not to be focused on the royal family (perhaps an influential or military family). If the plot involves harem intrigue and Reba plays one of the consorts, I prefer that they go gray with the character. Yes, I've been clamoring for Reba to portray a villain/gray character and I feel if a drama is told from her character (gray) perspective, it can be a very interesting and riveting tale.

Personally, I do not want Reba to play a role like Wei Yingluo from Story of Yanxi Palace because it would simply be a rehash of the already popular story. Besides, I have mixed feelings about the character, Wei Yingluo. There are qualities that I like about Wei Yingluo such as her resourcefulness but at the same time I can't help watch in disbelief at this palace maid who continually acts above her rank and voice what is on her mind or dictate to others what need to be done and face minimal repercussions. This aspect annoyed me throughout my viewing but I do like the overall plot, the many wonderful supporting characters and the message of a strong female lead.

Republican era will also be a first for Reba and I think she will look beautiful in the period as well (I do love the costumes and look of that era). It will be interesting to see her in a spy role and amazing if Leo or Yang Yang get casted as the male lead. Both men would look great in that drama with her. 😁Unfortunately, Republican era dramas do not resonate much with the general viewing audience so I'm not sure if that dream would materialize.

Shu Yu definitely deserves a partner whose values align with his and that woman is not Li Chang Ge (they are too different in their approach to life and what is important). I know I am in the bottom minority but I like this character. I like that he was practical and made a logical choice to protect his family and that he realized his decision created a strife between him and the woman he loved. He tried to make amends but not all things in life could be atoned. I also liked that he was respectful of Chang Ge's choice in a partner and till the end, cared about her well being. He did not become a vengeful second male lead who commits unspeakable acts to "win" back his woman. None of that nonsense happened here so I'm thankful for that.

I don't like the Hao Du character either and I watched the entire drama but I think I'm in the minority of those who feel this way about his character. I don't feel Hao Du added much to the main story; it seems like his purpose was to hunt Chang Ge like a dog and then served as a love interest to Leyan. Without spoiling too much, I was hoping his character growth at the end stemmed from some self reflection and that he stood up to his adopted father. His character tends to react to the actions of those he loves and not from his own convictions so I'm disappointed with his character in that regard because I was hoping for more from him.

You’re so welcome! It’s great that many fans of GJ and Reba want to learn more about other cast members as we wait for Legend of Anle to air. In fact, I have met wonderful GJ fans here and been chatting with others on his drama, Word of Honor, my first GJ drama which I’m currently watching. These are the kind of exchanges that I truly enjoy where we can interact and learn from each other and where fans are genuinely interested in maximizing their LOA viewing experience in being acquainted with cast as we wait for the drama to release.

Like you, xianxia is not a genre that I gravitate towards either. I browsed through Netflix one night and was attracted by Eternal Love beautiful poster and decided to watch the beginning episodes. The plot was slow at first but I was impressed by the beautiful cast. I have to say that I became truly invested in the plot was when Reba’s character entered the scene and then stayed for her romance with Vengo Gao’s Dong Hua. Her character and their love story were the highlights for me but their ending left me very unsatisfied as a fan of this couple. I needed Eternal Love of Dream to give me a happy closure so that was why I suggested if you were to watch Eternal Love and like Reba’s character you might consider Eternal Love of Dream as well.

I hope The Long Ballad meets your expectations and that you enjoy the drama as much as I did. If it’s not your cup of tea, that’s okay too. If you were to have any questions or just want to share your thoughts, feel free to visit The Long Ballad page as it’s still an active page with many people who love the drama and will be happy to discuss. 😊

I do get long-winded in my messages. Those who had exchanges with me are probably used to it by now. :P😛 I did not intend to write a long message but just got carried away once I started typing. Hopefully no one is offended.

LOVE the video! Couple's gear! 😍 Both GJ and Reba look great! I still wonder what's going on but I guess we have to wait for the drama to release. I wonder if there will be any other couples outfits (same color combination costume) our main couple would wear? Haha! Thanks for sharing the video.

Oh goodness, I saw the 3rd episode of WOH and gosh the flirting by GJ's Wen Ke Xing to Zhou Zi Shu cracks me up! GJ does flirty very well and Zhang Zhe Han's reaction is hilarious. Their comedic timing is amazing and love their chemistry. Always looking forward to their scenes together. I love the pacing of this story too. The weekend doesn't come soon enough for me!

For sure! After recovering from my mini meltdown yesterday 😛 I do feel more reassured after reading others' comments that Han Ye and Ren An Le's bond is unshakeable in the novel and as a viewer, I just have to trust that the LOA production team knows what's best. No point in worrying about what changes may be until the drama is released. I hope for the best that the drama brings the story to life.

I have not read the novel but those who have described both Han Ye and Ren An Le as very strong characters individually and a "power couple" when together. This is the kind of plot I love to watch. The fact that GJ is excited for his role leads me to think the script must be well written (at least in terms of his character) for him to be so enthusiastic about the drama. I'm currently watching WOH and found him utterly charming and can't wait to see how he portrays his character here. As a Reba fan, I'm also excited for her interpretation of Ren An Le and feel that she will do well in showcasing the strength and depth of her character. The rest of the cast seems promising too. Likewise, I hope fans of all cast members support each other in making this drama a success. Personally, I'm looking forward to interacting and having lively discussions with other viewers here as we count down to the drama release.

I echo some posters’ recommendations in that you start with The Long Ballad, which is a historical piece, the most similar to Legend of Anle out of all Reba’s dramas. The character, Li Changge, is a remarkable character and Reba gave a wonderful performance; the plot is fast moving and engaging. Romance between the main couple is superb (slow burn but heartwarming) as they are so supportive of each other but the best part of the drama is the tremendous growth of many characters, particularly Reba’s Li Changge. I will also suggest You Are My Glory (modern drama) for a light-hearted romantic drama with a mix of gaming, aerospace and a bit of slice of life qualities but told in such a way that makes the viewers feel the overflow of sweetness in how the couple interact with each other. Reba has amazing chemistry with Yang Yang and it is one of those dramas where I can’t help smiling when watching this couple onscreen because their exchanges and banter are so lovely.

If you have more time, honorable mentions are Eternal Love (a xianxia drama) where Reba was the second female lead and the drama that had earned her world-wide recognition; I’m fond of her character Bai Feng Jiu because Reba was very adorable in her portrayal and her romance with Vengo Gao’s Dong Hua was delightful and bittersweet. If you enjoy Eternal Love, then you should also consider Eternal Love of Dream (xianxia), in which Reba reprised her character Bai Feng Jiu from Eternal Love but this drama was based on the novel. Eternal Love did not have the rights to Eternal Love of Dream (novel: Three Lives, Three Worlds: The Pillow Book) for the Bai Feng Jiu and Dong Hua love story so it took liberties in penning down its own modified version of their romance. Eternal Love of Dream (as adapted from the novel with a completely different story from Eternal Love) suffered from too many unnecessary episodes with both leads portraying multiple characters which could lead to confusion for viewers. The story was told in a chronological order as to how the couple met. If you find the first few episodes too slow, I would advise you to skip the first 22 episodes (they were primarily a series of flashbacks of their relationship history in the novel) which for some reason, the screenwriter decided to expand these events into detailed story arcs making the drama slow paced and sluggish. Their love story truly jumpstarted in episode 23 (which was the beginning of the novel) and became much more interesting from episode 23 to the end (total of 56 episodes).

I have mixed feelings on a few (mostly older) Reba dramas that I had seen (Pretty Li Hui Zhen, The King’s Woman, Sweet Dreams and Love Designer) and it could be due to my personal standards. In some of her dramas, she had strong characterization but suffered from poor plot and direction. In her other dramas, the storyline might be good but the acting (performance of the entire cast not just Reba’s) was somewhat lacking. Reba is very charismatic as a celebrity and although I like her bubbly, sweet and cute persona in many of her older dramas, I would not recommend her earlier works because her current performance (and dramatic roles) far surpassed her acting abilities from years ago. I do wonder if she just worked harder over the years in improving herself or if she wasn’t given good challenging scripts in the past to showcase her acting capabilities or perhaps the mix of the two, but whatever it is, I feel her acting and screen presence have progressed and improved significantly since The Long Ballad. I would only propose that you explore her earlier dramas if you have become a huge fan of hers and can’t get enough of her onscreen. Happy viewing and please share with us your thoughts after watching any of the dramas recommended to you!😊

Eternal Love was my first drama of Reba and I enjoyed her character and her romance much more than the main leads. Reba was very cute although I have read others found her annoying but I thought she was charming. I actually thought Yang Mi's character to be the bland one, very cold and distant. I wonder why so many men fell for the character Bai Qian (Yang Mi) because other than her beauty, I don't find her personality appealing. Not sure if you're aware but the writer was accused of plagiarism for her work in Ten Miles of Peach Blossom (novel name of Eternal Love). I discovered the plagiarism rumors after watching the drama and after reading the sequel, Pillow Book (novel name for Eternal Love of Dream) so although the Eternal Love drama is separate, it did leave a bad impression with me because this author is profiting off the success of the dramas. Eternal Love of Dream is too draggy and if you want to continue, I would skip the first 22 episodes as these scenes should have been done through a series of flashbacks as written in the novel but was penned into a full fledge story (especially the mortal arc realm). The drama became more fast paced. If not for Reba's charisma and her chemistry with Vengo, I probably would have dropped Eternal Love of Dream.

The romance that you described in TBW is right up my alley. I assume the intense love is between JI Yun He and Chang Yi and innocent love is the second leads? After discussing this drama with you the last few days have been looking forward to the drama so much. Thank you for all your insight!

Hi Titania! You're my Reba drama reference since you're familiar with both TBW and LOA stories. 😀 Thank you for confirming that both Han Ye and Ren Anle are only true to each other. I hate messy love affairs and prefer a romantic love story without third parties. From the plot, our main couple already has plenty of obstacles and challenges and does not need to wonder about each other's feelings too. Unrequited love is fine and I can accept it. I just don't want to see an indecisive FL or ML so I hope the screenwriter just follow the novel's plot (it sounds so good already from what you had described) and not make unnecessary changes.

Episode 37 is not on Netflix in the US either but I do have Viki Pass! So luckily I can still catch the last episode. That's a relief!

For sure, I think I will really enjoy WOH. Actually this drama has been on my radar earlier this year as it was praised by critics and fans. I did plan on watching it months ago but Reba dramas started airing and then life also happened so it has been prolonged till now. 😊 Now that Gong Jun has been casted as the ML in LOA, it’s more reason for me to watch it to get a better feel for his acting and know more about the actor.

In armor? Both Reba and Gong Jun? I have not seen photos of either of them in battlefield gear. Now I can’t help wondering what will happen and how they ended up fighting! These photos really feed our anticipation!!!

Hi Gizzy! No need to apologize ! I thought you watched the full version of Diamond Lover recently and that’s why I asked and was hoping you can provide a link. YouTube does offer the full version but without English subs so they are useless for me to watch. If I ever find one with English subs, I will let you know too!

Thank you for the heads up! 😀 I will watch WOH on Netflix instead to get the full experience. I’ve been using Viki for few months now and thought the site uses its own translators so the quality would be better than other streaming sites?! The only gripe I have is there are a couple of dramas that I wanted to watch but were not available and I had to go to other sources to view.

WK1, I really hope your comments ring true and the drama stays faithful to the novel, at least in regards to relationships. I remember reading early on from posters here that the scriptwriter, Rao Jun, is known to “ruin” many drama adaptations and my biggest fear is that he might do something like write a love triangle to create angst. I’m trying not to panic but if he does that, I will be seriously ticked off. I abhor love triangles and have been anticipating the love story between Reba and Gong Jun’s characters. I feel both Reba and Gong Jun will deliver in giving us an epic couple and an amazing story so I’m seriously praying a love triangle is not written.

For those who are familiar with the scriptwriter, Rao Jun, can you please confirm if he had written love triangles (when there was none in the original written work) to “spice” up a previous drama?

Agree! They fit perfectly together. :) Hope for another collab soon! :)

Sometimes it can be challenging since Reba is so famous but I don't shy away from confrontational posts especially when Reba is worth defending and I should not have to apologize for my opinions or likes if they rubbed certain people the wrong way. I will only apologize if I misunderstood or gave incorrect information (unintentionally) but never for what I believe.

Hello songfalcon! So great to see your name again! It's been too long!

Actually Eternal Love was my first drama with Reba and her character and her romance with Vengo were the bright spots for me. She was simply adorable and I loved the innocence and sweetness of Bai Fengiui. For sure, Bai Fengjiu made Reba a household name and I was always very aware of Reba but felt her roles were not as complex and a bit too cutesy. I was waiting for her to make a leap to be more of a dramatic actress. It wasn't until I watched The Long Ballad and fell in love with the character Li Changge that I officially considered myself a Reba fan. To me, Li Changge was her breakout role and hearing how much love Reba has for this character made me always identified her with Li Changge. I am prepared to love more of her upcoming dramas and perhaps appreciate more characters that she portrays but yeah, I have a soft spot for this character and this drama.

I know what you mean! I just posted a simple thank you message to a fellow poster for providing some links and information and now I have to defend myself and TLB fandom for being pro-Reba.

Hi Gizzy! I think both Viki and Netflix offered a special cut/version (with 24 episodes) of Diamond Lover. I tried watching an episode but the scenes were cut and not continuous so I was very confused. Besides most scenes were of Tiffany and not as many Reba scenes. I was hoping for the original version with 68 episodes. Any idea where to see that?