cloudysunset

You're giving examples of incredibly good, often awarded movies directed and acted by widely respected and renowned people, which have NOTHING to do with IDOL DRAMAS. I have to admit that I never watched any of those movies, and I probably never will, because I'm not interested in them. If you watched Pursuit of Jade or any other idol drama with expectations that it would be on par with those movies, that's on you. It's really not that hard to check what type of works the director and actors did in the past and come up with a simple conclusion – I might like it/I won't like it.

The director of the Pursuit of Jade, Zeng Qing Jie, started gaining popularity by making mini dramas. The ones where episode duration is usually around 15 minutes, the plot doesn't have to make sense, the characters might be overdramatic and it's clear that the budget was a bit tight just by looking at the quality of costumes and props. He rose to fame through his storytelling that he managed to show even in such short works, and many people liked it. Zeng Qing Jie doesn't even have his own Wikipedia page. He's only mentioned in the Wiki page of one of his works (a mini drama) that was well received by the fans of this genre and type of web series. On the other hand, every person, movie, and the directors of those movies you mentioned have their own Wikipedia pages. That's an interesting difference, isn't it?

The goal of idol dramas was never to be awarded a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival like Ang Lee was for Lust, Caution. Nor was it any idol drama's purpose to showcase real kung-fu, martial arts philosophy, and so on. Movies you mentioned and idol dramas are significantly different on so many levels it's a bit pointless to even list them. Some of the main factors of idol dramas are exactly the looks and popularity of the cast, and that's just as okay as the martial arts prowess and acting craft from the movies you referred to. It's not like those dramas ever wanted to compete with those movies.

To sum up, I can't see your comment as anything other than comparing Michelin 3-star restaurants to a chain of popular and widely liked cafes. Just because Michelin 3-star restaurants are great, it doesn't mean popular cafes should be closed or changed into something more similar to those restaurants.

Edit: I'm replying specifically to your comment, regardless of the contents of the article above.

In my opinion, for the sake of his own survival, he should have done something, anything. Everyone who knows him also knows he's a puppet – it's been a long time since I saw such an incompetent emperor that happens to not be insane as well (kudos to the actor for portraying it well). There are incompetent rulers in dramas, but it's usually for more sinister reasons. Incompetent and chicken-hearted is a nice change of tune.
This emperor is a victim of treacherous schemes done by two sides of officials in power, but he also can't and probably doesn't want to let go of his victim identity. I can't say I blame him, though. Surrounded by manipulative people since childhood, he's bound to become dependent on them for his survival.
I just really wished for him to do something by himself, to think for himself without involving any side of the power struggle. Mainly because like you said, both sides easily can send him to his grave.
He's a pitiful man, but honestly, my pity for him stems more from pity for a used and manipulated child he once was rather than the squirmish man he is now.

My comment was also probably confusing, so no worries haha
I've assumed you meant that the rating was 8.3 and dropped to 7.9 in one day. Now I understand what you meant, so our misunderstanding is resolved haha

So you're telling me the rating dropped by 0.4 since YESTERDAY??? I knew that mdl ratings were mostly unreliable, but that just doesn't make any sense..

Usually, even when the duration is around 40 minutes, or less, but still well over 30, they put "45 min" on the drama's MDL page. I think the duration before "45 min" is "30 min", but all episodes of this particular drama are over 30 min. Also, I suppose, that maybe 30 min duration is considered as a longer mini-drama and not the full length, but I'm not sure about it.

I unfortunately didn't finish the first season yet, but I checked on forums like cDrama subreddit. Based on that, second season didn’t have a cliffhanger, it ends with closing an important arc for this season and lays the groundwork for the 3rd season.

All seasons of Joy of Life are surely connected, but the 3rd season will probably come out in 2027, so it could be a long wait. I saw some comments that it might air at the and of 2026, but if you watched enough cdramas, you know how it goes – sometimes dramas get postponed and rumors "next month! in three months!" are the only source of any info about airing date :/

I finally completed, but don't ask me how many times it took 😭🤫
I had lots of fun, thanks for the quiz!

Your feeling is not wrong! I'll quote arpar's review, 8th paragraph that starts with "As for the action" to explain: "the drama combines a blend of Mandarin and Cantonese dialect and actors, as it was filmed throughout Guangzhou, Macau, and Hong Kong.". So yes, if you're used to hearing Mandarin, it's no wonder you'd notice the difference.

From what I know, Standard Chinese spoken in Beijing among others, is the one that is usually spoken in dramas as well. I also heard that sometimes an actor could be dubbed because they're from another part of China, and they don't speak Mandarin as clearly as it needs to be in the drama. But that's just one of the reasons why actors could be dubbed.

Also, after a small search on Wikipedia, I found a bit more context on languages and Hong Kong and Macau: "Language laws of the People's Republic of China do not apply to either Hong Kong or Macau, which have different official languages (Cantonese, English, and Portuguese) from the mainland."

And here's the link to the page if you'd like to learn more about languages in China: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_China

(edit: misspelled word)

On the one hand, I'm trying to understand that this is for the best (if the drama aired in its original state, it could get backlash for not addressing the issue about Li Ming De), and in order to think that way I need to gaslight myself because I also agree with you.

Based on what I remember from the novel (not that I remember a lot, I read it when I found out there would be a drama based on it and that was... at least a year ago), I'm hoping Li Ming De's role was not that important in the drama. But that's only possible if the drama followed the novel in the case of his character.(I'm still salty about how they didn't include one of the main and fun characters from the novel (ML's friend and a physician) in the drama). If you have some time to spare, I totally recommend you reading the novel, the first link in the discussions (lazygirltranslations) is great and the translation is finished! With no specific news when this drama is coming out, at least you could have some fun from reading the novel haha

yes, source: Queen ZaniliaZhao Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HJHs9XPm4/
Weibo Trending!!!

Li Ming De (playing Cheng Lisu) was arrested due to drunk driving and smashing a car and put in jail. At first he was cooperative, then he denied everything.

I copied a small part of a comment from his mdl page because it describes the situation the best. He also had a role in Moonlit Reunion, but I think it was smaller than in LOFG. To sum it up, basically what happened is the classic "someone from the cast broke the law/had a scandal in one way or another, so now the drama is delayed".

here's the link to the original comment https://kisskh.at/people/21811-li-ming-de#comment-20698654

It's supposed to mean that Legend of the Female General will air at the end of July (and other names are different dramas that are supposed to air before LOTFG) but: it's just a "🍉" – which is a rumor from weibo. I read on Twitter (X) that weibo isn't the best resource about upcoming dramas because there are a lot rumors and people get their hopes up for nothing. I'd like to say that the only reliable resource would be the official accounts' statements/announcements (in this drama's case - TencentTV or WeTV), but at this point, after so much postponing, I'm not even sure about those accounts.

I find it odd to post comment like that in a place that is totally unrelated to the problem.

Yes, 20 million Chinese men probably ending up alone is a problem, but it's a problem created by Chinese government itself. Writing a comment about it under trending, ongoing Chinese drama won't change anything. Especially because people all around the world use MDL, it's not like non-Chinese people can interfere with China's problems. So what MDL-users that will find your comment are supposed to do with this information? I'm asking because I can't see the point you're trying to make by posting comment like that.

When I checked generes here and I didn't see romance as one of them I was disappointed, but! now I want to thank you hahah You reassured me that they will finally have their own story hahaha

They had to change it due to censorship – in the novel she actually wakes up in the body of the daughter of the gate officer, that happens to have the same name as her. I'm actually wondering how they will play it out in detail, considering they have to leave aside anything that has to do with changing bodies hahaha

New airing schedule dropped, next Saturday (march 29) the 20th episode will air, and it'll be 1 ep per day this week, so I think you could be right. I wish 20-30 episodes will air fast (like 2 ep per day), so we'll get to know the ending and LotG will finally start airing 🙏🙏

Considering that it is supposed to be adapted from the same novel as the drama Reset, it could be the same story, but as a movie adaptation. But I'm guessing here, so take my reply with a grain of salt.

I couldn't describe the lady villain, but yeah, I could definitely see her eating babies with enjoyment.
Her laugh, the way she talks, her ideas and purpose makes me feel strange and uncomfortable. But! That also means that the actress playing her is doing a great job haha

I feel like he can act well with his eyes. I really like it when I can tell how the character feels about someone just by watching their eyes. Also, the fact that his eyes are a bit lighter brown (or maybe hazel?) is definitely his advantage, haha

And about their chemistry, I totally agree with you, I love them both. I was kicking my feet and smiling so much every time there was something going on between them. I hope we'll get their full romantic story in these 4 episodes that are still yet to air, and it won't be rushed or cut off somehow. However, I'm also hoping everything about the mission will turn out well. If any of these parts are sacrificed for the other... I'll demand a second season! hahahaha

Depending on the context it could mean a conflict or fief – something someone is obligated to pay.
Based solely on my understanding of the synopsis the title could connect to mentioned "misunderstanding that ignites a heartbreaking conflict".
And for my own assumption maybe the new title also came from their later reunion mentioned in synopsis – because one of the main leads could owe something the other main lead.

But take my words with a pinch of salt, I'm just guessing and assuming based on my understanding of the meaning of the word "Feud" and how it could connect to the drama!