ibisfeather

I bet learning to read chinese is hard if you didnt start as a child -- all those characters,

The illiteracy has been bugging me since the beginning, but I guess it is like the magical strength, part of being who she is: an original personage, innocent, instinctive, willful and fun. She is kind but not sensitive to others input.

Also, I have said this before but I like the critical look at the whole neo-confucian scholar-public official ideal. Does reading Mencius really make a person a better administrator or military leader? Does it actually giard against corruption. No and No. It certainly makes for a lot of creepy prigs like Song Yan.

So in a way the whole character of ChangYu is like a Roussean talking point. Not that we are all born good, but that strength of character which she has cannot be taught by traditional study methods.

I hear @Marleycove saying that the novel sort of makes a claim against traditional education for modern methods?

I am happy to hear QiMin will be around for the Battle for the Throne.

yes

same

Just in general about the darker novel's character. I think that altho the director/scriptwriter chose a steadfast lover version of him after he met CY, this could be a nod for the readers to his original sexy/cold/masterful character. For me the actor's (ZLH's) facework/expressions during the screen scene in 31 really gave his character an edge that I hadnt seen before. A nice falcon-ey glare.

I felt the Marquis was in a dark place. Mainly I was worried abt the consequences of him defying the emperor, rather than the cruelty of cutting off the ear. Because of the novel readers I wasnt as shocked as I should have been? There are so many things I want to check on a binge later to see how they are meant to fall.

ep31
oh my lord the unteachable ChangYu!
I had to stop watching or stop eating breakfast! Not enough was going to its proper destination!!!! I havent laughed so hard for at least a couple of episodes!

ep31
open post-credit.
forgot to gush over the boldfacedly theatrical use of the screen and the mode of address. Full use of the props and language!

CY to ZX: "So in your view, everything in this world is like matters of the army, and in the end you alone decide everything" Touche. And just when he was getting dashing and masterful too.

That is the problem, isnt it. The idol stars and the female-gaze of the viewer are hand in glove.
But the FL, the other star, will and must have her space to think.
It isnt as thrilling. But it is. Painfully.

ep31
as always excellent open -- genius creative team!
Black and white! FCY in blue, the Guy Fawkes paper statue of her dad in white.
The Marquis in black with jet bead detailing, someone write an ode to the costumier!

The soldiers want to reenact the children's game of lets attack the Great Traitor. Sh tries to say -- and the Marquis exerts the leaders control. The two do not pray separately to his dad but jointly to the 2 generals which is ok as a couple and she already bowed to General He who turns out to have been a sort of godfather of hers.

all in a few minutes, all tbe new issues brought into sharp relief.

@antiherodiaries, well said.

I dont keep records but I am pretty sure Unveil Jadewind performed better. I am not sure why this is important at all? Pursuit of Jade is a truly superlative show and in my opinion is not getting the attention it deserves outside of China. I wish it would do better. But stubbornly saying that it has out performed other Chinese dramas is besides the point, and may not be true. So why persist in quarreling?

POJ didnt make Netflix top ten in Brazil , at least on the flixpatrol charts which amalgamate all language offerings.
But you are correct POJ was/is at 5-6 on south Korea's Netflix top ten which I thought was pretty cool.
However for one reason or another POJ has not caught on with Netflix subscribers in Latin American countries, who form a solid 3rd +- of all Netflix subscribers in total.
There are plenty of viewers who like cdrama there too, so its a mystery , not a cultural preference-- but I do not know if NF received those licensing rights in Latin America from IQIYI?
Didnt someone say that netflix was not showing POJ in Europe? Well, did NF have distribution rights there from IQIYI?

Maybe this misfortune might bring fortune in those markets. I hope so.

thnx, this helps my imagination to fill in a few holes in the war careers.

I may be overreading the numbers, but on the flixpatrol global lists (i.e. not in china) POJ has been slowly gliding down. I was surprised because such a hit would normally improve its global standing on Friday Asia time.

So that is a pretty good sign of the way this will affect the show. It is like a drag in the sails. In the netflix market areas, anyone who can watch it without subs is probably now on weibo or sim, and lots of amateur subs are probably in the works.

It would be cool if this would suddenly make it a hit on netflix out of sympathy for the under dog, the production team I mean, not for NF! But thats unlikely to happen.

ChangYu's Dad is only part of the Wei military clan. He is not blood tp Wei Yan, ZX's uncle. He worked for him.

ep30
Holy amazing shit! HE JINGYUAN DIED UPRIGHT HOLDING THE HE BATTLE STANDARD!!!!!!

ep30
When Qi Shu, the Grand Princess herself, stood up and bowed to ChangYu, chills just ran up and down my spine. So breathtaking in context.

Take that you all who maunder on about how she cant be a general. Military merit is earned by deeds. Sometimes all it takes is one, and in fiction that's enough.

I think we are supposed to infer that lots of growth has occurred behind the scenes -- training by Tutor Tao, sparring, we dont see all of her sorties...This show has got a particularly impressionistic style which I have been commenting on, so its not choppy editing, not filler, not rushed, not slow, it is something new in pacing and plotting.

Both of the two -- Li Huai An and Xie Zheng -- look gorgeous in uniform.