oreades206

For sure, just dropping the latest news for anyone tracking the thread.

The cast has been changed. Yang Xuwen, Kong Xue Er, Wang Hongyi, Sun Qinghui have been cast. The filming will start this week on Thursday, 3 Sept in Hengdian.

Filming will commence this week on Thursday 3 September in Hengdian. The drama stars Yang Xuwen, Kong Xue Er, Wang Hongyi, Sun Qinghui, and more.

Filming is scheduled to start this week, this Thursday 3 September in Hengdian.

Ep. 1 looks promising. I will wait for a few more days so that I can binge watch.

Me neither. I was just saying that your question chimed with that coming from some reviewers in Douban.

Lu Lingfeng really does feel like a different person in S3.
He grew so much—from the hot-blooded, impulsive detective in S1 into a seasoned, calmer (but still passionate) investigator in S2. But in S3, he suddenly regresses back to being reckless and impulsive.

Take that moment when he lets Pei Xijun stalk a suspicious guy alone—what?! Isn’t he supposed to be an experienced general and detective by now? Why would he allow someone—especially someone he cares about—to take on such a dangerous task completely alone? That scene was so out of character, I actually had to pause the series for a few days.

And I couldn’t agree more about the romance. They’ve turned him into a romantic Zorro—all dramatic stares and slow-motion embraces. But those scenes add nothing to the plot. If anything, they weaken his character and distract from the mystery.

For the first time ever, I found myself fast-forwarding through LLF–PXJ romantic scenes—something I never did in S1 or S2.

This is one of the complaints about this season that I read on Douban. AvenueX made a short comment on this issue in one of her videos. Though it could be relevant to the time (Tang period) but for today's Chinese generation it looks like they're glorifying the gentry.

I think part of the reason is that on MDL, many international viewers follow actors first, not stories. Strange Tales doesn’t have mega-idol leads—it’s loved in China for its writing and mystery, not star power—so it flies under the radar here.

Yes, I agree—filming S3 just three months after S2 finished airing feels rushed compared to the nearly two-year gap between S1 & S2.

My speculation is that Changxin Media originally planned to film S3 only after director Bai Shan wrapped their other drama, My Destiny. But given how huge a success S2 was, the streaming platform likely pushed to capitalize on the momentum right away. That may explain why Ju Xingmao was assigned as director for S3 instead.

During S3’s production, I followed a thread on Douban and someone mentioned something unusual: screenwriter Wei Fenghua never appeared on set. I’m not sure if he visited during S1 or S2, but his absence during S3 stood out—especially since close collaboration between the director and the writer is often crucial when last-minute script adjustments are needed.

I’m really glad to hear S5 might take its time. YouTuber AvenueX mentioned they need to “restructure something,” though details are unclear. Still, I think it’s a great sign. Wei Fenghua will have more time to write—and hopefully they bring Bai Shan back to direct.

I've looked up the website of AACA. The award began in 2018 and it seems for the last 5 years Best Drama Series Category was dominated by Kdrama (Netflix) and Thai dramas. Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty To The West was literally the first Cdrama that won that category.

When Life Gives You Tangerines has scored 9.1 on IMDb and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. So winning against this formidable contender is definitely huge. I'm happy that they got recognition in global platform such as AACA. The judges were professionals from different countries so we can say that their assessment was fair and impartial.

They were producing dramas that started filming almost at the same time. Bai Shan wasn't doing S3 because he had been assigned to do a drama that the company was producing. This drama and SToTD S3 started filming almost at the same time. As soon as S3 wrapped, Ju Xingmao was assigned to do another drama the company was producing so Guo Shimin did S4. Since the success of Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty S1, the company has been very busy making dramas. Bai Shan, too, went on to direct other dramas almost non stop for other companies. I hope they call him back to do S5.

Yes, it's in season 2. It's also my most favorite of all cases in 3 seasons.

Maybe because Ju Xingmao had to switch to a drama the company was also working on almost at the same time. I think they had too much on their plate. I think the reason why they assigned Ju Xingmao to do season 3 was because they had assigned Bai Shan to do another drama which started filming almost at the same time as filming season 3. They should work on 1 drama at a time instead of doing 2.

Strange Tales of Dynasty S2 beat a strong contender: When Life Gives You Tangerines.

Though I can't tell if the series will have more seasons after season 5, but there's more stronger reasons for iQiyi to keep making it because:

1. S2 (To the West) rescued iQIYI in 2024 when their other big dramas failed—it was one of the highest-rated shows of the year in terms of streaming performance and audience retention.
2. Just yesterday, S2 (To the West) saved iQiyi again. it won Best Drama at the 2025 Asian Academy Creative Awards in Singapore, beating top contenders, 12 dramas from 11 Asian countries (including Australia). Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty II even beat a formidable contender from Korea "When Life Gives You Tangerines.
3. Even S1 (2022), made on a modest budget, became a Top 10 most-watched drama in China—proof that the series thrives on story, not spectacle.
4. Douban votes alone don’t determine a drama’s fate. Look at Ingenious One: it has only a 7.3 rating and ~112K votes since 2023—yet it’s already getting a Season 2. Strange Tales, with higher ratings, far more votes, more successful commercially, awards, and cultural impact, is clearly in a much stronger position.

I think the only one that would stop STOTD from running more seasons is when Wei Fenghua, the writer, has run out of ideas.

There’s no need to apologize at all! I just wanted to share my opinion as nuanced as possible—without sounding overly critical or judgmental. After all, in any discussion, differences in perspective are natural and welcome! 🤗

I can see why many fans enjoy the softer side of LLF and SWM, as well as LLF’s fight scenes. And I’ll be honest—I did enjoy the fight scenes! They’re obviously meticulously choreographed and look absolutely awesome.

That said, I worry that when these elements take center stage, they sometimes overshadow the core strengths of the series—like tightly constructed mysteries, deductive problem-solving, and consistent character development. To me, this shift has led to issues such as rushed or underdeveloped cases, plot inconsistencies, and a noticeable disconnect in LLF’s growth compared to S1 and S2.

It seems to me that the writer already had a lot on his plate—balancing high-stakes Tang court politics with the show’s signature mystery format is no small feat. But when you layer on extended romantic arcs and large-scale action sequences on top of that, something has to give. In Season 3, it was the cases themselves that got compromised—which feels especially ironic, because the cases are what define the series. After all, Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty presents itself first and foremost as a mystery-solving drama; politics, romance, and fight scenes should support that core, not overshadow it.

At the end of the day, what matters most is that we all want the best for this story. When we disagree on the details, it means we care about this series. 🤗

Congratulations to Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty II To the West for winning Best Drama Series of The Year at Asian Academy Creative Awards in Singapore! You can watch the ceremony on YT. Starts at 3:13:45.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=983QcOV7RQQ

Congratulations to Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty II To the West for winning Best Drama Series of The Year at Asian Academy Creative Awards in Singapore! You can watch the ceremony on YT. Starts at 3:13:45. It beat a strong contender: When Life Gives You Tangerines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=983QcOV7RQQ

Just to clarify—I never meant S3 is ‘bad.’ I still love the show deeply and rated it 8.5/10. And I actually rated S3 8.5/10 before I even checked Douban (which was at 8.1 at the time, now 8.0). I really wanted to give it 9.0 because I adore this series—it’s still my favorite Cdrama—but I had to be honest with myself: I felt slightly less engaged, especially in how the cases were solved.

My critique isn’t about the presence of court politics. Given the historical setting and Lu Lingfeng’s ties to the imperial family, that storyline feels inevitable and even necessary. What I missed was the detective process itself—the deduction, the reasoning, and the observation in S1 and S2. In S3, solutions often come through action, coincidence, or off-screen revelations, rather than the duo piecing clues together. The “strange tales” feel more like backdrops now, not puzzles to be unraveled.

I also noticed the creative choices seemed tailored to specific fan groups—extended LLF/PXJ PDA, frequent large-scale fight scenes, etc.—which, while enjoyable for some, shifted the show’s tone away from its core identity as a mystery-driven, atmospheric drama.

I agree ratings aren’t everything, but the trend (S1 9.1 → S2 9.4 → S3 8.8 on iQiyi; Douban also slightly lower) does suggest a decline. After watching, I looked up a few 3-star Douban reviews (skipping the 1–2 star ones, which can be overly nitpicky) and found that not a few longtime fans shared the same sentiment: they love the show, but agree the cases feel less polished, and the intellectual heart of the detective work has faded.

That said, I still deeply appreciate the high production quality and am glad the show continues. I don't want the show to end and I just hope future seasons— S5—can recenter on what made me fall in love with it in the first place: two detectives unravelling mysteries using deduction-reasoning and more polished cases.