oreades206

He is sometimes still annoying in S2 😅
I'm not an expert in Chinese culture or Tang Dynasty era, but from what I observed in ep 17 -18, it seems that merchants in ancient China were seen as lower class. Public impression was that merchants were unproductive and only cared about increasing wealth (I know in my culture merchants are still perceived as dishonest people LOL). Both LLF and SWM are scholars which is much higher status and plus LLF is an aristocrat and so is Xi Jun. So becoming a merchant means lowering their status. That's what I gather in both episodes.

No worries. It's understandable 😊
For me personally, when I watch a drama set in a certain period in history, I like it to be true to that period. I don't like it when they try to make it modern so that it's more relatable to the current time. It wouldn't be authentic.
Btw I agree. 4th case feels like they're back in their OG mode.

Yaaay!

It does seem like over the top. But perhaps the director wanted to show how extremely dangerous and tense the situation is at that time for them especially for LLF knowing that he is in difficult position between the emperor and the princess. He is probably stressed out thinking that at any moment the conflict may explode between them. I'm on ep 18 by the way :) so I can tell he's a bit more relaxed now :)

His behavior is actually true to the customs at that time. It would be weird if it were otherwise considering his position and status in the society at that time which is like over 1,200 years ago. Since the drama is set during that era, the makers wanted it to be as authentic as possible. The writer is an expert in Tang Dynasty era so he knows the details of the customs, the social norms of that era. I think that's why it's really popular in China. But I understand your frustration as you see him through the lens of people in this millennia.

I agree with you. It depends on one's perspective. Personally, I think it's not homophobic. The construction of the case is like that and the write certainly had no intention to express negative attitude towards gays.

Yeah. With that level of difficulty, they've been already very consistent since S1. And making several seasons consistent is hard work but they do excellently, which is quite rare.

S4 will come as a micro drama. About 20 episodes or something and each episode is about 20 minutes. I've heard it will come out next month. They're planning to make S5 & 6 in the same format as S3 & 4.

The writer wrote on weibo that this case is a transitional case. No idea what it means but I like it. It sounds intriguing.

😂😂

Checked it out. Great edit! ❤️

The writer, Wei Feng Hua, wrote quite a long post on his weibo before the show aired on 8. I used google translate to quote some from his post.

He wrote "... The structure of Tang Dynasty Ghost Stories resembles a sandwich: the historical foundation at the bottom accounts for 20%, the fantastical tales at the top account for 10%, and the remaining 70% is mystery and detective work".
"By the way, many people liked the first season, and many people liked the second season. I liked both seasons. There's a reason why the second season received an 8.6 rating from hundreds of thousands of people; it wasn't just because of the first season. Those who liked the first season should acknowledge this. Similarly, those who liked the second season should acknowledge the goodness of the first. No two leaves are the same. The same applies to creators. This is the inherent pain of writing. At any given moment, you can only write what you can write at that moment, and you can't surpass that moment. But try your best.
Here's the important part: regardless of which season you prefer, please support the third season while it airs. Long-running dramas are indeed facing difficulties this winter; production rates have dropped significantly, leaving many actors without work, writing, or acting opportunities. Capital is profit-driven; if the industry cools down and there's no money to be made, people will invest elsewhere. In short, after the peak of popularity, if you're dissatisfied, then you can send your criticism to the screenwriter."

So far season 3 may be slightly lackluster than season 2 and the writer has acknowledged it. In my opinion, in spite of it, it's still much better than most costume dramas produced in recent years. Let's hope next episodes will shine 🤞😊

Yup, couldn't agree more. The overall production is already far better than most costume dramas. They've done superbly maintaining consistency.

I also think so. Though I still like this season so far, it seems it will be difficult to surpass S2.

I recognize 3 actors from Eternal Brotherhood in ep 13 and 14. The female thief/vampire is Chen si Che in EB season 2 she plays Liu Fengshuang. General Ding is played by Benjamin Zhan (Luo Ming Hai in EB 1 & 2), and Huo Yu is played by Zou Dun Ming (Xiao Long in EB 1).

Me too! I love that they make her more prominent as the series progresses. And the actress is really talented. Just found out that she has actually the basics of martial arts, sings really well and plays a traditional Chinese instrument really well.

Here's their recent press conference.
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV18ekfBpEMr/

It's her own voice. I saw their recent press conference or something and she sounds exactly like the princess except much less fearsome 😅
Master Fei is not dubbed. Ying Tao is also not dubbed. Btw, I've recently checked out the actress' Douyin and she actually can sing and play a Chinese musical instrument really well. Very talented.

LLF and Pei Xijun are dubbed. Although YXW has similar register as the VA but his tone is slightly gentler and perhaps doesn't match LLF personality. And Gao Siwen, well.. She's good at acting but her voice, I wouldn't say bad but completely different from PXJ. I can understand why she needs to be dubbed by a VA.

I agree. They're different actors.

I've recognized 3 actors in the 3rd case. They're from Eternal Brotherhood season 1 and 2. general Ding, Huo Yu, and the female thief. I'll double check.