Ahh praise you, thanks for posting/translating! This makes a lot of sense. C:Although in re: #6.... I am 100%…
yeah, so far the drama has been very logical so i don’t know how ml would get away without harsh punishment (in china, drug trafficking can lead to death penalty) or complete disappearance 😔 i just checked where you are and it’s going to get so good.
Ahh praise you, thanks for posting/translating! This makes a lot of sense. C:Although in re: #6.... I am 100%…
based on everything i’ve seen i’m 99% certain it’s going to BE or open ending. i actually like BE because i think those kinds of drama stick to you longer, but i’m going to be so so sad 😭😂
some informative tidbits from q&a with scriptwriter on douban:1. they had to cut a lot from the first 8 episodes;…
spoiler for 3 above: - when female lead was shot by lei jie, it was actually sml in the script, but censorship changed it (tn: my guess is because they didn’t want a policeman to be shown shooting an innocent) - the scene where hu ge met his end, the original script had it set in a huge warehouse and hu ge already planned an escape route through a maze like setting straight to seaside, so the police couldnt get to him. but they didn’t have the budget for the scene, which is why it came out a bit dumb in the drama (tn: i was wondering why the police was so ineffectual in that scene, like they didn’t set up blockades or anything, but this explains it)
some informative tidbits from q&a with scriptwriter on douban:
1. they had to cut a lot from the first 8 episodes; apparently they get into a lot more on female lead’s background -how she was an orphan/street thug that was captured by captain cao (which is why he’s biased against her at the start), then cheng ji semi-adopted her and put her on the right path.
2. female lead is supposed to be old. she was originally a street thug and tried for the police academy late. then she failed 3 times. they put her age at 26/27.
3. they actually planned for 24 episodes and he thinks there aren’t much cut from the later episodes, meaning it should wrap up nicely rather than rushed
4. in order to pass censorship they had to change a lot of the script (see my reply to this for a spoiler), so the dubbing doesn’t always match mouth movement
5. this story is actually the combined effort of both the scriptwriter and director, they developed it together. (tn: i think this likely added to the cohesiveness of the script/directing; director is also female, which probably lent itself to great female characterization in this drama)
6. he doesn’t think of the relationship between the leads as a romance, it’s more complicated than that because in their line of work, they both could get killed at anytime and her literal job is drug enforcement. there are good feelings towards each other, there are emotions, there’s love (in the universal sense), but their love is the kind that can’t be said out loud, can’t be recognized. he thinks this kind of feeling is the most moving - liking someone but realizing that there’s something else even more important.
where you watch till episode 20? Female lead is great, but ZYC still have less screen time haha
i did some digging on chinese sites out of curiosity and it seems like fandom lore (bc i have no backup for what they say) is that he had some issues with his former agency, left in 2019 and now has his own studio. they still think his resources are poor (that each drama was built on the connections from the last one he did, rather than i suppose being hotly sought out) but also that he doesn’t promote himself enough - like they call him a “buddhist” type of actor because he doesn’t do fanservice besides what’s obligatory for airing dramas he’s in 😂
but i would take it all with a grain of salt because fans always want more for their actor and complaints about bad resources is de rigeur for fandoms i’ve lurked in. he’s had some great leads in mid-level dramas (loved him in let’s shake it, sleepless princess and ofc stealth walker), and has a few upcoming that looks to be more expensive (esp an eternal thought). and given his ‘buddhist’ outlook, he might even prefer it this way rather than say becoming a traffic star that does promotions all time rather than real acting.
where you watch till episode 20? Female lead is great, but ZYC still have less screen time haha
ooo i didnt realize he had studio issues. any background i can read?
he really hasn’t had any super terrible dramas so i was going to say that he’s been lucky but seems like he’s had to work hard to achieve it…
funny i recently watched an interview of his for his newest drama (“love under the full noon”) and got a feeling he probably liked this role a lot more than his in that one.
where you watch till episode 20? Female lead is great, but ZYC still have less screen time haha
on youku! i started watching bc of zyc but tbh i’m happy with how his character turned out. the focus is on the female character and i’m glad that, unlike other dramas that advertise themselves as female focused, it doesn’t stray to the male character. his character is also just so interesting - i think he himself is probably very happy with it. his screen time does get better over time!
at episode 20, so so so so good. love that’s an original script, the female lead is such an interesting character (witty, badass but with a heart of gold), side characters are so well rounded and fun (including villains), heavy topics are balanced by good humor and crime comedy hijinks, the crime story isn’t just a stepping stone for romance and is exciting on its own, and there are so many endearing relationships besides the main cp (e.g., female lead and her side kick, the female lead and the various women she comes across undercover, male lead and his adopted daughter).
the female director of this drama has said they faced a lot of opposition during development for not having a dumb female lead, and even being able to shoot this was a victory. i really hope she and the rest of production are proud of themselves for sticking to their vision. this isn’t best drama out there, but i can feel real genuineness in its production (much like the imperial coroner early this year).
dropped after 2 episodes. so much second hand embarrassment. first episode - the ml sits in the park listening to someone playing a violin (when did this become a ‘00s drama?) fl sits next to them, puts on earphones and starts sings out loud (not even hum). what kind of person does that?
and the way she persistently chases him (including some scenes that feels uncomfortable - like tricking him because he’s blind when they aren’t familiar) makes me feel like she has no self-respect with low emotional intelligence. i really like wan peng and had high hopes but this isn’t it.
disappointed at how mary sue lsc is becoming. she knocks out the pipa player because she wants to try out her skills (but for storytelling purposes, it's to set up the main leads' first meeting and his entrancement by her skills, beauty and *mysterious vibes*). but for someone who's desperately trying to hide her background, why would she commit assault (leading to possible official investigation) when there are surely other ways of testing her theatre skills?
then in turn, she tries to pass off as a male scholar and, failing that, to get into the emperor’s harem - along the way showing off she can fight, she can outwit the best scholars, she knows all the intricacies of courtly etiquette... it’s like the writer mashed together several typical mary sue plot lines together in hope their unity would make the drama more exciting, but it leaves me disconnected and bored by her character. it's not surprising a man wrote the screenplay (won't dive into the whole shaming of a girl by revealing her birthmark to the public setup).
this all would be acceptable if it were a low budget production, but it's not. and production clearly think a lot of themselves with all the allusions to dream of the red chamber.
a few things have me worried (mainly script) but it’s. so. freaking. pretty. the title sequence, shadow puppet character setup in episode one, cinematography, clothing, makeup (bai lu’s makeup during her opera performance was stunning even though her song’s completely modern and anachronistic (but pretty!!))
really pleasantly surprised with this. for a modern fantasy it’s rather mellow/lowkey, humorous without being slapstick. appreciate the slow burn romance - the buildup of their relationship feels so real (no artificial sweetener here). people act like people, the cat turned human acts like a real cat (so cute!!) there were a few moments where i thought the plot might go for the typical dogblood storylines but it’s managed to veer away. hoping the second half is as good!
- when female lead was shot by lei jie, it was actually sml in the script, but censorship changed it (tn: my guess is because they didn’t want a policeman to be shown shooting an innocent)
- the scene where hu ge met his end, the original script had it set in a huge warehouse and hu ge already planned an escape route through a maze like setting straight to seaside, so the police couldnt get to him. but they didn’t have the budget for the scene, which is why it came out a bit dumb in the drama (tn: i was wondering why the police was so ineffectual in that scene, like they didn’t set up blockades or anything, but this explains it)
source: https://www.douban.com/group/topic/243011377/?dt_dapp=1
1. they had to cut a lot from the first 8 episodes; apparently they get into a lot more on female lead’s background -how she was an orphan/street thug that was captured by captain cao (which is why he’s biased against her at the start), then cheng ji semi-adopted her and put her on the right path.
2. female lead is supposed to be old. she was originally a street thug and tried for the police academy late. then she failed 3 times. they put her age at 26/27.
3. they actually planned for 24 episodes and he thinks there aren’t much cut from the later episodes, meaning it should wrap up nicely rather than rushed
4. in order to pass censorship they had to change a lot of the script (see my reply to this for a spoiler), so the dubbing doesn’t always match mouth movement
5. this story is actually the combined effort of both the scriptwriter and director, they developed it together. (tn: i think this likely added to the cohesiveness of the script/directing; director is also female, which probably lent itself to great female characterization in this drama)
6. he doesn’t think of the relationship between the leads as a romance, it’s more complicated than that because in their line of work, they both could get killed at anytime and her literal job is drug enforcement. there are good feelings towards each other, there are emotions, there’s love (in the universal sense), but their love is the kind that can’t be said out loud, can’t be recognized. he thinks this kind of feeling is the most moving - liking someone but realizing that there’s something else even more important.
but i would take it all with a grain of salt because fans always want more for their actor and complaints about bad resources is de rigeur for fandoms i’ve lurked in. he’s had some great leads in mid-level dramas (loved him in let’s shake it, sleepless princess and ofc stealth walker), and has a few upcoming that looks to be more expensive (esp an eternal thought). and given his ‘buddhist’ outlook, he might even prefer it this way rather than say becoming a traffic star that does promotions all time rather than real acting.
he really hasn’t had any super terrible dramas so i was going to say that he’s been lucky but seems like he’s had to work hard to achieve it…
funny i recently watched an interview of his for his newest drama (“love under the full noon”) and got a feeling he probably liked this role a lot more than his in that one.
i did write a review on tic that i think you commented on haha.
the female director of this drama has said they faced a lot of opposition during development for not having a dumb female lead, and even being able to shoot this was a victory. i really hope she and the rest of production are proud of themselves for sticking to their vision. this isn’t best drama out there, but i can feel real genuineness in its production (much like the imperial coroner early this year).
and the way she persistently chases him (including some scenes that feels uncomfortable - like tricking him because he’s blind when they aren’t familiar) makes me feel like she has no self-respect with low emotional intelligence. i really like wan peng and had high hopes but this isn’t it.
then in turn, she tries to pass off as a male scholar and, failing that, to get into the emperor’s harem - along the way showing off she can fight, she can outwit the best scholars, she knows all the intricacies of courtly etiquette... it’s like the writer mashed together several typical mary sue plot lines together in hope their unity would make the drama more exciting, but it leaves me disconnected and bored by her character. it's not surprising a man wrote the screenplay (won't dive into the whole shaming of a girl by revealing her birthmark to the public setup).
this all would be acceptable if it were a low budget production, but it's not. and production clearly think a lot of themselves with all the allusions to dream of the red chamber.