Sol1056

D-Addicts doesn't list a VA for Xu Kai -- is this his actual voice? Or does he use a different VA for modern dramas?

I'm assuming the series of events that lead to YX's revelation in ep17 must've come from the novel, since I can't recall anything that neatly done in the screenwriter's previous works. That is: character A's action --> character B's action --> group of characters' actions --> growing point for character A. Which is solid cause and effect (not always a strong point of historical dramas), while at the same time details from the 3rd step lead to YX putting together baffling clues to solve a mystery.

I can't count the cdrama times where MC's friend just _happens_ to drop a random piece of trivia -- or MC just _happens_ to be walking past a completely coincidental accident and just _happens_ to be curious enough to ask -- and suddenly the MC is like, aha! I know who did it! and I'm like, you know because the story literally handed it to you, having no other way to get you to figure out those clues.

So much better when the author can do it organically within the story's series of events, instead of shoehorning in complete coincidences. (Not saying there aren't a few here, just that ep17 closed out a good example of how to do it right.)

It's not really a spoiler, since it's the main premise of the story: Hua Zhi's grandfather, a bureaucrat in the govt, told the emperor that choosing the Crown Prince was not a personal/familial act but one that concerned the people/country. Arguing basically that the ones making the choice should be the govt, not the emperor (since basically bureaucrats are about as much representation of 'the people' as there was, for most dynasties) -- and since the emperor strongly disagreed, naturally he arrested the Hua family, stripped them of all honors, titles, property, etc, exiled the men, and left the women on their own.

All that happens inside the first 10 minutes or so of the first episode, and sets up everything else that comes after, not counting the ML's own storyline.

I thought it was mentioned that at some point, YX's maternal family was planning a rebellion, and the emperor chose to be lenient? I don't recall that getting explained any more than that.

And the emperor's issues aren't lost on anyone. As illogical as the whole secret police thing is -- mask on in public, but showing your face to your (easily-bribed) underlings, and your cover story is "I have no job"? -- at least there was a scene of YX sitting down with his cousin rather amicably, and pointing out the reason YX could get away with things is because he's *not* in line for the throne. That seemed to put the cousins on the same page, at least in terms of no real animosity between them, other than what the emperor has tried to create.

Does anyone know if there's a family tree or relationship diagram? I honestly cannot tell who is who among all the women left -- who's a concubine, who's not, who's married to who, all that. Some kind of visual would be so helpful...

Although man if someone doesn't tone it down with the SUDDEN and DRAMATIC drum beats for IMPORTANT moments, jeebus, people. The huge BAM to tell me something dramatic is happening kind of loses its impact when it happens nine times in a row in a single scene.

Catching up, and on ep4, I'm struggling to remember the last time I saw an ML fight empty-hand (no sword/knife, just fists and feet). Some solid choreography going on there.

Okay, someone in the story is clearly not genre-savvy. Don't look back! Especially when you're in slo-mo! This never ends well! But he looks back and I'm like, that's it, you're gonna die, buddy. Calling it now.

The only note that keeps jarring me out of the story are the VAs. Xing Zhi's VA did Yang Yang's voice in Who Rules the World, and Shen Li's VA did Bai Fengxi's voice. After so many episodes of those voices as partners, it's like I just keep being reminded of all the shows I've heard either of them in, instead of enjoying the story.

I'm not even sure why they thought it necessary. ZLY used her own voice in Story of Minglan, and showed she had the range. Or maybe it's just that I'm so tired of hearing the same voices over and over and over again.

I hear SZE's other still-waiting show (Prisoner of Beauty) may end up released if it can ride on Liu Yuning's coattails. LYN is undoubtedly coming into his own, going from one ML role in '22, three in '22, and three already this year and it's only March. I think the theory is that with LYN so popular, that'll drown out any backlash over SZE.

And lo, we have multiple RJN dramas coming out: Burning Flame right now, Love of Nirvana soon-ish, and he's filming (or is done already?) a third ML part. I wouldn't be surprised if there's an agent hoping the rise in interest in RJN will be high enough to raise SZE's boat, too.

(I appear to be all about water metaphors today.)

I don't think it's fair to compare *anyone* to Hu Ge.

Not just because Hu Ge is a true master of the art, but it's also patently unfair to compare someone who's had 11 series and 0 movies onscreen vs someone who with 28 series and 14 movies. That's like expecting a seventh-grader to hold up in comparison with a grad student. No one will look good in comparison, let alone Zhang Linghe, but I suppose that was your intent.

Great, I can watch 27 episodes before the destruction begins!

First reaction: that is some _serious_ eyebrow action going on.

Also:

1. Peter Ho looks like he was hired for the Conan the Barbarian remake but took a left at Albuquerque on the way to the set.
2. I think Toriyama did the original character designs for the Immortals.
3. I always feel bad for female VA who have to shred their vocal chords from yelling all the time.
4. If it weren't in Chinese, I'd think this is a live-action version of some old-school anime.
5. Okay, if it wasn't Toriyama it had to have been either Kishimoto or Watsuki.
6. It's not even the CGI per se, it just has an overall feel of overblown late-90s character design with lots of yelling before you strike.
7. Also magical transformations.

Same reaction. Something just feels both older-wuxia and younger-characters about it. I was figuring it was one filmed 5 years ago that's finally seeing a release.

on the other hand, there might be some juggling going on in terms of timing things -- if she's formally cleared and immediately has at least one hit broadcast with the next following right after, that might springboard her back. if not back to the top, at least a good way there... I hope.

oh jeez that didn't help. everything I've seen from him either imploded or exploded in the last third. on the plus side, if there's 30 episodes, I know ahead to stop at ep20!

when the chances are that low, I wish iQiyi would just drop it off the list so we can get excited about stuff that actually has a chance of airing.

The gov't hasn't banned her in any measure, but I suppose once you've been convicted in the court of opinion, the facts no longer matter.

Does it mean anything if a drama goes from second-to-last position on the final page of IQ's Coming Soon list, and jumps up to fourth position on the first page? Or is this just IQ messing with us?

I think we're dealing with someone who can't handle when an actor's looks deviate from the current trend where everyone looks like Yang Mi and Zhao Liying (or as close as they can get). For me, it's like always hearing the same VA doing the dubbing. It does get old. But then, I hear some people like that comfort zone and get upset when they're forced to try something new.