内娱完了！When A Chinese Drama Reviewer Can't Find ONE Watchable Drama ... [CC] 扫射慎入 

I totally think you're right. Dramas these days are quite boring and the storylines are overrated.😩

I’m SO glad you mentioned “Master of my Own.” The ML was verbally abusive to her for over 3 years. Towards the end of the drama when he has character growth, they pass it off as “he was protecting her in his own way.” Freaking horrible. It was abuse. While I think his character growth is somewhat plausible, the way they gloss over how horrible he was to her is sickening. Then enters the guy who ACTUALLY hits her. People are in a tizzy and want her to dump him. But the abuse from the ML is ok?! Seriously? Then, the physical hitting is passed off as “past trauma that he hasn’t moved on from” or “his ex cheated and he just never got over it.” The drama doesn’t have him take the blame. It makes excuses for him. Not that I don’t think these characters shouldn’t be humanized. But for God’s sakes, can we just get rid of the stupid trope that men can be assholes if they are sad/hurt? There is no excuse for abuse. Physical or verbal. The FL was great. I loved her. I just didn’t like what they did with her character when she “rescued” the ex boyfriend by encouraging him to become his former “good man” self. And he just does it. Um. As a therapist who has worked with abusers, it was appalling.

Who Rules The World was a guilty pleasure. I’m almost shocked that I finished it. There were so many logical fallacies and towards the end the fight scenes became so ridiculous… the CG had no adherence to gravity or the laws of physics… the characters looked like blurry video game graphics in one episode, flitting through the sky like inflatable tube dolls. But Yang Yang’s beauty and acting was the only thing that kept me watching. Anyway, I agree with you about this famine of dramas we’re facing. It’s bleak.

Honestly, watching you rant about the state of Chinese dramaland is pretty much the only good show about and in Chinese dramaland left. You're very entertaining and I appreciate the public service you do that prevents me from wasting my time on garbage shows. Yay...? Yay..

Sounds like it's time for the critic to take a break and rewatch old favorites. That's what a lot of drama fans do when we can't find anything appealing that's new.

Also I wanted to say that I came across an old Cdrama called “Maiden Holmes.” While there were lots of problems from a production point, I can easily say that the ML had me wishing for more ML’s like him. He was amazing. It takes one or two episodes to really see his character; but the way he treats her when they are together is so sweet. And very progressive. Also; the kisses are swooney.

I am in the worst drama drought of my adult life. Can't find a single new Cdrama, Kdrama or western drama that holds my attention.

That's the very reason why I will always hop between C-drama to K-drama and Thai dramas... There is always an odd timing for each other that when I don't find any good C-dramas then when I switch back to Korean's and surprisingly there will be many interesting and quality new K-dramas popping up and sometimes even the Thai ones~

I actually enjoyed WRTW even tho their fighting scenes weren’t very logically. What I enjoyed most was the relationship between the ML and FL. For once it was not back and forth misunderstandings. And they treated each other respectfully and showed they really loved each other unlike the other drama Love in Flames of War which I watched but dropped. I really like the two leads in it but I can’t stand the misunderstanding between the two. If you are super bored, pls watch I Hear You with Riley Wang and Zhao Lusi. It’s my fave. It’s sweet.

In this time of COVID lockdowns in China, what people need are escapist dramas that are watchable. In the Great Depression, Hollywood produced light and cheerful escapist comedies and musicals to lift the spirits of a suffering world. Chinese production companies are missing a great opportunity to help their fellow countrymen in their time of great trial (and international viewers would also benefit from some pure escapist entertainment). What are they waiting for?

What about an "older" drama, that you didn't watch the previous year? Or maybe watch more of the super short dramas, so you don't necessarily feel like you're wasting your time? :) Personally I would love to hear what you think of Killer and Healer (because I stopped at ep. 3 back when it was airing since I didn't have time and need the motivation to pick it up again)

i used to love dramas.. i watched aaaall of them even the bad ones. then i become knowledgeable about things that make dramas good and memorable, things that make dramas boring and forgetable, tropes that i've watched multiple times before.. now completing one drama is like a struggle

People raving about Who Rules the world but I’m here hardly finished ep 10. I literally tried so hard to watch it because I love Yang Yang so much, but ended dropping it. I know people gonna hate me or throw me fists but for real I don’t find the FL suits this role, especially these two have like 0 chemistry. Even when Yang Yang looked so deeply in love and stared at her but cmon… where’s the damn chemistry? Let along the bad fighting scenes and awkward acting. FL acting wasn’t improved much after sooo many dramas, her expressions really opted me out sometimes while following the storyline. This drama is just okay. Nothing good because I expected more from them.

Thank you. I thought it was just me. Many times, I found myself yelling at the screen, mumbling angrily to myself, and finally just shutting the episode off mid play and looking for another show to watch. Blessed be from Winnie halfway around the world.

I hope you continue making videos, even though there aren't any good dramas now and it is quite frustrating. Your videos are informative and entertaining. Thank you for your commentaries!

The saddest thing is that a lot of girls defend the male lead of Master of My Own (which currently has a 6.8 rating, not bad at all). “He’s not a bully! He’s a lovely person! Stop badmouthing him, you stupid people!” Maybe they are rich girls who don’t need to work, or young girls who haven’t worked, or girls totally brainwashed by “domineering CEO” trope, I have no idea. The production company of that drama literally used the clips of the male lead belittling the female lead’s professional ability as promotional materials, and girls just eat it up and exclaim “best comedy ever!”, like what the hell…Some people are like, oh well, he’s not the best, but it’s not like he’s a wife-beater or anything… that’s how low we sink?!

Who Rules The World isn't without flaws. There were parts that were like "huh?", but somehow I still enjoyed it cause there were also a lot of nice things about it. It has its HIT and MISSED moments, especially the episodes near the end. However, its Hits easily outweighed its Missed moments, so it's still a good show in my view. Its biggest missed moment for me was probably the background CGI of the final fight scene. I was expecting a more polished CGI from this production, especially for the finale, so that part was a letdown, and very cringy. Its biggest Hit for me is how the main characters were written and the growth of their relationship. From frenemies to friends, friends to MU (mutual understanding), to boyfriend and girlfriend, to husband and wife. They have a very supportive and mature relationship.

Where are the producers with quality works throughout the cdrama history? Have they left the planet?

I heard a lot of criticisms toward WRTW in mainland but honestly as a nonchinese person who grew up watching chinese costume dramas when I was young, I really love this series and place it highly in my heart. Chinese costume drama has always been about fantasies. Fantasy that human can fly and wield the swords at the speed of light and kill a person without touching. It has always been like that and I don't mind the director to add more fantasies about this wugong as I grow older. So, I don't personally find it is illogical and I mostly focus more on the execution of the show, the story, and the relationship between leads which is very pleasant to my eyes. The wit of the leads made me in awe. My only complaint is the ending is too rushed and the scriptwriter seem to can't find a better plot that could end in 40 EPs. Despite this, WRTW is my most favorite series in 10 years. I disagree with some people saying ZL acting is bad. Her acting skill isn't top notch but certainly ain't as bad as people say. BFX character is supposed to be like that.. smart, intelligence, graceful, compose, strong but playful, lazy, and greedy at the same time. She's supposed to be intelligence and a deep thinker. Therefore she doesn't wear all emotions on her face from the beginning. And for the stabbing part, she was in the state of sadness/grieve/numbness knowing her teacher was killed. That's why her facial expression was like that. If it's not because she's letting her guard down, how could Langhua stab no.1 martial art person like that?

AvenueX, I agree with you and if not most of your narrative! I feel relieved that I'm not alone. Thanks for enlightening minds and heart in our century! Time is gold for me even for a short entertainment and must not be wasted.

1. 親愛的小孩Left or right 2. 沒有工作的一年A year without a job 3. 且試天下Who rules the world 4. 良辰好景知幾何Love in the flames of war 5. 救了一萬次的你Love in a loop 6. 女士的法則Lady of law 7. 請叫我總監Master of my own

I loved this video! I am lucky in two ways. One is that I have finally realized that I don’t need to force myself to complete what I’ve started. That it is “allowed” to put down a book half read, or stop watching a movie or series without completing it. Two is that I have very recently discovered cdrama, so I have so many to choose from, through the years, to dive into, that I need to select. And here you confirmed the some of the ones I already had put on my not to watch list. :-)

I freaking love Imperial Coroner and found that after watching it, it's really hard to find others that are equally good as Imperial Coroner. I'm rewatching it for umpteenth times and yet to be bored.

OMG I felt you are giving us a standup comedy performance😂👏👏👏 so cute and fresh even though based on sad fact C drama wasn't having best year😅

Master of My Own sounds like it has tropes similar to Mad Men, where the main male lead also puts down Peggy and tells her that she's just his secretary. However, Mad Men is set in the 1960s, and he actually recognizes Peggy's talent in advertising and often encourages her with opportunities. Master of My Own is set in the present time, 21st century, that alone doesn't make sense for a similar trope to exist

12:04 the funniest thing about this is that my mum actually has chronically low blood pressure (it's her normal, baseline blood pressure!) and she was watching 'master of my own' lmao she did say it was a bit annoying and she did eventually drop it x,,x

Thank you very much for saying it! I thought I was the only one who had to go back to re-watch some dramas because cannot find any currently airing production which deservs my time and attention!

I love Zhao Lusi's acting, eventhough Who Rules the World shows many drag and unnecessary scenes and cuts, I saw her improvement. Her facial expression and the control she has to portray the character of Bai Feng xi and Princess Xi Yun. Hoping for another drama for her with good script and production. Fighting my girl! P.s Congrats to WRTW family's success.

Agree. I haven’t found any series that I can actually watch till the end lately. Always stop before half way

Definitely The Imperial Coroner is the show to watch over and over again! Really moved by the lake scene all simultaneously jump in, the pig fodder flowers, the scene of viewing their parents bodies. Worth rewatching again and again!

I'm watching Korean dramas, but I still love watching you rant about C-drama. :)

The script of Master of My Own is indeed problematic but Tan Song Yun saved it for me, and I was able to finish it.

I love Zhou Lusi and YangYang and I cant even finish episode 2 of WRTW lol you watched 12, your patience is great

Ya..you are right..its so hard to find good cdrama in these few years. They focus on appearance more compare to ability to act. I don't mind of idol turn to actor as long as they can act.

I quite enjoy Who Rules the World but I guess I didn't get to the stupid parts yet (except for the copying thing but I learned to ignore silly things if I like the drama in general). I like mostly the relationship between main characters and it keeps me coming back. I also started Be Reborn - looks very good.

I am so entertained by Who Rules the World. Funny and light. I needed it.

That's why I went back to watch some older dramas that have rewatch value. Perhaps you can make a video of dramas that worth rewatching

The most relatable content that I’ve watched recently! Restart (Kaiduan) was the only one drama that I truly enjoyed in recent months (or years) tbh :)

OMG I haven't been able to find a single one to watch recently. I thought I was the only one

I agree with Master of my Own and WRTW. Nonetheless, hoping for your Be Reborn final review! It just recently finished airing and I'm enjoying it so far.

I find it amusing that so many Chinese drama reviewers have stopped recommending or ranting on any new dramas but reminisce on old dramas instead. So many talk about veteran actors who could act a thousand times better than current young actors way back in their youth. Tells a lot about the current state of Chinese dramaland. Sad indeed

when are all the danmei dramas are going to come out pls i've alsomst memorized the entire faraway wonderers script

im currently watching master of my own, and ill find it very good, love que plot and the couple.

And here I thought I was the only one feeling this way

Imperial coroner was so good it was such a surprise and relief,to find somethingsensitive and sensible. I feel sad, sad to know its considered a failure.

I have been searching for good, new dramas and wading thru tons of titles that looked like -you know. it’s been like slogging thru waist deep mud. Thanks for the warning about what to avoid! Time to go and check older dramas and see what hidden gems I may have missed.

Maybe the struggle to get censors' approval is problematic?

Thank you for your interesting comments. I have a different criteria on what makes me like a drama. I really liked Love in a Loop. I saw the Korean drama (Feel Good to Die 2018) that it was derived from and looked at the ending of the webtoon (Happy if You Died) that inspired both. I understood the constraints imposed on their fates and was satisfied with the reset ending. From the striped pajamas, they awaken on the morning before the first kiss. I wonder if 'I Love You' will be the new trigger to cause a time loop. Will they be fixing Mr. Bai's younger brother and Li Luduo's BF? I think that that was them arguing at the bottom of the building. Anyway, Thank you.

I have to admit that Who rule the world did let me down . I became so frustrated more and more as I kept watching .

Everything China’s been releasing recently has been crazy boring. Heroes is coming out soon, hope that’s better. If not, I’ll just patiently wait for Joy of Life season 2.

this is so true.. I've been rewatching old dramas for awhile now or watch those released in 2020/2021 that I haven't seen yet

I thought I'm just in a drama slump, but apparently it's not me, it's them 😅

Me too. I never finish new dramas that are airing these days because they are so predictable and boring. I just go back and watch old dramas like nivara in fire, or untamed, joy of life.

For me the huge gap between a drama's warp up and the actual air date is also killing the excitement badly. I rarely look forward to a drama, and the ones I do take far too long to air that my brain seems to move on..

I totally agree with you on Lin Gengxin acting abilities. I started watching the drama & though it was ok until his portion & I decided I couldn’t put myself through that annoying bad acting. He does need to do drama lessons. 😩😩

the one I'm looking forward very much this year is Tan Jianci's Are You Safe? I really feel so positive about it. Hope it airs sooner

Avenue X is standing 🧍‍♀️ to 'shoot' rant! 😄😄😄

I dropped Love in flames SO hard, not even the actor beauty could make me stand it. I watched WRTW initially because of Yang and Lusi, but then their relationship development and the fact that Hei Fangxi was so sure he cut every attempt others made to separate them, the friendship (instead of enmity) between the 2 ladies these were the points that made me hold onto it, even with the confusing as hell plot. Master of my Own was a total waste of my time, I couldn’t and I tried, I tried SO hard, but dropped

I have to say, I am so glad to hear someone else being selective in what they watch to protect their own sanity. Especially in this time of pandemic, and war in Ukraine, I find myself turning away from dramas with heavy or violent plots. You'd think the film makers would have a sense of the public's tolerances, so that in times of stress they'd do more light comedies, rom coms, or the like. I was so glad to hear you say this as I'd been feeling like I was a lightweight, and the only one. Love to watch you, Ave. X, I do it every Saturday morning. Love your humor!

Totally agree with you on love in a loop 😂😂😂😭😭😭 I felt like it really had potential but ended up being sooo plain I couldn't watch beyond ep12😂😭😭

Lol, ok i was also at eps 12 of Who Rules The World, and after hearing you i'm not sure if i want to continue it now 😅😅😅😅😅

Master of my Own - the best of 2022 modern drama

As a Cdrama watcher, I can feel your pain. I initially thought you were a bit to hard, but searching through Cdrama's to watch, I had a change of thought...so many cringing 😬 drama🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

Seriously there’s nothing out there thats keeping me up all night anymore.

What’s wrong with Lin Gengxin’s Northeast accent when the character in the drama is from northern east of China? Lin Gengxin’s line delivery is ok, he graduated from Shanghai theater academy, the academy acknowledged his line delivery thus gave him the degree, he does not need to go back to school. I found out you always like to diss actor’s line delivery but I only agree with you about a couple of actors. You seems to have a prejudice towards actors with accent even they only have a tiny bit. Actors are allowed to have accents in my opinion, it’s even better if it fits the characters’ origin. I see a lot of western actors having accents like British accent, Australia accent, southern American accent etc, and I don’t see anyone complaining about that. Chinese drama reviewer is so strict lmao.

I’ve given up with cdramas I’ve gone back to watching old Hong kong cinema

Hahahaha best video ever, I love watching you ranting

I really want to see Luoyang as the first chapter was so awesome but it’s not available without paid subscription.

how can I purchase videos and music

I have tried very hard to get into Chinese dramas, but I've never once finished a single series because I almost always end up either hating virtually every character in the show or find the leaps of logic so stupid it breaks any enjoyment I had. Knowing that even Chinese audiences also have issues with these shows make me feel relieved that I'm not the only one who thinks so many of these shows are bad. It seems like the only Chinese shows I can still find any enjoyment out of nowadays are old kung-fu movies.

Thanks! U shared to us some drama which we must avoid... This is one of the reason why i go back watch new kdrama and rewatched old cdrama, i feel new cdrama become boring.....

Thank you for your rant. I love your honesty.

Buddy, I understand your pain. Let me be honest here, I entered in this chinese dramaland 6 years back through my best friend who told me to watch Love 020. And since then I was hooked. Next, I watched Boss and me, Love me if you dare,10 miles of peach blossom etc.And I must say I enjoyed those but as time went by, I visibly saw the standards dropping and now unless its a rare gem like The untamed , Imperial coroner, Under the skin, Be reborn , I rarely watch cdrama. Why waste my time!!! So I switched to kdrama but the situation here is the same. So now I am navigating in thai drama and it has not disappointed me so far. So I suggest a change of dramaland..... Just watch KINNPORSCHE, u will love it.

I also have a hard time to search for a new a drama these days. I always comeback to some old dramas.

Curious if older generation film makers there can do it, why not the younger ones? Did they take film making in college or screen writing courses?

谢谢。 I enjoy your rants and honesty. Sad, but a little glad I'm not alone, to have CDrama drought. Spending my time watching Lost Romance for the Xth time. Gets me laughing and has some steamy scenes.

I know what you mean…I’ve been stuck in this hole for months, can’t find a decent drama that I can watch through till the end at all, it’s absolutely frustrating… So, now I’m watching House M.D. and I’m really, really hooked, definitely recommend!

I guess I’m a wired person then🤣. I liked Master of my own and Who rules the world, and for the first time I don’t find Seven Tan annoying. I guess I have a low standard 🤪 and my blood pressure is perfectly fine 😂

thank you for being so honest.. I have discovered the same lack of good dramas so far this year too. I find myself watching Korean series most of the time. I am sad because there were so many interesting watchable series in the past...a shame really.

Yesss! I’m not the only one feeling this.

I was just ranting about this as I was watching Love in flames of war. I couldn't believe the show could be so frustrating. The one that I have watched from this list is Who Rules the World and Master of my Own. I think within the first few episodes of Who rules the world I told myself, I am just gonna watch this for Yang Yang and Lusi cause they look good. Other than that the plot line was so confusing. The wanted to be clever like Nirvana in Fire but the script writer got lazy and decided that the show will do good enough based on leads looks. I think Master of my Own would have worked better if they had a different male lead. I can imagine that kind of arrogant boss but no boss will diss their own assistant like that. Specially insulting her in private time when surrounded with mutual friends.

for me, the fault lies with the censorship

I cannot find the comment anymore but whoever it was, thank you for your recommendation on Decreed by Fate to fulfill the gap until A Dream of Splendor uploads complete (I don't like to watch dramas that haven't completely uploaded). Unfortunately, Decreed by Fate was so light and airy, I finish it in one day... Another gap to fill

I spent 1h30 trying to find a decent Chinese drama to watch.. to no avail. Then thought you could be a good source and bumped into this video… well… how long do I need to live to find a good one? In the meantime any reco of old ones ?.. and thks for your always fun and enlightening videos

I have been watching older dramas.

For real...I gave up on Chinese drama 2 years back and instead start on BL...then recently I started to search for Chinese drama and gave master of my own a try (because of tan songyun) and I think be reborn is not bad??

Master of my own is highly recommended. Just finished airing and it’s quite well made with surprisingly solid characters and plot line.

Ok it’s like I was waiting for this video

You are so right, I feel like C-dramas are like all basically the same now, same plot, same character types, nothing new. Also, the quality of the martial arts fight sequences has gone down drastically :( Would AvenueX like to take a break from C-dramaland stress by visiting K-dramaland? XD There are some pretty good K-dramas on right now (in my humble opinion)

With a dry spell happening in Dramaland, maybe compile a list of dramas you have watched previously, that are worth rewatching? 😃

He looks like a high school student trying to kiss his teacher - I CAN'T 😂😂

I just rewatch “Under the Skin” cuz it was so good. And then started watching the rest of Tan Jian Ci’s dramas, cuz his acting is so good!

I'm delighted to listen to your strong opinions of Cdramas as I need to watch someone vent never getting a chance to do so myself. Have been shifting to watch some historical Kdramas in place of the crappy Cdramas I couldn't keep watching. Lately many had such hype before airing and then, after a lot of anticipation, they don't just disappoint, they infuriate.

MASTER OF MY OWN! Its so good! As a european its surprisingly watchable.

I have downloaded who rules the world in netflix and not being able to complete the first epi. Instead i watched the rational life all over again for the .... 3rd time?

just curious did you finish be reborn?

I agree with you. I started some many C-drama and stopped. Thank you for your honesty. That’s why I am watching Korean and Thai dramas.

Even I who only watch stuff from my favorite actors can NOT soldier on for plenty of them

I enjoyed much of WRTW especially the stories it gives respect, love, friendship and family lessons. This is the important part of the series.

I love your rants. I can see what you are saying. I'm looking at a few of these. 😆