The dramas that are mentioned in this video for easy ref: 1. Pillow Book 2. The love lasts two minds 3. I’ll find you a better home 4. Reborn 5. Sleuth of Ming Dynasty 6. Serenade of peaceful joy 7. Hunting
Every time a drama disappoints me, I go back to rewatching some Nirvana in Fire (I still really want a prequel to the youth of all the older/dead characters with all the heartbreaking foreshadowing).
@@HKogen Just imagine... the future emperor actually starts out as a decent man in the beginning (played by a truly charming actor), but over time we get little glimpses at his future self. Yan Que could be the "true lead" in the sense that he's the moral center and he has that love drama going on where he gives up the woman he loves because he thinks his best friend will make her happy. General Lin being badass and finding Jingmum. Princess Linglong! Young Eunuch Gao! The last scene could be of a happy royal family with the emperor showing young Prince Qi that all of this will be "his" one day (backround toddler Jingyan and Lin Shu playing while their mothers are laughing) but the music is actually kinda sinister? So.many.cool.things.
I actually enjoyed Eternal Love of Dream. It was quite romantic and fun. Feng Jiu & Dong Hua Dijun's storyline in ELOD follows the original book not the TMOPB version. The biggest positive I noticed was how much Vengo's acting improved since TMOPB. He delivered the best mannerisms and lines in ELOD. He fits the characterization of Dijun perfectly. I gave up on both Wang Kai's dramas too. Serenade...forget it, way too slow & boring watched 4 episodes. Got through 20 episodes of Hunting but did not care about any of the characters. Shame because Wang Kai is usually enough to get me to watch.
I'm honestly only watching The Pillow Book cause I of my love for the couple. But I agree that the story itself drags A LOT! I'm in the spot where she is trapped in the dream and it's so boring! Again if it wasn't for the main couple I would drop it. They are just to cute together.
Seriously, this is such a good couple (both the characters and the actors) so I watched the whole thing (while skipping all of Jiheng's part LoL). But same here, the story is just too boring and I couldn't agree more what @avenuex said that I couldn't care more about the valley people!
Chinese fantasy dramas in my opinion already have the disadvantage of being unnecessarily long and convoluted that to add a poor script, flat lighting and an unbearably annoying main character absolutely takes away any reason to see the drama. This was my experience with The Pillow Book. I immensely enjoyed Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms when I watched it in 2018. Feng Jiu and Dong Hua DiJun's romantic chemistry in Ten Miles was so sweet and entertaining, but that chemistry was utterly destroyed within the first ten episodes of The Pillow Book. It's difficult to feel the chemistry between two characters when one of those characters is an animal for 90 percent of her interactions with the love interest. Besides this, Feng Jiu's childish and adorable personality was ramped up into an entitled, immature and just plain irritating personality. I gave up after ten episodes.
I feel like there are 2 types of people that watch dramas. 1 where you are so focus and want everything to be perfect. 2 where you are just enjoying a story and can laugh at bad lighting.
And apparently I guess I'm number two. I just watch a drama, enjoy the story and laugh. I don't know anything about scriptwriting, or directing, or even lighting so maybe that's why I enjoy the dramas.
I don't know how the director did it but he managed to sap every single bit of possible tension out of Serenade of Peaceful Joy, while giving us an unhealthy dollop of "women's purpose in life is to obey her husband in everything and have children." ughhhhhhhhhhhh
I do think that's mostly on the writer, although the director/editor didn't do a good job either. But it was the writer who decided to kneecap the women's character development by having them be angry at the emperor one scene and then literally defending him to other women two scenes later. But yes this drama was such a waste.
I'm actually glad I didn't give up on The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty. It definitely still had a lot of problems. But the last third of the show really narrowed down the character focus to the main two leads, plus Wang Zhi. Which as you mention, was a big problem for a show specifically adapted from a BL novel. And they just really stuck the landing in that sense. I think that's why I'm seeing a lot of people coming back to finish the show. Because now that they are aware of how it ends, it really makes it worthwhile. It is also why I ended up loving this show more than My Roommate is a Detective. Because even though MRIAD is a MUCH better written show, and it started so much stronger. About the last third of the show was a pretty big disappointment for me. On a personal level, a mediocre ending will definitely affect my overall enjoyment of a show. Therefore, a good show with a mediocre ending like MRIAD ended up going down in my personal list. While a MEH show with a really great ending like TSOMD ended up winning my heart. Also the food thing! It eventually comes to be quite clear that food becomes a type of "unspoken language of love" between the two main leads. It's a whole thing! lol.
@@squashdevicer I'm glad! As I said, you've definitely not the first person I've heard about who has gone back to it. There's definitely something about knowing where it's headed that's making people give it a second chance. A good ending will definitely make you forgive a lot of messiness! Lol. 😆
I loved it too! I think people are inherently suspicious of original female characters in a screenplay adapted from a BL novel. But I think overall Doerla's arc is necessary for the plot. She is there more as a plot device than a character (which is unfortunate in its own way but a better than her being there to undercut or erase the BL elements.) I also like the badass consort who I hear is super evil in the book. Much better look this. Overall I think it deserves a chance. I do understand the accent gripe though.
You hit the nail right on the head! I feel like a lot of people dismissed the show after they heard "female lead", but the truth is that Duo Er'la is not a female lead and is, instead, a support character who becomes a friend to Tang Fan. The latter part of the show naturally focuses much more on Sui Zhou and Tang Fan's relationship seeing as they're the central romance in the novel and the food thing!! Again, you're completely right that the show places focus on food because it's a recurring motif between Sui Zhou and Tang Fan. It's their special way of conveying their love for one another.
@@tooeducatedtobehappy nah...female leads are fine as long as they are written well. SOTMD did not do it for me coz the script was a mess and except for the eunuch character actor, the rest of the cast was meh. I appreciate the high quality production but the drama dragged and often sound effects were annoying. The biggest disappointment was definitely the script for me and after hearing about the BTS drama with the writers, I feel sad for this drama. I am glad others are liking it though. As a huge Jackie Chan fan, I am really happy.
@@wongkengmun1103 sigh it's just that, given the production team and cast, I had high hopes that this would be really good. Maybe not Nirvana in Fire levels of good, but still pretty darn good. Unfortunately Serenade of Peaceful Joy was just not :(
I still drop most c-dramas after epi 20 usually when they become draggy. I also watch Nirvana in Fire everytime to clear my mind 😅 I really miss cdramaland from 2014-2017, they really made so many good dramas. 2019-2020 is quite underwhelming for me, except for Untamed and Joy of Life. I couldn’t pass the first 4 episodes from Pillow Book 😥 I’ve dropped every single drama you dropped too, and unfortunately it’s not a coincidence, poor script and direction is all over the place.
Really disappointed in Pillow Book. I held high hopes for it, but Feng Jiu is still the annoying ditzy bimbo she was in tmopbs Editing to add, that what puts me off so many new Cdramas is the age of the actors, they all look like they've just left school which I get is meant to be highly appealing to a younger audience, but when a war god/king/queen/or anyone of high status looks twelve years old, I really cant take it seriously and just skip to the next one. So far, I have not found another drama decent enough to get to the quarter mark since love and destiny
i hope you won't tire yourself out for the sake of putting out videos! it's exhausting when something you love turns into a chore but i (personally) subscribed because you have a very unique perspective and i enjoy your well thought out commentary. i hope you don't get sick of making many videos and give up everything altogether
Yes I gave on these too. The only drama that really stood out was Winter Begonia. It really shows that there is a lot of attention on the details and the story. Love all the characters, especially Shang Xirui. Everything about this drama is aesthetic and carefully planned. And the love story of CFT and SXR is to die for. Guys check out Winter Begonia! Definitely a drama worth an award this year.
It’s funny cause some of these series I didn’t even bother trying to check them out, Reborn’s thumbnails alone was not interesting to me. The biggest issue in Chinese drama is dragging... they be dragging unnecessary scenes and shorting the important details, well not just Chinese drama have this issue. I have watched so many dramas that some plats have become mixed😂😂😂😂😂😂
sean C especially when they drag the drama by giving the supporting roles more screen time than the main leads... i love a good supporting role that’s well developed but when i start seeing only the supporting roles and the main roles are sort of shifted to the background, that’s not what I’m watching for
Ashes of love is a good example. Superb drama, but also super watered down in places. I actually gave up on the actual drama and watch fan edits. If you go bilibili and look for those, you will be surprised how a 40+ episode drama can be edited down to 10+ and be well paced with good storytelling. That's how watered down the ale we drink nowadays are Edit: forget what I said about fan edits, copyrights and such, most not there anymore. I still stand by what I say, they better than actual drama in terms of pacing, story flow. No recaps or needless flashbacks too
Thank you for making me feel better about giving up on dramas. I just couldn't finish Fairyland Lovers, I just wasn't invested in anything in it, but I felt so bad about it... You've definitely watched way too much dramas for me to keep up, even only with the one you recommand we watch. You have a real talent! That's quite amazing how much you manage to watch!
@@akaNaz1 That was the only reason to watch the drama in the first place. Yes, the concept was cool, but the execution wasn't very well done. It's a shame...
You've perfectly summed up how I felt about the last two dramas. Was wondering why it was instantly depressing to watch any given episode of Hunting - script aside - and it was the lighting. Or no lighting!
I am glad i am not the only one who dropped Pillowbook. I was a huge fan of the pair in Eternal Love, but Pillowbook just flopped for me. Also, no offense, I couldnt stand fengjiu's acting there.
You've made the biggest mistake of your life. Go back, power through those first episodes, they are just laying the groundwork. Go back, quick! Hurry! It's not too late to fix your mistake and get your life back on track!
I actually speed watched most of the later episodes. The latter half is way more interesting because of the villainous characters. Even if the acting of some side actors are... questionable...I was still able to stick to this drama as the script was good. It took me 6 months but I did finish it somehow. Lol
Tamaj Wright let us know how it you feel about it after you finish watching it. I only watched it in March 2020, I just wasn't interested in it before and I was actually thinking of starting a RU-vid Channel called 'Ten Miles of Peach Blossom Is The Best' where I compare every drama to TMOPB... That notion quickly disappeared after I watched The Untamed, lol. And then i subsequently regretted the time I spent not watching it, lol.
Personally I'd say this was a really common thought when it was coming out. Everyone was like "ehhhhhh..." for the first 12 episodes I'd say before people got into it. It isn't for everyone, but I didn't get into it until at least episode 12 and a lot of people had the same experience. It might be worth watching five more episodes or so to see if your opinion changes. :)
I'm sticking with Sleuth of Ming Dynasty because I find myself surprisingly shipping Wang Zhe and Tang Fan 🤭 (I haven't read the book so no ship was established beforehand) the main characters just feel like brothers
After General Qingti died and Fengjiu returned to her realm after Donghua's earthly suffering. I just couldn't hold my interest anymore for Eternal Love of Dreams... 😅✌
totally agree about Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, I found myself waiting for the third male lead to be on screen and comparing how much flatter the characters were to My Roommate is a Detective. Dropped the show after episode 7 annoyed me. The thing that bugs me is that....there are things I like a LOT in the first six eps but.... super outweighed eventually by the things that frustrated me. Real shame.
i can feel your desappointement !! I am stuck at the episode 27 or something because i cant stand that annoying girl at all fro detective. It is just getting out of control. She is so annoying that is killing me !!
Spoiler: Hehe I don’t know pillow book but it was titled Eternal Love Dream on iQiyi. This Aranya story had foreshadowing scene when Dong Hua’s about to that thing where he was rebirth as human. it’s when they’re talking to the old white haired guy, and another foreshadowing scene on Feng Jiu side is when she was talking to her uncle(?) where she offered to give part of her shadow to help Dong Hua in a way repay him since she give up on seeing him again on Sky Kindom. I remembered that scene as both promised to do something but it’s not related to the Human Dua and they didn’t show what happen to those shadow. So basically both had their shadow rebirth(?) at same time then? I think it happens simultaneously with the human Dua arc. Hence Aranya is already dead at the present(?) this is why when Dua separate Feng Jiu spirit/soul(not sure I’m also confused) from her body it went to Aranya’s body on Aranya’s Dream. And since there is a Dream on the drama title I believe this is the more important part of the story so I actually more attentive on this part. You can guess who is Dua’s shadow and the reason Dua probably didn’t enter his body vise-versa is that both still possessed their body on the Dream. Aranya’s Dream is just retold(re experience)the love Story of Jiu and Dua’s shadow. Where they both loved each other but ends tragically. Dream was created by Dua’s shadow in attempts to revive Aranya, but in reality it can never happen in the end as Aranya is just a Jiu’s shadow 😢. I just watched this drama since I spoiled myself with the happy ending. And I’m one for a good ending. Atleast this one has a good ending. If I have one problem with the story is the fact that all the other ‘God’s/immortals’ lack of knowledge to what’s happening to their realm. Seriously? The demon king\queen? Got out of her seal and basically wipe out all the demons to regain her strength. Dua’s fighting her in a losing battle but the other immortals or Gods are not even aware of this and just go on with their lives? And It’s not for lack of time to inform them ‘guys demon king is back and we are doomed’ since Feng Jiu was able to give birth and race a child in between this timeline. If Dua lose, what’s come of them? Wasn’t it more reasonable for all of them to fight her? Watched this with my brother and he was so furious with the other Gods/immortals ignorant bliss, while I fooled myself saying, “Dua is the emperor of the 3 realm and it’s his job to manage problem related to all 3 realm.” But if it’s me which ever realm I am, I would still be doomed if Dua loses so I rather fight with him than just watch him fight that can possibly result to our diminish. Then again they are probably confident with Dua’s power because theyre not aware of his situation, but they should be aware of the demon realm diminished so I can still partly blame them. Also Dua chosen his successor, and they said this won’t happen unless Dua is dying ‘this is a fng red flag’ why is Jiu the only furious and confused with this news and demand explanation? Or just blame Dua, Lian Song, Si Ming and Fan Zhi Xin as they’re are the only ones aware and did not even seek help. Watching Feng Jiu and Dua fight that girl I could imagine how easier if the rest of the characters also came along with the fight. 🤬 All other title, I haven’t watch and probably will not too.
There is finally a thing we disagree on this year. The Sleuth Of Ming Dynasty is one of my favorite dramas this year, I love the acting, costumes, overall design, music. I felt that relationship worked well especially in later part of the drama, but more importantly the trope of found family was fantastic. The moment it ended I started re-watching it. I know it would never happen because it wasn't that popular in China, but I would love, love to see season 2 with the same actors.
@@tooeducatedtobehappy The drama and its actors slipped off all the relevant top lists quickly.I don't know if people discovering it over time could help, I suspect not as they basically covered the entire novel.
I really agree with you. The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty was so interesting and good. When I first watched it I was like oh boring but now i cant get over them. Tang Fan and Sui zhou had a great chemistry honestly. And i also really liked Wang zhi. I thought he would be like the enemies of the two but no it wasnt like that.
Im sad you gave up pillow book😭 i am actually currently watching the last few episodes of Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and was hoping the sequal would be just as good! but the way you explained it seems like it isnt up to par so I probably wont waste my time. Peach blossoms so far has been good enough! Side note after watching your old review on Joy Of Life, i recently finished it!!! 😭 it was a good drama to watch because of my recent Untamed withdrawal but wow Zhang Ruoyun and Chun Li (because wow Si Lili MY QUEEN ) like Li Qin did an amazing job w/ her Lan Wan’er i loved their chemistry. But at times the chemistry/ weird friendship/relationship line between Fan Xian and Si Lilli gave me such goosebumps at times. It def wiped all my withdrawl of WW and Lw away for sure! Ugh i have never seen such a cohesisve work with the ENTIRE cast being amazing actors, like even down to a small characters like the wife of Teng Zilin or the the “mini emporer” in the North who is also totally a girl?? But like i feel like that will either be adressed later or it’s purposefuly done by the writers?? Anyways everyone did an amazing job and I never knew i would be so intrigued by the laid back looking emporer (from the south) something about his costuming!!! with how his hair always looked so comfortable? or rather disheveled? I cant put the feeling into words, but he always looks like that and is always just chilling shooting arrows or drinking tea so non chalantly but then when he speaks the WORDS that come out of his mouth are insanely specific and ruthless but are hidden behind riddles and metaphors! He has people shaken to the core multiple times, and his eyes wow they said so muchhh!! And bruh dont even get me started on that poem scene😭 even i almost coughed up blood!! my sister and I were soo shook while watching!! Im so glad i watched it!! I feel like could write a whole paper on that drama!! All the C- dramas ive watched so far that you liked or have given 2 gold mines and above I have NOT been dissapointed by at all !! Super excited to watch Love and Destiny, Nirvana in Fire, and Winter Begonia now!! I have full trust your taste and im such a fan of your content 😭😭💖💖
I love love loved Joy of Life. I also watched it after the Untamed. The Untamed will always have a special place in my heart but Joy of Life was such a rare fine wine. I hope they can keep the quality up. So far I like the Pillow Book. It's a nice easy show to watch that can be laugh out loud funny in the beginning episodes. I usually lightly watch while eating dinner or subway. It's no Ten Miles but the Emperors personality is much more fleshed out and I enjoy it.
Yay, first 🤣 As always, thank you for your lovely videos ❤️ Your videos always helped me to have a different kind of view or points in dramas. Some of them have epic storyline, while others, yeah 😂
Have you watched Love of Thousand Years? Mainly in it for the main guy bc the way he looks at her 😍 big OOOFFF. I love him so much and so far I enjoy the drama.
Agree with many, though I did really like Sleuth of Ming Dynasty. Even the food scenes, which seemed to me to emphasize how these disparate characters made a found family.
I haven't finished Sleuth of Ming Dynasty yet, but I totally agree, to me the food porn is very good, bc I love seeing it and also bc it is such a point of connection between the two characters and their ever growing family.
LOl i dropped all these dramas too. I have 4 more eps of Eternal love of Dream or whatever it's called, I just don't really care to finish it, this was the same problem with the legend of Fuyao, It was just not interesting anymore. I dropped the other dramas for pretty much the same reason you did, and don't even bother to watch Beautiful reborn flower and the Love Designer. So rediculous!
I agree with everything you said about The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty. There was no chemistry between Tang Fan and Sui Zhou. The only reason I finished it was because of Wang Zhi. He was by far the most interesting character. I couldn't get into the story at all, although I gotta admit that the second half of the series is slighty better than the first half. Still, overall, the series was average, especially if you compare it with other series based on BL novels that came out around the same time such as Winter Begonia.
Oh! So you gave up Reborn? And here I was waiting for the Final Review video so that I can comment on how awesome it was! I watched it on your recommendation. I remember you saying it was slow, but it didn't bother me, the acting and the scenery made up for it. (Seriously, the chasing scenes in Chinese police dramas are better than any travel shows!) I understand what you mean by saying it's no Day & Night and I also agree, but if you don't compare the two, I think it's pretty decent. Because of the acting. I remember a life-threatening scene during which I was bawling my eyes out, and my sister asked why I was crying, and I said: I know they won't die, but the actors are so great! And I think it got better in the 2nd half, but you may feel otherwise even if you finished it. Anyway, I never regretted watching it, and I still think about some of the scenes, so again thank you for the recommendation!
I’m guessing you dropped Sleuth of Ming Dynasty before 10+ episodes because they started cutting out scenes with the “female love interest” and it’s SO UGLY! I know novel fans feel insulted that they destroyed the main couple but damn, who told them choppy editing is the answer. Imo, the last 10 episodes were much more fun to watch, character and plot wise, but idk how many people actually stayed that long. Btw, have you watched Legend of Awakening? I watched it for Chen Feiyu but imo the plot is quite boring and the female actress isn’t very good. Would like to hear your thoughts. :)
SERENADE OF PEACEFUL JOY I am so relieved to know I was not the only person cringing at the story and script. I agree with all you said! Also, thank you for the background on the Sung dynasty imperial family. Nevertheless I found the story line how the mother in law and the princess treated each other bizarre. The action of nothing partied would be unacceptable even by today’s values. The development of the characters started well but fell through. I found myself exasperated midway when concubine Zhang was introduced. I could not sympathise with the princess nor the vacillating emperor. Still, I struggled on out of loyalty to Wang Kai who deserves much better after Nirvana, Disguiser and Like a Flowing River (is part 2 coming out anytime soon?) I’ve never been so glad to see the end of a show. Pity after so much hype. Thank you for setting me free! I had been harbouring the criticisms wondering if I have grown too critical in my old age. I enjoyed Hunting though, not being schooled in production technicalities. Thanks for your videos on Chinese operas from Winter Begonia. That was very helpful and interesting. I thought WB well presented and fell in love with HXM and YC’s portrayal of deep friendship. I love the term zhiyin. It is such a romantic concept. I am both sad and glad the series ended in such a compact manner. I ached for both the lead characters. Your videos are super helpful from the perspective of a Chinese drama lover who speaks little mandarin. I am a stroke recovered and partially handicapped. Chinese dramas are my respite over Netflix shows. You point me to new shows to look out for, bringing me weekly joy! Thank you.
We really appreciate your videos. Your clear and incisive comments are a great help to us, so we don’t need to waste our time watching crappy dramas! Please stay healthy!💚💜💙🧡❤️
What i learn from CDrama is do not put high expectation when I see the poster or trailer, cause most of the time its failed me at least in my experience.
at the beginning of quarantine period: I'll watch all these dramas I want to watch but can't find time to. as the quarantine goes on: I only finished watching Tientsin Mystic because it's shortest drama on my list. Watch about 20 eps of Arsenal Military Academy then I just couldn't go on. It's not the drama. I just couldn't enjoy watching anything and I couldn't motivate myself to watch new dramas either. Anyone else feel the same?
oh absolutely the same, I'm really struggling to watch new things. I started The Victim's Game because that's short, and I liked it so far, so I'll probably finish it, but like, I'm so struggling to get into things, it's a pain. I keep starting first episodes and then going Nope and closing them because I just can't get started (Tientsin Mystic tho yessss love it)
oooh i have like 4 episodes left to watch on arsenal academy stuff. I really dont like the guy who is doing whatever he wants all the time at all. and the more it goes the more it feels like they will end up together. I coultn even finish it...
Because of you I check everything from writing, costumes, lighting scenery, and finally acting. I have to say I’ve dropped many after one episode and some within 15 minutes
AvenueX .... We all have our own opinions whether good or bad on certain series/movies!. So... I know where your coming from 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼. Like you I didn't care for" Enternal Love of Dream ". Great actors but the story was just to boring, it's like everyone is just going around the same old circle. Dilrabas baby talk was just to annoying, same old boring facial expression. Don't get me wrong I loved watching the last series with Yang Mi, Mark Chao etc. I thought that was fantastic. Your right about " Slute of Ming Dynasty !" Kinda remind you of the Food channel instead of a Ming dynasty drama. Though I watched through it and loved it. " Love Last two minds !", I thought it was a bit weird where a young child who was probably about 6-7 years old raising a baby girl. Then she grows up and he falls for her!. I thought it was a bit perverdick. The writers should of written the story as both characters fall in love with other people. I've watched dramas and also fast forward certain scenes. AvenueX I know where your coming from!.
Longest Day in Changan didn't at all hold my attention either. The scenes seemed a bit draggy and the lighting was so dark, coupled with the shaky cam, it was really hard on my eyes. The characters weren't particularly engaging either, the main lead just didn't hold me and neither did the other charaters.
That's so interesting. I LOVED it!! 🤣🤣🤣 Maybe i wss in the right mood for the slow pace. There are some great fight scenes, cinematography and sets construction later on.
@@ginnylin Fight scenes, how could I even see the fight scenes it was too dark and what was with the orange everywhere? Did anyone else notice that? The color had a sepia tone about it or something, it was very weird.
I liked the Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty especially the last few episodes. True that some episodes were draggy and the childish. I would rank it as something similar to Joy of Life.
Thank you for your video, it is really interesting to hear your review on why you decided to drop those dramas! Will you also be making video on the dramas that you recommend during the same period? I think it would be interesting too.
Oh dear! That modern day's triad: darkness, shaking camera and close ups are so incredible annoying! And it is everywhere! Only Chinese dramas seemingly were avoiding it, using old school methods. Another bad feature: fast closeups, bad for you too!
When I was younger I was able to keep track of all the characters and side stories. Now I just get a headache from trying to watch dramas like those. There are ways to present each plot line but some dramas just fail at it.
Well, because of Corona Lockdown and because I can not go to work at the moment I sit at home for 8 weeks now! So I tried maaany Chinese and Korean dramas, more than usual. One I liked very much was "Sleuth oMD"! I couldn't wait for every new epiode. I liked the dynamic of all three ML and their friendship. I liked the eating very much too. Because it was always like sitting together with family and friends, warm and cosy. What I really miss at the moment in my life. What I do not understand is the not dubbing of Fu Meng Bo. It is his own voice and accent. It makes no sense, when usually all characters in historical shows speak Mandarin, right? I do not speak Chinese, so I don't realize things like that and it does not bother me, but thanks for telling. Yesterday I started "About is Love" on Tencent. And surprisingly, a modern drama I like very much so far! Usually somebody in modern dramas always annoys me, or the plot is so stupid, but not this one!*wow* Only 30 episodes, another plus!
Exactly I waited with breath baited for YEARS to see Eternal Love of Dream aka ( The Pillow Book ) What a complete waste of time and space. It had NOTHING to do with the story portrayed in 10 Miles... The entire dream concept ended up an eternal nightmare 🤬 So beyond dissappointing!!!
I agree and I was so excited about The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty I liked it but at the same time I was disappointed about it. I felt they redid the novel and they made something new, at the end what kept me watching it was Liu Yao Yuan/Wang Zhi.
I was really hoping for Fengjiu to be really strong when Pillow book first started airing but then I saw how she was and I held off on the drama until all the episodes aired. The other couple pairing between their friends didn't really catch my attention at all. I skipped all their parts. When it came to A'Lanruo I skipped a lot and mostly just watched the bits where Vengo Gao had dark hair because something about him with dark and blue clothing is just😍😍🤤 The yellow gold color scheme they chose was off to me and there were some parts where I just noticed the obvious filter they put on them bc it switched between them repeatedly😂😂😂 I think that kind of stuff I didn't really notice before but now I'm starting to and it's really funny
Lol right now idk what to watch. Nothing seems to caught my eye. 2019 drama was better with Minglan, the legends, joy of life, goodbye my princess, royal nirvana, princess silver etc
I watched the whole Serenade of Peaceful Joy. I enjoyed certain things, I got hook on some aspects of the story, but I still think you're right. It was all over the place on terms of characters. It got me particularly mad how they tried to make the Emperor the most pitiful in the drama while he was being a jerk 70% of the time to almost everyone but his beloved Concubine (that it was also painted as an unreasonable, schemmy, brat). And the part about the Princess' mother-in-law... even I knew it was ridiculous and I haven't studied any Ancient Chinese history, barely read details once in a while... It wasn't hard to say the mother-in-law had no role bossing her around, yet the writers insisted on it. Also, I don't know whether it is historically accurate, but it made no sense to me that she resided at the Princess' Manor when she had an elder son. Still, great acting, great make-up & great customs.
I've heard that the real history about the princess is that she even got a divorce from her husband, but her father made her go back to the family on his deathbed and she died 7 years later heavily abused ( in fact the scene where she lights the home on fire is sth I also heard about, but that time she didn't have a Huaiji to pull her out of the flames so she had heavy burn scars). From all I've read, her marriage was a complete disaster and it is all Renzong's fault. And the fact that the drama still tries to make him out to be this loving father who knows best, to the very end was galling to me.
I see things differently: I thought it is a psycho-historic fiction-drama of a "self-liberalized" Emperor of Song in the Confucianist court: very probably based on the life and "liberal" reign of the Emperor Renzong (1010-63)!? It's also a cultural tragedy as viewed from the perspective of the First princess, the one who had had grown up to be a very "self-determinant liberal" under the Emperor's generally "liberal" auspices!? This is Why and How the First princess was in locking heads with her Mother-in-law, the one who must have had been a typical Confucianist "wife" to the late "husband" premier in the Confucianist Song court!? As such, at the end, the "liberalized princess" was ultimately tragically driven to become a "repressed amnesiac" under and by the "tremendously crude (dehumanizing) pressure of Confucianism" in the fictional Song dynasty!? : )
@@mongtan2309 It is part of the theme, yet it doesn't explain why the Princess part has so many inconsistence, be it fiction or history, according to what was the norm (and that actually gave her the power of not being abused by them). Why that mother-in-law was living with them in fiction or in real history, when she had an elder son, and it was clearly a lower postion for her to stay at the Princess manor. Regardless of the honor it may mean. Also, as much liberated the Emperor could be, his reaction to knowing his daughter had beeb drugged and almost raped, made no sense.
@@MERDADEGPLUS Good questions: all of which I think might not have had been thought through or smoothed out by the drama-author(s) as follows: From my own interpretation: although the Emperor has an inclination for liberalism in his budding worldview, he has still been acting, reacting, and even thinking within and by the norms and restraints of the then 11th-century Confucianism in China!? Accordingly the princess' marriage to the son of the deceased (high-ranking) Premier was very appropriate of and for the time and era; and the Mother-in-law had every (Confucianist) right to expect and/or even demand or pressure the princess to produce an heir so as to carry on the family name of the late Premier, by any means necessary, including drugging and/or even raping!? And thus, the (kind-hearted-introvert) Emperor's reaction to this Confucianist family abuse was very numbed and muted -- and the abuse did make every sense in the family order within the then Confucianist society, even the abuse had been made at the very expense of his beloved "liberalized" daughter's well being!? Finally, the Princess manor settlement was arranged and agreed upon before their well-known "loveless" marriage: one which was ultimately badly abused, and then officially dissolved with the in-laws having been moved out and resettled outside the then Song capital-city!? : )
AvenueX .... Great video Thanks for sharing your opinions on your favorites and no soooo fave.... I gotta say, blame it on the writers who write these terrible messed up dramas. Alot of these series don't make sense which is a waste of the actors time, money and film. I wish the writers would take the time to write a sensible story!. The Pillow Book is seriously BORING! I know there's a lot of people who like this series which is great for them. But in my opinion Pillow Book should be called " The Boring Book !" I'm not a hater of Dilraba, but her acting skills facial expression is seriously BORING! when I 1st seen her in The Kings Women I thought Dilraba was a " White Caucasian Girl !" 😳😁😂 ( I know her Nationality ) don't get me wrong I love the Kings Women. But after watching her in so many dramas her facial expression and acting skills is weak!.
I’m so happy when I know that tmopb have a sequel that focus on dijun and fengjiu, after waited for so longgggg, it really dissapoint me, beside the changes of some cast, the story is meh compared to tmopb T^T
I just started watching The Romance of Tiger and Rose this past week and have been really loving it so far (but it’s early so who knows how good it’ll vibe). It reminds me a lot of Go Princess Go and Once Upon A Time in Lingjian Mountain, in the best possible ways. Also a bit of Romance of Hua Rong in how much I like the chemistry of the acting. I was surprised I like the story so much, since some of the actors looked so young I wasn’t expecting it to grab my attention as much as it did! It’s sort of a comedic take on a typical Tragic Bloody Revenge story, with the story’s writer getting inserted into a character who’s supposed to die in the first episode. (And in that way... the plot setup reminded me a tiny bit of scum villains self saving system - with someone being stuck as a person meant to die just because they wrote something lol). So it’s these intense plots combined with the story’s ‘writer’ unintentionally lightening the mood as she tries to keep herself alive while trying to get the rest of the story to progress as normal. So far it’s the new show to fill the gap once upon a time in Lingjian mountain left behind...
I did enjoy Pillow Book but I agree with you to some extent as I did feel like it dragged. It didn't actually follow the storyline of TMOPB it more followed the book (according to others as I didn't read the book).
I personally felt like the chemistry between Sui Zhou and Tang Fan was a bit more subdued compared to Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian's chemistry, however, it's still there IMO and becomes more palpable in the later episodes. I don't know at which point you decided to give up on Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, but I can safely say Tang Fan and Sui Zhou share a moment together that's difficult to interpret as mere friendship. At the very least, Darren and Paul definitely have offscreen chemistry from the BTS videos I've watched. I also wanted to add one more thing about the food: not only is it Sui Zhou and Tang Fan's way of expressing their love for each other, but it's also something that unites their found family together.
The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty; In the beginning, I was thoroughly disappointed at Feng’s below average looking face to the point where my eyes refused to even look at the screen. But since it’s a Bromance story, I went back many times to give it a second chance. After while, Feng’s very unique, attractive, deep voice was enough to cover 120% of his look. This actor grows into you and by now, I can’t imagine Sui play by other actors. Darren was a pleasant surprise. Now I’m proud to be a new fan of Darren and Feng. I really wish they make S2. (And I’m desperately looking for the English version of this novel. So far no luckT.T)
Wow. We dropped the same dramas, for the same reasons too, lol. Well except the language bit cuz I couldn't tell the difference but I agree with the rest. Especially pillow book and serenade, I felt weird for dropping it while my friends were going crazy over them. I m glad it wasn't just me.....
I totally agree with you in regards to Pillow Book and Love that Lasts Two Minds. Hated the Dream stuff in Pillow Book but loved the leads so I suffered through but I was SO upset because I LOVED many of the original characters in 10 miles and was frustrated by the cheap set and the change in so many actors with the exception of one, Cheng Yu, Love that Lasts Two Minds was SO disappointing. I loved so many characters in that series but wow was I not liking the leads or their story. I have never wanted a male lead to die so much just so the female lead could go be with the other male. But I was hoping. Oh well. The older mature actors in the story were AMAZING the mother and the Emperor's love story broke my heart.
I started watching some C-dramas based on your reviews. Even some of the ones I enjoy like Guardian or Ten Miles of Peach Blossom feel a bit draggy for my attention span. I did read most of C-novels that the dramas are based on and it's extra hard to sit through >40 episodes for the plot to develop. Always enjoy and appreciate your reviews and wisedom.
The sleuth of ming dynasty was really hard for me to get pass the 3rd episode. It just puts me to sleep everytime I try to give it a chance. Skate into love was also one I didn't really like, the scheme from high school crush was stupid and petty, and her reasoning of quitting skating was the worst too. There wasn't any drama that I enjoyed this year. I have been going back to decades old drama to rewatch like princess pearl and heaven sword dragon saber.
I've also dropped Eternal Love of Dream and Love Last 2 Minds. Honestly couldn't even get through the first episode of Love Last 2 Minds. As for the other dramas you've talked about, I have not seen. I've only seen the trailers and it didn't interest me enough. If you haven't already, I'd recommend "Romance of Tiger and Rose". It just released this week and I started watching it without much expectations but it's surprisingly really cute and funny! I would say its my favorite chinese period drama released this year so far.
I fell in love with the OST of Serenade of Joy, esp the ending song by Zheng Yunlong. So I wanted to give the drama a try...but yeah couldn't get into it either. Check out the new Romance of Tiger and Rose! It's a hilarious web novel adaptation of period rom com. It had me laughing pretty hard!!
The only dramas I'm waiting for is The Wolf (losing patience and maybe even interest if it takes any longer to air. But I heard it'll air this year) and Go Ahead, mainly bc I really like all three main leads in the drama. All three of the actor's drama aired this year and I enjoyed them all especially Tansongyun. So, I'm really anticipating for that.
If you have time to check out a light hearted rom com, check out Romance of Tiger and Rose. For being similar to other forced marriage, space travel dramas, there is a few different twist to the show which makes it interesting.
Agree, with the shaky camera!! I hated the Bourne movies because of it. It makes the actor pretend to be better fighters than they are. I always thought it was such a joke.
I finished I Will Find You A Better Home 😁 because i had the time and i have friends to watch it with. Maybe it's just Filipino culture that we like cursing on those bad family issue parts 😂😂😂 I also felt the ending was quite rushed resolving those family issues then the company issue then happy ending 😅
All of the dramas you have mentioned are also the dramas I dropped after watching a few episodes. Though the actors are really great but The plot and productions were so complicated and weird,Or maybe,it's not my preference. Now ,I am currently watching "The Legend of Awakening" I am in Ep.32,but I also dropped it...The problem is not the main actor (I like Arthur Chen)but the voice actor who did the dubbing for the main actor.
I have watched and dropped so many dramas this year. Of the Chinese drama I dropped: The Chang’an Youth, Lovely Sword Girl, Find Yourself... I wanted to drop the Pillowbook but I felt that I had waited so long to see it so I sludges through until the end. I also dropped a bunch of K-dramas and J-dramas. I can’t even remember most of the titles! I wanted to like Find Yourself but I didn’t find their relationship that believable or interesting. I’m watching short dramas now until I find another longer drama I want to invest my time watching.
I saw The Pillow Book in the trash and I came here to cry but I understand where you are coming from. It unnecessarily draaaags but I still like it coz of the couple
I just finished Serenade of Peaceful Joy. I only watched Empress scenes, Mao Ze scenes, some Liang Huiji scenes, and some Huiruo scenes. If Wang Kai happened to be in those scenes, I watched him too then. The patriarchy was just too strong and suffocating in this show. I watched Sleuth of Ming Dynasty for Wang Zhi, that is all. I hated too many ppl in The Hunting to get to episode 3 haha. AvenueX watched so many more shows than me although I feel that I've watched a lot since March (safe at home) lol. I didn't bother watching the other dramas mentioned in this vid. My new show right now is "Love Design" with Johnny and Dilreba...doesn't seem to have much plot yet but watching it because Reba and Viann Zhang as so cute as BFFs, so they are my OTP. I have no prob with Reba; I skipped Eternal Love of Dream because I don't like the general premise and I don't like Gao Weiguang's face on screen (soooo handsome and a good model but is acting is...)
Serenade of Peaceful Joy - I did finished it but skipped a lot. Come to think about it, I just went in just to soak up a good performance of all the good actors. (Love Yezhixin and Lu Yanqi) I did actually watch continuously until ep 22 because though the plot is kind of draggy but they proportion it well enough that the viewer (me) want to see the next episode. Currently I find myself watching a lot of low budget, just for fun drama. (may be the year 2020 is already too serious?) I would recommend you guys to check out 'Love is all'. it is so low budget and so silly. lots and lots of comic moment. and if you a fan of guardian, you will spot some familiar face. So, many drama in 2020 and only 2 that I did seriously concentrate on is 'Prince of tennis' (I know it's already not this year drama but they got it on Netflix) and 'Love is all'.
It is really a pity you didn't like Pillow Book, I love Dong Hua and Feng Jiu characters but you are right the costume, lights, hair and makeup was lacking. It is sad for me you didn't like it because I saw Ten Milles because you recommended and love it.
I found that those who are not fan of the DH-FJ love story won't watch Pillow Book. I like the couple but not enough to watch more. The only thing I've been waiting is YH-BQ wedding, which didn't happen in this drama because I guess Mark occupied somewhere else.
Was Handsome Siblings one of the dramas that you watched but haven't done a video about? Curious for your thoughts on that one. Possibly the worst English name translation ever though :P
I finished 'i will find you a better home' until the end tbh. The story about the Fang Si Jin definitely dragging too much especially with her family and her grandfather and the end kinda being rushed and i didnt like how they end wangzijian and shanshan character but the actors really gave me reasons to finish it.
I have so many expectations for Hunting, really. But upon seeing your review, and seeing it drop from the top dramas weekly, I think it really has those flaws. But, hey, I finished Memory Lost no matter how awful it is 😆
Hahaha i droped so many dramas too so i can understand your feeling xD. I couldnt get into sleuth at all at all... Did youu try to wach the guardian of the ancient oath ? i am translating it on viki it was pretty good but the more it goes the more confused i got so i wonder if you d feel the same. Maybe its on the list of the dramas you ve watched but didnt make videos about xD ?
@@francoisechard5474 hahah I dont Know How works the translation on RU-vid ! Moreover I am translating from english to french soooooo I am Not sure I Can Help You At all hahaha
I dropped Hunting too! I don't usually notice the camerawork, but this one was very jarring. The shaky camera was very apparent in most scenes and I got nauseous after each scene. I felt bad because I wanted to like Wang Kai's shows - but Serenade of Peaceful Joy just wasn't my cup of tea with its "historical" tone. Hunting felt depressing and heavy too.. Especially because the material came from real-life examples of corruption. Characters didn't feel rootable too! I couldn't root for Wang Kai's character and his girlfriend because their chemistry wasn't really there. Wang Ou and Wang Kai did have chemistry - but they took very long to get together? They were nowhere near together halfway into the show (which was when I dropped it).
I find so many people talking about "My girlfriend is an Alien", but I, for some undiscovered reason can't start watching it. Did you watch it? I tried finding your review on it, but can't find it. Is it worth the hype?
The last time I was this early I still thought Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty would be great... Edit: To the people who have finished SOTMD, can you tell me how does the eunuch character ends up? Can I just speed watch his parts and still understand his arc? I kinda don't care about other characters.
He was sent away to the border area but he took along his long time side kick in a prison cage instead of killing as him he turned on him. Part of the reason he was sent away was the emperor might fear that Wang Zhi was becoming too powerful. Even Tang Fan told him not to go back to the capital too often for fear of others being suspicious of him.
I love the “Once Upon a Bite” it can be a title for food or vampire stories. Your robe is beautiful, please wear more flowery pattern- it looks good on you. Thanks for the review, you help me avoid many bad ones. I loved Winter Begonia!!!
I noticed one thing is that dramas that I watched one shot seem to be better than watching it while it airs. So from my perspective I'm not giving down dramas a fair shot. The dramas that really held my attention while airing are Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, Fu Yao and Royal Nirvana.
As accepting as I am to *a lot* of flaws in quality and storytelling of a show/drama, the mood really ~has to~ be right. You want to show me a poignant, critically acclaimed, Oscar winning masterpiece that makes me feel completely hopeless and despairing? Then you better catch me on that one day of the year when I'm in the mood for that, otherwise that's too bad buddy.
