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master-gaia-tetron-crystalblue · 9 months ago

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Updated information on the Soul Trilogy and its connections with other games from the same universe.

⚠️This little information may contain spoilers.

The Quintet Trilogy.

There are a few connections between Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma:

Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma deal with world regeneration and all three games deal with the concept of reincarnation.

Blazer and Will (in form of Shadow) have the technique of launching the spirit of the Phoenix and apparently in Terranigma the weapons of the Hero, Ark, are shaped like a phoenix, too.

In both the Japanese and PAL versions the Soul Armor of Soul Blazer, appears in Terranigma.

In Illusion of Gaia, Will uses his powers to attract "Gems" like Blazer.

In Watermia, from Illusion of Gaia, Kara says: "Freejia was the same way, but beautiful. Things always have another side to them" in Japanese version: "As was the case with the City of Flowers, I wonder if beautiful things always have a back face." In Terranigma, when Ark reaches the sewers of Neotokio, has a similar line: "The more fancy a town, the more dirty at the back". In Japanese: "The more glittering the city is the more messy it is to look behind the scenes."

In Angkor Wat temple, which appears in Illusion of Gaia, there is a room containing crystals that strongly resemble those in the Shrine of the Master from Soul Blazer.

In Neotokio, the most advanced city in the world, Ark fights a ghost hidden in a garbage can, there by reviving the Quintet programmers, including a chicken, who are creating the game Illusion of Time 2 that is Terranigma. In the Japanese version the game, he is developing 天地創造 (Tenchi Sōzō), they were literally making Terranigma. Also, in that version, you could answer a questionnaire (Quintet Quiz) if you were an expert in the games of the company, among them Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia.

Some characters and locations seem to appear in more than one game with different names:

All three games feature a dog named Turbo: in Soul Blazer, he appears in Greenwood; in Illusion of Gaia, he's at the Diamond Coast; in Terranigma, he's Meilin's dog.

In Illusion of Gaia, "The Moon tribe" people, are in the form of a Soul Blazer enemy: Ghost.

The enemies of Illusion of Gaia, Dinapedes and Nitropedes are similar to Metapedes of Dr. Leo's Lab in Soul Blazer.

Both Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma deal with Dark and Light Gaia.

In Illusion of Gaia the secret boss is Metal Mantis, who was the first boss of Soul Blazer.

Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma share a painter in their story.

The "Tulip" that appears in Illusion of Gaia in the of Edward's Castle Prison, is the same as those that appear in Soul Blazer.

Terranigma has Capetown in South Africa (though it can't be visited) and Illusion of Gaia begins in South Cape.

Mu exists in Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma.

In Soul Blazer there is a place called St. Elle's Seabed, which is "Palace of St. Ells" (セントエルズの宮殿) in Japanese. Elle (エル) of Terranigma has a similar name, both in English and in Japanese.

In Terranigma, before entering Great Lakes Cavern, Ark speaks with a man named Servas, who is awaiting the return of his fiancée, Nana. When she died, she became a mermaid, which is a reference to a mermaid's dolphin in Soul Blazer, Servas, who is the reincarnation of a child who died with his father in the a shipwreck and also is mentioned on Illusion of Gaia in Larai Cliff.

Some characters and places are equivalent to the same ones from Soul Blazer:

Guardian of the Forest = Ra Tree (Terranigma)

King Magridd = King Henri (Terranigma)

Queen Magridd = Bloody Mary (Terranigma)

Magridd Castle = Sylvain Castle (Terranigma)

Dr. Leo = Beruga (Terranigma). In Soul Blazer, Dr. Leo says, "I am not passing away, rather, I am going to sleep. When a scientist with my knowledge is needed, I will be back." In Terranigma, Beruga was alive in the ancient world before it was revived by Ark.

Connection of the Quintet classic games between Quintet Trilogy

ActRaiser and ActRaiser 2: For being the beginning of the Quintet Trilogy and their complementary games (Robotrek and The Granstream Saga), there are different references in these:

In Soul Blazer, The Master (a non-playable character this time) is represented as a serious, kind, understandable, positive, and pious deity. He forgave King Magridd and never gave up hope that Blazer would triumph against Deatholl.

In ActRaiser 2 The Master has the power to turn his sword into the spirit of the of Phoenix for a few moments to attack the enemy.

There is a child named Teddy in Soul Blazer, and he tries to sell the Goat's Food to Blazer. He is a reference to the boy of the same name from ActRaiser.

In the Japanese version of the ActRaier 2, "Tower of Souls" is the "Tower of Babel" (バベルの塔戦]), which appears in Illusion of Gaia.

In Angel Village, appear enemies similar to Ramskulls which are from ActRaiser.

The outside of Angkor Wat temple is very similar to ActRaiser's Marahna temple. Also, in this level, The Master uses the Earthquake and in Illusion of Gaia, Will (in Freedan's form) get the "Earthquaker."

On Illusion of Gaia, the boss on the Great Wall of China is very similar to the boss of the Kasandora's desert boss from ActRaiser.

In Terranigma, you can see two paintings: The Master of ActRaiser 2 painted by Matis and located in Mati's, which is in Loire, and the other in Britain in Sir Rich's mansion. Like some statues of one of three angels that help him in ActRaiser 2, specifically The Warrior Angel in Loire Castle.

ActRaiser and ActRaiser 2 are of the games that appears in the Quintet Quiz of Neotokio in Terranigma in the Japanese version.

In Terranigma the virus created by Beruga, "Asmodeus" is a reference of ActRaiser 2 the boss: Deception, in Japanese version: 欲望|Lust. Deception, apart from his attacks, sludge spit, fireball and bomb; he teleports to escape and uses his "Teleportation orb" to take The Master to another site on the same battlefield. Unlike "Asmodeus", that demon teleports the combatant, but doesn't erase him forever.

Although in interview of Koji Yokota by John Szczepaniak of his book The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1, he revealed that The Master is part of the games Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia. It's believed that he is also Light Gaia and Tanzra is Dark Gaia. This is believed because of the opening of Terranigma, (both in the original and the European version) which says, "They came to be called 'God' and 'Devil'."

The damaged sound effect of Blazer is the same of the ActRaiser when The Master is damaged.

The sound effect when defeating an enemy can be heard in ActRaiser, Soul Blazer, and Illusion of Gaia.

Sound effect of the enemies attacks bullet firing can heard in ActRaiser and Soul Blazer.

Robotrek: It's a relatively comical game where we can find again themes; such as is creation and destruction, human ambition, the use of science for good and evil, the theme of immortality that is implicit in Nagisa an assistant android with the resemblance to the deceased mother of the protagonist, problems between neighbors and among others. In addition to having some elements found in the ActRaiser and Quintet Trilogy, Robotrek would be the complement of those games:

The "Blade 4", in the Japanese version is called "SoulBlade" (ソウルブレイド), which could be the replica of the legendary weapon of the hero of Soul Blazer, "Soul Blade", with the technique of launching bullets shaped Phoenix.

There are two ways to create "Blade 4", combining "Seed" with "Blade 3". The other way is combining "Smoke" with "Scrap 8", nonetheless the first combination is a hidden reference to the Kingdom of Freil from Soul Blazer, which in Japanese is フレイル王国|Fureiru ōkoku, where フレイmeans Freyr, reference to the name of the Norse god of fertility, which comes from Old Norse name Freyr ("lord"), meaning 'fertile'. Both in form and meaning, fraiwa ("seed").

The form bipyramid of the Tetron or "Tiatron" (ティアトロン) resembles the "Shrine of the Master" from Soul Blazer and the crystals of Angkor Wat from Illusion of Gaia.

It's probably the name "Tetron" is the combination of two words:Tia,Theia/Thea"Divine"or "Divine light" and Tron "Tool" take into account that Theia or Euryphaessa is one of the twelve Titans, the children of the earth goddess Gaia and the sky god Uranus in Greek mythology, also it could be a little reference of the Giant-impact hypothesis.

Inside the Count Polinky's mansion you can see knight's armors similar to the enemies of Stormrook from ActRaiser 2, but without the axe and shield. However, in this stage you can learn create Axe 1 (Inventor's Friend Lv 9).

In the Clock Tower of Count Polinky's mansion where there is an enmity of some dolls with the mice of the place, this part of the game could be a reference to Soul Blazer in parody form.

On the South Isle, a native scares the main character with a joke similar to that made by the dog from GreenWood's Restaurant in Soul Blazer.

In the Japanese version, the chicken on the farm of Robotrek is called "Catherine" (カトリーヌ), which is mentioned in Terranigma by a boy watching the chicken race, also are the only Quintet Super Nintendo Entertainment System games where chickens appear and the main character can talk to them.

On Robotrek "Rococo Town" (ロココ町) is a reference of the art style that originated in Paris in the late 17th and early 18th century. Also of the Japanese SF novel "Rococo Town: Rococo-chō" by Masahiko Shimada. In Terranigma, Ark buys for 800 Gems: "Rococo Apartment" (ロココアパート).

In the computer of the main character (Hero's house) and that of his father, mentions ActRaiser 2 and Illusion of Gaia (in the Japanese and American version).

With the CyberJack, the player can enter the computer in dad's house and meet the Development staff of Quintet. This secret is present in Actraiser 2 and Terranigma, too.

The outside of Gateau's space fortress is shaped similar to that of the Tower of Babel.

In Rococo Town, The Master is mentioned in one diary where it narrates the preparation of a wedding: "From the bottom of my heart, to the God who brought us together I can't help but get excited." ("ふたりをめぐりあわせてくれた神様に心の底からかんしゃせずにはいられない"), doesn't seem to refer to the God (神様) of South Isle. In addition to the fact that the main character of the game learned to create replicas of The Soul Blade. It is possible that people in another part of the universe believe in The Master from ActRaiser and ActRaiser 2, but it has not been confirmed.

Robotrek is one of the games that appears in the Quintet Quiz of Neotokio from Terranigma in the Japanese version.

In the Japanese manual of Robotrek, the story section compare technological advancement of Rococo Town to that of Japan: "The civilization of Rococo Town is a little more advanced than the present Japan."(ロココ町の文明は今の日本より少しだけ進んでいますが). It's possible can be seen this mention of Japan in Neotokio from Terranigma.

On Terranigma, in one of the houses in Crysta there is a footboard from the one bed a generic cat's face carved in wood that is later seen again in a mini game in Liotto, however the cat face is similar to the official art of Kurogane the cat from Robotrek.

In both the Japanese and American versions, a girl's dog and her grandmother's have the name Turbo (ターボ), a name given to the Turbo that appear in Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma.

In one video "Brute Press" VHS Vol.24 July 1995 (【非売品】ブルートプレス Vol.24 1995年7月号) published Terranigma Beta version.The sound effects can heard is the same of the Robotrek.

The Granstream Saga: It's not certain if the story takes place on Earth or in another planet in a distant future. In American version the story of manual tells us:"One hundred years ago, on the planet of Granstream, a great war devastated the land"; while the Japanese mention "the world" (世界) and "land" (地表) or "above ground (地上): "Going back in time, 100 years ago. The war that divides the world broke out, and humankind was on the verge of extinction. Based on different magical powers as the basis of civilization, the two opposing forces "Magical Empire Army" and "Spirit Alliance Army" do not yield to each other, and finally the empire destroys the enemy's center with forbidden super magic weapons Executed the operation. It shattered the earth's veins and caused cataclysms. The earth's axis tilted greatly and the surface of the earth was completely submerged. And all life and civilization rooted on the earth have perished".

"今より時をさかのぼること、百年前。世界を二分する戦争が勃発し、人類は滅亡の危機に瀕した。異なる魔法の力を文明の基盤とし、対立する二つの軍勢「魔導帝国軍」と「精霊同盟軍」は互いにあい譲らず、ついに帝国は禁断の超・魔導兵器で敵の中枢を破壊する作戦を実行した。それは、大地の地脈を粉砕し、大変動を引き起こした。地軸は大きく傾き、地表は完全に水没した。そして、地上に根差したあらゆる生命と文明は、滅びた。"

Although in an interview Koji Yokota, identifies Terranigma and The Granstream Saga different from ActRaiser, Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia,these two games from different consoles, presented various themes related to the company's previous games, for these that suggest to be possible sequel of Terranigma. Due to the fact that the connection with the others isn't official, it could be considered as another complement to ActRaiser and Quintet Trilogy:

In the game Eon and Arcia make it a goal to raise the other continents to restore the world.

The level of Stalagmite Castle just like Dr. Leo's Painting of Soul Blazer.

A stone appears named: Star Stone.

Among Eon's weapons we find a sword called: "Arc Blazer" that increases damage to enemies that are weak against ice.And the axe of the Spirit King: "Gaia Edge."

The stained glass window of the church is very similar to the one that appears in Terranigma in Litz's church, but not the colours.

Outside of Airlim, the magic control Tower, it's similar to the form of Tower of Babel.

The background of Curio Shop, you can find a vase with two handle, just like Illusion of Gaia.

Appears the enemy "Mimic", like in Soul Blazer.

Eon use"Dried herb" and "Special herb" to heal like the herbs from Illusion of Gaia.

The original form of the Demon King Demaar (Digol) looks like the final form of Dark Gaia of Terranigma.

In The Granstream Saga, if Eon decides to sacrifice Arcia using her pure soul for defeat demon Demaar. In the end, "Deity" appears, sitting on a throne in the Palace of the Heaven, talking to her. This is possibly The Master from ActRaiser, but it has not been confirmed.

https://quintet.fandom.com/wiki/Similarities_between_Quintet_games

#actraiser #soul blazer #illusion of gaia #robotrek #terranigma #granstream saga #天地創造 #quintet #square enix

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linghxr · 2 years ago

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I watched all the Chinese idol survival shows so you don’t have to (but you should anyway)

About three years ago, I watched 创造101 Produce 101 China, and it kinda changed my life. Yes, really! This show dragged me down a rabbit hole that eventually led to me watching many more Chinese shows and listening to almost exclusively Chinese music. I’m even branching out to cdramas now. All under the guise of, um, improving my listening comprehension!

OK, so “all the Chinese idol survival shows” might be an exaggeration. I’ll be talking about these three classic idol group survival shows from the “golden age” period of 2018-2021:

>> 偶像练习生 Idol Producer/青春有你 Youth with You (iQiyi)

偶像练习生 Idol Producer

青春有你1 Youth with You 1

青春有你2 Youth with You 2

青春有你3 Youth with You 3

>> 创造101 Produce 101/创造营 Chuang (Tencent)

创造101 Produce 101 China

创造营2019 Produce Camp 2019

创造营2020 Chuang 2020

创造营2021 Chuang 2021

>> 以团之名 All For One/少年之名 We Are Young (Youku)

以团之名 All For One

少年之名 We Are Young

Here is the order I actually watched these 10 seasons in:

创造101 Produce 101 China

青春有你2 Youth with You 2

创造营2020 Chuang 2020

创造营2019 Produce Camp 2019

偶像练习生 Idol Producer

青春有你1 Youth with You 1

青春有你3 Youth with You 3

创造营2021 Chuang 2021

以团之名 All For One

少年之名 We Are Young

I started 创造101 Produce 101 China in late 2019/early 2020 and finished 少年之名 We Are Young on Christmas Day 2022. I was literally tearing up. Three franchises, ten seasons, something around 1000 contestants, and three years of my life.

In order to refresh my memory for this post, I rewatched almost all of the performance clips from these shows. I didn’t watch the initial evaluations or any practice room videos (it’s simply too much content). It was simultaneously fun and exhausting. I will go over why you should/shouldn’t watch each season and give any other notable remarks. Let’s get started!

*Please note that for any YouTube links below, there is a risk of muted sections, parts/entire episodes being unavailable, and missing/out of sync subtitles. For official links, whether or not a VIP subscription is needed may change in the future. Fansubbed content may have sections or entire episodes missing.

>> 偶像练习生 Idol Producer/青春有你 Youth with You (iQiyi)

iQiyi rebranded the series by changing its name from 偶像练习生 Idol Producer to 青春有你 Youth with You after the first season. However, they really didn’t change much about the format at all. From what I’ve heard, iQiyi doesn’t have as large a budget as Tencent, which you can see reflected in the show’s production quality. However, I’ve long felt that this franchise has a real charming quality that makes up for lack of flashy sets.

偶像练习生 Idol Producer

Watch on iQiyi (English subs, VIP needed) Watch via Idol Producer Subs (English fansubs, missing part of finale)

Why you should watch it: Though not China’s first idol survival show, this show was the first of a new era. It’s iconic! The theme song is a bop, 10/10. Also, I had heard of all of the winners before I watched this season, so there’s some real cultural relevance. I can’t believe it was nearly five years ago! The whole top 20 remains iconic to this day. In most seasons, there are at least one or two popular contestants who I don’t really like or don’t see the appeal of, but that wasn’t the case this season. This season is also a lot shorter than later seasons, so it’s easier for those who are new to survival shows.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: As I mentioned, there is a lack of flashy sets/stages here. The background of the stage often looks empty. There were some performances that were better than I remembered, but there were others that were...not. I’m pretty sure 黄明昊 Justin was 15 when the show began, which shocks me in a BAD way. And if you’re a Jackson Wang fan, I think he barely appeared in the second half of the show.

My picks: 郑锐彬 Zheng Ruibin, 周彦辰 Zhou Yanchen, 蔡徐坤 Cai Xukun, 王子异 Wang Ziyi, 朱星杰 Zhu Xingjie, 周锐 Zhou Rui

Favorite performance: PPAP A组 PPAP group A This was a powerhouse group. And it was hilarious to watch the boys’ reaction when they heard the whole song and realized the style was not at all what they had initially expected! They totally pulled it off though.

Iconic moments: 蔡徐坤 Cai Xukun’s outfit (and ego) in the initial evaluation, B-A-L-A-N-C-E, when we realized 朱星杰 Zhu Xingjie can sing too, 林彦俊 Lin Yanjun's platinum hair, one of the songs was called Mack Daddy which causes me great distress to this day, 周锐 Zhou Rui aka 周美锐 Zhou Meirui, I’m still laughing over 朱星杰 Zhu Xingjie’s resemblance to 胡巴 Huba.

Verdict: Though this was not my first idol survival show, I think it would be a great first foray for anyone. It’s iconic for a reason. You should watch it (and I might rewatch it).

青春有你1 Youth with You 1

Watch on iQiyi (English subs, VIP needed) Watch via Qing Chun You Ni Subs (English fansubs)

Why you should watch it: This season is the forgotten child of the franchise, but it still had some great performances and a lot of talented contestants. The theme song is also probably my favorite out of all ten theme songs! It was love at first listen. Personally, I enjoyed this team of mentors more than the first season’s. I also feel that the vocal-based performances were stronger this season. For instance, there were great performances of 李荣浩 Li Ronghao songs.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: I feel that some of the magic of the first season was lost, and overall the contestants were not as memorable or charismatic in my opinion. There were also several contestants I found extremely irritating and some contestants who ranked much higher and last much longer on the show than I feel they should have based on their skill level...but I won’t name names.

My picks: 夏瀚宇 Xia Hanyu, 李振宁 Li Zhenning, 周士原 Zhou Shiyuan, 连淮伟 Li Huaiwei

Favorite performance: 隔壁泰山 A组 Neighboring Tarzan group A This is a very unusal song, but it’s so catchy and memorable. 夏瀚宇 Xia Hanyu really made this performance for me. And this song still gets stuck in my head months later!

Iconic moments: 冯俊杰 Feng Junjie and 夏瀚宇 Xia Hanyu trying to outdo each other, 胡春杨 Hu Chunyang looked angry 24/7 for no reason, they literally got 蔡依林! Jolin Tsai! as a mentor, 李汶翰 Li Wenhan was everyone’s older brother, their performance made me fall in love with the song 耳朵 Erduo, they kinda did a steampunk concept which I love.

Verdict: It’s not necessarily a must-watch, but I still enjoyed it. If you’ve fallen into the black hole of survival shows and want more, I think it’s worth your time.

青春有你2 Youth with You 2

Watch on iQiyi (English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (English subs) Watch on YouTube (no English subs, missing several parts/episodes)

Why you should watch it: As iQiyi’s first time with female contestants, this season was highly anticipated. iQiyi stepped it up with subtitles, got Lisa from BLACKPINK as a mentor (I saw people say they came for Lisa and stayed for the trainees), and made a lot of content available on YouTube. As a result, some of the performances from this season have millions of views. It’s well deserved—a lot of the contestants are overflowing with talent and charisma. And honestly, you should watch this for 蔡徐坤. He’s a great MC/mentor to the girls and was truly a highlight of the season for me.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: This is the only season that I watched week by week as it was airing. It was EXHAUSTING. iQiyi started pumping out two episodes a week, doubling the overall episode count. I was literally burnt out by the finale. So if you watch this, please take it slow. Also, I forgot how much they did that thing where they cut away from the performances to show other contestant/mentor reactions and then have to go rewind on the performance...it really drives me nuts. They overdid it for sure.

My picks: 刘雨昕 Liu Yuxin, 喻言 Yu Yan, 王承渲 Wang Chengxuan, 刘令姿 Liu Lingzi, 许馨文 Xu Xinwen

Favorite performance: 不奉陪 No Company This was a tough choice! I went with this performance because I actively sought it out for relistens. That’s so rare for 主题考核 theme evaluation songs for me. All the members got to shine yet they were a very cohesive team.

Iconic moments: Bad Guy was the ultimate dark horse, how no one knew the song 想见你想见你想见你 Miss You 3000, 王承渲 Wang Chengxuan defeated the evil quads, 乃万 Nineone basically replaced Jony J as rap mentor, seeing 刘雨昕 Liu Yuxin with a wig was terrifying, they let the girls wear shorts if they didn’t like skirts #feminism, I still think about 张钰 Zhang Yu and 王清 Wang Qing’s initial performance all the time.

Verdict: I don’t think I could rewatch this season due to its length, but if you can commit the time, I think you should watch it. I’m sad I’ll never get to see a second 青春有你 Youth with You female season.

青春有你3 Youth with You 3

Watch on iQiyi (English subs, no VIP needed) Watch on iQiyi (no English subs, no VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs, missing several parts/episodes)

Why you should watch it: This season was probably the one I felt most emotionally invested in. I feel like I got to know the boys and was in it together with them (parasocial relationships, I know). And the friendships between contestants were so touching. Like 青春有你2 Youth with You 2, this season was also extra long, but I watched this season after it aired, going at my own pace. There were so many charming contestants and memorable performances. The dancing especially shone, but we got some great vocal moments too. I think iQiyi did a really good job picking songs this season.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: Sadly, the finale never aired. Due to the infamous milk-wasting scandal, the show was cancelled (but a winning group still formed and debuted). Even though I knew this before watching the show, it was still quite sad to never see a conclusion. Additionally, I believe this show started with more like 120 contestants, and I felt that increased number. Lastly, there was some painful singing and lots of very uninspired rapping. I feel like the gap in skill between the contestants was larger, and some of the teams felt very unbalanced as a result.

My picks: 姜京佐 Jiang Jingzuo, 杨昊铭 Yang Haoming, 十七 Shiqi, 徐子未 Xu Ziwei, 张思源 Zhang Siyuan, 连淮伟 Lian Huaiwei

Favorite performance: 燕尾蝶 Wings of Love This performance was everything I could ever dream of. 徐子未 won the world over instantly. He has the voice of an angel. Love the song, love the concept, love everything about it.

Iconic moments: 罗一舟 Luo Yizhou and 余景天 Tony Yu Jingtians’s friendly rivalry, 徐子未 Xu Ziwei’s back-to-back victories, Yuta’s adorable accent, 王南钧 Wang Nanjun would not shut up about 竹 Bamboo, touch 梁森 Liang Sen’s head for good luck, 刘隽 Liu Jun dances like he’s possessed (in a good way), that 雨爱 Rainie Love stage was a trainwreck tbh.

Verdict: Despite the scandals and lack of a finale, it was worth the watch for me. I feel so fond thinking of this season. Truthfully, season three has surpassed season two for me.

>> 创造101 Produce 101/创造营 Chuang (Tencent)

I read somewhere that Tencent officially licensed the Produce 101 name from Mnet, making this franchise more “official.” For season two, they ended up changing the name to 创造营 Produce Camp. The Chinese name remained the same for seasons three and four, but the in English they started promoting the show under the name Chuang. I think they wanted to beat iQiyi in the contest to see who can have the most titles for the same show.

创造101 Produce 101 China

Watch on Tencent Video (English subs, no VIP needed) Watch on 腾讯视频 (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs) Watch on YouTube (no English subs, episode 7 here, episode 10 here) Watch via Produce 101 China Subs (English fansubs)

Why you should watch it: This is the only season I’ve seen twice, so that says something I guess! This season holds a special place in my heart as my first survival show, so I rewatched it earlier this year with some friends who hadn’t seen it previously. One thing that stood out to me about this season was that it felt like there were several dark horses who started to shine closer to the middle/end of the show. I liked this because it’s boring when the debut lineup is completely predictable! And if you’re not already a ��美岐 Meng Meiqi fan, you will leave as a 孟美岐 Meng Meiqi fan, guaranteed.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: Not gonna lie, I was not a huge fan of this mentor team. I am fine with these people individually, but together it was not an ideal combo in my opinion. They collectively made some very odd decisions that I strongly disagree with. After my rewatch, I’m just kinda done with 黄子韬 Huang Zitao. I also realized there were a lot more instances of...rough singing than I remembered, so be warned.

My picks: 孟美岐 Meng Meiqi, Yamy, 刘人语 Liu Renyu, 许靖韵 Angela Xu Jingyun, 吴映香 Lucia Wu Yingxiang, 李紫婷 Mimi Li Ziting

Favorite performance: 别人家的小孩 Other People’s Kids This is one of the most iconic performances (and one of my favorites) ever from all of these shows! It’s so unique and really has everything you could want. It was truly a perfect collab performance.

Iconic moments: When they had to tap 杨超越 Yang Chaoyue so she wouldn’t miss the beat, 王一博 Wang Yibo’s blue hair was gorgeous, Triple A group reunion, Look What You Made Me Do with creepy marionettes was perfect, when 陈嘉桦 Ella went barefoot on stage, 黄子韬 Huang Zitao literally screamed at them all, I’ll never forget the iconic 乐华 Yuehua performance.

Verdict: Even the second time, this was a season filled with surprises. It’s not perfect, but I think it will manage to charm you anyway. There are some real hidden gems here.

创造营2019 Produce Camp 2019

Watch on Tencent Video (English subs, VIP needed) Watch on 腾讯视频 (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs)

Why you should watch it: This was the first ever male season I watched, and I remember being apprehensive. I ended up having a lot of fun! This season really tugged at my heartstrings with the touching friendships between the boys and the intense 导师推荐生 mentor recommendees segments. I felt like I went through the wringer with them as they were forced to repack all their belongings, endure the brutal F班 demotions, hike across the beach, and more. There were countless hilarious moments too. If I were to rewatch, it would be for 周震南 Zhou Zhennan AKA 南南 Nannan. He just dominates the stage (despite his short stature)!

Why you shouldn’t watch it: I’ll admit, this season probably has the greatest number of contestants that annoy me. Sometimes it’s for no good reason...I just look at them and go ugh. The first round especially has some pretty painful singing, so be warned of that as well. Also, my rewatch made me realize I remembered very few performances from this season, which probably isn’t a good sign. Also, a lot of the performances were very short, sub-three minutes, which personally bothers me.

My picks: 周震南 Zhou Zhennan, 高嘉朗 Gao Jialang, 姚琛 Yao Chen, 陆思恒 Lu Siheng, 李鑫一 Li Xinyi, 贺俊雄 He Junxiong

Favorite performance: 开门见山 Kaimenjianshan I’ll admit that this performance was not as good as I remembered it being (probably because now I’ve heard the original by A-Mei many times), but I picked it anyway to acknowledge the amazing 高嘉朗 Gao Jialang.

Iconic moments: 张颜齐 Zhang Yanqi giving away jars of 老干妈 Lao Gan Ma, we never saw 王晨艺 Wang Chenyi again, 姚琛来了~ (Yao Chen is coming), when 周震南 Zhou Zhennan had his hoodie on but his ears were sticking out omg, try saying ��昀锐 Li Yunrui's name ten times fast, they had 30+ year old men here, this was the OG 乘风破浪 chengfengpolang.

Verdict: Among so many seasons, I don’t think this season stands out that much, but I still remember it fondly. If you want a good laugh and some fun, check it out.

创造营2020 Chuang 2020

Watch on Tencent Video (English subs, VIP needed) Watch on 腾讯视频 (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (English subs, missing episode 3) Watch on YouTube (English subs, missing episode 3) Watch on Viki (English subs, no Viki Pass needed)

Why you should watch it: They went all out on the sets, the location, the accommodations, everything. The performance setup was that the seats were in the middle and various stages were located around the perimeter. The seats would rotate to face the stages!! Some of the stages were stunning. I also want to mention that there were some great vocalists this season and I feel like they got to shine, which always makes me happy. The best round by far was the second round (专业方向). We got some beautiful vocal performances and intense dance performances.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: This season felt messy to me. I think they tried to mix things up, but not everything landed. The beautiful sets almost got distracting…they were more interesting than some of the performances. Several very talented and promising contestants never even made it past the first round. And since the final group only had seven people, the finale was just a frustrating experience. I never want to hear that 小摩托 xiao motuo song or 夏天的风 Summer Wind again. I don’t feel this season lived up to 创造101 Produce 101 China (unless you wanted MORE comments about weight/thinness).

My picks: 王柯 Wang Ke, 华承妍 Hua Chengyan, 刘些宁 Liu Xiening, 苏芮琪 Su Ruiqi, 朱主爱, Joyce Zhu Zhu’ai, 王一桥 Wang Yiqiao

Favorite performance: Manta There were a lot of performances I liked, but I really struggled to pick a favorite. I ultimately went with this because it’s one of the most memorable dance performances I’ve seen on these shows.

Iconic moments: That thin waist contest was simply the worst, they were in a literal castle, we all went crazy for the band and 王柯 Wang Ke, 朱主爱 Joyce Zhu Zhu’ai won the collab stage, wtf stop filming 姜贞羽 Jiang Zhenyu, I want to ride that cute train up the mountain, 毛不易 Mao Buyi did not want to talk, pretend that 吴亦凡 Wu Yifan wasn’t there.

Verdict: This season was competing against 青春有你2 Youth with You 2, and I chose to prioritize 青春有你2 Youth with You 2. I would make the same choice now. If you decide to watch, just be warned it may be a frustrating experience.

创造营2021 Chuang 2021

Watch on Tencent Video (English subs, VIP needed) Watch on 腾讯视频 (no English subs, VIP needed)

Why you should watch it: I wasn’t sure I was going to watch this season because of its international theme. Having foreigners is nothing new, but such a large number was certainly going to alter the show’s dynamic. Well, I watched it anyway. Overall, I’m glad I did. There were some talented and lovable contestants that made this season all worth it. The mentor squad (mostly 宁静 Ning Jing, 邓超 Deng Chao, and 周深 Zhou Shen) were so entertaining. Lastly, compared to the 2019 season, there were more popular vocalists this season, which I 100% support. I’ll be honest, I didn’t remember a lot of the performances from this season, but I ended up pleasantly surprised by how many great ones there were!

Why you shouldn’t watch it: It felt like there was so much focus on Nine and Patrick, Santa and Riki, the Intersection boys, and eventually Lelush as well. The other foreign contestants honestly had very little impact. This didn’t ruin the show or anything, but sometimes I got a little sick of the Santa and Mika show, you know? Also, none of my favorites made it into the winning group unfortunately. While I acknowledge the talent of the winning members, for whatever reason I wasn’t really that invested in most of them.

My picks: 俞更寅 Yu Gengying, 井胧 Jing Long, 林墨 Lin Mo, 奥斯卡 Oscar, 张星特 Zhang Xingte

Favorite performance: Lover Boy 88 This performance was simply infectious! I even made my friends watch to it. 林墨 Lin Mo is so charming. And 张腾 Zhang Teng and 张星特 Zhang Xingte’s vocals were perfect. Just wish it had been longer!

Iconic moments: Mika and 曾涵江 Zeng Hanjiang = my last two brain cells trying to communicate, I still can’t believe Lelush went viral worldwide, 刘宇 Liu Yu broke the Produce curse, Nine and Patrick only learned Chinese for how long???, Caelan kinda does look like Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar AKA 熊熊 Xiongxiong, the 网红 wanghong group was so talented actually.

Verdict: I think this season got more international attention than 青春有你3 Youth with You 3, and while I prefer 青春有你3 Youth with You 3, this season is worth a watch for its uniqueness and improvements over the previous year.

>> 以团之名 All For One/少年之名 We Are Young (Youku)

I watched both seasons of Youku’s shorter-lived franchise in 2022 only after (and only because) I had finished the other two franchises. I think Youku had a smaller budget and thus tried to stand out by shaking up the traditional survival show formula. I think they made some poor choices and some good choices. I don’t know the story behind the name change between seasons, but the seasons are so different from each other that it makes sense.

以团之名 All For One

Watch on Youku (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs)

Why you should watch it: I’m going to say a lot of negative stuff below, but I wanted to add at least a few positive words. During the finale, the remaining contestants sang S.H.E’s 你曾是少年 Wings Of My Words, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so emotional over a performance ever. 任家萱 Selina was a delight throughout. I also really grew to appreciate 奶茶 Naicha and what a great and thoughtful leader he was.

Why you shouldn’t watch it: As I mentioned, this show had some unique features that made it stand out. The contestants formed ten groups of eight, and the composition of the groups remained unchanged throughout. Entire groups got eliminated together. This created a dynamic where some really talented contestants went home too soon due to their group. It also meant that some groups were popular really just due to having one popular member. In the end, one group won...but I guess they realized this was a bad idea, so they formed a second winning group of the most popular contestants from the non-winning groups. I didn’t like this format and felt is really negatively impacted my viewing. Personally, seeing new team lineups form is one of my favorite parts of survival shows. And because the leaders were constant, they had there was too much focus on them. Also, the mentors were so harsh all the time. Maybe it was deserved, but it really bummed me out to watch them constantly talk about how disappointed they were.

My picks: 奶茶 Naicha, 田书臣 Tian Shuchen, 龙泓昊 Long Honghao, 赖煜哲 AJ Lai Yuzhe, 热亚提 Reyati, 赵品霖 Zhao Pinlin

Favorite performance: 饕餮 Taotie This was not one of the performances that stood out in my memory, but it stood out to me when I did my rewatch. I feel like they really nailed every element, and I don’t think the other teams could have pulled off this song.

Iconic moments: 何展成 Jonathan Ha gave up on speaking Chinese and 袁娅维 Tia Ray had to translate for him, the 王霏霏 Wang Feifei and 孟佳 Meng Jia reunion, 龙泓昊 Long Honghao’s beautiful dance to a Shawn Mendes song, I’m not sure why 奶茶 Naicha chose milk tea as stage name, AJ vs. the hidden snacks, they made 周艺轩 Zhou Yixuan perform a UNIQ song.

Verdict: Maybe you can skip this one. I definitely didn’t devote my full attention while I was watching it. And it felt like the show and the mentors were being mean to the boys all the time.

少年之名 We Are Young

Watch on Youku (no English subs, VIP needed) Watch on YouTube (no English subs) Watch via We Are Young Subs (English fansubs)

Why you should watch it: They improved on basically all the issues I had with the first season, and I was pleasantly surprised. Also, this is basically a 青春有你1 Youth with You 1 mini reunion with a few 偶像练习生 Idol Producer alums plus some future 青春有你3 You with You 3 contestants. It was so wonderful to see how the contestants I already knew had grown, and I loved seeing them get new opportunities to shine. There was surprisingly a lot of good raps/rappers on this show! Also, there were some truly incredible performances this season that aren’t like anything I’ve seen on other idol survival shows. And I enjoyed almost every performance—there were only a few that I disliked or thought were, um, not good. The mentors did not always agree...but I don’t care!

Why you shouldn’t watch it: Because they have to be different, when doing the initial evaluations, only about 50 contestants advanced to the next round. This was nice because it meant fewer names/faces, but wow, it felt so mean. Sometimes I wished they had stuck to a more traditional format. Besides that, I don’t have much else negative to say!

My picks: 郭震 Guo Zhen, 寇聪 Kuo Cong, 胡文煊 Hu Wenxuan, 左林杰 Zuo Linjie, 李希侃 Li Xikan, 崔少鹏 Cui Shaopeng, 杨超文 Yang Chaowen

Favorite performance: Don’t Start Now I don’t think I’ve ever seen this exact concept on one of these shows before. This performance was instantly a standout for me, especially because it had some of my favorite contestants!

Iconic moments: They literally had a corgi, 林 (Lin) MUA, everyone shipping 薛恩 Xue En and 程潇 Cheng Xiao, 胡文煊 Hu Wenxuan in a CROP TOP, 胡彦斌 Hu Yanbin told 寇聪 Kou Cong to wear less to show off his body what, 崔少鹏 Cui Shaopeng’s entrance through the pink smoke, 左林杰 Zuo Linjie really bungee jumped with his eyes closed, how 郭震 Guo Zhen, 左叶 Zuo Ye, and 胡文煊 Hu Wenxuan were in the same group four times without anyone noticing.

Verdict: This season ended up being better than it had any right to be! I think it’s worth checking out, especially if you are missing the boys from the 偶像练习生 Idol Producer/青春有你 Youth with You series.

>> Conclusion

If you actually read this entire post, I’m thoroughly impressed. If you, like me, have spent way too much time watching these shows, feel free to send me a message because I need someone to commiserate with.

I honestly have this weird feeling that a chapter of my life is over. I have so many treasured memories from watching these shows—moments of laughter, tears, shock, pride, and more. They’ve provided a way to ground my language studies and engage with Chinese pop culture. They made me feel less alone during earlier COVID times.

Well, I’m off to find something to fill the survival show-size hole in my heart...maybe I’ll just rewatch 偶像练习生 Idol Producer.

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