#shao yu wei

[stuff-diary]

Hello Ghost!

Movies watched in 2023

Hello Ghost! (2023, Taiwan)

Director: Hsieh Pei Ju

Writer: Chou Ching Wen

Mini-review:

I have to say I expected more from Hello Ghost!, but it's still an okay movie. The cast is great, and the final plot twist did caught me by surprise. On top of that, there are a lot of funny scenes, and the script has a pretty solid sense of humor. However, the story moves at such a hurried pace that it barely takes time to set up the major plot points and the characters' development. I don't know, I feel like it would have been a much richer movie if it had let the story simmer a bit more. Also, the film includes some pretty dark themes that might be triggering, even if they are approached with a somewhat lighthearted, comedic tone. I'd recommend looking up some content warnings.

[feng-huli]

Dance party of the Five Eunuchs! 🍠

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: White Cat Legend (2024)

Gifs of Intro of cdrama "White Cat Legend"

【ENG SUB FULL】 White Cat Legend EP1 Demon Cat in the Present World 大理寺少卿游 iQIYI

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV_Nq-w6M5k

[exhalcyon]

Context for Lu Bu’s beef with Xiahou Dun is here

This is continued here

Yuan Shao has his DW6 look b/c he looks almost unrecognizable in DW5 XD

[peridot-tears]

I got no faith that AC Jade won't be Orientalist. It's another one of those western games that want to imitate Cdramas but will probably fall into the white idea of what ancient China is (stares in mulan 2020).

On a related note -- I love Shao Jun as a character, but you can hear that she's voiced by a white woman with a caricaturist's accent a million miles away.

[binging-asian-dramas]

Fall In Love. 9/10

Story: 10

Acting: 10

Chemistry: 10

Comparable to: Maids Revenge (cdrama) ; Cruel Romance (cdrama)

One of my favorite historical cdrama’s. It takes place in the 1920s (republican era) which is an unique era of a cdrama you don’t see many of. The storyline is executed excellently with just enough mystery, action, melodrama, and romance. The chemistry between the two main leads are brilliantly casted and oofing are they oozing with smexyness together. It does take a few episodes for the momentum to get into, but it’s overall an outstanding drama where you won’t want to stop watching. Warning there also is sensitive subjects of attempted rape and suicide.

[sesiondemadrugada]

Deep Evil (Mark Lu, 2019).

[ttoca]

Context Is Overrated

[moviereviews101web]

Lost in Perfection (2023) Movie Review

Lost in Perfection – Movie Review Director: Hsin Yin Sung (On Happiness Road) Cast Yu-Wei Shao (Hello Ghost) Mei-Hsiu Lin (Forever Young) Rhydian Vaughn (Concubine of Shanghai) Figaro Tseng (More than Blue) Tien-Chu Lee (The Golden Years) Chia-Kuei Chen (Ro Sun) Plot: TV anchor life unravels when she discovers her dad become the victim of a romance scam. Making matters worse, the scammer…

[quotablefanfiction]

“Ohh. Do they still have that thing?” “If by ‘thing’ you mean a decades-long blood feud,” Jiang Cheng says. “So Sect Leader Shao is fighting with both the Yu and Jia sects?” Wei Wuxian says, “If you have more than one blood feud, you might want to consider that you’re the problem, here.”

cultivation world seating plans are very complicated (chp. 1)

the only way out by cafecliche (AO3) Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed – Teen – Lan Zhan/Wei Wuxian #Post-Canon #Event planning #One part character study #One part comedy of errors #and one part fix-it #Wei Wuxian is a people pleaser

“Just do what you can, Senior Wei!” Sizhui whispers. “We’ll be right here!”

“Yeah!” Jingyi says. “And just remember: it’s going to be a disaster either way, so it’s not like there’s much you can do about it!”

(Or: Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng plan a discussion conference together. It goes about as well as Wei Wuxian expects.)

Part 3 of the yungmeng accords series (AO3)

[stuff-diary]

The On1y One

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2024

The On1y One (2024, Taiwan)

Director: Liu Kuang Hui

Writers: Wang Yu Chen & Liu Kuang Hui (based on the novel by Mu Su Li)

Mini-review:

Okay, why did nobody tell me the director of Your Name Engraved Herein had made a whole-ass gay drama? Just from that fact, I already knew I would love this. It certainly has more of a BL vibe compared to the movie, probably due to the source material, but it still manages to avoid basically all the toxic tropes and stereotypes. I really appreciate when these type of dramas take as much time as necessary to properly flesh out the characters and their bond, which is what you get here. People looking for constant romance will be disappointed, but the leads have fantastic chemistry, and seeing their development is exactly what makes it special. But truly, the characters are so relatable; the show uses them to make some beautiful reflections on life and youth. My biggest complaint is that the pace does get a bit too slow from time to time. Still, The On1y One is a gorgeously made drama and I definitely hope that second season happens.

[feng-huli]

Hands of the Five Eunuchs

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: Decline (2023)

#Cdrama #BL "i would wait until you come back." #Shorts #webdrama #江湖少年诀

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fXjf16fDpvI

[renewedmotionforjudgment]

A Definitive (See: Extremely Subjective) Ranking of (Not All) Yu Zheng Dramas

With the Double airing, it has occurred to me that despite all of my critiques of Yu Zheng, I have watched quite a number of Yu Zheng dramas. Two reasons: (1) I do love a palace makjang, and Yu Zheng wrote a lot of them before harem dramas got banned, and (2) Yu Zheng is a prolific producer.

Disclaimer: despite everything, I have not seen Female Prime Minister.

So a definitively, extremely subjective, rank of Yu Zheng dramas.

Gong 1 aka Jade Palace Lock Heart. A plot that is banned these days. Modern girl time travels back to Qing dynasty, specifically during the Kangxi era, and gets mixed up in the dynastic battle between the 4th prince and the 8th prince. Starring Yang Mi and Feng Shao Feng. Copious plagiarism from Hana Yori Dango/Meteor Shower, FL advises a Kangxi concubine to rollerblade her way into seduction, and the start of Yu Zeng's neon era. Does it have the cerebral gut punch that Bu Bu Jin Xin gave? Nope. But it remains an extremely fun watch. Only 35 episodes.

Scheme of Beauty/Beauties Rival in the Palace (the first one, I have not seen subsequent ones). An extremely fictional story about Empress Dou of Han, played by Ruby Lin, also featuring Yang Mi, Feng Shao Feng, and Luo Jin, back when he was still playing the second ML. There is some plagiarism scandal attached to it, but I will say that plot wise it's probably the most tightly written of all Yu Zheng works.

Yanxi Palace. I admit, I am a Legend of Ruyi girl through and through, but upon re-watch, honestly Yanxi Palace is so fun. It is a later era Yu Zheng, when he's no longer as restrained by thing like "put less plot armor on your main characters," but it is probably the drama that plays best into Yu Zheng's strength, aka a fun makjang.

Gong 2. Was Yu Zheng trying to rip off Zhen Huan? Yes. BUT it's a fun watch with albeit VERY NEON outfits.

Legend of Haolan. The story about Qin Shi Huang's mother. Wu Jinyan playing a very Wei Yingluo character, so enjoyable watch, but also it felt very ... Yu Zheng madlibs.

Ban Shu Legend. The costumes were fugly. But I actually enjoyed the chemistry between Zhang Zhehan and Jing Tian. The plot is a mess though, I can't even describe it.

Untouchable Lovers. It was a mess! but! it's like a whose who of Yu Zheng's current talent roster.

Swordsman. Yes, I'm putting it below Untouchable Lovers because that drama was at least aesthestically pleasing. Swordsman was Yu Zheng's peak neon era and if there is one thing Yu Zheng should have no business touching, it is a classic wuxia.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Bajie (2022) 八戒

Director: Qiu Liwei Starring: Xu Guanghan / Liu Guanting / Harlem Yu / Shao Yuwei / Tuo Zonghua / Zhong Xinling / Wei Ruxuan / Xu Zhanrong / Xu Zhanrui Genre: Comedy / Animation / Adventure Country/Region of Production: Taiwan, China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2022-09-25 (Taiwan, China) / 2023-11-18 (Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival) Duration: 96 minutes Also known as: Pigsy: Battle for the Future / Pigsy / 八戒：决战未来 IMDb: tt27851949 Type: Reimagining

Summary:

In the future world, technology and data dominate everything. When the old city becomes old and crowded, the new world built with the latest technology becomes a place that everyone yearns for. However, only the elites with the highest contribution value are eligible to move in. Bajie (voiced by Xu Guanghan) is lazy and selfish, so he is of course disqualified. However, in order to let his grandmother (voiced by Zhong Xinling) live a good life, he decides to go against his conscience and make a private deal with the president of the construction company, Niu Mowang (voiced by Tuo Zonghua)... The film moves "Journey to the West" to a science fiction scene. Bajie transforms into a cyber fat man, and together with the science and engineering man Sanzang (voiced by Liu Guanting), the hot guard Wukong (voiced by Harlem Yu), and the female robot Xiaojing (voiced by Shao Yuwei), they shuttle through the mixed old and new city scenes and explore the true meaning of happiness.

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/36588177/

Link: N/A

[bananaproved]

Top 6 shelved dramas that I would still really like to see

Ranked in no particular order, selection based on my personal tastes.

1) The Prisoner of Beauty

Plot : Adapted from the novel "Zhe Yao" by Peng Lai Ke, it tells the story of the arranged marriage between Wei Shao (Liu Yuning) and Qiao Man (Song Zuer). The fun thing about this marriage is that they both hate each other for complicated family reasons (in the novel Qiao Man's family is directly responsible for the death of Wei Shao's father), so they start they relationship by trying to make the life of the other a living hell. Ultimately, their relationship will develop as they are impressed by each other's ingenuity and discover common interests. There is also an important "let's protect the empire and the common people" plot behind the romance.

Why I wish I could see it : It looks good !! The main duo of actors are both really good looking, but the production in general looks really high budget, with good costumes and sets. I would love to see that. Just look at this trailer !

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Song Zuer :/ bestie :/ tax evasion is bad !!

Can we have some hope ? : Not really, at this point of time, no c-actors caught for tax evasion managed to make an actual comeback in the industry (even really popular ones like Deng Lun or Fan Bing Bing). Song Zuer is still being investigated, so maybe we can hope to see her name cleared but it's a little unlikely because they don't investigate people just for fun. However Song Zuer was involved in a lot of high budget projects so I am sure a lot of people are really motivated to try to airdrop at least some of her projects if they have the possibility.

2) The Fated General

Plot : Classic high-budget historical drama telling the story of real life historical figure Huo Qubing (Zhang Ruoyun) during the Western Han Dynasty. It follows his military feats that got him the reputation of being one of the best military generals in the history of China.

Why I wish I could see it : First, the cast is incredible. We have Zhang Ruoyun (famous for being really good at choosing his scripts), Mao Xiao Tong, Bai Yu, Li Hongyi, Xu Yue, and others. It's really an all star cast except the drama was shot in 2016, before some of them became really famous, so it can be really interesting to watch ! Plus it's a really high budget drama, most of the outdoor scenes are shot in real landscape and not in a studio and it globally looks really good. For a better impression, look at this nice looking MV based on the different trailers of the show :

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : In 2019 (I think ?) the censorship rules changed concerning historical dramas and established the fact that dramas were forbidden to "distort" certain historical facts. This kind of put an end to traditional historical dramas as they became a way more risky investments, and stopped this one from airing as it already took some liberties in terms of storytelling. Huo Qubing is also a semi-controversial historical figure so it is not helping.

Can we have some hope ? : It's been 7 or 8 years and the regulations concerning historical fiction only got more restrictives in China so I would say no.

3) Immortality

Plot : I'm sure everybody knows the plot of Erha so I don't need to write it but just in case the important tags are : xianxia, dangai, shizunfuckers, reincarnation, blood spitting, stairs, ...

Why I wish I could see it : Outside of the obvious reasons (gay people on my screen, Luo Yunxi spitting blood), it's also produced by the same people involved in the production of Till the End of the Moon and Shui Long Yin, so I have I hopes for the artistic direction of the drama. Also for dmbj fans : did you know Liu Chang played a guest role in this drama ? Idk what he is doing here but I would love to see it.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : We are all aware of the famous 2021 dangai ban, but in general the chinese government is not a big fan of massive and really agitated fandoms (in the way The Untamed fandom was), so Immortality is in a pretty bad position.

Can we have some hope ? : Yeah !!!!! Hyx TOMORROW !!! Believe in your dreams !!!

For real : Two options. 1) On a random morning of the year 20XX you wake up to danmei fans in your tl losing their marbles bc the 6 first episodes of hyx were randomly airdropped during the night with no promotion and no warnings. You cry some tears of joy and immediately go watch Luo Yunxi spit some blood on screen. 2) After many years hyx is still not out but there were so many leaks that the fans managed to recreate the entire series from scraps and now you can watch it in full. Look, they already started :

4) Night Wanderer

Plot : Zong Yin (Ni Ni) is a forensic expert living in Shanghai in 2021. She met, in her own apartment, a man, called Sheng Qing Rang (Deng Lun), claiming to be the owner of this apartment but in 1937. Together they discover that they can travel to their respective time periods through their shared apartment and start to develop a strong relationship, first as confidence and progressively as lovers. However, the situation get complicated as the Battle of Shanghai broke out in 1937 putting both of their lives in danger.

Why I wish I could see it : First, for lesbian reasons as I would never miss an occasion to stare at Ni Ni for 36 episodes (Wang Yuwen also has a supporting role here and I really like her ! Double win !). Second, it's actually a really nice and original plot for a CDrama and I have full confidence in both actors' capacity to pull off a really good performance to go with it. Look at this trailer ! It looks so promising !

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Deng Lun !!! Tax evasion is bad !!

Can we have some hope ? : Even less than for The Prisoner of Beauty as Deng Lun is 100% proved to have committed tax evasion. There is often rumors about him coming back to acting but it's unlikely.

5) Winner is King

Plot : Based on the novel "Sha Po Lang" by Priest, set in a steampunk version of the Liang Dynasty. It tells the story of Chang Geng (Chen Zhe Yuan), a young man living in a random countryside village, who discovers after a raid on their village that the closest people around him were hiding a big secret about his identity. He also discovers that the people around him are not who they pretend to be, especially his yifu (adoptive father, played by Tan Jianci), and realizes that his life will never be the same.

Why I wish I could see it : Outside of the reasons already mentioned in hyx's case, Winner is King is also directed by the same director as Guardian and a Journey to Love. I really like his work and he proved that he was able to do really good things even with a really low budget, so now imagine with a decent amount of money ? It could be great. Also I really like the idea of an ancient china steampunk but I am too lazy to read the book.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : Same reason as hyx and all the other dangais </3 Also I am not sure of how advanced the production was when it was stopped, because I feel like there are not as many content leaks.

Can we have some hope ? : If we can manifest hard enough the end of the ban, it is possible.

6) The Love of Hypnosis

Plot : During the end of Qing Dynasty, a (patriotic) young man named Yen Shen (Jing Boran) meets a fragrance shop owner named Lu Man Sheng (Liu Yifei). Man Sheng has the special ability/ mission to relieve the hearts of people suffering because of love, but it does not mean that her own romantic life is easier to deal with. Together they fall in love and have to navigate the really troubled times of the end of Qing Dynasty.

Why I wish I could see it : If you are familiar with Liu Yifei and Jing Boran acting I'm sure you can see the potential of this pairing ??? Just the poster has more on screen chemistry than some pairings have in 40 episodes. At this point the plot could be written by a cat walking on a keyboard and I would still have hope for a good chemistry. Also the drama has Liu Mintao in a supporting role and I am in love with her so it's a plus.

Why I am not seeing it any time soon : First, there are some copyright issues with the original manhwa author. Second, the second male lead, Zhao Lixin, got more or less canceled a few years back for political reasons (sorry I don't have the details).

Can we have some hope ? : I would say maybe a little. Copyright issues can be solved and I've heard that Zhao Lixin is still shooting in dramas, meaning that there is hope for some of his stuff still being released.

That's all <3

Sorry for depressing information maybe ? Next time I promise I will make a post about dramas I am looking forward to and that are likely to be released sooner or later.