#xiao nan yu

[nature-and-culture]

Xiao Nan Yu by Karoline Kuras

[movielosophy]

The First Shot | The squad.

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: Douluo Continent (2021)

武魂特效大揭秘 #xiaozhan #douluocontinenet #斗羅大陸#肖戰 #吳宣儀 #soulland #電視劇 #cdrama 完整正片請戳頭像 Hit to Watch Full EPs⬇

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cPI2RWebhqo

[scorbleeo]

Drama Gossip: Douluo Continent (斗罗大陆)

Source: Google Images

Having lost his mother at a very young age, Tang San grew up relying on his father just as much as his father relied upon him. Meticulous and mature for his age, with extraordinary talent and wit, he was sent to Nuoding Academy at the age of sixteen to begin pursuing his dream of becoming a great soul master. There, under the tutelage of Yu Xiao Gang, he befriends an orphan by the name of Xiao Wu, and together they begin the long and difficult journey of cultivation. As time passes, the two friends draw ever closer, eventually swearing to look out for each other as siblings for life.

As their power and connection grow, Yu Xiao Gang realizes they need more guidance than he can provide. Sending the pair to the Shrek Academy, Tang San and Xiao Wu join five other prodigies from various academies in their journey of cultivation. Strong in their power, the seven students become known throughout the land as the “Shrek Seven Devils”. With their fame ever-growing, the talents of the Seven are eventually noticed by a few very prominent nobles who invite them to continue their cultivation at the esteemed Tian Dou Royal Academy.

Not long after accepting the invitation, the Seven Devils find themselves caught up in an imperial struggle for power between the first and fourth princes. At the same time, Tang San uncovers a long-hidden secret about his mother’s death. Suddenly facing battles on many fronts, Tang San finds himself forced to fight, not only to protect those he loves but to bring honor to his sect, save his country, and complete his quest to become the greatest soul master of all time.

Source: MyDramaList (2021)

It's Just So Good, Ya'know?

In spite of being a Xiao Zhan fan, I don't love a lot of his dramas. Douluo Continent though, that is one of the few I truly enjoy. This is a rewatch and the parts that irritated me, I still don't like but the parts that I like, I still enjoy.

The biggest problem with this drama is the pacing. This is me being nice but oh boy, the pacing is all over the place with Douluo Continent. Also, I am just not a big fan of the romance in this show. Don't get me wrong, I love Zhu Zhu Qing and Dai Mu Bai's relationship, I had hoped to get more from them. The other two couples among the Seven Devils are quite cute but sometimes really redundant. Especially the many scenes of Xiao Wu and Tang San. I get it, but I did not watch this show for their romance, it's average at best.

That being said, lets talk about the show itself. Fantastical wuxia dramas without long melodramatic or constant betrayal scenes are my favourite. The storyline, the world, the characters, the action, Douluo Continent really is entertaining to watch. A downside? For a show focusing on people's powers and abilities to fight, there is a severe lack of action scenes. Sometimes, I just want the fight scene to drag on or show me more action rather than slow motion scenes of anyone being attacked and falling backwards.

Every time I watch Douluo Continent, I get the urge to watch the animation as well. Unfortunately, the animation is not it for me. So until the second instalment comes out, I really don't think I will consume any content of Douluo Continent except for this drama. A pity, really.

Rating: ★★★★☆

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Most iconic Xie Lian moments according to me

Contains spoilers!!!

"Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry"

Keeping every memento of his worst time ever as a reminder of why being kind and forgiving is worth it

When he runs off after he gives Hua Cheng CPR that one time pretending he's looking for his hat

When he keeps roasting Xiao Ying's looks even as she's dying

When he was a prince and he was told his future looked dark and he said that can't be cause he only wears white

Eating food off the ground

Building his own temple, we love a girl boss

When he pet E'Ming like a little puppy after being explicitly told not to ever touch it under any circumstances

Putting Banyue in a pickle jar

When Wuming said he would follow Xie Lian to the death and Xie Lian went "youre already dead"

Breaking rocks on his chest for money

Being trampled to death as general Hua, doormat core

The whole Fangxin Guoshi arc, whew 🥵

Carrying around a big ass bag of scraps everywhere

When he became jealous of Hua Cheng's special someone not realizing the very obvious fact that he was Hua Cheng's special someone actually

Slapping tf out of Qi Rong for making fun of Hua Cheng being blind in one eye

Pretending he had no idea who Nan Feng and Fu Yao were

When Mu Qing and Feng Xin were freaking about how creepy the Ten Thousands Gods Cave was whilst he found it incredibly romantic

Being a bit too into pretending to be Hua Cheng's puppet on Mount Tonglu

Feeding into E'Ming's praise kink

When he disguised himself as a pregnant lady to be possessed by the evil fetus spirit and it worked

When he disguised himself as a woman so badly he looked hideous and needed help to not look like that

When he spent the entirety of the Xuan Ji capturing business in his wedding dress disguise, including meeting Pei Xiu like that

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts-

When his response to the sex pollen was to kill himself

"I do not worship god, i am god!"

Every single sweet and tender interaction with Hua Cheng's butterflies that everyone else is terrified of

When everyone ignored him in the communication array because he was cringe

Getting drunk on a tombstone with little ghost fire Hua Cueng after his life fell apart

Controversial but i think his calamity era was also iconic and very sexy

When Heaven's Eye said his lips are exuding evil energy and he turned bright red

And then later when Heaven's Eye said the evil energy is inside him and he immediately changed the subject

Recognizing literally everyone despite their disguises but keeping quiet about it not to embarrass them.

Calling Yin Yu boring and forgettable looking to his face

Defending Hua Cheng, evil ghost king, in front of the whole entire Heavenly Emperor

When he was working in the rice field with Hua Cheng and he kept staring

Being poor

Having ridiculously bad luck

Ascending three times

Big daddy issues even with his dad still alive

When his life had just fallen apart and he didnt know how much a lantern could cost because he had been ridiculously rich all his life

Holding up a massive temple from falling apart???

Kissing Hua Cheng for spiritual energy in front of literally everyone more than once

When he could hear rats talking???

Adopting children

Not iconic Xie Lian behaviors

His abhorrent cooking

Trying to kill himself???

[starcrossed591]

CDrama Year in Review 2023

I'm still very much a CDrama beginner--I just started watching them in the summer of 2022--but since this is the first year I got into them in earnest, I figured I might as well do a year in review a la @dangermousie (whose lists I have found incredibly helpful in deciding which CDramas I really, really need to go back and watch as part of my CDrama education--so thank you!). So, without further adieu, here is my ranking of 2023 CDramas, in order of least enjoyed to most enjoyed*.

(See also: KDrama Year in Review 2023)

*Disclaimer: *not* a measure of objective quality

10. Royal Rumours: This drama was not great? Meng Zi Yi and Jeremy Tsui were fun, but the story started out messy and got messier. For some reason I still finished it, I think because I had a lingering cold and it was all my brain could handle at the time *shrug*

9. Gone with the Rain: I actually really enjoyed this one! The pacing was inconsistent, but Zhang Nan was fun as the irreverent Mo Xi, and we love a grizzled general. Special shout to the teacher who was not actually evil, just a sad lesbian whose gf disappeared on her

8. Love You Seven Times: Intriguing concept, not a strong enough FL to carry it through. The reincarnation stuff really worked for me at first, especially in their first mortal tribulation (as people, not CGI animals), but I got tired of it pretty quickly. I admit, the gifs of Ding Yu Xi as a sexy cat demon *did* pull me back in, but not enough for me to actually finish the thing, alas

7. Destined/Chang Feng Du: Started out really strong, and then stalled out on me. I think I only got up to about episode 22 or so, after their epic desert crossing and new start in a new state--they lost all narrative momentum for me there. I stopped watching and then just...didn't start again. I do, however, remain a big Bai Jing Ting fan, and will be keeping on eye out for whatever he does next

6. Hidden Love: (Contemporary) Age gap romances are hit or miss for me, but Zhao Lu Si absolutely stole/carried the show for me in this one. Although more fun imo when the main couple are in the the will-they-won't-they phase than in the family melodrama after they get together, still the only contemporary CDrama to get me to give it a go this year--and I'm glad I did

5. My Journey to You: Featuring my favorite murder girlies Esther Yu as Yun Wei Shan and Lu Yu Xiao as Shanguan Qian! Gorgeous costumes and sets, sweeping cinematography, and plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Full disclosure, I have not actually watched the last two episodes because I got busy and then saw weird chatter about them, so I have no comment on the allegedly weird ending

4. Till the End of the Moon: Look, I know the ending wasn't ideal, but for the majority of its run, this drama owned my entire soul. It also introduced me to Bai Lu as Li Su Su, who inspired my first actual tumblr post (that wasn't a reblog) because I was so obsessed with her. And everyone knows that Tantai Jin is the CDrama ML of the year. 10/10, no regrets at letting it take over my life (and the OST my Spotify) from April to May of this year

3. The Story of Kunning Palace: More Bai Lu is always a good thing, and she's extra fun here as the transmigrated former evil empress and totally-over-your-nonsense Xiang Xue Ning here. The reverse haremness of it all totally shows why Bai Lu is the chemistry queen, especially with the princess (Liu Xie Ning) and cranky, morally grey, would-fail-gym-class strategist Xie Wie (Zhang Ling He). So glad this drama made it out of the CDrama vault and didn't languish indefinitely in censorship hell

2. A Journey to Love: Finished this one two days ago as of this writing and am still not normal about it. Ren Ruyi (Liu Shi Shi) and Ning Yuan Zhou (Liu Yu Ning) lead an exceptionally strong ensemble cast in this wuxia that explores the complicated relationships between love, duty, loyalty, loneliness, and companionship. Ruyi and Yuan Zhou are far and away one of my fave OTPs of the year, but just as compelling are the relationships between friends/brothers/fellow assassins Yu Shisan, Yuan Lu (ugh my heart), Qian Zhou, and Sun Lang. This drama definitely has one of the strongest ensemble casts of the year. And the character growth of Yang Ying from little princess abandoned in the cold palace to who she becomes by the end will stick with me for a long time. Plus another 10/10 OST!

1. Lost You Forever S1: I'm not normally a reverse harem girl, but the longing, loss, and hard resolve portrayed to perfection by Yang Zi as Xiao Yao really did it for me here. This whole drama struck an emotional chord for me, and where TTEOTM consumed my soul, LYF took over my heart. Xiao Yao's relationships with her power hungry, overprotective cousin Cang Xuan; hot snake demon Xiang Liu/playboy archery shufu Feng Feng Bei; and perfectly devoted Tushan Jing are all equally compelling to me, and while I may know who she ends up with in the end, who I *think* she should be with changes based on who's on screen at any given time. And A'Nian, my favorite bratty princess who really just needs some strong parenting, holds a special place in my heart. I know we may never get S2, and even if we do, censorship means it probably won't be what the drama makers are capable of, but I'm so glad for this little piece of absolute perfection. And, again, a top notch OST!

Fave Drama: Lost You Forever, by just a hair over A Journey to Love. See above.

Least Fave Drama: Royal Rumours--truly why did I finish this, what was past me thinking

Biggest Disappointment: 2023 is also the year I read Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir, my very first CNovel! But then I didn't even bother checking out its adaptation, Romance of a Twin Flower, because it got rid of everything that made the novel such an addicting read, including a brilliant, strategic, ice cold FL and an ML who actually kind of sucked at the beginning, only to grow on you very, very slowly over time. I'm grateful that the chatter around the drama is what brought the novel to my attention, but other than that, hard pass.

Favorite Male Character: Lots of good ones this year, but I'm gonna go with Cang Xuan (Zhang Wan Yi) from Lost You Forever. The conflict he faces between getting enough power to protect the people he loves the most and that power making him incompatible with those loved ones is so compelling, and his yearning for Xiao Yao even when she's right in front of him is wrenching. Full disclosure, I also just really love the sound of his voice

Favorite Female Character: This could easily have gone to Li Susu (TTEOTM), Xiao Yao (LYF), or Ren Ruyi (AJTL), but I'm gonna go with Bai Lu's Xiang Xue Ning in The Story of Kunning Palace. Something I really loved about this character was just how jaded Xue Ning really was, even in her second go round at life. Yeah, she wants to make amends for the harm done in her previous rise to power, but that has hardly turned her into a good--or even pleasant--person. Instead, she's incredibly skeptical and still plays most things ice cold, especially with her family. As a bonus, we got plenty of Bai Lu's fantastic side eye as she basically had to do high school all over again when she gets called into the palace despite her very best efforts not to be.

Favorite Ship: Ren Ruyi and Yuan Zhao from A Journey to Love have got to be it. They balance each other out so well, and over the course of the drama, learn to communicate effectively with each other whenever they have a problem. They also recognize that not all problems can be solved by ~love~, which makes their relationship even more compelling when they decide to prioritize each other in a way that respects what the other wants from life.

Favorite Secondary Ship: Little princess Yang Ying and Yuan Lu absolutely broke stole my heart in A Journey to Love. Doomed love even more than the main OTP, these two's youthful romance was such much fun to watch, especially as they egged their respective mentors on in their own romance. Yang Ying's recognition that her first love did not have to be her only love is also something I always love to see, even as it broke my heart that (spoiler) she and Yuan Lu never really had a chance at an HEA. Their relationship really exemplified a key theme of this drama: that you should love the people you love while they're still with you because tomorrow is never promised.

Non-2023 Dramas that I Watched: Two non-2023 dramas I watched that deserve a special shout out are Love and Redemption and The Sword and the Brocade. Love and Redemption prepared me to really appreciate the big swings that Till the End of the Moon took, and The Sword and the Brocade went a little way to filling the Story of Ming Lan shaped hole in my heart. The Sword and the Brocade also had absolutely searing critique of the concubine system, even as it featured one of the most genuinely good-hearted FLs I've seen. Would recommend both!

Most Looking Forward To: Yes, I'm a sucker and the censors (not to mention the characters) will probably break my heart, but I'm still crossing my fingers that Lost You Forever S2 will live up to the promise of part one. See above: still a CDrama beginner, have not yet had all the optimism knocked out of me. Sue me.

[crazycatsiren]

Xiao Nan Yu (principal dancer, National Ballet of Canada) as Manon.

Photographer: Christopher Wahl

[herbofthyme]

Herb’s Sketchbook Breakdown

Over the course of the year, I kept track of the numbers of times I drew different fandoms, ships, and characters in my sketchbook. So if you are a fellow stats enjoyer, here you go:

Fandoms

SVSSS: 239

TGCF: 46

2HA: 12

Fire Emblem: 12

Genshin Impact: 9

The Apothecary Diaries: 1

YOI: 1

DTPPF: 1

Free!: 1

Ships

SVSSS

Bingqiu: 57

Liushen: 17

Bingyuan: 9

Bingliu: 6

Mingling: 5

Qijiu: 5

Moshang: 4

Bingliushen: 4

Tianxi: 1

TGCF

Hualian: 19

Fenglian: 4

Quanyin: 4

Fengqing: 2

Everything Else

Ranwan: 7

Kaeluc: 1

Makoharu: 1

Sylvix: 1

Characters

SVSSS

Luo Binghe: 130

Shen Qingqiu: 112

Liu Qingge: 41

Shen Yuan: 12

Liu Mingyan: 8

Yue Qingyuan: 8

Sha Hualing: 7

Shang Qinghua: 6

Shen Jiu: 5

Mobei-Jun: 4

Su Xiyan: 3

Tianlang-Jun: 2

Luo Bing-ge: 2

Zhuzhi-Lang: 2

Gongyi Xiao: 2

Mu Qingfang: 1

Ning Yingying: 1

And the number of times those were genderswapped:

Luo Binghe: 30

Shen Qingqiu: 17

Shen Yuan: 8

Liu Qingge: 5

Shang Qinghua: 2

Mobei-Jun: 1

Yue Qingyuan: 1

Shen Jiu: 1

TGCF

Xie Lian: 26

Hua Cheng: 22

Feng Xin: 6

Mu Qing: 4

Quan Yizhen: 4

Yin Yu: 3

Shi Qingxuan: 2

Fu Yao: 2

Nan Feng: 1

He Xuan: 1

ERHA

Mo Ran: 9

Chu Wanning: 9

Xue Meng: 2

Fire Emblem

Sylvain (fe3h): 3

Felix (fe3h): 3

Takumi (fates): 2

Leo (fates): 2

Goldmary (engage): 1

Camilla (fates): 1

Dimitri (fe3h): 1

Hilda (fe3h): 1

Genshin Impact

The following were each drawn once:

Furina, Childe, Venti, Zhongli, Kaveh, Diluc, Kaeya, Lynette, Fujin, Mavuika

The Apothecary Diaries

Maomao: 1

Yuri!!! On Ice

Yuri Plisetsky: 1

DTPPF

Li Yu (fish form): 1

Free!

Makoto: 1

Haru: 1

(disclaimer: this does not add up to 366. Not everything I drew was from a fandom. i didn’t post most of those)

[staydandy]

A Love Story of Oiled Paper Umbrella (2024) - 一伞烟雨 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Supreme Court's Nan Fengyi and demon broker Meng Xizhou cross paths through a crime, leading her to apprentice under him as they team up to capture demons. Their growing bond is tested when Meng Xizhou’s inner demon takes control, and Nan Fengyi discovers the demonic core she lost resides within him. (MDL)

Whumpee : Nan Feng Yi played by Yu Meng Long

Country : 🇨🇳 China Genres : Historical, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy

Notes : This is a Full Whump List • Adapted from the web novel "Yi San Yan Yu" (一伞烟雨) by Chen Xiao Tao (陈小桃)

Episodes on List : 19 Total Episodes : 24

*Spoilers below*

01 : Nan Feng Yi has nosebleed … nosebleed

02 : Trapped in a burning building

03 : (past halfway point) Imprisoned

04 : Fight; knocked back, spits up blood … (near end) nosebleed

05 : (at end) Practicing a new spell; shaking, fingertips bleeding

06 : (near end) Fight; pinned to a wall, coughs up blood

08 : (new end) Controlled by a spell, hallucinating … arrested, interrogated; tortured, repeatedly struck with electric shocks, several cuts bleeding, pain

09 : … continued from previous ep. ... Still imprisoned, clothes bloodstained … straining to practice a spell while imprisoned.. pain … struck with electric shock, pain

11 : Trapped … stabbed, spits up blood.. passed out … pain from wound

13 : (at end) Coughs up blood

15 : Arrested, handcuffed, back of knees kicked forced to kneel

16 : Imprisoned, caged, coughing up blood

17 : Pickup then dropped by a monster

19 : Someone attempts to strip him of his magic core, fails, coughs up blood, passes out

20 : Found passed out … pale, coughing up blood … pushed to the ground, tortured … pain

21 : Magic core removed, pain, spits up blood, falls.. pain … forced to kneel, pain, spits up blood … hit with a force, spits up blood

22 : Protects someone, takes a magical strike … [flashback] binds himself with magic, hit with a force, spits up blood … [present] collapses, passes out … weak, unsteady, pain.. coughing up blood

23 : Collapses … passes out … spits up blood, collapses

24 : Passes out … using all his strength to perform a spell, dies

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Are You The One (2024)

Are You The One is a must watch for fans of historical and cunning, independent and smart characters, playing mind games against their enemies. If you liked cdramas like Story of Minglan and Wonderland Of Love, this might be for you.

This was a perfect drama. I have no notes. It delivered on everything that promised from beginning to end and properly developed the troupes of fake marriage and enemies to lovers in a fresh and entertaining way.

The court politics were fascinating to watch, giving the viewers all kind of strategies, taking down enemies one by one, making friends and even breaking down emotional walls for our lead characters. It was a treat to watch every single scheming they put on.

The development of each arc, with its respective main conflict, was entertaining. I am incredible happy with how the scriptwriter of this drama handled every storyline. All the characters consistently grow through this journey and have their moments in the spotlight. The resolution really well done, cohesive, grounded and coherent to each character' respective personalities and wishes.

The cast director really outdid themselves in this drama, each actor is the perfect choice for the character they are playing. My hat off to them for giving Zhang Wanyi such an incredible well written character as Lord Huaiyang, whom delivers some of the best moments of this drama from his war tactics, home life woes and comedic timing. Watching him grovel to win back his loved one was a never ending source of entertainment.

Wang Churan's Miantang is the perfect match. The growing of her character is perhaps more subtle but incredibly well performed and poignant. She delivered in every scene as a savvy business woman and every scheme at court as Lady Huaiyang.

Lord and Lady Huaiyang's respective strategies are different but they complement each other in an harmonious way, helping each other, growing together as people and governors. They consider themselves equals and respect each other, which is why I think they are one of the best couples in Dramaland I have seen in a while.

As for the secondary characters, there's always someone that stands out in a drama and for me, this time, it was Empress Shi, played by Yuan Yu Xuan. She gave us one of the best performances of this year. Her character grows from timid concubine daughter being emotional abused at home to a revered phoenix. When she finally stood her ground, against her own family, it was a wonder to watch. She got a standing ovation from me.

Chang Huasen was a really good choice to play Ziyu, a very stoic character that made sacrifices along the way to power. His growing has a lot to do with trust and I think, at the end of the day, he learns who should never be used as a pawn in the court games.

Marquis Zhennan and Miss He, played respectively by Zhang Chi and Liu Lingzi, were a source of entertaining. Both characters equally smart and filial in different ways that made them complement each other, and help their friends find ways to navigate the art of war.

Even the actors playing the enemies were outstanding, smart as the leads, and keeping them on their toes until the very end.

From a technical point of view, Are You The One also had a beautiful cinematography, the locations and sets were wonderful, the costume design matched each character really well. The use of sound and lack of it, which it's more important than we actually realize, was perfectly matched on every scene.

The strongest point was the writing and directing. It was clear Directors Liu Guo Nan and Cong Xiao know what they are doing when it comes to visual storytelling. As for screen writer Zhao Tian You, I think they did an outstanding job writing these characters and story.

This is how I like my dramas: smart, coherent, cohesive and fun. I highly recommend it.

[lttawnymadison]

Danmei most highly rated/loved

This list is based on my poll of people's favorite danmei novels. They're also the ones I've heard about multiple times. Many are licensed for English, and more are being licensed all the time!

MXTX – Heaven Official's Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) 

MXTX – The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi)  

MXTX – The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong) 

Meatbun – The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun)

Meatbun - Remnants of Filth (Yu Wu)

Meatbun - Case File Compendium (Bing an Ben)

Meng Xishi - Thousand Autumns (Qian Qiu) 

Meng Xishi – Peerless (Wu Shuang) 

Priest - Stars of Chaos (Sha Po Lang)  

Priest – Lord Seventh (Qi Ye)

Priest - Faraway Wanderers (Tian Ya Ke), sequel to Lord Seventh

Priest – Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire 

Priest - Guardian (Zhen Hun) 

Shisi - Little Mushroom (Xiao Mogu) 

Feng Yu Nie - Mistakenly Saving the Villain 

FTYX - Dinghai Fusheng Records

FTYX - Legend of Exorcism (Tianbao Fuyao Lu) (loose sequel to DFR)

FTYX - To Rule in a Turbulent World (Luan Shi Wei Wang)  

Tang Jiu Qing - Qiang Jin Jiu 

Tang Jiu Qing - Nan Chan 

Cang Wu Bin Bai - Golden Terrace (Cang Wu Bin Bai) 

Cang Wu Bin Bai - Chun Feng Du Jian 

Qing Se Yu Yi - Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know  

Man Man He Qi Duo - Those Years In Quest Of Honour Mine 

Lu Ye Qian He - The Wife is First (Qi Wei Shang) 

Yi Yi Yi Yi - How to Survive As a Villain (Chuanyue Cheng Fanpai Yao Ruhe Huoming)  

Zhìchǔ - Fan Service Paradox (Ying Ye Bei Lun)  

Mu Su Li - Global Examination (Quanqiu Gaokao)  

Wei Feng Ji Xu - Mist (Bowu) 

Xue Shan Fei Hu - The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish 

Wu Zhe - Run Wild (Sa Ye) 

bafflinghaze - Dao Of The Salted Fish (Salted Fish Cultivator) 

Lin Qian - The Fallen Merman 

Feng Liu Shu Dai - Quickly wear the face of the devil 

Yin Ya - The Legendary Master’s Wife  

Wú Yì - The Killer of Killers (Sha Qing) 

Bing Kuai’er/ICE (冰块儿) - After Dawn/Dawning 黎明之后 

Jiang Weiji - How to Feed an Abyss! 

Lei Xu - The Grave Robbers' Chronicles

[movielosophy]

The First Shot | Working family

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: Hard To Find (2024)

Gifs of Intro of cdrama "Hard To Find"

ENG SUB 《难寻 Hard To Find》 EP01 复仇王子与病娇公主在暗杀中惊险重逢 沈羽洁当街护短心上人惹怒昔日爱人赵弈钦｜MangoTV Drama

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i_oIb3RxpU

[scorbleeo]

Drama Gossip: 19th Floor (19层)

Source: Google Images

Unconscious after a car accident, university student Chun Yu and her best friend Qing You mysteriously find themselves inside the dangerous world of a VR game. Several other people have also unwittingly ended up here, and they soon discover they were all involved in the accident - except for substitute teacher Gao Xuan, who claims to have simply fallen asleep. Seeing no other option than to play the game, they eventually beat the level and wake up … only to immediately return the next night.

Faced with deadly monsters, puzzles, and mind games, the players have to learn to cooperate despite being unsure if they can trust each other. The pressure increases when it turns out that people who die in the game fall into a coma in real life. And then several more students are dragged into the game! The group spends their nights trying to survive the next level and their days investigating who is doing this to them and why. As they grow closer, friendships and budding romances are repeatedly put to the test by the stress of the situation and the evil machinations of the people behind the game…

Source: MyDramaList (2024)

Actually Interesting

This drama was all over my Douyin FYP when it was showing. Imagine seeing people in modern-day clothes, in a slightly olden-day setting running from what seemed like zombies. Tell me that wouldn't pique your interest. Okay, maybe it wouldn't but it piqued mine. However, apart from that snippet, I went into this drama not knowing anything. Hell, I didn't even know who were the actors.

Anyhow. The premise of 19th Floor is not a new concept. It's the classic 'real life people entering a game with high stakes' plot. What was new was that them entering the game was not obvious initially. The how they entered was a mystery until quite a few episodes in too. Additionally, the games were different. Each time they entered it, the game, the rules and even the stakes were different.

Initially, this was an extremely fascinating drama. I was hooked and went through episodes like I had no other responsibilities. However, as the cast went on and began discovering the secrets and motives, the drama honestly, got predictable. In my opinion, 19th Floor could have had a darker tone to it. Keep the storyline but make things darker, bring in the 'unreliable narrator' trope, make the high stakes actually high stakes as in, more deaths or consequences that cannot be undone. You see, the beginning of this drama was action-filled but the end, not so much.

Don't get me wrong, 19th Floor is still interesting but it could have been way more interesting, considering the actual story from where this drama was adapted from? Yeah, 19th Floor could have done more.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

More productions from China here: The Romance of Tiger and Rose (传闻中的陈芊芊) | Under the Skin (猎罪图鉴)

[web-novel-polls]

Have You Read This Web Novel?

If you’re in the process of reading this web novel, please choose whichever option best fits your situation. You do not have to be completely finished with it to answer “yes.”

If you’ve never heard of it, please read the description below the cut!

See similar polls and results here!

Novel Updates:

As part of the imperial family, every move by Chu Yuan in this game of chess is made with apprehension, fearing that with a moment of inattentiveness, the whole match will be lost in a single move. Ascending to the throne at eighteen, not half a year passes before civil strife erupts in Yun Nan. Though the thoughts of the old guard at the imperial court are not exactly identical, they are all waiting to see how the new emperor will put an end to this. Unexpectedly, before this side could make a move, a few thousand miles away, the King of Xi Nan, Duan Bai Yue, had already personally commanded troops to attack in all directions; not half a year had passed when peace was restored. Sparse moonlight shines into the palace; Chu Yuan stamped the wax seal himself, and had a secret letter sent urgently to Yun Nan 800 miles away — this time, what must we(1) give in exchange? Brush marks passed through the back of the paper; it almost can be seen, when writing this line, how angry the young emperor was. Duan Bai Yue spread out a piece of paper unhurriedly, replying with only one word. You. Note (1): Chu Yuan is using the royal ‘we’ here. The Emperor’s Strategy is the fourth book in Yu Xiao Lan Shan’s Jianghu/Strategy series. Each book is standalone, but there are character cameos and mentions that don’t disrupt the flow of the main story of each book. 1st book: Everywhere in Jianghu is Wonderful 2nd book: The Jianghu is Full of Local Tyrants 3rd book: The Bandit’s Strategy 4th book: The Emperor’s Strategy 5th book: Return Together

Carrd:

A tale of an emperor and a king separated by thousands of li and a thousand words left unsaid.

[rainbowsky]

Legend of Zanghai official announcement

The Legend of Zanghai Official Weibo account posted, (which GG reblogged):

Use your body to stir up the storm, strategize and sharpen your edge. Searching for the truth step by step, undercurrents surge to reveal the true heart.

Chief Director: Zheng Xiaolong

Starring: Xiao Zhan

Director: Cao Yiwen

Screenwriter: Zhao Liuyi

Starring:

Zhang Jingyi

Zhou Qi

Huang Jue

Friendly appearances:

Yu Nan

Special appearances:

Qiao Zhenyu

Tian Xiaojie

Sha Baoliang

Starring:

Liang Chao

Xing Minshan

Yang Yutong

Shao Wen

Yang Fan

Legend of Zanghai officially announces the launch.