#zhao lusi stuff

[sailorjisunq]

赵露思

[adreamofsplendor]

赵露思 ❦ Zhao Lusi

[leftdreamlanddragon]

My sleep schedule is already… what sleep schedule?

Dropping on 11/01

[i99zhuo]

Can you make a guide on Zhao Lusi ? She is a Chinese actress. She is wonyoungism coded meaning if u look at her u can feel tjay She takes great care of herself ukwhim ?? She was in hidden love

How to live like Zhao Lusi ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

This is a guide on daily routines inspired by Chinese actress Zhao Lusi! Thank you for the request, I hope you enjoy it!

content list (routines):

morning

study

workout

shower + self care

night

(_ _ ) . . z Z⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚୨ :★: ୧ ∗  ˖࣪ ໒꒱  ˚₊·

✸ ꒰ morning routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

🐈‍⬛ Lusi’s morning starts her mornings washing her face with a foam cleanser and doing her skincare, emphasizing in using products to protect her skin from the sun as much as she cans, using a whitening cream, however you can use a moisturizer with vitamin c to help with hyperpigmentation instead! always finish your skincare with a lot of sunscreen. She also put on her contact lenses around this time.

Then get dressed and do your makeup, Lusi has a super feminine style! wearing dresses, skirts and blouses with muted colors, plus, she also does her makeup really natural that makes her look like a pretty girl next door! You can also style your hair with some waves to complete the drama protagonist style.

🪨 Lusi never, EVER skips breakfast, she even says that breakfast is the biggest meal she has in the day! so make sure to have a big, well balanced breakfast to have a lot of energy during the day.

Before getting out of her house, Lusi puts sunscreen again, especially on her neck, arms, hands and legs. 

✸ ꒰ study routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

🍙 Since Lusi is an actress, she must have very advanced memory skills! you can practice having a better memory, it's going to be useful especially for tests and presentations! Also, her job requires her to manage multiple skills to play different characters, you can try to play an instrument or do other artistic stuff!

After a hard working session, Lusi likes to reward herself with a delicious meal!

✸ ꒰ workout routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

🏐 Lusi exercises even if she's on her period, doing yoga to help with cramps and debloating.

She’s also very flexible since she practices gymnastics, but she usually just watches follow along videos of pilates or hiit and use a resistance band on her legs!

✸ ꒰ shower + self care routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

🗻 First, she takes her makeup off with an oil based cleanser, she takes her usual shower and puts on a lot of body lotion all over her body.

Then she washes her face with a foam cleanser and after drying it she uses a serum and cream for her skin.

💻 She does all this routine while watching variety shows on her iPad!

✸ ꒰ night routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

Lusi then has a lot of fun cooking dinner for herself and her loved ones! you can try new recipes to try with your friends and family, enjoy your meal!

🪮 After dinner she goes to the bathroom to do her oral health routine! She brushes her teeth, uses some whitening strips to take care of her beautiful smile and finally wears her retainers to keep her teeth in place!

And before going to sleep she uses a massager to massage her scalp, you can use your fingers, massaging our scalps helps a lot with hair growth, so you should totally try it!

Good night!

(_ _ ) . . z Z⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚୨ :★: ୧ ∗  ˖࣪ ໒꒱  ˚₊·

heyyyyy this was my first time writing about someone I didn't knew before, but it was so fun anyways, I found most of the info on xiaohongshu but I still couldn't find much, so sorry if this is too short :(

also thanks everyone bc I didn't spect my last post to blow up :o!!

anyways that's all

toodlezzzzzz!!!!

[dangermousie]

Some recently released cdrama posters that caught my eye.

Love of the Divine Tree - I shall remain from making “woody” jokes and am just gonna say that this is a ridiculously pretty poster and Deng Wei’s wig is ON POINT!

I am so excited for Blossom (which just got its license! Pls air asap before someone doesn’t pay their taxes or visits a Japanese shrine or hires hookers or whatever!) and the poster is just gorgeous. Also I adore Meng Ziyi and am excited for LYR to finally get to be a leading man.

Speaking of excited - just seeing a reminder that Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning are reuniting in a costume drama and this time as the MAIN couple is making me so incredibly giddy! Come on The Story of Pearl Girl, air already!!!

Speaking of Liu Yuning, A Dream Within a Dream is the other drama I am so excited for - the small but delicious subgenre of authors/readers falling for the villain of the story speaks to my id! Too bad he ain’t wearing that sexy mask from the promo shots but we can’t have everything!

This poster is kinda awkward tbh but I put it here because Love of Nirvana trailer was SO good that I pathetically yearn for any crumb from it. It’s rumored for September and I so hope it’s true and I so hope it’s good!

Song Yi’s latest outing was meh but I adore her anyway and every time I see Cheng Lei finally getting to be a leading man, I get happy. Also Shadow Love is based on JLFX novel - haven’t read this one but I tend to love most of her stuff!

Feng Ying Ran Mei Xiang poster. Not a fan of WCR but she plays an assassin and I am weak for that. Plus with Guo Jingming involved you know it’s gonna be gorgeous and I have a huge soft spot for Li Hongyi.

Speaking of Li Hongyi, I know nothing about this drama but it looks pretty! Flying Up Without Disturb is an awful name though!

That is what I call a lazy poster and I am still puzzled as to why they renamed it to Long for Fish as as if it’s some sort of a seafood restaurant but I loved the novel and am ridiculously fond of Chen Feiyu so here we are.

[renewedmotionforjudgment]

Youku Trailer Review, Lightening Round

Because I did the same for Iqiyi. But it should be shorter because Youku isn't release that much new stuff. But overall, a line up that I am thoroughly looking forward to.

The Double - Wu Jinyan returning to the role she does best -- looking murderous and ready to slap everyone who wronged her. I'm gonna enjoy Wang Xinyue's character this time (full offense, Zhang Zhe). This looks great!

Kill Me Love Me - i have no idea what this drama is actually about other than Liu Xueyi saying that this is most unhinged MC he has ever played, and there's that image of him in a fur cloak on a sedan looking unhinged. Also Wu Jinyan looking ready to slap someone, part 2. COUNT ME IN!

The Princess Royal - I have probably 5 other posts dedicated to how much I am looking forward to this, so I'm not going to say more. Okay one thing -- the size difference makes me feel things NGL.

Legend of Jewelry - I will admit that Zhao Lusi dramas are hit and miss, but this looks really good! And Liu Yuning's character looks like he might ... survive? this time around? so yay!

The Eternal Fragrance - It might be the only clunker here. Listen, I'm a bit of a Song Wei Long apologist (is he a great actor? no, but he's enjoyable in the right project), and I can watch Ju Jingyi in the right drama. That said, if there are 2 actors that probably brings out the worst in each other's acting, it's these 2. I'll probably still check it out, but I do not have expectations.

[hyog-blog]

The Story of Pearl Girl (ongoing)

So far the show is delivering hard in all aspects. We get a very dark and tormenting beginning of the story, outlining Duanwu, Zhao Lusi's character, as someone resilient, hellbent on surviving, and also very hopeful about life, despite all the hardships she's experiencing as the pearl diver. But despite being able to leave the godawful place, she finds herself in a world filled with more agony, insecurities, and people doing even worse stuff to each other.

No Savior Is Needed

I really like how her arc is unfolding so far - she's a tough cookie (or, rather, pearlie) and knows what she wants in life, and what's really not her cup of tea. When a knight in white armor appears (quite literally Zhang Jinran is mostly wearing light-colored clothes) she feels an ocean of gratitude towards him but denies his numerous attempts to save her like a damsel in distress that she quite obviously wasn't. She wanted to know more about her origin, and revenge also suddenly appeared on the table. This, and her unwavering desire to be free and fend for herself is what pushes her towards Yan Zijing (played by Liu YuNing).

Matchy-Matchy, but Not Quite

We first see Yan Zijing as a wealthy trader with a super dark attitude towards life (which, later, we get to know why, and he has REASONS to be beyond angsty, stabby, and vengeful like a person who has survived hell on earth, or worse). There's a spark that draws the ML and FL together, but there's no fluff or attempts to save the girl - he's on his vengeful path, but there's just something about Duanwu that reminds YZJ of himself - the way she not only survives but also takes matters into her own hands and wants to learn as much as she can about everything (mostly it's trade and jewelry because that's what she wants to do herself in the future). So, he starts low-key mentoring her, allowing her to make her own decisions (and/or mistakes).

Cuteness Unfolds, but the Drama is Drama-ing

So they stick together with a slow-burn romance blooming veeeery slowly between the two of them, but this is really not the focus of the first, let's say 10 episodes, because the plot is unraveling up to this point. Then we start getting glimpses of them finally acknowledging each other, but once again, it feels more like Duanwu's character development arc than a romance-centric story, and that's what I'm loving about this show.

We get to know more about her origin, and that changes things for her (and him, probably, as well). We also get to see how due to her dark and painful childhood, she grew up to be an incredibly empathetic woman (who is both gentle and strong-willed). She will never pass by a person in distress, and she will fight for the things she feels like fighting. She's quite close to the morally grey character of YZJ because she would literally kill someone if she had to (or believed it was the right thing to do, or for revenge). So it really feels like they're soulmates and have lots of tacit understanding.

2ML Still Doesn't Get It

Zhang Jinran still doesn't get it, even when she straightforwardly tells him they're not meant to be for various reasons. Like people belonging to two different worlds. He still dreams about saving her, not realizing she doesn't need any of that. He follows Duanwu and YZJ pretending to investigate things, but it really feels like he just can't let it go. Which ends up being not a super bad thing, but he could get mildly irritating in the future (for now it's passable and you can feel that he's love-stricken, just a bit delusional and ego-centric in his devotion).

It's like you can dream all you want, but there's the reality they're living in, and it's dark, and violent, and Duanwu is really not the type to end up as some official's wife, raising his babies (and even that wouldn't be possible, she could only become his lover of sorts).

I'm Loving It Up to This Point (ep.15)

We've almost passed the equator, and things are still pretty much interesting - the plot is getting more heated with the romance, but also with stories of traumatic pasts and some future heartbreak looming ahead, judging from the trailer. For now, it's a 10/10 and I'm watching it as the series is being released (first time for me, usually I don't do this to myself XD). But here we are.

Needless to say, Liu Yuning looks posh in his attire and his acting is top-notch. The heartbreaking scenes and the cute ones - he's just very natural and depicts his character with a wide range of emotions. There's always so much DEPTH in everything he does.

For a character who hasn't known or wanted love, his interactions with Zhao Lusi's Duanwu are very heartfelt, and you can see him slowly warming up and looking like an actual human being when he's with her. He's not needlessly vicious, though, there's a reason behind everything he does, and she gets onto that pretty fast. And goes from a pawn to something of a partner, but that still hasn't fully unfolded.

Definitely recommend!

[yuebings]

tag game: 9 questions for 9 people

tagged by @uhuraisgay HELLOOOOO

last song: A&W by lana del rey, which i've never actually heard before but i put spotify's "indie editor picks the best songs of 2023" playlist on shuffle in the car and that's what came up

currently watching: the long ballad/cgx!! trying to finish this pronto because zhao lusi's next show "the last immortal" airs tomorrow and im so excited....also i'm probably gonna start watching jujutsu kaisen soon i can't put it off any longer

three ships: HAO DU/LI LEYAN haoyan my beloveds......cgx currently getting my ass with them. also mulder/scully my other beloveds. and zolu is also here. bodyguard/princess, fbi agent/fbi agent, captain/first mate.......do i like workplace romance or something

favorite color: HMMMMM. i think i am very into green rn!!! of all shades

currently consuming: sesame shaqima. also contemplating the cold brewed lychee green tea in my fridge rn but i think i might need to give it another hour or so for more flavor

first ship: ichiruki from bleach........ichiruki bleach my loves....................they were the blueprint for me

relationship status: single. fighting for my life in the cesspool

last movie: suzume no tojimari

currently working on: writing wise? randomly, a very short yanxi palace yingluo & mingyu fix-it(kinda) fic. and by "working on" i mean i wrote the bulk of it last week while i was in a mood and now i have just a few sentences to wrap it up but i haven't felt like writing those few sentences so it's just waiting in my docs folder lol

other-things-wise, i'm making chicken soup today. da chinese herbal type. the bones have been boiling for a while and i'm gonna check on it in like 20 min and add the jujubes and stuff

tagging @tantai-jin @englishsub @dcyiyou @fruitdaze @microcomets and whoever else wants to participate :))))

[randomingoftherandomness]

If you could choose the cast for the next generation of My Journey To You which actors/actress would you pick for the heirs of the Gong family?

Ooo! I like this :)

Now, I'm not gonna pretend I am very much versed in the who's who of new Cdrama actors and actresses because frankly, I don't watch as much shows as I used to, but I'll give this a stab.

Ding Chengxin

I didn't even hesitate with this pick :DDD

He has actually done two project with GJM and so I may be biased here in picking him, but I really want to see him do a third project in GJM's style. There's a measure of elegance about him that he has shown in his roles in Wuliang and Painted Skin that deeply captivated me. I would like to see him in another wuxia/guzhuang, and I know I'm not the only one.

As for who he would play, I am thinking that he could be great as an heir to either the Xue family or the Jue family. The side eye game/resting bitch face would be phenomenal.

(side note: I'm picking up on GJM liking to give his MC some secret world breaking tattoo...)

2. Li Hongyi

Another actor I want to see more of, and by the looks of things, will be getting more of, so I think I'm gonna be good :) He was fantastic in The Blood of Youth, but it was his turn in the rom-com The Legendary Life of Queen Lau that really sold me on him. I've always believed it is harder to do comedies than it is to do serious stuff, and somehow he managed to not make it cheesy or over the top.

I think he'd be great as an heir to the Yu lineage -- perhaps taking on more of Yun Weishan's prim and proper reticence rather than Ziyu's more relaxed personality.

3. Wu Mingjing

I have been utterly enamoured with her since I saw her in What's Wrong With My Princess a couple of days ago. I think she's absolutely fantastic and could do with some meatier roles to sink her teeth into. Definitely someone I will be paying attention to from now on and I am looking forward to checking out more of her body of work.

I think she'd steal the show as someone from the Zhi residence. The amount of ice princess looks she could rock!! The quiet but vicious sass!!! Yes, I think she would be great.

4. Ao Ruipeng

Ao Ruipeng is someone I saw and immediately saw a puppy. No. But fr. He's got this very pleasant aura about him and gives off the vibe that he's super affable. It definitely helps that he and Li Hongyi played off each other with great aplomb in The Blood of Youth.

I can see him being an heir to the Shang lineage, inheriting all of Zishang's extroversions and Jin Fan's more measured decision making processes.

(sorry. I just wanted y'all to see them both being cute together)

5. Zhao Lusi

This one I know is a fantasy casting on my part, but since this is my list, I shall indulge in all the fantasy I want :DD

She's definitely one of the best actresses of her generation, hands down. It's not even a question at this point and she has the body of work to prove it. There's something so chameleon-like of her and she becomes the characters she plays and not just plays them. She's an absolute delight to watch and I still enjoy her roles in The Long Ballad and Love Like The Galaxy. I've seen bits of her in Hidden Love, but because I'm not much for modern dramas, that's in the back burner for now, but I'll get round to it eventually.

I would not hazard a guess as to which heir she should play because I think it would ultimately depend on the narrative. Give her the role with the most weight to it and I think she would not only hit it out of the park, but flourish. Lusi is a powerhouse and it would be a treat to watch her tackle any role.

(also she was in a previous project with Li Hongyi and his unfortunate cockroach antennas serious those antennas look dry as fuck)

(I have also realised that two of my choices were previous co-stars with LHY was this a conscious decision wow idk maybe?)

[apopcornkernel]

poppy's watched cdramas

與君歌 stand by me/dream of chang'an

i... did not finish this drama 😭 i only watched this because my mom was watching it and we were stuck in quarantine together, so. it was fun i guess but ultimately mid

蒼蘭決 love between fairy and devil

loved it, the ending was a little too abrupt for me but it still ended well! lived for the villain romance, had so much fun booing changheng (sorry), had even more fun staring at dylan wang's cheekbones. also i love how ride or die the main couple is for each other, it's absolutely not one-sided in that regard which <3 yes. and also episodes 30(?) to 36 i cried nonstop it was so cathartic. episode 35 specifically....... aha

琉璃 love and redemption

STUPIDLY long and rather cringe at times im not even gonna lie but the main characters had me by the THROAT i could not stop watching. yu sifeng is so so so unfairly pretty with bangs and chu xuanji in god of war mode,,,, i lvoe her sm. i loved how the gender roles of a typical cdrama relationship was more or less flipped, with sifeng always being the damsel in distress (not even joking or exaggerating about this one) and xuanji being the badass hero. i feel like a lot of cdramas tend to say their female mc is the hero and stuff but then in execution its ALWAYS the male lead saving the mc from danger and its just,,, idk i'm a little tired of it so i like that chu xuanji exists <3 and fuck haochen

傳聞中的陳芊芊 the romance of tiger and rose

REALLY REALLY GOOD one of the most perfect dramas ive ever watched. cinematography really high quality, an mc that i never got annoyed at and is so lovable, a petty murder cat love interest who is unfairly handsome at every angle. i was smiling and giggling with every episode. it's the true definition of a happy pill. i only wish Those 2 Specific Scenes did not exist

星落凝成糖 the starry love

i did not finish this 😭 i onyl watched it because it was the only thing i had downloaded on my phone. i don't recommend it tbh, sorry, the concept was interesting but the execution didn't do it for me. it was also really obvious how low budget it was and the acting & writing didn't really make up for it enough so,,,

今夕何夕 twisted fate of love

THIS IS THE BEST CDRAMA IVE EVER WATCHED I KNOW IM BEING SUBJECTIVE BUT LET ME BE SUBJECTIVE THIS IS MY BLOG okay okay so general travels back eight years to stop a great war but unfortunately she lands smack dab into feng xi's residence, who is an ally of the Bad Guy and very morally grey politician who will not hesitate to kill people for his goals. she keeps trying to assassinate feng xi's ally (the Bad Guy) meanwhile feng xi is just trying to put a ring on it. they are SO so funny and you KNOW i love villain(ish) romance so i ADORED this cdrama even though it was objectively mid and even though the last episode was trash. I DONT CARE i will defend this one with my life JUST WATCH IT im very incoherent ik but in my defense it's kinda hard to explain just trust me

星漢燦爛 love like the galaxy

currently watching!! it has zhao lusi who i trust with any drama, and the cinematography is great! some of ling buyi's dialogue i dont like but im still on board the main ship,,, i think i wouldve liked lou yao but i keep remembering he's daole from twisted fate of love and it jars me so bad.... also i have this thing where i automatically boo the second/third leads so really lou yao had no chance im sorry 😔 i find it really funny how obviously down bad ling buyi is update: i dropped this drama :(( i got all the way to episode 20 something and then i just couldn't be bothered to continue, i was honestly bored :((((

雲之羽 my journey to you

my sister rec'd this drama to me and oh man i tried. i was so ready to be hooked. but i just couldn't. like, it had gorgeous cinematography and beautiful costuming and i was happily surprised to realize the leads were clj's changheng and xiaolanhua, but omfg gong ziyu (changheng) pisses me off so bad he's like omg guys im an underdog they all hate me im struggling so bad i'm being oppressed etc etc AND THEN HE'S BEING OPPRESSED FOR BEING A RICH BABAERO NA PALAGING NAGBABAR LIKE BE SO FOR REALLL also shangguan qian and gong yuanzhi's scenes are infinitely more interesting than anyone else's, their one battle of wits already had me more interested than the entirety of the previous 5 episodes... and then when it switches back to include shangjue or gong ziyu or yun weishan i immediately feel all my energy get sapped. like they're so boring it hurts fgksjhg and the way yun weishan and gong ziyu speak don't help at all it's like 有時候……我也……睡不着…… DO NOT WASTE MY TIME LIKE THIS AND ALSO PLEASE SPEAK NORMALLY so yeah i got fed up by episode 6 and dropped it despite my sister's urging

天盛長歌 the rise of phoenixes

started watching this right after i dropped my journey to you BECAUSE FUCK YOU i swear that cdrama made me see cdramas as a chore again. anyways im loving it. ning yi looked so miserable in the first episode which is a great portend for things to come, and feng zhiwei is great i love her already and the cinematography is not bad as well, i'm just worried i'll get lost on the machinations and everything but i'm still having fun so far anyways hehe update from episode 19 or something!! i'm really enjoying it this is so good!!!! a little slower paced so if that's not your thing be warned but i am really liking it hehe

[marlo-noni]

Cdramas lately

After I finished watching The Starry Love, which was fun and hilarious with a somewhat unsatisfying ending, nothing new was appealing to me, so I rewatched all of Joy of Life again. It's definitely a drama that rewards rewatching, because of all the complex plot twists and the huge cast of characters. Unusually, I feel like the best episode is quite late in the series - the one where Xiao En reveals his secrets to Fan Xian, and you learn that Xiao En is really just a pawn, as is Fan Xian, and you hear the tragic backstory of Yan Bingyun and all about Fan Xian's mother. Xiao En's death made me cry a bunch the first time I watched the series, and I cried again this time, too. There really is no other cdrama like Joy of Life. The only thing I dislike about it is Xiao Zhan's dubbing - the show was filmed before his huge explosion in popularity from The Untamed. I hope a season 2 does eventually come out, and that we get to hear Xiao Laoshi's voice this time!

As I was finishing Joy of Life, I discovered that Ao Rui Peng just came out with a new historical/fantasy romantic comedy, Love is Written in the Stars.

Ao Rui Peng played my favourite character in Blood of Youth, the ridiculous himbo, Lei Wujie. So I was ready to follow him into another comedic leading role. I'm up to episode 4, and the show is exceedingly silly. The female lead, Qi Yan Di, is definitely styled to be a Zhao Lusi stand-in - the hair, the costuming, the attitude - but I think she holds her own really well. (The guy who plays Su Mu in Romance of Tiger and Rose is also in it, so there's another Zhao Lusi tangential connection.) Ao Rui Peng's character isn't dumb like Lei Wujie, but he is good at martial arts and is constantly ending up in comedically awkward situations. The show is often riding the line of being so ridiculous that's it's cringey (it's also a pretty horny show, at least in Cdrama terms!), so we'll have to see how it progresses. Ao Rui Peng is keeping me there for now.

I also started watching Nothing But You, since the trailer looked good. I'm also only up to episode 4. My main observation is that Tu Song Yan is truly in 95% of the contemporary Cdramas I've seen!

Honestly, nobody works more than this guy! He's fantastic, so I have no complaints about it. He would be so interesting to talk to if you wanted to know what it is like to work with basically every young idol actor in Cdramaland. As for the drama itself, the pacing is good, and the story is engaging - I just haven't been as enthusiastic about contemporary stuff lately. Wu Lei and Zhou Yu Tong are both good actors, and I do love an older woman-younger man romance. Tragically, Wu Lei does absolutely nothing for me, looks-wise. It's also funny seeing flashbacks of his character being played by a younger actor, because we all know what he actually looked like when he was young because of Nirvana in Fire (the 2nd Cdrama I ever watched).

[adreamofsplendor]

赵露思 ❦ Zhao Lusi

[kukuandkookie]

Ah, I just had a conversation with someone about this on YouTube haha.

Short answer: she does act a new type of role in My Journey to You, so she can technically do other roles which still work well enough to be seen as having acted well by viewers.

Slightly longer answer: Maybe some people think she’s been typecast for the cute stuff as a result, but also…I guess when someone’s voice leans naturally toward that cutesy side and they themself hold a cutesy personality (see the Youth With You clips for what I mean), they’ll of course be picked for cutesier roles (like in the ones OP mentioned, Cang Lan Jue and Yong Ye Xing He, where she has to melt the cold hearts of non-human entities).

And while she herself can arguably just be that silly and/or cutesy (again, see her first real appearance in media in Youth With You but also her presence in various variety shows), some people won’t like it, which is also fine. But as a performer, she can technically sound “sensual” and “mature” as well, as seen by—beyond her acting in My Journey to You—her songs “Gwalla” and “Bestow Dreams.”

She’s known for having grown up wealthy and being very expressive, but also for not being spoiled. Like this is her reaction to being told her calligraphy is good enough for an exhibition:

And now some…

Bonus random thoughts, not directed at OP!:

On that note, I do find it interesting how when I usually see people critique Yu Shuxin or voices like hers, it’s more common for non-Asian viewers to find it grating or strange. :ooo

Besides Yu Shuxin, some viewers said the same thing about Zhao Lusi as a criticism for being too “childlike” in Hidden Love, and she was often also viewed as being typecast into silly cute roles.

I think part of this is because it’s actually not all that strange for Asian women to be cutesy even as adults, while in contrast, most foreigners I’ve seen who criticize cutesy voices in Asian media as annoying sometimes also find it “creepy,” since to them it’s a “baby voice” which means grown women should’ve…well, grown out of it. In Asia though, you kind of grow up hearing cutesy voices in media (Japan is especially (in)famous for this), so it doesn’t sound as off-putting.

The person on YouTube who was asking about something similar in regards to Yu Shuxin’s voice saw it as weird because I guess they view her as more babyish in voice and height with her male costars, which they found kind of “pervy.” When I mentioned that it’s not as weird in Asia, they said maybe it would appeal to them if they were a Chinese or Japanese man, but it’s really not even just that it appeals to men SLFNSKSH.

Now I’m not saying that you, OP, here on Tumblr thought the same as the person on YouTube haha. It just reminded me of it because it’s also on the topic of Yu Shuxin’s voice ahaha.

I think the most obvious example of this dissonance between Asians finding the cutesy stuff…well, cute, versus foreign fans finding it annoying (although Asians can also dislike it and foreigners can also enjoy it, obviously), is seen in voice acting! Besides Japanese anime, the difference is evident in Genshin Impact, where even the Chinese VAs for female characters tend to sound “cuter” than the English VAs:

Klee in Chinese sounds as you expect anime girls to: cute, bubbly, young, high-pitched… But Klee in English has the western interpretation of youth, which is a more nasal-y, light voice that doesn’t sound naturally cute and high-pitched, but does sound somewhat young and scrappy.

Even adult characters feature this difference, such as Sucrose from Genshin Impact or Sparkle from Honkai Star Rail in Chinese versus Sucrose and Sparkle in English, who in the former, again, sound cute, and the latter, also again, sounds more nasal-y as an English equivalent of the Asian cute voice.

This may all sound irrelevant and it is kind of a tangent, but I just find it interesting how it’s more normalized in Asia for this specific type of bubbly, almost babyish cuteness to be a feature rather than a bug. 😆

It’s just that even in general, it’s not odd in Asia for grown women to like adorable, “kiddish” things like Sanrio or My Little Pony (which is seeing a new renaissance in China recently); buy cute things like a puppy or bear-themed wallet and purse and phone case, rather than mature and elegant ones (if you compare Asian brand stores to western ones like Daiso to Dollar-Mart or how official Asian Disney merch is way cuter than American Disney merch, the difference in consumer preferences is night and day); potentially wear cutesy clothes like lolita-style dresses or hanfu; and even “act cute” with their partners (this is a thing in all of East Asia, and in Chinese it’s called “sajiao,” which is where you might act a bit spoiled or playfully whiny in a cute, coquettish way to flirt with your partner).

That’s why it’s interesting since all of the above plus Asian beauty standards of a small face and big eyes has proven to be quite different from what foreigners are into—where at best, it seems off-putting and at worst, it seems creepy, but that’s neither here nor there! What I’m mentioning here is just that western viewers do seem to find cutesy acting in Asian media more annoying or aggravating than Asian viewers.

Yu Shuxin’s voice is exaggerated in these cutesy roles, but I think even in Moonlight—her other drama with Ding Yuxi—you hear less of just the babyish side of her voice, but it’s still quite light and preppy and high-pitched and cutesy.

In any case, while some Asian women acting cute is purely acting, for Yu Shuxin, it appears (sounds?) to be a bit less so. It’s not the only role she can play, technically speaking, but with her popularity and her natural persona from Youth With You, she seems to be some people’s first choice for bubbly girl roles. And so she ends up using her voice to her advantage and playing these cutesy roles that evidently suit her cutesy voice lol.

Of course we also all have our own preferences though, so I’m not faulting anyone for not vibing with her (although maybe Yu Shuxin in My Journey to You will make her more appealing to anyone not a fan of her right now after all! Who’s to say haha).

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy is cute but not having seen Esther Yu in anything else except this and LBFAD, is this the only acting she can do? The cutesy pouty baby voice thing? I'm getting tired and annoyed pretty fast.

[shangyangjunzhu]

i'm proficient at poetry and classics while you’re proficient in building mechanisms. everyone has something they’re good at. you know what others don’t. what others know, i'll teach you slowly. you’ll come to know eventually.

- ep 29, love like the galaxy 星汉灿烂•月升沧海

[dangermousie]

Ok, so far here are the cdramas rumored for the fall that I have any interest in, from most to least:

Kill Me Love Me (November) - you’ve seen those positively unhinged trailers, and both Wu Jinyan and Liu Xueyi look to be on fire (plus on a purely shallow front, few other actors do it for me the way they do.)

Snowy Night Timeless Love (October) - the rumor for this airing came out of nowhere so who knows but a tragic wuxia romance and my faves Li Qin and Zeng Shunxi and the trailer is stunning. Plus it’s based on a novel by the author of Listening Snow Tower and I loved that one.

The Story of Pearl Girl (October) - this barely misses to the previous two in terms of anticipation and only does so because the narrative of “underdog FL rises to prominence through commence” has been done a lot lately and often done in a way that doesn’t truly satisfy me. But the trailer is great, I adore Zhao Lusi, and the fact that this reunites her with Liu Yuning (and this time he looks even hotter!) is AAAAA!

Reborn (October) - a modern! It’s not the end of the world, I promise. The trailer looked intense and angsty not like the usual fluffy moderns I can’t stand and I am a big fan of Zhang Jingyi now.

Guardians of the Dafeng (November) - this one is high risk but potentially high reward. Best case scenario? They pull off another Joy of Life - funny and ahistorical but also dark and smart and moving. I think the chances of that are slim - Wang Hedi, though I will always have a soft spot for him because of CLJ, is no Zhang Ruoyun, plus JoL is a miracle that was almost impossible to replicate unless you get the same brilliant combo of perfect writing, directing and acting. But what if….

The Rise of Ning (October) - if this was rumored before I finished LYF2 or Are You the One dropped, I’d be way more excited. By the end AYTO finished, I was getting irritated just seeing Zhang Wanyi’s face anywhere. (Yes there is such a thing as too much exposure esp when that exposure is in stuff that raises my blood pressure.) Srill I did like the trailer back before all this mess and this has the advantage of FL being played by Ren Min who I adore and not WCR who I cannot stand. And ZWY is a decent actor in the abstract if I can manage not to think about his past roles and his overexposure. So here is hoping.

Brocade Odyssey (??? Fall) - I had little interest in this (I genuinely have no interest in dramas centering on cloth industries esp when they must be bland enough to be allowed to air on TV) and that was before that utterly snooze worthy MV they dropped and one of the secondaries getting into a pimp/tax scandal which apparently resulted in them cutting him as much as they could which means the story will be even more of a mess than it was likely to be otherwise. I might check this out out of trainwreck syndrome but I expect nothing.

Echo of Her Voice (Sept 22) - if there was ever a drama trailer designed to make me hurl, this was it. Add in the fact that the ML actor seems to have a knack for being in dramas that never work for me and the fact that it’s set in (haha really) “school” - no thank you!

[utterlyhooked]

A favourite scene! One of many of course...

LB: We meet again, Young Lady Cheng.

CSS: General Ling, how is your injury? Do you have military matters to attend to today?

LB:  It was just a minor wound. I had recovered long ago, and I didn’t do any strenuous activities lately.

I think this scene is mostly overlooked in favour of sweeping romantic ones, but let me convince you...

Ling Buyi gravitates towards where Shaoshang is, it’s probably an impulse, he can’t help it! He is always stone faced even as he gets closer, of course can’t show emotions... must... keep... up... appearances!!! But... he breaks* ever so slightly as soon as Shaoshang asks about his injury**. His eyes lights up, his voice softens, there is a certain happiness when he speaks, and what is that, is that a smile? He smiles while talking when he answers her. A small smile but a smile... from LING BUYI?!!!... in public!!!... for all to see!!! It’s unheard of, perhaps impossible even!... I sooo love that part! ........... And then he goes back to being his stoic self, he has a reputation to maintain! 

And while he is there, it might have been very strategic... why pass up the opportunity to tell the parents, hopefully parents in-law soon...  that... “Hey, there’s no need to be so courteous, your daughter and I have been in life and death situations! And by the way, she undressed me and treated my wounds, so no need to be so polite!”... And also, this is my not so subtle way of telling you, I’m an interested party, would love to be “considered” for the son-in-law position, oh feck it, I want to be the son-in law! Besides, the betrothal is not official yet. I might be able to turn the tide. You see, I’m one of the most eligible bachelor in the known world! (hahahha).... Oh, Shaoshang’s tired, let me just scare the living day lights of all the people that are queuing and let them scram! I can totally just tell the soldiers guarding the city gate to let you through but why do that when I can have my soldiers line up like honour guards and I will escort you in with much fanfare, and with beautiful background music of course! LOL

* I don’t know if this is the interpretation from the actor, or the director, or both, or the production team thing. It’s mostly micro expressions and can easily be missed. Whoever it is, I appreciate the detail and the subtlety.

** Watch episode 44 to understand why he is happy being asked about his injury.

Bonus, we can also admire Wu Lei’s proficiency on horseback.