A fun historical romance that is overshadowed by the flashier #StoryofKunningPalace, I consider this show superior in many ways. #WonderlandOfLove is a tale of brotherhood, love and loyalty. And if you love adventure tales with a mature romance at its centre, this is for you.
This is a digital garden version, meaning I'll be updating this blog post as I watch the show.
I am at the stage where I am annoyed enough with #StoryOfKunningPalace to abandon ship. I can't stand palace intrigue, especially if catty women are involved in the power struggles. I am going to slow down my watch of Kunning Palace and switch gears to #WonderlandOfLove which is more my jam. Has a brotherhood, adventure theme.
Watching ep 1 & already liking the energy, the fun & the main leads. I didn't get that with Kunning Palace.
Yup. Leave it to me to get bored of Story of Kunning Palace by episode 8. I seem automatically allergic to a drama that everyone is crazy over for some reason 😂
(Just jk, I did like Dream of Splendor and Love and Redemption. So I'm not utterly hopeless 😂)
I just have a hard time vibing with the couple & while everyone seems in love with Zhang Ling He's character I am 😴
On MyDramaList it is 8.2. I am sorry but #OnlyForLove isn't an 8 drama 😅 On Douban it is 4.8. I tend to trust Douban (China's IMDB) more 😅
On MDL there are campaigns where people are encouraged to upvote a drama so that the score is high, so their scores are pretty suss, especially if it's an idol drama. I don't agree with this practice at all.
Seriously I wish MDL would lock down reviews until the show has done airing.
I am at episode 33 of #LoveAndRedemption and I can safely I say that I like this drama a lot. I think it is down to yes, Cheng Yi's charisma and also the interesting side characters and side plots. Amazing tbh, because I usually hate them! It also helps that Xuanji's annoying childishness and cluelessness has faded by now.
This tweet got me LOL because it's so true. If you say out loud that these traffic/idol actors are less than perfect, it's like drawing a bullseye on your tweet for the superfans to come out of the weeds and eat you alive.
Predictably this poster got lots of hatred as a result, but she's amused about it.
This is one thing I cant stand about fandom. I often have to censor myself as I do not have the mood to deal with these parasocial superfans.
I know this is par the course in CDramaland but they just dropped a couple of episodes of Story of Kunning Palace just like that without warning. FYI this drama was so mired in controversy* a lot of people were 100% convinced it will not air.
One of the actors protested against the lockdowns in #China & got in trouble for that. Any hint of controversy will get a show cancelled & barred from being aired. This drama behind the drama got me curious about it!
I find it absolutely wild that film studios like Heng Dian exist - there are literal replicas of historical buildings such as the Forbidden City, the Bund and Tang Dynasty towns.
That said, I probably wouldn't want to visit it lest I ruin the fantasy I have when watching #cdramas
Uh did I tell you that I also started a Cdrama (mostly) /Kdrama podcast? Yeah, well, I did lol.
I'm still trying to get my act together - I find it super tough, for one, to upload to apple podcasts. So it'll take some time to get it distributed everywhere. However, you can listen to it on Spotify for now.
In this episode I discuss why I created the podcast ;)
A rare serial killer drama set in the Ming dynasty that is well produced, acted and succinct. If you are in the mood for a quality, complex crime drama, Ripe Town won't disappoint.
So I cheated and watched the much raved about censored kissing scene in Love and Redemption and hooboy they were not kidding about 🔥🔥🔥
Since I first saw Cheng Yi in #MysteriousLotusCasebook I couldn't picture him as a romantic lead. This clip makes 50+ eps of fillers worth it 🫠
What can this guy not do
This is a classic that everyone said I should watch - "Love & Redemption". Maybe it is the power of Cheng Yi, but I can't help liking it. Am at ep 4,and there's something relaxing about the show. I was actually worried I would dislike it due to the childlike female lead & not liking #xianxia. But am liking the interaction between Sifeng and Xuanji. So far. 🤞
A part of me really wants to write a book along the lines of some of my fave #Cdramas, but I'm really not sure if it translates to a culture that doesn't have certain expectations and rules. In the same way Fleabag wouldn't work if they were Jewish.
Every minute of this drama demands your complete attention. You can't fast forward Ripe Town because you'll miss an essential clue in a dialogue or a scene.
Am currently down with Covid, and wonder if I need something fluffier, however. But I've not been able to find any good #Kdrama rom coms, however. Any recs? I've seen quite a number so it could be hard to hit on one, but I've seen the latest - My Sweet Liar and Destined With You.
What a pleasure it is to watch #RipeTown. High production quality - no overuse of filters (actually none that I can see), no over bright lighting, costumes that are fitting for the time.
The acting is 👌 It is like watching a historical Chinese version of a moody, serial killer drama.
I finished #TigerAndCrane! I was tempted to drop it but am glad I stuck with it till the end.
I want to say that it was a really satisfying and fitting ending. There was closure, unlike some of the open-ended endings we've been seeing lately. (cough My Journey To You cough) Sure, it's rough (the final CGI big battle was cringe) but it was a neat xuanhuan with surprising twists and turns, and lots of heart and talent. I give it an 8. Worth watching!
I find myself watching more #CDramas and #KDramas. This post is the result of me wondering why that is. And my conclusion: Hollywood has lost its creative spark.
You can now follow my #Cdrama & #Kdrama blog, DramaTea from the #Fediverse. Just click on this link 👉 @dramatea88.wordpress.com@dramatea88.wordpress.com
And "follow".
I'll still be using the appropriate hashtags, and boosting the posts, but I'll be sharing my blog posts purely through that account from now on, so do follow it :)
Found Incomparable Beauty by accident. I rarely watch modern #cdramas but Chen Xiao is the main actor so 😜 The Youtube subs are terrible but fortunately I can understand enough Mandarin to get by. Such pleasure to see good actors onscreen & I really enjoy watching the lives of people in modern China.
My only question about this show is...if they are all in Beijing why don't I hear the distinctive "Beijing hua" accent? 😂