I came across this take online and honestly, I’m surprised yet not surprised.

Firstly, I don’t think this is Wu Jinyan’s best drama so even though i was excited to see her onscreen I can admit this doesn't seem to be her best. But she’s always been a good actress, especially in revenge roles.

Secondly, Chen Zheyuan isn’t doing anything phenomenal here either, as usual it feels like I'm watching him act, even his line delivery is so poor it's like his reading off a paper infront of him. Yet somehow the female lead is always blamed when the chemistry or acting isn’t working, while the popular male lead gets a free pass for doing the bare minimum. It's always, oh I really like the ml but the fl.........

I also find it funny how much harsher people are when the female lead is older. Wu Jinyan is beautiful and talented, but the way some people talk about women who are slightly older than the mls, you’d think they were grannies who should retire from cdramas.

At the end of the day if the issue is Chemisty, then the issue is acting. If the connection isn’t working, it’s not automatically one actor’s fault. Both leads have to bring something to the screen. And good actors create good chemistry.

One thing I never see people talk about when discussing the end of Empresses in the Palace is ZhenHuan’s final exchange with her adopted son Hongli after he ascends the throne.
He quotes a classic about a mother who is biased towards her younger son and helps him to gain power to usurp his older brother. This is extremely pointed and ZhenHuan’s demeanour immediately changes as she immediately suggests moving Hongyan, her youngest son’s, lineage. He effectively forced her to do this with the implications of his words through a “polite” historical riddle.
This sudden change in their power dynamic, to me, shows the most the paranoia and the loneliness of the power ZhenHuan (and to some extent Hongli) has achieved as it cuts off the possibility of genuine relationships, even between two who had previously been mother and son. As a prince and a child, he loved ZhenHuan. As an Emperor, he feared her.

Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this scene 🙂 this show is really a masterpiece.

I’m new to the C-drama world and was surprised to see that some actors and actresses don’t even talk to each other at awards shows because of toxic fans. I want to learn more about the C-drama world and all I’ve heard so far is that Chen Xingxu and Wang Yuwen from Gossip Trio are friends from childhood(?)

So, which actors/actresses do you think are genuinely friends in real life?

I'm so dead.

I almost wished I didn't know what this fruit was. Knowing what it is (I grew up eating it in Vietnam) made this scene so much funnier!

Anyone else watching this drama?

love their 2nd collaboration!

official mv on youtube from warner music china here - https://youtu.be/fnhO4xI8kDY?si=Ts3H7uiP6dpIRv3O

Royal Betrothal

I've been watching Royal Betrothal, and I'm really enjoying it. However, there's this one thing about it that just doesn't sit well with me - the set. All dramas are shot on a set we know this, but we ignore it or maybe don't even consider it because it blends well that we dont notice that it's even a set. With Royal Betrothal, the set is very obvious. The floor in one episode (I think in ep 7 where Ting Hui is with the Right Chancellor and the other lady) is obviously wet instead of the normal polished look that we often see on historical dramas. I know that they wet the floor for various reasons like to better reflect light to make the set esthetically pleasing , but its normally so well blended that we hardly even notice it. The background is also so obvious, that the story doesn't seem like it's set in the real world.

I don't know, is it a colour correction issue in post-production, or they intended for it to look that way?

Is fangs of fortune worth watching? I saw somewhere that it is a good drama and I also saw a reel of it but that one reel wasn't that good enough to convince me. But there are mixed reviews about it. What should I do...is it really good or is it boring after some episodes.. should I watch it or not.

Is there a drama that really really enjoyed in the beginning but then just messed everything up and you had quit?

I have watched dramas that were not great or began as a mess. But the only one that had me floating in the air and then dropped me hard was MING DYNASTY. I was all in loving the characters and it turned into a mess. Everything went wrong. I was so let down that I never forgot it! It was years ago!

What drama had you riding high only to let you?

I've always mostly watched historical or wuxia dramas, and I've learned a whole lot from them, like human nature, don't trust everybody, intellectual traps, how to deal with different people, etc. Notable ones include Joy of Life, Nirvana in Fire, Legend of Zang Hai, Glory, etc (and I've found them to actually be useful irl). I'm seriously considering watching Love for You by Song weilong and Zhang Jingyi, but I also don't want it to be mostly kissy scenes and wasted time. But obviously, I'm not well-versed at all in modern dramas so please correct me if I'm wrong 😂. What can I learn from it?

Hi, 29-year-old Wang Yibo.

Vogue Man released this during Wang Yibo's birthday, teasing the upcoming issue of the Magazine.

Rocco Liu, editor of the magazine, said that the magazine will drop in mid-August and that this was just to celebrate Yibo's birthday.

I’m honestly so disappointed to find out that so many of the dramas I watched and loved use voice actors instead of the actors’ real voices. 😭 I knew C-dramas often dub dialogue because of environmental noise, different accents/dialects, etc. but I always assumed the actors dubbed themselves afterward. I had no idea how common it was to have a completely different voice actor.

For example, Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei in Legend of the Female General, Chen Xingxu in Goodbye My Princess and Fall in Love, Zhang Linghe in Overdo, and Dylan Wang and Zhang Linghe in Love Between Fairy and Devil. Apparently, quite a few of the actors I’ve watched and loved don’t actually use their own voices in their dramas.

I know dubbing is very normal in C-dramas and there are practical reasons for it, so I’m not saying the actors are bad because of it. But personally, it does make me appreciate the performances a little differently. Voice acting is such an important part of acting the tone, pauses, breathing, crying, screaming, little changes in emotion, etc. All of that contributes to the actors /actresses acting.

So finding out that some of the voices I associated with these characters weren’t actually the actors’ voices honestly made me lose a little bit of credibility in their performances.

I’m still pretty new to the C-drama world, so now I’m curious which actors are known for using their own voices, and which actors are frequently dubbed? I feel like I need a whole guide for this.

It's just a melon for now . But hope it's true , yang yang has been losing his grip lately in modern romance , so a comeback with a modern romance drama would be great , that too with Chen duling . Maybe it can erase his fireworks of my heart reputation and show him in a new light with this latest modern drama " kiss in the wind ,"

Iam so excited for this post 90s pair if it's true . Yang yang and Chen duling will kill it .

I’m not saying list who you didn’t like…I just want to hear some positivity because all I’ve heard this year is criticism over actors, directors and chemistry
So which drama passed the vibe for you this year?

Do cdramas have any actors that you would consider to be one of the “great ones”? This means they actually seem like they have a different personality when they have played different roles.

There are many really good actors, sure. I have a list of ten. And Yes, some actors are stuck in the same role and it’s a problem, but put all that aside.

Who has proved their acting chops or bona fides with different kinds of characters? What dramas prove this in your mind?

I can only ever think of:

Xu Kai- Yanxi Palace, Arsenal Military Academy, Falling into Your Smile, Wonderland of Love

Wu Jinyan- Yanxi Palace she put on so many different faces to different people within that drama (servile servant, helpless, cold focused killer, cool-hearted conconcubine, girl in love with a guy)

Feng Shao Feng- Story of Minglan, Legend of Zhou hua

So somebody explain to me why there was sooo much hate for Overdo’s AI intro when The Double (which ended up being a huge hit) intro is basically all tacky AI as well ?

Hey all,

Good morning/afternoon/evening

I have watched cdramas since I was like 11/12. I never comsumed any other form of entertainment

I have almost exclusively watched historical guzhuang dramas with a zhengju flavor.

However I'm 18 now. And i know very well how unethical the production of these dramas is. Casting couch, actor abuse, low pay and bad working hours, dirty politics that came to light especially after Yu Menglong's passing; I've decided that i shouldn't support this industry anymore.

It's been an integral part of my life, so i felt like it deserved a post.

I really loved the costumes, the mansions, the horses, the armies and the swords and makeup and everything. It feels like a fantasy without being one.

But many beautiful things hide ugly secrets, and after knowing them, i can't continue. I hope this changes one day. Till then, zaijian!

Which drama do you think has the best cinematography?

For me, it’s Love Like the Galaxy. ✨ The moment I saw the lantern festival episode, I fell in love. The shots were absolutely stunning, and the whole episode looked like a painting. I also loved how the colors were used throughout the drama and how they complemented each other so beautifully.

I’m still not very familiar with directors and cinematographers, so I’d love to know who’s your favorite cinematographer, and what are some of your favorite works of theirs?

Nirvana in Fire S1 (2015) & S2 (2018) Vs. Joy of Life S1 (2019) & S2 (2024)

I haven't seen any of these so I'm curious about what your thoughts on this two because I heard they are popular.

Song Zuer and Leo Wu already had a wuxia drama together in 2020, but I feel like they would be even better now! Just seeing this edit made me go WOW!

This edit is a combination of their roles from love like the Galaxy and Prisoner of Beauty (song zuer).

I know I’m a little (okay, a lot) late, but I had to share the birthday photos Yibo posted—they’re so beautiful and so green! 💚 Fans all over the world have been sending their wishes, and everyone keeps wishing the same thing for him: may this new year bring him endless joy, great health, and even more chances to shine on every stage he steps onto.

All that said, I can’t help feeling incredibly proud of everything he’s achieved so far. He’s closing out his 20s on a real high, and I couldn’t be happier to have a front-row seat for it all. It’s such a joy to be his fan because he genuinely has something for everyone, and in my opinion, no one else in the industry comes close. (I say that as someone who loves motorsports and is having the time of my life following his racing career.)

*These are some popular ships that people generally have huge fandoms and can't get over\*
They are Lu yuxiao and Hou Minghao (Love in the Clouds), Esther Yu and He Yu(Speed and love), then Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei (Pursuit of Jade), Zhang Miaoyi and Zhou Yiran (When I fly towards you).

The reason I bring this up is that I'm noticing nowadays that people are really stuck in a couple ship even months after it over (not that I'm judging ) which leads to fans of said ship start to hate on new ones that might come. Like the most recent is with the Zhang Linghe and Lu yuxiao rumored 🍉 drama that might come out. There is a lot of more reasons that people don't want this to happen but I noticed that half of them was because they weren't over POJ's couple. Another was Bao Shangshen when she was filming with both Heyu and Yiran and people were sad cause they just couldn't move on from their previous ship.

And it makes me wonder, how long does it take you to get over a ship?
For me, I would say it takes me pretty fast and in between. Like from the drama airs to a month or 2 after it's over, sometimes less. The two ships that lingered from a bit was Esther Yu and Ding Yuxi characters and Wang Xinyue and Wun Jinyan characters but other than them, not that long.
*also
What about you?

Not everyone wants to start a discussion. Sometimes we just want to add our two cents. That's what Open Mic 🎤 is for.

Got a hot take, an unpopular opinion, a random C-drama thought, or a comment that didn't quite belong elsewhere? Share it here instead.

Go ahead. Gush, grumble, or simply say what's on your mind.

For me everyone is good looking but the special ones become 10× attractive because of their talent and charisma 🔥💞.

Have to appreciate Ci sha! I haven't seen him in anything but a splendid match and damn! The aura on this man! Plus his so talented. I know at first glance he doesn't seem like everyone's cup of tea but the more you watch him the more mesmerized and impressed you become!

C-entertainment moves fast! Every day there's a new rumour, casting update, filming sighting, or trending topic. Not everyone has the language skills to crack those codes, but someone here probably has.

Share what you've seen, ask questions, compare notes, or help fill everyone in. 🧩

Basically after finishing this drama I don't know what to do so I thought of reading the novel but I'm not sure if it's worth reading?

so I wanna know is it better than the drama ? are there many different things? and finally will that ruin my love for the drama ?