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#Chinese Drama - 2020
save-the-data · 1 month
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Ultimate Note | S01E29
Chinese Drama - 2020, 37 episodes
Episodes | Gaga | Viki | YouTube | iQIYI | WeTV | Tencent | Catalogue
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colours-inthedark · 2 months
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Currently on ep 16 of "The Wolf" and witnessed this rizz. dayum.
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thedramagarden · 7 months
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Ancient Detective (2020) | Chinese Drama
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kdram-chjh · 2 months
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Cdrama: Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book (2020)
I'm your daddy#eternalloveofdream#shorts#三生三世枕上书 #dilireba#gaoweiguang#迪丽热巴#高伟光
Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AUOrqiSmveU
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cnladies · 23 days
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LI QIN 李沁 in Ronald van der Kemp Spring 2020 Couture | War of Faith Fanmeet Event
Li Qin: more photos here drama promo: more photos here
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dilebe06 · 2 years
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THE DRAMA I'VE SEEN UNTIL 2020
JAPAN
ROOKIES
Hana Yori Dango
Atashitachi No Danchi
Hanakimi
Asuka March!
Dragon Zakura
Gokusen
Ikimen Desu Ne
My Boss My hero
Mei Chan
Nobuta Wa Pruduce
Nodame Cantabile
Orange Days
Proposial Daiasuke
Tokyo Dogs
Yamato Nadeshiko
Yukan Club
Yankee To Megane Chan
Yama Anna Kobe Anna
2020
Rich Man Poor Woman
Bloody Monday
High And Low: Story Of SWORD
High And Low 2
Road To High And Low [FILM]
High And Low the movie [FILM]
High And Low Red Rain [FILM]
Thermae Romae [FILM]
Samurai High School
High And Low: end of Sky [FILM]
High And Low: the final mission [FILM]
Sannin No Papa
Kiseki [FILM]
Saint Oniisan [FILM]
Gintama [FILM]
Gintama Mitsuba
Gintama Kimyona
Gintama 2 [FILM]
Karamazov No Kyodai
Wild Heroes
Takane And Hana
KOREA
Coffe prince
Full house
Goong
Great Inheritance
Hong Gil Dong
Hwang Jin Yi
My name Is Kim Sam Soon
Oh Dal Ja's Spring
Que Sera Sera
Queen in Hyun's Man
Soulmate
Still Marry Me
The legend
The Devil
The Greatest love
You Are Beautiful
Witch Amusement
2020
Secret Garden
Designated Survivor 60 days
Strong Woman
Vagabond
Argon
Flower Boy Ramen Shop
My Country: the New Age
City Hunter
One more Time
My Runway
Romance is a bonus book
What's wrong with secretary Kim
Descendants Of The Sun
Splah Splah Love
Live
Memories Of The Alhambra
Mr Sunshine
Abyss
Beethoven Virus
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Book Joo
Chief of Staff
Tell me what you Saw
Babi And I [FILM]
Sassy Go Go
Man to man
Hwarang
Circle
Hospital Playlist
Wedneysday 3:30 PM
Hot Stove League
Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency
Afterschool Bokbulbock
I' m Not a Robot
Queen Of The Ring
Stranger
TAIWAN
Autumn's Concerto
Black and White
Devil Beside You
Hi My sweethers
Hot Shot
Love Contract
Smiling Pasta
Why Why Love
Triad Princess
2020
Emily's 5 Things
Lion Pride
Attention, Love!
Someday or one days
CHINA
The Untamed
Well Intended Love 2
meteor garden
Ever Night
Yanxi Palace
Dragon day's, you are dead
Crocodile and the plover bird
Double World [FILM]
The Lost Tomb
THAI
The Underclass
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limecello · 1 year
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ALBTALBS Team TBR Challenge Review: Maiden Holmes
Series Description/Summary: At the age of 19, Prince Qi, Pei Yanzhi, was ordered to defend the country against the invasion of Fan Yan Na. With his innate military prowess, Pei Yanzhi turned the tides in their favor but his army was ambushed and defeated in the final Battle of Hong Valley, costing them the victory. As he barely escaped death and returned to the palace, the cunning and…
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filmparadisecove · 2 years
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arc-angel-o · 2 years
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Why don't more people talk about The Wolf (2020)? I'm absolutely hooked. I'm only on episode 5, and my heart! I think i saw somewhere that the costume designer is the same one from The Untamed. And the whole reason I started watching is because Jolin Tsai is on the soundtrack! Watch The Wolf, it's so good.
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absolutebl · 25 days
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BLs with Strong Historical Elements
Costume dramas, historical BLs, and BLs with time travel or flashbacks to historical locations & times.
These are in order of my personal preference, best at the top.
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I Feel You Linger in the Air
2023 Thailand
IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). It's about a gay man from our time who falls into the past, becomes a servant to a noble house, and falls in love with the heir. It turns out this has all happened several times before. Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but not as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy soulmates BL... from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and as individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show could easily have earned a 10/10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls in the final quarter. Argh. Whatever.
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Nobleman Ryu's Wedding
2021 Korea - WeTV
A boy cross-dresses to take his runaway sister's place as a bride to a shy scholar, turns out they like being married. A historical setting allowed this BL to use some seriously old fashioned romance tropes (arranged marriage, evil step-sisters, Cinderfella) but also modern BL stylings like fake relationship & secret identity (drag) plus some cute gay panic. It reminded me of 12th Night more than anything else which just happens to be my favorite Shakespeare play. For all these reasons, I adored it.
(the ghat kiss!)
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Tinted With You
2022 Korea - Viki
Fun stylish time travel meets portal fantasy with a likable cast, historical setting, and two actual kisses that mitigate the rough plot and issues around anachronisms.
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Word of Honor
2021 China (censored) - Viki/YouTube?
I don’t rec Chinese stuff often, because I believe in censoring the censors, but this show is one of my favorites of the post 2016 censored bromances. It’s two murder-gay assassins (pining sunshine/tsundere), and they are so insanely gay for two boys who will never be allowed to kiss. Tropes include: wuxia, soulmates, paranormal, historical, and fantasy elements.
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To Sir, With Love AKA Khun Chai
2022 Thailand - YouTube?
This is a true lakorn (basically Thai tellenovella or soap opera) with scenery chewing performances, especially from the mother characters. Gone With the Wind + Days of Our Lives but gay. That said? I loved it: A glorious central brother relationship (the best, made me cry), het romances, class divide + gay *gasp* main romance - oh my word, the campy drama of it all! Arranged marriage, rebellion, cut sleeves, over-the-top death with curses and regrets, beautiful if inaccurate costumes, secrets unraveling, cover ups, sparkle murder, sex herbs, coils within coils including snakes and murderous green metallic sequins (is anything gayer on this earth?). It’s a WILD ride but it does end happy for our gay boys. A man cries when he finds DEATH GLITTER. Come on! You haffa watch it. That said, like Manner of Death I struggle to rate something on a BL scale when it patently isn’t a BL. So I ended up giving this exactly what I gave that show, 7/10 I enjoyed it a whole lot, but not as a BL.
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The Untamed (Special BL Edition)
2020 China (censored) - YouTube
Censored wuxia bromance, amorphous ending. Probubly the best known BL of its kind out of China and responsible for bring many fans to the BL side.
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Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go
2023 Thailand - YouTube
I was nervous to watch this PondPhuwin vehicle but I liked it a lot! Doomed soulmates + paranormal time travel to fix the past. I’m happy for the outfits and the dancing (if not the singing). It’s not a bad premise and it’s nice to see GMMTV lean into its high production values for a change. I'd adore a full historical starring these two and this was definitely the best of the second series of Our Skyy. I don't think you have to have watched the original Never Let Me Go to enjoy this.
Legend of Long Yang: Rebirth
2017 China
Gaga
Whipping boy trope... literally, servant character takes the strap for the prince, who then makes him his bodyguard and lover when he becomes king. Low budget historical, comes off as kind of cosplay wuxia version of Irresistible Love, but we get (in the credits) an actual kiss, and they both live. So yay for small mercies.
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The Director Who Buys Me Dinner
2023 Korea (historical flash backs)
iQIYI
A new employee at a film company encounters a director who claims to have lived 300 years and insists that they have to date (eat, hug & kiss) if baby doesn't want to die. It has a lot of Japanese elements, not the least of which are: an office setting, the fact that every character in this show is unhinged, and a killing of the gays. Featuring a gorgeous & stellar cast, TDWBMD should have utilized them less for melodrama and more for chemistry. This BL surprised me by going there with a lipstick mark AND an actually gay idol. But (you knew there was a but) while it's a unique twist on an office romance it is NOT a unique twist on the doomed red thread trope, resulting in it feeling less than the sum of its parts and ultimately unsatisfying. This might have also had to do with the fact that this was one of those KBLs where I felt how very short it was the whole time I was watching, like I was missing something constantly, in every episode. Worth watching for some but seriously flawed.
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First Love Again
2022 Korea (historical flash backs) - Viki
A popular novelist who remembers his past lives meets his soulmate for the third time, only to find she has been reincarnated into the body of a man. This one started out a touch mean-spirited, but we eventually got a good kiss. The confession/rejection scene was justified and the reconciliation and ending was... fine. All in all, the pacing felt rushed and the romantic arc was underdeveloped. They go from like to love to boyfriends in a red hot minute. But that’s par for the course with Korea’s short form. If you don’t mind a heavy does of melodrama in your BL this one has a solid story with a strong concept that’s well acted and produced, making it a classic KBL with better than average chemistry but ultimately a touch forgettable.
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Love in Spring AKA Spring of Crush
2022 Korea
This show was all over the place with uneven acting, narrative, and focus (sometimes it wanted to be a slapstick comedy, sometimes a depressing melodrama) which meant no one, actors or viewers, took anyone or anything seriously.... AND it’s a bromance. I was left wondering if SalHyung is now code for “they were roommates” in Kdrama historicals but otherwise largely apathetic and unimpressed. Korea, I now know you can do better. Do better.
Mermaid's Jade
2019 China (censored-esk) - Gaga
Kills the gay.
The Male Queen: Han Zi Gao
2016 China - Gaga
Kills the gay. Schrodinger's BL, both a BL and entirely not one at the same time.
Diary of Heong Yeong Dang
2014 Korea
Kills the Gay
I was gonna do a top 10 list, but there aren't enough by my metrics, so many end sadly.
This post at the behest of @verymuchof thank you for the idea!
Dated April 2023, includes only BLs that had finished their run by that date. Not responsible for cool costume flix that come after that. But you should check the comments to see if any have been added by others!
I might have missed a few that only have time historical elements since I don't always track those.
Also I would like to point out a decided lack of Japan on this list. My ninja yaoi consuming tiny past self is VERY upset about this void.
WHERE ARE MY GAY NINJAS??!!!
(source)
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save-the-data · 3 months
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Ultimate Note | S01E25
Chinese Drama - 2020, 37 episodes
Episodes | Gaga | Viki | YouTube | iQIYI | WeTV | Tencent | Catalogue
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colours-inthedark · 1 month
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Currently at ep 45 of "The Wolf" and he is single-handedly carrying this entire show.
The fact I started watching this show for Talu Wang and ended up falling head over heels for Ji Chong says a lot. Moreover this is my first Xiao Zhan drama. I shall watch more of his works from now on hehe.
Meanwhile, all hail Ji-Chong! His empathy and straightforward concern for others are truly worth appreciating~
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welcometothejianghu · 9 months
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Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 成化十四年/The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty
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(The) Sleuth of (the) Ming Dynasty (it's hard to get an agreement on how many definite articles should go where) is a beautiful, high-budget 2020 drama about a weenie genius detective, his long-suffering and deeply traumatized sugar daddy, and the eunuch with the most difficult job in the Great Ming: keeping these two dumbasses from getting their fool selves imperially executed.
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Depending on how you like it, it's either an OT3 or an OTP with an intense, underage third wheel, and either way, it's delightful. I wouldn't call it a comedy, but it has very many funny elements that keep the drama fun and engaging. The first half is full of shorter mysteries that are clever and thoughtfully plotted, and the second half goes in on the longer mystery that ties them all together.
I've already done my quick guide to the early-episode characters, if you want a taste of just how many people are running around and how wonderful they all are. But in case you want to know a little bit more before you commit yourself to a 48-episode series, here's five reasons I think you should watch it!
1. The whole thing smacks of gender
Yeah, this was originally going to be selling point #2, but I know what the people want.
This is not a show about gender. But boy it is a show that has a lot to say about gender, and not just by way of critiquing premodern Chinese gender roles (though it does do that!). Many of the cis characters are either a) somewhat gender nonconforming, b) canny enough to weaponize binary gender expectations, or c) both. Sui Zhou's entire third-act storyline is about how expectations of masculinity exacerbate PTSD in veterans. Three different AFAB characters either dress or live as men. The part where one of the male characters goes undercover in drag is played for laughs, but the joke isn't 'ha ha, a boy in a dress,' it's 'ha ha, this particular boy in a particular dress, and also he's terrible at it.'
And that's even before we get to the eunuchs.
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There are several professionally dickless, permanently unmanned characters running around. One-third of the OT3 canonically had his external genitalia nonconsensually removed when he was five years old, and because of this, he has been given unimaginable authority. He's basically the second most powerful man in the entire empire, and he only gets that way by being unquestionably, ostentatiously, and genuinely submissive to the first most powerful man.
I have seen other Chinese media where eunuchs are treated like sinister clowns, good only to be the bad guys and the butts of jokes. Sleuth's main eunuchs are real and complex characters, and because of this, the show gets to explore what it is to live in this weird third-gender category of incredible power and powerlessness.
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Now, don't go into this expecting woke gender treatises. Wang Zhi's never going to sit down and go, "You know, my friend and fellow eunuch Ding Rong, because of my lack of a penis, I understand my relationship to masculinity differently than other men do." But the show understands that even if he doesn't say it, it's true. And that makes a lot of the characters and their relationships just so much more interesting.
2. Uncle Jackie Money
Sleuth was the was the fourth c-drama I dove into, following the Untamed, Word of Honor, and Guardian -- or, Some Money BL, Less Money BL, and No Money BL. So imagine my absolute wall-eyed shock to find this was All The Money BL, courtesy of its executive producer, Jackie Chan (seen here with some of his handsome boys):
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Sleuth looks good. The costumes are amazing. The sets are stunning. The cinematography is beautiful. Everything is so detailed, and while I can't speak to the absolute historical accuracy of all those details (see point 3), they're still gorgeous. In fact, you know what? I'm going to shut up and show you some of the promotional images.
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(For actual screenshots, I'm just going to point you at @rongzhi's tsomd photoset tag, as they have done a tremendous service to the fan community -- though do beware of spoilers.)
Uncle Jackie's influence doesn't end with the money, though. Even though things get a bit goofy and wirework-y near the end, most of the drama's fights are shows of real martial arts skill. You can see his fingerprints on a lot of the choreography -- I'm thinking particularly of the time Tang Fan tries (and fails!) to stab Sui Zhou three times, which is pure Jackie Chan high-speed dexterity.
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Add this one to the category of shows your Average American Television Enjoyer Who Can Handle Subtitles would like. In fact, I have shown the first episode to my normie father-in-law, who was impressed. Show it to your dad! See if he picks up on the gay!
3. I am from ... HISTORY!
The Chinese title translates to "The 14th Year of Chenghua," which works out to the year 1478. There are some clear anachronisms, but they tend to be played for comedy, so it's hard to hold that against them. On the whole, though, the show is trying real hard to evoke a very specific moment, and I feel it does so beautifully.
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This does, however, mean that several of the characters are real people. I don't even have a good sense of how many of them are based on historical figures, that's how many. Hilariously, Wang Zhi's tag on AO3 used to read "Wang Zhi (?-1487 CE)."
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Moreover, these are characters I've seen pop up in other media, played very differently! In particular, Noble Consort (up there in blue) tends to be written as an uncomplicated villain elsewhere, whereas Sleuth gives her a chance to add some goodness to her badness, until, damn, you can't but root for the bitch. (It also downplays the cradle-robbing, which, honestly, is for the best.)
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You may have guessed from the eunuch section earlier, but it bears repeating: Wang Zhi is straight-up the best character in the show. He's smart as hell, and he has to be, because the second he's stupid, he's dead. I actually consider it helpful to know ahead of time that he's never going to do a heel turn -- I feel like on my first watchthrough, I was holding my breath for the first two-thirds of the show, waiting for his sudden but inevitable betrayal. It does not come. Wang Zhi is one of the heroes.
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He's also, like, evil. He orders people flogged, tortured, and executed. The very first thing you see him doing is sinister as hell. And the show clearly doesn't think this is good, but it also doesn't judge him for it. He's a traumatized seventeen-year-old who has not had a normal moment of his entire life. He's working thanklessly for a boss who could kill him on a whim -- and he's doing it because he literally, physically was made for his job. He's mildly freaking out because he has no emotional grounding to help him understand that these weirdos want to be his friends.
Was the real Wang Zhi like this? That's beside the point. The point is, you get to see how someone in that position could wind up as the war-crimes-committing platonic ideal of a little meow meow.
4. oh my god the food
Warning: This show will make you hungry.
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Again, beware of spoilers, but @peppersandcreamsicle and @qinzai have put together an entire cook-along Google Doc so you don't just have to drool -- you can do something about it! Or you can just read it and learn about Chinese cuisine, which is a little more my speed.
But it's not just about how good the food looks. Food is a vital emotional part of the series. People bond over it. They make and share it as a sign of love and care. It indicates status, ethnicity, interest, personality. The show's message about the healing power of cooking for the people you love will bring you to tears.
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And yes, Sui Zhou is the main one doing the cooking, so get ready to drool over both the dishes and the handsome man preparing them.
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Oh, and as though that weren't enough, Fu Meng Po can actually cook in real life. He's so dreamy. Absolute unreal handsome man with a devastatingly sexy voice. (I know my opinion might be different if I could hear his Taiwanese accent, but I can't so it's not!)
5. An Unsunk Ship
So like I said, my intros to c-drama couples had been WangXian, WenZhou, and WeiLan. That meant I'd basically come to terms with the idea that you can't have a main couple in a BL-but-not-really drama without splitting them up at least a little in the end, for no-homo plausible deniability reasons.
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Tang Fan and Sui Zhou are still definitvely, unequivocally together when the story ends, as the iconic pentultimate scene of the series confirms with beauty and simplicity. I refuse to give any more details than that, but that ship's afloat.
(These shirtless pictures aren't from the end, but I wanted to include them, and I didn't have a better place to do it. ...Also, you know, ships and water? Yeah?)
And I think their winding up together reflects Sleuth's entire attitude. Tang Fan is made of sunshine, and the series loves him for it. There is tragedy aplenty in this show, but there's no misery. It is ultimately a hopeful show that believes in the power of second chances, if you're willing to take them. Time and again, the moral of the story is that you are only ever as good as the people who have your back -- but you have to be willing to let them have your back. Let people help you. Let people cook for you. Let people give you a reason to keep living. And then keep living.
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Also, Sui Zhou gets two good kabedons off on that little twink, which means they're legally married now. I don't make the rules.
Bonus: Banger opening theme
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This is one you will watch all 48 times.
Bonus #2: The Halo Video
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This is the video that made me go, huh, these Sleuth boys seem like other boys I've enjoyed! Perhaps I shall enjoy them as well! And then I did. So if that might be convincing to you too, well, have at it. Even if it isn't, it's a fascinating three-minute study of shared those-boys-are-in-love visual language across these shows.
Fair warning that it contains shots from right up to the end, so if you'd rather go in completely blank, give this one a pass until later. (Excuse me while I now go watch it for the 10000th time.)
Have I convinced you to watch it yet?
It originally ran on iQiyi, though Viki's got it as well, and Viki's is free if you're willing to put up with some ads about it.
...I just noticed iQiyi's description of the series reads, "When the two handsome leading actors Darren Wang and Fu Meng-Po work together, what will happen? A lovely prefectural judge and an arrogant embroiered [sic] uniform guard join hands to crack unusual cases! Are you going to choose a new idol?" And you know what? Yes. The details are a little off, but that is the correct spirit. Thank you, thirsty blurb.
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kdram-chjh · 1 month
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Cdrama: Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book (2020)
She's not your ex-girlfriend. She's mine.🙊😢#三生三世枕上书 #eternalloveofdream #迪丽热巴 #高伟光 #shorts
Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K4_LyzW0Zh4
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blackmoonlightexpress · 10 months
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Fun Facts behind TTEOTM!
Creative Team
Till the End of the Moon is the second TV drama produced by newcomer Otters Studio (獭獭文化), which was originally set up for dangai/BL drama Immortality (皓衣行), also featuring Luo Yunxi.
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The Hangzhou-based Otters Studio is a subsidiary of Nanpai Entertainment (南派泛娱), the company owned by Kenneth Xu (aka “Third Uncle" 南派三叔). Xu is best known as the novelist and screenwriter behind "Grave Robbers' Chronicles" (盗墓笔记).
A big part of TTEOTM's core creative team also worked on Immortality. And a lot of the Immortality team came from Ashes of Love (2018) with Luo Yunxi. This includes...
He Fang (Screenwriter) - Immortality
Luo Xuan (Screenwriter & Associate Producer) - Immortality
Huang Wei (Costume Designer) - Immortality
Guan Dazhou (Music Director) - Immortality
Wang Yirong (Lead Producer) - Immortality
Wang Haiqi (B Unit Director & Action Director) - Immortality & Ashes of Love
Tsang Mingfai (Makeup Designer) - Immortality & Ashes of Love
Shen Xufei (Special Effects Director) - Immortality & Ashes of Love
Hua Tian World Concept - Immortality & Ashes of Love
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Wang Haiqi was the stunt coordinator who trained Luo Yunxi in Ashes of Love
Part of the creative team came from Huanyu (Bai Lu's management company, aka the production company of Yanxi Palace). This includes award-winning art director Luan Hexin, Huang Xinyao (Yue Fuya) and Liu Min (Nan'an).
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This is the second time Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu have paired up in a drama. They previously played a couple in modern workplace romance Love is Sweet (2020). Bai Lu expressed interest publicly in pairing up with LYX again in a costume drama numerous times.
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In addition, a number of Love is Sweet actors have minor roles or cameos in TTEOTM:
Zhao Yuanyuan (Qiao Na aka Yuan Shuai's colleague who has a crush on him) plays the Moon Goddess
Cheng Chang (Jiang Jun's father) plays Ye Xiwu's father
Deng Jinghong (Jiang Jun and Yuan Shuai's shady client) plays Ye Xiwu's brother Ye Zeyu
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The popularity of TTEOTM has generated renewed interest in Love is Sweet on iQiyi. In the first half of 2023, Love is Sweet is ranked #5 on Yunhe's "old/classic drama" list, receiving 360M views (10M views/episode), equivalent to airing a new medium-budget drama.
Two actors in Ashes of Love also have minor roles in TTEOTM:
Wang Yifei (Shuihe aka peacock princess in Ashes of Love) plays the Devil God's lieutenant Siying
He Zhonghua (Heavenly Emperor aka Runyu's father) plays the King of Sheng, again terrorizing Luo Yunxi's childhood
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In addition, a number of TTEOTM actors play minor roles in the unaired Immortality:
Huang Yunyun (Yue Yingxin) plays Song Qiutong
Zheng Guolin (Qu Xuanzi aka Susu's father) plays Jiangxi
Huang Haibing (Zhaoyou) plays Nangong Zhangying
He Zhonghua (King of Sheng) plays Nangong Liu
Geng Yeting (Ye Qingyu) plays an unknown role
Production
The source novel (黑月光拿稳BE剧本) was optioned by Otter before it was complete due to strong early hype around the IP and interesting characters & premise. It's one of the top 10 most-saved web novels of that genre on the Jinjiang platform. Its title literally translates to "black moonlight is guaranteed a bad ending screenplay".
The screenplay was written for 40 episodes, which was edited into 50 episodes of probably 45 mins each. The original plan (based on governmental records) was to air 34 episodes as part 1 and 16 episodes as part 2. However, the NRTA (Chinese government agency that regulates TV) closed the loophole around airing two seasons back to back early this year, which is why TTEOTM was edited back down to 40 episodes of 55 mins each so that it could air in one go.
TTEOTM changed its Chinese title twice. It was originally named 月照千峰为一人 (The moon shines for one person). It was then renamed to 长月无烬 (long moon without Jin/ember, also a pun for without limit or endless), which is the official publication name proposed by fans of the web novel. Right before the booting ceremony, it was renamed 长月烬明 likely for auspicious reasons (especially after the LYX accident and Immortality not airing)
Some keen netizens have noticed that if you break apart the characters of its Chinese title, 长月烬明, it becomes 长月火尽日月, which literally means....
长月 (long moon) - how people refer to the drama, in its short form
火 (fire) - Chinese internet lingo for explosive or popular
尽日月 (to the end of sun and moon)
(Gotta give one to Chinese people for coming up with auspicious names)
Luo Yunxi was injured right before production began when filming his final scene in Light Chaser Rescue. He got punched in the mouth by a costar which required emergency surgery and left a scar on the top left corner of his mouth. Production was delayed as a result. Bai Lu had to film her solo scenes first starting Oct 19, 2021. The booting ceremony took place on Nov 6, 2021 after Luo Yunxi joined the set.
Luo Yunxi was the first actor to be cast, according to an interview with the producer. It is rumored that he might have even picked which novel to adapt as Otter initially optioned both "Black Moonlight" and "Black Lotus Casebook". Bai Lu is also the "only choice" for Li Susu according to Yu Zheng.
Yin Tao (Who Rules The world, Love & Redemption, and Ancient Love Poetry) was originally considered for director, but he worked on the Blood of Youth instead. In the end they went with Kuk Kok Leung, an award-winning veteran TVB director who has adapted 7 out of 8 Jin Yong novels. One of the Cantonese songs Luo Yunxi kept singing on set is the OST of the 1983 Condor Heroes where Kuk served as Assistant Director.
Sun Zhenni (Pianran) and Zhao Shiyi (Fuyu) won their roles through open casting call. Sun Zhenni was a big fan of Bai Lu, and the two became close friends during the shoot. She is 1/4 German Jewish through her paternal grandmother.
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Chen Duling (Ye Bingchang / Tian Huan) briefly dated Xichao Wang (who plays Jing Mie, the demon god's other lieutenant). They were apparently introduced by Yu Zheng (boss of Bai Lu's studio).
Luo Yunxi and Sun Zhenni are the only actors who dubbed themselves in the drama. Bai Lu is dubbed by Duan Yixuan, who is also the voice behind Linglong in Love & Redemption.
This is the second time Luo Yunxi plays a dragon god (Runyu is the first). This is also the second time Bai Lu plays a character who leaps off the tower to her death in a costume drama.
Post-production was rumored to be delayed and then rushed due to a number of reasons, including covid which hit the special effects team hard and the last minute change of the 40-episode rule.
Promotion
During the premiere day, celebrities posted on Weibo to promote the drama in support of Luo Yunxi (usually actors only ask for this favor when it's a really important project to their career): Huang Xiaoming, Tan Songyun, Wu Jingyan, Chen Yuqi, Cheng Xiao, Victoria Song, Zhang Ruonan, Huang Xuan, Chen Yao. The most noteworthy ones were Chen Xiao (whose drama was also opening on the same day) and EDG (the esports team that LYX supports)
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dvlwablu · 5 months
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onmyoji related media you can watch (that has english subs)
Behold, my Onmyoji film/TV collection for curious people who've already seen the anime!
The Yin-Yang Master (2001) and it's 2003 sequel The real OGs, the one most people know from Yuzuru Hanyu's SEIMEI free skate routine. Featuring Nomura Mansai as Seimei and Hideaki Itou as Hiromasa, these movies were my introduction to the Onmyoji series as a whole. The soundtrack is a banger, the practical effects are great and you get to see Hiroyuki Sanada ham it up in the first movie! I would say that the first movie is a lot stronger, but the second movie makes up for it by being A Lot Gayer. It even has an English dub! It's easily found on Certain streaming websites or on DVD.
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晴雅集 - Qing Ya Ji, aka The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity A Chinese adaptation that REALLY puts its own spin on things; Qingming and Boya are Seimei and Hiromasa respectively, but it's not easy to tell if you aren't already aware of the source material! It's a different take that I love regardless, with beautiful visuals, incredible costuming and impressive sets. It also made me cry like a baby at one point, which is always a plus. It's on Netflix and it also has an English dub.
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Onmyoji - Takiyashahime (2020) A TV Asahi drama special that adapts the two-part Takiyashahime novels. It's not 1-1 of course, but it does follow the main plot points well enough (it also adapts Tsuyuko's story as a bonus!) It's got that "yeah this was done on a TV drama budget and not a movie one" look when it comes to the effects, but that doesn't stop it from being enjoyable. You really get a glimpse at novel Seimei and Hiromasa's dynamic in this (they include one of my favourite hirosei exchanges in this and it's SO GOOD) as well as proper Nasty Old Man Ashiya Doman!!! You can watch it on Certain streaming sites.
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There also exists a 2015 TV Asahi drama series, but I haven't been able to find it. An earlier 2001 NHK drama series exists as well, but it isn't subbed in English. It is, at the very least, entirely on YouTube! 10 episodes, 45 minutes each. It's a little...weird, I won't lie (they try to make Hiromasa and Mitsumushi a thing which is. Why) but some of the stories are genuinely heartwrenching, which was a surprise to me when I watched it!
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