#character: ling bu yi
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Love Like The Galaxy~ You guys makes me sick
#Love Like The Galaxy#cdrama#wu lei#character: ling bu yi#zhao lu si#character: cheng shao shang#bao jian feng#character: emperor wen#月升沧海
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Love Like the Galaxy: trauma and vengeance done right
a.k.a forgiveness is overrated
So, we all know that Chinese dramas, especially historical ones, love to traumatize their characters in all kinds of ways: they are wrongfully accused, betrayed, killed, their family is killed, etc. You know, all the good stuff. And I'm all here for it, but.
The problem that I think many of these kinds of dramas run into is - they don't tend to portray how that kind of trauma can and will affect the characters. I'm sorry, but when you as a child witness your whole family's execution, there's no way that the only consequence of that will be the mild fear of blood, which then you can easily overcome once your love interest hugs you like one time, you know?
And I love my traumatized characters as much as the next guy, the more trauma - the better. But when it doesn't affect the character in any meaningful way, then what's the point? Where's the catharsis in that? Needless to say, seeing this kind of thing slightly upsets me.
And here is when Love like the Galaxy comes in.
We have two main characters:
Cheng Shao Shang, a girl that was abandoned practically since birth by her warrior parents and left in the care of her aunt and grandmother, which then treated her like crap. Her mother and father return from war eventually, but unfortunately things don't get much better. While left to fend for herself, Shao Shang has developed a vengeful and cunning personality. She's resourceful and creative, extremely petty and will fuck up anyone who dares to cross her, no matter who that is. These kinds of traits are not approved by people around her and especially her mother, who attempts to mold her into the more acceptable version of what is considered "a lady from high society";
Ling Bu Yi, an Emperor's beloved foster son and a general of like the coolest army ever. He's feared by everyone, and for good reasons - he's good in combat (this actor is amazing in action scenes), cold and absolutely brutal, be it in a battle field or in court. His purpose in life is to get to the bottom of the conspiracy that led to the massacre of the whole city and his clan when he was a child.
So, these two meet, and slowly develop a relationship (the guy falls for her at first sight by the way, while Shao Shang is terrified of him for like a good third of the drama, which was pretty fun to watch). And besides their love, one more thing that they have in common is - they don't forget and don't forgive.
And while they seem to influence and make each other better in some ways, this vengeful streak in both of them doesn't diminish in the slightest.
Cheng Shao Shang continues to resist her mother, the methods of which become more and more extreme, other people in court and seemingly the rest of society in their attempts to change her. She wants to preserve her sense of self no matter what. She retaliates every action against her tenfold, and would rather break than bend.
And Ling Bu Yi, while getting softer around Shao Shang and the people he trusts, in matters of dealing with the conspiracy seems as if possessed by something very dark that is eating him alive. He deals with most problems that arise without hesitation and with ruthlessness that seems almost sociopathic.
The climax (I'm trying very hard not to spoil anything, appreciate me)
And as we slowly uncover what really happened with the massacre, suddenly Ling Bu Yi's behaviour starts to make sense. What he had experienced was absolutely horrific. He had to hide his trauma behind a mask for years in order to get closer to his goal. All that fucked him up completely, made him who he is now, and it shows, and it matters to the story! Finally!
There is a choice that he has to make, a peaceful life with a person he loves the most, or revenge, no matter the consequences. The fire that has been burning within him makes that choice for him.
This all culminates at a certain birthday banquet. That whole scene, the fight, the reveal, the look on the dying man's face!!! No forgiveness. Absolutely delicious. MOAR BLOOD, MOAR!!!
Oh, but we're not done yet! Not only do we have the revenge, we have the aftermath!
The General made his choice, and Cheng Shao Shang, while still battling with her own demons, holds him to it. This scene, which I desperately want to call a Wedding one, even if it technically isn't, is also amazing.
And Cheng Shao Shang meanwhile, parallel to Ling Bu Yi's bloody bender, does something which involved much less murdering, but which completely blew my mind. She does not. Forgive. Her mother. She just doesn't. And holy shit.
No matter in what part of world you live and what kind of parents you have, filial piety is considered a given. Does not matter if they are just not great or outright horrible, you have to understand and forgive them, because tHEy arE FAmiLy (I'm projecting in case you haven't noticed). And in this Chinese historical drama, a girl who was abandoned and then abused by her mother, who is spiteful and always pays in kind, disregards all that. And she does not forgive people that wronged her, no matter who they are.
Anyways, watch this drama, it's great
#ghost's shouts from the abyss#love like the galaxy#cdrama#zhao lusi#wu lei#idk if someone needs it#but whatever#i do what i want
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Wang Chuan Feng Hua Lu (忘川风华录) Masterpost
Wang Chuan Feng Hua Lu (忘川风华录) is a Vocal synth (Vocaloid and SynthV) music project. It consists of songs themed around different figures throughout Chinese history. The project is a collaboration between different artists and creatives, with music and videos featuring prominent traditional Chinese elements. The project's title translates to "The Records of Magnificence of the Wangchuan" - In Chinese mythology, "Wangchuan" (or River of Forgetting) is a river in the Underworld that can rid one of their past life's memories, similar to the river Lethe.
A mobile game adaptation has also been developed by NetEast. Unfortunately, I haven't played it so I can't give much insight on it. However, I assume that its premise is similar to that of the idea behind the project as a whole: all these historical figures meeting each other in the Underworld after they died. Maybe.
You can find all the songs on Bilibili. The official Weibo can be found here. The game's website, which includes all characters appearing so far in the game, can be found here, and its Weibo can be found here.
(If you prefer YouTube, I've also put together a handy playlist. Please know that most of these videos are reposts though, so please watch the original Bilibili MVs if you can!)
This blog is where I will be posting everything I feel like I need to say about the songs in this project. A lot of it is lifted from my Twitter account but will be in much more detail. Note that I probably won't touch collab songs, or songs that don't focus solely on the project's own characters.
Disclaimer: I do not speak Chinese, nor am I an expert on Chinese history. Therefore, I cannot reliably translate the lyrics to these songs, nor my words should be taken as gospel. I am merely a nerd gushing about my hyperfixation.
Playlist
多情岸 【Duo Qing An】 ➼ B link
洛阳怀 【Luo Yang Huai】 ➼ B link
易水诀 【Yi Shui Jue】 ➼ B link
山河令 【Shan He Ling】 ➼ B link
簪花人间 【Zhan Hua Ren Jian】 ➼ B link
栖凰 【Qi Huang】 ➼ B link
心上秋 【Xin Shang Qiu】 ➼ B link
祖龙吟 【Zu Long Yin】 ➼ B link
如见青山 【Ru Jian Qing Shan】 ➼ B link
竹林间 【Zhu Lin Jian】 ➼ B link
天下局 【Tian Xia Ju】 ➼ B link
青鸟衔风 【Qing Niao Xian Feng】 ➼ B link
木兰行 【Mu Lan Xing】 ➼ B link
好字唯之 【Hao Zi Wei Zhi】 ➼ B link
不可道 【Bu Ke Dao】 ➼ B link
水叙湖风 【Shui Xu Hu Feng】 (collab) ➼ B link
是非 【Shi Fei】 ➼ B link
风起甘露 【Feng Qi Gan Lu】 (collab) ➼ B link
谓剑 【Wei Jian】 ➼ B link
万象霜天 【Wan Xiang Shuang Tian】 (New Year event song) ➼ B link
千秋梦 【Qian Qiu Meng】 ➼ B link
易安难安 【Yi An Nan An】 ➼ B link
惊鹊 【Jing Que】 ➼ B link
高歌破阵 【Gao Ge Po Zhen】 (collab) ➼ B link
不赴 【Bu Fu】 ➼ B link
西行 【Xi Xing】 ➼ B link
大航海家 【Da Hang Hai Jia】 ➼ B link
牡丹乱 【Mu Dan Luan】 (collab) ➼ B link
倾国 【Qing Guo】 (collab) ➼ B link
相虎 【Xiang Hu】 ➼ B link
补天裂 【Bu Tian Lie】 ➼ B link
此期盈期 【Ci Qi Ying Qi】 (1st anniversary song) ➼ B link
破云来 【Po Yun Lai】 ➼ B link
归钓吟 【Gui Diao Yin】 ➼ B link
始见千秋 【Shi Jian Qian Qiu】 ➼ B link
临川浮梦 【Lin Chuan Fu Meng】 ➼ B link
将军行 【Jiang Jun Xing】 ➼ B link
妄语人间 【Wang Yu Ren Jian】 ➼ B link
数风流 【Shu Feng Liu】 (2nd anniversary song) ➼ B link
问剑春秋 【Wen Jian Chun Qiu】 ➼ B link
起战令 【Qi Zhan Ling】 ➼ B link
人间应又雪 【Ren Jian Ying You Xue】 ➼ B link
旷古回响 【Kuang Gu Hui Xiang】 ➼ B link
墨隐侠声 【Mo Yin Xia Sheng】 ➼ B link
桃源故人 【Tao Yuan Gu Ren】 (3rd anniversary song) ➼ B link
*Note: The anniversary songs are probably for the game's anniversaries, as the project itself is more than 5 years old.
Albums
Vol 1: 溯洄 【Su Hui】
Includes character songs from Duo Qing An to Zhu Lin Jian. Features human vocals.
Vol 2: 踏浪 【Ta Lang】
Includes character songs from Tian Xia Ju to Jing Que.
Vol 3: 数风流 【Shu Feng Liu】
Includes character songs from Bu Fu to Wang Yu Ren Jian, an unreleased song titled 燕双归 【Yan Shuang Gui】, and the two anniversary songs.
Visual character guide:
PRE-QIN | QIN | WESTERN CHU | HAN | THREE KINGDOMS | JIN | NORTH & SOUTHERN DYNASTIES | TANG | FIVE DYNASTIES & TEN KINGDOMS | SONG | YUAN | MING | QING | DREAM
#忘川风华录#wang chuan feng hua lu#wcfhl#chinese music#vocasynth#vocaloid#synthv#vocaloid project#synth v project#synthesizer v#vocal synths#long post#this is the culmination of a 3 year brainrot#i will try my best
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so in Ep 32 because of a conversation Niao Niao has with the crown prince encouraging familial love the emperor decided not to punish this one military dude. Said military dude is in fact incompetent and shouldn't be there and some other stuff that honestly I forgot about it. But the General Ling Bu Yi says that becasue of her actions the palace opinion will turn again the Empress and the crown prince/emperor.
So she may have to suffer the consequences of her own recklessness, which I think will be good for her character development. Because Niao Niao has never really had to do that before. So much of her life went wrong due to other people's bullshit. So no matter how good or bad she was it would suck for her because her grandmother adn third aunts are assholes. Now she is in a situation where she has power, but doesn't know how to deal with teh fact that she has to make her won future. And because of the person that she is, her life will never be uncomplicated.
But she's got good points because no one really explains to her clearly why interfering with the palace is such a bad idea. It might be because a 15 year old would naturally have trouble thinking of the long term consequences of her schemes in an intensely complicated political situation that is impossible to separate from family because said family in question is the ROYAL family. I feel like everyone around her underestimates the effect her upbringing had on her. She says in this episode that she doesn't care about consequences and acts willfully and girl I get it. It wasn't your idea to get involved in palace intrigue and this bullshit, but one, you have a massive inferiority complex which your mother did not help you get over. And at the same time you are so fucking good at getting what you want, but there is no way out of the consequences of your own actions. Like no one's life is like that, and you are going to get hurt really really badly by not caring. And at the same time, there is such a joy in having a character who is unrestrainedly herself. these complex fucking characters, y'all.
Also crown prince, I feel like maybe you got the wrong thing out of Niao Niao's pep talk. BE a bit more capable. I'm waiting for the scene where he gets his shit together and slaps someone.
#love like the galaxy#niao niao#general ling bu yi#crown prince#ep 32#sort of disjointed rant#a bit messy#thoughts
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current blogs (click on img for blog page)
a fan blog for all things Shadowhunters based on the leads Clary Fray and Jace Herondale aka played by Katherine MacNamara and Dominic Sherwood, the show was canceled but their love was real on screen the chemistry and writing with the will or won't in season 1 til s2 denying their love with Clary falling for her best friend Simon but the truth coming out they weren't what they thought they were to each other as siblings being a rut but getting complicated when Cimon happened for a shirt bit which then led to feelings coming back at the second half of the season to fruition and a difficult road in s3 battle of love and power and desire.
Fans of the citytv Canadian drama Hudson and Rex,blog for all things relating to the leads Detective Charlie Hudson, K-9 Rex, and the chief of Forensics Sarah Truong who has that slow burn happening til the end of S4 which may lead to some love coming up in the new season.
A blog for Chinese pairing of Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi from the historical drama Love like the Galaxy as the leads portraying General Ling Bu Yi and Cheng Shaoshang.
based on a series of romance books developed by Passionflix Professor Gabriel Emerson falls in love with his student Julia Mitchell who soon finds out she was the woman who got away 6 years ago when he was sort of at his lowest during that time who thought Julia was Beatrice at that time but years went by and things heated up, but university professor/student romance cant happen so they try to keep it a secret but word spreads and things get complicated for them. The chemistry that Giulio Berruti and Melanie Zanetti is pretty hot on screen, and the books are pretty steamy as well if you haven't read Gabriels Inferno, Gabriels Rapture, and Gabriels Redemption and the final book Gabriels Promise its really worth the read by Sylvain Reynard.
a devilish dective esque show of Lucifer Morningstar the Devil living life as a wild child type who can open desires from everyone but one person who starts to intrigue him a female Detective Chloe Decker which soon turns out was a gift from God and a key to Lucifer heart, she makes him feel human and things heat up slowly but surely who is played by Tom Ellis and Lauren German.
Vengo Gao and Dilraba Diilmurat page, loved their chemistry from Eternal Love to Eternal Love of Dreams, has posts of their other projects and events and photoshoots they have been doing over the years.
oldie but still a fav, from the scifi series Stargate Atlantis 5 great seasons and complicated feelings from both Major now Lt Col John Sheppard and Athosian leader of srots Teyla Emmagan played by Joe Flannigan and Rachel Luttrell, their character chemistry was growing in season 1 but seemed to falter but they had their moments as a maybe happening but it was one of those writings where it just wasnt really gonna happen just in dreams.
Blog for the CW Kung Fu series staring Olivia Liang and Eddie Liu who portray Nicky and Henry.
another rebooted series Macgyver follows a smart-brained guy who can make things out of the air with pretty much anything he sees when the situation gets rough and the hacker Riley Davis who is also smart and techy with computers can hack pretty much anything she gets her hands on, they have that more friend zone type relationship but they also have the secret stares and eye contact like Magnum and Juliet who work pretty well together and has grown close through out the seasons but struggles with their own personal relationships outside of work but always stick together played by Lucas Till and Tristin Mays.
based on the reboot Magnum PI follows Thomas Magnum Private Eye living at the Robins nest in the guest house being watched by Juliet Higgins who is the DOMO of the Robins Nest is former MI-6 agent now turned Magnums partner in Hawaii played by Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks who are both funny, quirky and has interesting chemistry but both Magnum and Juliet be playing the secretly not into each other even though their secret glances and eye contact is obvious.
based on a reboot version of Roswell which is now called Roswell New Mexico follows Liz Ortecho and alien-human Max Evans, its an interesting show that has its moments not enough episodes but has outpassed its original Roswell series with now 4 seasons which is currently finished filming season 4 played by Jeanine Mason and Nathan Dean Parsons who may or may not still be together off-screen they were supposedly dating kind of unknown if it went anywhere now with the pandemic stuff going on.
based on the romantic book series which follows through a troubled man dark world to a young woman who changes him inside and out from feeling he has the be alone to feeling freed from the dark world he was living under as Christian Grey a rich man who has a secret dark side of being in the BDSM world who meets the young blue-eyed woman Anastasia Steele at his work where she interviews him for her friend who got sick so worlds collide where he's intrigued by her innocence and shows her his naughty side which in turn doesn't go as planned when she wants to feel why he's so afraid to lose her bc of the BDSM world but soon regrets it and leaves him which comes Fifty shades darker and then fifty shades freed portrayed by Jamie Dorna and Dakota Johnson.
a never gonna happen but wish it could happen relationship of Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow, Barry ends up marrying Iris which follows the comics not that I dont like Iris which I do but Caitlin is also an interesting choice but it just isn't meant to be tv wise but we all can dream of it happening especially bc both Grant Gustin and Danielle Panabaker are just adorable and have great chemistry on and off-screen.
Content for Asian dramas from Korean and Chinese historicals, moderns, and wuxia (Costume) fantasy dramas. Along with Asian celebs from events to photoshoot
Content for all things relating to Wang Kai (Nick Wang) and Tan Songyun (Seven Tan) from their drama Flight to you and projects they are working on independently.
#macriley#charah#echo#dreamer#miggins#miggy#henicky#clace#sheyla#jeyla#gabriel x julia#hudson and rex#charlie hudson#john reardon#mayko nguyen#giulio berruti#melanie zanetti#jeanine mason#nathan dean#roswell new mexico#mac x riley#juliet higgins#thomas magnum#magnum x higgins#nicky x henry#kung fu cw#clary x jace#shadowhunters#dominick sherwood#kat mcnamara
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Love Like the Galaxy (2022)
Love like the Galaxy (Cdrama)
ShaoShang believes her parents abandoned her to live with her mean and aunt and Grandmother. She has been mistreated and has learned to fend for herself. When her family returns, everyone has adjustments to make. Her mother is especially disappointed in how Shaoshang has been raised and decides to take a firm hand. When that doesn't work, Shaoshang is sent to live with her aunt and uncle. She goes through many trials with them and afterwards.
Meanwhile, General Ling Bu Yi is the favorite general of the Emperor, even considered as the Emperor's adopted son. He meets and falls for Shaoshang. He resists as he has a complicated history, that even now he is secretly investingating. Eventually, he proposes anyway and the two begin to fall in love. When Shaoshang enters the palace to learn etiquette from the Empress, she is quickly brought into the politics as well. Can their love survive when their loyalty and honesty is tested?
10/10
So this is likely my favorite historical drama. It had me hooked from the very beginning. The first half of the drama is really more about each of the main characters individually. We watch Shaoshang deal with bullying and an overzealous mother. Then, her brilliance shines through and she is able to take charge during a dangerous ambush and to help rebuild a village. I love that her intelligence is praised throughout the show. Almost all of the characters are fantastic. The parents, her brothers, and Ling Bu Yi's two soldiers are great. The second half of the drama focuses more on the palace aspect which is usually my least favorite part of these dramas. But the Emperor, Empress, and Consort Yue are amazing. They are wonderful characters with complicated backstories. They aren't backstabbing each other or scheming, but truly love each other...just...complicatedly. The Empress and Shaoshang's friendship is so special and honestly just beautiful.
My only minor quibbles are mostly pacing and a few convenient plot moments. Some things seemed like they took forever and others happened in between episodes. So I was confused when I started the next episode. The final two episodes have a convenient escape and a miraculous arrival at just the right moment and honestly, I forgive that pretty easily cause I like what it does for the story. Seriously, this one is a must watch!
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C106: Wanna try it?
I Have to Be a Great Villain - Masterpost
An unexpected plot twist causes Wang Yi and X to run off in the middle of the night.
Wang Yi: Hah?
WY: You don't know why you split up bodies tonight either?
X: Mm. Too many things I didn't understand suddenly entered my consciousness. But they're different from the knowledge and civilization here, so I need time to sort them all out.
WY: It's not as simple as regaining memories of a past life like the Qin Xian in the last world?
X: It seems to be different. (The language and characters are all foreign to me.)
X: But X will decipher that unknown civilization ASAP.
X: And do [my] best to understand the message from that consciousness.
WY: ! (Ba-thump)
(Ba-thump ba-tHUMP)
WY: Talk if you must, but why are you so close to me?
WY: (Ahhh ahhhh)
WY: (Getting flustered seems almost normal now.)
Machine: [Beep, welcome back to the institute.]
Researcher: No, it’s really gone!
Researcher: How many times has it been since we’ve had specimens missing?
Researcher: Where could something that big run off to? Search closely, the higher-ups treat him as a big deal! Wahhh, I don’t want to work overtime—
WY: What’s going on? Gathering together in the middle of the night?
Researcher: Dr. Wang, you’re finally back!
Researcher: We tried contacting you but your cell phone was off the entire time.
WY: Ah.
WY: It ran out of battery because I was out for so long.
X: I can back him up on that.
WY: What happened in the lab? Another specimen went missing again?
Researcher: Yes.
(Various blank speech bubbles of panic)
Researcher: During a routine inspection tonight we discovered the mermaid was missing.
Researchers: ? !
Researcher: Assistance Xiao went missing too.
WY: Mermaid? Assistant Xiao?
WY: (The male and female protagonists? Didn’t they just go for a simple “date?”)
WY: (In the original novel there were many sections where the female lead took the merman out to play)
WY: (But no matter what they’d return before nightfall to pretend nothing ever happened)
Xiao Yu: Hurry in, people are coming!
WY: (So following them today was just to get in on the action, not to send them back to the labs.)
WY: (Did something happen?)
WY: (Or did the resolution of the novel, where they run away together, arrive ahead of time?)
[LAB]
WY: SAO LING!
S-0: (shocked) (woken up from nap)
S-0: Huh? What’s up?
WY: Check the progress of the plot, I have a bad feeling.
S-0: You’re in such a rush because…
S-0: WTH?! (MRRREEOW—)
WY: Don’t scare me, what’s with the big reaction.
[He Came from Horizon's Edge - Novel World Mission Progress: 90%]
WY: 90% COMPLETION RATE?!
WY: Then isn't the only plot event left "the female lead sends the merman back to the sea?" In the original novel Xiao Yu took a long time to smuggle the mermaid out of the institute, but why is it suddenly moving so quickly?
S-0: I dunno. (spiritless)
S-0: Host always makes the plot more complicated and confusing…
WY: I swear to God I really didn't do anything to the female lead! (The plot made a move first!)
X: Hmm…if the mission is finished, will Wang Yi have to leave this world again?
WY: !
S-0: !
WY: …logically speaking, as long as the Dr. Wang in the novel didn't die, I should be able to stay? (The ending came prematurely in the last novel world.)
S-0: Uh-huh.
[SPECIFICATION: If the host's character dies, the transmigrator will move on; otherwise they can stay.]
S-0: Since this is a vacation novel anyways, I can submit a request for Host if stay behind if you wish.
WY: Hmph
WY: Cat, did you convert to Buddhism or something? You've been frighteningly accommodating since coming to this world.
S-0: Urk— (stab in the head)
S-0: S-0 has always been kind, okay.
S-0: But the most important task for Host is to find the female protagonist and the rest to give this story a satisfactory ending.
S-0: I can provide you with a map.
(Raindrops)
Xiao Yu: Huuu~ Wuu…so cold.
XY: We couldn't catch the last bus, so we can only spend the night here for now.
XY: Where's your home, anyways?
XY: Is it very far to walk?
Merman (telepathy): [Mm.]
Merman: [My home is in the east, one has to keep heading eastward.]
XY: The East? Like the East Sea?
XY: But I only see the sky.
Merman: [It's at the edge of the eastern sky.]
XY: The edge of the sky? It sounds so romantic.
XY: I don't know where I can help Mr. Merman walk to.
XY: But since you said even someone as strong as Dr. Wang is doing his best to let his tentacle boyfriend live a good life,
XY: I feel like I've done something—rather remarkable too. (Because I saw their example first, I finally resolved to take you back home.)
Merman: [Mhm mhm…]
Merman: [Xiao Yu has always been, super strong.]
WY: ….
WY: Why did we decide to drive through the mountains in the middle of the night.
WY: DAMN IT, THE CAR BROKE DOWN!
(SFX: Shaaaaaaa~)
WY: It'll take ages for a tow truck if we call for one now! I'm almost freezing to death!
X: Huu.
X: There's a way for people to get warmer.
X: Wanna try it?
WY (bad premonition): Ah?
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Hi! I'm introducing some friends to the untamed and making some notes on where the netflix subs don't give enough information/good translations, according to the fandom. I saw your translation of the 'to die by your hand' scene and it KILLED me, so I was wondering if there are any other particular scenes you think it's important to note a different translation? Thank you so much if you can!
ooh so there aren't any scenes i can think of where the translation falls so so short of the actual emotion and meaning as much as that one, however there are definitely some less dramatic instances.
in general, i would say that mandarin (and a lot of other languages from what i've heard) has a lot more inherent emotional depth than english, so in translation, a lot of the subtitles sound very emotionally neutral or ambivalent when they really aren't.
the instance of this that sticks out to me the most is during the confrontation between wei wuxian and jiang cheng at the guanyin temple (ep 48, ~9 minutes in) where wuxian says to jiang cheng「都不要放在心上了」(dou bu yao fang zai xin shang), which the subtitles translate as "please don't keep it in your heart," which i'm actually not really mad at as a translation, but it's just not a phrase used much in english, so it sounds slightly awkward/doesnt convey the emotional context of that phrase.
so for context, mandarin has multiple ways of saying, loosely, "don't worry." there's「不要擔心」(bu yao dan xin), which is probably the most common and versatile to say it, and there's「不要放在心上」(bu yao fang zai xin shang), which is the one wuxian says to jiang cheng. (there's other ways too, they're just not rly relevant here) the literal translation of it is "do not put it on your heart," which the netflix is pretty close to, but ofc that doesn't tell u much abt usage. the way i've explained it in the past was, say u made a mistake at work and were beating urself up over it.「不要擔心」is something your coworker or boss might say to you to essentially say "hey it's no big deal, don't worry about it, ur fine;" it can be very casual. whereas, once you get home and start talking abt ur bad day at work,「不要放在心上」is more likely something your parent/sibling/partner/other loved one would say to you as they put a bowl of ur favorite soup in front of u. it has a level of inherent familiarity and deeper desire to comfort the person ur talking to than「不要擔心」. (note: i say inherent bc「不要擔心」doesnt have to always be casual/relatively emotionally neutral, it can be said w emotion ofc but the words themselves do not carry as much emotion as「不要放在心上」.
other than that, i’m not remembering any other specific scenes rn (if i remember smth, i’ll rb w the addition and @ you), but one thing that happens throughout the show is translation discrepancy when characters are addressing each other. for example, when wuxian and jiang cheng talk to yanli, the subtitles always have them both addressing her by name, but in chinese, family members often dont address each other by name, like my younger brothers both call me 姐 (jie), which means older sister. jiang cheng calls yanli 阿姐 (a-jie) most of the time (the 阿 at the beginning is just a prefix used in front of names and other forms of address to express familiarity, it’s the same character used in a-yuan). wuxian calls yanli 師姐 (shijie), which is what you call a senior female fellow student studying under the same master/in the same school/etc.
(rest under the cut bc this got rly long)
nie huaisang calls mingjue 大哥 (dage)/哥 (ge); 哥 means older brother and 大 means big, so 大哥 is often used for the eldest brother (esp common if there are multiple brothers). an interesting thing is that wangji does not call xichen 哥 or any variation of it, rather he calls him 兄長 (xiong zhang), which also means older brother but is a term of respect and much more formal, so that’s also a reflection of their characters and upbringing. 兄長 is not in common use nowadays but 哥 very much still is.
after nie mingjue, lan xichen, and jin guangyao take their oath of sworn brotherhood, they also change their forms of address with each other. for example, guangyao calls xichen 二哥 (er ge), which means second older brother (since xichen is the second oldest) and calls mingjue 大哥 (like huaisang does). (i feel like i vaguely remember guangyao being called 三弟 (san di), which means third younger brother, by someone but don’t remember if it was xichen or mingjue.)
(also impt to note that in chinese culture, familial terms as forms of address aren’t strictly reserved for family (whether that be blood or found). for example, in a casual setting, you can address any woman who is your parents’ age or between their age and your grandparents age as 阿姨 (a-yi) (or name + 阿姨), which is the term for your maternal aunt, and you can address any man of the same age range as 叔叔 (shu shu), which is what you’d call your paternal uncle. similarly in a familiar/casual setting, you can call women older than you but younger than your parents 姐姐/name + 姐, like the daughters, who are all younger than me, of my parents’ friends call me jessie jie-jie. and you can call men in the same age range 哥哥/name + 哥, like how wang yibo calls xiao zhan, zhan-ge. the same applies for people younger than you, with which you would use 妹妹, younger sister, and 弟弟, younger brother.)
another example is that jin guangshan calls jiang fengmian 江兄 (jiang xiong), 江being his family name ofc and 兄 meaning brother (same character as in 兄長, which wangji calls xichen), since they’re of the same age and status and their wives are sworn sisters. xichen, on the other hand, calls fengmian 江宗主 (jiang zong zhu), which means sect leader jiang. in the subtitles, these are often just translated as “you,” when they’re talking directly to him.
so in general, there is a lot of information abt characters’ relationships, level of familiarity with each other, age, etc that is contained in their forms of address that just doesn’t come across in the netflix subs, since those default to their names like 80% of the time.
hope this helps!! if u (or anyone else) have other questions/scenes ur wondering abt, feel free to ask, i’m always down to talk translations. and if you want to see more of my beef w netflix subs a;lskjdf, all of my cql gifsets with dialogue on them have either been translated from scratch by me or i’ve edited the netflix translations, and i usually put some notes abt my translation in the tags. any sets that i’ve translated from scratch are under my translations tag, though most of these are actually for word of honor/shan he ling and not cql.
edit: check my reblog in the notes for some more additions!!
#sorry this got so long ;lakjsdf but this was legit rly fun to answer#ive been meaning to make a gifset w my translation for the guanyin temple scene for so long but havent gotten around to it#mayhaps i will this weekend#(also as a disclaimer: like with any part of a language the forms of address used can differ regionally#for example ik some chinese people use 姨媽 (yi ma) instead of 阿姨 for their maternal aunts#my family is taiwanese-chinese and i was born and raised in the us so that's the background/region my knowledge is coming from)#u kno what i'll put this in some main tags too bc i feel like this is good to know#the untamed#mo dao zu shi#mdzs#answered#nbvagabond#mine#okay to rb#my translation#<--i dont have a better tag for this rn so
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Mousie’s New and Improved Top 20 Cdramas List
Because why not. These are ordered in terms of being my favorite as opposed to pure quality - if I was trying to be objective, it would probably be rearranged, but I like being petty and subjective.
You will notice that literally every drama on this list is a period drama. Much as I adore period cdramas, contemporary ones rarely work for me.
20. Princess Agents (tie)
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll6x8zf2CnQ
Our heroine is a slave in a brutal society who becomes a feared general, fighting for freedom and love of a Yan prince. But her heart might actually lie with a seemingly cold adversary who is madly in love with her (I shipped them so hard!) I was one of five people who loved the infamous cliffhanger ending because it made a brutal kind of sense (You can read the novel if you want a different resolution.)
20. Tribes and Empires (tie)
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyRsPAGUz-Q
This one has a hell of an open ending, but it’s so gorgeous and epic, I don’t even care. Set in a fantasy empire, it follows three men - a half-human prince, a cursed son of a general, and an orphaned leader of a barbarian tribe. A feast for the eyes.
19. Ice Fantasy
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C05lhfrWgQg
A visually stunning high fantasy with elves, quests, a shockingly wonderful hero, brotherly love, toughest lady general ever as OTP and basically everything I like.
18. The General and I
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XDR17kwXYM
The lengthy OTP separation brings its place in this list down, but otherwise a gorgeous romance between two enemies - a general and a female strategist, is a total swoon and so intense.
17. Three Kingdoms 2010
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3RVpdYDpYA
This one is a magnum opus of 100 episodes, with a tour de force performance by Chen Jian Bin as Cao Cao. Battles, politics, and even though it’s very secondary, one of my favorite love stories in cdramas. This one is if you want to use your brain as well as your heart.
16. Colourful Bone
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4O5yb3VBh4
It probably doesn’t deserve to be this high on the list but it hits all my narrative and shippy kinks with a common-sense heroine taking in an abused and mistreated death machine and teaching him to be human. Mmmm.
15. Young Warriors
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO83qvKaoSM
What do you get when you have seven awesome heroic brothers, a star-studded cast, tragic stories about heroism and love and just amazingness? You get this drama.
14. Strange Hero Yi Zi Mei
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFVDAuFOyWE
Band of misfits fight corruption and uncover mysteries. This one is the most underrated drama on my list. Also, Wallace Huo has never been hotter in his life and that is saying something.
13. The Battle of Changsha
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbgFMaUfpnE
By the same people who wrote Minglan, this follows a family in 1930s China and is a quiet, devastating masterpiece.
12. Prince of Lan Ling
MV (warning - spoilery): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jUVGP0HETo
He’s the consummate battle god. She is a mystical shaman. He is fated to be with someone else per prophecy but he doesn’t care and chooses her. True love, politics, battles, jealousy, amazingness, tragedy. I love them so.
11. Gong/Jade Palace Lock Heart
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVFPVkHaweo
This is Boys over Flowers goes Qing (where Domyoji’s behavior finally makes sense since he’s a literal prince and Rui likes to kill people.) This is such a amazing good fun, about a modern woman time traveling to the time of the fight for the throne between Kangxi’s sons. She thinks she likes the seemingly gentle Four but ends up with hot-blooded, awesome Eight. She herself is tough as all get out and this is pure deliciousness from beginning to end. Yang Mi and Feng Shao Feng had such amazing chemistry, people RPShipped them for years.
10. Return of the Condor Heroes 2006
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzXsBqVYp0I
My first cdrama ever, and what a gorgeous one it was. That’s what got me into cdramas. The childhood eps are pretty awful but after that, it’s pure shippy perfection with an incredible OTP. If you want to be in a constant romantic swoon, in that story of female master and her male disciple and their forbidden love, this one is for you.
9. Eternal Love/Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9-ry-W4Crg
Fated immortal lovers, reincarnations, the whole enchilada. Yang Mi and Mark Chao have insane chemistry that burns up the screen. The first few eps are slow, but it makes up for it afterwards.
8. Legend of Fuyao
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkMX1d0v7t0
A twisty epic romance with a super-powered heroine who is plain awesome and may destroy the world, and a smart, ruthless prince who’s only soft for her. I love it so much!
7. Legend of Condor Heroes 2008
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2fea109_qM
Plot twists, good guy hero with a mega smart OTP, tragic anti-hero who becomes a villain for a while with an amazing OTP, bromance, fights, everything. I just adore this one.
6. Bu Bu Jing Xin/Startling By Each Step
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9B3Rddrqt0
The one that started the time-travel craze (well, that and Gong), about a modern woman who time travels to the time of Emperor Kangxi’s sons’ fight for the throne, this is a gorgeously filmed tragic love story, with one of the most perfectly brutal endings out there. I adore it.
5. Nirvana in Fire
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4wps7SK9xo
This is a smart story about politics and revenge, where a survivor of a wrongly destroyed family comes to get justice. Seemingly laid back until it explodes. Not much romance but it doesn’t even need it.
4. Rise of the Phoenixes
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0BUvMKSj4E
Like the dramas to destroy you? Come right in. A story about a disfavored prince and a lost daughter of a previous dynasty, this is smart, gorgeous, and is going to wreck you.
3. Ever Night (s1)
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x99seU5qJuc
I have talked enough about it recently so I won’t say much more, but if you want epic, movie-like quality, characters you will love, amazing battles and cinematography, complicated world-building and an OTP to die for, come right in.
2. The Myth
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rfyfKM_Ww0
For the longest time, this was my favorite cdrama, to be replaced only by Minglan. It starts out funny and ends up tearing out your heart. This is the only time in my drama watching experience I cried so hard I threw up. The story is about two accidental time-travelers - a photographer and a cook - who end up in Qin Dynasty China. And from then on it’s about how that cruel, horrifying world takes two perfectly normal men and by wracking their very souls turns one into a hero and the other into a monster. To me, this is Hu Ge’s best performance and as you see his protagonist desperately try to hold on to his humanity and his love in a world that is doing its best to destroy it, I dare you not to cry like a baby. His character is my ultimate cdrama crush.
1. The Story of Minglan
MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA7m2QktiUk
Aaaaaand, my n1. cdrama is the amazing, too short at 73 eps, The Story of Minglan. It is very hard to describe the plot of this - a sort of Elizabeth Gaskell meets period China. It follows three interconnected upper-class families, but more specifically, it is about Shen Minglan, a concubine-born daughter of a minister and Gu Tingye, the oldest, legitimate, and hated by his family son of a Marquess. Their narratives run largely parallel for the first half of the story and such is the genius of this drama that I, the ultimate romance junkie, did not mind that. Minglan is a rarity in dramaworld - she is fiercely smart, very collected and emotionally detached. Life in the troubled Shen household taught her to survive and to hide her feelings and talents. Tingye is a big cdrama love. Abused and reviled by his household where he can do no right (the Marquess hated having to marry his merchant mother for money and has displaced that hate on her son), Tingye manages to keep his warm heart but acquires the ability to go his own way. Both of the protagonists are wonderful and smart and magnetic and rootable for separately, but when they get together, the sparks go off the charts and they become my n1 cdrama OTP of all time. A lot of the story is about family battles, women’s world dilemmas and relationship (of all sorts) interactions. There is also politics and battles, but the true charm of this drama are the mundane details of the world and the fully-fleshed out people who inhabit it. If you watch only one cdrama in your life, make it this one.
#cdrama#the story of minglan#the myth#nirvana in fire#rise of the phoenixes#colourful one#strange hero yi zi mei#three kingdoms 2010#romance of the condor heroes 2006#legend of the condor heroes 2008#prince of lan ling#lan ling wang#the battle of changsha#battle of changsha#ever night#bu bu jing xin#gong#jade palace lock heart#ice fantasy#legend of fuyao#legend of condor heroes 2008#romance of condor heroes 2006#eternal love#three lives three worlds then miles of peach blossoms#young warriors#young warriors of the yang clan#the general and i#tribes and empires#princess agents#the myth 2010
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Love Like The Galaxy~ I can marry her now.
#yay#good for you ling bu yi#Love Like The Galaxy#Love Like The Galaxy ep24#cdrama#wu lei#character: ling bu yi#zhao lu si#zhao lusi#character: cheng shao shang#月升沧海
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Cute/Romantic Fluffy Chinese Dramas: A Rec Post
I’ve been watching Chinese dramas (and Taiwanese and Korean and Japanese dramas) for fourteen years. Things have been hit or miss for the last five-seven years, which is why I’ve picked up lakorns, telenovelas from Mexico and South American countries, Spanish dramas, Turkish dramas, basically anything from anywhere.But, lately - for the last two months - I’ve really been interested in watching fluffy romantic Chinese dramas. Here are some that I’ve watched and enjoyed lately:
Enteral Love of Dream aka Three Lives Three Worlds, The Pillow Book:
About: The love story of Feng Jiu and Dong Hua. A bit different from the first series and a bit different from the novel. (It’s a bit of a mashup.)
My Thoughts: Once these two start really interacting - as themselves - (around episode 24) things get adorable. Watching Dong Hua, who is a 100,000 year old virgin flirt with Feng Jiu, whose 30,000 is just pure charm. He loves her so much and they have amazing chemistry.
Length and Were to Watch: 50 episodes. It is on the WeTV website/app. Almost all the scenes of them interacting are on the Tencent Youtube page.
The Romance of Tiger and Rose:
About: Struggling screenwriter Xiao Qian falls into her own script, where she is trapped as the bratty third princess, a minor character who was supposed to die in the third episode. Xiao Qian works hard to try and make her script play out the way it is supposed to (and then tries to stop it from playing out) as she falls for Han Shuo, a prince who was supposed to marry someone else.
My Thoughts: This drama, y’all. This drama’s couple. I. Love. It. One of my new favorite Chinese dramas. It’s in my top ten. The chemistry between Zhao Lu Shi and Ryan Ding is amazing. The characters of Xiao Qian and Han Shuo are so sweet together and balance one another so well. I almost want a second season. Or for the two leads to work together again. Oh, and VERY little angst. Han Shuo is a one woman man.
Length and Were to Watch: 24 episodes. On WeTV website/app and Viki.
I’ve Fallen For You:
About: Female investigator Tian Sanqi mets Sanqi. She is searching for her “older brother” who disappeared. He’s promised to only marry his childhood friend. The two met and through some misunderstandings, she thinks he’s the brother and the two marry. They end up solving crimes and mysterious, while discovering a conspiracy that is ten years in the making.
My Thoughts: It is very cute and fluff as you watch it, but fairly forgettable when it’s over. Also has some unneeded angst with the return of Sanqi’s childhood love. It’s a great binge drama, but not the best.
Length and Were to Watch: 24 episodes. On iQiyi website/app and Viki.
The Sweet Girl:
About: Mi Jiuer lives her life robbing the rich to give to the poor. One day she runs right into Lu Yi Ling who looks exactly like her. Through some mistake, Jiuer poses as Lu Yi Ling's in order to work at the Yun Clothing Workshop. Lu Yi Ling's change in personality don’t go unnoticed by her “boss” - Luo Yin Ran, who goes from suspecting her to becoming attracted to her.
My Thoughts: I have a feeling that this drama was edited down, because there are some story lines that don’t feel very complete/have missing scenes. But, Kris Sun and Jin Wen Xin have lovely chemistry as the leads. And it’s cute to watch Yin Ran fall very quickly for Jiuer, who thinks he’s insane. The second-couple, of Yin Ran’s playboy foster brother and Jiuer’s friend are also cute, but they suffer from an underdeveloped story line, either because of edits or just a lack of writing.
Lengths and Were to Watch: 24 episodes. On iQiyi website/app and Viki.
Mr. Fox and Miss. Rose:
About: Gao Zhen He, a young man, who makes his living by exploring high-end gemstones has accidentally dropped off a cliff and finds a place under it where a primitive tribe has located. After the female tribe leader, Xing Yue rescues Gao Zhen He; she wants him to be her man. To obtain the rare gems of the tribe, Gao Zhen He pretends to marry Xing Yue. After obtaining the gems, he flees back to the city, and Xing Yue goes after him to mostly find him and her gems, which leads to a series of stories.
My Thoughts: When the leads are being cute and in love, it’s great. But, the male lead takes way too long to realize he loves the female lead. (episode 20/21) And, he manipulates her a lot in the beginning of their relationship and then he lies to her. It may be to protect her, but it felt wrong. Just. Tell. Her. What. Is. Happening. Xing Yue ‘s tribe has some problematic aspects.
Length and Were to Watch: 30 episodes. On WeTV website/app.
Please Love Me:
About: Two different people leading different lives cross paths due to a scheme around a candid camera incident. To deal with the aftermath, popular star Yi Han and manicurist Pei You You who has always dreamed of buying her own house enter into a marriage contract. From strangers who wanted nothing to do with each other, the pretend couple eventually develop real feelings. However, reports of their agreement leak to the public. Furthermore, a conspiracy that has been brewing for a long time comes to the surface. Can Yi Han still prove that his heart is true?
My Thoughts:The ML spends way too much time thinking he’s in love with his agent. Like, why too much time. And there is a clear lack of communication between the two leads. But, when Yi Han and You You are on the right page, it is magic. The second-couple of You You’s half brother and Yi Han’s co-star lacks development, but is very sweet.
Length and Were to Watch: 24 episodes. On Viki and the MangoTV app/website.
Flavour It’s Yours:
About:Lu Wei Xun is a genius wine critic who is cold and unapproachable. In his field, he is regarded as a tyrant because of his strict expectations and well-respected for having the perfect sense of taste. For some reason, Lu Wei Xun crosses paths with the upbeat He Bu Zui, a young woman who lost her sense of taste since she was young.
My Thoughts: The chemistry between the leads is awesome. There is some weirdness with Bu Zui and her first love, that takes up way too much time. And the story line was just not working with the series.
Length and Were to Watch: 25 episodes. On iQiyi website/app and Viki as Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk.
#cdrama#flavour it's yours#instead of tipsy why not get drunk#please love me#mr. fox and miss. rose#the sweet girl#i've fallen for you#the romance of tiger and rose#eternal love of dream
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I know you've given us a LOT already with those long translation and linguistic posts and I'm incredibly grateful for those. But i gotta ask, what are your thoughts on the lyrics for Bu Wang And Qu Jin Chen Qing? (and yi nan ping too if you feel like it XD ) Personally I'm barely able to survive them
ooooooof, asking the hard questions, anon...
For reference, anon is asking about the character songs from the CQL companion album for Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, and Jiang Yanli:
曲尽陈情 Qu Jin Chen Qing / uh... “A Song of Explanation” ??? (chenqing here is the same as Chenqing the flute, Chenqing(ling) the show, and what I spend a lot of this post tussling with)
不忘 Bu Wang / “Won’t Forget”
意难平 Yi Nan Ping / ...heck, this is even harder to translate. The internet informs me that this is Chinese internet slang for talking about that particular, unending heartbreak and longing for the past/what could have been (but also like, specifically in a tragic ship sense?). Literally, um... “Unpacified Thoughts?” Yikes.
I love most of the songs on the companion album and flail internally about some of them at least once a day, but I’ve gone on Journeys on these three.
曲尽陈情 Qu Jin Chen Qing -- started out being like “oh whoa, this is kind of weird and unexpected.” It was surprisingly cheery? But then I thought about Chronic Stepford Smiler Wei Wuxian and I was like “oh. Oh shit. Nah this is perfect.”
Lyrically, this song terrifies me. It’s wordy. It’s complicated. There’s a half-dozen poetic references in there that I know are going over my head.
It’s still a bop, though and I won’t skip it if it comes up on shuffle.
不忘 Bu Wang -- my first listen-through I was like “ah yes. measured and stately. bursting at the seams with emotion but disciplined and contained” and then the cinEMATIC ORCHESTRAL BREAK HIT and I couldn’t stop laughing. Because like, yes, Lan Wangji is in fact a superhero in his spare time.
Lyrically, much more simple than QJCQ in an austere, elegant kind of way. Can understand the lyrics without having a dictionary app open next to me. Excellent references to canon material. Maximum heartbreak and yearning.
and the first few notes on the guqin? to quote the young’uns these days, they make me go FERAL. it hits the exact same button as the opening for 清平愿 Qing Ping Yuan, the credits song for Nirvana in Fire 2, a song I am still in love with
nope, sorry, I’m STILL LAUGHING about the orchestral break
意难平 Yi Nan Ping -- oh no. I’m sorry; I hate this song. It’s just super not my type.
Lyrically? Gorgeous, lovely, sweet, gentle, nostalgic, sorrowful.
Musically? I hate it. I skip it every time. Sorry shijie, I’m not good enough for you or your character song
#ask and ye shall receive#rip I hope you weren't asking me to translate them anon#because I don't know if I'm strong enough for that#translations are HARD#that poetry post took me d a y s#anyway#Wei Wuxian#Jiang Yanli#Lan Wangji
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Dynasty Warriors 7 Characters only unlocked in conquest mode
Conquest mode kinda replaced free mode yet kinda didn't. It had you go through all sorts of little battles throughout the land to fill in all the hexogons to gold. You had a bunch of towns you can go into and increase bonds with other playable officers. Now you should at least get all of story mode out of the way so you can unlock most of the characters you can choose from at the beginning. If you start out conquest mode like when you start the game first, you might have a very small roster to choose from. The starting roster from when you boot up the game for the first time is the following:
Xiahou Dun
Cao Cao
Sun Shang Xiang
Sun Jian
Liu Bei
Bao Sanniang
Sima Yi
Sima Zhao
Zhurong
It's not very big so go through story mode to collect some officers to play as.
Clearing the story of Wei unlocks: Xiahou Yuan, Dian Wei, Xu Zhu, Cao Pi, Zhang He, Zhang Liao and Jia Xu
Clearing the story of Wu unlocks: Zhou Yu, Lu Xun, Gan Ning, Lu Meng, Huang Gai, Ling Tong, Sun Ce, and Sun Quan
Clearing the story of Shu unlocks: Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Huang Zhong, Guan Suo, and Jiang Wei
Clearing the story of Jin unlocks: Sima Shi, Zhuge Dan, Wang Yuanji, Zhong Hui, Deng Ai, and Guo Huai
Any of the other faction characters, apart from Zhurong of course, will have to be unlocked in Conquest mode.
So now that we have taken care of unlocks from story, now we have the conquest unlocked only characters. Everyone can play in conquest mode but not story mode (the xtreme legends expansion added the feature you can play any story mode stage with any character). So who do you have left to get? Here's the following:
Cai Wenji
Cao Ren
Xu Huang
Zhenji
Daqiao
Xiaoqiao
Zhou Tai
Taishi Ci
Deng Feng
Lianshi
Guan Ping
Ma Chao
Ma Dai
Wei Yan
Xingcai
Yueying
Xiahou Ba
Diaochan
Lu Bu
Yuan Shao
Dong Zhuo
Zhang Jiao
Meng Huo
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Ravages of Time - Volume 22
to lengthen the session I plan to feature 8 pics per chapter, for a grand total of 64 pics, with discussions along the way
we begin with a recap of the premise for the events to come
Liu Bei accepts an imperial edict (which Cao Cao arranged to have the emperor promulgate) to attack Yuan Shu, who in turn seeks to collaborate with Lu Bu to take Liu Bei out of the picture (since as a Han loyalist he would be a nuisance to Yuan Shu's Zhongjia regime)
of course at this point Yuan Shu has been weakened somewhat due to Sun Ce's scheme as well as Liu Ye's betrayal, and thus he cannot afford to have Liu Bei ruin things further
175 also brings up one of the recurring topics in Ravages, namely the unreliability of historical accounts (particularly the 'official records')
to be clear, it's not as if Ravages is saying that since the records are biased we shouldn't learn from the records we receive and uncover (or worse, using the premise of unreliable records as an excuse to justify supporting one's favorite 'vilified' factions in the past)
rather, because the records are biased we have to learn carefully (and acknowledge that records are not just representations but they are also tools)
the paradoxical position of Ravages after all is that it uses its sources to criticize them (and without the sources and the stories of scheming, what would there be to criticize about)
its just like what Pang Tong was saying about cults. they may be false, but you can guide people with them
back to Zhang Fei, his response isn't just an instance of disparaging official historians (with the emphasis on 'official', since the dynasties of the central plains actually hire such positions to come up with sanctioned narratives about the past) but there's also a self-reflective aspect to it
how would one act not only with the thought of how one will be remembered, but also anticipating that one's actions will be misunderstood and misinterpreted as part of schemes to come
it's almost as if he's daring future generations to look at him how they (or we) would, so long as he gets his job done
and we're also reminded that Chen Deng's privileged position in Xuzhou is partly due to how he bankrolls the security and military apparatuses in the province (that's why he outright flaunts about not having to pay the usual taxes, since he pays in other ways)
an instance of corruption to be sure, but he's still playing his part in the province (while seeking to benefit from the dysfunctional arrangement at the same time)
on a side note, Ravages doesn't really do well in showcasing the official functions of the various positions in the Han government (but then again, with Han undergoing a slow collapse, this hardly matters)
Ravages can't even be bothered to display an imperial court scene with the proper protocol
and it seems Liaoyuan Huo hanging around with Chen Deng had another purpose (after all, if he was trying to search for Xiao Meng's whereabouts, why would he suddenly wind up in Liu Bei's turf)
now back to the scheming, we see the 16 moves begin to take form with plans and revelations such as this
to recap, the premise is that Lu Bu and Yuan Shu are colluding to drive Liu Bei out of Xuzhou (while Cao Cao arranges for the mess in Xuzhou behind the scenes so that he can proceed with his own move elsewhere)... but since Zhang Fei is aware of that (or rather, suspects that something like that is going on), he's making plans of his own, and here it involves luring Lu Bu into making a premature attack (this is where the deliberate rumors about Zhang Fei's drunken recklessness come in)
we also see plans being made on the part of Yuan Shu's forces
basically, given that there's an imperial edict to attack Yuan Shu, the plan is to lure Liu Bei into expending resources and troops in a protracted campaign, while Lu Bu takes advantage of the situation and seizes control of Xuzhou, forcing Liu Bei to withdraw to some backwater area... and even then, the Zhongjia troops are not content to simply play the role of a decoy and have Lu Bu take all the glory, so they too prepare a trap for Liu Bei on their front (though we don't really see much of this unfold on-panel, since the focus is more on dealing with Lu Bu)
Ji Ling and Zhang Liao also speculate that Cao Cao's imperial edict plan isn't simply to undermine Yuan Shu, but it's also meant to keep Liu Bei down while he's still weak
the chapter is also a reminder that Ravages stresses the importance of meticulous preparations for campaigns of mass conflict
I daresay Ravages is willing to cut battle scenes short in favor of preparation scenes (and yes, this includes preparations for future struggles even in the midst of battle)
before ending, the chapter also features Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong watching on the sidelines (and I find it a bit puzzling why Zhuge Liang is wearing his hat here again only to lose it again off-panel come 180)
we get hints (based on Pang Tong's insinuations) that Zhuge Liang doesn't like Zhou Yu that much (probably due to ideological disagreements rather than personal grudges)
and there's also an indirect allusion to the in-joke about how Sima Yi and Zhou Yu are similar in Ravages
I suppose the disagreement is that Zhou Yu doesn't seem to prioritize Han at all (it's one thing to serve Sun Ce with the intent of keeping him in check, like what Xun Yu plans to do with Cao Cao, and it's another thing to just empower another hegemon from another clan at the expense of Han)
though from 159 we see that Zhuge Liang isn't just a Han loyalist for the sake of elevating the imperial clan (Xun Yu's brand of loyalism is more committed to the actual institutions of Han)
rather, he sees the ideal of loyalty as a way to diminish bloodshed
to put it in another way, a typical model Han loyalist would be a social-conservative who wishes to preserve what has been inherited, with changes admitted on a gradual basis while protecting the authority of current institutions
Zhuge Liang's way seems more to be about using the virtue and ideal of loyalty (which so happens to be directed at Han, though it could really be directed at anyone else) as a way to govern people and keep the peace (thus his suspicion about calls for regime change is not because he thinks Han is always good, but that those who seek change may have other ulterior motives in mind)
thus I've mentioned before that of the 8, Zhuge Liang may be the most ideologically abstract and committed (and thus the events in 180 would agonize him so much)
176 may cover the duels of a particular battle in Liu Bei's campaign against Yuan Shu, but the narrative and textual details here cover more than just the battle
take for instance the floating text for the chapter, we can note that the Ravages 'narrative voices' do more than just recount the story or hype certain characters (since they also take on meditative and reflective tones)
whereas the narrator in, say, something like Kingdom behaves more like a storyteller (or for example, how the narrator in LOGH is akin to a presenter of a documentary), the voices in Ravages are more like commentators performing the processes of introspection that the composer may have done and the readers are expected to do
there's also a meta-fictive element in the chapter, as the floating voices don't just comment on what's going on, but also seem to comment on both the gimmicks of warfare as well as the conventions and tropes of texts about warfare (and since participants of war also make and hear tales of warfare, the conventions also bleed into the subjectivities of those who fight 'real wars' we see this when soldiers, cops, and activists gamify their feats)
this brings us to the dual character of military campaigns involving armed people... on the one hand, there are the considerations of the balance of forces (and how to take advantage of asymmetries to deal decisive blows), and on the other hand, there are the considerations of morale (and how to manage it with gimmicks such as rumors and duels)
this also provides a good excuse for texts (Ravages included) to feature duel scenes, haha
read the comment and think back at how fight scenes in many texts involve the contenders trying to justify themselves (either in monologue form, or while openly arguing)
also note how various factions make use of propaganda to present their side in a better light while vilifying opponents
Ji Ling of course isn't just content to make his point, he invokes the sages to make his case look wiser (just as Guan Yu dismisses arguments for regime change by noting the inscrutability of the heavenly will)
this brings me to another point, that not only can we learn from the insights of various thinkers, we can even weaponize those insights (and many regimes and societies have done just that for instance how the Han appealed to Confucius while refining 'legalist' mechanisms to form a Confucian-Legalist political order)
(on that note it can be said that perhaps in certain instances Ravages twists the citations in ways that scholarly researchers would frown upon, but just as with historical texts the words of the philosophers are also tools in the power struggle)
this tidbit highlights the performative and spectacular aspects of war (and war stories)
we can acknowledge that when described in terms of the processes of mass slaughter, war is at its core a boring and bloody affair... but what provides the spice in the mix are the stories embedded into the event by the agents with their different passions and interests (and to enhance the drama, what else would the architects of the power struggle do but set up a good show)
thus those in command come up with ways to manage morale and hype up the troops, with the help of stunt actors who relish in the performance (because in the first place, they too have internalized the narratives of hype and glory attached to war)
similarly, skilled storytellers manipulate their audiences into getting invested in certain angles
this isn't to say there are no interests and goals and principles at stake and that it's all just for the drama, but at some point things get storified to motivate masses of people into following through
incidentally, the chapter provides another way of looking at historical records with a critical lens
whereas the 'straightforward' indictment accuses historical records of various sorts of biases and slants, the 'indirect' meta-fictive insinuation notes at how narrative conventions and textual devices are already baked into the historical records
on a lighter note, it would be nice to have memes involving Xun Zheng and Yu Gi Oh (since he's called the king of duel, haha)
he gonna activate his trap card and banish challengers to the shadow realm
too bad Guan Yu has a reverse trap card
now back to the zone of the duel itself (since for the most part in the re-read I've been highlighting the thematic elements and the social commentary) Ravages reminds readers that its approach to fighting does not shy away from underhanded tricks (for instance, Xun Zheng's style involves taking out the horse before the rider, whereas Guan Yu's style uses the horse mainly as a jumping pad while tricking opponents into underestimating him)
neither are interested in drawn-out jousts on horseback
I didn't feature the pic where Liu Bei and Guan Yu talk about how one rises to fame by stepping on others, but it's important to bring it up (especially considering that in war conquerors tend to hype up their feats by assimilating those of the vanquished and this tendency gets passed down to when we engage in power level discussions and matchups)
the floating text began its remarks on battle conventions by pointing to the speeches on morality, and it wraps up with the use of embellishments and tall tales to celebrate the glory of the winner of a given round
of course, duels on their own do not determine the outcome of a battle much less a campaign (and in Ravages the iconic duels between the big names hardly change the course of the battle, though they make for interesting dramatic subplots and moments of spectacle)
and yet in certain instances, duels and their results (and the rumors that are generated in the process) can be used as tools to manage morale or buy time before the big attack, as is the case in this chapter
thus at the end of the day it is still the soldiers who fight and win wars, albeit under the direction of the schemers and with the aid of spectacles and stunt actors
now we enter 177, the chapter that so impressed me when I first read about it in tv tropes, so much so that it led me down this path (and elevated my expectations for stories about warfare and statecraft in the process)
the chapter begins with a summary of what has been going on in Liu Bei's front (and basically 176 is just a small part of the engagement)
recall that in 175 Zhang Liao and Ji Ling agreed on a broad strategic plan, that is to attack Liu Bei from the back (presumably this means not just Lu Bu's backstab, but also Ji Ling luring Liu Bei to advance so far that a reserve troop can be used to cut off Liu Bei's route back to Xuzhou)
basically at this point, even as Liu Bei brought the bulk of the troops in the campaign, Zhang Fei and Lu Bu are drafting troops and minions with the help of funds from merchants (Xu Dan on Lu Bu's side, Chen Deng on Zhang Fei's side)
on a side note, historical records usually label them as 'outlaws' as if they were just a motley gang (just like how state apparatuses disparagingly call various insurgent organizations as rebels and bandits), but many such forces are more like minor warlord factions that happen to be based in the outskirts
at any rate, the plan to take over Xuzhou involves these 'outlaws' who presumably have a grudge on Liu Bei (though of course there's a twist to all this)
thus far
Lu Bu wants to take over Xuzhou (with the help of outlaws)
Zhang Fei wants to lure Lu Bu into a trap at the provincial seat of Xuzhou (by pretending to be reckless)
Lu Bu plans to arrive at the city under the pretext of helping fight the outlaws on their way
Zhang Fei plans a banquet to gather pro-Lu partisans into the main city
incidentally, the 'cheng xia yi ju' motif is in play in the volume, insofar as the sides are trying to gather under the walls (in different ways)
what's fascinating about the chapter is that it painstakingly notes the various factors being considered and mobilized for what is a rather minor showdown
the calendar is weaponized (Zhang Fei setting the date for the banquet, Cao Bao's lackeys getting a convenient troop rotation schedule)
urban layouts are weaponized (Zhang Fei noting how the alleys can be used to ambush Lu Bu's troops, Cao Bao planning to set fire to a particular quarter as a decoy, Chen Gong buying up houses as outposts)
rumors are weaponized (stories of Zhang Fei's recklessness becoming a hot topic as reported by Chen Gong's spies, mainly to gather more outlaws to the fray)
finances are weaponized (Chen Deng planning to bribe the outlaws to outbid Xu Dan, not to mention the extra spending to ensure Zhang Fei's ambush troop becomes more mobile)
as the factions keep planning, the scenario becomes more and more complex
remember that the basic premise is that Lu Bu wants to capture the provincial seat and thereby control Xuzhou, while Zhang Fei wants to lure Lu Bu into a trap
for the sake of that both camps have gone as far as spreading exaggerated rumors, sending spies, rigging security schedules, laying an ambush in alleyways, preparing to set an area on fire as a decoy, anticipating the fire attack and repurposing it as a signal, etc.
and this is just the preparatory stage, like rehearsing the parlor games for the party, haha
essentially though, the plan hinges on which side the outlaws will take
supposing the outlaws join Zhang Fei, Lu Bu can be trapped in the city with little room for escape
supposing the outlaws join Lu Bu, Zhang Fei can be squeezed with Lu Bu holding the city center (if he gets there) and the outlaws positioned outside the city gates
and then there's this page
it's almost as if Ravages is talking about not so much the struggles and intrigues of the last days of Han, but the convoluted arrangements and contests of the 20th and 21st centuries
basically an indication that Ravages isn't just some story about warfare and statecraft, but also a commentary on warfare and statecraft (and a commentary on stories about warfare and statecraft), in narrative form
and this makes Ravages far more sophisticated than many other tales dealing with similar topics, as exemplified in the
though I really wish there were more texts to rival Ravages in this respect
ultimately it's these complex aspects (rather than the usual moments) that drew me to the series in the first place (and in this regard I may be part of a super-minority) and while it doesn't represent a scholarly innovation (though I argue that Ravages can be a site for further research) it nonetheless raises the bar with regard to what stories can do (and how they can stimulate further thinking)
to briefly review the situation
Lu Bu (who is colluding with Yuan Shu) plans to take over Xuzhou by first taking the administrative seat (with the help of outlaws) while Liu Bei is away fighting Yuan Shu's forces (as a result of an imperial edict arranged by Cao Cao)
Zhang Fei (who wants to pre-emptively get rid of a potential threat) plans to lure Lu Bu and his associates into a trap by organizing a banquet (and spreading disinfo about his recklessness)
Cao Bao's henchmen are in charge of the security detail on the day of the banquet as well as preceding days
Chen Deng pours in financial resources to help Zhang Fei entrap Lu Bu
(a reminder that both Chen Deng and Cao Bao are influential in the province, having served Tao Qian previously)
the gimmick is that Lu Bu comes to the city under the pretext of sending aid when in fact he's planning to seize the city center before the outlaws arrive
Zhang Fei for his part arranges for only the south and east gates to be open on the day of the banquet, since the streets in those quarters are narrower and good for an ambush
Cao Bao, given his influence within the city, plans to set a fire on a certain spot in a bid to distract the hidden ambush troop
Chen Deng is persuaded to spend even more resources to increase the mobility of the ambush troop, with the anticipated fire to be seen as a signal to commence the operation
as a side plan, it seems the troops supposed to supply Liu Bei are also given secret orders to attack Lu Bu's base in Xiaopei on their way back
on the day of the party, both sides exercise extra caution, mutually anticipating one another's plans
Cao Bao may have brought several guests and escorts with him, but the number of collaborators is too many to list (with some acting as scouts on the lookout for suspicious movements throughout the city)
in turn, the ambush troops try to keep themselves hidden so as not to attract the attention of the security forces under Cao Bao
as anticipated, while Lu Bu is also on his way, Zhang Liao proceeds to enter first to lead the vanguard (and is let in with the help of insiders at the gates)
we've already been told that the ambush is set in the east and south quarters due to the narrow streets there, so the closure of the north and west gates is less about keeping spies out (Cao Bao's collaborators are already present in the city) and more about forcing Lu Bu to go through the narrow streets
of course, throughout the party, Zhang Fei is still keeping up appearances of being a carefree drunkard, to make Cao Bao lower his guard and strike prematurely
an amusing part of the chapter concerns the code words and phrases being used to convey information (basically a pretext for Chen Mou to engage in minor word play, haha)
incidentally, many stories of stratagems and intrigue in the central plains have involved puns and innuendos and veiled insinuations, so this is in keeping with the tradition
additionally, the reference to Zhurong is a deliberate one, a hint that a fire attack is about to begin anytime soon
in another note, while it's nice to see Ravages incorporate tidbits of folklore here and there (ranging from Tengri to Chisongzi and Chiyou), aside from the Taiping sects we don't see religious movements and practices being explored in much detail throughout the series... hopefully this lacuna is addressed in future developments
the security scheme even involves the commoners as part of an effort to feign a sense of panic and manufacture controlled chaos (basically a 'bavarian fire drill' in the language of conspiracies, haha)
I just want to say that in terms of banquet intrigues, Ravages really raised the bar with this one
other twists and turns and traps at feasts and parties simply pale in comparison to the '16 moves'
too bad this minion has been named in deluxe volume 11 as Lu Chang, but I like how he and Cao Bao have complementary outfits
and so with a nicely drawn fish dish as a signal (not to mention Zhang Fei offering to show guests how he fetches items), the real party is about to begin
there is a particular policy objective (which will be revealed more clearly in the chapters ahead) there is the broad strategic plan (that is to say, the overall struggle for the city and by extension the province)
there are the operational details (basically the preparation and implementation of the 16 moves)
I stress operations rather than tactics since Ravages seldom gets into the granular aspects of specific maneuvers
the nice thing about 179 (for purposes of re-reading) is that it's relatively fast-paced, with the players beginning to take action
basically the initial battle plan of Lu Bu's main invasion force involves splitting into 3 groups (the first to handle Zhang Fei's troop, the second to secure the gate, the third to head to the city center following Zhang Liao's vanguard)
to be fair, throughout this charade, Zhang Fei made sure to keep the commoners safe using appropriate evacuation protocols (and arguably, Lu Bu's battle plan doesn't involve causing that much mayhem and disturbance, but only inflicting enough to distract Zhang Fei and secure the city)
also, another interesting feature of Ravages is that it includes occasional snippets of commoners commenting on the situation
in many cases they are shown to be perceptive (and at times rather cynical too)
they may not control that much leverage in the power struggle, but they are not completely disempowered as they are still able to make some sense of what's going on and articulate what they have in mind
posting this just to showcase an instance of Ravages camera tricks (it just so happens that there are too many flat closeup panels by comparison)
the struggle for the city also involves its own iteration of the besiegers getting besieged, haha
also, the last Lu Bu body double to be killed on-panel
considering that 177 and 178 are 2 days apart, my speculation is that Lu Bu could have snuck in using a supply wagon perhaps on the middle day or earlier in the day of the party (knowing that Cao Bao's henchmen handled the security detail)
And I daresay common ground of Fei and Liao to allow Lu Bu snuck in was hinted beforehand.
Just like how Liao agreed to free Meng, because it would negatively affect Lu Bu
For the 180th chapter analysis, check this link - https://www.reddit.com/r/RavagesOfTime/comments/fbssrf/chapter_180_analysis/
essentially 181 is where the party is about to wind down, but not without revealing some surprises along the way
the nice thing about action scenes is that (unless one wishes to discuss the nuances and niceties in the choreography and the paneling) one can go through them fairly quickly
one thing to note is that while the narrow quarters restrict Zhang Liao's effective range (and moreover can presumably lead to situations where a miscalculated swing can lead to the blade getting stuck or someone's grip on the weapon messing up), the narrow quarters also restrict opportunities for evasion
another nice touch about Ravages is that it depicts weapons and armor as being fragile
even though Zhang Liao had the upper hand in that round when it comes to melee weapons, Liaoyuan Huo has some surprises in store (too bad we don't really get to see this segment on-panel)
Ravages also likes to add subtle hints winking and nudging about the next steps and the upcoming revelations
in this case, Liaoyuan Huo insinuates that Zhang Liao and Zhang Fei may have secretly agreed upon something
I mentioned previously how the schemes of Lu Bu and Zhang Fei hinge on which side the outlaws would take, and it's amusing that these outlaws (other than Cao Cao) turned out to be the biggest beneficiaries during this incident
this is the equivalent to the same set of hired guns playing with and profiting from two rival groups that seek to outbid one another in securing the mercenary services
and then Zhang Fei makes his big reveal, that it turns out the strategic goal all along was to abandon Xuzhou (since given Liu Bei's reputation as a heroic loyalist, certain warlords elsewhere would like to welcome him, not to mention this further tarnishes Lu Bu's reputation)
yet one has to wonder way they did not purged those outlaws
I think the outlaws were militarily powerful (they could be the same group as the Mount Tai bandits who show up on-panel in 231, defecting to Lu Bu's side after Xun Yu's abduction), and neither Lu Bu nor Liu Bei would want to waste effort suppressing them completely
now not to be outdone, Lu Bu unveils his own twist, the so-called sixteenth move (which involves Chen Gong taking a troop with him to a low-key city in Xuzhou, where Chen Gui is harboring and protecting Liu Bei's wives)
deluxe volume 11 also gives the full name of Wu as Wu Hui
more importantly, the two sides were careful not just to minimize their own casualties, but also to minimize the adverse impact on the commoners (and that is why it often takes a complex method to do something simple, since one has to consider many factors)
there's also a side discussion touching upon how the uninvolved can see through the charade
this is not to say that outsiders are familiar with all the details the insiders have to deal with, but outsiders can surmise the wider picture (or at least the broad outlines of it) and ask the bigger questions since they are not as caught up in the moment, wrapped in the fog of war
an alternate translation of the quote from the Analects goes:
"If the Way is being realized in the world then show yourself; if it is not, then go into reclusion"
this can either refer to Pang Tong taking his step, or perhaps Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei lying low
the 'five hegemons' may also be an indirect reference to the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period
and then there's the foreshadowing of a realm split into three, roughly along geographical lines
there's a minor design error in the painting though as shown in the chapter title page, since Sima Hui and Pang Tong speak of the 5 mountains arranged as a northern one, a southeastern one, and three in the south (and southwest) lumped together, but instead the painting shows two northern mountains and three southern ones... still, the painting looks nice nonetheless
essentially the prediction is about a tripartite balance whereby one faction holds the areas north of the yellow river, another holds the eastern areas by the long river, and the third holds the south-central heartland plus the southwestern mountains (for the most part the 3 kingdoms after Han adopt a similar arrangement with the notable exception being that Wu rather than Shu gets to hold the south-central area instead due to the intrigues involving Guan Yu's downfall though story-wise the prediction does not state for instance who will control the northwest)
now even without Lu Bu's sneaky move, we must consider that Yuan Shu has more resources than Liu Bei, and so had the campaign dragged out Liu Bei would be at a disadvantage despite having the talents of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei
of course it's revealed a few pages later that this incident of Guan Yu threatening to execute Zhang Fei (low-key playing with Liu Bei's sentiments about the brotherhood) was all for show - to nudge Liu Bei a little more towards the breaking point into the dark side
now, we're not shown how the Zhongjia troops were able to defeat the Han loyalist troops (since last time we saw, Liu Bei was able to secure at least one stronghold)
however, I could speculate the following scenario: with Lu Bu's sudden takeover of Xuzhou, Zhang Fei was forced to withdraw (while certain other troops simply surrendered to Lu Bu), which means the frontlines could no longer count on supply deliveries or fresh reinforcements... and since Yuan Shu presumably has more troops in reserve (not to mention the agreed-upon plan between Ji Ling and Zhang Liao in 175 to strike Liu Bei from behind), perhaps the surprise attack was timed just when Lu Bu was able to drive Zhang Fei out
this means at the very least that Yuan Shu's troops are not total pushovers when they have the advantage, haha
in another note, we could see that Liu Bei deeply feels bad about the people who lost their lives (and doubly so since his efforts ended in failure, not to mention he lost his territorial foothold, and his wives are hostages)
and thus begins Liu Bei's journey to the dark side (eventually as he gets darker he discards his dark cape and sticks to a light-colored robe green if we are to believe the game pics)
let us recall
Liu Bei in the early chapters was willing to be misunderstood and engage in some underhanded schemes, but his red line was that he refused to take advantage of others for his own gain (Guan Yu nudged him a bit by convincing him to play the part of a hero, Zhang Fei outright hijacked his plans to remain a straw sandal bandit by drugging him)
then Liu Bei slowly accepted that in troubled and messy times, some form of self-serving behavior is unavoidable, but nevertheless he remained steadfast in upholding loyalty to Han and treating a guest well (Zhang Fei's next plan was to further cultivate Liu Bei's ruthless side while also enhancing his reputation as an underdog, 2 birds in 1 stone)
eventually after almost being killed by Lu Bu's second backstab Liu Bei becomes more self-interested and becomes more protective about his reputation, coming to see it as an asset and a weapon in the power struggle (arguably in the late game he remains sincere and sentimental, but less about Han and more about those he deems his bros and pals)
on Guan Yu, while it may seem that Ravages didn't renovate his image as much (Chen Mou even admitted that his sacred image is too influential to be tweaked that much), but one can note that perhaps in Ravages Guan Yu isn't that awesome of a paragon for virtue (Zhang Fei even hints at that in a monologue in 102), but neither is he a fraud who only pretends to be virtuous... rather, it would seem that (like many people) he's simply trying hard to uphold the examples of the sages and would like to maintain a similar reputation (the further nuance explored in later chapters seems to be that he doesn't simply maintain the reputation of being virtuous, but also virtuously tries to perform the persona that the virtuous do not care about being praised for appearing virtuous)
I should note though that his beard his shorter than the usual depictions, haha
here Pang Tong basically recaps Zhang Fei's strategic goals (and while he doesn't know Zhang Fei's other goal about fetching a 'Liu Bang' and remolding Liu Bei further he speculates that the departure would give Liu Bei the opportunity to swallow up the domains of Liu Biao and Liu Zhang)
incidentally, in the Romance it is Pang Tong who manages to conveniently convince Liu Bei to take an ambitious step and seize control of Yizhou from Liu Zhang, so it's amusing to see a nod to that early on (even though Pang Tong is also misleading Sima Hui into thinking he's backing Liu Bei, when in fact he's paving the way for Liu Chong)
Pang Tong's iconic line for this chapter may perhaps indicate that of the 8, he's the one who relishes in intrigues and power struggles the most (even though he's a Han loyalist of sorts)
also, the description given to him was mis-translated... Pang Tong is pragmatic [實用] rather than utilitarian [功利] (Guo Jia's views may be closer to a broadly consequentialist approach to morality)
ironically he joins Liu Bei's side later on
for those familiar with the period it's a foregone thing (though Ravages messes with that expectation by having him help Liu Chong first)
if only Liu Chong had stronger bodyguards
other than the report that the hostage scheme allowed for a relatively bloodless takeover, what is interesting about this page is what it hints at: Lu Bu wanted to capture someone valuable
I think the reference is to Liaoyuan Huo
the discussion about old wounds and new wounds also suggests that regardless of Lu Bu's reputation, he's still fragile (and he's weakening bit by bit)
but the struggle is all the more magnificent for that
and for someone who schemed and betrayed his way to power to decline and fall by way of scheming and betrayal... similarly terrifying
and then of course there's this twist, which explains why Sima Yi was shown in the last part of 175
for those outlaws to receive three sets of bribes, materially speaking they're the biggest winners in the engagement (though since they're also part of the scheming game, they wouldn't simply waste what they have received for momentary enjoyments)
this also lays out the plan to undermine Lu Bu from within, by secretly co-opting the Chen clan to cooperate with Cao Cao
Chen Deng must be unhappy about it since Cao Cao's troops conducted the massacre in his home province years ago
and there's still a long way to go before Liaoyuan Huo earns the full trust of Liu Bei's core team...
anyway, that ends the special re-read of volume 22
in a nutshell the hostile takeover of Xuzhou is but a small piece in the larger geopolitical struggle, but what Ravages did was to make a minor skirmish more convoluted (and by extension, rendering the overall situation in a more complex manner)
basically to sum up the developments in volume 22
generally for those who don't mind reading Ravages in a non-linear fashion, I recommend checking out the one-volume mini-arcs (particularly volumes 6, 19, and 22 since 25 contains too many big narrative turns) as condensed samples of what the Ravages text has to offer
whereas volume 6 is a neat indicator of Ravages transitioning into a more cerebral approach (though I must point out that the mind games and the reflections are already there from the start, though in the first arc the action is more prominent) and while volume 19 is the initial step beyond the first 150 chapters (themselves a workable and longer snapshot of how Ravages stepped up and matured), volume 22 is perhaps that one volume that neatly packages many salient schemes and themes together in one concise bundle
now if one were to come up with a broad outline of the story covered in volume 22 it would be as follows
chapter 175: there's gonna be a party (and it will be a fun one)
chapter 176: meanwhile, for those missing out on the upcoming party...
chapter 177: hey let's prepare some stuff for the party
chapter 178: on the night of the party and we're counting down to the main event
chapter 179: IT'S PARTY TIME
chapter 180: in the meantime, someone who isn't on the party is exposing what parties really mean
chapter 181: party's almost over, time to wrap up
chapter 182: the mourning after the party
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Prince of Tennis (2019) Characters
This list was made based on the Chinese and Japanese Wikipedia entries for Prince of Tennis (2019), and the Dramawiki for the names of most of the actors. Please let me know if you spot any mistakes/ have any more to add!
Legend: [CHN Character name] [Name in Chinese characters] (Actor): Original JPN Name
Names with readings I'm not sure of are in italics
Yu Qing 育青 / Seishun Academy
Lu Xia 路夏 (Peng Yu Chang): Echizen Ryoma
Mu Siyang 穆司陽 (Xie Bin Bin): Tezuka Kunimitsu
Qiao Chen 喬晨 (Dong Li): Momoshiro Takeshi
Chi Dayong 池大勇 (Zhu Zhi Ling): Oishi Shuichiro
Zhuo Zhi 卓治 (Zhang Yi Jie): Fuji Syusuke
Tang Jiale 唐佳樂 (Xu Ke): Kikumaru Eiji
Yan Zhiming 嚴智明 (Li He): Inui Sadaharu
He Xinglong 賀興隆 (Fan Lin Feng): Kawamura Takashi
Zhang Baiyang 張百揚 (Wu Xu Dong): Kaidoh Kaoru
Qi Ying 齐瑛 (Song Yi Ren): Ryuzaki Sakuno
Peng Shang 彭湘 (Lu Jia): Osakada Tomoka
Huang Jing 黃靖 (Yu Kai Ning): Combination of Arai, Sasabe, etal
Ma Xiuwen 馬修文 (Zhang Ke Yuan)
A Mu 阿穆 (Li Jun Zheng)
Qi Na 齐娜 (He Jia Yi): Ryuzaki Sumire
Lu Xiangqian 路向前 (Wu Qi Jiang): Echizen Nanjiroh
Hao Dahe 郝大河 (Jin Yu Bo): Yamato Yudai
Yu Hang 育航 / Gyokurin
Bu Zhongchuan 钟歩川 (Jin Hao Chen): Fukawa Kimiyoshi
Wu Quan 吴泉 (Zhang Hang [YOUNG-G]): Izumi Tomoya
Yu Feng 玉峰 / Fudoumine:
Xu Ziping 徐子平 (Chen Shang Ze): Tachibana Kippei
Yan Jiang 燕江 (Wang Yong Feng): Sakurai Masaya
Shi Tienan 旋铁男 (Yang Chen Yi): Ishida Tetsu
Sima Yiwu 司马亦武 (Kong Chui Nan): Ibu Shinji
Shen Weiming 申伟明 (Liu Cheng Lin): Kamio Akira
Chen Desen 陈德森 (Gu Yu): Mori Tatsunori
Wei Kefei 韦克飞 (Ming Peng): Uchimura Kyosuke
Xu Xingzi 徐杏子 (Sun Jia Yu): Tachibana An
Xing Yao 星耀 / Hyotei Academy
Ji Jingwu 纪景梧 (Ren Yan Kai): Atobe Keigo
Hua Chonghong 华崇宏 (Yu An): Kabaji Munehiro
Hu Liangliang 胡亮亮 (Yang Ze): Shishido Ryo
Song Ci 宋慈 (Shi Zi Xun): Akutagawa Jiroh
You Shixing 游世星 (Fan Xiao Dong): Oshitari Yuushi
Yue Yang 岳阳 (Gao Xin): Mukahi Gakuto
Ji Nuo 吉诺 (Jiang Xin Qi): Hiyoshi Wakashi
Feng Zhiyuan 冯志远 (Jin Zhong Xi): Ootori Choutaro
Coach Fu 付教錬 (Tian Jia Da): Sakaki Tarou
No. 3 (Shisan) High School 市三 / Yamabuki
Ya Jiuxin 亚久辛 (Wang Yan Yang): Akutsu Jin
Shen Qianshi 沈千石 (Lou Ming): Sengoku Kiyosumi
Nan Jianzhi 南建知 (Liu Yu Feng): Minami Kentarou
Tan Yitai 谭一泰 (Huang Xing Yuan): Dan Taichi
Fang Yadong 方亚东 (Peng Gang): Higashikata Masami
Ma Lintao 马林涛 (Zhang Yuan Kun): Muramachi Tohji
Coach Tian 田教練 (Hong Wei): Banda Mikiya
Chen Huijing 陳慧敬 (Yang Cai Ying): Akutsu Sayuri
Guo Zi 國子 / St. Rudolph
Zhuo Yu 卓宇 (Zhao Zi Qi): Fuji Yuuta
Guan Yue 关岳 (Lan Bo): Mizuki Hajime
Qiao Ze 乔泽 (Liu Ming Kai): Akazawa Yoshiro
Ling Tian 梁田 (Jerry Chang): Kaneda Ichiro
Liu Zecheng 刘泽成 (Tang Xiang En): Yanagisawa Shinya
Qin Yifei 秦一婓 (Deng Zhi Yuan): Kisarazu Atsushi
No. 6 (Di Liu) 第六 / Rokkaku
Kui Jian 奎建 (Lei Ming): Aoi Kentaro
Yu Zifeng 余子风 (Fu Yan Zhang): Kurobane Harukaze
Lin Xiyan 林希彦 (Yao Jun Zhe): Itsuki Marehiko
Tian Ye 田野 (Wang Hao Yu): Amane Hikaru
Zuo Xiaohu 左小虎 (Li Zheng Jun): Saeki Kojiro
Mu Jinliang 穆金亮 (Zhai Xu): Kisarazu Ryo
Liu Muyun/Mr. Six 劉牧雲/六爷 (Hou Tong Jiang): Oji
Hai Guang 海广 / Rikkaidai
Bai Shiting 白市廷 (Ren Yun Jie): Yukimura Seiichi
Tian Zilong 田子龙 (Xiang Yun Long): Sanada Genichiro
Ke Jie 柯杰 (Tan Xu): Jackal Kuwahara
Liu Lian 柳濂 (Wang Yi Bo): Yanagi Renji
Jin Wentai 金文太 (Cao Jun Xiang): Marui Bunta
Yuan Chi 袁驰 (Shen Qi): Kirihara Akaya
Wang Yaren 王雅人 (Xu Rui Lin): Nioh Masaharu
Lu Sheng 吕胜 (Li Shu Ren): Yagyuu Hiroshi
Ying Cai 英才 / Ginka
Xiang Jingtian 向静天 (Chen Peng Wan Li): Fukushi Michiru
Chen Dahai 陈大海 (Ma Wenchao)
Lin Ye 林叶 (An Zi Yang)
Other Characters
Sha Sha 沙莎 (Liu Yong Xi): Shiba Saori
Li Na 李娜 (Li Na) [Bookstore owner]
Jiang 姜 (Jiang Shang): Tatsugoro [Racquet repair man]
*(2020.03.11) Fixed typo on Bai Shiting's actor name. Thanks to @tsunaminh for pointing it out!
*(2020.03.16) Fixed Ji Nuo's name! Thanks to @rlkkai for pointing it out!
*(2020.04.08) Fixed typo in Lu Xiangqian's name
#prince of tennis#prince of tennis 2019#match! tennis juniors#chinapuri 2019#fen dou ba shao nian#chinese prince of tennis
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What're your favourite DW characters/weapons?
This answer has changed some over time as I gained maturity points (and also got my hands on DW8 later on)
Note that I haven’t touched a DW game in some time so my memory of the actual experience is kind of fuzzy, and this answer is going to be all over the damn place
I know when I was first introduced to DW5 several years ago, I was huge on playing Zhen Ji and her flute, as ridiculous as that sounds (I first played this game when I was 11/12 or so and I didn’t really know better)
Sun Shang Xiang was another favorite during those days, and her twin hoops/chakrams
I used to be shipping trash for her and Liu Bei (again, I was a very dumb child) but I’ve come more to appreciate her DW4 and 5 versions where she remained loyal to her family instead of being blindly devoted to Liu Bei and even turning her weapon on Sun Quan after being raised in a setting where family meant everything
I still enjoy playing her on occasion for old time’s sake but I’ve kind of deviated from that phase
I also used to be a fan of Zhuge Liang and his, well, fan (I was a sucker for the strategist characters then and also played a bit of Sima Yi, tho I liked Zhuge Liang’s move set better), I still enjoy playing Zhuge Liang but I haven’t played DW8 in some time but I just ordered a copy of the game so I could play it again (the PS2 that I had has seen wayy better days so unfortunately playing DW5 is out)
Pang Tong was fun to play for the short time I did (I liked his Musou attack I remember)
The two Xiahous were also fun for me to play (don’t ask me why, I just liked their dynamic with their weapons and their interactions with one another), and also I enjoyed Guan Yu’s rivalry with Xiahou Dun
Guan Yu himself was also fun I suppose, though I don’t remember having any particular attachment to his actual playstyle
I also enjoyed Sun Ce and his tonfas (and I still do), I like how his personality hasn’t really changed between 5 and 8, and they still use the same VA so I was a happy camper in that regard
Zhou Yu was a favorite in 5 (I liked his sword and also his voice acting and his character interactions with Ce) but I dislike him more in 8 because they changed his voice actor and his weapon also
Wang Yuanji quickly grew on me when I got ahold of 8, she was a badass character with a good design and voice and her throwing knives were fucking cool
I also liked Xu Shu, his weapon was cool and I also related to him on some level we don’t talk about that tho
I used to also like playing Liu Bei back when I sort of put him on a pedestal, because again I didn’t know any fucking better, but I hate his design in 8 and his new voice
My brother used to love Ling Tong for some reason, and was a huge fan of the nunchuks (nunchucks? spell checker isn’t being any help here)
I also enjoyed the DW5 version of Jiang Wei, but I feel like he got butchered in 8 with giving him a new voice and different weapon
And of course, I’d have to turn in my fan card if I didn’t include Lu Bu, the beast himself with his trusty halberd
Sorry for the incoherent answer, I may come back to this one once I play DW8 again for awhile and get a better grasp on the game versions of the characters and their weapons
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