#i've watched so many cdramas but most are just ok

[micamicster]

I see the untamed really got you into its claws (rip) Would you recommend it to others or is it supernatural situation again? xD

ok before i say anything let me be clear. i am in love with this show. Is it "good?" do i "recommend it?" Well it's more complicated than that. (supernatural ass answer i know)

So the untamed IS the supernatural of cdramas. To me.

Allow me to make my case: I’m obsessed with it. It’s bad. It’s addictive. It’s poorly made. It never achieves its full potential. The acting made me cry. There’s an insane gay love story hidden inside it. The cgi is unbelievably distractingly terrible. So is the editing. Some brothers have issues and I'm unwell about it. The fandom writes an uncomfortable amount of incest fic. There's too many episodes. Everyone who watches it gets worms of the brain. Truly most importantly and most crucially are the brainworms. I'm fucking infested bestie <3

So yeah, I guess making my comparisons to supernatural is because this is a show that is not necessarily good, but where the story, the themes, and the characters that it presents are so compelling that brainworms become inescapable. It's better than supernatural ultimately by virtue of FUCKING ENDING! It's a very satisfying ending I was honestly impressed by how good it was

I do want to make the note that while supernatural's insane gay love story is hidden because of the blatant homophobia of everyone at the cw down to the actors, the insane gay love story of the untamed is a carefully crafted subtextual romance that needs to sneak through the very real censorship that happens to cdramas post production. All the writers and actors on that team get my love and support for the beautiful job they did! Supernatural writers I'll see u in hell

For you, specifically, do I recommend it? I think you could have a lot of fun! I know you've watched some asian dramas I've recommended before, (you're my hotel del luna mutual <3). I would say that this has an equally if not more satisfying story compared to that show, with the added bonus of the main romance being a queer one, but it has less focus on its female characters and way worse production value. (Also maybe this is just a pro to me? But I found the 40-45 minute episode runtime a HUGE benefit compared to a lot of other dramas which are an hour+ per episode. I find those long episodes really hard to get through, and probably would not have finished this show if it hadn't had short episodes. The one pacing decision they did right lol)

So I guess it's up to you if you want to get into it! My only request is that if you DO watch it, you come yell in my dms so we can be insane together <3

#im so unwell #yes i want you to watch it but in the way that zombies want to bite and infect humans. so like... to the detriment of the common good <3 #rip is right #NOBODY GET MAD AT ME ABOUT THIS I HAVE TO BE HONEST ABOUT MY SITUATION AND MY TRUTH #the untamed

[xiaosean]

What are your top favorite, most recommended c-dramas of all time? The ones that you would want everyone to watch regardless of genre.

this is so hard because "of all time" implies so many 😭 and i've watched chinese dramas my entire life... i'm just gonna brain fart this down

2020s

the rebel - 1930s shanghai spy war drama featuring some of zhu yilong's best acting ever

the bond - begins 1970s; five siblings through three decades, most beautiful family drama i've ever watched

our times - 1990s; witness two IT guys (hella bromance) become a major force in the computer industry through hard work and perseverance

crossfire - modern; two avid gamers who communicate through dimensions via. a video game and change the future (literally)

2010s

the untamed - wuxia; the entire blog is cql, you already know the synopsis!

the entire dmbj series (minus “the lost tomb 2″ + “heavenly palace” because those 2 were trash) // if you’re interested, send me different ask & i will link those separately 😳

nirvana in fire - historical; my parents wax poetic about this... haven’t watched lmao but it must be good for ancient political junkies

scarlet heart - modern/historical; girl time travels back to the qing dynasty

love o2o - modern; computer engineer meets the top player on “a chinese ghost story” video game // if you ignore the female lead, this drama has some of the best vibes EVER

arsenal military academy - 1930s; girl pretends to be a guy and enters an all boys military academy

eternal love - xianxia; falling in love with the same person in three lives, three worlds

when we were young - 1990s; coming of age, realistic chinese high school depiction!

guardian - modern/fantasy; romance between a detective and professor solving a bunch of supernatural cases (but they also go way back hehe) // all the weilan scenes 11/10 but shit plot

ashes of love - xianxia; the rocky love story between a flower diety and a heavenly prince

palace - modern/historical - see scarlet heart ^^ but less angst

with you - modern; coming of age high school drama showcasing healthy friendship development 耿耿余淮 🥺

pre 2010s (have no idea where to find quality subs for you b/c these are so old & during this time, it was all about taiwanese + hk dramas)

scheme of the beauty (2010)

terracotta warrior (2011)

chinese paladin 3 (2009)

butterfly lovers (2007)

mischievous princess (2005)

journey to the west (1986)

#replies #anon #i think i forgot many 😂 #i've watched so many cdramas but most are just ok #the older ones are better but shit quality + i watched more taiwanese/hk growing up #hope this helps hehe & these are strictly my opinion #feel free to disagree!

[volturialice]

Hey G, what cdramas do you recommend? I'm in the middle of The Untamed right now and I'm interested in putting more cdramas on my watchlist.

oh boy, so ok lemme preface this by disclaiming: I haven't seen any of the (mlm) gay ones. my shipping preferences are exclusively het/femslash and that is reflected in my cdrama consumption! I also don't care for modern stuff, so it's period dramas and a lot of wuxia/xianxia (mostly xianxia, which is kind of my platonic ideal of a genre.) also it's a lot of yang mi dramas but that's a coincidence—she just takes roles in all the projects i'm interested in!

that said, I know the mlm shippy ones everyone else recs include Nirvana in Fire, Word of Honor, and Heaven Official's Blessing (idk if there's a live action version of this yet but there's definitely a novel/donghua.)

so with that out of the way, I'm gonna separate this into a) recent recs, b) classics and recent adaptations of classics, and b) other shows I've seen but did not Vibe with. note that I'm not including cws because there are just too many, but if you have questions about potentially triggering content in any of these, feel free to ask me for more info.

actual recs

1) Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, aka Three Lives Three Worlds aka Eternal Love (I think that's the dumb genericized english title on netflix.) it’s extremely difficult to summarize this one due to its huge cast and elaborate plot but suffice to say: local immortal couple are so extremely star-crossed it takes them three lives to get it right and causes great collateral damage to international immortal politics.

fun fact: this is the single most watched tv show of all time. like, anywhere. possibly because it's so unhinged and eminently re-watchable. I think it's a great intro to the xianxia genre and I chalk its success up to the fact that it's fanfic trope overload. seriously, there are at least three "there was only one bed" scenes in this one show. I think the protagonists are fairly terrible people and yet I can't look away from their train wreck of a relationship.

luckily it's a huge ensemble cast so there are plenty of other characters for me to enjoy (bi4bi king and queen zilan and yanzhi supremacy give me their spinoff right now.) there are also Supporting Character Gays who could not be more obviously homosexual if they tried and it’s very fun.

there's also an actual spinoff I couldn't get into because I Simply Do Not Care about those characters but hey maybe you guys will

in conclusion, TMOPB is a good Xianxia Starter Pack because it includes a lot of common tropes. I learned a lot just by googling which things were specific inventions of the show vs which things were actual mythology! this show is so popular that basically every other xianxia made post-2017 is a clone of it (seriously, if they don't STOP with these stoic emotionless love interests i’m gonna hurl myself into a magical abyss.)

goofiest cgi character: the Four Beasts (no I’m still not over the sphincter-mouth.) honorable mention goes to yehua’s tiny offended snake form

2) Legend of Fuyao - sort of a rags-to-riches hero’s journey/jianghu story in which the heroine wanders through several different fantasy countries kicking ass and doing fun sidequests.

the first cdrama I ever watched (after seeing how epic the trailer looked) and still my favorite. notably the only time I have ever actually shipped the two leads. also notable in that the characters are more flawed and multidimensional than you'd typically see in a show like this—I particularly enjoy the concept of "fun Trickster King love interest but he's also kind of a pathological liar and that has actual consequences." has a rough start and drags in places but it's one of the most visually stunning shows on this list and has a fun ensemble cast, some of my favorite fight scenes, and a lot of good h/c moments.

goofiest cgi character: gotta hand it to yuanbao. if I had a nickel for every time the entire plot hinged on the actions of a single cgi guinea pig

3) Story of Yanxi Palace - a backstabby court intrigue period drama that imagines the rise of real historical figure Consort Ling, who rose from obscurity to great power in the court of the qianlong emperor.

the single most googled show of all time. notable for its gorgeous, elaborate costumes and general attention to detail in design. one of two on this list that's pure period drama, no fantasy (though it certainly takes liberties with actual history.) also probably the most ~”western”-style~ show on the list in terms of pacing and plot structure. it fits right in with prestige period shows like The Tudors or The Borgias, (albeit with far less graphic violence and sex scenes.) a pretty interesting heroine who, again, has actual flaws (still too much candy:spinach ratio, but I'll take what I can get here.) 

I'm just gonna say it: yingluo and empress fuca were super gay for each other. just let them stay home and lez

sadly devoid of goofy cgi characters

4) Princess Agents - another hero’s journey-style fantasy, this time about Becoming A Badass Spy. basically the cdrama Nikita. 

another of those ones everyone recs as a quintessential drama of the last decade. I actually haven't finished it, but the big chunk I've seen is solidly Good even if it's another stoic love interest I can't stand (the second lead is charming enough to make up for this.) has one of the sickest opening themes out there

and contains both princesses and agents but sadly none of them are the same people so I consider the title false advertising

goofiest cgi character: I s2g if that parrot doesn’t sHUT UP

5) The Wolf - girl meets boy raised by wolves. Tiny Horse scene is reenacted. they meet again as adults but he’s since become a war criminal so that complicates things :D

if you like angst and betrayal, this is the show for you. a Stoic Love Interest I actually don’t mind for once + a fun arranged marriage slowburn arc and a likable second lead (Untamed stans have ensured that you will see zero gifs of the two actual leads when you search for this show.) has the other sickest opening theme out there

goofiest cgi character: I mean, it’s right there in the title

6) Novoland: Pearl Eclipse - another fantasy about being trained as a badass secret agent, only this time involving mermaids and domestic abuse! hooray

watching this one right now and it’s interesting so far. I once again only care about the side characters but it’s possible that’s a Me Problem ([holding up zhuoying] I just think he’s neat!) has the single most unhinged opening scene I have ever experienced. I haven’t seen any of the other Novoland Cinematic Universe shows but I’ll probably look them up after this!

goofiest cgi character: the sharknado

7) The Eternal Love (and The Eternal Love 3) - not to be confused with Eternal Love sans-“The,” this show was made on a budget of ten and is so weird and silly. it gets so much mileage out of its simple bodyswap/time travel/fish out of water concept (which is also RIPE for fic AUs imo) that it was a runaway hit and they made two more seasons (which are basically...AUs of the first season? it makes sense in context.) I skipped season 2 but season 3′s “lol role reversal it’s a MATRIARCHY” concept was also really fun.

a few shows I haven’t seen but get recced all the time: Rise of Phoenixes, Story of Minglan, Novoland: Eagle Flag

some modern classics/adaptations of modern classics 

1) Princess Pearl, aka My Fair Princess/a bunch of other titles. a “Prince and the Pauper” -type story set during the rein of the qianlong emperor (but much lighter and fluffier than Yanxi Palace.)

made on a budget of half a shoestring (and it shows), this show was a crazy runaway hit that catapulted its unknown leads to megastardom so powerful that the government straight up erased zhao wei from the internet. 

maybe the real princess was the Gal Pals we made along the way

2) The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006) - another “orphan becomes a badass and experiences star-crossed love” jianghu story. this seems to be the most well-liked adaptation of its extremely popular novel afaik. I haven’t seen that much of it, but I can definitely see why it’s popular!

3) Handsome Siblings (netflix version) - two Very Opposite fraternal twins separated at birth are manipulated into becoming mortal enemies, and hijinks ensue. sort of a picaresque take on the jianghu with lots of comedic sidequests. also based on a super popular novel.

tbh I probably wouldn’t have gotten all the way through this one if I hadn’t been sick and couchbound when I watched it, but the third act is super fun! the non-netflix adaptations might be better, idk.

gotta love that title. the author said look at my OCs!! they’re a couple of real handsome boys!!!

shows I Do Not Vibe With no tea no shade they just aren’t for me

Ancient Love Poetry - I tried really hard because the cast looks fun but it’s just. a much more soulless clone of TMOPB with none of the fun Weird Shit or compelling characters.

The Flame's Daughter - this plot was so complicated I could not tell you the first thing about it. kids are getting switched at birth, everyone is double-cast as their own dead mom, and I don’t care enough about the characters to try to parse out their bizarre motivations (ok, fine, I admit I liked the side characters.)

Maiden Holmes - a fun “woman dresses as man in order to be a detective” premise but I simply didn’t care about the characters.

Miss the Dragon - maybe the later episodes are good, but I couldn’t get past the complete lack of story in the first few.

#asks #cdramas #show recs #I'm sorry this is SO LONG lmfao #long post //

[deng-yi-deng]

Dramas I finished in 2021

This is the first year I dropped more than I finished, and I took a reaaaally long break after Broker because...it broke me.

Currently watching and enjoying Luoyang but likely won't finish it this year so I'll save it for next year's wrap-up.

Listed in order of how much I liked them - ymmv.

Word of Honor - (5/5) we all loved this so I don't have to write my own redundant review detailing point by point why it rocked. Thank you WoH team for making an excellent wuxia. Early on everyone was selling this as 'omg, watch it it's so gaaaAAYyyy' which (yes it was and yes that was fun but...) more than that it was so well written it still brings a tear to my eye. See, it's possible. It's possible to have a well-written cdrama that is simultaneously fun and doesn't insult the audience's intelligence. Sure, I also like the actors but my hero is the writer, Xiao Chu. 💌

The Imperial Coroner (4.5/5)- a surprise delight that didn't rely on tropes to move the plot along or get certain characters together. Well paced, decent acting, fun characters, and a plot that actually kind of made sense. Both male and female characters act like...humans? not cardboard cutouts. Hm, I wonder if... yes. The screenwriters were both women - suspicious. Low-budget but made the most of it. Yes, it is very anachronistic (regardless of which vague time period it's supposed to be set in) but still cute and a quick watch.

Dear Diary (4.5/5) - Don't let the ridiculous premise, or the fact that Youku shelved it for years, keep you from watching this. Though superficially it's a romance, the underlying theme of the drama is about learning to accept and embrace your younger self. The plot basically makes sense and the acting from everyone is fabulous. The supporting characters are real and enjoyable. Pacing is tight, and they film on locations!? (except for one cheap set which we'll just ignore). There are a few more plot holes near the end but in general touching, oddly relatable, and the ending is not trite or stupid! Oh wait I'm 3/3 the screenwriter is a woman.

Duolou Continent (3.5/5) Cute characters and enough action/fights to keep me content (though the whole spiritual sausage thing was....a little gross tbh.) I'm not familiar with the source material so can't compare, but it was on the whole fun and in terms of low-budget costume dramas with Xiao Zhan worth a watch. Moved pretty well, though episodes were short. Was very happy to see Calvin Chen (who I only know from KO One) and his surprise six-pack, lol.

My Heroic Husband (3.5/5)- watched because it included many actors from Joy of Life. It mostly held together and was funny in places - I do love a dumb time-traveler joke (the wheeled suitcase was my favorite gag by far.) My main complaint is the FL was unnecessarily weakened/sidelined as the show went on - you don't have to have a helpless wife to be a heroic husband, ok? I feel strange saying it but there could've been more....business focus?? weird. It also indulged in one of my least favorite tear-jerking plot devices (unsure if it's common enough to be a trope but I hates it.)

The Legends (2019) (3.5/5)- yes this is a couple years old but since I like both Xu Kai and Bai Lu, and it's a wuxia...veering into xianxia... gave it a try. The first 12? 14? eps are brilliant. Loved it. FL is written more like a man - morally questionable! smart! independent! but then gradually the plot and characterizations fall apart. I've been informed this was intentional on the part of the writer which is too bad. Some of the secondary characters/relationships are also really good.

Court Lady (3/5)- wasn't sure what to expect, mostly watched for the costumes, setting, and Xu Kai (the first two were solid....last reason was ill informed since he wasn't in it that much and his character was...meh.) The costumes and hair were amazing (sets - a bit anachronistic) in general the art direction was pretty good, but still not Longest Day in Chang'An good. They did ok with the female characters, making them more well-rounded and interesting, but the FL was maybe a bit too too clever/lucky. There were soooo many eps and it followed so many character's sub-plots I kinda lost interest but powered through to the end despite a bit of boredom. Favorite characters were (as usual) secondary. The HE was rushed and cliche and strangely unsatisfying.

The Devil Punisher (3/5)(TW) - started in 2020, finished in 21. Premise was solid but - it was just ok. I enjoy a good cheesily-acted Taiwanese drama now and again. Too much use of misunderstandings between the CP trope - and I don't really like a love rivalry as the main plot device when it could've been something way cooler. Honestly with the longer 1hr plus episodes I may have nodded off during some of the later eps since it didn't entirely hold my interest after we found out (not a shock) who the villain was.

Movies

Including for completeness: both Yin-Yang master movies. I liked the one with Mark Chao and Deng Lun more - it was visually really pretty (are they purposefully making movies giff-able in the same way museums are making some exhibitions instagrammable now??) and I liked the plot. The one with Chen Kun was more of a family movie I guess?? anyway they were both ok.

#2021 cdrama wrap-up #what i watched #cdrama review #tried to keep this spoiler free i hope? #not gonna tag all the dramas you'll either see this or you won't

[mejomonster]

So I already have a lot on my watchlist but i keep seeing you post about Hikaru no Go and I am very curious about it and just wanna know more about your opinion on it, cuz you're one of the people i go "oh, if they like, there's most probably something for me to like too". Only if you don't mind of course!

ok so I just replied to @forgive-and-take with this which is a bit of why it might be worth checking out? (and their quote “There’s always one person in a room who you want to see you but they rarely look at you" as this show's nerdy, improbable story of love and go and ghosts where two idiots SEE EACH OTHER and YES that is a perfect way to describe it! my heart is ;-; )

(also i'm realizing i really need to ask you for a show rec list because I bet I'd probably click with your faves too ToT)

So back when I watched Hikaru No Go, it was one of my favorite dramas of that year. And it still holds up as one of the cdramas I found most well done writing and pacing wise (you know how some cdramas pacing sometimes has big lull chunks? Well I'd been watching Go Ahead at the same time which is a phenomenal story but the pacing slowed and I gave up, while Hikaru no Go only really had one slightly slower paced section and since I was binging it I did not even notice since it was only 4ish episodes). I adored the writing, the pacing, the presentation, I could not stop watching when I started. But what I loved? It just was telling such a human grounded story, with compassion and kindness, of this boy who meets this ghost who loves Go. And then this ghost wants to play Go, and asks the boy to play for him. The boy plays with a kid, just wanting a peer or friend, and this other kid is a Go Prodigy absolutely BAFFLED this laid back uncaring-about-go careless kid is Beating Him ToT thus begins a lifelong rivalry/friendship that will ultimately result in these two being partners for life.

Along the way this ghost starts caring about the other important things in life, about his connections with people and the world and not only being the Best At Go ever, this kid grows up and learns and connects with so many people in life and figures out What He cares about and why, and that kid he played grows as well - wanting to rematch kid 1, then wanting that kid to take this thing he loves (Go) more seriously and caringly, then they're on a big road to encouraging each other and growing because they See each other and just. This show is so good. There's so many wonderful side character stories, mentors and friends, its very much slice of life with this mystical element of the sweetest Go Superplayer ghost Chu Ying mentoring and eventually befriending and finding family with the kid who let him do things in life again, and this whole fiasco resulting in Shi Guang and Yu Liang meeting the other and changing each other's lives forever after that.

So in some small sense its like Cherry Magic with the fantastical premise in a Very grounded yet compassionately caring story of real people living their lives, its a bit like a sports anime but that's not my usual genre and this story's focus on the most important thing being our personal passions and connections as we grow with people and change because of them and our lives are touched really Resonated with me in the way 'wanting to just be the best' absolutely wouldn't have it - so its hands down my favorite 'competitive type story' I've watched. At the time I was into Go Ahead too (which is good) and it definitely has a bit of that vibe as well in the sense of these really grounded characters (who still remind one of their Anime based counterparts) and their loved ones and friends and growth. I loved the ending, the sad parts meant something and as much as they made me cry they were earned, and I just. It left me feeling like I'd grown with them and changed in the most loving way possible. I very much still want to check out the original Hikaru no Go manga it's based on still, because this show definitely had heart and I'm sure the original's full of that same heart (and the art is by one of my favorite manga artists who also did the art for Death Note).

tldr: its on my rec list of 'hands down quality shows worth watching' but like more personally it the one competition-setup-genre story I really loved and would watch again. (and mildly related? while I'm sure yuri on ice is definitely my kind of show, its the only other 'competition' type story I resonated with but the pressure to 'win' and the realism with the anxiety always felt too close to home for me to get through the show ToT - so in that way I appreciated Hikaru No Go being 'gentler' in how it handled those feelings and being less intense with the motivations to 'need to win' that's in a lot of competition-type stories). And its on the shorter end for a cdrama! if you have time I really recommend even just the first few episodes - I knew really quickly I was going to like it!

and yes u can watch it if you have no idea what Go is because i had not the slightest idea, am not normally a competitive-story-setup watcher in the vaguest, and i immediately clicked with this show and loved it ToT

also rivals to best friends/partners/lovers if that's the interpretation u want is absolutely another summary of this show (with rivals who are each others emergency contacts and regularly hope the other is doing well despite acting like They Must Challenge or Overdo the Other when its Public time ToT which is a very fun rivals to partners dynamic)

and i. love chu ying the ghost. i love him so much. my heart is full ;-;. his growth arc is one of my favorite things about the show.

#replies #ask #@elletromil #hikaru no go #qi hun #i hope this helped? ToT im sorry if i didn't explain well. also it was on iqiyi subbed when it aired so #i imagine its subbed in many places now it should be fairly easy to watch #also like. 'fluff' itself is not my fave genre either so when i say it was gentle/compassionate i mean like #it has the happy friend moments and the hard life moments but just like. very cherry magic in that it tells it in a way where it feels more #like a compassionate relating than something harsh and super brutal if that makes sense? which i really love in more realistic stories #because it makes them get to have a plethora of emotions and moments #but the story doesn't feel as draining as it feels soothing overall #and yes ToT supernatural setups in mundane daily life stories is absolutely one of my favorite story types #to anyone reading this YEA this show is worth checkin out #u will know if u click with it within a few episodes i knew within like 3-5 i was going to binge it #i didn't think it'd be a show i'd resonate so much with but it really was #this show was definitely on the wholesome slice of life growing up side #versus like huge stakes world changing the untamed or love and redemption stuff

[hunxi-after-hours]

hey! this may sound stupid, but probably bc english isn't my native language I'm...... unsure what do you REALLY think about Word of Honor/山河令 XD like, do you hate it? do you love it? do you find it ridiculous or boring? and whatever the answer is, here's the following question: why? just please share your thoughts if you want to (even short answer would suffice ^^).

also - as I said before, english isn't my native language and neither is chinese. my mom says I have a talent for learning languages and I don't believe her, but the truth is, since I've started watching c-dramas I've catched a bunch of basic chinese phrases. if I'd repeat them aloud, I'd probably absolutely butcher them, but I KNOW them when I hear them (honestly, tfw you get like two sentences out of 5-minutes long video of an interview with some chinese idol is WONDERFUL). and I never learnt Chinese but maybe I shouldn't waste what I already know and just try it asdffhdggsh

^ anyway I've written this to give you some kind of background so you'd know what kind of person this humble anon is, because I wanted to say, I totally HEAR the way Wen Kexing is speaking. like, those pauses? the poetic references? I HEAR IT. and I watch it with eng subs! (ok both eng and chinese since that's how the YouTube version looks like). but I know how he speaks mostly because I HEAR it, and I hear how other characters (in other dramas too) speak, and I really can easily spot the difference. so I instantly know "oh so he's kind of a character who's supposed to be literate/cultured/highly educated". he just has the VIBE xD I, obviously, don't get ANY of his references so I dutifully wait for smarter people to make videos or write metas about it, but I know there are here and honestly I cant wait to finally unpack and understand it fully <3

ahahaha I suppose I haven’t actually posted about 《山河令》 in a manner that’s... not a shitpost, but yes, I’ve been enjoying it! I’ve been bouncing between shows lately, and simply could not deal with most of them (I have a... fairly low bullshit tolerance? mostly when it comes to badly-written dialogue--my mother can testify that I yell 这是人说的话吗?? / are these even human words?? at the screen quite often), so the fact that I’m... thirteen episodes into SHL and actively enjoying the dialogue is quite promising!

I mean, the show is ridiculous on many levels (this show is really like “how many times can we make the visual pun of sleeve-cutting,” and the answer is “more than you expect”), but the more wuxia you watch, the more you learn to simply embrace the campier aspects of it, and I’m honestly quite impressed with their fight choreography (especially, knowing production schedules, they probably didn’t have much time to devote to it)

I’m glad the poetic register comes across to folks who listen for it! I’ve hopped onto a few watch sessions with some friends for cdramas, and I’m routinely shocked when they simply... talk through the entire episode, because they don’t need to listen for dialogue--they’re just reading the subs. It totally makes sense! but also god, what’s that like

#not that I'm much better though #I realized today that I don't notice when there are obviously censored dubs #because I'm frantically reading the Chinese subs

[dangermousie]

I just discovered your blog and I love it! I love your writing and just the variety of things you watch!! Question, how did you start getting into shows/movies from so many diff countries?? I'm asking bc I've mostly only watched American shows & recently kdramas

Awwww, thanks!

Sort of a multiple parts answer.

Despite this tumblr being in English, I am not a native English speaker (English is my third language actually.) I grew up in the USSR even though I live in the US now. The reason that matters is because Ukrainian/Russian TV unlike American TV buys and shows a lot of foreign shows/movies that they dub. I’ve noticed that unless you seek it out on netflix or similar, America is not big on foreign stuff except for a few British things and some prestige movies clamoring for Oscars, probably because American output is so huge they don’t need to fill the space with other stuff (and I am old enough to remember pre-streaming era in which case, if your local video store had more than three foreign titles, it was fancy.)

And Russian and Ukrainian TV buys all sorts of shows - it’s not “we are fancy and high brow,” it’s a wide gamut of stuff of all types. So while I was a kid even, I saw Italian, French, British, German, Turkish, Chinese, Mongolian, American shows and movies, Latin American telenovelas, as well as imports from other Eastern European countries and similar. I mean, some of my fond childhood memories are going to a neighboring movie theater to watch Bollywood movies.  

So I was used to watching stuff from a lot of countries already, from childhood. You throw in the fact that I love period things with serious unironic nobility, romance and angst which a lot of countries make a hell of a lot more of than America, that I hang out on a bunch of Russian sites/boards that have shows with sub/dub, and the fact that I prefer subtitles because I can watch on 2x with my short attention span, and you got someone who will watch stuff from anywhere. I mean, sometime I troll big aggregator Russian site rutracker’s various boards literally looking for anything that looks period.

If you want to know how I got into types of foreign things I watch the most of.

* Indian movies. I watched them as a kid and sort of forgot about them when we immigrated, But then they had a festival, I saw some, remembered how much I loved them and that was it. It also led me to Tamil, Telugu and Malayam movies.

* Russian things - well...heeeeee.

* Dramas. A friend of mine got me into anime and that led me to get into manga. At one point, I was obsessed with the manga MARS. I went to look to see if there were any anime versions. There weren’t but there was a Taiwanese live action. I decided to check it out and OH HOLY GOD THIS WAS BEYOND MADE FOR ME. I then went looking for Boys Over Flowers live adaptation and watched the Japanese version as my n2 drama and Taiwanese one as my n3. So for a little while I only watched Taiwanese and Japanese dramas (I got into drama fandom in the dark ages of 2006 when those ruled the roost, anyway.) I forgot why I decided to branch out into kdramas, but my first one was Full House, the smash hit with Sng Hye Kyo and Rain. It’s probably horribly dated by now and I haven’t rewatched it but I adored it to bits - the angst, the higher production values, the fact that I adored the heroine even tho I am usually hero-centric. I was a goner. Then I checked out some Hong Kong dramas because Nic Tse was super hot. Heh. I got into Mainland dramas with Return of Condor Heroes 2006 and went !!!! How is something so my aesthetic and everything I want in a story?! Honestly, out of all types of shows from anywhere, I still don’t love anything as much as I do a well-made period/fantasy-period cdrama. And that was it.

* Turkish shows - I saw a gifset of Kivanc Tatlitug on tumblr, I think. Hormones activated and off to the Russian aggregator I went...

OK, like most people, I love talking about myself, but I am gonna stop :)

#asks #personal