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#cdrama — Public Fediverse posts

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  1. Zhan Zhao Adventures

    The “Southern hero” Zhan Zhao is carrying vital evidence from an old friend about an unsolved case, intent on delivering it safely to the capital. But his foes are equally driven to stop him. Fortunately, he meets Huo Ling Long, the daughter of Linglong Villa, and Bai Yu Tang, an eccentric wandering hero nicknamed the “Golden-Haired Rat”. Together, they battle the powerful forces determined to overthrow the kingdom.

    Characters

    • Zhan Zhao (played by Yang Yang): A fourth-rank imperial guard and Justice Bao’s right-hand man, he is a righteous swordsman who seeks legal justice while unraveling a massive court conspiracy.
    • Huo Ling Long (played by Zhang Ruo Nan): The independent and perceptive daughter of Linglong Villa who flees an arranged marriage to find adventure in the Jianghu.
    • Bai Yu Tang (played by Alen Fang): A passionate, headstrong, and free-spirited martial artist known as the “Golden-Haired Rat”.
    • Ding Yue Hua / Zhang Yue Shi (played by Zhang Yu Xi): A supporting character who forms part of the heroic ensemble navigating the dangerous factions of the martial arts world.
    • Si Ming / Qiu Han (played by Yue Yang): A supporting figure tied into the complex web of influence spun across the imperial court and the underworld.
    • Jing Yi Ming / He Bo (played by Xiu Qing): The master of the Shangqing sect who is entangled in the drama’s central mystery and conspiracy.

    What I liked

    • There were many classic wuxia moments, such as the lone warrior confronting a team of assassins in the rain or the blind wuxia matriarch who can kill you with just a flick of her sash. This fed my Wuxia soul. 
    • Yang Yang is okay as Zhan Zhao, but then again, the Zhan Zhao I remember—maybe I’m looking through rose-colored glasses—honestly didn’t have much character development. Here, he gets the great character development treatment, and it’s really nice to watch.
    • Yang Yang is quite suitable as Zhan Zhao, especially in the fighting scenes. He is exceptionally stellar in them, except that the camera crew seems to undermine that consistently (more on that later).
    • It has good camerawork, one of the better ones I’ve seen lately.
    • Great wuxia choreography for once! (A lot of dramas actually skimp on that)

    What I didn’t like

    • The pacing is pretty atrocious. Some cases take too long to solve and linger too much. 
    • Some people say Zhan Zhao gets wounded and poisoned too often, to the point that it became a joke. I didn’t mind that because it is part of his character development.
    • Bai Yutang, Zhan Zhao, and Ling Long’s characters are supposed to be a tight unit, but I don’t sense any team building, so to speak. Their team dynamics just aren’t good enough.
    • Bai Yutang, a playful, gregarious, chaotic character, has been toned down so much. Fang Yilun 100% could’ve played him, but for some reason they didn’t let him play Bai Yutang to his full capacity.
    • The fighting scenes are really good, but the camerawork undermines a lot of the beautiful choreography. I feel that with Yang Yang’s skills, you really shouldn’t have to do too many cut scenes. In the beginning, there were so many that I actually got nauseous due to the spins, quick cuts, and more. 
    • The mystery and conspiracies are just bland and very predictable. I could see every twist coming my way, including the identity of a particular villain.
    • Zhang Ruo Nan who plays Ling Long is so misplaced. I do not know why she’s there most of the time; she’s like a third wheel. Honestly, if you removed her character from the story, nothing different would have happened. That’s how poorly Ling Long is written. I also think Ruo Nan does not portray a wuxia warrior very well. She’s supposed to be highly skilled, but her fighting choreography is lacking.

    Conclusion

    Frankly, this show should have been a banger. It had all the right ingredients: my favourite wuxia characters, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, from the legendary Justice Bao series.

    Yet, I I literally crawled towards the finish line because I found it so boring.

    I just feel it’s a sad thing because this drama actually had all the right ingredients, but in the end, Zhan Zhao Adventures is just okay. Mid. Ordinary. Unexciting.

    This is a disappointment due to the fact that there were so many expectations for this drama because of the IP. Granted, the IP is centuries old, and expectations are through the rooof. (Zhan Zhao has been played by over 80 actors, for one in decades!) It is very tough to beat classic interpretations like Kenny Ho’s Zhan Zhao, for example.

    Final rating: 3

    2.5 for the story; the wuxia fight scenes gave it a bump up to 3.

    A good watch on a very slow Sunday when you just have nothing to do. Yang Yang is also pretty to look at, so 😉

    #3Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #TV #Wuxia #YangYang #ZhanZhaoAdventures
  2. Zhan Zhao Adventures

    The “Southern hero” Zhan Zhao is carrying vital evidence from an old friend about an unsolved case, intent on delivering it safely to the capital. But his foes are equally driven to stop him. Fortunately, he meets Huo Ling Long, the daughter of Linglong Villa, and Bai Yu Tang, an eccentric wandering hero nicknamed the “Golden-Haired Rat”. Together, they battle the powerful forces determined to overthrow the kingdom.

    Characters

    • Zhan Zhao (played by Yang Yang): A fourth-rank imperial guard and Justice Bao’s right-hand man, he is a righteous swordsman who seeks legal justice while unraveling a massive court conspiracy.
    • Huo Ling Long (played by Zhang Ruo Nan): The independent and perceptive daughter of Linglong Villa who flees an arranged marriage to find adventure in the Jianghu.
    • Bai Yu Tang (played by Alen Fang): A passionate, headstrong, and free-spirited martial artist known as the “Golden-Haired Rat”.
    • Ding Yue Hua / Zhang Yue Shi (played by Zhang Yu Xi): A supporting character who forms part of the heroic ensemble navigating the dangerous factions of the martial arts world.
    • Si Ming / Qiu Han (played by Yue Yang): A supporting figure tied into the complex web of influence spun across the imperial court and the underworld.
    • Jing Yi Ming / He Bo (played by Xiu Qing): The master of the Shangqing sect who is entangled in the drama’s central mystery and conspiracy.

    What I liked

    • There were many classic wuxia moments, such as the lone warrior confronting a team of assassins in the rain or the blind wuxia matriarch who can kill you with just a flick of her sash. This fed my Wuxia soul. 
    • Yang Yang is okay as Zhan Zhao, but then again, the Zhan Zhao I remember—maybe I’m looking through rose-colored glasses—honestly didn’t have much character development. Here, he gets the great character development treatment, and it’s really nice to watch.
    • Yang Yang is quite suitable as Zhan Zhao, especially in the fighting scenes. He is exceptionally stellar in them, except that the camera crew seems to undermine that consistently (more on that later).
    • It has good camerawork, one of the better ones I’ve seen lately.
    • Great wuxia choreography for once! (A lot of dramas actually skimp on that)

    What I didn’t like

    • The pacing is pretty atrocious. Some cases take too long to solve and linger too much. 
    • Some people say Zhan Zhao gets wounded and poisoned too often, to the point that it became a joke. I didn’t mind that because it is part of his character development.
    • Bai Yutang, Zhan Zhao, and Ling Long’s characters are supposed to be a tight unit, but I don’t sense any team building, so to speak. Their team dynamics just aren’t good enough.
    • Bai Yutang, a playful, gregarious, chaotic character, has been toned down so much. Fang Yilun 100% could’ve played him, but for some reason they didn’t let him play Bai Yutang to his full capacity.
    • The fighting scenes are really good, but the camerawork undermines a lot of the beautiful choreography. I feel that with Yang Yang’s skills, you really shouldn’t have to do too many cut scenes. In the beginning, there were so many that I actually got nauseous due to the spins, quick cuts, and more. 
    • The mystery and conspiracies are just bland and very predictable. I could see every twist coming my way, including the identity of a particular villain.
    • Zhang Ruo Nan who plays Ling Long is so misplaced. I do not know why she’s there most of the time; she’s like a third wheel. Honestly, if you removed her character from the story, nothing different would have happened. That’s how poorly Ling Long is written. I also think Ruo Nan does not portray a wuxia warrior very well. She’s supposed to be highly skilled, but her fighting choreography is lacking.

    Conclusion

    Frankly, this show should have been a banger. It had all the right ingredients: my favourite wuxia characters, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, from the legendary Justice Bao series.

    Yet, I I literally crawled towards the finish line because I found it so boring.

    I just feel it’s a sad thing because this drama actually had all the right ingredients, but in the end, Zhan Zhao Adventures is just okay. Mid. Ordinary. Unexciting.

    This is a disappointment due to the fact that there were so many expectations for this drama because of the IP. Granted, the IP is centuries old, and expectations are through the rooof. (Zhan Zhao has been played by over 80 actors, for one in decades!) It is very tough to beat classic interpretations like Kenny Ho’s Zhan Zhao, for example.

    Final rating: 3

    2.5 for the story; the wuxia fight scenes gave it a bump up to 3.

    A good watch on a very slow Sunday when you just have nothing to do. Yang Yang is also pretty to look at, so 😉

    #3Stars #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #CostumedDrama #TV #Wuxia #YangYang #ZhanZhaoAdventures
  3. @ciredutempsEsme
    À vrai dire, les cDramas sont beaucoup moins longs maintenant. Avant 2020, il y en avait plusieurs de 60 épisodes ou plus.

    #cDrama

  4. @ciredutempsEsme
    À vrai dire, les cDramas sont beaucoup moins longs maintenant. Avant 2020, il y en avait plusieurs de 60 épisodes ou plus.

    #cDrama

  5. You may not be surprised that this my favourite scene in the entire movie. This is the life of making art on demand! You _will_ meet clients that makes you wonder which one of you who are insane. And, since Chinese animation for the longest time survived on doing outsourced work for Europe and America, assignments with a _heckin'_ language barrier, I can't help but wondering if this is more from experience than usual.

    #NobodyDonghua #LittleDemonsFromLanglangMountain #donghua #CDrama

  6. In case you don't recognise the group in the first picture; it's the main cast from CCTV's classical drama production of Journey To The West. They have kindly put it on YouTube in its entirety, and storytelling wise it still holds up. Well worth watching!

    And if you need any proof that Toad and Pig still have very little clue... yeah.

    (Eye contact in 2nd pic)

    #NobodyDonghua #LittleDemonsFromLanglangMountain #donghua #CDrama

  7. An artistic rooster may not have been on your bingo card, yet here we are! Yaos, like trolls, are inbetweeners* - they're somewhere in the middle on the scale human <> animal. Through training and meditation they can become almost human. This is why I neither use demons nor monsters for them, they can change in a way the latter can't

    (*Yes, I made an animation joke - after all it was right _there_)

    (Roster eye contact in pic)

    #NobodyDonghua #LittleDemonsFromLanglangMountain #donghua #CDrama

  8. You won't hear many comments on embroideries for this movie. They don't work well for animation. Historically the less you had to draw when you drew the same character hundreds of times the better. But they also has a tendency to 'melt away' on screen, even on CGI movies where you can be precious about details.

    What you _can_ do is to add details where it counts - like the patch on this artist's hanfu.

    #NobodyDonghua #LittleDemonsFromLanglangMountain #CharacterDesign #donghua #CDrama

  9. *snrk* We're so, so, SO far from Pilgrim's Progress*! And it's all for the better; anyone who _doesn't_ want insights in the Questions Of Life (no one can be in the mood for that all the time) can just ignore it and focus on the goofy animals.

    (*on my top ten of Most Boring Books I've Read)

    (Pig and Toad eye contact in pic)

    #NobodyDonghua #LittleDemonsFromLanglangMountain #Storytelling #donghua #CDrama

  10. Since I mentioned religion; don't think our main characters are some Shining Seekers of Light. They're basically high level ignorant bumblers, and they remain bumblers 'til the end. But this is the point when they start to learn stuff.

    (Cartoon Tang farmer eye contact in pic)

    #NobodyDonghua #LittleDemonsFromLanglangMountain #donghua #CDrama