Cupcake Massacre

💫sad boi aesthetic💫 🦇 Most Anticipated Dramas: Immortality (China); A Decade of Nightscape Lights (China); Mo Li (China); Love Beyond The Grave (China); Love in the Clouds (China); Veil of Shadows (China), 🦇

[whumperer-86]

Zhan Zhao adventures ep37

[pandorumblu]

Ughh this sceneeee.

[avalynnarcher]

Ashes to Crown Thoughts (Eps 1-3)

Now that I've had a few minutes to process...

The good:

Costuming is pretty.

Like the OP song.

The bad:

The pacing gave me whiplash.

The plot is a hot mess.

World-building? Never met her.

The ugly:

The dubbing is bad, and it should feel bad.

I'd appreciate the aesthetics more if the editing wasn't godawful.

The dramatic cuts and music cues made me giggle.

Anyway, I'm dipping out on this one.

[pandorumblu]

Yeah, this is godawful.

We know what both leads are capable of. We've seen as much in Twelve Letters, Fangs of Fortune, etc.

So to then serve viewers this dumbed-down, over-dubbed, over-edited, over-stylized glass of curdled milk makes me scratch my head in incredulous horror.

FWIW, both of their real voices are gorgeous, and neither requires this America's Next Top Model nightmare to prove they can act.

The VA for Duling makes her sound like a petulant brat, and the VA for Yiran (the same one who did Moonlight Mystique, or whatever TF that 80s fever dream was called) completely wipes out the gravelly, low-voiced vocal-cord sex that would've helped sell whatever they were trying to make him be: a perfect-faced, perfect-haired... assassin general... thing (his contour is perfect.)

At least make it make sense? Not cool.

[dangermousie]

The whole show summed up.

Well actually with:

[pandorumblu]

Oh my god, the last gif. 🤌🏻

[storge]

Last time we met was ten years ago... who knows when the next time will be? You cultivators live so long, but I'm just a mortal. How many decades do I really have?

The Immortal Ascension (2025)

[pandorumblu]

I'm on my delayed Yang Yang watch binge, and will die on the hill of him being god-level attractive with long hair. My lord *fans self*.

I'm looking forward to the sequel to this drama, but am not even remotely fond of his relationship to the "female lead." Added in quotations because she had maybe 45 seconds of screentime with him, and their chemistry is trash compared to his screen time with literally anyone else.

I might even watch his recent soldier one to get some more pretty angst scenes (yes, the sickness is that rooted right now). I don't know if anyone can compare to his recent perfection that was Zhan Zhao. Myyyyyyyyy goodness gracious. It only lacked romance, but I wasn't even that mad about it!! His "bromance" (uh huh...platonic..sure...) was perfect.

[dangermousie]

Ashes to Crown needs to be a mini starring Hu Yiyao and Zhou Junwei with supporting roles played by three dudes, a big tub and a wind machine.

Instead whoever made it is trying very hard to come across as if it’s a mix of The Advisors Alliance if Cao Pi had earring trauma and The Empress of China if Wu Zetian covered her boobs like the censors insisted.

Sadly, in terms of actual complexity, the advisors involved are attending kindergarten and the empress of China is a name second grade girls gave to their pretend glassware emporium.

Please just embrace the trashiness, makers! You know where you belong! This ain’t Three Kingdoms, this is barely quarter of a kingdom. Maybe.

PS where can one buy Zhou Yiran’a teleporter? Asking for a friend.

[renewedmotionforjudgment]

1/3 Kingdom

Seriously, they keep trying to be serious and I keep laughing. But also the way the writers are like "we must narrate everything because how else the audience can possibly understand our complex plot"

(I mean, it's still fun but it's not a great sign that a drama is starting with me watching it for the lulz)

(and yeah, I like the actors themselves fine and have spent my weekend giffing (mostly) Zhou Yiran, but to me, this is a good example why on screen chemistry is important.)

[pandorumblu]

I keep laughing at the rational, adult-driven Tumblr commentary vs the MyDramaList swill of hormone-heavy keyboard warriors defending how sexy and perfect everything is, and attacking anyone who disagrees. It's a wild and chaotic hellscape over there.

[avalynnarcher]

Ashes to Crown Thoughts (Eps 1-3)

Now that I've had a few minutes to process...

The good:

Costuming is pretty.

Like the OP song.

The bad:

The pacing gave me whiplash.

The plot is a hot mess.

World-building? Never met her.

The ugly:

The dubbing is bad, and it should feel bad.

I'd appreciate the aesthetics more if the editing wasn't godawful.

The dramatic cuts and music cues made me giggle.

Anyway, I'm dipping out on this one.

[pandorumblu]

Yeah, this is godawful.

We know what both leads are capable of. We've seen as much in Twelve Letters, Fangs of Fortune, etc.

So to then serve viewers this dumbed-down, over-dubbed, over-edited, over-stylized glass of curdled milk makes me scratch my head in incredulous horror.

FWIW, both of their real voices are gorgeous, and neither requires this America's Next Top Model nightmare to prove they can act.

The VA for Duling makes her sound like a petulant brat, and the VA for Yiran (the same one who did Moonlight Mystique, or whatever TF that 80s fever dream was called) completely wipes out the gravelly, low-voiced vocal-cord sex that would've helped sell whatever they were trying to make him be: a perfect-faced, perfect-haired... assassin general... thing (his contour is perfect.)

At least make it make sense? Not cool.

[storge]

The Immortal Ascension (2025)

[pandorumblu]

Guhhh

[storge]

Last time we met was ten years ago... who knows when the next time will be? You cultivators live so long, but I'm just a mortal. How many decades do I really have?

The Immortal Ascension (2025)

[storge]

YANG YANG as Han Li The Immortal Ascension (2025)

[storge]

YANG YANG as Han Li The Immortal Ascension (2025)

[mostlyfate]

ZHAN ZHAO ADVENTURES 雨霖铃 (2026) dir. Liu Hong Yuan

[pandorumblu]

Yes, it's a classic wuxia, but it is SO OBVIOUS (to me, I guess?) that there are very intentional romantic undertones. They're the only pairing that gets tender music whenever they're together. Lingering stares. Longing.

No, it's not the main aspect of the drama (and I'm weirdly okay with that), but the commentary on Twitter from Netizens who are clutching their pearls for zero romance, have zero clue how to read the most basic subtext. It's not a secret, it's obvious as hell. They just don't care to flaunt it, and THATS OKAY. ENJOY THE DRAMA for the 100 other aspects that make it fantastic.

[guzhuangheaven]

zhan zhao adventures: dude really thought he could cuff zhan zhao

[alipeeps]

Zhan da ren... I'm afraid there is still a tough battle ahead...

[pandorumblu]

This drama has the coolest fight scenes. I am officially a Yang Yang fan (in Wuxia) now. I do wish for at least ONE loose hair scene, but the pony tail is 🤌🏻 on him.

[signedthemoon]

— isa b. i dream of a home

[alipeeps]

With wounds like that, you took on my Dragon-Slaying Coil?

[pandorumblu]

THIS WAS SO COOL.

[minyoonjin]

Mini and Moni in a nutshell

[pandorumblu]

Namjoons hair in every clip 🤣

[glorianas]

[lenfanttterrible]

[thatkindoffeminist]

[kiwinning]

[sensoryoverloadistry]

The Grad Student Shuffle- Christ Fleming

[throesofincreasingwonder]

[catherinebunnington]

when you see something that needs to be done and you think “someone should take care of that” just remember that you’re someone

[ginsoakedgirl80]

[pandorumblu]

Wang Yilun and his characters storyline (romancee) is literally the only person I care about in this drama.

Ep 23 and his cliff dive with his "evil shizun" side quest peaked my interest.