Discover Top Posts Tagged with #c ent

Wang Xing Yue looked like a fan whose CP gave him after-sales sugar hahahaha

Ding Yuxi fetched Yu Shuxin off the stage; ran over before Yu Shuxin finished speaking. Wang Xingyue didn't realize the seriousness of the matter at first, but his reaction after seeing it was so funny. The director even cut the camera to Zhang Linghe, Zhang Xincheng, Meng Ziyi and Li Yunrui; asked the Blossoms CP if they wanted to do the same.

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#yu shu xin #ding yuxi #starlight awards 2024 #tencent #love game in eastern fantasy #yong ye xing he #永夜星河 #yu shuxin #esther yu #ding yu xi #ryan ding #cdrama #cdrama 2024 #c ent

Another drawing of Chen Zheyuan as Feng Suige in Fated Hearts (一笑随歌). I just love to draw him :)

Here's a 30 sec timelapse.

Here's something that has bothered me for a while, but I could never place my finger on why.

When I was growing up I was taught this prejudice against watching a show for my favorite actor. I was told this indicated poor taste. Yet I already knew from experience that plot synopses were hardly a good way to decide whether to spend money and time on a piece of media... and well, nobody can watch everything.

It very quickly became apparent to me that there were a lot of people who claimed they liked all of the Western Canon, who spent all of their time hating on everything that was new or foreign. And there were a lot of people who would claim to like everything new. And a lot of people who would claim they liked all foreign films (or at least all those from a certain country).

And I just went... no you don't. These things you are claiming you like all of, they are so different there's no way you actually like all of them. And these things you're dismissing, they're alot like things you say you like. So like? what game are you playing?

"but actors don't always do the same kinds of projects". True, but they are also people whose preferences can be close to yours or far from yours. And they are the ones who choose which roles they play. And chances are that one reason your favorite actor is your favorite is because their tastes are similar to yours. Effectively, it's actually reasonable to take your favorite actor's choice of roles as a watch recommendation.

Even when the plot synopsis might make it sound like you wouldn't enjoy this show at all. I recently experienced this with the Cdrama Glory, also known as Yu Ming Cha Gu. There are not a lot of tropes that I despise, but amnesia is one of them. Most of the time it seems to be a way for the author to have their strong female protagonist (and get the associated brownie points), but then damselify them for most of the plot.

And in contemporary times it isn't just women who get this treatment in fictionland. A lot of tumblr sexyman characters are victims of this type of plot. And well, as I've said before, a trope is not less misogynistic because you apply it to a man. (obligatory note: enjoying something problematic doesn't make you a bad person, by all means enjoy wet cat men).

And I mean listen, Hou Minghao plays the damsel well both on and off screen. He played this type of character in Back from the Brink, and even I can admit it was sexy. He also indulges this type of aesthetic in his photoshoots a lot. And listen, I do not hate that "the plot is a vehicle for removing the male lead's clothes" is a type of Cdrama. That can be fun. But this drama was also trying to make itself look very serious. I was pretty sure it was going to be a show that couldn't decide what it wanted to be, and therefore be bad.

And of course, since the female lead was billed first, that was going to mean the second female lead (played by my girl crush Cheng Xiao) was going to be cringe. GB dramas always have the most annoying secondary couple dynamic.

The second male lead is always obsessed with the female lead, and then the second female lead will always sacrifice herself for him. Ya know, even though he barely knows she exists. Like girl, do you have a brain? This dynamic never exists in BG dramas by the way, the second male lead often is obsessed with the female lead and will end up sacrificing himself for her: but the second female lead in these dramas is usually much more of an antagonist.

Well the secondary leads in Glory are more like those in a BG drama. My girl Cheng Xiao is getting to play an antiheroine, and it is magnificent! And Lu Jianglai is no damsel. What they did effectively was write a BG drama, except they gender-flipped the roles. Rong Shanbao is the type of character who would often be the male lead in a historical BG drama. And as in so many BG dramas it begins with Lu Jianglai accidentally saving Rong Shanbao, then Rong Shanbao saving Lu Jianglai. But interesting things start to happen because Rong Shanbao is a woman, and Lu Jianglai is a man.

And just like, the audacity of this! There is a reason the genres of Cdrama are so rigid, audiences are absolutely savage when they don't get what they want. And the comments section under this drama is exactly as much of a flaming garbage dump as you'd expect for how flagrantly they are violating audience expectations. However, some audiences have a brain. The drama has massively overperformed MangoTV's expectations-it is their highest rated historical drama ever. And even more revealingly, Lu Jianglai had beaten Hou Minghao's other character Hong Ye in popularity-meaning that his fandom prefers Glory over Unclouded Soul.

This fact is particularly significant since Unclouded Soul is the more popular drama, was much more hyped, is on more platforms (it is on Disney+ in addition to all the Chinese platforms), and is actually quite a good drama. It's just a more classic example of the GB genre, though they at least tried to make the secondary couple less annoying. Bingzhu isn't a toxic stalker, and Pianpian obviously has a crush but is like also an adult with a brain. Also she was already set up as someone who struggles with self-respect issues, so she's at least a consistent character instead of being suddenly a dumbass for the sake of the genre.

Now, Glory is not the first drama to disregard genre conventions. Particularly when it comes to the secondary couple, as I heartily suspect a large portion of the younger audience finds these couples very annoying. Prisoner of Beauty was a GB drama, but the 2fl in that has no connection with the 2ml-they never even meet. Qiao Fan is a really neat character, and her tragic romance with the general Bi Zhi is a delightful counterpoint to Qiao Man's story with Wei Shao. When the 2ml realizes he has no chance with the fl because she has actually fallen for his cousin, he very sensibly fucks off to another country for a while.

So Glory's flagrant violation of this genre's conventions is likely a sign of the times, not merely a statement by one team of directors. But this is also an evolution. Liu Yuning's fandom had decidedly mixed reactions to Prisoner of Beauty, some really loved it others (mainly those who loved the novel of the same name) didn't. Hou Minghao's fandom is much more unified in tastes, although everyone is watching Unclouded Soul a lot of the fans have a definite bias towards Glory. Of course, Hou Minghao himself is much more definite in his tastes.

He always tried to pick complex roles and interesting scripts, prioritizing that over scripts that looked likely to do well. But when he was less successful of course, sometimes that wasn't possible. Now it most definitely is. Although he never eschewed a drama just for following genre conventions (after all there is nothing inherently wrong with genre conventions), he also often picked dramas that defied them. He likes characters that seem to be one thing but are really another, and thus has cultivated an audience who likes this stuff too. And now that he is a popular actor who can make a show outperform expectations just by being in it, he wields power over the future of the industry.

An industry which will wield increasing influence over the way that people all over the world think. The fact is that the way television shows are produced in the rest of the world is the cause of their lackluster quality. The schedules are too tight, costumers and set designers don't have adequate time, actors can't rehearse, cinematographers can't set up complex shots, stunt coordinators have to cut things that can't be learned instantly and so forth. Even casting is sometimes affected, clearly.

As much as the censorship sucks, it has a silver lining: Cdramas can take as much time as they want in production because they have no idea when the show will air. Hollywood's slump is not temporary, it's not due to brain drain or fear of criticism. It's due to systemic issues affecting every part of production. Issues that Chinese dramas simply do not have because they are allowed the time that good craftsmanship requires.

Those platforms that don't start carrying Chinese dramas will lose viewers, as people realize that quality can't be bought with money. Glory has a lot of similarities with HBO's most beloved shows: Spartacus, HBO:Rome, Game of Thrones etc. Like those shows it has a historical setting and a focus on political drama, intertwined with a romance plot. It may not have the overt horniness, but is hardly devoid of sexual tension: and not only between the romantic leads, the Rong sisters are not above using seduction as a tool to defeat their enemies.

Not all viewers perhaps have the understanding to appreciate quality, but enough do that it's worth spending some money on that audience. HBO doesn't know this yet. As I write they have zero Chinese dramas on their streaming platform Max.

As iQiyi keeps warning me, the finale of Glory is coming. Meaning if a Western platform wanted to acquire the distribution rights now is the time. That means they will be able to post all episodes at once, on the same day that the final episodes are released on the Chinese platforms. These dramas have upwards of thirty half hour episodes. The production value on even the worst dramas is higher than on most American TV shows, and Glory is far far above it's peers in quality.

#cdrama #glory #yu ming cha gu #hou minghao #gulnezer bextiyar #c ent #c drama #玉明茶谷 #chinese drama

i need to cry about this on every platform

#lu yuxiao #卢昱晓 #cdrama #c ent

via 鞠婧祎_Official

浮光跃金，水袖缠绵。 golden light, lingering sleeves.

#ju jingyi #c ent #cdrama actress #singer #hanfu #fashion #china

Luo Yunxi Appreciation Master Post: How can someone be so multi-talented?!

In case you did not already know, here are LYX's many talents. It's insane how many different things he can do at a near-professional level beyond acting!

1. Dance/Ballet

LYX graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy majoring in ballet with over 11 years of professional experience.

This is him doing 13+ pirouettes in a performance of Tchaikovsky Rhapsody (full video, he's on the right)

Interpret dance solo (燃烧的火苗) where he won the first gold ever for STA (video, news)

Swan Lake solo at the Taoli Cup Dance Competition in high school (video)

Modern dancing solo (黑白影画) at his graduation performance (video, he's the only guy in white)

He also taught at the Macao Conservatory for a year and danced in front of national leaders in Flying to the Moon (奔月) at the Macao 10th Handover Anniversary (video)

He's super flexible and has a strong core (despite being naturally thin)

In response to request from fans, he performed the Black Moonlight dance in a now viral video on Douyin.

2. Wuxia / Posture

LYX is known as one of the best actors working today for wire work - you can see him here doing 3 consecutive jumps 2-3 stories above ground (compilation videos 1, 2)

He does a lot of his own stunts and is often better (i.e. more graceful) than his stunt double, even though it's really risky and he's sustained some serious injuries from being dropped accidentally (And the Winner is Love: B roll video, actual scene, other BTS, other fight scenes)

He moves with elegance, not just in action sequences (Ashes of Love fight compilation 1, 2), but people have made video compilations of how he walks, kneels, works his sleeves and train

Of course, it's thanks to his dance foundation, but he also puts a lot of hard work into stunt training. Not something a lot of actors do because it eats up time to make more TV or go on variety shows (Ashes of Love stunt training, BTS)

3. Diving

He played a diver once in Flip in Summer (夏日心跳) and actually learned to dive... I mean he's no Tom Daley but this looks pretty good for an amateur... (full video)

4. Voice Acting

He’s always dubbed himself since circa 2018 (with the exception of And the Winner is Love due to Covid logistics issues), which is not the norm in Chinese drama (Ashes of Love dubbing BTS). In fact, he is sometimes the only person in the cast to use his original voice (e.g. in Princess Silver)

He also lends his voice to animations - he was the voice of Viktor in Arcane (BTS video), which received positive feedback (most people didn't realize he was not a professional voice actor)

He appears as a judge and live dubbing performer in Voice Monster alongside the top voice actors in China, Bian Jiang (aka voice of Yehua in Eternal Love, Nan Wangj in the Untamed) and Zhang Jie (aka voice of Donghua in Eternal Love, Sifeng in Love & Redemption). He has so much respect to those working behind the scenes, and it really shows (full video)

5. Singing

Some of you may know that he started out in a boy band called JL with Fu Longfei - these videos didn't age well, but here you go: JL (MV), 我们 (MV)

He has released a number of solo singles, including 缘起 (MV), 星星之火 (live), 不是我 (MV), 等风停 (MV). and 勇 (soundtrack), which he composed and wrote the lyrics himself (these are all mando-pop ballads if that's your jam)

He performed Big Fish 大鱼 at Tmall's 11/11 Festival (live video) - while his rendition is not as powerful as the original, he can hit really high notes with an impressive falsetto - I think it goes up to G5 (one octave above middle C)

He performed Pipa Xing (琵琶行) at the Douyin Festival (live video) - the notable part is his Peking Opera style singing at the end

He occasionally releases covers of songs on Chinese karaoke app Changba or Douyin: 要不然我们就这样一万年 (youtube), 黑月光 (youtube), 不染 (youtube), 山水又一程 (youtube)

He can also sing in other languages, including 喜欢你 in Cantonese (recording) - it's actually a very good cover and his Cantonese pronunciation is >95% accurate - there are parts where you can't tell he's not a native speaker.

6. Musical Instruments

He's an accomplished classically-trained pianist, which you can see in...

JL MV (video, starting around 3:30 mark) - don't mind the makeup, it's from ages ago

Mr Mossie season 2 (video)

Love is Sweet (BTS video) - impromptu jazz, he was deciding which song to play

Fan thank you recording (video)

He also plays the guitar, though probably at an amateur level

7. Music Gaming

During college he was obsessed with this music game called O2Jam (劲乐团) to the point where he created new tracks (i.e. arrange/compose the music) for the company under the username Dinoroy (explained by himself here, videos of him playing).

He became well-known within the fan community as the legendary D神 (D God). There are a lot of funny comments from old players saying that they thought D God is a bitter middle-aged recluse trying to screw them over with difficult tracks (read comments here).

D God was so prolific and reliable that gaming company accepted his submissions without review. Here are some of his best tracks - game arrangement only (Lydia, Croatian Rhapsody, Digital Emotions), music & game arrangement (黑暗魅影), original composition (光之乐章)

8. League of Legends

He's an LOL super fan, commentator, and player since season 2, went to see worlds in person twice, and was a cast member in a gaming show called Beyond It! Hero (episodes here)

He played the 2018 All-Star Event in Las Vegas teaming with reigning world champion Rookie and delivered the final blow that beat the other team 2:1 (video)

He got a quadra kill at a celebrity mobile game even though his team was crap (video clip)

He co-invested 1M RMB in a team led by Misaya 若风 - you can see them playing together in a live broadcast of the mobile game (video)

Update: Our longtime fan boy has become spokesperson of League of Legends and official commentator at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou! The love is reciprocated!

9. Calligraphy/Drawing/Culture

LYX is known for his Chinese handwriting (he practices regularly) - there's even a font based on his handwriting called 汉仪罗云熙体 (download here)

He does all his own handwriting for marketing materials (e.g. Immortality below) and doesn't need a hand double for scenes where his character is practicing ancient Chinese calligraphy

He's also got amazing drawing skills - check out the Queen of the Night 昙花 he drew as Runyu while waiting around on set in between takes (video)

While he doesn't go on a lot of variety shows, he's often a guest on cultural programs, like the beauty of Chinese Calligraphy 书法之美 (video), Chinese Fans in 指尖上的非遗 (video)

His self-produced Mr. Mossie covers a lot of cultural topics (seasons 1, 2, 3), the segment on Hanfu was featured in the UNESCO Chinese Language Video Festival (video)

10. Photography

Luo Yunxi is often seen taking photos on set with his top-of-the-line Leica camera. Here are some of the photos he has shared: