'why is so much politically-focused genre fiction centred on monarchies' many reasons, but one which I think deserves attention: monarchy is an obvious way of tying together the dysfunctions of the domestic to those of the state

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'why is so much politically-focused genre fiction centred on monarchies' many reasons, but one which I think deserves attention: monarchy is an obvious way of tying together the dysfunctions of the domestic to those of the state
Smita Patil in Chidambaram, G. Aravindan, 1985
I think one of the problems with recent idol costume stuff that wasn’t good (Blossoms of Power, Ashes to Crown - which I ultimately enjoyed but let’s face it, AtC was not objectively good) is that they see the success of minis and try to go ministyle in full drama format and it just doesn’t work.
Now, there are plenty of other reasons for why they aren’t good and you can also have a drama not have anything from a mini and still be bad (nobody can accuse Rosy Clouds, made years ago, of being influenced by a mini boom and it’s still not watchable) but I think here the desire to capitalize on mini market really does play a role.
The problem becomes that these are by definition different mediums despite both being shows and what works for one will not for the other and vice versa. Think about it - if you tried to make a silent movie using “talkie” techniques, it would not be good or vice versa, which is why so many of the very early talkies are unwatchable by anyone but a hardcore fan of early film.
Or perhaps a better example since they are the same exact type of thing different by length - a short story and a long novel require very different skills, storytelling methods and everything else. Writers can often do well in both of these but you can’t write an O’Henry short story the way you’d write War and Peace and vice versa.
So these full length dramas see the cool moments and the tropes/situations that appeal to the id in minis and decide to do that too. Which is great but while a mini can be composed of that and only of that, it doesn’t work in full length format because fatigue sets in and also think about it - you don’t need a story in a stanza of a poem. You can succeed on vibes only. Can you succeed on vibes only in a novel? Perhaps an uniquely talented writer can but for an average one it would be a disaster.
And the same goes here - this story as is and these characters as they are perhaps would work in a mini due to length and a certain expectation of utter unreality and crazy pacing (you can’t expect anything else in short format) but in a full length drama? It’s jarring and ridiculous.
The thing is - minis require different approaches and different skills (see for example mini actors for whom a certain idol type quality of capturing attention instantly and making you invested is much much more important than any acting skill. Not many successful mini actors are also really good actors per se, but all of them excel at the idol quality thing.) And the makers of full length dramas forget it at their peril.
imagine a goat with a hat
STOP-
what hat did you give the goat what is the instinctual hat you gave to this goat
Overdo Ep. 2: I see what people mean when they compare this to a short drama. Everything here is in shorthand. The whole bit with the letters could have been so good. But they ran through it like the house was on fire.
The outline is there. It's actually not bad (the bones of the story at least, I can't speak to the dialogue because that's something that only mandarin speakers can really tell). It's a melodramic story for sure, but I watch rebirth/ revenge plots all the time so it's not too far out of my wheelhouse. The melodrama is not the problem. It's just that they're not spending any time to deal with character or emotions.
Also, possibly the biggest problem is the whole show has been put together rather tackily. No one is expecting film level finesse here, and I don't generally notice things like shots or framing while watching tv. But this show is distractingly bad on that front.
There is non stop blaring background music. The choice of shots is baffling and distracting. The framing of scenes is like a stage play (everyone needs to be on stage at all times) rather than a tv show (you can focus the shot on what the character is doing/feeling). Everything is so harshly lit. Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan are probably the some of the best looking people in the world, so it's hard to make them look bad. But the lighting and camera isn't doing them any favours. Their acting choices are also very serviceable.
A lot of wasted potential here.
randomly watched 2 episodes of Xiao Fang on my lunch break. It's such a delightfully charming show and I've not heard anyone talk about it!
The transition between this and their super cute original romance is such whiplash
Me every time the ggeomeoksali comes on screen in The East Palace
the creacher ever. so small. just a little entity
AND THEN GUCHEON SAVES THE CUTE LITTLE CREACHER IN RETURN AAAHH. this was so cute. cries
(just look at the way it leans against him. my heart😭😭😭😭)
The East Palace is reminding me of Kingdom (my beloved) in all the best ways!
how do you outwit your enemies
Overdo Ep 1 : overdo is right because this is so over the top lol
This drama would not be able to recognise subtlety if it danced before it in a neon hat.
Everyone is really pretty though! They knew what they were doing in the wardrobe department!
Overall, I think this will hinge on how well they can sell the romance.
i need to lock in (doesnt)
Been reading the Lord Peter Wimsey novels and did not fully anticipate how strong my reaction to Peter would be. It’s like he was intentionally engineered to hit every trait that activates the blorbo center of my brain.
What do you MEAN he was traumatized in the Great War by being buried alive and sending men to their deaths and continues to be haunted by it to this day? That he uses humor, prattle, and literary references to create an air of silly assedness to both obfuscate his intelligence and protect himself? That he is simultaneously vain and self-disparaging? That behind all of it he’s just a twitching pile of frayed nerves, duty, genuine love for humanity, and longing?
Oh jail for Dorothy L. Sayers! Jail for one million years!
it's been very interesting for me to go back and look through cdramas through a list of the previous projects of their writers, directors and production companies. It really helps make sense of the patterns in their works across projects, and exactly what parts of a drama [good and bad] can be attributable to whom.
Tian Xiwei in Where The Mask Ends