Not sure what to watch and looking for suggestions? Here are a few of my recommendations.
Read More
Destined (长风渡) was wonderful, entertaining, and had everything I love -- swoony romance, a perfect amount of angst and humour, slice of life, palace intrigue, bromance, great secondary couples, heartwarming family/in-law dynamics, excellent pacing, multi-genre, no annoying characters (except for maybe one...) and green flags everywhere. For me, it is the best drama of 2023, and also ranks among my all-time favourites.
Read More
My friend Wuulongcha got curious about what happened to Michelle Jiang Jia En (蒋佳恩), who made her debut in 2017 with the drama Chef Fang (花间提壶方大厨). She dug around and ended up writing this insightful post about some of the inner workings of the Chinese entertainment industry.
Read More
Two television series productions of the award-winning science fiction trilogy Remembrance of Earth’s Past by Liú Cíxīn (刘慈欣) (more popularly known as The Three-Body Problem, the name of the first novel in the series) are being released this year: a 30-episode adaptation produced by China Central Television (CCTV) and Tencent Video, and a Netflix version helmed by the same showrunners behind Game of Thrones. Here, I introduce the Chinese production, Three-Body, and recap the first episode.
Read More
I’ve written here before that I am generally not a fan of voice dubbing in Chinese dramas. But every so often, a voice actor will be matched with a character — and it just works. The results are far superior and the dubbed voice is very much an essential part of the character. Meet Wáng Bǎoshùn (王保顺), the voice behind the character Dongfang Qingcang in the recent hit drama, Love Between Fairy and Devil.
Read More
Women continue to face discrimination in China, encountering quotas and other restrictions, even as they try to break barriers in spaces traditionally dominated by men. High profile #MeToo cases have been dismissed, essentially ending in favour of the accused -- and that’s if they even make it that far. Some have been countersued by their powerful accusers, while feminist groups online have been shut down and activists arrested. How is this reality being portrayed in dramas?
Read More
From Well-Intended Love to Professional Single, whenever I stumble across a comment about toxic relationships or matters of consent, these dramas come to mind. While this post is mostly focused on one show, my issue is with how some of these troubling behaviours are common enough to be considered tropes — even in the dramas we love — and the message that sends to viewers.
Read More
A couple of quick takes on two dramas I personally enjoyed — with lots of caveats. First is Broker, a very flawed and soapy corporate espionage drama for die-hard Luo Yunxi fans with a kick-ass Victoria Song. Second is Ni Chang, a historical costume drama that I ended up enjoying, perhaps because I went in with extremely low expectations and fully spoiled on who lived and who died.
Read More
Since I started watching Asian dramas, I’ve become increasingly curious about the world of subtitles, translators, and voice dubbing. In China, many dramas will employ separate voice artists to dub over the original voices of the actors. Some actors also dub their own voices. Ever wonder why?
Read More
This drama left a bittersweet ache in my heart other campus dramas never managed to pull off. Infused with a sense of nostalgia for the early 2000s where much of the story takes place, the drama centres around a group of five (later six) friends and their trials and tribulations from youth to adulthood over the course of a decade.
Read More
If you love the soundtrack as much as I do, and also love going down mini rabbit holes and getting nerdy about behind-the-scenes production details, my friend Wuulongcha’s latest blog post is for you. I loved the post because it’s exactly the kind of informative deeper dive into C-drama pop culture that is not always accessible to non-Chinese readers, making it a unique and valuable bridge for international fans who want to learn more.
Read More
Have you ever watched a show so terrible you were compelled to actually write about it? This was that show for me. Guys with Kids was relentlessly, unmittigatingly, thoroughly frustrating from the get-go. The urge to share how ghastly it was, was so strong that I actually created a MyDramaList account just to pen this review.
Read More
I had a few friends ask for my thoughts on the film and the criticisms around it, so I thought I would compile some of the conversations and articles around Mulan I came across which resonated or which I found illuminating.
Read More
Xiao Zhan shared a lengthy and deeply personal message exactly one year after the “AO3 227” incident that nearly killed his career. It’s heartfelt reflection on what happened a year ago and the fallout that followed. But why would he even draw attention back to the event at a time when his career appeared to finally be recovering?
Read More
Chinese actor Xiao Zhan penned a very personal open letter about what happened to him a year ago in the AO3 227 incident and what followed. It is a case study in toxic fan culture, China’s idol economy, and the rise and fall — and rise again, of a star.
Read More