The first official full scale drama stills are out for upcoming period C-drama God of War Zhao Zhi Long. I’ll go soft on my critique for now and just say that I’m not impressed. I’ll leave it to the angry C-netizens to rip this one apart, seeing as how the general consensus is that it looks chintzy rather than magnificent and almost every main lead appears miscast. Starring Lin Geng Xin, Yoona, Kim Jung Hoon, Godfrey Gao, Jia Qing, and Gu Li Ne Zha, the drama just premiered a first look at this week’s Shanghai Television Festival.
Leading lady Yoona is going to get lots of flack and understandably so as she’s without a doubt lovely but the C-drama period wuxia heroine standards are insanely high and specific. She looks wispy and waifish, which is a look in period heroines associated with being sickly and useless, while the high standards for being heralded as a period goddess (which Crystal Liu holds the crown) is to be gloriously formed, with all the junk in all the right places if I may borrow a song lyric. Lin Geng Xin’s look as Zhao Zhi Long is pretty silly as well even if he kinda pulls it off. Only Godfry and Ne Zha look remotely on point in these first stills.
Godfrey Gao might have looked impressive … If my eyes hadn’t been instantly draw to that red puff ball on top of his head. Then I burst out laughing. I don’t know what the costume department was thinking.
OMG I was searching for him until I read your comment. I had him confused with another middle aged Chinese actor. It’s probably the beard, but I’m hoping it’s just these pics. The 3 above him looks great though.
Seriously, who designed the costumes. Aren’t these supposed to be Han costumes, why are the fighting costumes so ornate, who did the casting, sigh… so many questions. Just because you have a high budget, doesn’t mean you should go over the top.
And yes Yoona will get flack, and her fans will over-defend. Bottom line, she doesn’t look good with this styling. She looks waifish. Her fans love to refer to her as a goddess, which ironically, the one time she is called to be one, she looks terriblly out of place.
This drama might do well in ratings, just because of the budget and promotion, but it doesn’t change the fact that in the right hands it could have been much better.
Yes you’re right koala. I find it yoona not suitable for this character. She’s pretty korean star. But to play ancient china or wuxia you must look pretty stunning as ancient goddess. Such crystal liu is one of the chinese goddess for wuxia. I think if hu ge n crystal liu play it, it will be awesome. But lately looks like crystal doesn’t do drama anymore but more focus to movie industry. But must give it a try if the drama airs…
I never understood hype about Krystal Liu,she always looked squinteyed to me and her face looks puffy. I think Angelababy is much more beautiful.
Well Crystal is a natural born beauty while Angelababy has done plastic surgery..
But everyone’s perception of beauty is different! I find Crystal elegantly beautiful though her acting on the other hand isn’t as great.
She grew out of her baby fats already. If you grew up watching Chinese Paladin and Return of the Condor Heroes, she’ll always be special (even with the chubby cheeks). I think she looks gorgeous, but I also get that opinions differ wrt beauty. I think Angelababy is beautiful too, but stars are not the same when they don’t have representative works.
I think everybody look pretty good.I don`t what kinda standards China have but for Korean standards all these costumes are gorgeous lol.
Also Godfrey Gao and Lin Geng Xin in same drama? I will watch even if it was the cheesiest drama ever.
China has amazing costume design people. Whatever their deficiencies maybe, making clothes for period dramas is not one of them.
Yoona looks sickly in yellow. Can understand the flak she is drawing right now cos the standards for period beauties are insanely high.
The bad news for Yoona is that the other 3 female co-stars look stunning in their official stills, but like others have posted, Yoona looks like just only a pretty 15 year old maid in her yellow outfit.
I thought the same!!
yeah… i found kim tae hee maybe more suitable and comparable as for chinese ancient beauty. Yoona is more plain type and look better in modern era. Crystal Liu in the other hand look gorgeously beautiful for both era. I found that there is a term of similarity for chinese heroin beauty which is the eyes. Their eyes seem mesmerizing and that is what yoona may lack. I found yoona look better when she smile.
ONe K-actress I’d see pulling off ancient China beauty would be Lee Yeon Hee.
hmm, the K-actresses that can pull off ancient Chinese beauty are Lee Young Ae and Song Hye Kyo. Lee Yeon Hee is beautiful, but her beauty is kind of similar to Yoona’s type of beauty.
Sorry I don’t think she does. I saw her in traditional Korean gown and she passable.
Personally rather than saying ancient drama has high standard, they don’t. They just required a different aura befitting of their time. I see plenty of pretty modern actress look like peasants in ancient dramas, and actresses who are considered average looking look divine in ancient setting.
I agree that Lee Yeon Hee would look good as an ancient Chinese beauty, unlike Yoona she has a stronger facial structure and feature so her face could match the classical look well.
I`m not even Yoona fan but her eyes are more beautiful than Krystal Liu, she is squinteyed.
1. “squinteyed” is not a word
2. Do yourself a favor and learn about comma splices
3 Are you racist? Or sinophobic? Crystal has lovely and round doe-eyes. But because she’s Chinese, suddenly she has “squint” eyes?!
Lol Crystal Liu is just a pretty face. Acting is so-so.
Same with Yoona really…
Yoona is really pretty, but just doesn’t fit this type of role. I guess since she’s more a plain pretty than someone with goddess like beauty. I know her fans throw out “goddess” a lot, but she’s more like the girl next door tome. She looks better in simple hair and makeup.
Plus honestly it doesn’t help she looks about 15 years old.
I don’t think the hairstyle really match Yoona because she already have a prolonged heart-shaped face so adding bulk above her ears just accentuated the already widest portion of her face.
Im sorry but not sorry to say that Yoona look like a maid here. The V-shaped face of her that so desirable right now actually did her a disservice. She has very soft features that don’t hold well in ancient costumes. A lot of ancient beauties have very defined, structural facial features. Prominent cheeks and jawline that pull their weight when pair with intricate and eye-catching accessories/ dresses.
speaking of historical cdramas, koala, what’s your opinion on the new Romance of the Condor Heroes now that it’s out? I remember you were not keen on the new Xiaolongnu, is she any better now that the drama actually started?
I can’t help but read Yoona as Yo-Na.
Me too! Agh, this is what Kill Me, Heal Me has done to me LOL :))))
I actually think Yoona suits the ancient Chinese look. I mean, she has that small delicate oval face, not too in your face double eyelids and a general sweetness to her demeanor(looks wise). However the reason why I think she looks bad here is because of the bad styling(for example, I though Crystal Liu looked absolutely stunning in CP and TLBB but only mediocre in ROTCH) and horrendous over photoshoping. As for whether she can give the feel of an ancient Chinese-series goddess, we need to see how she acts, as well as how good her dubber will be.
Also contrary to most people’s beliefs, while I do think Nazha is very beautiful, I don’t feel she looks very good in ancient Chinese series(unless she’s portraying a a warrior girl/tomboy or an ethnic-minority girl) – Like how I think most would agree that Nazha is prettier than Crystal normally, but in ancient series Crystal just feels more right -and better- than Nazha… especially as the descendant of Nuwa.
yoona look pretty in chinese cloth. she should ore chinese draa.so she get to wear beautiful cloth.
God Bless Girls Generation Yoona,for all the criticisms you just said, from her being part of the drama, to the costume/ outfit, to the looks, to the acting, to comparisons, and etc..
YOU ALL OF YOU ARE VERY GOOD IN THAT!,,, A VERY BIG APPLAUSE TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU…
BUT did it occur to you that you’re being OVER THE BOARD already… MAYBE yes, it’s your opinion but then like what I said you’re all OVER THE BOARD to being MEAN…
COZ you know what?… FIRST and LAST of all, YOONA was invited to act on the drama in the first place so whatever your comment on her there’s no way you can CHANGE it AFTERALL….
SO GOOD LUCK!.. CONTINUE WHAT YOU”RE ALL DOING… OK!
BYE BYE coz I Smell too much JEALOUSY in here…. AHAHAHA
You are being such a disgrace as a Yoona’s fan and in an extent, a SNSD’s one. Those people didn’t criticize her. They just said that they didn’t think that her looks were fit for Chinese historical drama, that’s all. For real, where do you smell jealousy ? Just because someone doesn’t praise or idolize her doesn’t mean they are jealous. It’s stupid.
One more thing, lay off on the damn majuscules !
Idol fans are immature and take criticism of their idols poorly.
In other news, water is wet, and the Pope is Catholic.
Who’s really being OVER THE BOARD? Lol
yoona looks tragic with that hair and outfit, she is not made for chinese historical drama, she should stick to korean romcom