Well this is great news for Tencent and the production/cast of period xianxia C-drama Lost You Forever that it’s a hit out of the gate in terms of buzz and views. Even better are the first impression commentary from viewers is near universally positive and THAT’S BECAUSE THIS DRAMA IS EVERYTHING I CAN HOPE FOR. Sorry for yelling but folks I am so happy and ecstatic I‘m pinching myself – after watching the first four episodes LYF the drama from cast acting and chemistry to the S-level production values and the completely true to the novel script hits it out of the park. Yang Zi IS Xiao Yao/Xiao Liu, she is hardened and practical but you can see the kindness underneath and the crack of vulnerability. Deng Wei as Jing makes Jing so much more compelling than in the novel, or perhaps I was never able to fully fall for his devotion and quiet strength until I see it onscreen and goodness I adore him so much more. But of course I’m not ship jumping completely since Tan Jian Ci actually steps out of the novel exactly as my white hair nine-headed cold as ice demon Xiang Liu, he captures that scary aura and meets Xiao Yao’s every wriggly attempt as her match.
If there is one weak spot right now it’s male lead Zhang Wan Yi who is getting his thunder stolen by the other three leads with his variations on one expression but his character gets to do a lot more later so I expect him to be more compelling after this stage setting phase. I loved loved loved the first four episodes which adds a prequel section to set the backdrop but then follows the novel nearly to the T as we drop into the life of town fertility doctor Wen Xiao Liu living in Qing Shui Town. It’s slow but all the details are either important or helps flesh out the characters, and then later we will look back fondly on these idyllic and ordinary days in the town. The entire town was built as a set and transports us into the world fully, and with no voice dubbing it’s wonderful hearing the actors and actresses own voice and not get annoyed by bad dubbing. Brace yourselves folks, this is a looooooong 70-episode ride and we’re just at the start of Part 1 of the drama with 39-episodes scheduled. Get on the LYF train cuz it’s a wild one!
I’ve been waiting to here your comment about this. So happy you love it. I was watching this on the down low at work because I couldn’t wait. I read your translation on this site and you truly made me fall in love with the books. And I’m so glad the show is sticking closer to the source material. Can’t wait for the long ride!!
Me too.. I have been waiting for Ms Koala to comment on this . I started to watch this show due to the novel . I just started to read the novel a few days ago and…I am hooked…
at the moment, i like the ‘ Jing ‘ Character a lot…especially after watching the drama yesterday. Somehow it give me those floating feeling.. I also like the Xiang liu character…let see how it goes. And so excited for today episode
I am so excited tooooo!
I read the novel translation from your site, Koala and since then I have been studying Chinese very hard only to be able to read the novel in original language.
The moment when I check the first four episodes, it felt dejavu…
It really close to the novel, as if all the novel characters have out from book.
Huaaa cant believe it is airing at lastt, i too really love the first 4 episode. They stayed true to the novel and being such a fan of the novel I just cant believe that the novel is coming to live infront of our eyess. I really hope the rest is the same as the first 4 eps. AND YEAH LETS RIDE ALONG WITH XIAO YAOOO
Read an audio book because of your passion for this book and fell in love with it too! It says first season though, so they might release it in multiple seasons?
Yep, they are dividing it into 2 seasons! If they are following the new rules, then the 2 season will be premiering the fastest is 3 months after the 1 season end. So yeah, it will be quite a long ride
Ha ha Miss Koala, after you made me suffer through Till The End of the Moon, this time I will wait for you guys to get around ep.20 before jumping in! 😁😆
Seriously though, I am happy that this one looks solid, especially after Anle which was such a let down.
I rushed to binge watching the 1st 4 eps and am giving a mixed review at this point. I’m not a book fan nor have ever been a fan of Tong Hua’s books. I can’t comment against the novel but just per an ordinary drama viewer’s perspectives without any knowledge of the story. The 1st 4 eps are at a slow pace and dragging/dry to some degree. I fast forwarded most of the scenes in ep1. The plot started to take off by the end of ep2. There’s no focus of the storylines so far except that the chemistry between Yang Zi and two of the three lead actors was really good. I bet on Yang Zi’s acting to keep me following the series. There’re 70 eps. So there must be a lot of stories to tell.
Since The Longest Promise was just officially wrapped up and the impression is still fresh, I can’t help comparing both xianxia dramas that were premiered by Tencent back to back. LYF had cheaper CGI and looked faked as 2D in a lot of settings compared with TLP. The setting of LYF just did not look like in a xianxia world. Actors’ heavy Beijin accent (Yang Zi’s included) was really distracting and doesn’t help. I was confused while watching the 1st 2 eps thinking I was watching a fabricated historical idol drama not xianxia drama. The setting in the Deity palace looked very mundane and earthly given the cinematography and the ways characters talked. I thought I was watching another drama similar to The Story of Minglan due to the ambience. Sometimes I even felt like watching a period drama set in Beijing alleys given the heavy Beijing accent of the cast. The supposed ML had ZERO presence as a prince in the Deity tribe. His looks, physique, and manner, none of those exudes a princely aura. The only actor who appeared divine is Deng Wei. Till the End of the Moon spoiled his beauty. Lol
I’ll still give a shot to new eps, just to see if more interesting storylines evolve.
I’m so happy TH was the script writer. There are slight changes with the novel but it doesn’t affect the original at all. I love the first four episodes character building too. Yang Zi is really an amazing actor. She totally is Wen Xiao Liu! As for the male leads both Jing & Xiang Liu are very interestingly written. I prefer Tan Jian Ci acting but in the drama I like Jing character more.
Anybody know that whether the ending will follow the storyline from the novel or will it have a different ending story line?
So far all the drama characters are doing a good job playing their parts like from the novel. The prince may not be everyone’s favourite from the novel, but to me, he is not less likeable as other 2 male leads. So far drama prince is doing a good job in portraying his character from novel.
I guess the beauty of reading the book is you know how the story flows and you are happy that so far it follows closely to the novel.The bad thing? Well if they deviate far from the novel, because you already fell in love with the original story. Some find it boring specially those who doesnt read the novel, but I guess we all have different taste.
I refuse to watch this until January, but temptation all around!
I’ve watched the first 4 episodes and love it. The chemistry, plot wise (a lil change on Jing which is a good thing, i disliked his character in novel) and the acting, all of them are amazing.
I literally screamed when Xiang Liu appeared lmao… i wont mind if TH changed the ending tho. But of course, Mr. Green Flag will get the girl.
Thank you so much for your translation of the book Lost You Forever! Your introduction to it made me read your translation, even though I rarely read novels. You were so right about reading a great novel, when dramas are slow. The author Tong Hua writes in a way that even stood out to my ignorant self. She tears at heartstrings in a way that I never expected. I cry easily watching dramas, but Tong Hua had me crying so much that my eyes were sore for days from wiping them.
And, your translation is so great! I wish I could translate as well as you do.
But, going back in time a bit, I landed on your website, because Viki fairly recently picked up A Lifetime Love, the prequel. I watched it only because Victoria Song is one of my favorite actresses. Then, I became fascinated by the Chinese culture in it. I learned that the author Tong Hua likes to use some Chinese history. In this case, she drew from an ancient Chinese book Classic of Mountains and Seas. I plan to thumb through a translation of it, partially because it’s a bestiary that other Chinese historical dramas draw from.
I couldn’t find a complete translation of the prequel book Once Promised, which the drama A Lifetime Love was based on. I’m not one to watch unhappy endings, which is part of why I read your translation of the sequel, Lost You Forever. It did give me closure. Thank you for that too.
I’m happy that you’re so happy and ecstatic about the new drama Lost You Forever! Because of A Lifetime Love and you, I have never looked so forward to any drama! I’m also relatively new to Chinese dramas and reading translations of books that they are based on, so I hope my expectations aren’t too high–or better yet, I hope they are met. 😀
Thank you again for your translation of the book Lost You Forever!
I binge watched the first few episodes and despite not enjoying the novel, I thought yang zi embodied the character very well. The part where the cousin asks for the antidote and the manchild runs away leaving a disappointed Xiao Liu shows she really understands the character. Will probably continue watching albeit on 1.5x speed–must say I prefer lotus casebook over this.