Legend of Zang Hai with Xiao Zhan is the First Drama in Youku History to Hit 10,400 Heat Index and All Tracking Indices Confirm Its on Track to be Biggest Hit of 2025 So Far
There is still the entire second half of 2025 left but it’ll be hard to imagine another period C-drama beating the buzz and viewership of Legend of Zang Hai. Mega popular C-actor Xiao Zhan has delivered a resounding hit for Youku, confirmed with the drama reaching 10,400 heat index on the platform for the first time ever of any drama airing there. In 7 days it remains top as well of all the usual tracking indices on both drama viewers, buzz, and Xiao Zhan’s character Zang Hai topping the character charts. It’s only aired half of it’s run and still has plenty of legs to set new records. I’m so glad Xiao Zhan picked this role and story to challenge himself and achieve such successful reception, well deserved for such a talented hardworking star.
Big congratulations to Xiao Zhan! Legend of Zanghai’s story is really unique imo. Sure, we had dramas about tomb raiding and geomancy, but I don’t recall any about tomb building and in the historical genre. This drama have me thoroughly hooked! I hope Xiao Zhan can work with Director Zheng Xiaolong and Director Cao Yiwen on more projects in future as well.
It is definitely a good drama. The things I like the most about it are: the costumes and hairstyles, the sets and sceneries, the OST, the way the ancient science and traditions are incorporated and the directing.
Unfortunately to me the weakest links of the chain are the acting and character development. I have seen quite a few number of such type of character who have gone through tragic events and lost everything in a blink of an eye and to me ZH’s character arc (or its portreyal by the ML) is inconsistent with his background and the events he has gone through especially in such a young age (I abstain from giving examples to prevent starting a dispute here). IMO he gets way too joyful and way to charming from time to time (in a wrong scene) which aren’t bad but don’t go well with his character from psychological POV. This leads to the viewer to forget his plight and his motives. Because of such lack of integrity of his character the story feels disconnected and it gets hard to relate and feel sympathy. The same can be said about the villain’s character. Sometimes it gets to the point I dislike ZH because of deceiving these people simply because the characters are inable to reflect their whole personality. In conclusion the main leads have not been successful to completey bring these multi faceted character to life thus far (I have watched 17 eps.). IDK this issue is related to the acting or maybe because of the way the ZH and other characters are wtitten. This is my only complaint and I hope it wouldn’t upset anyone. There are also some parts of the story which also seems like loopholes. For example how ZH was sure who was behind his family’s massacre and didn’t feel the need to do more investigation about these events when he grew up or how he trusted the masked man without any questions.
lol..if the script writer is good and able to describe incisively characters without drags for many episodes, you guys say ‘it’s too fast..bad drama’
If it takes many episodes to describe a character, you guys ‘it’s too slow drama..bad drama’
Maybe maybe the problem is you eh
Especially considering the whole china is loving deeply this drama which is causing an esplosive buzz on their socials and millions of discussions every day
I think you didn’t read my comment carefully (idk abou the “you guys” you refering to). My problem wasn’t the pacing of the story telling but the inconsistency of the characters (it has nothing to do with no. Of episodes). IMO a child who has been traumatized in such way in young age and witnessed the brutality he saw would not grow up to become someone as carefree as ZH (in case you have watched “Dexter” you can understand what I mean). I also mentioned the positive points I liked about it. So I guess my comment wasn’t one sided.
Liking/disliking a drama have nothing to do with people having problems but it is more about having different tastes. I personally don’t feel the necessity to force myself to see the things the other see. I have my thoughts and you have yours.
I finally just watched Korea’s “The Glory”, and that drama is a REAL revenge drama. I agree with you about the inconsistency of the main character’s emotions. When a person experiences trauma on the level that ZH does, usually, the way they see the world and how they approach it is darker, grayer, crueler. XZ’s emotions are too surface, too mechanical, too unwrestled with to convince me that the character’s plights are real. I have to suspend my disbelief a little too much. Unlike idol romance dramas (where we’re required to suspend disbelief to enjoy them lol), I want “Legend” to be as serious as it’s supposed to be, and it just falls flat. At least XZ is serviceable in this role. Zhang Jing Yi, wheeeeww. Either the role doesn’t suit her, or she doesn’t suit the role. Whatever the case, she’s awful on screen. Her hair looks bad too. Haha.
@lu I had left a reply to ur reply days ago but I geuess it just didn’t get viewed (probably due the blog’s technical issues).
It was the first time I was happy a FL has a more limited screen time. I liked neither her character nor her acting. So definitely agree with you.
Definitely agree about FL’s screen time. I thought she would be stronger… and it was just… yeahhhh. Is she using her real voice? I’m not a follower of her career, so I don’t really know what her voice sounds like. I thought she did well in that modern princess drama, but her outing here was not good at all. Or maybe she just doesn’t play sassy all that well? Yeah, not a strong performance.
I beg to differ. In episode 2, Zang Hai has shown that he’s capable of answering questions about his family deaths calmly while solving puzzles, meaning that he looks like a normal person on the outside but that doesn’t mean his desire for revenge is any lesser. As for those parts that you say are loopholes, it’s reasonable considering he had seen with his own eyes that the Duke gave the order in person to kill his family and there was nothing in the Duke’s words to suggest that he was under orders from someone else. I personally don’t think he fully trusted the masked man, but even if he does, he was a 10yo child when the masked man saved him and grew up in an environment where everyone echoes the same information. I think he will start questioning about things as the plot advances.
We also should not say for sure that some untold parts are loopholes until the drama has finished airing too.
I also did watch that scene in episode 2 that you refered to. Actually instead of looking indifferent I felt ZH even looked playful and joyful which I didn’t expect or when he was rescued by the masked man and woke up he just cried for some time and it was as if nothing has happened. IDK whether you have heard about the 5 stages of grief including: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I expected to at least see some of that. As you said he was a 10-year-old boy even adults can’t pull themselves together at that pace.
Regarding the points I described as loopholes you are right. Yet I said they “seem” like loopholes so lets give them the benefit of doubt till the end of the drama.
Look I do understand that a tv series needs to be entertaining in the first place. But I think the writer/director were focused on presenting an attractive near perfect hero (and they definitely succeeded) rather than a more real and flawed character which could have been darker and grim to some extent. It could have been more believable if at least he hadn’t have witnessed those tragic events with his own eyes or he was older at that time. Maybe I am way too meticulous but emotional journey of characters matters the most for me when I watch dramas/shows and to sum it up I prefer watching real humans rather than heros belong to epics. Hope my different idea wouldn’t upset you.
@Gelar Not upset at all, I’m glad to discuss about the drama. I personally find it unnecessary for the drama to show the 5 stages of grief which you mentioned as it doesn’t do anything for the plot and will drag its tight pacing down.
@Lilith glad to hear it. The 5 stages of the grief or sth like that could have helped presenting a deeper character. But as you said it probably doesn’t help the “plot”. That’s exactly my problem that every character of a story are there for the sake of the “plot”. They have to go from point A to point B to get to point C. For this reason the writer has to curb their emotions and bend their personalities to fit in the plot and that’s a drawback to me. I remember reading an interview with Spielberg saying to him characters are the story and story is character and that’s the type of storytelling I like. Nonetheless, I keep watching the LoZH but as hyped as it was I expected it to be different.
@Gelar Perhaps. C-ent now has to keep their dramas to 40 episodes, so I doubt they can revert to their previous slow pace to showcase all the emotions that the characters are going through. Many people nowadays prefer a tighter pace with engaging plot rather than savouring characters’ emotions, but of course, it doesn’t mean your preference being the minority isn’t valid, just that for a drama to do well in this age, I guess they have to stick to the majority.
@Lilith surely restrictions on no. of episodes limits the director/writer/cast manouver. Nonetheless, movies are also restricted mediums in terms of duration and there are many examples of them successfully presenting a strong character development while keeping the plot engaging as well. So these two factors don’t need to cancel each other out. I also admit that the majority of my favorite C dramas have been produced in pre-20s and I am aware of the shift in the C audience’s (and probably rest of the world’s) preferences. It’s very nice of you saying my opinion counts. I personally do believe non Chinese audience’s views, regardless of being the minority or the majority, plays almost no role in direction C dramaland is taking since as you said it should be appealing to its local viewers. Nonetheless, I am sure there are examples for any international viewer (you included) to think differently about a drama despite of its popularity and success in C ent world. I think we both made our pov clear. Enjoyed our chat. Have a nice day.
Have you really met any victims going through similar family trauma in real life? Or do you just speculate how these victims should act and react in your inexperienced imagination? LOL. I guess you have not.
I have. not only one case but three at least. For people who went through atrocious murders or unexpected losses of lives in their families, they did not always come out with PTSD. LOL (at ppl like you with narrow-minded perceptions but not these survivors’ affliction). They could appear normal as everyone else most of the time or even laughed gleefully in some occasions. They didn’t even necessarily show any emotions when talking about the atrocities in the past long ago. That doesn’t mean that these survivors aren’t hurt deeply inside. Survivors need to survive anyway.
I guess if you’re already prejudiced against certain actors and their dramas, you will always find something to be scathing about regardless of whether their dramas are quite successful or not and if they did a great job or not. I wonder if that’s your case here, @Gelar.
Have I seen people going through similar family traumas? Yes I have. FYI my country went through war from 1980 to 1988, and in that war more than 100K civilians lost life including some of my family members. Although I was a baby at that time but I have seen the devastating effects of watching your family being perished on those of our relatives who have survived which stayed with them till their death. So does your loved ones’ houses being bombed and they turn into dust count in your opinio or do you want me to share more details? Sure the survivors survived physically but they were never the same again. Those wounds remained in their heart and soul forever.
I simply have a different idea and it has nothing to do with being prejudiced against any particular actor/actress you are a fan of. So I think instead of being swallowed by conspiracy theories and feeling threatend, you as an anti narrow minded person need to understand that different people have different ideas and thats all.
Sorry for your family and relatives’ unfortunate experiences. But it still doesn’t validate your allegation regarding how a crime survivor should behave outwardly. Your prior comment still shows some kind of narrow-minded prejudice that obviously doesn’t resonate well with many viewers of LoZH, me included. Stop gaslighting me to be an anti (of whom? LOL) or feel threatened (about what? LOL again). You have your own preference and I have mine too like all other drama fans. It’s reasonable to voice my own opinions and raise some legit questions (note that conditional “if” in my question to your comment) when we are not on the same page, specifically when you’re in the minority of public opinions about this drama. How’s my question anything coming from conspiracy theories? That’s a stretch beyond my comprehension. Fine to dislike the hero’s character and also ML’s acting. That’s your own preference. Just drop the series rather than get overdefensive when fans disagree with you. That would give everyone peace. LOL.
@Gelar, I fully understand what you mean and the bit you find missing… I too have my thoughts on this but I want to finish this drama before I can truly say if my thoughts are right. I too understand how our opinions can sometimes invite passionate response. Like you, I do post words that states this is my opinion, no offend to others.🤣…
Hope there will be a post after the drama ends by Koala, I am super interested to read how members here feel about drama after it finishes. I bet traffic to that post will be busy.
Yea way too passionate. I would really like ur review. Looking forward to it.
For those unbiased fans is this really good? I’m not a fan of xz but I really want to watch this is if it’s as good as it is hyped. Please I need objective inputs. Also, how good is Joy Of Life? I kept on hearing that one as well. Which of the two should I watch first?
Legend of Zanghai ranks top for all the usual current heat indices, views and rating charts, which is a good indication that many people find the drama good.
As for which dramas you want to watch first, well it depends on what you like. Legend of Zanghai is currently airing, there will be many people watching and discussing the drama along with you if you like to discuss about the drama plot online. Joy of Life already finished airing so there may not be many people to discuss with and you may accidentally come across spoilers too.
Joy of Life is great! It was different than what I expected and utterly engaging. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous cast with a sharp script. The only negative about Joy of Life is that there’s a third season coming … though they promise it won’t take five years this time.
I’ve only watched the first 9 episodes of Legend of Zhang Hai, but I think it is being overhyped as the best thing ever. I’m not saying it isn’t good, because it has great production values, a solid cast, and is very watchable, but it hasn’t grabbed me yet. The first episode was set up, and had an Indiana Jones / The Mummy hook I wasn’t expecting. Sadly, we haven’t seen more of that yet, and the other episodes follow a more typical revenge plot. As Lilith said, if you enjoy discussing dramas as you watch them, then this is probably the one to watch first.
I dropped Legend of Zang Hai after episode 8. Both story and acting are mediocre at best, female lead is also boring. I also couldn’t get into the Joy of Life I gave it 2-3 goes because of the rave reviews but the female lead was annoying.
I really liked Snow Sword Stride if you want a male centric drama.
this is the best costume/historical drama in the last decade from
China!
Everything is top quality, acting all good, even bad characters are super interested
I read you liked JOL so you will love this one for sure. I didn’t watch such a good drama since Nirvana in Fire and Empress in the Palace (who was made by the same director of Legend of Zang Hai)
Decide to watch this drama will be a gift for you 😉
You should just watch yourself, not following opinions on social media. We all have a different preference regarding entertainment.
When I watched Joy of Life years ago, I had no idea of any Chinese actors or director or writers or whatsoever. No bias against or in favor of any actor. JoL series 1 was engaging at first, but the plot went derailed to many awkward tropes involving flirting between the ML and some supporting female characters, which became a snooze fest to me, and I eventually dropped the series. Later I picked up JoL 1 again, just skipping those subplots and fast forwarded to the end to get an idea how the heck many fans raved about it. To me, JoL is overrated, not comparable to Nirvana in Fire at all.
Too early to give a complete review about LoZH yet. I’m enjoying every piece of the story telling in LoZH so far. But I’m biased. I will watch each drama of my fave, Xiao Zhan, unless it’s a propaganda-heavy project.
Everyone is different. I dropped Snow Sword Stride right after ep 1. I checked it out thanks to the ML who can act, but the plot started off nonsense and the FL sucked too. You may like it though. Everyone is different. Although I do think Zhang Rou Yun is a good actor, I’ve never been able to finish one singe drama of his as the ML. LOL
I like Xiao Zhan well enough, though I cannot say I am a huge fan. Nevertheless, I like Zang Hai quite a lot so far (episode 8). It has a revenge/geomancy/tomb raider/fantasy aspect I wasn’t expecting (well, besides the revenge part) and I enjoy it a lot. It helps that every episode so far ends with a cliffhanger. Also, the villain is solid. The FL I don’t know, she hasn’t done much so far, but I understand this is not romance-heavy, so be aware if you are looking for romance.
The first episode was mid, though. I only went on to episode 3 to give it a chance, and by the end of episode 3 I was hooked.
So, I would recommend it, but with the above caveats!
You should watch it if u love political revenge drama though there is not much romance .So if u are into romantic drama then this might be not for you but ml and fl have such a good chemistry.I will say this is the best drama of xiao zhan after untamed.Finally he got a good story to show his talent and he really acted so well.Not only Xiao zhan everyone in this drama acted so well.Everything just top notch.This drama deserves to be on top♥️
Legend of Zang Hai is the best Chinese period drama I have seen in years in every aspects: acting, directing, cinematography, storytelling. Zang Hai is a very complex, interesting character and Xiao Zhan has excelled in his portrayal of Zang Hai.
Absolutely amazing!
I haven’t watched such a good serie since long time!
Thank you @koala for featuring Legend of Zang Hai. Love Xiao Zhan’s acting here. Some of scenes were particularly moving. Zhang Jingyi is also delivering a unique performance.
Well deserved. Congratulations to all the cast and crew.
Acting and chemistry of the leads and some suppprting actors were tolerable. But the plot is pretty good. It’s not as engaging as NIF. But for a revenge drama, this one is better than many other colossal ‘revenge’dramas.
@ chibi about Joy Of Life… Girl, watch it. A must try. A highly recommended one. The only thing i disliked about it was the ‘weak’ FL. But ZRY is that actor. The brilliant one.
This drama is on track to become a modern classic. A new type of character for this genre. I love it
It’s a TV drama, not just a web drama, so it doesn’t seem appropriate to measure success based only on data results. Especially saying it’s on track to become the biggest 2025 hit? So far, CVB rating is third from the bottom. It could get better later because the current CCTV1 drama doesn’t make a strong competition, but for now the rating is far from good. This year, eight CCTV8 dramas got ratings above 1,5 and two of them got ratings above 2,0.
It’s normal for costume drama not have huge cvb, even jol popular drama only got 1.5 cvb.
Lol TV ratings for costume drama esp during May period is not as high as other dramas, there were table tennis worldwide competitions everyday for a week since legend of zanghai started which ratings of 4%-5%, also as your informations even Joy of Live TV ratings only 1.5% last year without table tennis.
It’s true that table tennis affects the rating, but if you consider the overall situation during the first week of airing, only CCTV5 were competitive and CCTV1/CCTV6 weren’t. CCTV1 doesn’t even air their current drama during weekends. LoZH was also quite lucky to pick 1,8 plate from the previous drama, boosting the first episode’s rating. JoL got 1,513 CVB but in LoZH case it’s still unclear if it will pass 1,4 rating. It’s already almost halfway but as far as I remember the current CVB is slightly above 1,350.
Its so funny for people here to compare to JOL, please wait lets compare after LOZH complete, even it is not comparable, lets see.
JOL is the highes index on tencent, LOZH also highest index on youku history.
Also don’t talk about CCTV 8 ratings if you don’t follow them closely.
CCTV 8 rarely aired costume drama,because it was not genre on the target audiences there, so for costume drama to be CCTV 8 already good.
Also May period is known to be the weakest period of TV because many sport events. From the start of airing, LOZH alredy on the same timeslot with table tennis worldwide competitions everyday for full week, you know how table tennis very loved in China and most their athletes went to Final. Their ratings always 4-5%. LOZH still hold stable ratings againts them already showed they have solid audiences.
For the record : highest TV ratings for costume drama which JOL 2 also only 1.5%. It was SEQUEL of very popular drama from season 1 and without big table tennis competition last year.
So please don’t talk about TV ratings if you don’t watch closely, esp if your purpose only to drag down this drama.
That’s also what I know based upon many readings on Chinese websites. At least, LoZH already peaked over 2% on CVB ratings for several eps. Given that the drama is just aired half way through and there’s still a lot more development of the plot that should pique viewers’ curiosity, the rating looks very promising and can go as high as 3%, maybe.
Per all the Chinese ratings indices I tracked, LoZH is definitely a big hit for the first half of 2025. Yet to see if it will beat all other classics in terms of rating and buzz.
it’s fun to read how nugu stan ifans are scrambling to discourage possible viewers with their fake passerby theatrics to bring down this drama and XZ but you’re all just wasting time 🤣
Just accept it like how other celeb cfans in c-ent accepted that ZHZ and XZ are unstoppable and belong to god-tier that they decided to watch this drama since there’s no absolute way for their nugu fave on lower tiers can compete anyways 🤣 they decided that watching ZHZ is better for their fave than watching other dramas of other nugu
I normally don’t watch historical dramas, but this one got me hooked.
Some expected Legend of Zang Hai to be raw, dark, and intense for a revenge drama, but I think Legend of Zang Hai is exploring revenge in a more restrained way, which might feel unfamiliar at first.
To me, Zang Hai is still very much focused on revenge, he just doesn’t wear it on his face. He was taught from a young age that: “There’s no need to sow hatred on your face. Keep it in your heart, as your heart is yours alone, unseen by others. But your face is out in the open and everyone sees it.” That says a lot about how Zang Hai carries himself. He’s someone who quietly endures, plots carefully, and shows compassion to others even while holding onto his pain and purpose. I find that contrast interesting. He’s not your typical cold-blooded avenger, but someone shaped by pain and principle.
Also, everyone experiences trauma differently. Some fall apart, others bury it deep. So while the tone in this drama might not be as gritty as some expected, I do feel the emotional depth is there, it’s just presented differently.
And personally, I find this interesting & am curious to see how he grows as the story unfolds….This is just my take but I always appreciate hearing different views! Happy watching!
Well said. 👍👍👍
Lol not like the dark serious frowny posters for legend of Zang had anything to do with people’s expectations lol. Basically this show is a idol drama dressed up as a serious drama.
The saying Hanging up a sheep head and selling dog meat comes to mind lol.
When that line about hiding his emotions under a smiley facade came up I immediately thought of the scene in guardians of dafang when the characters made fun of Dylan wangs accent/line delivery lol. So this is the strategy directors use to add caveats into the story line to offset the limitations of idol actors lollol
I agree with the poster who said xioa zhans expressions look too happy go lucky, head in the clouds and I just think ahh the director didn’t direct him in this seen so he just went back to his head in the clouds serenity default lol
That dark serious poster you seemed to admire (per your implication lol) is a snapshot from a scene of the drama that should be aired later on. According to XZ, all the posters of LoZH are not photoshopped but the snapshots of selected scenes from the drama. Therefore, XZ did have grave expressions (as you and few others prefer LOL) in the drama on the right occasions per the needs of the plot, not according to the direction from keyboard nugus. LOL.
I understand you’re butthurt cuz LoZH are doing so well, way better than Dylan’s Guardians of D. Your anxiety to see a XZ flop must burn your sanity to ashes. Look how delirious you’ve been since LoZH has become the talk of the town. LOL.
No. As someone whose comments was about the lack of character consistency, I should assert it definitely do not translate to expecting ZH be blood thirsty avenger. Not at all. Though depictig revenge in such a manner is way easier in terms of directing, acting and story telling. But if they wanted to portray a new type of character/story with being a ZH being a Machiavellian avenger (as you described) the have definitely failed to some extent IMO. Based on the story he has to hide his motives/emotions from outsiders and there is no problem with the plot to this point. But what about the moments he is alone or he is in among the people he trusts (like his Shifu). Should he put up a show there as well?! If the script writer/director/actor wanted to portray such a comoplex character they should have let the viewers see his broken side and lingering effects of such a trauma he went through in the appropriate time. It could have too to helped the audience to relate or to understand ZH’s plight.
Of course different people have different coping mechanism. But the tragedy ZH has gone through as a child is way to intense which leaves a limited room for different personality outcome. I think the director orchestrated such intense scenes in ep. 1 to make the viewers sympathetic from the beginning. Yet, as a consequence it costed the integrity of ZH’s character and his reactions to such a trauma pushed him to become more of another Idol type persona though I shoud confess a very charming and watchable one.
A vicious crime survivor doesn’t necessarily have to display outward anguish while being alone with someone he/she trusts. That’s my experience. Even with your personal experience as you mentioned, you’re still narrow-minded when interpreting survivors’ behavior cuz you insist survivors must act and react in certain ways as you defined, as if you had treated them all as a counsellor.
Why not keeping yourself open and watching more eps to understand the character of the hero? But fine if you already decided XZ isn’t a good actor. Just drop the series and don’t bother. Lol.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I really enjoy reading different perspectives. I totally get where you’re coming from. It’s fair to expect a more emotionally raw portrayal, especially after such a traumatic backstory.
But for me, Legend of Zang Hai is telling a different kind of revenge story — one where the pain is hidden deep beneath the surface. His master told him, “Don’t wear hatred on your face. Keep it in your heart, because your heart is yours alone.” That one line says so much about Zang Hai’s way of coping. He learned to keep a calm, even warm front while carrying all that hurt inside, and that kind of emotional control is still powerful in its own way.
As for him still looking a bit too cheerful at times, I understand why some might feel that way. But I see it as part of how Zang Hai survives. He blends in, stays composed, sometimes even charming, not because he’s unaffected, but because he’s carefully choosing when to reveal what. It’s a subtle take, and I think Xiao Zhan is intentionally playing the character this way.
Although this might not be the loudest or darkest revenge arc, I am enjoying the diff approach especially “smile while plotting others’ downfall”, which is a nice break from typical portrayals. That said, I do appreciate feedback like yours, thoughtful discussions like these make watching the drama even more engaging 🙂
@Caramel I am also thankful for you sharing your insights though they might differ from mine. Obviously everyone’s perception is constantly being affected/shaped by his/her life experiences both as an individual and as a part of the society he/she belongs to and even generally as human beings who live in this planet (like the way Covid affected people mentally around the world). With that said, I understand what the production team has been trying to imply regarding the plotline/script. Actually I am not strange to such type of intellectual revenge theme. IMO “Nirvana in fire” has already conquested the pinnacle in that genre in C dramaland. And even in world literature the most famous story of such genre is “The count of Monte Cristo” which has also been adapted to movies/dramas many times. Comparing those two works to LoZH, it fells short in terms of story telling/character development IMO. I think the script writer has taken the framework of those works I mentioned yet wanted to be creative and due to that has made some changes to the structure of those stories like lowering the age of the protagonists and turning him in to an inexperienced person in the beginning of the road of his revenge who is expected to grow along this path. But he failed to adjust the rest of the story and the its characters, such that the protagonist’s journey and transformation doesn’t seem smooth to me. The same could be said about the villains. I feel the script also failed the duke’s character and viewers just keep forgetting he is the antagonist so the viewers need to be reminded from time to time that he is evil through scenes which seem abrupt to me (like showing how he has kept the remaining of his victims/ZH’s parents). While watching LoZH I couldn’t help but being reminded of NiF and find faults with the story telling and acting. But didn’t I enjoy it? Yes I did (used to actually), it has enjoyable aspects that can compensate for the other weaknesses to some extent. As I said before it is a good drama but definitely not a rigorous one. In case I resumed watching it I would consider your explanation to see it differently.
As a fan, I’m so thrilled to see the beginning success of this drama of XZ. I rarely followed a hit drama while it’s still aired. For this one, I just don’t want to miss any bit of relevance to the drama, be it raves from fans or ranting and bitching from nugu antis lol. LoZH has been the best project of XZ since his breakout success from the Untamed, the drama I love so much. Plot-wise, I don’t have equal passion as the Untamed for LoZH. But IMO the production values of LoZH are far exceeding those of the Untamed. Kudos to the directors and the production team who did a meticulous job on everything including settings, costumes, and BGM.
I’ve been binging all the interviews relevant to the drama too. Director Zheng Xiaolong already said that he’s working on a new drama to collab with XZ again. So excited to hear compliment of XZ from such a reputable director in the field. Antis’ desperation to see XZ flop only fails big time. LOL.
Congratulations to the whole team of LOZH. Absolutely loving it. It is more fun to watch this in real time than binge watching, since there is a lot of discussion and analysis done everyday. Also the jokes made on rednote are hilarious.
This is my 4th attempt of posting comments on this page! Apologize in advance if all my “SAME” comments get uploaded later lol, anyway….
Some expected Legend of Zang Hai to be raw, dark, and intense for a revenge drama, but I think Legend of Zang Hai is exploring revenge in a more restrained way, which might feel unfamiliar at first.
To me, Zang Hai is still very much focused on revenge, he just doesn’t wear it on his face. He was taught from a young age that: “There’s no need to sow hatred on your face. Keep it in your heart, as your heart is yours alone, unseen by others. But your face is out in the open and everyone sees it.” That says a lot about how Zang Hai carries himself. He’s someone who quietly endures, plots carefully, and shows compassion to others even while holding onto his pain and purpose. I find that contrast interesting. He’s not your typical cold-blooded avenger, but someone shaped by pain and principle.
Also, everyone experiences trauma differently. Some fall apart, others bury it deep. So while the tone in this drama might not be as gritty as some expected, I do feel the emotional depth is there, it’s just presented differently.
And personally, I find this interesting & am curious to see how he grows as the story unfolds….This is just my take but I always appreciate hearing different views! Happy watching!
I got a sleepless night staying over just to browse endless online comments and reviews about LoZH. I get an inkling that this drama is on the way to become one of the major hits in the history of costume dramas, antis getting butthurt or not LOL. Tons of rave reviews were done by male audience who claimed themselves the first-time fan of XZ and asked for recommendations of other dramas of XZ. The phenomenon is very similar to what happened to the Untamed that was an explosive hit years ago and shot two actors including XZ to stardom.
I searched LoZH on Douyin. There are a long list of videos about the drama on various topics from reviews to recaps to fan-made clips. Bitter antis can argue that the drama is overhyped. But what I’ve seen on Douyin is just another proof that the drama is indeed extremely popular. Otherwise, nobody would bother to even talk about it. And there’re TONS of such talks.
Revenge theme or not, Legend of Zang Hai is the greatest historical drama since the Chinese television industry started. It has been magnificent in every aspect since the first second of the first episode and will continue to be until the last second of the last episode. Everything from the script to the plot to the acting to the directing to the styling/set design/cinematography/editing has been what other dramas can only dream to emulate. Do not mention Nirvana in Fire or Joy of Life. Those dramas and their stars, Hu Ge and Zhang Ruo Yun, are total “nugus”.
I have only watched several drama highlights posted by Youku’s YouTube channel. To be honest, put together, those highlights don’t even add up to one episode’s length. However, I am entitled to the opinion of the drama that I wrote above because it was all effusive praise and not even one criticism.
At this point, I don’t want Xiao Zhan to reunite with Zheng Xiao Long in another drama because been there, done that. I would like Wong Kar Wai to direct another Blossoms Shanghai – except this time, make it all about Chongqing and let Xiao Zhan act in his native dialect. Better yet, let him play all the roles in the drama and just style each character differently so we know who is who although I’m sure we’ll be able to distinguish them apart from one another anyway with Xiao Zhan’s delicate and multi-faceted portrayal and whatnot.
Anyway, back to the main point – Legend of Zhang Hai isn’t finished airing yet but it is destined to become the greatest drama of all time across all genres. It will rank up there on top as a legend long after you, me, and Xiao Zhan die.
I was exhausted being a “nugu stan” so I wanted to be “petulant delulu” for a minute but as it turns out, that was also equally exhausting.
I was exhausted being a “nugu stan” so I wanted to be “petulant delulu” for a minute but as it turns out, that was also equally exhausting.
By the way, the opinions that were shared with a thorough and supported analysis, whether they were positive, neutral, or negative, were interesting to read. It’s appalling that some people feel the need to question, challenge, and try to invalidate someone else’s opinion just because it doesn’t conform to what they think/feel. Get a grip. It’s called an opinion, not a fact – theirs are and so are yours – that’s why everyone is entitled to one.
Revenge theme or not, Legend of Zang Hai is the greatest historical drama since the Chinese television industry started. It has been magnificent in every aspect since the first second of the first episode and will continue to be until the last second of the last episode. Everything from the script to the plot to the acting to the directing to the styling/set design/cinematography/editing has been what other dramas can only dream to emulate. Do not mention Nirvana in Fire or Joy of Life. Those dramas and their stars, Hu Ge and Zhang Ruo Yun, are total “nugus”.
I have only watched several drama highlights posted by Youku’s YouTube channel. To be honest, put together, those highlights don’t even add up to one episode’s length. However, I am entitled to the opinion of the drama that I wrote above because it was all effusive praise and not even one criticism.
At this point, I don’t want Xiao Zhan to reunite with Zheng Xiao Long in another drama because been there, done that. I would like Wong Kar Wai to direct another Blossoms Shanghai – except this time, make it all about Chongqing and let Xiao Zhan act in his native dialect. Better yet, let him play all the roles in the drama and just style each character differently so we know who is who although I’m sure we’ll be able to distinguish them apart from one another anyway with Xiao Zhan’s delicate and multi-faceted portrayal and whatnot.
Anyway, back to the main point – Legend of Zhang Hai isn’t finished airing yet but it is destined to become the greatest drama of all time across all genres. It will rank up there on top as a legend long after you, me, and Xiao Zhan die.
@step: I expected you to show up and here you are. I’ve never noticed you before but this new height of stupidity in the comments section recently caught my attention as you have been commenting rampantly on everything by hurling nondescript insults and nonsense with basically only two keywords – “nugu stan”. The stupidity was puzzling at first but now I realize you must feel proud to just have learned those two words and their meaning so you are self-identifying. That’s a start but strive to educate yourself even further so that you can expand and build a richer vocabulary in order to express yourself more effectively and intelligently. Don’t prove me right again in thinking that you will always be a hopeless moron.
@Somebody: It is unreal how repeatedly inconsistent/contradictory, hypocritical, and two-faced one person’s comments can be – especially when you can see them all under one article. No credibility whatsoever and truly embarrassing and shameless, but indeed very shameful and gives XZ fans a bad reputation.
Attempting to call someone else out for being prejudiced: “I guess if you’re already prejudiced against certain actors and their dramas, you will always find something to be scathing about regardless of whether their dramas are quite successful or not and if they did a great job or not. I wonder if that’s your case here, @Gelar.”
Only to personally admit later: “But I’m biased. I will watch each drama of my fave, Xiao Zhan, unless it’s a propaganda-heavy project.“
Giving someone this advice: “You should just watch yourself, not following opinions on social media.”
Only to also share later: “I got a sleepless night staying over just to browse endless online comments and reviews about LoZH. Tons of rave reviews were done by male audience who claimed themselves the first-time fan of XZ and asked for recommendations of other dramas of XZ. I searched LoZH on Douyin. There are a long list of videos about the drama on various topics from reviews to recaps to fan-made clips. But what I’ve seen on Douyin is just another proof that the drama is indeed extremely popular. Otherwise, nobody would bother to even talk about it. And there’re TONS of such talks.”
Seemingly acknowledging multiple times that people have different opinions/tastes: “We all have a different preference regarding entertainment; Everyone is different. I dropped Snow Sword Stride right after ep 1. You may like it though. Everyone is different.”
Only to later insult and ridicule others with opposing opinions: “ranting and bitching from nugu antis lol; Antis’ desperation to see XZ flop only fails big time. LOL; antis getting butthurt or not LOL; Bitter antis can argue that the drama is overhyped.”
@Somebody: It is unreal how repeatedly inconsistent/contradictory, hypocritical, and two-faced one person’s comments can be – especially when you can see all of them under the same article. No credibility whatsoever and truly embarrassing and shameless, but indeed very shameful and gives XZ fans a bad reputation.
Attempting to call someone else out for being prejudiced: “I guess if you’re already prejudiced against certain actors and their dramas, you will always find something to be scathing about regardless of whether their dramas are quite successful or not and if they did a great job or not. I wonder if that’s your case here, @Gelar.”
Only to personally admit later: “But I’m biased. I will watch each drama of my fave, Xiao Zhan, unless it’s a propaganda-heavy project.“
Giving someone this advice: “You should just watch yourself, not following opinions on social media.”
Only to also share later: “I got a sleepless night staying over just to browse endless online comments and reviews about LoZH. Tons of rave reviews were done by male audience who claimed themselves the first-time fan of XZ and asked for recommendations of other dramas of XZ. I searched LoZH on Douyin. There are a long list of videos about the drama on various topics from reviews to recaps to fan-made clips. But what I’ve seen on Douyin is just another proof that the drama is indeed extremely popular. Otherwise, nobody would bother to even talk about it. And there’re TONS of such talks.”
Seemingly acknowledging multiple times that people have different opinions/tastes: “We all have a different preference regarding entertainment; Everyone is different. I dropped Snow Sword Stride right after ep 1. You may like it though. Everyone is different.”
Only to later insult and ridicule others with opposing viewpoints as: “ranting and bitching from nugu antis lol; Antis’ desperation to see XZ flop only fails big time. LOL; antis getting butthurt or not LOL; Bitter antis can argue that the drama is overhyped.”
Just read this person’s comments. It’s okay for him/her to have a negative opinion about other actors or dramas but if you have a negative opinion about XZ or Legend of Zang Hai, you’re “ranting and bitching” because you’re a “bitter, desperate, and butthurt nugu anti”. Forget about the disrespectful and immature diction, where’s the logic? Blatant double standards and low EQ if you need to dismiss dissent like that just to avoid having to acknowledge their existence.
Also, since when was it necessary for the audience to have met a real life example of a drama character in order to judge the actor’s portrayal of a role? And at least three encounters are needed to substantiate this criteria? Who’s determining this asinine nonsense?
“Have you really met any victims going through similar family trauma in real life? Or do you just speculate how these victims should act and react in your inexperienced imagination? LOL. I guess you have not.
I have. not only one case but three at least.”
Huh? Right off the bat, no acting judgements would be allowed for xianxia dramas because none of us have ever met someone living through more than one lifetime, much less doing so and even in different realms. There are endless ridiculous examples but one is enough to get the point across.
It doesn’t matter which actor or drama you support but it’s important to follow some online etiquette and show respect for others when using the same space to express different viewpoints. It’s very basic decency. Plus, get it into your head that your opinion is not superior to anyone else’s. Don’t act like you’re entitled to spew any kind of garbage you want and have the prerogative to disapprove of and insult others. No one owes it to anyone else to explain or prove why they’re allowed to have an opinion.
Some people need to get a taste of their own belligerence so they can stop behaving like a playground bully without any inhibitions.
By the way, I don’t mean to post anything here more than once but this website has a lot of technical glitches. Hopefully they can be resolved soon.
I personally decided to drop LoZH purely because of some of fans reactions. I still bleive in what I said about weak character development/acting nonetheless respects those who think differently. I wanted to give it a chance and finish watching it since there are some of its aspects that I liked but it isn’t worth it. Some of the fans are just unbelievable, just unbelievable. Of course criticism is a tough pill to swallow but I haven’t seen such reactions even if a person is criticized directly. Even people who are madly in love show some restrain when their loved one being criticized. I am not/never have been a fan of any particular actor/actress but I do have my favorite dramas/characters that probably some/lots of people dislike or hate or criticize. So what? Everyone has their own taste and see things differently. There is this musician-singer who has like 10k followers on YouTube but I love and enjoy her music alot. Yet, there are times that some songs become a global hit but I can’t bear listening to just 1 sec of it. Even professional movie/drama critics barely share a same opinion about entertainment productions they write about. No one needs to feel enslaved by other people’s opinion. And people can express their idea. That is called the freedom of speech. I just wonder how some people think they are allowed to silence the others in another person’s blog and turn it into a kindergarten (no offense to the toddlers, even them show more maturity from time to time).
@Gelar, You decided to drop the drama not cuz of XZ’s fans, but cuz your big ego can’t swallow different opinions from yours. It’s a ridiculous excuse to drop a drama. Fundamentally, you’re prejudiced against ML’s acting and interpretation of the hero’s character. Fans or antis are just convenient excuses to obscure your true reasons to drop LoZH cuz this drama has been winning both in ratings and reviews. It won’t hurt drama’s rating anyway. Therefore, your opinions have no impact on how the drama is doing.
Everyone is entitled to free speech, as everyone is exercising that on this blogging site including some CCP lackeys that I look down upon very much, e.g. Lilith and perhaps this fool @Everybody LOL. Nobody is trying to shut you up. You said what you thought. We said what we thought. Isn’t that fair? Has anyone harassed you, called you out by name, or cancelled you as many C netizens would do on Chinese social media? I haven’t seen that happen particularly in these threads related to LoZH yet since apparently you’re still very active talking on this site LOL. Then why blaming people who disagree with you as if you were being bullied? LOL. When people mentioned antis hating XZ and this drama, it meant to refer to a huge crowd of XZ’s antis and haters in general inside and outside China. That’s a fact. You should not be oversensitive and feel offended by those comments unless you identify yourself a XZ antis too LOL.
I think my replies to you have been rational enough with reasoning and logit questions, not attacking you personally. I usually would have gone way more offensive and sharper if the other party in the exchanges were someone like crazy and obnoxious bananas with overactive mental gyms (e.g., this dim-wit @Everybody) LOL. Again, I’d like to stress that you’ve voiced your opinions about trauma victims based upon your own experience. Others including me have different thoughts otherwise. We should just agree to disagree. Why should you feel bitter about different opinions on this single topic? That’s dumbfounding since I don’t think you’re a professional working in the counseling practice. If you are, then perhaps you haven’t dealt with enough cases. No offense!
@Gelar, I understand how you feel. I read your comments and thought the analyses were thorough and interesting. They weren’t offensive in any way. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Harassing someone because they have a different opinion and trying to invalidate their opinion is just vulgar.
I shared with @Lilith below that disrespectful overzealous fans and their so-called love for their idol can sabotage any passerby goodwill. Some people avoid watching certain actors altogether because of their toxic fandoms – talk about inadvertently punishing your fave with your disrespectful and obnoxious behavior.
Serious actors welcome fair criticism from audience feedback because it’s constructive and can help them shape and improve on the next role they play. It’s only some of the fans who are so insecure.
Few Chinese viewers mocked ZJY’s visuals and acting as well. But I’m personally very fond of her in this drama. I also think her moment flirting with ZH on a boating date was pretty cute and sweet. I’ve already watched quite a few fan-made clips of that scene on the river. It’s in a wooing undertone with lovely chemistry between them. But still, there’re few viewers constantly bitching about her and lack of CP vibe with XZ.
There’s a fool @Anybody bitching long-ass bull crap again. LOL. Here’s my reply:
*** Answer not a [self-confident] fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. Answer a [self-confident] fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes and conceit. ****
The first part of that proverb isn’t applicable. The one and only fool here has laid it bare for all to see with his own comments. No answer needed.
The second part of that proverb is applicable. You’re Somebody. I’m Everybody. There’s no Anybody. Good to know you recognize your contradictory and hypocritical comments strung together constitute what you call “long-ass bull crap.”
That will be my last reply to you. When you lie with dogs, you rise with fleas.
The first part of that proverb isn’t applicable. The one and only fool here has laid it bare for all to see with his own comments. No answer needed.
The second part of that proverb is applicable. You’re Somebody. I’m Everybody. There’s no Anybody. Good to know you recognize your contradictory and hypocritical comments strung together constitute what you call “long-ass bull crap.”
This will be my last reply to you. When you lie with dogs, you rise with fleas.
I don’t have time to squander on the Bull crap from a certain narcissistic banana. LOL. But this is the only post on this site talking about LoZH. Therefore, I may as well just tap the threads to give my reviews about the drama so that curious people may want to check out the drama and see yourself.
LoZH was already a hit based upon the first few eps given all the buzz online and high viewership. Nonetheless, I still had reserve days ago to say it’s a great costume revenge drama beating Nirvana in Fire or even comparable. But the series is getting better and better as the hero officially entered the court politics in the recent eps. In particular, the most recent eps 23 and 24 are crazily good IMO. The drama at this point has exceeded my expectation. It has showcased its own unique features and path to one of the greatest C historical masterpiece, set apart from Legend of Zen Huan and Nirvana in Fire. People would be ignorant at best to compare LoZH to NiF if they have already watched all the 24 eps released. In the latest ep 24, the series displayed hero’s jaw-dropping maneuver of conflicts of interest between his enemies. It’s intense and there’s a lot of attention to the details in the plot. Great storytelling and great acting from EVERYONE! Xiao Zhan in particular, did a fantastic job exuding the complexity in the character of the leading protagonist. I felt the charismatic Wei Wuxia was back on screen again when watching the recent development, just in a totally different personality. His nuanced acting with subtle micro expressions are so mesmerizing. Great talent! Kudos to great directing too! C-ent surely has drama gurus like Director Zheng as long as they are given a quality production team and decent cast to work with. They are gurus cuz they validate their reputation with not only one great hit but multiple classics under their belt. Salute!
I was watching Kdrama Dear Hongrang at the same time. But now I have to put set DHR to the back burner for the time being. It’s just a bit too much for me to follow two exciting dramas at the same time that always kept me on the edge of my seat. My nerves need a break LOL. Besides, LoZH has a more complicated plot that’s just tough for me to forego right now. I will re-watch LoZH while waiting for ep update to get a better picture of the plot details and hints that I missed. It’s fine to pick up DHR later after finishing LoZH.
Yes, I’m gushing about LoZH. I highly recommend LoZH to those who are still debating to watch or not to watch.
I think I’m always going to feel bad for Xiao Zhan. Tons of crazies flocking to him, both open antis and hidden antis who pretend to be his fan, doing their best to turn people away from watching his dramas and movies.
But then, he wouldn’t be the *top* top if there aren’t such crazies constantly placing their attention and drawing others’ attention to him.
I notice you are a XZ fan but at least you’re one of the sane and respectful ones. There aren’t many on this website.
The exchange you had with @Gelar above was a refreshing one to read. Two people with different opinions who expressed themselves with their own logic and reasoning without having to insult and offend each other with vulgar language. I also read many of @Gelar’s comments because I’m drawn to in-depth character and plot analyses. I haven’t watched LOZH and those discussions were worthwhile reads for me.
However, looking at just the comments under this article alone, the craziest aren’t the antis, open or hidden. It’s actually the disrespectful overzealous fans. There’s no measure to anything they write and they don’t want to allow for any other opinion but their own. It’s too bad they can’t see how fans like you behave and follow suit.
Also, it’s more admirable when someone is at the top but don’t feel the need to constantly assert their dominance. That’s the part a lot of disrespectful overzealous fans don’t understand. They go around belittling everyone. I don’t think XZ cares about being the top traffic star even though that’s what some fans act so arrogant about. He’s focusing on achieving recognition for his acting and letting his works represent him. Antis attack only XZ but the narrow-minded fans attack almost everyone. Their so-called love could be sabotaging his fate with passerby because toxic fandoms are a huge turnoff.
@Everyone, I find reading alot of the comments here interesting too. I too like in depth character development but I understand how this drama appeals with China audience too.
@Lilith, I watched eps 1-5 and enjoyed it but I am unsure it can top my favourite as yet.. Hope it can when the drama ends. But I am aware dramas made even 10yrs ago and now have changed so much due to more restrictions etc, As a Xiao Zhan fan, I am happy to watch him in a good production that is not romance focus.
@Everybody I don’t consider myself a XZ fan nor any celeb’s fan because I don’t just stan one person and I don’t support all their projects either. I do have a bunch of actors and actresses whom I like and will watch their dramas, I guess some people consider this to count as a fan?
It’s only that one particular user loudly proclaiming herself as XZ fan and being rude to everyone else. I’ve always saw her as a XZ anti, no matter how much she denies it. She demeans other XZ fans like XFXs and also talks badly about some of his projects, that’s not the actions of a fan. There are many other sane and respectful XZ fans on this site though, spotted quite a few here.
@HL Glad you enjoyed it! It’s okay, there’s no need for LOZH to top any favourites when there’s so many good works out there. I just hope XZ gets another opportunity to work with Directors Zheng Xiaolong and Cao Yiwen again.
I’ve watched 6 eps and it’s really gripping. I am so excited to watch more episodes to see how everything unravels.
I have nothing to say about this drama any more but quoting Galileo: Eppur si mouve (And yet it moves). But for those who are really curious about how humans’ mind reacts to traumas including loosing loved ones I recommend reading the following article:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/201609/21-common-reactions-trauma
Of course you can find/google many other articles online.
I responded to @Lilith a little above your comment here and had mentioned reading many of your comments about the drama because I’m drawn to in-depth character and plot analyses. I haven’t watched LOZH and those discussions were worthwhile reads for me.
Unrelated to LOZH and XZ, I understand your general expectations about acting and character development. I share the same expectations when I’m watching a drama. I want the character to be well fleshed out and I want the actor to portray the character so seamlessly that he completely transforms into the character to the point that he’s not just playing the role but he becomes the role itself. For me, the successful role creation by an actor brings the character to life and draws me into the story through his eyes and perspective, allowing me to immerse myself in the character’s world and empathize with every part of his story and journey.
Although I haven’t watched LOZH, I’ve paid some attention to it because it’s hard to ignore with all the current hype as it is airing right now. I’ve read a few reviews to gauge audience reaction and want to let you know that among the Chinese audience, many reviews similar to yours exist even if they are not considered the majority. I’ll share only two such reviews (they need to be translated) if you are interested in browsing for just the parts about acting and/or character and plot development. As long as a review is written and supported with solid logic and reasoning, I don’t consider that a positive review can only be written by a biased fan nor do I consider that a negative review can only be written by a prejudiced anti-fan.
https://view.inews.qq.com/k/20250522A06VBM00?web_channel=wap&openApp=false
https://www.sohu.com/a/898709059_121371270
Thank you for your nice compliment and bearing the grammar/typping errors of my comments (English isn’t my first language but I try to do my best). I wished the comments could have been edited, it could have been much more helpful.
I liked my conversation with @Lilith too. Thanks to her it became constructive. As you might have read one of my last comments, I said I would drop LoZH due to the behavior of some of its fans in there. But now I think it is not right and this break I have taken could be temporary and after some time I might resume watching it. As you said it is really hyped and I really love period dramas especially those of the Eastern Asia. Sadly it has become harder to find a drama of my liking after 2020 despite of the increase in number of tv series being produced (thanks to OTT platforms). And based on the background of its director, I expected LoZH to be different but I got disappointed to some extent.
There is this C move “Song of the pheonix” (2013) that I come across a while ago. It has a very touching story about how “Suona” (a traditional musical instrument) being forgotten and replaced by modern instruments and depicts the struggles of the protagonist who has taken Suona lessons since childhood and as an adult tries to save this instrument from extinction. I remember reading a review about this movie in which the reviewer bleived the director was trying to not only warn the viewers about the traditional instruments being lost but also reminds his own colleagues regarding the path the entertainment industry is taking. I feel like his message was applicable in many other regions (my own country included). I personally am not fund of the trend the dramas (from western to eastern) are taking and that trend is more or less similar everywhere: weaker scripts, visually more stunning scenes. Of course there are dramas/movies that can be found (globally) that still challenge the viewer intellectually but they are becoming more scarce.
BTW Thank you for sharing those articles. I would definitely read them. Unfortunately I don’t speak/understand Chinese and therefore it hinders me from finding out how a drama is recived by the local viewers. I mostly count on MDL website or this blog (and sometimes YeaAsia) to check the news about newly aired C and k dramas.
I couldn’t agree more on the importance of character development. I really love to watch multi dimensional complex characters who face dilemmas, who make the wrong choices, become flawed and in another word aren’t picture perfect. In case you encounter a tv series with such characters I would be more than delighted to hear about them.
@Gelar, I saw your comment above about dropping the drama. I replied so hopefully my reply shows up because there are technical issues with posting every time.
I think taking a break is a good idea. You can always resume watching when you feel like it again. It’s hard to discuss dramas online because some fans are so emotionally invested in their favorite actors that they can’t think straight anymore.
I agree that in general, there has been a decline in quality productions in regards to the script and acting. A good script provides the storytelling and good acting brings the story to life. Those two things are indispensable to me when watching a drama.
I don’t know if you have seen this drama yet or are interested in this genre, but I recommend 2023’s Mysterious Lotus Casebook, which is based on a popular wuxia novel. The main character faces dilemmas, makes wrong choices, becomes flawed, and isn’t perfect. In wuxia dramas, we usually see a character’s growth from oblivion to his rise to become a great hero. This drama explores the reverse journey. The main character starts at the top of the world and loses everything. It’s a journey about re-evaluating the meaning of life and what is truly important. It’s also a journey in letting go of one’s hubris and returning to a simpler state of life. My personal opinion: the script is well-written and tells a compelling story, the main and supporting characters are multi-dimensional, and the acting is emotionally engaging.
Everyone has their own taste but from an industry standpoint, this drama was both a solid critical and commercial success. If you haven’t seen it already, you can check it out sometime if that sounds interesting enough to try.
@Everybody Wuxia is my favorite genre in C dramaland. After all the first C drama I watched was Laughing in the wind (2001) (an adaptation of Jin Yong’s novel, “Smiling proud wonderer”) and after all these years I still love it. The majority of the dramas I love are from Wuxia genre and I haven’t watched Mysterious loutus case book. Its story looks really good so definitely would watch it.
Every body handles their traumas always differently you can’t expect someone to be the same experience and same feelings, that’s why there’s some traumas people turn introverted, Some people just masked them and moved on some of them even can turn into psychopaths.
Looks like I have abit of reading catch up to do on this post…
Haven’t watched many Chinese dramas, actually, until last week, only Untamed, in its entirety, a few episodes of Reset, will finish. Frankly, C-dramas have too many episodes, how do you find the time/commitment? I Initially started with J-drama, primarily to maintain/improve Japanese language, they’re usually shorter. Moved on to K-drama- Squid Game was my entree, primarily because I liked Battle Royale and Alice in Borderland and yes, prefer those two to Squid Game. THEN I discovered that Netflix and Amazon Prime offer (some)Japanese Dubbing and moved majorly over to Korean Drama, first only those that I could watch in Japanese but then expanded. I do tend to watch most non-Japanese, Asian dramas at 1.25 speed, and personally don’t seem to feel that it’s any loss, improves them, even.
Sorry for the seemingly unrelated long intro but, I have to say that, largely due to the ‘passionate fighting’ going on here, was curious to explore beyond my usual, dip a little into the C-drama pool. So, since last week, have watched Hidden Love, Enjoyed, The First Frost, also enjoyed. Number of episodes was acceptable AND, didn’t feel that there was much/any filler, which was good. I HATE filler. Am currently at episode 21 of Nirvana in Fire and episode 4 of Legend of Zang Hai. Will continue watching both.
Don’t understand what exactly brought about the level of heat in the fighting above. BUT what puzzles me most (in this ‘discussion’) is the idea that people won’t watch dramas because of fan-fighting/wars. AND I really detest the idea that yet another silly ONLINE phenomena is influencing/dictating what/who is or isn’t successful.
So far this week, so many dramas/careers have been impacted by stuff/shit such as fan-fighting/wars, expensive ear-ring-wearing, school-bullying, tax-evasion, various other scandals/misdemeanors. I was so ELATED that Yoo Ah In’s The Match was back in circulation after being cancelled several years back.
LOL. I always read the constant denial from that most dedicated CCP stooge of being XZ’s fan only to find out she’s never been absent from whatever related to XZ, stalking XZ on social media everywhere LOL, but refuses to admit being obsessed with XZ when a crowd of XZ naysayers had a pile-on over her and gave her a taste of what’s like to be his fan. Such a hypocrite just like a zealous CCP lackey constantly defending the regime but denying her true identity when she was urged to move to China LOL!
Everybody except one particular dimwit (aka Lilith LOL) would recognize I’m a XZ fan. That particular dimwit keeps insisting I’m not cuz she’s embarrassed being called out a CCP mouthpiece and a XZ stalker while denying it. LOL
XZ’s fans don’t have to applaud all the behavior of rabid xfx (XZ’s Chinese fandom name). In the West, fans also critique their faves’ works. It doesn’t mean you have to praise your fave to the galaxy and worship him like God. But this particular CCP lackey has the kind of communist mentality that’s so prevalent on Chinese social media. In that culture, fans are rabid and are asked to conform to a particular fandom liking what their online influencers (大 V in Chinese) like and hating what those internet personalities hate, can never criticize toxic fandom culture, nor can they express disappointment at their faves’ dramas. Basically, those gullible and toxic fans have turned themselves into parasocial psychos. What an inane perception about “fan” per that CCP dimwit’s skewed definition !!!!!! This CCP stooge has constantly proven herself lack of critical thinking and advocating authoritative mindset, explicitly or implicitly. I won’t be tired of exposing her continuously so that savvy fans know how to read her hypocrisy and fallacy.
***** Answer a fool according to her folly, or she will be wise in her own eyes. ******
Whew!!! This thread has been threading! Lol.
@Somebody, we’ve had our beef already wayyyy back in the day lol, so I’ve just resigned to giving you the Stan Award for XZ. Represent, girl! Haha. I truly have never (internet) met someone so devoted to a celeb. Heh. I, personally, don’t think XZ is handsome, nor do I think his acting is strong, but THAT’S MY BIAS, and IT’S OK. I know you don’t like Liu Yuning, while I, on the other hand, think he’s super studly and a good actor (and I loooooove his singing and talking voice so much!). Still, I’m a writer and English teacher at heart, and when I see a lacking story, I’m out! Regardless of if I like the actor or not. I, personally, feel like dissecting PLOT is a lot easier and more objective than an actor’s acting, which can be done with more of a subjective lens on, and I don’t think “Legend of Zhang Hai” is a very good story at all, based on world building, characterization, and continuity. For “Prisoner of Beauty”, when it comes to plot alone, though I love LYN and Song Zuer, I think “POB” is a very basic, overdone plot, so I haven’t even followed it closely or finished it, even though I cheered for SZE to be innocent for the past two years lol just for “POB” to be released. I’m glad people who love it love it, but it’s a mediocre story. As for “Zhang Hai”, I feel the story and performances are flat, but I’m glad fans are enjoying it too. Just enjoy, girl! Hehe. Your boy’s coming out a winner and you’re liking the story, so that should be good enough.
I still urge you to give a shot on LoZH. The first few eps don’t spell out how good the series is. I just binged the remaining 6 eps that Youku released. It was such a roller coaster. I’ve never been so satisfied after watching a Cdrama since the Untamed. LoZH is definitely topping my fav Cdrama list along with Nirvana in Fire and the Untamed.
Which dramas of XZ have you watched to conclude that XZ’s acting isn’t strong? IMO, he was charismatic although a bit green in the Untamed. But I’ve seen him work very hard all these years and keep growing. Before LoZH, I would say he still had room to improve on the way up to be a seasoned actor. But his acting was nuanced, controlled, mature, and mesmerizing in LoZH, while not losing unique charisma that he had already exuded in the Untamed. It would be a prejudice to judge him just based upon the first few eps of LoZH.
As to LYN, I found him pretty limited in acting and his visuals in costume off sometimes. But that’s just my personal opinion. It’s fine if other fans love him. I’m just not appealed to any drama having him as a ML after watching the whole series of A Journey to Love, many eps of Pearl Girl, and the first few eps of Prisoner of Beauty. After giving him many shots, I’m almost sure I won’t check out his dramas as ML again in the future. I hope you don’t take this personally and feel offensive cuz this is purely my own preference. If it’s ok for me to dislike orange while others like the fruit, then there should not be anything wrong for us to differ in the taste for drama, right? It’s fair for us to express opinion without going banana mentally as a few commenters here has shown that tendency LOL.
Best! Again, please be open minded and give LoZH another shot. Oh yeah I’m trying to sell my fave’s drama. LOL. Why not? It is a great series IMO. You may find a good surprise later on.
The XZ-fan-pretender has again perfectly exhibited what I’ve said, caring more about proclaiming she’s a XZ fan more than defending her so-called fave’s drama.🤣 A correction, XFX is not XZ’s Chinese fandom name, it’s his *official* fandom’s name. So you are demeaning the fans that XZ recognizes as his fandom while claiming that you are his true fan (not recognized by XZ as part of his fandom btw LOL)
And lmao at stalking on social media, you have my social media accounts? If you truly have, you wouldn’t have said that. 🤣 Since you claimed I’m never absent from whatever related to XZ, then tell me where were my comments in the following XZ articles here?
https://koalasplayground.com/2025/01/30/legend-of-the-condor-heroes-the-gallants-tops-the-lunar-new-years-day-box-office-and-stars-off-with-expected-two-extremes-of-reviews/#comments
https://koalasplayground.com/2024/12/23/first-look-at-xiao-zhan-as-guo-jing-in-the-upcoming-c-movie-legend-of-the-condor-heroes-the-great-hero/#comments
These are just a couple, there’s plenty more articles in the Xiao Zhan’s tag where I didn’t bother to read or comment. Survivorship bias much? LOL As expected of the third-class American citizen.