First Preview for Youku Period C-drama Ashes to Crown with Chen Du Ling and Zhou Yi Ran Preview the Strong Female Lead Second Chance Saga
The popularity of female lead reborn to enact revenge or re-do her life novels means there are plenty of such source material for adaptations, and actresses remain vying for such roles for a chance to deliver a memorable hit. Chen Du Ling is headlining Youku period C-drama Ashes to Crown (Chinese title 翘楚Qiao Chu) as a princess with a second chance and vows to change her fate. Unfortunately her male lead is Zhou Yi Ran who I don’t dislike but he’s got two problems here, he looks a lot younger than her (which he is) and he’s still a rather limited young actor. The onscreen scenes in the just released first trailer just look like older sister-younger brother which can work for plotting purposes in narrative progression but doesn’t immediately hook viewers in for the promise of a compelling romance. With that said, the trailer looks good on first impression vibes.
Preview for Ashes to Crown:
He can’t act at all so good luck to her, she is going to need it!
She’s a weaker actor than him. LOL.
They look like puppies pretending to be wolves and mad dogs. But the story seems to be vengeful and I just don’t feel that from their acting so far but this is just the trailer. His last drama generation to generation always felt off with his performance pouting and brooding but that’s all. I liked him in that shorter drama twelve letters and reborn where that brooding worked. But the story can surprise us but seems she has a harem of actors to work with. Makes me curious which of them will come on top with acting.
Long dramas are going the vertical short drama route
Zhou Yiran was so good in Twelve Letters, that I am kind of sad that he continues to star in this kind of silly dramas.
He was really and surprisingly good in Twelve Letters.
I’m indifferent to both leads. But who knows? I was also indifferent to the leading couples in the Double, Blossom, and Pursuit of Jade before watching the dramas. If the script and the direction are good, the actors may be able to showcase their strengths and charm.
It happened to me with Fated Hearts, which is one of the C-dramas I’ve enjoyed the most. I had no expectations for CZY and LQ, but they were magnetic.
Yup! I forgot CZY in Fated Hearts too.
Looking forward to this! I haven’t watched anything with Zhou Yiran yet unless you count taking a peek at Generation to Generation. Heard good things about his acting in Twelve Letters. Chen Du Ling’s acting doesn’t excite me much, but she excels in doing cold and ruthless, so this is a great match.
I found the age gap between Wu Jinyan and Wang Xing Yue more noticeable. Her visuals didn’t help either.
If Chen Duling had a beauty and presence like (let’s say) Li Qin, who also acted with an actor younger than her (Chen Zheyuan), the result to the eye would be more pleasing. It is a matter of balance which was also not present between Zhao Lusi and William Chan. If he had been more appealing, I wouldn’t have thought of his character as a delusional uncle.😭
Chemistry and dynamics on screen can change everything tho. So I hope they shut my mouth.
I agree. The age difference is not that bad here in comparison to The Double, but I wasn’t feeling anything from that trailer at all. Chen Du Ling just looks cold and gives off such evil vibes to me lol.
Chen Duling’s appearance is on the pedestrian side, contrary to what is described in the novel. Her character is supposed to look like a painting. There are plenty of actresses who might have been better choices, but let’s not forget that in C-dramas, it’s basically a competition to see who has the most backers and connections. I just hope that in the script they don’t overemphasize her non-existent ethereal looks at every possible moment, as happened in The Double with Wu Jin Yan’s Jiang Li, because I couldn’t take it seriously. The production knows what happens when actors don’t fit in but still try to sell it by force. Lol.
Chasing Jade was just decent for me but the jackpot with the leads looking FAR from average can’t be denied.
I think 24 episodes are enough to tell a story. I’m tired of C-dramas unnecessarily lengthening the plot by dwelling on situations or events that have no value to the story or the characters. Fillers that make no difference if you take them out. LOL.
My opinions on the leads are mixed, as both have moments where they demonstrate a competent level of acting, and others where they’re basically just existing on screen, looking boring.
I agree that Chen Duling’s visuals aren’t up to par for playing Chu Zhao. I see that she is part of the group of actors for whom styling does not help to enhance their looks.
I really enjoyed generation to generation so I’m looking forward to seeing Zhou Yiran in a new drama. Personally I think his acting is really good so I have no concerns in that department, chen duling is passable from what I’ve seen. Let’s see how the CP will be since I agree they look like sister and brother rather than love interests…