So I read this really helpful explanation of what constitutes an explosive hit C-drama (爆剧 Bao Ju) and what dramas made it that big in the past decade or so. The five dramas that are genuine mega mega mega hits that earned the moniker of Bao Ju were (in no particular order): Joy of Life, The Legend of Zhen Huan, The Untamed, The Knockout, and Nirvana in Fire. The common denominator to a Bao Ju is the leads across the board are elevated at least one level if not more in popularity and commanding higher salaries because of it, the drama not just gets high viewership during its run but has a very long tail of people still watching even years later, little to no marketing spent on it vis-a-vis its return on buzz and name recognition, and finally all the veteran actors all benefitted as well from the largesse of the hit. So for Joy of Life, Zhang Ruo Yun vaulted to becoming the very top of male actors in the male lead period novel adaptation genre, the drama still gets strong viewing on platforms, and all the veterans in the drama were rewarded greatly by how successful the drama was for their own careers. Below are specifics on the other dramas.
Continue readingTag Archives: Nirvana in Fire
The drama adaptation of Nirvana in Fire was such a smashing critical and popular success it’s a no brainer to make a sequel, lesser received dramas have spawn follow ups but this one comes with heavy expectations that will be … Continue reading
Mainland Chinese dramas have taken great leaps forward in quality in recent years, but the sheer quantity of output makes it a veritable smorgasbord of offering too voluminous for the novice to sort through. I only watch what interests me, … Continue reading
This week there are three new big name offerings to the Asian outposts of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and all three are quite familiar to me so I can at least gauge the wax versus real facsimile. First up was … Continue reading
Hit period C-drama Nirvana in Fire (Lang Ya Bang) was many things, and one of them was the epic bromances all around. It wasn’t just one, or even two, but three and beyond, that’s some crazy tight characterization storytelling to showcase … Continue reading
There’s another intensely rich in story and visuals period C-drama on the horizon and every tidbit that has come out has only looked better and better. With my posting about Hu Ge this week it’s the perfect time to showcase … Continue reading