Thank you guys for not like...crucifying me for my opinions. There are things I only dare say on YT cause Chinese online community is...well, quite a different place let's just say.
Hi AvenueX! Thanks for putting together all these videos. I’ve developed a new lens for drama watching because of you. In this video as well as others you often point out really nice Theme songs that are worth checking out. I was curious if you could put together a list of all these songs for the dramas you’ve watched recently :)
I got you...I think Chen Kun and Ni Ni are one of the best TV couples that showed a little bit more emotion than other main characters on different TV dramas and yet they left me wanting for more connection...more passion. Chen Kun as Ning Yi showed how much he cared for Feng Zhi Wei but yet as a prince he was not "allowed" to show his real feelings for the girl that caught his attention from the first moment he saw her. Both were playful and you can see how badly in love they were with each other but still we wanted more...however, I think the drama was well developed by the Director based on the culture and respect for the public .. Other dramas from different countries are really passionate and sometimes they expose too much... For me, Rise of Phoenixes had it all from film making, lighting, custom design, colors, actors, style, locations, plot, etc.... I really loved it.
The Rise of Phoenixes is just phenomenal in my opinion. The acting, the depth of the characters, although I do think that the end is quite rushed, (that's why I'd pay for a season 2), everything in the drama even the supporting are just perfect. The details are amazing and the cinematography. After watching The Rise of Phoenixes, I seriously cannot think of any better drama. All those favourite dramas I thought were great paled in the comparison to The Rise of Phoenixes. It was that good. Really hoped for season 2 though :'(
Rise of Phoenixes is sooo good. I fell in love with the characters and actors!! I cried so much and laughed so much too.. it’s superb!! I recommend it!!
The Rise of The Phoenixes moved me so much! I just finished the series and I'm so sad of the end. The beginning was quite long but after I could not stop I was so interested.
Me: *Watching Ashes of Love give me the cry that I've been needing* This is so beautiful~ Avenuex: *Providing logical reasons as to why she didn't watch the rest of it* Me: *Still crying* She right tho.....
I realize that with Ashes of love, it’s cute, sweet and endearing. Jin Mi is cute and funny not understanding what love is. And even despite having consumed the perishing pill, you can tell as the story progresses that the man where her heart lies is with Phoenix... worth the watch. I suppose for an older audience having seen a lot it may be boring but Yang Zis acting is superb. In fact, when they have their human trial is where the developing of a more in depth of their love occurs.
Fuzzy_ Foxx I like ashes of love too! I feel that the scenes were so beautiful!!! And the first 10 episodes were so funny! First drama in a while I didn’t have to skip the episodes. The wait time for the episodes to come out is so long!!!
I disagree. The chemistry between the characters in The Rise of The Phoenixes is fantastic. The writing is not the best but I don't believe it's bad either. I enjoyed it very much.
I love Bloody Romance and feel the emotion between the lead actors, so heartbreaking... well at least you love the theme songs ... 😊 really good theme songs..
I finished The Rise of Phoenixes! There were a lot of loopholes and filler scenes, but overall I enjoyed it because of Ni Ni and Chen Kun. The acting is brilliant, story is ok, visuals is excellent!
I see why you said it is similar to nirvana in fire... I had the same feeling when i first watch it.. But the vibes are different and as the story progress i forget that.. It is amazing drama.and different from nirvana in fire... Plus the acting itself is worth of watch... It is on a whole diffrent level kun chen nailed it briliantly and made the ning yi jump to life through the screen... It is a must watch for the quality
I really appreciate your sincere and honest reviews of these TV dramas because they are based on actual experience and knowledge of the Chinese dramaland circumstances, etc. Your comments are never spiteful nor malicious but well considered from a professional point of view from which we drama junkies can all benefit. Thank you for these very good videos that are not only enlightening but also amusing at times.
I try to find your review on Ashes of Love after I watched the drama but now that I’ve seen this review, I don’t really agree with your opinion. Maybe it’s due to the different taste in drama. But honestly, so far among all Chinese dramas that I have watched, I can say Ashes of Love is still my No.1 drama of all times. I’m so into the story line since the first episode. At the time I’ve never watched any drama by both lead actors, so I can say they are like new actors for me. But I really love both of them together, their acting and their chemistry in this drama. The story just so perfect! I even feel that 63 episodes is still not enough for their story. Some might say no chemistry btw leads or lead actress is so childish in the beginning of episodes, but if you watch through the end you won’t say like this anymore. I can feel all emotional of the characters, up and down, through out the drama that I cannot explain enough with just words. I agree that both leads have this kinda innocent or pure like love at the start. But as the story goes, both characters also grow more mature and learnt a lot through life. The leads just act it so perfect for me. From female lead who is child-like, so pure, innocent, doesn’t know what love is or who to love…she grows into a women with emotion, feel love, heartbroken and learnt how to give up on herself for others. & From the male lead who used to be under protective of his mother and so high above all…to someone who learnt a lot through death/life and willing to give up all status or power and live simply just for the love of his life. They both mature a lot as the story goes…I can feel their emotions. I never watch any drama that is so good like this before. I even watch their behind the scene…both leads’ chemistry is just so perfect. All in all, Ashes of Love is 100+/100 rating for me. =)
same for me. and the thing about the lighting, I don't she realised that the floral realm was supposed to be oversaturated with colour and vibrance. Diffuse all that and you won't get the richness of that realm. Notice that was the only realm in the drama with such in your face boldness, nowhere else. And like you said it wasn't the typical push and pull of the characters with the 'I'm in love with you no I'm not'. It wasn't anything like that and oversimplifying the storyline to just that was disappointing to me bc she usually makes good points. Jin Mi and Xu Feng's destiny and mess weren't their faults no 1. They were essentially cleaning up the mess their parents put them in. And when you take 2 people who have been so protected from everything their whole lives and then toss them into such a messy situation that neither were equipped nor fully able to understand at first, you will get them making mistakes. But even those were minimal, as their biggest mistake was falling in love with each other despite everything and everyone around them saying don't and even manipulating them when love happened anyway. Sorry for the essay it's just one of my favourite dramas of all time along with Fu Yao.
I've just started "Rise Of Phoenixes" and while I did initially note the unmistakable similarities that the plot has to Nirvana In Fire, I think the drama has more than enough to *highly* recommend it to every devotee of Chinese historical dramas - it's a Must Watch, or at least a Must Give It A Try. With the untimely and much lamented demise of Dramafever, I switched over to Netflix in search of my chosen addiction and I must say watching dramas on Netflix is a real pleasure just in the ease of the overall format and the excellent subtitles, but also I was happy to see that they have expanded and are continuing to expand their roster of Chinese and Korean dramas. Yay! Anyone who loved DF will find this to be welcome news! Agreeing with our intrepid hostess, Avenue X, ROP is indeed a gorgeous feast for the eyes and maybe it makes me seem superficial, but that's almost enough to keep me enthralled to the end. And Chen Kun, as always, is Adorbs. :-)
I've watched 15 episodes of rise of the phoenix and like you said, i'm only sticking to it because of its amazing cinematography and chen kun and ni ni (the whole cast are superb actors though), because this is usually not my type of drama. I love their chemistry, even though the plot atm is not really progressing their relationship. But i find chen kun's push and pull and small banter with ni ni adorable. I also find chen kun's relationship with his friend and body guard adorable. i find chen kun's character adorable. while the story line is kind of draggy in the first few episodes (too much talking), i think it still has a very good plot with intriguing political fights (maybe because i don't watch a lot of these types of political dramas XD). to me the latest few episode's pacing was pretty good and i hope they keep this up. my only problem with the drama right now is that ni ni's character is not developing fast enough (for me at least). She's described as this amazing, smart, young girl (who can even beat ass), but then she only shows her intelligence when the plot needs her to. She has so much potential but is just floating around in the first few episodes. She's amazing at portraying the character but i think they're focusing too much on chen kun at the moment. i guess it is because his in the middle of all the political play. But I can see that ni ni's character is going to be swept up in the battle for the throne and for revenge very soon. I can't wait, for when the real fight between our 2 main leads happen. I'm really hoping they keep her character true to the book at least: cunning, smart, a grey character and not your typical heroine. because from what online forums have told me, her character have been slightly watered down (e.g. in the book, she killed her aunt but in the drama her mum killed her aunt. though the change made sense storytelling & filming wise). I might just keep watching (even though episode 15 had me in tears and i don't know how i'm going to last if it gets too sad) and hope for a happy 70 hours well spent
aah finally someone is talking about Bloody Romance! I feel like nobody even knows it exists lol I agree a bit with your opinion about the worldbuilding, but what I absolutely LOVE about it is that it does things differently than a lot of other dramas. There are none of those "stupid misunderstandings that could be resolved by talking for 3 seconds-moments". Also the main character isn't like capable of literally everything. She's just trying to survive that shit she's been thrown in and she has to learn things the hard way. I gotta disagree with your opinion about lack of emotions in this drama tho, I think the relationship between the main leads is done SO MUCH better than in other dramas. idk this drama just hits me SO hard. Normally I skip so much in dramas, but not in this one and as soon as the new ep is out I immediately want to write lengthy analysis of it lol
I’m enjoying Bloody Romance a lot too. Yeah, the “world” they operate in is a bit sketchy but if you watched Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and had no problems with the silliness of THAT world you’ll be fine with BR. I agree, BR is very emotional and I like the interplay with the animation. I wish they had a graphic novel!
I disagree with her too, I haven't finished a good drama in a long time, so me finishing this one was a very good one for me. I felt like she had already set her mind to not like this drama because of the setting of the assassins.
I really disagree with your review of The Rise of Phoenixes...this had me not sleeping just trying to finish the last 10 episodes. This has got me into following Chen Kun...This has got me into Chinese dramas again...so I really don't know what you were talking about...but...that's my opinion.
I'm in love with Bloody Romance for me it's a really good drama that's my opinion 👍😍but I really enjoy this video thanks and yes you're totally correct about the ost they are great 👍
I think this format of combining is a great idea! sometimes i am wondering which drama to start watching and your input and observations really help. And yes, i have noticed this over abundance of Chinese Dramas and the lesser quality creeping in, as if they are churning and churning the dramas because of the popularity around the world....but we, the viewer, notice and we pull back. Thank you for your stamina and watching power!!
Addicted to Bloody Romance.. Oh my God seriously, i watched so many chinese dramas, even guardian.. but I like Korean dramas, really my style .. but this ! I accidentally watch it and love it until finished episode 33 in 4 days.. so far I love this drama beside another chinese drama " nothing gold can stay" ..
I love rise of phoenixes because you could feel their drama and their love. I love bloody romance because you could feel the pain and cruelty of chaluo and love chemistry between wanmei, changan and the prince. In all I love the plot
AvenueX, I feel ya but it also helps to keep in mind that we're vocal "elitist" minority out of tens of millions who readily consumes those "IKEA" shows. As long as there's audience, they'll keep making. Chinese entertainment industry atm is currently in the phase of chasing the profits first and foremost. It'll take a while until the industry matures and when funding becomes much more available for people who are willing to take more risks.
I love Ashes of Love. It's one of my favorite c-drama. The beginning part is a little childish. I really got into it in the mortal realm when Yang Zi's character became a lot more mature. I think yukee Chen couple story was too much and dragged on too long. I skipped those parts
I really like this format. Since there's so many shows coming out all the time, combining a bunch of videos into one would be great. I also agreed with so many points you made. If it's not the crazy long number of episodes, then it's either the bad acting, boring story, etc. that makes me drop so many shows...
It's time for new blood to take over Chinese entertainment industry tbh from directors to set designers to scripter writers. The problem I'm seeing is people in power such as producers, directors etc. want to play it really safe so they keep churning out formulaic "what works before" products until the trend dies down and moves on to another one. I'm only watching Rise of Phoenixes out of the above because as you said the technical aspect of the series alone makes it a stand out. Also Chen Kun and Ni Ni are such amazing pair of actors that they alone are carrying the series despite the draggy plot line atm. But then again, talented actors and actresses can only do so much if they're not given a good plot and characters to act on. I blame the script writers on this, off with their heads I say.
LOL wow I love this combined first impressions - so many! Yeah Ru Yi Zhuan is... kind of boring but I'm SO taken by the main lady's acting. It's so good. I'm so drawn in. But Qing dynasty concubine fighting kinda bores me as a genre. I'm LOVING Bloody Romance. I understand it's a really fantastical setting but it, combined with the very strong visual style, works for me. The acting from the 2 your actors, the camera work, the editor are all SO good for a Chinese drama
@@Lilly94Z yeah!! I love the main dude and how much of a grumpy puppy he is. And also love it when the main guy is the one who's like "I can't show that I love you" 💜💜
I Love ashes of love!!! I even make a review on my channel for ashes of love because i like it so much!!! Try to give it another chance. I thought the first 10 episodes were so funny.
For me i watch like 30+ ep than i drop it i never in my life skip so much scene lol, they could cut so much and reduce like 20 eps but i watch like the last ep and it was still draggy lol
people needs more or less similar background to understand and enjoy a story so then they can make a foreground combine from the story and from the person's repertoire. That's why people has different taste, because they have different background/data/repertoire in their lives. Me too, personally really love tian di wu shuang, because i can really imagine, feel, and relate to the story.
I enjoy your "ranting& raving"...it just goes to show how passionate you are. Based on your reviews determines whether or not I view any or a specific drama. As you say, there are SO MANY, that I really don't have time to watch all, but I want to watch the good ones. Thank you for your honest opinions and feedback!
😂😂😂 I love your reviews! They seem so brutally honest~ even when you rip into my favourites, I still can't help but nod in agreement. My usual response is: "I see that... BUT I STILL LOVE IT 😍😍😍😍😂"
I don't really watch dramas especially hot IP drama. But I watched Ashes of Love just because of second lead Runyu. I was attracted by his appearance, even more fascinated to me is he played his role perfectively. As they kidding, he took the scheming male lead's script but went to the wrong filming site. 😂 Like he is a bright spot that elevating this “Mary Sue" drama. It was he who sustained me through the show.
ruyi is awesome, i quit at the 44th episode, but until then I was totally hooked asking myself how could the writer do such a great job, I don´t think it could keep the pace for like 80 episodes, but this first 44 were higlly satisfyting in all aspects.
I really like Heavy Sweetness Ash Like Love. The story is actually really common and cliche. The female lead is not that much different than The Destiny of White Snake. But I still fell in love with it.
The Rising of the Phoenixes slo mo start for way too many episodes, does take off well into the series into nail biting drama, hard to stop watching. So glad I finished and for several reasons. First the stunning costumes & sets that must have cost a fortune to create! And like you say, the attention to details like perfect lightig, color and on set live recording are amazing! The acting was wonderful by most, especially of course Chen & Ni Ni. And most of all, Chen’s ability to portray such a deeply complex character is devastating! He pulls off perfectly a hero character that is also a villian … deeply conflicted as deeply committed to risking everything for what he believes is right. And with Ni Ni, such powerful chemistry …. worth watching again with a fast forward option here and there. Ni Ni’s understated acting & clean elegant beauty makes it hard to take your eyes & ears off of her in great wonder.
I agree with your comments completely, with Guardian I watched all 40 episodes, and at the end I wanted 20 more. With most other dramas it's more along the lines of I watch 20 episode and can't wait until it is over.
I agree with you about the actors not having the connection between the characters. I know that people say “they have a good chemistry” does not mean the characters are connecting. It is more like people follow their favourite actors and fall in love with them that makes them blind on the small flaws about the movie. I love watching Chinese films since I was a teenager, I am 61 y/o now yet still watching them. I cannot even understand Mandarin. Just love the stories though.
I see something different. I’ve watched 23 ep of the rise of Phoenixes and I do really into it. I think there are strong chemistry between the male and female leads. I keep my face smiling all the time I watched them flirting😊 Anyway, thank you for sharing.
Your videos save lives. I only recently got into c-drama after I found “The Untamed” and enjoyed the heck out of it. Now that I’m looking for them, there are so many to choose from cross platform, it’s nice to get a heads up before I invest weeks of my life into a drama. Keep up the great work
Chen Kun and Nini's chemistry didn't appear until the part when she's playing as Wei Zhi. Going forward, their chemistry was fire. The ending was particularly tragic yet it justifies the title The Rise of Phoenixes. Simply brilliant.
AGREE. it is one of the best I watched, the chemistry is amazing and the production is as you said top notch. I hate tragic ending but I did understand it here .
Honestly The Rise of Phoenixes was mind bending for me. I adored it. My favorite part of it was that although there was a love story, the plot wasn't determined by the love story. The two main leads had their own individual journeys that would continue regardless of that romance plot. I think because of that, I didn't mind that the romance aspect took longer to really get moving because the romance isn't the main point. I want ning yi to win I want Zhi Wei to grow into herself and I want them to be together, but they didn't all have to happen at the same pace. For me the pace wasn't slow so much as it wasn't flashy and action packed. I watch that show over and over. It is honestly one of my favorite Chinese dramas ever.
I feel like you were definitely still in your Guardian love bubble here :D Rise of Phoenixes, Ashes of Love and Bloody Romance were all good shows. That ending to Bloody Romance though... I think I was traumatized for a month after. But in a good way. As you said, dramas should make you feel something
Thank you so much for this post, I learned a lot from you. It’s true the dramas’ from China are at times very very long and dragged out. Will be looking for your next post, again 🙏🏻
agree strongly with ashes of love. The lack of chemistry between the two leads is the worst thing about the drama for me (along with the way jinmi speaks in the beginning). I love quality lighting, writing, clothing,, etc as much as avenuex but for certain dramas I can look the other way as long as the leads have rich chemistry and i don't mind childish, generic cliche back and forth romance type plots either if executed well. I think ashes of love is decent in that area but I find myself not giving a shit about the leads relationship. (jinmi and the first prince is more interesting i personally feel) but i'm only at ep 19 so maybe that changes later
Wow lack chemistry between two leads? Do u mean ash of love? Unbelievable. Maybe I just blinded or u don't understand the story line? The female lead mother gives her a magical pill that prevents her from feeling and expressing romantic love when she was a baby....
haha different opinions i guess? I understand the plot lol but i just don't care much for them as a couple lol. i could be right hence so many people are more interested in the second male lead than the main couple but i could be wrong since this drama did blow up because of this pairing
@@shugoshugo123 second lead syndrome. I feel u lol 1st prince story more sad. Maybe if the plot make 1st prince successful marrying JinMin and having child and what happened for next plot is more interesting
yes !! the chemistry of the two leads on guardian was so good! that killied all the bad stuff and yes I sart watching asian dramas because they were shorter than the dramas on my country and I start watching chinese dramas because im learning chinese it worries me that alot of chinese dramas are becoming longer and longer thankyou your reviews are always helpful
Thank you so much for your first impressions. :) I'm watching Ruyi right now and I understand what you mean. I personally can't immerse in the drama because they sometimes act too modern. Like I'm watching a historical chick fight drama, not a contemporary drama. As for The Rise of The Phoenix I hope they will upload it on YT, so I can finally watch it.
Thank you! I have read the novel Heavy Sweetness Ash Like Frost, it was a short easy read. I did not care for the main female character as She was clueless. I’m currently reading Bloody Romance. Most people will not read Bloody Romance as it is violent erotica. I’m finding it difficult to read, not liking all the sexual violence. I don’t like Harem dramas so I will not be watching those. Suddenly This Summer is a drama you recommended,I like it. 👍😊
"Solid feelings".....and that's where Love and Destiny comes to fill the blanks! You re so right about TROP! Piece of art but not solid emotions, not empathy inspired to the audience!
It’s 2020 and I just finished The Rising of the Phoenixes (tian sheng chang ge)! The plot is SUPER draggy. I also felt like it resembled NIF.... the romance arc was painful for me because it just dragggggggggged. I skipped through so many episodes... 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ I feel like it could have ended at 50 episodes if there wasn’t so much filler. I have to say I really did notice the cinematography and quality of the clothing design in this drama. I wish I could compliment the whole team!!!! We need more of that. That’s how it’s done. You get a degree to produce results like that! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Ruyi’s Royal Palace has gifted me with anxiety every time I watch other IP dramas and there is an imperial harem. 😅 Ashes of Love was my favorite 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I watched every single episode. Hehehe. I’ve also watched it like 4 times to date. Coming back and watching your review is really cool. Hahahahaha I love your comments about the lighting in Ashes of Love hahahahaha and Art Deco in heaven hahahahahaha. I love you!!!!!!!
I started watching The Rise of Phoenixes on Netflix and I was curious to hear what you have to say about it. I’ve only watched the first episode and I agree about the Nirvana In Fire style for the plot.
I actually do like one of the dramas you reviewed on though I do agree with majority of your points such as the length of the dramas. As for the lightning of dramas, is there a link or website you know that talks more about this subject? It is very interesting how you go on describing your frustration with the lightning in Heavy Sweetness- Ashes of Love. Thank you for your reviews, they are very enlightening!
Ashes of Love main story was not really interesting to me, but the love story between actors Chen Yuqi (I love her in all the dramas I have seen her in) and Zou Ting Wei was worth it! Loved their characters and relationship!
I am 27 eps into Ruyi right now and I'm stuck. The script seems like that overrecycled concubine catfight drama I convinced myself I'd never watch again but somehow I found some good points. Not meaning to poke at the rival drama, but the dialogue and script seems more respectful of the audiences intelligence. Even the king knows what kind of drama happens in his inner court and kind of rolls his eyes at it. There is a situation that happens in around ep 20 that is very touching and make the love and trust between the king and Ruyi feel very real and grounded, which I find hard to see in inner court dramas where is one guy and many women vying for his attention. I will give it credit for that. Ruyi has so many issues, all the stuff you said is true, and even though I'm also watching it as a Ikea drama, I am enjoying it a lot. Don't really care about the copyright and inaccurate history behind the scenes drama as long as the drama itself holds up.
I'm checking out Ruyi now only because of Zhou Xun. She is so captivating onscreen and has such a commanding presence that I just can't look away from her. Unfortunately, while I love Chinese Historical dramas, I hate it when they deal with inner court wars in the harem. I find it so stressful to watch conniving women try to take each other down because of a man. What I do love about her character so far after watching 20 eps is that she's generous and kind yet smart, a quick learner and someone who doles out punishment to those who attack her. I really can't stand the emperor and will be excited when she falls out of love with him and fights on solely to protect those dear to her. But at 87 eps, we'll see if I make it through all that.
Hiiii AvenueX, I have been trying to find another video of your combine review. I remember you talking about legend of white snake and the drama which you didn't put it on the thumbnail because all the video that criticize it were taken down!!! I couldn't find that one😭😭😭😭
thank you so much for your videos. I enjoy you so much, even when you are telling me about dramas that you're not crazy about. I do hope you fine at least a couple in the second part of the year that you like. I'm currently enjoying an older drama on N'tfl'x called Auntie Douhe ... a drama that has all of the qualities you wish current dramas had. We're on episode 25 and I'm already saddened by the fact that there are only 34 episodes in all. These are definitely characters that I think about during the day; in fact, I feel I live in their neighborhood with them and will go through mourning when the series ends.
I totally agree with your opinion on Ashes of love. I somehow made it through and my favourite moment is when the main lead finally died (temporarily). That CG scene is actually decent. Everything else is pretty much 没事找事。
omg ashes of love god, they had the juicyness but they fucked it all up man. the editing has all these freaking continuity errors. the actors were in one position in the medium shot, then jump to another position in the wide shot, then revert back? god! ruined the suspension of disbelief. and im so angry cuz the main actors r p okay actually. they just didnt shoot them right and fhjofpihugijwftng damn it. ALSOOO the actor for the older brother dragon dude is good looking enough to command attention but fucking god he commands zero authority. dude is like my kid brother. which is FINE IF THEY SHOT HIM and EDITED EVERYTHING CORRECTLY .but no, they kept all these weird bad takes of full body shots, in which u can visibly see the actors adjust their body positions awkwardly and adjusting to stand up straighter. .. i jus cant. f. p.s. there's no sincerity of emotions, really flat dialogue. the characters don't really care about each other. ok a good part is when the dragon was begging for his mom's life and said something along the lines of "i dont want anything else" okay that was ok. but thennnn it got ruined again in the next moment when his mom died and he yelled "mooooom" fur real guys. go watch that shit and think about if u would yell like that when ur mom died in front of u. that was a my iphone got smashed yell not a my mom freaking just died yell.
Thanks for the reviews! Since you're uploading videos some videos only on bilibili because of copyrights etc, you should include your bilibili link in the description as well! I really enjoyed watching the Guardian/ Somewhere edit that you made
For me if the synopsis of the drama captures my attention I will give it a try. Especially if it’s featuring actors I’m not familiar with. I understand Avenue X’s views and frustrations but sometimes what bothers one person may not be that big a deal to another. For example, Princess Agents did not get a good review here and a lot of it was due to the lighting and set stuff...I decided to try it anyway and loved it! So fun and entertaining and the actors and plot were really good. The characters and scenes are so memorable to me. I knew they were planning a sequel so the cliffhanger “ending” did not trouble me.
Totally agree with you! Well maybe because avenuex had to make reviews so she needs to be more attentive in every aspects. As for us we watch just to enjoy the drama. Small flaws can be disregard. As for princess agents, i still remember how emotionally invested i was with that drama and the last time i was that invested was with nirvana in fire. Although there were flaws in plot and technical aspects but it was still enjoyable. It was not as bad as how most people reacted. I guess it comes down to preference and tolerance. For me as long as the characters and script are very well written then i can overlook the production quality and draggy/ridiculous plotline like nothing gold can stay which i super lovee all the characters and the scripts were amazing despite the merry-go-round plot. This is why i prefer cdram over kdrama and i have high tolerance for really long cdrama lol
I think in the end it's all about how you personally feel. People can give bad review of movie or drama but if you love it, you love it. And that's okay
I think PA's theme and character arcs were really well done. The leads all evolved through the course of the series in such a believable and emotional way. I cared about all of them. And it was just so sweet and heartbreaking to see YWY fall for Xing'er and vice versa. I agree, I think people started to say negative things because they didn't like the ending. I guess I avoided that anger because I knew in advance lol In terms of length I think 50ish episodes is right for epic historicals. Anything longer scares me a little bit haha.
Off topic but any insight to why certain Chinese dramas are remade over and over again?! Like Legend of White Snake and Swordsman. I’m so very curious.
I actually think it would be a really cool idea if you could do a review recommendations sort of thing, where you go over you favourite dramas in a certain time period, e.g. 1990’s, 2000’s, 2010’s etc!
@@coldheart520 haha yay one of my rare good ideas!! Yeah, those were really good!! It would be cool to include ones from different genres as well, for instance in the mystery crime genre, I really enjoyed 神探狄仁杰 😁😁
Very good and accurate review...100% accuracy. i watch the shows subbed but none has managed to keep me engrossed. All i took away was the Bloody Romance OST..Thanks
I agree with you on Ashes of love. I couldn’t keep watching that type of character. It felt too silly to me. Ruyis royal love dragged but got better. I loved it but it’s so depressing I don’t think I could watch the whole thing ever again. The other ones I didn’t watch and probably won’t based on your review.
I genuinely enjoy watching your reviews on these dramas but i am starting to get the impression that you have a pretty high standard for all of the dramas. Lol. I think it’s good to provide honest reviews but also important to stay objective and sensitive to your audiences. I really liked “Rise of the Phoenixes” and a lot of the comments in this section say it well. There was something wanting about the chemistry between the two leads. A lack of passion despite how convincing they played their roles. Can’t say much about the other dramas. I think you have what it takes to make a phenomenal channel. Keep up the awesome work!
I think you're referring to what we call in the West as "chemistry" between couples. No matter how skilled the acting, if there is no "magic" between the lead actors, the entire story falls flat. "Emotionally invested" is what I refer to a story where it randomly creeps into your thoughts. Extremely long (over 50 episodes) or pitifully short (40 or less), dramas IMHO, fall prey to poor story pacing. A drama can drag, or end abruptly, with no apparent logic. Thank you for your excellent analysis! You have made me become a much more discerning viewer of Chinese dramas!
I actually liked Bloody Romance but I felt they could've done a better ending and changed certain parts of the story and for some reason it reminded me of certain parts of a book series called Throne of Glass
I heard a lot about Ashes of love. I couldn’t make it past 16 episodes. There are many xian xian dramas like this which are just using the same hit formula and redoing the same plot with few changes here n there. Ten miles peach blossoms is my first cdrama, I loved it so much, it was so fresh to me at that time, the fantasy world, costumes for a first timer. Now every xian xian I watch, it’s just the same old story, it’s no longer fun.
I agree, these shows are so long, I really struggle to decide to start one. Yanxi Palace is the longest one I've watched (and the only "chick fight" show I've watched). I really liked it. But I couldn't watch Ruyi. I tried. I think your videos are really helping me be a critical viewer and not waste my time on bad shows. The ones I've watched and enjoyed so far are NiF (10/10!), Yanxi Palace, Guardian, The Untamed, Medical Examiner Dr. Qin season 1 (法医秦明), 3 Miles of Peach Blossoms... hmm maybe Scarlet Heart. I'm wondering if I should watch The Longest Day in Chang'an.
I absolutely LOVE Ashes of Love. The actors, their chemistry, acting and plot is just perfect in my opinion. Its really good. Ashes of Love raised my standards sooo high.... I Personally I loved it. Other than that, I also really like The rise of phoenixes.
Hello ! I really enjoyed this video and I love your channel. But I must disagree with you about Ruyi Royal love in the Palace. I personally think that Ruyi and QianLong Emporor had a really beautiful connection and really beautiful chemistry while they were acting on this drama. I personally love the story, the script, how well does scenario has been written. But I am must agree with you on the really dragging phase of this drama. I remember I was skipping really much in some of the episodes. But the story was so amazing that at the end of the drama I cried really hard and it’s been a really long time since a drama made me cry.
I have not tried any of these dramas so no specific opinion but I certainly understand that new dramas are certainly disappointing. I remember Princess Agents was my first C-drama and got me curious about them. The first few episodes were great, then I found @AvenueX then watched NIF 1 and Empresses in Palace ( probably why I am partial to period dramas). I keep waiting for new dramas that would be on par with these dramas but not happening. Although its being only a year for me in C- drama land. I can imagine the frustration from people who have watched for a every long time. Same problem I have with recent Western dramas...nothing new, we have seen it all.
![Best Xian Xia/Fantasy C-Drama of 2022! YAH!!!!!! Final Review[CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6HaRQhw0ko4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Best Xian Xia/Fantasy C-Drama of 2022! YAH!!!!!! Final Review[CC]](/img/tr.png)
![Let's ROAST! All the Qin Sins Chinese Dramas Have Committed! [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CRk_OyARQzY/mqdefault.jpg)
![RuYi's Royal Love [Book 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YLJASfiQHRI/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you guys for not like...crucifying me for my opinions. There are things I only dare say on YT cause Chinese online community is...well, quite a different place let's just say.
Yeah they rip anyone and everyone into shreds 😂😂 where are you watching rise of phoenixes btw? I can't seem to find it on YT or anywhere else...
@@oowatwat dramacool
Any good drama from your opinion ? Give me some recommendations !
@@lianita4701 The rise of phoenixes - honestly it graduated from IKEA drama to Main Bae. Best drama of the year for me 😊
Hi AvenueX! Thanks for putting together all these videos. I’ve developed a new lens for drama watching because of you. In this video as well as others you often point out really nice Theme songs that are worth checking out. I was curious if you could put together a list of all these songs for the dramas you’ve watched recently :)
I got you...I think Chen Kun and Ni Ni are one of the best TV couples that showed a little bit more emotion than other main characters on different TV dramas and yet they left me wanting for more connection...more passion.
Chen Kun as Ning Yi showed how much he cared for Feng Zhi Wei but yet as a prince he was not "allowed" to show his real feelings for the girl that caught his attention from the first moment he saw her.
Both were playful and you can see how badly in love they were with each other but still we wanted more...however, I think the drama was well developed by the Director based on the culture and respect for the public .. Other dramas from different countries are really passionate and sometimes they expose too much...
For me, Rise of Phoenixes had it all from film making, lighting, custom design, colors, actors, style, locations, plot, etc.... I really loved it.
The Rise of Phoenixes is just phenomenal in my opinion. The acting, the depth of the characters, although I do think that the end is quite rushed, (that's why I'd pay for a season 2), everything in the drama even the supporting are just perfect. The details are amazing and the cinematography. After watching The Rise of Phoenixes, I seriously cannot think of any better drama. All those favourite dramas I thought were great paled in the comparison to The Rise of Phoenixes. It was that good. Really hoped for season 2 though :'(
Rise of Phoenixes is sooo good. I fell in love with the characters and actors!! I cried so much and laughed so much too.. it’s superb!! I recommend it!!
The Rise of The Phoenixes moved me so much! I just finished the series and I'm so sad of the end.
The beginning was quite long but after I could not stop I was so interested.
Me: *Watching Ashes of Love give me the cry that I've been needing* This is so beautiful~
Avenuex: *Providing logical reasons as to why she didn't watch the rest of it*
Me: *Still crying* She right tho.....
I realize that with Ashes of love, it’s cute, sweet and endearing. Jin Mi is cute and funny not understanding what love is. And even despite having consumed the perishing pill, you can tell as the story progresses that the man where her heart lies is with Phoenix... worth the watch. I suppose for an older audience having seen a lot it may be boring but Yang Zis acting is superb. In fact, when they have their human trial is where the developing of a more in depth of their love occurs.
Ashes of love isnt that bad in my opinion, the filming is beautiful and Yang Zi did pretty good in here, it’s just a bit chaotic at times
Fuzzy_ Foxx I like ashes of love too! I feel that the scenes were so beautiful!!! And the first 10 episodes were so funny! First drama in a while I didn’t have to skip the episodes. The wait time for the episodes to come out is so long!!!
ColdHeart520 Melody I only skip the political parts bc it always bores me. This drama is really good though! :)
Fuzzy_ Foxx it is very good. I heard the novel and like it a lot too. Might make a review on it
I agree, I found it too chaotic at the beginning and you could cut 15 episodes, just spot watch, and you will not be lost. seen better
I tried to watch it 3 timed but never got passed ep 2 🤷♀️
I disagree. The chemistry between the characters in The Rise of The Phoenixes is fantastic. The writing is not the best but I don't believe it's bad either. I enjoyed it very much.
I agree, but also agree with the pace of the story being slow, and I did not like the ending. Beautifully done scenes.
IKEA drama ... which is drama I watch when I assemble ikea furniture lmao😂😂😂😂 perfect way to describe what kind of drama it is hahahahaha
I love Ruyis love...and the main reason is the lead actress. She isso amazing.
Ashes of love is great , the chemistry of jinmi and xu feng is awesome, please watch it again.
I love Bloody Romance and feel the emotion between the lead actors, so heartbreaking... well at least you love the theme songs ... 😊 really good theme songs..
I finished The Rise of Phoenixes! There were a lot of loopholes and filler scenes, but overall I enjoyed it because of Ni Ni and Chen Kun. The acting is brilliant, story is ok, visuals is excellent!
I see why you said it is similar to nirvana in fire... I had the same feeling when i first watch it.. But the vibes are different and as the story progress i forget that.. It is amazing drama.and different from nirvana in fire... Plus the acting itself is worth of watch... It is on a whole diffrent level kun chen nailed it briliantly and made the ning yi jump to life through the screen... It is a must watch for the quality
I really appreciate your sincere and honest reviews of these TV dramas because they are based on actual experience and knowledge of the Chinese dramaland circumstances, etc. Your comments are never spiteful nor malicious but well considered from a professional point of view from which we drama junkies can all benefit. Thank you for these very good videos that are not only enlightening but also amusing at times.
I think Ashes of Love came across as more of a fantasy and not trying to be realistic, where the colors, lighting and design support that.
I try to find your review on Ashes of Love after I watched the drama but now that I’ve seen this review, I don’t really agree with your opinion. Maybe it’s due to the different taste in drama. But honestly, so far among all Chinese dramas that I have watched, I can say Ashes of Love is still my No.1 drama of all times. I’m so into the story line since the first episode. At the time I’ve never watched any drama by both lead actors, so I can say they are like new actors for me. But I really love both of them together, their acting and their chemistry in this drama. The story just so perfect! I even feel that 63 episodes is still not enough for their story.
Some might say no chemistry btw leads or lead actress is so childish in the beginning of episodes, but if you watch through the end you won’t say like this anymore. I can feel all emotional of the characters, up and down, through out the drama that I cannot explain enough with just words.
I agree that both leads have this kinda innocent or pure like love at the start. But as the story goes, both characters also grow more mature and learnt a lot through life. The leads just act it so perfect for me. From female lead who is child-like, so pure, innocent, doesn’t know what love is or who to love…she grows into a women with emotion, feel love, heartbroken and learnt how to give up on herself for others. & From the male lead who used to be under protective of his mother and so high above all…to someone who learnt a lot through death/life and willing to give up all status or power and live simply just for the love of his life. They both mature a lot as the story goes…I can feel their emotions. I never watch any drama that is so good like this before. I even watch their behind the scene…both leads’ chemistry is just so perfect. All in all, Ashes of Love is 100+/100 rating for me. =)
same for me. and the thing about the lighting, I don't she realised that the floral realm was supposed to be oversaturated with colour and vibrance. Diffuse all that and you won't get the richness of that realm. Notice that was the only realm in the drama with such in your face boldness, nowhere else.
And like you said it wasn't the typical push and pull of the characters with the 'I'm in love with you no I'm not'. It wasn't anything like that and oversimplifying the storyline to just that was disappointing to me bc she usually makes good points. Jin Mi and Xu Feng's destiny and mess weren't their faults no 1. They were essentially cleaning up the mess their parents put them in. And when you take 2 people who have been so protected from everything their whole lives and then toss them into such a messy situation that neither were equipped nor fully able to understand at first, you will get them making mistakes. But even those were minimal, as their biggest mistake was falling in love with each other despite everything and everyone around them saying don't and even manipulating them when love happened anyway.
Sorry for the essay it's just one of my favourite dramas of all time along with Fu Yao.
I've just started "Rise Of Phoenixes" and while I did initially note the unmistakable similarities that the plot has to Nirvana In Fire, I think the drama has more than enough to *highly* recommend it to every devotee of Chinese historical dramas - it's a Must Watch, or at least a Must Give It A Try. With the untimely and much lamented demise of Dramafever, I switched over to Netflix in search of my chosen addiction and I must say watching dramas on Netflix is a real pleasure just in the ease of the overall format and the excellent subtitles, but also I was happy to see that they have expanded and are continuing to expand their roster of Chinese and Korean dramas. Yay! Anyone who loved DF will find this to be welcome news! Agreeing with our intrepid hostess, Avenue X, ROP is indeed a gorgeous feast for the eyes and maybe it makes me seem superficial, but that's almost enough to keep me enthralled to the end. And Chen Kun, as always, is Adorbs. :-)
I've watched 15 episodes of rise of the phoenix and like you said, i'm only sticking to it because of its amazing cinematography and chen kun and ni ni (the whole cast are superb actors though), because this is usually not my type of drama. I love their chemistry, even though the plot atm is not really progressing their relationship. But i find chen kun's push and pull and small banter with ni ni adorable. I also find chen kun's relationship with his friend and body guard adorable. i find chen kun's character adorable. while the story line is kind of draggy in the first few episodes (too much talking), i think it still has a very good plot with intriguing political fights (maybe because i don't watch a lot of these types of political dramas XD). to me the latest few episode's pacing was pretty good and i hope they keep this up. my only problem with the drama right now is that ni ni's character is not developing fast enough (for me at least). She's described as this amazing, smart, young girl (who can even beat ass), but then she only shows her intelligence when the plot needs her to. She has so much potential but is just floating around in the first few episodes. She's amazing at portraying the character but i think they're focusing too much on chen kun at the moment. i guess it is because his in the middle of all the political play. But I can see that ni ni's character is going to be swept up in the battle for the throne and for revenge very soon. I can't wait, for when the real fight between our 2 main leads happen. I'm really hoping they keep her character true to the book at least: cunning, smart, a grey character and not your typical heroine. because from what online forums have told me, her character have been slightly watered down (e.g. in the book, she killed her aunt but in the drama her mum killed her aunt. though the change made sense storytelling & filming wise). I might just keep watching (even though episode 15 had me in tears and i don't know how i'm going to last if it gets too sad) and hope for a happy 70 hours well spent
Yeah I read that Feng Zi Wei is actually a lot darker in the book than the drama portrayed her.
The Rise of Phoenixes is a great drama! Its really good. Judging it by just 8 ep. Is very unfair.
aah finally someone is talking about Bloody Romance! I feel like nobody even knows it exists lol I agree a bit with your opinion about the worldbuilding, but what I absolutely LOVE about it is that it does things differently than a lot of other dramas. There are none of those "stupid misunderstandings that could be resolved by talking for 3 seconds-moments". Also the main character isn't like capable of literally everything. She's just trying to survive that shit she's been thrown in and she has to learn things the hard way.
I gotta disagree with your opinion about lack of emotions in this drama tho, I think the relationship between the main leads is done SO MUCH better than in other dramas. idk this drama just hits me SO hard. Normally I skip so much in dramas, but not in this one and as soon as the new ep is out I immediately want to write lengthy analysis of it lol
I love bloody romance ,too.
I like op song..
I’m enjoying Bloody Romance a lot too. Yeah, the “world” they operate in is a bit sketchy but if you watched Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and had no problems with the silliness of THAT world you’ll be fine with BR. I agree, BR is very emotional and I like the interplay with the animation. I wish they had a graphic novel!
i love bloody romance too but i don't like the ending.
I disagree with her too, I haven't finished a good drama in a long time, so me finishing this one was a very good one for me. I felt like she had already set her mind to not like this drama because of the setting of the assassins.
Guardian messed up my standard to a really high level
I know, right? the chemistry between the two main leads is beyond compare
I think you should watch Addicted 上瘾, it messed up my mind since 2016 and it doesn't seem to want to stop. It's killing me for years.
I really disagree with your review of The Rise of Phoenixes...this had me not sleeping just trying to finish the last 10 episodes. This has got me into following Chen Kun...This has got me into Chinese dramas again...so I really don't know what you were talking about...but...that's my opinion.
I'm in love with Bloody Romance for me it's a really good drama that's my opinion 👍😍but I really enjoy this video thanks and yes you're totally correct about the ost they are great 👍
I think this format of combining is a great idea! sometimes i am wondering which drama to start watching and your input and observations really help. And yes, i have noticed this over abundance of Chinese Dramas and the lesser quality creeping in, as if they are churning and churning the dramas because of the popularity around the world....but we, the viewer, notice and we pull back. Thank you for your stamina and watching power!!
I quite liked Bloody Romance
Addicted to Bloody Romance.. Oh my God seriously, i watched so many chinese dramas, even guardian.. but I like Korean dramas, really my style .. but this ! I accidentally watch it and love it until finished episode 33 in 4 days.. so far I love this drama beside another chinese drama " nothing gold can stay" ..
I love rise of phoenixes because you could feel their drama and their love.
I love bloody romance because you could feel the pain and cruelty of chaluo and love chemistry between wanmei, changan and the prince.
In all I love the plot
BLOODY ROMANCE IS MY FAVOURITE.HAVENT STARTED HEAVY SWEETNESS ASH LIKE FROST.
AvenueX, I feel ya but it also helps to keep in mind that we're vocal "elitist" minority out of tens of millions who readily consumes those "IKEA" shows. As long as there's audience, they'll keep making.
Chinese entertainment industry atm is currently in the phase of chasing the profits first and foremost. It'll take a while until the industry matures and when funding becomes much more available for people who are willing to take more risks.
I love Ashes of Love. It's one of my favorite c-drama. The beginning part is a little childish. I really got into it in the mortal realm when Yang Zi's character became a lot more mature.
I think yukee Chen couple story was too much and dragged on too long. I skipped those parts
I really like this format. Since there's so many shows coming out all the time, combining a bunch of videos into one would be great. I also agreed with so many points you made. If it's not the crazy long number of episodes, then it's either the bad acting, boring story, etc. that makes me drop so many shows...
Ashes of love has good ost tho
It's time for new blood to take over Chinese entertainment industry tbh from directors to set designers to scripter writers. The problem I'm seeing is people in power such as producers, directors etc. want to play it really safe so they keep churning out formulaic "what works before" products until the trend dies down and moves on to another one.
I'm only watching Rise of Phoenixes out of the above because as you said the technical aspect of the series alone makes it a stand out. Also Chen Kun and Ni Ni are such amazing pair of actors that they alone are carrying the series despite the draggy plot line atm. But then again, talented actors and actresses can only do so much if they're not given a good plot and characters to act on. I blame the script writers on this, off with their heads I say.
Have not watched any of them and probably won’t after this review. Thanks for saving my time!!! I will also dropped dramas if they don’t engaged me.
So basically its becoming like Hollywood........
the thing is, China censors parts they think shouldnt be aired, so that takes a huge part away from creativity...
Totally love the rise of phoenixes😍
LOL wow I love this combined first impressions - so many! Yeah Ru Yi Zhuan is... kind of boring but I'm SO taken by the main lady's acting. It's so good. I'm so drawn in. But Qing dynasty concubine fighting kinda bores me as a genre. I'm LOVING Bloody Romance. I understand it's a really fantastical setting but it, combined with the very strong visual style, works for me. The acting from the 2 your actors, the camera work, the editor are all SO good for a Chinese drama
I like Bloody Romance too and I think you have to read the book first to fully understand the setting, characters and plot.
SAAME i love bloody romance SOOO MUCH it looks so high budget to me? (I'm not an expert lol) (hi can somebody scream with me about the drama )
@@Lilly94Z yeah!! I love the main dude and how much of a grumpy puppy he is. And also love it when the main guy is the one who's like "I can't show that I love you" 💜💜
@@oowatwat grumpy puppy is a spot in description lol :D
I Love ashes of love!!! I even make a review on my channel for ashes of love because i like it so much!!! Try to give it another chance. I thought the first 10 episodes were so funny.
For me i watch like 30+ ep than i drop it i never in my life skip so much scene lol, they could cut so much and reduce like 20 eps but i watch like the last ep and it was still draggy lol
ColdHeart520 Melody the only reason I kept watching is because of the second male lead run Yu
Miu Mimu yes a lot of people really like his character
people needs more or less similar background to understand and enjoy a story so then they can make a foreground combine from the story and from the person's repertoire. That's why people has different taste, because they have different background/data/repertoire in their lives. Me too, personally really love tian di wu shuang, because i can really imagine, feel, and relate to the story.
I didn't like the first 10 episodes, but man the last like 20 episodes were crazy and drove my emotions everywhere. Prob my favorite drama
I enjoy your "ranting& raving"...it just goes to show how passionate you are. Based on your reviews determines whether or not I view any or a specific drama. As you say, there are SO MANY, that I really don't have time to watch all, but I want to watch the good ones. Thank you for your honest opinions and feedback!
😂😂😂 I love your reviews! They seem so brutally honest~ even when you rip into my favourites, I still can't help but nod in agreement. My usual response is:
"I see that... BUT I STILL LOVE IT 😍😍😍😍😂"
Rise of Phoenixes and Ruyi's Royal Love are two of the greatest c-drama's this year.
I don't really watch dramas especially hot IP drama. But I watched Ashes of Love just because of second lead Runyu. I was attracted by his appearance, even more fascinated to me is he played his role perfectively. As they kidding, he took the scheming male lead's script but went to the wrong filming site. 😂 Like he is a bright spot that elevating this “Mary Sue" drama. It was he who sustained me through the show.
Although I think you judge too heavily at time I still love you 😉😘 my fave is Ashes of Love
ruyi is awesome, i quit at the 44th episode, but until then I was totally hooked asking myself how could the writer do such a great job, I don´t think it could keep the pace for like 80 episodes, but this first 44 were higlly satisfyting in all aspects.
aww.. i kinda like heavy sweetness.. but its okay you feel that way
I really like Heavy Sweetness Ash Like Love. The story is actually really common and cliche. The female lead is not that much different than The Destiny of White Snake. But I still fell in love with it.
The Rising of the Phoenixes slo mo start for way too many episodes, does take off well into the series into nail biting drama, hard to stop watching. So glad I finished and for several reasons. First the stunning costumes & sets that must have cost a fortune to create! And like you say, the attention to details like perfect lightig, color and on set live recording are amazing! The acting was wonderful by most, especially of course Chen & Ni Ni. And most of all, Chen’s ability to portray such a deeply complex character is devastating! He pulls off perfectly a hero character that is also a villian … deeply conflicted as deeply committed to risking everything for what he believes is right. And with Ni Ni, such powerful chemistry …. worth watching again with a fast forward option here and there. Ni Ni’s understated acting & clean elegant beauty makes it hard to take your eyes & ears off of her in great wonder.
I agree with your comments completely, with Guardian I watched all 40 episodes, and at the end I wanted 20 more. With most other dramas it's more along the lines of I watch 20 episode and can't wait until it is over.
I agree with you about the actors not having the connection between the characters. I know that people say “they have a good chemistry” does not mean the characters are connecting. It is more like people follow their favourite actors and fall in love with them that makes them blind on the small flaws about the movie. I love watching Chinese films since I was a teenager, I am 61 y/o now yet still watching them. I cannot even understand Mandarin. Just love the stories though.
I see something different.
I’ve watched 23 ep of the rise of Phoenixes and I do really into it. I think there are strong chemistry between the male and female leads. I keep my face smiling all the time I watched them flirting😊
Anyway, thank you for sharing.
Haha anyone else loves it when she gets mad and ragey? It's so true -- THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE RIGHT HERE!!!!!!!! STOP MAKING LONG DRAMAAAAAAAAAAASSS
I personally loved 'Bloody Romance' ❤️
I love AvenueX as well ❣️
ciecie.... I am in love with Legend of Yun Xi and I am 40 years old.... am I childish
Yes the fast forward arrow has been my best friend lol. Out of all I only stay invested in Ashes of Love heh.
Your videos save lives. I only recently got into c-drama after I found “The Untamed” and enjoyed the heck out of it. Now that I’m looking for them, there are so many to choose from cross platform, it’s nice to get a heads up before I invest weeks of my life into a drama. Keep up the great work
Chen Kun and Nini's chemistry didn't appear until the part when she's playing as Wei Zhi. Going forward, their chemistry was fire. The ending was particularly tragic yet it justifies the title The Rise of Phoenixes. Simply brilliant.
AGREE. it is one of the best I watched, the chemistry is amazing and the production is as you said top notch. I hate tragic ending but I did understand it here .
Honestly The Rise of Phoenixes was mind bending for me. I adored it. My favorite part of it was that although there was a love story, the plot wasn't determined by the love story. The two main leads had their own individual journeys that would continue regardless of that romance plot. I think because of that, I didn't mind that the romance aspect took longer to really get moving because the romance isn't the main point. I want ning yi to win I want Zhi Wei to grow into herself and I want them to be together, but they didn't all have to happen at the same pace. For me the pace wasn't slow so much as it wasn't flashy and action packed. I watch that show over and over. It is honestly one of my favorite Chinese dramas ever.
I feel like you were definitely still in your Guardian love bubble here :D Rise of Phoenixes, Ashes of Love and Bloody Romance were all good shows. That ending to Bloody Romance though... I think I was traumatized for a month after. But in a good way. As you said, dramas should make you feel something
Thank you so much for this post, I learned a lot from you. It’s true the dramas’ from China are at times very very long and dragged out. Will be looking for your next post, again 🙏🏻
agree strongly with ashes of love. The lack of chemistry between the two leads is the worst thing about the drama for me (along with the way jinmi speaks in the beginning). I love quality lighting, writing, clothing,, etc as much as avenuex but for certain dramas I can look the other way as long as the leads have rich chemistry and i don't mind childish, generic cliche back and forth romance type plots either if executed well. I think ashes of love is decent in that area but I find myself not giving a shit about the leads relationship. (jinmi and the first prince is more interesting i personally feel) but i'm only at ep 19 so maybe that changes later
Wow lack chemistry between two leads? Do u mean ash of love? Unbelievable. Maybe I just blinded or u don't understand the story line? The female lead mother gives her a magical pill that prevents her from feeling and expressing romantic love when she was a baby....
haha different opinions i guess?
I understand the plot lol but i just don't care much for them as a couple lol.
i could be right hence so many people are more interested in the second male lead than the main couple but i could be wrong since this drama did blow up because of this pairing
@@shugoshugo123 second lead syndrome. I feel u lol
1st prince story more sad. Maybe if the plot make 1st prince successful marrying JinMin and having child and what happened for next plot is more interesting
yes !! the chemistry of the two leads on guardian was so good! that killied all the bad stuff and yes I sart watching asian dramas because they were shorter than the dramas on my country and I start watching chinese dramas because im learning chinese it worries me that alot of chinese dramas are becoming longer and longer thankyou your reviews are always helpful
GitanAnimex which country are u from??
GitanAnimex
I really enjoyed sweet heaviness. I think it’s very entertaining and the special effects are amazing! The three major characters did a fantastic job!
Thank you so much for your first impressions. :) I'm watching Ruyi right now and I understand what you mean. I personally can't immerse in the drama because they sometimes act too modern. Like I'm watching a historical chick fight drama, not a contemporary drama. As for The Rise of The Phoenix I hope they will upload it on YT, so I can finally watch it.
heavy sweetness I love the drama
Your commentary on lighting and length cracked me up. Thanks for another informative and entertaining video!
Rebecca Yuan I
What’s the intro song?
Ashe's of love is best. ....
But I really really don't recommend bloody romance to anyone, coz there's blood everywhere in it
Thank you! I have read the novel Heavy Sweetness Ash Like Frost, it was a short easy read. I did not care for the main female character as She was clueless. I’m currently reading Bloody Romance. Most people will not read Bloody Romance as it is violent erotica. I’m finding it difficult to read, not liking all the sexual violence. I don’t like Harem dramas so I will not be watching those. Suddenly This Summer is a drama you recommended,I like it. 👍😊
Anna Vega I also just finish the novel for heavy sweetheart! I couldn’t believe it was that short! But the novel was so good!!!
"Solid feelings".....and that's where Love and Destiny comes to fill the blanks! You re so right about TROP! Piece of art but not solid emotions, not empathy inspired to the audience!
It’s 2020 and I just finished The Rising of the Phoenixes (tian sheng chang ge)! The plot is SUPER draggy. I also felt like it resembled NIF.... the romance arc was painful for me because it just dragggggggggged. I skipped through so many episodes... 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ I feel like it could have ended at 50 episodes if there wasn’t so much filler. I have to say I really did notice the cinematography and quality of the clothing design in this drama. I wish I could compliment the whole team!!!! We need more of that. That’s how it’s done. You get a degree to produce results like that! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Ruyi’s Royal Palace has gifted me with anxiety every time I watch other IP dramas and there is an imperial harem. 😅
Ashes of Love was my favorite 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I watched every single episode. Hehehe. I’ve also watched it like 4 times to date.
Coming back and watching your review is really cool. Hahahahaha I love your comments about the lighting in Ashes of Love hahahahaha and Art Deco in heaven hahahahahaha. I love you!!!!!!!
The biggest issue with ashes of love for me is THE SECOND LEAD SYNDROME I’m feeling... so intense and it pisses me the fuck off
I started watching The Rise of Phoenixes on Netflix and I was curious to hear what you have to say about it. I’ve only watched the first episode and I agree about the Nirvana In Fire style for the plot.
Rise of the phoenix is soooo great....
I actually do like one of the dramas you reviewed on though I do agree with majority of your points such as the length of the dramas. As for the lightning of dramas, is there a link or website you know that talks more about this subject? It is very interesting how you go on describing your frustration with the lightning in Heavy Sweetness- Ashes of Love. Thank you for your reviews, they are very enlightening!
Ashes of Love main story was not really interesting to me, but the love story between actors Chen Yuqi (I love her in all the dramas I have seen her in) and Zou Ting Wei was worth it! Loved their characters and relationship!
I am 27 eps into Ruyi right now and I'm stuck. The script seems like that overrecycled concubine catfight drama I convinced myself I'd never watch again but somehow I found some good points. Not meaning to poke at the rival drama, but the dialogue and script seems more respectful of the audiences intelligence. Even the king knows what kind of drama happens in his inner court and kind of rolls his eyes at it. There is a situation that happens in around ep 20 that is very touching and make the love and trust between the king and Ruyi feel very real and grounded, which I find hard to see in inner court dramas where is one guy and many women vying for his attention. I will give it credit for that. Ruyi has so many issues, all the stuff you said is true, and even though I'm also watching it as a Ikea drama, I am enjoying it a lot. Don't really care about the copyright and inaccurate history behind the scenes drama as long as the drama itself holds up.
I'm checking out Ruyi now only because of Zhou Xun. She is so captivating onscreen and has such a commanding presence that I just can't look away from her.
Unfortunately, while I love Chinese Historical dramas, I hate it when they deal with inner court wars in the harem. I find it so stressful to watch conniving women try to take each other down because of a man. What I do love about her character so far after watching 20 eps is that she's generous and kind yet smart, a quick learner and someone who doles out punishment to those who attack her.
I really can't stand the emperor and will be excited when she falls out of love with him and fights on solely to protect those dear to her. But at 87 eps, we'll see if I make it through all that.
Hiiii AvenueX, I have been trying to find another video of your combine review. I remember you talking about legend of white snake and the drama which you didn't put it on the thumbnail because all the video that criticize it were taken down!!! I couldn't find that one😭😭😭😭
thank you so much for your videos. I enjoy you so much, even when you are telling me about dramas that you're not crazy about. I do hope you fine at least a couple in the second part of the year that you like. I'm currently enjoying an older drama on N'tfl'x called Auntie Douhe ... a drama that has all of the qualities you wish current dramas had. We're on episode 25 and I'm already saddened by the fact that there are only 34 episodes in all. These are definitely characters that I think about during the day; in fact, I feel I live in their neighborhood with them and will go through mourning when the series ends.
No one can beat Guardian lol😂😂
I totally agree with your opinion on Ashes of love. I somehow made it through and my favourite moment is when the main lead finally died (temporarily). That CG scene is actually decent. Everything else is pretty much 没事找事。
omg ashes of love god, they had the juicyness but they fucked it all up man. the editing has all these freaking continuity errors. the actors were in one position in the medium shot, then jump to another position in the wide shot, then revert back? god! ruined the suspension of disbelief. and im so angry cuz the main actors r p okay actually. they just didnt shoot them right and fhjofpihugijwftng damn it. ALSOOO the actor for the older brother dragon dude is good looking enough to command attention but fucking god he commands zero authority. dude is like my kid brother. which is FINE IF THEY SHOT HIM and EDITED EVERYTHING CORRECTLY .but no, they kept all these weird bad takes of full body shots, in which u can visibly see the actors adjust their body positions awkwardly and adjusting to stand up straighter. .. i jus cant. f.
p.s. there's no sincerity of emotions, really flat dialogue. the characters don't really care about each other. ok a good part is when the dragon was begging for his mom's life and said something along the lines of "i dont want anything else" okay that was ok. but thennnn it got ruined again in the next moment when his mom died and he yelled "mooooom" fur real guys. go watch that shit and think about if u would yell like that when ur mom died in front of u. that was a my iphone got smashed yell not a my mom freaking just died yell.
Thanks for the reviews! Since you're uploading videos some videos only on bilibili because of copyrights etc, you should include your bilibili link in the description as well! I really enjoyed watching the Guardian/ Somewhere edit that you made
For me if the synopsis of the drama captures my attention I will give it a try. Especially if it’s featuring actors I’m not familiar with.
I understand Avenue X’s views and frustrations but sometimes what bothers one person may not be that big a deal to another. For example, Princess Agents did not get a good review here and a lot of it was due to the lighting and set stuff...I decided to try it anyway and loved it! So fun and entertaining and the actors and plot were really good. The characters and scenes are so memorable to me. I knew they were planning a sequel so the cliffhanger “ending” did not trouble me.
Totally agree with you! Well maybe because avenuex had to make reviews so she needs to be more attentive in every aspects. As for us we watch just to enjoy the drama. Small flaws can be disregard. As for princess agents, i still remember how emotionally invested i was with that drama and the last time i was that invested was with nirvana in fire. Although there were flaws in plot and technical aspects but it was still enjoyable. It was not as bad as how most people reacted. I guess it comes down to preference and tolerance.
For me as long as the characters and script are very well written then i can overlook the production quality and draggy/ridiculous plotline like nothing gold can stay which i super lovee all the characters and the scripts were amazing despite the merry-go-round plot. This is why i prefer cdram over kdrama and i have high tolerance for really long cdrama lol
I think in the end it's all about how you personally feel. People can give bad review of movie or drama but if you love it, you love it. And that's okay
I think PA's theme and character arcs were really well done. The leads all evolved through the course of the series in such a believable and emotional way. I cared about all of them. And it was just so sweet and heartbreaking to see YWY fall for Xing'er and vice versa.
I agree, I think people started to say negative things because they didn't like the ending. I guess I avoided that anger because I knew in advance lol
In terms of length I think 50ish episodes is right for epic historicals. Anything longer scares me a little bit haha.
I’ve seen the Phoenixes twice and I loved it.
Off topic but any insight to why certain Chinese dramas are remade over and over again?! Like Legend of White Snake and Swordsman. I’m so very curious.
I actually think it would be a really cool idea if you could do a review recommendations sort of thing, where you go over you favourite dramas in a certain time period, e.g. 1990’s, 2000’s, 2010’s etc!
I think that’s a good idea!!! There were so many popular drama that came out like pearl princess and Chinese paladin back in the early 2000.
@@coldheart520 haha yay one of my rare good ideas!! Yeah, those were really good!! It would be cool to include ones from different genres as well, for instance in the mystery crime genre, I really enjoyed 神探狄仁杰 😁😁
Another one of my favourite time periods for dramas was the 1980's, so many good dramas 😍
Amy R good idea. I might make a video
@@coldheart520 awesome! I would definitely watch it if you do!!!
Very good and accurate review...100% accuracy. i watch the shows subbed but none has managed to keep me engrossed. All i took away was the Bloody Romance OST..Thanks
Spot on, as always. I like the combined first impression.
I agree with you on Ashes of love. I couldn’t keep watching that type of character. It felt too silly to me. Ruyis royal love dragged but got better. I loved it but it’s so depressing I don’t think I could watch the whole thing ever again. The other ones I didn’t watch and probably won’t based on your review.
Another video! You’re amazing!
I genuinely enjoy watching your reviews on these dramas but i am starting to get the impression that you have a pretty high standard for all of the dramas. Lol. I think it’s good to provide honest reviews but also important to stay objective and sensitive to your audiences. I really liked “Rise of the Phoenixes” and a lot of the comments in this section say it well. There was something wanting about the chemistry between the two leads. A lack of passion despite how convincing they played their roles. Can’t say much about the other dramas. I think you have what it takes to make a phenomenal channel. Keep up the awesome work!
AvenueX: i would listen to the song not watch the drama
me: lol i did that
I think you're referring to what we call in the West as "chemistry" between couples. No matter how skilled the acting, if there is no "magic" between the lead actors, the entire story falls flat.
"Emotionally invested" is what I refer to a story where it randomly creeps into your thoughts.
Extremely long (over 50 episodes) or pitifully short (40 or less), dramas IMHO, fall prey to poor story pacing. A drama can drag, or end abruptly, with no apparent logic.
Thank you for your excellent analysis! You have made me become a much more discerning viewer of Chinese dramas!
I actually liked Bloody Romance but I felt they could've done a better ending and changed certain parts of the story and for some reason it reminded me of certain parts of a book series called Throne of Glass
I heard a lot about Ashes of love. I couldn’t make it past 16 episodes. There are many xian xian dramas like this which are just using the same hit formula and redoing the same plot with few changes here n there. Ten miles peach blossoms is my first cdrama, I loved it so much, it was so fresh to me at that time, the fantasy world, costumes for a first timer. Now every xian xian I watch, it’s just the same old story, it’s no longer fun.
I agree, these shows are so long, I really struggle to decide to start one. Yanxi Palace is the longest one I've watched (and the only "chick fight" show I've watched). I really liked it. But I couldn't watch Ruyi. I tried. I think your videos are really helping me be a critical viewer and not waste my time on bad shows.
The ones I've watched and enjoyed so far are NiF (10/10!), Yanxi Palace, Guardian, The Untamed, Medical Examiner Dr. Qin season 1 (法医秦明), 3 Miles of Peach Blossoms... hmm maybe Scarlet Heart.
I'm wondering if I should watch The Longest Day in Chang'an.
I absolutely LOVE Ashes of Love. The actors, their chemistry, acting and plot is just perfect in my opinion. Its really good. Ashes of Love raised my standards sooo high.... I Personally I loved it. Other than that, I also really like The rise of phoenixes.
Thanks for the great honest comments.
Hello !
I really enjoyed this video and I love your channel.
But I must disagree with you about Ruyi Royal love in the Palace.
I personally think that Ruyi and QianLong Emporor had a really beautiful connection and really beautiful chemistry while they were acting on this drama.
I personally love the story, the script, how well does scenario has been written.
But I am must agree with you on the really dragging phase of this drama. I remember I was skipping really much in some of the episodes. But the story was so amazing that at the end of the drama I cried really hard and it’s been a really long time since a drama made me cry.
I have not tried any of these dramas so no specific opinion but I certainly understand that new dramas are certainly disappointing. I remember Princess Agents was my first C-drama and got me curious about them. The first few episodes were great, then I found @AvenueX then watched NIF 1 and Empresses in Palace ( probably why I am partial to period dramas). I keep waiting for new dramas that would be on par with these dramas but not happening. Although its being only a year for me in C- drama land. I can imagine the frustration from people who have watched for a every long time. Same problem I have with recent Western dramas...nothing new, we have seen it all.