Judge Dee vs. White Cat Legend - How NOT to Make DETECTIVE Dramas...[CC]
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- My 2nd Channel:
/ @avenuextra
Get 3 Extra Months for Free on An Annual Plan with Express VPN:
www.expressvpn.com/avenuex
AvenueX's Dramaland on Discord:
/ discord
My Website and shop
avenuex.ca
Extra Drama Related Videos on Avenue Extra @ Hotpot.TV
hotpot.tv/titl...
Buy me a coffee at
ko-fi.com/avenuex
For more stuff on Drama and other fun things:
Instagram
/ avenuex
Facebook
/ avenuexofficial
Tumblr
/ avenuex123
｡:.ﾟヽ(*´∀`)ﾉﾟ.:｡
![6 Most Re-Watched Chinese Period Dramas 1990s-2010s [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D0EWJNLzdu8/mqdefault.jpg)
![6 Most Re-Watched Chinese Period Dramas 1990s-2010s [CC]](/img/tr.png)
![Unexpected Cute Xian Xia with ... Probable Plot Crash Ahead - Back From the Brink [CC]](/img/n.gif)
‚White Cat Legend‘ may not have the most engaging cases, and it certainly spends a bit much time on side characters, but I found the characters refreshingly non-toxic and kind.
There is proper communication, some characters have good intentions but still fail because of bad habits and so far, no out-of-the-blue, unbelievable lovey-dovey stuff.
Maybe, it‘s a low bar, but after so many dramas where I just wanted to yell at one or several lead characters constantly for being horrible and/or completely nonsensical human beings, I take this drama as balm for my soul.
I like both dramas. Judge Dee is a better because zhou yo wei is a great actor. The mysteries themselves are not the best but I have thoroughly enjoyed the dramas. Definitely better than all the sappy love love stories.
I've just finished the White Cat Legend and found it very enjoyable. Yes, the cases are somewhat murky in the first part of the drama, but later it all comes together nicely. Excellent villains.A very satisfying Vox Populi in the end. Side characters are given enough development to become multidimensional. A very commendable drama for Ryan Ding and everyone else involved.
I'm also in a drought, I've barely looked at any new 2024 dramas, none felt worth my time. Looking forward to your looking back to Cdrama's history. I started watching The Story of Minglan because of your previous video on most rewatched, and it is such a gem!
The only one I watched was fighting for love and judge dee mysteries season 1
I loved Minglan & cried for her when the mother of Chu Yi-long's character managed to keep them apart.
there is a general drought everywhere. it is not like kdramas are delivering blockbusters either.
Yong'an Dream is ok.
I've lost count how many times I've rewatched Story of Minglan. In my book, it's up there with BBC's Pride and Prejudice.
I actually have enjoyed watching Judge Dee. It’s a good change up from what I’m used to watching. Plus I love the main lead!
How can you be gorgeous in every video. All the colors of clothing, accessories & lip stick are matching. I really love your look today😍
I'm more interested in your fashion style more than those boring dramas😅
I love judge Dee mysteries. Love the ml. He is one of my fav chinese actors.
For those who like stories about Judge Dee, the older adaptation called 神探狄仁杰 is pretty good and very memorable.
reallly love that older adaptation!!definitely worth a watch, especially during this drought!
Thank you but coule you please provide the title in english ?hope it has english subtitles.thank you again
I quite like judge Dee actually. The cases are getting better, because it gets more and more existential as it goes along. Like, what's right, what's wrong, should the law always be followed to the letter...
I mean, it's not the best series ever, that's for sure. It has a lot of flaws, mostly the cast, I agree. But it's not bad either.
Haven't finished watching yet, though, so it can still go down the drain 😂
to be fair i agree, the only reason i carry on with white cat legend is vecause if ding yuxi - i find his acting really good and i wish he was in more groundbreaking roles
Same here. Just watching his varied facial expressions is interesting.
@@camillemajeauledoux3991 im carrying on with love you seven times, I've seen like 15 episodes and gosh he potrays pain and love so good 😭😭
@@AX8N Ding Yuxi is a great actor. I hope he gets more meaty roles in the future. He looks younger than he is and I think that may have limited the type of roles he has gotten. I enjoyed Love You Seven Times because of Ding Yuxi. When he wasn't on the screen I was bored. I have enjoyed all his dramas, but especially Love between tiger and Rose and Moonlight.
I like white cat legend better n instantly into my top bucket fav drama, the plot is light but still deep. Everytime i wonder the character in the series also gives explaination n understanding to viewer possible question. I actually didnt intend to watch but as i watched its unexpectedly good and ding yuxi/we zheming really great at their roles. I fell so deep as ultimate note interm of the relationship between li bing and qiu qing zhi like wu xie and zhang qi ling. ❤
Hold my beer! 😂 I did read some of the Di Ren Jie books by Robert Gulik, in Hungarian. This particular collection, the famed cases, didn't get translated to Hungarian, however, I did recognise some of the cases that got changed for the drama. The murders are so modern, think 21st century psychopath, that would never pass censorship. In the books, Di Ren Jie has exceptional martial arts skills!!!! In the books, Ma Rong is a womaniser male. In the books, there's no Miss Cao, Di Ren Jie has 3 wives so that they can play mahjong.
Why do you think they made so many changes?
judge dee here is still young, so still unmarried. the assistants do feel in character, but judge dee himself feels different.
the books featured a lot of torture and the "detective" portion would not work for modern audiences. i mean, judge dee sometimes prays and gets clues to cases via dreams and relied so much on confessions more than evidences. but still the cases/crimes themselves were enjoyable, and I read them when I was young so many things surprised me
as
China has shitty scriptwriting and directing problems. i guess only 5% works.
yes, that MARTIAL ARTS Cnetz complained; Van Gulick described that Di RenJie has great martial arts skills.
Until now, I still had no idea why the writer changed Ma Rong to Female.
I read some of these, but you are right, they are too x-rated to be filmed, if not for the crimes, for the punishments!
I mostly watch White Cat Legend for Li Bing and Chen Si's interactions, the fact that Li Bing was a cat when they first met is cute and funny and still very much impacts how they treat each other.
it's the same for me. The friendships between all of the side characters are worth watching and i am having a lot of fun seeing Li bing treating Chen Shi like a little brother and watching out for him. It's so cute
Are you able to see this drama now? Coz for me it says this video is hidden. I can't watch it anymore 😭
@@darkhorse7755 for me everything is still available
I soo agree with you about the drama drought so far this year...i am really disappointed that there hasn’t been a single drama yet which can make me feel excited
I hope the upcoming months serve us better..
I am still processing which Cdrama I finished watching this year. I mostly watch Kdrama, Lakorn and Jdrama until this February, and it might be until April.
We never had the exact time when Cdrama would release their projects, unlike Kdrama or Jdrama.
I enjoy seeing how you dress for these videos-thank you for that effort. I have been watching Di because Zhou Yiwei. As a Western viewer I am still thrilled by the sets in these shows. I have had issues with the additional characters, too, but am going to continue to watch and see.
I love your lipstick and how it matches your jewelry. I’m watching the Dee drama because of the main actor. I fell in love with him in the Rebel Princess.
Hello AvenueX! You look stunning today! Love the outfit
I'm also in a drought. Funny that you brought up the short drama situation because I just watched 2 of them. I'm not the biggest fan of short dramas too but I wanted to see how these new actors perform while I'm waiting for my anticipated longer form dramas.
One thing I noticed, to my laughing enjoyment, in the original Detective Dee drama, is how the director gets the exposition of theories with the use of Dee's 'walk-around' the whole room, with all the scene's cast following.
Cracked me up every time !
Judge Dee is one of the dramas I watched in 2024. While it could have been better, I wouldn't say it's bad either. I would definitely watch Judge Dee season 2 when it comes out. The negative review is a bit too harsh.
Loving Judge Dee and happy to hear there are more seasons to come. Zhou Yiwei is one of my favorite Cdrama actors since Rebel Princess and Longest Day in Chang'an. I like the way he carries himself in this and his outfits are a bit over the top. I'm crazy about his love interest but the sidekicks are lacking. I'm reading the stories by the Dutch author at the same time. Haven't started White Cat Legend yet.
I'm enjoying Judge Di Mysteries. I have read and seen many many detective dramas from the sedate puzzles of Conan Doyle to the action-packed series of NCIS. I also read van Gulik's novel several decades ago, I don't remember much about these novels (I read them almost 50 years ago) but I do remember that they had the same almost decorous quality in the writing, which made them more like novels than mysteries, and was a part of the era they came out of. That being said, there is more than one way to slice a detective story, and plots are not the only virtue of detective stories, or any story for that matter. (By the way can you really call this IP material when it's in the public domain? I don't know, but I do know its usage is no longer subject to the laws of intellectual property.) The two sidekicks exist in the novels, only they are both men. Ma Rong is a concession, which I don't mind, to contemporary thinking, and one you must admit was unlikely throughout most of Chinese history, just like all the skilled female martial artists found in most C-dramas. Just having a compulsive female thief as a subordinate official is a leap of imagination. As for the acting, it's not really much different than in most Chinese dramas, but the excesses I attribute to the director, not the actors. It's the director who watches the actors and is in charge of adjusting the tone. I haven't watched the White Cat series, but I may give it a go. I like cats.
Shanghai Blossoms actors also acted for the camera/director.
Trust me, Judge Dee has absolutely NOTHING to do with the original novel series, except some characters & vague versions of some cases. The books were inspired by the Ming dynasty novel Di Gung An, which was also translated by Van Gulik. He therefore wrote the first novels more or less in that style, completely with deliberate anachronisms from that time & ink illustrations in Ming style. The stories are very ingenious, intricate & understated. Some minor palace intrigue & hardly any romance for our hardworking Judge. I'm hoping that at least this drama will rekindle interest in the novels so perhaps a series can be made that actually does them justice.
That said I do like the creativity with which drama was added, and changing one of his aides into a woman was a good idea too. But I don't think I'm continuing much further 🙄
Greatly enjoyed White Cat Legend :) especially the last few episodes flew by too fast since they were very tight in plot and resolving all open ends, so exciting to watch and loved the whole cast, they played very well and the roles suited the individuals. Will def rewatch soon.
Personally recommend if u need smthg not heavy and fun to watch~
I feel like zhou yiwei's acting might translate well to a nonchinese audience. I don't understand the language so reading subtitles plus watching his acting gives me a fuller picture that i may not get because of subtleties of word choice or inflections. I really became a fan from watching this show even if the pacing is a little slow at times.
At first I thought...cool....I can come here and get suggestions for Chinese dramas. And then I started jumping around from one review to the next and my blood pressure went up and I've got a headache. So...at best...I'll use your channel as a source list for what's out there. But not for the review. To each his own but for me ...I just like to escape and not to think too much about the structure or logic of a story.
Agree totally
Yep
Yeahhh I agree, I feel like these reviews are SUPER critical, and some things that get pointed out are things a casual or normal viewer wouldn't pick up on, etc. whereas someone who's knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the industry can dissect it down even more. Which I gettttt but it sorta puts you in this corner of like, well if someone more knowledgeable than me says it's BAD then I shouldn't watch it when in hindsight it's could be really enjoyable for someone less critical. I love this channel because I found so many dramas through it but I've honestly given up on watching review videos because they feel far too over critical. But like you said each to their own
I disagree to a point. Story is important to me, and character actions. I dont care about cine stuff ... I still watch old Dr Who from the 70s.
Its the story that keeps me watching.
These reviews cover all aspects, and you should listen to what she doesn't like, and if that matters to you, then you have a solid review. A few of the ones she didn't complete were well worth it to me, but I still appreciated her review.
I'm watching Judge Di's Mystery as I watching! Mostly, I love Zhou Yi Wei.
Same!!!! There's such a drought right now. Looking forward to your lists and comments on older films. Really appreciated your rewatch worthy list.
I prefer white cat legend because they have a goal to achieve at the same time the cases occurred but judge dee, I do not know what mystery they solve . Judge dee always focus on the musician girl who always seen melancholic. And I do not understand the empress purpose to protect the people. Previous de renjie was very calm not attached to any girl specifically and very observant. This de renjie looked messy and predicted wrongly all the time and his character not so great
I feel like after "A Journey to Love," there's so many male groups/missions drama coming out. It just doesn't hit the same way JTL did & lacks lots of things (storyline, characters development, casting, production team, and understanding the assignment) .
This is how I feel too. I haven't been able to find any good drama since "A Journey to love"
There was just something special about "A Journey to love" that other recent dramas can't replicate. From the production to the story to the many different plots, it's just on a different level!!!
I hope we get good dramas soon and end this dry spell
Not really. A lot of them were filmed before AJTL but released after it.
I am mainly watching White Cat legend for the friendship and interactions between all of the characters. It is so refreshing to see a group of people properly communicating and being kind and supportive towards each other. There is absolutly zero rivalry going on and they try their best to be helpful. I love how Chen Shi is kinda the little brother of all of them. So for me the case solving isn't actually the main part why i watch the drama haha
Same ..i like white cat legend so much coz of friendship n the drama can make me lough
Yeahhhh… Admittedly, if you want better crime cases with intriguing twists and turns and compelling character motivations, you should just check out the original manhua and donghua for _White Cat Legend._ 🤣
And for anyone curious, the story admittedly doesn’t focus _as much_ on “regular” crime either in the manhua/donghua, but there’s still really intriguing criminal and corruption and such cases overall, with some fascinating larger, overarching mysteries that happen to deal with the supernatural ahaha.
I’ve honestly been curious how the _White Cat Legend_ cdrama would adapt the manhua/donghua, and while I would’ve loved a proper dark retelling of its plot, I can also kind of live with the more comedic and playful tone.
For one, the series itself does already have a comedic undertone to it, although it does occasionally get dark… But also, I was curious how they’d manage Li Bing, the iconic anthropomorphic white cat main character of _White Cat Legend,_ and having him shapeshift into a more normal CGI cat is-in my opinion-kind of clever!
Mostly because the show clearly doesn’t have a budget for a more realistic CGI cat, so a full-on, proper anthro cat would probably look even more uncanny lol.
Which is why even though I _would_ love a more faithful adaptation, the _White Cat Legend_ cdrama seems decently popular so far so I don’t mind. It’s nice seeing more fans get into it, and I do enjoy Ding Yuxi’s acting and at least the characters generally carry their original personalities. Plus, the donghua already exists anyway, and _that_ is, I think, already close enough to a masterpiece-both as a series in its own right but also as an adaptation-so I’m satisfied. 😌
You could even watch the cdrama as a way to relieve yourself of the darker elements of the manhua/donghua-kind of like how _Mo Dao Zu Shi Q_ was advertised as the healing balm for _Mo Dao Zu Shi_ proper! 😆
The Duke Wen Hui of Liang (Di RenJie), "Huai Ying's" portrait is hanging at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (look for East Asian portraits).
I enjoyed WCL and figured it was suitable for a 14 year old. Well, I'm many, many decades older than that, but I found it a great deal of fun. The characters are interesting and comical. Some episodes were easy to predict, but I hope that they create a second series. Sometimes you just want your tv program to spirit you away from day to day life. I enjoyed WCL.
Totally agree ! I got lost watching Judge Dee drama in the first couple episodes. Not well written. Make me miss those back in day’s dramas ( 80’s & 90’s TVB dramas eras ) that were so well written with so many great characters, actors and actresses storylines! ❤
One of my fav case breaking dramas is 2008 TVB show "The Four"
yes please more videos on older dramas or dramas that you may have missed! like when you reviewed autumn’s concerto. would love to see a video from you on 三悦有了新工作 or more list videos
I think she made a review on Song Of Life when it was released in 2022
I love the costume. Appreciate the effort, love the aesthetics. Thank you for the updates and comments, I'll check on that.
I love Judge Dee movies and that's why i am watching it now, but it seems like i couldn't love the drama the way i love the movies
I have not watched Judge Dee series although I recall watching a movie back in 2010-ish time which I really enjoyed. There were movies afterwards but I don't recall if I liked them. Cat Judge I actually enjoyed, although some characters were too...overwhelming in their personalities. Still, I watched the entire series and enjoyed it.
Okay, western viewer here. So, I am really enthralled with the period of the early Tang Dynasty. I would love to watch a properly subtitled epic centered on Taizong's life. Unfortunately, I've yet to find one with good subtitles. That said to my very shallow eyes, I'll watch just about anything set in that period because it is so bloody gorgeous. Post Wu, I find it too tragic. But if I could cast my dream Tang drama, it would have Han Zhang, and Xu Zhengxi as the good guys, no love triangles, and Xu Lu and He Du Juan as their romantic leads respectively. Still, I think I'll be watching Judge Dee as comfort food because I know the character and to see the pretties.
I really applaud you for watching more than 10 episodes 😅
Btw, I love KFC 😂
'Fast-food' are simple, delicious, and fulfilling.
meanwhile "eternal brothers" (紫川) air dropped today...
Yes, just saw that. I‘ve watched to mid episode 3 so far and don‘t really know how to feel about it.
Is the book it‘s based on a fictive historical story (With our real-world logic applying, plus some Wuxia elements), or is it set in a fantasy world, with elves and orcs, as some subtitles suggest?
@@venanziadorromatagni1641Novel and donghua are Western-style fantasy aimed at male audience. I watched a few eps of donghua some time ago. Pretty standard story and characters. Don't remember ML's brothers. Do remember ML has at least a couple male and one female sidekicks. In addition to forcefully converting to Chinese costume fantasy drama, script seems to have changed a lot of other stuff.
@@keekeepodI think Ice Fantasy is really the last major C-drama adoption that keep the theme of western style in the novel. It's more expensive to do (can't use generic sets and cloth from the studio) and it tends to end up like a LoTR or GoT cosplay rather a drama.
I'm watching both stories at the same time and quite enjoy it.
Judge Di is more "serious" when it comes to detective stories, and I actually enjoyed some of the differences from the book. This allows to still be interested in the story till the end. The girl (that was a man in novels) is a bit annoying, to be honest - but overall i like to watch it when I have time. This is younger version of Judge Di -- before he had all the wives, but in the Gulik's book he was a good fighter too - he was practicing martial arts, was training when he was travelling from one place to another and even had a famous sword.
When I don't really have time and want something much lighter - I come for the Legend of a white cat. I like how I can giggle on jokes, not really follow the plot line too much and still have fun with it.
I haven't seen any of the actors in these TV series before ( not many CN shows reach to us in good quality), but I think all of them are doing good enough job to keep watching!
Sorry, but I like White Cat Legend, but it is not really a focused mystery because there might be too may cliques that pull the show apart. Li Bing and Chen Si form a pair until Li Bing goes solo, and the Mingjing Hall four go another way and then Mu Shengguan and her sidekick go another way. She wasn't in the web comic, I've heard.like the Ma Rong character in Judge Dee. Her problem was that her role is a combination of two male characters plus unrequited love squeezed in, too. They want to make Dee a heroic sleuth and fighter but that leaves his assistants with less to do. Thank you.
I dropped both dramas too. However, I know AvenueX only watched 1 episode of The Hunter and dropped it, but beyond the first episode, it's actually one of the best dramas for me this year. Anyone needing a fix of something like The Knock-out crossed with The Long Night, this is for you.
I like xukai's drama sword and fairy 6 and think it's a good opening drama of the year. The second half in my opinion is better than the first half, this is a very good drama that can be enjoy for more than the romance, it also has friendship and family relationship and it highlight the heroism that Chinese paladin is known for ❤
The case breaking drama I liked this year was "Forensic Examiner Song Ci" I have yet to check on Detective Dee.
Concerning the kung fu part of Dee Ren Jie, in the Andy Lau version Dee Ren Jie was also good at fighting, I guess the Marc Chao version as well (I haven't watched it)
I tried to like Judge Dee but I don’t know why it keeps making me doze off 😅 I’ll continue but it’s not my priority drama right now. Another thing is I heard from novel readers that Judge Dee is good at martial arts so that part is accurate.
Meanwhile, Always on the Move is a very good drama that I enjoyed a lot. The characters are all very well-developed and memorable. It’s doing very well in China.
Judge Dee was perfect.....I disagree with your review 😮
I actually kinda liked judge Dee`s mysteries. yes, not all the cases are great, but I enjoyed watching it.
plus I just loved Qiao Tai and Ma Rong right from the start.
I'll watch it for Ding Yuxi because I just really love his acting. It might not be perfect but it always keeps my attention. Especially when he acts with other characters. And I want more stories to know investing in CGI like the cat is worth it. It might not be perfect but it's a fun fantasy element I'm all here for. First episode was cute, if silly, which gave me the vibe it wasn't about the plot but the story, if that makes sense. And I'm ok with that. Trying to be okay with the more Office format of shows where I'm there to watch the characters and shut off my brain to the plot a little.
I actually made it through all episodes of Judge Dee. It was torturing, but to me, it got better the second half of it. I really enjoyed the case with zry in it.
Would love more compilation videos! An interesting one would be like the most 爆 dramas. Ones that come to mind from recent years would be like Story of Yanxi Palace, All is Well, The Bad Kids, The Knockout, etc
I see Eternal Brotherhood with Liu Yuning just dropped. Hope you check it out and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Aww, I had hoped you would watch then review The Spirealm since it's been a getting a lot of buzz for being the BL drama that got dropped almost immediately after it's released in full.
After listening to this review, I went to watch White Cat Legend, and absolutely agreed with the review. I was so bored! The only thing IMO is watching the male lead act and yes, the sweetness of the sidekick.
Your lighting looks bomb today
I only finished two dramas this year and only did so because I like the actors, really hope a few surprise dramas will come out this year
I also dropped Detective Dee. I had high hopes for it and was so disappointed.
It’s sad about the dramas, but you look like the spring goddess heralding a better Chinese drama land future sure to come, with those flowers in your hair.
Agreed. The girl in Judge Dee is VERY annoying!
The Ma Rong character is annoying!
I finished watching all 32 episodes of Judge Dee. While I definitely agree that the cases were lackluster, I think his character is interesting in how he sticks to the law even in situations most others wouldn't. I really enjoyed the 3 part mystery of episodes 19, 20 and 21. The archer was really interesting and I enjoyed how his morals played as a foil to Judge Dee's.
To be honest, the mystery was pretty weak but I still think these episodes were worth a watch even if you have to suspend your disbelief. I liked the way their beliefs played off one another.
Great lighting in your video! ❤❤❤
Feels like you held back on the juicy bits of what was wrong with these dramas.
I've only watched Judge Dee's so far and it ain't up to scratch.
But, I do know that sometimes it takes a couple of seasons before some series gets to a level worth raving about. I'm hoping that's the case with Dee's.
Personally, I can't stand the flag waving for the Empress and the blatant overlooking of how she breaks the law, 'but, that's OK because she's a woman and a historic figure'
Plus a couple of projecting today's values into a history that wouldn't give it time of day.
At the end of the day, it's pure fiction, with plenty of flag waving.
oh no, disappoint! I began watching Judge Dee but I had to watch on Youku and couldn't deal with the commercial interruptions. When is Strange Tales 2 coming out???
Judge Dee I stopped watching because I was bored to no end however I like White Cat Legend because it’s funny and there is some naïveté among the characters that makes room for development. Whereas Judge Dee this character takes himself way too serious and can’t do any wrong. Thank you for your review.
Not only has there not been any drama which caught my eye this year. But I really struggle with finding a drama to get me excited, last year there was three body, lost you forever, young blood 2, Shanghai blossoms that before they aired I was really excited to see what it will turn out to be. But this year the list is just so bland, so I really hope some can give me a surprise
I’m only out here looking forward to joy of life and lost you forever season 2.
Нет нет нет! Пожалуйста, досмотрите про судью Ди до конца. Дальше начинается самое интересное, особенно дуэль со стрелами) Даже игра после середины становится лучше и помощники судьи Ди - самые верные помощники! мне понравилось и жду продолжение.
今天《紫川》空降六集，希望不要像這兩部劇讓人太失望。
I tried Judge Dee, and it doesn't have anything to with the novels, besides the name and for some reason they turned it into an action spy drama with power struggles and genius, Sherlock Holmes type of detective. I didn't even last it an episode.
I find Judge Dee interesting, although I like the books better. The story with the brother was unnecessary and pointless. I will be watching the next seasons, for sure.
By the way, in van Gulick's books, Dee is a large imposing man, good at martial arts, relatively young (between 32 and 40 - at the time of various criminal cases) and has a long black beard. Very reserved and very moral. He has three wives, definitely appreciates female beauty, although he is not too impressionable.
I'm trying to stick with Judge Dee. I like the main characters, especially Ma Rong. The episodes do drag a bit though.
《紫川》-Eternal Brotherhood 目前8集的質感比想像中好。希望不要像阿麥一樣被編劇魔改。
You articulated what I was struggling to put into words about how I feel about short dramas , I feel like it's a medium that doesn't work for good storytelling, everything is so rushed and doesn't have an impact, you need more than 5 minutes to get to know a character, doesn't help that the creators aren't seeking new ways to tell their stories for this new medium, I feel like in order for it to work it needs to be more abstract, almost avant garde lol
more creative visuals and less tropes please
It's good to have my opinions on these two drama's confirmed. After about twelve episodes of WCL I had already started scrolling through big chunks and finally gave up. With JD I only lasted a few episodes. I found both series boring.
网剧《唐人街探案2》is out, I like the stories in previous one, except last 4 episodes. So I have high hope for this one. Like you said,we are in drought now.
Good idea ..
Let's make a past revival of old historical/Espionage Chinese Drama :
Let's make a Yu Hewei special episode 🎉🎉
Pleaaaase😊
I love the comparison of Tik tok short reel type of dramas to KFC & McDonalds lmaaoo
BRAVO!!! ( Great stand up and CHEER! ) You came in with the might of a dragon 🐉 and roared the truth!
Right now I guess all the bigger, ready-to-air productions are trying not clash slot with Joy of Life 慶餘年 S2 and The Legend of Shen Li 與鳳行 that might air anytime? 😅😂
I have read all the Judge Dee books by van Gulick. Where do I find these online? Any chance there will be an English subtitled version? I want to see this series. I have dreamed these stories as movies since the 1980s.
I like Zhou Yiwei in The Rebel Princess. And he was great as an older brother in Our Glamorous Times with Zhao Liying.
Watching white cat legend after watching Strange tales of Tang dynasty is total disaster( for my watching experience).. ep 1 up to 4 the case has not made any progress, then suddenly the murderer appear in ep5.. then i was like, how?when?ehhh? My brain is confused.. 😅 i probably enjoyed it more if i havent watch STOTD 1&2..
Gave Judge Dee a chance, since it's on Netflix now, first 2 episodes really didn't hook me at all. Which is a shame, the production quality is decent, but the arson scene was quite poor, really took away the emotional aspect of it. And the series set the main character up to be quite unpleasant, the lady said "sorry we're closed" like 3 times, I would have buggered off elsewhere with my friend for a drink really, instead of unwittingly forcing her hand by sitting down ( I know his friend was the one who insisted it, but he could have strong-armed him away in that context, instead of acting like 2 drunk jerks, who weren't even drunk.)
Wouldve worked for me if they made this Di Renjie to be goofy like Zhou Jie's Bao Zheng, but they made this character to be cool, witty and clever, setting themselves and the audience up for disappointment.
I dropped both of those dramas after two episodes. There hasn't been (almost) any watchable C-drama since the start of this year. Not even currently airing K-dramas are good, I guess everyone's out of ideas. 😔
Fighting for Love is quite good.
@@lindalee8793 Beginning is good but now I found myself fast forwarding a lot. I think I am determined to finish it.
I even watched a Thai drama on Netflix out of desperation, and it was actually rather good. I think it's a dystopia called Ready, Set, Love.😂
I like some of the short dramas as they delete some of the dryness and filler aspect of long 36-40 episode dramas. But I get some 12-16 episode dramas leave me scratching my head.
As a mystery show watcher from the westerner point of view. I have to take your point of view of the inability to be traditional Chinese. I throughly like Judge Di cases. I have a strong fondness for Judge Di Mysteries. I love his ability to be non traditional character. But I also agree with you about the female character it's very hard to watch at times.
So far, nothing good came out in 2024 in cdramaland. Lots of average or below average dramas. I have been catching up on older dramas I have not watched in the previous few years. So if you have an idea to review some older dramas, some hidden gems, I'll be all ears 😂❤❤❤
Both dramas I've watched and dropped. Biggest problem for both dramas : both are boring. The pacing for both dramas are off and too much time was spent on characters introduction in the early portion, so much so that by the time the cases come, you just lost interest.
For crime drama, I’m now watching an old drama on UA-cam Love Me if You Dare, which is quite good in spite of it short comings and the story being more like an idol romance drama. Still it’s an interesting drama as compared to the two new dramas.
Agreed.. I haven't watch any c-drama since last year 😢
aiyaa, I really fell out of love both of them. now I'm catching up on some k and c dramas I missed the past few years (like All of Us are Dead). Wishing us all more intelligent writing in upcoming dramas bc they really be wasting our time with so many of these. so disappointed in Fighting for Love too...
Agree Judge Dee's Mystery cases were boring. But Ep 24 near end of the episode there was a great fight scene with a badass female. I probably remember that scene only.
For those who have nothing to watch lately because really dramas lately are so boring ...😢 i recommend trying donghua really interesting stories ❤
I dropped Legend of white cat after 5 episodes. Am only watching Kdrama at the moment. Same draught here 😊
15 min of the 1st ep of The White Cat are sufficient to drop it.
I've seen all the episodes of Judge Dee Mysteries s 1 hoping they will explain such a drastic changes from the original novels and collection of stories (which I've read & enjoyed all many years ago). Imho, they've employed most of the persons from Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty, but basically, it's a bad screenwriting & bad directing. Van Gulik probably won't be offended in his grave because he trully wanted for the whole world to enjoy such a hero and many authors from all over the world have written stories on him, but this delivery is simply insufficient notwithstanding the marvelous ML and many other things.
p.s. What particularly got on my nerves is not Ma Rong made a female or the romance with Ms Cao but the explanation the director gave in post festum episode about Diao Xiao Guan: the reason why they've killed the main assistant (who imperosnated Justice) of the original Di Renjie is that his pov was so opposite to Di's (impersonating Law), that it better for him to die. That director is totally crazy
Judge dee started out so good, but after his character left Penglai, the story kinda went downhill and writing became slooowwww.... I think the cases were written more to be realistic thats why it seems slow and boring at certian points. I'm used to the judge dee that is running around solving supernatural cases 😅😅 I also think Zhou Yiwei is an awesome actor ❤ judge dee was filmed in 2021, so its only natural that he felt imperfect. He, himself, has imporved so much in acting. Zhou Yiwei is the reason why I'm continuing judge dee. I agree, the supporting characters esp Ma Rong, is very irritating 😂😂 I think the writers should have cut her character out of the story and even the FL should have been cut out. This drama should have foucsed soly on the cases of Di Renjie considering it only has 32 eps..... As to Ding Yuxis drama white Cat, I have no intentions on watching that one 😂 I'm sorry, but Im not really a big fan Ding Yuxi. Hes so handsome but I dont think he is a great actor. I only like him in "Romance of Tiger and Rose"
Still can’t find Shanghai blossom with English subtitles anywhere…
I watched Judge Dee to the end and will rewatch. As a long time follower of C drama for period detective genre, I think the overall production, acting skills are above average. Very little dubbling, good delivery of lines kept my appreciation up. In addition, the guest actors are another plus for me. The actor of Judge Dee's brother is very impressive. So is Zhang Ruo Yun. The sidekicks have their history fleshed out in later episodes. There's alot of flashback in the later episodes that will provide more entirety to the drama. There is no supernatural stuff in this drama which is why I also stayed on. Those xianxia and mystical genres are stretched to boredom for me. And oh, I like that ZYW kept his hair long so he need not have to wear a wig, like Peter Chen in Nirvana in Fire, and a few other actors in recent period dramas. Hope to see more of such actors using their real hair and definitely their own VOICE.
I didn't think you'd do a separate video on Judge Dee, so I made my comments on your Sat video. Still I just want to give a little defense for the script writer, it's already an improvement to the original text. I agree with all your points, but feel compelled to give some credit to the script writers. The original text's characters are even more one dimensional and tools to drive plot forward and Dee solves crimes by doing a series of actions and then boom it's solved! I thought this version is trying to be closer to Andy Lau's Judge Dee so it wasn't as bad of a fit for me personally.
I do not enjoy watching Judge Dee because the ML is old and has below average look. His old age look does not align with the age of Judge Dee is supposed to be in the story. He was supposed to be fairly young as he was at his beginning of his career. His much older brother in the story looked younger than him. What a joke. The ML looked like a 50 year old man. I guess they may have limited budget to hire younger or at least better looking actor lol lol lol
White Legend Cat - none of the cases is completely solved. When the plot concludes the case was closed, you’d find your reaction would be “huh?! Really? What about this? Where is that?” . A stupid closure for each case the story tried to solve.
So you were right. Both dramas are stupid and poor quality. It’s just taking the air time from good dramas for us to enjoy. What a waste!