Musings of the Obsessive Kind

My most anticipated upcoming drama, King of Lan Ling has released a long trailer, focusing on the love triangle between our titular character, a prince who was a legendary warrior/general who wore a mask on the battlefield, played by my huge obsession Feng Shao Feng, Ariel Lin as a heir to a mystical powers tradition, and Daniel Chan as a King of Zhou. (Unsurprisingly, both Daniel and FSF play real historical people but Ariel plays a fictional one. Ariel/FSF is the OTP in this one).

That trailer makes me die of glee:



You can get translations for the trailer at the awesome Koalasplayground.

I AM DYING HERE!!!! (And not just due to the scene where FSF is fighting shirtless in a shower of petals and then sees Ariel. Talk about catering to my wildest id fantasies!). I mean!!!! The angst! The awesome war scenes! True and doomed love! Warlords vying for a beautiful woman and totally becoming lambs around her. Etc etc!!! Gimme!

Also, I remember reading ages ago about the upcoming (not sure if cdrama ot hk or what drama) called Hero with Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Ying Er, and Ken Chu (everyone seems to be either a hk or twactor except for Ying Er so I am honestly not sure which production it is). Hero adapts the famous story of one of the four beauties of ancient China. In Hero, Xi Shi (Ying Er) was used to bring down Fu Chai, the King of Wu (Kevin Cheng). Xi Shi's lover, Fan Li (Ken Chu) talked her into it on the behalf of the King of Yue, Gou Jian (Michael Tse). Gou Jian was defeated and made to be a slave to Fu Chai at one point and knows how to hold a grudge! Xi Shi's was actually adopted into a drama at least once before, the Conquest, with Chen Kun.

I remember reading about this and with the knowledge of the story and of the plot of the Conquest (where Xi Shi/Fan Li were the OTP to end all OTPs), my main thought was WTF!!!! What kind of woman would prefer Ken Chu over Kevin Cheng, especially Kevin Cheng who is utterly and madly in love with you? Especially when your boyfriend is basically asking you to prostitute yourself for patriotism in this version?! I mean, WTF!

Thankfully, the makers are not insane. In this version, Xi Shi ends up falling right back for Fu Chai, no doubt giving purists conniptions but me every possible glee imaginable. I am going to revel in their dooooooooooooomed love like there is no tomorrow!

Have a trailer!

My most anticipated upcoming drama, King of Lan Ling has released a long trailer, focusing on the love triangle between our titular character, a prince who was a legendary warrior/general who wore a mask on the battlefield, played by my huge obsession Feng Shao Feng, Ariel Lin as a heir to a mystical powers tradition, and Daniel Chan as a King of Zhou. (Unsurprisingly, both Daniel and FSF play real historical people but Ariel plays a fictional one. Ariel/FSF is the OTP in this one).

That trailer makes me die of glee:



You can get translations for the trailer at the awesome Koalasplayground.

I AM DYING HERE!!!! (And not just due to the scene where FSF is fighting shirtless in a shower of petals and then sees Ariel. Talk about catering to my wildest id fantasies!). I mean!!!! The angst! The awesome war scenes! True and doomed love! Warlords vying for a beautiful woman and totally becoming lambs around her. Etc etc!!! Gimme!

Also, I remember reading ages ago about the upcoming (not sure if cdrama ot hk or what drama) called Hero with Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Ying Er, and Ken Chu (everyone seems to be either a hk or twactor except for Ying Er so I am honestly not sure which production it is). Hero adapts the famous story of one of the four beauties of ancient China. In Hero, Xi Shi (Ying Er) was used to bring down Fu Chai, the King of Wu (Kevin Cheng). Xi Shi's lover, Fan Li (Ken Chu) talked her into it on the behalf of the King of Yue, Gou Jian (Michael Tse). Gou Jian was defeated and made to be a slave to Fu Chai at one point and knows how to hold a grudge! Xi Shi's was actually adopted into a drama at least once before, the Conquest, with Chen Kun.

I remember reading about this and with the knowledge of the story and of the plot of the Conquest (where Xi Shi/Fan Li were the OTP to end all OTPs), my main thought was WTF!!!! What kind of woman would prefer Ken Chu over Kevin Cheng, especially Kevin Cheng who is utterly and madly in love with you? Especially when your boyfriend is basically asking you to prostitute yourself for patriotism in this version?! I mean, WTF!

Thankfully, the makers are not insane. In this version, Xi Shi ends up falling right back for Fu Chai, no doubt giving purists conniptions but me every possible glee imaginable. I am going to revel in their dooooooooooooomed love like there is no tomorrow!

Have a trailer!

I am now through ep 3 of ITWY and love it too much for words...

( Some scenes that caught my attention )

I promise to get to replies sooooon.

It sums up everything I love about them and this drama!

I am in the airport waiting for a flight but I cannot stop watching!

Btw, I think Bolin Chen is gorgeous now. Crow, mmmmm, tasty!

It sums up everything I love about them and this drama!

I am in the airport waiting for a flight but I cannot stop watching!

Btw, I think Bolin Chen is gorgeous now. Crow, mmmmm, tasty!

I have finished ep 1 (real life interferes with drama fun) and I ship Da Ren and You Qing so very much precisely because they are not dramatically star-crossed or romcom cute - no, they are so achingly real and people I am fascinated with, care about. Plus, they have all that history.



I've read about people not liking Ariel's character but for me she is the highlight of the drama, more than the score and the indie vibe and even Bolin Chen's marvelous Li Da Ren (though, wait, perhaps the latter is not true, as I love Da Ren and You Qing equally). She is something drama heroines are so rarely allowed to be - a real, breathing, flawed, complex human being. I can see both how she'd be hard to deal with and how Da Ren could love her. She's smart, independent, impatient, brusque, funny, self-absorbed, perfectionist, loyal, difficult, self-aware, dreamer. I adore her.

Oh, and I loved this little flashback, after her first defeat, when Da Ren told her she is a great girl. And then added not to misunderstand, he's never going to fall for her. Oh, honey!





I could watch these people do absolutely nothing exciting for eps and eps.

I am almost done with the first episode (I've forgotten how long twdrama eps are - this one is an hour-and-a-half) and I love love love! I don't remember the last time a twdrama worked this well for me - it must have been years!

But there is no mugging, desperate cuteness (by now, I am exhausted by cutesy, shrill, infantile heroines), but a gorgeous indie vibe and people who feel real to me - I adore Ariel Lin's character so much - I can totally identify with her in pretty much every respect (except for not being as gorgeous :p) and just...Remember how I posted that I don't find Bolin Chen in the least attractive? Well, objectively, I can still tell he is not good-looking, but I love his character - the teasing, the sweetness, the bone-deep decency, so much, I don't even care:



Guuuh, why did it take me this long to discover this drama?

I am almost done with the first episode (I've forgotten how long twdrama eps are - this one is an hour-and-a-half) and I love love love! I don't remember the last time a twdrama worked this well for me - it must have been years!

But there is no mugging, desperate cuteness (by now, I am exhausted by cutesy, shrill, infantile heroines), but a gorgeous indie vibe and people who feel real to me - I adore Ariel Lin's character so much - I can totally identify with her in pretty much every respect (except for not being as gorgeous :p) and just...Remember how I posted that I don't find Bolin Chen in the least attractive? Well, objectively, I can still tell he is not good-looking, but I love his character - the teasing, the sweetness, the bone-deep decency, so much, I don't even care:



Guuuh, why did it take me this long to discover this drama?

I have no idea how In Time With You completely didn't come on my radar, seeing that it stars my girlcrush Ariel Lin and that it's about best friends who become lovers, my favorite trope. But suffice it to say that after the below MV, it's on my radar all right. I am getting the first ep as we speak.



I need this NOW! And I don't even find Bolin Chen attractive. But this is amazing-looking!

I need Faith to be here right now. It's giving off a cdrama vibe and there are few things I love as much as a period cdrama...



Also, I found a synopsis for King of Lan Ling with Feng Shao Feng and Ariel Lin. ( Cut because spoilery. Plus thoughts )

Oh, and when is Patriot Yue Fei coming out? I need it in my life.