Alisa @ Daebak Podcast

Bringing over a discussion I'm having with @thedramanotes.bsky.social about censorship in China and what netizens do and don't know about what's going on in their own country. #cdrama

This drama in particular has a lot of messy couples and you can't have a plot or ending where absolutely everyone is a piece of shit and the one marriage ends in divorce. The censorship wasn't always this strict, it got a lot worse in the past 5 years or so.

PS someone described Bei as an NPC in love and the accuracy 🤌 I was planning to finish this drama but I'm not sure I can do it #AboutLove #Cdrama

These comments on Xiaohongshu are super interesting regarding how censorship affects the plots of the Cdramas we watch in general and #AboutLove specifically.

Triage your exposure to the news because adrenal burnout is a thing. Remember that you can mute words and stick to the #kdrama #cdrama and #AsianDrama feeds so you aren't unexpectedly slammed with something you can't handle.

Love this review of Cinderella Closet. It's such a kind and gentle exploration of identity without judgement. Haruka's "big" reveals turn out to mostly be no big deal and the one person who reacts badly is quickly won over by Haruka's talent. #jdrama

Dem legs part eleventy thousand #cdrama #LiuYuning

I've read about wealthy women bribing people to find out flight seats and hotel rooms and then booking the adjacent ones. Some seriously effed up behavior. In a recent livestream LYN said he felt like a clown or plaything 😭

Jaaaaaysus, I can't wrap my brain around that level of fandom

I’d imagine a director of such calibre would be more discerning with the scripts that come their way. Either he saw something in the script I’m not seeing or it’s a result of some unfortunate politicking behind the scenes that we are not aware of.

The manga was popular when the drama was filmed. I think it's less popular now (the story isn't finished)

Wowwwwww. Yeah, it's really bad in China because of how many people are in the country, it's impossible to control that many fans

I have said it once, I will say it again: a project lives or dies with the script. Good writing it’s the skeleton of the entire thing, you can get good moments thanks to acting & good takes because of directing. It can be pretty thanks to the art director, but the project will never be good overall.

And actually I can get into a toxic drama! I've enjoyed many but something is really off about this one. The casting isn't right and the characterizations don't make a lot of sense.

I started for LYN and I guess the trainwreck is compelling enough to keep me going but honestly it's the most toxic Cdrama I've ever seen. It feels a lot like a Thai drama but not as explicit with the bedroom scenes.

Oh good lord. It's really hard to rein in the fans. Liu Yuning is always setting boundaries but fans keep driving right over them. For example, he told people not to meet him at the airport in New Zealand but I saw a Xiaohongshu post full of fans twisting themselves in knots to justify showing up.

In the book Gong has way more scenes than Bei but (SPOILER) Bei and Xi are end game. LYN's role is really a big nothing, no wonder he's barely promoted the project.

I love that they have equal billing, we need more of this! Stop catering to crazy fans

How do you know this when you're not in China???? This is good 🍵

I found out the director of #AboutLove also directed Swords Into Plowshares and Three Body and is very well regarded which is why he was able to assemble an excellent cast for this drama. So you can have a good director and actors but terrible writing will always sink a project #cdrama

I hate everyone at this point, they're all terrible people making decisions that are incomprehensible. Also, I think the entire cast is too old, the behavior reads 19 year old college students, not mid to late 30s people.

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this exchange in a #Cdrama before. I'm pretty sure it's a pun based on the word xiao having two meanings: small & young, but still. Also that hair is a hate crime, why am I still watching this 😭 #AboutLove (the answer is LYN but he's barely in it so far)

I found out Gong is the manhua author's self insert character and hoo boy, comic book artist draws hot and sympathetic version of himself is the clichiest of cliches 😒 #cdrama #AboutLove

People on Xiaohongshu think Bei is a green flag but I disagree! A 2D perfect boyfriend with no personality isn't the same as being a green flag. If he weren't played by Liu Yuning everyone would think he was a snooze (and honestly even LYN can't make this character interesting) #cdrama #AboutLove

Ha, the most I've done so far is a few lessons on an app. I'm too busy to give it my full attention but at least now I'm picking up on words when I watch dramas

Fighting with a butcher's cleaver yesssssssss #cdrama #ChasingJade

These are some images from the manhua that #AboutLove is based on and wow the art is gorgeous! The drama (unsurprisingly) can't recreate the visuals. #cdrama

Argh stoopid typo, I gotta stop posting when I'm running out the door