Let me help you guys watch the “first episode” of the show. Is the recently aired series worth watching?
The dramas reviewed in this issue are: the fantasy drama "Into the Blue Clouds" starring Hou Minghao and Lu Yuxiao, and the time-travel food anime "Banquet Encounter with Yong'an" starring Wang Yinglu and Li Yunrui. Both dramas were written by Ji Sangrou and Ding Lu.
Into the Blue Clouds
Start date: October 8
Broadcast platform: Youku
Starring Hou Minghao and Lu Yuxiao, the series is adapted from the novel of the same name by Bai Lu Chengshuang. It is set in the Qingyun Conference in the Sixth Realm of Hexu. It tells the story of Ji Bozai (Hou Minghao), a fighter who was born as a prisoner in the Polar Star Abyss, who defeated Mingyi (Lu Yuxiao), a female warrior who had won seven consecutive victories. Mingyi pretended to approach him, and the two engaged in an emotional game while disguising their identities.
On the second day of its premiere, the popularity of "Into the Clouds" on Youku exceeded 8,500.
I have to say that director Zhizhu is a master in filming the characters, and it's obvious that he put a lot of effort into the lighting, shadows, costumes, and makeup. The female lead is cute and lively, while the male lead has a slightly damp and evil charm, and the makeup is more fitting than the two of them in Xiao Si's drama.
Judging from the first six episodes, the male and female protagonists' chemistry is acceptable, but the ambiguous scenes between them in the trailer, which were as fierce as tigers, turned out to be like a baby bus heading to kindergarten in the main film.
To be honest, although the actors in the play, both the main and supporting roles, are all handsome men and beautiful women, and their gestures are very delicate, the plot of "Into the Clouds" is indeed a bit bland. Both the characters and the story itself can make people see through it at a glance.
You have to understand that the current ancient costume drama market is highly homogenized. Capturing atmosphere is no longer a strength of long-form dramas. It's no exaggeration to say that with a little research on camera aesthetics, there are countless short dramas that can achieve this. Therefore, finding your own selling point is particularly important in ancient costume dramas. If you talk about competing against Lucy, it's not as good as "A Smile and a Song"; if you talk about light comedy elements, it's not as good as "Yan Yu Yong'an".
Zhizhu previously gained recognition in the short drama market for his ability to capture people and create atmosphere, but his narrative skills in full-length dramas still need improvement. He might learn from his neighbor Zhu Dadeng, who truly excels at both action scenes and storytelling.
The plot of the fifth and sixth episodes is slightly better than the first four episodes. Now the focus is on how the underdog heroine will counterattack and control the hero. If this point can be filmed well, there is still a possibility of breaking out in the later stage.
Banquet Meeting Yong'an
Start date: October 9
Broadcast platform: Tencent Video
Wang Yinglu partners with Li Yunrui. The drama is adapted from the novel "Chang'an Restaurant" by Yingtao Cake from Jinjiang Literature City. It tells the story of Shen Shaoguang (played by Wang Yinglu) and his family accidentally traveling to ancient times to open a restaurant and meeting Jingzhao Shaoyin Lin Yan (played by Li Yunrui).
On the first day of its broadcast, the popularity value of "Yan Yu Yongan" on Tencent Video exceeded 23,000.
The key to a light comedy that combines time travel with food is whether it can make people laugh. Judging from the first five episodes, the comedy elements are well controlled. Supporting actors such as Changlong, Feng Jiayi, and Liu Jun are all experts in this field. Most of the jokes are still resonant, and the keyboard sounds and background music added in the post-editing are also interesting.
As a food series, "Yan Yu Yong'an" embodies the joyful tone of a mealtime drama, from the initial pancakes to the live-streamed, high-volume grilled lamb skewers, plus the diverse Bobo milk teas. The food tips at the end of each episode are also very tempting.
When it comes to lying, Lulu in Our Shao Shi Guang is even worse than Liao Tingyan in "Offering Fish". She is really suitable for the track of time-traveling female. The heroine's mouth is simply filled with poisonous barrages, and every sentence is complaining about ancient idol dramas.
Lin Yan, played by Xiao Lin, the "Laughing Concubine", seems ruthless but is actually innocent. He can't stand the heroine's tricks at all and quickly falls into the self-conquest strategy that is essential for the male protagonist of ancient idol dramas. The two scenes where he knocks the heroine on the head are very doting. It turns out that love brain is the best medical beauty for men.
In terms of the main plot, the heroine's goal is to go home, and the hero's task is to scheme. So far, it seems that the light comedy line is more suitable, and the scheme part is a bit boring. In the whole mansion, it seems that the hero is the only one with some IQ, but not much.
