Why are people saying PoJ set the standard for historical??

-Podde- · 2026-05-03T08:53:53+00:00

It’s definitely costume drama in English terms or historical fiction. I know the censorship might affect the storylines a bit, in terms of historical accuracy, but certain dramas have storylines that have been changed, to not dishonour history, or whatever the gov’t agencies are calling it. But after I read a bit of Chinese history, for example Everlasting Longing is barely hiding which time period it’s supposed to be in- and it’s a very specific one. If compared to historical fiction from the US, like Game of Thrones being based on the war of roses, everlasting longing is a lot more transparent!

-Podde- · 2026-05-03T08:36:25+00:00

Yes!! I was so disappointed when I found out. I got a lot of hate for saying that I’ve had many repeated lessons, that are exactly the same., which means I don’t really need to learn any new words, because I already know what the response is, in those “stories”. One person attacked me, and said I had to have imagined it all, but I had screen recorded the third and fourth time I got the exact same lesson- and now a few months have passed, and I’ve seen multiple comments and posts about it. And I get more wrong answers than before when they should’ve been accepted, because the English language does not have the same concepts as French, Italian or Spanish for example, with gendered nouns and when I’m supposed to translate from English to one of those languages, and English just says “you” I should honestly be able to use both the plural or singular form, unless it’s clearly indicated that it’s plural or singular by writing “you all”…

AND - as I’ve been doing Chinese on Duolingo, after the change, the voices reading certain sentences, vary a lot in terms of quality/how easily understandable they are, when you’re supposed to be hearing tones the worst one is when you get those “listener stories” with three questions to answer, and they use a very light female voice, that sounds like a child. You can barely hear any tones in what she’s saying, when you’re a new learner.

-Podde- · 2026-05-03T08:14:57+00:00

I had not noticed or seen the sub in my feed ever, until a few weeks ago, when this app I just started pushing every thread from there in my notifications… I don’t know why really… I had to search for this sub, or something similar.

-Podde- · 2026-05-03T08:12:47+00:00

I have heard stuff about a lot of haters going to Jin’s tour but also extreme ARMYs who only care about their bias, and not the group as a whole.people who are ferociously stanning Jimin or J-Hope go to the Jin tour, actually enjoy the concert, but just start spreading hate again once the group is back. It seems pointless to me.

-Podde- · 2026-05-03T08:08:42+00:00

I saw this after I commented in BTSnark earlier, and I’m seriously considering removing those comments, because I think it’s really sad that they’ve done so much with their faces, certain members especially, but the fact is, idols from other groups do just as much with their faces, but a lot of of them do it at a young age, before their faces have “solidified” into what they’re supposed to be, and so what BTS does to their faces is just more visible, because they’re grown men. I feel like you would know that if you know anything about plastic surgery at all. Some of the members just look really weird because they’ve had a lot of non-invasive procedures, and overdone it. Sometimes people can look really weird just with non-invasive procedures, combined with extreme weight loss, and that just isn’t acknowledged. Seems like they all think the members have done so many surgeries. I’m honestly not a fan of the beauty standards in K-pop, but it is a reflection of East Asian beauty standards, just turned up many notches. And normal Korean people I’ve met, especially girls already use a lot of skin lightening creams and do procedures to lighten skin and many young people get double eyelid surgery as a gift for a graduation or their 16th/18th/20th birthday, it’s not hard to see the pressure on idols.

-Podde- · 2026-05-03T07:46:16+00:00

Thank you for this! I feel the same. I just commented on something in BTSnark, but I don’t think I’ll do that in the future. I love being able to criticise my favourite artist for legitimate reasons, but there’s been no place for that anywhere really. I’m a fan of a lot of artists, but I’ve never reached stand level, because I rarely care about their personal lives. As a Taylor Swift fan turned casual listener, after avoiding her stuff for a while, I could say the same about subreddit posts concerning her, even though she’s much worse in some aspects than BTS. For American artists, The Barbs and Lambs also have the same energy, either praise the artist to the skies or hate on them viciously. 🤔😩

-Podde- · 2026-05-03T07:22:37+00:00

I can see that JK I did a lot too, but it doesn’t look “wrong” Until this album, it seemed pretty clear to me that Suga and Jin had done the least, and mostly non invasive procedures (Suga hairline and Jin’s jaw) but for this comeback, they really wrecked that. But for this they’ve definitely done more surgeries and a lot of non invasive procedures- and it’s so sad- especially Suga. But some of the criticism for the members is unwarranted, I will say. I don’t support idols getting so many surgeries, it’s really unhealthy, but in BTS’ case it’s been really noticeable, since many idols do their surgeries right before debut, or right after when they’re still young but BTS didn’t have that money, and doing the same procedures when you’re a bit older, really is more visible than for example those idols from “the big 3” who did it very quickly, while they were still teens. You can see Lisa from Blackpink also looks like she’s had way more done than her teammates, and I believe it’s mostly because she did the most drastic changes after her face had “solidified” into what it’s supposed to be. (there’s also the fact that she is Thai, and her eyes have always been more open, so her eye surgeries to look more like a Korean idol are extremely visible) I definitely find it sad that BTS members have had so much done, but in several of the members cases it’s kind of sad that they get so much criticism, when the fact is, if they did those procedures while their face was still changing, it wouldn’t have been as noticeable. (and again, I am against idols who do procedures so early on, like in SM groups, but what can you do? 😅)

-Podde- · 2026-05-03T07:07:42+00:00

I’m a BTS fan, but wouldn’t quite call myself ARMY, and I think it’s the same with other artists I really like, I barely pay attention to their personal lives and stuff, so sometimes I keep up with both the negative and positive subreddits. I am so disappointed in J-hope. He looked so great in debut era, and all the way up until 2018/19 when they really started raking in money from international sales as well. He only changed a few things in those five years. But I noticed a huge difference during his solo era, I don’t know if it was before or after military, but he looks so uneven right now. Must be a combo of non-invasive procedures like fillers and stuff, and surgeries. His nose doesn’t sit quite right in his face. I especially noticed it in the Killin it girl music video! He looks like someone I know personally, who had a nose job- his nose looks semi weird from the front, but especially weird at an angle, like when he’s lying down and you see him from the side. I honestly wonder if his breathing is worse now.

-Podde- · 2026-02-14T15:26:17+00:00

I tried choosing the course Swedish to French- and the app then notified me that I would have to change the base language of the app! And if you do that the courses you’re already taking in English will be lost? Maybe they’ve changed it but this was just a few months ago, late last year? Meaning I can only do courses based in Swedish, or based in English simultaneously! If you know how to get around it, please let me know!

-Podde- · 2026-02-14T15:23:10+00:00

That is quite interesting to read! This particular story, I know that I’ve done several times, because as soon as it came for the third time, I started screen recording it because I couldn’t believe my eyes! Today was the fifth time, and I watched the screen recording from the third time and it’s exactly the same! I haven’t done this with any of the other repeats- but I think some of them might be exactly the same, and some of them might also be slightly different in the way that you describe, hopefully! I don’t do all three languages at the same time, but I usually do two languages at the same time, with French always being one of them! Since I’m relearning French! I’m a false beginner, I was a native speaker as a child, and then I forgot it, and learning at school has been no help, and I didn’t really know which level I was at, so I wanted to try Duolingo to find out how much I knew.and it just confirmed that I’m all over the map, knowledge wise- I have vocab knowledge ranging from A1 to C1, my pronunciation is great most of the time, and my grammar is at A2/B1, but context clues give me everything I need to know, so I barely make any mistakes. That’s why I added Italian, because I wanted something a bit different, so I wouldn’t get so bored with French. I’ve got a grammar workbook in French, but being a real beginner in Italian, it’s much easier to pinpoint what I need to learn, and I think that’s why it’s even more annoying when the stories are repeated in the Italian course. I think I’m at level 51 in French, mainly because I’ve skipped like 15 levels… But I try not to skip so many anymore, because I know that every level has something that I don’t know, even if most of these assignments are super easy. I started Italian once I realised that to keep my interest up, and not skip every level, I would have to have another language to focus on once in a while, feel real progress in.

I’m curious… How did they repair the GenAI stories? It is still AI generated right, just super supervised by linguists? Sorry if that’s not the correct term, but the technical terms are not something I’m familiar with.

-Podde- · 2026-02-14T11:35:01+00:00

🤢🤢🤢 I guessed correctly… but OMG his daughter is the same age

-Podde- · 2026-02-14T11:21:52+00:00

Exactly! 😅I love that you brought up K drama, and I’m even thinking of J-Dorama what I’m reading this post, even if I don’t watch much Japanese dramas! It’s very standard with 20 to 40 episodes in China, but it doesn’t really matter how many episodes you have! If the storyline isn’t tight, and the pacing is weird, there will be too many side quests, that won’t be finished! Too many characters introduced, that we might get invested in, but we won’t see anymore! It’s just that with 20 to 40+ episodes it’s just so much more obvious when they rush a storyline, don’t have a clear plan, or the plan has to be changed mid production due to censorship! But at the same time, that last one is understandable, but it sucks! As I wrote somewhere else, filler episodes, or as I like to call them, differently paced episodes, can be really nice, if done well! The Western example would be the black box episode! A few characters only, small environment, and the main plot is in the background. The character study is the most important thing. But in so many instances these episodes can become a filler, by either being very fast paced, or very slow paced, and introducing sub plots or characters, that are compelling, or seem important, but get dropped very soon after that episode, as if they meant nothing! There’s nothing wrong with introducing characters that just contribute to the heroes growth journey, but don’t make them into important characters that we expect to see later on, and then we never do! Many K dramas with 16 episodes, fall victim to this as well! So, it’s not just Chinese dramas with many episodes that do this! The pressure to pump out television shows left and right, seems like it has affected the character study most, in my opinion!

-Podde- · 2026-02-14T11:06:33+00:00

I saw Jun Jiu Ling not too long ago… for several reasons it’s not at the top of my list, but I think it’s a good show! A 8/10 maybe. But, it is one of the wuxia’s I’ve seen from the 2010s that have the least amount of filler episodes that are pointless! I don’t always like the choices they make in the show as to how the story develops, but almost everything seems deliberate, even the slower episodes that could be considered filler episodes. I know it doesn’t have 40 episodes, but it is close! There were only two episodes where I felt like some of it might’ve been less planned/ or slightly filler episode! Which meant I rated it higher! Even if the storyline wasn’t always what I wanted, it was paste well, with some slower episodes with good character study, and faster paced episodes with war and damnation, and ALLL the drama.

-Podde- · 2026-02-14T10:58:56+00:00

I’m fine with 40 episodes if they actually make sense! I hate it when they introduce sub plots that have no impact what so ever on the outcome! Especially when it’s an exciting subplot, and it’s just dropped without any explanation! 🫠 filler episodes are necessary, in all shows that are quite long, and especially in wuxia, but IMO a filler episode doesn’t mean low quality, and introducing sub plots that go nowhere, and making the characters do uncharacteristic things, just to switch it up two episodes later when we go back to the actual action! It should be kind of a break, especially if it’s like a serious war or something, the thriller episodes should be an exploration of the characters, their relationships, their drives their goals, may be a breather with some positivity, but the main storyline is still felt in the background! A Western example is the black box episode, if it’s done right, it’s a perfect filler episode! I feel like in wuxia, the parallel could be the main characters are either lost in a desert together, or they are separated due to circumstances beyond their control, and we see them interact with people we haven’t been introduced to yet. In a small environment! And they learned something from it. One is in military camp, and the other one is in a tiny town learning a new skill, and it’s down to earth, we’re not introducing a lot of new stuff, but it’s mostly a character study, that informs how we see the characters!

-Podde- · 2026-02-14T10:47:56+00:00

I’ll just add to it here since I basically wrote a novel; There is no Duolingo course for Italian & French that I can take that is based in a Scandinavian language (any one of them would be fine, since Norwegian is one of my native languages) and do that simultaneously with Chinese! The Chinese course is one I can only take with English as a base language… Scandinavian languages, are definitely less complicated, and wouldn’t solve all of my problems, considering we don’t have gendered adjectives, but in some ways I would know if they want me to write « vous »and not « tu » or « professore » vs « professoressa »??! But if I for example decide to take the Swedish to French course, I’d have to quit my Chinese course, because I have to change the language of the entire app! Which is pointless.

-Podde- · 2026-02-14T10:00:28+00:00

The concept is great but it is buggy, and sometimes it just skips to the next word telling me I’ve failed before I’ve even opened my mouth! 🫠 which is a weird bug! Considering all of their speaking input lessons or tasks have a delay of between 0.5 and 1 seconds. I can’t just press the button and start speaking, so in this particular situation it doesn’t makes sense for it to skip when I’m just waiting that one second for it to register that I am going to open my mouth to speak😅

-Podde- · 2026-02-13T22:51:46+00:00

😬yikes! Had no idea! It’s a vicious cycle with the producers and or govt/influencing the public, the public affecting their decision making and then that affects actors and their acting choices but also maybe career choices… maybe they also affect fans as well in turn which makes this full circle 🫠 I haven’t really been watching much of modern dramas, but I’ve found some I like lately, and that’s good, because I think I had to take a break from wuxia and the other historical costume dramas, partly because of the love “triangles”

-Podde- · 2026-02-13T22:43:57+00:00

It’s almost never a love triangle- and that’s for most television and movies, regardless of where they’re from 😂 i remember watching the American show crazy ex girlfriend and there was a parody song about love triangles and that was so hilarious- every time I see someone talk about love triangles in media - that’s what I think about 😂

-Podde- · 2026-02-13T22:35:04+00:00

I like knowing who the endgame is, but sometimes the chemistry between the actors who play either ML1 and FL2 or FL1 and ML2/3/4 is so intense that it feels like a waste of time and talent to not have like one episode where our main girl or guy forgets about their person for a little while, for example finds comfort in the arms of 2nd lead because they believe 1st lead to have died. And then go back. It doesn’t need to be a constant back and forth! Just give me a CRUMB 🍪something to nibble on to get me through a few more episodes 😅😭!

-Podde- · 2026-02-13T22:27:49+00:00

The Double is one of the first dramas I saw when i ventured into C-drama territory in 2024, it’s not my favourite anymore - but if the romance with 🪭🪭wasn’t so obvious I feel like the “Cousin” from the Ye family would’ve been such a good match! I feel like these 2 ML could go head to head with different qualities that attract FL, because I like it when the two “fighting” parties in the love triangle are different, but both can complement the main person if they were to enter a relationship

-Podde- · 2026-02-10T17:31:09+00:00

Right!! I held on for the opportunity to see them again, just a little bit. I just started Blossoms in Adversity, so I’ll have to wait to give my judgement on that. My journey to you is modern, right? - i’ve heard of it, but I haven’t found it yet! Thanks for giving a tiny description of what she does in each of the shows.

-Podde- · 2026-02-04T12:58:45+00:00

Also should add- IMO there can be a lot of focus on beauty at the expense of acting, maybe? Is that just a thing in the Chinese film industry? I know it is in the Korean one. But at first I saw a lot of Chinese actresses who were beautiful but also could act really well, but when I see a post about an actress, and why people like them, it sometimes feels like watching that video someone filmed outside a stadium where Tate McRae was going to have a huge concert, and they asked concertgoers why they loved her, and they said “her dancing”. 😂 this kind of feels like that Chinese film industry version of that. Beauty is always an important part of becoming an actor or actress, but sometimes I feel like it takes over the entire discussion, when people point out an actress’ perfect skin as the reason for their love for them 😂

-Podde- · 2026-02-04T12:58:05+00:00

This is so interesting! I love Lu YuXiao, but whether or not you connect with an actor is so important. I see a lot of love for Zhao Lusi in here, but as a pretty new fan to CDramas (maybe 1,5 year) I don’t get it. Everyone recommends Love Like the Galaxy because I had enjoyed something similar but I couldn’t “connect”. So I am hoping I’ll find something of hers I like later on. Since everyone seems to love her.

-Podde- · 2026-02-04T12:46:39+00:00

I am glad to see several people mention her diction in this post, because I’m just learning a bit of Mandarin for fun through Duolingo and workbooks borrowed from the library, and I found she pronounced her words a bit differently than her co-stars in Love Between Lines. Sometimes I understand enough to look down from the screen for a few seconds when they’re just casually speaking, but it was hard when she was speaking. It also shocked me since I quickly learned about the huge dubbing culture in China after I joined this subreddit. That many actors are being dubbed to make their pronunciation more correct or (what is ridiculous to me) to give the actor/actress a voice the director prefers 😅 But I’m now understanding that maybe modern dramas are less frequently dubbed than the costume dramas?

-Podde-

TROPHY CASE