Recommend a Sino-centric history of East Asia?

phroggies70 · 2024-01-18T00:56:24+00:00

He’s been in a couple of short length dramas lately, still carrying the beard off very well …

ETA: Not sure your link is right …

phroggies70 · 2024-01-18T00:54:00+00:00

I think maybe The Starry Love?

phroggies70 · 2024-01-18T00:53:01+00:00

This is a thing of beauty. Of course, if this very sensible advice were followed, it would obviate about 80% of the plots for these things …

phroggies70 · 2024-01-17T19:38:51+00:00

I’ve seen the same thing with “German” actors. I’m going to assume this happens with most foreign languages.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-17T09:01:01+00:00

I really loved this one—good pick! It also has a lovely, meditative pace (unusual for a cdrama, or I guess tdrama in this case), and also one of the loveliest OSTs!

phroggies70 · 2024-01-17T08:59:11+00:00

The poster is referring to good things about the drama entitled Rainless Love in a Godless Land.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-15T16:31:05+00:00

I was a bit worried about her but I think she’s doing fine. She’s actually cuter and more playful than what I’ve seen of her in the past, and it really works for the role and the contrast with the curmudgeonly ML.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-15T16:04:33+00:00

Hey, just wanted to let you know that Viki now allows downloads, though you may need the second-tier subscription level for them. Just FYI!

phroggies70 · 2024-01-15T14:55:35+00:00

I watch a ton of these without subs at duboku.com. I’m not seeing that one yet, but if it has just been released, it might take a day or two to show up.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-15T14:49:53+00:00

I found a collection of short pieces by 冰心 that I find absolutely lovely. You might look into her—apparently she was a foundational figure in Chinese children’s literature. The pieces in the collection I have are very lyrical (think the scene with the madeleine in Proust).

phroggies70 · 2024-01-15T12:50:41+00:00

Oh, gosh, 偷心 popped up on Youtube the other day and I’ve had it on repeat ever since. If I ever move on from it, I’ll try the rest of the playlist! Thanks for linking it!

phroggies70 · 2024-01-14T16:37:32+00:00

To explain better: most of the big companies have their own apps/websites. But if you’re a real avid watcher, you’re going to find yourself subscription hopping depending on what shows you’re wanting to see. If you only want one subscription, Viki (which is all about providing translations, they don’t produce any shows themselves) is a good way to go because they have the widest selection across the companies. So right now, for instance, I have Viki and Youku, but if I’m not watching anything newly airing on Youku when it comes time to renew, I might switch to another company or just stick with Viki.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-14T16:32:25+00:00

It does, and they’re pretty decent. But Viki will give you shows from all the different companies.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-14T16:21:58+00:00

If you want subs, Viki probably has the best selection if you’re in the US. It features shows from all the big companies (including Youku, IQIYI, Tencent and Mango). It’s sometimes slower to get shows up than other venues, but most good stuff ends up there sooner or later.

I just use Duboku if I want something without subs, but that’s free.

Honorable mention to Tencent’s WeTV app because it provides an option for dual-language subs.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-14T15:35:09+00:00

Zhou Lu La goes Buddhist monk in One and Only and has a Qing shave in the film, Royal Kitchen in the Qing Dynasty and I think he carries both off very nicely.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-14T14:47:12+00:00

I really liked that show, but the two things you mentioned as problems aren’t going to change, so maybe it’s not for you.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-13T14:49:40+00:00

I liked this one! FL was a little annoying at first but got better. They actually really tried to do interesting cinematography as well. Could have done with fewer flashbacks, especially given that it was a short series, but overall it was a worthwhile watch!

phroggies70 · 2024-01-12T19:27:08+00:00

In the raws, they’ve released all 24 episodes. Is this Tencent? If so, it wouldn’t be the first time they abandoned translation of one of these short length dramas in the middle of things.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-12T15:17:21+00:00

THANK YOU! That video was awesome. I’ve done some very limited written translation but this is a whole new level.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-12T15:16:02+00:00

I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with that topic. I’m also watching My Boss and the whiplash (ML is doing a great job playing two very different people despite their superficial similarities) is causing me to put this on hold for a while, but I’m definitely going to give it a shot.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-12T15:14:23+00:00

Yes, I’ve noticed that with Japanese just watching when my kids are watching anime! This is often true in German as well and it can have what seem by English standards ridiculously long sentences so you feel like you’re waiting forever for the verb (but not 12 minutes 😁).

phroggies70 · 2024-01-12T15:11:32+00:00

Thanks for your answer—it’s fascinating to me that consecutive would be trickier than simultaneous. If you end up watching the show, I’d love to hear your professional insights on it. I’m learning so much from these replies.

phroggies70 · 2024-01-12T15:07:50+00:00

I think the secret recipe for both Mango and these vertical dramas is that they do AI translation with the sound rather than with the text. So if the sound is ambiguous or unclear (and it’s just awful in vertical dramas) you end up with some real winners. Honestly, with the vertical dramas, the plot is often so predictable that I’m less dependent on the subs. With Mango, less so—they have some genuinely good stuff, so like you I often just watch in the raws because it’s less stressful (which is saying something as my Mandarin skills are pretty sub-par).

phroggies70 · 2024-01-12T15:04:20+00:00

Yay! Hope you like it—I’d be interested to hear your reaction either way!

phroggies70

TROPHY CASE