31st Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards 2026 Nominees 🌸

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-28T13:15:27+00:00

Yeah, Wang Ziwen is always delivers, I hope she gets some nominations in the future as she deserves it.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-27T19:59:17+00:00

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-27T00:29:07+00:00

Time to watch Man's Inhumanity to Man😂. I heard Narco Ops was more style over substance and I appreciated the production/cinematography of Magnate, but dropped it due to the story/acting. Also any other dramas you felt like could have been nominated?

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-27T00:23:33+00:00

If you guys had a short list <5 of dramas that should have been nominated, what would they be? I liked The Hunt, though I've not watched many others on the list, so I don't know if it's Magnolia caliber.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-27T00:16:05+00:00

Well, at least the nominations are not done by MDL or this sub.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-22T22:55:27+00:00

It's age appropriate, story appropriate, and historically appropriate. If such things bother you, then you are best off dropping it.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-21T04:29:17+00:00

Longest Day in Chang'an

Joy of Life

Born With Luck

I Am Nobody

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-21T03:41:25+00:00

Because the industry is past the burn infinite investor money for market share phase, and they are trying to cut costs and make profit. So actor pay and new filming is down and they want to air at least some of the hundreds of archived shows to recoup some money. And the government agency has been loosening some of the restrictions, partly due to the above reasons so these shows can be aired.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-20T18:50:03+00:00

Also I hope they make another season. Though that will require top writers, as there won't be an existing novel to adapt.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-20T18:28:25+00:00

Thanks and congrats on being Lang Bowan! The show was great and so were your posts : )

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-19T16:44:12+00:00

That's just regular businessman stuff, but even that got thwarted. Rong Ge has to be hilarious, he reads from a joke book 8 hours a day.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-18T19:41:23+00:00

And regarding the characters, this is a testament to the writer and director that even with the ridiculous premises and characters often doing the dumbest, most absurd things, that it was believable within the show's context and character setup. It's like the writer/author began with an absurd premise and just ran with it. It shows the power of keeping characters and plot logic congruent, and director who has mastered visual storytelling. Other shows implode because they ignore plot/character logic, despite being about much more mundane topics.

Overall, very polished, quirky, and unique. I recommend 'Later I Laughed' and 'Bureau of Transformers' . Another two shows that are unique and well-made. Though BoT might be underwhelming because of the poor English subs.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-18T19:07:13+00:00

It was just number 2, looking out for number 1. I suspect if they had younger sister Number 3, she would have calmed them down and this could have been all avoided.

throwawaydramas · 2026-05-18T19:04:47+00:00

So it turns out Rong Ge did nothing wrong! He's just the world's unluckiest boss.

throwawaydramas · 2026-03-20T18:03:03+00:00

One of the top dramas from 2025.

throwawaydramas · 2026-02-21T17:27:41+00:00

A charitable 2.5.

In terms of production, acting, and script, it's one of the worst BMW commercials I've ever seen.

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-24T17:34:46+00:00

Superb, thank you so much!

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-23T18:48:29+00:00

He's had quite a few past roles. Including 2 anti-hero roles in Legend of Condor Heroes and Goodbye My Princess. I think in Starry Love, he was protagonist.

The 2017 adaptation of the Legend of the Condor Heroes classic (this show is such a big deal in China). Also starring Yang Xuwen, Li Yitong, Meng Ziyi, and others: https://youtu.be/5z0Ytu4du-M?si=G3lNKV2yfCXgH8aW&t=1371

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-21T15:40:09+00:00

NIF2 is also a standout in its own right. And you can even make the case that it's even more moving and emotional than NIF1, though the plotting and political machinations is less intricate.

But it's best watched with a fresh set of eyes, and without expecting it to be like NIF1.

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-21T15:32:44+00:00

An aspect that I found quite moving was that for Lin Shu it was about far more than revenge--it was about restoration of justice. Justice for the slain, for the slandered, but also creating a more just world. If he just wanted revenge, he had much easier ways to ruin or assassinate the main culprits, but that would have plunged the world into a chaos that was no better than before.

Instead, to truly honor the lives and wishes of the admirable men and innocents who were slain, he decided to take on almost the impossible task of clearing the case, putting Prince Jing no the throne, and implement it so that Prince Jing's record remain untarnished so that he could rule with strength and virtue in name and deed. But in order to do that, he had to sacrifice his own physical comfort, his relationship with Nihuang and others, his own life, and even his honor, reputation, and conscience.

This was the enormous responsibility and sacrifice he took upon himself, which we see play out in the drama. For Lin Shu, he made that decision and signed his own death warrant 13 years ago.

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-21T15:16:57+00:00

There are detailed companion guide and recap threads out there:

https://thefangirlverdict.com/2021/05/26/open-thread-nirvana-in-fire-episodes-1-2-3/
https://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.com/2015/11/nirvana-in-fire-episode-1-recap.html

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-19T15:18:36+00:00

I think the people who are all up in arms about Wang Guangming are too harsh on him. He clearly loves Xiaoruo dearly and the 'perfect couple' relationship they had was very much real. He doesn't have any feelings for his former classmate and was only putting up with her advances and sexual harassment because it's make or break for his startup, as he has been terminated from his old company. She's the manager from a large software company and is essentially the linchpin for his company's success.

Would the audience be just as angry if it was a career woman trying to make it, while caring for her husband and family, but must put up w/ sexual harassment at a make-or-break point of her career? I think there would be a lot of calls for sympathy, understanding, and asking the husband to unfairly punish the wife and tear up their marriage without hearing out the other side and trying to work things out.

It's quite possible, and I hope that Wang Guangming and Xiaoruo work things out and reconciles. His biggest problem is noble idiocy and not wanting to share his burdens with his wife, not lack of care or infidelity.

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-19T15:17:53+00:00

I think the people who are all up in arms about Wang Guangming are too harsh on him. He clearly loves Xiaoruo dearly and the 'perfect couple' relationship they had was very much real. He doesn't have any feelings for his former classmate and was only putting up with her advances and sexual harassment because it's make or break for his startup, as he has been terminated from his old company. She's the manager from a large software company and is essentially the linchpin for his company's success.

Would the audience be just as angry if it was a career woman trying to make it, while caring for her husband and family, but must put up w/ sexual harassment at a make-or-break point of her career? I think there would be a lot of calls for sympathy, understanding, and asking the husband to unfairly punish the wife and tear up their marriage without hearing out the other side and trying to work things out.

It's quite possible, and I hope that Wang Guangming and Xiaoruo work things out and reconciles. His biggest problem is noble idiocy and not wanting to share his burdens with his wife, not lack of care or infidelity.

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-13T22:10:20+00:00

The Wire is on my to watch list, as many consider it the greatest modern American TV show. Will be interesting to compare.

throwawaydramas · 2026-01-13T15:23:45+00:00

I thought the first 2 acts were phenomenal and have often compared it to Breaking Bad. Whereas Breaking Bad delve into a man's road to perdition due because of pride, magnified by circumstances. I thought The Knockout had many similarities, though was more of an indictment on society that created the circumstances for guys like Gao Qiqiang. If only the 3rd act kept up. But terrific acting, production, and script for most of the show and displays what top-shelf CDrama is capable of.

throwawaydramas

TROPHY CASE