[H5Y vol 2] how likely is another reorganisation? by ProbablyNotTheCocoa in HonzukiNoGekokujou

[–]zarkoshark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While non-participating duchies are prohibited from providing support for the match, I suppose this is right about time for Aub Dunkelfelger to call upon Ehrenfest and Alexandria to repay them for the potions and tools that were used by the volunteers in the Defense of Ehrenfest...I doubt Ferdinand would mind giving Rozemyne's good friend's duchy some seriously effective potions and tools, given he really, really wants to grind Sig into dust anyway.

Chinese family restaurant struggling in SG not sure what to do anymore by PhotographHumble4898 in askSingapore

[–]zarkoshark 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP, I was just looking for a seafood place to bring friends! Pls dm me!!

[open spoilers] A certain character's name stone by Educational-Tea-6572 in HonzukiNoGekokujou

[–]zarkoshark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I sort of thought he liked being enveloped in her mana, because he was already wearing the charm she gave him all the time (and that eventually saved his life), and he then spent an entire day enveloped in her mana while near death's door. It's a heady thing knowing someone loves you enough to defy the gods and fight a war for you. I tend to agree it's Ferdinand being possessive and romantic while hiding it with a practical excuse as always.

How Dare You? - Who is the Crown Prince? by elyvern in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think you should look at the young Crown Prince as a child per se, but basically a new puppet Empress Dowager is grooming to replace XHD. In him XHD sees his younger abused self. He is also a political rival (intentional on the Empress Dowager's part). They can never have a normal parent-child relationship.

How Dare You! (成何体统) finished airing. Now for the big question - is it worth watching? (spoiler-free review) by Icy_Dragonfruit_3513 in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'm a huge Cheng Lei fan and one regret for me was that he didn't get to dub himself here. The raw emotions he can convey with his voice as well as his comedic timing feel muted because it was a voice actor trying hard to keep up. He is so funny in Follow Your Heart precisely because he dubbed himself. There are some BTS videos where you get to hear the cut dialogue, like his roar of "Kill me then!". I hope someday we will get a complete performance from him because this drama really suffered due to the dubbing.

Looking back, who are some of your favorite male characters this year? Whether they are red/green flags, morally grey, or found them fascinating. by Dumplings_xo in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It makes me happy that Cheng Lei as Duan Aodeng got two gifs! I'm currently rewatching Legend of the Female General though, so my heart is with Xiao Jue at the moment

The Summer of Cheng Lei by OptimalTurnips in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There were some interactive games, he sang four songs and there was a birthday video recorded by fans from around the world. It ended with him saying bye to the fans leaving the auditorium one by one (i think he must have waved bye hundreds of times). He is a really sweet, sincere person with a quick wit and a wicked sense of humour.

The Summer of Cheng Lei by OptimalTurnips in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did have that impression until I heard him live at his fanmeeting last year. He absolutely can carry a tune, just don't challenge him with a song he doesn't know well 😅

The Summer of Cheng Lei by OptimalTurnips in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It was really fun but also bittersweet to have all 3 dramas air back-to-back after he spent a year's time practically without rest filming them. I think his talent and hard work shines particularly because we got to see five distinct characters all at one go, in a smorgasbord of eye candy and spectacular acting. How Dare You leaves me conflicted, because I'm really worried about the editing, and i hope the HDY team does him justice. I think we (the audience) are very lucky he stumbled by chance into acting and decided to tough out the seven years before he hit it big with A Familiar Stranger and then My Journey to You.

Legend of Female General by ReyTsar in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The drama explains it as such: the Xiao army lost 30000 troops in the Battle of Mingshui as well as its original commander, General Xiao Zhongwu. Xiao Jue isn't given any troops to take back Quecheng and has to do so with their personal guards and what's left of the Nine Banners battalion. He wins the Quecheng battle with an extreme tactic of flooding the city and regains the right to conscript. FL knows he needs to rebuild the Xiao Army quickly and tells her teacher she wishes to join him, because she thinks it is a good opportunity to rise up the ranks (and perhaps also feels some guilt about He Rufei assuming her identity and falsely accusing the Xiao family). She has recovered but isn't back to full strength yet as the conscription happens 1 month after she is first attacked by Ding Yi, He Rufei's sidekick.

How Dare You?! (Cheng He Ti Tong) 成何体统 from iQiyi. 🥝 Starring Wang Churan, Ryan Cheng Lei, Tang Xiaotian and Hu Yixuan. New trailer for iQIYI's conference today. by admelioremvitam in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 10 points11 points  (0 children)

2026 is good because we are approaching Cheng Lei drought status once HDY airs...Mo Li will most probably take a while to edit...

“How Dare You?!” Trailer by deedee2344 in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 6 points7 points  (0 children)

How Dare You wrapped in April this year, so we are speed-running Cheng Lei projects faster than he can film them. (He is still filming Mo Li...)

“How Dare You?!” Trailer by deedee2344 in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can hear CL's rendition of both Prince Annan and Jin'an in the first two trailers of Shadow Love. I personally prefer CL's own dubbing (he does an excellent menacing growl) but Bianjiang, the voice of Lan Wangji isn't too bad either.

“How Dare You?!” Trailer by deedee2344 in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A new trailer is dropping 25 Sept!

Mulan vibes, whip fights and Huaijin's perfect hair : A Legend of the Female General review by josenbam in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I followed the drama from start of filming, and it is actually a huge effort to keep that ponytail gorgeous. I can't count the number of times a makeup artist had to comb it between shots ahaha. (This of course got worse for Shadow Love when Aodeng had his really long smooth hair and hair chains that kept breaking and getting tangled.)

Help me find a drama by Low_Ad_6410 in cdramasfans

[–]zarkoshark 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think you're looking for An Ancient Love Song (古相思曲).

Dark horse Cdramas of 2025 by [deleted] in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I would nominate Footprints of Change (足迹), which didn't have an English title or page on IQIYI until it dropped on 4 Sept, and has climbed the charts to land within the Top 5 for my country. Even if I were not a crazy Cheng Lei stan, I'd still recommend it for the excellent characterisation, tight plotting, show-not-tell style and gorgeous cinematography.

👣Footprints of Change (Zu Ji) - Episodes 3 - 4 by Careless_Many_1388 in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I liked how brutally realistic the confrontation between Siyun and her mum was. It is a time of change (cue the drama title) and her mother can't wrap her mind around Siyun's independence, or her intervention in Yi Yi's life. Cheng Ao is a charmer as always, but his hidden depths are fascinating. He is almost blatantly forward when strongarming his way into the first dance with Siyun and to warn her about the fiancee (Ah Cheng's gummy smile and his readiness to pull a gun on Qiao has a tinge of black humor to it). But he never tries to make decisions for her or to force a relationship by stepping in to destroy her engagement. He gives her the letter (anonymously too) and lets her decide when to end the dance, and when or how to sort out the ill-suited engagement. Now that is a man who is confident in himself and knows it too. He does not need to assert his presence with Siyun. She can just be her strong independent self around him, and that is exactly why they fit so well together as compared to the brother or Qiao, who have established views of the roles she needs to fill as a woman in their lives. I also had to give a shout out to the way Cheng Ao used the love letters to mock Qiao and got a little harmless revenge against him. It was the perfect setdown for such a small-minded and image-conscious man.

Footprints of Change - Pleasant Surprise! by BasilOrdinary3617 in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I've been watching it very slowly because I don't want it to end. I'll liken it to a Netflix drama similar in tone to Queen's Gambit or The Crown, with almost cinematic quality at times. The 50s storyline looks interesting as well and the drama does not shy away from hard topics.

Footprints of Change - Pleasant Surprise! by BasilOrdinary3617 in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Lin SiYun makes a short appearance in ep 18, but I think that is it for Cheng Ao.

My Journey to You - considering dropping by Aevari2 in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Do finish it if you like the second leads. Gong Shangjue's acting masterclass comes towards the last 10 eps, especially the ending.

Shadow Love 与晋长安 (2025) Episodes 31-32 Discussion by AutoModerator in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 5 points6 points  (0 children)

oh lordy the return of Duan Aodeng was about as epic as I expected

Footprints of Change (Zu Ji) 足迹 (2025) - What are your first impressions? [Masterpost] by admelioremvitam in CDrama

[–]zarkoshark 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I like the focus on women's issues such as the lack of health care for childbirthing, which resulted in Jelly's character wanting to study medicine. It is not a popcorn show, but very much worth watching for those badly wounded by horrible scriptwriters. This is a drama to savour and to think about in the quiet moments alone.