liztai

liztai, 8 days ago to random

Doing my taxes on labour day feels quite poetic

liztai, 8 days ago to Entertainment

The blessings of being swept away by a drama after nearly quitting it, and now that you've finished it, realise that there isn't any other xianxia with such a mature main couple with a level-headed approach to love and heavenly responsibilities. Am looking at future xianxia dramas with much trepidation. I doubt they'd have a xianxia like this again for a long, long time.

T__T

https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/the-legend-of-shen-li-review/

#TheLegendOFshenLi #CDrama #Cdramas #Entertainment

liztai, 8 days ago to Anime

Eyes Thousand Autumns donghua.
Guess I'm watching that today lol.

#Anime #CDrama #CDramas

liztai, 9 days ago to Korean

Legit no one will understand me in Sarawak 🥴

PS: There are many variations of Hokkien in Malaysia, and to piss each other off we use different words sometimes.

#Languages #Chinese #Dialects

https://youtu.be/uP6UFL3kMMQ?si=_3hUaWO4ahWahgWo

liztai, 10 days ago to random

I nearly dropped this drama, was told that it is really worth it sticking it out, and for the first time, I'm really glad I listened. It's one of the best xianxias I've watched in a long while.

#CDramas #TheLegendOfShenLi #CDrama

https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/the-legend-of-shen-li-review/

dramatea88.wordpress.com, 10 days ago to showerthoughts

I am generally wary of hyped dramas, and boy was this drama hyped. And since I don’t exactly have wonderful luck with xianxia as a genre, I wondered if I could get on The Legend of Shen Li train.

Fortunately, I had a long holiday in April, and I was in the mood to watch something adventurous. So I gave Show a try and ended up binging six episodes in a day. This is a good sign.

1. The story
2. Thoughts
3. Episode logs
   1. Episodes 1 to 6: Chicken little
   2. Episodes 7 to 13: Return to the Immortal Realm
   3. Episodes 14 to 22: Battling the miasma – the bad guy shows himself
   4. Episodes 23 to 30: Shen Li’s fall
   5. Episodes 32 to 39 – Secrets are revealed
4. The ending
5. What I liked
6. What I didn’t like
7. Final thoughts
8. Final rating: 8.5

The story

Pressured into a political marriage, Shen Li chooses to flee her fate and ends up injured and reverting to her original form.

She falls into the mortal realm as a phoenix but is mistaken for a chicken. She nearly ends up as someone’s dinner until Xingyun, an ordinary mortal, saves her.

But things are not what they seem, and this fateful meeting begins a love that may destroy the Three Realms.

Thoughts

This is a xianxia for adults.

A lot of xianxia dramas, I feel, have young adult-ish themes and romantic tales. So, the fact that we have more mature actors heading the drama was a big attraction for me.

Another thing unusual about Show is that it can be considered a slice-of-life drama.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about the slice-of-life genre: It’s a “narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence of events in a character’s life is presented, often lacking plot development, conflict and exposition, as well as often having an open ending.”

Fortunately, there’s no open ending for The Legend of Shen Li, but I’ll get to that later.

Still, I wasn’t sure about the slice-of-life vibe of Shen Li. In this drama, as per the conventions of the slice-of-life genre, the main plot is the side character.

So, we have times when the main plot (though I wonder if I can even call it that), grinds to a halt and we see Shen Li, Xing Zhi and various side characters hanging out at functions, cooking food, cleaning jade cups (I’m totally not kidding).

In fact, I nearly gave up on the show when they left the mortal realm and the immortal realm arc started.

But I persevered, and I’m glad I did.

Episode logs

Beware of spoilers! Do not read this part if you’ve not watched the drama.

https://dramatea88.files.wordpress.com/2024/04/shen-li-2.jpg?w=781### Episodes 1 to 6: Chicken little

Shen Li becomes an overpowered chicken when she gets injured and loses her human form. She is rescued from a market by the mysterious mortal, who, while he lives a simple life, isn’t a simple man.

Xingyun, as he is called, doesn’t seem fazed by a lot of supernatural events and can even cast spells. During this idyllic lull, our couple gets to know each other, free of the pressures of cosmic responsibilities.

Episodes 7 to 13: Return to the Immortal Realm

Shen Li returns to the divine realm and to her duties as a general. There, she meets the only ancient god, Xing Zhi, who looks exactly Xingyun.

My least favourite arc. Besides attending heavenly functions, our couple is busy trying not to give in to their feelings. Xing Zhi pretends he’s not the mortal that Shen Li fell in love with. And Shen Li resigns herself to her fate of marrying someone else.

This is the most boring arc of the show and I should’ve employed the fast-forward button instead of patiently waiting for something dramatic to happen. If you want to do so, I give you my blessings.

Episodes 14 to 22: Battling the miasma – the bad guy shows himself

I was so relieved when Shen Li and Xing Zhi returned to the mortal realm to battle some demon smoke and that we had something else to do besides attend heavenly functions and endure boring divine beings.

Anyway, they are in search of Shen Li’s wayward betrothed, the spoiled Furong.

A good arc where we not only saw character growth for Furong but also got to meet our ill-fated former ancient god in the first arc who is now trapped in a cycle of rebirth due to daring to love a mortal. I enjoyed Qingye’s tragic story, and I swear it could be its own show. A part of me hopes we get a spin-off for Qingye’s tale even if the likelihood of this happening is like 0.5%.

I love that Qingye got to talk to Xing Zhi. The actor portrayed that wise, ancient and even-tempered Qingye so well.

Episodes 23 to 30: Shen Li’s fall

The Three Realms (or rather, two, since the mortal realm doesnt know a thing), grapple with the loss of Shen Li.

Though us viewers would be going: I mean, seriously, Shen Li dead in the middle of the drama? Riiiiight.

Anyway, I loved this arc because this is where Xing Zhi is finally rattled out of his “I need to do right by the world so I cannot show that I love Shen Li” mode. By that I mean he totally lost it.

I thought Lin Geng Xin acted the heck out of that moment when he gave in to his grief, froze the sea and brokenheartedly tried to search for Shen Li’s body. His last words before collapsing into Furong’s arms were: “I really regret it, Shen Li. I do like you.”

He gets his second chance, and boy does he ensure that he makes up for lost time. No more being a noble idiot.

We get a sabbatical in the countryside part 2. After the harrowing last arc, our main couple deserved some quiet time. But real life and responsibilities intrude on them soon enough.

And yes, episode 31! Some say that the scene was really awkward, and the kissing was not that good or something. But I thought it was perfect because, come on, Xing Zhi is an expert at being emotionless and composed, but he is a total infant when it comes to expressing his feelings and just letting go of his inhibitions. Dude demonstrated that he learned quite quickly toward the end of the drama, I assure you.

And that scene with Lady Jin giving Shen Li and Xing Zhi knowing looks and slyly teasing them that they both “did it” and our couple wilting from embarrassment? Comedy gold!

And is it me, or is Xing Zhi jealous when Jin “flirts” with Shen Li?

PS: Turns out that Jin is a lesbian in the novel and had a thing for Shen Li. Hahaha. Also, Jin is older than Xing Zhi, which explains a lot as well lol.

https://dramatea88.files.wordpress.com/2024/04/jin.jpg?w=941### Episodes 32 to 39 – Secrets are revealed

Everything comes to a head. All I have to say is that if I had watched this while it was airing, I would’ve been the first one to buy the express episodes package. Secrets are revealed. And I just wanna say that I really loved Xu Hai Qiao as Feng Lai (below)! Last time I saw him it was as the despicable Ou Yang Xu in A Dream of Splendor, and he’s so different here it took me a while to recognise him.

https://dramatea88.files.wordpress.com/2024/04/shen-li-fenglai.jpg?w=900And I admit that I shed a few tears in episode 38 when Xing Zhi emerged from the vortex and said, “A-Li, let’s go home. I’ll cook for you.”

At that moment, Xing Zhi knew he was dying, finally at the end of his lifespan, but his deepest and most desperate longing was to return to that simple time with Shen Li. Something that was not to be as he was near his end as he had finally lived out his purpose as an ancient god.

The only time I ever shed a tear for a xianxia character was Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. And now, with The Legend of Shen Li. This is because it was wonderfully acted by the actors, and I think it says something if Lin Geng Xin can squeeze a tear out of me, as I have a heart of stone and hardly ever cry when watching dramas.

The ending

Click HERE to read my thoughts about the ending. There are spoilers, of course.https://dramatea88.files.wordpress.com/2024/04/shen-li-end.jpg?w=900Oh dear lord, after a slew of promising dramas with tragic or open endings, we finally a good ending. Nay, a great one that is fleshed out, happy and clear. Not a 10-second, hey look, that could be our dead character back alive. Instead, an entire last episode is devoted to Shen Li and Xing Zhi giving each other maximum skinship, cooking for each other, playing mahjong (!) and hanging out with their best pal Miss Jin.

Was episode 39 necessary? Some people may say that it should’ve ended at 38. It would’ve been a neat and tidy ending. But I love watching Xing Zhi and Shen Li enjoying their “retirement” from official heavenly duties. They deserve it.

What I liked

• It is nice to have a manly, mature man for once as the male lead of a xianxia drama. Lin Geng Xin doesn’t have the typical delicate, elfin-like looks idol male lead xianxias typically has, but that’s what I love about him. He is charismatic in a way that is hard to define.
• OMG they filmed in actual locations! I’m so used to green-screen xianxia sets that it felt weird to see these high beings wandering around real streets, real fields of flowers and dwelling in real cottages!
• I love that Shen Li is such a smart, strong and confident woman. I love her straight-talking ways, and I love that she doesn’t suffer fools, even if they happen to be an ancient god like Xing Zhi. She puts him in his place a few times, once telling him, “I am not stupid”. Zhao Li Ying, of course, played her very well.
• I totally adore the food porn and cooking vlog sequences. They are a hoot and just puts me in a holiday mood. And all powerful ancient god and a great cook? Who can resist this man?
• The quiet, “cottagecore” moments when Shen Li and Xing Zhi are out in the countryside, free of their heavenly responsibilities are my favourite moments.
• When I grow up I want to be Ms Jin. What a sass madam! In fact, I love her so much that I’m so happy that she got her own side story in the last episode.

What I didn’t like

• Seriously, the Heavenly Realm folks have got to be the most useless and indolent Heavenly Realm folks in the universe. What do they do besides hang around gossiping with one another and throwing banquets? Don’t deities have jobs like protecting mankind or something?
• I also don’t quite get how this world works. I have long given up on xianxia trying to follow any traditional Chinese mythological structures. Call it “fantasy with Chinese characteristics”, but it’s a world whose rules are vague, so I don’t quite understand how it functions.
• I wish there was a better premise than they can’t be together because “Natural Law won’t permit it”. Something about emotions and Xing Zhi losing control and Three Realms destroyed cos … Xing Zhi will act out? It feels like a flimsy reason to keep our couple apart.
• Overuse of internal monologue. Awkward moments where characters just stare at each other as they internally monologue. There are better ways to convey this than internal monologues, really.

Final thoughts

https://dramatea88.files.wordpress.com/2024/04/shen-li-5.jpg?w=900I think the reason why The Legend of Shen Li spoke to me so much is because it touches the deep longing we have in our hearts as adults. Like our couple, some of us are weighed down by our family and work responsibilities. However, ours are far more mundane than battling demons or holding the fate of three realms on our shoulders. ( Though, I think for some of us, our family and working lives may actually be as angst-ridden as a xianxia!)

So, a lot of us long for a simpler life where we can just retreat to the green surroundings of the countryside, grow our food, cook, and nourish our loved ones.

This is a rare drama that you can watch when you just want to feel good. A xianxia version of “Meet Yourself”, if you will.

I never in a million years think a xianxia drama could fit the bill, but here we go.

However, Show is far from perfect, which is why I’m giving it an 8.5 rather than the 9 I would’ve given if the storytelling and pacing had been better and the world better fleshed out.

Still, I would say it’s one of the best xianxias you can watch; a rare gem that caters to more mature viewers.

Final rating: 8.5

https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/the-legend-of-shen-li-review/

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liztai, 10 days ago to random

LOL am watching the start of episode 31 of #TheLegendOfShenLi on a loop

liztai, 12 days ago to television

Just watched Sleep. Such a good movie.

And of course, I feel so sad seeing Lee Sun-kyun. Sigh.

#Kdrama #Movie #Kmovie #Kdramas #Korean

AnnaAnthro, 12 days ago to random

I watched both the Tencent & the Netflix versions and agree with the critiques in this blog post

‘3 Body Problem by Netflix is a bit of a problem’ – post by Elizabeth Tai @liztai

https://elizabethtai.com/2024/04/26/3-body-problem-is-a-bit-of-a-problem/

liztai, 12 days ago to Birds

I love watching the sunbird just fly in and out of her nest. it is such a delight that she chose my little balcony to have her eggs. 😁

Can you see her little beak?

#Bird #Birds #BalconyNest

liztai, 12 days ago to China

A 30-min video of iQiyi"s upcoming dramas in one convenient video with English subs

Very handy if you want to watch it on your TV 😄

#Cdrama #Cdramas #China #TV #Entertainment

https://youtu.be/CK6K1odwols?si=beB0RxyWCbYAS0p8

liztai, 13 days ago to TikTok

I don't use #TikTok. Don't even have an account. Can't stand the app. But this thing with TikTok in the US is grossing me out. It's one thing to ban the thing but quite another to force the co to sell the platform to a US company. That's like a land grab, even if money is exchanged. This is going to put a chill on business relations not just with China but with companies globally, because they'll be wondering, "will I be the next Bytedance? Will they try to grab my company too?"