Editor's note: To help you watch the "first episode" of a drama, are the recently aired dramas worth watching? Maybe some dramas will gradually get better, and maybe some dramas will start high and end low, so this article is for reference only. If there are any follow-up slaps, I will keep you informed.
The Legend of the Tibetan Sea
Broadcast platform: CCTV-8, Youku
Start time: May 18
In the current fierce competition in the costume drama market, "Legend of the Canghai" has attracted widespread attention and heated discussions as soon as it was broadcast. Not only because the chief director Zheng Xiaolong has created hit dramas such as "The Legend of Zhen Huan" and "The Legend of Miyue", but also because the male lead is Xiao Zhan. After the show was broadcast, it became the fastest drama on Youku to break 10,000 in popularity this year.
As of press time, the drama’s popularity on Youku has exceeded 10,200.
Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, directed by young director Cao Yiwen, and written by Zhao Liuyi, "Legend of the Tibetan Sea" was broadcast simultaneously on CCTV-8 prime time and Youku Video on May 18. The starring lineup includes Xiao Zhan, Zhang Jingyi, Zhou Qi, Huang Jue, Wallace Chung, Michelle Chen, etc.
The story takes place in the Great Yong Kingdom. Zhinu, the son of Kuai Duo, the director of the Imperial Observatory, encounters a tragic incident in which his entire family is exterminated. He changes his name to Zang Hai (played by Xiao Zhan) and returns to the capital after enduring for ten years to seek revenge...
In recent years, ancient idol dramas and male-oriented online novel adaptations have almost become the "only two" categories of costume dramas that dominate the screen, but "The Legend of the Canghai" has a completely different temperament, an original script, a serious drama temperament, and the theme of power struggle and revenge, all of which are eye-catching features; from the actors' performances, costumes and props to the story created by the screenwriter, it is even more remarkable, bringing new thinking to the concept of long drama creation.
Xiao Zhan's performance in "Legend of the Hidden Sea" has made a big breakthrough, interpreting the character's inner emotional changes in a delicate and nuanced manner. When facing a blood feud, his eyes revealed determination and ruthlessness, allowing the audience to deeply feel the character's state of mind.
It is difficult to act in a drama with a male lead, because the plot focuses on one character, and all the relationships between the characters are developed because of this one character. As the hub of the plot and the relationships between the characters, if such a character fails, the whole drama will fail. Therefore, dramas with male leads are common in the film and television industry, but it is not common for them to succeed. There are also many male actors who always want to rely on male leads to rise to fame, but they return empty-handed.
Undoubtedly, Xiao Zhan's attempt at the role of the "big male lead" was a definite success. After the broadcast of "Legend of the Lost Tomb", in the hearts of the industry and many ordinary audiences, he is no longer a simple idol actor, but has used his strength to prove his growth and breakthrough in acting, and proved his transformation.
Xiao Zhan as Cang Hai
In addition, from the perspective of the script, "Legend of the Canghai" has also opened up a new track in the male-dominated genre, with ancient costume power struggles as the background, integrating elements such as feng shui and geomancy, which is curious and fresh. The young Canghai, who has a blood feud, learns the techniques of geomancy and other techniques from his master. With his own wisdom and strategy, he takes every step carefully in the court and takes revenge on his enemies. In the process of rapid and effective advancement of the story, there is also a discussion of human nature.
However, the plot of the play also has some shortcomings. For example, in terms of rhythm, although the overall plot progresses smoothly, it seems to be dragged out in some key plots, such as the "extermination of the family" at the beginning and the subsequent "learning skills". The rhythm is not tight enough, which easily makes the audience feel tired. The male protagonist's revenge plan will appear "short-sighted" and "falling off the chain" from time to time. The design of "changing faces" also began to seem redundant, because the male protagonist has been recognized more than once, and those who cannot recognize him also believe that he has ulterior motives for approaching the Marquis (enemy).
But in general, the script of the play is quite solid, especially when you see that the chief screenwriter is a young woman, which is even more commendable. Who says that female screenwriters can only write about love and family matters? I hope that the industry will use less gender to frame creators in the future.
Perhaps it is the participation of Zheng Xiaolong that makes the costumes and props of the play show a very high standard, which is comparable to the historical dramas in ancient costumes, making this "fictional" story more profound. The design of costumes and props, from the costumes of the characters to the layout of the scenes, is full of rich ancient style and charm.
For example, official uniforms are embroidered with different bird and animal patterns according to different ranks, and the colors are also strictly matched with reference to historical regulations. These details reflect the crew's respect for history and culture. The actors' makeup is even more in line with the character's temperament, exquisite and textured. For example, Yu Nan plays the Queen of Winter and Summer, with deep red lips, sharp eyes and exquisite and complex headdresses, which is domineering and quite innovative.
In recent years, short plays have been loved by many audiences for their short, compact and fast-paced features, which has also brought new challenges to the creation of long plays. Against this background, the emergence and popularity of "Legend of the Tibetan Sea" can be seen as a return to the concept of long play creation. It does not pursue a short and fast plot rhythm and simple "explosive" emotional expression, but tries to attract the audience through complex character relationships, grand story structures and superb character performances. Although there is still room for improvement in rhythm and plot logic, this attempt to return to the traditional concept of long play creation is worthy of recognition.
Long dramas should have enough time and space to tell a complete and wonderful story and to create rich and three-dimensional characters, rather than being constrained by the idea of short dramas. By carefully polishing the script, arranging the plot rhythm reasonably, and paying attention to the details and the rigor of logic, long dramas can still occupy a place in the market and meet the audience's demand for depth and breadth of drama viewing.
【Recent opening score】
"Lion City Mountains and Seas" Douban score 6.7 (8404 people rated)
"Days of a Detective" Douban score 6.6→6.9 (7035 people rated)
"The Enforcers" Douban score 6.5 (3469 people rated)
"Dear Enemy" Douban score 5.9 (5461 people rated)
"Meeting You Again in the Falling Flowers" Douban score 5.3 (4933 people rated)
Douban score of "The Best Son-in-Law" is 5.1 (8155 people rated it)
As of May 22, the scores have not exceeded 7, and the number of people who have rated has not exceeded 10,000.
【data】
According to Yunhe data, "Legend of the Tibetan Sea" surpassed "The Lost Tomb" with a slight advantage and became the feature film with the largest effective broadcast market share on May 21.
Data source: Yunhe Data
