Two Dramas with THE SAME Problems - Romance on the Farm/Scent of Time [CC]

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[@lina-ty1zk]

It's very frustrating to be invested in a story then for it to turn out to be a dream or a figment of imagination, it feels like the writers do not respect my feelings as an audience member

[@princessloveheartglitter]

Well, the topic of rebirths and reincarnation is pretty taboo in china, so they had to go through the dream route for the drama to pass censorship, and I thought (although they should have put a few more episodes for closure) that the ending made sense. The FL from Scent of Time needed to face her actions instead of running away from it. It's a good message.

[@Grey_Ghost]

​@@princessloveheartglitter It's not like these stories HAVE TO BE made into Live Dramas though. I'd rather they adapt these stories into just having smart/clever/resourceful leads without all the rebirth/time travel malarkey, so they can have a more fulfilling experience overall. I believe that's what Love Like the Galaxy did, and I thought it was one of the best Dramas I've ever seen.

[@heythave]

I have a solution for you. Go watch Ok! Madam which is a Korean movie. It’s super funny and will keep you entertained the entire time.

[@princessloveheartglitter]

@@Grey_Ghost omgg I LOVE Love Like The Galaxy

[@annabear1746]

Totally agree with you! These rebirth or time travel stories is to make the viewers feel good, so when they cancelled all the built up efforts, it makes you feel like total a crap. I agree that it was like we empathize and suffered emotionally with the characters only for it to turned out to be nothing. They really take us as fools. I felt like it's very disrespectful to the viewers who spent time and invested their feelings only to get the drama telling us, "Sorry we lied to you about our suffering. None of these things happen." I honestly love Scent of Time. I like that it has quite big family and many characters that aren't just passing by but play important roles into the story, appeared quite a lot to make me feel connected to these people. The best part for me is the fact that it has a very angsty, melancholic vibes throughout the drama, which I think is amazing and not many other shows or actors are capable of pulling and maintaining such atmosphere as constantly as Scent of Time did. I was totally hooked with the drama, but I stopped half-way around episode 14-15 because I was so worried if Hua Rong Zhou will die and I got a really negative instinct about his fate, so I was peeking into the last 1-2 episode. Only to get surprised that it was all a dream. I understand that it has good lesson that we can't escape reality and should stay strong to continue the real life, also I found it beautiful that Hua Rong Zhou turned out to be Hua Qian's self-manifestation of support that she never had in reality. But still, it makes me feel like an idiot at the end for sympathizing so much for literal nothing. Neither Hua Rong Zhou was real nor all the events I went through with Hua Qian. Not even one good thing is left for the audience to feel happy about. I think many people are disappointed that the ending has unclear love interest, but I was more disappointed that everything was just a dream. I can't bring myself to continue the 15 more episodes I haven't finished because I was too depressed with it. I was frustrated with the time I have wasted already, so I won't waste any more second just for it to be a dream 😢

[@LuArielLor]

Finished both and my issue is the the lack of "why" in the story. In scent of time, I figured she was dreaming it earlier on. In the end, I just couldn't figure out why the "rebirth" would matter. FL didn't grow much to do much in the rebirth, and the only thing she gained was guilt and understanding why she was wrong. Too many episodes just for that. Romance on the Farm, my issue is that despite the game workaround, it wasn't even relevant in the drama except the beginning and end, so it felt so out of place. If they incorporated it in a way where it would make sense, it would've been more worthwhile.

[@guess_im_fcked]

I absolutely loved Scent of Time 😆 the only problem i had was with the ending (and the fact that i was consciously shipping wrong 🙃)

[@belensolalinde712]

I agree with you. Thank God I began to see it without so many prejudices 😅

[@zdem8259]

I mostly agree with your rants and complaints about dramas, but this time I can't. Because I loved Scent of time very much. I specially loved ending, it's best possible. For me. That is how life works: you can't go back and mend what you did but you have to take responsibility, face life and try to make a better living with better self. So, let's agree to disagre about this drama, because Scent of time was one of rare dramas I watched from first to last minute withouth skipping and really enjoyed it.

[@princessloveheartglitter]

I loved Scent of Time (although it did disappoint me a little). The ending made sense to me because; 1, the topic of rebirths and reincarnations are taboo in china so they had to change the plot to "it was all a dream" to pass censorship, 2, Mu Yao forgave Hua Qian because she is a righteous person who knew that she shouldnt beat a dead horse. What was done was done, Hua Qian regretted it from the bottom of her heart and Mu Yao saw that she had already suffered enough, and 3, the message that "no matter how much you regret and want to change what you have done and what has happened, you need to face it headfirst because what's happened has happened and there is nothing you cna do about it" was pretty good. It certainly helped me deal with a problem i had recently 😭. Yes, there are a few things that disappointed me but the overarching plot and the ending was not one of them.

[@ValKorablik]

I completely agree with you.

[@mfebronie7639]

Same.. I don't regret liking the drama 😁

[@naneunbuddyda]

Completely agree with you. A bit disappointed with the ending but I can see why.

[@mayyeyintnaing2567]

Yeah Scent of time gave me life lesson because I always like to read rebirth novel. I like feeling of changing their fate. But it is not real. So accept the reality. Scent of time is this vibe. If you do not want to regret, you shouldn't this and that.... If the first life of Scent of Time drama is novel, our female lead Zhou Ye's character may be a supporting role. To get male lead, she did the wrong things. So we are watching a supporting role character as a lead character perspective. Ending is not my cup of tea but I like the process. Wang Xing yue's character is also not😢 a standard male lead, but strangely I am his fan because of this drama. So in conclusion, Scent of time may not be a perfect drama, but the process is not boring. I want to know one episode by episode. So you should try it at least one episode. May be you will become a fan of this drama.

[@Moonlightxslayer]

How I felt about scent of time, all that time spent invested in a story and it was a lack luster turn of events when it was just a dream.

[@noelg66]

I have to disagree with regards to Scent of Time, I think the dream set up is brilliant as a substitute for the rebirth plot. It conveyed a sense of melancholy and leave the audience with a heart-rending feeling by the end. The drama has other problems but overall it’s a very touching drama and a good attempt to substitue the unrealistic “rebirth” theme. For me, I don’t really like the story in book concept and the only gripe I have about Joy of Life is the beginning and ending, which are completely unrelated to the entire story.

[@deyayona]

I have watched Romance on the farm and have already forgotten the story. I remember while watching I was complaining about the absurdity of many things but also overlooked it at the same time, as it was in the set up of game, thus some of the illogical things can be ignored.

[@teenamalanga5342]

Sad that you did not watch all of the episodes of Scent of Time. It was a beautiful story and the acting was excellent, imho. The ending was logical and well thought out. It was one of the best shows I’ve watched. I used to enjoy watching your KZbin videos when you were gentle and kind. You did not watch the whole story or you would know that Qian suffered horribly.

[@annabear1746]

9:12 Hahaha the two drama productions have a meeting. You always give me a good laugh! 😂

[@Jibberish55]

An example of this kind of story that I really liked was Lost Track of Time. They were vague enough about whether it was real that I didn't feel I wasted my time (even though the ending wasn't perfect). But a big part of my enjoyment was Jing Chao's villain performance.

[@cassball7]

Yes! I became a fan of Jing Chao after that drama. He was amazing as Mu Ze. I hated and loved him all at the same time 😂 His younger brother/ male lead got on my nerves. I did like Lost track of time and loved the opening instrumental.

[@Barbarossa-heir]

I'm shipping for "Ripe town"..i like how smart everyone is ..the camera shots are engaging...

[@kechoify]

😅😅😅 was so waiting for this, a drama that makes AvenueX rant. I know you are not going for that, but every time, it is hilarious! Your expression is priceless!

[@calumho6253]

But she totally has merit and finally someone brave enough to call it out.

[@Breenndda]

Romance of the Tiger and Rose was my introduction to transmigration/rebirth, imagine my surprise when I learned that that trope is used obsessively in asian dramas/novels/manhuas/manhwas/etc.

[@pammiim]

Thank you for making the video about these two dramas. It's very satisfying :)

[@nurdiah1981]

3:05 omg yes, i was so mad when i watch the last scene of Romance on The Farm. Like WHAT???? 😭 i was so invested and they end it like that.

[@nurdiah1981]

6:44 aha yes yes now that you mention these, i do get secondhand embarrassment 😂

[@nurdiah1981]

11:07 Agree 💯 I remember in kdrama Crazy Love where the ml said why should he forgives someone that do him wrong. And he literally said "You watch too many dramas. When the villains just apologize, the main characters always forgive them. Do you think it's same in real life?" 😂

[@user-se9tq3rd3c]

Hello AvenueX! I find your videos very useful even when I haven't watched the dramas you're discussing (which is most of the time), because your knowlodge and point of view teach me many things about dramas and storytelling and make me appreciate more the ones I already like, realise why some things just don't feel right, and, most importantly, they make me feel it's okay to both like and dislike a drama. They make me a responsible viewer and not a brainless watcher who endlessly defends what can not be defended, not understanding a problematic story. I've been in Chinese dramaland since 2014 and I discovered your channel early on, therefore I'd like to say that I appreciate your channel so very much. These last few years there's been a resurgence in dramas in the previously comatose dramaland from my country (Greece), and I just wish you spoke the language and watched every drama and commented on everything! There's so many things I'd like to hear your view on! I've caught myself so many times reading different takes on certain dramas and scenes and itching for professional opinions and ideas, and wanting to discuss what I like and dislike, and wanting to find out why certain things were shot this way, to understand the screenwriter's way of thinking and, most importantly, to rant about it all! Unfortunately, there is no "AvenueX" here. In essence, this is just a small love letter to your channel which I love to watch, even though I haven't watched half of the dramas you talk about 😅. I love knowing your point of view even when I disagree with it. Ultimately, I just want to say thank you for this channel. ♥ P.S. 1: I'd love it if you covered other dramalands as well, even just some dramas. Your opinion is valuable. P.S. 2: And if you do happen to learn to speak Greek, message me, I swear I'm in stitches with this drama I'm watching this period, and every few days I keep thinking "What would AvenueX say about this and that and the other?". 😝 P.S. 3: It would be great if you made a video series on narrative techniques, visual storytelling, basic directing techniques and when & why they're used, etc. You're deeply knowledgeable on the subject, you could use examples from cdramas which would make us appreciate the hard work behind the scenes, and it would further elevate our viewing experience of any drama we watch in the future. Live long, and happy drama watching!

[@annabear1746]

7:44 Wow! You're really good! Although I do feel weird at first wondering what kind of businessman could ever get bestowed a marriage from the Emperor to a literal Imperial Princess, but I brushed it off because I thought it's still very possible especially there aren't any context about how powerful is the patriarch since he wasn't mentioned at all in the story. I also didn't know it that it's a problem in ancient China if local magistrate or county officials worked closely to powerful business family to the point that it can be considered rebellion. Thanks for giving me more knowledge! 😸💛

[@writerbyday]

Love your rant videos 😂! I really appreciated this one because I almost started Romance on the farm and it would have made me frustrated. Love the actors but they definitely have better dramas than this.

[@adalovelace521]

Could I temp you to do a best of the year/ tier ranking dramas? Your commentary is valuable and I enjoy your criticisms

[@y_88Nrs]

Up

[@9065annie]

+1

[@nandanarekhabinu6574]

I think she already mentioned the best and worst dramas in her previous videos. Sorry I don't remember the best, but she said the worst were hidden love, only for love, till the end of the moon, gen z and fireworks of my heart. I think the best were 3 body problem, be your own light and the heart.

[@actuallyvidding]

@@nandanarekhabinu6574 and Oh No! Here comes Trouble!

[@sparkles9768]

I just hateee when justice is not served to the evil or wrong people...its just feels soo disappointing and infuriating.....There are veryy rare dramas where they don't white wash such characters

[@maryannrondinella5680]

Thank you for this thoughtful review. I gave up on Romance on the Farm after ten episodes because of the hateful family members in the game, especially the avaricious grandmother. The only second life in a game drama I've found worthwhile is The Sassy Beauty (I know, stupid title!) A comatose beauty influencer is nearing death. Her wealthy family creates a sophisticated interactive game and a set of tasks to awaken her from her coma. Deng Wei plays a kind AI butler who guides her and develops feelings for her. It's a moving story, with life and death as the stakes.

[@bernadettepalmer6407]

I finished ✅ both the 2 series and the reason that I liked it because I followed and watched both actors and actresses tv series and I like watching costumes drama 😊 I tried to follow the historical side of China as I’m not Chinese but loved watching Chinese dramas. More the reason, I loved watching you and Marcus because you are both Chinese that live outside China 🇨🇳 which you both are Canadian now ! I like 👍🏾 to watch you and enjoyed all your criticism to learn more about movie making, actors and history of china 🇨🇳 I really appreciate what you do, so thank you 🙏🏾 so much , by the way, I’m an Australian 🥰

[@alicekurniadi5509]

I didn't watch Scent of Time, but did watch Romance on the Farm, which I enjoyed for what I wanted to be (something to have on the background). I sorta gave a pass to all the farming/reality stuff to it being in-game (where things are easier more appealing for a game player), so I could ignore most of those. But, I did have a huge problem with how everyone just became a happy family and all the evils are forgiven ESPECIALLY Hua'er (the eldest sister). She never paid any consequences for her actions or demonstrated remorse and growth/change. It felt to me that she's good in the end because it's convenient for her to be instead of her wanting to be. >:( At least her dad suffered consequences. AFTER all the terrible things she did, she ended up with a great husband who stuck by her, welcomed back to the household and will have steady business.... WTF?! I did enjoy Man'er and Ye'er stories and their love line -- tropy but sweet and eye pleasing. I also agree with there needs to stop being adaptations of web novels ... or if you're going to, then you need great script writers who can make things better. A lot of web novels are crap to begin with and there are far and few talented enough to fix the problems in the novel when adapting it.

[@bassdayesammydass-rice9430]

Thanks for your review AveX I'll go pass them..cheers!

[@iamnothyper]

i actually enjoyed romance on the farm, but it was cause i enjoyed the CP. after the first couple eps i knew it'd just be a nice casual show to enjoy and not think too deeply about it. i think to expect accurate farming techniques from a show of that caliber is wishful thinking haha.

[@corneliusdobeneck4081]

I have a phenomenal idea for a rebirth script: we see the story of a character ... whatever that is ... and in the end the character gets reborn as a fly and smashed in the next scene. I would call it: Russian Roulette Rebirth

[@HKogen]

Thank you for your review. You are absolutely right, show creators should have basic courage to finish the story in the most interesting and meaningful way. If you know that censorship will not let you do that, work around it but don't create bogus ending hoping the audience would connect the dots. This being said, I don't regret watching The Scent of Time. First of all, the "true" ending was very obvious (the "Life on Mars" type of ending). Second, I have truly enjoyed following a profoundly wicked person trying to fix her wrongdoings (she is not even remorseful! just self pitying). And finally, the finale made some kind of sense if you take it as a quasi religious experience: in the end, it is not the evil person's redemption but the lord's grace that "saves" her. However, her final situation is untenable in the long term: her family is still dead and disgraced, her reputation is ruined, and she is entirely bereft of agency, depending on the continuing grace of her lord and saviour whom she does not love and has firmly rejected in her dream. She will be loyal to him out of gratitude, but will she be happy?

[@20karisan]

At least a person sees it the same way as I do. I was watching a Thai drama where the FM was traumatised by the ML with the consent of her family and because he cried a bit at the end she forgave him and her family persuaded her to do so. No remorse, no repentance... I felt so disgusted that I had not been able to watch other Thai dramas.

[@melodiemclellan5245]

Romance on the Farm - I just needed some 'growth' - time brings harvest and justice - NAAA - they gave me tissue! I blow my nose and throw it away! But Scent of Time! YADELEH! After working to create "willing suspension of disbelief" so I could watch past the business family manipulating everything! When I realized the impending uselessness... I felt robbed. Then that ending swept me down the garbage disposer of utter futility! I couldn't even analyse it - my essence was paralysed and chopped up. Putting cdramaland in time-out.

[@nguyenthiphuonganh]

Although I didn’t like Romance on The Farm, but as an Asian (born in the 80s), I can tell you that all of those family dramas are realistic. Those family dramas, not only happened in my ‘big family’, but also in most of old time Asian families. Those made me so nostalgic.

[@joessjoess]

"Scent of Time" seemed to me an unusual thing - there is not a single positive image where the motivation of each character is understandable, open and conflicted, which creates constant tension in the story. The case when the author forces you to accept the conventions of his world and come to terms with what is happening - after all, you are just a random witness in someone else's stream of imagination.

[@1percent32]

Scent of time is absolutely beautiful, an unsual Chinese drama, unpredictable, & mature. This time you shoudn't listen to her review, watch it by your self.

[@gladysezinwa6837]

Absolutely agree. I was pleasantly surprised and was engaged throughout the story

[@bellabermudas]

I was just hunting for Scent Of Time and was unsuccessful in my efforts. It must’ve been an omen cause I clicked on your page while searching. I had heard Kunning and Scent were similar so I thought I would check it out. By the sounds of it I’m not missing anything. I enjoyed Kunning Palace where the ending is similar to your description of both dramas. The male lead ends up at the doorstep of the female lead and they return smiles to each other. 🤣 Very original! Joy Of Life did this type of story telling a lot better and that’s why it’s one of my all time favorites. In closing, I have to agree with your assessment of C-drama land as I’ve decided to pickup a few Korean dramas for the rest of the year. I’m hoping that things will get better in the new year or I’ll continue to look for old costume dramas to fill my Chinese drama list. Take care and happy holidays.💃🏽

[@tashaonly]

scent of Time was pretty good except for the ending Ala Bobby Ewing slap-in-the-face.

[@iriscristiane]

I think before you give up the idea of watching Scent of Time, you should give it a try. 99% of times I watched a C-drama, loved it, and the next day she was posting a video about how the drama was bad 😂😂 We all have different opinions, so you shouldn't let others decide what's good or not without giving it a try first.

[@mayyeyintnaing2567]

Yeah Scent of time gave me life lesson because I always like to read rebirth novel. I like feeling of changing their fate. But it is not real. So accept the reality. Scent of time is this vibe. If you do not want to regret, you shouldn't this and that.... If the first life of Scent of Time drama is novel, our female lead Zhou Ye's character may be a supporting role. To get male lead, she did the wrong things. So we are watching a supporting role character as a lead character perspective. Ending is not my cup of tea but I like the process. Wang Xing yue's character is also not😢 a standard male lead, but strangely I am his fan because of this drama. So in conclusion, Scent of time may not be a perfect drama, but the process is not boring. I want to know one episode by episode. So you should try it at least one episode. May be you will become a fan of this drama.

[@Novichevich]

Agree with every word. So many good actors'efforts wasted!

[@GreyHippo]

I couldn't finish Romance On The Farm. The family was too aggravating. Glad I didn't waste my time since there was no comeuppance.

[@khadijabellil741]

Unrelated but I like your eyebrows!

[@AG-du6zd]

Understand your rant and where you're coming from, but I absolutely enjoyed the Scent of Time - despite all the things you mentioned above. First of all, I think it was really well written as I wanted to know what will happen in the next episode. Next, I thought it was well-directed and well-acted, though the main actress was merely ok. And I for one loved the ending and it moved it genially. Actually the "writing concept" was absolutely stupid gimmick for me, including in Kunning Palace (horribly, simply horribly executed) and I was so glad they didn't use it here. It doesn't explain anything to me. It didn't explain anything to me in Joy of Life, which I disliked, and I still want my time back after watching it. I'm watching f-a-n-t-a-s-y drama. I don't need some rational explanation for the re-birth idea or for seeing people flying on screen or killing someone with a leaf. That's exactly the same for me. I buy any concept as long as they don't insult my common sense at least about the human basic behavior and emotions. In that aspect The Kunning Palace is an absolute assault on my senses (dreadful acting aside). And I tried out the curiosity the novel of "Scent of time" - couldn't last more than few pages, boring and uninteresting. Personally, I think the scriptwriter elevated it way above the original material. Just my 2 cents of course. :)

[@noelg66]

Agreed on the writing concept, it’s a very lazy plot device to get around getting approval for a rebirth movie

[@belensolalinde712]

I agree with your comment completely !

[@iriscristiane]

Your comment is the exact reason why I watch only 0,00001% of reviews people are posting nowadays. They watch fantasy dramas where the leads die, come back to life, fly all over the place like some birds and still reviewers try to find explanations and reasonings 😂 and when they don't find they say the drama doesn't make sense ashaushaua

[@mirasofia5547]

I have only watched Romance on the farm and I do wonder why they needed the modern times plot. They could just as easily totally delete the rebirth part of the novel and just keep the basic plot.

[@Kairava]

Wow! You really went out on this video! I absolutely love your reasoning and agree with a lot of the things you have said. I considered myself a person that could "judge" whether my leg was being pulled or not, but you did such a good job! I might have even bought into some of the fallacies in these two dramas, specially because I love that genre, I'm so lucky I didn't touch either, life is too short to put trash in my mind! I remember something the FL said in that drama that had an "astrology office", where the ML could "sometimes see the future when touching someone", I remember her saying: I believe in the ability of the people to transform nature! I loved that contrast and thought it was a very nice mindset, either by the person who subtitled the drama, or the writer of the drama himself, playing with the fantasy with feet rooted firmly in reality, and holding humanity on such high regard. You're absolutely right, everything "mediatized" will mess with everyone's heads and is a certain and effective way to make people "think" (or most likely not think -_-) in a certain way. "Magical thought" is pretty much the norm on the West, people will wish you well and feel even better than if they had taken the time to actually do something to solve the thing they wished you well for. Individualistic mentality is the norm, dramas can be such a powerful tool to foster community and just better things that humans are capable of, to be uplifted. I wonder if whomever checks which dramas go on air has noticed that western mentality is sipping through these kind of scripts.

[@anata110]

I like both dramas. To me, both were overall entertaining me.

[@MT88639]

Good analysis

[@rittataylor_2000]

The most illogical thing i have seen recently in entertainment industry is the severe lack of importance that they give to educational qualification like if your gonna hire a scripwriter or even actors why can't you ask them if they have a college degree in literature or if they went to acting school to get the job like how is spending years studying literature or a skill and getting a degree in that not useful in an industry that uses those knowledge in every part of production plus people in entertainment act like not going to college nor getting a degree is some kind of achievement in life just because they have lots of money

[@Kairava]

This is very true, but I also appreciate how there's enough slack so people can do "fan" or amateur stories, like the good one that turned into the time loop story on a bus, I think. But they should really have better judgement on what gets to make it into real broadcast platforms, and what doesn't.

[@supa3ek]

9:35 The freeze lololololololololol We see your point

[@aidahrazali1512]

As I watch this review, it actually makes things clearer that the "happenstance" moments in Romance on the Farm is BECAUSE of the video game mechanics. The writers don't explicitly point it out, but in video games the most unlikely things happen to drive the plot. So following that logic, it makes sense that's there's a random cave that helps them make money, they won't show the proper farming techniques, etc etc.

[@kara-karina8530]

I didn't know rebirth stories are subject to censorship in China, that's so weird that you have to specify that fantasy genre is fantasy and not to be duplicated in real life 🙈 I couldn't get past episode 1 in Romance on The Farm, but I really enjoyed Scent of Time. I thought it was very well done. Again, I treat it as fantasy and not a historical drama. And I have a beef with endings in cdramas in general. They very rarely do not disappoint. It's like you expect it to end with a bang but it ends with a whisper. 😂

[@florinaarano8000]

I really wish to know what you think about Parallel World (West Out of Yumen) 😂

[@Skinwithlilian]

Please rant about the last immortal cos i gave up after 2episodes. I don't know why they bring cliche dramas with Alist actors. Just like one and only

[@Skinwithlilian]

I mean only for love and not one and only

[@myr-onl]

9:31 girl, I died. That shot is truly the worst, low effort thing ever, tyvm for calling it out.

[@alixchong9792]

i enjoyed Scent of Time, i m a sucker for rebirth or time travel n i adore the ZY n WXY, MEBBE i m a simpleton, i dun think too deeply into logic, or historical accuracies..bwaaaa, 平凡是幸福

[@Lala-gy7cn]

I jus started romance on the farm I gave up after 4 episodes it just seemed a bit silly I couldn’t watch no more 😅 if only this video came out 24 hrs early I wouldn’t have wasted 3 hrs of my life 😂

[@majesty1144]

I didn’t bother checking out both dramas. It looked horrible from afar. I just finished the first episode of Derailment. I am loving the mystery . After watching the first two episodes of the last immortal I really don’t know what to say. I am currently enjoying the Hope starring Zhang Rouyun. The hope is highly recommended. I am waiting for your review 😅

[@gmatgmat]

Another ardent fan of The Hope. Ex-teacher, no less. Thank you.

[@disappearintothesea]

I enjoyed both Scent of Time and Romance on the Farm. However, the end to both was very underwhelming. I wanted the FL in SoT to be held accountable for her actions and I wanted the leads in Romance to meet organically, not as an afterthought.

[@fatisummer9106]

I feel like in this kind of rebirth /dimension thing they seem to not know how to put a good end to the story,IDK if they are lazy or just lack creativity or just too tired,not enough budget at the end ,or like Avenux said they just don't care since we all paid subscription

[@amarinegripond1915]

I stopped both of these dramas: Although, ROTF was well acted, I overdosed on the nasty, constantly screaming elders. Injustice is a no watch for me. SOT was stopped specifically for that and the rebirth problem. (I like to spoil the endings before deciding if invest time)

[@K3vin365]

Please make a video about the newly released video of Wu Kong : Black Myth game. Thank you!

[@gladysezinwa6837]

In scent of time she actually had already paid for her crime before the dream.When she woke up the reason the other girl(i think mu yao) forgave her was that fl had already lost everything, her family, wealth, husban,status,what more was there to lose.Mu yao had already had her revenge and was now living a better life.At this point the fl was so pitiful she literally had nothing and was sickly .I think anyone in mu yao position would in at this point forgive and let go.So it was no a random something

[@nickpaz8890]

Zhou ye my favorite

[@estheryang9904]

I found out a short drama which is quite good #invicible stepmother . Some may not logic but it's an enjoyable drama and much better than those high budget drama that so dissapointed including the last immortal i stopped at episode 3 😅😅

[@gmatgmat]

I like Invincible Stepmother, too. Shirley Jin does this kind of role well.

[@estheryang9904]

@@gmatgmat yeah agree all the cast are doing so well especially FL she is so good

[@LidiaScherArt]

Wow! I so agree with your assessments. I watched Romance on the Farm, and yes, there are several other poorly made rebirth plot dramas. My first experience was with Romance of Tiger and Rose, that while no means perfect, kept me going. In fact, there is a season 2 on the horizon😮 ROTF disappointed me in the same way it did you. Terrible script lacking imagination, much like the heroine in ROT&R, her script was bad!

[@yekatru5362]

Avenuex por fa podrías agregarle subtitulos en español a tus videos

[@gladysezinwa6837]

As someone who agrees with your views in dramas,I think you should properly watch Scent of time. In my opinion it was a noteworthy drama of 2023 for many reasons.The idea of storytelling through the villian eyes is really good something i have not seen much in cdramas.I think this idea was protrayed really well.Also,the Idea that our actions can never be changed is a good message.The set, script and acting were not necessarily groundbreaking but welldone.I think what makes it so engaging is the fact that it feels somewhat novel,like there is this tension if the Fl can reedem herself and right her wrongs.Compared to others dramas wherby a character is good and bad things keep happening to them and they hoping for justice and things to get better.Scent of time does the exact opposite.FL is the bad person and she is repaying her wrongdoings.As a viewer you feel conflicted,Fl is reaping what she sowed but you can't help but feel sorry and wish for things to get better for her.

[@mooielucht]

Can you review for No More Bets movie?

[@magelarodriguezsilva3320]

Yo mire Scent of Time, loco, llore un monton con el final. Realmente me deprimi al saber que tood fue un sueño y lo terrible que se puso la protagonista al saber la verdad.

[@fianorian]

I enjoyed Romance on the Farm, but I understand your dislike of it. I haven't watched Scent of Time. If you think they're bad, however, try The Last Immortal. I promise you will feel much better about these two drama's by contrast.

[@angelxxsin]

Can you expand on that thought, why are they better by contrast? Sincere question.

[@Skinwithlilian]

The last immortal is the worst I don't know why zhaolusi accepted that project. After two episodes I gave up

[@bellabermudas]

Agreed. I like both actors in The Last Immortal but it’s a family drama in that it’s catering to a very young audience. I’ve moved on and will catch Lusi and Wang’s next projects. After all, I absolutely loved “ Love Like The Galaxy” that had a talented cast. If you’re enjoying TLI, continue on but it’s a miss for me. Take care💃🏽

[@JohannaOviedoBeauty]

I'm watching The Last Immortal, but it hasn't aired all the episodes, how do you know the drama is better than this two? While i was watching Scent of Time i really liked, the details, the female growing even the secondary charecters were growing, they messed up totally with the ending part.

[@shinyeee1709]

@@JohannaOviedoBeautymy issue with scent of time was that if they had cut out the scenes Zhuo ye spent eating nuts and sitting down, that drama could have easily shortened 5 eps.

[@mimichandes]

I was so upset with the ending of Scent of time... it was great up until that point. I wanted to have a time machine and just go back to when I hadn't started it yet.

[@calumho6253]

Its really down to the director/writers and seems like recently these ones have 'lost the plot' literally but like you say don't care - as long as they cast a pretty face with netizen fans and trolls to back them up. Some of these plots/script are so cringy but yeh ok im already moving onto to see what 2024 has to offer.

[@romama2568]

Regarding this issue of adapting IP, it's not just in China but Asia too. Published IPs are often chosen over original scripts and concepts. Instead of risking time and money on an original idea that might not work, media buyers would prefer adapting work that is proven to have an audience.

[@cassball7]

I watched Romance on the Farm. I liked it but there wasn’t any romance!!! The family story was interesting and the drama should have built around that. The drama left me with a lot of questions and the ending was odd.

[@bapyongukgukguk2352]

2019/2020 = peaktime cdramaland

[@CaroleMcDonnell]

I was super-disappointed with Romance on the Farm because they should have used the game premise in so many intriguing ways. Heroine has the power to choose characters and do all sorts of shenanigans with non-player characters. She could have played God if she wished. That would have been so much fun. The screenwriter didn't understand game playing. I also didn't like the whole patriarchy and forgiveness thing. I am hoping that Derailment will be a good timeywimey. We shall see.

[@anthideagiusmuscat445]

The temptation of spewing out on repeat dramas with practically identical content because at some point that particular format had hit the jackpot is not a novelty nor is it behaviour restricted to film making. Why bother to develop original content when the objective is generating quick high profit off the back of a gullible consumer before the product bores them or they wise up to how they are being short charged? This "business" model follows the principle of quantity over quality and is shod of any sense of moral responsibility towards the consumer. However as they say: easy profit rules! It is truly disheartening to realise that in the Chinese drama making world this ugly principle trumps most other considerations 😞

[@hummingbirdman]

When you are talking about the dramas, can you please post the pictures of the dramas with the main cast on your screen, i.e. main drama poster, while you talk about it, since I would like to know what the drama looks like and you only show or flash a few pictures. Please show pictures of the dramas.

[@bellabermudas]

……and the English title as she shows the picture quickly then says the drama in Chinese. I’m like what? So I go back and pause the pic to get the right drama in my mind. I feel you on this point for sure, but she sure does make me feel like learning mandarin. Take care💃🏽

[@ravenlenore2296]

I don't like that kind of ending. I call them "take back ending" or "gotcha ending", where the drama was one thing but it's something different at the end. For example, the dramas Royal Rumors and General's Lady. In Royal Rumors, it's a historical until the ending where the main characters walk out of a carriage then onto a film set. In General's Lady, the drama is a historical until at the end where the female lead is in modern time; she's writing a story, and the story was the drama itself. Then the male lead arrives. She asks him what's his name then renames her male character to his. So the drama was kinda like her fanfiction of them. I just can't with that kind of ending. You watch a drama until you get to the end where you realize everything you saw didn't happen, didn't matter. It feels like a slap to the face.

[@duckraft]

Romance on the Farm was a stressful watch with few benefits. You could cut all the gaming elements out completely and have a solid drama. But why would a gamer become so emotionally invested in game characters? Just how long is her body lying there. Doesn’t she need to eat and pee irl? And who would ever stick with such an unpleasant family scenario if they didn’t have to? No amount of pay is worth that, honey. It seems the game element was only to give her a motivation- make money. There are so many more interesting ways she could’ve had that motivation inside of a story, no game whatsoever. Such a strange, nasty, troubling drama.

[@air2air786]

Unfortunately it is the cut-through of current Chinese society and it’s mindset: uneducated, uninformed and therefore shortsighted. And: people in contemporary China see horrific unjustice happening everywhere everyday and not seeing the people responsible bearing any consequences. Those dramas (and many more) are just a mirror showing us what the situation is. Creativity lives in free places, not in the prison.

[@txpepper]

"gobsmacked" .... 😂.... 💕

[@colonyofcellsiamamachine6175]

i do not pay any money to watch china dramas so I have no complaints.

[@keekeepod]

Justice not served in "Romance on the Farm" was due to those people were "family". The powers that be pretty much have insisted on dramas achieving harmonious family relations through tolerance and forgiveness, especially toward the elders. I guess "Scent of the Times" is similar, in part. Another part is something about bad characters are not allowed to be first leads. Backward twisted logic: FL paying for her bad deeds means that she is bad then she can't be the FL, but she is the FL, so she must not pay. Besides, drama likely wants to instill the idea that she'll definitely be a better person after waking up and properly atone for her past.

[@Nano-vy9cz]

In the past we had very similar relatable views when it came to cdramas but recently i feel like you're over criticizing or too strict. Your standards are too high. Sometimes its okay to watch a drama and not think too much about some details especially if its a fictional drama. Overthinking and focusing on the negatives can make watching a drama really unenjoyable and can mislead people. If i had seen this review before I watched scent of time, i probably wouldn't have watched it and missed out on a good show. I feel like although it was just a dream, it was a way to overcome all the trauma she experienced. So maybe the story isn't a story about forgiveness and fixing the wrongs she did. Its about understanding you can't fix everything. And who said justice wasnt served. I think we might have very different definitions of justice. Yes she did something wrong but she suffered a lot because of that and thats what motivated her to change her future in her dream. Justice is not always determined by law so she didnt need to be arrested for justice to be served

[@Nano-vy9cz]

Why are rebirth dramas taboo in China

[@sofiasila2696]

The ending from scent of time made sense to me, sorta, and I was able to swallow the dream plot because they kinda give you hints throughout the drama, but romance on the farm was awful, I couldn't go through it, when I realized story of kunin palace was going to be the same type of drama I didn't even start, enough is enough, it seems that all Cdramas are becoming a bindle of those 1mn ep dramas you see on mobile apps

[@eaenneae5822]

Story of Kunning palace is very good. Give it a chance honestly. There are good actors involved and fl goes somewhat through character growth.

[@eaenneae5822]

Story of Kunning palace is very good. Give it a chance honestly. There are good actors involved and fl goes somewhat through character growth.

[@eaenneae5822]

Story of Kunning palace is very good. Give it a chance honestly. There are good actors involved and fl goes somewhat through character growth.

[@eaenneae5822]

Story of Kunning palace is very good. Give it a chance honestly. There are good actors involved and fl goes somewhat through character growth.

[@junjunjiang520]

Ugh so disappointed with “Scent of Time”, I literally fast forwarded episode 30, the reveal… in disbelief! I had a feeling but didn’t think writers will be that cheap and cheat the ending like that. Ugh!!!

[@ritodey]

Can someone please recommended a good period/costume drama of this year? I have already wasted this year watching so many bad dramas.😢

[@gmatgmat]

Have you peeked at A Journey to Love? Pretty good. Sorry, don’t know what meets your standards.

[@adj5767]

Starry Love is the only one I have finished so far. A Journey to Love is the other one likely to be finished.

Did I understand correctly that most of these "rebirth dramas" are coming with these ridiculous explanations (game, dream) to overcome "time-travelling ban" for Chinese dramas? And why exactly did the CCP banned time-travelling? I searched a bit about it, but I would like to know more :)

[@kchew1000]

Its CPC, but why not just say the authority , the government or the censor.

@@kchew1000 ok, my mistake. But I want answers to what I actually asked 😁

[@disappearintothesea]

@the people who make the rules in China are not obligated to give any answers and even if they do it probably won’t suffice anyway.

[@TZheng-ue1mp]

From what I heard, there are multiple suicide cases of kids watching those time traveling dramas, who can't understand reality from drama. They think if they die, they will go back in time. So as a result, government banned any future dramas having similar themes. I have to say these are extreme measures, but you can't say it's not effective.

@@TZheng-ue1mp I see. That's interesting. Thank you for the info!

[@xmb6793]

for romance on the farm, i think we need to understand, it's just a game.. nothing to do with our basic logic about farming. in games anything possible.. LOL..

[@atiaulfath]

I was going to watch Scent of time but i couldn’t find it on yt so i stumbled upon your this video and now i have decided not to watch it i mean WHY WOULD I GO THROUGH 30EPS JUST TO FIND OUT FL IS DREAMING? WHY? writters should do better job to make these novel adapted dramas good

[@lostelle]

Watched Romance on the Farm, it was frustrating. I skipped a lot though. I guess having grapes, hot springs and what not could be explained by the game setting. It's not a historically accurate game, it's a game for fun. This gamification is lazy though, really just a device to pass censorship. They could do smth fun with it to make rebirth-into-game stuff work better.

[@moodygirl609]

Only watched Scent of Time. I think I only stuck with it as there was little else new in the historical dramas genre at the time. Didn't like either of the leads (princess/mom wasn't bad). Female lead didn't do anything in the drama except sleep, lie in a lounge chair and get fed walnuts. So on the positive side I left with a desire to crack and eat some walnuts which are good for your health.

[@ms.chuisin7727]

I totally forgot you've mentioned Scent Of Time and went ahead to watch it after I saw a short clips. I noticed something is wrong a few episodes in and already kinda catch that it might all be a dream so the last episode didn't really came out of no where. For those who didn't catch that, I feel so sorry for you. What I doesn't like is how the ex husband and his new wife who supposedly hate her was there and the new wife reactions are really out of place. The ML "deep feelings" toward FL is also out of place if things in the dream didn't happen. Probably shouldn't waste time on the incense burning scene and spend more effort into explaining things. Like why he would assume FL will love him??? I don't wanna read the novel but did anyone read it? Was it how the novel goes?

[@lucs.9727]

Los sentimientos profundos de ML hacia FL si todo fue un sueño es algo que también me chirrió mucho a mí. Fue decepcionante. Apenas le dan unas escenas en el último episodio para tratar de contar apresuradamente que desde niño estuvo interesado en ella pero que se dió cuenta de que a FL le interesaba el Maestro. O sea que ya desde niño tenía ese "amor" incondicional a primera vista y con total independencia de que ella se fuera convirtiendo (presuntamente) en una mala persona y al mismo tiempo la madurez y generosidad para no postularse como candidato a pareja porque FL parecía preferir a su amigo?? Aysss realmente esa ridiculez me molestó mucho más que lo de que fuera un sueño, que ya te lo iban "avisando" a lo largo de los episodios y que además como lección de vida es valiosa: lo que haces hecho está y no se pueden cambiar tus acciones pasadas, asúmelo y sigue adelante. Implica valentía y necesario crecimiento personal.

[@ms.chuisin7727]

@@lucs.9727 I read up to chapter 29 now. Now I found out a lot why the drama was set as it is. Time travel and palace harem drama are heavily censored so they made up the business of incense and change it to a royal family. In original setting the ML is the Emperor. The novel itself is relatively short so main focus was on FL and her own thoughts. Because time travel is banned, they make it a dream. And novel original ending is at ep 29 where she end up with bodyguard and ep 30 is an alternative ending for the censorship board. If it's made up, it's flawed. However throughout the novel, ML does seem like he had liked her to begin with and only pretend to like Mu Yao to help FL. They can't convey it properly in drama because they changed the story. It's a bit exhausting that everytime I liked a drama I had to read the novel to find out wtf is happening....

[@svetlanakotenko-forte2435]

Yes, it converted into “ mass production “ and stopped being art. So sad….

[@manalnadeem9190]

I really dont know how the producers put their money in the hands of these irresponsible people .... I started watching the last immortal and literally so far i feel like its the same as when i was 7 years old, i played with my cousins "the dragon balls" or "bayblade" or "Naruto" or anyother super hero cartoon .... it really looks like they are just babies playing superheroes with no logical sense, no story, no plot, both op protagonists!!!! Oh please havent we had enough of it. Nowadays who likes to see super God male lead and super godess female lead. I am so disappointed!!!! Even if i like zhao lusi and Wang Anyu, i cant keep on watching. The most normal drama of this year so far has been lost you forever and now airing A journey to love .....c-dramaland has been a disappointment for 2023....I hope that isnt the case in 2024....

[@fjyavjusvuyjdsgs]

The last immortal so boring !!

[@manalnadeem9190]

So true !!!

[@bapyongukgukguk2352]

About "Scent of Time" I didn't dislike it but I didn't like it either. Waking her up 5 min before the end was total BS

[@arpitadutta220]

Scent of time better

[@babasian]

I dropped RITF because I couldn't finish episode 2. Too boring and too much bickering. I didn't watch SOT. I found 2023 to be a disappointment in C-Drama. I dropped so many dramas this year in comparison to 2022, especially historical/costume dramas.

[@Myaarky]

Scent of time annoyed me because I just couldn't sympathize with the fl. She "goes back in time" and decides to change but not because she thinks she was wrong but because she didn't like the outcome. Then they tried to paint the person she wronged as the villian when she was rightfully mad at the fl who has literally ruined her entire life. Like make it make sense. Alot of these web novels don't really translate well in live action and I really hope they start writing original scripts.

[@jimenita.d]

Well then you didn't understand Hua Qian's character. She was originally a good person but was corrupted by her obsessive love, when she overcomes it you can clearly see her personality. Regarding Hu Yao, yes, he was a victim of Hua Qian's ploy but he showed himself to be a benevolent and judicious person; The only bad thing was her stone face but that doesn't make her a villain. Hua Qian's character is incredible because she is similar to that of an antihero and he teaches us that the past cannot be fixed but rather confronted.

[@weilingaby3029]

Is it not true in real life that we stop doing certain things because of the consequence? She changes her bad behaviors because she realizes the deadly consequences of her action. what's wrong with that? The person she wronged did take revenge with a very sneaky and dirty scheme against her and costed her brother's life. In her going back time, she tried to change her action to avoid the tragedy of the 2nd ml, is that wrong?

[@goldenfreddy-gj5wy]

If the people who created "Romance on The Farm" are really clever, then the main reason for that drama is to create a modern drama with the people who were in the game,sort of like create problems in their real time because they play that game, which they would have to help each other to solve them, I think it was a very interesting drama, they can do so much with it if the producers are smart about it, I also love the theme song of that drama.

[@user-wi6xx1my8s]

🙄