Dream of Chang'an / Stand By Me 梦醒长安 [2021]

[Yana]

3 hours ago, NiteWalker said:

 

MGTV no subs?

 

im not sure if i will watch it....cause i kinda not into political stuff lols

Me too.. Since chengyi really outstanding in L&R with Crystal yuan....now he partner with his sister in law... I can't

[NiteWalker]

5 minutes ago, Yana said:

Me too.. Since chengyi really outstanding in L&R with Crystal yuan....now he partner with his sister in law... I can't

 

they actually have another drama in a modern setting too

[Tofu]

1 hour ago, NiteWalker said:

 

they actually have another drama in a modern setting too

And for that one, I read that it's a sad ending! 

 

 

[NiteWalker]

15 minutes ago, Tofu said:

And for that one, I read that it's a sad ending! 

 

 

 

oh boy...........

[NiteWalker]

new trailer for Dream of Chang'an

 

 

 

[Yana]

7 hours ago, NiteWalker said:

 

they actually have another drama in a modern setting too

Ikr.... I was like 

Don't worry.. We have wetv

[40somethingahjumma]

I notice that no one else has said anything about this.  I should add too that Mango TV has now changed the title to Stand By Me which is also the title used in MDL.

 

This is one that wasn't on my radar but I happened upon it on either on MDL or YT, saw the trailer and started watching it. The first episode was a bit wobbly. Editing was undoubtedly odd. But I persisted because despite being a palace drama it has a strong wuxia feel. As the show progressed, it got much better. Surprisingly actually. Initially I was given to think that this one just another one of those rom coms masquerading as period dramas but it's turning out to be a much more complex drama than I gave it credit for at the start. Lots of scheming for those who like that sort of thing. The male lead, the young emperor Qi Yan is a standout. The actor is obviously very good. Han Dong who plays the emperor's uncle is an unknown quantity. He appears to be an upstanding guy but it's early days yet. He may have another agenda. I like the female lead who is also new to me. She suits the role and her chemistry with Cheng Yi is pretty good. Even though their romance seems a little unrealistic at first, because the set-up good and their chemistry is great it all feels quite organic. It's easy to understand why Qi Yan warms up to her and falls for her reasonably quickly. For someone who's been swimming in a sea of sharks, she is really a breath of fresh air.

 

The plot centres around Qi Yan and his newly acquired sword bearer. She's a bit impulsive but can be quick on the uptake. A little bit on the aegyo side but teachable. The best part is that she doesn't do things to make me cringe. Qi Yan is pretty much a figurehead under the thumb of a eunuch and his goddaughter but is trying to find a way to unshackle himself from their control. Several attempts are made on his life and everyone is curious about who the mastermind behind recent disturbances are.

 

It's worth taking a look. Who knows, you might even like it. :D

 

[Tofu]

@40somethingahjumma It's region restricted for me that's why I haven't watched it yet. Good to know that you're liking it. I'll probably pick it up later when majority of the episodes are out. I think it'll have about 49 episodes?

 

The new title change doesn't really go with the drama. I don't know why they changed it. 

[40somethingahjumma]

6 hours ago, Tofu said:

@40somethingahjumma It's region restricted for me that's why I haven't watched it yet. Good to know that you're liking it. I'll probably pick it up later when majority of the episodes are out. I think it'll have about 49 episodes?

 

The new title change doesn't really go with the drama. I don't know why they changed it. 

 

It kind of makes sense once you start watching it because of the relationship between the leads. It's lonely at the top for Qi Yan and he can't trust anyone.

 

The main reason why they made the change is most likely because this is no longer set in Tang dynasty Chang'an but in a fictionalized city. The young emperor isn't Li Yan but Qi Yan now. So there's now no reference to Chang'an.

[SilverMoonTea]

@TofuI didn't even know this already have eng sub. But I'm kind of busy, so maybe will pick up later. 

 

@Olivia KateYou already seen this?

[IpohBanana]

@40somethingahjumma As you put it, the change in title makes a lot of sense. It's lonely at the top, and her willingness to stand by him at all costs, is really what the drama is all about.

 

There's been a fair bit of criticism about how scrawny the FL is, for her supposed role as the Emperor's bodyguard and that the ML is stiff in his portrayal of the role. So, I went in with somewhat coloured lenses. Typical of me, I decided to venture in around E12, to see if I liked what was happening, and lo and behold, it was. I've kinda watched 16, 17 & 18 now, and being a sucker for some good ol' sacrifice for love, I was enamoured and truly excited that it's airing everyday of the week - what a treat!

 

I don't have any bones to pick with their acting. The FL is cute when she has to be, and brave when she should, and at all times, the ML comes first (and he feels almost the same about her, at least at the point where I started watching, so it's a nice feeling of reciprocity). And if the FL were any more robustly-built, she wouldn't match the ML, who ain't terribly brawny himself. So, I have a gut feel that the casting of the FL took the ML's physique into consideration. From the trailers, I kinda can guess what's going to happen at some point in the show, and it looks like a HE, which I am really hoping for. It's still quite a long wait though as the drama slowly airs 2 episodes everyday, then again, I'm glad that there's something to watch right now; politics, blood-shed, betrayal, plotting, and some romance, what else could a gal ask for? 

Edited August 15, 2021 by IpohBanana

[40somethingahjumma]

@IpohBanana

Glad that someone else here is watching. But the early episodes are important otherwise a lot of what comes later makes very little sense. 

I did notice that the costumes seemed rather ill-fitting so I wasn't sure if it was the costumes or the actors' physique. But yeah, the actress is rather on the skinny side. And it doesn't look like they spent a lot of money on this. I found the comment that Cheng Yi is stiff rather odd. I saw something similar on MDL and had to blink a few times. I never thought that at all. Besides it's an act that he has to put on to survive. He is supposed to be an emperor after all. As the story progresses, and he's a lot more relaxed around certain people, there are different sides to him.

 

Occasionally there's some cheesy stuff between the leads but for the most part I really like the romance. Thank God that Duchess Nisha is just a bit of a flash in the pan. No real competition of course but sufficiently annoying to want her out of the picture sooner rather than later.

 

The conspiracies aren't bad which is why I'm still watching as well. Qi Yan might not have a great deal of power but he's calculating enough.

 

I'm also really happy that there are new episodes every day. I feel all dramas should do this but I guess that's not possible in some instances. :D It makes the 49 episodes a lot more palatable.

[NiteWalker]

 

i decided to pick this up too....though to be honest....political drama is never my forte and i hate them hahahaha....as im no good with history ever...i flunk them hahahaha

 

17 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I did notice that the costumes seemed rather ill-fitting so I wasn't sure if it was the costumes or the actors' physique. But yeah, the actress is rather on the skinny side. And it doesn't look like they spent a lot of money on this. I found the comment that Cheng Yi is stiff rather odd. I saw something similar on MDL and had to blink a few times. I never thought that at all. Besides it's an act that he has to put on to survive. He is supposed to be an emperor after all. As the story progresses, and he's a lot more relaxed around certain people, there are different sides to him.

 

to add my thought on this...i do not think that CY acting is stiff here....it was more like he is trying to put on the puppet face where he need to be to survive under the Eunuch power.....i saw some sides of him....and there is a also a flickers in his throat whenever he tried to be passive....or rather trying to act nonchalant...like submissive toward the Eunuch...

 

after all he need to recognize a servant as a God-Father which is rather very bad for his image....he doesnt has court power either....

 

 

19 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Occasionally there's some cheesy stuff between the leads but for the most part I really like the romance. Thank God that Duchess Nisha is just a bit of a flash in the pan. No real competition of course but sufficiently annoying to want her out of the picture sooner rather than later.

 

hahaha i rather like that too...i meant he chessiness isnt over the top...that it made u cringe, though the Duchess doesnt actually appear by much i hope? 

[IpohBanana]

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

@IpohBanana

Glad that someone else here is watching. But the early episodes are important otherwise a lot of what comes later makes very little sense. 

 

lol, I love my spoilers, and for this show particularly, jumping in the middle helps motivate me to watch right from the beginning. (p.s. I am also a 40something ahjumma, more like gonna be 50something soon) Glad, that there are people in this forum watching this drama whom I can chat with, about it. 

 

@NiteWalker I don't particularly like court intrigue as well but if it's done well and the conspiring makes sense, then I am all for it. I enjoyed Nirvana in Fire immensely, although it would be hard-pressed to get something up to that standard, but this one catches my fancy, so I am really excited about what's to unfold. Though the angsty parts are coming.. oh well, all part of the process I suppose.

Edited August 16, 2021 by IpohBanana

[40somethingahjumma]

@NiteWalker I don't think you have to like history to enjoy this drama or any really.   Besides it's heavily fictionalized because the real Li Yan or Emperor Wenzong was not a very sympathetic character that persecuted Buddhist monks and repelled Uighur incursions. But I feel that the romance is good enough to watch it just for that even if politics and history isn't your thing.

 

It looks like Nisha/Misha is on her way out. I certainly hope so. But I doubt she's marrying Qi Yan anytime soon. Qiu Yanzhi's 2IC had it right. She's really no threat to any of the candidates.

 

Glad you're watching. I don't think it's a heavy political drama.

 

Edit: Sorry, the emperor's title is Wuzong. Wenzong is his brother's title.

Edited August 16, 2021 by 40somethingahjumma

[NiteWalker]

54 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

@NiteWalker I don't think you have to like history to enjoy this drama or any really.   Besides it's heavily fictionalized because the real Li Yan or Emperor Wenzong was not a very sympathetic character that persecuted Buddhist monks and repelled Uighur incursions. But I feel that the romance is good enough to watch it just for that even if politics and history isn't your thing.

 

hahaha yes which is why im sticking i guess....i like some of the conflict and not to mention i cant see thru HanDong the uncle for now...is he the good one or the bad one??? i hope the good one though....QiYan really do need someone in his ally besides the girl....someone who has more power....

 

55 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

It looks like Nisha/Misha is on her way out. I certainly hope so. But I doubt she's marrying Qi Yan anytime soon. Qiu Yanzhi's 2IC had it right. She's really no threat to any of the candidates.

 

Good...and thank GOD for that....

 

56 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Glad you're watching. I don't think it's a heavy political drama.

 

slightly i say....i used to watch the Eunuch in another drama with LinSheng and i like him there even though the drama had a bad ending i just felt that it should be so....

 

i havent really see him in a good character for a long times now hahahaha

[40somethingahjumma]

@NiteWalkerI'm not entirely sure about Han Dong's character either. Maybe we're just so used to seeing him as a baddie that it's hard to believe he's a good guy here.  He seems to be extremely supportive of the leads and every time someone tries to push him to take the throne he turns them down. Maybe he's really sincere. (I had the same feeling of disbelief about the emperor's uncle in Plough Department as well) I hope he is because Qi Yan has so few people on his side and he needs all the allies he can get.

 

I'm finally all up to date. The unwavering devotion of the leads to each other is a force of nature and it's only Episode 18. They must have the best romance in prison scenes I have ever seen. The dialogue was honest and deeply moving. Impending death has a way of making that happen. There's no doubt that the road ahead for them is a hard one with so many obstacles to have to overcome. 

 

So the Morning Dew Rebellion was really much more complex than the revenge-takers would have us believe. It was one bloody mess quite frankly. The conspirators were misguided and not sufficiently prepared. It's true that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But certain people didn't learn any of the right lessons from it and tried it all again with similar results.

 

I find it interesting that Qiu Ziliang doesn't really seem to do a whole lot and he's more like an evil presence that causes others to make all kinds of morally dubious decisions. Sometimes I wonder if he's the problem or if they are. All that power they try to gain to get rid of him seems to be contagiously corrupting.

[NiteWalker]

17 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

@NiteWalkerI'm not entirely sure about Han Dong's character either. Maybe we're just so used to seeing him as a baddie that it's hard to believe he's a good guy here.  He seems to be extremely supportive of the leads and every time someone tries to push him to take the throne he turns them down. Maybe he's really sincere. (I had the same feeling of disbelief about the emperor's uncle in Plough Department as well) I hope he is because Qi Yan has so few people on his side and he needs all the allies he can get.

 

i hope you're right that he is good....i remember 'The Imperial Coroner' where the teacher turn out to be the baddie all along, even though to be honest....i suspected the teacher from the start.....just something about him doesnt sit right for me.....hahahhaa

 

back to this i really hope HanDong is the goodie this times...been a long long long times since i seen him in a good role

 

17 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I'm finally all up to date. The unwavering devotion of the leads to each other is a force of nature and it's only Episode 18. They must have the best romance in prison scenes I have ever seen. The dialogue was honest and deeply moving. Impending death has a way of making that happen. There's no doubt that the road ahead for them is a hard one with so many obstacles to have to overcome. 

 

i stop at 12 ...cause i had to continue with my YAMG to close it off.....i probably get all caught up by tonight and we can talk further lols...

[IpohBanana]

@NiteWalker based on the airing schedule, there is supposed to be 2 episodes tonight. Do you know what happened?? I know there was a break yesterday and today they were supposed to resume, but nothing... I checked MangoTV as well and it's only up to E20, with previews till up to E25.

 

@40somethingahjumma I have a strong suspicion Han Dong/ Qi Chen is the guy who appeared in one of the later episodes in a mask and he is number 13 or something or other and Qiu Zi Liang greets him. Though I am not sure if he is an undercover agent or is really working for him. The former, than he is truly loyal to Qi Yan, the latter, then it's throwing a spanner in the works. Though, Cheng Ruo Yu has already mentioned to Han Ding that Qi Yan doesn't fully trust Qi Chen.

[SilverMoonTea]

A bit confused as well with ep 1. The editing indeed a bit weird like @40somethingahjummasaid. But by ep 2 I love it? Especially the hunting portion. He held her hand and help her catch fox. I was laughing out loud, when both of them not properly choose fox. 

 

@NiteWalker@LynneYou guys are right the FL is quite okay here. She was in old drama that I watched and was not too fond of her acting there. I guess she did improved now. 

 

[NiteWalker]

11 hours ago, IpohBanana said:

@NiteWalker based on the airing schedule, there is supposed to be 2 episodes tonight. Do you know what happened?? I know there was a break yesterday and today they were supposed to resume, but nothing... I checked MangoTV as well and it's only up to E20, with previews till up to E25.

 

for the night gala they stop airing for 2 days...not 1 day

[IpohBanana]

22 minutes ago, NiteWalker said:

 

for the night gala they stop airing for 2 days...not 1 day

oic, thanks! There was a night gala? The original calendar only put one day, hhmm, not accurate then. What's the night gala - an event hosted by Iqiyi or a nation-wide event? So there should be some episodes tonight. yay!

 

@40somethingahjumma super-duper agree, that was the most romantic prison scene. 

Spoiler

and the way he held the hairpin, I was looking at his face and was puzzled if it was a gift to the girl why he wasn't putting it in her hair. Then just before he plunged it in I was thinking, gee he isn't thinking of using it as a weapon, right? And then he plunged it in...wah... that was one of the rare moments of drama watching when I experienced that synchronised feeling...

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by IpohBanana

[NiteWalker]

5 minutes ago, IpohBanana said:

oic, thanks! There was a night gala? The original calendar only put one day, hhmm, not accurate then. What's the night gala - an event hosted by Iqiyi or a nation-wide event? So there should be some episodes tonight. yay!

 

hahaha yea i saw it stated as stop for 2 days.....

[40somethingahjumma]

@IpohBanana Apparently there were two different television events on. I don't know much apart from one of them was held by HunanTV. 

I flip flop over Prince Guang all the time. I want to believe he genuinely cares about Qi Yan because he's turned down offers to take the throne multiple times already. But there are still so many unknowns at this point. I can understand Qi Yan's reluctance to trust anyone.

I think I know who the hidden hand is and I don't think it's Prince Guang.

 

@SilverMoonTea Yay! You've started watching it. It's a good show and it does get incrementally better as the plot thickens. There's also a hidden hand which keeps everyone on their toes. But what surprises me is how much I love the lead's dynamic. I heard so much criticism of the female lead when I started but so far I don't mind her performance and while she might be a bit impulsive, she can be quite quick on the uptake.

 

I'm a bit worried now about recommending this show so highly to everyone when I don't know what the ending is going to be like. Please don't kill me if it's not a happily-ever-after. Eggs are okay but my youngest needs me still.

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by 40somethingahjumma

[SilverMoonTea]

4 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

 

I'm a bit worried now about recommending this show so highly to everyone when I don't know what the ending is going to be like. Please don't kill me if it's not a happily-ever-after. Eggs are okay but my youngest needs me still.

I've been warned about the ending, and I won't be surprised if he die later on. Cheng Yi have penchant to choose drama, which he'll be dying on it 😅. 

 

I'm still in very early episodes. I'll go back reading everyone opinion later on. However I have few questions that I'm a bit confused here, appreciate if someone can help me :

- Why the female officer dress up as male? 

- The translation is a bit weird, Violet Bureau and Chess Seer? What is supposed to be their work assignment? 😅

- In the beginning, Cheng Yi character shot arrow to kill the grandfather & girls, but he's not the same as the current Qi Yan the young emperor that now is ruling right? 

 

Thanks, I have to admit I only tune in because of Cheng Yi gorgeous look, it was love at the first sight. This is the first drama of him that I watched and he's a solid actor as well. Hence, I might a bit distracted with the politic portion haha... 

 

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