Slightly related but it would be such a welcome development if Chinese entertainment abandoned the whole 霸道总裁 trope. I never got how audiences ever found that stuff acceptable and it made watching some cdramas really tough
Ahaha I feel you on that...It is definitely on its way out, but it looks like it's morphing rather than dying completely. Throw a bit of "golden retriever energy" into the 霸总 and it's closer to what's REALLY popular nowadays, which is very very interesting. The next two issues will talk about it a lot more!
As someone who has been trying to navigate Chinese entertainment culture and figure out what is going on with very little success, this substack is so delightful. I love finding someone who can articulate things that are at the edges of my comprehension to help me get a firmer grasp on the things I'm interested in. Thanks!
Thanks for enjoying AF! This means so much. If you've got a specific thing you're interested in reading, please let me know either here or in our Chat :)
I feel like my questions/interests are so specific they might not be interesting for other people to read. However, I am, in general, interested in fan culture, because the intense competition between fan groups definitely makes it challenging for me to figure out how to find ways to enjoy and connect with the fan experience without feeling like I'm about to make enemies. Also I need someone to explain how Weibo works because every time I open it I'm like that meme where calculus floats over the woman's face. 😂
Ahaha I get what you mean! It is definitely overwhelming to navigate the platforms and fan-speak, sometimes even made deliberately so by fans to gatekeep their discussions and make sure everything is "eyes only", since there's a fear of criticism from the outside that they are are "crazy". Weibo is nothing compared to Douban threads 😂 even I struggle with understanding everything sometimes. But yes I hear you and stay tuned, hopefully AF can be of help!
Slightly related but it would be such a welcome development if Chinese entertainment abandoned the whole 霸道总裁 trope. I never got how audiences ever found that stuff acceptable and it made watching some cdramas really tough
Ahaha I feel you on that...It is definitely on its way out, but it looks like it's morphing rather than dying completely. Throw a bit of "golden retriever energy" into the 霸总 and it's closer to what's REALLY popular nowadays, which is very very interesting. The next two issues will talk about it a lot more!
As someone who has been trying to navigate Chinese entertainment culture and figure out what is going on with very little success, this substack is so delightful. I love finding someone who can articulate things that are at the edges of my comprehension to help me get a firmer grasp on the things I'm interested in. Thanks!
Thanks for enjoying AF! This means so much. If you've got a specific thing you're interested in reading, please let me know either here or in our Chat :)
I feel like my questions/interests are so specific they might not be interesting for other people to read. However, I am, in general, interested in fan culture, because the intense competition between fan groups definitely makes it challenging for me to figure out how to find ways to enjoy and connect with the fan experience without feeling like I'm about to make enemies. Also I need someone to explain how Weibo works because every time I open it I'm like that meme where calculus floats over the woman's face. 😂
Ahaha I get what you mean! It is definitely overwhelming to navigate the platforms and fan-speak, sometimes even made deliberately so by fans to gatekeep their discussions and make sure everything is "eyes only", since there's a fear of criticism from the outside that they are are "crazy". Weibo is nothing compared to Douban threads 😂 even I struggle with understanding everything sometimes. But yes I hear you and stay tuned, hopefully AF can be of help!