XDRAMAsX’s 2016 Drama Review

Personally I feel 2016 has been a rather lackluster year for dramas, and there wasn’t a single show that had me completely invested. My standards have risen exponentially after a slew of good dramas in late 2015, and I’m hoping some of the shows from the 2017 lineup will make up for the disappointment this year. That being said, I probably have missed out on a couple of gems this year, so feel free to suggest your favourites below.

This is my first time reviewing anything, so do bear with my ramblings as I try and figure everything out. I also owe a huge thanks to the team at CFensi, especially 0kuo0 and idarklight, for patiently answering all my questions and making sure I settled in with minimal hiccups. All productions are listed in the order they aired, and I’ve also included some short commentary on dramas I dropped

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Weddings aglore in Azure Hill

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The mysterious town near Azure Hills, where no wedding ever works out, and the Lantern Festival occurs every other day.

Tang Yixin, Wang Kai, Jin Chen, Xiaocaiqi, Yao Yixin, Zhai Tianlin and Mike Angelo are only some of the people (foxes) getting married in the currently-airing Foxes of Azure Hill/Legend of Qing Qiu Fox.

So far, I would say the three chapters are in reverse order of quality.  Xiaocaiqi and Fu Xinbo make a surprisingly cute pair in probably the best-written chapter so far, Jiang Kaitong and Zhai Tianlin pull off the over-the-top story with their natural cuteness (although his dubber is the worst), while Chen Yao is the only redeeming feature of chapter 1.

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The Foxes of Azure Hills airs on Chinese New Year

The real reason this is airing relatively quickly after filming...

The real reason this is airing relatively quickly after filming…

The Foxes of Azure Hills/Legend of the Qing Qiu Fox seems to be set for release tomorrow, February 8th.  Starring Jiang Jinfu, Gulnazar, Jin Chen,  Mike D. AngeloXiao Caiqi,  Chen Yao, Zhang Ruoyun, Zhang RuoxuanJiang Kaitong, Zhai Tianlin, Fu Xinbo and Wang Kai, prepare for the usual promotion barrage.

Theme song by Yu Kewei below and more goodies below the cut.

Theme song 2, Insert song by Claire Kuo, Promo 1, Wang Kai Promo 2, Trailer-Promo 3,

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The Foxes of Azure Hills set to air in February

I am hoping that some of the improvements in production value from Qin’s moon carry over into this drama.

The Foxes of Azure Hills has released foggy stills with plenty of editing.  Starring Jiang Jinfu, Gulnazar, Jin Chen,  Mike D. Angelo (as Wu Yifan), Xiao Caiqi (as Sun Li),  Chen Yao, Zhang Ruoyun, Zhang RuoxuanJiang Kaitong (as Liu Shishi), Zhai Tianlin, Fu Xinbo and Wang Kai (as Yuan Hong), those looking forward to this drama can probably look for a late February release. This is the third drama to air in a role starring Jiang Jinfu (the other two being Qin’s Moon and The Adventure for Love 寻找爱的冒险, which airs on the 20th on Hunan TV), and the sixth with Wang Kai.

More stills below the cut.
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The Foxes of Azure Hills releases more stills

You get pointy ears!  You get pointy ears!  Every-body gets pointy ears! 2:40

The Foxes of Azure Hills has released more stills after its trailer.  Starring Jiang Jinfu, Gulnazar, Jin Chen,  Mike D. AngeloXiao Caiqi,  WuXin: The Monster Killer couple Chen Yao and Zhang Ruoyun, real-life couple Jiang Kaitong and Zhai Tianlin, and idarklight’s biases  Fu Xinbo and Wang Kai. It will be interesting to see Tangren return to making this type of drama after a while (Liaozhai Zhiyi and Liaozhai Qi Nvzi).

More stills below the cut.
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The Foxes of Azure Hills releases stills

I’m not sure what to make of this. I guess the Chinese fantasy genre is the new hot now?

Tangren has released stills for their new drama The Foxes of Azure Hills , starring Zhang Ruoyun, Jiang Jinfu, Gulnazar, Jin Chen, Chen Yao, Yao Yichen, Qiao Xin, Fu Xinbo, Wang Kai, Xiao Caiqi, Mike D. Angelo, and Tang Yixin.  This drama seems to be following the pattern of some of Tangren’s older productions in adapting fantasy stories from Liao Zhai (Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio).  Costuming is not bad but I really hope they look better in action…

More stills below the cut. Continue reading