Editors Chopped This Sh*t Up! And Youku Gave The Final KO.

I honestly feel that all the other fantasy dramas of 2022 have got to thank the editors of this drama for giving them a chance. For those that don’t know and are just reading the editing is bad, the show lost 11 episodes to pass the censorship review that all cdramas must undergo; taking it from 36 episodes to 25.
That’s a lot of content lost. Most of the first part of the story is gone as well as the last part. This means the setup is awkward and so is the end, and only a severely edited middle is left.
The usual answer to this usually to re-edit but a re-edit seems to require another review and in the current precarious climate, it’s possible a show already on thin-ice due to a scandal and some of the show’s content didn’t want to risk potentially not passing the review at all and decided to air as-is, which gives us the current version of SJFY.
So what’s wrong?
It’s obvious from the start there’s been more than one editor. Scene quality is random - some scenes/sequences are high quality and some no better than home video. Post production is also high and low suggesting that the scandal may have affected post production as well, especially if the later editor had to use raw footage.
The biggest loss with the edits, however, seems to be to the characters themselves. Very few of the main characters have full storylines. Only the vice couple seems to have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Ye Lingshuang/Bai Lu and Yu Xiuming originally had an enemy to lovers storyline but 95% of the revenge angle has been cut. To make this work, many of PXR’s scenes were either cut, rearranged out of order, or redubbed. This has led to a character with fragmented motivations and to some viewers, a mediocre performance. However, the fault in this also seems to lay with the editor/post production as the BTS videos have several powerful scenes of PXR’s acting and yet those scenes either didn’t make into the drama or the post production doesn’t keep up.
Yi Wuyou has it even worse. His scenes have been cut to the point that he is more of a cameo role rather than the lover who turns into an enemy like marketing suggests. When he does appear, he has also been redubbed and his appearance is so small in the drama that it feels unfair to judge him because there isn’t much to judge.
These cuts heavily damaged the interrelationship between the two and greatly weakens the love triangle Youku sold. Viewers might have gotten by on the main leads love line which is very good but most of the more passionate moments between the leads have been cut down or deleted as well to a point that has led to complaints throughout the show.
So what works?
The main leads chemistry is the key driver for the story. They may not seem a match at first glance, but their acting makes it easy to fall for their relationship which despite the cuts, is very well done. Its step by step and slow burn nature may not appeal to an audience used to hot and heavy sensuality but the gradual process of the leads love story feels the most realistic out of the many Cdramas I’ve watched over the years and as a viewer, there is a sense for why they fall for each other and that the years between them are quiet. They’re quite addicting and the lack of scenes between them makes every interaction feel precious and I’ve actually rewatched their scenes together several times.
It’s also a relatively healthy relationship considering the trope and in comparison to other dramas. Yu Xiuming, the male lead, is emotionally intelligent and values the female lead for her intelligence. From the beginning, there’s a constant sense of him guiding Yezi to be a better version of herself. Yu Xiuming also walks the talk as Yezi’s protector and actually protects/saves Yezi throughout the show. And, Yezi challenges Yu Xiuming and while some viewers may not like her decisions or opinions, it shows that she’s got a mind of her own within the relationship.
The other thing that works is the acting. Feng Shaofeng’s veteran acting skills bring Yu Xiuming to life with a delicacy not often seen in fantasy Cdramas. And PXR, when her scenes, haven’t been butchered, is able to keep up. They both bring characters who are as interesting to watch alone as they are together. The older cast members such as Minister Fan and Minister Jie also deliver stable performances. The actor who plays Cheng Wu is also a delight.
The music although not profound is very good and suitable for the show. The opening song is especially pretty.
The costumes and sets are also nice, although some of PXR’s most beautiful sets, the empress sets, did not make it into the show. But the costumes and sets that did make it, have their own flavour and fit the star theme threaded throughout the show. In my opinion many of the complaints about the quality of them actually seem to be filter issues.
Finally, in the scenes/sequences that seem to be the original cut (One way to check is the filter. The better scenes usually have a blue or golden filter), the cinematography, shots, and acting are really well done. Hence my early comment about the other shows of 2022. Just from these few shots, the quality feels high. You have great acting, good chemistry, good cinematography, decent script and plot, novel pairing, interesting concepts, and a good flow. It feels like a properly thought out grown folks fantasy in those moments and those moments, despite its cuts, make it the only fantasy drama I’ve felt excited to watch this year. Based off these few good scenes, it really feels like if the show maintained the same level of quality throughout, then SJFY would have definitely have been a heavyweight contender this year. Believing this, I can only hope that the audience will one day get to see a more complete version.

Giving this a 9.5 cause they did cut down on Yebei towards the end and that deserves a star on its own.?

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An Unexpected Spring Treat

True love is not possession but fulfilment


Plot
The plot is simple. This drama is a light romantic comedy with a heavy focus on the romance and comedy so adjust expectations accordingly.

What doesn’t work:
Some viewers might not like the simplicity of the plot. Some may not like the slow down to focus on romance and plot after the rush of comedy in the first third of the show.

What works:
Expecting heavy plot and intrigue will lead to disappointment, however, even though the plot is simple, it gets the story from A to B in a coherent and logical manner.
This does not mean the story is without charm though. It’s cleverness lies in its delivery, clear sense of character growth, and setup.
To be honest it’s delivery is a bit of a surprise in that the story unfolds like a mystery rather than a romance. It leaves the viewer with questions and those questions rope the viewer in because they want answers. It’s a brilliant and daring move because some viewers may disregard the story thinking it’s full of plot-holes but the story surprises viewers again as those same plot holes in the front of the story are explained slowly throughout the drama in a way that ties up everything neatly by the story’s end.
To achieve this, the drama is full of foreshadowing, details, and setup. In fact, despite being a light romantic comedy, it has some of the best foreshadowing and setup that I have seen in years. It has foreshadowing that gets paid off dozens of episodes later. Chechov’s guns are a constant and tiny things that do not seem to matter become massive a-ha moments later on, which makes the story fun and raises its rewatch value as viewers find themselves wanting to go back and follow the clues. The setup doesn’t lose to the foreshadowing either. It effect often delivers what would be illogical and unbelievable cliche moments believable and innovative ways. A great example is the kitchen fire scene. In an ordinary drama, Ji man might just trip on thin air trying to escape and fall on Ning Yuxuan but instead, the momentum of her trying to use a beam to break the door just as it opens sets the moment up in a more logical and believable way. This works with the characters as well. The setup of some characters early in the drama leads to a great twist in the last stretch of the drama. The details are also fun. Some like calla lilies being poisonous or horse dung containing antibacterial fungi are weird bits of trivia that are used in a hilarious way. The callbacks are also great with one leading up to an amazing gut punch later on in the story. Plus, the end will make you bald to make up for all the setup.


Story:
This show was adapted from a novel titled, Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir. However, in order to pass censorship and entice viewers, the show made some deep changes. For book fans, it’s better to think of this show as very loose adaptation or as a different work entirely because a lot events and characters have been dropped or changed.

What doesn’t work:
The complexity of the house-fighting and politics is gone. The villains are flatter(this is a censorship issue though). The tension of Ji Man losing her life if she makes a mistake is also greatly reduced. If you like Ning Yuxuan as a scumbag, his scumbag very is pretty much annihilated (also a censorship issue).

What works:
The drama keeps the essence of the story and characters. There’s still an essence of growing up and growing together as a couple for Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan. Ji Man keeps her tenacious spirit (She’s almost feral in the first part to hilarious effect). Ning Yuxuan still transforms into a love sick husband but retains his sense of conflict between honour and love with 95% less scumbag. The house fighting is replaced with a sisterhood storyline and the ableism issues regarding one of the main villains are also gone. This makes the story more palatable to viewers.


Acting/Cast
The show’s cast is drastically cut down from the book. Neither of the leads, Ding Yuxi or Peng Xiao Ran, are traffic stars and most of the rest of the cast are either non traffic, newcomers, or old drama bones.

What doesn’t work:
Sometimes the acting does not work. The expressions are too extreme or the acting is too hard but I believe this an issue with the Chief Director having seen the director’s other works. Xie Ze is prone to directing his actor to exaggerate for some strange reason, maybe to maximise the comedic/soap opera effect or offset the smoothing factor of filters. Some viewers might not like the agile style acting of Peng Xiao Ran, which is made strange sometimes by Xie Ze’s lens.

What works:
Xie Ze pretty much always chooses a cast that can act and these actors carry the show. The leads, Peng Xiao Ran and Ding Yuxi, are great. Peng Xiao Ran is beautiful despite plain styling. Ding Yuxi is handsome and boyish. They are not afraid of making big or weird expressions. Best of all is that they can both act- there are no scenes where one partner drops the acting ball and ruins the scene; and their characters, Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan respectively , both have a clear sense of growth by the end. Their chemistry is also amazing. Strong, sweet, and most importantly believable-Jinyumantang is really on top and the pair have moments that can be rewatched several times over without the sweetness ever turning sour.
Another highlight is that all of the main characters undergo growth or transformation giving them a sense of three dimensionality. Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan go from enemies to lovers, but in a way that really feels like a young couple fumbling their way into a serious and mature relationship where they support and love each other. Gui Bai overcomes his hesitations to fall in love. Miss Shui leaves the past behind and Qian Xue develops the confidence to become businesswoman. Even Muxu and Sang Shen, transform a bit - going from squabbling pettiness against each other to occasionally working together for the benefit of Jiman.


Costumes

What doesn’t work:
The women’s costumes are plain. Their makeup also looks very plain, which sometimes reveals facial flaws. This could be due to filters as it looks fine in the tidbits or it could also be due to Xie Ze’s way of shooting which is not friendly to actresses. The lack of eye makeup is the most detrimental as it makes it harder to see the actresses’s eye skills, especially if they have a thick filter.
After seeing the makeup video, it’s strange that the stylist didn’t go with Peng Xiao Ran’s original look.


What does work:
The lack of women’s makeup strangely makes the actresses stand out more because their individual characteristics haven’t been standardised or covered up with makeup. It also makes the viewer focus more on their acting because the viewer isn’t being distracted by fancy costumes or a great red lip.
The men’s costumes are okay. They may not be innovative but all the main young male stars all look handsome and attractive, which is the basic requirement for an idol drama.
The biggest complaints come from Peng Xiao Ran’s styling but she has a pretty enough face to support the look and when she is shot well, her clothing takes on a fairy and flowing effect that gives her a fairy like or xianxia appearance. In fact, the effect is so good, that the choice of mostly gauzy outfits seems wonderful in those moments.


Direction:

What doesn’t work:
Xie Ze. It’s better than Jun Jiu Ling and Fuyao so he’s learning but sometimes watching the show and comparing tidbits, I’m not sure why he still has a job. His vision ruins some key scenes that under other directors would have positively gone out of the circle.

What works:
Xie Zie. He has impeccable pacing and as much as I complain about him, his dramas are also the only ones I finish without skipping?. The complaints about the pacing of this show fall a bit flat considering there are highly rated shows where 10+ episodes or entire arcs can be missed without touching the story. In fact, with this show, if you skip, you might miss out on a detail which could lead to confusion later.
There are also some amazing shots. The water play is gorgeous. Some of Peng Xiao Ran’s running scenes are very pretty. And, the boat raid scene with Ding Yuxi is really fast paced and cool. The only caveat is I’m not sure they were taken by Xie Ze because the lens language is different and I’ve never seen such camerawork in his previous dramas. Episode 9, 15, 16, and 30 seems to be shot by some one completely different but the styling and atmosphere are also best in those episodes. 16 is especially a highlight.


Overall:
I think outside of the acting and main couple, the best part of this drama is it’s themes. It’s hard not to fall in love with the message of self improvement and fulfilment it carries throughout the whole story. The leads may be in love but they also focus on their career and it’s extremely touching to see them using their talents to support and help other. Ji nyumantang are worthy of the emperor’s praise. The way they insist on communicating with each other, respecting boundaries, and trying to understand each other make them such a sweet pair. Best of all they don’t start out perfect at it, it’s a gradual and warm hearted development.
I also have to say that I love the way the drama handles women. Ji Man is flesh and blood. She has depth, duality, and complexity. Many viewers might write her off as just another cutesy FML but she’s an astute businesswoman, supports her friends into gainful employment, and eventually breaks out to start achieving things with her own strength. What’s not wonderful about that? Add to it her scaredy cat personality and her desire to be babied by Ning Yuxuan and there is a refreshing sense for those who are tired of the trope of strong women needing to be fortresses 24/7 without any vulnerability or softness at all. There are many ways to be a strong woman and I’m glad RoaTF showcases this with its message of sisterhood, self improvement, positive love, and having your own career and achievements-even the villainess,Wen Wan, embarks on a career. I love it and I think it’s a great message paired with Ji Man and Ning Yuxan’s journeys of becoming the best version of themselves before they get together.



Rewatch Value
It’s high. The details make you want to rewatch. The a-ha moments make you want to rewatch. Most of all the sweetness of Jinyumantang makes makes you want to come back again and again.

Not recommended for:
- Those looking for deep plot and intrigue
- Those who do not understand what a romantic comedy entails
- Those who carry preconceived notions of what an actor should act in or those carrying heavy filters from other shows

Recommended for:
- Fans of Peng Xiao Ran and Ding Yuxi who love to see them branching out
- Those who looking for something lighthearted or soapy to relax to without too much plot
- Those who love quirky, goofy girls like Sailor Moon and and Bea from Bea from Bea and Puppy-cat
- Those who love sweet romances

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