"Long Wind Crossing" became the fastest drama series on iQiyi to break through 10,000 popularity, faster than the previous popular drama "Hurricane". While fans of the drama are telling everyone, there are also many viewers and some book fans who are aggrieved: Why?
The fact is that whether a drama can become a hit has never been positively correlated with its quality, but it is almost impossible for a bad drama to become a hit among the people. It can only be said that "Long Wind Crossing" is not a first-class drama, but it is not a bad drama (iQiyi is relatively reassuring in the quality control of S+ costume dramas). The key is to fully open the sinking market.
"Long Wind Crossing" poster
"Sinking market" is not a derogatory term, it is just closer to the general aesthetics of hundreds of millions of viewers in this huge country of China; looking at the per capita college students on the Internet, in fact, the proportion of the population with a college degree or above in China is about 15.5%. The aesthetic base is mainly constituted by the remainder. In layman's terms, dramas with high scores on Douban may not necessarily be popular, but those with high discussions on short video platforms such as Douyin can basically get a good amount of views.
Here comes the question, how does "Changfengdu" open up the sinking market?
The series is adapted from Mo Shubai's novel "Marrying a Dude" (later renamed "Changfengdu"), and the evaluation is acceptable. The series generally retains the narrative framework of the novel.
Gu Jiusi (played by Bai Jingting) is the son of the richest man in Lizhou. He has everything and has nothing to worry about. He is a well-known playboy. Although Liu Yuru (played by Song Yi), the daughter of a local cloth merchant, is a legitimate daughter, her father dotes on his concubine and destroys his wife, and her mother is in a miserable situation. Liu Yuru's life is worse than that of a concubine. personality. She planned for herself early on, and has always demanded herself as the daughter-in-law of the famous local Ye family, hoping to marry Ye Shi'an, the noble son she likes.
Gu Jiusi (played by Bai Jingting)
Liu Yuru (played by Song Yi)
Unexpectedly, because of Gu Jiusi's joke, Liu Yuru's lifelong event was "delayed", and she married Gu Jiusi unexpectedly. One was forced to marry, and the other was forced to marry. At first, the two parties misunderstood a lot, and they didn't like each other very much. But Liu Yuru quickly cheered up from her grief. She tamed her husband, started her career, and wanted to hold her destiny in her own hands. However, Gu Jiusi is a fake dude and a gentleman is real, and he soon "married first and then fell in love" with Liu Yuru. After a huge change happened to his family and country, Gu Jiusi chose to become an official. Being "poor" means helping the world as well. The husband and wife grow together hand in hand...
The two were very sweet afterwards
What story is told matters, but so does how it is told. Against the backdrop of scarcity of patience, flooding of water, and the general need for audiences to watch dramas at double speed, "Long Wind Crossing" does have very distinct advantages in "how to tell a story": the main line is very concentrated, basically focusing on the emotional development of the male and female protagonists, There are no complicated branches, and there are no supporting roles that steal the show.
More importantly, the rhythm is quite clear and lively. The 1st episode does not know each other; the 2nd episode is engaged; the 3rd episode is married; the 4th episode the heroine starts to train her husband; the 6th episode the heroine starts a career; the 8th episode the biggest villain appears; the 9th, 10th In the first highlight moment of the episode, the relationship between the hero and heroine has been sublimated, and the villain's strategy has also laid the groundwork for the hero's family crisis; in episodes 13 and 14, the hero's family crisis occurred, and the hero wrote an affectionate "Release the wife's letter", the woman saves the man from danger, and the relationship between the two is sublimated again; episodes 15 and 16 enter the "Youzhou Chapter", and the hero and heroine change places to open the colorful chapter of life: the man becomes a "civil servant", and the woman engage in business...
We met in the first episode, and got married in the third episode, the pace is fast enough
The progress of the whole plot connects one after another, and the hero and heroine also "grow their mouths". Any misunderstanding can always be quickly resolved, and there is no such kind of misunderstanding that makes people feel anxious and bored... So, In terms of the rhythm of "how to tell a story", "Changfengdu" is well controlled. As long as the audience is not too picky about the plot, they can seamlessly watch episode after episode.
And "Long Wind Crossing" "what story does it tell"? It is essentially an idol drama of "marriage first, love later". Compared with the novel, the characters of the male and female protagonists have changed. They were not considered "round characters", but now they can be completely "flat characters", but this kind of "flat characters" is in line with the expectations and imagination of the general public.
Gu Jiusi in the novel appeared as a real playboy, a gambler, and a playful person, and his intentions were not very upright. So after Liu Yuru tamed her husband, he had a process of growth. Gu Jiusi in the play can be described in two words, "holy husband", under the surface of a playboy, he is a perfect man with a strong sense of feminism.
He is gentle and loving, and helps the disadvantaged; he is a feminist who transcends the times, has empathy, can empathize with women's plight, can see the advantages of women, and can give women sincere respect; although he lived in ancient times, he He already has enlightened individualism; he has great wisdom, and can help the woman guide her when she is in trouble in the business field; he is a good man who keeps his promises, dares to act, and is sincere and pure. He said he would protect the woman He must give her a full sense of security, and he will not hesitate to sacrifice his life; he is also a man who dares to take responsibility and has the world in his heart. When the family is in trouble, he will stand up. ...
Gu Jiusi is a perfect male lead, and "dandy" is just a false label
In short, the screenwriter can't wait to put all the advantages on Gu Jiusi. If a female audience takes Liu Yuru's perspective, then Gu Jiusi is indeed an "extinct good man", because not only is he good, but his parents, the heroine's parents-in-law, are also perfect people. For example, Liu Yuru was unwilling to marry Gu Jiusi at the beginning. The mother-in-law didn't mind her daughter-in-law not loving her son at all, and even apologized to her daughter-in-law. Afterwards, she taught her daughter-in-law persuasively. She also gave her daughter-in-law full support when she became a tame husband .
This mother-in-law is very forward-thinking and open-minded.
A character design like Gu Jiusi is perfect, but in terms of artistry, it is simple. It is equivalent to letting the character grab his hair and leave the earth. If the character is too perfect, there is no real growth. Gu Jiusi seems to be an ancient man, but he is actually a male protagonist created by combining the female audience's inner refreshment.
While "Long Wind Crossing" pleases female audiences, it can also please a large part of male audiences. The ideal wife of many men, in addition to being beautiful, virtuous, and capable, it is very important that she "identify" the man she chooses, choose him, follow him, trust him, help him, and "dote on" him... …
When Liu Yuru married Gu Jiusi, she didn't love Gu Jiusi, but loved someone else. If this is a story written by a feminist, then Liu Yuru should be desperate to leave Gu Jiusi, or even if she can't leave Gu Jiusi, she will take the initiative to train her husband , or walk independently and live out yourself. But Liu Yuru's belief is actually very traditional, and she "identifies" this man. Although she also tames her husband, she will soon stop being "overpowering others", "Now that you are my husband, it is due to fate. Whether you like it or not, I will live well with you, and you don't have to compare yourself with others"... …
Liu Yuru recognized Gu Jiusi
This kind of "identification" is not much different from "marry a chicken and follow a chicken, marry a dog and follow a dog". If my husband is not good, I will reform, if my husband is in trouble, I will help, if my husband has merits, I will quickly praise him, if my husband endures hardships, I would rather he continue to be a carefree dude... Even the title of "Long Wind Crossing" comes from Liu Yuru's help to her husband His mentality: "May I be like a long wind, crossing the king and traveling thousands of miles". A lot of narcissistic men in real life sometimes like to attribute their failures to the fact that the woman does not support, agree, trust, or be considerate. The perfect Liu Yuru may become a reason for them to blame their partners—Gu Jiusi can be good, but she can’t. Didn't Liu Yuru support him and consider him from the beginning?
Liu Yuru is really too "caring" to her husband, and raising a son may not be so "doting"
Therefore, it is also expected that "Long Wind Crossing" is popular in the sinking market. The image of the male and female protagonists is in line with the gender awareness of the whole society: men should respect women more, but in any case, men are still the dominant and backbone; women can In a career, she can "tame her husband" for the good of her husband, but in front of men, she should be a "little lady" and "little woman" after all, IKEA IKEA, husband and wife...
When the plot enters the Youzhou chapter, the man concentrates on being a civil servant and becomes a good civil servant, and the woman is a good wife and helper, and makes the business bigger and stronger. Both husband and wife have power and money. National feelings: further hit the current mainstream social mentality.
Gu Jiusi's image is the traditional male protagonist of Mary Su, who has no merits and faults, and male audiences will not feel disadvantaged - after all, it is over-beautified; but there are many controversies about Liu Yuru's character design, and female audiences have a lot of opinions.
The reason is: in order to bring out the perfect image of Gu Jiusi, to make Liu Yuru rely on Gu Jiusi, and to make Liu Yuru a "little lady" in the hearts of men, the plot forces Liu Yuru to lower her wits, and there are many inexplicable plots. For example, at the beginning of the plot, which was criticized by many audiences, Liu Yuru's series of words and deeds are a bit "unreasonable"; another example is Liu Yuru carrying a knife to the brothel, directly telling the public that she wanted to marry another man before, as a last resort She just married Gu Jiusi, so she ordered Gu Jiusi to be as successful and famous as the man she originally wanted to marry, which was not prudent and rational, but also feudal and conservative enough.
Gu Jiusi was very "feminist" from the beginning, but Liu Yuru was a bit "feudal" at the beginning
In the play, Liu Yuru's bewildered scenes and crying scenes have also increased significantly. Sometimes my mother-in-law calls, sometimes my husband calls, sometimes I cry because of this thing, and sometimes I cry because of that thing... Song Yi is very beautiful, and the crying scene also makes me feel pitiful, but Liu Yuru is forced to become a man who cannot be separated from her. The "little lady" who shelters and comforts her, and sometimes makes people act in a drama version of "The Son-in-law", and often relies on Ning Yi's Su Tan'er.
Liu Yuru's portrayal is really too "little lady"
After all, the drama version of "Changfengdu" is an "electronic mustard" that is close to the taste of the general public. Although it is dressed in an ancient costume background, it is more like a modern person who grasps the market trend to interpret ancient stories. The values seem to be very advanced. , In fact, it is "short video level", viewers can keep scrolling, and they may not be able to leave anything after scanning. It's only natural that such dramas encounter polarized reviews. Although radishes and greens have their own preferences, if the creators have higher pursuits, they can also try to lead the audience's aesthetics instead of blindly catering, otherwise it will inevitably become popular no matter how delicate and sweet it looks.