Yet More Reasons For Why I Love Chang Geng

the last unicorn lived in a lilac wood,                  and she lived all alone

Still one of my favorite instrumental songs.

Our Shining Days - Review

This review is for the movie from 2017, not the TV series from 2019. I really enjoyed this. It’s silly (very silly), but it’s fun. If you’re a trained musician maybe close your eyes during those parts but I assume you do that anyway (other than for the guzheng player anyway, since the word is she can actually play). Pros:

Funny! It was properly funny for me

Largely focused on the musical angst rather than romantic angst

GREAT music

Generally enjoyable leads

Cons:

I mean, it is silly, so if you don’t like silly then that’s a con for you

Bad miming of the western classical music esp, if that bothers you (I tend to space out and just listen)

Female lead’s hair slightly bothered me most of the movie (but they didn’t give her a makeover, which I appreciate)

A little over the top in the school western vs Chinese instrument hierarchy, but that IS the point of the movie (the folk music department is literally behind a gate, which I found hilarious).

This was mainly on my watch list, because I figured the music would be good (I love a traditional instrument), and it turned out to be really enjoyable over all. Just a quick, fun watch. Most of the cons aren’t things that bothered me much, but I try to think about what might bother other people.

I just noticed there’s a flute/recorder part in that video and none of them play that… Luckily that stuff doesn’t really bother me if I’m enjoying the media.

Stars of Chaos 杀破狼

Volume 3, pages 1-84

First, let us all show our appreciation for the illustrator who put horrified soldiers in the background when Gu Yun is about to play a little song on his jade flute:

(sorry my color balance is all wacky. Please pretend you see the lovely blue sky and the snowy white robes.)

(The "yet" confused me, so I changed it to an "And.")

...to land in a kneeling position, all cool-like.

In Chinese, the phrase equivalent to "snatch from the jaws of death" is "从阎王那里抢回了..." = "snatched back from (the Ruler of the Underworld) Yan Wang (or Yanluo Wang)."

In English, it's "harbor improper intentions," but that makes me feel like someone is going to seduce and then abandon someone else; whereas in Chinese, the phrase is "心怀不轨,” which is more along the lines of "intentions that do not follow the proper rules." 'Cuz god-sons are not supposed to think romantic thoughts about their god-fathers.

The “bei" here is the word for "North". 北。

And does anyone else like to laugh at how Chang Geng's new title, 雁王 Yàn Wáng, is now a homophone of the Ruler of the Underworld 阎王 Yánwang ？

天地没良心。 Heaven and Earth do not have a conscience / kindness.

It's super minor, but I was a little confused until I re-worded this in my brain to be "My actions here are not done out of my filial obligation to you; these actions are just me doting on you."

Chang Geng is not being disrespectful by denying filial piety to a godfather, but, rather, he is showing that he is doting on Gu Yun as a lover.

急行军 is translated as "forced march" in my pre-installed iphone Dictionary, but the Chinese explanation is "in order to complete an urgent task as quickly as possible, act with the utmost speed."

So I understand "急行军中实在被他们弄得基恩恼火” as "it was infuriating to have to deal with them while we were in such a terrible rush."

My DanMei Literary Adventure Masterpost

Stars of Chaos - All Notes Links

The Untamed Cast: modern vs. ancient look

I feel like this performance by Zhou Shen isn’t talked about enough. I mean, yah it has over 2M views, but that’s, like, only slightly more than the population of my city. Not enough!

https://youtu.be/pJnRnhIEJgU

I never used to like breathy singing or slow, romantic songs until I heard Zhou Shen, and then I fell in love with His breathy, romantic singing.

And then he gets up and uses his unbelievably angelic voice to get totally goofy In The Same Song.

😍

Stars of Chaos 杀破狼 Vol 1, Notes 4

By Priest. Translated into English by 7 Seas.

My notes, pages 203 - 245.

Cultural notes, mostly, and a little commentary:

It’s slightly more derogatory in Chinese. The original is “…都不知道‘放虎归山’四个字怎么写。” which translates slightly more literally as “….but none know how to write ‘allow a tiger to return to the mountains’”

More under the cut.

It’s actually a really big deal that Gu Yun, this crass brawny military brat (commander), actually has excellent calligraphy, so excellent that people sell reproductions of it for children to learn from and the emperor himself wants Gu Yun’s calligraphy in the palace.

From asiasociety.org: In China, from a very early period, calligraphy was considered not just a form of decorative art; rather, it was viewed as the supreme visual art form, was more valued than painting and sculpture, and ranked alongside poetry as a means of self-expression and cultivation.

It’s a big deal. Gu Yun’s calligraphy shows that he’s an exceptional scholar and a good person.

滚 also means “boil” (boiling, roiling water) and “somersault / roll.”

I’m actually super ignorant of Chinese curse words. They all sound like nice normal words to me: your mom, somersault, ghost, death. I just yell 鬼！(ghost / monster) a lot when I’m grumpy.

Baby peacock! So cute!

Gu Yun may be crude, but he’s never sloppy.

More idioms. 天马行空 is one of my favorites. You can practically see the Heavenly Steed dancing and soaring from cloud to cloud, totally ignoring the Celestial Horse Keeper desperately trying to get it back into the paddock.

I wish we had more Cao Niangzi!

Shen Yi is actually a kind of superhero, developed from decades of dealing with Gu Yun and having to fulfill all of Gu Yun’s flippant (but totally deadly consequential) promises.

Sigh. No more hot nights out on the town for Gu Yun.

Stars of Chaos - All The Notes List

All The Seven Seas Books Masterlist

Saturday, August 7, 2021. That’s the release date for Mo Dao Zu Shi season 3!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excuse me while I go schedule my Season 1 and 2 marathon so that my memories will be perfectly fresh and ready for Season 3 on August 7!!!!!!!!!

(Sources: https://youtu.be/YzvNsFSw0RY and https://www.yualexius.com/2021/01/mo-dao-zu-shi-season-3.html. I really really hope that they’re right!!!!!!)

Yu Alexius

Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation / Mo Dao Zu Shi Season 3 Release And Updates | Yu Alexius

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are coming back in 2021 for Mo Dao Zu Shi Season 3 and I am sure that I am not the only one who is excited to see

Manhua 漫画 Costume Appreciation post! I’ve been reading 魔尊要抱抱 (Devil Wants to Hug) (which is even cuter than it sounds) and constantly wanting to share the gorgeous artwork. So here is some of it.

Devil 魔尊 #1’s Outfit #1: no outfit, just earrings and red forehead-birthmark (and fancy pants). Raw angst.

Devil #1’s Outfit #2: Feathery Display. Cuz when he’s in Beast Form, he has wings, so his outfit has to have feathers. But still show off his chest.

(You have to wait for a bath scene to see anything more than the neck, fingertips, and feet of the Protagonists.)(He has adorable feet.)

Demon #1’s Outfit #3: Covering Up All the Harmful-Cultivation Wounds While Still Being Sexy

Doting Ghost/Demon Uncle/God-Father Outfit #1: How Can We Dress Him Like He’s Just Crawled Out of the Underworld, But Still Put His Abs on Display

Big Brother God Outfit #1: Naked From the Waist Up Except for Decorative Harness and Magically Attached Shoulder-Guard-with-Cape. And birthmark-tattoos. And crazy earrings.

And it goes on and on. The art is really gorgeous, even when it's not gratuitously displaying huge swaths of masculine musculature (the hair ornaments and clothing patterns are really lovely).

The story is pretty great, too. I'm mid-way through Season 2 right now and fully enamored with every major character.

If you’d like to join in the cuteness, I’m reading it on KuaiKanManHua in Chinese, and it looks like it’s available in English on mangago.me under “Demon Wants to Hug”.

Arg. Sorry that the Vol 4 and Vol 5 MDZS are taking so long to post notes on.

Since flying through two volumes of 2Ha in absolute awe of the gorgeous translation, I’m having the hardest time getting through even Vol 4 of MDZS. I spent days wondering how to better translate 乌合之众. I fumed for too long over the choice to use “why don’t you” as the translation for 不如 —- it’s not wrong, it’s just…

I wish that 7 Seas had chosen a more experienced team to translate. I’m glad that they got someone familiar with fandom, but a lot of these word choices are killing me.

Astronomy I-