[Current Taiwanese Drama 2016] Behind Your Smile 浮士德的微笑

[akirabita]

14 minutes ago, Shushu Yang said:

 

About Eugenia's acting "terrible"…

Actually I don't think her acting is THAT terrible, but to me, her biggest problem is her lines… her line reading was awkward most of the times, I can hardly see her emotion between lines… 

Maybe I didn't understand the language that I didn't noticed it that much? Hahaha... 

17 minutes ago, Shushu Yang said:

And Marcus, I think his acting has 85 points in average (plus he's handsome haha). Some scenes really good and some scenes just ok. I like his role setting and the chemistry between them. He's also good at flirting haha. i can see his improvement from BackTo1989 to BYS, but he indeed need something different to help him improve. (Some slight emotion delivery and facial/body expression) I think he can look at Chris Wu or Lego Lee's performance, they're really good at this part.

Yup! I've watched the two dramas, I really want to say he has improved a lot. Because in BT1989, there were some scenes or his expression that a bit awkward. That is why I love his character in BYS. It became much more natural, for me at least.  

So I think he will be better and better when he gain his experience through the drama that he took. Because he just starting his acting career in 2014, am I right? So I am gonna give him more chances.

[Guest phoiphoi]

22 hours ago, Shushu Yang said:

Hi everyone. This is my second post in this forum. After watching the last episode, I think it's a ok series comparing to their previous few works.

And, since so many people is questioning about the rating things, I would like to share the information I know about the Taiwan tv shows rating.

*************

Before discussing whether 1.73 is high or average, here's some history you may know:

( it will be long, if u have no time, dont read the hidden part)

1. There are more than 100 tv channels in taiwan while taiwan has only 23 million population.

2. Since the first Asian idol drama, Meteor Garden(2001) came out, "Sunday 22:00" became the battlefield of idol dramas.

At that time, there were 3 main tv station competing with each others, "TTV(channel8)", "CTV(channel10)", and "CTS(channel12)".

  Reveal hidden contents

 

These three TV stations are wireless station. They didnt produce idol dramas on their own but tended to cooperate with other tv station which were not wireless. (Not sure if I translate the term correctly, I mean, audiences should pay addtional fee if they want to see a not- wireless tv station's show)

 

In this case,

TTV cooperated with Sanlih(aka SET, channel 30).

CTV and CTS cooperated with GTV(channel28), or Comic production co. Ltd  and other production company.

3. During 2001 ~ 2008 (the Golden era), idol dramas were super super popular. ***(read Ps for reference)

Among three stations, TTV had the highest average rating while CTS had the lowest.
But then, the rating began to fall with a rapid speed.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The audiences began more critical about the production and the script. Plus Kdrama was getting popular and internet were so convenient, the audiences left really quickly. 

Rating and sponsor relates, the production had less money so some famous actors and writers left Taiwan and went to China. Therefore, lacking of good scripts and good actors became a serious problem, it directly reflected the rating and sponsers. This became a downward spiral.

 

Then, CTS quit the battlefield. CTV also lost capacity to compete. TTV became the one and only who still influential (although cannot comparing to the golden era, but ttv was relatively the winner.).

***Ps. Top 20 highest rating TW idol drama 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

【Drama name】  average rating / highest rating

1 【Fated to love you (2008)】7.44 / 13.64

2 【Autumn's Concerto (2009)】5.8 / 9.50

2【The Prince Who Turns into A Frog (2005)】5.8 / 8.52

3【My Queen (2009)】5.69 / 7.84

4【Smile Pasta (2006)】5.16 / 6.61

5【Office Girl (2011)】5.12 / 7.33

6【The Magician of Love (2006)】4.62 / 5.44

7【Drunken to Love You (2011)】4.12 / 5.03

8【Easy Fortune Happy Life (2009)】4.02 /4.52

9【Hana Kimi (2006)】3.83 / 5.09

10 【Corner With Love(2007)】3.59 /4.17

 

---

Except No 9 &10, No1~No 8 (9 dramas) are ALL Sanlih/ TTV's drama.

---

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11【It Started Wirh A Kiss (2005)】3.50 / 6.50

12【Romantic Princess (2007)】3.40 / 3.81

13【Hi My Sweetheart (2009)】3.29 / 5.14

14 【Woody Sambo (2008)】3.22 / 7.25

15 【Fierce Wife (2010)】3.19 / 7.99

16【They Kissed Again (2007)】3.17 / 3.94

17【Why Why Love (2007)】3.05 / 3.52

18【Down With Love (2010)】3.01 /3.41

19【My Lucky Star (2007)】2.98 / 4.67

20【In Time With You (2011)】2.8 / 5.51

 

 

4. Rating cannot reflect the real popularity now. It cannot count the rating if you use other sources to watch the show.

==================

 In short:

"Sun. 22:00" + "TTV" + "there is no other drama airing at the same time",

1.73 is good to BYS but average(to not- so- good) in general.

====================

More questions you might want to know:

Q1. Is BYS the most popular drama in Taiwan recently?

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Ans: Nah. Although the rating is relatively high, it didn't get as much attention as the rating reflect.

*Rating cannot reflect the real popularity now. It cannot count the rating if you use other sources to watch the show. Especially there're only 1000 samples counts, no one knows who stand for audiences and if the company change samples through years… I never heard anyone said his family was involved in the survey.

 

Q2. Then, which drama is popular?

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Ans: Definitely "Q series", airing on Friday 22:00.

 From its first work "Love of Sandstorm", then "Plan A or Plan B", both have good reflection in both taiwan and china especially Plan A or Plan B, which starring Rainie Yang as heroine.

But the most popular one is "Close Your Eyes Before It's Dark". It's a mystery theme story, only 7 episodes. The rating of last episode reached 1.61, even exceeded BYS the same week. (Considering Fri. 22:00 was never a popular time for drama…

 

 

Q3. What's the opinion that TW audiences have about BYS?

Ans:

(I just collect the comments in the live threads and review, dont read it if you have deep love to the actors…)

1.  About acting:

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Eugenia acting is terrible and awkward.

Marcus's acting is just ok (but seems that he can only act this type of character)

 

2. About plot:

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The plot of first three episode were too awful that even it got better and better, audiences already left.

(From the finale episode thread: except the kidnap part, the other parts were well organized comparing to Sanlih recent works. And the romance part for three love lines was just right.)

 

3. Other opinions overall

(Just translate some comments…

  Reveal hidden contents

 

- Supporting roles all did a great job, especially Easter Yang and Sean Lin.

- OST is good. (Shishi is a promising singer!!)

- SZW too hilarious and cute acting a smart nerd.

- ZYT's Assistant is pitiful. Even SZW is on the list of friend, he is so loyal to ZYT but his boss just forgot him at purpose scene.

- The plot starting wierd and unreasonable, process too slow and boring in the middle. but last few episodes were good and the ending was not bad.

- The friendship and the family part is the best part of the show.

- The character setting is wierd. Heroine's IQ seems fluctuate severely. Emotional change and the reaction were unreasonable.

- I still cant understand why the drama called Faust's Smile. It has nothing to do with Faust.

- The plot is better than "The king of romance" but the acting and filmimg need a lot to improve.

 

 

4. My personal opinion: I like the show overall, but i think this is not their best performance. I skipped/ fast forward several parts and even only listened to the audio simply to know the plot because I can't stand the acting  sometimes. Esther Yang is the one I like the most. (Actually I prefer her to Eugenia being heroine.) PYN and TQN, these two actresses from idol group are new to me, I think they're promising. I'm willing to see their new works. As for Marcus, i hope he can try other type of roles that's the best way to improve.

*********

Thanks for reading such a long post. Even though I don't think BYS is the best TW drama recently, I'm still glad there are many people like the show. I'm glad to meet you and the forum. Reading your posts is interesting. Sorry for my bad English… hope you guys can realize what i want to say:)

 

 

Hi Shushu,

thanks for sharing this information with us. It's definitely interesting to hear the opinion of Taiwanese audience. I agree with you that the viewer's ratings don't say a lot these days because many people watch it online so it can't be accurately measured anyway. Oh, I definitely remember my Meteor Garden days, haha. But I don't think an Asian drama can reach such popularity anymore, because back in the days there weren't so many dramas to compete with.

Nonetheless, I still think it's a pity BYS didn't receive that much recognition in Taiwan, because what I've noticed is that BYS gained a lot of international fans. I see people commenting on BYS videos from all over the world, so despite the low/average rating, that's still a success in itself. 
It seems to me that this overseas popularity has triggered many Taiwanese audience's interest in the drama, like you, for instance.

In regards to their acting, I think the cast did a great job overall, but of course it was Marcus and Eugenie's performance that made me fell in love with the entire show. Ok, I did have to warm up to Eugenie's character, but once I liked her, she became my favorite character (her BTS character is even more adorable btw). Another thing I also want to comment on is that I think the storyline is quite unique. I know I sound biased, but I really am not because this is my first time watching them. I mean, I usually only watch actors that I already know, but these two are like underdogs coming out of nowhere surprising me with their acting. So yea, definitely looking forward to their future projects. They definitely deserve the chance to try out different roles because they have so much potential. 

[ate]

Finally, I know how to share photos from FB. hehe  

New look from our lovely Eugenie, stay bubbly, sporty and pretty Xinyu.  

. 

[Guest phoiphoi]

 

 

[raewonkim]

SONGJIELOVE..hi good morning. I already watch the whole EP19, there are flaws but all dramas has flaws,anyway, the bottom line is that I am satisfied with it. 

Pls refer to page 119. This is my reference page when I commented  that some of the followers of this drama were not satisfied with the ending. I also wonder why there is no kiss,what happened? This is the very best part that ZYT must kiss LXY after the proposal.

I am also from other country so I do not have much news about Taiwan entertainment, so  appreciate it very much if you can supply me the answer.

Thanks and pls recommend other popular dramas in Taiwan for me to watch aside from King of Romance.

[songielove]

@Shushu Yang @akirabita @phoiphoi, I agree, it's a pity. But I'm ok with it being underrated. The international reception was good and I think Marcus mentioned it a bit in the wrap party(?). I did notice too that both local and international viewers took more notice or returned to see it towards the later episodes. Sounds like it could very well be the underdog, but we have to admit that Sanlih didn't put its all into promotions. :/

Yeah, like I said, I can't say too much about line delivery, but even the way Marcus spoke as ZYT, it was quite clear he grasped the character well. You can hear the distinction in his voice when he is ZYT vs. when he is Marcourageous. I think we talked about this here at one point too; his voice becomes deep and volume lowers, making it unclear sometimes. This is the same for his facial expressions as they are very telling of ZYT as he put himself in the shadows, confident in nature but resisting to show his full self. As for Eugenie, some of her movements in the first episode wasn't as natural, but that hardly bothered me, it actually added to LXY's unfamiliarity with the world she fell to. And if people had stayed longer, they'd learn that those unnatural or awkward movements could be attributed to Tourette's. She was lovable at first impression for me, the opening included, and sometimes it was hard for me to decipher LXY from Eugenie. I could be biased now, but I wasn't when the drama first aired; I wasn't familiar with either of them as actors.

Spoiler

Off-topic. I skimmed through 1989 for the story and Marcus, but wasn't impressed with the cast nor acting and ended up only wanting to find out who Chen Che's dad was. XD

@raewonkim I'm confident in their love and am ok with no kiss, but the fact that they teased us all episode and then no kiss? >_< If you think about it, it would have certainly helped to make buzz for the drama, so where was the harm?

Seeing them post of each other makes every day without ZYT and LXY a little more bearable. 

[songielove]

I went ahead and watched EP19 with subtitles. I'm not sure if it's because feelings have settled after a few days now, but the episode isn't as bad anymore, lol. I laughed a lot. I feel like the Tang, XY/SZW, and XM/YN plots would still be included and handled the same way if we had 20 episodes, that's why it felt so rushed. It was more a feel-good episode after the chaos, which felt nice actually. If we had a bit of time with LXY/LM and somehow addressing the Tourette's with ZYT, I think that would suffice. The touch on the cafe partnership was good for me; if we had another episode, I would expect more from that and possibly rebuilding Leishing Co... maybe.

Ok, that's it from me on this last episode. XD

[asyasweet]

Hello everyone! I'm a new to this drama. Just going to watch in the weekend.

And now I'm seeking for the OST. Not just opening song but the full OST.

Has it been released already?

Thanks

[JenL]

Warning: spoilers, so if you haven't seen last episode of BYS, you might not want to read this.

Hmmm, just watched the last episode of BYS and found it disappointing, though the final scene with all the cast there was nice. But the show just fizzled out - I'm not surprised that the ratings were only 1.73 (If a drama breaks 2, it's considered good and if it breaks 3 and above these days it's amazing.)....it lost the control and power it had sustained during its run. My main problem was that it turned towards the melodramatic route in the last episode....sure if it had happened in the second last episode, you could have had 2 episodes to pace it out. But in the last episode? It just looked cheesy and silly. There were lots of plot holes - it just seemed to jump when Qianni came to get the money. I like that Tang An Sheng's death mirrored the victim's death (Marcus' dad), but it was really unnecessary to have the long and slow chase before it (especially since all the fighting looked fake and even the police were running slowly!)...They could have stripped all chase scene back and just have him running away with the money into on-coming traffic. I also found it highly unbelievable that he would say he was sorry to his daughter when moments ago he just wanted to leave her for money.

Overall, I found BYS fun to watch. It was book-ended by some questionable episodes - the first and last episodes were very similar in that they were overly, overly melodramatic and full of cheese - But once the story started going, I found the characters charming and the story engrossing. I really loved tsundere Marcus in the form of Zhao Yiting and he was good at pulling off the cold-but-actually-kind persona. Although I had a massive hate-like relationship with Lei Xinyu, I thought it was a bit harsh people online to hate on Eugenie Liu. She's a new actress and it's her first leading role, but sometimes people were savage. For me, I thought that if there were any problems - it came with how the scriptwriters wrote the character. I found Lei Xinyu often endearing, but at other times, she could be entirely frustrating to watch due to her naivety.

For me, it was the side characters that made this series what it was. I love Sean (Xiaomao) and his acting has only gotten better over the years. He's also getting better roles to play.I also really liked Esther Yang (Xiaoyue) and Tingxuan (Yunnan) and I'm hoping to see those actresses taking on more central roles in the future. Both are great actresses and really quite pretty! I think it'l happen too, since SETTV seem to really be pushing the careers of the singers from Popu Lady (the band which Angel Hong (Qianni) and Tingxuan (Yunnan) are from). 

But both Marcus and Eugenie did a good job making their relationship look sincere and cute. If you ship Marcus and Eugenie together, they both come from the same agency (Star Ritz), so they'll probably catch up often and you'll see them on Instagram or social media You'll definitely will have random follow up content....I personally couldn't ship the actors for this series. Although it didn't bother me too much for this series, I totally understand how disappointing it must have been to not have a kiss in the last episode if you were very involved in this shipping  I just wonder what makes them decide whether or not to have characters kissing in the final episode?

I've written about this before and I'll say it again, but this series is very reflective of When I See You Again, another revenge series by SETTV. BYS is darker in its overall storyline and WISYA is probably more comical, though it gets darker as the show progresses (it took me 4 episodes to get into BYS and about 7 to get into WISYA), but they have so many similarities down to the lay out of the last episode. The only difference was that I enjoyed the last episode of WISYA because the action was actually pretty realistic and the romance for the side characters was really strong...while the last episode of BYS shocked me in terms of how it was weakened by rushed filming and I didn't feel as much for any of the couples on the show, though it was cute to hint at a future for all 3 pairings. It's surprising because I thought BYS was otherwise almost better plot-wise than WISYA. Hmmm. Did BYS even have any fan meets? I feel like I never heard of any fan meets for BYS - just the live vidol streaming  If it didn't have one, I'd be disappointed in SETTV for this new direction they're going in. Fan meets are the best for shippings and for closure because you get to see how close the entire cast are...and if you're in Taiwan, they were free for fans to attend and get their magazines signed. 

Anyway, that's all for now. Perhaps we have different tastes, or perhaps this drama is just what you're really into at the moment and it blocks out your reception to other dramas, but I really think you should give When I See You Again and Back to 1989 another chance @songielove . They were both great and well loved locally and internationally and probably the closest you'll get to BYS in SETTV Taiwanese dramas. But if you're after darker stuff, I think you'll find it in more melodramatic Taiwanese series or Korean drama series, where revenge is often more savage. The Taiwanese are such a cheerful bunch that revenge is rarely portrayed like it is in BYS. Anyway, Thanks for reading my rambles! 

[songielove]

7 hours ago, JenL said:

Perhaps we have different tastes, or perhaps this drama is just what you're really into at the moment and it blocks out your reception to other dramas, but I really think you should give When I See You Again and Back to 1989 another chance @songielove . They were both great and well loved locally and internationally and probably the closest you'll get to BYS in SETTV Taiwanese dramas. But if you're after darker stuff, I think you'll find it in more melodramatic Taiwanese series or Korean drama series, where revenge is often more savage. The Taiwanese are such a cheerful bunch that revenge is rarely portrayed like it is in BYS.

Thanks, but no thanks! I've had my long history with Taiwanese and Korean dramas, and have seen enough of those two dramas, to be absolute that I won't be going back. It's not the dark genre, but the deep and thorough characterizations and how they're handled (the mood of the drama?) that keeps me on for the long run. I'm aware of Taiwan's cheerfulness and that's what I was talking about when I mentioned society; it reflects in their dramas. I also said when I first entered this thread that BYS is refreshing because of this, that its seriousness is still maintained with the light stuff woven in. That's really good directing to me. I can also say the same, that perhaps fans are too immersed with the past success of Marcus or his current rumors that it deters them from really watching and receiving BYS for what it is. I think it's unfair for the entire BYS production team and cast that SET, and even Marcus, encouraged this by allowing non BYS-related material to be the focal point at BYS promotional events. It's a disservice to BYS and I know I share this thought with many others. However, the drama's ended now and I try to separate the outside issues from the quality of the drama itself, even though there is direct influence.

So I think it's both a difference in taste and how much you actually like the drama starting from a clean slate.

[best_sparklez]

Haha.. sorry to say @JenL soompi rules not allow you mention other drama here.. only for Behind Your Smile drama!! And for other drama U also shipping them?? Ouwgh.. I guess n Congrats!! I don't think so u just come over to write ur opinion about that without thinking of this thread. We talked about that in the previous page. And we knew it Jen!! Don't worry!!

Pardon me. But It End now and say Goodbye for you guys.. I am ready!!

And thanks guys, Nice... have family here as long as Bys airing say goodbye n never forget it.. see u next n love you all guys.. what ever it is.. 

Love Marcus Chang n Eugenie Liu .. 

Spoiler

Just that n make it simple don't talked about rubbish!! Gossip!! Wasted ur time.. sorry.. 

Haha.. just ignore me..I am just viewer!! Ordinary Viewer!!

Regard me,

Bestie.

 

Spoiler

Gift for u all, ending for me especially.. the link, hope works.. I am forget how to post haha.. ...... For me ..... nobody but you!!!

 

 

 

[IamMissBookie]

@JenL I guess it's because you've only now joined this forum, but had you come here a little bit earlier, you would've seen a number of our members (myself including) being dissapointed at the ending. We have been following this drama diligently since the beginning and have been together for all it's up's and down's so we know that had they been given more time, the ending would've been much better. But it was a network decision and we can't do anything about it. Although, some people were satisfied with the ending too. It's a personal opinion. 

Also, it's okay if you like Marcus with some other actress, but because the thread itself is named BYS, I think you should be more considerate and not mention any other drama or actress here. It's your personal opinion but this is not something that we support here, something that has been mentioned before as well.

Also, as for Eugenie's acting chops, I'm pretty sure she won over the majority of the people on this forum. Like I said, we've been diligently following this drama and have had lengthy discussions regarding it as well, at times psychoanalyzing the characters as well, so believe me when I say that she has come a long way since the beginning and her character shines in the drama. She has displayed a wide range of emotions, from being helpless to happy to optimistic to heartbroken to determined to loving and many more and she excelled at it (majority opinion). So, next time, please take a moment to read the previous comments and reflect on them before posting something.

Individual opinions are welcomed here and they are often treated as food for thought, but negative comments only work to sour our beautiful thread and community, so I would like it if you would please refrain from them.

Also, the supporting cast did a phenomenal job, and everyone here agrees. We would not have our drama as wonderful as it is today without them. And flaws in a drama are okay! Not everything can be perfect. I'm sure other dramas had their cliched and corny moments as well. It's not something that can be avoided. But I can say that we also had our fair share of heartwarming moments as well, so it's okay. There's a balance, not abundance. 

Lastly, I guess the ratings of the drama reflect the ones recorded in the Taiwan demographic area because had they considered online streaming platforms as a source for recording ratings as well, I'm sure it would've easily surpassed the other drama that Marcus starred in. Even though that drama enjoyed majority in Taiwan, BYS managed to get a large international fan base for itself, something that I have personally never seen before. Viki also had tons of people eager for the weekly episode. The fact that it was a Viki exclusive drama also meant that outside Taiwan, it was only available to Viki users, and that too only in their licensed demographic. Oh, and on Vidol too, but that also has geo-blocks and no subs. I guess it's because Taiwan is still using the traditional rating model that drama's like ours are often found lacking in ratings. Had they switched their rating model, I'm sure we would've easily gotten a 20 episode order. Also, lack of promotional and marketing activities, plus the fact that it was supposedly airing on a dead timeslot resulted in lackluster ratings in Taiwan. 

You know, when we started this thread on Soompi, we were only a handful of people. But slowly the series caught people's attention and interest and our forum here expanded. Not just that, but many people specifically signed up so that they can post their comments on this thread. And we have been here, together, through thick and thin, enduring the 1-episode/week wait together. Till the end, we saw many new people join the discussions, some even confessing that they had previously been lurkers but just couldn't help themselves from posting here. It's wonderful and amazing at the same time, how a drama can bring tons of people, from all around the world, together and form a rather unified community. I still see people reminiscing and remembering the drama by posting scenes and pics on Insta.

That is the real power of BYS. I'm not sure any other drama can beat that easily. 

[hennybird]

On 3/23/2017 at 1:32 PM, songielove said:

Thanks, but no thanks! I've had my long history with Taiwanese and Korean dramas, and have seen enough of those two dramas, to be absolute that I won't be going back. It's not the dark genre, but the deep and thorough characterizations and how they're handled (the mood of the drama?) that keeps me on for the long run. I'm aware of Taiwan's cheerfulness and that's what I was talking about when I mentioned society; it reflects in their dramas. I also said when I first entered this thread that BYS is refreshing because of this, that its seriousness is still maintained with the light stuff woven in. That's really good directing to me. I can also say the same, that perhaps fans are too immersed with the past success of Marcus or his current rumors that it deters them from really watching and receiving BYS for what it is. I think it's unfair for the entire BYS production team and cast that SET, and even Marcus, encouraged this by allowing non BYS-related material to be the focal point at BYS promotional events. It's a disservice to BYS and I know I share this thought with many others. However, the drama's ended now and I try to separate the outside issues from the quality of the drama itself, even though there is direct influence.

So I think it's both a difference in taste and how much you actually like the drama starting from a clean slate.

I couldn't agree with you more, Songie!! 

[hennybird]

20 hours ago, IamMissBookie said:

@JenL I guess it's because you've only now joined this forum, but had you come here a little bit earlier, you would've seen a number of our members (myself including) being dissapointed at the ending. We have been following this drama diligently since the beginning and have been together for all it's up's and down's so we know that had they been given more time, the ending would've been much better. But it was a network decision and we can't do anything about it. Although, some people were satisfied with the ending too. It's a personal opinion. 

Also, it's okay if you like Marcus with some other actress, but because the thread itself is named BYS, I think you should be more considerate and not mention any other drama or actress here. It's your personal opinion but this is not something that we support here, something that has been mentioned before as well.

Also, as for Eugenie's acting chops, I'm pretty sure she won over the majority of the people on this forum. Like I said, we've been diligently following this drama and have had lengthy discussions regarding it as well, at times psychoanalyzing the characters as well, so believe me when I say that she has come a long way since the beginning and her character shines in the drama. She has displayed a wide range of emotions, from being helpless to happy to optimistic to heartbroken to determined to loving and many more and she excelled at it (majority opinion). So, next time, please take a moment to read the previous comments and reflect on them before posting something.

Individual opinions are welcomed here and they are often treated as food for thought, but negative comments only work to sour our beautiful thread and community, so I would like it if you would please refrain from them.

Also, the supporting cast did a phenomenal job, and everyone here agrees. We would not have our drama as wonderful as it is today without them. And flaws in a drama are okay! Not everything can be perfect. I'm sure other dramas had their cliched and corny moments as well. It's not something that can be avoided. But I can say that we also had our fair share of heartwarming moments as well, so it's okay. There's a balance, not abundance. 

Lastly, I guess the ratings of the drama reflect the ones recorded in the Taiwan demographic area because had they considered online streaming platforms as a source for recording ratings as well, I'm sure it would've easily surpassed the other drama that Marcus starred in. Even though that drama enjoyed majority in Taiwan, BYS managed to get a large international fan base for itself, something that I have personally never seen before. Viki also had tons of people eager for the weekly episode. The fact that it was a Viki exclusive drama also meant that outside Taiwan, it was only available to Viki users, and that too only in their licensed demographic. Oh, and on Vidol too, but that also has geo-blocks and no subs. I guess it's because Taiwan is still using the traditional rating model that drama's like ours are often found lacking in ratings. Had they switched their rating model, I'm sure we would've easily gotten a 20 episode order. Also, lack of promotional and marketing activities, plus the fact that it was supposedly airing on a dead timeslot resulted in lackluster ratings in Taiwan. 

You know, when we started this thread on Soompi, we were only a handful of people. But slowly the series caught people's attention and interest and our forum here expanded. Not just that, but many people specifically signed up so that they can post their comments on this thread. And we have been here, together, through thick and thin, enduring the 1-episode/week wait together. Till the end, we saw many new people join the discussions, some even confessing that they had previously been lurkers but just couldn't help themselves from posting here. It's wonderful and amazing at the same time, how a drama can bring tons of people, from all around the world, together and form a rather unified community. I still see people reminiscing and remembering the drama by posting scenes and pics on Insta.

That is the real power of BYS. I'm not sure any other drama can beat that easily. 

I feel very defensive of any criticism of Eugenie, so thanks for your eloquence here in defense of her and of BYS!! I think this drama was wonderful and I think it stands on its own. I was a disappointed by the rushed ending (as we all were), but I still enjoyed every second of Pan Yunnan & XM as well as SZW and XY!! I loved the proposal. Was disappointed by the lack of kiss--that seemed really weird. I also think that the drama succeeded internationally despite having an incorrect synopsis for more than half of its run! I think the slightly lower rating is partially due to this. I really resented the unfair one-star ratings on Viki. Some of them were so obviously for reasons outside of the drama itself that I was incensed. It's really a credit to the drama that it has had such success internationally. It's certainly not because of a well-thought-out marking campaign!

Thank you faithful fellow fans of this drama. I'm bad with remembering nicknames and such, but here's an attempt to remember a few whose insightful comments and/or translations, fan fiction, analyses never failed to delight: @beijinhos @songielove@IamMissBookie @bestsparklez @ate @alex325 @sherry2468  @hppatronus @quartz13 @bebebisous33 @phoiphoi Sorry if I've left any regular contributor off! Blessings to you all. 

[beijinhos]

Henny, Bookie, Softie, Bestie, Chewie, and all the chingus!

I had a blast here and I so thank you all for sharing all our weekly insights.

Henny @hennybird I know you will probably understand me when I say that I loved Liu Yi Er from the moment she got out of the taxi in those crazy pink high heels! She just absorbs the camera. She was absolutely perfect in this role.

I loved BYS and our delulus here!

Warm regards, 

BJ

[beijinhos]

21 hours ago, IamMissBookie said:

Also, as for Eugenie's acting chops, I'm pretty sure she won over the majority of the people on this forum. Like I said, we've been diligently following this drama and have had lengthy discussions regarding it as well, at times psychoanalyzing the characters as well, so believe me when I say that she has come a long way since the beginning and her character shines in the drama. She has displayed a wide range of emotions, from being helpless to happy to optimistic to heartbroken to determined to loving and many more and she excelled at it (majority opinion). So, next time, please take a moment to read the previous comments and reflect on them before posting something.

Individual opinions are welcomed here and they are often treated as food for thought, but negative comments only work to sour our beautiful thread and community, so I would like it if you would please refrain from them.

Also, the supporting cast did a phenomenal job, and everyone here agrees. We would not have our drama as wonderful as it is today without them. And flaws in a drama are okay! Not everything can be perfect. I'm sure other dramas had their cliched and corny moments as well. It's not something that can be avoided. But I can say that we also had our fair share of heartwarming moments as well, so it's okay. There's a balance, not abundance. 

Lastly, I guess the ratings of the drama reflect the ones recorded in the Taiwan demographic area because had they considered online streaming platforms as a source for recording ratings as well, I'm sure it would've easily surpassed the other drama that Marcus starred in. Even though that drama enjoyed majority in Taiwan, BYS managed to get a large international fan base for itself, something that I have personally never seen before. Viki also had tons of people eager for the weekly episode. The fact that it was a Viki exclusive drama also meant that outside Taiwan, it was only available to Viki users, and that too only in their licensed demographic. Oh, and on Vidol too, but that also has geo-blocks and no subs. I guess it's because Taiwan is still using the traditional rating model that drama's like ours are often found lacking in ratings. Had they switched their rating model, I'm sure we would've easily gotten a 20 episode order. Also, lack of promotional and marketing activities, plus the fact that it was supposedly airing on a dead timeslot resulted in lackluster ratings in Taiwan. 

You know, when we started this thread on Soompi, we were only a handful of people. But slowly the series caught people's attention and interest and our forum here expanded. Not just that, but many people specifically signed up so that they can post their comments on this thread. And we have been here, together, through thick and thin, enduring the 1-episode/week wait together. Till the end, we saw many new people join the discussions, some even confessing that they had previously been lurkers but just couldn't help themselves from posting here. It's wonderful and amazing at the same time, how a drama can bring tons of people, from all around the world, together and form a rather unified community. I still see people reminiscing and remembering the drama by posting scenes and pics on Insta.

That is the real power of BYS. I'm not sure any other drama can beat that easily. 

Bookie, as usual, well said! Brava!

On March 23, 2017 at 10:46 PM, best_sparklez said:

Regard me,

Bestie.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Gift for u all, ending for me especially.. the link, hope works.. I am forget how to post haha.. ...... For me ..... nobody but you!!!

 

 

 

kekekeke, love you, Bestie!

[beijinhos]

On March 23, 2017 at 4:32 PM, songielove said:

 I also said when I first entered this thread that BYS is refreshing because of this, that its seriousness is still maintained with the light stuff woven in. That's really good directing to me.

What's telling to me is how much I really got into this drama, enough that I joined up here to talk to others about it. Every aspect of it, from plot to costumes, you name it. I still can't think of a drama I like better.

I feel that outside circumstances affected the drama, but those dings in no way take away from the quality that the whole peroduction team brought to BYS, to make it worth the wait each week.

[fivebowls]

As someone who felt compelled to join a forum for the first time ever because of BYS, I can attest to its power. As someone who was born in Taiwan and really want to support Taiwanese dramas but have not been able to maintain an interest in most even when not live watching (Marcus' other recent one included), I can certainly say that BYS is unique in my books.

I also want to echo what many of you have said about Eugenie. She did an amazing job in a challenging role. It baffles me why people think her acting is bad or LXY is stupid. 

Thank you all for making my enjoyment of the drama so much richer.  My only regret is that I didn't make the plunge into the forum earlier. 

 

[quartz13]

I watched the last BTS…wish the last one was longer. 

I agree with Team BYS: this genre is unique in Taiwanese dramas (got me watching Taiwanese dramas again - definitely refreshing!); love the plot; the team did an amazing job (production and performance); love the editing/color; love the OST; love the opening and ending themes; etc. It got my full attention the moment I pressed play. 

It’s sad how some people can’t distinguish between performance and their love for a specific OTP; this may have generated negative and bias criticisms (Eugenie’s performance and drama). Anyhow, we all know Eugenie owns her role as LXY.  

Thank you for contributing to this thread and please continue translating any video clips and news.

Behind Your Smile  

[songielove]

Haha, I had forgotten about the description of the drama. I think Viki could still do even better than what the description is now, but you're all right-- the drama has spoken for itself. I can see it had a loyal following, not just here in this thread, but on its other official platforms. For it to have all the outside circumstances surrounding it, but garner attention (from individuals who never expected it from themselves and individuals who returned to [Taiwanese] dramas because of it) and produce the insightful, in-depth discussions like it did here says a lot more about the quality of the drama. I hope the BYS team knows what a special thing they created.

Here is the Vidol link to the last BTS. Again, thank you for all the translation help you've been able to provide. I can remember the first day we had legitimate help. XD 

http://www.vidol.tv/programmes/192?episode_id=17325#player_window=true