Chinese serials recommendation

[kimpossible]

We've been buying and watching mostly Jin Yong serials and I'd really like to watch something a bit more modern with current usable dialogue.

I'd rather avoid dubbed Japanese or Korean shows. Don't need English subtitles but would also like to avoid archaic Mandarin that I don't have a hope in hell of understanding. Modern speech pattern would be nice.

I enjoy the martial arts serials but I need a change of pace. I'm tired of learning vocab that involves warring sects and secret powers. Already scrolled through YesAsia but the rating system was kind of wonky.

Please help. I can't take Return of Condor Heroes one more time. The gold lame. So shiny. The make up. So 80s.

[SunWuKong]

Please help. I can't take Return of Condor Heroes one more time. The gold lame. So shiny. The make up. So 80s.

hahhahhah! well you know they've remade the series something like 3 or 4 times. so you can watch those!

check out http://www.tigercinema.com. i think it's like a netflix-type service for Chinese TV series.

[Adaon]

hahhahhah! well you know they've remade the series something like 3 or 4 times. so you can watch those!

check out http://www.tigercinema.com. i think it's like a netflix-type service for Chinese TV series.

I've lost track of how many versions I've seen, and which Sui Long Lui I think is prettiest. Hahaha. >_<

I'm actually sort of bleh at the fact that I still only come across one dedicated Asian programmed station on cable, while I can surf through the Spanish section and get free Playboy service. -grumble-

[VV o n g B a]

can u stand watching pretty boys? meteor garden was pretty popular i think. i watched a bit of mars too. it was so so.

unfortunately, i don't feel that chinese serials compare very well w/ korean ones currently. the character personalities seem so exaggerated they don't feel real. of course this also applies to korean serials, but to a noticeably lesser degree.

[kimpossible]

hahhahhah! well you know they've remade the series something like 3 or 4 times. so you can watch those!


No more martial arts! No more attacking Xiao Lin! No more aligned versus non-aligned sects!


check out http://www.tigercinema.com. i think it's like a netflix-type service for Chinese TV series.

It's a lot of anime and Korean dramas but there's some Chinese serials too. Thanks. Of course this is totally non-related but I think it's time to buy a terabyte of storage.

[CBC guy]

My grandma watched so many Chinese TV serials (not the martial arts kind, the lame-ass soap-opera/sitcom kind) that I've pretty much sworn them off. Unless the girls in it are worth looking at. :biggrin:

[tvbdude]

watch some hong kong tvb series. some of the dvd's have english subtitles

[SunWuKong]

i don't like the series set in modern times, they're all made for girls that think they have an intrinsic need to create drama in their lives.

[eos]

i used to watch tvb ones when i was younger but then moved to korean ones. now when i watch the tvb serials, i don't know anybody and i can't catch on to the slang. i'm so ashamed.
has anyone seen the one with andy lau, where he plays a rags to riches business man? it's pretty old i think. bf keeps talking about it, saying it's so like his own life. he has a guy crush on andy.

[kimpossible]

watch some hong kong tvb series. some of the dvd's have english subtitles

I don't want the English subtitles. I've been watching with Chinese subtitles. I'm using it to build my vocab. That's why a Cantonese only track won't help. Entertainment value is optional. I've been cycling through the same four series for like a year.

[kimpossible]

i don't like the series set in modern times, they're all made for girls that think they have an intrinsic need to create drama in their lives.

That's probably what I'm looking for. Well, not to create drama but set in modern times made for chicks.

[AngryABCGirl]

Are you looking for just Mandarin serials? TVBs are better than Taiwan's in my opinion (god kill me now). I liked 人間蒸發.

戰神 is the probably the only truly stellar drama I've seen in Taiwan that isn't totally directed toward twelve year old girls. 鬥魚 and 白色巨塔 are the only other ones I can think of that I've seen that aren't that childish. The only two bearable idol dramas I've watched lately are 王子變青蛙哇 and 惡魔在身邊. 大宅門 is a good mainland drama. There's also one that follows three generations in Shanghai that I can't remember the name for the life of me now. The new 2005ish versions of the Legend of the Condor Heroes and Return of the Condor Heroes isn't bad, not so 80s, trust me.

If you want to learn some dialogue and be amused, what is hot now is Hana Kimi, something called Tokyo Juliet?, 微笑 Pasta, 轉角遇到愛, 花香. Be warned I tried watching some, and I almost throw my laptop into my roommate's TV. If anything try watching talk shows if you can, they're more amusing and incorporate everyday speech.

I hear that Mainland dramas now are really good, cause Taiwan's is ridiculously stupid pop crap, make me want to hurt myself. Better luck looking at those or dubbed for K or J Dramas.

Taiwan makes good films though, though in minimal amounts, but aren't bad for dialogue- 盛夏光年 was really good.

[kasia]

i don't like the series set in modern times, they're all made for girls that think they have an intrinsic need to create drama in their lives.

what about detective investigation files and files of justice? or the negotiator? or healing hands?

[VV o n g B a]

i watched a bit of hana kimi. lead character is a singer from S.H.E. her acting is comical and not really in a good way.

[kimpossible]

Over the top drama is A-OK for me because I read and understand at such an excruciatingly low level. My processors run on full just trying to match the Chinese subtitles to the speech. Once in a while I get an entire sentence, follow the dialogue pretty close for about 1-2 minutes and then fall behind. Get lost for another 10 minutes then get a sentence, repeat pattern.

My understanding is a lot of series are made for the lowest education and literacy levels and since I'd be at the lowest level what's bad by literate standards is actually good for someone like me. So I'm rather unafraid of bad acting. I'm definitely going to check out some of the titles mentioned - through tigercinema if possible.

[deez nuts]

i don't watch any. but, my parents know what's good and what's crap since they're best friends with the chinese video store owner. the one they're currently watching is "shing shang hai tan."

trust me. i know what you will like.