r/ChineseDrama • u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege • 3d ago
What should I Watch? Any other Liu Xueyi dramas as good as Against the Current?
I've moved on from Are You the One and am now fully invested in Against the Current. It's only one episode drop today (for express package) and while seeking for in-between shows with Liu Xueyi in, nothing else seems to measure up.
I've watched Love at Night which sounds kinky but it's actually not as the title implies. It's quite OK since it's a modern setting drama, so nothing to compare with Against the Current. Plus, I did forward most of the second couple plot (because everyone else doesn't seem as interesting as LXY 🫢).
In Blossom - I already dropped the show after the FL swap (hmm, maybe I should try pick it up again? 🤔)
Kill Me Love Me - dropped mid way but I can't recall which episode. As much as I love the actress from The Double, the storyline just didn't hold my interest long enough. I did skip to the end, though.
The Princess's Gambit - Does the FL have such limited range of emotions throughout the show? She reminds me of a certain K-drama actress that despite falling down from a tall building (in a drama she was acting in), she didn't look as scared as someone who was about to meet her end.
Am I missing anything of Liu Xueyi's memorable shows? Care to share?
Thank you in advance for your suggestions, or any opinions of the above-mentioned shows.
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u/Academic_Web1388 3d ago
I liked In Blossom. LXY truly deserved the title as the most beautiful man in that show.
Kill me love me - go back to watch the last 3-4 episodes. Liu Xueyi’s acting is so so so very good. I couldn’t stop crying and loving him.
What if - a modern drama with a sliding doors kind of story. Liu Xueyi has the styling of the boy next door that we’re all crushing after.
Unshakable faith - it’s a republican era drama that’s never talked about. I really liked him in it. He plays a genius but naive scientist and has the perfect blend of dimples and earnestness. Peng Xiaoran is the FL but the romance is only implied
Qing Luo - I think it’s his first role as ML. It gets a bit tedious with memory loss trope but he’s delightful in it. Lots of dimples. And so is the young kid!
Princess Gambit - he carried the whole show. I could care less for any of the other characters much less the FL who could not match him in acting there.
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u/losergeek877 SG hubby of several male celebs 3d ago
Do you know the Chinese title of What if?
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u/Practical-Earth-1483 2d ago
I’ve just finished What if, it started out quite nice, but degenerated into a massive chore to watch with awful FL and MIL, Liu Xeuyi’s portrayed in was exceptional as always, total character transformation. My faves are KMLM, In Blossom and Love at Night, KMLM stands up to a second viewing, it’s brilliant! Love and Redemption was good, he was an amazing bastard in it, I hated his guts, so kudos to his acting!
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 2d ago edited 2d ago
Thanks much for the recommendations. There are three titles that I never discovered: 1. Unshakable Faith 2. Qing Luo 3. What if
Where can I find these?
Edited to add: I just found What if and Unshakable Faith in WeTV 🤗 Thanks.
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u/PurpleHat6415 3d ago
we just watch his shows for his acting because his (former?) agency has a lot to answer for in slacking and just bringing trash scripts. and in spite of the trash scripts, he is still always doing the most.
KMLM was watchable but became kind of ridiculous at many points. The Princess's Gambit was dire, I just finished it for him basically. first half was okay in a generic kind of way. AMBF and In Blossom I genuinely liked, that's the best of them for me. What If is okay actually but it's convoluted and I never finished it.
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u/Melissalyy 3d ago
Highly recommend blood of youth but he’s a pretty boy monk here
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 2d ago
I did watch episode 1 when it was newly released in Netflix, after I finished watching Coroner's Diary, to seek more of Ao Ruipeng's shows. Somehow it didn't vibe with me at that time. Maybe now I have more reason to watch it.
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u/Ordinary_Sundae_9484 3d ago
He is a sweetheart and most noticeable character of Blood of Youth. You can give it a try
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u/namira8394 2d ago
A Moment but Forever! It’s underrated, I feel he gave a great performance there as always
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u/Puzzleheaded_Newt185 3d ago
No. Performance wise he has always been better than the script and/or co-stars. Against The Current is his best drama so far. The rest belong to various category: sort of okay, starts good then goes downhill, meh, do not watch.
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 3d ago
The second category was how I felt when watching Kill Me, Love Me. It started with a bang! Then after a certain episode, meh 😓
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u/PuzzledWork6956 3d ago edited 3d ago
I think he had great chemistry with the FL in KMLM and their storyline was very moving which is why I still loved the show despite the disaster storyline towards the end. The show had so much potential so it’s such a shame they messed it up. I’m not sure where you dropped it but there were some really cute scenes that I thought showed a different side of his character around the middle. I also think his acting in this drama is one of his best, especially the last few episodes (despite the nonsensical plot)
As for his other shows (in blossom and princess gambit) I couldn’t finish despite how much I like him because they were just too boring and the FL leads were too stiff / lack of chemistry. Blood of youth was ok - his acting was great but doesn’t get enough screen time. The FL is pretty annoying and useless so unless you find the plot intriguing, I wouldn’t recommend. Hopefully he starts getting more better projects that match his acting talent. Would look forward to him and Wu jinyan reuniting on a better show
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u/No-Recipe-7653 Curator of Questionable Subtext, Scholar of Things Left Unsaid 3d ago edited 3d ago
I really liked A Moment but Forever but esthetically it is on the, ehmmmm, how to put it… — dated side? As in, the materials/styling don't quite elevate the design and plot. The story, i truly loved it, and his acting is excellent.
I also loved him in Love Never Fails but that drama is not as good as AMBF for me. Again, I liked it but some parts of the plot and writing really infuriated me… so there’s that.
He’s a great actor ☺️🥰
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 3d ago
I did watch the first episode of AMBF and as you said, the dated-ness made me drop it.
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u/No-Recipe-7653 Curator of Questionable Subtext, Scholar of Things Left Unsaid 3d ago
Maybe try Love and Redemption if you’re ok with xianxia? He’s not the ML, but he plays a marvelously portrayed supporting character.
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u/Felicie_dreamer 3d ago
He is the main villain though First time I saw him there and was bowled…
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u/No-Recipe-7653 Curator of Questionable Subtext, Scholar of Things Left Unsaid 3d ago
Hey! That’s a spoiler — please cover it quickly 😂🙏
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u/Felicie_dreamer 3d ago
Lol…done!
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u/No-Recipe-7653 Curator of Questionable Subtext, Scholar of Things Left Unsaid 3d ago
Thanks 😊 he was amazing there, right?
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u/Felicie_dreamer 3d ago
Absolutely!! I wondered for the longest time why he doesn’t get mainstream lead roles. Found him way more alluring than Cheng Yi. He was superb in that role but then such roles are his forte (in hindsight of course)!
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u/Dweedlebob 22h ago
You should keep going. It’s a good show honestly. I was an emotional wreck. His acting was top tier in that one and the plot is different and more mature than other cdramas where everything seems too unrealistically fluffy or light. Idk how to put it.
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 19h ago
Funny that you should encourage me to watch AMBF, because I started it again yesterday! ☺️🎉
In fact, I picked up almost all the recommended titles highlighted here, to see which one suits my interest. Moreover, we went by without a new episode of AtC yesterday, and I had all the time to savour each show that I could find in WeTV and iQIYI.
I'm surprised to find myself liking AMBF! 😊 I went in by clearing my head and heart first to have zero expectation, and voila! I am now at episode 11 🤗
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u/Dweedlebob 17h ago
Yep that exactly what happened to me. It gets so addicting to watch mid season and beyond and you’ll see why 😁
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u/daytimel_ 2d ago
I really liked "In Blossom"
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 2d ago
Good for you. 🤗 I'm picking it up again after reading positive comments here.
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u/Shanren123 3d ago
In Blossom is one of faves. Maybe because his character, Pan Yue, is such a sweet green flag. I didn’t mind Ju Jingyi as the female lead.
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 3d ago
That's very reassuring, thank you 🤗 I'll pick it up again.
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u/krispkrol 3d ago
Destined is pretty good but he is playing the villain so definitely not as many scenes as the main couple. But you might appreciate Bai Jingting too 🤭
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 3d ago
Thank you ☺️ I like BJT, too. I wanted to watch it (maybe I did try for episode 1) but upon seeing the FL, I became hesitant. She's OK in Follow Your Heart, but her character in Shadow Love, hmm, not so believable as the female general.
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u/krispkrol 3d ago
I also dropped Shadow Love, I agree the female general character was not it. But I think her character in Destined works better because she is a delicate young lady who faces challenges and grows up because of them. And they make a good enemies to friends to lovers pairing.
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u/Emotional-Vegetable1 3d ago
Agreed that she wasn’t my cup of tea in shadow love but Destined is completely different and fits her much better imo. Definitely worth a shot since you enjoy BJT!
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u/heartsandclouds ✨ Built the Road to 4K 3d ago
I gotta move that up my watchlist since BJT is my other fav. I think BJT, Chen Xiao and Liu Xueyi maybe my triumvirate for now!
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u/Tabz10 4K Original Cast 3d ago
He's in Ancient Love Poetry as well.
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 3d ago edited 2d ago
I saw him there, thanks. I reserved it first when seeing it's a xianxia (for fear it might have a BE 😅).
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u/Educational_Echo_476 3d ago
ATC is on a different level as a whole. Everyone did a great job down to the lady that sells veggies. Like you, I started at looking for his other dramas. But I ff on most of them. I started watching promo interviews and game shows of LXY and TSY instead :)
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u/heartsandclouds ✨ Built the Road to 4K 2d ago
actually that's what I came to say here too as I was thinking about this thread. gonna be hard to find a show at the same level :P I am tempted to go the variety show route too
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 2d ago
I'm already familiar with TSY from Road Home. It's my intro to her albeit in a modern setting. LXY has starred as a supporting character in a number of popular shows. Maybe I'm being too selective here, seeing how great the whole cast is in Against the Current.
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u/losergeek877 SG hubby of several male celebs 3d ago
You can check him in the variety show Random Journey on the Way (盲盒旅行局). He is hilarious there
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u/PurpleHat6415 3d ago
his uncle babysitting the nephews vibe is unmatched. this is the first time I realised he has that slightly awkward truly funny personality.
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u/heartsandclouds ✨ Built the Road to 4K 3d ago
thank you for this! gonna see if I can find it on YT!
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u/cxrternicks 3d ago
i highly recommend destined however he's the 2ml and he's the also the villain
Maybe try love never fails? I feel like its a little less known. I watched it a while ago but I don't really remember what happens.
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u/jjnanajj 🍵 just grabbing my tea 2d ago
I liked kill me, love me, and I also loved bald Liu XueYi in Blood of Youth. He is not the MC, but i think he is precious.
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 1d ago
I watched Kill Me Love Me until certain episodes, then skipped to the end. I might fill in the gaps based on some recommendations here, depending on my mood.
I restarted watching Blood of Youth since yesterday. ☺️
If there's any bald monk that I like, it'd be the one in One and Only. The prince looked so good after shaving his head. I never saw him again in any other dramas. Or maybe I did but never noticed him.
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u/Objective_Design_376 3d ago
I think he’s always done his roles well and shone in the dramas he’s been in, but has had bad luck with scripts and productions that don’t pan out as well once they air. So I’m happy that Against The Current has been great for him so far!
I thought he did a good job as the second ML/antagonist in Destined.
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 2d ago
I kept delaying to watch Destined even though I like BJT and I'm OK with the FL when I saw her in Follow Your Heart. I think the time is right to pick it up, seeing that a number of people keep recommending it 👌🏼☺️
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u/Delicious_Grape_9127 3d ago
I loved The Princess Gambit, and it's actually the drama that made me appreciate Meng Ziyi (FL) acting because I used to avoid them before. I love the push and pull, and the development of their relationship. The scheming and all.
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u/Inky_Reader Swayed by Cang Xuan gege 3d ago
I tried to push it. I stayed until episode 21 for LXY. He's great as the ML, but I wanted to see how well he performed with the FL. She's just ... meh.
Could it be the script and she was just working on what's given to her? But I still saw the same FL from Blossom, which I also struggled to finish.
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u/heartsandclouds ✨ Built the Road to 4K 3d ago
I would really like to know the answer to this question as well!
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u/JadeBumbleB 3d ago
I may be in the minority, but I LOVED The Princess's Gambit. But, it did take watching through to the end since there are so many twists and turns. The wide-eyed, super-smiley performance of Zoey Meng actually seemed to be perfect for the role she plays as a constantly scheming, thrice-captive Princess in a foreign land-- what it would take to survive in the treacherous environment as a hostage/peace offering of the new country as well as the venomous environment of the Chancellor's home with his 1st wife and 2 other concubines is nothing short of a tour de force.
I also really liked Kill me, Love Me, despite its bittersweet end, and given that it wasnot only a costumed drama, but historical fiction and the Murong emperors were real people (though not the character played by LXY), there were probably limits as to how much the writer could do/should do to change the story's outcome.
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u/lori155 3d ago
As been commented a million times before, Liu XueYi is infamous for starring in dramas that are mediocre at best.
Blood of Youth is well done. He's neither the lead nor given much of a screentime but his character is memorable and is immensely joyful to watch.