Demon Girl airing now

Pictures can truly paint a thousand words as I stare supremely intrigued over Demon Girl 半妖倾城 without any inkling of the plot whatsoever. It is a fantasy novel-turned-drama adaptation by Yu Zheng and his works have always been hit or miss, but if the pictures are any indication...

Demon Girl is headlined by rising star Zhang Zhe Han (Legend of Banshu) and newcomer Li Yi Tong who are supported by a largely unfamiliar cast of young artists (born 1990s), a gamble in and of itself but not a bad thing.

Viann Zhang Xinyu and Ady An guest star to portray the earlier generation, detailing the story of how the demon came to be during the late Qing Dynasty while popular Taiwanese actor Jiro Wang is shown in costume as well.

Set in the Republican era, the main story will center around a love triangle and an ill-fated love between a half-demon and a rich man. It is a myriad of cliches and even time periods since the latest trailer unveils a modern-day setting, yet hot mess or not, I kind of want to watch it. The series premieres Jun 30, 2016 on Mango TV and LeTV.

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 cdrama recommendations.

Source: Duitang, Mingrenziliao, Eng163, iFeng

The Legend of Banshu

The Legend of Banshu aka Ban Shu Chuan Qi 班淑传奇 is a 38-episode Chinese palace drama starring Jing Tian as Ban Shu. It follows the story of the Legend of Lu Zhen and was conceptually created by producer Yu Zheng to compliment the former.  

Even though Yu Zheng has earned a bad rep as the destroyer of Jin Yong novels, he has had a number of successful projects under his belt. Nevertheless, his fame wasn't enough to hype up this drama given that it has been buried under the stack of so many high-profile period dramas these days.

Ban Shu grew up in the grasslands of the Western region until she was reunited with her family. In order to gain their approval, she enters the palace to learn proper etiquette but often ends up in amusing situations due to her unorthodox background.

The Legend of Banshu is headlined by a cast of unfamiliar faces except for male lead Zhang Zhe Han (Demon Girl) whom I recognized as the teenage counterpart of Hu Ge in Nirvana in Fire. I probably won't watch this unless I hear good things about it but if you are interested, the series just premiered last Feb 8, 2016 on CCTV8.

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 popular cdramas.

Source: Duitang