Dangai
| Synonyms: | 耽改, BL adaptation |
| See also: | danmei, c-drama |
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Dangai is a c-drama adapted from a danmei novel in which the m/m content of the novel is removed and replaced with subtext or bromance. It is related to, but not the same as a danmei drama (耽美剧) or BL drama, which features a canon m/m romance.
Several countries in East and Southeast Asia started producing live-action BL dramas by the mid 2010s: see Wikipedia. In 2016 depictions of homosexuality were banned from Chinese live-action television after a BL drama streaming online suddenly got popular[1] (or rather that the existing prohibition was extended to include web series[2]). Rules about what is permitted to show can change from year to year in mainland China, and in general the rules are purposefully vague, to encourage self-censorship and enable favoritism.
After dangai became increasingly popular as a genre and the number of productions multiplied, leading to a so-called "dangai 101" phenomenon, state media started publishing negative opinion pieces about dangai, leading to fears that the genre was in trouble. In August 2021 the government announced a series of changes to the entertainment industry that BL fans feared meant the end of the genre. These fears appear to be confirmed: The National Radio and Television Administration called for a boycott on dangai on September 16.[3][4] However, it was unclear what this would mean in practice, and in the English cdrama fandom some people expressed the opinion that things would eventually settle down and go back to normal.[5] Meanwhile, fans in English fandom started arguing over whether the regulations against dangai were homophobic; on one side are fans describing non-homophobia-related justifications for the CCP's actions, and on the other are fans pointing out that the homophobia in this and other changes (a crackdown on "sissy" men in media and shutting down LGBTQ student clubs) is ridiculously obvious and that not caring about the impact of sacrificing LGBTQ-related media is itself a form of homophobia.[6] Some fans of other danmei novels whose live-action adaptations were indefinitely postponed blamed Word of Honor and its fandom.
In early 2023 a few dangai dramas were released with no advance notice, including an adaptation of the priest novel Mo Du, leading to speculation that more dramas might be forthcoming.[7][8] However, after the first eight Mo Du episodes were released on Youku, nothing else followed, leading to renewed despondency among fans.[9] In July it was reported that the Mo Du episodes already released had been removed, with no assurance that it would ever be available again.[10]
Canon Examples
- Guardian (2018)
- The Untamed (2019)
- The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (2020)
- Word of Honor (2021)
- Censored Adaptation of Same-Sex Original Work, Archived version - MyDramaList
Further Reading/Meta
- jikipedia: 耽改剧, Archived version, 2019-08-26
- baidu: 耽改剧, Archived version
- Corner Cafe: Random Ramblings on BL Dramas (Part 2), Archived version, 2020-07-15
- tumblr thread discussion about Word of Honor and dangai generally, Archived version, March 2021
- Vice: Boys Keep Flirting With Each Other on Chinese TV But Never Fall in Love, Archived version, 5 April 2021
- Word of Honour and the so-called 'Dangai 101 phenomenon', Archived version, tumblr ask answered by potteresque-ire, 17 April 2021 (note the meta writer believes Wang Yibo/Xiao Zhan is real)
- Hunxi how do BL dramas even get made?, Archived version, tumblr ask answered by hunxi-after-hours, 29 June 2021.
- Re: Cnovels - C-ent crackdown, Archived version, anonymous thread in fail_fandomanon, 2021-08-29
- The SARFT of China officially declared its position on BL TV series.What do Chinese netizens think?, youtube video by Chinese star news, 17 Sep 2021
- Wang, Yidong, and Yilan Wang. 2023. "Dangai Fandoms under Crossfire: The Making of Queer Love in a Permeable and Convergent Media Ecology." In "Chinese Fandoms," edited by Zhen Troy Chen and Celia Lam, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 41. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2023.2273.
References
- ^ The Guardian. China bans depictions of gay people on television, Archived version, 4 March 2016. (Accessed 2 September 2021.)
- ^ chinafilminsider.com China Tightens Censorship of Online Dramas, Archived version, 27 Feb 2016. (Accessed 2 September 2021.)
- ^ weibo post by CCTV, Archived version, 17 September 2021. The post contains the hashtag #广电总局要求抵制耽改# (#General Administration of Radio and Television requests to boycott dangai#).
- ^ Pretty Boys No More as New Directive Boycotts BL Drama Adaptations Following Previous Ban of "Effeminate" Male Celebs in China - DramaPanda, Archived version, 18 September 2021.
- ^ For example: Youtuber Marcus here! said, "Once in a while there comes a phase when the government comes down with a bunch of restrictions but if history is any indication, after a while things settle down and producers find a way to make dramas people love again." Mid-autumn Festival drama pics/ More regulations for dramas/ Song of Youth final thoughts 09.21.21, Archived version, posted to youtube 21 September 2021.
- ^ Re: Cnovels, Archived version, fail_fandomanon thread, 2021-09-23.
- ^ youtube video by Marcus Here, 21 February 2023.
- ^ Re: Asian dramas, fail_fandomanon thread, 2023-02-18.
- ^ Fate of C-Dramas Adapted from BL Uncertain as "Justice in the Dark" Appears to Have Stopped Releasing New Episodes, Archived version, DramaPanda, 25 February 2023.
- ^ tweet by skyarise, Archived version, 5 July 2023.