The movie "Jade Axis" has encountered many obstacles since its broadcast: being suspected of "exaggerating" data, the script being criticized for deviating from the "strong female lead" orientation, to content being leaked and illegally distributed online. However, the work was still broadcast in full time.
However, when the film just ended, controversy flared up again, this time focusing on the character image played by Truong Lang Hach.
In the film, the actor plays a young general, possessing the familiar handsome appearance of idol movies. But it is the excessive meticulousness from makeup to hair styling that has become the focus of criticism. The political commentary account called this character "general powder", saying that he lacks the strong spirit and harshness inherent in a soldier on the battlefield.
This comment quickly received agreement from a part of the audience. Many opinions believe that the image of generals in movies is increasingly being "aestheticized" too much, far from reality. Sarcasm such as "going to battle and still worrying about the makeup layer drifting away" although humorous, clearly reflects public dissatisfaction with the unconvincing character building style.
On the opposite side, Truong Lang Hach's fans reacted fiercely. They said that this is an idol film, beauty is necessary to suit the visual language and audience tastes. Some opinions defended and emphasized that actors only perform according to image requirements, and cannot bear the full responsibility for the creative choices of the crew.
However, the debate quickly went beyond professional limits when many attacking comments appeared, making the atmosphere tense. Faced with this situation, famous screenwriter Wang Hailin spoke out criticizing the extremism of a part of fans. He said that defending idols by attacking against all opposing opinions is a manifestation of irrationality, and called on social media platforms to take control measures.
In fact, this debate does not only revolve around an individual. It reflects the systematic issue of the idol drama genre: absolute priority for appearance and "intimateness" instead of script depth. In the context of fierce competition, producers often choose a safe solution - building perfect beautiful characters to attract audiences, even if it may reduce authenticity.
As a result, a series of characters are "uniformized": generals but without war traces, heroes but lacking psychological depth. This gradually shapes a distorted aesthetic standard, where appearance becomes a decisive factor instead of character ability or personality.
The "general foundation powder" controversy is therefore not simply a verbal battle between fans and commentators. It raises a big question for the entertainment industry: should idol dramas continue to trade rationality for eye-catching images, or is it necessary to find a balance between aesthetics and content?
