A scene from a TV series that shows a Chinese man repelling a Japanese soldier with his fist. [Photo/CRI]

Recently some WWII anti-Japanese period dramas have been pulled from the airwaves due to mounting complaints over ludicrous plots.

The suspension of the anti-Japanese TV series was not unexpected in spite of the approaching 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, because the bizarre scenarios had crossed the line and insulted the intelligence of audiences.

The public apparently needed some period TV dramas and films to remember our forefathers’ past struggles and glory. However, history is a serious subject and any artistic creation with major historical events must be treated seriously. The faithful and accurate reenactment of history is their main goal.

The “fantastic” content of war-themed TV dramas fail to respect history, featuring ridiculous plots, such as a Chinese soldier who brings down a high-flying Japanese military airplane by hurling a hand grenade into the air, all in order to boost ratings.

Some attributed the dramas’ backfiring to government intervention, but so far, few such accusations have been made. Instead, lots of netizens hailed the move, saying that the ludicrous plots that disregard history in these dramas will mislead the children and take the glory out of our hard-won victory.

Many attributed the flooding of the anti-Japanese TV dramas to the strict censorship, but I don’t buy this opinion. In my mind, it is the lack of creativity by film writers and directors that lead to the consequence.

It is hard for screenwriters to create an excellent TV drama without enough imagination and rich life experiences. The public will not be riveted by dramas filled with unrealistic scenes. Previously some protective policies for anti-Japanese –related themes perhaps sheltered these dramas, but with the tough censorship of war dramas, dramas that distort history will be cracked down upon.

The creation of TV dramas requires imagination based on reality. At present, the reason why many screenwriters are not good storytellers is that they don’t know how to set up suspense to attract viewers or they fail to adapt the stories in daily life into appealing plots in dramas. If they simply focus on the war-related materials, they will finally resort to extremes that put forward something ridiculous to capture audiences’ attention.

The above is an opinion article on sina.com.cn.