The characters executed their roles brilliantly. You know you are good when your character is hated. I hated Big Madam Gu. If I could get in there and slap her face myself I was willing to do it. But her evil plot was foiled.
The main couple had good chemistry, their relationship was very real, with a range of human emotion.
This drama is a win, the costumes and the dishes were fantastic and modern. the modes of transportation looked precarious and small.
The plot was comprehensive, well written, no dragging or going around in circles. I didn't like the music too much, it didn't add anything to the overall plot or general ambiance of the drama.
Overall I loved this drama and will definitely be watching again.
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This review may contain spoilers
I was always trying to avoid watching this because I felt that it was too long. But by the tym I reached episode 30 I knew that 73 episodes was not going to be enough.The story started out slow for me but once I got into it I finished the whole drama in 5 days. Minglan is such a loveable girl and honestly I never saw her with second uncle to begin with but I was proven wrong. The schemes with 4th sister OMG and that mother of hers I wanted to scratch their faces.
And the at first mistress of 2nd uncle I knew as he was trouble from that gentle pretense she did but I thot she was going to rily be a concubine then reek havoc. Man did she reek havoc that one. Great actress.
I loved how 2nd uncle finally won her over and she gradually fell for him.
This drama was just good on so many levels that they are not enough words to describe it. One of the best dramas I have watched.
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This review may contain spoilers
Aight, just so you know. I've dropped Zhao Liying's 3 dramas (not because of Zhao Liying but because I was lazy [long eps lol])and this is the only one i continued watching.
I really like slice of life historical and this is the first SOL historical that I've watched. From her being a shu daughter to climbing up to become a Marquess' Furen. I loved the journey.
MC- she's a cunning girl but won't show others this side of her unless the situation needs her too. The people around her treats her unfairly and she only has her Grandma by her side. She's very practical and wants the easy way out. She's dense in the fields of love and this made ML frustrated with her, it got better of course. But i love the interaction between her and ML before the wedding more. After the wedding was full of scheming from the Gu clan, she dodged some bullet but others, she didnt.
ML- I don't like MLs with a child from their concubines im sorry :((. But other thna that, he's a very good father. He treats MC well before and after the wedding, doing his best not to give her some unpleasant rumours because of their time together. They have a good chemistry and this is good because they're married in real life <33
Side characters- some had character development some don't. The antagonists repented or died, the supporters lived a happy life. Special mention to Father because even though he's biased, the way he treated his child is already good compared to others.
The arc near the end scared the life of me. But fear not! Gu and Emperor has everything on the palms of their hands.
Overall I really liked it but it was unnecessarily long.
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Updated Review at the bottom
The first two episodes will draw you into the storyline. Afterward, I just felt my life slipping away and could not bear to finish the series. First, there is no sever mistreatment that Minglan receives from her family, just pettiness. I would almost say it's very similar to Cinderella, her step-mother, and step-sisters. The antagonists are not sinister, just annoying and petty. Deal-breaker: There are many episodes of two characters talking almost half or three-fourths of the episodes with nothing exciting or essential that would genuinely help the development of the story. Honestly, you can fast-forward frequently and still get the gist of it all. I love historical plots, but this isn't it. It's hardly a romance. I would place it under the light romance category. I truly do not want to add any spoilers, but again some conversations last too long and scenes that could have ended within the first several minutes. This series could have completed within 20-30 episodes. It's painful to watch at times.Also, I don't know what was going on with the background music... It just added to my frustration. SMH. I was rooting for this series. Maybe I'll come back around to it after I've cultivated a few months. It sucked at least 5 hours out of me.
***I'll update when I have viewed the entire series.
During the quarantine, I did finish this series. The main characters' chemistry together melted my heart. It took a while, but I grew on me. Everything came to full circle.
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This review may contain spoilers
My first 10!
So, I stumbled upon this drama and since I hadn't heard much about it, I was not expecting it to be better than the typical period Chinese drama. Boy, was I wrong! I had been so used to watching dramas in which there is little to no character development, but this drama has perfect character development. So much so, that within the first 6 episodes, I had to take it easy (I wanted to hurry up and get to the first conflict), but then I relaxed, and by episode 6 I started to really enjoy every episode. This was the first drama that I couldn't figure out who the male lead was right off the bat, and I loved the pleasant surprise when I finally figured it out. I had been rooting for him!I am on episode 41, so I hadn't yet finished the drama at the time that I am writing this review. I admire the relationship between the female and male lead because it's so different than other romantic period/historical c & k dramas. Both the female and male lead had hardships and setbacks for most of their life (before marriage), and through those hardships they overcame societal pressures. In most dramas, one of the leads is usually rich & perfect, while the other is usually poor/middle class & has a major character flaw. Although, this is just a drama, the characters are so relatable; I love the way the male lead handled stress and pressure (specifically between episodes 20-41),and the beautiful smile he has (wow)! I love the fact that in his marriage, he didn't care about following the rules of his artostricatic family, nor did he expect his wife to do so. This is so crazy but it kind of gave me a realistic hope for the future in my personal life. I am about to get a little personal, but I think it will make this review so much better. I realized this year that I had been following what I thought I was supposed to do, and like, because it's what everyone does. For example, would I celebrate valentine's day with my future husband because it's meaningful to me? or would I do it because it's what couples do? The point that I am making is like the male and female lead in episodes 39-41 had decided to live in their marriage freely while respecting one another, I will do the same! The only con is the concubine's cry and baby-like behavior between episodes 6-34. I admit, I forwarded over a scene or two because I got tired of hearing her whining lol. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised by this drama. There's only one other drama that I've watched that I'd give a rating of a 10 to, and it's Mr. Queen!
UPDATE:
WOW! The two leads were married to one another in real life. Also, she is the lead in Princess Agents, another Chinese drama that I enjoyed.
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Also that the theme and end song didn't spoil things was so good too!!
It takes a few EPs to get into but that scheming and the many plot twists.. and that ultimately the main characters end very happily and are so smart made me so glad!
I loved loved loved Ming lan and Gu Tingye's growing love and the very real chemistry they had. It was just lovely.
I also adored Ming Lan's relationship with her beloved grandmother. So sweet.
Definitely recommend even despite the 73 episodes. Well worth it!
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My friend and I would literally gush while watching our two main leads together. We were shipping them so hard and later searched if they were dating. AND OMG THEY WERE ALREADY MARRIED IN REAL LIFE. Their chemistry on screen is from them being real life hubby and wifey T_______T
Everything is perfect except two things:
(1) the worst thing about this show is the weird music. Actually, it's the weird sound effects where I don't know if the scene is supposed to be serious or light? The sound effect becomes distracting.
(2) long conversations that could be shortened--the time spent on theses conversations could've been used on something better like giving us more scenes between our two leads.
Once I got used to the direction of the story, I started hitting the fast-forward button during the "screaming women" or "conniving women" scenes.
Funnily enough, our female lead's dad is the worst person in that world. Ambivalence really is quite despicable. Makes me question my own values now.
Our titular character doesn't become the main focus until like... episode 15? I don't remember when exactly, so expect that.
I look forward to RE-watching this in the future! :D Lol
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This review may contain spoilers
A drama for the soul
The Story of Ming Lan is a real find for me. This drama is a joy, medicine and peace for the soul. I have long wanted to watch something so pleasing to the eyes and the heart. I have stumbled upon this treasure while looking through the filmography of actress Zhang Jia Ning (Karlina Zhang). She's also worthy of being on my list of Chinese actresses of the younger generation whose looks, acting talent and works are worthy of note. After I liked her acting in Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy, I was looking for something else with her participation to watch and chose the historical drama The Story of Ming Lan, in which she acted one of the main female roles.At first I have had doubts about watching this series, given the large number of episodes. But after looking at its rating and reading the viewers' reviews, I risked, started watching... and didn't regret it. From the very first frames, I have realised that this drama deserves to be watched. The plot of the drama is interesting, the acting is strong, the costumes are beautiful and elegant, the music is gentle and melodic, it corresponds to the content and mood of the drama.
The atmosphere in this series is so realistic that while watching it, the viewer seems to be transported to the epoch and time in which the events take place. I also like very much the fact that in the series it is repeatedly emphasised that a husband and wife are one body. It's mentioned in the Bible, and Jesus Christ has focused His attention on it.
The cast of the drama is gorgeous. Moreover, half of the actors are familiar to me from other films and TV series. For example, I immediately recognised Zhu Yi Long. In Legend of Mi Yue, he performed the son of the main heroine. It's hard not to remember him. He has a very handsome, eye-catching appearance. Also, I've already lost count of how many cinema products I've watched with Wang Ren Jun in them. He just “won't let me go”. :) However, he shouldn't have been acting in 1921, because it's not a movie, but propaganda nonsense. There's no point in continuing the list, because if I keep listing all the actors I know, it will take me an hour.
I liked the main heroine of the drama, Sheng Ming Lan. She and I are different in some ways, but similar in many ways. Of course, it is difficult to compare us visually. I am a beauty with big dark hazel eyes, long, below the waist, light brown hair, the hourglass figure and the third size of the breasts. Zhao Li Ying is not as beautiful, but she has a sweet, pleasant appearance. In my opinion, that's how Sheng Ming Lan was supposed to look like.
In what we are most similar to each other is that we are both genius. So it was painful for me to watch how, being the smartest and the best in her family, she had to hide it to just survive. We are also similar in our love and respect for our mothers. My mum told me that in my childhood I was a very obedient child and she had no problems with me. I almost never asked her for anything, because I thought she would give me everything I needed anyway. And she did. She gifted me a happy childhood, gave me a decent upbringing and a decent education.
Compared to me, Huang Xuan and Sun Jian are two tramps from a big road, especially Huang Xuan. He has got out of poverty, but he pretends to be a crown prince. I am from an intelligent family, and he is an arsehole with huge ambitions and a lot of money that he doesn't even know how to spend wisely. And he had the insolence to criticise me! Laugh and sin! The only Chinese actor who can roughly reach my level is Hu Ge. He and I are both excellent but in different fields. Although I'm still better than him, because I'm an excellent in any field and any thing I do. That's what it means to be genius!
By the way, speaking about Hu Ge. After the horrible car accident in which he barely survived, he racked his brains for years, wondering why he survived, for what purpose, what was his destination in life. During that time, he acted in many films and TV series, collected a bunch of awards and even tried his hand at screenwriting, but he never did the most important thing, the thing for which God had saved his life.
He survived so that he could believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and become a Christian. He has all the qualities and capabilities to do so. He has a Christian soul, it is evident even in his acting works. This applies not only to Hu Ge. Or am I preaching to you in vain here?!
Returning to the protagonist of the series, Ming Lan, we are very similar in another way, namely our temperaments. Inside us there are much more emotions than it seems at first glance. So, given the many similarities between us, I sympathised with her throughout the series and worried about her. And I was pleased to see how cleverly, calmly and elegantly she dealt with her enemies one by one.
I also liked the main hero of the drama, Gu Ting Ye. Although he is an ambiguous personality with his own flaws, he can be called a real man. He destroys all obstacles on the way to what he needs. He is like a battering ram that can break even through an iron wall. He developed such a great scheme to marry the woman he wanted that even Si Ma Yi from The Advisors Alliance and Growling Tiger, Roaring Dragon would have been jealous of such a scheme. Gu Ting Ye is also a good husband. A woman can really feel like she's behind a stone wall with him.
Apart from the main heroine and the main hero, I also liked the other characters. I'm not going to list them all, because there are so many of them, I'll just mention the ones that have impressed me the most. Firstly, this is Sheng Ming Lan's older sister, Sheng Ru Lan, well performed by Zhang Jia Ning. This heroine is similar to me in her directness and straightforwardness. Jesus loves direct and straightforward people because He is like that. There is no lie or hypocrisy in Him.
The next heroine is a minor one, appearing in only a few episodes. But that was enough for me to remember her. This is Momo Kong. What an intelligent, wise and just woman! I would like to learn from her myself. I also liked Nanny Chang. She gave one “madam” such a good lesson in the series that it was impossible not to laugh at that scene.
And finally, the last character is old Mrs. Sheng, Ming Lan's grandmother. She is a wise woman who sees through people. One of the characters should have listened to her advices, but I won't tell you who, so as not to spoil too much.
The drama The Story of Ming Lan deserves its high rating and good reviews. For me, the episodes flew by unnoticed. At the end, I even wanted there to be more of them. I didn't want to say goodbye to the drama. I even burst into tears in the last shots. I definitely advise everyone to watch this Chinese series. Maybe one day I will rewatch it because it deserves it.
You know, to me and the main heroine Sheng Ming Lan suits the music track River flower from the South Korean historical drama My Country: The New Age. We both are just like it: calm, silent, and at the same time stormy, kind, gentle, but also strong and smart... smarter than everyone else. To the main hero, Gu Ting Ye, I dedicate the music track Battlefield from the same South Korean drama. This melody is like his whole life — a struggle for survival.
I like that Korean series, for many reasons, but most of all, perhaps, because Yang Se Jong wonderfully acted Seo Hwi, and Jang Hyuk fantastically portrayed Yi Bang Won. I'd like to particularly mention the acting of the last one. Huang Xuan and Sun Jian will never be able to perform like Jang Hyuk. To act like that, you not only need to have acting talent, but also to be real men like him, not stinking goats who use women for their own mercantile interests. I think every woman has her own anti-rating of men-goats. I have it too. Guess who take the first two places in it.
To the “sweet couple” Huang Xuan and Sun Jian, I would like to say the following. You should be ashamed to look at yourselves in the mirror. You used me, taking advantage of the kindness of my heart, and even in the most difficult period of my life, when there was a war in my country, I lost my job, and my heart was broken because of an unhappy love. But don’t worry, God will repay you in due time. You will see, your career will soon come to an end. And for me, neither you nor your work exists anymore.
In conclusion, I officially inform everyone that my heart is finally free and now I am in search of real, true love and my soul mate. Life is an interesting thing. The longer I live, the better I realise it. And I have understood something: no matter how difficult life circumstances are, there is always a reason to be happy.
Ming Lan said a very wise phrase in the drama that you should never look back. What golden words! It is written in the Bible that Lot's wife has looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. You should never do this. And I will no longer look back.
Huang Xuan and Sun Jian can only sing me in a duet a song by the group Double You called Please Don't Go, but that won't help them anymore. And the song is beautiful...
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An outstanding drama - A little bit of history told in the most entertaining fashion ...
An outstanding drama, has everything one can look for in a costume drama, the story is compellingly captivating, offering an insight into past bygone times, a little bit of history told in an entertaining fashion, driving the message home that likened to the Horrible Science/History Educational series, excellently done.Exceptional Acting throughout, from leading roles to supporting casts, from the laugh out loud bits, the silently shredding a tear moments to the screaming kicking and throwing ones fists in the air ... never mind the acting, feel the joys, sorrows and anger and immersed in the moment.
The visuals are impressive, stunning to the smallest detail, it is a drama that like a good bottle of wine, matures over time, and like a good bottle of wine, it is to be savoured ...
I have simply lost count how many times I have re-watched this drama, yet still found myself enjoying each re-watch immensely .. absolutely superb ..
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A story of girlhood, motherhood and love
I had tried starting this numerous times but I was finally able to brave through the first 3 episodes and was able to start enjoying the show. We follow the story of Ming Lan and her family in the unstable Northern Song Dynasty. The show does not try to shy away from the harsh realities of being a woman during this dynasty. We learn what women must do to survive, their hopes, dreams and nightmares. We see their commitment to their families and the constraint they feel. We see their desperation to escape the fate of their concubine mothers. We watch them fall in and out of love. We watch their destinies intertwined with politics and being used as pawns. We watch them long for stability in a patriarchal setting. Mothers and daughters are both desperate to keep themselves safe and ensure they can make it in a man's world. Even the female villains were well written and displayed as victims of the patriarchy rather than just evil women.SPOILER STARTS HERE
The only flaw I find with the show is the character decline of Ming Lan after she gives birth and the sharks start swimming in on her home. The marquis is in danger and her reasoning is flawed and is repeatedly pointed out by other characters. They all claim it is because she cares too much. I find that reasoning stupid considering she was able to confront her Grandmother's attempted killers and her mother's killer and exact revenge. She cared for both very much and it is shown to us how much she loved those two women who shaped her.
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Riveting story & sweet romance
I skipped over this drama due to the synopsis and the length of the drama and I’m kicking myself for that! It’s such a good drama!The story is very deep and interesting. There’s political intrigue, cute side couples, romance, comedy, and great fight scenes. It has a little of everything.
The first part of the drama fills us in on the main characters lives growing up and sets the stage for the rest of the drama. It sounds boring but it’s really very interesting. The second part of the drama brings the main leads together and highlights their romance. The third part of the drama is filled with political intrigue along with more romance and side couples.
I like that this drama has a male lead that is very dedicated to the female lead and always has her back no matter what. And his obsession with wanting the female lead to get jealous or possessive over him is adorable to watch.
Don’t let the length of this drama hold you back. It’s really good and is one of the rare dramas that I have rewatched
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This review may contain spoilers
Watch this because of Zanilia Zhao. Stand to watch till the end because really curious how Ming Lan (ML) and Gu Ting Ye (GTY) end up together. Summary write by Jordan can't be more spot on. As Jordan say: "ML suffers from neglect from her family that make ML acknowledges the reality of her situation and the world she lives in and chooses to be smart about it instead of letting it define her. While GTY experiences a lot of abuse from his family" especially from his cunning step mother that make him into "straightforward with his actions and never hides his true self" Both ML and GTY quite cunning in their own way to survive their life.
What make me really can't wait to the end is really how ML and GTY end up together, because half of the drama we really can't get the grip how they will end up together. I skip it few times just to find out when & how exactly they end up together, but still rewind again and patient enough to watch full episode... ^_^
If you search for love episode between GTY & ML just jump to half of the drama. Because first half just explain to us how ML got her personality and 'knowledge'. GTY himself not so much screen time. Mostly about ML and her family. But the second half... OMG really bring tense to another level. Second half give us how ML used her 'knowledge' that she get from the first half to handle GTY family and to handle GTY problem with the emperor family.
What really funny is how sometimes GTY is really childish when he can't handle how ML is really closed herself up from him. And when ML angry with him, he even can smile or laugh.
Really shock about the truth ending of GTY slander by emperor. But impress how brave and crazy GTY really is. Really love the ending how the entire family (ML & GTY) unite together.
Cast: For me the cast really fit their role. Really choose perfectly for their role :)
Loved episode:
> When GTY Explain to ML how he cunningly make ML have no choice but to married her. And ML reaction when she tell her grandma really spot on. If i was ML i will feel the same. She said: "Firstly she really happy, because never expected there will be someone try that hard to win her over. Second she so mad like she want to slap him. Finally she afraid how to handle the cunning GTY." ^_^
Re-watch: Love to re-watch it again. Not from the beginning but only from GTY and ML end up together >.^
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