This review may contain spoilers
It is a story with a lesson.
STORYI was very sceptical about this drama because of the Harem tag and the schemes because I'm not a fan of dramas with those tags. But this drama didn't disappoint me. The drama reminded me a lot of The story of Minglan, but it wasn't as good. The plot was okay, it wasn't anything special. The schemes were pretty lame and the romance was slow. However, the beauty of this drama came from the lesson we were supposed to learn. In a time when women are reduced to nothing simply because of their birth status, how can they prevail?
The story is about the daughter of a concubine who marries the husband of her late sister in order to save their families prestige. In this drama we see the highest form of women’s hatred towards each other. A situation caused by unequal polygamy, where concubines are treated like trash and main wives scheme against them. Mother in laws make life hell for their daughters in law, and children are made to hate each other from birth because of status. This plague is then passed on to the next generation of schemers. It is a game of survival of the fittest and only the strongest prevails, but not without regrets.
The romance in this drama though slow was very sufficient, there were moments I smiled so hard and couldn't stop. The development in romance was so natural and beautiful, I loved it very much. Seven and Wallace did an amazing job with this one. Their emotions were portrayed beautifully and we could see the love, as well as the struggles they faced to reach the place they did at the end. Luo Shiyiniang was a strong character who stood her ground and did not let anything get in the way of her dreams and ambitions. And Xu Lingyi, though with his faults for neglecting all of his concubines, was a very supportive and good man once he found love.
Each of the concubines in Xu Lingyis harem had a story of their own. Each woman turned evil because of their unfortunate fate. It may have been better if Xu Lingyi gave them the time of day, but he didn't and that amplified their greiviances. I couldn't find it in my heart to hate any of them, especially concubine Qin, because those women did not deserve what they went through.
I saw a lot of people call this drama the Mother-in-Law trials, but the MIL didn't cause as much trouble as I thought she would. Everything she did was for her family, and though she was wrong in too many cases and refused to admit defeat, her eyes eventually opened to see the truth. She caused many problems, but in the end it was to protect her family. I ended up liking her character very much
All the other characters were beautiful. I loved Daddi Tangs role as Ou Yanxin, he was an upright man who was late in love, but still did well. Amber was a good maid who went astray one too many times, and eventually paid for what she did, but she sought her happiness in the end. Dongqing, General Fu and the other boy were pleasing side characters too. I loved The Luo family once all the older women in the family died. Shiyi's sisters were beautifully portrayed, and Erniang's self development was commendable. The other members of the Xu family were also pleasing to look at. The villains were nothing special, but they kept the plot going.
FINALE
All in all it is a good drama. The plot is okay, villains are punished and self redemption prevails. It’s not the most impressionable, but it has its merits. It is worth the watch, but I wont settle for a rewatch. Give this one a go when you are ready to accept harems and you won't regret it.
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A Drama That Overcome a Stereotype
It's rare for me to enjoy watching historical (or colosal or traditional) Chinese (and Korean) drama, because it has too many episodes and long-dialogue, leads to boredom.I started to find it interesting when I watched some clips from episodes 13 and 14. After that, I watched the full episodes until finish. Overall, I didn't find this drama that much boring although there are long dialogue, long-standing conflict between two families that led to war, and conflict between concubines and the wife. It is an unfortunate that there are few "missing links" in the story, that makes me as a viewer confusing. The story seems a bit lacking of clearance. But, I find this drama is beautiful, from the costumes, the soundtracks (like flowing of the river), the dialogue, the chemistry, and the potraying of emotions (especially love). Watching this also like solving a riddle: thrilling.
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Good story brought to life by excellent actors
I am actually hesitant to watch it first because of the initial reviews, but I still gave it a try. NO REGRETS, this is a good drama and actually worth the time. Some may not like it because of the ML having a lot of concubine and it's story is quite unique compared to what I've watched so far. There are good character development that have progressed in a good manner and it adds up in the end. What I like most in this drama is the main leads' chemistry, even with a large age gap they still managed to have a good chemistry.If I may say, Wallace's acting is superb I actually stopped myself watching SDO3 because I can't recognize him as I watch the variety show. I guess he really is fit for the role and so far I see only him as the actor for Xu Lingyi's character. For Tan Song Yun, I watched her first in Go Ahead and it's not what I've expected her character will be here in this drama, but for me she played it well. Her character is a strong woman that does not rely on the ML. To conclude, both of them played their role well and really brought out the best in their character that will make their audience love and enjoy the roles they play.
Before the drama ended I have familiarized myself in the OST because it is really good, most especially the one sang by Zhou Shen. Overall this drama is a must-watch for me, but a little note, get ready to be enraged by Xu Lingyi's mom as well as some of his concubines.
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True growth and achievements on a more real take of life - "The Story of Ming Lan" genre
You you appreciate solid growth and achievements overcoming life difficulties, supported by love and trust you will feel rewarded with this drama.The behavior of characters and family life context portrays what seems to be much closer to reality than fantasied dramas. This would be something that would normally putt me off watching it - concubines, hard mother in law, plotting and meanness - however the way the ML ad FL navigate through all the difficulties with steadiness of principles, trust and loyalty is very rewarding. Even the concubines setting is laid out in a way that the love of ML for FL is never tainted and in general most characters grow and become better human beings through difficulties and forgiveness within reason.
As for the amount of wickedness, unpunished mean deeds and consequent frustration at times, I would prefer to dose it down, however I opt to fast forward when its getting too much for my personal preference. That is why I give it a 10/10
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Good social and cultural portrayal in that era!
This is one of my favorite costume dramaI am excited with the pairing of Wallace Chung and Seven Tan. I remember Wallace Chung played in ‘General and I’ with Angelababy, where Seven Tan, I saw her in ‘Go Ahead’. Both actors, in my opinion are very strong character where both can play a “heavy” role and consistent in their act.
The drama is set during Ming Dynasty, which is around mid-1300 to 1600. It is clearly depicted in the drama whereby to gain more power and influence, and in the end wealth and welfare; marriage alliance is common. Parents will send off their daughter to a more prominent family to increase prestige disregarding the love nor happiness or compatibility between the couple. Even if it is only to become concubine, the ties between family can be created for symbiotic benefit between families. That tie is more important even socially known that concubine is a lower status compared to legitimate wife. At that time, it is believed that love and affection can be build up after the marriage because the wife will serve the husband no matter what.
Government Officials also use marriage alliance to gain power and to help each other to gain more influence in front of the monarch. Once help is sent, it is bound as debt that needs to be repaid and sometime marrying the daughter is one form of paying debt or showing gratitude. Forming alliance and creating clique amongst officials are important to garner influence and can be used in determining the policy of the monarch. It is also used to gain favour from the monarch. Once favour is there, trust is built up from the monarch that leads to wealth from reward and favouritism.
And this is what happened between Xu Ling Yi and Shi Yi.
Wallace Chung plays as Xu Ling Yi, a General who faithfully serve the country. Xu Ling Yi is also the head of Xu family and become the patriarch of the family replacing his deceased father. He has a tough life, already joining army and battle since young then loss his father and he has to step up and heading the Xu family. Because of the tough youth – he become reserved and closed person. He needs to be meticulous and careful in every action not to jeopardising his family well being and he also needs to maintain the harmony in his family between his mother, siblings, in-laws, wife, and concubine. All of these make his character difficult to open his heart and tend to suppress his feeling and affection.
Seven Tan plays as Luo Shi Yi Niang, she is a progressive woman who wants to live a carefree life not to bound with complicated and restrained gender bias, social norm. She wants to pursue her own happiness and destiny. Despite of her low status as concubine daughter, Shi Yi Niang is smart, assertive and aspire to become a more independent woman who can earn her own money, able to work, able to do things that she loves to do, just and righteous, all of which are seen as quite rebellious, un-ethic, breakthrough for a woman in that era.
The story revolves around the relationship between Shi Yi family and Xu Ling Yi family. It tells on how Shi Yi is arranged to marry Xu family in replacement of her sister who already the wife of the General Xu Ling Yi but died due to illness. To maintain the tie between two family, Shi Yi is then arranged to marry the General as his lawful wife.
Because marriage alliance is very important, the road to become the lawful wife is not easy. Many Noble lady also seeking the marriage, even as the concubine. This situation makes arrangement become a battlefield – fight to earn right to marry the General become fierce. Conflict occurs through scheming and plotting. Once married, within the family conflict also arise amongst the wife as the patron and fellow concubine to gain favour from the General as the Master of the Family. This is because having heir is very important to boost the status and favouritism from the family. So, again it is the fight and battle through deception, scheming and plotting to eliminate one and another.
Shi Yi as a progressive woman for sure facing difficult time to accept the marriage arrangement. She even planned to escape with her birth mother, with the help of her friend – a successful merchant named Lin Shi Xian. But tragedy happened where Shi Yi loss her mother while attempting to escape. The event devastates Shi Yi, moreover the killer of her mother is unknown. She then determined to investigate.
Shi Yi has suspicion towards the General and his family in relationship to her mother’s death. She believes by entering the Xu family mansion, she can investigate more to know who killed her mother. Therefore, she finally agrees to marry to the General but since she has some suspicion, she cannot give her heart to the General. Moreover, she finds Lin Shi Xian as friendly and more understood her.
You may guess, the relationship between Shi Yi and the General is cold. But Shi Yi took high responsibility in managing the house of Xu. She experiences many trials, and she endures them all. Meanwhile, the Xu Ling Yi started to admire and respect his wife’s smartness, perseverance, responsibility, aspiration, etc. He started to trust her more and more, defend her, protect her and affection starts in his heart.
Shi Yi respects her husband – as per social norm and etiquette required. However, due to the misunderstanding and unsolved murder case of her mother, Shi Yi’s heart is still heavy to accept Xu Ling Yi. It took a while for Shi Yi to start trusting her husband, care for him, having affection and finally devoted to him.
It is a long journey for both and the way the story is written and told are flowing nicely. Full of deception, scheming and plotting to gain attention, favouritism, eliminating competitor, etc.
Following the story, you will see on how their relationship build up. They are bumpy but it is very nice seeing how each of them grows their affection. This is what makes the drama worth to watch. But, to warn you, you need to have patience in watching this drama to get the whole story.
The acting is also good. Both Wallace Chung and Seven Tan performs very well in this drama. Seeing both acting, you can feel their emotion, truly reflected in their eyes, gestures, body language. The set and costume also fit and just right. Not to extravagant and looks real. This drama can make you believe on the social cultural situation during the Ming Dynasty. The General is also more human, not a God of War. He can be sad, injured, worry some and not act as superhero. He is just a man trying to protect her family.
It is really recommended to watch. Good story, good acting, good music. It is one of my favorite costume drama.
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Pale copy of the story of Ming Lan…
I'm a bit disappointed. I expected more.I love seasoned actors. Sadly I found another copy of the actor Allen—good actor who is unable to play romance and lack chemistry with his partner. They both had in common the same female lead. I am not sure if they are all unlucky to parter them, if it is the script or director or if they are unable to act romantic scenes. They are all good but not together.
After Under the Power, I gave her another chance. Indeed, it was much better. I was spared with another childish female lead… Instead, we got a femalee victim bullied by everyone for over 11 episodes. Glad it said it was a work of fiction each intro of each episode because it was completely irrealistic.
Post edits production is poorly executed. Missing major scenes that explained behavior and actions. Terrible.
In Episode 12, the main character insists she knows what to do but is constantly bullied. No backbone. It takes too long to to see her defended by her husband. They cut few important scenes, yet kept redundantones. The drama revolves around villains. Each 3 concubines, the old matriarch, the sister in law, the sisters. Except 1 maid, all women are villains. The only trustedperson is of course her maid telling her that being passive is worse., but she prefers to be a victim and claims she doesn't care. I really dislike her attitude, so I skipped many useless conversations.
To summarize, the male lead slept with two concubines and his ex-wife. He has two kids, and one concubine lost a child during childbirth. Then he lost physical interest to all because he could not stand women in general and their pettiness. He always feels guilty for mistreating the heroine, yet never asserts himself. I understand the matriarch is the queen of any Chinese family, but the romance was still not visible before episode 35.
It got better when he realized he fell for her around episode 15. But because she is a prude virgin, he never crossed the line… with his wife. Typically, the Chinese were seeing the collar skin is considered erotic. (rolling eyes) As if a married man did not sleep with his wife for years.
In Episode 21, the matriarch said she was upset with the concubine, Qiao, but the scene was cut in production, so it's unclear what she was referring to. Then the male lead spent an hour in the favorite concubine's bedroom as per the servant. This raises the question of whether he had sex with her as a birthday present. Additionally, the female lead said that the male lead gave his heart and she will give hers, but it's unclear when this happened. Furthermore, he slept with the concubine despite this. It all seems very inconsistent. The cuts in scenes seem unprofessional. They wanted to reduce the number of episodes, but at times, it made no sense.
Another thing that deserves its own paragraph… when FL married ML, his sister in law was pregnant. It is said numerous times that FL spent 2 years since her arrival. Ahem. 2 years pregnancy? The scriptwriter is plain stupid. That's the only explanation.
Compared to the story of Ming Lan, this drama is average. The storyline focuses on how to bully as much as possible and how the villains are rewarded. Like a few others here, I also do not see the chemistry between the main couple. He reminds me of Allen. He's a good actor, but he should never be cast in a romance drama.
The romance between the main couple is based on trust and honesty. I'm not sure if bumping into someone or falling physically due to bumpy roads or missed steps can be the big love revelation, but it seems to be in this drama. "I touched you by accident, and then I must be falling in love" - it's all quite ridiculous.
The drama is watchable, but annoying. I am not impressed with the direction/post production in general. It was poorly executed. Amateurs.
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STEADFAST HERO AND HEROINE... THE LOSS, LOVE AND LIFE THEY LIVE TO ENDURE!
LOVED IT! I was hesitant about watching a C-Drama period piece, I’m all for them now! If it has a good solid storyline, enough to touch your heart or make you cry, then it’s worth the watch like this one. A viewer must understand the different time in history because the whole concubines, second wives and age gap thing can seem weird. That alone has its own plots and twists which makes for a good drama. The female lead goes through so many obstacles with so many against her, it makes you hopeful that she prevails in the end. Especially with the one person supporting her, her husband. The ups and downs of the different relationships of tradition and family duty that lead to something good, bad or worse was interesting. I personally loved the entire production, from costumes to set, and the music had me humming along every episode, too. Given all the different types of characters, I thought the actors played also their parts really well. Although, it’s 45 episodes long, it’ll definitely be a rewatch for me IF there’s ever a time there’s nothing else to watch (LOL). Overall, the main part of the show is the relationship of the two leads, a test of trust and the show of loyalty, how they interact and endure it all... together!Was this review helpful to you?
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Beautifully executed, mega , super Worth Watching.
Great acting was performed. The pacing is perfect, and character development is immaculate.It's basically a must-watch for anyone who wants to see a witty ML and FL fall in love naturally and profoundly. No draggy or slow episodes, EP35 was a favorite that I frequently rewatch.
I love Chinese costume dramas, and I binge-watched this one for two days because I couldn't stop. I only got a few hours of sleep, but I wish it hadn't ended already.
I definitely appreciate how the ML acted, restrained love that flourished between the couple. The way they expressed their feelings is just devine. I adore how much the FL loves her mother and her rationalizations for various actions. It is a story of culture and defiance that stays within reasonable bounds.
I enjoy happy endings that take their time.
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Loved it!
I love this drama! again this in my favourites rewatch list. I found this to be a very deep drama with a very slow romantic storyline. There's no witty comedy in this drama but you will find the odd joke to break the ice.This was my first drama watching Wallace Chung (Xu Ling Yi) and Seven Tan
(Luo Shi Yi Niang) their acting in this drama was really good the chemistry really bounced off on another. I really hope I get to see them in another historical drama together.
This is a story about a young woman who is forced into being a concubine. We watch from start to finish on her trying to maintain role within the family.
This drama can come across being slow but it is one definitely to carry on watching. Every actor played their role really well superb acting. Each one played there part to keep this great story going..
Ionly had one issue with this drama I felt that the ending was rushed! I'd like to of found out what happened more within the family.
Like I said at the beginning this drama is in my top rewatch list so I definitely recommend it
PS
If you love some drama soundtracks you will love this one...
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LOVE!
I absolutely ADORE this show! It is now in my collection of top 10 shows. I've watched it twice all the way through, and it is even better the second time around!Whether you like this drama or not, will depend on if you can be patient enough to endure a slow burn romance. There is no "love at first sight" or an instant attraction. The romance between the two leads develops over a long period of time and at a slow and steady pace. It's a beautiful story of love! It is such a journey to see the two main leads come together through an arranged marriage, try and convince themselves that they will simply coexist and nothing more, and then have the ML slowly fall in love and woo his wife. Mistakes and misunderstandings along the way, the leads eventually realized that they were stronger together and their love made them better people. I've seen other people comment on this drama saying it is "slow paced" and "boring", but the slow pace is the beauty of this drama. It's wonderful to see the main leads overcome obstacles together, communicate, learn about each other's past, and grow stronger together. I've started to watch other dramas and I find myself laughing, like how do these other characters simply "fall in love" with each other?! The Sword and the Brocade depicts such a deep and meaningful love, that when I see other dramas, it feels so superficial.
What I love:
-The ACTING is some of the best! Wow-Wallace Chung and Seven Tan hit it out of the park with this drama. Seven Tan is a STAR! Her future is so bright. Her smile lights up the whole room. She did a great job depicting a strong and intelligent FL. Wallace is an incredible actor! He is truly a veteran actor and he did a fantastic job depicting a lonely and stoic nobleman. It is so refreshing to watch a drama with two high caliber actors. Their acting is convincing and mature. Many times while watching this drama I kept asking myself, who is the better actor (Wallace Chung or Seven Tan) and I couldn't decide because they both matched each other so perfectly! The supporting characters and villains also did an excellent job!
-The costumes, cinematography, camera work and directing is top notch! You can really tell this drama had a fairly good budget because the props, costumes and sceneries look beautiful.
-The MUSIC is fantastic! EVERY single song in this drama is wonderful and perfectly fits! Even the instrumental and back ground music was stunning. Between the instrumental music and the beautiful flower/nature shots transitioning to a new scene, it felt like a meditation.
What I didn't like:
-The last few episodes had a ridiculous story arc with the FL's maids. It was so unnecessary and quite frankly annoying. It's like the writer desperately wanted to squeeze in this side plot (hence my overall 9.5 rating). However, it only lasted like 2 episodes so it didn't negatively impact my view of the show. The last three episodes were amazing!
Overall: I truly enjoyed this drama! I laughed, smiled, cried, and experienced every emotion while watching. Do yourself a favor and watch The Sword and the Brocade!!
On a side note, I recently found out that Seven Tan's mother passed away at the end of 2018 in a car accident (before the shooting of this series). That explains so much. I can definitely see how much Seven Tan poured her heart and soul into her acting, especially with certain scenes in this drama!
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This review may contain spoilers
I enjoyed this one a lot when it came out in 2021. It's a great slow-burn romance, which might be frustrating to some because the leads do make mistakes initially. Their missteps threaten to undo their relationship altogether, but it's a journey worth watching as they learn to trust and love one another wholeheartedly. Additionally, great chemistry and acting from the leads, bolstered by a wonderful supporting cast and memorable soundtrack, help move the story along.It's not all about romance - life for a woman in the Ming dynasty is hard. The opening shot of the 1st episode lays out one of these main issues/themes: the difference between the legal wife/children and the "illegitimate". This plays out throughout the whole drama, with some to tragic ends and others with heartwarming journeys of redemption and reconciliation. Highly recommend, also a great one to rewatch.
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Look elsewhere if you are searching for a historical romance drama
The Sword and the Brocade was very high on my to-watch list since the day they released the teaser images. This drama stars two of the better (if not best) category actors in China. I thought there was no way they could go wrong because the synopsis and the BTS clips were all too good for me to expect that this drama would end up not delivering. Heck, I wish I went in with lower expectations and I wouldn't come out with such mixed feelings.PLOT:
I thought to expect a lot of politics and scheming since the synopsis mentions "a girl with a low birth status". But the promise of the FL reaching up high in the ranks was what caught my interest. The drama reads like a typical harem drama and for most part- it is. The harem politics is what kept me engaged and enjoying uptil ep 30 (with some glitches in the process) or so after which it started going downhill. The drama was absolutely phenomenal upto 30-something episodes and after that I just started getting bored. I would be lying if I don't say at times I struggled or even went to the skip button to get past some irrelevant plots.
WHAT WORKS:
Harem politics might not be everyone's thing but here it wasn't that heavy. I enjoyed the cattiness of the concubines but it became a bit too unrealistic by the end. Qianfeng was annoying but she actually made the drama more fun for me.
The next and main highlight are the leads. I've not seen such amazing brainy, calm and level headed leads in a drama since a long time. The FL is like a modern women who keeps her wits and knows how to survive in a cruel or challenging situations. The ML seems cold but is more tsundere as the story progresses. It was a bit cringey with him having so many women around him but his doting and dedication towards the FL was brilliant. Both leads have issues and go through the misunderstanding trope a few times but it never drags. I loved how they always resolved problems and their romance build up is enjoyable in spite of the age gap between the leads. However, I did wish for it to not lost steam later on. For still making it work, I give kudos to Wallace and Seven because they play their parts pretty well. I admit the slow/lack of romance was disappointing but the maturity of both and their little interactions were enough for me.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
The boring and draggy second-half. I wonder where that enjoyment went. This drama went downhill the moment they got rid of the main "villain". Later it made me realize that until then the harem and romance were the only things that could hold the drama. Unfortunately the drama chose to focus on other plots which I didn't care so much about. The leads getting together was acted well but should have been way earlier. Even the ending was underwhelming at best as the events leading up to it made me lose all my earlier excitement.
OST:
The OST and music of this drama is quite nice. I recommend a listen.
OVERALL:
This drama could have been my absolute favourite but I am sad it didn't work out that way by the end. Nonetheless, it's a good one-time watch with some skipping to make it more bearable. Wallace Chung and Seven Tan do not disappoint but I wish they had better scripts to work with. I still believe this story could have focused on other things and have been more enjoyable. I still don't hesitate to recommend it because I quite enjoyed the good parts of the drama.
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