Love's Sneaky Hide-and-Seek
Blossoms in Adversity has all the right ingredients for an epic watch:1- Protective yet swoon-worthy male lead
2- A competent and occasionally vulnerable female lead on a quest to reclaim her lost footing and restore her family's tarnished reputation
3- The tantalizing angst of forbidden love due to their disparate social statuses.
But here's the twist – it falls a smidge short. Maybe it's because I just finished watching a mind-blowing drama, or perhaps I should have watched this one first. Something is missing, and I'm not sure what it's but maybe it's the romance. Don't get me wrong, the leads exchange grateful glances as he swoops in to save her (again), but where's the sizzle, the heart-fluttering moments that make you weak in the knees? It's like watching a slow dance with no music. However, amidst the lack of romance, I find myself strangely captivated by the triumphs and tribulations of the Hua family, I couldn't help but feel a surge of empowerment. It's a resounding "Go, girl!" moment that resonates deeply. Their journey becomes a rallying cry for female power, reminding us of the incredible heights that can be reached when women come together and embrace their inner strength.
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Historical family drama sprinkled with royal court politics
The story had promise and would have been a genuinely great drama had it not morph into a hagiography of the female lead.With her incredibly astute managerial and investment skills, she might be traipsing or feel a bit hesitant but never fear whatever she decides is proven correct in the end. Don't even bother going up against her because whatever she puts her mind into, the drama universe will make it reality.
From her all encompassing compassion for the lowest dregs of society to her pugnacious and confident attitude in front of the emperor. The FL can do it all with her signature wit and million dollar smile.
Set against the backdrop of a ruined noble family the story proceeds into an almost merry go round of the FL starting and successfully growing one business to another while managing the household, repairing or ending family relationships and getting some romantic moments with the ML who could be mistaken for a supporting character here.
Speaking of ghosting supporting characters who hardly shows up. The 2nd ML is hardly seen here , he shows up for the occasional shouting matching with his father but seeing this already halfway even the family butler has had more scenes than him. The 2nd FL is hardly better, she spends her time playing patty cake with 2nd ML younger brother while being completely oblivious to the world around her including the deaths of her father and stepmother. Seriously not even a little acknowledgedment of these major life events.
It's all so silly and superficial taken as a whole. A very unrealistic and flawed story where every successful endeavor or idea solely emanates from the picture perfect FL.
It was an enjoyable drama but hardly the type that induces deep thoughts or illucidates the mind.
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This review may contain spoilers
Started so good and then...
In the beginning I loved the drama for many reasons, it was so good 'female' story about a girl that was brought up to think and act instead of being a passive flower. Her female relatives and their so-normal family relations were so fresh in the field of c custom drama. Acting is good, directing too, overal nice watching experience.Romance was so-so until the moment when the MC finds out that ML spied on her and betrayed her, and her family. What does a smart, educated, capable and independant girl do? She says 'it's ok, his sister claims he is a good man so I guess I should not even look at him fiercely'.
This reaction is so against common sense, family loyalty and last but not least, MC's (supposed) budding love for ML. Niao Niao from LLTG was perhaps too strict, but at least she respected her boundaries.
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This review may contain spoilers
Blossoms in Adversity is not a love story but is a magnificent story about love, endurance, and above all, human resilience and growth within continuous adversity. The drama has a strong, intelligent, and quick-witted main couple that exudes a soulful and loving chemistry, even when they are not together. In this drama, even when the leading couple is the axle that holds the other characters together, each supporting character is vital to the flow of the story and, since the drama is female centric, one must say that the female cast did a great job bringing their characters to life. With that been said, all male characters, especially the patriarch of the Hua family, Hua Yi Zheng, played by seasoned actor Eddy Ko, had an important role in the drama that, whether there was a positive or negative influence, led this fantastic group of woman to blossom in adversity. The leading male, Gu Yan Xi, brilliantly played by Hu Yi Tian, is a constant source of trouble and support to the remarkable leading lady Hua Zhi, masterfully played by Zhang Jing Yi. There are extensive reviews about this drama and yes, there are some scenes that might have seemed unnecessary but they pass quickly with the fast pace of the drama. What makes this drama a 9.5 instead of a perfect 10 is the unnecessary breakup for the leading couple that could have used their wits to fool the Emperor and save their friends anyway and the nice but bland ending for the leading couple. That would have been the icing on the cake. Two characters that are worthy of been mentioned are the precious, peculiar, and lovable Shao Yao exceptionally played by Lu Yu Xiao and the tyrannical and selfish emperor that one loves to hate excellently played by Hai Yi Tian. All in all, this drama is a must watch and an excellent example of how “divided we fall united we stand”. Enjoy it! Was this review helpful to you?
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Formidable ML & Feisty FL
I am a (small) fan of both the ML and FL after seeing their outstanding performances in other dramas. Thus, I was more than happy to give this drama a go and boy, it did not disappoint and I am truly delighted about this!What I Loved:
- ML was so tall, so handsome, so cute, so goddamn powerful and strong. I loved that he wielded such authority and yet, he did not abuse his power (in general). The fight scene where he walloped the previous Commander of the Security Bureau was extremely cathartic as well as both jaw-dropping and mind-blowing. Wow! That punch punch punch punch punch!!! Loved it!
- I loved that ML was also devoted and sincere to his lady love.
- Good chemistry between ML and FL. I loved seeing ML as well as both of the love birds on screen.
- I always love a feisty and intelligent FL and FL in this drama did not disappoint. (Of course, I suggest gently to suspend all disbelief and just enjoy the drama and the powers of what a FL can do.) She was supremely capable and plucky. She was highly intelligent and modern in her thinking. She was confident and yet, human.
- Acting was great from everyone in the drama. The supporting cast of four women acted by veterans was awesome. They definitely understood their assignment and was beyond great. Everyone else in the show like the lackeys from the Security Bureau, FL's grandmother, Shen Huan, Shen Qi, the maids, the children and so on delivered great performances. Thumbs-up!
- I liked that everything was paced very well. There was nothing draggy and there was nothing that was too quick that it was, to me, considered not properly explained or accounted for.
- Riveting and intriguing plot which made me want to watch on and on. So many interesting and suspenseful things were happening. There were elements of cute too. Great plot! Well directed!
- The music sounded very modern and catchy. I liked the tunes.
- Happy ending!
What I Didn't Like:
- The king was all sorts of crazy and had his own selfish agenda. He was also so paranoid about losing his throne and was so very bloodthirsty.
- Hua Jing was absolute nutcase number 1. She should have leveraged on herself and not constantly blamed others and desire for things out of her control.
- All the bad people such as all the abusive husbands.
(I mean I get the memo from the script writer. I'm just saying.)
Overall, Blossoms in Adversity is a superbly wonderful drama and I highly recommend it! <3
It is well-made and the cast is all great! There is also a bit of a moral in place too that we should all blossom in adversity. Adversities abound in life. How we respond/ react to adversities and how we overcome them are more important. Problem-solve and continue to blossom and grow in adversity and despite adversity. <3
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Loved EVERY SECOND of it!!! BEST DRAMA OF 2024 so far!
Not gonna write long review as I don't want to spoil it for you. MUST WATCH it and find yourself watching the best dramaa!!!!HYT you beauty!! Tremendously powerful choice of scripts you have!
Zhang Zhingyi! Take a bow girl! You were the sailor of not only the ship of Hua family but also this whole drama!
Music score was so damn on point that you feel connected to the drama...
You will laugh, you will smile, you will cry, you will feel goosebumps, you will feel angry on certain characters, you will cheer for leads, you will feel relatable to every character in there, YOU WILL LOVE THE DRAMA for sure!
Give it a watch or else you will miss out on a masterpiece for sure!
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Great Storyline!!!
?❤️I Love the strong female character of Hua Zhi portrayed by Zhang Jing Ji, and definitely the male lead character Gu Yan Xi, portrayed by Hu YibTian. Also, I absolutely love and adore all of the children in this drama. Also, Shao Yao, portrayed by Lu Yu Xiao was absolutely amazing. I Loved how all the women in this storyline came together for each other as a Family. All of the actors and actress were wonderful. Overall, I truly enjoyed every bit of this CRDrama, and I Especially Love the Ending?❣️Was this review helpful to you?
I will work hard regardless of the result because something is still better than nothing.
This drama was a journey to me and I became a member of the hua family.What a concept and what a finish.No rush.No fillers everything fell into the place.There were deaths with a multiple amount of feelings involved.So many times Hua zhi was held back.So many times hua zhi was challenged.So many times hua zhi fell into dillema.But she fought back, came back stronger with a never yielding and honest personality.Was this review helpful to you?
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THIS SHOULD HAVE HADE MORE EPISODES!
The chemistry between the leads is great! Only the kiss scenes should have been more but despite only one kiss scene, the love is still evident. It's a costume-based c-drama, not wuxia/xianxia. It has got me hooked. The storyline is so emotional and deep. The male lead got me obsessed. I wish they had a child in the end. Also. it would have been even better if the Emperor didn't die in the end, but actually accepted Hua Zhi and Gu Yanxi. The male lead gives "fallen villain". The female lead is a strong woman. Such characters are not usually seen in these dramas. I love how the family is so loving and supportive and how their relationship grows more and more mature. The best support character is obviously Shaoyao for me. She is also probably the smartest despite her illness. The breakup was totally for a valid reason without any extra drama. Hua Rong's death was the only part that shattered me to pieces. Shen Qi could have ended up with Yin Zhu. And my ghost couple was Nian Qiu and Li Hou. The ending wasn't rushed and the individual life of all couples and characters was shown which is a great thing. Otherwise, IT IS WORTH THE WATCH!Was this review helpful to you?
What A Magnificent Drama
I must say that this drama, Blossoms in Adversity, was excellent. I wish it was 1,000 episode long; it was 40 episodes.. Do not watch it a compare it to modern day and what dramas we have seen before. Jus tsit back and watch it. The young lady protagonist is fantastic. She is strong and fearless, yet feminine. The world needs to watch this drama and have hope. The eldest daugther was a loner, but rose to every challenge while being surrounded by people. You can tell that she wanted to just walk away from the responsiblilites thrusted upon her, but she did not. Many people have such overbearing preassures in their lives. Some people fight thru it and other just quit. She had to be tough. She did have a good man that cheered her up, gave her affection and protected her. There ere many kind people and some evil one's too. Just watch the show and enjoy! You will see.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best dramas in a very long time
I honestly recommend watching this drama. I have been struggling for a very long time to find good dramas. I feel like the past few years there weren‘t many great dramas, but this is seriously one of the best dramas in a while. I might even say the best I have ecer watched…When I saw that the Drama contains 40 Episodes, I was scared to start it, since a lot of times the storylines get very boring and I have to skip through the episodes. But this drama was exciting and nerve wrecking through and through. Every episode, every moment was always great to watch and I seriously could not put my phone away. This show was seriously thought through. I especially love the female lead. She is just so lovable and very rational. Every minute you fall more and more in love with her. Her and the male lead are a wonderful couple. No unneccessary drama, no childish fights. This was a very mature and enjoyable couple. There were a few couples in this show and they were all great. There is so much I could say, but I will finish up by saying: Out of all the dramas I ever watched, there are only five that get a 10/10 rating from me. This gets 11/10. i am in love.
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A PURE GEM ヾ(◍’౪`◍)ﾉﾞ♡
Historical series "strong woman" with Hu Yi Tian as ML and Zhang Jing Yi as FL, with a touch of mystery/investigation.+ a super cute CL, with great chemistry. One of Hu Yi Tian's best roles, where he abandons his "cold" or poker face appearance, and his micro expressions are brilliant. His fighting performances are impressive ヾ(◍’౪`◍)ﾉﾞ♡ I also really like Zhang Jing Yi (discovered in “Lighter and princess) who brings to life a fantastic FL.
+ All the actors are excellent and bring endearing characters to life. I really appreciated the Sen Huan & Sao Yao couple, very refreshing.
+ Coherent, realistic, intelligent story. No useless love triangle, no lasting misunderstanding... That's good!
+ Fast, skillful production (all the knowledge of Chu Yui Bun, distinguished director) with the right balance of suspense, action, romance. The slow motion effects on Yanxi's arrival scenes are excellent. No length in 40 episodes, it's rare! I enjoyed every scene.
+ Very good OSTs
SOME LITTLE FLAWS:
- the CGI is sometimes too obvious (somewhere low quality). For example, 2 small sails for a "cargo" boat, ... Also the number of dolphins following the boats, is completely unrealistic and spoils the effect.
=> A series that I will certainly rewatch with pleasure in a few months.
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A pure GEM !
Série historique "strong woman" avec Hu Yi Tian en ML et Zhang Jing Yi en FL, avec une touche de mystère / investigation.
+ un CL super cute, avec une great alchimie. Un des meilleurs rôles de Hu Yi Tian, où il abandonne son aspect "cold" ou poker face, et ses micro expressions sont géniales. Ses performances en fight ont impressionnantes ヾ(◍’౪`◍)ﾉﾞ♡ J'aime aussi beaucoup Zhang Jing Yi (découverte dans "Lighter and princess) qui donne vie à une FL formidable.
+ Tous les acteurs sont excellents et donnent vie à des personnages attachants. J'ai beaucoup apprécié le couple Sen Huan & Sao Yao, très rafraichissant.
+ Story cohérente, réaliste, intelligente. Pas de love triangle inutile, pas de malentendu qui dure ... ça fait du bien !
+ Réalisation rapide, habile (tout le savoir-faire de Chu Yui Bun, réalisateur émérite) avec le juste équilibre de suspense, action, romance. Les effets de ralenti sur les scènes d'arrivée de Yanxi sont excellents. Pas de longueur en 40 épisodes, c'est rare ! J'ai savouré chaque scène.
+ Très bons OST
SOME LITTLE FLAWS:
- les CGI sont parfois trop évidents (pas de grande qualité). Par exemple, 2 petites voilures pour un bateau "cargo", ... Surtt, le nombre de dauphins qui suivent les bateaux est tout à fait irréaliste et gâche l'effet.
=> Une série que je regarderai certainement avec plaisir, à nouveau, dans quelques mois.
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