Editorials 
This review may contain spoilers
The Story of Minglan had a lot of buzz going into it, due to the fact that it was 1) a Daylight Entertainment drama, and 2) it would mark the first time that the famous production company would team up with a female liu liang actress, which many saw as an acknowledgement of Liying's acting skills. Not to mention the source novel is quite popular. So expectations were quite high for the drama, especially with the dating rumors circling around the leads at the time. All things considered, this was quite the pleasant surprise. I was not fond of the director's previous works, but the scriptwriters have a good track record, and what we ended up getting was a gorgeous slice of life historical with colorful and memorable characters. It's so rare that we get historicals that are focused on the life of civilians outside the palace (though the palace does play a part), and it was refreshing to see the depiction of day to day life in the household of a low/mid ranking official, against the background of the Song dynasty.
Story:
I loved the first half of Minglan, probably even more after a rewatch. The portrayal of Minglan's journey from neglected child to a young adult yearning - but also fearful - for love was beautiful, as was the parallel of Gu Tingye's journey from rebellious and misunderstood son to a responsible, bold but loyal commander. The antagonistic relationship between the wives, the sisters, the idea of what a woman's role is...they were explored well and really fleshed out.
Romance isn't really at the center of the drama, but it does play an important part, and I absolutely loved how it was played out and how it stayed true to what we knew of Minglan and Gu Tingye's characters. Minglan had three suitors in her life, and as someone who has never really been put first by anyone, it really made sense that Gu Tingye, who was the only who went all out in pursuing her and actively prioritized her, would be the one to win her over.
That said, after the wedding, that's when things began to drag a bit. The episodes became extremely repetitive and drawn out (and Hunan TV probably has a lot to do with it), but the only times we saw the story being moved forward was through the episode previews. The stakes were higher, but rather than enjoying the ride, I often felt frustrated with the lack of plot movement. There was also less development in the couple's relationship, which fell a little stagnant until close to the end.
Still, I loved the detailed glimpse of life in the Northern Song Dynasty, and most of all - Sheng Minglan, who was a wonderful protagonist.
Acting/Cast:
The drama was helped by strong performances across the board, anchored by Zhao Liying's wonderful take on Minglan. There was a quiet dignity in young Minglan, which became more of a forceful but steady quest for justice as the character grew up and realized she had to take action to protect her loved ones. Zhao Liying has a great ability to balance vulnerability with inner strength, and it shone in spades here.
Feng Shaofeng's Gu Tingye was also great, and it was a good reminder of the acting range that he possesses when given the chance. The Sheng family was a delight, with Liu Lin and Gao Lu in particular giving fabulous performances as the bickering wives. Cao Cuifen is my MVP though - I absolutely loved her performance and chemistry with Zhao Liying's Minglan.
Music:
Loved the instrumentals used, and the theme song grew on me over time.
Overall:
If you're a fan of Chinese historicals, would really recommend giving this one a shot. It's a lot quieter, and probably more slow-paced than what you may be used to, but it's a beautiful journey.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This drama drove me crazy. The first 30-40 episodes were PERFECT. I've never seen such a good first episode, I cried countless times watching it, but after she marries ML, the episodes only goes downhill.First, their relationship is very boring. FL clearly doesn't love him with the same intensity that he loves her (which I loved, I find it quite realistic and it adds to the dynamic), but he can't accept that; many episodes are him making a scene so she'll love him. And when he's not being annoying and dramatic for attention, their scenes are bland. In the last few episodes, I skipped all their interactions; it was unbearable.
And worse, not only is their relationship bad, but it makes the protagonist worse. She becomes dependent on him in a way that makes her seem stupid. Family problems? ML comes and saves the day. Argument? ML goes there to solve it. Problems managing the household? ML again. I like protagonists who are strong but realistic, and FL is exactly like that. She's a strong person, but sensible, and limited by her own circumstances. When she started taking the reins of the Shang household after the wedding, I liked it; I thought it would be a character development, going from an illicit daughter who accepts everything to a slightly tyrannical person who gets what she wants no matter what. But no, she remains in a submissive situation where she tries and doesn't try at the same time to assert herself.
That being said, I loved the characters' performances. Especially the great-grandmother, Lady Shang, and the protagonist's deceased mother.
They all manage to sell the character, especially the legitimate wife; her character development is perfect (until the end where everything starts to fall apart), where she doesn't hate FL, but she loves her own children more than anything, she resents her husband for having a mistress but still loves him... she's a complex character and, for me, the best in the drama.
That being said, from episode 1-30/45 more or less, the rating is ten stars. From there on, 3-4 stars.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Nice but a Bit Annoying Too
This is the first time I don't really ship the main couple. They were cute in the beginning, but that's before they got married to each other!!!The first half of the drama was good. Then Ming Lan got married to Gu Ting Ye and the ship sailed. I fast forwarded most of the episodes afterwards as I really couldn't get myself to care about the story of Ming Lan in the Gu Manor. Before they got married Gu Ting Ye told Ming Lan that they are going to live in their own place (to avoid clashing with Gu's evil stepmother). Yet, it never happened.
The palace story (which took place after the marriage), I also couldn't be bothered about. I find the characters in the palace as weakly written. So I fast forwarded most.
The only reason I did a lot of fast forwarding, instead of skipping those episodes altogether, was because I didn't want to miss out on the story of Ming Lan's first love, Qi Heng. My heart broke for him. Yes, he's a bit naive but he's a good man and he did all the right thing. I'm satisfied with the ending as he found his good match (who's tragically, in my opinion, much better than the heroine Ming Lan - maybe the writer also secretly doesn't like Ming Lan? Haha). He so deserves it!
But, I can't believe Molan could live "happily ever after" (meaning, not dead nor imprisoned) - she's as bad as her mother. She made sure all of the pregnancies of her husband's concubines/mistresses couldn't survive full term)!
My favourite character in this drama would be Ming Lan's eldest brother, Chang Bai.
Overall, a bit disappointed. The acting of the main characters are good though, so that's why I'm not giving it less than 7.
Was this review helpful to you?
Most fleshed out series IMO
Before I start, I watched Story of Yanxi Palace then I watched this, I did the same thing again with the rewatch. I rewatched Yanxi & right after rewatched this again.I didn’t review this after watching it the 1st time. Now I’m reviewing after the 2nd watch.
Having watched both twice I still prefer Story of Yanxi Palace majorly because IN MY OPINION Wei YingLou is the greatest female character ever made anywhere in the world. Wei YingLou is everything i am. She’s so fearlessly badass, she’s extremely loyal to the people she loves and most of all is not shackled by useless emotions that have been designed & perpetrated to keep women obedient. She’s cunning and ruthless and that’s one of the reasons I love her. I love you forever my most iconic Imperial Noble Consort Wei YingLou aka Empress aka literal QUEEN.
MingLan was ruthless when she was pushed to a corner and she’s super smart and calculating, she knew to guard her heart, and I really liked her character a lot.
This series is the definition of character development. The main characters were so fleshed out (this is the most fleshed out character driven series I have ever watched) we knew who they were, what their motivations & desires were, their short comings and strengths.
Our power couple did turn out relatively well and “normal” when you realize that the both of them came from families that were competing for the worst family of the year awards. Gu’s family ended up winning the award in a landslide..
The only thing that irked me was that we didn’t get to see how Molan was treated upon entry into her matrimonial home, I badly wanted to see the shock/heartbreak on her face as she entered and saw a very pregnant concubine chunke (Sue me I’m petty like that). Also the demise of Gu TingYe’s stepmom was so anticlimactic. I feel she died so easily. I wanted her to experience real long drawn out pain/anguish but alas it wasn’t so, like I said sue me, I’m petty like that.
People need to stop telling women when and how to feel anything. A lot of men in this show & in the real world will be dating/sleeping with different women and not love any of them. When the women are now seeking for the men’s attention, these women will be called clingy (especially in C & K Dramas) but when a man falls in love with a woman she is automatically expected to reciprocate those feelings, like she should be grateful and happy that he loves her, (that was one the foolishness that pissed me the hell off in the VIKI comment section where I watched), the audacity of a woman to not reciprocate a man’s feelings simply because he’s handsome & loves her, gosh the travesty. *Insert sarcasm*
I do thank God I wasn’t born in that era because I know I wouldn’t have survived it, so in my opinion, the good/kind women of the era portrayed in this series are definitely the real MVPs.
If indeed they had such evil vile scheming women then in that era, then damn, too bad, because it seems like women supporting women have been a farce since the beginning of time & I can’t see any end to it. At least that time they were not dressing it up prettily like they are now. #MeTooMovement my ass.
All that being said, shoutout to MingLan’s girl squad they were literal goals. I loved each and every one of them.
The best scenes were when the sisters (Big Madam and Madam Kang) fell down (happened at different times/scenes) Gosh I watched those several times.
Nanny Chang’s rant to Madam Kang that caused her fall was so epic, it was a masterpiece.
To end this, it was a really good series and I will be back in a few years to rewatch again.
But for now, adios to my scheming power couple…..
Rewatch Value 10/10 ( I have watched twice and will rewatch again)
Overall 10/10
Was this review helpful to you?
Don't be discouraged by episode count.
Story of Minglan can feel like it's on the slower side but every moment does matter. Minglan portrays a different kind of feminine strength than what we are used to seeing in historical dramas. She's not loud, physically tough nor picks fights with anyone. Her strength retains grace and class and most importantly, smarts. Her growth throughout the drama is very satisfying to watch. Gu Tingue is also a very lovable male lead. He never forces anything on Minglan and quietly encourages her to be herself and supports her when she stands up for what she believes in. I like how they start off as mere acquaintances but gradually start realizing how compatible they are.Everyone's performance in this drama is superb. And every character, including antagonists, has many layers and is not one-dimensional.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Almost a good drama
The 73 episodes of The Story of Minglan is too draggy.... IF they had made into a 40 episodes series it would have been perfect! They have a lot of scenes which are totally unnecessary and doing it for the sake of making the series a long one is just waste of time and money. IF you are wise you just fast forward some of the episodes or skipped them entirely.Minglan supposedly a very intelligent person who can predict and foresee what's going to happen and can find a way out of predicament she is in.. at the same time she can be the most stupid person in all of Sung Dynasty. When she is stupid there is just no way of describing it except verging on idiotic.
I blame it on the writer/ writers who wrote the script! What could have been a really good drama turned out some of the most stupid scene in dreamland. I would keep an eye up for the name of the writer for future avoidance. IF you want to make someone smart and intelligent, you make sure the character is consistent all the way. It only shows the lack of understanding of the what the main character demeanour. You don't write a scene just because you have to... IF Minglan were in the real world and behave the way the writer led us to believe, she would have died in episode 20 if I feel generous,
I know China is turning out more than 500 dramas a year and even though there are plenty of stories to tell out there, but one thing for sure, is the lack of really good script writers. Minglan could have been a really entertaining to watch, but all it take is a few badly senselessly bad and stupid scenes to bring the series down... Its like you got passed the first bad one dn then it picked up again and then it just pushed you over the cliff with another bad one and gets better and then presented you with another bad one. If you want to write about a intelligent and smart person, then I suggest the writer should read Langya Bang and finds out how brilliant story are told and how smart character should be.
What I do love about the Story of Minglan, is the loving interactions between Minglan and Gu Tingye, the best couple I have seen in Chinese Dreamland, which almost always filled with virgins right til the end. Thank god Minglan isn't a she virgin after her marriage.. Love the main couple.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
After the hype, I was underwhelmed
I have heard about this series since I started watching CDramas about 3 years ago. I tried twice, and this time got farther than 2 or 3 episodes and managed to watch the entire series. I like these long dramas - you can get invested in the characters, and be immersed in the story which has time to explore many arcs and aspects. The story itself was interesting enough for me to keep watching till the end. It was hard for me to keep track of the characters (who were not main characters) but whose story arcs got thrown in for some reason or another. Brother this one, cousin that one, fourth, second, eighth, you get my drift... that was a bit confusing at times. Then the little plot holes that had people coming in and out for no apparent purpose, and then left us wondering what happened to them in the end (especially when they deserved some comeuppance).I really gave the drama a chance because I had just watched FSF in Shining Just for You - and I liked him in that one, and I liked him in this one too. His character took a little getting used to, but he played it well. He (and so many of the other actors) played their roles so well that you liked the ones you liked and despised the villains. I found myself yelling at the screen when characters like Minglan's father and stepmother were on - and Gu Tingyu's stepmother (probably the most evil character in this). Some characters could have been developed a little more - and a little more attention to other relationships would have been better than the boring court/minister scenes and the battle/war scenes. A lot of time was wasted on the concubine's fawning on Father Sheng - and his stupid obsession with the family reputation. Same with his wife's obsession with petty revenge and spite. Still, it made for emotional watching - even if that emotion was disgust and frustration.
The chemistry between the ML & FL lead was obviously there given their real-life situation (which sadly ended). But I have never been a big fan of Zhao LiYing. She did a much better job in showing her emotions in this one, but she's just not high on my list of actors (apologies to ZLY fans). I loved the characters Grandma Sheng and Nanny Chang. Loved Shitou and Chang Bai.
It was hard to digest the conditions that women endured in that era - always hard to watch because these roles are based on historical facts. But I know that these are stories, not real life. Still makes for a lot of mixed reactions.
I enjoyed the series. Hope for another long drama soon. However, wouldn't re-watch this. After a while I was fast-forwarding through some of the scenes which I thought were repetitious and unnecessary, or when a character came on who I didn't know or recognize - but realized had a side-story that really wasn't important to the main story.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
My Favourite Cdrama All The Time
This show had everything for me. …. A stellar cast, an intuitive director, thought-driven writers, and the crew behind the scenes deserve a raise! ….. a master example of how to write a great screen play and to create an amazing high adrenaline narrative. Do not judge a book by its cover, as strength and truth comes in a variety of forms, as does so does love. Zhaoliying character potrays it has that make you want more type of feel!!! Like honestly she was so strong throught her life and mange to pull through those plots. I love Grandma too heartwarming to see them protect each other earnestly…. GuTinye’s relationship with Minglan from the beginning when they are kids to the end of the show is just so cute when they are together!! The Story of MingLan is just amazing Highly Recommended Watch It Now.Was this review helpful to you?
A story adorned in rich culture and reflects real life beautifully
This drama is set in the Song Dynasty. It tells the story of Shen Minglan born in a family of officials. Though they're officials that work in the royal court, they're not exactly upper noble class. The Shen daughters are three sisters. Minglan is the youngest one born of a unfavored mistress that died during childbirth.This story is very beautiful. Unlike most stories that depend on excessive drama and action to make them worth watching. The Story of Minglan takes pride in detecting the highs and lows of daily life. The conflicts in the first part of the drama are mainly based on the Shen family's struggle to solidify a footing in the capital, and finding suitable husbands for the three daughters. This part is akin of a good slice of life story. Every detail is brilliantly portrayed to paint a picture of those times. It makes you feel as if you're living in those times.
The later part of the story has a heavier plot, as Shen Minglan has married a noble general. So the plot drabbles more into royal politics and conflicts. This part of the story is quite adventurous and fun to watch. The love stories in this drama are nothing crazy but manage to portray real life relationships in a very raw way. Shen Minglan has two suitors before marrying the general. One portrays puppy love where the other is just convention.
The main leads Zhao Liyin and Fang Shaofeng were married irl at the time of this drama's filming hence the chemistry is quite good. The characters are flawed making them more relatable. The side characters are all very lovable. The drama has extremely beautiful ost and cinematography. It feels like a poem about the Song Dynasty in itself.
But the most special thing about this drama for me personally, is the rewatchability. Very seldom I find a drama where every now and then I feel like rewatching it. Even if I like a drama very much, I usually don't find myself wanting to revisit it, or even if I do I almost never watch the entire thing from start to finish. But with this drama I've already watched it twice. The second time I watched it while simultaneously reading the novel (there's barely any change in the plot). And I was thinking about watching it for the third time and hence decided to write this review.
Was this review helpful to you?
