Ni Chang

This could have been 36 episodes or less.

Major spoilers. No structure to this.

There are 4-10 episodes worth of runtime that weren't necessary, because:

• We already know that Yan Wenxiu is a scheming hoe with a hard-on for Ni Chang/Xie Xiaoni.
• Su Wenyu is obsessively 'in-love' with NC/XXN, but he isn't the one for her. (I started to dislike his character after that whole, "You're a weak woman, I'm a strong man" speech.
• Yuan Daocheng is corrupt. Su Gongming is corrupt. They look like they're winning and the wheel of karma is turning slowly.

All of this was dragged out for too long.

I didn't mind all of the hardships NC/XXN faced; the assassination attempts, the sabotaging of her business ventures and generally the constant dead ends she would run into over her family's scandal. All that she has faced, I'm reminded of Fu Yao and how she is ALWAYS going through some kind of crisis because of externals.

Either than that, the drama was good.

I've seen Nicky Li in two other dramas and I love her. I haven't watched any of the other characters, ever, but they quickly became my favourites. The drama really has an entertaining and unique story (imo). I liked how they didn't centre the whole story around her getting revenge.

Some of my favourite moments:
- when she was accepted into the embroidery and design school,
- starting up Yuanxiang's family's business (again and again),
- learning new tricks-of-the-trade, continuously improving herself and her skills.

NC/XXN is certainly one of my favourite characters.

The OST is also beautiful.

Don't be turned off by my rewatch value. It's a good drama, but I don't rewatch costume dramas....

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To repetitive.

Honestly I really liked the story in the beginning but the constant machinations and traps that her enemies were always trying to set up for her became aggravating after a while, it was so repetitive. It always felt like everybody was after her all the time and rather than learning and trying to be smarter than everybody else she was constantly falling into other people's traps and even though she came off as being independent I felt like the male lead or someone always had to be rescuing her after a while it just drove me to crazy. So while I was waiting for new episodes to come out and be subbed I just stopped watching.

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Recommended - Quite Good

I've read the other reviews and see understand their points but to me, this was a delight. It did not suffer from the uneven pace of other dramas, or the tortured miscommunications between characters but was delightfully straightforward in both the story arc and the acknowledgment early on of mutual affection. The development of the FL from immature teen to highly competent and gutsy competitor with the Yan witch was enjoyable--and I must give the Li Jia Qi tremendous credit for character development spanning a period of years. I saw Bi Wen Jun in A Class of Her Own, a show I loved, but his character there was something of a one-note Jonny -- here, he was given more room to develop and showed he could play the gamut from arrogant and dangerous Prince to a vulnerable guy almost afraid to say "I love you" to the woman he is in love with. Unlike many dramas with extended misunderstandings between characters, or forced and almost absurd plot twists, this show moved along briskly and consistently. Nothing felt forced or fake but fit nicely with the story and the characters. My criticism is reserved for the last episode, which I think was handled ineptly - it was almost rushed and the timeline was unclear, however satisfying the last scene was.

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I expected much more from the development of the story (This review contains major spoilers!)

I guess this is more like an outlet for my feelings after finishing this drama, more than a review itself haha
Read at your own risk!
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The beginning of the story was the best, it took me like 2-3 episodes maximum to get stuck with the drama.
But for me, the story weakened lots in the middle of the story, perhaps they forced the length of the story up to 40 episodes.
There were a lot of ups and downs that weren't really necessary or key for the story to go on, some facts seemed like filler.
Regarding the characters, I feel like they added new characters to the plot, and left other characters like they've never been important. Like Chengtian and Yuanxiang. One as a viewer had already fallen in love with them and then they simply disappeared from the plot, they weren't important anymore for the plot. Also, they put their ship on the table, and I think we all expected to see their relationship progress, but we only had certain scenes where a lot of stages of their cute relationship were skipped. I would've liked to see much more of that couple (In fact, I must admit that most of the time, I was more excited to watch their scenes, than the scenes of Nichang with the prince). I missed Chengtian and Yuanxiang very much in the second half of the drama. Besides, I loved the trio of best friends / family that they had formed.
Regarding the new characters that they added, maybe they were necessary in certain parts of the plot, but they could have looked for other ways that the plot made sense, I felt that those characters were a little extra.
Regarding the performance of the actors, I think it was very good! I liked the chemistry of the protagonists, their story was very sweet even if it was not the main plot. (Although I still much prefer Li Jiaqi's chemistry with Zhao Yiqin. Despite this, I fell in love with Bi Wenjun and will follow him on his next dramas!)
I loved the OST, the vibe was perfect the whole time!

Major spoiler ahead...

Regarding THE SISTER! I suffered too much !! I was hoping for a happy ending for them. I really couldn't believe they made us wait so long to know that she was alive, and to see her reunion with Nichang ... so that in the end she would die anyway. Although I think that fact still made sense in the plot.
Another thing that left me owed was the moment the prince remembered Nichang; it was very cute, but I felt something was missing. I think I hoped that Nichang would have a little change in her personality, that she would be a bit happier (since at that point Nichang, apart from having grown up, seemed to have lost her smile).

Of the things that I must highlight positively, since I liked them a lot: The main characters in general stole your heart; The prince's feelings for Nichang were very pure and beautiful; Honestly, the beginning of the story was perfect and the plot was very interesting (from the beginning, until the trio went to the capital. From there, the course of things fell apart for me). One of the best things about the drama was Nichang's resilience and his thought that woman is strong and can get ahead, that she can do all the things that a man does. Nichang's ambition was great, and her trying with all her might to prove the innocence of her family until she finally succeeds .. but maybe it was too much in the end. (poor prince, having to wait for 2 years even tho I have no doubt that Nichang would be able to still be doing what she loved (being a bussiness woman) while being married to the prince.

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Story is not that effective.

Flaws of the story and direction.
1.Starting of the story he lost his memories and spend three days or he was in care of actress then something has happened he regain his memories but those three days memories he forgot then at some point he gots some of those glimpse but when actress along with her parents were blamed he didn't get any glimpse of those days even she shouted his name then to he didn't recall the voice .

2. Such a bad thing happened with actress that her whole family killed ,she left all alone and secondly she didn't a tough character but all the time after the incident was happened she became tough . I means to say that they should show such scenario because of that she slowly slowly become tough.
3 . When she faced him after 2 year's ,she just hide her from him but this would be happene that after seen him she recall all the things which happened with her because of him as he didn't support her and she got angry with him . Then slowly slowly misunderstanding would come out.
4. I didn't find any sense to killed her sister at the end.
5. Why they didn't end drama with their marriage .
Best scene of the drama when her sister die that scene connected me emotionally that I even cried .
Actors were good their acting . I like all the couple's of the drama . The one who is with princes was very cute and at the end he fight to protect that scene also I like it . Their pairing also good.

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Not To Bad

It started with a good story about a family and corrupt government officials. Women were seen from the beginning not treated equal and then the story show the women growing up and making themselves strong wit a purpose. But in the middle it gets boring with the same situation over and over again. The drama could have been shorter. I do like the female lead character. Her honesty, loyalty and intelligence get her strength to move forward and grow up. The relation with the prince had cute chemistry and and I liked both characters together. The prince is honest and does not believe himself above all the people that he interacts in the city. He treats them as equal. The women are showed as strong characters and don't let the people who feel that women are inferior bring them down. I enjoy the story but it was a little to long and the ending was a little disappointing.

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About the Mighty Chinese Woman

Do you often get carried away, feel annoyed with the behavior of the antagonist?

If yes, please watch the drama “Ni Chang”. There is the figure of Yan Wen Xiu who is very annoying. Yan Wen Xiu's malicious attempts were all made. Starting from locking Ni Chang, slandering Ni Chang, to telling people to break Ni Chang's fingers so they can't embroider anymore.

Yan Wen Xiu's behavior of wanting to marry Su Wen Yu was a point in itself. How the trick was done so that he could still get married without the presence of Su Wen Yu who firmly rejected him.

However, the screenwriter skillfully aimed at the other side of Yan Wen Xiu. This beautiful woman who is always vicious turns out to be haunted by feelings of guilt for accidentally setting the hermitage on fire and causing Master Yuan Niang's death.

Yan Wen Xiu also wept bitterly on the first day of having to give up his body for power.

Humans have two sides, right?

The drama “Ni Chang” reminds me of the Korean drama “A Jewel in the Palace” about a girl named Seo Jang-Geum who started her career from zero to become a cooking expert, then became a healer.

Likewise, Ni Chang, who started his career as a textile expert, continued to study herbs and became a herbal expert as well.

Unfortunately, the writer of the drama "Ni Chang" is not coherent in compiling the story. There are fragments that do not connect smoothly. Even in some episodes it feels annoying..

Fortunately, the cinematography of the drama "Ni Chang" is very pleasing to the eye. The costumes of the players are adorned with waving, very beautiful. This is indeed a striking difference between Korean dramas and Chinese dramas. Costumes in Korean dramas strengthen the character of the actor/actress to look dashing and beautiful.

But overall the drama "Ni Chang" is quite recommended. Fifty episodes just feels right. The love story of Ni Chang and his prince is not exaggerated.

And of course the scenes of Bi Wen Jun as Ou Yang Ziyu who has amnesia and acts like a child.

Really entertaining. Contrary to his role as doctor Ai Jing Chu, in the drama "Sweet Teeth" which is cold as ice in the north pole.
I will write my next review at:

https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2021/12/review-drama-china-ni-chang.html

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