This review may contain spoilers
Great Production Quality
Before I begin I should state that I do not like stories with many wives so I may be more "strict" in my review than usual.I will start with the good things. The production quaity is great; from the costumes to the music everything fits in nicely and exudes professionalism. The plot is also consistent and the perfect combination between complex and easy-to-follow. I am a fan of mystery type dramas so I really enjoyed that aspect of the plot. Needless to say, the cast did a great job portraying all of the characters, no moment felt fake or forced.
I had one major problem with this drama though. The writers are trying to convince us that the ML is the indiffirent but righteous military type guy, which just doesnt add up for me. He does have a scheming wife and a crazy a mother who make things difficult for him at home by bringing in concubine after concubine. Even though he claims he never wanted them, he has slept with them as 2 out of 4 of the concubines were pregnant at some point. However since there is always trouble at home (usually because of his wife's scheming) he starts to avoid his family and emerses himself into his work. That leaves plenty of room for the concubines to experience some very tragic moments that I just couldnt get past without disliking the ML. If he is a righteous as the writers want us to believe he would at least protect them from harm.
The concubine most unlucky in this whole circus is concubine Qin. She was a maid who treated the ML after some injuries and to reward her, his mother made her his bedside maid, even though concubine qin did not want to. His mother also made her drink some kind of contraception which led to her losing the baby she was carrying. So after being essentialy raped by the ML (without him realizing), and losing her baby, she is basically left alone and ignored by the now indifferent ML, without anyone ever aknowledging the hardships she has been through. To me her actions were completely justifiable and after episode 40, during which we hear her full story, I took a break form the drama to unwind because I disliked the ML so much .
Overall its a good drama. If you are like me and dont like the many wives narrative, I suggest you skip this one, it will just make you angry. If you dont mind the harem, its a well made drama.
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If they’d just let him play zither…
This is a very watchable story of being a filial child in Ming era. A gentle zither prodigy son gives it all up to protect his mother & brother after his father is betrayed to become a military hero. A creative & talented embroider must, as a concubine’s daughter, give it up for her in-laws.Wallace is almost perfectly cast as a silently suffering solid citizen - under the massive social pressures of being a head of a family - slowly opening up to his young bride. Seven is great at portraying a young woman forced into plastering on a smile as family duties keeping trying to box her in or end her.
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Just a bingeworthy TV series when dubbed in Cantonese
Think Pride and Prejudice, except the story is set in China during, I believe, the Ming Dynasty. I’ll keep the names the same as the English novel because Chinese names sound weird in English.Lizzy is an independent girl, who can make a living by embroidery. Lizzy meets George Wickham and they instantly get along with each other, like 2 peas in a pod. As the viewer, I can tell straight away that they have chemistry, which is nothing short of magical.
By the way, in this Chinese TV series, George Wickham is actually a decent guy and not the scoundrel who eloped with Lizzy’s sister, Lydia Bennett. As for Darcy, let’s say his Chinese counterpart is pretty much the same guy.
As the viewer, I’m routing for George and Lizzy because they have chemistry. Darcy on the other hand seems to be in a serious relationship with his job; he does not have time to go out on dates and no time for silly, useless things like parties. “Having Fun” is of course out of the question for Mr Darcy!
It so happens that Lizzy ends up marrying Mr Darcy because her older sister, who just happens to be Darcy’s first wife, chose Lizzy to essentially “take her place” as his wife and as the mother of her very young son.
Good bye George – unfortunately Lizzy being your girlfriend and eventual wife is out of the question.
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a sample pf husband and wife works together to overcome all
I didn’t think I would enjoy this story …and surprisingly , I did. This is a sample of a smart , brave FL that are not common in historical story. Both leads are not my favs since I don’t know them but , they really make me feel the story and I enjoy it in most parts. of course you have the meddling hateful mother in law that you can’t really find fault because she just want to follow the house rules and maintain the pride of the Xu Family in the extends that she have cost a lot of misery to the wife and concubines, forcing her son to marry numerous times , The brave and smart FL that due to unhappy childhood became broad minded , calm matron of Xu Family and the guilt ridden son ML that due to being dutiful son , must balance his mother and wife needs. I also love the part the the wife and husband support each other to overcome the difficulties . I suggest you give this story a chance.Was this review helpful to you?
Good Chemistry With Two Main Lead Actors
I enjoyed watching this series mainly due to the two main leads of Wallace Chung and Seven Tan. Wallace of course, a seasoned actor and brings just the right amount of dignity, charisma, charm and strength that comes with the the role General Xu Ling Yi. The choice of Seven in the role as wife Shi Yi Niang was a little 'iffy' with me at first, but I found her acting pretty impressive as I watched on. She held her own and saw the side of her acting maturity that went really well with Wallace.A period drama with family politics, concubines' jealousy, enemies plotting, upholding ancestral law, were all interesting and went at a comfortable pace. However, what stood out the most is the 'love' theme between Xu Ling Yi and Shi Yi Niang. Two people thrown together in marriage based on 'circumstances', which began with some friction, eventually growing into a deep love which placed trust, maturity, patience, communication and relationship first before sexual and physical desires. To see such partnership regardless in a period or modern day drama, never gets old and really enlightening to watch.
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Wonderful love story, but the plot has lots of problems
What I discovered after watching The Sword and the Brocade- Women are bloody scary when they're having tea with you
- Forehead kisses are better than bedroom scenes
- Ming dynasty mother-in-laws are scarier than the T-1000.
I had long avoided *The Sword of the Brocade* for the following reasons:
- I was super not impressed with Tan Song Yun's performance and was majorly annoyed with her aegyo character in *Under the Power*.
- In general, I dislike harem dramas intensely. I just don't like watching women bully each other.
But for some reason I am suddenly in a romantic mood for mature, adult, slow burn, arranged marriage romance and the *The Sword and the Brocade* delivers.
I really loved Shi Yi and Ling Yi's gradual attraction to each other and I love Wallace Chung and Tan Song Yun's performance. I believe that Tan dubbed herself, and it really brought a lot of nuance and colour to her character.
I didn't find Wallace Chung attractive at first, but he is so manly, honourable and considerate as Ling Yi that these qualities end up making him very attractive indeed.
And yes, yes, this is one of those dramas with misunderstandings between our couple, but it's not at epic proportions like Love and Redemption.
I don't seem to mind misunderstandings and lack of communication in romance dramas as I find them morbidly enjoyable. But if you hate this be warned as the Show has one major arc with that.
(Also, I'd like to report that Wallace Chung is such a good kisser. Like, no fish-eyed kisses, people! But one filled with intense passion and desperate hunger. *Fans self*.)
However, I confess that I skipped or fast forwarded a lot of scheming concubine parts because I can't stand a lot of that. At times I found the mother-in-laws (both Madam Xu and Luo) intolerable.
Yet, despite their horrid scheming, I have a lot of sympathy for the concubines. I felt their pain and sorrow when Ling Yi rebuff their efforts to gain his attention. As for Qiao Lian Fang, the primary evil concubine? Nah, she deserves everything she got lol.
But while it tries to convey the painful lives of concubines and women in ancient Ming dynasty times, but it was clumsily done.
And as with so many Chinese dramas, for some reason, the last 10 episodes was a rush of betrayals and schemes, a lot of them lacking logic.
If I were to rate the way they had written romance between our main couple, it would be an 8.5.
But for the plot involving the evil Ou family, concubines and more? Oof, it'll be a 6 or less.
So, I can only give it an slightly above average rating rather than excellent.
But I still highly recommend this drama if you like watching slow burn romance and arranged marriages. Our leads are really good and you will really enjoy their performances.
Rating: 7.5
I wrote a longer, more detailed review here: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2024/01/09/the-sword-and-the-brocade-review/
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Why I regret Watching this!
The series was good. I saw karma for each bad character except the mother-in-law. FL's stepmother or her father's main wife tortured Fl and her birth mother multiple times. The father was also STUPID and IGNORANT. She forced FL to marry and take the place of her daughter in her husband's family. Karma was her daughter was murdered and her unborn baby killed by a schemer just like how the main wife/stepmother schemed her whole life.Moreover, Concubine Qin of the ML harem was forced to be ML concubine by ML's Mother, and the ML mother killed her child because she didn't want the child to be the firstborn of her family, what a bullshit reason to kill her own grandchild. The ML who was also stupid never raised his voice to his mother, fighting wars all the time but couldn't care less about the women in his home. ML's first wife who at the time was pregnant together with her mother forced a maid to sleep with the ML by threatening her with her younger sister. She killed herself due to depression. Going back to concubine Qin, Ml found a bastard child of his brother, FL advocated for Qin to raise that child but fucked up ML gave it to his sister. I wish I had known all this before starting How I regret watching this!
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Politics over passion. Survival over sentiment. One viewing is all you need.
I think it’s the first time I’ve seen either of the leads in a show, so I have no expectations whatsoever about going into this drama, but I can say that both acted remarkably well. As the stoic general who can fight everyone else but his mother, Wallace Chung brings his serious demeanor on the table when he is supposed to be aloof, and his playful smirk when he is being mischievous. Contrasting him is Tan Song Yan as the cunning concubine’s daughter, who is level-headed even when facing problematic obstacles and who is quite cheeky when dealing with people who try to manipulate her or the situation.The rest of the cast gave commendable performances as members of the Xu or Ou households, and the actors cast as villains were so despicable that you wanted to gouge their eyes out—they truly embodied their characters. Although the plot is solid and has a lot of interesting narratives, the pacing, however, is quite tepid and slow. There are scenes that are unnecessary and bring little to the drama progression except for filling time.
I ended up not watching this for the romance, but only to see how Tan Song Yun maneuvers herself around sticky situations. I was rooting for her much of the drama except I felt betrayed during one instance. This is where she did not put the same trust in her husband as he did for her. I get it: she was suspicious of the Xu family in the beginning, but I thought after all that time and all the things that Ling Yi did for her, would convince her otherwise. Even when the evidence was stacked against her, he chose to believe his wife. Why not offer the same consideration for him? It’s only right for him to be mad at her for not trusting him.
In several instances in the drama, I believed that if her mother hadn’t been murdered on the day of her planned escape from the arranged marriage, Yi Niang would have ended up with Shi Xian. Although Ou’s family were vile characters, at least Yan Xing is not.
A lot of the comments I see are those hating on the Mother-in-Law, but I think I’m just so used to seeing more despicable characters that she was tame in comparison. On the other hand, I could not stand Lian Fang a bit. If I had nails, it would be on her face, so good riddance to her. What also pissed me off is the supposed redemption arc of Er Niang. I still don’t think she deserved any type of forgiveness because she was complicit in a lot of inflicting pain against her sister.
Anyway, this is a drama where once is enough. I don’t need to go through it again to know that there are as many shitty people in the world as there are survivors.
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This review may contain spoilers
"The Sword and the Brocade" is a drama about the romance between Shi Yi, a concubine's daughter, and Ling Yi.Shi Yi is forced to marry Ling Yi, her late sister's husband, with the task of protecting her son from being used by other concubines. Their relationship is initially awkward, as this marriage wasn't something either of them wanted, but over time, Ling Yi realizes that Shi Yi isn't a freeloader and gradually falls in love with her.
The romance takes a back seat, but let's be honest, how was there time for Shi Yi to fall in love with Ling Yi when nothing but bad things were happening in this house? Intrigues and conspiracies always involving Lian Fang, who is defended by everyone, until the truth comes out. After that, everything between Shi Yi and Ling Yi seems perfect, but then Shi Yi thinks Ling Yi killed her mother, and this ruins their relationship again.
We see very little of them as a real couple, but those moments are wonderful; their chemistry is impeccable. At the end, it's clear how deeply Shi Yi fell in love with Ling Yi, almost sacrificing herself to save him... At that moment, Ling Yi's entire family finally realized what a good and honest person Shi Yi is. Seeing them defend her was truly beautiful. The drama ends with everyone being one big, happy family.
This drama reminded me a lot of "The Story of Ming Lan," both in terms of the setting, the couple's development, and the main characters, daughters of concubines with strong personalities and who are really impressive.
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Excellent All Around
This show delivers on most things required of a 45 episode historical series.Story: Clear plot goals. Unexpected plot twists. Closure on subplots. Excellent intrigues with intricate subtleties. The scene editing is brilliant, leaving viewers questioning what they thought was going to happen and what is actually happening.
Acting: Character growth is obvious and distinct per character storyline. Actor chemistry creates the feelings needed in scenes of even little importance. Strong female characters who face and sometimes overcome their flaws. Considerate male characters who maintain patience despite societal norms.
Music: The OST is beautiful throughout the show, fitting each scene so well that it's hardly noticeable as a separate entity.
Rewatch Value: With 45 episodes, I doubt I'll ever watch this show again. However, if there is ever a sequel picking up from the ending, I'd likely watch it.
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What A CHEMISTRY..!!i wanna sue them for making me sleepless and insane?
First of all i am not a fan of chinese historical drama cz they hardly have happy ending or those which has happy ending their FL's maximum r so annoying to watch...But i must say this one is so so so...(sorry my dictionary has no appropriate words for expressing my feelings🤗)CAST:
If i could give 100 then sure i will give it a 100 ratings..
★FL--- Luo Shiyi (Tan song yun,7 tan).. This girl has all the capacity that can attract audience..in "UNDER THE POWER'' she did a splendid job👌,,i have never bored Just by seeing her..her every movements says different things,sure a multitalented actress!! But the role of her in this drama is different(totally)..OMG!! She potrayed the character really well..independent,strong,outstanding looks and attire,,mature acting,,charming eyes to look at the ML(🥰)..everything about her is soo beautiful.. I m gonna be a big fan of her sure..😍
★ML----xu jingli(wallace chung)... I have never seen his drama.i didn’t watch general & i cz i Don't like angela baby's acting..bt heard he did a outstanding job their..same goes in this drama too.his love for his wife is so obvious in his every actions..the affectionate look of his to his wife, my god its really make me replay Again again..Though he potrayed a character of cold general but his some cute action surely make u fall for him..such a charming actors in costume..
Both the leads did a great job in building their relationship..😍
Other cast::
They did also a good job..concubine qiao really did a good job to potray a hateful character..the servants girl and general fu is also catches my attraction..they were pleasant to watch.❤️
★STORY:: I m now in 35 ep.bt i heard this is a happy ending,and saw some ending clips with gorgeous looks of FL&ML walking together..if it's a happy ending that's enough for me..cz their chemistry is enough to overcome any difficulties Before ending..i heard some had prblms with ML having concubines,i mean seriously u want to watch historical & also want to avoid this.it was common in chinese ancient time.bt blv me u Won't feel awkward..its only focus on lead role and secrets among others character.&its based on a Novel,so u can't avoid this..
★MUSIC:: Be together ost--- its just so soothing that i can hear while sleeping..another songs sung by Seven tan (FL) her voice gives a relaxing vibes..i Don't know why..i really enjoyed her singing (specially "" Like a breeze""❤️ from Go ahead)..
★Overall:: i really love the storyline,cinematography,FL+ML attire,looks,stage, direction everything..i have never watched ongoing drama..this is my first time cz really enjoyed their chemistry..although there is so much secrets,and conspiracy..But FL smartness❤️ and ML caring,and smooth voice❤️ to her wife really makes me smile Everytime i saw them..😊i m satisfied..
★Rewatch value:: what to say!! Already i rewatch 3 times from ep 1-30..nd some of their sweet moments i rewatched them again and again..(specially the ML passionate kiss to FL,it was so attracting to watch).& i even can't restrain myself to see their "Behind the scene" in u tube.their chemistry both in onscree and off screen are outstanding..
Lastly,,Where is the age gap?? Where is awkwardness?? Those who said this before releasing the drama i want to say them.."r u kidding me??"i even can't feel 1% of this..they looks like made for each other..❤️🧡❤️
THANKS 💗
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Good Casting and Script writing(for novel non readers)
First of all if you dislike the fact that they have massive age gap. Lols. In ancient times thats normal. Even the emperor have plenty of concubines which can even be considered as his children already due to age gap.What I like about this is the chemistry and the cinematography plus the script writing . What really impacts the overall quality of a drama is the director. I like the melo/romcom vibe of this drama. It is wl balanced there are alot of drama with good stories whats lacking is timing, chemistry and good cinematography.
I have been watching dramas for almost a decade now. Same with anime I cant count the movies, series, webtoon, manhwa and anime that I have watched.
What attracts me is the first 10 episodes and this series captured my liking. What i am looking is chemistry, story balance, and cinematography so far this drama has it all. This drama have the Story of minglan vibe for me.
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