"When there is love, even flowers have the courage to bloom among thorns".
"Experience the power of love and growth in this inspiring tale of family and self-discovery. Unravel the complex tapestry of relationships, love, and personal growth in this gripping story of family and redemption, where every character leaves a lasting impact.This story is about family and the challenges the characters face towards achieving their goals, It's about friendship, sisterhood, brotherhood, and how not just blood defines a family. The bond they all shared was so beautiful and inspiring, that I hope everyone has someone in their lives the same way they had each other.
"When there is love, even flowers have the courage to bloom among thorns". This is a lyric from the ost of this show and I think it encompasses the entire show very well.
In this review I only wrote the reasons why I love this show, maybe in the future after rewatching, I'll be able to find things I don't like about it.
We saw so many different kinds of love in this show, such as parental love, friendship/platonic love, self-love, sibling love, and non-platonic love. They showed how they can appear differently for different people and how important it is to Love yourself.
It has the most funny characters I've seen in a show in a while. The show gives you such an important message while still being funny.
This is one of the most inspiring and well-written shows I have ever watched. The characters are complex so that even the really bad ones you can't truly hate them cause it kind of makes sense why they do the things they did. The former crown prince though really took all the understanding of my entire life not to hate him too much, I still hate him though.
The main leads chemistry was chemistrying, and the character growth and development were so inspiring and so beautifully done that they make you believe anything is possible. The development of their relationship was so natural and when Yuan Ying came and helped them grow into their better selves, it was stunning to watch, I think everyone deserves a sister like her.
The side characters were so well portrayed that their stories are shown even if they have little screen time. This is truly one of my favorite shows of all time.
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My new comfort show, with great romance and strong found family concept
My new comfort show. It has great messages about women empowerment and great supportive bonding between women. Its concept of found family among the ladies is very strong and amazing. It's always great to see women supporting women, especially in an Asian drama.Also, the romance between the leads is beautiful. They have a slow burn and genuinely healthy relationship, with great chemistry. Their love grows gradually and they treat each other with care and respect. Other side couples are enjoyable too.
I love most of the characters in this series, except for a very few male characters. Besides the leads, my 2 most favorite characters are the fifth prince and his wife. The guy is so funny and has a pure heart of gold, and his romance story is fun to watch as well. :)
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Serotonin boost
The story :The storyline may seem quite simple at the beginning but as you progress through the episodes you realize that it's not as simple as you thought it was. I really liked the plot, there wasn't any dull moment when I watched it. It narrates a fun story set in the fictional kingdom of Xinchuan, which is the most powerful and which presides over 8 other provinces (which have all their specificities). Every 3 years as a tribute, each province send young ladies for a selection as wives or concubines of the Xinchuan princes. And after some events during the selection, the adorable foodie Li Wei from Jichuan becomes the concubine of the weak and unfavored 6th prince, Yin Zheng.
The cast :
I loved a lot of characters. I think that the main couple has a very good chemistry !! I hope we can see Bai Jing Ting and Tian Xi Wei together as main leads again in the future. Both of them have good comedic expression and they are fantastic at turning funny moments into heart stopping passionate ones !! Although there is a romance involved , this drama is a lot more about sisterhood and women's themes which is not a flaw at all. There is no rivalry and scheming between women, unlike other historical dramas which makes this one very different and enjoyeable.
Also, almost all couples in this drama are lovely because each romance is developed which makes the characters very endearing. Besides, I really loved on of the secondary couples, Shangguan and Yin Qi literally stole my heart. These characters are so different and that's why this couple is awesome : the fierce Shangguan, a princess from the powerful and matrilocal Danchuan with him, the goofy and smiley 5th prince. They humorously navigate true challenges and hardships together which leads them to understand and love each other.
The sisterhood moments were really good, all these women are supporting each other no matter what and have an awesome bond. They went through a lot of hardships and each one of them succeeded in what she wanted to do in the end of the drama.
Overall, each character in the drama was immensely elevated by all the cast’s excellent acting. The depth and richness of each character and their development were incredible. Moreover, all the character’s interactions and chemistry were also realistically and convincingly portrayed.
To sum up this is a gorgeous, lighthearted and highly enjoyable story about women's struggles and sisterhood with some romance thrown in. The humour is very well and I think it can really be a comfort drama to watch when you're in a bad mood because it will make you smile and laugh for sure. I highly recommend it and that's why I rate this feel good drama 10/10
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This review may contain spoilers
"New Life Begins" it's a drama about an arranged marriage.Li Wei is a bright girl that doesn't want to get married, so she tries everything to lose the selection and return to her home, but she ends up being chosen as a concubine to Yin Zheng.
The romance between Li Wei and Yin Zheng is freaking cute, the two go together so well. I love arranged marriage dramas!
Li Wei is so funny, what was the whole process of her thinking that Yin Zheng was dying and even ending up wearing that funeral outfit for him?! HAHAHA'
It seemed like everything was going well, but then there was that cold water with Yin Zheng having to marry Yuan Ying, but in the end it was a positive thing, because Yuan Ying helped both of them and was a great person.
It's a cute, fun, light and easy to watch drama, you won't even notice the time passing. All the characters captivate your attention, not just the main ones and this is one of the great positive points, as there is a concern with showing everyone's stories and it was endless fun to follow this.
We saw Sung Wu grow up, become a woman in love and get married. Hao Jia had her baby and almost lost her life, but managed to escape an abusive marriage. Just like An's concubines, who could no longer bear the torture of being with him, who is too dumb for anyone to handle, and opened a restaurant together with Li Wei and Jing, showing that a woman can do anything and doesn't need to depend on no man to survive. It's okay that in the end they decided to give him a second chance, but they completely changed the dynamics of the relationship.
Yin Qi and Jing have completely different personalities and were forced to get married, but as they lived together they fell in love and stole my heart, I loved seeing these two together <3
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A sweet journey of FL from Concubine to Wife
I am quite impressed with the story as there were a couple of things I didn't expect which happened and vice versa.The story is not about revenge and does not have story of minglan kinda angst. We have the ML and FL bonding after marriage slowly, the ML was respectful and didn't consumate the marriage at any point in time (after 2+yr). He had to marry the princess of JIN state by imperial pressure. I was really happy to see a character like the princess who was selfless she genuinely cared about the FL and helped her become mature and educated her in running household and business.
The supporting characters like hao jie (FL bf) was really good. I was expecting the betrayal arc to be present but surprisingly it was better instead of backstabbing and jealousy they discussed the issues with each other and provided the necessary support.
As every drama requires a villain in this one it was the Crown prince, who was truly despicable and his tail the fourth prince who did some bad shit but mended and came around in the end. So we can say the bad were punished unlike in other dramas they are just forgiven as if nothing happened.
What more can I say? I feel I have said enough to convince you all to give this one a shot.
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sisterhood
Guys, this series is full of sugar and honeyThat means we are at risk of diabetes
Don't miss it, it's a very funny comedy
Surprisingly, the characterization of the characters has been done very well
And every episode that passes, we see the progress of the characters
The main roles that do not need to be defined
Even though they are not real, they seem to be real and come out of the heart of the life of old times, but with the seasoning of advice and morals
A good thing about this series is that you don't get stressed
That is, after three or four beautiful episodes, you will realize that the relationship between the couples of the series is healthy and we don't have any misunderstandings
They don't keep silent and speak their hearts out and solve their problems together!! In the true sense of Hillinge. 😇
The series has a consistent storyline and each story is clarified
But the best and most beautiful feature of the series is the sisterly relationship between the wives of the princes, we don't have naughty girls at all
They all have their own story, it is very enjoyable to see their sisterhood. 😍
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One of the best period dramas
I don't watch C dramas that often but I decided to try this drama after watching a clip on YouTube and I'm so glad I took a chance because it brought so much comfort to me over the last few days.It was super easy to get into because it starts right off the day the main female lead reaches the palace and ends up meeting the male lead, in a hilarious way. There's one thing you don't need to worry about at all in this drama and that is the ROMANCE, because it was 10/10. It's more of a slow burn, esp. from the female lead side but it's so worth it to watch them grow more closer in their relationship as the show goes on. It felt like a real genuine relationship and sometimes you even feel like you're intruding on them because they just can't stop being cute.
The show really starts to pick up halfway through the drama, but that doesn't mean the first 20 episodes aren't enjoyable. They are comparatively more lighter than the second half and stays focused on world and character building. I was expecting the second half to take the same light route but was pleasantly surprised when the drama even went heavier at times. The episode which explored the post partum depression of Hao Jia was easily the best episode of the show. It was super well done.
The characters are so well written, you even find yourself sympathising with the villains. The female characters esp. are written with so much care and love. Just the fact that there was no jealousy and negativity among them and all they wanted to do was just hangout with each other and gossip like normal girls do. I do wish there was more royal political drama in the show and less on plots like the Nine state delicacies Restaurant plot. But despite that, it's a really solid drama that you can easily binge.
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Light and cozy drama without extreme plot like toppling the current emperor
This drama is about family and gender roles. No fighting with complicated wuxia skill, no war between regions only economic conflict that can be resolved with diplomacy. No emperor like, no kingdoms, just landlords with different government and cultural setting. No concubines jealousy plot, no in-laws fighting, only sibling rivalry that gone bad but some siblings can work well. Even the evil sibling got a lil bit of backstory on how he was like that. The drama shows that behind any children misgiving there's the parent's responsibility. But the drama also shows that even with the parents wrongfully parenting, it's the children's own responsibility if they've gone rotten. Nothing is black and white. So for me personally, this drama has succeeded.The female roles in this drama also have upgraded from "looking for the husband's mercy and love" into "i am not a dead person, i am my own person with compassion and integrity". So even if in the beginning there's a lil bit of legal wife and concubines conflict, the drama shows that women aren't all selfish. They can have sympathy to their rival.
The ending resolved all problems and conflicts without dragging it out, all the actors and actresses were great. So you can watch this drama without worry and can have a lil bit of humour.
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Woman empowerment and girls supporting girls
I thought I was going to get a feel-good, wholesome family drama. What I actually got was woman empowerment, buckets of tears and heart-ache, interstate and familial politics, and one of the cutest couples ever. Istg this drama made me cry in the most unexpected of time, and the absolute emotional wreck I was in when Hao Jia tried to kill herself. I'm just so glad my girl got to leave that toxic environment and was able to live her own life. Li Wei's character development had to be the best things ever, you wouldn't even recognise her as the girl from the start of the show. Yin Zheng being the biggest green flag ever, and him and the 5th and 3rd prince are my favourite trio of brothers. I needed them three on screen more cuz I just loved their shenanigans. 5th prince and his wife were my second favourite couple, and I was legit rooting for them since the start of the show. I'm a sucker for that kind of dynamic. Especially when the 5th prince kept "protecting" his wife despite knowing he'd fail, and his wife just being so adored by it. I just wish we got to see more of the 7th prince and his wife. Those two need the justice they deserve cuz their shenanigans/ daily lives would have been so interesting to watch.Was this review helpful to you?
An Easy Drama to Watch with girl-power vibes
New Life Begins wasn’t what I expected it to be. It was a very easy drama to watch. Very light on angst and heavy on girl-power vibes.The things I liked:
Light on angst – there wasn’t any misunderstandings between the main leads nor was there any secrets or hidden agendas. I really liked the friendship vibe they had. From the very moment the leads met, they had a very nice relationship (very innocent and very C drama style).
All the side stories – the cast is very big, I think there are 4-5 side couples? Each one is different and each one has has their advantages and disadvantages.
I prefer the more comical couples that were there to help me laugh out loud and add some comical relief for the moments the drama can be a little intense.
I didn’t care for the abusive couple, but they were there for balance and I appreciated the storyline even though I did start the fast forward their scenes towards the end, it just got a little repetitive.
Girl power storylines – There are several storylines about sisterhood and women lifting each other up. I can see why the drama got high ratings. How nice is to be friends with the person who married your husband. I mean, that storyline was the most refreshing. I liked how the women came together during their struggles instead of tearing each other apart.
The things I didn’t like:
I really didn’t like the costumes. - I found the outfits very dated and a little too colorful in my opinion. After watching Love like Galaxy, I really like the muted colors. To me, it just looks better on camera.
As much as I loved the casting, especially Bai Jing Ting from Reset and You are my Hero. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two leads. - They were both very pretty to look at and I liked the way they delivered their lines, but I never felt like they were over-the-moon in love each other. To me, their emotions felt all very surface level and at best they acted really well as best friends.
40 episodes is really long – As much as I appreciate the low angst, at times the drama became a little slow and boring. I just felt like there wasn’t enough story arcs and they really dragged out some of the arcs. I think the drama could have been cut down to 30 episodes.
Overall, it’s a very mellow, happy romantic historical piece drama. It’s worth watching just because of the female empowerment.
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Your light women empowerment drama!
I love this drama for its unrealistic world. And how they try to tell the opposite of feudal ancient chinese society. The premise is nice, where every women character (except one or two, I guess) is very very supportive of each other. They know that when they want to thrive, they need to collaborate.The romance progress is also nice, no unnecessary scenes to drag the plots. The main cp is really hits off. Their chemistry progressing each episode. And we are brought to the journey of development between the ML and FL. Definitely worth to watch!!!
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Cozy, With Sisterhood Galore
This was lovely. A cozy, warm hug with many endearing characters (particularly the female characters, as this is a slice of life, female empowerment story). Some of the issues and characters are dealt with in a more nuanced manner than others, but the main couple is delightful and watching their growth into love is heartwarming and sweet.It's definitely a bit on the nose with some stuff, and leans a bit on the side of caricaturing many of the male characters, which is an unfortunate pitfall of many female empowerment stories, but it's trying to make a point through exaggeration, so it didn't bother me too much since this is clearly a fictional world and overemphasizing tropes and cliches for the sake of drawing out a contrast and provoking thought.
I thought the middle was a bit slower than the beginning and end, despite all of it being a solid watch, with an absolutely gorgeous score (beautiful BGMs!). If you get to Episode 12 and want to end it because you're worried about where things are headed, rest assured: everything is resolved satisfyingly for our leads sans a love triangle.
Enjoy the gentle pace and this warm story of friendship, love and the importance of extending human dignity to everyone.
(And make sure to watch the Intro all the way through at least once; it captures the mood of this charming series).
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