The Rise of Ning (2024)

A truly happily ever after

This drama was a nice and engaging series that touches on complex family dynamics/drama and politics. It was a slow burn type of story, but wasn’t one that dragged on due to the steady flow of events. I really appreciated the way the main leads were written - they were both extremely bright and talented and made the perfect team. Through supporting each other when no one had their backs, you get to see their relationship blossom into love with a strong foundation of trust and respect.

Highlights:
- The acting by the main leads especially the ML and 2ML, they were so good and natural. I became a fan of Ci Sha who played Lu Jia Xue, the change between his his micro expressions was done really well. He really pulled off the obsessive and slightly unhinged character.
- The bond between the family members was touching, whether it was between Yining and her grandma or her father. I love Yining’s dad, he was so funny and endearing. His facial expressions aware on point.
- Action scenes - It’s a shame we didn’t get many of these but the ones that were shown really impressed me (especially ep 6 when the two MLs fought).

The lows:
- I feel the 2ML was under utilized as he was just a romantic plot device, which is a shame because he had so much potential. He is supposed to be a formidable character but we didn’t get to see much of the complex scheming or political intrigue. I didn’t understand Yining’s attitude towards him a lot of the time, it seemed a bit out of character for her. I get how she would be traumatized but knowing her curious and logical personality, you would expect that she would at least hear him out to clear up the past before moving on. She always ran away so there was never real closure which they both needed. Even at the part when he died. As crazy as he was, I pitied him because of that.
- The filler scenes (including the very long wedding episode). Even though it was nicely paced for the most part, I still think they could have condensed some things or used that time for the plot (ie more political intrigue)
- The perfect ending. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have a HE for once especially after seeing what the main leads had to go through. But it was a bit too perfect for the some members of the Lou family (looking at you papa Luo). Considering everything that happened, it was a bit odd seeing everything living so harmoniously.

I knew I would enjoy this one after watching the trailers, probably because we get to see Zhang Wan Yi playing a role similar to that in Lost You Forever (I was a fan of huge him there). However, unlike in LYF, he gets a perfect ending here. I also got to meet some new actors through this series. Overall, a nice easy watch. I recommend.

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A tale of intrigue and love

The Rise of Ning offers a captivating blend of intrigue and romance, skilfully balancing the narratives of its two central characters. Luo Yining, the resilient female protagonist, returns to the Luo Residence after years of being away. As she decides to stay in the Luo Residence for good, she was determined to defy the mistreatment she endures. Meanwhile, Luo Shen Yuan, the enigmatic male lead, embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind a wrong committed against his revered teacher.

This drama is particularly engaging as it delves into Yining's clever yet dangerous schemes against her adversaries, aided by resourceful brother, Shen Yuan. As their journey unfolds, a surprising revelation emerges: they are not blood-related. This unexpected twist sets the stage for a blossoming romance that adds depth (and the romance) to the already intricate plot. the focal point of the drama had always been on the central characters, which made people hooked on to the show.

While the early parts of the drama are full of suspense and intrigue which caught the viewers attention, the later episodes became somewhat predictable. The character of Lu Jia Xue, the second male lead, suffers from an obsession with the female protagonist, leading to repetitive and tiresome plot lines. The extended runtime towards the end results in some redundant scenes that could have been trimmed have also lead to some fatigue towards the end of the drama.

Despite these minor flaws, the performances by the lead actors are commendable. Zhang Wan Yi, a rising star (in my opinion), delivers a strong performance as Shen Yuan, effortlessly embodying the character's strategic mind and martial arts prowess. Ren Min also did a spectacular job as Yining, capturing her complex character with both strength and vulnerability. Ci Sha also did a great job as the obsessed Lu Jia Xue, who was willing to do whatever it takes to get Yining by his side again.

Overall, the Rise of Ning is a worthwhile watch for fans of historical dramas, offering a compelling blend of romance, revenge and mystery.

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Excellent drama to pass the time as you wait for something better to watch.

I cant rate this any higher than a 7.5 because imo it lacked any profound depth, and lacked romantic chemistry. I find it dissappointing - yet somewhat understandable - that a show where the main AND secondary couples are toeing a line of incestuous taboo, is so very very devoid of spicy magnetism between leads!

I can't rate it lower than a 7.5 because I DID have fun watching it, despite its flaws. The story flow was excellent. The acting performances, while not stellar, were very passable.

I would recc this to someone who is profoundly bored and waiting for something truly GOOD to come out. It passes the time nicely.

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details of the events about lu and ning ,gu and chen, zhang,wen,qiao,,gu and wei,, not too comprehensively shown, only briefly, and cut into pieces, I don't really like the way skip scenes are conveyed, but of all the problems shown, all are explained even only briefly, there are only a few details that they show at different times but not the same detail, chenglang second young master of cheng family, they all luo family say that but he has 2 elder brothers, then after that ep 15, lu and his subordinates say chenglang third young master, ep 20 chenlan said to shanyuan his grand master also got "状元" but ep 30 his granny said his granpa just got the 2 before, but didnt get 状元，and about yining health congenital weakness, they never careful treat the condition ,, i dont very like the yining acting in some condition , especially when her fall sleep in luo shenyuan shoulder look so fake ,but lu jia xue the character is so annoying but the acting not bad ,, about the ending not very rush but still feel a little rush

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This story should have been called, “How I escaped the clutches of an obsessive lover and jumped into the arms of my brother.” 

I could only finish this drama by watching it at 1.5x to 2.0x speed, especially where the second couple is concerned. I wasn’t really interested in watching them in a goose chase with one another, with a literal goose.  

Barring that, I was watching this show mainly for Wan Yi’s portrayal of the multi-talented Shen Yuan, who seemed to be the master of all trades despite being shunned by his family. Equally good in his performance is Ci Sha as the Marquis Jia Xue who roamed the earth and strong-armed people, including the very object of his affection, into submitting to his desires.  

Though Yi Ning is touted to be as smart and cunning as the next Female Lead in C-drama land, the limited range of Ren Min’s expressions, coupled with her shrilly voice, made me wish I had a selective mute button to press. Questionable are also Yi NIng’s actions that jeopardize all the hard work that Shen Yuan did to protect her. She seems like a self-righteous character to me, expecting from others what she herself cannot provide. 

Also relegated to the annoying department are that insufferable Lady Qiao and her entitled children. Good riddance to them.  

I’m not opposed to a pseudo-sibling romance, but only if it’s properly established, such as revealing the birth secret to both characters early in the story. But it wasn’t. Also, I expected both families to object to their relationship, but they seemed unconcerned, even highly encouraging their siblings-turned-lovers relationship. For all their talk of appropriateness, this was certainly out of left field. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, as anything is possible in fiction.

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It's allright

Eventhough the series started off with this feeling of copying the story of Ming Lan, I like that it adds lighthearted cute YiXiu and twist of charming brother who's perfect in everything, seriously unreal.

As a political drama it is full of gap and missing logic. How can one young Duke request a title for a girl so easily.. and what's his achievement that he's so highly favoured by the emperor?

The last episode has too much flaws, how can the duke set the firework to explode without Luo family knowing suddenly everone just died and the bride was kidnapped and her family thought she was dead. And its very surprising that her dad who once despised her for being a outofwed love child of her mom then looked so shocked upon her dead that he didnt even respond to his mom fainting? Because of that I thought he's involved in the scheme.. it didnt make sense.

And the part when Lu jia xue used his body to take on the arrow when he's highly skilled in martial art, seriously unnecessary.. the author just wanted him to die.

FL acting is just average and her voice is kinda annoyingly pitchy to me.. but the ML voice on the other hand is so charming it fills the gap. I thin support roles like Yi Yu shows better acting than leads. And i like the merchant born mom who's a very straightforward person too. Her and YiXiu probably are my 2 favourite characters in this drama. Although i dont like the fact that YiXiu easily testified against her birth mother, authors could have made her sturggle more with being filial but meh.... quite disappointing

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ML face is like a mannequin

The story was interesting in the beginning but as it progressed ML developed feelings for the FL as soon as he knew that she is not blood related.

Sibling relationship is one of the purest. You need a convoluted mind to jump into a loving relationship with someone whom you knew lifelong and called sister. Even after getting past this complicated relationship, I couldn't enjoy this because of the ML acting. He is like a statue with no emotions(This is not the only drama that I have noticed). Eyes should speak volume but he barely blinked his eyes. A great actor uses eyes to convey sentiments and passions but I noticed none of those.

Many people in the comments praised the ML voice. Just remember he is an actor not a voice actor. One should possess great acting if not the other.

I continued watching this for the FL , SML and the step-mom acting. The legal step-mom character was so bold and refreshing and she portrayed it very well.

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A very good series, catchy & feel-good (with a satisfaying ending)

PLOT: FL, the legitimate daughter banished from a family of scholars, returns to the manor for her grandmother's birthday. She comes up against her father's evil concubine, whom she suspects of having killed her mother. She begins her investigations, helped by the ML, "Third brother" not recognized by his father because he was born to a servant. He investigates incognito the death of his mentor. Together they will face the family problems, the corrupt officials, the evil ex lover, ...

+++ A great lead couple.
+++ Eye-catching production, where we discover the clues little by little.
+++ Coherent, well-written story, respecting the roles and status of the characters.
+++ enjoyable OSTs

### Slow pace (but bearable)
### Sometimes the green background is too obvious :(

=> A very good series, catchy & feel-good (with a satisfaying ending)
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PLOT : La FL, fille légitime bannie d'1 famille d'érudits, revient au manoir pr l'anniversaire de sa gd-mère. Elle se heurte à la evil concubine de son père, qu'elle soupçonne d'avoir tué sa mère. Elle commence ses investigations, aidée par le ML, "Third brother" non reconnu par son père car né d'1 servante. Celui-ci enquête incognito sur la mort de son mentor. Ils vont affronter ensemble les pbs familiaux, les officiels corrompus, le evil ex lover.

+++ Un super couple de leads.
+++ Réalis° accrocheuse, où l'on découvre peu à peu les indices.
+++ Story cohérente, bien écrite, respectant les rôles et les statuts des personnages.
+++ OST agréables

### Rythme lent (mais supportable)
### On sent parfois un peu trop les fonds verts :(

=> Une très bonne série, accrocheuse & feel-good (ending sympa)

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Would have been better if it was a different FL actress that uses annoying baby-voice.

I wanted to love this drama - been waiting for it since I completed Are You the One which I loved. Going from Are You the One to Rise of Ning was such a let-down.

Rise of Ning's FL, Ren Min's uses this cloyingly sweet, baby voice. It's so hard to take her seriously but even if you set aside her voice, her acting is unimpressive and seems unnatural and wooden. She shows no vulnerability and her tone is always the same, whether she's sad, happy or mad! So frustrating - the best part of the drama is Zhang Wan Yi and Ci Sha (ML and 2nd ML). I don't see any chemistry between ML and the FL sadly.

I'll only continue watching only for ZWY and Ci Sha who are both very hot, might I add.

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Newest favorite Actor

This is the 3rd drama of Zhang Wan Yi that I have watched. His character in Lost You Forever is my favorite and the sole reason why I was able to finished the first season. Second Drama was Are you the One and I was hooked from the very start. I just wished the story was longer. I developed a routine to watch it every single night. I'm so happy that he is in this drama, I don't have to wait that long to see him act. This is my first time giving a review and i apologize if it is all about ZWY. The story is good so far. There is enough screen time for each character. At first, I was bothered by the Female lead's voice quality but later on I got used to it. It's just that usually for strong and clever character, tone of voice is stable and calm. I know the story is about her but I'm actually more excited inZWY character's revelation. That he is not who they think he is.

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Same old story with wives, concubines, and offspring bickering at each other. Overly done

The Rise of Ning is a custom drama about wives, concubines, and their offspring bickering at each other. It has been done so many times with other Cdramas. It starts with Zhang Wan Yi as Luo Shen Yuan and Ren Mi as Lou Yi Ning.

I watched about 17 episodes, hoping the storyline would improve as it progressed, but it didn't. I am dropping it for the following reasons:

My Reviews:
1. The same old story that has been done with many other Cdramas.
2. I like Zhang Wan Yi; he is a good actor, but his character could be stronger in this drama, and his onscreen chemistry with Ren Mi could be better.
3. I don't like Ren Mi's acting ability. She has the same expression with many emotions.
4. It is draggy and slow. One cannot repeatedly take 40 episodes of the same type of bickering and jealousy.
5. I give it a 5.0 rating.

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