The Story of Pearl Girl (2024)

I don't know where this drama was going.

The first few episodes of “the story of Pearl girl” were legitimate and well-directed, but after that it was completely lackluster. Drama has its strengths and weaknesses, but there are few to no hooks to keep viewers on their toes. Pros include the concept of escaping from slavery and discovering a new life, which is a good story, great costumes, actors' performances, makeup techniques, and screen appeal due to the dark color palette. On the other hand, the drawbacks are that the first storyline drags for about 10 episodes, there is no second male protagonist syndrome, and there are no supporting characters. In addition, the male protagonist is an unlikable character in the beginning, (he's rude to female lead). Yet, he knows a great deal about her family and the girl herself; but falls for her head over heels later. The sudden development of his feelings is felt to be of C-grade drama logic. I think that other viewers like me may stop watching the drama halfway through.

(more specific ranting cons below)

CONS: -initial story dragged from 1-9. Episode 10 is where they finally sailed to a new land. 11 is where FL questions her dad's identity.
-no 2nd male lead syndrome in this one. He is just there to be a connection to the prince
-the Cui family's daughter/and Cui people plot felt like it went on too long
-11 episodes in and you haven't met the king/princes, or any big players yet.
-The support characters not interesting, or don't even exist. Who is there besides the little boy and noble woman?

I feel like the most EGREGIOUS thing is that Male lead was a dick for most of the beginning, but then he somehow knows all her family history, and then falls for her? Like the way their relationship developed is bad c-drama logic on display.

This drama could honestly finish on episode 17 when they kissed in the town. She's traveling with his trading caravan, and he fell for her. I forgot to watch it for several days, so at this point I've dropped it.

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A disappointing showing.

Started watching this because I had seen really pretty gifsets of the show. This is the second Liu Yuning (LYN) drama I've tried to watch - A Journey to Love was the first - but unfortunately, this one didn't take either. I was hesitant to start watching this to begin with, as I've never been fond of Zhao Lusi (ZLS)'s shows. This was no exception, which was a shame.

The story starts very beautifully shot, and it's a brutal beginning for the characters which gets right into it. ZLS' character meets LYN's, and she winds up on his merchant ship. Lots of red flag relationship markers where she literally gets whipped on his watch; and where normally this sort of thing would garner a female character scars on her and whatnot, it was as if it had never happened immediately afterward. I mean, she literally gets whipped on her front; not to mention the whip may well could have caught her on the face. However, ZLS' character immediately then goes running through the streets and to a place she has simply been given the name of in the middle of the night in a port town they have just arrived in some days ago. How does she know where it is? Perhaps the person who gave her the name of the place also gave her very clear directions. This also happens after she has been working basically about 48 hours with no sleep, has been dragging a heavy cart laden with rocks for a whole day after that, and gotten whipped. The suspension of disbelief required iThe s astonishing.

(Let's also not mention how when ZLS' character first gets on the ship, she's told that there are many crew members who stay in a different part of the ship, but then the next day when her little brother Shrimpy goes to collect information about who's who on the ship, there is zero mention made of these other many crew members when he lists off the basically 4 characters on the lower deck all of whom we just met last night and informed us that there are supposedly many other lower deck members like the cook [whom we never see or hear mentioned by Shrimpy during his recon debrief].)

The romance develops... because the story says so, apparently, despite this being their beginning (where she effectively gets bullied and again, literally whipped on his watch). I don't actually know how this happens, where you would develop feelings for someone who decides to watch you get whipped on their ship because them's the rules. Anyhow. They kiss, and then shortly afterwards of that, they announce this to everyone in the crew, and everyone celebrates. It's like LYN's character just changes personalities suddenly, because that's the power of love, or ZLS' character, perhaps. Same with the rest of the remaining crew at this point in the story - everyone has gone from sullen and dour to :D.

The acting is fine. ZLS plays another similar version of the strong, stubborn female archetype I have seen her play in her other dramas like Love Like the Galaxy orThe Romance of Tiger and Rose. There is not much to report on this front for me. LYN is fine, as are the other main characters. The most interesting character was Chloe Xie's Cui Shijiu, whom I sincerely contemplated continuing watching to see what happens to her for. The actor who plays Zhang lang-jun is also fine, although I will note that his name + honorific in the show (Zhang-lang) literally makes the same sound as for the word 'cockroach'.

Sadly, the story is sorely lacking and displays the same 'scenes happen consecutively, I guess' sort of feeling that many of this calibre of Chinese dramas do. I don't know if this is bad editing or if it's the writing; most likely both. In one instance, the last episode ends, and then in the next episode, ZLS' character is kidnapped in some place in the desert. How did this happen? Because the script says so, I suppose. LYN's character starts off portrayed as someone who is moving chess pieces in a carefully-plotted plan, but ZLS' character is simply snatched out from under his nose without him even knowing. Apparently the personality change and becoming interested in someone is directly proportional to how much less smart he becomes. Okay then. There is also a storytelling mechanism of flashbacks in the middle of the next scene to explain something that happened before this scene, so that instead of A -> B -> C, you get A -> C -> B.

Pros: It is very pretty to look at. Again, I had initially been drawn to watch it because of how lovely the .gifs I had seen looked, and the styling is really quite something, notably for ZLS and LYN. However, this did not make up for the abysmal story/scriptwriting, and it definitively lost me when basically all the starter supporting cast were written off abruptly on one such 'this scene happens (and this is happening now even though I don't really see any well-written reason for it to be), I suppose'.

From the comments, it would appear that the ending and the way the story goes after this episode are really just more of the same lack of coherence and good reason, which is unsurprising. Overall, it is my sense that this drama suffers mainly from not knowing what it wants to be and really committing to it; but instead tries to weave too many things into a cohesive product, which it fails at doing, in my opinion. It would have been much better off if it had decided on one or two simple themes, but is instead overrun by the many haphazard aspects it tries to tie in. Additionally, I felt one of the big bads was quite obvious (from what I could tell from other reviews and comments) immediately following the abovementioned 'well, I guess this is happening' scene.

The music was adequate. I was not particularly taken with any particular track.

Rewatch value for me is incredibly low as I lost interest quite early on, within the first 5 to 10 episodes, and the main reason I made it through to the end of episode 18 was because I was mostly listening to it rather than watching while doing something else for much of the episodes. Rewatch value is rated at a 2 because I might one day decide to continue listening while doing something else to see what happens to Chloe Xie's character, although this is very unlikely.

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Good beginning but already declining before the midpoint

Really enjoyed the initial episodes, lusi was carrying the show but the writing and story were interesting as well. But around episode 12 the writing and story were becoming quite uninteresting to me. Every scenario now follows the same program on repeat as they move around to the next people to take down. I went from binge watching and looking forward to the next episode release to struggling to get through episodes 15 and 16. I fear there's no way this holds up for 40 Episodes and will struggle like almost all c dramas do to finish the show.

I like the male lead and his acting but don't feel any chemistry between him and lusi, and as their love interest is becoming a part of the story i feel his acting is getting worse.

The other males aren't very good actors either, including the second male lead. The worst of the bunch is the character Cao. The females in the show are doing a much better job of acting.

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Slow and Steady Story

I must say with pride that I am always blaze through 30-40+ episode in a week, but this story is not meant to be like that. There's a lot of things that going on, a lot of nuances that would be lost if we went straight to the end. I feel like I need to take a break after watching 1-2 episode to break down what's really happening in the story. I want to applaud the storywriter to be able to make the story a bit more complicated and not straightforward.

for now, I'll give this rating 7.5 as I'm only a third from the end. Nonetheless I'll just enjoy the story bit by bit

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Show of the year

let me start off by saying that the acting was just chef's kiss, the casting director did their little thing when picking the cast!

The story is very immersive and very simple to comprehend! it highlights the struggles that she had to go through in order the status that she had always dreamed of i love the fact that they didn't make the Female lead a "Damsel in distress" but rather a woman just fighting to survive in a cruel world all on her own. I loved the Male lead as well , he didn't view the FL as someone weak but rather a person who would do anything to be successful and in doing so he would treat her harshly but it was so she would learn how to depend on herself and pick herself back up no matter what! he was always there for her but he allowed for her to be the Leader that he knew she could become.

the chemistry was amazing, although we had minimal to no romance scenes, the chemistry between the ML and FL was just overflowing throughout the entirety of the show. They've acted before as love interests so it was nice to see them once again on the big screen, they have each grown immensely in their field and this show allows for them to showcase their wide range of acting abilities.

the makeup, the set, the songs, the outfits, everything just looks so carefully Thought out. it looks like a very expensive..

i cried so many times watching this show, the first time i cried was legit in episode 1!! this show is just sooo good! its hard to not like it! the only thing i hated was the ending hence why if i were to rewatch it, i would simply skip the ending and make up my own!

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Beautiful and Well Excecuted

The film was a visual masterpiece, truly captivating from start to finish. The cinematography was beautifully crafted, with each shot meticulously framed to bring the story to life in a stunning, memorable way. The lighting, color palette, and camera movements all worked in harmony to enhance the atmosphere, immersing viewers in every scene. Every detail felt intentional, transforming ordinary moments into cinematic art. The result was not only visually striking but also deeply emotional, elevating the film to a level that stayed with you long after the credits rolled. It was an impressive feat of filmmaking that showcased true artistry.

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Heavy but what Cdrama land has been missing for months!!!!!

Episodes 1-4
It may be early, but if this drama keeps the momentum and quality, we have a cdrama masterpiece on our hands!!!

Acting: The older actors bring it, but it's Zhao Lusi that. She is insane so far that even on Weibo, gossip bloggers are praising her. There is a scene in episode two that made me cry so hard between her and an older actress and I tell you, the performance does not disappoint in what needed to make you feel that early in the show, I promise.

Plot: This starts off darker than what most may be used to. We are thrown into the world of a slave and what that means as a young woman in those times, and they don't shy away from the dangers. The plot promised a unique story that is merely a pipe dream in drama land today and so far it has delivered on that

Characters: Duan Wu is easily a FL that grabs you. She is far from a dumb girl since she is a slave and she is determined and resilient in her thoughts, and actions, and strives to have the freedom she longs for so much. She truly is the heart and soul of this drama and her. She is the type that will buy it all or lose it all if she could taste freedom and if you were how she lived, you would understand.
The ML is a ruthless, morally grey businessman seeking revenge from former enemies. He doesn't fall for our pretty FL at first sight or anything like that. In fact, he helps her only because the second ML wants to help and so he does it as a favour and in the end, it was the 2nd ML that came through. He doesn't give handouts to her either. He has the typical revenge background, but his function in the story is different from modern-day Cdrama ML's
The second ML doesn't seem special the moment you meet him, but he quickly wins you over that you might have 2nd lead syndrome. He is genuinely a kind, unforceful, upright guy who wants to do the right thing and help the FL because it is just his nature to do so. We meet him trying to save the life of someone who did a petty crime. His meeting with the FL is one you would expect from the ML.
(I'll add later)

Cinematography: Beautiful. The underwater scenes were literally trending and are currently being used as advertisements for TVs, There are just some shots you have to stop to take in.

Directing: There are weird angle shots of the ML's face that stood out, but other than that the directing for big scenes has been great, especially fight scenes with Duan Wu. Because she is not a trained fighter, they get creative with the camera, as she has to get creative to survive.

Soundtrack/OSTs: Beautiful, and they know how to use them in powerful scenes.

Special effects: Not the best, but it's what I expect from Cdramas. The CGI is not offensive to the eye and is actually quite decent!!! The drama also does as much practical which is great to give more realism like the swing underwater.

Overall so far, this is worth it if you can handle heavier stories/themes.

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Captivating historical drama

"The Story of Pearl Girl" is a captivating historical drama that transports viewers to the enchanting world of the Tang Dynasty. With its stunning visuals, intricate plot, and strong performances, this series offers a refreshing take on the genre.

Strong Female Lead: The titular character, Duan Wu, is a formidable and independent heroine who defies societal expectations. Her journey of self-discovery and resilience is both inspiring and empowering.

Intriguing Plot: The series skillfully blends elements of mystery, romance, and historical fiction, keeping viewers engaged from start to finish. The well-paced narrative and unexpected twists add to the overall excitement.

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Acting skills,story teller

This drama is well worth to watch and also i was waiting for this to be aired from long time..i gotta say about the story of this drama is so well understandable and exciting to wait for the next new episode 😀
Acting: FL acting skills is so on top she deserves to be top one because how she manage herself to deliver this message out by her acting..wow just wow so brilliant acting skills from the Female Lead.

ML and Second Male leads both acting skill is also on top because this character they playing is suitable for both of them,,i can't wait to see more from Male Lead and Second Mlead.

Ost of this drama is so beautiful from opening and finish ...top tier I've seen so far..

I really recommend this drama to all the chinese drama lovers.... watch this cdrama and give it a try to watch..it's well worth your time 😍

Well done and Good Job to the Director of this drama
Female Lead and Male lead, second Male lead
Wow what a hard working cast guys...so well gone and good job...to all the cast of this drama thank you so much for bringing out this drama for us to enjoy and watch..u guys are just bravo 👏 😍

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Zhao Lusi shines again

I’ve loved her ever since I saw her in Romance of Tiger & Rose. She gives us a diverse range of emotions but sadly, they made her too ladylike when she was Su Muzhe which seemed like too much of a departure from her original character.

Another character who also suffered from this was the lady who dressed like a man - she was tough and tomboy-ish but when she dressed as a lady, her make up was like that of a courtesan and the way she walked and held herself was like a totally different person.

And it was yet another story of a lady who beat all odds becoming a super business person and holding her own in a world ruled by men, so many twists and turns that it got a bit tiring for me. It would have been better to simplify the story and have some focus on having a proper build of to show how the leads fall in love. Instead it happened too suddenly and conveniently in time for them to have a major misunderstanding to split up in the next episode.

Thankfully, they didn’t use a magical last minute cure so you were left hoping and wondering if there would be a happily ever after. So, a more realistic bittersweet happy ending is what you are left with.

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