The Story of Pearl Girl (2024)

Live Each Day to Its Fullest, Don't Take Anything or Anyone For Granted & Be Mindful of UFOs

What a beautiful, multilayered journey with very complicated characters! I was watching this for LYN and I can say despite what I think is an OE/SE for his character and those that loved him, it is his best acting to date. Obviously the reunion with ZLS after TLB was something special to see, but this drama was about the realism of life, business and revenge more than romance. It reminded one to live life to the fullest, not to take anything for granted, & always be mindful of UFOs.

Pros: Favorite character for me was LYN as YZJ; each drama of his that comes out is such an improvement over the last and I'm so proud of just how much he gave to this character. Starting out living only for revenge as a morally grey merchant of the west. You really didn't know what his motives were at beginning other than he had a deep grudge against a ruthless bandit leader named LK, his gang of thugs, and two families the Cui's and Zheng's. He was super intelligent, filthy rich, and his plans always included contingencies. It was only when he met DW played exceptionally well by ZLS who herself was struggling just to live a moment at a time as a slave pearl diver (btw though it looked beautiful underwater, free diving is hard as hell and without proper equipment it's even more difficult, so serious props to ZLS for doing all of those scenes herself. Though for safety reasons, they should have hired a professional certified free diver) in some beyond deplorable conditions and her bargaining her life over a pearl just to get herself free and sneaking herself and a little boy named "shrimp" onto YZJ's boat that the seemingly ruthless merchant, started teaching her everything he knew about the pearl and jewelry business as a whole. He didn't just take her in slave and whatnot, but because the woman she thought was always torturing her in the cave was actually her mother (YZJ’s mom’s maid and best friend since childhood) and she taught her accounting and was particularly strict with her because she wanted her to live and her something priceless in her possession that with her dying breath she gave to DW; a blood-pearl that became an essential piece of this entire story. Turned out that the pearl made YZJ recognize DW as the daughter of his family's chief jade carver and who was slaughtered along with his own family when he was a boy as he watched them murdered by the bandits sent by the Cui and Zheng families and three (Xu, LK, & PY) other sinister and powerful figures behind them so they could take the entire jewelry business in different places over as well build the mastermind's power. Meanwhile, YZJ was imprisoned, tortured, and poisoned for 8 years until he escaped with another young boy KJ who later became his best friend and most trusted aid/guard.

I won't go into the entire story because then what would be the point of watching? But that's the essential original connection between YZJ and DW. SML or ZJR traveled undercover and had initially fallen for DW but because of their totally different worlds, he had no chance with her and instead opted to become the best friend and fellow investigator alongside the other two later on. What struck me was that ZJR, Xu, and PY had the same Shifu and were brother disciples but only ZJR was upright and just while the other two were corrupt and murderous. The three of them (YZJ, DW, ZJR) made for a great team. YZJ was the one who relentlessly taught DW how to stop being easily trusting and naive and how to be ruthless when need be. He also taught her the basics of martial arts and how to use a short sword. He saw her passion, will to live and taught her how to stand on her own two feet and rely only on herself which became essential in many situations. In the meantime, she taught him to open his heart and learn to love. She wasn't afraid to call him out on his bullshit and that was new to him. She was warm and caring and stood up for anyone that was being bullied but unlike him who hid that deep within himself, she wore it on her sleeve towards the people she cared for like ZJR, shrimp, Loud, accountant Wei, Yunxia, and the others she met both on the convoy and off of it (like Lady Wu who was her sister for life, though after their stop in Guangzhou, other then through letters, they never saw each other again). Because of that, he started to open up more to her and care/be protective of her. He recognized that they were kindred spirits in a sense.

Their love developed gradually; there were several occasions that she saved him and that's when he told her about being poisoned and that it was almost impossible to cure even more so when the only witch doctor that could cure it was killed by LK when she was also kidnapped but everything was put to the ultimate test during the ambush of the convoy when just about everyone was murdered as those bandits infiltrated the convoy so you couldn't tell who was good and who wasn't. All of it was done by someone YZJ considered to be a brother but all he wanted was the blood pearl. DW went through her lowest period because she lost everyone (with shrimp dying in her arms) and thought YZJ had tried to kill her when in reality he had shot the poisoned arrow that was aimed at her out of the way but his arrow did hit her which all things considered wasn't bad. She also didn't know that it was KJ that arranged for her to be saved by the migrating tribes.

Them reuniting in Yangzhou, the last place they would be together for this series and just how many emotions went into that. The betrayal she felt, the pain at knowing the truth but going the noble idiocy arc route that he decided to shoulder everything himself. Everything was so raw and beautiful; whether you laughed or cried. It was in Yangzhou where YZJ brought the last of the original male Cui family down with his own work. Bringing down the Zheng family proved to be more difficult and dangerous as more evil figures started to pop up as well as the original instigators of the first and second massacre; and this is where YZJ, DW, ZJR (who the entire time was conducting his own investigation with the occasional secret help of both YZJ and the emperor) plus their guards and employees came together.

CSJ started as a morally grey snob who because though she didn't have it easy, her life wasn't impossible compared to what DW went through, so I didn't pity her and wished she had less screen time though they were determined to show her for a while like that before she finally started going through really hard life threatening things that towards the end made her realize just how misguided and wrong her behavior her entire life had been and she finally came together with DW on several occasions especially towards the end to bring down Zheng big bad himself.

The emotions displayed by our leads especially during their best or absolutely worst times really made this storyline whole. The real antagonist here was YCWY aka LK (played very well by his actor); an absolutely rotten to the core human being ruthless beyond measure; even though Prince Ying (PY) was the mastermind; he was just a loud mouse in comparison. And the absolute heartbreak of the ML when in episode 39 he found out the truth, was hard to describe. Though most of us had guessed around the time the ambush happened at the sanctuary as how would bandits perfectly disguise themselves as convoy guards just as YZJ was to set out to meet ZJR and together they'd eradicate the bandits. YC knew of this plan as the master of the sanctuary; he killed the witch doctor, kidnapped DW, then set up the ambush just to get the blood pearl. And many people in the comments didn't understand how someone as smart as YZJ couldn't put two and two together. But when you go back and think about it, he was shot himself by at least three arrows, also sliced with a blade and that pesky poison, the man was barely alive. After which he was scared for DW and when he made it to Yangzhou he had to get back to work with what to do next. He couldn't just put all of that aside and think. So when that reveal happened, he was dumbstruck. He considered this man his brother because YC had done everything in his power to gain his trust and support him including financially but this was the same monster that imprisoned, tortured, and poisoned him for 8 years. I do wish they had lingered longer on his emotions upon reveal; because of just how raw they were. For once he realized how devastating this revelation was both for himself and DW. But he was just a kid when they met again and LK had reinvented himself as YCWY a sanctuary owner for merchants "hiding from the bandits." Which was brilliant for the antagonist.

Ok let's talk about that ending as it goes both in the pros and cons for me. YZJ and especially DW had exhausted all avenues in search for an antidote, his body was breaking down day by day, we saw it. LYN played a man dying of a slow acting poison brilliantly. YZJ had decided to leave and KJ had made all of the preparations for his passing and for all of his money to go to DW. That last scene he was officially in as DW was begging him not to go was heart wrenching; you could tell in his eyes that he was fighting with himself about that decision because he couldn't bear to leave her. After that scene we saw a shooting star (LYN's UFO came to get YZJ) and then next scene DW (who's wearing YZJ's ring and is visibly upset as she talks about not sharing moments with people who couldn't be with them) wins the competition and is appointed Guild head but turns it down and gives it to CSJ who's more appropriate for the position. DW then spends the next 40 years traveling the desert as a merchant as she wanted though we never see her face.

My thoughts on it is that he did leave after giving her the ring which was something he never took off even when he was held captive in the first arc and she rescued him; so it had very special meaning to him and by giving it to the most important person in his life was his way of letting her know that they belonged to each other. But the competition was only 2 or 3 days after we saw him last so he couldn't have passed away so quickly. I think after the competition, she left and met up with him and they spent some time together before he indeed passed away and KJ joined her in the traveling caravan. So to me it's an OE/SE. If he had died immediately, KJ wouldn't have left at all so that wouldn't have made sense as YZJ was his whole life and DW was I guess his sister in law so he would spend the remainder of his days guarding her no matter what. But in this situation, I have no problem with the ending at all.

Everything else was beautiful; costumes (though could've done without the Rapunzel braid for DW), sets, CGI on point, great OSTs & BGMs, and awesome fight scenes.

Cons: After that larger than life pros section, this section is small because my biggest issues were with editing and writing ie production. The second arc had the most problems as it seemed scenes were cut into something and you would get a whiplash. I really wish the noble idiocy arc didn't last for 10 episodes though their paths crossed all the time and almost right away he was secretly helping her. KJ should have stepped up sooner as he was the best wingman ever. But there were many inconsistencies like where did YZJ and KJ find such a luxurious horse and carriage in the middle of the desert after the ambush that had them hiding in caves and with traveling caravans? There was never any recording of time passing especially when you had multiple people walking around a grand desert alone all Willy-Nilly like they were in their own backyard; that legitimately looked absurd. Then the absolutely ridiculous part of first a kidnapped Yunxia, then DW, and then maybe 5 minutes after the first two escaped, ZJR coming to the same inn in the middle of nowhere woods. And he's back hot on their trail to find them yet in an actual town, they miss each other by literal steps. Suspense of disbelief deployed.

Towards the end when they were running the glass business there were times when you weren't sure whether you were looking at a flashback or real time because of the way the shots kept jumping back and forth. I was very confused. The ending, I wish they rounded all of the important people out better not just left them hanging and had actually shown YZJ leaving and how much time passed between that and the competition where everyone was pretty much just left there. Even DW who supposedly traveled on a merchant caravan for 40 years wasn't shown but just a bunch of people covered in black garb on horses and camels with goods looking like Ringwraiths in the desert with an older woman's voiceover being the old DW. This way, that same UFO returned and picked up DW too! It was a bit sloppy. It should have been much tighter and satisfying, even if did become an SE. I'm fine with those, just tighten up the writing and editing.

Would I recommend it? Regardless of some sloppy and loose writing here and there, I absolutely would. This was a realistic live every moment to it's fullest and don't take life or those you love for granted story and it was rich, layered, lush, complex, and absolutely beautiful. Don't pass it by just because it has an OE/SE. It deserves the praise.

Read More

A MERMAID'S TEARS

Bold, compelling, intriguing... The Story of Pearl Girl is weaving a tale that you certainly do NOT want to miss!

2024 hasn't been donating the best Cdramas so far with few exceptions.. but I'm glad this came along. A pretty decent watch!

Everyone sees the beauty of pearl. They view it with admiration of it's beautiful and excellence but no one seems to know what people go through to get it. Even setting their lives on the line for it. The motto thus being: Dive or die. And so Duanwu emerges from the many pearl divers of this land with the mantra "I want to change my fate" taking on the brave role of working towards it.

A Captivating journey is woven, our female lead steps forward, taking every STEP POSSIBLE to obtain that freedom, even if it's to put her life on the line for that freedom.

The Plot is RAW, A POWERFUL AND EMOTIONAL narrative of a slave girl on a quest for true freedom and redemption. Sailing on a journey of the ups and down on the harsh business world dominated by cunning Men. It's an interesting adventure that draws you in an intimate attachment to our female character, Duanwu. The flow of the plot is Smooth. It's just right for what Is needed. Her development so far is natural, raw yet appealingly driving. It's a powerful plot focussed on our female lead's journey in a quest for redemption where she walks up the ladder of the business world and capturing the power at the top. And Fights to keep it.

Duanwu isn't ONLY a smart Witty girl who works with her brain to scheme and conquer. She IS PHYSICALLY FIT! our girl can fight! She can beat up scumbag men, she can kick ass YASS now that's something you don't see always for such female lead set-up. She isn't afraid of physical actions, she takes risks and slays at it!

The characters in the show are truly compelling. Not all though but the mains are truly something to look forward to. Zhao Lusi has my damn jaws on the floor with the execution of her character. Honestly she did better than expected. She engrossed herself into the role and perfectly embodied the character so well that you could See DUANWU in her. It's no wonder she Fought for this drama and role (since 2022 or so) ( she said she loved the character so much) and I can see how she's perfectly bringing the role to life. I'm honestly impressed.
Our male lead is a complex character worth of study alongside another drama I find interesting, The tomboy. She is certainly a grey interesting character that's always worth being on the lookout for.
Our tomboy ( forget her name haha) is a lady on a quest to make her stand in a toxic male dominated business world. And she is gonna do Anything for that.
The characters here are complex and interesting. Well... Except the 2nd lead who is ..well predictable goodie boy lol ( all righteous) I sorta find his character... dull. But let's see if he gets better I guess.

But Amidst his full character I think the two male leads add value to the female leads journey. Our male lead teaching her on the harsh realities of the business world and harshly training her for it. While the 2nd leads takes her on a morally correct ethics of life. A perfect blend.

Cinematograohy wise, This drama is decent for the genre. It isn't flashy as for a fantasy but for a historical drama of Such category, it's pretty nice. And the UNDERWATER SCENES WERE CHEF KISS. I can't believe it was filmed in a real life water! Excellent! No wonder it was so realistically done. Beautiful.

The Ost of this drama is suiting for the concept of the drama. not by best lineup of Ost but it's actually decent. Especially the Opening theme.

If you're contemplating if you should watch this drama, I'd recommend you check out the first two episodes. Ep1 captivated me at the go! So I believe these two episodes are enough for you to judge. Although I'm confident it'll hook you. You should check clips and see if the genres are something that you'll like, if so then I think you'll love this. It's gripping indeed and overall worth the time.

Read More

It's A Long, Long Journey, So Stay By My Side

The Story of Pearl Girl is exactly that--the journey of a young girl, Duan Wu, from slave girl at a pearl farm to a renowned jeweler and businesswoman. It is a remarkable journey, full of all the spice of life--pain, joy, greed, revenge, tragedy--and in the center of it was Duan Wu, who later reshaped herself into Su Ma Zhe.

The first half of the drama moved at a good click. Our heroine suffered horribly as a slave and managed to escape. Her dream, as she told Zhang JinRan, the 2ML, was freedom and we see this theme throughout the entire drama.

Duan Wu's quest for freedom landed her on a ship, first as an indentured servant of sorts to the male lead, Yan ZiJing, and later as his friend, partner and lover. But that was only the first half of the journey. She had much to learn about life and freedom.

Yan ZiJing was a hard taskmaster because of his background. He, too, had been an imprisoned child and knew how difficult it was to survive alone. Thus, his treatment of Duan Wu was very harsh in the beginning but we, the audience, see and understand the reason behind this in later episodes. YZJ wanted to teach Duan Wu how to survive and not fall prey to all the evil schemes in the world.

On the other hand, the 2ML, Zhang JinRan was the total opposite--a by-the-book official, one who saw life in black and white, who was intelligent but somewhat naive, calculating enough to see through people, yet was also unwilling to bend the law a little, even to achieve justice.

Both these men loved Duan Wu in their own capacity and supported her as much as they could. Of the two, YZJ understood Duan Wu's yearning for freedom far better than JinRan precisely because he had lived at the edge of danger and death most of his life while the latter was a young rich nobleman who had been insulated from the harsh reality of how slaves actually lived. However, Duan Wu would learn much from both these men as she slowly become the new her.

Right in the middle of the drama, the Big Change happened. Like the proverbial tale of a phoenix rising from the ashes, so too must Duan Wu face the flames of transformation. A huge, devastating tragedy happened and her entire new life she thought she had gained disappeared overnight.

The second half of the story started with Duan Wu going at it alone, making her way from desert to snow to city, transforming into Su Mu Zhe. The journey was a tough one but the price of freedom for her here was
1) independence (and so she must do this alone)
2) individualism (and so she must be more proactive to assert how she wanted her life)
3) innovation (and so she must always strive to be better than her competitor)

What made Duan Wu such a great character to watch was her resilience and ability to move on in the face of suffering. She did not dwell on bitterness or self-pity (not for long, anyway). She climbed every mountain in her way like they were mole hills, learning to adapt to be a smooth and knowledgeable city woman.

Standing in contrast was Cui SiJiu, the antagonist of the drama. Cui SiJiu was perhaps the most interesting character of this story--a tomboy turned concubine, a woman who wanted to run a business like a man, trying to please her father over and over even though he just saw her as a useless daughter. SiJiu was hateful, seeing those below her family's status as ants to be trampled on. We were never meant to like her but her journey was nonetheless an interesting one.

CSJ yearned for freedom too. But her choices toward her goal were rash and cruel. Over and over she was given the opportunity to change and over and over she made the same mistake, blindly blaming everyone but her actions for her losses. The price of freedom, when she finally gained it, was very high too. I myself didn't pity her lot at the end (although many other viewers bawled their eyes out). She had so many opportunities to be redeemed and yet, all she showed was spite and cruelty.

If we looked at CSJ as the other side of the coin to Duan Wu, we see how both women, alone and clever, dealt with what life gave them in entirely different ways. Both yearned to be "free" and their opposing paths (and choices) gave insight on how one could miss out on many positive things of life just because of hate and revenge.

Speaking of revenge, YZJ lived for revenge. And through revenge would he, too, find his freedom.

The journey of our main character, as I said in the beginning, was a long one. Duan Wu fought her way through it. The first half was her fight for basic survival and the second half was her fight for societal survival. Because once you crawl out of the shell in the ocean of misery, you must polish yourself to shine in the river of life. And shine she did.

Cinematography -- The underwater scene in Episode One was worth watching on a big TV screen.

Acting -- Zhao LuSi proved here she could handle any role. She had always excelled in comedy. In Pearl Girl, she also tackled a serious role who went through multiple tragedies. She was mesmerizing with her fleeting changes of expression. Liu Yu Ning gave a strong performance as YZJ, although now the joke among his fans is that LYN's main roles have only 80 percent chance of survival LOL. Special praise also goes to Chloe Xie as Cui SiJiu--she made a hateful character somewhat relatable and in the end, gained redemption. And who could forget the great Wing Man of the drama, Kang Ju?!

Editing -- There were some choppy scenes, especially in the last two episodes. This 40-episode rule in C-Drama really hurts story lines that need a little bit more expansion. The ending could have been smoother with an extra one or two episodes, maybe covering the poison, the two love birds' final days, even the ending where it was just a summary. It would have been nice to see Zhang JinRan, the 2ML be by her side. The current edit resulted in no emotional payoff for the invested viewer at all. It was just lazy storytelling.

There were also parts in the middle that could have been shortened. I heard many of 2ML's scenes were cut. That was unfortunate because it would have made for a smoother finale. As for the foreshadowing--there was plenty of it, so I was NOT surprised at the ending at all. A little bit underwhelming, actually, because why must ALL feminist-focused stories have to have the FL end up alone? That's not the end-game of female empowerment, folks. It's stupid, writers. Feminists need lovers, friends and family too, you know. And if you wanted to foreshadow that heavily, WHERE WAS THE FREAKING PAYOFF? Be brave. Give us the payoff since you dared to crush our hearts.

I rate this drama a strong 8,8

Read More

Just magnificent!

PLOT: The FL struggles to survive in slavery on a pearl farm as a diver. She succeeds by escaping with the help of a high-ranking official (the ML2), then joins as a servant on the ML's boat. He is a harsh trader, solely committed to revenge for his family (jewelers, killed by desert bandits, during an escort, and banished after death).

+++ With Liu Yu Ning & Zhao Lu Si, 2 actors that I love (ღ˘⌣˘ღ). They have so much talent to bring us this poignant story. They don't even need words to make us feel all their emotions... Amazing! Truly magical!
+++ Perfect execution: rhythm, costumes, visuals, sets, framing, lighting.
+++ Coherent and intelligent story. The characters are complex, all morally grey, well developed, and played by excellent actors.
+++ Superb credits and magnificent OST.

Even the ending, moving and bitter, is well done.

=> Series to watch and rewatch, the story is so beautiful (despite the hard and sad moments).
************************************************
Juste magnifique !

PLOT: La FL peine à survivre dans l'esclavage d'une ferme de perles comme plongeuse. Elle réussit en s'enfuir avec l'aide d'1 officiel de haut rang (le ML2), puis s'engage comme servante sur le bateau du ML. C'est un commerçant, dur, uniquement engagé dans la vengeance de sa famille (joailliers, tués par des bandits du désert, lors d'1 escorte, et banni par contumace).

+++ Avec Liu Yu Ning & Zhao Lu Si, 2 acteurs que j'adore. Ils ont tellement de talent, pour nous faire vivre cette histoire poignante. Ils n'ont même pas besoin de mots pour nous faire ressentir toutes leurs émotions... Bravo !
+++ Réalis° parfaite : rythme, costumes, visuels, décors, cadrages, lumière.
+++ Story cohérente et intelligente. Les personnages sont complexes, bien développés, et interprétés par d'excellents acteurs.
+++ Superbe générique et OST magnifiques.

Même la ending, émouvante, amère, est bien amenée.

=> Série à voir et à revoir, tellement l'histoire est belle (malgré les moments durs et tristes).

Read More

Zhao Lusi such amazing actress

the drama was truly outstanding.
un unforgettable experience from start to finish . it combined a gripping story with exceptional performances that brought each character to life in a way that felt raw and real the cinematography was breathtaking. thank you somuch lusi You are the only reason why I watch Chinese historical drama. ilove your acting so much ilove everything about thank you for make me happy and your all drama is my comfort 😘😘😘 and may you always be in good condition and be healthy in body. and may you overcome any trial that comes your way as long as you always stay humble

Read More

The show starts off strong but ultimately loses momentum as it progresses

On paper, this drama has everything I look for: a compelling story centered on character development, female relationships, and political intrigue rather than just romance. It starts off with great promise, drawing the viewer in with its strong foundation. However, as the story progresses, it becomes stalled by repetitive obstacles thrown in the protagonist's path, which ultimately saps the momentum from an otherwise intriguing narrative.

The first few episodes were absolutely thrilling and deeply moving—they even brought me to tears. The show tackled heavy themes like sexual violence with sensitivity, delivering a female-focused narrative that made me root for the main character with all my heart. The developing friendships and romances were equally compelling, filled with chemistry and emotional depth.
I’ve always loved stories about women overcoming adversity to build their own businesses, as seen in New Life Begins. However, in this case, the story begins to lose its spark in the second half. The intrigue fizzles out as repetitive obstacles are thrown at the protagonist, making the narrative feel stagnant. The show would have greatly benefited from fewer episodes and tighter storytelling in its latter part.
By the time the tragic ending unfolded, my emotional connection to the characters had waned due to the overly drawn-out plot. Finishing the show felt like a chore, as each new conflict added little to the overall progression of the story. While it had incredible potential, the lack of narrative focus in the second half sadly undermined its impact.

Read More

Beautiful and emotional journey

This was one of my most awaited drama, I couldn’t wait to see this pairing again.

What I liked :
- Cinematography
- acting was great, both leads were phenomenal, but also side characters did good
- music
- actions scenes. exemple ep 18 was heartbreaking, but very well done.
- costumes, hairstyles, makeup
- friendship
1) ML and Kang Ju : I absolutely love Kang Ju, one of my fav character. their bond was very strong. They went through so much together and have been together for years, I love this duo. Poor Kang Ju couldn’t save him…. His reaction to ML poison and wanted to save him broke my heart
2) the girl’s friendship at clear mind
3) not sure how I feel about FL and Cui friendship, feel like I didn’t really feel it after everything that happened and it happened pretty late in the story. At some point I was like, a thing to bound about, both lost their men….
4) the trio : FL, ML and SML. it was fun to watched them and the development between ML and SML. how they eventually became friends, their bickering and how they helped each other
5) we cannot forget the the late ones from the convoy. I loved their friendship and their moments together. Their deaths marked a tournament in the story and it was pretty sad.
- The love triangle was so well done and it’s how it should be : very minimal and rejected relatively early. he accepted it, no obsession or annoyances to get in the way or to get her. He was a friend to both FL and ML, helped them alone the way. His present created some funny jaelousy moments. He was a bit annoying at first, but he came to understand their situation and was they went through, their way of thinking. I don’t even think this should be called a love triangle. this is a very good/positive point for me, I’m tired of obsess/delulu/crazy/annoying SML
- the pace of the plot was pretty good and the story in general was interesting and well written
- the first half was more interesting to me, but I like seeing FL’s journey, I know the drama is about her.
- the story was different. It contained hard scenes to watch and emotional scenes that kept us attentive
- I actually did not dislike second couple, in the end I came to like them and they had chemistry. They liked each other for real and it was too late. I cried a bit when he died, the acting was good and I felt it. It was heartbreaking to me, how he wanted to protect her and everything. I had to look away when he was impaled and when through it because he had to save her. And after that how she didn’t to leave him, I would have wanted her to respond to him when he asked if she loved him for real. I felt so bad for her after that. when she was in her room and like saying she finally got the shop, but she’s alone, she just wants her family back. both had trash family that were using and treating them bad, they deserved better and also I would say a happy ending. in the end, they just wanted to escape and be together
- to finish this, let’s about the leads : strong, intelligent, beautiful, capable, kind, we can go on and on. both suffered so much and were perfect for each other. they understood each other suffering, they went through similar things. very mature and heartwarming relationship. their chemistry was very strong. such good moments and romantic scenes we got, even if romance was not the main focus, even if I wished it was. Seeing their relationship progress was beautiful, seeing them slowly falling in love. they loved each other so much, my heart broke for them, they so much deserved a happy ending, they deserved better. I cried a lot during ep 40


So now :
- personally, the misunderstanding lasted too long.
- got somehow less interesting with the business part a little, but still enjoyable. Every 40 eps drama have some boring moments in my opinion, so I’m not deducing my rating because of this, I didn’t for other dramas.
- I wasn’t satisfied with the revenge/ clearing the family name at all. Actually there was no revenge, we saw almost nothing and it was all cleared by the law, which is not satisfying to me
- didn’t like the ending. A sad ending is already bad to me (but can be well done I guess sometimes, but didn’t like it here). but an ending that doesn’t feel complete, like we didn’t got closure, is worst to me. didn’t like his choice and how it was left to him leaving and dying off screen. Even the last scene and the thing about business, didn’t care much to be honest even if the drama is about FL’s journey. I’m not satisfied with the ending, it’s feels a bit like I wasted time when the ending is not satisfying. I don’t know why the writers do this ? (it was the same in KMLM). the characters have suffered for years and everything, but they don’t even get an happy ending? If they absolutely wanted him to die, I think maybe it could have been written otherwise. like it was also misleading some people saying that in interviews she said or hinted (I don’t remember) that it’s happy ending. I remember reading about this in the comments at some point. I shouldn’t have paid attention to that ahaha my mistake
I’m saying nonsense here ahaha (I just finished, I cried, I’m tired), but both FL and SFL lost their men, like what is it, to bloom and be successful she should be alone with no men. Anyway, now I don’t even wanna watch the next dramas of Liu Yu Jing that are in my watch list…. And one of them I have been waiting for so long. The novel has a happy ending, but I have trust issues now with Cdramas, they actually change HE in SE sometimes and many writers don’t know how to write good endings. actually just like Allen Ren, they have so many sad ending dramas, that I don’t even wanna watch anymore.

Hopefully next year, we get more happy and satisfying ending. don’t know how to rate, I can’t give 10/10 because I’m not satisfied with the ending/last ep. I would say between 9-9,5 should be my rating. I would absolutely recommend, but be prepared for the heartbreak at the end.

Read More

Great first half but loses its steam (and my attention) in the second half.

1st half - 8.0
2nd half - 7.0

I already lowered my expectations for “The Story of Pearl Girl”, yet I am still somewhat disappointed. This is a well-produced drama with beautiful costumes, decent sets and cinematography. I don’t think objectively this is a bad drama, but I lost my connection to the leads in the middle of the drama, and was unable to regain my attention in the second half.

“The Story of Pearl Girl” has an exciting start. The story of our female lead’s struggle to leave the pearl farm might not be realistic, but at least it’s interesting. Time spent on the ship and Duan Wu’s climb from the bottom of the crew to being a partner-in-crime are well-paced and exciting. The first half is able to balance Duan Wu’s story and Yan Zi Jing’s revenge plot pretty well.

Although the chemistry between the leads is not sizzling, at least they have some interesting and fun scenes together in the first half. I also enjoy the friendships of the crew members and especially Duan Wu’s tight bond with young Xia Mi/Little Shrimp. The first half has a good balance of angst, suffering, adventure, and humor. There isn’t anyone too irritating in the drama and the leads are all quite smart.

Unfortunately, the heartbreaking mid-drama episodes came much earlier than expected. After that, everything goes downhill. The leads are separated for way too many episodes when they’re off to their own adventures. The little chemistry that they had, disappeared in the second half, and was never recovered. Well, at least I never felt their chemistry anymore. During this time, the focus shifted to Duan Wu’s business plot. The male lead becomes a wallflower or an unimportant supporting character. The drama loses the balance of revenge excitement and business shenanigans. Eventually, it also loses my attention all the way until the end. The downfall of the villains in the last couple episodes is very anti-climatic. I expected more, when revenge is such a big focus in this drama. The last episode should elicit a lot more emotions from me because of the lead couple, but I think I felt more for the secondary couple, Cui Shi Jiu and Zheng Zhi Heng.

The general acting of the cast isn’t too bad. I don’t think this is Zhao Lu Si’s best role. I still like her more in “Love Like the Galaxy”. But she’s good enough. The same could not be said for Liu Yu Ning. He lacks screen presence and charisma as a male lead. His acting also seems to have regressed from when I last saw him in “Heroes” (2024) where he acted alongside two very strong male leads. He’s still not very good with romantic scenes, and seems to be best when he’s with his band of brothers/bromance, such as in “A Journey to Love” or “Heroes”. The second male lead, Tang Xiao Tian, is a more experienced actor and it shows. There’s a scene when they’re side by side digging through the soil, and you could see the difference in their acting when displaying the same emotions. Fortunately, the rest of the supporting cast deliver solid acting.

I am not sure if I would fully recommend “The Story of Pearl Girl” to everyone. My criticisms are very personal due to me never recovering the interest after it’s lost in the middle of the drama. Normally, I would have rated a similar drama an 8.0. But if you are a fan of Zhao Lu Si, it’s worth checking it out. Her acting is still solid and she looks beautiful with different hair/makeup and costumes.




Completed: 12/19/2024 - Review #528

Read More

Women are not weak in business word.

Exciting plot..The value of the sentence "Women should not be bound by the fate of others" has been increasing. Pearl Curtain Jade has never been a drama with a heroine, but a drama that runs through all the female characters in the drama!

Whether it is the pearl collector Duanwu, Feng
Wuniang, or Cui Shijiu, they are all trying to break the current difficulties and the shackles of traditional concepts, and become the heroines of their own lives!

The screenwriter respected all the female characters in the play. Cui Shijiu hated Duanwu so much, but she only thought that Duanwu was Yan Zijing's errand boy, and she would not objectify women with dirty thoughts!

The drama "The Story Of Pearl Girl" is very detailed, just taste it! The more you taste, the more you will find it interesting.

Read More