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A love that proves you can conquer everything as long as you have each other
What I liked the most about this drama is that despite all the deceptions and evil plots among the characters, the main leads still remain consistent with their love and trust for each other until the end. The plot twists were so unexpected but I'm just glad they never once hurt each other and had each other's back. I'm gonna miss their love story. Although the last few episodes were a bit dragging but it highlighted ML's background and how much he was willing to give up for his love for the FL. It also showed how FL loved him so much by being by his side when he needed support from her. ML is such a green flag and I just cried at the end knowing they can finally be with each other. We stan a strong, independent FL who is always clear-headed from the beginning until the end.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Just randomly watching Dramas of this ML.
Definitely like this one.The scale of the problems are not country level, which is pretty good for me. Because I'm kinda overloaded by saving the country, wanting to become the king, war against another country themes. So yeah...
I liked the FL and the ML characters. They use their brains and know how to scheme correctly. They look like proper adults who really fit their roles.
The family matters on the FL side are also decent. I like that they showed how no matter what they are family and that, in some way, they really care for each other. I like the FL sisters, their family power struggle did carry the show at the beginning.
I'm also satisfied with the ending.
A wedding ceremony for the couple would have been icing on the cake, but alas. At least they ended up with each other.
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Highly entertaining
I didn't expect to like this show as much as I did. I was cautious with the MDL synopsis. I've experienced the bait & switch too many times when a show claims to have strong female characters--who suddenly become damsels in distress and start losing brain cells so the male lead/s can play saviors. In Glory, the FL remains strong and smart from the beginning to the end. She even outmaneuvers the ML at times. She is comfortable in her skin and with her sexuality. It was incredibly refreshing to have strong female characters who are not one-dimensional of only being the jealous schemer/angry hot head/other tropes in c-dramas. Quite a few of the women that you love to hate in the beginning of the show have great character arcs. You end up liking and respecting them by the end. I highly recommend it.Rewatch value: 10/10.
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insulting in so many ways
**Dropped after episode 13**Okay so I have a handful of complaints, but the thing I want to talk about most is something I haven't seen *anyone* else talk about and given how this character was handled, I'm honestly really really angry that no one is talking about it. So let's talk about Yunwan, the youngest(?) Rong sister who is mentally disabled to the point that she needs a caretaker to help with even basic aspects of daily life.
Yunwan is not a character. Yunyin treats her as a punching bag — constantly taunting her and threatening to physically harm her. Yunxi and Yunshu aren't as egregious with the mistreatment, but they clearly don't see a problem with Yunyin treating her this way. I actually really liked seeing Shanbao's protective streak with Yunwan, I thought it was the most likeable part of her character. But it does feel like a shortcut to making the point that Shanbao is The Good Character™️by having her basically be the only person who treats Yunwan with any dignity and respect and care, rather than putting in some effort to show her moral compass (which is.... inconsistent, from what I saw at least). But back to what I was saying — Yunwan is not a character. She is a prop. She exists solely to show that Shanbao, while having an icy exterior, does feel sympathy and care towards others and to highlight how cruel her other sisters can be. The narrative loves to infantilize Yunwan, with basically everyone referring to her as being a child (which unless she was egregiously miscast, I'd say Yunwan is at the youngest late teens and probably at least 20) and people expressing (performative) pity about how helpless she is. Then after the narrative actually does something interesting with the character by implying that she maybe possesses "the tea bone" (not going to get into the details cause I only vaguely understand it, but basically a special ability to determine what plants will make the best tea), she is swiftly tricked by a servant into going into the courtyard late at night, abandoned there, and then drowned. So like..... way to tell me that you view mentally disabled people as subhuman and worthless!
As for my other complaints...
Hou Minghao and Gulnezer both did a great job with what they were given but oh my god HMH's character was unbelievably f*cking dull. Lu Jianglai starts out with promise as he initially wants to get close to Shanbao for the purpose of recovering his memory and he's supposed to be this really smart investigator and a super capable fighter, but all that is immediately pushed into the background so he can spend 75% of his screentime staring at Shanbao with heart eyes. And it'd be one thing if there was an actual foundation to their romance but it's literally just like a switch flipped bc in ep 7 they go from their dynamic of being slightly contentious and him pushing back against her making unreasonable demands and then his very next scene he's suddenly jealous of her being alone w another man and borderline refusing to leave her side...... like. @ the writers explain to me what the hell happened. QUICKLY. And then their dynamic isn't cute either bc the inherent power imbalance as Shanbao can completely ruin his life with the snap of her fingers. Hell, there's a scene in.... I want to say ep 12? where Shanbao comes to Jianglai's room late at night and brings a lot of her comforts from her room to make it clear that she is staying with him and she kisses him and while the narrative implies he likes her in that way and wasn't against the kiss, he still asks her to leave bc he's uncomfortable with her spending the night there and she's like "don't make me force you" 🤮🤮🤮🤮 Repugnant shit.
The last complaint I'm going to discuss is how this show wants to present itself as a matriarchal society but it completely fails if you look past the surface. It's verrrrrrrry clear that the show wanted to be "male brothers fighting for the throne" except make it about a bunch of women which is cool in theory. But when we live in a deeply misogynistic society and there are stereotypes of women being jealous and vapid and catty, that shit doesn't work if you just mindlessly reproduce it! The show is just uncritically like "Yeah. Shanbao's sisters have no reason to dislike her. Literally no reason, they're just deceptive and untrustworthy and are just laser focused on making Shanbao lose favor with their grandmother and keeping her from becoming the next leader of the Rong family by any means necessary." And the show wants me to think this is feminist I have to f*cking laugh. It's just as misogynistic as the dramas where women exist solely to be the love interest and have no interiority.
And then the gender politics in this worldbuilding just don't make sense in the first place. One of the Rong family servants is seduced by a significantly younger man and they quickly start an affair bc he is using her to infiltrate the residence, and once she becomes aware of this and tells him he's going to be thrown out, he threatens to tell the Rongs about their sexual relationship and she's just like "that doesn't matter to the Rongs lol nice try" and she gets the guards to beat him and throw him out. But then like 5 episodes later when Shanbao has to choose someone to be her husband at the tea ceremony, one of the potential suitors blackmails Shanbao into choosing him.......... if a servant can get a man from a respected family beaten and thrown out with no repercussions, how the f*ck could blackmailing Shanbao ever work?????????? And then as a result of Shanbao choosing this guy, she's scolded by her grandmother for not choosing her favorite of the suitors and she's like "if you were a man you could have a wife and a concubine, so choosing badly wouldn't matter" so......... is this a matriarchy or not bc it sure sounds like the men have rights that the women do not!!!!!! Ugh god I could keep going about how the show utterly fails to be a matriarchal society and how it's just replicating systems of harm but with women in power this time (allegedly) and there's absolutely no insight on any of these power structures so of course the writing isn't clever enough to deconstruct any of this either.
Anyway, whatever I'm going to stop talking about this I don't need to raise my blood pressure any more than I already have.
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Desperate housewives of ancient China
This drama is for ppl who love tea & harem intrigues. The plot felt really flat and predictable, i can endure it only until ep 22. Actors did amazing job when we take the weak script and pacing into play. If I can summarize this entire TV series with one word it would be "boredom" , i won't remember even one significant scene in few weeks.Was this review helpful to you?
A Miss Despite the Potential
I went into The Glory mainly for the male lead, especially after really enjoying him in Love in the Clouds but this one just didn’t hold up for me. I ended up dropping it midway.I might be in the minority here, but I didn’t quite see the chemistry between the leads and for a story that leans so heavily on that connection, it felt like a noticeable gap. The female lead is undeniably beautiful and has presencebut together, the pairing felt mismatched rather than effortless.
The story started with promisebut it didn’t fully draw me in. At times, the pacing felt unevenand the emotional payoff didn’t land as strongly as I expected.
One thing that consistently pulled me out, though, was the visual treatment..the lighting felt overly pale and washed out which flattened scenes.
Overall, it had the elements to work but the execution just didn’t come together for me.
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Dropped — Just Not for Me
Dropped. So boring and painfully slow. I genuinely love HMH and started watching solely for him, but I just couldn’t push myself past episode 10 each episode felt like it lasted a lifetime. That said, the actors did a good job, and the performances weren’t the issue; the pacing just completely killed it for me.Was this review helpful to you?
F the patriarchy!
Glory is an uplifting cdrama that combines romance, ambition, and personal growth into a story that feels both inspiring and emotionally grounded. Led by compelling performances from Gulinazha and Hou Minghao, the series explores how resilience, identity and family dynamics shape the paths people choose in life.One of the cdrama’s most compelling aspects is its exploration of perseverance and self-discovery. The characters face numerous obstacles, yet the story consistently emphasizes that setbacks can become turning points. Through determination and courage, they learn to redefine success on their own terms.
It also thoughtfully examines patriarchal expectations within society. Several characters must navigate pressures rooted in tradition, particularly the expectations placed on women regarding career, family, and personal choices. Rather than presenting these pressures in a purely negative light, the narrative uses them to highlight how individuals challenge outdated norms and carve out their own independence.
In contrast, Glory introduces the idea of a matriarchal family structure, where female figures hold significant authority and influence within the household. This dynamic adds an interesting layer to the story, showing how power and responsibility can exist in different forms within family life. It reinforces the importance of wisdom, generational guidance, and the strength that women bring to both family and society.
Alongside these themes, the relationship between the leads is built on mutual respect and encouragement, portraying love not as a distraction from personal ambition but as a partnership that helps both individuals grow.
With its thoughtful storytelling and heartfelt performances, Glory ultimately delivers a meaningful message: true achievement is not just about external success, but about courage, integrity, and the willingness to challenge expectations while staying true to oneself.
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Boring
Can’t continue, too boring, yes the concept of reverse role is novel but that’s about it. Nothing can hook me to continueThe female lead only 1 expression for all kind of emotion (or lack thereof)
the pace of selecting husband is too dragging, just choose one already, you are the head of a matriarchal family, choose the one benefit your business as your main husband and you can have whomever you want as concubine.
The family dynamic is ok but the actors aren’t convincing me
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Intriga, acción, cultura del té y Hou Minghao.
Esta serie es magnífica, te engancha desde el primer capítulo. El guión es muy bueno, la trama no decae en ningún momento. Los movimientos de cámara son geniales, el vestuario es precioso, y que la ambientación de la serie sea en una plantación de té, me parece muy original.Lo mejor: Hou Minghao. Este chico tiene un talento, carisma y encanto ilimitados. Lu Jianglai es un personaje fascinante, y permite a Minghao desarrollar todo su potencial. Lu Jianglai es arrogante e impetuoso, inteligente e ingenioso, intrigante y misterioso y Minghao lo borda.
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Gran serie, buenas actuaciones y personajes cautivadores.
Esta es una gran serie, con una buena dirección, guión sólido, y un gran reparto. El preciosismo del vestuario, la belleza de la cultura del té, la cuidada fotografía, todo engrandece esta serie. Mención a parte, el reparto, encabezado por el talentoso Hou Minghao, demostrando por que es uno de los mejores actores de China, para mi el mejor.Lu Jianglai es el alma de esta serie. Su evolución de los primeros capítulos hasta ahora es increíble. Nada es lo que parece en esta serie. Todos tienen sus motivaciones y anhelos.
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Una gran serie que destaca en todo.
¡Menuda serie es Glory! A veces te encuentras con series que te sorprenden. Llegué a ella por Neo, que me vuelve a fascinar con su Lu Jianglai, un personaje complejo que lo interpreta a la perfección. Minghao hace un gran equipo con Nazha, que también esta genial como Rong Shanbao.Todo el reparto de la serie es fantástico. Los personajes están perfectamente definidos.Me encanta que en la relación amorosa de los protagonistas, tengan los roles invertidos: él es el tímido y recatado, y ella la directa y decidida.
El escenario de la serie es en una plantación de té, y creo que es hermosísimo.
La dirección es muy buena. Los movimientos de cámara, sobre todo en las escenas de acción son magníficos.
Por último, el vestuario de la época, es muy bonito.
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