Dramatic and Historical
I have seen a lot of negative comments about the focus of the silk and brocade business aspect of this drama, and it saddens me a little.What people fail to understand is that this drama *is* historical, and is relaying to the audience the great efforts it took by the Chinese to establish what is known as “The Silk Road”. It was then, a trade route that stretched from China to the Mediterranean region spanning over 4,000 miles or 6,400 kilometers. That it itself was astounding.
The Silk Road not only opened up that then monstrous trade route, but it also gave opportunity for cultural as well as goods exchanges through foot traffic. Many of those who traveled the Silk Road after it was established were Chinese merchants and Buddhist monks. It brought trades of silk, spices, metals and a myriad other items to areas that had not been exposed to them previously. Currently, since it has been rediscovered, the Silk Road has been reopened and the United Nations sponsored a trans-Asian motor highway and railroad project, and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to revive and expand the ancient routes through modern infrastructure development.
The history is diverse and rich. If you are only interested in romance then this drama is not for you.
If you drop your expectations and truly watch this drama for what it is, a look back at the establishment of a massive trade route, the often overwhelming and demoralizing structure of family clans, the unjust and often brutal treatment of women and servants with a love story mixed in, then watch and enjoy.
First - just a big shout out to Mr. Beauty ( the nickname for Zheng Yecheng from Love 020). His martial arts are made incredibly beautiful due to his background in theatrical arts and majoring in opera. He is perfect for roles like this. I cannot say enough about his wire stunts or his acting as they are stellar.
Tan Songyun is as usual, fabulous. Fiesty, protective
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A Great Journey of female empowerment and Fight. And a look into the Brocade trade
Got to say that even though the last 8 episodes or so were extremely tedious, because of all the angst. This story is a great journey of female empowerment and like I saw when BO was still airing it was so easy emerging myself in Yingying's journey. She was one of the best FL's I've seen. Even though she fell she knew how to stand back up and she never gave up. Yes, this drama is not without its faults, but I loved it. The good outweighed the bad for me. And the acting was impressive. I saw complaints about the romance being underwhelming on here and I disagree. Could we have had more Yingying and Jinglan moments? perhaps but this drama wasn't about that. Romance was secondary because this was Yingying's journey to becoming Lady Silk. Still, I pretty much loved their love story and the chemistry between Seven Tan and Zhen Ye Cheng. Plus, the villains' demises are extremely satisfying for me. Everything Yingying went thru mattered in the end to get where she is.10/10
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SLOW POISON WHICH WON'T LEAVE YOU. GETS BETTER WITH EACH EPISODES.
I'm currently on episode 26, and I have to say—episodes 23 and 24 were absolute masterpieces in terms of storytelling, screenplay, direction, and performance. The emotional range is sky-high. The music mix was brilliant, adding so much depth to every scene.Zheng Ye Cheng — I’ve officially become your fan. What an incredible character portrayal! He balances humor, sincerity, and sheer intensity so effortlessly. His character is both deadly and loving — a complex mix of traits that he absolutely nailed. Every shade of emotion felt real and deeply layered.
And Tan Song Yun — words honestly fall short. The range of emotions she conveys through just her eyes is mesmerizing. She brings such authenticity to her role; it’s impossible not to be moved by her performance.
I’m completely in love with this series. It’s a slow poison — it draws you in bit by bit, and before you know it, you’re fully immersed. The pace never drags; in fact, the stakes keep rising with each episode.
Interestingly, though the tone is very different, the show somehow reminds me of the Korean drama My Dearest. There’s a kind of atmospheric symmetry — an emotional pull that lingers, even if the genres don’t match.
Anyway, I’ve written a lot, but I just had to share how much I’m enjoying this. Can’t wait to watch the rest ASAP!
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This review may contain spoilers
DISAPPOINTED
I like Seven Tan Song Yun & Zheng Yi Cheng, what I don't like it the synopsis of this drama. C-drama is kept producing similar themes of dramas, everybody seems like making the same drama based on popularity at the time. To name a few before it was Imperial harems with all s**ty women's jealousy, then BL dramas, now merchant story lines. Brocade Odyssey starts slow, so boring, doesn't hold attention that we're excited about.Haiyo, why is it so a big of deal about silk yarns? Why appointed a special inspector brocade? To understand all these, I should watch the whole drama but I am currently stuck on ep 11 like long standing 'pending'. What I like about this drama? Nothing. I only like it because of Zheng YiCheng & Tan Song Yun. But then their acting isn't memorable here, it's boring characters.
Merchants, abuse, discrimination and slavery scenes/plots are repetitive in c-drama world.
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It's ok BUT....
The story is good and I learnt a lot about silk and brocade. The actors are good but the script is a bit boring and any attempt at humour just fell flat completely. The entire drama is kinda slow and monotonous, everyone speaking in the same tone and lacking in energyI had to abandon it half way,it was just a bit dull. With three directors you'd think they can do better. The FL has a lot of lines but she's again lacking in energy. I have seen her elsewhere and this is actually one of her better ones.
The ML is really good but the director didn't get the best out of him
It's a so-so drama.nothing to speak of,I just didn't to waste more time
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A beautifully woven tapestry
This drama was just fantastic with multiple layers, great cast, great costumes, great plot, great cinematography, great music - at 40 episodes it didn't drag either.I started watching this because I'm a big fan of Tan Song Yun and she delivers another excellent performance here. I also think it's kind of neat that she's in both dramas on Viki with 'brocade' in the title.
I didn't think I'd seen the ML, Zheng Ye Cheng, before - until I discovered he was one of the bros in Love O2O. I think it's testament to his acting skills that I had no idea and I was genuinely impressed with his performance. He handled the serious, romantic and comedic scenes with equal aplomb. At one point where another actor might have gone over the top he played a scene so believably with his controlled performance that it made it all the more powerful.
I think the writing must be good because there were points where the subs conveyed the tremendous affection and noble character of the ML superbly. That said, there were a couple of mistakes in the subs where they refer to the second ML instead of the ML lead or the wrong city so watch out for that.
Beautifully shot and some fantastic action scenes, some of the best I've seen. I also liked that the second FL got to show her fighting skills too. Overall the staging was excellent.
Costumes - I'm sure my fellow crafters will appreciate that a drama where fabrics play such an important role, the quality of the costumes added to the atmosphere. I also noted several costumes with patterned fabric where they'd taken the trouble to pattern match across different parts of the garment, love the attention to detail.
Music - I realised at one point that Tan Song Yun was singing one of the songs and honestly it just added to the scene and made it all the more touching. Soundtrack is good all round.
Set / production design - the main city is painted in mid and light blue with red and it's so pretty. Really well done and scenes felt as though they had depth, which added to the realism.
I also liked how there were some characters who were clearly good or bad but others who were more complex. I'm not sure you can say they redeemed themselves but more a case of making good decisions in the end. Definitely made it more interesting to watch. We got a good supply of villains, both male and female, and as different ones took the stage at different points it never got boring or felt drawn out.
Lovely supporting cast and some nice bromances going on. A few side romances although they aren't major plot points.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this drama. It's got it all!
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Beautiful story with beautiful main leads!
I am a long time fan of Tan Song Yun, through her I am glad I have discovered Zheng Ye Cheng now! They have a great chemistry, wonderful play and gorgeous costumes! I also liked the guy who played Prince Bai. Even though he played a psychopath I could not help feeling that he is a nice guy. Will watch more of his dramas. Overall, I've learnt a lot about the silk industry. The drama picked my curiously to learn even more about genuine silk in China.Was this review helpful to you?
No, surprise considering Tan Songyun is the FL!The ML, first time for me watching him also he is a very good actor
The story line is really good .The waiting for the this custom drama,well worth it.
Also it really had me laughing, laughter is the best medicine .
This is my third time watching Song Tan Yan drama.The first time I saw Flight to you,as beautiful as you.
Seven is really a good actress haha I saw a wild horse 🐎
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The best drama of 2024
I haven't watched many episodes yet. I watch them whenever I find time and pay attention to every detail.Now, let's evaluate the roles:
Ji Ying Ying (Tan Song Yun) is an intelligent, family-oriented, businesswoman with a funny character. It's very impressive how she constantly fights for justice. Despite Hua Madam always causing trouble for her, Ji Ying Ying never gives up on her goal.
Yang Jing Lan (Zheng Ye Cheng) is a fighter with a humorous nature, fair, and a secret officer. I love this male character. He is both mysterious and a protective man. He always tries to protect Ji Ying Ying. I love the chemistry between the lead roles.
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Unique and wonderful!
"Brocade Odyssey" is a fantastic show that truly captivated me from start to finish. The leads were passionate, determined, and intelligent, especially when it came to problem-solving. The strong female lead was particularly impressive, showcasing inspiring and empowering characteristics.The storyline kept me engaged every single episode—there wasn't a dull moment throughout the entire series. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the relationship between the leads develop. Their slow-burn love story was incredibly satisfying, thanks to their undeniable chemistry.
The ending was well-executed and left me feeling content rather than bitter, which is always a plus in my book. Overall, "Brocade Odyssey" is a must-watch for anyone who appreciates strong characters, compelling storylines, and a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended!
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Una verdadera Odisea del Brocado
ESPECTACULAR. La historia, los personajes, el brocado y toda la trama.Fue tan satisfactorio ver este drama de principio a fin, día a día esperando por un nuevo capítulo, nunca se me ocurrió dejar de ver el drama, nunca me aburrió. Los personajes principales estuvieron espectaculares, tanto Yingying como Jinglan fueron personajes muy bien desarrollados y el romance fue siemplemente un placer de ver y hasta de sentir, especctaculares actores ambos.
La protagonista femenina siemplemente espectacular, en el punto todo, ni tan romántica ni tan fría, aunque sumamente inteligente y astuta nunca restó al romance, fue dura cuando tuvo que serlo, fue frágil cuando tuvo que serlo y fue muy real e inspirador el personaje interpretado y logrado por Tan Song Yun.
Los antagonistas fueron perfectos, sentí mucho por Zhao Er porque era un gran personaje, de igual manera al final le hizo honor a esa caballerosidad que tanto lo descaba. Lo mismo para Bai Shen, siempre tuve la corazonada de que al final iba a hacer algo importante y no me defraudó.
RECOMENDADÍSIMA, VAYAN A VERLO. Quedé enamorada con Yang Jinglan :c siempre me pasa lo mismo cada que termino una historia.
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Ying Ying é uma jovem talentosa, inteligente e resiliente que herdou as habilidades do pai e tenta recriar a tintura do verdadeiro vermelho de Yizhou perdido após a morte de seu pai bem como restaurar sua reputação como homem honesto. No entanto, no seu caminhos se atravessam vários vilões tentando se apropriar de seu talento.
Apesar de gostado das personagens e até me sentir estranhamente atraída por um dos vilões (Príncipe Bai) ao mesmo tempo que o odiava, no geral, o drama tem um roteiro frustrante. São muitos vilões e os mocinhos têm pouco poder para reagir as injustiças. Falta equilíbrio entre as vilanias e as vitórias dos mocinhos. Passamos os 40 episódios assistindo a Ying Ying sofrer com raros momentos de felicidade. Os mocinhos sofrem literalmente até o último minuto. É tanta tragédia que apesar do final feliz fica uma sensação amarga.
Sobre a questão técnica do drama. Primeiramente parabéns por terem feito um IA convincente (na maioria das cenas) no rosto do ator cancelado. Mas fiquei um pouco desapontada com as cenas externas. Usaram muito fundo verde em vez de paisagens naturais. Parece drama de baixo orçamento. O que me causou bastante estranhamento visto que pensei que era um drama de orçamento alto pelo que tinha visto do making off do drama com relação aos cenários, figurinos e pesquisa histórica sobre a fabricação do brocado. Mas pelo visto faltou orçamento para as cenas externas. O CGI poderia ser um pouquinho melhor, era muito óbvio o uso do fundo verde na maioria das cenas.
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