The Story of Ming Lan is not a political drama like Nirvana in Fire or even Story of Yanxi Palace. It's more like a family drama set in a historical era - two good, kind generous people are mistreated by their cruel families. Slowly, eventually after some misunderstandings, they find each other and build a life together.
There is no real overarching plot, just bad act x, counterstrike y, over and over again. The one strength of the drama is the two main lead characters radiate such goodness while also being clever and brave, that you really cheer for them as they try to overcome their bad circumstances.
Acting is really good across the board - you really believe from the main characters to small side characters that they are who they say they are. Music is fine - not particularly remarkable but works.
There might be a scene or two I go back to, but nothing really stands out for a rewatch.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 5
(There are some vague themes on abusive/toxic family dynamics and how to defend yourself whilst maintaining your own moral code - they are not very strong.)
Character Growth -6
(How the main characters relate to each other changes over time in some sweet/interesting ways, but in general the characters are all very fixed and do not surprise)
Nuanced Women -7
(There are lots of female roles in this production, and they often have interesting and complex motives - if rather one note).
Cinematography/Production Values - 7
(Everything is shot in a competent, cinematic type way, but there are only a few basic sets and exteriors, and competent but not particularly exciting costuming)
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Unlike other vampire/immortal concepts, Kim Shin looks 40, acts 40 and he has the power and wealth of someone who is 40. Meanwhile, Ji Eun Tak looks 17, acts 17 and she has no power or wealth at all to her name.
The fact that Ji Eun Tak is world-weary due to a traumatic life, and Kim Shin is currently on a playful/mid-life crisis streak does not solve this fundamental problem. All the cinematography and production budget in the world couldn't solve this problem.
I really liked the character of Wang Yeo (the grim reaper), and his scenes somewhat redeemed the show for me. . . but not by enough.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes - 3
In fairness to the show, I didn't watch far enough to see any complex themes. But, in the first five episodes it is your typical vampire/immortal romance (except more highly morally problematic than normal). There were hints of complexity developing.
Character Growth -3
Not up to the point I watched.
Nuanced Women -7
Ji Eun Tak is competent in her wise beyond her years but still has bursts of childishness. (The burst of childishness did NOT help with the romance hinted aspects).
Cinematography/Production Values - 10
It's really really gorgeous, with lots of real life sets and large production values.
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Chu Xuan Ji and Yu Si Feng are enemies turned lovers in lifetime after lifetime. While the mythology and creativity of the world, and the different lifetimes are intriguing, there is no huge change in character growth or plot dynamics 40 episodes in. Chu Xuan Ji and Yu Si Feng are caught between their duties to their family/clan and their love and over and over and over again the same pattern repeats . .
The actor who plays Yu Si Feng is an excellent mix of intensity, brooding, with a bit of playfulness. Chu Xuan Ji has more of a split personality: innocent and hapless or arrogant and powerful. Everyone else dramatically overacts.
Music is fine, I would not rewatch. I grade on other criterias well:
Themes: 7.5
Elders can be misguided and not know what is best. Appearances can be deceiving: what's on the surface does not always reveal ones true character. Love that support, cherishes and empowers is far superior to love that suffocates and controls.
Character Growth/Development: 5.0
Yu Si Feng warms up a bit, and Chu Xuan Ji reveals her 'powerful' side every couple episodes, but that's about it.
Complex women/relationships: 7.0
Chu Xuan Ji does have relationships with an 'aunt,' her sister and friends she meets along the way. They do mostly talk about men or act as plot devices, but they do exist.
Cinematography/Production values: 7.0
Shows in this style (see Ashes of Love) are attempting a kind of deliberate, 2010 era video-game type CGI and it works decently well here. I wouldn't say there was anything shockingly beautiful or unique. Action scenes were competent but not particularly innovative.
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Of the young/new adult 'slice of life' C-dramas I've watched lately, the main couple here is incredibly endearing. They have that shy, cute smile energy from the beginning, and they look like they are having a lot of fun. The secondary characters, such as Tang Yi Bai's mother or his swim team friends, overact but are equally endearing. The cast was really enjoying themselves.
But that's the only 'mode' of the show 20 episodes in. There's no real tension or conflict. There is this big mystery/tragedy hanging in the air, but it's not been revealed in anyway. I kept waiting for the show to pick up...but it just keeps skipping along.
So while the couple is perhaps my favorite, I ended up dropping this one . . .
Music is quite good - there's not much I'd rewatch.
Complex Themes -3
(Maybe this will appear later? But besides be a good person - follow your dreams! Not much going on.)
Character Growth -3
(Characters seem to be very fixed. Even in the flashback scenes, they all seem to have the same personalities. Yun Duo does show more range than the others.)
Nuanced Women -7
(Yun Duo is sweet and bubbly as one would expect in this type of show, but she is also strong, opinionated with good morals. She has a lot of grit/resilience. By episode 20, they had not done much with the other women characters ).
Cinematography/Production Values - 6
(They did find one olympic swimming pool, and one gym to shoot the sports scenes. But the show is fairly claustrophobic between pool, gym, outside the pool, Yun Duo's work and Tang Yi Bai's house. Tang Yi Bai and his friend Qi Rui Feng are in good shape and do an OK job/believability at being swimmers, but the rest of the swimmers do not - and the 'stretching' exercising scenes are a bit laughable).
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Many Joseon era dramas these days feel like they are just recycled over and over again. It's a shame as I enjoy the dramatic situations available to historical romances, and due to the premise I was willing to give this show a chance.
The scenario that the woman is in the 'high power position' compared to the man is refreshing. But, it doesn't result in more tension or difference in dynamic compared to your standard gender bending (changing clothes, bathing etc.). There's lots that could be done to truly flip your expectations, but so far not much has happened.
Six episodes in, we are still at the show synopsis stage. You could read the summary, pick up at episode six and know exactly what is going on. There's now been episode after episode of long looks, and speculative glances with no real character development or real dramatic tension.
This is a competent effort, but does not add anything new to the genre. At this stage I couldn't figure out a reason to continue watching.
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He Fanxing is figuring out what she wants from life and relationships - to be true to herself or societal/community approval. But, once it appeared all 40+ episodes would be He Fanxing stumbling around unsure, I considered dropping the show . . .
Positives: When He Fanxing and Yuan Song (young love interest) shared a screen there is great energy, and you could see why they are drawn to each other. There is surprisingly little screen time devoted to Yuan Song, and there's a lot more that could be done with the character. . .
Negatives: Ye Luming (older love interest) has 'red flags' written all over him from the start. He lies, stalks her, ingrates himself with her parents, is very physical and grabby, and uses all the pressure in the world. This is excused as just being an alpha/domineering CEO, but his hostility toward women that cry and fantasising/dreaming about stabbing them was a bridge too far. Once I realized he was staying on through the show, I stopped wanting to watch . . .
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I liked the premise. One ambitious woman (Li Hao Lan) and two men who love her - one older merchant (Lu Bu Wei) who has shifty morals and will sacrifice anything to win, and a prince (Ying Yi Ren) who tries his best to act with decency and honor. Which path will she choose?
By Episode 15, however, I had lost patience. Lu Bu Wei had attempted the same scheme numerous times, claimed that he was going to betray and ditch her multiple times, DID leave her behind, and then she still had to help rescue him and appears to be attracted to him.
Ying Yi Ren always protests about Lu Bu Wei 's morals, but always goes along for the good of his kingdom - and the pattern repeats.
As a result, I rapidly got fed up with all of them - and the tension no longer held my interest.
I have other criteria I score by:
Complex Themes - 8
(The themes are introduced regarding ambition, loyalty to romantic love vs. kingdom and family, revenge, betrayal etc. but it never moves forward)
Character Growth -3
(It felt like it was never going anywhere)
Nuanced Women -5
(There were plenty of women in significant roles, but they tended to be all typical dramatic stereotypes)
Cinematography/Production Values - 7
(A lot of money was spent, but it doesn't have the creative beauty of Yanxi Palace or the sweeping outdoor shots of Nirvana in Fire 2. The costumes are all a boring cream/white/gold up through Episode 15 )
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This review may contain spoilers
You can find love in unexpected places . . . but do you want to?Due to hijinks, Qin Shi and Yang Hua decide to pretend to be husband and wife. They both 'could do worse' and are attractive . . and so why not move from fake to real? The suspense comes from Qin Shi being a known quantity, but Yang Hua is a mystery to the audience, why does he know so much about finance? why does he have such an odd attitude towards relationships? What makes him tick?
It's not the most compelling plot, but there is an eagerness in seeing him finally lose his cool, or revealing some of the mysteries of the past.
But, I am dropping this series because I absolutely can't stand the secondary couple. They are both miserable, but the woman doesn't want to let go, and the man is incapable on his own. The family tries to encourage the woman to stay as she is a steadying, good influence on him and the family business. This is the story of every dysfunctional relationship ever, and by all accounts has been going on for years . . . what are we supposed to be learning from this? It's beyond the we fight and make up phase.
They are showing every single sign of a completely failed relationship, physical violence, emotional and/perhaps sexual cheating, demeaning and derisive comments about each others characters. It may turn out that there is a relationship lesson down the line, but for now it seems to hint that they are some sort of Romeo and Juliet, instead of a couple who should have split up years ago before people got hurt. I started skipping their scenes, but the pros are small and cons large for this series, and it's time to give up.
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I loved the premise of this. Two people whose marriage soured and ambitions failed are given a second chance to do it all over again. It's especially sweet and interesting that Pei Wen Xuan, our male lead, is clearly head over heels in love with our head strong, somewhat enfiruatiing, highly capable female lead Princess Li Rong.
But after the initial action paced 10 episodes, the plot curdles. Pei Wen Xuan and Li Rong's romance does not progress. The court political plots are all the same and add no tension. The secondary romance has a lot of potential, but then one half is sent off for a bunch of episodes.
This is the first C-Drama in quite awhile were I was excited and addicted to keep watching, but everything fizzled out. I'm dropping . . .
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I knew from the first episode this show probably was not for me. I kept watching because 'secret longing' is a favorite character trope of mine, and if this show had a defining theme it's 'secret longing.'
But, even all the yearning and pained glances, couldn't keep me watching this. The conflicts are highly typical from the school portion: 'failure to communicate' 'absentee parents' and 'being looked down for being poor' and the adult portion: 'failure to communicate' 'insecurities and jealousies regarding failure/success.'
There's a lot of nostalgia for their school years that feels unearned. Indeed the flashbacks pick moments from all five years of their relationship and yet don't show any relationship development. No stray touches or being able to communicate in an easier way; there's no sense that the relationship was ever lived in.
A five year 'everyday relationship' is more than studying and a few school pranks and awkward and stilted interactions. But that's all we got in five hours, five hours is double the length of a movie!
Perhaps for some, the warm familiarity and predictability paired with better budget and cinematography is enough. For me, it felt too much like drifting without a compass.
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I gave this a chance because I really appreciated Joy of Life's production and cinematography even though I couldn't get into the plot. Yet, here I am again, bored. There is no tension.
Xu Feng Nian, our main lead, is destined for triumph, and the show makes this clear from the beginning. Clever, strategic and good hearted, beneath a playful exterior is a deeply capable person. Determined to be a 'better man,' than his father he twists and turns to avoid his fate to inherit his legacy as a military leader and martial arts talent.
What is the point of watching? Perhaps for some, there is satisfaction in watching a world where everything has a reason, and talent paired with a good heart always wins in the end.
There is good acting, lots of memorable side characters and very high production values . . . but bland themes and no tension do not hold my interest.
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I love vampire romances due to the fact that the vampire presents one face, but behind that face is centuries of secret pain and history. This show operates on a similar concept, except I couldn't buy in. I'm not sure whether it was due to the acting, script or combination of both.
Lee Dong Wook and Jo Bo Ah have little chemistry and feel like they are from two different dramas. Lee Dong Wook plays his character playfully, exaggerated and a bit campy, whereas Jo Bo Ah plays like she is in a very serious teen supernatural show constantly overwhelmed.
It didn't help that the production values, cinematography, and action scenes were all a bit lackluster and unattractive and there just wasn't anything to keep my interest. . . .
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This review may contain spoilers
Everyone loses everything . . . Touching characters and heartfelt acting are the reason to watch. In the first 10 or so episodes, we spend a lot of nostalgic 'golden' time, experience the innocence and courage of youth. Hae Soo inspires the brothers to hope that palace life could be different, and you the foolish audience member begins to hope too . . .
But, by the end, the show is racing through a Wikipedia of historical events with Hae Soo barely present. Scenes are chopped and spliced until the plot turns into simply everyone loses everything. Objectively, there's lots wrong with the show not just the plot, the themes are unclear, action scenes weak, and perhaps worst of all the romance between Hae Soo and 4th prince on paper is underdeveloped, toxic and not particularly inspiring. Despite the mess, the strength of the chemistry and the acting kept me watching.
It is worth sticking it out for some key touching moments: Hae Soo's song becoming a legendary classic sung throughout the land or the 14th prince revealing his commitment and deep love for Hae Soo all along.
Does this drama deserve it's legendary status? Overall no . . . but I'm glad I watched. These characters are going to live on in my head for years to come. And that made this drama a rare and precious watching experience.
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Modern love storylines often suffer from a lot of unrealistic danger, whereas historical/fantasy storylines often suffer from outdated romance ideals. So, what if you combine them?
This drama concept isn't new, but it's very well done. The leads have great chemistry, the plot is fast moving, there's lots of protectiveness/rescuing/sacrificing scenes blended with a lot of humor. As with all great dramas, I was reluctant to leave the characters and universe behind.
Music was competent, and while endearing, I'm not sure I'd ever be tempted to rewatch.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes - 5
The clumsy (though well-intended) theme is exploring equality in gender roles for both society and relationships. The better executed themes are around learning to be your authentic self and trusting others, as well as what makes a kind and generous person.
Character Growth - 7.5
Both main leads grow and change as a result of the relationship and are transformed as people by the change from a fake relationship to a real one. The rest of the characters are fairly fixed, and second sister's character development is sudden and clumsy.
Complex Female Characters - 8
There's lots of relationships between women, women in leadership roles, and women with complex personalities. The city leader was a great blend of calculating and cruel vs. protective and generous
Production - 7
It did not get in the way. Limited sets and shooting outdoors, everything was shot fairly straight on, costuming was lower budget but in good taste.
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The set-up and mythology is very different and fun to watch. From the idea of a ghost inn, to a goddess with many avatars/faces, to the beauty & the beast type romance with the genders switched. I was blown away for the first eight episodes.
But, while the historical plots tie up nicely, the modern storylines were wrapped up quickly with no real suspense making the last couple episodes complete filler.
As to actors/characters, two of the main female characters are complex and multifaceted: Jang Man-Wol and the Goddess Mago. But, the main male character Koo Chan-Seong is especially flat and uninspiring as the person who always does the right thing.
The music fits well with the show, but it doesn't linger in my memory. There were no special scenes that I feel the need to rewatch.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes: 7.0
The biggest letdown of the show. The theme is letting go leads to peace, and you should do it, even if terrible things happened to you while alive. But there isn't a complex inspection of this, forgiveness is just always the right thing to do - and always works out for the characters that do it.
Character Growth: 8.0
The transition from vengeful to letting go is especially touching for Jang Man-Wol, the housekeeper and the receptionist. It's a shame that Koo Chan-Seong gets no complexity or real transition at all. There are also very short, abrupt plot points for the bartender, Sanchez, and Lee Mi-Ra.
Complex Female Characters: 10.0
Jang Man-Wol is great playing vengeful and cynical, with a romantic heart. She is fascinating throughout the show as she develops increasing humour and sensitivity. A very well-rounded character. The housekeeper and the Goddess Mago also have great complexity. Indeed, generally the female characters and storyline were much better developed and well-rounded then the male ones.
Cinematography/Production Values: 10.0
It's gorgeous. Truly the most beautiful TV show I may have ever seen, the colour palette is vibrant and unusual, the clothes budget for Jang Man-Wol must have been unlimited, and there's a beautiful use of camera angles, movements and framing. It has a very stylistic, fairy-tale feel.
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