A Romance Series of Mini-Series
Madam Li raises her 6 beguiling independent daughters, fighting her dead husband's relatives who prey on their property all alone. What kind of woman must she be? What kind of daughters did she raise?Plot. In short, this is how 5 plus 1 adopted daughter found true love in a pedantic, patriarchal society with strict expectation for ladies. Unexpectedly, they all land with strong dependable men who become their perfect matches. In the end, while women are expected to marry, they also have the chance to choose who to marry.
Characters. We start with the first to the last love story.
1. Second Daughter (Fu Hui). In the beginning, it is revealed that she didn't want to face her family because she didn't want them to know what a scumbag she married. Yes, Fan Liang Han comes from a rich family but he is spineless and had to depend on his mother and cousin for his decisions in life. However, because of a scheme the Li family did, he learned to treasure and love his wife. He ends up prioritizing the Li family over brotherhood.
2. Third Daughter (Kang Ning). Among the daughters, she is the most scheming. This is how she got the attention of Fan Liang Han's cousin, Chai An who is business tycoon. Lu Yu Xiao and Wang Xing Yu are good actors, however, this drama is too basic for them. And their story is not as impactful as it means to. They love each other and they know it but they just can't sit down to talk about. Instead, they end up scheming against each other and waiting for others to fix their ending. TBH, I was quite disappointed.
3. First Daughter (Shou Hua). Now, this is where things get more interesting. Shou Hua is a widow who didn't have the choice but to marry Du Yang Xi, the third-rank scholar their family decided to sponsor. Being the first daughter, she was responsible and trained to handle household affairs. So, taking care of Du Yan Xi's mother and friend was a basic task for her. However, on their first night as a couple, Du Yang Xi didn't talk to her and went to sleep on the settee. The next morning, he was gone and continued to be gone for months. This was understood because he felt cheated by the family. He thought he would get the third sister, but was swapped to another. Time soon brought him home and that's where he saw the kind of wife he had. He soon regretted his negligence and started pursuing Shou Hua. This time, she doesn't make it easy for him. Added to this mini-revenge, we get to know Shou Hua's past marriage where she loved her previous husband dearly. When they reconciled these problems, conflicts then arose with Du Yan Xi's true lineage. Instead of telling Shou Hua the truth, he pushes her away and divorces her trying to spare her from getting the same punishment. He wins the trial against his father and soon comes crawling back to Shou Hua.
4. Fourth Sister (Hao De). Hao De describes herself to be the middle child who doesn't have much talent like her sisters, but she was an honest girl who preferred to solve conflicts face on. She was forced to stand for her family when distant relatives claimed that they had step-brother who would be legible to inherit the Li property because she was the eldest single member. This leads her to face Judge Shen who was previously shown to be very stiff and strict with the rules. Because of the trials, Hao De falls in love with the judge. She confessed of her admiration to her family and soon they found matchmakers to propose to the Shen family which was accepted. Unbeknownst to her, Judge Shen was against the marriage. He went to her on the wedding night and broke things off saying he was forced. Hao De was so hurt she ended up walking home, crying, and losing her shoe. Just when Judge Shen thought he succeeded, Hao De enters their mansion saying that they were not divorcing. So, they make a pact to stay married for a year and break apart. One day, Judge Shen gets attacked and loses his memories. Hao De then steps in to take care of him but was honest enough to say he didn't like her. They eventually fall in love and as you would guess, Hao De regains his memories, but how could he return to being all stiff when love already stepped into his life. With open and honest communication, they get back to each other and decide to love, after all. This is my best match. I love how there's no pushing away as a form of protection kinda thing.
5. Fifth Sister (Le Shan). This is the enemies-to-lovers kind of story. Both are headstrong and stubborn. Yang Xian schemes against Le Shan by swapping his bride to her. When Le Shan find out, she explodes. Eventually, they both fight against each other and none has a peaceful life, ever. However, as time passes, Yang Xian's side of the story is shown and we get to understand why he behaves the way he does. Family problems occur and Le Shan soon gets to be Yang Xian's helper. They fall in love. Yang Xian matures. He works his best to get the approval of Le Shan. Then, the family gets impacted by royal family affairs and their title is seized. Madam Li comes in to the rescue offering her home. Things settle. Yang Xian works his ass off but the Li family soon decided that Yang Xian is not mature enough yet so they force him to divorce Le Shan and only allowed him to return if he is able to make a man of himself. Honestly, this was a crap plot! It was unnecessary. What are they even trying to prove? In the end, of course they reconcile, but only after Yang Xian returns to the capital a rich man. It makes me kinda think all this time, all the family is after is wealth and power.
6. Sixth Sister (Qiong Nu). She is an adopted daughter and betrothed to the third master Li who was supposedly dead. He miraculously appear in the end being the adopted son of a military family. They turn out to still be loyal to each other.
Overall, my score for this is 8.5 because I had fun with it. At least I got 5 stories in one and the cast is superb. My favorites are Liang Yong Qi and Ke Ying! On the other side, minus 1.5 because the storylines are either repetitive or expected.
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This review may contain spoilers
To Leave A Trail For Future Revenge Dramas
THE DOUBLE is WORTH all the hate, anger, tears, love, and time you will devote. Pinky swear.I saw the first episode on YouTube as a pastime while having dinner. The opening scene where Xue Fang Fei in red, slowly running, enticed me. The way the camera slows down and she looks back was truly gripping. Then, she learned of her husband's betrayal. This was not just any betrayal. Her husband loved her very much, but he was unable to avert the circumstances, so he succumbed to cowardice. When I realized this was a revenge story to this extreme, I knew I wanted to watch it until the end. I've been wanting to watch one after I read The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort which led me to read Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage. Then, I learned this is from the book Marriage of the Di Daughter. According to the book, it was a reincarnation, however, reincarnation stories are not allowed to air in China, so they had to change it. So, then, it turned out like Princess Weiyoung. Nevertheless, I was after the watching the book on screen part, so I continued.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
This movie is revolutionary when it comes to cinematography. The angles it offers to the audience give a really fresh perspective. From the opening scene to the part where Duke Su breaks the door and the umbrella raises to reveal his face, the slow motions in between, the fight scenes, and especially the use of close-ups to reveal every character's emotions were all on point. It's about time we put some more creativity into the mix.
CAST / CHARACTERS
I'm not very fond of the main leads tbh. I got bored in Yanxi Palace, so, I didn't finish. Don't even mention WXY!!!!! His horrible character in One and Only stuck to me and I hated it. So, them together got me meeehhhhh. But, I guess they did justice to their characters. It's good it's not focused so much on the romance part or it will be cringe. Anyway, I'll talk about the characters more than the cast.
1. JIANG LI: She reminds us that sometimes we have to crawl from hell before we can bring out the best in ourselves. As Xue Fang Fei, she had an angelic, almost perfect, character. As Jiang Li, she turned out almost the opposite. I mean, the hole here would be obvious that it took too long for her real identity to be exposed especially when she returned to and from Huaixiang. My favorite part would be that she embraced Jiang Li's family as her own, especially her father, and he embraced her as his Jiang Li.
2. DUKE SU: He is supposed to be perfect in skill, looks, and cunning, but has faced injustice in his family (just like all of them). His quest to find justice for his father's death added depth to his character and to the plot's roundness. He was not just there to assist the female lead, he also needed her at some point. He had an infallible character. He had to be, otherwise, he won't fit the Chinese standard of male lead hahahaha.
3. SHEN YURONG: Let's talk about tragic. Yes, that is him. Every time this man appeared, and he looked into the camera with red dead eyes, I flinch. I feel his love for his lost wife through the screen. The rage, the regret, and the longing all hurt. I know it would be terrible to choose him again after he didn't grab the chance to change but there's a small what if inside me. Liang Yong Qi, the actor, had a splendid performance. He was perfectly blank most times, but when he's angry, he is amazing, especially when he calls Wanning or Xue Fang Fei. Although I did not read the book, I think this drama made better alterations with the characters. I predict I would hate Shen Yurong so much in the book, but, in this drama, no I couldn't.
4. WANNING: Speak of terrible and she appears. She was twisted right from the onset. The more twisted she was, the greater was her retribution. Just like all villains, she had a tragic backstory. There was a point of sympathy on her character. She couldn't be totally blamed for how she turned out to be. The most scarring scheme done to her, however, was the fake pregnancy part. She deserved better. cryyyyy! But then again, it was her karma.
PLOT
The plot is something within my expectations. Jiang Li having an evil stepmother, stupid stepsisters, perfect mother, good maternal family background, and the schemes were all familiar. I badly wanted to watch what I read come to play, and it didn't disappoint me. Although I almost got disappointed when the marriage talks for Jiang Li and Shen Yurong and Duke Su and Juiyue were tossed in the mix. Thank goodness, they didn't last too long on that. Also, I admit I forwarded a few scenes which were unnecessary.
As for the ending, I expected this to end happily because both characters were too cunning. They already exposed their plans to subdue the rebellion 5 episodes before the ending. As for the REAL ending, I was only ever disappointed that Xiao Heng's right and left hand men died during the battle. C'mon. That battle was even unnecessary. I expected that we won't be indulged in an ending too detailed because this is C-drama, but, the poetic portrayal of the ending for Jiang Li and Xiao Heng was a cinematic treat. We always have to fill in the gaps.
I stayed up until 3 am for two nights for this hahaha. I think that explains why this is worth it.
MUSIC
Ohhhhhhh. Ohhhhhhhh!!!!! This is my favorite part. I need help looking for a copy of "Spring Fading Into White Blossoms" - the one Jiang Li performed during the exam. It sums up Shen Yurong and her's past love. All the sorrow and love were poured into the melody. My heart feels chills every time. It breaks my heart. Listening to it as we speak. Gonna have to keep playing the list for a while now. All the other songs were quite sad as well. They accompanied the story loyally.
OVERALL, this drama is highly recommendable!!! If you like revenge stories, this is THE ONE. It has a strong cinematic impact and a polished ensemble. If you are after the sounds like I am, try its soulful taste. If you're after strong female leads, Jiang Li x Xue Fang Fei won't disappoint.
Kudos to the whole production team.
PS. Crossing my fingers for The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort and Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage to be filmed as well. Huhu. Do reply if you feel the same. :)
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Love Is Its Own Reward
What comes after love? - a pensive title for a nostalgic story. What indeed comes after love? In asking, it is already considered that the love has ended. Now, questions arise. Why did it have to end? Was there no way to fix it? How heartbroken will I get?Such were my questions when I encountered this title. I was hesitant to venture, however, seeing the trailer, I knew I needed the poetics that came with it. Like I predicted, I fell for it right away... but like love, it's easy to fall, it's a struggle to stay. And these are why.
What I Love:
1. As a romantic, my need for a poetic storytelling was fulfilled: a) The use of flashbacks and symbolism (Beni's hair being curly in her in-love phase and being straight in her moved-on phase), b) The use of quotations from Dongju Yun's Counting the Stars at Nights to introduce and conclude the story, c) The use of snow and sakura adds much-needed drama, and d) a soulful melody to sing the melody your heart wants to play. So much love.
2. Lovable casting. I guess they're one of the pairs you would watch even if, theoretically, the plot is a flop. Seyoung is so yeppeoda. I love her in all her phases, even when she's angry. Kentaro plays as his character requires on top of being striking of course.
What Are Lacking:
1. Story Pace.
I said I loved the poetic storytelling with the flashbacks, but hey, too much flashbacks is annoying. This could have been done in one movie - 2 hours only. Show the past, show the present, then show the ending. Use in-medias-res, sure. Use flashbacks too, just not too much. There are a lot of poetic movies that executed excellently - The Lake House or August Rush. This took an unnecessary 6 episodes and weeks. I go whaaaatttt happpeeeennneeddddd? did the story progress? at episodes 3 to 5. Move!
2. Characters. Ugghhhh!
Jungo. I can't believe it. I went to the point of hating how timid he was. I have high expectations from him because he was supposed to love her which meant fight for her. But, he didn't. I guess he didn't love her enough to pack the bag and bring it to Korea. She basically gave him a chance by giving him her address. Also, yes, I have the same question as Beni, why did he just let her go? And the most annoying part about him is, he can learn English and be so fluent at it, but how come he did not consider to learn Hangul????? If he ever considered reconnecting with her, he could have tried to find a way to talk to her, so then, he could be the one to try to understand her like she understood him? I'm so annnnnooooooyyyyyyeeeeeeddddddd!
Secondly, fate gave him a plenty of chances to talk to her, but, he mostly just ended up riding the taxi away or her driving away. Then, when given the chance during his last night, he just had to flunk it. Why can't he just tell her that he loves her still? He should have held her hand and begged her to stay.
Lastly, I wondered if he ever planned to find her. What if the publisher of his book wasn't her father? What was the goal of him writing the book at all? Just to reminisce? If he ever thought the book would get to her, why did he not prepare? If this were real, I hope he truly learned to keep her.
Beni. Alright! So, maybe I was a too harsh on Jungo, but he deserved it. I am naturally on Beni's side, not because we're both women, but because, she was very giving without getting back what she deserves. She was in a foreign country. Initially, she was happy because she's hyped up by all the excitement and that her friend was there. However, loneliness soon got to her because, well, she was technically alone. It could be depressing to a lively character such as herself. Some call her needy, but not without reasons.
What I love about Beni is her spontaneity. She jumps on the plane to escape her family. She falls in love. She doesn't hold anything back. However, because of this, she jumps back to the plane, buries everything, and acts like she moved on already. I don't even know where she left her shame to make Jungo pack all her belongings and send them to her. Lol. I wonder if she left some cash for the transport. Haha. Kidding aside, she has indded changed a lot, but her love for him never changed.
Comment on the Ending:
So, I was seething about the ending of Episode 5 because hey, where are we headed? The last episode is almost here. Halfway through Episode 6, I was like, ok, I think this will end in mutual and happy separation (60%) and Jungo will stay (40%). Although, in my heart, I was hoping he will stay, because hey, love could also be what comes after love. My mind was made when she started running. I just know (hope actually) Jungo got down from that taxi and would soon come running with (not after) with her. And he did. And my poetic heart understood. That was worth all the frustration.
Overall:
If put on a scale, the lacking will surely outweigh the loves. However, this is still recommendable. To all poetic authors - for inspiration. To all who experienced the same - for a deeper appreciation of what comes after every failed journey. To all romantics - to feed your hearts.
Theme:
Love is its own reward. Love is what comes after love. It's the consolation prize, but, it is also the ultimate prize. A consolation for a love that is lost. Ultimate for a love that was treasured whether it was lost or kept. For a love as pure and true as they both have experienced, there are no regrets. That love will be a part of them. For that, their life is worthwhile.
One star for memory.
One star for love.
One star for sorrow.
One star for longing.
What comes after love is all of the above. Now, I see, the lines that open, close.
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Nine Layers of Purple: A Reincarnation Story Made Right
You can choose to bloom alone, but you may also want to be tended to and bloom even brighter. This is the reason why this adaptation of the Nine-Layered Purple Flower drama is named Blossom.Scriptwriting. "When a deer hunter sees a rabbit, he must be patient. When a deer hunter sees the mountain, he must be open-minded." As a sucker for brilliant scripts, I must say this was a gem. It sits on a pedestal with Nirvana in Fire , not quite Rise of Phoenixes, but you get me. While you can say something directly, you can also leave the audience guessing. It took a lot of brain that I had to skip backward to analyze some lines or take screenshots because dang, I found a good line. I have not read the novel, but I guess they stayed true to the original storyline, and the author must be really good.
Plot. Despite censorship on reincarnation, this drama gave us the angst of a bitter past life that planted in us the desire to see a happy ending. It starts of with a powerful episode - one driving an arrow piercing through our main leads, shattering the glass, leading them to fall into the abyss, and waking them up confused and lonely. Whether this was a past life or just a dream, the desire, not just to survive, but to be happy is strong. This hooks you right at the very start. Other reincarnation adaptations either omitted the bitter past life part or assumed we know about the bitter past and just move on but not this one.
Then, as the story progressed, there was a fine line between whether one can truly alter fate or believe it is set in stone. Duo Zhao had the foresight and was able to use it to win in business, amassing the fortune she needed to support herself in the future. She knew about the key players and approached them, using them right for about a third of the story. The rest, she had to navigate on her own.
The conflict was the conspiracy of the empress, Prince Qing, and the rest of the nobles and other distant royal members. This was too huge that when investigating, one cannot be careless. It had to be dealt with within one blow hence pushing the empress and Prince Qing to commit treason, driven to a point of no return. This was a scheme by the emperor who wanted to create a clean government. However, his constant portrayal of favor to the royal family and the nobles has created a divide between him and Duke of Ding (his best friend and one he dreamed of creating that clean government with). He only showed favoritism because he wanted to deal with the villains in one go, but, this created a huge misunderstanding instead especially between him and Song Mo (the greatest fan of Duke of Ding, his uncle). In the end, it was revealed that he only wanted the Duke of Ding's support for the Crown Prince hence he agreed to call back the duke to the capital, however, there could have been other ways to do this. In the end, as we would have it, the problem is solved, and they live happily ever after.
The drama was 34 episodes long. It took me 2 years to finish it lol. I started it and loved it when it was still showing, even recommended it to my niece. But I think I got bored at episode 20 and perhaps got tired of waiting so I only finished it 2026 after the same niece encouraged me to finish it. I rewatched from the start because I forgot what happened. And I did not regret it. The general plot is ok, as a lover of good plots. It is not without flaws like dragging the plot, adding unnecessary storylines, and family drama. Nevertheless, 34 episodes was good enough.
Most iconic scene - Song Mo on his horse, bending down to kiss Duo Zhao as the army exits the gate. Superb!!!
Characters. Duo Zhao, as you would expect is your strong independent woman. A plenty of times she mentioned and proved that she was her own salvation. After a failed marriage in her past life, it is expected that she would be traumatized to try to love again so she avoided it as much as she could. However, a strong independent woman may not need a man, she might deserve a good one. And an excellent one is who she had. Her being through a lifetime taught her to be mature. I love how she always looked after Song Mo when they got married and always initiated communication.
Song Mo, on the other hand, is a bit impulsive. He is not the typical male lead we have who knows exactly how things happen. At first, I was a bit disappointed because he always gets himself in trouble, however, after meeting Duo Zhao, he started to learn how to temper things. And this is good because we shouldn't always have the same hero who is always perfect. His most memorable scene was when he said, "I think my wife doesn't love me." Wahahahaha. He had no idea his wife was around 45 to 50 years old maturity and intimacy was in the bottom of her list. Nevertheless, he was so smitten by her.
Duo Zhao and Song Mo had a rough start including a sword pointed to her neck. It's not exactly enemies to lovers, more of do I trust you if not I will get rid of you kind of way. Then, there was admiration, courtship coated in protection, confession, and then agreement. After marriage, they stayed strong and supported each other. There was open and honest communication. They were a power couple. We actually get a lot of sweet scenes here as compared to other dramas.
As for the other characters, I would like to point out Gu Yu and his lack of presence in the story. Maybe an introduction of him, how they became friends, why does he side with Song Mo instead of his cousin. He could have been used more in the story. Prince Qing and Crown Prince as well deserve more screen time. What is the beef between them aside from just rivals? Is there no way to patch their relationship or whatnot. Some of the characters I really hated tho - Song Han, Ji Yong (for a good amount of time), and the emperor.
Acting. Umm. No. It is hard to not think what if other actors were casted. No offence but Li Yun Rui has a hard time managing his facial expressions. Meng Zi Yi is ok. She portrays a mature woman with a plenty of experiences. Although, when put together, they are good together. Lol.
Music. Not very much. I usually watch sweet scenes because of music even if I don't like the characters but this time, I watch their sweet scenes because I like their chemistry.
Overall, I like this because I am a sucker for reincarnation stories, and this is done the best among other adaptations - Kunning Palace, The Double, and Female General (What a loss. I read the novel. I love Ryan Cheng, but it just doesn't hold a candle.). The script is certainly the top for me, then the plot, then the chemistry.
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Sparkly, Splendid, Supreme!
Originally came here for both the ML and FL but stayed for everything else.As a Cheng Lei and Wang Chu Ran fan, I was here to support my lovelies. But this drama didn't just astound me with the visuals, it gave me that chemistry I deserve. I sometimes have urges to forward moments of mains because I don't like them, but not this one. I love theeemm!
Characters Review. Wanying is a magnanimous character - typical of a female hero lead all kind, courageous, and smart. You would expect she would plan things ahead because she has that "foresight". Xiahou Dan is not your typical hero - all benevolent and noble. He was disturbed and he was alone for a long time. The fact that he was in the story as a teenager added a lot of depth to his transmigrated character. So, in the end, he didn't only portray what is expected of a hero, he also lived every step to survive and to attain salvation in the form of Wanying. Xie Yong Er also was an unexpected transformation. I didn't see myself liking her because she was supposed to aid the Prince Duan but she changed - which is a good step they did. Xiahou Bo for a villain was formidable for a 2D character. This added more interest to the story because despite not having "foresight", he was able to have his own mind. It was like a 3 advanced players versus 1 beginner level but I guess he was supposed to really be that smart because he was, after all, the male lead. I hate him by the way! Haha. It means the actor was good.
Plot Review. I can be quite harsh with plots. I dropped a lot of stories simply because they couldn't meet my expectations even if the actors were my faves. But this one really didn't disappoint. This gave me a new breath to transmigration stories. Initially, it was fun as it could get. I had a lot of laughter with the hotpot sessions, fake break-ups x losing favor scenes, Bei Shu disguise, and Eunuch An. And like we could all predict, laughter soon turned into tears, because, hey, how could there be no progress. So, sacrifices had to be made. Things had to go South. And, they would eventually solve it. Sometimes, I just give up how they solve things because we can never know with Chinese dramas. There seems to be no way, but there will be. The same thing happened here. Maybe the odd thing is, there should have been a better way to solve the poison problem. The mute girl was quite off and impractical. It lacks motive. For the ending, this drama actually gave a closure, allowing them to meet again in modern times unlike some that leaves the story in the book. The snippet from Zhan Sang's diary at the last episode also helped us see the story in the perspective of ML. It was the perfect snippet for the ending.
Music Review. They usually play the theme song when the mains are either kissing or reuniting and again, this time, I didn't skip those scenes because I like both of them so I listened to the songs and loved especially the theme song.
Overall Review. I give this a 10 primarily to boost its rating hahahahaha, don't judge me. As I said, I have my own preferences haha! My baobeis performed splendindly well! Plus, it gave us a new outlook towards transmigration stories, introduced peak casting, and developed character depths!
I know it's not for everyone, but it is for me. 🥴 So, I get to have the say!
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