In novel-to-drama adaptations, male protagonists are rarely allowed to behave like men of their own eras. I understand…
best examples i can think of for men as they were in their time would be bu bu jing xin (scarlet heart). the ML is deeply devoted, but even love cannot outweigh his desire for power and control. he was ultimately disgusted to find out that the FL and the 8th prince once shared a kiss, treating it as an unforgivable sin that lingered until her death. even his brother, the 13th prince, continued to bed his concubines despite his heart belonging to someone else, because life simply continues, even after the one you love dies.
the story of minglanâs ML is somewhat similar too, though not portrayed as harshly. he doesnât have that overly clean image that most MLs these days are written with (no wife, no past relationships, a virgin, etc). before getting together with the FL, he had a mistress and two children from that relationship.
another example would probably be too late to say i love you (republican era). that drama was a hard watch because the ML was incredibly toxic, but his personality and actions did feel reflective of the time. the way he treated the FL throughout the drama was often demeaning.
Can I start watching again? I stopped at ep 25.I have marathoned The Story of Ming Lan from ep 1-45 over the weekend.…
minglanâs family is more likeable than jinzhaoâs though đ„Č keep watching! her father is not so bad (at least not a greedy and corrupted official), and his wife will come around haha đ itâs super satisfying to see the downfall of the other bitchy and villainy characters later on!
it was very one-sided from ye xianâs side, so gu jinzhaoâs cry didnât make any sense to me. sure, she mightâve…
agree!
tbh, even with him being violent⊠had the writer(s) given us more backstory between them, or created something similar to what minglan and qi heng shared in the story of minglan, then her reaction wouldâve felt more understandable đ€·đ»ââïžđ
i think one of the strongest aspects of this drama is how well they reflect a characterâs personality through…
i had to look up her dramalist after seeing your comment haha đ she has a pretty face, but definitely not very memorable as an actress. âŠalthough, had she debuted back in the 80s or 90s, i think she would have potential. she reminds me of cecilia cheung!
Ep.26: I can't stand Qinglan. Good thing she doesn't have many scenes. So spoiled.
i think one of the strongest aspects of this drama is how well they reflect a characterâs personality through their family and upbringing. you can really tell who grew up being spoilt, and who had to face hardships that forced them to mature đ„Č
qinglan still has a long way i feel because her family has her back, compared to ye xian who is slowly progressing (i hope) without much support from his own family members. these two characters mirror each other at a different pace haha
it was very one-sided from ye xianâs side, so gu jinzhaoâs cry didnât make any sense to me. sure, she mightâve…
nope, still doesnât convince me đ„Č had it been a female friend, it wouldâve made more sense. but for someone of her time, crying over a male friend is just..out of place đŹ
like iâve pointed out earlier, she hasnât even cried like that for our ML yet. if i were the ML, i would suspect she and ye xian had an affair in the past đ« this is simply poor script writing đ€·đ»ââïž
edit: iâm enjoying everything else of the drama though. just that particular scene was very odd.
gu jinzhaoâs reaction in ep26 was a bit too much imo. i dont think sheâs ever cried like that even for chen…
it was very one-sided from ye xianâs side, so gu jinzhaoâs cry didnât make any sense to me. sure, she mightâve been disappointed in losing a friendâŠbut it doesnât justify that kind of heartbreak that was portrayed on the screen đŹ and why the hell did her grandmother of all people was the one trying to offer her comfort? it wasnât like they shared a deep bond or anything đ« everything felt a bit chaotic and out of place in that sceneâŠ
i wonder if they will stick to the novel and have a pregnancy arc for the FL. she was pregnant 3 months after marrying chen yanyun đ they moved so fast!
So, the ml is third brother? Whereâs first and second brother?
he might have at least one or two brother/sister somewhere since heâs ranked third.
but more generally, in chinese historical dramas and novels, familial rankings can sometimes follow overall birth order among members of the same generation within a household, rather than only immediate siblings in the modern sense. so âthird brotherâ does not automatically mean there must be two older brothers (or sisters) currently present in the story. itâs been clearly shown in a splendid match that members of the same generation, including cousins, have numbered titles, which suggests the drama is following broader household hierarchy conventions. for example, FLâs father is fourth in his generation, while FL is known as the eldest miss in hers, showing that the numbering resets by generation rather than being tied only to one direct branch.
it could get a bit more complicated than this depending on whether the child is legitimate or born of a concubine. but the above is a more simplified explanation haha đ the drama seem to make it pretty simple too.
got curious so i went to read parts of the novel, and i have to say i really like some of the changes theyâve made for the drama adaptation, especially when it comes to the relationship and romance. for example, chen yanyun is not a father and doesnât have a harem in the drama. i donât particularly have an issue with this since itâs a historical setting drama, but it wouldâve been so strange to see gu jinzhao initially in love with his son, only to later become his stepmother lmao đ
given the personality he has in the drama, i also canât imagine chen yanyun ever really caring much about intimacy with his concubines either, even if itâs just to produce heirs. even his relationship with his deceased wife felt more rooted in duty and respect than romance. so i think this is genuinely a good change the drama made to boost the âloveâ between our leads. iâm hoping that they might make some changes to gu lanâs story too, since hers was quite tragic in the novelâŠ
this is the first drama where iâm actually enjoying seeing ci sha onscreen. i didnât really connect with his previous works, but i think heâs portraying chen yanyun quite well here and making the age gap feel believable. however, his chemistry with ren min still isnât fully convincing to me yet. so far, it doesnât quite have that wow factor that ren min had with zhang wanyi in rise of ning đ„Č âŠbut hey, at least ci sha gets tthe girl this time hahaha
iâm rewatching this right now, and while the visuals are undeniably stunning, i canât help but notice quite a few issues with the editing and directing. the first watch feels fine, but picking up on these little details the second time around makes it distracting and pulls me out of the story đ„Č
two examples i noticed: 1) when xie zheng gives the falcon the hair ribbon to find changyu, you clearly see his hand set aside with the ribbon, but in the very next cut, the falcon already has it đ
2) when grand tutor tao is speaking to changyu about taking her in as a student, the close up shows her holding chopsticks, but the wider shots show her eating a bao. it keeps switching back and forth throughout the conversation, which is so distracting lol
I know Wei Yan was terrible and committed all those crimes, but that last scene where he's about to drink the…
if it makes you feel any better, that special ending was actually wei yanâs doing. in the novel, heâs given a second chance at life and makes different choices. of course our leads still end up together, but wei yan also gets to be with the love of his life :)
personally, i donât think heâs a terrible person. definitely selfish, but not entirely bad. more of a grey character.
the story of minglanâs ML is somewhat similar too, though not portrayed as harshly. he doesnât have that overly clean image that most MLs these days are written with (no wife, no past relationships, a virgin, etc). before getting together with the FL, he had a mistress and two children from that relationship.
another example would probably be too late to say i love you (republican era). that drama was a hard watch because the ML was incredibly toxic, but his personality and actions did feel reflective of the time. the way he treated the FL throughout the drama was often demeaning.
tbh, even with him being violent⊠had the writer(s) given us more backstory between them, or created something similar to what minglan and qi heng shared in the story of minglan, then her reaction wouldâve felt more understandable đ€·đ»ââïžđ
qinglan still has a long way i feel because her family has her back, compared to ye xian who is slowly progressing (i hope) without much support from his own family members. these two characters mirror each other at a different pace haha
like iâve pointed out earlier, she hasnât even cried like that for our ML yet. if i were the ML, i would suspect she and ye xian had an affair in the past đ« this is simply poor script writing đ€·đ»ââïž
edit: iâm enjoying everything else of the drama though. just that particular scene was very odd.
just my opinion đ€·đ»ââïž
but more generally, in chinese historical dramas and novels, familial rankings can sometimes follow overall birth order among members of the same generation within a household, rather than only immediate siblings in the modern sense. so âthird brotherâ does not automatically mean there must be two older brothers (or sisters) currently present in the story. itâs been clearly shown in a splendid match that members of the same generation, including cousins, have numbered titles, which suggests the drama is following broader household hierarchy conventions. for example, FLâs father is fourth in his generation, while FL is known as the eldest miss in hers, showing that the numbering resets by generation rather than being tied only to one direct branch.
it could get a bit more complicated than this depending on whether the child is legitimate or born of a concubine. but the above is a more simplified explanation haha đ the drama seem to make it pretty simple too.
wish they couldâve gone for something like the OST in minglan. wouldâve been more suitable and more enticing.
given the personality he has in the drama, i also canât imagine chen yanyun ever really caring much about intimacy with his concubines either, even if itâs just to produce heirs. even his relationship with his deceased wife felt more rooted in duty and respect than romance. so i think this is genuinely a good change the drama made to boost the âloveâ between our leads. iâm hoping that they might make some changes to gu lanâs story too, since hers was quite tragic in the novelâŠ
this is the first drama where iâm actually enjoying seeing ci sha onscreen. i didnât really connect with his previous works, but i think heâs portraying chen yanyun quite well here and making the age gap feel believable. however, his chemistry with ren min still isnât fully convincing to me yet. so far, it doesnât quite have that wow factor that ren min had with zhang wanyi in rise of ning đ„Č âŠbut hey, at least ci sha gets tthe girl this time hahaha
two examples i noticed:
1) when xie zheng gives the falcon the hair ribbon to find changyu, you clearly see his hand set aside with the ribbon, but in the very next cut, the falcon already has it đ
2) when grand tutor tao is speaking to changyu about taking her in as a student, the close up shows her holding chopsticks, but the wider shots show her eating a bao. it keeps switching back and forth throughout the conversation, which is so distracting lol
personally, i donât think heâs a terrible person. definitely selfish, but not entirely bad. more of a grey character.
đźâđšđ„