OSCAR WORTHY
This is not your typical C-drama. It has more of a Hollywood style of storytelling.The grounded, realistic approach in The Story of Pearl Girl is what makes it stand out. The characters don’t have a fairy-tale experience, and their growth is earned through real struggles and hard choices. There’s no idealized hero who swoops in to save the day, which makes their journeys feel more authentic and relatable.
The drama also stands out for the way its characters are brought to life, with the cast delivering powerful performances that bring depth and authenticity to every scene. Each actor brings a unique layer to their character, creating a dynamic and believable world where every action and emotion feels earned. The relationships between the characters are rich and nuanced, adding further depth to the already compelling plot.
This drama stands as a testament to the power of storytelling—one that doesn’t shy away from the hard truths of life but instead uses them to create an emotionally resonant and profoundly moving experience. The Story of Pearl Girl is more than just entertainment; it’s an exploration of resilience, justice, and the grey areas that define the human condition. It’s a timeless work that will continue to echo in your mind long after you’ve finished watching.
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Bittersweet yet captivating
A poignant and captivating tale, this beautiful drama is an emotional and gut-wrenching experience.Well-written dramas require viewer identification with the character to be truly engrossing. Without emotional investment in the character, the audience is lost. Thankfully Zhao Lusi and Liu Yuning's performances are captivating and convincing, boasting one of the best on-screen chemistries. They should capitalize on this chemistry and collaborate again, this time on a modern drama.
However, some series parts drag on, such as the second couple's love story and the Zheng family drama. The close friendship between Duan Wu and Cui Shi Jiu seems unrealistic, and the male lead character's ending is lazily written. Despite inconsistencies due to external factors, which led to a focus on Chloe Xie's character, I highly recommend this series and give it the highest ratings. The cast, especially in the first half of the series, delivers well-written and acted performances, with exceptional music scores and cinematography.
One of the best this year!
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Bittersweet.
If you like fluffy endings and rom-coms, this drama is not it. From beginning to end, the characters and plot are all complex and deep. The story is fast-paced yet riveting. Just like the ocean, its vast and the cinematography is so beautiful. But what made me love this drama are the characters. They all real people just going through life.I know that some people will hate the ending because they want HE. However, it made sense for YZJ to die. I do think that when SMZ told him to stay, I think he really stayed and lived his last days with her, symbolizing the ring on her hand at the jewel auction. She did outlive him, but she lived his dreams of traveling the world.
I cried so much 💔💔. So poignant.
They got everything they wanted, but there is always a price to pay.
but just like the purple stars, they will meet and be together forever! 🥹❤️😭
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Women’s Empowerment Takes Center Stage in The Story of Pearl Girl
The Story of Pearl Girl is a captivating drama that takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster through themes of resilience, ambition, and redemption. The narrative follows Duan Wu, a pearl diver who escapes the brutalities of a pearl farm only to be swept into the glittering yet treacherous world of jewel trading.The drama excels in portraying Duan Wu’s transformation into Su Mu Zhe—a powerful and inspiring journey of survival, self-discovery, and empowerment. The character's determination to rise above betrayal and loss resonates deeply, making her one of the most compelling protagonists in recent dramas.
Yan Zi Jing, with his intricate web of revenge and inner torment, adds layers of complexity to the story. His gradual transformation from a vengeful merchant to someone who finds peace and partnership with Su Mu Zhe is beautifully handled. Zhang Jin Ran provides a grounding presence as a noble and supportive ally, perfectly complementing Su Mu Zhe's journey.
Visually, the drama is stunning, with breathtaking scenes of the pearl-diving life, vibrant marketplaces, and the grandeur of the Northwest trade routes. The Jewel Exhibition serves as a powerful culmination of Su Mu Zhe’s growth, leaving viewers inspired by her courage and determination to inspire other women to reclaim their destinies.
In conclusion, The Story of Pearl Girl is a gem of a drama, offering a rich tapestry of emotions, memorable characters, and an empowering message. It’s a must-watch for those who love stories of triumph over adversity and reclaiming one’s fate.
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A MUST WATCH !!!
TSOPG has kept me awake till dawn just to be able to watch every episode dropped in real time.The story is very different from any previous Zhao Lusi dramas. Lusi did an excellent job performing DuanWu/SuMuzhe. The script is so good that you can’t predict what’s going to happen next. LiuYuning did a great job being Yan ZhiJing. I love their chemistry so much they portrayed their relationship very well.
This is one of Lusi’s best portrayals imo. The depth is just amazing.
I highly recommend people to watch this drama.
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One of A Great Drama of the Year
I usually rarely write reviews, but this time I felt like writing a review because this drama deserves the best, I followed the development of this drama from the first day of shooting the drama until the drama was broadcast today,as you know, this drama has gone through many phases from good rumors to bad rumors, various parties really want this drama to fail, this incident is truly unpleasant and unfair, I don't want to see a drama as good as this just be wasted. , there have been too many failed dramas this year. I just hope people can appreciate this good drama.
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This is a masterpiece of work! You won't regret watching it!
This is a masterpiece! If you haven't watched it, please do it! The story is motivating, and the production and visuals are on TOP, plus the amazing acting skills of Zhao Lusi and the other actors combined with the OST make you feel every emotion.I'm glad the story is different from other ones because that makes it unique. I enjoy good stories combined with great acting. Zhao Lusi's acting skills never disappoint me, as long as she is in the drama, I know it'll be amazing!
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From Being A Slave To Business Owner, Duan Wu Deserves All the Love!
The Story of Pearl Girl's storyline is very fascianting one, the fact that it is historically correct makes this drama even better. I love that we are following Duanwu from being a Pearl Slave to becoming one of the best Jewelry Designers in Yangzhou.The script, the acting, the plotline, the antagonists, everything about this drama was deep and complex but was very enjoyable to watch. It's a very unique concept as well, and it definitely showcase a lot of Zhao Lusi's ability to act.
I've been watching Lusi's drama since Love Like The Galaxy and became a huge fan of her acting abilities. Her acting is always very natural-like and the emotion she displays tugs at my heartstrings . Lusi portrayed Duanwu very well, definitely one of the most strongest female characters out there. She's able learn quickly in order to adapt to her environment, she's not afraid to stand up for herself as well as others important to her.
Liu Yu Ning's portrayal of Yan Zijing was great as well. He's able to act cunningly, but also be tender and kind towards Lu Si - of course he can be strict as well.
I think both Zi Jing and Duan Wu's love was cute, it started out as crushes and it felt like watching two high school teenagers flirting with one another. Eventually it leads to true love and care for one another.
Both characters have so much in common from being alone in their childhood years to finding a family and people they love.
I like the contrast between the leads and the antagonists - Cui Shi Jiu and Zheng Wu. Both Cui Shi Jiu and Zheng Wu grew up with family around them but in the end these families only used them as pawns and lacked familial love. Shi Jiu and Zheng Wu's relationship was bittersweet, although they were not the most amazing people in this drama - which is understandable. I'm glad they found each other, but sadden Shijiu didn't get the love she had long needed.
The Story of Pearl Girl is not truly about the romance between Duan Wu and Yan Zijing, it follows the journey of DuanWu. Despite the shocking ending, it is understandable that it ended that way. Many people may not enjoy it, but personally it makes sense as this journey was for Duanwu and she ended up being successful in life whether or not Yan Zijing stayed by her side.
Is it a happy ending? In a way, yes it is. However, it may not for those who watch it for the romance.
If you enjoy watching dramas that follows a strong, smart female lead then this definitely for you. If you expect to watch comedy, or less serious dramas then this is not for you.
In my opinion, this is what C-dramas were about in the past. Following the journey of a struggling female character and watching her climb her way up to the top. A wonderful story, amazing acting skills, and music is quite nice as well.
Definitely one of my favorites. :]
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1A crying shame.
The Story of Pearl Girl is the story of an intrepid pearl diver's harrowing journey from the despair of a slave farm to the heights of the prosperous Yangzhou jewelry guild. Aided by an erudite nobleman Zhang Jinran and a ruthless and calculating merchant Yan Zijing, Duanwu escapes from the exploitative clutches of the Cui clan. She throws her lot with Yan Zijing, choosing to make her own way in the world as a merchant galley serf over the more certain future of a nobleman's harem. After multiple betrayals and double crosses in the dog-eat-dog culture aboard Zijing's ship, she emerges clear eyed and better equipped to survive a ruthless, avaricious business world. She learns that underneath his merciless facade, Zijing is saving her by teaching her to save herself; that they have a shared past that she has barely scratched the surface of understanding.Set in a cruel world fraught with treachery, avarice and oppression that belies the ostentatious luxury of the jewelry trade, the narrative is laden with an air of heaviness from start to finish. It is a character story about how one resilient woman fights her way to the top of the jewelry business during feudal China. The characters are well designed with Duanwu and Cui Shijiu as two women who have to fight for their place in a man's world; one who starts with nothing and the other with everything, to lose. Likewise the cynical and realistic Yan Zijing went to the school-of-hard-knocks while the righteous and idealistic Zhang Yiran clearly had an ivory tower education. Both Yan Zijing and Cui Shijiu are consumed by revenge and on opposite sides of a blood feud not of their own making but one's cause is just while the other's is not. I enjoyed watching how these characters, with at times common and at other times with opposing world views interact and react to the situations they are thrown into. Plot wise, the logic holes are evident from the start but for character driven stories, I am very forgiving for as long as the characters stay largely consistent and relatable. But once the characters start to unravel, the issues with the plot are amplified and the entire narrative becomes a mess.
I genuinely enjoyed and was engaged by the first arc of this drama. It is both fascinating and difficult to watch the stunning backdrop of the swashbuckling high seas and the exotic and dangerous Silk Road marred by the unmitigated oppression and cruelty of the ancient world, especially towards women and children. Zhao Lusi's Duanwu is spirited, tenacious and undaunted as she fails again and again until she succeeds. I could understand why Yan Zijing resonated better with her but could also see that she lacked the maturity to appreciate how Zhang Yiran's wisdom and knowledge of the law would aid her later on. These three main characters richly complement each other in their strengths and flaws to make a formidable team when they work together. I didn't mind the romance but I didn't need it and it went a bit abruptly from red flag master-servant to lovers. Nonetheless I was looking forward to it growing and had hoped to see them right past wrongs together. I did not expect it to take a wrong turn down the path of the worst noble idiot trope in recent memory, nor for it to last pretty much until the end of the drama. That is when The Story of Pearl Girl, turns into yet another period drama that starts strong and then inexplicably nosedives at the mid-point and never manages to recover.
After the convoy arc, a traumatized Duanwu re-emerges as Su Muzhe, a detached, gently sad and bland character who Disney princess cries almost every other episode. Lusi's vapid and weepy interpretation of the role lost me as much as her Duanwu engaged me. Duanwu would have gotten angry and demanded an explanation from Zijing or plotted revenge. I was baffled by the Su Muzhe who manages to coldly co-exists with him in the same city, moves on and focuses on business, vowing to live a good life nonetheless. This is so out of character it is almost impossible to reconcile Su Muzhe with Duanwu. I rooted for the feisty Duanwu of the first half who dares to love and dares to hate. The passive aggressive Su Muzhe who only dares to cry turns what could have been a terrific story into a crying shame. The narrative meanders into maudlin sub-plots about boring and poorly acted tragic side characters. Gratuitous crying scenes have diminishing impact, no matter how good the actor is at them. Long before the drama ended, I was bored by Su Muzhe's endless pity parties and stopped caring for her. Su Muzhe is not the kind of role that plays to Lusi's innate strengths and charisma. I hope she avoids taking on such characterisations in the future.
The other narrative mistake was to separate the three anchor characters at the same time so many of the early supporting roles are transitioned into new ones, forcing the audience reinvest in new characters all over again. Yue Yunxiu is a boring, flighty character that has no chemistry with Su Muzhe and fails to shore her up in the same way Kang Ju lifts up Yan Zjijing. The entire business partnership between the women lacks flair and pizazz; I can't imagine any joy in shopping for jewelry at an establishment run by such a dolorous pair. The narrative makes a lame attempt at comedy too late in the game and it is largely left to actors that lack Lusi's fantastic comedic timing. Even when the three friends join hands again, their dynamic is not the same and Duanwu never reemerges.
As for the romance, it stagnates even after they reunite and never blossoms into a full blown relationship. I would have liked to see them seize the day and live in the moment in a way that gives us something really worth crying over. Instead all we do is watch them mourn what could have been. It is incredibly unfair to Muzhe because Zijing refuses to move forward but yet can't set her free either. I wish they both chose differently but since they did not, the way their romance ends is fitting. I respected Zijing's choices especially in the end but I think Su Muzhe's victories were all hollow and I hoped she would find Duanwu again within herself but she never does. I enjoyed how Liu Yuning portrayed Yan Zijing's darkness and complexity but after the best first arc, he is too quickly whitewashed and sidelined. Even though the final arc is all about his justice, he doesn't get to do that much as the hidden villain is too obvious to the audience early on and most of the antagonists are so dumb they pretty much outed themselves.
Zhang Yiran is the best of friends and that rare character that does the right thing even when its the wrong thing for himself. While Duanwu didn't fit in to his world, he may eventually have been able to console Su Muzhe and I wish they had left that door open just a crack. As for Cui Shijiu, this character caught and held my interest from start to finish as a result of Xie Keyin's bold screen presence and her husky and earthy vocals. Her character is flawed, not that smart or especially well written but Xie Keyin embraced her flaws in such a relatable way and conveyed the role so compellingly that I cared about her and did not drop this drama because I wanted to know how her story ends. She and Zijing are both characters that choose revenge over love but only one of them lives to regret it.
The biggest issue with the storytelling is that it tries to incorporate too many themes and archaic ideas of what an independent and empowered woman is supposed to be. The writers bend the plot and characters in ways that don't make sense or is out of character in order to force certain themes and outcomes. This is not a good way to tell a story. Both Duanwu and Zijing's characters are thrown under the bus just to prove that a woman can make it on her own in business during feudal China. We watch allegedly smart villains kill off characters with no motive other than for dramatic impact and shock value. But what makes me really mad is that it is another scratch on the surface empowerment story written by misogynists with a thinly veiled and insidious message about the fate of women who dare to try to make it in a man's world. A true empowered woman would seize second chances and live well in the true and full sense and meaning of the term rather than to wander aimlessly as a shadow of their former selves.
This was a heavy journey from start to finish that does not end in satisfactory way and the ending contains some really questionable messages. There is no payoff for all the suffering, no one gets a great ending and promises to live well were not kept. In the name of both Madame Eight and Shrimpy, I dare not rate this more than 7/10. It is not a drama I recommend unless you are a die hard fan of either of the lead actors and are able to enjoy anything they are in.
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This drama is amazing if you liked bittersweet ending with every single entertaining episodes
For me this drama is amazing in the first episode lusi just like mermaid and the music is fabulous when I hear the music its feel like I'm watching some Disney princess movie and in every single episode their are something new and the ending is so good i don't like sad endings but they didn't show the death of ml in drama so for me that is the best happiness but i cried for side characters they describe the side characters amazingly and lusi gives this time something new, the character she played is new so whole package for me 😁👌Was this review helpful to you?
A drama worthy of your emotions.
This is the first time a drama has affected me so much. The feeling of stopping and letting go of my hurt first before I continue, I cried when they both cried and was really hurt looking at Zhao Lusi so devastated because LYN was holding another woman. I was also angry at him when he shouted at her being taken home by the scholar yet she always stay humble. The drama LLtG was good but this one is great. LLtG's story is not so tortuous unlike the SoPG where you want to watch but is hesitant because you are also protecting your own emotions. The scenes are wonderful and the soundtracks are fitting. In this drama, ZL and LYN will bring you to their make believe world through their amazing acting and real life romance. This drama is worth your time and emotions.Was this review helpful to you?
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The acting very advanced...she very good in this movie
From the begining this story make me crying all the way I watch this episod by episod. Very good story the acting. She so good in acting. Even when came to episod 2 is more more stating crying and crying when the mother died. And also the way she dived I love it. Like merrmaid. Love that. And now I still wait a new episod. Can't stand any more waiting this movie..very story . I love everything about this movie. The view , the clothes, the makeup so perfect ..for me this is the most most beautiful movie after HIDDEN LOVE.Was this review helpful to you?
