Blossoms in Adversity (2024)

Women Unite to Blossom from Adversities by selling Dim Sum!

“Blossoms in Adversity” is not getting a lot of hype and it’s unfortunate as it’s a pretty good drama. Led by Zhang Jing Yi (of “Lighter and Princess”) as the main heroine, we follow her as she leads everyone to weather the storms thrown at her and the Hua family. This drama reminds me of “New LIfe Begins”, with a focus on the women of the family, though “Blossoms in Adversity” has more drama and less comedy.

Plot/Pacing:
A lot happened to the Hua Family in these 40 episodes mainly due to a mean, dictatorial, jealous emperor who couldn’t stand being criticized or questioned. The pacing of the drama is pretty good. With a mix of politics, overcoming hardships, family relationships/dynamics, business dealings and royal family disputes, these 40 episodes go by pretty quickly. There might be slight slow pacing in the middle but the last quarter of the drama picks the pace back up. I am not a big fan of harem scheming, so I was initially worried that I might dislike all these women in the family, especially when the hard times come. Luckily, the fighting only happens for a few episodes and they are not too bad. None of them is evil at heart, and this drama really does emphasize on how these women of all ages and social statuses come together to create a new life for themselves and their loved ones.

Romance:
The main romance is like a calming, steady river stream. Hua Zhi (FL) and Gu Yan Xi (ML) are both intelligent, mature and rational adults. Their romance is developed slowly starting as strangers, to friends, and then to lovers. Although this romance does not give you severe heartbreaks or cute and fluffy sweetness, it brings a sense of satisfaction, companionship and comfort. Hua Zhi and Gu Yan Xi are very honest with each other, and will communicate when they are in doubt. I would not say Zhang Jing Yi and Hu Yi Tian have excellent chemistry and it’s probably because their romance is just so comforting. It lacks a sense of passion or yearning. The acting is not bad, but also not enough to move or excite me. There’s only really one kiss scene but there is plenty of hugging and hand holding. On the other hand, the secondary romance between Shao Yao and Shen Huan is a lot more adorable. They are just so fun together and I enjoy their chemistry. Their innocence shines through like the bright sunlight.

Acting:
As the protagonist, Zhang Jing Yi did an admirable job as Hua Zhi. She met my expectations but I would not say she’s excellent, because I think the large supporting cast of veteran actresses share her spotlight. Hu Yi Tian is not horrible, and definitely better than in his other ‘cold’ roles in “Go Go Squid” or “Handsome Siblings”. He’s OK but not great. He still lacks expressions in some of the more emotional scenes, especially when he’s angry (gotta do more than open your eyes wide). Lu Yu Xiao really is a very promising young actress. She has played so many different roles in recent dramas and she continues to impress me. “Blossoms in Adversity” has a very large cast from the youngest to the oldest. There isn’t anyone that is the weakest link and luckily, there aren't any annoying characters.

Production:
This might not be an S+ production, but nothing looks cheap. I love all of Zhang Jing Yi’s costumes and hairstyles. She looks beautiful in this drama. When the Hua family has money, all the women’s clothing look nice and ‘rich’, though they seem to always wear the same clothes. I enjoy the OST but do think the songs are overplayed. I am somewhat pleasantly surprised at the action/fight scenes. There aren’t too many fight scenes but the few that they had, I was quite impressed, and especially surprised to see Hu Yi Tian fight hard and seems to know what he’s doing. I don’t recall being impressed with his fight scenes in “Handsome Siblings”. The fights are well-choreographed and I would have loved them even more if we cut down on the slow-motion scenes. Lastly, I am so glad that most of the actors and actresses use their own voice even if it’s from studio/post-production and not live. Eddie Ko (Grandfather Hua) and Myolie Wu (third madame), both from Hong Kong, seem to be the only ones dubbed by someone else.

Lastly, I am not sure if this is considered a criticism, but I find our heroine Hua Zhi a little too perfect. The drama does not outright tell you she’s perfect. In fact, when she was introduced, no one really liked her or cared for her, except for her grandfather. But as the drama goes on, we are shown time and time again how intelligent she is. She is able to overcome Everything quite easily. Hua Zhi can react to challenges rationally, and she can anticipate and prevent future crises, while coming up with new ideas to make money. She’s able to grow her small little food stand business to having her own dim sum store in less than a year!

Having said that, there really isn’t any big flaw “Blossoms in Adversity”. It’s enjoyable, decently-paced with lovely characters. If you enjoy seeing women band together to support each other, this is the drama for you. If you enjoy seeing how one overcomes adversities and blossoms from them (see my pun here.. LOL), this is the drama for you. I’m giving this a solid 8.5. It’s just missing a little something for me emotionally, so I can’t give it a higher rating. Nevertheless, I heartily recommend this drama.


Completed: 6/2/2024 - Review #448

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The power of goodwill

After the men of the Hua family are forced into exile and the women and children left to fend for themselves, Hua Zhi, the eldest daughter and our indomitable female lead, takes charge and seeks to bring the family back together against all odds. Her family and her story become entwined with that of Gu Yanxi, nephew to the emperor with his own share of family troubles, albeit of a very different nature being born into the royal bloodline.

There is a lot of story to cover in 40 episodes, and what we are left with in the drama is a bit uneven in pacing and tone. A lot of the first half of the story follows the Hua family's ups and downs in their endeavors to recover from the disaster forced upon them by the paranoid Emperor. Some of the most moving and heartbreaking moments for me occur in the quieter moments within the Hua family household as they learn to brave their hardships and share their triumphs with each other. The latter half features more of the palace/political story. If given enough time, this part of the story may have been able to develop its themes and antagonists better. Instead, things are taken care of far too neatly and swiftly before anything really resonates. Hai Yitian as the complicated Emperor of Daqing makes an impression, but with his arc in the story as a whole and his relationship with Yanxi not fully explored, it is a bit of a shame how it all ends for him.

All in all, this is a heartwarming story worth watching for some great performances from all the cast, including Zhang Jingyi as Hua Zhi and Hu Yitian as Yanxi. I wish they had more to do with their roles as far as range of emotions (we get a little bit towards the end), and I hope to see more of them in period/costume dramas in the future.

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A DRAMA THAT BROKE MANY STEREOTYPES !

I acknowledged beforehand ,the drama might not be good enough as its the fl's 1st costume drama. but to my utter surprise,i loved it much more than i thought. the drama somehow reflects the background story of many great entrepreneurs who started from the scratch. HUAZHI is smart,intellegent,untamed yet calm and modest.I loved the way she dealt with people, earned their trust and support which is a must quality for every businessman(well woman here).
it shows the significance of people from any class, no matter how inferior they are by rank ,they can contribute a lot. huazhi has a calculative brain,she got wits but without fudong, nothing could have been done. Here also huazhi depicts as an ideal employer.
The drama has no unnecessary misunderstanding between the leads, showed a refreshing healthy mature relationship.
Many questioned the chemistry, they did have good chem,might be not worthy shipping hard but definitely wasnt an absolute mismatch.
The villains didnt have excessive screentime or none was inhumanly brutal to loathe. indeed they were vicious but their consequences were extremely satisfying and deserving. It is not a perfectly perfect drama ofc, it had a few plot holes but easily ignorable because the story pacing was well organized and the storyline itself was highly engaging.the fighting scenes were literally treat to the eyes,just superb, appreciate the ml for his efforts.
Must mention to the fl ,the 2nd fl ,the ones who played maids and each every cast who did exceptionally well portraying their respective roles..overall it was an enjoyable watch !

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Zhang Jingyi is a force to be reckoned with

This review will be kept short.
After finishing this drama, all I'm gonna say is Zhang Jingyi deserves to be recognized. I love her acting and how she uplifts other casts.
Her performance is synergistic and very moving
Her eye acting is topnotch.
She made me excited, had me at the edge of my seat, and the parts where there are no big events are still a main attraction because of her.
Thank you to this drama for making me discover such a talented gem of an actress.
I also would like to commend Hu Yitian. You have performed well in this drama. I would love to see you more in historical dramas.

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So sad its now finished, so am off to watch it again.

I have really really enjoyed watching this series. The story is a simple one of disaster and heartache for a family and how with strong leadership and caring for one another and a willingness to change and work hard together good things can happen.
I really love the strength shown by the ladies of the family to overcome the difficulties even a few bumps in the road did not deter them. The FL and ML developed a brilliant relationship and the actors portrayed there role in a very believable way. It all felt so natural. There were many notable performances enough to say i thought all the cast did an extremely fine job. Of course i have my favourites and i am sure you will to.
The cinematography, OST are first class and made the whole experience of watching the series all the more enjoyable.
many thanks to all the cast and crew for giving us a series that is such a pleasure to watch. Am off to watch the whole series again now.
I wonder if there could be a 2nd series with the same cast of course. That would be great.

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I loved every moment of the drama ♥️

The eldest daughter of a prestigious family, Hua Zhi, concealed her talents for fifteen years. But when the Hua family was on the verge of collapse, she had no choice but to reveal her true abilities and step forward to support her crumbling household.She prepared herself mentally for the possibility of her family clan turning against her and was ready to live lonely her whole life. Frequently making appearances and taking bold actions, she even went as far as carrying a coffin on her back with her siblings to force her "enemies" into a corner, gaining a reputation for being someone not to be trifled with in the capital city.One day, a man wearing armor before heading off to war asked her for a lifetime of commitment. After meeting and falling in love with her lover, Hua Zhi transformed into a heroine in the business world, akin to the legendary Mulan, and embarked on a story of growth alongside him.

Adapted from the web novel "Xi Hua Zhi" (惜花芷) by Kong Liu (空留).

The pacing was interesting to me in a good way. The plot went through the ups and downs of the characters lives so smoothly and quickly that angsty moments were not that dramatic and happy moments were more like normal events. No one really has an opportunity to dwell on the good or bad.Even with 40 episodes, the show never felt draggy, and best of all, it stuck its landing. I for one, am satisfied with how the show ended. It wrapped up the characters' journeys nicely and sent them off in such a way that left me feeling that this drama was well worth the watch.

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What It Takes to Keep Living Life after a Huge Misfortune

Watching BIA was somehow a typical type story of idol drama where the female lead is trying to survive and break norms and here comes the male lead as someone important in palace that fell in love with the FL in first sight.

They don't really offer you an exclusive type of story and cinematography with lots of twist BUT the writings of each character and scripts with the perfectly presentation by the cast made this drama EXTRAORDINARY.

Female Lead - Huazhi by Zhang Jing Yi
- A somehow ignored/disliked by her family relatives due to her wild demeanour and out of the norm from how the women of the time should be.
- Loves how she wanted to leave them at first when the misfortune hits just shows how human and genuine her feelings when she thinks her relatives couldn't be 'saved' and still in their own bubbles but changed her mind when she found out that theyre concerned when shes abducted and realized that they're 'hate' are nothing that she think it was but simply a generations of woman 'brainwashed' to be that of what required of the time.
- Hugely rational and reasonable. Her craftmanship are showcased/aligned well with her thinking and logics.
- Beautifully presented both by stylings and acting. ZJY needs a prop for this istg. Esp her voice 🤌 Her way of presenting each lines are simply beautiful 🤌🤌 (this is one of my first watching ZJY's work and im absolutely going to tune in more of her)
- Young female lead: They totally slayed casting her fr. The demeanour fits very well with her character and both interpretation by her and ZJY are perfectly blends.

Male Lead - Gu Yanxi by Hu Yi Tian
- A Prince from the Grand Duke that is favored by the Emperor yet are used by him.
- A typical type of story with sad background aka mom d*ed when he's young and he tryna seek for justice etc
- I got a majored irks of him that EFFECTED my whole perception of the drama in the first few episodes. I was ????? the whole (1-3) eps when he shows up with those hairstyles and dressings like bruh its a major turn off for me glad i decide to push trough and glad i did. Dude looks soooo much better now when he in his prince attire and hairstyle eps that styling is way better for him.
- Acting is ok. Felt replaceble as i could imagine anyone else of 90/95🥜 as him but the chemistry are still chemistry-ing slowly but surely and maturely.

Supporting Characters - Characters that are Flawed, yet Flawed Beautifully because after all, they're still human ❤️
- Hua Yi Zheng : The Respected Scholar that willingly to do what it takes to make sure the dynasty are governed well eventho the price might be he and his whole clan's life and dignity. Beautifully acted and exuded this 'empathy' and 'respect' aura from him and his character that truly adores his first granddaughter, huazhi. Always believed in her and respected her not just as a woman, but as a human with its own mind and brain. Beautiful bonds i almost sobbed when the camera pans to him in split seconds when he's waiting for her to come to the first time in sanbai city in ep 25. The shots might be only 1 seconds yet with the slow windy type of settings, him sitting anxiously anticipating and believing his granddaughter has came just shows how longed for him of her and thats just - sad. The old man just good at it fr 🤧
- Old Madame Hua: Just realized she didnt even introduced to her full name??? 😭 A character of Nobelty and Dignity. Simply the dignified old madame like how else can i explained about her? The casting team really did a great job in casting LiuJia as her like the tones and the aura just perfectly made for her. Sad that her character ended midway but i understand that's its crucial for the development of Huazhi. I truly cried when the empress dowager came to visit her like the way i gasped GASPED when i realized who came to visit the funeral when it pans to the phoenix's emblem. 🤌
- Shaoyao : Props to Lu Yu Xiao the traumatic character with a genius brain in medicine. The way she acted are very amazing -not dumb but not 'sane'. Loves the small detail of she - unkept before meeting the hua family -> tidied and hair are styled when they first lived together -> hair accessories on her during them living together in the first few months -> her with a complete hairstyles + hair accessories and earrings. It shows the growth of their earnings very well.
- The Residents/Relatives of the Hua Family : Characters with each of its flaw yet are just beautifully flawed with reasonable type of settings and reasons. I just loved it but if i keep explaining its gonna be a lot longer but felt like each of them actually really carry a whole bunch of their own story instead of a plot armor/buffs for the main leads an i am absolutely down for it
- From the Aunties aka the Daughter-In-Laws, to the concubines to their own daughters (esp Hua Ling the girl with the mole besides her eyes that became one of the teacher in the Hua's school are so beautiful 😭🤧) to the maids and guards. All are flawedly beautifully written.

So what makes me keep watching this eventho i felt its just somehow an another type of idol costume drama?
My answer would be because of the writings of each character and the amazingly presentation of each character by each actors and actresses.

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Nothing special, no memorable quotes and yet... enjoyable and refreshing

If you skip this drama, you won't lose anything in your life. But if you need something to watch to relax, something that won't irritate you, something still sufficiently interesting that won't make you drop it, well, this drama is perfect for you.

The writer of the synopsis didn't make justice to introduce us to the plot, so, I'll repair it. This is a (not particularly defined) period ensemble drama which rotates around a young couple with their own struggles. FL is struggling to keep what remained of her family afloat, after the seizure of assets and exile of male members from the capital. Her struggle is a struggle of female empowerment. ML is a side member of the imperial family who struggles to figure out complicated relations in his own family. Favoured by his uncle, a wicked emperor who can't stand anyone who contradicts him, he is appointed the Commander of the Secret Bureau, a ruthless Agency that responds only to him with the power to take down any other force (including nobles, royals etc) aspiring to the power. The struggles of these two persons entagle in interesting way and they fall for each other.

Although it lacks in memorable quotes and has many elements of unlikeliness, the plot is solidly based on a well-written dialogues, a rarity in C-dramaworld. Tbh, they are not brilliant, but they abound in details, double meanings, premonitions/hints that make the story logical in cause-effect sequence. What enhance to make the story believable is a genuine romance between the main leads, displayed originally for this type of drama: calm discussions to overcome misunderstandings, no screeming or scheming, no knives, poisons or bloodspitting. If you can pass over the fact that the ML is a super-fighter and the FL a business genius, for the rest, the two are totally normal people. The scenes engaging other people, and they are many, are also well developed, at least in the 4/5 of episodes. These are the reason I've highly rated "the story" - I'd like to encourage the two scriptwriters to follow this path in the future (and to forget completely the mess they've combined with TTEOM). But I also couldn't rate more, because they've also comitted huge mistakes (due to the original novel, I suppose), such as... introducing a new villain in last 5 eps. The audience "likes" villains, too: we want to know what made them villains, we like to grow up some (negative) affection to the villains, too.

Generally speaking, all the actors delievered the story, but not on the same level. Who delievered better were support characters: Hai Yi Tian as that sick-in-his-head emperor, Lu Yu Xiao as a traumatised PTSP girl (this actress really knows her job!) in process of healing, Myolie Wu as Madam Xia. The leads were good in delivering their main traits (described above: fighter-businesswoman), but nothing more than that.

Direction: How did Chu Yui Bun restrain himself from all his "weird experiments" with lights, filters, camera spinning... is a mystery. I suppose, his assistants constantly kept an eye on him. Untill the last minute in post-production. They've thought they've wrapped it all and left him alone. Being unwatched, he simply decided to add some CGI dolphins in that sort of homage to the Titanic. Both dolphins and Titanic-homage were wrong ideas, assistants, please,, don't leave him unchecked ever more.

Music was nothing special, the reason of high rating is: it's fine because it wasn't invasive.

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Family is the essence.

Blossoms in adversity, this drama was aptly named.

The main theme and plot line that carried us through all 40 episodes of this drama was well done. Watching the Hua family's fall from grace and their eventual comeback through hardwork, preseverance, trust was so uplifting. The relationships between the women of the Hua household and how they worked together was the best part of the series and that is truly the main essence of the drama. This whole aspect was well done, so I rate the drama highly for that mainly.

In terms of the romance, the love between Hua Zhi and YanXi was the healthy and romantic type. Although I didn’t really feel amazing chemistry between the actors, the romance between the characters was great to witness. I loved how they both started out as friends and their relationship grew deeper. It was beautiful to see them be each other's confidants, with HZ feeling safest talking with YX and seeking his opinions on things she wanted to do, especially early on in their relationship.

My main disappointment with the drama is specifically the main lead, Yanxi's, attitude(?). To put it short, he did not stand on business. Despite how physically strong he was and how many times he protected HZ and her family, his character/state of mind/personality as his own person just fell so flat. In terms of personality, I even preferred the Second Male Lead's attitude and how he carried himself. YX acted in ways that went against his own beliefs/desires/morals all because the Emperor ordered it and that was dissapointing. He came across as a weak willed man and that is definitely not a trait I'd like to see from a ML, especially when you compare with the FL who is courageous enough to speak out when she sees something wrong and SML who spoke out honestly without fear for the consequences. This also feeds into why I felt a bit dissatisfied with how the end to all the adversity played out, I wish it was more directly through the hands of the main leads' actions than that of third parties. The fact that at the end of the drama I was rooting for one of the villains to accomplish their revenge plot and was pissed at our main leads for trying to stop them was a new feeling I experienced watching a drama, lmao.

Overall, the main story line being the rise of Hua family was enjoyable and very well done, there are also so many lovable side characters and romantic story lines (ShaoYao x Shen Huan, Uncle Pingyang x Aunt Yu Niang, Empress Dowager x Grandma iykyk lol, etc) that made this very enjoyable, so I still had a good time watching this drama.

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