sarafilleSD
San Diego, CA
Life's Lessons Learned in a Well-told Story
Yes, 73 (on Viki) but really 78 (?) episodes are long.
Yes, you've been burned by long episode cdramas before and have been burned, so you're wary.
Yes, it's a 10 star story line acted so perfectly by so many actors.
Yes, it is worth it.
* edit* OMG, this story will STICK with you, wow. I came back to edit my review after I thought, "no way am I rewatching something this long" when rating it with a rewatch value of 2 stars right after I watched it. Sadly, I then went from snack drama to fancy drama to heavy drama and couldn't find anything as almost perfect as this story-wise so guess what? I started rewatching it. The MC just slaaaay this thing, guys. Oh, by the way: I don't think this was dubbed, which makes it feel more authentic to me somehow.
I won't give a synopsis since other reviewers have done so well already BUT I wish I knew a couple of things going in, so here goes...
1) Yes, there is a romance but it's more of a love story that grows as the characters grow together so it doesn't start until after episode 30.. Since both the ML & FL's characters are complex and unique, the first half of the drama explores the experiences that shape their perspectives and world-views before they start their household together in the 2nd half. His pursuit of her is really cute because of how he handles/massages/coaxes her into accepting him.
Some people compared it to P&P but aside from the social climbing & backstabby gossip mongering of drawing room witty repartee, I don't see any Austen here. Maybe the fact that it satirizes the prestige of social class & snobbery with & between families, marriages included, okay sure. But that's about it. The ML is not a tsundere--actually the FL is the one w/the uncrackable cold exterior. Both characters are strong, intelligent, independent-minded individuals who are also courageous, tenacious and refuse to shirk responsibilities. They are both pretty awesome in their own right. Even better? The ML recognizes the absolute GEM that our FL is early on but has circumstances and then reasons for not pursuing her until later. (I'll be honest: I didn't like him for her at first but that's only because they weren't right for each other then & hadn't figured themselves out yet; there was an ick factor in his background for me but I understood how he needed to learn from that experience, so I rolled with it but it was pretty painful. Ack.) By the end of the drama, you felt like they were formidable either together or apart. A serious power couple. I didn't find the romance super compelling (little to no wooing since he kinda master-minded their marriage) but I liked their relationship a lot & thought they were a great bonded couple once they got married.
2) You might get bored in the beginning but STICK WITH IT. The reason why you spend so much time in Ming Lan's childhood home at first? To get to know the people that teach her the difficult life lessons that seem to reoccur later in Ming Lan's life. The ones that roll and twist you through dialogue and action like an ever-churning whirlpool. You're slowly getting sucked in, okay? The story is sooooo well written. You have to settle in and just wait for it to build all of these layers in each of the characters, so it just feels slow at first because it IS. Just have faith & pay attention because the eventual pay-off is worth it. Once you hit episode 30ish, you will want to have a weekend to kill off the last 40 episode---yes, the rising action & climax of the show is that perfect that you don't want to tear yourself away from watching it unfurl in one long arch. The tie-up is perfect, too. No loose ends. Each of these characters were so well-crafted that I was never tempted to skip (well, maybe a couple of times tbh) & because the story really is about Ming Lan & HER family (which also later becomes her & her husband's family as well) you have to watch through so much of the earlier interactions to understand how everyone is interconnected.
3) Everyone's acting is bad a**. I am seriously impressed with so many actors & actresses here. The crazy women are realistically batsh*t crazy & as antagonists, terrifyingly unrepentant. They were crafted with just as much love as the protagonists and so they are just as complex. I would say this drama has a powerhouse of female actresses killing it in so many different ways. Every character that was close to Ming Lan had a point of view that was so understandable I developed some empathy for them. Even the most hateful ones, which was unexpected.
4) The story is well-detailed and rich, like a tapestry. Layers upon layers upon layers. It is enjoyable just for the fact that it's a seriously well-told story. Once I committed to Ming Lan's story, I didn't feel the need to cheat on her. I didn't hop back to watch another show I had started and stopped or felt like I needed to take a break with something else for a while. Once this story catches you, you are just along for the ride. For some it may be earlier than Episode 35, but at that point you really can't stop yourself from hitting "next" over and over again because you can't wait to see what's going to happen, oh-my-gosh what are these characters are going to do & how the antagonists are going to get their just desserts in the end. Because they do! Karma smacks the serious sh*t outta them. It's SUCH a smart show, too!!!!
Music was decent. Really just a couple over played songs but at times employed effectively.
**Edit** I've already gone and rewatched this when I REALLY didn't think I would. I kinda missed them. *sniff* So....yeah, I originally thought I would rewatch from episode 53 on (when it really picked up action-wise) but I ended up rewatching from the start of the love story, around episode 30ish.
Basically...
Yes, you should watch it. ;p
Yes, you've been burned by long episode cdramas before and have been burned, so you're wary.
Yes, it's a 10 star story line acted so perfectly by so many actors.
Yes, it is worth it.
* edit* OMG, this story will STICK with you, wow. I came back to edit my review after I thought, "no way am I rewatching something this long" when rating it with a rewatch value of 2 stars right after I watched it. Sadly, I then went from snack drama to fancy drama to heavy drama and couldn't find anything as almost perfect as this story-wise so guess what? I started rewatching it. The MC just slaaaay this thing, guys. Oh, by the way: I don't think this was dubbed, which makes it feel more authentic to me somehow.
I won't give a synopsis since other reviewers have done so well already BUT I wish I knew a couple of things going in, so here goes...
1) Yes, there is a romance but it's more of a love story that grows as the characters grow together so it doesn't start until after episode 30.. Since both the ML & FL's characters are complex and unique, the first half of the drama explores the experiences that shape their perspectives and world-views before they start their household together in the 2nd half. His pursuit of her is really cute because of how he handles/massages/coaxes her into accepting him.
Some people compared it to P&P but aside from the social climbing & backstabby gossip mongering of drawing room witty repartee, I don't see any Austen here. Maybe the fact that it satirizes the prestige of social class & snobbery with & between families, marriages included, okay sure. But that's about it. The ML is not a tsundere--actually the FL is the one w/the uncrackable cold exterior. Both characters are strong, intelligent, independent-minded individuals who are also courageous, tenacious and refuse to shirk responsibilities. They are both pretty awesome in their own right. Even better? The ML recognizes the absolute GEM that our FL is early on but has circumstances and then reasons for not pursuing her until later. (I'll be honest: I didn't like him for her at first but that's only because they weren't right for each other then & hadn't figured themselves out yet; there was an ick factor in his background for me but I understood how he needed to learn from that experience, so I rolled with it but it was pretty painful. Ack.) By the end of the drama, you felt like they were formidable either together or apart. A serious power couple. I didn't find the romance super compelling (little to no wooing since he kinda master-minded their marriage) but I liked their relationship a lot & thought they were a great bonded couple once they got married.
2) You might get bored in the beginning but STICK WITH IT. The reason why you spend so much time in Ming Lan's childhood home at first? To get to know the people that teach her the difficult life lessons that seem to reoccur later in Ming Lan's life. The ones that roll and twist you through dialogue and action like an ever-churning whirlpool. You're slowly getting sucked in, okay? The story is sooooo well written. You have to settle in and just wait for it to build all of these layers in each of the characters, so it just feels slow at first because it IS. Just have faith & pay attention because the eventual pay-off is worth it. Once you hit episode 30ish, you will want to have a weekend to kill off the last 40 episode---yes, the rising action & climax of the show is that perfect that you don't want to tear yourself away from watching it unfurl in one long arch. The tie-up is perfect, too. No loose ends. Each of these characters were so well-crafted that I was never tempted to skip (well, maybe a couple of times tbh) & because the story really is about Ming Lan & HER family (which also later becomes her & her husband's family as well) you have to watch through so much of the earlier interactions to understand how everyone is interconnected.
3) Everyone's acting is bad a**. I am seriously impressed with so many actors & actresses here. The crazy women are realistically batsh*t crazy & as antagonists, terrifyingly unrepentant. They were crafted with just as much love as the protagonists and so they are just as complex. I would say this drama has a powerhouse of female actresses killing it in so many different ways. Every character that was close to Ming Lan had a point of view that was so understandable I developed some empathy for them. Even the most hateful ones, which was unexpected.
4) The story is well-detailed and rich, like a tapestry. Layers upon layers upon layers. It is enjoyable just for the fact that it's a seriously well-told story. Once I committed to Ming Lan's story, I didn't feel the need to cheat on her. I didn't hop back to watch another show I had started and stopped or felt like I needed to take a break with something else for a while. Once this story catches you, you are just along for the ride. For some it may be earlier than Episode 35, but at that point you really can't stop yourself from hitting "next" over and over again because you can't wait to see what's going to happen, oh-my-gosh what are these characters are going to do & how the antagonists are going to get their just desserts in the end. Because they do! Karma smacks the serious sh*t outta them. It's SUCH a smart show, too!!!!
Music was decent. Really just a couple over played songs but at times employed effectively.
**Edit** I've already gone and rewatched this when I REALLY didn't think I would. I kinda missed them. *sniff* So....yeah, I originally thought I would rewatch from episode 53 on (when it really picked up action-wise) but I ended up rewatching from the start of the love story, around episode 30ish.
Basically...
Yes, you should watch it. ;p
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