Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Di - Drama Inspect
4 oamenii au considerat această recenzie utilă
Don't be discouraged by episode count.
Story of Minglan can feel like it's on the slower side but every moment does matter. Minglan portrays a different kind of feminine strength than what we are used to seeing in historical dramas. She's not loud, physically tough nor picks fights with anyone. Her strength retains grace and class and most importantly, smarts. Her growth throughout the drama is very satisfying to watch. Gu Tingue is also a very lovable male lead. He never forces anything on Minglan and quietly encourages her to be herself and supports her when she stands up for what she believes in. I like how they start off as mere acquaintances but gradually start realizing how compatible they are.Everyone's performance in this drama is superb. And every character, including antagonists, has many layers and is not one-dimensional.
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Grande fresque historique vue des cours intérieures
J'hésitais à me lancer dans cette grande fresque historique de 73 épisodes, malgré les commentaires si favorables. En général, elles tournent autour des intrigues de cour, des luttes pour la succession, avec des complots complexes... Dur de tenir sur la durée malgré le talent des acteurs !MAIS
- Le point de vue de ce drama est original, car on suit cette histoire avec une vision essentiellement féminine : la vie dans les grandes familles chinoises vues de leur cour intérieure. Et les combats n'y sont pas moins féroces que sur les champs de bataille !
- l'histoire est bien construite, (relativement) réaliste, sans longueur.
- les acteurs sont géniaux et on rit, on pleure, on se bat avec eux.
- Le CL est hyper attachant, même si la pudeur de l'époque n'est pas très favorable aux "sweet moments".
Conclusion : n'hésitez pas et regardez ce chef d’œuvre !! (que je visionnerai certainement à nouveau, malgré sa longueur, car des séries de cette qualité, on ne s'en lasse pas :)
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Această recenzie poate conține spoilere
In this series I really had a love-hate relationship. I could not wait for the next episode but sometimes I really wanted to flush him. First the chemistry / love between the main characters was just so nice to see. But then a bad thing..minglan was even so smart but was so stupid to her own man.De love between grandmother and 5th sister was so heartwarming to see.Minglan her in-laws was too bad also the devil women remained much to long in the series.
The whole series was really nice to see though I would rather have seen more about the marriage of molan. I would not want to look at this series myself again, just because for me the bad people stay in there too long. Another plus minlan her servants were really super sweet to her .. And the end was very nice and happy. Sorry for my bad English but you must have seen this series
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Această recenzie poate conține spoilere
Nice but a Bit Annoying Too
This is the first time I don't really ship the main couple. They were cute in the beginning, but that's before they got married to each other!!!The first half of the drama was good. Then Ming Lan got married to Gu Ting Ye and the ship sailed. I fast forwarded most of the episodes afterwards as I really couldn't get myself to care about the story of Ming Lan in the Gu Manor. Before they got married Gu Ting Ye told Ming Lan that they are going to live in their own place (to avoid clashing with Gu's evil stepmother). Yet, it never happened.
The palace story (which took place after the marriage), I also couldn't be bothered about. I find the characters in the palace as weakly written. So I fast forwarded most.
The only reason I did a lot of fast forwarding, instead of skipping those episodes altogether, was because I didn't want to miss out on the story of Ming Lan's first love, Qi Heng. My heart broke for him. Yes, he's a bit naive but he's a good man and he did all the right thing. I'm satisfied with the ending as he found his good match (who's tragically, in my opinion, much better than the heroine Ming Lan - maybe the writer also secretly doesn't like Ming Lan? Haha). He so deserves it!
But, I can't believe Molan could live "happily ever after" (meaning, not dead nor imprisoned) - she's as bad as her mother. She made sure all of the pregnancies of her husband's concubines/mistresses couldn't survive full term)!
My favourite character in this drama would be Ming Lan's eldest brother, Chang Bai.
Overall, a bit disappointed. The acting of the main characters are good though, so that's why I'm not giving it less than 7.
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Această recenzie poate conține spoilere
The Story of Minglan had a lot of buzz going into it, due to the fact that it was 1) a Daylight Entertainment drama, and 2) it would mark the first time that the famous production company would team up with a female liu liang actress, which many saw as an acknowledgement of Liying's acting skills. Not to mention the source novel is quite popular. So expectations were quite high for the drama, especially with the dating rumors circling around the leads at the time. All things considered, this was quite the pleasant surprise. I was not fond of the director's previous works, but the scriptwriters have a good track record, and what we ended up getting was a gorgeous slice of life historical with colorful and memorable characters. It's so rare that we get historicals that are focused on the life of civilians outside the palace (though the palace does play a part), and it was refreshing to see the depiction of day to day life in the household of a low/mid ranking official, against the background of the Song dynasty.
Story:
I loved the first half of Minglan, probably even more after a rewatch. The portrayal of Minglan's journey from neglected child to a young adult yearning - but also fearful - for love was beautiful, as was the parallel of Gu Tingye's journey from rebellious and misunderstood son to a responsible, bold but loyal commander. The antagonistic relationship between the wives, the sisters, the idea of what a woman's role is...they were explored well and really fleshed out.
Romance isn't really at the center of the drama, but it does play an important part, and I absolutely loved how it was played out and how it stayed true to what we knew of Minglan and Gu Tingye's characters. Minglan had three suitors in her life, and as someone who has never really been put first by anyone, it really made sense that Gu Tingye, who was the only who went all out in pursuing her and actively prioritized her, would be the one to win her over.
That said, after the wedding, that's when things began to drag a bit. The episodes became extremely repetitive and drawn out (and Hunan TV probably has a lot to do with it), but the only times we saw the story being moved forward was through the episode previews. The stakes were higher, but rather than enjoying the ride, I often felt frustrated with the lack of plot movement. There was also less development in the couple's relationship, which fell a little stagnant until close to the end.
Still, I loved the detailed glimpse of life in the Northern Song Dynasty, and most of all - Sheng Minglan, who was a wonderful protagonist.
Acting/Cast:
The drama was helped by strong performances across the board, anchored by Zhao Liying's wonderful take on Minglan. There was a quiet dignity in young Minglan, which became more of a forceful but steady quest for justice as the character grew up and realized she had to take action to protect her loved ones. Zhao Liying has a great ability to balance vulnerability with inner strength, and it shone in spades here.
Feng Shaofeng's Gu Tingye was also great, and it was a good reminder of the acting range that he possesses when given the chance. The Sheng family was a delight, with Liu Lin and Gao Lu in particular giving fabulous performances as the bickering wives. Cao Cuifen is my MVP though - I absolutely loved her performance and chemistry with Zhao Liying's Minglan.
Music:
Loved the instrumentals used, and the theme song grew on me over time.
Overall:
If you're a fan of Chinese historicals, would really recommend giving this one a shot. It's a lot quieter, and probably more slow-paced than what you may be used to, but it's a beautiful journey.
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Most fleshed out series IMO
Before I start, I watched Story of Yanxi Palace then I watched this, I did the same thing again with the rewatch. I rewatched Yanxi & right after rewatched this again.I didn’t review this after watching it the 1st time. Now I’m reviewing after the 2nd watch.
Having watched both twice I still prefer Story of Yanxi Palace majorly because IN MY OPINION Wei YingLou is the greatest female character ever made anywhere in the world. Wei YingLou is everything i am. She’s so fearlessly badass, she’s extremely loyal to the people she loves and most of all is not shackled by useless emotions that have been designed & perpetrated to keep women obedient. She’s cunning and ruthless and that’s one of the reasons I love her. I love you forever my most iconic Imperial Noble Consort Wei YingLou aka Empress aka literal QUEEN.
MingLan was ruthless when she was pushed to a corner and she’s super smart and calculating, she knew to guard her heart, and I really liked her character a lot.
This series is the definition of character development. The main characters were so fleshed out (this is the most fleshed out character driven series I have ever watched) we knew who they were, what their motivations & desires were, their short comings and strengths.
Our power couple did turn out relatively well and “normal” when you realize that the both of them came from families that were competing for the worst family of the year awards. Gu’s family ended up winning the award in a landslide..
The only thing that irked me was that we didn’t get to see how Molan was treated upon entry into her matrimonial home, I badly wanted to see the shock/heartbreak on her face as she entered and saw a very pregnant concubine chunke (Sue me I’m petty like that). Also the demise of Gu TingYe’s stepmom was so anticlimactic. I feel she died so easily. I wanted her to experience real long drawn out pain/anguish but alas it wasn’t so, like I said sue me, I’m petty like that.
People need to stop telling women when and how to feel anything. A lot of men in this show & in the real world will be dating/sleeping with different women and not love any of them. When the women are now seeking for the men’s attention, these women will be called clingy (especially in C & K Dramas) but when a man falls in love with a woman she is automatically expected to reciprocate those feelings, like she should be grateful and happy that he loves her, (that was one the foolishness that pissed me the hell off in the VIKI comment section where I watched), the audacity of a woman to not reciprocate a man’s feelings simply because he’s handsome & loves her, gosh the travesty. *Insert sarcasm*
I do thank God I wasn’t born in that era because I know I wouldn’t have survived it, so in my opinion, the good/kind women of the era portrayed in this series are definitely the real MVPs.
If indeed they had such evil vile scheming women then in that era, then damn, too bad, because it seems like women supporting women have been a farce since the beginning of time & I can’t see any end to it. At least that time they were not dressing it up prettily like they are now. #MeTooMovement my ass.
All that being said, shoutout to MingLan’s girl squad they were literal goals. I loved each and every one of them.
The best scenes were when the sisters (Big Madam and Madam Kang) fell down (happened at different times/scenes) Gosh I watched those several times.
Nanny Chang’s rant to Madam Kang that caused her fall was so epic, it was a masterpiece.
To end this, it was a really good series and I will be back in a few years to rewatch again.
But for now, adios to my scheming power couple…..
Rewatch Value 10/10 ( I have watched twice and will rewatch again)
Overall 10/10
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Această recenzie poate conține spoilere
The Story of Ming Lan - Review
The Story of Ming Lan - one of ZLY's best dramas. The story is smart, has a great message, and great script. Some of the lines, especially Ming Lan's are really wise, and like quotes. about life about everything. It's a long series, with 73 episodes, but i didnt get bored of it. I'ev watched it 3 times and still find it so wise and interesting. the proper male lead doesnt properly come in until nearly halfway through the series, and they dont actually have any intimacy until the last 20ish episodes, but there is so much going on at the same time, but i can still easily understand it. I dont know how the director did it.Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Această recenzie poate conține spoilere
Stunning story and acting one of my all time favorites!
Let me first say before going into the details that this drama is recommended by me and I'm 100% sure you would rewatch it if you have time.Music:
I don't have to say specifically what parts of the music were nice and where there were nice 'cause without a doubt all the composing and directing was beautifully done. The music matched perfectly with the scenes which was simple yet elegant, allowing you to feel and understand a lot about the culture of that time alone. It did not have too much of the factor that most music have nowadays, which is used to attract the younger generation or the audience of ages 20-30, which made the whole drama and itself more distinguished and refined.
But of all the music present in the entire drama I especially loved the opening OST. And after experiencing all of it yourself you too will love it.
Story:
The story moved perfectly even during the time skips, the way it transited from one year to another was done effortlessly and did not show or allow myself to ask questions such as How many years has it been? Did the years change? Was that all a flashback? etc which I feel curious about in such transiting moments.
The plot was of full of entertainment in terms of comedy, romance, politics and life. But to say it depicted life, it cannot be considered, as it was still a bit romanticized to call it as such and had elements that can't sometimes be considered to be present in all lives. But it was still a very good depiction.
Though the drama was lengthy and had over 78 episodes it neither felt dragged or over written.
It showed the life of the people of that time, the politics, how a family was run and all the problems faced by a woman at that time. It didn't feel heavy or tiring in the middle of the program and there weren't many unnecessary misunderstandings which made the plot flow properly with a clear picture and wasn't confusing some parts.
The whole story revolves around The FL's family mainly and also the other two ML's families, didn't feel rushed and showed a vivid picture of sacrifice and the trials that one family faces in those times.
I especially loved the relationship between the FL(ming'er) and her grandmother specifically the part of Sheng Ming lan (FL) marrying Gu Ting ye, the way her grandmother cried out tears got me myself crying along with her which was very heart touching moment and showed how mush she cared for Ming lan (FL). The FL found solace in her grandmother, though not her own biological one but acted as one in her heart, as she lost her mother at a very young age. I also loved how the FL's father always concedes to his legitimate wife. These added more heartwarming scenes and comedic factors to the whole of the story. I didn't feel pressurized when watching it which was another point that rather made me appreciate the whole work as most of the other dramas just have me worried and anxious so it felt nice for a change to watch something with a pleasant and a subtle storyline.
After watching the whole drama I found myself pairing both the MLs (Ming Lan and Gu Tingye) but to my surprise they're actually married in life too!
And of course like the other dramas that I've seen this too has a happy ending.
Acting& Characters:
Now I don't have to say much more about the acting, from what I've stated above I can conclude that both the acting and characters were written and acted perfectly. This added the show another charm that most dramas don't have.
The dramas nowadays released focus more on the MLs in the entire show and don't give a platform for the supporting roles and cast to showcase their characters more vividly and in depth or just don't show the importance of them regardless of whether it was intentional or not. When I found this point in this drama I observed it had more people liking it including the audience that most dramas couldn't reach out to.
The participation of most of the cast in the story gave it a feeling of more in depth and detail ness that made it seem complete and enjoyable.
Overall it was an elegant yet simple story and wasn't overbearing and is definitely a classic in my watchlist!
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Based off of the higher than average number of episodes, I couldn't find many areas to fast-forward on because I didn't want to miss those key conversations and key events. It was refreshing to have a strong female strategist in a role that didn't revolve around historical royalty, war, or blind revenge. It should be noted that I equally fell for our male lead here as well and if he wasn't a fictitious character, I may have very well developed a crush. Following the two of them through their different lives of torturous endurance, the political moves they make separately (and together) for survival and to break free from those who've attempted to crush them was very satisfying.
The historical portrayal of the power play between multiple wives and concubines was also enticing. You will come across intense emotional manipulation and butterfly effects in choices made. You will feel for the ones you want to smack in the face and you'll want to smack the faces of the ones you originally rooted for, only to feel empathy for them again. You will gradually understand why some chose to live the way they do, what others held onto out of desperation, and what sacrifices were made in order to get there (or fail to get there).
Now let me emphasize that I usually try to avoid romance-heavy anything, and this happens to be one of those special ones (our lead couple) where I actually looked forward seeing them on-screen together. You have two equally strong individuals who are equally capable of supporting of one another- can't get better than that.
As much as the series took me on a lovely unexpected ride, nothing is perfect if you really want to nitpick. The actions scenes could have maybe been done better and minor parts of the character developments could have maybe been progressed more smoothly. But eh, it doesn't dampen the memorable effects it had on me.
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
My Favourite Cdrama All The Time
This show had everything for me. …. A stellar cast, an intuitive director, thought-driven writers, and the crew behind the scenes deserve a raise! ….. a master example of how to write a great screen play and to create an amazing high adrenaline narrative. Do not judge a book by its cover, as strength and truth comes in a variety of forms, as does so does love. Zhaoliying character potrays it has that make you want more type of feel!!! Like honestly she was so strong throught her life and mange to pull through those plots. I love Grandma too heartwarming to see them protect each other earnestly…. GuTinye’s relationship with Minglan from the beginning when they are kids to the end of the show is just so cute when they are together!! The Story of MingLan is just amazing Highly Recommended Watch It Now.Considerați utilă această recenzie?
A story adorned in rich culture and reflects real life beautifully
This drama is set in the Song Dynasty. It tells the story of Shen Minglan born in a family of officials. Though they're officials that work in the royal court, they're not exactly upper noble class. The Shen daughters are three sisters. Minglan is the youngest one born of a unfavored mistress that died during childbirth.This story is very beautiful. Unlike most stories that depend on excessive drama and action to make them worth watching. The Story of Minglan takes pride in detecting the highs and lows of daily life. The conflicts in the first part of the drama are mainly based on the Shen family's struggle to solidify a footing in the capital, and finding suitable husbands for the three daughters. This part is akin of a good slice of life story. Every detail is brilliantly portrayed to paint a picture of those times. It makes you feel as if you're living in those times.
The later part of the story has a heavier plot, as Shen Minglan has married a noble general. So the plot drabbles more into royal politics and conflicts. This part of the story is quite adventurous and fun to watch. The love stories in this drama are nothing crazy but manage to portray real life relationships in a very raw way. Shen Minglan has two suitors before marrying the general. One portrays puppy love where the other is just convention.
The main leads Zhao Liyin and Fang Shaofeng were married irl at the time of this drama's filming hence the chemistry is quite good. The characters are flawed making them more relatable. The side characters are all very lovable. The drama has extremely beautiful ost and cinematography. It feels like a poem about the Song Dynasty in itself.
But the most special thing about this drama for me personally, is the rewatchability. Very seldom I find a drama where every now and then I feel like rewatching it. Even if I like a drama very much, I usually don't find myself wanting to revisit it, or even if I do I almost never watch the entire thing from start to finish. But with this drama I've already watched it twice. The second time I watched it while simultaneously reading the novel (there's barely any change in the plot). And I was thinking about watching it for the third time and hence decided to write this review.
Considerați utilă această recenzie?
