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glitteryv) wrote2025-09-30 02:07 pm
glitteryv) wrote2025-09-30 02:07 pm
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Fannish 50 S3 Post 42: CDramas I've DNF'd Part 2
The Story of Minglan
A 2018 historical drama with 73 eps total.
The premise
Sheng Minglan's childhood is rather terribs. Her mom was the second (and lesser) concubine of a court official. Lin Qingshuan (played by Gao Lu) is the first concubine. She's a woman who schemes every which way in order to get her daughter Sheng Molan (played by Shi Shi) an advantageous marriage.
Because of her father's neglect, the core of Minglan's childhood is abt surviving Lin Qingshuan's traps and abuse. Things take a dark turn when Minglan's mother dies under v. suspicious circumstances. At only 8 years old, Minglan decides to follow her mom's advice (to hide her intelligence and high observational skills) cuz that'd make her a target.
Thankfully, tho, she comes under the protection of Old Madam Sheng (played by Cao Cuifen), her paternal grandmother, who educates and raises her.
The story then jumps forward in time (around ep. 5) from Minglan's childhood to her teen years (by now the character is played by Zhao Liying.) Minglan begins to go to a co-ed school alongside her other 5 siblings. It's while there that she reunites with Gu Tingye (played by Feng Shaofeng), the second son of some noble. [NB: they'd first met when they were children, then parted ways. So their dynamic is a bit more casual and friendlier than expected.]
What follows are a lot of ups and downs that continue after Minglan and Gu Tingyue enter into an arranged marriage. The dramarama steps on the pedalβ¦
FTR, this is way less of a romance and more of a Slice of LIfe type of family drama. The focus is split between Minglan & Gu Tinguye, Minglan's family (including all of her cousins), Gu Tingye's fam, their friends, enemies, etc. It's a HUGE cast.
What makes Minglan likable and interesting to watch (at last to me) is that she's extremely clever in finding the solutions to all sorts of problems. Also, she's got a flair fo sussing people out. And so, whenever there's any kind of trouble, she's able to solve it in a way that makes sense. Her methodology makes sense because the drama shows her learning (from her grandma and a few teachers) things such as how to maneuver around AND through conflicts, the value of patience, and how to prepare plans B, C, and D in case plan A fails, etc. She is (at least for a while) a v. proactive character and that adds to the overall fun.
Meanwhile, Gu Tingye has a darker-than-expected past that makes him an outcast of sorts in the eyes of his immediate family and (to a certain extent) society at large. So he has to make his fortune w/o any familial support and that's a neat change from the regular deregular Male LI. He's complex enough to make him an interesting character to watch.
As a CP, they had a surprising amount of chemistry. [Fun fact: the two actors fell in love, married a few months before the drama premiered, had a kid, and (sadly?) got divorced 3 yrs later.] Fair warning: if you're looking for the characters to be lovey-dovey with each other, then you're gonna have to wait a LONG while! Both MCs have other suitors at different times in the story (and some of them are quite compatible with each MC.) Once the CP marries, tho, the true love aspect of the story actually kicks off. I like the idea of married ppl falling in love with each AFTER getting hitched.
This drama also has good cinematography. Most of the main villains--at least up to the point I stopped watching--are great (the actors make them quite hateable.)
I watched the first 43 eps, btw (so I bounced a little past the halfway point.)
The child actors (who again, only stuck around for the first 5 eps) are ridic good. And the adult cast is talented as well.
Do I have any criticisms?
The pacing is v. slow at times.
I also have a bit of an issue with something that begins toward the end of ep 5 and continues up to ep. 11. Like I mentioned before, Zhao Liying starts playing Minglan in ep. 5. Per the story, Minglan's 15-y.oβ¦.but Zhao Liying was 31 when she filmed that drama. Her styling (w/r/t to her hair and makeup) goes so hard in trying to make her look teenager-y that it magnifies the age difference between character and actor.
This problem also happens with the male lead. Gu Tingye is meant to be around 19-20 at that point in the story. However, Feng Shaofeng was 40. The drama works around this by keeping the cameras into soft focus mode for a handful of episodes until enough time passes in the drama and the character is slightly older.
You can most deffo tell they're WAY OLDER than they're supposed to be. It looks as ridic and O__o as you can imagine. So it's up to the viewer to make their peace/accept this just like it is.
MOVING ON.
My yays abt this drama started to wilt around ep. 35. There's a specific repetitiveness to the conflicts that pop up that gets tiresome quick. It'd go like this: XYZ character hates Minglan, they want to bring her down or, at the v. least, "teach her a lesson". Minglan, somehow, outsmarts them. Rinse and repeat. ON TOP OF THAT, it's super weird how EVERY NEW CHARACTER (especially female ones) hates her.
Also, there's a certain "dumbing down" of Minglan once she gets married. Frex, she moves into a new home with her husband. As soon as she's settled in, a whole 'nother batch of characters start to plan how humiliate Minglan. LITERALLY FOR NO REASON.
I gotta mention that BEFORE THE MARRIAGE, Minglan would've not only figured things out, but also come up with Plans A thru Z on how to counterattack anyone. However, now that she's married, she spends a lot fo the time wringing her hands while going "IDK what to dooooo". It's bizarre AND frustrating to see a previously clever lead suffer in silence episode after episode.
Some ppl have argued that, as a married lady, she now has to consider her actions cuz they'd affect her husband's life at court. I don't buy it. To me, it's v. much "previously awesome character gets depowered now that she's married JUST BECAUSE WE SAY SO."
What's the FMC's plot armor level?
Moderately high. She does suffer a lot of abuse and neglect as a child (this isn't depicted in a graphic way, but it's something that's brought up a few times.) Still, she usually manages to overcomes the obstacles rather unscathed.
How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?
NO IDEA. As I understand it, the last third of the drama turns a lot more political. Which is something I like. However, I was so annoyed with Minglan becoming a doormat that I couldn't sit through one more episode.
Do I recommend it?
Yeahhhhhhh? IF you think you'll enjoy a mellow, domestic, and slow paced drama that focuses on the families and less on the CP, then this might be worth checking out. Again, the love part of the story is there, but not really intense, IMO.
FWIW, I did wanted to stick with it cuz I love Power Couple Dramas, but there we are. I do need to point out that my opinion is v. much that of an outlier as this is one of dramas that a ton of ppl do like (if not love.)
Queerness level
Nonexistent.
Le trailer
I couldn't find one w/English subtitles, but I wanted to give y'all some idea of the things I've complained abt so here you go:
A 2018 historical drama with 73 eps total.
The premise
Sheng Minglan's childhood is rather terribs. Her mom was the second (and lesser) concubine of a court official. Lin Qingshuan (played by Gao Lu) is the first concubine. She's a woman who schemes every which way in order to get her daughter Sheng Molan (played by Shi Shi) an advantageous marriage.
Because of her father's neglect, the core of Minglan's childhood is abt surviving Lin Qingshuan's traps and abuse. Things take a dark turn when Minglan's mother dies under v. suspicious circumstances. At only 8 years old, Minglan decides to follow her mom's advice (to hide her intelligence and high observational skills) cuz that'd make her a target.
Thankfully, tho, she comes under the protection of Old Madam Sheng (played by Cao Cuifen), her paternal grandmother, who educates and raises her.
The story then jumps forward in time (around ep. 5) from Minglan's childhood to her teen years (by now the character is played by Zhao Liying.) Minglan begins to go to a co-ed school alongside her other 5 siblings. It's while there that she reunites with Gu Tingye (played by Feng Shaofeng), the second son of some noble. [NB: they'd first met when they were children, then parted ways. So their dynamic is a bit more casual and friendlier than expected.]
What follows are a lot of ups and downs that continue after Minglan and Gu Tingyue enter into an arranged marriage. The dramarama steps on the pedalβ¦
FTR, this is way less of a romance and more of a Slice of LIfe type of family drama. The focus is split between Minglan & Gu Tinguye, Minglan's family (including all of her cousins), Gu Tingye's fam, their friends, enemies, etc. It's a HUGE cast.
What makes Minglan likable and interesting to watch (at last to me) is that she's extremely clever in finding the solutions to all sorts of problems. Also, she's got a flair fo sussing people out. And so, whenever there's any kind of trouble, she's able to solve it in a way that makes sense. Her methodology makes sense because the drama shows her learning (from her grandma and a few teachers) things such as how to maneuver around AND through conflicts, the value of patience, and how to prepare plans B, C, and D in case plan A fails, etc. She is (at least for a while) a v. proactive character and that adds to the overall fun.
Meanwhile, Gu Tingye has a darker-than-expected past that makes him an outcast of sorts in the eyes of his immediate family and (to a certain extent) society at large. So he has to make his fortune w/o any familial support and that's a neat change from the regular deregular Male LI. He's complex enough to make him an interesting character to watch.
As a CP, they had a surprising amount of chemistry. [Fun fact: the two actors fell in love, married a few months before the drama premiered, had a kid, and (sadly?) got divorced 3 yrs later.] Fair warning: if you're looking for the characters to be lovey-dovey with each other, then you're gonna have to wait a LONG while! Both MCs have other suitors at different times in the story (and some of them are quite compatible with each MC.) Once the CP marries, tho, the true love aspect of the story actually kicks off. I like the idea of married ppl falling in love with each AFTER getting hitched.
This drama also has good cinematography. Most of the main villains--at least up to the point I stopped watching--are great (the actors make them quite hateable.)
I watched the first 43 eps, btw (so I bounced a little past the halfway point.)
The child actors (who again, only stuck around for the first 5 eps) are ridic good. And the adult cast is talented as well.
Do I have any criticisms?
The pacing is v. slow at times.
I also have a bit of an issue with something that begins toward the end of ep 5 and continues up to ep. 11. Like I mentioned before, Zhao Liying starts playing Minglan in ep. 5. Per the story, Minglan's 15-y.oβ¦.but Zhao Liying was 31 when she filmed that drama. Her styling (w/r/t to her hair and makeup) goes so hard in trying to make her look teenager-y that it magnifies the age difference between character and actor.
This problem also happens with the male lead. Gu Tingye is meant to be around 19-20 at that point in the story. However, Feng Shaofeng was 40. The drama works around this by keeping the cameras into soft focus mode for a handful of episodes until enough time passes in the drama and the character is slightly older.
You can most deffo tell they're WAY OLDER than they're supposed to be. It looks as ridic and O__o as you can imagine. So it's up to the viewer to make their peace/accept this just like it is.
MOVING ON.
My yays abt this drama started to wilt around ep. 35. There's a specific repetitiveness to the conflicts that pop up that gets tiresome quick. It'd go like this: XYZ character hates Minglan, they want to bring her down or, at the v. least, "teach her a lesson". Minglan, somehow, outsmarts them. Rinse and repeat. ON TOP OF THAT, it's super weird how EVERY NEW CHARACTER (especially female ones) hates her.
Also, there's a certain "dumbing down" of Minglan once she gets married. Frex, she moves into a new home with her husband. As soon as she's settled in, a whole 'nother batch of characters start to plan how humiliate Minglan. LITERALLY FOR NO REASON.
I gotta mention that BEFORE THE MARRIAGE, Minglan would've not only figured things out, but also come up with Plans A thru Z on how to counterattack anyone. However, now that she's married, she spends a lot fo the time wringing her hands while going "IDK what to dooooo". It's bizarre AND frustrating to see a previously clever lead suffer in silence episode after episode.
Some ppl have argued that, as a married lady, she now has to consider her actions cuz they'd affect her husband's life at court. I don't buy it. To me, it's v. much "previously awesome character gets depowered now that she's married JUST BECAUSE WE SAY SO."
What's the FMC's plot armor level?
Moderately high. She does suffer a lot of abuse and neglect as a child (this isn't depicted in a graphic way, but it's something that's brought up a few times.) Still, she usually manages to overcomes the obstacles rather unscathed.
How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?
NO IDEA. As I understand it, the last third of the drama turns a lot more political. Which is something I like. However, I was so annoyed with Minglan becoming a doormat that I couldn't sit through one more episode.
Do I recommend it?
Yeahhhhhhh? IF you think you'll enjoy a mellow, domestic, and slow paced drama that focuses on the families and less on the CP, then this might be worth checking out. Again, the love part of the story is there, but not really intense, IMO.
FWIW, I did wanted to stick with it cuz I love Power Couple Dramas, but there we are. I do need to point out that my opinion is v. much that of an outlier as this is one of dramas that a ton of ppl do like (if not love.)
Queerness level
Nonexistent.
Le trailer
I couldn't find one w/English subtitles, but I wanted to give y'all some idea of the things I've complained abt so here you go: