jasmine's drama blog

A fan of Zanilia Zhao since Female Prime Minister, I always show my support by tuning in to the first few episodes of her dramas. The Story of Ming Lan was not an exception. I've also watched 10 episodes of Our Glamorous Times which ended with indescribable disappointment so I tried not to build much excitement for this new release.

Zanilia Zhao as Lu Zhen

Some viewers felt the story was moving too slowly but I think the pace is perfect because it gives us enough time to watch how the plot unfolds and how the characters develop. Besides, it wouldn't do the production any good if it introduces fifty characters at once and then don't allocate enough time to let them develop and let me become attached to the character.

Main Wife

Main Wife's Daughter, Fifth Miss, Sheng Ru Lan

Concubine Lin

Concubine Lin's daughter, Fourth Miss, Sheng Mo Lan

Many characters are developed as foils as one another or the mirror image of another, which makes it easier to remember the character. For example, the First Wife is rash and hot-tempered yet kind-hearted. On the other hand, Concubine Lin is soft and gentle yet vicious. The characterization of the First Wife is a stark contrast to that of Concubine Lin's. Similarly, Fifth Miss (daughter of the First Wife) and Fourth Miss (daughter of Concubine Lin) are replicas of their respective mothers.

As of Episode 11, not much has happened yet but we get to witness how intelligent Ming Lan is compared to her two older sisters. What makes her smart is her ability to tolerate and only attack when it is the right time. From the trailers, I noticed the downfall of Concubine Lin and I believe it is related to Ming Lan avenging for her mother's death.



With the announcement of Zanilia Zhao's pregnancy (and a scene from the series of Ming Lan, Gu Ting Ye (played by William Feng), and their child), I anticipate the start of their story in the series.

You can watch this drama on Viki or YouTube, both are actively providing English subtitles for international audience.

Here is a scene I really enjoyed from Episode 11, starts at ~19:30 minute mark:

What I like about this scene is how it incorporates actual historical figures in Chinese history into the discussion. Often stated by the wise ones, history repeats itself. In this debate, you realized the validity behind this statement. It becomes even much more interesting when the historical figures are used as evident to back the position taken by each individual character.

Gu Ting Ye (William Feng) thinks the older son Prince Yong is fit to become the heir even though he is not well-qualified because he has more children, which is a problem the current emperor is facing right now.

On the other hand, Ming Lan's Third Brother thinks the younger Prince Yan should succeed the throne. Even though he has only one son, both father and son pair are intelligent and capable. He is only younger than Prince Yong by half a year.

However, since everyone at that time loves to regard everyone based on seniority and status, then this discussion should also be this way, as Gu Ting Ye puts it.

Vin Zhang as Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng in The King's Woman

Another character, Ming Lan's Second Brother thinks the legitimate eldest son should be the next heir. Emperor Qin deposed his eldest son Fusu and selected Hu Hai as his heir, which caused the downfall of the Qin dynasty. He continues that many dynasties have been replaced because the emperor selected the younger son as heir.

Raymond Lam as Emperor Wu of Han in Virtuous Queen Wei Zifu

Third Brother defends with Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han, who was well-known for leading the Han dynasty through a period of stability and prosperity. Gu Ting Ye remarks that before Emperor Jing made Liu Che the crowned prince, Liu Che's mother was created Empress. Therefore, Emperor Wu was the legitimate main heir to the throne.

Wang Wei as Emperor Hui of Jin in Dragon Love

Next is Ming Lan's Fourth Sister, Mo Lan's turn to join the conversation. She brings up Emperor Hui of Jin was not emperor material but since he was the eldest, he became the heir, and eventually led to the rise of Empress of Jia Nanfeng. Emperor Taizong of Tang wasn't the legitimate eldest yet he was able to bring prosperity to the great Tang.

Andy Zhang as Emperor Wen of Sui in The Legend of Dugu

Chen Xiao as Emperor Wen of Sui in Queen Dugu

Gu Ting Ye brings in Emperor Wen of Sui who deposed his first son and made his youngest son his heir. Consequently, the Sui dynasty which flourished under his rule, was destroyed under his youngest son's rule.

Finally, Ming Lan comes into the debate. Her main take is it's better to just be a simple loyal subject to the emperor and avoid these meaningless debates. She makes an example out of Gu Ting Ye and Qi Heng. She states it's hard to determine accurately the character of the brothers but seniority and status are obvious so there's no need to fight here. If the younger one is virtuous, he would not ruin the clan because of his own ambitions and if the oldest one is virtuous, he would be capable of restraining his younger brother's ambitions.

I love how Ming Lan has her own opinions and how her opinions actually helped save her father in future episodes when her Third Brother gets their father imprisoned in the palace by the Emperor.

Overall thoughts: "Great entertainment, storyline never got me anxious for the female lead since she is witty, out-spoken, and clever. The costume + headset designs and tone throughout the entire production is muted instead of the usual bright, vibrant colors."



Starting this post off with the opening theme. I love how it's unique in comparison to past historical dramas. A humming sequence that's surprisingly addicting and then dialogues from Chinese opera. I didn't know there were actual lyrics until the song was played during a sequence in the drama:

The SARFT is at it again. SARFT stands for State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, notorious for censoring content and setting strict criteria on productions churned out each year such as the limit on ancient dramas that can be aired on TV and strict auditing process on the scripts. This is the reason why many dramas opt to be aired online as a web series; I have a feeling the SARFT will eventually start regulating this channel.

The Story of Yanxi Palace has been faring pretty well until the most recent episode 58. Wei Ying Luo is informed by Fucha Fuheng that a new concubine has entered the palace and she is urged to return to the palace. Fuheng thinks there is something fishy with this new Shun Pin and believe she will cause the downfall of Qianlong.

Anyways, Wei Ying Luo visits Empress Ulanara and learns that the empress wants to cooperate in order to topple Shun Pin. Wei Ying Luo walks out and supposedly sees only the emperor's mesmerized expression. Then, in the next scene, she returns back to the Empress to accept her offer in cooperation.

A huge chunk has been cut out because viewers speculated that the government didn't want to encourage more tensions amongst the minority groups so they ask for those scenes to be cut out. What got cut out are the scenes with Shun Pin dressed in minority tribal clothing and her character has turned into the daughter of an imperial official.

On the other hand, Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, which is also airing simultaneously, also had to be censored. The government wasn't too happy that the script was "twisting" history by flipping the personality of the Empress and Concubine Ling (aka Wei Ying Luo in Yanxi). Therefore, 令妃 became 炩妃, the sound for Ling is the same but it's a different character. As the drama progresses, I am almost certain that there will be more obvious changes made to pacify the SARFT.


My Thoughts on the Ending:
I think the ending is great as it is since it wrapped up almost all the stories completely by letting us viewers know what happened to each character, Empress Ulanara, Prince Heqing, eunuch Yuan Chun Wang, etc. There is no need for a sequel or second season.

Throughout the entire series, I was not aggravated one bit because I know in the end, Wei Ying Luo always has something up her sleeves. Sometimes, she is just going with the flow to catch the bigger fish, which happened a majority of the time. She let Yuan Chun Wang continue to wreak havoc and urges Prince Heqing to rebel since in the end, she hasn't forgotten that Prince Heqing, though not the murderer, was the one who raped her sister and directly led to her death. I also liked how she wasn't perfect, she didn't foresee Yuan Chun Wang's plan to kill her with the poisonous bugs.

I enjoy how some parts are subtle where viewers have to assume based on context clues.

Empress Dowager quickly shot up upon hearing Emperor wants to execute Yuan Chun Wang

1) Is Yuan Chun Wang as Aisin Gioro? Based on the reaction of the Empress Dowager, he is. But it would be a disgrace if people finds out that an Aisin Gioro is an eunuch.

That smile is scary, it looks like a sweet grandmother smile but it's a smile recalling what bad things she might have supposedly done in the past

2) Did Empress Dowager killed the emperor's birth mother? I think this is a yes. She is the victor of the imperial harem during Emperor Yongzheng's reign. The way she countered Empress Ulanara shows that she is still the boss of the imperial harem. There is a saying in Cantonese, 僵越老越辣, literally translated to gingers are spicier the older; this means: the older, the wiser.

3) Is Erqing's son the Emperor's? From a leaked script, it seems like the son is Fuheng's younger brother but those scenes were cut. It seems about right since it doesn't make sense to have such a useless character just standing around in the series and doing nothing if he didn't play a crucial part. He did but it never survived the scissors. Moreover, when the emperor asked Erqing, she denied because that was the truth; there was no need to lie at that point if all she wanted was to rise above others.

4) Did Prince Yongqi died from his injury? In history, he should have been dead 4 years ago, I am assuming it is around 1770 since Fuheng died this year on the battlefield. This would have been the perfect storyline to follow the history and let his character rest in peace. Funny thing is, Empress Ulanara should have died the same year the he died but both survived.

Scenes that were speculatively cut that would have added value:

Er Qing's final moment to shine before she exits

1. Ming Yu forcing the cup of poison into Erqing's mouth would have been a glorious scene to enjoy since Erqing became such a despicable character that she ruined Wei Ying Luo's life and directly caused Empress Fucha' suicide.

2. The affair between Erqing and Fuheng's younger brother would have cleared up some viewer's confusions.

3. Hearing how the servants described Imperial Consort Chun's death, the scene of her death would have been another treat since she did plot to kill Empress Fucha' son. But seeing the bloodied kite strings was sufficient enough to train our imagination and visualize how gruesome that scene would have been.



4. Almost more than half of Shun Pin' scenes have been reduced to pacify the censorship board. It would have been easier to follow if the editing wasn't so disoriented and choppy. The purpose of this character is to push the emperor and Ying Luo's character to a new stage in their relationship. It served its purpose but I believe her original character has so much content that it should have been given a chance to be told properly.

5. How did Wei Ying Luo kill Prince Heqing's mother? I heard this was purposely left out so viewers wouldn't replicate this at home. And I buy this because once upon a time, a pair of girls committed suicide hoping to time travel back, which happened after the airing of Scarlet Heart or Startling By Each Step. Of course, the government blamed time-travel elements in productions instead of putting blame on the strict parenting method. Thus, no more time-travel. I am not a fan of time-travel since I don't understand why the female lead have to be a modern-age girl in order to be smart and spunky. I am pretty sure there is at least one in a million that had thoughts of a modern-day woman even though it was not the norm back in history.

Some Behind The Scenes and Commentary Videos:

**If anyone is interested in the content, I can translate the videos**

I don't know why but Charmaine never stood out to me when she was filming for TVB. But through this series, I see her professionalism. This video shows how she speaks in Cantonese but ends every line in Mandarin so her coworker understands where they are up to in the scene:



In this one, actor Nie Yuan talks about how he makes Qianlong much more realistic by adding in traits of an ordinary person. For example, when he found out Empress Fucha was pregnant again, he hopped with joy even though we might think it wasn't something an Emperor would do. But in the end, the Emperor is human so it makes sense when he is genuinely joyful upon hearing good news. Or, when he wakes up to look for Wei Ying Luo without fixing his clothes. The script says he wakes up, fixes up his image, and looks for her.




A hilarious commenter:

Yu Zheng's (Produce Yumama) face photoshopped onto Wei Ying Luo's because he sent out a Weibo saying her character was written based on himself LOL okay ...

Fun Facts:

1. Wu Jinyan is a rising star, currently being managed under Yu Zheng's studio. She has two upcoming historical dramas; in one, she stars as the notorious Daji who was cruel and caused the downfall of the Shang dynasty, in the other, she plays the mother of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Actors Nie Yuan (Qianlong) and Xu Kai (Fuheng) will also time travel with Wu Jinyan in these dramas.

2. Imperial Consort Ling died at the age of 45 and was posthumously granted the title of empress personally by Qianlong. In the early 1900s, the Qing family's tombs were raided and records indicated that there was a body of a woman that showed no signs of rotting. Based on the age, it seemed like this body belonged to Imperial Consort Ling. I've did a quick Google Search, found nothing about this, but found an article about a well-preserved female body that was discovered and dates back to the Han dynasty. Lady Dai of Western Han

3. Historians have speculated the Fuheng' son Fuk'anggan is actually the emperor's illegitimate child predominantly because he is the only one in Qing history to have been granted a prince title without being an Aisin Gioro.

Fast-paced and easy to finish - only twenty episodes. There is no romance in this drama so don't watch it if you want romance. The entire series is case-oriented so each case comes and goes within a two to three episodes span.

Each of the three leads have their own personality, which makes them click and fun to watch on screen. We learn more about them through the cases they solve but character development might still be lacking compared to other series. It is difficult to get the best of both worlds when it is only twenty episodes long, each being around thirty to forty minutes long. But to be fair, I subtracted 0.5 because of this.


Synopsis:

Translated from Baidu

Long Fan city's police Lin Tao and forensic medical examiner Qin Ming have been friends for a long time. Qin Ming's assistant decided to quit because he couldn't stand Qin Ming's eccentric temper. As a result, Li Da Bao from the inspection division is transferred into their new team. Qin Ming didn't trust Da Bao from the start but the determined Da Bao showed spectacular reasoning and observation skills in addition to having a very keen sense of smell so Qin Ming eventually decides to keep Da Bao under his supervision. With the oil explosion case as the opening case, Qin Ming, Da Bao, and Lin Tao continue to solve different mind-boggling cases together.


Cast:

Main cast -

I only started Memory Lost after hearing my friends’ nonstop raving of the series, and fortunately, by that time, all three seasons were out.
The beginning started with our heroine Bai Jin Xi (YANG RONG) trespassing into a swimming pool party to solve a case. She was falsely informed by her subordinate, Zhou Xiao Zhuan, that it was a cocktail party, so she was dressed in an elegant black cocktail dress. To enter, she had to cut her dress to what the guard considered an acceptable swimsuit. In the hotel, watching the party from above, we have our hero Han Chen (Bai Yu) calmly sipping some wine and sketching the outline of a woman’s face in his book. Jin Xi found the target she was looking for and started fighting with them all the way into the hotel; she, of course, bumped into our hero. Mistaking him for one of the bad guys, she started to fight with him. *This marked the first and rather bumpy interaction between our OTP* Bai Yu escaped the scene, but not before wounding Jin Xi on the shoulder and wrapping her inside a blanket.



Synopsis:
My Brief Overview:
The heroine is a madam whose past is a blank slate. She has lost all her memories after an accident five years ago. Now the only friends she can rely on are her subordinate mentioned above Zhou Xiao Zhuan and medical examiner/personal chef Xu Si Bai (Evan Li). Her chances of recovering her memories seem slim until she crosses path with the hero. As they embark on their crime-chasing adventures which seem to be entangled with their past, they notice their actions cause brief flashbacks providing them a glimpse into their past. Eventually learning that the hero also lost his memories in an accident five years ago, the heroine seeks his help to unlock the mysteries of their past.

Each case, in addition to tying to their past, involves a killer clique where each member is represented by a letter. They are the only ones who knows the truth behind the OTP's past.

Drama’s Original Synopsis: 
When in the presence of strangers, Han Chen was always handsome and cold, making it difficult for others to get close to him. He was like the frosted snow – pure, and slightly chilly. Yet, he was also like the river flowing in the dark night – quiet and moving. To many, he was akin to an unequaled and untouchable god.

Only in the presence of Bai Jin Xi would this famous top police superintendent expose his deeply hidden shameless nature.

“Come and sit nearer to me, I won’t eat you. At least, not now.”

“I have never touched other women before. Do you want to check my body?”

“Bai Jin Xi, never ever leave my side. Every year, every month, every moment, every minute, every
second.” In his heart, there exists an obstinate old man – one who has tirelessly loved her throughout all these years.

Credit: Soompi Forum


The original synopsis describes the hero as a handsome and cold man, but initially I thought he was
mainly cool. I did not realize how cold he was until he did not shed a single tear or give (SPOILER
ALERT) his childhood friend/ obsessed lover/ E of the killer clique a second glance after she sacrificed herself for him.

The Cast:

With the start of a new year, China has released many anticipated dramas for their viewers to enjoy. But what are they thinking? There are 24 hours a day - we can't spend that entire 24 hours binge-watching Chinese dramas.

So my plan? To watch the first two episodes of each drama and see which one I am most interested in.

My prediction: General and I > Pretty Li Hui Zhen > Love & Life & Lie > Guardian of Beauty

I personally like to watch historical dramas more so I placed General and I number one. I like all of the four main leads in Pretty Li Hui Zhen so I placed that second.

***Credit: Most of the summaries are from Soompi Forum

1. General and I



The first two episodes were sufficient to pique interest but insufficient to keep me watching especially with 62 episodes! I am definitely going to come back to this but the plot hasn't picked up yet so I will wait until more events happen.

It was more of an introduction so I will wait until Episode 10 is out and see where the drama is leading us.

Synopsis:

This was recently released and has finished airing. After reading the synopsis, i gave it a try and decided to continue on. I like how each 701 member has their own skills and how they work together for the missions. And of course, the main lead is also doing an excellent job so I want to finish the drama. (It's also a happy ending - I skipped forward to check out the ending). 

If you like Republican-era series like Disguiser, then you should check this series out!

Synopsis:
The story revolves around autistic mathematical genius Rong Jinzhen and six others Zhai Li, Zhao Qirong, Han Bing, Meng Xiaoyun, Yan Shi, and Pan Shen, who are recruited into the top-secret Chinese agency 701 to decode the unbreakable "Purple Code". Initially unable to join the rest in continuing on to the main branch of 701, Rong gradually proves his ability and deciphers the code.


Cast: 

My Thoughts:
I've became of fan of Tong Liya ever since I've watched Jade Palace Lock Heart 宫锁心玉. Seeing her starring in this drama and with a plot focused on women's rights and privileges, I watched the trailer and I decided to give this drama a try and I'm up to episode 13. I know how it will end and it's not a happy ending but the plot and Tong Liya's (strong?) character captures my attention to watch this.

Plot Summary: 
The women of the Yu family are taught to abide the laws of the family. If they lose their innocence, they are no longer a woman of the Yu family unless they commit suicide to preserve their purity.

Shi Cai Feng becomes a victim in the Yu and Pan family's conflict when her husband gambles her and her son away. She did not commit suicide so as a result was not allowed to return to the Yu family.

Ge Da Ni is a strong and obstinate woman. She had an affair with the Yu family's Yu Hua Long. They were on the verge of marriage but she breaks up with him discovering that he is her second brother's killer. She gives birth to his daughter but raises her daughter by herself. After Yu Hua Long finds out that her father was the one who sent assassinators after him and caused his wife to miscarriage and become infertile, he threatens Da Ni to marry his 8th brother, Shi Cai Feng's husband.

Shi Cai Feng vows to seek revenge on Yu Hua Long and the Yu family by helping the Pan family. Besides family rivals, this era is a period of political struggle between the communist forces and nationalist forces. Family struggles and obstacles the nation faces elicit the power and strength of the women of the family of Dao Ke through their sacrifice and actions.

The Cast: 




I really liked Tong Li Ya's character from the start. She is strong and courageous. I'm only halfway into the series but I heard her character becomes really annoying afterward. Hopefully, it wouldn't be that way. She speaks whatever is in her mind and disapproves of the way the Yu family have rules for women but not the men of the Yu family.




I sympathize her character from the start. She was gambled away by her husband and because she lost her chastity, she was given the choice of suicide to preserve the reputation of the Yu women or leave the Yu family. For the sake of her son, she does not commit suicide but forcefully left and dedicated her life to avenge for the injustice done to her.

Having been an avid fan of a series called the Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley, I was unsurprisingly intrigued by this TV series. Usually, I am not interested in American TV shows because most of my time is spent watching Asian dramas. However, my sisters insisted that this is a good show from their friends' praiseworthy reviews for the show. So I sat down with them to watch the very first episode of the show.

After one episode, I've become a fan! Even though, the beginning starts off rather confusing because I was unsure whether the past and present was happening simultaneously or the show is just cutting back and forth.

I searched up the show on Wikipedia and I really like how each episode of the series will incorporate elements from various fairy-tales to tell the story.


Here is the main cast:



She is Henry Mills' teacher in modern-day Storybrooke, Maine. Her fictional counterpart is Snow White. She is the mother of Emma Swan.

Even though I didn't have time to update my blog for my second semester, I did followed a few series closely.

Palace Lock Lian Cheng aka Gong III
I've chased this drama every day when it started airing because of the quality and the cast. The acting was great and the story was well-written. I had a week-long break when this aired so I had the time to watch the episodes on the day they were released. When my school started again, I continued for awhile until I've lost interest because of the deteriorating quality. The story just went bizarre and crazy. At some point, I just don't understand where the story is going anymore. The start deserved its high viewership but as it nears its end, I just didn't have any motivation to go on. I did finish it which was surprising even to myself. I think the producer Yu Zheng knows how to keep its audience attracted but fails to keep sense in its plot.


I'm actually helping to sub this drama on Viki. I'm glad to contribute :)

My rating: 7.5/10, I've became a fan of Yuan Shan Shan after Gong II until many fans of the first installment of the Gong trilogy, Palace Lock Heart and I have to say she's improving on her acting. The other female leads were also great. Yang Rong can act any roles so I'm glad she finally got her first lead role in this upcoming drama 情定三生 with my other favorite actress Zhang Meng. The other actress, Shirley Dai is really pretty and I think her facial expressions were on point. The male leads were also great especially the second male lead because I have become interested in his upcoming dramas after this drama.


Perfect Couple
This was the other drama that was airing simultaneously at some point with Gong III. Being a major fan of Wallace Huo and Tang Yan, I couldn't miss out on this drama. The first twenty episodes were hilarious. I died laughing because the humor was just the main selling point of this romantic comedy. But after the first half was over, the second half began the melodramatic part which became awfully draggy and angsty. I couldn't finish the drama when I had like ten episodes or so left. I fast-forwarded so many parts because it has became stupid. I even fast-forwarded the last episode. I wished the drama would have ended at the mid-20s episode.

My update on dramas:

In a Good Way

I'm still ardently following In a Good Way. I would definitely recommend this even though it is not done airing. So far, all the episodes that were released are superb and excellent. I really love the character developments and the storyline.

Trick Season 2

New Three Kingdom

Sherlock Season 3

Trick Season 2: Episode 3-5

Main Cast:

Nakama Yukie as Yamada Naoko
Abe Hiroshi as Ueda Jiro

Guests:

• Gin Pun Chou as Suzuki Yoshiko
• Ito Toshihito as Osabe
• Masu Takeshi as Shimizu

The case of the fortuneteller spans a whole three episode. At some point, it was getting a bit draggy but it quickly picks up as it introduces new murders and mysterious impossibilities. The case ends with a shocking revelation with the man Mr. Osabe, who holds a bag of yams throughout the three episodes, being the main "antagonist" of the story; he actually outsmarted the other two known antagonists.

His motive: To avenge his dead fiancee.

His plan: To take advantage of one of the seven deadly sin, Greed, to trigger the fortuneteller Mrs.
Suzuki Yoshiko to murder Mr. Shimizu since he betrays her. To prove her "powers", she plays a game with Yamada and Osabe volunteers to join. There are three glasses of water and only one of them contains the poison. One of the spectators will move the glasses around and all three of them must choose one glass. Yamada, realizing which is the poisoned glass of water, chooses first. Osabe then chooses and suddenly has a seizure as he reaches for his throat. Yoshiko, seeing that Osabe have drank the "poisoned" one, grabs the last glass and drinks it voluntarily while Osabe stops his act and smirks evilly.

So, the case ends there. My question is: Did Osabe committed anything illegal? He didn't kill them directly but can he be charged with murder? He played mind games with the two antagonists and eventually succeeded in his revenge. His acts are immoral but are they legal?


YOU CAN WATCH IT ON http://www.gooddrama.net/japanese-drama/trick-2