I think one of the main thing that made me fall in love with this drama is the relationship between the leads. They are both mature and willing to talk things out and learn each others boundaries. There's no unnecessary conflicts and misunderstanding because both of them actively want to help the other out.
Wow, in the version currently airing on Rakuten VIKI, the male lead deliberately hides his identity as head of the feared Security Bureau from the female lead, and also has his beloved younger sister participate in the deception. How is this an honest relationship? I'm starting to wonder if the production company sold a different version to VIKI for international audiences from what is airing in China. At any rate, I'm bored after 10 episodes and don't think I'll see this one to the end.
@@maryannrondinella5680 oh damn i rlly wonder what version you are watching becuz in the one I am watching the male lead notices that his sister felt happy staying with the female lead and her family and it had nothing to do with deception. So he let's her live with the female lead so that his sister can continue to be happy.
I've been absolutely loving this drama. The leads arent fantastic actors by any means but their relationship is solid. They communicate well the 'drama' never last more than an episode hua zi actually asks questions and asserts herself infront of her elder family members. Shes so determined and secure in her choices a great lead character! I find myself giggling every morning watching this. I really really needed this drama right now in dramaland theres barely anything else i can watch.
All the women were supposed to be sold as slave but they got pardoned by the empress dowager so they can walk free, which I guess the grandmother and the empress dowager must have been a good friend
Yes, they were good friend and has been corresponding with each other throughout their life. The scene when the empress dowager went to the grand mother's funeral was really touching as they haven't seen each other after the empress dowager married into the royal house
Exactly! They were best friends during their youth & they often write letters to eo which will put the emperor in suspicion lol you haven't reached those episodes yet I think but you're gonna enjoy it
Well a few points to counter your negatives 1. The Dowager Pardons the ladies of the Hua family and gifts them the house that they stay in the beginning. Grandma Hua specifically asks if they are going to seize the "imperial gifts". 2. They sell more than Tanghulu. They move to selling cakes...and having a business model where they send select restaurants their cakes for free and then start taking fees...so they build the brand up. The shop they open is for pastries
@@agungp.2580 presently yes. But they show you how she identifies the markets she sells in...places where there is less competition but high traffic. She also has great marketing strategies which builds her brand. Plus those shops were cheap af. At the end of the day, you are watching a costume drama made by modern day people. Hua Zhi would be a slave not a businesswoman if we are going for realism. So you need to keep your logical mind in the drawer when you watch this. The drama explanation is believable enough.
Add to your two points: remember that her younger uncle buried 40 big jars of wine at her birth and those wine were supposed to be her wedding gift in the future. Her family was well-off and powerful back then so of course the buried wine was premium, expensive type. Now after many years those wine worth a fortune. When she went to send off her grandpa, father, uncles, her younger uncle whispered to her the bury location. She sold all the wine for a fortune and used a portion of fortune to expand her business then later moved the whole family back to the capitol.
I totally love this drama. Not a single bad episode. The pace, production, story & character development, acting... well it's all on point. For me the best drama in 2024 to date 💖.
are we not gonna talk about Lu Yu Xiao as Shao Yao...The way she trasitioned from that dark assasin in my journey to you to this sweet little girl ..talk about range
I agree with most of what you mentioned, good & bad. However, the 2 plot negatives you mentioned were both well explained in the storyline. First, the grand-empress was the reason why the females were all allowed to stay free and go live in the countryside cottage. She being a childhood best friend to the female lead's grandmother is why they had the privileges you mentioned. Second, besides the fruit on the stick that was sold, they also sold pastries from the carts before opening up the storefront. In addition, they collaborated with several restaurants that had high end customers in selling the pasties. This is so far my favorite Chinese drama of 2024.
I think this drama has one best well written characters, not just for the leads about all the supporting roles. Like you can see every character can relate with reality. And I just love both leads, FL is young but she's not just intelligent but her character is well built up because since a young age she traveled and learned from her grandfather, so despite her age, she's mature and independent person. And I love that both leads actually talk and commubicate with understanding. FL is not some over emotional driven character, she is kind at heart but she's also strong willed person. She never let her emotions gets the best of her. There is no unnecessary conflict with emotional outbursts and misunderstanding between the leads. She wouldn't take adavantage of his feelings for her (which is also cleverly written for the ML as he's never gave her false impression of his feelings, he didn't make that kind of love proclamation to her that typical, to make FL so dependent on ML's feeling). She didn't push him to express his feelings or pushing her feelings toward him. They just content with their relationship and its development. She actually listened to him without prejudices, and he explained to her clearly his motives and they both work things out well together without too much emphasis on emltions, romance. So it feels so natural and so organic, not some frustrating and upsetting gut wrenching unrealistic storyline. I love how they communicate and understand each other so maturely., and how they help each other out. And FL is not feeling betrayed emotionally after knowing the facf it was ML who execute judgmenr on her family. She knew he jusr doing his job and she's not putting emotional pressure on him. Not forcing herself into his work, not pushing herself into his work like in many other typical period dramas, like somehow heroine is always get involved with whatever ML's character doing. She is the heroine of her own rights and her own story. They do not outshine each other. ML is the hero of his own right and his own work. Not getting FL into his story and vice versa, they supporting each other, provide support for each other, without being overly involved in each other's affairs. I like how ML let FL dealing with her own affairs as he's not trying to get involved without her consent and her approval, as she did it all herself and he's just being there for her as a friend and provide support in her decision making. He gave her his opinion. She does her. They acrually listen to each other and not jumping into self-conclusion. And also their romance buid up is so sweet and natural. Not over-the top with sexualisation of romance scene (like too upclose and explosive kissing scene). Their kissing scene is so sweet and heartwarming. And how they interact with each other is so cute and playful and at the same time you get to feel the strong and solid connection between them. I found myself laugh and smile with them, and cry with them. It rarely happened to me when watching a drama. And this one is one of that story that make me giggles, and cry with the flow of the story. I particularly love FL family dynamics and development. Everyone of them is great. This drama is not pushing the kind of over the top feminism, but how women deal with curcumstances so naturally. How they put asides their differences and bad traits and come to terms with each other and build a strong bond as family unit. And they also do not push the idea thar women can do it all by themselves, that they need help and they acknowledge that they need male characters in certain circumstances. The interdependency on equal footing. This is really really good drama imho. I love both FL and ML here. People said ML expression is too bland, but I think it suits his character very well. And really shipped them togerher since the very first episode.
I just love how you really understand the whole thing and say it beautifully .its the most realistic and with appropriate and sweet chemistry between the lead as a costume drama love it the best of 2024.🎉🎉
Yes. I agree with most of that. I'm up to episode 20 and I think it's one of the best costume drama's so far this year. It's not going to win any awards but it's very watchable.
This is the best drama recently. Hong Kong director added a lot of details and assistance actors and actresses are unbelievably suitable for their roles. Best of the best in 2024.
At first glance, this drama did not look very promising but it is like a little bud that opens slowly in full, radiant bloom! I love the positive vibes of this drama and how the storyline moves away from the old conventional plots. The healing of relationships is the best and it portrays women at their finest. There is no dilly-dallying in resolving conflicts and no prolonged dancing round the tree for the pairing of couples. I am giving a thumbs up to this drama with a surprised expression😆
I love 'Blossoms in Adversity' ❤❤❤I just finished watching episode 26 and I admire how each character grows along the way. In the first 24 episodes we get to see how the women made thier way out of poverty, and in the 25-26 episodes it was all about how the men was able to cope up with thier living conditions in the North. It's no doubt a masterpiece drama. It doesn't even need to rely to a 'love story' plot just the 'Family Values' are enough.😊
I think it’s possible considering that buying a house wasn’t as expensive in those days as it is now. Also, the king clearly let them be just because he really wasn’t against them. He just didn’t like the fact that their grandfather was too audacious which made him weary of him. and he used his power to bring him down. The king wanted people who would pander to his likes and not people who would speak up. I think the drama shows the realism of certain people’s lives who were probably never recorded in history. The truth is regardless of how wicked humans are, we have the ones we love and our attitude to that one would be different. It’s why Gu Yanxi could let them pack because he already appreciated Hua Zhi from the first time he met her and so he didn’t want to hurt her. Don’t forget that Gu Yanxi is a good natured guy and doesn’t like hurting people. The movie shows a lot of temperaments that were probably never portrayed when it comes to people in history but the truth is we definitely had them as long as they are humans.
I just bingewatched all the 26 eps of this series and it's really entertaining!! It's obv not a masterpeiece but it's quite interesting and the characters are touching
This is already my favorite period idol drama of 2024. Story and pacing wise, it's the best of this genre we have seen so far in 2024. Two dramas that I have kept myself up to date currently are this drama and Queen of Tears.
4th positive point mentioned is the only reason I am watching this drama. People here have normal sense and do not create unnecessary misunderstandings. The -ve points mentioned are not important to me, can be easily reasoned out. The only thing I found funny is GYX's scar. He got the scar in the second episode and later it was gradually healing to almost visible and suddenly in the later episodes, it started to grow deeper and darker. The scar has its own personality.
Am I the only one who's kind of bored by this one? It's not horrible and I see some good points (as mentioned in video) but the plot isn't gripping enough and the romance doesn't grab me much either. Watching it on the side but it's just lukewarm. Thus I feel like I won't make it to the end. But we shall see, I'm only on ep 10
I just hate the BGM; this drama is not horror, Makjang or thriller GENRE. I love the story. I just hate 80% of the BGM and 20% of the Hu YITIAN's hair, LOL.
I watched about 1 minute of your video and immediately I saw a 1.5 goldmine rating, I rushed to watch it! I'm so happy I checked it out. It's a really good drama; has a couple of drawbacks like you mentioned but overall, great! I found myself crying and laughing at different points lol. On the other hand, I really hope the male and female leads can improve on their acting in their next dramas. I think the older generation gave much more convincing and realistic performances.
I've just started the first few episodes & I am lovin it so far. That female lead is my favourite & she constantly thinks ahead & analyses everything before taking the next step. I liked it when she kept the door ajar when everyone was asleep in the 2nd episode? To prevent carbon poisoning. Very clever idea indeed but yes using contemporary logic when they made that scene.
I am really really loving this. It demonstrates the dangers women face on all levels in society and how relying on men can be dangerous. The amount of men taking advantage of their circumstance is astounding. I love how the women realize that helping each other helps all women.
My biggest peeve of this drama is the choice and use of music at certain scenes. I'm not referring to the opening or closing theme songs but in the main plot itself. Most of the background music used are over the top and either too loud or dramatic. Some of the music used does not fit a period drama!! Whenever the background music comes on, it just got me annoyed that they are runing a perfect scene in the show!!!
I wonder how you feel about the very first scene. I’m sorry but the first scene for me was a big let down. How can a child like her, a girl especially who came from a well off family since his grandfather already holds high position at that time think of climbing the pole of a ship in the middle of a sea storm. Yes, her grandfather brought her a long with him everywhere he goes, so she is not the typical prim and proper lady growing up, but the scenario was a storm in the middle of the ocean where waves can reach high up and can sweep away anyone on its path. Not to mention the workers who just left their post just because they are not happy about something. Let’s say they are disappointed will they really be ok if the ship sinks? I mean it’s not like when they leave their post it means they can leave the ship and the storm. Their lives are at stake, but they nonchalantly left their posts. For a girl from a well off family to be the savior of the entire ship from a massive storm was already an unbelievable scenario for me. If she was poor and grew up around ships and storms then maybe I can be ok with it. To me it’s just their way of establishing her ingenuity and how smart she is even at a young age, but it feels like an easy way out of establishing such character development. Yes, she knows a lot about stars and directions of the wind, but the physical strength to climb up that post in the middle of feets of massive ocean waves is just unrealistic.
I do like this show. It was very refreshing to see the communication which is usually lacking in these dramas. What I dislike with the production is the sound levels. Sometimes the music is too loud or the voices are too soft and I have to rely on subs the see what was said. But so far so good. I like the acting. The actor that plays the emperor is entertaining.
Master piece or not, it comes down to viewers. I am not a Chinese and do not know most of Chinese cultures, except New Year and lucky $ in red envelops. This is the best, and the only historical drama I rewatched while waiting for next episode. Best wishes for all crews
I dont agree with the negative responses because as soon as you start watching the series the first fact you face is the quality of performance that the actors produce and I think the cast is successfully chosen. This drama don't romanticise love affairs but display human relations in bright light. This costume drama is worth watching and as a Chinese drama fan I highly recommend everyone watch it. Some may find it boring and not professionally made but for me to the end it is worth watching
Yes, this drama is easy to watch, but not riveting. Also, I am not a huge fan of the strong girl who is so smart and always says the right thing. Who somehow manages to win every confrontation. It is just so unrealistic.
I'm enjoying this one but I agree about the leads. I keep hoping they'll rise to the occasion more but they either smile blandly at key moments or look completely unaffected by what's going on. Ah well! It's still an enjoyable drama and since the leads are of similar acting ability it doesn't drive me mad like the mismatch of acting in In Blossom.
I love this drama💕 I was so excited the first time I saw it, I love every episodes, my heart thumping from excitement everytime I watch new episode. Each of the episode got me hooked, and I need to rewatched so I can comprehend more of the story (also because I love the main leads😁). The main leads has done a great job, their chemistry and relationship are remarkable. Both are charismatic, mature, smart, logic, calm and coregeous. All the supporting roles have great acting skills, they're alive and have their own stories. I have finished the series, I bought express from Youku to watch the last 5 episodes, with mix feeling between excited, happy and sad. Sad because once I finish it then I won't feel the excitement anymore, I will part with them, my GuHua power couple. I have invested in this story so much and I'm glad it doesn't disappoint me. My rate 9.5/10 💕
Sweet story full of pathos. As for the filming "style," if you can call it that, it reminds me of a Hallmark Movie Channel romance in the romantic scenes. Cute, but can be a little bit much after a while.
I agree that the move back to the city is very unrealistic. Aren’t they supposed to be saving a lot of money? I like that the female lead keeps her character throughout-smart, creative, and an inventor. I like that she is not a cook, sometimes it feels like all the female leads are chefs. I also love Shanguan - actress and character. Shows growth but remains herself.
Queen of tears is very interesting, it's not perfect, but I've never felt so intrigued by a drama in such a long time ..the acting is brilliant too i would love to know more about what you think about it
I think the points on the actors is so valid and it isn’t sparkling, but because the leads are so level headed it really made this drama so enjoyable to me.
When @Avenuex said it's 'decent', then it will be good for me 😂 she is someone who puts detail whether it's the story, cinematograph, BGM, acting, etc into consideration. Whereas, I only care about the story and bearable acting 😅
Thanks for the review ✨ I plan to watch but after it’s completely uploaded. I noticed the ML voice is a lot deeper than usual… maybe because of Liu Yuning manly voice influence 🫣😁. Anyway… I don’t see chemistry between ML & FL from clips shown but the pleasant surprise was seeing the actress playing the ML sister. I enjoyed watching her clips.
10:58 It's so cool that I recently gave you a recommendation of Maids, a Korean drama and in that drama, the noble girl is actually sold as slave once her father is declared as a traitor and killed. In fact, she becomes a maid which is where the title comes from. The acting is so immersive, I started watching it again after recommending it to you 😍
Though not a masterpiece, there are many scenes that are moving, warmly portrayed, and nicely acted. The story is a simple one about relationships among the women and the surprising twists are well-done. Much different from the recent period dramas where violence takes precedance over everything else
I actually really enjoy this drama. I don't find any of the negatives really bothering me, so it's a win for me! I really prefer historical dramas over xianxias, so this is right down my alley ❤
Your reviews are so trustworthy. I will always check with you first these days as I no longer want to absorb as much as I can, lol. I know what I need to know and can now even tell when English subs are off. THANK-YOU, 🙏. Re: this drama; sounds like a mixture of others tbh. Now I want to go watch thay other one where the family gets exiked and enslaved with Jeremy Tsu. How many others of the poor talented daughter saving the family while a well placed/stationed/positioned man falls in love with her?
Loving this drama. It's very soothing, and the leads have great chemistry. But the director makes me laugh with his action sequences and music to them which are more appropriate for an action movie 😂 I do love business women in period dramas!❤
Something I feel like they could have done was when HuaZhi rolled the stone. They could have shown the complication of emotions after she realized what she had done. I know she was mentally prepared for the dangers of being with GuYanxi but nothing prepares you well enough to realize that you have unalived this many people at once.
Hola me encanta el analisis tan acertado q ofreces sobre todo porque aprendo y descubro esas pequeñas coasas que a muchas veces pasan desapercibidas pero al escucharte digo guauuu es verdad... estaba alli. Se que muchos hablan sobre este drama pero queria dar mi aporte pequeño me encanta la cancion final cantada por niños no se si otro drama lo tenia pero me encantan ese cierre con la cancion infantil y las escenas .... es como una taza de chocolate caliente cuando hace frio. Gracias ❤
My complaint is that the BGM is too loud, I'm still at the beginning of watching it, I hope it will stabilize. Speaking of sound... AvenueX, I have one request for you, can you turn up the microphone, I hear you less and less, every time I turn it up. 🙏
I love the show but there's so many times where im like "huh?" I feel like some things could have been done better plot wise, but the acting is really good and im enjoying and rooting for the main couple but sometimes I skip some stuff, especially when it comes to the villains
but, when did you EVER see absence of make up in a chinese drama? both male and female actors are always covered in heavy make up... we are used to it. i have concluded that all people in the far east have been totally enslaved by make up...deep into their old age they carry the burden of painting their faces....
I actually enjoyed the drama very well and even though it had many negative points I loved it ,you said that there makeup remains the same and the heroine gain money in 7 month and that is a little bit weird but if you think a little you can understand how maybe they sell a lot and made there project big and famous which help them gain that much money ,as well as that all c drama fan prefer the makeup remain the same we don't want that kind of old ancient drama from the 2000s we want it beautiful cheering and lightning .in the end I think the drama is loved because the relationship between the main characters, especially between the woman of the family ,how they used to hate each others but supporting each others through problems ,it shows me that a girl can be responsible for a whole family it shows her strength and her power of solving problems in very new way unlike the fc in other dramas especially that she's not depending on the main character so much and that they both understand each other quite good which made their love mature resilient strong sparkling and beautiful.I maybe see that you didn't really understand and watched well the drama and YOUR OPINIONS seems so wrong ❤
Hu Titan’s acting is very wooden in this drama. I have seen him before, he can act. I have no explanation for why he acts so badly in this one. Extremely disappointing for me personally, as I am rather a fan.
I’m also a Hu Tian’s fan. The person who felt guilt n needed to maintain poker face would be …well…of course wooden or no / less emotion on the surface.🤷🏽♂️
Just finished this drama after you recommended it! Thank you!! Leads a n d support very good, both leads charismatic. Unbelievable: they talk!!! They are like adults! All the negatives you list do not matter compared to the sad amount of utter dross and tosh that is out there.Disagree on the actors, by the way. They do what the director says! Production cheap. But....
The Imperial Coroner was another drama where the main couple actually talked things though like rational people when they encountered problems. But yes, so rare in drama land.
I’m loving these women..It shows their growth. Sure they have problems, but they do love their family.. I’m enjoying this drama very much. I’m so interested in seeing where this is going. I’m glad they communicate the 2 leads.
Peddling hawthorns established their brand but it was the pastries that boosted their income. The hawthorns were one wen each but the pastries could retail over 100wen. It is alluded that they had other shops as well such as the saltpeper ice etc which made Madam Xia who was used to running a large house and shops, unable to keep up with the accounting. Zhi had 170 guan capital for the pastry business, it was not the hawthorn money. The soft treatment of the women was surprising but not entirely unrealistic. Madam Hua's background was amazing Her mother was a county princess and her father nobility which made the soft treatment of the women by Emperor reasonable. Madam Hua might have been a distant relative to Emperor? Or maybe he wanted to keep the women around as a warning to other courtiers? I agree that drama set makeup looks like it's done on an assembly line. It's slapped on regardless of the scenes. I do understand that dry cleaning drama costumes is expensive, it's understandable that their hems or collars are pristine, regardless if they are pushing a wagon or have bloody faces from a fight.
The shaoyao and her bf had a better chemistry. Every time they were together I felt they had that vibevthat suited their character. But the ml and fl were very fixed expression people who just too much serious face. A 5 minute break up and the house burned down and the same night she is just smiling being polite. Got thrown in the canal building and lost a way of redeeming all men, yet everyone is dead happy.
Half way into the first episode I realize this is based on a novel I read many years ago🤔 The female lead is from the future, hence her personality and business acumen!😅
This apricot color looks amazing on you. So pretty! 💖 One of my fave wholesome period dramas where misunderstandings are cleared up super quick is Chef Hua. It's cheesy I know but I love the cooking. I've only been able to watch it here, but they nixed the subtitles. I've watched it enough I know the gist but I miss the dialogue, the comedy & the banter. That & your recommendation of 'Meet Yourself' are my top cozy dramas for when I just need me time & no ridiculousness. Thank you for all of your content it's truly helped me critique things with the humility of learning more about what I'm attempting to review.
I know Hu Yi Tian can act. The scene in A Love So Beautiful where he's drinking and explains how he needs Chen Xiao Xi more than she needs him is one of the best in Chinese drama. But he's just not doing it for me in this role. He's too soft-spoken and tentative as the brutal head of security. I know he feels a huge debt of loyalty to the emperor, but I would expect at least micro expressions of concern or misgivings when the emperor makes outrageous statements about killing people or discusses harsh policies. But Hu Yi Tian's expression doesn't change much throughout. And Gu Yanxi seems more like Hua Zhi's brother than lover. He has to stand up to a strong performance by Zhang Jing Yi as a strong woman, and maybe he suffers by comparison. An actor with more fire and passion would've been more suited to his role. Maybe better direction would've helped. I know I'm swimming against the tide here; it gets an 8.6 on MDL! Different strokes for different folks, I guess. All that said, I am enjoying the show, particularly the fellowship amongst the women and how they sustain themselves and each other.
It's indeed very refreshing drama and it reminds me of 卿卿日常. And I particularly enjoyed all female characters. Some ppl said FL is too perfect but this is fantasy, so I'm okay to accept as how she took in charge of household. And ML, he is so tall with long arms, his sword actin were wonderful!!
![Not A Masterpiece But People Actually TALK! - Story of Hua Zhi [CC]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
