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[Mainland Chinese Drama 2018] The Story of Ming Lan 庶女明兰传 / 知否?知否?应是绿肥红瘦


Lynne

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I’ve finally successfully avoided peeking into this thread :D although the last ep is yet to be subbed, I already watched the raw LOL

 

ep 69:  -cb and gty’s friendship remains one of the best thing the drama ever made, one is the model scholar and the other is the military ruffian, I cracked up when gty threatened to sever his relationship with sheng family, and cb called his bluff by saying as if ml will allow that. Cb again called his bluff that he has a plan, just for gty to knock him out to silence him :joy: *I seriously love the comic element of this drama, they always show up unexpectedly*

- the generals banding together to defend gty was also imo a good addition to the story, I can see that the emperor really favors his old subject from the hometown, one kick up a fuss, he just ignored him. Another openly slandered ED and he just threw fruits at him, it’s cute how he treats them as children

- ML feeling guilty and gty telling her that just by waking up beside her, he fells contented, is another leap for their love. Old ml wouldnt be so emotional and wont believe what gty said, hopefully it comes from her heart and not postpartum hormones LOL

 

ep 70: -opening with another cb comic scene, cb has become one of my fav char, cracked up when the servants lifted him back even after he resorted to violence

- ml reminding the empress that she was the one who brought the prev emperor’s decree (you tell them girl! You basically have the same contribution or maybe more than gty)

- their conversation in the prison cell, basically ml making gty cancelling his decision by mentioning he hongwen LOL good for ml, gty was being a jerk by saying he could just marry her again after everything settled

-QH starting to open up his heart for his wife. Finallyyyy let’s all move on

 

ep71: The plot that didnt make sense the most in the entire drama is fengxian knowing martial arts :crazy: wth... then why did they instigate aunt kang to harm ml?? Why not just tell fx to hurt pregnant ml?? 

- ml drumming the whole night, yasss girl.. if you cant sleep, why should the emperor get a good night sleep. 

 

Ep72: the sheng family shoo-ing away nanny xiang like she’s an alley cat, loved it!

- glad that gtw actually is a decent brother to gty

-awesome ml defending her home, smart calculating ml is the best ml

-madame shen equally awesome, that’s what a general daughter should be like, state uncle is so lucky, his 2 wives have guts like none other

-I actually gasp when manniang gone killing mode, in the novel I think rong er is the one who saved ml’s son, I was worry they might stick with that too and make her kill her mother?!! Luckily the badass nanny did it

Let me just add that the music/score they use in the drama is so good. Really sets the mood of the scene. The music when prince huan said he’s here and then pan out to the soldiers, gty and state uncle, all the way to them charging into the city is brilliant, got my heart racing LOL

 

I do have some questions:

- Ml just recently  named his son tuan er? I thought gty already know his son’s name, I remember ml already called him tuan’er before

- why did the soldiers at the prime minister’s house all crying out gty’s name? Why did it seem like they are happy he’s back? 

-who/what is ma huai (the word prime minister shouted at the end of ep 72)?

 

Cant wait for the subbed last ep!:innocent:

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55 minutes ago, afrimpong05 said:

I think this was the first C-drama I watched that had a lot of PDA between the main couple . During the scene where Minglan is fanning GTY's wounds after he was caned, if you watch closely GTY was stroking Minglan's thighs and I could not believe my eyes.  For me it was the subtle ways in which they always touched each other, that made me enjoy their romance.

 

I too was shocked.. he just casually kinda touching his wife lustily while being bed ridden :joy:

 

7 minutes ago, dito said:

 

Yes I noticed that too. There were lots of little touches like that between FSF and ZLY that brought out the comfortable intimacy in their relationship. He was not shying away from touching her. Sometimes it even looked liked it was not planned and he did it spontaneously. Like when he was asking her to call him Er lang. That pat on the back. I also remember he rubbed her back a lot. He also touched her face a few times.....I've noticed actors in cdrama and Kdramas avoid doing that....and touch the shoulders instead...maybe coz of makeup? but it looses that intimate tone of the scene.

Mostly actors even though they have good relationship off screen with their female costars mind their hands in close body scenes. Like not getting too close to the butt or the chest unless the scene demands that. If you notice, the back hug scenes in most dramas....the guys usually hug the ladies on the shoulders...not the waist.

In this drama the few times FSF carried ZLY, his hand was very close to her chest. So their real life intimacy was crossing over to their reel life. Only thing missing were good kisses...:lol:

 

 

Not only when carrying yingbao, I noticed even when hugging her, he placed his hand  near her chest, not her shoulder. I actually mentioned at the CP thread, sometimes fsf/gty would act (touching, hugging) more intimately only half way and then turn it into something casual. 

I know a lot of people not fond of the couple getting together initially, but I think this drama actually make the irl couple likable  

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Okay, can we talk about how proud SH was that Minglan acted her part in the final play? When Minglan told him it was all an act, the smile he had lmao. Ah a proud papa I see. Even scolding GTY for not telling ML the plan and if she were to get sick later its all his fault. Lmao

 

GTY calling himself a fox, and minglan fox ancestor. lol ugh this series was so freaking good. I followed from the beginning and the pay off was worth it.

 

Also at the end with ChangFeng using the fan for ChangBai, but he's blowing too hard and Cb like "wtf bro!" lmao. The little comical moments you catch are truly funny.

 

Everyone looking at Shitou when he ran over to Xioatou lmao. WE STAN LOVING HUSBANDS IN THIS HOUSEHOLD!

 

This series really warmed me. In 3 months, I'll rewatch this and Yanxi Palace. I love rewatching good dramas lol.

It's been fun ya'll. See ya in the forums of another drama!

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I finally have the maybe accurate answer to them still leaving in the house, 

1. The punishment will only take place after autumn although he is still imprisoned at first.. So like ML said in ep 72, they still have more time to plan.. This sis the strongest reason 

2. Since the marquis house is a generational house of marquis, considering that GTY was not the only one in it, the house was left for them..and that's why the step mom's nanny could come and bash ML as if not because of them they wouldn't have a house to live in.. This is not likely since the house wasn't a marquis house but maybe after joining the two houses, it's has been officially made the marquis house.., that is the next marquis gets to live there.. But it looks like it's true now, since the step mom called it the house of GU and that her son can inherit the marquis title now that GTY is supposedly dead in ep 72...so the house even though was given by the king, has been made the marquis house legally and is now bound by family of GU, so even though GTY is punished, he can still live there as a member of GU house under maybe another marquis of GU.. This is the absolute reason after all.. Wow.. So surprisingly cool that they still based it on family affairs.. Story of Minglan is really a family story 

3. When General shen wanted to ask the king to let GTY go, he said he will just be a vanguard, do he later said, they can discard the royal punishment for now and just make him an ordinary citizen without achievements so he gets to become a foot soldier.. So because of this the order that should've happened, didn't get executed, as such made them keep the house as a former glory bestowed on GTY.. This is like a literary reason.. 

4..or the punishment might just be taking away the farmsteads and not the house, since it was only 2 plots that was mentioned in the royal order to be taken and that's the 2 farms.. This is a very direct reason.. More like, his good deeds are considered so they let him stay in his house for his efforts, but his supposed bad deeds can't go unpunished, so they took away all other grace he has,like his position, title and farmstead,....this is a very direct reason that does not involve too much thinking. 

 

PS.. THE BOLD ONE IS THE MOST ACCURATE REASON BUT YOU CAN STILL READ OTHER REASONS I DEDUCED FOR FUN.. 

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Does anyone know where I can listen to the music score with the music only. Not the soundtrack w/songs.

 

TSoML ends this week or next week? I'm not quite sure. I still have a handful of episodes to catch up to & want to avoid spoilers. It's been such a great run.

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Wow, it's been such an adventure watching the story of Minglan., she was brave, courageous, determined, dedicated, clever, smart, intelligent, and lovely.. I don't even know what to say.. My favorite character was GTY, I guess.. I just love his flaws, insecurity, his bravery, his outspoken nature, his cunning ways, in short his everything.. That was such an all round character.. Then we have QH, that got so maturedly developed that made me miss him so much now, his wife, for being such an amazing wife, she looks at the big picture when dealing with things and I appreciate that.. Our Sheng family, they totally rocked and somehow, this drama is about them and that's why they ended that drama with Sheng family.. Our xiatao and shitou for being the loyal back of GTY and ML.. Glad they got married.. Even though we didn't get to see much epilogue, but I think it's still OK, we can guess the happiness.. 

 

In all, the story of minglan made me so proud of women and also so afraid of what we can become if we are not cherished or nurtured well.. So i wish parents can train children well and even if we are not trained well, we should also try to be magnanimous about our disadvantages.. Thanks to the cast and crew of this amazing drama, there were lags but as much as the lags made it more of a drama, so I've no complain.... Hmmm, and I'm so glad I get to meet so many people through this drama.. Thank you all so much for sharing your opinions and making me think more about this drama and making me know a lot about the history.. It's been such an amazing experience.. 

Hmm, as such, I say thank you to everyone on this forum.. Love you all:heart:

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Ep 73 fully shows how GTY is as a person, he might laugh a day, play all day, talk nonsense but every act of his has meaning behind it.. I love how the king praised him in front of ED when he was telling her it was all a weaved web that GTY might be rough but he is the most meticulous person he knows.. I also love how they didn't show us the full talk between empress and ML and made it as a flashback to explain how she knows the plan and how she also played along by acting hopeless.. ML also answered our question of why GTY didn't tell her the plan, it's a royal plan and royal plans concerns the matters of the world, her not knowing advertently saves her from being included in the troubles it might cause.. How they showed how the family learned their mistakes and tried to live accordingly both regarding the ED and the king and in Sheng house is also so insightful, family must always be family, if there are wrong doings, as long as they are willing to change, let's bring them closer to us and help them in changing, no matter what family is the only relation that stays forever ours.. Thank you for this wonderful story of relationships be it love or family.. 

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:P:sweatingbullets:Wow, I can't believe it's already done now :D Anyways I've been wanting to kind of write a 'mini' review here on my overall thoughts on the drama. For my personal rating, it would be around 8.5/10. Despite a few flaws with illogical sequences/writing at times, some off camera angles (mainly in the beginning), and some costume inaccuracies (which didn't really bother me at all), I still thoroughly loved and enjoyed this drama. The ending of episode 73 (Final) finally made me realise why I have had such a connection and a high level of enjoyment. At its heart, the Story of Minglan is mainly about family (loyalty, familial bonds etc.), specifically living the life the best you can and there have been many times where this theme has shone through. For me, I absolutely adore family centred dramas which are kind of slice of life (though drama TSoM wasn't exactly on the latter at times :w00t:). The book was more on the slice of life spectrum but I still believe the drama captured some of this essence. 

 

I'll just address some of the flaws/things that could have been done better (all in all it was decent enough that it didn't detract much from my personal enjoyment). As I mentioned before costuming was decent but not historically accurate. Sometimes, the music/soundtracks were way reminiscent of Nirvana in Fire's ost/instrumentals :phew: Some minor issues with filmography being a bit weird in the earlier episodes. The natural lighting/candles were a hit and miss (I'm pretty neutral here with this one). Some plot events/logic in the third part of the drama which I believe could be executed better e.g. the trial of GTY and the aunty Kang matter. The main character appears too modern at times/modern thinking (this one didn't bother me either but I see why it could be an issue). One of the things that did slightly disappoint me was the fight/discussion between ML and GTY. I dislike the idea that showing love through being emotional/getting jealous/making a scene means that you truly love a person. To be honest, the 'solving' of miscommunication on this matter wasn't exactly explicit. Yes, I do like the couple and that they are able to speak on personal matters with each other and I certainly know that they both love each other dearly.  My problem was that the execution of overcoming this obstacle was not done very well/not as impactful as I would have liked. From what I've heard from the novel, I wished that the drama/screenwriters followed the fight/how the couple solved their miscommunication in the novel -_-

 

Since I'm on the topic of the relationship between our two main leads. Apart from my previous grievance, I loved the couple together. I think they had pretty good chemistry with each other and personality wise, they match each other way. What I did like were many times they did tell each other things e.g. on their wedding night (besides the love miscommunication) and support each other unconditionally despite the circumstances. Writing separately about these two characters... ML was quite refreshing to me, she's (most of the time) aware of the difficulties in life and was pragmatic, however, she was willing to always give  her whole effort for particular people, this is in regards to QH early at the beginning, justice for her mother, Granny's poisoning case and defending GTY at the end of the drama (plus more but I just listed some key points that stood out of me). At the same, her flaw was that she was not as great at dealing with her own issues but was great at solving other people's issues lol. As for GTY, I'm so glad he does not fall into the trap of being a stoic cold guy trope which I see often in many c-dramas (and k-dramas lol) but instead is funny/more open at times. He is definitely flawed especially if we looked at his past but he has such a big heart for the ones he cares about e.g. ML, his children, Nanny Chang and Shitou. :wub:

 

Ahh there are just so many characters to talk about but the majority were developed well. What stood out to me was that the majority had unique personalities and flaws, most of the time their goal wasn't to prevent the main couple to stay apart (but Madame Qin) but rather had their own interests or matters which was more important in life. For example, SH may not appear to be the best father of the year but I believe him to be a decent one especially in regards to the times. He actually did try to look for good marriages in regards to Hualan and Molan. However, his greatest flaws were favouring CL too much that at times he disregarded justice for the others and sometimes looking to preserve the family honour/reputation (I understood this one a bit more because if you think about, one family' member's action can have drastic consequences for all the members). Although these characters are restricted to the times to follow certain philosophies/way of life, ultimately they are human and don't necessarily follow it to a T because we as people are very flawed beings. To me, this was the most realistic/emotionally connecting part of the drama. The acting across the cast was superb especially the older and side characters. 

 

All in all the first 2/3 of the drama was more developed (in my opinion) because it had a bigger focus on family life and drama while the last third focused more on the politics (which is decent enough I don't expect it to be like Nirvana in Fire because of different focus/genre). However, this has been one of my favourite c-dramas that I have invested a lot of time in (I drop way too many dramas lol) and I am pleased with the characters, story and incorporation of cultural aspects. One thing for sure, TSoM has definitely left a void in my drama watching :D Also I have had a lot of fun reading and discussing in this forum. Love all the different perspectives and ideas!

 

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Also, I couldn't write any more for some reason...maybe I wrote too much :sweatingbullets:

I'm glad they developed QH and he didn't end up pining for ML all his life.

I want to mention that I love the relationship ML has with her granny, Danju and Xiaotao :wub: The drama also really demonstrates how life for women can be incredibly harsh. Also a yay for the female friendships! Love positive relationships. The scene where all the people ML helped at the past came to her son's 1-month celebration actually touched me. 

.Anyways :joy: I would add more but my hands are tired lol 

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So the ending is officially out. All the good guys get happy endings, About the villains, some are satisfying, some are not.

 

Stepmom's death, great, but why the hell let her destroy Gu family's shrine? She was dying yet had to cause some more damage? And GTY's 3rd brother's acting is so fake (or maybe it's the voiceover's fault) but it really put me off mood.

 

ED, well I understand she's the Emperor's official mother so the Emperor just couldn't do anything about her. I've read quite a few novels and the worse outcome is just being detained for life. But why is the Emperor still so sentimental about her? She tried to kill him, his comrades, and started a rebellion against him. Get a grip man, you're too old for mother-complex already.

 

And Molan. Like, I get it, she is still welcomed back to the house. But how can they be so casual with her? She freed the woman who tried to kill her own Grandmother, and they just let it pass like that? Are all these people Saints or something?

 

On the other hand, all our beloved characters are doing great. ML and GTY, QH and his wife and the whole Sheng family. TSoML's ending is fulfilled. Thank God Hunan TV didn't pull up any other trick.

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The show ends on a happy note.Minglan's life long wish of leading a peaceful life seems a good possibility.The mutineers get punished.Molan is accepted in the family.She looks forlorn,having eaten humble pie at her husband's house. Can only be grateful for Sheng family's benevolence now.

The emperor and ED were put in a pedestal as they thrashed out issues of their mistrust and miscommunication.If only rulers of ancient kingdoms were so gracious and wise. I was disappointed on this altruistic twist to the sub plot.

Would have loved a scene with Madam Wang reflecting on her actions destroying the lives of her children.

Madam Qin's rant at the end blamed her husband for neglecting her sister.She had previously complained  about how devoted he was to his 1st wife and her resentment of it. So what was her main grouse about? Was she herself not sure about the real reason of hate towards her husband?

Besides such minor plot glitches,some historical inaccuracies of period scenery reconstruction it was an enjoyable watch.I learnt a lot about ancient chinese customs,traditions,dynasties reading the posters here.It was a pleasure interacting with all here.Hope to meet again in a future drama forum.

 

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I have some questions I want to satisfy my curiosity about this drama


1-I love the Friendship between Gu tingye and Shitou:lol: . I always see them not as a master and a servant, but as two friends together.GTY always take shitou with him in every place.even during war.maybe i missed that part.Has shito been together with GTY since young as Minglan and xiaotoa? and i think GTY is older than him.was shitou age shown in the novel?

 

2-Has this drama done filming not in order.like i see the last scene that Zhao liying do was with her bangs on.Did they start shooting the marriage life first,also Feng shaofeng last shooting was when he saved the former emperor,also ZYL and others too.?if they did like that.won`t they be confused:joy:

-I always noticed that the makeup for FSF has always been a tone darker than his original face tone,that his neck is always whiter that his face:blink:,maybe cuz of the wig:lol:.it annoyed me in the first eps.like he was another person:joy:

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it ends perfectly... i love the ending ... even though there are scene which is dark (as they use the actual candle to lit up) .. but i am fine with it.. even though the storyline seems to be quite slow.. nearly fall a sleep on a few episode but i manage to finish all ... good job! i do agree with @lclarakl .. gonna rewatch it again

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Ep 73: LOL at minglan spitting gty but then kissing him after that.. ml honey... why are you kissing your own spit? :lol:

- gty calling himself ml’s ancestor, first he’s the uncle now the ancestor, good thing yingbao irl choose to call fsf uncle instead of ancestor

-the villains didnt get the just deserts is a letdown, ed caused many deaths and should have been punished more than getting relocated out of the place. Dont they usually send unfavored concubines to the cold palace or something? At least kill her trusted eunuchs, if you cant physically harm her. And why is it the guifei being the sacrifcial lamb? The ed is the mastermind. Molan getting received warmly by the sheng is also a :crazy: I gather the gu couple dont know her contribution of freeing aunt kang? Cant imagine gty sit still having molan around ml and their son.

the stepmom got the luxury of killing herself, she cause damages worthy of getting painful death. At least in the book she suffered watching her son and grandchildren died

- but I do like the end with the scene of how gty said even if the sky fall outside, he would still make sure ml lead a happy peaceful life

 

It’s such a joy (sometimes stressful) ride watching the drama everyday. I’m gonna miss waiting for the subs while also cheating looking at spoilers.

I would rate the drama 4/5. It may not be 100% faithful to the book or the era, but still enjoyable to watch, particularly to the general public who dont read the book. Even I as a book fan, dont have any grave grievance, as the changes in the drama keep me guessing of what next. 

 

The cast are amazing. Starting with the sheng family. Grandma totally steal the first part of the drama, all the lovely sisters are lead actresses material already. I cant wait to see the actresses who play hl, rl and molan headlining their own drama. Danniang was wonderfully played by the actress. I didnt notice it until I watch the happy camp vid, but the actor who plays SH is actually quite tall! But he appears short in the drama, he really hunched a lot, great acting! Cb being the comic and upright model at the same time, I wish wang renjun will get a lead role soon

 

Yingbao and fsf really made ml and gty alive. The honey dripping from fsf’s eyes, that is not only acting LOL

for me yingbao was overshadowed a lot in this drama, first part by grandma, second part is by gty’s explosive character. Only after grandma’s poisoning, did I get excited for her potrayal. I feel like in order for ml to shine.. gty needs to be out of the picture. As a yingbao fan I’m greedy for her to shine more :sweatingbullets:

prop for the drama for making gty’s character more interesting than the one in the book. Great development of character, from being the male lead that most people not like into model husband material

The otp have small moments of intimacy, bickering, testing each others patience, maneuvering others for their own sake, basically growing as a couple, and I really appeciate that

 

10/10 will rewatch again and again, just like TMOPB :D

 

thank you for everyone for making the experience of watching the drama lively and fun! 

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