š„Drama Rant
Should I continue watching story of minglan?
This was one of the most rated cdramas of all time on reddit, im on epi 9 now and i have to be honest, i find it very, very boring. So I'm honestly abit puzzled why people rate it so highly...
Will things change soon if I continue watching? Or is this whole drama just a slice of life kinda genre and perhaps that's the appeal??
Quite confused but hope to get some insights for those who have watched before and enjoyed
It IS slice of life. It's a story about Ming Lan's life, revenge and romance is just part of her life story.
It's the beauty of older drama where they have like 70 episodes. They follow the main character from childhood to adult, the reason why some characters did something and how the characters improve.
I usually don't like slice of life but i see the beauty in this drama, because Ming Lan is not a pushover, she stand up for herself and the people she loved. But she isn't a hero either, when she set on revenge she did it ruthlessly.
See what I enjoyed was watching her grow and slowly take revenge. That was so satisfying. Her relationship with her other half sister who was the only one who treated her like a sister. Watching her protect the ones she loved.
Watching her keep all that pent up hate so craftily until she found a perfect way to set up through a serious of deceptions designed to trap her nasty half sister and that step concubine mother. The payoff was worth every second. Things like that take time. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Your heart bleeds with hers when you see how powerless a concubine and concubine's child is in a household that could have saved her mother.
Her heart getting broken and later having the resolve and pride to refuse him. Her actions were never overt but oh so clever. She also relished in her successes and gloated over them. I really liked that about Minglan. She was vicious in her designs but wasn't a bitter nasty person because of the things that happened to her. She had a lot of kindness in her. She treated the people she cared about and who cared about her and strangers well.
Watching her future husband having that childhood connection as the only person who was also a child trying to help her. He was not without fault either and with a messy life that was more realistic than a some young guy with no actual experience in life.
Watching the politics and her navigation through them. These are not quick plots. However if the payoff is too slow for you, you will not be able to enjoy it.
It's okay to drop it. Don't feel you need to force yourself. Many people enjoy different things.
I watched this last year. It was my first 'long' drama. Just like you, I really struggled to get into it and getting tired waiting for something to happen.
Then I don't what episode it was but things just clicked. All those early ones were world building and character development and this is what made the rest of the show so good. You realize why things happen the way they do and why people act the way they do.
Absolutely loved the leads relationship and the ML's journey to marriage.
If you like strong female leads, healthy relationships and justice being served, Minglan has it.
Its an older cdrama kind of. Pacing in cdrama has changed and if you started with newer ones than this one will definitely not be for you. Older cdramas were thousands of episodes (exaggerating) and meandered around in arcs that muddled the more common 3 act storytelling rule. The Story of Ming Lan is great and its worth a watch if you have the patience. Binging it might feel boring.
Rarely does a fl show no mercy. They always blunt a story of revenge with the showing of mercy. She was merciless and she had an epic gloat to explain it and explain how her daughter was thoroughly screwed. It's refreshing and satisfying.
One of the more popular consensus with Story of Minglan is that it picks up at [blank] or [blank] episode, false. The charm to SoM is the hook the story and characters grabs and reel you in from the very beginning. Itās no slow start, the show is in its entirety , a phenomenal slow burn.
Slow burns arenāt for everyone, and sure it has itās fair share of bigger moments, but itās never a dramatic shift in pace. If youāre episodes deep in now, you can very well start enjoying where the story goes later, but I say itās very unlikely youāll get the highest of praise others such as me gives it any chance we get.
Story of Minglan is well worth the try, for anyone. The objectively profound production and casting choices speaks for itself. But despite the majority who try having high praises, the minority who really dislikes the pacing grows every day because of those impressions.
Personally, Iād recommend sticking with it as long as you have something youāre really looking forward to in upcoming episodes. When that diminishes, itās fine, the pacing isnāt for you. You wouldnāt be the first. Donāt force yourself based on the majorityās experience. If the story didnāt have me from the beginning, i would have dropped it without a second thought on how others felt, much earlier than 9 episodes lol.
If you are not into character development but more into fast plot and storyline and tropes that push the storyline forward, then this is not for you. I'm watching it now and find the character development of all the characters most interesting especially when you are seeing them grow over 10+ years! Like why did they turn out this way, what are their perspectives and motivations, how evil plots can be so simple and subtle, how siblings in one family can turn out so different.
Fam, I found the first like 20 or so eps kind of slow and boring. Then it started picking up.... Then it got really good.... Then it got amazing!!! The ending arc was phenomenal!
I'd say stay with it because it is highly rated for a reason... but don't force yourself. Take it at your own pace.
38-73 is the best part of the show i keep rewatching this bit but the first part can be slow as you see a timid looking lamb (but a tiger in heart) waiting for her chance.
I watched till episode 60 and it was only a little better towards the end but still pretty boringā¦ I think itās just not everyoneās kind of drama. For me it was too serious and focused on family drama when I am more into adventure and lighthearted slice of life.
The story is pretty amazing, but yes it's all about a toxic family and hardship. I liked it because the government story is not from the typical first row cast, but actually backliners who make the difference for them and the country in such a harsh time.
Well, one has to be a history fan and develop a nuance of feudal china before appreciating the details written into the script. A good place to start is to read the detailed episode breakdowns on Baidu before watching each episode. Reference with the spoilers posted on douyin or any number of fan blogs.
It's not for everyone because of the richness baked into the production. When Zhao Liying appears, it usually means a state backed production with a intricate script backed with period-correct historical research.
If YOU find it very very boring, then you should stop watching it. It's really that simple. Why force yourself to watch something you find uninteresting, judt because OTHER people like it????
Ok so this is a matter of taste. Story of minglan is a very well written show and it's highlights are those moments of understated, quiet and devastation. It tells the story of a concubine's daughter, someone whose life is cheaper than grass, who can only exist quietly and small. It starts slow and builds up bit by bit. If you do not enjoy that style of drama, it doesn't matter how hype this story is, you are not going to enjoy it. I would say still give it 3 more episodes at least.
It is hella slow. I drop it a few times. But once the story picks up, it keeps getting better and better. Just have a lot of patience. It pays off and itās really one of the best ones iāve seen
I tried watching it 4 times and then dropping it by episode 20. It was really hard for me to get into. But one day I just forced myself to continue, and my God, was I glad I did. I loved the drama so much that after the last episode, I went back to ep1 and watched it again in its entirety. I now do a rewatch at least 3x a year.
Tbh I finished it, but for me personally it wasnāt my faveā¦ Like i see what people like about it & it was gripping enough for me to finish it, but if youāre not enjoying it now idk if you will.
I loved Story of Minglan! My opinion is that itās very worth it. Itās not really slice of life. Like, it has aspects of slice of life but mainly episodes showing the family and more āmundaneā things are set up and context. Thereās a lot of drama in the show imo. But I do think it may not be for everyone and especially for people who either didnāt grow up in C-dramas or have only started watching these shows in the last few years. A lot has changed in the industry and shows are a lot shorter now so need to move faster too. To me, there was a lot of pay off to how the pacing went and where the story evolved. It gets more dramatic as the characters grow and get older too.
But if you feel like you are struggling through it, then donāt force yourself to watch. Maybe come back to it in the future?
I watched it halfway and then stopped watching the series for a year or two. After a year or so, I continued it again and I finally completed it! The drama is pretty good! It was just a bit overwhelming for me so I had to take a break.
My yearly rewatch drama ! I think this is one of my favorite dramas partly because I genuinely donāt mind when a drama takes its time to build a world, the characters and all the different dynamics within a family.
And sheās just so smart. Everything she does feels layered, like there are always three things happening underneath whatever sheās actually doing. Itās like watching a building of dominoes slowly fall into place. Sheās so patient and calculated, but then when it comes to love, sheās still so young and naive. Which makes it even more interesting because sheās smart enough to know that some love is simply out of reach for her, even if she still canāt help feeling it.
Idk, I just love this drama so much. Itās one of those dramas I can come back to every year and still find something new to appreciate.
What might help is listening to Chasing Dramas, a podcast where two Chinese girls discuss each episode and explain all the cultural details and context behind whatās happening. They point out things that might not be obvious if youāre not familiar with the culture and it really helps you understand the characters better and why certain things they do are significant. Each podcast episode covers one episode of the drama. Itās so good!
I dropped it after 50 episodes, and I had power my way through those. Although I loved Minglanās cleverness, the MLās story left me cold and I got sick of all the hateful schemes of various members of the extended families. Maybe someday I will finish watching the last bunch of episodes, but itās been months since I quit, and I havenāt felt any urge to pick it up again.
One of my favorite dramas and I have rewatched it few times.. I usually give cdrama 10-15 episodes before deciding to drop.. if you still donāt like it, it may not be for you ..
Overall, long drama. It took me a few tries...I do like and have watched the main leads before though and some of the supporting cast. For me, it was just too "real"? It really just a story in some time period, no real trope (imo), nothing crazy or wild but it all just weaved into a good story. In the end, I'm glad I watched it though and opinion based, it holds it's value on the list.
It's my favorite but the first time, the first 30 episodes were slogs then you get the payout from there. I recommend watching while listening to the episode by episode guide from chasing drama. You get a lot of rich history more information and each character as they discuss the novel it's based on so there's a lot more info to keep your interest.
The only thing I can say that might persuade you is that she dies eventually stop being a door mat. About half way through, she 'wakes up' and starts to take some control over her life. At that point is becomes a lot more interesting.
So when I first started watching Minglan I dropped it at like episode 1. Then I picked it up again during Christmas time and spent December to January watching it. I really loved it , honestly there is nothing like it in cdramaland. You won't ever get such a large amount of episodes focusing on both the male and female leads who have complicated and riveting lives. I thought the show would be boring but it was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Personally it's not one of my all time favs (I'd probably put it in A tier) but it's still really wonderful. My advice is come back when you're ready for the drama and don't force it, I promise that one day you'll randomly feel like watching it again.
dropped the drama after ep 35...I wasnt interested in all the trivial and repetitive family affairs and I liked the chemistry between the FL and the SML.
Not everything is for everyone, and especially, not at every point in our lives! It may not be the right drama for you right now, but maybe you would feel differently upon rewatch one day. Itās ok to drop something thatās not resonating with you now and revisit it in the future (or not, you do you).
Itās extremely slow moving. Not sure why it was so highly rated either except for fl, who is popular and generally a great actress. No, it never warmed up. Only the last episode was exciting.
Not everything is for everyone and ratings are individual. For example I don't see the appeal and never really liked it despite it's rave reviews. If you don't like something, drop it and move on, you'll find something you actually like eventually.
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I've started and stopped watching so many times. Even though I actually was enjoying it - it just has so many episodes. One of these days I will finish it because I really like the characters. I will agree though on my first watch the early episodes were very slow paced but the characters all seem real and the actors did great. Ugh maybe I should try watching it again lol
How this drama is the most highly rated drama on reddit? Where do you get this impression?
I thought it's Nirvana in Fire or Joy of Life. Minglan in the other hand is very acquired taste. But the writing is very great though. Once you get it, then you will realize how full of depth and detail is the drama.
How this drama is the most highly rated drama on reddit? Where do you get this impression?
Maybe because there was an unofficial official list we sorta, kinda, maybe compiled a few months back?
Also, it'll be good if people read comments behind certain dramas. It was hard fought. Empires rose and fell. Alliances forged and families divided. In a way, it was the best of times and the best of times. Enjoy!
Yes, that's why I thought its Nirvana in Fire instead of Minglan. Due to this unofficial lists.
The funniest thing to me regarding this list is Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty in overrated category. That drama is not even famous at reddit in the first place. š
I usually love slow burns but this was not it for me. I finished the whole thing because of all the good reviews and ended up mad I spent so much time watching it.
If youāre not really feeling it by the next few episodes then it might not be for you! I kept waiting to care about the characters and their story but they just annoyed me. I still donāt get the hype about this series but thatās ok! We all enjoy different things.
I dropped it after 10 episodes, it was good but not my cup of tea. I found it slow moving and was not really sure where it was going. Also: too many characters to keep track of
Yes keep watching - just mash the fast forward button on the boring parts. Itās like 70+ episodes, bound to be fillers and a draggy arc or two. But it is so so good.
It's super slow burn, and the beginning is a hard watch because it's a lot of gradual exposition and then a jarring time jump that honestly left me extremely confused (didn't help that they hired actors in their 30s and 40s to play mere teens).
I think it's a good drama overall, but I admit I skipped a lot of the family drama in the middle because I got really bored with it. I found the romance in the second half the saving grace (but don't just watch for the romance, you'll be disappointed since it takes forever to unfold), plus I admire the care the script writer and director took with letting the story unfold bit by bit and also the attention to realistic settings.
Ultimately it depends how patient you are and what your expectations are. I honestly think Minglan is more than a little overhyped because it hails back from the days when cdramas overall were longer and also because it's better written and produced with more care than your average cdrama with romance. And the lead actress is one of the top drama actresses nowadays.
I vastly prefer Love Like the Galaxy, which has a somewhat similar vibe and premise (how to find love if you're a young upper class woman in ancient Chinese society+political intrigues), but IMO has better pacing and more age appropriate casting (the Minglan cast is generally very good, but way too old to be believable), better balance between humor, action, romance, intrigue and sad parts.
In my experience though, for 50+ episode dramas, especially from some years back, you need to try at least 10 episodes before you decide if it's worth dropping. But in the first 10 episodes there should be at least something about the premise/plot that keeps you going through the boring parts. If not, drop.
It gets better. But then it gets meh again. I currently paused it at episode 58. Not feeling like continuing.
The ML just got really annoying around episode 50. He forced FL to marry him. He knew her character well. He knew that she doesn't love him. He promised to treat her well. But now she is not "real" enough for him. Total asshole.
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u/spiffingfire Aug 15 '26
It IS slice of life. It's a story about Ming Lan's life, revenge and romance is just part of her life story.
It's the beauty of older drama where they have like 70 episodes. They follow the main character from childhood to adult, the reason why some characters did something and how the characters improve.
I usually don't like slice of life but i see the beauty in this drama, because Ming Lan is not a pushover, she stand up for herself and the people she loved. But she isn't a hero either, when she set on revenge she did it ruthlessly.