Zhu Lian Yu Mu (2024)

Liu Yunning and Zhao Lusi- I waited for this duo since the Long Ballad

I won't go as far as declaring it a masterpiece or the perfect drama of the year. Cdrama tends to go down the drain towards the second half most of the time which was the case here as well. Story wise, the premise was really good, though it depends on your personal preference for me I found myself skipping a lot especially in the second half. In the beginning it felt quite a mix of Novoland pearl and Princess Agent. The torturous life of FL and her evolution from a slave to an independent strong woman is what reminds me of the other two shows. Plus I am a sucker for a strong female sort of storylines hence I continued watching it despite everything. ML on the other hand looked like a jerk, snobbish and a typical cdrama ML but he was more than that. The more you watch the more you understand his pov. His own experience and the way he represented a life that was not full of roses to FL made his character more grounded. He never helped her in things or showed any affection to her, never bend his harsh rules for her or showed leniency whatever may come. His reasons were simple. 'You won't find kind hearted people out there so one should be strong enough not just physically but mentally as well to deal with a world like that without expecting someone's help.' That was the biggest contrast between him and the SML, who showed her a world full of kindness and goodness shit and what not. I understand him to some extent but would not agree with his ideologies of kindness returns kindness. This only works only in some cases but rest of the time it is pretty much what happens with FL during her business ventures in the beginning.
Side cast in my opinion was not explored enough that I would find myself thinking about their characters. Except for another tomboy female (Shijie) I do not think there was anyone worth remembering. Her character though was strong and tried to portray an antagonist which people could sympathize with but she felt little extra at times and I couldn't feel much sympathy for her. Music was good and costumes were beautiful. l am Not a fan of CGI here they could have done better there but overall it was an intriguing drama. And obviously with one of my fav CPs. I wouldn't say it has much re-watch value but it is definitely a one time watch.

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The Rise of the Pearl Diver

The series started off well. It was really appealing. It was the same in terms of plot. It was the same in terms of actors. However, after certain episodes, especially after the ship landed and fell into the desert, there was a decline in the script. The series drifted back and forth. Afterwards, I was not happy with the scriptwriter or writer resorting to simplistic things that would overshadow the credibility of this beautiful series. I objected to this. The idea is good, the plot is good. The story of the rise of a slave Pearl Diver woman. Similarly, the story of a member of the Yan family clearing himself and his family against the injustice done to his family. The intersecting paths of these two, the events that developed in parallel. The revenges taken, the fight against injustice and unfairness. There was friendship, brotherhood, a little romance, and a little sentimentality. The actors were good. Only the scriptwriter was not good. He reduced this beautiful series to simple in my opinion. He was a waste of this group of actors. I reduced the series, which I was going to give 10, to 7.5. Especially our leads Zhao Lu Si and Liu Yu Ning were very good. They were in harmony. They also performed very well. I liked it. Tang Xiao Tian surpassed himself. He was very successful. He suited the role. I liked it. But the one who played the most striking role was Chloe Xie. She was extremely good. She stood out. I liked it very much. I think she will play the leading role now. Similarly, Shan Wan Qing showed herself. She also proved that she deserves better roles. What surprised me was Yu Yong Hai. His image was very good. He played his lame self as if he was really lame. It was perfect. I had watched a few more of his dramas. I think he surpassed himself in this drama. Well done. The child actor was very good. He left the drama early. All the actors were very good. I did some auditions, I drew attention, but the acting was extremely good. The direction was good. The shooting was good. The only thing I wish the writer or the scriptwriter had not resorted to some simplicity. If they had added a little more credibility to the stories, it would have been better. However, if we evaluate this as the writer's dream, we will not criticize it any further. That's how I evaluated it. Because in the darkness of the Middle Ages, it is impossible to even imagine a woman being thought of in this way. They even went so far as to establish a women's solidarity association. So I said no. Of course, I support our author's dream. And his understanding of justice and equality. But these were things beyond impossible at that time. That's why, in my opinion, its credibility could not go beyond a dream. The series also ended uncertainly. I was not very happy with the ending either. My grade is 7.5 out of 10.

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The story was draggy...

I watch anything with Lusi in it, but this is not for me.

I stopped watching when most of the supporting characters died in the first half of the show. The lore and worldbuilding are interesting at first, but the narrative's shift towards angst and drama made it unenjoyable for me. I was so engrossed at the start of the story arc, when the FL was freed from slavery then her becoming part of the ML's merchant crew. Her learning how to trade and becoming a businesswoman was what made me stay at the beginning.

But the story completely threw that away and made her start from scratch again because of a supposedly betrayal from the ML. It's just so stupid that the ML could overcome all the previous plots by the antagonists but couldn't have foreseen a possible betrayal from someone he knew after being gone so long? Then he just let the misunderstanding grew after all of what they experienced... seriously?

Could have been a wholesome watch if it weren't for the forced angst.

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Eu esperava muito desse drama, pois Liu Yu Ning e Zhao Lu Si roubaram as cenas dos protagonistas em The long ballad, mas o roteiro não colaborou para as belas atuações dos atores. A edição parece um amontoado de cenas, algumas muito mal acabadas. Já assisti outros trabalhos do mesmo diretor e eram bons, mas nesse ele errou em cheio. As canções que compõem a trilha sonora são agradáveis, mas não foram bem utilizadas, gerando pouco ou nenhum impacto na emoção das cenas. Na cena em que são emboscados ao sair da fortaleza, desconfiei que Yu Chi Wu Yi era o traidor, portanto, nenhuma surpresa nos capítulos finais, o mesmo aconteceu aconteceu com o príncipe Ying, quando eles chegam em Yangzhou e ficam sabendo que Xu Nan Ying foi nomeado para um alto cargo pelo príncipe, tinha certeza que ele estava envolvido no massacre da família Yan, portanto, nenhuma surpresa quando isso é confirmado no final. A morte do protagonista masculino eram favas contadas e eu esperava uma cena emocionante, mas não houve, ao contrário, somente o anel dele no dedo dela dá a entender que ele morreu ou foi embora para morrer longe dela. O final pode ser comparado a água: incolor, insípido e inodoro.
Só consegui assistir aos 40 capítulos pelo mérito das excelentes atuações dos atores.

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IT STARTED STRONG BUT PROGRESS SLOW: EP20-ONWARD

Lu Si & Yu Ning by now knew each other pretty well so there's no hesitation and have strong familiarity in their acting. Their close friendship and the interaction is pretty comfortable so their chemistry is strong and abundance, their hugs are tighter and locking eyes without hesitant. Liu Yu Ning has gained experiences and involve in many great dramas recently, he is no longer a newbie because LuSi helped him to gain his notoriety in Long Ballad. Ep23-onwards, the big number of head-peace & trinkets start to overwhelm. What we can see are big hair and burst of colors bling ornaments/jewelries, LuSi natural beauty is replaced with cheesy show-girls beauty standard. Unfortunately, the story went down hill from there, no longer pulling interest and insignificant characters develop. Cui Shi Jui started with bravado, type A kind of girl, why are we watching her? Her choice of life is apparently miscalculated and cost her unhappiness or unfulfilled. Not feeling sorry for her though...

This time around, we can enjoy maturity of YuNing's acting as Yan Zi Jing, his misty eyes are real, passionate glances and caresses on LuSi's shoulder shown affection. Nothing is fake - all sincere. Although he's over her head tall, he manage NOT to look giant over anybody. He can be cynical or sweet as well, his facial muscle seems to know how to work it, great expression. He smiles quite a lot in this drama (than Long Ballad). His life goal is to take revenge to those people who killed his family, a high-risk businessman on the side. After injury and live at 'Clear Mind' shop, he's like a domesticated house-husband.

Tang Xiao Tian (Zhang Jin Ran) came in joining 2nd ML whose in love with Duan Mu (LuSi) at the first sight although she's only a pearl diver aka a slave under duress. As a gentleman scholar who is Prince Ying's study buddy, he has job to go around the country to investigate crimes, bribery, thefts, all wrongs in the country so he can give recommendation and/or uphold justice for the Kingdom. He's a handsome guy & rightfully a scholar. While Yan ZiJing endeavor in revenge, Jin Ran works hard to find the bad guys, he's a bit partial to Su Mu Zhe so any 'justice' he does always benefit to the duo Su Mu Zhe & Yan Zi Jing.

Zhao LuSi (Duan Mu/Su Mu Zhe) Her dance is seductively mesmerizing, her dive is what divers do, her terrified look on the abuse, tears that break heart. Her tiny figure seems the cutest besides tall LYN & TXT, she doesn't have muscle so when she did manual labor scenes she appears tiny fragile. I want details, if Duan Mu go through so much painful experience and ocean-diving - her appearance doesn't show that. She still has flawless skin, healthy hair, cherry smiles. Dry crack darker skin, dry rough shorter hair should be from frequent diving in to salty sea water. Because of the hardness of reality, she changed personality to pursue harsh business endeavor. One thing she needs to do better is she needs to take vocalization lesson, she's great when doing cutesy scenes otherwise she sound like misplaced. After ep 25 she's patronizing and becoming a 'mentor motherly-figure', a sober personality like she's 40-50yo woman (supposedly she's on her 20th).

I am pretty sure besides these 3 actors (& Kang Ju guy) the rest aren't worth mentioning. The story on the middle are pretty dragging, about business competition or jealousy (I want to slap Bai Niao, Zheng Si & Qin Mu guy the acting are so S***ty bad) This drama can actually be shorten in to 28-30 episodes instead of 40, I bet the producer(s) is milking this production to make more money for this drama than some quality deliverance.
1. Too much fillers, unnecessary scenes/plots
2. The Extras and supporting actors are terrible in acting, seems like they've recruited randomly without audition.
3. Main actors change characters/personality -change direction of mind-set.
I think because of these three main causes, this drama lost audience and getting lower score as it progress.

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Story of Pearl Girl: A Tale of Resilience and Lost Focus

Review of Story of Pearl Girl

Story of Pearl Girl is undeniably a visual and auditory masterpiece. The acting, cinematography, costumes, and soundtrack are some of the best I’ve ever experienced. Every frame is meticulously crafted, and the performances of the cast bring a depth of emotion that truly captures the essence of their characters. The soundtrack beautifully complements the scenes, enhancing the story’s emotional impact and immersing the viewer completely.

The first few episodes are especially raw and gripping, setting a strong tone for the series. These early moments pull viewers in with their intensity and showcase the promise of an extraordinary journey. However, the portrayal of the female lead (FL), Duawuan, fluctuates throughout the series. At times, she’s a mastermind and an impressive genius, while at other moments, the male lead (ML) and second male lead treat her like a fragile Cinderella. There isn’t a clear learning curve to her intelligence; instead, her decisions feel erratic, ranging from brilliant to inexplicably foolish, as though the story is playing roulette with her character development.

While the central plot holds promise, the drama becomes repetitive and stagnant due to its over-reliance on familiar themes of killing, revenge, and corruption. These elements dominate the narrative, making the story feel monotonous and dragging the pacing. By the end, side characters continue to overshadow the main storyline, leaving the viewer yearning for a stronger focus on Duawuan and the core narrative.

Adding to this issue is the sheer number of supporting characters. While some add depth and intrigue, many feel unnecessary and detract from the main plot. This excess of subplots involving side characters dilutes the emotional impact of the main storyline, leaving pivotal relationships and developments underexplored. For example, Secretary Kang and the FL’s friends—those who left before the journey in the desert and her widowed pen pal—had potential for significant impact but were ultimately sidelined.

That being said, Duawuan’s story remains one of resilience and success against all odds, delivering an inspiring message to women who strive to stand on their own. Zhao Lusi’s portrayal of Duawuan is a highlight, showcasing her unmatched ability to convey both toughness and vulnerability. Her performance shines in emotional moments, whether crying or laughing, and solidifies her reputation as a skilled actress. This dark, angsty, female-centric narrative captures the essence of resilience while exploring themes of empowerment.

The Pearl Girl’s character is another strong point, starting as a bright and bold individual who immediately captivates the audience. However, as the story progresses, her presence becomes muted, and she retreats into a more withdrawn, somber version of herself. While this aligns with the darker tone of the narrative, it feels like a missed opportunity to further develop her character’s vibrant personality.

The relationships also suffer from inconsistency. The bond between the FL and ML escalates abruptly, going from 0 to 100 with little development or buildup. While some plot twists are engaging, they could have been more impactful with subtle foreshadowing. The ML’s acting is strong, but his casting feels slightly misaligned as a supposed native of a specific region, creating visual inconsistencies when compared to others from the same area. Additionally, the inspector character often overshadows him, further affecting the balance of the story.

The bittersweet ending is another divisive element. While Duawuan’s story ends with heartbreak, the choice not to show his death spares the audience from greater emotional devastation. Conversely, the Pearl Girl’s story concludes on a more satisfying note, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness.

Ultimately, Story of Pearl Girl feels like a show of missed opportunities. While it dazzles with its artistry, compelling themes of empowerment, and Zhao Lusi’s stellar performance, its lack of narrative focus, repetitive themes, overabundance of side characters, and unresolved subplots hold it back from being truly unforgettable. That said, if you’re looking for a female-driven, angsty drama full of great dialogue and rich details in its mysteries, this is the show for you. Despite its flaws, it leaves a lasting impression and is a testament to the power of resilience.

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Pirate twink sadist courts abused former slave girl

Yeah I don't know who wrote the review that I read before watching this, but it was complete nonsense. The story is good, it's good enough that I might consider watching it again in a few years. Basically the premise is that this pirate twink who is obsessed with revenge for his family meets the enslaved pearl diver. She's a slave that escapes her circumstances and sneaks on his ship. After he puts her through some more horrific abuse for a while, she joins the convoy and the story goes on from there. I think it's ridiculous for the audience to be expected to understand someone like the pirate twink, and forgive him for the cruelty he showed this former slave who already endured so much hardship and cruelty. This is not an appropriate romance lmao. Our victim, a typical abused girl, is convinced she can fix him and shows extreme loyalty. The FL is always a fantastic actress, I have always enjoyed watching her portray characters. This story is one of resilience, determination, and success despite having the odds against you. Around the midpoint of this drama, I had to take a break. Some seriously emotional events happened and I had to actually struggle to find the will to keep watching. I truly was so close to dropping this title because of it, I think a lot of these things were done for shock value and it could have certainly been written in a better way. But despite that, I am glad that I finished it and I think it was a pretty decent story.

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Needed more CEO shooters

There are already over 100 reviews of this drama so I’m going to focus mostly on the class politics of The Story of Pearl Girl. It’s the fatal flaw of this drama and, oh boy, there’s a lot to chew on.

Before I get to that, a quick note on the gender politics. I hard agree with PeachBlossomGoddess who identifies bad gender politics as one of the key flaws at play. Indeed, I was incredibly worried when the ML strayed into Overbearing CEO* territory for a few episodes. Fortunately, the writers didn’t fully pursue that angle, but did ultimately undermine the FL’s fiery spirit in other ways (as PeachBlossomGoddess’s review describes in more detail).

What I think killed The Story of Pearl Girl was its frustratingly contradictory class politics. Now, I promise I’m not about to call the FL a class traitor like I did to Wei Lingyou in my review of Yanxi Palace**. However, what started as a strong underdog narrative for Duanwu in the first half of the drama, collapsed in the second half. Let’s consider the good part first, shall we?

For me, the highlight of the first 18 episodes is the condemnation of the Lawful Good character (don’t worry, we’ll get to ep 18 in a jiffy). This Lawful Good character is embodied by government official Zhang Jinran who believes that, if everyone simply followed the law, then all would be well. Of course, he fails to realise that it takes a high level of privilege – particularly class privilege – to act within the confines of the law.

Our ML, Yan Zijing, is quick to point out that while Zhang’s intentions may be good, his methods are crap: “Mr Zhang, you have a heart to save others but lack the power to do so.” Our FL, Duanwu, backs up this critique of the Lawful Good approach and tells Zhang, “You’re a man on top. You don’t understand how we [the bottom class] are.” This makes perfect sense. After all, even though Duanwu has escaped slavery as a pearl diver, she still struggles to survive. This clap-back at Zhang’s character is incredibly refreshing given the ‘Good Governance’ narrative*** tends to be heavily promoted in most Chinese costume dramas.

However, before the pivot point of ep 18, there were a couple of red flags that things were about to go astray. First, is Cui Shijiu. Shijiu is the daughter of the Cui family that owned the pearl farm on which Duanwu was enslaved. She starts out as a cruel Girl Boss but, after several twists and turns, ends up in a sticky situation. It’s at this point she likens herself to Duanwu. “How am I different from her?” Shijiu says, “Both of us struggling in this world, just trying to grasp our own fate.” Ummm gurl… one of you was a slave, and the other was the master. You cannot get more different than that. Unfortunately, her line of thinking crops up later in the drama (and I’ll get to that below).

The second red flag was Yan Zijing’s appraisal of Duanwu as she works her way up the (metaphorical) ladder on his trade ship. He remarks of her quick progression, “She wants to stand on her own…Many people in this world are stuck in misery, yet don’t want to lift a finger.” Other than the fact this sounds like the ‘dole bludger’ narrative that comes from the lips of conservative politicians, this assessment also misses many factors. One: Yan Zijing doesn’t acknowledge that Duanwu has a lot of natural talents that can be commercialised. i.e. you need more than effort alone. Two: pretty privilege. Big time.

And then finally comes episode 18. This is when the underdog narrative dies. It dies alongside a big handful of characters: all are Duanwu’s lower class friends. She also loses Shrimp, the only character left from her pearl farm days. By killing off all these characters in the Desert Ambush scene, the storyline also effectively severs Duanwu’s class roots. Henceforth, she joins the class of Small to Medium Enterprise owners (read: merchants) and realises her individualistic Girl Boss ambitions.

And…so what? Well, Duanwu enters the jewellery business. And she does so without blinking, which is surprising given she knows that pearls are the aquatic equivalent of blood diamonds. She is fully aware of the cruel supply chains on which she relies to create her jewellery. Yet, they are never mentioned. They are kept entirely off-screen. As far as we know, the pearl farm continues on the same, likely under different management after the fall of the Cui family. All the while – or at least after their brief separation – Yan Zijing pats her on the head and tells her what a good little Girl Boss she is.

I was still interested in seeing what would happen with Cui Shijiu after going through a whirlwind of ups and downs. Her story was a lot more interesting, embracing the complexities of a villain you can’t help but feel for. Near the end of the drama, Shijiu and Duanwu forge an unlikely alliance where Shijiu finally recognises Duanwu as her equal. Purely because she’s her commercial equal. A fellow Girl Boss. Duanwu even refers to Shijiu as her “confidante” and the chumminess between these two leaves a real bad taste in the mouth.

And that bad taste is what The Story of Pearl Girl ends on. Thank god Liu Yu Ning looks good in purple, cos that was the only redeeming feature of this drama.

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* I use the term “Overbearing CEO” the way Geng Song does in his fantastic article on Chinese workplace dramas, found here: https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/mclc.2023.0031

**My Yanxi Palace review, ‘Wei Yinglou is a class traitor. Change my mind.’ https://mydramalist.com/profile/TheUnhinged/review/305311

*** I talk about the ‘Good Governance’ narrative more in my review of The Double: https://mydramalist.com/profile/TheUnhinged/review/392435

PeachBlossomGoddess’s review: https://mydramalist.com/profile/PeachBlossomGoddess/review/408704

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Another drama of Zhao Lu Si & Liu Yu Ning, of course here I come...

Story about a girl named Duan Wu (DW), that born as a slave in a brutal pearl farm. At the farm, every person must be able to swim to get the pearl in the ocean. If they can't the man will get harsh punishment and then sold to another place, while a woman will be as 'child factory'.

One day, DW meets merchant Yan Zi Jing (ZJ) and noble Zhang Jin Ran (JR) on the auction day. On that day too she's finally been able to escape from the farm, while sacrificing her mother. Before her death, DW's mother give DW a blood pearl and asked her to find her father relying on that blood pearl. One thing lead to another, in the end DW boarding ZJ's ship.

With success in her mind, DW try everything to gain ZJ trust. Slowly but sure, ZJ see DW potential and finally put her in his important plan. So, slowly but sure DW climbing the 'stairs' in ZJ's ship & of course their relationship also slowly deepen & grow into something more.

DW also find her connection to ZJ not as simple as she's first taught, DW connection to ZJ is go beyond to their parents. DW also learn the identity of ZJ not as simple as merchant, but it's more complicated than the eye meet. So, together DW & ZJ try to uncovering secrets about their family past.

When they think everything go smooth with their plan, something happen to break DW & ZJ apart. DW thinking ZJ betray her & even try to kill her. So, DW end up go to new place & renamed herself as Su Mu Zhe, and starts her own business. But of course slowly, DW misunderstanding for ZJ will wipe clean & they'll continue their relationship with each other.

At this new place, trouble seem unwilling to let DW go. DW whose been pioneer to inspiring women to take control of their destinies, meet trouble in the hands of old fold who's reluctant to lose to the woman. So, they're a few times make trouble for DW. But with help from friends and ZJ also JR, DW successfully avoid the trouble and thriving as a business woman. In the end, the last trouble is only the one connected with their family past. So, how will DW & ZJ successfully going through all the trouble...?

That's pretty much the story without giving anymore spoiler. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ Zhao Lu Si & Liu Yu Ning at my screen. Haha... Whatever people said about them, for me their quite a match for each other.
+ Zhang Jin Ran is a really gentlemen till the end
+ Cui Shi Jiu (SJ). This woman is so interesting one way or another.
+ Zheng Zhi Heng (ZH). I love how he genuinely love SJ.

Overall this quite good drama, but surely forgettable & have some holes. Below I'll write the holes that I notice, but that's also mean SPOILER ALERT!!! Read it at ur own risk.












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SPOILER ALERT!!!
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I feel the plot sometimes like jumping from scene to scene. It's like something supposed to be there but they cut it in the final edit.
- The attack that ZJ & JR experience. What the heck what's that... It's like one moment they ready to attack the next moment it's them who's under attack. Of course later is feel more clear after we find out about who's the betrayal. But still it's a little bit weird, feel something missing.
- The crazy and important cause that make ZJ's family assassinated. Or it's just me that really not take the grab of it...
- The amazing JR. Haha... JR a few time ambush his enemy by hand behind the scene. Haha... I don't know other word to put it, that's how I feel it. Like when he arrest ZH. Oh come on.... That's clearly lazy writing there. I hope they show us more like investigation or stalking or anything that indicate Zhang family is on the radar.
- The way DW been capture & the blood pearl suddenly be remembered again after been forgotten for half of drama.
I already a little bit forget some of it, gonna fill it later when I remember then... Haha...

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