Performer 1: Come one come all! Hear our words!
Performer 2: Holds no interest, reckonings. Blind reckonings.
Performer 1: Heed us, as we must share the unspoken. I’ve been no stranger to false accusations in my years, tis no surprise here.
Performer 2: Shameful... Framed?
Performer 3: Dressed ineptness wrapped away and labeled as art, class acts dancing away to the tunes of a tired music box. One claims malarkey but the word spreads m-
Performer 2: -orbid(1:-olasses)audacity... speak less.
Performer 4: Do give us room for air, the same words by many must have origin.
Performer 3: Unfortunate that this origin holds the exact opposite of it’s creative counterpart.
Performer 2: Speak LESS. Vile words of scrutiny is at order.
Performer 1: Irony.
Performer 3: A tree falls with no one around, it holds no sound. The impact remains. The word travels with the minority but attracts no ears, as the scratched record entertains.


The Story Of Minglan carries a similar burden as the leads, claimed by many to be this slow bore of a series dragging its viewers along until it all pays off. Those that managed to trudge through holds the same advice, bear with it. First time diving into the drama, i understood. How many episodes must i watch until the drama becomes worth it? 34? The other commentator said sevente-..don’t waste my time? Dropped in 3? What’s the problem with them still being k-. Wait, skip how much? What the hell is yanxi palace again?

I’ve never wanted to rant on anything this much outside of the drama itself until encountering this one. Most that’s given high remarks and praises still holds words that can deter you away depending on what you’re looking for and toleration. For well over a year now i kept my eyes away from this drama because I don’t believe pieces that requires patience past the first episode to be worth my time nor others’. Though that’s just my perspective, as i still respect and envy others that can withhold their last straw. So what even made me give in? Hell every person i know rather didn’t watch it yet or bares the same discouraging words as the rest. Hunger, hunger for this particular setting, genre, and tone convinced me in giving it a go.

Did i encounter this overbearing snooze fest of mundane acts that others warned viewers of in the beginning? No, what i encountered was an articulate trap made up of subtly theatrical performances and neatly wrapped storytelling that slowly unfolds it’s layered lead characters and the world surrounding them. I remain utterly confused as to how anyone can give a slice of life at this length a try and expect anything other than a slow burn. What’s funnier is that the pacing doesn’t even take the actual slow course it’s known for until after those beginning 6-8 episodes, yet many dropped or found it hard to continue feeling that it did. Rather it’s influence from the loud minority or preference for a completely different pace that has no business in a drama of this genre and length. My credulity fell for the influence.

My dear viewers, you have been wronged. This series requires your time and attention, not patience.This is a fairly paced slice of life warranting it’s length that barely consists of any unnecessary scenes, characters, nor arcs. Yes every single episode is well worth paying attention to and skipping any of them will completely lose you in the next. No this isn’t exaggeration, as my proud elders once said in full certainty, fuck around and find out.

Cast/Production

The cast is as large as it is talented, with naturally witty dialogue and mind games to match. Raw emotions are constantly thrown at the viewers no matter if it’s genuine of the characters or them putting on an act(you’ll get this a lot, i mean a lot). No complaints on the outfits, appearances, sets/backgrounds , or cinematography. All held up to the quality expected. One nitpick i have is that every performance worth mentioning were too..balanced? In my opinion,nobody really went above and beyond. They all were great, just no hint of excellence. Don’t go in expecting stand outs or jaw drops. You’ll be constantly impressed nonetheless .

Story/Direction

The strongest aspect of The Story of Minglan is,in my opinion,the pacing. Scroll through some comments and/or reviews. The most common questions you’ll see are referring to when [blank] will happen, when [blank] and [blank] grow towards one another, when will we see [blank] again, so on, so forth. What we have here is natural progression folks. In all of it’s satisfying and painful goodness. The climb in ranks, pitiful downfalls, house empowerment, filial favor, newfound family, the list goes on.

It’s of no surprise I’m an absolute sucker for slow burns when executed well. And dear god do they go way beyond that here. Not only are you taking in each episode waiting for future inevitable moments and interactions that’s way further down the line, you also find yourself not willing to loose your grip of the current relations and moments happening that would have to take a tumble for the others to progress. There are countless memorable scenes from the very beginning to the very end. You’re nail biting early on not because of anything coming off as banal or monotonous, it’s from disbelief that there’s still so many things you have to look forward to on top of everything you’ve had the pleasure in watching already.

The camera language and use of symbolism is next level, these factors alone marks this series with a very high rewatch value. Stare downs, signaling through eyes and body language, setting up for future stages to perform.There are plenty of subtle hints and details that most will miss the first go around and many moments leaving room for interpretation that lets the mind roam freely, speaking of..

The use of romance and bonds here are second to none. The chemistry/dynamics are so distinct and profound amongst each character you’ll have to see it for yourself to believe how effortlessly they interact. From the banters, thoughts through time apart, strategizing, rehashing, lessons, arguments, persuasions, attests. I could go on and on, the chemistry alone makes this well worth the try.

Shortcomings

The ost’s ass...... condolences. Ight listen if i have to hear that same tired ass track in romantic/longing moments another second I’ll lose it. No track stands out or grabs attention besides the rare use of sound design on sudden tensity, you’ll hear what i mean.

Way too much plot armor and abuse of convenient last moment timings. You’d wish for a competent male antagonist since the women here has to rely on the incompetence of their aides to lay a scratch on anyone. Besides some ass whippings and timeouts the feel for stakes on the line completely diminishes about halfway through. This drama is many things, a thrill isn’t necessarily one of them. So much protection going on I wonder how some of them even got pregn-

Epilogue

To anybody who hasn’t tried this out yet i can only ask what’re you waiting for, more so what’s holding you back? What I’ll advise is don’t force your way through this drama, if you can’t stomach any more, let it go. Need a break? Take as long as you need, it’s okay to not binge in a couple sittings, much healthier at that. Watch and experience this breathtaking journey at your own pace.

A new favorite of mines, been hours since i finished and i think it’s about time for an encore.