Ming Dynasty (2019–2020) User Reviews

Surprised by Father-son relationship, compromise and more

[hooraychining · 8/10 · 25 January 2020]

This TV series surprised me by 3 things.

First of all, members of the emperor family are full of Atmosphere of ordinary life. They no longer just get along with the etiquette of monarchs and courtiers, and the younger generations will even call the emperor or other elders by "daddy and mother". In the first 10 episodes, I was moved to tears many times by the emperor's father love and responsibility for 3 sons. This emotional climax occurred when the old emperor summoned his three sons and grandsons to cry and bleed blood as an alliance. They reviewed each other's growth and identified interdependent relationships. Although the temptation of ultimate rights did not allow future generations to honour their promises, the family relationship in that short reunion completely showed that the face of a royal family is no different from that of ordinary people. It can be seen that the first big advantage of this series is the high-level royal family are all human beings, and everyone is the same.

Second, reconciliation. This episode dramatizes the slaughter caused by the overthrow of the regime in the history of the Ming Dynasty. When the old emperor met with the pursued emperor (his nephew), the pursued emperor was already a monk. He saw the gains and losses of life and was relieved of his political defeat. He eventually said, "Everyone can reconcile with their unbearable past." This view is incompatible with Hardliners who advocates of revenge or war, but it has to be said that it is a feasible solution. This reminds me of the TV series Lang ya bang (2015) which is also a story of political struggle and injustice. The two happened in different times and adopted different solutions in completely opposite directions. Both of these fictional stories have implications for today's Chinese society. How to deal with the historical tragedy deserves everyone's consideration. In addition, the monarch should win the hearts and minds of the people, and the social system is not only unique to the royal family, but should pay attention to the wishes of the people. These all make this series worthy of appreciation!

The shortcoming is that some actors and actress in the last 20 episodes are unable to perform in right place. For example, the old queen mother acted like a girl. The character's age was completely out of touch with the actor's own age and the makeup could not be improved or compensated. It would be even more perfect to replace some older actors.

Still one of the good ones of China dramas.

[mailtaskservice · 8/10 · 10 August 2020]

Although from episode 35 there are some illogic stories like accepting an enemy propose recommended to heir wife and making to the 1st wife. There are some minor nonsense battle stories and decision making too. The conclusion of the last episode is really badly made. Overal as a very long drama, it is still advisable to watch although not the best in 2020.

big-budget historical drama series from China

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 7 July 2022]

(Review written after watching the first 20 episodes. Intend to watch the rest.)

China, at the beginning of the 15th century. Having lost both of their parents in a battle, two small sisters from a prominent family get separated. The eldest becomes part of a wandering rebel band which continues to fight the usurper emperor. The youngest finds herself in the imperial palace, where she gets entrusted to an embittered female official who believes in the educative qualities of a good beating. As young women, the lives of both sisters get entangled with those of various members of the imperial family. This is not necessarily a boon, given that the ageing emperor and his three adult sons spend much of their time pitting their wits against each other. And within the feminine universe of the great court ladies all is not peace and harmony either...

"Da ming feng hua" (I hope I'm spelling this right) is a historical drama series of the "intrigue-riddled court" variety. Knowing very little about medieval Chinese history, I'm unable to write anything about its historical accuracy, or possible lack of it. However it does convince as a portrait of a dangerously dysfunctional family living in a hothouse environment which combines high civilization with gruesome barbarity. The characterizations are vivid and there's some good acting going on, with a special mention to the actors playing the emperor, the crown prince and the imperial grandson. The costumes, props and settings are out of this world, creating an immersive picture of a court of unsurpassed wealth and beauty.

"Da ming" is leavened with welcome moments of wit and humor. On the whole the narrative rhythm is slow, which is not necessarily a bad thing given the labyrinthine complexity of the plotting depicted. However, the series does tend to repeat itself, especially when milking the story for emotion. For instance : by now I've watched twenty episodes, and I've seen a LOT of scenes depicting the twisted love-hate relationship between the younger sister and the stern female official ("Auntie") who adopted her. I do hope that the next episodes won't keep revisiting this territory till the cows come home. And how many episodes does one need in order to do justice to even the most complex and absorbing of lives ?

At the beginning, it is amazing.

[smiledaydream · 10/10 · 6 March 2022]

At the beginning, it is amazing. I wanted something to watch while I was working and then I realized I have to read this. But this is perfect. Everything is amazing. Everything is produced to a T. The dialogue is excellent. The characters are wonderful and beautiful. The action is exciting. Elegance is extraordinary. This is like a beautiful painting.

Fascinating Story Inconsistently Delivered

[juyskat · 5/10 · 23 August 2022]

Ming Dynasty sucks you in at the beginning but lets you down in the end. This period of history from Imperial China alone provides enough drama to keep you interested, and there are some excellent performances, but there are also some terrible performances, some bad writing, and a slew of bad production issues that keep you scratching your head throughout. It's one of those series that you will probably finish and then ask yourself, "Why did I watch all of that?"

The show does a great job of setting the stage for some really good storylines and bookends fairly well, but the middle of the show really loses its way. Many of the best actors in the show bow out early, and their departure is sorely missed. As a generational epic, Ming asks its actors to play different stages of their characters' lives and, aided by some bad writing, this proves to be too tall of an order.

One major flaw that bogs the show down is the complete lack of chemistry between the lead actor and actress. They are the focal point of much of the show and once they get past their initial meet cute and strange courtship, they never show enough of a spark together to keep you interested in what happens between them. What initially seems like a complicated love story has to revert more to a show of political intrigue and military battles-which is great if you can pull it off. Ming Dynasty flashes some polish occasionally, but shows too many production snafus-like laugh out loud CGI-to be completely taken seriously.

The show tips back and forth between realistic and somber to campy and fantastic, which kind of keeps you entertained simply out of a sense of wonder at the show's lack of consistency. One thing that is consistent, though, is the soundtrack. Ming uses about 5-6 different musical excerpts over and over and over and over. AND, they are clearly boosted from other shows. I would be shocked to find out that somebody composed original music for this show and if they claim it, I don't believe it. This series probably had the most noticeably bad soundtrack I've ever heard-not just in the quality of content, but when they chose to use it. The music was very rarely the right composition for the scene, which further hamstrung some of the bad performances.

Despite its flaws, though, I couldn't stop watching. This is probably due to an utter fascination with Imperial China more than the merits of the series, but there is enough humor, sorrow, shock, intrigue, excitement, and humanity in this show to pull you through 62 episodes. The stakes are high, the villains need dealing with, you need to know what happens next, and you genuinely care for most of the characters-if not necessarily the leads.