Zhui Xu (2021)

Une surprise comme on les aime

Dans ma "watch list" depuis un moment, je me suis décidée à lancer ce drama dans un moment de "craving" intense, la saison 2 de "Joy of Life" se faisant de plus en plus attendre, en manque total de ma dose "Fan Xian", la seule certitude que j'avais en me lançant dans les aventures de Ning Yi fut le bonheur de retrouver Guo Qi Lin et Son Yi. Cerise sur le gâteau, une apparition, certes éclair, mais une apparition tout de même, de Zhang Ruo Yun.
L'équipe est donc pour beaucoup composée de "Joy of Life" : Gao Shu Guang, Hai Yi Tian, Tian Yu ou Karina Zhao. Je ne vous cacherai pas, bien que le drama soit loin d'être aussi réussi que "Joy of Life" (et en toute honnêteté, ce n'est sûrement pas prêt d'arriver), cela fut un immense bol d'air frais (surtout après "LuoYang").

Basé sur le roman "Zhui Xu" (赘婿) de Fen Nu de Xiang Jiao, "Zhui Xu" signifie matrilocalité.
Kézaco? Tout simplement, le fait que l'époux, après l'union, vive dans le village de son épouse, dans sa demeure ou à proximité de sa famille. C'est une particularité culturelle, peu commune, que l'on retrouve notamment chez les iroquois ou chez les Moso du Yunnan et du Sichuan au sud-ouest de la Chine par exemple.

Ning Yi est donc ce mari matrilocal, épousant Su Tan Er, l'unique fille d'une famille aisée, commerçant de tissu.
L'histoire pourrait prêter à sourire, un époux matrilocal, ce n'est pas commun.....et il faut avouer que nous sourions avec joie et parfois, si ce n'est souvent, follement face à ce couple ultra adorable. La première surprise vient donc de ce duo qui crève allègrement l'écran et pétille bruyamment devant nos yeux pleins d'étoiles! L'alchimie flagrante de nos tourtereaux est soulignée par le jeu, toujours aussi, impeccable de Guo Qi Lin et de Song Yi. Les étincelles fusent à chaque interaction, l'attitude pro-active de Tan Er est un régal!
Ce que je regrette peut-être un chouia est le ralentissement dans cette relation, qui il faut l'avouer est un enchantement, durant la deuxième partie. Tan Er disparait ainsi durant plusieurs épisodes, laissant place aux personnages de la seconde partie. Bien que leur lien nous soit démontré avec force, la magie de la première partie s'est un peu émoussé. Rien de bien méchant, mais je n'aurais pas été contre d'un peu plus de Ning Yi et Tan Er se titillant maladroitement.

Ning Yi est le deuxième gros plus de ce drama. Loin du cliché habituel, le scénariste nous dépeint ici un époux matrilocal comme au final nous aimerions en voir plus souvent. Acceptant sa condition de la manière la plus simple qui soit, Ning Yi use sans modération de ses réparties pleines d'humour et d'intelligence, gagnant ainsi le coeur des protagonistes qu'il rencontrera tout au long de ses aventures. Si l'aspect "bel homme" et "homme fort" fait place à un homme dont les capacités physiques sont moindres, la justesse de ses observations et la finesse de son esprit en valent pleinement la chandelle. Sans parler de son amour inconditionnel envers Tan Er. Il fait bon de voir un époux aux petits soins envers sa belle, et cela dès les premières minutes de leur rencontre. Oui, car loin de s'en plaindre, Ning Yi s'accommode de ses tâches de mari matrilocal avec un sourire bon enfant.
Mais pas que.
Il est aussi le premier à s'élever contre les préjugés, apportant ainsi une touche de modernité drôle et rafraichissante.
A noter que Ning Yi a beau être adorable et simple dans sa façon d'aimer, il ne fait pas bon de s'en prendre à ceux qu'il aime, ses amis, et surtout Tan Er. Certains en feront (durement) les frais.

Face à lui, il n'en fallait pas moins une pointure de taille afin de lui donner la réplique. Song Yi, sans surprise, est éclatante de beauté et de perfection dans son jeu. Je venais de la quitter dans "LuoYang", c'est donc avec bonheur que je la retrouve dans un rôle qui lui va (toujours) comme un gant.
L'alchimie attendrissante du couple est en grande partie due aux actions de Tan Er. Ses minauderies sont à mourir de rire. Les actions de la jeune femme afin de faire avancer plus rapidement leur relation sont impulsives et émouvantes. L'attitude active de Tan Er afin de faire avancer rapidement leur relation est appréciable.
La scène où apprenant que Ning Yi est possiblement en danger avec Qin Si Yuan, nous voyons une Tan Er attrapant un couteau au passage et s'envolant à son secours nous aura bien fait rire pendant plusieurs jours.
Comme souligné plus haut, je regrette tout de même que dans la dernière partie du drama, Tan Er perde un peu de son importance. Je comprend bien sur que cela soit avant tout les aventures de Ning Yi, que j'apprécie par ailleurs, mais un peu plus de Ning Yi et de Tan Er jouant au chat et à la souris auraient été le bienvenu. Mais je pinaille.

Les personnages secondaires sont très intéressants et nous donne l'impression d'un scénario qui donne la part belle à ces dits protagonistes. J'ai adoré l'amitié entre Ning Yi et ses amis, apportant cette touche d'émotion que seuls des amis vrais savent apporter.
Mais les relations dont j'ai le plus apprécié, en dehors de Tan Er, sont celles :
- La plus problématique. Ning Yi, Xi Gua et Chen Fan. Touchante et drôle, nous sentons dès le départ une fin prévisible et douloureuse. Et bien que le sachant pertinemment, mon coeur s'est tout de même brisé durant les derniers épisodes. J'espère de tout coeur que pour la saison 2, les choses pourront s'améliorer. Vraiment. Une amitié sincère se construisant au fur et à mesure des obstacles rencontrés. Face à l'adversité, leur amitié n'en était que plus forte. Et si bien sûr, Xi Gua en voulait beaucoup plus, elle n'a jamais cherché à être plus gourmande que ce qu'elle était en droit d'attendre. L'actrice Jiang Yi Yi ne m'avait pas du tout impressionnée dans "Eagle and Yougster". Ici, elle nous délivre une interprétation juste, touchante et drôle de Xi Gua.
- La plus adorable mais aussi la plus émouvante. Ning Yi et Geng Hu Yuan.... La maladresse de Geng Hu Yuan est à la hauteur de l'immensité de son coeur généreux.... Leur relation était la plus jolie à voir, d'une sincérité désarmante, nous n'en avions jamais assez de leur chamaillerie qui au final n'était qu'une façon de cacher des émotions d'amitiés. C'est aussi avec eux que nous rions et que nous finirons par pleurer toutes les larmes de notre corps. Un super duo!

Le scénario n'est pas d'une complexité désarmante mais suffisante pour maintenir l'attention de l'auditoire. J'ai par contre une préférence pour la première partie où Ning Yi nous démontre avec brio tout son talent d'homme d'affaire. La deuxième partie perd un peu de la fraicheur du début, et l'accélération de certaines parties, due probablement à l'obligation de respecter le format des épisodes dont on leur a octroyé, gâche un peu cette seconde partie. Il faudra s'y faire...

Pour conclure, une surprise plaisante où on ne voit pas le temps passer.

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Bon drama d'aventure historique

Bon drama d'aventure historique, avec une performance remarquable du ML (Duo Qi Lin), que je ne trouvais pas si convaincant au départ, mais qui m'a totalement conquise.
La romance qui se développe peu à peu, est très mignonne, bien que -contexte historique + COVID oblige- les interactions ne soient pas/peu tactiles.
Les nombreux personnages secondaires sont bien développés.
L'oncle et le cousin, qui apportent la touche comique, sont un peu (volontairement) surjoués, ce qui m'agace un peu.
La réalisation est dynamique et les scènes de combat très convaincantes. Les OST, assez épiques, sont bien adaptées à ce type de drama.

La fin est très ouverte, annonçant une saison 2.

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The Virtuous Husband.

In this witty satire, a modern business man finds himself in ancient China where he is Ning Yi, a soon to be zhui xu/赘婿 or matrilocal husband to Su Tan'er, the heiress of a wealthy cloth merchant. Using modern business methods, he hilariously wins his Tan'er's heart and mind as they take down internal and external rivals together and he proves his worth beyond being a useless kept man.

The wicked role reversals as Ning Yi and Tan'er navigate their marriage made my shoulders quiver with laughter, especially the darned Academy of Male Virtue. I love the way Ning Yi is written in this drama - he is cunning, compassionate, innovative, ruthless and far from the virtuous husband, he is the academy's most farcically subversive element. Guo Qilin and Song Yi sparkled together, transitioning seamlessly between brilliant comic timing and repartee, heart stopping action and moving emotional moments. The colorful ensemble characters, friend and foe alike are well dimensioned and written and acted with verve and audacity. The humble Guard Geng with a big heart and big dreams is my favorite supporting character.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this drama, which is easily a 9.0+, the second half is noticeably loses its mojo and is at best a 7.5/8.0. The decision to back burner both Tan'er and Guard Geng would have been fine if comparable new characters stepped up to fill the void. Unfortunately while Xigua starts out as a powerful and interesting character, she becomes pathetic. It does not help that while she is lovely and likable, the actress Jiang Yiyi is miscast here - she not funny and has little chemistry with Ning Yi/Guo Qilin. Ditto for his shifu and the creepy Lou Shuwan; I didn't really see the point of either character. The drama only picks up again when Guard Geng and Tan'er re-emerge and our power couple is reunited. This makes it obvious that despite Guo Qilin's undeniable talent, he cannot pull off these uproarious moments when he is not lined up with the right team.

Similarly, the antagonists in the first arc are very comical but in the bandit arc, the villains were mostly trying too hard to be humorous caricatures. The attempts at comedy are also often at odds with the heavily political and increasingly complicated plot line, one that leaves scarce room for Ning Yi the maverick to save the day. The story also takes a darker and more cynical turn and even though Guo Qilin impresses with his ability to make me feel the weight of his loss and cry alongside him, the drama ends in a way that does not leave me thirsty for the heavily hinted season 2.

Overall I rate this a 8.0. I would recommend dropping after completing the much more outstanding first arc.

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A very enjoyable drama

First of all, I have to say that i didn't watch JoL before so I'm less biased compared to some of you.
This is the first time that i'm giving a review for a drama. It hooked me directly with the first episode. Many of you may not like the ML since he is not the typical beautiful chinese man. He is relatively normal compared to other actors but i think it is what makes this shows original. The ML is really talented and is doing a great job. I have laughted so much with every episode. I have been checking if they was a new episode every single day. Some may say that the ML and FL doesn't have a good chemistry but I disagree with them. I found them very cute and fun, every time their are together, I can't help myself but to have a smile on my face. For me, the first half(18 episode) is a solid 10, very funny, and a good rythm. I have watch those episode a minimum of 3 times already.
But when the the bandit arc start for real, it was still enjoyable but less than the start. It was quite long, and the absence of romantic moment between the FL and ML was a little disapointing for me. Of course, it was not entirely bad, they was some good moment such as the relationship that the ML developed with some people of the sect, the feeling that Liu Shi Gua developed for ML,... Even the death of the bodyguard was interesting for me because since the beginning, the ML can almost resolve everything perfectly but finally, a person can't control everything and sometimes ur friend will die. Some difficult choice have to be made, like the trahison the ML had to do to Liu Shi Gua...
Waiting impatiently for the 2nd season, the cliffhanger is very intriguing. Really want to know if the prince is also a memory keeper.

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My Heroic Husband Season 1

I just completed Season 1 of My Heroic Husband.

The beginning of the story ties into the ending. Ning Yi's journey from becoming a Matrilocal husband to really falling in love with Tan Er is a sound love story. The importance of brotherhood and have one's back is shown throughout the story. If you understand Sun Tze's Art of War, you know all the tactics are deployed not only as a cloth merchant but also as a conquering Jing strategy. The weak crown Prince of Wu and his weak personality are shown. His Ministers and Generals' disrespect is why the previous Emperor doubts before he died to plan a Secret division and gave a secret eredict to Minister Qin.

Although the bandit arc is long and tedious, there's a great significance as to why it went that way. Corruption, disloyalty and even cunningness have always been in ancient Chinese literature. If you can understand this, you know why the bandit arc is of great significance to Ning Yi's story. He had to make a hard decision; let Lin'an fall or be killed for trying knowing that he at least tried. Xi Gua (watermelon) will be a significant support cast for Season 2, and I can see that she will either join Ning Yi or be killed off in Season 2.

The end is a cliffhanger and explained what happened to the person who betrayed Ning Yi initially. The ending is left with Ning Yi in Season 2 to be near the end for him, and it'll be interesting what his tactics are of conquering Jing.

I can't wait for Season 2.

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Intelligent drama that gets me laughing and tearing with the story

THE PACING
I enjoyed the speed of this drama. Characters spoke at a good speed and storylines did not drag beyond their purpose. Scenes show only what is necessary, nothing more. While the drama did end on a cliffhanger, it is arguable that this season did end on a note satisfactory enough for closure so that I can sleep at night.

THE COMEDY
Got many laughs out of me. This drama is funny just as Joy of Life is funny, which is in a non-cringy way. Had been looking for a fix ever I finished that drama and it was nice to see the not-very-intelligent brother in Joy of Life have his turn at playing the ridiculously smart guy. I also loved that this drama was not entirely comedic (mostly the beginning and the middle), but was tempered with slightly heavier themes of loss and betrayal at the end of the middle bandit arc.

THE ROMANCE
What a sweet romance this is! The best thing about this couple is that those overused tropes don't come into play here (e.g. no drawn-out misunderstandings due to lack of communication, no couple constantly falling into family's trap to make them doubt each other, no forced or accidental intimate moments). We see genuine development in their relationship, them falling for each other and finally them getting together very willingly. I loved how respectful Ning Yi was of his wife. He treated her with care, cooking food for her, helping her when her business ran into difficulty and saving her from the various other guys who assault her. He never forced or teased or strongly suggested his way into her bedroom. The romance doesn't reappear after the bandit arc, because Ning Yi is running between countries in the last arc and probably didn't want to bring his wife along. Ning Yi's wife in return trusts him with her business which she spent so much effort to build and obtain, and later trusts in his plans. She's an excellent partner for him as they work together to make his plans happen.

THE POLITICS
I find it a tendency in some dramas to focus too much on the politics so that we really get bogged down with many names, positions and way too many details. However I thought that this drama put across what we needed to know in as few scenes as possible.

THE MALE LEAD
The ML is very intelligent, but perhaps a little too intelligent. As a modern businessman who travelled back in time, he would have landed in Ning Yi's body with no knowledge of the political situations in both countries, but yet he has an incredibly good grasp of the situation at all times without anyone letting him know who exactly are the political figures in court (?). He is also an excellent go player who defeated the best go player in the country ... having known the game for a very short period of time. I guess he's just really, really smart.

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Writes a check it doesn't cash

This drama is overall enjoyable but there is a large amount of dissonance between the first and second halves.

The first half is basically a transmigration business comedy, where the main character helps his wife succeed in business and family politics. There are a lot of fun shenanigans and interesting moments despite the small scale of the story. However, the first half sets up viewer expectations for how the second half of the drama will progress and these expectations are not met.

The second half is more of a political story and despite the higher in-world stakes, the writing and plotting is much less clever. The story is also much less funny. The second half isn't necessarily bad and it could have been a good drama by itself but the amount of dissonance transitioning from the first to the second halves really hampered my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, the acting is good. The production is clearly fairly low budget but everything looks decent. The plotting is very contrived but the characters are charming and dialogue is well-written.

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An light-hearted drama that will make you smile

I really enjoyed heroic husband as this is one type of non-conventional Chinese costume drama.

One of the main reasons is because of Guo Qn Lin as Ning Yi. GQL does not have the handsome face of a typical male lead, nor does he have years of experience as an actor. He is a former comedian and regular in TV shows. It is these experience that gives him this aura as an actor that pushed him up to his popularity as Fan Si Zhe, the cute brother in Joy of Life. It is his cunningness to trick his opponent, his talent to win friends, his sweet relationship with Su Tan Er, his consciousness for what's right and what's wrong that makes him very attractive as a male lead. The way he talks in his own voice, especially when he delivers long lines, creates a positive mood and makes the audience want to listen to him. Just like when listening to the perfect way a comedian talks.

Another reason is the reverse role. Similar to Joy of Life, through a novel, the male lead suddenly transferred into the body of “赘婿”, the form husband who marries into the house of a higher-status wife instead of the way around. Society regards them as lower status. In an ancient setup, it's refreshing to see how wives dominate the household and order the husband around; while the husbands cook, massage, and fear the wives. A setup that you rarely see in modern dramas. Of course, Ning Yi’s intellect soon shows that he is not just a weak Zhui Xu. But he stays humble and unconditionally supports his wife STE and her business. It is the balance between the two of them that makes them a role model of couples, whether this is in ancient times or modern times.

The drama is split into two parts. The first part is about NY supporting STE to become a successful business owner and overcome all kinds of evil tricks by both outsiders as well as family members. A lot of the tactics are used in Sun Tzu's Art of warfare. More than Joy of Life, Ning Yi is using modern business tricks to win over his opponents. The results are very rewarding and explanations are very clear and logical. The whole process is filled with humor and colorful characters. The second part is much more serious which involves freeing the city from bandits. I agree that the second half has lost a bit of the first half's light-hearted flavor as well as the sweet romance between STE and NY. However, I also see that it would be boring to continue to the same plotline as most parts have been exhausted so I welcome the fresh perspectives. I just wished they would have continued some of the key elements which have made the first half successful. There are also moments in which it was highly unlikely for Ning Yi to escape a dangerous situation that felt slightly unrealistic but suddenly the ending was very serious and realistic. On the other hand, I really welcome how the writer finalized the story between Xi Gua (Watermelon) and NY as there was a big risk of out-of-character behaviors of NY. Not only did the show keep the NY's natural personality but kept the relationship between the two characters.

Overall, I would recommend this drama if you enjoy a light-hearted period drama that is mixed with the humor of a modern drama.

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What's there not to love?

What a beautiful drama! This could easily become my drama of the year.

I went into this blind, and became hooked right away. It's supposed to be a fun light heart comedy, (and it is) but what I didn't expect is the heartache and tears that followed. Even days after finishing this, I still can't get over it. The story is simple, but beautifully written. It's well directed/produced, and all the cast did a fantastic job. From the leads to the supporting cast members, everything came together nicely. The pacing is great, the soundtrack is equally great. The attention to details the writer put in this is excellent. They managed to take simple jokes and gag moments, then add deeper meanings to them, with simple yet affective call-backs. While there's not much to the actual story, it's charming enough to win this viewer's heart.

The first half is more fun than the second half, but the second half actually compliments the first half. It's an interesting mix. I can see viewers being turned off by the second half due to its dark and serious nature. But the drama never loses its heart. The humor is always there in spite of its dramatic moments.

All in all, My Heroic Husband is a wonderful drama. I highly recommend it.

This is my first review here, that's how much I love it.

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lighthearted and fun drama to watch

Disclaimer: I did watch Joy of Life but I don't think this impacted my review of this drama.

The first 15 episodes were absolutely fun to watch. I laughed many times and the pacing was excelling. However, the next arc started to drag a bit and there was much less emphasis on the chemistry between the FL and ML. The comedic moments were still present thankfully which in my opinion saved the second half of the show which was somewhat boring.

Acting was superb imo. nothing to reproach and I liked the OST. I would definitely rewatch one day if I feel like I need a good laugh. Overall I genuinely enjoyed the drama.

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Nice headstart but normal ending

the first half of this drama is very interesting because of the humour played by the main, its funny but not silly. The business strategies used in this drama is really interesting and is very addictive to watch. The characters especially the male lead and female lead are very interesting and lively. The male lead is smart and cute while female lead is also smart and independent. Just this main lead characters already shows how this drama is different from those other dramas where normally the main lead is handsome,stone face,no expressions while the female is silly and only know how to rely on male lead.

This drama also succeeded because they found the right cast for the male and female lead. the male lead gives out a cute,witty and economy genius vibe while the female lead gives out a pretty and intelligent vibe. However, I don really like the second half of this drama(starting from the bandits scenes) because this drama suddenly turned from interesting and fun to political.Plus i felt like the two main leads will perform better if they are given roles that suit their vibes like the first part(Suzhou business) of this drama.

One part for improvement,I personally think that this drama should just continue with the fun and interesting part like maybe Ning Yi and Su Tan Er can compete with Lou family in terms of business and even become the richest family in the country. I felt confused when they tried to involve Ning Yi in politics because they are trying to turn ning yi from a business genius to a tactician. I would have give this drama a 9 or 10 if not for the bandit part.

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