Brocade Odyssey (2024)

A rich tapestry that frays at the edges.

Set during Tang dynasty, Brocade Odyssey 蜀锦人家 follows Ji Yingying's journey to the top of the Yizhou silk industry as she seeks to clear her father's name and to reclaim her family's reputation as preeminent weavers of the prized Shu brocade. This drama paints a realistic picture of women's roles in feudal society and the intricacies and cut-throat competitiveness of the ancient silk trade. Her path to "having it all" is littered with obstacles, betrayals and setbacks; her triumphs come at great sacrifices; she loses her first love, a few true friends and supporters and for some time, even her freedom.

This is not a light or fluffy romance drama. The main characters are dark and ambitious and some of their overlapping entanglements are messy and complex in a way that won't appal to viewers looking for more straightforward storylines. It is like a rich tapestry that frays at the edges in its over ambitious exploration of too many complicated themes. It is obvious from the start that both Yingying and Zhao Xiuyuan had ambitions that had the potential to get in the way of their relationship. While I didn't agree with Xiyuan's choice, I understood why he did it and I felt quite sad for him. While the digital face swap was surprisingly well done, I think Zhang Haowei would have better conveyed this role. What I didn't like was how when cornered, Yingying makes the exact same decision yet she had no insight from it and her attitude towards Xiyuan continued to be hard and unforgiving even though she had no real moral high ground. She just got super lucky with Yang Jinglan.

The cast is strong, and most of them are able to dub themselves and deliver commendable performances all around. It is difficult to find fault with Tan Songyun's empathetic portrayal of Ji Yingying's ambition, familial obligations and emotional conflicts. However, between her tomboyish girl-next-door look and simply dreadful styling, she does not convey the allure that draws multiple suitors, making the romantic subplots unconvincing. Zheng Yecheng really brings an exciting dynamic to the drama with his physicality and charisma. It is so rare to get such an excellent actor who is also properly trained in martial arts. The production took full advantage of this with many long, exciting, fast moving, muscular and flinch-inducing action sequences. It is a huge upgrade from all quick cuts the slo-mo posing and spinning that we normally have to make do with. I enjoyed their chemistry as a couple and how their relationship evolves organically from that of an alliance into a couple that complements each other in so many ways. Yet I wouldn't say that this is a CP that made a lasting impression on me.

Despite a solid start, this is yet another entertaining Chinese drama that self destructs in the completely unnecessary final Nanzhao arc. It was clearly meant to give Jing Chao, who is a fantastic actor, his own arc. Unfortunately, it is too late in the narrative to force the audience to reinvest in a whole new set of characters and political dynamics. I would also have preferred to see Cheng Fengze remain as a good frenemy, a business rival who valued Yingying for her talent and business acumen alone rather than turning him into yet another delusional suitor. Many of the conflicts that arise in this arc feel forced and all three main characters end up doing stupid things that are out of character. It took me twice as long to watch the final ten episodes as it did to watch the first thirty. There were also a few undeserved death that really made me want to flip tables. Even the terrific end fight scene could not make up for my dismay.

Overall, this is not a bad watch for the fight scenes alone and it is much better if you stop at about ep 30. It is thematically rich and explores female empowerment and the ties that bind in a complex and realistic way. I can rate the first 30 episodes an 8.0 but unfortunately the final 10 episodes are barely worth a 6.0 so my overall rating is 7.5/10.0.

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another drama that felt short in the last part for me

so let’s talk with the good :
1) Acting, I think the leads were great and side characters too
2) costumes and makeup were pretty
3) I didn’t wanna start because I thought: « oh a story about brocade, it will be boring », well not gonna lie, like almost every drama, there are some more boring parts, but I actually like the brocade plot. it was different from the usual shop we see in some Cdramas and interesting to learn about brocade history. So the premise was interesting and well written in general, I think it was flowing good, FL working, growing their business, the obstacles, etc..
4) I liked the friendship and how they all worked together
5) OST was very good
6) cinematography was also good
7) I like seeing the development between ML and his father, family. Made me smile their interactions in the last ep (always bickering with father ahah) and he even called her « mother ». I enjoy it when I think they deserved forgiveness and a second chance. And he actually made some efforts. I think his father and family deserved it (not like some characters in other drama, like cough cough The rise of Ning). even FL with his stepmom.
8) FL brother: he grow on me. At first I was like, what a weakling. But he stepped up, stood his ground and he surprised me. Like when the mom was in prison, bro wasn’t giving up, I liked that. A supportive and kind guy too
9) ML : I liked him a lot. Like many, I love red flag ML, but I also like green flag ML😂 well if he is the ML (and not a useless stupid weakling) I will love him. Always team ML and SML hater. He was kind, supportive, respectful. Always there for FL, but never overstepping. Pretty intelligent and resourceful. He was a great ML. Also, such a great fighter, always finds this attractive ahaha it was awesome eps 23-24 when he was running back and fighting to get to FL. Zheng Ye Cheng is great with fighting scenes, he should do more dramas as a martial artist and actions. also in ep 36, the fighting in that like arena or in the last ep, last fight.
10) FL : intelligent, kind and hardworking woman. I liked how she was working so hard to continu her father’s work and the brocade business. It was good when she was turning the plans of the uncle against him, it was always satisfying. Used her intelligence for example to changed the family rules and can we say the deal in the last few eps ? Or went she wasn’t trusting Bai at first and keeping some distance, didn’t accepted (before the wedding in ep 24) the help of Bai or the ex. Some choices were a bit questionable or stupid, but anyway I think it fits her character…
11) the romance in the first 3/4 : I think the development was really good. Mature romance ?them slowly working together, trusting each other and falling in love. We could feel their love for each other with the little moments. Then came ep 24, I think the scene of him crashing the wedding was really good and I liked the dialogue. Even before that, when the ex captured her, he came to save her and I think that scene was also very good. We didn’t get much, but their married life was cute. We got 1 kiss only, but it wasn’t bad. The cliff scenes and some others after the divorce, some good emotional moments and we could still feel their love. They loved each other a lot and were both ready to die for each other.
12) villains : we’ll get back to it, but it was somehow interesting to have strong villains who were winning sometimes before their loss of course ahah
13) happy ending. we’ll get back to it also

so what went wrong for me :
1) the 2 side guys with unrequited love and possessiveness became so annoying and never ending
2) the last part when FL went into Bai country: didn’t like it and why did it last for so long ? We already didn’t get a lot of FL and ML dating, but their screentime together was so reduced in the last 8 eps? we got more of FL and SML together, it’s like they were almost trying to romanticize that? because what was the point of all that screentime together. I didn’t give a damn. If only they didn’t went for the same old cliche plot, the bad guy falling in love with FL and wanting to possess her… Truly uninspiring and uninteresting. What could have been an interesting villain (and he was actually pretty powerful too), felt flat.
3) There was some sloppy weird editing
4) Some characters died to easily.
5) Ning girl wasn’t really interesting to get that screentime, just like the ex, who could have had way less screentime (at last got some character development)
6) stupid unnecessary death. why did they killed off the female friend? such waste, they had the brother confess and being rejected for a while. they got together really late, we got almost nothing and then they kills her off for no reason ? even ML’s friend… WHY DO THEY ALWAYS KILLS OFF ML FRIEND OR RIGHT HAND MAN???? in so many dramas
7) FL crying and mourning for Prince Bai (the guy who literally, kidnapped her and her friends, threatened them, hurt and tried to kill the man she loves, tried to literally assault her….), was just completely stupid and weird to me (I got a bit the ick). I don’t care if she empathized or something, just no. And they wasted screentime on this, we could have gotten more minutes for sweet moments between the leads. I don’t get it, what was the point, I read not of this was in the novel and he didn’t even died. Why did they make him die protecting FL and her crying for him? writers trying to glorify second leads or something sometimes (like the princess Royal or even the rise of Ning, in there too they made him die by « saving » FL)
8) happy ending, but I didn’t really feel anything. Also, after all that, months of separation, we got a smile ? not a hug or anything. That was disappointing, even the « wedding » (because we didn’t saw the wedding again), gave me nothing. FL title was something I guess. And the villain died, deserved death.


Anyway, it was still a good watch for the positive points

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