When we talk about unique Chinese dramas, we mean dramas like Rattan a.k.a Si Teng. In my years of watching Chinese Dramas, I never met a drama similar to Rattan, or is it because I didn’t explore enough?.
This is a full and honest review about Rattan a 2021 Chinese drama, you can watch the clip here. This review is only based on the way I was impressed by the drama. Please note that there might be few spoilers in the review.
First Impressions.
In the first episode, we get a glimpse of what happened to Si Teng in the past before the opening song. I honestly thought that the drama will be based on that time period, but it had all my attention when I noticed that it is now taking place in 1923. The first episode’s duration is 50 minutes but I felt like it took 30 minutes. It is funny how I thought A’man was the reincarnation of Si Teng in the beginning.
Storyline.
The storyline is what makes a drama more interesting. You can have a drama full of great actors and actresses but, it won’t entertain anyone if it has a bad storyline. The storyline of Rattan is interesting, you can tell in the first 2 minutes of episode 1. The suspense that the storyline creates is on another level, you end up repeating an episode to get a clear understanding of the story. Each and everything that happens in an episode raises more and more questions. What I love about Rattan storyline is the way they give you a hint and then leave you with a question. Si Teng’s origin is the root of the storyline and the mystery behind her death is the stem.
The drama also became more interesting when Si Teng first met Qin Fang. The whole badass rattan plot was really worthy to watch and it is funny how a bossy lady like Si Teng is afraid of insects. The whole master and servant relationship turning into a romantic relationship spiced up the drama more.
The challenges Qin Fang and Si Teng met along the way, made me love the drama more. As the drama approached the final episode, everything was explained clearly and all misunderstandings together with questions were sorted out. I like the way the drama ended even though it got me emotional. I actually expected the drama to end in another manner, but it actually doesn’t matter how it ends because a happy ending is all that matters. I can’t help but to ask myself if we’d ever get Rattan season 2?
What I dislike about the drama.
We have touched all the good things, now let’s talk about bad things. First thing I am not happy about is the make up of Chisan. According to the story Chisan is both male and female, but the make up and costume only represent a female. The only male feature is the voice. I honestly expected something with a moustache just to show that it has features of both male and female.
