Another drama on the list. Ever since the premier of Dream of Splendor I wanted to watch it. It’s Liu Yifei’s first drama in over 10 years. The last time I saw Liu Yifei in a drama was in Chinese paladin.
First impressions.
The first five episodes were faster than expected. The story started off on a high note. It basically revolves around Zhao Pan’er who wanted to go to the capital to meet his fiance who is rumoured to have been engaged to another woman. Accidentally she encounters QianFan a couple of times and the two becomes close as they go to the capital together. QinFan is also being haunted down after being framed. Totally loved how they slowly build up the chemistry between Pan’er and QianFan. The water scenes looked real, they were soaking wet. That’s how a water scene should be. There were a couple of comedic scenes which were good but some of the animal sounds were off and made the scenes look awkward. There isn’t a lot to discuss on this section, I will go deep into the review on the next section.
Business wise.
There’s a huge lesson behind Zhao’s teahouse. Zhao Pan’er was impulsive when she opened her teahouse in the capital. She didn’t do proper market research before choosing the location. She chose a busy street with no restaurants and tea houses because she thought it the business will take off since there’s no competition. Her teahouse started losing customers bit by bit and the street is always pack up, that’s where she realized her mistake. She didn’t study her target market well and her surroundings. As a business minded person, I gained few tips regarding starting a business. I know this paragraph is a bit irrelevant but I had to add it on the review. Chinese Dramas always have hidden lessons, some are noticed and others are avoided.
Characters.
Who should I start with? Chen Lian, he’s one of my favorite characters in the drama. It looked like he wouldn’t last two episodes when he came on the screen but he surprised me. This Chen Lian character got more screen time than most of the supporting cast and I can’t complain because he wasn’t boring at all. Another character worth mentioning is Chu Pan, he’s the God of comedy in this drama. Every scene of his is fantastic and entertaining. He played his character flawlessly, it might look like he’s useless but he’s a huge asset. I just don’t know whether I should appreciate how Ouyang Xu’s character was created or complain about it. Firstly, he had a good build up for him as a heel/ villain and his origin story was good. Ouyang was quickly judged without hearing his side of his story first. I’m not taking any side but we all know he wanted to protect Pan’er in the first place. Secondly, he got bigger than we expected. I will discuss him in the last paragraph. I won’t finish this section without mentioning the Emperor. I honestly hoped that they don’t show us the Emperor for the entire series but it was inevitable. The Emperor was described as a scary person but he was a friendly character everytime he made an appearance. His character as a kind ruler was solidified by the Empress’ past.
Creativity.
More points for the drama as they managed to set a superb performance when they opened the restaurant. It was a breathtaking moment watching the performance with the spotlights and stuff. They traditionalized a modern performance, I hope you get what I’m saying. Most of the times I don’t focus on the dance performance but that one had me goosebumps everywhere, I’m going to remember that forever.
For entertainment, I enjoyed watching Pan’er preparing and serving tea while dancing. In reality, I’d lose my appetite immediately. You don’t get to play with my food😂😂😂 It’s much better to watch her do it to other people but not me, I don’t play with food.
Story.
This is definitely a story of Pan’er and her two sisters (friends) who strive for survival. They have different personalities and different talents but have the same goal, survival. They both go through different trials in life and help each other up whenever they fall. I even made a fantasy story where there’s a heaven realm and the whole cast of Dream of Splendor was in the mortal world going through trial of rebirth. After experiencing the pains of the mortal world, Pan’er would return back to heaven realm as a princess and meets QianFan again as a heavenly guard. It’s just my own fantasy story not the synopsis of the drama. I won’t paste the whole synopsis here, you can read the full synopsis here. It’s a bit funny when I start to think about it. Pan’er’s life was turned upside down by a mere painting.
Most of the time, the drama lacked something that can urge you to jump to the next episode. They had a long-term storyline which is good but what about these little plots that are used as stairs to get to the top? I always expect a drama’s episode to end on a high note, something that makes you wish for more like someone pointing a knife a his friend moments before the episode ends. They did do a good job but they could have done better. The story somehow made me lose interest in watching the drama. The pacing between 30/35 episodes wasn’t good and had no development. You can tell that they have a can of worms to open but they are toying with it till the last minute.
Chemistry.
Another point as the couple had fewer misunderstandings. One thing that makes me lose interest in a couple is the never ending misunderstandings like the ones in Time flies and you are here. Pan’er and QianFan had a slow build up and the chemistry was there from the first episode. They do fight like every other couple but they don’t overdo it, the writers didn’t just create frequent misunderstandings between them just to keep the drama going. They had a mutual understanding and respected each other regardless of their status. The chemistry isn’t just between lovers, there’s also a chemistry between characters. Pan’er, Su Niang and Yinzhang had the sisterly love, they protected each other in a foreign and dangerous place. The challenges they overcome were tough but they overcame them because they had each other’s support. They did have their ups and downs but they still got together. Their relationship is such an inspiration. Chen Lian also got familiar with them in a short time. Every dialogue between Chen Lian and the three sisters felt like they were real siblings. Chen Lian connected with everyone more than anyone else.
Ending.
Like I stated before, I felt a little bored from watching the drama around episode 30/35. There was no development but things changed from episode 36 till the end. I was reminded of the reason why I watched this drama from the beginning. The story suddenly became more and more interesting. Simple way to elaborate the last episodes can be when you are in the boxing and you have 30 seconds to knock your opponent out. You give it your all with every punch you deliver and you make no room for error. The crew of Dream of Splendor were in the same situation, they did their all to deliver the last blow to leave a mark and it worked. I was confused by the fate of QianFan’s father and Qin Mu, they completely forgot about them.
Conclusion.
Was Dream of Splendor worth my time? Definitely!
Is Dream of Splendor highly recommend? Definitely!
Is Dream of Splendor one of the best Chinese Dramas to air in 2022? It’s too early to say but it will definitely be in the top 10.
I barely said a negative thing about the drama and I really do have something to say. Remember Ouyang? Ouyang was obviously being groomed to turn evil but then they suddenly made him the only devil while there where others. Ouyang is like a kid born with a gold spoon. He was just promoted to being the main villain without working for it. I did witness what he went through but it wasn’t enough to make him that powerful. They sold him to us as if he was the ultimate villain while we had the two old men who were completely forgotten at the end. You also have to remember that Ouyang didn’t have much screen time. Either way, Ouyang was better than the two old men. To end this review, I would watch this drama again if I have time. Liu Yifei still has the vibe.
