Brocade Odyssey (2024) - Final Review
Final review/rating: Brocade Odyssey (2024) - Shu Silk, sincerity, and a swoonworthy hero shine, but patchy pacing and unnecessary plot threads mar the finish
This is 8/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼
Overall rating: 8 Stars Plot: 7 Stars Acting/cast: 8.5 Stars Couple chemistry: 8 stars Music: 7 Stars Re-watch value: 7.5 Stars Enjoyment factor: 7.5 Stars |
Such dramas are a dime a dozen, but what makes this one stand out for me is the way it showcases the beauty of Shu silk and weaves the beauty of Chinese poetry into the narrative. When I was a kid, I used to tell my parents that my c-drama watching was educational to their general amusement and scepticism, but this drama would have fit that bill in how it works in the poetry of Li Bai, Du Fu and other great poets with a light touch (more on that later).
Tan Song Yun is in her element as the plucky Ji Ying Ying, but the MVP has to be Zheng Ye Cheng's swoonworthy Yang Jing Lan. The man is the greenest of green flags, has some of the most romantic lines ever, and also fights like poetry in motion. This drama definitely took the opportunity to showcase Zheng Ye Cheng's martial arts and Chinese opera training.
Alas, although the first half of this drama is strongly written, the pacing is patchy thereafter, with the plot seesawing between the mundane and the melodramatic. There were some arcs that could easily have been edited out to keep the threads from unravelling. By the final arc, I gave the drama a hall pass for logic and tedium because I was just there to enjoy Zheng Ye Cheng's gorgeous fight scenes which, along with the threads of poetry throughout and the strength of the first half of the drama, lifted this drama to a 8 for me.
For a spoiler free synopsis, see mine 👉here.
The drama is set in the late Tang dynasty in Yi Zhou (in modern day Sichuan), where Shu brocade was renown for its beauty and value - "寸锦寸金"/"an inch of brocade; an inch of gold". In particular, the Ji family's Shu red silk is the most beautiful of all, widely praised as "蜀紅一出千紅枯"/ "when Shu red emerges, a thousand other reds fade".
But fame leads to misfortune and the Ji family is framed in a fake brocade scandal, which results in the unjust killing of brocade master Ji Gui Nan and the Ji family's fall from grace. His daughter, Ji Ying Ying (played by Tan Song Yun) grows up to be resourceful, talented, and passionate about dyeing silks, and hopes to one day restore the Ji family's reputation. She also forms the 'Flying Flower Corp'飛花會 with likeminded brocade artisans and friends, as she forges a hard fought fight to re-enter the brocade business.
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Zhao Xiu Yuan: an AI combo of Zhao Hua Wei+Zhang Hao Wei |
Meanwhile, Yang Jing Lan and Ji Ying Ying uncover the decades long Nan Zhou-Shu brocade black market ring run by the powerful General Niu Jin (played by Hai Yi Tian), who murdered Ji Ying Ying's father and previous brocade officials to cover up his crimes. The stakes mount when General Niu takes over Yi Zhou in a violent coup, while Prince Bai abducts Ji Ying Ying and her fellow brocade artisans to Nan Zhou. Everything comes to a head as Ji Ying Ying must risk everything to save the lives of her friends and ensure the survival of the Shu brocade industry and Yang Jing Lan must end General Niu's treachery once and for all.
What worked: Strong start, strong characters...
They need to cast Zheng Ye Cheng in a true blue wuxia drama ASAP - I would watch the heck out of that. But in the meantime, for those keen to relive the magic, notable re-watch actions scenes from this drama include:
- Yang Jing Lan's sword dance to the poetry of Li Bai (in episode 11);
- Yang Jing Lan's one man take down of an entire cavalry while racing ventre à terre to snatch the bride (in episodes 23 and 24);
- Yang Jing Lan fighting off wave after wave of assassins (in episode 36); and
- Yang Jing Lan's final show down with General Niu (in episode 40).
...And a script interwoven with threads of poetry
Another strength of Brocade Odyssey (2024) is the way the script seamlessly weaves Chinese poetry into the fabric of the drama. It is deftly done, and frequently interspersed with the culture and lore of Shu silk making, and against the majestic backdrop of Sichuan's natural scenery.
山花漫/'Mountain flower romance' from a line in Li Bai李白's poem《山中與幽人對酌》/In the mountains, drinking with a recluse: ("兩人對酌山花開,一杯一杯復一杯。我醉欲眠卿且去,明朝有意抱琴來"/ "Two drink and speak as mountain flowers bloom, one cup, and another, and yet another. I am drunk and sleepy and you have left, tomorrow if you wish, carry your zither here.")山花漫/'Mountain flower romance'
九霞/'Nine Coloured Clouds' from poetess Xue Tao薛涛's poem《試新服裁製初成三首》/Trying on New Robes; Three Poems:("九氣分九色霞,五靈仙駕五雲車。春風因過東君舍,偷樣人間染百花"/ "The nine qi divide into nine coloured clouds, the five immortals ride a five clouded chariot. Because the spring breeze passed through Dong Jun's abode stealing patterns, a hundred flowers are dyed in the human realm.")九霞/'Nine Coloured Clouds'
Unfortunately, Brocade Odyssey (2024) does not keep up the momentum of the well written first half, and thereafter veers between the melodramatic and the mundane.
Mrs Ji being accused of murdering her sister and Ji Ying Ying and her brother landing in terrible straits at the midway point (circa episodes 21, 22) notches up the melodrama.
No complaints from me on that score, as this sets us up for the glorious perfection of Yang Jing Lan's one man take down of an entire cavalry while racing to snatch the bride (in episodes 23 and 24) and thereafter the most romantic parts in the drama.
But from episodes 25 to 33, the switch in focus to the Yang family's internal strife and the development of a new Tibetan silk trade route did not add much to the overall narrative and felt like mundane filler material. Especially the episodes on the changing of the Yang family rules and other brocade industry wide rules.
The final Nan Zhao arc, from episodes 34 to the end, again notches up the melodrama but is rather exhausting to watch. The threads of the drama really unravel in this arc, and by this stage I was giving the drama a hall pass for logic and tedium.
It is yet another enemy in Jing Chao's Cheng Feng Ze/Prince Bai (whose unhinged passion for Ji Ying Ying seems OOC in contrast to his earlier self possession) and yet another kidnapping (this time not only of Ji Ying Ying but an entire group of Shu brocade artisans).
While there are some fantastic fight scenes leading up to and including the final showdown, the gratuitous deaths of a number of characters (Mr Yu, Zhu Ge Hong, and Yu Ling Long) left a damper on the ending. The final whitewashing of both Zhao Xiu Yuan and Cheng Feng Ze also felt a bit off.
The leads have a wonderful HEA (though we don't get to see their second wedding ceremony) and Ji Ying Ying ends up at the top of her profession. But I must confess that I only finished the drama because Zheng Ye Cheng's gorgeous fight scenes are just too damn good to miss.
Final Thoughts
🐼: Brocade Odyssey (2024) starts strong, but the second half is not as good as the first. The latter falls victim to patchy pacing and a few too many unnecessary arcs, which caused the threads of the narrative to unravel. Disappointing really, given how great the first half was.
While it is not a perfect drama, there are some things that it does particularly well, such as the way it deftly weaves threads of Chinese poetry into the script to showcase the beauty and culture of Shu brocade.
The casting of Tan Song Yan as Ji Ying Ying and Zheng Ye Cheng as Yang Jing Lan also cannot be faulted. I for one, really hope Zheng Ye Cheng gets more lead roles in which he can impress us further with his martial arts prowess and leading man acting chops (and looks!😆)
8/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮
