many dramas are captivating because they allow people to watch the fantasy and desire they have or the things they admire but does not have the courage to do so in real life.
over the years, there are countless c drama that trended. mostly, i hear from friends. but this one showed up on my feed again and again.. friends as well as random people making reels on it. perhaps its the algorithm, perhaps it really is more popular than other c dramas.
and im usually not the fomo kind, i dont need to watch a show just cos everyone is watching.. but it stirred my interest somehow.
i binge watch the entire series over the weekend. 😬 and some have asked if it is nice or good.
it is fun for me to watch and i am the kind of like to complete shows. but it isn’t not something i will recommend in a heartbeat for people when they ask me for show recommendations.
but as i watch, i also ask myself why people like it. so i am attempting to break down that.
spoiler alert: i will share some story line.
the show name “逐玉” is translated into pursue jade. and the significance of jade?
in chinese tradition, jade is associated with five virtues: 仁、义、智、勇、洁.
benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage, purity.. virtues that the two main lead embodies. (who doesn’t like these virtues?)
there are a lot more reference to chinese history including their nicknames and names, the town they are in etc.. but i feel it’s more interesting to break down list the characteristic, behaviour and experience of them. they portray which link back to the desires of many. 😬 (i changed my mind on the breaking down and linking. it’s taking too much time 😂)
Xie Zheng (main male lead)
- escaped and lived in a foreign place that no one know of his identity
- cold and detached. but will go the distant for the girl he love.
- ruthless AND righteous.
- lead an entire army but willing to marry into the female’s family and promise to “listen/agree to everything she says”
- wounded and traumatised. probably could classify as emotionally unavailable. and then learn to love and come alive because of one person.
- does not care to prove himself to anyone. and achieve so much driven purely by what he values and believe in.
- the way he looks into your eyes. HAHA. kidding. this is my own projection. 😂😂
Fan Changyu
- kind and trusting. and.. protected by other good people.
- walked a path less traveled.. and is successful with it. from being a butcher as a female who can hire 4 man and then to war.. and taken down not 1 but 2 (or 3?) important people of the enemy army.
- wants a simple life for herself and people around her initially. but end up fighting for the country because she saw that is how she can protect those she love.
- a life full of challenges but she fumbles through them, go with the flow, and everything turned out awesome.
- always inappropriate. and always get away with it or have it turn out well/better than what others had planned
- “saved” a poor wounded man and “converted” him into a loving husband.
- gives her best in all situations despite how hard and bad the situation is
- her husband “drop from the sky”. not literally. but she found him and saved him.. but she wasn’t searching. it just happened.
- she can do what men can do, or more. and also be the little girl who drag him out for midnight fun to throw some ribbons onto trees. and joke when she is a mother of two like a kid while going into war.
i thought about it while i watch and this might not be all. but i’ve spent about 30hrs watching it and then some more time typing this. so i am not going to spend even more time trying to recall so i have a complete one. this will be in the blog on the website so i will add to it when i remember. but for now, this is it.
basically it is a fairy tale love that also stir some parts of honour, dreams, truth and integrity.