Fan Hua (2023)

A Classic

This series will be a classic in future, with its cinematography, story line, strong acting and musical arrangement.

The first few episodes were slow to develop. But, once it gets to episode 5 or so, it gets exciting with Hu Ge using his wits to turn the tables and defeat his opponents. Hu Ge's role is literally Mei Chang Su in a Western suit in 1990s in Shanghai. Bao Zhong is as intelligent and scheming as Mei Chang Su, with the added advantage that he plays a charming lady's man in perfect health that oozes sex appeal.

What I enjoyed about this show was that the characters are not one dimensional. I don't think I have watched a drama where I hoped all 3 of the FLs would attain the happiness that they so deserve. Even the "villains" had some positive quality that made you want to root for them, be it Wei Zhong, Qiang Zhong or Lu Mei Lin; which is the reality of life, that no one is truly all good or all bad.

The music (they must have paid a lot for royalties) added to the mood and I hope some fan can compile all the music scenes into one video.

Go watch this show!

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Not for everyone

I really wanted to like this, believe me. Five episodes in, heck, TEN episodes in, I was convinced this would be the next big cdrama that would be talked about for ages. It was still a 10/10 for me then. But now I've miraculously finished and I feel like an 8/10 is already quite generous.

The good things first.

> Acting was without question, probably the BEST thing this drama has to offer. Every actor gave it everything they got and what I couldn't understand from pure dialogue, I understood from their eyes, demeanors, and attitudes. I have to praise Hu Ge for his acting as Mr. Bao in particular, as well as Ma Yili as Ling Zi. I enjoyed their acting the most. Li Li was a frustrating one for me, but that's probably because Xin Zhilei was just doing her job! There are also many other side characters such as the waitresses from the restaurants on Huang He Road, the cigarette stand owner, Mr. Bao's friend group, etc, who are lovely to watch. Mr. Fan also gets a special shoutout for being so humorous! 10/10

> The music took me back to the bygone era of Chinese rock in the 80s. These were the songs my parents had listened to, and songs they played for me growing up. I've seen on the net that netizens felt like the music was also reminiscent of Hong Kong movies from the past and I fully agree with that. This really puts you in the right headspace of Shanghai during China's reform and opening up. But I have to admit that by the end of it, it felt like it was just the same three songs playing over and over again. I wish there was more variety. 9/10

> I wish that cinematography got its own category in the MDL ratings because this would also score highly. I'd give it a 10/10 if there weren't just a little too many scenes that were too dark. Otherwise, the saturation and COLOR bring a great nostalgic factor to this drama. It just feels like one looooong Wong Kar-wai film. 9/10

> Story: I really really really love that this drama gave the spotlight to such a unique time period of China's modern history. It's also a realistic telling of what ordinary Shanghainese were going through and what the place looked like during economic reform. I thought it was historical fiction at first (which I guess is still true). Most characters also had GREAT character development, like Mr. Fan and most of the women leads. I rooted for them the most. Shoutout to Mr. Bao's friend group - they were perfect for showing the Shanghai culture of banter and family. They carried the Shanghai social culture for this drama, 100%.

> Characters: I read in another review that they liked that these characters weren't one-dimensional. I have to agree on that point. These people were as realistic as it got. The good guys had dark sides and the bad guys had.. well, they weren't all bad. In fact I wouldn't even go as far to say that there were "good" or "bad" people. They were all just PEOPLE. Good or bad only comes from what's shown in the drama and what's relevant to the plot. Economic reform begs societal change and I loved to see these characters adapt to challenges, emotional or monetary or both. Again, I absolutely adored Ma Yili as Ling Zi. She is my spirit animal! The other female characters are all commendable as well. Character development did not escape minor characters either. I'm happy to see them struggle to find themselves in business and work for THEMSELVES. Female empowerment <3
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Now onto the reasons I say that this drama isn't for everyone...

> Romance: I feel like it's my responsibility to warn you that this drama will disappoint you in the romance department. Trust me. It's better you know this before going in because I made the same mistake. Wikipedia listed Romance and Period Drama as the genres and I got my hopes up. Don't be like me. Do not get your hopes up. You will appreciate knowing this "spoiler" before you get emotionally invested! They should not have marketed this as a romance either because now I have to dock more points. (Minor minor spoiler: Mr. Bao, literally out of NOWHERE, seems to have the most interest in X with no reason at all. Let me just say he has the worst taste in women, if we can even call it "taste"...) The little bits of romance that exists have no rhyme or reason in my opinion. Romance was done so badly.

> It is heavily business-related. In fact, it's 90% about business and Mr. Bao's clever plans to outwit his competitors. If that's your cup of tea, you'll love this. If it's not, and minimal business talk gets you woozy in other dramas, maybe don't tune into this one. While I like how clever he is, I appreciate wittiness more in the form of social consequences, like in The Story of Yanxi Palace. I don't really sympathize with the money folks - it just feels like legalized gambling to me. While there were some moments where I was on the edge of my seat, I definitely prefer romance to business.

> My bone to pick with this story nearly 100% has to do with Mr. Bao. And it's hard to find *any* bone to pick with this guy because he truly is the most righteous and "good" person in this drama. Unfortunately, as the male lead, he's also at the center of all the romance troubles and like I said, there is virtually no romance. You can see why I'm frustrated with him. Although he does right by all the women at his side, he cannot and does not satisfy them in the way they want him to, and as the audience, my heart breaks for them. You have been warned!

> PACING: Oh my lord, what the hell was this pacing. I haven't read the book and I really don't have the desire to either so I'm just at a loss at how they split the book up. What even was this ending? There was maybe a bit of a slow start but things started picking up by episode 10 and it was a pretty smooth ride to episode 20. Then it was just a SLOG with new characters and reappearances of some old ones and I just found myself losing interest. (Mostly because of the lack of romance.) One of the main characters even straight up disappeared for about five episodes! Like what is happening? I pushed myself episode by episode hoping for this person to come back (and they did, thank god) but by then, I had lost hope for them to have an ending that does them any justice because there were only a few episodes left. Then the last episode just crammed everything in, without even proper closure for my favorite character. Just a complete mess with the timing.

> Rewatch? Even if it came out again with English subs, I don't think I'd dedicate so much of my time to this again. Maybe just to fully understand the business dealings but certainly not for his relationships, or lack thereof.
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OVERALL

> Outside of my gripe with the complete mess they made with the romance, I appreciate the aesthetic quality of the drama and the story. The title makes a lot of sense by the time you finish the drama and I guess I can say it was bittersweet. This had so much more potential and because I haven't read the book, I don't know which is to blame.

> There really is much to like about this drama. The characters are interesting and multifaceted. The story is pretty strong. The aesthetics were fantastic.

> Rounded up, 8/10.

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Unsatisfied ending

The cut from 40 episodes to 30 episodes is too harsh on the story. You get the sense of incomplete story.
I have difficulty in understanding the China Stock market/regulation procedure. I loved the beginning of the story where he went from poor to Millionaire.

I take off two stars because the ending sucks.

The Main Lead has a sad lonely ending. He went from Millionaire to ordinary poor guy. His four female friends all leave him.
1st first true girlfriend leave him to married some guy in Hong Kong. Miss Ling (restaurant owner) leave him because of Miss Wang trouble with government bribe policy. Miss Wang leave him and start a new business because he does not show up during that critical day. There is no love confession from the ML. The rumor of ML and the new LI LI is one the of reason for their breakup. I truly hope that Miss Wang and ML will have a happy ending. Miss LI LI leave him because she already planned to leave Shanghai in two years. Miss Li Li has a sad ending too.

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It starts with stocks trading...

It starts with stocks...

it ends with land, but first the journey(1978~1997). 1992, in a hype day, Abao is suddenly hit by a car, what happened? and all this money, who is it from? let's go back to the beginning, Abao is young, he wants to do stock's trading, uncle ye is who he needs, he's a stocks magician, he earns his trust, starts to learn and make money(sometimes loses too). The main characters: Abao, LiLi, Miss Wang, Lingzi, but also Qilin Society(Mr. Witch Doctor), Jinmeilin and her husband(and 3rd wheel), Miss Xiezhi, Taotao&Fangmei, Mr. Fan(Sanyang), Mr. Wei, Mr. Cai(information resources), Mr. Chu, Mr. A, Mr. Qiang( Nanguo Investment)and many more, and mind they are not in order of relevance.

There is a new face in the town, it's LiLi, she wants to make her new restaurant successful, the restaurant before(Phoenix) failed. To keep her business sailing she need the neighbors approval(other restaurants, Jinmeilin for example), including Abao and his friends. But food is not her only business. Lingzi has partnership with Abao, Night Tokyo restaurant, 50% per 50%, but is always losing for Abao side. Miss Wang is a blooming flower in 27 building, trading stocks building, Abao friends her, both has goals for the next 5 years, she helps him get important contracts, selling goods, makes the negotiations between parts, evil eyes are jealous of her popularity tho. Abao has his other friends in trading stocks, Mr. Cai, TaoTao etc, with past regrets. Mr. Fan is coming to town, he has too many goods, who can eat it all? Abao comes in rescue. Fashion is the clothing companies future. Mr. Qiang becomes Abao neighborhood, he knows LiLi, He knows Lingzi, Nanguo Investment, too much money in his hands, but he wants something else. Qilin Society past petty revenge, Abao is up to something, wants their attention.

Enough said, it is a BUSINESS drama! with a humane side plot yes, romance too, but just a tad of it. From the first to the last episode, it's trading stocks jargon, restaurants routine, production and selling goods negotiations, with a fancy&retro style, music&decor. The humane side, is how trading stocks is not much different from gambling, maybe even worse, since when it goes down, it goes down harder, and beat more people at once. Spoiler: The romance, Abao ends alone, most of them ends alone, he gets the land him and his friends were trying to save, and becomes a farmer, flowers culture, but no success with love.

As a production, it was flawless, perfect OST, photography, costumes, product placement was not a bother, it was nostalgic the Pepsi ones. Acting: Hu Ge slayed, I have not a single complain, MaYili, she was really great in made me hate her, Tiffany really good in crying and emotional driven scenes, XinZhiLei, so gorgeous, it kinda get in the way of her acting, her looks get all the attention, great acting anyway, Ben Chang, uncle ye is so charming even while being fierce, all these senior actors, what more to expect than breathtaking acting! I recommend only if you can handle business tag overload, and the long list of names and situations, cause they comes&goes in the drama. Needs good memory.

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人情

There is a scene in one of the initial episodes, where the protagonist's mentor holds up a slip of paper and asks what it is. The person who he is speaking to identifies it as a stock warrant. The mentor replies, "Wrong. It represents a social tie."

This is the essence of the show. Blossoms Shanghai describes a time of economic reform in China in the early 90s, when it was undergoing rapid change. It is set in Shanghai, where many people come with the hopes of becoming rich. We're introduced to a vibrant array of characters, and it is the many intricate relationships formed between them that are at the heart of this show. The characters are multifaceted, and we witness their ups and downs as they follow their ambitions, seeing how they've built themselves up from where they were before, with the help of those they've met. Those at the height of their success were not always the strongest, and it is always faster to fall than it is to climb back up. They come in and out of each other's lives, changing and adapting just as the environment around them is constantly changing. Hu Ge plays a charming and confident protagonist, who draws upon a combination of his wit, social network, and luck to become the well-respected Bao-zong. What really stole the show for me were the female characters. They're not afraid to be ambitious, loud and spirited, or calculating and tenacious. The actresses, Ma Yili, Tang Yan, and Xin Zhilei, are all phenomenal in their roles. Although romance does play a role in the characters' motivations and influences their growth, it is not the main focus of the show. You Benchang's performance as A-Bao's mentor is noteworthy and the minor characters are also not to be forgotten.

And of course, Wong Kar-Wai does not disappoint when it comes to creating a visual feast. The cinematography is beautiful, the music sets the mood, and the foreshadowing and shot choices are deliberate and well thought out.

All in all, this is a memorable show that stands out for its vibrant characters, strong acting and brilliant directing. I've taken one star off for rewatch value, mainly because the parts that focused on the stock market and the history of its development were of less interest to me. Those looking for a lighthearted watch may not find it enjoyable, as Wong Kar Wai's style tends to lean more towards drama (but never tipping into overdramatic). What really hooked me in are the characters — just as time continues forward, the relationships they form with one another ebb and flow. Although these relationships may be as transient as the passing time, the impact they've had on each other will stay with them as the person grows.

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