Mu Lan (2013)

Of all fairy tales and stories I've heard as a child, Mulan was my favorite, partially because I am Chinese, and I'm also female. Vicki Zhao's portrayal of Mulan was VERY different from this Mulan, and although I didn't dislike this drama, I wished a many things were tweaked.

Story:
As all retellings of Mulan, it's about a young woman who enters the army in her father's place. Ruo Lan's story revolves around war/military while Yu He's story revolves around court backstabbing and betrayal.
The Good: The story had political/court intrigue, betrayals, tons of backstabbing, and a semi-love triangle? I hate love triangles, and I don't think I can stress that enough. However, this wasn't really a love triangle, which I was thankful for, but I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. There was romance, but much more emphasis on friendship. The trust that these 3 people have for each other is an amazing and wonderful thing; they're willing to go through death together. Mu Lan embodies many themes like maternal love, morality and ethics, and family bonds. None of the characters in Mu Lan are one dimensional, black and white. All of them are complex, and their intentions, though sometimes because of personal ambitions, are usually influenced by others. The story revolved around 2 girls essentially: Hua Ruo Lan, and Hua Yu He(Ruo Lan's sister). I liked Yu He's story line because it emphasized an extremely important theme, but Ruo Lan's story line could have been more spiced up.

The Bad: Although Ruo Lan's kindness and honesty were two very admirable traits during a period of war, I felt that the story line wasn't very realistic. There is character growth, but I wished there was even more character growth. Mulan was supposed to be an amazing leader who could influence others. for some reason, Ruo Lan never clicked as that leader with me. I never saw her a leader. I sometimes wish there was more strategy and military tactics.

Characters:
Ruo Lan: She's a determined, selfless, and loyal young woman who is probably the most genuine and sincere female lead I've ever seen. Unlike Vicki Zhaos' potrayal-a stoic, badass Mulan-, Elanne's portrayal is a much more kind-hearted, and naive Ruo Lan. All she wants is peace.

Yu He: An ambitious, and selfish young woman who aims to probably become Empress one day. She's sly, and very clever.

3rd Prince: He was a very strong, and caring leader who cares about his people. I really liked his character.

Zhao Yu: He's a funny guy. But I never liked him, at all. I found him pretty boring and repetitive at times. Sometimes I stare at the screen and wonder if his character is even necessary at all. But, that's just my opinion.

Acting/Cast: I felt that though sometimes the main cast could have done a better job at expressing their facial expressions, the cast was pretty well done. Because China dramas dub their actors/actresses, I sometimes wish that I could hear their real voices. But then again, sometimes the dubbing is better because China is a large nation with several different dialects.

Rewatch: I don't rewatch dramas, so a rating of 5 is what I usually give all dramas.

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