Si Jin is a 2025 Chinese drama adapted from the novel ‘The Brocaded Tale of Girl Si’. As someone who has read the manhwa adaptation of the book, finding this show was a surprise.
The storyline revolves around a couple solving mysteries with a hint of palace intrigue.
With this Chinese drama review, I have tried to stick to only discussing the series. Yet my knowledge of the source material has inadvertently influenced some of my opinions.
Chinese Drama – Si Jin Plot Overview
It begins with Jiang Si (played by Jing Tian) getting shot by her lover, Yu Jin (played by Zhang Wan Yi). This sends her back in time, before everything in her life had started going awry.
She is determined to save her family the second time around, using her knowledge of the future. However, she runs into Yu Jin again. Despite her best efforts to stay away from him, she ends up using his help in many different ways. For example, she saves herself from an unwanted engagement, outsmarts her aunt, saves the lives of her elder siblings, and more.
Through the course of these trials, the two end up falling in love. This time, as the story changes and evolves through Jiang Si’s efforts, she, as well as the viewers, gains new pieces of information that were never fully revealed in her first life.
Deviation from the Original Source
Having read the manhwa before, what stood out to me the most was the difference in how the characters and situations are depicted across the two different mediums.
In the manhwa, Jiang Si is shown as way more calm and composed. Whereas the Chinese drama series Jiang Si is brash and confrontational at certain points. So much so that it worries the viewer, as she takes the imperial family members head on.
Similarly, in Manhwa, Yu Jin is way funnier, mischievous, and smart, with a hint of recklessness. However, in the series, he is composed with almost a poker face sometimes. Every character, including the minor ones, experiences such changes. The most disappointing one is the case of Erniu. He is Yu Jin’s dog and has such a rich character and personality in the Manhwa that it was a shame that they just replaced him with a regular dog in the series.
I guess this could be explained by the fact that there is just so much more of the source material that had to be left out. However, with every cut and modification, more and more deviations got introduced. So much so that by the end of watching this series, it felt like I had watched an entirely different set of characters, working through similar-ish situations.
Forgiveness towards one’s family
Even though all the actors have done a fantastic job acting their parts out with utmost conviction, it is hard to believe some of the situations. Especially around forgiving some of the family members. For example, the protagonist’s aunt tries to ruin her reputation in a public setting. This is only punished with a slap on the wrist. Later on, it is also revealed that she had done some very, very questionable stuff, including causing the protagonist’s mother’s death. Even then, just because she cries and points out everyone’s fault, she is somehow forgiven and forgotten.
The end scene of the whole family having fun moments together feels more like a cosplay than an actual depiction of happy times, just because of the sheer malicious scheming that had come before it.
Villain Backstory
The main villain’s backstory is very cliché, yet it is well done. It makes sense, and while some huge modifications are done, it still is pretty much true to the original story. The actresses playing the negative roles have done a fantastic job, as they will make you seethe with rage when you watch them on-screen.
The creators of this Chinese drama also tried to show some sweet moments when the main villain is dying, but it just makes it comedic rather than adding any emotional punch. It would have had way more impact if they hadn’t already depicted her as a psychotic, crazy person who cared about nothing and no one except for her daughter.
Romance Aspect
The romance depicted is one of the good ones. Even though Jiang Si was killed by Yu Jin in her previous life, she doesn’t turn on him for revenge. She observes him and decides to trust him.
Once they get together, they also have great communication. They work as a team and trust and support each other.
Mystery and Crime Solving
Although this part was well done, some scenes left a lot to be desired. Directly confronting criminals without any solid proof and using a fake story about seeing ghosts are just a few examples.
It would have been better if they had handled some court scenes with more finesse.
Parting Thoughts
In conclusion, this is a good watch. Even if a person does not know the source material, they can still enjoy the show. The story is good, and the acting is great, too.
Yet it misses out on a lot of important details that made the original such a hit. It also struggles with pacing. It sometimes focuses on some inane struggle for too long but then never shows any interesting sides of the characters.
Given the length of the original source material, I wonder if these issues could have been fixed if they had just decided to make two seasons.
If you are bored and want to watch something new and not too emotionally taxing, then you can give it a watch here. However, if you do read, then I would recommend reading the manhwa over watching this.