Hardy Yates, the Yates family’s patriarch, believes women should only work at home, get married, and obey men wholeheartedly.
It doesn’t apply to Winna. Winna’s rebellion against her father’s set-ups starts the stories in She Who Defies Chinese drama!
Watch as Winna becomes Nythia’s Grandmaster’s disciple and inherits the divine martial arts powers!
- Part 1: What Is She Who Defies Full Movie All About?
- Part 2: Meet She Who Defies Full Movie Cast & Characters
- Part 3: She Who Defies Movie Must-Watch Episodes
- Part 4: Why Does The Chinese Drama Become A Fan’s Favorite?
- Part 5: Conclusion And The Alternative Movie To She Who Defies
Part 1: What Is She Who Defies Full Movie All About?
Themes
Women’s emancipation doesn’t only become a modern school of philosophy. It also becomes the central theme of She Who Defies Short Film.
This short Chinese drama’s main setting might be the Ancient Chinese era given the characters’ cheongsam designs and the Grandmaster’s Martial Arts techniques as the elements. Yet, the feminism theme is also present to highlight Winna Yates’ forward-thinking personality.
Winna’s refusal to wear feminine dresses like her sister also raises another theme in the movie: A kickass heroine. It doesn’t matter if Winna fought in the afternoon when the sun rose or the night when the crescent moon started to shine brightly in the sky, for she is one of the heroines for gender equality.
As for the time settings, I see the movie tends to portray scenes early in the morning until night hours, but not reaching up to the midnight moments. Some examples include Yves’ acts of beating up other Kung Fu martial artists early in the morning and Winna’s rescuing a girl from harassment in the night.
Storyline
The storyline of She Who Defies Asian Drama is set in a fictional Ancient Chinese region named Nythia. The Nythia community knows Grandmaster Trevor McKay and the Grandmaster holds a Kung Fu tournament each year to seek a disciple who can ring the bronze bell.
The community also has several registered families, and Yates is one of the most prominent families in Nythia. Even so, the Yates family’s Kung Fu achievements are far below other Nythian families. It is because Hardy Yates, the Yates family’s patriarch, only allows men to participate in the Kung Fu tournament.
Hardy has treated his daughters with indifference since Yves Yates, the only son in the Yates family, was born. Since then, She Who Defies Asian Drama’s storyline notes Hardy always appreciates Yves, even though Yves has never truly rung the bronze bell containing the secret recipe of the Divine Martial Arts technique.
Winna Yates, the second daughter, is the most studious daughter. Her father’s restriction from the tournament doesn’t stop her from cultivating an ability to learn, meditate, and introspect. Still, Winna studies martial arts when her father is not around.
One day, Winna’s mother, Raina, forces Winna to return home, for Davina, the more feminine sister, has just returned. To Winna’s shock, her father beats Davina up until she dies, forces Winna to marry Davina’s husband, and locks Winna up in a room with some guards watching over her non-stop.
Davina’s husband is known to be Kaden Shaw, the man notorious for his thousands of crimes and shady acts.
Not wanting to involve herself in the sickening arranged marriage scheme, Winna has to use her full martial arts power to stop Kaden’s and her father’s men from capturing her, just like what they have done to people around her!
Part 2: Meet She Who Defies Full Movie Cast & Characters
Winna Yates
Winna Yates’ intellect in She Who Defies Chinese drama doesn’t stop in her lifelong learning tendencies. She might never surround herself with manuscripts and literature since the first episode of She Who Defies movie. Yet, I can be sure that this woman fights for her tribe.
Winna doesn’t only oppose the arranged marriage idea, which, I believe, is a commonly accepted idea in the Ancient Chinese era. She also quietly takes opportunities to take care of herself.
It doesn’t matter if Winna was a frail-looking woman. Her meditative state of mind eventually earns her the secret Divine Martial Arts technique that even her brother and patriarchal father never thought about.
Kaden Shaw
In She Who Defies Chinese drama, the Yates family’s patriarch used to betroth Davina Yates to Kaden Shaw. It is because all they know about this vicious commander is that Kaden is the most powerful commander in Quivara, Nythia’s possible neighbor.
When Davina regains her courage to oppose the arranged marriage results in her death from her father, Winna’s father a.k.a. the Yates family’s patriarch tries to make Winna the replacement bride.
Kaden might possess great looks, an almost superhuman strength and stamina, and thousands of soldiers and policemen as his backups. Yet, he is also well-known for his committed crimes. Winna eventually has to fight him and save herself from this man’s iron fists.
Grandmaster Trevor McKay
Grandmaster Trevor McKay has witnessed thousands of Kung Fu tournaments since before the main stories of She Who Defies Chinese drama haven’t begun. His beard and the default zen state of emotion signify his old age which aligns with his wealth of experience.
I would say the Grandmaster is the actual Nythia’s ruler. I have also seen in some must-watch episodes that Grandmaster Trevor’s martial arts prowess is well-known in the Quivara area where Kaden Shaw, the #1 criminal, lives with his minions.
Underneath it all, I would also say that Grandmaster Trevor McKay is a patient, loving, and protective man. He has huge potential to replace the missing father’s figure in Winna’s life, especially when he has witnessed the young lady’s ability to shake and damage the bronze bell.
Part 3: She Who Defies Movie Must-Watch Episodes
Episode 6 until 8 of She Who Defies Chinese Drama become the must-watch episodes for me. After all, these episodes’ main stories happen after Davina’s miserable death at the hands of her father.
For your information, Davina is Winna’s sister. Winna, the main character of She Who Defies movie, has previously defended Davina in front of their father by not acknowledging him as their father anymore.
The father’s cruelty doesn’t stop in murdering Davina in front of Winna, Raina, and other Yates family members. He also locks Winna up in a room where he knows Kaden Shaw, the groom-to-be, is in control.
Not wanting to stay silent for her husband, Raina, Winna’s mother, then prompts her studious daughter to flee from the room. Alas, the father’s underlings are so powerful that they beat Raina up while tying Winna inside a carriage.
Yet, Winna manages to escape, most probably through her newfound Divine Martial Arts techniques. Once she escapes, she teams up with Grandmaster Trevor McKay to save a girl from Kaden’s policemen minions.
Winna eventually faces the vicious Kaden Shaw in a 1v1 fighting scene. As for this scene, we will see it in a much later episode of the Chinese drama, most likely around Episode 70 or 80.
The morale: Justice for women will be served when Kaden is defeated!
Part 4: Why Does The Chinese Drama Become A Fan’s Favorite?
An arranged marriage theme has undoubtedly become the #1 favorite since 2023. The same also goes for Chinese drama series, especially when the series has Ancient Chinese timelines as the main settings or themes.
We will see large portions of Hardy Yates, Winna’s father, talking about arranging marriage to his daughters in early episodes of She Who Defies movie. As expected, many patriarchal and emotionally-triggering statements come from this man’s mouth.
Yet, what stands out most in this movie lies in Winna’s bravery. She uses the Divine Martial Arts skills to protect herself and doesn’t hesitate to throw her toxic father out of her life, and we finally get to see her facing her criminal groom in a 1v1 duel.
The martial arts’ after-effects and Winna’s kickass characteristics make this Chinese drama quickly rise to the popularity ladder!
Part 5: Conclusion And The Alternative Movie To She Who Defies
ReelShort also has a Chinese movie with a similar title. Both movies have the word She, contain three words and are set in the Ancient Chinese era.
As for the alternative movie on ReelShort, you can find it in Now She Reigns.
A romance story between the Princess and her General in the 880 AD era? It might not be possible when they haven’t fully embraced the misunderstandings in their relationship.
Yet, watch as Princess Chloe reunites with her beloved General in more episodes of Now She Reigns full movie on ReelShort, and I’m sure you will grow to love the stories!