The Princess Wei Young

OMG...PWY is both annoying and wonderful. I wasn't sure how to rate it so I gave it a middle score. Some of it was so monotonous that I almost quit watching it. The characters are good though...well, good at the beginning. The main female lead is smart and for once not so righteous as to not take revenge against her enemies. Her character stayed mostly true except some points of weakness that I thought were out of character. The love stories of even the secondary characters are nice. Also, there was plenty of great martial arts action. The problem is that the same scenario with slight variations was used over and over. Oh, and the fact that they constantly blamed everything on Wei Young as a reason to be hateful bitches. It was just too much sometimes. But as all Chinese historical dramas, the costumes, sets and cinematography was excellent. I might have given it a higher score if the ending had been different. No spoilers...so if you wanna know what i'm talking about, then pm me.

I don't know much about Chinese actors, but I have seen Tiffany Tang in several dramas now and she doesn't disappoint as Wei Young. Luo Jin is also excellent as Tuo Ba Jun with the right mix of strength and vulnerability. I enjoyed his character very much. I also thought they had great chemistry together. Vanness Wu played the villainous Tuo Ba Yu with gusto. I liked him in this better than anything else I have seen him in. The other actors ranged from great to blah.

The music is good.

i will never rewatch this.

As Chinese historical dramas go, this one is just so so. There are better ones out there.

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This is my first time writing a review so bare with me..

I started watching this drama because I liked the plot..It's more my style..and well Tiffany Tang is the leading actress what more can you ask for..

Well everything that you need to know about the drama you can see on my rating..
For me it was amazing.
The clothes and costumes were on point I really liked it.
the chemistry between actors and actresses were prominent and you can feel it through the screen.

The villains acting were superb they really make you hate them strait to the bone. If they were bad at acting I think you wont feel hatred towards them just pity them.

The script writer and the director for me were geniuses..They created a drama that cant easily be flawed..every hardship and conflict of the characters were well thought of..

I REALLY RECOMMEND IT..

Bonus for everyone who will love this drama..THE MAIN ACTORS ARE DATING IN REAL LIFE ^__^

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Nothing special

This is a very "by the numbers drama". It uses a lot of the storytelling devices, plot points and cliches that are typical of the genre, and does them fairly well, but it never exceeds them. I have seen all the individual components of this drama done better elsewhere. I think the appeal of Weiyoung is that it is consistently decent throughout and in all aspects, so it doesn't have the sharp drop-off in the second half you often see with Chinese dramas.

Of course it's not perfect. There are sketchy plot holes, some weak acting, and a repetitive and bland perfection from our leading lady. I also think the makeup is weird (the male lead looks like a corpse sometimes, lol) and the costuming as well, but that's a fairly minor quibble. Overall, it's simply not very memorable, but perfectly fine.

I would recommend this to new drama watchers and people that are trying their hand at historical Chinese dramas. Big, tragic, exceptional, dense dramas may be overwhelming or disappointing. Something like Weiyoung, which is straightforward, simple, uses classic tropes and does it well, is a good choice. Because of it solidness it's also good for a rewatch down the road!

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STORY:

Whenever you have anything related to women and ancient Chinese royalty, it's almost always going to be a story about scheming, plotting, and manipulation. I would say Princess Wei Young excels in that area but it's also one of its major drawbacks. While watching this drama, from start to finish the plot is essentially just people trying to frame/kill Wei Young because she's so clever and witty and outsmarts them. It gets a little annoying because it feels like nonstop plotting against her. On the positive end, compared to other dramas, where the girl in trouble gets help from other people and seems helpless at times, Wei Young's character really shines in these points because she almost always solves the issue herself (using skill and cunning and not just sheer luck).

The bad guys for the most part are obviously bad. On their first introduction you're just like "Yup, these are the evil ones." Again, it's an Asian drama, so there's always that need to link everything back to the main character. So of course, all of the people who dislike Wei Young find every reason to hate her and blame everything on her. By the middle to end of the show though, there are a few good twists with the villains of the show which you might be able to pick up on at the beginning, or it'll come as a relatively big shock when the show starts hinting towards the twists.

The relationship between Wei Young and Tuo Ba Jun is one of the highlights of the show. Tang Yan and Luo Jin have been in 4-5 dramas/films together and are now together in real life, so you can tell that the chemistry between them is fire. They have that somewhat standard "Hero who saves her again and again and they fall in love" relationship, but the personalities and chemistry of the two leads makes you really fall for this power couple.

ACTING:

Tang Yan - As popular as she is, I feel like some people just don't like her as an actress. I disagree.  I've seen a good few of her shows by now and I've yet to dislike her or think she did a bad job in any of them. She portrays emotions very well. All of the characters she plays are very distinct from one another, so you can tell she is a very versatile actress. She is just as good in this show. Tang Yan balances out the different aspects of her character very well. She is very smart and cunning but  she is still fragile and weak at times. She is another actress who isn't afraid to be ugly and doesn't restrict her emotions and whatnot to keep a beautiful, composed face.

Luo Jin - In the few dramas I had seen him in, he was always the second male lead, so coming into this drama (not knowing that he and Tang Yan were together), I was weary about watching this because I didn't know how good he'd be. Definitely a good surprise. He was a good actor in the other shows I had watched as well, but I wasn't sure if he had that leading male energy that you need to carry the show. Normally I feel like the lead actress outshines the male (especially in a show like this where Wei Young is CLEARLY the main character), but Luo Jin and Tang Yan's chemistry really showed in this drama and Luo Jin did a great job keeping his character in the spotlight and expressing his emotions very well.

Vanness Wu - This was the first mainland drama I'd seen him in. As an Taiwanese actor, I had only seen him in TW dramas (the most recent in memory of him was Autumn's Concerto), and TW dramas and epic ancient mainland dramas like Wei Young are very very different. I wouldn't say he had a groundbreaking performance (there were times when I questioned his character), and I couldn't take him seriously at any point with the braids hairstyle. But I think he did a good job for the most part.

Mao Xiao Tong - I had first seen her in Love O2O and she played a very bubbly character. Her character in this one had a similar feel, but definitely not as bright and happy (due to everything her character goes through). She did a pretty good job imo and you could definitely feel the development with her.

REWATCH VALUE:

I've seen this 2 times now, so definitely not a hard drama to rewatch. It's not the best thing I've ever seen (again, the endless plotting gets a little repetitive at times) but the chemistry between the two leads and the strong personality of Wei Young make it definitely worth at least one view.

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over used scenarios, too much loopholes, noob writer

seriously, the story goes on like going to a climax then downwards (bec of too much repetition of scheming that does not makes sense anymore), geez that weiyoung shows up to his majesty's doorstep every freaking scheme is just too much! the king's fondness to wei young was not properly developed. in normal dramas, even the FL cannot be spared of more than 2 instances of death granted by king but the FL keeps getting chances over chances which defies all sensible reasoning. chang ru's schemes are just too many it doesnt make sense. even in scheming dramas i watched, the schemes are not all done by 1 antagonist continuously. also, they should have at least made the FL appreciate or show mercy to the 2nd lead but they just made the FL feel a complete aversion. it also became too predictable, every time the FL gets away from the scheme, they will ask how she did it, not just one 1-2 scenes, i lost count actually. for me, i quite enjoyed it but i skipped many scenes. just too much repetition,.. the writer just destroyed what should have been a good drama with good actors

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Not worth stretching it out to 54 episodes. If it was shorter, it would have been a great series.
The ending sucks. Good people gets tortured, slapped around, became maid... got just a little taste of happiness in the end, then got taken away by death. Bad people do countless of evil things, then just get locked in a huge house and given a poison wine to die peacefully. BULLSHIT! That woman should have gotten her face burned and cast down to be a maid for other people to torture her so she can taste her own meds. Since she is so proud of her beauty this would be a better ending for her.

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Too long to be enjoyable, unless you're a fan of Mary and Gary Sue characters.

Oh my, where should I start?

PROS
The actors playing ML and FL are really good looking, I was glad to find out they are husband and wife in real life! They’re also overall good - considering the material they’re given - along with a few others. Costumes and makeup are gorgeous, as well as the set locations and the score.

CONS
This show is unbelievable, and not in a positive way.
54 episodes are waaaaay too much for a story that could be told in… 10/15 episodes? The others are just very little variations of the same storyline over and over again.
Screenplay is ridiculous and dumb, saying that it’s repetitive is an understatement.
The lovely FL (but the ML is not different) is written as the epitome of the Mary Sue: she can do no wrong. She is the most beautiful, the most brilliant, the smartest, funniest… but also capable of healing just with her breath and her tears (I kid you not… that’s how she heals Jun’er once, and also by massaging his fingers, something she’s “very experienced with” according to the Royal Doctor… of course! :D) she’s the greatest detective ever, she can foresee every little detail, she’s “the only one who can make the Emperor laugh” (I guess she’s a comedian as well), she’s also some kind of an immortal - she easily survives literally EVERYTHING - and either everyone is in love with her or hate her and blame her for anything… for no real reason. ^^'
On Mondays, she’s usually framed for something, on Tuesdays, someone attempts to kill her, on Wednesdays, she and her love interest fight because someone else got in the middle, on Thursdays, she’s sentenced to death… the list can go on! o_O
Villains have no dimension, they’re villain because screenplay says so, not because there’s an actual reason (they tried to give some background only to the Nan’an Prince character, which is probably the most interesting one). Also, whenever something bad happens, you should know that is Li Wei Yang’s fault. Bad weather? Someone mutters: “Li Wei Yang!” You had a bad night sleep? Yes, that’s probably Li Wei Yang’s fault too. :D
Generally speaking, characters are not well written, and honestly even acting is disappointing with very few exceptions.

However, for some reasons, you’ll find yourselves watching till the end. Probably just because you’re curious to count how many times Li Wei Yang is framed (not sure, but I think more than 20 times o_O) but you’ll watch. I know I did, just to feel finally relieved it ended! :D

Also, skip opening and closing credits: they’re VERY spoilerish!

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Handsome Prince falls in love

This was an epic drama, in storyline and length. All the actors gave memorable acting performances. The costume designs were beautiful.



Poor Wei Young was targeted by every villain, who underestimated her survival skills. The Touba Jun/Wei Young romance was charming, until Tuoba Jun married Wei Young's arch-enemy #1, Changle. Arch-enemy #2, Changru, was even more dangerous and mad. Midway, the plot slowed down, and it was a great effort to keep watching Wei Young constantly being ridiculed, harrassed or tortured. My primary motivation was to see the end of the drama.



What made this epic drama effective, was the fact that 54 episodes were broadcast over a span of four weeks.

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True Romance and Chemistry

The main reason many love this drama was because of the romance and chemistry between the main leads -- Princess Weiyoung and Tuo Ba Jun. What makes the story better is knowing Tang Yan and Luo Jin's relationship became more serious after this series and eventually lead to their real life marriage.

Besides, the supporting casts were very likeable and all of the music was exceptional.

1. Story
Centers around Li Weiyoung and you will catch on quickly since its quite straightforward. Although it does become repetitive towards the middle-end portion, there are enough surprises and intricacies to keep you enticed. Moreover, the supporting cast does wonderfully to keep you engaged.

2. Characters
Li Weiyoung (Liang Xin Er) -- grows within the series and she has to overcome many challenges through using her intuition and wit, which made viewers connect and root for her.

Tuoba Jun -- Prince Gaoyang also has his mysteries to solve and his character is intertwined with Weiyoung, and makes a complementary balance. Entirely likeable and Luo Jin's acting is very natural.

Li Minde -- Another strong character who might be overlooked but his role was essential. He also has to make his sacrifices in this story so viewers can definitely relate to him. I also really admire his acting, he might be under Luo Jin's agency since he also worked with Luo Jin in Investiture of the Gods.

Jun Tao -- She brought in the much needed martial arts and fight scenes, cause without her character, this drama might have entirely lacked that action. She did not do much but her loyalty was strong and a very likeable character.

3. Romance/Love
Undoubtedly many watch this drama for the main leads since they are both very beautiful and handsome. The chemistry, you can see is very natural and realistic. The romance between them was entirely appropriate and very sweet. Coupled with the outstanding music, their story is a real tear-jerker and heartbreaking.

There's also many other types of love exhibited in this drama - sisterly, motherly, and also hidden love. The relationship Weiyoung had between Jun Tao, Bai Zhi, Real Li Weiyoung, Li Chang Ru, and Princess Di would be considered sisterly love. The loyalty that Jun Tao and Bai Zhi exhibited was very touching. Family or motherly love was also present and self explanatory.

Though the evil supporting casts were sinister, they also did it out of love so you could sympathize with them eventually though they did many despicable things. Mainly speaking of Tuoba Yu, Li Chang Ru, and Li Chang Le.

4. Costume/Scenery
Beautiful costumes, they made Tang Yan really beautiful, definitely have crush on her after this. The males also were wonderfully dressed like Li Minde, Tuoba Jun and Tuoba Yu.

Not much scenery, since I believe they only filmed within a defined area. There were not many scenes from faraway places. And if there were CGI, they were subtle and very appropriate, none were silly.

5. Music
In my opinion, it was a perfect soundtrack to go along with this drama. The ending theme to each episode was sung by Tang Yan (Weiyoung) and Luo Jin (Tuoba Jun) themselves! Also another song that was played during sad moments between Weiyoung and Prince Gaoyang was actually sung by Chiyun Nan (Jin Han)! Link below

Fate Because of Me - Jin Han
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWkuLgyOmeA

6. Ending
The story is well paced and the ending is considered tragic and sad but for me it felt rushed. After all Weiyoung and Prince Gaoyang have been through, I would have desired a bit longer end to celebrate their happiness or achievement. The end was not entirely sad because of what occurred but IMO more so that they did not show us more story about the lead couple.

I would have also loved if Princess Jingmu, Tuoba Jun's mother and the Emperor was there to witness the end.

Overall entirely re-watchable and a good story with exceptional casts, all played their roles very well and though at some times it gets repetitive and maybe some elements were annoying such as the face masks being used or how they rushed a bit at the end, its still worth watching for the cast, acting, music, and romance.

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A fantastic drama of revenge and family

The Princess Weiyoung was one of the first Chinese dramas that I watched, and now after seeing many more I had to come back and write a review because this still stands out. The plot draws you in from the very beginning, managing the not so easy task of making you like Weiyoung and take her side immediately as she assumes a new identity to seek revenge.

Weiyoung is a fantastic female lead, with well developed motivations and character strengths. Tiffany Tang is absolutely phenomenal in every scene! The male lead, Prince Tuoba Jun, is also well characterised, with a sweet personality that I wasn't expecting. I really enjoyed the dilemma of choosing between love and revenge.

The rest of the (not so) secondary cast is all properly fleshed out, you'll grow attached to many of them as the plot throws them challenge after challenge, even the villains! Many secondary characters have arcs and evolve, even those you wouldn't expect, and this creates the possibility for many twists that will catch you off-guard. A special mention in my opinion goes to Li Changru (one of my favourite characters in the entire show) and the Princess Tuoba Di, whose actress was on her very first role yet manages to steal the scene in many occasions!

I can see how having so many characters to keep track of might seem like a negative thing, but after the very beginning, where I was struggling to link everyone's places in the big family, I had no problem placing everyone, as they are all given the proper time to become memorable and unique.

The length of this drama is just a touch on the "too long" side, and my one complaint is that as it often happens, the second third of the story tends to drag a little, as the novelties of the beginning is fading but the quick-paced twists of the final arcs aren't in place yet. Without giving any spoilers, I can see why some people might not be entirely satisfied with the conclusion of the story, but I personally found it fitting, and there are very few things I would change overall.

In conclusion, The Princess Weiyoung is a standout period drama for me, with one of the best leads I've seen from the genre, and a tight-knit plot that offers a good rewatch value to catch all the foreshadowing and early character development you miss on the first watch.

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i stumbled across this drama on Netflix and immediately fell in love with it. it is binge worthy and i fell in love with it after one episode wich led to tears

Everything in this drama is beautiful. from the scenery to the music and clothing is just so beautiful

the acting to me was ok .. it wasn't the best but it was good.

THE ROMANCE HOWEVER WAS AMAZING ... and not to mention how they actually got married in real life which adds so much more to the drama

the villains of this drama did a good job in making you hate them

the Princess Wei Young is definitely a drama for the record books.

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