My Sassy Princess

Flirtatiously Sweet, Visually Pleasing & Light Hearted BUT...

I love this drama and when I usually fall head over heels for a drama it's usually because of one of 2 reasons, a unique/refreshing story/plot or the FL and ML chemistry (and very rarely a drama has both). For this drama, it is the latter that mostly captures me.

The chemistry between the leads is a 10 for me. It's full of funny and sweet moments. When they are together, I get giddy and want to scream! They both are very natural with each other. The looks, the stares, and whenever their hands touch each other! lol And the kissing scenes OMG, just hot! I fangirl so hard...

Anyway, I watched works with YBY in it before (L & R, LST, etc.) but she never gave me a strong impression character-wise like she does here. Now some people say they dislike her because her chara is annoying and that she act like a snobby rich princess throwing money around and shamelessly stalking the ML, but I beg to differ. First of all, I've seen ton of dramas whether ancient or modern where the rich ML falls for the girl and started chasing after her, pulling stunts like booking the whole restaurant, airplane, island, etc., finding info about her or wasting huge amount of money to win the girl over (you know what I mean). Just because the gender is reversed here, the FL Chara get criticized? I also wouldn't say she was stalking the ML, she was openly and straightforwardly chasing him creating opportunities for herself. I think that's cool and refreshing that she's a very forward person. In episode 3, when ShenYan finally told her off, she left on her own as she has her own pride too. Guess what? He followed her secretly then end up liking her even more. (Hm, I wonder who's stalking who here?) True, she doesn't care about wasting money but thats just how she was raised. The important thing is she waste that money on things and people that matter to her, like trading her jewelry for the chance to win that pair of earring for the child she only first met (Episode 4). She act like a wicked princess in front of others because of past trauma and the promise to her dead mother that she wouldn't be weak. She was just badly misunderstood. If people just give her character a chance and not just make judgments before dropping, I think they may enjoy this drama more.

Can I also just say, ZYC is definitely one of my favorite male actors out there. I don't know if it's just me, but when he's in a costume drama, he seems very buff like I can almost see his muscle through his clothes or he just has nice biceps... lol >_< His character is also very interesting because once he fell for her, he fell for her hard. Like totally mesmerize (can totally see it in his eye expression) in later episodes. If she were to leave him or not see him, he would be the person to go find her first (push-pull relationship? ) Slowly you see him shedding his cold stern face toward her, but he would still try to act like he don't care and often tease her. Maybe that's the thrill of flirting? What a tsundere... XD

Objectively, I can not say that I feel the same for the story of this drama. Even without reading the novel beforehand, I can tell that the story was missing a lot of plot devices and the build-ups in between scenes/relationships. I heard they cut out 2 episodes, it goes from 24 episodes to 22! Come on, thats like around 2 hours worth of details and I don't believe it was only all kiss scenes. I am sure if they had followed the original novel and included all the details, the story would've come together very well as a whole and made much more sense. While it is still very lighthearted watch and every conflict is resolved very quickly. Such a pity, this story actually has a lot of potentials and the main couple is very interesting. I think it was caused by budget constraints during production but they did their best to create a very visually pleasing drama. All in all, if you can overlook the mess up plot and some weird scene editing in this drama, it would be a very entertaining watch.

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Light-hearted with nice chemistry!

The drama was about Princess Lui Ling who fell in love at first sight with commander Shen Yan, and thus she started to pursue him. And that’s pretty much it xD There were also some family feud and fight for power going on in the background, but the main interest-catcher and focus was clearly on the Leads and the romance. But I don’t mean that in a negative way: Because of this, the drama appeared very light-hearted and entertaining.

There were not many frustrating scenes or characters etc. Possible trouble was always played low and resolved fast. The interactions of the Leads were fun to watch, and didn’t leave any boring minute, because the pace was just right for the 22 well-used episodes.
An exception were the last couple of episodes, which were a little messy. Some things felt a little rushed. I assume they must have cut out quite some scenes here and there. Plus, the investigation part of the drama was a little boring overall.

The acting of the Leads was really good. The respective emotions of both characters were visible and understandable, without being over the top. They also had very nice chemistry. You could feel it in the air between them.

The Female Lead was sassy, had a princess-like temper (which I liked btw) and was flirty. But she was also kind, and had her own package of backstory to carry. I really liked the actress and the portrayal of the character. The acting was pretty normal – not OTT. You could also call her a little playful, as she was the one who tried her best to win Shen Yan’s attention.
Shen Yan, on the other hand, appeared cold from the outside, but is actually quite passionate. He was always pretty laid back, but I melted whenever he actually flirted back. He is definitely the ‘forever’-type.

Noticeable was also Lady-in-waiting Xu, who had a calm, intelligent and warm-hearted character. I absolutely adored her friendship with the FL. However, FL’s maid had a more cliché personality. The crown prince was pretty cool too, and even Tuo Ba Lie was kinda fun to watch lol. There were no too annoying characters, except the Lu family for which it was intended reasonable. The drama also included some cute side-couples.

All in all it was a not-so-serious, pretty light-hearted and fun drama, with likeable characters and nice chemistry. An easy watch, I’d recommend! :)

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Beautiful love story with a man not a boy!

I found this drama to be relatively short compared to others, which is just right. I cannot stand it when scriptwriters add redundant episodes just to drag out the storyline without bringing anything new to the plot. Thankfully, this drama had only 22 episodes.

The love story in this drama started early on, which I absolutely loved. However, I must say that the male lead's charming looks and masculine personality were the main reasons that kept me interested. If it weren't for him, I'm not sure I would have continued watching.

The chemistry between the main leads was good but not awe-inspiring. The female lead, although a decent actress in this drama, was forgettable in my opinion. However, I could feel the passion between the two characters, which is what I really enjoyed about this love story.

There were times when the plot felt rushed and lacked dialogue or explanation. I found myself wondering if I had missed an episode because of the sudden changes in storylines. For example, why did the female lead lie to the male lead and reject him about her forced marriage? Why did she suddenly refuse to give him her forever because of her mother when she was ready to do so in the first five episodes? How did she learn that he was in jail? Why did she visit her father and let him talk? The inconsistencies in the script made it seem like a teen had written it, which was a pity because it had the potential to be a fantastic drama.

The music was not memorable but suited the drama well. I'm glad that the scriptwriters did not add any unnecessary sound effects, except for the sound of crickets chirping to indicate nighttime.

As for the epilogue, I found it ridiculous. The kid is about 5-6 years old, and the female lead is joking that he had no interest in her since his birth? Seriously? Overall, despite the flaws, I think I will add this drama to my rewatch list just for the pleasure of seeing the male lead, Zheng Ye Cheng.

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Intriguing storyline and sizzling romance.

I think this drama was perfectly made for me. What made me start this because this had Yuan Bing Yan as it FL. I really loved her in Love & Redemption. Her acting also not disappointing in this one.

This was my first time seeing Zhen Ye Cheng. At first, I think he was not that good looking but later on I changed my mind when I saw how good his acting was as  Shen Yan. He has his charm and good at all his expressions when delivering his lines.

Tbh, Fl's character was not really my type . Princess Liu Ling was quite annoying at first but later on, it was'nt hard for me to fall in love with her character. You will understand why she became the way she is if you watch the show . I liked that she knows how to stand up for herself and did'nt need ML saving her all the time.

Love at the first sight trope  was my least favourite trope but I liked the way it was done here. So once Liu Ling sets her eyes on Shen Yan, she keep pursuing and seducing him relentlessly. All the force skinships and tricks she tried on him , we can see Shen Yan shows discomfort with her attitude at first haha . He being a typical cold man we often seen in most drama , keep pushing her away but how can one's heart stays still with a beauty like Liu Ling by his side. Day by day, we can see his resolution keep weakening and  one day , it was checkmate. Haha. When he gets to know her personality more , he fell hard for her. What made it better was their off the chart chemistry together. Like we could feel they're in-love for real. This has lot of hugs and passionate kisses too, I just wish  they show it longer each time.

MSP was far from perfect but I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. The storyline was good enough imo. MSP made up with 30% political stuff, 60% romance and 10% of comedy. This has lot of cliche moments especially in romantic department but lot of unpredictable moments too. I would say this has balance with both. The pacing was quite fast not draggy and with 22 episodes it was just nice.

I enjoyed the side characters story too. Relationship between Xu Jinshi and Shen Yu. Luo fan and Ling Bi. Liu Ling's relationship with Xu Jinshi. Shen Yan's bromance with his brother ,Shen Yu and his subordinates especially Luo Fan.

Other things that I liked in MSP were it's good cinematography and visual . I liked the costumes, it's vibrant and luxurious settings . The OST was great too . I recommend this drama to all historical romance drama lover out there. The story was not too heavy and certainly make you want to fall in love if you have'nt already. Just dont expect too much , you won't be disappointed.

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A Cute lighthearted drama that got me out a Slump....

I started watching this drama after i left many others half completed cause they just didn't do it for me while waiting for episodes of an on going drama . Like the ones i watched before i didn't think this could get me out of a slump but gave it a shot anyways......thank the lords I did.

It is a fun, fluffy, cute, lighthearted drama that still involves politics and strategies but not in a way that clouds the romance and chemistry. Its rather short compared to other Historical/Period drama and was perfect for me as it acted out as a filler.

One of the main things that attracted me to the drama was the cast, namely Yuan Bing Yan & Merxat (WHO SHOULD TOTALLY GET HIS OWN DRAMA CAUSE DAMMN, HIS ACTING <3 <3)

All three of the ships in the drama had amazing chemistry and i loved them. The sound track was one another thing that was amazing.

Over all please do yourselves a favor and watch this drama. Hope this review was helpful.

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Intense Romance with Execution Issues

There are certainly elements of a good story here regardless of the obvious anachronisms indicated by the show's title. However, at the end of the day, this was clearly a story in search of a script, director or editor. Or all of the above. The first half was decent and flowed much better. The second half however was weakened by noticeable pacing issues caused by large chunks of exposition via dialogue and unexplained occurrences or allusions to offscreen events. While I don't fault the show for not doing anything particularly clever or groundbreaking, I will come down hard on the lack of consistency in the storytelling. There was never any real doubts that I was watching a romantic comedy and there were laughs to be had all throughout especially from the interactions between the leads. It was also clear that the palace intrigue, such as it was, played second fiddle to the romance. Make no mistake, this is a fairytale and I saw it as such all the way through but it's flaws hold it back from being a much better show than it could have been.

However, the editing choices of this drama undeniably caused this viewer whiplash from time to time. It's hard to say whose problem it is because the censorship issues that beset the industry. Nevertheless, it is still incumbent on the director to be far more preemptive about what external obstacles are likely to dish out and be clever about how the material should be put together to escape the censor's knife. I say this because the production values are good. There are some great set pieces and the cinematography is of a high standard. I don't generally comment about costumes because I don't feel qualified but the styling of Liu Ling, the titular character, is a mix bag. After the much anticipated wedding, overnight she's transformed into a dowdy, matronly figure which doesn't flatter her one whit.

It's important to give the cast, especially the leads, their due. The performances range from adequate to good. The interactions and the banter between the leads are some of the better parts of this show. Their chemistry is a delight and the director milks it for whatever it is worth. At least this show understands the meaning of fan servicing. Zheng Yecheng I like a lot. He is nicely broody and mischievous. His enthusiasm for the romance is well-matched by Yuan Bingyan. In all frankness I liked the Shen Yan character more than the Liu Ling one primarily because of the writing. While it's not hard to see why Liu Ling is the insecure, needy, clingy female lead here (particularly when she's been badly treated by family), her over reliance on Shen Yan might come across a bit icky for modern audiences. It's not necessarily a problem in those early days but development on that front ends up being scant. Her early cynicism and world-weariness is interesting although unfortunately it's not sustained. Brother to Shen Yan is Merxat's Shen Yu. The brotherly dynamic is one that I relished and certainly wouldn't have minded more of. Liu Ling's sisterhood with Xu Shijin was also great.

Overall, it is not without charms despite its limitations. There is some plotting and scheming in the background but really this show almost entirely about the sassy princess and her knight in shining armour.

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A beautiful surprise that I wasn't expecting...

Somehow, this c-drama flew under the radar for me, but I happened to stumble across it and said, "What the heck, I'll give it a shot." I'm glad I did!

This was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. It wasn't a full 10 out of 10 stars, but it still had a pretty interesting storyline and kept me entertained.

First off, it’s not your typical slow-burn historical drama. This one has energy, humor, and a heroine who actually does things. The main character, Chen Yuanyuan, is this bold, no-filter princess who pretty much ignores all the usual “princess rules” and just goes for what she wants. She’s witty, a little chaotic, and totally unpredictable, but in a way that makes you root for her.
And then there’s Shen Jia, your classic cool, stoic general type with the emotional range of a rock at first glance… but oh man, once he starts falling for her, it’s game over. The chemistry between them? Subtle at first, but once it clicks, it’s really satisfying. It’s like watching someone slowly melt and you’re just there for every little smirk and stolen glance.

What I liked most is that it’s light without being shallow. There’s some political scheming, action, and emotional moments, but it never gets too heavy. It’s a nice balance; you get your laughs, your romance, and a bit of drama without needing to emotionally recover after every episode.

Also, the visuals are great. The costumes? Gorgeous. The sets? On point. It’s definitely a feast for the eyes.

If you’re in the mood for something cute, clever, and just really enjoyable, give My Sassy Princess a shot. It’s like a rom-com in a historical drama shell... easy to binge and hard not to smile through.

Side Notes: I deducted 3 stars because I had issues with how unbelievably childish the FL was throughout the show. I thought at some point she would mature and her character would grow, but I guess it just wasn't in the stars. It didn't make me completely hate her, but I personally had a love/hate relationship with her character.

Also, I have to admit that the ML held this show together. If it wasn't for him, I probably would have dropped this half-way. Also, there were quite a lot of kiss scenes, which kept me hanging on.

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Enjoyable

The title itself already gives a clue not to take the whole story too seriously and to just enjoy the show without being too objective. If done so, the story and flow of the show is actually good and enjoyable.

The FL is a strong heroine, she knows what she wants and she fights for it. There's a reason for her behavior and the saying that 'there's more than meets the eye' is the perfect definition for her. The supporting female leads and their stories are also worthwhile to watch and be invested in. I feel that they're not just tools used to benefit the leads, but they contribute to the actual flow of the story. One of my favorite characters is the lady and wait and best friend of the FL, Xu Shi Jin. Her goals and her actions in the show are actual scene stealers and just plain boss lady moves.

As for the male main lead and the supporting male leads/characters, I think that while they contribute to the story greatly and help give the viewers the butterflies with their romantic moves; their other purpose in the story is to also help with the growth of their partners.

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Valued to rewatch !

The story is not new or fresh but it is attractive by character of female lead

The story is too fast because it is only 22 eps. !! I think if it have like 24- 28 eps. will be more smooth
The story is humors romantic and drama. The characters are genius and good to follow.

Main four actors are good, good in acting, emotional and gesture. because of limited eps so second male lead is not shinning even he can act good. I like Yuan Bing Yuan too much, I follow her from LTW since 2017 and then I watched her drama all, she have improvment a lot, also she can change her character from the past. Her eye contact, acting completely different. (Her drama from the past , she was strong and good at flighting but she this time she can act differ.) Plus, Ye Chen-Main lead, I like him too, his character is clear and love honestly, he can do it well here. Lastly, seconf female lead, can do it well as well from her last drama of "A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College" she was support role but her character differ from this drama, that she can do it clearly and good.


OST of this drama is good all, not only some but all !

Finally, personally, I like this drama, it is easy to watch, easy to follow and easy to fall in love all characters ! Good luck I hope this review can be helpful for you, enjoy your time with great drama > My sassy princess !

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romance with a lot question

Never expected to like this drama with Yuan Bing Yan in the cast, never too liked her character in Love & Redemption, so yeah I expected none from this drama. But I heard this is a good drama, and seeing the cast with Zheng Ye Cheng & Merxat, here I come.... And quite glad I watch this drama...

Never I've expected to see more arogant & improper Princess than Ban Hua (BH) in A Girl Like Me. But here comes Liu Ling (LL), to make what BH did like nothing. LL is like a gun, she is one girl that act first think later. Haha... And the different between that 2 princess quite big for me. BH still in the end think about consequences for her actions at least while she with her man, while LL we can see she really doesn't care much for her action. & sometimes being the FL in drama means no one will talk about your action. Haha

The very questionable plot maybe the ending. It's like everything wrap so quickly and making them have all the holes that need to be filled....
- The ending for Prince Guang Ping (LL's dad) happen so fast it's like make what he did all that time (plan for rebellion) mean nothing. Isn't he has all that time for preparation, but can be defeated that easily...
- All the bad guy like have half baked character building. It's like they put Lu Ming Shan as the bad guy, but he is one stupid guy. Tuo Ba Lie in the end just have his own problem & just fleet the scene. Prince Guang Ping himself...???? I don't know what I want to say about him....

What I like:
+ Yuan Bing Yan is quite fit to play mischievous girl. I really like that curling naughty eyes in her eyes here... Better than seeing her act as stupid 'naive' girl in Love & Redemption.
+ The chemistry between Zheng Ye Cheng & Yuan Bing Yan.

What I don't like:
- Pull - push relationship between LL & Shen Yan (SY). Sometimes quite frustated to LL for playing SY feeling. LL who initiated the relationship, but sometimes also LL is pulling herself from the relationship....

What I want more:
* More screen time or some more background explanation for our Shen Yu & Xu Shi Jin

Overall this is one drama that I quite enjoy & I already can see myself re-watch some scene / episode. But like PeachBlossomGoddess, I also think 8 for the score a little bit overrated so I've to lower it a little bit....

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Takes Time To Warm Up

I think many people can’t resist watching My Sassy Princess (祝卿好) because of Zheng Ye Cheng. He has the required look to portray the role of a general in historical dramas. Of course, looks alone are certainly not enough to promote a drama and make it shoot up the charts. The plot has to be good too to get a high rating from viewers. So, how is the story with this one? Is it worth watching or merely hyped up because of the leads? I have gone through the whole 22 episodes and below is My Sassy Princess review for those who are interested to give this a go.

If the first impression counts, My Sassy Princess will probably be unappealing to many viewers. This is because the female protagonist is not an instantly likable character. In the first few episodes, she comes on as irresponsible, immature, and impudent. Therefore, don’t expect a demure and gentle princess but one who is rebellious and intends to get her way with the man she likes.


If you find her to be a real turn-off, in the beginning, it might seem hard to sit through enough episodes for you to slowly warm up to her. You will also have to tolerate her way of seducing the guy which is blatant and direct. It is very different from the typical relationship development in romance dramas whereby the leads are coy about their feelings for each other and they don’t confess until midway through the story. But Liu Ling in My Sassy Princess is already in love with her man at first sight and chasing after him from the very first episode.

I find the change refreshing despite her not-so-likable character. At least, I see a different romance pattern than usual. If you don’t mind an upfront princess who couldn’t care about modesty and conventions, then you might like Liu Ling better. But if you prefer the more traditional guy chases girl scenario, then she will appear as coming on too strongly.

Don’t Take It Too Seriously
Although My Sassy Princess doesn’t have a strong rom-com flavor like Decreed By Fate, it is also not a drama that can be taken too seriously. The plot is simple with only 22 episodes to fit in a romance and investigation into a robbery. If you want detailed political maneuverings and palace intrigues in the mold of Sword Snow Stride or Stand By Me, this is not the drama to binge on.

The focus is more on the romance and with the female lead clearly after the male lead, you will get a flirty feel in their interactions, especially at the beginning of the drama. Don’t be too critical of the princess’ antics and you will be able to enjoy their relationship development. But if you view things seriously, her behavior will become questionable and the romantic vibes will become subdued as a result.

The plot itself is predictable and there is no big mystery as to who are the villains. The cliches are there and you can already foresee them happening in certain scenes such as the couple falling off a cliff and surviving as well as the female lead being forced to marry someone else because of a decree. Thus, the plot is pretty average overall and it is hardly a selling point on its own. What enhances the storytelling and makes the drama more watch-worthy is none other than the chemistry between the leads.

Great Chemistry
I think the chemistry between Yuan Bing Yan and Zheng Ye Cheng practically saves My Sassy Princess from mediocrity. The flirtations would only look romantic if viewers can feel that the leads are into each other which they managed to do convincingly throughout the drama. So, once they got together, the love is obvious and you will be able to feel their sorrows when they face difficulties.

There are quite a few kisses between them and the blazing chemistry means these would be the highlights of the drama. Unfortunately, some have been deleted while others could have been cut short. The unevenness in the scene transitions shows with these poor edits. Perhaps the kisses are too numerous or raunchy for their domestic audience but it is a real pity to have been deleted given their great chemistry.

In addition, Zheng Ye Cheng’s charisma as a cold-faced commander also helped to attract viewers. He seems to have perfected this kind of role with his domineering screen presence and aura. He also played a similar character in The Sleepless Princess which is why Shen Yan shouldn’t be a challenge for him to portray. This is my second time watching Yuan Bing Yan after Love And Redemption. She brought out the essence of the character in My Sassy Princess and I think she did well with what she was given.

My Verdict – Watch For The Chemistry
My Sassy Princess will not satisfy those who want a great plot of a palace power struggle. It will also be disappointing for those who prefer a more traditional boy chases girl romance. On top of that, not everyone will have the patience to tolerate the “sassiness” of the female lead. You need to watch about 6 episodes to find out more about her background to slowly understand her character and behavior. Therefore, I’m not sure if more critical viewers will find this worth sitting through unless they are hooked on the leads’ chemistry right from the start given that the first impression of the drama may not be too flattering.

However, once you get over the initial bump, it gets better as the drama progresses. By then, you should find the female protagonist more acceptable. The leads’ good chemistry certainly helped me to hang on and I believe it contributed much to its marketability. The fighting scenes and Zheng Ye Cheng’s ability to execute those martial art moves beautifully provided another reason for me to stay on longer.

Chemistry And Kisses Sell
I believe this drama is getting a lot of attention in China at the time of this review. I think the leads did a good job overall and they deserve the good results notwithstanding the very ordinary plot. All I can say is romance dramas are very dependent on chemistry to make it work. Kisses sell as well but they have to be well-executed with the couple’s sizzling chemistry being the prerequisite for the scenes to feel romantic to the viewers.

So, the hype surrounding this drama centers mainly on the couple rather than the story to me. Consequently, for this My Sassy Princess review, I would give it a score of 7.5/10 because the plot doesn’t justify a higher rating in my opinion. But it doesn’t mean it is not enjoyable especially if you are a big fan of Zheng Ye Cheng and Yuan Bing Yan.

In conclusion, the romance flavor is strong in this couple. I think the story execution also effectively satisfies every girl’s fantasy of a handsome and domineering lord being conquered by a sassy princess which is typical of historical romance novels. Perhaps this is why it is one of the top dramas of the year to date.

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