This drama didn't start out terribly.
I will be very briefI.I feel so conflicted about The Princess Royal. It was like I was playing out my own version of the love/hate game with the series while watching it.
Plot: this did not go where I thought it would! This drama is the absolutely quintessential enemies-to-lovers trope ! With polar opposite protagonists,none tension, and a mix of political and social games.This is a romance.It's no spoiler that things DO change between them. Love and hate are a fine line, after all.
It started off pretty interesting, but I don't know ... Pacing could've been optimized.
Characters: smart, annoying, arrogant, condescending and more. And I like them for it, because they're people.Not all, but most.
I am leaning toward a higher score because for all the issues I had with the drama at times, it was engaging and cute.
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It could've been perfect if the production team understood the audience more.
Disclaimer that I have read more than half of the novel. I'll try to keep this mostly about the drama but there might still be references to the novel.Let's start with my expectations of the drama.
I expected this drama to be about a second chance at life and a second chance at the leads' love story, delving into their backstories, motivations and relationships. I also expected there to be politics, which would be interesting as the leads are already seasoned politicians and are able to easily outsmart the old officials.
What the drama is actually about.
This drama is about the female lead learning that she was stupid in her past life, and struggling to choose between the male lead and the second male lead for the whole drama. Everything that I wanted explored about the main leads was explored about the female lead and the second male lead, leaving the male lead as more of a one dimensional accessory. The politics were okay, which was frustrating as they attempted to explore deep fundamental issues but fell short.
The positive aspects of the drama.
The acting. Zhang Linghe and Zhao Jinmai are not popular for no reason. They weren't just acting, they were living in their roles. You Jinwei, Zhao Peilin, Cheng Guo and Yi Daqian were all standout roles to me. You Jinwei perfectly communicating the loneliness and isolation of the emperor. Zhao Peilin had a much less significant role but her acting as the empress was also impressive, and it truly made me sympathise with her position and actions. Cheng Guo played Shangguan Ya to the tee, expressing all of her sides well. Yi Daqian was great at showing the personality of Su Ronghua. These six actors consistently gave an amazing performance in every single scene they were in. Most other actors had amazing moments, like Chen Heyi, Liu Xuwei, Karina Zhao and Chen Siyu.
The dynamic and chemistry between the leads. They always bicker like an old married couple, yet simultaneously always act like children around each other. Their scenes are always full of dialogue, whether it's playful and humourous or emotional and transformative. They care for each other dearly and their relationship spans decades. You can't miss a single scene with the two of them in it, it will always be either entertaining, or impactful. After 2 decades, I appreciate how the leads finally learn to openly communicate with each other.
The comedy. In a drama like this, the balance between light-hearted and serious is struck using the subordinates of the leads, and although it is not new, it is hilarious. Li Rong, Pei Wenxuan, Jing Lan, Jing Mei and Tong Ye are genuinely so funny and have me smiling and laughing aloud. They really seem like one family.
Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan is the best character. He's always unconditionally supporting Li Rong in any way possible, and he's always doing the right thing and caring about others. He has high IQ and EQ and he's also passionate about protecting those he loves. Zhang Linghe conveys a masterful performance.
Relationships. Something that this drama tackles is relationships, and all of the differences kinds there are. How relationships are influenced by power, how power can be used to destroy or protect relationships. How your relationships with others affects you: the decisions you make and how you think. It's really a deep topic and I applaud this drama for tackling it and managing to handle it well enough.
Li Chuan. Li Chuan is a complex character and it's unfortunate that his complexity was only shown in the last 10 episodes. It's bittersweet to see each emperor turn into a desperate tyrant driven to the edge of a cliff one after another in a never-ending cycle oversaw by the noble families. In my opinion, Liu Xuwei is not a horrible actor, but he just feels blank most of the time. He portrays the cute younger brother well, and I was struck by his acting when he tells Shangguan Ya that Su Ronghua is dead, but other than that he's very one note.
The negative aspects of the drama.
Su Rongqing. This is one of the aspects where the title of my review is the most relevant. The director, producer and others behind this drama fail to understand what makes a second male lead compelling and worth rooting for. They have to be better in some aspects to the make lead. This makes you think that they might be a better choice. But no, Su Rongqing is not better than Pei Wenxuan in any aspects. In fact, he's worse in about every single one. This drama dedicated so much screen time to Su Rongqing, much, much more then the male lead, for what? For us to feel sorry for his tragic backstory? For us to prefer him with Li Rong? For us to like him more? It's impossible. He's insufferable every time he appears on screen. His backstory never needed to be that deep, in my opinion. He's just an insufferable rich kid who thinks that he's the best because he shares some spare change, and that means that everyone has to bow down at his feet and respect him as the living angel on Earth. In terms of his screen time and scenes, the director made many changes from the novel, which made me even more frustrated. Chen Heyi did a perfect job if the purpose of the character was to make the audience want to kill him, but the problem is the purpose of the character is to be a tragic figure that we were rooting for. Chen Heyi does not do a good job. He looks sick and pathetic all of the time, and that makes the audience hate him, not sympathise with him.
Soundtrack. It's not so important, but it can break the immersion at times. There's barely any back track for the actual leads, and instead the only memorable track is specifically for Su Rongqing.
The wasted potential of Pei Wenxuan. I hate how the drama wasted his character. Imagine if they dedicated even half of Su Rongqing's screen time to Pei Wenxuan's backstory and his own dreams, besides supporting Li Rong. He just feels left behind and forgotten about. They dumbed him down a lot from the novel, making his ideas the ideas of other people and claiming that he doesn't know things that he actually should. Additionally, there's barely any buildup about the Pei family, which could have been such an interesting plot point, added to the relationships theme of the drama, and made Pei Wenxuan a more interesting and complex character with his own dreams and drive to do what he wants, not just supporting Li Rong.
How Li Rong's character was handled. Li Rong is such a complex character and there are parts of her character that I love and parts that I hate. Overall I really like her, but I disagree with some of the liberties the production team took from the novel. They made her feelings for Su Rongqing a lot more ambiguous, to fulfill their love for Su Rongqing. If they wanted to take liberties, they should have made her love for Pei Wenxuan a lot more obvious, rather then more subtle. She's just such a complex character who tries to do the right thing and cares about the people around her, but is always perceived as being heartless.
Overall it's an enjoyable drama. The strengths are the dynamic and chemistry between the leads and the acting while the weaknesses are the highlight on the wrong characters, misunderstanding their audience and their half-hearted attempts to delve into complex concepts.
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Surprisingly the romance between the lead kept making me coming back for more
I thought this series will be boring, since the story mostly revolves around royal family political struggle. However as the storyline evolves, surpsingly I kept waiting and wanting for the ML and FL romantic scenes.I love Zhang Li He acting here, I don't know why I could not connect to him in Journey to You. It did not move me at all, but here, his acting is perfect in this drama.I'll look forward to his future project.
One thing though that irk me so, is it me or I felt that he has fewer scenes overall, if we compare his scenes with the villain. I rarely seen him.
Too bad I can't say the same praise to the female lead. I think for a powerful person, she's very stoic and lacking how to say it? that bad ass feels. Eventhough I appreciate how the drama kept promoting women empowerment, but it's literally like every romactic chinese drama I watch nowadays is all about promoting women.
Although the ost is good, but the musical background during many pivotal moments in the drama has got me really annoyed at the musical director, because the music basically ruining the moments. Dude, wtf.
I'm binge watching this drama, 10 eps to go, anxious with the finale. Hope the finale like a plane about to land, will be able to land smooth sailing. Cross my fingers. Prayers.
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Men simping for an emotional abusive woman! This wasn't what i signed up for.
Who doesn't love a strong female lead? But when it borders on domineering with no respect for her husband Pei, it upsets me.The synopsis of this drama makes you think they will try to love each other again with their second chance at life. I am 20+ episodes into this and exhausted. I had SML syndrome at first, but i feel like that plot line is going nowhere because she's already married in this second life again.
There was a scene in the carriage where Pei blew up at her because she couldn't see that he loved her from the beginning. They made up, and then the next episodes they bicker at each other again. Another episode Princess thinks he knows her plan in the butterfly gorge, but he was just planning a date with flowers everywhere. Meanwhile she planned a trap and a scuffle with some enemies. His instrument gets destroyed, he gets stabbed and is heartbroken, and she's just standing there like ":O".
Most of the plot has been political plotting & there isn't enough romance to balance it out. Crown prince's woman left him for the border, and Shangguang gambling with su's brother is the only relationship worth the show.
There is just so much ANGST.
Sometimes.. reading a trash book or fanfiction is good. However, trying to realistically portray this relationship on screen makes no sense.
Maybe the book is meant to convey ML differently?. In the drama, ML says he likes a woman who bullies him. So maybe he has some kinda kink? IT'S SO PAINFUL TO WATCH. Princess is a complex character but has not developed any further in 25+ episodes.
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If I put coffee and cake next to each other, it doesn't necessarily turn out to be a coffee cake.
Anyone who has read the novel (including me) knows that it starts as a romantic story, but very quickly turns into a complicated political drama. This is a serious political drama that spans two lives, and the writer makes it "easier" with 2-3 bickering lovers.Unfortunately, until the 30th episode, the film seems to follow the novel completely, thus retaining all its faults.
- if you like the leading couple and want romance, you can watch it with a small jump (I call it a cookie)
- if you're interested in politics, you'll get a decent strong story (that's what I call coffee)
If you want a romantic story with character development, growth, and some political complications, you will unfortunately be disappointed.
The political and love threads do not intertwine. The complicated, multi-lifetime political intrigue is too long for the cat-and-mouse romance to not be protracted, boring and repetitive.The love story is like a board game, you find yourself at the start field again and again.
My personal opinion: It might work better with a different cast. The biggest problem is with the dynamics of the story, not with the work of the actors.
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NOT SO MUCH
Let me review things that aren't appeal to me:Zhao Jin Mai (Li Rong/Rong Rong)
She's soft spoken, almost whisper, hard to hear what she said (I have to turn up the volume). She sighed a lot in every scenes regardless she's frustrated, sad, thinking, confuse, happy she'd take a deep breath and sighed. She can't dance unfortunately, She's beautiful, she shed tears few times but not feeling the sadness.....she smiled but didn't feel her happiness...she's just there recite her dialog without putting her heart out. I think Cheng Guo (Shangguan Ya) has better acting than Jin Mai.
Things I am not fond of
Too much taking about love & feeling on & on about it, about palace intrigues, little action, Harem women instigated for power struggles (like Empress, Consort Ning, Consort Rou). I think this plot is overly used by c-drama. How many times have we seen this kind of plot in previous dramas? Feel bad for the Emperor, the most powerful man but surrounded by manipulative people and the family who close to him wishes him dead.
What I like about this drama:
Good looking casts, gorgeous costumes, beautiful setting. The acting is good especially Zhang Ling He (Pei Wen Xuan), Chen He Yi (Su Rong Qing/Minister of Justice}, Wei Zi Xin (Tong Ye /Wen Xuan's attendant) I like him - his acting isn't forced.
The story is complicated, last 4 episodes started to reveal as to why how when who. I can't tell who's the heroes or perpetrators. They have sound reasoning, it's all started when Su RongHua fallen in love with Shangguan. Ya, three main characters reborn to their perspective life to young beginning of their life journey, avoiding last life miserable mistakes they vowed to change their 2nd life to support the good cause.
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bad story amd dislikeable female character
it just wasn't engaging. the female character came too strong but with little to offer as point of interest or quality. I dislike feminist ideology in cdramas, and you know you are watching one when the character is exagerated not for story value but for moral value which, imo is uneccessary and harmful to a story (it's also hypocritical to write a story in the name if an ideology that should be for the better of humanity when the attitude characters have in most fantasy cdramas over the death of a lover, it's most toxic (when characters refuse to go on with life even trying to take their own life or why not, keep the body of the deceased and get engage in mild necrophilia like TTEOTM) but no one makes a story where a clear message of moving one is the best way, because extreme grieving has story value, adds to the dramatism. for same considerents they shluld also create likeable main characters. A bossy spoiled b*ch isn't on the friend list of anyone. Adding some narcicism in the mix and you sell people a villain as a hero.Getting back on track, this show it's just a bad story, female character strongly dislikeable and with so many gems out there to enjoy, it's not worth the bother and the hours. it's a shame because people worked hard to create this drama, writers not so much it seems.
I hope we wont see more of feminism or other ideologies in fantasy cdramas but somehow I have a bad feeling on what is to come.
I really tried watching but just couldn't get immersed in the story.
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A cringy script by confused writers
A cringy script by confused writersWhat was advertised? An intriguing drama with a strong FL.
What I got? A cringy script with multiple personality disorder.
I love time travel stories and couldn't wait for this drama. Instead of being entertained, I lost 40 hours of my life that I will never get back.
The writers/director/creators of the show couldn’t figure out what the male lead’s character should be. Is he a good guy or a villain? This wasn’t one of those shows where the ML changes from an anti-hero to a hero. His horrible actions seem completely out of character at times, but he’s not presented as a villain. Those actions are excused because supposedly they were a result of how much he loves the FL.
The FL’s actions are also completely out of character at times. She switches from a strong and independent woman to someone willing to be a victim. She’s also a damsel in distress too often.
Spoilers ahead:
The show couldn’t figure out:
(1) Does the ML respect the FL and wait for her consent? Or, is he a predator who is happy to force himself on her? His attempted sexual assault in episode 25 seems completely out of character for someone who says he’ll wait decades for her.
(2) Is the ML a wonderful, supportive, and confident man who cares for women’s rights and is OK with the FL taking the lead? Or, is he a jealous and possessive jerk who wants to literally kill any man who likes her?
(3) Is the FL a strong, brilliant, and independent woman who doesn’t take BS from anyone? Or, does she suffer from Stockholm Syndrome, and talks about having a child with the ML after he tries to sexually assault her?
I went from liking the ML to hating his guts. Until episode 25, he is mostly shown as a supportive partner who respects the choices and intellect of the FL. When she says she needs more time, he says he will wait decades for her. He already has.
In episode 25, he grabs her by the neck and forcefully kisses her. This is not one of those “forced kisses” that are supposedly steamy. She is so repulsed that she claws and leaves scratch marks on his neck to get away. Does this make him stop? Nope. He throws her down and tries to sexually assault her, holding down her arms so she can’t fight back. When she finally manages to get him off her and tells him what a scumbug he is, he suddenly changes his tune–kind of. He forcefully hugs her and tells her he couldn’t help himself because he loves her so much.
Does this make the FL–an independent, brilliant, and proud woman–want to divorce him on the spot? Nope. She accepts his non-apology apology and talks about having children with him. The scene ends with them lying next to each other in what is supposedly a romantic moment where they’re watching the stars together.
It was cringe to the millionth power.
I’m disappointed that Netflix didn’t include a content warning for sexual assault.
I always read tags on MDL and do keyword searches even if I get spoilers because I don’t want to watch abusive behavior passed on as loving or romantic. Alas, nothing came up when I searched for abuse or sexual assault. I’m grateful for the commenter who called out the attempted assault in episode 25, but they used the words forced kiss, so it didn’t come up on my search. In the future, you can bet that “forced kiss” will be one of my keyword searches.
I don’t know about you, but most people watch shows to be entertained–not to feel cringy afterward.
I know my overall reviews round up to 3.5, but the OST and strong performances by some of the actors can’t justify watching this BS. Save yourself 40 hours of your life and find something else. There’s no shortage of content out there.
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Don't read the novel before watching :)
This show was the general trope of rebirth with a second chance.The nice part was that both leads returned, so the growth as a couple was worthy to watch.
Personally, i would have rated this show in two parts:
1-30 epis or so- 9.5
and 30+ epis - 8.0
Haven't read the novel, but many times many things were confusing and one actually needed people who read the novel to come and explain. Worst was LR's slight penchant for SRQ was different in novel and in the show. Personally, though i believe LR loved PWX, still her feelings for SRQ was confusing till the end of the show. and no please dont come and tell me to read the novel to justify LR's feelings. The show should have been a separate entity on itself, we cannot rely on the novel to makeup for the mistakes done here.
SRQ as a character was confusing. He loved LR and yet he did not do anything, he was completely blind in his revenge. from start till end, that was all he cared about. Prevent LC to become the emperor. he was uni-dimensional and didnt have any arc as such.
PWX was supposed to do great things and he did too, but we never got much scenes about how he did anything. He was just a lovesick puppy (cute one though, and i loved all his scenes too) for LR. his love for LR was unconditional in the rebirth track. He's definitely one of my favorite male characters.
About LR, what to say. She never introspected about anything unless and except when PWX actually was angry or hurt and rebuffed her acts. One felt that she loved him only because his love was pure and he was always there for her. But internally and subconsciously, her heart looked for SRQ. at least i felt this many times. Dont our parents always say "to stay with the one who loves us most than with the one we love". got same feeling here, she loved him yes, but because of many reasons.
Storywise- the political plots could have been better given and made more exciting.
Rewatch value- only watch till Concubine Rou is exposed. Afterwards, it's a bit messy.
Giving 9/10 only for the leads. Both did their best, so for their hardwork, i wont penalise them due to the liberties taken by PH which made one confuse LR's feelings for PWX.
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Hidden Lessons
This is one of those story I know I will personally rewatch. Through watching this, I was able to connect deeply with some of the characters and it allowed me to reflect on my relationships with people around me. I loved this story, the character development and such. And also, there was little to no major misunderstanding. This story portrays that human are complex beings, making choices Is never easy but it also shows that sometimes, we make things more complicated than they need to be. Personally I LOVEDD this story and I look forward to my rewatch. I really learned so much from Pingyue, and her loved undying love and I also learned from Ronqiang that in the pursuit of everything, you can loose everything and end up with nothing. And till the end, He FAILS to realize that he's wrong, that his actions are what got him there, that he had a choice and that he's just an evil person who has tried to justified his wrongs. GREAT story.Was this review helpful to you?
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Wasted Potential for Weixuan’s Character
After watching The Princess Royal, I finally understand why its rating is low despite having an interesting premise. Three main characters experience reincarnation: Li Rong (FL), Pei Weixuan (ML), and Su Rongqing (SML). Unfortunately, the plot and character development feel weak.1. FL & SML Did Not Learn from Their Past Lives
-Li Rong already knew that Su Rongqing was the one who killed her in her past life, yet in her second life, she still trusted him without trying to uncover the reason behind his betrayal from the start.
-She also did not attempt to investigate what really happened in the palace before, even though Pei Weixuan could have helped explain everything. If she still doubted him, she could have investigated on her own, but she only started digging for the truth after Rongqing explained things to her in episode 34.
-Additionally, by episode 3, Li Rong already knew that she had betrayed Pei Weixuan in her past life, yet she showed no remorse and still failed to realize her mistake.
-When she finally learned that her killer was her own brother, she felt deeply betrayed and devastated. However, she never once considered how Pei Weixuan must have felt when she betrayed him before. This felt completely illogical. If I were Li Rong, I would have kneeled before Weixuan and begged for forgiveness because he was the only truly loyal person by her side, yet she caused his died.
2. SML Did Not Learn from His Past Mistakes
-In his past life, Su Rongqing already witnessed how greedy nobles caused chaos. However, in his second life, instead of working to eliminate corrupt officials, he supported Li Cheng (the son of Consort Rhou) in ascending the throne, despite knowing that Consort Rhou was also greedy and untrustworthy.
-Rather than seeking a solution to remove these corrupt officials, he ended up strengthening their influence instead.
3. Weak Overall Plot
-Character motivations, except for Pei Weixuan’s, felt weak and unclear.
In his second life, Pei Weixuan simply wanted to avoid disappointing Li Rong, but he still stayed on the right path. He guided the Crown Prince to make better decisions and helped Li Rong avoid trusting the wrong people again.
However, FL (Li Rong) and SML (Su Rongqing) lacked clear motivations. What exactly were they trying to achieve in their second lives?
-Su Rongqing wanted his country to be stable and his family to be safe by supporting Li Cheng, but his methods only placed his family in greater danger due to his rebellion.
-Li Rong also lacked a strong purpose in her second life.
4. Wasted Potential for Weixuan’s Character
It’s a shame that Weixuan’s intelligence and investigative skills were barely explored.
-For example, when he retrieved the account book to save the Qin family, the scene was glossed over with no detailed explanation, making him seem like a mere background character. Meanwhile, unnecessary scenes like Rongqing giving flowers to Li Rong were shown, when it would have been much more interesting to see how Weixuan escaped from the traitors.
-If Weixuan’s clever strategies in handling corrupt officials had been explored, his character could have been far more compelling—similar to Xie Wei in Kunning Palace.
-He played a crucial role as an advisor to both the Emperor (Li Rong’s father) and later the Crown Prince, but unfortunately, his potential was underutilized.
Conclusion
Overall, The Princess Royal had a promising premise but failed in execution. The main characters did not learn from their past lives, their motivations were unclear, and many elements that could have been developed further were left unexplored.
Rating: 6.5/10
Highlight: The interactions between Weixuan and Li Rong were adorable and worth to watch hehe
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Watching for the Main Couple
For me, it was like at first episode. The plot is intruiging with both leads being reborn in their youth, something that was different from the usual rebirth stories. I feel like this added a lot to the plot armor of the story. It felt fuller and richer because both leads were aware that they had both reincarnated.The main couple really delivered acting out an old married couple yet young in the sense of discovering each other again once the misunderstanding was cleared up. Although its a drama in which the FL is more dominant than the ML, the ML has his own mind, plans, wits and makes sure to align everything to achieve the FL's goals. I love, love, love the pettiness the ML shows during his jealous fits with the FL and SML. I also love that the FL grows to trust in her relationship with the ML as secrets continue to be uncovered about all that had happened in their past life. Overall, I liked the development of the main couple especially as they pushed the theme of open communication and weathering the battles together instead of making a decision for each other.
The second male lead's reincarnation was a nice plot twist, though I feel one can already guesse it within the first couple of episodes. I kept hoping that even the crown prince had been reincarnated, but oh well, we can't get everything we want. Otherwise, it was interesting to see how the different characters made their choices given a second chance to alter the course of their lives.
Aside from the love line, the politics of the palace were interesting to watch. I honestly thought I would skip over those scenes but I actually sat through them, remembering who did/said what. For me, that was really impressive since I don't usually stick around for palace dramas. I especially enjoyed the tango between the ML and the SML as they dealt with the court affairs. In this part, I felt the supporting characters were well developed to move the story forward. The music was great, just that sometimes it felt ill-timed.
On to critisism: I agree with most of my fellow reviewers, at some point, the SML's role was redundant and having more screen time, even as a villain made it worse. After the FL came to terms about her relationship with the ML and also about her feelings for him, it was confusing and frustrating to see her expecting something out of her entanglements with the SML as if it would change her mind/heart. The long farewell with the SML in the final episode was honestly tiring to sit through. Even in his final moments I couldn't sympathise with him. I really wanted the final episode to be about the main couple. I was left wondering if the Princess Royal finally gave birth to her baby. I also wanted to see the big wedding. Sadly, the final episode didn't really deliver.
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