Rebirth

When Technique Is Used to Hide a Hollow Story

It's long, so I'll just get straight to the point.

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🍅 Directing

It’s unbelievable to see that the director of Rebirth is the same person behind "The Double", "Moonlit Reunion" and "Generation to Generation". I actually like those three dramas, but this one just doesn’t work.

On a second look, I can still see traces of his style, especially from "The Double". But honestly, it feels like he got the wrong material to work with this time and is trying to cover it up with excessive camera work. His camera technique just becomes something convenient for him to reuse, but he doesn’t bother to align his visual approach with the story itself. There’s a lot of panning, zooming in and out, swirling, tilting, extreme close-ups and different camera angles thrown in, but most of them do not serve the story. At this point, it’s not really about technique anymore, it just feels like they have too many cameras on set. The story itself has nothing meaningful to convey, so all those camera choices end up feeling exaggerated rather than impactful.

Like I said, this feels like a cover-up. The director doesn't seem to care much about this project. Compared to "Generation to Generation", which just finished airing, it’s clear he put much more care into that one.

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🍅 Plot

The bigger issue is the plotting. They took many wrong steps with the story. There are unnecessary plot points as well as a few cheating moves, which I hate.

In ep 1, they make it clear that the ML is absolutely dead, but they still go against all logic to bring him back just so the drama’s English title can be Rebirth. This feels like a cheap reason. (I don’t know if that’s actually the reason, but at this point, I don’t see any other solid justification.)

Then there’s the 'memory loss' plot. This amnesia thing, whether real or fake, has become an old trick that’s been overused in dramas. When it’s used, it often just becomes an excuse to make characters act stupid, misunderstand things, and push the story into forced, soap-opera territory, only for everything to reset once the memory comes back - which it always does. This kind of convenient memory loss breaks the tone for me and makes the whole thing feel like child’s play.

(Note: Meanwhile, I’m watching "Veil of Shadows", which also has memory loss plot, but it’s an example of how this plot can be done well. There’s a solid origin for that and it’s a component of the core complex part of the story that needs to be resolved. They take it seriously and deal with it head-on, instead of using it as a meaningless trick or a cheap excuse.)

Then there’s also the 'being blind' plot… another overused plot device. I’ll just stop here before my rant starts to sound as repetitive as the drama itself.

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🍅 Acting of FL & Character Design of 2nd FL

As for the acting, it’s not there yet. The FL is clearly lacking.

In ep. 1, when she holds the ML in his last moments, the weakness in her acting is obvious. Her wide, bulging stare is so empty. She just maneuvers her acting move. It feels off and I can’t feel that the scene or the emotion is real.

Then, when she tries to be serious and solemn while interacting with other characters, it also feels off, like an imposter forcing herself to be something she isn’t. She’s so forced that I can’t feel these are truly her character’s traits. It shows that she’s not fully one with her character.

Outside the story, I came across some discussions comparing this FL with Ai Mi in terms of their study choice and career path, saying something like this FL made a better choice and her career looks promising. When that info passed my eyes, I didn’t pay much attention. But now that I’ve come to know her for the 1st time through this drama, it comes back to mind. I get why people compare them since they’re almost the same age. However, when it comes to acting, she’s nowhere near Ai Mi yet. Her performance feels unnatural. Anyway, since she started young, maybe in 5 years she might grow into a great actress.

Another actress I want to mention is the 2nd FL. I first saw her in "Fated Heart", where her character and storyline were actually quite interesting, but not so much here. She takes the rebellious, frustrated side from her role in "Fated Heart" into this one, but the writing just doesn’t support her this time. The character ends up feeling flat and one-dimensional.

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It’s honestly a shame. I like the ML and I like the director’s previous works. I can see potential in the FL, even though she’s not there yet. I also want to root for the 2nd FL, but the way her character is written makes it hard. And the plot is too conventional and relies on the same old cliches, which makes the excessive camera work in this drama just another cliche as well.

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We all make bad decisions.

Let me get this out of the way. I haven't seen Princess Agents. I tried several times and I just can't get past the first episode. So I can't address any concerns people may have commented on about Rebirth compared to PA.

So here's my take on Rebirth:

R's 1st episode is choppy but the thing is, cdrama is more like comfort food to me. I watch it for escapism and just for a comparison, I was a bit turned off by the beginning of Nirvana in Fire, because the first moments of NIF seemed like a cringy, low budget production, but oh, did it get way, way, waaaaay better, becoming one of my favorite dramas of all time. Rebirth is actually not that different. Like I said, choppy start and a bit of weird acting. Like her weird jump. I guess it's hard to do too many takes of jumping into ice water. But she's really got some acting chops. I get that people are turned off because of the age dynamics, but if you just give her a chance, she really shines and becomes believable as a leader. And I think it's because of the FL's age that the romance is toned down—it's there, but not like it is in other dramas and that works for me, cuz the story is really more about survival and power.

Yes, there are some winding, twisting paths that the characters take, sometimes that don't seem to make any sense, but I don't mind it because that makes it different from all the other cookie-cutter, go-by-the-numbers storylines that so many cdramas obediently follows (yes, tried and true works but it's ok to get off track sometimes). I would end up thinking, are they going to say, I was just pretending, but now I'm back on track and do what's normally done or are they just going to continue to do the unconventional, maybe even wrong path (or is it really wrong?) and how's that going to play out?

Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody. Sometimes they're small errors in judgment; sometimes they're colossally huge, mind boggling mistakes. That's what you see in R. But that happens in real life too. Nobody ever knows what's going to happen on the road of life. So maybe the scriptwriters lost their way. Or maybe it was intentional. I don't care. This is as good a comfort food for the mind and soul for me as any. And a large part of it is from the acting, and not just from the leads, but the side characters as well.

So so far, so good. Let's see what happens at the end of it all.

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A little rant about this drama

The drama is visually so well-made, actually no, I think well-made is an understatement, it's wonderfully crafted, from the real locations, to the beautiful costumes and the cinematic shots, I was literally in awe from episode one.
And I have no problem with most of the cast, I see some people complain about Zhang Kangle as Yan Xun, honestly his acting isn't even bad, I have seen so, so much worse in cdramaland that has made me wanna bash my head into a wall. His acting is good and he exudes the dangerous aura I believe a character with a tragic backstory like Yan Xun should have, I mean I found him literally mesmerizing in some scenes, which is not something I could've said about his performance in Legend of the female general- I found his character utterly forgettable there. Li Yunrui is a favorite of mine, I'd be watching even the dumbest of productions if he's in it, just looking at his face is enough tbh, the plot doesn't need to make sense at all 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Here though, it's obvious from the first moment we see him on screen that he's been preparing to give a solid performance as Zhuge Yue, he's understood the core of his character well and he doesn't mess around. Every time he's on screen the drama gets a new dimension, it feels like a serious piece and not just an idol drama. The same could be said for 90% of the cast.

Buuuut

Huangyang Tian Tian as Chu Qiao just doesn't work.

No matter how hard I tried to like her as her character, she just doesn't match the expertise, the experience and the maturity that playing Chu Qiao requires. I mean here we have a female general who's been through hell and back, experiences which furnish her with enough material to do her job right and earn her merits. And they're trying to sell me all of this by casting an actress with a baby face and acting chops of a student in a school production of some famous play. I'm supposed to believe what other characters are saying about her, that she's formidable and fierce, even though every time she's on screen she just doesn't deliver. I've seen this being done with 80% of male leads who are supposed to be generals in dramas and it's annoying and honestly so overdone to the point I wanna break something when it happens again. If you have a role of a fearless and scary general you find an actor who looks and acts the part, don't cast a kpop idol for God's sake!!!!!!!
I nearly laughed when I saw her dressed in those massive fur coats in newer episodes, standing next to Yunrui and other characters she looks like a literal baby, not someone who's commanded an army let's be real here people come on! The fact that she was still a minor when she made this also affects the production quality in the largest. There's a lot of longing, passion, some visceral emotions between Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun as well that they had to obviously tone down solely because she was underage and because the age difference between her and the two actors just doesn't allow the existence of intimate scenes. Now I know this isn't a romance drama, but the love between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao, as well as Yan Xun's unhealthy obsession with her are a driving force and if it isn't properly delivered on screen , then the whole thing falls apart. Which is what is happening right now. I find most of her scenes with her male co-stars downright awkward and hard to watch, every time Yunrui lifts her in his arms they look like siblings, like real siblings, not the cdrama equivalent 🤣🤣🤣 And for all they've held back with her character, they're trying to fix by adding more intimate scenes for the side characters which comes off as uneven and unbalanced tbh.
And I am extremely disappointed because I was looking forward to this drama and I tried to like it and I do like it for the most part until she shows up on screen. I have nothing against the actress, but it's clear as a day she's ventured into something she's too young to understand and properly express.
Moments that I absolutely loved (these are some that I can remember right now): Zhuge Yue obliterating people dressed as the fake king of Ximeng- so hot 🥵
The scene where Yan Xun is being revived in the middle of an icy desert with ravens swarming him, and then he just opens his eyes, springs to his feet half-naked, while the black fur and his long hair sway in the wind? *CHEF'S KISS* LOVED IT!
Oh and crazy drunk princess reciting her sob story while drinking more wine, surrounded by paintings of a half-naked Yan Xun. GIRL SAAAMEEEEEE 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Disappointing

I am so sorry to write this. I have watched PA and anticipated the sequel. Unfortunately, it will be forever remain an ending at Episode 58 of the 1st season. I tried, I really do. From the 1st episode of Rebirth and right until I stopped at Ep 7, my face was distorted, my eyes squinting with dissatisfaction. Had to stop and not waste my time. Wrong casting especially the 2 FLs, very weak scripting, long winded flow and confused storyline all added up. Such a pity, now i have read that the ending was also dissatisfying, well..... I am glad I did not finish it. I truly pity LYR, 1 of my favourite actor who indirectly be smeared into this

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It’s great please watch!

Those who gave it a bad rating please watch it again. I haven’t the foggiest clue why you didn’t like it. I will admit I thought the villains were too evil. But I really like Zhuge Yue and Xing Chu. The only complaint I could have is that they focused too much on everyone else instead of these two and the music wasn’t very well thought out. For the two leads you kept getting small scenes here and there with those two, sometimes longer but mostly just short ones. I just started episode 16 so maybe it will get better. Otherwise it’s great. I’ve seen the actor who plays as Zhuge Yue in another movie series and was glad to see him in the lead role not the second male lead. He is a great actor. Him and the Xing Chu, they can act with just their eyes, it’s crazy 🤣! Please watch, no it’s not the same as Princess agents but the road they chose for this sequel was actually a good one. And I’m glad they actually made a sequel for it unlike this other movie series I watched, can’t remember the name, but because the two leads were dating off set and then broke up they decided not to make a sequel when the way it ended it clearly said, “sequel coming up!” Replace one of them then like in this one or both of them for goodness sake. It’s okay it’s been enough time now ☹️. Okay that’s all.

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It’s underrated!

I wanted to drop after the first few episodes. However as I went a long, it’s getting very good. If you hold prejudice because you watched Princess Agent, like myself at first, then I suggest you to keep watching. The story is getting much better than a few hit dramas lately. It is underrated because one production mistake: It should not be heavily linked to Princess Agent. The cast is great, the stories are great. If it has not been a sequel, then it would have been much better than the Female General. The FL has a lot of potential as young as she is. The cast are slowly getting into their roles and they won’t disappoint. The vibe is much different than Princess Agent and I do enjoy it. So give it a try. The rating of 6 is not justified. I would give it at least 7.9 (should be 8, but I hate the first few episodes of past reflections - so unnecessary)

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Enjoyable

I’m a big Princess Agent fan like many and I was so excited Part II is finally out. I was discouraged to see the poor reviews and I normally would skip on dramas that are not well liked. However, no way was I passing up the opportunity to see one of my favorite characters onscreen again. After I finished the drama, I feel this drama was so unfairly reviewed. I cried for weeks after the end of PA and even though this one did not hit me the way PA did, I have to say I enjoyed it. It could be because some people had too high an expectation of the sequel and I had low expectation due to prior reviews? Zhuge Yue was warmer, softer, though Chu Zhao was strong but not as lovable. The story line, especially the ending was meh but I was dedicated to their journey. The ending could have been done better, the FL could have been a stronger actress who stepped up during the intense emotional scenes but despite it’s lacking, I would still recommend this drama to Princess Agent fans.

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Wasted potential

The first 6 episodes of this drama feel like a dream, like a bad dream from which you want to wake up.
I love the world building, the costumes and watching again some of the best chines actors in play.
The trailer of the drama hyped us to expect something incredible, because we have same director who made "The Double".
I can't comment on how good the story is written and developed here because i would need more episodes (and I don't plan to torture myself with more) but from first episodes as viewer I have the feeling that there are things i should have known before watching it to make sense. I haven't read the novel or watched any old TV drama, who lays the foundation of "Rebirth" so I felt lost.
* Acting was horrible and I can't say if it is not the voice dubbing , how the scenes are shot or if some of the actors are indeed talentless. Zhang Kang Le is simply posing Infront of the camera, trying to deliver some emotions aside from his sex appeal. Many of the actors are talking straight to camera doing evil or mischievous faces or blank expression like the FL. The interaction between the characters feel too staged or forced as if they didn't have time to prepare with their lines.
*There were too many illogical things, which directly attack your IQ as viewer.
- First battle in the middle of the lake, our Zhuge Yue was fighting on pile of dead bodies of his soldiers with his few remaining men who were taking hits instead of him. I would understand if they were defending a narrowed passage, but in open field who gathered and stacked these bodies up and most important why? Because the director wanted to have cool scene where general is shot by arrow and falls down the pile of corpses ?
Then Yan Xun army shoot fire arrows, creating a perfect fire circle around the pile of dead bodies even though they never surrounded them and to end this amazing scene they shoot anchor type devices to destroy the ice sheet and sunk them on the bottom of the lake. Just turn off your brain, everything is fine.
-I know that the name of the series is "Rebirth" but which lows of nature need to take place for one of the main characters to die? Stabbed, beaten, sight loss, drowned several times under the ice lake..... everything leads to instant recovery because the next scene demands it. How can you feel as observer that any of these characters would be in a danger. There is no suspense or excitement watching this drama.

The production value looks high, I can't believe we see same director who created "The Double" bombing so hard here.

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Legend of Many Female Generals

The story of Rebirth is stellar. It is a slight disadvantage to have not read the book, but that is compensated by slowing down and reading all the words. Streamed on VIKI and iQIYI, VIKI is always better with subtitles, but IQIYI has enhanced its picture quality. The visuals are so stellar now.

Rebirth is the Legend of many Female Generals, as women dominate this story with two male leads.

The main heroine is a mighty Slave girl who has been trained as a Spy and Military General, and who has acute Martial Arts skills. However, there are so many great women parts in Rebirth, even a woman scorned, who wins many bonus points in her attempts to get even.

The opening 17 minutes of episode 1 of ‘Rebirth’ is highly cinematic and powerful. The audience quickly gets a film explanation of the story and the backstory after the dramatic opening sequence (the story comes from a novel). There is so much information given, but the information is necessary to the up-coming action. I had to pause and rewind a few times to make sure that all that significant information being given was registered. ‘Rebirth’ is a very complex story of friends to enemies who are torn apart by love and politics of expedience. The story also is about a savage hierarchy, mystery, murderous intent and deception, and a slave girl who fights the slave system that binds her. One thing I can say is that I did not get bored. Rebirth is adapted from the novel "The Legend of Chu Qiao: Division 11's Princess Agent" by Xiao Xiang Dong Er. This is the sequel to Princess Agent.

Something else about Rebirth is that like products are “not stealthily placed throughout Asian dramas”, there is plenty of eye candy to keep you moving along. There are many shirtless reveal moments to discover.

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Disappointing

One word: Disappointing
Waiting for 9 years just for this trash sequel.
Acting still not on par with Princess Agent cast
Story too inconsistent
Huang Yang Tiantian’ Chu ciao is still not on the same level as Zhao LiYing one
Yuwen Yue Kenny Lin is still better than Li Yunrui Yuwen Yue
Yanxun is too lovesick till he forget his original vendetta
This Yuan chun is just annoying villain instead of fallen princess good turn bad villain Yuan Chun from Li Qin
It doesn’t matter if they want to change the name hundred time people won’t stop comparing this trash with legendary Princess Agent.
They should made full closure in Princess Agent instead of make a new then marketed it as sequel
Don’t try to make a fool out of audiences

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