Some Palace Dramas Are More Compelling Than Others
For some time now, I’ve become a fan of Zhang Ling He. I think it was his Second Male Lead role in Love Between a Fairy and a Devil that sealed the deal for me. In The Princess Royale, he does not disappoint and neither does Zhao Jin Mai (Angel Zhao).
Story:
While I am not a big palace drama fan, The Princess Royale starts out with a bang. Both main characters die. Any Chinese show where the main characters, who are married, die in the first episode is typically a good one. They die and are reborn to before they met.
Li Rong (Played by Angel Zhao) is the daughter of the emperor who decides her former life was so bleak that she does not want to marry her husband again…. She believes he killed her. Pei Wen Xuan (played by Zhang Ling He) is in the same boat. Through various hijinks, they both realize they were “reborn” and their deaths were more ambiguous than first imagined.
Here in lies the story. Who caused their deaths? Who is the bad guy?
That said, there’s a secondary arc weaved throughout the forty episodes that had me engaged as soon it popped up in about episode 10. This story was more important to me than the romance of the main couple or any other couple for that matter. The group of seemingly powerless females begin to band together to change their predestined futures.
One reason I hate palace dramas is females have little to no real power, so they scheme and manipulate from behind the scenes. While The Princess Royale is no different, these women do not do it from a “harem” but use their brains and brawn to control their outcomes and the outcomes of the kingdom from a place of power.
I loved it. By far, women working together productively to gain power is a storyline I can get behind.
Characters:
A shout out to the women who ruled the world: Shangguan Ya (played by Cheng Guo), Qin Zhen Zhen (played by He Qiu) and Li Rong. All kicked butt as captivating characters who did not fall victim to their circumstances.
The men also intrigued me. Pei Wen Xuan, Su Rong Qing (played by Chen He Yi), and Li Chuan (played by Liu Xu Wei) really had me confused the entire 40 episodes with who was the bad guy and who wasn’t. Truthfully, it was the bitter end before I figured it out.
No spoiler: There is no easy answer to who is the good guy and who is not for this ENTIRE show. The Princess Royale did a fantastic job showing moral ambiguity brought about by everyone’s selfish motivations.
Music:
The music was lovely but nothing I would download and replay over and over and over. It was well-done just the same.
Overall:
If you like palace dramas, The Princess Royale is perfect for you. If you like great female characters, this is the show to watch. If you want fluff, you might want to try something that requires a little less brain power.
Story:
While I am not a big palace drama fan, The Princess Royale starts out with a bang. Both main characters die. Any Chinese show where the main characters, who are married, die in the first episode is typically a good one. They die and are reborn to before they met.
Li Rong (Played by Angel Zhao) is the daughter of the emperor who decides her former life was so bleak that she does not want to marry her husband again…. She believes he killed her. Pei Wen Xuan (played by Zhang Ling He) is in the same boat. Through various hijinks, they both realize they were “reborn” and their deaths were more ambiguous than first imagined.
Here in lies the story. Who caused their deaths? Who is the bad guy?
That said, there’s a secondary arc weaved throughout the forty episodes that had me engaged as soon it popped up in about episode 10. This story was more important to me than the romance of the main couple or any other couple for that matter. The group of seemingly powerless females begin to band together to change their predestined futures.
One reason I hate palace dramas is females have little to no real power, so they scheme and manipulate from behind the scenes. While The Princess Royale is no different, these women do not do it from a “harem” but use their brains and brawn to control their outcomes and the outcomes of the kingdom from a place of power.
I loved it. By far, women working together productively to gain power is a storyline I can get behind.
Characters:
A shout out to the women who ruled the world: Shangguan Ya (played by Cheng Guo), Qin Zhen Zhen (played by He Qiu) and Li Rong. All kicked butt as captivating characters who did not fall victim to their circumstances.
The men also intrigued me. Pei Wen Xuan, Su Rong Qing (played by Chen He Yi), and Li Chuan (played by Liu Xu Wei) really had me confused the entire 40 episodes with who was the bad guy and who wasn’t. Truthfully, it was the bitter end before I figured it out.
No spoiler: There is no easy answer to who is the good guy and who is not for this ENTIRE show. The Princess Royale did a fantastic job showing moral ambiguity brought about by everyone’s selfish motivations.
Music:
The music was lovely but nothing I would download and replay over and over and over. It was well-done just the same.
Overall:
If you like palace dramas, The Princess Royale is perfect for you. If you like great female characters, this is the show to watch. If you want fluff, you might want to try something that requires a little less brain power.
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