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.
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Lawyer/Political stuff that isn't the usual boring fare - its rather fun
I’ll admit that I am in a big drama slump. Part of me doesn’t want to sit through the angst and the other part of me can’t stand weak fluff. Good news, Again My Life is neither. It is intelligent, humorous and full of some serious action….I do mean serious.The Characters:
This is my first show with Lee Joon Gi in it. Can I tell you how awesome he was? Why didn’t any of you tell me about him before? He played the fearless prosecutor Kim Hee Woo. At first, I thought he was a dope. It took fifteen minutes into episode 1 to realize that everyone around him was pretty crooked. Before the half-hour point, the viewer can tell that poor Kim Hee Woo is hopelessly deluded that he would defeat the uber bad guy Cho Tae Seob.
This is not a spoiler, but Cho Tae Seob (nicely played by Lee Kyung Young), the evil but self-righteous assemblyman, has the reckless Hee Woo killed before the end of episode 1 (this point is in the plot summary). Our dead leading man meets a mysterious grim reaper who gives him another chance, asking the dead man to defeat Cho Tae Seob this time.
There are no other leads. I know it says there are in the recap but really this show is about these two men and the cast of characters they surround themselves with. Most of the women, who are awesome and strong, are on Kim Hee Woo’s side (as would I). All the politicians and government officials appear to be on the bad side with Cho Tae Seob.
What makes it more interesting is the two swap minions throughout the episodes. I won’t give a spoiler but there are a few on each side that at times make your head spin because you can’t figure out if they are bad or good. So cool….I mean how entertaining is that! Each week is a surprise who is helping the prosecutor and who is helping the politician.
My favorite of large and fascinating group of folks are Lee Min Soo played by Jung Sang Hoon……a “friend?” of Kim Hee Woo. He has almost all the best lines in the show. My next favorite character is a cameo by Bae Jong Ok who does a 5 minute scene as Chairwoman Chun Ho Ryung. She was bad-a** in Graceful Family and again in the last 5 minutes of this Again My Life.
The Music:
The music for this was FANTASTIC. I will be downloading some of these songs. They never got old……like ever……throughout the entire 16 episodes. Some of my favorites: Bring it on by Sonnet, Til the End by Yoo Sung Eun, and What the gang? By Yoon Do Hyun.
Re-watchability:
This one is hard because I am intrigued by another drama that just came out. I want to rewatch it, especially since they left it as if there would be another 16 episodes but won’t be doing it right away. I loved the show but not enough to immediately watch all over again.
If you like lawyer stuff and political stuff, not a lot of romance, and just enough fantasy to get by, I think Again My Life is for you…..I certainly enjoyed it.
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If you loved Bai Feng Jiu and Dong Hua Dijun in Eternal Love, you might want to watch this show.
This was the first drama I couldn’t wait for. I watched all the YouTube videos showing the making of. I patiently waited until my streaming service had the English translations ready to go. Then in January, I sat down and began what I hoped was the next EL…..which……..sigh, it wasn’t.STORY:
Eternal Love of Dream is the love story of two fun characters from Eternal Love adapted from the novel by the same writer as Eternal Love. The problem with this story is Bai Feng Jiu’s and Dong Hua Dijun’s story is pretty much the only interesting storyline in this entire show. One of the beauties of EL is that it had so many fun characters that it wasn’t just about the leads. Other than the character of Chi Wu played very nicely by Wayne Liu, everyone else was just so-so. Okay. I take that back….Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen’s relationship was very nicely defined (more so than EL) and I will admit I didn’t see anything but bromance in EL, but it is very easy to see there is more to those two in ELOD (It was almost as if they said…..What Censors?).
CHARACTERS:
Of course, Bai Feng Jiu and Dong Hua Dijun are so much more interesting in ELOD because they are fleshed out and have lots of good and bad about them. I didn’t appreciate their mortal arc (but it was well thought out). I do love how Bai Feng Jiu is really good at some things like cooking and sword fighting but still childish and immature up until the Aranya arc. Dilraba is probably one of my favorite Chinese actresses if not the very top. The same goes with Vengo Gao’s performance as the cold and aloof Dong Hua Di Jun. He warms up about the same time the Feng Jiu grows up. Their conclusion was quite nicely done.
Wayne Liu played Yan Chi Wu the obnoxious demon prince out to challenge Dong Hua Dijun to several duels all the time because he thinks his true love Ji Heng will marry Dong Hua. By far, Chi Wu is the MOST interesting character in the entire show. Wayne Liu played 15th Disciple in EL but in this, he is WAY more fun (they even explain the likeness which is silly but who cares).
That’s it. Si Ming’s and Feng Jiu’s relationship in EL was more fun. Lian Song and Cheng Yu were more interesting in ELOD but meh…I didn’t even see their story was concluded. Other than the strangely fascinating pair of Bai Zhen and Zhe Yan (by the end….it was obvious), not one of the characters were fun or deliciously evil.
Ji Heng (Angel Liu), well I feel very sad for the actress. Here she bought the rights to ELOD before EL was released. After EL, there was no female that could play Feng Jiu properly other than Dilraba. If Ji Heng was written the way Angel Liu portrayed her, then eeeeek. She would have been better off trying for the Cheng Yu part. From the first moment Ji Heng was introduced, I hated her and didn’t change my mind with her ending either. I don’t think that was because of Angel Liu but how it was written. (Poor Angel Liu)
MUSIC:
The music was nice, but I didn’t download anything. It was very reminiscent of EL. Again….meh.
REWATCH VALUE:
I’ll admit, I went back to watch the beginning parts with Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen (because the end was so blatant) just to see if they were a couple from the beginning……yep. Other than that, I just couldn’t do it. I may go back and re-watch the bird tribe arc with Chi Wu and Feng Jiu. That was just fun all around.
OVERALL:
If you liked EL, you should watch ELOD. If you like Vengo Gao or Dilraba (and I love them both), then watch ELOD. If you like lots of fun characters which makes Wuxia so much fun…..ELOD, not so much. Truth be told, I put ELOD on hold in March and did not pick it back up to complete until August. It didn't capture my heart as well as EL did. BUT! It was worth finishing.
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THE CHARACTERS
First of all, I did love/hate the characters (that is always a good sign if I hate a character). Jang Hye Sung played very well by Lee Bo Young, well, she was simply repulsive through the first half of the show and then I loved her for the last half. The writers and the actress did a fabulous job fleshing out the somewhat incompetent defense lawyer. From her nasty eating habits to her prickly attitude, she was not boring in the least. She was a perfect foil to the upright forth right outstanding lawyer Cha nicely done by Yoon Sang Hyun and the hot headed but very loyal young Park Soo Ha (Lee Jong Suk – I might have to add him to my oppa list).
The three make for a very interesting and plausible love triangle that did not nauseate me in the least. A whole host of other interesting legal-type characters such as Prosecutor Seo Do Yeon (Lee Da Hee), Defense Lawyer Shin Sang Duk (Yoon Joo Sang), and Judge Kim Kong Sook (Kim Kwang Gyu) plus a few more lawyerly types kept things interesting. A little levity was provided by high school friends played by Park Doo Shik and Kim Ga Eun. All in all, there wasn’t a character that wasn’t nicely written or portrayed in the whole show.
THE STORY
So then, why don’t I give this 10 out of 10? Simply, because it wasn’t funny. It was actually quite scary and sad. We see the murder of parents and the subsequent trials for them. We see a father who was obsessed with always being right….no matter the cost. There is also a case of a false accusation and a mother losing her livelihood because of it, causing the family to be homeless for a time. All of this could be just fine and actually really good, especially the mind reading part if there would just have been a moment of two of humor to alleviate all this trauma……but alas, not ONE joke.
The story is of Park Soo Ha who witnesses Min Joon Kook murdering his father and Jang Hye Sung and Seo Do Yeon also witnessing the murder. The two young women grow up and become lawyers on opposing sides. Park Soo Ha goes to school and spends all his free time practicing martial arts so he can protect Jang Hye Sung who he is eternally grateful to for putting his father’s killer in jail. Years later they meet again and lawyer-ish drama ensues. The older woman/younger man thing is done very nicely….not at all creepy (but I’m a woman and any character played by Lee Jong Suk is just dreamy).
I especially love love love love how the two women (not friends) lawyers learn something about themselves and the law...that is what I really found fun about this show. Interesting women characters are hard to come by and Lee Bo Young and Lee Da Hee were fabulous together....so worth watching just for their performance.
THE MUSIC
The music was not over the top or repetitive, but truth be told, I can’t remember a single song, so it wasn’t very outstanding either. It didn’t hurt the story but I’m not sure if it did anything at all for the story.
CONCLUSION
This is a very well-done lawyer drama that showed a very passionate side to the business of justice. If you like lawyer dramas, then this will definitely entertain you. If you like a scary and manipulative bad guy, then this drama is for you. If you like interesting characters that are well performed, then this show is just perfect for you. If you want a little humor in your drama……well watch it for the lawyer stuff and the cute romance anyway. Then contact me if you can’t find a good drama with humor….those are my favorite types of dramas. I’ve got a list!
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The Story:
This show is the story of an elite crime fighting team that is composed of convicted killers pulled out of prison to catch a serial killer or a lot of serial killers. South Korea must have a very low population with all the serial killers running around in need of capture. The team consists of one drunk cop, a savvy police woman, and three convicted killers. They go on their merry way and clean up the crime ridden streets of Seoul. The subplot involves two of the killers hired to kill the third and a very strange plot twist with the drunk copy (I think I saw it coming but I was captivated just the same).
The story was good and yes, I figured out who the bad guy really was the first episode he was introduced. I thought the actor did a fine job letting the audience know there was something more about him. I won’t tell you more because that would be a spoiler.
The Acting:
Wow. Each character was portrayed very WELL. Of course, Park Hae Jin did a fabulous job as Lee Jung Moon the genius psychopath. I was pleasantly surprised to see spectacular performances from Jo Dong Hyuk and Ma Dong Seok playing the professional hired assassin and the big burly mob enforcer. Wow were their story lines complex and compelling. I loved what both of them did with the characters. They made them so HUMAN (that was the whole point of the show). It was incredible how I loved these three killers in each and ever episode. (Note: that is contrary to my character so that shows how good they were).
Kim Sang Joong played the drunk cop and frankly he did it so well and was such as mess, I wondered if he were a drunk in real life (does anyone know). Kang Ye Won is the token non-victim female in the whole show, and while her character doesn’t develop as well, she still does an incredible job portraying the angsty feeling of her position as the only normal person on the team or maybe even the entire show. But it makes me wonder…Can’t women portray scary serial killers too????? All other women on the show are victims of one kind or another. (grrrrrrr)
The Music:
Truth be told, this show is so gritty that I’m not sure what music there was on it. If the music was meant to make me feel uncomfortable or scared, it did its job. I certainly couldn’t tell you a song that stood out.
Conclusion:
If you like gritty crime dramas, this show is right up your alley. If you like suspense and blood and guts…..start watching this show immediately! If you want romance and an ending that is tied up with a nice neat bow……may I recommend Touch Your Heart or Sweet Dreams. This show is so far away from romance and sweet that you couldn’t see it with a telescope. Bad Guys was a bit intense for me but…..Park Hae Jin (sigh). Frankly if it’s a good story, no matter how nasty and gory, I’ll watch it if he’s in it (shocking..I know).
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HOWEVER, this show wasn’t bad. In the beginning the audience believes the Kahoko is horribly backwards and out of touch with reality with no clear understanding on what is important in life. By the end of episode 10, we realize that we misjudged poor Kahoko and its everyone else and maybe even ourselves that doesn’t have a clue. Kahoko’s priorities and determination become startlingly evident before half the episodes are completed and we come to love her character.
STORY
Kahoko is a pampered and spoiled almost college graduate (or is she really spoiled?) who’s mother and father take care of everything for her including picking out her clothing and waking her up every day. Kahoko is brilliantly played by Takahata Mitsuki and boy howdy did she do an incredible job. By far, this woman is a phenomenal actress with her characterization of Kahoko. If there is any reason to watch this show, it is for her performance alone.
Kahoko starts out as the odd man out amongst a throng of family and one friend Hajime played by Takeuchi Ryoma who does an okay job but doesn’t knock it out of the park like Takahata Mitsuki. Hajime is billed as the one who is honest with Kahoko and helps her move from mama’s little girl to eventually a family matriarch. Of course, a romance blossoms between Kahoko and Hajime. It was definitely unique.
CHARACTERS
Kahoko of course is the best developed character but we shouldn’t discount Hajime who goes from friend, to boyfriend, to someone who realizes how much he needs her in his life. Their progression was really quite lovely. Its Kahoko’s parents that will push your buttons the most. They are responsible for the predicament Kahoko is to begin with. Her father realizes his mistakes but her mother…..I’m torn between hating her for her over-protectiveness and feeling sorry for her when she realizes what her life is all about. Neither do a whole lot to change their ways. Kahoko has to do ALL the work.
Kahoko’s aunts, uncles, and grandparents and one cousin who needs a good spanking are all interesting characters that have a lot to learn and to grow and we get to see some of it over the ten episodes. Their stories are developed enough that its difficult to hate them or be bored because they are growing right along with Kahoko.
CONCLUSION
This was a nice first try at a J-drama. I do recommend it if you are looking for something not too violent or too depressing. It has just the right amount of humor to keep it interesting, even when it gets all artsy with all the family drama. The production value isn’t as good as many k-dramas and certainly the special effects aren’t as well done as the average c-drama. Kahogo no Kahoko is a nice piece of work that makes you think about family relationships and laugh a little along the way. Its worth watching, just not over and over and over like some of the c-drama and k-dramas inspire us to do.
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STORY:
The story is of Ling Ling Qi (a veterinarian by education) who falls in love with a TV personality Bo Hai (Deng Lun) who owns a florist corporation. The two are linked by a faulty sleep bracelet which causes their dreams to intermix – clearly the best part of the entire show. Ling Qi (played by Dilraba) finally gets hired by Bo Hai’s company and proceeds to chase him, then be horribly disappointed by him……hijinks ensue aided by her good friends Lu Bao Ni and Mo Nan. There is a bad guy named William and a nasty female character named Zhou Xin Yan (played by Eternal Love’s Bambi Zhu) that is more annoying as a conniving female in this show than in Eternal Love.
CHARACTERS:
There are 48 episodes and plenty of time to flush out all the characters which they do….but none are exciting in the least. Dilraba is still breathy and slightly whiny but I find her character interesting because she doesn’t stay the same for all 48 episodes and same goes with Deng Lun’s Bo Hai. After watching him in Ashes of Love, I just love him…..if you liked Ashes of Love, this is a good watch…..less stressful but plenty of Deng Lun screen time with a reasonable ending and a tremendous wardrobe.
Mo Nan and Bao Ni were likely the most tortured of all the characters and Chen Yi Long and Wang Rui Zi did a splendid job portraying one half of the lover’s square (not triangle because there were 4 people that made up that sad situation).
By far, Chen Mo played by Zhang Hao Wei was my favorite character as the right-hand man to Bo Hai and love interest to Xin Yan. He was funny and engaging and a superb comic foil to the seriousness of Bo Hai’s character and the lame evil machinations of Xin Yan. When the love story between Ling Qi and Bo Hai dragged a bit, he could be counted on to keep the show lively. I especially loved the situations when he and Ling Qi conspired together.
MUSIC:
Deng Lun sang one of the songs and he did a great job (bias: I love his song from Ashes of Love too), but truth be told, I didn’t download this song like I did his Ashes of Love one. The rest of the music was forgettable and happily not annoying as some songs can be overused in dramas.
OVERALL:
I wrote an article about how this show is a good one to watch to detox and relax and I still believe it. Deng Lun and Dilraba are interesting (especially those dream sequences) and the supporting characters are appropriately tormented enough to keep me entertained but not overwhelmed with emotion. Watch this when you need a break from other Chinese dramas like Ashes of Love or Eternal Love or Legend of Fu Yao. Your brain and your heart will appreciate the respite.
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Why is Revenged Love so adored?
Perhaps this should have been an editorial rather than a review.Regardless, I did enjoy Revenged Love. As a confirmed fujoshi, I do love a good BL (Boys Love) story, whether in book or drama form. If you don’t know what a fujoshi is, just know this was written by a female and directed by a female. There are a bunch of social studies as to why us fujoshis like this genre.
Truth be told, the Chinese do BL better than pretty much anyone else I’ve read. My theory is censorship is so bad, they’ve got to make a compelling story, junk never sees the light of day.
I stuck with this show because of previous reviews, the good and the bad. My hope is this review will help others understand why Revenged Love is worth supporting.
When searching where this was filmed, it is actually a little sketchy, Taiwan or China. Rumors have it filmed in Wuxi which is mainland China.
Why is this important? Censorship.
There are many parts (basically two men kissing) of Revenged Love that are banned in Mainland China. If this bothers you, this is not the drama for you. If this is your first BL, you might want to watch The Untamed, Guardian, or Word of Honor first. They will get your feet wet in this type of genre without the commitment of watching a REAL romance between two men.
If you are a fujoshi like me or want to watch an interesting romance regardless of gender, please fire up the Viki app and enjoy the show.
Characters:
Revenged Love has a primary couple, a secondary couple, and very slyly, a tertiary couple. All six men have some sort of connection to each other. Zi Yu plays the lead character extremely well. Tian Xu Ning made for a compelling broody male lead (I LOVE BROODY MALES) to Zi Yu’s sunny scheming Wu Qi Qiong/Wu Suowei.
Zhan Xuan and Liu Xuan Cheng did well on the secondary romance. I felt their story was fleshed out pretty well and believable.
Story:
The story was engaging, but not the best BL story out there by any stretch of the imagination. When we are talking source material, there are more compelling tales to be turned into dramas.
Wo Suo Wei is a straight man who is violently dumped by his girlfriend. He tries to improve himself, only to be violently dumped again. He wrongfully assumes that Chi Cheng is the cause of all his problems and schemes to get revenge.
Chi Cheng is no innocent. He’s rather a thug until he and Wu Suo Wei grow closer. The other two couples help or hinder this relationship fraught with drama and snakes. Watching them both change because of the relationship is rather sweet.
Oh Yeah. If you can’t stand the sight of snakes, this drama is not for you.
As a whole, Revenged Love seems to be made on the cheap when you compare it to hidden BL stories like Guardian, The Untamed, and Word of Honor. Please don’t let that stop you from watching. This is set in modern day which is much cheaper than fantasy BL.
Dramas like Revenged Love need to be popular and make money.
Why?
So that the really cool banned stories that haven’t seen the light of day like: Eternal Faith (based on Heaven Official’s Blessing), Immortality (based on The Husky and His White Cat Shizun), and Winner is King (based on Sha Po Lang) FINALLY get released.
These are 3 (there are more) FANTASTIC books that were made into drama but NEVER released because of CENSORSHIP in China. My theory if shows like Revenged Love make money and have lots of viewers, some company outside of the mainland will by these unreleased dramas and release them…….because these are amazing shows are on a shelf somewhere rotting away.
Is Revenged Love the best BL out there?
No. But it is the best BL we can put our eyeballs on. So a plea to my fellow fujoshis. Watch. Watch as if the fate of Hua Cheng and Zie Lan depend on it’s success. You may enjoy it like I did.
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Story:
This is a morality play with people portraying virtues or as in this case the faces of God. In episode 1 we are introduced to Jang Man Wol (portrayed perfectly by IU) who is revenge happy and is killing everyone she comes in contact with. With an interesting altercation with the grandmother persona of Ma Go Shin (stunning performance by Seo Yi Sook), she thrusts her angry sword into a tree and becomes the owner of a hotel for ghosts remaining on earth to deal with unresolved issues before moving on to the next step.
Flashforward 1300 years and the Hotel Del Luna is a gorgeous hotel with the anti-hero Jang Man Wol and her interesting employees still helping or not the dead. The hotel requires a human manager to deal with the mortal world and Goo Chan Sung (sigh….Yeo Jin Goo) gets the job (through some interesting back and forth between him and Jang Man Wol). Each episode deals with different guests and their afterlife needs. This show has it all, horror, romance, bromance, suspense, comedy, fantasy, and more. It does tackle the serious subject of holding grudges beautifully
Characters:
There wasn’t one actor that didn’t do a “kick butt” job in this show from IU’s performance as Jang Man Wol to Lee Do Hyun’s insane second male lead story line to the cameo performances from such greats like Candidate #1 and #2 played by Lee Shi Un and Lee Joon Gi (both were amusing). I wrote a couple of articles on the show, so I won’t go into detail nor will I give any spoilers just to say, every character was well written and acted….although I would have loved a little more screen time and lines for the grim reaper because he was just delightful. And the cameo of Kim Soo Hyun at the end…..well worth it just for that scene alone!
Music:
Wow…the music was just exceptionally good, so good I even downloaded a few songs. The Done for Me and Can You See My Heart songs are used in key scenes that just made me cry or shiver in dread. They were my favorite, but the rest were wonderful as well.
Re-watch-ability:
Needless to say, I have already re-watched this all the way through once and picked up a few more key insights that I missed the first time thru. I recommend it because it is just as good, if not better, the second time thru.
Overall:
I JUST LOVED THE MORALITY PLAY! There is something about symbolism and stories of right and wrong that I just adore…I can’t get enough of. HDL really hits it out of the park with the what is good and what is bad question. Hotel Del Luna blends the morality play and the other genre’s beautifully…if you didn’t like it as much as I did…sorry. All I can say is this show speaks to my sensibilities. The writers obviously had me in mind when creating such an awesome show. (Ok not really but it felt like it!)
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