In the original novel, she transmigrated as a 27-year-old army woman from the special forces into a 10-year-old.…
Then I shall wait and see. I have my concerns about pacing and plot, thus waiting for the episodes until episode 18 to give me an idea of whether the guesswork amongst a few of us will be accurate.
In the original novel, she transmigrated as a 27-year-old army woman from the special forces into a 10-year-old.…
So here's my question, which hasn't been answered nor shown across 7 episodes of "Rebirth" and as per my original comment: Is this going to be a transmigration situation and if so, is she going to have a selective memory?
If this involves transmigration and if FL remembers anything of transmigration plus what you have mentioned, then she should remember (be it Zhuge Yue's training without transmigration, or with transmigration as per what you are pointing out) that she must blend in and not stand out in a disadvantageous situation, such as in episode 1. Therefore I still expect her to behave like a seventeen-year-old with people she doesn't trust in these circumstances as per my descriptions. Otherwise she has just failed all my basic expectations pertaining to the basics of spy training, regardless of how she learned her skills... Which so far, she hasn't failed, on this front of blending in. She'll have to be mostly passive for at least 4 episodes.
I definitely expect her combat skills to be handicapped for now, since she's literally been having issues health-wise, for 7 episodes.
Episodes 6 and 7 surprised me for one actor. He's definitely upped the menace factor ever since episode 3, so I stand corrected. I even turned off the sound to rewatch certain scenes in episode 6 and 7, to be certain.
Depending on what you like, some of us consider a significant number of recent C-dramas (anything after 2010) to be based on novels being unrealistic. Anything with a transmigration element is obviously fantasy, but all efforts to make the time travel periods into the past realistic is appreciated. "Dream of Golden Years" that just finished airing was enjoyably realistic enough for the 80s and 90s as a retro drama, even in the little details. The cantonese songs for BGM were spot-on.
Hard reality: If a 17-year-old female can become a general in a Chinese novel, it's already a totally unrealistic premise (unless she trained to become one since she was a little child and there are special circumstances somehow enabling that). In the original ballad of Hua Mulan, Mulan fought for 12 years in the army as a soldier before she returned home and revealed her true gender.
If Chu Qiao is 17 by this point as a general, I will expect her to look like a 17-year-old to be semi-realistic regardless of whatever height she is, preferably without copious amounts of foundation and OD filters turning actors and actresses into barbie dolls. Tanned if in the sun every day, with thick eyebrows and without overly-manicured eyebrows for a slave. The 90s gave me this. And as a 17-year-old who is still lacking in life experience if there are no transmigration elements of an older female in a younger body, act like someone who is wary, somewhat battle-hardened, cannot be too polished in knowing how to react to every situation outside of battle, and definitely not comparable to older generals such as General Cheng Yuan and General Huan Huan.
At this point across 7 episodes, HYTT is inhabiting a role she is supposed to reclaim given the starting premise of episode 1. "Rebirth" starts from the second half of the novel, while "Princess Agents" covers the first half of the novel. I'll presume the author onboard this production knows well enough that this production must be different from the first production, as evinced by the starting points in emotions and official status of the three leads in episode 1 of "Rebirth" being quite different from "Princess Agents".
I'm not here for hardcore realism (given the basis I already pointed out about the novel and recent historical costume dramas loving their slo-mo shots and too much background music at inappropriate moments), but I want semi-realism inclusive of everything else I already noticed in pros and cons of this drama. So far, it's hugely enjoyable for respecting that semi-realism I wanted, including toning down the slo-mo and BGM (although I would prefer that to go down further).
Li Qin as a female general gave me what I wanted in all else including her acting, to compensate for her makeup.
I'll excuse the lack of facial hair on male generals in this drama, since the production team decided to helm to a recognisable degree of makeup.
But if an illiterate village girl can become a general in an army or reach the status of a general without more than 10 years lapsing, be it novel or C-drama, that is too absurd for me and definitely a writing issue. YMMV.
Ximeng, Biantang and Great Yong are neighbouring kingdoms. Biantang is situated firmly between Great Yong and…
I'll be very blunt: A significant number of recent C-dramas (anything after 2010) are based on novels which are unrealistic. Anything with a transmigration element is obviously fantasy, but I appreciate all efforts to make the time travel periods to any past periods realistic in the novel.
If a 17-year-old female can become a general in a Chinese novel regardless of whatever the reason is including transmigration, it's already an unrealistic premise. In the original ballad of Hua Mulan, Mulan fought for 12 years in the army before she returned home and revealed her true gender. Whatever movie variation deviating from this is an artistic interpretation that should be enjoyed for what it is.
Frankly, watch whichever one is preferred, be it "Princess Agents" or "Rebirth" or both. They have different premises and different starting points. The author is on board this production, but not "Princess Agents".
If someone cannot get over the fact that it would be impossible to have the same cast of "Princess Agents" for "Rebirth" and cannot accept what I've pointed out about the unrealistic premise of the original novel to begin with, I will be ignoring their opinions about "Rebirth".
There is a cinematic quality that is lovely, almost reminiscent of "Blades of The Guardians" in the cold reaches of Northern Yan. The action is clean and sharp and punchy, with a certain amount of ruthlessness being satisfactory (although I would have preferred some more bloodletting being made more obvious in two scenes).
Moment I saw the individual names relative to the drama title (this is before I went article-hunting for an MDL friend), the amount of foreshadowing in those four names relative to the drama title was enough for me to mentally and emotionally back off.
There is one recent C-drama where I wondered how anybody who didn't get the simplest literary references for the wuxia themes would catch more than 50% of the context. Not grasping the philosophical aspects on top of that means more than 70% of context for the drama is lost. Relying only on subtitles for that kind of quintessentially Chinese drama heavy in all those aspects drawing on ancient classical Chinese literature is akin to watching the tip of an iceberg and defining the entire iceberg based on a tip, while unaware of missing the rest of the iceberg.
The easiest literary references for all episodes of that drama underlying at least four main relationships with the protagonist are Analects of Confucius, 《诗经》ie Book of Odes, 《溪山琴况》ie Zither Theory of Mountain Streams, and《道德经》(the foundational text of Taoism attributed to Lao Zi.
To fully enjoy the ending requires understanding the Three Schools of Thought (三教) ie Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, especially Mahāyāna Buddhism and Mandarin, otherwise the profound exploration of human nature coming to its inevitable conclusions is just going to whizz over your head. A huge breath of fresh air for me.
By comparison, "Rebirth" is a very different drama which still has me questioning many aspects. Since I presume there's no transmigration from 7 episodes this far in, how the journey of 17-year-old Chu Qiao unfolds in "Rebirth" is what I want to know. I had no expectations for HYTT since I have never watched her in a drama before this, and I'm very pleasantly surprised.
Poor Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun. I'm starting to think Chu Qiao might have to save them. The emotional darkness is what I expected, and my heart goes out to each of them.
For those of you who are curious about this drama or have watched 5 episodes or are happy to discuss this drama…
Ximeng, Biantang and Great Yong are neighbouring kingdoms. Biantang is situated firmly between Great Yong and Ximeng. Great Yong became the dominant power with a strict hierarchy and strong army. Northern Yan used to be a vassal state of Great Yong and shares a border with all three kingdoms but has broken away, to establish its own rule.
The young masters of the noble families in Great Yong enjoy watching female slaves and beasts fight, and their cruel pleasures also include hunting slaves for fun. Chu Qiao despises this slave system she is forced to endure and vows to abolish it. Rescued by Great Yong’s key strategist Zhuge Yue and trained as a spy with fighting abilities, peace and friendship between Yan Xun, Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue permanently sunders at Qingshan Manor because Emperor Zhao of Great Yong frames the hereditary King of Northern Yan (Yan Shicheng ie Yan Xun’s father) who is publicly accused of the worst form of treachery and rebellion, and his entire clan is executed beforehand except for Yan Xun and his mother Consort Yan.
The Emperor via Zhuge Huai of Hongshan Manor also tries to force captive prince Yan Xun (who spent his later years as a youth in the city of Zhenhuang within Great Yong) to publicly identify the heads of his dead family members, who helplessly watched his mother kill herself as part of her final plea to Zhuge Huai to spare Yan Xun.
Chu Qiao saw what happened to Yan Xun and how Zhuge Yue reacted publicly to it all. After certain words from Yan Xun plus what she believes in achieving for herself and those she values, she also helps Yan Xun by restoring the Xiuli army which enables them to escape Great Yong to go to Northern Yan.
Three months after diving into the frozen lake to save Zhuge Yue, Chu Qiao wakes up and is told she will be Queen of Northern Yan. During this time, a war has been raging between Northern Yan and Great Yong, ever since Yan Xun escaped Great Yong with Chu Qiao and rejected Princess Chun’er of Great Yong during their wedding ceremony, who still pines for him.
At the time that Chu Qiao wakes up, Yan Xun and four army leaders of Northern Yan are discussing the situation of the war relative to General Huan and the Black Eagle army of Northern Yan. Chu Qiao learns only later that Yan Xun wanted the frozen lake emptied, to retrieve her.
Chu Qiao doesn’t know that three months ago, Zhuge Yue was found by soldiers in Ximeng, near the border of Northern Yan. Left General Qiu Lin of Ximeng tells the King of Ximeng this is due to the undercurrents of Qianzhang Lake carrying Zhuge Yue to surface near Mount Ximin.
~*~*~*~*~
Thoughts on the drama this far:
Kindness. Betrayal. Redemption. Longing.
Based on the storytelling of 5 episodes this far, the production team knows a sequel must be able to stand alone, so they must alter the emotional starting anchors and trajectory focus of this sequel akin to a remake for an audience that doesn’t know anything about “Princess Agents”.
[制作上，它延续了古装大剧的质感。剧集由《太子妃升职记》导演侣皓吉吉操刀，在视觉风格上极具辨识度。] - Ooh, visual styling inspired by the Director of "Go Princess Go!" (https://kisskh.at/16159-go-princess-go)
I’ve never watched Zhang Kangle or Huangyang Tian Tian in a drama. Li Yunrui forms a pivotal point with these two. Having them start with very specific emotional states and beliefs relative to their positions as anchors are also reflected in the clothes.
Yan Xun and his imperial black robes signify his almost-complete fall into darkness and rise into loneliness of being an Imperial ruler. Zhuge Yue is a walking-dead ghost enslaved by poison but still devoted to Chu Qiao, doing what he can in his hermit robes. No longer the graceful young spymaster and noble lord in charge of Qingshan Manor imprisoned by rules and his position, but forced to become something more random and ruthless while beholden to the King of Ximeng, in order to be able to continue protecting Chu Qiao. Zhuge Yue starts this drama in episode 1 as a ML having his dignity and emotional wellbeing under assault with the aim of completely fracturing him into becoming a slave in all aspects to Ximeng, by the King of Ximeng.
[ 服化道精致考究，从楚乔的戎装、诸葛玥的隐者披风，到燕洵的帝王黑袍，均贴合人物身份与心境。] - Identity and mood of the three main characters are reflected in their costumes.
To start with flashbacks of Yan Xun no longer a naïve idealistic “dragon-slayer”, now a black dragon using power and lies to achieve what he wants: Episodes 1 to 3 is what could have been between Chu Qiao and Yan Xun, who both suspect the other is not trustworthy and have very different agendas but are also reminded of their former selves and bond, hence there is some true sentimentality but ultimately, they each keep the peace and convey what they think the other wants to see.
Yan Xun is obsessed and a man on edge, after witnessing brutality meted out to his clan, while believing Zhuge Yue as his primary friend betraying him in the lead-up to what happened. His obsession with Chu Qiao is understandable also because everything he once believed makes him now certain he was a fool for lies except Chu Qiao. Due to being made to understand the need for self-preservation, he too doubts Chu Qiao despite having feelings for her.
Chu Qiao isn’t having complete amnesia since waking up a second time in three months, but she is aware of questions to ask and details to know. And faking complete amnesia is best, until inevitable.
What was Yan Xun to Chu Qiao? What is Yan Xun to Chu Qiao? What is Zhuge Yue to Chu Qiao? And what is Chu Qiao to Zhuge Yue? Will Yan Xun and Zhuge Yue ever be able to understand each other again?
To understand this necessitates seeing through Chu Qiao’s eyes, hence the trajectory of her rejecting Yan Xun (unless there is a redemption arc of some sort) and how she tries to piece together and decide her feelings towards Zhuge Yue. Yan Xun longs for Chu Qiao. Chu Qiao is grateful and indebted to Zhuge Yue, but is she aware of anything more in herself towards him? If so, what is it? What about Zhuge Yue for Chu Qiao?
“Princess Agents” is about three young main characters growing in different ways. “Rebirth” traverses the Shura nature of humans pertaining to ego and warfare, while exploring redemption, betrayal and justice alongside considerations of patriotism.
Xia Meng as Chun’er is fixated on Yan Xun, and if she remains so, her end will be sad. I want her to um- Wait, that's a spoiler for episode 6. Helian Ling seeks General Cheng Yuan in an alliance aiming to one day be Queen of Northern Yan. Cheng Yuan has his beliefs while fiercely loyal to his king. Yan Xun is too lost in revenge, his mind and heart warped by the emotional transformation of devastating evil exterminating his clan.
Zhuge Yue knows his own position and skills too well. Whatever he might have said to Yan Xun after what happened with Yan Xun's family would be impossible, because of Yan Xun's position and his own position. He was not a hermit then, but a capable military leader, strategist and spymaster who must ultimately treat Yan Xun as a potential enemy of Great Yong to chain and monitor for as long as Yan Xun interacts with him.
His approaches of conveying lessons while camouflaging his true feelings and intentions is apparent in examples, such as buying a rabbit lantern for Chu Qiao.
Kang Yuting as General Huan Huan is my favourite character this far, alongside Zhou Lu La as General Cheng Yuan. And Bai Sheng! Who is the actress role-playing as Yan Xun’s mother?
Also, Xia Meng: Xia Jingshi was a NOOOOO in “Fated Hearts” and in this drama, Yan Xun is a double NOOOOOOOOOO- Xia Meng is wonderfully immersive in her role, Princess Chun’er here being less annoying but just as engaging as Princess Xiyang in “Fated Hearts”.
Will Chu Qiao try to retrieve her armour?
HYTT is conveying the right amounts of tension and grace. Her interactions with General Huan had me enraptured.
~*~*~*~
Issues:
1) would be the gang rape that Xia Meng's character as Princess Zhao Chun'er underwent at the hands of several soldiers. On one hand, the cinematography is beautiful but on the other hand, I would have preferred at least one jarring short moment of that horrible incident to stand out so it cements the horror of such a tragedy: A guttural scream while the camera pans to a broken twig or many leaves on a branch being strongly rustled by wind. Would this pass censorship?
2) Zhang Kang Le has a handsome face-card, but I hope his acting range will expand once he wakes up after episode 3. Be it his scenes with HYTT, General Huan, General Cheng, or other characters, the emoting from his counterparts play a large role in the impact of more than 50% of shared scenes this far. My heart really aches for Yan Xun. Watching what unfolded for him in episode 1 was terrible. I don't know if I could even pull myself back from the brink, because I would have toppled over into despair and shock, after incredible pain and rage. Watching him hold his mother in his arms was heart-wrenching. My eyes got dusty when Bai Sheng appeared and spoke on Jiuluo Platform.
3) Medical issues and cast survival/recovery. By this point, dramas of C-Ent and K-Ent have me somewhat amused about this aspect. "Fated Hearts" and "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" contain multiple examples but didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
4) Slo-mo shots and BGM music. I would have preferred seeing no slo-mo all the way at the start of episode 3, when it comes to Princess Chun'er grabbing Chu Qiao to threaten Yan Xun. So far these two aspects are already less than many historical costume dramas that has been out in the past 5 years, and I hope they will reduce it further. That said, slo-mo for non-combat scenes would be nicer if reduced further.
~*~*~*~*~
Expectations:
By the end of 28 episodes, I want to understand the depth and extent of feelings and ties between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao. I also want to see what becomes of Li Ce and the Prince of Luo. This is the primary responsibility of the crew for the production team, not the cast.
I have questions. Is Yan Xun truly lost to the Shura nature? Should Li Ce become King of Biantang, how will that change the situation between Ximeng, Biantang, Northern Yan and Great Yong? Can Chu Qiao rescue Zhuge Yue? Wait, does he need rescuing?
ETA, after discussing with someone else about whether to include this or not: Please note Chu Qiao's memory is faulty after she fell into Qianzhang Lake. She does not have total amnesia, but is regaining back parts of her memory. This is absolutely necessary, to tell a story of a heroine gradually reclaiming herself and protecting what matters as an essential factor in transforming the destinies of four kingdoms forever.
The summary above is based on what is shown in 5 episodes of "Rebirth" without any reference to the novel or "Princess Agents", because I want to see how this production team intends to tell the story of Chu Qiao, Zhuge Yue and the other characters of the novel as per this drama, since the author is involved.
As to the transmigration factor present in "Princess Agents" and the novel, it is smart to show nothing of that this far. The heroine must reclaim herself, and that element pertaining to her memory-wise would be too jarring at this point. If it surfaces, it should surface only much later in the drama but to avoid the censors and enable a happy ending would require this not being shown at all.
Also, I don't need an exposition dump or a huge backstory to feel horrified and sad for what happened to Yan Xun and Bai Sheng at Jiuyou Platform. I can feel how horrific it is, to see your loved ones not have an intact body, which is disrespectful to the ancestors. Your body is your gift from your parents, and to have no body to bury on top of that (given how they were killed) is to condemn someone's soul to restless wandering as a ghost. To watch what happened to his family is terrible. To see Yan Xun so fundamentally transformed is understandably heartrending. The knife has gone too deep. This insult and evil must be avenged, which is his responsibility and on his personal honour as ruler of Northern Yan..
If one has to insert so much of "Princess Agents" into this drama within seven episodes, then there is no point making this drama. If someone misses "Princess Agents" so much?
Go and watch it.
If someone wants to insist there is no way this drama could match up to "Princess Agents" while refusing to realise the reality of a new cast and the need to retell the novel in a different way for this drama?
No one is saying this drama must match up to "Princess Agents". This is their opinion.
I'll judge this drama on its primary issues ie whether it can convey the essence of the novel and relationships as per the politics and human nature of what unfolds.
I'm glad to see there are PA fans who can understand the need to judge "Rebirth" on its own merits, and it is wonderful.
However, I must add that someone who is a fan of PA but refuses to judge "Rebirth" on its own merits and thus blatantly downgrades this drama as such is being ridiculous.
PA was based on a completely fictional impossible transmigration factor in the novel, for the heroine to become what she is.
To argue that the FL in "Rebirth" is unrealistically young and cannot act well- Hello, the original heroine for "Princess Agents" is supposed to be a 27-year-old in a child's body who eventually reaches 17, and I have to accept that is realistic for "Princess Agents", but HYTT looking 17 and having to pretend to be passive and blend in and be cautious due to survival mode necessary for 7 episodes (without any need yet to allude to transmigration as a factor in this drama) is panned for unrealistic acting and looking too young?
For those of you who are curious about this drama or have watched 5 episodes or are happy to discuss this drama this far, my next comment includes the following:
# A summary of episode 1 and 2
# Thoughts and issues over 5 episodes
# Expectations
The author is onboard this drama unlike "Princess Agents", whereby that production team didn't buy the copyrights to the novel so had to alter names and scenes for the drama. The production teams for "Rebirth" and "Princess Agents" are completely different.
I'm coming in with cautious hopes for an epic about human nature, redemption, personal growth, and country. Considering the themes of kindness, love, betrayal and redemption relative to characters hence I was delighted by the trailer, "Rebirth" is supposed to dive deeply into the Shura aspects of human nature pertaining to warfare and ego and the destinies of four kingdoms once Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue are no longer in the frozen lake as the starting point, which is totally different from "Princess Agents" focusing on the growths and developments of three leads that ended with two characters in the frozen lake. In short, I expect it to get darker for the first 25 episodes of this drama, while unbroken hope becomes a strengthening thread of light and more across the same number of episodes.
它不仅是对 “星玥 CP” 的圆满交代，更是一部关于救赎、成长与家国的史诗。] - Will wait and see whether or not the final 2 paragraphs of what I quoted will come true.
Here are my disclaimers:
My favourite C-Ent couple in a C-Drama is Chang Chen and Ni Ni. My favourite C-Ent movie couple is Lin Ching-hsia with Tony Leung Ka-fai in two movies of the 90s. I generally prefer non-romance dramas and movies in C-Ent. Also, "Rebirth" has some aesthetics which is right up my alley when it comes to 90s of HK movies in styling and makeup and sets for wuxia, recently revisited in much-greater extent in "Blades Of The Guardians" (the wuxia epic that just became the top-grossing wuxia film globally in box office history this month on 1 April).
I dropped "Princess Agents" by the end of the first episode, so I can't help with any opinions on that drama. I tried to get through it one more time and into episode 2, and then dropped it again. Jin Han is an actor I like (he was very likeable in "Jun Jiu Ling" and had good chemistry with Peng Xiaoran despite very bad styling), but his role in "Princess Agents" is what it is, which I gracefully accept.
Try several episodes of "Rebirth" and/or "Princess Agents" depending on what you reckon you want to understand. I found the first 5 episodes of "Rebirth" easy to follow, but different people have different preferences.
Below is what I think this far (I have deliberately left out episodes 6 and 7, because they transformed part of what I was assuming, had me very curious, and definitely deepened what I hoped of the Shura aspects as well as between four kingdoms):
2 episodes. I have finished all 7 episodes, and I am pleased "Rebirth" is developing as per the primary aspects of the article in which I previously read about it. The article writer is correct about those aspects.
Even if this is a sequel, a production team which doesn't understand that the drama needs to be able to develop the necessary for the audience as a standalone would be a disappointment. I like the focus and trajectories of this so far, and I am primarily not a romance-oriented C-Ent watcher.
What I am liking in this drama has some striking similarities to "Blades Of The Guardians", the wuxia epic that just became the top-grossing wuxia film globally in box office history on 1st April this month. The 90s feel and aesthetics is present, but with more modern camerawork and glossier technical specs. I think I should write something about this :D
Yes!!! Pytheos! Wondering where are you;) Our favourite Zhang QiLing is Yan Xun!
I am! Seven episodes in, I am very pleased. This drama is focusing on ensuring the plot unfolds with necessary intricacies and characterisation developments, as well as the promised Shura aspects of human nature pertaining to warfare and ego. It's getting darker, but unbroken hope is also a strengthening thread of light. Very much up my alley!
Yes!!! Pytheos! Wondering where are you;) Our favourite Zhang QiLing is Yan Xun!
Republican-era is definitely your time period! I've enjoyed the first five episodes, and not just because the environmental and individual aesthetics are very much in line with BoTG and older wuxia movies of the 90s. Episodes 6 and 7 will soon be out today. Will write something more-detailed shortly XD
Poor Xia Meng. In "Fated Hearts", she pursued the wrong guy. Here- I internally hollered "NOOOOOOOOOOOO-"…
She is my favourite character at this point. I will be very happy to be carried away by her 😍😍 hence I am a bit jealous of Chu Qiao. I also enjoy watching general Cheng Yuan, who is very shrewd and capable.
Hi Meg! How's the drama so far; the comments make it sound diastrous 😭😭
Friend of Megumi here. I added an earlier comment for context, because a lot of viewers probably don't know that the author is onboard this drama unlike "Princess Agents" whereby that production team didn't buy the copyrights to the novel so had to alter names and scenes for those scenes, the production teams are completely different, and I also shared a mandarin article which discusses the differences of both dramas:
I am finding this a very easy drama to watch, given the execution. There are some medical issues that one also finds in other C-dramas or K-dramas such as "Fated Hearts" and "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty", but won't detract from the enjoyment.
Cast has been enjoyable this far. Bonus: You won't find an entire Sephora store used on a face nor the recently-favoured OD filters of immortal death (a blight within the past 8 years of C-Ent) hence makeup-wise, I can actually enjoy the expressions without overly-manicured eyebrows and overly-painted lips.
Hahahah…I have to comment on the common and popular tropes of falling off cliff and surviving, heart stabbing…
Poor Xia Meng. In "Fated Hearts", she pursued the wrong guy. Here- I internally hollered "NOOOOOOOOOOOO-" Too late. But she has a very sharp ruthless edge here. And I can't quite fault her character for this choice. I myself was quite tempted.
And then General Huan unexpectedly stole my heart <33
Have I mentioned being very pleased with the eyebrows of the ladies?
I haven't watched Princess agents and I don't wanna watch it too cuz of so many eps so I wanna confirm here that…
As to whether you need to watch "Princess Agents" to enjoy this drama, here's a summary including a link to an article in mandarin, which should help you decide whether you feel and see the need to watch "Princess Agents" before this drama:
Dang do I really have to watch Princess Agents before this? I tried watching it last year but got bored and dropped…
This drama looks more like a remake than a sequel. Someone below said the current 5 episodes is at least 80% true to the novel.
Another viewer Owlcritic provided a summary, including pointing out that the production team for "Princess Agents" had to change names and more due to not buying copyrights to the novel, plus "Princess Agents" also had to change scenes to try to avoid plagiarism issues with the novel since the production team didn't have the copyright.
As to primary plagiarism issue, this is due to the author of the novel and not the production team:
"Rebirth" is by a different production team, the author is on board this drama unlike "Princess Agents", and this drama supposedly covers the whole novel while "Princess Agents" only covered half the novel:
I've watched two episodes and for me, given the contents and execution of storyline this far, I don't feel the need to watch "Princess Agents" to enjoy it or emphatise with the characters because the first episode really cuts the heart where it matters. For a sequel, what I have watched comes across more strongly to me as a remake.
ETA to add: This is supposed to be a sequel but what matters is how and what is covered.
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260407A06T9I00 -> This lengthier article explains differences between both dramas, while lauding this new drama for restoring the essence of the original novel, labelling this drama as an epic about redemption, personal growth and country. Considering the themes of kindness, love, betrayal and redemption and what the article is describing about various characters, romance doesn't seem to be a focal point of this drama.
"Dream of Golden Years" is well-executed, for more than 95% of the drama. Why this drama stands out is…
I have my tastes and moods, so I never safely give recs unless I know I am objective during that moment XD
Neo Hou did a good job in FoF as Zhao Yuanzhou (Director GJM didn't even know what he wanted his ML to be). But I prefer less filters, and his role in "Glory" gave him a lot of space to demonstrate his range.
I usually prefer non-romance dramas, unless something makes me squee like "Dream of Golden Years" or "Love and Destiny". "Egg and Stone" as a wuxia parody gave me a stomachache. Storyline always comes first, with certain standards in screenwriting and editing for me. "Rebirth" is now airing, first 5 episodes have dropped on IQiyi. It's a remake, not a prequel or a sequel. The production team for "Princess Agents" only covered half the novel and didn't buy the rights, so they had to change a lot of names. This production team has no such issues, so everyone has original names.
Lol one joker already rated this drama before air 😂
There's another joker who has supposedly watched 40 of 40 episodes and also written a review about how the drama should be done in a totally different way. It's only possible to have watched all 5 episodes out by this point. Wow, this drama is scoring a lot of detractors here. What did the production team do, to deserve this?
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Thank you for letting me know :)
If this involves transmigration and if FL remembers anything of transmigration plus what you have mentioned, then she should remember (be it Zhuge Yue's training without transmigration, or with transmigration as per what you are pointing out) that she must blend in and not stand out in a disadvantageous situation, such as in episode 1. Therefore I still expect her to behave like a seventeen-year-old with people she doesn't trust in these circumstances as per my descriptions. Otherwise she has just failed all my basic expectations pertaining to the basics of spy training, regardless of how she learned her skills... Which so far, she hasn't failed, on this front of blending in. She'll have to be mostly passive for at least 4 episodes.
I definitely expect her combat skills to be handicapped for now, since she's literally been having issues health-wise, for 7 episodes.
https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening#comment-25728214
Episodes 6 and 7 surprised me for one actor. He's definitely upped the menace factor ever since episode 3, so I stand corrected. I even turned off the sound to rewatch certain scenes in episode 6 and 7, to be certain.
Hard reality: If a 17-year-old female can become a general in a Chinese novel, it's already a totally unrealistic premise (unless she trained to become one since she was a little child and there are special circumstances somehow enabling that). In the original ballad of Hua Mulan, Mulan fought for 12 years in the army as a soldier before she returned home and revealed her true gender.
If Chu Qiao is 17 by this point as a general, I will expect her to look like a 17-year-old to be semi-realistic regardless of whatever height she is, preferably without copious amounts of foundation and OD filters turning actors and actresses into barbie dolls. Tanned if in the sun every day, with thick eyebrows and without overly-manicured eyebrows for a slave. The 90s gave me this. And as a 17-year-old who is still lacking in life experience if there are no transmigration elements of an older female in a younger body, act like someone who is wary, somewhat battle-hardened, cannot be too polished in knowing how to react to every situation outside of battle, and definitely not comparable to older generals such as General Cheng Yuan and General Huan Huan.
At this point across 7 episodes, HYTT is inhabiting a role she is supposed to reclaim given the starting premise of episode 1. "Rebirth" starts from the second half of the novel, while "Princess Agents" covers the first half of the novel. I'll presume the author onboard this production knows well enough that this production must be different from the first production, as evinced by the starting points in emotions and official status of the three leads in episode 1 of "Rebirth" being quite different from "Princess Agents".
I'm not here for hardcore realism (given the basis I already pointed out about the novel and recent historical costume dramas loving their slo-mo shots and too much background music at inappropriate moments), but I want semi-realism inclusive of everything else I already noticed in pros and cons of this drama. So far, it's hugely enjoyable for respecting that semi-realism I wanted, including toning down the slo-mo and BGM (although I would prefer that to go down further).
Li Qin as a female general gave me what I wanted in all else including her acting, to compensate for her makeup.
I'll excuse the lack of facial hair on male generals in this drama, since the production team decided to helm to a recognisable degree of makeup.
But if an illiterate village girl can become a general in an army or reach the status of a general without more than 10 years lapsing, be it novel or C-drama, that is too absurd for me and definitely a writing issue. YMMV.
I'm not commenting extensively yet on episodes 6 and 7, but Charles Lin and Li Meng appear, and the plot starts to go for the boiler!
There's a discussion for episodes 1 to 5 here (but understandably people haven't even gotten to episode 5 if depending on Viki):
https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening#comment-25728214
If a 17-year-old female can become a general in a Chinese novel regardless of whatever the reason is including transmigration, it's already an unrealistic premise. In the original ballad of Hua Mulan, Mulan fought for 12 years in the army before she returned home and revealed her true gender. Whatever movie variation deviating from this is an artistic interpretation that should be enjoyed for what it is.
Frankly, watch whichever one is preferred, be it "Princess Agents" or "Rebirth" or both. They have different premises and different starting points. The author is on board this production, but not "Princess Agents".
If someone cannot get over the fact that it would be impossible to have the same cast of "Princess Agents" for "Rebirth" and cannot accept what I've pointed out about the unrealistic premise of the original novel to begin with, I will be ignoring their opinions about "Rebirth".
There is a cinematic quality that is lovely, almost reminiscent of "Blades of The Guardians" in the cold reaches of Northern Yan. The action is clean and sharp and punchy, with a certain amount of ruthlessness being satisfactory (although I would have preferred some more bloodletting being made more obvious in two scenes).
I made a post on the VoS page sharing a certain Reddit thread plus a mandarin article explaining the names of the four main characters in episode 1: https://kisskh.at/761731-the-resurrection-painted-skin#comment-25693810
Moment I saw the individual names relative to the drama title (this is before I went article-hunting for an MDL friend), the amount of foreshadowing in those four names relative to the drama title was enough for me to mentally and emotionally back off.
There is one recent C-drama where I wondered how anybody who didn't get the simplest literary references for the wuxia themes would catch more than 50% of the context. Not grasping the philosophical aspects on top of that means more than 70% of context for the drama is lost. Relying only on subtitles for that kind of quintessentially Chinese drama heavy in all those aspects drawing on ancient classical Chinese literature is akin to watching the tip of an iceberg and defining the entire iceberg based on a tip, while unaware of missing the rest of the iceberg.
The easiest literary references for all episodes of that drama underlying at least four main relationships with the protagonist are Analects of Confucius, 《诗经》ie Book of Odes, 《溪山琴况》ie Zither Theory of Mountain Streams, and《道德经》(the foundational text of Taoism attributed to Lao Zi.
To fully enjoy the ending requires understanding the Three Schools of Thought (三教) ie Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, especially Mahāyāna Buddhism and Mandarin, otherwise the profound exploration of human nature coming to its inevitable conclusions is just going to whizz over your head. A huge breath of fresh air for me.
By comparison, "Rebirth" is a very different drama which still has me questioning many aspects. Since I presume there's no transmigration from 7 episodes this far in, how the journey of 17-year-old Chu Qiao unfolds in "Rebirth" is what I want to know. I had no expectations for HYTT since I have never watched her in a drama before this, and I'm very pleasantly surprised.
Poor Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun. I'm starting to think Chu Qiao might have to save them. The emotional darkness is what I expected, and my heart goes out to each of them.
Curious what you think: https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening#comment-25728214
The young masters of the noble families in Great Yong enjoy watching female slaves and beasts fight, and their cruel pleasures also include hunting slaves for fun. Chu Qiao despises this slave system she is forced to endure and vows to abolish it. Rescued by Great Yong’s key strategist Zhuge Yue and trained as a spy with fighting abilities, peace and friendship between Yan Xun, Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue permanently sunders at Qingshan Manor because Emperor Zhao of Great Yong frames the hereditary King of Northern Yan (Yan Shicheng ie Yan Xun’s father) who is publicly accused of the worst form of treachery and rebellion, and his entire clan is executed beforehand except for Yan Xun and his mother Consort Yan.
The Emperor via Zhuge Huai of Hongshan Manor also tries to force captive prince Yan Xun (who spent his later years as a youth in the city of Zhenhuang within Great Yong) to publicly identify the heads of his dead family members, who helplessly watched his mother kill herself as part of her final plea to Zhuge Huai to spare Yan Xun.
Chu Qiao saw what happened to Yan Xun and how Zhuge Yue reacted publicly to it all. After certain words from Yan Xun plus what she believes in achieving for herself and those she values, she also helps Yan Xun by restoring the Xiuli army which enables them to escape Great Yong to go to Northern Yan.
Three months after diving into the frozen lake to save Zhuge Yue, Chu Qiao wakes up and is told she will be Queen of Northern Yan. During this time, a war has been raging between Northern Yan and Great Yong, ever since Yan Xun escaped Great Yong with Chu Qiao and rejected Princess Chun’er of Great Yong during their wedding ceremony, who still pines for him.
At the time that Chu Qiao wakes up, Yan Xun and four army leaders of Northern Yan are discussing the situation of the war relative to General Huan and the Black Eagle army of Northern Yan. Chu Qiao learns only later that Yan Xun wanted the frozen lake emptied, to retrieve her.
Chu Qiao doesn’t know that three months ago, Zhuge Yue was found by soldiers in Ximeng, near the border of Northern Yan. Left General Qiu Lin of Ximeng tells the King of Ximeng this is due to the undercurrents of Qianzhang Lake carrying Zhuge Yue to surface near Mount Ximin.
~*~*~*~*~
Thoughts on the drama this far:
Kindness. Betrayal. Redemption. Longing.
Based on the storytelling of 5 episodes this far, the production team knows a sequel must be able to stand alone, so they must alter the emotional starting anchors and trajectory focus of this sequel akin to a remake for an audience that doesn’t know anything about “Princess Agents”.
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260407A06T9I00
[制作上，它延续了古装大剧的质感。剧集由《太子妃升职记》导演侣皓吉吉操刀，在视觉风格上极具辨识度。] - Ooh, visual styling inspired by the Director of "Go Princess Go!" (https://kisskh.at/16159-go-princess-go)
I’ve never watched Zhang Kangle or Huangyang Tian Tian in a drama. Li Yunrui forms a pivotal point with these two. Having them start with very specific emotional states and beliefs relative to their positions as anchors are also reflected in the clothes.
Yan Xun and his imperial black robes signify his almost-complete fall into darkness and rise into loneliness of being an Imperial ruler. Zhuge Yue is a walking-dead ghost enslaved by poison but still devoted to Chu Qiao, doing what he can in his hermit robes. No longer the graceful young spymaster and noble lord in charge of Qingshan Manor imprisoned by rules and his position, but forced to become something more random and ruthless while beholden to the King of Ximeng, in order to be able to continue protecting Chu Qiao. Zhuge Yue starts this drama in episode 1 as a ML having his dignity and emotional wellbeing under assault with the aim of completely fracturing him into becoming a slave in all aspects to Ximeng, by the King of Ximeng.
[ 服化道精致考究，从楚乔的戎装、诸葛玥的隐者披风，到燕洵的帝王黑袍，均贴合人物身份与心境。] - Identity and mood of the three main characters are reflected in their costumes.
To start with flashbacks of Yan Xun no longer a naïve idealistic “dragon-slayer”, now a black dragon using power and lies to achieve what he wants: Episodes 1 to 3 is what could have been between Chu Qiao and Yan Xun, who both suspect the other is not trustworthy and have very different agendas but are also reminded of their former selves and bond, hence there is some true sentimentality but ultimately, they each keep the peace and convey what they think the other wants to see.
Yan Xun is obsessed and a man on edge, after witnessing brutality meted out to his clan, while believing Zhuge Yue as his primary friend betraying him in the lead-up to what happened. His obsession with Chu Qiao is understandable also because everything he once believed makes him now certain he was a fool for lies except Chu Qiao. Due to being made to understand the need for self-preservation, he too doubts Chu Qiao despite having feelings for her.
Chu Qiao isn’t having complete amnesia since waking up a second time in three months, but she is aware of questions to ask and details to know. And faking complete amnesia is best, until inevitable.
What was Yan Xun to Chu Qiao? What is Yan Xun to Chu Qiao? What is Zhuge Yue to Chu Qiao? And what is Chu Qiao to Zhuge Yue? Will Yan Xun and Zhuge Yue ever be able to understand each other again?
To understand this necessitates seeing through Chu Qiao’s eyes, hence the trajectory of her rejecting Yan Xun (unless there is a redemption arc of some sort) and how she tries to piece together and decide her feelings towards Zhuge Yue. Yan Xun longs for Chu Qiao. Chu Qiao is grateful and indebted to Zhuge Yue, but is she aware of anything more in herself towards him? If so, what is it? What about Zhuge Yue for Chu Qiao?
“Princess Agents” is about three young main characters growing in different ways. “Rebirth” traverses the Shura nature of humans pertaining to ego and warfare, while exploring redemption, betrayal and justice alongside considerations of patriotism.
Xia Meng as Chun’er is fixated on Yan Xun, and if she remains so, her end will be sad. I want her to um- Wait, that's a spoiler for episode 6. Helian Ling seeks General Cheng Yuan in an alliance aiming to one day be Queen of Northern Yan. Cheng Yuan has his beliefs while fiercely loyal to his king. Yan Xun is too lost in revenge, his mind and heart warped by the emotional transformation of devastating evil exterminating his clan.
Zhuge Yue knows his own position and skills too well. Whatever he might have said to Yan Xun after what happened with Yan Xun's family would be impossible, because of Yan Xun's position and his own position. He was not a hermit then, but a capable military leader, strategist and spymaster who must ultimately treat Yan Xun as a potential enemy of Great Yong to chain and monitor for as long as Yan Xun interacts with him.
His approaches of conveying lessons while camouflaging his true feelings and intentions is apparent in examples, such as buying a rabbit lantern for Chu Qiao.
Kang Yuting as General Huan Huan is my favourite character this far, alongside Zhou Lu La as General Cheng Yuan. And Bai Sheng! Who is the actress role-playing as Yan Xun’s mother?
Also, Xia Meng: Xia Jingshi was a NOOOOO in “Fated Hearts” and in this drama, Yan Xun is a double NOOOOOOOOOO- Xia Meng is wonderfully immersive in her role, Princess Chun’er here being less annoying but just as engaging as Princess Xiyang in “Fated Hearts”.
Will Chu Qiao try to retrieve her armour?
HYTT is conveying the right amounts of tension and grace. Her interactions with General Huan had me enraptured.
~*~*~*~
Issues:
1) would be the gang rape that Xia Meng's character as Princess Zhao Chun'er underwent at the hands of several soldiers. On one hand, the cinematography is beautiful but on the other hand, I would have preferred at least one jarring short moment of that horrible incident to stand out so it cements the horror of such a tragedy: A guttural scream while the camera pans to a broken twig or many leaves on a branch being strongly rustled by wind. Would this pass censorship?
2) Zhang Kang Le has a handsome face-card, but I hope his acting range will expand once he wakes up after episode 3. Be it his scenes with HYTT, General Huan, General Cheng, or other characters, the emoting from his counterparts play a large role in the impact of more than 50% of shared scenes this far. My heart really aches for Yan Xun. Watching what unfolded for him in episode 1 was terrible. I don't know if I could even pull myself back from the brink, because I would have toppled over into despair and shock, after incredible pain and rage. Watching him hold his mother in his arms was heart-wrenching. My eyes got dusty when Bai Sheng appeared and spoke on Jiuluo Platform.
3) Medical issues and cast survival/recovery. By this point, dramas of C-Ent and K-Ent have me somewhat amused about this aspect. "Fated Hearts" and "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" contain multiple examples but didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
4) Slo-mo shots and BGM music. I would have preferred seeing no slo-mo all the way at the start of episode 3, when it comes to Princess Chun'er grabbing Chu Qiao to threaten Yan Xun. So far these two aspects are already less than many historical costume dramas that has been out in the past 5 years, and I hope they will reduce it further. That said, slo-mo for non-combat scenes would be nicer if reduced further.
~*~*~*~*~
Expectations:
By the end of 28 episodes, I want to understand the depth and extent of feelings and ties between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao. I also want to see what becomes of Li Ce and the Prince of Luo. This is the primary responsibility of the crew for the production team, not the cast.
I have questions. Is Yan Xun truly lost to the Shura nature? Should Li Ce become King of Biantang, how will that change the situation between Ximeng, Biantang, Northern Yan and Great Yong? Can Chu Qiao rescue Zhuge Yue? Wait, does he need rescuing?
ETA, after discussing with someone else about whether to include this or not: Please note Chu Qiao's memory is faulty after she fell into Qianzhang Lake. She does not have total amnesia, but is regaining back parts of her memory. This is absolutely necessary, to tell a story of a heroine gradually reclaiming herself and protecting what matters as an essential factor in transforming the destinies of four kingdoms forever.
The summary above is based on what is shown in 5 episodes of "Rebirth" without any reference to the novel or "Princess Agents", because I want to see how this production team intends to tell the story of Chu Qiao, Zhuge Yue and the other characters of the novel as per this drama, since the author is involved.
As to the transmigration factor present in "Princess Agents" and the novel, it is smart to show nothing of that this far. The heroine must reclaim herself, and that element pertaining to her memory-wise would be too jarring at this point. If it surfaces, it should surface only much later in the drama but to avoid the censors and enable a happy ending would require this not being shown at all.
Also, I don't need an exposition dump or a huge backstory to feel horrified and sad for what happened to Yan Xun and Bai Sheng at Jiuyou Platform. I can feel how horrific it is, to see your loved ones not have an intact body, which is disrespectful to the ancestors. Your body is your gift from your parents, and to have no body to bury on top of that (given how they were killed) is to condemn someone's soul to restless wandering as a ghost. To watch what happened to his family is terrible. To see Yan Xun so fundamentally transformed is understandably heartrending. The knife has gone too deep. This insult and evil must be avenged, which is his responsibility and on his personal honour as ruler of Northern Yan..
If one has to insert so much of "Princess Agents" into this drama within seven episodes, then there is no point making this drama. If someone misses "Princess Agents" so much?
Go and watch it.
If someone wants to insist there is no way this drama could match up to "Princess Agents" while refusing to realise the reality of a new cast and the need to retell the novel in a different way for this drama?
No one is saying this drama must match up to "Princess Agents". This is their opinion.
I'll judge this drama on its primary issues ie whether it can convey the essence of the novel and relationships as per the politics and human nature of what unfolds.
I'm glad to see there are PA fans who can understand the need to judge "Rebirth" on its own merits, and it is wonderful.
However, I must add that someone who is a fan of PA but refuses to judge "Rebirth" on its own merits and thus blatantly downgrades this drama as such is being ridiculous.
PA was based on a completely fictional impossible transmigration factor in the novel, for the heroine to become what she is.
To argue that the FL in "Rebirth" is unrealistically young and cannot act well- Hello, the original heroine for "Princess Agents" is supposed to be a 27-year-old in a child's body who eventually reaches 17, and I have to accept that is realistic for "Princess Agents", but HYTT looking 17 and having to pretend to be passive and blend in and be cautious due to survival mode necessary for 7 episodes (without any need yet to allude to transmigration as a factor in this drama) is panned for unrealistic acting and looking too young?
The double standards is ridiculous.
# A summary of episode 1 and 2
# Thoughts and issues over 5 episodes
# Expectations
The author is onboard this drama unlike "Princess Agents", whereby that production team didn't buy the copyrights to the novel so had to alter names and scenes for the drama. The production teams for "Rebirth" and "Princess Agents" are completely different.
I'm coming in with cautious hopes for an epic about human nature, redemption, personal growth, and country. Considering the themes of kindness, love, betrayal and redemption relative to characters hence I was delighted by the trailer, "Rebirth" is supposed to dive deeply into the Shura aspects of human nature pertaining to warfare and ego and the destinies of four kingdoms once Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue are no longer in the frozen lake as the starting point, which is totally different from "Princess Agents" focusing on the growths and developments of three leads that ended with two characters in the frozen lake. In short, I expect it to get darker for the first 25 episodes of this drama, while unbroken hope becomes a strengthening thread of light and more across the same number of episodes.
[权谋上，它撕开了权力对人性的毁灭。如果说前作是少年成长，续作便是人性的修罗场.....
......作为一部续作，《冰湖重生》虽面临阵容大换血的争议，但凭借对原著精髓的还原、紧凑高能的剧情、全员在线的演技，成功站稳了脚跟。
它不仅是对 “星玥 CP” 的圆满交代，更是一部关于救赎、成长与家国的史诗。] - Will wait and see whether or not the final 2 paragraphs of what I quoted will come true.
Here are my disclaimers:
My favourite C-Ent couple in a C-Drama is Chang Chen and Ni Ni. My favourite C-Ent movie couple is Lin Ching-hsia with Tony Leung Ka-fai in two movies of the 90s. I generally prefer non-romance dramas and movies in C-Ent. Also, "Rebirth" has some aesthetics which is right up my alley when it comes to 90s of HK movies in styling and makeup and sets for wuxia, recently revisited in much-greater extent in "Blades Of The Guardians" (the wuxia epic that just became the top-grossing wuxia film globally in box office history this month on 1 April).
I dropped "Princess Agents" by the end of the first episode, so I can't help with any opinions on that drama. I tried to get through it one more time and into episode 2, and then dropped it again. Jin Han is an actor I like (he was very likeable in "Jun Jiu Ling" and had good chemistry with Peng Xiaoran despite very bad styling), but his role in "Princess Agents" is what it is, which I gracefully accept.
Try several episodes of "Rebirth" and/or "Princess Agents" depending on what you reckon you want to understand. I found the first 5 episodes of "Rebirth" easy to follow, but different people have different preferences.
Below is what I think this far (I have deliberately left out episodes 6 and 7, because they transformed part of what I was assuming, had me very curious, and definitely deepened what I hoped of the Shura aspects as well as between four kingdoms):
Even if this is a sequel, a production team which doesn't understand that the drama needs to be able to develop the necessary for the audience as a standalone would be a disappointment. I like the focus and trajectories of this so far, and I am primarily not a romance-oriented C-Ent watcher.
What I am liking in this drama has some striking similarities to "Blades Of The Guardians", the wuxia epic that just became the top-grossing wuxia film globally in box office history on 1st April this month. The 90s feel and aesthetics is present, but with more modern camerawork and glossier technical specs. I think I should write something about this :D
https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening#comment-25713352
I am finding this a very easy drama to watch, given the execution. There are some medical issues that one also finds in other C-dramas or K-dramas such as "Fated Hearts" and "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty", but won't detract from the enjoyment.
Cast has been enjoyable this far. Bonus: You won't find an entire Sephora store used on a face nor the recently-favoured OD filters of immortal death (a blight within the past 8 years of C-Ent) hence makeup-wise, I can actually enjoy the expressions without overly-manicured eyebrows and overly-painted lips.
And then General Huan unexpectedly stole my heart <33
Have I mentioned being very pleased with the eyebrows of the ladies?
https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening#comment-25713352
Another viewer Owlcritic provided a summary, including pointing out that the production team for "Princess Agents" had to change names and more due to not buying copyrights to the novel, plus "Princess Agents" also had to change scenes to try to avoid plagiarism issues with the novel since the production team didn't have the copyright.
As to primary plagiarism issue, this is due to the author of the novel and not the production team:
https://dramapanda.com/2020/06/novoland-pearl-eclipse-author-xiao-ruse.html
https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/plagiarism-scandal-plagues-princess-agents-producers-listed-affiliates
"Rebirth" is by a different production team, the author is on board this drama unlike "Princess Agents", and this drama supposedly covers the whole novel while "Princess Agents" only covered half the novel:
https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening#comment-25705098
I've watched two episodes and for me, given the contents and execution of storyline this far, I don't feel the need to watch "Princess Agents" to enjoy it or emphatise with the characters because the first episode really cuts the heart where it matters. For a sequel, what I have watched comes across more strongly to me as a remake.
ETA to add: This is supposed to be a sequel but what matters is how and what is covered.
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20260407A06T9I00 -> This lengthier article explains differences between both dramas, while lauding this new drama for restoring the essence of the original novel, labelling this drama as an epic about redemption, personal growth and country. Considering the themes of kindness, love, betrayal and redemption and what the article is describing about various characters, romance doesn't seem to be a focal point of this drama.
Neo Hou did a good job in FoF as Zhao Yuanzhou (Director GJM didn't even know what he wanted his ML to be). But I prefer less filters, and his role in "Glory" gave him a lot of space to demonstrate his range.
I usually prefer non-romance dramas, unless something makes me squee like "Dream of Golden Years" or "Love and Destiny". "Egg and Stone" as a wuxia parody gave me a stomachache. Storyline always comes first, with certain standards in screenwriting and editing for me. "Rebirth" is now airing, first 5 episodes have dropped on IQiyi. It's a remake, not a prequel or a sequel. The production team for "Princess Agents" only covered half the novel and didn't buy the rights, so they had to change a lot of names. This production team has no such issues, so everyone has original names.
For more about this drama: https://kisskh.at/766289-frozen-awakening#comment-25705098