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A Necessary Risk to Give "Princess Agents" the Closure It Deserves

First of all, before raising various complaints, there is one thing about Rebirth that deserves appreciation: it is a real credit to the producers and director for continuing the story of Xing and Yue from Princess Agents. Think of it this way: imagine you had followed the Harry Potter series up to Book 6 and then never got the continuation or the ending for many years. That would be incredibly frustrating, wouldn’t it? That’s exactly what happened to us, the fans of Princess Agents, whose story ended with one of the most brutal cliffhangers in all of C-drama land. The cliffhanger hits right at the most climactic moment in the Icy Lake, just as the revelation of Chu Qiao’s true identity was about to unfold.

But what’s past is past. Rebirth is a continuation we’ve been waiting for almost 10 years. There are many things we simply can’t expect anymore, like getting the original leads back. Even if the director had managed to bring back Lin Gengxin and Zhao Liying, Li Qin, Shawn Dou, and Deng Lun, we probably would still find something to complain about. At the very least, Rebirth is produced with better technology and cinematography this time than Princess Agents. In the end, we can still enjoy something that is genuinely watchable, regardless of the controversies surrounding it.

Speaking of the story, there’s a lot of debate about whether this is a true continuation or a standalone project that can be enjoyed without watching Princess Agents first. The answer is both yes and no, each with its own trade-offs. If you’ve watched Princess Agents, you’ll understand much more about the context, background, and emotional weight behind Rebirth. It gives a depth and atmosphere that new viewers simply won’t experience. However, Princess Agents is a very long series, and not everyone has the time or patience to go through it. Skipping it and jumping straight into Rebirth is definitely more practical. The downside is that there will be many things you don’t fully understand, which can be confusing, not only in terms of the plot and narrative but also the characters, the relationship between them, and the theme and settings.

So, before watching this drama, you really need to be clear about where you stand. If you’re new to the world of Xing and Yue, or if you watched Princess Agents a long time ago and have forgotten most of it, your disappointment is completely understandable. What you might recognize is Li Yunrui from Blossom, or you may be expecting the kind of romance often seen in recent “female general” dramas. If that’s your frame of reference, then your disappointment makes perfect sense.

As a fan, I personally feel very satisfied with the arrival of Rebirth. Finally, I get answers to a long-standing question. Knowing the story's continuation in full matters far more to me than seeing beautiful faces on screen, romantic chemistry, or expecting flirtation and “I love you” moments in every episode, or beautiful costumes, lighting, editing, music, and other technical aspects. For me, there are aspects that show Rebirth is not a cheap or shallow story, especially in its themes and messages, the complexity of its conflicts, and the intricacies between characters.

Of course, it’s a drama, a human creation, so it’s never going to be perfect. Like many other viewers, I do hope for improvements here and there, and I can’t ignore the flaws in certain parts. But that’s simply part of watching any drama, no matter the title. Still, beyond all the complaints, I personally choose to focus on what deserves appreciation. This drama feels like an interesting experiment: how a director continues a story from a post-climax point after ten years, while facing the reality that audiences and trends have already changed. For me, the value of Rebirth lies not in its perfection or its ability to please everyone, but in its courage to continue a story that was once left unfinished. Up to episode 19, it’s a solid 8. There are still 21 episodes left before I can give a final verdict, and that’s when the real score for Rebirth will be decided.

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Weird since episode 1

I am sorry. Maybe I am not patient enough, but it is just... wow. This drama has so many big holes in its first 30 minutes! Jaw-dropping. It is incoherent and illogical every minute and every scene.

1. The ML and FL have been practically comrades since childhood. How could ML not know that his friend had changed into another person? Males and females are physically very different in height, voice, and body shape! People should have shouted, "Who are you?!" in front of the emperor. "He is not General He!" The story is crumbling instantly.

2. I wish they had cast a more masculine actress (if any) to play the general role. But why, again, is the FL so beautiful and delicate, like a princess? She should play princess, and I would probably like it. Her face is so smooth. Her fingers are so thin. Her move is so elegant. Her hair is so long and straight. They should give us a more realistic description of "a man hardened by military lifestyle".

3. Got slayed in the abdomen and stabbed in the chest, falling off the cliff, drowned in the river, and yet survived by an unknown method, with the help of an unknown, powerful master from nowhere? Unbelievable. Even, she is still so beautiful, strong, and healthy after 30 days of unconsciousness. This scene is even worse than the one in Princess's Gambit (2025)! The plot armor is so thick. And, after almost dying, she still has the ambition to be a military man and immediately head to the front line again? Please, take more time to recuperate and learn about your situation first!

4. The villain is so disappointing. So evil since the beginning, without explanation why. They should explain more background. How could a scholarly family raise such an evil son? How could he hire a bodyguard assassin, like they never taught him morality and righteousness? Like, they are the treacherous ones in this drama.

I think they should stop promoting this drama by drawing a parallel line or associating it with Legendary Mulan. It is so different. Mulan told a story of a woman turning to a general. It is emancipating, showing the power of determination and having a noble purpose in life. In this drama, FL's general era is already in the past; we never know the process she went through to climb the ladder, and now, we are served the story of how she starts a new life (to be a general again), to avenge the world (and to love somebody, her first and only).

I am sorry if this review is full of rants. I am just unable to ignore the problems.

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It is just another xianxia. All is predictable from episode 1.

Good versus evil? Check. Of course. Simple good versus evil. Just some people want for power and domination versus some people want for peace and love.
Decisive battle as prolog? Check. We can predict another decisive battle near or in the end.
The downfall of evil side? Check. Here we have team black fox versus good fox. We can predict a coming back.
A happy go lucky ML with sad childhood turned into a hero? Check. He is orphaned and predictably will grow to be a chosen one and do great sacrifice later near or in the end, I predict.
A heroic FL turned into a brainless lover? Check. She will be stupid somewhere in the story and lose her badass-ness out of love. Her ooold age won't make her wiser.
A peaceful like fantasy world where people idle and laugh and act like child everyday? Check. It will be destroyed.
An object with powerful magic that keep everything at place? Check. A powerful tree that needs to be protected? What else we got? It will be corrupted.

I drop this one. Finding that it will be 36 episode for a drama full of tropes is too much. It will be boring like hell. Either Yang Mi or Gong Jun won't save this one. If you like it, just go for its nice visual and maybe steamy romance (?), but if you have a bit more intelligence, the story will drought you down. The wardrobe is too beautiful for "fox" spirit clan. Looks too humane and too cute. The battle/ fight scene lack elaboration and complexity. They just shows "typical hand movements" (you know what I mean?) and the enemy is dead, turned into powder. Meanwhile, in other scene, other spirit is died with cut in his throat like a human. How bad is the internal consistency and worldbuilding. This drama celebrates love and romance too much and lacks exploration toward other underexplored themes like justice, self struggle, fight for destiny, compassion toward out-group/ fellow human/ other creatures, simple happy life, adventure and richness of life, etc. Just another xianxia. Watching or not watching this won't make your life better or worse. Sorry, if I am harsh. I'd be better re-watching "Till the End of the Moon" or "Love and Redemption" in the same genre instead of watching this one.

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