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Thame Po - My roman empire!
Some dramas aren’t just stories, they feel like home. You settle in with the characters like you are sinking into the warmth of a familiar chair, surrounded by memories and unspoken feelings. You laugh with them, cry with them and at times, you feel as if you are living through their pain and joy. The emotions are not just shown, but deeply felt.Thame Po was all the above for me. Yes, the story was predictable and cliché at times but somehow the execution is done almost right. It's a romcom that feels familiar but fresh, somehow reminding me why I love these types of plots in the first place.
The chemistry between Po and Thame was the heart of this drama for me. Their relationship was built on small, tender moments rather than grand gestures and it’s this subtle intimacy that makes their connection so real.
The way Thame looks at Po, with such warmth and affection makes their interactions feel genuine and heartfelt. The chemistry is soft and subtle but undeniable and it’s clear they are there for each other without needing to shout it out. There was this unspoken support between them where they constantly lifted each other up, even when things got tough. It’s those quiet, thoughtful moments that make their romance feel so down-to-earth.
The friendship within the Mars group is another part of the drama I enjoyed. Despite all the tensions, drama and misunderstandings, there was a genuine sense of camaraderie between the five members. Their relationships evolve throughout the story and the tension slowly turns into more understanding and support. You can totally feel the love and loyalty between them. It was cool to see a squad where everyone’s got their own vibe, but they still have each other’s backs no matter what.
The drama also addressed the para social relationship between idols and their fans, particularly the tensions that arise when idols are rumoured to be in relationships, like with Pepper's arc. It was refreshing to see this topic tackled head-on, acknowledging the impact these dynamics can have on both the idol and their supporters. However, I felt that the issue was somewhat brushed off in the narrative (in Pepper's case). It would have been better if they had fleshed out that arc more to explore feelings and the consequences, which could have added more depth to the overall storyline.
The music in the drama is another good surprise. The portrayal of the Mars group, led by the LYKN members is on point, adding an extra level of authenticity to the music-driven plot. Their performances are full of energy and the songs are super catchy, which really increases the overall vibe of the drama.
Acting across the board was solid for me. William as Thame stole the show. I was genuinely surprised considering it was his 1st acting project! Est as Po was pretty convincing for me. Whoever paired them together knew what they were doing! Other LYKN members also played their part well!
Overall, for 13 weeks, Thame, Po with Mars entertained me thoroughly. While I do think the series is predictable but it is a sweet ride where characters shine and stand out. I will definitely recommend it if you are in the mood for something heartwarming and easy to watch with the right mix of drama and heartfelt moments.
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If you favor fluff over a serious plot and don't mind filler episodes this Drama may be entertaining for you. Personally I think WWWSK started okayish. Not the most exciting Drama ever but there were some funny scenes and the side couples were cute. I can't say the same about the main couple though. They seemed distant and I honestly couldn't stand Mi So's character. To me her ever lasting smile just seemed fake and therefore her relationship with Yeong Joon was not convincing. The last thing I want to mention is that this drama should have ended after ep 12 because after this point this drama was almost plot free and left me with the thought that the whole drama was boring. Was this review helpful to you?
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A good show to clear your head:)
What I can say about this show:Now that I have finished this show, i can tell my whole judgement. This show is actually good, its not as bad as what most people say in the comments. I’ve been here since release of ep 3 so i can safely tell you that if your planning to watch this don’t get discouraged and go ahead and watch it. It’s a good watch, don’t over analyze it that much:)
Chemistry:
I LOVE IT, Nana and Jang Dongyoon made me stay. Their chemistry is EVERYTHING, hoping for more projects of them together. They compliment each other really well!!
Plotwise:
Now for plotwise, I do agree that it’s not the best of all. It had a good and promising start but the writing went sloppy towards the end.. There was
A LOT of filler moments which sometimes I enjoyed and sometimes not. There was also plenty of moments where something actually progresses but not really, basically dragging it. Like for example they finally knew smth in ep 12 which felt like should’ve been revealed in ep 8 or 9. It was a slow yet just right paced, i really think they could’ve pulled it off if it had proper scriptwriting or writing in terms of transitioning each scenes/story.. Personally it felt like there was two different writers who couldn’t agree on one thing. It made sense but also doesn’t. Anyways, Its good and enjoyable, they had some scenes that made me go 🤯
FINAL STATEMENT:
It’s one of my favorite comfort show and would watch again. Despite everything, I’ll miss this show.
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Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus
31 people found this review helpful
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Amaki Rinko (Takada Kaho) is a perfect 27 year old girl with all the facts. What no one knows, he has no sexual experience. When she accidentally finds out in the bar that even her handsome 27-year-old colleague Kamisaka Gen (Totsuka Shota) is also panics, she confidently invites him to the hotel. They reach an agreement to gain "experience", but their path to "independence and adulthood" is evolving a little more tortuously than they expected ... I don't even write anymore, because it only has a little over 3 hours together, so take a look .
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Reunion at Ruyi Pavilion
2 years after the much loved Legend of Yun Xi ended, the gang got together once more to give us The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion. This is a reunion of the cast and crew, comprising:Director - Lin Jian Long
Screenwriter - Jin Yuan Yuan
Main cast – Ju Jing Yi, Zhang Zhe Han, Xu Jia Qi (Kiki), and Wang You Shuo
Supporting cast - Lu Xing Yu, Chen Jing Yu, Tan Li Min, Tong Rong Qin, Li Rui Chao, and Jin Xiang Dong, among the notable ones
Unfortunately, Merxat isn’t part of the reunion (which is just as well, since the SML’s character here wouldn’t have suited him anyway).
UNOFFICIALLY, this is the sequel to Legend of Yunxi about the reincarnation of Han Yun Xi and Long Fei Ye. OFFICIALLY though, The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion is a totally different story - it’s apparently an extremely loose adaptation of the novel Chong Hou Zhi Lu (宠后之路) aka The Way of Favors by renowned web novelist Xiao Jia Ren (笑佳人). This drama is essentially about LOVE in its many incarnations – affectionate love, enduring love, familiar love, romantic love, playful love, obsessive love, self-love, and selfless love (also known as the ancient Greek’s 8 types of love). Included in the mix are subsets comprising the dreaded love triangle, and the most unusual of all, love gone horribly wrong (more on this later).
This concoction of love themes is set within the context of palace politics with an underlying conspiracy brewing throughout and, to some extent, an exploration of ancient jewellery-making and commercial rivalry between diverse jewellers, chief among them being Ruyi Pavilion (in addition to other “activities” it’s involved in) and Feng Lai Yi, the royally-commissioned supplier of palace jewellery. Although the synopsis says otherwise, I really consider these as mere side stories and plot devices that accentuate the main story, which really is all about LOVE through its assorted manifestations among the various characters.
This drama is largely character driven rather than concentrated on an intricately woven plot. The plot itself is rather straightforward and the so-called villains contained therein belong to the quite harmless category. I do appreciate its unique premise that centres around the fascinating concept of foreboding dreams, much like LoYX’s distinct focus on detoxifying poisons as a healing art. Sadly, this concept was not explored in-depth but instead only fleetingly referenced at the beginning of the show. This has led to much discussion on the cut scenes involving dream sequences (particularly in episode 1) in both the Chinese and International versions of this drama. The uncut version is available on cable subscription in certain regions and, having seen the deleted footage, I can safely conclude that it does not diminish the overall storytelling. As such, viewers can be rest assured to enjoy this drama with a peace of mind and without fear of plot holes to adversely impact your viewing experience.
This is a well made production with excellent quality art direction and cinematography. However, the editing is rather choppy which is made glaringly obvious particularly during scene transitions. For the most part, the wuxia action scenes have been superbly choreographed. Interestingly, these martial arts skills (particularly the Qinggong 轻功) feature prominently during courtship and dating scenes e.g. the dashing male protagonists holding the female love interest tightly in their arms as they gracefully leap across the night sky from roof to roof or to the top of the watch tower to gaze longingly upon the constellation of stars and even the floating Kongming lanterns孔明灯 (definitely more visually stunning and stylishly romantic when compared to using the clumsy step ladder). Without doubt, the martial arts choreography reached its zenith through the spectacular display of awesome swordsmanship by the main characters of Prince Su and Prince An during the night skirmish in episode 31.
The FL Fu Rong is a character that’s supposedly written to be adorably cute, selflessly courageous, and intelligently bright. Whether intentionally or not, the character design did come across as somewhat immature and irrational at times, thus infuriating certain segments of viewers. However, seeing as all that’s well ends well, I have since resigned to the fact that the FL for this show is not written to be as consistently strong and intelligent as the character Han Yun Xi in LoYX. I’m a big fan of Ju Jing Yi and I thought she delivered what was expected of her, since actors can only work with what they’re given. The other aspect that bothers me somewhat is JJY’s heavy makeup and excessive red eye shadow (much like in In a Class of Her Own). I honestly hope that her makeup team would make the necessary adjustments to tone down the vampire with conjunctivitis look in her future projects. She did look much better in LoYX back in 2018 anyway, so sometimes less is definitely more.
On the other hand, I’m quite pleased with some of the other main characters. The ML Prince Su initially gave me Long Fei Ye vibes, the cold and stoic military man. He turned out to be much more that that - he gave us a nuanced display of emotive expressions and glimpses of a cheeky and mischievous side. Zhang Zhe Han has done a brilliant job here and portrayed probably his most endearing moment of the show when he cried his guts out in episode 21. That visibly touching scene truly tugged at the heartstrings and you cannot but sympathise with his insufferable plight. A masterclass in acting perfection indeed.
The highlight of the entire show is undoubtedly the delightful interactions and amazing chemistry between the OTP that’s reminiscent of their time together in LoYX. It’s as if they had stayed married and never parted ways since 2018. From their hilarious first encounter, to their eventual acceptance of each other as lovers and soul mates, and finally working together hand in hand to unravel the underlying conspiracy, their romantic development is somewhat slow burn this time but still evenly paced where they finally get together around the halfway mark. Although they encounter much adversity along the way, these are promptly resolved without the prolonged angst and the OTP’s many sweet moments throughout more than make up for those anxieties.
The SML, Prince An, is played by Liu Yi Chang in what is perhaps his first serious role as a “villain”, compared to his previous roles in youth and comedy dramas. As the “third wheel” of the low angst (and highly implausible) love triangle, he is perhaps the perfect example of how “love”, no matter how one-sided, can go wrong on so many levels – by being the only guy who has ever given away, willingly, the love of his life to another rival (considered to be his bitter enemy, no less) to be married. Such a magnanimous character indeed. His version of the lovelorn and vengeful antagonist who is seemingly motivated by familial piety and misplaced sense of justice is as feeble as the basis of his motivations. What started out promisingly in the first 5 episodes devolved into a depiction of an utterly unbelievable twisted psychosis of love sickness and vengeance.
Meanwhile, the second couple is truly a pleasure to observe. Portrayed by the exquisitely talented and gorgeous Kiki Xu and the undeniably charismatic Wang You Shou (with a really captivating voice), the supporting characters of Fu Xuan and Wu Bai Qi are one of the major compelling reasons that kept me watching this show. I honestly find their individual character growth as well as their emotional connection when they eventually got together to be extremely well written and remarkably depicted. How their entire story arc unfolded, is so believable and relatable without ever being contrived, cringeworthy or OTT. Fantastic portrayal and outstanding acting! At times, I do wonder whether Fu Xuan and Fu Rong are biological siblings for they seem worlds apart. Perhaps the screenwriters would know the answer to this.
There are side characters who compete for attention in annoying the heck out of viewers. None more so than the unholy trinity of the Emperor, the Marquis, and the Princess. The Emperor, played by Chang Cheng (who was much more pleasant in Love is Sweet), antagonises with his peculiar mix of incompetence and fanaticism in matchmaking his son with what he considers to be the “proper noble wife". Lu Xing Yu’s Marquis Zhang is the perfect example of the lousy parent. Even from beyond his grave, his villainy continues to cause much torment. The Princess of Xihe, Cui Wan is one of the most infuriating characters ever created for a C-drama. Jiang Shan’s portrayal of this idiotic, bratty and loathsome airhead leaves us all tremendously exasperated and literally gasping for air.
The OST for this show is truly exceptional. Comprising 5 tracks, 3 of which were sung by JJY while Kiki sings one track. JJY’s singing, as always is enthralling, much like her OST for LoY. Her rendition of the opening theme is particularly touching while the duet, Dreams Crossing is hauntingly enchanting. Kiki showcases her soulful side through her song, Deep Feelings. Track listing as follows:
古画Ancient Painting - 鞠婧祎Ju JingYi
芙蓉Fu Rong - 鞠婧祎Ju JingYi
梦渡Dreams Crossing - 鞠婧祎·霍尊Ju JingYi·Henry Huo
意浓Deep Feelings - 许佳琪Xu Jia Qi
祈愿Make a Wish - 孔肖吟Kong Xiao Yin
The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion is, to many, a much needed “sequel” to the uncertain outcome of Legend of Yunxi. Although we were given alternate endings then, there was a feeling of unresolved emotions that needed a proper closure. Fortunately, the production team gave us a definite happily ever after ending this time. I believe fans of LoYX would probably savour this more than those who have not watched the “parent story”. There were many references that paid homage to LoYX in easter eggs such as the puppet show highlighting the story of Han Yun Xi and Long Fei Ye, as well as the “cold poison” that afflicted the MLs of both dramas. Having said that, I think this drama provides enough entertainment value for newcomers to the romance between Ju Jing Yi and Zhang Zhe Han, who also get the value-added second couple’s romance between Kiki Xu and Wang You Shou. Despite its imperfections and not surpassing LoYX’s overall quality of script and storytelling, I still had fun watching this show, and I think most viewers would too.
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It's sweet, but not too sweet
This drama has pretty good elements, from cast to story. As you can expect in the title, perfect and casual, there's a character that is taking on the role of perfect and there's another that ruins everything with their casual ways.For a contract marriage, I did not expect Si Nian to actually be this sweet throughout the drama. There are moments where you can see the way he treats Yun Shu is all for her best interest which is great and he doesn't do it in the "I'm going to bully you" way but in a caring way that lets her understand.
I honestly forget that they were in that student-teacher relationship throughout the series because it's both their first loves and it brings on that perfect first love vibe.
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The perfect drama to glorify toxicity
Just why in the world would they make Jaeeon in ep9 show his true colors and how he was never serious about Nabi, how he was absolutely shitty towards Dohyeok, how he asked her out just because he wanted to "win" over Dohyeok, make him yell at her, twist her wrist, actually harass her, sl*t shame her for being in a fwb with him, mock Dohyeok and so much more, AND she even threw him off her life, just for this crappy, mediocre and incredibly dangerous ending?This isn't even about which ship won at the end or shipping anymore at all, it's about an awfully dangerous message that this drama sends. They're saying "it doesn't matter if they guy you like is toxic, a potential abuser and player, and if you're gonna get hurt, just go for it because he has a nice d!ck!!"
This is seriously such a huge waste of cast, potential, and everything. This drama could've been one of the best if they properly showed how NOT to act in a toxic relationship, but at the end of the day all they did was literally glorify an abuser and cheater. Like someone else said, the writers were progressive enough to write about same sex relationships, friends with benefits, open relationship, but were unable to give the leads a proper ending? If the writers of Love Alarm couldn't make Sunoh end up with Jojo even though Sunoh was a thousand times a better option than Jaeeon, why would Nevertheless writers do something like this, and why would the webtoon creator even allow this, AND why would Song Kang and Sohee do this too? From the interviews, they looked like they didn't approve of Jaeeon (as they should) and kept rooting for Nabi to snap out of it.
Honestly, this is all so disappointing. Someone should cut out all Soljiwan's scenes for anyone interested in the Girl Love plot without having to go through the painful experience of this drama. Bitna and Gyuhyun had so much more development than Nabi and Jaeeon despite the awful screentime cut. A seriously awful drama. Only giving 2.5 stars for Jonghyeop and each supporting couple only (and .5 for the sunbaes).
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How did everyone think this was ok to put out lmao
I have very mixed reactions about this show partly because it has my favorite cast of all time but now i wonder what made me like them in the first place.When i watched the first 2 eps i was already a bit shocked because there was fruit fly and mice p*rn and i was confused as to whether this even was a korean high budget show and not some deranged low budget web series.
PROS:
1. OSTs were amazing
2. Loved santi he was the only sanctuary from the mess
3. Did send a pretty hopeful message in the beginning atleast, to parents who want to have children but are suffering from infertility (though it later went wrong)
CONS:
1. Hated the characters: Gong ryung cheated on his fiancee go-eun no matter how much you try to sugar coat it and eve slept with him despite knowing he was engaged. All the space ship residents were annoying af and they did not deserve any screen time. The moms were the worst of it all, bad acting, bad storyline and bad execution.
2. No chemistry: None of the couples have any chemistry and I mean NONE. Gong ryung and eve just "fell" for each other because she was rude and he stitched her toe like wtf, the side couples also had no chemistry and they were unnecessary.
3. Zero logic: They literally explain themselves that it is IMPOSSIBLE for ppl to have s*x up there because of zero gravity, freezing temps etc. yet they magically manage to do it and also have a successfully implantation, despite the probability of both being extremely extremely low. Now i can get past the whole pregnancy stuff but like honestly how did her fetus withstand the force of 4G when she went up to space? like correct me if i'm wrong (i am not a doctor) but isn't the fetus more unstable in early stages of pregnancy? so logically shouldn't she have lost it when she went up to space and her environment suddenly changed?
4. Very bad pacing: slow paced in the beginning, fast in the end
5. No real ending: I'm confused as to whether this is birth propaganda or birth control propaganda lmfao. Like she gets pregnant and she decided to give birth but dies after labour which literally discourages women from giving birth. Like myb they might want to send out the msg that "look some women out here literally die to give birth in space then why can't you just give birth on earth with ob-gyns like gong ryung who will help you and let you have a perfectly safe birth and a happy family?" and the monologue in the end where they play a shit ton of baby videos felt morbid like idk why but it felt eerie af.
6. very bad way to deal with a lot of topics like fertility, adoption and birth: Imo this drama makes woman seem like nothing more than just birthing machines...Its so painfully obvious that they are pro-life and not pro-choice that i'm genuinely afraid for women in sk because its literally selling the idea that giving birth at the risk of your own life is motherly and "normal", like i am pro life on some instances but not when the mother would literally DIE if she gave birth like that is not okay, and nobody is even telling her that an abortion is ok because her giving birth is a death sentence for both the kid and her because a motherless child in space is not better of period! and why does the mother always die is the real question in these dramas.
7. No payback for the "evil": eve's mother doesn't get payback she is forgiven just because she adopted another kid and tried to donate her blood, the chairman of mz group does not get payback and he just continues to be successful professionally and he is forgiven solely because his love for his grandchild drove his actions.
8. Acting: My two favorite actors Lee Minho and Gong hyojin made me forget what i liked about their acting in the first place. this show was genuinely so bad that i forgot about their past projects. They had zero chemistry and the acting felt too casual like i felt like they weren't even trying..;
My theory: My personal conspiracy theory is that they killed eve in the end because she "killed" the morulas, maybe its a message that abortion is bad and that "murderers" get payback? like they want to send the message that those who choose abortion are just murderers who don't deserve to live happily. I also feel like they want to make babies the answer to everything like "a shitty relationship can be fixed with babies (Gonng ryung and eve ) and (goeun and other guy)"..." Your sad and traumatic past can be overcome with pregnancy!".....
Overall I think that the actors were compensated very very well to want to partake in this mess of a show, despite thinking it was a horrible show I will give it a 6 for santi, the filmography and the budget.
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The Doting Wife
Not Rebel Princess, Monarch Industry, or Emperor Phoenix. The Doting Wife is the most appropriate name and should have been the official title of this long-drawn melodrama. After 2 months and 68 episodes, there can be no denying that although this drama is about Zhang Ziyi, it has nothing to do with her being rebellious (except maybe against her father), but rather everything to do with her being the loving wife who could “do no wrong” in an epic romance.This production wrapped up filming in 2018 and is ZZY’s first ever TV series. She personally bankrolled this project and even had the final say on casting decisions. She recruited a renowned production team, some of whom she had worked with in the past, and they include the following:
Director – Hou Yong (Jasmine Women, Hero)
Art Director – Han Zhong (House of Flying Daggers)
Cinematographer - Philippe Le Sourd (The Grandmaster)
Long story short, this drama absolutely toyed with my emotions and in all honesty, I was left rather disillusioned by the end of it all. However, I attribute this towards my personal expectations instead of an objective evaluation which therefore should not detract from what has been a well-made production. For the most part.
The Rebel Princess is based on Mei Yu Zhe’s first novel, Imperial Industry which was published in 2007 and released in two volumes, Emperor’s Industry Parts 1 and 2. It tells the story of A’Wu, a prominent noblewoman of Shangyang County with royal blood flowing in her veins and who possesses all the wholesome qualities of beauty and talents befitting a highborn. These qualities would eventually endear her to a renowned military commander, Xiao Qi. Together, they would overcome all obstacles and enemies near and far as their love conquers everything in their way to establishing a new era of peace in the kingdom. Something like that, as I was given to understand having not actually read the novel.
The drama pretty much plays out the general plot of the source material but with some deviation in the characterization of the main protagonist, according to viewers. Mei Yu Zhe (aka Amei) is a popular contemporary novelist who is famed for being the “Love Queen” of romance fiction.
Production, direction, art direction and set designs, costumes, cinematography, and sound editing:
The technical aspects are done to near perfection. This is a big budget production of the highest quality filled with a brazen display of grandeur and opulence. Every detail shown is gorgeous and visually stunning. The architecture of the palace and mansions, the lavish interior settings, and intricately designed luxurious costumes for the nobles. The cinematography comprising the effective use of interior lighting, exquisite camerawork and framing of many pivotal moments beautifully capture the essence of those scenes, which are further enhanced by the impeccable sound editing and accompaniment of orchestral BGM.
It’s worth mentioning that discerning and keen-eyed viewers have taken note of anachronisms that were present in the drama. In particular, the design and tailoring of certain costumes worn by A’Wu, among others. The more obvious one would be the Game of Thrones-inspired black armour worn by Xiao Qi’s battalion which simply couldn’t have existed in Imperial China. Although this is a work of fiction, I speculate that the drama is set during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a period of internal political strife and wars between the central plains and the northern invaders. The scripted dialogue did quote Zhuge Liang after all from the preceding era of the Three Kingdoms. However, I shall suspend disbelief and accept the costume designers taking liberties on this aspect.
It has to be said that the drama progresses at a very uneven pace that corresponds to several major story arcs. The first 20 episodes were very engaging and fast paced. Subsequently after that, the drama slowed down with intermittent dramatic moments and minimal action of note, spread over the course of 30 episodes before slowly picking up the momentum again. The final episode was truly thrilling, but felt rushed, with many shocking twists crammed into a space of 45 minutes.
Acting and cast:
With the exception of the minor supporting cast, the leads and a number of the main supporting cast gave a decent account of themselves.
The legendary Zhang Ziyi needs no introduction, where her list of achievements speaks for itself. She makes the transition from the big screen to the small screen seamlessly and the quality of her portrayal of A’Wu remained steadfast throughout, although towards the latter stages of the show I wished she had injected a bit more intensity and variety in the character’s expressions. The major qualm lies in the fact that at the age of 39, she played a 15-year old character at the very beginning. Nobody, not even her, can pull this off. Fortunately that story arc did not last long so all is forgiven once her character matures into adulthood.
Zhou Yi Wei was handpicked by ZZY for this starring role and we finally understand why. His phenomenal depiction of the stoic but hopeless romantic Xiao Qi has set many viewers’ hearts fluttering. Despite not possessing the effeminate looks and rabid popularity of boyband idols (which is a good thing, in fact), this is a real actor with a mature charisma that makes his version of the ML appears every inch the real life ancient general. His scene-stealing presence is no doubt cultivated by the immense talent that he has, as can be seen in his previous works in Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy, and many others in his ever growing portfolio.
As for the supporting cast, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Yu He Wei and Angie Chiu who portrayed husband and wife, as well as parents to A’Wu. These 2 veterans have been consistent for many years and their experience is extremely telling, particularly He Wei’s Wang Lin in the way he sold his performance to me. Yuan Hong was fun to watch with his Helan Zhen. Admittedly midway through I started to take him less seriously as a result of watching him in Blessed Girl which was airing concurrently.
In contrast, I wasn’t really invested in Yang You Ning’s portrayal of Zi Dan, as I felt his acting and expressions were somewhat mono-dimensional. Likewise Liu Duan Duan’s Song Huai En, the portrayal lacks the sufficient depth heading towards the bitter end. The weakest performance has to be from Zeng Yi Xuan as Wang Qian, A’Wu’s treacherous cousin.
Screenplay and characters:
Whether it is the source material or adaptation, or perhaps both, the way the story unfolds does not entirely meet my personal expectations. I went into this show anticipating something akin to Nirvana in Fire and The Rise of Phoenixes with heavy focus on clever political machinations and multifaceted power dynamics. I realise now that the core of the story is essentially about romance, jealousy and betrayals. Rather than a political drama with some romance, it is the other way round – an almost theatrical romance with some politics as a side story.
There is more than enough love, lust and toxicity to go around with every character in its multitude of forms. The non-exhaustive list includes attempted rape, sexual assault, three men pining for the same married woman, women pining for married men, the murdered lover, attempted drugging, forced contraception, pregnancies and miscarriages, child abuse, estranged marriages, forced marriages, secret affairs, old flames... And this is before we even get to the regicide, patricide and fratricide. Although this isn’t exactly my cup of tea, I have to acknowledge its single minded tenacity in defining for viewers the true definition of melodrama, complete with vicissitudes and histrionics.
The main characters are generally adequately written. A’Wu arguably does display traits of a Mary Sue, albeit a flawed version within this context. The author was perhaps attempting to showcase the character as virtuous, morally upright and principled but the character comes across as aloof and self-righteous instead. Meanwhile Xiao Qi is the shining example of the ancient heroic general and the perfect gentleman. Wang Lin, as the Prime Minister, is a character I particularly relished. Although an antagonist, I thought the character was worthy of a better ending than the one that befell him.
However I found it somewhat unconvincing and ludicrous how certain characters experienced sudden shifts in personality and motive towards the second half of the show. Song Huai En suddenly had his “head turned” having experienced confusing visions/ dreams of A’Wu. Helan Zhen, the imposing grassland warrior and mortal enemy of Xiao Qi, despite having his limb chopped off and falling thousands of feet off a suspension bridge only to survive to challenge for A’Wu’s affections. There are several other examples of irrational out-of-character behaviours but I shall end my nit-picking here before going overboard.
Action choreography:
This is primarily a historical with minimal wuxia elements, and therefore the action sequences are more grounded and less spectacular, which is the case with the sword fighting sequences. The action is instead predominantly focused on battles between opposing armies and on sieges laid on castles along with the use of catapults, chariots, war horses and other armaments. The battle scenes are fast, furious and frantic.
However the CGI utilised for the visual effects is not exactly the best in the genre and it has to be said that the camerawork for all battle scenes is average, with the typical reliance on repeated sudden zoom shots and unsteady pan shots while accompanied by dramatic sound effects. The coordinated stunts of soldiers engaged in fierce combat appear contrived, with only a handful of stuntmen performing the actual fighting. The armour worn by the soldiers appear obviously ill-fitted, especially the oversized unconventional helmets worn by Xiao Qi’s men, as opposed to those used by the palace guards and imperial soldiers.
Music:
The OSTs are one of the best ever composed for a historical drama. I love 3 tracks in particular. The beautiful opening theme Ode to Shangyang, the powerful ending theme At All Corners of the Earth which was performed as a duet featuring two men (most people were unaware that the”female” voice belonged to Zhou Shen), and the hauntingly evocative Hope For which slowly builds up to a climactic end.
Full listing as follows:
Ode to Shangyang (上阳赋) - Tan Wei Wei (Opening theme song)
At All Corners of the Earth (天涯尽处) - Hu Xia & Zhou Shen (Ending theme song)
Love in This Lifetime (爱于此生) - Elvis Wang
Looking Into the Distance (遥望) - Zheng Yun Long
Lonely Heart (孤心) - Shuang Sheng
Tomorrow (明夕何夕) - Mei Xi
Hope For (盼) - Claire Kuo
Overall:
Objectively speaking, The Rebel Princess is undoubtedly a beautifully-crafted drama. The execution of most aspects is done to near perfection. With the exception of the story, which I feel is overly melodramatic. The genre “Life” should not be tagged to this drama, because the depiction is larger than life and too heavily romanticized to be realistic, even as far as historicals and palace dramas are concerned. Despite my reservations, however, this drama is still worth a watch if you can spare your time for 68 episodes.
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Halfway through I knew this won't be getting a season 2.
A star-studded cast, grand production, and enthusiastic promotions have resulted in a lacklustre show. I don't know whether it's the limitation that a 6-episode format provides or poor direction that made this show purely average. The action, the dialogue scenes, the setup scenes everything could've been so much better. A very hopeful concept which is why the viewer is intrigued, yet repetitive details same as every other story told before this one. There's nothing to expect from the show, because what good is a brilliant set if it doesn't contribute to a proper story. I am disappointed because it had so much potential. It did make for something good to binge on, only because of the cast. But I am sure I won't be giving this a rewatch.Was this review helpful to you?
Choice A or Choice B, live life without regrets
This is not your typical rom-com. The drama’s concept of “what if” is that the female lead is at a crossroad and has to choose between two paths. The drama shows us how these two choices play out at the same time in a parallel sort of way (think the USA movie Sliding Doors). In episode 3, the drama splits in two. Timeline 1, the female lead gets off the bus and stays at her small town with her loving boyfriend. Timeline 2, the female lead stays on the bus and moves to the big city for work. Both timelines are real.Note, this is a female centric drama so the whole story focuses on Zhong Chu Xi two characters. There are two male leads Liu Xue Yi (small town boyfriend) and Lin Yu Shen (boss in the big city) which I felt shared almost equal screen time.
“Live life without regrets” is the message of the drama that the writers executed perfectly. The best thing about this drama is that it doesn’t sugar coat anything. It shows us the realistic and very human side of life. Relationships are not perfect, they are messy, filled with miscommunication, confusion but also love and warmth. Life is not perfect either and we should cherish the happiness we have, even if sometimes it’s only a little bliss. No choice is wrong or right, we just have to take it all in and navigate through the ups and downs of life.
POSITIVE:
- Realistic story about flawed characters with relatable and real life issues.
- No sugar coating. The drama always keeps it real to make sure we remember that sometimes real life does not work like a cute rom-com.
- Unique plot with deeper meaning about life behind it.
- Real life problems. The drama shows us raw and flawed communication between people that might not be considered healthy but it’s very much authentic to real life.
- Cute romantic scenes.
- No fillers or side stories. Almost all scenes show the main lead’s story (the female lead and her two male leads).
- No cheating. Even though there are two male leads in the story, the female lead doesn’t cheat and there are no love triangles.
- Realistic portrayal of life's highs and lows.
- Blend between daily mundane life in a small time vs a lavishing lifestyle in the big city.
- A mix of very sad and very heartwarming moments.
NEGATIVE:
- Melodrama vibe. The characters were constantly going through many challenges which made the drama very stressful to watch at times.
- Third party vibes. There is no cheating and no love triangles however the female lead does end up dating another man in one of the timelines so for some people that might be difficult to watch.
- Transitions between the two timelines are not always clear and sometimes it takes a few moments to realise we are watching the other timeline. You really have to pay close attention to not confuse the two timelines. It would have been better if the two timelines were more distinguishable, whether with different colours or the female lead’s appearance.
- Female lead being the scapegoat. The writers wanted to create more engaging drama for the viewers but at the cost of their female lead. Unfortunately, a lot of the times I felt all the problems and conflicts steamed from the female lead.
- Happy ending for both timelines however it also felt a bit open. I wish the drama showed us a few years into the future in each of the timelines.
OVERALL:
If you want a melodrama vibe, with a realistic story about flawed characters and the raw portrayal of messy relationships, watch this drama.
FAVOURITE QUOTES:
“We should cherish the happiness we have, even if it’s a little bliss”
“Whatever road you may choose, you may regret. But once you decide, you have to go on. It will end well”
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Finding one's purpose and family
I am not a great fan of medical dramas, but this one initially caught my attention for two reasons: Zhao Lusi and the topic of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine). My overall impression of the drama is quite good. Still, there are some issues which I disliked.On the one hand, Lusi’s character Tou Tou enabled me to experience a variety of emotions. I enjoyed her mischief, admired her resilience despite much adversity, hoped to see her find the family she deserves and create a sense of purpose for her life. Tou Tou’s journey from survival to thriving was beautiful to see and it is one of the key reasons I looked forward to each episode. Learning with her about TCM was interesting too.
Another highlight for me was the relationship with her mentor Ren Xin Zheng and later that with his son Tian Zhen. There is an affinity between Tou Tou and her teacher that shifts into a father-daughter bond, which is very heart-warming to watch. All the older members of the Ren family are relatable, with qualities and flaws and made me reflect on their views and actions. As expected, the veteran actors brought convincingly these characters to life.
Tian Zhen’s character was more controversial for me. Early on I considered him arrogant, entitled, even irresponsible and at one point firmly believed he would not be able to redeem himself in my eyes. Yet Tian Zhen proved me wrong. He is probably the one who experienced the most growth throughout the drama. Luo Yi Zhou acted well a wide range of situations and emotional states. His gaze and facial expressions conveyed much more meaning than his words.
I know everyone has been curious about the romance, bearing in mind it is not the story’s main focus. My advice is be patient because it’s worth it. Tou Tou and Tian Zhen gradually become friends and then like each other romantically. Their scenes together made me giddy, laugh and just feel good in general. The shift in their interactions is subtle but beautiful to see. There is an iconic scene of Tian Zhen confessing his love, which I will remember for a long time.
On the other hand, this drama also has a key problem in my opinion - the script writing is inconsistent and featured some dubious choices. I was disappointed by the plot around Meng Meng’s character, which turned out to be very problematic, illogical and dragged for too long. The script writers created an ambiguous relationship between her and Tian Zhen, which caused misunderstandings and confusion. While I felt sorry for Meng Meng, what bothered me most was that Tian Zhen was never professionally trained to help her.
Moreover, in the last episodes, questions and challenges were raised building up to the climax, which affected particularly our adorable couple. Instead of dealing with those challenges and tying up loose ends, the drama showed many filler scenes and often pointless discussions that went on for several episodes. So the ending was rushed, some questions were left unanswered or glossed over, but it was a happy one.
All in all, I would recommend giving this drama a try. You may enjoy it more than anticipated, as I did.
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But, MDLers, I implore you: Hear me out!
I can see why people love this.
It's a powerful tale about a woman using her brain and talent to overcome great adversity (among other things; gender- and class discrimination) on her way to becoming a trail blazing legend and feminist role model.
This is a great premise! It's handsomely filmed, has a catchy soundtrack and is, for the most part, well acted out.
Too bad then that the overwhelming majority of the show consists of people in hanbok sitting around in cramped palace rooms, plotting and scheming their way to power.
And when they don't do that; they cook.
Now... as a foodie with a special love for Korean food - I didn't mind the amount of time that was spent on cooking. For around 20 episodes, in fact, that kept my spirits up. (While I was being forced to sit through more drab palace committee meetings than the queen of England.)
Somewhere around episode 20 though, was when I started fast forwarding.
By my own standards, that barely qualifies me to write a review for the whole drama. I speed-watched through most of episode 20 through to 45. That was when things started to pick up and get exciting again.
But I'm gonna. (Write a review anyway.)
Why? Because MDL needs a bad(ish) review to balance out the raves it's been getting so far.
In addition to all the mind-numbingly tedious conspiratorial meetings; one of the reasons I lost hope with this drama was the incessant look of surprise or despair on Jang Geums face. Both marked by a doe-eyed stare, while she wordlessly opens and shuts her mouth. It became increasingly difficult to root for what seemed like a cardboard place holder for a larger than life personality, rather than someone who had the actual range to express this.
I could also knit-pick over a number of annoyances with the script. Repetitive and weak plot devices, designed to needlessly heighten the feeling of life and death peril. However, these points are counterweighted by some truly wonderful portrayals of bonds of friendship and adopted family. So I'll let them slide.
Lastly, I see a lot of people praise the romance...
Lovers of romance; be warned! Out of 54 episodes (around 1h each) the sum total of the time that was spent on the romance in this whole series was around a couple of minutes.
Those few precious moments, often sprinkled half a dozen episodes apart, WERE sweet and memorable. Quantity doesn't always spell quality, after all...
I did expect more though. And so would probably you after reading other reviews.
In conclusion, I must say this:
I was moved to tears while watching this drama.
It was, however, mostly because I was bored to tears by all the politics.
THE GOOD
+ Feminist role model
+ Foodporn
+ Pretty cinematography
+ Lovely side characters
+ Utterly charming soundtrack
THE BAD
- Limited range of the main actress
- Very little time spent on the romance
- Endless meetings filled with scheming and palace intrigue
- No really... there's precious little else going on
THE SKINNY
You should watch this if politics and endless struggle for power gets your blood pumping.
You should avoid this at all cost if those exact things make you lose your will to live.
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THE WAY 2 MY HEART
I usually never write these things but the way this drama has me on a chokehold I couldn't resist. I have always been a fan of lusi, and her extravagant acting but the way she expresses the character in this drama just shows you what an amazing actress she is. Waiting for one episode a day is really so annoying but this drama is really worth it.I have seen a lot of TikTok taking about their age gap and how that is a problem, I just want to say 5 years is not even a big age gap. And second he doesn't even fall for her until she is fully grown which someone are saying - maybe he was waiting for her - as you can see in the first 8 episode he fully treats her as a little sister and nothing else. Even when he sees her 2 years later he still calls her a kid as if nothings changed which in his mind he still thinks of her as the shy little girl he used to tutor nothing more. But anyways I just want to say people need to stop being biased and unfair.
AFTER EVERY DRAMA I HAVE WATCH THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST THRILLING ONE AND THE WAIT IS KILLING ME - DONT FORGET TO RATE <3
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