Princess Agents (2017)

The title should be: The corrupt royal family featuring the FL

From all the promotion to the first episode everything seen to said that the FL (female Lead) was going to be some badass that fighted the rich to save the poor or she was going to be this revengeful warrior but no I am half though the series the only purpose of the FL is to be a love interest for the other MC (main characters) nothing more, she so un relevant the she could literally be removed from the series and the plot will have the same progress, to add to the unimportance of the FL her screentime is the same as any othe support character and the only times you actually see her she is either having some "romantic" interaction with the ML or having kung fu flashbacks while training but dont know for what bc everytime she get into a fight she is always saved by someone else and the other times that you expect her to fight or do something of relevance she does nothing. Well she actually do something important but is is 20 episode in the series when the typical FL have already met the emperor or something.
The only reason a I watched was for Zhao Liying which I think was awesome just like the other actors

Read More

Messy plot line and romance

I wish I could give it a higher rating, but I just can't. It started off promising, but then the story turned into a complete mess of bad story arc choices and pacing, with irrelevant side characters given way too much screen time at the expense of main characters. I could not stomach finishing this drama. I love the actors especially zanilla, I have seen her in other dramas and she never disappoints.


The romance was... messy which was my biggest issue and the story just became ridiculous with introduction of characters that had no bearing for the story basically fillers which is probably why the show is 67 episodes. I never felt the romance between Prince of Yan and Xinger. I know he loved her but their romance was just not streamlined and no real evidence of Xinger liking him beyond being comrades. I think this show had great potential if it had been developed well. I lost the plot and just dropped it.

Read More

Overall i have to watch this series with the English Subtitles so there is some parts of the story i probably didn't get. I am learning Chinese but some things have gone over my head.
Over all this Show was one of the best ones I have seen. The cast has one of my favorite actresses in it (Zhao Liying). She is the female lead that plays Achu/Xiang/Jing6.
It starts with Chu Qiao fighting an enemy and falling off a cliff, because she fell into the water she gets a head injury that causes her to lose her memory having no real clue who she is.
She is found and becomes a human target being chased in the middle of a dessert, she is the only slave that survives this hunt.
She is saved by two of the most handsomest men on earth. One is Yan Xun (Shawn Dao) and the other is Yuwen Yue (Kenny Lin). Unbeknownst to her she is made an iron slave in Yuwen Yue's Manor,(his family is actually a enemy of Chu Xiao's family).
There are quite a turn of evens as Jing 6 meets up with her lost siblings (still doesn't really know them or recoginize them. Just in fragments of memories) . She tries her best to stay out of trouble but unfortunately no matter where this girl goes trouble seems to find her.
I do like Yan Xun and the relationship he has with Jing6 (Xiang) when she becomes Yuwen Yue's Silver Bell's Slave. But the relationship between Yuwen Yue and Xiang is my favorite. Yuwen Yue is nicked name Ice, because his demeanor is icy cold. But you can tell he truly loves Xiang and does everything in his power to protect her. Why she stayed with Yan Xun is beyond me. He becomes very dark and brutal (well after what the emperor does to his family who wouldn't be)
I was reading about the end, and it does leave alot of open questions.
It is sad that the end of the show Yuwen Yue is shot in the heart with one of Yan Xun's arrows. He falls into the water and AChu jumps in after him. I assume he dies, and you would think that Achu dies as well but actually the Wintry force that her mother had given her becomes activated and you see her tattooed flower come to life.
She opens her eyes just before the rolling credits, probably making half the world's population think there might be a sequel. To my understanding there is no sequel.
But if you haven't watched this yet, watch it. Even though there is quite alot of violence i love the story line behind it. I actually had a soft spot for Yuwen Yue. If you watch it let me know what you think.

Read More

great, but you should steer clear of the final episode to avoid frustration

I have mixed feelings about this drama.

The drama in question was absolutely captivating, and I was glued to my screen for hours on end watching it. Every aspect of the story was a masterpiece and had me on the edge of my seat. However, the last episode left me feeling disappointed and frustrated. If only they had removed the final episode, I would have given it a 10-star rating without hesitation. The hero died, but not before saving the woman he loved. Meanwhile, the other guy who also loved her tried to kill them both, but ultimately watched as the hero saved her. Unfortunately, there was no explanation or revelation regarding the woman's superpowers, leaving a lot of loose ends to be tied up. As a result, the final episode was a complete letdown that ruined an otherwise extraordinary drama.

The storyline of the drama was captivating and complex. It revolved around a love triangle, where the female protagonist found herself torn between two male leads. The first male lead was a fun-loving playboy, who eventually fell deeply in love with the main female lead, who was a maid. Their playful flirting and bickering were fun watching. However, things took a turn when the second part of the drama began, and the same actor portrayed a man who was seeking revenge.

In this part, I saw a man struggling with his love and losing her as he became more and more obsessed with revenge. He had witnessed all of his family members die, and this had pushed him to the brink of madness. His madness, in turn, increased his jealousy, doubts, and mistrust towards the only person who truly loved him—the main female lead.

The female protagonist's character is also complex. Her feelings for the other male were complex. He was her Kung Fu shoufu but his cold attitude didn't open any door for love. Eventually, after some secrets were revealed, she realized that she had developed feelings for him but was not sure if it was love until the very last minute when he died. She was conflicted with her feelings and found herself torn between the two men. It was the first drama I truly watched where the female protagonist loved two male leads, making the storyline unique and riveting.

I strongly disliked the epilogue as it left me with a lot of unanswered questions. It was disappointing to see a love story from the female lead only on the last episode. Additionally, the show lacked balance as it only focused on villains and drama without any friendship or romantic moments. What's more, the female lead's superpower was never utilized to save the hero, which was frustrating. Season 2 and the last episode were major letdowns.

However, I did enjoy the performances of the actors, both males and female. The first episode had me hooked from the start, and the first season as a whole was quite good. I particularly enjoyed the female lead's heroic kung fu moment, and both male leads were equally compelling.

It's worth noting the exceptional performance of the pawnshop uncle and his adorable pets. He added a much-needed dose of humor to the drama
.
The drama in question was truly captivating, with an intricate plot that kept us all on the edge of our seats. However, it was unfortunate that the ending left a bitter taste in our mouths. It seemed to be a rushed and unfair conclusion to a story that had so much potential for further development.

The main male lead, who had been a central figure throughout the series, met his demise in a way that was confusing and unsatisfying. He drowned in icy water, apparently the only thing that could kill him. This left us scratching our heads, as the character was a highly skilled martial artist who had survived numerous battles and close calls.

To make matters worse, the other main male lead witnessed the drowning, and yet the female lead appeared unscathed and out of danger. This only added to the confusion and frustration of the viewers. All in all, the ending felt like a letdown and left us with more questions than answers.

Nevertheless, the lack of a happy ending left me feeling sad and disappointed. Despite this, this drama will stay with me for a while.

****

I came across the real story online after the disappointing ending. A blogger mentioned that we could find the complete translation of the book online, but I decided to read her blogs instead which gave me a satisfying conclusion to this drama. The story continues right before the epilogue, where the protagonist meets Yan, and they talk face-to-face on horses. It's then that she finally understands that he had used her love for him to fulfill his own ambitions to rule and conquer.

Happy ending!!

In the drama's final scene, the protagonist appears to die in a frozen lake, but he is rescued. His love interest, who believed him to be dead, leaves him behind. Two years later, they reunite, but she becomes emotionally shattered from leading her men to their deaths and realizing that her dream was merely an illusion. To make matters worse, the man she had followed for so many years, Yuan, betrayed her. When she finally realizes that her true love is Wen Yue and that he is still alive, she cannot open her heart to him due to her emotional turmoil. She let him go.

After another year, they met once more, and she finally realized that her heart healed. However, their love is still threatened by political wars, and they are separated once again. Finally, after many political conflicts and battles, they are able to find their happy ending.

***

Thank you to SueLee in the discussion section. The translation after the ice lake was cute and helped the closure of this drama.

Blogger, Ninja Reflexion, cut some book chapters but it helped to understand what happened after the ice lake. CREDIT to https://ninja-reflection.com/

https://ninja-reflection.com/2017/10/04/princess-agents-novel-translation-just-bits-not-whole-thing/
https://ninja-reflection.com/2018/03/28/princess-agent-novel-translation-part-2/
https://ninja-reflection.com/2018/04/05/princess-agents-novel-ending-translation-last-part/

The site doesn't allow links in reviews so you have to copy/paste ;)

Read More

This drama is rather lurid and violent. The violence includes not only far too many people turned into pincushions but also sexual assaults, which are only alluded to, not depicted, but, I think, is handled poorly, particularly the aftermath. I also found the various storylines to be confusing and inconsistent. Sometimes one side complains about the lack of troops but the next minute they have enough to attack. Other times one side has a CGI army of thousands, only to withdraw for flimsy reasons, followed by scenes of only a few dozen fighting on each side or galloping all over the place (distances seemed to magically expand and contract, too). People sneak in and out of each other’s territories or houses or super-secret sect tunnels too easily or fail to notice somebody hiding in plain sight. The politics seem to consist mostly of everybody screaming revenge. As for the heroine, although she kicks butt, she's a little too sanctimonious for me. The hero is supposed to be the strong, silent type but he seems wooden, blank and awkward instead. I winced more from the shots of all of the horses falling down on their heads (does anybody know whether horses are trained to do that for movies?) than the hero getting attacked. I kept hoping that the heroine would ditch him and go for his bodyguard, who had much more presence. Or the second lead, who had a lot more charisma, especially after he discovered eyeliner and went bad.

Read More

Overall, this drama was amazing and long. The story between the leads was great. There is a lot of sadness towards the female lead in this drama, besides this it was nice. It did at one point to start stretching the scenes, which got boring, but it didn't last for long. What I most loved about this drama how the female lead protect and believed in herself and others, she was a warrior. Even after many terrible things happened to her she still came to war to battle even against her own friends. She did what she believed in. Every part was nice except for the ending. You cant tell weather the leads lived and remained together. Which was disappointing, it should of had a better ending because leading up to the end, it was wonderful. Even thought this drama has some flaws, it should still be watched and even re watched.

Read More

Almost perfect

Non-spoiler portion of the review:

GREAT SHOW. starts off with a bit of imperial harem-like schemes and fights between the women which then moved on to a weak maid turning into a really strong female warrior with a sense of justice. ZLY’s character never faltered from her principles no matter what instructions were given to her. You watch her rise up the ranks, gain the loyalty of the people around her and see a lot of emotions throughout because there’s death, there’s betrayal and there’s a lot of pain.

I really like the 2 main characters and their chemistry in this show. One is so headstrong, firm and chivalrous and the other is exactly the same but in a very cool and silent manner. It was a delight watching them.

The action scenes, the somewhat romantic scenes, the dialogues were all to swoon for. CG was bad unfortunately, like all Chinese dramas.

This is my first Zhao Liying show and boy am I blown away by her performance.

Opening theme is amazing. The theme really reflects on the main character and Zhang Bichen has such a powerful voice.

-SPOILER PORTION OF THE REVIEW:



Ok, I’m less angry with the ending because I came across spoilers by accident so i had it coming. My only gripe with the show is that they use Yan Xun’s story to steal Chu Qiao’s limelight. The chinese title of the show literally translate to Legend of Chu Qiao but it is essentially Yan Xun’s revenge journey from episode 20 onwards.

The last few episodes were rushed. They threw in Liang princess’s sudden romance with YWY and dissolved it within half an episode. It was unnecessary and a waste of time. YWY recognising Xing’er’s handwriting was also abit lame. And the few episodes of Xing’er fighting YWY’s military strategies were pretty frustrating too. She nearly killed Meng Feng how could she. This felt nothing like the sweet battles between the main couple in General and I. And the most frustrating of all is CQ going back to Yan Xun every single time.

My heart broke for Yuwen Yue. It broke in so many parts right up to the end. Thankfully, the ending showed where Xing’er ‘s heart really lies with even though she was loyal to YX. At least that gave me some closure. Whatever happens after the lake scene is up to our imagination for us who didn’t read the book. But at least I can go to sleep knowing that she indeed loved YWY even though it was unclear to me in the previous episodes (him kissing her, YX asking if she ever loved him).

I just wanna say that ZLY had some really great and memorable dialogues in this series. The confrontation with YX at the end, and the one with Zhong Yu when YX tried to abandon Yan Bei. The lake scene of course was THE BEST scene she did. It was so in the feels.

I really like Lin Gengxin and Shawn Dou’s performances too. YWY’s stoic and silent (yet sometimes cheeky) demeanour makes him so “handsome”. Shawn Dou’s performance in the episode where they showed him his dead family was THE bomb.

Read More

Top 5 Chinese Dramas I ever watched

I have been watching Thai, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Singaporean dramas dubbed in Khmer for over 30 years. Princess Agents have made it to my top 5 of all time. I don't really care for the real life drama behind the plagiarism scandal; the series is intense, romantic, sorrowful and never boring. I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I am actually a huge fan of Yin Xie as a character and for the actor portraying him. I think him and the lead girl are the two hardest characters to accurately portray due to the complexities of their storylines and emotional character changes. I utterly enjoyed Princess Agents and am thankful it was made.

Read More