The Rebel Princess (2021)

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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A Whole Lot of Frustration in a Gorgeous Package

Most of the other reviewers seem to have really liked The Rebel Princess, which is great, but I thought I'd offer a different perspective since I ended up being very underwhelmed by this drama even though I really wanted to like it. Keep in mind that my c-drama experience is limited (this was my 21st one) and I'm not familiar with the source material of this drama. Also, I watch dramas mostly for the romance.

Positives:

+ really nice set design, costuming and lighting, which made the drama feel more realistic and quite refreshing after all the wuxia dramas
+ shot well
+ A'Wu and Xiao Qi were smart and nice and respected each other
+ the acting was fine

Negatives:

- another reviewer suggested that this drama should be watched for the slow burn romance, but I thought the romance wasn't that much of a slow burn and the main couple ended up together quite fast all things considered
- I was mostly invested in the main pair's relationship during the first ~15 episodes, after that their relationship stayed pretty much the same throughout the rest of the drama, which would've been fine had their dynamic been more interesting. And no, I don't mean that I wanted to see a drama-filled tumultuous relationship, I just wanted the drama to explore more in-depth why the two characters loved each other and what made them a great team. Now I just got the feeling that they were together because they were literally the only two equally powerful good people in the show that liked each other well enough. Actually A'Wu and Xiao Qi were mostly in separate places during the show, which might have been technically realistic but also very frustrating if you're in it for the romance.
- the drama was way too long considering how little happened in it
- there was a heavy emphasis on political scheming, which I'm never a big fan of but this time around it was somehow especially boring
- most of the characters were unlikeable and/or uninteresting
- the characters who did bad things during the story didn't get punished either at all or at least not in a satisfying way
- like in some other dramas I've seen, there was an overemphasis on forgiving absolutely everything because fAmILy and bEinG a gOOd pERsOn, which at this point is one of my biggest pet peeves
- rape and the threat of rape was used as a plot device at two different parts of the drama, and in my opinion it wasn't handled very well
- I spent most of the drama just waiting for something interesting to happen
- normally I dislike unhappy endings but now I was low key waiting for someone to die because at least that would've been vaguely interesting
- okay actually I was so unattached to the characters that even if they had all died I would've been like "huh, okay" and moved on


Watch if you enjoy:

- more realistic historical dramas
- political scheming
- heavy emphasis on side characters
- forgiving people who don't necessarily deserve it
- slow story progression
- emphasis on other aspects of life besides romance

Don't watch if you're looking for:

- a plot-heavy story
- surprising plot developments
- strong character development all throughout the story
- in-depth romance
- frequent interaction between the main pair
- revenge plot

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Rebel Without a Cause.

This is one of those magnificent, high budget productions that starts so strongly that I kept shushing that  inner voice that whispered "masterpiece" for fear of jinxing it too early. Sixty-eight episodes later, I am sad to say that despite some excellent arcs and moments, this drama falls far short of its breathtaking early promise.

*** Be warned that there are mild spoilers in my review - I will avoid major spoilers. ***

Wang Xuan or A'wu, the titular character is a fictional only daughter of Prime Minister Wang Lin, head of the Langya Wang clan whose formidable political influence straddled several early dynasties since Eastern Jin. Their hold onto power is secured via an incestuous (and icky) pact with the imperial Ma family whereby for twelve successive generations, the Wang clan heiress is chosen as empress. Wang Xuan's legacy 王氏之女 母仪天下 literally means the Wang clan daughter is the "mother of the world" or the empress. Thus he who attains Wang Xuan, attains the world. This is not just a prophecy; she comes with the power and influence of the Wang clan who are kingmakers. The drama dumbs this down to be just about lovesick men after her ravishing and incomparable beauty. That is just icing on the cake and not the only aspect of her appeal to ambitious men who cannot otherwise legitimately claim the throne. This is with the exception of the the weak and foolish Zidan, a character who exist only to love A'wu. In this context, A'wu's expectation of a love match is unrealistic and not possible for any of the noble elite; marriages are political alliances where the best one can hope for is some affection that may or may not quite be love.

A'wu's first and most significant act of rebellion is against her destiny as empress and in doing so, she goes against her father and by extension her clan. This upsets the balance of power between the imperial Ma family and the Wang and Xie clans and sets an intense power struggle in motion. While her motives are naive, this is the first of many decisions she makes that undermines her clan's extraordinary grip on power. In fact, she protects the imperial family's birthright without questioning their worthiness. In this matter, she is indeed a rebel but one that lacks a just cause because excessive in-breeding has made each of the Ma heirs some combination of stupid, unfit and unworthy. That said, I saw character growth and could understand and largely empathize with her decisions until the arc that sees her return to the capital with Xiao Qi just past mid-way through the drama. Until then, the plot was well paced, suspenseful and the motives of the main antagonists layered and interesting enough to make this worthy of a 9.5/10.0. Unfortunately the drama peaks there and after that, the plot falls flat and becomes overwhelmed by tropey two dimensional villains with repetitive and boring motives.  Wang Xuan's character regresses and she makes very questionable decisions, the worst of which culminates in a very shady mating dance that I cannot un-see no matter how many times I rinse out my eyeballs.

Xiao Qi and Wang Xuan's relationship is the best thing about this drama. Even though he didn't get enough screen time to do his character justice, Zhou Yi Wei 's Xiao Qi stole the show. It is so nice to see an actor looks and fits the part of a battle scarred, undefeated general in the role rather than some scrawny idol actor with baby smooth skin. Much more so than Wang Xuan, Xiao Qi is thecharacter that I really root for in this drama. He has riveting chemistry with Zhang Ziyi that compels me to keep re-watching the way their romance unfolds and progresses. It is freshly written and their natural and intimate interactions manage to avoid common drama relationship cliches. Both actors communicate deep and complex emotions with few words and tiny, nuanced changes in expression. Their relationship is not perfect - they have their share of challenges and conflicts. It is disappointing we don't get to see how they navigate their greatest relationship challenge as Wang Xuan is caught between protecting her first love and Xiao Qi's quest for justice.

What is super annoying is that Zidan could have been written to be a much more interesting character rather than one that is frankly a complete waste of screen time. He got such an absurd amount of time he was constantly popping up like a bad tart when all I wanted to see was Xiao Qi. It is understandable for Wang Xuan to have some lingering regret and affection for him but that is not well flushed out. The fact is she married Xiao Qi to save Zidan and at the end, she still rescues him while turning a blind eye to his crimes. It makes me wonder if he was indeed her one true love after all.

The crux of the problem is that Zhang Ziyi's portrayal of Wang Xuan lacks complexity. Her A'wu stopped becoming interesting the moment she grew up to be the more politically astute Wang Xuan. She becomes a suffocating paragon of virtue and forgiveness 母仪天下; the mother of her country and and inexplicably staunch defender of the (worthless) imperial family's absolute right to rule. She wears a perpetually aloof and haughty expression and does not let anyone forget that she belongs to nobility; that she has familial obligations and ties that a commoner and an orphan such as Xiao Qi could not possibly understand or relate to. While she is entitled to forgive her enemies for wrongs they committed against her personally, it is absolutely not her place to broadly dispense justice as she sees fit. She casually makes decisions of great weight and consequence as without any appearance of inner conflict or overarching ideology or sense of justice. If this makes her a rebel, she is one without a cause. I like Zhang Ziyi but this is not a role that she shines in. Despite not looking the part, I had no issue with her portrayal of the young A'wu. It is her Wang Xuan that ultimately fails me. I abandoned the novel because I disliked how narcissistic the character was written to be there. But in the novel ,at least she is very conscious of her beauty and charisma and wields it ruthlessly to accomplish her goals. I never imagined disliking her hypocrisy and sense of entitlement even more in the drama. It does not help that Zhang Ziyi's portrayal is so humorless she even takes the joy out of getting drunk off her ass. At least Wang Su is a fun and uninhibited lush, the kind of drunkard anyone can relate to.

My favorite character and the one that shores up the drama is Yu He Wei's Wang Lin. He is the only truly complex character that is smart without being infallible, unabashedly ambitious, cynical and unrepentant. I love how he gleefully, insightfully analyses situations and peels away the layers of righteousness and hypocrisy around him. There were many times I could empathize with and even support his cause.His plotting against emperor Ma is the drama's best arc. Wang Xuan is actually remarkably like him in terms of her innate arrogance and sense of entitlement as well as her ability to make bold decisions on important affairs of state. As he exits, she steps into his role as the silent force behind the throne with Xiao Qi as the military power that anchors her influence. She is truly her father's daughter in more ways than would make her comfortable if she could see herself. This does not come across clearly because Zhang Ziyi whitewashes Wang Xuan's character and does not dare to embrace her dark side. Everything comes to a full circle when father and daughter discuss love and marriage and she more or less admits that her relationship with Xiao Qi is not too dissimilar to that of Wang Lin's with her mother. It is convenient that she loves him but their marriage serves a purpose that is far grander and more encompassing than love.

While the ending is acceptable, it is in too many important aspects disappointing. Given that regime change is not a viable way to end this kind of drama, it should not have been written to make such a compelling case for it. ZIdan did not have to have been written to be such a jidan (鸡蛋) or a zero. It is obvious many important parts of the ending episodes were edited out which is such a sloppy thing to do when they could have substantially edited down the most insipid Wang Qian/Helan Zhen arc instead. As a result, there is no justice for the Neem Yu Shan massacre and we don't even get to see how this atrocious outcome was negotiated between Xiao Qi and Wang Xuan. Both characters but especially Xiao Qi, disappoint me greatly in this. Thus at the end of the day it does not look like anything substantive has changed or that the kingdom is in a better place or in the hands of more competent rulers. I really want to give this a 9.0 but with that ending, it is at best an 8.0. That said, it is still a very entertaining drama with a distinctly memorable OTP that you should watch. Just don't get fooled by the strong start into expecting a masterpiece.

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Behind Every Great Man, There's a 'Great' (?) Woman

If we want to talk about a story with a woman behind the man, this is it. As he is fighting the enemies on the battle fields, she defends the people and herself back at home. When all resorts are exhausted to save everyone, her hero appears in the nick of time and save the day. This drama is nail-biting with antagonists lurking in the dark and protagonists trying to stay alive.

The story is told from the perspective of A’Wu or Wang Xuan (portrayed by Zhang Zi Yi) who is the wife of our main lead Xiao Qi (portrayed by Zhou Yi Wei). The drama is intense and action packed, punctuated by love scenes between the couple. During the tumultuous period when wars constantly break out with nearby kingdoms, uprisings of various warlords, noble families controlling all the power rendering the emperor a toothless tiger, and marriages between powerful noble and royal families in garnering more power are the norms, a notable character arises.

The Characters and Acting
Xiao Qi (Zhou Yi Wei) has come from a lowly background. He’s strategic and a brilliant general who has never lost a war because of his leadership, prowess and his united army. To him, his men are his brothers-in-arm and he treasures every one of them. When they’re fallen, he sheds tears for them and takes care of their families with his own personal finance. In return, all his men are loyal to him and will die for him. With a calm and composed demeanor even under the most dire situations, he has an indepth and far sighted vision that no one can match; he is confident, secure and formidable. Devoted to only his one and only wife, his love for her is sincere and with respect. She is his soulmate and his brother-in-arm.

Many viewers are disappointed to see Zhou Yi Wei being chosen for the role because he is not one of those pale face, pin waist, young and good-looking actors. For me, Zhou Yi Wei is my perfect general as he nails the role as Xiao Qi. Naturally tanned and not particularly handsome in today’s standard in the entertainment world, Zhou Yi Wei’s portrayal is refreshing and authentic with a calm, gentle, quiet and yet firm and commanding aura. Without a fearsome face that most Chinese dramas like to associate a general with, Zhou Yi Wei’s Xiao Qi is a real human.

Wang Xuan or A’Wu is a pampered girl by all around her, including the Emperor and her own family. She has never tasted a bit of hardship, let alone pain. Everything is all laid out perfectly for her. But she’s not the type who would take orders from authority; she challenges them. As she begins to see how she’s been used in politics, she distances herself from it, including cutting ties with her own father. She is very clear that she would not be used by anyone, and her husband will always come first when she’s forced to make a choice.

Despite many viewers criticizing Zhang Zi Yi’s age of 40 playing the role of a 15-year-old A’Wu, I feel she has done pretty well, and is amazingly awesome visually as a grown-up Wang Xuan. Unlike most spoiled princessly characters we see in other dramas, Zhang Zi Yi’s portrayal subdues the brattiness of A’Wu (who is supposed to be really spoilt by everyone including by the Emperor), making her lovable and not annoying as in others. After her marriage, she matures fast, and becomes elegant and somber, fitting the role of a future consort. And I have to commend that she has the most beautiful couture in Chinese historical dramas; each of her outfits is long, draggy, flowing, beautifully designed with amazing color coordination and patterns, enhancing the natural beauty of Zhang Zi Yi. I have to also admit I like the A'Wu character but do not love it, and Zhang Zi Yi's acting is not as stellar as I have hoped: when she's supposed to be happy, she's not; when she's supposed to be sad, she's neither - she always has the same expressions.

The acting by other cast members is fabulous. I have really enjoyed watching the crafty older Emperor and his relationship with his wife and A’Wu, and the other despicable characters and antagonists. Though acting as supporting roles, their skills are commendable and have put up their best performance and this is reflected in the quality of the overall production. I must point out that the writing of some of the characters is inconsistent and can be confusing for viewers - it's hard to fathom why the characters keep switching their values throughout the drama.

The Official Sound Tracks (OSTs)
This drama produces some of the most beautiful songs. I love both the opening and closing songs, ‘Shang Yang Fu’ (title song) and ‘The End of the World’, the latter with Zhou Shen (he's a man) singing the female voice so beautifully and touchingly.

My Verdict
The war scenes with warriors on horsebacks are breathless, awesome, and fearsome. With heart pounding war music and panoramic landscape, the cinematography is epic. I love the romance of the main couple here. It’s a love built on trust, respect, patience and honesty. The couple is open to each other, and have always aligned their own values with the other. There could be some flaws here and there, but the story is overall rather intriguing and of very high quality.

Having said that, I have to admit I'm not emotionally attached to this drama like I have for others. The story is good but has not captured nor touched my heart. For new viewers, this drama is a good watch if you can look pass the ages of the main actors.

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top-notch production, beautiful story with 2 amazing leads: one of 2021's best historical dramas

For those who are historical cdrama fans or want a minimal fluff/serious drama or just want a new experience this will do it. [I'm not the greatest at putting my thoughts into cohesive sentences so sorry if its like a mess]

Yes its quite long being 68 episodes for many (I actually prefer long dramas), but so far, (yes I know its still early, I'll edit my review as the drama goes on), it looks like it'll be an amazing journey worth it. **If I think it suddenly is going down the drain, I'll edit this review** No synopsis summary here b/c it's still early on and I think the synopsis on mdl looks pretty accurate so far.

-****you might have heard negative reviews about this due to the fact that the 41 year old actress is playing a teenager in the first couple episodes (its only the first 7 episodes) or so (which i will touch on and share my opinion about below in my review) but I think that age which is just a number is not the definite answer to whether someone's portrayal of a character, getting all the emotions to the reader is good or bad. Age isn't the foundation to saying whether or someone is doing a great job portraying their character. Okay onto the review. ****

While I was watching the first episode, I was immediately blown away with the excellent production quality. At first glance, you can tell that it has a high production value with much thought in it (Not saying low budget dramas aren't good:) ). The costumes are gorgeous, suiting each character's personality. The set is beautiful with much detail put into it and very much screenshot worthy. The cinematography is top notch as well. The fighting scenes are well choreographed, very detailed.

For OSTs, I haven't really paid much attention to them but they accompany the scenes well. They sound nice lol

One of the most important things when it comes to a good drama for me is pacing and the direction of the story. (i'm very impatient as you see). So I dislike slow plots however I can already tell this one is going to be amazing. The pacing for the first couple episodes are perfect; not too fast, not too slow. Keep in mind this drama chronicles the life of the FL from her as a princess to whatever she becomes in the future. So the first couple episodes are depicting her "teen life" but no fast forwarding is needed. Around ep 8 we see her mature (its like a couple months/a year later). The story moves along at a great pace and the plot keeps me hooked wanting more, without too many side plots and irrelevant events. I personally dislike heavy politics so for those like me, you'll enjoy this. There are political scenes however they don't beat around the busy and are rather straightforward and are balanced enough with other storylines to keep me interested.

Characters+Acting: As of now, the characters and antagonists definitely do not seem one dimensional which I like and I can see room for character growth ahead. The FL may be a "spoiled loved by her family" kind of character in the first couple episodes but by episode 8 you see her mature and start to become independent and outspoken unafraid to stand her ground. The actors and actresses are all playing their role very well; I have no complaints. However, one thing I've been seeing around is that people are complaining about the actress who plays the female lead character. "The actress looks too old to play the FL! She's 41 but the character is a teenager. What the heck?" Here's what I say to that: Keep in mind that this drama chronicles her life and just FYI she "outgrows" her teen phase by ep8. Personally it doesn't bother me that she looks a bit older than her character's supposed age because her acting is superb and she plays the role wonderfully -better than some younger actresses would have. i'd say the casting was perfect. For the ML, in the first ~10eps there aren't many scenes and interactions with the FL but after we start to see what kind of person he is and let me tell you, he isn't one of those toxic, rude, paleass MLs; he's kind, honest, stays true to his values and is a gentleman. I found this comment on youtube that just literally sums up the personality of the ML: "He's so gentle with her. He touches her as if he's afraid to break her with his rough hands that only held swords" . The actor, Zhou YiWei, plays his character as the general really well and I think he embodies the fit, look and chivalrous aura of a general. There are no voice dubbing (except for just a few) so we are hearing the actors/actresses real voices.
*also for those Joy of Life fans, the person playing the bodyguard of the ML is the second prince in JoL haha*

Ending Note: I'm well aware we aren't even close to being halfway done with this drama as it just started airing but I have a feeling it'll be a great one. I'll clean up this review later and edit/add more when it continues. If you've read till here, thank you!

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Great acting, great battle scenes -- Overall worth-watching!

I've always liked historical/period drama about palace politics, usurpation of the throne and the likes - not harem politics. That's why I enjoy watching The Rebel Princess.
A few notes on the drama from my point of view:

Pros:
1. Great casting and top-notch acting not only from seasoned actors such as Zhang Zi Yi, Zhou Yi Wei, Yu Hewei, Shi Ke and Yuan Hong, but most of actors in this drama. They set the bar very high -- they act naturally and very convincing. Don't mind the age thing, and ignore the characters' age, because it's not that important (at least for me). Moreover, the chemistry between FL and ML is sizzling, amazing, through the roof - you name it! I'm not sure I could find any other dramas as satisfying as this one in acting department.
2. The production, Cinematography and visual show us that this drama is done carefully, in detail and is expensive - we can see it from the quality of properties, for instances soldiers' clothes and equipment, and other small items.
3. This is the first C-drama that I didn't want to miss battle scenes because the choreography is that good! And who'd want to miss those battle scenes especially with the charismatic General Xiao Qi. Again, not sure I would find a perfect ML, a perfect General like Xiao Qi -- thanks to Zhou Yi Wei -- in other dramas.
4. Beautiful OST (all songs) and background music (instrumental).
5. Actors use their own voices, except for Hong Kong actors (Angie Chiu and Kara Hui among others) because of different dialect.

Cons:
1. To fit the story, it would be better if the English title was "Ode to Shangyang" not "The Rebel Princess".
2. It is said that due to rules and regulations, the producers had to cut episodes from 80 to 68 eps. As a result, some scenes in the last few episodes a bit confusing and felt rushed.

To enjoy this drama and not get lost in schemes, intrigues, etc, we really have to pay attention to dialogues -- including that is spoken casually -- as well as to the acting of supporting characters. So that we won't be confused as why in ep 36 Song Huai En suddenly dreamt about Awu -- because we can see that he's enchanted by Awuin ep. 18 (a scene after Xiao Qi left the city). Or on how Hu Yao ended in the palace (ep 54) -- because prior to that scene (in the same episode) when Zitan arrived at the city gate he instructed his maid to find a doctor to treat "the girl" that they found -- even though no scene about it.

Overall it's a drama worth watching and re-watching.

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Spectacular Production!!

Being Zhang Zi Yi's first drama series ever, it has proven that this never fail to impress! From story, to casts, acting, production, lines, chemistry, OSTs, plots, everything is pretty well done. Although this drama didn't turn out to be the Top / Most-watched series of the year but it definitely deserves a recognition!

This drama surrounds different family clans fighting over the throne whereby the female lead - Ah Wu, being part of their ploys and was forced to marry a prince who comes from a impoverished family but got his title because of his remarkable achievement as a general. Honestly I was held back a little knowing that it is such a long series but it turns out that before I could even notice, the drama ends! It was surprisingly more exciting than expected and I was so amazed with their production (luckily it was filmed before COVID-19), I'm glad I still get to watch drama of such scale! We couldn't ask for any better production than this, especially every war scene that are brought to the screen, splendid!!

In the past, I wouldn't like this drama, but now, yes. I find political drama sometimes are too heavy for me as I didn't really understand the plots when I was young (for someone who started her obsession on dramas from very young age). But as I grow up, I started enjoying dramas like this especially when it has endless plot-twist in the show! So many conspiracy where you never know who is your friend or enemy, every moment is just so unexpected and hooked you on it! Honestly, I couldn't really pinpoint any part of the drama that was done badly; However, that doesn't mean it's a kind of drama that everyone will like, NO. This drama is not for people who : (1) Don't like serious or political ancient drama, (2) Looking for light-hearted and comedy, (3) Watch dramas for young and handsome "Xiao Xian Rou" , (4) Don't enjoy complicated plots, (5) Impatient to catch a long series, (6) Expecting a sweet and hot romance story.

Speaking of which, their love story was another part that actually wowed me. This ain't the normal forced marriage plot where two of them hated each other and fall in love dramatically after; this is a slow-burn romance yet matured marriage with no cringey, no jealousy, no misunderstanding and full faith for their partner, hand-in-hand to overcome whatever that comes. I really loved the fact that although they didn't marry for love, but they accepted each other as who they were, respected every decision that they made and love with full-hearted from the start to the end, so beautiful :) Both the main leads have the best personality in the show, they were both loyal, smart, kind-hearted, honourable and selfless! Indeed a perfect match!!!

As for acting, what's there to comment on? Simply flawless. That's why it's great to have veteran actors and actresses than good looking casts, as great acting brings out the hidden emotions of us but not pretty faces. Well, but Zhang Zi Yi is real gorgeous IMO! Although I saw some comments criticizing on how her makeup and costumes make her old, and how she shouldn't act like the 16-year-old girl, however doesn't matter to me.

I'm glad that I watched it and I hope more people notice about it too!

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Incredible ML, amazing CP, gorgeous costumes & sets, flawed story

The good:
- ZYW is absolutely perfect for General Xiao Qi. He has ruined me for all future MLs. He brings understated maturity, power and depth to the character. Can’t wait to see how his story ends.
-ZZY does great work, forget about what age she’s playing. She is very well cast for Awu’s role, great nuance in her character torn between love to her husband and loyalty to her royal family.
- Gorgeous costumes, sets, cinematography. You can tell they had a lot of cash. It’s been while since I’ve seen such high production values.
- Music is really good, you can tell they got some big name musicians.
- secondary characters also well cast: Awu’s father, 3 princes, empress, all soldiers. They do the best they can with their story arcs.
- the last act of the series (ep 50 onward) story really kicks it up a notch. Enjoy the ride!

The bad:
- Court politics are usually interesting but too draggy. Many things are repeated multiple times by and to different characters.
- some actions are laughable and major characters are not growing too much
- even though it makes sense for the story but we get way too little CP time, the romance is actually super scaled back. Not sure if that was due to cuts (series was cut from 80 ep to 68 ep)

Overall, worth a watch for the fantastic General/Prince Xiao Qi (ZYW) and ZZY, they did an excellent job.

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One of the best Chinese drama ever!

I absolutely loved this drama. For me this is one of the best Chinese dramas ever.

Production:
Everything was top notch, high quality. The costumes were luxurious and regal. The designs had a bit of stretch of imagination for the period portrayed, including the general and soldiers armors, particularly the armor of the right hand of the ML, Song Huain Ein; and weapons like shields but definitely it gives a big feeling of grandeur. The fabrics used for clothing and bedding were absolutely divine, you can see how those fabrics laid in the actors body, so regal and majestic. Also appreciated the good quality and design of costumes of the support characters like maids, palace maids, and helpers. Love the quality of the wigs from the ML to the last Court member, impeccable and very natural. The female wigs were good too, shiny and pretty. I loved and enjoyed the different hairdos in those wigs, not just the FL but everyone, color coordination and accessories were on point.

I also loved the care they took of the horses, they didn’t look overworked and exhausted like in other productions, at any time given the horses looked rested.
I really enjoyed the battle scenes, how magnificent they were, impressive choreography and amazing timing, well done.

Casting: FL and ML absolutely stunning, they had incredible chemistry. At first it shocked me to see such a mature cast, but their acting experience definitely paid a thousand times more in how flawless the overall drama was. Yes, there were some supporting actresses that couldn’t do a flawless job at a moment of struggle but it was really minimal, to almost mention it.
The main cast and the support cast with more screen time was very professional and seasoned. A guilty pleasure to watch.
This is a medium length drama, 68 episodes with a plot so compelling that when I realized I was watching episode number 68, I couldn’t stop to ask myself: what? How can it be? So fast, in no time it ended, it only took me 3 days to watch it all. I couldn’t stop myself, barely pausing to do minimal things, yes, it was totally addictive.

I couldn’t get enough of that perfect man, the ML with humble origins that knew sacrifices from an early age, with a ginormous heart, not to mention he’s super handsome, masculine, and exuding incredible sexiness for each of his pores, and on top of that he has amazing and expressive eyes. A man at that period of time that decided to love and give his heart to only one woman is, The Man to me. I love Asian historical dramas but I always had that pain in my chest when in dramas the ML swore eternal love to his FL and at the same time had a harem of concubines. They said you can’t judge history, but as a woman it doesn’t go with me. So, when I see a ML that says what I think I can’t stop but to love him to pieces.
This is my first time watching Zhou Yi Wei work, and I’m truly impressed. One of the things I loved about his character is that despite being a rough, strong general, he also knew how to enjoy those moments together with his wife. Seeing his smile while dancing melted my heart, because in Chinese historical dramas it is very rare to see that happening, it’s very typical to see aloof, cold males that don’t loosen up and don’t know how to enjoy life, so it was very refreshing.

I know, we just watch: Television = “Tell a vision”. But still, knowing that my heart flutters in raw happiness.

I also loved our beautiful FL Princess, she was everything I was expecting. Although I sincerely I’d prefer they choose a teenager actress to portray her teens years. At 42 it doesn't matter how beautiful she is, the neck doesn’t forgive no one, without exception. But definitely the FL has that regal, stoic look needed for her character. She brought besides beauty a heavy portfolio of acting experience, her royal pose, her walking pace, the Hulan dance was superb. Shang Zi Yi majored in dance and it shows how she expressed herself in her hands and dance, so enjoyable.

Plot: The plot was engaging and very entertaining, it had the right dose of drama without going overboard. What a ride! It took me there at that time, it made me feel it with each of my cells, yes that good it was. The mean ladies are quite mean but still enjoyable.

I really enjoyed how it was a war between everybody except for the main couple. I loved how they portrayed the struggle and war for power and went so far for it. It was done very tastefully and with lots of cleverness.
And that’s why this drama is so awesome, the script is impeccable, superb acting, with a solid production. You can see the actors' and actresses' faces looked rested and not showing signs of tiredness or boredom in their acting. There are no awkward situations, kisses, intimate moments, nope, everything is truly flawless.
I truly appreciate the beautiful scenery, the wooden room was spectacular and solemn, it gave me goosebumps for what it meant. Each Palace background was done spectacularly and perfect to the minimal detail.

It’s really rare that you can find Masterpieces like this drama. It happened to me before that when watching a very entertaining drama, as soon as the main couple gets together it become dull, losing all the curiosity to keep watching.
This is definitely not the case, because the story had really good structure, is not just struggle for power, ambition, palace life, arranged marriage, a general is that and much more, it has a soul in its own, the soul that the actors, directors, production and script writers poured to make a product of excellent quality.

And there was true and authentic slow burn romance, not with empty staring at each other but learning to know each as a man a woman needs to do, when they are in love. This was not a joke, the romantic moments were sublime, exquisite and very tasteful. I loved how they portrayed this marriage, their understanding, the respect, the given space to each other, is how it should be.

OST:
Absolutely gorgeous. I added them all to my playlist on all my devices. Because, it will take me a long time to detach myself from this drama. That’s what happens when a drama is so excellent that it makes an imprint in your soul and kidnaps you for a while.

Rewatch value:
Very high, I’m considering watching it all again, to find more enjoyable details. But if I don’t do it immediately it definitely goes to my list of my favorite dramas that I rewatch several times a year.

Final words:
Don’t hesitate to watch it, you won’t be disappointed at all.
This drama is a work of love and art! Spectacular, Romantic, Fascinating, Entertaining, Superb!

10/10

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An innocent love story amongst a game of chess

This drama has some of the most engaging plot lines ever. A princess whose father is the prime minister as well as the brother of the empress while her mother is the elder princess sister of the emperor. You can imagine how adored this princess is. And we as the audience get to see how her entire world view is questioned when the people who cared for her are out to get her. Eventually she will find family with unlikely people.

This drama has a very beautiful cinematography, both indoor and outdoor scenes are brilliantly shot. The Ost and the soundtrack is really really beautiful too. I like this kind of romances, where there's not much misunderstandings and the cp communicates well.

But my favorite part of the drama gotta be the court politics. In the drama the country changes four emperors in a period of three years. The unrest, the schemes, everything is so well depicted. The politics inside the court among the several noble classes as well the politics with the outer forces from other countries, mixes so well together. This drama truly is a game of chess where everyone outsmarts the other. Among this is loyal soldiers who die innocently because of the whims of those in power. The cp spends a considerable amount of time apart doing there own things. But the politics is soo good, I assure you, you won't miss the romance scenes at all.

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No complaints

Beautifully crafted and impeccable acting. The story develops smoothly without dragging on in useless situations that lead to nowhere. The female lead is not rebellious like someone already pointed out but intelligent, determined and assertive, which is a good representation of the softer gender which otherwise is normally portrayed as being long-suffering women in a lot of dramas. The male lead is a dream of a husband without compromising valour and courage as a warrior.

Overall, I do think this drama is great, it has a modern approach, good acting and the wardrobe design is absolutely mind-blowing. Would I re-watch it? Most certainly!

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Amazing CP chemistry, but an underwhelming political plot. Watch for the slow burn romance.

Story:
A bit of an unrealistic palace drama. The drama seems to try to do things for shock value at the expense of logic. Plus, the drama uses a lot of tropes you've seen done better in other dramas, so the schemes and progression of events are very predictable. All the villains want the throne, and they make the throne seem like such an easy thing to attain. The villains also aren't very clever, with the exception of probably the FL's father. The plot kind of goes downhill after episode 40 or so. The second half of the drama just repeats the same storyline but with a different characters who want to be emperor.

However, the romantic storyline is worth watching. The first 8 episodes are a bit slow since the leads probably only interact twice or so, but once they get together, the chemistry is through the roof. Awu and Xiao Qi have a soft intimacy between them, and Xiao Qi is pretty much the perfect ML. Tender and soft and caring. Protective and respectful. Fiercely devoted and unwavering in his love. He's such a refreshing change from the brooding, domineering alpha males you tend to see in idol dramas. Xiao Qi is easily the best character in the drama. The two leads show such idealistic domestic bliss that you don't see in other dramas. Unfortunately though, their chemistry only really peaks in episode 13, and while they have a lot of cute domestic scenes later, they're never really able to recreate the initial spark that we see when they first fell in love. Also, they tend to become separated for 5-10 episodes at a time because the ML is away fighting off rebels.

Speaking of fighting off rebels, this drama has some of most well-choreographed battle scenes that I've seen in dramas. And there's not just one elaborate battle scene, but several unique battle scenes throughout the drama. It really convinces you that the ML is a seasoned general and god of war because how well he is able to command his soldiers on the battle field, and how skilled he is at hand-to-hand combat himself.

Acting/Cast

Ignore the ages of the actors and don't think about what age they're supposed to play. I honestly have no issue with their irl ages. In fact, I started watching this drama because of how mature the actors are. I'm tired of watching dramas with actors my age. And the quality and nuance of the cast's acting because of their extensive life experience really shows. My only issue might be with Zhang Ziyi's lack of expressiveness in certain situations. You can attribute it to her character being elegant and aristocratic, but her extreme poise ends up making her appear too wooden and stoic sometimes. Her crying scenes really break your heart though.

Zhou Yiwei is plays Xiao Qi perfectly. He is calm and collected, but he isn't brooding and expressionless like the typical ML you'd see in idol dramas. You see such a wide range of emotions from him, and his character has a great arc that allows him to show how he's character has changed and matured. Raw is what I would describe him as. He's vulnerable and powerful all at the same time.

The supporting cast is great too. Everyone brought their best to the table. I do wish we got to see more of Angie Chiu and Kara Wai though.

Music:
Great OST, but they don't make use of it enough and the insert songs are used sparingly. Sometimes you'd hear a song once in the drama, and then never again. The instrumental score is great though, and that's used often.

Other:
Despite the production value and the big names attached to this project (e.g., cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd), you could still spot some mistakes that should have been fixed before the drama was released. And given that this drama was shelved for 2 years before it was released, you'd think they'd have more time to fix them. For instance, there are some discontinuities between some over-the-shoulder shots where one character is leaning back in one angle, but then sitting upright in another angle. The CGI is also a little obvious at times. Some of the manors feel like they're inside a studio, and the night sky often looks fake. The outdoor scenes are phenomenal though. I also love that we see full-body shots of the actual actors riding horses instead of the fake upper body shots or the faraway shots with stunt doubles that we tend to see in other dramas. I was really impressed with Zhou Yiwei's horse riding abilities. You can tell that this drama spent a lot on making the outdoor scenes look as vast and realistic as possible.

One other issue I have is how obvious where the deleted scenes were cut out, especially in the final 5 episodes. A lot of scenes would just abruptly cut to the next, and there would be missing information in between, so you just had to guess as to what happened between the characters that wasn't shown to us.

Rewatch Value:

I don't think I'd rewatch this. It was already difficult trying to hang onto my temper and patience when I watched this for the first time. However, I would definitely rewatch the scenes with the CP though. If only I could watch them fall in love for the first time again.

Overall:

I came into the drama curious about Zhang Ziyi's drama debut, and I was curious about the production quality of the drama because of all the notable talent that Zhang Ziyi brought on to work on the drama. I knew nothing of the plot or the romance. But ironically, what end up happening was that the only thing that kept me watching was the romance and the ML. Overall, I still think it's worth watching since I don't think we'll come across another drama with this kind of cast and production value any time soon.

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