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The story is very interesting. Every episode is full of excitement and fun. Every episode is worth watching. So much love and romance. It makes me laugh and cry. It makes me feel like I'm in the show myself.
The cast is amazing. They are all good looking. Instantly fell in love with the characters. They all worked hard and acted very well. It really does feel like a big happy family.
The music is so beautiful, enjoyed it, and it's perfect!
I will definitely rewatch this show even though it's 98 episodes. I will watch it again next year. I will watch it again every year. I miss this show so much right after I finished it.
Overall this is a must watch show. At first, I hesitated because I am not a palace show fan with half bald guys, but really this one is amazing. It's one of the shows that I will regret if I didn't watch it. Also, I am like why did I not watch this earlier. I never wrote a review for a show before, but I did for this one because I recommend everyone to watch it from episode 1 to episode 98.
FANTASTIC!!!!!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
This was the story Chiung Yao originally intended to write.
I think i dont need to say "Stop comparing" because of the other reviews. I'm surprised at myself for being able to reset myself immediately after finishing the original trilogy. Watching this show as an entirely new show is definitely the way to go.My mom stopped me from watching this back in 2011 because she used the OG as a benchmark. But after 10 years, finally being able to find time to watch, I regret not watching this back when it was airing.
This whole package felt more complete, the transition from one part to another is very seamless. The previous trilogy felt like a botched mess when watching one part to another. Its like if Chiung Yao was given enough time and budget, she could have written this back in '98, and we might probably only see Vicki Zhao being the one and only Xiaoyanzi.
Story/Casting/Character portrayal:
The story is great, nothing less expected from Chiung Yao. I can still feel the emotional weight, and i cried at many different times, probably even more than the OG. The comedy is also still lighthearted as always. With 98 eps, I like how they expanded many arcs like Saiya, Hanxiang and Ziwei's entry to the palace, changed from Zhihua to Xinrong and removed some unnecessary arcs (mostly from part 3 of the OG). I also like the title of each part, very philosophical, especially the 3rd part. (Even tho I'm Chinese, translating those part titles can be sort of a challenge for me) I like the approach of Xiaoyanzi choosing to leave while Ziwei choosing to go back to the palace, it definitely made the scene harder to watch without pulling a couple of tissues. It also made Empress Dowager Chong Qing's repentance and acceptance to Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi even more impactful. This remake also fully and truly represents what is the "New Life in Dali" meant that Xiao Jian have been saying since the OG.
I have to say, Li Sheng is probably my new no.1 for Xiaoyanzi, Vicki close 2nd and Huang Yi 3rd. Her way of portraying Xiaoyanzi is fresh, bright and refreshing. Its like as if she created her very own version of Xiaoyanzi, she totally owns it now. Despite having the illiterate nature as a baseline, her character has more depth and more character development than previous versions combined. She also has the most tragic events happening to her as well in terms of romance. When she said "我投降了“ (I surrender) after Concubine Yu hung herself, I broke, I never expect Xiaoyanzi to say such a line with her optimistic and bright personality. It is ACTUALLY fun and also emotional to watch her mature and grow, from the slums to her new life in Dali. Her voice is actually great too. I kinda felt that Vicki's voice is a bit too sharp and rough after listening to Li Sheng. Huang Yi's dubbed ver was okay but never stuck to me. Originally, I was pretty turned off by Li Sheng, but because she moulded Xiaoyanzi so well, like the way she can convince people with her personality, I gradually opened up to her and I liked her more and more. Her version of "有一个姑娘" is also really nice to listen to on loop too. Chiung Yao picked the right girl again.
Ziwei was unpopular reading the feedback from Cnets, but I think its the writing that ruined her character, more on that later on. She also tried to make this Ziwei her own, but the writing keeps ruining her and she became the least developed character in the whole show. I would say she did a decent job on salvaging. She does lack the aura and poise that Ruby Lin possessed, but she makes up for it with her voice and acting. And damn she's pretty tall.
Yongqi was okay? Never really liked his character back in the OG, never really liked it here. But the writing makes up for it, he became the character who had to sacrifice the most for the love of his life. I still think he lacks character development but I guess Benjamin being his buddy was a way to provide some depth to his character. (More on Benji later) At first I feel that his chemistry with Xiaoyanzi isnt there, but they developed over time and they looked like a decent pairing now.
I did find Erkang unlikable at first, even thought that Lu Hong and Jia Hang should have swapped roles instead. But after Ertai left Qing for Mongolia, Erkang then finally started to show his charisma. I dont know its because Ertai's aura is no longer around to suppress him or just Erkang been pulling his punches. But anyway, I think he paired up with Hai Lu extremely well right off the bat, even better than Zhou Jie with Ruby back then.
One change I really really appreciate is the earlier integration and expanded roles of Qing'er and Xiao Jian. I always felt that Qing'er's arrangement felt like an afterthought during the OG and the romance of the both of them in the OG was too short and messy. It made their romance more bittersweet and more distant, while maintaining amazing chemistry at the same time. Apparently adding a Qing'er is enough to make the escape arc even more exciting and entertaining.
And also with Qing'er and Benji), they created a "十全十美家族“ (Perfect 10 Family), which I think was very critical to improve the bond between the characters, and also making the part where Qianlong Emperor convincing them to come back to Beijing even more heartwrenching.
Saiya here is definitely better, Ertai was hard to get used to because of his more serious tone compared to the OG. Hanxiang is also pretty legit and Mai Er Dan is also great. Xinrong was infuriating tho, she actually made me think Zhihua is more likable now. Ruby Lin cameo a nice touch. Qin Lan as well!
Okay, I did say no comparisons, but I am going to use some OG material to point out some flaws so bear with me on this one, no story is a perfect one.
I appreciate the depth that this story has gone, but with that comes with the consequences of having even more loose ends. What happened to the Empress Consort after being spared from the guillotine? Has she tried to make amends with Ziwei? What about Xinrong and Consort Yu after Yongqi's departure to Dali? (I have to say, Yongqi's face when he got the news that Xinrong gave birth to a prince is like as if he hit the jackpot, funny af) Benji???
I would really appreciate a 10 year later kinda ending (like Part 3 of the OG) as this ending with our main 2 characters kissing is a great scene, but I really cannot forget the scene of Benji leaving the duo at the back of my head, it gave me mixed feelings. Should I feel happy or sad???
Benji's character really felt extremely anti-climatic, and painful to watch (because I have been that guy before so its even more painful for me). I really wish Chiung Yao didnt add this character for fun. I also felt that the discrimination plot was a little bit unnecessary. (even though it would probably be true then during those times) Chiung Yao is probably leaning towards historical accuracy with this remake. He needs love, i would love for him to find his own happiness somewhere.
The torture scenes of Ziwei were a massive upsize from the OG, but i feel that sometimes they are trying a bit too hard to make Ziwei more pitiful. (and also surprised that she even survived LOL) I also dont like how Ziwei, despite being a part of the main cast, felt more of a sidekick/side character. E.g. When XYZ and ZW were on their way to the guillotine, Beijing residents only talks and reminisce about XYZ and not ZW??? While the OG having people praising both Princesses...? WHY??? And also her cue to being promoted to Princess Mingzhu is also TOO DAMN LATE. WHY DO IT AT THE END??? Its weird when the actual biological daughter has to sit behind an mistakenly adoptive one in terms of position FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE SHOW. This is why I said the writing ruined Ziwei massively and Hai Lu was slandered for that.
Music:
The mixture of the new and old was great. Took awhile to get used and get into the OP, but the EDs were great. Insert songs were the same but with new voices bring a new twist. The Power Station and Lee E-jun songs from the OG were CUED SUPER WELL AND I CRIED EVERYTIME THEY PLAY AHHHH.
Rewatch value:
There is rewatch value, but as a busy man, watching 98 eps again can be a chore... I would totally rewatch this together with the OG trilogy if I have 3 months of free time.
Recommend?
YES, and I think this has been said enough, PLEASE DONT COMPARE WITH THE OG (even though I broke this rule many times in this review, but hey I need references to prove my point). This is a remake, treat this show as a new story instead of a retelling, you will probably enjoy it a lot more than you expect.
i absolutely love this show, but the OG also have a special place in my heart, being a part of my childhood so I wont say which version is better for me.
I feel depressed from finishing this show, but at least i dun have to watch till 4am every night LOL
Now to find a way to convince my mom to watch it.
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Likes:
- It's just as funny, the characters are just as fun to follow on screen and through their little adventures.
- Even though the entire cast has changed, they all have really great chemistry and watching them grow on screen over the series is really fun
- Costumes are still great!!
So the big dislike and the reason for my extremely LOW 6.5 rating is really because of the PRESENCE OF THE WHITE MAN that I feel had no reason being in the show and was written in for NO REASON at all. I feel like it was unnecessary and he was annoying and why did he speak such good Chinese and IDK I just could not get over the ridiculousness of it all. the end.
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Onto the cons: some of the main the characters themselves weren't as lovable as their OG versions. The writers made Xiaoyanzi & Yong Qi way more immature & irrational than the OG ones making these lovable characters kinda annoying half the time. I also dk why they added in a love triangle character for them, but this 3rd wheel new character (Benjiman) in this one was basically the rational more mature versions of their OG selves. As for the other main couple, I didn't feel as much chemistry from them as I did the OG (who was my fave couple of s1&2). My favorite couple in this remake was actually the side one: Qing'er & Xiaojian. They looked the cutest together compared to the main ones. I'm sure if they had kept the same cast in the s3, I would've loved them too since they hinted at it at the end of s2. The OG actor/actress for those roles would've looked cute together too. All in all, I've only rewatched this remake a couple mainly for this side couple & the more exciting scenes while skipping thru some of the other couples' love plots or tantrum scenes. Plus, Zhao Wei's Xiaoyanzi felt more authentic & funnier.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was my first ever drama I ever watch
This drama had everything from the music which is incredible every single time and the acting which is phenomenal for the most part. People compare this to the older in terms of acting, but I feel like the acting was pretty good for what they are given. I generally feel like this was the most underrated drama I have ever watched because I wish that this drama was popular and dominated the Asian market. Every character had their own struggles and development. I enjoy every single character but it can be frustrating at time. Though people argue that the Benjamin had no place, I think it add a lot of comedic effect to the drama and was kinda of the solution to most of the problems in the drama. I know everyone is going to bash me for this, but I truly like the acting of every single character. The soft girls and the energetic girls makes the drama 10/10. I have never seen a drama that made me watch it 5 times and still enjoy every single part of it.Was this review helpful to you?
But because i watched the previous version i don't like this one. Like goldfishinajar, i also don't like this especially because of Benjamin. It's so weird seeing foreigner in here. Why they must put the foreigner, is it only to make a little difference with the previous one.... IDK so weird seeing foreigner in this drama.
But actually if you just enjoy this drama alone actually quite funny in their own way. Benjamin himself actually also funny person & Schwartz Benjamin portray him good enough.
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I gotta say, this drama really opened my eyes and impressed me. The fact that this drama came out way back in 2011, and you can find all episodes with eng subtitles on youtube makes it an even better drama. (there's no ads on yt). Even though it is very lengthy, it can honestly be divided into 3 seasons. But all 98 episodes are worth it. Every episode is filled with excitement and entertainment making the story very interesting. There's no a single episode that makes me feel bored until it gets near to the end.
I honestly have no complaints about this show, I love Xiao Yanzi's character also sometimes I feel like she can be too annoying and a troublemaker. However I've also never seen the original so I can't really compare.
The ending makes me kinda mad, I feel like Xiao Yanzi should have went back to the Palace and Yong Qi should have did something about Xin Rong. It was really sad to see the group separate, especially Benjamin. The ending could have been better. But overall I'm very impressed by this show.
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This review may contain spoilers
I love sappy, idealized romance as much as the next girl. My standard for these types of series isn’t high. I only ask for likeable characters that I can root for. Too bad this show can’t deliver on that. The leading lady, Xiaoyanzi, is immature and obnoxious. When she doesn’t get her way, she yells, stomps, and throws tantrums. The men, pushover as they are, go out of their way to wheedle and plead for her forgiveness over every tiny little thing. It’s supposed to be cute and funny, but it's just ugly to watch. Her life choice is questionable, too. She grew up an orphan and genuinely longs for a father figure. But somehow, she’s perfectly ok with an arrangement that involves separating a baby from his father, possibly forever. Xiaoyanzi is so unpleasant that it’s hard to fairly judge Li Sheng’s acting.
Hai Lu has the opposite problem. She is given a very nice role of Ziwei, who is pretty much a saint. Yet her acting is one note, in that she looks perpetually sad. Even when smiling she looks on the verge of tears. Ziwei is just one depressed-looking girl from beginning to end.
Zhao Li Ying as Qing Er is absolutely charming, until they ruin her character. She’s a favorite of the Empress Dowager, as they share a special bond. Yet she runs off with Xiao Jian without even a backward glance. She doesn’t seem to miss this lonely elderly lady who worries about her and misses her dearly. When asked to come back to the palace and say goodbye, Qing Er says something like she doesn’t need to because the Empress Dowager has other grandchildren to keep her company. That’s a heartless thing to say about someone who loves you as her own granddaughter. Qing Er comes off as boy crazy at best, and cold-hearted at worst.
Most of the men aren't too bad. I give them props for delivering the cheesiest lines with the greatest of convictions (and a straight face.) I like the addition of Benjamin, just because it portrays a Caucasian guy as a real person and not some western stereotype for once. The worst has to be Zhang Rui as Wu A Ge. His acting is hammy and he has this skulking expression whenever he gets jealous. Wu A Ge does some really dumb things and wins both awards for Worst Father of the Year and Worst Son of the Year.
The series has a lot of good things going for it: beautiful people, idyllic sceneries, lovely costumes, and plenty of romantic scenes so sweet they will make your teeth ache. I don’t mind the anachronisms and the overuse of kissing scenes. But without good characters and story, this just feels empty.
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