Light-hearted with nice chemistry!
The drama was about Princess Lui Ling who fell in love at first sight with commander Shen Yan, and thus she started to pursue him. And that’s pretty much it xD There were also some family feud and fight for power going on in the background, but the main interest-catcher and focus was clearly on the Leads and the romance. But I don’t mean that in a negative way: Because of this, the drama appeared very light-hearted and entertaining.There were not many frustrating scenes or characters etc. Possible trouble was always played low and resolved fast. The interactions of the Leads were fun to watch, and didn’t leave any boring minute, because the pace was just right for the 22 well-used episodes.
An exception were the last couple of episodes, which were a little messy. Some things felt a little rushed. I assume they must have cut out quite some scenes here and there. Plus, the investigation part of the drama was a little boring overall.
The acting of the Leads was really good. The respective emotions of both characters were visible and understandable, without being over the top. They also had very nice chemistry. You could feel it in the air between them.
The Female Lead was sassy, had a princess-like temper (which I liked btw) and was flirty. But she was also kind, and had her own package of backstory to carry. I really liked the actress and the portrayal of the character. The acting was pretty normal – not OTT. You could also call her a little playful, as she was the one who tried her best to win Shen Yan’s attention.
Shen Yan, on the other hand, appeared cold from the outside, but is actually quite passionate. He was always pretty laid back, but I melted whenever he actually flirted back. He is definitely the ‘forever’-type.
Noticeable was also Lady-in-waiting Xu, who had a calm, intelligent and warm-hearted character. I absolutely adored her friendship with the FL. However, FL’s maid had a more cliché personality. The crown prince was pretty cool too, and even Tuo Ba Lie was kinda fun to watch lol. There were no too annoying characters, except the Lu family for which it was intended reasonable. The drama also included some cute side-couples.
All in all it was a not-so-serious, pretty light-hearted and fun drama, with likeable characters and nice chemistry. An easy watch, I’d recommend! :)
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Flirtatiously Sweet, Visually Pleasing & Light Hearted BUT...
I love this drama and when I usually fall head over heels for a drama it's usually because of one of 2 reasons, a unique/refreshing story/plot or the FL and ML chemistry (and very rarely a drama has both). For this drama, it is the latter that mostly captures me.The chemistry between the leads is a 10 for me. It's full of funny and sweet moments. When they are together, I get giddy and want to scream! They both are very natural with each other. The looks, the stares, and whenever their hands touch each other! lol And the kissing scenes OMG, just hot! I fangirl so hard...
Anyway, I watched works with YBY in it before (L & R, LST, etc.) but she never gave me a strong impression character-wise like she does here. Now some people say they dislike her because her chara is annoying and that she act like a snobby rich princess throwing money around and shamelessly stalking the ML, but I beg to differ. First of all, I've seen ton of dramas whether ancient or modern where the rich ML falls for the girl and started chasing after her, pulling stunts like booking the whole restaurant, airplane, island, etc., finding info about her or wasting huge amount of money to win the girl over (you know what I mean). Just because the gender is reversed here, the FL Chara get criticized? I also wouldn't say she was stalking the ML, she was openly and straightforwardly chasing him creating opportunities for herself. I think that's cool and refreshing that she's a very forward person. In episode 3, when ShenYan finally told her off, she left on her own as she has her own pride too. Guess what? He followed her secretly then end up liking her even more. (Hm, I wonder who's stalking who here?) True, she doesn't care about wasting money but thats just how she was raised. The important thing is she waste that money on things and people that matter to her, like trading her jewelry for the chance to win that pair of earring for the child she only first met (Episode 4). She act like a wicked princess in front of others because of past trauma and the promise to her dead mother that she wouldn't be weak. She was just badly misunderstood. If people just give her character a chance and not just make judgments before dropping, I think they may enjoy this drama more.
Can I also just say, ZYC is definitely one of my favorite male actors out there. I don't know if it's just me, but when he's in a costume drama, he seems very buff like I can almost see his muscle through his clothes or he just has nice biceps... lol >_< His character is also very interesting because once he fell for her, he fell for her hard. Like totally mesmerize (can totally see it in his eye expression) in later episodes. If she were to leave him or not see him, he would be the person to go find her first (push-pull relationship? ) Slowly you see him shedding his cold stern face toward her, but he would still try to act like he don't care and often tease her. Maybe that's the thrill of flirting? What a tsundere... XD
Objectively, I can not say that I feel the same for the story of this drama. Even without reading the novel beforehand, I can tell that the story was missing a lot of plot devices and the build-ups in between scenes/relationships. I heard they cut out 2 episodes, it goes from 24 episodes to 22! Come on, thats like around 2 hours worth of details and I don't believe it was only all kiss scenes. I am sure if they had followed the original novel and included all the details, the story would've come together very well as a whole and made much more sense. While it is still very lighthearted watch and every conflict is resolved very quickly. Such a pity, this story actually has a lot of potentials and the main couple is very interesting. I think it was caused by budget constraints during production but they did their best to create a very visually pleasing drama. All in all, if you can overlook the mess up plot and some weird scene editing in this drama, it would be a very entertaining watch.
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Ridiculous and waste of talent
First of, the main actors made a mistake choosing this script. The storyline is awful. I could not make it to the end. How many times must the FL act like a clingy, cringy and downright embarrassing stalker? It started out refreshing to see the FL taking initiative to pursue the ML but she became pushy, arrogant, and annoying. She basically threw herself at him and was OBSESSED with him. The story was basic, easy to follow and predictable but then it just got boring and draggy. I would not recommend this at all.Was this review helpful to you?
Love this drama
If you are into light-hearted drama romance, this will be the one. Most of the scenes are pretty funny and cute. The story itself is not something news, but the chemistry of the characters is the best. This is the first time I’ve seen a historical drama with lots of kissing scenes, I love it.The drama is quite short, I’d wished it could be longer cause I still haven’t gotten over the cuteness of the 2 main casts. This is also my first time watching Zheng Ye Cheng, and I’m totally in love with his acting. Anyway, I’ve re-watched this drama more than 5+ times and still enjoy it every time.
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A Cute lighthearted drama that got me out a Slump....
I started watching this drama after i left many others half completed cause they just didn't do it for me while waiting for episodes of an on going drama . Like the ones i watched before i didn't think this could get me out of a slump but gave it a shot anyways......thank the lords I did.It is a fun, fluffy, cute, lighthearted drama that still involves politics and strategies but not in a way that clouds the romance and chemistry. Its rather short compared to other Historical/Period drama and was perfect for me as it acted out as a filler.
One of the main things that attracted me to the drama was the cast, namely Yuan Bing Yan & Merxat (WHO SHOULD TOTALLY GET HIS OWN DRAMA CAUSE DAMMN, HIS ACTING <3 <3)
All three of the ships in the drama had amazing chemistry and i loved them. The sound track was one another thing that was amazing.
Over all please do yourselves a favor and watch this drama. Hope this review was helpful.
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Intense Romance with Execution Issues
There are certainly elements of a good story here regardless of the obvious anachronisms indicated by the show's title. However, at the end of the day, this was clearly a story in search of a script, director or editor. Or all of the above. The first half was decent and flowed much better. The second half however was weakened by noticeable pacing issues caused by large chunks of exposition via dialogue and unexplained occurrences or allusions to offscreen events. While I don't fault the show for not doing anything particularly clever or groundbreaking, I will come down hard on the lack of consistency in the storytelling. There was never any real doubts that I was watching a romantic comedy and there were laughs to be had all throughout especially from the interactions between the leads. It was also clear that the palace intrigue, such as it was, played second fiddle to the romance. Make no mistake, this is a fairytale and I saw it as such all the way through but it's flaws hold it back from being a much better show than it could have been.However, the editing choices of this drama undeniably caused this viewer whiplash from time to time. It's hard to say whose problem it is because the censorship issues that beset the industry. Nevertheless, it is still incumbent on the director to be far more preemptive about what external obstacles are likely to dish out and be clever about how the material should be put together to escape the censor's knife. I say this because the production values are good. There are some great set pieces and the cinematography is of a high standard. I don't generally comment about costumes because I don't feel qualified but the styling of Liu Ling, the titular character, is a mix bag. After the much anticipated wedding, overnight she's transformed into a dowdy, matronly figure which doesn't flatter her one whit.
It's important to give the cast, especially the leads, their due. The performances range from adequate to good. The interactions and the banter between the leads are some of the better parts of this show. Their chemistry is a delight and the director milks it for whatever it is worth. At least this show understands the meaning of fan servicing. Zheng Yecheng I like a lot. He is nicely broody and mischievous. His enthusiasm for the romance is well-matched by Yuan Bingyan. In all frankness I liked the Shen Yan character more than the Liu Ling one primarily because of the writing. While it's not hard to see why Liu Ling is the insecure, needy, clingy female lead here (particularly when she's been badly treated by family), her over reliance on Shen Yan might come across a bit icky for modern audiences. It's not necessarily a problem in those early days but development on that front ends up being scant. Her early cynicism and world-weariness is interesting although unfortunately it's not sustained. Brother to Shen Yan is Merxat's Shen Yu. The brotherly dynamic is one that I relished and certainly wouldn't have minded more of. Liu Ling's sisterhood with Xu Shijin was also great.
Overall, it is not without charms despite its limitations. There is some plotting and scheming in the background but really this show almost entirely about the sassy princess and her knight in shining armour.
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Mediocre Drama with a Great Cast and Pretty Costumes
I started this thinking it was a light-hearted romance drama And it was for the first half, seeing the main couple bicker, flirt, and chase each other was super cute, but that got old fast. During the second half I had to put it on hold and it took about 3 months to actually finish. Which is sad because the first half was so promising, I even had my friend watch it because I thought this was a hidden gem. Here’s my breakdown of the episodes:Episode 1-5:
The start was very good. The set, actors, costumes, and story were all great. The main characters' first interaction was hilarious, and I was excited to see how their relationship would develop. I enjoyed the slow build-up of romance, and they did a good job with that in the beginning. Them getting trapped on the bottom of a mountain was a bit ridiculous, considering the fact that an average human would not have survived, but it was funny nonetheless. The side couple was also introduced during this time, but I ended up skipping most of their scenes. Their story was super slow getting started, and when they finally got together, it felt rushed compared to the main characters.
Episodes 6-10: Okay, from here the mains are still bickering, but you could tell the male lead started caring for the female lead. At first it seemed like the show was going to be an unserious rom-com type deal. However, the comedy aspect started to disappear, and the show became more dramatic. I found the "forbidden love" and "parents disapprove" trope annoying. I wanted the main couple to have a happy relationship without unnecessary drama. Why can't drama parents ever let their kids be happy?
Episodes 11-15: I started losing interest during this time, especially after they killed the pig. This was like the first major dark twist. It wasn't crazily dark, but it was kinda gruesome and “out of place.” The main couple's relationship became more melodramatic in this period, with constant back and forth. Such as anytime I thought they'd get together, something would stand in the way. A drunken crying scene would follow, and then repeat. The story started to feel forced, especially with the arranged marriage plot. It seemed like the writers were running out of unique ideas.
Episodes 16-20: I was actually surprised when the story finally got interesting again during these episodes. It was cute when the FL was making the ML all jealous and him being all protective. The resolution with the arranged marriage was a little dumb, like why even pretend to go through with the marriage if you're just going to run away? How did that stop her from having the marriage with the prince when she was forced to by the king and her family? I don't know, I'm still confused about why they did that, and why they were allowed to get married right after.
Episode 21-22: The show should've just ended with the wedding. Adding more conflict and a fake death felt unnecessary since everything seemed resolved. However, I did like the plot twist involving the wine and the father's betrayal. The dialogue in the final episodes dragged on, and I ended up skipping 95% of it.
Final thoughts + other things I really enjoyed:
My favorite part of the show was the romance between the female lead's maid and the guard. Instead of focusing on a war in the final episodes, I believe the writers could have developed their story more instead. They were so cute and definitely the best couple of the show. I also liked the costumes, although I wished for more variety. The music was good, but some tracks were overplayed. Overall, this show is worth watching if you're bored and want to watch a short Chinese drama. It's not particularly memorable, but I might still recommend it to others.
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Intriguing storyline and sizzling romance.
I think this drama was perfectly made for me. What made me start this because this had Yuan Bing Yan as it FL. I really loved her in Love & Redemption. Her acting also not disappointing in this one.This was my first time seeing Zhen Ye Cheng. At first, I think he was not that good looking but later on I changed my mind when I saw how good his acting was as Shen Yan. He has his charm and good at all his expressions when delivering his lines.
Tbh, Fl's character was not really my type . Princess Liu Ling was quite annoying at first but later on, it was'nt hard for me to fall in love with her character. You will understand why she became the way she is if you watch the show . I liked that she knows how to stand up for herself and did'nt need ML saving her all the time.
Love at the first sight trope was my least favourite trope but I liked the way it was done here. So once Liu Ling sets her eyes on Shen Yan, she keep pursuing and seducing him relentlessly. All the force skinships and tricks she tried on him , we can see Shen Yan shows discomfort with her attitude at first haha . He being a typical cold man we often seen in most drama , keep pushing her away but how can one's heart stays still with a beauty like Liu Ling by his side. Day by day, we can see his resolution keep weakening and one day , it was checkmate. Haha. When he gets to know her personality more , he fell hard for her. What made it better was their off the chart chemistry together. Like we could feel they're in-love for real. This has lot of hugs and passionate kisses too, I just wish they show it longer each time.
MSP was far from perfect but I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. The storyline was good enough imo. MSP made up with 30% political stuff, 60% romance and 10% of comedy. This has lot of cliche moments especially in romantic department but lot of unpredictable moments too. I would say this has balance with both. The pacing was quite fast not draggy and with 22 episodes it was just nice.
I enjoyed the side characters story too. Relationship between Xu Jinshi and Shen Yu. Luo fan and Ling Bi. Liu Ling's relationship with Xu Jinshi. Shen Yan's bromance with his brother ,Shen Yu and his subordinates especially Luo Fan.
Other things that I liked in MSP were it's good cinematography and visual . I liked the costumes, it's vibrant and luxurious settings . The OST was great too . I recommend this drama to all historical romance drama lover out there. The story was not too heavy and certainly make you want to fall in love if you have'nt already. Just dont expect too much , you won't be disappointed.
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I'm really not a fan of the noble idiocy. This drama ended up doing what every average Chinese Drama ends up doing, making things messy in the 11th hour with very little episode film time to give us anything but a quick end after dragging everything out and put every obstacle in front of the OTP, including the kitchen sink. So unnecessary.
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Enjoyable
The title itself already gives a clue not to take the whole story too seriously and to just enjoy the show without being too objective. If done so, the story and flow of the show is actually good and enjoyable.The FL is a strong heroine, she knows what she wants and she fights for it. There's a reason for her behavior and the saying that 'there's more than meets the eye' is the perfect definition for her. The supporting female leads and their stories are also worthwhile to watch and be invested in. I feel that they're not just tools used to benefit the leads, but they contribute to the actual flow of the story. One of my favorite characters is the lady and wait and best friend of the FL, Xu Shi Jin. Her goals and her actions in the show are actual scene stealers and just plain boss lady moves.
As for the male main lead and the supporting male leads/characters, I think that while they contribute to the story greatly and help give the viewers the butterflies with their romantic moves; their other purpose in the story is to also help with the growth of their partners.
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Love story
Few episodes were good rest were okay .it is a love story. A girl who is princess having bad reputation since childhood . She had been called to be rude ,heartless and ill mannered princess who had fallen in love with the high grade soldier .And pursue him ,all the time clinging on him ,annoying him .It was a drama and she was a heroine that's why he let her entertained him but in reality if someone in his place ,I don't know what he will do but surely can't tolerate such a nuisance but it was story so he accepted her love .As it was a historical story so some spices should be there so she was a princess so she can't married to a soldier but she went against emperor decreed but emperor emotionally black mail her if she didn't marry to another clan king then our people's life will be in danger so she accepted the decree and hurt the feeling of soldier and told him that she bored from him that's why she is leaving him . Because of this he was starting avoiding her but again she cling on him then he asked why she was doing this so again she created a wall between them. so this went on in few episodes . Ultimately they had a happy ending .
So it just a sweet ,cute love story . Who like love story can go for it because along with their love story other two couples' love story got a happy ending .
This drama is not for me because along with love story ,I need to see some spices in a story .
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Valued to rewatch !
The story is not new or fresh but it is attractive by character of female leadThe story is too fast because it is only 22 eps. !! I think if it have like 24- 28 eps. will be more smooth
The story is humors romantic and drama. The characters are genius and good to follow.
Main four actors are good, good in acting, emotional and gesture. because of limited eps so second male lead is not shinning even he can act good. I like Yuan Bing Yuan too much, I follow her from LTW since 2017 and then I watched her drama all, she have improvment a lot, also she can change her character from the past. Her eye contact, acting completely different. (Her drama from the past , she was strong and good at flighting but she this time she can act differ.) Plus, Ye Chen-Main lead, I like him too, his character is clear and love honestly, he can do it well here. Lastly, seconf female lead, can do it well as well from her last drama of "A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College" she was support role but her character differ from this drama, that she can do it clearly and good.
OST of this drama is good all, not only some but all !
Finally, personally, I like this drama, it is easy to watch, easy to follow and easy to fall in love all characters ! Good luck I hope this review can be helpful for you, enjoy your time with great drama > My sassy princess !
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