how the princess agent drama? don't tell me the FL is the kind of FL who has a strong bond with the 2nd ML instead…
At this point, towards the end, she kind of know the true nature of the SML and if i remember correctly she broke the bound of friendship and alliance with the SML. But her political views didn't change, she is all about protecting the Northen Kingdom against the Emperor's Forces, a rebel through and through (and political the ML is still the adversary). She is not aware that the SML used her writing to lure the ML into a trap, and when she finds out she marches trough the frozen lake, but she is too late to save the ML.
People are blaming her for sticking with the SML so long, close to the end (me included), but don't realize that she is not a romantical driven character, but a character driven by political reasoning and most of the armies in the north were loyal to the SML But she was also the most famous general after Yan Xun, and by staying at SML's side as long as possible she hoped to turn the loyalty of the armies to her and protect the North. That's practically her main goal at the end of the series, not to discover who she was before, and certainly not romance. Her romantic feeling towards the ML, are not really obvious until the last episode. This is how her character was written ... of course i would had wish for her to have a different motivation, because imo ... you cannot save anyone until you know who you are.
how the princess agent drama? don't tell me the FL is the kind of FL who has a strong bond with the 2nd ML instead…
To save the SML or to let him die, first choice. Even after she saved the SML and got him out of Chang'an safe, he used his most loyal army to cover his escape, which remained trapped in the city. Despite the SML's protest she turned backed into Chang'an without any backup and raised the morale of the soldiers, mostly by defeating the leader of the pursuing forces (a prince, the main antagonist in the first part) and get the Suli Army out the city. This made the Suli Army swear allegiance to her, while the SML actually became a little frustrated about that, leading his to plan the elimination of the Suli Army later. Until this point the Drama is great, 10/10.
The ML's safety was never in question until the very end of the series (he didn't participated in these events). The ML, is in fact the Emperor's main weapon, very overpowered character, unmatched martial arts, invulnerable until the series finale, where the SML lure him into a trap, again by using the FL and fake rendevouz letter. This is where the series ends, and the plot of the Rebirth begin ... actually with the ML deadly wounded and sinking into the lake, Chu Xiao diving after him in the frozen lake but unable to save him, she was drowning as well, but the ML's pushes her with his last strength towards the surface, and her tattoo activates, letting us know, that her previous memories since before the pilot episode are returning, because the tattoo and the memories were connected. Then Nothing ... the end, Season 2 cancelled, 9 years later we get this!
I will certainly not watch this after reading some of the reviews and spoilers...Princess Agents was one of the…
Most people consider the ML and FL pairing and chemistry in this drama, one of the best ever, though. They went as far as re-casting the same pair in Legend of Shen Li. And this is strange, because as was said, there is not much romance, or room for romance in this drama.
There is also a strange reversal here. In the first part drama is the ML is actually using the FL, literary train her to be his spy and weapon (but she doesn't become that!). His romantic feelings for the FL are blurry at best, while the SML's feelings come up pretty genuine in comparison. Then it comes The Shift, and it is the SML which is actually uses the FL, while the ML's feelings seem to have grown, and to be more genuine compared to the SML at least. They actually both uses her at different times, but the people are strongly supporting the ML / FL pairing.
What bothers me the most in this show, is that despite being a female protagonist, she doesn't do her own thing (she take a little revenge, against smaller characters, but that's pretty much it!). Chu Xiao is written like a pawn / weapon, for one side or the other. And this despite being teased that she had a very interesting story to tell, a mystical tattoo, unmatched martial skills, a tragic family story. None of these were actually explored or revealed, only teased. It's like we were being used and lied as viewers by the writers, to watch a different story unfolding, a weaker one. So i both liked and disliked this show. It had a lot of potential otherwise, but i, myself don't like being used like a pawn, like Chu Xiao. I have nothing else to say.
how the princess agent drama? don't tell me the FL is the kind of FL who has a strong bond with the 2nd ML instead…
Not really, she has always romantic feelings for the ML ONLY, but her political views are strongly in favor of the SML. And finally she is forced to make a choice and she chooses to save the SML even putting her life on the line in several occasion, and ultimately it is this choice that lead to the ML's 'death' in the series finale. That's Princess Agents in a nutshell. Actually this setup / triangle is pretty unique for a c-drama, i didn't saw anything alike since then.
And the crap, the SML takes in, is also really unmatched, it transforms him in a very cruel person, but nobody is really blaming him for for his actions. He is entitled to everything he does. This is also a story about where right and wrong are pretty fluid, also rare to see in c-drama. SML also loves the FL, actually from the pilot episode, but also uses her for his revenge.
But to be frank i think Princess Agents / Rebirth is about Yan Xun's (SML) Transformation and Revenge, the ML and FL are merely Device Characters in Yan Xun's Story, that get more screen time, but are not the main focus. Also Yan Xun is a very righteous character in the beginning, well above Zhuge Yue (ML).
The FL starts as a Maid / Slave on Death Row hunted down along with another 30 maids, Hunter Games style. She is the only one that survives, The same powers that did this, are actually serving the heads (that's literar) of Yan Xun's family in front of him. They are oppressed and treated like sub-humans by the same people and the ML works for the oppressors. It's actually realistic that the FL and SML will bound together, romantic feelings aside. The FL is actually blamed that is still loyal to the SML later when his cruel side became obvious and good of the people mattered very little in comparation with his revenge.
BTW ... Chu Xiao, never pretends anything ever, is the most straight-forward character you'll ever meet. She will tell everything to the emperor himself. Is the exact opposite of the Ming Lan character from the Story of Ming Lan, played by the same actress. I like this type of character, and hate the other.
I will certainly not watch this after reading some of the reviews and spoilers...
Princess Agents was one of the first c-dramas i've watched, a very strange show, good and bad at the same time, overall a very frustrating experience, but with epic / memorable / powerful characters and the best fighting / revenge scene i've seen. I've watched more that 50 c-drama since then, but except a 2-3 i forgot most of them, while i remember Princess Agents vividly, as i've watched it yesterday.
I don't know why is that, the writing was terrible, from the beginning to end, and the show ended on a cliffhanger, and the season 2 was canceled. The FL is supposed to be a legendary assassin which lost her memory, but this ... strangely ... is not the focus of the show, she doesn't seem to be at least a bit interested to find out who she is, and she is drawn into a political deathmatch, that really has nothing to do with here, but she is getting very deep into this and that part is very frustrating and overdone, and she was so loyal to the the SML, which she didn't even had romantic feelings for him, was very strange. She was the protagonist, but at same time not the protagonist, since her story-ark became not even secondary by the end. At one point she discovers some clues about the past, but she is like ... 'Yeah, i don't care about that ... let's have more of this political melodrama, that has nothing to do with me'. As i understand correctly she is written pretty much the same in this 'sequel', so why should i watch this? This was the most interesting thing for me in the original story.
Also they completely changed the casting, and they look 10 years younger than their original characters. The chemistry that the ML and the FL had in the original (and they really did had that, and was fairy good), is certainly gone now. I don't see anyone enjoying the show, if they watched Princess Agents, that's why the show has a low rating. If you didn't watched the first part of the story you may enjoy this, it depends ... It's like watching a show starting with episode 21 / 40, you get nothing from the characters' build ups and why they are like that. Actually the Pilot of Princess Agents and how the show started, is the best / original Pilot i've seen in a c-drama, ever. And the Series Finale, the last episode, is most likely the Worst Finale, ever. All the show is like that, very good episodes and cinematic moments, then very bad to terrible one. I think that moment when Chu Xiao manages to get the Suli Army out of Chang'an and kills that annoying prick at the same time, was the series highlight for me (i've re-watched like 10 times), and best fighting scene i saw in a c-drama (wuxia included). The show gets only downhill from there, as the story unfolds.
Now that this part i over, here are my thoughts. This drama is all over the place, it tries to do a little of everything, and it doesn't get anything right. Not the romance, not the business aspect, not the revenge and not the female empowerment thing. In the last 4 episodes, practically nothing substantial is happening, story-wise.
I understand how it was justified, but ending as a slave then a concubine, it is a stigma that doesn't sit well, and really doesn't fit with the female empowerment thing. Ppl where just blaming Shengyi for her low self-esteem, and this is not much different, especially the fact that Mudan is just fine with it, as long as she can run her shops. I didn't like it one bit.
There is not much focus on business either, except in the beginning, then the things are happening very fast. The romance doesn't exist, the ML's feelings are not returned.
The villains of the story are very generic, unnuanced, ridiculously overpowered and with very little depth. They also have practically no screen-time.
There is very little revenge involved. Some bad things happen to some of them as a result of 'bad karma', not because of the actions and plots of the main leads, and this in my book is not satisfying in the least. Bad karma is not revenge. I want revenge!
A Dream of Splendor does all these things better and in a satisfactory way. I'm only mentioning this because this is obviously a copy-cat, a re-script and it is fair to do so.
What is this about Shengyi not having a choice? She did have a lot of choices but she didn't take them. That was the whole point of her story arc. This excuse, it makes 'good drama', but it is not real.
And for further reference, everybody has choices, anytime, anywhere, always, even in these period dramas. What most characters lack is ambition and intelligence not choices.
This is Another Dream of Splendor, but it made some several good points on its own. The ruling / noble class manage to keep its power and status because they make alliances, while the common folk are divided. They should form their own alliances.
I specially enjoy these dramas, where the main characters break the norms and do their own thing. I mostly like dramas with female leads, since they have to start at the bottom of the food chain. I'm still searching to find a better drama in this strain than LLTG and a better anti-hero character than the female lead in that drama.
I'm still searching to find at least one drama that tells a tale from a maid / slave / servant perspective !
People are blaming her for sticking with the SML so long, close to the end (me included), but don't realize that she is not a romantical driven character, but a character driven by political reasoning and most of the armies in the north were loyal to the SML But she was also the most famous general after Yan Xun, and by staying at SML's side as long as possible she hoped to turn the loyalty of the armies to her and protect the North. That's practically her main goal at the end of the series, not to discover who she was before, and certainly not romance. Her romantic feeling towards the ML, are not really obvious until the last episode. This is how her character was written ... of course i would had wish for her to have a different motivation, because imo ... you cannot save anyone until you know who you are.
The ML's safety was never in question until the very end of the series (he didn't participated in these events). The ML, is in fact the Emperor's main weapon, very overpowered character, unmatched martial arts, invulnerable until the series finale, where the SML lure him into a trap, again by using the FL and fake rendevouz letter. This is where the series ends, and the plot of the Rebirth begin ... actually with the ML deadly wounded and sinking into the lake, Chu Xiao diving after him in the frozen lake but unable to save him, she was drowning as well, but the ML's pushes her with his last strength towards the surface, and her tattoo activates, letting us know, that her previous memories since before the pilot episode are returning, because the tattoo and the memories were connected. Then Nothing ... the end, Season 2 cancelled, 9 years later we get this!
There is also a strange reversal here. In the first part drama is the ML is actually using the FL, literary train her to be his spy and weapon (but she doesn't become that!). His romantic feelings for the FL are blurry at best, while the SML's feelings come up pretty genuine in comparison. Then it comes The Shift, and it is the SML which is actually uses the FL, while the ML's feelings seem to have grown, and to be more genuine compared to the SML at least. They actually both uses her at different times, but the people are strongly supporting the ML / FL pairing.
What bothers me the most in this show, is that despite being a female protagonist, she doesn't do her own thing (she take a little revenge, against smaller characters, but that's pretty much it!). Chu Xiao is written like a pawn / weapon, for one side or the other. And this despite being teased that she had a very interesting story to tell, a mystical tattoo, unmatched martial skills, a tragic family story. None of these were actually explored or revealed, only teased. It's like we were being used and lied as viewers by the writers, to watch a different story unfolding, a weaker one. So i both liked and disliked this show. It had a lot of potential otherwise, but i, myself don't like being used like a pawn, like Chu Xiao. I have nothing else to say.
And the crap, the SML takes in, is also really unmatched, it transforms him in a very cruel person, but nobody is really blaming him for for his actions. He is entitled to everything he does. This is also a story about where right and wrong are pretty fluid, also rare to see in c-drama. SML also loves the FL, actually from the pilot episode, but also uses her for his revenge.
But to be frank i think Princess Agents / Rebirth is about Yan Xun's (SML) Transformation and Revenge, the ML and FL are merely Device Characters in Yan Xun's Story, that get more screen time, but are not the main focus. Also Yan Xun is a very righteous character in the beginning, well above Zhuge Yue (ML).
The FL starts as a Maid / Slave on Death Row hunted down along with another 30 maids, Hunter Games style. She is the only one that survives, The same powers that did this, are actually serving the heads (that's literar) of Yan Xun's family in front of him. They are oppressed and treated like sub-humans by the same people and the ML works for the oppressors. It's actually realistic that the FL and SML will bound together, romantic feelings aside. The FL is actually blamed that is still loyal to the SML later when his cruel side became obvious and good of the people mattered very little in comparation with his revenge.
BTW ... Chu Xiao, never pretends anything ever, is the most straight-forward character you'll ever meet. She will tell everything to the emperor himself. Is the exact opposite of the Ming Lan character from the Story of Ming Lan, played by the same actress. I like this type of character, and hate the other.
Princess Agents was one of the first c-dramas i've watched, a very strange show, good and bad at the same time, overall a very frustrating experience, but with epic / memorable / powerful characters and the best fighting / revenge scene i've seen. I've watched more that 50 c-drama since then, but except a 2-3 i forgot most of them, while i remember Princess Agents vividly, as i've watched it yesterday.
I don't know why is that, the writing was terrible, from the beginning to end, and the show ended on a cliffhanger, and the season 2 was canceled. The FL is supposed to be a legendary assassin which lost her memory, but this ... strangely ... is not the focus of the show, she doesn't seem to be at least a bit interested to find out who she is, and she is drawn into a political deathmatch, that really has nothing to do with here, but she is getting very deep into this and that part is very frustrating and overdone, and she was so loyal to the the SML, which she didn't even had romantic feelings for him, was very strange. She was the protagonist, but at same time not the protagonist, since her story-ark became not even secondary by the end. At one point she discovers some clues about the past, but she is like ... 'Yeah, i don't care about that ... let's have more of this political melodrama, that has nothing to do with me'. As i understand correctly she is written pretty much the same in this 'sequel', so why should i watch this? This was the most interesting thing for me in the original story.
Also they completely changed the casting, and they look 10 years younger than their original characters. The chemistry that the ML and the FL had in the original (and they really did had that, and was fairy good), is certainly gone now. I don't see anyone enjoying the show, if they watched Princess Agents, that's why the show has a low rating. If you didn't watched the first part of the story you may enjoy this, it depends ... It's like watching a show starting with episode 21 / 40, you get nothing from the characters' build ups and why they are like that. Actually the Pilot of Princess Agents and how the show started, is the best / original Pilot i've seen in a c-drama, ever. And the Series Finale, the last episode, is most likely the Worst Finale, ever. All the show is like that, very good episodes and cinematic moments, then very bad to terrible one. I think that moment when Chu Xiao manages to get the Suli Army out of Chang'an and kills that annoying prick at the same time, was the series highlight for me (i've re-watched like 10 times), and best fighting scene i saw in a c-drama (wuxia included). The show gets only downhill from there, as the story unfolds.
I understand how it was justified, but ending as a slave then a concubine, it is a stigma that doesn't sit well, and really doesn't fit with the female empowerment thing. Ppl where just blaming Shengyi for her low self-esteem, and this is not much different, especially the fact that Mudan is just fine with it, as long as she can run her shops. I didn't like it one bit.
There is not much focus on business either, except in the beginning, then the things are happening very fast. The romance doesn't exist, the ML's feelings are not returned.
The villains of the story are very generic, unnuanced, ridiculously overpowered and with very little depth. They also have practically no screen-time.
There is very little revenge involved. Some bad things happen to some of them as a result of 'bad karma', not because of the actions and plots of the main leads, and this in my book is not satisfying in the least. Bad karma is not revenge. I want revenge!
A Dream of Splendor does all these things better and in a satisfactory way. I'm only mentioning this because this is obviously a copy-cat, a re-script and it is fair to do so.
And for further reference, everybody has choices, anytime, anywhere, always, even in these period dramas. What most characters lack is ambition and intelligence not choices.
This is Another Dream of Splendor, but it made some several good points on its own. The ruling / noble class manage to keep its power and status because they make alliances, while the common folk are divided. They should form their own alliances.
I specially enjoy these dramas, where the main characters break the norms and do their own thing. I mostly like dramas with female leads, since they have to start at the bottom of the food chain. I'm still searching to find a better drama in this strain than LLTG and a better anti-hero character than the female lead in that drama.
I'm still searching to find at least one drama that tells a tale from a maid / slave / servant perspective !