Rebel Princess (Chinese Drama, Viki)
Dreaming since she was a young girl to one day marry the Third Prince whom she grew up with, our heroine’s heart is destined to be broken when she becomes the sacrificial lamb of political power struggles and ends up being married off to a general born of low status. Forced to marry a total stranger against her will, our hero will eventually win our heroine’s respect and heart as they team up to fight off conspiracies that threaten the peace of their beloved land.
This one came with a lot of hype…and ridicule long before it aired. Actress Zhang Zi Yi is an award winning actress who has always done movies so this will be her first TV drama which is where the hype came from. As for the ridicule, well there are two reasons. First reason, in Asia it is still seen as a “step down” when movie stars choose to do tv dramas so some had unfairly claimed that this is a sign Zhang Zi Yi is losing her popularity. The second reason is over the fact that when we first see Zhang Zi Yi at the beginning of the drama her character is supposed to be fifteen years old. In real life, Zhang Zi Yi is 41 years old. Some of you might remember her from Director Ang Lee’s movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon way back in 2000 so that might give you an idea of her fame in Asia and her age.
To be honest, I was fairly concerned as well because I too like plenty of others have had the awkward experience of watching dramas where the show has mature albeit very beautiful actresses trying to pass themselves off as teenagers. I am happy to report that I was greatly relieved after checking out the first four episodes. While it is obviously still quite plain that Zhang Zi Yi is not 15 years old as her character should’ve been but she did an impressively convincing job portraying a young adult that I think once people start focusing on the story the age thing would be a nonissue. By the way, I am really liking the hero’s character so far. Here is a hero who is not aloof or proud but a man who is intelligent, kind and thoughtful. We are still in the background set up stage so there are only a few scenes of our two leads together BUT their chemistry looks super promising.
My Little Happiness (Chinese Drama, Viki)
Cherishing her hard won chance to be a law intern at a big hospital, our heroine could only complain silently when her very first case pits her against our hero, the hospital’s handsome surgeon. None too patient with the new intern, our hero has no intention of wasting his precious time on her…that is until he discovers that she is the childhood friend he has been waiting for all these years. Seeing that our heroine has no recollection of him at all, our hero decides to become our heroine’s landlord AND next door neighbor.
I was a bit disappointed at the cliche childhood friend setup especially since it was already strange that our hero would place all his romantic hopes and dreams on a childhood friend. Fortunately, once I decided to overlook the cliche setup, I found the show cute and surprisingly enjoyable.
A Girl Like Me (Chinese Drama, Viki)
Despite her beauty, our heroine finds herself the running joke of the Capital after three failed engagements. Instead of worrying about her marital future, our heroine is more concerned with the fact that her disjointed dreams seem to be predictions of her future. Puzzled when our hero’s face keeps appearing in her dream, our heroine soon wonders if the fourth time might be the charm when it comes to love.
This one is quite fun! I was caught off guard by the comedic vibe at first but once I got used to it then it was great. The two leads also had great chemistry together.
Unrequited Love (Chinese Drama, Viki)
Harboring a crush on a boy who doesn’t even know her name for the last fifteen years, our heroine is used to watching our hero from afar. Attending the same college, our heroine had assumed she would continue to be a nameless faceless stranger in our hero’s life until a series of accidental meetings finally brought our heroine into the spotlight. Feeling himself strangely drawn to a girl he somehow had not noticed during all the years they had attended the same high school, our hero begins to doubt his feelings when a mysterious text from his ex-girlfriend accuses our heroine of being nothing like she appears to be.
In case you guys thought the show’s title and plot sound really familiar, that’s because there was actually a 2019 Chinese web drama (this one is on Netflix) that was based on the same book this one is based on. The 2021 version had a lot of hype going in because actor Hu Yi Tian’s look is so perfect for the lead role. I was pretty excited for this new version as well but was disappointed after watching the first two episodes because the female lead’s character came off kinda like a creepy stalker. Fortunately, once I gave the show a few more episodes the heroine grew on me.
For those who like secret crush sort of storyline though I would still recommend checking out the 2019 version along with this new version. I really love the 2019 version of the heroine. Here is a girl who might be harboring a secret crush but she is not begging to be loved. In fact, one gets the feeling that mixed in the joy of having a secret crush, there is also anger and frustration simmering in our heroine…which I feel is more realistic to what secret crushes really are.
Fighting Youth (Chinese Drama, Viki)
Determined to succeed in her new job as a rookie in the sales department of a well known cosmetic corporation, our heroine eventually gains the approval of her boss through her passion and stubbornness.
The story will focus mostly on office politics as our heroine and her female boss team up to blaze through the various obstacles they encounter. It does look like there will be some romance for our two female leads respectively but I am not sure how much time will be devoted to them.
The first episode looked decent but I am still undecided if I am going to follow this one since I have watched quite a few similar types of C-drama in the last bit.
Always Have, Always Will (Chinese Drama, Youtube Eng Sub)
After her nightmarish experience with her deskmate during high school, our heroine is not exactly thrilled when she discovers that her nemesis is also attending the same college as her. As determined as she is to avoid her nemesis at all cost, fate seems just as determined to tie them together. Unbeknownst to our heroine, our hero actually can’t remember her and the fact that they obviously had some sort of connection in the past has piqued his interest in her.
I checked out the first three episodes and I am liking the story thus far and the chemistry between our two leads looks quite promising. The two actors playing the lead are new faces to me but their acting looks to be fairly solid.
Really Meet Love That Day (Chinese Drama, Youtube Eng Sub)
A talented young architect with a big dream of becoming a driving force in the fast progressing architecture field in China, our heroine is constantly trying to remind herself that it would not be a good thing to punch her picky boss. Despite butting heads constantly with her boss, our heroine nonetheless is forced to admit that our hero is one of the few people who both recognize her talent and share her ideologies. When office politics eventually force both of our leads to leave their current company, our hero will try everything he can to convince our heroine to become his business partner so they can realize their dreams together.
While I don’t dislike “bickering romance” it is not my favorite sort either since it tends to be overused. However, I am really enjoying our two leads’ bickering here. I especially enjoy how devious yet heart-melting our hero is whenever he teases our heroine. It seemed a bit unrealistic at first that our heroine, who is a subordinate, would be so sassy to her boss but once we got to know her character more than I felt her attitude fit her background. Instead of the stereotypical bumbling hardworking candy type, our heroine not only is very capable and talented herself but was raised in a family where money doesn’t seem to be an issue. Therefore, while her job is important to her but her talent and her family background allow her to not take anyone’s jabbing silently.
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Ohhh I was on the fence with this one. I really wanted to try it as I like her but have several dramas already on my plate so I wasn’t sure about diving into a potentially long court intrigue with no chemistry.
By the way, I can’t remember if you have mentioned Mr Queen or not- if you have, did you keep up with it? I’m an totally adoring this show. I know some people were mad over some controversy at the beginning but I have loved every bit of it. I used to watch basically everything but started feeling dragged down by the Josen court political dramas…. not with this one. So funny! What do you think?
I have watched the first two episodes of Mr. Queen and keep meaning to go back to it. I quite enjoyed the Chinese web drama Mr Queen is based on so I was glad that the K version seems to be even better.
Oh my Gosh, I am just loving this drama, I like the ambiance, the feel of this drama, it just have something that is so inviting. Is there a translated book on this, I would love to read the story.
You should be able to find an English translation of it since there are quite a few Chinese novel translation platforms out there. The Chinese novel’s name is: 帝王业 (Di Wang Ye)
I am REALLY liking Rebel Princess! The main female lead may not look 15 but she does a good job of portraying someone naïve and care free at the beginning of the series. I am on episode 10 and am amazingly frustrated that there are only 10 English subbed episodes available right now!! Also, it would have been harder to watch a poor 15 yr old being subjected to court machinations than someone who at least looks like a young adult.
I am also totally in love with Rebel Princess. It’s been a while since watching Zhang ZiYi’s movies, but I am totally loving how she adapted to her arranged marriage and fell in love with her husband later on. I also like her acting style in which she often talks softly (maybe for a dramatic effect). I’m not sure how old Xiao Qi is supposed to be in the movie, but at least he looks much older than the 3rd Prince.
The Rebel Princess trailer was just awesome and even the story is interesting but I’m sure this Drama has potential to totally crush me, so I better stay away from it.
At the moment there isn’t any new Drama (C, K, Dorama) that made me want to watch it. I think I will start with Forever Love after I finished Our Song S1 (variety).
Ha ha, I do find myself staying away from shows that I suspect would break my heart even when I think there is a good chance I would like it. I got distracted after watching Forever Love halfway so it is on my watch list as well.