Rhea
Malaysia
Takes Time To Warm Up
I think many people can’t resist watching My Sassy Princess (祝卿好) because of Zheng Ye Cheng. He has the required look to portray the role of a general in historical dramas. Of course, looks alone are certainly not enough to promote a drama and make it shoot up the charts. The plot has to be good too to get a high rating from viewers. So, how is the story with this one? Is it worth watching or merely hyped up because of the leads? I have gone through the whole 22 episodes and below is My Sassy Princess review for those who are interested to give this a go.
If the first impression counts, My Sassy Princess will probably be unappealing to many viewers. This is because the female protagonist is not an instantly likable character. In the first few episodes, she comes on as irresponsible, immature, and impudent. Therefore, don’t expect a demure and gentle princess but one who is rebellious and intends to get her way with the man she likes.
If you find her to be a real turn-off, in the beginning, it might seem hard to sit through enough episodes for you to slowly warm up to her. You will also have to tolerate her way of seducing the guy which is blatant and direct. It is very different from the typical relationship development in romance dramas whereby the leads are coy about their feelings for each other and they don’t confess until midway through the story. But Liu Ling in My Sassy Princess is already in love with her man at first sight and chasing after him from the very first episode.
I find the change refreshing despite her not-so-likable character. At least, I see a different romance pattern than usual. If you don’t mind an upfront princess who couldn’t care about modesty and conventions, then you might like Liu Ling better. But if you prefer the more traditional guy chases girl scenario, then she will appear as coming on too strongly.
Don’t Take It Too Seriously
Although My Sassy Princess doesn’t have a strong rom-com flavor like Decreed By Fate, it is also not a drama that can be taken too seriously. The plot is simple with only 22 episodes to fit in a romance and investigation into a robbery. If you want detailed political maneuverings and palace intrigues in the mold of Sword Snow Stride or Stand By Me, this is not the drama to binge on.
The focus is more on the romance and with the female lead clearly after the male lead, you will get a flirty feel in their interactions, especially at the beginning of the drama. Don’t be too critical of the princess’ antics and you will be able to enjoy their relationship development. But if you view things seriously, her behavior will become questionable and the romantic vibes will become subdued as a result.
The plot itself is predictable and there is no big mystery as to who are the villains. The cliches are there and you can already foresee them happening in certain scenes such as the couple falling off a cliff and surviving as well as the female lead being forced to marry someone else because of a decree. Thus, the plot is pretty average overall and it is hardly a selling point on its own. What enhances the storytelling and makes the drama more watch-worthy is none other than the chemistry between the leads.
Great Chemistry
I think the chemistry between Yuan Bing Yan and Zheng Ye Cheng practically saves My Sassy Princess from mediocrity. The flirtations would only look romantic if viewers can feel that the leads are into each other which they managed to do convincingly throughout the drama. So, once they got together, the love is obvious and you will be able to feel their sorrows when they face difficulties.
There are quite a few kisses between them and the blazing chemistry means these would be the highlights of the drama. Unfortunately, some have been deleted while others could have been cut short. The unevenness in the scene transitions shows with these poor edits. Perhaps the kisses are too numerous or raunchy for their domestic audience but it is a real pity to have been deleted given their great chemistry.
In addition, Zheng Ye Cheng’s charisma as a cold-faced commander also helped to attract viewers. He seems to have perfected this kind of role with his domineering screen presence and aura. He also played a similar character in The Sleepless Princess which is why Shen Yan shouldn’t be a challenge for him to portray. This is my second time watching Yuan Bing Yan after Love And Redemption. She brought out the essence of the character in My Sassy Princess and I think she did well with what she was given.
My Verdict – Watch For The Chemistry
My Sassy Princess will not satisfy those who want a great plot of a palace power struggle. It will also be disappointing for those who prefer a more traditional boy chases girl romance. On top of that, not everyone will have the patience to tolerate the “sassiness” of the female lead. You need to watch about 6 episodes to find out more about her background to slowly understand her character and behavior. Therefore, I’m not sure if more critical viewers will find this worth sitting through unless they are hooked on the leads’ chemistry right from the start given that the first impression of the drama may not be too flattering.
However, once you get over the initial bump, it gets better as the drama progresses. By then, you should find the female protagonist more acceptable. The leads’ good chemistry certainly helped me to hang on and I believe it contributed much to its marketability. The fighting scenes and Zheng Ye Cheng’s ability to execute those martial art moves beautifully provided another reason for me to stay on longer.
Chemistry And Kisses Sell
I believe this drama is getting a lot of attention in China at the time of this review. I think the leads did a good job overall and they deserve the good results notwithstanding the very ordinary plot. All I can say is romance dramas are very dependent on chemistry to make it work. Kisses sell as well but they have to be well-executed with the couple’s sizzling chemistry being the prerequisite for the scenes to feel romantic to the viewers.
So, the hype surrounding this drama centers mainly on the couple rather than the story to me. Consequently, for this My Sassy Princess review, I would give it a score of 7.5/10 because the plot doesn’t justify a higher rating in my opinion. But it doesn’t mean it is not enjoyable especially if you are a big fan of Zheng Ye Cheng and Yuan Bing Yan.
In conclusion, the romance flavor is strong in this couple. I think the story execution also effectively satisfies every girl’s fantasy of a handsome and domineering lord being conquered by a sassy princess which is typical of historical romance novels. Perhaps this is why it is one of the top dramas of the year to date.
If the first impression counts, My Sassy Princess will probably be unappealing to many viewers. This is because the female protagonist is not an instantly likable character. In the first few episodes, she comes on as irresponsible, immature, and impudent. Therefore, don’t expect a demure and gentle princess but one who is rebellious and intends to get her way with the man she likes.
If you find her to be a real turn-off, in the beginning, it might seem hard to sit through enough episodes for you to slowly warm up to her. You will also have to tolerate her way of seducing the guy which is blatant and direct. It is very different from the typical relationship development in romance dramas whereby the leads are coy about their feelings for each other and they don’t confess until midway through the story. But Liu Ling in My Sassy Princess is already in love with her man at first sight and chasing after him from the very first episode.
I find the change refreshing despite her not-so-likable character. At least, I see a different romance pattern than usual. If you don’t mind an upfront princess who couldn’t care about modesty and conventions, then you might like Liu Ling better. But if you prefer the more traditional guy chases girl scenario, then she will appear as coming on too strongly.
Don’t Take It Too Seriously
Although My Sassy Princess doesn’t have a strong rom-com flavor like Decreed By Fate, it is also not a drama that can be taken too seriously. The plot is simple with only 22 episodes to fit in a romance and investigation into a robbery. If you want detailed political maneuverings and palace intrigues in the mold of Sword Snow Stride or Stand By Me, this is not the drama to binge on.
The focus is more on the romance and with the female lead clearly after the male lead, you will get a flirty feel in their interactions, especially at the beginning of the drama. Don’t be too critical of the princess’ antics and you will be able to enjoy their relationship development. But if you view things seriously, her behavior will become questionable and the romantic vibes will become subdued as a result.
The plot itself is predictable and there is no big mystery as to who are the villains. The cliches are there and you can already foresee them happening in certain scenes such as the couple falling off a cliff and surviving as well as the female lead being forced to marry someone else because of a decree. Thus, the plot is pretty average overall and it is hardly a selling point on its own. What enhances the storytelling and makes the drama more watch-worthy is none other than the chemistry between the leads.
Great Chemistry
I think the chemistry between Yuan Bing Yan and Zheng Ye Cheng practically saves My Sassy Princess from mediocrity. The flirtations would only look romantic if viewers can feel that the leads are into each other which they managed to do convincingly throughout the drama. So, once they got together, the love is obvious and you will be able to feel their sorrows when they face difficulties.
There are quite a few kisses between them and the blazing chemistry means these would be the highlights of the drama. Unfortunately, some have been deleted while others could have been cut short. The unevenness in the scene transitions shows with these poor edits. Perhaps the kisses are too numerous or raunchy for their domestic audience but it is a real pity to have been deleted given their great chemistry.
In addition, Zheng Ye Cheng’s charisma as a cold-faced commander also helped to attract viewers. He seems to have perfected this kind of role with his domineering screen presence and aura. He also played a similar character in The Sleepless Princess which is why Shen Yan shouldn’t be a challenge for him to portray. This is my second time watching Yuan Bing Yan after Love And Redemption. She brought out the essence of the character in My Sassy Princess and I think she did well with what she was given.
My Verdict – Watch For The Chemistry
My Sassy Princess will not satisfy those who want a great plot of a palace power struggle. It will also be disappointing for those who prefer a more traditional boy chases girl romance. On top of that, not everyone will have the patience to tolerate the “sassiness” of the female lead. You need to watch about 6 episodes to find out more about her background to slowly understand her character and behavior. Therefore, I’m not sure if more critical viewers will find this worth sitting through unless they are hooked on the leads’ chemistry right from the start given that the first impression of the drama may not be too flattering.
However, once you get over the initial bump, it gets better as the drama progresses. By then, you should find the female protagonist more acceptable. The leads’ good chemistry certainly helped me to hang on and I believe it contributed much to its marketability. The fighting scenes and Zheng Ye Cheng’s ability to execute those martial art moves beautifully provided another reason for me to stay on longer.
Chemistry And Kisses Sell
I believe this drama is getting a lot of attention in China at the time of this review. I think the leads did a good job overall and they deserve the good results notwithstanding the very ordinary plot. All I can say is romance dramas are very dependent on chemistry to make it work. Kisses sell as well but they have to be well-executed with the couple’s sizzling chemistry being the prerequisite for the scenes to feel romantic to the viewers.
So, the hype surrounding this drama centers mainly on the couple rather than the story to me. Consequently, for this My Sassy Princess review, I would give it a score of 7.5/10 because the plot doesn’t justify a higher rating in my opinion. But it doesn’t mean it is not enjoyable especially if you are a big fan of Zheng Ye Cheng and Yuan Bing Yan.
In conclusion, the romance flavor is strong in this couple. I think the story execution also effectively satisfies every girl’s fantasy of a handsome and domineering lord being conquered by a sassy princess which is typical of historical romance novels. Perhaps this is why it is one of the top dramas of the year to date.
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