Princess Agents (楚乔传)

Episodes: 58

Story: 9.0

Acting: 9.5

Cast: 10.0

Rewatch: 9.0

“Princess Agents” is a historical drama set during the Northern Wei dynasty. The story follows Chu Qiao (Zhao Liying), a slave girl who gets caught up in the martial arts world and experiences the power struggle between the Yuwen household, Western Wei and Northern Yan. My favorite aspect of this drama is the character development. One of the male leads, Yan Xun (Shawn Dou), is initially an easy-going playboy who has a crush on Chu Qiao. He’s best buddies with Yuwen Yue (Lin Gengxin), who has the emotional capacity of an ice block. After Yan Xun’s family was wrongfully slaughtered, his transition from a goofy prince to a heartless, vengeful duke left me in tears. Yet, it was hard to hate him because the man he became was shaped by the pain he endured… However, one thing I absolutely hated about the plot was the last episode. It felt rushed and confusing, with the invincible Yuwen Yue struggling in a fight and Chu Qiao having to save him. Plus, the ending was the worst cliffhanger I’ve ever seen. Thankfully, “Princess Agents” is confirmed for a second season — which started filming at the beginning of this year — but, unfortunately, not with the OG cast.

The Journey of Flower (花千骨）

Episodes: 58

Story: 8.5

Acting: 10.0

Cast: 10.0

Rewatch: 9.5

“The Journey of Flower” is a Xianxia drama — a genre of Chinese fantasy that involves magic, cultivation and immortals — that tells the story of a young girl Hua Qiangu (Zhao Liying), and the immortal Bai Zihua (Wallace Huo), as they encounter love and struggle with the good and evil in the worlds of magic and martial arts. While I loved every aspect of this drama, the idea that the “dark” side Sha Qianmo represents has to be overtaken might seem a bit vague, despite being a classic theme in the Xianxia genre. I feel like there isn’t a “why” or “how” behind the dark existence in this drama, although I guess the more Xianxia you watch, the more you get used to the “evil” and the relationship between deity devices and world peace. However, I loved the way the actors and actresses portrayed their respective characters. One of my favorites is Tang Bao, Qiangu’s magical pet worm who has a human form. She is one of the characters who make it funny, cute and slice-of-life-y. Overall, I would rate this 2015 drama 9/10. Personally, I would never get sick of rewatching this C-drama classic.