If you don't like Wuxia/Fantasy you may rethink your opinion if you'll watch Princess Agents. I'm surprised myself I was totally hooked, because this show has all the characteristics: actors with long hair and large robes, jumping and fighting airborne, noble families aiming for the throne, having to choose for family or individual happiness, and the most depressing endings for people in love.
The plot: The absolute superstar of Princess Agents is Chu Qiao (Liying Zhao) a slave girl with amnesia and a hidden past. One day she finds herself thrown into a gladiator game with other slave girls. They have to fight against wolves trying to escape from deadly arrows shot by rich lords. Chu Qiao's fighting spirit and skills catch the attention of two lords: the easy going Prince of Northern Yan, Yan Xun (Shawn Dou) and the fourth master of the Yuwen Manor, Yuwen Yue (Kenny Lin) who secretly saves her from a deadly shot. Afterwards Chu Qiao is brought into the Yuwen household, where she reunites with the siblings of her foster family. They are slaves now, working under strict rules and evil slave masters. She swears to free them one day.
The cool and aloof Yuwen Yue, surname "The Ice Cube", is also the James Bond of his family. He is the head of the spying network called The Eyes of God and intrigued by Chu Qiao: where and why did she learn her fighting skills, she doesn't seem to remember? He decides to keep her close by his side as his chamber maid, training her to become a secret agent for his own family. Yuwen Yue falls deeply for the slave girl, despite his stern attitude, and she develops feelings for him. Yuwen Yue renames her Xing'er (Star), to complement her eyes and his own name (Moon), he gives her a female version of his sword (lover's sword), but he is hindered by his sense of duty towards his family and by their social status gap.
Meanwhile Chu Qiao/Xing'er becomes acquainted with Yan Xun, who is a personal friend of Yuwen Yue. Yan Xun openly invites her to become his girlfriend. He wants her to live with him in his homeland, where slavery doesn't exist. That's why Chu Qiao decides to abandon the Yuwen household to become the close companion of Yan Xun. Later she becomes his warrior maiden, when he starts a revenge war after his family gets slaughtered and branded as traitors by the emperor.
Former friends Yan Xun and Yuwen Yue fight on opposite sites now. Chu Qiao doesn't want to be called by her slave name Xing'er any longer. Her aim is to free as many slaves as possible to bring them to the kingdom of Yan Xun. Yuwen Yue gives her back her own freedom, but he can't stop loving Chu Qiao. So he loves her from a distance, aiding her in secret. During the war Yan Xun becomes an ambitious and cruel leader with no soft spots left except for Chu Qiao. He gets used to war methods killing many civilians, not caring for slaves at all, forcing Chu Qiao to doubt her choices and self esteem.
The Good: The leading characters are well written, they aren't downright good or bad, and full of inherent contradictions. It's interesting to see people change by the turn of events. I loved the chemistry between the couples. Also the supporting cast did a good job, I love-hated the evil brother of Yuwen Yue: Yuwen Huai, and his grandfather Yuwen Xi, a creepy pervert. There was some comic relief too between the harsh scenes.
The Bad: It's sometimes difficult to watch C-Drama. First: there are always too many story lines, scenes and repetitions. The film editing has many bloopers, f.e. close ups of male actors who have their sideburns visibly glued to their heads. Second: some scenes have the look and feel of a PC game in the nineties. The actors resemble paper cut figures put into a virtual diorama. Wild animals and domestic pets are fully animated, and put next to the real life actors, just like in Disney's Mary Poppins. Third: there are always scenes with actors playing a bamboo flute, completely out of sync with the music in the background.
My verdict: I can relate to Princess Agents, because the story isn't entirely focused on court intrigue or martial arts. It's also about the admiration of individual qualities, about making lifetime choices apart from social status or family backgrounds. The fighting scenes are visually attractive, all characters are played by good(looking) actors, the music score is great too. Recommended.
The plot: The absolute superstar of Princess Agents is Chu Qiao (Liying Zhao) a slave girl with amnesia and a hidden past. One day she finds herself thrown into a gladiator game with other slave girls. They have to fight against wolves trying to escape from deadly arrows shot by rich lords. Chu Qiao's fighting spirit and skills catch the attention of two lords: the easy going Prince of Northern Yan, Yan Xun (Shawn Dou) and the fourth master of the Yuwen Manor, Yuwen Yue (Kenny Lin) who secretly saves her from a deadly shot. Afterwards Chu Qiao is brought into the Yuwen household, where she reunites with the siblings of her foster family. They are slaves now, working under strict rules and evil slave masters. She swears to free them one day.
The cool and aloof Yuwen Yue, surname "The Ice Cube", is also the James Bond of his family. He is the head of the spying network called The Eyes of God and intrigued by Chu Qiao: where and why did she learn her fighting skills, she doesn't seem to remember? He decides to keep her close by his side as his chamber maid, training her to become a secret agent for his own family. Yuwen Yue falls deeply for the slave girl, despite his stern attitude, and she develops feelings for him. Yuwen Yue renames her Xing'er (Star), to complement her eyes and his own name (Moon), he gives her a female version of his sword (lover's sword), but he is hindered by his sense of duty towards his family and by their social status gap.
Meanwhile Chu Qiao/Xing'er becomes acquainted with Yan Xun, who is a personal friend of Yuwen Yue. Yan Xun openly invites her to become his girlfriend. He wants her to live with him in his homeland, where slavery doesn't exist. That's why Chu Qiao decides to abandon the Yuwen household to become the close companion of Yan Xun. Later she becomes his warrior maiden, when he starts a revenge war after his family gets slaughtered and branded as traitors by the emperor.
Former friends Yan Xun and Yuwen Yue fight on opposite sites now. Chu Qiao doesn't want to be called by her slave name Xing'er any longer. Her aim is to free as many slaves as possible to bring them to the kingdom of Yan Xun. Yuwen Yue gives her back her own freedom, but he can't stop loving Chu Qiao. So he loves her from a distance, aiding her in secret. During the war Yan Xun becomes an ambitious and cruel leader with no soft spots left except for Chu Qiao. He gets used to war methods killing many civilians, not caring for slaves at all, forcing Chu Qiao to doubt her choices and self esteem.
The Good: The leading characters are well written, they aren't downright good or bad, and full of inherent contradictions. It's interesting to see people change by the turn of events. I loved the chemistry between the couples. Also the supporting cast did a good job, I love-hated the evil brother of Yuwen Yue: Yuwen Huai, and his grandfather Yuwen Xi, a creepy pervert. There was some comic relief too between the harsh scenes.
The Bad: It's sometimes difficult to watch C-Drama. First: there are always too many story lines, scenes and repetitions. The film editing has many bloopers, f.e. close ups of male actors who have their sideburns visibly glued to their heads. Second: some scenes have the look and feel of a PC game in the nineties. The actors resemble paper cut figures put into a virtual diorama. Wild animals and domestic pets are fully animated, and put next to the real life actors, just like in Disney's Mary Poppins. Third: there are always scenes with actors playing a bamboo flute, completely out of sync with the music in the background.
My verdict: I can relate to Princess Agents, because the story isn't entirely focused on court intrigue or martial arts. It's also about the admiration of individual qualities, about making lifetime choices apart from social status or family backgrounds. The fighting scenes are visually attractive, all characters are played by good(looking) actors, the music score is great too. Recommended.