I never would have guessed that Princess Jieyou 解忧公主 devoid of heavy promotional efforts sans the glitz and glamour of an idol cast would turn out to be such an incredible find.
Granted that the lead actor Yuan Hong does have his fair share of fans (myself included), his star power still wasn’t enough for me to commit 41 hours of my life to this underrated historical cdrama, at least not initially.
Episode 1 is a combination of blood, tears and romance. Due to the unfortunate passing of the Han Dynasty princess who happens to be the wife of the reigning monarch of Wu Sun, Wu Sun sends an emissary to Han along with a proposal for a new marriage alliance in order to keep a united front against the Xiong Nu.
The group is ambushed en-route and General Wong Gui (Yuan Hong) narrowly escapes a ferocious battle in the desert.
Jieyou (Zhang Xinyi) is a member of a traveling circus searching for a source of water and she witnesses Wong Gui single handedly slaying all the men in sight, therefore contaminating the water in the process. Fearing for her own life, she and her troupe are both relieved and indignant when a nonchalant Wong Gui simply walks away.
During Jieyou’s turn to perform a magic act, Wong Gui attempts to hide from the Xiong Nu assassins but is shot after Jieyou’s frantic screams give away his location. She later discovers that a critically injured Wong Gui was a stowaway in her trunk of supplies and she ends up saving his life albeit after a sadistic streak of literally scraping off the poison that has seeped into his bones, which despite the way it sounds was actually a rather funny scene.
First Impressions: I’m not familiar with any of Zhang Xinyi’s works but her character as Princess Jieyou is quite endearing. Perhaps it’s largely due to a story that is set in the Western borders of ancient China where the people tend to be more carefree and passionate but Jieyou is the perfect example of such a person and it’s refreshing to see a female lead that is uninhibited yet principled, feminine yet daring.
Yuan Hong as Wong Gui compliments our feisty heroine by embodying the qualities of a courageous and occasionally wayward hero. He is undoubtedly a warrior and a flirtatious one at that, which makes for a fairly entertaining OTP.
For anyone who has seen the City of Devastating Love also starring Yuan Hong as General Shen An, it’s reasonable to conclude that he seems to always be typecast as the manly man. Thankfully, the similarities end there as General Wong Gui seems to be a way smarter version who hopefully won’t repeat the mistakes of Shen An because that other drama ripped my heart out then stomped on it again and again and again.
The first few episodes of Princess Jieyou have been enjoyable overall with enough action and conflict to keep things interesting. It may not look as polished as the highly-publicized productions nowadays but the scenic views across the vast deserts of China are breathtakingly panoramic with a cinematic feel to it. On to episode 2 recap.
For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 c-drama recommendations.
lenje
I am so glad someone is writing about this drama! I have finished it. For non-Mandarin viewers like myself, it's pretty easy to follow, although I'm sure there are still lots lost in translation :D. While I think the writing could've been better, the drama has an addictive factor because of the superb acting of the three main leads. I initially wanted to check this out because of Yuan Hong, but end up smitten by Yuan Wen Kang's fantastic portrayal of Jun Xu/Kun Mi. IMO he steals every scene he's in. I really enjoyed each facial and eye movement, full of charisma yet shows some vulnerabilities, making it difficult to decide whether to love him or hate him 🙂
Anne J
wow I have never tried watching anything that I couldn't understand un-subbed, quite impressed:)
I'm watching for Yuan Hong same as you. Can't imagine I'd end up rooting for the other guy though but it's probably because I have no opinion of him yet since he hasn't really said much in the first few episodes. Guess we'll find out;p
lenje
LOL, I've been used to watching unsubbed dramas for a while. Either because I couldn't wait until the subbing works are completed, or the dramas simply never get subbed (or only partially subbed). I found that in many cases, if the directing and acting is outstanding, dramas or movies can be understandable and give the intended impact to the non-speakers. For instance, I watched Amores Perros many, many years ago, not speaking Spanish at all. But it was very well done (and of course Gael Garcia Bernal is hot, LOL), that I got it correctly. Still enamored by it to this day.
It probably won't work for dramas or movies where conversation is key, though (think the "Before Sunrise" trilogy).
Anyway, I don't know how far you have been in the Princess Jieyou journey, but I hope it will continue being enjoyable to you (as it did to me).
Anne J
I didn't get very far but I plan to watch it after Imperial Doctress or maybe simultaneously since I'm about done with Legend of Qin anyways. Lots of dramas to choose from these days:)
azaniz
Hi, how is it if compare to The Princess Wei Young? and where the full episodes subbed can be found? Thanks a lot dear.