Rebirth for You (2021)

So FRUSTRATING to watch!!!

This show started out great! I was enjoying it. I like the relationship the leads had in the first 20 eps (I think) and they have to throw some stupid misunderstanding in the last 10 eps that make this show become so stupid. FL started out so smart and then she just got dumb or something. the ML, too! Instead of talking to each other about it like they DID in the previous episodes, he just went to hangout with some chick at a brothel.....and then he turned around and apologize then she kept on pushing him away....so this back and forth dragged out for like 6 episodes. And then the annoying villains that liked FL and ML won't move on and kept getting forgiven.... I got so angry watching this drama because of the stupidity!! The screen writter should find another job.
Also, WTF IS UP with FL HEAVY makeups and the beads on her head????

Read More

Decent.

I have to admit, I've thought of dropping this drama a lot, so much that I lost count. But I did enjoy it on some particular parts.
STORY:
This plot is certainly not the best with the main point on the female leads struggles. If your looking for a good drama with a amazing plot, this drama is definitely not for you. For about half of the drama, the female lead had the antagonists who was obsessed with the ML and would do anything to break them apart. There were some palace politics but they technically all evolved around winning the Fl's heart and breaking apart the two leads. There was a rushed ending if you ask me and the team wrapped up all the misunderstanding in two episodes. Not the best plot, but if your bored, might as well give this a try.
ACTING/CAST:
The acting wasn't out of this world but it was decent. Acting from the support leads were just not it. The casting was what I had beef with. One after one, new actors came in and added more pettiness to the drama. It got so bad that I wanted to drop this drama so many times. All the criticism aside, The acting from the Grand Empress Dowager was phenomenal. She was on point with her acting and made even a few tears fall from my eyes. Definitely watched all the episodes just for her.
MUSIC:
I really like Ju JingYi's voice. But i have to admit, I was a little disappointed with the OST of this drama compared with her other dramas like The Blooms at Ruyi Pavillion and Legend of Yunxi. The music isn't really worth mentioning but I did enjoy it a little.
RE-WATCH VALUE:
Finally the re-watch value. I don't see myself re-watching this anytime soon considering a lot of new dramas are airing. But one day if I do have time and have nothing to watch, sure. Maybe I'll watch some of my favorite parts but the re-watch value for me isn't so high.
Finally, overall, this drama wasn't such a huge disappointment. But I had high expectations for it. I, in my opinion, think that the people in the comment section are over exaggerating how bad this drama is. I enjoyed it honestly but like I said, I am a little disappointed.

Read More

Proved me wrong despite the bad reviews, unexpectedly such a good drama

I've never written review for any of the 100+ dramas that I have watched. This is the first time I am writing because this drama deserves the best. Totally the opposite of what the bad reviews said. The story is realistic. Yes, the second leads cannot differentiate the difference between love and obsession but the main couples and other couples' love stories in the drama were so sweet and loving. On top of this the ost is soo beautiful. Everything is top notch and I didn't want the drama to end even though it was already 40 episodes. However, looking back 40 episodes is the best fit length for this drama too. I gave everything around 9 stars because of its great value but the rewatch value is only 7 because of how long the drama is, but I would still rewatch it if I have time for all the 40 episodes. PLEASE WATCH IT, I WAS MISLEAD BECAUSE OF THE BAD REVIEW and decided not to watch it for 5-6 times, but once I actually decided to watch it despite the bad reviews, I wasn't disappointed at my decision to watch it, just regret that I didn't watch it sooner.

Read More

It's Actually Not Bad

i wasnt interested to watch this drama because of Ju JingYi. not that i hate her, i just find that her acting is just so-so.
good thing that her character in this drama is very likable, she's smart and independent.

Story :
there's nothing new about the whole story. two peoole in love and jealous enemies.
the one thing i really find it irritating is that there are so many jelaous people around the main couple. it's like two person wasn't enought and they made it three??? come on! dont those people have life? the over obsessions towards someone they love is just... so annoying! i'm already bored with evil 2nd female, and now evil 2nd male???
this could've been a way better drama if it's not because of over jealous people around the main couple. way too many schemes over and over. but i kept watching because it's actually not a bad drama.

Acting:
almost everyone's acting is just.. either fine or just so-so.
however i did find Ju JingYi's acting is getting better. apart from her exessive make up i think i starting to take her as an actress.

Characters:
-Jiang BaoNing : i like her, she's smart, strong and independent. mostly she never fell for anyone's schemes, except at the last few episodes.
- Li Qian: i like how much he loves Jiang BaoNing. i'm loving them together.
- Li ChangQing (Li Qian's father): i like his interactions with his son and wife. especially with his wife
- Mrs He (Li Qian's step mom): she's a bit annoying at first but it's all because of her naive personality. as the story goes i started to like her.
- Gao Miao Rong : what a scary woman!
- Zhao Xiao : can i just kill him already? he is the most irritating character of all! his obsession towards BaoNing makes me wanna slap him and yell "wake up!!!"
- Han Tong Xin : another over jealous character.
- Li Dong Zi (DongDong) : i like her character, really like her. she's pretty, brave and strong.
- Qing An : i like his interactions with DongDong. such a sweet couple

Is this drama worth watching? yes. it's not a super great drama but yes it is worth watching and quite enjoyable.
would i recommend this drama? absolutely.

Read More

same story over and over again

There are way too many villains or bad character that try to go against what the FL and ML want. Like the FL’s cousin has a horrible obsession with her. The. the empress is the worst of the worse. so much calculating with this drama. along with miao rong and zhao xiao always trying to split the main couple apart. then the plot does the same over and over. plus the amount of times that the ML saved zhao xiao and he keeps trying to have him dead. or take his wife like wtf. and the misunderstanding of the ML’s mother might be killed by the FL’s father. ugh it’s not worth it. too too many misunderstandings with them. truly not worth anyone’s time. plus the music is pretty horrible. i do not recommend.

Read More

The first 12 episodes are the best

I’ve not yet seen such a lifelike drama. What do I mean? Well, life’s never perfect, and so are the plot lines of this series. Actually, the story is quite catchy and the main couple is pleasant to watch. But something goes awry over and over again with the logic of storytelling and motivations of some characters. If you are OK with that, the whole story is waiting. If not, I highly recommend to perceive the first, like, twelve episodes as a story of its own (and maybe stop watching after this). Actually, many people have already said the same thing. In case it still helps you to decide, there's my kind of summary of the drama's structure.

I have the feeling that the drama consists of several smaller stories. The first one is intriguing, well-rounded and bright. The second one is about family matters and would have been alright if shortened or fast forwarded (I couldn’t stand a foolish girl pursuing the ML (Li Qian) as well as a scheming girl whose character is interesting but there’s too much of here in the storytelling). The third one is about rescuing Li Qian from the enemy’s city (which is thrilling but totally unrealistic) and the last long one is about political interactions (which has a good potential but is too long and doesn’t seem lively due to Bao Ning’s depressed state of mind).

That’s all you need to know. Why write the rest of this long review? Well, I just loved the drama no matter how many flaws it had. If you want to compare your estimations of the heroes, you can look through these descriptions.

***

I really appreciate smart and daring main characters. Here are two: a princess Jiang Bao Ning and a guard Li Qian. Both risky and a bit sly, they work together quite nicely and overcome their difficulties with the energy and passion of young and talented people. Li Qian’s troubles come when he approaches Bao Ning too close; she’s meant to unwillingly put his life in danger after they develop a feeling towards each other.

Bao Ning is manipulative but not mean; she also proves to be quite forgiving towards her enemies and desperate when saving her wounded husband. I like how balanced her strong mind and weak body are. To protect herself, she needs to think carefully both when it comes to scheming and inventions. Alas, though she is shown as an inventor, her best creation is not shown in the last ‘biggest’ battle; otherwise, it would have been a good symmetrical storytelling since the story began with a constructors’ competition and ended when the secret weapon was finally made.

Li Qian’s my favourite character here. He’s the best warrior (though oh my, it’s really fun to see him running over the air when fighting or pursuing somebody), he’s quite independent to make his own judgment and he’s the one who… must have nine lives like a cat. Honestly, that’s where the story is unrealistic at all, because Li Qian’s being injured over and over again but somehow is capable of recovering very fast. Although it’s done to make the audience sympathize with him, I laughed nervously when Li Qian got several shots almost at the heart in just like two or three episodes in a row.

Their wedding – that’s what was really unexpected! Not in the last episode, but after the first ‘castle’ part of the story! This gave us the opportunity to see the family life of the main couple (and it covered the half of the story…) That’s what so lifelike about it. The princess has become the part of the common family and has to adjust to a new social role. What a waste it could have been for the country! She, who has manipulated herself out of the wedding with the emperor himself, must protect her dower from being stolen by the family members, vie with all kinds of sneaky or dumb girls for her husband, solve family matters and in the end find that her family’s still easily suspected being guilty of the 20-year-old crime. No wonder she was so offended, for a princess deserved a better treatment! I still think she overreacts in the last ten episodes, maybe she’s just stressed-out and thus unreasonable. But life never lets a person remain a carefree young girl and Bao Ning inevitably becomes more serious and tried.

Not only Bao Ning changes in the progress of the story, Li Qian does as well. To be honest, his boyish version of himself also suited him more but the adult and high-powered Li Qian is a decent image, too. I really enjoyed his affection to Bao Ning (risking his life is one thing but being on her side in everyday matters and being willing to refrain from intimacy due to her poor health is the other). I feel quite sorry for him because he suffers a lot due to his love to Bao Ning; firstly, when he saves a princess and must be executed for this, secondly, when Bao Ning’s marring him is seen like a mismarriage to her, after that – when his career development seems the princess’ meddling rather than his competent effort, then – when Bao Ning’s ex-fiancé constantly hurts him, and finally Bao Ning turns against Li Qian and almost divorces him in a painful manner. Although he matures and changes within this story, I can’t see much of a character development there. Rather, he is shown as a persistent variable, the one who will nobly do his duty. He’s skilled, brave and kind-hearted and mostly shows his devotion to Bao Ning, his family and country.

***

Long story short, watch the beginning and you’ll be hooked by the plot and the characters. Later you can create your own storylines ‘cause there’re many missed opportunities to the plot (though there are several cliches unused in the moments when you highly anticipate them).

My predictions did not come to fruition multiple times. I really believed Li Qian would be thought dead after disappearing on the battlefield (in the second arc of the story). That would have given either the emperor or Zhao Xiao a chance to marry Bao Ning. This would engage her into political schemes a bit earlier and would threaten her health since those two men wouldn’t be as patient with the wife as Li Qian was.

I also believed that the empress would be more important for the plot, as well as some second leads (such as Bao Ning’s friend’s family). As for Li Qian’s sister, she was enough present in the story but sometimes the logic was weird. Brother is captive? Never mind, the girl is in love and doesn’t care. She doesn’t seem too caring or intelligent since she behaves in a childish manner; nevertheless, I liked the part when Dongdong helped her lover who suffered a serious brain injury. I only wish they have developed that story a little bit to make it deeper.

The mother-riddle has solved out not in the way I’ve expected, too. Although it left the sad emotions, this part was alright. They would make a great small family of clever people, though: Bao Ning, Li Qian and his mother. But those who hope for Li Qian to find his mother won’t be satisfied.

Miao Rong was a character who was to be interesting to watch but somehow, she arose too many negative emotions in me. This is rather unusual because don’t get so emotionally invested to hate fictional enemies. She really did have some character development but I’d rather she didn’t. It would be more menacing if she remained that delusional girl thinking that Li Qian must be only hers. But she could gain more powers from the castle and therefore make her revenge brighter. She’s such a liar that it would be only logical to see how she manipulates the guy who loves her and deceives the new empress. Anyway, it was she who was manipulated and deceived in the broad daylight. Did becoming a positive character make her stupid?

Whom I really liked, though, were a new emperor and Bao Ning’s grandmother. These characters were really believable and sure to stick to their logic. The emperor is just a child who is full of moral virtues and dearly loves Bao Ning and her grandmother. He’s even nice to his step-mother’s son. Sometimes he lacks experience and can be manipulated but that’s what you should expect from such a young ruler. But he is fast to react and fix his mistakes, as well as to show his true emotions which makes his image both likeable and fragile.

Bao Ning’s grandmother is a quaint character. She combines the image of a prototypic caring grandmother and an intelligent ruler. She has enough power to change some castle outcomes. Sometimes she is merciless, so she isn’t perfect. But at least we believe such a person could have survived in the castle till the old age. Her love to Bao Ning, her clever pieces of advice, her sense of humour and the sympathy she arises with her image make her really one of the best characters.

***

The story has left a strange impression due to a very simple ending battle. I was sure everybody would be fighting fiercely before Bao Ning’s triumphal appearance with a super weapon. But everybody came running and watched from the distance how wounded Li Qian tried to fight all alone. At least Qing An should have had a spectacular fight with his step-brother for his country and throne, too! They should have added some background movement to show how many people were actually involved. (Did they run out of money while filming?) And it wasn’t a ‘good’ super weapon that destroyed the enemy. So… the ending episode was unbelievable and clumsy. Maybe that’s why although I liked to see the main characters and their friends all alive and living happily ever after the ending wasn’t that satisfying.

After watching all episodes, I feel that this story could have been more balanced in terms of editing, script and effects. But I really loved the characters and if I had some time, I would write some fanfiction to fill in the gaps of this story. All in all, the drama is the one I will remember due to some bright characters, the storylines (which were good or not quite) and some esthetical images of people, clothes, architecture and nature.

Read More

What A Mess..

Where to begin on this one. Wow. Let me start out by saying that I thought the acting was pretty well done, I have nothing against the actors/actresses in this show. I came here as a Joseph Zeng fan, and managed to actually finish a JJY drama for once. JZ and JJY had decent chemistry, none of it felt awkward. All the characters were portrayed well, to the point where you literally want to kill some of them.

The plot/writing is where it all goes wrong. The first few episodes had potential but once you reach 1/3 of the way in, you start to wonder what you're even watching anymore and why. The script writers filled episodes with unnecessary stories.. so many of them. Had this been a 20 episode drama, it might have been somewhat bearable. By episode 30, the fast forward button became my best friend. It got to the point where as much as I was trying to push through, I had to put this on pause until all the episodes were released so I could fast forward to the end.

I hate to say it but this is probably the worst drama I've watched all year. The only reason this is getting a 5 from me (and not a 4) was because I did enjoy the OST and acting.

Read More

[Spoiler] This show isn't as bad as everyone says it is!

Where do I begin? For starters, I'm not sure why this show garnered so much negative discourse and opinions. It's just a regular Chinese historical drama, with the usual healthy dose of palace intrigue and relationship politics.

Just to be clear, I've liked Ju Jingyi since "The Legend of Yunxi". Not only was the show a riot to watch, the chemistry she shares with Zhang Zhehan is brilliant, though I have to admit that even that couldn't save the poorly directed "The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion".

As for "Rebirth For You", it was my first time watching Zeng Shunxi in action. He is a decent actor with enough chemistry with Ju Jingyi to pull off the romance in this show, so kudos to him. Not to mention that he's well-muscled enough to make his shirtless scenes a joy to watch. Ju Jingyi suits characters like Jiang Bao Ning - a little wilful and stubborn, but kind-hearted and just. She just makes characters like these come alive with little things like the way she scrunches her nose and such when expressing her characters' emotions. That said, I liked the main leads a lot, but have to admit that the side characters wore on my nerves a little - not all of them were well or even decently written, and they took up way too much screen time.

For those who are looking for spoilers, here you go -

From Episode 1 to 12, the main leads are helping the Emperor take control of the government, which has been under the Empress Dowager's de facto command since the previous Emperor passed. Throughout the process of doing so, they fall in love and get married.

From Episode 13 to 32, Jiang Bao Ning settles into her husband's home, and overcomes the usual petty and not-so-petty household squabbles and external schemes to remove her from her husband's side. This is where many side characters take up too much screen time, and you might have to fast-forward quite a fair bit to get through it all.

From Episode 33 to 40, misunderstandings abound, and Li Qian is made to think that Bao Ning's father is the murderer who took his mother's life. In the midst of all this, the Grand Empress Dowager also passes on, and Bao Ning is made to think that Li Qian is the one who infuriated her enough to catalyse her death. This is also where Bao Ning pretends to abort their child and everyone watching the show freaks but it's really just a ruse to get palace politics off her back. Of course, our main leads resolve their misunderstandings and get their happily ever after, and most if not all of the side characters have their storylines resolved too.

Do I think it's worth watching? Yes, especially if you like Ju Jingyi or Zeng Shunxi. But be prepared to fast-forward through a lot of the side character plots and scenes if you have no patience for such things, like me.

Read More

Not Worth the Effort * Second Chance - I tried this again and changed my mind

I found a better-quality feed and watched this through. I'm glad I did. The annoying music was still there, and for the record, Producers, that wrecked the chances of a better review for your production. BUT listening to the OST in the second feed - some great music. And I could follow the storyline better. Chemistry between the ML & FL and characters was good too. Sometimes you just have to give something a second chance, and I am glad I did! The subtitles and quality of the feed make a big difference.

Original Review**I can't even get into the story line properly. The crappy (EXTREMELY CRAPPY) music in the middle of a scene, in the middle of a fight scene, in the middle of ANY scene is utterly ridiculous! The fact that I am watching with sub-titles makes it possible to continue to follow the conversations, but seriously takes away from the acting and the story itself. If they would cut the music and let the dialogue continue, even with the subtitles - I'd watch the show through to its conclusion, but I just can't take that music.

Read More

Really good drama. Started off fast, got straight to the points. Jiang Baoning is a princess in which I can't even tell if the king really likes her or not. It seems as if the king does like her, but also seems as if he is using her. Li Qian and Baoning make a good couple. I'm honestly really surprised that they had a really good relationship, until near the end. When Baoning's father is accused of killing Li Qian's mother I was quite shocked that Li Qian didn't hold back his love for Baoning but instead it was Baoning who was chasing his away.

The saddest part of the whole show was none other than the grandmother dying. The costume and makeup in this drama is kind of bad. Alright so Jiang Baoning's hairstyle makes it look like she is from a different country, because the jewelry is wrapped around her head and it doesn't really look nice, When she marries Li Qian, her hairstyle is changed so she doesn't wear the jewelry that like wrapped around her head.

I would also like to point out that Ju Jingyi needs a bit more roles and characters to play as. So far most of the shows I've watched with her in it, she's always playing the cute, and innocent one, who's also smart at some point. We need to see more of her other side as like a antagonist. I've only seen one drama as her as the antagonist and it was really good.

Read More

Started out good...

I decided to watch this drama after seeing a few clips on yt of Dongzhi & Qing An together. Something about them immediately caught my attention and so in spite of the mixed reviews I gave the drama a go.

PROS: I actually really really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the drama - Boaning and Li Qian are a power couple, who remain true to themselves and each other while everyone plots against them. Beautiful, loved it. The chemistries between the first, second, third couples are stellar. Also the costumes are beautiful, Baoning's outfits are always super pretty.

CONS: The last 8 episodes went totally downhill for me. Miarong & Zhao Xiao get more and more annoying as the drama progresses. The fight between Baoning and Li Qian is drawn out while the ending feels rushed. I will also say that I am still upset that we never got to see the marriage ceremony of Dongzhi and Qian An...

The drama started out great I wish it had followed through to the end, it had all the makings of a good period drama for me.

Read More

good start, but not good from the middle onwards

A lot of people have already written their negative reviews on this drama, so I would not say much.

For me, the drama had a good beginning when Bao Ning, Li Qian and Zhao Xiao joined the weaponry competition. It seemed like there might be interesting things happening among these 3 and the weapons in future, so initially was pretty looking forward to it. But in the middle of the drama, nothing seemed to be happening, like nothing big seem to be happening, BN and LQ fell in love, got married amongst jealous side characters including ZX. These side characters were always looking for ways to break the couple up. Started to feel a little bored and in the end the drama was just getting rid of those side characters one by one, but the tactics were not interesting either. I was always looking at how much time was left when I watched each episode because I didn't feel excited at all watching and just wanted to finish the drama. As time went by, honestly, I even got tired of looking at the main couple.

And as others have pointed out, really didn't understand what the title of the drama meant. 'Rebirth for you' hmm....nothing of that sort linking to the title happened in the drama...the Chinese title makes more sense, they should have just followed the Chinese title, 'Legend of Jianan Princess' or simply 'Jianan Princess' because legend seems too exaggerated. The FL, Bao Ning, definitely didn't create a legend in the drama.

Read More