The Love by Hypnotic (2019)

No Need to be Hypnotized, This Drama is Simply Enchanting

This drama captivated me from beginning till the end. Everything I wanted to see in a romantic comedy is here, and then some! This review is strictly for the drama, not to compare/contrast with the manhwa "Prince, Don't Do This!" (王爷不要啊) written by Dong Man Tang, in which it was loosely adapted from. I am rewriting the synopsis below for clarification without spoiling the plot.

STORY
Princess Aimala (new country name is Ming Yue) from the southern country Xi Yue is forced to marry to Prince Zi (common name is Li Qian), the 9th prince of the northern country Bei Xuan. Both parties disagree but it is for the political alliance. Li Qian already has a marriage arrangement with his childhood friend Lady Qiao (Hui Xin), and Ming Yue has a lover General Yun Ci. Both dislike each other since the beginning they met. Ming Yue who is skilled in horse riding, shooting, and hunting is not a typical feminine lady according to her new country's custom, neither she is beautiful. Even the Emperor (Li Qian's dad) despises her. Li Qian is cold and reserved, and has no clue on women and how to please them. Ming Yue is his first love. Even then he is still unsure if his feeling towards Ming Yue is genuine or fabricated, because his wife has another unique skill: she can hypnotize him and she does it, a lot! The couple needs TONS of guidance on love and sex (yes that's right!) from their friends: the wise Kong Zhen, the playboy Jin Yu, the mischievous Kang Le, and the straightforward Tan Li. The story is not all rosy though, we also get to see inside power struggles and outside rebellions, tragic past unfolds, hatreds and betrayals, revenges and sacrifices, broken hearts and even deaths.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA:
(+) It is a well-done medium or big budget show.
(+) No need character or story guidance or anything like that you usually need it for watching Chinese history/palace dramas.
(+) The story has a lot of features for everyone's liking: action-packed, mysterious background, steamy romance, hysterical comedy. It's not boring, it's fast or evenly spaced. I do not skip scenes or conversations though I do a lot with Chinese dramas.
(+) The story is not straight-line, has a lot of facts from the past, dreams, plot twist and surprises.
(+) Satisfactory ending
(+) Good looking cast from the main to the supporting ones (gosh even the musician Lan is stunning and the Empress is elegant)
(+) Adorable acting of Ling Mei-Shi as Ming Yue. Although there are more beautiful Chinese actresses, but the choice to cast this cute young actress as the outspoken, mischievous, and smart foreign royal princess is just right, either in funny, romantic, or sad scenes.
(+) Charming acting of Allen Fang as Lin Qiao. From cold and serious, to confused and suspicious, to romantic and playful, his facial expressions are just right. Also the fighting/martial arts acting. He is also a member of Chinese pop boy band M4M. He sang some songs in this drama (see OST comment below). And he looks better in historical drama than in modern day drama (his other drama is Childhood Sweethearts Pianist but he looks bland there)
(+) Stunning acting of Ni Han Jin as Yun Ci. Though lots of comments do not like him, I feel bad for the Yun Ci role. Though he is abrasive and aggressive but his broken heart and pain look real as a man whose lover is snatched away behind him. He is not only handsome, but has a great body, too! And FYI I do not have Second Lead Syndrome.
(+) Exceptional acting of Zhou Zi Xin as Hui Xin. I saw her in Put Your Head in My Shoulder drama as supporting role who also likes the male lead, but Hui Xin's love here for the prince is dangerous and devastating. The actress is capable to go thru yandere transformation from a gentle, submissive, elegant lady to a conniving, hateful, and dejected villain.
(+) Other supporting actors and actresses are just right playing their respective roles.
(+) Great cinematography. Camera shots and angles were just right.
(+) Breath-taking sceneries. Lots of falling flowers and snow rains. They could be real snowing scenes too because the drama was filmed during the winter months of January to March 2019. The filming location is at Hengdian World Studios, the largest film studio in China or even the world (http://www.hengdianworld.com/en/default.html)
(+) Beautiful OST from the drama opening and in special scenes. The opening song is "Magnificence" by singer Jian Hong Yi (who is also handsome). The main leads Allen Fang and Ling Mei Shi sang "The First Seen Snow". Allen Fang also sang "Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon". A song specifically dedicated to the love of Yun Ci and Ming Yue is "Departure" by Jin Runji with mystical Middle-eastern tone.
(+) Elegant royal costumes, especially for the Princess and Princess. I love especially their outdoor gears and the Turkish/Middle Eastern robes Ming Yue and Yun Ci wear (in the manhwa Aimala is from Uyghur, the ancient Turkey area in Asia)

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Passionate kisses, save the damsel in distress, hilarious

This drama has the most passionate kissing scenes in both count and intensity of all Chinese dramas I had watched – I meant really passionate kisses not those obviously fake moments. As with most romance stories, there were plenty of save the damsel in distress scenes accompanied by endearing gazes as the hero held the damsel in his arms.

It is a lovely romance story with emotional and hilarious moments. The hilarious moments really made me laugh out loud. Unlike Hollywood comedies which mainly play on words, some of these comedic moments were based on suggestive actions of the actors.

The drama is quite straightforward with some small, but not totally unexpected, twists in the story. It has the usual hygiene factors – handsome lead actor, pretty actresses, excellent acting, lovely costumes, lovely music, beautiful cinematography and endearing romantic moments.

What I appreciate most about this drama is the lesson on courtship and early marital life - instead of the usual unrealistic romance dramas. At moments when they were trying to figure out each other, the XiYue princess had her confidantes giving her some silly suggestions which she refuted with some sensible corrections. Similarly for the ninth prince, Song was always giving him some creepy suggestions while Zhen would refute with some sensible analysis. Zhen played the sensible relationship guru here.

The adjustments to life together were comical but not unlike real life when married couples live together for the first time and discover the bad habits of their spouses to their horror.

I noticed some flaws – for the production team to learn from if they should ever read this review. The piece of music chosen for the hilarious moments was too modern for this period drama and a misfit – sound like a piece adapted from some old Shanghai movies. There are some illogical moments, for example, the ninth prince was always turning up alone for dangerous investigations, and covering up for the rebel leader, which was essentially obstructing justice. And he was always lying to the emperor – although with good intent, it still made him a liar.

As I watched this drama right after ‘Goodbye my princess’, I could not help but draw a comparison, as both involved a marriage of prince and princess from different countries. The ninth prince in this drama was supportive of the princess and allowed her to make her choice, in sharp contrast to the fifth prince in ‘Goodbye..’, who forcibly kept the princess by his side regardless of whether she was willing. The two dramas were antithesis of each other, including how they ended. This drama leaves a warm cozy feeling which of course elevated my rating of it above ‘Goodbye my princess’ although the latter has a more interesting and convoluted story.

Finally, a title of ‘Love by Hypnosis’ may be more grammatically correct. Hypnotic is a drug to induce hypnosis or a person susceptible to hypnosis.

As a whole I enjoyed this drama a lot and would highly recommend it.

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