Why You Should Watch: Back to Field (Mainland Chinese Variety Show)
*** WARNING***
This article contains spoilers from Scarlet Heart, Princess Agents, and Untouchable Lovers.
I spent my childhood watching Chinese historical dramas and I still enjoy them. We all know a typical hero would have a strong sense of justice, courage, and morality, trying to do the right thing all the time. But, sometimes, there are some unusual characters who may not be your typical hero but one can't help but fall in love with him. The three characters listed in this article are my personal favorites that fit such description.
1. Scarlet Heart: 4th Prince (Yong Zheng)
4th Prince will always remain as one of my favorite characters. The story itself is kind of typical where the female lead gets caught up in the power struggle between the royal princes. However, 4th Prince, definitely, is not a typical protagonist – he is calculative, manipulative and cruel as he is based on the real-life Chinese ruler, Emperor Yong Zheng, who is infamous for his cruel actions. Yet, his love for Ruoxi, the fictional female lead, is genuine but maybe too possessive to drive her away. His care and loyalty towards his people like 13th prince is also very respectable. This drama has led to two groups of audiences – those who loved 4th Prince and those who hated 4th Prince (or shipped Ruoxi with other princes like 14th Prince who is a better alternative with a strong sense of justice and selfless love).
Personally, I love this portrayal of 4th Prince as someone who is indeed calculating and cruel but also as someone who had suffered enough and had reasons to become that way.
2. Princess Agents: Yuwen Yue
My heart aches for Yuwen Yue the most because he deserved a much better ending. Yuwen Yue is the best male lead among the three in this article. Yes, he indeed is cold and calculative but that is due to his upbringing and his responsibility of being the heir to Yuwen family. But, his love for Xing-er is so real and so selfless that he does not hope for her to stay beside him. And all the sacrifices he made for her behind her back, while being misunderstood all the time, could just claim him the most misunderstood hero title. And despite his cold demeanor, he cares for everyone - his family, Xing-er, Yan Xun, even the princes and the country and tries to bring the best outcome for everyone.
He is just so selfless that he just wishes to see her happy and live for herself.
3. Untouchable Lovers: Rong Zhi
Rong Zhi is an ultimate example of how a person can be manipulative to his core. Personally, I found his character most interesting because he never shows what he is really thinking. From the beginning to the end, there is no way to know what his true nature is and what he truly is thinking unless he chooses to express. And that’s what I like about him. He is just way too good at scheming and can use anyone to serve his purpose. This is evident in how he set out traps and played games with his political rivals, his sister and his nephew the King. He never seems to lose his calm whatever comes his way, except some of the moments for Chuyu. The only problem is he never showed his true feelings for Chuyu due to his nature, leading to frequent misunderstandings.
I do think that Song Wei Long's portrayal of Rong Zhi is a bit undermining and could not fully portray the depth of Rong Zhi's emotions. And the fact that the drama did not faithfully follows the novel in the second half also makes the storyline a bit weak.
So, basically, these are my three favorite characters from Chinese historical dramas with anti-hero characteristics. If you have your own idea of anti-heroes characters, feel free to share with us in the comments section.
