I really enjoyed the original version of this drama, and I have to say that I didn't expect that I would come to love this remake.

Do not read further if you hate spoilers. You've been warned. :)

There are quite a number of surprises in this version that only a true romance writer will notice and appreciate. The story is fresh in the sense that it didn't limit itself to what the original version could offer.  It's more gender sensitive--with the Princess's younger brother suffering from an identity crisis about his sexuality. The Prince was not given a chance to cheat with his old flame (or at least, they were not given an intimate-only-us-in-the-room-with-a-gecko-moment)--this part was bestowed upon the Royal Couple! And kudos to the writers for that. I quite "envied" that send-off/goodbye-ex-gf-gift scene in the Korean version (for the Princess, of course). I believe that the scenes here are more... cohesive or to use another (if not a better) phrase, more seamlessly glued.  Like that part where the Prince knelt down to put a shoe on the Princess's foot. They did it in a school play, and what better fairy tale than Cinderella? Yeah, yeah, we all know that modern ladies don't wait for Prince Charming...  Btw, the ex-gf here was an archer. Cool.

The part I liked most was the anointing of the perfume--a scent that the Princess especially mixed for the Prince. This scene matched if not surpassed the original in terms of maturity, reality, and romanticism. Clap, clap . Full marks. So I went back up there and gave the story rating a 10. I wonder if this is a "real" tradition somewhere...

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