A fantastic drama of revenge and family

The Princess Weiyoung was one of the first Chinese dramas that I watched, and now after seeing many more I had to come back and write a review because this still stands out. The plot draws you in from the very beginning, managing the not so easy task of making you like Weiyoung and take her side immediately as she assumes a new identity to seek revenge.

Weiyoung is a fantastic female lead, with well developed motivations and character strengths. Tiffany Tang is absolutely phenomenal in every scene! The male lead, Prince Tuoba Jun, is also well characterised, with a sweet personality that I wasn't expecting. I really enjoyed the dilemma of choosing between love and revenge.

The rest of the (not so) secondary cast is all properly fleshed out, you'll grow attached to many of them as the plot throws them challenge after challenge, even the villains! Many secondary characters have arcs and evolve, even those you wouldn't expect, and this creates the possibility for many twists that will catch you off-guard. A special mention in my opinion goes to Li Changru (one of my favourite characters in the entire show) and the Princess Tuoba Di, whose actress was on her very first role yet manages to steal the scene in many occasions!

I can see how having so many characters to keep track of might seem like a negative thing, but after the very beginning, where I was struggling to link everyone's places in the big family, I had no problem placing everyone, as they are all given the proper time to become memorable and unique.

The length of this drama is just a touch on the "too long" side, and my one complaint is that as it often happens, the second third of the story tends to drag a little, as the novelties of the beginning is fading but the quick-paced twists of the final arcs aren't in place yet. Without giving any spoilers, I can see why some people might not be entirely satisfied with the conclusion of the story, but I personally found it fitting, and there are very few things I would change overall.

In conclusion, The Princess Weiyoung is a standout period drama for me, with one of the best leads I've seen from the genre, and a tight-knit plot that offers a good rewatch value to catch all the foreshadowing and early character development you miss on the first watch.

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