Rebirth Full Review
I honestly don't know where to start with this review. I have been waiting for Princess Agents season 2 or a sequel for over 5 years. And they finally made Rebirth, which was one of the best news I've heard in the Cdrama industry, because I always wanted to know what will happen next.
So when Rebirth finally premiered, my expectations were very high. I mean we are talking about a sequel to Princess Agents, it's natural to expect more. But here's the problem... Rebirth wasn't that good.
Changes between Rebirth and Princess Agents
From the first episode, I noticed lots of changes. I guess some of the changes were made to avoid copyright. One of the main changes I quickly noticed is how they didn't call "Zhuge Yue" by the name "Yuwen Yue" like they did in Princess Agents.
Second change was the final ice lake scene from Princess Agents. It was different and they ever cancelled the story of Chu Qiao's tattoo on the back, which was activated when Chu Qiao fell in the icy lake with Zhuge Yue.
That was something that most viewers thought will trigger Chu Qiao to regain her memories. Because in Princess Agents they were building this plot about her past and her identity. They were leaving hints about who trained her. Because as we know, Chu Qiao learned martial arts at a young age. So there should be someone who taught her and that person might know her real identity. But in Rebirth it's totally forgotten. Chu Qiao no longer wonders about her real identity or the person who taught her martial arts.
Rebirth Cast
Although we have a different cast in Rebirth, it was challenging for me to get used to them, because I'm already used to the Princess Agents cast. But as I kept watching, I found myself getting used to them especially Huangyang Tian Tian.
She somehow looks like Zhao Liying who played the same role in Princess Agents. And what's more crazy is even in Princess Agents, Huangyang Tian Tian was playing a younger version of Chu Qiao, now she is playing an older version of her in Rebirth.
Another one was Li Xiao Qian, who plays Li Ce, this role was previously played by Deng Lun in Princess Agents. He also kept reminding me of Deng Lun whenever he was on screen. I think they did a great job with the casting.
Storyline
Story wise, I wasn't impressed at all. The entire drama felt like a repetition of events over and over again. It's always the same thing. Chu Qiao runs to another kingdom, someone plots against her, she gets caught in the trap, Zhuge Yue helps her out, Chu Qiao holds someone powerful as a hostage and exposes their deeds to the public. Then it backfires. Yan Xun keeps on trying to get Chu Qiao back. I have lost count of how many times Chu Qiao had a dagger on someone's neck without taking action.
I did like the story of Chu Ge Yue and the king of Ximeng. It was interesting to watch especially in the first episodes. Because I was very close to dropping the drama, it didn't give me much reasons to keep watching.
I also found the dark color grading hard to digest. This has been my biggest problem with the drama since the beginning. Most of the scenes are dark and misty. Sometimes day time looked like night time.
Rebirth Ending
As for the ending, I don't even know where to start. Because the last episode was messed up and very uninteresting. Like why would they time skip to 34 years later and have nothing to show us? They just showed us Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun in their old age, nothing about their kids being adults. Chu Qiao didn't appear but they did hint she was still alive. At the end they do something like a double ending. It's like an alternate universe where everyone lives happily ever after.
Final Thoughts on Rebirth
If you plan to watch this drama, I suggest you start with Princess Agents first. Because on Rebirth they don't cover much about past events. They do show flashbacks here and there but not enough for you to understand the backstory. For me, I'm not recommending this drama and you don't have to take my word for it, you can watch and see for yourself. You also don't have to get mad at me for sharing my thoughts. It's just my opinion... not facts, so don't take it seriously.
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