Princess Returning Pearl I-II
By now the Huan Zhu Ge Ge craze has probably withered away, so it is an excellent time to closely examine exactly how good of a production this popular serial was.
Regardless of a person's enthusiasm for Asian dramas, nearly everybody has a basic idea of the plot, so I will not bother with the details. Most of us have watched it more than once, and even today, there are still fansites and fanlistings dedicated to this serial. To be brief, "Huan Zhu Ge Ge", written by the legendary romance writer Qiong Yao, is set in China during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (played by Zhang Tie Lin) of the Qing Dynasty. It evolves around the sisterhood between the cute, energetic orphaned adventress Xiao Yan Zi (Vicki Zhao Wei) and Xia Zi Wei (Ruby Lin Xinru), the talented, beautiful, and fragile girl who has lost her mother. It centers around Zi Wei's mission to find her long-lost father, Emperor Qianlong. Meanwhile, both girls fall in love with powerful and handsome men - Yong Qi (Alec Su Youpeng), the fifth prince, for Xiao Yan Zi, and Er Kang (Zhou Jie), the Emperor's bodyguard from a wealthy family, for Zi Wei. They meet adversaries, including the Queen Huang Hou (Dai Chun Rong) and her aged maid, Rong Mo Mo (Li Ming Qi). Faithful friends Liu Qing (Lu Shi Yu) and Liu Hong (Chen Ying) from the world outside the palace help them along the way.
The sequel follows in the footsteps of the popular series. The original cast is once again reunited for another drama series - this one lasting 48 episodes, making it twice as long as the first. In this very gripping sequel, Xiao Yan Zi, Zi Wei, Yong Qi, and Er Kang are befriended by Qianlong's newest concubine, Han Xiang (Liu Dan) and a man with an interesting history named Meng Dan (Mu Feng Bin). It introduces new obstacles, including a forbidden romance between Meng Dan and Han Xiang. The dowager empress, Tai Hou (Zhao Ming Fen), returns from her religious pilgrimage and does not approve of the marriages between our favorite couples. A new, intelligent, pretty princess, Qing Er (Wang Yan) threatens the relationship between Zi Wei and Er Kang.
The plot is not bad, but it felt as if Qiong Yao was just fishing for ideas for a new storyline - it was like the series was trying to make life miserable for the four main characters. The story takes a few steps backwards from the ending of Part One, with Xiao Yan Zi becoming more annoying and idiotic than ever. Politics is nearly nonexistent throughout the series, except for a few appearances of Ji Xiao Lan as Xiao Yan Zi's professor and officers E Ming and Fu Heng. The character Qing Er annoyed me a little in the beginning. Despite her intelligence and wit, I felt as if she did not fit into this love story. She was the one who did not feel her duty was to her heart - her duty was to Tai Hou. However, she did redeem herself when she, along with Ling Fei, tried to help Xiao Yan Zi and company escape from jail.
Most of the main actors from "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" have become famous, which is why acting is the strongest point about this appealing production. The most famous member of this cast is obviously Zhao Wei. Her performance in "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" is extremely exaggerated, but she adds so much flavor to the series. Her acting is suitable for Xiao Yan Zi, who I could imagine as a bit of a drama queen. Lin Xinru, her notable co-star who played Zi Wei, was not bad. I sympathize with her because it is often more difficult to play a calm, gentle, and kindhearted girl than an energetic tomboy. However, her depiction of Zi Wei was so shallow - it seemed as if all she could do was cry. I do not think Lin Xinru was experienced and mature enough at the time to portray Zi Wei. Zhao Wei was originally chosen to be cast as Zi Wei, and I wonder how it would have worked out if Zhao Wei played this character. Liu Dan, who plays Han Xiang in the sequel, was truly talented and her death was tragic. The best performance was Zhang Tie Lin's depiction of Emperor Qianlong, a hot-tempered but friendly, loving emperor.
The cinematography was not very good in this production. I was impressed by the variety of scenery, surprising for a Taiwan production, but that was really where the positives stopped. The kung-fu component was truly unnecessary in this story. There is really no purpose of Yong Qi, Er Kang, and Er Tai (Er Kang's brother, played by Chen Zhi Peng) going around and beating up all these "bad guys". If they insisted on filming kung-fu, they could have at least done a quality job with it, rather than showing poorly edited kung-fu scenes. The music in the first series was adequate, but became annoying after the same themes were played again and again. The soundtrack for the sequel is an improvement, with new songs sung by Zhao Wei. However, Zhao Wei's vocals are very immature and childish, making music a low point of this production.
Another excellent part about this series, however, was the costumes. They were very realistic and organized. For example, you could tell the difference between a princess' outfit and a maid's. Headdresses, embroidery, and the intricacy of the costumes clearly demonstrated a person's rank in the structured imperial society.
The greatest flaw about "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" is that it is a lovesick, predictable series. There is no message learned, no character change. Cliffhangers are abused. Both the original and the sequel end happily, but it seems as if the journey in between has made no impact whatsoever. Yet, the series is redeemed by scenes that continue to jerk tears and laughs, and powerful acting. Its appeal is striking to viewers. Its appeal was the cause of its mass popularity. Its appeal was lost in the second sequel, where new actors were unable to keep up with the standards that had been set before. Is the production absurdly far-fetched? Yes, but that is why "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" is so well-loved. Therefore, I cannot help but give this production an above average rating.
