Princess Pearl 1 & 2

 

Scenes

Cast1 Cast2

Casts:

Vicki Zhao, Ruby Lin, Alec Su, and etc.

PPfemales

Princess Pearl 1

I never really gave this series so much of a glance at first. Mei Hua San Nong has made me cringe whenever I hear Qing Yao's name attached to any TV series. All those caterwauling and predictable plots have started to give me nightmares! But Huan Zhu Ge Ge's popularity has aroused my curiosity that I had to see for myself what the big fuss was all about. The plot is primarily about a daughter's arduous journey to find her father who happens to be the Emperor of China. Impossible task? Not quite but incredibly torturous. Initially, she couldn't find any means to get close to any of the officials to be able to get to the emperor. Then her "sister" was proclaimed as Huan Zhu Ge Ge instead of her. She was able to enter the palace though with the help of her "sister" but was almost killed because of the Queen's irrational jealousy. She was stabbed while protecting the King from the rebels' assassination attempt. She was imprisoned for supposedly trying to fool the King into believing that she was indeed the real Huan Zhu Ge Ge. Exhausting, right? Oh yes and predictable, too! But, Qing Yao has managed to create a masterpiece of perfectly woven plots and subplots and dialogues that made me want to reach for a reference book or a dictionary to find out for myself just what those idioms really mean.

Not only that, Qing Yao has the foresight to cast the right actors to play pivotal roles, such as Vicki Zhao as Xiao Yan Zhi, Ruby Lin as Zhi Wei, Alec Su as Wu Ah Ge, Chou Jie as Er Kang and Chang Tieh Lin as the Emperor. I believe that the cast was pretty new then that their portrayal came across as natural and refreshing. Who'd forget how Xiao Yan Zi tried to learn the royal etiquette from Rong Mou Mou? Zhi Wei's selflessness as she faced Xiao Yan Zi again after the latter was proclaimed as Huan Zhu Ge Ge? Wu Ah Ge's sensitivity as he tried to help Xiao Yan Zi everytime the latter got into all sorts of troubles? Er Kang's passion in fighting for his and Zhi Wei's love? And the Emperor's compassionate heart of forgiving his children and accepting them? I won't.

Other might find this series a bit on the mushy side (oh yes, i shed a few tears watching it), it indeed has it's share of wailing and shouting but it has a lot of light and funny moments. Remember how Zhi Wei told the Emperor about her mother? Remember the poems Xiao Yan Zhi composed for Ji Shi Fu? You'd know what I mean.

vickiruby

Princess Pearl 2

Ok, there's a sequel. What will it be then? Will Xiao Yan Zi get into more troubles? Will Zhi Wei be really accepted by the Queen? And, most importantly, will the two couples live happily ever after?

Huan Zhu Ge Ge 2 has 48 episodes so that makes it twice as long as the first. It still has basically the same cast save for a few new characters like the Queen Mother, Qing Er, Shao Jian, Mong Dan and Han Hsiang. The story begins with the Queen Mother returning to the Palace from a retreat in the mountains with Qing Er then Han Hsiang arrives from the outlands and is unwillingly betrothed to the Emperor. The two couples get to know Han Hsiang's childhood sweetheart, Mong Dan, and vows to help them. The Emperor is enraged with their deception and orders the beheading of the two princesses. With the help of Mong Dan, Xiao Jian, Liu Qin and Liu Hong, Xiao Yan Zi and Zhi Wei are able to escape, along with Jin Suo, Wu Ah Ge and Er Kang.

Meanwhile, the Emperor has a change of heart and personally fetches them back to the Palace. The Queen Mother gives her blessing and the two couples get married. It still has the elements that made the first Huan Zhu Ge Ge a huge success, but I must say, the Qing Yao has made this series too long that the middle part becomes too boring to bear. It recovers it's momentum though when two couples escape the Emperor's wrath for letting Han Hsiang go. The scenes where the Emperor is struggling whether to follow his heart or his mind as he awaits for news on his beloved children tug a couple of heartstrings. And when he finally tells the Queen Mother that he's bringing back his children whether she approves or not becomes one of the few reasons why I continue to watch over my better judgment.

Vicki Zhao is still as adorable as ever being Xiao Yan Zi but sometimes her preoccupation with trying to do what she believes to be right and fair makes me want to pull my hair. And then the supposed to be composed and intelligent Zhi Wei, Er Kang and Wu Ah Ge all agree with her. Oh my! They are fully aware of the consequences of their action but they still did it anyway. Then they want the Emperor to fully understand and forgive their actions. Isn't that a bit idealistic and immature? I am not sure but, fortunately for Qing Yao, the formula still works. The sequel is a big hit and, yes, I will still watch (and cry) if there's a part 3. :-)