So the end of The Double nicely dovetailed for me right into the start of The Princess Royal. It’s not the same vibes or addictiveness though, TPR is slower and less makjang in that thrilling way TD delivered beat after beat of getting a satisfying revenge payoff, but instead lets a second chance marriage and romance develop in lovely beats. Zhao Jin Mai and Zhang Ling He are adorable in this drama, she still looks more modern than period suited but delivers enough through acting and chemistry to overcome that while he’s lucked into playing a great male lead character which he brings to life with such warm restraint and affection. TPR is working for me thanks to the two leads making me care so much that they make it work this time around.
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ZJM doesn’t have FL looks for me, but at least from episode 1 I can tell she has the heart to do well in her role. For that, I support her and hope she continues to do great.
It’s too soon for me to say if I feel her chemistry with ZLH, since they’re antagonistic with each other and he feels older than her, too. But we’ll see. I’m intrigued enough to catch up.
A good looking ML with a pretty enough likable relatable FL has been a formula that has always worked if there is chemistry and the writing is good.
I love Zhao Jin Mai’s talents and looks. She may not be a tall and sexy supermodel but she has next-door sweet girl charm which resonates well with general viewers. I watched her in The Blessed Girl. So I appreciate how versatile she is in carrying a totally different vibe, expressions and mannerism in The Royal Princess role as compared to The Blessed Girl.
@Jana
It’s better and more believable when the leads are matched in looks – otherwise just reeks of wish fulfillment for the viewers.
That being said, I think Zhao Jin Mai is really pretty and has Han Ga In vibes.
I find her average-looking and it’s funny to me when my friends say she looks like a female version of Sean Xiao lol. Except for Reset, I’m not familiar with her acting. But as I recall, she was good in it.
Now that you mention it, I do see a resemblance to Xiao Zhan.
I enjoy this drama a lot. The leads’s chemistry just right and they managed to bring out this old married couple vibes at the same time their young youthful vibes. ZJM is a good actress, she has more than 10 years of acting experiences under her belt. PWX’s role suits ZLH very well. He looks great with facial hair too..haha
miss the double and its face pace..
*fast
*fast
Tho I thought the FL was awesome , it’s WXY’s Duke Su I am missing. I am missing his falling in love with a married woman from the rooftop of his fav tea house and meeting her again dressed as a nun.
Yes. And the double entendres….
I don’t like shipping, but these two are so adorable that my heart fluttered whenever they bicker in the drama.
This is ZJM second costume drama after the one with Lin Yi. I agree she fits more contemporary drama. Not feeling her chemistry with ZLH and drama lacks the addictive vibe its predecessor “The Double” had.
Its inenvitable it gets compared to The Double since that one just done airing. But I find the plot, the vibe is just so different. I enjoyed it for what it is. And its buoyed by good acting of ZJM and ZLH. I actually find ZJM really lovely to look at and is improving in romantic scenes. This is a good ML character for ZLH. The SML is annoying though.
ZLH said in a recent interview that he actually 190m tall and 42kg , is that even possible for a man that tall to be that skinny, any weight site will show that “dangerously underweight”
That was obviously a mistake in translation.
I would normally rather do my own dental surgery (without anaesthetic) than watch an historical Drama, but Zhao Jin Mai impressed me in Snowstorm of Love, so I might have to check this one out
He can’t act.
It doesn’t matter she is really cute and that his visual is nice when he can’t act at all. He should invest in some classes to at least somewhat learn to manage his expressions.
Yes, he can’t act and his line delivery is terrible. Not sure why he keeps getting ML roles when he can’t emote.
I have a soft spot for ZLH – I think this role suits him too. The recent episodes have my brain cringe but my very shallow body says ah yes hahahaha
I think zhao jinmai is very beautiful in costume drama! Her eyes are so expressive! The thing for me is that the pace of this drama is quite slow and there’s too much talking for my liking. Sticking to it hoping it’ll pickup though.
They need to do a modern drama. This pictorial is gorgeous.
I think she hasn’t found her “historical” look yet. Looks very modern right now.
Have yet to watch this. I’m still trying to finish The Double.
They are so adorable together and have great chemistry.
There are C-dramas that have notable flaws but they are addicting enough for me, that’s not the case of The Princess Royal.
Im still not impressed with their acting. But they are still young, will gain more experiences and understanding over a character and will give more spectacular acting in the future.
Im watching it for the story.
But both leads are good looking. Idc about the beauty standard, but both are really good looking.
I feel like the problem about ZJM looking too contemporary is mainly the makeup, like her false lashes are really obvious and jarring. Other than that, I really like this pairing! She is obviously the stronger actor of the two but I think he is serviceable in the role. They have chemistry and the bantering is zingy. ZLH’s dubbing is so fitting that it almost sounds like him! The wrong dubbing can really ruin a drama, I am telling you.
He’s overworked and that’s why he didn’t have time to dub himself unfortunately. Luckily the voice actor dubbing him has kind of a similar voice, it’s less jarring this way.
I finally took a look and watched a few eps. I did not expect this was a comedy a lot of time between the OTP. LOL. The scenes they were together bickering were cute and funny. But the lines and ZJM’s mannerism including her tone and expressions were too modern for a costume drama. I don’t think her aura fits historical settings. She continues to give me girl-next-door vibe as in the big failure, In the Midst of Snowstorm. LOL. Not saying she can’t act. But she isn’t versatile so far. She did not overact. That’s good and her strength perhaps. But she needs to improve in those aforementioned areas. On the other hand, ZLH fared better in this drama IMO. At least, his mannerism and expressions matched the costume put on him. At least, I didn’t feel as if watching In the Midst of Snowstorm in his scenes. LOL.