Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures

I binge-watched this series in a day, and I really think it's worth the watch!!

Honestly, at first, I was sceptical about this spin-off because it looked like it was solely about the love-life of Yingluo's daughter. BUT, it's so much more! At first, the characters weren't as likeable, but of course, not everything is what it seems;)

The series was only 6 episodes, so it compromised many things (i.e. character development, relationship-building etc). However, I'm super impressed that they used old cast members and expanded on some events from the previous season! EPISODE 5 is a must watch! Considering the time limit, there were enough twists and turns, so it was a good effort!

Those who have not had enough of the Story of Yanxi Palace would probably be the ones who would appreciate this most. It's fun seeing the Qianlong Emperor, Imperial Noble Consort Ling and their attendants like Li Yu, as well as revisiting the Forbidden City, again. There's even a twist in the story arc of Fu Kang An that I like. But being a continuation of a classic is a double-edged sword as those who expected this to be as good would probably be the most disappointed.

I never let expectations ruin how I feel about a show. I try to enjoy it on its own merits. And this show does have them - it's heartwarming to see the loving relationship between the Emperor and Noble Consort Ling, Ling's unique parenting style and the way the emperor dotes on their daughter, Princess Zhao Hua (Rain Wang). The schemes and intrigues in a palace court are presented well enough for a 6-episode series. The story is okay, though I don't warm up to spoiled, mean princesses that well, even if the princess reforms in the end. The characters are younger, so the schemes and intrigues are not as elaborate as in season 1, but they're interesting enough.

YANXI PALACE: Princess Adventures (2019) was a pretty good Netflix spinoff series, though not nearly as good as the original Chinese drama from which it was inspired, but it was entertaining all same. I am a huge fan of the original Story of Yanxi Palace. This series was very short, only a few 6 episodes compared to the 70 episodes of the original. I do think, given more time, it could have evolved into a great show too.

It probably would have been much better if it was as long as the first. In my opinion, the length of these shows allows for so much character growth and time for the viewers to develop meaningful attachments to the characters, thus viewers become really invested in the story. However, this series was pretty well made and kept the overall vibe of the original. There was an interesting premise, cast, music, visuals etc. It was certainly worth the watch.

Very very stupid plot. Don't waste time to watch. Trying to hard to recreate a sequel.

It's not a bad as some says...it's a sequel and yes first one is absolutely the best and it's 70+ EPs...how can one compare to 6 EPs? Haha...anyway....I liked it.