My favourite part of the series is the part when Steven and Charmaine was still little. The two little kids that played them were simply adorable!! Haha remember in my old post about My Fav. TVB Child Actors? I have mentioned Maggie Wong. She played little Charmaine in here =) I thought that she's pretty good and it's sad that we do not see her anymore =( She would've been a very good actress to promote now.
Anyways back to the series, the most adorable part was when they passed notes for each other by using the trained pigeons. Haha it was also so cute how little Steven "passed" on little Charmaine's sickness to the other students, then the students "passed" on the sickness to their teacher :P The little kids are so cute in here! LOLS best is was when all the kids planted their tree (they had to go steal manure :P) Aw! Also the part where both of them are painting a picture! Little Steven drew himself in an armour and holding a rose (him proposing to little Charmaine). lols :P If only the adult Steven is a witty talker as little Steven xD
A little part
June Chan plays as a concubine who's about to die and wanted to see the emperor (Moses Chan) one last time. You have to feel sorry for her. As a young girl she met Moses outside of the palace where they fell in love (or really just her). she did enter the palace but their love only lasted a few years. A woman's beauty can only last so long....and man's heart can change so fast. Thinking how they always say that the emperor have 3000 concubines, how many is actually mention?
If it was me, I'd rather be a maid :P At least you won't have to live your whole life and age as a depressing old lady in the palace. i was talking to a friend about traveling back in time to the palace....and who we would want to become. I chose to be a maid :P
Love is selfish...
In episode 12, Annie Man confessed to Charmaine how thankful she is towards her. She knew that Charmaine had let her be with Steven. Even though she knew how much it would hurt Charmaine when they married, she could only say sorry to Charmaine because she know she cannot let Steven go. Like mentioned, love is selfish....so did I think it was wrong for Annie to do so even though she knows Steven and Charmaine love each other? I didn't. I thought it was rather realistic.
Considerably the most interesting scenes of the series were the war/fighting parts. The part where Steven and the others returned from the war....and how all of them (along with the emperor) kneeled before the list of soldiers who died was really touching and sad.
One of the most memorable and saddest is the one where the last words of the executed soldiers were read. Those letters were the wake up call for Moses. It's maddening how the stupid the officials can be! This war determined the country's whole future....and they just all want to mess it up for their selfish reasons of power and money (blah!).
I loved the choice of music they had in the background whenever they win or when they tried to raise up their faith again. Really heartwarming and shows the pride of team work among the army =)
Whole country under one arm.....
When Charmaine talked about the story how people always blame/nag the things on one person (like how the people blame Moses as bad emperor). She said that they did not know what the position that the person being blamed is in or think what she'he have to go through. Things like that always happen because it's just....easier. it is easier to blame on someone else rather than yourself at that is just reality. People do not want to hold the responsibility on their shoulders. No matter who it is, I think that it happens to everybody...inlcuding myself. I hate going under pressure....
Charmaine Sheh as Princess Cheung Ping
Personally I don't have too much to say on Charmaine's character because it's not really...many sides to it. But I do love the sincerity that she shows to everyone around her. Though it might've been her weakness, it can also be an advantage to her. She earned the people's respect simply by her actions.
Oh! One thing i have to say is that I loved her wardrobe! really beautiful ;) Especially her wedding dresses!! The headdresses are amazing! Kinda sad at the amount of wedding dresses she had to wear before she actually got married :P
Steven Ma as Chow Sai Hin
To be honest, I don't really like his character because it's a bit plain....but absolutely enjoyed his scenes leading the army. He's decisive, quick on his head and stragetic. The saddest and most memorable part is the part where he had to execute the runaways soldiers. People thought he was cruel but what choice did he have? It was probably the hardest on him...more than anybody else.
Moses Chan as Chu Yau Kim
I remember this was the first series I saw Moses in and till this day, I still consider that this is his best character. Would like to see him in more of these roles. Haha something I must mention....it's odd to see Moses and Charmaine as father and daughter in here xD His beard helped alot though!
Fav scene? Hm...the scenes that he gets angry in :P Especially the one where Steven was insulting him....and how he (as the emperor) dragged 2 chairs out for Steven to sit. Oh! forgot! The scene where Steven returned from war...and how he praised Steven =)
Maggie Siu as Chow yuk Fung
For some reason, I personally don't really like Maggie....but she was absolutely awesome in here! She's gentle, caring, thoughtful....usually these kind of characters can get trampled over by others, but the development showed towards the ending. She begins to take over the power and stood firm on her position. Maggie's is probably was favourite character because of her strong personality. Though strong, she's not the evil type but considerate and understanding. She really showed me what it means to be a queen. At her death..it's probably the saddest moment in the entire series.
Fav scene? Definitely her death scene. Nothing is more memorable than that.
Michael Tong as Cho Sing Hing
He's really the only comic relief in this series. I felt really bad for him....especially when his legs got crippled D; He loved Charmaine alot...but too bad that she only saw him as a friend. he's an example of how we can say not everything can go our way, but it doesn't mean that we can't be happy. I think seeing Charmaine happy was the biggest happiness for him.....there is no need to ask for more. Michael is such a talented actor and it's sad to see him gone. He should've been promoted.....
Sonija Kwok as Chu Fai Lan
Pure evil? Yes. She's just way to selfish and greedy. Nothing can make her happy enough....nothing is the best.
Overall? Was an enjoyable series for me =) But this series based alot on the love between Charmaine and Steven....if you're not the kind of person to watch mostly lovey dovey stuff..maybe you won't enjoy it too much. For me those parts were alright, only loved the war parts the most =) I actually wished there could've been more of Steven's at war...and how Maggie Siu dealt with the stupid officials too! eh...kind irritating how they did lost the country in the end....but that's how history went, so can't complain about that xP
Um the ending...I wonder how they managed to escape the palace...
3 comments:
thanks for writing this up! this was one of my fave series growing up and rewatching it during quarantine. loved reading your thoughts on it :D
Where can watch this series again in english sub? Been searching for it but cant find any of it ;
:(
Where can watch this series again in english sub? Been searching for it but cant find any of it ;
:(
Post a Comment