Sugar Baby’s Review Corner: Fake Princess

Fake Princess

So what if she loves money, don’t all mountain bandits love money? For a chest full of gold, the mountain bandit offers herself up to the black-bellied prince thus marking the start to a beautiful romance.

Chang Le (Eleanor Lee) was once a free and untamable female bandit. However, she becomes a fake bride in a marriage to crown prince Li Che (Zhao Yiqin). Stepping into the confines of the palace, Chang Le finds it difficult to adjust after being repeatedly humiliated.

Despite her situation, she learns to adapt like a feral cat showing her true stripes. Li Che who has treaded every step vigilantly finds himself gradually attracted by Chang Le’s liveliness. Each wearing a mask to hide their own motives, the two people find comfort in each other. 

Chinesedramainfo

I think I have made it known that I am Eleanor Lee trash? I can’t help it, there is just something that is positively endearing about her as an actress. I was immediately drawn to this show because it was an historical drama and I hadn’t had the chance to see her as the main character in one yet, and I always had a soft spot for a story surrounding a good switcharoo of the female lead and arranged marriage. I can’t help that I have things that I gravitate towards!

The plot wasn’t unique by any means, but it got the job done. I was immediately entertained with Changle and her actions. Throughout the twenty-seven episodes, I found that the first eleven or so episodes were more entertaining as it didn’t dwell on the politics too much. We were able to see the characters and therefore saw the shift and growth with the varying personalities. While the story was predictable and a little irritating in the latter portions, it still had a certain charm to it that didn’t make me feel exhausted like a certain drama. This is why historicals do not need to be more than forty episodes.

What I believe was one of the strengths of this drama was how well the females leads were written. Many dramas boast a “strong female lead” and it is limited to someone who is physically strong, but with this drama we had these three women who had differing circumstances, but were strong in their own way. They each had their own very distinct personalities and knew what they wanted, they had ambitions and didn’t become shells of themselves when they fell in love. I was especially fond of Changle (duh) as she maintained her integrity throughout the entire show. She was always authentically herself; a wise, intelligent young woman even though she was pretending to be someone else. I loved how her and Nongying grew a bond and helped each other. It would have been nice to see them all together at the end.

Another strength of this drama was undoubtedly our lead couple. I enjoyed the refreshing take of seeing a male lead that did not shy away from showing how much he cared about his female lead. I loved that they trusted each other and was loyal to each other. Li Che truly loved Changle and he believed in that love which in turn allowed the viewers to do the same. I will give Eleanor props because I ship this just as much as I did Nuannuan and Han Che and that’s on CHEMISTRY. I even enjoyed Gongsun and Nongying’s relationship as well. Also this is coming from me who believes that cdramas love giving everybody and their momma’s love lines too much.

Typically I would have rated this drama closer to a 7, but I think that it truly deserved a .5 extra for how lovely the main couple was. This drama is certainly a gem and even though it kinda flopped in China, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with recommending this as something breezy to watch. If I were to rewatch it would definitely only be the couple scenes.

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