“Goodbye My Princess” is a Hit with Viewers
The high-quality production has earned the favor of even the novel’s hardcore fans.
Since premiering in February, Goodbye My Princess <東宫> has earned great reviews, thanks to the outstanding cast, beautiful costumes and fitting props. Male and female leads Chen Xingxu (陳星旭) and Peng Xiaoran (彭小苒) also shine in their respective roles as “Li Chengyin” and “Xiaofeng”.
Adapted from the novel of the same name, the Chinese drama has been attracting much fan interest since filming started. Premiering online on Valentine’s Day, it has inspired both memes and discussion topics so far; with the likes of hilarious topics “101 ways of how Li Chengyin can die: which do you like?” pushing up the show’s popularity.
Strong Cast Performances
As Xiaofeng, actress Peng Xiaoran looks stunning in her exotic red costume complete with tribal-like hair accessories, and equally mesmerizing in horse-riding scenes on the verdant green fields. With her vivacious mannerisms and winning looks, Xiaoran impressed with her lively and charming character rendition.
Chen Xingxu, however, did not win the same adoration from fans, as Li Chengyin is a rather unsavory character who makes use of the female lead in his every move to his gains. Audiences, who have been responding to his screen appearances with curses aimed at his character, are fervently hoping for Chen Xingxu to disappear and imagining the many ways he can be “killed”.
Despite his character’s misgivings, Chen Xingxu has managed to capture Li Chengyin’s distant yet sexy aura, which gives his character an undeniable charm. Heartwarming, loving scenes of the two have certainly won over even the most skeptical of fans.
Staying True to the Novel While Delivering More Surprises (Spoiler)
The novel is a tearjerker with its imperfect, tragically sad ending separating the two lovers and leaving Li Chengyin hoping to die along with Xiaofeng when he regains memory of who he actually is. The drama adaptation has also managed to stay true to the classic scenes within the novel, fleshing out in full detail romantic scenes such as Li Chengyin catching a hundred fireflies for Xiaofeng and delivering even more satisfaction as the plot unfolds steadily.
Quality Cinematography and On-location Filming
Adding to the drama’s appeal is the beautiful cinematography. Perfectly showcasing nature such as the desert’s magnificence, the thriving oasis of the greenery, beautiful sunsets, and the stirring rivers, these breathtaking settings have managed to impress viewers and draw them deeper into the story.
“Goodbye My Princess” Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2mwDhJ4enY
Source: QQ
This article is written by JoyceK for JayneStars.com.
I am loving GMP at the moment. It is not the perfect drama but it is a good pace and the chemistry of the two main leads make up for it. I am a fan of the book and worried about it being dragged out to 52 eps with awkward comedic filler bits and repetitive flashbacks but currently, up to ep 36, I am so far pretty happy with it.
This adaptation has changed the male character a bit but has managed to flesh out his development more. In the book, Li Chengyin was an enigma as the story was told from Xiao Feng’s POV and you never really realised how he felt as he was so manipulative and cold. Being adapted to a series, I feel that showing how LCY gradually changed is more satisfying to watch. Some of LCY’s schemes have been given to other characters to carry out and so he is not as hateable as in the book.
I do miss the suspense from the novel where the story started in the middle after Xiao Feng had married for a while and then the story is told via flashbacks and weaved into the present. It was more shocking as from the book, it did not give away that Gu Xiaowu and Li Cheng Yin looked the same. But in the series, it is a dead giveaway so I can understand why the screenwriters decided to film in chronological order because you cannot get the same shock as from the novel because everything is presented visually.
I think the production has done the right thing with this adaptation – making changes to the plot yet being able to keep the essence and spirit of the novel. For years, the song “Ai Shang” has been unofficially declared as the themesong of the novel by fans and the two are always linked together in Dong Gong fandom. I am very happy with the sincerity of the production by purchasing the copyright of the song for the subtheme. And I love how they managed to create the fab main themesong where the lyrics and melody suit the story very much. They have put a lot of thought into the OST which I think can make or break a good series.
@elizabeth I look forward to Peng Xiaoran and Chen Xingxu in their future works. They are both lovable on screen and off screen. Those who like them please go and check out their cover of the themesong as well as their interviews. I am glad that FBB was not cast as originally suspected a few years back.
I am especially impressed with these young actors taking the time to learn how to ride convincing and not using doubles in the riding scenes (except for when CXX fell off his horse when he was blindfolded). The action scenes are pretty well done and not slow-motion. Wei Qianxiang is very convincing as Gu Jian and he can really act with his eyes. He is not exactly new but he is quite expressive with his eyes.
This series has new faces supported but not overshadowed by veterans like Siqin Gaowa, Gallen Lo, Wang Zhifei and Zhang Dinghan (who I just found out is married to Wang Zhifei who plays her uncle in the series). Kristy Yeung makes a surprising cameo in the series.
There will always be haters and not everyone will like this as it has its own flaws, but give it a go.
@elizabeth Totally agree!!
Their cover is so cute!! I love their chemistry!! can’t wait to see their sweet scenes haha
so glad they didn’t cast popular actor and actress to play the main roles.