My Bratty Princess (2005)

This is a well balanced period drama that threads wit and humor, action and fighting scenes, politics and family feuds, birth secrets and gender-bending all mixed in one. The plot and storyline weaves, ebbs and flows and one crisis is resolved only to lead into another greater one before the end of each episode which keeps you wondering what will happen and how things will be resolved next. Thank goodness there isn't a lot of drag in this drama, and the focus was on the main characters instead of depending too heavily on 3rd party conversations.

The characters in this drama are dynamic and interesting in their own way, especially the main female lead. I appreciate that she stays true to her character throughout-Fearless, loyal, impetuous, and kindhearted, yet crafty. I enjoyed that many of the women in this drama more than held their own place, and were independent, loveable, and strong. The characters and their unique yet strong personalities blended quite well which made this drama seem to go along much smoother and pleasantly for the viewer.

I liked that the drama was upbeat, even though there were life and death crisis after crisis. I hardly felt I was watching a period drama, and would highly recommend it.

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An Underrated Gem

I started watching "My Bratty Princess" after trying to watch it's 2011 spinoff version also staring Jang Na Ra. The 2011 spinoff version was quite frustrating with weak characters and a stagnant storyline.

However, this is not at all the case with the 2005 original. Although the video quality is slightly grainy and it uses a dated 4:3 aspect ratio, the plot, characters and comedy more than make up for it.

The basic format of the plot in this drama follows multiple arcs where in which the three main characters experience crisis after crisis that must be resolved. The plot is not terribly original or groundbreaking. However, despite the rather typical format and story, the story never drags on and each arc is unique enough to keep things from becoming repetitive.

It was especially refreshing whenever the crisis was finally averted as it was usually done through an unexpected twist and always provided a cathartic slap down of the perpetrators.

What I think made this drama so refreshing despite the lack of a groundbreaking story is due to it's comedic treatment of the story. Although there were plenty heavy moments when people's lives were at stake, on the most part the drama put a lighthearted comedic twist on the story. Whether through it's upbeat soundtrack or over the top side-characters, the comedy makes the plot much more palatable and less emotionally scarring when compared to other more serious period dramas.

The main character's in this story were also highly enjoyable. Jang Na Ra and Alec Stu did an amazing job portraying the characters of the princess and the emperor. Despite the fact that they were dubbed, the acting more than shined through. I especially loved how neither the emperor or the princess were pushovers. Despite the large challenges they faced, they both were active in attempting to solve problems rather than weak passive ones. And although the stories got heavier towards the end, they both stayed consistant in their actions till the end and had an evenly paced development of the romance between the two.

If there is anything to pick with this drama it would be that the ending was a little rushed. I felt like the last episode could have been developed into its own arc that could have spanned an additional 2 or 3 episodes. This would have given time to more neatly wrap everything up and cover all lose ends. However even so, the ending was still adequate and left me quite happy.

Ultimately "My Bratty Princess" is an underated gem. Although it's story isn't terribly original or thought provoking, it's use of comedy and
strong characters make it an refreshing light drama with great rewatch value.

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There is so much rewatch value in this series, even though one of the main characters was a Korean actress. She was so amazing, didn't let the language barrier be an issue at all. I applaud her performance.  And of course one of the reasons why I picked this series up was because of Alec Su's performance. This series was witty, funny and highly entertaining to watch. The storyline had been done before but I loved the lightheartedness that they went with rather than it being all serious and doom and gloom. There was a little bit seriousness towards the end of the series but they were still able to come back to the comedy which was amazing.  

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The Obnoxious Princess

Really looked forward to watching this for the nostalgia of well-written older series and was initially hooked within the first few episodes. Particularly because I've always had a soft spot for series where the emperor hangs outside of the palace in plainclothes as well. Everything about the show was straight-forward (which was a nice breath of fresh air from more modern series) including the plot, the characters, and the relationships + a nice dosage of humorous moments throughout.

The main star of the show is the emperor. An emperor who can hold his ground, keep his cool and wit, who can actually fight, and is both reasonable and charming. Unlike many other historical series where the doom and gloom of politics is overly intense at times, his workarounds really highlights his emotional intelligence and thoughtfulness.

As for the "bratty" princess, I was really rooting for her initially even despite her being characterized as being too idealistic. And with a background of privilege, it was also completely acceptable that she would be immature about her wants without understanding consequences. After all, there's a reason for the series to be titled the bratty princess. However after 18 episodes, it was becoming nauseating. Again and again, she took advantage of her privilege to selfishly do what she wanted and continuously getting bailed out. She emotionally manipulates those around her by hanging her hat on "doing what's right" and completely disregards the seriousness of who she was impacting. She whines when she thinks people are using her, yet she uses everyone around her in the worst way. All of this would have been acceptable to a degree if she showed any inkling of character growth after so many incidents and episodes... but there was none. She also didn't show any degree of understanding of the kingdom despite having been raised in such a household and showed zero thoughtfulness or intellect. Truly just a bratty princess.

Even is she were to show any character growth in the latter episodes, it definitely wouldn't make up for all the incidents so far. For someone who portrays herself as caring of the less privileged, she sure takes advantage of everything she can get away with, where others would have been put to death multiple times. It's definitely a shame because if it weren't for this aspect, the series would have been much more enjoyable and the higher scoring is for the rest of the characters.

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