The Crown Princess (2018)

I finished The Crown Princess today at 1.30 AM 25/6/18 and decided to write a review for this lakorn as there are many thoughts inside my head waiting to be expressed because if not , I'll die unhappily ( :P) So here we go.. my thoughts upon finishing TCP..

Plus points for me :-

1) Because this has Nadech and Yaya as MC. I'm actually a Yadech's shipper since Game Rai Game Rak (2011) and TCP was my forth lakorn of them. To say the truth, my feeling is not going as strong as before. Maybe because I already got used of seeing Yadech always being paired up together in lakorns. You know.. the feel it's like when you listen to a song for the first time and you fall so in love with it. The song become so special and precious to you..but the moment you start put it on repeat , after dozens time you kinda get tired of it and the song is'nt special anymore. But if you hear the song anywhere in the public, all the old feelings will emerge again and you realize, this song albeit it is not special anymore but you still hold it dearly in your heart. That song is Yadech to me.. >.< I know that Yaya and Nadech are a very close friend in reality and many wish they're dating but who knows..they might really be in the future seeing how they acts toward each other in many clips I've seen of them. (Shout out to all Yadech's shipper out there : Guys, please don't lose hope :p )

2) Great acting, good chemistry of our MC .. So, as always, like in her previous lakorns (worth to mention: Klueen Cheewit!) , Yaya's acting also was exceptional here. This actress really can bring each of her characters to life. She carries Princess Alice Madeleine Theresa Phillips like the character was her all along. I love her character the most . She potrayed a kick-ass crown princess, cold from the outside but very warm inside, knews when she need to fight her enemies upfront and knews when she need to give in. The moment she find her true love yeah it was tragic because she found it on commoner , she did'nt hide or denied it but accepted it and tried to make her love come true. One thing that grated my nerves was writer made her character clumsy with her scenes tripped over the ground or something so many times and that of course will get our ML rushing over and helps her again and again. That trait was contradictory with her strong and kick ass character. Whereas Nadech as Lieutenant Commander Davin Samuthyakorn was perfect. He's sexy and damn good looking. I could stare at his face and admire his beautiful face while wondering why God made him so perfect both infront and behind camera :P. I also have issues with his character, Davin has a god level of self- restraint and a bit reserved when it came to love. I just wish writer made his character loosen up a bit and show him give in more to his feeling and brave enough to express and fight for his love . Yup, I got that he is a soldier but showing your real emotions doesn't make you less soldier than other. It will only make him more human.

3) Great acting and the backstory of the villains. I wont talk about this much because it might spoil who have'nt watch it yet. I love the twist that revealed who is our main villain because I did'nt expect it at all O.O But when I think back, it made sense. Meanwhile , speaking about the villain number 2 , Hadaeth. Strangely I did'nt hate him for all the cruel things he did. I just pity his character much. ( Okay.....I'm shocked. I just find out that Hadaeth was being played by 2 actors , Peter Corp and the other one is Jason Young. I did'nt even catch the differences while watching and thought it was Peter Corp all along. Duhh)

4) Exquisite royal attires and other characters costumes. I especially in love with Princess Alice wardrobe choice.Yaya is already pretty and to add beautiful attires on top of that, she looks angelic here. I also favoured most of Nadech attires except his light brown color uniform because it look too tight and uncomfortable on Nadech. Prince Alan wardrobe also great , I loved the royal black uniform in his last scene the most.

5) Great action scenes. Those were of high class. If romance-action genre is your forte, give this lakorn a go.

6) Good OST. I loved the ending theme song more than the opening song.

7) All those countless picturesque views where the lakorn was filmed. The waterfall views in the island where our MC met for the second times. The mountain with the tribe where our MC seek refuge in Thailand. The mountain where our MC in a journey to find Prince Alan. The massive castles with all its ornament in Hrysos. They're all a real treat to the eyes. The scenes were beautifully shot and are postcard worthy. While watching, many time I'm busy awing at the beautiful scene behind than caring about what the act was .

Minus points for me :-

1) The lack of romance. TCP made up with 50% of action, 40 % of family drama and ONLY 10 % of romance. I'm quite reluctant to say it was romance because all we got was a careful and calculating romance. For this, I'm so mad at the producer, the director and the writer because they're so stingy with it..the kiss scenes except the one at the finale were unsatisfying too . It was so unfair they could'nt give us even 1 hour full of romance between our MC considering this lakorn got I hour and 50 mins long for each episode and if I convert this lakorn into 1 hour format ,this have 22 episodes..such a long hour but so little romance..whyyy :((


2) The storyline. I could'nt pinpoint what exactly was lacking but what I know is ,it lacked the 'X' factor that will make the viewer go crazy over it. The story is just good enough and not that addicting. I felt bored at ep 4 and 5 because it was slow.



So , overally this is a very good lakorn watch this if you're a Yadech fan and love action-drama-romance genre. Thanks for reading!

Leggi di Più

Awesome acting by handsome Nadech and beautiful Yaya.....It made me cry a river!! Yaya looks soooo much like a real princess and has pulled off all the heavy scenes so well, the songs will make you cry along with the acting, action scenes are also very well directed and performed......cinematography is very good......i will not say anything about the love scenes as it will be a spoiler...the supporting casts have also done a good job....it's also about solving the mystery of the mastermind.....at the end of the drama you will totally be in love with the princess and her protector.......the sky and the land don't meet......so will they get to love each other?

Leggi di Più

I watched the Master Edition of "The Crown Princess" that consisted of 13 Episodes. Being a hard-core NY-fan myself i was one of the many people who looked forward to this lakhorn since the start of 2017.I have watched and do appreaciate Anne Thong`s former productions, so i knew this would be a terrific story..and starring our beloved koo-kwans as the main-couple already made this golden for me. As you can see by my rating, i was not disappointed.
The plot itself is around a throne that has to be protected, but it so much more than a throne everyone wants. Its the life of everyone around this story, and that it can touch everyone.

Alice Madeleine Theresa Phillips is head-strong and a fighter and warrior of her own. She is a princess who early in her life had to learn to defend herself and survive all hardships and weapons her enemies keep throwing at her. No wonder she never could trust anyone easily, since every one around her wanted to kill her for the throne. For her protection she has to marry the honorable and brave Lieutenant Commander Davin Samuthyakorn and takes on the identity as a commoner. Its a delight to watch Alice throw herself into danger, in which Davin always ends up saving her. These two lonely souls finds solace in each others company, therefore they fall irrevocably in love. Deep down knowing its impossible for a commoner and princess to marry, these two struggles to accept their fates and duties,instead of following their hearts.

Its a powerful made lakhorn with a very powerful message, and i am happy that this lakhorn ended with a nice conclusion and a HEA for our main-leads. Can someone agree with how smothering hot Nadech looked in his performance as Davin, and just how magnificently beautiful Yaya looked as Alice! Just wow, these two together totally lighted up the screen! I love one dialuge from Davin which expressed the pureness and selfless nature in his love for Alice: " I am just happy looking up at the sky,without ever having to possess it".This lakhorn has always showed us Alice and Davin`s impossible love-story through that metaphor-in which Davin is as strong as the mountain, and Alice as high as the sky.

There are moments of laughs (especially in the start of their marriage) and moments of bitter-sweet romance and moments of honesty...and moments of deadly action..and indeed moments of heartbreak. I still cry every time Nadech and Yaya cry...and they poured their hearts out while playing Davin and Alice!
I also have to give credit for Sara Legge for her supporting character! She made one of a hell performance as Princess Kate and i am amazed by her! Intad Leowrakwong as the care-free Prince Alan and his blooming romance with Danika was so freaking adorable- buddies to lovers! There was also the third couple i actually wished had more screen time (not always that happen) but i got what i got. There was also some unnecessary flash-back scenes near the end, which i think they could have replaced with more love-scenes with Davin and Alice.
I also love the (real) kiss-scenes between Alice and Davin! And tell me about how more dramatic the episodes got near the end of it, trust Anne about sticking to the lakhorn closure about dramatics, just love it! The love-letter Alice got from Davin in the last episode totally made me cry my heart out damn! I have watched every lakhorn with Nadech and Yaya now, and just wow how they complete my expectations and hopes, the dynamics in their romance are different one in this drama, as their ranks and duties take much place in the distance between them. But the longing between Alice and Davin always shows in their eyes...so much that even that keeps the chemistry alive in fireworks!

Leggi di Più

I enjoyed watching this series as I am a big fan of Yaya and I can stare at her face the whole day. Nadech is indeed eye-candy and it looks like he buffed up for this role.
The action scenes are pretty good and I love that Yaya is very believable as a princess - elegant, poised and "well-trained" in archery, fencing, martial arts and can hold a gun. I love that she is not the damsel-in-distress type who only waits for the male population to rescue her.

I cannot understand why they said it was a flop in Thailand as it had a good plot, beautiful faces, good friendship, breathtaking scenery and it was fun seeing the Royal wardrobe as well.

The only con for me was that the ending seemed rushed - another episode would've made it better.

Leggi di Più

I've looking forward to this drama since it first was announced but I wasn't expecting too much out of it.

I really liked the story and normally I don't like too much action but the light romance sorta balanced it out.
I think the cast did a great job working together and the actress who played Kate did an amazing job. I went from liking her to disliking her to just pitying her by the end of the last episode.

The romance was a bit disappointing between Alice and Davin as I was more interested in Alan and his friendship/romance with his interest.

I really enjoyed the OSTs, they went perfectly.

I really enjoyed the acting and the twists and turns which I'll admit some were really shocking but honestly this drama is a one time watch for me. If you're looking for romance then this isn't for you as I stated earlier there's more action if nothing else.

Leggi di Più

The tandem of NY is so amazing....i got hook already on the first episode....they did great on the actions scenes....like the strong female character and the very romantic, strong, loyal ,sincere,respectful, gallant, gentlemanly male character...aside from their so beautiful together...satisfying romantic portrayal...

LOVE IT..
1, NY chemistry is another level..
2,Super amazing panoramic views....
3. Supporting casts characters are suited to each actors
4.Chemistry of the whole casts is so great..
5.The antagonists have that kind of YOU LOVE TO HATE THEM..AND HATE TO LOVE THEM...
6.I cried and symphatized with KATE'S character..
7.This LAKORN MAKES YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM...LAUGH, AND CRY...
8.Action scene is what I like...the lead actors did great..
9.A very satisfying FINALE...
10.First time watching NY tandem..and they made me their FAN already...

I RECOMMEND THIS LAKORN...YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT...

Leggi di Più

i just finished it and not even admire for main couple i admire rest of the team of" THE CROWN PRINCESS" the story is well written as their characters and executed well by the all teams . chemistry of yaya and nadech is magical. every girl want lost herself in nadech eyes as well for yaya boys. the team acted like natural their is no Lakorn trick where they need to cry they cry where not they not . whomever written their characterization has great vision and to execute it through screenplay awesome

suggested to watch it i'm damn sure you are not enough to watch for once

Leggi di Più

I started this drama because of Nadech and Yaya. I am new to thai lakorn but after watching Leh Lub Salub Rarng, I immediately fell in love with their acting and chemistry, so I decided to try their next work.
Here we have a totally different story and, at first, I wasn't too enthusiast, since I am mostly into comedies. At the beginning it seemed the regular drama and until episode 5 I was quite tepid about the show. The main leads were often bickering, there was too much action for my taste, the antagonists were just annoying and the story didn't develop too much.
And then it came the second half of the show. Finally something began to move. The relationship between the leads started to evolve and, even if there were not many romantic scenes, the chemistry was undeniable and the sweet moments satisfying for me. Other characters were developed too, giving them more depht and color, and the story moved forward, as we finally got to see who was behind the assassination plot. In the end, I was hooked.
Overall, the drama has its flaws. Some actions and dialogues are clearly forced just to create a particular situation or to add a little (sometimes unnecessary) drama to the story. Action scenes can be quite long and somewhat unnatural.
What actually made me love the show were the characters. As I said, the chemistry between the leads was amazing and I melted everytime they had those sweet moments together (I'm 35 but it seems that I still like these fairytale love stories). But also the other characters and their relationships were a plus for me. This drama made me love the bad guys too, something that most other shows don't manage with me, since they usually depict them one-sided and nothing more than irritating. Here I could feel for them and, in a way, I could understand their feelings. I was actually hoping for some redempting ending for them.
After finishing the drama, what I missed the most were precisely the characters (except maybe for Will, which I didn't like from start to finish, Mona and Grandpa). I felt sad, like I parted from friends I wouldn't see anymore. It is strange and not many dramas leave me with this melancholy feeling.
Maybe it was only the right show at the right time but, despite the flaws, I really enjoyed it.
So I recommend this lakorn especially for the characters, a little fairytale romance, beautiful filming locations and great costumes.

Leggi di Più

Dreamy ML but Frustrating FL (spoiler at the end).

Completed - 6/19/2022

“The Crown Princess” is my first ever non-BL Thai Drama. I was attracted to the plot and the mature romance that I was reading about. Since this is my first Thai drama, I am not familiar with lakorn culture and tropes, and when I criticize it might just be how Thai dramas are. However, if it affects my viewing pleasure (just like dramas from other countries), I will still try to be as honest as all my other reviews.

What I Like:

Davin (ML) - Aside from the fact that Nadech is handsome, his role as Lieutenant Commander Davin is dreamy. He’s the perfect man as a male lead - smart, calm, cool-headed, great fighter, protective, respectful, detail-oriented, attentive and caring. What more can you ask for a Lieutenant Commander and a romantic lead. Nadech is so cute when he smiles and flashes us his dimples. But when he’s serious, he frowns a lot.

Acting - Initially, I was worried that the acting would be overdramatic for my taste. However, I am pleasantly surprised that it’s not and everyone does an amazing job. Special props to our leads, Yaya as Crown Princess Alice, and Nadech. There are many scenes where they have to control their emotions because of their statuses, yet you can see the subtle micro-expressions in these emotional scenes. I now understand why they are so popular in Thailand. I am also very impressed with Sara Legge’s portrayal of Princess Kate. She has a few very emotional and angry scenes and she was amazing in them. The rest of the cast also perform admirably. Aside from two annoying wives that I dislike and I guess they are supposed to be annoying, I enjoy everyone’s story.

Beautiful Actress and Beautiful Dresses - There are so many beautiful women in this drama! I am usually more excited about handsome guys, but for once, the ladies stole the spotlight. Yaya is stunning and all her tailor-made royal dresses. She looks so regal! But she also looks beautiful in casual wear (ponytail, white tank top and jeans), and looks adorable in the mountain village tribal outfit. Sara Legge also has a great selection of royal dresses, especially her many black ones. Other beautiful women are Cindy (Princess Mona), Yoghurt (as Sergeant Paen), Reindeer (as JC).

Slow-burn Romance - As much as I dislike our FL (see below), I like the slow-burn romance between Alice and Davin. Enemies-to-lovers and fake marriage are two of my favorite tropes and from them, we see how their romance slowly develops. Do not expect a cute, fluffy and sweet romance. This forbidden love is mature and full of longing. I was actually very surprised at the lack of PDA in this drama. But given the fact that they have very different statuses, their controlled emotions make this romance even more desirable. The chemistry between the leads is amazing. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long for a kiss, and the kisses are not even that great. LOL. Very different from the Thai BL dramas I watched.

Cinematography - I enjoy the mountain village scenes in Northern Thailand. Gives the drama a little break from life in busy Bangkok. I especially love the many gorgeous places in Hyross. Hyross looks like a European country and I think my best friend Google told me that scenes are shot in beautiful Switzerland. No wonder this drama makes me want to travel to Hyross.


What I don’t Like or have mixed feelings:

Crown Princess Alice - I was so excited in episode 1 when we’re first introduced to Alice. She’s trained like a soldier, can fight, proud and just a badass. She seems intelligent and doesn’t seem to need to be saved by a man. Imagine my disappointment in subsequent episodes when she continues to make dumb and impulsive decisions and puts herself at risk. I can understand her doing that once or twice, because the drama wants to show us that she’s caring and will do what it takes if it’s right. However, given her situation, she repeatedly puts herself in harm’s way, disregards others' good intentions and protection throughout the whole damn drama. I initially thought she’s pretty smart but the writing makes her the dumbest person in the drama, who never questions who the villain is. For someone who is trained, she twists her ankle and slips on her butt quite often. What a disappointment of a heroine.

Action scenes - I actually quite like the amount of action scenes in this drama between gun shooting and hand-to-hand combat. However, I am not sure if this is what Thai dramas usually are, I find it hilarious that the leads would be choreographed in a way that they’re switching poses when shooting their guns. There are some interesting acrobatic moves mixed in the fights. It’s over-the-top and funny at the same time.

Illogical writing - I feel like in order to enjoy this drama, I have to switch off my brain a little. Otherwise, I would be questioning everything, e.g. 1) FL gets shot underwater and was drowning, but survived till the next day to be saved by ML, 2) wearing bulletproof vests don’t matter, 3) leads can survive going in and out of a burning house (the house has been burning for a while), 4) people really should stop screaming and watching and take those hurt to the hospital ASAP, 5) a trained soldier rebel can’t take down a weak prince or princess, even if he’s hurt. 6) lastly, it’s amazing it took so long for everyone to figure out who the villain is.

Songs - There are a few songs in the drama and they sound OK. But they are overplayed. There are a few scenes where songs are played right after another. It doesn’t leave a lot of quiet times for viewers to feel the emotions being displayed by the actors. It’s disappointing because the actors are doing a great job and I don’t really need the music to tell me how to feel.


**** Spoilers of the Ending ****




I have mixed feelings about the ending of Alice and Davin. I am happy that they finally get to live happily-ever-after. However, I hope for an alternate ending. Why can’t Alice have a career and her man? She would be a great queen as she truly cares for her people and has learned through her experience as Naree how the common folks live. Even if she’s not the queen, she can still continue to be a princess and do a lot of good for her country. Davin can marry Alice and live in Hyross, and help train the people there to build their own military. But I guess she really wants to be a commoner, or women just can’t have it all.


Other Random Observations:

1. FL has the special ability of running in the sand, in the forest and climbing trees all while wearing high heels.
2. Prince Alan has the best character development - his friendship/romance is kinda cute.
3. The pacing of this drama is pretty good. But each episode is 1 hr 50 mins, that’s super long!!

Leggi di Più

Got a bit disappointed on the lack of character development for Princess Alice, I mean they got a good start making her strong, independent and tough but somewhat in the middle she became a bit useless. Girl has no storyline except falling inlove with her bodyguard. I mean the title is crown princess but its more like the villain's story, her lovestory, her biography, the villain even got 2nd ML lol. Also the lack of romance for the leads made me a bit stressful haha. This drama focused more on the supporting casts tho the actors slayed their roles. I mean its not bad but the story could be better.

Leggi di Più

Even Urassaya Sperbund couldn't save this show for me. I really enjoyed the setup, even the excessive somersaulting in action sequences had their own charm, but watching our badass warrior princess being treated like she was incompetent or shouldn't be kept informed drove me nuts. Most of the time when she 'caused a problem' by getting involved was because she didn't know what was going on. She didn't know they had a plan, because they didn't tell her they had a plan. The co-habitation/married storyline was tragically underutilized. If they were going to do so little with it, they should have had her go undercover as a new member of the team so that she could live on the base and be with D-Team all the time. As it was, she was left alone half the time and they couple didn't have to do any pretending except for entering the house and one conversation with a neighbor. Lame. The ending was just a final slap in the face. There were a few really, really nice moments between her and Davin, and the actors portraying Will and Kate did a great job. That's what kept me going to the end, albeit with a heavy done of fast forwarding.

Leggi di Più

Overrated but a decent watch

This lakorn was not my favorite, but then again, I've been spoiled with really good dramas recently.

PROS:
-Yadech was a great casting for this lakorn! I'm a little cautious with Yadech not because their chemistry isn't fantastic, but because I want them to pair with other actors and hone their skills more than they have. I will say, they both fit their roles very well.
-Production value. Holy cow. This lakorn is nothing but production value. Gorgeous sets, amazing scenery, beautiful costuming, there's nothing lacking in that respect.
-Lip kisses are always a plus! Especially since this came out in 2018, back when that still wasn't the norm.
-I really appreciated the way the romance was handled. There wasn't a lot, but what was there was believable. A forbidden romance between a princess and her bodyguard must be very restrained. However, I liked that they didn't play too much into the whole "we can't be together" trope.
-INDY. OH MY GOSH. He was honestly the highlight of the lakorn for me.
CONS:
-There is one con that made this lakorn so average: THE STORY. GUYS. As a veteran lakorn viewer, I predicted every "plot twist" before it happened. I knew who the villain was from episode one, while the big reveal didn't come until episode 10. This lakorn was basically every other lakorn plotline with fancier costumes and a fictitious monarchy. I would rather the production team spend less money on filming in Holland and pretty outfits, and more money on an actual unique plotline.
-So many plotholes... also the palace security must be TERRIBLE if it's so easy to make an attempt on a monarch's life. Multiple times, no less!
-This lakorn probably could have been accomplished in 9 or 10 episodes instead of 12. It felt like most of the subplots were thrown in just to fill time.

All in all, a decent watch if you don't mind lakorn tropes and need to get your Yadech fix. Otherwise, look elsewhere. I doubt I'll bother to watch it again.

Leggi di Più