This is even my first time writing a review.
After reading the summary I instantly watched it cuz it involves being inside a comic world just like W and Extraordinary You and I was never wrong with my guts. In most c-dramas I skip a lot but in this drama? Every scene is totally hilarious, cute and interesting.
The casting was just totally perfect if QQ (female lead) was not portrayed by Zhao Lusi I don't think QQ would be an adorable character, Zhao Lusi is such a lovable and amazing actress. Most of us hate a stupid character right? QQ is actually kinda stupid but because it's Zhao Lusi I really can't hate her instead I'll be laughing my ass off, for HS (male lead) I am totally in love with him because of Ryan Ding's great acting like O M G! He is totally an amazing actor in this industry, HS was a ruthless character and he was able to show that but at the same time he was SOOO CUTEEE. For the chemistry?! OOOMYYYYGHOOOSH IT'S THE BEST!!! All those cheesy scenes makes me feel electrified!!! As for now I don't think I'd be able to watch them with a different partner on-screen T__T
As for the music? I really skip a lot of opening songs cuz it's not my cup of tea but for this??? Every time the song plays I would sing along with it with my heart fluttering because the song is soooo cute.
Maybe after several years I would go back to this drama and rewatch it like how I rewatch Mischievous Kiss and Meteor Garden after couple of years.
As much as I want this drama to have a season 2, it already had a good ending and I don't know what else could happen if they make a season 2 buut if possible I'd still watch it because I'll never get tired of their chemistry and I wanna see them have kids, well that's a common wish-list for a drama I guess hahahaha
MAYBE THIS REVIEW IS VERY BIASED BUT WHO CARES THIS IS JUST A PROOF HOW LOVABLE THIS DRAMA IS HAHAHAHA
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Funny and superficial so I guess a bit fasfoodish?
As a parody of all the main character´s invincible halo and many other clichés of dramaland, it is nice. I did enjoy the comedy quite a lot in the first half, the acting is ok, the visuals also. I admit I did skip around ten episodes as they were not necessary – you know what will happen after the first (few) episode(s). I will maybe go back to them when I am really bored and in need of some background comedy.
*As for the characters or acting …. All is within the realm of genre. From the last servant to the ideal Mary Sue female lead. Their motivation or background are unnecessary and uninteresting, their portrayal ok. *
The story is simple and flat and not that well-made but considering it sets out to point out and ridicule those traits of its genre, there is no need to attack them on these grounds. They are well-aware of it.
I was wondering about the end – because in this kind of story there is only so much you can do. And they went for the most kitchy one! It is not bad – it stays true to the parodic tongue-in-the-cheek comedy vibe. Similarly, I did appreciate that the girl admitted in the end that the story is bull***t.
The funny thing is that if you don´t want to, you can ignore the parody and happily enjoy/be furious with the simple and clichéd romcom. This, I think, is also intentional. They put just enough jokes about the silly plotlines or stock characters etc. to retain the impression of self-reflection. Thanks to that, the audience can enjoy the romance, comedy and dramatic bits without being annoyed with all those clichés.
As for the feminism or gender equality themes that are addressed here…. Firstly, I think it comes as no surprise that it is done quite cheaply and simplistically. Yes, it points out some issues and absurdities and as a light-hearted start of this discussion can be somewhat accepted. However, the alleged cultural differences are used only when the plot allows it, the main leads stick to the classical drama-couple dynamic, there is not much of independence or value outside of their pairing, the ML saves the girl while the FL is the angel redeeming his soul (honestly, this is such ugly and dangerous trope the bad boy reformed through love!) etc. etc. On the other hand, it was nice that the original genre setting was so simplistic and childish, it went well with the female lead´s personality and writing ability.
Secondly, it seems that the theme is used mainly as a crowd pleaser. Not sure that the authors ever intended to contribute with anything worthwhile to the discussion about gender equality. Rather they just wanted to have something attractive for the audience – something that will address an interesting and popular topic and will create an illusion of difference (similarly the parodic bit can be viewed as an illusion of taking the audience´s intelligence into consideration).
Overall, it is light-hearted and simple romcom that uses all the clichés it is making fun of. All the stock characters, scenes, plot devices and solutions. It tries to distinguish itself from the horde by admitting to it by using the parodic angle. Yes, it makes the superficiality and hollowness of such stories obvious. However, it still stays within its realm… so what is the point? I suspect it is just to appease the viewer. This way their weakness becomes their strength and their, albeit short-lived, allure. It seems that more than being a critique of the low quality of (isekai, historical, fantasy,…) dramas it just wants to gain more popularity without actually doing that much extra work.
As some other reviewer already said – lower your expectations. Accept the cheap parodic bit and you have simple romantic comedy to watch during your lunch or before sleeping. Easy to digest, quick to forget. But don´t forget, same as with fast food, the nutritional value is quite low.
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Storyline:
The Romance of Tiger and Rose is such a breath of fresh air. No complicated storyline, no antagonist whom you’d want to undergo the most cruel maltreatment ever, just pure entertainment.
What I loved most about this drama is its nice and clear portrayal of an ideal world where women are the most powerful beings in the society (How I wish this could be possible in our world, too.) All those subtle shades thrown against the patriarchal society were so on point that no matter which country you belong, you’d definitely shake your heads sideways especially if you are a woman for you have experienced it first hand in your own society.
Although this drama mainly focused on empowerment of women, it did not mean ill of men at all, it even stressed out that the most important thing we must practice and be aware of is the equality of genders. Truthfully, I’ve never encountered a plot like TROTAR delivered.
Acting:
Not only I loved Zhao Lusi’s and Ding Yuxi’s acting in here, but everyone in the cast delivered an excellent job! My screen lights up whenever Zhao Lusi aka Chen Qian Qian apprears. She’s such a ball of sunshine! ZLS and DYX’s chemistry is on another level, too. They really looked good together.
I loved the coloring and cinematography of this drama too. Such a good one.
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This drama is truly one of the best I have seen. Usually, in Chinese dramas, the plot feels dragged out, but not this drama. It is a short 24 episodes drama full of comedy. The main female character never forgets who she is when she is in the other world. That is the most important part of the drama. Throughout the entire story, she uses her skills and her knowledge to survive when everyone is trying to kill or hurt her. Some of the other dramas where the main lead goes to another world, either through time travel, dream, futuristic machine, etc, the main lead tends to forget who she is. Then, those characters would just forget about who they were before and try to cement their lives in their current situation. But in this drama, Chen Qianqian constantly tries to allow her story to move forward so that one day, she'll be able to "go home", while at the same time, tries not to get herself killed within the story. The moment when she decides to accept Han Shuo's love, that is when she decides on staying in the fictional world, and this took about 20+ episodes. Other dramas would have the main characters completely forget that they need to leave the fictional world by the first few episodes, which sometimes, for me at least, to wonder "did the main character forget?" In this drama, the writers showed the audience that Chen Qianqian never forgets and is trying to go home. But her love of Han Shuo is more powerful and stronger than her will to return home.
The setting for this drama is one of the most unique settings I have ever seen, two cities with completely different gender ruling societies. The drama does a very good job of passively sending a message about gender equality. I initially see how funny Huayuan City is, where females rule over men. But through time, under Chuchu's laws, I see some negative things about that society. Towards the end, Qianqian discovers that her creation of this world is flawed and that gender equality is important at all levels.
Overall, I think this is one of the best-written dramas I have seen. All the characters made an impact to the story, and Zhao Lusi definitely made the drama more entertaining. If there is a season 2, I am truly hoping for it, since Han Shuo does remember all their experience in the dreamworld.
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First, I would like to say I’ve never ever watched a drama like this before. The concept, the story, the creativity is great!!!!! The male dominated city irked my soul lol especially the ML dad, he got on my nerves. The ML mother though ooooof what a power move to divorce that piece of trash!Story: I was hesitant to watch this drama as it’s “overrated” right now and with most overrated dramas, it tends to disappoint me a little bit. Especially when the story has something to do with entering video games or entering a dream instead of true wu xia or xian xia. However, as I began watching, I can’t help but keep going lol. I love the female dominated city and I love the story arc of the princesses. I think the FL and ML and 2nd ML did drag their romance a bit but it wasn’t too bad. I was annoyed at how the FL didn’t realize or fall in love with ML earlier and was annoyed with her always setting him up with the 2nd FL. I also didn’t like how most of the time she neglected his feelings but then I realized that she probably thinks he doesn’t have feelings bc technically he’s not real as he’s just a character in her script. I thought that was pretty clever. Other than that, I like the pacing of this drama and the problems were quickly resolved which is great bc it’s boring when things get dragged out. I always forget that this is a lighthearted drama so I was anticipating more angst moments but the comedic moments made up for it. I do think that it would’ve benefitted with a bit more angst tho.
Acting: The leads are perfect for these roles lol especially ZLS, she typically plays these roles and she executed them nicely in my opinion. The male lead is great too, I really like how he looks at FL lol even I get butterflies. I adore Su Mu and first princess I think the acting was weirdly addicting or their characters were weirdly addicting lol. They seem so perfect for eachother. The second princess and Pei Heng were characters that I don’t mind. I think the second princess definitely had a reason to be mad and I think PH was cool. Their characters were executed nicely in my opinion. The side characters were my favorite especially Zi Rui omg he’s so sassy and funny. I want to see him as lead or second lead one day lol.
Cinematography: The colors were great and the scenery was pretty. The editing of the scenes were nice as well. I thought the flow or transition of this drama was good and it wasn’t really choppy. I enjoyed the flashbacks and I enjoyed the foreshadowing of FL plans.
Overall: I enjoyed this drama and I binged watch within three to four days lol I forgot but I didn’t expect I’d like it this much. The concept is cute and I look forward to a season 2. The only let down about this was that it’s not wu xia lol bc I prefer historical dramas than modern chinese dramas but that’s just me.
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The acing and casting was PERFECT! Every eyebrow twitch, smile, gaze (ugh the way he stares at lusi is so sexy) was perfectly executed by Ryan Ding; he puts so much work into his acting God bless that cutie <3. Zhao lusi is perfect for this role I love her laugh and her mischievousness. All the side characters were also amazing––the servants for comedic relief was FANTASTIC!
Unlike many other dramas, the kisses were actually filled with passion and their eyes were closed like normal people!! Not to mention they weren't scared of being too touchy and viewers got many cute intimate scenes frequently!!
If you need proof of their amazing chemistry, just check out this vid with all their cute moments together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63F0BRINISM
I also appreciated how the drama took on deeper issues like switching the gender roles, feelings of a disabled person, adopted child, wondering if the world we live in is crafted by a script writer, etc. It gave more depth and meaning to the show. I also really liked the mom as a character, not only is she super regal and gorgeous she was so loving to Qian Qian and didn't interfere too much with her children's marriages.
Additionally, the plot was equally exciting; since it was only 24 eps it was fast paced and action packed and were not extra side character storyline plot fillers.
Finally, even when Han Shuo felt betrayed by Qian Qian, he still loved her and was devoted to her. Not to mention he looks great in black. But srsly tho, a committed man and a healthy relationship where they don't let misunderstandings get in the way of their love for each other. Overall, AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING definitely recommend!!!
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hilarious and heartwarming <3
I literally made an account JUST so I can write this review. I finished this drama today and I am absolutely in love with it. I was so sad when it was over, but I will definitely be re-watching it.The first episode got me hooked immediately which was good because I am an impatient person where I will drop a show if it moves pretty slowly. The plot and background were developed nicely without any rushing or slow pauses. There were intense parts where I was worried and parts where I cried and parts where I laughed. It is a well developed historical drama. I typically don't go for historical dramas because they seem to always get too political for me, but this one is perfect. It is a perfect balance of storyline, comedy, and romance.
The chemistry between the lead female and male (Chen Qianqian and Han Shuo) is so entertaining to watch. I think all the actors/actresses did great. I was so immersed in it that it felt like I was Chen Qianqian at some points lol. I got attached to all the characters in the cdrama which is a rarity because I never really think twice about the supporting roles. However, even the side characters get a great personality and it's just so refreshing watching all the interactions.
This show made me feel some type of way and it's a perfect distraction/escape from life as it is now during quarantine. I really recommend watching the show!! If my review doesn't convince you, I hope the others will because it is well worth it with a satisfying ending. (I hope they make a season 2 though! I'd love to see all the actors and actresses get together again.)
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This is definitely a hilarious drama that will keep you hooked all the way till the end.
STORYI love the idea of the two different cities. A city of women in power? Although some things were just absurd and downright funny, the idea was really interesting. Although time-travel is not my cup of tea, ever since Scarlet Heart (Although I dropped it after a few episodes) this is definitely a good take on the genre and I love how they wrap up the story in the end. The heartbreak was short-lived and the way they connected the story and the reality, was genius.
There are so many things that I love about the drama from the actors to the storyline, supporting cast, costumes, and the ending. There was no prolonged heartbreak and lots of laughter.
I also really love some of the things that were pointed out in the drama about relationships, importance, responsibility, and equality.
“In a relationship, you have to manage yourself so that he understands the importance of your existence” - Qian Qian
Responsibility of the city owner and their families to uphold and protect their city. To always put their people first. Even though Qianqian doesn’t want to be the crown princess, the way she acts and views things makes her the perfect candidate. Even if she had the opportunity to strike, she refuses to do it because she didn't want to hurt the ordinary people.
The status of men and women was so different in each city, where one is always inferior to the other. Although I’m team Huayuan (since I’m a girl lol) the idea that only one gender gets to live a decent and good life is so absurd and wrong. I don't like that in Xuanhu, men treat women like servants with no rights at all and the same goes to Huayuan, where men are inferior to women. I love that Qianqian, being the screenwriter, understands the imperfections of both cities and tries to pacify it in the little things.
“Women don’t need to be understood but to be loved truly” - CO of Huayuan City
The love story between Qian Qian and Han Shuo was just funny. I mean it was like playing cat and mouse but I don’t want to spoil a lot and if you are worried if the ending is another scarlet heart, don’t worry. This drama has a happy ending.
CAST
It was kind of late when I realized who Ryan Ding (Han Shuo) was, I saw him on Intense Love which I really enjoyed. And as for Rosy Zhao, I personally really like her but somehow I just can never get to finish any of her dramas until now (lol). I started I Hear You, Love Better than Immortality, Love of a thousand years, and Prodigy Healer but never got too far and put all of them on hold. And I don't really know why, probably bad timing?
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is definitely a hilarious drama that will keep you hooked all the way till the end.
Would I recommend this? Yes, From production, acting, storyline, cast and setting as well as a good balance of comedy and romance, this is definitely worth watching.
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At first I didn't expect much as I just wanted to find something to watch, but the first episode immediately sucked me into the plot. The story of this series is so unique and different from anything Ive ever seen before., and I ended up finishing this in 27 hours...-
What I love the most about this drama is that they didn't add any unnecessary plot lines into the story and didn't drag anything for more than 2-3 episodes. I also love all actors/actresses and they also played their role perfectly.
I was surprised when I realized that this drama was only 24 episodes but after I finished it, I think the length is perfect. The ending was also written very well, I am definitely not disappointed in the ending of the drama.
This is such a cute and fluffy rom-com drama, so if you looking for something light, you should totally watch this. I was practically laughing through the whole series <3
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When I watch the trailers for this drama, I noticed how much chemistry the OTP had, and it immediately drew me in. Zhao Lu Si delivered a great performance as Chen Qiao Qiao. I think she does comedy very well and while I was not impressed by her look in "I hear you", her loveliness shone through in this show. She was endearing, charming, and just plain adorable. Ryan Ding's portrayal of Han Shuo was perfection as well. I thought that he acted well in "Intense Love," but in this drama, he showed a broader acting range in playing Han Shuo's complex character. I enjoyed seeing Han Shuo's character development - from cunning and cold, to faithful and protective. To me, Ryan's performance was a big part of why the story worked so well. He's very charismatic, and I love his micro-expressions. He can easily cause one's heart to flutter.
One thing I really liked was how devoted Han Shuo and Pei Heng were to Qian Qian. Despite all her silly antics, her lies and betrayal, Han Shuo was not able to act cruelly towards her. Even after being friend-zoned by Qian Qian, Pei Heng continued to remain supportive, and cared for her. Talk about committed hearts!
The supporting cast was fun and quirky, and two leads' male servants, Bai Ji and ZhiRui were hilarious. Their bromance was so fun to watch! I like that there was depth to the characters, including the villains. The story flowed really well and effectively created conflicts that people can sympathize with.
As for the music, it was ok - other than the intro song, I don't remember much of it. However, that could be because I was laughing out loud so much and not paying attention.
Overall, this drama surpassed my expectations! It is very entertaining, fast-paced and filled with lots of fun and silliness!
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One of the best storyline execution in a drama. It's actually impressive how they achieved such a feat, because the initial episodes weren't telling of anything spectacular to come. The story telling and directing were really strong in this one, consistent and constantly evolving plot and development. I started this because I just couldn't get into any Kdrama aside from Once Again (which is still ongoing). That drama was also so good, I didn't expect to be so immersed which therefore made it difficult to find something else to watch.This one had the same vibes as one of my favourite C-dramas, The Love by Hypnotic. Different set up but the female lead give off a similar vibe. So I watched it, at first not really caring much about what's happening. The premise, personally, I found a bit ridiculous and hard to take seriously. I thought the story would seem too impossible that even suspending logic wouldn't be enough to accept what this drama is trying to feed us. I decided to just see how it goes though especially as it is only 24 episodes, short compared to the usual 36 or more episode dramas. 2/3 in and I wasn't completely loving it. I even thought about dropping it but seeing all the positive reviews and because there are no other dramas I can think of watching, I just decided to carry on watching. Despite it seeming like it's not going anywhere, there's just something about it that kept me interested about what's going to happen. Even if I didn't particularly like how slow the progression was at times.
That all changed though when I got to the last third of the drama. Somehow and seemingly out of the blue, it picked up its pace and all I kept seeing was development and progress after progress. I was glued to the tv and genuinely immersed and eager to find out how the story will progress. Han Shuo became really endearing to me. He came off a bit more matured compared to his quite childish personality in the previous episodes. I loved watching all the trials they experienced because it made their characters really well rounded. It was also easy to see just how much they love each other, and how deep.
The message the drama send out (the drama is massively based upon the inequality between men and women) was touched upon, enough that the message was clear and the repercussions if things carried on as they were, was also shown so effectively that you can empathise with what the characters were going through or what they potentially could go through. And again, thanks to the great, careful and thoughtful directing and writing, so many of the things that happened and the decisions taken by the characters were understandable, if not agreeable, because the drama had their intentions built, actions by actions, in the previous episodes. The way they presented the gender issues was quite impressive and didn't feel like they were forcing the viewers to take a certain stand. It has done well on showing us the characters' plights enough for us to understand what is right for them.
And ofcourse, Chen Qian Qian and Han Shuo. The actors played their roles sooooooo well. I loved seing Qian Qian's expressions, even the tiniest quirk of her mouth or eyebrow really portrays so much personality. Ryan Ding was most impressive in heartbreaking scenes. Perhaps it's because I've seen his character always happy/in-love/jealous that it was a complete surprise to see him deliver that side to his character. Qian Qian and Han Shuo complement each other well. I love how their love story developed.
The weak part of the story would definitely have to be the two second leads, Chu Chu and Pei Heng. The premise regarding ChuChu's story sounded really interesting and so it was a bit of a shame that we didn't see much of her in the beginning. I would have loved to see her develop from being a kind, dedicated character to the person she's become after she lost everything. I think if that happened, we would be more empathetic of her suffering and possibly be torn about what we expect the story to become. The main leads' story developed nicely despite that, but if these second leads' stories showed us more depth, I think it would have created a greater impact overall and the drama stronger.
However, those were small things I noticed and for a drama that seemed all cutesy, this one definitely outdid itself. It had consistency and strong, solid plot direction that even quite a lot of the more popular dramas lack, despite all the budget, more experienced actors and cinematography.
I liked the ending and absolutely loved the turn of events in the historical side. I do like how it ended, but personally, I wished to see more scenes of them as Han Shuo and Qian Qian or even a bit more insight into their present lives. Like maybe showed more of QQ's grief over the thought that she's truly lost Han Shuo. Something along those lines. Like another commenter said, it would have been great acting to see. They can definitely deliver.
I can see myself rewatching this again, mostly the last third of the story. Those episodes have the best scenes in them.
Loved this drama.
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An enjoyable fun-filled drama made perfect by it's mischievous contemporary contents~!!
First and foremost. I highly recommend this drama to anyone. I'm sure it would entertain any audience in General. A drama that won't disappoint. Anyways, Let me list down some qualities I like and may dislike in this drama.×× Dislike...
→ Something I hate about this drama is how forgiving the 3rd Princess is but I also understand that it's all for the good and it actually entertains me most of the time. So instead of dislike, I may say it is something i don't favor thaf much?
→ I hated how short this drama is. I mean, why do dramas with sucj great plots always tends to be so short while the other crappy one's are receiving more than 50+ with abundant budget. It really is a waste that we didn't get to see some Modern day development and adventure from the Main Leads. I'm still feeling disheartened about it. This drama deserved MORE!
×× Likes...
→ I love how the Main Lead incorporates her Modern World knowledge and making it extra hilarious through out the drama. That was such a mood that brough so much laughter and giggles to me. I really love her.
→ I love Chen Qianqian (3rd Princess) clothes during her first appearance. Like i understood that her clothing is kinda bold for and all that but damn she looks extremely cool with them. I'm no pervert, it's jist that every time i watch the ending credit her hair style and clothing always left in awe.
→ I like the way this story delivered direct messages about how the world treated women so they have no choice but to fight for their rights and stand with pride to bring it back.
→ I also love how comedic the XuanHu's City Owner is. He appeared to be a little rigid at first but turned out to be a loving and funny husband.
Story - 10, It may not have the best plot ever but it was perfect for me in a sense that it depicted justice to gender rights and how things are viewed in our world right now. More than a drama, I think it is a representation of how we can do some changes bit by bit to make our world fairer. EXCEPTIONAL!
Acting/Cast - 10, Oh God! I love the acting here. Starting from the Main Leads to the tiniest people involved did well. I also love how there's a Boys love situation going on with the Main Leads servant. They made it more enjoyable. I cannot! Hahaha~!
Music - 10, Music in this drama is really good. The first time I heard of it I was like "Ohh I like this soothing type of music" It is perfect and compliments the drama scenes a lot.
Rewatch Value - 10, Highly recommendable and I will surely watch it If given a chance. I love it so much~! Surely one of my top 5 chinese dramas to date.
Overall - 10, I'm actually lacking of adjective to use to describe this drama. It simply satisifies my expectation and even went beyond and over all those borders I created. PHENOMENAL!
If you find my review helpful please let me know
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