A Dream within a Dream

the audience are the only sane ones here.

I wasn't planning on watching this drama after seeing some spoilers on Douyin. The famous “三人互捅+大风车 (three way stabbing + big windmill)" scene appeared to be too crazy and too unhinged that I expected a storyline full of plot-holes and lousy character development. But wow? I was blown away by every aspect of this drama, it was the drama (after a long time) where I wanted it to end but I also didn't want it to end at the same time? Anybody feels the same way?

But yes, sure, there were some plot-holes here and there. For instance, personally, I could not overlook how the king and Nan Heng's came to a resolution to their conflict. The king was at Nan Heng's throat for years, he had so much suspicions and was plotting different ways of killing Nan Heng off and then...it all just ended because Nan Heng sold his uncle out and also offered to give up his own army? But ok, even if the king was moved by Nan Heng's ways of reaching out to show that he was genuinely on his side, I wouldn't have been moved to the point that I would give him the crown prince role instead of the son that I had doted and pampered on for years. Besides, even before the empress was murdered, the king was never fond of Nan Heng. There were some theories on Douyin speculating that the king and Nan Heng were actually in cahoots together. That they planned this all from the start (or maybe even in the middle) to lure out the mastermind...but it just didn't work out for me.

Ok, that aside (you must be wondering why I even gave this drama a 10) - it's the amazing cast and the main storyline that worked out for me. It's hard to make a story moving, but it's even harder to make the audience laugh. Throughout the entire series, I was laughing and then crying and then doing both at the same time and my emotions were just a mess. Every character had their own character development, there were fairly good reasons behind their actions. I was so attached to every one of them (apart from Chu Gui Hong, but there's no denying that the actor playing him is stellar and is also a hottie), I had such a hard time bidding farewell. I was scrolling Douyin for days to catch up on their interactions, to watch their behind the scenes and just getting to know them. Even actors whom I had initial doubts for (e.g., Bambi and Liu Yu Ning), overturned my own unfavourable biased views of them in this drama. Actors whom I always liked (e.g., Li Yi Tong and Riley Wang), were accentuated by the roles that they played. And I also found underdog actors whom I look forward to seeing them again in another drama (the actors who played Ah Hu, Ah Long and Fu Gui - adorable ).

Although the story seemed insane and all over the place, there were times when side characters do pull us back to the lessons that the writer wants to tell us (and I love it, because it gives all these side characters a purpose in existing in the story). For example, when Fu Gui tries to convince Nan Heng that it didn't matter whether they were just characters in a story, as long as he is able to live the way he wants, he's satisfied. And it's the same for us living in this world, no? Song Yi Meng's character also taught us not to be clouded by our own judgment, every living being has a story and without knowing it, we should never set whatever we think we know of them in stone.

I love this drama and it'll be a drama that will be hard to beat for years to come. It's sad that this drama isn't a "proper" drama and probably wouldn't be considered for awards in year-end award shows. But even without the awards, I hope the entire cast and crew know that they have done such an outstanding job. From the costumes to the music and sound effects (I heard they spent a big portion of their budget on buying the copyrights for them), everything was flawless. It is no wonder that it is a drama that is so heavily discussed on social media platforms. It is a drama that offers you both a happy ending and a sad ending (if you stop watching at Ep 37) - it's like the childhood books that we read where we can determine where or how we want the ending to be.

I highly recommend this drama! You can watch and enjoy this drama however way you want - if you'd like to think and discuss about open-ended endings, this drama is for you. If you want a lighthearted and romantic story, this drama is for you. It is what you want it to be and I think that's what great about it! :)

Read More

FL lwk Weak, Annoying, and Repetitive while ML Suffers and Endures Almost Everything

Rant: OH MY DAYS. I’VE TRIED TO WATCH WITHOUT GETTING MAD. I STOPPED WATCHING AFTER 10 EPS. I TRIED TO GIVE THIS DRAMA A CHANCE, BUT THERE’S BEEN TOO MANY TIMES I DROPPED IT AND PICKED IT BACK UP.

Some positives:
Casting, Ost, and acting is amazing. I love it. I like the storyline and the idea of it. Majority of the characters are very well written. Set is beautiful as always. Visually a stunner!

First of all , the idea of the script writer helping her basically makes her immortal. When Nan Heng tries to harm her, she’s safe bcs thats the “rules” so absurd in my opinion. There’s no brains in this story, all about rules, script, fate. This repeated until like the last 10 eps. My main issue with this drama is the female lead. She uses her full brain 0.25 of the times. She’s arrogant not open minded at all. Every time something out of her plan occurs, she believes it’s fate. Because of her stupid belief is why the drama is 40 eps long. I’m not watching this ever again. Maybe for u, definitely not for me.

Read More

Every Trope Known to Drama Lovers!

This is a satire written for drama lovers, as only they can fully appreciate the many tropes. There are also puns and references that only those who know Chinese culture and language will comprehend. Even without those understandings, anyone can enjoy the drama even though they will miss some humor and foreshadowing. A Dream Within a Dream is so rich in music, art, poetry, philosophy, lush cinematography, Easter eggs, and tropes that missing a few allusions won't matter, as the story holds together without needing total awareness.

The cast was exceptional, from the charismatic leads to the wonderful supporting characters.

If I had to quibble about anything, it's that a character with foreknowledge should use it to her advantage. If something horrible is going to happen in the forest at night, don't decide to travel through it at that time. It was frustrating to experience the FL floundering and making foolish choices. She took excruciatingly long to wise up to those around her, and it wasn't until late in the game that she tried to use the script to her advantage.

I found ADwaD to be fresh and innovative while using old, tired tropes. I generally don't enjoy slapstick or overt silliness, but they fit well in this parody.

Read More

Superb!!

Drama romcom terkesan ringan tp sebenernya cukup berat dan dark tp di bungkus komedi. Menurut gw ceritanya menarik.. mengingatkan gw sama drakor Mr. Queen tp dgn cerita yg jauh berbeda.. Baik ML & FL-nya sampe para pendukungnya aktingnya bener" keren Lyn disini aktingnya jg keren sih.. pdhl selama ini gw krg minat sama akting Lyn, mnrt gw akting dia tu monoton kl ga jd pendekar/jendral yg jagoan ya udh.. berasa jd "pemanis" aja.. kl disini gw ngerasa emosional bgt sama latar belakang karakter yg dia mainkan.. porsinya pun 50:50 sama Lyt.. mslh dia cukup komplex sebagai pangeran, jd disini dia pnya porsi yg cukup penting apalg dia merananin 3 karakter.. jd fokusnya ga cm kuat di FL aja sprti drama dia yg sblm"nya.. Lyt jg meranin Yimeng yg petakilan & ceria natural bgt.. bnyk adegan yg bikin gw ngakak🤣 .. tiap episodenya sll di buat ngakak ama kelakuannya.. Semuanya gw suka kecuali Chu guihong 😅.. nyebelin bgt sumpeh.. jarang" gw maki" pemeran antagonis.. sambil ntn sambil ngomel" .. didrama ini gw sampe emosi dan sempet berenti dl ntnnya.. lelah sis sama cgh😮‍💨.. tiap ada adegan cgh pst gw skip.. saking gw bencinya gw jd ga suka sama aktornya.. 🤣🙈 Nyebelin bgt dia🤣😅 Kaisarnya jg samanya.. Tp disini yg plg berkorban bnyk tuh c Nanrui.. Respect🙌 Nanrui the best sih.. karakter yg kliatan tak berguna tp menjelang akhir karakter developmentnya ckp signifikan.. Bener" berbesar hati dia & cukup tau diri... Gw suka ih ni drama.. Pesan moralnya bnyk yg di dpt.. bener kata Lyn ceritanya cukup absurd tp plg mendekati kehidupan sehari".. Mnrt gw ini worth to watch bgt.. makin di ulang makin ngakak.. makin di ulang makin dapet emosinya.. udh 3x ngulang dan bakal ngulang lagi sih.. ga bosenin.. Awal"nya memang agak bikin bingung alurnya tp seiring berjalannya wkt tiap episode jd makin jelas arahnya kemana.. Buat gw smuanya wajar.. Karakter Nanheng keliatannya kejam, dingin, arogan, jahat bahkan ga di sukai semua orang kl liat dr latar belakangnya dia yg paling "lemah" sebenernya.. defend mechanism dia ya kejam & dingin.. dia protect diri dia sendiri dgn cara dia sprti itu cukup wajar mengingat dia berjuangbsendiri tanpa ada dukungan dr kaisar bahkan di musuhin hanya gara" salah paham.. deuhh🥲.. karakter Yimengpun wajar.. bnyk yg gemes sama dia mnrt gw wajar bgt.. kita jgn liatnya dr pov penonton tp pov Yimeng.. kl dr penonton ya kita tau kl Nanheng tu ga jahat tp selama ini yimeng taunya c Nanheng jahat sesuai naskah.. lgpl Yimeng bkn nyelamatin diri sendiri aja tp dia mau nyelamatin keluarga 2 dimensinya jg.. makannya dia kekeuh sama pendiriannya.. apalg dia di dunia nyata udh kehilangan kedua ortunya jd wajar dia mo lindungi mati"an keluarganya di naskah... dan Yimeng fokus sama naskah yg blm di ubah.. walaupun dia udh ngeh ada yg berubah tp "adegan terkenal" ttp bakal kejadian.. dan dia jg ga tau c penulis mau di bawa kemana endingnya... apakah ttp sama seperti yg dia baca atau berubah total.. soalnya dia dah usaha sekuat apapun Yimeng ngubah jalan cerita ujung"nya selalu sesuai keinginan si penulis.. cm Nanheng yg bisa ngubah.. mengingat Nanfeng cukup ada andil jg di dunia nyata buat ngerubah naskah (eps 1) karna dia pemeran utamanya dan si penulis jg segan sama kepopuleran Nanfeng jd mnrt gw itu salah satu yg berpengaruh di dunia naskah.. Nanheng ada kemampuan buat ngubah naskah.. #imho Pokonya ini drama Lyn yg gw suka u/ pertama kalinya.. karna ceritanya kek kaleng pdhl ga kaleng.. Dah ah.. mo rewatch lg... 🤭🙈🤣

Read More

A Happy Ending Drama

Lol, I really love Nanheng’s facial expressions he so cute whenever he looks at Yimeng. It’s rare for me, but from start to finish I’ve been hooked on this drama. (Okay, maybe there are a few parts that are a bit boring, but still pretty interesting overall.) From the very beginning, I was already laughing so hard when Nanheng tried to poison Yimeng especially the moment he was about to give her the poison. (Hahaha, I just couldn’t stop laughing at that scene!)

Actually, I do agree with some comments saying Yimeng is a bit selfish for not trusting Nanheng and choosing to trust the script instead, even though Nanheng repeatedly told her to trust him. But from Yimeng’s point of view, I get why she’s scared especially after reading the script beforehand. No matter how much she tries, the main plot doesn’t change, even under different circumstances. Still, there are moments where I get frustrated with Yimeng and just wish she would trust Nanheng a little more.

But because since she eventually started trusting him, I’ll let it slide. Poor Nanheng nobody trusts him, even though he’s so kind. Even the Emperor hates him, despite being his own father. If I were in Nanheng’s place, I’d be like, “Who cares? I might as well rebel!” (Hahaha.) But well, men who are green flags kind and smart like Nanheng only exist in dramas.

I did watch some spoilers and it’s rare to see a drama where no characters die, aside from the villains, and everyone gets their own happy ending.

By the way, since I haven’t finished the drama yet, I haven’t decided on my final rating. For now, it’s a solid 9/10

Read More

A Delightful Tangle of a Story

I loved that there are so many unexpected twists and turns. The layers of plot are so wrapped up that they carry through to the end. It's masterfully executed so that the the threads are carefully unwound to fulfilling conclusions. It isn't hasty, but tugs the audience through loops and knots, carefully revealing secrets as it goes. The writing recognizes there is often a fine line between comedy and tragedy and brilliantly moves between the two, so that when tensions are high, it reminds the audience to laugh. The acting is fantastic from leads to supporting cast and "NPCs". It's easy to be engaged with all of them. Liu Yuning is fabulous moving between different roles sometimes on a dime.

Read More

Good Actually

Hot take: This is way more enjoyable than Prisoner of Beauty…. ( You can shoot me now)


A Dream within a Dream is satire. Its entire existence is to serve one purpose. That is to criticize the drama industry and the slop we sometimes receive. It wants to spur writing that respects the characters that scripts create and the audience that watches them. It also revels in the very same tropes it seeks to critique….

Morally grey ML's with tragic backstories?
check.

FL whose IQ fluctuates wildly over the course of the show?
check.

Sudden plot twists that only exist to fill time?
check, check, check.

It does all that and even more, unabashedly… And I still had fun watching it. It just does a great job of keeping you engaged. Either you're invested or you're laughing your butt off.

You can tell they put a lot of money into this john… Soo many fancy sets I've never seen before and the costumes were pretty good, out of place…. but good.

I think this drama being satire REALLY does a lot to help you dismiss most of the flaws.

The characters are lovable and have a great amount of growth for most of them. The cast did an amazing job bringing them to life. ( I was talking mad shi about Liu Yuning…. but he ain't bad at all, hoping I can watch a costume drama of his where he doesn't purposefully hurt a woman someday… I can only watch him choke a woman soooo many times….)

Humor is the greatest highlight, this show is really freaking funny.

I think the music was a tad overbearing… but it wasn't the worst.

Chemistry between the couple could have been better, but it wasn't bad, they were cute af, I just wasn't feeling any passion in most couple scenes.

Loved the details you pay attention to, ultimately do pay off and satisfy your expectations.

There were also genuine moments of deep insight into a character's mind and issues… that was nice.


I can't bully something that was never serious… It's fun and it never really takes itself seriously and it doesn't expect you to either. I'm definitely gonna rewatch someday.

PS. Liu Yuning is now on the same level as Cheng Yi is the beautiful suffering club. Bro spends the entire show getting blasted and he takes it like a champ. Hilarious

7.5 - 8 /10 no drama

Read More

A Solid 9/10

I’ve read and watched so many stories involving transmigration, especially ones where the characters end up inside a novel they’ve read, but very few actually take the time to explore the world they’ve entered beyond just focusing on the main characters. That’s what made this drama stand out for me. The story took its time to explore the world & develop the characters, giving us a clear and complete journey from start to finish. The last 4 eps were especially well done, and I truly respect the screenwriter for crafting the plot so thoughtfully.

As for the cast, Li Yi Tong did an incredible job portraying a funny, chaotic, yet deeply sympathetic character. She made her role so alive and memorable. Liu Yu Ning also really surprised me. I didn’t expect to be so moved by him. I usually avoid his dramas because they often have sad endings, but this year we finally got 2 dramas where he doesn’t die, and that gave me a chance to fully appreciate his acting. He’s incredibly charismatic and has a natural way of making viewers feel for his character. Honestly, I think this year is his best so far. He nailed both roles.

The only thing that really frustrated me was the overwhelming misunderstanding, prejudice, and discrimination thrown at the male lead. The worst part? Almost no one apologized when the truth came out. Only Nan Rui had the decency to say sorry. The character I hated most was the emperor. He caused most of the problems and made everyone think the male lead was a bad person, which really damaged him emotionally & of course me as a viewer too.

Still, despite the emotional roller coaster, I loved the comedic moments. Even Yi Meng herself said the “script” was terrible, which made it even funnier when the “real” world ended up giving us such a great storyline. That was very clever and fun to watch.
9/10 from me. This drama surprised me in all the best ways.

Read More

Mixed Reception, Perfect Match for Me

This drama received a mixed response from audiences, but I absolutely adored it. It currently sits on my top shelf of favorites, and I could easily watch it again. Almost every episode was hilarious, which played a big role in drawing me into the storyline. The narrative offered a unique spin and execution on a well-known theme, and the characters were easy to connect with and engage. I really appreciated the use of multiple timelines, the character development, and the way the story unfolded—each element added something fresh to a familiar tale. I was consistently entertained, whether through comedy, conflict, or romance. This drama was a perfect match for me. I had so much fun watching it, and I was genuinely happy with the time I invested each day to follow along.

Read More