How Dare You!?

Great cast with a decent plot

Although the drama has been primarily promoted as a comedy, and while I didn't dislike it in that aspect, I feel its strongest moments are undoubtedly the most serious. The conflicts and obstacles are quite simple and predictable; the tension never quite explodes, and the stakes don't feel entirely convincing.

However, its greatest strength lies in the casting and character development. Both the main and supporting characters are very well-developed, which makes a script without too many surprising elements stand out more than one might expect within its genre.

Up until episode 10, I was enjoying it, but it didn't strike me as anything exceptional; I kept watching mainly because of the performances of the main cast. From then on, I started to connect more with the story, although not all parts interested me equally, and it never completely captivated me. And since that's important to me, it's the reason I only give it a 7.5/10: as much as the characters and their performances fascinated me, they don't quite compensate for a plot I consider somewhat weak.

I want to especially highlight Wang Churan, the only member of the main cast I hadn't seen before, and who completely captivated me; every time she appeared on screen, my attention was drawn to her. In contrast, the Empress as the antagonist struck me as unconvincing, almost cartoonish, while Prince Duan seemed a much more complete and better-developed character.

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Interesting storyline with suspense and a little funny.

This has a transmigration-into-a-novel storyline, which I’m not particularly fond of. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I did enjoy the leads. I thought it was good—it held my attention and moved along at a nice pace. The novel they entered could have been stronger. The cast was solid, and the side stories drew me in, though they could have been developed more. There’s court politics between princes and palace harem infighting, with well-acted drama that also includes some funny moments. Amid the leads trying to figure out how to survive the novel’s plot, there’s a bit of romance, which for me always makes a drama more enjoyable.
With this drama being fantasy it did blur the lines between what could be believable or not.
That being said the drama was carefree viewing. There were some hard choice tragic moments that will break your heart, but you move on quickly.
One thing that is unclear to me is how the antagonists knew so much about what the leads were dong.

All in all liked the leads and the drama and gave it a fair score.

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A Breath of Fresh Air

Finally writing my review!
At first I was not particularly into the drama, but I found it very funny and light, and it ended up being a pleasant surprise.

A rare and healthy romance

I am not a fan of friends-to-lovers romance developments, but here I really loved it. Because I like intense romance, I was not especially obsessed with the couple at the beginning, but when they started showing softness and attraction toward each other it was so cute. And it feels really good to see a healthy relationship like theirs, I think this is so RARE and it feels quite refreshing. Especially in cdramas, where we often see misunderstandings come out of nowhere (like characters are perfectly rational all along, and then out of nowhere they fail to grasp something that would obviously make sense to them), so it was nice that there were none of that here.

The beauty of diverse relationships

What I loved the most is the diversity of relationships shown in this drama: friendship, romantic love, an almost filial bond between Mr. Bei and the little girl, fellowship, respect for an enemy, caring for the people and their opposites. All the characters have a precise role, either as individuals or as a group (like the concubines), and I enjoyed most of them.

Light but not shallow

I liked the fact that it gets heavier at times and then lightens back up. Overall, this is still more of a comedy than anything else. Unlike Yu Wanyin, I also kept in mind throughout that this was all a story and did not get too attached, but I think the fact that the drama shows us this is even more of a testament to what a great story it is, especially when we know the original plot and see how everything ultimately unfolds with the two main characters and Xie Yonger's actions.

A plot that serves its purpose

The plot may be the least interesting element here, I had no particular expectations and was only moderately captivated by the overall story and schemes. But I think this is precisely the intention of the producers, or at least the effect they would naturally provoke in viewers. This is well illustrated through the character of Yu Wanyin, who at first just wants to save the emperor and herself, but whose heart gradually softens through the wonderful people she meets. I also liked the fact that when it comes to her father from the book, she always refuses to see him so that he can remain just a character in a story. I was already a little protective of him because he was so sweet and was being targeted by the court.

Props to the on-screen team

The costumes and makeup, especially Yu Wanyin's and the concubines', were SO beautiful! The acting is very nice too.

Conclusion

Most of all, there was not really anything that upset me. I think most of the drama was smooth and well done. A drama that does not make you absolutely passionate can feel refreshing in its own way, and this one managed to be exactly that.
There is one thing I have been thinking about that I don't think we ever got an answer for: which period of time was Xie Yonger from? Is it an alternative future? I did some research and Beijing has always been fairly well known, so I'm not sure what to make of it.

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Even if you avoid transmigration, give this one a chance

I liked this more than I expected. My usual tendency is to avoid any sort of transmigration or rebirth stories. They just reek of Mary Sues and OP characters. This one was an exception to the general rule. Not totally revolutionary, but certainly a move in the right direction.

I especially liked the relationship between ML and FL. It wasn't the explosive sort. But subdued one where before being romantically involved they are friends/allies.

The only reason I'm saying this is because of characters like Xiahou Dan and Xie Yong'er. I loved them so much. They weren't perfect, faced inner turmoils and had layers to them. They weren't one-dimensional characters. And the actors pulled through. They revealed the characters' emotions, and it made me love them even more. They were written with intricacies, taking into note the reality of transmigration (if it was possible). I also loved Bei Shuo. Whenever they were on my screen, they had my attention. Especially with the side characters and their tiny funny antics.

Wang Churan is really pretty, and she certainly made Yu Wanyin adorable. But at times, I did feel she was extremely stiff. Especially during her crying scenes or in high-stakes emotional situations. I could just tell with her that the director told her to cry, scream, etc. Her character also wasn't layered. I don't know anything about her motivations. She felt quite one-dimensional to me when compared to characters such as Xiahou Dan or Xie Yong'er. Not OP though.

For the villains...they were just dumb. Part of the reason the 'heroes' won was because of the overwhelming incompetence of the villains. There were so many inconsistencies in the plans made by the protagonist that one could easily see through their subterfuge. But the writers deliberately, all of a sudden, made the so-called competent villains unable to see the holes.

On the point of villains, oh, how much I hated Xiahou Bo/Prince Duan. When he got his compunction, I cheered (Episode 30). Kudos to the actor, though. His expressions and all the geezer act certainly made me want to punch him through the screen.

Special mention: Costumes. They were so pretty and perfect.

That being said, what I do think the drama should've been 30 episodes long instead of 32. The last two episodes felt like a long epilogue and lost my attention. The OSTs were also too loud and overused.

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How are you? I'm fine, and you?

I was bored when I started watching the series and didn't watch it for a while. Then I started again and watched it with interest and curiosity. It was an interesting series. A different subject was chosen, and the events developed around it. I didn't like some parts. But I liked the idea. Its uniqueness intrigued me.

The cinematography was good, the direction was good, the actors were good, the costumes were good, and the makeup was good.

However, when it deviates from reality, the interest in the subject decreases. The fact that the same young actor played the king's son in his childhood created confusion. I had to struggle to understand whether these scenes were from the present or the past. It was confusing. I didn't like it.

Besides, these flashbacks, jumps to clarify certain issues, and long conversations became tiresome. Because there were too many, it reduced the effectiveness of the series. When the possibility of the king and queen dying at the same time came up, the queen said she would trade her life. How is that possible? There are such nonsensical and unrealistic things. Like becoming king with a face mask. Like a face transplant. Impossible things were made to happen. I didn't like it. The scenes of the mute little boy poisoning the queen felt contrived. It didn't work.

The queen finally disbands the harem. That is, she frees the king's concubines, setting them free to remarry and do whatever they want. Has there ever been a monogamous empire in Chinese imperial history that disbanded its harem like this? Or has there ever been one that disbanded its existing harem? I understand some people saying they should reduce the number of wives, or have only one or two wives. But this is the first time I've heard of one disbanding an existing one. It has no basis in reality.

I liked the actors. I especially liked Ryang Chang. She beautifully blended good and evil, sympathy and cruelty, imbuing them with meaning and portraying them successfully. She's a very comedic actress. She should be given more opportunities. Wang Chu Ran was very well-suited as the queen. She played the role well. I don't think Tang Xiao Tian was a suitable actress for this role. But she played it well, gave a different image, I'm not saying anything about her acting, but I didn't like her in this role. I didn't find her suitable for the role. I sensed tension in her scenes with Wang Chu Ran. I might be wrong, but they weren't compatible. They put on a performance with a "let's just get this over with" attitude. Hu Yi Xuan was very good. She was very successful in her role. I liked her. Cui Yi was very successful. I liked her. Louis Fan was also very successful. He was especially good in the action scenes. I also liked the other supporting roles, even the younger actors. They were all very good. I recommend it to anyone who wants to watch it.

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Enjoyable escapism

This drama is good cotton candy. If you are in for the plot, you'll be disappointed. There are some plot holes and loose ends nothing major and the drama makes up for it in bunches thanks to its great acting, comedy and visuals. Chu Ran was made for this role where she can be silly and showcase her comedic talent. She was giving off some young Julia Robert vibes. On top of that she looked so beautiful in those dresses. As the lead couple, Chu Ran and Ryan cannot be more photogenic. Their chemistry and banter is what also keeps you in the drama. I particularly enjoyed their lines where as transmigrators, they talked about pop culture and how to identify if someone is from the modern era or just a character who only exists in the book.

For the plot you have to be more forgiving, although it does have some twists and character reveals that were not telegraphed so it was not all completely predictable. The side characters, in particular the ML's bodyguard, were also fun to watch. With regard to the secondary leads, Yi Xuan from Unforgettable Love (2021) is lovely and radiant as always (I never get tired of her beaming smile) while Xiao Tian from My Little Happiness (2021) always does a great job even though the script didn't offer him much to chew on. The same goes for the Empress who was another antagonist that could have used more of a backstory to give her depth. Nevertheless, the shortcomings are not too significant when considering the drama for its visuals, the chemistry between the leads and its bright and colorful cinematography.

The ending is great, full of positive vibes, and it was beautifully shot. In sum, while the plot and character development are not top-notch (I did fast forward here and there), the selling point here is the beautiful and charming Chu Ran, along with the great casting, comedy and the visuals. These alone make the drama a good watch for carefree and enjoyable escapism.

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A breath of fresh air

I just finished watching the 10th episode. I have to say that this show is honestly a breath of fresh air. I feel like most Chinese historical dramas these days always focus on the revenge plot line or just a super serious plot, and while I do like those storylines as well, it does get old. For instance, the drama that is currently airing alongside this one is called Jade wind. And that one seems to follow along the same type of plot that we have just seen over and over so I'm not really very into that show much even though I do love the actors. However, this show is very fresh and fun. I know the whole (falling into the book)has been done before, but somehow this is being done in a fresh way and I love how the leads were together from literally the first episode and we didn't have to build up to it. There's just a mutual trust between them which I think is beautiful. It's not too heavy and depressing like a lot of the Chinese dramas these days. There's humor in there. It's kept very light-hearted, most of the time, and I don't know there's just something about it that is really fresh. Not to mention the costumes are beautiful.Especially the female leads costumes.They are 10 out of 10 for me.You can tell this was a big budget drama and I am loving it. The male lead I have seen in many other dramas and always loved him. But I really think that after my journey to you, this is his next best performance. I love how he is basically playing 2 characters. The serious king and then the goofy partner of the female lead, he switches up so well and I love that. Yeah, I just really have nothing bad to say about this drama at all. Every episode has me hooked and Honestly, it's rare for me to feel happy when watching a Chinese drama because like I said, usually they are more revenge plot based, so I'm like so invested in the characters getting their revenge and killing the bad guys, etc. So I wouldn't say that I feel happy while watching those dramas while I do love them, but with this one i feel happy while watching and then waiting for the next episode. The last show that mademe feel like that was "yummy yummy yummy" that was my comfort drama while it aired lol But yeah , this drama just feels lighthearted, fun and fresh , and I can already tell this will be one of my top favorite dramas of all time. 😊

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Huge Thank you for How dare you! this drama

First of all i would like to say i started to like Cheng lei’s acting skills so much, he is really cute when he is acting little bit playful and also he is good for playing role of Emperor and shouting etc. This is my first impression seeing Wang churan acting, i love her too, her beauty, acting skills too. Second of all i haven’t watching Hu yixuan acting in dramas for quiet long time which i saw her playing in “unforgettable love” and “river runs through it” and this time i felt like she become skinnier than i remember and became prettier. I just love seeing her cute smiles. Xie yong’er this role fits her so well, her makeup style was stunning too. Also i want to say Tang xiaotian acting skills making me surprised because i only saw him playing kind support roles before, this time i can feel that he literally proved that he can act really well. Applause for acting the villian Xiahou Bo. Finally my main point is that this drama healed me from “my page in 90s” because even tho its ending was relieving but still left a huge trauma of transmigrating dramas, but then right after watching MPI90s, HWDY! drama was released and today i finished it, i am fully satisfied by the ending, i want to thank the screenwriter, director👍👍👍

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This is fine, but…

Having loved the Donghua S1 counterpart when I first watched it, I, by and large, enjoyed the live-action adaptation, which follows most of the iconic scenes faithfully. However, the humor and pacing of this adaptation somehow didn’t translate quite as well for me.

Look, I get it.

The live-action series and the Donghua can—and should—be viewed separately, and we shouldn’t compare them. So with that in mind, I’m setting those comparisons aside to focus purely on how this live-action adaptation stands up on its own.

First, the positives:

Wang Churan’s visuals. In terms of personality, I don’t think she carries the female lead’s bubbly energy all that well. But boy, is she easy on the eyes. I can accept this version of Yu Wan Yin / Wang Cui Hua, though—she’s a bit more reserved, but still very much an action-oriented lead who takes matters into her own hands.

The casting of Xie Yong Er. I quite like her character in this. A number of her scenes really captured my attention, whether it was due to the actress’s performance or the way the scenes were written in this live adaptation. I have a personal bias toward the characterization of Yu Wan Yin / Wang Cui Hua, so the fact that Xie Yong Er managed to steal my focus—at times even more than the female lead—is quite telling.

The changes for Bei Shu. It was a bit surprising to see their deviation and creativity here, but I have no major complaints; the humor they injected works for me.

Now comes the not so positives part and why I dropped it:

The lack of chemistry for the main couple. While they follow the key scenes and script faithfully, I just don’t feel engaged in the romance between Xia Hou Dun and Yu Wan Yin. I think Ryan did a good enough job—especially compared to his work in other series— but chemistry is either there or it isn’t, and I’m just not feeling it here. In a romance idol period drama, that lack of chemistry is a major sticking point.

There’s a specific key scene they changed (right before I ultimately dropped the show) that was clearly intended to highlight Yu Wan Yin’s "virtue." In doing so, they completely bypassed her agency —the very trait that actually makes her interesting —in favor of making her look saintly.

Even setting aside any comparison to the Donghua counterpart, I’ve never been a fan of main characters written to be overly virtuous. It feels forced, and more importantly, it strips away the nuance of their actual personality. When you choose "saintliness" over a character’s own calculated actions, the story loses the exact thing that makes a lead worth watching.

They also added unnecessary humor scenes for the side characters that didn’t land well. It feels like a cheap writing trick to rely on making other characters the butt of a joke just to prop up the lead. This doesn't make me like the protagonist more, it just makes the character dynamics feel unbalanced. Ultimately, these filler scenes only served to highlight the pacing issues.

I went into this hoping to see the story stand on its own, but the pacing issues and the neutered character development made it hard to stick with. To me, it doesn’t actually matter whether a series chooses to adapt the source material faithfully or strike out in a new direction. What matters is whether the result works. Unfortunately, in this case, the lack of chemistry and a lead who lacks some agency made it impossible for me to stay invested. It’s a visual treat, sure, but it just isn't the show for me.

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