Role Reversal (RR) Drama Lovers Club

 Arclei:

Feng Huang Chuan
Wandering scholar Xie Yuan accidentally enters a matriarchal kingdom where women take multiple husbands. Admired for his looks, he’s forcibly taken by the eldest princess to become her consort. Refusing to yield, Xie Yuan plans his escape, but when the gentle second princess aids him, he’s drawn into a dangerous struggle of power and deceit within the royal palace.

I cannot believe there is 1 episode left to watch, and I still don't like FL. She is a real scumbag. 

I spent all the drama rooting for ML to flee her. And I should not feel this way for a FL in a romance drama. 

This matriarchy drama is taking me to new feelings I have never experienced before. SMH

From the moment she tried to rape ML 3 times and then when ML finally escaped her grasp, she arbitrarily drove ML's sidekick to public beheading under the pretext of being a spy, just to flush out ML and put her lustful hands on him again. 

I really cannot stand her .. Oh my.... She brought  all this retribution on herself.

 unbeliebubble:

I spent all the drama rooting for ML to flee her. And I should not feel this way for a FL in a romance drama. 

Definitely not!!!! That is such a goddang shame! 

Can't believe that the entire drama went by and she didn't get any better... (I didn't continue the drama after the first two eps I watched, lol. Kept getting distracted and lowkey wasn't feeling it)

 unbeliebubble:

rape ML 3 times and then when ML finally escaped her grasp, she arbitrarily drove ML's sidekick to public beheading under the pretext of being a spy, just to flush out ML and put her lustful hands on him again. 

Villain-level scumbag... What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck?? How is this a romance drama?? It should be a revenge drama! 

But honestly, having watched a lot of matriarchy dramas, I've come to realize that it isn't uncommon for FLs in such dramas to be this way (some better, some as bad). The overwhelming majority of matriarchy dramas are social commentary first and a story second. This tends to play on traditional gender roles and tries to highlight issues within our current society, but in a very literal kinda way. It's not bad per se, but it does feel a bit tactless and over-simplified (it's also a bit problematic with the potentially harmful messages it can highlight. Like, I always thought it was such a shame that matriarchy dramas never show the actual downside for the women (or traditionally the men)).

This means that often FLs in these dramas will be lowkey shit 😬 Which, like, fine, for some spice, but for those of us who are here for the actual plot and romance, it gets tiresome for the FLs to always be portrayed as lowkey scummy. This is why I loved Prince Consort Can't Wait for Divorce, because FL was actually so good to ML, and IT WAS CUUUTE!!

And when the FLs AREN'T problematic? They're then just like your average run-of-the-mill FL. Quirky, cute, cheeky, you know the types. The Romance of Tiger and Rose types. The 'safe' types. 

Like, I don't understand how writers are able to write sympathetic male characters in pretty much every genre, but the moment a women take on the 'ML' role, she's suddenly the worst. Maybe that's just what happens when such stories are so scarce. There's a lot of shitty MLs out there, but there are good ones too. In the sea of endless traditional dramas, you'll find at least a couple of good MLs, but when the trope is so underrated... You get what you get 😐 

Though now that I'm thinking about it... a lot of FLs in role reversal media are lowkey scummy... I feel like this has to be some kinda conditioning and vilification of the deviant. 

Rant put on-hold to spare y'all from the endless wall-of-text that can be my rambling... That's all to say, sorry to hear your first matriarchy drama was so scarring 😟 I'm also pretty sad to hear this 'cause it feels like forever since we last got one of these. 

 Arclei:

Definitely not!!!! That is such a goddang shame!

Can't believe that the entire drama went by and she didn't get any better... (I didn't continue the drama after the first two eps I watched, lol. Kept getting distracted and lowkey wasn't feeling it)

Yes exactly. This is the first drama I watch, in which the FL that I don't Like doesn't change at all. Making it impossible for me to grow liking her. Amazing hmph. She does questionnable things in such a natural way. To be fair, FL said later in the drama that she was the Architect of her own demise. But that did not stop her from minutes later forcibly put her head on ML's chest, causing him to sigh and try to avoid her ( again). 

I am pretty much like you. I watched the first 6 episodes, then I resumed it all yesterday ( minus the last episode). Such a disappointment for a matriarchy. They could have done such a great drama with that trope. 

 Arclei:

I always thought it was such a shame that matriarchy dramas never show the actual downside for the women (or traditionally the men))

Kuddo to this drama to show a ML who tries to level up men in this city. Because ML comes from an equal city in which Men and women can be ministers, later in the drama ML opens a school for little boys to teach then reading and writing. Because, of course you guessed it, in this city only girls had a bright professional futur. So I liked this about the drama.

 Arclei:

Villain-level scumbag... What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck?? How is this a romance drama?? It should be a revenge drama!

Yes, there is no romance but forced love attempt in this show. :/

 Arclei:

. This is why I loved Prince Consort Can't Wait for Divorce, because FL was actually so good to ML, and IT WAS CUUUTE!!

I agree. She was very cute in her way to lower ML's guard. And ML was so cute in his tactics to avoid marrying her. (o^_^o)

I'll resume it today.

 Arclei:

Though now that I'm thinking about it... a lot of FLs in role reversal media are lowkey scummy... I feel like this has to be some kinda conditioning and vilification of the deviant.

Yes they ( the writers/ producers) don't like FL holding power. This is why they specifically paint them in a bad light. They are always bad enough, in dramas I have watched, to make the crowd, passerby or palace attendants diss them openly. In the last drama I watched, They even made a smeer campain against FL for being an easy woman, seducing men to climb the social ladder. Ms incognito (FL married a chaebol)

I never saw any ML playboy being vilified in the press for seducing a princess. This is clearly double standard.

 Arclei:

Rant put on-hold to spare y'all from the endless wall-of-text that can be my rambling..

Not At all. Thank you for your take on this. 

 Arclei:

sorry to hear your first matriarchy drama was so scarring 😟 I'm also pretty sad to hear this 'cause it feels like forever since we last got one of these.

Thank you. I had my hopes up. I guess my next one can only be better, after such a scummy FL.

 Arclei:

Oh yeah, can't have a matriarchy without fixing it in the end. Imagine if every drama set in a patriarchy ended with gender equality. I'm soobbbiiiingggg xD But yeah, that just further emphasizes my point that this drama, like most other matriarchy dramas, is just social commentary from a diff lens.

That's just sad :((

That means they don't bother being creative. They just copy past their same rope again and again. smh

 Arclei:

Yeah, pretty much xD There's a reason I have so many issues with matriarchy dramas despite watching so many of them and loving the concept.

Audience apprieciate good stuff. If this is very badly done, it is normal that people don't watch matriarchy more and we don't see tris more often. I hope real lover of the genre will challenge the studios.

Hopefully, we will get better results.

I've been having some pretty bad insomnia nights so I've been watching a lot more vertical minis in bed... Thankfully, all RR

Another one not on MDL yet but I already submitted

女李逵和她的美娇夫 / Female Li Kui and Her Beautiful Husband Synopsis: Song Nianchu, a successful businesswoman, died unexpectedly and transmigrated into the body of an orphaned girl in a fishing village in the 1970s. This orphan possessed superhuman strength, killing a mad bull with a single punch, leaving no one willing to marry her, much to the chagrin of her father, who haunted her dreams every night. Just then, a family arrived in the village; their eldest son was handsome, a perfect husband material. The dowry was given, and she immediately took him home for their wedding night!  Links: https://youtu.be/nt0V4Cheqpg?si=a68lDmR_HqTrvv1T / https://youtu.be/cYZTEAqMlaY?si=RNpG91zfJG2J99ao / https://youtu.be/sNGUSMhGpLg?si=_W54cARIaLgcjm5D

A pretty standard time travel to the late 1970s-1990s story about a strong AF woman making a booming business. I've only watched 3 dramas in this time period, and they all had business at the forefront. Not sure why it's so popular, but it is xD Thankfully, this one is shorter, so less tedious. The quality was surprisingly better than other verticals in terms of camera work, script, and balancing the romance and business aspect, but also inferior in other ways... Like, you could definitely tell that everyone, actor included, was struggling with ML so bad T_T idfk why bro As for the RR... Again, similar vibe to the other two. Deathly protective FL that's the breadwinner and a total badass, and her pookie soft-spoken husband. This ML was more cutesy uwu boy (I think in great part because the actor is an idol, lol) than the other two, who were giving more older mommy bf core (I'd say daddy, but that has a totally different vibe. Regardless, they are literal fathers so I think that's also where the difference comes from). The difference is subtle, but these are the important matters we must discuss, ok? FL is similar to the other two FLs but more chill. Like in Ct90aFwaCH the FL is like hella protective and fierce, while in It1990tYHTOtBaNfaLC she's literally a reformed gangster and extremely down-bad. Here, FL is more, idk, just vibing. Doing her thing, thriving, and having a cute kinda 50/50 romance with her bbg. So I guess it'd rank lower than the previous two... but then also consider the fact that she basically buys ML and yeah... 'Cause yeah, the synopsis doesn't really clarify this, but FL pays ML to marry into her family as a matrilocal husband. His family strongly disapproves, but since they're also poor AF, ML makes the sacrifice (not really, he liked the arrangement from the beginning tbh) and marries FL anyway. So I guess it kinda balances itself off a bit with this xD

I also watched Three Steps Behind You, which is a short film about a couple trying to find a dynamic that suits their needs. ML ends up as a househusband after a lot of internal battling. It was cute.

Lastly, I started watching Moonlit Reunion with my mom and let ME TELL YOUUUUUUUUU- I am rediscovering my appreciation for softspoken quiet shy men... This GIF (by @cdramastuff) gives a pretty good idea on their dynamic

Like, wow, this ML is built different. He's so darn cute, I can't. It also helps that this is probably Xu Kai's best look. The outfit? 10/10. The doll eyes? 100/10. 

Meanwhile FL is a flirty af and has a reputation for kinda being a playgirl (at least for the times). She's also a demon while he's a demon-hunter... though tbh, I think she's doing a lot more hunting than him. Lol.

I'm like a few eps in and she's mostly just been saving him from bullies left and right and publicly claiming him as the object of her affection and he just... lets her because he's too obedient and patient for his own good xD 

Also, shoutout to Yi Da Qian for playing a malewife himbo in both dramas I'm watching. King behavior

 amdream_weaver:

So glad you started watching this one

You make me wanna watch it so bad now. :))