Vertical Drama List (Short Descriptions + Reviews)

He hires a strong, crazy woman as his contract wife to cause chaos in his family. What starts off as a contract marriage slowly turns into real love.

This isn’t much different from many contract marriages, but I did enjoy Han Jia Hui’s performance, and I also appreciated the lack of misunderstandings between the leads. Everything flowed well between them, especially their transition from fake marriage to real one. It was also satisfying to see both of their awful families get what they deserved. It’s nothing special, but it was a nice watch overall.

[Satisfying Revenge + Sweet Romance = Good!] 

When her rival sends her boyfriend to date her in hopes of knocking her out of the top ranking, it seemingly works as her rank plummets, and she becomes obsessed with her new boyfriend. But little do they know that she’s in on the secret too, and she’s the one who controls this game of love and academics.

This plot was definitely different and unique for a vertical drama, and that’s what made it so good. I loved the female lead here. I loved her mindset and how smart she was. She knew exactly what her enemies were doing and just planned to reap the benefits from their scheming, all the while still paving a way for her own success. This drama doesn’t have romance in the typical way that you would expect, but it’s still there. I definitely say give this a try if you’re interested in watching it.

[Smart Female Lead + Entertaining Story = Liked It!]

She is engaged to her ‘brother’, but he tells her that he only sees her as a younger sister, and if they do get married as his grandfather wishes, he’ll still want his freedom and suggests an open marriage. One night, after nearly drowning, her brother’s friend saves her. She thinks a simple thank you will be enough, but all he wants to do is flirt his way into her heart.

I’ve seen the first version of this with Wang Zi Yi and Zhang Xin Yi, which I thought had its good moments, but also bad. So, I came into this expecting more of the same, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this version. The relationship between the leads was cute, and Liang Si Wei was really good at flirting and was very charming. I totally understood why the female lead fell for him. Between the two versions, I would definitely recommend this one. I also want to point out that the brother was awful here. In the Wang Zi Yi version, he wasn’t that bad, but here, he was a really selfish jackass who had little to no respect for the female lead.

[Good Chemistry + Hot Kisses = Liked It!]

Other Versions I've Watched

• Shen Ming Pian Ai De Ta (Starring Zhang Xin Yi and Wang Zi Yi)

She’s the top lawyer for her company and the secret lover of the CEO’s eldest son. But their relationship ends when he tells her that he plans to marry another woman for business and keep her as his secret mistress. That night, she gets drunk and sleeps with a stranger, not knowing that he’s the younger illegitimate brother of her ex-lover.

I watched this because I like fun plots like these and was looking forward to it, but it was nothing really special. It isn’t awful, and I think some people will enjoy the leads’ relationship together, but I thought their chemistry was pretty mediocre, and the story wasn’t very engaging. If you like these kinds of stories, you might enjoy it more than I did, though.

[Mediocre Story + Mediocre Romance = Just Okay!]

With her twin sister locked in his basement, her brother-in-law forces her to take her sister’s place and pretend to be his wife. No longer able to stand his abuse, she comes up with a plan to take him down by using, seducing, and wielding the most powerful man in the city as her own personal blade.

I have to start this review off by saying that, for some reason, Cao Tian Kai resembles Gong Yoo to me. He’s just super handsome, and it’s always worth it to see him in a drama just for his abs alone. But luckily, his abs weren’t the only thing good about Soft Fury. This was a fun, entertaining, sexy drama with a younger sister hell bent on saving her older sister and getting revenge on a lunatic. I appreciated that the female lead was not weak and was, in fact, very strong and smart. I loved the cat-and-mouse game between her and the male lead, and the mild flirting they would do in front of that psycho brother-in-law. They had good chemistry together, and I really liked how everything was resolved. I definitely recommend this for those who like sexy revenge romances. I also really enjoyed Cao Sai Ya’s performance here, and I thought she really shone in this role. Definitely looking forward to seeing her in other vertical dramas in the future.

[Smart Female Lead + Cao Tian Kai = Liked It!]

To fulfill his grandfather’s wish of having a great-grandchild, her husband, who hates her and is in love with his white moonlight and savior, tells her that she must get pregnant by another man because he refuses to touch her. Sick of her husband’s indifference and hatred, she sets out and finds a handsome man, whom she believes is a male model, but little does she know that his real identity is much more powerful than she had ever imagined.

I’ve actually been avoiding this storyline that has over nine versions to my knowledge, one, because I couldn’t pick which version I wanted to watch first, and two, because I heard that the female lead character was kind of annoying, and I hadn’t been in the mood to watch a female lead make stupid choices and allow a man to treat her poorly. But I came across this by chance on my YouTube feed, and surprisingly, I didn’t find the female lead annoying at all. Yeah, there were times when I wished she had been more honest with the male lead. But most of the time, I could understand her choices. The relationship between the leads was cute, and Zhang Xuan shines here as the cheeky male lead. Funny enough, his character reminds me of how the younger brother male leads are written, so it was funny that he was an uncle here, but was super clingy and puppy-like with the female lead. I didn’t really like how the issue was dragged out in the end, but overall, I enjoyed it and thought the leads’ relationship was cute.

[Cute Male Lead + Good Chemistry = Good!]

In her first life, she married the prince but believes herself to be a stand-in for her half-sister, whom he had initially been engaged to. But after he dies on the battlefield, and the emperor issues a decree for her to die honorably alongside him, she learns that her sister orchestrated the entire thing by having the prince slowly poisoned to death and asking the emperor to issue the decree to have her killed. Living with regret, when reborn again, she promises to do things differently this time, and she starts by refusing to marry the prince in this lifetime, which had been a part of her sister’s scheme. But while she wants to avoid their tragic fate from their past lifetime, all the prince wants to know is why she is appearing in his dreams as his wife.

While I thought the romance here was cute and sweet, what really stood out for me was the female lead’s revenge against her evil family. I liked the way she carried herself and how she outsmarted them, especially considering that she had so much on her plate with her needing to find her missing brother, too. It was satisfying to see the evil sister, stepmother, and father get what they deserved, but I felt the grandmother got off a little unscathed, in my opinion. She wasn’t necessarily evil, but I thought she was awfully biased and always seemed to think the female lead had done something wrong without getting the full story. Other than that, this was a good story. I liked the romance, and I was entertained. Definitely recommend it!

[Cute Romance + Entertaining Revenge = Good!]

When she learns she’s infertile, her husband cheats on her and gets another woman pregnant. Hurt to the core, she wishes that she had never married him, and through a notebook and pen, she changes her fate.

This was interesting, and I especially liked the setup. The first thirty minutes reminded me of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; if you know, you know. I liked that they added a different spin to the ‘my husband who once loved me now hates me’ storyline. I wish the writers had continued with that spin because once it reached a certain plot point, it completely lost that uniqueness. I did like the leads, though, and I thought they both did a good job. I also liked that this wasn’t about romance but about giving the female lead a second chance at life. Her husband was awful, and I saw someone say that it didn’t make sense that her husband loved her so much as a teenager, but then ended up hating her as an adult. But I do think the writers actually showed signs that he would be a horrible husband with how selfish he was as a teenager. It was no wonder that the minute she could not fulfill a wish for him, he became cruel to her.

By the way, I can’t decide if the melodrama with the parents was good or not. It was different, but at one point, it felt a bit ridiculous. All in all, I didn’t love everything about this, but it’s definitely better than the average vertical drama with this plotline.

[Entertaining Story + Good Leading Performances = Good!]

Brought into the past, she ruthlessly lives as a palace maid trying to find the man with the crescent moon birthmark, who is the key to her returning to the future. While searching, she captures the interest of the emperor, who can hear her thoughts and becomes intrigued by her face, which is identical to the woman appearing in his dreams.

What a calculating, cutthroat female lead, and I loved her for it! She was absolutely ruthless, cunning, smart, and a woman you could not play with. You could tell she had lived in the palace for many years by how calmly she would assess a situation and handle it without an ounce of remorse. This is a story about two calculating individuals who trick and scheme their way into each other’s hearts, and it was so fun to watch. Their relationship was very cute, and I loved how smart they both were with their enemies and each other. I definitely recommend it!

[Awesome Female Lead + Good Romance = Liked It!]

When her father asks her to marry the notoriously stupid third prince on her half-sister’s behalf, she does so only to get the deed to her mother’s shop, who passed away sadly after overworking herself to death for her poor husband, who eventually rose to fame and brought back a new wife and child. But though she accepts this marriage arrangement, she is secretly in love with her tutor. However, after learning that he doesn’t love her at all and only loves her sister, she decides to move on. While trying to let go of her feelings for the tutor, she prepares to marry the stupid third prince, who might not be as dimwitted as everyone thinks.

What I appreciated about this drama the most was that the second leads and adversaries weren’t cartoonishly evil. It made the story better having characters that felt real, even if their morals were askew. I also appreciated the ending, which actually made me gain some respect for the second female lead, which is rare. And while I thought the romance between the leads was sweet, I do think what made this story good was watching the female lead let go of her feelings for the tutor and move on to someone much more deserving.

[Good Writing + Good Ending = Good!]

She’s a medical student who is transported into the body of the marquise’s unloved daughter, who is being forced to marry the sickly prince who will die soon, and when he does, she’ll be buried alongside him. Not accepting that tragic fate, she uses her medical skills and space abilities to save herself and the prince from his enemies.

I wanted to enjoy this, but it has the ‘space’ trope, and it’s my least favorite trope in vertical dramas. I usually avoid dramas using this trope, but I decided I wanted to see it to the end. But after completing this, it only reminded me why I don’t like the trope—too annoyingly convenient and boring, rather than entertaining. While watching this, I couldn’t help but think it would have been more interesting to see the female lead use her actual medical skills to save the people around her, rather than her having a cheat code to solve everything. Overall, this was just okay. It wasn’t bad, but for me, it wasn’t great either. If you enjoy the ‘space’ trope, you’ll definitely enjoy it more than I did.

[Mediocre Storyline + Predictable = Just Okay!]

Several years ago, he lost his entire family when his father was accused of smuggling opium by the person whom he least expected—the father of the woman he loved. Carrying that rage in his heart, when he crosses paths with her again, he wants her to pay for the crimes of her father. Imprisoned in his home, he torments her while also trying to rid himself of his love for her.

The kisses were HOT! And Ben Wang might just be the best kisser in the vertical drama industry. But your enjoyment of this drama will definitely depend on how much you can accept the male lead being abusive. I mean, he literally chokes her multiple times to the point that I was initially counting, but eventually gave up by the sixth time. If you can get past that, you’ll enjoy the chemistry between Bai Yan and Ben Wang, and Ben Wang had a good performance as a man haunted by his family’s death and his love for someone that he believed he should hate. I enjoyed the story too, especially the second half. Really, my only gripe was the abuse. But if you like your vertical dramas a little toxic, you’ll enjoy this.

By the way, shoutout to Karma for the recommendation!

[Ben Wang + Hot Kisses = Good!]

As children, she used to bully him, but now, as adults, their parents want them to marry. She isn’t too fond of the idea, but he has different plans.

What a hilarious drama. The couple was very cute, but I have to say the best thing about this was their family members. Both of their parents were super supportive and invested in their relationship, and the nanny was hilarious. She was the best part. I also liked how they handled the grandmother. I definitely recommend it for a good laugh!

[Hilarious Story + Awesome Parents = Liked It!]

After her husband comes home with a mistress and requests a divorce, she leaves with her autistic son to start a new life. On the train, she runs into a childhood friend who is a single dad with a daughter. When he offers marriage, she accepts, and they work together to blend their families as one while falling in love.

What a sweet story! I loved how badass the female lead was, and I loved watching the family come together, especially the development between the female lead’s son and the male lead’s daughter. I definitely recommend this if you like retro dramas.

[Awesome Female Lead + Cute Story = Liked It!]

As children, the Ninth Prisoner was taken prisoner in her homeland, and the two became as close as family, and as years passed, as close as lovers. When they finally return to his homeland, he blindsides her by telling her that he’ll marry the general’s daughter to obtain power, but will keep her by his side as his maid. Disillusioned and afraid of retaliation from his new wife, she desperately wants to escape the Ninth Prince’s clutches and asks the Crown Prince for help. As the Ninth Prince and Crown Prince fight, she stands between their love and obsession for her.

This was interesting, and despite it being nearly four hours, I watched every minute of it. It was definitely better made, paced, and written than most vertical dramas. The acting was also better than most vertical dramas, and I definitely have to give my hats off to the ninth prince, played by Li Shi Yao, because he was really good as an obsessive prince unable to let go of the woman he claimed to love but would ruthlessly treat in order to keep her. The relationship between the ninth prince and the female lead was honestly the most interesting part, and I liked how realistically it was portrayed. They had great chemistry together, even more chemistry than what she had with the crown prince, which, honestly, I didn’t think they had much of. I actually thought she had better chemistry with the third male lead than the crown prince. And honestly, while I was satisfied with how everything concluded, the only male lead I rooted for was the third male lead. I just didn’t feel that the crown prince loved her that much, and that ultimately, he couldn’t really give the female lead what she wanted either.

[Good Performances + Good Writing = Liked It!]

She travels into a book as the vicious second female lead, but not wanting to accept a horrible fate, she plans for ten years to counter her sister’s, the heroine of the book, attacks. When her sister is reborn again, the two sisters battle with their knowledge of their past lives.

I wish I had been able to watch this with better subtitles because I think some of the context got lost, especially when the female lead would break the fourth wall. I also saw quite a few comments that said they didn’t feel bad for the second female lead (the heroine), and I didn’t really agree. She was pretty much being gaslit the entire time when all she wanted was justice because of the poor treatment she had received from her sister (the female lead) and her stepmother. I don’t think she really turned evil, and she was only giving back what she received in the first lifetime. The problem was that she had no clue that her sister was inhabited by another person, and she never adjusted to the fact that things were clearly different than her previous lifetime. It was an interesting battle between sisters, though, and I thought Mi Qi did a good job. I also thought the relationship between the leads was cute, and it was cute how much the prince liked her. Their relationship isn’t the main focus of the story, but with what little they were given, they did a good job. I recommend this if you don’t need too much romance and like palace scheming.

[Entertaining Story + Smart Female Lead = Good!]

She wants to seduce the man who raised her, but he hates her because she looks like his father’s mistress, whom he detests. It becomes a game of cat and mouse as she tries to make him give in to the fire burning between them, while he does everything he can to resist.

Calling this nonsensical would be an understatement. It’s downright foolish at times, but it’s a fun kind of foolishness that is more entertaining than stupid. The leads had hot chemistry, and their cat-and-mouse game was fun. I will say that it did feel a bit long at times, and I think forty minutes of this could have been cut off, especially when we get into the third act storyline, but if you can get past that and the fact that the ‘I raised her’ plotline feels a little icky at times, then you’ll be able to enjoy it.

Usually, I would list something like this as a mixed bag, but I did have a good time with it.

[Hot Chemistry + Too Long = Good!]

As the Lu, Qin, Zhao, and Xie families fight in a war of entangled engagements, the weak daughter of the Lu family, now inhabited by a woman from the future, uses her clever wits to fight against what is already written.

I didn’t think I was going to love this, especially when it became obvious that the romance came secondary to the in-fighting happening between the families, but the in-fighting was so good that this story didn’t even need romance. I loved the relationship between the female lead and her father. They were a dynamic duo! In general, I loved the dynamic between her and her parents. They never shied away from telling their daughter about what was going on politically, and it was refreshing to see her discussing plans with them on how to keep their family in the emperor’s good graces. I also liked how much the male lead trusted the female lead. There’s one point where the female lead says, “having a young man will be like raising a child,” and that pretty much explains the dynamic between the female lead and male lead. He’s a puppy, always in awe of what the female lead could do.

But I think what really made me enjoy this was that the writers didn’t take the easy way out by having the female lead be so all-knowing that she could just easily fix whatever problem was thrown at her. I assumed that she would easily fix the Qin’s family exile issue, so it was refreshing to see how it all turned out in the end.

While this doesn’t have a ‘complete ending’, all of the storylines are wrapped up, so you don’t have to worry about a cliffhanger or feeling dissatisfied. I do hope it gets a second part, though, because I would really like to see what she does from the point where the story ended. I definitely recommend this!

[Good Story + Awesome Female Lead = Loved It!]

While interviewing for a position, she gets harassed by the boss, but a gangster saves her. Later, when she gets kicked out of her home by her cousin, she seeks out the gangster for help, who offers her a new home through marriage. What starts as a fake marriage becomes real as they go through trials and tribulations together to form their own family.

I watched this because of Guo Yu Xin, but Liu Hao Qun was fantastic. He embodied this role in a way that no other vertical actor could. That’s just how good and comfortable he was in this role. Definitely surprised me, and I look forward to seeing him in other projects in the future. But besides having good performances from our leads, the story was really good too. I laughed, I cried, and I overall had a great time with this story. It was nice watching these two leads take on life together and repair their disjointed families through tough times. If you like vertical dramas from this time period, I definitely recommend this.

[Great Male Lead Performance + Good Story = Liked It!]

Unable to accept the role he played in her father’s death, she poisons him and escapes from his clutches, but not without giving him a gift of revenge—aborting their child. For five years, she hides from his hatred until he finds her again. Hidden under a mask, she tries to keep her identity a secret and their son’s existence too.

This was dark, toxic, and HOT! I’ll give a fair warning that if you don’t like the possessive, toxic male lead type, then this drama is not for you. But if you don’t mind it, Zhao Zhen Dong is super hot in here as a possessive, obsessive male lead. He was great in this role! Loved the chemistry between him and Zhang Shan, and I liked how the story was told. They didn’t give all the background in the beginning like they usually do, and they took their time showing the dynamic of the leads’ relationship and how their relationship started. I also liked that the female lead was strong, and Zhang Shan was good in her role too. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for something less fluffy and more dark.

[Zhao Zhen Dong + Good Chemistry = Liked It!]

After overhearing the boy she likes disrespecting her and her deceased parents, she decides to stop pursuing him and accept the marriage arranged for her. She believes she’s marrying the foolish third prince. But to her surprise, she’s marrying the third prince’s stern uncle.

A very sweet romance! It was hilarious in the beginning how she misunderstood that she was marrying the nephew, and how confused everyone was when she kept giving gifts to the nephew instead of her fiancé. I also liked the flashbacks to their childhood. I usually roll my eyes at childhood flashbacks because they are often overused, but I thought they were well done here and showcased a sweet dynamic between the leads. It is a bit long, running nearly four hours, but if you like sweet romances with green flag male leads, then you’ll like this!

[Cute Romance + Sweet Male Lead = Good!]

After being captured by the enemy, she learns that her husband was behind it because he wanted to avenge her sister, whom he had been in love with. Blaming her for her sister’s death, he shoots her down to her death with an arrow, but not willing to die alone, she kills him too. Blessed with rebirth, she decides to get even with her husband and evil family members who treated her poorly, and she does so by getting entangled with the foolish prince.

Surprisingly, I thought the action was done well here for a vertical drama. Most of the time, action scenes look really silly in vertical dramas, but you could tell that the director took their time to make certain action scenes look good, even with a limited budget. The story was also good, and I was entertained by the female lead’s revenge and the romance.

I was nearly going to complain about the ending because I felt like the prince’s reveal was rushed, but the last scene breaking the fourth wall left me feeling satisfied. I’m definitely not going to hold my breath, though, because a lot of vertical dramas tease continuations and second seasons, but rarely do I ever see them done. Either way, I had a good time with this and really enjoyed the romance between the badass female lead and the foolish prince.

[Cute Romance + Entertaining Revenge = Liked It!]

To get revenge on her husband for his affair, she seduces his mistress’s son.

This is so funny because she intends to seduce him, but he ends up seducing her. She tries so hard to use the mistress’s son for revenge, but no one ever caught on to her ploys, and the male lead turned every scheme she did into a sign of love. Their chemistry was great, by the way, and I really enjoyed the male lead’s performance, who really played an insatiable scholar well. My only gripe, which didn’t affect my score, but I do believe will affect others, is that this doesn’t have a complete ending. It ends on the strangest note, which I guess can be left up to interpretation. I think I read somewhere that the director was able to direct every episode except for the last one, which is why it ends on what can be considered a tragic note. But to be honest, it really doesn’t match the tone of the drama, and taking into account where the injury was, it really does make me think there was originally a much more lighthearted ending intended for this drama. And because of that, I still enjoyed this drama a lot and loved the silliness and the hot chemistry between the leads.

[Good Male Lead Performance + Great Chemistry = Loved It!]

When she is diagnosed with cancer, she doesn’t tell her boyfriend. Instead, she pretends to be a gold digger, faulting his struggling career as an aspiring gamer as a reason to break up with him. Eight years later, they meet again as she struggles while he flourishes as a successful gamer engaged to another woman.

Grab your tissues because this one is a tearjerker! My heart broke for the female lead. Life was just beating her down and wouldn’t let her get back up. I also hated the male lead in the first half. While I could understand why he wanted to prove a point that she had made a mistake in not choosing him, by the third and fourth time of him doing this, I just wanted him, his fiancée, and everyone else to leave her alone. But the second half, which is told from his perspective, really does make you feel bad for him, too.

I will give a warning that this story is wrapped up in a bittersweet way. The writer doesn’t put a band-aid on it and make everything okay. In fact, I’ve seen many comments wondering if the male lead was experiencing a lucid dream or had been reborn, but I think it’s the former, which, while sad, I did think made the story better.

I only recommend this if you want to spend over two hours crying. If not, it’s probably best to avoid.

[Good Story + Good Leading Performances = Liked It!]

She travels into her own book as the villainous second female lead, who gets killed by the scary male lead, who takes revenge on her for killing his white moonlight, her virtuous half-older sister. Wanting to change the second female lead’s disastrous fate that is now tied to her own, she decides not to bully the male lead and even helps the male lead and her sister get together without obstacles. But the problem is that her schemes are not making the leads fall in love, but instead making the male lead fall for her.

Anything with Wang Yi Lei in it is literally worth watching just because of how attractive he is. He’s so handsome, and he’s super handsome in here as the devilish male lead, who becomes obsessed with the villainous second female lead that he initially hated. I thought this was very cute, and though I had a few things I didn’t like about it, overall, I really enjoyed it. I also like how everything was resolved.

I do want to point out that while the older sister had definitely lost her mind and become cartoonishly evil, I couldn’t blame her for that. I actually thought it was strange that the female lead, who was the writer and creator of these characters, still expected the older sister to be virtuous in light of her learning that her stepmother was poisoning her.

[Fun Story + Cute Romance = Liked It!]

Overhearing her boyfriend badmouth her, she breaks up with him. She thinks it will be the last of her connection to him until his younger brother approaches her with a kiss. She sleeps with him, thinking that that will be the end of it, but to her surprise, he has no intention of letting her go and all intentions of stealing his ‘sister-in-law’ from his older brother.

It's always fun to see Zeng Hui and Han Yu Tong paired up together, and once again, their great chemistry lights up the screen! It was also really funny seeing Zeng Hui in this role as the younger brother, which he embodied. You would really think he was actually several years younger than the female lead with the way his character yearned for her and became petulant whenever he thought she still loved his brother. The story isn’t anything special, but the chemistry between the leads is great, and the story was fun. I recommend it if you like the pair or are into hot affairs.

[Great Chemistry + Hot Kisses = Liked It!]

Other Versions I've Watched

• Zhan You Qiang Wei (Starring Cao Sai Ya and Chen Ming Hao)

Overhearing her boyfriend badmouth her, she breaks up with him. She thinks it will be the last of her connection to him until she gets drunk and sleeps with his younger brother. She wants to leave that night in the past, but to her surprise, he has no intention of letting her go and all intention of stealing his ‘sister-in-law’ from his older brother.

It’s so funny how little differences can turn something from really good to great, and that’s how I felt watching this version of the ‘younger brother chases after his older brother’s ex-girlfriend’ storyline. I had already seen another version of this with Han Yu Tong and Zeng Hui, which I liked a lot. But I loved this version. There was just something about the leads’ natural chemistry and the attention to detail with this one that made me enjoy the plotline more than I did with the other version. I also think the characters acted a bit more sensibly and realistically here. The second female lead was a perfect example of that, and I enjoyed that she wasn’t some screaming, delusional banshee, hell-bent on a man who didn’t want her, and instead was a businesswoman who didn’t care for a love triangle. I also really liked Cao Sai Ya’s performance here. And I can’t forget about our puppy-like male lead, who really was just adorable. While I recommend both versions, I definitely recommend this one.

[Great Chemistry + Hot Kisses + Great Romance = Loved It!]

Other Versions I've Watched

• Just to Possess You (Starring Han Yu Tong and Zeng Hui)

Her sister and fiancé scheme to have her drugged and assaulted by a random commoner so they can have a reason to end the engagement that was bestowed by the previous emperor. That night, she runs away and falls into the arms of a handsome man, not knowing he’s the current emperor.

What a frustrating watch. I was so annoyed by how easily the female lead was often bullied. There wasn’t a moment that went by without a random person appearing to either physically or verbally abuse her, and it wasn’t fun to watch at all. I couldn’t even care about the leads’ relationship or Chen Guan Yi when all I wanted to do was jump through the screen and punch everyone. I also hated that the emperor never appropriately handled the situation and always gave too many people a light slap on the wrist whenever they harmed the female lead. I get that his hands were tied, but it gets to a certain point where you might need to keep guards around the female lead instead of letting her walk about with only a maid, when every time she does, she gets harmed. If you like Chen Guan Yi and can push past the female lead being weak and lost, then you’ll probably enjoy this, but I didn’t have a good time with this at all.

[Weak Female Lead + Annoying Characters = Didn’t Like It!]

After being murdered by her brothers and father, who favored their other sister over her, when given a second chance again with rebirth, she decides to go live with her mother at the palace, where she remarried. There, she meets the prince, her new stepbrother, who is wary of her, but over time starts to see her as more than a stepsister.

This is the second version of the ‘Stepbrother in the Prince’s Mansion’ story I’ve seen, and I liked it just as much, if not more. This one takes a different approach by actually giving the female lead’s mother more depth. Now that I think about it, I’m not even sure if her mother made an appearance at all in the other version. But in this version, the last third of the drama focuses on her. It was an interesting approach that I think gave a nice payoff. I liked the relationship between the leads, though I do think they made the male lead an ass here in the beginning, where, compared to the other version, he was mostly just suspicious of the female lead rather than being outwardly cruel to her. I still liked Lan Bo’s performance, though, and thought the leads’ relationship was cute. I think overall what I loved about both versions, though, is just seeing the fourth brother and grandmother dote on the female lead so much. I definitely recommend!

[Cute Family Relationships + Good Twist = Liked It!]

Other Versions I've Watched

• My Stepbrother in the Prince's Mansion Treated Me Like a Treasure but My Own Brother Regretted It (Starring Sun Lu Lu and Hyde)

She’s in love with her childhood friend, but they live under the same roof under different statuses—she, as the maid’s daughter, and he, as the rich son. As it comes time for her to pick her career in life, everything changes when a new boy enters her life.

Usually, I don’t like fluff, but this was very good for a vertical drama. It’s a sweet college romance and coming-of-age story about a young girl who has to figure out who she wants to be and what kind of love she wants to experience. I was happy with how her romantic relationship played out in this love triangle because while I could tell that the second male lead genuinely loved her, it didn’t change the fact that he was a coward who ultimately couldn’t see her worth and kept wanting her to go through hell to prove herself to his mother. It took her some time, but eventually she was able to see that. I also like that they didn’t make all the characters completely evil, though I do think the second male lead’s mother was unbearable. But I’m glad she eventually saw how she wronged her son.

[Good Coming-Of-Age Story + Sweet Romance = Liked It!]

After her sister commits suicide and her mother is hospitalized because of a group of rich bullies, she decides to seduce a powerful CEO and use him as her weapon to get revenge.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve kind of been getting bored with the ‘I seduce a powerful CEO and use him as my tool’ plotline. There are so many different variations of it, but ultimately, they are all the same. So, I had been avoiding this because I thought I was going to be bored by it, but surprisingly, it was very good. I liked the chemistry between the leads, and Chen Si is always at his best playing dark roles. It’s his bread and butter, and nobody is better at it than he is. I also did enjoy that they at least made the revenge interesting and entertaining, too. I definitely recommend this!

[Chen Si + Satisfying Revenge = Liked It!]

In her first life, she rejected her arranged marriage with the regent, the emperor’s uncle, and instead married the emperor. But on the day the emperor was to crown her empress, he humiliated her and forced her to her death. Reborn again, she decides to accept her marriage with the regent, while the emperor, who was reborn too, tries to scheme his way into getting his wife back.

I watched this for Sun Lu Lu, and it was good. It was actually hilarious watching the emperor try to get the female lead back when it was clear he didn’t have a chance. He clearly learned nothing from his past life because he continued to be an idiot in how he went about trying to get her back. I will say that while I understood the ending, I felt like it should have been different. The emperor’s arrogance and selfishness literally led to multiple casualties, so his getting a slap on the wrist because he was family was stupid. Overall, though, if you like reborn romances, this is a good one.

[Entertaining Story + Sweet Romance = Good!]

After losing her family at a young age, she went to live with her childhood fiancé. But as the years went by, her fiancé became more rebellious and against their engagement. When his older brother returns from abroad, he volunteers to accept the marriage on his younger brother’s behalf.

I usually like the ‘brother steals brother’s girl’ plotlines, but this was pretty bland and tame and felt like it was missing the fun silliness that most vertical dramas have. The male lead’s performance was bland, and his kisses lacked passion. I had no problem with the female lead’s performance, but I did wish we could have seen her become comfortable with the male lead more quickly. Also, the ending felt a bit abrupt, but overall, this isn’t bad. It was just a little lackluster for me.

[Mediocre Story + Bland Chemistry = Bored!]

She’s a rural girl from the countryside who moves to the city to live with her younger sister for work. But in need of money for her family, she pawns off her jade pendant, the only thing she has left that connects her to the past life she had forgotten when she lost her memories as a child. When her childhood fiancé finds her pendant, he comes to pick her up, but her younger sister steals her identity and takes her place.

I had to search high and low to find this because it was only available on Dailymotion in English dub, and there was no way I was going to watch it that way. Luckily, I found it on Facebook, and I’m glad I did because I had a great time with this.

Deng Ling Shu and Zeng Hui have so much chemistry together, and it showed here. I loved their romance in Madame President, and it was adorable how much the male lead liked the female lead. I think what I love so much about every iteration of the ‘someone stole my identity’ storyline is that the male lead always ends up feeling a deeper connection with the real female lead and not the fake one. He instinctively knew something was wrong with the fake childhood fiancé and wasn’t going to allow that to get in the way of being with whom he really wanted to be with. This was super cute, fun, and funny! I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something lighthearted and entertaining.

[Great Chemistry + Fun Story = Loved It!]

In her first life, she lived as a highly favored concubine, but she lost her standing when she was incited by her younger sister into committing horrible crimes to ensure her son’s future. But after being strangled to death, she decides to live her second life focusing on the emperor only, and through doing so, has a better understanding of who the emperor truly is and how he feels about her.

In the first thirty minutes or so, I wasn’t particularly captivated by this story. With me, harem stories have to be done in a certain way for me to actually like them. One, I need the female lead to be favored above all, and the male lead to not show any interest in other women in the harem. And two, I need the female lead to be her real self in front of the male lead, so the male lead actually falls in love with the real them. So, initially, I almost thought I would drop this because it seemed like it was going against both rules. But I’m glad I didn’t because this was actually a really good romance that seems like a simple rebirth initially, but turns into an exciting dark romance in the latter half.

It was amusing watching the female lead slowly see who the emperor truly was and become scared of that. She had spent so much time trying to hide the bad parts of herself because she thought the emperor was a gentleman, that she was completely thrown off guard when she realized that whatever bad deeds she had done before didn’t hold a candle to what the emperor had done. They were an insatiable, devious couple and were fun to watch, and while I thought the female lead was good here, I do think the male lead’s character really steals the show. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a dark romance.

Also, this is the biggest ‘f*ck them kids’ vertical drama there ever was!

[Good Chemistry + Hot Kisses = Liked It!]

He sends her to prison after he believes she was behind someone’s murder. Five years later, he finds out that she had his son while in prison, and he wants to take his son back. While they fight against each other with hatred and angst, he slowly starts to uncover the truth of what really happened to her all these years.

I’m actually surprised that I watched this because I usually avoid any dramas where the female lead goes to prison. But I came across it on my YouTube feed, and I decided to give it a try. Worst mistake ever. This was genuinely awful and hands down the worst vertical drama I’ve ever watched. The male lead was awful. He was genuinely the worst. Cruel, abusive, and always foolishly wrong. He never believed the female lead. Hell, he didn’t even believe his own son and allowed all the women in his life to get away with abusing him. It would always take a literal extreme to get the male lead to actually open his eyes and see that the women around him were the ones in the wrong. It just showed how much he hated the female lead that he believed everyone over her. But not only did he hate her, he was also obsessed with her and wouldn’t leave her alone. I don’t blame her or the son for having suicidal attempts because they were literally talking to a brick wall with the male lead. He refused to listen to them, refused to listen to reason, and would always force them to do things his way. The only thing that saved this from being a flat-out 1 was that the female lead didn’t forgive the male lead, which I was very happy for.

Besides the Korean drama Secret, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a drama where the female lead was sentenced to prison by the male lead, and I actually wanted them to end up together. That was an anomaly. But this proved why it doesn’t matter how much I like the actors; if I see the female lead going to prison, I’m skipping it.

[Awful Male Lead + Annoying Characters + Too Much Abuse = Didn’t Like It!]

In her first life, after witnessing the man she loved get married to someone else, she gets drunk and accidentally sleeps with his best friend. They are forced to get married, and for years, she hates him until on her last breath, she realizes how much she loves him. Given a second chance with rebirth, she decides to show him how much she loves him.

Sometimes, I’m not a fan of stories like these because it always annoys me to see that a lead, whether female or male, treated their significant other so poorly at one point, even if it was a previous lifetime. But, with this one, I actually really enjoyed it and loved the story. I think it was mostly because you could tell that even in their first life, the female lead had been hopelessly in love with her husband, whether she wanted to admit that to herself or not. So, it was so sweet watching her be the one to pursue her husband this time around. It was especially cute and hilarious whenever she would accidentally call him her husband. I also liked how everything was resolved and thought it was wrapped up perfectly. I definitely recommend this if you like the ‘I didn’t see/appreciate him in my first life, but in my second life I chase after him’ stories, or if you’re just looking for a sweet romance.

[Cute Romance + Nice Male Lead = Loved It!]

She approaches him because she heard that his relationships only last a month, and then he gives them a generous breakup fee, which she needs to study abroad in France. But to her surprise, the relationship that was only supposed to last a month has now lasted three years. Fed up with being a canary, she tries to do everything in her power to get out of this relationship so she can obtain her break-up fee.

This was a hoot and had me laughing from beginning to end. Han Jia Hui was hilarious in her role, and I feel she’s always at her best when she plays roles like these. Her character was hilarious as she kept trying to get out of the relationship, but nothing would go as planned. It was also hilarious how much the male lead would thwart whatever scheme she had set up, and I really enjoyed the progress of their relationship for both of their characters. The story wasn’t bogged down with drama, and the second leads didn’t overstay their welcome. It was just good fun with a hot couple, and I loved it. Definitely recommend for Han Jia Hui fans or people who enjoy rom-coms. Also, I thought Yu Lun Hao did really well too, and I loved the male lead’s mother, who was hilarious. The entire scene when the mom and the female lead first met had me cracking up laughing.

[Hilarious Story + Good Chemistry + Hot Kisses = Loved It!]

To save her family and fight for the underground, a secret organization against the government, she decides to approach a ruthless enemy to retrieve an important list from him, and finds herself entangled between the love of two brothers.

Initially, the female lead annoyed me, so I thought I wasn’t going to like this. But surprisingly, this was very good. If you’re looking for an entertaining story and a fun love triangle, then Tong Tian Mi Wu is the vertical drama to watch. I like both Zhang Xuan and Yang Han, so it was definitely hard trying to choose who I thought deserved the female lead more, but ultimately, I think the person she ends up with was the right choice. Zhang Zi Lin had good chemistry with both leading men, but I especially liked her chemistry with Zhang Xuan, who was super hot as an asshole male lead who liked to pull on the female lead’s pigtails rather than outright express his feelings. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a good love triangle.

[Great Kisses + Fun Love Triangle = Liked It!]

She’s in love with her foster brother, and for several years, she has waited for him to fulfill his promise to marry her, but to no avail. Instead, she is forced to watch him take in nine concubines. Hopelessly in love with her brother, though, she still holds onto hope until he forces her to marry the notoriously ruthless regent in order to protect one of his beloved concubines. Her brother tells her that her marriage to the regent won’t be real and that, in two years, he will take her back and marry her. But what neither she nor her brother expects is for the regent to make their marriage real with no plans to return her back.

Kisses, kisses, and more kisses! The male lead could not stop kissing the female lead and used every opportunity to do so. He was insatiable, and I loved that the moment they got married, he did not hesitate to do everything in his power to get the female lead to fall in love with him. I’m glad I stuck it out because I almost thought I was going to drop this because of the female lead in the first thirty minutes. It annoyed me that she was allowing her brother to blatantly treat her so poorly, and she was accepting of it all because he was supposedly her savior. But luckily, once it gets past that point, everything else is really good. Insatiable kisses, hot chemistry, sensual scenes, and more. I definitely recommend this, and if you decide to watch this, just try to push past the first thirty minutes. It takes some time, but the female lead does realize that her brother is really a loser.

[Hot Kisses + Even More Hot Kisses = Liked It!]

Forced to participate in a selection for the emperor’s new woman, she finds herself caught in between the schemes and desires of two men—her fiancé and the eunuch who protects her.

I usually try to be more detailed in my short descriptions, but with this one, I didn’t want to reveal much because I felt it would ruin a lot of the surprises. I came into this without having a clue what it was about, and I was glad I had watched it that way because it made it all the more enjoyable and surprising. This is a palace drama through and through, with a naïve female lead who is thrown to the wolves and forced to join the emperor’s harem. But it was incredible to watch her go from naïve to smart and calculating as she had to fight against her foes, who were many, even those who were unexpected. This is a bit of a love triangle, too, although I would say that it was quite obvious who the female lead would not end up with. Both male leads did a great job and had great chemistry with the female lead. And Yue Yu Ting had an incredible performance. Overall, I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a good, entertaining palace drama with surprises and twists.

[Great Performances + Entertaining Story = Liked It!]

With a lower status as a merchant’s daughter, she goes to live at the duke’s mansion with plans to find a husband to protect herself. But she runs into a problem in the form of the eldest prince, whom she doesn’t recognize, but he recognizes her and is fixated on stopping her hunt for a husband.

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews on this because of how the male lead was written, but surprisingly, I was definitely a part of the minority on this because I loved it. I would have given it higher, but I did think the last thirty minutes were rushed, and this could have easily been over three hours to better flesh out the ending. But that was my only gripe, and I loved everything else. I loved how strong and calculating the female lead was. She would not let anyone bully her, and she wouldn’t allow the male lead to demean her while she was trying to find a husband. I loved the dynamic between the male lead and female lead. They were both as stubborn as bulls, and yet they had an undeniable chemistry with each other that the male lead recognized but the female lead could not. Some people thought the female lead was too stubborn, but I liked how she treated the male lead because he really deserved it. I recommend it if you don’t mind toxic things, but if an arrogant, controlling male lead bothers you or a stubborn female lead bothers you, I wouldn’t suggest it. This is definitely one of my favs, though, and I have already watched it multiple times.

[Great Chemistry + Awesome Female Lead = Loved It!]

She is a princess reborn into a novel as a villainous supporting character, but she won’t accept the supporting role or help the hero and heroine fall in love.

I’m a huge fan of the first version with Zhang Lei and Lin Qi Ting. It’s one of my favorites, so I was excited seeing they made another version, but after watching this, I was disappointed. First, while I did like some of the details they added, I didn’t necessarily care for some of the changes they made, especially with the male lead character. It really annoyed me when he didn’t stick up for the female lead in the beginning, especially because in the first version, he always stuck up for the female lead and was on her side even without having proof. No one could ever tell him anything that made him second-guess his wife, and even if he was suspicious, her word alone was enough. Also, I thought Wei Tian Hao was kind of bland in this. He was missing the same charm Zhang Lei had in this role. Also, the antagonists here overstayed their welcome and were super annoying.

There were also some character changes to the female that I didn’t like, either, like how they styled her. I kind of get it because she does come from the past, but they had her dressing like an old woman, and it was unflattering. Overall, I would definitely recommend the version with Zhang Lei and Lin Qi Ting over this version.

[Lackluster Male Performance + *Personal Disconnection = Didn’t Like It!]

Other Versions I've Watched

• Chuan Cheng Nv Pei Hou, Gong Zhu Ta Bu Ci Hou Le (Starring Zhang Lei and Lin Qi Ting)

Although married, five years ago, she found herself in a room with the drugged emperor, which led to her giving birth to a son. Now, she lives as a widow, being abused by her deceased husband’s mother, who blames her for her son’s death. By chance, when her smart son goes to study at the palace, she becomes entangled with the emperor again.

This was so good! I loved the romance, and I thought the actor, despite looking so young, did a good job playing his role as emperor. It’s three hours long, but I enjoyed every minute of it. The female lead wasn’t necessarily strong and cried a lot, but surprisingly, it didn’t bother me. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her because every time she turned her head, she was involved in harem issues. I also really liked the emperor. He was fair and just, and while he clearly did favor the female lead, it didn’t lead him to treating his other concubines horribly. He only punished them for their wrongdoings and never had a reason to punish the female lead because she wasn’t an evil person.

I’m going to give a warning. The male lead is extremely domineering, to the point that for some it might be off-putting. He quite literally would not be denied when it came down to the female lead, so if you don’t like your male leads too domineering, then you’ll probably not like this.

[Good Male Lead Performance + Good Story = Loved It!]