K-Drama 
1
Alpha wife & Omega Husband
I don't usually write reviews in the middle of the drama (unless I decide to drop it) but giving how ridiculous the discourse around TSTR got, here I am. I should've expected it because of the director but let me go back to that...
Btw, I should add, because apparently it's an important point - I've never watched Blossom. Never seen Meng Ziyi and Li Yunrui together on screen before, and so no, I have no previous bias towards them. But yes, from what I've seen now, they do have amazing chemistry.
Tigers Sniff the Rose is a role reversal drama. Mu Wanyao (MZY) went through a lot of trauma, decided to flip the tables, and in the process, she had become very mean and domineering person. Yan Shang is calm and quiet, he is a scholar, and he is highly intelligent man. The point of their relationship is that in the beginning they use each other. Mu Wanyao plays with him like cat with a mouse. Yan Shang decides to use her to climb on the top. Of course, they like each other but do have their own agendas and plans. They have their own personalities, independent on each other.
The dramas pacing is just perfect. It's not too slow or too fast. I think people watch too much TikTok's and short dramas, so they expect to be every plot point served on silver platter in first five minutes. That's not the case here, they take their time and the plot is moving forward nicely. (Keep in mind, I'm writing this in episode 9, I've watched dramas that were amazing in the beginning and then they flopped to abyss (Pursuit of Jade, I'm looking at you))
The score, costumes, cinematography is beautiful and production quality is high. They shot on real locations and you can see that on how beautiful the sets are. There is no freaky editing and weird cuts - I've seen people complaining about abruptly cut endings - which is true, but to me it wasn't an issue.
Now, if you are reading this and the score is around 7.7-7.8...
First of all, there is another big drama airing right now and as per tradition on MDL, to prop it up, there is massive downvoting going on.
Secondly, as this is a third collab between MZY/LYR, especially people who loved Blossom and expected Blossom season 2, they are disappointed because, even though I haven't seen it, just by the description, this isn't another Blossom.
Thirdly, the director of TSTR is Zoe Qin, who just did Love Beyond the Grave - my favorite romance of this year, I very much recommend it - LBTG had the same couple dynamic, it's what the director does, and it was also criticized to oblivion
-> I know I am an outlier, and most people prefer "big man, army general, martial artists, cruel but loving towards FL/gentle flower petal FL who is soft but clever and gently guides her ML to success," I don't and this isn't that drama, again, it's role reversal and many people can't stomach it and can't get into it. Which is fine, we all have our preferences, but I'm telling you why the score is what it is.
I'll get back to this review as the drama progresses, but so far 9/10. I was in cdrama slump since June, and finally I found something that pulled me out.
Btw, I should add, because apparently it's an important point - I've never watched Blossom. Never seen Meng Ziyi and Li Yunrui together on screen before, and so no, I have no previous bias towards them. But yes, from what I've seen now, they do have amazing chemistry.
Tigers Sniff the Rose is a role reversal drama. Mu Wanyao (MZY) went through a lot of trauma, decided to flip the tables, and in the process, she had become very mean and domineering person. Yan Shang is calm and quiet, he is a scholar, and he is highly intelligent man. The point of their relationship is that in the beginning they use each other. Mu Wanyao plays with him like cat with a mouse. Yan Shang decides to use her to climb on the top. Of course, they like each other but do have their own agendas and plans. They have their own personalities, independent on each other.
The dramas pacing is just perfect. It's not too slow or too fast. I think people watch too much TikTok's and short dramas, so they expect to be every plot point served on silver platter in first five minutes. That's not the case here, they take their time and the plot is moving forward nicely. (Keep in mind, I'm writing this in episode 9, I've watched dramas that were amazing in the beginning and then they flopped to abyss (Pursuit of Jade, I'm looking at you))
The score, costumes, cinematography is beautiful and production quality is high. They shot on real locations and you can see that on how beautiful the sets are. There is no freaky editing and weird cuts - I've seen people complaining about abruptly cut endings - which is true, but to me it wasn't an issue.
Now, if you are reading this and the score is around 7.7-7.8...
First of all, there is another big drama airing right now and as per tradition on MDL, to prop it up, there is massive downvoting going on.
Secondly, as this is a third collab between MZY/LYR, especially people who loved Blossom and expected Blossom season 2, they are disappointed because, even though I haven't seen it, just by the description, this isn't another Blossom.
Thirdly, the director of TSTR is Zoe Qin, who just did Love Beyond the Grave - my favorite romance of this year, I very much recommend it - LBTG had the same couple dynamic, it's what the director does, and it was also criticized to oblivion
-> I know I am an outlier, and most people prefer "big man, army general, martial artists, cruel but loving towards FL/gentle flower petal FL who is soft but clever and gently guides her ML to success," I don't and this isn't that drama, again, it's role reversal and many people can't stomach it and can't get into it. Which is fine, we all have our preferences, but I'm telling you why the score is what it is.
I'll get back to this review as the drama progresses, but so far 9/10. I was in cdrama slump since June, and finally I found something that pulled me out.
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