amaginon

you say "the villains got what they deserved". I hope a lot of the crown prince's supporters like "Uncle Shen" and Lord Zhu are included in this list of villains. (I am not particularly fond of Sun Mo either, Nong Ying deserved a better love interest - maybe Brother Qin).

For a character who is only ever referenced but never appears, the crown prince's mother gets annoying lol. Apparently she has been responsible for every cultural tradition in the kingdom.

Does Zhu Yan ever not be bland? I am up to episode 6 and it feels like she (and the fifth prince) are the least interesting of the three couples. If they were going to kill anyone, I would prefer her over Nong Ying (or even better, the Fifth Prince dies instead)

also, Beijing accent sounds like they are speaking with marbles in their mouths. So you hear that, chances are it is a dub

They like to use Beijing accent for their dubbing (which is one of the worst Mandarin accents). Whenever you hear Mandarin being spoken like the speaker has marbles in their mouths, chances are it is a dub (or the actor/actress is from Beijing)

For me, much like Romance of Tiger and Rose, the charisma of the female lead is enough to overcome the unlikeable male lead and keep me watching. But then I do not really like historicals unless the female lead is more clever, sassy and sneaky than the male lead.

I call that a frustrating ending

aah, I am guessing you are a Murican (Canada/US/Mexico). If you are, are aren't you trying to engage in culturally indoctrination of others into your own cultural idiosyncrasies/baggage? If you are not, aren't you "culturally appropriating" North American crap? lol

When does the female lead start being "not an idiot"? I am up to episode 4, and that is not really a description I would use. In fact I would omit the word "not" from "is not an idiot".

Romance of Tiger & Rose is sold entirely by the female lead. If you do not like Rosy Zhao's character enough to overcome the dislikeable male lead by the 3rd episode, it is best to call it quits.

If you are looking for Chinese dramas with "smart" female leads ("cute" male leads is a bit more subjective) try;
Night of the Comet 2 // Accidentally In Love // Best of You In My Mind // Brightest Star in the Sky // I Cannot Hug You // Lucky's First Love // Way Back Into Love // Parallel Love // Seven of Me

I am not exactly sure I agree with suggesting that Bella Du's character in this is "smart" or calling the male lead in RoT&R "cute"

Well, I have a list started of CEO romances here.
https://kisskh.at/list/45GRJwEL
It is mainly Chinese dramas at the moment, but I will be adding more Korean/Taiwanese ones later

lol. I only first started watching KDramas early this year, and I have already watched this 3 times. One of my top 5 Kdramas.

Around episode 10, she starts to become pro-active in fighting against Seok Hoon.

Personally I love this drama, and I feel the FL has a great character arc as she transitions from a "deer in the headlights/wtf just happened to my life" stunned passiveness to a much more active rebellious character who fights for her loved ones.

>but technically he did not hide his stepping out from her. He left out those brothel cards for her to find so basically she knew all along.

I am sorry, but that is pure arsehole territory. Deliberately leaving clues you are cheating is far away from being honest and telling it to her face and feels like you ARE suggesting it is ok to cheat on your partner if you leave clues. Leaving clues is often just deliberately flaunting & rubbing it in someones face. FTS.

I love the original, but after watching the first episode of 2017, it really feels like the dynamic has shifted dramatically. The 2013 version was about a woman adopting a person as a pet. The 2017 version (from the first episode) feels like it is about a man finding a woman to be his nursemaid. Does this reframing of their relationship taint the entire series? The first episode was so frustrating given how little agency she was given compared to Momo.

I have only watched the first episodes of the 2003 version and the 2017 version. So far I feel the 2003 version really felt like he was her pet. In the 2017 version though she feels like his maid which gives it a completely different tone.

Comparing the first episode of this 2017 version with the first episode of the 2003 version feels like it is missing the point. In the 2003 version it did indeed feel like he was her pet. In the 2017 version though it feels like she is his maid. The entire dynamic of the relationship feels different. Sumire's agency in the pet/master relationship in the 2017 version seems to be switched with that of Momo's despite Momo being the pet.

its on kissasian

You were correct. Jisu misread your comment thinking you were talking about the male lead, Ji Hoon. You were instead talking about Jung Hoon, the flaky half-brother who is indeed a weak crybaby.