This review may contain spoilers
Why not ditch this book-world & just date in the present day?
The comedy ‘How dare you?’ is adapted from the web novel "This Is Ridiculous" (成何体统) by Qi Ying Jun (七英俊). And its premise is that 2 people from the modern world are transported into a book as villains - but they end up changing their destiny, fate and character arc - by doing good, saving people, and the kingdom, they also fall in love, marry, etc. etc. - all the while still being in the other world of a book. So whatever action you are likely to see is within the construct of a preordained written word and the leads change their fate essentially - the message for viewers being you are in charge of what happens to you and can change your life.
In the book, the heroine comes to believe that this is another dimension or alternate universe and not just a book, because they have treaded far beyond the confines of the book’s original trajectory and story line.
In the web novel, the heroine is from the year 2026 and is an unexceptional worker in an office, the hero is a boy from year 2016, is still in high school. So the trope of older woman and teenage boy is used as well.
Plus, as villains in the original book their lives were short and insignificant, but since they changed everything, he lives as a good king, dies first and goes back to being the high school boy from year 2016, the heroine lives on as the reigning queen, in the end leaving everything to her son and roaming the earth meeting friends old and new, sees what she was able to build and accomplish, and then dies a natural death at which point she is back in the modern world - year 2026 - in the same subway train in which she fell asleep - and that’s how the 2 star crossed lovebirds meet in the present timeline.
In the web novel, in present day he’s the lawyer for the production house that is making a drama on the book and he has been waiting for her for 10 years. She recognizes the rest of the cast as people she met in the novel’s timeline.
If you are watching the drama, you’ll notice that there are some changes from the web novel early on: the male lead says he’s a CEO in 2026, so when they go back, they’ll be the same age and he most probably will be the owner of the company she works for or CEO of the production company making the drama.
But watching the first 2 episodes, all I could think was why are these two people sticking around in this fake make-believe world when they can get out through some door to the present day at any time, or die, and start courting each other, because I wanted to see their interactions as actual people in present day. What’s the use of all that energy and maneuvers and ambitions in a fake place? This is the bit where such dramas lose me. Because why would anyone want to stay trapped in a make-believe world with a real person? So it’s a no-watch for me.
I understand why transmigration of soul or past life or time travel or dream world would be attractive as a genre - an ordinary person gets to live a larger than life treacherous adventure that tests their mettle, their strength, their bravery, their perseverance and their humanity in extraordinary circumstances, where everything is glamorous and chaotic and exotic than their dull real life, and the person gets to be appreciated for his or her brains, looks and actions and noticed by the hottest guy or girl. Issues of self worth or self-esteem won't come up because in the fictional world they have the answer for everything.
This is escapist fantasy world has a lot of fans. The cast is good, the costumes are good, but the story has by now FOUR real people duking it out in palatial politics. My question is why? Go back to your day jobs and hook up with the girl you met in the dream book world!
In the book, the heroine comes to believe that this is another dimension or alternate universe and not just a book, because they have treaded far beyond the confines of the book’s original trajectory and story line.
In the web novel, the heroine is from the year 2026 and is an unexceptional worker in an office, the hero is a boy from year 2016, is still in high school. So the trope of older woman and teenage boy is used as well.
Plus, as villains in the original book their lives were short and insignificant, but since they changed everything, he lives as a good king, dies first and goes back to being the high school boy from year 2016, the heroine lives on as the reigning queen, in the end leaving everything to her son and roaming the earth meeting friends old and new, sees what she was able to build and accomplish, and then dies a natural death at which point she is back in the modern world - year 2026 - in the same subway train in which she fell asleep - and that’s how the 2 star crossed lovebirds meet in the present timeline.
In the web novel, in present day he’s the lawyer for the production house that is making a drama on the book and he has been waiting for her for 10 years. She recognizes the rest of the cast as people she met in the novel’s timeline.
If you are watching the drama, you’ll notice that there are some changes from the web novel early on: the male lead says he’s a CEO in 2026, so when they go back, they’ll be the same age and he most probably will be the owner of the company she works for or CEO of the production company making the drama.
But watching the first 2 episodes, all I could think was why are these two people sticking around in this fake make-believe world when they can get out through some door to the present day at any time, or die, and start courting each other, because I wanted to see their interactions as actual people in present day. What’s the use of all that energy and maneuvers and ambitions in a fake place? This is the bit where such dramas lose me. Because why would anyone want to stay trapped in a make-believe world with a real person? So it’s a no-watch for me.
I understand why transmigration of soul or past life or time travel or dream world would be attractive as a genre - an ordinary person gets to live a larger than life treacherous adventure that tests their mettle, their strength, their bravery, their perseverance and their humanity in extraordinary circumstances, where everything is glamorous and chaotic and exotic than their dull real life, and the person gets to be appreciated for his or her brains, looks and actions and noticed by the hottest guy or girl. Issues of self worth or self-esteem won't come up because in the fictional world they have the answer for everything.
This is escapist fantasy world has a lot of fans. The cast is good, the costumes are good, but the story has by now FOUR real people duking it out in palatial politics. My question is why? Go back to your day jobs and hook up with the girl you met in the dream book world!
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