sulkytofu

He was my first top pick for Chu Wanning, and I'm so glad that he was casted for this one especially after his performance as Runyu in Ashes of Love. Considering how elegant he is (also his background being in ballet!) and just how much work and dedication he puts into his acting, I think he's going to do a great job in the interpretation of the character. I'm excited to see how this drama will really show off the range of his acting capabilities, and I hope he and Chen Feiyue have good chemistry!

I will admit that when I watched his Eternal Love MV, there were some scenes where he definitely came off as awkward, especially in a historical piece. That being said I am a huge fan of Kris and his incredible work ethic, and I'm going to place my trust in the cast. Perhaps this will be an opportunity for us to see a newer side of him and his acting capabilities, and the improvements that he's made over time.

I haven't been able to finish this drama yet since I'm really here to watch for the main CP and not the business aspect of the show. In many ways, I rather dislike how interconnected their careers are, that ML has so much control over the FL's success and capability. BUT I like how he doesn't try to take advantage of her, and thinks about her career too in their relationship.

I think the strengths of the drama were DEFINITELY the first stretch before the main CP officially started dating, and maybe a couple of episodes of fluff after that. I really loved how their relationship began, and the involvement of the "kids" in their relationship as well. Johnny and Reba have so much chemistry, and I loved seeing them together on screen! But the thing I hated was constantly seeing misunderstandings, and then getting whiplash from how things would be great one second and then break ups came on in the next. If anything, I think the story should have focused on the strengthening of their relationship and how they continue to grow together and achieve their dreams together, with more fluffy and romantic scenes. As I continued watching, my thoughts were mostly focused on "are they just going to break up again?" which made it hard for me to continue watching them together.

In addition, I personally found the design competition to be boring, and the rest of the business matters to be uninteresting. I think it would have been really cool to see something like Song Lin's company facing trouble, and then having Zhou Fang's works be used to raise their competitiveness in the market, or something that would show them working together. Not to mention that the side couple, Qin Qing & Yulin, started off as something that I thought was interesting and adorable, but started taking up a lot of airtime.

In general, I think main issues are that the pacing started off amazing but started tanking after the middle stretch, and this drama had too many episodes to contain its story. I still think Reba and Johnny have great chemistry, but I would probably drop after they start dating for the first time since it becomes rather boring and draggy to watch after.

I'm so excited for this, as Zhao Yiqin and Nicky Li have so much chemistry together both on-screen and off-screen! So glad that they were re-casted together in another project after My Youth, and can't wait to start on this series once the subs are released!

Subs coming on IQIYI international app on June 22nd. Considering all episodes are already out, I think they might just release all eps and save some of the eps for VIPs.

The recent comments and current rating of this drama are surprising, and I think part of it might be due to expectations. I personally had a hard time finishing some of the dramas I'm seeing comparisons to (i.e. The Romance of Tiger and Rose), and so far after having going into this one with low expectations I'm really liking it! So far, this drama is a pretty light historical romance, and while the plot may not be entirely fresh or different, there are some mysteries involved that are enough to keep the story interesting. Moreover, production quality is quite nice despite being more lower-budget, the main couple have LOTS of chemistry, and I like how both begin by bickering before eventually trusting each other. I actually find the whole "FL's sister ends up taking her place in marriage" to be really intriguing, along with some of the illness & murder backdrop in the palace revolving around the death of the ML's previous wife.

I'm also surprised by comments about the FL, because Kabby Hui is absolutely adorable in her role, but also because she does a lot to protect the ML even with her own limitations (whether that be strength or physical capabilities.) She helps him acquire safety, uses a sword against assassins even if she's not trained to do so, and thinks up of solutions to get to safety. The ML is also incredibly handsome with a strong moral compass, and both of them together are really cute so far even if he acts as if he doesn't care about the FL. Obviously, we're still early in the series so it's hard to say if the drama is draggy yet, and we're still being introduced to some of the underlying problems and tensions in the series. But after craving something light and fluffy and historical, I have a good impression of this one so far and am enjoying it as something to easily watch.

I recommend you watch Love Better than Immortality! It's much lower budget, but Li Hongyi and Zhao Lusi had amazing chemistry. It's a little different in that ML is the "villain," but it's another reincarnated into a historical world drama.

Truthfully, I dropped RTR because I got bored. This isn't to say it's a bad drama at all, it's just that I think I was in the headspace for something seriously fluffy and adorable, and I never felt like in RTR there was any tension in plot/need to keep watching. In many ways, I'm enjoying this drama a lot more even though we can agree that RTR had more attention (although ironically I heard RTR had less production budget compared to dramas like And The Winner is Love!)

In any case, I've found this to be my "crack" drama. Seriously so addicting and watching the CP together just makes me feel so squishy. I agree it's a matter of expectations, and if you go in with none I think you'll be really pleasantly surprised. Can't thank you enough for your comments which made me interested in watching this!

Truthfully, I think what's important to me is that there are concubines, but the ML isn't wishy-washy with them. He outright rejects them, to the point where I feel like he's more loyal than some men that are married (LOL).

I do think it's a good idea to mention all the scenes of abuse, so that people have their expectations lowered. I went in this drama with 0 expectations and now am completely addicted, and am so sad I almost missed this drama. That being said, I know these scenes are not everybody's cup of tea, and for sure if you don't want to watch something fluffy and romantic and want a focus on plot, this is definitely not the drama to watch. But I think the CP and chemistry in this drama is AMAZING, and they are so cute together that for me I don't even mind watching those scenes because they just show how much the main CP love each other, and how much they endure for each other. In any case, I'm speeding through this drama and it's definitely become one of my favourites and stand-outs this season, even if it's more low-budget!

I honestly can't get over how romantic and sweet that this drama is. There are definitely scenes of angst and where the FL constantly gets bullied, as well as abusive schemes from within the palace harem. But I think the standout of this drama is hands down the chemistry — the ML + FL have so many sparks with each other that just for the CP alone it's definitely worth watching. I also don't think the drama is draggy so far, and for those worried about palace politics there's actually not much of that yet. This is really a drama that's focused on the romance.

I also think that the backstory (with the tribes) while not yet playing a central role yet, is a really interesting backdrop. There's mysteries about the FL's identity and the trouble she faces within her clan, and also the ML's own condition. I actually like how the drama is handling this so far (I'm guessing most of the "plot" on the clans will be reserved for the last stretch, which I think is a good idea to make the drama not draggy!)

Overall, I love how you can see the deep love the ML + FL have for each other, and how loyal they are to each other even with all the troubles they face. Honestly, if you just want some sweet romance with an amazing CP, I'd highly recommend this. If you're worried about the abuse, I'd just fast forward those scenes — there are enough CP scenes to definitely make you satisfied while watching.

NOTE: The subs are definitely not perfect, and are really one step above machine translation. For a historical drama, with my bad Mandarin I found it actually quite easy to understand (likely because they haven't really gotten to the serious plot points yet!) There are also lots of audio issues and sometimes some of the editing/cuts are a little strange, especially if you're watching on Youtube. Just something to note that this is a lower-budget production (although the costumes and sets are absolutely gorgeous!)

They honestly really did Li Hongyi dirty with the hairstyle for this drama. He can definitely pull off a longer style, it's just the way they did it in this drama that's an issue (in many ways he sometimes looks like Jang Geun Seuk, who had many great longer cuts in You're Beautiful.)

The chemistry is EXPLOSIVE. I think I haven't gotten to that part yet because Episodes from like 1-10 are super fluffy (like pure fluff) and you can just tell how much he loves and sacrifices for the FL. They look so adorable together, and truthfully what actually turned me off from the drama at first was the whole multiple concubines situation. I'm preparing myself for the angst and when she gets "abused," but honestly I'm surprised with the production quality how much negative comments there have been since this has been super addicting to me so far!

I'm SO glad I took your advice! I'm up to Episode 9 now and I'm really surprised (basically what I saw definitely wasn't what I expected!) The pacing is actually really fast right now — sometimes I even feel like it's so fast that it makes scenes less emotional. I'm also shocked at how much I love the chemistry between the leads. They are so STINKING cute together, and even though I agree that you can tell some of their kiss scenes could be better, they have so much chemistry! I think you're spot on about how the casting was really well done, and it's so cute seeing how adorable the FL is versus the ML who has a very masculine and fierce look.

So far it feels pretty light to me, although some instances (such as when her servant was killed) made the story have a more darker turn. I also actually find the backstory really interesting, and love that ML + FL likely have some kind of connection together in relation to the clans. I also am surprised by the negative comments because even if this is the case, it's pretty obvious to see ML would do anything for the FL (even early on), and I have no doubt how much he loves her.

If there's anything, I was really worried I would have second lead syndrome. I loved how the FL fell for Prince Ji first, and honestly my heart almost broke for him until the part where I'm currently at (the wine drugging incident). I'm glad we already got the second lead syndrome out of the way (for now!) All in all, I'm glad I went in with low expectations because I actually LOVE this so much, and I wasn't even really bothered by the whole ML has concubines thing because the ML makes it really obvious that the only one he cares about is the FL.

I'm really surprised that this drama is 36 episodes long at 45 minutes per episode, since from the comments I'm assuming that it's a drama that's light, romantic, and rather fluffy. Either there's gonna be some kind of dramatic twist or some angst thrown in, but I can't really see how such a storyline would warrant this kind of episode length (especially as it seems the drama doesn't really delve into the politics of the different tribes.)

Glad to hear that it's not draggy or melodramatic, and I hope it continues to be so! I'm excited to start this one especially as I'm always up for a historical romcom!

Right? I definitely recommend you watch that one, I think you'll like it. Not to mention Liang Jie & Xing Zhaolin have acted in 4 projects together already, and have lots of chemistry together as the ML + FL!

I'd also suggest that you try the youth romance drama The Best of You In My Mind if you want an ML that has a lot of struggles and he is insecure about his capabilities. I liked this a lot more than some other similar series (i.e. The Love Equations, Put Your Head on My Shoulder) and the series follows the couple from university to their working life.

For light modern dramas that are focused on the romance I would also recommend Lucky's First Love (office drama, ML falls first for FL who doesn't know she's in love with him) and My Dear Lady (noona romance, cliche but the FL is a single mom). Unexpected (ML enters his own manga) is also an interesting drama since it's written by the same scriptwriter as The Romance of Tiger and Rose.

For historical romcoms, I'd suggest Dr. Cutie (plot can get boring at times, but FL cross-dresses as a boy), The Sweet Girl (historical, very healthy relationship but plot can be more boring). For more longer dramas with really healthy relationships, I'd suggest Under the Power (historical, healthy romance with tons of chemistry).

Agree with your comments on Love O2O! And I also agree that the BL line (even though it wasn't as evident as in the original novel) was one of my favourite aspects. I loved the chemistry between all the characters, and I also loved how Weiwei and Xiao Nai's romantic development was so normal, and not filled with random angst or external meddling. Love O2O was a really drama that focused on two people falling in love together while achieving their own goals, and I really liked this aspect of the drama.

Honestly, I stopped watching Intense Love because I didn't like the chemistry much between the characters, and I didn't feel as if any of the characters had any development or changes. Truthfully I'm surprised by why I stopped, because as I mentioned I usually love fluff — but I think it may be because I never really understood why they liked each other or were attracted to each other. Personally for fluff dramas I really like "the chase," i.e. when both ML + FL aren't yet aware of each others feelings but clearly like each other, or when they haven't started dating yet. I think it's because it shows how characters come to fall in love, instead of the trope of instant love or love at first sight (which is one of my least favourite tropes in romcoms). In Intense Love, however, we never really get an explanation about how they fell in love (although we do see how their love continues to grow over time).

I also admit that I got sidetracked by other dramas such as You Are My Destiny, which is the remake of my all time favourite 2008 Taiwanese drama. If you want something that's fluffy but also shows A LOT of character development, I'd say definitely pick this one. There's no meddling from in-laws, just a couple sorting our their miscommunications after the FL gets pregnant, and it's been so addicting to me personally!

I hope so too! Bai Lu has so much chemistry with all of the MLs that she works with, and I really hope that this turns out to be a good one!

Good to know! I'm going to wait until all subs come out for this one, but this has helped me a lot to manage my expectations going into this!

I think Intense Love feels more like a romance novel, while My Love Enlighten Me feels more like a romantic slice-of-life/youth drama. Intense Love is basically pure fluff, and so if you want something that's 100% focused on the romance between its main characters, then this might be something you're interested in.

I'd highly also recommend if you want pure fluff and completed dramas to watch which are light on the conflicts and heavier on the fluff: Dr. Cutie, Lucky's First Love, The Sweet Girl, and Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Dokomade mo.

Probably the biggest frustration I had though was finding my favourite couple, Bai Lian and Su Zixu, TURNING INTO A COMPLETE MESS. I don't know if I have the heart to forgive how selfish and psychotic Su Zixu became, and how the writers attempted to make him more sympathetic at the very end. I still don't know how I feel about them, since I loved their chemistry, and while Su Zixu becoming a villain definitely made the drama exciting (and he did a great job being hateful) in some ways I wish he hadn't regressed in such a disappointing way.