sulkytofu

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.

My feelings for this drama can be summed up by the title name — unexpected. I think a lot of the comments are accurate, in that this drama did a great job handling pacing, inserting twists, and even incorporating depth into its script, which from a first glance one really would not expect. From asking questions about purpose and one's own ability to change their will, to being incredibly reflective, I loved seeing both the journey the ML took to navigate his own manga, but also encounter his own pain and experiences from his past.

This drama did many subversive things which I thought were quite impressive, and managed to do so in a way that maintained the logic of the series (which similar dramas such as W started off excellently with, and then lost a lot of steam in the later parts). The 23 episodes are a perfect length, especially because there was no drag or filler. In some ways, I find that the beginning of the series is more true to a typical romcom, while the middle and the latter half in fact get more exciting and tense as all of the characters begin to face uncomfortable truths and realizations.

I will admit that some couples didn't have as much chemistry, and I think there was some miscasting going on (especially in Pei Encai's role). What I did really like was how the entire cast had chemistry with each other as well, and there were some really great acting performances in this drama. I binged this all in one day, and I'm glad I went in with no expectations because the drama truly was something that I did not expect to see.

Several dramas i.e. Love O2O in the past have gotten great reviews, simply because they were focused on the romance and most importantly, because the romance developed in a healthy manner. I think I prefer dramas (if they market themselves as romcoms) to focus on the chemistry and relationship between the leads, instead of trying to stuff unnecessary plot points for the sake of creating conflict. I also liked how this drama showed two people falling in love through an arranged marriage, instead of marriage being the "happy ending." This is therefore a drama that's good if you're into something that can take your mind off for the day, and you want something that's pure fluff.

That being said, I didn't like this one for a variety of reasons even though it fit my taste for fluff, and dropped this one about halfway. I found Ding Yuxi's role here to be quite plain, in that he didn't really seem to have a personality between liking to cook and clean. Zhang Yuxi on the other hand I think would have had a much more interesting personality if she were cold, especially since the ML in this drama gives off the feeling of warmth and comfort. I think the cutesy part of her personality (as you mentioned) didn't come off naturally. In other words, I liked the idea behind this drama (the focus on romance and fluff), but I think especially in the context of airing at the same time as The Romance of Tiger and Rose, I didn't enjoy it as much.

They're both confirmed! Pictures are up from the filming ceremony!

Interesting, I always thought like they had either the same production team or scriptwriter or something (My Dear Lady also has the same "feel" as both of these dramas, i.e. light, romantic, and fluffy). I'll keep my eye out to see more comments, but I have to say I'm going to lower my expectations because from what you've mentioned this is definitely not what I thought was going to be the plot of the drama!

If you're looking for another fluffy romcom, I would recommend it as a watch that is light, not draggy, and great to pass the time! Agree that it's great to see how much more expressive he's been.

Right? It's a shame because Reba and Johnny really surprised me with their chemistry (I really thought it wouldn't work when I saw the casting!) I think the drama really should have incorporated more cute scenes, instead of focusing more on other couples and dragging on the plot for the sake of episodes.

I think Lucky's First Love was a good romcom for him because he had a lot more of a "puppy" personality in that drama, compared to his colder demeanour in The Eternal Love. I'm often surprised by just how young Xing Zhaolin is, I often think he's a lot older (like in his late twenties) and am impressed by how much he's improving in his acting.

So I read some of your spoilers, and wow, that was not what I was expecting at all. I really thought it'd be a lighthearted romcom, but considering the fact that it's related to Well Intended Love (which at one point almost ended up as horror, LOL) I'm wondering if this may be a little more angsty and/or different than I thought. I'll probably wait until all episodes are out, but thanks for helping those of us interested in watching to get our expectations in check!