The Romance of Tiger and Rose

Episodes: 24 

Synopsis: 

Chen Xiao Qian is a screenwriter that has been getting more attention and traction as her work is being turned into a drama series. She has created a world where the female lead comes from a kingdom that is extremely matriarchal while the male lead comes from a kingdom that is extremely patriarchal. The clashing of mindsets and having to adapt to one another in an enemies-to-lovers story would allow for an epic tale that has never been seen before. However, when her work is criticized by the starring actor for having an illogical relationship jump out of nowhere and for not being able to see the independence/uniqueness of the female lead, Chen Xiao Qian returns home to feverishly rewrite. 

      After overworking herself for hours, Chen Xiao Qian ends up falling asleep and wakes up as a side character in her own story. She has become the Third Princess, Chen Qian Qian, an insignificant side character with a horrible reputation and a short lifespan. Chen Xiao Qian begins to try to do everything in her power to change her fate within the story while also trying to maintain the original plot. However, in her attempts to change the story, she catches the attention and affection of the main lead over time. 

Review: 

This drama had a fairly strong start in the way they highlighted a matriarchal society in Chen Qian Qian's universe. It was so strange yet interesting to see the roles reversed in a traditional time period. Men were not allowed to apply for government positions and had to rely on marrying into a good family to have a good fate. Men were also viewed as inferior and unable to carry down the family name. Some men had to be kept in brothels and viewed as even more inferior to the average man. I thought this was an interesting premise to show why the female lead is so bossy and so dominant. At the same time, it still appealed to our societal understandings of the past as the male lead comes from a kingdom that is traditionally patriarchal. It was such a good set-up for a fantasy romance drama, and it was very cute and comedic. The acting quality wasn't always the best but it was amusing. 

        However, I feel like it started to lose the initial appeal as it went. For instance, I was really annoyed when they kept dragging the storyline where Chen Qian Qian is constantly saying things like: "Oh this isn't supposed to happen because she's the main lead" without even realizing her story has completely shifted to her being the main lead. It was frustrating because we had to sit through so many episodes where the guy is chasing after her and she's pushing him to her sister. Then the drama started to get messy as well with the sister starts becoming evil and twisted over the male lead (ironic since her character was so steadfast throughout her original storyline), when the relationship between Chen Qian Qian and Han Shuo was on and off, and so much more. 

I find these comedic fantasy-based dramas really cute to watch. I feel like our female lead is very pretty and fits her role very well. However, I found that I never really rate these dramas that well because I prefer dramas that are a bit more focused on story/character development and world-building. I feel like this drama had the potentiality to feel less like a Wattpad fantasy world and that it would be able to have more story/world-building that would feel more serious at times, especially over the span of 24 episodes. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations--BUT IT WAS A CUTE WATCH!  

You Are My Destiny

                                                                                  

Episodes: 36 

Synopsis: This is a Chinese recent remake of "Fated to Love You." 

           Chen Jia Xin is an unassertive and easily overlooked woman. She is plain, simple, and easily fooled. In an attempt to cheer up her toxic boyfriend, she books a cruise ship bound for the Bahamas in hopes of rekindling fond feelings for one another. Unfortunately, her boyfriend had other plans such as ditching her throughout the vacation and cheating on her behind her back. Unknowingly, Chen Jia Xin is enjoying her vacation and meets Wang Xi Yi (the heir to a large toiletries conglomerate). One night, the two both were drowsy and under the influence. Jia Xin mistakenly enters Wang Xi Yi's bedroom (which was just across from her room), and the two have an accidental one night stand due to mistaken identities. They woke up in shock realizing that they did not spend the night with their significant other as they had thought they did. The two of them move on from this incident but become tangled even further as Jia Xin discovers she is pregnant after the cruise. 

          Thankfully, Wang Xi Yi is a fairly responsible man. Upon discovering Jia Xin's pregnancy, he realizes he cannot just be irresponsible and he also begins to face his grandmother's pressure to have a grandchild. Wang Xi Yi and Chen Jia Xin both recognize that this was not an ideal outcome, and agreed on having a contract marriage with a divorce clause. Once the child was born, the child will remain with Xi Yi and his side of the family. Wang Xi Yi is hoping that this works out smoothly as he has a long-term girlfriend named Anna. He's been waiting for her for years as she pursues her ballet career, and has been constantly stood up by her (including the cruise trip). In fear of how Anna would react, Xi Yi tries to keep the situation under wraps. 

            Chen Jia Xin and Wang Xi Yi have a tumultuous relationship/co-parentship. Wang Xi Yi would often be hot and cold, and with anger issues at times as well. As the two get closer over time, more problems arise as Anna comes back home from her ballet tour and the divorce clause is looming in the background. 

Review: 

            I was excited to watch this drama because this drama plot holds a special place in my heart. I decided to go down nostalgia lane with this drama, and I also rewatched 'Fated to Love you." (Fated to Love you is now on Netflix but it is called "You're my Destiny"). 

           This remake did follow the original storyline with a few tweaks to some details such as character names, situations, and so forth. Unfortunately, I felt as though the acting was subpar and there were many things that this drama cut out--making me less connected to the storyline as a viewer. I think the original Taiwanese version did a better job encapsulating the character identities, storyline, and also the character development. Not to mention, the acting was incredible in "Fated to Love You" but felt so shallow in this drama. The actors also didn't embody the character type they were given either. 

             I did appreciate that Wang Xi Yi was written to be a bit softer in comparison to "Fated to Love You" where Ji Cun Xi was constantly having anger management issues. However, I feel like the actor for Wang Xi Yi did not make me feel certain emotions or empathy the way the actor for Ji Cun Xi was able to make me feel. Hence, when the BIG SCENE happened in this remake, I wasn't as sad as I was in the original. (This says a lot because I still cry at that scene in the "Fated to Love You" every time.) I think the acting and some of the storyline changes really made the BIG SCENE lose its impact on me as a viewer and it failed to encapsulate how truly traumatic this entire experience was for our female lead. 

              It was refreshing to see Anna appear more despicable and get sh*t on more by the characters in this version though. The older version definitely went too easy on Anna, and gave her so many opportunities despite some of the really bad things she did to the main characters. 

All in all, I would recommend this if you're trying to go down memory lane (after watching Fated to Love You). However, if this is a drama you are just starting on with no previous comparison, I wouldn't recommend it. It wasn't a particularly well-acted, well-made drama. 

Definitely recommend the Taiwanese version from 2008.