ROMANTIC, FUNNY, THRILLING.
My 1st Chinese historical drama and enjoyed it a lot.Matriarchal society(where women are dominating) it put in a very cute way mainly in the last episodes when heroine goes to hero's kingdom it was so funny.
The acting of all the actors was great. The whole story was cute and funny.
Romance between the couple was greatly shown. Jealousy for each other was acted very well.
I liked the bond between mother and daughter. Though she is queen gave importance to daughters feelings rather than doing it for society or power. Their act before and behind people was cute.
Heroine mischievous act and her conversation with 3 other friends(story writers) was funny.
Coming to the story its states about female dominated society the society was not focused much but inside the palace it was shown clearly.
totally its a to watch drama if you are looking for romantic and comedy genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
Light-hearted Romance Comedy
I was not expecting much when I started this drama. It turns out much funnier and cuter than expected. The whole plot of 1 city has men are the gender in power, while another city has women the gender in power makes it a fresh and interesting plot too. I particularly like how each character has their own loyal servant by their side that serve them so faithfully and wholeheartedly. This drama will not invoke intense emotions like anger and sadness (a blessing to me, especially with costume/historical dramas), it is a light-hearted drama, so you can watch with ease. Another highlight is that the male lead is a total faithful man that is very affectionate and doting, very doting and loving! I love it!Was this review helpful to you?
This drama is so good!
This is my third time watching this drama, and it still amazes me every single time. I was feeling so down, not in the mood to watch anything, but somehow, this drama pulled me in just like the first time. It’s captivating, emotional, and absolutely worth your time. Please watch it—you won't regret it!Was this review helpful to you?
a FRESH drama
i think this one's story is quite different from the other light-hearted historical dramas. the story is set in an ancient town in which women are valued higher than men (a very contrary ideology compared to the classic one in Asia) and every family would die to have a daughter rather than a son. but the male lead, who comes from the neighbor town which has the exact opposite ideology, comes to the female lead's town to find his illness cure, they fall in love with each other in an unexpected and hilarious way.overall, i would say it is a comedy so pls do not expect too serious or logical plot scenes. the chemistry between the male and female lead is on top, which fuels the attractiveness of the drama!
a cure for you after a stressful day!
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Hillarious and super sweet! Must watch
I found this series by chance on weTv and straight away hooked! The FL is so cute and i love her acting,but the ML also started to grow on me, not only his acting but he became more handsome as the episode goes on!
Soooo entertaining to watch!
Both the male lead and female lead are so good and so cute with each other. The actings were good as well.
I found myself laughing non stop and were rooting and enjoying their romance.
The plot is very good as well. I would so recommend this series :) will definetely re-watch!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Try 2 Find a Better Answer to the Question ~ How Did You 2 Get Together? °Superior°
~All spoilers are at the bottom in a clearly marked section ~TROTAR: A New Take on the Battle of the Sexes with Romance, Grace, & Ultimate Masculinity on Display. It is Superior.
This precious RomComDram is about a novice screenwriter whose script has been sold, but she was advised to work with the ML on objections he has to it. She despises him from moment zero. He curtly states he doesn't u/s his character's motivations. He can't see how the lead man/villain, Han Shuo (HShuo), would be attracted to ChuChu (Chu), the heroine. ‘Some people will never fall in love,’ he explains, ‘just like you and me,’ he tactlessly adds. ‘Have you ever been in a relationship/in love?’ she's asked, while she fumes. Oh, one more thing: "Your script seems chauvinistic." Grrrr.
She then scrambles over a feverish, junk-food-fueled weekend to make 'corrections,' even though she thinks /he/ is completely wrong. Exhausted, she passes out (with a tissue still up one nostril) and wakes up in the world of her script. It isn't a dream: She's really there, and she's stuck there.
YIKES! She's a disposable character, the 3rd Princess, Xiaoqian (XQ), who has the restraint and thoughtfulness of Udai Hussein. More importantly, she's scripted to get whacked in ep3! She decides to not risk finding out if dying in her vision equals real death. As the black hearted HShuo, her perfect villain, is to poison her on their wedding night, she'll tackle that 1st.
She's shocked to see that HShuo looks like that rude actor! He's excellent at playing up his heart condition and taking on other false personas - He can really act. Hmmm. While XQ manages to avoid being murdered on schedule, she'll have to watch that villain, while also trying to set him up with the heroine Chu, all while being married to him, so she can conclude the story and go home. HShuo is essential to her plot, so he must not die.
She penned HShuo, the ruthless prince of Xuanhu, w/ a bad heart that will kill him by age 20. Her plot calls for Chu & him to fall in love. In order to heal him, Chu will steal the Dragon Bone, Huayuan's most precious treasure. Ultimately, he betrays Chu to conquer Huayuan, and Chu kills HShuo in battle, taking the city back.
The filming is next level elegant. The sets are arrayed in perfect detail. The costumes〰 I was unable to avert my gaze from the resplendent rainbow of silks. The fluid dance of the fighting scenes along with exalted acrobatics & flowing robes augment the actors' movements w/ stunning results. Luxi Zhao, as the script writer/Xiaoqian/ XQ, is radiant & sparkling. Her smile lights the screen. Ding Yuxi, as HShuo, displays phenomenal skill. He just has the goods when it comes to acting. He can be ruthless or adoring. It's not his words that project how he feels about XQ, it's his body language, his focus, and his eyes. He has intensity.
The script reflects XQ's frustration over the disparity between the sexes. She created two adjacent cities. Xuanhu is ruled by men, which is the case in most (all?) of our collective history on this planet. The women are to serve the men and manage the home. In Huayuan, however, the situation is the exact opposite. Women do every important job and those worthless men manage the home and serve their wives. The actors were tasked to embody male-female roll-reversal as citizens of Huayuan City. They did an amazing job. Women are boorish and contemptuous of men. The male actors are mind blowing. Every muscle in their bodies mirrors a woman that is gentle, doting, & subservient. It's worth a rewatch just to focus on the performances.
The entire role reversal is handled deftly. XQ snickers in glee at first analysis. It's funny, until it starts to feel uncomfortable, and then horrific - in both cities. Very few citizens are truly pleased with their lives. Watching men being beaten and treated as pleasure slaves brings no respite to those that decry violence against women. Each city is extreme, and each one needs to be balanced out.
As things unfold, we see that HShuo, has the most attractive form of masculinity: a strong protector who loves his woman so much that, if necessary, he would give his life for her, and would never let family or politics get in the way of their relationship. He would definitely help with the housework, too. As it's the opposite of toxic masculinity, let's call it Ultimate Masculinity. This manliness is tempered by love. Together this couple is the equilibrium that the two cities lack.
HShuo falls for XQ episodes before she reciprocates. She's too busy with her plotline to notice his - or even her own - feelings. While he's trying to make their marriage work, she's trying to fix him up with her sister Chu, the heroine. At the same time, every opportunity he has to be alone with XQ is blocked by his kind, but idiot servant, Bai-ji. XQ hurts him repeatedly, and confuses him with her attentions to other men, particularly her long time fiance, Pei (XQ's favorite character). Pei hates the 3rd Princess and has delayed their marriage. This isn't the same princess, though…
She created the script with its flaws that manifest themselves in front of her. She devised uh the characters with their disabilities, problems, and deficiencies, only to now work tirelessly trying to fix (undo) everything and everybody that she constructed. That's seriously entertaining. Her only advantage is that she knows the story, as well as each character's background and motivations. It shouldn't be too difficult, right? To her dismay, the changes she makes start to change the story and, thus, the characters' reactions. This alters their trajectories. She, herself, is tragically misunderstood at every turn. Xiaoqian is just trying to preserve her life, but the rewrites push the first Mahjong tile. Now they are all ting-ting-tinging to the floor, albeit in a beautiful pattern.
Due to Xiaoqian's efforts, Chu does fall for HShuo, who reciprocates with dismissiveness, as he's in love with XQ. In addition, the revised 3rd Princess is solving problems and winning the hearts of the people. Their mother, the city owner, dotes over XQ, but always criticizes Chu, who freefalls into hurt-jealousy-hate-&-obsessive-devouring-rage. As Chu plummets, the plot gets out of control. XQ must get help! She runs to 3 story writers (who else?!). Every time she has a crisis they all meet together. She only gives them the barest info, though. She grabs some fruit and presents the main characters: Miss Apple, Miss Orange, and Mr. Banana. Yep, they went there. The fruit sets up a collection of silly, but quite amusing metaphors. As her character is the Miss Orange, when offered one she exclaims: "PEEL the orange? That's bad luck." Given that at that moment she's angry with Han Shuo, her next statement is: "Peel the banana." Not so much later, after saying: "I don't want to see you anymore," she slips on the banana peel and goes airbourne, but of course, he catches her in his eager arms.
She's charged to eliminate the threat of bandits along the trade route. The whole trip is delightful. At one point she gets caught up in some excitement and seems to have completely forgotten her mission. I won't spoil it. Expect to laugh. There's another hilarious scene where characters meet at a restaurant/playhouse to have a discussion, meaning an argument. There's a stretch where the characters say nothing. They just stare at each other as the actors in the play voice exactly what each is thinking. The scene is high flown comedy.
TROTAR is a commentary on men and women's relationships and the tragedy of the out-of-control battle of the sexes. It has thrust the sword through romance and made so many relationships miserable. It's a zero-sum contest.
This show is romance-porn for women because of the way HShuo loves XQ and how he looks at her. From what I've been told, what HShuo might want back is to be respected (don't we all), even looked up to a little, to be a tiny bit nurtured, and to be treasured above all. As proof, he asked her flat out if it was him or her mother more than once. At a (fake) funeral he makes a joke to her that if she doesn't keep her promise, he'll let her know 'who wears the pants in the family,' which is a top-10-worst of historical chauvinistic statements. Should XQ flip out? Remember, this is HShuo. As much as he adores her, do you think he'll call even 20% of the shots in the family? What's wrong with her quipping 'yes, dear,' even if she winks while she does it? It's a bit of a dance. Marriage is optional. If one is to marry, giving it the best chance to succeed by providing embedded core needs for each other is as much smart as much as it is love.
We've probably all seen men marry a beautiful woman and then crush her by jamming her into a mold. Wives can do that to husbands by belittling them, completely losing a sense of humor, or nagging. Kudos to the show creators for shining light on those insidious patterns, as perfectly illustrated by the first couple of Xuanhu. In the role reversal, however, women becpme every bit as bad as men. The author is saying that we don't have a gender problem, or even a racial problem. We have a human nature problem. XQ gives the women of Xuanhu the answer: Work on yourself. It isn't that injustice shouldn't be called out, but too much focus on other people's ills can subtly allow us to feel superior, like we don't need to improve ourselves. That's self-deception. If we don't like being disrespected, sure, call it out, but the longterm answer is to show respect and work on ourselves. The more we improve, the more respect we garner. We will not complain ourselves to a better world. Perhaps exercising patience & choosing happiness, contentment, & forgiveness will usher in peace & love.
That's enough of the deep thoughts. The show is funny, then heart wrenching, and finally buoyant. Romantics will be swept away by this series. As almost every line seems to carry significance, there is foreshadowing, metaphors, excellent (superb!) editing, skillful juxtaposition and other devices utilized, TROTAR is a production of the highest quality. It could hardly be improved on. The show has so few deficiencies that the minor ones stand out a little more. While on the runaway horse in the show opening, close-ups of Xiaoqian are out of sync with the moving background. They overplayed the cute, but kitschy, theme song. Otherwise, the soundtrack is lovely. In the last couple scenes Xiaoqian's makeup looks ghastly pale and uneven. In addition, they have a bad habit of not putting makeup on the back half of the actors' necks, so they appear red and sickly on screen.
Finally, I think the last line in the show should be: "Are we married?"
Sweet dreams, all!
〰Quotes〰
Pain is unavoidable.
Great sorrow comes from great joy. Tragedy and comedy have always shared the same root.
〰IMHO〰
Directing 10
Acting 9
Thought provocation 7
Action/Excitement 8
Art 10
Music & Sound 7
Age 11+
⛔️Spoiler section⛔️
While XQ exiled HShuo to save him from being killed by Chu, HShuo & Chu end up joining together to invade Huayuan. When the city is taken back, HShuo is sentenced to death. He and XQ consummate their marriage in the jail cell. The next morning, the city owner refuses XQ's plea for mercy, so she drives a knife into her stomach. That stops everything.
Hey! Unclench! It's a prop knife! She's faking her death so they can escape to Xuanhu. They get a brief time to enjoy married life there.
They are forced to invade Huayuan in order to liberate it from Chu, who's starting to mirror Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. The plot won't be denied. Chu pierces HShuo's sternum. Lungs punctured, he's dying. XQ starts vanishing. Gasping, she can't reach him.
She awakes IRL with the tissue still planted in her nostril & quickly learns that the leads actor is in the hospital with near deadly lung damage from an accident. She rushes to the hospital. When he sees her, he jumps in shock and tells her to get away from him! He had the weirdest dream, he explains, and woke up thinking about apples, oranges, and her all the time. (No wonder HShuo was not evil and he could act so well!) She runs into the arms of the rude jerk who had said the two of them would never be a couple.
She had penned the perfect romantic hero.
XQ revises her script to save ChuChu and give Xiaoqian & Han Shuo a happy-ever-after. The End.
〰Romantic Fantasy Recs〰
K: My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy; The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2; Hotel del Luna-8.4; Live Up To Your Name-7.6; Oh My Ghost 10. C: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9; The Sleepless Princess 9.1; Ancient Love Poetry-8.6; Love and Redemption 10.
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Best Script/Story among Zhao Lusi's Rom-com period ramas but not the best chemistry
I just finished TROTAR after 3 sitting. After watching almost all of Zhao Lusi's period rom-coms (Cinderella Chef, Oh My Emperor, Prodigy Healer, Love Better than Immortality, and TROTAR), I must say that what makes this drama so special is the great script. We must give credit where it is due - writer 南镇 / Nan Zhen (who also wrote the script for another nice time-traveling rom-com Unexpected 2018) really has a knack for writing stories that don't have repetitive plot devices and competent FL & ML. If I were to rate Zhao Lusi's drama based on Female Lead likability, Male Lead likability, Chemistry, and Script:Zhao Lusi's Female Lead competence and overall likability:
Oh My Emperor (Fei fei) > TROTAR (QianQian) > Love Better than Immortality (Chun Hua) > Prodigy Healer (Yun Shang) > Cinderella Chef (Yiyi)
** Fei fei is the most purpose driven heroine (saving a whole world not only a city) while Yiyi is the most useless, sad courtesan/entertainer
Male Lead competence and overall charisma:
Love Better than Immortality (Qiu Yue Gege) > TROTAR (Han Shuo) > Oh My Emperor (Tang yi) > Prodigy Healer (Xing Chen) > Cinderella Chef (Chun Yu)
***Qiu Yue is the most enigmatic male lead of any of Zhao Lusi's period character. They tried to create a connection with Chun Yu but it was so bland
Chemistry on and off screen:
Love Better than Immortality (Li Hongyi) > TROTAR (Ryan Ding)/ Prodigy Healer (Li Hongyi) > Oh My Emperor(Jason Koo) > Cinderella Chef (Bie Thassapak Hsu)
Script - how the story evolved, how the characters were written:
1. TROTAR (Nan Zhen)
2. Oh My Emperor (Yu Hai Xia/Yin Hang)
3. Love Better than Immortality (Shu Ke)
4.5. Prodigy Healer (Fang Mo Qi/ Yu Ying Nan/Zhang Jie /Xue Hui)
4.5. Cinderella Chef (Lin Wei Rui/Yang Zhi Li/Yu Ge/Liu Yuan Yu/Qiu Jun Jie) - ***Zhao Lusi was a supporting character here
***TROTAR story was the least draggy while Prodigy healer has the fewest romantic scenes between FL and ML and the most irritating 2nd FL.
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this drama kept me smiling and feeling giddy !! whenever the leads have their sweet scenes i would have to stop, squeal, and replay the scenes again and again because EVERYTHING about the scenes are perfect !!!! THE SHOTS, THE ACTING, THE CHEMISTRY??? ALL IM IN LOVE. Zhao Lusi and Ding Yuxi really portrayed their characters so well !! all of their lil actions and facial expressions won me over,, truly the cutest pair.
but
i also got frustrated with the female lead aka QianQian.. istg the writer really had to make her dumb at such crucial times..i really pitied HanShuo especially with his lil puppy eyes, his EYES i tell you,,i would die if he looks at me like that.
i also loved the comedy, all of the casts were very entertaining especially QianQian's bodyguards??? HHH i love them so much especially Zi Rui, hes literally the funniest dude,,bless his character for giving me less stress. FL's sister gave me much stress though, the more i watched, the harder i swore at her lmao, i have no regrets !
the drama was surprisingly very fast-paced which made me scared at the same time because i didnt know what the future held HHHH,, and music wise??? PERFECT! the music here gave me so much butterflies??it made me wish i was in the same era as them shshsh, it made me happy it was so fitting whenever they had romantic moments !
the ending was a little rushed though :(( i wish it ended up a lil different but i guess its okay since i heard theres gonna be s2?
if i were to ever rewatch it though, i would only watch the sweet scenes and skip the parts where FL annoys me. this was my first drama from both leads, and i became both of their fans now ;) love their acting sm<3! im actually a sucker for rom com, and from enemies to lovers kind of story. so this was really my style hehe, so i highly recommend it !!
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Loved it!
To many this review might not be helpful, but to those of you who are Ryan Ding/Ding Yu Xi fans watch this!!! He's freaking adorable & so expressive! Although he's very aloof & detached when you first meet him as Actor Han, you get to know him & fall in love with his sweet sincerity, compassionate faithfulness and bravery as Lord Han Shuo. He did an amazing job &!!!! If you can see the behind the scenes footage, that mischievous smirk is so dead on!! So hot too! Haha he and Zhao Lu Si work well together on & off the screen! I almost wish it didn't end, but I'm not sure how they'd make a part 2. I'll fulfill my wants for more with the behind the scenes footage instead <3 <3 <3Bravo to all involved!!!
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Funny and cute with romance
This is a pretty good comedy with romance and bit of suspense. I wish they have more romance part, but if you like comedy romance, this is one of the best so far. It made me laughs so hard and there were few scene that made me cry. The only thing it didn't impress me is the music. Opening song is very pretty that suites to the story of drama, but rest of the musics weren't that impressive. Other than that I scored 10+.Rosy Zhao is so cute and so funny. Ryan Ding is dashing handsome and both have great chemistry to make this drama a one of my favorite C-drama.
I wish they will make #2 series and it looks like #2 is to be determine.
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Deceivingly stupid but surprisingly smart
Like everyone else has been saying, this show is a hundred percent full of clichéd tropes, flimsy logic, and plot holes. However, that is the point of this whole series - that our FL, Chen Xiao Qian has made a drama so hilariously bad that her planned ML outright refuses to act in it. The way that the show frequently pokes fun at itself and acknowledges the ridiculousness of it all transforms this show from unbearable to enjoyable.At times, the acting - especially that of the FL's - can border on annoying and one-dimensional. but the show provides a whole slew of entertaining side characters. The attendants of the leads in particular are endearing, provide great comic relief, and grounds both the ML and FL when they get too wrapped up in their respective schemes.
Plot wise, everything goes at a fast pace and any storylines get wrapped up in two episodes at most. Unlike other shows where you have to keep up with the main plot and a thousand side-plots as well, this show escapes that by making most side characters (justifiably) disposable and makes fun of this fact along the way too! This works to its advantage, because more often than not, the plot is (probably meant to be) weak. This does not mean to say it doesn't try though. There are some moments, especially near the end, where they try to tackle gender issues - albeit in a very superficial manner. Nonetheless, given the nature of the show, they handle these as smartly as they can by packaging deeper issues in lighthearted scenes.
Where this show really shines best is just brainlessly going along for the ride and watching Xiao Qian and Han Shou become increasingly besotted with each other. These types of shows don't require you to think too hard, and it is honestly best enjoyed that way. This is objectively an 8 for me, but in terms of enjoyment and experience can probably go up to a 9.
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.The series starts out somewhat entertaining from episode one but gradually picks up after episode two and it got more and more entertaining. I have to admit that this series is different from so many other historical dramas in the sense that this series has the reverse harem. That’s right, reverse harem. Men we’re not to be educated and did not hold important positions. The birth of girls was celebrated and the birth of boys was blamed on the men in a not kind way. You the way they blamed the gender on women.Lol
The series itself was fun to watch and everything seemed to wrap up well. My only wish is that the realism was more intact but no regrets watching it,
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