The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020)

Dragged down by cliches and weak plots towards the ed

Romance of Tiger and Rose started out strong but towards the last few episodes, the weak plot and the cliches thrown in really pulled down what could have been a really fantastic story. In the end, it felt as if the series was 4 to 6 episodes too long (in the middle between episodes 15 to 20) and the screenwriters had to pad those episodes with a sheer abundance of crap and utter nonsense.

1. Characters and acting
The main leads started out strong and really had a lot of chemistry with one another. I loved the idea of Rosy Zhao as Xiao Qian / Qian Qian, the screenwriter who travels into her own story and had to navigate the plotline that she created and the chaos that she inevitably creates by interfering. Her romance with Han Shuo (played by Ryan Ding) was great and there were scenes at the beginning that moved me to tears. But, in towards the end, the extremely prevalent and recurring trope of the spunky, clueless but adorable female lead really began to grate. I questioned the incredibly silly plans that she made which I felt was incredibly brainless and so typical of all that really tiresome Chinese female lead stereotype that seems to lurk in every single Chinese rom-com. Her indignation when Han Shuo gets upset with her a certain times really irks me no end. Could we please stop with the typical silly, brainless Chinese female lead?

Ryan Ding, however, was fantastic. He played the black-bellied, ruthless male lead, tinged with that gentle, adorable side when he interacted with QQ was just great. A great juxtaposition of two extremes. My favorite character in every single way. Cool when he needed to be cool, cute at the right times and just, overall, so good-looking and so great!

Most of the supporting roles were so unlikeable, i felt. Pei Heng (played by Sheng Ying Hao) was such a hypocrite that I really hated the scenes where he was on. Zhou Zi Xin (as Chu Chu) was so one-dimensional and predictable that I was rolling my eyes at every instance. The really side characters such as the three storytellers, Bai Ji (Han Shuo's manservant) and Zi Rui (QQ's manservant) were hilarious though. So kudos to that.

2. Storyline
The pivot about the gender inequality was interesting at the beginning but again, that got tiresome towards the end. It became silly and the fact that Qian Qian really relied so much on Han Shuo for everything sort of threw that whole "women are the equal of men" out the window -- how can you talk about equality when QQ uses all these "weak female" ruses to get Han Shuo to listen to her? When she throws tantrums and cries to get her way? When she justifies everything by saying that she is following the plot? Ugh. Like I said, the few episodes towards the latter half (ep 15 to 20) was such a chore for me to get through ... It gets better in the end but oh, wat a pain to get there.

Suffice to say, the parts you will love the most are the sweet moments between HS and QQ. You will absolutely hate the conflicts and plot twists due to how artificial they are and how most twists just don't make sense at all. Just grit your teeth and get through those sections until you hit the sweet parts again.

3. Production
I loved the sets and the costumes that they used throughout the show. A friend was remarking that this was a "low budget" show and I really couldn't feel it. The special effects (like fireworks) didn't look bad and everything seemed polished and nice. Perhaps my only complaint was that he hair pieces did seem a bit fake, looking very much like wigs. And I can't get past the fact that Han Shuo's eyebrows are this weird brown colour but his hair is completely black.

4. Music
Generally, the music was light and very rom-com. Suited the scenes at certain parts but I did get bored of the opening theme which is surprising since I generally like most opening and closing themes.

5. Conclusion
Watch this if you want to watch something light and nonsensical but don't expect superb quality in the storyline. If you are discerning in any way, the one-dimensional villainess, the plot holes (like how does QQ as a scriptwriter manage to fool so many people when she is supposed to be this clueless, silly girl) and the tiresome tropes will get you down. So give it one watch and hope that Season 2 will be much better and that they will finally get everything (plot, QQ's character and the like) right.

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Super fun

I haven't laughed this hard at a drama in a long time — and it came at such the right time because I was getting so sick of slapstick humor. All the characters (the main leaders, and especially Zi Rui) had the most amazing comedic timing.

This has my favorite type of female lead — you don't have to be the best at everything and physical fighting to be smart and make good decisions, and of course, it has my favorite type of male lead that's lowkey a badass but goes soft for her.

The chemistry between the main leads was so good and I just love the relationship that the two of them had together. The sidekicks were hilarious as well and worked so well with our main characters and with each other. And it really felt like all the characters had their own personalities no matter how small their roles were.

I do think I enjoyed the first half a little better when it was our main character trying to navigate the new world and all the subplots that were going awry. I felt like some of the magic was lost a little near the end (especially after the goddamn noble idiocy!) because it was reduced to the main plot around government control. It also seemed to reduce a lot of characters to their cliches, and I had loved that they subverted the tropes in the beginning.

Nevertheless, I really like how this show's plot turned to a darker tone without ever really losing its style of humor. Sadly I can't really say if it surprised me — I'm still mad at myself for obsessively watching clips on YouTube before I decided to binge it in a day — because I knew the scenes already. But overall the plot is still really clever.

Overall, I still had a really fun time watching this — I cannot wait for season 2 even though I have to wait an entire year!

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TROTAR is like eating zucchini brownies - it has that additional health benefit but still tastes as good as a regular brownie. This drama manages to provide some 'food for thought' (cough) while staying as fluffy and sweet as typical romcom, if not more so.

Story/Acting: I really can't talk about the story or acting separately in this drama because both (with the production) have this nice synergistic effect that makes the drama extremely binge-worthy. At 24 episodes, the plot is not dragged out at all and story arcs finish relatively fast. It's genuinely really funny and the humor feels more original compared to other dramas. This is in part to both the well-done script writing and the actor's comedic timing and the sound effect choices. It's actually brilliant how they make serious plot points into complete jokes (in a good way). The romance was also so, so dreamy with the perfect combination of silly, sweet and serious. I particularly loved how the male lead could switch from a complete puppy to a tiger (err, the Xuanha definition of it) while remaining so devoted to the female lead. Of course, this wouldn't be possible without the actors' chemistry, which was on fire. Take out the good writing and the chemistry between these two already puts this drama on the better-than-average rating. The only points I would take off would be a somewhat weird tone shift in the last third and a little rushed pacing at the end.

Going back the the insightful commentary part, I agree what a lot of others have said about the gender equality themes. I also liked what the drama had to about character depth. What makes a strong character? One that can overcome obstacles. Are the characters we see in dramas given real obstacles or is it paper thin writing just there to make the main leads seem better? The main lead is the main lead because the story is written to make sure they come out on top. But what if is wasn't written that way? Makes me think of all the dramas I watched if those characters really strong enough to overcome their obstacles or if they even had obstacles in the first place.

Music: Loved the beginning and ending OSTs, definitely added to that fun, zippy feel

Rewatch value: Don't usually rewatch dramas but will most likely replay clips on YT

Overall: Recommend without hesitation!

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THE BEST CHEMISTRY!

I love the flow of the story and very satisfied with the sweetness. I felt like the Actress and Actor was really great to handle their acting that made the viewers believed it was really true in reality. I love the main lead and the support role, they had amazing acting and chemistry was great. The set up is very satisfactory. If you are tired and would like to cheer up this is the best story to watch. It give me energy and really want to go home early so i can continue to watch it again.

I wish they will make another season 2 that it will show more cuteness and sweetness of both actor and actress. Believed me you will laugh and feel in love with this. Thumps up for all the cast!!!

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This is my first writing a review for any drama, that being said, the support this series has been getting is well deserved. the romance of the tiger and rose was quite refreshing, it was actually funny and i couldn't wait for new episodes each week. I love the main leads together, i love how han shou (Ryan ding) was a puppy and not the typical mean male lead, he showed his feelings quite often and easily accepted that he was in love and i love that, other dramas need to take notes. I don't want a tsundere lol. Qian chen chen (zhao lusi) i love how her character developed and she changed her views because of love.

The story was well written. i can say it did set itself apart from other dramas , especially with the view on feminism and the equality of men of women, the romance especially, the main character fell in love with a character she created but didn't bring to life through her writing until she considered real feelings. That was something different and i loved it. The only thing i didn't like is i feel it ended too quickly but at the same time i wouldn't want some bad writing to be thrown in just to make the drama longer, so im satisfied.

The acting was really good as well in my opinion. you will get emotionally invested into the characters, and that's what i look for when it comes to acting, can they make me feel what they are portraying? I feel you will feel a roller coaster of emotions ,you will smile, laugh, cry, feel annoyed when something happens to the characters good or bad, i liked all of the characters. They were phenomenal.

I'll finish this review by saying i feel that i will be rewatching this again and it will be even better if there is a season 2.

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I don't like giving high rates as to give room for improvement, and that's the only reason why I didn't give this a perfect (but almost) rating.
Disclaimer, I've never done a review before, like I've given some thought and I just end up saying 'nah why bother'. So thanks if you're taking some time considering my thoughts as to why; why did this drama, made me write. Go watch it now. Lol. Okay I'll just give reasons why I couldn't get over with this without expressing my gratitude.

First off, it's not the kind of drama that has higher kind of production, okay. It's a chill type, romantic-comedy, so the props and the settings aren't heavily equipped like those in high production kind. So don't watch this with too much expectations in that department.

But

#1: the acting skills were great.
From the supporting main leads to supporting roles. Like Zhao Xin, Chen Chuchu, Su Zi Ying, and Lin Xi to be specific, they had it in them to convince you that what their angst, fear, or yeah, what they deemed valuable really has value, though with so much thought in the modern times these are petty things (I mean this the nicest way) so what I mean is, their acting skills managed to snatched me out from the present time. Next, a very important point, the chemistry between Chen QianQian and Han Shuo (I hope I spelled these character names correctly) was so palpable, they got me reeling for their next interaction and got me feeling hurt when they're apart. Without the chemistry between the two, the whole drama would simply fall apart, like i would've not followed through to the 'a bit vague story line' if it weren't because of them; plus they also acted well, individually--apart from the whole romance thing. And personally, the characters Bai Ji and Zi rui are my favorite, please find out why by paying attention to these actors' (whatever their real names are) on point comical acting skills. I just thought without these 8 people, the drama wouldn't be as fascinating as it was.

#2: the plot.
oh, here we go, the topic I so wanted to discuss. There were some points in the plot that got me saying 'oh so it's gonna be like the other drama I've watched', and then it did, but then it also did not. I think that's the most enjoyable part for me, when I wasn't able to guess what's going to happen next. It was kinda shaky, to be honest there were parts that I was like "oh that escalated quickly", "what the heck is going on?" But it's because it tried to go beyond the normal in the 'safe zone' kind of story telling we're all used to. But trust me, it'll make sense. I love how it all turned out.

#3: FEMINISM
Feminism is the main point of this drama, and as a feminist it conquered a very big part of my being, especially when they expressed (not through words but the whole story says) that "feminism is not about women being superior to men, but it's about equality, meaning giving the same chances and RIGHTS to both men and women" like how it must be. I just wanna give a 90° kind of bow to the writer/s.

#4: Humour
The humour of this drama is aligned with mine, and I think to most people too, since I laugh easily, ( tho I think it'd be so much better with better sound effects). But yeah up to the very end, it's witty and hilarious that despite being sad that it's gonna end, I was still smiling, they just give you this fun vibe.

#5: Concept (Writer-character relationship)
Gosh, this opened up my mind to so many aspects (as a low-key novelist) as to how to treat your characters. Really I appreciate the lesson a lot. I can't explain more, otherwise I'd spoil it. But to anyone reading this (I hope there are), try watching this, I know you must've watched a lot of dramas with the same genre, but every story has its own uniqueness, and importance. Just try (in a soft voice) watching this, and JUST TRY (yeah in a loud-imma-scream-if-you-dont voice) I've watched it thrice already! ☺️

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Entertaining and fun drama!

A historical drama with a twist: it imagines ancient China as a matriarchal society. The Romance of Tiger and Rose is set in the fictional city of Huayuan, where women rule, command armies and hold public office. They even pass their family names on to their children. On the other hand, male characters aren’t allowed to pursue their studies or careers; instead, they’re to be obedient and virtuous, and dream of meeting a woman who will sweep them off their feet and into a life of domestic bliss.

Meanwhile, the neighbor and rival city, remains a patriarchal society where women are to study decorum, stay silent, do what husband’s tell them, take care of the house, children and parents. As a result, the problems that arise in this city sound familiar: young people prefer to stay single or ask for a divorce within a year after getting married, and birth rates drop. Their government even debates, at on point, a marriage law and if citizens don’t comply then they would get fined or even go to jail.

The drama is clearly trying to get through a point and it’s not surprise that gender issues, which are being largely talked about and challenged in contemporary China, are showing up in Dramaland.

An interesting premise but the drama does not analyze this matters, preferring exposition and gender bender hilarity to make a point about equality between men and women. Still, the issue is right there staring at you and impossible to ignore since it makes all the difference about the lives and interactions of the leads, which are -of course- each from one of these cities.

Since this is about a screenwriter getting trapped in the drama she wrote, the story also gets meta at times. Right down with leading lady calling the most prestigious storytellers of the city to a “writer’s room” where they talk about how to change the story and they end up debating all the usual drama troupes, ship wars and more. It was definitely my favorite running joke in the show.

Still, I had a great time with this absolutely charming and lighthearted drama. Kudos to Zhao Lu Si and Ding Yu Xi for their work as leads, their chemistry was fun, sweet and off the charts. The secondary cast does an amazing job, particularly Wu Yijian and Liu Shuyuan, who played the respective loyal right hands of each lead and were hilarious at it.

I recommend it!

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One of the best romcoms I have seen!

If you are looking for a romcom full of heart-racing cute scenes, hilarious jokes, and a great story, you are at the right place. The Romance of Tiger and Rose (RTR) will not disappoint to provide all types of audiences an enjoyable viewing experience.

Let me start what I love about this drama:

♡ The creative world setting:
With so many costumes dramas get produced these days, time-travels are not new. However, the female lead Chen Qian Qian will have to survive in a city in which the role of male and female are reversed (the rose city). Imagining that this world exists in an ancient environment builds up the curiosity about how she will survive there. This provides a novel touch to the drama. I would almost watch a story just about this city itself. I appreciate that despite a comical and foolish nature of a romcom, the makers use a world setting to indirectly criticize the inbalance and biases existing in historical and even in the present world. Coming from a Chinese costume drama that is usually scrutinized by various types of censorships, this gives me hope in the future of the Chinese drama world.

♡ The pacing and hilarious jokes:
I cannot remember the last time to be this entertained by a drama. Next to the time-travel aspect, there is also the fact that the female protagonist knows she is stuck in her own script. Thus, the 4th wall between viewers and characters is continually being broken - a brand new way that feels refreshed. Then there are these a bit stupid but hilarious supporting characters such as the two close footmen of the main leads or the mountain bandit leader. Even when the plot became more serious towards the end, they manage to pull off a very amusing scene between the lords of the two cities.
The pacing of this drama is swift (e.g., it took the female lead about 5 min to realize she is stuck in her own script), and 24 episodes are quick to absorb. The turns in events are not expected but still very logical. The makers use the right storytelling methods to build suspense and release anxiety quickly enough (e.g., by clarifying misunderstandings between the leads).

♡ The switch in roles between male and female leads; their chemistry:
I have never watched a Zhao Luo Si-led drama though I have heard great things about her (and that she has had a bite of the cutest actors nowadays, including my favorite Xu Kai.. arrg). After watching RTR, I finally got to know why she is this popular. She has a cute round face that does not appear to be sculptured or perfect. There is no idol aura in her acting, and she does not refrain from pulling off all kinds of facial expressions. This makes her acting very natural. ZLS is well-known for her dorky, adorable, slight foolish but pure-hearted characters. One can see that CQQ's personality assembles ZLS in real life, so you cannot help but like her.
However, I was most surprised by the performance of the young actor Ding Yu Xi playing Han Shuo. At the start, I found his acting a bit stiff, but he soon showed his other sides: cold and determined, kind and sweet, funny and dorky, strong and protective. The makers purposely switched the script between the female and male leads, letting Han Shuo chase the female lead for the most of the drama and show this cute and dorky part of his personality. And this is so irresistible! My heart soon was taken away by Han Shuo and his sweetness. I think I have not experienced this kind of heart racing and pain for a long time. His and CQQ's chemistry is top, so that some drama reviewers believed DYX really fell in love with ZLS. I started to rewatch the drama even before the final episodes were out just to watch these two lovebirds. I sincerely hope DYX becomes more popular from this drama, so he gets to try out various roles as I see endless possibilities for this 25 years old actor.

Now I few words why I did not give the drama a 10 (I really wanted to...!):

❤ ︎Plot holes in the world setting:
Despite my liking for the world setup, there are few plot bugs to this arrangement that could have been more thought through. For example, militarism is considered the main symbol of power, even in the rose city does not make sense. I agree that women can be equally talented and passionate about militarism, but retain this concept for a female-led society is a bit shallow thinking.
Also, why would the musical concubines behave this feministic? Why do they play music in the first place (which is the same art as female concubines in ancient times)? Why can't they perform arts that are "more masculine" and appreciated by women? I wished there could have been more creativity to some of the details given the stage was all set.

❤ ︎Losing the grip towards the end:
Though this drama does not have a lousy tail, it did disappoint me a bit towards the end. The story continued to pace very fast from one surprise to the other without the full logic. The behaviors of lead and supporting characters became less rational so that I even became confused at the end what QCC really wanted to achieve. Also, the ending is up for interpretation of the viewers. It can either be read as a happy end and that there has been a bug in the character setup of Han Shuo or that there is no problem in the character setup. It can also be read as a mixed ending. The fact that there are so many somewhat different interpretations of the ending deducts a few points for me.

Overall, I would recommend this drama to anyone who loves romcom but cannot stand draggyness or sudden change of theme from comedy to tragedy. Once again, it has also proven to us that it's not about the budget as this drama clearly did not have a big one... Do not hesitate and let the world of Tiger and Romance take you away.

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I WANT TO SALUTE THE WRITTER! THE PERSON WHO WROTE THIS DRAMA IS SO TALENTED.

such a MASTERPIECE DRAMA. ♡♡ I literally loved every single character of this drama. Even I have no words for the cast, drama acting and everything in this drama is literally on fire. And I literally got all kind of emotions while watching this drama like Romantic, sad, emotional, thrilled, fantasy. THIS DRAMA IS EVERYTHING. And I literally cried in some scenes of this drama. i felt this drama by heart. And the last, I am in love with the character of rose and tiger. All I have just one complain that ending should have little long. kekekekekeke such a great experience! ♥

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(❛◡˂̵ ̑̑✧) time travelling fruit

another time traveling drama from our time travelling princess, zhao lu si! female lead falls into the world of her own written story as the villian, having supposed to die off early but tries to navigate her own plot to avoid getting killed. everything is reversed where women have the most power, taking jabs at how silly our modern values of gender & equality are. nothing felt too "draggy" and its a really cute drama. the main leads (and the entire cast for that matter) are adorable and their chemistry is really natural! ( •͈ 𓎺 •͈ )

the comedy might not be for everybody and even though the plot is nothing exceptional, its a refreshing and fun watch which makes it worth a try! just don't take this one too seriously (because the drama doesn't even take itself seriously,,) if you're in for a nonsensical, light-hearted romcom, then i would recommend this show.

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Un drama qui se déguste sans modération.

Quand une scénariste de drama se réveille dans la peau d'un de son personnage, cela donne une des histoires les plus délirante et hilarante de dramaland!
Hum....Il est plutôt rare qu'un drama puisse nous faire autant rire. D'autant plus si cela mêle habilement romance et fantasy. Le seul drama qui nous aura fait mourir de rire dans cette lignée est "Chief Kim" mais sans la romance.
The romance of Tiger and Rose est un drama qui flirte outrageusement avec le rire et la romance, savamment dosés durant tout le long des épisodes, grâce notamment à Qian Qian qui presque à elle seule nous emmène dans son monde délirant et des délires, croyez-moi, il va y en avoir.
Qian Qian déborde d'imagination et n'hésite pas se mettre dans des situations loufoques et embarrassantes. Han Shuo en est à plaindre tellement il doit subir les cocasseries de Qian Qian sans pouvoir piper mot, impuissant à en placer une. Gagner face à elle est une partie presque perdue :)
On avait pu voir dans "Extraordinary you" des personnages camper des extras se rebeller contre l'auteur. Ici, c'est l'auteur qui se retrouve être un de ses personnages. Mais pas n'importe lequel! Non, non, Qian Qian se voit devenir l'antagoniste féminin, la méchante, la chieuse de service qui doit séparer le couple principal et qui fourmille de mille et un complots foireux ! Rien que pour cela, courrez voir ce drama!
Chaque épisode est un pur régal de drôlerie et d'humour, et ici, c'est tout le cast qui joue à merveille. Les fourberies de Qian Qian sont à mourir de rire. Mais le drama n'est pas seulement drôle.
La romance est adorable, un des baisers les plus sensuels et inattendus que j'ai pu voir en 10 ans (je vous raconte pas l'exclamation admiratif de chéri, de la rougeur subite de ma fille se cachant les yeux et de l'éclat de rire nerveux de mes ados face à ce baiser !!), et l'alchimie entre nos deux tourtereaux est incroyable. Entre tentatives de meurtre, de disputes enfantines et de malentendus hilarants, nous suivons avec exaltation la passion graduelle de notre héros et de notre anti-héroïne.
Les seconds personnages ne sont pas en reste, loin de là : les deux assistants des héros sont hilarants et touchants. Dieu qu'ils vont nous manquer hahaha.
La seule chose que je regrette? Que les parents de Han Shuo interviennent si tardivement. Ses parents sont adorables et à mourir de rire. Je regrette par ailleurs qu'on ne les voit plus une fois "the end", ils disparaissent et nous ne savons pas ce qu'ils deviennent. Ce qui est assez dommage.
Le jeu des acteurs a été excellent. Aucune fausse note. Particulièrement,
Rosy Zhao a su jouer avec cette touche de folie incroyable. Elle a été cette ingénue débordant de maladresse avec une incroyable ardeur. Ses hanfu sont d'ailleurs magnifiques, je tenais à le souligner.
Ryan Ding est un jeune acteur qui a débuté en 2017, il nous démontre ici ses gros progrès depuis "Just an encore", son interprétation de Han Shuo était parfaite.
Un drama que je recommande chaudement, un drama qui nous rend heureux et de bonne humeur, un drama avec une romance adorable et tellement drôle. On rit, on rit et on applaudis sans cesse.
Vivement la saison 2!

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Carpe Vinum

This is certainly a toast! The chemistry’s between main leads are just so adoring... bickering session is on another level, which is a high bar. Yes, Ryan and Lusi is on-point portraying the romance between Han Shuo and Qian Qian love story. The classic style is still there to spice up the whole wondering world of wuxia.
All the supporting cast has genuine vibes which creates catchy phrases and puts your giggles on-the-go.
Fun and adoring... Costumes are great, very light and satisfactory. But I can’t help to wonder, what if it was set with more vibrant color and regal accessories. You know, the whole magnitude of Chinese wuxia wardrobe and set design. Also, in-depth dialogue since imaginatively Qian Qian came from the future.
Overall, I’ll rewatched it again in any given day. I’m already addicted with their visuals and sweetness.
Looking forward for Ryan acting in next project, that kid still got lots in shop to show... more brooding perhaps please ???

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