My Name is Zhao Wu Di (2024)

Fun Harlequin bodyguard-trope mini-drama that gets unnecessarily convoluted

My Name is Zhao Wu Di is a rather silly, but sexy and fun mini-drama starring Zhao Yaoke and Leo Yang, that pushes the "skinship" and innuendo boundaries of what we would normally see in C-dramas.

You may have seen Zhao Yaoke in The Day of Becoming You and The Imperial Coroner, both very good full-length dramas. I also liked her in Healing Food, Healing Love with Zhang He. Leo Yang, or Yang Yeming, only came onto my radar last year with the (even more smoldering and boundary-pushing) Republican Era short-length series, Miss Mystery. In Zhao Wu Di, viewers will either swoon over the gratuitous shirtless scenes and his smoldering stares -- or find his "dead-fish eyes" an emotionless turn-off. Cheng Long, who plays the supporting side-kick security guard, was one of the highlights.

Among bite-sized mini-dramas with the "Bodyguard" romance trope, this is one of the better ones in terms of action-sequences, acting, and overall production value -- and unlike the vast majority of short-length dramas, this one was mostly filmed with live audio, meaning the actors are not poorly dubbed by another voice actor. But marring the drama's overall potential is a plot that gets unnecessarily derailed by increasingly convoluted and silly twists as the storyline progresses, culminating in a laughable climax involving the villain and his cellphone (I don't want to give any "spoilers" -- however predictable -- but you'll know when you see it).

Still, if you're looking for a low-commitment drama fix or background watch and your tolerance for goofy plot developments is high, Zhao Wu Di is a quick and easy watch.

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Hottie on a Platter

My Name is Zhao Wudi is the story of the contract marriage between the eponymous hero and tech CEO, Sheng Xing Yu. She marries him to maintain control of her company, and he marries her as part of an inherited mission to protect her. The story unfolds as they fall in love and the broader mystery of the villains and their motivations emerge.

That tale is fairly straightforward and has been told multiple times in various forms. What helps the show stand out is a cast with great chemistry and above-average comedic timing. Although some characters like Ali, the femme-fatale. struck me as superfluous, none of them got intolerably annoying.

Mini-dramas aren't exactly where one looks for premium story-telling or acting. But the cast is pretty, the story unfolds at a rapid pace and Zhao Yao Ke has something about her that brings to mind the first rains after the dry season. In sum, the show does nothing particularly excellently. But short of the sequel-baiting convoluted ending, it rarely fumbles either. There are worse ways to waste time.

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