How Dare You!?

Brilliant Acting and Costumes but Romance Needs More Screen Time

After binge-watching several of Ryan Chang’s dramas in 2025, I was really looking forward to How Dare You?

That trailer looked so promising. But they did us so dirty, including all that romance into the teaser material and not into the actual drama.

The early episodes were great—fast-paced and filled with action, with our leads getting plenty of screen time while pretending to be a couple while doing their shenanigans. However, after episode 10, things started to slow down considerably. Suddenly, supporting characters, who were not all that interesting to begin with, got way too much screen time. Those dragged-out scenes really could have been cut down simply to get the point across and not hog my TV.

I felt like I was watching less of a romance drama and more of a political drama with slight romance 2/3 of the scram a. The leads hardly interacted in the middle stretch of the drama. And there was a considerable lack of romantic situations, which was disappointing since the trailer set up expectations for a lot more romance.

Sure, there were some great emotional moments between our couple—like the intense post library fire scene early in the drama—so it was frustrating when romance took a backseat for many episodes. With all the intrigues and unnecessary character scheming being spoon fed to us as if we couldn’t read between the lines, it felt like those elements could have been implied rather than shown. It seemed like many characters were added just to be killed off.

And yes, be prepared – people drop like flies here. People who waste the screen for the third of the drama. I don’t mind it sometimes when the characters are interesting, but as I’ve said, maybe only one or two were actually interesting.

In the middle, it felt like I was waiting forever for anything to happen again between Xiahou Dan & Yu Wan Yin. They were just going in circles.

Things pick up a little bit in episode 19. Romance picks up in episode 20. Finally.

After episode 25 the plot picks up too and becomes interesting. Episode 30 has some great military action sequence. We get some really cool visuals of Xiahou Dan in disguise. A must rewatch scene right before they take the capital.

The addition of characters like Flower was cute, and I wish she had been introduced earlier. Even though she is not who she is she says. I think she was one of those interesting characters that I like to see in the dramas.

The final seven episodes are mostly satisfying, though the last two dragged a bit. Still, everyone who was still alive had their stories wrapped up reasonably well.

That said, some plot points—like Xiahou Dan's character and the fate of the little crown prince—are frustratingly overlooked. It feels like important elements were introduced but never fully explored. I mean, the guy spent half his life in this world which was mostly hell for him. Why Yu Wan Yin never asked Xiahou Dan about his actual biological son after she found out how long he had been inside the novel world beats me. I think any woman would ask, considering how he treated the boy. Yes, he has his reasons. Yes they showed us what happened in a very quick two second snippet that some may have overlooked, but Yu Wan Yin did not see that snippet. So I’m just wondering whether the writers introduced this bit but then glossed over it. Actually, I don’t think they glossed over it. I think they just ignored it. If you introduce something this difficult, then you need to really close this topic properly.

Another thing I did not really get is why make Xie Yong Er from a completely different world. I just did not see the point. Again if you introduce this bit, explore it better. Otherwise, just make it from the same world as the rest of the characters who transmigrated.

In summary, this is a good drama, but I’ve seen better. The pacing is all over the place, especially in the middle, where side characters take up too much valuable screen time that could have been better spent on the leads. If you're a fan of the lead actors, you will enjoy it, but if you're looking for heavy romance, you'll find How Dare You? May know that satisfy your craving.

I also want to comment on acting in this drama.

Acting here was amazing from pretty much everyone. That includes all the child actors.

Ryan Chang here is on fire. He is one of those versatile actors who really shines no matter what kind of emotion he has to play. But he is particularly good costume dramas. In this drama, his emperor has a unique dark tragic aura, and his performance in emotional scenes adds extra depth that makes you empathize with his character. He is just as good in comedic moments.

I also really enjoyed the soundtrack.

Another thing I really liked is that this is one of probably a few C-dramas where you see both characters with hair undone and without their outwear going too bad. I mean, they literally look like they’re wearing sleepwear and their hair is down. Everyone knows this a unicorn in Asian costume dramas. They also don’t make a fuss about sleeping in one bed. They gotta do what they gotta do so they just do it without being prude about it. Also a unicorn situation.

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The cast are amazing

Initially i watched this because of Ryan but stayed because of the story and the supporting cast.

I cringed during romantic scenes because i felt that the ML and FL's chemistry vibe was more of a "friendly-type" but the comedic scenes, especially the hotpot ones are enjoyable. The scenes with their friends are my favorite.

The supporting cast did a great job in portraying their roles, amazing actors and actresses 👏👏👏👏👏 Some roles might have been short but i still cried when they "went home".

I cried a lot in this drama. I have watched a lot of cdrama already but this show felt unique and different to me.
#mustwatch

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Really fun rom-com drama! Rushed ending.

Allow me to say what I've been wanting to tell everyone first. Because this was such a good drama and I really liked the osts, I decided one day to watch the ending credit scene ( you know the one that plays after every episode ). I don't usually watch the opening and ending credit scenes but since I really liked this and wanted more, I started to watch it and OMG ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME. THERE ARE SPOILERS AT THE ENDING CREDIT SCENES OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SCENES OF THIS DRAMA, LIKE IM TALKING ABOUT WHO WILL DIE IN THE FUTURE. I don't know why they did it this way but it was really maddening that I just got spoiled like that.

Aside from that, I really enjoyed this one, just from the trailer alone I already knew it was gonna be a banger. When I started the drama I got even more hooked and really liked the plot and the rom com aspect of it. Honestly this was such a fun watch that I can recommend it to mostly everyone. The Osts, the script, the characters, a lot of it are really good. Although I would say the Young King and Crown prince really threw me off coz I don't know if its a back story or simply just happening now. It took me a while to get the hang of it.

The only other problem I had with this drama is that after the mausoleum arc, it kinda started to go down. I think it was a little rush near the end and the drama could have done better had it gotten more episodes to it to expand more on the story. But overall a really good and fun cdrama to watch. But the spoiler containing ending credit scenes and the rushed ending and badly executed ending really threw me off this. Overall 9.0. I would've given this a 10 as well only if not for the things i mentioned.

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Lovers Against Fate

This story follows a classic transmigration setup. A young woman, Wang Cuihua, is reading a novel when she suddenly finds herself transported into its world, inhabiting the body of Yu Wanyin, the infamous demonic concubine of the tyrant emperor Xiahou Dan.
In the original plot, Yu Wanyin is destined to die and serves as a cruel antagonist to the story’s main couple: Prince Xiahou Bo and the concubine Xie Yonger. Xie Yonger is meant to fall in love with the prince, overthrow the tyrant, and bring justice to the empire.

But things immediately go off-script. Now aware of her fate, Yu Wanyin refuses to follow that path. She doesn’t want to die, nor does she want to play the villain. On her first night in the palace, when she is presented to the emperor, he initially dismissed her, which leads to them interacting and something in his speech catches her attention: a modern expression that shouldn’t exist in this historical setting. Testing her suspicion, she greets him in English. When he replies, they both realize the truth, they’ve both transmigrated into this novel.

What follows is a mix of political intrigue and comedic moments as the two form an unlikely alliance. Together, they try to avoid their doomed fates, navigate palace schemes, and counter the prince’s rebellion, as they begin to wonder if the supposed “hero” couple has transmigrated as well, all while keeping their shared secret hidden.

The male lead really delivers a standout performance. His portrayal of a ‘tyrant’ is layered and deeply sympathetic. Poisoned since childhood by the empress and his brother, he suffers from constant headaches, emotional trauma, and isolation. He was forced into adulthood through abuse and control, he’s a puppet emperor teetering on the edge of madness, yet he still finds the strength to resist and fight back. What makes his story even more tragic is that he has been trapped in this world for over a decade, enduring years of loneliness before Yu Wanyin arrives.

Xie Yonger is another compelling character. Though initially framed as the “destined heroine”, her story is far more tragic. Manipulated by those around her, she tries to survive in this ruthless environment, even facing the devastating loss of her unborn child, gutted by the knowledge that the father, the prince, wanted her dead. Her character arc is emotional and well-executed.

Yu Wanyin herself is charming, mischievous, and kind-hearted, though there are moments where the portrayal could have explored deeper emotional nuance to me. As for the prince, he perfectly embodies a self-righteous, paranoid figure whose moral superiority quickly becomes insufferable. He’s easy to dislike from the start, and never really redeems himself.

The ending in the drama is simple and somewhat abrupt, implying a happy resolution. However, the original version of this story offers a much more complex conclusion, where the emperor eventually dies from the poison and wakes up in the modern world, while Yu Wanyin remains behind, raising their child alone. She lives out the rest of her life in solitude as the empress before finally dying herself and returning to the modern world, where the two are ultimately reunited. This ending adds a bittersweet layer that the adaptation chose to totally skip.

One clear weakness of the drama lies in its action scenes, which were poorly choreographed and almost cartoonish at times.

That said, the central relationship is a major strength. The chemistry between the leads is strong, and their bond develops naturally. They begin as strangers relying on each other for survival, gradually growing into something deeper. The male lead is protective without being controlling, embodying a quiet support that feels genuine and heartfelt. Their romance unfolds in a believable, gradual way that makes it all the more engaging.

The pacing is another highlight for me. Unlike many dramas that drag eventually, this one has a steady, dynamic flow. The plot progresses fast while still allowing time for character and relationship development.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable and engaging drama definitely worth watching.

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How Dare You?! is a comedic, binge-able and twisty watch.

While there are certain plot holes at the end that disturb me in the back of my mind, they largely remain in the back of my mind because they aren't that significant enough to care.
Being a newer c-drama fan, a similar drama I can compare this to is Love Game In Eastern Fantasy. I loved that drama too because of its funny elements. However, one big difference is the political intrigue, no magic powers and the surviving thing. Not only that but the fact is the FL and ML are both transmigrators, their romance feels much more natural/comfortable-to-watch than LGIEF.
But I don't like to compare two dramas because I believe How Dare You?! is a wonderful drama in its own right. The OST, the humor, the delight I get from watching the bad guys lose is unbelievably exceptional.
However, in the end, there's some things I would change about this drama. I can't quite place it but I have a feeling lol. I will surely return to rewatch again and again because I love the FL and ML's chemistry so much!!!

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A comedic drama with heartfelt moments and a supporting cast deserving its own story

For me, the side-characters Mr. Bai and the scholars were the breakout stars of this drama. I could watch a few extra episodes only with the scholars. It's been quite some time since I last cared about side characters in a drama or truly any TV-Show to this extend. The romance was alright but certainly simply a more interesting lead dynamic at the start. The leads are lovable, but I didn't really care about it compared to the scheming and the drama surrounding the nation. Therefore, during most of the last episodes I skipped some scenes.

The Qiang state being behind most schemes was an interesting addition given its presence in both the Xia and Yan state harem. I would have liked to see Qian explored more. Even if the leads would have just found out the Qiang state is the scapegoat of the original story and then had hit like an invisible barrier when trying to communicate with Qiang because the state itself was never written into the original story. Basically, I think it would have been interesting to see more "out-of-bounds experiences" given the talk about 2D and higher level characters. Why shouldn't "2D places" exist too?

Despite skipping through some scenes, this is a drama that made me cry and laugh in equal measure. I actually teared up a few times and that usually only happens once when it's a good drama. As stated before, they truly had a great supporting cast, only FL's maids - both Mei and Hua Hua - were a bit too canon fodder flavored. Speaking of "canons", Mr. Bai's specifically designed arrows were great. The seizing of the capital was a fun action sequence.

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A fun story that gets better the more you dive in.

First things first, in terms of accessories, This drama was on point. I've been slightly annoyed how almost every historical chinese drama I watch always has overrated accessories. This one though was perfect, the FL's over the top accessories make sense because she is literally a concubine in the palace, and every scene makes sense, she is accessorized when is needed to be, and not accessorized when it's clearly unwanted. So genuinely amazing work from the team who picked the accessories.

Now Story, this was very cute. They truly felt like besties who were making mischief at some points and overall just trying to protect each other since they are the only 2 who got transmigrated from their world.
I like in a way the fact that you can see just how badly the FL struggled when she first came to the world of the novel and how even though she kept calling them 2D characters, she truly couldn't fathom the idea of anybody, no matter how random they are, dying. That's kind of what exposed the ML since almost the beginning. He had gotten accustomed to that life after years of being there and he knew that the slightest weakness would make him more prone to attacks.

I love the FL's character growth in which she truly stopped considering the world fake and realized that she was dealing with people who might be from another world, but are just as real as her. We see this most clearly in her scenes with the scholars. All the deaths when nearing the end of the drama felt so..relevant and meaningful (I'm so glad not all of the scholars died it would have been so disappointing)

So all in all, I truly did enjoy this, the plot was fun, the characters were properly created, and the good acting was the cherry on top.

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A Beautiful Pairing in a Flawed but Interesting Series

I was genuinely excited to watch this series because of this particular pairing. I’m not usually a big fan of transmigration plots, but the strong chemistry between the leads and the powerhouse cast convinced me to give it a try.

Overall, the story has a unique concept and could have been incredibly engaging — but unfortunately, the execution fell short. The editing felt uneven, and the pacing of how the story unfolded made it hard to stay fully invested. I struggled through several parts and often felt tempted to skip scenes. The prologue of Zang Shan, which I know is meant to be important, was difficult to follow and connect with since it appeared only in scattered episodes. There were also many conflicts, villains, and side characters introduced throughout the story, to the point that I forgot some of them by the time the ending came.

There were moments when I found myself browsing on my phone while watching, which to me is a sign that some scenes could definitely have been trimmed or tightened.

But despite its weaknesses, the casting is truly the saving grace of this series. Every actor — even the supporting ones — delivered credible and compelling performances.
* The actor who played Prince Duan was outstanding: charming on the surface yet convincingly villainous.
* The actress for Xie Yong Er also did a wonderful job.
* And both actors who portrayed the male and female versions of Bei Shu were an absolute delight to watch.

The Main Leads
The biggest joy of this drama is undeniably the main couple. Their chemistry feels natural, warm, and deeply comfortable — like they fully understand their characters and each other. Some of the early comedic scenes felt a bit awkward, but as many great actors say, comedy is one of the hardest genres to master, so that’s understandable.

I’ve always been a fan of Wang Chu Ran — beyond her stunning beauty, she consistently chooses roles that showcase her strengths. I genuinely don’t understand why she receives so much hate simply for being beautiful; if anything, she continues to prove her talent and versatility with every role.

Cheng Lei, however, was the biggest surprise for me. I had only seen him before in The Legend of Female General, where he didn’t stand out as much. But in this series, he delivered a real breakthrough performance. His role required him to portray a wide range of personas — tyrant, cheeky, apathetic, flirty, authoritative, vulnerable, furious — and he transitioned between them effortlessly.

One moment he’s a playful, lovestruck CEO Dan; the next, he becomes a terrifying emperor capable of commanding fear. His emotional control in the scene where Wan Yin goes missing — shifting from a desperate man begging Mr. Bei to save the woman he loves, to an intimidating ruler — was particularly memorable.

And his chemistry with Wang Chu Ran? Off the charts.
WCR has played flirty, vixen-type roles before, but here she truly embodied the character of You Wan Yin — both demonic and angelic, regal yet deeply human. Together, they felt like a genuine married couple, not just romantic leads.

Final Thoughts
Despite the messy execution of the plot, the performances of the main leads: Cheng Lei and Wang Chu Ran — alongside the strong supporting cast — made the series worth watching. I would love to see these two reunited in another project, preferably one with stronger writing and direction that can fully showcase their incredible acting range.

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A Slow Start That Turns Into a Very Enjoyable Story

At the beginning, I found the pacing a little slow, and I was not sure if I would continue watching it. However, after episode 10, the story became much more engaging, and I was really glad that I did not drop it.

What I liked most was how the drama slowly built its plot and characters. The story did not feel rushed, and once it found its rhythm, it became very easy to stay invested. The emotions, conflicts, and character development were handled well, which made the drama more enjoyable as it went on.

The storyline was good overall, and I liked how the drama kept me interested without making me feel bored. The music also added nicely to the atmosphere and made some scenes more memorable. There were a few scenes that felt like they were not completely necessary, but they did not take away from the overall experience.

I also have to say that the performances supported the story very well. I was especially surprised by the actress because I had a different opinion of her before, but she did a good job here and changed my mind. Cheng Lei was also impressive, and even though I have not watched many of his dramas before, I thought he suited the story very well.

Overall, It is a drama that starts slowly but becomes worth watching if you give it time. I am glad I continued after the beginning because the story became much more enjoyable and satisfying.

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Watchable, but not as good as the donghua

I absolutely adored S1 of this donghua/anime, which is funny and sweet. While waiting for S2, I went ahead and read the novel. I found still funny but somehow a lot less charming, and I actually soured a little on the story after that.

Given this history, it’s difficult for me to rate this drama on its own merits. Not only is it hard to look past differences and comparisons- and I do think it falls significantly short of the donghua- but I also can’t un-know what I know. Maybe I would have liked this show better if I didn’t already know what would happen... or maybe, if the show had been better, I would have still liked it a lot. Who knows.

Since I can’t be objective, I’ll be brief (by my standards, hah). The FL is cute and sensible, and it’s nice that she has “modern” values- this means she dislikes death, innocent people suffering, etc just as much as we audience do. The ML is a little darker, but he’s always on her side even if keeping secrets. Their dynamic is (or is supposed to be) that of playful co-conspirators, which is cute to watch.

There are likeable side characters, and the villains are easy to hate. The humor is pretty good at the beginning but mostly fades away by about halfway. The plot is basically palace politics, but there are some clever elements like the two layers of transmigration, how the protagonist of one story can turn out to be the antagonist of the next, and the way their modern experiences are woven in. I like that the transmigration is addressed directly as being lonely and scary, which also makes you glad they have each other.

All this sounds not too bad, but in the end I couldn’t make myself care about the characters and I wasn’t really rooting for them- either with each other or against their enemies. So it was just not that interesting or captivating.

The acting is alright. I think Wang Churan could work on her expressions a bit. She seems to do a lot of gazing prettily, but I would have preferred a more down-to-earth, spunky Yu Wanyin. Cheng Lei is fine but I didn’t feel much for him or his character. I also had a big problem with the voice acting. Way too many breathy little noises- especially, but not limited to, the FL.

The music is pretty good, both songs and BGM. The costumes also look nice. Overall the show is decent, but as somebody who came in knowing the story, I was pretty bored and watched the whole thing at accelerated speed.

And because I can’t help it, here’s my comparison with the donghua and the novel. I place the drama somewhere in between in terms of enjoyability. It somehow misses a lot of the charm and lightheartedness of the donghua. The drama version FL is a lot less endearing, and the ML (who’s dark side is significantly toned down) is less interesting. I went back to watch the donghua after the drama and immediately felt much more attached to both characters.

The drama of course has a longer runtime. Most of the extra material in the first half, as far as I can tell, is people speaking slowly, and drawn out scenes meant to play up the romance. I thought that was unnecessary and makes their relationship less cute; I prefer its more subtle development in the donghua. As for the novel, it explains things better, but it’s the least warm and fuzzy, and I’m glad they tempered it a bit for the visual versions.

The overall story is the same for all three. In terms of plot, from donghua to drama there are some small changes, which I mostly didn’t like but they were fairly inconsequential. I just don’t think the drama adds substantially to what I got out of the donghua. Even the music- I like the drama’s, but I still like the donghua’s better.

As a note, the donghua S2 is still airing and I do think the story naturally gets darker and less fun in this second half. But from what I’ve seen so far (~9 eps), they’re still doing a good job maintaining the cute, lighthearted tone.

Finally, an explanation of the two layers of transmigration- I didn’t pick this up for half of the donghua S1 and I don’t think the drama did much better, so this might help somebody. Xie Yong’er is a transmigrator with knowledge of one trashy novel, but herself is a character in the trashy novel that our real heroine (Yu Wanyin) has entered. Therefore. Xie Yong’er is trying to change the events that occur in the novel she read, while Yu Wanyin knows what she does and tries to change on top of that.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





The ending within the transmigration world is fine, I'd consider it a happy ending with sacrifices. There are several unfortunate deaths of people you probably like, but at least there is over half an episode of wrap up and people being happy together. It is choppy with no sense of time, and wastes screentime on some drawn out scene with a flamboyant costume, but still ok.

The annoying part is that they completely chop off the reunion in the modern world to a 1-minute sequence on the subway. It has no context and makes no sense. I heard they filmed something else and somehow it got edited to this.

The book version is way better, in which: they get another 10ish years happily together in the transmigration world before he dies; she lives out the rest of her life in that world (decades) and leaves the empire to her child; after dying, she comes back to the modern world, and immediately goes to look for him; in the past 10 years (he transmigrated 10 years before she did), he’s used the knowledge she gave him to build a company and bring the trashy novel back to its popularity, thus allowing her pre-migration self to see it and get the chance to transmigrate. Then they get together and have sexy time.

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PEAK!

*Genre** : Transmigration, Romance, Fantasy, Comedy
**Enjoyment** : 9/10
**Cinematography** : 10/10
**Visuals** : 9/10
ok so this might be my first cdrama EVER and oh my gof I WAS HOOOKEEED!! It’s such a good and interesting drama i feel like it wasn’t dragged at all!! It’s about a woman working in a webtoon station. Her boss tells her that she has to adopt **this novel** till tomorrow. She wishes that she could be inside the novel so she could understand better of what the main lead would do. Later that night she transmigrates into this amazing fantasy historical world meeting with another transmigrator.. And from then on the plot goes crazy 🔥 It’s seriously such a must watch !! It’s soo good watch it! Also it keeps u on ur toes it’s also exciting and lowkey suspenseful!

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