The Romance of Tiger and Rose is a drama about Chen Qianqian, an author who gets sucked into her own script and becomes a character that was supposed to be killed in the first few episodes. She is forced to change the story with her actions. Chen Qianqian navigates through the script, using her knowledge of it to her advantage. The Romance of Tiger and Rose has become one of my favorite dramas because it is a refreshing take on gender roles, is witty and doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer, and tells a very beautiful love story.
The story was very well written. Not only was it comical, but it was also witty, dark, well-paced, and surprising. It was easy for me to want to watch the next episode, which is hard for some dramas to do. As with every drama, there were moments that felt unnecessary, but there was nothing that felt severely out of place or detracted from the flow of the story. I loved how they were able to bring serious issues to light, such as gender inequality, without making it feel like they were lecturing the viewer. All of the characters were well written and convincing, and while they had moments that were over-the-top, it was never done in a way that made you want to throw your screen as far as possible. Even though I personally loved many of the secondary characters, especially Su Mu and Yuanyuan, and wish they had more scenes, I can see how that might have affected the story negatively. I am glad that the writers were able to find a balance between giving the secondary characters way too much screen time (sadly I've watched many dramas that were guilty of this) and way too little. Overall, the plot was very well-paced and full of action. There were no boring filler scenes and I never felt the need to skip through.
I was pleasantly surprised by the acting abilities of Ding Yuxi and Zhao Lusi. To be honest, I went in hearing so many negative things about Lusi that I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I found her to play her part very naturally, as if she were made for the role of Chen Qianqian. Ding Yuxi was also a very expressive actor. The role of Han Shuo was probably one of the hardest roles in the story, seeing as he had so many different motives, but Yuxi pulled it off flawlessly. Even the side characters were entertaining in their own right, especially the servants, who often stole the spotlight with their hilarious remarks and silly expressions.
Overall, this was an amazing drama that I highly recommend. It is the type of drama that will stay on a viewer's mind for days after it is finished. Not only is it wildly entertaining, but it is also intelligent and has an interesting message.