iQiyi Premieres Meta Comedic Romance Period C-drama A Dream within a Dream with Li Yi Tong and Liu Yu Ning
There is a reason I hate buffets, most of the time it’s quantity over quality but even when it’s all quality I still feel like I can’t enjoy stuff because I’ve got too much of it to consume. It feels like a buffet of C-dramas right now and yet another one has premiered with the arrival on June 26th of A Dream within a Dream on iQiyi. Starring Li Yi Tong and Liu Yu Ning, it’s basically the non-xianxia genre version of Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, with a modern female lead living her meta experience in a political period thriller C-drama. Early reviews are good, it’s funny in the right ways in sweetly poking fun in pretty on point ways at the tropes of period C-dramas. I have so many new dramas I need to start with this one included, but I think this is the last big premiere in June with the big dramas coming in early July to include Flourished Peony part 2 In the Name of the Blossom and modern drama Love’s Ambition, and also maybe The Journey of Legend which is reportedly back on for airing.
I am enjoying this so much. I want the episodes to last, but I keep watching them so fast and new episodes can’t come fast enough.
It’s just so damn funny without being too much and over the top. So far it’s a really nice balance.
I’ve only watched the first episode but I was cackling so hard especially in the last 15 minutes or so! I also like how it comments on the current cdrama ridiculousness. I actually quite like Li Yitong. She’s able to act with enough nuance that I can tell when a scene is like a ridiculous cdrama trope vs her true self. I hope the comedy continues. Also, for TPoB fans, Wei Liang and Wei Shao have reincarnated here 😂
I love it! It is totally hilarious. Li Yi Tomg is so pretty here and I hope tp watch hee more often. Liu Yiu Ning really does not look good with long hairdo (I prefer him in official court attire and hair styling). Anyway he is playing his usual villain role but this time, I can’t help rooting for his character coz he made me cry (with laughter) so much.
It’s a buffet for sure and I’m enjoying cdrama more than kdrama these last 2-3 years.
I wasn’t expecting to like this more than Prisoner of Beauty but I never finished the later while I’m loving this! SZE didn’t really work for me in POB and I so much want to like it but couldn’t get past ep 21. 🙁
LYT to me is an actress and not an idol. And was surprised she has chemistry with LYN. And the usual LYN troop is alive and IMO better than those in POB.
Im the minority. I tried the first 2 ep but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Need more dramas to be released.
I’m up to date on the episodes so far and I am conflicted over whether I like this drama or not. Scenes with the FL and ML are funny and I like it very much, but on the other hand the moment the scenes switched to the other characters I became bored and kept fast forwarding them away. I’m not averse to isekai genres and I had loved Love Game in Eastern Fantasy very much, so I don’t know what’s the exact issue. Maybe the side characters weren’t written well enough? But then this type of dramas is meant to be nonsensical and funny.
Today’s new episodes has set my opinion on this drama in stone. The pacing is all over the place, very draggy in some and then normal in others. They spent the bulk of episode 9 discussing about their ridiculously bad plans to kill off Nan Heng, which is very unnecessary. Then in episode 10, the scene jumped from FL running away with the fake Li Shiliu in hand to her hiding alone in the corner of the street, without telling us how did the fake Li Shiliu get away from her.
I think the drama’s tone is not working for you. It’s very self aware hence, the silliness and the ridiculous plot lines. For instance, I loved the whole Nan Heng assassination scene, the real one and the planning combined. It is at times a parody of these costume dramas.
It’s way too over the top. There were many other isekai dramas which also had silliness and ridiculousness due to the main lead being from the real world which I had enjoyed very much such as Love Game in Eastern Fantasy and Guardians of the Dafeng. But A Dream Within A Dream is way too over the top that it feels like those poorly made short dramas but combined with the draggy and bad pacing of long dramas. Parody/satire or not, the drama should retain the basic elements of a good drama, which is good pacing.
One more to add. Excusing every badly executed parts of the drama to be just parody or satire will only work if the story is told from the FL’s point of view because she is from the real world, however the story have switched from being seen from the FL’s point of view to ML’s point of view in the latest few episodes. It’s like if you were asked to write an essay about what constitutes a bad essay, you just wrote 5 words “This is a bad essay.” and submit it. You think it’s clever? Nah.
I have never seen so much cringe in my life. That people consume this garbage is absolutely mind boggling but at least it is comforting to know that the long drama market is dying so the silent majority obviously aren’t garbage consumers.
The cringe IS intentional since the drama seems to be a parody of Cdrama tropes! :))
Started episode 1 and it instantly gave me The Demon Hunter’s Romance ep 19 flashbacks—same scene looping, trying to change fate vibes 😅 So far it’s pretty fun! FL’s acting feels natural. Still figuring out the rest of the cast, but hopefully I can stick with it and enjoy the drama!
I find some parts funny but a little lost with the whole script writer and fantasy mechanisms they are trying to convey with the main leads. Like what the heck direction is this drama going but overall it is ok. The female leads character though is a bit obnoxious at times. But so far fairly average with some silly shenanigans. Though I get a sense things might turn sad but hopefully not too much. Kind of hoping the male lead is not treated too badly throughout the remaining story. At times a bit unfair.
This is my Liu Yuning appreciation post. I am smitten by this man right now😄 He is so incredibly sexy. I wonder if he knows how sexy he is. He has so much chemistry just looking at the camera. He is a talented actor. His eyes, his voice, were meant for the silver screen. I am willing to start a gofundme for Liu Yuning to star in his own movie😂
Wow…what extensive comments indeed! :). Isn”t it fun to have a break from too much drama, conflicts & romanticism in cdrama?
Feud is not my cup og tea as l stopped watching it once Siling has a murderous intent on her spouse..whatt..is this what we want people to follow?…the morality is lost & Forgive n Forget gone into the drain.At least, LYT gives us the break 😉
Fantasy doesn”t account reality much. It”s all about creativity unless Alice in Wonderland would have been so fake 🙂 wouldn”t it?
LYN is getting better n better. He”s very talented & he’s taking his time to show it.
Wow @Lilith, why did you treat yourself so badly? If I were in your position, I’d have stopped at 3 episodes in, clearly this series is not for you.
I personally enjoy it a lot, the OST is so good and everyone acting are on point. I’m up to episode 18 and I can say that whatever the intended plot line for the ML is now shifting to the king. Man oh man, do I want to strangle him so badly, what a scumbag.
This series just make fun of so many c-drama tropes and I’m here for it.
I love seeing how the ML and FL falling in love organically. The man is so smitten with her.
Because I like the genre and had good experience with previous similar dramas, that’s why I was willing to give this drama a few more chances. I like the premise of this drama, just that it’s badly executed.