To long time drama watchers like myself, the classic gender bender form of romance is not a new formula. The main character faces a dilemma that can only be solved by them pretending to be the perceived opposite gender and hoodwinks ensue. Some of my personal favorite dramas revolve around this humor-inducing trope, yet this trope is too often unbelievable, hard to execute, and almost always falls to harmful gender stereotypes. Yes, I am looking at you To The Beautiful You (KR) and You Are Beautiful (KR). This reasoning is why I am more hesitant these days to begin gender-bender dramas; however, Oops! The King is in Love, a 2020 historical romance web drama from Mainland China, had one thing that lured me in: Ma Meng Wei.
I first had the pleasure of watching Ma Meng Wei in Love The Way You Are (2019), a modern rom com from Mainland China, in which she plays the second lead. Ma plays a workaholic who discovers a life altering truth that causes her to reevaluate her life choices and what she thinks is truly important. Ma Meng Wei and her partner honesty stole the show for me and I have been a fan since then.
Oops! The King is in Love is Ma Meng Wei’s first lead role in a drama and she has a few more slated for the rest of 2020, so I had to dive in IMMEDIATELY once I saw this drama was on iQiYi. Oops! The King is in Love begins with the intertwining of the lives of the emperor in disguise and a renowned street fighter, the Jade Qiin, who is secretly a woman and our main character, Zhi Xia. Both characters are working to rebel against the empress dowager and one of their insiders goes missing. This specific insider owes Zhi Xia money and Zhi Xia’s followers are in desperate need of the money; thus, Zhi Xia goes undercover in the palace as San Bao, a new imperial eunuch, to uncover what happened to their lost cohort. Chaos ensues as San Bao becomes the Emperor’s new personal eunuch and their feelings for each other change as their plot to lead the rebellion thickens.
While biting off a bit more than it can chew in it’s 24 episode run, Oops! The King is in Love finds a lovely balance between serious political ploys and slapstick domesticity that allows the viewer to remain pleasantly engaged in this tale surrounding an emperor and his personal eunuch. This low budget web makes scenes look lush and elegant through it’s fantastic angles and work with the lighting seen below.
All the actors have wonderful chemistry, but especially the two main leads, Ma Meng Wei and Ash Zhu. Having the privilege to watch their relationship blossom from best friends into equal lovers is a delight that is sure to leave a warm and fuzzy feeling in your memory just as the one I find in mine. Viewers witness a satisfying multifaceted partnership that is too often shallowly depicted in other works of the same nature. The comfort the main leads find in each other is just so endearing that it sends heaps of warmth through a viewer’s bones. The gender-bent dynamics were handled in a refreshingly different way from similar stories and though served as the initial plot device, did not consume the drama or overtake it in any way.
However, given the copious amount of screen time dedicated to the main pairing, the last episode was underwhelming. I did not personally receive the emotional conclusion I so desired from Yan Jin and Zhi Xia nor did the other romance lines receive enough time to believably manifest. The ending focused too much on tying everything and everyone together with a neat bow in under forty minutes that it lost its capacity to dive deep into the characters.
MAJOR SPOILERS BEGINNING HERE!
For example, viewers were told for almost the whole drama that Yan Jin and Zhi Xia could not live without one another. Then, Yan Jin “died,” and when the pair was reunited, I just did not feel the intense emotions I should have given their buildup. I wanted to see tight hugs and ugly sobbing, but the reunion scene was maybe five minutes and it ended with a kiss we couldn’t even see clearly.
Also, the warrior couple was one I desperately wish was focused on more. Zhi Yue, the honorable Dong Sheng warrior, and Khan, the enemy Mosa nation leader, deserved more screen time as their dynamic was wonderful too. I especially loved the fact that amidst their battle, they switched swords and kept them!! I shall continue their story in my daydreams.
Other plot points that I wish had been delved into more include the Emperor’s mother and their past; the secret martial arts society; Ms. Emerald’s past; and the empress dowager’s past. All of these were strongly introduced but eventually fizzled out and left me longing for more.
ENDING OF MAJOR SPOILERS!
Despite the anti-climatic finale, the world-building and character growth of the leads found in Oops! The King is in Love is incredibly enjoyable. The bickering, physical gags, sarcasm, and sweet awkwardness of the new couple overtook my heart. Oops! The King is in Love offers audiences an alternative take on period pieces in opposition to intense, melodramatic stories while still efficiently weaving palace politics into its light-hearted atmosphere. If you are a viewer like me who needed a break from the ugly sobbing normally associated with historical Chinese dramas, take a chance on this story of a lonely emperor and his personal eunuch with a secret.
If you like Oops! The King is in Love, I recommend:
I’ve Fallen For You (2020)
Mainland Chinese Drama
Moonlight Drawn by Clouds (2016)
Korean Drama
The Tale of Nokdu (2019)
Korean Drama
In the future, I plan to publish an Extra Crispy Hot Take focused on analyzing the dynamics of gender and marriage found within Oops! The King is in Love, so please anticipate that!
Grow the Roses 