Chinese Cinderella Wants Revenge: C-Drama "The Double"
Let's look at the common tropes of "romtasy" in a Chinese fairy tale on Netflix that combines romance and fantasy.
The Double is a C-drama featuring an ancient Chinese period set, martial arts and an interesting plot. It is based on a novel, “The Marriage of Di Daughter”.
It falls into the category of “romtasy”, which is a combination of romance and fantasy.
According to Bloomberg, “romtasy” is a $610 million publishing industry. And that's not even including the period dramas.
Here are the common tropes to “romtasy” dramas and novels.
#1 Female heroine out for revenge
The heroine is an ordinary girl who wants to take revenge on someone or someones who have tried to hurt, wrong or murder her. She is ordinary and relatable, but has a special skill that no one else has. In R.F. Kuang's “The Poppy War”, the central heroine can summon fire. In “The Double,” the heroine Xue Li is a clever strategist on par with Zhuge Liang.
#2 Love interest is cold and arrogant at first
The love interest is always the best looking man on set / in the book. He has high social status, unlike the heroine. He starts off being cold and arrogant to the heroine, but later becomes her ally and love interest.
In “The Poppy War”, Rin and Nezha start out as rivals in school. But their relationship thaws and warms up quickly when he and his kingdom allies himself with her army against a rival power.
In “The Double”, Xue Li is at first arrested by the cold and arrogant Duke Su, but later he uses her as an ally in his quest to take down a rival family.
#3 Heroine tops an imperial exam
The imperial exam is a made-up affair that utilises different skills like archery and playing the guzheng.
In “The Poppy War”, Rin has to go through not just the imperial exam, but a series of fighting jousts once she enlists in China's top military academy.
In “The Double”, Xue Li and her team top the imperial exams. A lot of the fun comes from watching her form a motley crew of misfits who each have special skills.
Imperial exams might not sound like riveting watching / reading but somehow, the producers / author make it edge-of-the-seat entertainment.
#4 Heroine gets her fantastic revenge on powerful rivals
In “The Double”, Xue Li uses her smarts to foil her enemies’ conspiracies against her, and to counter attack them successfully.
A Chinese Cinderella, she drives her stepmother mad and encourages her stepsisters to rebel. She is also on the hunt for the ex-husband who tried to murder her, a powerful Minister backed by the evil Emperor's sister.
Even though the odds against her are stacked, the underdog heroine always wins in “romtasy” dramas, through a mix of strategy, good alliances and special skill sets.
TERMS OF USE: Some of the information on this website may have changed since the time of writing. By continuing to read this article, you agree to be bound by our Terms of Use and Disclaimer and verify any information before taking action.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only. You should not construe such information as material for financial, legal, investment or tax advice. Views and opinions expressed by The Family Investor are personal and not meant to constitute advice. In exchange for using this site, you agree not to hold The Family Investor liable for any claims of damages upon decisions you make after visiting this site.