- Title: Mr. Bad
- Also Know As: 我的反派男友,My Villain Boyfriend, Wo De Fan Pai Nan You
- Director: Lee Ching Jung
- Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Comedy
- Country: China
- Episodes: 24
- Year: 2022
- Original Network: iQiyi
- Where to Watch: iQiyi, WeTV
Hello, we meet again in another Chinese drama review. Right now I give you Mr. Bad drama review. I love this drama for a lot of reasons. Without further ado, let’s go!
Mr. Bad Synopsis
Mr. Bad was a Chinese romance drama, with total of 24 episodes. The story was about Nan Xing, who was an aspiring writer. She spends her spare time writing online novels. Just like any other girl, Nan Xing yearned to have a romantic relationship. But the problem is, other than her idol, Lu Zichen, she did not have any crush lately.
Because of the cruel internet comments on her latest novel, Nan Xing started to write about Xiao Wudi. This Young Master of Hehuan Palace was a handsome man, very clever, and talented in martial arts. However, he was a villain. A sharp-mouthed person who loves to bully others.
One day, a nosy fairy granted her careless wish for unforgettable love. Suddenly, Xiao Wudi appeared before her. This handsome villain believed he had time traveled from the ancient era 500 years ago to help her in dire situations.
However, could Nan Xing really have an unforgettable love with a villain bully while juggling her new job, a moody boss, and her novel? What would happen with Xiao Wudi? Will he be able to return to where he belongs while slowly he was the one who falls in love with Nan Xing?
Mr. Bad Review
Mr. Bad caught me unprepared. I thought this drama was another sweet romance between the ancient hero who has time traveled to the future. And as usual, the hero would have a hard time adjusting his lifestyle to the modern era. The girl must be through a hard time to help him, or else he could not catch up with the modern world. But, oh boy, I was wrong. This Xiao Wudi was clever, and he was the one who bullied the modern person 😂
I really like this kind of refreshing story. The last drama I saw about time traveling was See You Again drama. The male lead needs some time to adapt to the new world. But this Xiao Wudi was astounding. The way he handle the different eras was quite impressive.
The Cinematography
There was nothing special about the cinematography. The shooting angles and the costumes were quite good, you might not find faults in them, but there was nothing extraordinary either. The drama relied on the story and the acting of the actors. I was not quite fond of the gloomy color tone of the pictures. Personally, I prefer colorful tones. But I do like like their home setting. It feels homey without the exaggerated Pinterest vibes.
The Story
The plot was so good at the beginning, it was refreshing to see an ancient man who was eager to know the modern time. He even cut his hair without much consideration, only because he felt he needed it to adapt to the modern world. A rarely seen from an ancient man who very much emphasized the value that they carried along with their long hair. There was not much explanation about his reason. And when he had to return to ancient times, his hair stays short. And it was kinda weird to see a man in ancient attire but with modern-styled hair..😅
In the middle of the story, it was a bit cliché. Especially when Xiao Wudi started to realize his feelings for Nan Xing, and he tried to pursue her. I was more interested in the relationship between the boss, Lu Zichen, and his long-time business partner/friend/love interest, Ye Qing. Lu Zichen was waaaaayyy far different from Nan Xing’s imagination. He was not a cool boss. Instead, he was a gloomy, moody, careless, and immature boss.
The one who had the attitude of a CEO boss was Ye Qing. She was a kind person with a cool and strong determination nature of a boss, completed with a knack for business intuition. A reversal from the usual CEO boss and secretary plot.
And another interesting fact is that Nan Xing’s mother. Aunt An was not Nan Xing’s biological mother. In fact, she was an orphan. Nan Xing used to live with her father in the apartment across from Aunt An’s apartment. Meanwhile, Aunt An lives with her son, Mao Xiaojun. Father Nan and Mao Xiaojun died when a fire broke out in the laboratory where Father Nan worked. After that, Aunt An took Nan Xing to live with her. Nan Xing addressed her as Mom, afterward.
The Casts and Characters
Our Main Leads
Xiao Wudi
As Xiao Wudi, Chen Zhe Yuan was a good choice for the character. He had those playful expressions and arrogance that fit for a villain. Well, he might be a tad too gorgeous but… You can’t just complain about it, isn’t it? Chen Zhe Yuan was the perfect eye candy for this drama and his acting was good. I was quite embarrassed to see his cockiness on screen and I feel sad when he was helpless and confused about his identity.
Since Xiao Wudi was a villain, he was quite a sharp-mouthed person. He was cruel, but not the kind that will threaten you with your life. I thought that he was contrary to Nan Xing’s writing about him. Xiao Wudi’s cleverness was exceptional. When he just arrived in the modern world, Xiao Wudi didn’t get confused at all. He weighs the situation and realizes very quickly that he must find the history book to get to know modern life. So he did spend an entire night in a library reading countless books. I called this exceptional because he could read simplified Chinese in an instant..😅
Anyhow… This gorgeous ancient Chinese hero managed to learn complicated things that only exist in the modern world such as smartphones or computers, and he was quite adept at it. There were many scenes that he was browsing through the internet.. and oh, he bought the computer himself. What a modern move for an ancient man.
Xiao Wudi thought that he was omnipotent. He was super proud of his cleverness that he wanted to take the college exam and be a professor at a university. He was also super confident that he could help Nan Xing with her novel and everything. Until he realizes that he was just a fictional character that Nan Qing created for her novel. His world was crumbling down in an instant. His identity that he was proud of was nothing but a makeup story. As an ancient man with dignity, this was a heavy blow for him.
Nan Xing
Nan Xing was a bubbly girl who had a dream to be a book author. Her long-time idol was the famous author, Lu Zichen. Nan Xing had hard teenage years when she had to lose her father and love interest/friend in a fire. She almost died too if Mao Xiaojun did not save her. Unfortunately, Mao Xiaojun perished in the fire. Her trauma lead to a severe panic attack every time she saw fire. After Mao Xiaojun’s death, Nan Xing never falls in love again. The guilt and sorrow never left her, until Xiao Wudi came.
During her hard time, Lu Zichen was her savior. Every time she felt down, she would read his novel. This habit leads her to be an avid reader of Lu Zichen’s novel series and a loyal fan of Ma Leng and Su Yu, the novel characters. The reason she applied for an assistant position on X-Culture was to work alongside Lu Zichen. Her perseverance and sincere nature helped her to secure the position as Lu Zichen’s assistant, despite her lacked knowledge or experience in the publishing industry.
Nan Xing only had a few friends. Her teammates during college were her only friend. But she maintains a good relationship with her boss, Ye Qing.
The Supporting Characters
Lu Zichen
I used to watch Luo Ming Jie as Yang Chao Yang in another time travel drama, Shining For One Thing. It feels like a Deja Vu to see him in the same drama genre, also as a rich kid who preferred to pursue his own dream rather than following the path his parent carved for him.
Lu Zichen is a successful, talented author and the founder of X-Culture, a publishing company. Born as a second-generation rich kid, Lu Zichen lived a good life. His father runs a big company and always hopes that someday Lu Zichen will become his successor.
However, Lu Zichen has his own dream. He wanted to build a publishing company where he could help talented new writers with a chance to build their own success. X-culture was his dream come true. He would not be able to manage it if not for the help of his long-time/love interest, Ye Qing.
Without the help of Ye Qing, his father would not agree to invest in his company, because apparently, Lu Zichen lacked the talent on managing the company. His immature and carefree nature was not suitable to be a CEO of a company. That’s why he always relied on Ye Qing’s hard work.
Lu Zichen kept his feelings for Ye Qing for many years. The female character in his popular book series, Su Yu, was written based on Ye Qing’s personality. That was how much Lu Zichen liked her. Unfortunately, although Ye Qin always stayed on his side for ages, they never had any romantic relationship.
Ye Qing
This is my first time seeing Qu Jing Jing’s work of art. And I adore her immediately. She played the talented Ye Qing flawlessly.
Ye Qing was born into a simple family. Her parents run a small food restaurant. Ye Qing used to love to write as much as Lu Zichen. But she admitted that she was far from the talented Lu Zichen. Her talent lies somewhere else.
Ye Qing had the capability to manage a big company. She used to work as Lu Zichen’s assistant for years, and she was good at her job. When the company grows bigger, Ye Qing became the CEO of X-Culture. Her knacks of business and negotiating skill won the hearts of many investors. They trusted her more than they trusted Lu Zichen as the founder of the company.
Ye Qing’s hobby was sports. She was into extreme sports such as bungee jumping. The total opposite of the soft Lu Zichen. She knew Lu Zichen felt for her, but she did not return his feeling.
An Ni Na, Nan Xing’s Mother
Dong Xuan played An Ni Na, Nan Xing’s foster mother. I used to watch her on Novoland: Pearl Eclipse and The Legend of Fei. It was refreshing to see her in modern attire.
An Ni Na was a dancer. Besides her youth-looking appearance, she was also young at heart. She got along very well with Nan Xing, you would not be able to tell that they were not biologically connected because they were soooo harmonious.
An Ni Na used to live across from Nan Xing’s apartment. She had a teenage son, Mao Xiaojun. An Ni Na is always fond of Nan Xing. She often invited her to stay with them at her house whenever Nan Xing’s father had to work overtime. An Ni Na knew very well that Nan Xing liked Mao Xiaojun, she always made an opportunity for her.
Although she was a great mother, An Ni Na also had a flaw. She was never a good cook. She often gets creative with her cooking, but the taste is always terrible… 😂
The Ending (beware of Spoiler!)
Mr. Bad ending, as expected, was a happy ending. Fret not, readers, everybody live a good life…😉
I wrote the complete explanation about Mr. Bad ending, on the Mr. Bad ending explained post. You can read it if you want to know about the ending detail of this drama.
The Conclusion
Hmmm… It’s a long drama review, isn’t it? But there were too many things inside my mind that I wanted to share with you dear readers. Mr. Bad might seem cliché, too shallow, or boring. But it wasn’t. I found this drama refreshing.
You could watch it over and over again without being tired at all. There were no problematic exes, no jealous love rivals, or over-the-top misunderstandings. It was perfect drama to enjoy with a cup of coffee and lots of snacks.
You could watch it daily because this slow romance drama needed to be enjoyed slowly. You did not need to empty all of your schedules by the weekend, because you could watch Mr. Bad on a weekday after a busy working day.
Dear readers, I hope you enjoy my two cents and found this Mr. Bad drama review helpful. Happy watching!
