Romance on the Farm (2023) - Final Review

Final review/rating: Romance on the Farm (2023) - Not much romance but there is family melodrama aplenty 

This is 7.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         7.5 Stars Plot:                       7 Stars Acting/cast:            7 Stars Couple chemistry:   8 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      7 Stars Enjoyment factor:   7.5 Stars

When I saw that Romance on the Farm (2023)  was headed by big eyed cuties Zeng Shun Xi and Tian Xie Wei, it went on my to-watch-while-airing list.  What's not to love about a historical slice of life drama set in a rural farming setting?  Historical/period dramas on commoners are far and few between, and there is an interesting twist in this one in that the female lead is a modern gamer testing a VR farming game.  Besides, having just watched Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023), I wanted to see Xiao Bao again and that cute doggy Hu Li Jing also makes an appearance as Dai Wang in this drama...    

However, Romance on the Farm (2023) is not what I expected. Although the name, trailer, and marketing gave off a fluffy romcom vibe, romcom this definitely is not.  The Chinese drama title 《田耕紀》"Farming Chronicles" is more apt. If you watch this one, be prepared for what can often be a melodrama that makes your blood boil because Man'er's extended family are a toxic bunch and their machinations would not be out of place in a palace drama. I also think the drama would have made more sense without the VR gaming premise.  

However, despite the family melodramatics and some rather obvious logic flaws linked to the gaming premise, the drama (and Zeng Shun Xi and Tian Xie Wei) kept me watching till the rather sweet play-on-words ending. 

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

Romance on the Farm (2023) - Synopsis

Drama info:

Title:  Romance on the Farm 

Chinese title:  田耕紀 (Eng translation: "Farming Chronicles") 

Episodes: 26 + 1 short special episode

Genre: Slice of life, romance, historical

Original network:  iQiyi

Release date:        14 Oct  2023

Airing schedule:    14 Oct 2023 - 25 Oct 2023

Synopsis:

Lian Man'er enters a farming VR game set in ancient China as a tester, and soon finds herself on the Lian family farm.  To successfully win the game she needs to earn 1000 golden taels.  

When Man'er meets the mysterious Shen Nuo, she ropes him into helping her in various farming and business ventures.  As they work hand in hand, romance blossoms. But making 1000 taels is no easy task as they are repeatedly thwarted by events outside their control, as well as Man'er's problematic extended family. Shen Nuo is also not who he seems, and has a secret quest of his own to achieve.