| Main Cast | 张淼怡，金贤正 |
| Released | 2022 |
| Link | MyDramaList |
| Length | 20-24 episodes (6min each) per season |
| Genre | Romance, Historical |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
《拜托了，别宠我》 “Please Don’t Spoil Me“ is one of the early short dramas produced by Tencent and aired at the beginning of 2022.
I attempted this short drama during the initial release, but unfortunately, I couldn’t watch past the first few episodes.
After the release of the 5th season, I gave it a second chance. I’m glad I did because this became one of my favourite historical short dramas.
Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of 《拜托了，别宠我》 “Please Don’t Spoil Me“ are set in a non-specific fabricated historical time period. Seasons 4 and 5 are set in the modern day. I will review these separately.
Short dramas are becoming very popular, and if you haven’t tried them yet, consider giving them a go. They’re a great form of entertainment.
Synopsis
Webnovel author Yan Yi Yi wakes up as the evil support character of her novel who is destined to be banished to the cold palace. She tries everything she can to avoid this tragic ending but is soon told by the book official that the story must flow according to the original plot, or else she will be obliterated.
Yan Yi Yi finds herself trying to maintain the original plot while trying to avoid a bad ending for herself.
… And soon, she starts to fall in love with the emperor.
The Watching Experience
Seasons 1, 2 and 3
The season begins with an introduction to the main character and a very quick summary of the original plot of the webnovel she’s writing.
The summary serves as a reference point throughout the rest of the series. I didn’t pay attention the first time around, so a few episodes in, I had to go back and rewatch the first 3 minutes. Pay attention, don’t make the same mistake I did.
Following the summary, she is electrocuted and wakes up as the evil supporting character in her novel. The hilarious main plot starts to unfold from this point onwards.
Initially, I found the main character’s acting in the early episodes a little awkward and cringy. Still, I grew to appreciate her charm over time and enjoyed the silly and hilarious scenes. If you love cute female leads, you’ll like her; she is very cute!
I’m not very keen on too much romance, but I enjoyed this one due to the well-balanced mixture of romance, comedy, slice of life and light politics. The romance scenes aren’t too long, but there’s enough that you’ll still have a great time if you’re a big romance fan!
Many plotlines are common tropes found in transmigration historical dramas, but despite this, they didn’t feel dull and tedious. Like many short dramas, the pacing and storytelling are fast and action-packed, with little room for filler content.
With the historical portion of 《拜托了，别宠我》 “Please Don’t Spoil Me“ spanning three seasons, the plot is more intricate and expansive compared to similar shows in the same genre but still simple and linear.
The episode length is a little shorter than other short dramas, typically only 5-6 minutes long. Along with the short episodes and the fast-paced flow of the narration, I found myself finishing a season without even realising it.
Season 3 is the finale of the first arc with an acceptable happy ending for a transmigration show.
Seasons 4 and 5
The second arc set in the modern day starts from season 4 and continues to season 5. It provides more closure to the couple’s relationship as the emperor and his servant transmigrate to her modern world.
These two modern seasons can’t be watched as a standalone show; the context from the first three seasons is required.
Besides the emperor and his servant, many of the side characters make a return as modern counterparts.
In these two new seasons, the main character has no recollection of her transmigration adventure and believes they were simply events in her novel. Upon transmigrating to the modern world, the emperor aids her in building her own publishing house while trying to help her regain her memory of their time together.
The couple’s individual needs and the emperor’s lack of understanding of her world eventually led to many conflicts.
While the production style and length of episodes are similar to the first three seasons, the shift to a modern setting changed the vibe and charm. It didn’t feel the same.
The initial episodes with the emperor and the servant adapting to modern-day life were hilarious. However, there was a lack of focus and depth on their life in the modern big city after that. Perhaps this is due to the length, and there’s not much room to divert into this side story.
Some of the plotlines drag a little in season 5, and I felt that the main character was put through more hardship for the sake of screen time. Furthermore, I felt some parts didn’t make much sense.
Difficulty for a Chinese learner
Seasons 1, 2 and 3
The initial episodes of 《拜托了，别宠我》 “Please Don’t Spoil Me“ could be challenging if you are new to the concept of transmigrating into a webnovel.
Although the language used has a light touch of historical flavour, given the length and expansive storylines, the subject matters and types of vocabulary used are broad and varied. It’s a brilliant show for familiarising yourself with different historical themes and tropes.
If you have a little bit of experience with historical-themed drama, you should have no trouble following along with the plot; however, if you’re a complete beginner, it could be a little challenging. You can watch 《双世萌妻》 “Love for Two Lives” and 《念念无明》 “The Killer is Also Romantic” first before attempting 《拜托了，别宠我》 “Please Don’t Spoil Me“.
Seasons 4 and 5
Due to the change to modern-setting, the last two seasons of 《拜托了，别宠我》 “Please Don’t Spoil Me“ are much easier to comprehend and follow along compared to the first three seasons.
The primary storyline evolves around the main character building up her own publishing house. Therefore, there are many workplace and publishing house terminologies. It’s great if you want to pick up vocabulary related to the modern workforce.
These two seasons, unfortunately, can’t be watched as a standalone show.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps I am biased toward historical drama and don’t often enjoy modern setting drama; I felt seasons 4 and 5 were lacklustre compared to seasons 1-3. In my opinion, workplace conflict and business struggles aren’t as interesting as palace conflicts.
If you don’t enjoy modern romance-focused drama, skip seasons 4 and 5 unless you want more closure to the main couple’s story.
I enjoyed seasons 1, 2 and 3, and I’m glad the ending was acceptable enough that watching seasons 4 and 5 isn’t required.
《拜托了，别宠我》 “Please Don’t Spoil Me“ is a great show if you’re looking for a drama that’s relaxing, short with some light-hearted drama. It’s also excellent for Mandarin Chinese learners.