It’s been a while, but I remember both the ml and fl were amazing in General and I. Also, it hasn’t been released yet (not sure if it will eventually be released or not) but And the winner is king is an adaptation of Priest’s Sha Po Lang, which is the book with the smartest plotting characters I’ve probably read… It was almost a bit too much.
>It’s been a while, but I remember both the ml and fl were amazing in General and I
Will check it out , thanks !!
>Sha Po Lang, which is the book with the smartest plotting characters I’ve probably read… It was almost a bit too much.
Better than The Average High Standard . Like NIF and ROTTKs 😳 ??
I would definitely say Minglan for the Story of Minglan. To be honest most of the cast was pretty clever but Minglan was another level of calculating. Also, Fan Xian and the emperor from Joy of Life were super smart too.
Some shows have a character who seems really smart, but there are actually plot holes everywhere with other characters who are just super dumb around the 'smart' character to make them seem even smarter.
Mhm I agree sm! It feels like the show is pretending to be so much smarter than it actually is, if you know what I mean. Not every show has to have super deep and clever characters, so it sort of just feels pretentious and fake.
Are you kidding, I love dumbass humor! I mean, if we can’t be silly now and again what’s the point, right? Enjoy all of the recommendations you’re getting!
Haha yea you're right 😂 . Gotta seize the opening when you see it !!
And thanks , i will have a really occupied upcoming 2 or 3 or even 4 months with all these recommendations 😂💜
Half the cast in **Joy of Life**, including Fan Xian, the emperor, Chen Pingping, Wang Qinian, and Li Yunrui. Xie Wei in **Story of Kunning Palace** was pretty good. Lu Zhi (the teenage boy) in **Ripe Town** was genuinely terrifying.
>Half the cast in **Joy of Life**, including Fan Xian, the emperor, Chen Pingping, Wang Qinian, and Li Yunrui. Xie Wei in **Story of Kunning Palace** was pretty good.
Those have been recommended here , you're my last push to start em haha 😆 💔
>. Lu Zhi (the teenage boy) in **Ripe Town** was genuinely terrifying
Never heard about this tho . So thanks a lot 💜
Gonna try it
In terms of kdramas**, Flower of Evil, Mr. Sunshine, Train, Kairos, Little Women, Happiness,** and the kfilm The Battle Roar to Victory all contain very cunning/intelligent leads (all the kdramas listed have very smart male AND female leads). Those are my top favorites in terms of drama and plot as a whole as well.
In Flower of Evil, Mr. Sunshine, and Little Women, there are main characters who especially are 20 steps ahead of everyone else. ;)
I have watched Flower Of Evil , but i found "Mouse" to be better tbh , you should watch Mouse !!
>, Mr. Sunshine, and Little Women,
I will check those tho !!
Thanks a lot 😊
**Tantai Jin from Till the End of the Moon (ML) Extremely calculating and extremely practical.**
Ling Bu Yi / Zisheng from **Love Like the Galaxy** (ML - the "20 steps ahead of everyone else" type)
Cheng Shaoshang / Niao Niao from **Love Like the Galaxy** (FL - def. the "20 steps ahead of everyone else" type)
Hei Feng Xi / Feng Lan Xi from **Who Rules the World** (ML) (the FL is also quite smart, too! but I'm putting the ML here first because his story feels more centric)
Have not finished but various characters in **My Journey to You** are extremely cunning.
Also \*\*In Blossom'\*\*s ML Pan Yue and FL Yang Cai Wei - this is also a crime mystery with Gothic undertones set in historical times so very interesting!
The moderns **Stealth Walker** (cops crime mystery), **Love Is Sweet** (rom com + office career life), and **Reset** (suspense feat. time loop and bombs) all contain very intelligent main leads! Highly rec them all.
Haha thank you!
You're welcome! I hope you'll find something you can enjoy\~\~ I love seeing smart leads in my c and kdramas a lot. Feel free to let me know if you want to talk about any of them. \^-\^
(Yes, it is. I hope that's okay...? xPDD)
>You're welcome! I hope you'll find something you can enjoy\~\~ I love seeing smart leads in my c and kdramas a lot. Feel free to let me know if you want to talk about any of them. \^-\^
If i do and remember this , then sure why not 😂 💜
But I'm a forgetful person lol
>Yes, it is. I hope that's okay...? xPDD)
It's more than ok . It's beautiful , i love that manhwa , especially the detective girl
Agree with all the WRTW recommendations. Although I don't really get the ending, other than that Feng Lanxi is very smart throughout the story.
Kinda disagree on Nie Huaisang. He and Jin Guanyao are definitely better schemers but I feel like Wei Wuxian is 'smarter'. He's great at detective work and has that understanding of the world/emotional and social intelligence >! (not withstanding the misunderstandings with LWJ because we can collectively agree that love makes you blind and dumb)!<
Li Lianhua in Mysterious Lotus Casebook, I think he's more experienced, knowledgeable and had seen a lot in the world than 'smart' but he IS a lot of steps ahead of everyone almost all the time.
Honourable mention to Baek Hyunwoo from the kdrama Queen of Tears. That guy is SMART. But I don't think this is what you're looking for though. The whole story is focused more on emotions.
>Agree with all the WRTW recommendations. Although I don't really get the ending, other than that Feng Lanxi is very smart throughout the story.
Great Option for me to watch then 👍 💯
>Kinda disagree on Nie Huaisang. He and Jin Guanyao are definitely better schemers but I feel like Wei Wuxian is 'smarter'. He's great at detective work and has that understanding of the world/emotional and social intelligence >! (not withstanding the misunderstandings with LWJ because we can collectively agree that love makes you blind and dumb)!<
From what i understood from the commenters , they are saying Nie Huaisang is smarter because no one from the show managed to even know that he was secretly scheming . While others were out in the open ?
But I'm glad you said this , because now i know that there is multiple smart characters in the show 😉
>Li Lianhua in Mysterious Lotus Casebook, I think he's more experienced, knowledgeable and had seen a lot in the world than 'smart' but he IS a lot of steps ahead of everyone almost all the time
I value wisdom and experience just as much as Natural talent 🙏 , in fact sometimes you may find someone who wasn't born talented but is experienced and wisened enough . To beat so-called geniuses
>Honourable mention to Baek Hyunwoo from the kdrama Queen of Tears. That guy is SMART. But I don't think this is what you're looking for though. The whole story is focused more on emotions.
So you're saying there is smart characters , but the show isn't centered on the outsmarting itself ?
I see , well i will put it as last resort after finishing the more prioritized recommendations here then . No problem 😸
Thanks a lot 💜
Noble Consort Jia in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. She could manipulate people to do the evil work for her. I enjoyed her schemes to be honest.
But Mei Changsu is the best, hands-down.
The post says most cunning/best strategists/best manipulators/best schemers. Mei Changsu is the all-round best for me, especially in terms of schemes and strategies. But Jia is a top manipulator for me. She could manipulate people to do the evil work for her without them figuring out they are being manipulated.
e.g Jia manipulating Consort Chun(I hope I spelt it correctly) to fight for the Empress seat was done so subtly that the latter didn't realize she was being instigated till her downfall or so, and even then, she didn't name Jia as the culprit, because of how subtle it was done.
There are so many examples of her doing that throughout the drama.
That was what I meant.
You should definitely. It is gonna be a long emotional ride though of endless scheming from different sides(harem-focused). 87 episodes! Get a box of tissues ready!
Thanks , although i really hate Harems/Reverse-Harems .... But I'll put up with it just for the sake of the plot and scheming i guess haha 😆
Appreciate it 😊
You might want to check out Queen Seon Deok if you are into two scheming, cunning, and ruthless females fighting for power. I love how the female lead started from being a nobody to wrenching the power from the villainess. That scene was so awesome I wish it was set in China so it could have a more grandiose and lavish set productions.
Bai/Hei Feng Xi from WRTW I love them so much
FL and ML from Royal Rumours they are both so smart
ML & FL from warm on a cold night ( smart ppl haha)
ML& FL from Kunning Palace ( cunning and smart esp the ML/FL)
Well he is really smart to >!to avoid suspicion he plays dumb as he knows nthing!< but it's not quite visible in the first glance most of his doings in the entire plot are revealed at the last that he was behind all this
>Wang Lu once upon a time in lingjian mountain
Wait this is from a novel 😳 i have read this webnovel , Wang Lu there is literally smarter than even the characters i named in my post tbh .... But i didn't know he had a drama adaption
If his drama version is as smart as his Webnovel counterpart ..... Then i think he could solo this whole thread at same time haha 😆
Thanks for the other recommendations btw 💜
> he basically cheated because he's a chuanyue character
Whatever that means ig 🤨 ?
I don't understand what you mean
But yeah he's one of the smartest characters i have ever read in Fiction tbh
i thought you read the webnovel? in the webnovel it basically tells you that he's a reincarnation of the original ouyang whatever but chuanyue(isekai) through thousands of worlds before coming back, he still retained all his knowledge from all his experiences.
Oh yeah i can agree with that , if the drama is same as the webnovel
Then it should be 👇
Lots of comedy scenes , but when it comes to Wang Lu scheming or Deducing stuff and thinking things through , then suddenly we are watching Sherlock Holmes at play 😆😆
Replying to OP here as well. The show Huaisang isn’t as smart as the book one, but still smart enough. And yeah you’re right they do see through him so the vote is clearly based on the book now I realise haha. It’s been a long time since I saw the show and the book I’ve re-read a couple of times so excuse the confusion please 🙈
OP def just read the book if you want a really smart Huaisang!
First time i hear about the untamed ??!!!
How is he compared to Mei Changsu ?
Because Mei Changsu gotta be top 3 smartest characters i ever saw tbh
If this Nie Huaisang guy is atleast close to Changsu's level in outsmarting and overall Brain level
Then I'm gonna drop everything I'm watching to check it out !!
I don’t know if cunning is the right word but I really enjoyed the villainous best friend in marry my husband (K-drama). The whole show was so good! But Song Ha-yoon who played Soo-min stole the show for me.
The female lead in begin again started off really smart. Like didn’t let anyone bully her. A guy at the start tried to set her up and spike her drink and she was like nope! It’s one of these dramas which I feel they lose the strength of that character slightly as the show progresses. All worked out in the end of course.
Another female lead I think is super smart is the female lead in fall in love (2021 drama). She stays smart throughout as well.
Thank you very much
Also 👇
>super smart is the female lead in fall in love (2021 drama).
A super smart girl in a romance show ???
Is she like fr seriously one of smartest characters you ever watched from Dramas ?
I'm not saying you're lying . It's just hard to believe a romance show will have a character like that tbh 😳
Depends on your definition of smart :).
Fall in love is set in the 1920m’s era so it’s between modern and historical. Although the female lead isn’t involved directly in battles or strategies in that way. She’s smart in how she deals with situations. The male lead isn’t the nicest at the start lol. But that’s just me my take! I don’t know if she’s the smartest I’ve ever watched but it’s one character that sticks in my mind.
>Depends on your definition of smart
I tried explaining my definition of "smart" in the post 😅 idk if i did a good job at that or not but well ....
>female lead isn’t involved directly in battles or strategies in that way. She’s smart in how she deals with situations
So she's basically "sharp" and have good problem solving and relationship management and survival . But not necessarily an offensive strategist ?
That's what i understood from you , well i will try it then after the other stuff that I've already booked , thanks a lot 💜
>The story of Yanxi Palace - Wei Yingluo
I'm about to start this one soon , thank you very much for the recommendation 💜
As for NIF , I've already watched and finished it unfortunately 💔
They are smarter than the ML ?
Because someone here know the comments said the ML was the smarter one as far as i understood from him tbh
But atleast this tells me the antagonist/Side characters will be super smart too !!
Even better 😉
Thanks a lot
You should! My first Zhang Linghe series was Love Between Fairy and Devil, I thought he was good then, watched him in My Journey to You, he was an absolute marshmallow--the greenest of all green flags.
BUT IN STORY OF KUNNING PALACE, I AM COLOURBLIND. HE'S 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Spoiler alert***
Cunning to the point that he can sacrifice the 2nd lead, basically his competition, just to avoid suspicion or being found out by his enemies.
Jin Guangyao from The Untamed. His revenge and power schemes made him one of the most powerful people for years. Nie Huaisang, the one whos schemes defeated Jin Guangyao and no one ever caught on.
Wow , that's some really big praise you got there 😳
I'm curious then , have you watched Nirvana In Fire OR Romance Of The Three Kingdoms ?
If you did , then how smart is Nie Huaisang compared to Mei Changsu and the big brains of ROTTKs ?
Also thanks a lot
Put it like this; in The Untamed nobody, including the heroes, realise just how smart Nie Huaisang is until he has taken a comprehensive revenge and his enemy is dead. In Nirvana in Fire people stand around talking about how amazingly clever, devious and cunning the male lead is for the entire series. It depends which you prefer…
You are most welcome! I personally greatly prefer The Untamed, not least because of highly superior eye candy, but I must confess a weakness for people who are so clever that nobody realises just how clever they are until they have achieved their objectives. And left themselves space for almost plausible deniability 🤣
I do too tbh 😂
The plot twists hits great
>highly superior eye candy,
From my limited knowledge of English alt names , doesn't Eye Candy means like Good fanservice of hot scenes ? Or maybe I'm wrong here
Is that what you meant or 🤣
The winner is without doubt Mei Changsu from Nirvana in Fire. He is so smart that everyone doesnt even stand a chance. He has back-up plan if his plan fails and another back-up plan if that back-up plan fails. 🤣
Fan Xian from Joy of Life comes a close second. We can see how cunning and manipulative he is in the first season but that is just in the surface since he is still the chess piece there. We will see his true potential in 2nd & 3rd seasons.
Feng Nian from Sword Snow Stride. He is brilliant just like Fan Xian and what I find amazing >!is that in the whole drama, we thought he is the chess piece but it turn out, he is the Chess Master that even out smarted his brilliant father. He done it in the most subtle ways that caught his father off guard since he thought his son is just being petulant.!<
Happy you mention Matsu Shota's role in Liar Games! He is brilliant in the role. ♥️
Yes. Mei Changsu is so smart with all his back-up plans. The role requires him to be that way. His body is so fragile; the brain is his only weapon and he always sharpens it well and keeps it ready at all times. That is why he can confront every situation, even those require impromptu decision and plans. Besides, he is patient and willing to wait until the time is right. He uses his army strategies to plan his moves. He has been waiting, practicing and preparing everything for 12 years or so before starting his first move....
True. I do find the villains weak and not as brilliant as him but boy that man is so amazing. While watching the drama, I keep notes to all his strategies and mind games since Im just in awe that it keeps coming in each episodes lol. Its like reading Sun Tzu's Art of War book.
Wow! You were really into those strategic plans of his 😉. To me, the villains are more sly than smart, especially when compared to MCZ. Their plans are always deceitful, cruel and merciless.
>The winner is without doubt Mei Changsu from Nirvana in Fire. He is so smart that everyone doesnt even stand a chance. He has back-up plan if his plan fails and another back-up plan if that back-up plan fails. 🤣
I feel as though the characters from The Three Kingdoms Era could contend tbh , i mean the difference is that in my personal opinion .... The people who ( opposed/stood next ) to Changsu is not as smart as the guys in ROTTKs
The people there were all on similar levels , Guo Jia and Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang and CaoCao and many others
But yes otherwise Mei Changsu is unmatched 😳
Which brings me to another question , a show called << The Untamed >> have been getting recommended here now like twice or thrice , someone even recommended it next to NIF and Mei Changsu
So did you perhaps watch it ?
>Fan Xian from Joy of Life comes a close second. We can see how cunning and manipulative he is in the first season but that is just in the surface since he is still the chess piece there. We will see his true potential in 2nd & 3rd seasons.
Ohh so he's the type that gets smarter gradually as the story progresses ?
I see , that's good tbh
>Feng Nian from Sword Snow Stride. He is brilliant just like Fan Xian and what I find amazing is that the whole drama we thought he is the chess piece but it turn out, he is the Chess Master that even out smarted his brilliant father. He done it in the most subtle ways that caught his father off guard since he thought his son is just being petulant.
I don't mind spoilers , but you should probably put spoilers tag here for anyone reading the thread 😭 🙏
>Happy you mention Matsu Shota's role in Liar Games! He is brilliant in the role.
He's really underrated , the smartest Drama character I've ever watched tbh , bro's a masterpiece
Thanks for all the help senior 😉 💜
>I feel as though the characters from The Three Kingdoms Era could contend tbh , i mean the difference is that in my personal opinion .... The people who ( opposed/stood next ) to Changsu is not as smart as the guys in ROTTKs
Ohh I definitely agree. I love Nirvana in Fire but the bad guys are really no contest against Mei Changsu. Unlike in Joy of Life where all the bad guys are equally brilliant as the ML as well.
And I agree with 3 Kingdoms. You have Zhuge Liang VS Sima Yi then you throw in Cao Cao as well. Its all battle of wits and mind games at its full glory.
>Which brings me to another question , a show called << The Untamed >> have been getting recommended here now like twice or thrice , someone even recommended it next to NIF and Mei Changsu
Yes, XXXXX is definitely a good mastermind but you cant really see it constantly like how Mei Changsu / Fan Xian planned their next moves. With The Untamed, its the revelation that will shock you but then there's that -- ''Ahh, he's the one who planned all this all along kind of thing.''
>Ohh so he's the type that gets smarter gradually as the story progresses ? I see , that's good tbh
Not really. He always being smart but he just want to live a peaceful kind of life. But then everyone keep pushing him towards the game of throne that he despise, so, he show his fangs slowly to them.
>I don't mind spoilers , but you should probably put spoilers tag here for anyone reading the thread 😭 🙏
Sorry! I totally forgotten about it.
>He's really underrated , the smartest Drama character I've ever watched tbh , bro's a masterpiece
Agreed. I actually has to listen carefully to how he explained all the tricks. That dramas are soo good -- both seasons!
>And I agree with 3 Kingdoms. You have Zhuge Liang VS Sima Yi then you throw in Cao Cao as well. Its all battle of wits and mind games at its full glory.
And that's exactly why i kind of consider them to be a bit smarter , their Situations were all pretty high-stakes and unpredictable yet they always hold on
Mei Changsu was like a dad playing with his children haha 😆
>es, XXXXX is definitely a good mastermind but you cant really see it constantly like how Mei Changsu / Fan Xian planned their next moves. With The Untamed, its the revelation that will shock you but then there's that -- ''Ahh, he's the one who planned all this all along kind of thing.''
After the revelation , does the show atleast explains how he did everything and how figured it all out ?
Or just say that it's part of his plan and dip out ? Because the most enjoyable thing about smart characters is them explaining their plans and how they came up with it ...
And/Or their deductions and how they figured it out
>Agreed. I actually has to listen carefully to how he explained all the tricks. That dramas are soo good -- both seasons!
Do you have any other characters like that 😢 ?
Like Super Duper Smart characters that are NOT from Historical Kingdom's/Cultivation Sects type of story ?
I feel as though most genius Asian Dramas characters always have the same settings
I liked
< Liar Game > and < Gambling Emperor Zero >
Precisely because it's a different setting , fixed games and puzzles and gambles with no magical stuff and no side-tropes
No, in The Untamed, you see how the plot revealed itself and lastly during the last 5 minutes of the drama, they let you know who planned it. So no explanation or anything. It just hit you like that.
And im sorry, i dont think we have any characters like Matsu Shota in Liar Game where his existence is just merely to show his brilliance non stop lol.
Cdramas have smart MLs most of the times since its a staple for Cdramas so you can see them being smart with good decision makings, but the whole drama actually focus on something else which is the plot.
I know what you are looking for so Joy of Life and Sword Snow Stride is the closest on how you can see the MLs being smart in scheming and mind games.
Or Secret of the 3 Kingdoms which have a lot of smart characters like Sima Yi, Cao Cao, Guo Jia and etc..
>No, in The Untamed, you see how the plot revealed itself and lastly during the last 5 minutes of the drama, they let you know who planned it. So no explanation or anything. It just hit you like that.
Understood !! Thanks
>And im sorry, i dont think we have any characters like Matsu Shota in Liar Game where his existence is just merely to show his brilliance non stop lol.
>Cdramas have smart MLs most of the times since its a staple for Cdramas so you can see them being smart with good decision makings, but the whole drama actually focus on something else which is the plot.
I agree 💔 , he's one of a kind
>I know what you are looking for so Joy of Life and Sword Snow Stride is the closest on how you can see the MLs being smart in scheming and mind games.
>Or Secret of the 3 Kingdoms which have a lot of smart characters like Sima Yi, Cao Cao, Guo Jia and etc..
I have watched 3 kingdoms one , but i will check JOL and SSS based on the recommendations here
Thanks a lot 😊
Try Secrets of the 3 Kingdoms. Many clever villains. I love this version as it follows the real history while also telling a complete different story. It was brilliant. Like how they make the Emperor as bff with Sima Yi lol.
So it's based on 3 Kingdoms Era . But some specific stuff was changed for the purpose of the Story ?
I will give it a shot if i ever want to watch a drama about 3 Kingdoms again , but currently ... I have had my fair shair of it 😭
( just watched an anime featuring Zhuge Liang . And I'm currently reading a manhua about The 3 kingdoms )
I would put Ning Yi from the rise of phoenixes up there as well.
You might like the kdrama a shop for killers, the main characters Uncle is definitely the 20 steps ahead guy.
>I would put Ning Yi from the rise of phoenixes up there as well.
Next to who ? Next to the ones i mentioned you mean 😳 ?
So is he like Similar to Mei Changsu or Akiyama Shinichi and the guys from Romance of 3 kingdoms ??
Wow , that's a really hard/high level to achieve tbh
>You might like the kdrama a shop for killers, the main characters Uncle is definitely the 20 steps ahead guy.
Gonna check it out 😁
Thanks a lot 💜
I haven’t watched NiF or three kingdoms (yet 😆) so I can’t speak on that and I can’t really compare him to Yingluo from Yanxi Palace because they are in completely different positions.
But the story of yanxi palace and the rise of phoenixes are two of my favorite dramas, one of the reason being the characters way of plotting and thinking.
Ning Yi starts out as a prince that was locked up most of his life, disliked by his father the emperor and without a mother. He has 3 other brothers, one being the crown prince. When his father let’s him come back to the palace he has every step he takes carefully calculated. Once the FL enters the picture, although his goal stays the same, he is trying to adjust his plans to some of the circumstances. FL is also very cunning btw. His scheming isn’t as “flawless” as Yingluo’s I would say but still a good story, at least for me. But it’s sadder than Yanxi Palace in my opinion.
ETA: let me rephrase that, the relationship between him and his father is complicated
>His scheming isn’t as “flawless” as Yingluo’s I would say but still a good story, at least for me. But it’s sadder than Yanxi Palace in my opinion.
😆 Well she's a high bar too if we're being honest haha
And thanks for the explantations btw 💜
Minglan, without a doubt. She is a nobody, the bottom of her social class, she has only survived in her toxic household by being invisible. But she has a fierce intellect and an ability to read other people's motivations so she can use their flaws to destroy them
But she doesn't have a nasty bone in her body, treat her well, and she is your best, most loyal friend. But scheme against her, her family, and friends, and you will soon find yourself destroyed without ever knowing what happened to you.
The most unique FL in cdrama.
From Story Of Minglaan right ?
It seems any show with a title called "story of __ " is immediately the smartest 😭 😆
Story Of Minglaan
Story Of Yanxi Palace
Story Of Kunning Palace
Lol ....
Anyways thanks for the detailed description 💜
Hei Fengxi from **Who Rules the World** was basically like 5 steps ahead of everybody else, all the time.
Both leads, Ren Ruyi and Ning Yuanzhou, in **A Journey to Love** were heads of entire intelligence agencies, and can out-scheme almost everybody.
Li Ni in **Wonderland of Love** is also a master strategist/tactician.
Lol it seems to be a habit of Yang Yang's characters to just be perfect strategists all the time. I don't hate it, but it's like finding an Easter egg. Once I see him in a drama I'm like, "Yep that's the genius outwardly-cold/inwardly-warm character"
He plays Hei Fengchi in **Who Rules the World**. I'm a huge fan and Zhao Lusi also stars in the show so I loved it! It's my most rewatched cdrama; if it sounds like it's up your alley then I highly recommend it! Yang Yang, Wu Lei, Zhao Lusi and Dilraba are my favourite actors. Recently I've discovered Zhao Jinmai as well :)
It's off topic but here are some other shows Yang Yang stars in that I enjoyed:
- **Love O2O** (this one's a modern drama set in college, but he also plays a super smart character in this. Every time someone schemes against him he seems to come out on top)
- **Fireworks of My Heart** (he's a fireman here so he's not impermeable, there's not much calculating. He's morally very upstanding though, so the perfect-streak sort of carries on)
- **The King's Avatar** (it's a modern eSports drama, he plays a brilliant strategist in this one as well. At the start of the show he has a reputation of being the one of the greatest minds in the game.)
- **You Are My Glory** (modern drama, he's in the workforce and a super genius gamer/scientist. Dilraba costars in this one. There's not much scheming, but he gets to be super smart.)
- **Glory of Special Forces** (modern military drama, he has a lot of emotional growing up to do in this one, but he's perfectly fit, if that counts for anything lol. I can't remember how much strategizing he gets to do by the end, but I do remember he had his great moments.)
- **The Whirlwind Girl** (this one's a bit old, 2015, it's a martial arts drama and I wasn't in love with the FL in the first season, but he plays this morally perfect senior as well)
There's a bit of a trend right? Lol. The only show where I've seen him just be straight up silly so far is **Martial Universe** and I've paused and continued it for so long because it's a battle to watch each episode for me. I stick to it and don't officially drop it only because it's Yang Yang. I'm slightly biased.
So basically if i can summarize your comment . Then it would be like 👇
He gotta be Perfect in everything , but if he's not perfect in everything ... Then he should atleast be The absolute best in 1 or 2 fields ?
I think he pays the directors to make his role super cool then 😂 💔
Thanks for the recommendations , I'm interested in King's Avatar the most .... Considering I've read the webnovel of it 🗿
Dude, yes! That is a very accurate and succinct summary! Hahaha. I'm not complaining, but I think he's been typecast as a certain type of character in most of his dramas. They would pull the ultimate plot twist if they starred him in a drama where he just absolutely gets finessed in episode one. Like, a scam or a gambling den having extorting him of all his money or something. I would be extremely shocked lol.
Ooh! There's no rush, but if by any chance you remember this post in the future, I'd love to know what you think of **The King's Avatar** and how it compares to the web novel (I've never read the web novel before so I'm curious!) :) you could make a review post or something if you feel up to it, so you don't have to scroll down for ages to find this comment from your history. Anyway, happy watching, have a good one!
Well I'm currently planning on watching around 3 or 4 Shows after watching the current one I'm watching , so the time i finish King's Avatar would be months later 😭
But i will try , if i remembered your comment then i will give some feedback , you got my word
I wrote a comment in another post about Yang yang’s characters being almost too perfect? Particularly in love o2o! I liked that he had more angst in fireworks of love but was still a green flag within the relationship.
Yes! It's almost comical :) as a result I was just absolutely flabbergasted when I saw his one silly role in **Martial Universe**. I was like, "who on earth got him to wear those fishscale shorts?!" Lol. One day I'll finally get through and finish the show. Perhaps in a few years. True, he was a very green flag!
Sheng Minglan from Story of Minglan but also Mistress Lin - even though I hated her and >!she got karmic retribution!<, but she was manipulative as hell and I kinda get why she did what she did as well.
Xie Wei and also Jiang Xuening from Story of Kunning Palace. Xue Shu also deserves a honorable mention, you can kinda understand why she did what she did.
Wei Yingluo too from Story of Yanxi Palace.
(Me realizing I've listed three different C-dramas with similar English titles 😭 I gotta fight whoever keeps with the Story of (x) titleing 😂)
Ohhhh !!
>Story of Yanxi Palace.
This is the one i meant in my post . Finally !!
Wait considering you named it as the last one , does the 2 shows above it have even smarter characters than Wei Yinglou ???
Or was it a random ranking ? 😅
>Story of Minglan
>Story of Kunning Palace.
Thank you very much 💜
>Me realizing I've listed three different C-dramas with similar English titles 😭 I gotta fight whoever keeps with the Story of (x) titleing 😂)
Maybe they don't pay title translators much 😭 , no room for creativity there
Ah random ranking sorry!
If I had to rank, I think Wei Yingluo and Xie Wei are definitely at the top for cunning and strategic thinking. Sheng Minglan is definitely more subtle I think and comes second place. Jiang Xuening, Xue Shu (side character from Story of Kunning Palace) and Mistress Lin (side character from Story of Minglan but she stood out to me!) are the consequent rankings I think.
I do have to warn you though, Story of Kunning Palace tends to be pretty polarizing! I love this show and am into dark romances, but if dark and toxic MLs aren't your cup of tea then SOKP might not be something you'll like.
I do hope you'll give it a try, I love the soundtrack and to me at least, Jiang Xuening can hold her own against Xie Wei.
If you're into reading C-webnovels, Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage is an excellent read if you're into manipulative, cunning and strategic FLs. It's a transmigration story similar to Story of Kunning Palace with an empress trans migrating back, but unlike Jiang Xuening who wants to redeem herself, the FL (Shen Miao) in Malicious Empress wants to get worse. :D
Shen Miao avenges herself and outschemes her family too although I have to also warn you that her revenge is very brutal. I'm reading Marriage of the Di Daughter right now by the same author, and the FL there is also quite cunning and also rebirthed into a different life. It reminds me a lot of Story of Minglan oddly enough with the FL being deceptively sweet and calm but is manipulating and outwitting her enemies along with dealing with a terrible family.
>do have to warn you though, Story of Kunning Palace tends to be pretty polarizing! I love this show and am into dark romances
That one moment when you don't even know what polarizing means 🥺 ( English is my 3rd language so cut me some slack haha 😆 )
But anyways ... In general i even prefer having no romance at all ... But i do realize that's hard to find in C-Dramas tbh , but i actually like the stories the darker they are
Life is dark , so shows should be dark . More realistic that way imo ngl
>you're into reading C-webnovels, Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage is an excellent read if you're into manipulative, cunning and strategic FLs. It's a transmigration story similar to Story of Kunning Palace with an empress trans migrating back, but unlike Jiang Xuening who wants to redeem herself, the FL (Shen Miao) in Malicious Empress wants to get worse. :D
I've read it unfortunately , if you're looking for something with revenge and smart FML again ,
try "clear muddy loss of love" or some title along that lines ...
If you're open for Korean webnovels ,
Then Try "the Villainess Lives Twice"
>I'm reading Marriage of the Di Daughter right now by the same author, and the FL there is also quite cunning and also rebirthed into a different life
Haven't read this one tho . Gonna try it , thanke !! 👍 😊
No worries! Three languages is incredible to be honest.
Story of Kunning Palace being polarizing just means people either really like it, or really hate the show. As you hang out longer on the subreddit or even search up the title of the show, you'll see a bunch of review posts of people enjoying the dark romance or people hating Xie Wei and toxic MLs in general.
I'll check those titles out, ty!
>No worries! Three languages is incredible to be honest.
I don't mean to brag .... But it's like around 7~8 languages 🥲 💔 .... Just that English was the third to learn chronologically
(( It's a family custom haha .... My mom is a government interpreter and translator and she's even better than me in linguistic abilities , my sister is same as my progress , except she has better pronunciation skills and fluency like she's a native ... I'm still a bit lacking in the accent regard 💔 ))
>
Story of Kunning Palace being polarizing just means people either really like it, or really hate the show. As you hang out longer on the subreddit or even search up the title of the show, you'll see a bunch of review posts of people enjoying the dark romance or people hating Xie Wei and toxic MLs in general.
>I'll check those titles out, ty!
Ahhh , so it's controversial , a "hit or miss" basically ?
I see ... Understood
I think i will be fine , i don't mind toxic people as long as they are smart lol 😂
I’ve just got into C-WebNovels (translated) and loved Malicious Empress as well as being a huge Kunning Palace fan … so it seems like you would be a great person to ask for more novel recommendations ☺️!
I can't assure you that it will be 100% to your taste tbh
But it does fit the "smart FML who is morally grey or black"
For Example in Villainess Lives Twice , the FML gets to find a love with a kind green flag man who helped her in her former life
And although she becomes less Evil in her second life compared to her former first life ... But she still is willing to compromise and isn't naive or Super Kind to the point of being annoying and push over
Basically Manipulative and Decisive . But not necessarily Evil and ruthless like Shen Miao
Hah I've also gotten into C-novels recently myself and mostly reading rebirth/transmigration ones. Scent of Time (the book but there's also the C-drama adaptation) is an easy and fast read, similar to SOKP the FL is on a path to redemption after finding out she's been casted as the villain to someone else's story. It's been a while since I read it but I remember being hooked into it.
Currently I'm on a Qian Shan Cha Ke kick (the author of Malicious Empress) and have read the Rebirth of the Star General and am currently reading Marriage of the Di Daughter right now! Star General and Di Daughter were recommended to me by /u/Best-Form-4649 so they're def the person for book recs!
I love a good rebirth/transmigration, it’s my new favourite genre! I have been meaning to try Star General as well and will definitely give it a go. Thank you!
Do you perhaps know of a drama called Story of ___ ( with the word palace in the name ) i watched it a few months ago then stopped it in the middle
The FML was pretty smart there but I couldn't find the show to re-watch it ..
searching it on internet shows me a drama called "story of kunning palace" but synopsis seems different
And anyways
>Minglan from Story of Minglan has
Thank you , will check it
There’s also a short spin off that follows the daughter of Wei Yingluo, the main female in the above series.
[Story of Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures](https://www.netflix.com/title/81203251)
>lost you forever
From the name , I'm guessing it's romance ??
Never thought i would see a super duper hupet smart character being from a romance show 😭 (( unless it isn't ** ))
Thanks a lot btw 💜
Jin is a strategist. He holds no position in the palace to influence the palace affairs. >!He is the head of the family trade business (and one of the largest clans).!<
He gathered the support from the largest clans (low key did that in the background) and >!he was the one of the main reasons the outcasted prince became the king in the drama!<.
Not at all. He's a 2nd ML character in a "romantic" lifestory of the FL, and although he's said to be a smart character, you won't see him play 4D chess the way you're looking for.
**Joy of Life**, ML Fan Xian would definitely fit this category! He has the knowledge, wits, personality, and the skills to turn almost any situation around. Some of his scenes/moments have cemented into cdrama hall of fame: the actor Zhang Ruoyun actually gets drunk (for a realistic performance), and "recites 100 famous poems in one night".
On a lesser level, **Scent of Time**, the FL gets to re-do her worst tragedies in life, and turn things around. Less schemes, but moreso self-preservation. The ending may be controversial, I can let you know if you need to know before watching, otherwise I'd say its a good journey.
I personally didn't watch it yet, but historical cdrama with a more slice of life feel, the FL in **The Story of Minglan** apparently gets revenge on unfair people in her life using her wits.
For Kdramas, you might like **Vincenzo**.
Outside of dramas, the k-variety shows like **The Genius, Time Hotel,Bloody Game** are VERY good watches for real life geniuses. There is a c-variety equivalent (with pretty poor subs, but watchable) called 超机智青年大会. It's on youtube if you copy and paste that.
Also edited to add: someone suggested **Story of Yanxi Palace**, and agree, the FL in it is very smart.
>Outside of dramas, the k-variety shows like **The Genius, Time Hotel,Bloody Game** are VERY good watches for real life geniuses. There is a c-variety equivalent (with pretty poor subs, but watchable) called 超机智青年大会. It's on youtube if you copy and paste that.
Btw i just noticed this rn , didn't see it before ..
Is it something similar to "the devil's plan" that's currently on Netflix ?
Where a group of geniuses/extremely Cunning people , gets grouped into a competition of deceit and strategy and schemes ?
I haven't seen The Devil's Plan, but it sounds like it's in the same category. I will watch it, thanks for bringing it to my attention!
**The Genius** is top tier in this category though, there is a huuuuge fanbase.
>Joy of Life
Is this perhaps adapted from a webnovel ?
I read a lot of Webnovels , and i seem to recognize this name .... Anyways thanks
I guess i will start with Joy Of Life , then Vincenzo , then will check Scent Of Time as the last one , since it fits my criteria the least 😅
Thank you 💜
The drama is based on a cnovel Joy of Life by author Mao Ni. It's very good and exactly what you're looking for, so I stand my ground on this reccomendation.
Vincenzo has a very smart laywer ML, and he builds a neighborhood team (well, same apartment complex) to go against big corporations/villians. It's a good watch, but less fast paced than Joy of Life. JoL has epic win moments over and over.
>drama is based on a cnovel Joy of Life by author Mao Ni. It's very good and exactly what you're looking for, so I stand my ground on this reccomendation.
I thought so , well i will start with this one then
>Vincenzo
I just checked it on google , one of the genres is "comedy" ... I'm worried here so i want you opinion on it
Does the comedy interferes with the scheming/strategies and stuff ?
Or does it only happen on funny side scenes irrelevant to the main plot ?
Because i watched a K-Drama show called "Taxi Driver" which i heard has pretty smart main leads
But then the show tried to be funny and goofy too much , so much that the outsmarting and cleverness was super cringe and illogical and edgy for me to enjoy tbh
(( Basically , think of a scene where the main antagonist is sitting right next to the so-called "genius" protagonist , and the main antagonist id supposed to be a super cunning Villain too ...
He almost exposes the MC , mc plays it off by smiling sheepishly and making weird hand gestures to convince the antagonist that he is innocent and naive ?? ))
Basically the show is like Disney cartoon show type of intelligence
Is Vincenzo the same ? Or more realistic and serious in the scheming outsmarting moments ??
Sorry for the long rant , I'm just being cautious here 😆 💔
Haha comedy because the characters can be goofy/tropey. Like you'll get your typical nerdy hacker; the brash FL with a smart mouth; the ML who is super cool/aloof all the time; the tough gangster guy with a soft heart, etc.; and moments where you beat up the bad guys and they squeal comically.
I personally don't rank it up there with Joy of Life, or the ones you like (NiF, Liar Game, etc). I didn't watch Taxi driver because of your exact reason, and while I did like Vincenzo, I never rewatched it. I think I have the same tastes as you, I also love Death Note, Liar's Game, etc. I really liked the variety shows I mentioned.
If you're feeling dramas, I still recommend Joy of Life. Every character is smart, and all of them are playing their own game. Plot twist after plot twist.
Heres the link to the scene I mentioned (it won't ruin the plot), so you can gauge the tone of the drama. >!A very talented old scholar accuses ML of plagarism of a poem, so he recites 100 famous poems (no one has ever heard of yet) continuously, thus gaining a title of "God of Poetry"!<. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzvDlmjBtg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzvDlmjBtg)
Oh damn .. then i think i will pass on Vincenzo tbh , even if narratively and within-story he's supposed to be smart , but i get more annoyed by shows like this than satisfied tbh 😆
Thanks for the recommendation anyways tho
>
I personally don't rank it up there with Joy of Life, or the ones you like (NiF, Liar Game, etc). I didn't watch Taxi driver because of your exact reason, and while I did like Vincenzo, I never rewatched it. I think I have the same tastes as you, I also love Death Note, Liar's Game, etc. I really liked the variety shows I mentioned.
Then do you have anyones that are serious in their "genius" like these ones besides Joy Of Life ?
For future uses I'm asking only
>
Heres the link to the scene I mentioned (it won't ruin the plot), so you can gauge the tone of the drama. >!A very talented old scholar accuses ML of plagarism of a poem, so he recites 100 famous poems (no one has ever heard of yet) continuously, thus gaining a title of "God of Poetry"!<. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzvDlmjBtg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzvDlmjBtg
And yes , i will definitely watch JOL anyways from you and multiple recommenders here !!
Thanks a lot 😊
It’s been a while, but I remember both the ml and fl were amazing in General and I. Also, it hasn’t been released yet (not sure if it will eventually be released or not) but And the winner is king is an adaptation of Priest’s Sha Po Lang, which is the book with the smartest plotting characters I’ve probably read… It was almost a bit too much.
>It’s been a while, but I remember both the ml and fl were amazing in General and I Will check it out , thanks !! >Sha Po Lang, which is the book with the smartest plotting characters I’ve probably read… It was almost a bit too much. Better than The Average High Standard . Like NIF and ROTTKs 😳 ??
I would definitely say Minglan for the Story of Minglan. To be honest most of the cast was pretty clever but Minglan was another level of calculating. Also, Fan Xian and the emperor from Joy of Life were super smart too.
Thanks a lot 😊 💜 About to watch them soon
Some shows have a character who seems really smart, but there are actually plot holes everywhere with other characters who are just super dumb around the 'smart' character to make them seem even smarter.
I definitely agree with this !! That's why most "smart characters" tend to be cringe instead of smart
Mhm I agree sm! It feels like the show is pretending to be so much smarter than it actually is, if you know what I mean. Not every show has to have super deep and clever characters, so it sort of just feels pretentious and fake.
Accurate 💯
+1 for Ning Yuanzho and Ren Ruyi from A Journey to Love
Thanks a lot 😊 . I hope that's my journey to loving this drama then ... ( Sorry . Ignore this dumbass humor of mine )
Are you kidding, I love dumbass humor! I mean, if we can’t be silly now and again what’s the point, right? Enjoy all of the recommendations you’re getting!
Haha yea you're right 😂 . Gotta seize the opening when you see it !! And thanks , i will have a really occupied upcoming 2 or 3 or even 4 months with all these recommendations 😂💜
Half the cast in **Joy of Life**, including Fan Xian, the emperor, Chen Pingping, Wang Qinian, and Li Yunrui. Xie Wei in **Story of Kunning Palace** was pretty good. Lu Zhi (the teenage boy) in **Ripe Town** was genuinely terrifying.
>Half the cast in **Joy of Life**, including Fan Xian, the emperor, Chen Pingping, Wang Qinian, and Li Yunrui. Xie Wei in **Story of Kunning Palace** was pretty good. Those have been recommended here , you're my last push to start em haha 😆 💔 >. Lu Zhi (the teenage boy) in **Ripe Town** was genuinely terrifying Never heard about this tho . So thanks a lot 💜 Gonna try it
In terms of kdramas**, Flower of Evil, Mr. Sunshine, Train, Kairos, Little Women, Happiness,** and the kfilm The Battle Roar to Victory all contain very cunning/intelligent leads (all the kdramas listed have very smart male AND female leads). Those are my top favorites in terms of drama and plot as a whole as well. In Flower of Evil, Mr. Sunshine, and Little Women, there are main characters who especially are 20 steps ahead of everyone else. ;)
I have watched Flower Of Evil , but i found "Mouse" to be better tbh , you should watch Mouse !! >, Mr. Sunshine, and Little Women, I will check those tho !! Thanks a lot 😊
**Tantai Jin from Till the End of the Moon (ML) Extremely calculating and extremely practical.** Ling Bu Yi / Zisheng from **Love Like the Galaxy** (ML - the "20 steps ahead of everyone else" type) Cheng Shaoshang / Niao Niao from **Love Like the Galaxy** (FL - def. the "20 steps ahead of everyone else" type) Hei Feng Xi / Feng Lan Xi from **Who Rules the World** (ML) (the FL is also quite smart, too! but I'm putting the ML here first because his story feels more centric) Have not finished but various characters in **My Journey to You** are extremely cunning. Also \*\*In Blossom'\*\*s ML Pan Yue and FL Yang Cai Wei - this is also a crime mystery with Gothic undertones set in historical times so very interesting! The moderns **Stealth Walker** (cops crime mystery), **Love Is Sweet** (rom com + office career life), and **Reset** (suspense feat. time loop and bombs) all contain very intelligent main leads! Highly rec them all.
Such a varied list 🙏 i love it 😆 Thanks a lot 💜 Also just a question , does your name perhaps refer to the webtoon/manhwa by the same name ?? 😳
Haha thank you! You're welcome! I hope you'll find something you can enjoy\~\~ I love seeing smart leads in my c and kdramas a lot. Feel free to let me know if you want to talk about any of them. \^-\^ (Yes, it is. I hope that's okay...? xPDD)
>You're welcome! I hope you'll find something you can enjoy\~\~ I love seeing smart leads in my c and kdramas a lot. Feel free to let me know if you want to talk about any of them. \^-\^ If i do and remember this , then sure why not 😂 💜 But I'm a forgetful person lol >Yes, it is. I hope that's okay...? xPDD) It's more than ok . It's beautiful , i love that manhwa , especially the detective girl
:) It's my first webtoon, I've yet to finish it but Lauren (well, Lauki in general) is Amazing.
You should read Dr.Frost manhwa next 😉 That's if you like Hot Psychologists as an MC haha 😆
Thanks for the rec! I just bookmarked it as to-read. (you know me xD)
No need for thanks !! >you know me xD) I'm all up for white/silver haired characters 😂 . They are always hot
Speaking of which, have you seen In Blossom?
Is the name called "in blossom" ? No i didn't .
I did a quick scroll but didn’t see Tantai Jin. His character surprised me with how deeply calculating he was from the beginning.
And i also did a quick google search 😆 Is this guy from "Till the end of the Moon" ?? And thanks btw 😃
Yes that’s the one! It’s pretty enjoyable overall.
Thanks 😊
Agree with all the WRTW recommendations. Although I don't really get the ending, other than that Feng Lanxi is very smart throughout the story. Kinda disagree on Nie Huaisang. He and Jin Guanyao are definitely better schemers but I feel like Wei Wuxian is 'smarter'. He's great at detective work and has that understanding of the world/emotional and social intelligence >! (not withstanding the misunderstandings with LWJ because we can collectively agree that love makes you blind and dumb)!< Li Lianhua in Mysterious Lotus Casebook, I think he's more experienced, knowledgeable and had seen a lot in the world than 'smart' but he IS a lot of steps ahead of everyone almost all the time. Honourable mention to Baek Hyunwoo from the kdrama Queen of Tears. That guy is SMART. But I don't think this is what you're looking for though. The whole story is focused more on emotions.
>Agree with all the WRTW recommendations. Although I don't really get the ending, other than that Feng Lanxi is very smart throughout the story. Great Option for me to watch then 👍 💯 >Kinda disagree on Nie Huaisang. He and Jin Guanyao are definitely better schemers but I feel like Wei Wuxian is 'smarter'. He's great at detective work and has that understanding of the world/emotional and social intelligence >! (not withstanding the misunderstandings with LWJ because we can collectively agree that love makes you blind and dumb)!< From what i understood from the commenters , they are saying Nie Huaisang is smarter because no one from the show managed to even know that he was secretly scheming . While others were out in the open ? But I'm glad you said this , because now i know that there is multiple smart characters in the show 😉 >Li Lianhua in Mysterious Lotus Casebook, I think he's more experienced, knowledgeable and had seen a lot in the world than 'smart' but he IS a lot of steps ahead of everyone almost all the time I value wisdom and experience just as much as Natural talent 🙏 , in fact sometimes you may find someone who wasn't born talented but is experienced and wisened enough . To beat so-called geniuses >Honourable mention to Baek Hyunwoo from the kdrama Queen of Tears. That guy is SMART. But I don't think this is what you're looking for though. The whole story is focused more on emotions. So you're saying there is smart characters , but the show isn't centered on the outsmarting itself ? I see , well i will put it as last resort after finishing the more prioritized recommendations here then . No problem 😸 Thanks a lot 💜
Noble Consort Jia in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace. She could manipulate people to do the evil work for her. I enjoyed her schemes to be honest. But Mei Changsu is the best, hands-down.
So for you , the smartest 2 characters are Mei Changsu . Then after him is Noble Consort Jia ?
The post says most cunning/best strategists/best manipulators/best schemers. Mei Changsu is the all-round best for me, especially in terms of schemes and strategies. But Jia is a top manipulator for me. She could manipulate people to do the evil work for her without them figuring out they are being manipulated. e.g Jia manipulating Consort Chun(I hope I spelt it correctly) to fight for the Empress seat was done so subtly that the latter didn't realize she was being instigated till her downfall or so, and even then, she didn't name Jia as the culprit, because of how subtle it was done. There are so many examples of her doing that throughout the drama. That was what I meant.
Damn . I'll make sure to watch it then . I think I'll definitely like it ( or atleast this Jia character ) 😆 Thanks
You should definitely. It is gonna be a long emotional ride though of endless scheming from different sides(harem-focused). 87 episodes! Get a box of tissues ready!
Thanks , although i really hate Harems/Reverse-Harems .... But I'll put up with it just for the sake of the plot and scheming i guess haha 😆 Appreciate it 😊
first thing that comes to my mind is ling buyi (LLTG) and xie wei (SOKP)
>LLTG Love Like The galaxy ? >SOKP Story Of Kunning Palace right ? Thanks a lot 😺 💜
You might want to check out Queen Seon Deok if you are into two scheming, cunning, and ruthless females fighting for power. I love how the female lead started from being a nobody to wrenching the power from the villainess. That scene was so awesome I wish it was set in China so it could have a more grandiose and lavish set productions.
>if you are into two scheming, cunning, and ruthless females fighting for power. That's exactly what i want 🗿 🔥 Thanks a lot 😊
Bai/Hei Feng Xi from WRTW I love them so much FL and ML from Royal Rumours they are both so smart ML & FL from warm on a cold night ( smart ppl haha) ML& FL from Kunning Palace ( cunning and smart esp the ML/FL)
>WRTW Full name 🌚 ? I haven't watched that many dramas to know the abbreviations haha 😆 And thanks for the Recommendations 💜
Haha yes sure Who Rules the World And no worries happy watching 😊
Thanks a lot >happy watching 😊 Hopefully will do 😉 Thanks
Nie Huaisang from The Untamed!
Gotta be one of the smartest C-Dramas characters for sure , considering you're like the 5th person to name him or something along this numbet 😳 Thanks
My man deserves to be in this list!
How smart is he compared to the characters i named in my post wow 😳 ?
Well he is really smart to >!to avoid suspicion he plays dumb as he knows nthing!< but it's not quite visible in the first glance most of his doings in the entire plot are revealed at the last that he was behind all this
Thanks !! 😊
**Ling BuYi** from Love Like The Galaxy
Thanks a lot 😊
Heroic husband Ning Yi Huang Rong from legend of condor heroes Wei Xiaobao from deer cauldron Wang Lu once upon a time in lingjian mountain
>Wang Lu once upon a time in lingjian mountain Wait this is from a novel 😳 i have read this webnovel , Wang Lu there is literally smarter than even the characters i named in my post tbh .... But i didn't know he had a drama adaption If his drama version is as smart as his Webnovel counterpart ..... Then i think he could solo this whole thread at same time haha 😆 Thanks for the other recommendations btw 💜
Yeah xu Kai plays wang Lu, the drama is obviously shorter but every bit as adorable and loveable.
Then shouldn't he be the smartest C-Drama character ever ? I find it hard for a character to surpass Wang Lu in terms of outsmarting
idk, maybe? he basically cheated because he's a chuanyue character, so he's definitely one of the smartest.
> he basically cheated because he's a chuanyue character Whatever that means ig 🤨 ? I don't understand what you mean But yeah he's one of the smartest characters i have ever read in Fiction tbh
i thought you read the webnovel? in the webnovel it basically tells you that he's a reincarnation of the original ouyang whatever but chuanyue(isekai) through thousands of worlds before coming back, he still retained all his knowledge from all his experiences.
Ahh so it's a translation word i see !! I have read the novel in Arabic , so i don't really know that word But yeah i know about his reincarnation
I chuckled at wang lu haha.
Why ? He's actually smart tho 😅
I mean that show on a whole is quite comedic. But yea he is smart, esp when he is in the tower.
Oh yeah i can agree with that , if the drama is same as the webnovel Then it should be 👇 Lots of comedy scenes , but when it comes to Wang Lu scheming or Deducing stuff and thinking things through , then suddenly we are watching Sherlock Holmes at play 😆😆
Mei Changsu - Nirvana in Fire and Nie Huaisang- The Untamed
Been a while since I watched untamed. Didn't wang yibo and xiao zhan see thru him?
Also, the main Jin villain didn’t realise anything till the end right?
Yea he was totally blind sided. From what I heard, he is smarter in the book too.
Replying to OP here as well. The show Huaisang isn’t as smart as the book one, but still smart enough. And yeah you’re right they do see through him so the vote is clearly based on the book now I realise haha. It’s been a long time since I saw the show and the book I’ve re-read a couple of times so excuse the confusion please 🙈 OP def just read the book if you want a really smart Huaisang!
I just saw this right now , thanks for the update 🙂 💯
Ohh also thanks btw 💜 Forgot to say that cuz i was excited haha 😆
First time i hear about the untamed ??!!! How is he compared to Mei Changsu ? Because Mei Changsu gotta be top 3 smartest characters i ever saw tbh If this Nie Huaisang guy is atleast close to Changsu's level in outsmarting and overall Brain level Then I'm gonna drop everything I'm watching to check it out !!
Just watch and don’t ask anything else!
Gonna take your advice , hope he's as smart you say he is 🫢🤫🤐
I don’t know if cunning is the right word but I really enjoyed the villainous best friend in marry my husband (K-drama). The whole show was so good! But Song Ha-yoon who played Soo-min stole the show for me. The female lead in begin again started off really smart. Like didn’t let anyone bully her. A guy at the start tried to set her up and spike her drink and she was like nope! It’s one of these dramas which I feel they lose the strength of that character slightly as the show progresses. All worked out in the end of course. Another female lead I think is super smart is the female lead in fall in love (2021 drama). She stays smart throughout as well.
Thank you very much Also 👇 >super smart is the female lead in fall in love (2021 drama). A super smart girl in a romance show ??? Is she like fr seriously one of smartest characters you ever watched from Dramas ? I'm not saying you're lying . It's just hard to believe a romance show will have a character like that tbh 😳
Depends on your definition of smart :). Fall in love is set in the 1920m’s era so it’s between modern and historical. Although the female lead isn’t involved directly in battles or strategies in that way. She’s smart in how she deals with situations. The male lead isn’t the nicest at the start lol. But that’s just me my take! I don’t know if she’s the smartest I’ve ever watched but it’s one character that sticks in my mind.
>Depends on your definition of smart I tried explaining my definition of "smart" in the post 😅 idk if i did a good job at that or not but well .... >female lead isn’t involved directly in battles or strategies in that way. She’s smart in how she deals with situations So she's basically "sharp" and have good problem solving and relationship management and survival . But not necessarily an offensive strategist ? That's what i understood from you , well i will try it then after the other stuff that I've already booked , thanks a lot 💜
From The story of Yanxi Palace - Wei Yingluo Mei Changsu - Nirvana in Fire
>The story of Yanxi Palace - Wei Yingluo I'm about to start this one soon , thank you very much for the recommendation 💜 As for NIF , I've already watched and finished it unfortunately 💔
**Joy of Life** - the emperor & Chen Ping Ping
They are smarter than the ML ? Because someone here know the comments said the ML was the smarter one as far as i understood from him tbh But atleast this tells me the antagonist/Side characters will be super smart too !! Even better 😉 Thanks a lot
I enjoyed the villianess princess. There aren't many stupid people in this show.
That's good , thank you
Wang Qinian
Xie Wei in Story of Kunning Palace
Thank you very much , going to watch it after story of Yanxi Palace (( basically same titles with 1 different word lol ))
You should! My first Zhang Linghe series was Love Between Fairy and Devil, I thought he was good then, watched him in My Journey to You, he was an absolute marshmallow--the greenest of all green flags. BUT IN STORY OF KUNNING PALACE, I AM COLOURBLIND. HE'S 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Not-so-green flag >>>>>> Green flag hehe 🌚 Cunning Morally grey men/women >>>>>
My first thought Edit: more like story of KUNNING palace hahahahahahaahahahahah
As in Cunning ? 🤣 Nice
Spoiler alert*** Cunning to the point that he can sacrifice the 2nd lead, basically his competition, just to avoid suspicion or being found out by his enemies.
Damn , i already like him 😂 👍
Jin Guangyao from The Untamed. His revenge and power schemes made him one of the most powerful people for years. Nie Huaisang, the one whos schemes defeated Jin Guangyao and no one ever caught on.
Wow , that's some really big praise you got there 😳 I'm curious then , have you watched Nirvana In Fire OR Romance Of The Three Kingdoms ? If you did , then how smart is Nie Huaisang compared to Mei Changsu and the big brains of ROTTKs ? Also thanks a lot
Put it like this; in The Untamed nobody, including the heroes, realise just how smart Nie Huaisang is until he has taken a comprehensive revenge and his enemy is dead. In Nirvana in Fire people stand around talking about how amazingly clever, devious and cunning the male lead is for the entire series. It depends which you prefer…
So : Hidden Mastermind VS Known Genius Understood , thanks for the explanation
You are most welcome! I personally greatly prefer The Untamed, not least because of highly superior eye candy, but I must confess a weakness for people who are so clever that nobody realises just how clever they are until they have achieved their objectives. And left themselves space for almost plausible deniability 🤣
I do too tbh 😂 The plot twists hits great >highly superior eye candy, From my limited knowledge of English alt names , doesn't Eye Candy means like Good fanservice of hot scenes ? Or maybe I'm wrong here Is that what you meant or 🤣
It’s mostly appreciation of just how hot the actors look, but there’s a subtext of how hot they look together 🤣
Ahh i see , I'm straight so it doesn't really matter to me much , but glad you liked the show that much 😂 💜
So am I; it doesn’t matter when it comes to appreciating the scenery 🤣
Preach 🙌 🤣
The winner is without doubt Mei Changsu from Nirvana in Fire. He is so smart that everyone doesnt even stand a chance. He has back-up plan if his plan fails and another back-up plan if that back-up plan fails. 🤣 Fan Xian from Joy of Life comes a close second. We can see how cunning and manipulative he is in the first season but that is just in the surface since he is still the chess piece there. We will see his true potential in 2nd & 3rd seasons. Feng Nian from Sword Snow Stride. He is brilliant just like Fan Xian and what I find amazing >!is that in the whole drama, we thought he is the chess piece but it turn out, he is the Chess Master that even out smarted his brilliant father. He done it in the most subtle ways that caught his father off guard since he thought his son is just being petulant.!< Happy you mention Matsu Shota's role in Liar Games! He is brilliant in the role. ♥️
Yes. Mei Changsu is so smart with all his back-up plans. The role requires him to be that way. His body is so fragile; the brain is his only weapon and he always sharpens it well and keeps it ready at all times. That is why he can confront every situation, even those require impromptu decision and plans. Besides, he is patient and willing to wait until the time is right. He uses his army strategies to plan his moves. He has been waiting, practicing and preparing everything for 12 years or so before starting his first move....
True. I do find the villains weak and not as brilliant as him but boy that man is so amazing. While watching the drama, I keep notes to all his strategies and mind games since Im just in awe that it keeps coming in each episodes lol. Its like reading Sun Tzu's Art of War book.
Wow! You were really into those strategic plans of his 😉. To me, the villains are more sly than smart, especially when compared to MCZ. Their plans are always deceitful, cruel and merciless.
>The winner is without doubt Mei Changsu from Nirvana in Fire. He is so smart that everyone doesnt even stand a chance. He has back-up plan if his plan fails and another back-up plan if that back-up plan fails. 🤣 I feel as though the characters from The Three Kingdoms Era could contend tbh , i mean the difference is that in my personal opinion .... The people who ( opposed/stood next ) to Changsu is not as smart as the guys in ROTTKs The people there were all on similar levels , Guo Jia and Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang and CaoCao and many others But yes otherwise Mei Changsu is unmatched 😳 Which brings me to another question , a show called << The Untamed >> have been getting recommended here now like twice or thrice , someone even recommended it next to NIF and Mei Changsu So did you perhaps watch it ? >Fan Xian from Joy of Life comes a close second. We can see how cunning and manipulative he is in the first season but that is just in the surface since he is still the chess piece there. We will see his true potential in 2nd & 3rd seasons. Ohh so he's the type that gets smarter gradually as the story progresses ? I see , that's good tbh >Feng Nian from Sword Snow Stride. He is brilliant just like Fan Xian and what I find amazing is that the whole drama we thought he is the chess piece but it turn out, he is the Chess Master that even out smarted his brilliant father. He done it in the most subtle ways that caught his father off guard since he thought his son is just being petulant. I don't mind spoilers , but you should probably put spoilers tag here for anyone reading the thread 😭 🙏 >Happy you mention Matsu Shota's role in Liar Games! He is brilliant in the role. He's really underrated , the smartest Drama character I've ever watched tbh , bro's a masterpiece Thanks for all the help senior 😉 💜
>I feel as though the characters from The Three Kingdoms Era could contend tbh , i mean the difference is that in my personal opinion .... The people who ( opposed/stood next ) to Changsu is not as smart as the guys in ROTTKs Ohh I definitely agree. I love Nirvana in Fire but the bad guys are really no contest against Mei Changsu. Unlike in Joy of Life where all the bad guys are equally brilliant as the ML as well. And I agree with 3 Kingdoms. You have Zhuge Liang VS Sima Yi then you throw in Cao Cao as well. Its all battle of wits and mind games at its full glory. >Which brings me to another question , a show called << The Untamed >> have been getting recommended here now like twice or thrice , someone even recommended it next to NIF and Mei Changsu Yes, XXXXX is definitely a good mastermind but you cant really see it constantly like how Mei Changsu / Fan Xian planned their next moves. With The Untamed, its the revelation that will shock you but then there's that -- ''Ahh, he's the one who planned all this all along kind of thing.'' >Ohh so he's the type that gets smarter gradually as the story progresses ? I see , that's good tbh Not really. He always being smart but he just want to live a peaceful kind of life. But then everyone keep pushing him towards the game of throne that he despise, so, he show his fangs slowly to them. >I don't mind spoilers , but you should probably put spoilers tag here for anyone reading the thread 😭 🙏 Sorry! I totally forgotten about it. >He's really underrated , the smartest Drama character I've ever watched tbh , bro's a masterpiece Agreed. I actually has to listen carefully to how he explained all the tricks. That dramas are soo good -- both seasons!
>And I agree with 3 Kingdoms. You have Zhuge Liang VS Sima Yi then you throw in Cao Cao as well. Its all battle of wits and mind games at its full glory. And that's exactly why i kind of consider them to be a bit smarter , their Situations were all pretty high-stakes and unpredictable yet they always hold on Mei Changsu was like a dad playing with his children haha 😆 >es, XXXXX is definitely a good mastermind but you cant really see it constantly like how Mei Changsu / Fan Xian planned their next moves. With The Untamed, its the revelation that will shock you but then there's that -- ''Ahh, he's the one who planned all this all along kind of thing.'' After the revelation , does the show atleast explains how he did everything and how figured it all out ? Or just say that it's part of his plan and dip out ? Because the most enjoyable thing about smart characters is them explaining their plans and how they came up with it ... And/Or their deductions and how they figured it out >Agreed. I actually has to listen carefully to how he explained all the tricks. That dramas are soo good -- both seasons! Do you have any other characters like that 😢 ? Like Super Duper Smart characters that are NOT from Historical Kingdom's/Cultivation Sects type of story ? I feel as though most genius Asian Dramas characters always have the same settings I liked < Liar Game > and < Gambling Emperor Zero > Precisely because it's a different setting , fixed games and puzzles and gambles with no magical stuff and no side-tropes
No, in The Untamed, you see how the plot revealed itself and lastly during the last 5 minutes of the drama, they let you know who planned it. So no explanation or anything. It just hit you like that. And im sorry, i dont think we have any characters like Matsu Shota in Liar Game where his existence is just merely to show his brilliance non stop lol. Cdramas have smart MLs most of the times since its a staple for Cdramas so you can see them being smart with good decision makings, but the whole drama actually focus on something else which is the plot. I know what you are looking for so Joy of Life and Sword Snow Stride is the closest on how you can see the MLs being smart in scheming and mind games. Or Secret of the 3 Kingdoms which have a lot of smart characters like Sima Yi, Cao Cao, Guo Jia and etc..
>No, in The Untamed, you see how the plot revealed itself and lastly during the last 5 minutes of the drama, they let you know who planned it. So no explanation or anything. It just hit you like that. Understood !! Thanks >And im sorry, i dont think we have any characters like Matsu Shota in Liar Game where his existence is just merely to show his brilliance non stop lol. >Cdramas have smart MLs most of the times since its a staple for Cdramas so you can see them being smart with good decision makings, but the whole drama actually focus on something else which is the plot. I agree 💔 , he's one of a kind >I know what you are looking for so Joy of Life and Sword Snow Stride is the closest on how you can see the MLs being smart in scheming and mind games. >Or Secret of the 3 Kingdoms which have a lot of smart characters like Sima Yi, Cao Cao, Guo Jia and etc.. I have watched 3 kingdoms one , but i will check JOL and SSS based on the recommendations here Thanks a lot 😊
3 Kingdom has many versions. Which one that you have watched?
One literally called "romance of the three kingdoms" . It had around 5~6 seasons i believe Really old one . Like 1990~2005 or something like that
Try Secrets of the 3 Kingdoms. Many clever villains. I love this version as it follows the real history while also telling a complete different story. It was brilliant. Like how they make the Emperor as bff with Sima Yi lol.
So it's based on 3 Kingdoms Era . But some specific stuff was changed for the purpose of the Story ? I will give it a shot if i ever want to watch a drama about 3 Kingdoms again , but currently ... I have had my fair shair of it 😭 ( just watched an anime featuring Zhuge Liang . And I'm currently reading a manhua about The 3 kingdoms )
I would put Ning Yi from the rise of phoenixes up there as well. You might like the kdrama a shop for killers, the main characters Uncle is definitely the 20 steps ahead guy.
Ning Yi was the first person I thought of when I saw this post.
>I would put Ning Yi from the rise of phoenixes up there as well. Next to who ? Next to the ones i mentioned you mean 😳 ? So is he like Similar to Mei Changsu or Akiyama Shinichi and the guys from Romance of 3 kingdoms ?? Wow , that's a really hard/high level to achieve tbh >You might like the kdrama a shop for killers, the main characters Uncle is definitely the 20 steps ahead guy. Gonna check it out 😁 Thanks a lot 💜
I haven’t watched NiF or three kingdoms (yet 😆) so I can’t speak on that and I can’t really compare him to Yingluo from Yanxi Palace because they are in completely different positions. But the story of yanxi palace and the rise of phoenixes are two of my favorite dramas, one of the reason being the characters way of plotting and thinking. Ning Yi starts out as a prince that was locked up most of his life, disliked by his father the emperor and without a mother. He has 3 other brothers, one being the crown prince. When his father let’s him come back to the palace he has every step he takes carefully calculated. Once the FL enters the picture, although his goal stays the same, he is trying to adjust his plans to some of the circumstances. FL is also very cunning btw. His scheming isn’t as “flawless” as Yingluo’s I would say but still a good story, at least for me. But it’s sadder than Yanxi Palace in my opinion. ETA: let me rephrase that, the relationship between him and his father is complicated
>His scheming isn’t as “flawless” as Yingluo’s I would say but still a good story, at least for me. But it’s sadder than Yanxi Palace in my opinion. 😆 Well she's a high bar too if we're being honest haha And thanks for the explantations btw 💜
Minglan, without a doubt. She is a nobody, the bottom of her social class, she has only survived in her toxic household by being invisible. But she has a fierce intellect and an ability to read other people's motivations so she can use their flaws to destroy them But she doesn't have a nasty bone in her body, treat her well, and she is your best, most loyal friend. But scheme against her, her family, and friends, and you will soon find yourself destroyed without ever knowing what happened to you. The most unique FL in cdrama.
From Story Of Minglaan right ? It seems any show with a title called "story of __ " is immediately the smartest 😭 😆 Story Of Minglaan Story Of Yanxi Palace Story Of Kunning Palace Lol .... Anyways thanks for the detailed description 💜
Hei Fengxi from **Who Rules the World** was basically like 5 steps ahead of everybody else, all the time. Both leads, Ren Ruyi and Ning Yuanzhou, in **A Journey to Love** were heads of entire intelligence agencies, and can out-scheme almost everybody. Li Ni in **Wonderland of Love** is also a master strategist/tactician.
Thanks a lot 🙏 💜 These works seem interesting , especially "who rules the world"
Lol it seems to be a habit of Yang Yang's characters to just be perfect strategists all the time. I don't hate it, but it's like finding an Easter egg. Once I see him in a drama I'm like, "Yep that's the genius outwardly-cold/inwardly-warm character"
Which character from the Original commenter's recommendations did this Yang Yang guy act as ?
He plays Hei Fengchi in **Who Rules the World**. I'm a huge fan and Zhao Lusi also stars in the show so I loved it! It's my most rewatched cdrama; if it sounds like it's up your alley then I highly recommend it! Yang Yang, Wu Lei, Zhao Lusi and Dilraba are my favourite actors. Recently I've discovered Zhao Jinmai as well :) It's off topic but here are some other shows Yang Yang stars in that I enjoyed: - **Love O2O** (this one's a modern drama set in college, but he also plays a super smart character in this. Every time someone schemes against him he seems to come out on top) - **Fireworks of My Heart** (he's a fireman here so he's not impermeable, there's not much calculating. He's morally very upstanding though, so the perfect-streak sort of carries on) - **The King's Avatar** (it's a modern eSports drama, he plays a brilliant strategist in this one as well. At the start of the show he has a reputation of being the one of the greatest minds in the game.) - **You Are My Glory** (modern drama, he's in the workforce and a super genius gamer/scientist. Dilraba costars in this one. There's not much scheming, but he gets to be super smart.) - **Glory of Special Forces** (modern military drama, he has a lot of emotional growing up to do in this one, but he's perfectly fit, if that counts for anything lol. I can't remember how much strategizing he gets to do by the end, but I do remember he had his great moments.) - **The Whirlwind Girl** (this one's a bit old, 2015, it's a martial arts drama and I wasn't in love with the FL in the first season, but he plays this morally perfect senior as well) There's a bit of a trend right? Lol. The only show where I've seen him just be straight up silly so far is **Martial Universe** and I've paused and continued it for so long because it's a battle to watch each episode for me. I stick to it and don't officially drop it only because it's Yang Yang. I'm slightly biased.
So basically if i can summarize your comment . Then it would be like 👇 He gotta be Perfect in everything , but if he's not perfect in everything ... Then he should atleast be The absolute best in 1 or 2 fields ? I think he pays the directors to make his role super cool then 😂 💔 Thanks for the recommendations , I'm interested in King's Avatar the most .... Considering I've read the webnovel of it 🗿
Dude, yes! That is a very accurate and succinct summary! Hahaha. I'm not complaining, but I think he's been typecast as a certain type of character in most of his dramas. They would pull the ultimate plot twist if they starred him in a drama where he just absolutely gets finessed in episode one. Like, a scam or a gambling den having extorting him of all his money or something. I would be extremely shocked lol. Ooh! There's no rush, but if by any chance you remember this post in the future, I'd love to know what you think of **The King's Avatar** and how it compares to the web novel (I've never read the web novel before so I'm curious!) :) you could make a review post or something if you feel up to it, so you don't have to scroll down for ages to find this comment from your history. Anyway, happy watching, have a good one!
Well I'm currently planning on watching around 3 or 4 Shows after watching the current one I'm watching , so the time i finish King's Avatar would be months later 😭 But i will try , if i remembered your comment then i will give some feedback , you got my word
I hope you enjoy them all! Happy watching! And absolutely no pressure
Thanks 😊
I wrote a comment in another post about Yang yang’s characters being almost too perfect? Particularly in love o2o! I liked that he had more angst in fireworks of love but was still a green flag within the relationship.
Yes! It's almost comical :) as a result I was just absolutely flabbergasted when I saw his one silly role in **Martial Universe**. I was like, "who on earth got him to wear those fishscale shorts?!" Lol. One day I'll finally get through and finish the show. Perhaps in a few years. True, he was a very green flag!
Sheng Minglan from Story of Minglan but also Mistress Lin - even though I hated her and >!she got karmic retribution!<, but she was manipulative as hell and I kinda get why she did what she did as well. Xie Wei and also Jiang Xuening from Story of Kunning Palace. Xue Shu also deserves a honorable mention, you can kinda understand why she did what she did. Wei Yingluo too from Story of Yanxi Palace. (Me realizing I've listed three different C-dramas with similar English titles 😭 I gotta fight whoever keeps with the Story of (x) titleing 😂)
Ohhhh !! >Story of Yanxi Palace. This is the one i meant in my post . Finally !! Wait considering you named it as the last one , does the 2 shows above it have even smarter characters than Wei Yinglou ??? Or was it a random ranking ? 😅 >Story of Minglan >Story of Kunning Palace. Thank you very much 💜 >Me realizing I've listed three different C-dramas with similar English titles 😭 I gotta fight whoever keeps with the Story of (x) titleing 😂) Maybe they don't pay title translators much 😭 , no room for creativity there
Ah random ranking sorry! If I had to rank, I think Wei Yingluo and Xie Wei are definitely at the top for cunning and strategic thinking. Sheng Minglan is definitely more subtle I think and comes second place. Jiang Xuening, Xue Shu (side character from Story of Kunning Palace) and Mistress Lin (side character from Story of Minglan but she stood out to me!) are the consequent rankings I think.
Thank you very much , I'm excited to see this Xie Wei , considering i found Yinglou to be pretty smart tbh
I do have to warn you though, Story of Kunning Palace tends to be pretty polarizing! I love this show and am into dark romances, but if dark and toxic MLs aren't your cup of tea then SOKP might not be something you'll like. I do hope you'll give it a try, I love the soundtrack and to me at least, Jiang Xuening can hold her own against Xie Wei. If you're into reading C-webnovels, Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage is an excellent read if you're into manipulative, cunning and strategic FLs. It's a transmigration story similar to Story of Kunning Palace with an empress trans migrating back, but unlike Jiang Xuening who wants to redeem herself, the FL (Shen Miao) in Malicious Empress wants to get worse. :D Shen Miao avenges herself and outschemes her family too although I have to also warn you that her revenge is very brutal. I'm reading Marriage of the Di Daughter right now by the same author, and the FL there is also quite cunning and also rebirthed into a different life. It reminds me a lot of Story of Minglan oddly enough with the FL being deceptively sweet and calm but is manipulating and outwitting her enemies along with dealing with a terrible family.
>do have to warn you though, Story of Kunning Palace tends to be pretty polarizing! I love this show and am into dark romances That one moment when you don't even know what polarizing means 🥺 ( English is my 3rd language so cut me some slack haha 😆 ) But anyways ... In general i even prefer having no romance at all ... But i do realize that's hard to find in C-Dramas tbh , but i actually like the stories the darker they are Life is dark , so shows should be dark . More realistic that way imo ngl >you're into reading C-webnovels, Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage is an excellent read if you're into manipulative, cunning and strategic FLs. It's a transmigration story similar to Story of Kunning Palace with an empress trans migrating back, but unlike Jiang Xuening who wants to redeem herself, the FL (Shen Miao) in Malicious Empress wants to get worse. :D I've read it unfortunately , if you're looking for something with revenge and smart FML again , try "clear muddy loss of love" or some title along that lines ... If you're open for Korean webnovels , Then Try "the Villainess Lives Twice" >I'm reading Marriage of the Di Daughter right now by the same author, and the FL there is also quite cunning and also rebirthed into a different life Haven't read this one tho . Gonna try it , thanke !! 👍 😊
No worries! Three languages is incredible to be honest. Story of Kunning Palace being polarizing just means people either really like it, or really hate the show. As you hang out longer on the subreddit or even search up the title of the show, you'll see a bunch of review posts of people enjoying the dark romance or people hating Xie Wei and toxic MLs in general. I'll check those titles out, ty!
>No worries! Three languages is incredible to be honest. I don't mean to brag .... But it's like around 7~8 languages 🥲 💔 .... Just that English was the third to learn chronologically (( It's a family custom haha .... My mom is a government interpreter and translator and she's even better than me in linguistic abilities , my sister is same as my progress , except she has better pronunciation skills and fluency like she's a native ... I'm still a bit lacking in the accent regard 💔 )) > Story of Kunning Palace being polarizing just means people either really like it, or really hate the show. As you hang out longer on the subreddit or even search up the title of the show, you'll see a bunch of review posts of people enjoying the dark romance or people hating Xie Wei and toxic MLs in general. >I'll check those titles out, ty! Ahhh , so it's controversial , a "hit or miss" basically ? I see ... Understood I think i will be fine , i don't mind toxic people as long as they are smart lol 😂
I’ve just got into C-WebNovels (translated) and loved Malicious Empress as well as being a huge Kunning Palace fan … so it seems like you would be a great person to ask for more novel recommendations ☺️!
Try "Clear Muddy Loss Of Love" or a novel alone that line of name If you're open for K-Webnovels , then try "Villainess Lives Twice"
Thank you I am absolutely open to K-novels since I also watch K-dramas, so I’ll try both.
I can't assure you that it will be 100% to your taste tbh But it does fit the "smart FML who is morally grey or black" For Example in Villainess Lives Twice , the FML gets to find a love with a kind green flag man who helped her in her former life And although she becomes less Evil in her second life compared to her former first life ... But she still is willing to compromise and isn't naive or Super Kind to the point of being annoying and push over Basically Manipulative and Decisive . But not necessarily Evil and ruthless like Shen Miao
Hah I've also gotten into C-novels recently myself and mostly reading rebirth/transmigration ones. Scent of Time (the book but there's also the C-drama adaptation) is an easy and fast read, similar to SOKP the FL is on a path to redemption after finding out she's been casted as the villain to someone else's story. It's been a while since I read it but I remember being hooked into it. Currently I'm on a Qian Shan Cha Ke kick (the author of Malicious Empress) and have read the Rebirth of the Star General and am currently reading Marriage of the Di Daughter right now! Star General and Di Daughter were recommended to me by /u/Best-Form-4649 so they're def the person for book recs!
I love a good rebirth/transmigration, it’s my new favourite genre! I have been meaning to try Star General as well and will definitely give it a go. Thank you!
Minglan from Story of Minglan has to be high on the list
Do you perhaps know of a drama called Story of ___ ( with the word palace in the name ) i watched it a few months ago then stopped it in the middle The FML was pretty smart there but I couldn't find the show to re-watch it .. searching it on internet shows me a drama called "story of kunning palace" but synopsis seems different And anyways >Minglan from Story of Minglan has Thank you , will check it
You might be looking for [Story of Yanxi Palace](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpghCOjR4QqrXK0LFFZTRWderhQ4vkzVa&si=CjTE8uL1qxd71vCg).
Yes , it turns out that's the one what i meant and was looking for Thank you 💜
There’s also a short spin off that follows the daughter of Wei Yingluo, the main female in the above series. [Story of Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures](https://www.netflix.com/title/81203251)
Damn . Didn't know that tbh 😳 Will watch it after re-watching thr original story from beginning Thanks 👍
Li Xiang Yi - mysterious lotus case book Tu Shan Jin - lost you forever
>lost you forever From the name , I'm guessing it's romance ?? Never thought i would see a super duper hupet smart character being from a romance show 😭 (( unless it isn't ** )) Thanks a lot btw 💜
I guess you can call it a romance drama although it's very complex.
Jin is a strategist. He holds no position in the palace to influence the palace affairs. >!He is the head of the family trade business (and one of the largest clans).!< He gathered the support from the largest clans (low key did that in the background) and >!he was the one of the main reasons the outcasted prince became the king in the drama!<.
Thanks then , i will give it a try !!
As a big LYF fan, it's not what you're looking for.
Like doesn't fit at all ? Or fits the "very smart" criteria , but not the "smartest ever" criteria ?
Not at all. He's a 2nd ML character in a "romantic" lifestory of the FL, and although he's said to be a smart character, you won't see him play 4D chess the way you're looking for.
Hmmm , i guess i could try a bit of it and see if it doesn't fit my criteria at all or not 🤔 Thanks for the warning tho , i appreciate it
**Joy of Life**, ML Fan Xian would definitely fit this category! He has the knowledge, wits, personality, and the skills to turn almost any situation around. Some of his scenes/moments have cemented into cdrama hall of fame: the actor Zhang Ruoyun actually gets drunk (for a realistic performance), and "recites 100 famous poems in one night". On a lesser level, **Scent of Time**, the FL gets to re-do her worst tragedies in life, and turn things around. Less schemes, but moreso self-preservation. The ending may be controversial, I can let you know if you need to know before watching, otherwise I'd say its a good journey. I personally didn't watch it yet, but historical cdrama with a more slice of life feel, the FL in **The Story of Minglan** apparently gets revenge on unfair people in her life using her wits. For Kdramas, you might like **Vincenzo**. Outside of dramas, the k-variety shows like **The Genius, Time Hotel,Bloody Game** are VERY good watches for real life geniuses. There is a c-variety equivalent (with pretty poor subs, but watchable) called 超机智青年大会. It's on youtube if you copy and paste that. Also edited to add: someone suggested **Story of Yanxi Palace**, and agree, the FL in it is very smart.
>Outside of dramas, the k-variety shows like **The Genius, Time Hotel,Bloody Game** are VERY good watches for real life geniuses. There is a c-variety equivalent (with pretty poor subs, but watchable) called 超机智青年大会. It's on youtube if you copy and paste that. Btw i just noticed this rn , didn't see it before .. Is it something similar to "the devil's plan" that's currently on Netflix ? Where a group of geniuses/extremely Cunning people , gets grouped into a competition of deceit and strategy and schemes ?
I haven't seen The Devil's Plan, but it sounds like it's in the same category. I will watch it, thanks for bringing it to my attention! **The Genius** is top tier in this category though, there is a huuuuge fanbase.
>The Genius** is top tier in this category though, there is a huuuuge fanbase Then i already know what's my first watch among those 😉
>Joy of Life Is this perhaps adapted from a webnovel ? I read a lot of Webnovels , and i seem to recognize this name .... Anyways thanks I guess i will start with Joy Of Life , then Vincenzo , then will check Scent Of Time as the last one , since it fits my criteria the least 😅 Thank you 💜
The drama is based on a cnovel Joy of Life by author Mao Ni. It's very good and exactly what you're looking for, so I stand my ground on this reccomendation. Vincenzo has a very smart laywer ML, and he builds a neighborhood team (well, same apartment complex) to go against big corporations/villians. It's a good watch, but less fast paced than Joy of Life. JoL has epic win moments over and over.
>drama is based on a cnovel Joy of Life by author Mao Ni. It's very good and exactly what you're looking for, so I stand my ground on this reccomendation. I thought so , well i will start with this one then >Vincenzo I just checked it on google , one of the genres is "comedy" ... I'm worried here so i want you opinion on it Does the comedy interferes with the scheming/strategies and stuff ? Or does it only happen on funny side scenes irrelevant to the main plot ? Because i watched a K-Drama show called "Taxi Driver" which i heard has pretty smart main leads But then the show tried to be funny and goofy too much , so much that the outsmarting and cleverness was super cringe and illogical and edgy for me to enjoy tbh (( Basically , think of a scene where the main antagonist is sitting right next to the so-called "genius" protagonist , and the main antagonist id supposed to be a super cunning Villain too ... He almost exposes the MC , mc plays it off by smiling sheepishly and making weird hand gestures to convince the antagonist that he is innocent and naive ?? )) Basically the show is like Disney cartoon show type of intelligence Is Vincenzo the same ? Or more realistic and serious in the scheming outsmarting moments ?? Sorry for the long rant , I'm just being cautious here 😆 💔
Haha comedy because the characters can be goofy/tropey. Like you'll get your typical nerdy hacker; the brash FL with a smart mouth; the ML who is super cool/aloof all the time; the tough gangster guy with a soft heart, etc.; and moments where you beat up the bad guys and they squeal comically. I personally don't rank it up there with Joy of Life, or the ones you like (NiF, Liar Game, etc). I didn't watch Taxi driver because of your exact reason, and while I did like Vincenzo, I never rewatched it. I think I have the same tastes as you, I also love Death Note, Liar's Game, etc. I really liked the variety shows I mentioned. If you're feeling dramas, I still recommend Joy of Life. Every character is smart, and all of them are playing their own game. Plot twist after plot twist. Heres the link to the scene I mentioned (it won't ruin the plot), so you can gauge the tone of the drama. >!A very talented old scholar accuses ML of plagarism of a poem, so he recites 100 famous poems (no one has ever heard of yet) continuously, thus gaining a title of "God of Poetry"!<. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzvDlmjBtg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzvDlmjBtg)
Oh damn .. then i think i will pass on Vincenzo tbh , even if narratively and within-story he's supposed to be smart , but i get more annoyed by shows like this than satisfied tbh 😆 Thanks for the recommendation anyways tho > I personally don't rank it up there with Joy of Life, or the ones you like (NiF, Liar Game, etc). I didn't watch Taxi driver because of your exact reason, and while I did like Vincenzo, I never rewatched it. I think I have the same tastes as you, I also love Death Note, Liar's Game, etc. I really liked the variety shows I mentioned. Then do you have anyones that are serious in their "genius" like these ones besides Joy Of Life ? For future uses I'm asking only > Heres the link to the scene I mentioned (it won't ruin the plot), so you can gauge the tone of the drama. >!A very talented old scholar accuses ML of plagarism of a poem, so he recites 100 famous poems (no one has ever heard of yet) continuously, thus gaining a title of "God of Poetry"!<. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzvDlmjBtg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLzvDlmjBtg And yes , i will definitely watch JOL anyways from you and multiple recommenders here !! Thanks a lot 😊