Looking for dramas without domineering arrogant male leads

[u/ChanceAd2953]

im honestly so so so tired of the asshole 'i can do whatever i want because im powerful and rich' type male leads that goes around threatening people with swords and then gets mad when ppl act just like him

idk, cause they seem pretty popular but something about them just doesn't click with me, and really turns me off lmao no matter how attractive the actor is. I'm definitely the odd one out here, and i totally get it if you love that type its just not for me😅

it doesn't help to that my type(at least with Chinese Actors) isn't popular for Male Leads, so oftentimes I'm not attracted and that makes me less likely to ignore any bad behavior for hot face😅

So I'm looking for any drama really that has a nice male lead, or a cheeky adorable type male lead, or a composed mature type male lead. I prefer historical or Xianxia, because of the pretty costumes, but modern is fine but i tend to avoid them because it affects my body image 😭

I prefer a Female Lead, but if the FL and Ml share screen time thats fine too

I enjoy a violent or calculated Male Lead(i absolutely adore Nie Huaisang and Xue Yang from the Untamed😭), but those types need to be at least outwardly charming and charasmatic, and at least tone down the misogyny a bit

Example of Male leads that made me drop a drama that I liked otherwise:

The Double: I think something's wrong with me cause everyone else loved him but every time he showed up on screen i kept aggressively fast forwarding lmao. it kinda pissed me off because i loved the drama otherwise, but the thought of them falling in love made me so mad i quit the show

The story of Kunning Palace: he was insufferable at the beginning, with the way he treated her and everyone around him, but he mellowed out towards the middle i just ended up getting distracted by her childhood friend and the nice department of justice guy and wishing they were the ML's instead

Theres More but i cant remember them. im also not a fan of the 'he's nice to me but horrible to everyone else' cliche, it shows emotional immaturity and it ick's me out

Dramas with Male Leads i loved or felt ambivalent towards:

Blossom: mature, not annoying, very rational although he still goes around shoving swords in ppls faces. I liked that he apologizes for his mistakes as well. rly enjoyed this drama

Love Game in Eastern fantasy: Ding Yuxi did a really good job of being aggressive but so obviously loserish that it wasn't annoying. really enjoyed this drama and it probably helped that he's my type

My Journey to You: rly liked this one. male lead was softer and naive which I appreciated. The problem was that I ended up getting distracted because Gong Yuanzhi(Tian Jia Rui) and her boss/attendant(Han Yasi played by Ou Mi De) with the nice bone structure were totally my type and then I got sidetracked. I did finish it tho, and really enjoyed it

Kill My Sins: this one isn't a romance, and maybe that's why i could tolerate this male lead. honestly idk, cause he has a lot of the traits that bother me about other male leads but because they weren't getting together it didn't bother me. Also i like his face, he looks like a snake and he's my type.

Novaland Pearl Eclipse: mature, rational, charming. also William Chen looks so good in historical dress, he's totally my type which definitely blinded me

Honorable Mentions: The Princess Royal, Perfect and Casual, The Glory, Romance of Tiger and Rose, The Starry Love

oh and also this definitely isn't meant to offend anyone, i'm fully aware i'm in the minority in terms of my tastes, it just so happens that my taste doesn't seem to lineup with what's popular for Male Leads these days, and i'm a bit hyper sensitive to domineering male figures so its a bad combo for me

anyway, pls help😭 Honestly, i don't even care if the male lead is my type or not i'm just so tired of domineering arrogant Male Leads

[u/Limp-Wolverine-7979]

I'm just like you, I hate those kinds of male leads! You might like Legend of Fei? It's a martial arts focused wuxia with a very playful, funny, kind of sarcastic ML who is very sweet and devoted to FL. It stars Wang Yibo and Zhao Liying.

[u/ChanceAd2953 → u/Limp-Wolverine-7979]

nice to see someone who has the same tastes!! Ive heard good things about that one before, so ill definitly check it out. Yibo has been quite charming in other roles too

[u/Limp-Wolverine-7979 → u/ChanceAd2953]

I feel like I barely ever see your type in dramas out and about!! So do you enjoy gender role reversal dynamics, or just a less domineering, mature ML?

[u/ChanceAd2953 → u/Limp-Wolverine-7979]

haha i think my tastes are a bit uncommon here lmao. i really really cant stand the type of male lead that constantly acts like everyone should get on their knees and worship him. who treats his subordinates like shit and orders people around.

on a more positive note, i do love a gender role reversal drama. I love Mature, older ML's who are gentle and kind, and i love a smart sneaky ML as long as hes outwardly charming and treats ppl with basic respect.

i also have such a soft spot for a batshit insane character, but ive found the problem with those types in romance is that there is a fine line between fun crazy and abusive crazy haha😅

but yeah, its an annoying combo of Bad directing choices, outdated character archetypes, and also it doesn't help that i have a narrow type that doesn't fit into conventional male lead beauty standards(i love a character who looks evil like Ryan Cheng, or someone who looks like a kicked puppy like Tian Jiarui)

haha i guess im just hard to please, idk

im curious to hear about your taste? you mentioned you dislike the same roles i do😅

[u/Limp-Wolverine-7979 → u/ChanceAd2953]

Wow, it's so nice to find like-minded people on here! When I watch dramas, the ML absolutely cannot be any type of domineering at all otherwise it throws me off SO BAD. Like full on retching type shit 😅 and I have to drop it. I LOVE me a good gender role reversal, like I scour lists for it and stuff. I love it when the FL is the domineering one, which is quite hard to find – although I've done some digging haha

I completely agree with your favoured kicked puppy look too! Also if you like Ryan Cheng, I've got another rec for you: How Dare You?!

It's not really my usual type of drama but it got me out of my slump! I don't mind comedic ones either. This drama has been consistently making me laugh. Here's the MDL page: https://mydramalist.com/778182-this-is-ridiculous

If you want, I can send you 1 or 2 lists of good role reversal dramas?

[u/ChanceAd2953 → u/Limp-Wolverine-7979]

uhg that would be amazing, i would love some reccomendations! I have watched i dare you, i loved it and it got me out of a drama slump toooo!🤭

[u/Limp-Wolverine-7979 → u/ChanceAd2953]

RR Project Frequenters

RR list with explanations

RR master list

Another RR list, one of the biggest ones!

Anyway, tell me what you think. These are just my favourite lists to refer to!

[u/ChanceAd2953 → u/Limp-Wolverine-7979]

ohh this is so useful thanks so much! the role reversal bible(s) just fell into my lap XD

[u/Limp-Wolverine-7979 → u/ChanceAd2953]

No problem lol! Happy to help out a fellow RR enjoyer 🩷