10 Tropes Romance Fantasy Dramas Need to Drop

It is about time we came up with a list of tropes that romance fantasy dramas need to move on from, isn’t it? Given how many of those dramas we have gone through and how many have been produced in recent years. Gosh, I can’t even keep up with the speed at which dramas come out anymore.

While this is an enjoyable genre, there is a certain pattern that most, if not all of these dramas follow regarding the writing – certain motifs that are believed to be capable of stealing the target audience’s hearts.

A clarification here: none of these motifs are bad by themselves. When written right, they work wonders. But more than often, coupled with careless writing, they do a disservice to the characters involved and give eye-rolling moments to the people who have given their attention to these dramas, hoping to come away with a story that makes sense for once.

This list mainly focuses on the writing aspect of dramas, which is not the only aspect that suffers from tropes, of course. Well, we’ll get them all, list by list.

For now, let’s dive into this one.

1. Protecting the world

Every romance fantasy drama seems to want to tackle the subject of world peace. A male lead who is charged with defending the universe, a heroine who is born with a mission that requires her to sacrifice herself whenever war breaks out, etc.

The problem? “Protecting the world” is too vague a concept and the execution is always more like an afterthought because, well, the trope is usually just there to raise the stakes for the romance.

It is time to try something new, yes?

How about a heroine who wants to build a school for orphan immortals so none of them will go crazy and try to blow up the world 500 years later? Or a male lead who wants to make his conservative immortal family understand the value of humans?

If we are not going to give “protecting the world” the proper elaboration it deserves, then try to protect something smaller.

2. Enemy is a woman to every man’s career

What is going on, fantasy drama writers? Why must we dig for every reason under the sun to make the female lead a hindrance and an obstacle to a man’s job?

He’s a revered god who protects the world, she’s an innocent fairy whose body harbors a dark power that can destroy the world. He’s a king bound to his royal duties, she’s an innocent maiden who distracts him from those duties.

He’s a teacher who vows to maintain the legacy of his school, she’s an innocent student who makes him break that vow. His brand survives on dignity and poise, she barges in, accidentally forcing him into an undignified position.

As a result, the man has only two choices: stick with his duty and lose the girl, or stick with the girl and leave his career behind.

Is it a particularly bad trope? No. But it becomes one when used as the only justification for a couple’s relationship, and that is – most of the time – the case with romance fantasies.

3. “Hey His Emotions Got Cut Off”, or Some Other Variations

You know, there are a lot of psychological consequences that await someone who is taught not to feel and never to share his feelings during childhood. And if dramas are not prepared to address these consequences in a realistic manner, then perhaps it is best not to use this trope at all.

No, an emotionally stunted man cannot be cured by true love provided by an innocent girl who hugs him a few times. What’s worse is these male leads usually get turned into loving puppies who cannot get enough of the women who supposedly healed them.

If you got cursed and lost your ability to feel then suddenly that curse is lifted – or even if you suppress your feelings of your own free will — there is more to unpack than just your unquenchable desire to kiss and cook for your girlfriend, hmm?

4. The Girl Who is Born Special

There is nothing wrong with being born special as a trope. But there is plenty that is wrong with using this trope as a quick scheme to elevate a female lead’s status and to make her a male’s “equal” with a minimum amount of actual writing to develop her character.

An ordinary girl who is in love suddenly finds out that she is the last descendant of an ancient clan or that she has a kingdom waiting for her to take care of. She must now sacrifice herself and her romance “for the greater good” and become remembered as the world’s savior, despite what her original story is about.

Some crying, some CGIs, some special effects, and there we have a badass heroine deserving of the male lead’s love.

No. No, we do not.

5. The Fantasy Man Who Lives for You

There was a time when all we got were stubborn, goal-driven men who exist to break the female leads’ hearts.

Dramas nowadays – perhaps to make up for that – give us the complete opposite. Men who readily give up everything for the women they love. The two most recent examples we have are Dongfang Qingcang (Love Between Fairy & Devil) and Shaodian Youqin (Starry Love). And let’s not forget Jiuchen, of course.

These dramas push this trope to a point where these men’s identities can’t be separated from their romances.

A male lead can be a leader, a warrior, or a strategist; but the second he falls in love, his entire existence is devoted to making the girl happy and protecting her. He will lose reason and offend people left and right to keep her safe. His intelligence, talents and potentials are reduced to tools for making wonton soup and watering plants.

Politics and diplomacy? Forget it.

Once in a while, there would be a half-baked attempt to make the man struggle to choose between his woman and his duty, but the suspense is never real because it doesn’t take him long to decide that hey, I was born to serve my queen.

And most of the time, the particular drama would paint its male lead’s life outside of his love interest as unlivable, anyway. Crappy parents, brutal legacies, life-draining responsibilities — you name it.

But romance is for escapism – one might argue. True, what do these fictional men exist for if not to fulfil a fantasy?

But if a man is written less to fulfil and more to be his own person, is given more challenges, and reflects more on his struggles, would that not make him even more appealing both as a character and a fantasy?

If it is a featured film or a mini-series, sure, invest in the cuddly scenes. But a drama of 30 episodes and above? Boys, get a real job.

Or, you know, find a way to balance the job you already have with your romance.

6. The Evil Voice or Black Hole

There must always be some kind of background threat that looms over the fantasy couple’s happiness, to remind us how “difficult” their lives are.

A black hole, a knock-off Sauron’s eye, black smoke, etc.

Whatever it is, it’s never given a proper background. And we as the audience just have to sit still and accept that it is going to mess up the heroes’ lives and dramas’ endings in the most unnecessary and underdeveloped fashion, because most of the time, the only solution is for the hero or the love interest to sacrifice herself/himself.

This “evil force” trope needs to either be gone or be upgraded. Simply citing Chinese mythology isn’t enough to earn this one a pass.

7. Characters Returning from the Dead

Unless a particular method of resurrection is built into the plot organically, let whoever dies stay dead. Actions need to have consequences and long-lasting effects on all characters involved in a story, otherwise, everyone can be as crazy as they want, die, and then ask somebody to bring them back from the dead. What, then, is the value of conflict anymore?

And maybe this is a personal preference, but I would rather have a lead couple separated forever but learn their lesson than a reunion that nullifies their entire journey.

8. “Let’s Retire”, aka “We’re Too Good for this World”

One of the things romance fantasy dramas love to do is try to make us believe that their lead couples have seen everything and just need a break from the world, while the truth is: most of these couples haven’t even seen the world.

Given that this genre is aimed at young adults, it would be much better to end a story saying: let us begin a new story. Because, honestly, all these people do is fall in love, and that’s hardly all the world has to offer.

9. Unnecessary Tragic Endings

Tragic endings are great, they really are. Memorable, impactful, thought-provoking — but only when they are well done, and well hinted throughout a story.

A tragic ending for the sake of being tragic is not it. An ending is supposed to conclude a story, not to create more drama that won’t be resolved.

A basic question for every drama writer’s handbook: Is this tragic ending I’m about to write contribute to anyone’s character arc or enrich the story in anyway? If the answer is no then for the love of all bad wigs and weird glowing artefacts, let your characters be happy.

10. Evil Leader in the Highest Court

They are kings of a celestial kingdom, most of the time.

Not all kings of the heaven need to be altruistic and benevolent. But to have the man at the top be evil and determined to hunt down the lead couple is an overused and easy conflict that is no longer appealing. What’s worse, these kings would recite the same mantra over and over again to the younger people: I’m doing this for your own good.

If we must have an evil king then let’s hear his story and his reason – did his mom not hug him enough when he was a kid? Did he mess up one of his love trials too? Struggles? Layers? Failed romance? Write him as someone who has room to develop, not just a plot device.

This concludes my list of tropes that need to be gone from romance fantasy dramas. I would also include “petty jealousy and crazy secondary female leads”, but to be fair, recent dramas have done a good job of fixing that.

Have I missed any tropes?