Who Rules The World Turns Into a Drama‑Dramatic Circus
Plot‑Plagiarism and a Prince‑Predicament
Now that Who Rules The World—the 40‑episode saga that’s topping Singapore’s Netflix charts—has been airing since April 18, Chinese netizens are waving a plagiarism banner like a new‑school protest. They’re saying the new show borrows too heavily from the 2019 period drama Royal Nirvana.
- Both series center around a prince who’s all drama because his dad doesn’t give him the royal nod.
- There’s a shady exam‑fraud subplot that shows up in both.
- And, oh wow, the dialogue reads like a copy‑paste from each other.
Stars like Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi are the face of the new drama, while Luo Jin and Li Yitong keep their own crowns on in the older one. Both shows come from novels, but the accusation falls on the scriptwriter of Who Rules The World, not on the original author.
The Author’s Counter‑Shout
On May 2, the drama’s author, Qing Lingyue, sprung out on Weibo to clear the air:
“I wasn’t involved in this drama’s production, and honestly, I haven’t even watched it yet. I have no idea what’s going on, but I guarantee the novel wasn’t copied.”
Qing added that the book was penned back in 2004, and nobody claimed it was plagiarized for 18 years; that’s a long time to get nothing wrong.
And Then There Was the Horse‑Hag‑Issue
Taxing sensational details: a galloping horse fell hard in a recent episode, landing in a twist that looked like it had been spun by a mad stylist. While the producers claimed the animal—named Ferrari—was okay after a “thick layer of sand” and months of training, the crowd remains doubtful.
- Stunt horse trainers posted a clip of Ferrari trotting peacefully.
- They insisted the horse was alive and well after the scene.
- Still, people aren’t buying the “sand‑safe‑fall” premise.
Why the Perplexer?
Between plot similarities that feel like a déjà vu of tense palace drama and the horse sighs that crack the audience’s trust, the show’s not exactly a smooth ride. But love it or loathe it, the show’s already a big name both in China and the Singapore market; it just came wearing a questionable apron, doesn’t it?
Stay tuned, because whether a show is a pure hit or a subdued hit, we’ll keep our sense of humor on a tight leash.
