By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Who doesn’t love free anime—especially when it’s good? While taste is subjective, finding quality anime without breaking the bank is a win for any fan. As part of research I was doing for a panel idea of how to be a fan on a budget, I started deep-diving into legal, free streaming services like YouTube, my Peacock account that I learned I grandfathered into, and so on where I stumbled upon the iQIYI channel on YouTube and quickly found one of my new favorite animes of the season, How Dare You!? or Cheng He Titong.

Generally, I watch anime a season later than others. I make my “want to watch list” and then, when the next season hits and all the episodes are out, I spend the following weekends of the Fall, for example, watching Summer hits and things from my list. In the Winter season I watch Fall anime, in the Summer I watch Winter, and so on and so forth.

However, every now and then, a series catches my eye, and I’ll watch it week to week—and goodness, How Dare You!? has me in a weekly cycle right now.

To start, this show operates on a ‘story within a story’ or ‘play within a play’ narrative. Many series use this device, but the difference here is that our main characters face vastly different challenges compared to their fictional counterparts. The female lead (MC) is a villainess trying to escape her cannon-fodder fate, while her love interest—an in-novel tyrant—is a present-day individual who has also transmigrated into the story much earlier in life than herself. Together, they struggle for survival and control in a fictionalized imperial China, all while contending with a two-dimensional villain who wields significant power and another fictional character who has also transmigrated into the book. It sounds complicated, but trust me, it all makes sense when you watch it.

As a Chinese anime, this series showcases how far Chinese animation has come, especially with its CG work, and the story itself is both grand and enjoyable. While the plot is very different from No Doubt In Us, it shares a similar blend of comedy and drama, which keeps me fully engaged. I’ve been highly recommending it to my friends, and since the episodes are free to watch on YouTube, you can start watching it now and catch up before the series ends, which is likely sometime in December or January. Although, if you are willing to pay for VIP on the iQIYI website, then you can watch ahead where they are currently up to Episode 21.

While the animation is still developing the story has me hooked. I’s got drama, romance, and, uh… hotpot—what’s not to love?

10/10 stars – I highly recommend this series!

If you want to watch it for free, you can check it out on the iQIYI YouTube channel linked here: https://www.youtube.com/@iQIYIAnime

OR, you can view the episode playlist on YouTube here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTndXYWs2JgH2_eQuk0-4hdvM9CZxo1_b&si=n13jBqIxJfHmJhNe

Also, if you are totally hooked on it and willing to pay for VIP status just to catch up on the episodes, you can go here: https://www.iq.com/album/how-dare-you-%EF%BC%9F-2024-1revts5tlil?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4

Seriously, I hope you all check it out. Happy Watching!

Edits by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow