The Love You Give Me (2023)

So many thoughts! Some spoilers~

I really, really enjoyed this drama and I would definitely rewatch! I even thought the music was beautiful and catchy; I hardly ever skipped the intro. I was so surprised by the chemistry between the main couple/family, and I am happy to have found out that Wang Yuwen and Wang Ziqi have worked together previously — their other drama is definitely going in my queue! I *adored* Cui Yixin as Quanquan. This little boy did such a fantastic job playing the son; his character was smart and quick-witted and often scolding the adults around him, but he got to play and whine and act like a child as well. The writing and the actor himself did such a great job balancing that. He was so cute and the glue of the Min-Xin family.

As far as his parents go, I really enjoyed the character arcs they endured. Both characters are very strong and even stubborn, but Xin Qi quickly falling deeply in love with Min Hui was a great choice. While Min Hui fell in love, she was more cautious and quick to set boundaries. I appreciated that through his growth, he had to learn to differentiate between infatuation/possessiveness and true love, and learned how to show up for MH as she needed him. MH also learned how to soften and open herself up to real love after healing from traumatic events, and went through a journey of forgiveness (for XQ and Lin Xiyue) and justice (Cheng Qirang, Ding Yifang, getting her work recognized).

As for the other characters:

I love her best friends Zhou Ruji and Cao Mu. I enjoyed Hardy but I also feel like he was underutilized; same with Cindy. I wish she introduced to the series earlier, and I also wish we could’ve seen her become friends with Cao Mu.

I didn’t love the romance between Cao Mu and Chen Jiajun. I think they were cute at times and I feel like there’s always that one side couple that moves faster and shows more affection than the main couple — they were that for this drama. But I felt like Cao Mu deserved better and we could’ve explored her backstory a little more, especially her reasoning for being against marriage. I often fast-forwarded through their scenes so, admittedly, I may have missed some interesting moments, but I look forward to seeing these actors in other projects for sure.

On the flip side, I enjoyed Zhou Ruji’s character a lot! At times I felt annoyed and burdened by his pining for MH, but I think that really drove the point home of feeling possessive and longing for someone out of habit. (I also enjoyed how they showed how much he was really there for MH and especially Quanquan, and learned how to care for them.) ZR, XQ, and Cheng Qirang are different sides of the same coin and each have their respective lessons to learn. Ruji needed to learn that liking someone out of habit and doing kind things to quietly persuade someone’s feelings is not how you get someone to love you beyond platonic feelings. He could never be straightforward to her; however, I appreciate how he confessed despite his feelings changing. That was such a wholesome moment that you don’t often get to see in shows. He got his closure after spending so much effort on his one-sided crush for years, MH had the opportunity to address it directly as well since I’m sure she realized his feelings, and they got to maintain their friendship. I really enjoyed his relationship with Yao Zhizhu. She was actually a really sweet and fantastic addition to the side characters and storylines. I could also see her being great friends with Min Hui and Cao Mu. While she did kind things and looked out for ZR, she was more honest and direct about her feelings and steadfast in her approach to trying to win his favor. Likewise, she never disparaged and even admired/rooted for MH, despite her being the object of Ruji’s affection. I like, also, that when Ruji realized his new feelings, that she set her own boundaries and made him work for her affection/their relationship. I enjoyed that she wasn’t easily won over when he had his realization! They ended up being such a cute and pure couple. I liked how Ruji became a golden retriever for her and I loved how much they doted on Quanquan as uncle and auntie figures in his life.

Overall, I very much appreciated the themes of this story. All the women were strong in different ways and were amazing at declaring their boundaries and moral values. Even Zheng Yiting, who had purely a business mindset and **tempuous** relationship with her husband, was strong against her husband and uncompromising for the most part, and in the end joined the right side to save her family’s legacy. Lin Xiyue, though she was manipulated into the wrong side for most of the series, she also was smart, cunning and tactical on her own. In the end, she sought forgiveness from Min Hui and regretted most how her wrongdoings hurt a former friend and other women in general.

Min Hui — all that she went through and displayed throughout the series was wonderful. A strong, independent, single mother in STEM and entrepreneurship, who stood up to toxic masculinity and corruption without fear, and often in alliance with other women. I *adored* her as the female lead, and I would even consider her the main lead of the series above Xin Qi. Wang Yuwen did an amazing job portraying her and she was the core of the success of this story!

I’ve seen some opinions saying they didn’t like how all the women ended up in relationships and it contrasted their feminist design… While I get where they’re coming from and I don’t seek to invalidate anyone’s opinions, I do want to explain how I saw it. Firstly, feminist and empowered women deserve love too; they don’t have to remain independent to represent feminist values. It was established that Min Hui was always in love with Xin Qi and despite their conflicts, she never forgot her first love. She showed herself to be efficient and capable and chose to never pursue love as she raised Quanquan on her own but didn’t deny herself of the option of love when Xin Qi came back into the picture. Of course, their relationship took a lot of work too and she didn’t just settle right away either. XQ had to learn what Min Hui really needed in order to be in her life — she always refused his overt affection, his money, his help, and etc. It wasn’t until she heard him talk about how he simply needed to be by her side, to go through life with her, and appreciate her strengths and her abilities to work things out, that she truly allowed him in. He finally realized the kind of love she wanted. Think about Cheng Qirang: he did everything in his power to force MH to be with him and he was never going to understand that *any* woman doesn’t want to be undermined or thought of as an object. XQ, in his own way, needed to learn the same exact lesson, but the difference is he was willing to listen and grow!

Zhou Ruji and even Chen Jiajun were allowed to be with Zhizhu and Cao Mu, respectively, because of their willingness to rid themselves of toxic masculinity and stand by these women in the way that they requested and deserved. There were two scenes towards the end, in the aftermath of the convictions of Ding Yifang and Cheng Qirang, that drilled the core themes of the show home for me. After MH and ZQ take care of Zhong Meimei, he is so angry about the hypocrisies and the systemic nature in which women are harmed — that no matter what women do, there are toxic men that figure out how to get away with hurting women. He says something like, “I’ve known ridicule and violence but not to the degree that women have.” But then he trails off because he knows he does not need to explain any of this Min Hui, and his rage at this point is futile. More good men can’t just be mad and silent, they need to put in the work to call out and shame this behavior rather than putting the burden on victims to be brave on their own. Likewise, in another scene, the Be Agile staff are voicing their disgust at the situations and one girl responds, “men can be harassed too.” While this topic wasn’t brought up directly throughout the show, this is a good point too. Though none of the men in the show were sexually harassed, how many of them were hit or bulled by CQ and DY? They never could speak up either. He Haixiang, the manager, even protected DY and only sided with the women when it was convenient for his business matters. Men need feminism as well, and they need better systems in place to defend *all* people who become victims of oppression, harassment, and violence that too often gets swept under the rug.

All in all, this was interesting and different take on a romantic comedy/drama, and I clearly loved it. I could expand further on my thoughts, but I’ll leave it here. ^_^;

Read More

Almost wore out my fast forward button

What I liked:

1) Cui Yi Xin as Quan Quan. What an adorable little boy!! He was absolutely the highlight of the show. I didn't like his tendency to call his parents by their first names, but his interactions with them was cute.
2) The main couple, when they weren't fighting. They were sweet together, not fire chemistry, but no fish kisses.
3) We got a wedding!

Not so much:
1) Wow! So much extraneous stuff. I didn't care for the two side couples. This one went on entirely too long
2) The sleazy sexual predator males.
3) All three women seemed like they took turns "playing" their boyfriends. Stupid reasons for breakups (2nd couple), stalker (3rd couple), the FL decides arbitrarily that she doesn't want to see the ML anymore for no apparent reason, and makes him jump through hoop after hoop to try to win her over.
4) Dubbing. A couple of the ladies sounded like Minnie Mouse on helium.
5) The doctor has liked Min Hui for years, then suddenly he likes the irritating woman that has been stalking him.
6) Small, yet irritating thing. They weren't wearing their wedding rings in the scenes following the wedding.
7) He went to another country for six months to have surgery, but she didn't go?! However, their reunion was cute.
8) Way too much "we're together", "we're breaking up", we're together.

I realize I'm in the minority here, but I can't recommend this one, except for the little boy.

Read More

Don't we all love Wang-Wang couple?

I watched for the pair. Like many of you here, I watched Once We Get Married and was ecstatic to find that they were paired up in another romcom.
I'm not looking for mindblowing plot or award winning series, I'm in for the good feeling and romance. Call me shallow and get in the line.
Our main leads are very natural that a tiny bit of me wishes that they were a real life couple.
There is no ridiculous angst. The (somewhat) SML is respectable, triggering some jealousy in our ML but not for long because we know he is not a serious contender. Quanquan is a witty kid, I wonder how they brief the young actor to deliver the character because he doesn't even seem like he's acting. Very well done.
The other couples are entertaining, I appreciate Cao Mu and her good looking younger boyfriend, but my favourite is the doctor and the ballerina. Once the dynamic changes between them it's just precious how doc is now desperately trying to convince Zhuzhu that hey! He likes her too, so much!
This drama is not petty in skinship either. They kiss like normal couples do. Good morning kiss, happy kiss, random kiss, thank you kiss, sexy kiss, you name it they do it. I hate it when a drama is so lacking in romantic gestures that a couple doesn't even kiss on their wedding day! *Cough* Road Home *cough*

Overall, it is worth binging on a weekend.

Read More

Worth the binge

i absolutely loved this drama! it was so cute and it had me giggling, and hiding under the covers all night. the main male lead annoyed me in the beginning bc he was acting rude with the main female lead due to their past, but i love how the plot ended up making him actually realize what he did wrong and realize that he needed to make up for it. he showed great character development in my opinion. and for the main lead, i love the fact that she stood her ground, in her love life and her daily life. the show also adds the silliness of their son quanquan, and the assistant hardy. absolutely recommend this drama. everyone be sleeping on cdramas, but they live up to the romance hype that everyone wants!!!

Read More

Temporary Review

First of all, I'll apologize in advance if my English is a little messy, because I'm not a native speaker.
this is also my first time writing a review.
this review is only temporary, considering that the drama is also not over.

but as far as I've watched so far, nothing has disappointed me and I'm still curious about how it'll end.

What I love about this story , Xin qi found out in the beginning of story that he had a child.
not like other dramas where it was only discovered in the middle of the series.

And don't forget the wang couple chemistry! There's no doubt about their chemistry!, I've liked them since the drama Once We Get Married!

I hope that this drama will maintain its plot and not create a climax with disappointing ending, like other dramas that start out good but end up disappointing.


hopefully!

Read More

Don’t watch it.

You want a good C-Drama? Don’t watch this. The story is rewinding itself so much and up to 18~19 is where it goes more downhill than it is. Honestly I don’t know how people like this. Too repetitive, no story that actually works and the only sane person there is Quanquan. Min is the most dislikable character there and my poor boy Zin can’t say one thing before she says something outrageous and doesn’t let him explain. She may come off as a powerful fl that doesn’t need a ml but she literally does, her character redemption happens every other episode and Zin has to chase after her every time while having mistakenly every conversation be cut off so he looks like the bad guy. Let my bro free man 😭 Min is a bitch, Zin needs somebody who actually will trust him, and quanquan needs to shut Min up entirely. I HATE HER SO MUCHHH RAHHH (don’t recommend for ppl who have low patience)

Read More

Cute story!

I watch this drama because I like this couple in Once We Get Married. Because I love that drama, so I trust this couple. And yes, they never disappoint me.

Instead of good acting of the ML and FL, the supporting also are good. And I love how the story grow. I love how they recall the past. Everything in this drama, I just feel cute. Everyday I'm waiting for the new episode.

So far, no character annoy me yet. All are helpful. I just hope that this drama will end nicely. My rate? 10/10! And I started to fall for this ML already.

For those who loves simple drama, rom-com, i suggest you watch this. And you will go to sleep with sleeping. Enjoy watching!

Read More

It was entertaining to watch. While this is tagged as a romantic comedy, I think it would be safe to safe the romance part is absent. To be fair, the series was okay. I really enjoyed the scenes with th e child in it. He was cute, smart and funny. The scenes with him and his dad were even more cute. I love the natural feel of their relationship. What I liked most was the awareness the child possessed and how he expressed himself. I also really enjoyed the ML assistant. He was smart, definitely attentive and absolutely comical. You’ll enjoy the laughs.

What I disliked was the FL character for half of the series. We spend the majority of the series with her pushing the male lead away, asking him to disappear and etc. although you get a few scenes with her being less difficult. To ellaborate, she told a lie and didn’t explain when others found out. I simply dislike her disregarding the child’s father like he was insignificant to the child life. Although things got better this was a major downside for me. This is the second series I’ve watched with the 2 leads and sadly, he was pursuing her in the other one too. Again, she was initially argumentative, often unreasonable and difficult.

I loved the family dynamic of the series. The child gave the series life. He was cute, smart and funny. The ML character was funny and caring. The father and son together gave me giggles I want expecting. I have to say, out of all the love child drama this has to be one of the better ones. There were no overly dramatic issues. There was a good blend of romance, comedy, cuteness, drama and karma with a good ending, Definitely enjoyable.
.

Read More

It was addicting for me to watch

I started watching The Love You Give Me on May 29, 2023, on YouTube. This show made me obsessed. I know the show has 28 episodes. I would say there are 8 episodes that made me laugh when I was watching this show. I enjoy the show!
In the beginning, Xin Qi seems like he has a hate relationship with Min Hui. he also can't stand her as well. Xin Qi doesn't know he has a son. Their relationship looks like an on-and-off relationship. Xin Qi's character changes when he starts to understand Min Hui and what she has been going through while working with Cheng Qirang. I feel bad for Yao Zizhu for trying so hard to get Zhou Ruji as her boyfriend.
I like every characters except for Cheng Qirang. I don't really like how Cheng Qirang tells Min Hui that he killed his wife's dog makes me mad. I am obsessed with three songs from The Love You Give Me Chinese drama show!

Read More

Satisfying, Cute and Fluffy

This was one of my anticipated c-dramas to watch in my list and it was worth it. The storyline, the actors , the Ost especially the theme song... I laughed, the ML was so sweet, goofy, and you will blush at his antics. The FL was strong , I loved how she really didn't care what you think about her
The only thing I didn't like in the drama was her argument with the ML over the child. That whole scene made me very annoyed but didn't spoil the drama for me.

Re watch value is low because I hardly rewatch any dramas but i think I can watch this with my siblings..lol.

Read More

WATCH THIS RIGHT NOW DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT

this was probably one of the best things I’ve ever watched after writing this I’m going to go rewatch it I love it so much the chemistry and everything built this drama and I can’t even begin to describe how amazing I was excited every day to watch this and it just made me so happy please please please I’m begging you go watch it you would really be missing our if you skipped this so im telling you go right now I can’t say anything was bad about this drama it was really incredible also if you enjoy it the next thing to watch is unforgettable love that’s rlly good as well but not as good as this I’m yet to find better cdramas than this and I’ve watched a bunch but I would say hidden love is amazing but this is different it’s adults and they have SO MUCH CHRMISTRY and adults hit different to kids to the point where it made me kick me feet

Read More