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Crazy Stupid Mother ruins the show. Great leads and storylines are otherwise great
Typical Chinese drama with the toxic mother unfortunately. The ML and FL are great actors and portrayed the characters well and draw the audience into their inner struggles. The second couple, FL's brother & her BFF, also had a heart-wrenching storyline worth watching. The parental control culture are very real and well reflected in this drama - i.e. society/parents feel they have the right to control all the life choices of a woman, cultural discrimination against the older woman with younger man, annoying relatives who thinks they have a right to your money etc. The ML's personal growth, humanity and cool is so good to watch and XuKai is funny and perfect as usual.What ruins the show is the FL's mother character - an explosive stupid idiot with a high pitch voice. It's torture to watch her scenes. This character is an insult to women as mothers. The important parental character is the grandmother who is loving, strong and wise, the grandma we all wish we had.
The first boyfriend is a weak pathological liar, rich but retarded. Recommend skipping some episodes to eliminate this useless character and the stupid mother's over-the-top screaming scenes. 1. Fast forward to ep 12 when FL is starting over as a single girl. 2. Fast forward ep 16 to avoid the big "engagement" scene where stupid mother went insane. It's worth waiting for the slow burn of the lead's love story. Ending is a little anti-climactic for the lead's love story although a happy one.
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Great story, but the toxic mom is over the top
Xu Kai is great, and the chemistry between him and Yang Zi is better than I expected. She is sometimes a little too bubbly and naive for me, but she does well here.The story is pretty good, but they went overboard on some of the side characters. The dad is a miserable hen-pecked man who devotes everything to his family. Yet he’s constantly degraded as worthless and useless by the mom. And he just happily goes along with it all. The mom is absolutely horrible. She claims she’s doing things for the good of her daughter, but she’s cruel, manipulative, and will happily sell her daughter off for money. She is a terrible person and no one in the show seems willing to address it. When she’s finally called on some of her behavior, she plays the victim. It’s almost enough to turn the snow off. It’s just hard to watch when they make these characters so extreme.
The female best friend is awesome. She’s intelligent, witty and sweet. The male sidekick is super funny and entertaining.
The brother is sweet, dedicated and hard working. One thing that has disappointed me is that Gala Zhang’s character is very somber. He plays it well, don’t get me wrong. But I love the way he always laughs in Love Like White Jade- it’s absolutely infectious and keeps me smiling. I’ve been hoping to see/ hear that more, but the character isn’t there yet. Hopefully it will come later. (Not all of the episodes are out yet.)
The story itself is nothing new, but it’s an easy watch and moves at a decent pace. I do hope the mom develops as a person, but I don’t see a lot of hope for it. I’ll keep watching, as the main couple and side couple are just adorable.
Edit to add: I had to go ack and lower my rating. The mom does get a bit better for a while. She starts to understand others and makes an effort. But she’s still a raging psycho who sees herself as a martyr while creating huge amounts trouble for those around her. The last few episodes were about her and I was ready to turn it off. She’s run unchecked with a bad temper and a lack of thoughtfulness yet the family continues to tolerate this and treat her as if she’s a victim. A lot of problems could have been avoided if the husband had acted like a man at any point in their marriage and stood up to her. But no, they just all continue to tread on egg shells and try to appease her. The show would be much better without that extreme awfulness.
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Less than stellar follow through
Overall story is good, one could even argue than it is almost great in the beginning. But midway through the writing seems more and more.... lazy is the best word I could think of to describe it. In the beginning, every conflict and thought process of the characters are told in detail, and so is the climax building. But then all of sudden the scenes are just fillers then they just tell us the ending, not in a novel way, more like news reports way, just informing us what happened, then The End. Other that that I think this drama is pretty good, especially the acting and chemistry between the main characters and the familyWas this review helpful to you?
Mixed feelings
It would have been better if this drama was not marketed as romance. To realize some episodes later that it is more of a family/life drama left me with a lesser impression by that time because the matriarch figure already annoyed me to no end by that time. I would say it is also partly my own fault; however when I started paying more attention to the credits song and understood the lyrics, it made more sense.Honestly the “leads’” pairing kept me (barely) invested. I started watching because I wanted to see the Xu Kai/Yang Zi pairing. Jokes on me…The real leads are Yang Zi and He Sai Fei (the latter played the matriarch figure). Some episodes (many..) it felt like He Sai Fei is the only lead, especially the last few.
He Sai Fei’s character was overbearing, over-meddling, could be seen as self-centred at times but it also hit too close to home for many who could identify many traits in one of their parents. This could only turn out to be a disaster watch or some good drama.
At times, it felt like there was too much manufactured angst, especially towards the end.
If you noticed, I only mentioned Xu Kai once..this was by design, I thought the character he played felt like a prop at times, it was a real waste.
I added 1/2 star to the rating for the whiff of romance between the two “leads”.
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Not my best choice ever but…
Just finished watching this today. My thoughts below.I honestly struggled watching this drama and complete all 37 episodes. Maybe I am not the intended audience as this is more of a family-centric drama specifically a mother-daughter dynamics. I started watching it because of Xu Kai while waiting for his other drama As Beautiful As You to air and was expecting it to be romance driven as implied by the trailers. Maybe that’s my biggest disappointment because it felt like I was duped and it fell short of my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, this drama is excellent on its own to its intended audience with lots of lessons about life and family. It’s just that this is not for me.
Xu Kai is ONLY a supporting role here with minimal screen time. The brother even has more screen time than him and his love plot was more focused than the so-called main leads. I love the acting especially the mom who successfully brought out my inner rage everytime she opens her mouth at least until episode 27 or 28 when she realized her wrong ways. I was prepared for an overbearing mom character but my preparation fell short for this level of mom that I have to skip her scenes for my sanity’s sake. Great job to the actress playing MCH’s mom!!!
My overall rating is 7/10 but just because this drama’s not for me. Plotwise, I didn’t enjoy it. The OSTs are also not catching my attention. However, the actors are doing a great job with their outstanding performance portraying their characters! The cinematography is also good with picturesque scenery especially with mom’s hometown. Boticelli and Xing’lan hotels’ façade are also eye catchers. These salvaged an otherwise poorer rating from me.
Thank you BCE for a roller coaster ride! Though watching this drama will not be one of my Best Choice Ever.
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The Main Character is the Mom
If you are looking for a story about a relatable mother of grown children struggling with an empty nest, it's a great show. However because the story is theoretically not about the mom, the pacing, events, and character development feel off. Would have been better if the writer just embraced that the story they obviously wanted to write instead of pretending to be about the leading couple. The show has an ensemble cast but doesn't do a good job balancing time spent on the various relationships (familial or romantic, so it will feel like one conflict last forever and another is just glanced over or never mentioned again. Had potential, but fell flat.Was this review helpful to you?
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Sindrome di Stoccolma? oh yes!
Uno dei drama più brutti che abbia mai visto.La vera protagonista di questo drama è una madre psicopatica.
Si inneggia alla pietas filiale quando è molto più una sindrome di Stoccolma.
Un'intera famiglia alla mercee delle brame di potere e ricchezza di una madre despota che ha instillato in figli e marito il sacro terrore di dispiacerle o anche solo turbarla.
Lei comanda e tutti scattano sull'attenti.
Anche quando cercano di avere una minima autonomia lo fanno sussurrando e pregandola in ginocchio di consentirglelo.
Arriva a imporle con l'inganno il matrimonio col suo ex (un debole vile) solo perché è ricco.
La protagonista finalmente si ribella un minimo, in piena cerimonia le dice il fatto suo (con pacatezza e garbo) e la madre che, nonostante si sia accorta di essere stata ingannata dalla famiglia dell'aspirante genero, che fa? La schiaffeggia e le dice che non è più sua figlia, se non lo sposa, salvo poi prendersela perché lei fa le valigie.
Le neffandezze che questa donna ha commesso nella sua vita sono indicibili.
Le sue scelte egoistiche hanno reso un inferno l'infanzia del foglio, costretto il marito a farla vivere una vita che non si potevano permettere lamentandosi costantemente di quanto fosse vile e inadeguato, reso la figlia una burattina pronta a sacrificare la sua dignità pur di renderla orgogliosa e rischiando di mandarle in malora la vita e il lavoro costantemente.
Ma tutti che fanno? La venerano come angelo del focolaio.
Un drama che è più una propaganda a valori che sarebbero sani se fossero applicati con amore invece che con regole mirate al predominio classista.
Schifo.
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Don't focus on the character actions but the meaning behind them
This is my first post in MDL, even though I've been using this site for many years. the reason is this drama deserves.Actually, the first reason to start to watch this drama was because XuKai and Yang Zhi. But the main reason to stay was the story itself.
This was the best family drama I ever watched.
The focus here is not the romance, but how the main character got together to be a family. I loved the development of characters.
In fact, the development of the story, apart from the whole race in the workplace, which hotel is better, being president, getting a promotion and who gets Xian' Li is basically about the development of the family.
About a mother and daughter who love each other but have different views of the world and can't handle it without almost ending their relationship.
For many, her mother's abusive behavior during the drama is a reason to stop watching. And yes, I myself was angry at how Mai Cheng Huan is used by everyone at first. For the mother who dreams big but wants to use that so her daughter can have a better life and ends up passing over her. For Zhiming who uses her to achieve his ambitions at work. For the boyfriend who takes her for granted, lies to her but tells her he loves her, even though he doesn't lift a finger to defend her from his family. But through it all, as the story developed, I was able to see that her mother actually just didn't know what she was doing. Yes, she is clueless. But at the same time she only tried what was best for her family. That person who didn't get what they wanted during their life, and passes this expectation on to their children. Although I don't agree, I understand the vision. She wanted the best for her children: Happiness, but she needed to really get to know her children. She couldn't understand that there is no way to please everyone in life and there is no shortest way to live. And in all of this, she almost had to lose her family to be able to learn a little about life. She has a personality like that, but it doesn't mean she doesn't love her family. When at the end Zhiming joins the family, after both his grandmother and his father were gone I love how she in particular treats Zhiming like a son the most, worried about him, this warms my heart.
And, in the end, we can see Cheng Huan also needed to learn about her mother.
What captivated me in this drama was the reflections on family life. Zhiming, being a boy who never had the experience and love of a family, and only knew material pursuits, returning to China taught him what love is, he changes not only for Mai Cheng Huan, but also for his grandmother. That even though he doesn't know how to show it, he loves her and was looking for her love. And I feel that Cheng Huan didn't teach him how to love like in many dramas, but taught him to see that small actions are worth more than anything by showing himself what love is. At his grandmother's burial , when she says on the video that she took him to the Mai family so he could have a family, that's exactly what happens during the drama. He starts out alone, but gets a big family, full of problems, but united and noisy, that's what he needed in his monotonous life.
I also like Grandma’s teachings. She lived a lot, and learned a lot about life. She had regrets, especially when it came to family. But she lived intensely. She shows how she managed to achieve happiness by balancing her life. She doesn't always help everyone, but lend a hand to help them walk until they can walk alone. Learn to speak but listen. Be for yourself, but have others around too. She says so many things that made me think about life.
I like how each character develops and shows us important parts of the family, and that not all of them are perfect, just as a family is not made up of blood.
One of the most beautiful scenes for me was Cheng Huan's father and Zhiming talking, and he talks about how he lives with her mother. Giving up things for everyone's happiness, and cultivating their love every day.
This drama is more mature and made to think about many things in life. If you are a person who likes to analyze everything, appreciate the teachings without caring about perfection, this drama is for you. There is no right or wrong here in the story, it's about everyone making mistakes, no one being perfect, but still loving yourself and your family. And no matter what happens, a family is together through the ups and downs.
Everyone's performance was incredible, I laughed, I felt embarrassed, I cried and I was moved.
The choice of songs were also incredible, and if you pay attention to the lyrics of each one, it also has a lot to do with the scenes.
In the end, it's a simple drama, which definitely has many similarities in terms of story, but it's its simplicity that makes it so special.
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Best Family Drama
This is such a great family drama. If you are going to watch this for a romcom, this is not a romcom at all! It has romance dispersed throughout it, but it is mostly a family drama, and one of the best family dramas I have watched in a very long time. I absolutely loveddd this drama. I cried so so much, especially every time the FL cried. There were some really sad moments in this drama! All of the plot points, storyline, and acting were 10/10.Yang Zi's performance in this drama was incredible. She deserves all the awards out there for her role, and it made me an even bigger fan of hers. Her character in this drama was great as well. She was a strong willed and independent woman. She never relied on anyone to help her or her family out, even when times were extremely tough. Therefore - for anyone who was a bit disappointed that there was no definite engagement/marriage for her and the ML by the end of the show, I believe this was done to show that this show is mostly about the FL's growth and the achievement of her personal/professional goals rather than a typical romcom ending of the FL getting married. It is clear that the FL + ML will eventually get married, as the ML said he is ready whenever the FL is, but this was not important enough to dedicate episodes on as the show isn't about their relationship.
I see that a lot of people have dropped this drama because they found the FL's mother to be annoying, which she is, but that just goes to show how fantastic of an actress they chose for her role. Although she may go over the top with what she does in the drama, her character is rooted in love for her children + trying to do what is right for them.
And finally, the ML did such a great job as well! I watched one of his dramas a few years ago, and it is clear that he has grown into an even better actor through his role in this drama. His character is so well written (as are all the other characters). I appreciated his character's growth and the evolution of his personality. I find it so cringe when a ML does a complete 180 twist and develops a whole new personality when they get in a relationship, and I am so glad that this was not the case for him. I also LOVED the way that he became a part of the FL's family, not only by relation to her, but being close to her parents as well. So darn cute and heartwarming.
I'll wrap this review up by saying that I absolutely loved how their grandmother knew that the ML needed a family, while the FL needed a chance to excel in her career, so she made sure to help them through her will. Ughhh so heartwarming. This entire show was so well thought out!
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Best modern drama of 2024. yang zi and xu kai's chemistry is chefs kiss♡
Watching this ongoing drama is killing me because waiting for the next episodes is a different kind of pain. Anyway, I waited so long for this drama to air, and now that it's finally here, I'm in love!Not kidding, this drama is going so well. Let's talk about a few things first:
■ ACTING: 9.5/10
Yang Zi and Xu Kai: I guess I don't have to mention how good their acting is. Yang Zi portrayed her character very well, and Xu Kai, as the cold boss, nailed his role. Also, their chemistry is chef's kiss ?❤️ Other actors are also good at their jobs.
■ STORY: I like family romance dramas, and the plot of this drama is well-written. I like the way they showed the struggles of a middle-class family. There were scenes that actually made me tear up a bit, but the FL and her brother are so hardworking that I feel proud of them. This drama shows the reality of modern society and struggles. The romance aspect of this drama is also good. It's not your typical rich CEO-poor girl drama. The FL is intelligent, wise, and kind-hearted. Though the ML seems cold, he cares about people in his own way (at least he's learning, lol). As I said, Yang Zi and Xu Kai's chemistry is no joke. They have my heart. ❤️✨️ Overall, I'm loving this drama, and I know it's going to be on my favorite list.
If you love a good modern romance drama, then I definitely recommend giving it a shot!
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Worst choice ever
Watching this was probably one of the worst choices I've ever made.This is just my honest, personal opinion, I disliked both the story AND the way it progressed. The acting could've been better, but it generally wasn't that bad by most of the cast. The story though... Some characters were quite literally UNBEARABLE (yes I'm looking at you FL's mom).
The FL is written as a very kind yet resilient and strong person, or so we're supposed to believe... The thing is, she behaves like a dormant, especially with her mom. Disagreeing with your parents is perfectly normal, agreeing with everything they say and forgiving whatever they unilaterally decide for you, is what's not okay. I could literally write an entire essay about how dysfunctional the FL's relationship with her mother is.
The FL is 29 years old and her mom treats her as if she's 12. She literally designed an engagement ceremony for the fl without asking for her opinion... and I'm not even talking about the decorations... I'M TALKING ABOUT THE GROOM like- ??? lady get it together, please. The thing that makes me madder is had the FL enforced healthy boundaries with her mom, nothing like this would've happened.
Boundaries are of utmost importance in every relationship and suitable ones should be enforced (obviously depending on what type of relationship it is and taking into consideration personal preferences). By not enforcing proper boundaries the FL is enabling her mom's behavior. No, it's not cute, it's not "but, she's just worried" or "she loves you and cares for you that's why she's doing it". Seriously I hate when behaviors like this are glorified or simply glossed over in dramas with the excuse of "being a loving parent❤️". No. She is smothering her own daughter. The woman is simply controlling! Not to mention that she gaslights her daughter when things don't go her way.
Another thing that I didn't like is the grandma being used as a plot device to bring the main leads together (or at least the particular way she was utilized as a plot device). Moreover her being all "I brought you into the Mai family" towards the ML, like she gave him the biggest gift ever made me so mad. If she sincerely wanted her grandson to know what love is, she should've brought him to live with her or helped him before things turned as bad as they did (with his family). I believe that she was kind of cruel to her grandson since the beginning of it all.
Also isn't it ironic how the FL was betrayed by her long-term bf hiding the fact that he was wealthy, when the grandma did the exact same, and for many more years...
All in all, I think this story just wasn't for me, I struggled and ended up skipping quite a lot, up until the 20th episode. I'm a bit disappointed as I am a fan of some of the cast, but I'll just drop it here.
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Best Choice Ever became my Favorite Drama Ever
I think Best Choice Ever provided better growth for Xu Kai's character unlike She and Her Perfect Husband.I liked YZM & MCH Interactions the most. Xu Kai at his best. I've to say that there are very good and entertaining characters like YZM, MCH, He Dong, Zhang Zhiyu, Grand Mother. You can't get bored watching these characters. But of course, every drama has its own pros and cons. I felt the Mom character is too boring and hurts the FL many times. XJL (MCH's Ex) is also boring to watch. As his character seemed too childish where as MCH is a matured woman. I don't know Why MCH dated XJL?
But anyways, MCH & YZM are together at the end of the drama.
Instead of that time waste by creating unnecessary plot in the last 2-3 eps, they should have worked around the plot of YZM and MCH's marriage like the most of the Chinese dramas do.
I loved MCH & YZM interactions the most:
1. MCH to YZM - Mr. Yao, the world doesn't end without you but your kidneys would, drink more water. (In Hospital)
2. YZM to MCH - Miss Mai, The world doesn't end without you but I would. (Replied again in hospital)
3. I knew it, Fang something right? He said you're childhood sweethearts (this line looks simple in English but it was funny when he said that in Chinese)
4. If you like someone, do you have to express it in person?, ...... I like you ?
5. It was my fault for giving my heart to you too soon, now my world is filled with you! (YZM tried to be cheesy with his lines)
6. Auntie, I was that mouse running around at home.
7. YZM's scene with MCH's Mom - When I was young due to my family environment, I have always been a selfish person. I don't know what is family and what is warmth and I never expected to fall in love with someone in my life. Ever since Cheng Huan entered my life, she brought different colors and made me look forward for the future. In my heart, I have long regarded you as my family. I request you to let me properly love Cheng Huan & become a part of your family.
I liked YZM's character even more when he confronted Ms. Zhang over Xing'anli issues.
Cons of the Drama:
1. Lesser Screen Time for Xu Kai (But fine I'm more satisfied with YZM rather than his other drama - SAHPH: Yang Hua)
2. Boring Characters like Liu Wanyu, Xin Jialiang, Xin Jiali
3. Too much wastage ~ They should have reduced the whole marriage thing (Come On!, Ep 1 to Ep 16)
4. XJL was the dumbest character I've ever seen in the Chinese drama. You're almost 30 and you can't even trust your girl friend. You have always lied about your status and yet MCH should be understanding of you and your family?
5. Liu Wanyu's character bored me so many times. Her constant nagging towards husband, son and daughter couldn't bear it.
6. Last 3 episodes wasted on LWY's illness.
Pros of the Drama
1. Mai Cheng Huan - Being filial, positive, and honesty throughout is really difficult. It's my second drama of Yang Zi. I like her even more. She's a matured actress.
2. Yao Zhi Ming - In MCH words, A Successful Man with traumatized childhood. YZM seemed selfish in the beginning. Only cared about his promotion at the head quarters. But the trip with Grand Mother and MCH changed his perspective. Before he was hospitalized, he said to a kid that there's no Ultraman in this world. After MCH's care, he said to the same kid that there's no Ultraman in the world but there's spiderman & superman. The character transitioned a lot. The Apology to MCH. At first, I also interpreted like Mao that YZM's strategy to make MCH fall in love with him and then take over Xing'anli but he surprised when MCH and YZM began dating, there's a scene where YZM buys flowers for his Girl Friend from a Little Girl (She Says " Brother, I wish you happiness" and in response he says " I wish you happiness too and can you wish happiness to others on the way on the behalf of my Girl Friend?").
3. Mai Lai Tian - Positive and Patient Father. He is filled full of Patience. Mai Mom always had something to nag at him and he was always listening to her nagging with patience. He is too supportive and with a positive attitude.
4. Zhang Pei Sheng - Although she turned out to be Antagonist. Her scenes with YZM are good. Her daughter is more matured than her.
5. Chen Shu Zhen - Grand Mai's character is another best character. Always supportive of both her grand children. We can't just give 100% score to MCH for changing YZM. 30% Grand Mai also changed him.
6. He Dong - His interaction with YZM is most funny. YZM is friendly with him and HD is also friendly with YZM. Their relationship was too fun and interactive.
If I were to Re-watch the show - I'll watch from Ep 21 to Ep 33. (Ep 1 to Ep 20, I would watch scenes involving YZM with HD, MCH & Grand Mai)
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