This review may contain spoilers
"Rational Life"! Will it be a good watch or downright ugly?
I finally finished it.Except for the horror genre, it was a rollercoaster ride of all the emotions that can be felt while watching a drama.
The first ten episodes are captivating.
I became so engrossed that I binge-watched the first ten episodes that I forgot how quickly time passed.....
But from episode 11 to 21, I was so bored that I became frustrated wondering how long it would take them to realise they love each other.
Surprisingly, it began to improve again with the next episode.
& I felt a strong desire to end this show.
It gets even better near the end.....
Episodes 32 and 33 are two of my favourites.
I was happy, angry at times, annoyed at times, felt the sadness as well as regrets of their mothers from their pasts, felt butterflies from heart-fluttering scenes, laughed my ass off at times, as well as cried a bucket at the end of it.
In a nutshell, it was a wonderful journey.
Based on the first half of the show, I'm sure most viewers will drop it.
I was also considering putting it "on hold."
Nonetheless, I forced myself to go for it.
But as I managed to secure closer to the end, I realised that all of the boring parts from the first half were necessary for all of the emotional scenes and heart-fluttering moments at the end.
So I'm writing this review because I'm glad I forced myself to wrap up it.
So I'd also advise trying to force yourself towards the end.
You will not be sorry later.
More importantly, don't forget to watch the special three episodes.
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Pleasantly surprised
I went into this drama thinking it would be slow and boring but I really wanted to watch this new series with Dylan Wang. The storyline is very similar to the Korean drama Something in the Rain. But I enjoyed this one so much more, I was constantly eager to watch the next episode. And I was able to binge it in 2.5 days.Meteor Garden was one of my first introductions into Chinese dramas. And it was a breath of fresh air to watch such a different character portrayed by Dylan Wang in A Rational Life. He was sweet, kind, and just overall a good person with nothing wrong with his personality. The complete opposite of his crazy over-the-top character in Meteor Garden. His acting has definitely improved. Although I have not watched his other historical Chinese dramas yet.
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Woman Who Crushes Both Work and Romance (Maybe)
A rollercoaster of emotions, workplace drama, and a sprinkle of romance that had me glued to the screen (most of the time).So picture this: you've got Shen Ruo Xin, the epitome of a career-driven woman in her thirties, navigating through the chaotic world of office politics like a boss (literally). She's smart, she's savvy, and she's not about to let anyone mess with her hustle. But let's not forget the supporting cast – from the overbearing mothers to the charming love interests, each character adds their own flavor to the mix.
Now, don't get me wrong, there were moments where I found myself checking the clock, wondering if we really needed another subplot about Ruo Xin's boss and his shenanigans. And don't even get me started on the endless parade of characters.
But when it comes to the romance department, things really start heating up around episode 21. That's when the real flirting kicks in, and let me tell you, the chemistry between Ruo Xin and her childhood sweetheart-turned-love interest is off the charts. Sure, there were a few cringe-worthy moments along the way, but hey, that's all part of the fun, right?
Now, I won't spoil the ending for you, but let's just say there were a few moments where I found myself yelling at the screen, wondering why Ruo Xin was putting up with so much nonsense from certain characters. Seriously, girl, you deserve better!
But despite its flaws, "The Rational Life" had me hooked from start to finish. It's a journey of self-discovery, love, and maybe just a little bit of office drama overload. So grab your popcorn, settle in, and get ready for a wild ride through the ups and downs of modern-day career woes and unexpected romance.
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Worth watching if you're here for nice, cosy, slow-paced drama about love
A non-trivial love story about bossy FL and cute ML who also is much younger than the leading girl. The story is wrapped around the corporate business of a car company and their business. It explores social issues such as - sexism in the workplace, pressure on "leftover women" from their parents, pressure on young married couples to have kids from their parents, and of course, pressure on couples where the guy is much younger than a girl. Although there is a lot of just everyday work-related stuff happening in this drama, it is nevertheless very interesting . I watched it from beginning to end without the desire to skip or to switch to another drama. At the same time, almost no cliffhangers (for me it's a plus, you won't spend sleepless nights binge-watching if you don't want to) and the development of the feelings of the characters is really smooth and nice. Also very realistic (no hate-to-love staff etc.)FL s personal story is also the one I liked. She's the kind of person who is reserved and would analyse everything and it's not easy for her to give in to feelings. Therefore we find her in her 30+ alone. Luckily the guy whose character is quite opposite - cute, sensational and outgoing finds her and tries to win her heart.
There have also been quite a few funny moments and several dramatic moments (not the kind you'll be crying over but the kind you'll feel the strong feelings heroes had at that moment.
The actor's play is great, especially I did like Dylan Wang, he really has a character. Side couples and other actors are not always so great but hey, they didn't occupy too much time anyway ( I kind of thought the best ML friend and his girlfriend are kind of silly and didn't like them personally, but everyone to his taste) ///
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Amazing chemistry and stoey
Just finished it and what a refreshing change from ongoing shows I have been watching.Just happened to run across it somehow and it's a true gem. Intelligent characters and not much fillers for once in this drama.
Doesn't have the best music but the production quality is incredible. Food actually looks like food instead of other shows that show high end food using food you can buy frozen. Settings and locations are top notch. They really spent all out in production costs for this show.
Great chemistry and not too much fluff or cutesy nonsense. I think it will appeal to 18+ and less for teens.
Great story and realistic romance and difficulties in romance. Love actress who played the 2 moms.
It's a gem and definitely you will enjoy it.
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This review may contain spoilers
A fresh breath of air! A total GEM
Being frank enough I wasn't going to watch this cause always in dramas where the girl is elder to the boy there is always unwanted drama, but this was an exception and I can tell I was so happy to find this drama(btw I completed it in 1.5 days)I will start from rating the drama
acting - 10 /10
chemistry - 100/10
Looking at this drama I really liked how each and every character was involved very perfectly.
From mom's of the leads to friends and colleague everyone was not unreasonable and the friends especially were very supportive and not the one who ditched or did some weird thing to make the male couple fall in trouble.
- A well set drama where it not only tells the importance of love but it also feel about how to keep calm when thing go down and not be depressed .
Its is a very up lifting drama.
You should definitely watch this
PURE GEM
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Strong Female Lead! Women not talking about men!
I enjoyed this series because it strikes all the right notes for me -- no one is extra-super special, characters are generally realistic, situations are plausible, settings are appropriate, and, best of all, everyone acts like a real person - which is a joy after seeing so many canned plots.It passes the Bechdel test with flying colors - also a delight - women talking to other women about things other than men -- their goals, dreams, supportive friendships - it was really top notch there. As an older woman, I often have trouble suspending disbelief when the female characters are two dimensional and/or disappointing stereotypes of what men THINK women talk about or do when they don't have any men around to flirt with.
FL was brilliant in her role, and played it with great skill. What was particularly noteworthy was how her persona held up and remained consistent within realistic boundaries. That's not an easy thing to do. Got a big kick out of ML, who I kept thinking of as "Pineapple Head" (from Meteor Garden) - he got to play a well-rounded, good hearted young man and did it well. Supporting female lead was, sadly, not a well-fleshed out character -- too much "ditz" for the job she presumably had, but I thought friend of ML had some good character development and a great young lion moment with his parents.
I had to revisit the portrayal of FL's mother in my mind a time or two - in many ways at first, I thought it was badly done, however, in the latter episodes, a chance remark makes the wild mood swings and other personality oddities much more understandable. I still think it was a speck over the top, but the chance remarks tamed it. Nice to see Mom do some growing up, too. Great green jacket on Mom!
There's also an element which I have now seen in several Chinese serial stories - comeuppance within realistic boundaries. I like this -- it doesn't happen as often as we'd like to think in real life, but when it does, it happens with doorbells, not trumpets, which is how that element worked out in this show.
I recommend it and encourage you to wait through the few places where it drags in order to see a glimpse of life played lovingly and believably.
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It a joy and a pleasure to watch it
I have been a Dylan Wang's fan since Meteor Garden, after Evernight 2 and waiting for his new incoming dramas.This drama treat some important issues in China nowadays, women independence, the thing that there is nothing wrong with relationships between a 30s female and a young man, also family and old tradition matters.
The lead actress is exquisite on her acting. She has been a fantastic discovery. She along Didi, he plays a lovely, kind and loyal guy.
One more time, Dylan shows his awesome skill on acting, I'm proud.
The rest of the cast did great too. Totally is the drama to re watch it and enjoy it over and over again.
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DEF ONE OF MY FAV CDRAMAS
So...I havent watched much cdramas as I usually watched kdramas but this is like the 6th chinese one I have watched so far and I really liked it! It's very realistic and relatable and I especially loved the main lead's characters as they're very mature and likeable that I learned a lot. The female lead had me getting a girl-crush on her cuz she's sooo admirable!! I guess that was the most refreshing thing I liked about this drama and I loved the moments she finally started having butterflies from the male lead and actually found a real love..I didn't mind the second male lead much because I dont blame him for admiring her a lot and honestly he wasnt that bad like ive seen worse SML in some kdramas...this one was pretty cool/chill. ANYWAYS i already miss the main characters and im desperately searching for any similar cdramas (that have mature leads not annoying childish ones)Was this review helpful to you?
pleasantly good
As someone that watched and didn't liked "Find Yourself" (another age gap romance drama), I decided to give this show a try as it appeared on my Netflix feed. This show turned out to be much better than I expected and it adds in different flavors compared to other shows with the same genre.I really enjoyed FL and ML's interaction - their relationship is not a love at first sight/ you're handsome/pretty kind of thing. FL is a capable and independent working adult while ML is a young man fresh in the working industry, right off the bat I liked this contrast. ML's personality is very playful and goofy while FL is someone that focus on work and both of them has their own goals. The big age gap relationship was handled very nicely in a work setting, where both of them sees each other as trust worthy colleagues and went through all the office politics together which eventually developed into something more, their foundation is solid.
I've always disliked when such shows FL have to treat ML like a small kid/ heavily emphasize on the age gap - but this show managed to done it without all these! Overall, it's a good watch and there's good takeaway from this drama.
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Slow burning idealist romance
I've watched many kdramas and this is the first cdrama that I've finished. The others I tried were full of overacting and cringey characters that I couldn't watch. I feel like cdrama fans must be much more critical than kdrama fans. The rating for this show is currently 7.9 while some sub-par kdramas are rated at 8.7 or higher.This slow-burn of a romance drama balanced with corporate politics has a modern feel to it. Our heroine played by Qin Lan, is a near-perfect person. Intelligent, rational, thoughtful, and poised no matter what comes her way. Although it can be hard to buy in to such a perfect character, her very natural acting brings it to life and she's very enjoyable to watch as Shen Ruo Xin. Dylan Wang as Qi Xiao is also an idealist archetype, but with a earnest and straightforward nature, and he pulls it off too. Their romance is mature, sweet, and calm.
The balance between the main leads and the supporting characters is well done. They grow their interconnections in smooth ways, and you get to know them quite well. I really enjoyed the innocent sweet relationship between Su Yang and Si Jia. And I absolutely loved the energetic, confident, and fearless Zi Yan as Ruo Xin's best friend. The two had such great chemistry as BFFs.
Some might call this drama flat or boring. I think it could have used a few more dramatic plot challenges, and the ones it did have could have brought more variation to the tone. However, I feel the script was very well written, almost as if it was capturing real life interactions, without cutting any lines out. If you are in the mood for following interesting and well-written dialogue, you will enjoy this and it won't seem boring.
This drama is filled with idealist representations of people. The maturity in the relationships and the smooth way in which the characters interact with each other and form relationships that go beyond isolating the main leads from the supporting characters is well done. The production values are beautiful. And the calm, mature feel of the show makes it really enjoyable. I'm so glad I watched this and now I'm off to find more cdramas like it!
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Unimpressive Story Line and Acting
I really, really hate myself for watching the entire series, all 35 episodes - basically became torture after watching about 7-8 of them. I kept hoping for some type of shift in the story line and it never happened. Typical family and friend relationships for this type of drama - blah, blah and blah.I have to say, I'm shocked at all the positive reviews and I've only read on that was a realistic evaluation of the series. I watched the about 17 episodes before I started to fast forward, a lot, just to get through the program.
Let me start with saying the FL is a fantastic actress whom I've seen before in other rolls. However, she should have skipped this one - she should have a heart to heart with her manager about placing her in these types of rolls!!! In the beginning of the series, they portray her as this super tough and intelligent women climbing the company latter, however, in essence she turns out to be soft, caring and vulnerable women that needs the help of a 22 year old punk out of college - not a good look for women.
The ML bordered on being creepy in his pursuit of his boss - almost to the point of being a stalker. And, low and behold, nobody in the office noticed him hounding her every minute of the day. His facial expressions were extremely exaggerated and his acting was subpar in my opinion. He should go back to a acting couch and hone his skills a little more before he takes on any more big projects.
And, the actors who played her boss, Mr. Xu, is an excellent actor whom I've also seen before. This series was way below anything he should have ever entertained and shouldn't have participate - I don't care how much $$$ was involved..
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