Fake It Till You Make It (2023)

Best Chinese Drama in 2023

Best Chinese Drama in 2023 And all time best drama in my list !!!
Unexpectedly Excellent well-written scripts & solid sharp dialogues ,, all leading actors’ acting are so naturally portrayed and perfect.
Especially main lead actor and actress are full of chemistry and best CP.
This is a drama without cheesy cliche plots.
All plots are so realistic and relatable with our real working environment.
Memorable dialogues are as below:
“..Love is not a noun, it is a verb…”
“So walk your own path.
Not according to the written script.
Throw away the script and struggle to find your own life.
It is okay to fail. It is okay to take the wrong road.
Live freely. Isn’t that the most stylish thing?”

There are many good dialogues and plots about relationships and our working life……..

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I thought that with only 14 episodes, I could blow through this without a hitch. But I was wrong. The drama started out strong; I especially loved the flirty friendship between the main couple. Elvis Han has the suave financier down pat, while Elvira Han oozes smarts and sexiness as the hardworking, no-nonsense lawyer. And oh, the sizzling chemistry between Tang Ying and Zi Quan really lit up the screen. But that’s about it.

Because when both are at work, they’re being played by their colleagues, supervisors, and both seem to work on projects that failed (through no fault of their own, but by the machinations or neglect of other people). Setbacks are inevitable, as they are part of life, and it’s how you overcome these obstacles thrown your way that counts. The show imparts more than a few nuggets of wisdom, but by the 10th life lesson, it became too preachy.

The drama also introduces so many random characters, but none of them really fully fleshed out. Most are one-dimensional, like the bratty sister whom I cannot stand, and her cringey boyfriend. She only became interesting towards the end when she ditched her possessive BF and moved in with a younger guy (her landlord). I feel the drama brought in all these randos just to prove a point, like the sugar daddy equates women with useless barns or the socialite who sinks her teeth on Zi Quan once she learns he’s no longer single. The main leads used a lot of these side characters as teachable moments, especially when they aim their gaze at the audience. But mostly, I was so bored to death that I couldn’t fake liking it.

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Almost made it to 9 stars**

This review is purely based on romance genres.

What an absolute hidden gem this was till ep. 9.
After that it becomes the country's marketing appeal to their 1billion plus population to relish life, slow down, find beauty in your passion and be comfortable in your own skin rather than a designer-chosen animal epidermis.

PROS:
*Delightful bickering and slow burn romance.
What a breath of fresh air to see modern, smart, independent women, dressed not in crotch-revealing skirts and bone breaking stilettoes but comfortable/fashionable attire, speaking in adult tones rather than the squeaky, baby whining sexist tones.
*This lead pair has been around for over 10-years, unfortunately I have not seen them before. They are both excellent actors, great chemistry, sizzling retorts and finally, finally they smooch.
*Can't complain about the hot looks of the ML. His character is wonderful - middle management (not an uptight, irritatingly skinny, 20-something CEO), smart, charming, goofy - the goofiness adds to the allure and reality.
* The female lead is confident, although why they make her say she is not beautiful a few times is boggling.
* The supporting females - except for the sister which we will get to, all the supporting females were excellent. Their characters were very well etched and they portrayed it wonderfully
* Story was great the first half and then there is the zen mantra on how to lead your life better than being dragged by corporate madness
* Production / camera / script - nothing was jarring, which means all is good.

CONS:
* The cousin sister : she consumes almost half the entire show and is portrayed as a selfish, shallow princess. Which is not a problem except that she dominates a show that is not about her at all.
* She has 2 romantic interludes, which are both irritating and have no chemistry, plus she is presumably very beautiful so men are crazy about her. This whole concept did not flow well with the rest of the smart, talented female cast.

I actually enjoyed this modern c-drama, especially since the historical ones put me off and it took me deep digging to find this almost-gem.

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For Han Dong Jun

My reason for picking this drama to watch was simple - the leading man, Han Dong Jun. He's gorgeous. I watched him in 'Siege in Fog' and charmed I was. On the whole, I enjoyed this drama.

Thumbs-Up for:
- The leading man, but of course. He is tall, handsome, very deliciously charming.
- The FL is pretty cute.
- I like that ML and FL behave in a mature manner. Once they have decided to get together, they have (in general) open conversations and behave like mature and sensible adults. They understand that the other party is a unique individual and with personal goals to achieve. They support each other and do not get in each other's climb up the corporate ladder by being petty and silly. I truly like that they behave like two mature adults who love each other and want to make their relationship work out.
- The second FL is pretty cute too.
- I like that the motivations of different people are gradually explained as the show goes on and that hatchets are buried.
- I like the relationship between the 'sisters' - FL and second FL. I like that they genuinely love and care for the other party without interfering unnecessarily.
- Happy ending though fairly cliched.
- The OST is great. I like the jazzy feel and tunes.

Thumbs-Down:
- Watching the crazily obsessed boyfriend in the form of Xi Jia Bai was extremely painful. He appeared extremely neurotic and unhinged.
- The very self-absorbed senior/ tutor of the FL who came across as totally obnoxious and egoistic. He said things that were totally out of line and that were extremely old-fashioned and inappropriate.
- Taking credit for another person's work (but it's the unfortunate 'norm' in workplaces and in life).

Overall, my verdict:
Watch this, especially if you like a mature drama in which the FL and ML are both good-looking and are both committed to each other once they have formally confessed their genuine feelings to each other. The romance between the two feels real and they have chemistry. Their relationship is an 'urban romance' in which two people try their best to make their mark at work while juggling a romantic relationship.

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a mature romance slice of life typo

i'll be quick in this review, cuz i don't think i have to much to say or complain about, lol

ok. this is a really good series, but only for slight-and-slow-romance office-trope lovers. if you like to see action and things happening fast, "fake it till you make it" it's not your choice right now.

we have a excellent chemistry between the main couple and a interessing sexual tension happening during the drama. not to metion the realistic way things develop between them; It's actually more believable the way it happened, normally, I can't believe people fall in love so quickly like they do in most dramas I watch.

in this series we have two grown adults discovering together what means to really love and accept someone, so you'll be frustrated, angry, sad, excited and happy at the same time, cuz i think this is what really means to be in love with someone. people are not just one thing.

i loved to watch them flirting, i miss this in dramas sooo much; i miss the tension, touches and the moments "before" they got finally together, you know? and "fake it till you make it" delivered that to me.

the office part was a little bit boring sometimes, but this is normal. despite not being able to understand most of what it means, I still managed to have fun

The others characters were interesting, I liked that there was no such thing as "good people and bad people", everyone has a negative and positive side. although, tbh, I was irritated with the FL's cousin the entire series, she is very snobbish and spoiled.

ok, that's it. my verdict is that it is a good cdrama, with an interesting romance and great production, but it may bore those who enjoy quick development and big plots.

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i've never been in love nor a relationship so i don't know what love is but this drama corrected my image of relationships and made me say "oh so this is love" " oh to be loved and be taken care of" & cry !

jiabai&zinji scenes made me cry cry
when he gift her the bracelet the way he was excited bc giving gifts is his love language and the way she looked at him
their breakup scene is so good i really loved their acting especially jiabai's eyes expressions ! i understood his feelings tbh i thought he's gonna commit s

i loved the color grading and the reality vibes even tho i hate reality genre! bc i escape from the world to find peace in dramas it wasn't the annoying type reality even the small shots like the roads are realistic

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Good lesson about work life balance because hard work may not worth it if one lost love and health.

"Fake It Till You Make It" is a 14-episode drama about the riches and the ordinaries as they try to co-exist in a business legal firm based in Shanghai where not everyone is genuine. They have to fake it till they make it.

I greatly enjoy this drama, and Elvira Cai and Elvis Han's onscreen chemistry is great. I like their intelligence, pretentiousness, and non-committal Conversation/relationship. They are both too proud and stubborn to admit that they like each other, and they are playing pretentious games with each other and with others they are interacting with.

It is all about money talk and showing off one's possession of material things to feel accepted in the highly rich society in Shanghai. I have watched 8 episodes already and can't wait to see the last 6. I give it an 8.5 rating.

It is a good and relatable drama about hard work and is it worth it in the end? It is about work life balance because har work may not worth it in the end if one has to loose love and health.

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Worth to watch

Suddenly found this gem when scrolling. First episode and I got hooked. Story were written well and I would say it is more to real life experience. As someone who has experience in working as a employee Yes, this drama got some fact like you gotta always or sometime bootlicking your boss, sometime your director or manager shove his/her work to you, sometime reality is different from your fantasy (e.g: you fantasy or dream to get good boss / good life balance but reality over 90 percent you will meet those boss that donot show sympathy, yeah you can hate them but it is reality), other thing that I really like is most people only watch your position, money, and value for them. Last word I think sometime the thing you love to do may not be the most suitable for you if you want to survive and take care of yourself I mean like take some vitamin, jogging, and donot get yourself sick cause I also have experience it and it doesn't feel good.

Really recommend this drama for those who love slow burn romance, a little bit toward real life, working related, slice of life (day to day as worker).

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Gostei da química dos protagonistas, mas achei o ritmo meio lento, e como é praticamente 50% negócios e B.O de trabalho então ficou um pouquinho cansativo, porém o romance maduro, honesto e espirituoso compensa tudo.

Seus flertes são as melhores partes, me fizeram torcer muito por eles, para que ficassem juntos logo.
E quem diria, o playboy se torna um namorado todo rendido kkkk.

Mesmo quando surgem problemas e desconfortos, não houve mal-entendidos frustrantes porque eles tiveram conversas honestas, aprendendo mais a amar um ao outro pelo que são enquanto estão juntos.
Eu amava quando eles paravam pra conversar.

Em contra partida temos a "irmã" da protagonista que tem em sua mente todos os requisitos que um homem deve ter e ela encontra um que se encaixa exatamente neles mas acaba entrando em um relacionamento que logo de cara sentimos o cheiro tóxico e não demora para vermos as garrinhas dele.

É um drama que recomendo, mas sem ir esperando que irá ver uma comédia romântica que lhe fará suspirar o tempo inteiro.

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Ho aspettato qualche giorno per scriverne la recensione perchè volevo metabolizzare il tutto. Volevo capire se mi era davvero piaciuto o se fosse stato l'imput del momento per qualcosa di diverso. Purtroppo così è stato per me. Diciamoci la verità: questo drama è perfetto per chi cerca una storia d'amore matura e qualche contenuto ""spicy"" in più ma per il resto mi ha lasciato molto a desiderare, poichè ad oggi che è passata solo una settimana da quando l'ho finito, ho difficoltà a ricordarne la storia! XD Le uniche cose che ricordo molto bene e che mi hanno colpita sono state due:
1) la chimica tra i protagonisti: è innegabile che questi due sappiano lavorare alla grande e che abbiamo una bellissima chimica che traspare dallo schermo, è davvero un piacere guardarli
2) i discorsi: ebbene, in molti dei loro dialoghi io non ci ho capito un'acca. Vabbè che magari sono stupida io, ma a volte parlano e si interrogano sulla loro relazione o possibile tale parlando per aforismi, facendo discorsi filosofici.. ma dai, ma chi è che parla davvero così? O poi ripeto, sono io stupida eh..

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