An engrossing, binge worthy gem

“I Will Find You a Better Home” surpassed all my expectations and provided a sweet respite from pandemic-related news. (The Chinese title 安家 literally means “Settle Down.”)

Choosing a modern Chinese drama is something of a crapshoot. With their high episode counts, it can be a grueling investment of time just to keep up. This series, however, created a world I was reluctant to leave.


RICH CHARACTERIZATIONS
The show’s greatest strength is its rich array of fully realized characters in lead and supporting roles. The show is anchored by the beautiful partnership between Sun Li’s Fang Si Jin and Luo Jin’s Xu Wan Chang. I loved nothing better than watching two tender souls develop deep bonds. I couldn’t get enough of their scenes together, whether they were arguing or just hanging out. As they grew closer, watching them reveal their vulnerabilities and quietly care for one another was just so damn sweet.

Having seen her in other films and dramas, I fully expected Sun Li to rock the role of a woman transformed by love and her own cultivation. The real surprise, for me, was seeing Luo Jin embody such a warm, loving, erudite character. He is a man so beloved that they call him Aunt. The more we get to know Aunt Xu, the more handsome he becomes. Prior to IWFYABH, I would’ve described Luo Jin as competent and a good crier. And now? I think he’s exceptional. (I admit that part of Aunt’s attraction simply comes from the fact that Luo Jin’s natural charm is unencumbered by wigs, elaborate costumes or another voice actor.)


HOW DO I LOVE THEE? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS
I loved the story on several levels.

I enjoyed it purely for its aesthetics. It looks so good with beautiful lighting, sets that feel real, and attractive leads.

It also has quite a few hilarious moments, thanks to the brilliant supporting cast that really feels like they’ve worked together for years. I will never look at a buffet table the same. It will take all my strength not to eat directly with serving tongs. A lot of the laughs also come from Aunt Xu’s best friend, Qin Tao. That man wins the supporting character MVP award. He’s the best friend we all need—wise, witty and calls you out on your bullshit.

As we learn more about the different agents and their clients, the show explores leadership, professional excellence, forgiveness, filial piety and what it means to really cherish the people you love. The stories of women are of particular interest as they navigate the challenges posed by work, marriage, family and the patriarchy.

Fang Si Jin’s story also fits within a quasi-militaristic framework. She’s essentially a soldier figuring out which master to follow. Her Beijing boss, Zhai Yunxiao, is a ruthless man who craves power and discards people who are of no use to him. He paraphrases Sun Tzu’s “know your enemy, know yourself” and calls Fang Si Jin his general while badgering her to complete her “mission.” In contrast, Aunt Xu cautions that one has to differentiate between generals. He likens himself to Lian Po, a 3rd century general famed for being a brilliant but prudent tactician. Our Aunt is an elegant Shanghai man who has undoubtedly internalized the 36 Stratagem and can use them at will. (Is there a stratagem for turning your “assassin” into someone who loves you?)


STUCK ON THE BOTTOM RUNGS OF MAZLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
“Fang” means “house.” As much as Fang Si Jin yearns for her own home—and all that entails—the pursuit of happiness is a luxury she’s never been able to afford. Before moving to Shanghai, all her energies went towards working, so as to keep her stomach full and support her rapacious family. It’s a joy to watch her open herself to the “optimism and joy, encouragement and dependence” that Aunt Xu espouses.


EMBRACE THE ANTAGONISTS
Aside from the occasional shitty clients, there are three main antagonists in this series. I urge you not to fast forward during their scenes. The coquettish ex-wife, the vampire mother, the calculating boss — as irritating as they are, these three are secret angels who sow the seeds of love and dependence between the OTP.


MUSIC
The series had several songs in its soundtrack and three stood out for me:

Opening title song: “City Fireworks” sung by Wang Zijian and Ding Jiale| 《城市烟火》
It’s an effervescent rap with traditional Chinese instruments

Closing credits song: “Shop Window” sung by Feng Xiyao | 《橱窗》— 冯希瑶
Also used as an instrumental background music

“Smile Again” sung by Liu Fengyao | 《微笑再会》 - 刘凤瑶
This gorgeous song is used almost exclusively for Aunt Xu and his little House at significant junctures in their relationship. From the spare instrumentation to full on vocalization, I feel like I’m falling in love whenever I hear it. I anxiously await its appearance on Spotify.


HIGH REWATCH VALUE
Is this show re-watchable? Hells yeah. After the series ended, I think I kept watching my favorite bits for three more weeks.


HOW TO WATCH WITH ENGLISH SUBS?
The series is finally available fully subbed for free on YouTube. During the original broadcast, I set my ExpressVPN to Singapore-Marina Bay and watched Tencent Video’s English subbed playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMX26aiIvX5rnHcPYXSN-GrUCJ5TnghYY

The translations seem good though there are moments where they made things a tad bland. (It's much sexier when Aunt says, "Don't mess with me ... or I'll bite" instead of the bland "or I'll get angry.") It’s such a shame that this series is not yet subbed by Viki. “I Will Find You a Better Home” is a special show worthy of the rich, contextual translations Viki is known for.

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[STORY]
LOVE ACTUALLY (2012) borrows skeletal elements of the German film MOSTLY MARTHA (2001) and its American 2007 remake NO RESERVATIONS. If you love food-oriented films or dramas, you might enjoy the first 12 episodes of the series. After that, the remaining 2/3 of the series goes off the rails into a crazy melodrama that no amount of fast-forwarding could fix. I FF'ed through ep. 27 and skipped to the last episode because I just couldn't take it any more.

Chinese dramas would be helped tremendously if they cut down the episode count. There's no reason for this story to be 34 episodes. 18 tops is enough.

[ACTING/CAST]
As Wang Xiao Xia, actress Lee Da Hae is so awkward at the beginning that I pretty much laughed non-stop the first two episodes. Fortunately, she quickly improves and isn't a distraction from the story. As other commenters previously noted, Xiao Xia is so pure, sweet and forgiving to the point of disbelief. Still, I love her scenes where she wields her super taste buds.

Cheng Joe is a beautiful, beautiful man which makes his emotionally frozen Chen Hao Feng somewhat tolerable. He is charming when he smiles, for sure.

Everyone else is fine but they have to portray characters who are crazy in their unrequited love, driven mad by the thirst for revenge, or just generally mean.

MUSIC didn't leave an impression on me and I will NEVER REWATCH this.

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