My Story for You (2018)

-----Story-----

Absolutely loved the story. I really enjoyed how everyone's stories were interconnected. I think it was really well executed. Having all these different stories going on and then all of the characters interacting, I was on the edge of my seat at lots of times wondering where the next twists and turns of the story would be. Although often times, some twists you fear for may not happen, the lack of said twist really gives you that feel of relief and happiness when watching this show. I'm really happy with this show's storytelling.

The story starts all the way in the past and depicts the development of the characters over the years. I think it was very well done. You can really see how the characters evolve and grow from their youth to their days as seasoned adults. It's really enjoyable.

-----Acting/Cast-----

Luo Jin is doing what Luo Jin does best. He's really, really amazing.

Zheng Shuang just acts cute and stuff as per usual, but I think she did a good job.

As for other characters, I felt that they were quite good as well.

-----Music-----

The show does a great job of playing music that fits the year in which the story's setting is currently in. I found a lot of song choices to be quite good. The opening theme "Dream it possible", the Huawei consumer brand song was a very great choice for the show. I'm not sure if Huawei sponsored this show, but I really liked the song. The songs that were also specially made for this show are also quite good.

Use of various backing tracks indicating certain emotions was done very well throughout the show.

-----Rewatch Value-----

I usually simply don't rewatch shows. You can't really trust me on this section.

I felt that the show was very good. I feel like I would have no problem rewatching this with a friend.

-----Overall-----

I really, really enjoyed the show. I come from the reddit r/noveltranslations community and absolutely loved seeing the back story behind how Tang Jia San Shao got to where he is today. I was on the edge of my seat the entire show wondering what sorts of things happened in his life to bring him to writing. I don't know if this show is his exact autobiography, but if it is, it's completely mind-blowing the journey he took to be where he is today.

This story is quite inspirational. Work hard. Fall down. Get up. Work harder.

It gets a 9/10 from me overall, but in terms of whether or not you should watch it, I give it a 10/10. Watch it.

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With any adaption, the question that many fans will ask is - how true to the story is the drama? This is particularly important for people that came across this drama because of the writer Tang Jia San Shao. And the answer to this is that the drama detracts considerably from the purpose and intent of the light novel that you will spurt out blood in frustration.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of examples of poor adaptions - both in China and the West. "A Walk to Remember" is one example I recall. This one is another.

For fans of the author, Tang Jia San Shao, they would be familiar that he writes xianxia/wuxia type novels. He is not a specialist in the modern or romance themes. In fact, there are many occasions (including in this light novel), where he states that he doesn't write that well. But what he lacks in quality and artistry, he makes up in consistency and quantity. He is in the Guinness Book of Records for the most consecutive daily uploads, and is renowned by all his fans that he always puts up a new chapter every day. He has never disappointed his fans in this respect. When he wrote this light novel, he wanted to enshrine his life and memories with his wife up to this point, whilst he is still young enough to remember. To this point, in this light novel, he is very loving and caring to his wife. He writes that she is the most supportive and understanding, that she had never stood in the way of his dreams. In fact, in the toughest times, even when she was very ill, she was the main breadwinner to keep the family afloat and once Tang Jia San Shao earned enough money (when he published his first few books), his wife didn't have to work anymore. IN NO WAY was Tang Jia San Shao CRITICAL or NEGATIVE towards his wife in the light novel, and he never portrayed any jealousies or arguments or fighting. They certainly did not use their family to coerce the other party to do things that they didn't want.

To add to this, the author, Tang Jia San Shao, seems to be someone who values relationships. He is not driven by money or success. He is particularly loyal to his fans. That was why, when the website was down, he DID NOT STOP WRITING (remember the Guinness Book of Records!) and uploaded his story to unpaid servers to satisfy his fans. He also did not chase after the biggest publishers with the largest wallets and did not brag about his successes.

I am saying this because according to the light novel, the story is very simple and sweet. In some ways, sweeter than Love O2O as there is no other love interest - just financial pressures. So WHENEVER the drama portrays some incidents to generate tension - a lot of this is not actually in the novel. It makes the drama considerably different from the original ode of love to his wife. Watching this drama will not result in you understanding the author. Instead, it DRAMATICALLY MISREPRESENTS Tang Jia San Shao and his wife.

So, if you are a fan of Tang Jia San Shao - I strongly recommend that you stay away!

Having said that, the two main leads have a remarkable lack of chemistry. I have seen people treat cats and dogs better than they do each other

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