This review may contain spoilers
1st half sweet romance, 2nd half amazing comedy
People say the story got slow after the 1st half, but I beg to differ.The story got FUNNY after the first half.
The first half is typical rom com trope -- main characters get together, second lead creates some misunderstanding between them, they break up.
And the second half could be really infuriating to watch if you don't like the second lead winning the lead's heart, but I found other more enjoyable things that made the watching process super worthwhile: the comedy.
The comedy stems from the characters' complicated relationships. Essentially we have our female lead who falls in love with an intern at her work, only to find out this intern is her new boss's son after they break up.
Also, this new boss and second male lead are friends, so new boss encouraged second male lead to chase the female lead and steal him away from male lead... only to realize later that the female lead's ex-boyfriend is his own son.
Also, second male lead has a niece, who is classmates with male lead, and confessed to the male lead...
but then later on the niece and the female lead's younger brother start dating...
(so if Minmin x Canyang and Luming x Fanxing were both couples... how do they address each other and their family members LOL
For Minmin, are the female lead's parents grandaunt/granduncle or mother-in-law/father-in-law?
For Fanxing, is Minmin her spouse's niece or her younger brother's wife?)
The step-by-step realization by the main characters, as well as by their colleagues, was a HUGE watching point for me as their facial expressions were often very telling. The family drama is also A+... the characters have so much chemistry.
Another thing to watch out for in the later half is male lead Yuan Song's attempts to win female lead Fanxing back. He has his parents on his side (omg when his dad found out his ex-girlfriend was Fanxing... that reveal LOL), as well as a new female colleague who was kind enough to lend him a hand.
His eyes and his hidden smiles when the female lead reacts according to his wishes...
beautiful "giving Luming a taste of his own medicine" work haha (in terms of being calculating in winning the female lead)
In the final few episodes we see some early themes come back. The leads' relationship started with the female lead saying things to male lead while drunk, and *re*started with the female lead drunk-calling male lead again.
And the ways they got each other to accept their love was also essentially just mirrors of the same conversation (and Yuan Song acknowledges this by saying "isn't this scene familiar" in the hotel room)
I'm all for dramas that do scene throwbacks like these because it shows the scriptwriter really put an effort in making things come full circle.
Finally, the side characters' quests for love and marital happiness were also super interesting to watch -- a huge fan of the cheating husband arc involving the female lead's best friend; it really added to the story about women in their 30's.
And the main characters' character development -- beautiful.
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pros:
1. the story progressed at a good pace
2. they showed how he fanxing has to find herself and what she truly wants, which is probably the purpose of the show
3. the acting was quite good
4. it had a bit of the slice of life vibe
5. the ost was nice
cons:
1. they talked about romance throughout the whole story( there was married couples, office and age gap romance though)
2. ye lu ming and he fan xing spent such a long time together that there so too little time for yuan song and he fan xing to have a nice ending
overall, i think the show is really worth watching, it’s sweet, funny and entertaining, with some valuable lessons to learn too!
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Rewatched Several Times
I been enjoying this series, watched several times from start to end. Is a FANTASTIC SERIES!!! I see Ms. He Fanxing as a Beautiful actress and her style in dressing is captivating too. The young fellow Yuan Song is attractive and his style is simple yet I find it interesting.It contains many silly moments. Ms. He parents, at times are hilarious. Not to mention other cast members too. Either way give it a shot before turning away from it. Also, it has it romance moments as well as a couple of sad ones. Therefore, a series with combinations of laughter, tears, love and more, definitely keeps me interested especially having an Understanding till the last episode.
I truly enjoyed this series!!
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Be Prepared For Character Flaws
For this Find Yourself review, I would say that they have done a great job with the casting. It is hard to get a much older woman and younger man pairing that looks good and a pleasure to watch. But Victoria Song and Song Wei Long managed to do it and they did it well enough to make the whole drama highly watchable. They do have good chemistry despite the age gap. I wouldn’t say it is off-the-charts chemistry like those you get in K-dramas such as Her Private Life but it is good enough to make it sweet as needed for a romance drama.For a young actor, Song Wei Long is certainly someone to watch out for. His good looks help which I’m pretty sure why some fans are driven to watch Find Yourself. In this drama, he does suit the character of Yuan Song very well with his boyish charm and teasing manner. David Wang gives Lu Ming a contrasting style to Song Wei Long’s Yuan Song with his maturity and life experiences so viewers can see the differences in the 2 men. Victoria Song’s portrayal of Fan Xing is a little bit more varied as she needs to portray the maturity of a 32-year-old woman in some scenes and the girlishness of a first time lover in others. I think she handles the different aspects of Fan Xing’s character rather well.
The Plot
Basically, Find Yourself is about the pressures faced by an older woman in a relationship with a much younger man. It explores how society and family members frown upon such relationships and do not expect them to last. So, it is not a rom-com that is heavy on fantasy such as Love The Way You Are but relates closely to the real world.
The relationship between Can Yang and Min Min also adds a great twist to the story. It becomes kind of funny in a way as it is then their turn to hide their relationship from everyone. But it also brings up the issue of hierarchy which is important in a traditional Chinese family. Overall, the plot is realistic and ties closely to modern life problems.
Not The Most Likable Characters
However, if there is one thing that could make you feel put off about this drama, it is the flaws evident in the main characters. Normally, you will root hard for the heroine but Fan Xing is not your typical perfect female lead. She lacks courage and conviction when it comes to loving her younger partner. You can say that she thinks of Yuan Song as a temporary fling as she doesn’t have confidence that their relationship will last. Hence, she has no intention to make their relationship public which is grossly unfair to him.
At the same time, Fan Xing spends a lot of time with Lu Ming and confides her love problems to him. She lets herself to be pushed into a relationship with someone more compatible. While the reasons are understandable, her character is shown to be indecisive and weak at times. She yearns for the love and passion that Yuan Song can give her but she ends up trying a relationship with Lu Ming as he is a more suitable marriage partner. Hence, Fan Xing has her flaws which not every viewer can tolerate.
Lu Ming too is not a sweet savior as he is domineering and cunning. He puts himself in a favorable position as a friend to Fan Xing with the intention to snatch her away from Yuan Song. Well, he is not all bad as a man needs to do what he has to do to get the woman he loves. He is a great uncle to Min Min and he does care for Fan Xing. But again, not everyone will like his character as his actions can also be seen as manipulative.
My Verdict
I am inclined to give a rating of 7.5/10 for this Find Yourself review. It is not as draggy and melodramatic as Here To Heart which helps to up its score. Fan Xing’s relationship with Yuan Song begins very early on in the drama to set the tone for what is to follow. The quick development of their relationship and the subsequent misunderstandings and insecurities she faced take up about half the show. It is not exactly boring but it does take a bit of determination to sit through all that time Fan Xing spends confiding in Lu Ming and being friends with each other. She is in a relationship with a guy but is seen spending a lot of time with another. That is the vibe that I got from the first 20 episodes.
The second half of the drama is better than the first. In the second half, the anticipation builds as to what Fan Xing would do and who she will choose as she considers her parents’ worries and old age. Would she listen to her own heart or go for the man that everyone is saying is the perfect suitor? So, I do recommend a watch for Find Yourself for exploring a topic that is often talked about. Perhaps if they have made Fan Xing more likable and the time she spent with Yuan Song a bit longer than she did with Lu Ming, this would would have gotten a higher rating from me. I guess if you want to watch it, you would have to be prepared for the possibility that the main characters would get on your nerves. Just concentrate on the plot then to enjoy the drama!
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Story; The story was pretty good, it was quite a calming plot, like there weren't too much happening so you could chill and understand what's going on. The FL character annoyed me a bit because of her "dumbness" and how she can't usually interpret situations. Overall this was a pretty good story because it was quite unique.
Acting/Cast: The cast did amazing! Both the FL and the ML really converted the script into something real and magical. The choices for cast were pretty good too because their appearances really fitted well with the characters they were going to play. Song Weilong seemed like that somewhat rebellious young person that doesn't really know much about life yet well Song Qian seemed quite experienced.
Music: The theme songs were very calming, but I felt like the lyrics were a bit sad and it would've been nice if there was a much more catchier happier tune, but it was alright.
Rewatch value: I personally thought that the scenes with the FL and the SML dragged for a bit. There were also some unnecessary scenes with supporting characters that didn't really affect the FL and the ML. I personally find that the drama is a bit too long, so I won't be very likely rewatching it.
Overall, this is an okay drama because of its uniqueness in plots and the cast were also well chosen. I'm happy to say this is a well produced drama.
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fluff
I loved this drama since episode 1. I was a bit hesitant to watch this at first because nowadays I've been easily distracted and often find myself diverting attention to the drama I'm watching. However this drama is so sweet, fluffy, funny, and emotional on so many levels. It's definitely considered on the lighter side because there aren't any super intense scenes however, it is more on the realistic end as well. There are many societal factors that are subtly addressed throughout the drama. definitely great romance. The scenes are shot incredibly well it made me feel super fluffy inside >< Props to vic I never knew she was such a great actress. This is the first time I'm discovering the male lead and I'm totally in for it. He's not only handsome but plays his part so well???? last time I was so drawn in was for "The Untamed". damn. bravo! well done. I highly highly recommend this drama to all those who are thinking of watching. Please consider! you will not regret.Was this review helpful to you?
✒ ✨ JACKPOT! ✨ °8.9° °Outstanding°
'I know a rich woman who hired a young gigolo; she said his skin was as smooth as a 🍼Baby 🐬Dolphin''s,' Fan's BFF wistfully recollects〰FY is a fairytale for older single chicks. The story of Fan reminds me of the Princess Bride as I imagine it starting w/ the 32y/o Fan sitting in bed. Grandma, sitting bedside, pulls out a 📖 (entitled That 🍼🐬 is Mine). 'Tonight we'll read about the director & the intern who loves her,' starts grandma...
Soon it's all hitting the FAN. Or should we say she FANS the 🔥 of a walking lawsuit? Even in 🇨🇳, "doing" the intern is a no-no, so here we go!
"If humans all live the same way it would be boring, wouldn't it?" Marriage & kids, marriage & kids. It's all the older generation knows. The young-gen isn't much better 〰 'You're pretty & you have it all together. Why do you want to go on blind dates?" 〰 'At age 32, you are considered a leftover woman.' 〰 'Look at your age - Don't be so picky.' 〰 "A virgin can't reincarnate, right?" This is what Fan is up against. She's reaching an expiration date, like the 4th yogurt from a buy-3-get-1-free deal. 'What others say about us is not scary. The scariest thing is when you believe it,' she despairs. What might be scarier is falling for your baby brother's student.
Victoria Song is "Fan". I 💖 her. In ep1 she meets ML#2. David Wang is "Ming". Sure, ML#1, the waif thin Song, is beautiful w/ skin as smooth as a 🍼🐬. He's a compelling ML, but I fell hard for this Ming guy! Domineering? He isn't that, so much as driven. He can take it too far, but as a bf he's absolutely lovely. The handsome actor is manly while being funny & a tad ridiculous. He's also the Sun Tzu of human relationships. Ming's firm is a client of Fan's employer, Amazing Decorations. She has to apologize for a screw-up which places her in his office. He's repugnant. Fan is submitted to a tirade of insults along w/ the news that AD is fired. Fan starts sobbing (really bad day). He relents, but 1st impressions are cemented in. This starts a string of junctures between them.
He's convinced she's stalking him. By the time he realizes his misconception (falling for her utterly in the same moment) she's already fallen for Song. So when they meet up yet again (blind date), Ming switches gears & adopts the "Let's be friends" ruse. He wants her badly. He pre-ID'd his blind date & showed up ready to seal the deal. The viewer almost hears screeching brakes as he wriggles into her life. He 'came to this blind date to mollify his sister'. He 'already has someone' he likes, too. They 'can be friends'. She confides in him as she thinks he's a disinterested party. He jumps on her fumble & runs it back to the 5 yard line➡ he offers to be her romance coach.
The acting excels. Expressions & lines are full of life & wit. We like these people. Song Wei Long is Song. He's perfect at being a sexy, winsome puppy - sweet, loving & cuddly, but not too compliant, w/ a touch of the 🐕 in him. Yang is Fan's brother. He can really yang&bang - he's a college prof & a total playboy. Esther Yu (Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9) is "Cai", Ming's niece. Her wavery voice is adorable.
Here's the seating chart: FL Fan is Yang's twin & Song's boss at AD. Yang is Song's college prof & got him the job at AD. Yang is Cai's prof as well. Ming, client of AD, is Cai's uncle & guardian as she attends school. She stays w/ him on the w/e. Cai is in 💘 w/ Song. This leads to scenes in which Cai & Ming are both mourning over the same thing - their crush is in 💘 w/ someone else - but they don't know that their crushes are in love w/ e/o.
Fan cannot resist dating Song who is 10 yrs her jr, but 〰 'Do you think that's his gf?" 〰 "No way. She's too old." 〰 "She's not that old." 〰 "Maybe she's rich & he's a paid escort." Standards; Ideal mate; What do you want in a spouse? There's so many topics that Fan now finds uncomfortable! Fan is not a salmon. Going against the current is exhausting. She demands they keep /them/ a secret. She doesn't want to deal w/ professionals, coworkers, college frenemies, family, nosy neighbors, & random people on the street w/ their snark, condescension & judgment. She can't take the pressure! Song's a beautiful 🍼🐬. She's not that, either. She wants to try a relationship in a sedate & carefully cultured koi pond. Ming convinces her to try dating him to distract herself from her 💔. She breaks it off w/ Song. Yes, on 📑 Fan & Ming are perfect for e/o. Analytics will only get you to the playoffs. It doesn't necessarily win championships. When it comes to matters of the heart, the intangibles are what scores the 🏆
"Didn't you play flip the box in Kgarten?" "No, we played minesweeper & the loser had to buy lunch." FY depicts generational disconnect & how rigid the mindset of older people can be. Yet it's gentle w/ the elders & reinforces our obligations of deference & patience toward those who worked & sacrificed before us. Other themes are the disparity between the sexes & tossing out silly taboos along w/ the societal pressure that keeps them in place. Most of all, it's abt lies, including the struggle between truth as we want to see it & actual truth. FY is Fear>Deceit>Pride>Secrets>Relationship hierarchy>More lies>Gossip>Judgment>Expectations>Responsibilities>Finally, Freedom.
"Relationships between adults are usually maintained w/ white lies." 〰 "Where is the line between hiding & deceiving?" 〰 "Sometimes, a lie is like quenching thirst w/ poison." Fan gives it serious thought. "Perhaps lies are ice melting in truth. Eventually, there's no difference." Why do we lie? It's almost always for our own short-term comfort. Lying is like taking drugs. Comforting effects are temporary & the residue left behind is enslaving. Thus the adage: The truth will set you free. Society actually runs on lies, but that's not a good thing. James Spader, who falls for an older Susan Sarandon in the film White Palace, plays a reformed habitual liar in the movie Sex Lies & Videotape. He stopped lying altogether. It's portrayed as shocking. He was still kind - people who won't lie must know when to say nothing.
We lie to ourselves first, & the biggest lie we tell ourselves is that we're okay. The truth is that we all have lots to work on. We're all damaged, hurt, or spoiled in some way. To let go of lying we have to let go of pride. We're all better off without it; pride only obstructs 💘. Humans tend to complicate things endlessly. Fan must sort through heaps of societal garbage to arrive at what's really important. At the end of the day, things are simple. We just have to toss out the trash that's been thrown on top of us by family, friends, society, & ourselves, and grab onto the good.
The writing is excellent. There's humor & an understanding of human relations. The dialogue is snappy. The director is skillful w/ cutting & segues. He plays it well for comedy & there's a bright crispness to the flow. The pace is almost methodical - in the best way. Early on the viewer might wonder how they will fill 41 eps. They do it steadily. I can get a teensy bit stressed when I like a show, waiting for it to go downhill, as so many resort to padding & idiocy to fill the required eps. FY doesn't merely hold the line, it improves as it goes on. It's 1 of 2 modern-day Cdramas I've seen that aren't significantly flawed, (the other is A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5). 🇨🇳 is not a free country & it has seemed like they were at a loss as to how modern people should behave. It appears they've reflected on themselves & decided to get more real. Perhaps we can thank K🇰🇷. FY makes positive references to Kpop & dramas.
Now for the Scooby snacks:
〰"Being friends w/ your ex is the highest level of break-up." Seriously, can it get more 🇨🇳 than that?
〰On the wall of the office is inscribed: If you are always trying to be NORMAL you will never know how AMAZING you can be.
〰The family dynamics are cute. Fan's overprotective brother got in the way of all her romantic relationships when they were growing up. Ironically, he introduces Fan to her first 💘 after blocking 💘 for so many years.
〰The wardrobe contains some duds but has lots of winners. They had fun reinventing mens collared dress shirts. Fan accessories well.
〰Fan & Song play badminton. Determined to lose & not embarrass the other, each claims s/he is not a good player, though Fan could have made the nat'l team. Soon the competitive juices fire up w/ video game animation overlay to enhance the scene. It's very funny.
〰Ming's cousin is his assistant. They strictly set familial vs work boundaries. She keeps it all business on the 🕰 unless she requests a time out to talk to her cousin. Then their expressions, body language & demeanor will change instantly while they talk as family for a tad. Then it's back into work mode.
〰Ming only knows half of the equation & he says, "could it get more complicated than that?" Lol - It already is.
〰Fan protests- "I'm only 31... & 1/2..." The actress delivers superbly.
"A sense of belonging is, 'I am yours.' But a sense of security is, 'You are mine'." Young people want someone they like, older people want to find the right one. What does Ming want? He admits that he's childish, but he wants his destiny. FY tells us that's like hitting the jackpot🎰. Love at first sight is like winning the 🎰. Finding 💘 on a blind date? 🎰. Finding 💘 when a woman is over 30 is definitely like hitting the 🎰. Fan hits the super~🎰~schizzle. Cha-ching!
QUOTES📢
Men have a bad habit of being w/ their exes even if they don't have any feelings left
Siblings are debts from a prior life
Parents' tears drown relationships
〰🖍 IMHO
📣8.8 📝8.8 🎭8.5 💓8 🦋8 🎨7 🎵/🔊7 🔚8 ▪ 🌞7 ⚡2 😅5.5 😭3 😱0 😯3 😖0 🤔7 💤0
Poli-wagging 2/10
Age 14+ The primary couple does get it on prior to marriage and they do 😚 generate some steam.
Re-📺? 🔛
Originally 〰️🖋 5/2024
Older woman & toy boy 〰
🇨🇳The Rational Life-7
🇰🇷A Witch's Love 7.9;
Just for fun 〰
🇰🇷My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
🇰🇷Mr. Queen 8.5;
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This review may contain spoilers
must must watch!
At first i dropped the show because i couldnt understand WHY must i watch this show about this woman dating a younger boy like the plot seems so plain.. but i was sooo wrong!I came back the second time with the intention to see esther yu and zhang yu jian (cai minmin n he canyang)
but slowly i fell more and more for the main cp than them
story:
never like any ive seen before! slightly twisted regarding the family relationship and dating relationship ahahah
i think its just me who caught a few notes of sadness in the story, as in the overall story, it isnt about the couple's love story but instead this show is a life lesson, maybe a love lesson too especially for those who havent had their first love.
i found ye lu ming slightly annoying. its indescribable. he was stealing fanxing from yuan song but yet he loves her so much but at the same time what he is doing is wrong because he is forcing he fan xing to like him and date him and in the end he got mad at her for trying to force herself to like him... so thats kknda annoying... overall i really love the story and all the small funny details about this show, like the sound effects and just all the tiny little details about the show..
acting:
this was produced in the late 2018, song wei long was only 18 if not 19... and his acting is just so natural????? like how...
im a fan of zhang yujian's drama like le coup de foudre and please love me.. he never fails to make me laugh and i relate to his acting/emotions like even before he cried (when his father went missing) i cried already because i sensed that he was so sad and desperate. anyways i love him alott
victoria song, let me just tell u her body figure is sooooo good that im jealous sighh. i wouldnt say her acting is superb but she did great!! i love her drunk acting alot ahah alot of aegyo/撒娇/acting cute. i saw the behind the scenes and everyone had so much chemistry especially the cp and cai minmin cp
music:
i literally just finished the drama 12 minutes ago, im currently listening to the tracklist while writing this because all the songs played in the drama really caught my attention. "Amazing" is my favourite. ( the one that sings in english)
rewatch:
I WILL. when i get onto my rewatch binge during this quarantine until the first of june (now is 23 april) on the lost its eternal love, maybe ashes of love then maybe this. but before all that im gonna watch skate to love. so see you all soon on their review page!!
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Great chemistry despite age the gap
LIKEAll those sweet and lovely gestures which Yuan Song did to Fan Xing - melted..
Hong Mei and Qing Feng when they discussed about the drama they were watching - omg hilarious convo
DISLIKE
When Fan Xing could not accept herself being older than Yuan Song and how she treated him to avoid gossips
MUSIC - personal fav
心光 Xin Guang - 胡夏 Hu Xia
风的来信 Feng De Lai Xin - 金玟岐 Jin Min Qi
REWATCH VALUE
Shall re-watch someday if I have the time
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The things I love most of this drama are :
- Character development
- Main leads amaing chemistry
- Story
- such a comprensive parents "To be honest I don't thinks exist"
- my Goal was watch more the main couple but I also fall for the 2nd teacher x student couple
- the ending was perfect I coudn't ask for more
Now that I finished this drama I feel empty, I wish there where some more episode but one of my sides also thinks those were enough. The romance was one of the best things of this series specially woahh the male lead killed it he was such an amazing actor he's perfomance here was great, he's looks are perfect like handsome, cute, attractive woahh I don't know from where to start.
Another thing that I loved a lot about this drama was that there weren't at all embrassing scenes in the entire show, everything felt so real that I was fully immersed, usually in most of dramas they tend to make the leads pathetic or something missing but for this one hhmmm perfect nothing has been missed to add on it
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