As nutritious as cotton-candy (and just as sweet)
I’ve never necessarily loved Chinese romance dramas for a variety of reasons but I’ve had a rough start into the year which is why I was looking for something wholesome to soothe my troubled mind.Well I am glad to report that Put Your Head On My Shoulder served its purpose!
This is so sickishly sickishly sweet, if this show was any longer it would be health concern. But there are actually a bunch of things that I genuinely appreciated about it.
For starters, I really really liked the female lead. I found the performance of the actress a bit cringe-worthy at times (does this woman ever stop smiling??) but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy her character. Often, I find myself annoyed by the female protagonists in Chinese romances, often they’re painfully naïve, incompetent, endlessly forgiving and chase after the male lead (who usually doesn’t even deserve it) to an embarrassing degree. Well, none of these tropes were present in this drama. I had a really easy time rooting for Situ Mo, she was confident, witty and funny and also good at her job. She wasn’t a genius but she wasn’t a complete idiot either. Situ Mo was driven by her emotions but never irrational or irritating to watch. She had an actual personality outside of her love life, had hobbies, interests and friends. She got along with other women, was never threatened by them or petty and treated even her romantic rivals with respect. And I also really like that she wasn’t afraid of taking the lead when it came to progressing her relationship with her housemate. Long story short, she was a complete person before falling in love. Never was she reliant on the male leads help, she was doing her own thing and chasing after her dreams, it was truly refreshing to see actually.
Another problem I often have with Asian dramas in general but Chinese romance dramas especially, is that I simply don’t see the appeal in a hypercompetent, arrogant male protagonist. I might be in the minority here but I find the idea of a perfect man whose only flaw is his ego so so incredibly uninteresting. When I read the premise of this drama, I thought that was what I was getting into with Gu Wei-Yi. But he turned out to be one of the most charming male leads I have seen in a long time. What can I say, I just enjoy watching a guy who is a little bit pathetic. And this is exactly what Put Your Head On My Shoulder delivered. Gu Wei-Yi was such an embarrassing loser, an academically smart idiot, a simp, as the teens would say. And I couldn’t be any happier about that. The first few episodes, when this show tried super hard to convince me that this character was supposed to be the coolest most intelligent dude ever, I found myself a bit bored by him. Only a bit further into the drama, when it got more and more clear that this man 1.) was down bad and 2.) had no clue what he was doing, I was truly charmed.
A lot of the comedy of this show came from Gu Wei-Yi embarrassing himself, which I really enjoyed. I am so used to the female protagonist being the butt of the joke, but this was rarely the case here. I think this was very needed to make the power dynamic of the lead couple more balanced, as the male protagonist was supposed to be a handsome genius that every girl desires and Mo Situ just a regular woman. He was also responsible for her living situation so all of this could have turned really toxic very quickly. But making Gu Wei-Yi incredibly socially awkward put the odds back into the female leads favor and I had a fun time watching this guy try super-hard for our protagonist even though this show initially tried to convince me that he was way out of her league.
The biggest weakness of this show has a name and it’s Fu Pei. I am usually soft for the childhood friend second lead, nope, not the case here! Man does this guy suck. Not only was he super unlikable and a borderline creep, he was also oh so boring, His prior relationship and dynamic with Mo Situ was poorly established and so was his further character development. Luckily you can just skip all of his scenes and miss exactly nothing, that is how irrelevant he was.
I also found this drama a bit redundant the second our lead couple got together, because, as mentioned, I think most of this drama’s comedy and charm lies in Gu Wei-Yi chasing after Mo Situ, but I also understand that you can’t stretch this plot line for longer than like 15 episodes so maybe this show could have done with like 16 episodes instead of 24. But the later episodes were still somewhat enjoyable to watch and I found them charming enough so I am nitpicking here.
Also: this is definiteley a drama that will make you cringe a lot, I don't think that that has to be a bad thing, often enough the show was self-aware about it and making the viewer feel embarassed was part of its charm/humor but it's something to watch out for if you're especially prone to second hand embarassment. I dare you to watch any of the "spicier" scenes with a straight face. Or any scene where any character soeaks English, it's a tough ask, believe me.
Put Your Head On My Shoulder is like cotton candy. There really is nothing to it except for its sweetness. This drama offers nothing of value, no themes , deeper ideas, barely any plot to be honest, but that was never what I wanted from it. I thoroughly enjoyed this show for its simplicity. Through the entirety of its runtime, I found myself expecting some kind of major conflict, that one of the characters would have a depressing past, that there would be a major love triangle, a big fallout, anything that would disrupt the peace I found within this, but to my surprise that moment never came. And you know what, I am glad it didn’t. There are times where I am looking for maturity and realism in my love stories, this wasn’t one of them. There is nothing wrong with silly wish-fulfillment and media that makes you feel nothing but good. Life is depressing enough, sometimes after a long day, you need shows like this.
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Schoolish/ young romcom with added mix feelings and no guts plus and idiot friend to keep it going
Life is too short for stressful drama. Why spend all that time watching and be stressed? Don’t our lives already provide enough of that?Summary of the series:
- somewhat Light hearted rom/com; series’ flow was slow
- a bit of stress watching it, had to fast forward some due to the many mis-opportunities and no guts from spitting out your feelings
- FL and ML was annoying at times; so many times they are close to coaxing the other but decided to do something to tick them off
- simpatico characters
- no mystery, no deep story, just sit back and let it drag at time
- some some struggles, calamity or miscommunications to cause more drama, stress to extend the series
- it s a bit forgetful after watching it, ending is also a bit rushed and not extend the happiest for another episode
- the parents of the ML/FL made the show
- very low rewatch value as you will feel the drag X2
somewhat fun joyful lighthearted with some stress series: watch only if you have time and have watched others
If you are looking for slow love story with gratuitous stress/drama, frequent no guts, insipid side stories, then this is for you.
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Too pedestrian
The premise of the leads living together was really enticing and I thought there would be no shortage of cute moments. While there were some cute moments, the drama was too mundane. I think this is a fine choice if you just want something playing in the background. But, if you actually sit down and pay attention, the pacing and lack of eventfulness is frustrating. To be honest, I thought the male lead's acting was the weakest out of everyone's. I found myself completely skipping over the supporting characters scenes because they just weren't compelling.Was this review helpful to you?
Cute
This is my second time watching this cute little drama about learning what loving another person is all about and navigating the complexities of communication. ML and FL are adorable once they get together; they interact playfully and seriously as if they were a real couple. I am glad there are not tantrum raising mothers or stalker-like ex boyfriends or girlfriends who claim ownership of anyone just because they played together as children. There wasn’t much about the OST that impressed me, because I was more interested in the character’s development.Was this review helpful to you?
No spoilers Just a review
This drama is so addictive the acting was just impeccable and the chemistry of fair xing and lin Yi is just so real and the story is great it's unproblematic which I like very much and this is easily rewatchable considering the people who made this also didA Love so Beautiful and Love Equation which are also iconic and amazing dramas and the OST is not A love so beautiful Good But still amazing the only negative thing I can say about this show is it is too short and I know this story is from a book and so is A love so beautiful and love equation which is also written by the same author Btw but what can you do also I hear this is getting a Thai Remake so there's that
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such a sweet, achingly innocent romance that will make you smile until your cheeks hurt
Honestly, I absolutely adore this drama. The dynamic between the genius scientist and our lovely heroine, Situ Mo, who are forced to live together due to unforeseen circumstances was tooooooo cute to watch. Gu wei yi's numerous failed attempts to gain Momo's love and his need to seek advice from his physics teacher had me laughing on end. I especially enjoyed the little drama that would occur in Gu wei yi's physics lab - all (well, most) the characters are so heartwarming and good. This lighthearted yet still addictive cdrama is something I didn't know I needed, especially after all the heavier stuff I've been watching."Put your head on my shoulder" is an absolute must for lovers of romance and fluff.
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Not that bad, lacking in areas
What took away the final stars:-Lin Yi is kinda awkward, ngl
-Xing Fei has more chemistry with Tang Xiao Tian in My Little Happiness
-although I watched this drama before MLH, I felt that Xing Fei was better with Tang Xiao Tian
-not that big a fan of school settings
Just reading other reviews:
-I kinda like the useless scenes, personally -- I found them cute 🤷♀️
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Sweet, easy watch
I would say this is a rather “innocent” story: it is sweet and uncomplicated, without any big ups and downs and dramatic plots.It contains a lot of the familiar tropes, but they are kept at a “calmer level”.
The cast is ok; the two main leads portray their characters’ personalities rather well, although their chemistry could have been stronger.
The screenplay also stays focused on the main characters. Yes, the supporting characters also have a story, but it is not elaborated too much.
Don’t expect any big surprises, but if you want an easy, feel good sweet romance with some funny elements, this is worth watching.
I liked how they approached the part that led to his “night time online study” 😉
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This review may contain spoilers
Cute! Fluff!
This is a drama that’s interesting enough! It’s cute and fluffy!Watch because:
- the leads are pretty adorable and I am all for eye candy
- show has some angst but very tolerable
- the storyline was interesting and engaging enough
- everything ties up nicely
- very happy ending which I adore as I am all for cliched happy endings
- music is quite nice to listen to
- many cute and memorable moments in this show
I’d say:
Watch!! It is one of the better and better made dramas out there!!
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PYHOMS: One of the best feel-good romance out there
You took the time to memorize me:My fears, my hopes, and dreams
I just like hangin' out with you all the time
Packed with captivating cast and swoon-worthy scenes, Put Your Head on My Shoulder is a must-watch fluffy youth romance sans frustrating characters. It's impossible not to leave the drama with a smile on your face.
Everything about the plot and characters ia easy-going and heart-fluttering. No irritating characters, stressful scenes let alone blood-boiling antagonists. This drama is one of those joyful, feel-good shows that brings smiles to our faces.
However, the show's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. Halfway through the show, I found myself slowly losing interest as the main leads' conflicts are very lighthearted and whimsical. Thankfully, the two leads exude amazing chemistry that they still make the story more engaging and interesting despite the bleakness.
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Meh...
OVERALLThis is the prototypical filler. Watch it if 1) you're looking for a tame romance, and 2) you prefer stories with close to no drama, 3) you don't have anything else to watch. Avoid it if 1) clichés bother you, 2) you want chemistry and thrills, 3) you have something, ANYTHING, else to watch.
THE STORY
It's the typical "boy meets girl, they fall in love, they have zero relationship struggle or growth, and the end" that you see in many Chinese rom-coms, but what makes this drama worse than others is that it LEGIT has nothing else to it. No amazing romance, no crazy fun scenes, no thrills, NOTHING. The romance is just average, the comedy is even below that, and the plot is just one cliché after another. The only thing I actually quite liked about this drama was the fact that Male Lead starts out being the second lead (ish), which we don't see that often. But the main love story is a bit childish and unbalanced (WAY too much time spent trying to pursue one another, not enough "being together"), all secondary characters and couples are uninteresting, the parents are meant to be funny but aren't really, and the work drama is boring too. Basically, it's just not that great.
That being said, this drama is watchable until the end, so it's not THAT bad either. Just come in with low expectations, and keep it for when you're desperate.
THE ACTING
Yeah...not impressive. Do not expect chemistry between the leads, I personally didn't see any.
THE MUSIC
There.
REWATCH VALUE
Low.
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