Use for My Talent (2021)

Use For My Talent; Sweet, But Unremarkable ...

Let’s be honest for a and disregard the " Korean vs. Chinese version" argument by openly confessing that neither version will ever be a " masterpiece". Of course, this is not to say that both versions of the show were "unwatchable". Both cast and production values in the dramas are good . However, the screenwriting? Well, that’s another issue entirely.

For those unaware, the Chinese version follows the same basic premise as its predecessor; successful male lead and owner of a cleaning company Gu Ren Qi ( Jasper Liu) suffers from Mysophobia as a result of trauma. Through a series of strange events, he ends up meeting and employing female lead Shi Shuang Jiao ( Shen Yue), however, she is his polar opposite by her unkempt and blasé nature towards dirt . Ultimately this leads to a complicated rocky road as Ren Qi discovers himself falling in love with our female lead.

Cultural changes aside, there are a couple of things which did work well in this version ; the male lead seem a bit more paved out as a character with his backstory, and he did not have the same accentuated reactions ( as his Korean counterpart) to a piece of dirt. However, ultimately Ren Qi did suffer the same fate as a" staid male lead". His backstory (rather than being used for development), is played upon the " tragic trope” card with few defining reactions or emotions outside of chasing the female lead Shi Shuang Jiao.

Shi Shuang Jiao was also your archetypical " prosaic heroine". There was nothing inherently wrong per say with Shuang Jiao as a female lead. She was sweet and a kind-hearted person,however, if you could put an evident sticky label on Shuang Jiao, then it would certainly read; the ‘“quirky and cutesy” female lead who is" stuck in the middle" between Ren Qi and the " boy next door" Lu Xian’( Dai Yun Fan). After all, Shen Qiao only truly existed in the series as the " love interest" rather than an individual in her own right.

Of course, then there’s the pairing between Shuang Jiao and Ren Qi. Admittedly, whilst there is certainly emphasis in the Chinese version of Ren Qi and Shuang Jiao sharing "mutual ground", this is also where the series hits a bit of a rut also. This is because whilst it is implied over their shared " traumatic pasts" helping their relationships to develop, it is hard to truly define what either Ren Qi or Shuang Jiao truly saw in one another ( apart from this) in the first place.

The side characters of the series were a little forgettable . Second main lead Lu Xian did have the potential to be intriguing , however, his ineffable desire to " chase after the female lead" and not truly having a life outside of wanting to win her affections put any possible character development down the drain . The other two pairings of the show between Zhu Yan ( Su Meng Di), Shi Jun Jie ( Yanan), Li Dong Xian ( Charles Lin) and Wang Qian Qian ( Huang Si Rui) were arguably more entertaining at times than our main leads, though they were certainly nothing to write home about either with cliche setups.

So, what’s left to say about " Use For My Talent" and is it worth watching ?The Chinese adaptation wasn’t inherently "bad" per say. It did have a really good cast and an incredibly sweet pairings. For fans of cutesy romantic dramas then this is right up your street, however, just don’t expect great character development either.

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So close to becoming my favorite.

The show is about the male lead having a phobia and the female lead (at first) being the main trigger to his phobia. Over time they grow closer and y'know. I feel like other than that, there's nothing else.

I personally find this show pretty light to watch, meaning that you could either watch to past time or just to watch while doing something in the background. Not something to get really attached to. I RARELY see any dramas about germ phobias at all! As this was my first one. And I haven't watched the Korean version of this but I could say that the story was pretty good!
I personally think the last two Episodes were boring, I won't spoil but their were boring to the point where I looked off my computer screen for some time to do other things.

I also have to point out the second lead, a lot of people state that he's annoying and they hate him but it's eh for me really. I do agree he was annoying at times but he wasn't that bad.
(Edit 7/23/21: Nevermind, I remember me skipping/looking away whenever I saw him on screen 85% of the time)

The relationship between Renqi and Shaung was so cute! Loved them! I do find their relationship kind of draggy though.

The acting was amazing to me! I think Jasper played his role really well, especially in Episode 20, their was a scene where I really LOVED Jasper's acting at that moment.

The music was AMAZING!! I loved it so much! Pretty light and catchy!

Am I rewatching?
It's an 8 since I would re watch but not ALL episodes, some episodes were really useless to me.

In total, would've been my favorite BUT some episodes were meaningless and the last two episodes got me bored. I have to add about the side couples, they were okay. At first, didn't care for either as I thought they were annoying but I like both of them! The more you watch this the more the plot is predictable at this point, will miss this show though! Been watching since it aired :)
Give this is a try if you're looking for a light rom com! Nothing with action or gore much. Though you probably will find yourself bored of it episodes later.

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