This review may contain spoilers
Stop glorifying problematic behaviour as love
The male lead is problematic. Everything about him is red flags. He is not cute, loving, devoted or whatever...This show was popping up all over my feed and i got lured in by all my friends going ga ga about it. The production is gorgeous. The music is wonderful. Acting ranges from good to average.
But God the male lead is an ass. The first kiss is just urghhh... He grabs her by the jaw and literally smashes his lips with hers. What does not help is that the girl is tiny so it looks like he is almost assaulting her.
The first time they sleep together he bribes the hotel owner to say that there is only one room. In 2020 when we are speaking about consent more than ever, this does not come off as cute or naughty bit creepy.
He is possessive to the extent that he dictates how long the girl can meet her childhood friend, she can't touch him, can't laugh, maintain x amount of distance... Like wtf!... And then proceeds to sit at another table in the restaurant and watch over her. Towards the last episode the friend asks her to lunch for celebrating or something (don't remember) and she flatly refuses and says that her boyfriend will not like it.
This show sends out such a wrong message to young girls. I'm reading YouTube comments and young girls are going on about how will they ever find a boyfriend like him. I hope that they don't. This is not love. This is not an equal relationship. This is not cute.
Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet Crush. Fun First Romance
Theres a lot of this genre (college romance) out there but this is among the better ones in terms of acting, production and overall storyline.Qin Shen, the cold talented and super tall male lead and Yuan Qian, the cute, friendly petite female lead are classmates in the sculpture major. Somehow after a mini accident, she learns she misunderstood him and both begins to see the better side in each other. It didnt take long for the ice to thaw with Qin Shen.. given that he used to say girls and dating are meaningless and waste of time. But when he looks at YQ he cant help smiling and the warmth will enter his eyes.
Best part. Qin Shen took notice of YQ very early on and her quirks and attitude amuses him. More than half of the drama are the two dancing around each other. Theres a saying, one stroke shy (strokes to write a chinese characther) and thats how you can describe their relationship. They seek each other out, hang out, talk, hints and flirts but never really comfesses. The acting and directing makes this enjoyable even amusing.
SML does not really get annoying, mostly a puppy still hinging on their childhood memories. While SFL is no fun to watch, i just wish she stops chasing given that ML cannot be more obvious of his coldness, nonchalance and blatantly ignoring her most times. Really, QS reserves his gentlemanly nature, sweet , caring and even considerate gestures only for FL. When needed he helps her out, supports her and respects her decision. Hes also the type that doesnt shy away from doing couple-things and enjoys being dote on by FL. With the exception of his penchance to tease her and sometimes twist and negates his own kind intentions, i find its a mix of his own enjoyment (you will find hes actually a lil black-bellied and to save face).
Their roommates are a hoot to watch. ML has 2 funny bros who are also classmates. Their scenes and dialogues are so funny. FL has 3 wonderful friendships with her roommates too. And both sets of roommates already clue in on the push-pull relationship of the leads.. they are just too obvious haha.
Acting wise is good. If done wrongly could have been cringey or stiff. But both Ireine Song and Aaron Deng have a good camaraderie so there a natural synergy. You can watch them interact all day and be entertained.
Ps one of my fav moment is when QS retrieved the water bottle he threw to the trashbin after hearing from his bro that YQ was the one who bought it. He didnt care evyone's looking or the trashbin. It spoke volumes how he feels about her.
Verdict Fun fun and easy watch. No real angst. Flirty interactions and sweet first romance that blossom between two people who thought they would remain single until they meet the right person.
Was this review helpful to you?
I liked Song Yi Ren's other college campus romance series this year more
I'm kind of in the minority here, but I didn't much care for this series and thought that Aaron Deng was stiff as a board with his acting. I also had a bit of issue with how brusque and rough Qin Shen acted towards Yuan Qian all the time. And that whole jealous boyfriend act was probably intended to be cute and comedic, but it actually made me annoyed and uncomfortable. Instead of seeming like a protective boyfriend, Qin Shen came off a bit controlling--it bothered me that Yuan Qian and her roommate friends seemed okay with it just because Qin Shen is good looking, and because Yuan Qian likes him. I feel like it gives out a bad message that it's okay to let your boyfriend push and pull you around, and be forceful with you, as well as dictate who you're allowed to be friends with, when in reality, it's a big red flag.On the flip side, I also got annoyed with Yuan Qian's overreaction to wanting to keep her relationship with Qin Shen a secret when they first started dating. It was highly unnecessary, and unfair to Qin Shen.
I DO give props to the guy who portrayed Song Si Yi--he was really natural and likable. There were moments when the character got annoying, but it was hard to completely hate him. I'm also extremely happy that he pretty much backed off of Yuan Qian peacefully when he finds out that she and Qin Shen are a couple.
Overall, this romance was awkward and all sorts of uncomfortable for me. I kind of liked them more in their pre-dating phase when they were first realizing they liked each other. Those moments were super cute.
I watched this series because of Song Yi Ren, whom I started loving ever since I saw her performance in 'Ever Night.' And if I want to be honest, while her character was overly childish in 'The Best of You in My Mind,' I felt like that series had an overall better tone, better acting, and better love story. Gala Zhang is definitely a much better actor than Aaron Deng.
This was a rather predictable, feel good, college campus love story that had it's cute and sweet moments. For starters, I absolutely loved both Yuan Qian and Qin Shen's roommates. They made this series a lot more fun. And while I didn't care for the main romance nor the main couple, I still felt like Song Yi Ren held her own pretty well.
On a final note, I DO wish we could have delved a bit deeper into Qin Shen's past with Ling Wei and Jia Si Chen so we could understand why Qin Shen was always so cold to Ling Wei. There were hints that she had done some unforgivable stuff, but aside from being persistent in her crush and pursuit of him, I didn't quite understand the backstory. There was a short bit where it sounded like Ling Wei used Qin Shen's friends to obtain what she wanted? I'm not sure. I would have also liked to see more about the story behind the parents and maybe some resolution about their objections to Yuan Qian and Qin Shen's chosen college paths.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Toxic male lead disguised as sweet romance
This drama starts out so innocent and sweet. It has sweet caracters and a lovely story. However as the story progresses the male lead becomes more and more manipulativ and posessive. This is portrayed as romantic and no body says anything about the way he treats the female lead even thogh they must see it. She doesn't seem to mind the way he treats her eather but rather seems to think it romantic. Fine I get it its nice to find a guy who only has ayes for you... but it should not be at the coast of your independence. So if you can watch this as a coutionery tale I say go for it (It does have its moments) but if your looking for good healthy romance look elsewhere.Was this review helpful to you?
So-so
Similarly to all the other youth dramas, this drama has the cliche setting of a tall cool guy with a short cute girl.There wasn't any spectacular plots or climax but it was not too bad, too so I still manage to finish watching it. I enjoy watching the cute couple but a lot of plots were intentionally developed (like how they always misunderstand each other when they saw them with second leads). One or two is understandable but the whole series were pretty predictable and dull in such case. Plus, Aaron Deng's acting was pretty stiff and unnatural, but Ireine was good (undoubtedly since she has been in so many dramas and gotten much experiences) However, I guess Aaron's acting was tolerable to many people mainly because he is good looking? Imagine if it is the other way round, the actress will probably get so much of criticism...
Overall, a light-hearted youth drama featuring university life (within the Arts School, Sculpting Course as they were all coursemates), a lot of cliche plots but suitable for fangirls who enjoyed fantasising tall and handsome male lead.
Was this review helpful to you?
A simple college romance done right
This is very similar to Put Your Head On My Shoulder. They are alike in that both leads secretly like each other for a long time without telling the other how they feel, both are set in a college, both leads are smart & attractive, both dramas are very low on angst, both dramas have height difference couples, and both are laid back slice of life dramas.It’s basically a simple, sweet, fluffy college romance that focuses completely on the romance of the main leads and little else. There’s no hidden identities, evil villains, childhood trauma, or hateful parents. And even though the second male and female leads chase after the main leads causing misunderstandings, I wouldn’t say that there’s a love triangle or love square. That’s because both main leads make it abundantly clear from the beginning that they aren’t interested in the second male and female leads. I found this quite refreshing since almost every drama out there has the main leads being super nice to those crushing on them which leads to false hope and hurt feelings.
The female lead is a very confident, optimistic, determined, and outgoing girl that draws people to her with her bubbly personality. But despite her intelligence, she’s very clumsy and constantly falls or bumps into things. This often results in awkward situations that are comedic gold and really makes the the drama more lighthearted and fun.
The male lead is a perfectionist that’s very blunt and straightforward. He speaks his mind with no filter whatsoever often hurting others feelings which he seems oblivious to. But when he observes how the female leads awkward clumsiness gets her into the funniest of predicaments, he’s quite amused and often finds himself laughing. She’s so cute and charming that he’s quickly smitten with her but has no idea how to pursue her and often makes a mess of things. Seeing him come out of his shell and learn how to interact better with others was really enjoyable.
The chemistry of this adorable height difference couple is pretty good. There’s lots of cute moments, especially the ones where he just picks her up or lifts her up like she’s a little doll that weighs nothing. They’re interactions are fun to watch. My main complaint would be that the story lacked depth and action. And I wish there were more romantic moments and skinship.
That being said, I still really enjoyed this drama and I’m glad I watched it. If it had more romantic moments and more depth to the story like Put Your Head On My Shoulder, I would have rated it similarly to that drama. But it’s still worth investing your time in. Don’t skip this drama, it’s just too cute.
Was this review helpful to you?
Extreme slow pace, predictable and boring
Honestly wanted to like this show but it was so slow, predictable and boring. There's nothing new about the drama and the way this drama is filmed. I can tell you what happens next before I even watch the next episode.Your classic cold cool guy but actually nice.
Cute energetic girl that's protected by male lead.
Support role is also predictable as usual. Male support fancy the main girl and female support fancy the main guy. Female support role is again the classic annoying, selfish, frustrating character that you want to slap.
It takes longer than half the series to see the 2 character actually be honest to each other. Meanwhile viewers are left frustrated by the way they're acting and pretending to not have feelings for each other.
I watched the first 3 episode at normal speed then watched the next 15ep in 2X speed. I skipped through the video for the last few episodes. It was seriously so very boring. I however do like the actor and actress. Have nothing against them and will watch their shows in the future but this show is just seriously boring for me.
I'm shocked that there's so many reviews here with people saying they like the show. Maybe they haven't seen very many dramas.
I think I'm just very picky or I've seen too many drama I can't even count so this show is just a repeat of all the other drama that goes by the same boring format
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Straightheaded male lead falls for the cute and persisted minded female lead.
With this drama being 24 episodes long, i would expect the cute scenes to come slightly earlier. This was a slight disappointment because they official got together so late, like finally at ep 16 ? Like what was happening during the first 16 episode? I mean it was kinda due to the male lead's character being kinda blockish , and straight forward. I think it started strong, where it had the potential, because the first scene was a cute encounter between the female and male lead.The female lead actress is short is stature, which makes her cute)( although many people dont like the actress) anyways.... She bumps into the male lead ( literally) and falls into the river on her first day of school. She wanted to transfer to another major. She is saved by the second male lead ( who turns out to be her childhood friend, which she doesnt find out till later). She basically missed the chance to take the transfer test and gets stuck into the sculpting class/major. I forgot to add that she knocked down the male lead's sculpture. They are now in the same class.
Male lead is a straight forward, cool, wooden character. He's good at sculpting. Through various encounters the male lead starts to crush on the female lead. During the first 16 episode, he likes her but doesn't staight up say he likes her. On many accounts his dorm mates ask him to take the initiative. The female lead also has a good friendship between the second male lead.
The sweet part comes from their kiss and finally them being together. Those scenes are especially cute. I feel like the drama now just pack it all the end , all the sweet and romantic scenes. This drama , they shot their kissing scenes a little different, they dont show them full on kissing , but dont directly film it, so its moree mysterious lol ? Another thing thats really cute is their height difference. But overall their romantic scenes were super cute, like them dressing up in japanese kimono and dating :)
I dont think they developed the story particularly well. If you asked me there isnt a heavy focus on their sculpting class. The last bit focused on trying to save their major and not let them close out on the sculpting class. I didnt like the girl who had a crush on the male lead. She acted like she was weak and pathetic to get the attention of the male lead and also the female lead. She tried to to be friends with the female lead.... She was literally in almost all the scenes of when the female lead and male lead were together, like seeing them together and then you see her sad face .... lol . I was like , why are you everywhere they are???
Was this review helpful to you?
She should have ended up with Song Si Yi
She should have ended up with Song Si Yi.You know how pple say girls are usually attracted to toxic guys. I don't really agree with it but it's actually true in this drama. Song Si Yi is there he loves her so much, he's probably even had a thing for her since childhood. He's nice, really cute and he respects her.
But who does she chose? Some cold hearted jerk who was not even nice to her at first. I don't even get why people think being cold or indifferent is attractive....like hell no.
And to me, he's really possessive. Imagine him giving her rules when it's comes to her interaction with her childhood friend after there started dating.
Song Si Yi totally stole my heart and I would say it again she should have picked him.
Was this review helpful to you?
The Height Difference Champions League
Watching Professional Single is a guilty pleasure for people like me with a "height difference kink". I wish I could say extremely tall men like to date extra short women, but I'm afraid it's the other way around. Females have a thing for tall males, they stand out in the crowd, like a billboard for power and protection.Enter Ireine Song and Aaron Deng and you're basically watching The Height Difference Champions League. They are beautiful, natural actors. It's a pleasure to watch those two in action, both in comedy and romance scenes.
Story
The focus on first love is both the strength and weakness of this series. Forget family drama, crimes, misdemeanors or other story arcs. The many clichés can also be annoying. I felt some irritation when I watched the heroine stumbling for the nth time into the arms of her lover. Why oh why can't it be him doing the stumbling for a change?
Acting/Cast
The entire cast is good. They are the same age as students in real life, and their acting is on point.
Rewatch Value
Like I said, the story isn't very original, but it has a nice flow in story telling. The Darcy and Elizabeth trope is strong in this one. I also laughed out loud sometimes, so I will definitely rewatch this series.
Overall
If you are a sucker for old fashioned romcom and campus life, this is for you. There are plenty of times to think, but also times to feel. This is one of those moments. Enjoy.
Was this review helpful to you?
Adorable Slice-of-life
I always feel like these more realistic slice-of-life stories are so underrated, but they're my favorite. It's just so relatable to watch normal teens and college students go through everyday issues like picking a major or dealing with family pressure.And the main leads are adorable! As someone who loves slow burns and friends-to-lovers, the main leads got together in the perfect amount of time, with so many satisfying jealous moments and awkward tension. The FL is clumsy butDespite the male lead being described as "cold", it's plain as day that he went soft for the FL early — which is just so fun to watch. There's great chemistry and the leads are also pretty straightforwards with each other, so misunderstandings are cleared up pretty quickly and the ML never gives the mildly obsessive second female lead the time of day.
There are some sub-plots they kind of dropped the ball on, but for the most part, there was a good amount of continuity for even the side characters, who each had their own personality.
Ultimately, I'd definitely recommend this as a light-hearted, chill watch and there are definitely scenes I'll come back to. This is a rom-com in its PUREST form.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This had potential, but there were some real problems for me
First, what I liked - the roommates of both the ML and FL. They brought a lot of heart and humor to their roles. I also always like a large height difference between the leads. However, this led to one of my problems with this drama...The ML was borderline abusive to the FL. The first time he grabbed her by the face and kissed her, it really was rough. Plus, he was always dragging her toward him roughly, or grabbing her by the arm in an overly firm manner. This really bothered me. I don't think that behavior is ever acceptable, but I might have been more tolerant if she wasn't so tiny.
ACTING: Ireine Song - I've only seen her in one other thing, and her character was pretty much the same, so it's hard to judge her acting prowess. Aaron Deng as Qin Shen - wooden and expressionless throughout. I've not seen him in anything else, so I'll reserve judgment on whether it was acting or the script. Which brings me to -
WRITING: I didn't care for the way the main characters were written. Qin Shen was a total Tsundere, but we never got to see the soft side of him. On the rare occasions that he smiled, it seemed somewhat forced. It would have been so nice to see him develop some warmth, especially as it related to his roommates. It always seemed there was only tolerance, I would have liked to see sincere friendships develop. The FL even used the statement about him not using his words. Throughout the drama, it was grunts or one-word answers. He was overbearing physically to the FL as mentioned before, as well as being possessive and jealous, and not in a cute way, telling her she couldn't talk to guys, following her around to monitor who she was talking to. This could have been portrayed in a way that was sweet and showed how he cared for her, but it didn't get portrayed that way. The FL character of Yuan Qian - when she stood up to the bully, I had high hopes for her, but she seemed like a "taker/user" to me, always asking others to do things/get things for her. She was also eavesdropping on every conversation he had with anyone. In every Asian drama, there always seems to be falling/tripping as it relates to the FL. This show took it to the extreme. She was ALWAYS falling, stumbling, tripping, or walking into things. I also didn't care for her attempts to be "cute". She was never willing to tell him how she felt, but was constantly asking him, "Isn't there something you want to say to me?" Each episode seemed to be a repeat of the previous episode, misunderstandings, him being mean, her trying to get him to tell her he liked her, and the friends giving both of them a hard time. As for the character of Ling Wei as the girl that liked Qin Shen - she seriously needed therapy! The writers also never really delved into why he was so mean to her, what had happened in their past, or anything like that.
RELATIONSHIP OF LEADS/CHEMISTRY: He was silent, bossy, possessive. She pouted, stomped around, was mad or employing the silent treatment A LOT. They spent a lot of time staring at each other, and not much time having actual mature conversations that would develop a relationship. This didn't feel like a healthy relationship to me at all. Granted, one of the reasons I enjoy romances is because it's not real life, but for me, this relationship never felt lovely, or something I wanted to see more of. Chemistry between them was severely lacking. In general, the relationship felt toxic.
MUSIC: I don't remember it.
REWATCH: There weren't even any scenes that I think I'd want to rewatch.
Was this review helpful to you?
