This review may contain spoilers
This drama should have ended in 10-15 episodes where the lead's got a happy ending. The unnecessary strech of the separation and leap where FL goes abroad and comes back with a child just soiled the drama for me.The drama had a lot of potential but the story writing tanked it.
Initially the male lead was shown as strong willed individual with set of his own values but him accepting the FL so easily after she left without any explanation just doesn't sit right with me.
I had lots of hope for this drama but I was disappointed.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
How to destroy an initially good idea...
Although many reviewers had fun, I thought the second half of the show was bad.This show is obviously an illustration of the old British saying, "It is said, that a woman's heart is like a needle in the bottom of the sea."
FL is completely out of character. Whoever has such a "loving woman" at his side no longer needs enemies. She has literally blown up the great love and the two families right along with it. Families, are in Asia still much more important, than with us in the west. This woman takes no prisoners.
Why does she destroy her families and ML without need? Yes, why?!
One can hardly believe her reason for separation. In order to relieve the ML she only had to go with him to Germany, her career as a businesswoman was over anyway. Happy holydays in Heidelberg!
Even later, FL has many absurd reasons to maintain the separation and withhold the son from the father, Ling Rui. With poor, pretextual excuses. From this we can conclude: the FL was doing quite well, there was no pressure of suffering that would have motivated her to return. Only her business interest finally causes her to return home.
From episode 25 on, the fun was over! But it was clear that FL and ML had to be brought together again. That's what the writers are there for, they'll do it, even if the rind cracks.
It is clear that the authors would not shy away from any kind of remorse kitsch. This is absolutely necessary to make the unpleasant aftertaste of breaking the infamous FL forgotten. The word "sorry," for example, is now on the index in my book.
I guess any relationship would be over after such experiences and after 6 long nasty years. The injuries caused by FL's lack of character and baseness should damage any trust forever. Who wouldn't break up with her? But then the embracing forgiveness by the authors takes hold.
Still, the mood - at least mine - is gone. The lovey-dovey talk, the professions of love in the rest of the event now seem unbelievable. Really a pity , because the tough business woman of the first half was believable and sympathetic in her straightforwardness.
During the second half, you just wait for FL's lapses, even a Love Afair with the childish Shen Zhuo would be believable for her. And let's keep quiet about the finale with Gao Er Fan, the ghost sister and all the sugar coating and marriage proposal the second. Let's hope she doesn't sneak away again, secretly.
But OK, don't panic, it's just show and a lot was nice too. The actors are much better than the plot of the drama, the second half of which really belongs in the trash bin. And of course: the FL is very attractive! (ML too).
Sorry for the harsh review. English subs could be better!
Was this review helpful to you?
a whole meal
This could've easily been a normal 24 episode drama, but no...they extended the timeline and gave it a complete ending. love it. The chemistry and acting is soo on point. Even the casting is on point (I'd believe if FL and her sister are blood related irl..but what are the chances). Also the character development is pretty great as well...nothing exaggerated or unreasonable. I don't know what else to say. I would recommend this to everyone.Music and production is on point too. The only reason why rewatch isn't as high as the other stars is because I don't rewatch things that often. And like I said before, this could've easily been a 24 episode drama that I'd still recommend, but the last few episodes after the time skip really bring everything together.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyable and Worth Watching
This is a nice easy to watch romcom about a contract marriage. I've seen a few Simon Gong dramas to notice that his acting has improved a lot and he has shown versatility in tackling a more mature role as Dr. Ling Rui in this drama. My first time watching the FL, I think she did a good job playing the role of successful domineering CEO Lu Fang Ning. A strong female lead is very encouraging. Another surprise here is Garvey Jin's good comedic performance as Simon. I liked how some of the second leads started as antagonists then ended up as good guys. It was fun to see how Lu Fang Ning and Tang Ping Ping evolved from being enemies to close friends and how straight-faced cold Simon loosened up to pursue Cai Si Yu. The other supporting cast were also likable and who can forget the adorable Lu You You! I admit there were some draggy parts, for me it was somewhere in the middle before leading up to the time skip. I quite enjoyed the rest of the episodes post time skip, they were more light hearted. I liked the cinematography, editing, locations, wardrobes though I deducted some rating points for little things like make up style which I'm not a fan of and few forgivable plot holes. I found this drama refreshing having some unique spin on common storylines and tropes. Overall, enjoyable and worth watching.Was this review helpful to you?
The type of cliche drama that you'd want to rewatch all over again
A 10/10 for me. Some parts were cliche, but they did it so well I can't complain. FL really did a great job in acting. I really love the actress' speaking voice and her acting. ML was a bit lacking in the acting aspect, but I think it's because of the character he's portraying. Plot twist was a bit predictable, but I'm glad everything was resolved. And I so loved episode 26 onwards.But honestly, the number 1 reason why I stayed and why I loved this so much is because of Gong Jun. Man's handsome as hell. That's also why rewatch value is a 10, but I'd only rewatch from episodes 25 onwards.
Again, eye candy Gong Jun is worth it.
Was this review helpful to you?
I simply done with this kind of trope
I just watch this drama out of boredom. This kind of trope should be ban or completely removed in cdrama because it is so common. Most of the modern cdrama nowadays has this trope and im just tired of it.The storyline is so common and you can predict what will happen next. The acting of the Female Lead was good but not that good, she needs to improve some of her facial expressions because sometimes it does not fit on the scenario she was playing and also GongJun acting's is like a wooden stick that does not know how to use his eyes and face to give us more emotions and shows what the character feels at the moment. He is just a pretty boy that knows how to properly kiss. If you want some sugar then watch it but this drama is definitely not for me.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This is probably one of my favorite contemporary Chinese dramas. I stumbled upon this drama accidentally and I never looked back. I've seen Gong Jun in another drama and I know that he is really good plus his eyes are expressive so I was curious especially with the plot.STORY:
Lu Fang Ning (Zu Yu Tong) is a domineering CEO. What I liked about her character is that she is head strong, decisive, and doesn't care what anyone thinks. She does what she does and no one can stop her. We need these kinds of female leads in a Chinese dramas to be honest. I'm tired of the damsel in distress and domineering CEO plot. Anyway, she meets the male lead Ling Rui (Gong Jun) who is a doctor and concocts a plan of having him as her husband due to family pressure that she should be married and she should start a family. She chooses him because he's suitable and he's also pretty handsome. It was really hilarious seeing the female lead court the male lead. Of course in all marriage in name plots the leads eventually fall in love. What's new there? I especially love Fang Ning's friends, Su Yu and especially Tang Ping who is too clingy. They added color and fun to the plot. Though my favorite part of this drama is the 6 year time jump and when their son was added to the mix. We can see a reverse in roles perhaps? Ling Rui being domineering and Fang Ning being timid due to guilt. The ending is very satisfying that I didn't think too much of it being 35 episodes long. I wanted more and luckily they had 4 extra episodes which made my heart soar.
ACTING/CAST:
I already knew what Gong Jun was capable of but damn his chemistry with Zhou Yu Tong is off the charts. I loved watching their characters interact with one another and I especially love how natural they are. Me watching the behind the scenes footage doesn't help either. They were too natural it was like they were close friends. Or more than that. Or I don't know. I really, really like how they act together and I hope they get to have another drama together. I also had no problem with the other casts. Whoever casted this drama deserves a raise.
MUSIC:
There was one song that I really liked. And I'm grateful for OSTs that are good. It adds color to the story.
REWATCH VALUE:
Yes. And I recommend this drama as well. Yes, I've seen this for 3 times and I'm proud of it. lol
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
In my top 3 best romcom of 2020! Luv the mainleads chems! RECOMMENDED!
Highlights:- Liking how it’s the opposite of the most common drama characters (this one the rich dominating CEO is the woman n the “kinda normal” character is the guy)... they r both really goodlooking n so well matched…The chemistry is superb!
- There r character development for the mainleads n the other casts… even people u hate at first, they end up being ok people n in good terms with everybody... super happy ending kinda story…
- The kid actor is just super adorable!
- I like it plotwise… it’s not like a unique plot, it’s a contract marriage turn to real luv, but it’s definitely an entertaining watch, almost no boring moments, I rarely skipped scenes in this! which I do usually a lot for too boring/angsty parts in the drama… maybe there r some a bit too cringy moments for some people, but they r ok for me coz I just like the mainleads acting together, so natural... n I’ve watched their other dramas, IMO they r each other’s best partner so far...
Things I’m not too fond of:
- It took 6 years for them to reunite? It’s just too long to leave someone u luv like that, esp if u don’t even have a good enough reason to separate in the first place… she could’ve just gone with him to Germany since she gave up the company anyway… plus he deserves to know about his kid, he missed the first 5years of his life! I know they use this to make a big must have problem in a drama so they can have the last 10eps fixing that or there will be no important plot... plus they might wanna use a kid that’s big enough to act super cute n smart, so that time gap is explainable... n yes like I said before, Lu Youyou is just so cute, so his presence is just worth the time gap!
- The cliche “they knew each other from childhood” plot… though in this drama it’s kinda needed, since it’s the big reason for him to say yes to the contract marriage in the first place…
Overall it’s in my top 3 best romcom of 2020... Highly recommended! They have only 1 major break up! Yeah I know it’s a huge one, but still compared to some dramas that give soooo many breakup moments, this is an ok one... plus eventhough they got separated 6years in eps24, but on air aspect for us as watchers, by the next episode they already have an encounter again,so it’s not like we gotta wait for a few eps of them not meeting each other... especially for romcom lovers, this is a MUST WATCH!
Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet, and smart in the right places
My wife and I watched this together, and we both loved it. The story was not original, of course, but the execution was good. The leads matched, and the acting of Zhou Yu Tong in particular was very impressive. Her character was also a good example of the thoughtfulness of the writing that elevated this one above the many similar dramas out there. It was great to see her "badass CEO" persona was driven by a sense of loss and grief BUT she still had solid self-esteem.The show's writing also showed intellligence when the plot dragged out the hoary old 'noble idiocy' trope. The supporting characters, and the ML, all called it exactly what it was, stupid. And happily, the show didn't wallow in it. After her return, it was also refreshing to see that both the ML & FL thought about how they needed to actually use their words, albeit after an amusing 'intervention' by friends.
There were plenty of very amusing scenes as well. The FL's 'uncle' at the gym had us both doubled up laughing, and the group hiding under the table toward the end was almost as funny.
There was a lot of great dialogue in the show - the FL's rant against public proposals was superb, exactly right in every detail.
There were flaws, of course. The 'bad guy' was both a bit OTT in his fixation and then let off with blnding ease and speed. That last was a reflection of the slightly over-saccharine nature of the final few episodes, quite likely a PRC requirement. It could have benefited by being 30 instead of 35, and the way the characters all moved on from the 6 year gap was a bit too hassle-free. Despite that, it was a very enjoyable watch, one of my favourite C Dramas now, with a sweet happy ending that earned extra points by NOT bringing back a character that most K Dramas almost certainly would have.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Funny with drama mixed in
When a Chinese drama is more than 24 episodes long, I always have second thoughts about watching, anyways, I finally went for it.So, what did I think, I think the drama is okay. There were parts that I didn’t like, skipped two full episodes. I don’t think I missed much as I was still able to follow the story.
I liked the first part of the series more. I liked Lu Fang Ning’s character more during first part. She was bossy and seemed like a bully but really had a soft heart. She was funnier here. Zhou Yu Tong really portrayed the character well. Simon Gong fit the role of Ling Rui – the quiet genius. I liked his character more on the second part though. He was more assertive.
Why do I keep saying first and second part of the series….well, after the two episodes that I did not care for and skipped, there was like a total switch of character behaviours. I think it would have been good if they continued the story from the first part and found an ending from there. Lu Fang Ning kept her character. Ling Rui becoming more like his character on the second part of the show.
Was this review helpful to you?
It hits different
I rarely write reviews for dramas since it takes me so much time to do so but this one is just too good to miss out on. I swear this one is my favorite chinese drama of all time and I have seen a lot. I’ve rewatched it four times and the emotions are still there every single time.This drama may not be for everyone because of its tropes, but most of them are my top tropes so this drama is really for me. Although I get really bored easily, I never got bored of Begin Again. I also really really love the main couple, their chemistry and everything about them.
You should give this one a try.
Was this review helpful to you?
GOOD BUT NOT ONE OF THE GREATS
Honestly, give this one a try! The chemistry is decent and the story is too!Acting was so well done! I'm definitely going to keep watching the FL, Zhou Yu Tong, she was excellent.
But do be warned... the plot takes a dip around episode 25.
This drama had comedy, a sprinkle of drama, and a pretty even plot pace. I enjoyed the main couple and their story, but I definitely think it could've been altered so things didn't feel so "off" later on.
The second couple was also cute, but deserved more screen time! I hate when directors do that.
In terms of plot, I think they could've done better. It was strong until some drama occurred, and the reconciliation between the characters did not go as smooth as I thought it would. I didn't feel the chemistry come back 100%, if that makes sense. Looking at it chemistry wise, the FL was definitely awkward at first but she seemed to warm up as the drama continued. Other than that, their kid was adorable, and so were all of the scenes with him!
As I said in my headline, this one is good, but not one of the greats! Don't let its flaws keep you away ;)
Was this review helpful to you?
