Once We Get Married

A really fun romcom...

Plot Summary + Gripes + Final Thoughts

Once we get married was a really fun romcom. The story started off with a thoroughly unlikeable male lead really abusing his power and money to take advantage of a naive girl. So originally I didn’t really feel the rom part of the romcom at first.

The many hilarious clashes between the two keep you going until you start to see the male leads character slowly change due to the female leads influence. And once their romance begins, all starts to feel right with the world.

I’m glad that the story didn’t spend too much time placing the family at the centre of the drama. It feels like they were there to drive certain elements of the plot forward and then the ones that remained were supportive.

The second couple was really fun too, though I’ve never understood the whole “fear of marriage because my parents marriage didn’t work out” thing.

The love rivals were super annoying, so I guess they played their part well. The Yandere female rival should have faced some consequences, it left a sour taste. And the Childhood friend love rival stayed around for far too long, like dude, know when to let go… maybe, you know, after finding out she was already married.

There was plenty of steamy chemistry between the leads once the ship finally did sail, and most importantly (for me) we get a happy ending.

Best of OST:

The track that stuck out to me the most on the OST was…
https://youtu.be/hlu1inKjH9E?si=s2SaKQ0JVzHJCoud
Probably because it was always played in the happy moments and cemented the good mood.

Overall the OST wasn’t standout, but wasn’t by any means bad. It cohesively married the show.
https://youtu.be/82riujykma8?si=xuDgo143fw6ex1PE

Rating:

7.6 / 10

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Watch for Fluff and Lurve.

I chanced upon this drama because it was being reviewed quite highly on a YouTube channel. She warned about it being trope-y and sure enough, this drama is indeed full of tropes. However, it is still a fun watch at just 24 episodes of slightly more than 30 minutes each.

What I liked:
- plenty of kiss scenes if u like loved up
couples.
- the ML and FL have good chemistry.
- the ML and FL aren’t the most gorgeous but they have their charms and are pretty easy on the eyes.
- many of the elders in the drama go against the usually stereotypes. For example, ML’s grandmother and mother support his love for FL.
- this is a sweet drama with some angst but not that much until it becomes awful and tiresome.
- happy ending!

What I didn’t like:
- Ran Xiwei was awful through and through and I don’t get her eye makeup look. It wasn’t a smoky eye look. It was a black eye look which was very weird and unpleasant.
- Shang Ke seemed like a big, bumbling idiot. His scenes with his lover girl were not interesting to watch.

Overall, as I have previously mentioned, I need a rating of at least 8/10 to consider a drama a Good Drama and my verdict is that this drama gets an 8/10. It’s fun enough to watch. Quick enough to get through. I’d say watch for the Fluff, the Lurve and the Cute Couple.

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Typical & Clingy but worth to watch

I read some reviews that it's cliché type of drama and with very typical plot but I still went ahead to watch coz I'm looking light type drama and it's kinda worth it lah imo. So the plot itself are predictable but the certain scenes/lines really does kinda make you grinning watching it. Some kinda laugh out loud lol.

However the main reason I found it worth to spend my time on this drama is because the couple chemistry. The way they act as fake couple, having fun to showing off each other as "wifey" / "hubby"

There isn't much melodrama, very light. As typical as it stated, the ML & 2nd ML take turns to be heroic to save the FL. It's nice that the "drama" + "face slapping" only from 2nd FL (FL's love rival). ML's MIL being close with FL so it's nice and the FL's family didnt really caused much drama that I expect so it's considered quite light and short - 24 Episodes (soooo wonderful) Of cos, I think 16 episodes might sufficient but yeah got 2nd Couple story so skip....

Basically I skipped as much as I can when Shang Ke pop and Xi Wei. I don't know why their eyes look awkward & stiff to me, it's unbearable to watch and the stylish (idk got or not) didn't tidy up much on Xi Wei, her hair always look messy...

PS : I really like all the FL's sleepwear dress, classy, vintage, lacey, & cute. >o<

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It's the not the best drama but still it's good it's for people who watch sweet, soft and cute dramas with lots of love scenes cuz it has many kiss scenes the drama was overall good but some scenes sometimes made me cringe but some were okay and some were good.
Acting and cast: 10/10 The acting of the cast was good especially xi wei she acted really well as a scheming girl she suited that kind of role also she made me hate her that shows that she acted really well. Wang ziqi his acting was good too he suited his role and is good looking.
Wang yuwen is now like my most favourite actress she is so pretty and cute also she acted really well and she is really good at doing cute roles it suits her also I don't cringe at all when she acts cute cuz I've seen many drama's where the female lead don't suit the cute role at all and they mess up so she was quite good but what disappointed me the most was her wardrobe it was not like the wardrobe of a fashion designer but it's not the actress's fault she still looked lovely but in my opinion she suits that rich role and I want her to do that cuz I'm also fan of dramas with rich female leads and with the best fashion sense and outfits so I wanted her to do that too but I hope she plays a rich female lead role in the future with nice clothes ofcourse and not repeated outfits same with the male lead and second female lead
The supporting cast was good but I didn't paid attention to them cuz I think even if they were not in the drama it would have been the same but it's ok.
Overall it was a good drama didn't liked it that much but watched it for the female lead liked her alot and also the top notch chemistry of the main leads was good so cuz of that I will give it a 7.5/10.

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Short, sweet, and a whole lot of cliche

I am such a sucker for contract marriage and enemies to lovers dramas. They're definitely my guilty pleasure and going into it, I know to expect a lot of ridiculousness and cliches. And I think that's exactly what we got here. Honestly, I think this drama is perfect for just a short, sweet, lighthearted, and easy watch, when you're just in the mood for that type of cliché romance drama. This drama has tons of sweet moments (and a whole lots of kisses) and the main couple is absolutely adorable, but just don't expect anything with too much depth because you're not going to find it here.



[SPOILERS AHEAD]
Now, for the many things that I didn't like in this drama, because even with going in with my lowered expectations, I was still disappointed at some points:
1. I really hated Ran Xi Wei, which of course, is her sole purpose of being there. But I hated that she basically just got to skate on by throughout the entire drama, causing all these problems and essentially getting away scot-free at the end. Yeah, Yin Si Chen stepped up and created firm boundaries with her and warned her multiple times to stop and eventually broke off his friendship with her, but I didn't find that ending very satisfying enough and of course, our sweet Gu Xi Xi was still pretty nice to her in the end, it was just not satisfactory tin the end on this aspect
2. Mo Zi Xin was pretty damn annoying. He played his role of a love rival but it was pretty ridiculous how he kept showing up even in the later half of the drama once the main couple's relationship really was established. He was basically borderline stalkerish and honestly, I thought that was the direction they were going into to make Mo Zi Xin the bad guy, but they really just left him as a nice guy till the end and then he didn't even show up in the last couple of episodes. I didn't mind it but it just further emphasized that he wasn't needed in this drama.
3. I really did not care about the second couple AT ALL. They didn't need to add them in at all and I just could not find a single shred of care for them. They didn't add to the story at all and I would've much rather them make a second couple out of Yin Si Chen's secretary and Gu Xi Xi's best friend instead!

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All in all, pretty good for a C-Drama. It is the typical script of the contract marriage, so no surprises there, but I enjoyed it alot more than others that I have seen since I didn't see any outright cruelty like I have in the past. There was romance between the two - a definite connection however it seemed to take forever for them to show it to each other. The side couple Male actor was cute and I could see him in a lead role in the future - maybe in a comedy. Don't laugh - my Golden Retriever loved to watch this show with me - he sat in front of the TV intently watching it. Don't know what that says about it but he has never done that before. It was so cute had to take a photo of him from behind.

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This is an absolute delightful drama, although not perfect, it really delivers on the romance part of the plot. The second couple is almost unimportant in the development of the story and some supporting actors lacked enthusiasm portraying their characters. The drama is the typical contract marriage where a bickering couple, Yin Sichen (Wang Zi Qi) and Gu Xi Xi (Wang Yu Wen), is forced into a contract marriage. Little by little, as trouble finds its way into their life, they start to appreciate each other and fall in love. Misunderstandings don’t last long and, although the poorly acted antagonist kept her antics almost all the way to the end, Yin Sichen and Gu Xi Xi’s love and reciprocal protection make the drama worth watching. The leading couple has very good chemistry and the drama is realistic presenting a young couple in love that is crazy about each other. The drama has plenty of loving, playful, and skinship moments that escalate naturally into a true adoring and affectionate romance. Enjoy it!

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Forgettable

Was it worth watching 24 45 min episodes? Maybe, but not worthy of returning for a repeat. Loved the ML, but the FL, not so much. I just could not get over her limper than limp, thin hair, ears that were overly prominent, and an unfortunate nose. If they had just given her some more volume with some hair extensions they might have saved her look. Who am I kidding, her wardrobe was awful too, and she was supposed to be an up and coming fashion designer?

Love rivals? Both were morally bankrupt to certain degrees. XiXi's rival, XeWei, did everything she could except boil the XiXi's rabbit (Fatal Attraction reference). She was a spoiled brat who just could not accept that the SiChen was just not into her. She should have woken up and smelled the coffee 15 years before when she was told be SiChen that he wasn't into the girl next door. He was not speaking figuratively, he literally meant her. She carried on with her delusion to the point of nearly ruining SiChen professionally. Talk about sour grapes, "If I can't have him, then I will destroy him, and his little dog too!"

SiChen's love rival, ZiXin, wasn't quite as bad, but still a loser. His character was a little unbelievable. What guy would invest that kind of cash into a girl when she has already married? Yes, ZiXin is all kinds of soft and cuddly, but he still pursued a married woman. My father was a lay minister. One of the most memorable things he taught me was "Married, is married, is married and single, is single, is single, never confuse the two." I don't care that SiChen and XiXi started out in a contractual relationship, they were still legally married. Even after she turned down ZiXin's confession, he still pursued her under the guise of "friendship". That was so not right. In the end he finally got the message, but he still seemed to get off on tweaking SiChen's nose a little.

In the end the leads discovered they complimented each other, and grew to appreciate their differences.

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Predictable plot with a charming main couple

I came to this drama for Wang Zi Qi, after watching him in The Love I Give You. He and Wang Yu Wen made a a cute couple in both dramas.

The unscrupulous villainess, Ran Xiwei, was the worst character in the drama. With her wealth and connections, she should have employed a fashion designer/stylist. Her fugly fashions and drab hairstyle worked against her. She could not even compare or defeat the Plain Jane Gu Xi Xi and her boring fashions and dull ponytail hairstyle. Some of Xi Xi's Cici design fashions were lovely.

The seniors, Alex, Grandma, Mother and Father were very nice. Shang KE and Mu Rou Na did not work for me. Perhaps different actors would have made them look more appealing and attractive. The different in their maturity level, experience and intelligence was 1000%.

Best Friend Xiaoyu and Fei'Ang should have coupled earlier in the plot, and receive a sub plot. I suspected that they would end up together at some point. Fei'Ang needs a hairstylist.

Ratings: Overall 7
Plot: 7.5 (Without Ran Yi Wei, it would be 8.5)
Costumes: 7.5 (Women's Fashions = 7. Men's Fashions = 8)
Hair: 7.0 (... except for Sichen, who gets 8).
Acting: 8
Music: 7 (The signing was too repetitive, but not obtrusive.)
Directing: 7.5
Editing: 7 (Flashbacks were not necessary.)
Casting: 7.5

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Kudos to a great writer who wrote a love story just for me

The danger of this type of storyline is destroying the male lead beyond redemption. If you tear him down you have to build him back up to make the story work. I’ve always said that anything beyond the half way point is the danger zone. So many potentially great dramas have suffered this fate. I could name them but that’s not the point of this review. Let’s just say that this great writer Shang Ming Lu writes as if she’s watching her drama unfold in front of her eyes.

Somewhere around the halfway point the ML looks at the FL, who is sleeping, and says, “I like you”. This was an amazing release of tension that was building up in me. The point of change that you have to look for. It came with emotion and the understanding that things will be different. I wasn’t disappointed because a beautiful romance unfolded like a flower from this point forward.

It’s the kind of romance that makes you feel good and beg for more. A couple that stays together against all odds in total support of each other. It takes a good writer to accomplish this and still have drama filled with suspense and a great villain. It was a perfect romance filled with love and passion.

Yes, I’m a romantic, my MDL name shows that. This is the kind of story that I constantly search for. I’m sad that it’s over but happy that I had the opportunity to watch it.

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