Love Unexpected (2021)

Bomb storyline and peak comedy (for romcoms)

The set up of the story is really refreshing (characters and circumstances)...I would've been really upset if the execution wasn't there, but I think it held up for the most part. Some are saying that the FL is really dumb...and...I guess she is but I've seen waaaaayy dumber FLs and I feel like its really understandable for people to make not 100% rational decisions when their clouded by their emotions (literally tied to her loosing her second home) and then not know how to back-track.
The comedy was top-of-the-line for romcoms: it doesn't die down (maybe minutely only for a couple episodes in the middle)...I was pleased that I wasn't baited by the first couple episodes. Execution of comedy makes up for a very small issue of some parts of the storyline not flowing as well in-the-moment (there was probably just a handful of times where I would watch and think to myself "but what about this" but then continue watching and see the gaps filled later...not a huge issue though).
Actors fit very well, music was aight, rewatch value is higher-than-normal for that comedy and character design.
I have 4 more episodes to go...pretty sure it won't upset me though: its been consistent :)

update: completed the drama...man had to decrease 0.5 stars for the ending...it was just too cliche. Won't leave you disappointed and I usually don't take down points for clicheness...it just doesn't match with the unique story quality and comedy so far.

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Soooo dumb

The story has not proper frame line you can not understand whats hapening, they just drop random things out of nowhere! So frustrating!! Also, I hate with my life when they make the protagonist dumb as a door my god is so infuriating! She was a MMA figter !! So much potential but no, she was so stupid and anoying !!! Both have good screen quemistry so sad they had to ended up in such horrible cdrama. The end OMG... 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 no no , a complete fail !!!

What more should I write ? The fact that I had to see it until the end because I hate leaving series unfinish.... 😒

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Straight from rom-com heaven

Love Unexpected was unexpectedly good! I can’t really explain as to why I enjoyed it as much as I did but for me it really worked! Is it cliché? -Yes. Is is cheesy?? YES!! But maybe that’s why it draws you in!
Yes, it’s not the most ground-breaking drama or unique, and sometimes the plot does not make sense, but somehow the characters make you come back for more.

For me Love Unexpected came straight from rom-com heaven. It’s light and fluffy without lucking substance or getting too heavy (although towards the end it gets a little bit angsty), something that many Cdramas that start funny do- and I hate!!. Also, one more thing that really annoys me in dramas is the use of sound effects but somehow here they really worked and added to the comedy.

Is Xu Nuo the best ML in all Dramaland or at least CDramaland! Yes, well, at least in my book, he is! If any ML had ever any reason to be mad at the FL and break up with her it was this guy! But no, he was really smart to actually figure out or at least suspect what she was doing, but also understand her reasoning without blaming her, and actually never doubting if she ever loved him or not. Not only he forgives her, but he didn’t break up with her because he was angry that he betrayed him but in order to protect her (although maybe this was for nothing). It was really refreshing to see, especially when in Dramas they break up for absolutely no reason and for stupid things. My only issue with it is that the breakup lasted too long. I mean it never really gets resolved. If we take ep 24 as the last episode, then it’s definitely not a satisfying ending. Thank God they have that special 2 episodes that gives us the fluffy, cheese ending we deserve!

Usually when actors play this type of emotionless characters they come across as untalented and as that they cannot act but, in this case, the actor did an amazing job at being emotionless and having a straight face. Even though he had no expressions you could kind of see what he was feeling and once he got his feelings back, he was the most adorable character ever. I have never seen any of his dramas before but he is definitely in my radar now!

As for the FL I really hope the writer had done a better job developing her character. Yes, she was strong and kind of independent, but she was also naïve, irrational and kind of irritating when it came to her decisions. I really think the actress really did save her character and did a really good job into making her likeable and adorable although her actions many times did not make any sense.

Also, shout out the best friend lawyer who was the voice of reason in the two leads relationship! Also, his expressions were everything!!Oh and his friendship with the ML is amazing!

Τhe couple is probably the most realistic and natural relationship I have ever seen. You could see their affection for each other kind of grow day by day. At last, two leads that are not afraid to touch and kiss each other and look like an adorable young couple!!! They were so natural with each other that I could definitely believe if you told me they are a real couple.

Another plus for me was that this drama was not dubbed, or if it were it did not feel like it!

Plot wise, they did a better job at displaying the fact that he feels her pain than her feeling his emotions! Although as it was explained it was sometimes hard for her to differentiate if it was her feeling or his still at sometimes you could wonder as to why she could not understand him. I have to admit that sometimes they seemed to forget that he could feel her pain or that he can’t feel or show any emotions but for the most part they kept it consistent.

My main issue was the main ‘misunderstanding’ between the couple. I mean it wasn’t really a misunderstanding because the Fl really did what she did, but the way the writers went about it, it made it hard to see as to why the ML will forgive her. She was not threatened into doing it and after she fell for him or after they started dating, she still continued doing it. Had they gone with either of the two options mentioned above (threat or stopped once she got to know him and fell for him) it would have been easier to believe that the ML forgave her or understood her actions!

All in all, I think Love Unexpected in one of the best modern dramas out there. Does it have his flaws? Yes. But they are easy to overlook since the Main Leads and side characters really do make you invested in their story!

P.S the 24th episode is not really the ending. The epilogue of the drama is the 2-special episodes!

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Dissapointing, no logic.

This show is definitely one of the most dumb shows I have ever seen. I actually was looking for a dumb show with a basic storyline but this was more worse than the low expectations I had.
The story has no logic what so ever, it has fantasy elements but the fantasy was more easier to believe that happening than what the characters we're doing. The actions of most characters had no base. In most parts of the story I was confused about what led to a particular event or how a person knows a particular thing. It was a mess.
The last 3 episodes were absolutely unbearable actually, it was painful to watch and it definitely made no sense. The female lead was actually cute in the first half but becomes too much of an idiot that put her feelings in danger. The acting wasn't anything surprising, it was subpar. The way the male lead was acting was so disturbing, oh my god.
The show was addictive, that was one of the reasons why I didn't give it a zero. The osts were decent, kinda catchy. The actor was extremely attractive, he had a particular charm to him. The secretary lowkey saved the show from falling off from the cliff, his cute dialogues and actions were really nice, though in the end even his story became a little repetitive. Other than these minor good points. The show is trash.
I also read somewhere that the leads are dating in real life, thats cute hopefully they do a better drama in the future.
I'm so utterly dissapointed at how the writers couldn't even live up to the low expectations I had.

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MMA themed romcom

Not sure how to begin the review for this drama because everything is just average in this drama, the comedy elements stems from the emotional and physical pain exchange between the ML and FL. But its just too far fetched a concept. Some efforts have been put into the mma fights, but its clearly not convincing.

The straight faced emotionless kris fan is just painful to watch, because that is really not his type of genre. judy qi as a mma fighter is also not convincing. Chemistry between the ML and FL is average at best even thou they have alot of skinship and kiss scenes.

Its also the usual bossy CEO ML and dumb FL combo, but without high chemistry and hook for the plot, this is just a tough drama to like or anticipate weekly.

So to sum it up, I can only think of the following reasons to watch this drama.

Reasons to watch this drama:
Judy qi or kris fan as main leads if you are a fan
MMA theme
Soul exchange theme
Revealing outfits because of mma?
Only good as a filler drama if you have nothing else to watch.

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If you have anger issues i do not recommend this at all

WHAT IS THIS STORY WTFFFFF, first of all, the girl lead in this drama is so far the dumbest. Most of the time many girls overthink, causing stuff to happen but this dumbass is so freaking stupid i wish i could sue her and not gonna lie her friends too. She has been to lying to the male lead the whole time, when she could have told the truth when she had the chance to, she continued lying and betraying him. It got to the point where you would feel so bad for the male lead , If the girl was actually nice or MAYBE HAD A BIT OF IQ , a bunch of stupid shit would not even happen. Thrpughout these episodes some parts were so fucking dumb cuz this female lead has literally no brains im literally raging while writing this review. The acting is really good and the music was okay but the plot was just nonono . I am gonna continue the drama though cuz i really want to find out if they are gonna break up aha.

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So stupid to the point of boring and annoying.

From the beginning, I enjoyed the first two parts. The theme, the exchange of pain and emotions, was, in my opinion, very well thought out. But every other episode just got more stupid and boring.
In the middle, there were redundant episodes, nothing happened at all. The only thing that kept me alive and forced me to watch this nonsense was only my strong will and desire to write a response.
But the last two episodes destroyed any good feeling I had about this drama. Sometimes, I was worried if FL was suffering from some kind of mental disorder. I was so frustrated because of that woman, she has no self-reflection and dignity. Halfway through the last episode, I believed that he didn't really want her back. And I absolutely understood that.

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MMA & sense-switch in a fluffly romcom? - Mama Mia!

Watchable thanks to certain scenes that stand out even against other dramas but other than those it drowns in a sea of predictable clichés and weak scriptwriting.

The pros (mild spoilers):
- the kisses! Damn! The cotton candy kiss is the most intimate kiss I‘ve ever seen in a drama (no wonder there were dating rumors after the drama aired)
- the times when FL had her period but instead the ML felt the pain. The way those scenes were written and acted made me feel certain that the drama was written by a woman (turns out it was).
- the ML performance when experiencing her pain was funny and he made it very believable. He did a great job.

Now to the biggest con:
The Female Lead. I‘m sorry but what the? Just now I praised the female writer for creating awareness and empathy for what women go through once a month but then she goes on to write the most pick-me-energy spiked FL? Damn.
*more on that in the spoiler section below.

I don’t even want to mention the MMA part because it was laughable bad. Her being a fighter & bodyguard is an insult to both of those professions. Especially because the narrative was that people don’t wanna see female MMA fighters for the sport but rather because of their appearance. This was never criticized but rather endorsed.

——SPOILERS——-

About the emotion/pain switch:
Both times the electricity goes berserk and both times the doctor is just like "oh well it’s alright"… no examination afterwards, and after the second time they don’t even have follow up appointments. It was said it’s a new technique in testing phase. Wouldn’t the doctors be super interested to see their reactions and document the process? - nope.
I guess they just needed some explanation that wasn’t too supernatural to pass censorship.

My biggest pet peeve:
The FL constantly asking ML to trust her, guilt tripping him into trusting her and pouting saying he doesn’t trust her — ALL THE WHILE she is actually cheating him!
She is the company spy and she knows actually what Mr Wu wants to do (destroy ML) and he also tells her all the time I just need xx and then I can finally destroy him and she still helps him??? All gullible and happy??
This was so confusing because she only has a guilty conciseness thinking about him finding out / his reaction but not that she is actually stealing company documents.
And she is of the opinion that she is protecting him by leaking documents to the enemy??? In fact she only started doing it because the MMA club was threatened, it had nothing to with ML.
And when he finally pushes her away, in the nicest way possible to note here, she is upset at him?? First trying to cling at him by saying her father is in poor health and then seconds later yelling at him he is a bastard??
And at the same time she asks the guy she knows has a one sided crush on her to take the fall for company spy thing?
Girl…. nah. She is a walking red flag.

———- end of spoiler ——-

In the end the drama didn’t know what it wanted to be and just mixed everything together, making it extremely superficial, as it didn’t go into depth with anything.

The first few episodes were fun but then it just became your average cold CEO, bubbly girl, co habitation romcom that is more predictable than you wanting a snack in the next hour :D

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It was fun till it wasn't

Disclaimer: this review is kinda all over the place

This drama has a nice premise, and it was a really fun watch... till we got to the later half of it.
I can't possibly express into words my utter frustration and anger at how things started to develop. I really feel like the drama in the later episodes was really unnecessary.

It was so damn frustrating seeing FL go after him while he rejected and humiliated her. Her cheerful personality was cute at first, but became really annoying at some point. Honestly, I would never pin for a dude who treated me like that, and although the drama tried to make it look sweet - how they overcame all the obstacles in their romance and got back together in the end - it just didn't stick. For God's sake, she had to be hit by a freaking car while saving him for him to wake up to life and admit his feelings once again! I just can't swallow this ending, I would be much happier if she had moved on and found someone else while he drowned himself in regret. ML was so frustrating with the way he went about things and trying to protect her or whatever bullsh*t excuse he may use to justify his actions, that I can't even. FL wasn't much better, as we say in Portuguese, she had ten pink drags and used all of them to clean up after his mess, while pretending all was perfect, although it obviously wasn't!!! UGH.

But if you are fine with that kind of troupe - FL running after ML while he pretends not to give a f*ck about her, hurting her feelings time and time again as she humiliates herself for a man who isn't all that - go for it. The earlier half of this drama it's okayish, although FL's personality did get on my nerves sometimes. Her strained relationship with her sister was 100% understandable, and I hated how the sister was made into a villain of sorts, when FL had her blame in the way things turned out. Her cheerful and bright personality, crying for anything, did damage her relationship with her sister and it was totally understandable. Why the sister became a villain because of that??? I really can't understand, but whatever.

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Call It "The Liar And Her Lover"

I really like Kris Fan as an actor and as an actor I believe he did a good job in this drama, but it is to bad that the story line of this drama is so bad. The 1st thing I could not stand is the lead female character with a whinny and baby like voice. She was suppose to be a fighter and look strong but she could not make it work. I could not stand that she kept saying she love him but betrayed him. I feel that this drama should have been call "The Liar And Her Lover, There was so many lies told I wonder if this drama was real. There were so many good characters in this story and they could have made a great story about women MAA fighters but this love story was stupid to me. I could not believe the love story when I could not believe in the female character. I am being nice with the rating because I really like all the other characters in this drama. The lawyer and his romance became my favorite, He made it sincere for his love of Lin Wen. Lin Wen was also much more of a strong fighter and much more mature. Wei Wei kept calling herself the love expert but new nothing about love has she even had a boyfriend. Ly YunZhu made her character believable as a fighter but I was not convince of her love for brother Zhixiao, I wanted her to fight harder for his love. This drama was so much about not trusting your own family members or the person you are in love with that the ending was unsatisfactory. I blame this on the scrip mostly I believe the actors did their best in their performance.

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please don't be that harsh on such romcoms.. it's not that bad!!

This was a typical cliché-like drama matched with non-cliché-like elements. I watched this as a gap filler because of its short length (and the kisses). If you're like me, falling for that cliché part (though never admitting it haha) and curious about the other parts, give it a try!
There's the typical cold, rich male CEO with a kinda dumb, childish, poor girl... at least that's what it quite seemed like at the very beginning. Buuut let me come to those non-cliché parts, because that's what made this romcom special to me:
- the pain exchange was an interesting aspect to me. haven't seen that in a drama before. ML's acting was HILARIOUS, I laughed my ass off when he was dying because of period cramps hahaha
- no cringey "girl chasing the man" part before they start dating. both fell in love gradually at the same time, also to me they didn't have that "meant-to-be" vibe right from the start which would've made that drama more predictable as it already was anyways
- generally, FL didn't turn out that dumb as probably expected (to me)
- the MMA part. well yes, but also no haha, Ke SiYi's character didn't match a MMA fighter AT ALL (I feel like I just needed to stress that:(), but the other girls did, and I liked the story of their fight club in general
- FL's patchwork family
- this was literally me the first time seeing skinny jeans in a cdrama lol. don't get me wrong, I love the asian baggy jeans look, but I really liked the FL's plain outfits, simple but suitable for her :)
- THE KISSES (btw the first couple is dating in real life COULD MY DRAMA COUPLE'S HEART BE HAPPIER I guess no ). their on-screen chemistry was also soo good.

I don't want to make this too long, so here's just another few points I want to mention:
- the sound effects fitted PERFECTLY tho. usually I hate them because they go on my nerve so bad, but here, it really did what it should and made the whole thing funnier
- this was probably the second couple with the least screentime I have ever seen in a drama. it was even too little to decide weather they had chemistry or not :( also meaning that they didn't really have a story... kinda sad if you're like me, always falling for the second couple :(

Last: I was kinda surprised when I saw the rating, I seriously expected it to be higher. I mean come on, I'm pretty sure this drama's first-hand intention was to be entertaining, not to have a life-changing deep "giving us sth to think about" plot. Yes, they were plot holes, yes, we all might've had some "whyyyy tf is she doing that" moments, but come on, our lives have plot holes too lol, and if everyone acted rationally when being in love, there would be no dramas in this world ;)

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