Cotton Candy Romance
In Chinese, the terms 妹妹 (mei mei) and 哥哥 (ge ge) have double meanings - one refers to a sibling, the other can mean a lover. It is the mix up in the understanding and usage of the terms that has caused the hilarious misunderstanding of our naive characters that drives the plot. The love of one's sibling (platonic) and a romantic love can be confusing for someone who has never seen an opposite sex, let alone having a sister. This purity together with naivety leads to confusion and hilarious conclusions.For the Chinese, it is very common for an admirer calling the admired "ge ge" or "mei mei". Using such terms helps to reduce the embarrassment of being too blatant in a relationship especially if it's hidden, as well as reducing the barrier in the name of familial relationship. In this drama, these two terms are repeatedly and interchangeably used and construed by various characters for different meanings.
This story is a fusion of the modern world with the ancient xianxia world. Our Female Lead Shi Xia (Wu Qianying) has accidentally travelled to the xianxia world while searching for her brother Shi Dong (Dai Yunfan). There in the xianxia world she meets the immortal Hou Chi (Zhao Yingbo) and falls in love with him. Hou Chi has never seen an opposite sex, nor heard of the term “mei mei”, and has no clue what a “sister” is, for Hou Chi is the purest of the pure and has been trained for 200 years to take over the role of the united ruler of the universe. But adopting Shi Xia as his “mei mei” to love and to protect changes his life because he also falls in love with her.
I really like Zhao Yingbo’s portrayal of the Hou Chi character. Hou Chi does look like a piece of wood, drained of emotions on his face, lack of understanding of any worldly matters and human relationship. Though slow in his motion, he is not stiff, and he is intelligent and loyal. Therefore when he eventually gives the viewers a slight smile, we know he is truly in love. The actor has an untainted look as pure as a baby’s face, with his innocent mind asking adult questions, it is really a joy to watch.
Coming from a modern world, Shi Xia is as astute as any of today’s young adults. Wu Qianying’s acting here is not bad as a sometimes-rebellious little sister, and can be rather sweet and cute at times. She and Zhao Yingbo make a very adorable pair with great chemistry. I love Dai Yunfan as Shi Xia’s protective big brother. The dynamics he has with his little sister and her boy friend, Hou Chi, are funny and warm, and the confusing interchanging use of the terms “mei mei” and “ge ge” is hilarious.
My Verdict
This drama is silly but absolutely adorable. At first, I wanted to drop at episode 1. But I was like licking a cotton candy that I couldn't throw away because it's too cute and fluffy. There’s not so much of a plot here. Basically, Shi Xia tries to find a way back to her modern world and Hou Chi tries to become the ruler of the universe so that he can help send her back. Then there is a couple of not-so-evil antagonists who suffer mental illness because of their wrongful perception, and perish eventually. The OSTs are very pretty and calming, just like our Hou Chi character and his relationship with the first girl he has ever seen in his life. Despite all the flaws and stuff, I was rather enjoying it.
Entertaining! Great watch!
P/S Though this drama is listed as having 35 episodes, there is an extra episode that tells the modern life of our love birds. Don't miss it. It super funny, and cute.
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"i'll protect you"
it wasn't perfect but it's still super enjoyable! i loved the main cp and the ost. looking at them while listening to the ost makes my heart feel warm...hou chi is someone you would really like.he's loyal,loving and of course,handsome.he learned things by the book and was only in his place for 200 years so he is really pure,which makes him really adorable.i really like it when he smiles,i would do anything to make him happy!he even reminds me of my favorite character,but of course he has his own charm!I also have to say this,he looks sooooo cool with the white hair,too bad it only stayed for 1 ep.
shi xia is great too!she is smart,nice and pretty!unlike many cdrama fl,she wasn't annoying and loud fl.shi xia is really well loved by her brothers and friends and she definitely deserves it..i really have to compliment her hair stylist bcs of how well they did her hair!the hair accessories are really pretty too!
shi dong wasn't the best character,but he is a great brother,you know he would do anything to make shi xia happy and safe.he is a protective and loving brother..i also love his sidekick,he's really funny.everytime he's on the screen,i would laugh so hard.
i do think this would still be good even without the time travelling thing.it would make viewers worry less about the ending.
the ending was indeed rushed,and a bit confusing too.there are still some unsolved things.it would be great if they would give us a second season.i haven't seen the special episodes but i feel like it wouldn't be enough..
i still would recommend everyone to watch this!it is funny and adorable,great for watching if you're bored or something..
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Cute and Fluffy - Cotton Candy has a whole new meaning!
Completed - 11/4/2021 - 7.75 rounding up to 8.0"My Dear Brothers" is a simple, cute and lower budget web historical drama. It suits my needs that I needed to watch something light as a palate cleanser. The beginning time-travel element reminded me of the Korean web drama "Splash Splash Love" (it's a short and cute drama as well).
What I enjoy:
1) The general plot of how the romance is developed. It's nothing too out-of-the ordinary or surprising. In fact, it's actually quite predictable for the most part. However, I enjoy the awkwardness of our ML and the cuteness of our FL. I appreciate the fact that even though our ML is innocent and naive, he's not dumb. He actually learns fast through observations and is quite perceptive. Our FL is not over-the-top with corny cuteness, but just enough for me to enjoy their sweet romance.
2) Cotton Candy *spoiler* - I love it when our ML keeps on calling kisses as cotton candy. It's just too adorable, especially when he said it with such an innocent yet matter-of-fact expression on his face. I don't blame him for treating cotton candy as the second most important thing in his life (aside from FL, of course).
3) Wedding - this is my first time seeing a fusion wedding in the cultivation world. I enjoy how they incorporated the traditional red and the modern white in the wedding. The vows written by Shi Dong are so sweet and funny at the same time. I sort of wish the wedding scenes last longer.
4) The Holy Tree - I did not see the plot twist coming regarding ML's real identity. No wonder they put so much emphasis of the holy tree throughout the series. I love everything about this holy tree - the lantern scene, the effort to revive the tree, ML's childhood memories, wedding night under the tree, and most importantly, how love gives meaning to ML's life and how love revives the tree to its former glory.
What I don't quite enjoy:
1) Makeup - I know this is a low budget drama and I know it's petty of me, but it really bothers me quite a bit with the makeup in this drama. You don't really need a big budget to do decent makeup. But for some reason, it's not done right and I can see through all the blemishes and imperfections. The worst is the chapped lips that our actors have, esp. for our ML/Hou Chi and 2FL/Qiu Li. Qiu Li has the worst lipstick application and chapped lips. Or maybe I am not up-to-speed on the new lipstick trend? I don't see our FL/Shi Xia having the same lipstick problem.
2) Holy Palace - in order to fully enjoy this drama, you do need to suspend belief and dive into this fantasy world. However, one thing that bugs me is how easy it is to enter the Holy Palace in the last few episodes. I thought you have to go through this scary forest that get you stuck in illusions and take the most important thing away from you. Isn't that why Shi Xia loses her taste and Bi Hong loses his eyesight? Apparently, none of this matters when the Devil Sect can easily go in and out of the Holy Palace.
3) Ending - I am confused about how they're supposed to save the world. What was it that flew out of Qiu Li's body when she died and into the formation? Her spiritual root? If it's her spiritual root, how did it affect the formation? How did our ML survive and was able to send FL and her brother back to the modern world, and transport himself as well? There isn't a whole lot of explanation.
4) Kisses - for a historical drama, there are quite a few kisses in this series. Unfortunately, they are all fish kisses with no passion. I can understand the first couple of fish kisses, since ML is still new to all this. But after that, I wish to see a little more passion and lip action. These kisses are not living up to the Cotton Candy reputation.
Other observations:
1) Overall acting is decent but not exceptional. I find FL's acting a lot better than ML.
2) First half is better than the second half - a lot funnier with sound effects, but could be cringey for some.
3) How did Shi Dong learn how to build everything in the Devil Sect? Just because he comes from the modern world, doesn't mean he can create and build shuttles, magical instruments, etc.
4) Family drama between Yuan Zhao, Bi Hong and Qiu Li lasted a little too long for my taste in the last few episodes
5) A few common tropes that you might not like - noble idiocy, fake amnesia, spinning hugs, falling into your arms, 2FL turns evil for the most part.
6) There's an extra episode 36 - life in the modern world - short and cute
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The journey for the search of her lost brother inside a xianxia world!
This started pretty solid! Funny, and cute but the storyline gets messy quickly.Female lead is trying to find her lost brother and somehow ends up in the xianxia world. Xian Xia means (deity/god with powers/martial arts). The male lead takes in the female lead as a "sister" to increase his strengthen. The male lead is trying to become the leader of their sect. The male lead is dull and naive in relationship. The female lead is quirky and cute. She disguises as a male to go to school. On her journey she makes a friend who also happens to be a girl , crossdressing like a guy. The academy doesnt allow females.
There is also another sect called the demons. They are portrayed as bad. It so happens that her real brother somehow also transfer over into the xianxia world and became the demon sect's leader. One characteristic in order to have the powers is to have a ling gen (spirit root). Both the brother and the female lead doesnt have that. It's only when you have the spiritual root where you can increase and become stronger.
Cute/naive moments: The male lead calls kissing eating cotton candy ... haha.
Also he finally realizes he likes the female lead in another way not like brother/sister... But although their kisses are more like planting on the lips, there was some cute moments)
What made the story unbearable...
1. female lead's brother has an "adoptive" sister who has two personalities, one which is evil and tries to do evil things to sabotage the female lead and male lead because the evil adoptive sister is jealous of her adoptive brothers feelings for the female lead ) aka real sister. She also wants him to win the competition to become the leader over all...
2. The story becomes weird and boring....
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Now, it is a love story set in a fantasy world so drop any expectations of it being accurate. It’s meant to be a feel-good, light drama that shows you the different languages and expressions of love; that is, some may love purely, bravely and selflessly, others may be content to yearn secretly, while some may be obsessive, selfish and destructive. And this is weaved into the lore and the character progression.
I did read the manhwa - it’s very different from this drama so this one’s only a loose adaptation (the manhwa I think hasn’t progressed since early 2020). But for me, this series is better because the characters were fleshed out as compared to the comic.
I also think that the cast was well chosen. They fit their roles well and they were mostly able to portay the inner struggles for the characters. There are of course a lot of areas to improve on, but the actors eventually grows on you. Some of the things that left a good impression on me were Wu Qian Yin’s (Shi Xia) micro-expressions; Zhao Ying Bo (Hou Chi) swordplays, plus my goodness, he looks damn amazing in white; and Dai Yun Fan’s (Shi Dong) older brother antics. Comedic punch lines were also fresh and funny. However, there are still scenes where I felt the acting is somewhat mediocre. They aren’t exactly bad, but they aren’t spot on either.
Lastly, I love the musical score. Even if I don’t understand Mandarin, the feelings conveyed in the music were really good. I especially loved the end theme (Travel with me) - the melody is quite haunting, and the song expresses the profound sadness of not being able to be with your partner. Doesn’t mean that the drama will end terribly for the characters. In fact, I think it was a good compromise.
Yeah so overall, I’d rate this high and wouldn’t mind re-watching it for all its ups and downs. I’m pretty sure the actors’ acting will improve further and I hope to see WQY and ZYB together again in another series.
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Cute!
I loved the storyline. All three main leads did very well. Zhao Ying Bo who played Hou Chi did very well. Although his profile picture on Mydramalist doesn't look like him. He was very handsome in this drama. I will research his dramas to catch more of his acting skills. The actor who played the Devil Lord had me laughing at times so he did well too. I won't comment on the actress who played Shi Xia, I have to think more about her. I loved the name, Shi Xia. The costumes were awesome, the set was a little offbeat except for one scene. The fantasy was there but not a whole lot. This will not be a rewatch for me.Was this review helpful to you?
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ADORABLE
That is one word to describe this drama! Absolutely adorable! I am never gonna view cotton candy the same way ever again! Our OTP have such cute chemistry and the way that loved each other is just so sweet!Hou Chi is adorably clueless as to the difference of the love of a man and a woman and the love between siblings. I definitely would not want to kiss my brother the way Hou Chi wants to kiss Shi Xia! LoL!
For me, this is a cute drama with the cotton candy feels. I would definitely recommend it!
Just don't forget to watch the extra episode to see how they spend their happily ever after!
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A Cotton Candy Disaster
Im gonna start off by saying that i absolutely loved the main couples chemistry and also the side couple (qin feng and ho chi worshiper). I loved how innocent the male lead was and how he kept thinking kissing is 'eating cotton candy' cuz its soft and sweet. I felt very bad for the 2nd ML despite everything because I understood where he was coming from. The immortal Aunt's split personality is what really got me on edge. I felt bad for her nice side (bai li). Overall the plot was a total MESS. so many things were going on and things were all over the place. The female leads brother was also low key irritating. The jokes he played and how often he lied really got me annoyed at him. I cant really blame him tho, all brothers are like that. The ending left me feeling very dissatisfied since it didnt reinforce the closure it gave. It seemed rushed, nothing truly made sense of it. Like the plot itself, it was screwed. Overall my favorite part was the cute romance and flirting.-major spoiler- its ironic how the FL was a tree hugger and knew how to care for plants AND she fell in love with a tree lmaooo
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I love this drama. Hou Chi is my favourite actor.
This movie have good ending. I recommended this drama. It would be better if Hou Chi and Shi Xia have a Child. I hope there have a extra episode or season 2.Hou Chi is handsome, honest and kind hearted. I like their actings. I like the start and ending.
Although Hou Chi can’t express his love, he still can protect Shi Xia when she is in danger. Shi Xia influence Hou Chi to have better new life without his immortal perception.
The most attractive part is Shi Xia told him to marry her.
The important part is True Love doesn’t care about rich, poor, old, young. Shi Xia still love him and sincere even when he is old and lost his root
I’ve watched this drama about ten times because I like Hou Chi.
But Immortal cultivators like Yuan Zhao only care about his son even if he need sacrifice Hou Chi to be Head of Alliance.
In The end, The bad get what They deserve.
I Watched this movie about two Times.
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My Dear Brothers
My Dear BrothersFirst of i just want to say that i really loved and enjoy this drama. I still stick my by opinion that this is a hidden gem. Maybe its not everybody's cup of tea but you can try.
Plot: The start of the drama was pretty hard to watch. Female lead's brother is fighting the male lead. For some it was an awkward fight kind of slapstick but when you get passed that you're in for a sweet cotton candy ride. The thing I liked most about this drama is the "sweet misunderstanding" how Hou Chi not knowing his real feelings and the misconception on cotton candy, i can feel the sweetness everytime they have it. The drama stayed light and fluffy. I have also learned to love and appreciate her brother and side kicks because at the start i was so annoyed with them. The drama has a touch xianxia/wuxia angst too. Perfectly even sweetness, comedy & angst. All in all this drama does not have a special things to offer but it is worth your time.
Music: I love all the ost here. Probably my fave is Confession (告白) 王七七
Acting: There are some awkward moments from the male lead where he lacks emotion and or conviction but they're rookie i guess it's okay. While the brother was so good playing the protective brother that he is.
I repeat this drama has nothing special to offer but it is worth your time. Give this a try and have a sweet cotton candy 🍬❤️
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This review may contain spoilers
The cute and sweet interactions between the main leads, the ML's innocence, they were good to watch.
This was about a modern young girl, that is, the FL, who time-travelled to the Immortal World accidentally through a water puddle in an amusement park while looking for her brother. She met the ML who was supposed to be the next leader in the Immortal Alliance and also her own brother who had became the Devil Lord in that world. The entire drama revolved around these 3 people in the Immortal World.The ratings in MDL was initially 8.0, but eventually went down to 7.7 in the last 5 episodes. I guess that was because some happenings became illogical towards the end of the drama. I do agree with that, hence my rating for story is not high either.
Nevertheless, what I enjoyed about this drama were the main leads' chemistry, the ML's innocence, because he had been training to be the next alliance leader hence never really interacted much with the opposite gender, so when the FL time-travelled and landed in the hot spring? of his garden, I found the building of the relationship of both leads interesting and refreshing, albeit some scenes were cliched.
The ML learning from the FL mostly and sometimes other people, about what love is, what kissing is, what a boy-girl relationship is, how the feeling is different from a brother-sister relationship, all of these were interesting to watch, so much so that I looked forward to every episode and every scene with the ML and FL. The scenes were portrayed well. They acted well. The ML was also cute and good-looking.
The acting of the rest of the cast was acceptable, but nothing really impressive. The second ML, who was the FL's brother, was comical, and did add some comedy to the drama.
The ML's house and surroundings also had an immortal vibe, like misty clouds, location out of nowhere, making the scenes at the ML's house always enjoyable to watch.
My verdict - watch it for the main leads' interaction, enjoy the ML's innocence and naivety!
I would re-watch for that.
Other than that, the story was simple, nothing impressive with some parts illogical at the end.
The music was good though, accompanied the scenes well, especially the emotional ones. hence my high rating for music.
I recommend watching the additional episode after episode 35. The additional episode gave a good closure to the drama. The ending at episode 35 would leave the audience hanging in mid-air, but with the additional episode, it gave closure to the lives and thereafter of the main leads, which was honestly what really matters actually in this entire drama, at least to me.
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