But herein lies the challenge. Screenwriters must be able to develop it, and present it sequentially. And make the audience want to watch the next episode.
The actress/actor must also be good at acting and be liked by the audience. Yang Mi as Qin Shi, described above, is a top star. He is always able to keep up with his co-stars, including Xu Kai, an actor who is 9 years younger.
Xu Kai has not been in the world of acting for too long, but has won an award from Forbes China as an influential young man aged under 30 (2019).
As a result, the Chinese drama "She and Her Perfect Husband" is very sweet and warm. Reminds me of the Chinese drama "Love Designer" which is not only about the relationship between lovers, but also the nano-nano relationship between parents and children: spicy, sour, and sweet.
Supported by sweet songs that make you melt, the Chinese drama "She and Her Perfect Husband" is complete as a drama that is recommended to be enjoyed on weekends.
The next review can be read here: https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2023/03/she-and-her-perfect-husband-review-drama-china.html
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This review may contain spoilers
What a disappointment! The trailer looked promising but the drama did not do it justice. The use of fake-marriage slash noona romance trope was wasted on this one. There a very few things I liked - and they mostly involved the lawyer-y stuff, but the rest is abysmal. What I liked: Though Yang Hua's mother is meddlesome, her uncanny ways of trying to outwit his son I find quite funny. And even more funny is how Qin Shi manages to foil the traps laid out by Mrs. Yang. I also liked the friendship between Yang Hua and Cai Liang, how odd their dynamic is, especially when Cai Liang tries to give the emotionally-stunted Yang Hua some relationship advice. How the rivalry between Li Dai and Qin Shi turned out to be a mutual understanding of each other's ambitious dreams. And there are the things that I didn't like: How Mei Mei is such a pushover to keep going back to her cheating scumbag of a husband. How annoying Wu Fei turned out to be. How Tang Yi manipulates Qin Shi despite being her employer/friend, just so Qin Shi could be her little lap dog. How the drama throws in so many conflicts that are conveniently resolved. Or unresolved. How the show tried to solve all life's philosophical questions by jamming in so much rhetoric about inequality, fairness, justice, relationship, you name it, they talked about it enough to fill up a year's worth of Sunday sermons. How incredulous that a top law agency would solicit somebody's husband as an expert without vetting his credentials, and as if Yang Hua was the only available source for financial advice. How Qin Shi's lies about her marital status weren't exposed sooner, even with such glaring inconsistencies. How the drama had so many filler scenes and dragged so long that I am glad that they invented the Fast Forward button on the remote, which I certainly put to good use while watching this trainwreck.
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Perfect Marriage????
The drama was actually pretty fun in my opinion. Yes, it being a CDRAMA meant that there was a lot of filler scenes and unnecessary dialogue. Nonetheless, I really liked it.The FL and ML had good chemistry and even though it was a "fake marriage" they were able to make it look so realistic. In other dramas I've seen that utilized the Contract Marriage trope the couples always found it difficult to hold hands, give smooches or just be in each others presence. This was the opposite in this drama. The leads hugged, they communicated and they actually started to fall in love while married.
The only thing I really hated was just how the antagonist and the FL boss was always there causing problems. Like obvi, that's the antagonists duty but it got highly frustrating at times.
The ending was also MID. The ending was what made me rate it so low too.
Give it a watch though and don't just take people's opinion for yourself.
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Story tests the idea of conventional marriage and gender bias in the workplace
Not your typical rom-com...this story tests the idea of conventional marriage and gender bias in the workplace. Are societal norms really the standard we should keep just because they've been around forever? Or, does one challenge them for equality sake?The story line is slightly different from other rom coms for the most part. Girl wants to move the needle against women gender bias in the work culture, to remove the glass feeling. Girl meets younger guy. Contract marriage. The actors are great. Usually love Xu Kai and Yang Mi in other dramas, but there's something off about the chemistry between these two... especially on her role. Awkward. Xu Kai plays his part well. Actor playing Tao Junhui also great in his role; same with actress playing Li Dai turns out to be better than I have her credit for from the start. Supporting cast is pretty decent...but plot line for MeiMei is annoying on how it shows what a woman is willing to put up with in a useless cheating husband and even eventually encourages the bad behaviors that she loathes.
Update - finally finished this drama and meh...it's just okay. I stuck with it til the end hoping to see it pick up. I felt like the endings just happened with no real storyline to work up to it. I wanted to rate this higher, but I'm being generous already. I would've loved to have seen more of a buildup to Qin Shi and Yang Hua's love story. I didn't feel the passion between the lead couple. However, the story does take you on a journey of consequences, depending on what path you choose in life for relationships. It does make one think about the conventions of marriage and is it really necessary or just society dictating it to be that next step. Who says it has to be? Can one still find happiness amidst all the chaotic relationships around you?
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May as well have been called She and Her Perfect Law Office
Everyone has already talked about the last episodes, so I won't even touch on that.The show started as a solid 9/10 for me, I was eating up the new episodes every week, but after a while I realized that they just kind of... stopped showing Yang Hua? He's the male lead, so I figured that he would be shown the most, but it was like Tao Jun Hui was the real male lead since he was given so much more screen time. Between him and all of Qin Shi's work stuff, it was like Yang Hua's character became unimportant. Which was a shame, because he was easily my favorite, and him not appearing as much is part of why it took me so long to finish.
I also don't understand for the life of me why they chose the secondary couples that they did. Like... I imagine most people watching a show like this with mature, respectful leads would want to see secondary couples that have at least a similar energy, but Qin Shi's brother and his wife???? I have no idea what they're doing in a drama like this and why we're supposed to be rooting for them. Wu Fei and Tao Jun Hui were also pretty off-putting, but not nearly as bad.
Overall, it had a lot of potential but just fell short in so many areas.
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A modern fairy-tale that requires industrial grade rose tinted glasses
This Show might have a contemporary setting, but it has all the hallmark of a fairy-tale. The characters do not behave in a realistic way and the settings are more staged than true to life. The female leads are dressed to the nines to go to work and high society balls and cocktail parties are regular as clockworks. Wheeling and dealing are the only game in town but not a lot of real lawyering. It is a make-believe world that our protagonists have their fateful meeting and begin a fake marriage of convenience.Fake marriage is such a trope nowadays that it is almost an automatic point deduction when a show uses it as the main plot. In this case, the Show is watchable, in part because of the charisma of the FL and the chemistry between the leads. The ML’s character is lying flat and generally taking a low profile. This means the FL is about as flamboyant as you can get as a counterpoint. She also has a collection of frenemies to match her designer handbags.
The raison d'etre for the fake marriage is the premo law firm where the FL works has a glass ceiling for unmarried female lawyers. Of course, the ambitious FL is not taking that lying down. In true drama fashion, lies begot more lies and the house of cards grew bigger and ricketier every day. I could add plot holes begot more plot holes but that would be labouring the point. ;)
The Show is entertaining at times and there are swoon worthy moments as the leads goes from being antagonistic towards each other to being lovers. However, the writer decided to keep their relationship ambiguous all through the Show. To be honest, it is disappointing as we see a lot of PDA but we still gets the “are we, aren’t we” vibe and the de rigueur breakup. This brings about the cliché fallout for several episodes.
The less we talk about the 2nd CP the better. They are a total narrative mess. They seem to exist solely to highlight how rational the OTP’s relationship is. If they were funny, at least we can get an occasional laugh, but they are just cringey to watch. The 3rd CP (FL’s ex) feels more like a one-sided crush. There are PDA but you don’t feel the passion.
While relationships are all over the place, the Show is littered with business subplots that are both ethically and legally questionable. Motivations are overblown and seems to always focus on monetary gains and one-upmanship. It serves to highlight the weakness and illogic of the FL’s chosen path. The longer the Show ran, the more untenable her situation becomes. It begs the question why she doesn't just quit if she is intelligent, professional and focused? Is it greed, stubbornness or blind ambition? It doesn't shine her in a positive light.
Acting wise, it is a mixed bag. There is a fair bit of overacting from the ensemble cast. The FL is the focal point, and she usually does a good job, but it starts to feel samey after a while. As I mentioned before, the ML’s delivery can be a bit flat but he is the yin to the FL’s yang so there is a certain balance there. When it works, their scenes can be quite swoon worthy. There is a decent amount of skinship which doesn't look fake. The OTP’s romance is pretty much the saving grace of the Show.
OST is not bad. Some nice tunes but they do get a bit repetitive by the end of the show. I might watch a highlight reel in the future, but it would be a challenge to rewatch the whole show.
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It’s a show that’s worth the watch and also worth rewatching, though I guess not so often since it’s not overall light and feel-good and because it’s 40 episodes long (I can’t finish this in one sitting even on a long weekend), but the cast is amazing that I’d watch it all over again just to see them all work their way through the story.
The characters have depth and are complex (as realistic as the most complicated people can get), and how your rivals and frienemies can eventually become your best allies. Not to mention the casting is actually perfect in my opinion. Everyone played their part well and put their heart into their characters.
I started this wanting to watch Xu Kai after Falling Into Your Smile but it actually took a bit longer than I would’ve liked before I actually got to see him on screen, which already gave me an idea that this was going to be more about the life and story of the girl than it is about the guy and their relationship.
This show made me a fan of Yang Mi. She’s an amazing actress and she carries this role well. It’s frustratingly amazing how she has chemistry with the cast in all the right ways.
- - - VAGUE SPOILERS AHEAD - - -
I guess the show writing falls short at a few parts like with how cases just end abruptly with little to no conclusion, and how storylines and sub-plots just get forgotten. I feel like they wanted to do a lot of things that, though met the bare minimum and did not become plot holes along the way, still could’ve been written and executed better.
The last episode felt just a little rushed for me. I guess I would’ve liked to know more context and details about what happened and basically everything else that we didn’t get to see on-screen, but I guess overall it was satisfying enough.
I guess my most major comment is how Tang Jing Mei deserved more screen-time, and I actually thought she’d get her own partner in the end. But I love Li Dai as a character and TJM did so well to bring her to life.
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The cast performed well as it was possible to both love and hate the characters. The interaction between Yang Mi and Xu Kai was very good, in addition to presenting a visually harmonious couple, they delivered smooth scenes loaded with the necessary emotion for the development of the drama.
The director made no mistakes that compromised the drama, she conducted it with a satisfactory rhythm and ended it simply, however, within the context.
The soundtrack used is pleasant.
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I apologize... I said he was 24 but he is 27 years of age. I knew that... but I finished this drama after my nephew had passed. He is still young at 27. He is the age of my great-grandson'.
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Love.. feeling.. position.. friendship.. struggling.. problem solving well show is incredible
Hii guys this show is based on perfect relationship as building between yang hua and quin shi.. the story or plot are awesome.. there is more hate or love, it's only based true feelings and the competition between both female and male lawyer. yang hua is decent character and a brilliant man of stock market, quin shi is a strong woman after break up with her ex-boyfriend and to gain high position in law firm... They are mistakenly meet solve the problem of lies of quin shi,. Both are acting awesome... okay guys this is good to watchable....Was this review helpful to you?
Most Over Rated Drama
It's Most Over Rated Drama.If you like sad and too much conservative play then you can watch this drama. Other wise if you are a fan of YOU ARE MY GLORY or Love Scenery type romantic dramas then you will defiantly disappointed by watching this drama.
Just like all CDrama you can feel the chemistry between the leads in around episode 20 but after that you can't see any progress in the relationship and in the ending episodes it's much worst.
Seen the title I expected a beautiful romantic and emotional love story like YOU ARE MY GLORY, but this drama totally disappointed me.
They focused more on FL work space. While watching the drama I never feel the love between the leads. There are lot of extra noise like FL work related environment .It's so much irritating. I didn't understand why the director focused on FL work rather than the chemistry between leads.
It's just a common CDrama whaere Female lead breakup with her ex and fell in love with ML. But it's too much boring both FL and ML are not express there feeling. Ending also very much disappointed. Just because they are couple they put romance some places.
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Life Lessons, Humorous
From strangers to contract marriage to lovers. Sounds cheesy? Yeah, that’s how I felt initially. Yang Mi partners with Xu Kai? I couldn’t visualize them together. As I intended to skip this drama, the philosophy of the male lead – The Pareto Principle – caught my attention. And then I saw a clip of Yang Mi looking homely with her wide frame glasses and no make-up, my interest was piqued. It turned out better than I had expected.The Pareto principle states that 80% of the results we get in life are determined by 20% of our decisions. This principle can greatly guide our life so that we are not so bogged down by unnecessary demands that may make life miserable. It has become the alternative title The 80/20 Rule of Love. Unfortunately, the principle has not been explored further apart from some brief mentions by the male lead at the beginning.
This drama is about a 28-year-old ex-financier, Yang Hua (Xu Kai), who lives like a hermit with his parents. His mother constantly nags him to get married. One day he crosses path with Qin Shi (Yang Mi), a 34-year-old single and ambitious lawyer working in a law firm where she claims to be a married woman for a promotion. With that white lie, now she needs a man to act as her husband. Yang Hua comes in handy. At the same time, Yang Hua is fed-up with his mother’s relentless nagging, so he needs a girlfriend to keep his mother off his back. Meeting Qin Shi helps him resolve this need, at least for now. To ensure no one takes advantage of the other, they sign a contract, and get married. It turns out they are made for each other, supplementing, and complementing each other. Yang Hua helps Qin Shi in avoiding disasters with his savvy financial knowledge, and in getting the promotion she desires.
Qin Shi is a good lawyer, talented in her sharp rebuttals when faces challenges. In the office and the legal circle, she is shrewd, eloquent, and intelligent. But in private, she is vulnerable, disorganized, and insecure. Yang Hua comes to see this side of Qin Shi and realizes she is a girl who needs love and care. He falls in love with her. For Qin Shi, she falls for Yang Hua too because he respects her and treats her gently and kindly. What initially a contract marriage is now a romance in brew. In front of Qin Shi, Yang Hua feels like a little boy, each wanting to protect the other.
As always, Yang Mi is beautiful and elegant. She makes a very believable Qin Shi with her gutsy style and at the same time, very sophisticated and sensual. However, Yang Mi’s acting is confusing at times. For example, she acts so cozy with her boss, purring at her (her boss) to get her way, and yet she can become so scared of the same boss in an instant and totally loses herself. When she’s with her ex-boyfriend, she seems to be still in love with him with her body language, though later the relationship becomes clearer. I don’t know if this is meant to be because of the writing, or because of Yang Mi’s own interpretation of the character. I feel she may have overacted, at the same time, underacted with her lack of facial expressions.
Xu Kai’s acting here is acceptable. As the hermit Yang Hua, Xu Kai’s styling is rather down to earth, dull and stiff. Though I found it hard to visualize the two as love birds initially, their chemistry is not that bad, and becomes somewhat interesting later.
Both actors use their own voices in dubbing. Standalone, Yang Mi’s voice is quite nice. But here, I find her voice too high pitched and child-like. It takes many episodes to feel more comfortable with her voice. Xu Kai’s voice is low, soothing and a bit uncertain, quite well fit for the subdue Yang Hua character. The OSTs are beautiful, fitting appropriately with the ups and downs of our characters and the mood of the story.
My Verdict
When famous stars like Yang Mi and Xu Kai are chosen for a drama like this, the actors are being scrutinized more thoroughly, and the demand on them is higher than on other less famous actors - something fans have to accept. Both Yang Mi and Xu Kai are not too bad for their roles. Though initially I couldn’t envision them to be the one true pair, I do enjoy the story especially after episodes 24 or so when the couple grows stronger together. The character development is at times inconsistent. This has to do with the writing, but Yang Mi’s acting doesn’t help. Xu Kai is acceptable, acting as a rather boring character. The overall cast is quite well chosen and believable.
There are many life lessons in the story – The Pareto Principle, how to enjoy defeat, forgive others to forgive oneself, win or lose is just temporary, losing is not scary but helps one see one’s deficiency so that the next time, one can become stronger, etc. It is a mature drama, funny, humorous, ironic and paradoxical.
It is refreshing to watch a drama with a strong female lead and a subdue male lead. In fact, most of the women in the story are strong one way or another, and realistic. For romance buffs, there are plenty of real kissing scenes between Yang Mi and Xu Kai. The couple do separate for a brief period of time for growth that makes their eventual reunion stronger.
A fun watch. Recommended!
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