My Fated Boy (2021)

My Kind of Drama, No Typical C-Drama Cliché's

Let's see, no break ups or last minute break ups, no misunderstandings, no evil parents, a minor antagonist that tries to cause trouble for our lead couple but her screen time is limited so I'm actually okay with this. There is a love triangle but a tamed and not out of control one. We get rid of the love triangle around the halfway point of the drama.

So now that we got all of the usual C-drama worries out of the way, it's your choice if you want to watch this drama or not. Me personally, I adore this drama. The chemistry between our leads is so cute and romantic that I didn't even remember it was a younger male chasing older female. The ML knows what he wants from start while the FL has rough past encounters with love that even the thought of falling for her younger childhood friend had made her hesitant. But eventually she has courage and take a chance on love with her childhood friend. My favorite thing has got to be the amount of support the lead characters have for each other, as each wants to protect the other in their own way. Not only that, they also have tons of support from their boss, their friends, their families, and yes even second leads, which by the way, good amount of growth for the SFL, from being annoying to being very likable.

The osts for this drama is amazing. For me, it was enjoyable to listen to every time the song came on. Fits perfectly with the scenes that occurred.

The story went at a good pace that there were so many episodes left filled with loveable, romantic, and cute scenes. I give major points to the writer for showing that you don't need a break up scene or misunderstandings to make a great drama. Dramas can have conflicts but when you have such understanding, firm, and supportive main couple, you can handle the conflicts that's thrown at them and it's not even as bad as say other C-drama conflicts.

Definitely one of my favorites and a rarity that I give a 10 all the way, especially in a C-drama.

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Clichés? We don't know what that is

What makes this drama so special? For me personally, it was the lack of cliches. Our female lead can stand her ground, she isn't a damsel in distress who needs saving every time. She also knows what she wants. Our male lead, although younger he has proven just how mature he can be and how much he cares for her. As he said, "she can worry about beauty, I'll worry about her health". They are both willing to comprise.

When an issue presented itself instead of breaking up they dealt with it. I've seen many dramas that when an issue arises the first thought is always to break up because they think that's what's best for the other person. Like Lin Yang said, "I won't hurt him and I won't hurt myself". This drama presented a realistic view of a relationship.

They are childhood friends, she has seen him since he was a baby. He fell in love with her when he was 15, and saw her go through many breakups yet he never gave up. He knew what he wanted and he charged forwards for it. He never hesitated in showing his love for her.

Love triangle? yes but it's so light that you barely feel it's there and it got resolved halfway through the drama.
Annoying second female lead? yes, but he always made it clear and drew a bright red line between them which left no room for misunderstandings. Our female lead also stood her ground. Although annoying li tian came around.

Supportive parents? Yes, it would be weird if they didn't support them considering they wanted their kids to marry even before they were conceived. Plus they treated each other's children as their own.

Supportive bestfriends? Yes, there is no backstabbing. They felt like that ride-or-die type of friend.

I would recommend this drama. It's light but it still manages to portray a good relationship between the leads.

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A beautifully crafted romantic drama that recharged my spirit

Chinese rom-coms can be tropey and full of clichés. Those seemed to come from a well thumbed playbook that have been passed around the writer's guild. While its root is in that muddy pond, this show rose above it like a lotus flower.

Let's be honest, the plot of this show is quite straightforward. There are no big stars nor dramatic breakups. The ending was never in doubt and it was set in a provincial city.

I believe the ML is a newcomer and while he still have some rough edges, his natural presence and energy was perfect for the role. I have, more than once, found myself smiling like an idiot at the screen when he just radiated happiness. The FL is not an A-lister but she have been in various shows. She did very well playing a conflicted soul who was trying to choose between happiness and conformity. The CP has oodles of chemistry and some of their little cute acts were truly swoon worthy (not to mention the real romantic scenes). There is a good amount of skinship and that's because the ML can't keep his paws off the FL. Woof!

The support cast is wonderful. Most are older actors and I have no doubt some were locals. The script did not relegate them to the background but they have prominent roles and fully fleshed out back stories. It was a joy to see their banters, their support and shared wisdom when the CP needed them the most. Their acting were so good that they made you understand why some motifs actually became clichés. The writer really knew how to hit you with the feels. Not dramatic dam buster type but scenes that you can relate to and share their emotions.

BTW, most rom-com will cast the 2FL as the antagonist who will stop at nothing to tear the CP apart. Our 2FL started off like this but by mid show, you began to empathise with her as you get to know her. You will cheer her on and wish her the best by the end of the show. That is an amazing way to write an oft one dimensional character. Bravo, writer, bravo!
I also loved the vignettes of the CP growing up together that start each episode. Some were hilarious and one in particular was heart breaking.

The pacing of the first 3/4 of the show was good. Not rushed but plots were developed and progressed steadily. My only criticism is that the last 10% of the show did coast along. All the sub-plots were wrapped up neatly. Rainbows and sunshine blessed the land. As someone who enjoyed the show I cannot complain but I can see some viewers might find it slow going and a bit of self indulgence.

The OST was great. Worked really well with the scenes. The title track was written specifically for the show and not some generic love song. The production value was generally high and it probably helped that it was not set in Beijing or Shanghai which would have ballooned the production costs.

Not everyone will love this show but if you appreciate a good romance then please give this a go. This is a beautifully crafted romantic drama. You won't be disappointed.

UPDATE: I re-watched this show after a year and I'm happy to stand by my original review. However, after a long discussion with my good friend @Love movies, I have gained more insight into this drama. We agreed that to truly enjoy this show, it must resonate with you and that is not a given. Initially, the Show can feel a bit directionless and some characters are deeply flawed which can be a turn off for some. However, if you preserve, you will find a diamond in the rough. This Show is not about flashy set pieces nor crazy plot twists. It is about relatable people doing their best to find love, happiness and have a meaningful life. There is a lot of raw energies and emotions. I can relate to that and it lifted my spirit.

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I don’t know why, but for some reason Chinese dramas lack that little “it factor” that makes Korean dramas so good in comparison. While I’m watching this drama, I can’t help but compare it to Hometown Cha Cha Cha, since I’m watching the two side by side. There’s just an emotional element and cohesiveness that’s missing in My Fated Boy and other Chinese dramas and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. My main problem is that the side characters in this drama had absolutely no impact on the plot. Some side stories made no logical sense to me, such as the cousin (?) of Lu Zheng An who was pursuing (?) the FL. I never really understood the point of him having any sort of storyline since it was completely separated from the main plot and followed no logic. Similarly, the friend or relative or something like that of the Second FL had no existing contribution to the plot. There were some scenes of her and her husband, my I mentally checked out when I was watching those parts because I just didn’t quite understand their point. What I’m trying to say is that besides the love line, the entirety of this drama was just dull, directionless, and all over the place. I also couldn’t for the life of me justify the ML’s intense attraction to FL. It seemed obsessive-level to me because he literally molded his entire life around her existence, from the location that he lived, to the job that he pursued, to the way that he acted around her. If you find this type of person in real life, you'd most likely discover serious attachment issues and stalker tendencies. Cute in the drama, not cute when you think about it for more than a couple minutes. All in all, there was a great lack of engaging story, likable and realistic characters, and direction to the plot. I had this drama rated a lot lower initially, but I was satisfied with the lack of a cliche break-up that I bumped it up just a little bit. I wouldn’t recommend this.
Ps: did I mention it took me 2 months to sludge through this drama?

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Refreshing clean entertainment

Refreshingly clean entertainment.

ML and FL looks good together, acts really well too. The writers of show managed to create a beautiful backstory for each of the main characters. Also, making the story interesting enough even though it doesn't have heavy drama on it. No heavy drama, no life threatening events, just pure love story.

The show had almost all kind of love; from innocent young platonic love to puppy love to long and lasting true love. ML and FL's family and friends are also loyal and loving. Their reactions are realistic enough and even funny at times.

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Stellar drama about life and love

I've watched 23 out of 29 episodes. And with each episode I've watched I'm more convinced what a special gem of a drama this is. At times I've teared up, laughed, felt uplifted, inspired and many other emotions that resonated with me. A mature, thoughtful yet inspiring storyline that makes me wanted to be a better version of myself. Yes this has been one of those very rare drama with that impact. If this drama continues to resonate in the last six episodes as it has so far without adding anything more, it would still be one of the best drama I've ever watched.

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From AWESOME to AWFUL

Zàijiàn to C-Dramas?

This was a painful review to write. For the first nine episodes of this drama, it just kept getting better and better. It was really outstanding and promised to be a truly exceptional C drama. There was only one little niggle - the unfettered childish selfishness of the male lead. He was literally a 24-year-old child, who believed that the female lead was his because he wanted her. For that first third of the drama, this was not a problem because the female lead was independent and self assured, and so is irritating and annoying as the male leads whiny self-centred possessiveness was, it was not the dominant feature of those episodes. Sadly, this state did not last.
Partway through episode 14, the male lead's manager gives him a lecture about his immature childish behaviour. He calls him a selfish brat and tells him that if hehates being treated like a kid, he should behave like an adult. Alas, that's as far as it goes. That very episode ends with the female lead deciding to be with him in a romantic sense despite the male lead having grown not at all. And he never does. Right to the end he remains a childish, immature, selfish and unlikeable brat.
One of the advantages of watching a subtitle drama that isn't streamed is that it is possible to watch on very rapid fast forward and follow the story. This is how I got through the last half of this drama. I was looking for some signs of growth in the male lead, and I was also very interested in how the stories of the supporting characters turned out. Their stories were an antidote to the seething rage I felt every time I had to look at that smug grin from the overgrown boy child who thought everything was a huge joke and that everything he did was always right. You know something's not right when a romcom makes you wish EXTREME violence on one half the lead romantic pair.
The reason for the title of this review is that the astonishing and tragic collapse of this once promising drama is making me reassess whether I should waste any more time watching ANY C dramas.
This Drama COULD have shown the ML growing into a mature adult who valued and supported the FL, and respected her right to be her own person, without resorting to lying to her and manipulating her, it could have confronted the challenges posed by cultural resistance to the significant age gap in a meaningful way, like the OUTSTANDING "My Queen" did from Taiwan, but in the end, it did none of those things. The moral of this drama ended up being the same as the moral of almost every single romantic C drama I have attempted to watch: That the male lead is always right BECAUSE he's male, the female lead always NEEDS the male lead, (in this Drama, the FL says “he’s the one taking care of me”, etc, more often that I cared to count) a woman's place is always behind a man, and that when a man decides he owns and controls a woman, that is the definition of romantic.
The overwhelming majority of romantic C dramas I have started to watch were easy to drop because they manifested this patronising, chauvinist and misogynist philosophy from the opening episodes. The fact that a drama which started so promisingly by heading in a very different direction eventually kowtowed to that deeply ingrained regressive "man rules yeah!" philosophy suggests that for whatever reason it is inescapable in C dramas built around a romantic arc.
There were many things to like about this drama. The first 9 or 10 episodes were truly exceptional, refreshing and promising. Some of the supporting characters were really interesting, especially Han Yue's role and performance as the older sister of the sasaeng University classmate of the male lead, and the FL’s divorced single parent BF. Following their arcs kept me from dropping the Drama even after it turned into a turd of epic proportions.
I don't know whether it was simply a failure of courage on the part of the writer, or whether it was simply compliance with the sort of external directives that are inescapable in the tightly controlled Chinese state, but whatever the reason the result was that a drama full of promise ended up being one of the bitterest disappointments of my drama viewing life. T
It IS possible for Dramas to be sappily romantic without the male lead having any sense of "ownership" of the female lead, but very few C Dramas have managed it , and this Drama was not one of them. I thought it would be an 8/10, in the end I felt generous giving it 3.5. That saddens me.

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a simple nice drama <333

I wrote this as soon I finished the drama. After my last noona drama I'm kind a traumatized but "cliché" is not in this drama dictionary. Everything is just nicely done. Like the story is so relatable to real life. Here some what I can jot down :

- Healthy cp. They are sweet and cute but they still bickers like normal couple. They solve it by talking and slowly change each other perspective and have development tgt.
- The genuine family relationship, I mean who doesn't want this kind of family?
- The friendship between Lin Yang, Yao Dan and Cao Ling. The way they always help each other out touch my heart everytime TT
- The childhood scene is so adorable <3
- They explain well about the double standard this world have about woman and man.
- I love most of the character here is over 30, their way of thinking is mature!
- Every character worth my time to watch, no one make me feel like want to skip.

The ml might start a little bit determine but he really have character development. Same goes to our hard and cool fl, she will learn how relationship works bit by bit. I'll said this drama going to be on my re-watch list when I'm around 30s to find out which woman between the 3 I'll relate to. Overall I'm really sastified with this drama. The OST will grow on you ^^

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Typical Noona romance, with a background history

I kinda had high expectations from this drama, since it was suggested to me by a few of my friends.
The story seems cliche to me personally, because it's the childhood romance that blossoms into adulthood, plus there is an age gap and noona romance too!
The leads are cute. There is chemistry, but kinda you can feel the love from the guy's side, which tbh can kill the vibe.
The FL is kinda weird. looks weird most of the time, and her character development is weak.
The ML, on the other hand, gives you the feeling that he's clingy, yet his feelings are genuine.
The background story shown is the strong point of this drama, and shows how they were raised together and where the love comes from!
Don't expect much skinship and steamy kisses( there are plenty of kisses though, but not that great IMO)

The OST was below average. Nothing that beautiful to the ears.
The second leads had decent development and decently depicted.
The drama, however, got really draggy. 29 episodes were too much.

Overall, a decent watch. Not something i will go back and rewatch.

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SWEET SWEET SWEET LUV!!!

Amazing acting from both main FL & ML! Their chemistry is so natural and comfortable to watch throughout the entire drama. Luv every episodes start off about their cute childhood memories then it goes back into their current lives. Not to mention, l like the supporting casts such as their friends and Ma Le that always bring humor and can be quite talkative at times. Music OSTs all great to listen and I find myself replaying them without getting bored. Nice storyline, smooth pace. Really recommend this cdrama to anyone who interested in older woman/younger man romance theme & plus steamy kisses.

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Nice combination of tropes done right

This drama is nothing special but sweet, fluffy and has a whole bunch of good old drama cliches keeping you just a little bit nervus done mostly right.

There is one character that is annoying but she grows allot during the drama making all the scenes bearable to watch and not a single itch to skip, big + for that. The show , shows a nice level of character growth and has one of c-dramalands sweetest thrupple sisterhood. The female lead is pretty smart when it comes to all but her emotions. The male lead is as warm as hot cup of coco, he may be a tad persistent but overall he is pretty good at not forcing himself on the female lead.

So all in all pretty sweet and fluffy and definitely has the potential to fulfill all your fluffy needs.

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Great plot and realistic.

Omg! Love this C- Drama. Tbh i think this is the best I have watched!!! No cliche and cringey scenes! Both the leads have great chemistry together!!!!

The ML is sooo cuteee while the FL is sooo beautiful!!! I like the FL’s character. Not like the typical stupid and naive FL. Strong, independent and logical! Very worth to watch… this drama gave me lots of life lessons. I can relate with this drama as day by day I’m growing older haha.

There are lots of intimate scenes but yet very sweet to watch.

The only thing that I dislike is i guess some scenes it is too long? Like they edited the scenes to be longer than it should.

Overall, you should really watch it guys!!!

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