I didn't know I had a craving for this type of drama. Haven't really consumed anything like this since I was a teenager. However after watching Love O2O I jumped onboard this drama and finished it within 2 days. I think it's much more swoonworthy even though the production value is much lower.
The acting is really good and the chemistry between all the actors is fantastic. There is a long buildup that pays of well once things hit the boiling point. I enjoyed that the story mostly focused on their relationships twist and turns and her reasoning behind her actions.
The female lead character is annoyingly naive at points and has low self esteem for a very, very, very long time before she grows and matures. It's charming, but I sometimes almost thought she was afraid of her own boyfriend. On the other hand, the male lead character as icecold on the inside and secretly warm on the inside is such a classic trope of the rich mysterious man that falls for the poor innocent girl. Having loads of squee moment due to that, I won't complain.
This story also feels real because of the support casts different types of relationships and development. The side plots didn't take over, but were nicely interwoven with the main story. The pacing was good and slow but never boring. I do love my so called "slow burn" romances where it takes time for one or two persons to melt and fall, because when they fall they fall so much harder and the payoff is enormous.
Music was quite good and didn't feel to repetitive. The directing was in the OK range, I had a feeling the support actors showed a lot of their own personalities while portaying their characters. The cutting was at points so terrible I had to rewind and even check other sources to see if I didn't have a broken and faulty copy. I'm actually wondering about a scene in episode 27, when he kisses her forehead and a string of snot from his nose makes them both crack up laughing... What's up cutter/editor? Fell asleep? XD
My heart wants to give this an overall 9.5. But it lands on a good 7.5. However, if you are looking for something swoon and squee worthy, a focus on romance, and watching your teenage pink dreams of romance delusions, then you will, as I did LOVE THIS!
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This review may contain spoilers
One Hundred "Huh?"s Later, I Was Completely Invested
📝 Review(WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Any Emotional Damage)
This drama starts deceptively slow.
In fact, after hearing Shan Shan say "Huh?" for what felt like the fifth time in a row, I started questioning some of my life choices.
The good news is the "Huh?" moments never really stop.
The better news is the drama itself gets significantly better.
By the time I reached around episode ten, it felt like I'd already watched an entire drama's worth of character development, relationship progress, and emotional chaos. The pacing sneaks up on you. What initially feels simple gradually builds into something much more engaging than the premise suggests.
The story follows Xue Shan Shan and Feng Teng as they navigate a relationship complicated by wealth, status, family expectations, and enough insecurities to fill several office buildings.
The FL is sweet, hardworking, and easy to root for, but she also tested my patience more than once. Her insecurities are understandable given the circumstances, but there were moments where they felt pushed just a little too far. Not enough to ruin the character, but enough that I occasionally wanted to reach through the screen and shake some confidence into her.
Meanwhile, Feng Teng ended up being one of my favorite parts of the entire drama.
What impressed me most is that even after he falls in love, he never stops being Feng Teng.
He softens.
He grows.
He becomes more emotionally available.
But he never completely abandons the personality that made him who he was in the first place.
Far too many dramas turn a strong male lead into a completely different character once romance enters the picture. Boss & Me avoids that trap. His development feels natural rather than manufactured.
The supporting cast is where things become complicated.
I absolutely loved Feng Teng and his sister together. Their sibling dynamic added warmth and humor throughout the series and often grounded some of the more dramatic moments.
On the other hand...
The cousin and best friend drove me absolutely insane for a good chunk of the drama.
For people who were supposed to support Shan Shan, they spent an impressive amount of time making me question whether she needed enemies at all. Thankfully their attitudes improve later, but there were definitely stretches where I found myself rolling my eyes whenever they appeared.
Then we have Li Shu.
Good lord.
For most of the drama she operates like a one-woman manipulation factory.
Every time I thought she might finally stop scheming, she found a brand-new way to continue scheming.
Ironically, I actually started liking her more toward the end because she finally felt like a person instead of a walking obstacle.
One thing the drama tackles heavily is the rich-versus-poor dating mentality.
I hated it.
Not because it's unrealistic.
Because it's exhausting.
The constant social commentary about status, worthiness, and whether someone "belongs" with someone else based on income is one of my least favorite relationship obstacles in any drama.
The same goes for the criticism surrounding age-gap relationships involving older women and younger men.
The drama reflects those attitudes realistically, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy watching them.
By the middle of the series, I was fully invested.
By the end, I was surprised by how attached I'd become to characters that initially felt like trope templates.
My brain: "Why am I enjoying this so much?"
My emotions: "Because the characters actually work."
My snacks: disappeared somewhere around episode ten.
In the end, Boss & Me takes one of the most overused romance setups imaginable and somehow turns it into something memorable.
And somehow... it worked.
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Underrated!
Endearing from start to end. Romanticism is played right. The rewatch value is high. It is light, sincere and has a good storyline. I keep rewatching this drama because it gives inspiration and hope. Han Zhang is best in this genre. Among Chinese drama, I like him best in this work and among his works, Iike him best portraying as CEO. He is the number one Chinese actor who can portray this type of role. he is a credible CEO; the way he carries himself, his expressions, the way he delivers his lines, and the type of clothing he wears. The best part in this drama is the scene where Shan Shan saw the Li Shu kissed Feng Teng. Frankly I hated Feng Teng in that scene and his reasoning for not 'evading' Li Shu because he treats her as family. The scene is so heartbreaking. Over-all, this drama is very watchable and I still keep rewatching it. Good job!Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet with some ups and downs
LIKEHow Feng Teng often thought for Shan Shan and protected her
Naive and bubbly Shan Shan
DISLIKE
Calculative Liu Liu though she treated Shan Shan well
Li Shu who could not make up her mind and hurt Shan Shan & Feng Teng - I would probably not forgive that easily
MUSIC - personal fav
身不由己 Shen Bu You Ji - 何潔 He Jie
REWATCH VALUE
Will re-watch some day
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Moving on to the music and acting skills of the major actors, there was never a dull moment that I needed a break from the drama. Plus the music selection was so much on point that critical developments in the story were well felt.
Overall Boss & Me is a very worth while drama that proves the lead female can get her prince as long as she remains true to her goals and herself.
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The story revolves around the small town girl, Shan Shan, who moves to Shanghai to work for the big shot company run by none other than Feng Teng. Through special circumstances, the two meet and thus start their office romance. Boss & Me does have a lot of the generic drama components but it also stands out when compared to other dramas. It has an intense struggle between the two main leads and the other characters, and builds off of this unique encounter which makes Feng Teng become attracted to Shan Shan, and vice versa. There's a lot of themes revolving family, office woes, and trust between the two leads. Its happy at times, but I will warn anyone planning to watch that I myself felt my heart clench a few times. In a way, this drama also defied the expectations I had and the cliches that you would think was coming, but actually didn't. The real struggle for me with this drama is that the ending is one that leans towards the "hinting" type of endings than the clarified ones, so that's just a personal preference. It doesn't really take away from the outstanding details that bring this drama together in a big way.
The acting was nice throughout, even though I did have problems with Feng Teng's character as the narrative progressed. Shan Shan had a feel to her acting that complimented the story of the character which is something I enjoyed. The other characters, such as Li Shu, pulled an impressive performance also, showing a lot of depth to the acting in my personal opinion. Overall, the chemistry between the main leads was sweet and the acting of the cast was stable.
For music, there wasn't really much to say. It was enjoyable but nothing memorable for my tastes. However, I rarely heard the beginning song since the subtitles I watched had glitchy audio. That's just my experience in terms of music.
I rarely watch dramas again but in simple terms, I would gladly rewatch this drama. It had a subtle sweetness that was also combated with angsty emotional rollercoasters. If I were to have the time, I would probably watch it again just to re-live it all again.
Thus, it is my verdict that if you haven't watched Boss & Me, you're probably missing out on a good drama. If you don't believe me, I encourage you to at least try and watch the drama.
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The cast was great. I really liked all of the characters. Most characters were understandable and the drama plays out class differences pretty well. The leads (ShanShan and FengTeng) were just so adorable! They had great chemistry and whenever FengTeng pinched ShanShan's cheek I was like "aww". I actually liked the eating food together scenes a lot because the dishes were pretty common but they made it look delicious!
OST of this drama was just ok. Usually after a drama, I keep humming the songs, but I don't remember any songs right now.
Overall, I would probably re-watch some scenes and maybe re-watch the whole thing if I have time. I recommend this drama if you like a slow romance with lots of character growth and overcoming class differences. (8.5/8.75)
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Saruman absolutely approves.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm not very familiar with Chinese romantic dramas, however, this one captivated me. I loved the beginning because it seemed that the production was really good and of high quality.. They even inserted short animated emoticons, which was very cute and trendy.When I saw the main female character (Xue Shan Shan) for the first time, I was worried that she would be just one of many Chinese characters who are annoying, cheesy and noisy like some kind of screechy animals. But she wasn't...to some point. She is cute, cheerful and most importantly - she has good reasoning (at least most of the time). I will say what I dislike about her at the end of the review.
The main male character Feng Teng is just the type of character that I like - cold on the surface, but hot blooded underneath. I love the way he gets soft towards Shan Shan, even though there were moments when he was too possessive, nevertheless, I love him.
The story goes on smoothly, and there are no crazy plot twists that would annoy you and that are typical for Chinese dramas. There are of course some minor conflicts, but if there were none, it wouldn't be interesting to watch. I love plot twists and conflicts as long as they are not silly and annoying. If you are like me, this drama is for you, because it is relaxing and cute.
So... why is exactly this drama rated 7.5 if I liked it so much? Oops, well, now I will say what REALLY annoyed me. BEWARE OF SOME MINOR SPOILERS::: What annoyed me the most is the way how Shan Shan turned into some kind of a gold digger and a subordinate to Feng during the middle of the drama. Yes, they love each other and they are cute, but why the hell you need to accept his credit card even though you have a job? Why do you accept many other things and so on. Basically, she depends too much on him, there is even one scene in which he orders her what to do, but I won't spoil and say what. So if you want to see a career-driven woman who is independent and intelligent, Shan Shan is not for you. She is kind, cute, and partly reasonable, but that's it. She is always oblivious to the happenings around her, which makes her a bit of a fool. Her "innocence" is what made me rate this drama so low, because I was expecting that she would mature and become independent during the drama, but she became worse, unfortunately.
Well, at least it was cute and Geng is an eye-candy.
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Persevering!
Im struggling with this drama mainly because of the male lead. He insults the female lead for her stupidity and noise. He makes her act like his servant and threatens to deduct her pay. This is supposed to be him liking her? Its abusive. Then he forces a confession from her when she has no money or place to stay. She actually lies in this situation to say she was attracted to him when in reality she was too scared to say no to her boss.The female lead is attractive and cute but really naive to the point of stupidity.
I hate to give up something ive started be it a book or drama - but im struggling with this as I find it offensive to women. I may fast forward to see if the FL gets a backbone and the ML some humanity.
episode 30
Ok for a while it got better- she started to talk back to him and took the accounting course to be the best version of herself...for him though!!! Now we have the wedding - and oh my what an arrogant, insensitive pig he is. Never explains anything to her - lets his sister make all the arrangements and never contributes or asks her what she would like. Plus he's not even met the parents and she hasn't told them. This relationship is so dysfunctional - he treats her like a child apart from the fact he obviously has relations with her as she could have been pregnant! He wants a soft, unchallenging, basically submissive partner because his life is so stressful. Stressful?!! Oh poor little rich boy who feels so alone and has no choice in his career! Save me whilst I throw up! He has a loving sister and friend and he could chose to give the company up - he is the one who has decided to follow his grandfathers business.
This drama is so wrong and I hate how due to this poor girls young age she is being dominated by the man she loves. Where is the fun and tenderness in this relationship? It has np depth - I'm infuriated by it! Got to this point by judicious fast forwarding!
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Thanks for Inspiring us and hope that you'll keep inpiring us and providing us great shows like this one!!!... Keep up the good work!
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