phoenixfrost

Another win:
2023 Douyin Annual List

Top10 Most Followed Celebrities:
#1 - Bai Lu
#2 - Wang Hedi

Only For Love has gone through a lot:
- a producer who was accused of embezzling funds (I understand the producer went behind bars). This was supposedly a high-budget drama, yet Dylan shot a shower scene in freezing water to avoid fogging up the lenses because there wasn't any anti-fog spray around
- a smear campaign that invented flaws ("no plot", "no chemistry") and blew up flaws a lot of cdramas have (bad camera angles, bad filters, fillers, slow pace, propaganda, etc) as if it's the only cdrama afflicted with these flaws
- another cdrama shown at the same time starring Bai Lu and her rumored bf or ex-bf that drew away most of her fans from OFL thus leaving only a few to counter attacks against her controversial character in OFL

Despite these, OFL keeps serving one triumph after another, the latest of which is that it made the list of cdramas with the highest Yunhe V30 Hot Broadcast Average for 2023. (https://twitter.com/Natapori/status/1738816689402531994)

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Only For Love! 🥰🥰🥰

Boss and Me

those who didn't get swayed by the smear campaign love it

You can check my list for some Asian dramas I've watched, though it's not complete yet as I joined MDL only last year and I can't remember some dramas I watched before and some Jdramas are not in mdl, e.g. Forest of Piano. I've also watched more non-Asian dramas. I have deleted dramas I dropped. I tend to watch one drama at a time to focus on it. Most of the comments I've read here mention skipping scenes which is a no-no for me. Once I get the urge to skip scenes, I just drop the drama quietly with no fanfare, e.g. no bad-mouthing the drama, being mindful of how different people's tastes are.

comparing this to other cdramas, this deserves at least an 8.2

This has been a victim of a smear campaign. Please see https://mydramalist.com/discussions/cuo-liao/121285-who-still-believes-in-douban

3 years ago, when she received a journalism award. There is more about this in the special wedding clip

you're so right. Cdrama viewers expect their female leads to be sensible and wise. This is the best acting I've seen of Bai Lu. She was able to portray an immature person but kept her likeable (at least for me). However, I think Shu Yi wouldn't have been skewered as she has been had there been enough viewers to defend her. Problem is, most of Bai Lu's fans deserted OFL for SOKP. Add to this the smear campaign that has been wrought on this drama and it's a wonder this has done very well, especially internationally.

True, Shu Yi is most realistic. Which is why I wonder why many viewers found her offensive. Seems like many viewers have a hard time dealing with realistic characters.

Happy Birthday, Didi! You’ve been a ray of sunshine to many people. May you have as many blessings as you’ve given ❤️💐🎉🎁🎂🎈

Really? and viewers like her? This agrees with my suspicion though. All Shu Yi needed was more fans to be more sympathetic to her and defend her from detractors. Grrr, every time I think of what iQiyi did to OFL, my blood just boils

Same here. I actually get turned off steamy scenes when they feel indulgent. The steamy scenes in OFL feel natural.

I think she was so scared of losing him she panicked and drew up a blank when figuring out how to approach him. And this is a new situation for her, being in the wrong. Self-centered kids become like that coz they are made to feel they're the center of the universe and can do nothing wrong. Now she has to get down the pedestal. And she did succeed in summoning enough humility to approach him. It's too bad that Fiona was there, making Shu Yi's fragile humility quickly crumble.

Unchained Love is so underrated. I love it; the humor is also subtle, or at least those that I like best, like when she turned the table on her abductor-sister, winning her dowry in mahjong 🤣🤣🤣 Dylan Wang is also underrated. It seems people can't believe or don't want to believe that a gorgeous guy can also be talented

i love discussions like this, when both sides listen to each other's points. Yup, reaching that level of maturity is essential in at least one side of a relationship for it to work. To Shu Yi's credit, aside from the baby steps she's making towards maturity, she owns up to her mistakes. That's more than what a mature person needs to forgive the other. In fact, in Shi Yan's case, all he needs is reassurance that she does not love her ex-boyfriend.

yup, Yu You told Shu Yi she was wrong mentioning work when Shi Yan was obviously waiting for her to talk about their relationship. It was actually the same thing she did when she wished for the success of her online magazine instead of their relationship during New Year’s eve that got Shi Yan furious. It is a testament to his love that he forgave her after his disappointment. And that’s how true love goes, forgive 7 times 7, meaning always. Only when at least one side is able to do this would a relationship work. Shu Yi has low EQ, she is self-centered and clueless about what other people expect of her in personal relationships. She treated her ex-boyfriend horribly. She does not feel any romantic feelings towards Yu You and Yi Yang so she treats them as mere friends or business associates, that’s why she does not have any compunction about going out with them. She is not wise at all. At this point in their relationship, Shi Yan, being the more mature one, will have to keep on giving. But Shu Yi is showing she is growing as I’ve pointed out.

I know couples who are like this, one mature and the other immature, but happily married for more than 20 years and still going strong. One might think that it’s unfair to the mature person, but mature people don’t think like this, They’re happy being with the person they love and for them, that’s all that matters, as long as the other person is not immoral. And for all her naughtiness and cluelessness, Shu Yi does love Shi Yan and, deep down, has good morals.

She is! She must have saved a country in her past life to have such a blessing 😁 But he is also lucky that he found a person he truly loves. It's not easy to find a person whose existence can brighten one's life and make it more meaningful, joyful and whole. So when he does, he is happy just loving her. They're both lucky to have found each other.

Please see discussion topic https://mydramalist.com/discussions/cuo-liao/121285-who-still-believes-in-douban for the low rating. In summary, this drama is a victim of a smear campaign. If you like comedy and romance and don't let what others say about this drama bother you, then try a few episodes. Please note that the comedy is not the slapstick type of comedy, it's subtle, with the female lead and her friend being sort of spoofs of super confident career girls who think the world is their oyster.

One thing I love about this drama is its realistic depiction of love. When somebody falls truly in love, it's not that he becomes blind, but he becomes tolerant of his loved one's flaws. After all, nobody is perfect. That is what happened to Shi Yan. He fell hard. But being wise, he would not have fallen for somebody totally undeserving of his love. The discussion topic https://mydramalist.com/discussions/cuo-liao/121097-choosing-a-partner-like-a-venture-capitalist-with-shi-yan-long-analysis is a good analysis of Shu Yi. They’re actually a perfect match in intelligence, values and interests. His family and friends see this that's why they approve of her. Also because they know he really loves her and they just want him to be happy. Now, although Shi Yan accepts her flaws, he does not condone them. He tries to help her overcome them, for example, her indecisiveness. He gave her space and time to sort out her feelings when he thought that she still had feelings for her ex. Another thing I love about this drama is how subtly it presents Shu Yi's changes. One roadblock to their relationship is her tendency to lie. After they get together, she hardly lies. She has also become less self-centered. The first thing she thought of after receiving her bonus was to buy gifts for her parents. She even learned to cook for Shi Yan :) As in real life, changes don't happen overnight. Shu Yi is taking small steps but for a self-centered person, they're giant leaps.