Inkdrizzle
Good acting in a rather mediocre screenplay
I should mention that I have watched the drama before watching the movie. Even though it's been a while, it definitely helped me understand the plot. And this is where the major fault of the movie comes in, in my opinion. While trying to include many of the major plotlines and best-known scenes, the connections between these scenes feel really rushed and under-explained. Basically, the makers have tried to condense a 58-episode drama into a 1.5h movie. I think, if I didn't know the rough plotline, I wouldn't have been able to follow what's happening. If they had made the movie longer, it would really have helped.In contrast to what I read in some of the comments the acting by Chen Duling, Li Chengbin and Mao Zijun is good, though. Considering the material they had to work with it's really impressive actually. In fact, I prefered Chen Duling's Xiao Gu to Zhao Liying's (even though she's doing a great job), because her Xiao Gu was not as over-the-top girly innocent (you know what I mean) as Chinese dramas will sometimes have it. I also liked that they left one scene in that was censored in the 2015 version, even though it feels like the script doesn't really explain what's going on.
CGI isn't great and the entire plot feels rushed and some scenes disconnected, but the cast really saved the show. So, in my opinon, it's still a movie worth watching but it won't change your life. I'm gonna look for more dramas with the lead actors, though.
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Heart-warming and beautiful - and amazing acting all-round :)
Just to make this clear from the beginning: this drama is great and I encourage you to watch it and finish it :)Initially, I was a little skeptical, because quite a lot of modern romance drama are very cheesy or overly dramatic and pretty unrealistic. I was, however, more than pleasantly surprised to find that this drama is nothing like it.
The STORY is (for C-Dramas) quite realistic and so are the problems the characters have to face. None of it is blown out of proportion. To give you some examples, the parents (*minor spoiler*) of Dr. Gu have issues with his partner - but totally understandable, realistic ones. The way the Xiaoxiao's family deals with her father's cancer is utterly believable within the framework. And even misunderstandings and minor arguments between Xiaoxiao and Dr. Gu are really relatable and not blown out of proportion. I honestly loved that!
The best thing, however, in my opinion, is the amazing ACTING all round. Yang Zi and Xiao Zhan made me love those two characters so much. I cried like a baby and found myself grinning with them. These two really fill their characters with life! And this counts for basically most characters, but most of all for the actors playing Xiaoxiao's parents. These two actors in particular deserve an extra round of applause for their amazing performance!
I also enjoyed the MUSIC a lot, in particular the instrumental tracks are really beautiful. And I personally liked that they used mainly instrumental tracks during romantic or sad scenes. I personally (and others may disagree with that) don't really like overly sweet love songs during romantic scenes. That often really ruins the romantic mood for me. Here it's really well done and I even listen to some of the instrumental tracks for fun now.
IN SHORT: I highly recommend this drama! It is heart-warming, quite realistic and the amazing actors really fill their roles with so much life. I binge-watched the whole thing in 3 days, because I couldn't stop. I cried, laughed and smiled so much - and I hope you will do so, too :)
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Brilliant drama with great actors
I love this drama. Although I was a little confused by the beginning (first few minutes) and the mediocre sound quality on Youtube (background sounds are way too loud), I became addicted in no time.Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin really rule this drama. They play quirky characters that will stay in your head after watching the drama. And the chemistry on screen is just fantastic! Personally, I'm also glad that it's a drama with two great actors in the lead roles who are not teenagers, because you can tell that they have experience and acting skills that some protagonists in C dramas sometimes lack.
The plot is really intricate, but not too complex to make you lose track. And what I also love is that there is not a single flat character. All characters undergo a certain development or have some surprises in store for you.
Really, this is one of the best Chinese dramas I have seen in a long time! And now go an watch it ;)
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