Jaynne

I never expected that JBR would do this type of romance idol drama so this was on my must check list.
I also read the novel so I can get a better idea of the story, and I have to say it's definitely not my cup of tea. I really hate LN character and I don't really like ZT either, so I was prepared to not like the drama at all... but I ended up buying the express eps because I can't wait. I was invested in their mess! 🤣🤣

Pros:

1. Jing Boran!!!
I knew he will be good, but he exceeded all my expectations. I think LN (Luke) is a hard character to play because he's such a bastard... you need something to make viewers tolerate him. This kind of role can also appear too greasy if the actor mess up.

Somehow Jing Boran was able to fulfil all plausibility, like LN is still a bastard but he's an extremely charming one in the drama. I still can't get over JBR puppy eyes, I got bewitched when that scene came up.
I also really really like LN styling, all his outfits are so pretty and imo added another fun aspect to the drama.

I think JBR kind of carry this drama to a certain extent (for me at least), because LN is just not a great character to begin with. The fact that he makes LN looks compelling enough to me is amazing.

2. Romantic and intimate scenes done right.
I'm usually a bit uncomfortable watching intimate scenes, but in this drama they were shot so beautifully. It's such a genius move to hire an intimacy coordinator and I think it should become the standard.
There are so many heart fluttering moments especially in the first half, and I would happily rewatch just for those scenes🥺

3. Combination of JBR and SQ.
Their visual combination is so harmonious and their chemistry just works so well. One of the best chemistry I've seen in a romance drama, and it's definitely the main reason why I got invested.

I also have to give Sun Qian appreciation for playing ZT pretty well. Tbh her acting get overshadowed by JBR, but she did get better as the story progresses, and I especially like her acting during the last breakup scene.
I've seen some comments comparing them but I feel like it's not a fair comparison at all because SQ doesn't have the same amount of experience as JBR. I think she did a pretty convincing job overall.

4. So many great side characters. I really adore Lumi, Tracy, and the roommates.

5. I like the overall aesthetic of the drama.
I think this director have a good sense in regards to visual translation, but unfortunately they fail at organising them.

That's all the part that I like from the drama.

Cons:

1. Lack of pacing.
The pacing was so bad that you can't even tell the passage of time throughout the whole series. It's very choppy and the transition is not smooth at all. I think if you don't read the novel, you will get very confused.

I'm not sure if this is due to lack of skills or censorship, because I heard the episodes were reduced from 32 to 24, so this might also contribute to it as well.

2. Story / plot is just not good.
This drama was adapted from a webnovel. For me, the source material itself is very wattpad coded and it feels a bit outdated.
LN in novel is so much worse and ZT is also such a frustrating character to read... so for me I don't really see the appeal.
It's just a very typical romance fiction where the author just want them together no matter how incompatible they are.

I was hoping the drama will present the story better somehow, but it doesn't really happen. I think this is also due to pacing issue because they spend way too much time showing the 6 years period and so they run out of time to show the rest.
They have so many subplots / event that they try to fit in, but since they don't have enough time, everything is kind of just shown on very superficial level. I think they should have cut some of the office politics because I don't think it adds much to the story.

3. Rushed resolution.
So really the first 2 issues kind of lead to the 3rd issue, which is the rushed resolution. It's not the worst, but it feels very underwhelming to me.

You really can't do anything about the episodes being cut by censorship, but I wish they allocate less episodes to show the 6 years period so they will have more than 3 episodes to build the reconciliation arc.
It was just too short and I just don't think LN & ZT have enough growth to get back together at the end.

4. Lack of budget.
The overall production is still ok, but some parts feels cheap and you can definitely tell they just don't have enough budget for it.

Overall this drama is a very interesting case because on paper I would have dropped and hate it, but I ended up really enjoying it instead. I think it really shows the importance of chemistry, visuals, and great acting for this genre (romance), and this drama just happen to really excel at those imo.

Will I recommend this drama?
If you're very story driven and you don't like seeing frustrating characters, then I don't think this is the right drama to watch.

For me, I watch drama for entertainment, and I think there are a lot of entertainment value in this drama that I got from other aspect (aside from the story). Overall it's very lacking in so many things, but it's still a very fun watch.