SmileAgain

Boring

I have a strange feeling about this series—it's good, yet boring. I had to literally force myself to finish the episodes.
Watching Chinese dramas always leaves me with one question: why is the female lead almost always written as so selfish? Why don't I ever see a satisfying, balanced dynamic of mutual giving between both leads? Why is it always the male lead giving, giving, and giving endlessly? Watching this dynamic genuinely makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't deny that she eventually gave back and helped in the end, but I'm speaking generally here.
I finished the series a while ago, and now as I try to write this review, I barely remember it—which is proof that this show will not be memorable or stand the test of time.
Another point is that the overall vibe of the show was so gloomy and depressing, it kept forcing me to constantly pause and resume watching later on.

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Could be better

The drama had great potential to turn into something amazing, especially since it's set in an era that many people love watching stories about, with so much room for creative ideas. However, the director and screenwriter ruined the concept with overly dramatic, Bollywood-style exaggeration—where one bullet kills, another does nothing, and a single hero takes down a hundred men.

"Is there anyone from the cast who didn't die besides Ren Susu?! The writer desperately needs therapy, they're in a really bad place. What a total waste of time watching this drama—the amount of gloominess reached an absurd level. The lead characters got exhausted from constantly visiting graves, every two minutes someone else dies. I honestly don't mind if one of the main leads dies as long as it's written well and serves the plot, but EVERYONE died?! Not a single couple made it to the end, it's way too much. Literally no one got to live a normal life, IT'S SO OVER THE TOP!"

The casting for the female lead was terrible—a complete wooden actress with zero acting skills. The male lead was literally carrying the whole show on his back. The female lead was written as an incredibly selfish character in a toxic relationship, constantly dragging him down, using him, and leaving him in pain every single time. At times, I found myself getting frustrated with the male lead—wondering why he was so in love with someone who clearly used him, and why he chose to believe her lies just to feel a fleeting moment of comfort, fully aware that she was lying. But later on, I truly understood his character: having grown up without affection, love, or protection as a child, she gave him a few months of love, only to drain that love from him over years of torment. Also he is the one he got the worst ending.

Watching this series was an absolute a waste of time.

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Chapeau

This drama is so heart-touching and deeply moving. I loved the way they tackled the issue of bullying. I really appreciated how they portrayed the exact reactions we always wish would happen in every real-life bullying situation—even though we know some of those responses aren't entirely realistic, deep down we can't help but cheer for them!
Like the scene where she kept calling and spamming the mother; it was like putting the bullies in a reverse situation to make them see the full picture, forcing them to realize how small they actually are, and that only the weak and insecure rely on violence to communicate.
I also loved that despite the tear-jerking storylines, the overall atmosphere wasn't gloomy at all. The way they injected comedy into the narrative completely changed the whole vibe... Chapeau to the entire production team!

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