7
3
This review may contain spoilers
A breath of fresh air after watching The Early Spring
Yes, I know the title is oddly specific, but it is for a good reason.
I watched The Early Spring and then this series back-to-back. Each have their own merits, but they are polar opposites.
I'm not going to bore you with another dissertation on Early Spring (please read my review for reference). However, my reaction to this series is heavily influenced by how I felt after finishing TES. I enjoyed that show, I loved the acting of the leads, but certain aspects left me dissatisfied.
To be honest, I didn't have high hopes when I started watching this drama either as it gives off a strong filler vibe. All I can say is . . bring it on! :)
First and foremost, Wei Zhe Ming can write the textbook on playing this type of ML. He is perfectly casted. He can be forthright in business and then becomes a lovesick puppy when he is wooing her. There is nothing unique about his character, but you will make millions if you can bottle his essence. ;)
Another good casting choice is Liu Xie Ning as the FL. Her range is board enough to allow her to play the head strong pilot as well as the romantic female lead. There are moments when she is the professional in charge. Then we watch her melts in the ML's arms and we swoon. I can ship the OTP unreservedly.
There is also a decent amount of skinship. They felt natural and sweet. Nothing red hot, just passionate enough to make it clear they are in love.
Similarly, the support cast pull their weight. There are so many nice people in both leads' family and their friend circle. Sure, there are misunderstandings and old wounds. Everything is sorted in the end.
Is it too sweet? Yes, it should come with health warnings. However, it gets away with it because it is unabashedly romantic (cough, unlike some other show . . ).
It also helps that the show has a strong core logic. There are no nonsensical plot twists. Everything progress at a steady pace to its logical conclusion. Some might find it predictable. I won't judge.
Of course, there are angsty moments, it is a drama after all. Thankfully, they are there to move the plot along and pave the way for a satisfying resolution. It is not angst for angst’s sake.
Is the show perfect? Hardly. There are tropes on top of tropes. Somehow this show made them work, most of the time. It is good enough to keep you engaged.
Most of the characters are from central casting, including the standard issue BFF's and second and third CP's. The second leads are smart enough to take the hint and get out of the OTP's way.
The show tries to make some social commentary about gender bias in the workplace as well. You can see where all the old prejudice comes from. There are a lot of middle-aged men who are lording over their domains. Enough said.
The production quality is high. Some settings are very posh. One thing that did caught me off guard is the standard of the CGI. I don't know why they did that for the single engine plane. It can't be that expensive to hire one for a day for some B-reels. It is particularly egregious with the scene where the FL took the ML up in her small plane. It was laughably bad.
In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by this series. I gave it a bonus 0.5 because I was feeling a bit disheartened after finishing The Early Spring. I needed this to restore my inner peace. I wouldn’t mind putting it on my rewatch list. Peace.
P.S. How does the FL changes into a structured wedding dress within moments of the last passenger deplaning?
I watched The Early Spring and then this series back-to-back. Each have their own merits, but they are polar opposites.
I'm not going to bore you with another dissertation on Early Spring (please read my review for reference). However, my reaction to this series is heavily influenced by how I felt after finishing TES. I enjoyed that show, I loved the acting of the leads, but certain aspects left me dissatisfied.
To be honest, I didn't have high hopes when I started watching this drama either as it gives off a strong filler vibe. All I can say is . . bring it on! :)
First and foremost, Wei Zhe Ming can write the textbook on playing this type of ML. He is perfectly casted. He can be forthright in business and then becomes a lovesick puppy when he is wooing her. There is nothing unique about his character, but you will make millions if you can bottle his essence. ;)
Another good casting choice is Liu Xie Ning as the FL. Her range is board enough to allow her to play the head strong pilot as well as the romantic female lead. There are moments when she is the professional in charge. Then we watch her melts in the ML's arms and we swoon. I can ship the OTP unreservedly.
There is also a decent amount of skinship. They felt natural and sweet. Nothing red hot, just passionate enough to make it clear they are in love.
Similarly, the support cast pull their weight. There are so many nice people in both leads' family and their friend circle. Sure, there are misunderstandings and old wounds. Everything is sorted in the end.
Is it too sweet? Yes, it should come with health warnings. However, it gets away with it because it is unabashedly romantic (cough, unlike some other show . . ).
It also helps that the show has a strong core logic. There are no nonsensical plot twists. Everything progress at a steady pace to its logical conclusion. Some might find it predictable. I won't judge.
Of course, there are angsty moments, it is a drama after all. Thankfully, they are there to move the plot along and pave the way for a satisfying resolution. It is not angst for angst’s sake.
Is the show perfect? Hardly. There are tropes on top of tropes. Somehow this show made them work, most of the time. It is good enough to keep you engaged.
Most of the characters are from central casting, including the standard issue BFF's and second and third CP's. The second leads are smart enough to take the hint and get out of the OTP's way.
The show tries to make some social commentary about gender bias in the workplace as well. You can see where all the old prejudice comes from. There are a lot of middle-aged men who are lording over their domains. Enough said.
The production quality is high. Some settings are very posh. One thing that did caught me off guard is the standard of the CGI. I don't know why they did that for the single engine plane. It can't be that expensive to hire one for a day for some B-reels. It is particularly egregious with the scene where the FL took the ML up in her small plane. It was laughably bad.
In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by this series. I gave it a bonus 0.5 because I was feeling a bit disheartened after finishing The Early Spring. I needed this to restore my inner peace. I wouldn’t mind putting it on my rewatch list. Peace.
P.S. How does the FL changes into a structured wedding dress within moments of the last passenger deplaning?
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