And of course, the romance is heart-aching. If you love stories about fate and soulmates, then don’t miss out on this drama.
Also, two months after watching this, the songs are still stuck in my head. The soundtrack is *so good*.
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To be honest, I ignored Woo Shik and Soo Jin's storyline altogether because I just didn't care about them at all. They never became likable to me. The other storyline I dislike was Yi Jin's. She aggressively stalks him and it wasn't cute or endearing!
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Season one is the strongest of the three seasons. The premise is mysterious, and Bai Jin Xi and Han Chen initially have an entertaining rivalry and it's clear from the start that there's chemistry between the two of them. Xiao Zhuan, Leng Mian, and Lao Dao are fun, likable supporting characters that offer a lot of humor to a show that centers around some very dark and disturbing crimes.
It's towards the end of season one that the show began to lose my interest with its increasingly convoluted, baffling plot. I just felt like this show asked for too much suspension of disbelief. (And Han Chen's lines made me roll my eyes.) I do know this is a Ding Mo novel adaptation, and I did like both Love Me If You Dare and When a Snail Falls in Love - I recommend both of those instead of Memory Lost.
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Yes, He Fanxing (Victoria Song) is naive and sometimes quite silly, and you will shake your head at some of her actions. But not everyone has the same experiences at the same age, and she does learn from her mistakes. Plus, her silliness is exactly what Yuan Song (Song Weilong) likes about her... Yuan Song approaches the relationship with the passion of youth; I love his fearless pursuit of Fanxing even though I knew he couldn't truly understand the societal and familial pressure she feels. I thought him being an intern at the company she works at would have probably been a bigger issue...
I loved Fanxing's relationship with her family - I was quite surprised to see Zhang Yujian play her twin brother, He Canyang, but I loved it! Their dynamic was hilarious and heartwarming. Zhang Yujian's deadpan delivery and side-eye glances were on point. The one storyline I could not believe though was his romance storyline. It just seemed to come out of nowhere and felt out-of-character. I also loved Fanxing's two best friends, Song Xue and Xiao Yu. They each had such different lives and priorities, and maintained such supportive friendships. I was glad that both friends had their own storylines. Then there's also Fanxing's work friends! I loved all the office scenes, especially Cong Xiao and Chang Huan. Cong Xiao was a great contrast to Fanxing, and I loved her insights and advice.
I liked the second male lead Ye Lu Ming (David Wang) much more than I would have expected. His character is so funny, slightly over the top and somewhat strange, but he's also driven and smart. If he had met Fanxing before she fell for Yuan Song, I honestly think he would've had a chance. I didn't like some of his actions (like deliberately meeting her parents) but mostly he was a guy who went in 100% for what he wanted. Also, his cousin/assistant was really funny and I loved her.
As for Yuan Song's friends, Cai Minmin was such an over-the-top spoiled and childish character, but at the same time, I would totally believe someone like her exists... I was glad to see her experience some growth throughout the series. Her friend Zhanni was so down-to-earth and loyal.
I do admit, it's ridiculous what a small world it feels like in this drama. That aspect was 100% unrealistic but SO fun and entertaining. It made this drama a mix of realistic situations and laugh-out-loud coincidences.
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First of all, I pretty much skipped all of the childhood scenes and flashbacks. I understood that their purpose is emphasizing the deep brother-sister bond between Jiang Sheng (Sun Yi) and Liang Sheng (Ma Tian Yu), but I just cared about the present-day events. In the beginning of the story, Jiang Sheng is a spirited and hard-working college student (with her brother) and I love the way her relationship with Tian You (Wallace Chung) begins and develops. It was surprisingly light and funny! Unfortunately, the three of them end up separated and there are multiple characters scheming against their reconciliation. A miserable back-and-forth fills the rest of the drama, but I couldn't stop watching because I had to know what happens.
It's difficult to say which character is the worst... is it Liang Sheng's girlfriend Wei Yang (played by Zoey Meng), who is possessive and jealous of how much he cares about his SISTER? Or is it Tian You's brother Tien En (played by Alan Yu), who bullies Jiang Sheng behind Tian You's back and then pretends to be innocent in front of him? Wei Yang's behavior is especially apparent when compared to Tian You, who supports the siblings being reunited and gives them space. Meanwhile, Tian En does his best to force Jiang Sheng to leave his brother and I hate that he never truly apologizes to Jiang Sheng. Liang Sheng annoyed me as well because he doesn't listen to what Jiang Sheng tells him and tries to make decisions for her. Why did he even keep Wei Yang by his side all those years??
This drama really pulls out a lot of ~dramatic events~ and I swear every other storyline involved someone being in the hospital. Some kind of accident was always occurring: car, fire, falling, serious medical conditions... Yikes. Towards the end I was confused by why Jiang Sheng was just going along with everyone else's plans and not speaking up about what she wanted. There were some bizarre situations and then all of a sudden another accident occurred and everything was resolved.
Jiang Sheng's friends had storylines as well and I liked how close they remained over the years, but ultimately I was here for the Jiang Sheng and Tian You scenes, which I would actually re-watch.
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Ji Chang Wook shines in the action scenes as “Healer”, made me laugh out loud as the scaredy-cat Bong Soo, and also captured the vulnerability and sadness of Jung Hoo. Park Min Young played the courageous, principled young reporter perfectly, and I loved her relationship with her dad. I loved every scene between Jung Hoo and Yeong Shin. Also, the hacker lady was a real scene-stealer.
If I had to point out some weaknesses I’d say that I thought Detective Yoon would be a bigger part of the story, but he disappeared there toward the end. Also, things wrapped up so quickly in the end. But overall, I enjoyed this so much.
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When her father's company goes bankrupt, Gao Yang is quickly forced to realize that her identity, self-worth, and friendships were all tied to her wealth. However, Gao Yang's poverty lasts for pretty much only one night because Yan Li brings her to his huge apartment. I wish Gao Yang had experienced more challenges on her own because things work out so easily/luckily. She does find a job on her own and works hard and persistently, but even in her financial condition she still purchases robot vacuums and sheet masks? She's kind-hearted, isn't spiteful, and does experience a lot of growth, so overall I still liked her.
I couldn't stand that Yan Li repeatedly called Gao Yang stupid, despite his actions showing that he saw merit in some of her ideas. I can be more forgiving when this sort of thing happens in a youth drama but Yan Li is a smart, mature adult. I guess it was supposed to convey how he loses reason when it comes to her and had feelings for her?? Yikes. In comparison, the second male lead Li Ming Che (played by the charming Li Shen) supported her creative ideas and appreciated her! When Yan Li had moments in the drama later on where he was sweet or affectionate, it actually gave me the creeps because it felt so unlike him. I was also disappointed when Gao Yang ignored the differences in her and Yan Li's personalities, and made him change his behavior for her while not doing the same for him. (The sweatshirt scene was The Worst.)
My favorite character was Xiao Zai because he was so funny, down-to-earth, and a supportive friend. The most memorable moments of this drama for me were Gao Yang's moments of self-growth and interactions with supporting characters. Also, although there were several characters facing unrequited love, none of them turned to any villainous behavior, which was a nice change. No scheming, no persistent 'I can't live without you', no creating misunderstandings. While I didn't love this drama, it was a nice break between some heartbreaking and emotional historical/fantasy dramas.
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Aside from Yoo Jin, every other character is so poorly developed. While Ji Chang Wook's Kim Je Ha starts off as a promising character, he ends up with only two defining characteristics: the ability to win a fight against all odds and a tendency for saving/falling in love with the damsel in distress. Yikes. Aside from the reason he seeks revenge, he's given little backstory. His relationship with Yoo Jin is complicated and intriguing, and showed SO MUCH POTENTIAL, but it all went away when he suddenly fell in love with Anna. I can understand if they slowly built a friendship and fell in love as they got to know each other but that's not what happens. What do they even know about each other?
Even on her own, Anna's character is so flimsy. The relationship with Je Ha aside, her character could've been 10 years younger and had the same storyline. What has her life been like all these years? All we see are glimpses of her running away, but was she educated? Was she allowed to have hobbies? It didn't make any sense. (Compare her character to the main character in Graceful Family, who is sent away for years and heavily watched/guarded.)
Choi Yoo Jin's husband, the congressman, had a shockingly small role. I would have liked to see him make some of his own decisions as well as the backstory of how they met. Also, the JSS agents seemed so inept compared to Je Ha, which I always find unbelievable, but ESPECIALLY Mi Ran. I cannot believe that after making a huge mistake, Mi Ran didn't lose her job. She was the World's Worst Bodyguard, from beginning to end, and while her personality was meant for some comic relief, I just found it annoying. The most under-utilized character with potential might've been Chief Kim though. She was fierce and loyal, but we never learn why.
I really liked the ending theme song though - Today by Kim Bo Hyung.
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However, there are so many different people involved in the conspiracy that it can be overwhelming. It was sometimes difficult to track how much time had passed. Sometimes events were occurring concurrently, but sometimes we'd be going back in time, flashbacks came into play every once in a while, and then other times days had passed? Towards the end, I especially felt more aware of plot holes, recklessness, and ridiculousness. I would have also liked to see more depth and layers for many characters. Overall though, very entertaining. I hope there's a second season to complete the story. The last episode didn't feel like a final episode at all but more like an American mid-season/winter finale.
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I loved every single scene between Chen Bo Lin and Zhang Tian Ai as the main characters Zhou Erwen and Li Nanen. Zhou Erwen is a serious, principled, and stubborn genius working determinedly on an ecological project with Gao Mu, Wu Suowei, and Yu Buji. He frequently makes decisions on his own, alienating his teammates. When Li Nanen goes to France to study architecture, she meets the four of them and it becomes her goal to join their project. Li Nanen is lively, upbeat, and relentlessly pursues her dreams. Although Li Nanen and Zhou Erwen's personalities initially clash, they learn from and inspire each other. Their relationship develops at a great pace with so many heartwarming moments. That's not to say there weren't obstacles between them—there are MANY, including some classic c-drama tropes (sigh)—but I had faith that they would be able to overcome everything. They thoroughly won me over and I would rewatch all their scenes.
Aside from the two leads, I liked every major side character except for one: Wan Wei. She's awful from start to finish, and I'm warning you so you don't get your hopes up about her. I liked the project team members; their relationships with each other were nuanced and sometimes tense. There are also multiple side couples, exploring how love isn't always enough, how people can change (for better or worse), and how sometimes you only love the idea of someone.
Surprisingly, there was a lot of action in this drama, like scientific espionage and corporate scheming. It definitely helped build urgency and kept the drama moving at a fast pace. In the last five episodes, I thought (and hoped) things would wind down but it was dramatic all the way until the very end.
Also, just want to mention that since much of the drama takes place in France, there is a lot of French spoken. I have no idea if the French lines were written or spoken well, or if the translations were accurate.
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I really like both Jasper Liu and Eugenie Liu and the premise of this series sounded like fun - gangster's daughter meets and falls in love with the actor she's always fangirled over! The action scenes in the show are purely comedic, cheesy and just for fun. Sometimes it's over the top, but I can accept that. Eugenie does a great job portraying Angie, a fierce, bubbly young woman who tries to forge an independent path for herself. On the other hand, Jasper's character Yi Hang felt underdeveloped. He's a cute, charming, popular actor who loves elephants. That's all I got really. Their relationship developed UNBELIEVABLY quickly. Emphasis on unbelievable as in "I absolutely did not believe it." In comparison, I found myself liking Eddie Kim much more and thought the actor who plays him, Tsao Yu Ning, was excellent.
A lot of interesting side stories are introduced - Ding Ding, Ling Yun, Sophia, etc - but none of them are developed nearly enough. If Netflix releases more episodes (I mean, they'd BETTER!), then I will definitely continue watching. There's so much potential.
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Wan Peng and Hsu Thassapak were so great as the leads and had a lot of chemistry. I thought Wan Peng really pulled off the clueless boy-crazy alien without being annoying. (Maybe a hint of cringeyness at times, but overall I thought she was endearing.) They had plenty of cute moments and kissing scenes, and I laughed so hard when Xiao Qi kept trying to touch his chest. I really loved that this story wasn't instalove for her (just instalust, lol), and she approached everything with a positive attitude. I loved the talking turtle.
If you watched the web drama Fall in Love from this summer, you'll recognize Wang You Jun as Fang Lie, Fang Leng's brother. (I felt like his acting improved here.) His friendship with Xiao Qi offered a lot of fun, playful scenes and I enjoyed the moments between the two brothers as well. I also liked Fang Leng's doctor and assistant, and the "villains" in this drama were very good and provided solid obstacles for our leads.
However, the storyline was a little uneven at times. During episodes 9-13 it felt like the plot was going in circles. While I really loved the two leads and their relationship, I just didn't feel the emotional impact in the last 8ish episodes. Sometimes a moment would occur between them and I would forget how they reached that point. In the last three episodes (26-28), certain storylines seemed to just be set aside and although they were definitely intended to be emotional, I just didn't feel it. But I think the writer(s) did their best to provide a satisfying ending! 28 episodes was a good number, and there are definitely scenes I'd rewatch.
By the way, the behind the scenes clips on YouTube are really fun to watch! It seems like they had a lot of fun filming.
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But after episode 9, the plot becomes increasingly convoluted and nonsensical. There are so many different people involved, their motives were murky (I never did understand Xia Yu Xuan), and the science fiction aspect was pretty far-fetched. From episodes 13-21, the plot just kept going back and forth with no progress, and then in episodes 22-23, the characters finally just explain everything. The final episode was disappointing; I was hoping for some fun scenes to reward me for getting through 23 episodes of ridiculousness. If you are watching for the romance, you'll be especially frustrated.
Note: On iQiyi, this drama is separated into two seasons of 12 episodes each.
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