Feel Good Romance in a Class by Itself!

My first J drama has set the bar INCREDIBLY high and is right up there with my gold standard Hello Again! The writers have concocted a clever story with two extremely likable, attractive leads who start off with a happy beginning and elevate their romance to the happiest of endings. They're a couple of good hearted young people who find themselves in a hasty marriage and then start to fall in love with each other. It's just popcorn bubble gum sweet to watch their flirtations as their feelings deepen as much through their thoughts as their dialogue.

Everyone in the drama is as happy for their newlywed bliss as we in the audience are. His ex, their families, and their co workers all support their surprise marriage. There's no jealousy or resentment about how they tried to keep the relationship a secret or she's not good enough for someone's precious son. Every mini conflict results in a harmonious resolution and cementing their bond even further.

She sets out to "conquer" his heart and they're soon declaring their love and quickly behaving comfortably enough with each other to become physically intimate by the second episode! The skinship only picks up from there as the close-ups, kind words, and lovemaking will melt your heart as they get to know each other as husband and wife. The scene when she meets his mother is beyond cute and touching.

I'm surprised that Marriage Honey is only my first J drama as I lived in Japan for three years in the 90s and still love the sound of the language and Japanese movies. Now living in China I've sought out dramas in Mandarin, especially those from Taiwan, which bears some cultural similarities to Japan. Marriage Honey exemplifies the Japanese ethos of preserving harmony so I'm not surprised at how perfectly romantic this drama is and how captivated I was by every episode.

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Intriguing Crime Drama!

Living in China I had to watch this on a Chinese app (Youku) that doesn't have English subs and even though my Mandarin isn't the best, I was able to follow and enjoy the storylines and figure out the relationships of the various characters and the plotline. (There are also a lot of YouTube videos that get behind the scenes too BTW.) I'm a major fan of the super gorgeous Bruce He and loved his look with his perfect hair and glasses. Bryan Chang is a new favorite who was only ever outfitted in tight t-shirts. Nice look! He's both the super cop and the main romantic lead to the equally gorgeous Eugenie Liu who's known both male lead brothers since high school.

I like a good crime drama almost as much as a rom-com and the science fiction/Faustian aspect here is thought provoking and entertaining. The stories are told a lot through flashbacks so kudos to the tight editing. Being able to order something from the future may not lead to happiness in the end actually! Show got kind of dark when it moved to the abduction of female online influencers, which led to the cliff hanger. Bruce He had obvious chemistry developing with Ivy Shao (another favorite) and his character is different from his typical uber mensch leading man role. Already looking forward to the next season AND finding more of Bryan's work to explore.

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Best Rom-Com EVER‼️

Hello Again is surely my most favorite romantic comedy EVER! Movie, TV show, Asian drama, you name it! This one has all the feels, with ups and downs aplenty as our couple make their way to a somewhat corny but pretty satisfying happy ending. The romantic leads have perfect chemistry, the writers having created two likeable characters and a storyline full of laugh out loud comedy, moments brimming with romance, and scenes of heated argument between the two where it's tough to take sides. I've been watching it over and over again for a couple of months and in these Covid-19 times, it's diverting, funny, and uplifting all at once!

An excellent drama like Hello Again has all three required elements that combine to make it such a success. Start with 1) good writing that creates 2) compelling characters in a storyline that is brought to life by 3) talented, attractive actors. The formula is well worn: high school adversaries meet later in life where circumstances have changed and they make their way toward the expected happy ending (not really a spoiler alert but OK). But honestly the real reason for me to have fallen in love with this series is the man crush I have on the male lead, Bruce He (HaoChen). It was a YouTube video on the subject of certain Taiwanese men going shirtless in dramas (https://youtu.be/8rWWXd-NPyM) that led me to Hello Again actually and I'm so glad for it! He is absolutely drop dead gorgeous and is surely one of the most beautiful men I have ever watched on ANY screen and brings to light that the real reason I enjoy watching these Asian dramas is for the most superficial of reasons: eye candy. Give me a gorgeous man playing someone with resolute character who's fighting for love and shaping circumstances with all sorts of tribulations along the way and I'm hooked! First was Dylan Wang in Meteor Garden, then on to Marcus Chang (LiAng) and now Bruce He! He is truly one of the most stunningly beautiful men I've ever seen! Handsome as hell with the deepest dimples when he smiles, a deep sexy voice when he's taking charge, AND a tall, decently muscular gym body that is frequently showcased with him leaving the bathroom post shower and tying his robe just enough to make sure his abs and pecs are evident. He's played a few comic roles and knows how to get the laughs in Hello Again. In previous works his smile and even his body revealed his underlying attractiveness and charm, but he tidied up his looks (was it the cameo in Ex-man?) and is in pure handsome as hell leading man status now! He is just perfectly cast as the guy whose love is so sincere, supportive, and longstanding that you can't help but root for him to successfully woo his down trodden love interest.

Our main man looks dashing in a suit too. Playing a young department store executive he clearly looks the part and must have access to all the best designer looks as his character has a beautiful wardrobe of three piece and double breasted suits that he wears strikingly. Broad shouldered, tall, and lean, he cuts a v-tapered silhouette and loves to stand in a Superman posture with his hands on his hips screaming alpha in charge here even though that's not always the case! He may have even brought turtlenecks with a business suit back in style! As mentioned above he's often shirtless, almost gratuitously, including in one of the kissiest, most initimate love scenes I've ever seen in an Asian drama. The director knew she had a beauty to work with and opted to use her gorgeous dimpled hunk to maximum appeal with plenty of closeups and I'm certainly not complaining!

In YZH, the writers have also created a character of privilege who's a filial son and sees his executive role as more than just making money and ordering around subordinates. He's not just some rich jerk but a fighter who wants to make his parents proud, his customers to have a unique shopping experience, and his employees to have a chance to grow and be successful. He is even willing to apologize to those employees when he's made a mistake. He truly cares about his company and its people. He also seeks to challenge CKA to be her best and believes that she too can change her life circumstance and through hard work create a brighter future for herself, a future that he completely intends to be part of. The positive message of personal empowerment is uplifting and I also love that he believes in her intelligence and is so turned on by how smart she is and not just her physical attractiveness. He romances her by giving her more and more challenging opportunities at work to show she's just as capable as any college grad and giving her the chance to prove it, especially to Tiger Mom.

YZH is handsome beyond belief but certainly no player. He's got no experience nor interest in dating and neither does he know how to woo his love interest beyond coercing her into his proximity by having her make his breakfast every day or dropping by her house when he know she's off work. He uses his position as boss to come up with excuses to stop by her sales counter to make quasi-business demands on her time. Of course he's also the typical heroic male lead, catching her when she's falling, fighting for and protecting her from assailants and building up her debt of gratitude to him to the point that she feels she has to acquiesce to his demands, no matter how childish. But his childishness, which is noted in multiple situations, is part of his charm and what makes the drama so fun to watch. He knows he's like a high schooler and likes pranking her, but he's also the boss, and when they finally get back together for real he states out loud that she won't be able to get rid of him now no matter how childishly he behaves, which starts the next morning when she has to carry his briefcase weighted down with dumbbells to finally start making good on a bet. In fact, he actually only wants to support CKA because he loves her and owes a deep debt of gratitude himself and believes that someone who was a top student is capable no matter what. He states out loud a few times that there's nothing she can't succeed at and seeing a man absolutely supportive and in love with someone who's smart AND beautiful is heartwarming.

Finally (spoiler alert!), there's a major subplot with a lesbian character that is handled beautifully as she is also a love rival for the affections of CKA. She pursues CKA on the sly until she can't take it anymore and confesses her love after a kiss out of the blue and explaining that her love is more than friendship. This same lesbian is also pursued so sweetly by YZH's male cousin and fellow vice president. The cousin falls in love with the lesbian even telling her he'd become a woman if that's what she'd want. We don't know how they end up but we do get a real love scene with morning after embarrassment and ensuing complications! There's also another single gay father who's captivated by the uber handsome YZH and he's right in there with the women gushing and dishing over the boss. I love that there is zero homophobia around either of these characters and as a gay man myself I pay particular attention to how such characters are handled.

Clearly I LOVE Hello Again and Bruce He as the romantic lead. This excellent, high profile drama has absolutely springboarded him into other work as leading man, but it will be hard to top this breakout role. In the meantime it's fun to scour the internet to see how beautifully he's evolved though his body has usually been something we get a good glimpse of! In the meantime we can always enjoy Hello Again and the smiles and laughter it will always bring‼️???❤️??

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Bad example of a tried and true formula!

Glad it was so short! The story is tried and true: rich arrogant boss won't take no for an answer. While the male lead is gorgeous, he treats the female lead so abominably that I just couldn't get behind the impending romance. (Nor is there enough skinship!) She's a smart, good hearted veterinarian who saved his life but still gets bullied by him and former classmates without ever really standing up for herself in a satisfying way. She deserved better! The male lead is so good looking that I know I'll watch more of his work. Maybe if this were longer, there would have been more character development, but it left me NOT rooting for their romance. I did enjoy when his younger brother showed up and brought him down a peg, but you could skip this one unless you're a major fan of the uber hot Sung Hoon or you don't want to invest too much time in a formulaic romance.

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Such a positive message of unconditional love‼️♥️

So if you're a fan of Derek Chang (if you're not, you should be!), the best work that I've seen him in is "Love the Way You Are" on YouTube. He plays the hot male lead and renowned chef/food magnate trying to rekindle with the girl whose heart he broke in high school (but through no direct fault of his own). At that time she was fat, but now she's skinny and a super model out for revenge! She has a rare disease that causes her to become instantly fat if she overeats but she really loves food and especially his cooking. He has ironically lost his sense of taste but only wants to cook nutritious meals for her as he tries to figure out if she's the same girl he's been looking for so he can explain what went wrong in high school.

For rom-com fans, there are plenty of laughs and misunderstandings on their path to happiness and the skinship quotient is quite high because he pursues her relentlessly, believing her to be beautiful whether fat or thin. IMHO it's second only to my gold standard of "Hello Again" for the romance and skinship with a gorgeous male lead just for fun. Pure romance with a lovely message of supportive, unconditional love from a man to a woman who wants to make it on her own terms. Heck, even when she gets busy with work and he feels neglected he still shows unfailing understanding and a sheer desire to see her happy.

I especially loved Derek Chang here. He's gorgeous (his Adam's apple is as charming and distinctive as Bruce He's dimples!) and I loved all the skinship and flirtatiousness that were hallmarks of his interactions with Eva/Yuanyuan. And what a positive message that inner beauty is what most matters and that we are all deserving of love no matter how we look! Plus, these adults are allowed to enjoy having sex! It's quaint in a 1950s way how marriage tends to be a prerequisite for sex in some of my favorite dramas, but in the real world, adults do what adults love to do! At first leading man is the typically arrogant CEO running roughshod over the sensibilities of his subordinates, but his inner core revealed a truly loving, supportive man ready to fight for his truth and his long held love for his high school crush. So reminded me of "Hello Again" in that the romance had been simmering from the start and we got to enjoy the ride to a very satisfying romantic ending.

The subplots and supporting characters were many and most worked well. I really liked the relationship Between Eva and her protective brother, the brother's comedic pursuit of Derek Chang's deputy, and how Derek gleefully stood up up to his own toxic mother. Another modern take on the younger generation compared to their parents'. So many times that stereotypical character of the disapproving mom is nothing but cliche but at least in this case our main man stands up for his true love in no uncertain terms.

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Excellent writing to ruminate on relationships‼️

I like to think a little bit while I'm being entertained and a drama that fits that bill is "Find Yourself" starring the uber handsome Song Wei Long. "Find Yourself" is not high on the skinship quotient, which is a pity because the Song is absolutely gorgeous to distraction and there are plenty of closeups of his gorgeous self. He and the female lead are quite attractive together and have good chemistry. She's an older woman of 32 dating a younger man of 22 so the potential was there for some affection and flirting but they've written the female lead as too buttoned up to go for it even as her suitor proves that he loves her more than she's willing to love him. But the writing and dialogue are tops in that the various characters talk so much about love, marriage, and dating that it truly provides insights into Chinese culture and thinking that I find thought-provoking.

These folks are constantly talking with each other about relationships with their parents, boyfriends, husbands, siblings, etc. People can speak bluntly and truthfully about someone else's situation but less forthrightly about their own. The female lead He Fanxing is close to two college girlfriends and her own twin brother who lives across the hall from the family. The writers largely succeed at getting past the typical stereotypes: the mother and father eschew constantly nagging their children to go on blind dates and get married; one girlfriend is in a long term relationship but doesn't want marriage or children. The other has one child and another on the way and just wants to stay home to raise them but her husband wants her to keep earning money. And He Fanxing still wants to marry for love, not just for practical reasons, despite the unsolicited advice she gets from the other women at her office regarding choices for someone her age.

The first two thirds of the episodes are strongly dialog driven around the central relationship and it's many tributaries while the end seems to be about whether her practical side will win out over her romantic side. You can guess which side I'm on as a fan of this rom-com and its Prince Charming!

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Justice vs. Revenge...with a bit of romance and humor!!

So I’m a huge fan of Marcus Chang and "Behind Your Smile" is so far my favorite of his dramas thus far. Here as Zhao Yiting he's as handsome as ever, pained over his family's tragedy, and emotionally flawed as he lives his life in pursuit of vengeance. What's not to love as the guileless Lei Xinyu appears in his life and starts breaking down his walls even as she moves in her own arc of self-discovery that many others had to pay the price for her comfortable life.

One reason I enjoy Taiwanese dramas so much is for their insights into Chinese culture and family life. "Behind Your Smile" in some key scenes re-enforces the importance of filial relationships, defines the three types of love that are key to happiness (family, friendship, and romantic), and explains societal justice vs. righteous justice.

Both Marcus and Eugenie get to really display their emotional chops, especially when Lei Xinyu has enough information to really stand up for herself against all the people who've lied to her. Any Asian actress has to be able to shed a tear at the drop of a hat, but Marcus also had to shed tears of sadness, joy, and regret in between behaving like an uber mensch.

These scenes are just as much a tribute to excellent writing as acting. I especially liked Xiaoyue's soliloquy on the tiger vs. the lamb and how he seeks to protect the lamb, not just attack and maybe his nature is misunderstood. So many of the scenes of confrontation between the brothers, the mothers, etc. were truly gripping.

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