This review may contain spoilers
Beautiful Initial Chemistry, Sunk by Circular Angst
I really wanted to like this drama, especially after being so invested in the childhood arc. The leads have incredible visual chemistry, and there was so much potential for a good story. However, reaching the halfway mark at Episode 16, I’ve decided to drop it.
The biggest issue for me is the shift in focus once we get the time jump. What started as an engaging story has become sluggish and circular. The pacing drags and not much is happening to move the story forward.
Once we get to the time jump, the relationship dynamic between Jing and Yi becomes frustrating to watch. Both carry childhood trauma and the pain of their separation, but we can tell that they still care deeply for one another. However, what we get is a hot and cold cycle from both of them that is exhausting. It is painful to watch them take one step forward only to take two steps back, repeatedly avoiding the necessary conversations to get them on track. Even worse, it often feels like Jing is intentionally trying to test Yi and it makes him suffer. Yi puts up his walls as well. I want to root for them but I found it hard to do so. Yi is an avoidant and Jing is anxious in their attachment styles. It is two people starving for the same thing (connection with one another) but using two completely opposite, self-sabotaging methods to try and get it. She often tries to trigger a response from him to see if he cares enough to fight for her. He acts both aloof and like a puppy, pretending that his need for her doesn't exist while also becoming overwhelmed and both running towards her and then distancing himself when she acts out. It’s like they’re together without having the conversations and doing the hard work of being together.
The noble idiocy trope used is also terrible because it strips away the character’s agency. Jing was 18, had graduated from high school, and is intelligent. She knows her options. Attending a good college isn’t the deciding factor towards a full life. C'mon Yi, let her decide on her own future! That's not love or sacrifice, it is meddling and distressing.
We also get side characters like Tu Li and Zhang Bin, who I find myself uninvested in. The side plots with their jobs (her current one and his past) seem confusing, distracting, and uninteresting. I don't know who or what I’m rooting for anymore. I would prefer if the story stayed closer to healing the main leads back together. I did like Bo--he is an anchor for Yi.
For me, the unknowns in the plot don't feel like an intriguing mystery—they feel like filler. The leads are beautiful, but visuals aren't enough when the writing lacks the substance to keep me invested and moving the story forward.
The biggest issue for me is the shift in focus once we get the time jump. What started as an engaging story has become sluggish and circular. The pacing drags and not much is happening to move the story forward.
Once we get to the time jump, the relationship dynamic between Jing and Yi becomes frustrating to watch. Both carry childhood trauma and the pain of their separation, but we can tell that they still care deeply for one another. However, what we get is a hot and cold cycle from both of them that is exhausting. It is painful to watch them take one step forward only to take two steps back, repeatedly avoiding the necessary conversations to get them on track. Even worse, it often feels like Jing is intentionally trying to test Yi and it makes him suffer. Yi puts up his walls as well. I want to root for them but I found it hard to do so. Yi is an avoidant and Jing is anxious in their attachment styles. It is two people starving for the same thing (connection with one another) but using two completely opposite, self-sabotaging methods to try and get it. She often tries to trigger a response from him to see if he cares enough to fight for her. He acts both aloof and like a puppy, pretending that his need for her doesn't exist while also becoming overwhelmed and both running towards her and then distancing himself when she acts out. It’s like they’re together without having the conversations and doing the hard work of being together.
The noble idiocy trope used is also terrible because it strips away the character’s agency. Jing was 18, had graduated from high school, and is intelligent. She knows her options. Attending a good college isn’t the deciding factor towards a full life. C'mon Yi, let her decide on her own future! That's not love or sacrifice, it is meddling and distressing.
We also get side characters like Tu Li and Zhang Bin, who I find myself uninvested in. The side plots with their jobs (her current one and his past) seem confusing, distracting, and uninteresting. I don't know who or what I’m rooting for anymore. I would prefer if the story stayed closer to healing the main leads back together. I did like Bo--he is an anchor for Yi.
For me, the unknowns in the plot don't feel like an intriguing mystery—they feel like filler. The leads are beautiful, but visuals aren't enough when the writing lacks the substance to keep me invested and moving the story forward.
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