This review may contain spoilers
Excellent concept, Lacking execution
I really wanted to love this show. It has friends to lovers and the overall concept was promising…but the execution was lacking. I finished the show and I didn’t *hate* it but I also just feel like it had no real plot?
I am not that picky of a viewer imo…I’m okay with a lackluster plot and solid characters which for the most part this had…but the romance (my personal north star for all media) was lukewarm. In fact, it’s not great for a show when my favorite couple were secondary – Jin Bai Hui and Lin Ze Qiu actually warmed my heart *more* than the main leads esp after
the adulthood time jump.
I wasn’t too excited when I saw who the MML actor was and maybe it’s because I *personally* don’t love him BUT on an acting level he’s also just okay. Maybe it’s his character but Tian Xi Wei carried a lot of the emotions between them which didn’t make sense when we are told (in the synopsis) that she’s awkward and he’s “sunny and charismatic”. Sunny where? I think I enjoyed the kid actor way more and we unfortunately only get him for one episode.
Even in high school Jiang Yu Bai is hardly “sunny”, he’s just a normal guy that can make friends as compared to Lin Zhi Xia who everyone avoids because she’s “different”. IDK if that makes him a social butterfly. Also he does a good job of clearly caring for her but his face is always so stoic which again goes against this “sunny” claim.
Overall I really enjoyed the high school chunk and honestly wished it just focused on that. Once the time jump happens I definitely disengaged with the story.
Expanding on the time jumps – in theory they made sense and were fine…but they were disjointed. Especially the high school to adult jump. We are immersed in these high school characters and their lives for *most* of the show only to then fast forward five years and have a bunch of new side characters.
- Jiang Yu Bai supposedly yeeted himself out of their lives for five years because of the money he had to focus on paying back…..on one hand it was nice that he didn’t have this do or die situation with the thug debt collector…but on the other it made his whole situation make even less sense. He could 10000% stayed their friend while working and paying off his loan. Like the thug he borrowed from was chill as heck all things considered so it wasn’t safety it was literally just his pride? But that pride lasted all of 5 seconds once he saw her again. So I just don’t get it….And THIS was the biggest issue with the time jump.
- Gao Yi Yuan was unnecessary and I wish Duan Qi Yan and Tang Ting Ting bickered just a smidge less and “flirted” a bit more. I really liked them but it’s like these shows just *have* to have a couple that fights for fun in this highly immature manner. It honestly didn’t even make sense because they were both such solid adults but when together all they do is prod and poke each other into frustration.
- The cancer patient, Xiao Shui….what was her purpose? Maybe I’m dumb but they just added her to torture poor Shen Fu Xuan and *pretend* there was substance in the show by killing her. Like *none* of the show’s conflicts were real but suddenly in this case we can’t get a happy ending for her?
I am not that picky of a viewer imo…I’m okay with a lackluster plot and solid characters which for the most part this had…but the romance (my personal north star for all media) was lukewarm. In fact, it’s not great for a show when my favorite couple were secondary – Jin Bai Hui and Lin Ze Qiu actually warmed my heart *more* than the main leads esp after
the adulthood time jump.
I wasn’t too excited when I saw who the MML actor was and maybe it’s because I *personally* don’t love him BUT on an acting level he’s also just okay. Maybe it’s his character but Tian Xi Wei carried a lot of the emotions between them which didn’t make sense when we are told (in the synopsis) that she’s awkward and he’s “sunny and charismatic”. Sunny where? I think I enjoyed the kid actor way more and we unfortunately only get him for one episode.
Even in high school Jiang Yu Bai is hardly “sunny”, he’s just a normal guy that can make friends as compared to Lin Zhi Xia who everyone avoids because she’s “different”. IDK if that makes him a social butterfly. Also he does a good job of clearly caring for her but his face is always so stoic which again goes against this “sunny” claim.
Overall I really enjoyed the high school chunk and honestly wished it just focused on that. Once the time jump happens I definitely disengaged with the story.
Expanding on the time jumps – in theory they made sense and were fine…but they were disjointed. Especially the high school to adult jump. We are immersed in these high school characters and their lives for *most* of the show only to then fast forward five years and have a bunch of new side characters.
- Jiang Yu Bai supposedly yeeted himself out of their lives for five years because of the money he had to focus on paying back…..on one hand it was nice that he didn’t have this do or die situation with the thug debt collector…but on the other it made his whole situation make even less sense. He could 10000% stayed their friend while working and paying off his loan. Like the thug he borrowed from was chill as heck all things considered so it wasn’t safety it was literally just his pride? But that pride lasted all of 5 seconds once he saw her again. So I just don’t get it….And THIS was the biggest issue with the time jump.
- Gao Yi Yuan was unnecessary and I wish Duan Qi Yan and Tang Ting Ting bickered just a smidge less and “flirted” a bit more. I really liked them but it’s like these shows just *have* to have a couple that fights for fun in this highly immature manner. It honestly didn’t even make sense because they were both such solid adults but when together all they do is prod and poke each other into frustration.
- The cancer patient, Xiao Shui….what was her purpose? Maybe I’m dumb but they just added her to torture poor Shen Fu Xuan and *pretend* there was substance in the show by killing her. Like *none* of the show’s conflicts were real but suddenly in this case we can’t get a happy ending for her?
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