This review may contain spoilers
Better than I expected but not without its flaws...
I started this because I was craving some Song Wei Long. Despite hearing good things I had low expectations. May-December dramas don't particularly appeal to me but I don't mind the concept. This one was exceptionally well done and well casted actually. It wasn't perfect but the chemistry between the leads had me hooked.
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The main couple: I like Victoria Song's music more than her acting but she did pretty well here. It could be because this character is similar to her real personality that made He Fan Xing more believable? And I also think it had to do with her having such good chemistry with SWL. And SWL played his lovesick, cheeky, green flag character perfectly. All of his microexpressions and longing gazes were swoony and very convincing (currently fanning myself thinking of certain scenes lol). He portrayed every moment perfectly from when he was being playful, feeling desire or feeling sadness. Whenever his expressions would drop or darken when he was disappointed or hurt, I really felt for him. Every scene with him was top notch. Although it was stressful seeing him rejected constantly, I still understood where HFX was coming from. She could've handled the situation better but I actually appreciated how human and flawed her character was. She never denied it when Yuan Song called her a coward. But her fear was totally understandable. In these instances it's always the older woman who will be judged harshly. And Yuan Song never seemed to take that into consideration because he didn't care what others think. Yet even if she didn't care what other people think, she still cared about him and did not want to ruin his life or prospects by tying him down to her. On the other hand, I also understood Yuan Song's side. He knew he was committed and he actually did have his priorities straight. In terms of intelligence and professionalism in his career he was already leagues ahead of other people his age. So he was frustrated because she didn't trust him enough to accept his love and she was wrong to make choices for him. He also didn't want to be hidden away. Who does? The whole situation just wasn't fair to either of them.
Luckily their time together made up for the frustrating areas of this drama. These two were seriously cute and their chemistry was on fire! (If you're one of those impatient people who complain about slow-burn, no PDA cdramas, this one doesn't wait long to deliver. It was really refreshing to watch a drama where we start off with them getting together and then watch them work through their relationship, break-up and then find their way back to each other. There was something very raw and intoxicating about this storyline.)
It was nice to see that there were obvious reasons the two of them liked each other as well, besides them just being the leads and being attractive. HFX is young at heart and very inexperienced in love despite her age but her being naive about love I found more endearing than ridiculous somehow. It may be because she also has a long list of amiable qualities on top of being extremely beautiful. She is kind, generous, understanding, elegant, loyal, forgiving, always willing to help anyone, and outspoken/fiery when deserved. And finally she is a good boss, friend, daughter and girlfriend (when she allows herself to be one). So it's completely believable that YS would fall for her. Her biggest flaw...she is NOT good with necklaces lol That and she does lack emotional intelligence and awareness. Although she is highly aware of how her actions affect others and is timid when not wanting to hurt other people, she really isn't good at reading men's romantic feelings at all. She also falls for YS's ragebaiting time and time again lol But it's clear to the audience that he teases her so much because he wants her attention and finds her innocuous anger cute.
It's actually pretty believable that she's never dated and why she likes YS of all people. Someone as pretty and successful as her must have gotten offers from eligible men her whole life. The reason she never accepted any of them was because she genuinely never liked any of them. Yes, YS is handsome but HFX isn't shallow so good looks alone is not enough for her to commit her heart. She doesn't care about a man with money or power. She falls for YS because he is another rare bird in this world just like her so their connection made sense. He also isn't shallow and could have his pick of pretty girls. But YS and HFX both have similar hearts and personalities. The only issue between them was their ages.
Yuan Song radiates youth when he's being playful but mentally and romantically he is a lot more mature for someone his age. He clearly is the one with more experience in love because he's always coaching her through their relationship, which is funny to watch most of the time. He is even wise and gentle with his words when he rejects Cai Min Min in the beginning, but then stays her friend and continues to handle her gently/gives her good advice from a caring perspective. I also found that the leads are even similar in the way they handled the bad situations that came up. They are both passionate and emotional people but also graceful in their deliveries because of how considerate they both are. And as silly as they both could be at times, they were always mature when it mattered. And I appreciated that none of their conflicts were really that terrible. They didn't do anything to each other that created a moral conflict I couldn't get over like a big lie, betrayal or nasty breakup. I think that also goes back to how they both have similar personalities. At their core they are both really caring, innocent-minded people so it's not in their nature to be spiteful or dishonest. They just worked really well together.
I thought that their break up was sad but a crucial part of the story (hence them "finding themselves" as the title suggests). It gave HFX the space and time she needed to realize that YS was the only person who could make her happy. It sounds crappy but I think she needed to try dating Ye Lu Ming to realize that as well. And Yuan Song needed the time to realize the position HFX was in when they were dating. When he did he tried his best to earn her trust and show her that he wasn't a fair weather lover. I can't even be mad at him when he's trying to get her back from Ye Lu Ming because that was just giving YLM a taste of his own medicine. And I can't be mad at him when he gives her a hard time when she finally wants him back either. He's taken all the steps towards her in their relationship and it's her turn to close the distance and prove to him she's not going anywhere.
Ye Lu Ming: I have a love hate relationship for our 2ML. I hated that he was so scheming in the beginning but he was so funny that it made him more bearable somehow. And he really wasn't a terrible person. He was good to his niece and family. And as a friend he was good to HFX when he wasn't scheming. As far as 2MLs go, he was pretty mild and even likable most of the time.
Other couples: Her friends relationships were just mildly interesting. I wanted the best for them and they both came out on top in their storylines so I was happy for them. Song Xue I liked a little more because she was smarter and more supportive to everyone around her. I've seen people say they wished Can Yang would've ended up with her but he's honestly not good enough for her.
He Can Yang & Cai Gua: As a brother and friend I found him adequate. I liked how protective and caring he was to his sister. Them being twins was definitely believable. And he was funny during all their family moments. But as a love interest he was insufferable to me. He was kind of a pretentious know-it-all, playboy turned hypocrite. In the beginning they set him up as smooth-talker and a heartbreaker but then we are supposed to believe that he's this innocent, tame guy in the end? I wasn't buying it. He winds up falling for a student with the same age gap his sister has with the ML. But their relationship just seemed shallow, had zero chemistry and gave me the ick. Cai Gua (Cai Min Min) was earnest enough, cute and loveable on her own but annoying with her crushes. I found her sweet and kind hearted but she was selfish and ridiculous in love. Pairing her with Can Yang was just weird and I found their dynamic awkward. And not because I'm being hypocritical and only accepting the age gap between the leads. But the relationship between the leads actually made sense. Yuan Song is mature for his age and values HFX for all of the right reasons and vice versa. There was really nothing in common between Can Yang and Cai Gua. It just seemed like he settled for her because she wore him down. But she's also very babyish and shameless. She's definitely not mature for her age or his intellectual equal. Not to mention Cai Gua was in love with ML, and Can Yang's best friend, for the first half of the show and publicly confessed to him! It just seemed like them getting together was a last minute decision in an attempt to make the leads' relationship more okay? If that makes sense. The only thing I liked about their pairing was that he tried to teach her to value herself more like Yuan Song did as well. I would've preferred if their relationship didn't progress into romance but he became her mentor and coached her into being a more confident, independent person.
Other characters: I LOVED her parents. They were funny and youthful themselves. You see how they raised their children with love and consideration rather than pressure. Which may have stunted both of them in maturity but also created too good hearted, unique kids. I was devasted when the father got sick in the end. But at least they showed him still well and functioning in the end even though we know his condition will progress in the future.
HFX's employees were all likable and cute. Cong Xiao irritated me at times but she's harmless and made the right decision in the end so all is forgiven. Just seeing sweet Chang Huan happy was all I needed there.
Final thoughts: I would definitely rewatch this if I need a pick me up! It was sweet, funny and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Now one of my top SWL dramas!
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The main couple: I like Victoria Song's music more than her acting but she did pretty well here. It could be because this character is similar to her real personality that made He Fan Xing more believable? And I also think it had to do with her having such good chemistry with SWL. And SWL played his lovesick, cheeky, green flag character perfectly. All of his microexpressions and longing gazes were swoony and very convincing (currently fanning myself thinking of certain scenes lol). He portrayed every moment perfectly from when he was being playful, feeling desire or feeling sadness. Whenever his expressions would drop or darken when he was disappointed or hurt, I really felt for him. Every scene with him was top notch. Although it was stressful seeing him rejected constantly, I still understood where HFX was coming from. She could've handled the situation better but I actually appreciated how human and flawed her character was. She never denied it when Yuan Song called her a coward. But her fear was totally understandable. In these instances it's always the older woman who will be judged harshly. And Yuan Song never seemed to take that into consideration because he didn't care what others think. Yet even if she didn't care what other people think, she still cared about him and did not want to ruin his life or prospects by tying him down to her. On the other hand, I also understood Yuan Song's side. He knew he was committed and he actually did have his priorities straight. In terms of intelligence and professionalism in his career he was already leagues ahead of other people his age. So he was frustrated because she didn't trust him enough to accept his love and she was wrong to make choices for him. He also didn't want to be hidden away. Who does? The whole situation just wasn't fair to either of them.
Luckily their time together made up for the frustrating areas of this drama. These two were seriously cute and their chemistry was on fire! (If you're one of those impatient people who complain about slow-burn, no PDA cdramas, this one doesn't wait long to deliver. It was really refreshing to watch a drama where we start off with them getting together and then watch them work through their relationship, break-up and then find their way back to each other. There was something very raw and intoxicating about this storyline.)
It was nice to see that there were obvious reasons the two of them liked each other as well, besides them just being the leads and being attractive. HFX is young at heart and very inexperienced in love despite her age but her being naive about love I found more endearing than ridiculous somehow. It may be because she also has a long list of amiable qualities on top of being extremely beautiful. She is kind, generous, understanding, elegant, loyal, forgiving, always willing to help anyone, and outspoken/fiery when deserved. And finally she is a good boss, friend, daughter and girlfriend (when she allows herself to be one). So it's completely believable that YS would fall for her. Her biggest flaw...she is NOT good with necklaces lol That and she does lack emotional intelligence and awareness. Although she is highly aware of how her actions affect others and is timid when not wanting to hurt other people, she really isn't good at reading men's romantic feelings at all. She also falls for YS's ragebaiting time and time again lol But it's clear to the audience that he teases her so much because he wants her attention and finds her innocuous anger cute.
It's actually pretty believable that she's never dated and why she likes YS of all people. Someone as pretty and successful as her must have gotten offers from eligible men her whole life. The reason she never accepted any of them was because she genuinely never liked any of them. Yes, YS is handsome but HFX isn't shallow so good looks alone is not enough for her to commit her heart. She doesn't care about a man with money or power. She falls for YS because he is another rare bird in this world just like her so their connection made sense. He also isn't shallow and could have his pick of pretty girls. But YS and HFX both have similar hearts and personalities. The only issue between them was their ages.
Yuan Song radiates youth when he's being playful but mentally and romantically he is a lot more mature for someone his age. He clearly is the one with more experience in love because he's always coaching her through their relationship, which is funny to watch most of the time. He is even wise and gentle with his words when he rejects Cai Min Min in the beginning, but then stays her friend and continues to handle her gently/gives her good advice from a caring perspective. I also found that the leads are even similar in the way they handled the bad situations that came up. They are both passionate and emotional people but also graceful in their deliveries because of how considerate they both are. And as silly as they both could be at times, they were always mature when it mattered. And I appreciated that none of their conflicts were really that terrible. They didn't do anything to each other that created a moral conflict I couldn't get over like a big lie, betrayal or nasty breakup. I think that also goes back to how they both have similar personalities. At their core they are both really caring, innocent-minded people so it's not in their nature to be spiteful or dishonest. They just worked really well together.
I thought that their break up was sad but a crucial part of the story (hence them "finding themselves" as the title suggests). It gave HFX the space and time she needed to realize that YS was the only person who could make her happy. It sounds crappy but I think she needed to try dating Ye Lu Ming to realize that as well. And Yuan Song needed the time to realize the position HFX was in when they were dating. When he did he tried his best to earn her trust and show her that he wasn't a fair weather lover. I can't even be mad at him when he's trying to get her back from Ye Lu Ming because that was just giving YLM a taste of his own medicine. And I can't be mad at him when he gives her a hard time when she finally wants him back either. He's taken all the steps towards her in their relationship and it's her turn to close the distance and prove to him she's not going anywhere.
Ye Lu Ming: I have a love hate relationship for our 2ML. I hated that he was so scheming in the beginning but he was so funny that it made him more bearable somehow. And he really wasn't a terrible person. He was good to his niece and family. And as a friend he was good to HFX when he wasn't scheming. As far as 2MLs go, he was pretty mild and even likable most of the time.
Other couples: Her friends relationships were just mildly interesting. I wanted the best for them and they both came out on top in their storylines so I was happy for them. Song Xue I liked a little more because she was smarter and more supportive to everyone around her. I've seen people say they wished Can Yang would've ended up with her but he's honestly not good enough for her.
He Can Yang & Cai Gua: As a brother and friend I found him adequate. I liked how protective and caring he was to his sister. Them being twins was definitely believable. And he was funny during all their family moments. But as a love interest he was insufferable to me. He was kind of a pretentious know-it-all, playboy turned hypocrite. In the beginning they set him up as smooth-talker and a heartbreaker but then we are supposed to believe that he's this innocent, tame guy in the end? I wasn't buying it. He winds up falling for a student with the same age gap his sister has with the ML. But their relationship just seemed shallow, had zero chemistry and gave me the ick. Cai Gua (Cai Min Min) was earnest enough, cute and loveable on her own but annoying with her crushes. I found her sweet and kind hearted but she was selfish and ridiculous in love. Pairing her with Can Yang was just weird and I found their dynamic awkward. And not because I'm being hypocritical and only accepting the age gap between the leads. But the relationship between the leads actually made sense. Yuan Song is mature for his age and values HFX for all of the right reasons and vice versa. There was really nothing in common between Can Yang and Cai Gua. It just seemed like he settled for her because she wore him down. But she's also very babyish and shameless. She's definitely not mature for her age or his intellectual equal. Not to mention Cai Gua was in love with ML, and Can Yang's best friend, for the first half of the show and publicly confessed to him! It just seemed like them getting together was a last minute decision in an attempt to make the leads' relationship more okay? If that makes sense. The only thing I liked about their pairing was that he tried to teach her to value herself more like Yuan Song did as well. I would've preferred if their relationship didn't progress into romance but he became her mentor and coached her into being a more confident, independent person.
Other characters: I LOVED her parents. They were funny and youthful themselves. You see how they raised their children with love and consideration rather than pressure. Which may have stunted both of them in maturity but also created too good hearted, unique kids. I was devasted when the father got sick in the end. But at least they showed him still well and functioning in the end even though we know his condition will progress in the future.
HFX's employees were all likable and cute. Cong Xiao irritated me at times but she's harmless and made the right decision in the end so all is forgiven. Just seeing sweet Chang Huan happy was all I needed there.
Final thoughts: I would definitely rewatch this if I need a pick me up! It was sweet, funny and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Now one of my top SWL dramas!
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