sharreb
Just to the add. The leads remain true to themselves and just like their love it has always been honest and sincere. The heart to heart talk and mature discussion before the made up and even the proposal was so fitting. I love the balance of sweet romance and a couple who is honest and mature to face the reality and their background differences, together.
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Male character isnt a typical tsundere. He doesnt mingle much but isnt a complete recluse. He has his principles in life and is focused and perhaps a little rigid at first. Yet when taught and exposed to things he is perceptive and willing to learn and see things in different perspective. Even as it dawns to him Bei Er Duo draws him in and first time in his life another human being's emotions coiud affect his, hes mature in dealing with his burgeoning feelings. That's such a breath of fresh air in a male lead character..who is perceptive, observant, and helps out the female lead in meaningful ways.
Bei Er Duo is equally well written because they dont dump down her character. She may hav financial difficulties or difficult mother but she doesnt whine, begrudge ohers or dwell on the negatives. Instead shes hardworking and persistently strives to fulfil her dream. Her mostly cheerful demeanor puts you in good spirits everytime shes on screen.
Although the intial set up was typical.. the subsequent interactions felt very natural. The pace and flow was nice and did not felt forced. The leads communication and sharing of thoughts and dreams were also highlights that i enjoy.
Although im not that critical of my rom coms..i want to state that theres alot out there full of fluff, sometimes too cheesy or not believable. This drama was sweet in a palatable and soothing way. Even the second leads were good.
I felt this drama warrants more viewers. Do give it a try
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Complementing couple; Faithful Love; Outstanding Production
Don't sleep on this drama! Perfectly all I wanted in 1 drama. I want to rave how good this is in the hopes more people will give this drama a watch.Unlike the trailer or the opening theme or the ending theme.. this drama is NOT frivolous or cheesy or over-the-top comedy. It has drama but not melodramatic, the romance between the leads naturally developed and tug at your heart strings..sometimes cute and sweet but always very believable. Theres silly antics and some good humour too.
The direction is spot on. Because all the scenes come out beautifully. What makes this drama special is because you dont expect it to move you BUT it does. All the emotional scenes are well crafted and well acted out. I become FL and ML's champion, I root for them, I care for them. I'm with them every step of the way and truly invested.
The cinematography is gorgeous. Their wedding scenes was grand and beautiful. Many backdrops at the manor was picturesque.
The true star of the drama is how beautiful the writer wrote Xi Ruo and Hong Bin's love. Almost tongue in cheek because Xi Ruo is the 'sweet liar'. Yet she comes clean and confess to ML before the wedding. Unlike other contract or fake marriages, both leads are a picture of happiness during the wedding because there is already affection and attraction. Even as XR still harbors secrets, HB isnt oblivious or stupid but gives time and space to XR.
I love when HB said to XR " To believe you or not, is up to me. But to trust me or not, is up to you". And from the moment he took her hand in marriage he has always chose to trust her. He exemplifies how a husband should be: trust, respect, cherish, protect and love his wife. Throw in his puppy face..thats a bonus.
So all the antagonists, all the hard moments, as watchers they dont become frustrating because XR and HB never falter. Time and time again we even get surprised by the neat plot.
Hong Bin and Xi Ruo is such a complementing couple and they truly give off lovers, husband wife vibes. Kudos to the leads and their acting as well as Director Cheng that helmed this amazing production.
I hope other dramas can learn from this drama. Lovers who only have eyes for each other, hearts never waver and whose relationship is built on communication and trust. And emphasized background is not important and the meaning of family. Perfect Perfect Perfect all around. The stamp of humour just makes it more fun. Its now time to rewatch again.
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The pros are miles long but i'll sum it up without getting too wordy.. hopefully:
- a very easy watch with good flow that keeps you going from an episode to another. Even when the story are simple daily lifes of students
- nothing over dramatic or makjang
- no hateful or annoying characters
- wonderful friendships of diff types and forms
- great rapport of ML and FL. And very natural progression of frenemies to deskmates to being each other's drive and support
- realistic potrayal of school life. Including struggles of studying, of hopes and dreams and the fears that comes with it
- ML despite earlier depicted as rough ard d edges n curt in speech but never overtly so. His sensitive, cating n even protective side comes out. As the drama continues he makes you swoon with the simple actions
- FL nvr potrayed as most beautiful or most dumb. Shes the average girl with her own charm, cute and doesnt try to overthink too much. She has her own strengths and limitations and own dream too. I love she was nvr overly "desperate". She instinctively does things that touches n moves the ML.
The length of the drama was just great. Never draggy.
The acting may not be the most perfect. Zhao Yi Qin was good at potrayal of Lan Tian Ye. He had the level of charisma without coming off pompous. He was cool without being cold or stiff. Li Jia Qi, this is her second work i've seen. I thought she was adorable in Meteor Garden as Xiao Yuo. Theres some sameness in her portrayal but while she might not be as versatile, she never came off as cringy or overact. ML and FL had believable chemistry and i think their acting was greatly helped by the story and directing.
For whatever reason you are hesitating to watch, hope this review gives you the push to start this drama.
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Xiang Bei is a deaf but successful executive workin in a top company. Due to what happen 20years ago and the tragic death of his mother his life mission is to seek revenge and claim back what rightfully belongs to the Lu family under the urge of his maternal grandfather. But this plan became difficult and complicated when Yi Nian enter his life. Yi Nian is the daughter of his enemy but her kind, cheerful and straight forward personality despite himself finds himself drawn to her. Yi Nian is someone who values love and accepts people readily. But she's no push over and you see her challenging Xiang Bei in many instances.
I find I really like how opposite Xiang Bei and yi Nian is. Yi Nian's existence is like a light to his pretty sad and miserable life. She was the balm to his emotional suffering. She would speak out what she could see through his cold exterior and tendency of holding secrets and pain. She accepted his deafness and treated him with no difference. In fact in her subtle way she encouraged him to accept himself. There's quite a number of scenes and her confession which I find touching. I must say I love the lamps she designed.
This drama is not without faults and require heavy self-editing to improve your viewing experience. I had to dig deep into my patience before finding good memorable scenes between our two leads starting from ep 10,11,13 & 15. My self editing means skipping scenes of business rivalry, scenes of extreme hatred or characters I don't like. I focus on interaction between Xiang Bei and Yi Nian, Xiang Bei with his mum, Yi Nian with her best friend and her best friend's own love relationship. That means keeping my fingers on the cursor and able to finish the drama in 2.5 days.
Acting wise is passable. I find their chemistry linger at 80% max. Could have been better. But the love story between then I like. And I thk with the exception of him jumping into the water to rescue her, no cliche scenes of stumbling and accidental kiss. In fact I kind of feel the drama requires a bit more kiss scenes for my romantic side. All in all I enjoyed it. I love the dancing scene, the catch a movie scene, and some of their conversations that still lingers in my mind after the drama has ended. Give this a chance but do some self editing...
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Im happy to report the opening two episodes i was swept away. The opening theme is one of the best ive heard in awhile (its a trademark sound similar to CSI) and the cinematography was so nicely done. Those drawings adorable and gorgeous. Finally i now couldnt imagine Ji Bai as none other than Wang Kai and Xuxu none other than Olivia. They both suited the roles to a T.
Yet there is a but after putting out these praises. Of all the 3 novels from Ding Mo i find the love relationship in When Snail falls in love to be the cutest and sweetest. And just the right balance with the crime solving bit. But the production crew in this drama has opted to tip that balance and scale down the romance. I understand roles get magnify or diminish and plots do change in adaptation. But i cant really agree its for the better with some of the changes. Nevermind that its more centric on police detective skills, crime solving and profiling and character growth for Xuxu.
Just to name a few: Xuxu's pursuer was scraped off. Xuxu as the solo disciple to Master Ji scrap off. The JiBai pursue first got a 180degree treatment. The reason why JiBai went to Myanmar changed. Yao meng character changed but since its for the better im ok with that.
Lets just say cause i read the novel there were certain things i was waiting for and came up empty waiting and watching from beginning to ep 15. Nothing. Then we go from nothing to suddenly 75% in their romance development. I get it thats its snail" but that sudden development didnt have time in earlier episodes to plant and bloom properly.
Then episodes 18 to 21 was so epically good and bolstered up by such commendable acting from both our leads.
This drama could have been a solid 10. All the more cause we know the chemistry between our leads is powerful and that i felt was not fully unleashed. Ive been left in vain wanting that bit more for our lion and his snail. To the point i wish theres a special episode to see more of them as an item.
Il definitely miss Wang Kai as a detective n that man rocks the white shirt blue jeans look. Again want to note awesome casting of him n Olivia. This among the best C dramas have to offer in 2016. DO WATCH and if you love more romance development Do READ the novel.
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Ep 1 to 20 was just so good. You watch effortlessly seeing the sparks fly between Jia Yang and Qiao Fei. The ingenuous ways he come up to make her life miserable and try to make her quit as trainee in the field of French interpreter. They clash and butt heads but Fei was resilent and refuse to give up her dream.
Then all that mess from the brother being the old flame and has a obessive nature when it comes to Fei. To the second female lead who was a tad pathethic in her love for Jia Ming but then retracted to wanting to be with Jia Yang.. mess and more mess
Then comes the mother who does extreme things like ruining her own son just to break up Jia Yang and Fei. Who does that? And to such extreme. It felt like this drama plot purposefully over inflate itself to generate angst, to fill in episodes? To drag it to pass 40episodes?
I felt like a masochist sticking with this drama to the end. Ep 28 to 36 was so hard to watch. Like 45mins of episode and only 10minutes or less worth watching.
I tell myself i need to see off Jia Yang and Fei's ending so i stuck with it til the ending . but oh boy instead of being awarded with my patience (which really is painful and teeth grinding). The last episode (heads up) isnt satisfying. It was rushed, cramped and jumbled. Didnt flow well and they try to make it dramatic but not believable. Its hard to believe the ending episode is rushed when the last 15or so episodes were so draggy. I still believ the first half that was good was written by another team of writers. If there are the same people then someone must have zap out commonsense from their heads. Like they run out of ideas what to do with the second half of the drama.
If you are wandering to watch or not. I recommend no for several reasons.
The last 1/3 compeltely deviates from the original story of being interpreters
The cliche part of being sick and the high noble road of sparing your loved ones from grief was not written well. Yes alot of dramas commit the same mistake but the way Fei did it just felt wrong. I felt it create needless grief for Jia Yang. Personally i think its selfish when you run away from your loved ones without sharing the truth and deliberately lets him misunderstand you. Her love didnt respect Jia Yang and made that decision for both of them without his knowledge.
Jia Yang's character actually went backwards in terms of growth. Yes it was nice to see him being less demonic and so loving to Fei. But then he became unprofessional when it comes to his work and career. And it was also annoying that he kept saying their love can survive it but i didnt see real actions to solve the problems. Your girlfriend keeps saying there's a big gap between them and that he didnt understand her difficulties.but he carries on as is and with regards to xiao hua and her dad. Although yes his words that their love can withstand it all, there was no action ... It was like him allowing the realtionship to fail eventually.
Jia ming, xiao hua and the guy he married. All characters i dont care for.
Qiao Fei bestfriend was ok but her love line was also not properly developed. Theres too much childish behaviour and they left it too late to the end to show changes.
If you do want to give this a try because the truth is Huang Xuan was really good and engaging as Jia Yang and sparks do fly when he sparrs with Yang Mi's Qiao Fei. Then i recommend you watch the front half of the drama up until he confess and they start dating. The second half will only make you scratch and then bang your head in frustation. So please dont suffer as i did..
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Also the poster is misleading. This drama is vibrant and so beautifully shot. The colors, backdrop and scenery and down to female lead's hanbok is vibrant. With just a touch of fantasy on the immortality issue but overall its quite slice of life of a musician, Joon Woo who is a little reclusive but opens up to the mysterious but smart mouthed lady, Mi Jo living downstairs.
Also the drama has awesome secondary leads in Yeon Ji and Jason. No bitchiness or suffocating love. They are so good that you wished their arc is a happy and fulfilling one too. The characters and story backdrop is sufficiently thick that it could easily be a longer drama and infact i kind of wished it was longer so that there would be more character development and progress of relationship which i felt i needed more after the credits rolled on the final episode.
The music was nice which was a given since its a YG production.i love the R&B track sang by the male lead titled You.
The acting was good and no noticeable cringeness. I find Kang Seung Yoon and Jang Ki Yong shine as their character of Joon Woo and Jason. The only minor blip was Mi jo's makeup and the vivid pores which was distracting and a little unexpected. Plus cant they give us an otp kiss?. Enjoyed the entirety while it lasted.
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Secret crush, Supportive romance, friendship, business issues
The review and sypnosis may be alittle misleading. It seems typical fluff C-romance drama BUT the plot isnt that.1. It appears as one sided unrequited love.. but pleasantly its a secret crush too
2. Its pretty romantic FL falls for ML twice.. she just couldnt help herself :p
3. FL is pretty brave from love letters to confessing the 2nd time.
4. ML isnt cold or tsundere as you would expect. First 1/3 was his grudge. He's actually pretty accomodating and sweet.
5. The love triangle is there but does not get irritating or too long to resolve.
6. The drama highlights you are the best looking in the eye of the beholder.. for both ML and FL
7. ML and FL are a vy pleasing CP imo. Good chemistry and vy natural together. They support each other thru the company's struggles.
8. Daddi tang shows his sweeter and kind of goofy appeal. Sun Qian is pretty adorable and girl can pull off coquettish lines too.
9. Plot concentrates (especially last third of the drama) on all members of Voya company. They are both friends and comrades in a small business trying to accomplish their dreams and make it big in the app world
10. I like FL's dad and his story arc too.
11. I really like FL's outfit. Shes beautiful with good built and bodyshape too. ML's styling esp hair really suits him too.
My qualms
1. Trailer markets it as romantic fluff. So i was intially awaiting fluffy scenes.. except there werent much. Ofcourse im glad the "cringey, tripping, fall on your lips" dont exist in this drama.. BUT i felt there were a little stingy on ML-FL romantic moments. Dont expect Put your head on my shoulder type.. that spends alot of episodes purely on ML and FL interaction. Would have benefited with MORE cause Daddi Tang and Sun Qian are good actors with good rapport on screen.
2. The focus on their business struggle may not be for everyone. I respect this part of the story as well as the team spirit but again they probably could have done it better by balancing with more ML-FL solo interactions
3. The ending was good but again i was left wanting.. for a more personal scene between our main couple.
So although i really enjoyed it, i find they MISSED out on making this drama - something special, something much more memorable than what we have.
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Light & Bright Youth. Story of Companionship & Friendship
Meeting this drama and their characthers is a mix of youthful spring and calming autumn. Theres that wonderful reminscing of youth, of school, classmates and friendship. Theres that understanding between two people who value and support each other. Theres the spring of childhood friends turned first love.Although mostly light, Nan xi's backstory was a little sad and lonely at the start. Because of his genius and crowd phobia, he live in seclusion, barracade himself from people both physically and emotionally. Enter Xia Rui, who is his bell while he is the wood. Polar opposites but they share a special friendship that dates to childhood. Having reconcile, Nan xi vows never to be separated from Xia Rui again. In some aspects he comes off clingy and possessive. But if you think of how his life was before her and how much he understands himself and his needs, you can understand a little where hes coming from. Xia Rui represents the light in the dark, the floater in the sea, the colour in a colourless world and the laughter to drown out the noise. She, as he puts it, is and always will be his destination. They make each other reach to be a better part of themselves. The story sees them breaking barriers and improving themselves. Witnessing their growth is like a rewarding task of watching a tree firmly take root, grow, bear fruits and reach its full potential.
We are also treated to 2 of Xia Rui's best friends who also enter Nan xi's world. They make up our second couple who are as cute as they look. The drama is littered with a lot of lovely characters, too many to list individually. In this aspect it's really a feel good drama with lots of positive energy.
The strength lies in their friendship. People who care and makes sure to stay together. Often this is not easily done in real life. Its wonderful to see their friendships persevere from highschool to college. Gratifying to see that they are each other's support systems. I appreciate the message the drama relays and the positive ambience and feel it radiates. The cast were spot on. Fiction Guo has really put his mark as Nan xi and Wan Peng is right at home potraying the warm and radiant XiaRui. If you would want some positive energy and a drama high on friendship and youth, this may be a rewarding watch.
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Each other's "other half"
A driven plot, convincing actors, beautiful love stor(ies), sweet length, no fillers.The screenwriter really created sweet and thoughtful ML and SML- the kind of men women dream of. Case in point: 1. ML wishes he can take sth to share the burden of his pregnant wife. He says its unjust that creation of a child, the pain of pregnancy and childbirth is only borne by the mother. 2. SML whose both a noble and a general helps SFL wash her stained clothes. He says doing laundry doesnt matter male or female. Even a female can wield the sword.
(_^-^) Im a sucker for men who respects women and cherishes their women.
Back to the story. I love the intrique and I love the kind of romance potrayed. The main CP has been married for 3yrs so theres this kind of simple everyday couple normalcy and then theres also this intimacy. Which Zhao Yi Qin and Rain does beautifully. Then theres the second CP, between a cold general with own motives and a kind princess. Her personality and kindness is just right to melt this general. I wanna say both female leads are so pretty and natural in their acting.
Lastly a short drama does not mean cutting corners on quality. The story flow seamlessly, no weird edits, the costume and setting all are lovely. Wish we have more of this kind of dramas produced- a riveting story, touching romance without wasting time on stupid misunderstanding or fillers. As of July, its my favorite short drama this year.
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Sweet Crush. Fun First Romance
Theres a lot of this genre (college romance) out there but this is among the better ones in terms of acting, production and overall storyline.Qin Shen, the cold talented and super tall male lead and Yuan Qian, the cute, friendly petite female lead are classmates in the sculpture major. Somehow after a mini accident, she learns she misunderstood him and both begins to see the better side in each other. It didnt take long for the ice to thaw with Qin Shen.. given that he used to say girls and dating are meaningless and waste of time. But when he looks at YQ he cant help smiling and the warmth will enter his eyes.
Best part. Qin Shen took notice of YQ very early on and her quirks and attitude amuses him. More than half of the drama are the two dancing around each other. Theres a saying, one stroke shy (strokes to write a chinese characther) and thats how you can describe their relationship. They seek each other out, hang out, talk, hints and flirts but never really comfesses. The acting and directing makes this enjoyable even amusing.
SML does not really get annoying, mostly a puppy still hinging on their childhood memories. While SFL is no fun to watch, i just wish she stops chasing given that ML cannot be more obvious of his coldness, nonchalance and blatantly ignoring her most times. Really, QS reserves his gentlemanly nature, sweet , caring and even considerate gestures only for FL. When needed he helps her out, supports her and respects her decision. Hes also the type that doesnt shy away from doing couple-things and enjoys being dote on by FL. With the exception of his penchance to tease her and sometimes twist and negates his own kind intentions, i find its a mix of his own enjoyment (you will find hes actually a lil black-bellied and to save face).
Their roommates are a hoot to watch. ML has 2 funny bros who are also classmates. Their scenes and dialogues are so funny. FL has 3 wonderful friendships with her roommates too. And both sets of roommates already clue in on the push-pull relationship of the leads.. they are just too obvious haha.
Acting wise is good. If done wrongly could have been cringey or stiff. But both Ireine Song and Aaron Deng have a good camaraderie so there a natural synergy. You can watch them interact all day and be entertained.
Ps one of my fav moment is when QS retrieved the water bottle he threw to the trashbin after hearing from his bro that YQ was the one who bought it. He didnt care evyone's looking or the trashbin. It spoke volumes how he feels about her.
Verdict Fun fun and easy watch. No real angst. Flirty interactions and sweet first romance that blossom between two people who thought they would remain single until they meet the right person.
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Could have been better if fleshed out
The editor literally put evythg at 1.5x speedThere are a lot of dramas with thin plots that are 25 to 40mins long, and 24episodes or more. Then heres one with a plot and two leads with gd visuals but on a 2-3min length for 34episodes. Do the math.
You hav a FL with a mom who has been duped and a horrible stepfather. But she doesnt cowers. Intelligent and courageous. Plus shes really pretty and cute and suited her role vy much. The ML lost quite a bit of weight aft recently watchin him in another drama. He has the chiseled good looks and suited the role with the cold aura. But surprise he can charm your socks off and becomes a natural flirt where the FL is concern. I thk you can count him on those that really put aside face to pursue what he wants.
Like i said someone came down with the decision for the length of this drama and hence some scenes are very choppy and skipped ahead a lil too much. It affected the continuity of it.
For what is worth it was enjoyable for a really quick watch.
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Then the focus was lost or shall i say shifted. The Dan tae birth secret and uncovering culprit should have and would have made an okay side plot. Instead this thin plot with an unremarkable antagonist (that was transparent and revealed very early on) was stretch to fill many episodes. If they had stared true on the Gong shim path, more on her character development, growth in career and confidence and interactions with both Dan tae and Jun soo this drama would have been better. Instead she became a prop, mostly on the sidelines and only utilise when the writers feel like it.
Overall the storyline is forgettable but i will remember the wig, the brush Gong shim used to brush her teeth and some of the cuter moments of the trio.
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The storyline could be nothing new but for a short short drama it works, isnt draggy and lots od cute and sweet interaction between the joseon king and the highschool girl. The ending is believable and nice too. If you come across it randomly like I did, do give it a chance. Worth your time.
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