spicyeggroll
This review may contain spoilers
Medical + military + slice of life = romance drama all in one
While the synopsis of You Are My Hero caught my attention, the length stopped me from starting it. Fear not though, the writers keep your attention from the beginning all the way to ep 40 through events such as earthquakes, toxic workplaces (in the hospital), cute secondary couples, and more. I really loved this drama and recommend it for contemporary drama watchers!
PROS
❀ Lovable leads and couples that you want to root for | While the three main couples (there are four, but the other one is much more minor) have different backgrounds, you want to root for all the characters to get together and find their happiness! The themes of each couple go like this:
1. Mi Ka x Xing Ke Lei: Throughout the series they take turns saving each other, as one is a doctor and one is in the special police force. I love this balance! While their romance wasn't steamy, it was sweet all the same. Both of them are in their first relationships as well, so except a lot of blushing and not knowing what to do when it comes to relationships.
2. Ruan Qing Xia x Shu Wen Bo | City girl/popular reporter meets country himbo who's heartfelt but a tad ignorant. I thought this pair was sugary sweet and loved their chemistry. Fair warning that for this couple there IS a second ML that is also really nice and wholeheartedly devoted, lol, but Xia's loyalty to Shu Wen Bo stays true.
3. Xing Ke Yao x Dr. Shao | LOVE this mature couple, who's on the older side compared to the other couples, and getting their second-chance relationship. Dr. Shao's character is terse/strict yet kind-hearted while Xing Ke Yao, who is Xing Ke Lei's older sister, is savage and straightforward. They were together when they studied abroad and broke up, but neither forgot the other. With the help of friends, they slowly grow closer after meeting each other again in China!
❀ Slice of life energy when it comes to communication and trust | This translates to very little misunderstandings, and although there is some miscommunication going on, the couples learn and grow from those events.
❀ Highlighting frontline workers | When the earthquake event happens (around the teens episodes), it was thrilling to see all the characters step up and work to save earthquake victims. Sometimes they were a team, sometimes they were doing their own department's things. But the whole time, the cast was being pro-active in saving lives in such an intense emergency.
❀ Cute romances and chemistry | I really loved Sandra Ma's character as a hardworking neurosurgeon and her interactions with Bai Jing Ting's character who was in the special police force. While both had busy jobs, they were understanding of one another and flexible when it came to their relationship. Not much skinship or kisses (maybe a couple throughout the series), but their silly and relaxed interactions were so sweet and always brought a smile to my face. They had great chemistry and in general the acting was really well done!
CONS
✕ The second couple (Ruan Qing Xia x Shu Wen Bo) got a little iffy at times | I like how RQX is the chaser in this relationship, but I feel like their conflict was dragged on a bit in the drama. That is, SWB felt as if he wasn't good enough for her, even though she's open about chasing after him, and keeps rejecting her. It got tiring at some points, and RQX's chase was annoying at others. I felt bad for both characters throughout the chase, BUT when they do land on the same page it's really sweet and satisfying to see. I just think it could have dragged less, lol. (Also, I love how the nickname for SWB is "piece of wood," because he's a little dense when it comes to relationships.)
✕ 40 episodes became too long for me... | I don't think the show dragged the 40 episodes out, as there was also some form of conflict that needed to be addressed throughout the series, but I personally didn't have the stamina to keep up with 40 eps. I think when it comes to contemporary romances, 30 eps is my limit haha (and 24 is the sweet spot!). Nonetheless, it helped that the plot never got boring. I think I was just exhausted since I basically binged the series in a couple of days. If I spread the episodes out more, this might have been less of a problem.
✕ Misunderstanding level: 3/10 | They happen but are discussed and fixed because the characters are written as proper adults. This goes for all couples. Nothing that will drag or make watchers annoyed.
OVERALL
This was the first contemporary romance Chinese drama I've seen in YEARS, and it was a great one to start out with. The three powerful couples were composed of lovable characters and the production really allowed the actors to shine, despite it being 40 episodes. Definitely recommended!
(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)
PROS
❀ Lovable leads and couples that you want to root for | While the three main couples (there are four, but the other one is much more minor) have different backgrounds, you want to root for all the characters to get together and find their happiness! The themes of each couple go like this:
1. Mi Ka x Xing Ke Lei: Throughout the series they take turns saving each other, as one is a doctor and one is in the special police force. I love this balance! While their romance wasn't steamy, it was sweet all the same. Both of them are in their first relationships as well, so except a lot of blushing and not knowing what to do when it comes to relationships.
2. Ruan Qing Xia x Shu Wen Bo | City girl/popular reporter meets country himbo who's heartfelt but a tad ignorant. I thought this pair was sugary sweet and loved their chemistry. Fair warning that for this couple there IS a second ML that is also really nice and wholeheartedly devoted, lol, but Xia's loyalty to Shu Wen Bo stays true.
3. Xing Ke Yao x Dr. Shao | LOVE this mature couple, who's on the older side compared to the other couples, and getting their second-chance relationship. Dr. Shao's character is terse/strict yet kind-hearted while Xing Ke Yao, who is Xing Ke Lei's older sister, is savage and straightforward. They were together when they studied abroad and broke up, but neither forgot the other. With the help of friends, they slowly grow closer after meeting each other again in China!
❀ Slice of life energy when it comes to communication and trust | This translates to very little misunderstandings, and although there is some miscommunication going on, the couples learn and grow from those events.
❀ Highlighting frontline workers | When the earthquake event happens (around the teens episodes), it was thrilling to see all the characters step up and work to save earthquake victims. Sometimes they were a team, sometimes they were doing their own department's things. But the whole time, the cast was being pro-active in saving lives in such an intense emergency.
❀ Cute romances and chemistry | I really loved Sandra Ma's character as a hardworking neurosurgeon and her interactions with Bai Jing Ting's character who was in the special police force. While both had busy jobs, they were understanding of one another and flexible when it came to their relationship. Not much skinship or kisses (maybe a couple throughout the series), but their silly and relaxed interactions were so sweet and always brought a smile to my face. They had great chemistry and in general the acting was really well done!
CONS
✕ The second couple (Ruan Qing Xia x Shu Wen Bo) got a little iffy at times | I like how RQX is the chaser in this relationship, but I feel like their conflict was dragged on a bit in the drama. That is, SWB felt as if he wasn't good enough for her, even though she's open about chasing after him, and keeps rejecting her. It got tiring at some points, and RQX's chase was annoying at others. I felt bad for both characters throughout the chase, BUT when they do land on the same page it's really sweet and satisfying to see. I just think it could have dragged less, lol. (Also, I love how the nickname for SWB is "piece of wood," because he's a little dense when it comes to relationships.)
✕ 40 episodes became too long for me... | I don't think the show dragged the 40 episodes out, as there was also some form of conflict that needed to be addressed throughout the series, but I personally didn't have the stamina to keep up with 40 eps. I think when it comes to contemporary romances, 30 eps is my limit haha (and 24 is the sweet spot!). Nonetheless, it helped that the plot never got boring. I think I was just exhausted since I basically binged the series in a couple of days. If I spread the episodes out more, this might have been less of a problem.
✕ Misunderstanding level: 3/10 | They happen but are discussed and fixed because the characters are written as proper adults. This goes for all couples. Nothing that will drag or make watchers annoyed.
OVERALL
This was the first contemporary romance Chinese drama I've seen in YEARS, and it was a great one to start out with. The three powerful couples were composed of lovable characters and the production really allowed the actors to shine, despite it being 40 episodes. Definitely recommended!
(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)
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