Snoozeville with characters I couldn't warm up to

Don’t waste your time with this drama unless there’s nothing better to watch. It’s wasn’t the worse C-drama, I’ve watched, but it certainly wasn’t the best. It was typical, maybe even worse than typical. Honestly, I dropped it at episode 17 because with each episode, I found myself more and more frustrated with ML/FL. Let’s start off with FL.

The only thing good I can say about her is she’s not the typical C-drama heroine – there’s nothing ‘cutesy’ about her. Nor is she a dingbat or a professional woman who dresses like a tart (dangling earrings, thick makeup, stilettos and bright red lipstick). Overall, she’s fairly tough and no-nonsense and comes across as smart and mature (for a C-drama heroine). So, what do I have against her? Number one, she dumps ML in college without apparently telling him why she dumped him…or at least that’s the impression I got since he acted totally clueless. Not cool. Two, why didn't she dump this guy again when the script leaking scandal broke, and he insisted on defending that harpy, Feng Yiyi? I was yelling at the TV through 4-5 episodes for her to tell him flat-out that she was no longer his girlfriend yet she continues to let him behave as though she is. So, she dumps him indiscriminately the first time, but this time around, when he does something far worse, in my opinion (taking the side of the love rival), she won’t tell his ass off and break up with him? And everyone is telling her, she’s being selfish, and she ought to be more understanding towards ML? Balls to that! Anyway, her inconsistencies and chip on her shoulder attitude at times began to annoy me, BUT I still liked her better than ML. If I were her, I would have dump him for good this time and taken up with any man available (the nephew? Laoyun?). Her ski friend, Ye Nan, would have been such a better choice, but the scriptwriter decided to match that poor guy up with the dingbat bestie. Why does Chinese FLs almost always have an annoying bestie?

Now to ML. In the beginning, I liked him (or rather accepted him as ML) and even sympathized with how FL broke up with him, but as the drama progressed, and I saw how wishy-washy/mealy-mouthed his character was, I grew to dislike him and strongly advised FL to dump his butt for good. I suppose the scriptwriter was intending to show us how reasonable, how conciliatory, how sensitive he was, but he came across (to me anyways) as indecisive, weak and not the kind of guy who’s going to ‘have your back’. He refused to take FL’s side against Feng Yiyi and even made excuses for the harpy. I’m sorry – if there’s one thing a girlfriend wants, it’s a boyfriend who’s going to support her. Did he step in and stop Yiyi’s rant at FL in episode 16? No, he just stood there. Only after the woman said her crap and departed, did he offer FL a hug. Not cool. And then his oh-so sensitive rejection of Yiyi’s love – please! Give me the Chinese MLs that are outright rude to the love rival any day to this Marshmallow Man! At least, the rude MLs don’t give their woman any room to doubt his commitment to her and her alone. I think I ended up disliking ML more than any other character, Yiyi included.

The second couple was totally uninteresting (Ye Nan & Jinjin), in my opinion, but this is nothing new. I normally don’t care about the 2nd or 3rd couple in a C-drama because too much time is spent on them, and the SFL is usually a dingbat. Sometimes SML is a dingbat as well.

This drama really got bogged down with a bunch of corporate intrigue/misunderstandings around episode 12-13, and it hadn’t improved much at episode 17 where I finally gave up. MC just got back together, and they're immediately plunged into a bunch of angst so the viewer doesn't get to enjoy any cute moments before the crap starts. I didn’t find these script scandals, investment issues and money shortages, etc. interesting at all, mostly because they went on and on and on. I cared less about Yiyi disappearing from the company and pouting over her unrequited love and even less about her return and ML finally setting her straight about his feelings towards her. Once again, I’m amazed by the sheer audacity of these Chinese love rivals who think that merely doing stuff for ML (usually without him even asking them to) somehow entitles them to his love. I get so tired of the ‘why is she better than me’ line. The conceit of these women is breathtaking.

Well, that’s it. Like I said, I dropped it at episode 17 because ML was annoying the hell out of me and the corporate intrigue just went on and on and on. It completely crowded out any romance between the leads, which might have helped me warm up to ML. The most interesting character in the whole drama was Lai Yaoyun, the actor that took a liking to FL.

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Very Nice Rom-Com

This is the kind of Chinese Rom-Com that I prefer. Sweet romance was at the maximum and angst at the minimum. The plot was simple, but it held together and didn't drag.

There were no control freak parents - ML's mom (the only parent in this drama) was so, so nice and worked to further the romance of ML/FL rather than hinder it. She liked FL instantly.

FL had a love rival, but Gu Wei was nothing serious - although she took over ML's office like she owned it (at least briefly) & caused FL to have a sleepwalking spell, she was quickly dispatched by ML and really served no serious threat (or major annoyance to the viewer - in other words, she didn't make you want to throw a brick at the TV). Really her only purpose was to clear up the misunderstanding between the second couple.

ML's love rival was more serious (his brother, Shi Yi) but not really. I had a case of the SML syndrome - if it were me, I would have chosen Shi Yi since he sings, plays the piano and is of a quiet and sensitive disposition. I gave him thumbs up for playing the role of scheming love rival - at least half-heartedly. It's so rare that the SML is the schemer. I don't know about you, but to me, Shi Yi seemed more like the younger brother than the older one. I really felt sympathy for him not getting the girl, especially since he liked her before ML (via her prior voice work). I don't understand how you can be someone's soulmate and yet not be in love with them, but I also don't understand how you can be in love with someone yet leave them to 'chase your dreams'. I guess I'm just from the old school. I was glad that there was no dream chasing separation in this drama like in so many C-dramas.

ML - he was wonderful. Not overly cold and unemotional like a lot of C-drama MLs. I didn't like him as much as ML on 'Arsenal Military Academy' or ML on 'Moonlight', but he was likeable and of course, quite handsome and debonair. Frankly, I would have thrown FL out of my house once the goose showed up - and I wouldn't have had second thoughts and let her back in. There's no way I'd let a goose live in my house. Geese are for barnyards, not high rise apartments. ML briefly played the role of noble idiot, but it didn't last long so it wasn't too distressing for the viewer.

FL - originally, I liked her, but as the drama went on, her bubbly cuteness began to wear on me. I did like that she dressed sensibly in longer skirts and flat shoes - although those sock-like tights she constantly wore were kind of ugly. She wore a lot of fuzzy, fluffy sweaters, which I'm assuming they used to try to make her seem goose-like. I did find it odd that whenever she was scared, she went into a trance yet during the kidnapping incident with Shi Yi's crazy manager (which to me would have been the most frightening), she stayed alert and conscious.

I was glad to see that the scriptwriter/director kept the second couple's romance to the minimum. In other words, their romance was there, but it didn't overshadow the MC like second/third couples romances do in a lot of C-dramas. Because they were limited, I felt the drama/plot moved along nicely, and I wasn't bored or fast forwarding through a romance I'm not interested in. Kudos to the scriptwriter/director for treating the second couple more like a K-drama - there's a romance but it didn't distract from the MC.

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama and hope this format will continue in future C-dramas. It was limited to 24 episodes, it limited secondary romances & it focused more on romance than angst (no control freak parents or evil female love rivals).

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A good start

I say 'start' because there's obviously going to be 2nd season since the ending was a cliffhanger. I wondered while watching if there'd be another season because they never got to solving the main mystery - who was behind the destruction of ML's family. I sort of dread the second season because knowing C-dramas, they'll find some way to ruin a good start. It was good because it lacked a lot of what makes a historical C-drama bad in my opinion - forced marriages (well, ML/FL were forced to marry, but nobody's forcing them to marry someone else), tyrannical emperors bestowing marriages, evil concubines/love rivals (yeah, there was a love rival for FL, but this girl wasn't too effective and gave up once ML resisted the aphrodisiac she gave him). I do have to wonder how long ML will be able to keep his secret (that he's not an eunuch) if he and FL make their marriage real. Guess FL will have to call in the local witch doctor for birth control, eh? I did feel sorry for ML's love rival - the pastry baking prince. My favorites character was ML's sidekick, General Gu. He was pretty funny, especially when he and FL's maid were have heated yet silent conversation behind ML/FL back while the couple were out shopping when respective love rivals (the couple was having a fight at the time). Although Gu and Tian didn't speak, they made expressive gestures while their conversation voiced over/written in subtitles. I think that was the cutest scene in the 1st season. ML looks sufficiently devastated/hurt when FL was forced to break off their marriage by the female love rival. Poor guy.

Overall, it was enjoyable, but I dread the second season since no doubt MC will be torn apart by some misunderstanding or meddling by love rivals or Lord Xian or this mysterious 'master' of Lord Qian Sui (ML).

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One of the best Chinese Rom-Coms out there!

From beginning to end, this drama stays true to romance and cute comedic moments. Angst is kept at the minimum and is resolved quickly. Also, it focuses almost entirely on the MC without those annoying side romances that, in my opinion, distracts from the MC and makes me push the fast forward button. So, let’s get into the details.

ML – he’s the typical arrogant, unemotional CEO. His one goal is to further his business, which, when we meet him, is acquiring the Marry Me brand from Alex, an Italian-Chinese designer. He’s got the whole thing planned out, right down to the necklace that Alex’s dead wife designed to play on the guy’s heartstrings. FL, however, appears on the scene and turns his plan and life upside down. The skirmishes between these two, as they try to one up each other, are amusing, but eventually, their skirmishes become love and the contractual marriage becomes a real one. Exposed to the warmth of FL's personality, ML’s ice begins to melt and finally breaks, warming him up nicely. His personality makes the transformation from cold CEO to cute and loving husband – which so unlike a lot of Chinese tsunderes who never quite lose their frost. His personality seems to change with his hairstyle. At work or when he’s dressed for business, his hair’s neatly brushed back. At home or at play with FL, his hair is on his forehead, giving him a warmer, more youthful appearance. I would have preferred him to be ruder to Ran Xi Wei (the delusional love rival). Because of their past friendship, he allows her to get away with her scheming a little too easily. This woman needs to receive consequences for her actions not slaps on the hand. He could have done a better job of protecting XiXi from this woman if he’d dealt out some consequences instead of quietly cleaning up the messes this psycho chick created. Don’t get me wrong – he never showed Xi Wei any encouragement and he did tell her to stop her antics – but more should have been done to stop this vindictive lunatic.

FL – she’s independent and clever as well as warm and sweet, a very likeable character…although her cutesy behavior with ML once they’re ‘in love’ does get a little annoying. I’m not a fan of the breathless, pouty, baby talk stuff. Does love suddenly cause women to start cooing like babies? Maybe men find this cute; I don’t. Just act like you always did! That’s what he fell in love with! And here’s a blessed change in drama tropes - her dream didn’t involve travel or study abroad! Finally, a dream that can be accomplish in the same location as ML. Yeah, she leaves for a refresher course, but it’s still in the same country and it’s only three months. That’s a dream I can approve of.

Love rivals? Yea, we’ got two.

Our Male Love Rival – His name is Mo Zi Xin, and he’s an absolute dream! I struggled with SML syndrome pretty bad. How I wish these dramas made two versions – one where ML gets the girl and one where SML gets the girl. There’s really no reason for FL to choose ML over Mo Zixin other than she was forced to be in his proximity nonstop because of the marriage contract. Both men are rich, successful, handsome and wonderful. (Just an aside – all those cons that were in ML’s column won’t be so loveable after a few years of marriage so any woman watching this drama, please don’t choose a man with so many ‘cons’ and no ‘pros’ in real life!) Mo Zixin’s eager yet shy expressions whenever he looks at FL makes a viewer want to swoon. I loved their backstory, and I thought to myself: ‘Damn, if only she hadn’t left the invitation in the car!’ or ‘If only Mo hadn’t been away getting that paint when she needed money.’ So, I guess in the end it was all a matter of timing. My poor baby!

Our Female Love Rival (Ran Xi Wei) – this is one obsessed chick. ML, even in the beginning, never treated her as anything but a friend and useful tool, a.k.a. eye candy on his arm at social events. Had he never met FL, yeah, he might have eventually married her because she was there, and it was his duty to marry. He certainly wouldn’t have married her for love. I honestly don’t know what Xi Wei thought she’d accomplish by making XiXi’s business venture more difficult, a.k.a. stealing models, spreading rumors, exposing diary entries, etc. If anything, these actions only strengthened MC’s relationship. And honestly, the gossip of FL being a gold-digger is just ridiculous, scriptwriter! Are you telling me that the people whispering about her never had those same ideas? There’s nothing shameless about wanting to become rich. And we all know that it was ML that forced the marriage – although at the time, psycho chick didn’t know that. Everything about this character was annoying. She constantly looked like she’d just come out of a rain storm with that flyaway hairstyle and smudged eye makeup. Also, she was costumed in outfits that looked like they were made from the same material as my Grandmother’s couch. That green plaid sandwich bag dress that barely covered her butt was the worst of all. Still, without this vindictive harpy, MC wouldn’t have had any obstacles to outcome so I guess she served her purpose.

I applaud the scriptwriter for making ML’s mother into the kind of Chinese parent that I like. At first, she appeared to be the typical control freak mom that promised trouble for our couple, but she turned out to be a good judge of character. After some initial sternness, she readily accepted FL and pledged her support. Grandma (ML’s, not FL’s) was a sweetie as well! FL’s mom was nice but her father and grandma were grafters. Nevertheless, these are kind of Chinese parents/family that I like – they accept and approve of their child’s love interest. They add warmth and humor to the overall plot.

Another trope that this drama rejected was the dingbat bestie…at least as far as FL goes. Xiaoya was upbeat and lively without being a dingbat. They also didn’t involve her in a romance, which was a blessing. C-dramas get too bogged down with side romances that distract from the MC. That being said, there is a side romance between ML’s guy bestie, Shang Ke, and Ruona. Thankfully, the director/scriptwriter didn’t focus too much on them. Shang Ke was the one playing the role of dingbat bestie – his character was just downright stupid, and I have no idea why a smart woman like Ruona would fall for this guy. He was like a not overly bright child. Enough said about that couple.

Once again, this is one of the best Chinese Rom-Coms I’ve watched, and I highly recommend it to viewers who like romantic fun without a lot of teeth gnashing or brick throwing at the TV. The plot isn’t overly complicated or filled with angst. Most of the scenes just involved MC falling in love with each other. They have some obstacles to get over (mostly one caused by psycho chick’s scheming) but misunderstandings are cleared up quickly and they move on to sweet romance. I highly recommend this drama!

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Surpassed my expectations for now

I am pleasantly and overwhelmingly surprised at how good this drama is right now. I say 'right now' because C-dramas have a way of going downhill somewhere in the middle. I didn't get bored once during the first 10 episodes and currently, there's no evil love rivals or meddling parents trying to marry ML off to someone to further their political aspirations. They're managed to keep my interest with humor, a dreamy fantasy atmosphere, interesting supporting cast and the relationship between Shi Xia (FL) and Hou Chi (ML). I'm amazed. I really am. Granted, it's a little goofy, but it's an amusing sort of goofy and I give them credit for being IMAGINATIVE and CREATIVE - which is something sorely lacking in a lot of C-dramas. Now for a few details.

It's apparent that there's more than just brotherly/sisterly affection between ML/FL, and FL is starting to realize that by episode 10. ML is such a novice at relationships that he's currently clueless that his behavior goes far beyond the behavior of a brother. First of all, brothers don't kiss their sisters, even accidentally, and they don't cherish a gift to the point of being flayed by a fire whip. I'm not saying that brothers aren't protective; it's just that it's clear that this relationship of theirs is something more. It brought tears to my eyes when ML suffers punishment for FL and refuses to draw a line between them despite his master's anger. And what's up with that? Why does Master Stone-Face (my name of him) hate women so much? Did some Bi Hong's mother break his heart or something? I guess we're find out.

Right now, my favorite character is FL's real brother, Shi Dong (the Devil Lord). He's such an original character from his wild attire to his 'inventions'. His back and forth with his sidekick is amusing as well. He's such a temperamental rascal I can't help but love him. However, I do wonder about this brother/sister relationship between him and FL. Are they REALLY biological brother-sister? Because he, too, seems a bit too possessive of a mere sister. The brother-sister relationships in this drama are a bit questionable and somewhat creepy, but who knows what will be revealed as the drama progresses.

All the characters are pretty interesting from sweet by shrewd Bi Hong to the meddling fanboy, Yi Yao Gua, to FL's new bestie, Qing Feng. I do kind of hate the Sect Leader right now because he's such a cold-hearted tyrant who only cares about Hou Chi becoming the Alliance Leader. He treats his own son, Bi Hong, like he's worthless because he's not a immortal. Like I said, there's got to be some story behind this guy's behavior. I'm just hoping he's not going to try to force Hou Chi to marry some sect princess or something as most parents do in C-dramas.

I just really hope that this series has a happy ending because right now it's light-hearted yet wonderfully romantic as the relationship between ML/FL grows. Also, the scenery is dreamy and divine. Wished I lived there! I really, really don't want ML/FL separated at the end - they are from different worlds after all so who knows how the scriptwriter resolved this. From experience I know I can't trust Chinese scriptwriter for happy endings. If she has to go back to the 'real' world, I hope she meets a real world, Hou Chi. I'd just as soon have both her and Shi Dong stay in the fantasy world forever.

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Don't let the age difference put you off

I love the setting - Republican Era. I wish we had more C-dramas set in this era instead of the Dynasties. Costumes and set design are lovely.

Now, the age difference. I honestly don't know how old ML is supposed to be when he rescues FL or how old FL is supposed to be. The actor looks like he's in his 30s, but the screenwriter/director might want him to be in his 20s when they meet. After all, he does not look 40+ after FL is grown up. There looks to be maybe 10 years difference between ML/FL during the majority of the film so I'm going with that. Also, we need to remember the time period in which this takes place. It was common for older men to marry much younger women. It was only recently that society started frowning on such relationships. Also, I'm going to assume that FL is at least 18 years old, but keep in mind that prior to the 1900s, 15 year olds did marry. They had to - disease & war would wiped out young people as well as old. It was only in modern times that both men and women married later in life. Also, childbirth took out a lot of mothers so the younger you were, probably better your chances of survival. It's important to consider the context and history in which a drama is set and not judge the characters by modern standards.

If you can't handle the age difference, then don't watch it, but I would recommend not even paying attention to the beginning. Just concentrate on the 90% of the drama in which the actor/actress looks close enough in age to not be creepy.

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I would have liked to see a different story line

I'm up to episode 14, and honestly, I think it would be a more compelling story of Yunsi trying to recover his lost love than the romance between MC and surrounding intrigue. Although it's the old amnesia trope, at least, there's a reason for the amnesia, and it was instigated by hypnosis (i.e. deliberately by a villain) instead of a conk on the head or PTSD. I'll be honest, I find Yunsi hotter than ML. He's got this wild intensity from his attire/grooming to his desperation to get FL to remember him that thrills me. Now, I don't know the entire story yet as far as his background with FL and how she actually forgot him, but I would love to see this kind of plot line made into a drama (ML desperately trying to get his lost love to remember him and once she remembers, she's torn between new and old loves). And right now, I wouldn't call this a light and fluffy romantic comedy. There's too much intrigue and too many serious things going on. I don't find much comedy, and I suspect as I get further into the drama, it'll get even more serious as Chinese historicals tend to do. That's not saying that you shouldn't watch it; I'm just saying it's not what I'd call a romantic comedy.

Update to episode 19: I'm having a hard time continuing to like FL after she so easily chose ML over her first love, Yunsi. From Yunsi recollections and flashbacks, it seemed like their love was pretty strong/intense so once she regained her memories, I expected more of a struggle, but nope, she easily cast Yunsi aside for ML. That just didn't sit well with me. What kind of shallow love does this girl have for the men in her life? Because of her behavior with her first love, I have a hard time believing that she truly loves ML. Honestly, Yunsi had every right to go bat crap crazy after that. I don't blame him a bit. I'm also not a fan of childish FLs who pout, make the 'hmpf' sound and dissolve into 'baby talk' as though it's cute or something. I don't know about men, but I don't find it cute at all. I find it annoying and what to tell these FLs to grow up.

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There's more things I dislike about this drama than like

As my heading hints, I wasn't impressed with this drama. Honestly, the only reason I kept watching was to find out who the murderer was. Unlike the romance, the murder mystery was interesting...when they got back to it. I was not interested in ML/FL's romance AT ALL. Here's what I didn't like:

1) I loved this actor as Nokdu, but in this drama, he was an absolute sad sack, and I don't care for downer MLs. I couldn't get behind this century old love affair because ML obviously didn't want to be in love. He was forced into it by his own arrow. When ML is resisting for nearly the entire drama, how can you cheer for this couple when they finally get together? There was no chemistry because ML was constantly pushing FL away yet not giving her a firm 'NO'. Stop giving her hope, ok? Stop coming to see her at the vet, stopping protecting her from the killer, and for gosh sakes, stop kissing her! And ML was kind of dumb when he couldn't figure out that FL was his lost love until the hypnotist guy confirmed it. Then I guess he's okay with it since he hightailed it up the mountain and said silently to himself 'you're my woman'. Bleh. I really don't know how other reviewers can say their chemistry is amazing. It was tepid at best. I mean how can you build chemistry when we had to watch him mooning over two other women (yeah, they were supposed to be FL, but they had different faces so no, you can't build chemistry when you're kissing on Soo Hee and crying over the polka dot girl.

2) I hated how FL followed ML around like a puppy. I don't like dramas where FL is obsessed with ML, falls first or hero worships him because it immediately puts her at a disadvantage. I honestly don't know what she liked about this guy...other than he can't be hurt like her previous love interests. Also, the woman is dumb, ok? You don't go to an abandon warehouse by yourself because you get a text from the dead woman. You know there's a killer out there killing witnesses, you're the primary witness and yet you go ALONE to supposedly meet up with the dead woman. She deserved to have to crap beat out of her, ok? That's just plain stupid. I just would have liked her better if she wasn't so desperate to 'be loved'. It's pathetic. I understand that this is her first 'real' love affair, but she acts like a ten year old.

3) I 100% wanted FL with SML (the cop) but he did almost nothing to pursue her (it certainly wasn't much of a love triangle when one of the participants doesn't bother showing up) and ML wouldn't shoot that damn arrow to make her fall in love with him...even though I was screaming at him to shoot that arrow! If you can't hit her with the arrow, get the damn gun out, ok? And try more than once! Heck, the disapproving fairy/cupid could have shot her and saved himself the angst over ML's love life. Disapproving fairy was nearly as depressing as ML. It would have been more interesting if ML had shot her with the arrow & then regretted what he'd done.

4) Why in the world did they use a different actress for the two previous lives of FL? It made it seem like ML fell in love with multiple women when, in fact, it was technically the same woman. It just pissed me off to see him mooning over these other women. Sorry, I don't like seeing ML kissing other women. And, tell me, what was a grown man doing messing around with a school girl (1st reincarnation)? Ok, I suppose they had to do it so he wouldn't immediately recognize her, however, I think there was a better way to write this other than using different women. It killed the chemistry.

5) Falling in love by arrow. Yeah, I know that's what Cupid does, but it seems like a forced love rather than letting people fall in love with the person because they find something interesting about them (like the unattractive fairy & Do-Ra). The arrow love just seems shallow and superficial. I mean the only reason ML is hung up on FL is because he shot himself with his own arrow. Stupid. It doesn't seem like a real love at all so I couldn't really get behind ML/FL's love story.

6) The whole flow of the story seemed disjointed. It didn't have a smooth flow because it jumped around and introduced characters that weren't explained until later on (like the little kid).

7) The music was completely uninspiring and forgettable.

So, what's makes this drama worth watching?

1) Dong-Gu & Do-Ra's romance. Least two, at least, weren't hit by arrows. Dong-Gu was able to attract cynical Do-Ra's attention all on his own, which makes it all seem more sincere and authentic.

2) Dog fairy when he was in dog form. I mean, who doesn't love a dog, right? But, I didn't like the dog abuse in episode 14. Yeah, you don't see it, but it's implied. Use a cat instead or did FL only work on dogs?

3) I would have liked the cop/prince better if he'd actually made this a real love triangle, but he was too busy trying to discover ML's secret than capture FL's love. I felt sympathy for the Prince because Soo Hee was meant for him until that damn kid god & cupid got in their way. It's My Roommate is a Gumiho all over again. Her red string was attached to SML until that damn fox got in the way. BTW, I really like the red string of fate concept. It's so romantic; unlike those arrows.

4) The murder mystery, which was written a lot better than the romance. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by all this reincarnation/cupid's love affair gobbledygook.

Overall, the drama wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. It was certainly nowhere near 'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon', 'What's Wrong with Secretary Kim', 'W', 'The Healer' or other dramas from the 'Golden Era' of Korean drama. It's just a drama that you watch and then forget.

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Was going great until...

Just to warn you, I'm a big fan of keeping a screenplay as close to possible as the original novel/webtoon. This drama was going great until they introduced a fiancée for ML who NEVER EXISTED in the webtoon. I could tolerate the other changes - ML committed suicide in the webtoon. He didn't die in a car accident. FL didn't know about ML being reborn until much later in the webtoon. That was a nice twist that was surprising to even the reader. Grandpa was not your typical chaebol patriarch who made arranged business marriages. He was a cool dude - he even had a ponytail. I seriously don't know why these screenwriters have to follow the 'old' Asian template of business marriages & fiancées showing up and ruining ML/FL's romance. Not only did ML have to play the noble idiot (my 2nd most hated drama device) but now there's a fiancée that never existed in the webtoon (my most hated drama device). That's when I had enough and stopped watching, picking it back up at the end. I literally had a short-lived temper tantrum because once again, a screenwriter ruined a perfectly good drama. It's bad enough that Netflix did a hatchet job on my favorite all time webtoon, A Business Proposal; now the screenwriter had to add the MOST ANNOYING drama device out there to Marry My Husband - a fiancée for ML.

To top it off, I honestly don't think the director understood the characters in this drama at all. Both Ms. Yang and ML moped around the entire time - they were perpetual rainclouds. I didn't get that in the webtoon from Ms. Yang at all and ML was reserved but not depressed. He blushed a lot in the toon. Grandpa was not your typical meddling rich chaebol - honestly, ML's entire family was wonderful. I think the only ones who nailed their character was ML's sister (my favorite character in the toon besides the leads), possibly FL & Sumin (although she wasn't as fluffy and feminine as she was in the webtoon). As for the husband, the actor playing him is just too likeable for me to hate him. He came across as just a lazy dope who thought with his man part rather than the despicable character he was in the toon.

When the screenwriter changed the plot elements, he/she introduced some questions like - FL knows ML was reborn so why doesn't she ask him how he died and get to the bottom as to why he's so depressed all the time? And why is ML depressed? If FL can change her fate, why can't he? Besides, if FL doesn't die, then he won't be in the 'death car' coming back from her funeral. His depression and gloom doesn't make sense. Why doesn't he try to change his fate like FL????

Despite these changes, the drama was good (and amusing at times - Panties Park) until ML's so-called fiancée showed up. It wasn't necessary and was a completely made up element. I would rather the episodes get cut down to 14 if they didn't have enough material rather than add this old, annoying, worn out drama device. K-Dramas have evolved beyond the arranged marriage trope, screenwriter!

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Don't waste your time unless you like stupid

Stupidest ML ever. Enough said. But, since this website is insisting that I make my review at least 500 character long, I'll try to elaborate. It's clear that ML loves FL, however, he's one of those stupid C-drama MLs whose easily influenced by family ties and buckles under emotional blackmail. Long story short, he allows a psycho chick (and she's definitely a psycho - she ought to be in a straight jacket and padded cell) emotionally blackmail him into marrying her. How anybody thinks this is a good idea is beyond me. Everybody knows she's psycho yet they say 'ok, let's allow ML to marry her and live in misery for the rest of his life.' Sorry - it's never a good idea to marry someone out of pity and especially not someone who's a lunatic, ok? Which makes me question ML's sanity. Dude, are you crazy yourself? No pressure by family, no pity, no emotional blackmail on earth ought to convince you to do such a crazy thing unless you're flat out stupid. Why sacrifice your own happiness for this lunatic? Why can't C-dramas get these chicks psychological help instead of pandering to them and pretending they're normal? Her family ought to be locked up in a padded cell next to her for allowing this travesty of a wedding to take place. This is taking 'spoiling your child' to a whole new level. Fortunately, the psycho dude who's in love with her (birds of a feather flock together, I guess) arrives just in the nick of time and spills his guts, saving the idiot ML. But, hey, it's a happy ending because psycho chick manages to accidentally kill herself as well, ridding the world of this bat crap crazy female. YAY!

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What a Rom-Com should be!

I LOVED this drama! I think it's rating of 7.9 is far too low. It was a heart-warming, satisfying romance with plenty of amusement and very little of the things we hate about C-drama Rom-Coms. Here's my take on the characters:

ML - I absolutely loved him! He shot into my ML Hall of Fame, coming in at third place behind Min-Min of 'Strong Woman Bong Soon' and the Grand Tutor of 'Be My Princess'. He shares the spot with Gu Yanzhen of 'Arsenal Military Academy'. This is my favorite role that this particular actor has played (I wasn't crazy about him in 'Fall in Love' or 'The Starry Love'). He plays the bad-tempered, aloof/arrogant yet inwardly warm-hearted and emotionally bumbling ML to perfection. I think it's the best I've seen this actor look too - his hair style fit him perfectly. All he needed was glasses (which he got at the very, very end). He does an excellent job of switching from the aloof, scolding boss to the sweet, tender, smiling boyfriend. And gosh, what a boyfriend! He supports and believes in FL unconditionally and immediately gets justice for her when the obsessed chick frames her. Just an FYI - his heart has only and always belonged to FL. There's no ex-girlfriends, no childhood sweethearts, no fiancées. He's never been in love before until he meets FL so he clueless about what to do with his feelings. Once he finally confesses, his heart belongs 100% to FL - no wavering. He shows no mercy to the obsessed chick despite their past university acquaintance. Some might says he's controlling, but I see it as his desire to help FL achieve her dreams and potential.

FL - she's cute without being that annoyingly cutesy character that C-dramas tend to love (and I hate). A warning to the faint-hearted, FL goes through a lot of character development so if she seems far to apologetic and ditsy at first, hang in there! Remember that she's young and inexperienced and had a terrible boss prior to her coming to ML's law firm. She does mature as both a woman and a lawyer. Her influence in ML's life causes him to soften his hard-nose lawyer demeanor and philosophy. However, my goodwill toward her did cool when she sort of breaks up with ML following the obsessed chick's little framing trick. She has an inferiority complex throughout the drama - feeling that she's useless except as a sleep aid to ML, feeling she's not worthy of him loving her, etc. So, in the latter episodes, she's hell-bent to 'prove herself' and she's hypersensitive to everything ML says. I honestly don't know what her problem is. Should they work at different law firms? Yes, I think so, but she puts distance between them and ML doesn't have a clue why bc she doesn't really explain it. In my opinion, ML is wonderful and does everything he can to please her yet he's in the doghouse. It's like the writer suddenly decides their relationship is too perfect so she has to toss in some angst. What was all this angst about? Gaining ML's respect? I feel he already respected her - he's always praising her abilities. To change ML's view of marriage? I don't know how what she put him through did that, but his perspective did change. FL's behavior after the obsessed chick was sort of crazy and my warm feelings towards her cooled. My only other complaints about her was - 1) her hair when she had it down, it looked like she was wearing a fuzzy fur stole; and 2) sometimes she'd widen her eyes, making her look a little psycho.

FL's three co-workers - Absolutely loved them! Finally, Chinese supporting characters that are just as memorable and loveable as the Koreans! They were had good chemistry together and they didn't take over the scene. They were great supporting characters that added humor. I loved the glasses guy (Brother Bao) - he was amusing with his belief that ML's favored him and his constant chatter and drama. He was my favorite supporting character along with ML's mom. The other two coworkers formed the 'third couple' of this drama, and seriously, I liked them better than Wu Jun & FL's sister. Their romance was there without taking attention away from ML/FL (just like a Korean drama). Loved how the group protected FL from ML's scolding. So refreshing after watching so many drams with workplace bullying.

Parents - LOVED ML's mom! So glad that his parents weren't demanding he marry some rich girl or some childhood sweetheart. Mom was just happy that he liked someone, and she tried to help their romance along...although it backfired on her. We didn't see as much as FL's parents as ML's mom, but they were likeable as well. They only disapproved when FL made up lies about ML's profession, etc. So that tyrannical parent factor was not part of this drama. The writers/director used the parents to add humor instead of angst. Bravo! These are the type of parents I like!

Wu Jun & FL's sister - I liked Wu Jun's personality (and that adorable dimple & cool sunglasses), but he was kind of dumb. He recruited the scheming chick into their firm bc he thought ML liked her. Really? As far as I could tell, ML hadn't had any contact with this woman since university and SML thinks he likes her???? For someone who supposedly had people skills, he was pretty dumb when it came to discerning who ML liked. He thought the 'friend' ML talked about was this chick while most people know that when someone refers to a 'friend's problem', they're usually referring to themselves. If Wu Jun hadn't been such a dope and ML so clueless, we wouldn't have had to watch the scheming chick in the final half of this drama. That entire story arc was all Wu Jun's fault yet ML suffered the consequences. As for the sister, I liked her hair style, but as for her character, my reaction is - blah. I fast forwarded through Wu Jun & her scenes as well as her scenes with the ex.

Finally, the scheming chick. She wasn't able to interest ML all those years ago in university yet somehow she thinks he's hers and destroying FL will secure him. Because of her arrival, the pleasant workplace became toxic with a head b** and her gang of little b**. Didn't anyone notice that their formerly harmonious workplace was suddenly filled with nasty rumors and was directly related to this woman's arrival? Wu Jun knew what was going on and did nothing to prevent what happened except give the skank a weak warning. Fortunately, ML returned and obliterated the b**. He only relented from annihilating her completely bc of SML's pleading. I can't understand C-drama obsessed chick logic - just because you're stupid enough to like a guy for years, he's supposedly yours? And they always ask - why her and not me? Maybe because you're a vindictive, delusional, self-centered b**? Could that be the reason?

This drama was a great watch, and I highly recommend it. The angst is at the minimum and the romance at the maximum. It's took Asian dramas a while to understand that principle. Rom-Com stands to Romance | Comedy, and so few Asian drama focus on the comedy aspect. instead they fill it with angst. This drama, however, is what a Rom-Com should be!

P.S. the OST was good too, especially their love theme 'Loving You'. I liked the lullaby about the lazy cat too. It reminded me of Sheldon's Soft Kitty song.

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Typical

Nothing new here. Same ole C-drama template filled with 'popular' Chinese actors/actresses. When will the Chinese realize that having a popular star doesn't make a drama good? Don't let the fans dictate your agenda! I'd rather have an original and interesting plot than a 'top' cast because an actor/actress, like a NFL quarterback, can't win the game when the playbook stinks and the coach doesn't give good direction. I'm beyond the stage in my life where I just want to see my favorite pretty boy (or girl); I want sustenance, I want creativity, I want originality. If that means reducing the number of episodes, so be it! I've always preferred movies to soap operas anyway. Ok, enough of a rant. I'm really starting to feel sorry (and embarrassed) for the Chinese when all they can produce is the same ole template filled with the latest and hottest stars. Just because an actor/actress has a hit drama doesn't mean they're right for every drama that shows up in their agency inbox. Yep, I'm talking to Dylan. Please, boy, get yourself a more selective agent before you ruin your career again. Or maybe you need a better director who can speak the language that brings out what we saw in LBFD. Pairing him with a popular actress doesn't guarantee success, and frankly, I was disappointed with Bai Lu's character as well so she didn't help him much. Well, anyway, that's all I'm saying. Please, I'm begging you, get rid of the C-drama Rom-Com template and write a new playbook.

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