This review may contain spoilers
A Drama that Grew on Me
I had watched parts of this drama about a year ago, but at the time I didn’t find it particularly appealing and dropped it early on. However, I really enjoyed its music and ended up listening to Huang Z.Tao and other C-Pop artists in real life. In many ways, this show became my entry point into modern Chinese music.
This time, I decided to give it a second chance and went on to complete the entire series. I won’t deny that after a few episodes, I started skipping several scenes involving the two female VPs of Star Entertainment, as well as the storyline featuring the company president and his wife, a former singing superstar. While these side plots do serve a narrative purpose—showing how decisions made by secondary characters ripple into the main storyline—I still felt some of them, especially the VP Ma arc and the extramarital affair storyline involving the president hiding his illness from his wife, were unnecessary and made the narrative less tight than it could have been.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed the performances of the male lead, female lead, and second male lead. The interactions between the ML and FL felt natural and grounded, and their scenes remained the highlight of the show for me. The second male lead’s inner struggles became more pronounced over time; while he initially appears to be the ideal guy, earlier hints make it clear that his smiles are often more superficial than genuine, adding layers to his character and making him a convincing grey figure. The male lead, meanwhile, is very well-written and increasingly likeable as the story progresses. His family dynamics—especially his relationship with his father and sister, along with the subtle thread of his father’s second chance at life—added a warm and meaningful dimension to the narrative.
Ultimately, the music remains the strongest aspect of the show for me, and it continues to stand out even after finishing the series. Overall, I appreciated the experience more on this second watch, especially for its emotional arcs and musical focus, even if certain subplots felt unnecessary.
This time, I decided to give it a second chance and went on to complete the entire series. I won’t deny that after a few episodes, I started skipping several scenes involving the two female VPs of Star Entertainment, as well as the storyline featuring the company president and his wife, a former singing superstar. While these side plots do serve a narrative purpose—showing how decisions made by secondary characters ripple into the main storyline—I still felt some of them, especially the VP Ma arc and the extramarital affair storyline involving the president hiding his illness from his wife, were unnecessary and made the narrative less tight than it could have been.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed the performances of the male lead, female lead, and second male lead. The interactions between the ML and FL felt natural and grounded, and their scenes remained the highlight of the show for me. The second male lead’s inner struggles became more pronounced over time; while he initially appears to be the ideal guy, earlier hints make it clear that his smiles are often more superficial than genuine, adding layers to his character and making him a convincing grey figure. The male lead, meanwhile, is very well-written and increasingly likeable as the story progresses. His family dynamics—especially his relationship with his father and sister, along with the subtle thread of his father’s second chance at life—added a warm and meaningful dimension to the narrative.
Ultimately, the music remains the strongest aspect of the show for me, and it continues to stand out even after finishing the series. Overall, I appreciated the experience more on this second watch, especially for its emotional arcs and musical focus, even if certain subplots felt unnecessary.
Was this review helpful to you?
