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Lost in Dramaland
Melo Romance/Action Drama that requires your patience
Having watched quite a few first responder dramas (You Are My Hero/A Date with the Future/Light Chaser Rescue), it’s difficult not to compare “Fireworks of My Heart” with them. For many elements, “Fireworks of My Heart” is very similar to these other dramas. What differs, is the romance story of the main leads. The romance between Song Yan (ML) and Xu Qin (F) is melodramatic. The romance in the other dramas are more fluffy and sweet and rom-com like. It has about 50% romance and 50 % cases/missions.
Romance
Song Yan and Xu Qin were forced to be separated due to FL’s parents' strong disapproval. They are reunited after 10 years. The drama did not set a good foundation for viewers to understand their love for each other that could last more than 10 years. I am a big fan of second-chance romance, but I had a hard time rooting for this romance in the initial 10 episodes. I disliked Xu Qin and thought she was pathetic, selfish, cowardly and greedy. She was also very shameless in wanting to get back with Song Yan and became stalkerish and clingy. I had such a difficult time continuing. HOWEVER, I stuck with it and then realized why she acted that way (more about that later below). I was expecting the romance to be rom-com like, but then it dawned on me that this is a melo-romance. Once my mindset changed, I started to enjoy this romance a lot more. I understand why she acted that way and I slowly root for them to be together. When they finally get together, we have some scenes of sweetness and fluffiness, after all the angst we went through. A few decent kisses, a lot of hand-holding and hugging. I find the chemistry between the two leads OK but not great. I heard many of the kisses were censored out because they disappeared towards the last third of the show. This is probably due to the fact that this drama is broadcasted on national TV and the content is more controlled than web dramas.
Xu Qin (female lead)
As mentioned, I disliked Xu Qin so much in the first 10 episodes. But then I realized she has been emotionally abused and manipulated all her life by her mother. She was grateful for being adopted but she was having a hard time standing up for herself. I bet all viewers hate the mother and most are disgruntled about her ending. It was really sad to see how traumatic Xu Qin and her adopted brother are because of their parents. Xu Qin’s relationship with her mother seems like a domestic abuse situation. You want to leave, but you can’t. However, I am glad to see that she’s trying really hard… little by little, step by step. It was rewarding to finally see her stand up and leave her family for the man she loves.
Missions/Cases/Firefighting
If you have seen enough first responders drama, the cases in this drama will not surprise you. They are very similar to those I’ve seen in other dramas. I think “Fireworks of My Heart” actually does a better job in showing a variety of smaller, regular missions, e.g. catching a spider, helping an old lady, snapping a ring off a finger. Compared to what I’ve seen in other dramas, the bigger accidents, fires, and natural disasters are not as dramatic and the CGI not as good.
Firefighters and camaraderie
The boys together are always the most fun and most enjoyable parts in such dramas. You can expect funny banters between the guys, shirtless scenes here and there, training very hard and unfortunately, the loss of a life. I accidentally read a spoiler in the comment section and found out who died. Arggh… don’t be like me and please put a spoiler tag, people! We all look forward to the guest appearance of Vin Zhang, and like many, it was lovely to see his bromance with Yang Yang. I was expecting a certain exit for this character, but it was different than what I imagined (it was better). Now we just need another drama of Yang Yang and Vin Zhang as leads together!
Main Acting
I am a big fan of Yang Yang and think that his acting though might not be excellent, does not warrant all the criticisms. I think he did fine here, not as good as his performance in “Glory of Special Forces”. However, I don’t find him ‘posing’ instead of acting. And if so, it was the director’s fault. His acting of emotional scenes are more subtle since he is the captain and has to maintain a certain demeanor. On the other hand, Wang Chu Ran has a more difficult role to play. You can see the stark difference of her acting when she’s with her family, at work, and with ML. She is emotionless, soft-spoken and obedient when she’s speaking with her mother. She’s a cool, genius doctor who could be authoritative and business like at work. It’s when she’s with ML that her smiles, pouting, whining come out. I think Wang Chu Ran did an admirable job. For a drama playing against Yang Yang, I think she might have gotten my attention just a little more.
Supporting Cast
I do not get the ship between FL and her brother. There’s no way I will pick Meng Yan Chen over Song Yan! Everyone in the supporting cast did a pretty good job with no obvious subpar acting. I find Jiang Yu’s character quite adorable and he’s a good stand-in after Vin Zhang’s exit. I like the feisty little cousin, who stands up for Song Yan and says everything the ‘adults’ want to but are afraid to say. I love the sweet aunt and uncle who are there to support Song Yan. I dislike the subplot between Meng Yan Chen and Ye Zi. There’s something about Ye Zi that I don’t like from the first moment she’s introduced.
I worry many dropped this drama because they couldn’t get past the first 10 episodes, and were also expecting a rom-com instead of a melo. But if you like a more angsty, melodramatic romance in a drama like this, I would recommend this for you. This is not the best drama for its genre, but it has its own charms.
Other Random Observations:
1. Bad teenage wigs!
2. So many coincidences for the leads to meet in the first few episodes.
3. They really like to pour a whole bottle of iodine (?) on the wounds and cause pain.
4. Love the scene when families cook meals for the firefighters (but also quite unrealistic).
5. Like the healthy competition between the doctors. Not too many medical cases.
6. I quite like the songs in the OST. The lyrics are perfect for some scenes.
Completed: 7/29/2023 - Review #335
Romance
Song Yan and Xu Qin were forced to be separated due to FL’s parents' strong disapproval. They are reunited after 10 years. The drama did not set a good foundation for viewers to understand their love for each other that could last more than 10 years. I am a big fan of second-chance romance, but I had a hard time rooting for this romance in the initial 10 episodes. I disliked Xu Qin and thought she was pathetic, selfish, cowardly and greedy. She was also very shameless in wanting to get back with Song Yan and became stalkerish and clingy. I had such a difficult time continuing. HOWEVER, I stuck with it and then realized why she acted that way (more about that later below). I was expecting the romance to be rom-com like, but then it dawned on me that this is a melo-romance. Once my mindset changed, I started to enjoy this romance a lot more. I understand why she acted that way and I slowly root for them to be together. When they finally get together, we have some scenes of sweetness and fluffiness, after all the angst we went through. A few decent kisses, a lot of hand-holding and hugging. I find the chemistry between the two leads OK but not great. I heard many of the kisses were censored out because they disappeared towards the last third of the show. This is probably due to the fact that this drama is broadcasted on national TV and the content is more controlled than web dramas.
Xu Qin (female lead)
As mentioned, I disliked Xu Qin so much in the first 10 episodes. But then I realized she has been emotionally abused and manipulated all her life by her mother. She was grateful for being adopted but she was having a hard time standing up for herself. I bet all viewers hate the mother and most are disgruntled about her ending. It was really sad to see how traumatic Xu Qin and her adopted brother are because of their parents. Xu Qin’s relationship with her mother seems like a domestic abuse situation. You want to leave, but you can’t. However, I am glad to see that she’s trying really hard… little by little, step by step. It was rewarding to finally see her stand up and leave her family for the man she loves.
Missions/Cases/Firefighting
If you have seen enough first responders drama, the cases in this drama will not surprise you. They are very similar to those I’ve seen in other dramas. I think “Fireworks of My Heart” actually does a better job in showing a variety of smaller, regular missions, e.g. catching a spider, helping an old lady, snapping a ring off a finger. Compared to what I’ve seen in other dramas, the bigger accidents, fires, and natural disasters are not as dramatic and the CGI not as good.
Firefighters and camaraderie
The boys together are always the most fun and most enjoyable parts in such dramas. You can expect funny banters between the guys, shirtless scenes here and there, training very hard and unfortunately, the loss of a life. I accidentally read a spoiler in the comment section and found out who died. Arggh… don’t be like me and please put a spoiler tag, people! We all look forward to the guest appearance of Vin Zhang, and like many, it was lovely to see his bromance with Yang Yang. I was expecting a certain exit for this character, but it was different than what I imagined (it was better). Now we just need another drama of Yang Yang and Vin Zhang as leads together!
Main Acting
I am a big fan of Yang Yang and think that his acting though might not be excellent, does not warrant all the criticisms. I think he did fine here, not as good as his performance in “Glory of Special Forces”. However, I don’t find him ‘posing’ instead of acting. And if so, it was the director’s fault. His acting of emotional scenes are more subtle since he is the captain and has to maintain a certain demeanor. On the other hand, Wang Chu Ran has a more difficult role to play. You can see the stark difference of her acting when she’s with her family, at work, and with ML. She is emotionless, soft-spoken and obedient when she’s speaking with her mother. She’s a cool, genius doctor who could be authoritative and business like at work. It’s when she’s with ML that her smiles, pouting, whining come out. I think Wang Chu Ran did an admirable job. For a drama playing against Yang Yang, I think she might have gotten my attention just a little more.
Supporting Cast
I do not get the ship between FL and her brother. There’s no way I will pick Meng Yan Chen over Song Yan! Everyone in the supporting cast did a pretty good job with no obvious subpar acting. I find Jiang Yu’s character quite adorable and he’s a good stand-in after Vin Zhang’s exit. I like the feisty little cousin, who stands up for Song Yan and says everything the ‘adults’ want to but are afraid to say. I love the sweet aunt and uncle who are there to support Song Yan. I dislike the subplot between Meng Yan Chen and Ye Zi. There’s something about Ye Zi that I don’t like from the first moment she’s introduced.
I worry many dropped this drama because they couldn’t get past the first 10 episodes, and were also expecting a rom-com instead of a melo. But if you like a more angsty, melodramatic romance in a drama like this, I would recommend this for you. This is not the best drama for its genre, but it has its own charms.
Other Random Observations:
1. Bad teenage wigs!
2. So many coincidences for the leads to meet in the first few episodes.
3. They really like to pour a whole bottle of iodine (?) on the wounds and cause pain.
4. Love the scene when families cook meals for the firefighters (but also quite unrealistic).
5. Like the healthy competition between the doctors. Not too many medical cases.
6. I quite like the songs in the OST. The lyrics are perfect for some scenes.
Completed: 7/29/2023 - Review #335
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