Enjoyable Silly Romcom That Makes You Smile!
For some unexplainable reason, I ended up really enjoying this show. Watching it felt like time-traveling back to my younger self at the start of my drama journey, when I wasn’t picky and would just enjoy whatever came my way.This drama is by no means a masterpiece, it’s a silly, lighthearted romcom about a superstar and a common girl getting in a contract relationship. Just hearing that setup probably tells you exactly what to expect from start to finish, and you’d be right. But somehow, the journey was still worth it.
I admit I’m a fan of contract-relationship stories, so maybe I’m a bit biased. Still, this drama had a charm of its own.
Cheng Xiao Shi is Sweet, naive, and exactly the kind of female lead you’d imagine in an older drama. Yes, she was embarrassing at times, but I found her kindness and over-the-top personality really endearing.
He Qun, I went in prepared for a “criminal ML” since this is a 2006 drama, but to my surprise he was actually good! Adorable, a little narcissistic, and with smirks and smiles that completely worked. His acting was solid, and his chemistry with Cheng Xiao Shi made the bickering-yet-caring relationship shine. Even the cheesy romance lines hit just right.
Second couple: Honestly, I couldn’t care less about them. Their push-and-pull felt weak, and half the time I didn’t even realize they were “together” until they broke up (again and again). Their last moments were sweet, but overall their relationship lacked impact, though they did have better chemistry in BTS clips.
He Rui Zhe (ML’s brother): I was so sure he’d fall for the FL since he’s the ML’s brother and they had beef. But to my surprise, he didn’t! Instead, he became a supportive friend, which I actually loved. He was a cool character, and I could see why Xiao Shi had a crush on him.
Rita: Her back-and-forth between the brothers annoyed me, but I didn’t hate her either. She had her moments where she was chill and likable.
Vincent: Poor guy, constantly overworked dealing with the superstar’s scandals, I honestly applauded his patience.
FL’s family are The true stars of the show! Their warmth and cuteness fit perfectly with their restaurant’s name, Smiling Pasta. Every scene with them made me smile.
Overall, This drama was a guilty pleasure, except I didn’t even feel guilty enjoying it. It’s cute, silly, and heartwarming all the way through, with a good OST and solid rewatch value. Definitely a drama that reminds me why I fell in love with romcoms in the first place. I recommend checking this out when you're in the mood.
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It does have the over the top acting of old Taiwanese drama which comes off as a positive side of watching Taiwan dramas. I don't know if the acting was great because I felt like the characters are too childish for me to rate them.
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I only had 2 real issues with this drama. The dad slapping Cheng Xiao Shi was one. Not acceptable. I realize this is a different country with different values, etc, but slapping is never okay - well, unless it's the lead female slapping the b*tch ex-girlfriend...I digress. Seriously, though, the scene made it seem like this was acceptable behavior, for a father to slap his GROWN daughter just because she stayed out late and worried her parents. And he didn't apologize, and she took it as an acceptable form of reprimand and groveled her apologies.....Nope. NOT OKAY.
The second problem I had was He Qun's continuous verbal abuse towards the Cheng Xiao Shi. I don't care if it was supposed to be teasing, or that we were supposed to understand that their bickering was their way of expressing love...it was excessive. Teasing or not, calling someone stupid or an idiot ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME goes beyond playful bickering into verbal abuse territory. No matter how understanding a girl's personality is, eventually she's going to start wondering if he really means it. If it had just been once or twice in the beginning - that I could understand because their relationship wasn't on good terms. But later, once they were officially together, it grew old, fast. I couldn't even really enjoy the ending because their cute and/or sweet moments were just too few and far between compared to the bickering and putting down.
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