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Story: For the most part, I actually really liked the plot and storyline. Parts of the plot arcs follow some usual drama tropes, such as family secrets and corporate political struggles, but a lot of the characters didn't fall into cliche roles and Fen Qing and Ting En have a very strong, healthy drama relationship (mostly). The show starts out making it seem like Ting En and Fen Qing are in a teacher/student type dynamic, but they very much challenge each other as individuals. A significant part of the relationship between Ting En and Fen Qing is about how Fen Qing doesn't need a man to protect her or fight her battles for her, though she could use some support. The only reason I wouldn't rate the story higher is because of those last few episodes where it feels like the writers couldn't figure out how to resolve some loose ends and decided to create chaos instead.
Acting/Cast: Mixed feelings on this one, but I ended up rating it high because of the three aforementioned actors. Chris Wu gives Ting En a charming maturity and depth. He and Ivy Shao as Fen Qing have great, bantering chemistry. Ivy Shao also does a great job of balancing Fen Qing's youth and naivete with her strong personality. But Lawrence Liu as Peng Xiao Bin, Ting En's best friend, is the scene stealer whenever he's on screen. His expressions and comedic timing are excellent and give this show life! While these three actors were all great, I thought Suan Wang as Meng Ru Xi was robotic, which was unfortunate because she got a ton of screen time and her character was actually pretty decent for a rival love interest.
Music: That opening song is so catchy!! It makes me think of rainbows and sunshine and summer breezes and my day feels brighter whenever I hear it.
Rewatch Value: Very low. I would fast forward to just watch some of the cute interactions between Ting En and Fen Qing. The rest of it is skippable.
Overall, this show is enjoyable for the most part with minimal cringe factor and some steamy kissing scenes, but lacks an addictive hook or a compelling finish.
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Improvement need
The story can be better! From unknown to know, from crushing to fall in love each other and the part that they separated, really make me feel so broken hearted for both of the couple. It should have shown ending with a wedding ceremony not just kissing. A proper proposal and wedding.Can have part 2 the perfect match.
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Story was much better than the reviews!
I am so glad I was not swayed to drop this Taiwanese drama after episode 16-17 after I read a number of the reviews. So many viewers thought that the perfect ending should have been episode 16 but I disagree. Episodes 17-22 added more richness to the story. I thought the male leader was so natural in this role and was so convincing. The development of the female lead was seen throughout but especially towards the end. I usually watch mostly kdramas. I learned so much about cooking, the cuisine and the restaurant business. This was only my third drama from Taiwan and because I enjoyed Perfect Match so much, it will most definitely not be my last.Was this review helpful to you?
So Cute then drags to finish
UGH! I was really enjoying where this story was trying to take us and midway it did this slow limp towards the finish. When there are scenes and situations that seem unnecessary to the main point of view, it takes the interest away. The actors were okay. Yet some of the cheesiness seemed thrown in and felt unnatural. I liked the dynamic of story and backstory, yet the character development with the FL was a bit trying at times. It has promise. This could have been a solid 20 episodes with better editing for the storyline flowthrough.Was this review helpful to you?
I wanted to know all about the characters and what transpired to make him kiss her like that. I will not reveal anything more. This was my first Taiwanese drama so the language felt strange to my ears. But the acting skills and cuteness level of the characters and scenes kept me going. 22 episodes is too long for a romcom, it could have ended a lot sooner. But it was a pleasant watch and educational, as both the leads are chefs and they share many interesting tidbits about the ingredients and cooking methods. Side characters are sweet and actually contribute to the story rather than being evil and selfish, which was a plus. This drama is atmospheric and takes you into a different world. There are the usual cliched scenarios which are cringey and over the top, i especially disliked the exaggerated ridiculous sleeping habits of FL, the ML's best friend who tries too hard to be funny, and few other forced-live in incidents where the mothers act really ridiculous.. but there is the feel of a genuine love story underneath it all which makes it worth the watch. I will possibly rewatch this for their sweet chemistry and the smooches! BGM is appropriate and couple of them are catchy. Give this one a try for a glimpse into the Taiwanese world - the close-knit lives of night market food vendors and the pressures and problems faced by the truly wealthy.
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This review may contain spoilers
This Taiwanese Rom-Com is worth watching. Quite entertaining with lots of laughs in the first 10 episodes. The story line is very similar to 'My Fair Lady' as it was also referenced in one of the episode. I did very much enjoyed the English version of My Fair Lady. I would say although there were similarities between the two but there were also differences which made it enjoyable to watch.Chris Wu the main lead actor was very convincing and the maturity he brought out in his acting made it very enjoyable to watch. However, I like his sidekick more which brought out the funny side to the whole story line. Keeping the whole show grounded.
The ending was a bit abrupt; I would like to see the main lead actress struggled a bit more when she took over the cooperation. It did not made sense in that someone without the right training is able to lead a major cooperation that easily, even with Xiao Bin's help.
Not the best music score though.
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Should have stopped at 17 but...
I rewatched this drama recently as I was drama-less lately. Food+idol drama is for me the perfect match indeed. I like also Taiwanese drama as they are less cheesy than the Korean ones. The chemistry between the first leads is evident and I really loved to watch them bickering and falling in love at the same time. The heroine is witty, strong and opinionated which is a nice change. Huo Tingen respects her and also falls in love with her because of that. They really are perfect partners.I second the bromance as well which is really fun and looks quite organic as well.
Now the show indeed drags up after the 17th episode but hey, watching these two interacting is still worth it. There is no story anymore but who cares! I was in for the love...
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SPELLBOUND KISSES
Hadn’t watched too many Taiwanese series, but I was drawn to this one. My favorite episodes were 9 & 17. I wasn’t familiar with Chris Wu, but am a fan, now! Thought Ivy to be a great actress and she played a strong female lead—a little quirky, but intelligent and smart. I have watched a lot of Korean and a few Chinese, Japanese and of course, American movies/series. I thought I’d seen the best kiss, by Yoo Yeon-seok, in “The Interest of Love, Ep. 10, I believe…Until Chris Wu’s kisses! OMG! He doesn’t just passionately kisses Ivy’s character, he romances her lips-slowly gliding from top to bottom, never breaking contact, until the kissing had ended. Then slowly pulls away, remaining relatively close to her face and confesses his love (Ep. 9). Ep. 17 was similar. I’d never seen that in all my many years of movie watching. The thing is, I’m tired of watching supposed “romantic” movies, with no romance. Would loved to have seen them finally get together (and really be together), while they were in their pretend engagement period, just to see how Chris’ character would have accomplished that! Overall, enjoyed the camaraderie of the street market “family,” the goodwill of the grandmother, and the friendship of the manager. Great show!Was this review helpful to you?
Loved it
Lovely show... great chemistry between leads likable side characters. Just enough drama but bot enough to be annoying. Would watch again. Had a decent ending I find a lot af asain dramas endings seem rushed or idk not satisfying but this one was ok.I did feel like the male lead had a mantantrume that was a bit unnecessary... but I guess that was juat the story line and they had to do something I guess for a bit more drama.
Apparently my review has to be at least 500 characters to submit but I cant rhunk of anything else to say blahhhh
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✒ My Fair Apprentice ⚜️ 10 Days to Engagement °5.5° °VG thru abt 17eps then tanks°
This is the best Twromance I've seen… through around 17 eps. Sadly, it's 22. If they had stopped at ep9 my rating would've been close to 8; at ep16 or 17 would be a 7.5. But they kept going, and the souffle flopped. It's up to each viewer if they want to forgive the show runners for the wasted hours. You see my answer. Other TwDramas I've seen have had generous helpings of goofiness, bad acting, silly plot lines and dull dialogue, but not enough to keep me from tuning in. There's something relaxing about their simplicity and sincerity. For every bad element there's usually 2 good. Most of them, tbh, I wouldn't watch when the 20 & 30 somethings in the house might be walking by. I always get an eye roll or a snarky comment about the men's over-gelled hair. The hard-to-please denizens of my h/h have watched some Kdramas and liked them, but I'm careful about what I suggest - It's got to be a slam dunk. Taiwan hasn't given me any slam dunks.I was thinking: Here's a show that I can enthusiastically recommend to friends looking for a good romance. The kiss in ep9 is one of the best onscreen kisses I've seen. Top 💯? Easily. Top 10? Probably. That kiss, and their acting are so SO good that it's all too good. It's downright suspicious: I looked up their bios, and yep, they are an item IRL. So let's give ‘em some points for authenticity!
Wu Kang Ren (The World between Us) is “A curry made without sincerity will never taste good,” “Huo” Ting En. He's a chef. He runs his family's restaurant. His aid (Liu Shu Hong from Lion Pride portrays Peng Xiao “Bin”) frantically tells him a critic has been seated (😨!), but dude couldn't care less. Everyone gets the same food, because his food is for everyone, not just critics.
Still, why would he give “Q” (Wei Fen Qing, a street vendor who sells poor imitations of his scrumptious shrimp curry), a taste - or even the time of day?
Day1: He goes to her place demanding she stop using his name to promote her food stand. He shows her how much better his version of her food is. Mic drop. Exit.
Day2: She's at HIS place (Michelin rated “La Mure”) throwing down a challenge. Why, in the big wide world, would Huo accept? She reminds him of his sister. Every action and inaction in which he partook regarding his sister culminated in tragedy. This girl feels a bit like a redo.
Mr. Wu had to play 2nd fiddle in Autumn's Concerto-7.2, where his character hung on too long. Still, he made a VG impression and he does a good job here. Not long into their contest, Q realizes she doesn't have the knowledge or the skills to compete with Huo. She demands he train her for a week! Then she can beat him, she's certain. He weirdly agrees to it.
TPM has a weak premise but the poor writing doesn't take a serious toll until the final episodes. It is a 2017 release that is rated 7.7 on MDL and consists of 22 70-minute episodes. Ivy Shao (More than Blue) plays Q. She's simply darling in Back to 1989-7.1. In the opening of TPM she plays a tough girl and it's not convincing. She's more like the tough girls from Grease, but she's still cute. She may act tough, but she's deathly afraid of the dark. After a couple episodes, she settles into the role, and nothing’s out of place with her performance anymore.
Day3: The richest man in Taiwan is bringing his wife to La Mure for their 30th anniversary. He longs for the food they had at their wedding banquet. The kitchen staff is in a panic trying to find recipes or even menus from that wedding restaurant〰〰> does anybody know who might have worked there? Well, don't-cha-know, Q's father was the chef who made that dish! She has menus, records, recipes, and her memory. The night is a success.
While this is going on, Huo might be starting something up with a sexy food critic. She's hard to please, but she is pleased with him (Hsiao Man from The Hustle is Meng Ruxi). Another player is Nylon Chen (Memory Love) as Huo's step-brother, Huo Tian “Zhi”, whose father took Huo's mom as a mistress when she already had 2 kids by another man. Zhi's under constant pressure from his mother to compete with Huo. At one point he does make a series of wrong moves and his eyes become quite cold. It's a nice bit of acting, and that evil glint renders the actor less attractive. Grandma (Shen Hai Yung) is the coolest person in the show. She loves all her grandchildren the same, whether they're related by blood or not. Screenwriter, Wang Yu Chen, also penned The On1y One & Refresh Man.
Things heat up quickly between these 2, like charcoal and lighter fluid. Part of heating up is becoming heated. Huo pulls stunts that drive Q crazy, so she's often heated around him. One thing is obvious: They are starting to not notice anyone else in the room when they are within 100 feet of e/o.
One person who doesn't catch the vibe is Ruxi. With Huo, she thinks she's found her life's mate, and she's used to getting what she wants. Meng “Aron” Wei is also looking on with anxiety (they call him Aron Kwok b/c he favors the famous singer). Played by Ben Wu from Iron Ladies, he works with Q slinging curry shrimp burgers, and he lives over her place, too. He's had a “thing” for Q forever, but he's been coasting. He never made a move. Now, here comes the ‘football captain’ swooping in to steal his girl. Huo has success, prestige, money, influence and power. Aron may be nice looking (arguably better looking than the ML) but he has nothing else to offer, at present.
Things go en🔥fuego when Huo's family gets involved. His mother was responsible for his first meet-up with Ruxi, and she's determined to make Ruxi Huo's bride. Then brother Zhi, believing he needs a push, sends Ruxi flowers under Hou's name.
Day4: Big fight. Q's gonna quit. They spend time separately emoting over it. He constantly checks his phone - he can't believe she hasn't called to apologize! She pigs out on junk food. Aron is elated.
Day5: He's taking her to a wine & cheese soiree and has her professionally dolled up for the evening out. She looks amazing. She needs alittle extra coaching to walk in heels for the first time. In order to get comfortable, his friend has them waltz the afternoon away 😍.
The Wine & Cheese birthday party is uneventful. All that happened was that Q detected one of the dishes was bad, the birthday boy (President Wang) asks her, with her superior taste buds, to go in the kitchen and make another dish to go with the wine! At that point, he wasn't extremely pleased. She whipped up some pepper basil chicken nuggets that knock his wig off. As if that wasn't enough, she later led the whole room in dancing. Everybody had a blast, so e’erbody congratulated her by handing her a drink. Huo had to step in and drink for her. The whole episode is pure escapist fun, and ~>>>
Boy, did they get sloshed.
They woke up in his bed. She was in his boxers. He had her hairband on. They try to piece together what happened. President Wang had given them a bottle Dom P as a ‘thank you’ gift for a great night. Huo tried to explain how wonderful it tastes with caviar (he's always teaching her; he's always trying to develop her). He gave up talking and took her back to his place so she could try it. (So, the “little sister complex” didn't last very long). He tells her that she's a food genius, a one per century talent. Time to flip him over. He's almost charred on one side.
Day6: Her brother is making big life mistakes and has her very upset. She ruins the curry. Bin tries to get Huo to admit that he's interested in Q.
Day7: Maybe it was still Day6? It was late. Q notices a video on her phone from that lost night at Huo’s place, before they both passed out. It shocks her. She's now forced to look at him as a man. She wakes up on Day7 (did she even sleep?) thinking about that video… thinking about HIM.
On the seventh Day, the chef did not rest; he confessed. He confesses by way of a taste test! Q has bowls #1-10 of ingredients and 5 bowls of varied combinations. She must decipher what #spices are in each bowl by number. Per an AI search, “the provided numerical codes are a form of "homophone slang" from Taiwan, where numbers are used to represent words. Many thanks to juliaandtania for the concise summary, as follows. What Q “finds when she tastes each of the combinations are messages of love and affection:
5, 2, 0 – I love you.
3, 2, 0, 6, 9 – I want to love you forever.
2, 6, 0 – Secretly in love with you.
3, 7, 0 – I want to kiss you.
7, 8, 9, 5 – Hug me.
…The first grouping, 5, 2, 0, is a group Huo likes very much. 3, 2, 0, 6, 9 is good to use... 2, 6, 0 is the combination used in her curry shrimp mini burger. Huo tells Q he thought she would get this grouping wrong… With the secret love messages on her mind, Q had been holding herself together up to this point. She loses her ability to take more of Huo’s secret messages with the last two groupings. She leaves before Huo Ting En finishes giving any sort of explanation about them because she hears him say he wasn’t sure whether to use 3, 7, 0 (I want to kiss you) first or 7, 8, 9, 5 (hug me) first and had asked Q which one she liked”
Day8: killer first kiss. She passed her training. She's leaving, so at the after party he was drinking. He confessed to her and smacked a doozie on her.
Day9: The week's agreement is over. He doesn't think it's right to try and bring her into his world like the Professor did to Eliza in My Fair Lady. His declaration of love shocked Q, but she's still determined to make her own path. She attributes the confession to his drinking and doesn't treat it seriously... but she can't stop thinking about it ~ or that kiss.
It isn't long before Huo needs help. Banquet tonight: The entire kitchen staff has food poisoning. Q comes back. Huo gets wind that his mother and Ruxi's father plan to announce their “engagement”, after the banquet, to effectively trap him. When they say Huo's engaged, Huo grabs Q's hand, raises it up, and announces to the world that his fiance is “right here.” The room goes silent.
It isn't long before he succumbs to exhaustion (he probably had a touch of the food poisoning). Huo collapses that very night and lands in the hospital. Q is herded there with the whole family. Since she's the fiance, they decide to leave her there to take care of him.
Day10: Huo can be discharged, but his family wants him to move back home so that they can nurse him back to health. They tell Q to move in as well. It's her job to take care of him. She panics at first, but then she agrees to it, thinking: ‘They'll never convince my mom! I can be agreeable because my mom is going to put a stop to this!’ When she gets home, her mom has her bags packed already. “Make sure you watch your temper around Hou's family.” Uht-ooohhh. Q is trapped. Caged. Bamboozled! And engaged.
“I want you to succeed,” swears Huo. Yup, that might be the most romantic thing he's said.
The rest of it is Aron fighting for Q's love & Ruxi fights for Huo's affections. An adorable secondary couple pops up, there's a flurry of curries, evil aunts & evil mother i/ls, doting grandmothers, acerbic employees, and malicious chefs.
After Day10, things get goofy, goofier, and finally intolerable. She doubts him, but it's really herself that she doubts. The Huo family moms do everything they can to exert control while refusing to see how much they're crushing their sons. Huo's mom is openly detestable towards Q. The plot gets too silly after the fake engagement - sure it was silly the whole time, but it was working - until it didn't. TPM also slows down significantly north of ep15. The corporate maneuverings are nearly insulting in their rank stupidity, in fact, the more I think about the drop off in quality, the more irritated I get. They showed us what they could do and then wrapped it up so poorly that it felt disrespectful.
TPM is red meat for romantiholics for 9 eps, and a good overall watch through 17 eps, with lots of juicy tidbits to savor. “Gam ‘sam nee da.” I heard a character say “thank-you” in Korean, an homage to Kdramas which have, pretty much, taken over the world. “Do we stay “trapped in our memories” or “allow memories to become nutrients that help us grow?” Letting go of the past is a theme. They reinforce how a man should tend to responsibilities and not drop everything for love. “Men who do that are unreliable,” Q says. There's truth to that.
While viewers and critics may never agree about the merits of TPM, we can all agree that we never run out of obstacles in this life. Good food will fuel our energy to overcome the odds.
QUOTES🗣
If you try, there's a chance. If you don't, you'll regret it.
What do you mean by not wanting to face it or think about it? Lots of things won't disappear just because you don't know about them, hear about them or want to see them.
Saffron: It's a fairy-like purple water flower. We only take its pistil. Only 3 stigmas per flower. When they bloom you have to pick them before sunrise. That's why saffron is the most expensive spice in the world.
IMHO〰🖍
📣5.5 📝5 🎭7.5 💓6.5 🦋7 🎨7 🎵/🔊7 🔚 🤗3 ▪ 🌞5 ⚡3.5 😅3 😭3 😱1 😯2 🤢2 🤔2 💤3.5
Soft piano accompanies most scenes.
Shazams: 家家酒 by Jia Jia
Age 14+ Other than sex outside of marriage and unwell pregnancies, this is tame. Rated: 13+
Re-📺? Nope
🌐💓 - In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:
C🇨🇳: A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
A Beautiful Life-7.4,
Don't Go Breaking My Heart-7.7,
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1;
Wait, My Youth-8.4
K🇰🇷 : A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;
Romance junkies only - Accidentally in Love-6.5 ‘18 B-level scripting, acting, and directing, but still fun/strangely relaxing to watch,
Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine but many object to an outrageous stunt the ML pulls,
Boss & Me-7,
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
You are my destiny-6.8 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding,
Meteor Garden-7.4 - 70% flowing 30% dragging and BOF is better,
Hidden Love-7.8
🇹🇼The Rest of My Taiwan Catalog -
Age of Rebellion-9.5,
Autumn's Concerto-7.2,
Back to 1989-7.1,
Black & White-6.8,
The Fierce Wife-8 - worth sticking with,
Inborn Pair-4.2,
Love, Now-3.6,
Love You-7,
Office Girls-7,
Two Fathers-7.5
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