omg.. this drama made me unbelievably mad but still a decent watch!
*just started to write reviews because i wanted to improve my writing skills!!first off, the story line was kind of a typical fl loves ml but misunderstanding happens so she leaves but they still love each other and they both have other people there for their "lowest times" and when they meet again (in a ceo/secretary relationship) things turn for the better(worse?) ANYWAYS i honestly didnt understand why it took that long for them to be together again and why she was so insistent on never telling him why they broke up in the first place. no spoilers.. but it really wasnt a big problem.
additionally, the actions of the ml was the part that really angered me. SPOILER ALERT!!!!
SECOND SPOILER ALERT!!! read at your own risk
the most memorable parts that infuriated me were...
1: when they were at a meeting in a nightclub with a client and the client kept touching fl inappropriately and ml did absolutely NOTHING to stop it until the very end. she even begged for him to do something..
2: when ml was mad that fl was with 2 male lead and the ml was jealous so ate dessert out of 2 female lead's hand... like bruh
although this drama definitely didnt have to take 48 episodes, the acting was phenomenal!!!! I personally love Zhang Jun Ning (Wen Nuan) and Jing Chao (Zhu Lin Lu) (who both starred in Ruyi's Love in the Palace) and OMG this drama made me fall in love with Zhang Han (male lead, Zhan Nan Xian) so handsome!!
Overall, i think that this drama is a decent watch for bored drama lovers. the actors had phenomenal acting and the music was great too!
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Many people find the stories long winded, but for me, that’s just how drama is supposed to be.
The episodes on Viki were shorten, so I found watching them on Viki can be very confusing. I still go to watch them on Viki though because I found the timed comment are hilarious. Watch them on Netflix initially though.
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What???
The storyline is too long for this Drama Series. Seeing it on Netflix, I have the understanding that they would like more episodes to cover a time slot. I think some of the in-between episodes were not necessary. I honestly, did skip some scenes in each episode that I felt were not necessary for me. Then yet, I did go back and complete watching complete episodes. I feel that a lot of reviewers misunderstood this story to grade it so low. I feel that if a movie/series deserves a 10... I will give it. Everything about this story was there, the romance, the drama, the location settings, the bilingual. Hans Zhang who plays Zhan Nan Xian, believable, great actor! Janine Chang who plays Wen Nuan almost had me believe in her acting abilities. Janine Change could've convinced me a little more. The actress that did convince me was the bad girl Du Xin Tong played by Ma Qiu Zi. Ms. Chang did come alive in the last episode. I also felt that she was uncomfortable in the kissing/hugging scenes. Thanking all the cast and the Here to Heart Team.Was this review helpful to you?
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This is a good drama that missed the chance to be a great romantic story. Although it has too many episodes, the supporting cast stories are nice. The main lead couple has good chemistry but plot was full of depressive attitude from the female lead, even if her character was written like that, their dramatic life became and her indulgence and self sacrifice for everyone else was overly extended and it got tiring toward the end. Forgiveness for his mother and embracing her selfishness was ridiculous. Even then, the cast did a great job delivering their characters. It is really not a bad drama to watch while waiting for a better one. Was this review helpful to you?
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Too Draggy - Not Worth Watching
As a preface, I am doing Covid-19 stay at home binge-watching. This is the 4th in my series of catching up on non-period or costume Chinese dramas that have been recommended in the list of the best Chinese dramas. This drama was on the list but the MDL previous reviewers all gave low ratings. It is always my practice to follow the comments and views of others before watching any drama -- this is my first exception and I was punished -- feel like I have buyers remorse. I was punished to the point that I am writing this review to remind others that the opinions of others REALLY MATTERS. I can only repeat what was said in almost every previous review. I am just saying it in the year 2020.My praise is short - actors did their best with the material.
My criticisms --- Just a shortlist of the obvious:
1. too draggy (story too long)
2. too many repetitive storylines
3. too many flashbacks as fillers
4. story is too illogical
5 story lacks true romance just cruel romances and a "sick" writer
6. story is also poorly edited and tries to use music to bridge the poor editing
Overall I can only give this a 7.00 which is very low for me. A true waste of talent. Still trying to guess why this drama is listed as a TOP 15 Chinese Drama (along with NIF, and very noteworthy historical dramas) for a viewer.
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First the leading male character is played by an actor with extremely limited range. Coupled with his habit of Machiavelli moves on the love of his life, I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for him. The leading lady is capable and the second male lead is good with a character that’s better fleshed out and more lively and fun. It’s really hard not to cheer for him.
To make this premise last for 46 episodes, there’s a lot of stupid misunderstandings that would be solved if someone were to, IDK, say something. Ugh! Also, characters get incredibly inconsistent to serve plot needs which is something that annoys me.
Bonus: the fashion is all kinds of interesting. I love the quasi Joker-cosplay of one of the supporting characters. He actually wears an outfit nearly identical to the Batman villain several times. Lol!
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The only thing really saving this drama is the acting. The casts overall did pretty good job in their respective roles, especially the two MCs, with good chemistry when together, whether to solve another misunderstandings or to dwell in the past or being cheeky with one another. If you go and watch the MV for one of the drama's OST sung by Tank, titled, The Positive and Negative of Love, then you will see what I meant here. The bgm throughout the drama was quite appealing to me and so does the outfits worn by the characters and the pretty scenes from London to even Nan Xian's condo with balcony of great view while exercising lol. I think perhaps it was hard at times to digest some nonsensical convos or the story progress that I somewhat turned to other parts in he drama worth noticing.
The other thing I would like to highlight about this drama is that you really get to see the development of characters. This is especially on the female MC, Wen Nuan and how the male MC, Nan Xian tried his best to get her to step out, although sometimes backfired. There was also a part on how the writer tried to illustrate the friendship/bromance of the 3 guys who built their own 'empire' together in which we get to see how true friends are the ones who let you grow with them.
Nonetheless, this is a drama about how true love has its ups and downs and over time, you grow together by bringing out the best of each other, that runs deep, not even time can stop it as long as you preserve.
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Long winded
First of all let me just say the series started with a promising plot that was rarely predictable. however as you go along you would find that some episodes could be taken out of the entire series and it would not change a thing. There were moments when the conflicts that the characters face felt a bit forced as though it was obviously made just to prolong the series. This seriously could have been 16 episodes and it would still be good. Acting was good though.I'm currently on Episode 44 and I just wanna quit this all together. The female lead is such a weak-ass character that I find myself rooting for the rival and any other antagonist there is. The writers really took time in dumbing her down and making it hard to root for her.
Oh and just a spoiler: the sister of the female lead is a b*tch and I totally blame her for everything. This would have been a shorter series if she was honest with her sister even for a bit. I really can’t stand that character and that whiny R&D man-b*tch as well. Drove me nuts the whole time. The mother of the male lead was super annoying too,
My favorite character was Gao- the best friend, and I would’ve loved it even more if he had more screentime. That guy is a champ!
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Here to hurt ...
The ML is very toxic, nauseatingly so.He's abusive in many ways and not just toward the FL.
There was some manhandling of a turtle that really made me feel uncomfortable (turtles have feelings too!).
His condescending tone and mocking of the FL went on far too long.
Speaking of too long ... that is what this was; several scenes with that one Pan guy and the creepy actress wanna be side chick could've been left out all together.
I skipped a good portion of this show just b/c of them.
Then what was up with that other secretary or whoever that airhead was?
How did she land that job with such a childish work approach?
The side romance with her and the one guy was okay, but felt off most of the time.
*sigh* Another one down.
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Gasp !
How on earth am I supposed to stake a virtual "STAY CLEAR" sign to this drama in 500 words ? This platform insists on at least 500 words before I can submit a review. This is one of the dumbest storylines i have ever come across. I feel so stupid persevering when I wanted to stop watching after episode 2 - face in palm. I should not have trusted Rakuten Viki's reviews. It is neither sensible nor rational .... the plot ! One's lifespan is finite so don't waste time watching this painful crap. Unfortunately I cannot give a "0" rating as it auto defaults to "1" :\ The only thing worth mentioning and appreciating is the beautiful theme song :)Was this review helpful to you?
?️ Matte & Flat °3.9° °poor° ep 1-18
Apparently when Netflix says that the 30th is the last day to watch a show, they really mean the 29th is the last day for viewing. I wouldn't have been able to finish HtH anyway, but I did intend to watch more than 18 eps. It doesn't matter, it was starting to feel like a chore, anyway.Our ML, Zhan Nan Xian, now CEO of a cosmetics company, and our FL, Wen Nuan, were in love in HS, but they broke up. We don't get the full story in the beginning. The show rolls it out in pieces. "You've been back for so many days. Do you want to keep hiding in your shell and stay there forever?" - Zhan Nan Xian queries his turtle. It's been 7 years. She's been in Europe and he's buried his head in work, but that doesn't stop the recurring nightmares. 7 years has not healed their hearts.
But ya gotta make a living, right? She's coming back to China, so when they offer her the job as his personal assistant, she takes it. This is typical of the emotional shortcuts one might see in a modern-day 🇨🇳Chinese drama. We'll get to talking about that in a bit. When Wen goes to work for CEO Zhan she gets a new office, new responsibilities, a new boss, and new enemies. One woman thinks Wen went and took HER job. Zhan Nan Xian's movie actress GF doesn't like it when she sees that wench, Wen, with her BF, either. Let the plots and underhanded schemes begin.
Zhan Nan Xian never stopped loving Wen, even when she broke up with him. He never understood what happened, but he's determined to win Wen back whenever he can. He keeps his GF, though... Wen is dating Zhu Lin Lu, who runs his own company. At least, they tell us they are dating, but this is a bizarre relationship. They don't see eachother much and they don't act the least bit romantic. Zhu Lin Lu's company is in direct competition with Zhan Nan Xian's, so Wen is put in awkward situations that are difficult to wend, and she is often caught in the middle. The greed and corporate espionage is ham-handed, but it's still fun, at times.
HTH is a 2018 release that is rated 91 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 48 45-minute eps. In the 18 eps I saw it has the distinction of being the 2nd-worst modern-day C🇨🇳 feature I've seen (Hot Girl-3.9 will be hard to beat for the worst) but it also has some exceptional romantic moments. The show creators waste all of the emotional currency. It feels like the show opens without a proper ep1 to lay the groundwork. We don't know these people, what motivates them, what led them to where they are, and why they are going where they're going. We don't know why it's a big deal that she's coming to work for him, we aren't invested in their love story, we don't know why she has another boyfriend who barely seems to be a boyfriend, and we don't know why she ran away to Europe. We get flashes of their past life but it's nothing that would lead us to cheer them on as a couple. It's fine to roll these things out gradually, but it is not okay to leave the viewer on the outside looking in. The viewer must be brought in, emotionally, to make the show enjoyable.
Speaking of enjoyable, HtH has its bright spots. Zhang Jian Jun Wei's song is very nice. There's a tasty kiss or two (after which it's strangely like nothing happened). Ep5 is beautiful. They sightsee in London. At one point they recite poetry to lovely background music, and it is magnificent. As they stroll around London, they stop to enjoy a street musician playing an acoustic cover of 'Free Falling'. It sounds pretty good, and it's obvious that the film crew stumbled onto the singer and incorporated the music into the show. It was a good move: The natural vibe is a jolting contrast to the rest of the show’s over-managed feel & under-developed characters, it's very like a ‘70s Mennen Skin Bracer slap-in-the-face ad. I loved ep5 so much I was going to rewatch it on the 30th. Thanks for the clarity, Netflix, sigh.
The C🇨🇳 excel at fantasy and period pieces and have put out some all-world, all-time stuff, save for some clunky special effects. (I'll take a well written, directed and acted low-budget piece over a big-budget bore every day of the week). Their modern-day stuff is as bad as their other stuff is good. HtH's stuffin’ is typical of C🇨🇳 modern-day features: ⚠In flashbacks they always have the same outfits on ⚠She's packing a small suitcase for a London trip. She holds up two trench coats, a tan one and a red one, and asks which one she should take. On the trip we see her in a grey trench coat and then a blue one, but not a tan nor red one. ⚠Is she wealthy? Does she have to work? There's conflicting evidence. ⚠Why does the ML keep his actress GF, and why does the FL keep her shallow, cheatin BF?
None of that makes sense except for this: Dream logic. Sometimes in a dream a person may look like someone else, but you know who it really is. Or it may look like one thing is happening, but you know what's /really/ going on; You just know. C🇨🇳 modern-day dramas use dream logic. You must accept certain things as so and skip forward. Otherwise - don't bother, they'll make you crazy - things will not add up. Even period and fantasy Cdramas will expect us to walk an invisible bridge from point A to F and not fuss about them filling in the gaps. Sometimes the simplicity seems to connect to the style of ancient plays, especially when the characters are excessively naive. Other times it seems lacking or lazy. The trade off is that the simplicity of these shows is relaxing. They are perfect for times when the anxiety is up. It's up to the individual to do the tally and decide if the trade balance is positive or not.
Zhang Han is ML Zhan Nan Xian & Janine Chang is FL Wen Nuan. Her hair is always messy in the early episodes which doesn't fit with her personality or her position. Are we supposed to like the FL's sister, who goes into work and acts like a b!+ch on wheels? I wanted to slap her. Zhu Lin Lu is the corporate & romantic competition, Jing Chao. He plays an attentive guard in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, but in HtH he is brash and irresponsible (and he looks like Tom Brady's leaner, meaner brother). {RRLITP is a perfect show thru 49 episodes. I almost never look ahead, but while reading up on whether it was a true story or not, I learned how heartbreaking it is in its second half, so I abandoned it at the point of a perfect ending. She (Ruyi) had already been through enough. Thru ep49, RRLITP is spectacular. The writing, directing, and acting are as good as it gets. None of that reaches the heights of its breathtaking visual beauty. It's not a true story, btw. It is inspired by a real monarch who suddenly put away his wife, never to see her again but there are no written records on the details - so the show is 90% artistic license.} Jenny Zhang plays a vapid actress and current GF of our ML. In Ancient Love Poetry(8.6) she's dynamite with a performance that is over-the-top, but appropriate for the role. The result is mesmerizing.
Anyway, C🇨🇳 modern-day features are designed for turning off one's brain. There's obvious political reasons for that, but we won't get into it. Reasons aside, there's always gonna be a need for such tranquilizers. One has to wonder if these actors can act as they appear so 2D in HtH, but Zhu Lin Lu and Jenny Zhang can ACT. Don't judge C🇨🇳 actors' capabilities based on a modern day show, as they aren't permitted to truly show what they are capable of.
The best modern-day C🇨🇳 shows that I've seen are: Meteor Garden-7.4 (it wanes next to Boys Over Flowers-8), I Hear You-7.3, & You Are My Destiny-6.8, which drags in the middle. The Oath Of Love was on track to be one of the best, but it left Prime before I could finish it. Love 020 series-6.8 and Accidentally In Love-6.5 get honorable mention; they pass the time acceptably. The very best one is King's Avatar-8, but it is about a RPG competition and contains no romance. That's all, folks.
QUOTES📢
If I should meet thee, After long years, How should I greet thee? With silence and tears. 'Tis nothing that I loved so well. Yet did I love thee to the last as fervently as thou. Who didst not change through all the past. And can't not alter now. The better days of life for ours; The worst can be but mine. And show that love, however vain, Nor thou nor I can feel again. The loveliest things that still remain. Through dark and dread eternity. Returns again to me. And more thy buried love endearing. That aught except its living years. ~Lord Byron~
Rated PG-13: P’s Cautioned
Originally 〰️🖊 11/2023
ps. 5/19/24> Having recently seen a couple excellent C🇨🇳modern-day shows, I have to amend the record. NF seems to have fixed their issue, too.
In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:
💓 -
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 (Rom-porn/extra points for the dopamine);
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1
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;
🎎 -
C🇨🇳: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (ancient 🇨🇳 opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K🇰🇷:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl / Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9
🔮🐉-
C🇨🇳: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10
⚡/😱 -
C🇨🇳: Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
K🇰🇷:
K2 8;
Private Lives 8.1;
Sisyphus 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
The Man From Nowhere 8.9
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;
Kingdom 8.3;
Sweet Home 8.4
Japanese🇯🇵 lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5
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