The Best Thing

I went into this series with high expectations after seeing many people praising it. But yeah, different people have different tastes.

I'm not saying this drama is bad. On the contrary.
This drama is good. As good as Hidden Love and that makes sense considering the scriptwriter is also the same.

But both have something in common that I don't like, which is the resolution of the conflict that seems trivial or too easy despite the problems that can be seen as quite important.

If this story is described with taste, then it's sweet. Too sweet, even. And that's not bad but not impressive either.

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So many unnecessaries

Lets start with the good. The first episodes it really felt like I was here for another epic like Hidden Love and First Frost. The cinematography was giving vibes of both. I was hopeful this is the direction it was going. Visuals on the leads are off the charts. Unique sub plot of TCM was fun, to the point where it started to feel like TCM was the sponsor. Wouldn’t be surprised. Green flag ML, yes he liked her from the first moment, thank goodness or there would have been little to show up for in the beginning.

Here’s some things I found irritating for me, and why I knocked off 1.5 stars off of something that was headed in the 10 star rating direction.

The overall story was missing something- it didn’t need to be more angst, as there was enough for the pace this drama was going for. I can’t put my finger on it. Chrmistry struggled with FL. She already had plenty of loving expressions and curiosity about her, but the sudden rejection after we knew she was deeply into him was weird. In fact lets discuss this study abroad plot. I honestly don’t understand the obsession in Asian dramas wuth study abroads. I get it, but what are your reasons? In asian dramas it is always sold as, you’ll have a better future if you do it, and hence nothing should ever stand in thecway of your future career or you will have regrets. Its the same thing every single show. Most people can attain the future with a domestic university. Let’s look at why people in real life study abroad, because lets face it, its not the easiest or cheapest option.

1) They are wealthy and curious, and its about ego or just something fun to have some fun with away from home. So sure why not.
2) The school offers something-either accreditation or unique learning that other domestic schools can’t offer. This is true for a handful of study abroad opportunities.
3) They want to become proficient in the language in that country, and seek immersion opportunities that are easier to apply for than trying to get a job.

Only the second of these would I say comes even close to a reason to seperate for a long period of time, for the sake of future career. Very rarely do we see them heading abroad to a top flight school because its the only place in the world to give them that. In fact 99% of the time that’s not it in dramas. They break up perfectly good green flag relationships. This show is no different. Yes no breakup per say here, but it felt stupid and they rushed through the away time, and then had an unecessary extension-that whole time it felt very one sided, ML was aching for her, she was off having fun. After all of that, masters in hotel management she comes back and rushes in to running a small restaurant with her best friend… ohhhhhkaaaayyyyy then. Her job AT THE HOTEL she had already was already a solid job in that career of hotel management and likely would have got her where she wanted to be had she just stayed. It was the most pointless part of the show. The side story with her mother felt like a typical “give me a reason to stay” moment, but we knew it was there for that plot only and that it wouldn’t stop her trope. For goodness sakes if an amazing relationship with ML isn’t gonna stop you skipping out, nothing will lol.

So no, the study abroad thing ended up a stupid way to add some angst, even if she thought about it early on - I wish they had found a way for her move forward without it. For once can a show, do what no one ever does as a writer and show how important good healthy relationships are, making mature decisions like the fact the ML is already getting on a bit. Who has wimsy to go abroad for a bit of experience she was already getting in her “management job at a fancy hotel”… good relationships can be hard to come by, and can offer great mental health benefits and memories. This is never promoted.

Enough on that. The efforts to push a 2ML & 2FL both were extremely flat.

Occasionally something is in the script thats just laughable and silly. Eg “your room is on the 9th floor” of a hotel that never once shows a building anywhere near as tall as one that even has 9 floors. 5 maybe at most. And every hotel room scene is ground level with outdoor door access lol.

I found some dragging too, which I thought theres too many episodes but then they rushed through things near the end, so I think overall pacing dropped off after a handful of episodes. I started off bingeing and end up trying to keep watching.

So in the end, this was no Hidden Love, not even close. I have zero desire to watch this through again. Even a 8.5 is a stretch, but I’m doing it for what I think they wanted this show to go.

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Just!Wow!

Of all the Chinese dramas I’ve watched, this is only the fifth one that truly made me say “wow”—and that speaks volumes. From the first episode to episode 23 (while eagerly waiting for the next ones), it has captivated me with its outstanding production quality, breathtaking cinematography, and emotionally gripping performances.

The chemistry between the main leads is simply electric. Every glance, every interaction, and every shared moment feels so natural and genuine that it’s impossible not to be drawn into their story. Their emotions feel raw and real, making it easy to connect with their journey on a deeper level.

Beyond the main leads, the supporting cast also delivers stellar performances. Each character, no matter how minor, plays a significant role in enhancing the drama’s overall impact. Their interactions and relationships add depth to the story, making it even more compelling and immersive.

The cinematography is another standout element. The seamless camera transitions are masterfully executed, enhancing the storytelling without being overdone. The way each angle is framed reflects an incredible level of artistic precision, drawing viewers further into the world of the drama. The lighting, color grading, and overall visual aesthetics are simply mesmerizing, adding an extra layer of beauty to every scene.

Every aspect of this drama—from the writing to the direction, acting, and visuals—is of top-notch quality. It’s rare to find a drama that excels in all these areas, but this one exceeds expectations. If I could rate it higher than 10, I absolutely would! It’s a must-watch for anyone who appreciates high-quality storytelling and outstanding performances.

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Slow and steady doesn't win the race.

I feel like an red flag or an absolute idiot for rating this drama so low and dropping it. Because the drama is very cute, healing, slow paced and so much green flag energy. I mean hating this drama makes me feel like I'm the problem.

The drama's visuals was breathtaking. The main leads, the flowers, the setting, everything was super pretty, it makes you want to live in that exact place in China. The main leads looked so good in their work ethic. ML looked so good as a doctor.

The drama was slow then fast then slow again and they stuffed in a misunderstanding and thing become fast then slow again kinda confusing.

The story super slow for me, i felt like it could've been shorter, and some the misunderstandings they had made me cringe likeeee girl were not doing that here😬. When she misunderstood that the ML had a son... Mm made me cringe cause i can't even be mad this happens in alot of dramas.

The whole doctor-patient does work a little. I have already watched many dramas with the FL being a patient and the doctor being a doctor like "Sweet teeth". The reason I felt the medical field (TCM) was boring was because i couldn't understand anything, I kinda skipped it.

And don't even get me started with that ex. He had almost zero character than giving trauma, and then pretending like nothing happened and sucking up the FL. Like??? Whatt??. They could've gave some kind of character to him or not introduce him in the drama at all and replaced another way to give the FL some trauma

Overall it's a good drama maybe just not my taste, i just felt like they didn't get the pace right, the moment when everything was slow, it became fast, then slow again , and then another misunderstanding, it was like a whole cycle. Rather than that their love language was pure, so cute, and very wholesome. It's a great drama for an one time watch and I'll recommend to a slow burn watcher.

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The Best Thing is a modern romantic drama that instantly captures the hearts of young viewers. It beautifully portrays the idea that love is real, but to find true love, you must first find the real man who can heal and complete you. The essence of this drama revolves around how a genuine, loving presence can make all the difference.

The performances from the entire cast are remarkable, and every actor brings their character to life in a way that feels natural and authentic—there's no overacting here, just a truly enjoyable watch. While I’m hesitant to make comparisons, I do believe if Esther Yu had been cast in this series, it might not have had the same impact. The lead actress, though not my personal favorite, truly shines in her own way. The little things she does are adorable and much more endearing than you might expect, especially when compared to Esther Yu's usual performances.

I highly recommend watching The Best Thing. It’s a delightful and heartwarming series that deserves your support. Without hesitation, I can put my hands up and recommend it to anyone looking for a great drama to enjoy!

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Chinese Medicine and lots of flowers is an interesting concept

First of all, there is a lot of flowers in this drama and it is the most I have ever seen in a drama. I learnt all different types of flowers in this drama. Second, the incorporation of Chinese Medicine was interesting as it does represent some aspects of how Chinese Traditional Medicine is effective even in the present. However, people who are not into this wont enjoy it as there is quite a heaviy emphasis on this as the main story does revolve around this.

Music was very good. Silence Wang always does a good job, so congrats to him, his other songs are nice as well.

I think that the main reason why this is a 7.5 is because of the story. It was "too perfect". I recently finished The First Frost and in that one, some interesting things happened which turned it more into an action. This one was completely romance but I think it played out well considering the ML is basically just perfect and the FL did have some issues but they all got resolved in the end. Both families are quite wealthy so money was not a problem unlike The First Frost where there was a unbalance between the couples. In this, the couples are pretty much destined for each other as soon as they met (factoring apearance, personality and rich family background).
Also, the ending in my opinion felt a little rushed where they married. Episode 27 midway ML basically proposed and then 1 ep later they had a whole wedding going on. That was a bit too quick. Maybe cut out some of the boring parts as I was watching them at x2 speed.
Also was funny how the FL had a 7 year relationship with her ex then they basically broke up and then not that long later, she got a new one however her persionality made this an okay thing to do.
FL's mother was hiding her cancer from the FL. This was very predictiable as almost every drama does this but you can not expect much from a drama that pretty much has no downfalls.
Comparing this to When I Fly Towards You, the execution of this was a lot better as they are both quite similar with one being in a school setting and one at work (27/28 yrs old). Other than that, they both are supposed to be 'perfect romance plots'.

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The never ending flowery TCM ad

This could have been good or even great but they had to prolong it in all eternity turning this sweet and playful romcom to a never ending lesson about flowers, TCM (Tradituoinal Chineese Medicin) and traditional values as well as love yourself mumbo jumbo.

The male lead starts of as this care free fun guy on a skateboard, flirty, playful, caring, respectful but with slightly lackin medical ethics and has this lovely cheeky charm.

Our female lead is smart, fun, broken down from a 7 year long toxic relationship with the side of parental pressure but her fun personality does shine though.

The two of them have this bubbly, fun , caring encounters, great chemistry and a true process as it is clear to see curiosity turning in to something more... Up util they actually get in to that something more. though the tow have some pretty intense great kisses +, once the two get together (actually even before they get together), I the viewer got tired of hearing about TCM, and felt that added twists and plot lines gave me nothing (except for some gazes and kissing). Whatever drama or attempt to add conflict was under developed, not dealt with and made me annoyed with the leads.

Some episodes where slow you could watch them in double speed without even noticing.

That said the friendships and side characters where lovely, I even enjoyed the female leads parents character development as well as their relationship. Im not going to say it is goals (since my IRL is better) but a decent depiction of long term parantehood/ married life, especially for a c. There where also a few scenes/plot lines here and there that reminded me of One Spring Night and Something in the Rain (two of my all time favourites), But it was just not enough to carry this for 28 long episodes...

So basically what I am saying is there is a lot of good in this but the male lead should have spent more time on his skateboard and less time saying cringy lines or they could just have cut the drama once he hung up his board on the wall.

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SIMPLE and HEALING

'The best thing'- a very simple story. Best casting. Soothing to the soul.

Honestly its a very basic story like the ones you have already watched but its just too eyecatching for sonereason. There's an unknown element in this drama that draws you in and I feel too.

The music in this drama is an absolute masterpiece. They just suit each and every moment so much which probably made the scenes sweeter and more memorable.

Also, special mention is for the ending. Its just so sweet that they left viewers a note of encouragement. I totally loved the end message.

ITS A MUST WATCH, NOT EXACTLY FOR THE STORY BUT ATLEAST FOR SOME PEACE, SOME GOOD MONENTS AND SONE LOVE.

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Definitely My Top1 Cdrama Now - Must Watch

I created this account just for this because I have a lot to say for this drama will cut all the spoilers will give a very honest review, long stoy short I was never really a fan of cdrama (i was a kdrama casual watcher) but during pandemic I started watching cdrama and my first watch is actually love o2o. That was the opening gate for me for more cdrama; I remember I loved that drama so much but then after 5 years, I never really find any cdrama that could give me the same excitement that love o2o gave me. Until this, I decided to watch The Best Thing because I am a fan of Xu Ruo Han (from her prev drama Perfect and Casual, I know cici can act so I am willing to give this a shot, especially their first teaser last year (the cherry blossom scene was aesthetically pleasing to the eyes). This is the first time I knew Ling He, that makes sense to me since I don't really watch costume drama because I don't like costume drama so pls take a note, I am a modern c-crama lover. Anyways, I wasn't expecting much since I was often disappointed by hyped drama these days HOWEVER TBT WAS SO SO SO GOOD. Dare I say it replaced Love O2O in my heart; their acting is actually good and I am surprised because I heard ZLH is a new actor because he definitely know how to act. Everything is perfect from the plot, the scenery, the music, to the chemistry between these two actors. I love that they actually take time not just rushing things and the fact that's their relationship is more mature but actually relatable to irl makes this drama special to me because I often find cdrama has this unrealistic things that's very hard to find irl, well except you can't really find Su Ye irl easily but the growth was relatable, the way they handle their problem is very easy to watch and although I tend to pause a lot due to embarassment from Su Ye's action since dude's actually very shameless, that just meant the actor did a great job acting as the sly fox doctor so I'm very impressed with Ling He's performance since this is the first time I watch his drama. Anyways, for Ruo Han aka cici, I can't emphasize enough she's very underrated; she's one of the few female c-actors who can actually act! I hope she could get many big projects after this ^^ thank you for acting as xifan, cici! will always love seeing you act. Both cici and linghe did an amazing job. Will going to be hard for me to find another drama that can replace The Best Thing in my heart.

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