This review may contain spoilers
great chemstry
I must say that i'm quite picky on romance drama, but this one surprisingly got me addicted. (I binged watching this in 4 days). I was scrolling through the app and fascinated by how Ruonan looks like a mix between Nayeon and Joy lol. So, I accidentally watch this drama, and was blown away on the beginning, where the scene took place in France. The plot of the leads meeting in France was nice, that moment was very attractive for me.Later on, I feel like the plot was quite predictable. It is not hard to guess what will happen next ( i bet everyone knows what kind of problems usually occur in romance melo), but on the other hand it's not boring. There a lot of emotions, you can felt the sadness, annoyed, or even the love sparks between the leads. I really immersed by the chemistry between Zhehan and Ruonan. They were having such a lovely scene and i couldn't help smiling through it. I know a lot of people love zhehan in his previous historical drama, but i would like to recommend this. Also kuddos to secretary Xiao, his character stood out the most tbh i can't-- ckckcck i never saw a secretary like that in a drama.
The disappointing part was the ending seems to be rushed. I feel like there are some unfinished story- some were still a questions to me. I feel like they could have add one or two more episode to make it clear. It's really annoying because they were trying to divide the scene portion, but we cannot see more developments from the leads. But overall this is worth watching.
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Excellent Cast with a Makjang Style Plot.
I might be the one of the very few people who began this drama for Zhang Zhe Han and its not even his most popular work. But, iQiyi might have some of the most unique, lesser knwon dramas out there that can really showcase the talent of an actor from my previous experience. (I liked Gong Jun's performance in Flavour It's Yours and was suprised that many viewers did not think he could act well until Word of Honor.) Anyways... here are my scattered thoughts.I'm not kidding with the title. It gave me the same vibes that Korean Makjangs do. Even one of the characters, Liu Wenna, told the very same thing. It was different, yet really familiar at the same time. Maybe there are other dramas that fall into the same category as this that I haven't come across.
Honestly, this drama is a mixture of drama+romance+comedy+tragedy. The Male lead, Zhang Min would be in a pretty bad mood and this really hilarious scene would be happening at the very same time. He and his Secretary Xiao were one of the highlights of the show - both of them use 100% of their brain when it comes to business but has absolutely little sense when it comes to live human beings. Their banter and dumbness were some of the lighter parts of the show. We see this right from the beginning till the very end and it was really enjoyable to watch.
The company atmosphere was particularly stiffling and the plot is pretty ruthless to both Zhang Min and the female lead Luo Xi. Every episode, I would be prepared for either of them to get duck pressed. And the show did it really well so much that I began to fast forward those bad stuff by episode 30.
The plot revolves around power play and money in general: Zhang Min is set to be the next Chairman of Sihai Group after his father marries him off to Liu Wenna, a childish spoilt girl, for the sake of securing the support of her father's BK Group to solve their funding issues. (Much to Zhang Min's displeasure since he never really loved the girl nor is he interested in being a puppet for his father.) His chance encounter with Luo Xi while on an errand for his father changes his life as she is a breath of fresh air to him. We see him slowly warming upto her and this was pretty funny , but sometimes pressurizing to watch as something terrible would soon follow. Luo Xi was a really understanding female lead. There were times I thought she couldn't handle Zhang Min's troubles, but she would open up and be more understanding to his situations. Her friendship with her brothers and even Tao Lun was heartwarming. Dough, the little girl, might be the most mature one out of all the characters.
The Cast was actually good. Characters were not one-dimensional and changed as time went by. But, I'm not particularly happy with the way things wrapped up in the final two episodes. I guess they ran out of time and rushed it. Zhang Zhe Han was excellent as Zhang Min. He is "cold", but we see him become someone different to characters like Secretary Xiao, Luo Xi and his mother. Honestly, I think he portrayed every emotion from comedy to tragedy in this one. If someone had told me that this person would be called as Nation's Wife in 2021, I wouldn't have believed it.
Riley Wang was rather surprising, but for some reason, I couldn't continuously connect to his "anger" induced movements, particularly when he was against a more experienced cast in the same shot. I hope he gets more diverse roles in the future to try out.
Zhang Ruonan played the sensible Luo Xi quite convincingly. Her character was more calm and composed and less angsty than the rest.
Liu Wenna was really petty and spoilt, but the drama covered those points later. I particularly didn't hate her, but she was a comic relief from the pressure cooker plot.
I have to say, the drama is unique in its own way. I knocked off a few stars as the plot moved waayy too fast towards the end and I felt that some people didn't exactly get what they deserved. The OST was really different from the regular stuff I keep hearing in modern dramas and I had to slowly warm upto it. Overall, its really enjoyable to watch. I binged it in three days and although its not perfect, it did not disappoint.
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But I like most about the series was the family dynamic of the individuals living in the hospital. I like how they took their background and created something more for other people like themselves. That to me was pretty genuine and sweet.
What I did not like about the series is the apparent repetition of the male and female going back-and-forth and then the not so clever decisions. I found many aspects of the series unrealistic. For example I honestly don’t believe that a humble and sweet person would continuously be around someone that is already somewhat attached.
In all honesty, this series is my least favorite theme. I do not watch series that have the plot or foundation based on a lie or series that have these mystery birth secrets and hidden children. Once you’re ware of it, I can no longer fully enjoy the series because I know that everything I’m watching is going to fall apart or is the info is one sided. It’s like watching people make mistakes over and over based on lack of info or a lie. I sit and watch and wait for the whole thing to fall apart for the writers to quickly try and make everything OK again which is what they did. Our male lead held onto a secret for over 20 episodes, yes that long. He is also a person that the writers portrayed as good guy. So his behavior and character were conflicting for me.
If they actually kept to the vibe of episode one it would’ve probably been amazing but it took took a completely different turn and it was no longer fun to watch. I gave it a seven out of eight stars because I believe that the acting was good, the overall family dynamics of the series was pretty decent, there is a significant level of chemistry and strength within it. I took off three stars simply because it was too drawn out. The series itself wasn’t extremely long however I do believe that keeping a secret for over 20 episodes is extremely long and I feel that the ending was not as gratifying As it could have been.
Our female lead initially was kind, educated and also strong and confident. Her character changed into someone that just seemed easily swayed. It’s almost as if she had no backbone.
Our second meal lead was definitely a cute one and also caring and kind. His character maintain consistent to see throughout the series however the writer soffit to change him into an idiot later on as well.
I couldn’t power through without skipping.
No real karma
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This review may contain spoilers
story is pretty interesting!!
Overall, this drama is definitely worthy of your time. Although I skipped some irrelevant parts in the middle. The cast is amazing! Pretty funny parts. I liked the relationship between the FL and the ML but I couldn't really tell when the FL fell for the ML but they were a cute couple, no toxic-ness. At first I hated the SFL because she was a bit overwhelming and annoying desperately trying to get the ML to like her but towards the end I started to like her character when she became more mature and a better person in general as she tried helping the SML. TBH, I really like Riley Wang but his character (2nd half of the plot) didn't really suit him although he did a really good job! I just prefer him as a cute & non-evil thinking guy (personal preference only). The supporting characters are very cute, especially xiao mantou (the oldest brother's daughter) I thought that her character was pretty cute and funny and sassy for her age and her taking care of her 2 uncles who were not the maturest. I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone who wants to watch a drama with a little bit of suspense and cute but not over the top cringey romance!-SPOILERS AHEAD-
I would have preferred the middle part to be shorter and the ending to be longer. To be more precise, I wished to know more about the ending as I felt that it was a little bit not here yet not there. Firstly, I wished to have seen the hostel succeed under the hands of the FL, ML and the FL's family (although boring it would have been a good wrap to their hard work and fight). I was very satisfied with the ending of the second eldest brother, finally being able to chase his dreams as a singer! As for the FL and ML, I wished to see them more in the final episode, maybe a reunion with the chateau's carers or wedding at the chateau where they met. I also wished for Wu Tian Hua to wake up from her coma and actually keen to see her reaction to everything that happened (although it can go many ways) but I wished that she accepted the wrongdoings and they could live as a happy family of 5 with the ML and SML making up and being 'bros'. As for Yang Lin, there was character development in the beginning but towards the end her character felt dispensable. So, I wished that she could've either become xiao man tou's mother and provided her a full family and prevented her birth mother from snatching custody of xiao man tou. I also wished that the SFL and SML could've had a better relationship growth towards the end instead of them just video calling when he said he would chase her to the end of the world but he didn't. I also wished for the SML to have a reunion with his mother when she woke up so it is a little bit of a pity that they didn't get to be a family as he spent a lot of time searching for his birth parents.
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worth it for zzh
Started off really promising (zzh half naked in every episode, wearing tight suits and bending over a lot) then lost me completely in the convoluted plot in the second half. The romance is VERY slow burn, which isnt a bad thing but it got pushed to the sideline when they eventually got together. decent chemistry, would have enjoyed more couplely scenes between them.second leads very boring, flat and straight up annoying characters that got way too much screentime in the last few episodes. Especially second male lead was very unlikeable, but maybe that was the point (money DOES destroy ones character sometimes).
Watch if you like zzh, hes cute and attractive, what more can you ask for.
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Love, pressure and consequences
First of all: The last part of the synopsis here on MDL is wrong/misleading.This was mainly good; it did draw me in and kept me hooked. It just had some moments of being a bit too "soap opera-ish". Didn't help that the VA for some characters/some scenes were quite poorly done (especially the dad).
Brief synopsis my POV:
Workaholic manager Zhang Min gets sent to France to deal with the inheritance of a property. An accidental meeting with Luo Xi, a female botanist student, who also turns out to be inheriting part of the property, sets in motion big changes in his life. They bicker and argue, but at the same time there's something there making it hard for them to forget each other after they both return to China separately.
By chance their paths cross again, and to complicate matters Zhang Min's father has decided upon a fiancee for him for the good of the business, and Luo Xi's childhood friend from the orphanage is in love with her.
Zhang Min is also dealing with a huge secret, and is conflicted about the obligations he feels and his increasing wish to control his own life and future.
Will their feelings for each other be strong enough to overcome the outside forces, and will Zhang Min's secret be uncovered?
The story is OK, though I feel it could have been better. It is a bit on the extreme side, and resort to some well-known tropes and stereotypes.
The cast is strong:
All the four leads are giving good performances in my eyes. Although I find the character of Liu Wen Na rather annoying and a bit extreme, Chen Hao Lan's portrayal is what makes it so.
Zhang Zhe Han as the main lead Zhang Min/Chi is intense. He made me feel the inner conflicts of his character.
As for Luo Xi portrayed by Zhang Ruo Nan, I liked that her character was not a pushover, but tried her best to stand up for herself besides all that was thrown at her. ZRN is giving a believable performance as well.
Riley Wang is fitting in the role as Tao Lun, with his puppy-eyed looks. I didn't quite like how his character developed, though.
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However, as the drama progresses, it shifted to different, gloomy mood. I'm not really into big-time identity theft stories. The Male Lead's mom was too annoying and selfish and forces her ambition on her son. The Main couple's love story was boring and serious. Male Lead seems to be stuck in a miserable childhood past and a lonely present that was dragged on into their relationship. Female lead became too anxious and lost the charm she had on the first 3 episodes.
The only exciting part of this drama is the love story development of the second lead couple who seem to handle downturns in life with a sense of humor.
I wached it because I was a fan of Zhang Zhehan and Riley Wang and I think their acting were still great in this series.
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The ML is despicable
The show starts of okay, with a decent story in a refreshing setting.Most of the characters and story continue like that, with a not amazing but nice progression.
And then there is the Male Lead ( the character, not the actor. The actor is perfectly alright).
He starts of on the wrong foot, sith various actions towards most other characters that are generaly dislikable and bad. But it thought that he might just have a rough patch at the start of the drama, especialy as it's hinted/shown that he is under external pressure and stress. But every episode that i watched he didn't get better, instead he grew worse.
He treated the FL like shit, which was bad but acceptable at the start when they were strangers. But then they started to grow closer and get to know each other, and he kept treating her worse and worse. Same with other characters.
And the stress excuse kept getting thinner as well, as the show depicts him getting time to relax in the countryside and kalm down. Yet his behaviour didn't aprove even the tiniest bit, quite the opositte.
I decided to drop the show when i watchdd the show and it suddenly occured to me that the best, most enjoyable scene that could come next would just be the ML getting hit by a car and dying, or something similar.
TL;DR: in all my time watching western and asian shows, this is only the second time ever where i actively wished the ML ( character, not actor) would just die. I rarely get that level of obsolute disgust, dislike and spite from villains, and they're supposed to be the bad guy. The ML should never be this disgustingly despicable.
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This review may contain spoilers
This isn't perfect but it is to me
I loved this drama in its entirety. Just remember that people are built different and thus think differently. The shots are absolutely breathtaking especially the ones taken in Bordeaux.Some things maybe would maybe make this the perfect drama lmao:
▪️Luo Xi's studies. Obviously she's a budding botanist and she's great at what she does but I feel like it was shoved off by the near end of the drama. Uhm maybe a snippet of her diploma or her going to school? Idk I really hated the fact that they were bullying her into doing paperworks in Sihai when she really wanted garden work. More of Luo Xi as a person. She's the female lead after all. I get the pity party with the male lead's life because I fucking dig it, I love it but I just think they should have pushed the female lead a little more.
▪️Yes, there is some sort of mini forgiveness between Zhang Chi and his parents and Tao Lun but like can't they wake up the mom to appease the hearts of both her children?
Some things that irritated the fuck outta me:
▪️Mygod I hated Wenna's ass. I didn't see the point in her prolonged airtime when all she did was whine like the poor little rich girl that she is. Like making her relatable is kinda cute cut she's so irritating.
▪️Both Luo Xi's brother's lovesickness. All sense just walked out the buildng just for linlin like HUH?
But all is did and done. It wasn't perfect but it was a permanent fixture in my top tier rewatch dramas. I love their love. The hate > love relationship is my shit so it's right up my alley. The way ZC is always holding out but eventually falling in and LX being the sound one and is always reminding him of lwn's sorry existence in their lives. Tao Lun's outburst was ok I guess but they stepped on his personality so bad that I still loathe him to this day. I love the ending where they can both goof off and love each other freely and how they are back to Bordeaux away from all damn drama. Oh and I'm not shitting you when I say the ost is bomb. All the songs are *chef's kiss* I also discovered Zhang Ruonan here. What an amazing human. I love her aura and sillyness and when the drama hit that point that it needs drama? She hit it.
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Une déception
J'ai commencé ce drama avec une note de 7 qui a très vite dégringolé à 5 (voire moins si je devais être plus honnête)...Le début était sympathique et l'alchimie entre les protagonistes, n'était pas mauvaise. Mais j'en suis venue à saturation très vite. Les scénarios où la vengeance tient une place importante doit être faite avec beaucoup de soin et ici, j'ai presque détesté tout le monde. C'est incompréhensible pour ma part que l'on puisse sacrifier sur l'autel un enfant, devenu adulte, pour servir les intérêts des autres. Surtout que ces autres se révèlent être les plus proches du personnage masculin. Quelle pitié de voir Zhan Min se débattre contre ceux qui sont censé le protéger, le comprendre et l'aimer...sa mère biologique, son père, sa petite amie....la quasi totalité du drama n'est qu'épreuve sur épreuve. Je n'ai pu finir le drama, cela devenait pénible de voir le protagoniste lutter, seul, et être si souvent incompris, si souvent abandonné...Was this review helpful to you?
