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Love Designer

幸福触手可及 ‧ Drama ‧ 2020
Completed
Betweensunandsea
13 people found this review helpful
Jun 23, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
[Disclaimer: It's going to be a long post.]

I finished watching this show and this is the first C-drama I religiously watched when it was airing. I wait until the last episode to make this reviews.

1. Production
- Budget
This is modern romance drama with $$$ I can tell. From the quality and the post production also the actors in it, it's indicating that the budget is big, not big BIG but big.

- Director
I don't know the details about it especially the director and scriptwriter past works (unlike K-Drama, C-Drama seems lacking info on this one) so I can't really tell. What I got from IMDB page is there are 3 directors working for this drama which is why we can see different treatment for each episode. The pace was good until episode 14. The firework kiss is superb and I can tell the camera movement,the angle and the editing is awesome. Starting from episode 15 when ML and FL are becoming couple I can tell the treatment is smooth capturing ML/FL expressions. After episode 30, this is when the problem began. I see rushed script, rushed treatment and full of fillers. I don't know it's because of script or...?

- Post Production/Art/Photography/Editing
I like the color palette they used during color grading.It's awesome,even for the small screen like mobile phone. The color went excellent. We also can see tons of panoramic footage capturing the city and the sea, the lights are gorgeous. Also don't forget, the close up shot for our main couple is gorgeous! Kudos to the DOP! The editing is good, but we see many scenes were cut. I don't know, it's because of the censorship or the editors and directors decision.....or perhaps sponsors'?

2. Story
Business romance is not new and male CEO falling in love with a girl isn't new either we see so many stories like this, even in Wattpad written by 12 yo girl. LOL. The show is such an eye candy (of course), we have Dilireba and Johnny Huang in it and it was good from the beginning until episode 30 but after that the script also didn't do much. After 30-ish episode the show went downhill with tons of stories left unanswered. The scriptwriters seem like to give a soul in each and every character with so many stories like 2nd leads, the mothers, ML family, the kids, the ex bf, the 2nd female family, the friends, the actress..omg... can you count? At the end, the script failed to tie the threads and we see rushed ending full with fillers.

This drama has so much potential if only we can see:

- FL is independent woman and her struggle to raise up her name in the industry, but sadly we can't see much. All we know is FL is designer, independent she is, but the story is still following cliche romance drama. FL is success because of ML (like it or not).

- Su Yushan story. Omg.... I like his story and I really wanna know more. We've seen he has issue with ML but what? What is his back story? What is his personality? He's not evil I suppose and we can only see his back story a couple of episodes before ending. His marriage issue and his divorce issue.

- The kids story. Rather than QQ and Wushan also the mothers (which is not important), I'd rather to see the kids story in school and their interaction. I'd like to see ML's sister is changing, from the bad girl to a family girl and entering top university.

3. Product placement (hahaha....)
I know I know.... we all hate the product placement but without sponsors we might not see this drama. Sponsors are the one financing the production and with so many sponsors like this, I can tell that the drama is successful commercially.

However I got my 2 cents on the product placement: From the brand perspective, product placement in the drama called built-in product placement where the actors/actress are seen with the brands. Built-in is super okay but pushing the product over and over can create negative sentiment for your brand. I got it H*N*R, you are the main sponsor but having your ringtone beeping over and over also it's amazing that every character used the same ringtone is a turn off. I know the song is sung by Lenka "We are the brave" and they must be spending a lot of money to have Lenka writing/singing it for them, but please don't do this again. I don't know it the creative's suggestions or brand pushing the creative to do what they want but aesthetically, the pushed product placement is a turn off.

4. The Acting
This is my 2nd time watching Johnny Huang as male lead after Moonshine and Valentine and I can tell he's such a versatile actor. He can communicate using his eyes, his gesture, his micro expression even when he speak slowly....and Dilireba is good capturing that. Johnny Huang has so much potential as an actor and I would love to see his future works, not to mention he's a swoon worthy too hahaha....

For Dilireba, this is my 3rd time watching her as female lead and her Zhou Fang is my favorite among all of her dramas that I've watched. She can portray Zhou Fang as a fierce and independent female. She doesn't need man actually because she can do it, but we can see her vulnerable side too when finally she's in love with an alpha male like Song Lin.

Song Luo Luo, omg... I like her! I've never seen her before and I don't know her name but her acting is something!

Overall, I give the score 8/10 because of the production value and the main actors. If it's depending on the story perhaps I would like to score 6/10 because the last 5 episodes are full of fillers and the ending isn't like what I expected to be.

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Completed
Chloe
7 people found this review helpful
Jul 5, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Why I recommend watching "Love Designer"

Let me start off with a quick disclaimer, none of the spoilers are really 'spoilers. ' This review is very long, but there is a TL;DR at the bottom :)

I have watched many dramas, and I have dropped numerous dramas. I get bored quite easily because many plots repeat themselves, and I don't normally find myself watching (and finishing) longer dramas like Love Designer. I will admit that I was originally drawn to this drama because of Dilireba. I have seen three of her previous works, and I have always enjoyed her acting.

I found that her character (Zhou Fang) was quite refreshing. I didn't find her to be annoying at all (I tend to get annoyed with most female leads at one point or another). I found her to be quite smart, and independent (which you don't normally see). She was driven, and a capable person. Although her 'breakthrough' opportunity was provided by the male lead, she saw that it was an opportunity to pursue her dream. I personally didn't think that it took away from er independent character. Song Li. played by (Johnny) Huang Jingyu, was also a fun character to watch. His character was also consistent, and very well developed. Surprisingly all of the characters, including the side characters were well developed, which is obviously thanks to the length of the drama. I really liked that there were 'bad people' yet they were still human, so I finished this drama without hating them. I will admit that the drama is somewhat slow, but I found that to be a good thing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing of this drama. I loved Qin Qing as a friend, she is such a caring friend, however I did not really like her relationship with her boyfriend. It was just so dramatic. I found that the relationship between the main leads was my favorite, and I thought that it progressed naturally (albeit very fast paced). They fought, broke up (it can be argued that they broke up over petty things, however, their relationship was quite new, so there wasn't much of a foundation, and it makes sense that they could break up over the things they broke up over).

I originally went into this drama expecting myself to drop it after episode 15, and fully intended too because I figured the drama would go downhill, but I found that I really enjoyed episodes 16-45. Everyone's taste is different, but I really enjoyed these episodes because the 'second leads' were out of the way. Problems occurred, but I found that that was only natural, no relationship is perfect.

I gave the story a 8/10, not because it was bad, but because it wasn't particularly outstanding. I did enjoy that we got to watch their relationship progress, rather than watching a drama where they only enter a relationship in the last couple of episodes, but this type of relationship isn't that popular in current C-dramas nowadays (I find that it's more popular in K-dramas). The story was good, all the characters were developed, but there was nothing that made me feel like it was different or special. The story is pretty realistic (keeping in mind that it's a drama), and enjoyable. I think what a lot of people didn't like was that the rest of the drama was about their relationship (obviously other stuff happened), but that was my favorite part.

I gave the acting a 10/10 because I never found myself feeling awkward whilst watching this drama, and I felt like the main leads did an excellent job portraying their characters.

The soundtrack got an 7.5/10 because I didn't dislike it, but I don't think I'd listen to it again. I was pleasantly surprised that the La La Land soundtrack made a couple of appearances.

Re-watch value is low, simply because I don't re-watch dramas very often, only maybe 1 or 2. I would definitely re-watch clips of it, but I don't think I would re-watch the whole series.

Overall, it's a solid drama, with great characters. But what really drew me into this drama was the CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE MAIN LEADS. Oh my gosh, if I could only provide one reason to watch this drama, it's the chemistry between Dilireba and Huang Jingyu. It was amazing, and made the drama 100x better. There is a lot of product placement, but it's pretty obvious that the budget was very big, so I didn't mind that much. A lot of people said that they got annoyed by the ringtone, but again, it didn't bother me much personally.

TL;DR: The chemistry in this drama is amazing, definitely watch for the chemistry. Story is good, not particularly outstanding though. Musics okay, nothing bad, but nothing I would listen to at my own leisure. I thought the acting was great. A little slow paced, but I watched for hours on end. I definitely recommend this drama, don't be intimidated by the length, I found that the length was perfect. I don't think it should have anymore episodes, because it ended well.

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Ongoing 45/45
Preety Rose
11 people found this review helpful
Jun 15, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
There is a lot of misunderstandings but love behind them will never end, the difficulties they face will come up with lot of hardworking and loving their own work. Finally they achieve with good result. So hard work makes a people so perfect, infact the sincere love makes more trust n buliding the wall of love. Such a sweetest story writer, the writer has made up his mind with full of logical n practical life in these days, never regret your loving person . The designer is developed with her talent. The supportive roles where extremely good. Hence, I hope everyone get their love n happiness through sincerity n hardworking.

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Ongoing 48/45
Shunine
6 people found this review helpful
Jun 15, 2020
48 of 45 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
The story is very beautiful plus the good looks of all the actors and actresses. Dilraba and Johnny are both good in acting they were perfect for each other. I love the chemistry of them. They can bring their characters naturally. You can't feel or see something that you'll that both of them were just acting. They are really good and I love them. I hope it going to be 50+ episodes. More sweet and funny moments of them please. I hope they're going to be a real life couples.
Are they going to have a child? I hope so.
I hope they're going to get married. And hoping for season 2 also hahahahahaha.

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Completed
Annie
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 29, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

If anything, just watch the main lead's scenes

I watched this drama purely for Dilreba, who happened to have great chemistry with her co-star Johnny Huang. The story line started out interesting at first (2 strangers meet, end up working in the same industry, crossing paths often, falling in love, etc), but as it got into their professional struggles and showed more of the second pairing, I lost interest.

There was no suspenseful or compelling drama. The only enjoyable aspect of such a slow paced drama is the natural, mature relationship between the 2 main leads.

Otherwise, I dropped the drama about 70% of the way and only came back to watch Reba and Johnny Huang's scenes. Skipped most of everything else.

There just really wasn't much to this drama.

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Completed
Zogitt
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 22, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

All about the feels

This show is all about the feels. :) The OTP is just so amazing together. Sure, there is the cliché love-hate beginning but it is the growth that hooks you. I have to say, as their love grows, the show will grow on you (or you'd have dropped this by then). The writer took their time to explore the many phases of falling in and out of love and how love grows and matures. It starts with the attraction, then a spark. Infatuation, longing and obsession all got explored in a mature way. Ultimately, the show took us beyond the typical total episodes minus one "will they, won't they" formula and allowed us to watch their characters grow while in love.
BTW, I like Dilraba so much more in this drama than Pretty Li Hui Zhen. She gets to play a mature woman with strong character and great personality. Some might say a bit naïve but she is trusting and will not say a bad word about anyone. She has so much chemistry with the ML it is swoon worthy in most scenes after their confession. They just behave so naturally around each other. I would believe it if someone tells me they are dating in RL. I would ship them in an instant. Their interaction is so natural. From the teasing to casual touching, it does not feel scripted which is an achievement in a c-drama where the odd awkward kiss is the norm.
The OTP carried the show. The main plot is ok, very heavy on the scheming and make the fashion industry looks a bit grim (maybe it is all true! LOL). Certain scenes are almost contemplative. Thoughts and ideas are expressed by the characters like snippet of life lessons. The 2OTP is good but the 2ML lacks that natural charm that Johnny has in spades. It does allow the writers to explore other aspect of love and loving though. My one negative are the moms. Boy, did the meddling moms get a run for their money, not 1 but 3! Why all the moms are so one dimensional and controlling? I get they want to get some angsts happening but not all moms are like that, surely? They all have their redemption at some point but it is very monotonal.
Two minor gripes, so much PPL and they are everywhere and a couple of minor plots seemed to disappear into the ether and then got a quick scene in the last episode. To bring some closures? In conclusion, if you want big dramas, explosive plot twists and suspense galore, go watch something else, if you want to see two mature, stubborn and charismatic people fall heavily in love (for realsies) and live through a slice of their lives with them then pull up a chair. You will get your romantic fill.

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Completed
Cherill
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 26, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
I’m happy I decided to watch this series despite the not so positive reviews I read.
I think this show was wholesome and heartfelt. There were a lot of sweet and funny moments and of course there were frustrating moments as well.
There was some repetition in the show, but nothing too bad in my opinion. Don’t relationships typically have some repetition? There will be some situations/characters you’ll get frustrated with though so prepare for that.
The ending was very cute. I think they wrapped everything up very nicely and it made me feel like watching all 45 episodes was worth it. A happy ending for a couple with great chemistry plus a happy ending for other characters gave it that worth.
Even though it was worth it, I wouldn’t really watch it again. I’d only watch some parts.
I think overall Love Designer was a good show that represented real life situations and life lessons. It’s a relate-able show with a lot of fun scenes, but in typical c-drama fashion, it is very long.

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Completed
Nelly
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 2, 2024
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10

Rewatch Review:The drama that owns a penthouse in my heart, rent-free.


Let me be upfront this review is deeply biased, and I have no intention of pretending otherwise. Love Designer was my gateway drug into the drama world, and nothing hits quite like your first high. I’ve made it an annual ritual to rewatch this gem, and every time, it feels like coming home to a very chaotic, very attractive couple who refuse to use a single brain cell when emotions are involved.

Let’s talk about Johnny Huang and Dilraba Dilmurat, or as I like to call them, the reason I can’t enjoy 90% of other onscreen pairings. These two had insane chemistry. The type that feels illegal. The type where you're constantly checking to make sure you're not third-wheeling on something real. They didn’t just act together, they collided. Whoever cast them deserves a lifetime achievement award and a bonus spa day.

I’ve watched Johnny in other dramas, yes, even Bright Eyes in the Dark, which I actually liked, but no pairing has come close to what he and Dilraba brought to Love Designer. Same goes for Dilraba and Yang Yang in You Are My Glory, they were stellar, but this? This was magic in motion.

Back in 2020, I admittedly didn’t care much for the second leads. They brought a lot of drama, sure, but not the kind I was invested in. They took up a bit too much screentime for my taste. But one side character who did steal my attention (and my admiration) was Song Luoluo, our rebellious, sharp-tongued little sister who terrorized Song Lin with the confidence of someone who knew he’d never dare fight back. She was a teenage tornado and I loved every second. Honestly, her scenes had some of the best emotional growth in the entire series. If Song Lin ended up a better man, it's 50% Zhou Fang’s influence and 50% Luoluo’s psychological warfare.

As for Johnny Huang, the man can do it all. Whether he’s leading a rescue team, marching through explosions, or bossing around in a perfectly tailored suit while delivering emotionally constipated monologues, he sells it with conviction. His portrayal of Song Lin, the emotionally-stunted CEO who falls for a fiery fashion designer, was both frustrating and endearing. I wanted to shake him and hug him, sometimes in the same scene.

Let’s not skip over the soundtrack, because oh my god. The OST carried the emotional weight of this drama like a seasoned sherpa. The main theme lived on as my ringtone for months, and yes, Johnny sang some of the interval tracks himself. How dare he act, smolder, and sing? Choose a struggle.

Love Designer is what I call my "firstborn drama", the one that imprinted on me like a baby duck. It’s far from perfect, I’m fully aware of that, but perfection was never the point. It’s about the feelings it gave me, the spark that turned a casual viewer into a hopeless drama addict, and the unshakable standard it set for every romance that came after.

So yes, this review is biased. It’s drenched in nostalgia. And I’m absolutely okay with that.

For future generation, I made a timeline of all Zhou Fang and Song Lin moments that make you question if they are acting or you are a 3rd wheel.

ZHOU FANG & SONG LIN | Love Designer Moments

Ep 18 | 10:28
"Tension Served Sharp"
Where arguments cut deeper than knives, but the sparks are undeniable.

Ep 21 | 24:26
"Post-Press Passion"
Business dealt. Feelings pending. Emotions bubble after the storm.

Ep 23 | 33:33
"When Past Wounds Resurface"
Chaos meets calm—Song Lin protects, Zhou Fang holds ground.

Ep 25 | 11:59 – 17:20
"Crash Into You"
An accident rewrites their emotional playbook.

Ep 26 | 18:27
"Office Dine & Kiss Replay"
When dinner turns into a memory your replay button can’t survive.

Ep 26 | 30:05
"Whispers After Hours"
A mature love language only the two of them speak.

Ep 27 | 14:50
"Exhaustion & Ease"
End of day, but beginning of heart.

Ep 27 | 29:27
"Above All—Us"
Shanghai Tower view, but all they see is each other.

Ep 28 | 31:10 – 34:18
"Acting? Never Heard of Her"
Too real, too raw, too them.

Ep 29 | 32:49
"Kiss of Defiance"
A top-tier kiss fueled by love, defiance, and a bit of danger.

Ep 31 | 16:30
"Hospital Playlist: Song Edition"
Vulnerable hearts on a sterile stage.

Ep 31 | 26:11
"Radio Zhou Fang: Tune Into Love"
Late-night conversations. Frequencies aligned.

Ep 32 | 14:52
"Just One Hour Apart"
Separation anxiety: the romantic kind.

Ep 34 | 28:42
"Sweet Like Cheese"
A scene that melts like mozzarella on a flame.

Ep 34 | 30:00 – 39:18
"Ride or Propose?"
The line between commitment and confession gets blurry.

Ep 35 | 37:11
"Fighting With Finesse"
Where love is mature enough to argue... and stay.

Ep 37 | 26:29 – 30:30
"Yaya & Song Lin: Gentle Giants"
A soft scene that could hug your soul.

Ep 38 | 10:45
"Where's the Gift, Milan?"
Comic relief meets couple tease. Iconic.

Ep 39 | 22:55
"Pour Decisions & Honest Hearts"
A glass of wine, a splash of truth.

Ep 44 | 14:00
"Under Shanghai Lights 💍"
A cityscape moment worthy of vows and velvet boxes.

Ep 45 | 25:28
"Harley Ever After"
From motorcycle mayhem to marriage march.

Ep 45 | 39:00
"Sunset Riders & Baby on Board 🍼"
Their journey ends with a third heartbeat.

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Completed
Amastris Dratwka
2 people found this review helpful
Jul 9, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.5

OTP Incorrectly Billed! OTP/SLC Switch:

This could have been such a great drama but this writer was so lacking it ruined it completely.

CONS:
1) If someone set out the task, like they do with lyric distribution for K-Pop idols' music, to calculate how much on-air screen time the Secondary Lead Couple got to the OTP, I'd say that it would be 2:1. This isn't even counting the amount of time the OTP, either as a couple together on-screen, or individually, spent discussing the SLC's issues, problems, life, and not focusing on themselves.

2) For me, it was like false billing where Viann Zhang & Yi Da Qian were actually the true OTP and Zhou Fang/Song Lin couple were the SLC, and the ONLY reason they billed Reba and Johnny as the OTP was because of the Qin Qing/Zuo YuLin story being lacking, and trying to get away with it. Qin Qing's character annoyed tf out of me...and the topic of this couple's issues and problems, and roundabout relationship and work place stuff was so PAINFULLY boring, it ruined this drama for me.

3) The editing wasn't the worst I've seen but it was certainly messy. Too many random scenes, and the OTP meeting in random settings, talking about random things.

4) A LOT of predictable scenes and conversations.

PROS:

1) Reba & Johnny as a couple are the best. Off-the-charts chemistry. Both acted the hell out of their characters despite the poor and lacking script/plot. They were the most natural couple I've seen on screen in a while. So much so, I wouldn't be surprised by eventual dating rumors. lol.

2) Johnny's character was absolutely the best, hands down and he played Song Lin the best anyone could. Reba's Zhou Fang was good as well, and she played her excellent, but, unfortunately, her character was trashed by the writer a handful of times, and it wasn't pleasant and made me frustrated watching it.

3) The friendships, bromance/sismance are really pretty good, even despite not liking some of the characters initially or on/off during the course of the drama based on their actions and boring topics.

The beginning had the seeds of a good story... it's just too bad that the writer decided that the boring SLC's story was better and worth more promoting than the actual OTP. The only time I really enjoyed this was when the OTP were together on screen.

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Completed
addicted2dramas
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 21, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
Love Designer was one of my anticipated releases for 2020. Initially I waited for it to be over so that I could binge watch it put I kept putting it off due to the negative comments I read. I can see why people weren't pleased with this - I am not happy either. However I am glad I gave this drama a chance because at least the first 20-ish episodes were well made and I discovered Johnny Huang thanks to this.

STORY:
Oh lord. Was there even a story, a plot? I cannot pinpoint to what the drama was about. All the characters do are talk about dreams and yet everything is underwhelming and a bore. There are some nice moments and some fluttery romantic scenes. The main problem of this drama is that nothing fits. It's like putting too much to eat on your plate, and you end up tasting a bit of everything, but by the end you can't tell what was what. None of the sub-plots fit or compliment each other. Characters drop in and drop out at random times. Some random "problems" arise which make no sense or seem like they were written just because they had to. This drama has good actors and shallow plots with stories that go nowhere. There was nothing that could keep me interested enough to appreciate even a single plot/struggle/growth of any single character.

This drama tries to play it smart but it fails- there is no depth or enjoyment in it. The writing is lazy and I feel like it was written by a bunch of people who all had their own ideas. The end result was that it went nowhere and left me underwhelmed to a great degree. The half-assed ending was thrown into the mix as a formality because they wanted this to end finally.

ACTORS:
Now this is why I ended up finishing the drama. This drama has one of the better main and supporting casts I have seen in a modern C-drama. Dilraba isn't the best actress but the character of Zhou Fang really suited her. She is really beautiful and sometimes left me in awe of her visuals. Johnny Huang is perfect as Song Lin and did an amazing job of his otherwise maybe an "okay at best" character. He is really manly and super charming. He was really good at holding my attention. The others- the friends, family and Song Luo were all good to watch but unfortunately the plot didn't leave them much to do with.

ROMANCE:
This was really nice. Johnny played his part perfectly and his pursuit and the dedication towards Zhou Fang remained strong till the end. The main female lead was confusing at times. Their romance was super cute and only got boring towards the end. Their interactions, skinship and chemistry felt very natural to me. There are secondary couples also which you could either care or not care for - I didn't.

OVERALL:
The worst part of this drama was it that I had so much I wanted to watch but those parts never materialized. It was like a bunch of unresolved plots till the end. The episodes are pointlessly long and dragged out. This drama was best suited for 24 episodes. More time should have been dedicated to our leads and there should have been more challenging subplots/arcs for Zhou Fang. I felt like Dilraba really tried this time but the it didn't show as her character remained the same throughout. Johnny managed a good job due to his exuding charm but even that fell flat by the end.

This drama is one giant mess. There are beautiful people in it and other than that I say there isn't much reason to watch this. Maybe if you have nothing to do and wish to appreciate the beauty our leads - it's the drama for you.

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Completed
Tian Rui
2 people found this review helpful
Jul 18, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

A very chill drama with chill leads

I actually liked the drama. The drama is basically a chill love story with chill leads and mostly none annoying characters, (other than the actress, Luna, in the beginning)

Story:
Both the female lead and male lead are independent people. The FL focuses more on her job and the ML is kinda a bit the opposite and finds the FL more important, which I like. Many modern dramas nowadays focus much more on the love part chasing each other and how everything is just perfect if you just love each other, but no, cause that's not realistic and that's why I find this drama different and interesting. This drama actually shows how important a stable job is in a relationship, and all the conflicts are just realistic. I must admit that there were many misunderstandings, but all those misunderstandings again have to do with the job, and not a third person, which i like.
I love how chill the ML is in serious situations.
I like how they so quickly tell each other that they have feelings for each other, instead of first saying it in episode 15, as in many other dramas.

I've read many other reviews and many think that the main leads don't have chemistry and how everything is just so cliche but I do not think so. regarding the chemistry, I just think the main characters want to show the worst of themselves first, sort out all the conflicts, get a stable job, and then finally be happy together.
Both the FL and ML are super chill and doesn't show an "I can't live without you" feeling, which is nice.

The bad thing about this drama is that the second couple has too many scenes, why can't they just be happy together????
And the "third couple" should have more scenes, so that we can know exactly whether they end up together or not, instead of guessing it.

The acting was superb, good actors and actresses. I love Johnny Huang and Dilrabas super chill acting.
I also love how the ML's sister is involved and all the funny scenes.

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Completed
anxxi
5 people found this review helpful
Jul 22, 2020
45 of 45 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

A realistic take on modern working women and romance in general

I find this series to be very realistic. We have a modern working woman as a female lead. She doesn't have a protagonist halo, nor is she a Mary Sue, but she was written as a talented young designer, her skills yet to be perfected. The male lead wasn't OP that can do everything in a snap of a finger. He wasn't omnipotent. There is character development in both characters, but they didn't lose their originality and personality. I also love that there were no repetitive misunderstandings nor white lotus characters. The crisis that they faced as a couple were real adult problems. I also liked the fights that they had, at least they talk their misgivings and not make assumptions.

The way they got together was abrupt and the same when they broke up. But I don't blame ZF for her actions. Despite the obvious attraction between them, she initially didn't want to get together with SL. But sometimes, we can't really put a break on our feelings can we? And so, I believe she gave herself a chance to dare love again. But their beginning wasn't stable to begin with, and so, when the misunderstanding happened, she did as any other woman would react.

I like that ZF is a very reasonable person. Although breaking up with SL was impulsive, she calmed down and realized that it wasn't all SL's fault. And I also liked that they didn't get back together right away. They had time to know each other better. When they finally got back together, although there were still some issues (as any other couples would), they tried their best to accommodate and communicate with each other.

I would say, I fell in love with both characters. They're not perfect, they're flawed individuals who tried their best to live their life. Most importantly, Dili and Johnny has palpable chemistry. The intimate and kissing scenes were very natural, especially the way they touched and looked at each other. I smile and giggle every time they tease each other, really it was way too cute.

As for the side characters, they have their own flaws, and honestly I got annoyed at them a lot of times (I'm looking at you Yu Lin's mum), but she was written as she was because there were really a lot of mothers like her, especially in Asian countries where their children's marriage are considered to be their ultimate achievement.

If there is something I wished they could have toned down is the amount of product placement in the show. I wasn't bothered by it at first, but I got tired and annoyed of that ringtone that played every single time and very often at that. Like seriously?

Anyway, my overall assessment is... this is a great watch and I would watch it again. It isn't a perfect story, but it is very close.

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