You Are My Hero

One of the better romance/action dramas

This has a solid story line and plenty of characters to keep it interesting. There are no typical annoying chacacters or interfering parents to cause the viewer distraction and frustration. A variety of scenarios and plotlines keep you watching with interest. My only frustration and complaint is that those responsible for the production of these dramas give us yet another in what seems to be a continuous line of female leads with stupid, unflattering, unkempt hair syles and absolutely no sense of fashion. Why are the guys always made to be well groomed and fashionable and their female counterparts made to look like they just rolled out of bed and dressed in ugly clothes?

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A whole new league in itself

This drama is a breath of fresh air. Plenty of people claim that the premise is similar to DOTS but the only similarities they have are the occupations of the leads and the earthquake incident. But in YAMH, the earthquake part only takes up a little chunk in the storyline (about 10%).

This story has depth, no frustrating moments, and the relationship and chemistry of the leads ARE ON ANOTHER LEVEL.

Sandra Ma is such a great actress. She is not afraid to look haggard, normal, and stressed out in front of the camera - just like the rest of us. On the other hand, I wasn't particularly interested in the ML before starting this out, but a few episodes in, he started growing on me. HE IS THE ABSOLUTE CUTEST ML IN ALL OF CDRAMALAND AFTER YANGYANG. He is that charming.

Also, their acting is very natural! The way that they interact with each other really does look like all the other couples out there, and there is no hint of awkwardness in the way that they interact, even the skinship! The amount of ad-lib I believe this series has only goes to prove this point.

And the plot! The plot was dragging at some points, but I didn't really care about those. I cried about 3 times watching this. The romantic scenes between the leads were not cringey/corny/roll-your-eyes level. The conflict were all internal and there was communication among all the characters. This is what I specifically liked about Xing Kelei and Mi Ka: the fact that they both compromised and communicated their issues to each other - like an ideal relationship.

For anyone thinking twice about watching this, this is a sign to start that first episode.

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This is what you call a good C-Drama!!

Very extraordinary modern chinese drama that you don't see often! By far, one of the best chinese drama of 2021! It has good amount of romance, friendship, action, and suspense! Love that it doesn't only focuses on the love life of the characters but it also shows a lot of police and doctors scenes which I find very entertaining as a crime show lover! Also, love the character development here, where characters changed for the better! Everything is just so well thought, from the storyline, to the cast, to the music, and the acting! Definitely a drama worth watching and I'll rank it top 5 in my list of good chinese dramas!! It's that good!

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this gave me a toothache but in a good way

If anyone is looking for an adorkable romance, definitely check this out! One of my favorite parts about this drama was actually the romance, which is kind of a first, actually. I love a good romance, but I rarely find dramas with a romance I'm invested in. But these two are SO adorable and SO sweet, I literally could not stop smiling. Both the leads are so awkward and dorky that it makes their relationship like 80% cuter. I definitely do not like cheesy romances, but I really, really loved this one (although the romance isn't really that cheesy, just super sweet). Their relationship is also very, very healthy, which we always love to see :). They get frustrated sometimes because their professions make it so they aren't able to see each other a lot, but they're mostly super supportive of each other's careers and ambitions.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed watching Mi Ka's growth as resident surgeon as much as I did watching the romance. It was really interesting to see her work in the hospital, especially since her personality makes her a brave, hardworking, selfless doctor. I loved her friendship with Chief Shao (although it created a lot of unnecessary drama) and seeing how much she cared for her patients. Honestly, the reason I probably liked Mi Ka's hospital scenes so much is because I just loved her as a character. She was super strong and she proved over and over again she could stay calm under a crisis even if she was scared. The emergency plot events were really interesting, and I found myself extremely invested in how it all worked out!

Xing Kelei's unit was also hilarious. I really wish we got to see more of them because their mischievous antics and teasing were so fun to watch, and I could really feel the bonds between them. I was a little upset to see Zhuo Wenjing's role as the only female officer in the unit disappear quite a lot after she played her part instigating a very, very short drama (not on purpose tho!) between the two leads. Still, I loved seeing how well she fit in with the other men. There was definitely a whole slew of strong female characters in this drama (stan Xing Keyao), which I loved.

I did not, however, particularly enjoy the second leads' romance. I found the second female lead (Mi Ka's best friend Ruan Qingxia) irritating a lot of the time. Some of the things she did to chase the second male lead were pretty out of line, and while she tried to come off as decisive and independent, she only seemed clingy and stubborn. The love triangle that developed with her and two other male characters was boring and annoying. I skipped most of her scenes, especially if they had to do with her romance with the second male lead (although this is also another adorkable romances for you adorkable fans out there).

Overall, this drama surprised me in the best way possible. I honestly loved how awkward their romance was XD, and the plot overall was pretty interesting. Watching their individual careers develop was just as enjoyable as the romance. I recommend checking this drama out if you're looking for something fluffy, tooth-rottingly sweet, but also with strong, ambitious, and independent characters.

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Wonderful Drama

This drama was a great watch- loved the story & acting.

Pros
- Both leads educated, intelligent & career oriented
- Female lead is a Surgeon
- Story - it’s about how a Police Special Force Leader & Doctor fell in love & navigate their lives (I love these military romance type drama’s)- you can truly appreciate the hectic lives & sacrifices these frontlines make.
- No love triangle among the Main Leads ( they both like each other, starts dating some where around the middle of the series…
- It’s very real story-, misunderstandings are resolved without dragging & swiftly. The type of relationship one would expect normal dating couples to have!!
- the Second lead’s love story is very very cute (but there is a one sided love triangle- however the second female lead only has eyes for second male lead)
- no unnecessary break ups
- happy ending

Cons
Nothing much actually to say on cons, but would have been more wonderful
- If a wedding scene was shown in detail among the lead couple (no worries there was a wonderful proposal)


All in all it’s a great watch, story, acting was good..would recommend ! Happy watching.

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Good drama, but a little rough pacing

I was kinda hesitant at first, as there's not really much reason for me to watch it, but i gave it a try, and well i guess along the way i just ended up getting invested in it.

The story has a similar approach like Fireworks of my Heart, so that helped me ease into the drama easily, as i have something i could reference it with, so it's not really new to me. I know this is different, I'm not here to compare the two, but I'm just saying, i have seen something similar. In the beginning i was kinda wondering how they would go about intertwining 2 characters that have a busy work schedule and are totally different from each other, but that was for me to find out.

It was really rough at first because i feel like the writers are forcing something to happen with the Main couple, not that it's bad, i find it funny and cute even, maybe cringe at times as well hahaha. I could actually see this type of story happen in real life, and that's what i really like about this drama as well, is that it's grounded. I know there are some fictional parts here and there, but eyy, you sometimes need to add some spice to the story. Then, after they managed to get the ship sailing, the romance finally took off. It took a while for our main couple to get together because there's some fluff here and there, showing their busy life, as i said 'very grounded' that why i like cdramas, its slow, they take their time for you to get really invested in the characters, but sometimes that can be a double edge sword, because too much fluff will make you lose attention.

They are really good at transitioning to fluffy plots, but sometimes you can tell they are forcing it in the story, breaking the pacing and vibe. It's like driving someone else's car. The first time you drive, you'll get rough breaks here and there because you still gotta get a hold of the timing and feel of it. That's what is happening with the pacing of this drama. Also, from what you see in the image cover, there are 3 couples in this drama, but not only that, because there are a lot more that you're gonna be following as well, and that's something I've noticed halfway through, like the attention is very divided, as much as they try to make it feel like just the main couple. It's good that they have care and attention to other plots, but sometimes it can feel meh.

The 2nd couple was very cute and wacky in the beginning, i like how they have the same concept as the Main couple, but explore a different situation, and idk, just like in real life, they started to get really messy halfway because of the 2nd ML. It was rough and very insufferable. I couldn't wrap my head around it. I was annoyed as to why they had to do it, but sometimes i wish the 2nd FL would just end up with someone. But as a man i was able to read what was going on inside the 2nd ML's mind, and then they managed to make it to the end. They were a great support to the Main couple, as they are the literal best friends, but sometimes can be a little bit weak, and that's where our 3rd Couple comes in.

The 3rd couple, as the literal adult couple in the show, was a breath of fresh air if you need a break from the other 2 couples. Since they already had an established history, it was really easy to get into their dynamic. I don't know about you, but these two were just chill and simple. Both are good actors, and they have good chemistry. Don't expect butterflies in your stomach moments with them that much because they have a mature approach. They weren't toxic as well. As I've said, when the 2nd couple feels weak, this couple comes in as another good support, because they can give mature insights, and when they feel weak, the main couple complements them with different perspectives. So that's how you know, there's not a wasted character here. Every single one of them complements and drives the other.

The acting is good. FL was such a standout for me, because she's really good at portraying emotions, and the way she controls her tone and vibe is so good. It feels like crying is like a switch to her that she can just turn on and off. She's very versatile, as she does well in funny scenes and can be serious when she needs to be serious or angry. She was like the main driving force for the romance of our Main couple. She and BJT had good chemistry.

Bai Jing Ting here was very different to me, because i just recently finished 'First Frost' and in there he was kinda like introverted and a little bit softie, but here he's like a Man MAN. His character is loud and very strong. He was able to perform the character, showing a strong side of him. I can't really say Xing Kelei was perfect, because in the beginning it gives off creepy and stalker vibes, but it's fine because they were able to develop the character nicely.

I kept commenting on Jiang Pei Yao's synergy with the other actors while watching, because i just recently watched her oldest drama, and her lack in the beginning was that she didn't have timing with her acting, but here she got really good chemistry with the other actors/actresses, the improvement with her acting is so big. She's really good at playing supporting characters. I really hope she'll get a main lead romance drama in the future. We didn't really explore much with her character, now that i'm thinking about it.

Overall, good drama. This is a really good starter recommendation for someone who's getting into c-dramas.

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A beautiful relationship interleaved with high-tension career moments

You Are My Hero is a lovely drama with a wonderful balance of lighthearted fun dotted with tense medical and police scenes (of which I cannot necessarily attest to their accuracy). Although objectively it may not be the most original story to grace this industry, the main characters are lovable and more than make up for certain pitfalls, heightening my enjoyment and the overall score I have given this show. The chemistry and maturity of the main relationship in particular kept me highly entertained throughout, so if you do decide to skim through this show, at the *very* least I think their scenes are quite engaging!

- STORY -
Story-wise, as stated above, I can't say it is filled with originality, and there are certainly moments that are rather tropey and plot convenient in that they are placed in there for the sake of providing some kind of conflict where previously none existed.

(spoiler)
An example of such I can recall is when the main lead's old childhood friend and her sister came back to leech on him to cover their medical expenses (and potentially further living costs). This is the age-old "third-person from the past comes in to disrupt the present relationship" trope, which is rather tiring and annoying, but luckily it does not last too long and in fact proves how grounded and stable the relationship between the main pair is.
(end of spoiler)

But that's the thing I can forgive: conflicts are not dwelled on for too long and mostly serve to confirm the strength of the main relationships! The plot may not necessarily be anything too special, and the ending may be a bit anti-climactic and lackluster, but I believe this drama is primarily character-driven rather than plot driven, so for the sake of the characters I can forgive these slights. Just don't come in expecting this story to be particularly groundbreaking.

- CHARACTERS /ACTING -
This is where this drama honestly shines the most, and is exactly what incentivized me to keep watching till the end.

Bai Jing Ting as Xing Ke Lei is a sight to behold, truly athletic, stern, and arguably convincing in this SWAT team captain role (he really rocks that uniform). I can tell that he worked really hard to maintain form for this role, and it shows in his posture and attitude. Sandra Ma as Mi Ka is positively lovely, with her straightforward and blunt but charming nature, genuine giggles, and serious sense of conviction. Her smiles are hard to resist and make me want to smile along with her. These two truly sold this show to me and each time they were in a scene together, I would honestly forget that they were *actors* and felt like I was peeking in to an actual relationship between two lovable career-oriented individuals. If I take away anything from this show, it's that these two, to me, represent an ideal and mature relationship filled with communication, support, and love. They both make sacrifices, they rub off on each other, and stick together through trying periods of their lives, and if that's not enough then I don't know what is!

In terms of the second couple, I did find them less interesting and a bit more typical to drama tropes, what with the small love triangle and the "I'm rejecting you because I don't think I'm worthy of you" mentality, but if anything, they stand against the main couple to make them feel more realistic and down-to-earth. They're a supporting relationship for a reason, I'll give them that, and for what it's worth, the actors definitely succeeded in delivering these characters as intended by the script.

What I did really enjoy, though, was Mi Ka's relationships with her friends, such as the doctors/nurses at her workplace, and the second female lead. In the same vein, Xing Ke Lei's team members all served as nice comic relief, and his relationship with his sister was also amusing to behold as well.

Altogether, the cast is great fun and managed to successfully pull off serious moments at the same time.

- MUSIC -
I'm not a musician by trade, but some of the main insert songs in this drama are rather fun and lighthearted and fit with the scenes they play in. In particular, "愛上了" by Hu Xia stands out to me with its simplistic, charming, hummable melody, and genuinely fits with the silliness of the second couple. " 呢喃" by 都智文 is also a nice and soothing piece that gives me kdrama vibes (even though I don't really watch kdramas)!
The rest of the OST is rather standard, befitting of tense or more melodramatic scenes. Nothing abominable, mostly pleasing to the ear. Certain songs have admittedly been added to my Spotify playlist to help me retain some good vibes.

- CONCLUSION -
This is a wonderful drama worth watching for the realistic relationship portrayed by Bai Jing Ting and Sandra Ma and certainly made me a fan of both of them! Sometimes I had to turn my brain off on certain plot points, but overall my enjoyment factor trumped over a lot of negatives and inclined me to give this a rather high score. Thank you for reading this far, and hopefully someone else will enjoy this as much as I did!

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Not a masterpiece, but a must watch

Story: The plot was more original than most C-dramas and was very decently developed.
The SWAT team and the hospital scenes were interesting with not too much technical language, so easy to watch.
Also, I like the dynamics in relationships between friends, couples, colleagues.
It is basically a nice slice of life, with no twists or complicated arcs.

Acting/Characters: It was my first time watching Bai Jingting and Sandra Ma, and I can say they are great actors, they portrayed their characters very well.
Mi Ka is very calm, courageous and caring. She is very different from the stereotypical female lead.
Xing Kelei is the typical perfect male lead: handsome, good in everything and charming.
Their romance is so pure and slow-paced, they act like a 10-years married couple, so don't expect anything passional.
As for the second couple, I didn't like it, the SFL was very intense and the SML was indecisive. It was draggy, annoying and a mess. But don't get me wrong, they were nice characters in their own.
The third couple was a lot better, more mature and healthy.

Music: The songs were very nice and catchy. I put some of them in my playlist.

Rewatch: Yes.♡

Overall: I enjoyed this drama a lot. I don't consider it a masterpiece, but is so captivating that I understand why reviewers say that.

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Romances Couldn't Hold My Attention

I'm not a fan of medical or police dramas, but I had heard the romances were cute in this show. I can get through almost anything if it has a romance I enjoy. However, it became increasingly obvious the more time I spent watching that the romances did almost nothing for me. The main leads were certainly cute together in the beginning, but their romance quickly fizzled out as their relationship grew. It felt like I was watching two friends, not romantic partners, in the later episodes. While the second lead couple started off promising in the "opposites attract" category, they quickly turned into the worst part of the show for me. Ruan Qing Xia had too many red flags and boundary issues for me to root for her in a relationship; likewise with Shu Wen Bo, who was too cut off and removed from his emotions. I enjoyed the romance between the third leads, but they do not get much screen time until the later half of the season.

While the romance is an important aspect of the show, I would say their individual careers truly make up the bulk of the story. If you are squirmish or violence is a trigger for you, please skip this show. It doesn't shy away from the realities of these two people’s professions. The action sequences and medical emergencies were well-done if that is important to you.

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!!MUST WATCH!! Laugh and cry romance with medical and military perspectives

(Review written after watching ep 22/45. Will update after airing)
STORY: Great story line focusing on the story between MiKa and Xing Ke Lei after their first encounter two years prior to the drama. There are intense scenes from both medical and and military prospectives but also light and fluffy scenes between the three main couples. Side couples are well developed and take up appropriate amounts of screen time. Good character development so far.
EXECUTION: Nice and quickly paced story. Lots of complexities between the lives of the three main couples and their colleagues/acquaintances. Main couple gets together ep 17/45. Casting is great, chemistry between the leads work well (Bai Jing Ting’s first on screen kiss!) and all side characters fit their roles nicely. Music suits the drama well (favorites being 眷戀, 愛上了, and 意外 ). 

OVERALL: A great drama to watch for romance, slice of life lovers with emphasis on medical and military perspectives. I have cried and laughed in almost every episode due to the challenging aspects of MiKa and Xing Ke Lei’s professions and hilarious moments throughout the script. Hoping the rest of You are my Hero is as great as the first half!

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Great in parts and very boring in parts too.

This story is driven by formula. The start is refreshingly sweet and you feel happy in the atypical characters. but then the makers decide to go on repeat-rinse mode. The repetition of the same medical and law and order crises just wears down the viewer so much . If they had cut down this story to 18 episodes or so, it would remain very watchable.
The actors are sincere and natural. There is hardly any negative characters at least in the first half( I couldnt drag myself to watch 40 episodes of the same crises resolution).
Plenty of the viewers have spoken about the casting. Individually the actors are brilliant but there is definitely a bit of "looks miscasting" . The ML, who enacted Xing Kelei beautifully, looks young, fresh from school, boyishly slender and both his subordinates and seniors looked older than him. Worse, the FL looked decidedly older than the ML.
The FL is a great actor , effortlessly catching the character's vibe, but she could have been cast opposite a ML who looked more capable of handling her than this boyish ML.
Overall I loved both the characters the FL and th ML individually , but put together there were incongruities.
Next the big question -Is this a DOTS remake-- No it isnt for sure. That was more of a disaster story, physically the leads were in disaster prone areas, or in conflict zones - in a kind of Red Cross initiative. The level of interdependence and grit required were of a different level in that story. YAMH is kind of set in a single city with its small law and order or medical emergencies. The canvas on which DOTS is painted is huge and wild and exciting; YAMH is a more urban, tame and milder setting.
Overall a good watch, but skirts short of greatness due to repetition and its length.

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