Please Feel at Ease Mr. Ling

Fun & light but frustrating side character(s)

8.8

SPOILERS BELOW

Ling Yue and Gu An Xin were a rare insta-ish love that you can totally believe and root for. The softness in Yue’s eyes when he looks at An Xin within like the third episode is disarming and I ate it up.

I would say overall they are a solid couple that needed to navigate communication and self-confidence to get to their HEA as a couple. It was frustrating to see them build walls at every inconvenience at the start but it makes their relationship a lot more hard earned than other “insta-love” stories so I think that is why they work.

Moving away from them, I LOVED Ling Fang’s character arc. I think the “evil stepbrother” set up was super well done and to have him really realize he’s just fighting himself as opposed to Ling Yue was a nice reprieve from cliches. Which made Ling Sheng’s plot twist reveal all the more suprising and a solid contrast to the brother dynamics.

Gu An Sheng was alright. I see how his role was needed but I just wish he had a bit more depth and that we could learn more about why he loved Gu An Xin so much. Especially since he seems to have been her step-brother while the sisters are half siblings?

I wanted to know more about Gu Yuan Chao because he is given a decent amount of importance but then in the end he’s just sick and bed ridden so that was disappointing. I know Yang Hong is revealed to be the “real villain” but I still feel like the resolution here was tepid at most.

Last but not least, Gu Xin Er was the most headache inducing, exhausting to look at, pathetic character. The fact that her story ends with her promising to wait for Ling Sheng regardless of the fact that he almost killed half her family is the ending I guess she deserves but was embarrassing to witness. I think she needs therapy more than a man.

Read More

A good cliche romance, if that’s what you’re looking for!

ik everyone has different tastes, but this was rly not as bad as everyone made it out to be in the comments!

pros:
- the chemistry between liu te and lusi was good! he has such a cute little face and him gazing at FL was so adorable!
- i enjoyed the relationship in the drama. it was a bit questionable at first since he lied to her about many things but his apology for it was one of the most genuine apologies i’ve seen in cdramas LOL and he did change after that and stopped doing the annoying ‘i know what’s best for you’ thing ML in dramas sometimes does. lots of trust by the end and didn’t let anything get between them. it was very cute and fluffy, loved their scenes!! :)
- strong FL. she was a bit all over the place in one or two episodes in the latter half, but overall, she stood up for herself and was charismatic.
- i enjoyed the first half the most, where the setting wasn’t mainly in the office so praises to that section. but still quite enjoyed the later business side of things too! it wasn’t amazing but it was interesting enough to keep me watching.
- cute side couples :)
- acting was good from the whole cast! i’ve seen liu te receive criticism for his acting in this but it really wasn’t terrible. it was a little stiff but it didn’t ruin the drama for me.

cons:
- an sheng was jarring as hell. he was the controlling and manipulative one if anything, getting FL to choose between him and ML at one point. it got so weird after like one or two episodes. also i am not a fan of the whole step siblings romance, regardless of whether they’re blood related or not. its just incest lol skipped majority of his scene.
- weaker and messier storyline in the second half. it was like they didn’t know where to take the story and develop characters. it was still watchable though.
- knocked some points off for the ending. could have wrapped up better. the number of episodes were enough to wrap things up nicely but they had directed their energy to characters that didn’t need it like xin er.

overall, 8.5/10. a very enjoyable, simple and cute watch. cliche done well! don’t go in thinking you’re getting a new cdrama storyline bc u defo won’t like it. if you’re looking for a typical chinese romance dreams with lots of fluff, then you’ll love this! :D

Read More

This Drama Has a Common Plot.

For me, this drama has a very common plot. Actually, I don't really have a problem with the general plot, but the conflict that occurs between the male lead's competition for company ownership is very confusing. For the first few episodes, I had a hard time understanding how the family tree or what interests the players had. Not only that, it turns out that the female lead also unknowingly has a relation in the male lead's family. It was really confusing because lack of clips or short scenes explaining this in the early episodes.

And for the love story between the conflicts, I can't feel the love between them. Maybe my taste is different from some people, but what I can see is not real love. They lack of chemistry. I think there needs to be more scenes where the love is shown with good attitudes or behaviors, not just focusing on scenes of hugging, kissing, or sleeping together.

After all, if there are those who disagree, maybe our tastes are different. It is possible that there are those who think that this drama is perfect enough. That's all, thank you

Read More

Loved the main couple in this one!

I generally really enjoyed this show! I really liked the main couple and their relationship, and the cast and acting were great as well.

I was sucked into the drama within the first couple episodes, but felt that the drama started dragging on after episode 10. I also felt that some of the characters' actions (I won't specify because of spoilers, but it's the character in the last big reveal/plot twist) seemed difficult to believe.

I can see myself rewatching specific moments of this show, but maybe not the entire thing. Although this may not be the most memorable of shows, it certainly was enjoyable.

Read More

Good start and a good end. The middle was just okay.

I think I would have liked this drama more if I had binged it in one go.

I loved the ML and FL, they had a cute romance as well as their own storylines. Their romance was not at all toxic in ANY way as a lot of Cdrama and Kdrama (especially Thai dramas) romances tend to be. It was nice seeing an FL who is realistically strong. The FL lives by herself, doesn't really have a good job but is pursuing her dream job. She doesn't NEED a man to help her. Anxin is one of the most feminist, but realistic FL characters I've seen in a Cdrama. An observation: usually, in a drama it would have really focused shots of a man doing handiwork, sweating and everything, but here, those shots were used for the FL, it was new to me for a Cdrama.

I also loved the ML, there was no toxic masculinity in this drama, other then that, he's like every other ML.

A huge focus of this drama was the families of the FL and ML. I LOVED the ML's family, couldn't hate any of them. His dad and older brother were definitely my favourites.
The FL's family was screwed up. Didn't really like any of her family members other than her brother. It was very obvious when it turned out that her brother was adopted and that she was close to him, that there will be something else going on, I don't need to explain, it's a Cdrama.

I don't actually remember what happened towards the middle-end of this drama. I skipped through most of it as the plot dragged, but it got better at around episode 20.

I liked the twists at the end and I preferred all the storylines focusing on the ML's family then I did the FL's family. The one thing I hated about this drama was that the FL never got an apology of any sort from her family. I NEEDED a father/daughter scene, a redemption of sorts.

Read More

If you want something quick and fun...

Yup. If you want something quick and fun, this is it. The best point of this drama is the excellent chemistry between the leads. The ML is pretty stiff but with the FL, who is the amazing zhao lusi, he was quite great. I enjoyed the kiss scenes immensely!
The story is very early 2000s k-drama style. Rich CEO meets a hard working poor girl, falls in love, they have a childhood connection, love triangle, typical parent trope. But since the FL is pretty well developed character in the hand of a good actress, the ML is not a narcissist and is willing to admit his mistakes, the plot twists are okay, and the side couples are interesting thus the final product is decent and enjoyable. I must say after episode 13-14 it starts to drag badly. But it's a very light, refreshing, doesn't-take-itself-too-seriously, bubbly drama that you can binge when you want a palate cleanser.

Read More

It's alright.

Major spoilers. Please, read another review. I'm venting.

The first 5-6 episodes are good, but after he gets back into the role of President-to-be, it feels like a completely different drama.

• Episodes 1-5:
The whole drama is predictable and fun. I like how she is a capable person all on her own. She's smart, hard-working and reliable. Then there's Xiao Ba who is a complete mess. These episodes were hilarious and adorable. Then he goes back to work.

• Episodes 6-8:
It has become a typical "rich man/poor woman" drama. With scheming family members and a "brother" who's in love with FL but won't say anything until it's too late.

It still good. I'm only watching for Anxin and Ling Yue's relationship, as well as the LY's doctor and his secretary/assistant (Ai Li). They're cute. Third brother (Ling Sheng, I think) really needs to up his game if he wants to get the woman he likes (Xin'er???).

And what has happened with First brother??????? Did we just gloss over the fact that he tried to kill Ling Yue?!?!? Like, that did happen. Are we not gonna talk about it? Or have him fired from the company??! Huh?

• Episodes 10-14:
Anxin and Ling Yue are a mess.
Ling Fang is an even bigger mess.

• Episodes 15-24:
Nice plot twist. It upset me 'cause I wanted that character to get a HEA. Ai Li and Xiao Yin Shang are cute. I skipped a lot of everyone else's scenes. A lot. Even Anxin and Ling Yue's scenes.

I could have skipped this drama and lived happier without knowing anything of it.

Read More

Cliches Overload!

My impression on Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling after watching the whole drama is that it tries to do too much with a 24-episode series. As a result, the story is all over the place. Just consider this – sibling rivalry, adoption angle, amnesia, co-habitation, jealous love rivals, childhood link, minor breakup, rich man and poor girl are all part and parcel of this drama. It is fine for a romance drama to have cliches. Moonlight and Miss Crow With Mr. Lizard also has a co-habitation and jealous love rival storyline respectively. But there is no necessity to include every imaginable cliche to make it into a story. Moreover, there are also those accidental hugs and stares in Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling which you can already predict the moment a certain scene appears.

What is pitiful is that the drama actually starts off pretty good in the first episode notwithstanding the plot holes which are aplenty throughout the 24 episodes. But after that, everything is just too basic and draggy until the last few episodes when there is a sudden twist. It is basic because they try to do too much that events are introduced and then glossed over. There are no details provided as everything moves very fast especially on the business front. So, don’t expect to know how outcomes are achieved. Orders are given and they just happened. If you like this kind of simplicity, then it might work for you. But if you prefer more well-written stories, this should be avoided completely.

Plot Weaknesses
I’m not one who likes to look for plot holes whenever I watch a drama. But the plot weaknesses in Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling are just too obvious. Ling Yue has a phobia against a large amount of water as he was pushed into a pool by his brother when he was a kid. But somehow, he managed to get himself out of the sea when his car crashed into it at the beginning of the drama. Then, in a later episode, he fainted while at the beach because he was afraid of the water. The inconsistency is just too glaring. Apart from water, Ling Yue is also afraid of cockroaches, dogs, and height!

Furthermore, I just find the obsession that some of these characters have for another is just overdone because they are all related in some way. An Xin’s foster brother loves her but she loves Ling Yue. Her foster sister, Xin Er, also loves Ling Yue. If that is not enough, Ling Yue’s brother is obsessed over Xin Er as well in a merry-go-round sort of romantic entanglement!

While it may sound complicated, it is actually quite straightforward in the drama because their feelings are clearly laid out. But the coincidences are just too much. A brother loving his sister (it reminds me of Go Ahead), 2 sisters loving the same man, and a man loving one of the sisters who loves his brother basically sum up the romance part of the story. I don’t know but it just seems such a weird situation to me. There is really no necessity to elevate the entanglement to this level as time could be better spent on a more in-depth plot.

Little Chemistry Between The Leads
A top notch chemistry between the leads can actually save a romance drama from mediocrity even if it has nothing more than a thin plot. My Little Happiness is one such example. The right chemistry could also make a drama sweeter to charm viewers such as Forever Love and Perfect And Casual. But Rosy Zhao and Terry Liu just don’t have enough sparks between them to make it happen in Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling. The natural feel for the kind of deep love for each other is simply missing. Even her partnership with the much older Lin Yu Shen in Dating In The Kitchen has better chemistry and is more pleasurable to watch.

Perhaps Terry Liu’s inexperience is a drawback and it shows. His acting is still too stiff that he can’t really keep up with the more adept Rosy Zhao. After all, she has played this kind of roles before and portraying An Xin shouldn’t be difficult for her. I just wonder if another male lead could have saved this drama if the pairing has better chemistry overall.

My Verdict – Don’t Waste Your Time!
It is hard for me to recommend giving Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling a try given the poorly written storyline. Unless you are a Rosy Zhao fan, there is really little reason to watch this when there are plenty of other rom-coms and romance dramas out there. Perhaps the basic plot which doesn’t delve too much into the business aspect may resonate with those who prefer simplicity. But then again, even the ending for some of the characters doesn’t give you the required satisfaction as a viewer.

I suppose if you really want to give it a go, you can do so by skipping some boring parts. The middle of the drama is a little draggy and you can probably skip it to go straight to the last few episodes for the ending. This is really not a drama that will remain in your mind after it is over unlike Love Is Sweet or Begin Again whereby there are parts that are worth a rewatch. Of course, if you can feel the chemistry between the leads, it will be a different story. Then, this drama will be more watchable to you despite the weak plot.

Overall, for this Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling review, I would give it a score of 6/10. It is not my cup of tea mainly because of the plot which is not properly planned with too many unnecessary cliches. 24 episodes also isn’t really the type of drama that you would want to have too many things going on and 4 couples to share the screen time with. The end result is a bland production that fails to evoke viewers’ emotions towards any of the characters.

Read More

Basic

i had high expectations for it because of the trailers and the first couple of episodes, but as the episodes carried on the story became more and more basic. however, it was still fun to watch and gives you shy smiles here and there.

compared to the other male lead lusi has worked with, i feel liu te (ling yue) and her have no chemistry. almost as if ling yue only seems to love or care about her when she’s not in his reach anymore.

one thing that bothered me just a tiny bit but i scolded myself for is the baby face ling yue has. even though it does go against the masculine domineering CEO just a bit, that’s something out of his reach and i don’t believe we should use it against him or the drama. he did a great job with what he had to work with and i think he should be proud of himself.

another thing was how basic and boring the story line was: male and female antagonist, reoccurring company problems, neutral struggles the couple face in their personal lives, ect.

not to mention how basic the female lead character was, basically just a y/n. she had the personality of a carrot: no parents, independent, nice, doesn’t stand up for herself, mega patience, and a sad mystery filled backstory. and even though this character was the basic of the basic, zhao lusi did such a good job.

overall, if you read all this, i’d advise to watch it while you’re watching another drama or two. it’s easy to forget but worthwhile when you watch it. momentary happiness you know? yeah :)

Read More