One of my favorite Rom-Coms!
This Rom-Com really struck a note with me because I'm a writer. I don't write professionally, just as a hobby, and I really found the relationship between writer/editor/publishing house interesting. I learned a lot about editors/publishing. So, first off, the subject matter really struck a chord, and then the lead characters kept my interest.At first, I really found FL's voice/mannerism annoying, but I ended up really liking her as the drama progressed. She seems like a dingbat, but she was really quite smart, easily manipulating those around her with her charm and sincerity. The chemistry between her and ML was a delight to watch as they bickered and bantered with each other. They were one of those couples that just seemed 'fated'. For me, not all drama couples seem like they're meant to be, but this couple did. Even though I loved SML (so mature, so sweet, so sensitive), I was always on Team Mr. Fox/Zhou Chuan.
Now to my favorite character - Zhou Chuan or The Disappearing Mr. Fox. I simply adored this character! He is my 2nd favorite C-drama ML, just below the ML on 'Arsenal Military Academy'. I loved his grumpy obtuseness. I just found him so cute even though he had the unfortunate tendency to be childish and bad-tempered and completely clueless when it came to romance/relationships. I loved how FL could so easily control (or manipulate) this uncontrollable, demanding, prickly author. I loved how they were online 'best friends' before they became a real couple. I loved how ML was always calling SML for advice and then grumpily rejected the advice he got. The chemistry between ML and SML was nearly as good as the chemistry between ML/FL. It's probably not intentional, but ML's voice inflections reminded me of the puppet Reynardo on the old Leslie Caron movie 'Lili'. And oddly enough, Reynardo was a fox.
I didn't have much interest in the second couple's romance and fast forwarded through much of it. I just didn't care for SFL. I adored SML (too bad FL can't have both men!) but found SFL too chic. I just wanted SML to have someone better. But tell me, why does the second couple always seem to sleep together first and have hotter kisses in C-dramas?
I was pleased to see that both sets of parents were likeable although ML's dad was as bad-tempered, uncompromising and demanding as his son. BUT it was a lovely moment when dad presented the award to ML at the end. It brought tears to my eyes. So glad that neither set of parents were opposed to ML/FL's relationship.
The two scheming male bosses in the publisher house were super annoying - I guess this time the men got to be the villains. Usually, it's the women in C-dramas. But FL outcame both. We did have a psycho chick after ML few a few episodes, but she was more pathetic than threatening. ML was on to her antics way before FL and made sure he didn't spend any time alone with her - such a conscientious and shrewd ML (which was amazing considering how clueless he was concerning other matters). As I've said before - men, be careful with your random acts of kindness - you may end up with the a psycho chick obsessing on you.
Overall, I loved this drama, especially the relationship between ML/FL. There was not a lot of angst (which I prefer). The only time ML/FL was separated was when FL found out about ML's online identity and was rightly angry, but their separation didn't last long. There was no bouts of noble idiocy or the 'I love you but I've got to chase my dreams' thing. No serious, scheming love rivals or past loves that suddenly come back from the dead to haunt the future. It was a simple story about an editor's sincere desire to help her writers succeed and the romance she has with one of those writers. Nice ending too! Everything wrapped up nicely.
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light and fluffy but skippable parts
Overall this was a fairly easy going show, no over dramatics that couldn’t be resolved despite the fact the writers attempted a few cliche efforts at this. When it happened it was pointless and added nothing to the overall development of the plot. The MLs are silly and childish for far too much of the show and often the 2nds just plain show them up - seemingly like the only adults actually acting like adults. The friendship between ML & 2ML is the most satisfying thing about this series and they are adorable and funny. Overall it ended satisfyingly, but I skipped so many scenes that dragged and felt boring to watch. Clean up the writing (needs a major edit, which is kind of funny when this show is about editors and authors 🤣) and we’d have something that trundled along at an engaging pace. Instead we have 36 draggy episodes. One to watch if you need something light and you aren’t irritated by baby voice from FL’s which happens far too often in Cdramas. Not a fan personally- I think strong female leads can ditch the baby voices, pouty faces and childish comments. The 2FL in this show shows how its done, classy, professional independent adult. That is how to portray strong female behavior.Was this review helpful to you?
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
Love Esther and Ryan in here. An editor and a writer who ended up caring and loving each other. They're so adorable as a pair in this drama! TBH this is my first drama of Esther and Ryan and hooked up with them. I've been rewatch this drama like 3 times!!! And can't get bored with it.You guys should watch this drama.
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mature youth drama
Finally I've watched mature youth drama. Long time heard about this drama, finally decided to watch this. Really happy I can watch this drama.Really like Chu Li (CL). She is energic, kind, pure but not naive & childish. CL is spoiled where she supposed to & mature enough to handle her problem. CL has her own principle that she hold that make her special & attract people to her. If using Zhou Chuan (ZC) word, yeah she's like sunlight but warm enough like moonlight too. If she is my friend, I can see her as one of the people I'll trust to handle my problem too... I also really like how at the end she handle Liang Chong Lang (director Liang), how mischievous she is....
I also really like ZC, even though sometimes he's quite childish. But he can and will learn how to be better himself, especially if it's about CL. Like how he try to communicate better with her, how he try to understand her & how he throwing his ego & apologize to her when he needed to.... And he can really separate himself with the one that he doesn't like, like with Song Xi. Really like ZC & CL relationship with each other. Yu Shu Xin & Ding Yu Xi chemistry with each other really good. Really funny to see ZC reaction when CL is mad at him...
I also like their second couple, Jiang Yu Cheng (YC) & Gu Bai Zhi. Yeah the old flame haven't died yet. A little bit frustrated at first to see their relationship. & because they're not the main couple so we a little bit have to guess what their actual problem at first, they not just tell us what their problem actually is, but finally they tell us. And yeah they have to fixed the main problem first before decided to continue or not, or the story will gonna repeat itself & yeah it did.... But it got fixed & everything smoothly go sail... Haha...
Really like the brotherhood between YC & ZC. It's like they put the phrase: 'bro before ho' into reality. Like when YC said he like CL, even though ZC quite jealous but he still ask for advice & they still brother like before. Yeah2 I know even we can sense that YC is not that serious with CL. But we sometimes see the writer will gonna write they have clash or overly jealous over that simple stupidity....
This is really one good youth drama. This even has the perfect ending... Looking for something romance, sweet but not too much, this is one drama for you...
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Tediously Waay too long- Side stories were just annoying filler
Are you here for the male lead ? well, skip my review & just watch it !For everyone else I'll be brief :
It's way too long. The second lead's relationship was irritating & took up too much screen time. Female lead was embarrassingly baby cutesy most the time. Side stories & family scenes were just annoying interruptions. Male lead is the only reason to watch & his character was not boyfriend material. Fluffy oversized dog had gross brown stained fur around it's face, like it needed washing. no weddings shown but abrupt happy endings for all 4 leads (AND 2 year time skip at end) Too much tediousness to really enjoy this series.
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Sweetest Romance of the Season
I don't usually write reviews, but this series was way too good to not write a review for it.In short, this series is definitely one that you don't see often, and I truly hope that it makes a precedent for future series to come. It's definitely a sweet romance that brings a smile to your face every episode with how cute the main couple is.
-- MAIN COUPLE --
The only way I can explain this couple is having a healthy relationship, which is so rare to see that it's like a huge breath of fresh air. Of course, they have their own couple spats and issues, but it's so nice to see that they have mutual trust in each other and there are absolutely no unnecessary misunderstandings between them. There's also the fact that although they're editor and author - a sort of subordinate and boss situation - each side's power in the relationship is extremely balanced.
For Chu Li (Esther Yu), she's an extremely smart character and is generally able to stand up for herself and solve her own problems with minimal help from the male lead. There's no damsel in distress - it's clear that she's able to do things on her own. I truly truly applaud this series for this. It's really not every day where a female lead is able to persevere her strong personality till the end.
For Zhou Chuan (Ryan Ding), he's a narcissistic little boy who never got his dad's love, but his heart's softer than anyone's. He's like a little puppy in front of the female lead and his best friend, and it's absolutely adorable. He also knows that while he wants to help the female lead, she has her own way of doing things, and he can't do everything for her. There's also a comparison in the series with the husband of Yu Yao when it comes to how Zhou Chuan handles Chu Li's workaholic side. Where one tries to suppress the female to become a standard "wife", the other supports her, loves her for her loyalty to her work, and only steps in when needed to take care of her health.
Together, they're a stupid cute and funny couple that defies the odds together (key word: together). When problems do arise, there's no one side tries to solve it for the other, but rather they respect each other and take it head-on together.
--SIDE COUPLE (SPOILER)--
I'll keep this shorter because they do kind of irritate me. At first, they play it up so Jiang Yucheng has this hatred for his ex-girlfriend, Gu Baizhi, due to some misunderstanding. But then halfway through his heart softens because he still has lingering feelings, and starts wanting to try again out of nowhere? Nothing, absolutely nothing, was really cleared up about the past, and they just have misunderstandings after misunderstandings. I swear, if I were GBZ, I would've dumped his ass in the sewers already.
Not to mention that they completely ruined Jiang Yucheng's personality for the sake of his romance. As a writer, he's stubborn and sticks to his opinions - same as Zhou Chuan. It's also one of the reasons why he had a fallout with GBZ - because she kept trying to have him write this and that for the sake of gaining better sales. However, when they met with Maurer (a director), GBZ said that JYC would be willing to compromise for the sake of the film - resulting in his loss in the competition with Zhou Chuan - but they didn't address this AT ALL. And then, in trying to get GBZ back, he claims that anything he did wrong, he'll change for her. If this isn't a red flag, I don't know what is.
Overall, they had their cute moments, especially toward the end, but their process was just a mess.
--OVERALL--
[Music - 8.5/10] There's only a few songs in the soundtrack, including one sung by Esther Yu herself, but the ones that do exist are soft and sweet. Esther's voice has improved a lot since her trainee days!
[Rewatch value - 9/10] I don't have a tendency to rewatch dramas since I already know what will happen, but maybe in a few years when I forget details and want to rewatch something, this is definitely one of the dramas on the top of my list.
[Overall - 9.5/10] There's bias in the review of course, but I really didn't watch this series expecting anything. My opinion of Esther Yu has always been pretty neutral, but for the sake of my "May boyfriend" and after finding the trailer pretty funny, only then did I decide to watch this. I can't expect everyone to enjoy it as much as I did, but I do highly recommend watching at least a couple of episodes if you enjoy sweet rom-com series. Especially if you enjoyed Ryan DIng (Ding YuXi)'s The Romance of Tiger and Rose, this series has that romance and comedy feel but in a modern setting.
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Notes:
- I know there's a bit of dislike for Esther's voice (I completely understand - it's one of the reasons I'm not a huge fan of hers), but for the sake of this amazing series, it is 100% overlookable and you get used to it. Regardless, her voice sounds more natural here than it ever did on Youth With You.
- "May boyfriend" is a joke in the Chinese community. Because Ding YuXi (Ryan Ding) became popular after two romance dramas starring him both aired at the same time last year (May 2020) - respectively The Romance of Tiger and Rose//Intense Love - he became dubbed as 五月男友 (May boyfriend).
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ML is such a MANCHILD!!!!!
This is a rant review so if you like this drama please move on and don't ruin your day.I started watching this drama while waiting for Love Game in Eastern Fantasy´s next episodes to drop because, unlike this drama, that one is actually giving what it is supposed to give, and I literally cannot wait for the next episode huhu😊.
That being said, I obviously watched this drama for the CP, but oh boy were they the worst couple in this one.
Where do I even start with this one? The ML Zhou Chuan character is just so insufferable. he is rude, man-child, obsessive, and an entitled prick. The drama makes you wonder how he even stayed alive before meeting the FL because he can't do anything without her. He can't even feed himself or his dog. All he does is sit in his study and sulk all day and wait for Chu Li to return from work and cook and clean for him. On top of that, he is always casually fat-shaming her, getting jealous if she talks to any other man even if it is for work. like wtf bro?????!!!
Am I supposed to root for this a-hole??😑 Zhou Chuan has to be one of the worst love interests. He is always fighting and screaming at her. I can't I just can´t. I do not like these types of toxic love interests. I hate that this drama is romanticizing his behavior. They want it to be seen as cute. Every time he makes a mistake he thinks he has done nothing wrong and when he knows he is wrong he still gets angry at Chu Li for not forgiving him immediately.
There is one scene where Chu Li has broken up with him and stays with her friend because he lied about his identity as Mr. Fox, who is Chu Li´s online best friend. he basically hides from her that he is Mr. Fox and manipulates her feelings for him. When she finds out the truth and feels betrayed rightfully so…she breaks up with him. And instead of sincerely apologizing to her and explaining his reasons to her, he SCREAMS AT HER…that because she has not returned home for a while he and his dog have become thin because she is not feeding them. and he said sorry what more can he do?
aww poor guy! must be so difficult for him *(eye roll)*
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!????????? that's what you've got? seriously???? 😶 Why is she even dating him? She literally forgives him after this. like gurlll please have some self-respect.
it's crazy how I didn't get annoyed by Esther Yu´s baby voice and over-the-top child-like acting in this drama because of ML's insufferable character. It´s a miracle.
The whole drama is a miscommunication trope on steroids. OMG please, just talk!!!!!!!
It did not need to be 36 episodes. It's just 36 episodes of nothingness. Unless you are a big fan of the cast I don't see any reason why must you torture yourself with this drama.
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Chu Li is not a well developed character
I'm so annoyed with this drama, I don't even know where to begin! Chu Li is such a disappointment. I guess I shouldn't expect the writers to be infallible, but if you're trying to make an empowered female, then she shouldn't simultaneously be oblivious and reckless. Also, a "strong female lead" who still needs constant rescuing from the ML is oxymoronic. Mostly because she never acknowledges how much he helps and bails her out. Meanwhile she spends a ton of energy pushing the ML lead and 2ML to do things that go against their gut and are ultimately bad decisions. And she never learns her lesson, nor even seems to recognize it was her fault. I'm not saying that the ML is perfect, but the FL character seems to not understand him at all, constantly pressuring him to do things that don't suit him at all (e.g. collaborating with the illustrator, meeting the actress, doing the interview.) Yet, she spends most of the series professing to know him better than everyone else. I get that they needed to drive things forward with the conflicts created, but I just wish she wasn't always responsible for them. It makes it harder to root for her. I also got the impression--that unfortunately seems to be a trend in several of the contemporary C-Dramas I've watched lately--that the FL was just romantically tolerating the male lead, but not really attracted to him or that into him. The NYE scene in the last episode reinforced that, like what girl in love wouldn't be in a hurry to ring in the new year with her boyfriend?! Yet she didn't want him to get her from work and she turned down a ride home to instead slowly walk through crowds of people celebrating. Like WTH, do you even like him at all? Again, I get that they were trying to set up a scene, but I still think it's a really bad portrayal of a girl in love; like completely unconvincing most of the time.They did a couple of "day-dream" scenes to try to offset her stiffness but her indifferent/standoffish/prude behavior throughout was hard to overlook. Maybe this is a style/theme, but if it's a tag I would definitely avoid dramas with this attribute in the future. I've just started Love Game in Eastern Fantasy (liking it so far) and if the FL doesn't develop convincing feelings for the ML then I'll know it's just an Esther Yu (and maybe Ryan Ding) problem, and I won't watch her drama's anymore.
Positives: the 2nd leads are pretty great and very attractive. The villain is the perfect "love to hate" character. I find the music in dramas extremely intrusive, and this wasn't exactly an exception. However, this OST actually included catchy songs and I liked a couple of them.
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A new heartwarming story
It has been a while since I saw such a lighthearted drama. It is a slow burn. Before you realize it you are already addicted to it. This kind of story was a first time for me. Originally I wanted to see it because the 1st main leads were my favorites. But later on I liked the story and how it was very well depicted. Everyone acted as their character very well. I did not fell like it was boring but maybe the no. of episodes could have been reduced a little. All the cast chemistry is so good. For the first time I am seeing a drama in which there are lot of females in the cast and are very strong. I liked how they depicted the story with so much reality. It is in my top 5 Chinese drama lit now. I wanted a light drama as there have been lot of dark dramas or boring dramas recently. I can't wait for the actors' next projects. The ending given to everyone was also very well written. Maybe after a while I might re-watch it again if my mood is down.Was this review helpful to you?
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Beautiful and amazing drama
I never write a review, but I want to make a special exception to this one.--Story--
For many people probably this will be lke typical romance, but it's unique compared to others dramas. They balanced very well business and their relationship at once like wow. Relationship between leads is beautiful and cute, it's hard to find sometimes good relationship between characters in dramas but in this one it's P E R F E C T. And also theres no "dumb" characters you know in every drama theres always one character that is so stupid or will made so stupid decision that you want to DIE ;-;.
And also i want to say something about FL cause she was the best:
FL - Looks gently and cute and some people can say that shes "weak" but shes really a bad bitch or more like BOSS. If she wants something she gets it, if she wants to achievement something, she will achieve it. She works really hard that she made one of the writers win AWARD in less than 2 years. You can say that shes perfect definition of "hardworking people".
--Acting/Cast--
I can't tell to much about cast because i don't know anyone but i want to say something about them. Im really impressed by their acting especially Yang Shi Ze acting cause he debuted in 2018 and it's only 3 years also Ma Yin Yin. About Ryan and Esther how? just how? They look like a real life couple i really thought that they were maybe dating or something (yeah i know stupid idea) and i even did researched about it LOL.
--Music--
To be honest i don't like OST from dramas but here are beautiful and i fall in love with THE9 Ester – Chu Li is Here that angel voice OMG i listen this on repeat and Shuang Shen – NiūNiū is also good.
--SPOILER AND MY RATING--
I give 9,5 rating because i had only with one thing problem at the end there was one character that girl who suddenly apeart and says that she fell in love with Zhou Chan a long time ago. This was really uncesenery but everything else was PERFECT. So theres chance that i will rewatch this in future :)
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Beautiful and Heartfelt
I absolutely loved this drama! I started watching it because I like the main actress Esther Yu but I fell in love with the whole cast as well. The setting and story was very interesting as I've never watched a drama about and writer and an editor before which made it refreshing to watch. The main couple has great chemistry and their love story is built with care and without frustrating plot points to keep them apart longer. Their personalities mesh very well and I liked their individual characters a lot. I even enjoyed the side characters! My only complaint was that I did not like the second couple that much. I don't know if it's an issue of my personal taste or a fault of the show but I didn't like the sfl that much which made it hard to like them as a couple. This however isn't that much of an issue since their scenes are skippable without missing much. I recommend this drama to anyone who wants a romantic feel good show that has an interesting and simple plot.Was this review helpful to you?
