The Rational Life

My fav FL ever.

I have watched so many k and c dramas and finally have found the gem of FL. She was mature, consistent , inspiring and believable character played brilliantly all the way till the last min! Disclaimer: I really didn’t expect to root for her this much!!

The story and tough topics are handled really well!
It’s obviously not perfect as I found the ML a tad bit too perfect . The actor was great in portraying and made him believable enough. I actually watched this out of curiosity because I watched another show of his( yeah.. the fairy/devil drama …😅) their relation was really beautiful throughout all stages.

I like this kind of story ( older career driven FL ‘find yourself’ is another one for ex) as it’s usually full of atypical challenges compared to your classic rom com of immature couple leads.. this is the kind of story with character depth and development that sets off beautifully. It also doesn’t skip in the relationship buildup that makes us root for the main characters.

The critical scene where the relationship of the main characters evolve is memorable and so well done !

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Interesting topic

Lots of food for thoughts in this series.
Love the part when she explains she was able to buy an appartement because she didn’t spend all her money on luxury goods or when he explains his friends that you don’t need money to be happy, just love each other... Find it unbelievable that you can bring a partner to a social gathering and leave her alone at the bar... Hope the kind of series will continue to set higher expectations for Chinese male...
A little “over” acting specially at the beginning, long dumb staring, I prefer when emotion are lighter and more natural, but I love the 2 main leads, we want more series with DD! 王鹤棣！
Sounds like some music is from Meteor garden Taiwan version, let me know if you recognize the theme.
Happy to learn more vocabulary about new energy vehicle.
Looking forward to know the end...

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Absolutely nothing special

Typical plot with predicable dialogue.

Start of the drama I already can see that there will be too many disgusting characters
Office male butt
Overbearing mom you can skip all her lines right away

I am not sure how realistic this is but the office male dominating environment with frequent sexist comments as the norm seems excessive?
Overbearing mom w/ too many lines
The ex insulting her age and income status yet comes back to assume his act can be forgiven?
She gets wrongfully terminated and she doesn't fight back
This is all within the first 3 ep and with zero comedic side kicks aka supporting characters.

What's good about this drama?
Actress - she's 40+ looks 30!! She played her character well just that the script was terrible

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⭐The Outlier ✴ Xin doesn't have enough Qi ☄ °good°

“I suppose it's not rational to be happy.” There's a point where that's how Xin feels.

TRL opens irrationally. First, there's an irrational client. We also meet an irrational young woman who wants to bail on her commitments so she can go live with her BF overseas. She steals the business's assets and flees from her partner.

Qin Lan (Story of Yanxi Palace) portrays “marriage-is-the-tomb-of-love” Shen Ruo “Xin”. She's an attorney. She's rational. She's calculative and precise. She comes over as cold, but she's not. She's also 33 and slipping into that middle-aged weariness since her youthful delusions are being popped one after another. She's been going out with her boyfriend (Cui) for about 3 months. Let's be precise, shall we? It's been a hundred days. Apparently, she only dated him on her mom's insistence. It's obvious that these two aren't on the same wavelength, and as soon as things don't go his way, Cui shows an ugly side. Free commercial: if you're dating someone and they get testy the moment they don't get their way, do a Monty-Python-and-the-Holy-Grail and run away. Run away! Run AWAY! It's better to be solo than to be with a manipulator.

Xin has nobody in her life who understands her. Xin's BF certainly doesn't understand her. He didn't last for long. Even though her mother (Pan Hong from Yangtze Town's Springtime) divorced her father, mom is the one who is bitter and lonely. Her best friend (Lin Xin Yi of Drunk to Love You-7 is “Si”) married well enough, where she doesn't have to work, but she's idle and discontented. She is going through her own changes and the two friends' lives are now nothing alike.

At work, Xin is confident but disliked over appearing inflexible. Her elevated skills seem to be threatening to others. She uncovers fraud by a client who is suing the company and manages to settle a problematic case for pennies on the dollar. She should have been promoted, but when that irrational client gets a social media campaign going against Xin, her boss seizes that opportunity to transfer her to another unit. Everybody knows she's being pushed out.

Xin gets strength from her hobby of stargazing. “In the 1990s, a space probe took a picture 4 billion miles away from Earth in space. The Earth was like a tiny blue spot in the dark. Later on, an astronomer, Sagan…said that all the happiness and sadness, all beliefs and knowledge… all of it only exists on a speck of tiny dust floating in the sunlight. So, compared to this bright starry sky, all of our troubles are insignificant.” A department change is not going to change her orbit. She will continue to go forward… Until she starts to fall for a guy over a decade younger than she, that is. Now, THAT could be a problem.

Dylan Wang (Love Between Fairy and Devil-8.9 & Meteor Garden-7.4) plays “Qi” Xiao. He excels at playing a damaged, testy, uber-masculine ML. He still makes his characters appealing; he's able to walk that line and counterbalance his characters’ deficiencies with intense sincerity. In TRL his character is more understated and supporting - with awful hair. Qi is smart, resourceful and intuitive about human psychology. He went to law school in order to make money, but his real love is designing jewelry. His business was doing well, but his partner irrationally absconded with all the money so that she could go overseas with her BF. Qi's roommate (Chen Peng from Love and Destiny is Wan Li) knew that he would need a little push, so roomie submits job applications for each of them as he is job hunting himself. This lands Qi next to Xin. The office wasn't the first place they met, however. She ended up in the middle of his pursuit of that fleeing partner, and it wasn't pretty. She refuses to interview him, at first, but as things play out, he ends up being helpful to her and she decides to hire him on a probationary basis. He's now in the administrative department with her; it's sort of like the 13th level basement. They are pariahs.

Dylan Wang is a tad out of a character playing the eager puppy type, though he does it well. He's usually the toxic male who's not /really/ toxic; underneath it he's always a loving guy. Even as a puppy type, he makes this show better. As his love rival is gaining points, he's in the background rolling his eyes. It's pretty funny. “After working at a big company for a long time, in getting used to a comfortable but restrictive vibe, you'll become systematic. It's only a matter of time before your inspirations disappear.” Qi's friend is trying to warn him. But the dude doesn't realize that Qi's only in it for his boss.

“You're practically a succubus,” Si teases Xin, when it looks like the much younger Qi has a thing for her much older friend. She's the kind of best friend we all wish we had. That teasing only holds up until the new boss, Jie, shows up. Calvin Li, from Hand in Hand, is Xu Ming “Jie”. He's strict and regimented. He likes the finer things in life. When he sees Xin, he /knows/ what he's looking at. It's all work related stuff, but he's finding ways to take up all her time: Dinners, parties, trips... Qi is going out of his mind.

Rounding out the main players is one of Qi's college friends, Song Zi Yan, who has been working with Xin for about a year. The perky cheerleader type, she's always had a thing for Su, Qi's roommate. So, we've got the beautiful smart but overlooked career woman, the upstart fresh faced recruit, his supportive friend and roommate, and the perky cheerleader (the 2ndary couple), plus the rich and powerful boss as a romantic rival (rounding out the triangle). Let's not forget the toxic mother. Yep this is all looking familiar.

TRL is a 2021 release that is rated 8.2 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 35 45-minute episodes. The drama, Find Yourself-8.9, precedes it by a year. It isn't too hard to imagine that this show was made because of Find Yourself, which is an exceptional show featuring an older woman and a younger guy. TRL feeds off of it, but it's still its own production. Xin is even wearing a revamped men's shirt in one scene, which is a wardrobe staple for Fan, FL of Find Yourself. Some of Fan's are good, some are passe. Xin's is spectacular.

Office politics and vicious gossip are a topic of the show. Xin has this advice: ”Do you know how to remain undisturbed? Whether you're favored or disliked, remain undisturbed. Don't worry what people say about you. Know your goal. Stay on target and achieve it.” Notice how she says don't believe the good stuff either? Our hearts want to believe the good feedback and discount the negative. Everything should be on the Bell curve. Take the compliments with the grain of salt, and do the same with the criticisms, but never dismiss criticisms out of hand. Always pause and reflect on whether there is some truth to it. Many times there is, and each one of us has room for improvement. That's the key, don't look to the left or the right, look straight ahead, and never stop improving.

The isolation of a successful woman is dissected. “Girls marry high, men marry low. The old saying is true. If a woman has a master's degree, the man should at least have a doctorate.” TRL balks at the idea of having it all. Does anyone actually believe that anymore? Women are always squeezed into a small space. The women in the show are pushed into marriage & having kids or they're denied opportunity /because/ they're married and either have kids, or are expected to get pregnant at any moment. There's as many ways for a woman to live her life as there are women out there. There's no one right answer. Many different people make many different things work. That's the key: Does it /work/? Marriage and children are optional. They're both intended to be lifetime commitments so they shouldn't be taken lightly.

Xin may be the boss at work, but in her private life, she can't shake her mom-boss. Xin did promptly dump that BF. She never liked him anyway. She broke his heart, but, forget him - She /really/ broke her mother's heart. Her mother is caustic about it and cannot accept the breakup. She keeps pushing Xin to get married. “I feel sorry for any guy that tries to date you.” “/He/ got married. You should be so lucky.” Mom has a 1-track mind! “Time is ruthless for women.” That's how Xin's mom says ‘Happy Birthday’. Mom don't let up. Once mom learns about Qi, it's: “You are much older than him. You should be more rational.” Mom wants Xin married, but not to a kid! Next, it's:“Don't mistreat my daughter!” Mom freaks out when she finds out that Xin has been harassed by one potential mate. Ironically, no one is hurting & upsetting her daughter more than Mom, though. She pushes and prods, forces and manipulates, she bullies and throws tantrums. This isn't being a good parent. It's fear coming out as poison.

Mom finally forces her into a blind date service. Here's the type of advice she's given before her first blind date event: 1. “PU” means partner’s uncertainty. On blind dates, it's important to lower his PU and pique his attention. The lesser the uncertainty, the stronger the confidence, and he will make more moves. 2. It's unrealistic for those in their 30s to have zero experience. The best answer {as to how many relationships she's been in} is 1-3 relationships. Don't say more than 3. 3. What is “MV”? It's mate value. A woman's MV is not in terms of success at work. It's whether you can be a good wife and mom in the future. So for your hobby, you must mention baking, painting, and flower arranging. These three are the safest. If you say that you're preparing to study child psychology, trust me. I'm sure he'll be attracted to you. 4. Reasons for breakups...That's the most dangerous question that increases PU. It's best to say that it was due to geographical reasons. 5. Don't forget: Don't show your aggressive side. Don't ever say you like going to bars. It's suicide. Not only does it increase PU, but it also clears out MV. “Plooffffff!” Yep, the date counselor said: “Plooffffff!” Xin can't help but wonder if that would still even be her? Why would she put on such a show that she can't keep up indefinitely?

It's not like getting married fixes all of one's problems. Si is married and she's having a tough time. Si admits that she got married to escape her horrible job at the bank. She's been taking it easy at home but that is getting boring. In the first third of the show she's frustrating. She left the workforce and she's now over 30, so nobody wants to employ her. She does find her niche. This is almost always the answer: Don't sit around and wallow in your feelings. Go do something. Better yourself, find something you're interested in, get a hobby, learn something, volunteer.

Si's mother i/l is always nagging the couple to have a baby. She's pushy and controlling. Si and her husband had agreed to not have kids, but he's gone back on his word (probably due to interference from mom) and he is now pressuring her to do so. She thinks she's unhappy with her husband, and she certainly does have valid complaints, but it appears that she's truly unhappy with her empty life and her own emptier self. Chinese shows are very generous to older people who make horrible mistakes and behave terribly. The couple goes to exhaustive lengths to have a sincere discussion with Mom about their feelings on the subject. Frankly, I think a better solution would have been that every time mom asked them to have a baby they leave while saying “You're right Mom we're going to try right now.” Eventually, mom will know that mentioning it is only going to make them leave. People who don't have clean motives but still pry in your life aren't entitled to answers. We shouldn't give in to such behavior because we're just emboldening them to do it to the next person. Somebody has to put the brakes on.

TRL drags a tad in the latter half. It would have been better suited for 20-25 episodes. It's simple. Conflicts arise and melt away as if it's kids programming. The romance lacks fire, as well, casting as much heat our way as the stars do. I liked it despite its flaws, but it should have been better. There's more positives than deficiencies, still. The music is very nice.
The “confession scene” in ep27 is pretty good, and later, in ep33, they discuss their relationship with her mother and what they like about e/o. It's lovely. Ep35 sees them acting adorably as a couple. They really do get cute. Two birthday parties are contrasted. One features professionally done decorations and food. It's the best that money can buy. The other one is put together by friends and it comes from the heart. It's not even close, which one the birthday-girl prefers.

The mothers of our leads end up meeting and becoming friends. The first time the four of them eat together it is so warm and lovely. As they're talking and laughing it fades into lilting music and the viewer can sense that this is not the last time they're going to eat together. They'll be eating together as a family. They're already acting like one.


QUOTES📢

What's wrong with kids nowadays?

I feel like the older you get the more aggrieved you are.

Raise your words not your voice.

Love may be the universe's unimaginable miracle.

Director: Hsu Fu ChunRock Records in Love
Screenwriter: Chen TongMake a Wish, Long Xiao ShanTang Dynasty Tour


〰🖍 IMHO

📣7 📝7.2 🎭7.5 💓6 🦋5 🎨6 🎵/🔊7.5 🔚7 ▪ 🌞6 ⚡3 😅3 😭2 😱2 😯1 🤢1 🤔4 💤2.5


Age 12+ for occasional PG language, mild sexual situations

Re-📺? For the romance fan this is worth watching once, but I would like rather check out new content than revisit this crew.


In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

💓 -
C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love 7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine;

The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1

K🇰🇷 :
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2;
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10;
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9;
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

🎎 -
C🇨🇳: Overlord 8.4,
Under the Power 8.6,
The Rebel Princess 9.1,
The Sword and the Brocade 8.6 (in ancient Chinese opera style),
The Rise of Phoenixes 9
K🇰🇷:
My Only Love Song 8.7 excellent comedy;
Mr. Queen 8.5;
My Sassy Girl 8.5;
The King's Affection 8.3;
Mr. Sunshine 9

🔮🐉-
C🇨🇳: Love Between Fairy & Devil 8.9;
Once upon a time in Linglian Mountain 7.5;
Douluo Continent 9.4;
Handsome Siblings 8.7;
Eternal Love 8.3,
Ancient Love Poetry 8.6;
Love and Redemption 10

⚡/😱 -
C🇨🇳: Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
K🇰🇷:
K2 8;
Private Lives 8.1;
Sisyphus 8;
Tunnel 8.1;
Signal 8.6;
The Man From Nowhere 8.9
Black 9;
Squid Game 8.4;
Kingdom 8.3;
Sweet Home 8.4

Japanese🇯🇵 lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5

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Unexpected Gem!!! Don't miss it.

কয়েক দিন আগের কথা, নেটফ্লিক্সে ঢুকতেই সাজেশনে এলো The Rational Life ড্রামাটা। নেটফ্লিক্সের সাজেশন সাধারণত আমি ফলো করি না। তারপরেও কি মনে করে যেন প্লে করলাম ড্রামাটা। তবে প্রথম এপিসোড না, এপিসোড নাম্বার ৩৫, সর্বশেষ এপিসোড। টার্গেটটা ছিলো এমন যে যদি ফিনিশিং ভাল্লাগে তাইলে পুরাটা দেখবো, নতুবা বাদ! ৩৫ নাম্বার এপিসোড প্লে করতেই একটা কাপলের লাইফ সম্পর্কে সিরিয়াস কথাবার্তা, জেনারেশন গ্যাপ সম্পর্কে তাদের বাবা-মাকে বোঝানো- আগের জেনারেশন কি চাইতো আর আমাদের বর্তমান জেনারেশন কি চায়, তারপর স্ট্রাগল শেষে নায়কের সফলতা আর হ্যাপি এন্ডিং দেখে বুঝলাম যে কিছুই বুঝি নাই আসলে! আরো কিছু এপিসোড দেখা লাগবে। তবে একটা বিষয়ে নিশ্চিত ছিলাম যে হ্যাপি এন্ডিং ড্রামা মানেই এটা আমার টাইপের ড্রামা!! তারপর ৩০ থেকে ৩৪ নাম্বার এপিসোড দেখলাম, মজা লাগলো। এরপর ২৫ থেকে ২৯ নাম্বার এপিসোড দেখলাম, আরো মজা লাগলো এবং মনে হলো যে এভাবে দেখাটা আসলে উচিত হচ্ছে না! তাই এবার ১ থেকে ২৪ নাম্বার এপিসোড এবং ইউটিউবে সাব ছাড়া ৩ টা এক্সটেন্ডেড এপিসোড দেখে ড্রামা শেষ করলাম! অড না ব্যাপারটা? হ্যাঁ, আমিও জীবনে প্রথম এইভাবে কোন ড্রামা দেখলাম!!
ড্রামাটা আমার কেমন লেগেছে - যদি এই প্রশ্নের উত্তর দিতে যাই তাহলে বলবো, খুব বেশি প্যাঁচ-গোছ নাই এবং হ্যাপি এন্ডিং ড্রামা মানেই আমার টাইপের ড্রামা। এই ধরণের যে কোন কিছুই আমার ভাল্লাগে। আর ড্রামাটা আপনারা দেখবেন কিনা - যদি এই প্রশ্নের উত্তর দিতে যাই তাহলে আমাকে বেশ কয়েকটা পয়েন্টে কথা বলতে হবে! পড়ার ধৈর্য আছে তো? চলুন তাহলে শুরু করি!
১/ আপনার যদি রিয়েলিস্টিক রিলেশানশীপ টাইপের ড্রামা ভালো লাগে তবে এই ড্রামা আপনার অবশ্যই ভালো লাগবে। রিয়েলিস্টিক রিলেশানশীপ বলতে আমি শুধু নায়ক-নায়িকার সম্পর্কের ব্যাপারটা বুঝাই নি। এখানে বস-কর্মচারীর সম্পর্ক, অফিস পলিটিক্স, বন্ধুত্ব, মা-বাবার সাথে সন্তানের সম্পর্ক, জেনারেশান গ্যাপের সাথে সাথে ধ্যান-ধারণা, মূল্যবোধ-মতবাদের পার্থক্য, সামাজিক বিধি নিষেধ সবকিছুই এর অন্তর্ভুক্ত। পুরো ড্রামা জুড়ে নায়িকার বেশ কয়েকজন প্রেমিক/প্রাণিপ্রার্থীর দেখা পাবেন, এটা কিছুটা এনয়িং মনে হতে পারে শুরুতে। কিন্তু আপনি যদি তার অবস্থান থেকে বিবেচনা করেন তাহলে সেটাকে আর খুব একটা বিরক্তিকর লাগবে না। তোমাকে ছাড়া বাঁচবো না, তোমার জন্য জান দিয়ে দেবো টাইপের রোমান্স নেই এখানে। সবই একদম রিয়েলিস্টিক। মেইন সেকেন্ড লিডকে এরোগেন্ট আর ওভার-কনফিডেন্ট মনে হবে আপনার খানিকটা। কিন্তু তাকেও জাজ করার আগে তার পজিশনটা দেখে নিতে হবে আপনাকে। তখন মনে হবে- না, ঠিকই আছে, সে এমনটা না হলেই বরং বেমানান হতো!
২/ স্ট্রং, ম্যাচিউরড ফিমেল লিড আর সুপার সাপোর্টিভ, কেয়ারিং মেইল লিড যদি আপনার পছন্দ হয়, তবে এই ড্রামা মিস দেয়াটা উচিত হবে না আপনার।
৩/ দুই মেইন লিডের বয়সের পার্থক্য অনেক বেশি, প্রায় ১২ বছর। কিন্তু রিলেশানশীপের মাঝে কোন ডমিনেশান দেখবেন না আপনি। দুজনের আন্ডারস্ট্যান্ডিংটা বেশ জোস। দুজনই দুজনকে বেশ ভালো বুঝে। যদি ম্যাচিউর রিলেশান বেইজড ড্রামার ভক্ত হন, তবে এই ড্রামা আমি অবশ্যই সাজেস্ট করবো।
৪/ ‘লাভ এট ফার্স্ট সাইট’ জাতীয় জিনিস দেখে দেখে যদি বিরক্ত হয়ে যান তবে আপনার জন্যই এই ড্রামা। এই ড্রামা দেখতে বসলে বুঝতে পারবেন কিভাবে ধীরে ধীরে একটা মানুষের প্রতি অন্য একটা মানুষের এফেকশান গ্রো করে। এবং একটা সময় আপনি নিজেই ঠোঁটের কোণায় হাসি ফুটিয়ে বলবেন- জাস্ট কিস নাআআআ…!!!
৫/ থার্ড পার্টির কারণে ব্রেকাপ, মিস-আন্ডারেস্ট্যান্ডিং, ফিলিংস নিয়ে কনফিউশন, জাজমেন্টাল আর কাওয়ার্ড ফিমেল লিড, উপরে কোল্ড আর এরোগেন্ট কিন্তু ভিতরে কেয়ারিং মেইল লিড - এসব দেখতে দেখতে যদি বিরক্ত হয়ে যান এবং এসবের বাইরে কিছু খোঁজেন তবে আপনার জন্যই এই ড্রামা। এখানে এই জাতীয় কোন ফেইক ইমোশন নেই।
সর্বোপরি আমার সাজেশান থাকবে, আপনি যদি ফ্রেন্ডশীপ, রোমান্স সমৃদ্ধ রিয়েলিস্টিক কোন লাইট ড্রামা খুঁজেন তাহলে এক্ষুণি বসে যান The Rational Life নিয়ে। তবে ড্রামায় প্রচুর কিস সিন আর বেড সিন খুঁজলে খানিকটা হতাশ হতে হবে! এখানে ঐসব তেমন নেই!
ড্রামায় আমার সবচেয়ে ফেভারিট সিন হচ্ছে নায়ক যখন নায়িকার মা-কে তাদের রিলেশানের ব্যাপারে কনভিন্স করানোর জন্য বলে- "You've never asked me why I like her. I like her because of how special she is. Her ability and strength, everyone can see that side of her. But her cuteness and softness, only I can see that." উফ! চোখে পানি এনে দেয়া সিন!
অফটপিকঃ ড্রামায় নায়িকার বয়স ৩৪, আর নায়কের ২২। নায়কের বয়স বাস্তবেও ২২ কিন্তু নায়িকার বয়স বাস্তবে ৪২!!! বিশাল টাশকি খাইছি এটা দেখে! ৪২ বছরেও নায়িকারে এত কিউট লাগে যে ৩০+ ও মনে হয় না!!!

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Karma is a bitch... but the romance is slow burn

Production and acting were very well done. Costume and styles were fantastic- very modern and chic and Qi Lan pulled it off. Dylan Wang- much better than Meteor Garden.

This drama focused more on the strong, independent woman having to deal with manipulative and backstabbing superiors as well as office politics. So it’s catered towards a more matured audience. But in the end, like I said- karma’s a bitch! ;) The romance and chemistry was somewhat lacking for me, their kissing scenes were disappointing too lol.

Best character was Qi Xiao’s mum! That woman was not only supportive, she was SO WISE, and the pearls of wisdom given to her son and thereafter to Shen Ruoxin’s mum was spot on! Kudos to the writers for that gem! I also particularly liked the part where both leads were explaining to Shen Rouxin’s mum why they liked each other. Their words were so poetic and meaningful.

I did however SKIP A LOT! Yes unfortunately, because it was boring and predictable. It got really draggy somewhere between episodes 10-21... then it picked up again. Side characters had depth in their relationships, but I just found it dull. If you’re into romance and chemistry, don’t bother with this one. He only confessed his love in episode 27!! Hahaha.... slow burn romance. After that also not much action lol. :):)

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I would not have finished this drama if not for the fast-forwarded button. Nothing but the main couple was worth my time. The secondary couples were so bland and boring, and I could even care less about their individual lives. The only other aspect that I did watch besides the romance of the main CP was the office politics. I was rooting for Ruo Xin to get her comeuppance and well-deserved executive position. The only other character besides the main couple who I liked was Qi Xiao's mother. Compared to Ruo Xin's mother (the stereotypical Asian mom), Li Ting is a breath of sunshine in terms of mothers in Chinese-drama land. I was also excited about the arrival of Xu Ming Jie, not in terms of a rival suitor, but as an intuitive and supportive boss who wants to see Ruo Xin's career flourish despite being rejected.

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Very Relatable

I like the story but it was a little to long. I know that the question about an older women and a younger man and the issue with her mother. Her mother seem to want women to be independent and learn to live with out a support of a men but then she is old fashion and wants her daughter to have a wealthy husband and older then her daughter. The mother contradicts her self thru out the whole drama. As old as the female lead is, she is insecure and not confident enough. But the lead male helps her to be confident and secure and that is why he fall in love with her and she with him. He show her that a men can be caring, supportive, and loving. I like the supportive women characters also who help her succeed but not the characters who bring her down and make her in secure. That is what her mothers contradiction makes her to be. The lead female is strong and picks a strong career as a lawyer but when her job choice is not up to her mother stander and her mother is not proud of the job she choose, she becomes insecure and not confident of herself. This is something that many of us women know how it feel and understand. I enjoy the ending. The actors performance was great and the story was good.

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A Good Slow-Burn Slice of Life Drama which Shows the Outdated Mindset if the Society

This drama is a great series. I know that a lot of people found the romance to be too slow, which is understandable, but it's still realisitc, given their age gap in which the woman is much much older than the man. This drama is a lot about life: the hardships women face, struggles to look for a job, marital problems which include casual chauvinism and negligence, pressure to have kids and most importantly, the pressure of a single thirty-something woman to get married (what the female protagonist faces in the drama) and prejudices surfacing a May-December romance.

I binged it and finished it in 4-5 days ever since it released on Netflix. This drama is an interesting and mature outlook on the regressive mindset of the society. This is the first ever drama that I binged, as it kept me hooked. I may not relate to it now as I'm a teen, but I may, if I get older. It's still worth a watch. It has some funny moments too, but most of it is for flavour.

I find this drama very refreshing, seeing a strong, intelligent and older female lead, and a sweet, extremely supportive, mature, understanding but smart male lead. All of the actors performed very well here. I want to praise Qin Lan jiejie for of course, giving a great performance as Shen Ruoxin, who shined on her own and didn't need a man to help her, and also being a great mentor to Dylan Wang. And also, I want to praise Dylan for nailing this role, keeping in mind that Qi Xiao is very different from his actual personality, and that he had not training in acting and has 4 years of experience. It's very refreshing to see him shed his bad-boy image which was created in his Meteor Garden days, and I didn't even see a trace of Daoming Si in it! His acting is very natural here, and this is his best character so far. He was a delight to watch. Okay! Enough fangirling! Moving on further:

Despite the 19-year age gap, the leads had great chemistry, even before their characters were in a relationship, as they also made a great team when he was her assistant. I love that Shen Ruoxin and Qi Xiao had a mature relationship in which there was a great understanding between them. Qi Xiao was always there as emotional support for Shen Ruoxin whenever she was in trouble, and was also caring and protective of her, while also focussing on his own goals. I actually find this refreshing from the usual completely self-sacrificing characters he played (I've explained this in my feed), while also seeing an intelligent, strong, mature and ambitious female lead, quite contrary to the usual, dumb and childish FLs in CDramas. Apart from being ambitious, she was also calm and composed (another very refreshing thing about her). The romance developed slowly, and both the characters were well written: both of them had a mature as well as a childish side to them, and were always there for each other. That is important. And yes, Shen Ruoxin shined on her own ;)

My second favourite is the married couple: Song Ziyan and Zou Cheng. Their arc was also very interesting, because of their initial conflicts as their respective egos take place, to how they work on mending their relationship in which both of them compromised. This shows that marriage means being inclusive and considerate to each other's feelings, and also about self-respect. Great job Bao Wenjing and Kang Kang! *clap*

And apart from those two arcs, my favourite is the friendship shared by both Shen Ruoxin and Qi Xiao's mothers. Both of them are of opposite personalities: Mother Shen is a domineering and traditional woman (because of what she's experienced) who mostly takes control of her daughter's life and pressurises her to get married, while Mother Qi is a very sweet, caring, kind and a liberal woman who never interfered in her son's life. Unlike many comments here, I'm not hating Mother Shen, as she's also a good person, but her experiences made her like that. It's because of Qi Xiao's mom that Ruoxin's mom changes her outlook on life and her daughter.

I like that there was no typical love triangle and unnecessary scenes of the main leads trying to convince their parents about how serious they are (as said in one of the comments here)! And that Xu Mingjie never became a "villain" here (it would've been very disappointing otherwise)! These are also the refreshing things about this drama.

Props to the writers for making each and every scene realistic, and also writing all of the characters as humans and not making fairytale-like characters, and unnecessarily complicated plots which would have been an extremely cliched idol drama, while also making women the hero of their own lives, as all the women were portrayed strong, smart and capable. This is a great feminist drama. I recommend you to watch it if you want dramas that are not so frustratingly cliched. This is definitely a great watch.

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Too too long with few going on

The story is ok.


STORY - A tough, interesting woman struggling in a male society with the help of a caring and loving companion. He starts as her assistant and become in love with her and her support.
In between, the age gap problem, the conservative mother, a sort of love triangles, backstabbing attempts,etc.
There are also other 2 couples, both not so interesting, especially Qi Xiao roommate.
This is an interesting portrait of some of society problems, maybe is modern China also.

CAST - Most done a good job, particularly the main couple.

MUSIC - do not remember any song, so it was not interesting for me.

REWATCH - I will never rewatch mainly because of 2 things: the unnecessary length and the lack of awesome and memorable moments. Although I enjoyed watching

OVERALL - It was ok. The subject of electric cars and some of the issues like charging were interesting. The main couple was nice to see. The stories around the drum girl, motherhood, dependency, etc was ok. Even the fashion and design was not bad. But most of the themes were treated shallowly.

ENDING - I never understood the way these dramas are shot! During all the series we are conducted by the director, as if we were stupid to not understand the feelings or who or what the characters were thinking. And then, they deliver short endings, sometimes open endings or without the closure that I, at least, would like to see...

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Ruoxin is an inspiring character

The Rational Life (2021)

Likes
1. I loved Ruoxin as the main character. I thought she was very inspiring on how she was able to deal with office politics in a male dominated company, and how she is able to handle crises, and how she relied on her skills and efforts to climb the corporate ladder.
2. I also loved Qi Xiao, he was mature and can do anything. Cook, design jewelry, sweet, support Ruoxin. We also saw how he grew up and thrive in the office, starting from an assistant who just followed his boss to a competent one who can also make good decisions. I'm glad he was able to follow his dreams of being a designer.
3. I loved the story of Ziyan and her husband. They had a rocky marriage, i was almost sure that I hated her husband and wanted her to leave him, but i loved how they were able to talk through their issues and stay together.
4. I also liked Suyang and Sijie, they were so cute together, although there were times i wanted to get angry at Suyang, i'm glad he has Sijie by his side who didnt stop believing in him.

Dislikes
1. Ruoxin's voice is always so soft and calm even in urgent situations. She only raised her voice one time for the entire 35 episodes, even when she was angry, her voice was still soft.
2. All of the older guys in the office and her suitors were jerks except Xu Mingjie who was half a jerk.
3. Ruoxin's mom was so off, im not sure if it's the acting or the character. One day she will be sweet and kind, the next day she will scream at Ruoxin. Then another day she will cry and be scared. I didnt know what she wanted for Ruoxin and thought she was selfish.

I wonder where i can find the special episodes? Netflix does not have them.

Rating: 9/10

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