Not Even Wang Hedi Could Save This Drama
And I tried to hold on and brave as many episodes as I could, waiting for the story to emerge and something to pique my interest. After 6 episodes, nothing. Time to go! The writing is AWFUL. The story is dull, uninteresting, and a total waste of time and money. The characters are unappealing and have zero charisma and chemistry. This failure is solely on the writers - if they had presented a story with characters worth watching, the actors might have been able to do a better job in portraying them and telling the story.I'd watch Dylan Wang in anything - and I am usually a Bai Lu fan. However, these characters they were given to play were as dull as dishwater. Bai Lu's character was just about getting on my last nerve. The side characters were uninteresting and had such vapid personalities that they were not even worth investing time or energy in. There was zero romance in the air - not even attraction or initial chemistry (and I've seen Wang Hedi when there is chemistry, and Bai Lu as well). This drama was a dismal disappointment and from the responses I have read, I should have expected it, but I still held on to hopes because of the leads.
Again, even the biggest, brightest actors/actresses can't do much with a crappy script - and this one was probably one of the worst scripts I've seen.
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Sorry not sorry
Ridiculous plots !!! Weird script !! Bad directing!!Too much whitewashing effects !!
No offensive to all main actors !!
But script itself is so Cheap and doesn’t make sense, so A list actors should not take those kind of projects !!!
Dialogues are not well-connected, not constructive and not solid!!
Scripts writer just want to put only cheesy cliche’ plots.
Actors acting parts is nothing to be impressive.
Totally Ridiculous plots !!! Weird script !! Bad directing!!
Too much whitewashing effects !!
No offensive to all main actors !!
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A bit long but worth the journey
I'll be completely honest -- I picked up this show because I like Dylan Wang's dramas. So based on that very superficial premise, I can say that I was both pleasantly surprised and confused by Only for Love.The good stuff:
-- The chemistry between the two leads was pretty great. Their acting was very good -- this is my first time watching Bai lu and I really enjoyed her performance. And there were parts in the drama where they really played the romance back and forth very well.
-- The second leads were also interesting to watch. There were two additional couples in this drama which is nice since the show is 36 episodes long...it was good to switch perspectives every now and then.
-- I liked the show's resolution. It had an ending that felt like an ending which is always nice.
The bad stuff:
-- I like a good office romance...but include too much of the "office-y" stuff and it begins to feel like work itself. I honestly am not much interested in the financial impact of the chip industry in China. But whooo boy did they fill you in throughout these 36 episodes. My eyes glazed over at Dylan Wang's monologues about investments in the industry and whatnot. It was just too much "work".
-- The show felt a bit like a slog for the first half -- I think largely because of the focus on setting up this financial investment in the chip industry plot. Once the story moved forward from that, though, it started picking up steam again.
Overall it was a decent show. I will never rewatch it, but I'm glad I gave it a go at least this once.
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This review may contain spoilers
For Wattpad lovers looking for a cliche old-school type of entertainment
I'm gonna be honest, just like everyone else, I watched this purely for the pairing of Dylan and Bailu - which did not disappoint. The most poignant strength of this show was the chemistry between the leads, and even the 2nd and 3rd pairings too. This show had almost 0 plot, and whatever plot was going on with the work stuff was more boring than watching paint dry. There were definitely funny moments, and I quite enjoyed the interactions between the pairings. Some satisfying moments, but this really is just for Wattpad lovers. Most, if not all, of the moments in this show was super cliched and old-school and doesn't at all feel like it's a drama released in 2023. So if you're looking for a good plot, this show is not for you. If you're looking for anything new and refreshing, this show is not for you. If you're looking for a very respectable and clear display of "true love", this show is not for you.But if you're looking for a good palette cleanser, a cute workplace romance, or simply just a chance to stare at Dylan and Bailu's insane face cards, this show is for you!!! Despite my objective rating, I honestly quite enjoyed watching this show. It was super brainless and nonsensical and so absurd that I'd burst into laughter out of disbelief, but it was still an enjoyable watch. I liked the chemistry between Dylan and Bailu, and one thing the show did RIGHT was the kiss scenes - I replayed them many times and had to hide my face behind my hands sometimes because damn both of them can KISS. Those were 100% done excellent, absolutely 0 fish kisses or one party not reciprocating. Some moments, though old-school and perhaps cringey to some, made me giggle and kick my feet in spite of the cliched-ness of it all - but I'm also someone who enjoys this as a guilty pleasure LOL. So if you're looking for good chemistry between the leads (and the side pairings too), this is for you.
In all honesty, I skipped all of the plot stuff on the ml's part (aka all his work meetings and discussions) because I did not gaf. This show has a LOT of pairings though - there’s a total of 5 including the leads. I really enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd pairings (aka Shi Yue and Yu You; Shan Shan and Guan Ji), and if I'm being honest I loved Shi Yue and Yu You's moments more than the main leads towards the end (from about ep28 onwards)... the tropes are kind of mildly toxic? Because (spoiler) Shi Yue is basically just borderline harassing Yu You in the beginning and the relationship progression is not well fleshed-out, he just went from rejecting her advances over and over again to being super concerned about her and suddenly liking her. So it doesn't make any sense, but I was willing to look over that because they're just so so cute together. I really loved them both together and I want to see them in another pairing together as main leads because the chemistry is there!! As for Shan Shan and Guan Ji, I thought their trope was quite refreshing with both of them being players, but I was not a big fan of the constant push-pull, it felt repetitive and boring, but I will admit that they were very cute once they got together (esp with how clingy they both became, it was such a 180 from their previous relationship and it was amusing and adorable). 4th and 5th pairings were barely given screen time but mentioned in passing, had a few cute scenes together though I don’t see what value they added to the show LOL, probably just to max out the number of CPs they could milk out of the show?
There’s not much to say about music and styling, they weren’t worth mentioning much but they weren’t terrible. Music was typical of a modern workplace romance drama but styling fell flat, the only thing carrying the visuals was Dylan and Bailu's lethal face cards. (And for personal preference... Dylan looks way better without the glasses he always wears in the show - but he's still fine no matter what HAHA) I REALLY loved Shi Yue's styling and makeup and hair - exceeded Bailu's styling by an insane amount. Also Dylan had like 3 outfits at most - always suits, though he absolutely rocks them so no complaints really, but personally I would’ve loved to see him in a casual at-home outfit (aside from the apron) more often, I think we only got to see that once or twice?
SPOILERS! The breakup was soooo dragged out that it got really infuriating, it lasted from ep27 to ep31 which was just so entirely unnecessary, the miscommunication trope never miscommunicated like THIS before and I was ready to tear my hair out and punch the screen. It could’ve (and SHOULD’VE) been solved in ep29, when she got drunk and he sent her home. Also fl pissed me off so bad when the entire thing was just HER FAULT and when shit hit the fan she just backed away like a coward and stopped trying to explain things to him and instead threw an entire pity party for herself, and the ml was just constantly having to be there for her when she got drunk, got sick etc. Even in ep31 when they got back together she barely apologised or explained enough for me - in that moment I truly felt that the ml was way too good for her. It's a good thing I don’t care that much about their relationship in detail and just watched without a deep connection to them to enjoy their interactions and cute moments, so it didn’t bother me as much since I didn’t care. But there’s definitely a lot wrong with this show in terms of cultivating a healthy relationship. I also feel like their relationship progressed really quickly and it felt unnatural? In some way? So definitely don’t watch this show too seriously, it's a great show for a cute brainless palette cleanser but it doesn’t in any way, even remotely, show what a healthy love should be - their love did NOT even come close to touching my heart, I didn’t feel like they were truly IN LOVE (because the progression wasn’t done well enough, I didn’t feel like they’d have good reasons to be this in love with each other). I won’t bring up other shows in this review, but there’s definitely other shows out there in which the relationship progression is done so well that you feel yourself falling in love with the ml as the fl and the fl as the ml, and thus their love makes sense to you. So if you’re looking for LOVE like in Disney films, this is not for you.
Overall, though my review was mostly negative, I did enjoy this watch, especially the second half of the show (probably ep20 onwards). I didn’t go into this show with many expectations at all because I’ve seen the bad reviews, but I WILL watch ANY show for Dylan (and Bailu is an incredible bonus). The acting wasn’t incredible at all but both Dylan and Bailu are excellent actors without a doubt - this show, however, is not their best work by far because the plot and characterisation didn’t give them much room to show off their abilities, only their face cards. Nonetheless, it’s a decent entertaining watch, and my personal rating of this would be 7/10. Rewatch factor is solely for moments when you’re craving a brainless Wattpad watch again, as I do sometimes LOL. I do hope they’ll be paired in another show together (historical!!!! xianxia!!!) because their chemistry felt like wasted potential in this plotless show... would LOVE to see them in a xianxia drama together because I personally believe that that’s their strength, they shine more in historical shows.
To fully appreciate Dylan's acting skills, watch Love Between Fairy and Devil - that’s his BEST work to date by far, with the styling and micro-expressions... he outdid himself and I am in LOVE. Will write a review on that show too, it’s my favourite and my #1 forever. For Bailu, do watch One and Only, and Till the End of the Moon.
All in all, worth the watch if you go into this with no proper expectations and just want to have a good time staring at the eye candy cast LOL. Bonus points for the 10/10 makeout scenes.
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An overrated drama tbh
I feel like this drama was too hyped and is too overrated to be honest.I finished because I was bored and I had nothing to watch. I don't think I'll ever re-watch and if I do it will be because, once again, I am bored. So if you're looking for a drama to watch on a day you have nothing to do, you can give it a try as it's good enough if you're bored.
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smile oriented show, feel good
This is one of those shows where you will smile at small moments, some leads playing hard to get and some pursuing them. to be honest story is almost non existent with a lot of skippable moments.Real reason why I rate it so high is Qin Shi yue character which was one of the most lovable things I've watched in cdramas 😍.
overall a good watch for casuals. don't go with too much expectations and get ready to fall in love with ceo based drama. one important thing about this show is also how good they make everyone look.
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It’s complicated
The actors were super amazing and the storyline was also fine but it could not keep my full attention. It was very slow paced and many of the scenes should not have taken as long as they did. I get that people want to create tension but it was a little over the top. This is one of those shows that could have been done in 20-26 episodes , I’ve found myself skipping multiple times in nearly every episode until episode 20 something. The story itself was very interesting to see unfold and the couples were super cute & had me rooting for them all throughout , the buisiness aspect was also nice but I kinda wanted to see more details. The slow pace is nice if you’re watching a few episodes in a week but if you’re looking to binge it gets a little dissapointing to sit through hours of little to no progress between the couples. It’s definitely worth watching but more as a filler show.Was this review helpful to you?
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Dragged out story
I started reading the manhua recently but it is still ongoing, then found out that it has a c-drama adaptation so I jumped into watching it immediately.This drama could have ended at 20 episodes if only they lessened the time allotted to finance stuff that nobody really cares about (I skipped most of this scenes). It is truly a wasted potential to see both amazing actors paired but have a complicated characters. The female lead is smart career wise but makes really poor decisions when it comes to romance. Still can't believe that she writes good headlines and talk professionally to different businessmen but can't even make a proper apology to the male lead. I think it took almost 5 episodes just for them to reconcile, which should have just taken one episode instead if ONLY they learned to properly communicate *sighs*. 36 episodes is too dragging, they could have already started their relationship early if those COUNTLESS phone call interruptions didn't happen.
This is my first time watching Bai Lu and I am now in love with her.
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Another 10 for Bai Lu
Things I adored:1 Bai Lu. She's my favorite romantic comedy actress and I'm a romantic comedy expert since I've seen hundreds over the years. Not a single actress comes close to her except maybe Sandra Bullock and Meg Ryan. She's great as per usual and this time she works with a character that isn't as adorable as the one in Lucky's Love or Love is Sweet. But she pool it off, so kudos to her.
2 The SFL. The niece character was a rare case of loving so much a second character for me. It happened before once or twice but this time I truly loved the actress and her character. So cute and charming and not annoying at all. Comparing her with the SFL of the Love is Sweet who got on my nerve more than once and ruined the series for me, I have to say that here the actress did a fabulous job to make her character adorable instead of annoying.
Things I loved:
1 The ML. I've seen better actors, I found him wooden sometimes, but all in all he did a good job and I was drawn into his character. I don't find him as handsome as some other reviewers seem to find him, but maybe that's because of his character. If he played a more emotionally available character maybe it'd work for me. I can't help but compare him to the ML of Love is Sweet who also isn't handsome for me, yet he embodied his character so well, I fell in love with him and now I find him handsome.
2 The premise. I thought it was a great premise for a romantic comedy. Maybe it could be a little better executed but it didn't take out of my enjoyment.
3 The superior of the FL. Great actress and I loved her character as well. She's also such a beautiful woman, and her smile and voice fit with the characters I've seen her playing. Charming and heartwarming.
4 The ML uncle. I loved his character and the relationship he had with the superior of the FL. Realistic and sweet.
5 I loved the friendship between the three male characters.
6 I loved the friendship between the three female characters.
7 I loved the humor the SFL (the niece) brought in the mix. Her character allowed for many comedic scenes.
Things I liked:
1 I liked the relationship of the niece and the professor.
2 I liked the SML both of them. They had a good and interesting story both. They were also good people and none annoyed me at any time. I think it's the only series where none of the secondary characters annoyed me.
3 The antagonist of the FL at work. I didn't like eh as character, that's clear. But I liked the dynamic her character brought and also that her rivalry seemed real and not like something pushed to create drama. I think the actress conveyed the character well.
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Extremely boring. Nothing moves forward. Characters are superficial.
>> Plot:It's the typical problem of Chinese rom-com series set in the contemporary era. The plot lacks substance. I've watched 5 episodes, and there's no significant progression. If you're considering starting this series, you can save yourself time by beginning at ep.6. Maybe you can start at ep.10 with no problem, but I'm not gonna be here to prove it as it wasted too much of my time already.
>> Character Design:
The main characters are superficial, lacking depth in their minds. For example, the FL is cheated by her bf, but after being caught and FL already prepared to break up with him, it's apparently him who suggests breaking up with the reason that he wants a rich gf instead of her. And FL is just whatever.
The issue here is twofold:
1) The boyfriend serves merely as a plot device for the FL. He's there just to portray one point of FL as a popular girl with a cool personality. This bf is a character that lacks meaning and is unnecessary to exist.
2) The FL character itself has no grasp of emotions. She just cooly sits and stands >> this point applies to the ML and 2nd ML characters as well. There's no depth of feeling in any of these characters. They just sit, stand, and act cool.
The lack of emotional depth and character analysis is the perilous point of no return for all of these characters. These characters are uninteresting and fail to evoke any genuine emotion. It's become even more problematic when these characters are not just random extras but the main roles.
>> Dialogue:
The dialogue is also unhelpful. What they talk are not interesting at all. They just say whatever without any meaningful contribution, and what is said does not help moving the plot forward.
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Added note: After being disappointed with this series and deciding to drop it, I consecutively started 'Twinkling Watermelon.' Wow... it grabbed my attention within 2 minutes. The dialogue moves the plot, and the opening scene introduces an interesting point in the story. The characters aren't ordinary, and even the way extras play feels like they actually have meaningful roles. Everyone feels real.
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Strange but quite a good watch
This drama can basically be divided into three sections:First section- episodes 1-9
This was bad.. the ML is your typical CEO, using his power to manipulate and mess with the FL’s career.
Second section- Epi 10-19
The storyline gets better, and now it’s clear the ML likes her, but I don’t understand why she’s hot & cold towards him? She will try to seduce him and when he tries to kiss her, she runs away? This whole vibe between them I found weird and strange, just couldn’t understand what the writers and producers were trying to achieve.
Third section- the rest of the episodes. So yes they get together, but they break up for about 5 episodes. Again, I couldn’t understand why, I mean yes the reason was because she used him for her revenge, but was it even that? I didn’t even get that in the beginning episodes. Maybe I missed it cos I did fast forward a bit here n there lol.
Anyhow, it’s not your typical romance relationship development, but the chemistry is pretty decent. Visuals of Dylan and Bailu are definitely on fire! I actually prefer the 2nd couple, but they didn’t have much screen time. 3rd couple was mediocre, boring development but Miles Wei was hot lol. Quite a few big stars in this drama, but I don’t think the storyline held up to expectations.
Should you watch? Yeah.. give it a go. Just keep an open mind and ff the boring bits ;)
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I gave up
I am not one to drop dramas. It takes a lot for me to consider it. But I really couldn't go on watching this one. I tried, I even adjusted the speed, even read spoilers to see when the story picked up again, and I really couldn't continue.It's upsetting because I really like Wang Hedi and Bai Lu, and I was willing to put up with a lot of nonsense on their behalf, but even they couldn't keep me entertained.
The drama started off strong for me. It was entertaining and light, the cast was fun, and I liked the side couples as well as the main one. But around the 24th episode, I was starting to lose faith. By episode 27, I was completely over it. While the pacing was slow in earlier episodes, I didn't mind it so much because it felt like the writers were building towards something. But then by episode 24, it seemed like the writers were just making excuses for why the characters couldn't be together. While there had been some obstacles established early on and forgotten, by the time they were reintroduced, the characters were too interested in one another that those obstacles shouldn't have mattered. Combine this with introducing a new man to fawn over the FMC well past the halfway mark, it really just felt like the writers needed to fill extra episodes.
I think a 20-episode show would've been the perfect length, because the first twenty episodes were really good to me. It's after that that everything started to fall apart. Kudos to Bai Lu and Wang Hedi with doing a good performance while working with what they got, but they really deserved better. I'd love to see these two work together again, with hopefully a much better script. I think they could've had a really stellar drama had it not been for the very poor writing.
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