Fake It Till You Make It

Figuring out as we go along

Central business district (CBD) - a place where people come, meet, and go.

In CBD, we talk ambitions, we talk schedules, we talk business. As CBD folks
(1) juggle through various demands of bosses, clients, parents and colleagues,
(2) keep up with (or ignore) trends and assumed social expectations,
(3) battle with conflicting desires at different phases of life, there is little to no energy left for dreams, relationships and rests.

Every characters have various fake "masks" CBD folks would be familiar with.
(1) Tang Ying's 躺平 "tang ping" boss is a worker who have lost all work motivation after decades of high stress lifestyle that broke her health. Translation: The western equivalent social trend to "Tang Ping" are quiet quitters.
(2) Tang Ying's cringey client, Liu Mei Ling, is a lonely woman who wants to maintain her happy marriage bubble.
(3) Tang Ying's materialistic younger cousin, Xin Zi, is a young 20's who thought that successful and good enough man can provide her a stable life she wants.

Enter our main character, Tang Ying, a seemingly professional elite lawyer who had it all. But 1 episode in, all her fatigue looks, polite smiles and "yeses" on phones break this bubble. Indeed, the life of a true blue working class.

Her meeting with Xu Zi Quan, an investment banker who works nearby her workplace is a series of coincidences that unexpectedly turns to something more. I love the pacing of how they develop their relationship - the push and pull, the tango, the cautious (and kinda fun) testing. I love their individuality, and emotional stability - they are no prince charming nor damsel in distress. They have their life priorities and similar outlook that remains consistent and in tact throughout the stories - sure, Tang Ying and Xu Zi Quan are attracted to each other and enjoy each other's company, but they also have deadlines and demanding stakeholders to take care of first.

None of them were chasing for marriage or forever. They just happen to connect and enjoy the flirting, one interaction after another, until they decide to take the leap.

In the era where many people (and series) idolise "finding purpose", "chasing dreams" and "romance where women must have it all", I am glad to see a relatable contemporary dramas of people with relatable struggles that perhaps hit slightly too close to home as well as a grounded onscreen CBD partnership that I can believe happening in real life.

"Fake It Till You Make It" is a true blue, hustle bustle lives of busy professionals in CBD. We can feel the characters' pressure, anxiety, confusion under the layers of masks.

Some eventually decides to take down these masks, while some decides to push on. More importantly, none of them dwell on their past choices nor stay down after a fall or two. They regroup, and start again...until they make it.

Some of my favorite relatable quotes from FITYMI, just because
~~~
There is a phrase that suits you a lot - it's called 拧吧 (twisty - refers to someone who awkwardly makes things more complicated than it has to.)
Actually there're a lot of things, you think too much. It's better if you can keep it simpler.
The world isn't as complicated as you imagine.
But it's okay. Youth is a process of twisting. I was like that when I was 20.

~~~
Do I really want to be a lawyer? I don't know.
Between the lawyer I had in mind and my present life - the stress, anxieties, insomnia, and walking on thin ice I am facing now - which one is more authentic?

But I do know, there is nothing more absurd than talking about dreams in CBD.

People who stay here only have goals. 5 year goals, 10 year goals. Their thinking is realistic and rational, having weigh all the pros and cons. Those crazy people who wants dreams, have already escaped.

~~~
This city is still bustling, and it will not stop for anyone, just like life.
Recalling the people I met, who didn't wish to have a great head start and stay ahead?
Boss. Subordinate. Friend. Rival.
Trapping oneself in one role after another.
Say what one should say. Do what one should do. Believing that this is our life.

But they, somehow seemingly have great tacit understanding.
When they have perfected their pretense, they somehow come to one truth.

Happiness, success, and joy can't be determined by some scriptwriter. It can only be our own tangible experience.

I've met many people in this city.
And they eventually taught me, that the world is very big, bigger than what we can imagine.

So walk your own path, and not according to a written script.
Throw away the script, and struggle to find your own life. It's okay to fail. It's okay to walk the wrong path.

Live freely [at your own terms].
Isn't this classy?

Read More

Almost made it to 9 stars**

This review is purely based on romance genres.

What an absolute hidden gem this was till ep. 9.
After that it becomes the country's marketing appeal to their 1billion plus population to relish life, slow down, find beauty in your passion and be comfortable in your own skin rather than a designer-chosen animal epidermis.

PROS:
*Delightful bickering and slow burn romance.
What a breath of fresh air to see modern, smart, independent women, dressed not in crotch-revealing skirts and bone breaking stilettoes but comfortable/fashionable attire, speaking in adult tones rather than the squeaky, baby whining sexist tones.
*This lead pair has been around for over 10-years, unfortunately I have not seen them before. They are both excellent actors, great chemistry, sizzling retorts and finally, finally they smooch.
*Can't complain about the hot looks of the ML. His character is wonderful - middle management (not an uptight, irritatingly skinny, 20-something CEO), smart, charming, goofy - the goofiness adds to the allure and reality.
* The female lead is confident, although why they make her say she is not beautiful a few times is boggling.
* The supporting females - except for the sister which we will get to, all the supporting females were excellent. Their characters were very well etched and they portrayed it wonderfully
* Story was great the first half and then there is the zen mantra on how to lead your life better than being dragged by corporate madness
* Production / camera / script - nothing was jarring, which means all is good.

CONS:
* The cousin sister : she consumes almost half the entire show and is portrayed as a selfish, shallow princess. Which is not a problem except that she dominates a show that is not about her at all.
* She has 2 romantic interludes, which are both irritating and have no chemistry, plus she is presumably very beautiful so men are crazy about her. This whole concept did not flow well with the rest of the smart, talented female cast.

I actually enjoyed this modern c-drama, especially since the historical ones put me off and it took me deep digging to find this almost-gem.

Read More

A journey which everyone goes thru

This was not a typical Cdrama. it pleasantly surprised me that there can be such cdramas too.

FL was strong, independent woman but was not perfect. she had her own share of insecurities but learnt to deal with it. what i liked is she stood for herself without bowing down too much. she also expressed and communicated her insecurities in a matured way

ML was a typical non committal playboy. Deep down even he was scared and insecured but did not display it. His actions did when he was faced with it. He also overcame it through the journey

the second lead, sister also learnt her lessons thru her journey and realised nothing is forever and take it as it comes.

overall a beautiful story, worth watching as it touches the real aspects of people and life. the star cast was amazing. the chemistry was fabulous and made of each other.

Read More

The best contemporary romance you'll ever come across

' Fake it till you make it '
The title piqued me instantly.
The poster was compelling.
The start was catchy and intimidating.
I'm not an avid watcher of Chinese dramas, coz they lack depth more often than not and are quite superficial, but this drama blew me away.
It was so compelling, the script is adapted from a novel.
The characters were so well written, and so unique.
The plot was so engrossing, it's one of the best dramas of 2023 and certainly the best contemporary romance drama.
The actors are outstanding.
It's like everything this director wanted to do, happened with this drama.

The versatility of characters was surprising, it made you wonder often what's their purpose, each of them served and left and some people in life normally do .
The biggest plus point is that the whole drama rotates around both the leads .
Mesmerizing chemistry b/w the leads followed by modern takes on how things proceed, the dating ploy, the urban constraint, the pretentiousness of humans and how it isn't necessary.
The struggles of the workplace, the toxicity of corporate culture, and how at the end of the day everybody is still struggling despite all the cunning tactics.

With the conclusion that life is more than work.
You might think that struggle and hard work will lead you to something but it can never fulfil the void it leaves in your life.

Most dramas lose their ploy by the time they end, this one never did, infact it develops as the episodes progress to a newer perspective, it does get slow after episode 10, which I found to be the problem.
But it still deserves a 10 for bringing something new to the table.

It was a lovely experience, I hope you watch this drama and enjoy it too.
Till then ^^

Read More

Couple Chemistry Saved This One!

The drama was just ok. Too much business-speak and meaningless interactions between characters who didn't have a lot to contribute to the main story. Just a lot of fillers. Still, the acting was pretty good - no silly, overly dramatic characters, no villains to seek revenge, just overall a fair characterization of ambitious, overworked professionals in the big city. The episodes tended to drag in places where there really was no importance to the storyline, and that time could have been better spent on the lead and side couples' relationship development and wrap up. The last episode was quite underwhelming with a lot of repetitious babble, but we still got the happy ending we deserved.

The real star of this drama was the chemistry between Elvis & Elvira. While too much time was wasted on the bantering back and forth and the ambiguous exchanges at times, there is absolutely no doubt about the electricity between these two. Those soulful stares from Elvis and Elvira's response to him just sizzled. I liked the sister and her young boyfriend, but really felt sorry for the first guy with the psychological problems. He really played his part well, my heart bled for him even when I tried to see him as creepy. I also liked the love story of the pretentious client and her childhood friend, and the second boss and her guy. All-in-all, while I could have used a little more PDA all-around, the romance part scored.

OST was beautiful and added to the story.

Worth a re-watch on a lazy weekend with nothing to do and kill time. I'm a fan of Elvis Han now. I liked him in Three Kingdoms - but not near as much as in this modern-day role. Will also take a look at Elvira's work as well.

Read More

It encompassed everything I wish all romance dramas could offer

“Maybe I think love is not a noun but a verb.” – Xu Ziquan

I cannot believe I found this hidden gem two months after it was initially released.

This is a very good slice-of-life middle-aged modern C-Drama.
The chemistry of the main leads was sufficient to keep me engaged throughout the 14-episode series. Their mature and engaging dialogues held my attention and left little room for me to focus on the other supporting couples or characters in the show. To be honest, I even skipped a few of the supporting scenes just to catch more moments with the main leads. This drama predominantly delves into the professional lives of an investor and lawyer, which might make it feel a bit sluggish for those who aren't fans of this genre.

It encompassed everything I wish all romance dramas could offer. Here are few reasons:
1) A mature romance with actors in their 30s, which is a departure from the usual Chinese dramas with mature romance involving older actors.
2) Mature characters. One of the primary reasons I usually don't enjoy Chinese dramas is their tendency to feature immature characters, which I find hard to tolerate.
3) It consisted of 14 episodes, each lasting an hour, following the format more akin to K-Dramas. This format, unlike other Chinese romance dramas with a minimum of 24 episodes, avoids unnecessary filler episodes, tedious family melodrama, and annoying secondary character subplots.

I wholeheartedly recommend this to all romance enthusiasts. The chemistry between the main characters is truly exceptional. 👍🏻

P. S. This drama has turned me into a fan of Elvis Han. I'm eagerly looking forward to his future works!

Read More

Quality over Quantity

Wow. Such a good series with matured cast and matured acting. The cast did such a good job portraying their characters. Oh and that chemistry was definitely chemistrying…. I can’t honestly say which was better, their conversations/banters or the way they look at each other, both were simply magic.
I honestly wish CDramas will transition away from the baby/childlike talking FLs and ridiculous cliched/tropey filled plots and give us more matured like dramas like this. I doubt that will happen as it seems the mature plots is not popular with their targeted audiences, which is such a shame as the minority are constantly subjected to a regurgitated load of mess.
I highly recommend this drama

Read More

Straight forward romance

This drama gives us something most dramas do not, which is grown ups acting it grown ups. I for one get tired of mostly female leads acting like high school girls. Not knowing what they want, and being to needy. The female in this drama is independent and knows exactly who is is, does not need constant assurance from the male lead.

This drama has no clingyness at all, and the romance story is completely realistic. Also, this drama has a sexyness overload. The male lead is drop dead handsome and super sexy. He does give off a lot of play boy vibes. But not too much, that it will make you lose interest.

Read More

A Gem, don't miss it!

The story was so engaging , it was a little bit classic towards the end but nevertheless enjoyable.

The characters: every character was well developed, so you kind of understand where they come from and maybe from there you can somehow understand their behaviour, it was nice to watch them have a proper closure, there were not just mere fillers.

THE MAIN LEADS GUYSSSS!!! THE CHEMISTRY WAS WAOUH! THE KISSES !!!! like it has been two years or maybe three that i watched a drama that gave me so much butterflies.

For me it's a 9,5/10, and yes i did rewatch some episodes . I really enjoyed the process of them falling for each other, i liked the chemistry, the way they were flirting, it was just beautiful. If you are looking for a realistic drama, with a mature and beautiful romance this drama is for you. I recommend it!

Read More