Fake It Till You Make It

Kinda overrated. Underwhelming.

This drama was hyped so much in the media in my country that I thought we had an amazing masterpiece on our hands. But alas, it fell very very short. Contrary to many here, I'm not interested in romance dramas - I find them unrealistic, tropey and not a least bit romantic. The workplace bit here was interesting, but then again it just smeared the surface. Overall, there wasn't alot of depth all round.

What worked:
- The workplace bits. I actually really liked the FL's trudge through her toxic workplace and how she sorta "navigated" it, it just resonates on so many levels personally. I liked that she didn't like her situation but she didn't give up either, and was a very hard worker.
- The FL herself. The most interesting character in the drama. She was slightly more fleshed out than the rest, and I liked that she wasn't this immature, cutesy, girly sweet and defiant character. She had her own principles and followed them but wasn't stuck-in-the-mud stubborn. She's rather quirky and doesn't fall for men too easily.
- Some of the dialogue. Pretty quote worthy, I remembered noting down quite a few gems.

What didn't work:
- Very thin plot with useless filler characters and scenes. Nothing much actually really happens if you think about it. random characters introduced which you barely see, and why is there so much focus on the annoying FL's cousin? i dont give a shit about her love life! go away! just so much time taken up by all these people.
- The romance wasn't romantic. At all. It was 2 adults with their own baggage who didn't quite want to own up to it and be honest with their feelings. The usual miscomm ensues. This trope has been done to death. Also as both characters weren't very fleshed out I was wondering what they actually really liked about one another. Chemistry was so so, nothing sizzling or amazing. Also i didnt tink the ML was a good match for the FL.
- ML , i dont know if it was the writing or the actor's acting, but i couldn't vibe with him at all. i wasn't interested in his world at at all, neither was i interested in his workplace scenes, i ff-ed all of them. I also couldn't tell - was he genuinely a player or just someone playing at being a player? He was so wishy washy and noncommittal and gave off alot of emotional unavailable red flags but then you wouldn't really see him "go all out" being a player. So I didn't get it, please decide ML! And while I found elvis han attractive at the beginning, oddly the attraction just waned and died over the episodes, and have developed an aversion to him oops.

Overall just not a very impressive drama, though I found some of the FL's scenes in the earlier episodes rather comforting and rewatchable.

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Their love story was fascinating, their professional lives not so much

Found this drama while looking for Chinese dramas with mature love stories.

What I like
1) Elvis Han is very handsome. There is a scene where he wore a white tshirt and hung out with Tang Ying at the kitchen. He was hot!
2) 14 episodes only
3) Tang Ying and Xu Zi Quan's first encounter was cute. A proper meet-cute! I also like that they started out as friends then later progressed as lovers.
4) The camping trip

What I dislike
1) I struggled with pacing of the story. An episode in a typical Chinese drama lasts 45 minutes but in this series, each episode is up to 1 hour.
2) Their professional lives were interesting at first but halfway through the series, I feel like "work conflicts" were created to keep viewers engaged. I got bored and disinterested and I feel that their careers were not seriously threatened.
3) I find Lin Xin Zi's story especially when she was with the creepy boyfriend doesn't align with mature love story theme that this drama represents.
4) I feel disconnected from Tang Ying and Xu Zi Quan's love story. Often times, mature women in Chinese and Korean dramas are portrayed as serious and non-sensical all the time. Wish I could see Tang Ying's softer and playful side.

Favourite scene
When Tang Ying invited the girl who couldn't accept Xu Zi Quan's rejection, to come to their apartment and gave a stern warning about harassing her man.

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Best Chinese Drama in 2023

Best Chinese Drama in 2023 And all time best drama in my list !!!
Unexpectedly Excellent well-written scripts & solid sharp dialogues ,, all leading actors’ acting are so naturally portrayed and perfect.
Especially main lead actor and actress are full of chemistry and best CP.
This is a drama without cheesy cliche plots.
All plots are so realistic and relatable with our real working environment.
Memorable dialogues are as below:
“..Love is not a noun, it is a verb…”
“So walk your own path.
Not according to the written script.
Throw away the script and struggle to find your own life.
It is okay to fail. It is okay to take the wrong road.
Live freely. Isn’t that the most stylish thing?”

There are many good dialogues and plots about relationships and our working life……..

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Storia carina, peccato per i sottotitoli.

Esattamente quello che dice il trailer. La serie di per se mi è piaciuta molto, mi sono piaciute le storie d'amore che si intersecano con questa vita lavorativa che sembra larger than life e dove ad un certo punto il tuo motto può solo essere "Fake It Till You Make It", fingi finché non ce la fai. Insomma, quello che voglio dire è che questa è il mio tipo di serie, è piaciuta l'ambiantzione, la chimica dei protagonisti, le loro storie, insomma, molto bella e merita, se non fosse che su YT, dove la ho vista non mi funzionavano ne i sottotitoli, ne ogni tanto l'audio, quindi un po' ha perso. Però se si vuole vedere qualcosa che parla al noi in burnoit, questo è la serie che fa per voi.

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I thought that with only 14 episodes, I could blow through this without a hitch. But I was wrong. The drama started out strong; I especially loved the flirty friendship between the main couple. Elvis Han has the suave financier down pat, while Elvira Han oozes smarts and sexiness as the hardworking, no-nonsense lawyer. And oh, the sizzling chemistry between Tang Ying and Zi Quan really lit up the screen. But that’s about it.

Because when both are at work, they’re being played by their colleagues, supervisors, and both seem to work on projects that failed (through no fault of their own, but by the machinations or neglect of other people). Setbacks are inevitable, as they are part of life, and it’s how you overcome these obstacles thrown your way that counts. The show imparts more than a few nuggets of wisdom, but by the 10th life lesson, it became too preachy.

The drama also introduces so many random characters, but none of them really fully fleshed out. Most are one-dimensional, like the bratty sister whom I cannot stand, and her cringey boyfriend. She only became interesting towards the end when she ditched her possessive BF and moved in with a younger guy (her landlord). I feel the drama brought in all these randos just to prove a point, like the sugar daddy equates women with useless barns or the socialite who sinks her teeth on Zi Quan once she learns he’s no longer single. The main leads used a lot of these side characters as teachable moments, especially when they aim their gaze at the audience. But mostly, I was so bored to death that I couldn’t fake liking it.

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Overrated

Things I loved

1 The remise I thought it'd be great and I loved the first few episodes. Unlike others I love series with a business setting and I was interested seeing the main couple in their work environment.

2 The ML.I think he's gorgeous and a decent actor. That said, this was my first series with him, and I have no idea if he was good only in this one.

Things I liked

1 The proposal scene. it was cute and a bit original. That's all the good I have to say about the romance. Mature romance shouldn't mean no romantic scenes, no decent kisses, no over the top declarations. This was lacking on every romantic aspect.

Things I disliked

1 The lack of chemistry. I'm surprised everyone talks about their chemistry. I didn't feel the same way at all. I had a small hope at first when the met, that it fizzled out very soon. They were better friends than couple. I have no idea what the issue was. Maybe the fact that they are very few cute, romantic scenes. I understand that this wasn't the usual cute romance, but romance implies romantic moments and I didn't feel most of them if any. It tried too hard to be witty and it ruined the whole romance thing.

2 The FL. At first I thought she was gorgeous and a decent actress. In the end, I thought she was a mediocre actress and the weird way she scrunched her face trying to play cute was distracting and not in a good way. To be honest, I had the impression that she was different from episode to episode. Very weird. Anyway, I thought she was quite conscious that she was acting and that didn't work for me.

Things I hated

1 The 2FL. I didn't care about her life at all and I wish she didn't take so much time with her stupid stories.

2 The character of the FL. Yes I'll put this in a different item because I thought she was a spineless, stupid pushover and I hate that. No reason to let anyone walk over her and that was so frustrating I started hating her. be a strong woman who can stand for herself. How can you be at your age that stupid mess? That coming from someone who isn't known for being assertive, but even I wouldn't accept being such a doormat. Did she change? Not in my opinion. I guess others disagree.

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Healing and comfort drama in fast paced metropolitan area

This is drama is one of my favorite. I really like how the story tell explain the reality of people who love themselves so much and try to adapt a lovey-dovey era. The love is not too much because the FL really use her brain and always think to make everything logic. Not too much but warm enough to give and take love. I think this drama should get more notice and hype 💝i also really love how the FL and ML creat really good chemistry from hate➡️friends➡️best friends ➡️lover, they build the vibe really logic, understandable and take my attention 🔥it is really good drama.

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The Daily Grind With A Side of Romance

If you prefer mature, character-driven storytelling, Fake It Till You Make is a good watch! It takes a sharp look at what it takes to survive the modern corporate grind and find connection in a hyper-competitive city. However, be warned that although there is a lot of chemistry between the leads, this drama spends much more time in the boardroom than the bedroom.

What I Liked:
Multidimensional Women: The real heart of this show belongs to the women. From the female lead to her boss and her sister-cousin, every woman gets a textured, layered, and interesting character arc. They do the heavy lifting of self-discovery while navigating corporate pressure. The men often feel like typical male archetypes, their roles are either mirrors or obstacles for the women to grow from.

Tang Ying’s Professional Growth: Her character arc is satisfying. Seeing her find her voice by setting hard boundaries, taking time off to recover from a stress-induced health crisis, and choosing to work smarter, not harder, was incredibly empowering.

The Chemistry & The Finale Turnaround: The physical and verbal chemistry between the leads is off the charts. The "playboy" male lead can be frustrating at times with his reluctance to set boundaries and settle down, he redeems himself in the final episode. Seeing him step up, slow down, be vulnerable, and genuinely take care of her is what makes the final episode incredibly swoony. Be warned that he is not a complete green flag and he has his reasons, but we do see a satisfying character arc from him.

What Didn't Work As Well
Too Much Office, Not Enough Romance: My biggest criticism is that the show is overly focused on boardroom meetings and workplace logistics. Because of the heavy corporate clutter, we only get glimpses into their actual relationship. With chemistry this good, we deserved fewer work meetings and more screen time dedicated to their dynamic. But when they were together, those scenes were golden.

The Commitment Question: Despite the gorgeous finale, this relationship can feel much more like a fun, playful "for now" situationship driven by chemistry and a shared fear of being alone, rather than a reliable, long-term lifetime commitment. He is definitely difficult to resist and knows it. This man has rizz!!

Final Thoughts
A refreshing, highly aesthetic, and mature watch that cuts out typical, cheesy romance tropes. Come for the incredible push-and-pull chemistry, stay for the brilliant female character developments!

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Para quem não curte muito dramas com tema forte de negócio talvez essa não seja uma boa escolha

O romance existe, mas é bem slow burn, então se prepare para ter paciência. O bom é que os personagens principais flertam muito, então é bem gostosinho de acompanhar o desenvolvimento da relação deles. Os personagens não são bons nem ruins, todo mundo tem seu lado negativo e positivo. A trilha sonora é muito boa, combinou demais, e tudo é muito bem feitinho. Me irritou um pouco a prima/irmã da FL, ela é muito esnobe e gananciosa, apesar de eu gostar que ela pega os caras todos e não tá nem aí. Foi bom ter uma representatividade de personagem feminina atacante.

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Mature and feet kicking

I think this is my first time watching Elvis Han in a drama and I really liked his character in this.
Xu Zi Quan and Tang Ying was so freaking mature and cute.
They started out strong as friends and communicated with each other, shared their feelings, everything and they didnt judge each other too much. Yes there were some misunderstandings but they cleared it up by having a mature converstaion.
I didnt care much about the other characters LOL. Sorry. I was all in for the their chemistry.
Overall, it was a good watch and I am glad it was short.
We should have gotten a wedding!!!

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Amazing OTP! So much chemistry!

The OTP were what made the series for me. I loved watching their love story play out, going from acquaintances to friends to lovers. Their chemistry was fire!

My second favorite parts of the show were the FLs relationships with her sister and her 'bosses,' especially the second one.

The rest wasn't bad. I just wasn't too big on all the work bits. I wouldn't have minded less of those bits and more ML/FL scenes.

Overall, I'd recommend giving it a try. Watch 2/3 episodes and see what you think before deciding whether to continue or drop. It's worth a shot.

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a mature romance slice of life typo

i'll be quick in this review, cuz i don't think i have to much to say or complain about, lol

ok. this is a really good series, but only for slight-and-slow-romance office-trope lovers. if you like to see action and things happening fast, "fake it till you make it" it's not your choice right now.

we have a excellent chemistry between the main couple and a interessing sexual tension happening during the drama. not to metion the realistic way things develop between them; It's actually more believable the way it happened, normally, I can't believe people fall in love so quickly like they do in most dramas I watch.

in this series we have two grown adults discovering together what means to really love and accept someone, so you'll be frustrated, angry, sad, excited and happy at the same time, cuz i think this is what really means to be in love with someone. people are not just one thing.

i loved to watch them flirting, i miss this in dramas sooo much; i miss the tension, touches and the moments "before" they got finally together, you know? and "fake it till you make it" delivered that to me.

the office part was a little bit boring sometimes, but this is normal. despite not being able to understand most of what it means, I still managed to have fun

The others characters were interesting, I liked that there was no such thing as "good people and bad people", everyone has a negative and positive side. although, tbh, I was irritated with the FL's cousin the entire series, she is very snobbish and spoiled.

ok, that's it. my verdict is that it is a good cdrama, with an interesting romance and great production, but it may bore those who enjoy quick development and big plots.

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