As Beautiful as You

Behind the Scenes of As Beautiful as You

" In my position, I have my own hardships.. Love is not everything in my life.. I cant sacrifice the whole of Dongyang for my personal love.. I cant guarantee that you are the only one in my life.. But in love, there is only you.. " Han Ting had a more realistic approach and was the more matured one in this drama..

The storyline was good but doesnt break any new grounds.. We have seen similar plots aplenty.. However.. It’s well executed without the unnecessary distractions often found in C dramas.. The chemistry between the main leads were really good.. But the FL’s choice to attend her ex’s wedding especially since he’s marrying her close friend felt like a bad decision.. They tried to make it look like its normal.. But its not.. And her breaking into the ML's safe.. That was such a pathetic move.. She should have asked him openly instead of doing that.. Most of the problems in dramas can be solved by having an open heart discussion with your lover.. But for some reasons they choose to complicate it.. Like many C dramas this one is stretched with too many episodes and fillers.. Overall it's a good watch.. Xu Kai is charming as always.

Dont forget to watch the special episode.. It gives the perfect closure..

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B- grade Adaptation, Solid Acting, Great Cast

SUMMARY OF GOODS and BADS

BEFORE reading my review, please make sure that you don't invest your time in arguing with my review as I will BLOCK ALL fanatic fans ... who cannot bear to hear any criticism about their idols. I am sorry ... my opinion and rating stay. I am giving an honest review based on my experience. AND Yes, outfits/fashion are part of the experience. That's why the Academy Awards have a category for them. Life is too short to bicker over little things ... just give an honest review and move on!

THE GOODS:
The CEO character development is perfect. There is no erratic behavior.
Both Seven and XK did well in drama, although not as perfect chemistry as her previous drama: Road Home.
The script changes include some characters that make the story more authentic.
Of all the episodes, I enjoyed the bonus episode the most. It's from the novel ... the way it was filmed was perfect. I felt both actors did well in the last episode.
I like that Lili ends up with a guy who loves her more. He's simple .. I think her life will be easier.

THE BADs:
Fillers: the first 20 episodes - lots of fillers without Main Leads.
Changes I disagree: (See my episodes comment) - the ex-BF and her friend got married. She even attended the wedding. Why did she seem ok with it? It doesn't make sense. And breaking the safe to steal documents? And so many others ...

The theme song - didn't feel romantic and actually a little annoying ("Anything you want me to be ... " ) I had to mute it. The song sang by Seven is good.

Seven's wardrobe - not consistent with the scenes ... For example, their date night on his birthday she wore this black and white jacket ... not very flattering or feminine. Very matronly. It's not her fault but the stylist of this show! Sometimes the wrong outfit takes away the mood of the moment. Sorry I am into fashion :-) And her wearing shorts to meet the family for dinner ... OMG.... She's 26 years old, not 18! At least she should wear a dress/skirt! This is a rich family and the grandpa writes Chinese calligraphy- that shows traditions!

THE most egregious thing that the script writer did in this drama is to make Seven (JX) look like she is a poor decision maker. While it's ok to make mistakes during the development stage to become wiser, it's not ok to behave reckless/criminal/giving-up while doing it. And when she returns, all she did was acknowledging that HT was right all along! Come on ... he lied to her. His actions shows disrespect! I would give him hell!

The second thing that I didn't like is the change in the script to make HT like JX too early in college. This takes away some of the tension in their relationship I think ...


*******

This is one of the dramas that I couldn't wait to see. It's a story of an engineer (I am also one so hurray to Chinese dramas for pushing the envelop in developing strong female entrepreneurs) who aspires to start a new AI company. In the process, she makes personal sacrifices and finds true love. Yep, it's romanticized.

Is it boring with all the AI stuff and business? Yes and no ... I think the business side (well it's either high tech, military training, or fire department ... I wish China dramas can offer more variety like fashion/other industries - but I think the mentality is building the communist theme of usefulness for the country) of it is always going to be there. I mean this is 28 years old female lead .... are we expecting just pure romance? it's not realistic ... She's a career woman ... the leads work together to develop into a believable couple through resolving personal and career conflicts. It's not all about going to movie/dinner dates... The conflict is going to involve career choices - his and hers!

I am a fan of TSY ... she's in her best element here. Her acting, looks, and styling are just perfect. However, it doesn't mean that I will watch her drama if it's not good (I watch for content so I will drop the drama if it's not entertaining). I don't watch some of her dramas because of the male leads or the story. But this one seems solid so far.

I have read the book many times so I was really waiting for this story to be dramatized with a solid actress. I think she's just perfect for the role. Her looks is natural for the role. When she reacts to being harassed, it feels honest and natural.

Surprisingly, XK is also good here. She and XK have chemistry. I haven't enjoyed XK's drama since Story of Yanxi Palace. I feel he fits this role.

As expected (well the rewrite is a little predictable), she didn't reply to his text because SHE DIDN"T get it ... what else? Her character is straight forward and kind (in fact he likes her because she's a nice person), she would have replied to him if she had received the text (duh!). Anyways, people who have read the story and understand her personality can guess what happened.

CONTEXT:
BOOK: they met through the bike accident, he liked her because she's so honest and nice, he helps finance her startup
DRAMA: they met in college, won an AI contest together (that means he's only just a little older than her - this makes more sense and more fun to watch because in the story he's too mature for her), he texted to ask her to be his girlfriend, she didn't reply because she changed her phone number ... anyways, all these changes make the story more interesting because it allows XK to have more screen time and explains his feelings for her. Also, most dramas always have this past interaction so it's easier for viewers to accept the attraction between the couple.

The rewrite is wonderful because it includes more screen time for XK and other characters. I feel that the book was a little lopsided on the female lead. In this case, they create opportunities for the leads to meet each other.


COMMENTs on the Episodes
ep 1-3: very well done- established her dissatisfaction with her current job and relationship with Han Ting.
ep4: draggy because of flashbacks to the same old speech! And lady who convinced her to join the startup to make 3d printing. BF Shao Yi Chen chip in the first investment. I wish they would just explain that her startup company name is a combination of Xing (her name) Chen (his name)
Another change from the novel: Wei Qiu Zi will be the bad friend who stole the boyfriend. Looks like she likes him.
ep5: startup - getting funding - they are trying to make it fun to watch the process of getting funding for a startup.
ep6-8: The past few episodes have been focused on setting up her startup ... while this is her characterization, the novel as well as the drama, could be less focused on this. I think the drama could have done more to make the scenarios less boring and contrived. This is more of the director problems.
If I have to put a rating on 4-8, I would give them 8.0 or 7.5 - this is purely on the fact that the dramatization is not smooth and natural... more like a hiccup here and there trying to rush things to compact them into nice packages.
I wish that they would just focus on 1 or 2 events and give details and real feelings to them.
ep9: breakup went so fast ... and the use of flashbacks again. The scene at the bar has been changed from going with girl friends to just going alone. HT took her home ... this is all new in the drama.
Both HT and YC are good guys ... that's why she never really got angry with YC ... she even gave him the invested money and profit later on. She can see that the personalities/goals are different.
HT, from the novel and also drama, is a busy man. He doesn't have time do trivial stuff ... He runs an empire. So the mentality will be different from the YC, who does have free time to go dating, watch movies, and cooks.
In fact, HT specifically tells JX that he doesn't have time to cook with her all the time. Once in a while is ok.
It just works out better for her as she is also busy with her career and they are in the same field.

*********Ep14 - moving into the same building *****
I've been waiting for Ep14, which marks the beginning of a new development in this drama. The main leads will have more screen time together as we watch their relationship unfolds. It's finally a transition to their romantic story ... she's now beginning to be aware of him as a man.
I think the drama makes a good call to enhance the story with minor characters like Lili and others to add depth and authenticity to the story. From the way the story is told, I think Lili will get together with Su Zhi Zhou.
One thing I don't like in the drama is that they have made HT too typical and familiar: loss of parents (in the novel they are alive), falling for the JX from school, etc ... The mysterious aura of him from the novel is missing.

***** this trailer shows a preview of the relationships of all the characters *****
A lot of people asked who will eventually be the man for Lili so I am going add a hint from the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMyFSyNt0Oo
My money is on the honest and simple guy, JX's coworker, not HT's friend.
Can't wait for Ao Rui Peng - Qin Li to show up too ... looks like he will propose!


Unfortunately, for people who like to see the main leads together more, it hasn't been happening enough during the past 17 episodes (I think that could have contributed to the lower rating ... some are dropping the drama due to this). To have a bigger high quality cast, the script has been developing minor characters.

Hopefully, the romance will heat up soon ... looks like they are changing the novel again during 18-9.
But keep in mind, C drama is not like K drama. It's 40 episodes, not 16. And the cast is bigger. To keep them around, they need to be in the drama even though they weren't in the novel.

If you just want to see only the main leads all the time ... this drama is not it. As I said, I skipped a lot during the first part of the novel which deals a lot with her business and old life.
But I am hoping that the direction will change soon ... 21 is when probably, you will see some hope of them being together more.

*********Ep20-21 - business trip to Germany*****
I highlighted this episode because it's one of the major milestone in the main leads' relationships. In the novel, he knew at this point that he likes her and wants a relationship with her. He told ZD that he is committed and will pay her off for her help.
Actually, the filming location is in China's German town, Qingdao
20 was the best so far - just like the moments in the novel. They spent time together in Germany. I have to rewatch this again to see why I don't feel the magic of that time in Germany ... but I am missing that feeling in the book. There should be a lot of tension and anticipation of that unexpected change in HT's attitude towards her. I guess the drama changed the fact that HT was more reserved in his feelings. So it was her joyous and beautiful personality that influenced his ...


Ok ... up to this point, I am disappointed with the script. It's trying to be everything and added a lot of things that I am not interested. In eps 21, the leads are only together for a few minutes...
I am lowering my rating, not because of the actors, but because the story is not too focused. Too many side couples and stories that I am not totally invested in.
When the story is not focused on the main leads, I feel that it lessens the effect. In the novel, I feel that it's more intense. But in this drama, not so much.
I've waited long enough 21 episodes... and it's still setting the same tone.
I hope that 22 will pick up ... otherwise, the rating I give to this drama will be lower because the script is not meeting my expectation.

Up to now, I think I would give this drama a lower score 7.5 ... I hope the next 20 episodes are going to be more focused on quality and details.

*** Eps 22 - one night stand
This episode is actually the first time I feel that the emotions are correctly conveyed. I feel this is the first time to JX's emotions come through and Seven handled it well.

*** Eps 23
I figure out what it is that differentiates the JX of the drama from the novel. In the novel, HT and JX had a conversation RIGHT AFTER the one night stand. This conversation shows her personality (emotions and habits: when she's nervous, she talks more and behaves unreasonably) and his logical thinking. I wish they would include her vivacious personality more when they are together.
She's too subdue most of the time when she's with him.
I wish they include these moments instead of the uncle's mom becoming an internet celebrity ... this joke is too normal

I don't know why but I also don't like the couple song ... it doesn't have the right feel to some moments ...

**24 Finally Relationship confirmed.
This is actually what should be done ... the drama follows the script of the novel, allowing her to show some of her personality more when dealing with HT.
I don't get Cdrama ... why the females are rendered useless in the kitchen and the men are always the perfect chef?

**25 The script goes off road again
Come on ... who would be stupid enough to stand in front of a violent person and said I recorded everything inside of his home? Isn't this privacy problem????
Again inserting the friend's talk show is not relevant here ... she's not even in the same field.
And giving ZD all the shares without the context of old intimate relationship just doesn't make sense.

**26 Lili discovers her BF has a child
Lili's mystery bf had a wife who died in child birth. He has a daughter that he protective of ...

The drama still has a lot of side characters screen time ... I feel it's a permanent direction of the script writer.

** 27 on it gets better ...
more screen time for main leads.

**29 the script gets even better
I think the emotional sharing is the key. And the leads do share more ... so it feels more authentic.
The Yichen couple got married... I don't think that it makes sense for JX to attend their wedding.
Lili broke up with BF ...
Wow Chinese work place have a lot of personal relationships ...

**30 Breaking up
The script changed it to JX opening the safe to get the documents. This doesn't make sense to me. But I didn't like the way the novel's way either: https://www.hetushu.com/book/4303/3182715.html

And then the lady at the office confessed her love for Su Zhi Zhou out of no where!
**

33
The script was changed again so that HT doesn't know where JX went.
More than 1/2 of the episode was devoted to XK reminiscing and getting drunk. I wish I could see more of JX and the Ao Rui Peng (Qin Li) but no such luck. The rest of the episodes are time fillers with other people talking about things I am not interested in. This is the gripe I have about this drama. There are only 7 episodes left. Make it COUNT!
34
Just too fillers again ... The first 17 minutes - HT goes to "Germany" ... lots of communist theme about talent cultivation for the country. They meet again ...
35-40 how they get back together and how he got injured etc ... resolution of Lili's love ...

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Chemistry? Where is it?

There is nothing amazing about As Beautiful As You unless you want to watch Xu Kai. If you are a fan of Tan Song Yun, you might enjoy this. I am not a fan of Tan SongYun and avoid her in romance, but I wanted to try because of Xu Kai. I am not saying she is not a good actress, but my personal experience with watching her in romance dramas is that she is awkward and looks uncomfortable with any scene requiring skinship. She makes the romance scenes cringy. I end up feeling uncomfortable and annoyed watching her. But this is not the only reason the romance aspect failed. There was no convincing build-up. The romance lacked emotional depth. One minute the FL is with her long-term boyfriend. Then they break up. One night stand with Han Ting. Then they got together and I was left feeling as if nothing but Han Ting giving Ji Xing looks of interest showed that he fell in love with her. There was nothing to show why he would be interested in her. I could not feel the emotions or feel convinced Han Ting was attracted to Ji Xing. The fact that she had a boyfriend and was engaged after they met made it even harder to understand why he wanted to be with her. I didn't get the feel that there was something special between the leads.


As a business drama, this is not impressive. And I have enjoyed other business dramas. I thoroughly enjoyed Rising With the Wind where the FL owned it! The FL in Rising with the Wind was brilliant and on par with ML in intellect and business strategy, whereas in ABAY, the FL was pitiful as a businesswoman. The story was incredibly BORING! Even Xu Kai who played the authoritative and smart businessman well, could not save this.

This is not a horrible drama as seen by the mixed reviews. You will enjoy this if you like the leads and do not find the FL annoying and if you like Tang Song Yun as an actress. She overacts. One example is the break-up scene some feel was the best they have seen. What is with the screaming? And the jumping up and down in anger? On the one hand, I watched Han Ting stare atJi Xing with pain in his eyes, and on the other hand I cringed at Ji Xing throwing a tantrum. Unless you find the couple sweet and endearing, the chemistry between the main couple will fall flat where the romance is concerned and incredibly boring where the business storyline is concerned.

I pushed myself to finish this. I had to force myself to get to the end so I could write this review. Okay, I admit. I used the fast forward button in a frantic search for the chemistry. Chemistry? Where is it?

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A perfect modern cdrama in every aspect .

"As Beautiful as You" is a breathtaking drama that effortlessly weaves an intricate tapestry of emotions, relationships, and personal growth. This series stands out in its genre, delivering a compelling narrative that resonates deeply with its audience, making it a must-watch for drama enthusiasts.

From the outset, "As Beautiful as You" captures attention with its beautifully crafted storyline. The plot, while seemingly straightforward, is layered with rich, emotional undertones that explore the complexities of human relationships. Each episode unfolds with a perfect balance of tension and tenderness, keeping viewers engaged and emotionally invested in the characters' journeys.

One of the standout elements of "As Beautiful as You" is its exceptional cast. Xu kai and tan songyun did exceeds all the limitations ...The actors deliver performances that are nothing short of extraordinary. Their portrayal of their respective characters is nuanced and heartfelt, bringing depth and authenticity to the story.

The chemistry between the lead actors is particularly noteworthy, adding an extra layer of charm and intensity to their scenes together. The hot, intimate scenes between the main couple are beautifully executed, exuding passion and raw emotion. These moments are tastefully done, adding depth to their relationship and highlighting the intense connection they share.

The direction and cinematography deserve special mention as well. The visual aesthetics of the series are stunning, with beautifully shot scenes that enhance the emotional impact of the story. The director's ability to capture subtle expressions and meaningful glances adds a profound sense of intimacy and realism to the drama.

The set of drama is more than excellent and advanced with technology ... whether its thier office or Han ting ;s mansion both are good looking .

In conclusion, "As Beautiful as You" is a masterful drama that combines a compelling storyline, exceptional performances, and beautiful visuals to create an unforgettable viewing experience. It is a testament to the power of storytelling and the impact of well-crafted drama. This series is a true gem, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a profound and emotionally satisfying journey. .....

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Why I Rated ABAY a 7/10

Okay, it's been a while since I wrote a review but here we go. I started watching this show with very high expectations. As an avid Chinese drama viewer and a fan of Xu Kai, I must say I came with pretty high expectations.

What was good?

1. Acting
The actors did an amazing job! I loved the cast, they were very true to their characters, and overall did an amazing job portraying the characters.

2. Music
The score for the show was really good as well, a sign of amazing shows. Th opening OST is on my playlist already and was mostly fitting for any situations they played it during the episodes.

Why the show was a led down?

1. My primary reason for why this show was a let down was the frustration that an amazing cast was stuck between some politics/ deliverables they had to meet beyond the screen AND it showed. I'm not sure what it was but it felt like even minor roles had to be portrayed across as major roles. This meant UNLESS you were someone who likes to be invested in every single one of their story and romance, you're not going to enjoy this. The plot was not exciting, especially during the first half of the show. This had nothing to do with their slow romance, but all those Filler scenes with mundane conversations, drinking alcohol, etc. There was numerous times when Ji Xing and Han ting will be on screen for literally 30s and they just wave to each other and there's a very obvious cut. This plot and this Novel could've been executed much much better! It's overall a 7/10 kind of show for me. I would not recommend it unless you're someone who enjoys having to watch three couples with equal interest.

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2. Reason one led to shorter screen time for the main couple. The first twenty episodes, I swear the main leads(the couple) did not even have 5 minutes they were on-screen together as a pair. Like there was absolutely no conversation between them about getting to know each other except for the part they would talk about her startup(or more specifically when he was giving her advice on how to do business)

3. This brings me to number 3. I don't know if it gives you the ick or not, but in an era where it's all about female empowerment, I like to see that on screens. Having Han Ting being literally the same age/closer in age to Ji Xing and yet being eight galaxies away in terms of intellectual abilities was sort of a turn-off for me. They made him the knight in shining armour for the lousy business decisions that came along at times.

4. The Dialogues? Who even wrote these lines? Like the amount of very obvious propaganda between the Lines was just argh and those speeches he gave... not to mention the lines he was saying during the fights? But this wasn't a big deal. You can still watch past this.

5. One of the worst parts of the show(FOR ME PERSONALLY) was the makeup. I get the different beauty standards, but man the way they put on Edward Cullen make up on Xu Kai every time he wore a suit was not appealing at all. I've watched plenty of shows, chinese ones, and I see this often but with so many things being a let down in the drama, I would've expected for this to be a saving grace but it wasn't.


P.S. This Is just my very Own take at the show. I have watched other shows such as Meet yourself, here we meet again, Go go squid, put your head on my shoulder and so many like that and enjoyed them so so so much more than this one. I've watched a couple In a similar genre as well and none of them were this bad. This is just yet another let down, also please don;t come at me with the IMDB ratings. MDL is a more reliable site for asian shows than IMDB. there's like 70 people who've rated this on it, and It's safe to say they're all probably Xu Kai fans. MDL ratings reflect more on the quality of the show. Honestly it's not even a 8 for me, but sure.

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Not necessarily for me

This show is okay. Nothing new. If you are fans of the leads then I’d recommend a watch.

The Good

Decent acting. Lots of romance. If not for Tan Songyun, I probably would have dropped this drama but I’m a fan of most of her work. She can really carry a show. Not a huge fan of Xu Kai outside of Variety Shows but his acting is getting better per project he does. He did well in this one. The costumes were much better than the average modern CDrama. The OST was nice. That is where it stops.

The Bad

Typical drama. I can name at least 10 other dramas with this same plot. Rich CEO guy saves the girl, they break up due to a misunderstanding and get back together again. Where this one falls short is in the character development of the two main leads. It was of course very imbalanced with your ML being perfect and FL being flawed. I don’t know if that was intended but doesn’t make for a very interesting story as the characters become two dimensional and flat. I felt no connection to them and found myself skipping through scenes at the end. Side characters were also cliche and not very interesting since their character arcs were also very typical and predictable. The bad people became repetitive and kept trying to sabotage them. Also too many episodes. Should have been no more than 24. I’ll end the review here. I wouldn’t rewatch.

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An electrifying chemistry and the sheer brilliance of Xu Kai almost makes up for everything else

I’m not gonna lie, the story here is quite poor. If you’re someone like me, who enjoys business plots and strong female leads (distinguished from pseudo-strong leads), then you’re going to be in a place where you’ll want to pull out all your hair out of frustration in many instances.

I say this here after interacting a lot in the comments and being attacked by people for voicing any opinion other than sheer love for the show. This page has been quite hostile and unlike every other show I’ve followed when it comes to voicing a less popular opinion. Still, that is not going to make me change my opinion. You’re free to disagree! :)

The writers have done pretty badly to the female lead and other female characters in the show. The show follows all the usual tropes that you notice in your Chinese dramas - so nothing new there. You have an absolutely annoying second female lead who does not take no for an answer and just wants to ruin the main leads. Then you have your average family drama, often noticed in most business dramas. For them to show such strong business rivalry, there is much less screentime given to the sister and her thoughts that you’re just not able to understand where her problem lies other than the basic point of rivalry. Now onto the main lead, they have tried their best to show her as a strong character but it falls flat in your face when you actually analyse her character without being biased and trying to separate her from Seven Tang. She is shown as an incredible engineer - but that is where it ends. She starts a business without literally any research or without consulting with people close to her (read: her boyfriend with whom she is considering a life), she has no business skills and does not take advice when given which results in one failure/problem after another - all stemming from the same cause, she is shown as considerate but often fails to understand the ML, etc. etc. All this points at a pseudo-strong character (possibly written with very basic understanding of feminism and strong females in business) that fails to interest you and makes me quite angry with just how opposite of strong she comes across as. Also, the business aspect - that does not go just for the FL, most things here do not make any logical sense when it comes to how business, management and investing take place in the real world.

So then what makes the show worth your time? It definitely was worth my time and I would watch this show again and again (barring certain aspects).
1. The sheer brilliance of Xu Kai - I have seen a few of his works before so I’m not surprised that he acts so well. But I’ve noticed a different kind of aura around him that I’ve not noticed before and it makes me very attracted to him and his character.
2. The brilliant fashion sense for most of the characters - I have really enjoyed watching some great clothes in this drama
3. The wonderful character of Lili - it is not often that you come across an actually strong female character in Chinese shows. This is one character that I’ve absolutely loved. She is not afraid of going after what she wants, knows her demons and is vulnerable like just any human, values herself to know when to tell the guy off, boldly accepts what gives her pleasure, stands her ground and does not need anyone to protect her in the business world and so much more. Is she flawless? No. But who is? She is a strong independent woman and I’m all for it
4. Last but MOST IMPORTANT, is the stunning chemistry between our two main leads. Their acting has been so natural and the two have come across as a very beautiful and mature couple. I like that they maintain their individual identities even while dating and are not afraid to call each other out. I also like how they grew in their characters after the breakup and came back even stronger - all signs of a healthy relationship (only post the break-up, the FL was VERY VERY TOXIC BEFORE THAT AND NEVER APOLOGISED FOR HER BULLSHIT AND HAD ZERO COMPREHENSION SKILLS AND I'M STILL SALTY ABOUT THAT). Nothing seems forced between the two and it has been quite a pleasure to watch their romance evolve. And not just as characters, even the actors have suited one another and have created a work that will go down with a place of its own. They have brilliant sparks flying and you just can’t help swooning over them.

I would definitely recommend this show for the stunning romance but would leave a word of caution: do not try to make sense of the business aspects - most of it does not make sense.

Edit: This show has one of the best endings I have ever seen in a Korean/Chinese drama. I am going to give this show extra marks just for the 10 minutes of absolute bliss that extra episode is. I'm not crying, you are!

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Another Good Drama To Inspire Your Life

Please noted, this review is from TSY fans point of view.

Its hard not to compare As Beautiful As You (ABAY) vs. Master Of My Own (MOMO).
Both are TSY dramas about work-place and career. The differences mostly rely on the romance side.

But I prefer MOMO because its more realistic and heart-warming. While ABAY is more romantic and sweet, the romance scene could make me blushed just like while watching her drama Road Home.

The ending both following novel with some adjustments. So in short, ABAY is a mix of MOMO (career) and Road Home (romance).

For youngsters, please watch this drama, it might give you some inspirational ideas to do in your career life. It’s all about taking a chance while you can, be brave. Talent is fundamental, but later you need to learn negotiation skills, get fundings, network relation, experiences and much to make this life meaningful to you and ultimately for many people.

Music : Not my style, easily forgotten, not ear-candy. TSY sings 2 songs in this drama, its okay but not as ear-catchy as her songs in Flight To You and Road Home.
Rewatch : It would be, because you will miss the sweet scenes anyway
Story : Bit of typical career-drama, but it's not wonder, because so many novel adaptions, so many dramas produced and released, the storyline would be similar, the differences mostly rely on the casts and acting skills.

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One for the fans or a new c-drama watchers

Let me start by saying that there is nothing wrong with this drama. The cast is good, and the production value is decent. However, there is nothing original nor unique about it. This is a little surprising because it is supposed to be an adaption from a novel. To be honest, it feels like just another tropey c-drama. Awkward.

As such, it is entertaining in a "paint by numbers" kind of way. It is like watching an amalgam of similar shows. The ML's role will be familiar to his fans and viewers of his recent dramas. The FL basically reprised her role of a sassy professional. They all look the part and everything slots into place. Easy peasy.

BTW, there are 3 side couples by the 1/3 mark (the final total will be 5). This means while the OTP are dancing around each other and sorting out their feelings, the other CP's are racing ahead and showing up the OTP. It is distracting and makes the romantic journey of our leads seems more fraught than necessary.

The business plot is all smokes and mirrors plus some mandatory flag waving. The FL struggles to start her own business which is not helped by her inept business partner. Hey, who needs enemies when he pretty much scores all his own goals.

The role of the ML is very cliché. He is the classic knight in shiny armour. He is always there to help the FL in every way imaginable. I'm getting flashbacks of Best Choice Ever. She tries to push back but we know how this will go down.

The relationship between the FL and her long-suffering ex-BF feels cumbersome. He is the nicest guy but he has to make way for the ML. His story arc feels muted and contrived.

In a sense, that's how I feel about this show in general. Yes, there are angsty moments, and the odd act of violence but it is never convincing. They are there because the playbook demands it.

Furthermore, there is insufficient original material to sustain 40 eps so there is a fair bit of padding with cliché business maneuverings and meandering side couples shenanigans.

Of course, once our OTP is official, the herd of unicorns is let loose. The last few eps are total fan service and super sweet. Not complaining because they are a nice CP and I enjoyed their swoon worthy moments, but it also feels like the show is overcompensating because it wasted so much time earlier on. It was not helped by the ubiquitous late show break-up which dragged on for too long. So many pensive looks and thousand-mile stares from our leads. I don't know if it was painful to watch or I'm sharing their pain.

As it stands, it is a solid production. It goes out of its way to tick all the boxes and stay true to the genre. Fans of our leads will rejoice. It is also a safe intro for any new c-drama watchers. Trust me, you can do worse. I don't regret watching it, but I kept seeing ghosts of shows past. I just wish it would do something original, anything.

BTW, there is a short bonus "epilogue". It is sweet but inconsequential. There is a bittersweet scene with the Sorry Card. It is mostly harmless, like the rest of the series.

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Mind-numbingly predictable CEO romance with hideous aggressive OST and no chemistry.

First let me say that the best part of this drama BY FAR, was He Rui Xian's incredible performance as the 2FL. She's so amazing and deserves high caliber 1FL roles.

The rest of this was, to put it bluntly, total crap.

While it would take a dissertation to fully enumerate the ways in which this was crap, I will do my best to keep it brief.

*No ML/FL chemistry. I dont know where the problem lies. Maybe Kai keeps getting handed FLs that dont mesh well with him. Maybe he has a really hard time letting go in front of the camera. Maybe hes RL gay. But whatever it is, this is another flat Kai Soso performance, lacking sexual chemistry, passion, and depth.

*Flat ML performance. Kai is good in some situations and dramas, but this isnt one of those dramas. Its impossible to distinguish the difference between his "straight man" character, or just his limited acting ability.

*FL is not sexy and has a bad haircut and boring clothes. Shes cute. And she is a good actress. But shes not sexy. She should be playing roles other than romance FLs

*Kiss scenes are tame

*Moderately high cringe-factor

*Slow slowwwww pacing. This should have 10 episodes shaved off

*Tired, cliche storyline. The actual business story is good. But every other aspect of it is insultingly cliche.

*Mediocre dialogue all the way from beginning to end.

*Background music is stupid and out of touch

*OST is so aggressive it should be arrested and tried for assault.

*Characters are simplistic and too perfect, like a teens dream of what life is like and what people are like, and a teen's dream fantasy.

*They take an indoor cat, in a cat carrier, to the park for its birthday. They lay out a blanket, and put a TINY HAT ON THE CAT. The kind with an elastic chin strap. Then they let the cat out of the carrier. And the cat stays on the blanket. It stays on the blanket, and just... sits there. Mkay. This is the kind of show we are dealing with here. If any one scene could sum up how I feel about the show, its that one.

I would recc this to mushy romantic sentimental people whose favorite color is fuscia/magenta/hot pink, and who still have at least one stuffed animal on their bed.

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What's Love Got to do with Business?

Had been waiting for this because I've never seen XK in a modern and also to see how he and Seven would work out chemistry wise. Overall, the story in particular didn't disappoint. I had seen a few of the supporting cast before but was unfamiliar with many others. The story had a few couples but the main theme was separating business from emotions, what love really meant, and not regretting the choices you made; giving those that deserved it a second chance. A play on the famous late Tina Turner song, what's love got to do with business?

Pros: The chemistry between the leads HT and JX was off the charts. They were just too stinkin' cute and you were laughing at the silliness and being giddy with all of the sweetness. Plus the comedy from the others, was great or when you had a sad/tense moment, a little comedy made the scene so much better. XK nailed the part of the domineering, ruthless CEO HT with a heart of gold to a T. Man could undress a woman or in this case JX with just his eyes any day of the week. It was sugar and spice and everything very meow. For the most part, the story was incredibly realistic and refreshing when it came to real life world things and people. Both leads had great friends and wing people. JX was a person who started at the bottom of the business ladder and slowly rose to the top, though of course with HT's help. My other favorite characters were XM, LL, LLJ, SZZ, TS, XYX (though he sucked in relationships, he was a great friend to HT and others), and unlike many others, I had no problems with QZZ and SYC getting together, though I really didn't know why, after her wedding, QZZ basically disappeared from the show. Also LLJ's mom, JX's parents, and grandpa Han were awesome as they weren't toxic but just genuinely worried about their kids and did the best they could to help/advise them.

The other couples ended up being QZZ and SYC but they seemed to get together quickly, like the show was trying to rush along their stories as well as XM and LLJ; though both liked the other, they didn't really get together until the end and the love triangle of LL, XYX, and SZZ. Honestly, felt like LL and XYX were the most compatible but it was also understandable that he had serious insecurities that he hadn't worked through and SZZ finally grew up enough to deserve her as she slowed down to understand that she really needed stability and not just money and power. So in this case had they shown XYX working through his issues for her, they would have worked out too. But at least he became a good friend to her as well admitting where his faults lay and that he lost her because of them but to not regret letting SZZ go. So that was very intelligently done.

HT and JX got together really quickly and the phrase "I love you" popped out way too soon. Their biggest issue lay in their very horrid lack of communication. He kept business secrets from her that she should have known about and important as well and she basically ran her business with her emotions, even listening to ZD (a villain) over her own boyfriend; here's an intelligent woman doing really dumb things. She treated all of her employees like they were supposed to be friends; which when they backstabbed her, she was shocked about but it was her own fault. Furthermore, she couldn't separate love from business (hence the title of this review) and her view of love was a little too grandiose to reality while his was subtle and in the way of "actions speak louder than words" manner which is more realistic. Their breakup was needed and mandatory to grow into evolving themselves. That said, I will speak more about that in the cons.

The antagonists (4 in total); cousin (who finally towards the end figured out that blood was thicker than water and to leave HT alone or he would ruin her), Zhu asswipe (a criminal that kidnapped JX and really hurt HT; hopefully got life in prison), Chang He (HT's competition but also did plenty of illegal things himself like enable Zhu and other business dealings, got arrested), ZD. I will talk about her in the cons because out of the 4, she was the worst and probably the most annoying antagonist. She started morally grey and then they turned her into a stalker and I was done.

All of the settings, especially faux Germany was really nice, glad they taught the leads some basic German. The OSTs and most of the costumes fit too. Also the fact that not only had he loved her since college but that they had actually met somewhat as kids was a nice touch of how truly destined they were. I like the extra episode as it shows what his version of love for life meant.

Cons: I have to speak about the break up because even the book readers said it was off. I was able to fast forward most of it and not miss much because while HT was poisoning himself with alcohol, crying, lighting sparklers, just pining in pain; other than their initial argument, JX didn't shed a single tear. Sure she was sad but she cried more over her breakup with SYC than HT. She just went home, moped a bit, and then quit her job, leaving her company to merge on its own and flew to Germany to study more. Like what even? She opened his safe without permission to find documents; that was so weird to me, a total invasion of privacy. I don't know why he didn't call her out on it. If it wasn't for HT she wouldn't even have had her company let alone what it became. There were some things he couldn't have told her due to confidentiality agreements, yet she threw a tantrum at him. As soon as things she didn't like in her personal life happened she bailed out on her company and left. Yet returned to a VP position. She was upset when some other company had thousands of employees go jobless overnight but her own team; she was ok to dump on LL and SZZ like it was no problem. In the real business world, that's a career killer right there. Like damn girl; emotions and business aren't the same thing! They should never be combined. He apologized 7 (no pun intended) ways to Sunday including during their public forum and even after the kidnapping thing when he was already very injured; meanwhile she never uttered the phrase “I’m sorry.” He was always her buffer and it wasn't fair to him especially in business at all. Yet she was as much part of the problem as he was, if not more so. In her mind, he had to conform to her standards but she didn’t have to reciprocate. I hate it when they gloss over women's accountability like that. According to readers, a lot of important conversations weren't included and that would have helped bring more gravitas to that part of the drama.

Also her lightning quick transformation into understanding business and finally pulling emotions out of it was way too fast. It was like a flip of a switch. Wish there was more cohesion and a smoother transition of that. Furthermore, how he just randomly came upon her in Germany though he was looking for that same guy she met, also could have been done smoother. Another contention I had was what I call the "Superman effect." When characters charge into a dangerous situation alone without backup or with backup far away. She was kidnapped and held on a high floor of an abandoned factory at knife point and you don't call the police until you're literally nearly there? Why bother? Because you're Superman and you can take a beating with a lead pipe to the back and fall 4 flights into a very conveniently placed air mattress set up by first responders because they somehow telepathically know exactly where you might fall. For a realistic modern drama, that was a huge issue.

I wish they had shown CH and ZD being led away in handcuffs for their actions in everything they had done against the leads both personally and professionally. As mentioned up top, ZD started as a morally grey gorilla glue character to HT, who never gave her the time of day in that way, but then she just didn't stop; no matter how many times HT told her to back off and even sold her shares and after he got hurt in the end she was still there like a bad dream asking him whether he regretted it and trying to get into JX's head a second time about how he'll cheat and lie in business to her again but thankfully this time JX didn't let her get the upper hand and stood her ground. This crazy idiot grew up with him and thought she owned him; she followed him to Germany, started a company in the same industry as him, and so forth just so she could somehow be with him. It's scary and quite pathetic that a person couldn't or wouldn't have their own identity just because they were so obsessed with someone. By the end of the show, I wanted her gone. Out of all of the antagonists she was the most ridiculous and annoying one and hardly realistic; no idea why HT never got a restraining order against her.

Only real point of contention with JX's clothing was why she had to look so matronly in the beginning? ZD and LL working in the same industry looked like professional businesswomen; only after her return from Germany that second time did she finally look and dress her age and like the VP she was.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Despite the cons, the pros definitely outweighed them. Though I do wish they had stuck some things from the novel as it would have made it better, it was still a very good show. I really hope XK does more of these types of modern romance dramas; he's very good at them. If you like great comedy, romance, and an overall good story that's very realistic, this is the show for you.

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