As Beautiful as You

It’s A Nice Series

This drama has a lot of things going for it. The great performances by the leads is its strongest selling point. No matter what, I cannot fault their acting. Overall it’s a pretty solid and capable drama.

However, the screenwriters’ voice/views are at odds with the story throughout. There’s a fair bit of revisionism that frames things in a particular way, which the audience knows not to be the case. Or, they try to introduce things that were not developed adequately or shown at all to the audience. We’re just supposed to take their word for it.

Plus, when I look at how all the relationships are portrayed; they tend to contradict whatever views the screenwriters have on relationships, compatibility and the conflicts partners have, which leads me to believe the screenwriters have an odd view of the kinds of relationships they wish to portray. Surprising, it was this way for EVERY romantic relationship in the drama. And you know it’s a creative choice because the comments on the main page point out how different these things are to the novel.

The actual portrayals by the actors themselves tell a different story to whatever the screenwriters were selling and they were definitely trying to sell a viewpoint. It’s a shame the story didn’t align with it. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it; I’ll buy whatever a writer tries to sell me, as long as they know how to sell it and do it convincingly enough.

After a certain point, I wasn’t getting as much enjoyment out of the series as with the earlier episodes. I felt like the viewpoint/voice of the screenwriters was getting louder than the story’s premise by the halfway point and they just seemed to be at odds with each other. I did enjoy the last three episodes the most. I felt like all the different aspects were mostly on the same page.

Final verdict is that this series is a good watch. Somewhere between average and above average. You won’t regret watching.

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Rewatch factor is high.

The story is standard. The acting is good. There were NO majorly irritating and constant villains.

The main reason why I am reviewing is to encourage viewers to just watch. Its a good drama as a whole. However ep 31- 40.5 has one of the most logical plot storyline I've seen and the ending episodes from ep 38 to 40.5 onwards has some of the most logical plot development and it didn't do a token ending. The ending made so much sense. Cdrama endings are usually the absolute pits. The ending is complete. I absolutely hate it when the director or writers loses the grip on their story. Yes the couple spend enough couple time to satisfy any of you who like romance.

And for Xu Kai fans- thank God he finally has a role where he behaves like a man and I don't feel sorry for him. I like Seven in a Journey Home but she is radiant here in the last 25% of the drama. She is her usual self acting well but she is comfortable, radiant and totally is Ji Xing in the last bit.

Just go past all those negative remarks. This is a good 40.5 episode drama to marathon through.

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The romance was sweet!.

Just finished this, and it's one of the first time where i didn't dislike the separation, because it made them both better after, it was also really nice to see a ML actually changed after a separation, and the way he apologized was sweet, you could definitely tell he learnt a great deal of lessons. They went from not having much flirty scenes or chemistry, and the episode they went to Germany, the ost, and the chemistry and flirty was kicked up at a whole new level, there chemistry was amazing, and there kisses too, they looked genuinely deeply in love, the acting from both leads were great as well. I enjoyed all the business stuff, usually I'm not a huge fan of the genre, but I liked it. There were terrible characters, as well as great ones. This is definitely one of the best Modern Mature Romance Chinese Drama I've watched, Really enjoyed the romance and character developments, and maturity they both came back with after the separation. :)

The acting was pretty great for both leads, it was believable when they fell in love, with there words, expressions and actions, and when they were arguing it was soo intense, i don't think I've ever seen Xu Kai acted in a scene like that, it was like a real couple fighting, so it was very realistic.

My least favourite character was that one, i'll throw-up in my mouth if i call her a friend haha... I'm really happy she was technically kicked out of there friendship, though it wasn't said but evident with the 3 having there own group chat and they don't talk to her anymore, i get how she felt and who cares what she wanted to do, but saying stuff like she don't regret what she did, just shows what a terrible friend she was.

Zeng Di was super annoying, but i'm happy the FL handled her well, and I love how the ML made her know that he had 0 interest in her and she wasn't even an option.. dang!! that was brutal, but i loved it!!. He also apart from eating dinner/lunch with her as a friend and business partner, he had boundaries with her. She also got what she deserves at the end, so that put a nice smile on my face.

There were other side couples, I find myself being interested in side couples lately, usually i'd skip them in whatever drama i watch, but i did like the different typed of couples in this, Li Li romance was very interested and i was well invested to see how it'll turn out, as well as the streamer bestie, the ML's little uncle and his grandaunt.. there combo was cute and hilarious!!. There was another couple, you'll see if you watch, just skip them! hahaha

What i enjoyed with this is that when the FL broke up with the ex-boyfriend, there wasn't any flirting etc between her and the ML, though we knew from day one how the ML felt, he never rushed or pushed her, but once they went to Germany, the chemistry went from 0-100 and it started getting sweeeet, it was soo cute, sometimes they didn't have to say anything, the look in there eyes were enough. Then it went from 100-1000 real quick hahahaha, it was event that the ML was meant for the FL and visa versa, usually in some of these with an ex-boyfriend who break up during the show, it's a little hard, but it wasn't here, it was evident that it was love, everything she did was different from with the ex.

Anyways, I think I said too much. This was another drama that I almost put on the side because of some comments I read, please don't miss out on shows you're interested in because of comments, we all have different taste and different way of seeing things, what i wrote here is from my perspective watching, you may or may not like it, but you'll know because you know what you like, if this sounds like something you'll like then go for it, if not, then don't, it's entirely up to you.

Happy Drama Watching! :)

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A good adaption of the novel!

As Beautiful as Beijing was my first Chinese novel I've ever read, and it took my expectations way higher. I had read the novel while waiting for the drama to air. The novel really has my heart, so I was doubting if this drama would be able to portray this well. And for me it did!
I knew Xu Kai would nail this role and he did really well. Ofcourse Han Ting's character here was not cold like the novel. He had emotions here and personally I liked the change.
I don't think any other actress could have nailed Ji Xing like Seven. There was no change in her character compared to the novel. They kept it the same.
The chemistry between them is insane ngl. To me they looked like a real life couple.
The writers tried to stay true to the novel. And one thing I didn't like about the drama was that there were too many side characters.
And the extra ep really made me cry like I did when I read the extra chapters of the novel. It couldn't have been more better to give an ending to the drama!

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Xu kai and Tan Songyun did a great job, their chemistry is on fire.

I have been following this drama since before it's release. I only read half of the book, only till our leads ONS 'coz i didn't want to be spoiled while watching the drama am glad i did that. It's a slow burn romance and the ending is so overwhelming i cried a river. I am glad i watched this drama. I am a fan of Xu kai's and watched his dramas before, he's always a treat to watch, his acting in this one is really good. I liked him here more than i did in Best choice ever. His take on Han Ting is spot on 10/10. And this is my first drama of Tan Songyun. I must say i became a fan of her. Their chemistry is off the charts. Hope they get paired again soon.
Goodbye for now. I will catch up Xu kai's "Moonlit Reunion" and "Firefighter" when they release. Hopefully soon.

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"Thousands of times," answered Xu Kai (ML) when asked about the number of kiss scenes with Tan Song Yun (FL) in the Chinese drama "As Beautiful As You". not thousands of times, right?

It feels like too much. Plus there are lots of 18+ scenes, if you use food as an analogy, the Chinese drama "As Beautiful As You" is mostly tasteless, so it makes you nauseous.

Even though the idea is good, you know. About a young woman who goes into business for a noble cause. Obstacles arise because the business is not on an MSME scale. A business that requires large investments with large risks too.

Unfortunately the conflict that arises feels far-fetched. Like when grandfather Han Ting (Xu Kai) made a fuss about a start-up company that was only 6 months old. The owner of a business group like that, you know, he must know that the company has only been established for about 3 years. Where is there a Julid conglomerate with girls like that?

Luckily, the drama writer created a warmer drama with the presence of 3 friends of the female lead, including their respective love stories.

This cliche idea is the possible answer to the rating of the Chinese drama "As Beautiful As You" at the start of its broadcast being very low. The rating for this drama on Mydramalist was only 6.9, then it slowly rose and now, when I write this review, the rating has reached 8.0.

A neat plot is the strength of the Chinese drama "As Beautiful As You", as well as a coherent storyline, good music, very strong ML and FL chemistry and cinematography that is pleasing to the eye.

Even the casting of actress Tan Song Yun made me curious, because she was "tall", "didn't have a chin" and other beauty differences that were very large compared to actresses Bai Lu, Yang Mi, especially the beauty from the Uighur tribe, Dilraba Dilmurat.

(Sorry about body shaming, the appearance demands of celebrities are different from those of ordinary people. 🙏🙏😀😀 )

Tan Song Yun's acting shines because of her high flying hours. He has been around the world of acting since 2012, even appearing on TV shows when he was 7 years old. No wonder his acting is good, it can match Xu Kai's acting, who has no less extensive flying experience.

If there weren't too many spices, I would really like the Chinese drama "As Beautiful As You". Lots of good quotes scattered here.

It's not surprising. The Chinese drama “As Beautiful As You” is adapted from the novel "As Beautiful As Beijing" (你如北京美丽) by Jiu Yue Xi (玖月晞). We know that Chinese philosophy is very "deep" and has been taught in families for generations.

I wrote the next review here:
https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2024/07/as-beautiful-as-you-CEO-CLBK.html

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ABAY - This series does capture you

I don’t watch based on reviews and barely write reviews, however I had to because I have seen some reviews with definitely wrong information as through they’re just writing it knocked down the ratings which is unfair.

I read the book and saw the series and here is my take:

Comparing to the book:

HT is more ruthless in the book than the series. They met differently in the book. ZD was his friend with benefits in the book and that’s why in the series you see her coming and going as she pleases. Those who didn’t read to book might missed that and questioned it. They did add on with SY and her best friend getting together to have more drama. How he went to Germany and met her again. However, I felt the stay pretty close to the book as they could. JX was naive about the business world but learned from her mistakes. HT and JX loved each other very much in the book even though through the betrayal and some of the mean things HT said to JX (in the book it’s far worst).

Acting : I thought XK did a great job portraying HT. The serious looks and the gentleness at time. I wished he would take more roles like this as he’s a great actor. Seven did an awesome job portraying JX as well. She was impressive with expressions of emotion and explosive. The acting all around was great. Humor, anger, sadness, etc, you will feel it with all the actors. So not sure why some reviews said acting was horrible.

Chemistry: XK and Seven had great chemistry. Even with the age gap between them, you can’t tell. Their eye expressions of love for each other and then the betrayal you feel it all. Kudos to XK and Seven on an outstanding performance.

Favorite Episodes were 35 - 41, especially 41. As they grow older, their love deepened and you can feel that even though the extra episode was only about 10 minutes. Get ready to cry on this one.

OST: I only really like 3 songs on it so it was okay.

Overall: I didn’t want to put too much spoilers as I feel you shouldn’t based what you watch on reviews. See it for yourself. For me, the was a great drama overall and I would rewatch it. If you like a modern drama of ruthless business world, this is it. It has it all, betrayal, ruthlessness, romance, etc.

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A love that grows instead of vanishing through the years.

- **Story/Plot**: 2.25/3
1. Synopsis (0.25)❌
2. Initial Impression (2eps) (0.25)✅
3. Genre Adherence (0.25)✅
4. Emotional Engagement (0.25)✅
5. Logic (0.25)✅
6. Plot Coherence (0.25)✅
7. Dialogue (0.25)✅
8. Pacing (0.25)❌
9. Character building/Development (0.25)✅
10. Story Richness (0.25)✅
11. Plot Twists (0.25)❌
12. Messages (0.25)✅
- **CAST/Acting**: 1.75/2
1. Lead Actor Performance (0.25)✅
2. Lead Actress Performance (0.25)✅
3. Main Couple Chemistry (0.25)✅
4. Supporting Actors/Actresses Performance (0.25)✅
5. Casting Precision (0.5)✅
6. Character Transformation (0.25)❌
7. Scene Stealers (0.25)✅
- **Directing/Camerawork**: 1.25/2
1. Camera Movement (0.25)✅
2. Editing (0.25)✅
3. Continuity (0.25)✅
4. Lips singing (0.25)❌
5. Visual Details (0.25)✅
6. Cinematic Tension (0.25)❌
7. Lighting (0.25)✅
8. Flashback Integration (0.25)❌
- **OST (Original Soundtrack)**: 0.5/1
1. Opening OST (0.25)❌
2- Ending OST (0.25)❌
3. Background OST (0.25)✅
4. Overall OST (0.25)✅
- **Style**: 0.75/1
1. Costumes (0.25)✅
2. Set Design (0.25)✅
3. Colors (0.25)✅
4. Poster (0.25)❌
- **Ending**: 1/1
1. Closure (0.25)✅
2. Emotional Impact (0.25)✅
3. Logic (0.25)✅
4. Personal Satisfaction (0.25)✅
Total Rating: 7.5/10 +0.25Bonus
>>>>Final Rating: 8/10

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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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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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