Strong start, faulty end
This drama started really strong, and by episode 16 I even gave it a 10, but then it slowly started falling. I love the cast, and was strongly motivated to watch because of Xu Kai, but it was frustrating to watch him be a minor character in his own drama.This is primarily a family drama about a young woman trying to establish boundaries with her parents, particularly her mother.
It was a good show with a good message, but I think overall it could have been better executed. I didn't like that the secondary characters had more screen time than the primary couple. I wasn't a big fan of some of the decisions people made. I didn't like that every time a boundary was made, it had the person who the boundary was against just toeing the line so completely. There were characters who were just added in towards the end that I thought were unnecessary.
Overall, I just wish there was more time for the ML and FL to be together. Their relationship was cute and they had good chemistry, but they hopped skipped and jumped without much time for us to see them together compared to all the time they spent agonizing over their family. If the show was supposed to be about a woman becoming independent, let her have an independent love! Even if the ML was supposed to be integrated into the family, they could have explored the relationship between the leads more.
Otherwise, good show :D
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This review may contain spoilers
People change and it takes time
Before i start yapping on how everyone should see this drama, I like to point some things out:1. This is a romance drama and also a family drama. Both have equal weightage and you can't expect the latter to be subtle.
2. Every character grows and it takes time. Its like slow-burn but for character development.
3. Heavily depicts forgiveness, death, and other sensitive topics and teaches how to grow through it.
The reason why I think everyone must watch this drama is because this drama is about growth. It depicts the life revolving around Mai Cheng Huan and Yao Zhi Ming, until their life blends together. The syponsis correctly depicts what is to expect from this drama. In an Asian household, there is bare minimum talk about emotion and morals so growth of any sort in that field was negligible, so to see a family strengthen in that way was quite nice.
Everyone in this drama had a growth, not only the FL but her mom and the ML and his dad. The development takes time so it was understandable to why everyone hated the characters, especially the mom. But honestly, the mom was acting on point to an Asian mom who was meddlesome. Nobody hates the ML for the things he said. Even tho he was stereotypically written just like the mother.
There are characters you can't hate, like the Grandma and the dad. (The ML also, even tho he was rude, he was most certainly right and acted like he had feelings and certainly didn't wait for "someone" to change him)
The overall story was meh~ but it was refreshing to see a strong FL. I absolutely loved the FL. Home girl didn't need a grow-up.
The actors rocked their rocks. I mean yall hated some, got that good acting credit.
In the end, hold on cause ML and FL are cute and their chemistry is also cute.
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Skip if you’re not family oriented
If you’re looking for a romance drama, you’re at the wrong place . This series was purely family oriented with a splash of work drama . The main character in this drama was the fl’s mom . She got an insane amount of screentime and attention. The leads didn’t start dating till like episode 26 and it was mainly just them taking turns comforting each other .I don’t hate the drama and neither do I like it . It’s not a drama I’d rewatch as it’s not really my type of drama but the leads had good chemistry.
But just don’t watch this drama expecting romance. It’s simply toxic family drama and relationship. The second lead couple was quite boring .
No hate to any of the actors and I appreciate their time and effort 🤍
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Appropriateness!
This would be a short review for me. I do not have issues with the performances. Everyone were at their very best and I salute all of them. The only thing that disappoints is appropriateness of the story line against the title and against the cast. For me, Yang Zi and Xu Kai must not be billed as main casts to this drama but instead the Mother (I'm sure, Yang Zi and Zu Kai would not mind being "The Real Support" casts here, LOL). Also, the title should not be Best Choice Ever. They could have thought of something more appropriate.I understand that this is family oriented drama and not a romance-inspired piece, however, I felt that our main leads were "Used" as come ons to gain audience. I felt betrayed, LOL!
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Are you irritated by He Sai Fei's acting as Liu Wan Yu?
If you find yourself irritated by He Sai Fei's acting as Liu Wan Yu, then this drama has successfully moved you."Best Choice Ever" might initially seem like a drama that follows a classic formula, but upon deeper examination, we can discover rich and complex narrative layers. The drama aims to delve into the dynamics of traditional Chinese family life against the backdrop of Shanghai.
From a critical perspective, this drama succeeds in several aspects but also raises some questions. Yang Zi, in her role as Mai Cheng Huan, delivers a stunning performance, showcasing her character's transformation from a constrained child to an independent woman. However, the question is whether this transformation is portrayed with enough nuance or if it appears overly idealistic.
Xu Kai, as her co-star, makes a significant contribution to the drama, but the relationship between their characters sometimes feels forced and unnatural. Their chemistry, although having intriguing moments, can be inconsistent at times.
The most notable aspect is the depiction of the complex and emotional mother-daughter relationship. This is a very strong element in the drama, providing insight into the social pressures and expectations faced by women in Chinese society. However, the drama occasionally falls into stereotypes and doesn't fully succeed in challenging these norms.
The production of this drama, with its beautiful music and stunning cinematography, is one of its strengths. The carefully written dialogue invites deep reflection, but at times it feels didactic and lacks substance in portraying the complexity of human emotions.
Overall, "Best Choice Ever" is a drama worth watching, with some truly evocative moments. However, as a work of art, it still has room for growth and improvement, particularly in character development and more authentic interpersonal relationships. The drama offers an intriguing reflection of society but needs to explore further the true depth and richness of its narrative.
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surprisingly disappointing
I was really looking forward to this drama given the cast, however i have to say that i was fairly disappointed. This was barely a romance it was rather a story of how a mother controlled her family with verbal abuse and blackmail. If they didn't fall in with her wishes she would become hysterical and scream abuse at all around until everyone would bend to her will. Any romance that there could have been disappeared into the background it was barely noticeable.When i think about the overall impression now i see the wonderful character of Grandmother who was a wise and beautiful lady who cared deeply about the people around her, and a screaming manipulative mother. I cannot for even a moment understand how this was being presented as a loving family. the Romance faded into nothingness. The ML and FL did their best with what they were given by the writers however they were not given much to work with, I do wonder if this was the outline and script that they signed up for in the beginning.
I do not really know why i watched it until the end of the series.
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A Story of Every Home
This would be my Third review of my C-Drama watch historyStoryline: Great
Pace: Medium
Music: Great
Song/Music Quality: Great
Story Progression: Relaxed
Suggestion: Clear some time to watch this, and get the essence of the homely drama. Sometimes this will feel more stressed and not enough romance (Those who are coming here for a Rom-Com), But I assure you This drama is pretty much realistic and actually helps you understand societal connections also makes you appreciate life.
**[Hopefully I kept the review spoiler-free]**
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A wasted opportunity.
I came into this drama thinking it was a romance with a side of comedy but I was pleasantly surprise to find a family drama.Everyone does a really good job in the roles they were given and have great chemistry but you should know this drama leans more into the realism of how relationships actually work in a chinese family nowadays than what westerns countries are used to consume.
I found myself surprised, really, to find this kind of story of a meddling mother to the point of annoyance and a family that would actually enable her actions, until the breaking point. And then when things didn't go her way, she made everything worse. It got to the point where no matter how much I understood she was coming from a place of good, there was no justification or explanation for her.
I have been watching asian dramas for decades now and it's been a long time since I find myself watching a drama with these family dynamics, which it's a reminiscence of early 2000s kind of story and, worse, outdated.
Another weak point, it's that this drama simply didn't have enough story for 37 episodes. If this would have been a 20 something episode long drama, focused more on leading lady's work life, it would have been far more interesting.
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Worst story ever
The story 1st main lead was innocent only he loved her so much ..For him everything was misunderstanding
When ever he try to sincere the situation bring him into misunderstanding..
He even say I will leave my familyand everything and let start new life that time also she self centered.. and finally she broke up and simply the story cut off the 1st lead character
After breakup suddenly she moved on and one-day fall in love with the man she knew shortly... *The seriously part in the story is 💋 kiss she hesitate to kiss the man love of 3year who begged her not to break up but she kissed the man who said I like you on the bus that's the hilarious part of the story*
The moral of the story*** The woman never like the man who truly loves her and willing to change** she always choose the person who is well settled and she feel safe for life long***
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A working girl coping with daily life to please her family and boss to secure her own happiness
StoryIt is a rollercoaster drama, with the beginning story to be completely different at the end. Lots of interesting and intricate plots. The layout of the story is slightly unconventional, with the dramatic events do not happen at the end.
Casts/ Characters
I like the overall performance of the main casts. Mai Cheng huan is pretty, Mr Yao is stern at the beginning, but becoming charming and mellow at the end. Grandma' performance is excellent and has many wisdoms. I do not particularly like the casting for Jia Liang, nor Chenzao. Not bad performance for Mao. Performance of Mrs. Mai can also be annoying, as she wants to control her kids and husband.
Music
Some memorable, soft music in some of the dramatic moments in the film
Rewatch
I want to rewatch some of the dramatic moments in order to absorbs the meaning and understanding of the story.
Scenery/Filmography
Nice background shots of the river, Shanghai skyline, village town and field rice terraces. Beautiful architecture of old building, old big house and Xing'anli hotel. Nice photographic lightings of some of the night layout
Personal comments
- prettiest cast by Wang Zi Wei as Mr. Xin's secretary.
- character of Zhang Zhi Yu ended up to be a nice young girl, ready to adapt at the Xing'anli environment
- during storm at the hotel, Mr Yao's act in holding the wooden stakes appears awkward and unreal.
- grandma performance is very commendable.
- sometimes felt frustrated with the characters of the drama, being too stuborn, and annoying.
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It’s not the best choice, but it’s a good choice to watch
It took me a while to accept that the protagonist's mother caused a lot of drama until the end of the series, being very unnecessary and disrespectful, not looking like an elderly lady, but rather a spoiled teenager with no limits, it's okay that with age we have to accept some difficult phases like the empty nest, seeing her children face their own problems, but she had no maturity, she just did what she wanted all the time, that was so ridiculous. What would this lady have to complain about? her daughter-in-law and son-in-law are honorable, decent, successful people who take care of their children, but she still wants to rule over her children and treat them as if they were children and do emotional blackmail until the end. Despite this unbearable character who had very few improvements during the episode, the other characters are well constructed, the relationships develop and create great connections. I really liked the drama. I liked the development of the story that served as the backdrop for the novel. It's a slow burn romance with a fun enemies-to-lovers twist. The two protagonists acted very well and are beautiful! I would recommend this drama with a very large dose of patience.It's not the best choice to always choose to watch it comma, but it's a good choice.
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This review may contain spoilers
I thibk the storu overall os really good. Except the mpther part thats really old fashion. i try to think like the mother. Still enggagement ...... thats too much. I love everything except that.. how shes manage to grow
And xu kai support her. Really love stories like this.
I like the difference
Love the couple stories
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