Smile Code

Interesting concept

The plot of this drama is truly interesting and different. I have never seen a drama with this storyline, however, it did get boring at times. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad drama, just boring sometimes and it was exhausting watching Gu Yi fall in love with Liang Dawn. I don't think I will be able to keep loving someone who has no emotions. It hurt me to see how much pain she was in but I did enjoy the growth that he had because of her.

I do love both Shen Yue and Lin Yi. They are the best choices for this drama. They match perfectly well and they are a cute couple. And I have always loved Shen Yue's smile, so watching her smile to bring warmth into the lonely Liang Daiwen's life is refreshing.

Like I said the drama itself is really good, just boring at times. I did end up ffwding a lot of the episodes. What I loved most about this drama is the Great Meixia. She was a fresh of breath air and she truly did love both Gu Yi and Liang Daiwen. Her advice to them was also heartwarming. She did not want to force them to be together and she knows that if they were not meant to be, it was okay to wish everyone well and go on their separate ways. I loved how she bonded with Liang Daiwen.

The scenes with her mother towards the end of her life was really sad. I cried a lot. My mom is my rock and I don't know if I will be able to let her go either. I felt her pain and cried with her. I really do appreciate the fact that Liang Daiwen was there to comfort her even when it was hard for him. I also really like Xu Guanri. He wasn't overly pushy and respected her decision. He wasn't the overly obsessed second male lead. He was there for her when she needed him to be but he also knew that she liked someone else.

I rated this an 8.5 because of the fact that I spent a lot of the time ffwding some of the scenes that were boring and I feel that the editing of the drama wasn't that great. It was choppy and I had to go back to make sure I didn't miss anything since the editing didn't make sense at some episodes.

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Smile Code: A Gem Full of Emotions and Chemistry

I actually got to know about this drama through First Frost recommendations, and I’m so glad I did because I ended up loving it so much. The cinematography, the vibe, the whole story—it just feels so beautiful and emotional. Every episode had me drawn in, and not once did I feel bored.

But the best part for me is definitely the chemistry between the leads. Shen Yue and Lin Yi look so real in love, every scene between them feels natural and heart-touching. Their interactions gave me butterflies and made the drama feel extra special.

Gu Yi (Shen Yue) is honestly pure happiness. She’s cute, beautiful, and her bright personality lights up the whole drama. I loved watching her chase her dreams, cry her heart out, and still bring so much warmth to everyone around her. Shen Yue’s emotional acting—especially her crying scenes—was so raw and heart-wrenching, it made me tear up with her.

Lin Yi was just as wonderful. The way he portrayed his character’s struggle with emotions felt real and believable. His quiet growth, subtle expressions, and natural chemistry with Shen Yue made their love story all the more touching. I really liked how the relationship wasn’t rushed; it unfolded slowly, with setbacks, breakthroughs, and so many moments that felt genuine.

Smile Code is emotional, healing, and full of heart. It made me laugh, cry, and feel so many emotions I wasn’t expecting. Truly one of those gems that I’ll always keep close💞

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Grinch has arrived with a less than positive review..

Where do I even start, alright so about the writing. I think the writer had enough well thought out material up to about maybe 8-10 episodes. Come filming they bloated that up to 18-19 episodes & oh boy there is an incredible amount of super boring filler in this one. Of course this drama is getting an incredible amount of praise & all that is not -completely- unfounded, some of the scenes in the aforementioned first half or rather 60% are borderline brilliant, it's just that as a viewer I expect my attention held to some degree throughout the show or at least most of the show & to me 1 minute of brilliance per episode is not enough to forgive how boring the rest of it was. Moving on, come episode 20 the writer has ran out of the good stuff & then decided to just very abruptly transform the drama into a basic romcom with some tragedy baked in, I would have been okay with this had it been a good basic romcom, but it's very light on the com & the rom does not work all that well for me in this one & the filler plots, secondary semi-couples were really not great still. The dialog here and there had some shining moments even in the later episodes, but overall BORING is what I kept feeling most of the time.

Basically I said everything important already, just to add a few more things, I think this show had a great cast, it's a bit of a waste really. I like both Shen Yue and Lin Yi, but together I think they were not the best, though admittedly their chemistry was not terrible or anything. Mei Xia is a great character, her final ehm appearance was certainly very surprising and impactful, though I still cannot tell how I feel about it, on one hand I could call it almost trashy storytelling, on another it certainly carried a surprising amount of punch, I don't know, I have never seen anything like this before.

ML's illness is not very well explained & his behavior is not really consistent with what explanations we do get about his mental condition. I think if I try to look at this drama as a show largely about portraying mental illness as its main conflict there are several problems with the concept, though admittedly in the earliest episodes (1-5), the directly related scenes were quite interesting. Anyway coincidentally this drama is almost exactly the same genre as `It's Okay, That's Love`, which would be romance+mental illness+ comedy, but to me that drama is a real 10 out of 10 & this is so much worse in almost every aspect that I feel bad about even mentioning them in the same paragraph.

The standup comedy in the show is awful & most people probably agree with me just on that one point, I want to add that it's not just awful because the humor is lost in translation, it's just awful period. I speak a wee bit of Chinese & oh my god It's so bad. Throughout the entire time I felt that Shen Yue agrees with me on this one, she was so awkward in some of those super cringy standup? scenes, that must have been a torture for her too. Sure censorship is a difficulty, but decently funny stuff still passes it sometimes, there are countless safe topics to ridicule etc..

TLDR: Of 25? hours maybe 14 is extremely boring & the rest is barely 7 out of 10 on average. (yes there is 10 minutes that's 15 out of 10 brilliant, but that's hardly enough in a 25 hour show)

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Ah! I really wanted to write a review for this Cdrama because of how much it pleasantly surprised me!!

I'd started this show, unsure of where it was going to go & if I'd end up liking it because of the short, but seemingly dark flashbacks in the beginning, and almost stopped watching it before I'd even finished the first episode.

But because I liked Shen Yue & Lin Yi's acting in their previous works, I convinced myself to go back & give the plot / cast a chance, and I'm honestly so so glad I chose to continue the show! The chemistry between the main leads was SOOO top-tier - they complemented one another's characters really well. I hope we get to see them together in another project!!!

Loved the lil friendship moments between the Ounce Comedy Club crew/Gu Yi's friends + the ones with her close co-workers were touching too (SML green, GREEN flags). Also, Gu Yi's relationship with her mom, and all of their bonding moments,,, (ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ)♡ Lots of meaningful moments, but I'll leave it at that for fear of spoiling anything.

What I also wanted to mention was how well the show covered the topics of grief, learning to be independent, and cherishing your life for what is has been, is, and what it will be. Definitely going to come back and re-watch this one!

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it was a solid watch,

I just watched this drama, and I have to say, the story and characters were really well done! The plot was engaging, and I found myself really invested in the characters' journeys. However, I do wish there had been more intimate moments between them ( You know what I mean😝). It felt like there was potential for deeper connections that just weren't fully explored.

The opening and ending songs were absolutely captivating; they really set the tone for the whole experience and added an extra layer of emotion. I loved how the music complemented the story beautifully. Plus, the ending was so happy! It left me with a warm feeling, which is always nice after a dramatic journey. Overall, it was a solid watch, but a bit more depth in the relationships would have made it even better.

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SWEET & ADORABLE BUT BIT LOST & LONG

⭐Overall Rating: 7.7 / 10

Just completed this drama, and overall, it’s a good watch!

The premise drew me in: the unique romantic setup between a stand-up comedian FL and a man who feels no emotions was both refreshing and intriguing. The show started strong and kept me engaged for the first 14–15 episodes.

However, it noticeably dragged during the middle 6–7 episodes, to the point where I genuinely considered dropping it. The pacing dipped, and it felt repetitive and boring. Thankfully, it picked up again toward the end and wrapped up nicely.

💫 Highlights
The acting and chemistry between the leads were excellent.

The FL was incredibly adorable — her smile felt truly magical.

The stand-up comedy segments sprinkled throughout were a nice touch.

The OST (intro & outro) were both a banger — very catchy and memorable.

I also really enjoyed the secondary couple’s storyline (2nd FL and 2nd ML) — their romance was sweet and emotionally engaging.

⚠️ Minor Gripes
The drama felt stretched in the middle; it could’ve been tighter with fewer episodes.

I’m not a fan of certain melodramatic tropes, especially the ones involving:

Sudden breakups with "hidden reasons."

One-sided feelings that get unintentionally encouraged by the FL, especially when it’s obvious that the second lead likes her.

Despite those flaws, I’m glad I pushed through. The ending made it worth it.

💭 Final Thoughts
An adorable drama with standout performances and great chemistry. Worth a watch — just be patient with the middle slump!

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CDrama of 2024 I'm afraid

I think the story is special. It's about a part-time stand-up comedian and a furniture designer with alexithymia. It's well-developed and all characters have their growth arc. Shen Yue and Lin Yi, I really could tell they matured. Their acting here has been the best so far! Cute, romantic moments that could have been cringey felt so natural. Their CHEMISTRY IS INSANE for this, and I could not even stress this further. Heavy angsty scenes will really make you cry. The supporting cast was also amazing, and the details and cinematography topnotch! I'm so grateful to the director for capturing it perfectly. The music is fresh and so so good. For Chinese drama watchers out there, we know 34 eps is kind of short compared to the usual, but it's just the right number of episodes to beautifully develop the story without being rushed but at the same time not dragging.

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Smile Code – A Disappointing Letdown

This drama was a letdown, and I am so disappointed. It had such a strong start, and I really wanted to love this one.

The first half of the drama was incredibly engaging—I was tuning in every day, excited for the next episode. But everything changed after episode 18. There was a weird shift in the FL’s character, so drastic that I even went back and rewatched the previous episodes just to make sure I hadn’t missed something. I hadn’t. Her personality flip was so jarring that it felt like an entirely different person, and from that point on, the entire plot went downhill. I tried to keep going because of how much I had loved the beginning, but I just couldn’t do it. I eventually had to drop it.

That being said, the actors did a really good job with their roles, especially Lin Yi. His portrayal of a character with alexithymia was well-executed and believable, which made it even more frustrating that the story itself lost its way.

That being said, I loved the OST. No matter how poorly the storyline was executed, it couldn’t make me hate the music—I was singing it for days when the drama was still exciting.

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