This review may contain spoilers
This show is worth it of love
I felt compelled to write a review for this drama to defend it for the people that did not get it.
If you're looking for fluffy, feel good drama, then get out of here, run for the hills. But if you like flawed characters and a realistic plot, a show that could make you feel so many emotions, then this show is for you.
First, I want to praise Wang Anyu and Wang Yuwen for their performance. They have brought these characters to life. They feel so fleshed out that you can sense every emotion they want to convey. The chemistry is overflowing—you can honestly feel for them. It’s so believable that they have been a couple who went through a lot together over the years. Even a simple tap on the shoulder or a glance conveys that feeling. Confrontations and heart-shattering scenes are well executed. You can feel the deep love they have for each other even when they are at each other’s throats.
This show is a roller-coaster of emotions. This drama so well-written. I'd say this is more character driven than plot driven. The shift of their circumstances rely heavily on the characters and their choices. I also love that I could feel the passage of time as the characters evolve. I love how they show that the characters are molded by their experiences through out the years. How their choices and ideals change over time, because reality sneaks up on you. From the earlier episodes you can feel the energy of being in their early 20's to the calmer, more resigned-to-life energy in their late 20's. Dramas rarely made me really feel that it's been years and characters stay static through out. Most dramas just do time jumps and abrupt character change to show how the years went by.
The characters are messy. You’ll love them, laugh with them, and root for them. At other times, you’ll be frustrated, angry, or even cry for them. You’ll really feel for them. The characters are so dynamic. I really love shows when sometimes I don't understand the characters and their decisions at all. Because in real life, all of us are not as logical as we would like to be, and are mostly driven by our emotions and our desires.
For the couple's dynamic, I could honestly feel that Zhou Shui is more invested in progressing the relationship more while Da Ji is more invested in the potential and the idea of Zhou Shui. I could also see that they have exchanged dreams and goals over the years without even realizing it.
*Spoilers ahead*
Zhou Shui's dream was to become a film director and eventually release a movie; however if you analyze his decisions, he would set aside his ambitions just for his love for Dai Ji and for them to eventually end up together. In the beginning when they are struggling to make ends meet, he swallowed his pride to do wedding videos to help her out, especially during her cancer scare when he begged Reverb to give him his old job back. The decision to invest their savings was out of his desire to provide a better life for her. When they first broke up, he chased her to her hometown and have decided that he would just settle down there and be a teacher just so they would be together. His decision to chose the ad over the movie was so he could eventually buy a house, fulfill his promise to her mother and for them to get married. And when he choose to oblige her decision to chose the movie instead, it was out of his desire to earn back her admiration and love and fulfill her need to get their spark back and be the version of him she was once in love with.
Dai Ji's dream was to feel deeply in love and she did but more so on the idea of him. She fell in love with his dreams, his vision, and his artistry. But when he fell short of being this ideal man and succumbed to life’s realities, her admiration faded, and the image of him in her head shattered. She romanticizes life and love, and when they got older and more stabler, she wants them to be as passionate as they once were, not just with each other but she wants him to be as passionate with his dream as he was when they were younger. But in reality, when life is tough on you, you'll lose that ideals of life, which was what happened to him. She did not realize it but his dreams of becoming a filmmaker becomes hers as well. Right in the beginning, when she bears the responsibility of being a breadwinner, it was more because she wants him to film and for the film to be made. I could honestly feel for her when she get into his shadows especially since both of them worked hard for their projects. I wish she had been more transparent to him about this, as he is willing to share credits with her. But she was scared with the thought that he might think she is stealing his dream.
In the last year of their relationship, while they were filming that movie, Zhou Shui became uncompromising. He wanted freedom for creative expression and was frustrated at being sidelined in the project he was supposed to direct. He also wanted to stay true to their source material, which was their real story. Da Ji, on the other hand, was more compromising with the producers and the rest of the crew just for this project to push through. However that meeting with the executive producers triggered a shift of perspective for the both of them. The story of the executive producer and her husband spooked them both. Zhou Shui feared his dream of releasing a movie would not be realized, so he stayed. But when he chose to stay, I felt that Dai Ji grew scared he would lose his artistry and end up compromising all the time, losing the spark that once made her fall in love with him. But after the premier of the movie, Zhou Shui did not feel fulfilled with realizing his goal and realized that losing Dai Ji was not worth it. Da Ji is more persistent on her creative pursuits and pushed for their story to be told, even if its just a low budget, fulfilling the goal they once shared but no longer waiting for him for that to happen. In the end, Zhou Shui gave up his career in film making, heartbroken that his dream made him lose the love of his life.
What lead to the demise of the relationship was that they no longer have a shared goal. I wish they were more honest with themselves and with each other. Zhou Shui's real goal was to end up with Da Ji, but it will never be unless he becomes his once passionate self. Da Ji's goal was to see the spark back in Zhou Shui's dream but with expectations of marital roles, societal expectations and life's burden, his once shimmering self was dimmed. In the last episode, they mentioned that if the novel get's aired, audiences would pick a side on who's more worthy of the love. I caught myself picking a side, as obvious with this review, I honestly feel more for Zhou Shui just because he's more adamant with holding on to the relationship, especially with the decisions he's made and I wish Da Ji was more appreciative of him, of how much willing to go through just for them to be together.
I honestly love the last episode. From their reunion and the meeting itself, fleshing out their thoughts in the guise of the characters in the novel. I also love how vague yet reflective it was, and how it shows that the emotions for each other are still there. I could still feel the yearning for each other but I honestly loved how they were not abrupt with getting back together, or maybe because there were implied misunderstandings (her being engaged, him being married and having a family) that they were holding themselves back. I love the open ending, I honestly feel like if they've shown that they got back together immediately, it would be rushed. I feel like they need to internalize more their issues before getting back together.
*End of spoiler*
Give this show a chance of you're in the mood for realistic, emotional roller coaster slice of life dramas.
If you're looking for fluffy, feel good drama, then get out of here, run for the hills. But if you like flawed characters and a realistic plot, a show that could make you feel so many emotions, then this show is for you.
First, I want to praise Wang Anyu and Wang Yuwen for their performance. They have brought these characters to life. They feel so fleshed out that you can sense every emotion they want to convey. The chemistry is overflowing—you can honestly feel for them. It’s so believable that they have been a couple who went through a lot together over the years. Even a simple tap on the shoulder or a glance conveys that feeling. Confrontations and heart-shattering scenes are well executed. You can feel the deep love they have for each other even when they are at each other’s throats.
This show is a roller-coaster of emotions. This drama so well-written. I'd say this is more character driven than plot driven. The shift of their circumstances rely heavily on the characters and their choices. I also love that I could feel the passage of time as the characters evolve. I love how they show that the characters are molded by their experiences through out the years. How their choices and ideals change over time, because reality sneaks up on you. From the earlier episodes you can feel the energy of being in their early 20's to the calmer, more resigned-to-life energy in their late 20's. Dramas rarely made me really feel that it's been years and characters stay static through out. Most dramas just do time jumps and abrupt character change to show how the years went by.
The characters are messy. You’ll love them, laugh with them, and root for them. At other times, you’ll be frustrated, angry, or even cry for them. You’ll really feel for them. The characters are so dynamic. I really love shows when sometimes I don't understand the characters and their decisions at all. Because in real life, all of us are not as logical as we would like to be, and are mostly driven by our emotions and our desires.
For the couple's dynamic, I could honestly feel that Zhou Shui is more invested in progressing the relationship more while Da Ji is more invested in the potential and the idea of Zhou Shui. I could also see that they have exchanged dreams and goals over the years without even realizing it.
*Spoilers ahead*
Zhou Shui's dream was to become a film director and eventually release a movie; however if you analyze his decisions, he would set aside his ambitions just for his love for Dai Ji and for them to eventually end up together. In the beginning when they are struggling to make ends meet, he swallowed his pride to do wedding videos to help her out, especially during her cancer scare when he begged Reverb to give him his old job back. The decision to invest their savings was out of his desire to provide a better life for her. When they first broke up, he chased her to her hometown and have decided that he would just settle down there and be a teacher just so they would be together. His decision to chose the ad over the movie was so he could eventually buy a house, fulfill his promise to her mother and for them to get married. And when he choose to oblige her decision to chose the movie instead, it was out of his desire to earn back her admiration and love and fulfill her need to get their spark back and be the version of him she was once in love with.
Dai Ji's dream was to feel deeply in love and she did but more so on the idea of him. She fell in love with his dreams, his vision, and his artistry. But when he fell short of being this ideal man and succumbed to life’s realities, her admiration faded, and the image of him in her head shattered. She romanticizes life and love, and when they got older and more stabler, she wants them to be as passionate as they once were, not just with each other but she wants him to be as passionate with his dream as he was when they were younger. But in reality, when life is tough on you, you'll lose that ideals of life, which was what happened to him. She did not realize it but his dreams of becoming a filmmaker becomes hers as well. Right in the beginning, when she bears the responsibility of being a breadwinner, it was more because she wants him to film and for the film to be made. I could honestly feel for her when she get into his shadows especially since both of them worked hard for their projects. I wish she had been more transparent to him about this, as he is willing to share credits with her. But she was scared with the thought that he might think she is stealing his dream.
In the last year of their relationship, while they were filming that movie, Zhou Shui became uncompromising. He wanted freedom for creative expression and was frustrated at being sidelined in the project he was supposed to direct. He also wanted to stay true to their source material, which was their real story. Da Ji, on the other hand, was more compromising with the producers and the rest of the crew just for this project to push through. However that meeting with the executive producers triggered a shift of perspective for the both of them. The story of the executive producer and her husband spooked them both. Zhou Shui feared his dream of releasing a movie would not be realized, so he stayed. But when he chose to stay, I felt that Dai Ji grew scared he would lose his artistry and end up compromising all the time, losing the spark that once made her fall in love with him. But after the premier of the movie, Zhou Shui did not feel fulfilled with realizing his goal and realized that losing Dai Ji was not worth it. Da Ji is more persistent on her creative pursuits and pushed for their story to be told, even if its just a low budget, fulfilling the goal they once shared but no longer waiting for him for that to happen. In the end, Zhou Shui gave up his career in film making, heartbroken that his dream made him lose the love of his life.
What lead to the demise of the relationship was that they no longer have a shared goal. I wish they were more honest with themselves and with each other. Zhou Shui's real goal was to end up with Da Ji, but it will never be unless he becomes his once passionate self. Da Ji's goal was to see the spark back in Zhou Shui's dream but with expectations of marital roles, societal expectations and life's burden, his once shimmering self was dimmed. In the last episode, they mentioned that if the novel get's aired, audiences would pick a side on who's more worthy of the love. I caught myself picking a side, as obvious with this review, I honestly feel more for Zhou Shui just because he's more adamant with holding on to the relationship, especially with the decisions he's made and I wish Da Ji was more appreciative of him, of how much willing to go through just for them to be together.
I honestly love the last episode. From their reunion and the meeting itself, fleshing out their thoughts in the guise of the characters in the novel. I also love how vague yet reflective it was, and how it shows that the emotions for each other are still there. I could still feel the yearning for each other but I honestly loved how they were not abrupt with getting back together, or maybe because there were implied misunderstandings (her being engaged, him being married and having a family) that they were holding themselves back. I love the open ending, I honestly feel like if they've shown that they got back together immediately, it would be rushed. I feel like they need to internalize more their issues before getting back together.
*End of spoiler*
Give this show a chance of you're in the mood for realistic, emotional roller coaster slice of life dramas.
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