phoenixfrost

finally found the title of this drama before it became "Only For Love". It used to be called "Love As Camp"
https://twitter.com/jiichuriyy/status/1570119374304055297

A good drama survives attempts to discredit it. Viewers who did not get swayed by the smear campaign lobbied at Only For Love enjoyed and loved it so much it attained the highest broadcast volume for Mango TV in 2023.

Another recently published achievement:
Shi Yan garnered the second highest number of Douyin views on characters of 95 stars in 2023. Please see details below:
https://twitter.com/cooking9407/status/1749275357998350738
https://twitter.com/centroyals/status/1749013775720587619

It will be noted that Douyin (Chinese Tiktok) is currently the #2 most used app in China. Thus, above achievement is at least as significant as similar ones on #11 app Weibo or Douban which is currently out of the Top 30 apps per the following chart:
https://twitter.com/GoofySean/status/1745001438592618872

My 2-cents:
Shi Yan is wary Shu Yi is toying with him. After all, this is a woman who asked if she can pursue him. In the dressing room, he snubbed her flirtatious request for help with the belt. He is serious with her (the reason will be revealed in the wedding episode), so he doesn't flirt back. It was a message that he is not to be trifled with. The horse scare not only warns her that he is somebody she cannot toy with but also helps him find out her real character, that is, if she is worth his interest; people usually show their real character when scared. If she is just a coquettish vixen, she would either cry, scream at him or pretend to faint. She did not do any of those but stood her ground, though it was obvious she was shaken to the core. She did reveal her true character - courageous and genuine. It will be noted that she was not in danger in any way as Shi Yan is an experienced rider.

Regarding the "behave yourself" scene, Shu Yi's genuineness and effervescence can sometimes work against her. For all her intelligence, she can act like a child, like when she clapped her hands and gushed "That's awesome" at Guan Xiang Cheng's accomplishments. I'm sure Shi Yan is used to being with proper women thus his admonition. I also think he got jealous of Shu Yi's undisguised admiration for GXC. Shi Yan's intense jealousy is one of his flaws but he learned to deal with it in the end. Anyway, there was no harm done with the "behave yourself" admonition. It didn't lessen Guan Xiang Cheng's high regard for Shu Yi. And that's one thing I like about Shu Yi - she did not make a big deal of Shi Yan's admonition. This scene reminds me of the scene in Jane Austen's novel Emma, when Mr. Knightly admonished Emma for her improper behavior.

Ep 31 to the end + special episode are full of sweetness. But even before ep 31, I didn't see inappropriate actions by Shi Yan. He might be wary of her, considering his reserved nature and her quirkiness, but he showed he cared for her, waiting for her outside her apartment, making sure she eats or has a ride, taking care of her when she is sick, etc. What action of his looks like he is being mean?

i like the dynamics of the Yu family here, the parents gently reminding their son about marriage through a riddle and the son being gracious about it

Yes, Viki translation refers to the chess pieces as ministers. His dad said, "We lost two ministers"

cool, thanks! i had a feeling this is a riddle. Amusing easter egg in OFL 😃

Mistranslation is another flaw that I have long accepted with cdramas. This is not the worst I've seen. There had been other cdramas where I had to rewind several times to try to understand dialogues. When things don't make sense, I try to understand the context, instead of the words. That might be the reason I was still able to understand what was going on in this scene. Since we know Shi Yue doesn't yet know that "the uncle" is "my uncle", and Shu Yi is thinking of Shi Yan (the awards) which to Shi Yue is "the uncle" at that point, the brain resolved the translation error instinctively lol

In ep 25, Yu You's parents hid two chess pieces referred to as "ministers" as a gentle reminder about marriage. Is there some cultural significance about two "minister" chess pieces that associates them with marriage in China?

I'm watching this happy pill a 3rd time and came upon a scene that I find kinda baffling but keep forgetting to ask somebody about. Please see details below.

i just rewatched ep 17 and the rest of the conversation does not tally with "my uncle" because Shu Yi imagined Shi Yan's awards. At this point, Shi Yan is "the uncle". So, Mango translation is correct.

I wonder if Viki changed their translation? I've watched this part twice already (I'm on my 3rd watch of the drama) and it didn't confuse me before. Somebody needs to tell Viki about the confusing translation.

In Viki, the subtitle is "Is he better than my uncle?" and Shu Yi responds, "He seems to be as good as your uncle".

They do have other conversations where they talk about "the uncle", but Shu Yi's response here corroborates "my uncle".

You need to bring on your sense of humor to appreciate this. I like the combination of romance, comedy and office politics, challenges and triumphs. I'm watching it a 3rd time. It has become my happy pill when I need a mood-lifter after watching depressing western shows.

thank you ! I'm glad this review made you reconsider this drama. I enjoyed it a lot and felt it truly a pity that it got targeted for defamation. It has, in fact, become my happy pill whenever I feel low after watching depressing Hollywood shows. I am currently watching it a 3rd time :) Don't forget to watch the special :)

I didn't get bored at all and I didn't think there was too much discussion about returning overseas workers considering it's related to Shu Yi's work. I find it amusing that you are comparing "Only For Love" with "All The President's Men". The former is flattered with the compliment I'm sure 🤣 As much as I have long accepted propaganda in cdramas, so have I accepted the fact that the writing and direction in cdramas cannot compare with those of western shows, let alone an Oscar-winning movie. But cdramas give me a different kind of experience and enjoyment I cannot get from Oscar-winning movies. In fact, I have just watched a succession of western shows on Netflix that all left me feeling depressed. So now I'm rewatching Only For Love to lift my mood.

lol yup, I don't think they found it, at least in this video: https://twitter.com/KARINLISA23/status/1746333199364698448

and they clapped merrily for each other. the three of them, with Zhao Lusi, were having fun that night.

The main character in OFL is Shu Yi, a reporter. One of the stories she is writing is about Chinese overseas workers who are coming home. So of course, they'd talk about it in length. Blatant propaganda is actually less menacing. If viewers are aware of something being propaganda, they can brush it aside. I'm even amused at blatant propaganda. But subtle/subliminal propaganda is more sinister because viewers could treat them as facts. For example, is it a fact that streets in China are clean? That hospitals are clean and efficient? That apartments in superior locations, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to balconies with spectacular views, are affordable to entry-level employees?

I actually live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Being a justice-loving American, I abhor slander. I just saw your list of completed dramas, including about 5 cdramas, I guess not that many to allow you to understand what I meant with propaganda happening in a lot of cdramas. I have actually long accepted the fact that cdramas are tools of Chinese propaganda. I noticed that you watched The Rational Life. I love that drama, but the propaganda there, while subtler, is no less rampant. It shows how beautiful Shanghai is, it's like living in the US, with clean streets, apartments with roof-to-floor glass doors leading to balconies with spectacular views, nice grocery stores, luxury shopping malls, clean and efficient hospitals, etc. TRL also features state-of-the-art electric cars. It boggles the mind why state-of-the-art chip production would offend you so much while you seem okay with state-of-the-art electric cars.

Criticism based on truth, justice and logic supports democracy. But criticism based on injustice, nonsense, malice and evil intention to bring something down is an assault against democracy. Only For Love stars Shi Yan, a visionary, a forward thinker. That he would want to be involved in state-of-the-art techonology is the most logical direction this drama could take. Anybody who understands Shi Yan would appreciate how the drama backs up his vision with his actual involvement in what he believes in - helping startups succeed. Since he's a visionary, of course he'd be interested in the latest technology. It's pure logic.