1. Story, Writing & Direction: The story isn't new. It’s simple high school centric plot focusing on the struggles of being a teenager. The plot revolved around first love, friendship and the trials of adulting. But what makes this cliché story a complete knockout…is its execution. There is nothing more satisfying than witnessing a familiar story but with crystal direction, inspired writing and perfect screenplay. The trio needs to be in sync with each other to create magic onscreen. There were no disjoined moments, or episodes which felt un-organic. The story flew from one frame to another with ridiculous ease and believability. The series on the paper was visualized impeccably, making the direction easier. Special shout out to the team behind the camera who put all their ideas together and came up with this show.
2. Characters & Acting (Secondary Actors): Oh boy….where do I begin? If there’s anything that’ll leave a lasting impact on the viewers after watching this show…then that’s the characters. Every character in this story was strategically placed with certain meaning attached to their existence. Let me start with the secondary characters. Even if their purpose was not to show what they believed or what their world is like, their role in extracting the best reactions out of our leads was done splendidly. The friends and family of our leads did a great job of creating an authentic world. The group of six friends of the lead (Hao Ting) and second lead actor (Sun Bo Xiang) is the emotional backbone of this story. All the actors were ridiculously cute, honest, and natural in their portrayal of teenagers. The mother, father and sister of our lead character Hao Ting were the endearing parts of the story. Their presence added immense depth in the story and created a complex emotional narrative.
3. Main Leads: This is the part I’ve been dying to discuss. Let me make a prediction….WAYNE SONG (HAO TING) WILL WIN A GOLDEN HORSE VERY SOON. Why you ask? We usually use terms like “natural” or “gifted” to describe people who are exceptional at what they do……Wayne Song definitely falls under this category. This man can act….not act….but like ACT! He is so freaking good at this job that I thank my stars that he pursued this profession. His character was brilliantly layered. Hao Ting goes through various transitions throughout the story. He is witty, funny, silly, dumb, mean, innocent, naïve, aggressive, passionate, persuasive, straightforward, impulsive, hotheaded, caring and so on. I can probably go on but you get the drift. Wayne absorbed this character like a sponge! His improvisational skills, presence of mind and ease of portraying conflicting emotions makes me want to commend him again and again. I am damn sure that he will go places after this show as he bloody deserves it. This man’s acting chops are no joke. Definitely the next big thing in Taiwanese entertainment industry.
Huang Juan Zhi played by Yu Xi Gu is a shy, serious hardworking overachieving student. I am in absolute awe of this man’s ability to portray vulnerability and delicate emotions. He is the yin to Wayne Song’s Yang, and without him I doubt Wayne’s performance would’ve been this mesmerizing. Yu Xi Gu was subtle in presenting his character to the audience while not missing the essence of who he is. Not once did he break his character as he evolved in his journey with Wayne which is a testament of his talent. Now talking about the second leads….Wilson Liu played Sun Bo Xiang is a temperamental, passionate and loyal teenager who can swallow the world with his conviction and heart. Being the youngest out of the four, one would think Wilson would be lacking in some ways….but that would be wrong. He was very polished in his craft and presented a raw performance. His ease in front of the camera is visible, which makes his performance much more enjoyable. Thomas Chang played Lu Zhi Gang, an adult who seems sorted in life but in reality is burdened by his past emotional baggage. He portrayed his character just the way it should’ve been, sweet, reserved, caring and restrained. I am yet to be convinced about Thomas’ acting, probably because his character had limited emotional palette (according to me). Maybe after seeing his future projects I will be able to judge him better.
All in all, this show is abso-freaking-lutely amazing!!! As much as I liked Boundary Crossing and Trapped (Chris Wu is adorable), MYDC has raised the bar super high for upcoming BL shows. This one will be remembered for times to come and gain a cult following (I can already see that happening). I have seen many shows, too many to list and I’ve never shed a single tear (never been one of those people who can cry watching movies or dramas)……but I actually cried after watching MYCD. The emotional rollercoaster of MYCD is an experience in itself that needs to be undertaken at least once.
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THE DARK HORSE OF K-DRAMA IN 2023 !!!!
Well hello look what we have here.....the wild dark horse of the kdrama world in the year 2023 !! I don't hold bias against makjang shows but I can be picky. After reading so many rave reviews, my curiosity got the best of me and man was I not disappointed.What a fun, fast paced, satisfying guilty pleasure of a show. So much plot squeazed in each ep, constant twist & turns, excellent romance & great ending. Definitely worth watching if you don't mind k soap operas. There's nothing new in this show which hasn't been seen in other dramas of this genre....family, revenge, toxic relations, betrayal, fury, psychopathic characters, twisted bonds & love. However the execution of the story was top notch and the production was appropriate for the times we are in....unlike the usual case when makjang shows are produced with 2010s aesthetic.
Both the leads were great & had brilliant chemistry. They are the perfect glue that brings the whole story together. I highly recommend everyone to give it a watch if you're bored watching fluff shows with zero plots or slow slice of life dramas. This is the perfect in transition drama.
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Got smacked REAL HARD in my FEELS !!!
I don't know when was the last time I saw a show that was so typical yet so distinctive at the same time. There is something so refreshing and stand apart about Crush, that it compelled me to write this review. As someone who usually prefers Kdramas/Jdramas over Cdramas, I was definitely up for a surprise. Following are my views on this show :)AWE-WORTHY TRAITS
1) The Wow Factor
The first half of this show (1-15/16 eps) is stellar. Even if there are flaws I refuse to analyse it because the feel good factor is off the charts. Watching these episodes you'll feel as if you're transported inside an innocent world, devoid of any malice and toxicity. One of my biggest criticism of c-drama romantic shows is that they all seem very trope based and synthetic without any original characters. The stories seem recycled and the world in which these stories reside tend to be repetitive (ofourse same can be said about kdramas or jdramas but their treatment of story/characters is somewhat better #according to me). However, this was not the case with Crush. Even if visual impairment has been portrayed in many Asian dramas in the past, I was pleasantly surprised to see the sincerity with which this aspect of the story was executed. What was even more beautiful to witness, was the honesty of the relationship that shined through so brightly from the first episode itself.
2) Unexpected Cast
Did I know Evan Lin before this show? NOPE. Will I remember him after watching this show? Heck Ya! For drama addicts like me, Evan Lin is the big reward we are left with after our drama treasure hunt. Why? Because I know that from now on whatever this man is going to be featured in I will check it out for sure. He......was......incredible. Not to mention that this is his debut show, he reminded me of Japanese actor Okada Kenshi for surprising the world with his unexpected acting prowess. Evan Lin was subtle yet effective, conscious yet effortless and brooding yet charming. As an actor he commands the attention of the audience, without overpowering his co-actor or the story. On the other hand, I'd seen past few shows of Wan Peng but it was only in this show that I realized how capable she is as an actor. If Evan was the canvas for the story, then she was the landscape painted on it. I cannot wait to see what her next project will be.
3) Overall Aesthetics
This is probably one of the first modern cdrams (excluding wuxia shows) I felt where they got the music right down to the scratch. I felt every song sat well with the narration and added more layers to the story. The cinematic aesthetic was also breathtaking. There was a poignant way of story telling in every frame. The stillness and awkwardness of the characters was captured beautifully by various camera angles. The lighting was soft yet abundant and the production value was definitely above average.
4) Memorable Romance
The journey we take as an audience with our main couple is nothing short of an adventure. The evolution of their relationship, the blossoming of their characters and their melt worthy interactions is everything we can ask for. Cold man-chirpy woman trope has been used and reused in gazillion Asian shows. I was under the impression that there's nothing that can surprise me about this trope anymore, and then Crush happened. The man is cold but not too cold akin to heartlessness (A Love so Beautiful I'm talking to you) and the girl is bright but not make you annoyed with her stupidity bright. Their interactions did not seem forced, their conversations were not rigid, their skinship did not seem weird and their emotions did not seem half baked. All in all I was very pleased with the pacing and progress of their relationship. It seemed not only believable but most importantly enjoyable. Their chemistry, biology, physics, geography everything was on-point. This ship sails the best of seas and makes waves in our hearts for all the right reasons.
NOT SO AWE-WORTHY TRAITS
My only criticism of this show has to be about some aspects of the second half.
1) I was disappointed to see that the wondrous character of Su Nian Qin/Ye Jin is dragged around by the overpowering CEO trope in the later episodes. The charm of the show is the sensitive, cold, closed-off yet honest and caring Su Nian Qin. It almost seemed like he becomes a completely different character by the end of the show. It was only because of Evan Lin's performance that sustained me till the 24th ep.
2) Also, his career change was not only difficult to believe and slightly ridiculous but also sad to witness. This story choice signaled to the world that this is the only way one can be viewed as successful, rest all career choices and lifestyle are not worthy of society's attention.
3) Apart from this, Cheng Yin twist was madly uncomfortable to watch. I found it absolutely unnecessary as it served no purpose for the story or our main characters. Rather it was just a story arc that was left without any proper closure.
4) The second leads were bland as boiled potatoes without any seasoning. They were astonishingly stiff characters without any substance to them. Simply put, a poorly sketched relationship. They were used as fillers which sometimes dragged the story.
All in all this series started at 9.5 for me but ended up being 8.5 because of the second half. However, it was a great show which I know I will revisit again in few months. Romance drama lovers cannot miss this one whatsoever.
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The music is average nothing spectacular. The two negative characters of the show were absolutely successful in making me hate them from my very core. The supporting cast is not memorable but they weren’t bad either. Basically it’s a show run by the two leads. All in all you can give this one a shot if you don’t mind the usual bubblegum princess-y cliches with good execution and want to see some mesmerising romantic feels created by the leads.
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