CKDramaddicts

It's very toxic, but this show does a really interesting job at peeling back the layers of these characters to show they aren't just two-dimensional villains. I really did not expect to have any sympathy or empathy for any of the villains, but found myself feeling kind of sorry for them despite all the terrible things they did! :O (Not to say their actions are forgivable, but still...)

You're not the only one 😂😂

Yes, I can see the similarities a bit! And she was Jie Li in Love Between Fairy and Devil.

Both are soo ridiculous and soapy, but we can't help but keep watching, lol

This is one of the most grounded, realistic contemporary C-drama romances I've seen. This show did a really great job with character journeys and showing that people aren't just one-dimensional villains and protagonists. I loved how so many secondary and tertiary characters had these mini arcs that really showed their inner lives vs the pretensions they presented at work and to others. I started off really loathing several characters, but by the end, I felt empathy for pretty much everyone to varying degrees. Redemption arcs weren't thrown in from left field just for the sake of redeeming them, but rather to show their humanity and vulnerability. Of course, the leads were also great. The "reformed rake" trope is perhaps the least realistic detail in this drama, lol, but Elvis Han does such a good job with his character and he meets his match in Elvira Cai's portrayal of Tang Ying, that you can't help but completely believe in him and root for their relationship.

But 14 episodes that are 60-70 minutes long, so really it's closer to 24+ episodes by normal 35-45 minute c-drama standards. It does feel like it i simultaneously intimate and also a slow-burn, somehow!

For this particular research, most of the women she followed were in their late 30s and 40s to 50s. Disillusioned by their cheating husbands, too old for men to want to marry, or get hired/start a career.

If there is further interest, there is a book that just came out called "Seeking Western Men: email order brides under China's Global Rise". In it, it talks about why some women go that route instead - for many, they are divorced women whose husbands cheated on them, so they think Western men are better, but also, because of their divorce, their own economic situation has become precarious, so they are also looking for economic stability. But of course, the reality with many of the Western husbands they find is very different than what they expected and also sad.

curious which drama was this?

I just started this, and I already can't stand the little sister/cousin right now. She's incredibly self-centered and juvenile with her expectations and constant "testing" the guys, and basically looking for all the wrong things.

Edit: Turns out they're not sisters, since they talked about their mom's calling each other.

Sounds awesome!

Very curious if anyone knows why the sound quality comes and goes on many (almost all the ones I've checked out) of these YouTube "compilation/movie" versions of these mini-dramas? Sometimes it's the ambient background noise that disappears, sometimes it's the background music, but generally, every now and then, the sound becomes hollow and all we hear seems to be the dubbing track and nothing else, or weird faint squeaky noises, or a hollow version of the music. But if you watch the original short episodes, the sound is normal. I'm guessing maybe it's some legal/copyright issue, but I can't imagine what it could be...

There is a little down arrow button next to completed -- for other reviews, it's to report it, but for your own, it's an edit button. :)

As for scores -- I know what you mean! I usually take the reviews/scores/comments all into consideration, especially if it's a low-rated drama starring someone I like (or a high-rated drama starring someone I don't like, haha). For the *most* part, I find the scores *eventually* settle to close to around what I think a series deserves, but sometimes that takes a few months. It doesn't always work out though especially if not a lot of people are watching it. (My friend is checking out Chen Jingke's Let's Tug It, and she says it's actually good, but not a lot of viewers or promotion for it).

There are definitely a few exceptions where I think something deserves to be a lot higher or like you pointed out, some shows are over-rated relative to something else I like! I don't expect this one to score much higher than a low 8, but I definitely hope to see it climb to at least an 8 an attract more viewers.

I'm looking forward to checking out Parallel World! It's on my watch list :)

I really enjoyed the gentle quietness of this drama and think it deserves a much higher score, but I genuinely think the sudden drop is because the drama just finished airing yesterday, so people finally gave their rating after seeing the last episode, with many watchers coming in not knowing what to expect. I typically don't give mine until I've finished watching either. I think the low number of initial viewer ratings will also skew results. Usually for C-dramas, especially ones with less than 3-400 ratings, I wait a few months/until more people have watched it -- and those are usually people specifically seeking out certain types of dramas (so no surprises) -- to see a number that I think is more accurate. (I can see people coming in now might find this drama a bit bland for their tastes since they didn't know what to expect, but now that it's done airing, a new group of viewers who like this type of quiet slice-of-village-life will hopefully discover it.)

I find the same thing happens for popular dramas where people suspect trolls are downvoting it -- they come when the show is airing, but 1) either a lot of the fans are also upvoting and giving impossible 10s, or 2) once the show is done airing and the trolls have moved on, the "normal" viewers watch and give more sensible ratings. So even if there was something more intentional going on, I find that in most cases everything ultimately balances out either way.

This is the rare show where the 2ML/2FL's pursuit of the FL/ML doesn't feel annoying most of the time, and in the final quarter, you like them even more for the very mature way they handle the rejection, and their moral sense of not crossing the line.

I'm really enjoying this show overall too -- yes, it isn't super exciting or fast-paced, one secondary pairing that's a bit weird, and some flaws, but there is something about the likability of the leads, the OTP, the villagers, the overall gentleness of the slice-of-village-life story that just feels really nice. The scenery (filmed on location in Xishuan Banna, Yunnan) is also lovely.

😂😂

After my earlier frustration with JB not speaking up for SY when others trash talked him behind his back, it was sooo satisfying seeing someone finally put these super toxic clients in their place, but especially satisfying coming from SY (and even the ex!). I know the fallout is really, really bad, but from a Dramaland relationship perspective, it was just really great to see SY take a stand like that when someone badmouthed someone he cared about.

Ha, I notice the lighting change all the time in c dramas! You'd think it took them 2 hours to get from A to B, lol.

I loved episode 34 -- so many touching moments, heartful and honest dialogue, and examples of great communication in relationships -- between JB and the mom, SY and his dad, SY and JB. While the mom could've handled the entire situation much better, including talking to her son, I also understood where she was coming from, both as a mom and JB's friend. Imagine if you found out your friend was in a relationship with your son! It's a lot to unpack and digest. You also really felt the growth in everyone's relationships, especially between JB and SY. JB promised his mom she wouldn't hurt him, and then she did anyway when she was at a particularly low moment, but then SY knew to be patient with her and support her within his ability, giving her time to open herself up to him, which also really shed light on how and why she became so jaded and closed off over the years. The whole episode was just well done.

For me, it is mainly the terrible ex-husband and one of the ML's bosses. But a lot of people also find the FL's interfering niece, her friend (a boy), and the boy's uncle also annoying (I don't mind them). But it's well written, and the FL and ML are great, and the ML's friends are wonderful, and the ML's parents are funny and sweet (even though they also have frustrating moments).