1
A feel-good show without much real conflict
At its core, this is a feel-good story of a likable person winning at life. Before transmigration she was sad and lonely, so we feel extra good watching her find fulfillment and happiness in this unexpected second chance. She is loved and supported by kind people around her, and she in turn lifts them up while putting bullies and villains in their places, creating warm and fuzzy vibes all around.
Xia Xiaolan pre-transmigration is in her mid 30s, so it’s nice that she has a little life experience, along with knowledge of a future world and the courage of a second chance, to back up some of her amazing abilities. She’s also genuine enough, and we get enough of her interior monologue, that she doesn’t feel pretentious or too unrelatable.
That said, even with all her advantages, Xiaolan really has no business being so successful. She wins at two very different career paths. Everything she attempts goes well and everything she predicts comes true. It’s not even a matter of abilities or future knowledge at that point- it seems to be more luck, coincidence, and other random plot armor that make things happen. And she’s so confident through it all that there really is no suspense.
It’s all pleasantly low-stress, just not really that interesting to watch. I was over it in less than 10 episodes. What kept me invested was this whole business with the transmigration. I love how it stays relevant throughout the entire show, as she worries about when her dream will end and how the people she leaves behind will cope. The transmigration framework is the real antagonist of the show, not any of those cartoonishly mean-spirited, woefully outmatched opponents she squashes along the way.
But this part of the story develops incredibly slowly. I basically blew through the show at 1.5X speed just to see how it would turn out. It comes up regularly but nothing really happens until the very end, and I wouldn’t say the resolution is that satisfactory, so I don’t think it’s a good reason to keep watching unless you’re enjoying the rest of the story.
There is a romance, but it’s not as much a focus as you might expect. Zhou Cheng is capable and supportive (“just her type” haha), but he’s only one part of her life. Sometimes, especially towards the beginning, it feels like she’s more important to him than he is to her. But that might be because the narrative focus is on her. I’ve seen this sort of thing in male-focused dramas before and it’s really nice to see the gender reversal here.
Their relationship is very healthy and steady, so much so that I actually found myself enjoying its few hiccups. There is just so little drama or suspense in the entire story. My favorite character is Du Zhaohui who actually evolves some depth (and whose cheeky, Cantonese-accented snark gets more and more endearing). There are other good things about this show- some well-spoken life truths and reflections, good humor that makes you cackle, a really lovely mother-daughter relationship- I’d say it’s all things to make you feel good, though not enough to keep you riveted.
Acting-wise, I always like Zhou Ye. Here she brings a down-to-earth energy that keeps me liking her character, despite all her confidence and successes. I thought everyone else did a pretty good job too, but it’s hard for me to judge since I watched it all sped up.
I also really love the music, from the lovely background music to the 1980s Cantopop to the OST itself. The songs play to celebrate things like family togetherness, optimism for the future, and nostalgic life moments, which gives sweet and heartwarming vibes.
As for the setting... this show is set in 1980s-90s China, which made me a bit wary of CCP propaganda. I think it’s there but ignorable. The show isn’t exactly historical; the cities (eg Shengcheng) are fictional, and important Chinese political developments are not mentioned. Instead, it seems to just be trying to capture and celebrate the excitement of rapid development in that phase of China’s history. It’s all portrayed very positively, as are police and law, and the value of hard work... so take that how you will.
To be honest, a lot of the values may not resonate with all audiences in today’s day and age. I cringed a bit at the gross consumerism, shameless capitalism, and predatory marketing tactics she celebrates, and her environmentally destructive luxury real estate development rubbed me the wrong way too (as a millennial who can’t afford a house). But I do think they were a big part of China's culture at the time, and it’s fair to put out a show reflecting that.
It is still fun to see the development of technologies, lifestyles, and the city itself, over the 10+ years. Fashion too- Xiaolan’s village girl outfits at the beginning are cute, but she quickly gets very stylish. Throughout the show she parades an impressive wardrobe of fantabulous outfits, and it is fun to see them evolving with fashion trends.
Overall, I don’t want to give a harsh rating to this sweet little show, but I also don’t think I should give more than a 6 or so to something I had to watch at 1.5X speed. It’s just not that interesting and the conflicts are too easy; for most of it, I felt like I was simply trying to get through to see the ending. At the same time, this is a show that makes you feel good, and that’s worth a lot too. It’s impossible not to smile as you watch Xiaolan celebrate the joyful moments of her life and reflect on her happiness. I didn’t fully appreciate this warm glow until the show ended and it disappeared. So +1 points for making me feel good, even if I was also a little bored.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
This is a happy but not exactly satisfying ending, as the tie-in to her modern life that I waited the entire show for only gets 10-15 minutes at the end.
The 1980s-90s storyline is in a pretty good place by the time Xiaolan suddenly disappears, so I was satisfied there. She wakes in the modern world again, but her experiences in the “dream” have given her courage and insight, so she is able now to fix her problems and turn her life around.
Throughout the show there are hints of Zhou Cheng’s maybe-presence all through her modern life, but they never come back to this idea. Instead, she passes by him at the end and they recognize each other. There is no explanation for it (perhaps they dreamed the same dream?) and no view of what happens afterwards. It probably has something to do with the censorship around transmigration, but I couldn't find anything online about a book ending or anything like that.
Xia Xiaolan pre-transmigration is in her mid 30s, so it’s nice that she has a little life experience, along with knowledge of a future world and the courage of a second chance, to back up some of her amazing abilities. She’s also genuine enough, and we get enough of her interior monologue, that she doesn’t feel pretentious or too unrelatable.
That said, even with all her advantages, Xiaolan really has no business being so successful. She wins at two very different career paths. Everything she attempts goes well and everything she predicts comes true. It’s not even a matter of abilities or future knowledge at that point- it seems to be more luck, coincidence, and other random plot armor that make things happen. And she’s so confident through it all that there really is no suspense.
It’s all pleasantly low-stress, just not really that interesting to watch. I was over it in less than 10 episodes. What kept me invested was this whole business with the transmigration. I love how it stays relevant throughout the entire show, as she worries about when her dream will end and how the people she leaves behind will cope. The transmigration framework is the real antagonist of the show, not any of those cartoonishly mean-spirited, woefully outmatched opponents she squashes along the way.
But this part of the story develops incredibly slowly. I basically blew through the show at 1.5X speed just to see how it would turn out. It comes up regularly but nothing really happens until the very end, and I wouldn’t say the resolution is that satisfactory, so I don’t think it’s a good reason to keep watching unless you’re enjoying the rest of the story.
There is a romance, but it’s not as much a focus as you might expect. Zhou Cheng is capable and supportive (“just her type” haha), but he’s only one part of her life. Sometimes, especially towards the beginning, it feels like she’s more important to him than he is to her. But that might be because the narrative focus is on her. I’ve seen this sort of thing in male-focused dramas before and it’s really nice to see the gender reversal here.
Their relationship is very healthy and steady, so much so that I actually found myself enjoying its few hiccups. There is just so little drama or suspense in the entire story. My favorite character is Du Zhaohui who actually evolves some depth (and whose cheeky, Cantonese-accented snark gets more and more endearing). There are other good things about this show- some well-spoken life truths and reflections, good humor that makes you cackle, a really lovely mother-daughter relationship- I’d say it’s all things to make you feel good, though not enough to keep you riveted.
Acting-wise, I always like Zhou Ye. Here she brings a down-to-earth energy that keeps me liking her character, despite all her confidence and successes. I thought everyone else did a pretty good job too, but it’s hard for me to judge since I watched it all sped up.
I also really love the music, from the lovely background music to the 1980s Cantopop to the OST itself. The songs play to celebrate things like family togetherness, optimism for the future, and nostalgic life moments, which gives sweet and heartwarming vibes.
As for the setting... this show is set in 1980s-90s China, which made me a bit wary of CCP propaganda. I think it’s there but ignorable. The show isn’t exactly historical; the cities (eg Shengcheng) are fictional, and important Chinese political developments are not mentioned. Instead, it seems to just be trying to capture and celebrate the excitement of rapid development in that phase of China’s history. It’s all portrayed very positively, as are police and law, and the value of hard work... so take that how you will.
To be honest, a lot of the values may not resonate with all audiences in today’s day and age. I cringed a bit at the gross consumerism, shameless capitalism, and predatory marketing tactics she celebrates, and her environmentally destructive luxury real estate development rubbed me the wrong way too (as a millennial who can’t afford a house). But I do think they were a big part of China's culture at the time, and it’s fair to put out a show reflecting that.
It is still fun to see the development of technologies, lifestyles, and the city itself, over the 10+ years. Fashion too- Xiaolan’s village girl outfits at the beginning are cute, but she quickly gets very stylish. Throughout the show she parades an impressive wardrobe of fantabulous outfits, and it is fun to see them evolving with fashion trends.
Overall, I don’t want to give a harsh rating to this sweet little show, but I also don’t think I should give more than a 6 or so to something I had to watch at 1.5X speed. It’s just not that interesting and the conflicts are too easy; for most of it, I felt like I was simply trying to get through to see the ending. At the same time, this is a show that makes you feel good, and that’s worth a lot too. It’s impossible not to smile as you watch Xiaolan celebrate the joyful moments of her life and reflect on her happiness. I didn’t fully appreciate this warm glow until the show ended and it disappeared. So +1 points for making me feel good, even if I was also a little bored.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
This is a happy but not exactly satisfying ending, as the tie-in to her modern life that I waited the entire show for only gets 10-15 minutes at the end.
The 1980s-90s storyline is in a pretty good place by the time Xiaolan suddenly disappears, so I was satisfied there. She wakes in the modern world again, but her experiences in the “dream” have given her courage and insight, so she is able now to fix her problems and turn her life around.
Throughout the show there are hints of Zhou Cheng’s maybe-presence all through her modern life, but they never come back to this idea. Instead, she passes by him at the end and they recognize each other. There is no explanation for it (perhaps they dreamed the same dream?) and no view of what happens afterwards. It probably has something to do with the censorship around transmigration, but I couldn't find anything online about a book ending or anything like that.
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