Eleison

I haven't seen The Red Sleeve, but people really seemed to love him in that (though might want to research if the ending will be your cup of tea first). I don't really care for office dramas, but he is also quite good in The Good Manager as an annoying character that grows on you. 😅

Yes, minus the ML's noble idiocy near the end. 🙄

Yeah, the ML got worse and worse for me as the Cdrama continued (and there were several deeply frustrating characters; even the ML's dad was kind of a deadbeat, and the FL's friend's mom... 😱. Yikes. I eventually just had to skip all her scenes). And I can't fathom why more people didn't seem to have a problem with the ML. He was so clingy, unhealthy, and seriously needed therapy. 😅 (People/women should not be used as a coping mechanism or methadone for things they need to get help for; the ML had trauma I'm sure as his mom was CRAZY).

I ended the drama with the impression that everyone featured needed some serious therapy sessions. 😅 I'm looking forward to seeing if this drama does something similar to what Thailand's BOFs did to BOFs: improved and consolidated pacing, updated how problematic issues were dealt with, and strengthened the storytelling of key character arcs as well as end the drama in a more complete fashion (never did care much for the Korean ending; didn't even make it through the second half of the Japanese version (though I liked the ending of the first half)).

I understand attachment to originals, but since I had mixed feelings about the original from the start, I'll have more openness towards this drama's recreation of the original, I think. We'll see, I guess! 😉

I loved this. But I'll start with a gripe so I can end on a good note.

I remember interacting with an MDL user once who said she didn't like Cdramas because they glorified work in an unhealthy way. That stuck. I thought it was interesting, since I expected Chinese entertainment to portray more traditional family dynamics, being a traditionally patriarchal country. But I discovered this is not the case. Almost all dramas portray both spouses working in some capacity. So, as I've watched more Cdramas, unfortunately I think this critique is true. I'm not sure if this is just a Chinese ethic or if it's propaganda from the government (any time a drama portrays the government as "goodhearted" and "functional" instantly smells fishy; there is no such government. And entertainment is the place where much of that critique happens in countries with the freedom to speak their mind in media (but not so in Cdramas! It makes me a bit leary)). While the writer and/or director managed to meld this glorifying of work into a much healthier and more tempered message about healing (that includes taking something of a break from work, but not really, because Hongdou can't help but jump in again) and finding your passion, discovering who you are, finding a partner to build a life of mutual dignity and respect with, and figuring out what you want in life, it still smacked of the clear message, "Every good, responsible citizen will do their part." But again, the glorifying of work (thankfully) was almost smothered by the more positive, cozy, and upbeat elements of this story, and these allowed me to embrace it despite some of the drawbacks.

On to what I loved.

The drama just oozed cozy, comfy, and relaxing vibes. The plot plods along at a gentle, soothing pace, like a stream flowing slowly and calmly to its destination. The leads' relationshop was one of the healthiest I've seen in a modern Cdrama. It was all just so comforting and like a warm hug (my favorite kind of slice of life drama). It does remind me of Hometown Cha Cha Cha in ways, but it's a much slower pace, and very little drama or angst in comparison. I love the quiet, ambient moments where a person is just filmed enjoying a breeze in Youfeng Couryard, or sipping a cup of tea as steam wafts from their drink, or we see a cat stretching and yawning as wind chimes sound in the background or encounter shots that almost felt like snapshots or still lifes of the countryside in all its quaint beauty (I can totally see why this area boomed with tourism after this drama aired!).

Finally, as I was close to finishing the drama, I thought about how much Hongdou's life was changed (for the better) by traveling to Yunnan. And it was all because of Chen Nanxing. If it weren't for Chen Nanxing's death, Hongdou would never have gone to Yunnan, and she would never have grown, blossomed and flourished like we see her do as she rediscovers who she is, and what she wants in life. Nanxing changed Hongdou's life, but also so many other people's lives by extension. What a beautiful legacy! I hope my death can mean as much (whenever it happens, haha).

I just loved watching Hongdou grieve, heal, fall in love, and find her feet and stumble upon her passion unexpectedly. It was beautiful, and inspiring.

P.S. Granny has to be my favorite old grandma from any drama to date.

P.P.S. The music was perfect.

His "no strings attached" confession was very kind and selfless--just wanting to give her a fond memory; he wasn't upset when she didn't say yes, and didn't make her feel bad for leaving and moving forward with her own future.

I also loved that he didn't want to ask her to give up her life and future plans to stay with him; he couldn't ask it because he knew he couldn't reciprocate and give up everything for her. "Why do we always assume the woman has to give up her life for the man's dreams?" That was so insightful, sweet, caring and thoughtful!

Damai is so cute! She's got the most adorable mannerisms.

Amnesia plots are also not my favorite Kdrama trope, but I actually liked Season 2. I loved the FL, and I saw her as Naksu would have been if she'd never been trained to become an assassin (the actress is adorable). She's still clever and resourceful, but has to use different means than Season 1 to get what she wants. It also has a lot more romance/tomantic tension, though Jang Uk is very jaded in comparison with his peppy self in Season 1, but he was literally killed by his lover, so... I get why he's so calloused in Season 2. The writing wasn't perfect, yes, and the memory loss was drawn out longer than it probably should have been, but Season 1 has its share of poor writing as well, with what I thought was a good amount of filler, especially near the end.

I enjoyed the happy ending, and thought it ended well. Another thing I liked was how the roles of Naksu and Uk got flipped in Season 2. Jang Uk is bright-eyed, tenacious and hopeful in Season 1; Naksu, jaded and cynical. Those roles get reversed in Season 2, and I liked the parallels and watching Jang Uk fall in love with the same girl all over again. 😉

Well, I suppose the good news is you don't ever have to watch it again. 😂

It flip flops the main leads' roles in this season. Did you notice? I liked Season 2, but a lot of people were displeased. It's definitely not everyone's thing. 😉

Which actor is "the man who appears in front of her"? 😅

Yes! And they got the writing for LJS's character's been-doing-this-for-ten-years persona down to a T (with all the pros of familiarity, skill and expertise but all the cons of the daily grind... the worldy-weariness that comes from both the grind AND working day in and day out with messed up humans. The portrayal was just SPOT ON). I'm not a lawyer, but I have also been in my profession for about as long as the ML in this, and I resonated hardcore with all the little nuanced subtleties of his character's journey and time of life. It was like having someone hold up a mirror. 😅

Slice of Life does seem to be less popular with users on this site, as well as slice of life that's light on the romance when people expected it to be more of an emphasis. 😉 Then people get disappointed cause their expectations get dashed and then say the drama is "boring" or "badly written." 😔

Yeah, the synopsis made no sense. 😅 English words being used, but no coherence. 😬

The ML annoyed me at times, too. A lot of modern MLs in Cdramas are like this: jealous, petty, and possessive. That said, Sang Yan does improve. A lot of people on here seem to think he was perfect; I don't think he was, and besides that, his devotion to the FL is pure fantasy (if someone was that fixated in real life I think it'd actually border on the creepy). I still ended up liking him (love the actor, and there are things the character does that are admirable and really sweet abd thoughtful) as well as the romance, even if I didn't like everything about the drama.

Me too!

To be sure, I can, haha. I wasn't critiquing, just observing. 😉 Clearly historical accuracy is not what most dramas go for (and that's fine), but I was just curious if some dramas I haven't seen maybe don't fit the "take liberties with history" pattern I've seen.

I had a bad feeling about the nonchalant way those wild mushrooms were being handled... 🫣

It is a little slow, but it's also cozy; I absolutely love the music. ☺️

The only drama I liked him in was My Mister. He played a great morally gray, troubled-soul bully. 😅

This is my second drama with Liu Yifei and she has had good chemistry with both MLs. She's good at the banter and flirting. She has a unique way of carrying herself amongst her female costars so she just stands out.