1
Seen and Loved!
This show was a very pleasant surprise to come across!
I was a bit worried whether they'd be able to pull off the disability rep, as that can be quite a difficult subject to tackle especially if your entire cast is able-bodied, and was incredibly happy to see how much care and attention to detail went into it here.
I'm by no means an expert either, but the portrayal of the daily life of deaf individuals was thoughtful and accurate.
I also very much appreciate the switch-up of the "disabled person and their caretaker" trope: here, Shaopeng our deaf protagonist IS the caretaker. He is a trained nurse, intelligent, and capable, whereas our able-bodied protagonist Zixiang often isn't.
Most refreshingly of all the show gracefully avoids the pitfall of having Shaopeng be perfect and all-powerful to prove he's just as capable as anyone else - strong and resourceful as Shaopeng is, he still gets to be a flawed and deeply human character who rails against his limitations in painfully relatable ways.
On top of all that the story is simply FUN - it's silly and sweet with an off-beat humour that works perfectly most of the time. Even cliches such as the accidental fall and kiss are enjoyably tongue-in-cheek and lend the show a zany sort of charm which I loved. I wasn't the biggest fan of the comedy sound effects used, but thankfully those die down pretty quickly after the first couple of episodes, so don't let them put you off!
I have also rarely seen a show which so comprehensively refuses to treat its antagonists as a real problem, and I do very much mean that as a compliment.
The only real complaints I have are that Fengjie and Xinjia's story feels a bit underdeveloped and heteronormative at times and that I wish we had gotten to see more of my beloved chaos lesbians Jessica and Shuhe.
So if you're in the market for a solid rom-com, a show with kick-ass disabled characters, or just a silly good time - look no further! This is the show for you!
I was a bit worried whether they'd be able to pull off the disability rep, as that can be quite a difficult subject to tackle especially if your entire cast is able-bodied, and was incredibly happy to see how much care and attention to detail went into it here.
I'm by no means an expert either, but the portrayal of the daily life of deaf individuals was thoughtful and accurate.
I also very much appreciate the switch-up of the "disabled person and their caretaker" trope: here, Shaopeng our deaf protagonist IS the caretaker. He is a trained nurse, intelligent, and capable, whereas our able-bodied protagonist Zixiang often isn't.
Most refreshingly of all the show gracefully avoids the pitfall of having Shaopeng be perfect and all-powerful to prove he's just as capable as anyone else - strong and resourceful as Shaopeng is, he still gets to be a flawed and deeply human character who rails against his limitations in painfully relatable ways.
On top of all that the story is simply FUN - it's silly and sweet with an off-beat humour that works perfectly most of the time. Even cliches such as the accidental fall and kiss are enjoyably tongue-in-cheek and lend the show a zany sort of charm which I loved. I wasn't the biggest fan of the comedy sound effects used, but thankfully those die down pretty quickly after the first couple of episodes, so don't let them put you off!
I have also rarely seen a show which so comprehensively refuses to treat its antagonists as a real problem, and I do very much mean that as a compliment.
The only real complaints I have are that Fengjie and Xinjia's story feels a bit underdeveloped and heteronormative at times and that I wish we had gotten to see more of my beloved chaos lesbians Jessica and Shuhe.
So if you're in the market for a solid rom-com, a show with kick-ass disabled characters, or just a silly good time - look no further! This is the show for you!
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