I needed a light romance even with possible tropes, for relaxing watch, and diving into You are My Fateful Love looks just like what I was looking for. Subtitles are OK despite my initial reluctance thinking of awful translations in the past, on Mango. Now on episode 3, I was laughing at the enduring Meteor Garden c-drama reference popping up: the writer protagonist was admitting without batting an eyelid that she built her character in the novel along the lines of a Hua Ze Lei, while the lawyer almost choked when she went on to describe the competing "novel" as being from a perspective like a Dao Ming Si! Would sweet and shy Ruan Yu cast herself as a Shan Cai next ? 🤣🤣🤣 How will Xu Huaisong appreciate the difference between these point of views and mindsets ? We got the fireworks from start and most here probably know the now classic romance drama referred to, so can try on "lenses/costumes" to watch the lawyer in the two different "cast", like mental cosplay... Not too threatening cat & mouse or fox & rabbit, but there's a playful element of hide and seek in this video talk! Game on... This looks like "classic" sweet Miles Wei romance. Perfect for relaxation. 🤭
I am going to watch today's episode now and not going to scroll down. But I saw the low reviews at the top. What…
Make your own opinion regardless of the mixed bag of reviews. Some less positive ones got frustrated, some excessively negative ones are dishonest, in my opinion. The end episodes may feel confusing and rushed to some who don't read spoiler explanations here. Or you may just focus on one part of what is shown to feed your pleasure since cinematography had brilliant moments. Sensibilities will differ. Fans will rally (as they should) to support their idols. Harsh critics may be too harsh, I prefer to read the bulk of reviews later when the dust has settled and if I have time, instead of following only other people's judgement on this. The drama is over now since express got released, for those willing to splurge in addition to "vip" subscription. I'll be moving on; finishing some I'd put on pause for POJ. Next, I don't know. Wishing you continued enjoyment in what you watch, twinty!
Fans... They are a mixed species See this : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z0tferwMsy8 ZLH gets protection from his agency, but Deng Kai apparently has to fend for himself. His real and reasonable, normally supportive fans are apparently not organized enough to serve as helpers to protect from stalkers getting too close. Some fan organizations do that. But there's always the random trophy hunters who think they can flash someone up his nostrils and stalk at the privies, yikes.
Consort Shu (Qi Rongyin) died in Qingyuan Palace: In order to frame Wei Yan, the old emperor ordered people to…
Thanks for explanation, I had not realized clearly in this drama version that there were TWO deadly fires in different palaces - but on what timeline ? This made the last part of the drama very confusing. Bad writing? Pitying the screenwriters who have to cope with such difficulties when trying to make a 200+ chapters novel fit into a "tiny" 40 episodes drama. And audiences who therefore end up thinking like: "who's that, where, what for? forget it... They try too hard."
Random, lusty, horndog comment: I'm not someone who particularly cares about looks/visuals of actors in dramas/movies.…
Oh yes, although at times, the foundation seemed a bit too thick on that "flawless" pale face with the cute mole 😂
I will still go on following ZLH, despite not having reached full fandom level for him yet, like you seem to have. He does look hot on close up, and he seems to be among the actors who can play with his eyes (I have a few in my faves, there, who could "melt rocks with their gazes"). He and some others, are eye candy,. The flowing robes fit him well, such as in the memorable shot of the yin yang twirling bath scene.
As for Chinese actors, I must admit I am very positively biased toward their streamlined visuals, even though the lack of hair on their faces often needs suspension of disbelief in ancient costume dramas. Pausing to examine makes them look too unnatural there : when did the characters get time to shave, if they had proper hormone levels? even if I know Chinese men have low natural pilosity, in real life : they don't often get full facial hair, and are often without hair on the torso. Clean shaven pale faces are the norm for characters who are supposed to be "refined", like the slender waists (which doesn't mean some can't show muscles). The high pony tails should be impractical in battle scenes, but we got used to them. It's fairy tale and I vastly enjoy it as such.
Reviews move around and are shifted every few days so very soon. You will see all the tens up top.
Agree. I have been disappointed, so will not rate 10 now (I never rate before end clap), but yes no less than 7, and most probably more from lenient me.
Douban rating is out already with 6.8, so given that there is usually a 2 pts more favorable rating on MDL, it should settle around 8.5 or a little more. We shall see.
If MDL raters are only idol worship audience, then Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei will attract the 10 ratings whatever the drama amounts to. Fans are loyal and support idols in whatever they do. I wouldn't blame them: it is in order.
Fans of the novel seem to have been a bit frustrated about the way the adaptation cut the story to rags to fit the too constrained format of 40 episodes. They might express their frustration in their ratings.
But 4 is indeed way too low. Are there some who got callously lower still? However frustrated some initially gushing audiences became, Zhu Yun does not deserve to be dragged down to the bin.
Holly crap!!I am not that surprised by the negative reviews But it was not that bad .......its even better than…
If it had stopped after our plucky Fan Changyu butcher heroine killed the giant, it would have been perfect 10 for me. I was already gushing about it, admiring the beautiful shots, etc. The rest became a murky mess, unfortunately, with some redeeming nice cinematography (a yin yang bath, fingers piercing the paper of a window...) but too many bloodbaths. I also keep wondering what happened to the gyrfalcon.
Zhu Yu drama probably lacked enough episodes for a better development.
Story of Wei Yan and Consort Shu reminds me of the story of leads of One and Only. Their story is quite similar.
To me these stories are very different.
Consort Shu and Wei Yan's story, although being an explanation for some of the convoluted events that grew from the fire "17 years earlier", is only told through a swiftly telegraphed account in the later part (glimpsed in some episodes). They were former childhood sweethearts but did have improper relations when she got to court. The murderous Late Emperor aided her suicide by having oil added to the fire, literally. WY survived to cover up scandals and become an accomplice of wrongdoings, killing witnesses (but forgetting one, strangely). Consort Shu is less than a support character in the drama, anyway (she was not even mentioned in the cast on MDL! You have to search elsewhere to find out that Zhong Ling'er got that tiny role! ) The drama is not very clear about Consort Shu's relationship with the Crown princess (played by Xia Fan Yin) who had Qi Min burned badly in order to hide his identity . So Qi Min got passed off as Sui Yuanhai (who died in the fire). But did Wei Yan know? Also mysterious remain the flashbacked meeting between the transmigrator Qianqian (yes we got some clues about that, not only from her mouth to mouth reviving of the drowning young man). The story is not straightforward, rather murky, and sometimes frustrating.
Zhousheng Cheng and Cui ShiYi's tragic story is central throughout One and Only, and the events are rather straightforward. There was no scandalous improper relationship, even when ZSC rescued his ward and disciple in the Jiangnan, from a kidnapping. ZSC had always been perceived as a threat by the court, so the new emperor schemed to have him get cruelly killed as a rebel, CSY had got forced back to court by her own family, but did not get formally married before her suicide (on the royal wedding day), so the story is in fact much simpler. The pair, knowing they could not be together even in platonic friends bond, vowed to meet again in another lifetime and that's what they did in the second part of the duology. (rebirth in Forever and Ever). They are the lead couple and the supporting ones don't rise much in comparison to them. Theirs is a tragic fate, but it is not tainted by sexual scandal.
Nevertheless, it is true that Zhu Yu is also very pleasing to watch with many striking images and details (the yin yang twirling bath scene etc). Even lesser characters in the story get some importance in the drama (uncle and aunt, etc, Lady Thirteen.. ). It is nice that most get some development, and that many events get played to symbolic importance, in this convoluted story that seemed so straightforward at first. Perhaps there were too many cuts to fit the 40 episodes length, so it blurred the line until rushing to end. (I keep wondering what happened to the pretty white gyrfalcon? Did it get stewed?)
The drama is based on a composite of real life models people and places. Were the following companies among them, I don't know (https://levintoys.goldsupplier.com/ 200-300 employees ; https://www.sourceready.com/supplier/detail/dongguan-yikang-plush-toys-co-ltd 500 to 1,000 employees. ) , Many plush toy makers operate for the claw machine or blind box businesses, and those manufacturing companies can be much smaller, manufacturing to demand. (My son is an avid collector of plush toys! His favorite is a brown kiwi from a claw machine; Myself, I have collected the zodiac themed "traditional design" plush toys in various sizes : small to hang from windshield mirror in car, big to have children ride on, and the Snake one served as adjustable neck pillow for long distances rides or flights).
It is interesting to see that the drama finally focused on the toy industry in China, rather than the ubiquitous fashion designing one which has become a tired trope. Here is an article from sourcing point of view, about some leading toy manufacturers in China, https://www.zhorya.com/blog/top-toy-manufacturers-in-china There are many lists like that, this is only one. China is very big....
Personally, although the manufacturing industry was not my primary area of expertise, I have worked in many different capacities, giving me the opportunity to meet and work with all sorts of people, in China. The workplace environment in the PRC has often a different corporate culture from many in the West. It can be harsh, sweatshop like ("My Destiny" drama featured one in the fashion garment factory episodes), but there are also, more enduring and successful corporations who draw on "troops loyalty" like in the company founded by FWZ, who provided a better, nurturing, inclusive environment for the workers, setting time for them for family or health, providing insurance, dorms and good quality canteens. These are not just dreams : I visited one such "paternalistic" business in the early 1990s in the Jiangnan, and my own son went for a 12 weeks "international experience" internship in an industrial factory there, last summer.
The drama does aim to serve as incentive for young people to chase their dreams. encouraging young talents to do so in hi tech, arts, architecture, even service and military (ready to combat all sorts of catastrophes, from earthquakes to snow or floods) ... not forgetting always continuing education. This is the role model offered : and it is indeed one reason why China vibrantly emerged as it did since the Reform era. Don't get shackled by too many old and unrelated norms, make your way and if you fall, make mistakes, get back up to fight like FWZ and her chosen sisters (who are not perfect, have flaws, but use their talents in synergy - and sing very well, rejoicing our ears) 🙂
Here are some explanations about Douban quoted from some observers with whom I agree: "⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Douban 8+ rating: A good drama ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐ Douban 6 or 7 rating: Depends, consider if the genre (youth/idol, murder mystery, etc.) is your liking ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Douban 5 or below: Probably don't watch it Douban with less than 50k ratings: Probably not large budget, didn't have a societal impact in China. May have inflated ratings due to low sample size. Better really want to watch it, if you watch it. Douban with 100k+ ratings: A drama that many people have watched, either for the actors, high budget, viral nature. Consider watching a 6 or 7 rating drama with many ratings, if only for the spectacle, societal impact, memes, etc... A 8+ rating drama with 100k+ ratings = MUST WATCH!"
"Douban is the most unbiased review site in my mind. kisskh is way too slanted to idol/youth dramas. Douban has a slight bias towards propaganda/cultural themed and adult targeted shows but.. they're also really good. Douban does have an issue with review bombing over certain things though to watch out for (🍵😤 hate over a certain actor/actress, aspect of the show). Overall if I'm honest though.. Douban cares more about QUALITY, bottom line. " Douban audiences are very critical of certain things that international audiences may ignore, like common tropes and cliches in romance/idol dramas, the use of voice dubs, the use of traffic stars that audiences have a bad impression on their acting and etc."
-> In "My Destiny" there is no mention of dubbers, and the songs are really sung, quite well, by the actresses, in the episodes where they "performed" ; Seven Tan is quite appreciated in China but is not viewed as a flamboyant traffic star, somewhat differently from the overseas audience appreciation (was it because some episodes of "Go Ahead" were used in the past as a learning tool to teach mandarin to foreigners, so her name stuck in minds? I don't know.)
"There are also things that Chinese audiences find unrealistic but international fans will fail to notice that make the drama's rating lower. For example, modern drama that features work place will get a lot of criticism if it fails to do justice to the profession or workplace, while international audiences may fail to tell if it's realistic or not."
--> Among business themed dramas, "Wild Bloom" stands out with 8.2 Douban rating from 460,642 ratings....
Those who want to criticize "My Destiny" should better compare it to that drama, instead of bringing up their favorite "Best Choice Ever" (Douban 6.2 ) and unrelated in any way "The Tale of Rose" (Douban 7.4 ) to use as touchstone for attack. Even citing social norms (esp. exaggerated and dysfunctional ones) that they seem to believe must be shown in any drama to be "believable" to criticize the "kindness" or "callousness" of the protagonists in "My Destiny" or vaguely shooting at FWZ for not conforming to their idea of "Chinese behavior, "courtesy"," and "Chinese Family" as if there was one unique mold...
I liked how FWZ rebuked the Hongkonger "raider" with some well-formulated verbal slaps and no physical violence.... 🙂
Family relations? I have a large family there.... But all I can say is that people don't conform to one mold only, and that there are all sorts All the women in my circles have achieved good and influential jobs, even those who rose from the "many" kids 1950s generation, some have managed to raise their one kid family, some have decided to stay single or be divorced. The family keeps cordial ties but is not extremely nosy-close. Distance helps for keeping independent, since a few are scattered throughout China and even abroad. There are all sorts of cases. Although this is not my family, look at Zhang Bichen, Yang Mi, Zhao Liying.... Stay at home breeder and homemaker is not their ideal and depending on a husband (even a wealthy superstar like Hua Chengyu) is not their dream either.... Qianqian reminds me in a way (in the last episodes) of famous single mom by choice Zhang Bichen who has friends ready to step up for her, if her voice fails, like Huang Jingyu did impromptu on a stage (he is a very good singer, though it is not his goal to be remembered for it).
In "My Destiny", the protagonist chooses to reject sentimentality (being burned twice does leave scars) and to stay single, assembling a chosen family of friends whose flaws and fortes she knows, rather than being shackled by "norms". Her rejection of sacrificing time to get a degree (she does not prevent others to get one, it just is not her first priority) shows that vision and drive is the most important.
Although "My Destiny /My Mountains and Seas" drama is not in my opinion the acme of unforgettable masterpiece, neither is it brain dead. 🙂 It is only refusing to give in to some conventional expectations : family worship and loyalty, diploma as the the only credential for a successful career, set forms of morality... Perhaps 30 episodes were insufficient to go in depth but the naive young woman's evolution to business leader was neither unbelievable nor only fairy tale (I have further down thread given a link to a real life success story of a Chinese woman business leader...) : the story is built on a composite of models from real life, whatever the shrill critics choose to disbelieve and use for their gunning down the drama while pretending to respect the artists.
Douban audience appreciated it enough to award it 6.6 ❤️ (from 13,000+ ratings yesterday rising to 14168 at time of writing this comment). An honorable score. Indeed, over 6.5 is NOT BAD. Anyway, Douban ratings aggregated from thousands of ratings, probably reflects different sensibilities from those foreign audiences who struggle to understand C-dramas while saying they admire them but can't accept a drama without a show of gushing sentimentality... (expecting loads of kisses even in war dramas!!! Btw POJ should be very satisfying for them with the kabedons following blood dripping sword killings... Me, I chuckle at such sequences: I don't mind, but don't expect all dramas to follow that same pattern. )
The highest Douban ratings seldom exceed 8.9 ("To The Wonder", "Man's Inhumanity to Man"...) , "She and her Girls" stays up at exceptional 9.6 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (from 251 732 ratings) ; "Nirvana in Fire" is the highest rated wuxia drama with 9.4, but most well known dramas fall below ("Joy of Life" 7.9, "The Untamed" 7.7, "Eternal Love/Ten Miles of Peach Blossom" rates at 6.6 ❤️ , just like "My Destiny". here....)
2 
4 
1 
Now on episode 3, I was laughing at the enduring Meteor Garden c-drama reference popping up: the writer protagonist was admitting without batting an eyelid that she built her character in the novel along the lines of a Hua Ze Lei, while the lawyer almost choked when she went on to describe the competing "novel" as being from a perspective like a Dao Ming Si! Would sweet and shy Ruan Yu cast herself as a Shan Cai next ? 🤣🤣🤣 How will Xu Huaisong appreciate the difference between these point of views and mindsets ?
We got the fireworks from start and most here probably know the now classic romance drama referred to, so can try on "lenses/costumes" to watch the lawyer in the two different "cast", like mental cosplay... Not too threatening cat & mouse or fox & rabbit, but there's a playful element of hide and seek in this video talk! Game on...
This looks like "classic" sweet Miles Wei romance. Perfect for relaxation. 🤭
Some less positive ones got frustrated, some excessively negative ones are dishonest, in my opinion.
The end episodes may feel confusing and rushed to some who don't read spoiler explanations here. Or you may just focus on one part of what is shown to feed your pleasure since cinematography had brilliant moments. Sensibilities will differ.
Fans will rally (as they should) to support their idols. Harsh critics may be too harsh, I prefer to read the bulk of reviews later when the dust has settled and if I have time, instead of following only other people's judgement on this.
The drama is over now since express got released, for those willing to splurge in addition to "vip" subscription. I'll be moving on; finishing some I'd put on pause for POJ. Next, I don't know.
Wishing you continued enjoyment in what you watch, twinty!
Fans... They are a mixed species See this : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z0tferwMsy8
ZLH gets protection from his agency, but Deng Kai apparently has to fend for himself. His real and reasonable, normally supportive fans are apparently not organized enough to serve as helpers to protect from stalkers getting too close. Some fan organizations do that. But there's always the random trophy hunters who think they can flash someone up his nostrils and stalk at the privies, yikes.
I will still go on following ZLH, despite not having reached full fandom level for him yet, like you seem to have. He does look hot on close up, and he seems to be among the actors who can play with his eyes (I have a few in my faves, there, who could "melt rocks with their gazes"). He and some others, are eye candy,. The flowing robes fit him well, such as in the memorable shot of the yin yang twirling bath scene.
As for Chinese actors, I must admit I am very positively biased toward their streamlined visuals, even though the lack of hair on their faces often needs suspension of disbelief in ancient costume dramas. Pausing to examine makes them look too unnatural there : when did the characters get time to shave, if they had proper hormone levels? even if I know Chinese men have low natural pilosity, in real life : they don't often get full facial hair, and are often without hair on the torso. Clean shaven pale faces are the norm for characters who are supposed to be "refined", like the slender waists (which doesn't mean some can't show muscles). The high pony tails should be impractical in battle scenes, but we got used to them. It's fairy tale and I vastly enjoy it as such.
Douban rating is out already with 6.8, so given that there is usually a 2 pts more favorable rating on MDL, it should settle around 8.5 or a little more. We shall see.
If MDL raters are only idol worship audience, then Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei will attract the 10 ratings whatever the drama amounts to. Fans are loyal and support idols in whatever they do. I wouldn't blame them: it is in order.
Fans of the novel seem to have been a bit frustrated about the way the adaptation cut the story to rags to fit the too constrained format of 40 episodes. They might express their frustration in their ratings.
But 4 is indeed way too low. Are there some who got callously lower still? However frustrated some initially gushing audiences became, Zhu Yun does not deserve to be dragged down to the bin.
Zhu Yu drama probably lacked enough episodes for a better development.
Consort Shu and Wei Yan's story, although being an explanation for some of the convoluted events that grew from the fire "17 years earlier", is only told through a swiftly telegraphed account in the later part (glimpsed in some episodes). They were former childhood sweethearts but did have improper relations when she got to court. The murderous Late Emperor aided her suicide by having oil added to the fire, literally. WY survived to cover up scandals and become an accomplice of wrongdoings, killing witnesses (but forgetting one, strangely). Consort Shu is less than a support character in the drama, anyway (she was not even mentioned in the cast on MDL! You have to search elsewhere to find out that Zhong Ling'er got that tiny role! )
The drama is not very clear about Consort Shu's relationship with the Crown princess (played by Xia Fan Yin) who had Qi Min burned badly in order to hide his identity . So Qi Min got passed off as Sui Yuanhai (who died in the fire). But did Wei Yan know? Also mysterious remain the flashbacked meeting between the transmigrator Qianqian (yes we got some clues about that, not only from her mouth to mouth reviving of the drowning young man).
The story is not straightforward, rather murky, and sometimes frustrating.
Zhousheng Cheng and Cui ShiYi's tragic story is central throughout One and Only, and the events are rather straightforward. There was no scandalous improper relationship, even when ZSC rescued his ward and disciple in the Jiangnan, from a kidnapping. ZSC had always been perceived as a threat by the court, so the new emperor schemed to have him get cruelly killed as a rebel, CSY had got forced back to court by her own family, but did not get formally married before her suicide (on the royal wedding day), so the story is in fact much simpler.
The pair, knowing they could not be together even in platonic friends bond, vowed to meet again in another lifetime and that's what they did in the second part of the duology. (rebirth in Forever and Ever). They are the lead couple and the supporting ones don't rise much in comparison to them. Theirs is a tragic fate, but it is not tainted by sexual scandal.
Nevertheless, it is true that Zhu Yu is also very pleasing to watch with many striking images and details (the yin yang twirling bath scene etc). Even lesser characters in the story get some importance in the drama (uncle and aunt, etc, Lady Thirteen.. ). It is nice that most get some development, and that many events get played to symbolic importance, in this convoluted story that seemed so straightforward at first.
Perhaps there were too many cuts to fit the 40 episodes length, so it blurred the line until rushing to end. (I keep wondering what happened to the pretty white gyrfalcon? Did it get stewed?)
It is interesting to see that the drama finally focused on the toy industry in China, rather than the ubiquitous fashion designing one which has become a tired trope. Here is an article from sourcing point of view, about some leading toy manufacturers in China, https://www.zhorya.com/blog/top-toy-manufacturers-in-china
There are many lists like that, this is only one. China is very big....
Personally, although the manufacturing industry was not my primary area of expertise, I have worked in many different capacities, giving me the opportunity to meet and work with all sorts of people, in China. The workplace environment in the PRC has often a different corporate culture from many in the West. It can be harsh, sweatshop like ("My Destiny" drama featured one in the fashion garment factory episodes), but there are also, more enduring and successful corporations who draw on "troops loyalty" like in the company founded by FWZ, who provided a better, nurturing, inclusive environment for the workers, setting time for them for family or health, providing insurance, dorms and good quality canteens. These are not just dreams : I visited one such "paternalistic" business in the early 1990s in the Jiangnan, and my own son went for a 12 weeks "international experience" internship in an industrial factory there, last summer.
The drama does aim to serve as incentive for young people to chase their dreams. encouraging young talents to do so in hi tech, arts, architecture, even service and military (ready to combat all sorts of catastrophes, from earthquakes to snow or floods) ... not forgetting always continuing education.
This is the role model offered : and it is indeed one reason why China vibrantly emerged as it did since the Reform era. Don't get shackled by too many old and unrelated norms, make your way and if you fall, make mistakes, get back up to fight like FWZ and her chosen sisters (who are not perfect, have flaws, but use their talents in synergy - and sing very well, rejoicing our ears) 🙂
"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Douban 8+ rating: A good drama
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐ Douban 6 or 7 rating: Depends, consider if the genre (youth/idol, murder mystery, etc.) is your liking
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Douban 5 or below: Probably don't watch it
Douban with less than 50k ratings: Probably not large budget, didn't have a societal impact in China. May have inflated ratings due to low sample size. Better really want to watch it, if you watch it.
Douban with 100k+ ratings: A drama that many people have watched, either for the actors, high budget, viral nature. Consider watching a 6 or 7 rating drama with many ratings, if only for the spectacle, societal impact, memes, etc...
A 8+ rating drama with 100k+ ratings = MUST WATCH!"
"Douban is the most unbiased review site in my mind. kisskh is way too slanted to idol/youth dramas. Douban has a slight bias towards propaganda/cultural themed and adult targeted shows but.. they're also really good. Douban does have an issue with review bombing over certain things though to watch out for (🍵😤 hate over a certain actor/actress, aspect of the show). Overall if I'm honest though.. Douban cares more about QUALITY, bottom line.
" Douban audiences are very critical of certain things that international audiences may ignore, like common tropes and cliches in romance/idol dramas, the use of voice dubs, the use of traffic stars that audiences have a bad impression on their acting and etc."
-> In "My Destiny" there is no mention of dubbers, and the songs are really sung, quite well, by the actresses, in the episodes where they "performed" ; Seven Tan is quite appreciated in China but is not viewed as a flamboyant traffic star, somewhat differently from the overseas audience appreciation (was it because some episodes of "Go Ahead" were used in the past as a learning tool to teach mandarin to foreigners, so her name stuck in minds? I don't know.)
"There are also things that Chinese audiences find unrealistic but international fans will fail to notice that make the drama's rating lower. For example, modern drama that features work place will get a lot of criticism if it fails to do justice to the profession or workplace, while international audiences may fail to tell if it's realistic or not."
--> Among business themed dramas, "Wild Bloom" stands out with 8.2 Douban rating from 460,642 ratings....
Those who want to criticize "My Destiny" should better compare it to that drama, instead of bringing up their favorite "Best Choice Ever" (Douban 6.2 ) and unrelated in any way "The Tale of Rose" (Douban 7.4 ) to use as touchstone for attack. Even citing social norms (esp. exaggerated and dysfunctional ones) that they seem to believe must be shown in any drama to be "believable" to criticize the "kindness" or "callousness" of the protagonists in "My Destiny" or vaguely shooting at FWZ for not conforming to their idea of "Chinese behavior, "courtesy"," and "Chinese Family" as if there was one unique mold...
I liked how FWZ rebuked the Hongkonger "raider" with some well-formulated verbal slaps and no physical violence.... 🙂
Family relations? I have a large family there.... But all I can say is that people don't conform to one mold only, and that there are all sorts All the women in my circles have achieved good and influential jobs, even those who rose from the "many" kids 1950s generation, some have managed to raise their one kid family, some have decided to stay single or be divorced. The family keeps cordial ties but is not extremely nosy-close. Distance helps for keeping independent, since a few are scattered throughout China and even abroad. There are all sorts of cases.
Although this is not my family, look at Zhang Bichen, Yang Mi, Zhao Liying.... Stay at home breeder and homemaker is not their ideal and depending on a husband (even a wealthy superstar like Hua Chengyu) is not their dream either.... Qianqian reminds me in a way (in the last episodes) of famous single mom by choice Zhang Bichen who has friends ready to step up for her, if her voice fails, like Huang Jingyu did impromptu on a stage (he is a very good singer, though it is not his goal to be remembered for it).
In "My Destiny", the protagonist chooses to reject sentimentality (being burned twice does leave scars) and to stay single, assembling a chosen family of friends whose flaws and fortes she knows, rather than being shackled by "norms". Her rejection of sacrificing time to get a degree (she does not prevent others to get one, it just is not her first priority) shows that vision and drive is the most important.
Douban audience appreciated it enough to award it 6.6 ❤️ (from 13,000+ ratings yesterday rising to 14168 at time of writing this comment). An honorable score. Indeed, over 6.5 is NOT BAD. Anyway, Douban ratings aggregated from thousands of ratings, probably reflects different sensibilities from those foreign audiences who struggle to understand C-dramas while saying they admire them but can't accept a drama without a show of gushing sentimentality... (expecting loads of kisses even in war dramas!!! Btw POJ should be very satisfying for them with the kabedons following blood dripping sword killings... Me, I chuckle at such sequences: I don't mind, but don't expect all dramas to follow that same pattern. )
The highest Douban ratings seldom exceed 8.9 ("To The Wonder", "Man's Inhumanity to Man"...) , "She and her Girls" stays up at exceptional 9.6 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (from 251 732 ratings) ; "Nirvana in Fire" is the highest rated wuxia drama with 9.4, but most well known dramas fall below ("Joy of Life" 7.9, "The Untamed" 7.7,
"Eternal Love/Ten Miles of Peach Blossom" rates at 6.6 ❤️ , just like "My Destiny". here....)
I will post some explanations about Douban above.