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This review may contain spoilers
Aliens are in the human world to tidy up a mess of their own making!
Despite the title, this drama is more in the science fiction or science fantasy genre than plain fantasy with magic. Granted that Penglai is, in Chinese folklore, the abode of the god like immortals and a sort or fairyland "away from the human world". Here, Penglai is simply a far-away planet from where aliens were exploring the cosmos. These aliens looked remarkably like humans, but could live for thousands of years and they had superpowers including telekinesis (It was funny to watch Hei Qi unsuccessfully trying to move a glass with his mind-power when he was just out of confinement and recovering).Yes, superpowers needed to be known and somewhat trained. If not, like muscles, they would weaken and go completely unnoticed, as in the case of one important character here. But they could also remain hidden in the case of some aliens who chose to go incognito among humans. These aliens were awaiting the moment when they’d be able to return to their home world Penglai, far away in the cosmos. They were on Earth because of an an accident and used the thousands of years to try to clean up the mess left by the scattered “jade” pieces of their spacecraft, which was causing obsessive humans to become “spirits”, living without aging but also turning progressively evil. If these spirits could acknowledge and let go of their initial obsession, together with handing over the piece of alien jade, they could be “cured” and return as ordinary mortal humans.
This is where Bai Qi stepped in as “Spirit doctor”. Originally just a spirit who, instead of being wiped out by the Heavenly soldiers, had become the friend of one, Xiao Zhou, he had even fallen in love with her. But after being both pursued by a killer, she let Bai Qi escape with her Penglai jade bracelet which normally only should be worn by her tribe’s Heavenly soldiers. She also entrusted him with a small sapling or “herb” of paramount importance: “Peach Blossom”, a seemingly sentient plant. Next, she was killed by a mysterious hooded character.
Before releasing him to live on in the mortal world, Xiao Zhou had erased Bai Qi’s memory of their relationship. Nevertheless, when Bai Qi, through a misdirection, found young aspiring actress Lin Xia in his penthouse apartment, he was surprised to feel a connection with her face, which made the partly forgotten memories of Xiao Zhou reappear. When he discovered that not only had this young woman taken away the sapling, because she accidentally had broken the pot, but that the herb was thriving and flowering under her care, Bai Qi decided to rent rooms at her house and work from there, while trying to understand how a mere mortal girl could so influence the other worldly herb.
Many stories and adventures ensued while Bai Qi and Lin Xia became friends and after a while, fell in love. Around them, other characters were drawn into their wake: Yang Jian the naïve Heavenly soldier who fell in love with a young celebrity actress called XiaoXiao. A Li, who played pranks at the master he had freely chosen, but preferred e-games to entanglements with humans, seeing how pitiful the obsessed ones, turned spirits, were. Lin Xia’s dad, who suddenly came back from abroad, disrupted the routine at Lin Xia’s house and showed hostility towards the spirit doctor. Not only these, but patients and antagonists made every episode grow in mystery and dilemmas.
Also, as noted, there were no fairies to find in the drama, and although the antagonists and “evil spirits” were close to the demon definition, they were just long-lived humans who have no hell to go to except of their own making. The Heavenly tribe, on the other hand, listened to a more supernatural voice, that offered them cryptic choices. Ultimately, the aliens who had crash-landed on Earth, could blend in, and become fully human, like the “spirits”, if they so desired. Or they could leave this world altogether to stay away, separate and minding their own alien business. A promise of possible contact in the future didn’t feel very sincere: once separate, the aliens and the humans’ paths were likely not destined to cross again, since Earth had nothing that could attract these aliens by way of resources. Nothing like in “My Girlfriend is an Alien” which is more superficially comedic, and a very different story despite its obsession with love.
Overall, the story was good, although there were some draggy moments in the later episodes. The drama is after all 35 episodes long. Not short. Time runs fast in the beginning, but towards the latter third, the complications could feel over-dramatic, and there were “getting away” moments that might tax patience. Just admire the starlit skies then, and take a pause to follow the lead’s explanations to find the Big Dipper and the small bear… Stuffed teddy bears also abound in this drama, btw. One falls victim to a tiff and gets repaired cutely. And the letters left for Lin Xia are stored in a box labelled with a teddy bear face: this teddy bear motif is one of the recurring details that one may notice with a smile.
Another slightly annoying or amusing thing, depending on mood, is the product placement: 999 Ganmaoling keli (herbal granules adding caffeine, sugar, and acetaminophen analgesic) popular over-the-counter Chinese medicine to treat the common cold, Unifon face masks, Hoegaarden beer cans and bottles, Budweiser beer cans, high fashion clothes like Fendi branded sweaters, and and the Nintendo Switch game console, appear in a lot of episodes.
The actors were good, Bai Yu was a convincing stony faced “spirit doctor” turning progressively more human-minded and had a very satisfyingly mischievous alter ego (“Hei Qi”, his not so “evil double”).
Jade Cheng (Zheng Qiu Hong) played every sentiment from endearing, bubbly and funny, aspiring entertainer to heart-broken lover who gives up everything for the sake of her lover and the greater good.
Marcus Li was an unforgettable prankster sidekick to the main lead. He previously played noticeable supporting roles in the two ‘Go Go Squid’ series and plays “Zhou MingMing” in the 2022 c-drama “Light Chaser Rescue” (where he picks up funnily the new personality he assumed in episode 35, end of “Fairyland Lovers”!).
Ji Xiaobing as the “Big Baby” clueless Yang Jian alien was also very good; he played a private investigator in 2018 S.C.I.
Estelle Chen /Chen Yihan as XiaoXiao is also a good singer (with several songs published since 2018); she has two songs here: “Xihuan ni” and “Xiang ni”. As an actres,s she recently played “He Zhaojun” in the 2022 c-drama “Love Like the Galaxy” (Beware: she has a namesake Estelle Chen, born in Paris in 1999 who is a model.)..
We also get Jade Cheng /Zheng Qiuhong singing and playing the guitar in some episodes : she is a real-life singer as well and released her first single in 2012.) She also dances in the beginning to the funny Little Frog song.
There is also a song (Feng Qiu Huang 鳳求凰) by HITA, a singer who has gained fame for her non- drama related song “Chi Ling”; and Patrick Kwong contributed a sweet “Lullaby of you”. There are excerpts of other songs too: children’s rhymes, classics like Teresa Teng’s “The Moon represents my heart” (parodied by Hei Qi) and more. The background soothing piano or ominous theme music was spot on to underline moods.
The OST and music were excellent; it is a pity that YouTube and another platform cut out some songs and even sound of dialogues in the end episodes, where even translation is missing, so if it wasn’t for the Chinese subtitles, these parts would be totally lost to audiences there, if for some reason, they can’t access the main WeTV platform. Of course, with only reading Chinese subtitles to convey the dialogues, this is also an interesting exercise for Chinese language learners or for those who got too complacent relying on foreign language subtitles or spoken Chinese. (Hint to the Chinese learners: use a tool like Pleco, to draw the characters on an interactive mobile device, and get the meaning and pinyin to key in for sentence translation. Reading Chinese is difficult, but c-drama dialogues are not too hard to understand).
On Youtube, there is also an alternate proposal /private wedding scene, with a cute kitten on the lakeside: Lin Xia takes the initiative, but the “rings” are identical. It is also possible to find several OST songs, trailers and BTS,and an interview; but most of these additional features have no English subtitles.
Overall, Fairyland Lovers was an enjoyable drama with a happy ending for all the positive characters, no grand wedding scene, but some cute growing kids with, already, tooth decay threats!
I might go back re-watching some episodes: it is a nice drama.
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mixed feelings
I had mixed feelings about this drama because of the main female character "Lin Hangjing" whose guts I hated thoroughly until perhaps the four last episodes. Chen Duling is not at fault if the script specified that she should convey the impression of a deep frozen fish haughtily playing the role of poor orphaned martyr.Most female characters in that drama, except the peace loving Qi furen, were just awful snakes or stupid hens, in my opinion. As for the male ones, they were obstinate or for some, frankly evil, but at least had some or a lot of heroic spirit, which carried the drama. Shawn Dou was quite professional, and the character he played elicited some pity from me.
So it was still watchable, although I'll admit I was tempted to drop it several times, the compulsory romance ingredients including accidental kiss being, to say the least, not very redeeming here. Besides, too much was predictable in that drama.
The music, although not unforgettable, is good.
Despite all this unpromising matter, that drama still topped the charts the past end of May weekend, so the audience in China must also have found some qualities in the story and be fond or tolerant of "flawed characters" too.
I found the historical background interesting, so went to dig deeper for a refresher course on the Beiyang army, the life of Zhang Zuolin, the events from 1912 to the Nanjing decade and the story of railroads in the Dongbei until 1937, because there was a mention of a fish from the Songhua river travelling at great cost to the table of the Xiao siling 萧司令 (such details tickle me lol).
It also had me rewatch the 2016 movie "Railroad Tigers" (with Jackie Chan, Z.Tao and Wang Kai), although the action in that movie takes place on the southbound stretch of the railroad from Tianjin. Anyway that movie is well worth rewatching as an antidote to the worst of the irritating scenes in LifoW, like the totally incredible ace driving under gunfire on the wharf to save the life of a traitor and inflict a virtual slap in the face of the Xiao fusiling.
Since I stayed till the end and because the story triggered my interest in accessory watching and reading, I still give it a decent vote. But I doubt it could ever become my favorite go-to romance in Republican era setting.
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This review may contain spoilers
A very enjoyable movie about young music students involved in ancient instruments revival
I watched this movie back in 2017, and liked very much the showcase of new musical trends, notably gufeng as it is termed here, which work towards a revival of ancient instruments, from the better known erhu, pipa and guzheng string instruments that are still used in folk music, to really ancient ones that can now mostly be found in museums : the bianzhong bronze bell carillon, etc.. The young yangqing player and the members of her new band played and acted very well as dedicated musicians and shy or outspoken otakus living their lives in cosplay. It showed the emerging subculture of the young who devote themselves to gaming, mangas and fanfiction while they are still at school or in college.The concerts were highlights : the epic music battle opposing the the classical instrument players and the ancient instruments department, won by the cheeky suona ; the performance of Sun Quan The Emperor at the ACG (anime, comics and gamig) convention with the guest appearance of Luo Tianyi! And the last part with the youth concert and the CGI mythical beasts flying over the stage , followed by the brief apearance of mandopop legend Eason Chan were also very memorable.
It was a thrill for those who already knew something about the music and subculture, and a smooth introduction for those who did not and had to stay on the surface of the youth romance. It could perhaps have benefited from some captions, to better enlighten the older or foreign audience unfamiliar with the tunes and celebrities that appeared there.
The new trends in pop music have been branching out in many directions since the emergence of Chinese pop stars like Deng Lijun back in the 1980s and the disco style of Sally Yeh who took Chinese listeners by storm in 1991 with her song Xiao sa zou yi hui (Gracefully walking). Mandopop or cantopop are relatively well known also abroad, spearheaded by a number of stars who, over the years, took the tunes closer to Chinese spirit, while introducing foreign elements such as rap and hip hop, which first found its footing in tunes by legends such as JJ Lin (Cao Cao) and especially Jay Chou (Fearless, etc) - proponents of the new rhythms that evolved into what is now termed as zhongguofeng incorporating Chinese opera style singing or literal musical quotes such as in the songs Chi Ling or Mangzhong,.
At the opposite end of the spectrum were bands such as S.H.E. from Taiwan who belted out songs like Zhongguohua, but also songs incorporating tunes from western classics such as in Bu xiang zhang da. The new Z.Tao style Cpop is unapologetically influenced by K-pop bands and EDM dance music, as well as by American rap : these songs (T.A.O. Alone, Collateral Love, Cross the Line etc) were composed with the explicit purpose of bringing Chinese music to the attention of global audiences, therefore incorporating titles and lines in English together with the rapid fire rap in mandarin.
Gaming music on the other hand, also pays homage to ancient Chinese culture and singing ; it is enjoying an ever bigger popularity with games such as Genshin impact and League of Legends. The Vocaloid phenomenon Luo Tianyi has also drawn enormous crowds to "her" concerts, which make use of ancient music styles mixed with electronica.
Even though these tunes are not explicitly mentioned in the movie, they are the nurturing ground for the type of music that is heard.
A 24 episode drama version by the same production crew has been released in 2019, retitled "Our Shiny Days".
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Entertaining
Entertaining drama, but some episodes drag and the story is not unforgettable.The OCD suffering mysophobic company president's plots and snares to tie the useful but not stunning artist girl to his side are bound to fail until he resorts to sincerity, but even then, will it be enough ? The opposition of business and artistic views are somewhat caricatural, in my opinion. The mystery behind the shy and tortured genius young artist, and the company president, drives the plot more than the somewhat twisted romance which features a collection of expected problematic behaviors. Some moments are, as expected, quite sweet; some others can be disappointing and trite or even offensive to persons with high stress trigger sensitivity because of gestures and maneuvers that are almost borderline and not just funny, although they are often expected as romance ingredients of this type of stories.
Once aware about this and for those not too easily fazed (and since C dramas have instructions to stay within certain limits, that most mythology often transgressed, but our neo-victorian and social justice conscious times frown upon with passion or hypocrisy) it could still be enjoyed by most young adults or older audiences.
I thought this drama was not extremely memorable, as I had started watching it a while ago and then turned to other ones, leaving it on hold, almost forgotten. Coming back and rewatching, I thought there's enough in it to maybe embark on Season 2 which is a bit slow to air at the time I'm writing and which may flesh out some of the other supporting characters together with the back history behind the business and families stories, while adding new complications to the three couples' relationships. They are not role models to follow in my mind, but as the "nerdy" girl puts it, the developments can be "interesting", or entertaining.
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This review may contain spoilers
An interesting and different business comedy
Despite the terrible subtitling, which really needs to be replaced by a better version, and the strange goose honk sounding voice of the FL actress (dubbed?), I thought the story was interesting even to last episode, where suspense was still ongoing.I watched it on YouTube, where some songs were also bizarrely erased while the dialogue was not but less clear to hear then. Anyway, the music was really not so good that it would make me look up the OST.
There is not a big variety of settings and some images come back many times, it looks very low budget. Nevertheless, the views of Shanghai apart from the expected Pudong skyline did show some interesting views of converted warehouses, waterside or countryside places in or about the metropolis, decrepit neighborhoods, and rather decent new buildings.
The small cast is good, and the actors and actresses have enough enthusiasm to make up for these quibbles. Both leads Wang ZiXuan (playing Ye Xuan) and Xie BinBin (playing Lin ZeNan) and the secondary couples leads Zhu Ran (playing photographer He YuCheng,), Zhai GuanHua (playing restaurateur Hu Yani), Liu ZhiHui (playing accountant Guo Tianlei), Ke Ying (playing LiNa), Yang DingQi (playing 88Ed studio director), Nikki Chen (playing Lin XinXia) and other main supporting characters draw audience into the interesting business story and light romance.
The magic of numbers comes again in this 520 story, but just as a discreet nudge to audience that get those meanings and jokes. I was surprised that a Floor 4 would be shown and that the two lead characters would dare to live there, although that was of course the reason for the cheap rent price, where 4,000 rmb was repeatedly mentioned for the small 2 room unit.
The expected romance and comedy are not the biggest draw for this drama, although it is nicely carried out with less “skinship” moments than loving support ones. The usual amount of slow motion closed lips kissing, catching stumbling damsels in distress, and carrying one on ML's back are also expected. Nevertheless, there are some very funny sweet moments, like the cat-like coming and going across Ye Xuan and Li ZeNan’s balconies, although one about climbing over a gated wall looked like it was a nod to Eternal Love 1-2-3 (the drama with Liang Jie as XiaoTan) and I briefly wondered whether this would go in the same fantasy direction since we did have once again a really tall, empowered ML looking rather cold to start with, and a rather shorter and less athletic, newcomer FL with a warmer outgoing temper. But no. (Ye Xuan was no pushover, she had some self-defense training!)
Some scenes that were certainly meant as slapstick humor like the redoubtable mother wielding a leek as beating stick, commercials TV ads blunders or blind dating made me smile, although they were not exceptional. The appearance of the well-respected director Sha WeiQi (who made a few dramas I also enjoyed, like A River Runs Through It and To Fly With You) first puzzled me, then I realized, and it was a sweet surprise!
Still, other elements that relate to real life Chinese work culture are, I think, very well included. I came out of this fairly enlightened about the practices of outsourcing and sub-contracting tasks to a Party B by a Party A that was the legalese which inspired the story and its title, and about some real life dangers of conducting business and construction work in China where reputation must be particularly protected, but where people still strive to keep an optimistic outlook and trust in friendship to overcome hurdles.
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Pets are a life long responsibiliy, and a lesson for life
I watched this drama slowly, on the one hand because of interruptions by other activities, on the other because of more interest in another small drama. I never skip but it is true that there was much repetition and that the "secret" was out of the bag too early to be really thrilled by the second half development.The purpose of raising awareness about responsibility for adopted pets was worthy. It was developed into "case studies" that really showcased the chosen pets.
The drama could perhaps have been more realistic about some vet care, but on the whole, it pinpointed some facts. For instance, the relatively small number of guide dogs in China, but also a warning against seeing those as "workers" that could be used for years in demanding jobs such as guiding paralympic runners. Some care that actually amounts to mistreatment...
For those who want to know more about the "guest star animals", I have added a list of them, with episode number, and pictures, in the Discussion section, with an appendix listing the pets of some chosen Chinese celebs.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/loving-you/120713-pets-my-precious-ones-and-those-of-c-drama-actors-actresses
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For the newbies and some hailang, on the eve of Singles day 11.11
here is an introduction to Z.Tao's music and a first Profile of the ML of "My Precious " (who played a role he is familiar with in real life!), illustrated, with links to more music and some fashion, luxury (incl. explanation of what some saw as a cryptic line in the song "Promise").
These are parked in the (always hidden, newbies have to be curious to find it, although it is not that difficult) Discussion section of "My Precious" drama. (Since MDL provides the introductions to dramas and shows, I have not (yet) added descriptions and links to those in this Profile, but you might nevertheless find it more useful than the ultra short bio and list of screen appearances on Z.Tao's page). I may expand on that in the future, and move the resulting Profile somewhere else later.
Direct link to these two other "companion pieces" :
https://kisskh.at/discussions/loving-you/120711-z-tao-playlist-and-some-xu-yiyang-thrown-in
Enjoy!
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The c-drama cure for haphephobia!
This short-episodes drama is quite enjoyable, although for the impatient international audience of WeTV who rely on subtitles, there’s already a 3-hours+ "movie" edition, compilation of all episodes, paring away episode intro and end credits. On the minus side, this "movie" edition suffers like many such ones of sound trouble on the YouTube post where I watched it: dialogues sound tinny, while some of the music and even speech gets muted away. If it was not for subtitles, and expressive acting, it could be very annoying to be thus interrupted in the flow.The original short 8 minutes episode series is still airing on WeTV international app with English subtitles, so I was re-watching parts there for a more comfortable sound experience. It's the type of drama one can enjoy while snacking or breakfasting, or at pauses on a commute.
The story of Promise in The Summer (初夏的甜蜜约定 / Chu Xia De Tian Mi Yue Ding) is rather simple, and not too choppy, despite the use of some flashbacks to highlight some past events and more recent ones in order to underline the lead characters' actions. Generally, it develops pleasingly, if not unexpectedly, since this is a variation on well-known stories, going back to the HanaYoriDango/ Meteor Garden/ Boys Over Flowers phenomena. Nevertheless, the expected tropes are not too many: accidental kiss, color spills, spoon-feeding, visit to the amusement park (on double date). Product placement is refreshingly almost absent.
It is a new variation on the story derived from the web novel "Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me" (恶魔少爷别吻我) by Jin Xia Mo (锦夏末), that already spawned a successful 2 seasons drama adaptation under that title in 2017, featuring at the time Xing Fei (An Chuxia) and Li Hongyi (HanQiLu), in 46x25’ episodes, and another take in 2018, titled “The Demon Master”, featuring Yu Xintian (An Chuxia) and Jia Zhengyu (Han Qilu), in a 3seasons, 46x22’episodes Tencent/MangoTV series. But the latter drama script is closer to the MG/BOF drama model.
Despite several points in common (including some that are more pleasing here than in MDDNKM, such as the waltz scene) "Promise in the Summer” stands alone quite well on its own. Some of the story takes place in a fictitious private college, where the protagonists attend a class in Finance, but apart from desk, classroom, and a Theater side activity, we don't get much information about the college. Just enough to justify categorizing the drama as a youth-university romance, with a mystery to be solved, although the mystery is not a big surprise.
FL has endearing eyes and good chemistry with the ML, through touches more than kisses (very few and not the ravenous kind). Han Qilu (韩七录) seems cold, tsundere, "wooden" and overbearing, sometimes almost autistic-behaving, even clueless about how to behave as a boyfriend, needing help from a classmate to express repressed sentiments. But he does thaw up pleasingly (such as in the waltz teaching scene).
An Chuxia (安初夏), the “Cinderella” sudden housemate, has been expressly commissioned by QiLu's mom to conduct desensitizing of the young man for his haphephobia, that causes him to react with skin allergy to the touch of women, except from FL of course. Having discovered this, the mom and therapist of ML have decided on "exposure therapy: In this form of treatment, you’re slowly exposed to the feared situation [in this case, touch]. With a trained therapist, you can create a safe environment in which you can slowly allow yourself to become more comfortable with your fears. Repeated positive experiences through exposure may slowly change your negative emotions toward touch."
This type of phobia and cure is not exactly new in C-dramas. You can find it in the first series of “About Is Love”, among other ones. It was also briefly implied in the first episode of “Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me”, but strangely, not really used then as a lever to develop that story (and the mom of that Han QiLu did not seem to be aware of her son’s condition).
The young actors are very handsome.
• FL is played by 22 years-old actress-singer Liu Nian (刘念). When she was 17-year-old in 2018, she joined the Japanese idol girl group called AKB48 (formed in 2005, with teams which can rotate performances and perform simultaneously at several events and "handshake" events, where fans can meet group members; their highest selling single, "Teacher Teacher", sold over 3 million in 2018). Simultaneously, she tried her luck in v 101 China (rather than in the South Korean television competition Produce 48 of 2018 where 39 members of AKB48 took part) and later again, in Produce Camp (2020) Chinese competition where she 'made it to the final broadcast finishing with the rank of #12". This is Liu Nian's first experience as c-drama FL actress, and we shall perhaps see later how well she did in her previous support role in Destiny of Love (a costume drama starring Darren Chen and Huang RiYing, that wrapped filming 2 years ago already, but still is awaiting release).
• ML, 24-year-old Ma HaoDong (马浩东) had five previous lead roles in c-dramas, while still ' currently studying at the Beijing Film Academy majoring in performance art".
Supporting actors, apart from the as usual, doting mom (uncredited), are:
• Huang YunYun (黄云云) who plays Mo XinWei (莫昕薇), a classmate who is at first infatuated with the ML (but does not stay so for long, becoming a friend instead),
• Jian ZeZheng (建泽正), playing An Chenchuan (安辰川), a young bakery owner classmate who doesn’t have a crush on FL but is a good friend of both ML and FL characters).
• Zhang Xintong (张新童) who plays Xiang ManKui (向蔓葵), a heiress who appears in the last part of the drama, as the fiancée suddenly chosen for him by QiLu’s father, for business alliance.
The names of these characters will sound very familiar to those who watched “Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me”, and/or “The Demon Master”, but these are mostly just namesakes. This pared-down cast, and story, not using gossip mongering, painful breakups, vicious bullying and scandals, has in fact a better flow and leaves audience with a nice sense of completion, differently from the half-baked end in the 2017 drama.
The music is well-timed, songs don’t clash with dialogues, and the waltz is simpler than the expected Strauss numbers. They are sung by singers who are already known to perform drama OST, such as Zhong ShuTong (钟抒瞳) who sings the end theme “The Sleepless Night” (睡不着的夜晚) and Wang Ziyu (王梓钰 aka LIAN) who sings Dawn Of Dreams (梦的曙光).
Baidu informs that the Directors are Dai Xifan (戴希帆) and Sheng Han (晟菡); screenwriter is Sheng Han (晟菡); Producers are Huang Jianan, Wang Fuping, Li Qiyi (黄嘉楠、王付平、李骐屹); and chief producer is Ke Jiasheng (柯家生). These are not well-known names. The drama started filming in September 2022 in Qingdao.
“The Promise in The Summer” is not an unforgettable masterpiece, but it is a well-made variation on the old story, with no over-ambitious message, and it can even be re-watched with enjoyment for the light fluff and humor.
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This review may contain spoilers
Trip down memory lane for those who lived in Beijing or Qingdao in the end 2000s and into the 2010s
A beautiful story of growing up, making one's way in life, and choosing between conflicting sentiments and gratefulness.The FL is He Luo (played by relatively unknown Bu Guan Jin ; she has since played in a number of dramas, including the main role as Chen MeiRu in witty "Dear Diary / My Babylonian boyfriend" of 2021). She is a little girl who only knew how to challenge herself on the track field until she met Zhang Yuan (played by Bai Yu, who featured in "Love O2O", and in 2018 also appeared alongside Zhu Yilong in the web drama “Guardian” : a drama that developed an online cult following which led to the actors increased in popularity )
Zhang Yuan spurred He Luo on to her new goal, which only him saw as more than an idle joke. For lack of two points, caused by a freak bicycle accident he never revealed to her, their common path in Beijing Huaqing (modeled on Qinghua) was thwarted, and He Luo was courted by another worthy young man, Feng Xiao (played by Lu ChengJue who was then a relative newcomer in c-dramas)
Feng Xiao followed He Luo to America and saved her life before step by step moving to propose. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan had changed paths, despite his youthful promise, and struck gold with a game, but being too rash and trustful, he lost so much that he felt ashamed to hold He Luo back when he might become just another loser and drifter. His worth was still recognized by one company that helped him get back where he belonged, faithful followers, and friends ; Li YunWei and Chan Feng, Zhao Chengjie and Tian Xin (who rejected Zhao), and Zhang WeiRui "Zhang CaoCao" who boldly looked up to Zhang Yuan, but realized that his happiness was elsewhere.
Yet, for ZhangYuan to win back his girl after having pushed her away was going to take time again, and luck, and Heavens did not seem to make it easy for them to reunite, even though He Luo realized she still had feelings for her Zhang Yuan and none, beyond gratefulness, for Feng Xiao.
She could have ended up forever single, like in the song Houlai. But the drama ends on a chance meeting that could be a spark of their getting back together after having both overcome their struggles.
The story brings back many memories, for those who lived in Qingdao and Beijing in the end of the 2000s and in the 2010s, with depictions that ring very true : the angst of exams, the rally by all on the news of the Wenchuan earthquake, the life transition after the gaokao verdict, the rise of online gaming, the threat of epidemics (H7N9 avian flu of 2013 here, rather than the 2009 swine flu pandemic, caused by the H1N1 influenza virus and declared by the World Health Organization from June 2009 to August 2010 or the SARS outbreak of 2003-2004 (when severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infected over 8,000 people from 29 countries and territories and caused disruption in travel and confinements in China).
But the story starts around 2006, and it ends before 2018, when the drama was made and released, so there's no SARS/Covid scare yet.
Some epochal events are only mentioned quicky such as the 2008 Olympics, but just as in reality, the scarcity and towering price of tickets for the live event were beyond the reach of most people, especially young students (if they were not involved in the preparation and work there, in some form).
The changing skyline and way of life is touched on by the purchase of the apartment in the He Luo development, the dinners with karaoke gatherings when the former schoolmates meet up., and the revamping of the comics store-café in Qingdao. Iconic buildings of the SOHO group in Beijing are seen, and also signature views of Qingdao and Shenzhen. There is mention of the demise of the Ferris wheel in Qingdao, which underlines the urgency of time flowing away and memories becomling bittersweet as things disappear (such as the Thanks scribbled onto a hidden corner on the roof of the school). The Ferris wheel comes back in many romance dramas and, at least since 2017, there's one standing again, 68 m tall, called the Qingdao Eye (it is located on the shore of Tangdao Bay on the west coast of Qingdao; and it has 36 viewing boxes). But this new Ferris wheel does not feature in the drama.
Food features a lot in the drama, but many signature dishes and snacks of Qingdao or Beijing (Peking duck...) are just hinted at in passing ; the dishes that comes back in cooking is the crucian carp porridge (as a difficult, but nourishing dish!) , the fangbian mian (that causes He Luo to be poisoned by gas in America, though thankfully not being exploded to pieces in her apartment), the fried noodles that Zhang Yuan gets in Beijing at the eatery, and some jianbing filled with vegetables (including the one that had a worm in it, at the university canteen). Bizarrely, He Luo who is supposedly fond of snacks and savors jiaozi or a simple stuffed baozi at her friend's grandma, favors spicy food and Sichuan hotpot: it is indeed popular throughout a good part of China, but not typical from Qingdao where she spent her childhood, and not seen in her home, where her absent dad is only stationed in Sichuan or "the south". As for beverages, beer is ubiquitous, although there is no dwelling on the signature Qingdao beer, and no hint of other popular brands of Beijing. Orange juice is often seen, as well as the Nongfu spring water bottles. At one moment Zhang Yuan hurts his stomach through accepting a drinking challenge involving drinking Moutai from the bottles (!) Lesser or more expensive brands of baijiu (Beijing erguotou, or high end Wuliangye) are not seen. There are dinners at a sushi restaurant, but in other ones, I noticed the absence of the habitual watermelon slices or juice..
All this contributes to the slice of-life feel of the drama, although there is so much focusing on the sentimental struggle and job- or studies-related entanglements, that sometimes, it detracts from a clean and legible storyline. The reluctance to kiss, hug, touch or more by the protagonists of what is a romance feels sometimes extreme, although the slapping away Feng Xiao's hand is quite in character at the moment it happens. This drama is not for those who yearn for kisses and sweet touching on screen. The growth of the characters through the years is accompanied by changing outfits (although nothing spectacular) and make-up, but i am puzzled by the ML hairstyle in the later episodes, which does not really tie in with that of a director, be he a geek gamer or not.
The OST music at the beginning and end of episodes is pleasing and the performance by He Luo at various moments of some signature songs of the time too (Houlai, by Rene Liu, was first released in 2000, but was indeed very popular at the end of the decade and even into the 2010s.) But sometimes, the background music interferes with the dialogues.
Will this be of rewatch value? Maybe. I watched it as a comparison with the "90's Beijing Fantasy", another youth drama that triggered a trip down memory lane, for me.
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Yang Yang as e-sports gaming idol
Perfect e-sports drama conveying the feeling of playing with a new e-sports gaming team starting from almost scratch.Yang Yang playing veteran gamer Ye Xiu and his team, friends and foes are excellent. Friendship and dedication, dishonest competitors who try every underhanded ploy to destruct the sapling guild XingXin, and upright opponents that stay frends outside the game, but no romance, no kissing.
This adaptation makes me want to perhaps also read the webnovel it is based upon. (There is a donghua about the story too, but I have not checked it out yet).
Production includes excellent game animation which illustrate the Glory gamers' view that "Glory is their world", even if staying with it could be short-lived.
The music is addictive, although the OST only has four songs.
Worth rewarching.
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This review may contain spoilers
Nice Republican era /Warlord period drama
I actually enjoyed that one despite the aseptized, blurred & heavily romanced Republican era / Warlords period background (none true to real History).ML "Oliver" Chen XingXu played Shanghai Commander Tan XuanLin here and before that, Yang Kang in the 2017 best (to me) adaptation of Legend of the Condor Heroes. And young Zhang JingYi was a good FL.
The supporting team of "junior marshalls", cheeky sister and wide eyed actress were sometimes cartoon like, sometimes annoying. The villain war lords and their henchmen were suitably vicious and ugly.
Nevertheless, this drama had a surprisingly good plot with a not too heavy dose of sugar. Lots of twists & suspense.
Nice music, although I did not find it exceptional.
I don't plan to rewatch soon, but don't exclude watching some episodes again.
Small spoiler next - so don't read on if you have not watched the first episode.
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Have no fear, our hero Tan Xuanlin was bound to walk almost unscathed through so many dangers because of the magic amulet his girl Miss Mu gave him once she began to sense that her kidnapper was not going to kill her (like he ruthlessly did in the case of a female spy in the beginning) 😁! Though everybody did not reach the end episode safely.
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Supercalifragilisticexpiaidocious! (aka Delightful)
This drama will awaken childhood memories of tastes, fragrances and warmth, against the harsh and judgemental world that want to impose claims of “better taste”, “better behavior”, “better this and that” and bring down those who thrive, hidden, in simple joys. The protagonists all have problems, some rather serious, but many have or will find ways to cope and better, to thrive and find like minded support and budding love. But anger management or handicap are only one leaf of what indeed, first, is a delightfully sweet love story bouquet.A rose given in the depth of despair and a half-mistaken kiss turn out to be the seed of a sweet story, where a shy young pastry chef, helped by a young Cupid-like godson, picks up a wilting (wall)flower in whom he found inspiration for his latest creations. Dessert-making elevated to an art is buoyed by the beautiful writing of the young food blogger: this is a celebration of the value of good food-blogging as well as that of the sweet tooth, which can also be an antidote for mild depression or anxiety. Taking care and assuming responsibility for a sweet, uncomplicated child who derives joy from simple water splashing and shoving his temporary guardians’ heads together for a picture, is another source of warm feelings. The story is simple, despite the half-hidden frailties that each character, main or secondary, expose to the other. Parents may worry and fight but will evolve to a more accepting mindset. The help from family is a strong pillar to lean upon. The story emphasizes loyalty, open-mindedness and the will to help those near and dear who are still not strong enough to resist alone when they brush with “how cold the world is”. On the surface, the story is as light-hearted as seawater spray drifting up as vapor into fluffy white clouds in the cerulean skies over the boundless waters. If one wants to dig further, this drama has roots going as deep as the murky cold waters that somehow also can provide joy for divers who respect its many hidden forms and colors. Although the story doesn’t take us further than the seaside, we'll accept and believe that shameless human sharks won’t win, faced with the overpowering force of sincerity. The drama upholds such positive values. Moments of doubts will subside like vapor after downpours, before the expected happy ending, illustrating what glues friends and a family together.
Particularly good acting from the cute 6-year old child actor, Lennon Sun (Sun Si Cheng 孙思程) playing RuiRui. This is his second appearance since his debut last year in favorably received “Unforgettable Love”.
Blinding smiles from the sunny, petite, barely 24-year-old Jin Zi Suan (金子璇) in the role of food blogger Jiang Si Han. This is her third appearance in dramas, maybe we shall see more of her in the future.
Delicate acting from 27-year-old Zhou Jun Wei (周峻纬) who apart from his career in supporting roles since 2018 Put Your Head on My Shoulder, is also a singer: he sings the theme song “Run To You”. In 2018, he joined the number of actors who bravely revealed their married status (like Timmy Xu Wenzhou, Allen Ren Jialun..) while continuing to act in romantic roles, this time in his first ML one, as dessert-maker Cheng Mu. We shall expect him again as ML in upcoming Story of Kunning Palace.
There is another, more drama-conventional CP with 27-year-old Xu Ke Er (徐棵二) as Cheng Mu’s elder sister and protector agency director, and 23-year -old singer and actor Brian Chang Bin (常斌) who aptly plays the role of a minor celebrity who already has earned enough wealth to realize his dreams. They demonstrate enough chemistry to satisfy those who would not be moved by the softness of the leads.
The rest of the cast is more like icing sugar sprinkled on the dessert, with love-seeking and good-looking young characters who reminded me of the mermaid princes in the short drama:” I don’t want to fall in love with human”. Indeed, idol-training “De De”/ Chen Jian Yu (陈建宇) as Jian Yi Hang also played as ML in that short drama.
The OST songs are very pleasant to listen to. There is even an ear-worm one, with all-English “Run To You” (“Take my hand, I know how cold the world is…”) sung by soft-voiced Zhou Jun Wei (also ML).
Overall, this drama was a relaxing pause from more stressful or over-long ones.
I always liked desserts like the ones they show. ... Suddenly finding myself craving for a passion-fruit mousse topped with slices of fresh figs and mint leaves and a drawn-on design of auspicious characters in dark and white chocolate... Or simply a slice of seasonal pumpkin pie with pecan nuts + a cup of ginger tea to stave off the sniffles due to the unseasonable lukewarm and windy weather. I'll take myself to get served by the friendly staff with mild mental and cognitive disabilities in the inclusive Happy Café on the main avenue of the city where I am currently based (this idea has also spread to China). :-)
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This review may contain spoilers
Cinderella/Mary Sue, but watchable business romance to watch Chengdu
This drama, despite its annoying Mary Sue trope, was enjoyable, especially the light-hearted part until it got "serious" between Lou Yuan and Dong DongEn, and the antagonists appeared, first the reluctant "cousin" of the malicious business competitor Su Qi, who is the instrument of the crisis in the four last episodes, and next the jealous "childhood neighbor" who is the cause of much grief. We knew of course, as soon as she appeared, stalking into the company on her high heels, that she was up to no good, so we were concerned as audience about En's naiveté to work with her... The cousin was also a case where En was too trustful, but she couldn't see what we saw of her link to Su Qi, and she did own up to her misdeed when the crisis broke for the 82 company she was a part of.But that gives a balance to the light hearted part, introducing more serious concerns about how ordinary people still might be targeted by cyberbullying, the dangers it brings and how to react. Interesting also to see that perhaps offices ought to be routinely security checked for spying devices, that many can buy easily and conceal, also in homes! My surprise was that we almost saw no police involvement, except in the field where En was assaulted by club wielding thugs (even then, the mere mention of them and sound of police car alarm was enough to send the thugs packing). There are some very lawfully reprehensible acts in these last episodes, so, shall we see all these rotten turtle eggs get slapped with sentences? To be continued...
About cast and crew, I looked into the Baidu page to check about dubbing, but no voice actor is listed for any in the cast, despite there is a mention of dubbing directors (Li Jiasi, Yu Mengci) ; this could indicate that actors and actresses dubbed themselves, as is more and more the case. A commenter noted an unusual accent for one of the members of 82 company. I rather liked Xu Lu even when she was using the coaxing voice in the beginning.
Where and when was this filmed : Baidu informed that it started shooting on October 20, 2021, and was completed January 5, 2022. I will add that this was in Chengdu, as many stills in the drama show, and the episode 17 stroll in the old quarter there. I had received a small Mid autumn festival greeting in the form of a short video of the drones show celebration there on Sept.29 evening, and I appended a small GIF of it to the songs (OST and Hero song) pinned with links to listen in the Discussion section (above Comments). You will recognize the twin towers that often appear over the crossroad views in the drama. Enjoy!
Now for the review with minor spoilers of the end episodes and my thoughts about what the drama aimed at.
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In my opinion, the end episodes were logical. They show how the need for revenge by calling for the police can sometimes be detrimental to reputation and happiness. So, sometimes, without letting go like in just naive forgiveness, it is indeed better to turn former enemies into allies if not real friends. We knew the "cousin" betrayer had qualms, and now that she had seen the light and regretted, she would be a wholehearted addition to the team, especially after the « test » prepared for her by 82.
Su Qi was a scorpion who lost his stinger, so he couldn’t do damage but indeed help trap the real puppetmaster; Lou Yuan was astute in realizing that the tables could be turned against that shadow figure. Su Qi’s plans to convert through launching a new, cleaner business, was in line with the idea that wrongdoers must, if possible, reform through useful work. It would not have been better if he ended up in prison. He knew his faults and as the scorpion who lost his stinger, would now work as an ordinary dung carrying beetle, useful for gardens, Voluntarily better than fruitless coerced punishment.
The annoying "other woman" leech chose to expatriate: good riddance. In ancient times, that was how some condemned officials were treated : exile to distant countries. She acts like she has other prospects, but we know how much of a liar and a braggart she was. Marry someone else in another country ? How? Online dating? Good luck for her. I think she only said that to piss off her mom, who was appalled at the shamelessness of that offspring. That old biddy had abetted her daughter's schemes, but probably not realized how stupid it was, since in the end, it meant she was punished too through the loss of her old friendship with Lou mom and perhaps even her own subservient position in the company too.
The actress friend of DongEn had already realized that she couldn't go on with her guy : it was reasonable for them to break off early after they knew they were really physically incompatible, even though they liked each other. Mutual agreement divorce can be a solution to keep good opinions about each other when the way ahead is blocked.
The solving of the cyberharassment case contributed to the return of young Han, with his father realizing that the investment could be good for his company and train his son in another way to, in distant future if the old man could stay at the helm long enough, inherit Han group, with 82 as a de facto (but nominally independent) subsidiary. Like Taiwan to China perhaps ?
I was less taken by the endless lovey dovey Cinderella and Mary Sue tropes, and expectation of weddings etc. But the romance was aware of these pitfalls and aimed at adult and reasonable: the gap in social position and earnings was indeed a concern that the two had to find a way to circumvent. I am satisfied that Lou Yuan was true to his pledge to face the difficulties with his chosen soulmate, Miles Wei and Xu Lu were an unlikely pair, but they pulled off their role adequately, if not overwhelmingly oozing with sugar syrup. The renewed proposal was, by the exchange it staged, witnessed by "found family" rather in line with the expected marriage.
The old lady Lou and her laughters provided much light-heartedness, so even if she appeared as a blundering, even though well-meaning, elder past her edge, she added the necessary sauce at times. We could have expected another match with her former sweet love, but the story is enough as it stands. The ending did not feel rushed: it was only logical and fitting the last twists.
So were any wrongdoers dragged to prison? Yes, and it was on the televised news that old Mrs Lou was so happy to watch. A slew of bad citizens got caught : the rotten competitor, and the cyberbullying ringmaster. It solved the defamation case of the Lou's products, while emphasizing the importance that the Chinese now put on food products quality control. Frozen meat can indeed be as toxic as milk laced with melamine, and the authorities are not going to let go of crimes of that sort. That does not mean the other crimes and wrongdoings would not be punished if they were brought clearly to justice attention (several actors and actresses have won cases against their cyberbullies or stalkers). But when the wrongdoers agree to punish themselves and reform, it saves time and resources for authorities, so pragmatically, this is better. Chinese dramas have an explicit agenda to further a public conception of "morality" and set a compass for solving problems through voluntary reform action and-self criticism (not necessarily broadcasting a public apology nor groveling like the mole did, which Lou Yuan rightfully realized was not natural, but could be further attempt at entrapment).
As for personal and sentimental interaction, they mostly stay quite conventional. Couples have to get committed and marry on sound basis of values that can be estimated by price (house, car, salary, jewelry...) and there is indeed an expectation that if the social status is different, the difference in balance should be compensated somehow : either through education, or through successful position in a company or line of work. Cinderella stories are therefore not realistic. This one was teetering between full fairy tale and down to earth depiction. Not totally successful perhaps.
I was more interested in the business parts promised by the title, although the « service angle » was a bit clumsily depicted. Watching it from the point of view of an illustration of what were the underlying values, and the indirect demonstration that individual worth cannot be separated from societal one. It is another concept of civilization that is the backbone of such stories, which are in line with "capitalism with socialist characteristics" : the policy which has helped the country navigate the U turn from poverty to increasing comfort, making it into a global powerhouse, world player in the emergent BRICS. China has over a few decades become a place to build ever higher and ambitious buildings (as we see from the Chengdu cityscapes glimpsed now and then, and the layout of offices and homes; the products placement were less obvious, probably built in pauses on public television) . Building ever higher dreams, not giving up in case of business wars. It was also a topic that was present in the news at the time of filming.
We can see how this illustrates in some way what was on their mind : the reaction of Chinese citizens and Huawei company to the return of Ms Meng to China as a hero in December 2021, after having been slandered and bullied into house arrest in a country she thought was friendly, and the subsequent turn to domestic resources to rebuild Huawei as again a leader in its group, surprising all those who thought that company dead. This is the Hero song's real meaning: it can translate into a lot, and is the symbol of the "Hao Han" in every business domain now, striving for excellence and justice without relying on Court's orders first, but striving also to stay in line with the country's goals.
Hello, I am At Your Service is an Ok business & romance C-drama in my opinion, although many things in the story could be foreseen too easily. So, it is not a masterpiece but, quite watchable. Many spoilers were given in comments, and the clues and previews were probably too revealing to properly keep the suspense elements intact. I watched it disregarding the comments section until I had watched it all, in 3 sittings. The light-hearted first half part was often fun, while the more serious one after the couple formed and problems cropped up, was mixing the expected hope, disappointment, disgust and despair, on the background of the commercial war that had some mildly thrilling twists.
Because of those, I'd rate the drama as for general public over 14, but more for mature audience that isn't looking for just another love story first. Of course, it will appeal to those who like Miles Wei and/or Xu Lu, despite it is not their best drama.
There are a few sweet songs (links in Discussion), and the one Hero song (original by Liu Han for a 1998 drama version of “The Water Margin” epic classic) which got a fun twist in the end episode, in line with the way songs can be used in such setting.
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