1
If it doesn't speak to you, you won't like this
Objective rating 7/10, subjective rating 8.5/10
This story is:
- a vibe (atmospheric)
- heartbreaking
- slow-paced and drawing you in slowly
- glorifying romantic relationships
- not about healthy relationships either
- delivering on all your dramaland fantasies
Storytelling:
We get thrown right into the very confusing relationship between both, no explanations given. Heartbreaking music wants to convince us that every single scene is utterly dramatic, yet what we see looks like a random dramaland breakup scene. Skipping between past, present and trauma, we only get to know each character painfully slowly. What do they like, what is their life like - all we get is melancholic slow-motion with heartwrenching music while watching the characters live their life. Something clearly is off, but what is it?
Tiny pieces of Wen Yifan's past - the only thing that initiates and drives the plot - are thrown out to make up your own mind about it. For me, it was too little too late, but the atmosphere still had me hooked. Until these scenes became too repetitive as we never saw any of them from a different angle or adding a different detail - nothing changes. While at first that felt realistic, it later felt like buying screen time. As we saw Wen Yifan grow in character, so should have her interpretation of her past.
The plot:
There isn't much plot apart from the relationships forming. I really liked how they showed the couple do the most mundane daily tasks together and although it was slow-paced, the build up was made very well.
The family drama was realistic, its closure very anticlimactic. Wen Yifan's story ended up feeling a bit rushed, over the top and lost its relatability when they tried to make it even more dramatic later on. I wish they would have stayed closer to reality instead of one-upping it unneccessarily. For me, that sent the wrong message and the topic could have been handled with a bit more sensitivity, especially after they dealt well with it for the most of it.
Certain archs were understandable, but I still strongly disliked them and wish the drama had explored their neccessity for the characters in a bit more depth. And of course, nobody ever goes to therapy.
The couples:
This story should have centered entirely around the main couple or at least have portrayed the friendships they had a bit stronger. Instead, we got a second couple thrown in that I personally fully could have done without. Their story lacked depth, and as individual characters they got so few screentime that it was almost impossible for me to root for them. They barely had any relevance to the story and seemed to barely impact the main couple's life. It felt like they were meant to include some story about the true meaning of life and love without considering if that was actually the atmosphere this show was going for.
The second couple felt like that one person hitting the light switch after you've gotten cozy in a dark room. You get sucked into the pretty yet cruel world of the main couple, heartwrenching music, warm colours and soft imagery everywhere, just to then get thrown into bright, crystal clear images with standard music, standard bickering and standard "cute petite happy-go-lucky woman". Others might have found that relieving, I almost skipped their parts as I found them too disruptive.
Characters:
Wen Yifan was the star of the show and actually the only one with clear characterisation and character development. She had things she loved doing, a work life, a past and clear issues to resolve. Sang Yan revolved so much around her, he seemed to not have a life of his own. I don't mind romantic dedication, carrying the damsel in distress to her happy end, but he barely had any personality to him. Instead, we had a green flag guy with a big red flag called stalking. No hobbies, no work life, no past aside from her, no issue beside trying to win her over. The side characters in Wen Yifans life all worked towards giving us an impression of her life, adding outside perspectives of her, while everyone else seemed like an NPC without a real purpose.
Acting:
Zhang Ruo Nan did an amazing job at portraing that strong-willed yet always wary character, trying to be stronger than the past that kept haunting her. Her story spoke to me on more levels than it should. Bai Jing Ting did a great job at portraying his character with the few personality traits he was given. His facial expressions were the only reason he didn't come off as the guy with no personality who doesn't really care about the FL either. At least he visibly cared. Apart from that, I am very convinced they tried to pull the face-card with their cast to enhance the atmosphere they were trying to create.
OST:
The music was beautiful, but as mentioned above, seemed a bit over the top not knowing all that had happened. Slowly increasing its intensity through the course of the episodes instead of throwing it at the viewers right away could have helped build and maintain suspense even with the slow pace. The repetitiveness left an impression too, but I wish they used it more selectively. And sometimes, silence can create a lot more tension than any soundtrack could. 10/10 for the music, 6/10 for its use.
Final conclusion: This drama lived from the atmosphere it created, the mysterious depressing aura around Wen Yifan and the viewer's despair to see her have her well-deserved happy end. If you look behind its incredibly beautiful facade, you will find that this drama actually leaves a lot to be desired. But then again, a beautiful fairytale from time to time won't hurt. As I slowly grew to like the silent and calm beauty of it all, Wen Yifan's story deeply spoke to me. I never knew I could fall in love with heartache like this.
PS: I still can't get over the clock in the background of the living room always showing the exact same time.
This story is:
- a vibe (atmospheric)
- heartbreaking
- slow-paced and drawing you in slowly
- glorifying romantic relationships
- not about healthy relationships either
- delivering on all your dramaland fantasies
Storytelling:
We get thrown right into the very confusing relationship between both, no explanations given. Heartbreaking music wants to convince us that every single scene is utterly dramatic, yet what we see looks like a random dramaland breakup scene. Skipping between past, present and trauma, we only get to know each character painfully slowly. What do they like, what is their life like - all we get is melancholic slow-motion with heartwrenching music while watching the characters live their life. Something clearly is off, but what is it?
Tiny pieces of Wen Yifan's past - the only thing that initiates and drives the plot - are thrown out to make up your own mind about it. For me, it was too little too late, but the atmosphere still had me hooked. Until these scenes became too repetitive as we never saw any of them from a different angle or adding a different detail - nothing changes. While at first that felt realistic, it later felt like buying screen time. As we saw Wen Yifan grow in character, so should have her interpretation of her past.
The plot:
There isn't much plot apart from the relationships forming. I really liked how they showed the couple do the most mundane daily tasks together and although it was slow-paced, the build up was made very well.
The family drama was realistic, its closure very anticlimactic. Wen Yifan's story ended up feeling a bit rushed, over the top and lost its relatability when they tried to make it even more dramatic later on. I wish they would have stayed closer to reality instead of one-upping it unneccessarily. For me, that sent the wrong message and the topic could have been handled with a bit more sensitivity, especially after they dealt well with it for the most of it.
Certain archs were understandable, but I still strongly disliked them and wish the drama had explored their neccessity for the characters in a bit more depth. And of course, nobody ever goes to therapy.
The couples:
This story should have centered entirely around the main couple or at least have portrayed the friendships they had a bit stronger. Instead, we got a second couple thrown in that I personally fully could have done without. Their story lacked depth, and as individual characters they got so few screentime that it was almost impossible for me to root for them. They barely had any relevance to the story and seemed to barely impact the main couple's life. It felt like they were meant to include some story about the true meaning of life and love without considering if that was actually the atmosphere this show was going for.
The second couple felt like that one person hitting the light switch after you've gotten cozy in a dark room. You get sucked into the pretty yet cruel world of the main couple, heartwrenching music, warm colours and soft imagery everywhere, just to then get thrown into bright, crystal clear images with standard music, standard bickering and standard "cute petite happy-go-lucky woman". Others might have found that relieving, I almost skipped their parts as I found them too disruptive.
Characters:
Wen Yifan was the star of the show and actually the only one with clear characterisation and character development. She had things she loved doing, a work life, a past and clear issues to resolve. Sang Yan revolved so much around her, he seemed to not have a life of his own. I don't mind romantic dedication, carrying the damsel in distress to her happy end, but he barely had any personality to him. Instead, we had a green flag guy with a big red flag called stalking. No hobbies, no work life, no past aside from her, no issue beside trying to win her over. The side characters in Wen Yifans life all worked towards giving us an impression of her life, adding outside perspectives of her, while everyone else seemed like an NPC without a real purpose.
Acting:
Zhang Ruo Nan did an amazing job at portraing that strong-willed yet always wary character, trying to be stronger than the past that kept haunting her. Her story spoke to me on more levels than it should. Bai Jing Ting did a great job at portraying his character with the few personality traits he was given. His facial expressions were the only reason he didn't come off as the guy with no personality who doesn't really care about the FL either. At least he visibly cared. Apart from that, I am very convinced they tried to pull the face-card with their cast to enhance the atmosphere they were trying to create.
OST:
The music was beautiful, but as mentioned above, seemed a bit over the top not knowing all that had happened. Slowly increasing its intensity through the course of the episodes instead of throwing it at the viewers right away could have helped build and maintain suspense even with the slow pace. The repetitiveness left an impression too, but I wish they used it more selectively. And sometimes, silence can create a lot more tension than any soundtrack could. 10/10 for the music, 6/10 for its use.
Final conclusion: This drama lived from the atmosphere it created, the mysterious depressing aura around Wen Yifan and the viewer's despair to see her have her well-deserved happy end. If you look behind its incredibly beautiful facade, you will find that this drama actually leaves a lot to be desired. But then again, a beautiful fairytale from time to time won't hurt. As I slowly grew to like the silent and calm beauty of it all, Wen Yifan's story deeply spoke to me. I never knew I could fall in love with heartache like this.
PS: I still can't get over the clock in the background of the living room always showing the exact same time.
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